Secrets: Suiko's Captivity
Chapter Two
By: Valandra
A/N: I made this warning somewhere in Secrets, but as it becomes more evident from this point on, I'll repeat. While Secrets was more Shonen Ai, Suiko's Capture has heavier Yaoi themes, due to the greater focus on the Ma'Shos here. This is simply a fact of how I've always written them, which I again blame upon Cousin D.
Answers to PMed questions are at the end, to hopefully clarify any confusion from chapter one. Thank you FaustinaAurelia13 for the communication, curiosity, and support!
Something was odd, Naaza decided, as his subconscious pushed him towards awareness. A weight of responsibility pulled at his thoughts, and Naaza curled further into the warm lump of a body beside him with a quiet, irritated hiss. He'd done his required duty, the yoroi and demon head could both push off…. With a frown, he realized the responsibility was flavored by the constricted healer, not the antipathetic warrior.
Expression tight, Naaza turned his head from Anubis' chest and shoulder where he'd hidden himself from awareness, and silently poked at himself. Still reluctant to fully wake. 'Why are you aware?' he questioned the healer within. 'Anubis is clearly well. Rajura hasn't taken to the fields in months! And Kayura's been over her ailment for six weeks. There is no reason for you to stir. Why do you test our boundaries?'
Beside and beneath him, the warm body he'd wrapped himself around in sleep shifted about as it too woke. Naaza wasn't quick enough to swallow back his irritated hiss, which drew quiet chuckles from the throat above his head. Irritated further, he bit the chest beneath his cheek warningly and tightened his limbs around the older man. Anubis merely grunted for the drawn blood, but he tightened the arm he'd had around the green-haired man in sleep.
"You've spent three days in bed already," Anubis reminded, deep voice roughened further by both sleep and amusement. Lips quirked, he stretched where he lay, his arm and a leg stiffened to keep Naaza's coiled form in place, though the jostling still earned him another sharp nip. "Actually," he cleared his throat as he stared up at the sheer draperies that covered the top of the healer's unique canopy. "I'm surprised you're still here. Dawn is long-since passed."
Resigned to the fact that he would not be returning to sleep unless he kicked Anubis out, and damn the man to the pits for knowing he wouldn't when he was comfortable, Naaza sighed and made a point of nestling his head back into the hollow of Anubis' chest and shoulder. 'At least he's distracted you to silence,' he thought at himself, mildly relieved. "And what reason could I possibly have that would lure me away from a warm and willing body in my nest?" he questioned with only mild interest. He'd already determined that there was no reason, so whatever Anubis came up with was clearly a game.
Fingers stroked down his spine, while blunted nails drew their way back up. Naaza shivered and curled further into Anubis' warmth, his irritation soothed. It was all that kept him from stiffening when the man's thoughts touched his. ~Are you not curious to see if Suiko's heart still beats?~ Naaza's silent burrow into Anubis' warmth abruptly ceased, and he was certain the man's warmth was all that kept him from feeling frozen. That same arm and leg that had secured him from falling away when Anubis stretched earlier, kept him pinned when he sought to push himself out of his sleeping area.
~I'm sure Rajura would have summoned you if there had been any…complications,~ Anubis soothed the younger man as nails sharper then any of their blades bit into his rib cage. He sighed when the man still wouldn't settle, and resigned himself to the fact that the healer was already fully surfaced and in control. Even if that was what he'd wanted…. ~Would you calm down?~ He demanded, and made a point of keeping the green-haired man in his lap as he sat up. Anubis pinned both wrists to Naaza's chest as he twisted them to the edge of the sleeping area when those nails sought to draw more of his blood. A growl vibrated his throat as he bowed his head forward and secured his own teeth where Naaza's shoulder met his throat.
~I said calm,~ Anubis growled, dark eyes narrowed beneath the fall of sleep-tussled hair. ~You did everything in your power, we all did. Rajura remained to watch over him as we rested. If Suiko has passed on, then it was out of our hands to begin with!~ He tightened his arms, and pinned Naaza's legs between his own when the man still refused. ~Patient or not, I won't have you running to that room like the psycho you are, and draw the spirits' attention to my wards!~ Teeth and fang sank deeper into cooled flesh until they drew blood. Naaza finally stilled against him.
~Better,~ Anubis mussed. He drew a rough tongue over his bite as he tested the truth to Naaza's calmness. "Now," his voice rumbled against the healer's throat. "Will you dress yourself properly, or shall I?" Having expected the reaction, Anubis jerked his head back so Naaza's fangs grazed his throat, denying him the intended mark of his cheek and jaw. Laughing with dark amusement, he pulled back and twisted to drop the healer back onto the sleeping area. "Guess I'll just find something for you then."
With a rare snarl, Naaza grabbed one of the many pillows that made up his sleeping area and threw it at the back of Anubis' head. He smirked thinly at the man's surprised yet dramatically-staged squawk, and pulled himself from his nest. "You refused to open any of my closed doors after your last perusal. Have five decades been enough to calm your fear?" he teased as he slipped by the older man with a bare breath between them, his every movement as graceful as a serpent dancer.
