This is a Chichiri and Soi Romance. Why? Because. I like Chichiri. And I like Soi. XP It was actually my oneesan Rose's idea, but I ran with it. The characters belong to Watase Yuu. Yeah. This story comes when the Suzaku no seishi are on the boat on their way to Hokkan to retrieve the Shinzaho.
~~~Forever Love~~~
It was a clear night, clear enough to look straight up to the infinite heavens and count every tiny diamond star imbedded there in the universe. It was a night filled with the endless silence, a cool breeze, a brisk awareness that this clear night would soon become a night of bloodshed.
She was standing outside on the balcony connected to her room, staring up into that endless abyss. Her long locks, violet in the moonlight, flowed down far past her back and brushed her calves. She clung to a grayish blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Though it wasn't a particularly cold night, she shivered.
There was something about this night, something would happen that would change everything. Not something empathetic, or even premonitious...but something. She just couldn't shake that feeling.
"Soi-san?"
She turned slightly, hearing her name. In the shadows of the buttery light spilling over from her room stood a young man, a few years her junior. "Hai, Suboshi..?" she responded quietly.
"Nakago-sama sent me to get you. We're leaving shortly." Suboshi waited for a short moment and then disappeared back out of site.
She lingered a moment on the balcony, then turned and headed back to her room. Yes, they were leaving shortly. Shortly, they would meet the Suzaku No shichiseishi and probably kill a few of them. Shortly, she would be partaking in this gruesome business of assassination. Shortly, she would once again feel the lingering emptiness at the bottom of her heart, the same way she did every time...
She shook her head. No. Tonight would be different. Perhaps Seiryuu would grant her weary soul some rest. She packed a few belongings into a bag which she attached to her belt. Her fingers skillfully laced a ribbon up and through her hair, pinning it away from her face so that it would not be a bother during battle. She pulled on her decorative boots, paying no heed to the emblem of the blue dragon that glowed there.
When she exited her room, she didn't even need to turn to know that Nakago was there, waiting for her. His presence was like an ocean wave that washed over her over and over, filling her with a hope that someday...someday he would feel the same about her as she did him. She owed him her life, which she would readily give. After what he had done for her...already that had been seven years ago and she still knew she owed him everything.
Nakago's blue-eyed gaze penetrated her as she looked up at him. His gaze always sent a mixture of fear, awe, and pleasure rippling up and down her spine, and today was no exception. "Are you ready?" he said, his low, icy voice surrounding her.
"Hai. Suboshi told me you wanted to go soon," she replied.
Nakago nodded. "Yoi. Let's go. We want to meet them on their way there." He turned, then paused. "Suboshi has sure recovered well, ne?"
She stood still for a moment, thinking about the comment. Just three days before, one of the Suzaku no seishi, Tamahome, had beaten the hell out of Suboshi. He shouldn't have been out of bed within a month with the injuries he had received. But, after being around Nakago as long as she had, nothing surprised her anymore. "So one of them has healing powers as well?" she asked.
The general nodded briefly. "Miboshi is more powerful than I had first suspected. He had to subject himself to vast amounts of energy, however, and won't be accompanying us."
She said nothing. Personally, the bald little guy made her a bit skittish. But she had learned to live with it. He was a Seiryuu no Seishi just as much as she.
Within ten minutes, they were on their horses, riding through the night towards Konan, towards another day of blood tomorrow, towards someone's fate. Only four of them were going, however. Amiboshi was dead, drowned by one of the Suzaku no seishi; Miboshi had over-exerted himself in Suboshi's healing; Nakago had left Ashitare, the wolf-man, locked in his cage; and Hongo Yui, Seiryuu no Miko, had stayed in the palace, the battle field being far too dangerous for their only key to summoning the blue dragon. That left herself, Nakago, Suboshi, and the mysterious sorcerer Tomo.
She could feel the vast temperature change as they rode past the Kutou border and entered the northern region of Hokkan. The cold is a sign, she thought, a sign of the death that will come. The Suzaku no Shichiseishi will pay for what they took from us.
The morning started out quite nicely, really, considering that Tamahome was half sulking yet and Tasuki was badgering the hell out of him about it all through breakfast. Thus the breakfast table was filled with the two seventeen year olds squabbling, but that wasn't at all uncommon.
