Title: Today Is Better Than Yesterday
Fandom: Blue Dragon (Anime)
Full Summary: Post-Tenkai. It's been nearly three months since Rudolf's defeat, and Shu has gone back to Talta Village in order to return to some semblance of a normal life - and, perhaps, in an attempt to run from his feelings concerning Bouquet and Kluke, which have become more confusing than ever. That changes, though, when Bouquet arrives to tell Shu that he's been summoned to Nirvana by Primula. Things become even more complicated when Noi arrives in Talta the following day, saying that his position as chairman has been revoked by leaders in his home world, and asking if he can stay with Shu for a while. And when Shu, Bouquet and Noi finally do leave for Nirvana, it isn't until too late that they realize they have three certain boys following after them... The ensuing journey will lead them to discoveries, both about themselves and those around them, that they could never have imagined.
Genre(s): Friendship, Action/Adventure, Romance, Family, Crime, Suspense, Drama, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery, Angst
Characters: Shu, Bouquet, Noi, Kobun-tachi (Tsubasa, Hibiki, Taichi; names given), Jiro, Kluke, S. Andropov, Primula, Marumaro, Marcus (OC), Rottares, Hildegard, Xi, Tarkovsky, Szabo, Fushira, Marie, Rom, Kluke's Students, Delphinium, Deathroy, Rogi, Matilda, Konrad, Cleese, Danell, Legolas, Minor OCs
Pairing(s): Shu x Bouquet/Kluke, Jiro x Kluke x Andropov triangle, Marumaro x Primula, Tsubasa x Bouquet crush / Platonic Pairings: Shu/Noi friendship, Shu/Kobun-tachi friendship, Noi/Kobun-tachi friendship, Bouquet/Kobun-tachi friendship, Marumaro/Noi friendship, (platonic pairing omitted to avoid spoilers)
Rating: 13-14 and up
Warnings: Mild to moderate suggestive themes, mild violence, one or two disturbing scenes
Author's Notes: I'm embarrassed to say that I have screwed up while translating some names. The most embarrassing part is that it took me three/four years to realize it! The changed names are the following - "Gridr" is now "Cleese", "Daner" is now "Danell", and "Rome" is now "Rom". God-willing, those are the only names I messed up. / Title is taken from the (translated) opening line of season one's second ending theme, Kokoro. Translation by Star-Fansubs. (I have also decided to give this story the nickname of Kyou, or sometimes Kyou wa, taken from the actual Japanese lyrics.) / Unlike other stories, this one refers to Shu's Three Friends as the "Kobun-tachi". "Kobun" means "follower" in Japanese, and is actually how the three boys are referred to as in the credits of the episodes they appear in. / Concerning the names of the Kobun-tachi: Tsubasa, Hibiki and Taichi are actually names that I gave to the boys, but I did it so long ago - before I joined this site - that it became natural for me to call them that, and I forgot to mention it once I joined the site and started publishing my stories. I think there was some confusion concerning this in one of my stories - maybe Precious Memories - so as soon as I have the chance, I'll put a formal note mentioning it. In any case, if anyone would like to use these names, you're more than welcome. / Today Is Better Than Yesterday shares elements with Fierruneru no Unmei. After the story is published, there will be notes in the chapters with further explanations. In a side but related note, Today Is Better Than Yesterday has become my primary season three fan fiction (it's not quite my primary anime fic; in terms of that, it is currently tied with Maple Leaf/Maple Sky). / While the story I have plotted out should remain mostly intact - and I do have the majority of this plotted out, fortunately - there may be some slight changes on occasion. Anything too serious will either be reflected here in the Project Profile or within the story notes when it has been published. / A slightly more insignificant note: concerning the "Warnings", though I say "mild to moderate" suggestive themes, it's not really anything worse than what's in the actual anime. The difference here is that I'm going to be slightly more descriptive - a bit like in Royal Flush, though it won't be anywhere near as dark as it is in that fic - and not skip over things because I'm feeling shy/squeamish (which I have a tendency to do; I don't know if anyone noticed or not).
The story profile above is the updated version that has also been in my LiveJournal entry for NaNoWriMo (2012). (Don't know if anyone still knows my LiveJournal url; it got purged from with the rest of the user websites when the administrators got rid of the option allowing you to display your website. I haven't had the chance yet to post the link on my profile directly, but I'll correct this soon.) You may have noticed that there are a few changes – some more significant than others – that are different from what has been here on my profile. If something significant happens that differs from this story profile, I'll try to give you a heads up in the pre-story author's note.
Unlike Royal Flush, Kyou wa will not have dates at the top representing how long it took to complete the chapter. This story was never supposed to be a NaNoWriMo project, and I'd rather not have something that so blatantly states it. However, if anyone would like to know the dates, I'd be more than happy to tell you through either review replies or a PM (whichever you'd prefer). In the same respect, review replies will be appearing up here in following chapters as regularly (finally).
Disclaimer: I do not own the Blue Dragon anime (or game), nor do I claim to. This is simply my own interpretation of how things could develop after the end of the second season.
Chapter 1: Fickle is the Heart…
He's late.
Swearing up a storm (as Ojiichan would say), he grabs the carrying pole and slings it across his shoulders, buckets clacking across his shoulder blades. He doesn't even have the time to wince when one hits him a little too hard. Oh God, oh God, this is so bad... It must be about half past nine by now. The sun's coming up; the river will be warming.
Fantastic. Great. Just... great.
Idiot!!
He slips through the forest with ease, the years away from home unable to diminish the memory of the path. It is not even that, really; more of an instinct. Something that's ingrained on his very soul.
Talta sand forever stays in the bone, the blood, the spirit - eternally, unending, everlasting.
Toyodeh always said that. Still says it, probably; he's ashamed to admit it, even to himself, but he's barely talked to her during his time off.
Who's he kidding? He's barely talked to his grandfather, for God's sake.
Or the trio, for that matter.
Speaking of which- ugh, it's Wednesday, what am I going to do, I'm just not in the mood for it today, da-
He stumbles on a rock and finishes (then repeats, twice) the two-syllable curse out loud.
Focus, Lieutenant Commander.
That helps a lot.
He reaches the river without further blunder, kneeling at the bank and quickly unhooking the buckets before dunking them in, collecting water. His fingers numb from the icy liquid as he dips the wooden container into the rushing hydration. Good. He made it in time.
He's still late, though. He should've been at the forge an hour ago.
With each bucket filled, he shoulders the pole before heading towards the village proper. The weight of the wood slides his loose t-shirt to the side, exposing the black tank top strap; even though he doesn't have the time or concentration to look, he can feel the way the fabric pushes into his skin.
(He hadn't thought he'd ever wear it again. Too many painful memories. But... He's spoken to her; he's moved on. He's ready to don it once more. And he may be wearing it under the white t-shirt - with green stripe - that Ojiichan wore as a boy, and no one else may see it unless the loose shirt slides down and shows it - which actually happens pretty frequently, as his grandfather was not quite as under-grown as he is - but he has it on again, so that's all that matters.)
He takes the back way to the forge; the last thing he needs is the humiliation of all of the villagers seeing him arrive an hour late. And, heaven forbid, the jeering stare of Kai. (That would make his day even lovelier than it already is.) He didn't used to worry about it as much in the old days, but without Kluke here-
Do not finish that. He has to pin down the emotions that swirl in his chest at just the mere thought of her name, a maelstrom of agony within his chest.