His words served their intended purpose and froze the Yami Ma'Sho where he stood. Expression perturbed, he turned away from Naaza's half-hidden form, and instead sought out his own top.
oOo
Naaza graced Anubis with a pinched, annoyed look as he circled the bed to take a seat at Suiko's side. The Yami Ma'Sho, meanwhile, attempted to shake off his unsettledness upon seeing Suiko's pale form curled towards Rajura. Naaza's increased irritation drew his attention more for the fact that it was no longer directed at him.
"What is it?" Anubis asked, his tone notably more respectful then it had been in Naaza's chambers. He moved to stand a few feet from the bed and healer.
"He's cold. Not as bad as he was in the spirit's chamber, but still unnaturally so." Naaza shifted so he could loosen the blankets, and slipped a hand beneath to judge the difference in covered flesh. He shook his head with a frown. "Neither the venom nor the anti-venom should be affecting his temperature in such a manner." Stretching over the younger warrior, he pressed a wrist to Rajura's exposed cheek and throat. "He's no warmer then usual," Naaza murmured to himself, not that he'd truly expected Rajura to have been the warmth's thief; the sheets weren't disturbed enough.
Without being prompted, Anubis set about adding fuel to the kindles that remained from last night's fire. After building it up to the point of promised warmth, he sought out additional blankets and stretched them out over the foot of the bed. "Maybe we should redress him in something more…practical."
Naaza snorted derisively and shot the warrior a bemused look. "One does wonder what happened, to cause him to don his yoroi in only unconventional undergarments. He was already in full gear when I sought him out." He frowned as he pointed Anubis in the correct direction. 'And though I wasn't looking for such things, I don't recall seeing any other clothing, or even a travel pack. One wonders indeed.'
The two made quick, efficient work of stripping and redressing the comatose warrior; past necessity had forced practice upon each Ma'Sho until they could do so half-dead themselves. Heavy blankets were then drawn and tucked in around him. "I'll leave him," Naaza waved a neglectful hand towards Rajura, "to you."
Anubis felt his lips twitch, but otherwise gave no other reaction as he moved to Rajura's side of the bed. 'Asleep or not, his spirit is still touching Suiko's. And whether we speak of it or not, I've still far more experience with breaching Rajura's mind then you're comfortable with.' He took note that Naaza was drawing fresh blood to test, before he closed his eyes and sought Rajura's familiar chill.
~Are you ready to let him go?~ His thoughts touched Rajura mere heartbeats before his arms wrapped around the taller man. He felt more then heard the elder chuckle.
~More that he's stopped clinging,~ Rajura observed. He leaned back gratefully into the offered strength and sighed softly. ~He settled after sunset. Not entirely a peaceful rest, but the closest he's no doubt had in days.~
Anubis nuzzled his throat, his lips twitching as he felt silver locks tickle his own neck and shoulder. ~Naaza's looking him over now. He's not warmed enough since we pulled him from the spirits. Even you're warmer then he upon our arrival.~
Rajura frowned and pulled away from Anubis' embrace to turn and look at him. ~That can't be good for his recovery.~
~Nope!~ Anubis smirked, though his troubled eyes belied the chipper attitude. Though silent, he sighed heavily and blinked his eyes open to the physical world. On the bed beside him, Rajura opened his own eye and observed both Suiko and Naaza before he pushed himself upright, careful to not disturb the two.
"It's as if he spent all day in the snow, without protection or proper breaks to warm himself," Naaza informed before either of them could question him. "It's slowing his body's ability to heal naturally, putting further strain on his already stressed heart. Though it doesn't appear to have stopped again, it is still too slow." He glared down at the healing scar over the warrior's chest, as if it were Suiko's own choice.
"Well, that does explain the suddenness of his spirit's sleep. His mind simply shut down." Rajura ran a hand through his silver locks in an attempt to tame them. "Though, even now he doesn't feel as strained as he did when pulled from the spirits."
Naaza sighed and pushed himself up from the bed. "I'll mix what sustenance he needs. Liquid for now, he needs the rest as much as he doesn't need the stress of knowing his situation. I don't suppose you were able to converse with him?"
Rajura shook his head as he too slipped from the bed. Anubis followed him to the fire, where he sat to soak in the building warmth. The Yami Ma'Sho stood behind him for a moment, before moving on to offer his hands to Naaza. "Once his panic calmed, most of his awareness went with it. I sincerely doubt he would have been capable of anything beyond emotional bursts, had he thought to try."
Naaza silently directed Anubis through what he wanted, before leaving the man to his assigned task. He turned to approach the fire, and surprised Rajura once he knelt before the silver-haired man. He tipped his head up curiously as Naaza pressed a wrist to his forehead and temple, before catching his chin to scrutinize his violet eye.
He smiled faintly after another heartbeat as understanding brightened his pale orb. "I'm no colder then I usually am in this castle," he assured, both pleased and more warmed by the unexpected concern then the fire beside them.
"Hmm," Naaza hummed thoughtfully, but released him with a faint nod. "I doubt it's one that can catch. The yoroi, spirits, and venom drank him worse then dry."
