Kokoro Mitsukeru Heiwa - Prologue
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The sun was just beginning to crest the trees, the morning light glistening off the dew that clung to every object it came into contact with. Even the wooden planks of the walkways around the palace of Konan were a home for the tiny droplets. The birds were singing their songs, the melody drifting throughout the grounds as the residents of the palace began to wake slowly.
"Oooohhh, I catch one of those blasted things and it's getting a one way trip to the kitchen." Slender arms reached up, pulling the blanket from the end of the bed and heaping it on top of the pillow... and the head that rested on it. Nuriko curled into a ball, one end of his long violet braid dangling off the bed as he worked the quilt into a ball that blocked out light and noise. Unfortunately, it also blocked out air. He sat up finally, eyes barely opening as he took in a deep breath then looked around the room with a scowl. Nuriko was *not* a morning person, never had been, really. Now, however, there was something else nagging at the back of his mind that was just making him even more irritated.
Shuffling over to the dressing table, he leaned forward and looked into the mirror there, sticking his tongue out at the image reflected back at him. "Suzaku, I hate mornings." He sighed, dropping into the chair and nearly falling out of it onto the floor as his world spun for a few moments. Grabbing hold of the edge of the table to keep himself upright, he nearly bent the metal with the force he exerted upon it. He blinked once his vision cleared, bringing one hand to his forehead in confusion. What the hell was that all about? Nuriko sighed, bringing around the end of his braid and untying the cloth strip that held his hair back. Unwinding the three sections of hair, he reached for a brush with his other hand, lifting a brow as he realized that everything seemed to be in much sharper focus today... almost as if he were looking at it through one of those spyglasses that Chiriko had shown him not long ago. Strange...
One hand grasped his hair near the scalp while the other worked the brush through the snarls that formed while he'd slept, loosening them slowly. Once the majority of the length was shining from the gentle treatment, he released his grip, starting from the scalp and working backward. As he moved the first stroke, he winced, biting back a cry when the simple motion nearly brought stars to his vision. The swirling dizziness took over again and this time he found himself falling, hitting the floor with a yelp of surprise. Things began to fall into place in his mind then... the dizziness, the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, the sensitivity of his vision, and the fact that his HAIR hurt. "Oh no..." he muttered, the words piercing through his hearing as if they'd been shouted. He knew damned well what was happening now.
It had been almost three years since Nuriko had experienced a migraine... he'd almost forgotten completely about them. He didn't even bother getting to his feet, instead just crawling along the floor until he'd reached his bed once more. He crept under the covers, bringing the blankets around his head with a stifled moan as the soft pulse behind his eyes grew steadily worse. This was not going to be a good day. The slightly sick feeling he'd had only got worse as he curled into a ball, whimpering faintly as the sound of his body against the sheets was amplified almost to the point of resembling sandpaper against metal. Maybe Mitsukake could help... if he could make it that far. As soon as the thought of movement crossed his mind, he felt his stomach lurch and was suddenly very glad that he hadn't eaten anything yet today... maybe he'd just wait and see if this went away on its own. Besides, someone would come looking for him eventually.
* * *
Pale blue eyes skimmed over the page, then switched to the other book laying on the bed. Translation was going slowly... after all, he didn't exactly know Chinese that well, regardless of how much he'd been studying lately. It had taken him nearly an hour just to muddle through one sentence. Sighing heavily, he fell back onto the bed, letting the book close in his hand. Chinese literature was some of his favourite, but this particular story was surpassing even his expectations. The characters were so real in his mind it was almost as if he could reach out and touch them. He looked to the side then, reaching for a printout and bringing the paper into his vision. It showed the old Chinese star maps, the realms of the four animal gods from ancient times, and the stars that they claimed as their own. As his fingers moved over the symbols, his lips forming the foreign syllables gently. He'd managed to pair up the constellations with the people in the book that they represented and his heart went out to the one currently in pain. He knew *very* well what a migraine was like. Even though it was only a story, he still felt badly. In those times, did they even have medicines for that?
Shrugging faintly, he let the paper fall next to the book and glanced towards the open window nearby. The sun had just recently set, the orange and crimson clouds telling of rain this night. He smiled at that, personally loving the rain and the way it made him feel. It was peaceful, and he could almost forget everything that was happening in this screwed up world.
"Quatre! Dinner!" Duo's voice echoed up the stairs and the blonde pulled himself from the bed, letting the books lay where they were. His eyes found the red binding of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho again, and he sighed rather wistfully. "I wish he could help us... I wish any of them could. Maybe if the gods paid as much attention here as they do there, none of this would have happened." A faint smile graced his features then. "At the very least, we could help with the headache, ne?" With that, he turned and left the room, heading downstairs. He never noticed the deep crimson glow coming from his room... it only lasted a few moments, then faded into twilight darkness once more.
