Beneath a Lotus Moon
By: Neko-chan
Series: Shounen Onmyouji (Abe no Seimei/Seiryuu)
Rating: PG-M (The rating will be bumped up in future chapters.)
Disclaimer: Definitely don't own, and I'm definitely not making any money off of this.
Author's Note: Dedicated to Hika, who is a wonderfully amazing best friend; she was kind enough to offer to get me things from the holy grail that is known as 'Volks,' and my soul is now considered part of her property until I pay her back. Hopefully, though, she'll realize just how utterly grateful I really am with this story. -snugs- ...and hopefully I'll be dedicated to updating with her flailing at me to do so. XD
** On a side note, my brain works in weird ways, so this story will be more like a smushed-together 'verse of Shounen Onmyouji, history that I found interesting, the Onmyouji movies, and probably the Onmyouji manga if I can piece things together from it.
Summary: A one-shot series of vignettes that spans decades. A look at Seiryuu and Seimei's relationship and the complexities therein.
------
Beneath a Lotus Moon
*
01 - First Meetings _ The Beginning
The first time that Seiryuu opened his eyes after being claimed, amber filled his world.
"Are you all right?"
The words were softly spoken, concern layered each syllable--and, despite it all, Seiryuu could still hear the faintest edge of bemusement that threaded through it all. The dragon shinshou growled angrily and jerked away from the man (a human, a mortal, and he had managed to claim one of the Juuni Yakusha Taishou, the Juuni Shinshou, for his own?!), and brought his weapon into being. He held it out before him: like a shield, but it was a shield that could offer no protection since Seiryuu had already been caught.
If anything, the aggressive gesture only seemed to increase the mortal's amusement.
"You know as well as I that you can't use that against me," he murmured, shaking his head and stepping away from the spirit lord. Despite that gesture, Seiryuu could still tell that it hadn't been made out of fear--the bemused edge of a smile told Seiryuu well enough that he was being... was being... humored. It was more than enough to raise his ire.
"What do you want?" Seiryuu finally snarled as the silence continued, knowing that he had been caught firmly and completely. To harm the man was to go against the taboo and that would make him forsworn: a hypocrite amongst his peers, the one who had led the oath that ensured that none would harm--would kill--a mortal. To do so meant that there would be repercussions.
If anything, though, his question had sobered the mortal. The other glanced off to the side, golden--fox-like, for the resemblance was clear--eyes quiet in contemplation. The silence stretched on for heartbeats at a time, and Seiryuu considered interrupting the other's reverie. Before that could happen, however, the man finally spoke: "A companion. I would like a companion."
The derisive retort that Seiryuu had ready died upon his tongue.
He stared at the mortal, and the mortal stared back before slowly beginning to smile once more--and it was like clouds finally fading away to reveal the dazzling strength of the sun. The dragon lord was blinded, blinded by the mortal. "Shouran," the sun said and small balls of light, glowing and as bright as the heart of Touda's flame, filled Seiryuu's vision. "Shouran, I'm Seimei."
And the shinshou knew that he was doomed to fall.
- - -
Seiryuu didn't like the capital.
There were whispers--lips moving behind lacquered fans, eyes heavy-lidded as they became filled like a cup with malicious secrets. His lip curled in dislike whenever he had to accompany Seimei into the Mikado's castle: past the sprawling ponds where hungry fish lazily begged for scraps of food, stepping on bridges that arched elegantly over small streams that could have easily been jumped. Deeper and deeper Seimei always traveled through the castle, and darker and darker those whispers became.
'Kuzunoha,' these men whispered. 'Kitsune' hissed between teeth that should have been pointed like an oni's.
'Strange, different, unnatural'--words of hate and envy followed Seimei as he made a step-by-step progress through corridors that were muted with the negative energy. 'Charlatan' some men hissed, eyes glowing malevolently. So much disbelief, so much anger, so much fear towards that which they did not understand. And as the onmyouji walked towards his appointment with the Mikado, others' attention sharpened on him, focused, intensified with negativity until Seiryuu felt like he was breathing tar.
All the while, Seimei continued to walk through the whispers that cut--so much like razor wire--composure as perfect as the small smile that played about his lips.
But Seiryuu saw the signs of strain the turned the skin around Seimei's eyes white as death.
And he remembered.
~TBC~