Rajura nodded and watched the healer rejoin Anubis to start mixing his prescribed tonic. 'Which means you cannot predict how long this ill-cold could hold him. Peace my brother, you know your art as you know to breath. This ill too shall pass.'
oOo
Mid-day meal had come and passed, with the three brothers breaking bread before the fire in Suiko's impromptu healing chamber. Rajura sighed as the final few distractions they could grasp at were brushed away, and as eldest he was forced to make the three of them face that truth. The two still on the floor followed his movements as he stood and brushed the wrinkles from training gi.
"No doubt Badamon has had Lord Arago's ear concerning the spirits' dismissal. I intend to make a report before we try his patents further. Naaza," he turned his focus to the healer still curled on a large pillow before the fire. With a lazy swing of his arm, he released the chain he'd obtained earlier from its hiding spot up his sleeve. "Secure your patent, review his status, set a watcher if you feel the need. Though Suiko's condition and survival will, I suspect, be Lord Arago's first concern, you must not neglect your other duties."
He turned to Anubis before any protests or snips could be voiced. "Dara's men have been acting out, once more. As he has failed to contain them," he pointedly ignored the derisive snort and arched brow Anubis graced him with. "You will make an example of them. This is to be the final time a Ma'Sho has to make time to discipline one of Lord Arago's Infantry. Having allocated Saranbo's lands, our lord has more then enough able-body troops to replace them twice over. Dara would do well to remember this."
Anubis nodded once, already on his feet as he plotted the chaos he'd be allowed to create. A chance to vent his frustrations was just what he needed. 'And the perfect distraction from this unnatural concern for a boy that is no longer a boy.' He was the first to depart.
Rajura offered Naaza a hand up, but didn't linger to watch his orders be carried out. However, he paused at the chamber doors when Naaza spoke up. "The enchantments won't be a detriment to his recovery?" Rajura turned his head to see the healer frowning at the length of chain in his hands. As if he couldn't discern the enchantments, Rajura realized.
"There is enough slack for him to wonder from the bed to the fire, once he wakes. There is not enough to allow him reach for any such tools that might encourage or permit him the opportunity to escape. Should he make such attempts, he'll have made the chain taught. Only then will the enchantments activate, to…discourage such activities."
He turned around fully with a pointed look as Naaza's frown failed to fade. "Patent or not brother, he is still a Ronin prisoner. If nothing else, our view of his spirit made it crystal clear that the Ronins, even as a group, hold no bonds of loya-camaraderie." Loyalty…even though he'd cut himself off, both Ma'Sho's flinched for the reminder of their own loss, their own Loyalty betrayed and cut away from them, their bond left to bleed in its absence. Drawing in a deep breath, Rajura forced such reminders and thoughts of Sh'ten to the back of his mind, where he could lock them away once more.
"Even should he understand his situation once he wakes, we have no guarantee that he will behave as one in his situation should. They have each proven themselves to be Ronin in the truest of forms. While we have been given a golden opportunity to teach him the truth of bushido, we cannot be certain that he will, in turn, trust us."
Naaza's lips twitched and tightened as his frown deepened. Chain attached to the bed-post at the foot of the bed, he took care to watch as he snaked it through the blankets rather then look up at the Gen Ma'Sho. "Because we do not know why he is Ronin." Rajura nodded once, and took his leave. Naaza secured the manacle around Suiko's ankle and secured the blankets about the fevered body once more. "Perhaps," Naaza murmured, long fingers curled to stroke back sweat-damp bangs and to test the growing fever's strength. "There may be more reason then we yet realize, for our Yami's unusual…preoccupation. He certainly didn't mistake you for a boy after the two of you went one-on-one before your groups' first arrival here."
TBC….
A/N: FaustinaAurelia13 asked in a PM about what Shin was wearing in chapter one that caught Naaza's attention (among other things J). As Shin still isn't awake to explain (as I'd somehow thought he might be originally….), he was in a pair of swimming trunks. Capture picks up shortly after episode 25: Showdown! Though obviously focused on what's going on in the Youjakai (Neither Realm). Shin is also the only Trooper to have a bag with him when the group leaves the manor for their spiritual journey. Other then being responsible and packing potential necessities, I wouldn't put it pass him to have packed a pair of swimmers and maybe a towel. Given that the first scene we see Shin in after the Troopers separate, he's already in the under-gear/sub-armor and in the water, it's one of those "off-screen" events that I imagine happened.
FaustinaAurelia13 also asked (and I just realized I didn't answer this one, I'm so sorry!): ~…Suiko's outer and inner shell faded and reformed. The spirits are more unsettled then when I entered. Something isn't right.~ What do you mean by Suiko's outer and inner shell?
What Naaza meant by Suiko's outer and inner shell, was the under-gear/sub-armor (inner) and the full armor (outer). At the time, I couldn't (and still can't) recall if the terms under-gear/sub-armor are actually used in the series, but over-all I didn't really want Naaza using such "modern" terminology. Hope that helps! J