Chichiri assisted Nuriko and Mitsukake in clearing the table, and even with the three of them, it took a little doing because of the four plates Suzaku no Miko Yuuki Miaka had cleaned off. When Chiriko offered to take Chichiri's place for drying the cleaned dishes, Chichiri gratefully accepted and headed out to the deck of the boat to scan for any sign of the Seiryuu no Seishi and the attack they had to be planning.
As he stared out to sea, however, he felt his mind wandering. He loved the water, he always had, but after that bloody night six years ago, he could never look at the water the same. It no longer gave him that comfort it once did when he was just a kid. And he always avoided calm waters, fearing to see his reflection, the reflection of a mask covering the emptiness and pain he had hid deep within his soul. He was afraid of what he would see when he looked at his reflection.
"Chichiri-san...?"
The voice startled him out of his thoughts and he jumped just a little in surprise before catching himself. He turned quickly with a surprised little, "Da!" and saw Chiriko standing there, looking concerned.
The green-eyed boy looked a little chagrined. "Gomen ne, I didn't mean to scare you...," he said apologetically. "I was just wondering if you had found anything yet."
"Iie no da," Chichiri replied, realizing he hadn't been paying the closest attention. "Demo, they still could be out there no da. Nakago is a powerful sorcerer and I'm sure he knows how to cloak his chi no da."
"That is, if they even know we're coming," Chiriko responded, seating himself next to Chichiri. "I'm not sure they do. If I were their strategist, I'd have attacked us long ago."
"You're probably alot smarter than their strategist no da," Chichiri said with a little smile. He knew the little guy didn't doubt his own capacity, but he knew it was nice to be reminded once in awhile.
Chiriko smiled. "Domo...oi, what if they're waiting for us to land before attacking?"
"What would be the point in that no da? We're much more vulnerable out to sea no da. And if what Nuriko-kun said was correct about that seishi that rescued Suboshi--he had powers with lightning, ne no da?" Chichiri asked, suddenly feeling like a sitting duck.
"Hai, that's what Nuriko-san said...that's why I don't think they've found us," Chiriko replied. "But that doesn't make any sense either. We know they have spies all over the place. The only thing I can think of..."
"Nani no da?" the other asked.
"The only thing I can think of is that they'd be planning an ambush and sending out more than one of them at one time," the boy explained quietly. "That way, they'd be safer attacking us once we've landed so that they can all use their power, not just that one's."
Chichiri sighed. The thirteen year old was exactly right, as he usually was. Of course they would wait until they had landed to attack. "Have you told anyone else about this no da..?" he wondered.
Chiriko shook his head. "Iie. I just thought of it when I came back here to talk to you." He stood up. "I'll go tell Miaka-san and ask her what she thinks we should do. Are you going to keep looking for them?"
"Hai no da. I'll concentrate on the shore now, though no da," the monk replied. "Oh, and why don't you tell Tamahome-kun first no da? He may not even want Miaka-chan to know no da."
Chiriko nodded and ran off to explain the situation to Tamahome while Chichiri concentrated his thoughts on the cliffs ahead of them. He wished for about the fortieth time that Hotohori could have come along. Hotohori was a wonderful strategist, especially with someone like Chiriko on his side, who could out-guess most of the opponent's moves. While Chiriko excelled in genius, he lacked in experience, making him naive and a little vulnerable at times and unable to come up with a logical counterattack.
Chichiri sensed nothing even as they docked later that morning. He was sure that they were there, but he couldn't find them and it was driving him crazy. Even as he assisted in unpacking their belongings from the boat, he was preoccupied with trying to locate the enemy.
It wasn't until they had fully unpacked the boat and started loading it on their horses when he finally felt something. Someone...something was right behind him. He spun around, putting up an automatic protective barrier as he did so. As two spinning striped balls connected by a string bounced off of the magical barrier with enough force to crack it, he knew Chiriko had been right. "Minna, they're attacking no da!!" Chichiri yelled.
And, at that moment, all hell broke loose.
Miaka screamed suddenly as a blue-white lightning bolt shot through the air, scorching the soil next to where she had been standing. Tamahome dove to protect her from another one a moment later.