He had hoped that maybe things would have been different...
...But Shu should know better by now, shouldn't he?
Mythril is a fickle metal. Most mythril is actually some of the easiest metal to work with in the entire world (aside from the Miracle Metal, Orichalcum, the one that they say whoever finds it is blessed). However, there are deposits of it - some of which just happen to be found in the Lal Mountains - that is some of the trickiest metals of them all.
Especially when heated.
Figures that's what he needs to do with it.
With a sigh, Shu resolves himself to having a hard day.
It's been surprisingly easy to get back into metalworking. True, he's made a few blunders at first, but that can easily be written off – Shu has never been the pro that Fushira is, and in the old days had made plenty of mistakes while at the forge. However, he's pleased to note that there's been some improvement recently compared with when he was ten. One of the weirdest parts of it has actually been the normalcy – he's basically been fighting for two years straight, so it's been something of an adjustment to be at peace.
The strangest, though, has been adjusting to the changes in his old life. While on his journeys, the life he'd had in Talta had been unchangingly preserved in his mind, perfectly frozen in time. To find new things disrupting that picture had come as something of a shock - constantly looking around for Kluke, to tell her a joke on the aside or calling her for dinner with the all of the boys, only to remember that she's no longer there; the fact that Tsubasa is the same age as Shu was when he went off on that fateful journey to defeat Nene; Blue Dragon summoning himself, without any warning or any prompting from Shu, to occasionally (and oddly) help out with chores and the like when no one is around (though Shu suspects this is likely out of his Shadow's desire to do something since there's nothing around to fight these days)... He still has mixed feelings about these changes and the smaller ones. What bothers him, really, is that anything had changed at all. He knows that there's no point in holding onto the past, but… It had been the one thing he'd counted on to never change.
But… I guess everything changes. Doesn't it?
The sound of the back door opening and closing registers in his ears. "Aniki?"
It's Tsubasa. "At the forge." For a second, the corner of Shu's mouth twitches up. That tone almost sounds like his grandfather's - the one Fushira uses when he's in the middle of a difficult project and doesn't want to be disturbed.
"Some letters came for you." Shu takes his eyes off the fire just long enough to see Tsubasa enter the room, separating two letters from a larger pile. As he returns his focus to the task at hand, he allows himself a few seconds to consider it. Two, huh…? That'll probably be Primula and Marumaro. He'll have trouble translating Marumaro's ungodly scrawl, now that Noi isn't-
The tongs slide in his grip. Stop it. He forces his mind away from any thoughts of Noi. Focus.
He glances at Tsubasa again, just long enough to see the younger boy seat himself on a workbench and start tearing open one of the letters. Shu mentally shrugs. Tsubasa's his friend, pretty much family; he isn't going to get worked up over the kid reading a letter that Shu will probably tell him about later on anyway.
Things proceed silently for a couple of minutes. Just as Shu is preparing to pull out a piece of metal, Tsubasa speaks up again. "Your friend has a… very familiar way of speaking." There's a note in Tsubasa's voice that Shu can't place. Discomfort, maybe?
There is a moment of hesitation, but then Shu continues working. "Mm." Could it be Marumaro? It seems unlikely that Tsubasa would be able to read Marumaro's handwriting – after over two years of practice, Shu is only able to get the gist of it. Perhaps someone else wrote it for him. But what's the reason for it?
"Wow… She actually said it…" Tsubasa says something else, but it's too low for Shu to hear and he can't afford to focus on it right now, despite the curiosity that the murmured statement brings. Even after doing this for years, it's important to be careful around the fire and hot metal at all times-
"Aniki, are you in love with Bouquet?"
Shu lets out a shout as his glove-covered hand alights on the forge – that glove and his Shadow User resistance is the only thing that keeps the burn from being severe. Dropping the tongs with a growled out curse, he yanks the glove off with his teeth and plunges his hand into the nearest barrel of water.
That's the first time he's burned himself at the forge since he was five years old.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Tsubasa leaping off the table. "Aniki-!"
He gets rid of the glove with a shake of his head; it lands on the table next to a fragment of mythril, which seems to glint up at him mockingly. "What is with you?! Saying something like that all of a sudden…" Shu fights against a flush.
"W-well, that's what I meant before. She wrote it in a really familiar way, and at the end of the letter she said 'love, Bouquet', so… I just thought…"
"You shouldn't go presuming things." Even as he says it, the words leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Like he's told a half-truth.
"…So, you don't, then?" When Shu doesn't immediately answer, Tsubasa adds, "What about Kluke?"
"Didn't I just tell you not to presume anything?" Taking his hand out of the water, he gives it a few shakes to rid it of any lingering drops. His palm is bright red, but with the quickened regeneration, it shouldn't be anything serious. Most of the damage will heal within the hour, and any leftover remnants will be gone by tomorrow morning. "And what does Kluke have to do with anything?" Shu knows what Tsubasa is getting at all too well – he partially raised this boy; Shu is more than aware that he's a bright kid – but he'll dodge this issue with every bit of willpower he's got.
"I-it's just… The way you act around Kluke- the way you used to… Sometimes, the boys and I just wondered… Wondered if maybe you…" He doesn't finish.
Shu sighs, staring at the wall. He waits for just a second-
Then, quick as a flash, he reaches over and yanks Tsubasa's goggles over his eyes, causing the younger boy to yelp and then whine, "Aniki!"
Laughing lightly, Shu takes a seat on the table. "Sorry. But you make it too easy, kiddo. C'mere." He grabs Tsubasa by the middle, lifting him up and seating the boy beside him.
When Tsubasa pushes the goggles back on top of his head, his face is slightly red, but he wears a small smile. "We haven't played around like that in ages."
"Yeah, we haven't." Shu softens his expression, putting an arm around Tsubasa's shoulders. "We haven't done much of anything, really. But… I've got more time to spend here in Talta, so I'm going to try to make up for it now. Okay?"
"Okay." Tsubasa is grinning widely. Then something cheeky slips into his expression. Shu braces himself; much as he's raised these boys of his to be good kids, Shu's mischievousness has rubbed off on all of them. Tsubasa is usually the mildest and most mature of the trio, but it doesn't mean that streak of mischief is nonexistent. "And then you can introduce me to that Bouquet girl you 'don't like', right?"
Shu gives a nervous laugh, short and disbelieving. "Wh- what?"
"Oh…" Tsubasa looks at him thoughtfully. He's as forgetful as he was two years ago, apparently. "Didn't I tell you? She said she's coming to Talta-"
Faster than he thought he could move, Shu snatches the letter out of Tsubasa's grip, reading through it swiftly. He doesn't need a mirror; Shu can feel the blood drain out of his face. As soon as he finishes, his hand drops to his lap. In a hoarse whisper, he croaks out, "Oh, God."
Tsubasa tilts his head to the side. "Aniki?"
Before the younger can say another word, Shu grabs him by the wrist and hauls him out of the forge.
As he runs down the hall, he raises his voice to a shout. "Taichi! Hibiki!"
The two pop out of the storeroom, wearing inquisitive expressions. At the same time they say, "Aniki-?"
Shu sets Tsubasa down, then grabs him and Hibiki together in the same arm. With the other, he lifts Taichi. Not saying a word, he continues to race down the hallway amidst the boy's yells of protest.
When he reaches a certain door, he uses his elbow to knock on it (given that his arm is filled with Taichi). "Ojiichan, I'm taking my break now! The boys and I will be back soon!" With that, he hurries out of the house.
