Chapter Three: Illusions

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The sun hid behind her protective shroud of cloud, tossing the day into one of foreboding and melancholy. Genrou pulled his coat tightly around his shoulders; chilled enough to keep it on but too warm to wear it fully. His mind was ill at ease; every few minutes his thoughts would revert back to the dream...

That guy, Tasuki... was that me? Someone was calling that name before... and why was Jun there? But his name was Chichiri... dammit, this makes no sense!

He paused to rake his gaze over the surrounding area, suddenly urged to find a decent bottle of sake, and fast. His gut growled almost menacingly; he needed to eat as well. But out of all the buildings in the densely packed street -- which reminded the boisterous boy of a pack of sardines -- there were only office buildings, a university down the road -- maybe it's where Jun goes, he thought -- and the Tokyo National Library, which he now stood in front of. Absently he kicked at the first of a long column of stone steps, which led up to large revolving glass doors adorned with wanted posters, booklists and public notices in general.

Shit. Where 'm I gonna find a job here? There's no place around here that could use my help. Off-handedly he quirked an eyebrow in the direction of the library, then chuckled aloud. Right. I'd go stir-crazy in a quiet place like that.

Suddenly there was a loud crash from inside the building, followed by shrill screams as a shadowy figure burst through the window in a flash of sparkling blue glass in the dim daylight. He was moving too fast to make out any features, but all Genrou could see was that he was holding a book tightly in one arm... before plowing over said redhead in an attempt to escape.

"OUTTA MY WAY!" he snarled, jumping away and running into the nearest alley.

"Get back here!" a second voice bellowed, right on his heels. But the boy had already vanished, much to the newcomer's dismay. Dark oaken eyes tinged with violet narrowed, flashing in anger, half-covered by a security guard's cap. Panting and with face flushed from exertion, those strangely hued orbs turned suddenly upon notice of Genrou.

"You all right?" the guard asked through gritted teeth, and the redhead merely grinned and tried to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah, no big. Who was that kid, anyhow?"

"No idea," the other replied gruffly, striking a tired pose with one hand on a black-uniformed hip. "All I saw was that he'd snatched a book out of the restricted reference room, and took off."

"Restricted reference? That a room full of hentai comics or something?"

Wham! A single blow to the head, and Genrou was floored, sprawled haphazardly on the sidewalk and clutching his chin.

"Damn! I was just kiddin'! No need ta do somethin' so drastic as that!" he growled. "I don't think ya know yer own strength there; takes a lot to pound me."

"Yeah well, being in security lets me... exercise some rights," the other grinned widely, flashing perfect white teeth. "I'd better get back to work; gotta report this to my boss. Take care, kid."

"Yeah, later," the redhead muttered, having the decency to wave before continuing on in search of a local pub. Now, more than ever, he wanted to sit and have a good drink... or three. A frightening grin crossed his shadowed lupine features, surely a somewhat frightening sight to any passers-by; the thought of drowning his sorrows in a bottle of burning sake was a sure thing to feeling better. Of course, there was always the hangover in the morning to thrust him back into the tightening grasp of reality, but he never considered it. 'Carpe diem' was a phrase he lived by; seizing the day and taking things as they came was his motto. Genrou's thirst for life was an unquenchable flame; he rarely ever let things get him down, and when they did there was always the sake.

Still nursing his wounded pride, he performed his best saunter while passing the nearby college, but paused to look inside.

Must be nice ta be able to learn at a place like this. Ma made me quit school; I'm lucky I can read an' write as well as I do. Oh well. Who needs fancy education anyways? I can always go back home ta Kouji and the guys. But part of him denied ever wanting to return... there still remained that slight pull on his heartstrings, drawing him to this very city of intrigue where he knew not where his destiny lay.

"Oi! Genrou!" a familiar voice hollered, causing the redhead to make an about-face. Amber met mahogany as Jun turned the corner, waving a greeting to his roommate warmly.

"Hey. Though ya weren't supposed to get out until ten-thirty?"

"I wasn't," the brunette smirked. "But the professor was sick today, so we got to skip out once we finished the scheduled exam. Convenient, huh?"

"Sure is," Genrou agreed, baring a fang. "I was just about to get somethin' to eat." Just then, as if to punctuate the statement, his stomach groaned impatiently. He flushed, then burst out laughing at the same time Jun did.

"I see. Mind if I join you?"

"Nah, no problem. Was just about to ask ya that anyhow." He was rewarded by another smile.

"All right then, but first I need to drop off some books at the library," Jun replied, holding up a stack of literature texts. Genrou gawked stupidly as he read... or rather, attempted to read the spines. It wasn't in Japanese; that was for certain. As far as he knew, the script was made by a horde of crickets that had jumped into an ink bottle and run amok on a pile of parchment.

"It's ancient Chinese mythology."

The redhead froze, realizing that he was staring with his mouth open. Flushing, he closed his mouth with a sharp click of canine teeth and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Er, I knew that. Easy ta see that, don't have to be a damned monk to know."

"You're not a very good liar, na no da," Jun said pointedly, raising an eyebrow and shifting the books to his free arm. "A bandit can hide his embarrassment better than that, for Suzaku's sake no da."

Instantly both fell silent, staring at one another. Genrou's gloriously golden eyes widened to the size of saucers, nearly falling over in shock. Jun had half-turned away, brow furrowed in confusion and a hand over his mouth, though his gaze remained locked with the other's.