While Chichiri was distracted, worrying about Miaka, the balls slammed into the magical barrier again, shattering it this time. The weapon flew at him, the string in the middle wrapping around his arms and chest, making him unable to move his arms above his elbows. "Daa!" he exclaimed in surprise.
Before he could react with a spell of any kind, there was a laugh so cruel, so filled with malice and spite, that he cringed. And then, he knew suddenly--in that moment he had flinched, that's when Nakago had cast a spell on him. He couldn't tell what sort of spell it was, or even where Nakago was, but he knew.
And the moment he tried to free himself from his bondage, he knew what the spell was.
As he cast a spell to loosen the rope around him, a sudden, strange fire filled him and he cried out involuntarily and stumbled to his knees. It was a reversal spell, one that cast a spell on him whenever he tried to use his magic. He muttered a word more likely to come from Tasuki's mouth than his and struggled to turn to see the others.
Tamahome was halfway up from pushing Miaka down in protective efforts, Miaka following. Chiriko was halfway behind Mitsukake and Tasuki and Nuriko were clinging to each other in fear. "Chichiri-san!" Chiriko exclaimed. "Where--?"
Chichiri suddenly looked around and realized he could see none of the Seiryuu no Seishi. But they were there, he could sense them. "All around no da!" he cried. "And I can't use my magic no da..!"
Another silver-blue lightning bolt crashed down, sending Tasuki and Nuriko sprawling apart. Chiriko pointed to a nearby cliff. "It's coming from up there!" Chichiri looked up at the cliff, but saw no one there. Suddenly, it hit him. They were not only cloaking their chi, they were cloaking their appearance as well.
"Daa!" he yelled. "Everyone, be careful no da!! They're cloaking their appearance and their chi no da! I'm going to try and cast a spell to reveal them no da!!"
"Chichiri-kun, what about that spell?" Nuriko called to him. "I thought you couldn't use you magic!" He didn't seem to be hurt, nor did Tasuki; they were both a little dazed and thankful to be alive, though.
Chichiri said nothing for a moment, knowing he'd likely be risking his life casting a spell large enough that would hit all of the cloaked enemies. If only he could tell where they were, there'd be a much lower threat to his life. Another bolt hit ground near Mitsukake and Chichiri reminded himself to hurry.
"Wait a minute no da!!" he exclaimed suddenly. He could sense them, somewhat. They weren't cloaking their chi, it was just they were behind some sort of barrier. If he could pinpoint the location of the barrier and take it down without using excessive magic, they'd be able to locate the enemy and probably at least escape with their lives. It was definitely worth a try. "Minna, lend me your chi no da! I need to locate their magical barrier without using too much of my own magic no da!"
There was a chorus of "Hai"s and he lifted his shakujou as far as his bound arms would allow him. The spell began to shock him again, but he ignored it, focusing on the energy and chi of the other seishi and pointing it at the cliff where the lightning bolts had come from.
He felt the barrier now, but it wasn't just a simple, one-sided barrier like he had assumed. It seemed to be all around them, imposing on all sides, like they were inside a container with the Seiryuu no Seishi on the outside. This was going to take alot more magic than he had thought.
Bracing himself, he pointed his shakujou out and started the spell. The burning increased, but he ignored it, gritting his teeth and clinging to his shakujou hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. Perspiration gathered on his face and caused his mask to slide from his face. The spell was beginning to work though. The barrier began to crumble from the inside and working its way outward.
Suddenly, the bounds came loose and Chichiri was free again. But instead of exercising his newfound freedom, he stayed in the same position and continued the spell, knowing that any distraction could break his concentration.
The conflagration still plagued him although the bondage was gone. But if he could just maintain a steady chi blast for a few moments longer, the barrier would be broken completely. He found he was now standing up, his right arm extended with his shakujou and his left hand pressed close to his face, with his fore and middle finger pressed against his lips and nose.
With a white-hot blast of energy, the barrier was finally gone. All of it. The Suzaku no Seishi were free. The world seemed to melt away around Chichiri. The spell had been too much, he realized as he collapsed to his knees. He had overestimated his stamina and not taken the effects the barrier had had on him before into consideration, he supposed. He could barely see now, but it seemed that the ground was rushing up to meet him so he could sleep. But he didn't want to sleep, he couldn't now...he had to...he had...to....