Before he leaves entirely, he hears a door open behind him, and his grandfather tentatively saying his name. "Shu…?"
"We have a serious situation on our hands, men…" He paces as he talks. "The opposition is preparing to infiltrate our ranks and unleash a full-frontal assault. However, we don't have the sufficient time to prepare a plan. And so we are left with no choice but to evade and proceed from there." A hand is raised. "Yes?"
"…I think you might've been in the Resistance too long, Aniki." Hibiki blinks at him with confused eyes. "Don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?"
"What kind of talk is that?" Shu raises his voice – not enough for it to be a shout, but it still makes all three of the boys jump. "Time is of the essence. I need to know that all of you have my back." He pauses, looks carefully at each of them. "So? Can I count on you?"
The trio exchanges glances with each other. When they look back at him, their faces are full of determination. There are my boys. Shu fights a grin. "We're with you, Aniki!"
"Good. Now, Tsubasa," he points at him, "I need you to stay here and keep watch. If you spot her, try to either distract her or direct her attention elsewhere, and then as soon as you're able, shout our old code word into the forest." Shu gestures at himself. "Taichi, Hibiki, you'll be heading into the forest with me. We'll be posting ourselves near the tree line so we can hear Tsubasa. Once he yells the code word, we'll decide what to do from there." Folding his arms, he asks finally, "Does anyone have any questions?"
A series of negative responses follows. Shu holds up a fist. For a moment, as the sun flashes in his eyes, he almost feels ten again; ready to embark on some grand adventure with his friends through the village or its outskirts, even though his true journey is yet to come. "Alright, boys – let's get to it!"
The three boys cheer in the affirmative. And with that, Shu runs off into the forest with Hibiki and Taichi on his heels.
Propping up his chin with his hand, Tsubasa sighs. "I was really looking forward to hanging out with Aniki today…" Talking to himself is a habit – perhaps a bad one - but it's one that he's never felt inclined to break. "He's always over at that White Brigade city-thing… After their leader or whatever got kidnapped, I thought he'd never come home… And now that he is home, he's all in a panic over that girl." Another sigh. "This stinks…"
Tsubasa lifts his head from his palm. "Still… This is almost like the games we used to play. Maybe it's not so bad after all." Grinning, he gets to his feet. "That girl will probably leave if she can't find Aniki. I just have to do my part, and then we'll get to spend time with him again." Raising fisted hands, he proclaims, "I won't let you down, Aniki!"
A voice says from behind him, "Excuse me?"
A girl? Tsubasa whirls at the sound of the voice, back towards the village-
Everything comes to a halt in his mind as he sees the person that stands before him.
Her outfit registers first – brown shoes, red thigh-highs, olive green denim miniskirt (although it looks like there's some kind of purple or dark pink clothing peeking out from under the hem – shorts, maybe?), blue tube top that leaves all of her abdomen and the very top of her (rather large) chest exposed, and some kind of light brown hooded shawl-jacket-thing… She's wearing a necklace, a round blue disc that's color looks to be a cross between the sky and a robin's egg, and in the middle of the circle is an ocean-colored triangle. A matching bracelet adorns her right wrist, and two golden bands encircle the left. Her hair, black and shiny like a raven's feather, with a slight gray undertone like smoke, is pulled into two pigtails with red hairbands. And her eyes, her eyes, are purple and shine like the brightest gem.
She is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.
"Ah- er…" Words have lost all meaning. He scrabbles for them desperately, but they remain stubbornly out of reach. Tsubasa feels himself flush.
She giggles, closing her eyes. It's angelic. "How cute!" Opening her eyes again, a flash of glimmering amethyst, she leans down towards him – and he immediately forces his eyes up, strictly on her face, so her cleavage is out of his line of sight. "Such a cute little boy! Say, is there any way you could help me?"
"Absolutely! Anything!" His words come out in a rush. "Anything you want! Just name it, and I'll do it!"
Another giggle. He might faint. "And so helpful, too! That's great!" She places a finger under her chin. "I'm looking for a boy who lives here in Talta Village. I need to speak with him right away."
"No problem!" Tsubasa presses a hand to his chest, hoping that he sounds mature and knowledgeable. "I know almost everybody in the village. I'll be able to help you find him for sure."
"Wonderful!" She claps her hands together. "By any chance, do you happen to know someone named Shu?"
Well, that makes things surprisingly easy. "Definitely! I've known him since I was little. Come on," he waves her forward, towards the forest. "I can show you exactly where he is." What luck! Who knew she'd be looking for Aniki? This day is looking better all the time.
When they're a little ways into the forest, it abruptly occurs to Tsubasa that he hasn't asked the girl who she is. Idiot! "Hey, um… I never asked what your name was, did I?" She must think you're so rude… Way to go with impressing her.
"Oh, how silly of me! I guess I never introduced myself, huh?" She gestures towards herself. "My name is Bouquet. It's nice to meet you!"
Tsubasa freezes.
Bouquet pauses as well, looking confused. "Are you okay?"
Without replying, Tsubasa takes off, sprinting full-tilt into the forest, hollering the code word at the top of his lungs.
"Aniki," Taichi fidgets, looking severely uncomfortable. It makes sense; the three of them are crouched together in a bush and - despite being only nine - Taichi is still the largest of them. Shu quashes the guilt that rises in his chest and tells himself it's for a better cause. "I still don't get why we have to hide if Tsubasa is-"
"Mushroom stealer, mushroom stealer, mushroom stealer-!!"
"Tsubasa?" Hibiki peers out of the foliage, voice mirroring Shu's inward disbelief (and probably outward, too, if he could see his face). "What's Tsubasa doing here? Isn't he supposed to be keeping watch at the tree line-?"
"-stealer, mushroom stealer, mushroom stealer!!" Tsubasa comes to stop in front of the bush, panting heavily. "Aniki-"
"Tsubasa, what are you doing here?" Shu hisses at him, a sneaking suspicion keeping him from raising his voice much higher than a whisper.
"Aniki- Aniki, I messed up," Tsubasa lifts his head, eyes filled with desperation. "I didn't know who she was, and I-"
The distant voice pulls Shu up short. "Cute little boy?" So like her, to label Tsubasa in such a way. Despite everything, the sound of her voice sets off a pang of longing in his chest. "Where did you go?"
"Are you crazy?!" Shu shrieks at Tsubasa, no longer bothering to control his tone. Without giving him any time to respond, he gathers the three boys up into his arms and takes off at a run.
"Darling?! Is that you?!"
Shu swears colorfully, pausing for a precious second to reposition the boys so that they hang off his back. The extra weight will be something of a liability – especially since Taichi is wider than him even if the younger boy is no longer taller – but Shu is going to need his hands free for this. "Hold on to me and don't let go!" Not wasting any time, he sprints deeper into the forest.
"It is you, isn't it?!" Bouquet is gaining, her voice becoming clearer. Shu isn't sure if it's because he's impeded, or if she's just that fast. "Come back! Don't run away!"
"Aniki," Hibiki shouts so he'll be heard. "Why did she call you 'Darling'? Do you like each other or something?"
Taichi pipes up, "What about Kluke?"
"Shut up." Shu spits out between gritted teeth. These. Kids! What is with them? Why are they suddenly putting his relationships under a periscope?
Why can't everyone just leave him alone about this already?
