Hi people. Finally got back to this one. A little fic crazy at the moment. Too many of 'em in my head note enough file space. It starts to be like the song later on.
Disclaimer: Two words for you 'DON'T OWN!'
Lord
you know I've cried a thousand tears tonight,
But nothing seems to
quench the thirst you keep on craving,
But now i need an answer to
my prayers and you're not there,
So why I think you listen,
listen.
Has no one told you, your cries are all in vain,
And
everyone keeps trying to take that all away,
Has no one told you,
your cries are all in vain,
Your cries.
Lord I can't
disguise the look inside my eyes,
The more I try to look away the
more I'm staring,
But now i need an answer to my prayers and your
not there,
So why I think you listen, listen.
Has no one
told you, your cries are all in vain,
And everyone keeps trying to
take that all away,
Has no one told you, your cries are all in
vain,
Your cries.
Your cries in vain
Your cries in
vain
Your cries in vain
Your cries in vain
I look away
Has
no one told you, your cries are all in vain,
And everyone keeps
trying to take that all away,
Has no one told you, your cries are
all in vain,
Your cries.
Has nobody told you when you look
away,
The stories they told you still run through your veins
Has
nobody told you when you look away,
The stories they told you
still run through your (run through your) veins
"Please don't do that," he repeated," it'd be bad for the both of us."
She opened her mouth to speak but the instant she tasted the blood on his hand she stopped.
"Are you going to do that again?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Then you'll have to deal with blood in your mouth."
She gave him a pleading look. He just gave her the same impassive smile. The pleading turned to defeat, fake defeat. Either way he took his hand from her mouth. She whistled again. His hand covered her mouth again. She didn't see him draw his sword but, sure enough it was at her throat to reinforce his plea.
"Don't do that again," he ordered, his voice had changed now it was forced, like he was holding back... He wanted to kill her.
She froze at that thought. He wanted to kill her, and was dangerously close to doing so.
"Over here!" someone shouted. Dogs barked, and leaves and twigs crunched under people's feet.
He sighed irritably, though the smile never left and his eyes should nothing," I'm sorry for this miss."
She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the worst, when instead she was lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes in surprise, and dearly wished she hadn't. The world whipped by in a flurry of color and light. She snapped them shut again waiting for him to run into a tree, or off a cliff, and kill them both. She didn't realize he'd stopped.
"Miss, please let go. I think you've torn a hole in my shirt."
She opened her eyes and stared. Unconsciously she knotted her hands into his shirt, when she let go there were two holes, about the size off her palms in his shirt. He put her down, on soft, sweet smelling grass, and stripped off his shirt, leaving his gi, hanging around his hips.
She slowly regained her senses, and she remembered the blood he'd been covered in. She stared down at her own clothes, blood now covered them. She gawked for a moment before looking up at him.
He gave her a rueful grin.
"You!" she seethed, tossing kunai at him.
"If you'd rather I split your head in two, keep trying to hit me," he said, now behind her, his sword pressed against her throat again.
"If you want to do it," she growled," Kill me."
He pressed the sword farther into her neck, drawing a little blood.
" Would you like to take your offer back?" he asked, when he saw her shudder at the pain, and give a whimpering plea.
She mentally shook herself and growled.
He chuckled lowly, before with-drawing his sword," Come we'll have to put something on that. I'm not going to kill you, but I don't want you dying because of a silly little cut."
She turned and glared at him again, but it was replaced by an awed look. Behind her was a huge rock face. A thin waterfall, only about as wide as one of the thin trees that surrounded the clearing. A small lake took up half the field, with slim path winding around it and under the waterfall. That's where he stood watching her and waiting. She slowly got up and walked to him, holding her neck. It was only bleeding a little, but it hurt a lot. He led her under the waterfall and into a narrow passage. The corridor opened into large room, twice as big as the valley out side it. Halls led out from the huge room, and a large grand staircase led up to another room, with more halls.
She gawked at the huge expanse," This was one of Shishio's hide-outs wasn't it?"
"Yes, one of four dozen," he answered, leading her down another hall.
"Why so many?"
"Because, each refuge is built near cities he wished to concur," he said supplely.
"Where are we now?" she asked, she still didn't trust him but her curiosity was compelling her.
"This one's the Hamamatsu hide-out, I think," he answered.
Hamamatsu... They were near Hamamatsu. She'd only just left Kyoto.
"You're kidding right?"
"Ether that or Shizuoka."
She gaped at him when he said that. It would have taken a good three maybe four days to reach there normally.