~~~Forever Love~~~
It was a clear night, clear enough to look straight up to the infinite heavens and count every tiny diamond star imbedded there in the universe. It was a night filled with the endless silence, a cool breeze, a brisk awareness that this clear night would soon become a night of bloodshed.
She was standing outside on the balcony connected to her room, staring up into that endless abyss. Her long locks, violet in the moonlight, flowed down far past her back and brushed her calves. She clung to a grayish blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Though it wasn't a particularly cold night, she shivered.
There was something about this night, something would happen that would change everything. Not something empathetic, or even premonitious...but something. She just couldn't shake that feeling.
"Soi-san?"
She turned slightly, hearing her name. In the shadows of the buttery light spilling over from her room stood a young man, a few years her junior. "Hai, Suboshi..?" she responded quietly.
"Nakago-sama sent me to get you. We're leaving shortly." Suboshi waited for a short moment and then disappeared back out of site.
She lingered a moment on the balcony, then turned and headed back to her room. Yes, they were leaving shortly. Shortly, they would meet the Suzaku No shichiseishi and probably kill a few of them. Shortly, she would be partaking in this gruesome business of assassination. Shortly, she would once again feel the lingering emptiness at the bottom of her heart, the same way she did every time...
She shook her head. No. Tonight would be different. Perhaps Seiryuu would grant her weary soul some rest. She packed a few belongings into a bag which she attached to her belt. Her fingers skillfully laced a ribbon up and through her hair, pinning it away from her face so that it would not be a bother during battle. She pulled on her decorative boots, paying no heed to the emblem of the blue dragon that glowed there.
When she exited her room, she didn't even need to turn to know that Nakago was there, waiting for her. His presence was like an ocean wave that washed over her over and over, filling her with a hope that someday...someday he would feel the same about her as she did him. She owed him her life, which she would readily give. After what he had done for her...already that had been seven years ago and she still knew she owed him everything.
Nakago's blue-eyed gaze penetrated her as she looked up at him. His gaze always sent a mixture of fear, awe, and pleasure rippling up and down her spine, and today was no exception. "Are you ready?" he said, his low, icy voice surrounding her.
"Hai. Suboshi told me you wanted to go soon," she replied.
Nakago nodded. "Yoi. Let's go. We want to meet them on their way there." He turned, then paused. "Suboshi has sure recovered well, ne?"
She stood still for a moment, thinking about the comment. Just three days before, one of the Suzaku no seishi, Tamahome, had beaten the hell out of Suboshi. He shouldn't have been out of bed within a month with the injuries he had received. But, after being around Nakago as long as she had, nothing surprised her anymore. "So one of them has healing powers as well?" she asked.
The general nodded briefly. "Miboshi is more powerful than I had first suspected. He had to subject himself to vast amounts of energy, however, and won't be accompanying us."
She said nothing. Personally, the bald little guy made her a bit skittish. But she had learned to live with it. He was a Seiryuu no Seishi just as much as she.
Within ten minutes, they were on their horses, riding through the night towards Konan, towards another day of blood tomorrow, towards someone's fate. Only four of them were going, however. Amiboshi was dead, drowned by one of the Suzaku no seishi; Miboshi had over-exerted himself in Suboshi's healing; Nakago had left Ashitare, the wolf-man, locked in his cage; and Hongo Yui, Seiryuu no Miko, had stayed in the palace, the battle field being far too dangerous for their only key to summoning the blue dragon. That left herself, Nakago, Suboshi, and the mysterious sorcerer Tomo.
She could feel the vast temperature change as they rode past the Kutou border and entered the northern region of Hokkan. The cold is a sign, she thought, a sign of the death that will come. The Suzaku no Shichiseishi will pay for what they took from us.
The morning started out quite nicely, really, considering that Tamahome was half sulking yet and Tasuki was badgering the hell out of him about it all through breakfast. Thus the breakfast table was filled with the two seventeen year olds squabbling, but that wasn't at all uncommon.