But then he brightens as he spies what's up ahead on the path. Shu smirks in triumph. Sorry, Bouquet. This may be your first time here…
As soon as he's within range, he vaults upward, running up the tree, the boys wailing in panic and clinging to him tighter than ever. Once he's about midway, he kicks off the trunk to backflip in the air, flipping twice before landing neatly on the other side of the river.
…but I know this place by heart.
He starts running again, just barely able to make out Bouquet over the rush of the river. "Aw, geez…!" She huffs in agitation and he hears a stomping noise that must be her foot. He grins. Victory is sweet.
Now that the coast is clear, he heads for the old meeting spot he and the boys would use – a rock shelf underneath a large tree. The roots hang down over the space, providing decent cover. If one were to look at it directly, or spot the color of clothing from above, they'll be detected easily. For now, though, it will be sufficient for getting out of sight.
Hopping off the ledge, Shu lands with ease. He quickly spins around, dumping the boys and himself in the safe spot. Once they're out of plain view, Shu lets out a relieved sigh.
And then he remembers how furious he is at Tsubasa. "What were you thinking?!" Shu snaps at the younger boy. "Are you out of your mind?! You led her straight to us!"
"I- I just-"
"It's a disaster!" Shu throws his hands up. "We don't have the time to come up with a new plan!"
"I couldn't help it!" Tsubasa flails. "She's so pretty and my brain got stupid!"
Baffled, Shu does a double take. "Say what?"
He isn't given enough time to try and figure out what that means, though.
"There you are, Darling!"
As if it's being pulled upward by some unknown force, Shu lifts his head.
Just in time to see Bouquet leaping over the ridge right above them.
Shu barely manages to get out a shriek before he's scrambling to his feet and taking off like a shot. There's a thud from behind him; Bouquet has landed, and she's close. Not enough time to run for it. He goes for the first thing he sees – a tree stump – and moves so that it's between him and Bouquet. As a shield, it's about as flimsy as it gets, but there's no other option. Bouquet approaches with a gleam in her eyes, and he grips the wood in front of him like a lifeline.
Once she's near enough, she clutches the other side, her grin somewhere between playful and predatory. It reminds him of their so-called date nearly three months ago, when she threw him into the alley and tried to kiss him, and Shu fervently hopes that he's not in for a repeat. He doesn't have a fortuneteller/prophet-who's-actually-Rudolf to use as an out this time. "I finally caught up to you, Darling." Her breathing's labored, and for the first time he notices the sheen of sweat on her forehead. A strand of black hair is curling at her temple from the perspiration; his fingers twitch with the need to smooth it out, and he swears mentally. It's getting worse. Why did she have to come? "You don't have to be so shy, you know. It's only me, Darling." She winks at him.
Shu swallows hard. "Quit it, Bouquet." He edges backwards. If he's quick, he might be able to get away. He's fast, and he'd only need a second. But which way to go? The closest hiding spots are back towards the village; the others, most of which are his best, are deeper into the forest, and he may not have enough time to make it there.
Bouquet pouts at him. I have to get out of here! His fight or flight mode is getting ready to kick in; if he doesn't make a decision soon, his body (or Blue Dragon, or both) is going to make it for him. "'Quit it', he says. I haven't seen you in two months, and that's all you can say?"
Guilt hits him with a hard punch to the stomach. Whatever else is going on with his head (and his heart, if he's being honest here), Bouquet is still his friend. She's right; she deserves better than that. "N- no, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I- I am glad to see you-" And he is. Even if he doesn't want her here, Shu is still unbelievably happy to see her, happier than he's been since he left Nirvana.
Even if it hurts.
And then Bouquet smirks. "So fickle today, Darling."
Trap. The whole thing was a trap. Very clever, to lure him into feeling guilty, while it was actually just a ruse to make him hesitate and buy her time. Clever, clever Bouquet.
That's his girl.
She leaps onto the tree stump. Given that they're directly in front of his face and about three inches away, he can't help but notice her breasts bouncing. His throat goes dry. "I'll have to hug you for that, Darling." It's not that kind of hug.
So. Flight it is, then.
Shu starts running before Bouquet has even jumped off, but his sad attempt at a head start is all for naught – after about three steps or so, he trips on a rock that he doesn't remember being there, and falls stomach first into the small stream.
He's screwed.
In a last effort, Shu gets to his hands and knees, tries to get into some kind of position where he can make a run for it, but he knows it's a lost cause when he hears Bouquet say, "Now I've got you," spare inches away from his ear. Not willing to go down without a fight, Shu tries to move away regardless-
And then he feels it on his back, the sensation all the more apparent from his soaked shirt.
Chest. Huge. Soft. Help.
You're on your own with this one, kid. Oh, his beloved Shadow! So kind and helpful!
Screw you, Blue Dragon!
"It's been such a long time since we were together!" Bouquet presses down closer, and Shu's helpless to stop the gasp that pushes out of his throat. "I've missed being close to you like this, Darling~!"
"B- Bouquet! Stop!" All of the blood is rushing to his head. His blush must be furious indeed; he can feel the heat rolling off of his cheeks in waves. He forces himself not to examine any of the feelings rushing through him, whether they're physical or emotional. "Stop it!"
As he and Bouquet wrestle by the stream, Shu can hear Tsubasa muttering behind them, "…What in the world is going on here?"
"So, then," Bouquet is chipper, seemingly unphased by the whole situation; he wishes he could say the same. Shu rubs his neck, feeling distinctly ill at ease. "I'm Bouquet. And who are all of you?"
"Tsu- Tsubasa!" Shu arches an eyebrow at the younger boy's stiff and awkward response; despite himself, he watches with rising curiosity as Tsubasa's cheeks turn pink. "I'm Tsubasa, B-Bouquet-san!"
Both eyebrows go up at the honorific.
"You're the cute little boy from before!" Tsubasa is blushing at first, but promptly shrinks away at the sharp glare Shu sends his way. "No need to be so formal, though. Just 'Bouquet' is fine." She turns her attention to the other two members of the trio. "And what about you two?"
"I'm Hibiki!"
"My name is Taichi!"
"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet all of Darling's friends from home! I never got to visit Talta Village, you see, and I've always wanted to come here with Darling." She loops her arm through Shu's. He tries not to flinch. "And now I have!" Her expression is so sunny, so full of joy. As if just being around him is where all of her happiness comes from.
Heart sinking, Shu has to look away.
It's nice in Talta. A little too hot for Bouquet's tastes, but it's still a very pleasant village. She likes it here a lot.
The path to Shu's house, which rests at the top of a very slight hill, is a cooler temperature than the rest of the village. It's a forested pathway that isn't in the main part of Talta, but is not quite far enough away to be considered Talta's outskirts. A few moments ago, while Tsubasa had been chatting amicably with her (now his focus is on the other two boys – the smallest of the trio, Hibiki, and the largest, Taichi), he'd told her that while Shu lives in the house with his grandfather, they do all of their blacksmithing in the market area where they have their forge.
Bouquet hadn't known about Shu's grandfather, or that said grandfather is a blacksmith, or that Shu had been in training to be a blacksmith before Zola came along. He never told her.
With a little sigh, Bouquet glances back at him now. He still has that sour expression on his face, the same one he's had since she announced that she wanted to see where Shu lives. Something strange is going on with him, but she can't tell what it is. She got to know Shu incredibly well during their time together – on their first journey, their time with the Resistance, and their second journey – and she's learned to read him. All the expressions and habits and tells that give away what he's feeling – she knows most of them at this point. So to now not be able to tell what he's thinking… It bothers her a little.