They reached a polished western door and stopped. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding to himself and pulling the door open.
They entered a room that looked like a doctor's office. He went to a cupboard and pulled out a roll of bandages, before pointing to a chair.
She grudgingly sat down and let him clean and bandage her throat. An uncomfortable silence wedged between them as the day passed. She didn't leave. She actually didn't want to. She knew how lonely traveling was with-out anyone else. Even if he had almost killed her, she didn't ant to leave.
He broke the silence first," Are you planning on staying here?"
She didn't register his words at first," What?"
"Are you staying here?"
"Why not?" she answered shrugging.
"You're not afraid I'll kill you in your sleep?"
"No... You not gonna try are you?"
"No, I just think it's odd. I was ready to kill you earlier, and now you trust me not to," he said simple.
The silence started to settle again, but not before being broken again.
"You don't know my name do you?" she said.
She hadn't realized it until then. She knew his name, though she didn't use it, but he didn't know his.
"Misao, right?"
"She stared at him," How did..."
"Himura called it out when you and that little boy fell into the fight in Shingetsu," he said simple.
She didn't even remember that.
"Sit," he ordered, as he brought food to a western table set off to the side. She hadn't noticed they'd been in the lairs kitchen.
They began eating in silence, both of them thinking over the arrangement. Two former enemies staying together... What could possible go wrong?
"Why didn't you kill me?" she finally asked.
"You'd rather I had?" he asked sounding somewhat amused.
"No, just you seemed like you wanted to. So why didn't you? There's nothing that could have been holding you back."
"I don't know. I did want to, but I couldn't. That's all," he said, shrugging.
That was it? He could have killed her, he admitted he wanted to, too, but he just didn't. Bull-shit.
"Would you like to know were you're going to sleep?"
His comment snapped her out of her line of thought. She looked down at their food realizing they'd each finished.
"Sure," she mumbled.
He led her up the grand staircase and into a wide dimly light hall. On ether side were doors with wooden plaques over them. Each read a different name. He looked over each before stopping before another polished wood door. She looked at the name on the plaque above it. Yumi.
"Yumi-san never used this room. She slept in Shishio-sama's room, so this can be your room," he said opening the door for her.
She walked into another large room. An enormous western bed stuck out from one wall. A coach leaned against the other. The wall opposite them was home to rows of shelves full of books. A second door near the bed she guest was the closet.
"My room's next door, good night," with that he was gone.
"Yeah, night," she answered, still looking around.
--That night --
"Stop cryin'! No one's gonna help a worthless little brat like you! Not even the Gods'll listen to you!"
Another hit landed, more blood. More hits.
"Nasty little brat."
...
"Oh, look. Soujiro's gone and broken a rake."
"WHAT! Gimme that. This'll teach ya, little basturd!"
Soujiro awoke in a cold sweet. He pulled the front of hi yakata down and served the old wounds. The seven long, parallel lines that crossed his chest had healed long ago. He'd almost forgotten about the hit. His mind was snapped back to the present when he noticed his door open. Misao stood in the door frame.
"You cry out in your sleep you know," she said, watching him.
"It was nothing. Just a bad dream," he murmured.
She watched him skeptically,"whatever you say."
I know a little iffy but it'll get less confusing later on.
We've
waited far too long to
Watch it all crash and fall through
So
when you feel like shit you've got to keep on pushing
If you saw
the world through my eyes
Then you wouldn't feel so
highrise
It's time to take our chance you've got to sit back
and hold tight
There's forces working in our heads but we
don't understand them
I need a map to find my way out all the
time
These curses lurking in our heads but we don't want to
find it
We need to come back down and face what we've
become
We've become!!
The more i think the more I
wish I'd, pushed stop then hit rewind
What I would give to have
a day back then when no one really cares
I remember when we
all used to
Kickback, take days off school
So many times I've
smiled
Many times I've cried but never did we try, but never did
we try!!
There's forces working in our heads but we don't
understand them
I need a map to find my way out all the
time
These curses lurking in our heads but we don't want to
find it
We need to come back down and face what we've
become
Its haunting me
I'm so alone
I just wanted to
find my way back home
I'm so alone
Alone!!
There's
forces working in our heads but we don't understand them
I need
a map to find my way out all the time
there's curses lurking
in our heads but we don't want to find it
we need to come back
down and face what we've
become!!
They'd lived at the lair for almost a month. Snow was beginning to fall and the lake out side the refuge had slowly frozen over, except for a hole caused by the still flowing water fall.