Chichiri assisted Nuriko and Mitsukake in clearing the table, and even with the three of them, it took a little doing because of the four plates Suzaku no Miko Yuuki Miaka had cleaned off. When Chiriko offered to take Chichiri's place for drying the cleaned dishes, Chichiri gratefully accepted and headed out to the deck of the boat to scan for any sign of the Seiryuu no Seishi and the attack they had to be planning.
As he stared out to sea, however, he felt his mind wandering. He loved the water, he always had, but after that bloody night six years ago, he could never look at the water the same. It no longer gave him that comfort it once did when he was just a kid. And he always avoided calm waters, fearing to see his reflection, the reflection of a mask covering the emptiness and pain he had hid deep within his soul. He was afraid of what he would see when he looked at his reflection.
"Chichiri-san...?"
The voice startled him out of his thoughts and he jumped just a little in surprise before catching himself. He turned quickly with a surprised little, "Da!" and saw Chiriko standing there, looking concerned.
The green-eyed boy looked a little chagrined. "Gomen ne, I didn't mean to scare you...," he said apologetically. "I was just wondering if you had found anything yet."
"Iie no da," Chichiri replied, realizing he hadn't been paying the closest attention. "Demo, they still could be out there no da. Nakago is a powerful sorcerer and I'm sure he knows how to cloak his chi no da."
"That is, if they even know we're coming," Chiriko responded, seating himself next to Chichiri. "I'm not sure they do. If I were their strategist, I'd have attacked us long ago."
"You're probably alot smarter than their strategist no da," Chichiri said with a little smile. He knew the little guy didn't doubt his own capacity, but he knew it was nice to be reminded once in awhile.
Chiriko smiled. "Domo...oi, what if they're waiting for us to land before attacking?"
"What would be the point in that no da? We're much more vulnerable out to sea no da. And if what Nuriko-kun said was correct about that seishi that rescued Suboshi--he had powers with lightning, ne no da?" Chichiri asked, suddenly feeling like a sitting duck.
"Hai, that's what Nuriko-san said...that's why I don't think they've found us," Chiriko replied. "But that doesn't make any sense either. We know they have spies all over the place. The only thing I can think of..."
"Nani no da?" the other asked.
"The only thing I can think of is that they'd be planning an ambush and sending out more than one of them at one time," the boy explained quietly. "That way, they'd be safer attacking us once we've landed so that they can all use their power, not just that one's."
Chichiri sighed. The thirteen year old was exactly right, as he usually was. Of course they would wait until they had landed to attack. "Have you told anyone else about this no da..?" he wondered.
Chiriko shook his head. "Iie. I just thought of it when I came back here to talk to you." He stood up. "I'll go tell Miaka-san and ask her what she thinks we should do. Are you going to keep looking for them?"
"Hai no da. I'll concentrate on the shore now, though no da," the monk replied. "Oh, and why don't you tell Tamahome-kun first no da? He may not even want Miaka-chan to know no da."
Chiriko nodded and ran off to explain the situation to Tamahome while Chichiri concentrated his thoughts on the cliffs ahead of them. He wished for about the fortieth time that Hotohori could have come along. Hotohori was a wonderful strategist, especially with someone like Chiriko on his side, who could out-guess most of the opponent's moves. While Chiriko excelled in genius, he lacked in experience, making him naive and a little vulnerable at times and unable to come up with a logical counterattack.
Chichiri sensed nothing even as they docked later that morning. He was sure that they were there, but he couldn't find them and it was driving him crazy. Even as he assisted in unpacking their belongings from the boat, he was preoccupied with trying to locate the enemy.
It wasn't until they had fully unpacked the boat and started loading it on their horses when he finally felt something. Someone...something was right behind him. He spun around, putting up an automatic protective barrier as he did so. As two spinning striped balls connected by a string bounced off of the magical barrier with enough force to crack it, he knew Chiriko had been right. "Minna, they're attacking no da!!" Chichiri yelled.
And, at that moment, all hell broke loose.
Miaka screamed suddenly as a blue-white lightning bolt shot through the air, scorching the soil next to where she had been standing. Tamahome dove to protect her from another one a moment later.