…Does this have to do with what you told me two months ago?
It had been after the fiasco with Primula being kidnapped by the still mostly-unknown group, Rächer. Shu's time guarding Primula had been about to come to an end, with the first of the next month and Marumaro's turn rapidly approaching. She had wanted to know if he would leave Nirvana until it was his turn again, what he wanted to do next…
"Bouquet… There are some complicated things I need to sort out. I'm sorry… I can't tell you what they are. But… I'm going to leave for Talta Village at the end of the month... And I need you to not come with me.
"I know this is sudden, but… I need you to do this for me. I'll try to figure this out as quickly as I can. So please, Bouquet… Please trust me."
And she hasn't heard from him since.
Until now, anyway.
…Such as it is.
Bouquet would have done as he said – stayed away, even though she didn't want to. But despite wanting to be here… the decision to come had not been her choice, or even within her power to make.
She pushes it from her mind. She's here ahead of time, so bringing up the true reason for her visit won't be necessary until tomorrow. For now, her goal is to find out what's wrong with Shu – and to fix it, if she can.
Her thoughts are interrupted by Hibiki calling out, "We're here!"
Nestled in a little clearing is a house made of a hodgepodge of wood and clay (mostly more of the former than the latter). It's not overly large, but is wider than it is tall.
Taichi laughs, holding his arms out as he hurries toward the front of the home. "Jiichan!"
"It's late in the day, so Fushira will be home by now," Tsubasa explains to her. "Or he should be, anyway."
Hibiki tugs on her skirt. "We have to introduce you!"
Out of nowhere, Shu stalks ahead; he doesn't look at any of them, or say a word. Shoulders hunched, head down, and hands in his pockets. When the new shirt he's wearing slides to the side for a second, she sees the black cloth on his shoulder – what must have been the slightly dark shape she saw when he got wet from the stream – and with a jolt, it hits her that it's his tank top from two years ago (almost three, now).
"Are you okay?" The look Hibiki gives her is a mixture of confusion and worry.
"Oh… I-it's nothing. Really." Bouquet tries for a smile, but suspects that she falls short.
When she and the boys arrive at the house, Shu and Taichi have already gone inside. While Shu remains near the entrance, Taichi is nowhere in sight. That changes in a second when he appears from a hallway, being followed by an older man with a long white beard and hair tied back (though it doesn't look exactly the same, it reminds her of Shu).
This must be Fushira.
Bouquet smiles at him. "Hello; you're Fushira, right? It's nice to finally meet you." She strives to be both polite and pleasant; even though she knows little to nothing about him, she and this man will be family one day. Though they may not be that close yet, at the very least she wants to make a good impression on him.
And the old man smiles warmly. The trio is suddenly gaping at him in shock, though she doesn't know why. "I am. And who might you be?"
"My name is Bouquet," she braces herself. Here it comes – this is what will make or break everything. "And I'm Shu's fiancée."
There is a sudden outcry from the boys.
"Aniki!!"
"You never told us you were engaged!"
"When did that happen?!"
"My self-proclaimed fiancée." Shu says, and there's a strange note in his voice that keeps her from turning around.
Fushira moves closer to her. The smile is still there, and Bouquet feels relieved. When outstretches his hand, she takes it gladly. "Well, then. It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear."
The boys start chattering incessantly, about how Fushira is never this nice to people he just meets (this earns them a gruff response from the old man), how they have to get to know "Aniki's" fiancée better, how she has to stay for dinner-
In the flurry of excitement, Bouquet forgets about the odd response from Shu and inadvertently turns in his direction-
She whips back around, hands clasped over her heart; it's pounding in her chest as she bites her lip.
Bouquet doesn't know why, but in Shu's eyes there had been a look of deep hurt and betrayal.
Dinner has been pretty miserable for Shu. For the majority of the meal, he's either been doing one of two things - picking at the food on his plate, or resting his hand on his chin, elbow on the table, looking at the farthest corner of the room. He has no appetite, and no interest in joining the conversation.
The whole time has been pretty joyous for everyone else. Ojiichan – Ojiichan, of all people, his grandfather who barely says anything to anyone unless he's talking to Shu, the boys, one of the elders, or Kluke – has been talking to Bouquet the whole time, asking her questions about herself. His reactions to the responses have either been fond or amused. The boys keep asking her things about her relationship with him.
His nails dig into the soft wood of the table. Everything he's worked for these past two months has gone down the drain. Ruined. It's all ruined. His fingers dig in deeper, and he's trying to pin it down and control it, but Shu can tell that his patience with everything, all of it, is about to snap.
Through the thoughts tumbling around in his head, he hears Hibiki say, "You and Aniki sure have done a lot together."
Her violet eyes shine like nothing else he's ever seen. "I promise you I'll show you those things, all of that and more. Together, we'll go all around the world and see everything it has to offer. Just you and me, Darling."
Fushira laughs. "It's good to know such a nice young lady has been taking care of my grandson."
Kluke grins at him, twirling her wrench with practiced ease. "Like you could shake me. I'll always be around to take care of you."
It's too much-
"Aniki, are you in love with Bouquet?"
"I-it's just… The way you act around Kluke- the way you used to… Sometimes, the boys and I just wondered… Wondered if maybe you…"
"Why did she call you 'Darling'? Do you like each other or something?"
"What about Kluke?"
And he can't take it anymore.
He stands up, slamming his hands on the table, sending the dishes rattling. His hair shields his eyes from view, but he can hear everyone at the table go silent.
Bouquet quietly murmurs, "Sh-Shu…?"
"…Why?" His voice is low, and though he tries to rein it in, the edge of anger is audible. "Why did you have to come? You're sitting here and acting like everything is fine, talking with my family who I barely even get to see... I asked you not to come, and yet you came anyway. Why are you doing this to me?!"
"Aniki-" Hibiki. Why is he speaking up now, of all times? "Aniki, you're crying…"
The shock of it forces his head up, causes him to see Bouquet's stunned expression while he finally feels the wetness rolling down his face. Shu jerks back with a gasp, the movement seeming to let loose even more of the tears; his chair wobbles as he bumps into it.
He can't face this. He can't.
And so he turns around and runs away.
"Shu… Why are you doing this, maro?"
"I just want to go home for a little bit."
"I'm not talking about that, maro." Marumaro cleared his throat. "…Why did you tell Bouquet and Kluke not to come with you, maro?"
Shu paused, a split-second of hesitation. Swift but noticeable. Then he resumed packing. "It's complicated. I have things I need to figure out, and I'd rather do it alone. This is for the best."
Marumaro snorted. "Best for who, I wonder, maro?" After seeing the sudden tension in Shu's shoulders, he gentled his tone. "How do you know for sure this is the best thing to do, maro?" When Shu didn't respond, Marumaro sighed and said, "You know, when it comes to this sort of thing, someone always gets hurt in the end, maro-"
"You think I don't know that?!" Shu whirled on him suddenly, frustration in his voice and pain in his eyes. "I- I know that one of them, maybe even both of them, are being hurt by this whole thing. Why do you think I'm leaving and told them not to follow?" He ran a hand through his hair, something Marumaro had come to recognize as a nervous habit. "No. I don't know if this is the right thing to do. But… I have to try something. Things can't go on like this." He turned around and closed his backpack.