Misao took a deep breath of winter air, exhaling a large cloud mist. She smiled as snow fell here and there in fluffy, white clumps.
"Hey, Soujiro," she called, he appeared behind her.
"Hmm?"
"Why'd ya join mummy man any way?" she asked looking at him over her shoulder.
He frowned," Why do you want to know?"
"Just wondering," she said looking at the frozen lake.
"I don't see why not?" he said sitting next to her on one of the chairs they'd pulled outside.
She turned to listen.
"My mom was a courtesan," the way he said it there was no questioning his wording,"She ended up with a wealthy rice merchant. The end result, me," she could here the detest in his voice when he mentioned his father," I'm sad to say, she was good at her job, too good at it. He ended up falling in love with her. He didn't like me, and though he claimed he loved her, he refused to help her as long as she had me. You see he thought I wasn't his. When I was about, four or five years old, my mother was pregnant again. She refused to do as he said and put both I, and my unborn sibling in an orphanage... The two of them fought. I didn't see it I know there was a lot of yelling, and then it was all quiet," his eyes were distant," only he came out after the fight."
She stared at him," What was that basturd's name?!"
"You don't need to know. He's been... dealt with. Do you want to here the rest?"
She quieted and let him continue.
"He of course had a wife and family, so there was no room for his illegitimate son, so I was sent to live with his oldest son and his family. They liked me even less the he did, and made it clear each day that they detested my being alive," he pulled his shirt down showing of the glaring white marks they had given him as souvenirs of slavery. Her eyes trailed over the marks, not one from a fight, except the shallow indent from Himura's sakaboto. They caught on the rake mark. She reached out and traced the horizontal lines.
"One of their servants that worked in the rice fields broke a rake, they were afraid they'd get fired so they blamed it on me," he explained.
She gave a disgusted look at that.
"Every time they beat me and I'd cry or get angry they'd beat me more for being a brat..."
"So you just started smiling?"
"Would you like to tell the story?" he asked, raising a brow.
She went silent.
"You're right though. When they beat me and I smiled they'd stop beating me. One night when I was around eight years old they, literally, kicked me out, for not moving enough rice barrels from one warehouse to another. That night when I was washing my wounds I heard something strange and when to take a look. I saw Shishio-sama cut down two police men. That was back before his burns had healed. He wouldn't have noticed me had I not stepped on a twig. He almost killed me, but he stopped when I smiled as he was about split me in two, if I hadn't I wouldn't be here."
She shuddered at the thought.
"Instead he spared my life and in return I kept him hidden. Three days passed, police came and talked to my, technical half-brother. He told his sons, and my technical nephews asked me if I'd seen anything from being outside all that time. One of them had a bad habit of swing his sword with-out thinking, and ended up breaking the rice barrel I'd been carrying. They of course blamed me, and I was beaten, again. Shishio-sama asked me what happened, and I told him I'd been beaten, and what I told you about smiling. When I told him it was their fault..."
"It was their fault! They've no reason to beat a kid, no one does!"
"That's not the way they saw it, and not the way he saw it either. He told me it was me fault for being weak. He told me, 'In this world the weak are the sustenance of the strong. The strong live, the weak die,' after he'd told me that he gave me his wakizashi, back then it was a sword to me, he told me it was his thanks. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I left to think. Of course my brother's family needed the bandages, which I'd taken to Shishio-sama. They put two and two together, and they knew I'd been helping the 'government trader', and they were mad. They called for me so I hid the sword under the house and went to see what they wanted."
She could see him shaking, not for fear or cold, from anger. That wasn't good.
"They started beating me before deciding to kill me."
"But wouldn't they get in trouble?"
"That's what my 'niece' asked. The smarter of my nephews explained 'There's a violent traitor in hiding near by who will question one more slashed to death', then they all started shouting, I couldn't tell what it all just sounded like screaming to me. Then I remembered what Shishio-sama had told me. I got up and ran. I don't remember how long I ran from them, I just remember being under the house with the wakizashi. Only one thought went through my head the strong live, and the weak die. One of them found me. Everything went into a blur then. I remember him screaming, and then crawling out, and all off them yelling at me again. Then rain. I remember cold rain, and blood. Then Shishio-sama came out and asked me if I was crying. Back then I didn't think I was; now I know I was. I joined him after that."
She stared at him.
He'd been looking down his bangs covering his eye though the end of the story, but as he looked up he had the 'Tenken' look on his face, masking what he was feeling then.
That's when they both heard it, men yelling and dogs barking. They'd been found...