While Chichiri was distracted, worrying about Miaka, the balls slammed into the magical barrier again, shattering it this time. The weapon flew at him, the string in the middle wrapping around his arms and chest, making him unable to move his arms above his elbows. "Daa!" he exclaimed in surprise.
Before he could react with a spell of any kind, there was a laugh so cruel, so filled with malice and spite, that he cringed. And then, he knew suddenly--in that moment he had flinched, that's when Nakago had cast a spell on him. He couldn't tell what sort of spell it was, or even where Nakago was, but he knew.
And the moment he tried to free himself from his bondage, he knew what the spell was.
As he cast a spell to loosen the rope around him, a sudden, strange fire filled him and he cried out involuntarily and stumbled to his knees. It was a reversal spell, one that cast a spell on him whenever he tried to use his magic. He muttered a word more likely to come from Tasuki's mouth than his and struggled to turn to see the others.
Tamahome was halfway up from pushing Miaka down in protective efforts, Miaka following. Chiriko was halfway behind Mitsukake and Tasuki and Nuriko were clinging to each other in fear. "Chichiri-san!" Chiriko exclaimed. "Where--?"
Chichiri suddenly looked around and realized he could see none of the Seiryuu no Seishi. But they were there, he could sense them. "All around no da!" he cried. "And I can't use my magic no da..!"
Another silver-blue lightning bolt crashed down, sending Tasuki and Nuriko sprawling apart. Chiriko pointed to a nearby cliff. "It's coming from up there!" Chichiri looked up at the cliff, but saw no one there. Suddenly, it hit him. They were not only cloaking their chi, they were cloaking their appearance as well.
"Daa!" he yelled. "Everyone, be careful no da!! They're cloaking their appearance and their chi no da! I'm going to try and cast a spell to reveal them no da!!"
"Chichiri-kun, what about that spell?" Nuriko called to him. "I thought you couldn't use you magic!" He didn't seem to be hurt, nor did Tasuki; they were both a little dazed and thankful to be alive, though.
Chichiri said nothing for a moment, knowing he'd likely be risking his life casting a spell large enough that would hit all of the cloaked enemies. If only he could tell where they were, there'd be a much lower threat to his life. Another bolt hit ground near Mitsukake and Chichiri reminded himself to hurry.
"Wait a minute no da!!" he exclaimed suddenly. He could sense them, somewhat. They weren't cloaking their chi, it was just they were behind some sort of barrier. If he could pinpoint the location of the barrier and take it down without using excessive magic, they'd be able to locate the enemy and probably at least escape with their lives. It was definitely worth a try. "Minna, lend me your chi no da! I need to locate their magical barrier without using too much of my own magic no da!"
There was a chorus of "Hai"s and he lifted his shakujou as far as his bound arms would allow him. The spell began to shock him again, but he ignored it, focusing on the energy and chi of the other seishi and pointing it at the cliff where the lightning bolts had come from.
He felt the barrier now, but it wasn't just a simple, one-sided barrier like he had assumed. It seemed to be all around them, imposing on all sides, like they were inside a container with the Seiryuu no Seishi on the outside. This was going to take alot more magic than he had thought.
Bracing himself, he pointed his shakujou out and started the spell. The burning increased, but he ignored it, gritting his teeth and clinging to his shakujou hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. Perspiration gathered on his face and caused his mask to slide from his face. The spell was beginning to work though. The barrier began to crumble from the inside and working its way outward.
Suddenly, the bounds came loose and Chichiri was free again. But instead of exercising his newfound freedom, he stayed in the same position and continued the spell, knowing that any distraction could break his concentration.
The conflagration still plagued him although the bondage was gone. But if he could just maintain a steady chi blast for a few moments longer, the barrier would be broken completely. He found he was now standing up, his right arm extended with his shakujou and his left hand pressed close to his face, with his fore and middle finger pressed against his lips and nose.
With a white-hot blast of energy, the barrier was finally gone. All of it. The Suzaku no Seishi were free. The world seemed to melt away around Chichiri. The spell had been too much, he realized as he collapsed to his knees. He had overestimated his stamina and not taken the effects the barrier had had on him before into consideration, he supposed. He could barely see now, but it seemed that the ground was rushing up to meet him so he could sleep. But he didn't want to sleep, he couldn't now...he had to...he had...to....