"Shu…"
After swinging the pack onto his shoulders, Shu crossed the distance to Marumaro and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look… If you or Primula need anything, anything at all…Just stop by or send me a letter." Shu's hold on him tightened, then. There was an undercurrent of loneliness there, in his actions and in his words. Marumaro knew that his choice to return to Lago Village two years ago had wounded Shu (though they went to different places, the same went for Kluke and Jiro too), and though most of that had healed over the past half year or so, this new separation was going to reopen it all over again. Another thing to be repaired, maro. What am I going to do with this kid, maro? "Take…" Shu swallowed. "…Take care of yourself, okay?"
As Shu walked down the White Brigade castle halls, he never heard what Marumaro said next.
"Shu… Why do you think I've been trying so hard to get you to choose one of them, maro?" Helplessly, knowing that Shu was too far down the hallway to hear him, Marumaro let out a small sigh. "When I said that somebody gets hurt in this kind of thing, I wasn't talking about Kluke and Bouquet, maro… I was talking about you, maro…"
She walks toward her destination; despite the grass bending slightly under her steps, her feet make nearly no noise at all. When it's in sight, and she sees him, Bouquet breaks out into a wide smile. "There you are." She approaches steadily. "Fushira said you tend to come out here when you're feeling down." The location is another clearing on a slight hilltop, not too deep into the forest, and not really too far away from the house. There were actually two spots the blacksmith had mentioned – the other, which is supposedly the most likely place to find him, is a miniature rock peak with an excellent view of the Big Moon, but Shu didn't go there for some reason. She takes a seat beside him.
He takes a second to let out a hard exhalation through his nose, and without even looking at her, stands and starts to head back the way she came.
Bouquet waits, staring out into the forest. Shu has only gone a short distance before she speaks up, "Wait a minute, Shu." Maybe he hears what is in her tone, but whatever the reason, his movements cease. "I need to talk to you for a moment, okay?" She brings her knees up to her chest, resting her arms on top of them. "…The real reason I'm here is to deliver a message from Primula. I made it here to Talta Village a day earlier than I was supposed to, and so I thought maybe… maybe this could be a chance to spend time with you. I didn't forget what you told me to do… I guess I was just hoping that it wouldn't matter. But I realize now that was a mistake." She stares down at her hands, watching as she fidgets with her fingers restlessly. Knowing that Shu can't see, she allows the sadness into her smile. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you what that message is. And then I'll leave and stay away for as long as you like. Even… Even if it's forever." The last part takes courage that she didn't know she had.
There is a sudden crunch of grass – approaching, not moving away. A small thud follows; Shu must be sitting on the ground. "Bouquet…" He sounds close. "I asked you not to come because I have some important things to decide. I still haven't done that yet, but…"
Silence. And then there's a rustling-
Bouquet gasps as he embraces her from behind.
When he speaks, Shu's voice is thick and low with emotion. "I never meant to hurt you." His arms tighten around her. Somehow, her hands wound up resting over his, just a few inches below her collarbone. Bouquet wonders if he can feel her heart racing, or feel the heat from the flush that covers her face. "I would never do anything to hurt you. Not ever."
And then she smiles again, nodding slightly. Her eyes feel wet, but with him here, holding her so close, the only thing she can feel is happiness. "I know."
"Thirteen is a tumultuous age, and he's coming up on it pretty fast," Fushira sips at his tea. Though his mouth is hidden by the cup, Bouquet can see the kindness in his eyes. "Things may be difficult for the two of you right now, but it'll get better with time."
"Mm." She nods, then sips at her own drink. Shu seems better overall now; she still doesn't know what he and his grandfather talked about after Bouquet and Shu returned, but whatever it was did a lot of good. She glances around. He and the boys are still oddly missing, though-
She nearly jumps out of her skin as a sudden chorus of shrieks echoes through the house.
"Ah." Fushira leans back with a small sigh. "It seems to be about that time."
"Time for what?" Twisting around in her chair, she looks about for any sign of them. But despite the noise, the four of them are still out of sight.
"Wednesday."
"…What about Wednesday?" She can't keep the incredulous note out of her voice.
A loud bump comes from the distance, followed by a series of scuffling noises. Afterwards, there's a shout, "Taichi, Hibiki! Save yourselves!" After this comes the thumping of footfalls.
"Wh-what in the world is happening?" Bouquet debates with herself whether or not she should get up to investigate. Fushira continues to sit calmly, taking a sip of tea occasionally. He seems entirely unworried. But why?
And then Taichi and Hibiki are suddenly in the living room, panicked gazes darting about the place as if they're searching for something. A change comes over Hibiki, like he's made a decision, and then he's suddenly lunging under the table. Bouquet squeaks as he scurries under her legs. What the heck?
Taichi begins to approach, seeming like he's about to do the same, but then Hibiki hisses out from under the table, "You can't fit under here anymore! Go find another hiding spot!"
The boy lets out a miserable moan. It's like he's trying to escape from something…
Shu's voice comes from down the hall "Taichi-"
Taichi lets out a shout before dodging into the kitchen, slamming the door just as Shu reaches it. Shu, with the hand that isn't full of Tsubasa, pounds the door with his fist, letting out a mild curse. He then tries the doorknob, twisting and pulling, but to no avail. "Looks like he locked it, huh…"
She watches, perplexed, as Shu looks at the door from different angles. He seems mildly irritated but mostly thoughtful. Then, in a sudden motion, he's crouching down on the ground with his hand pressed to the floor. "Don't scare him too bad, alright?" Bouquet is confused about who he is talking to, when blue aura suddenly flares up around him – Tsubasa, wide-eyed, lets out a squeak of surprise – and she realizes that the place Shu has his hand pressed is over his shadow.
A blue flash moves across the floor, into the sealed-off kitchen.
Even through the locked door, she can hear the sudden crash that's accompanied by a piercing shriek. Shu darts to his feet and pounds on the door hard enough to rattle it. "I said don't scare him, you moron!!"
The door swing opens. Blue Dragon, holding a terrified Taichi, grins at Shu devilishly. "How could I resist such an easy opening?"
Shu rolls his eyes, taking Taichi from Blue Dragon. "This relationship is a two-way thing, you know. You've got to listen when I tell you something."
When they were just starting out, the words would have caused Blue Dragon to either blatantly ignore Shu or fly into a rage. Today, the Shadow simply scoffs; he's openly annoyed and dismissive, but you can see the amusement if you've observed Blue Dragon the way Bouquet has. The relationship between Shu and Blue Dragon has grown into something that is like no other – friendly and hostile, argumentative and protective, jarringly off-kilter and perfectly balanced. Bouquet's never seen another Shadow and User remotely like these two, nor has she ever found another dynamic so intriguing.
"Alright, then," Shu turns around. "Now for Hibiki." His eyes go right to the table.
Bouquet feels movement along her shins. Something presses there, warm and trembling. The shaking doubles as Shu approaches, then wordlessly ducks under the table, moving like he's done the same thing a hundred times. Hibiki wails, "But Aniki-!!"
Shu straightens again, arms filled with all three boys. "No buts." There's authoritativeness in his voice, but not the kind she's heard him use in the Resistance. He's come close to this tone before, with Noi, but it has never been so clear before. After consideration, she deciphers at least part of what it is - sternness that is tempered with gentleness and affection. "All little boys in the house get bath time on Wednesday night."