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TBC
-----------------------------
The sun was just beginning to crest the trees, the morning light glistening off the dew that clung to every object it came into contact with. Even the wooden planks of the walkways around the palace of Konan were a home for the tiny droplets. The birds were singing their songs, the melody drifting throughout the grounds as the residents of the palace began to wake slowly.
"Oooohhh, I catch one of those blasted things and it's getting a one way trip to the kitchen." Slender arms reached up, pulling the blanket from the end of the bed and heaping it on top of the pillow... and the head that rested on it. Nuriko curled into a ball, one end of his long violet braid dangling off the bed as he worked the quilt into a ball that blocked out light and noise. Unfortunately, it also blocked out air. He sat up finally, eyes barely opening as he took in a deep breath then looked around the room with a scowl. Nuriko was *not* a morning person, never had been, really. Now, however, there was something else nagging at the back of his mind that was just making him even more irritated.
Shuffling over to the dressing table, he leaned forward and looked into the mirror there, sticking his tongue out at the image reflected back at him. "Suzaku, I hate mornings." He sighed, dropping into the chair and nearly falling out of it onto the floor as his world spun for a few moments. Grabbing hold of the edge of the table to keep himself upright, he nearly bent the metal with the force he exerted upon it. He blinked once his vision cleared, bringing one hand to his forehead in confusion. What the hell was that all about? Nuriko sighed, bringing around the end of his braid and untying the cloth strip that held his hair back. Unwinding the three sections of hair, he reached for a brush with his other hand, lifting a brow as he realized that everything seemed to be in much sharper focus today... almost as if he were looking at it through one of those spyglasses that Chiriko had shown him not long ago. Strange...
One hand grasped his hair near the scalp while the other worked the brush through the snarls that formed while he'd slept, loosening them slowly. Once the majority of the length was shining from the gentle treatment, he released his grip, starting from the scalp and working backward. As he moved the first stroke, he winced, biting back a cry when the simple motion nearly brought stars to his vision. The swirling dizziness took over again and this time he found himself falling, hitting the floor with a yelp of surprise. Things began to fall into place in his mind then... the dizziness, the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, the sensitivity of his vision, and the fact that his HAIR hurt. "Oh no..." he muttered, the words piercing through his hearing as if they'd been shouted. He knew damned well what was happening now.
It had been almost three years since Nuriko had experienced a migraine... he'd almost forgotten completely about them. He didn't even bother getting to his feet, instead just crawling along the floor until he'd reached his bed once more. He crept under the covers, bringing the blankets around his head with a stifled moan as the soft pulse behind his eyes grew steadily worse. This was not going to be a good day. The slightly sick feeling he'd had only got worse as he curled into a ball, whimpering faintly as the sound of his body against the sheets was amplified almost to the point of resembling sandpaper against metal. Maybe Mitsukake could help... if he could make it that far. As soon as the thought of movement crossed his mind, he felt his stomach lurch and was suddenly very glad that he hadn't eaten anything yet today... maybe he'd just wait and see if this went away on its own. Besides, someone would come looking for him eventually.
* * *
Pale blue eyes skimmed over the page, then switched to the other book laying on the bed. Translation was going slowly... after all, he didn't exactly know Chinese that well, regardless of how much he'd been studying lately. It had taken him nearly an hour just to muddle through one sentence. Sighing heavily, he fell back onto the bed, letting the book close in his hand. Chinese literature was some of his favourite, but this particular story was surpassing even his expectations. The characters were so real in his mind it was almost as if he could reach out and touch them. He looked to the side then, reaching for a printout and bringing the paper into his vision. It showed the old Chinese star maps, the realms of the four animal gods from ancient times, and the stars that they claimed as their own. As his fingers moved over the symbols, his lips forming the foreign syllables gently. He'd managed to pair up the constellations with the people in the book that they represented and his heart went out to the one currently in pain. He knew *very* well what a migraine was like. Even though it was only a story, he still felt badly. In those times, did they even have medicines for that?
Shrugging faintly, he let the paper fall next to the book and glanced towards the open window nearby. The sun had just recently set, the orange and crimson clouds telling of rain this night. He smiled at that, personally loving the rain and the way it made him feel. It was peaceful, and he could almost forget everything that was happening in this screwed up world.
"Quatre! Dinner!" Duo's voice echoed up the stairs and the blonde pulled himself from the bed, letting the books lay where they were. His eyes found the red binding of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho again, and he sighed rather wistfully. "I wish he could help us... I wish any of them could. Maybe if the gods paid as much attention here as they do there, none of this would have happened." A faint smile graced his features then. "At the very least, we could help with the headache, ne?" With that, he turned and left the room, heading downstairs. He never noticed the deep crimson glow coming from his room... it only lasted a few moments, then faded into twilight darkness once more.
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TBC