As the boys let loose with a series of whines, it hits Bouquet what it is. Big brother mode. She is both giddy and amused at the revelation. Another thought occurs to her. If he acted that way towards Noi, even just a little… She had suspected that Shu felt that way, of course, though things weren't so easy between them in the beginning (they knocked heads just a little too much for that); when it was just the four of them on the road and they had a few minutes where they weren't fighting for their lives, Shu had spent a lot of time with Noi. She misses Noi-chan so badly that it hurts, and she knows it's the same for Marumaro, but for the first time she considers something else - does it hurt even worse for Shu?
Her musing is broken when Shu stalks off down the hall with the protesting boys, Blue Dragon still summoned and snorting derisively on occasion.
Bouquet stares the way they went for several long moments. Then she nods and gets up. "I'll be back in a minute." She tries not to blush when Fushira chuckles, like he already knows what she's up to. It's ironic, because Bouquet doesn't even know herself.
She proceeds down the hallway carefully, cautious about not making any noise. As she gets closer to the bathroom, she can hear the water already running and the trio making a ruckus. A particularly loud cry goes up at one point from both Tsubasa and Hibiki, "Aniki, you're scrubbing too hard!"
"Whiners."
"Blue Dragon, shut up. And I wouldn't have to scrub so hard if the three of you little rascals didn't jump in every mud puddle within a mile." A hard exhalation. "I'm starting to see what Kluke was getting at."
She's only a foot or two away from the doorway. Hibiki suddenly sounds anxious. "You're not against us jumping in mud puddles now, are you, Aniki? Is it because you bathe everyday now?"
"No, I'm not against you playing in the mud. It's just that I wouldn't mind you laying off a little bit since I'm the one who washes you down every week. And I bathe every day because it's mandatory when you're in the army. That was the case for the Resistance, in any case."
"Poor Aniki…" The three boys say it in perfect unison.
"It's not so bad, really, especially once you're used to it. And it's not such a bad habit to get into." He follows up with a soft laugh. "Believe me, when you're fighting all the time, taking a bath or a shower is pretty relaxing." A series of splashes occur; she thinks Taichi yelps, though it's hard to tell. "Your muscles get super tense, so some warm water goes a long way."
It seems like as good a time as any. With a deep breath, Bouquet pops her head in side. "Hey, Shu-?"
The trio starts screaming, flailing wildly. "Oh, woah-!" Shu's arms go out, like he's trying to shield them-
And then Blue Dragon's wings are moving, with enough speed and power to stir her hair, now acting as cover so that she can only see the tops of the trio's heads and Shu's upper half. "Wh-what are you doing in here?" Shu stutters.
"I…" She trails. What is she doing? "I came to see if I could help." It's better than nothing, she supposes.
"You can't come in here." Shu is firm and unyielding.
Bouquet puffs her cheeks out in agitation. "Why not? How come Blue Dragon can be in here but I can't?"
"Because-" And Shu's face actually turns red- "Because you're a girl."
Between the tone of his voice and the childishness of the statement and his red face, for the first time in a long while Shu is sounding and acting like what he actually is – not the Lieutenant Commander fighting Rosenkreuz, not the Shadow User fighting enemies, not the leader of their four-person group giving instructions. But a twelve year old boy. She doesn't always remember that. And she doesn't always remember that she's just a twelve year old girl, either. But he's reminded her now, and she's glad for it.
Regardless, Bouquet loves each of those facets of Shu – the soldier, the Shadow User, the leader, the boy – and more. She loves him. Whether it's her love for him or the reminder of his age, she can't say, but there's a tender feeling in her chest (and her tone) as she answers quite simply, "Okay." And she leaves them to it.
Bouquet probably needs to stop sneaking around Shu's house. She should be invisible, at the least, so she won't be caught. But it doesn't feel right for some reason.
She hears Shu and the boys murmuring from one of the rooms. Quietly, she creeps into position to listen better.
"Aniki," she identifies Taichi first. "Are you coming to bed soon?"
"Not just yet," Shu's voice is warmer and gentler than she's ever heard. Even if it isn't directed at her, it makes Bouquet relax. "I have to clean up the mess you three made in the bathroom, among other things."
"You scrubbed us too hard, Aniki!" Something about the way Hibiki says it drives Bouquet to peer around the doorway to the inside of the room. She bites her lip to hold in her giggle when she sees that he's pouting. "You have to sleep with us tonight to make up for it!"
"Oh, I do, do I?" Quick as a flash, Shu yanks up the blanket and grabs Hibiki's foot, tickling it immediately. The smaller boy starts up a round of squealing and laughter.
She notices Blue Dragon when the Shadow chuckles at the display. Shu hasn't unsummoned him yet. Why?
When Shu releases Hibiki, he promptly holds his arms out. "Alright, good night hug." The trio piles into his arms, their own wrapping around him as three pairs of his hands rest in different spots on his back. He lets out a quiet sigh as he runs his own hand through each of the boys' hair. "My boys… What am I going to do with you?" When he pulls away and lays them back in the bed, there's something soft in his gaze as he tucks them in, pulling the blanket up to their chins. "Now get some sleep, okay? I'll come to bed soon." He pats the mattress.
Bouquet ducks around the edge of the doorway as the boys call out, "Good night, Aniki!"
Since he exits the room with his gaze directed over his shoulder, Shu doesn't take notice of her as he says, "'Night!" He pulls the door closed with a slight click. As soon as it shuts, the smile drops off his face, replaced with something more melancholy. He turns – miraculously away from her – and leans his back against the shut door. He presses his head, tilted slightly up and to the side, against the wood behind him, shutting his eyes…
She goes rigid as a tear tracks out of his closed eye.
Blue Dragon makes a slight noise. Bouquet glances up – and freezes when she realizes the Shadow's red eyes are focused right on her and slightly narrowed. "Shu." It's clear from the way he says his User's name; she's caught, and attention is being brought to her presence.
Shu opens his eyes, sad and confused. "What…?"
And then he sees Bouquet. He swears and jerks forward, away from the door. "Bouquet? What- What are you doing over here?" Shu swipes at his eyes furiously, trying to erase the evidence even though it's pointless.
She ignores his question, answering with one of her own. "…Why are you crying, Shu?"
He lets out a laugh. There's no humor in it. "I just…" He shakes his head, and she can see that the right side of his face is still wet. "Sometimes I forget how much I missed them. And now that I'm here… I constantly feel like I'm going to lose them, even though there's no reason for it."
Bouquet pulls on his wrist. "Sit with me."
The astonishment that crosses his face fills her with doubt. For a second, she wonders if she's pushed too far, wonders if he'll take off for the woods again. But then his mouth curves into a slight grin, and though it's mostly tinged with sadness, she isn't sure that she's imagining the hint of fondness in it. "Alright."
Once the two of them are seated on the floor, Bouquet speaks up again. "It isn't that unusual to be afraid of losing people who we care about." How many times has she been afraid of losing Shu? And for how many different reasons? "The only ones who can really give you that guarantee are the boys themselves. But there is one thing you can be sure of." She places a hand over her heart. "You're always going to have them with you, right here. No matter what happens or how far apart you may be, your friends and your family are always with you." Bouquet notices blue wings brushing the edge of the floor, and frowns up at Blue Dragon. "What exactly are you doing here again?"
Shu glares at nothing. He looks like he's on the verge of sulking. "He never listens to me now that we don't have anything to fight. He summons himself when nobody's around, and even if I bring him out, he won't unsummon unless he feels like it."
"Pretty accurate." The Shadow shrugs. "Right now, I don't feel comfortable leaving while Shu is so depressed."
"I'm not depressed." Shu snaps, but it sounds petulant. He's bordering on a whine now.
"Oh, really?" Blue Dragon bends down closer, arms folded. "You're so sad that I'm starting to lose power. I'm half-afraid you won't be able to summon me, let alone me doing it myself. If it isn't depression, what do you call it, then?"
"Blue Dragon." When Bouquet glances back at Shu, she sees that his hands are covering his face. "Please shut up."
"What?" There's something snarky in the Shadow's smirk now. "You don't want me to embarrass you in front of your girl?"
"Stop reading my emo- she isn't my- would you shut up already?!" She can tell that Shu's patience is fraying.
Bouquet decides to intervene. "Blue Dragon, don't tease Shu." She returns her attention to her fiancé. "Now, what's all this about you being depressed?"
Shu hesitates, pushing some hair away from his forehead. "It… It's nothing, really… Blue Dragon's just overreacting…" Said Shadow snorts at this, but offers no other comment.
"Come on, Darling," she leans forward, palms pressed to the wooden floor; her right hand is close enough to Shu that she can she feel the heat from his thigh. When Shu glances her way, she winks at him. "You can tell me anything." The way she says it is mostly playful, but she knows he'll hear the sincerity that is laced underneath.
The corners of his mouth lift, his expression soft but distant as he stares at the wall opposite of them. "There're a lot of reasons… But you're probably wondering why I was crying now, right?" When she makes an affirmative noise, he continues. "…The boys are getting big so fast. I don't know what to do. It was like this a lot in the beginning. All three of them ended up becoming orphans through some means or another, so it was like Kluke and I were raising them with Ojiichan, even though we were still little ourselves… As time went on, things changed. It became less like I was raising them, and more like we were brothers, playing around day and night with Kluke chasing after us and keeping us out of trouble. Now that I'm back, it's become this weird mixture of both. Like I'm their parent and their brother. But…" The smile fades completely. "I don't know what to do with them, now that things are like this. I've missed so many things in their lives already, and they're growing up so fast, and…" He took a breath. "It… scares me. I don't know if I'm supposed to be their brother or their parent or both… And even if I try, I don't know if I'm capable of being what they need."
"You shouldn't be upset over that. This is just another change that all of you are going through. It's still too early to tell where things will go from here. But it doesn't matter. Do you know why?" She tilts her head to the side. "Because even though I've only been here for a day, I can tell that those three boys love you more than anything else in the world. So it doesn't matter what they need you to be, or what you want to be for them. You care about each other too much for something like that to make any bit of difference. That's the only thing that matters." Bouquet giggles slightly. "Besides, think of how many changes we've been through with all of our friends. Some of them weren't so bad, were they?"
Shu seems stunned, like she's suggested something he hadn't even thought of. But then he smiles, something warm and unreadable in his eyes. "No." She can't help her gasp, or her blush, as his hand lands on top of hers. "Not at all."
All of scene one and the first three paragraphs of scene two were written December 21st, 2011. Given that they were not written during NaNoWriMo, I took the liberty of editing that part before publishing this (nothing major; mostly, I just switched a few things around). I tried to keep it from happening, but I'm afraid that the change in tone and style is a bit noticeable (or maybe I got lucky and it didn't catch anyone's attention…?).
Twenty-four hours or more after I've posted everything I've written so far, I'll begin editing the things that I've missed – grammatical and spelling mistakes or general additions that I forgot to make. Details on these edits will be at the bottom of the edited chapter (and dated, to keep track). If you happen to find anything out of place, feel free to let me know! :)
Shu gets half a new outfit. :) Like with the other outfits that are introduced in Kyou, it's a mixture of new and old. His black tank top should be recognizable from Season One; the white t-shirt (oversized because of Shu's shorter stature compared to his grandfather's height at twelve/thirteen) with green (horizontal) stripe (the stripe is almost directly over his chest, if a few inches lower) is completely new, straight from my own imagination; the dark blue ankle- and wristbands (I believe that they are in fact ankle-bands, and that in Tenkai's Episode 20 they were drawn as socks by mistake), brown shoes and dark brown denim shorts are all from Shu's Tenkai outfit. Two pieces of clothing from both of Shu's original outfits are absent (not counting the Tenkai shorts and bands, which replace the ones from Season One); he has no waistcloth and no bandanna. That said, there's still a chance that maybe you might see one or both of those pieces of clothing before this story's over… ;) We'll see how things go.
Brand new outfit for Bouquet! :D (Yay!) The description in the story is mostly right, but there were a few things that I missed (and one thing was very important). Like with Shu's outfit, it's a mixture of the new and the old. The things that are the same: The brown shoes, the shorts under her skirt, and the red hairbands are all from Bouquet's usual Tenkai outfit. The thigh-highs are new; though Tsubasa describes them as "red" in-story, a closer description would probably be scarlet. The olive green denim miniskirt, which is very akin to some of the Resistance's outfits in its appearance, is actually an inch shorter than her pink miniskirt from the Tenkai outfit, which makes her shorts more readily visible. The tube top is a lot like Zola's, but the shade of blue is closer to her sleeves and collar from her Season One outfit. The "hooded shawl-jacket-thing", as Tsubasa so eloquently puts it, is a simple piece of clothing in theory, but something I found it insanely difficult to describe (for whatever reason). Essentially, it's a light brown piece of cloth that functions similar to a jacket – it has sleeves, which reach her elbows, and a hood that Bouquet will use sometimes – but its appearance is closer to a shawl. It drapes in the back, leaving a lot of lines and folds (it straightens out a bit when the hood is up, but still remains rather wrinkly), but it's short, so that it stops a few inches above the small of her back (basically, she has the same amount of skin exposed back there as she did with her Tenkai outfit). (There's a picture from the anime which has a similar piece of clothing, and a Blue Dragon fan art that Japanese fan artist Unya drew which inspired the shawl-like cloth in the first place; there's a good chance that I'll post both pictures in a LiveJournal entry so people can have it as a reference.) Now, the important thing I forgot while describing her outfit is the jewelry – along with the necklace, Bouquet is also wearing the bracelets from Tenkai's Episode 8. I'll add this into Tsubasa's description when I begin editing tomorrow.
Kai, who is referenced near the beginning, is an OC who has yet to appear (by name) in Precious Memories. Without getting into too much detail, he was a member of Kyouya's gang during childhood, and has basically taken up the position of Talta's resident bully in Kyouya's absence. I won't say whether you'll find out more about what's happened with Kai or Kyouya here, but you'll definitely learn more in future chapters of Precious Memories.
"She's so pretty and my brain got stupid!" Tsubasa's comment here references a line in a rather popular show that you may or may not have heard of. Can anyone figure out what that show is? :)
The "miniature rock peak with an excellent view of the Big Moon" is the spot where Shu flees to and then talks with Kluke in Season One's Episode Two, just in case that wasn't clear. I trust that the reason Shu didn't want to go there is fairly obvious; if it isn't, I'm not doing my job as a writer. ;)
12/24/2012 - Minor grammatical changes, edits and addtions have been made. The most noticeable is a sentence mentioning Bouquet's bracelets. Also, I apologize for the severe delay in editing.