"What did you just say?" they blurted out in unison, simultaneously feeling the waves of familiarity caress their minds tenderly once more. Jun was the first to recover, blinking a few times as if seeing Genrou for the first time.

"No way. Just... no way..."

"Erm... Jun? What just happened?"

"I really have no idea, Genrou... but I think, for now, we should ignore it."

"But--"

"We'll talk later, okay? After we drop off the books I'll buy you a drink."

"Um... okay..." Still perplexed, the fanged one became quiet, inwardly cheering nonetheless at the prospect of a free glass of the hot liquid he needed to clear his mind: sake. Jun shifted again, casting a strange glance over in Genrou's direction, then started walking back towards the library.

"You coming?"

Genrou's head jerked up from looking at his boots. "Uh... yeah. Lead the way."

Sure enough, it was the same library from before; the fiery youth explained what had happened to a curious Jun, who was staring at the shattered glass with a distant look on his face. Then, with a shake of his head, the brunette gestured for his roommate to follow him inside. The tall, ominous building seemed to beckon to both of them... the revolving doors seemingly a portal into the maw of unknown. Identical feelings of anxiety and slight fear rushed over them, as if there was something dark and sinister lying in wait for their arrival.

"I wonder what was taken from the reference room?" Genrou pondered in mild aggravation, amber eyes glinting a dangerous gold in the harsh library lighting. His mouth twisted into an almost feral snarl as he tried to recall the boy who'd run him over on the sidewalk; he'd seemed almost familiar, at least by his voice.

"Genrou, we're getting strange looks. Quit baring those fangs of yours," Jun snapped impatiently, though a small smile was plastered onto his scarred visage.

He flushed. "Er, sorry 'bout that. Just pissed off about what happened earlier."

"And well you should be," a third voice piped up from behind, causing the two men to whirl around in surprise. A lanky figure revealed itself from behind a bookshelf, carelessly throwing a peace sign their way with a friendly wink.

"It's you!" Genrou accused, eyes wide. "You're that guard from before."

The uniformed one nodded, reaching up to remove the regulation cap from a sweating face. Long, luxurious hair plaited into a single braid spilled out from its hiding place, so dark it appeared black at first. However, as the figure stepped into the light a purple sheen appeared to highlight the dark tresses, long wavy bangs curving around a pale, heart-shaped face.

"Sorry to be so rude earlier," a high alto voice said, and Genrou detected a distinct feminine lilt to the sound with much confusion. "I see you know Jun."

"He's moved into the apartment, as of yesterday," the other replied for the redhead, who looked between the two of them in a crazed manner.

"Oh, dear, you mean in that one-bedroom place you have down by the subway? Isn't that a bit small for the two of you?" the guard seemed distressed, regarding the scarred man with a sibling's interest.

"We'll manage, I suppose," he shrugged, "How've you been, Ryu?"

"Great, aside from today's fiasco."

"What was taken?"

"See, that's the weird thing--"

"AHEM."

The two turned to a rather irked Genrou, who had his arms crossed beneath his dark coat and fawn boots spread and tapping with an apparent lack of patience. Something clicked within Jun, who immediately laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Hey, I'm sorry Genrou..." he said with a smile. "Didn't mean to be rude. This is Chou Ryuuen, but I call him Ryu. He's been working here at the library for a few months; ever since they needed a constant guard for the Restricted Reference Section."

Disregarding the final explanation, the redhead gaped with wide almond eyes at Ryuuen. "S-so yer a guy?"

There was a long silence, then both Jun and Ryu burst out into loud, sidesplitting laughter. For a moment Genrou thought he'd offended the guard, but then stood there scratching his head dazedly. "What's so funny? I don't get it."

"Ah, Genrou was it?" the violet-eyed man started. "You remind me of someone I knew, a long time ago... don't remember who the hell it was though. Y'know, I should deck you again for the question, but the look on your face was enough of an apology." The redhead visibly paled, much to the guard's amusement, who in turn gave him a dangerous smirk.

"Anyway," he turned back to Jun, all mirth evaporated from his features. "You know that old book you and those other students have been poring over lately? Well, some weird guys have been wanting to take a look at it, and finally today one kid managed to get past me and into the room." He gestured down the hall, where sure enough a door had been forcibly kicked down. "He seemed to know exactly what he was looking for, and had already grabbed it by the time I got up. Then the damned kid was gone... and I'm sure Genrou told you the rest; he was there."

"Was it the same one who tried to take it before?" Jun's voice held a tinge of fear, and Genrou wondered what was so bad about stealing some book out of the library.

"No. The first time it was a well-groomed man who tried to reason with the librarians. This time it was some unkempt punk with no manners at all. Took a punch from me and still wasn't down."

"What're you guys so damned worried about?" the fiery youth cut in at last. "I mean, you guys act like it's the end of the world that a kid stole a stupid book. Was it some hentai comic book you're afraid he's gonna make copies of and post everywhere or somethin'? 'Cause I sure as hell don't see what the deal is."

Whack! For the second time that day Genrou was unceremoniously introduced to the floor, limbs sprawled akimbo and twitching spasmodically. Jun raised an eyebrow in amusement, looking back at Ryu questioningly.

The guard shrugged. "Got me. For some reason I had the impulse to punch him into a wall or something, and who am I to question instincts?"

Jun looked as if he were going to reply, but shut his mouth quickly and furrowed his brow, while reaching out a hand to aid his fallen friend.

"Genrou, that wasn't just any book that was taken from here."

"I'm listenin'," he grumbled, rubbing his bruised cheek.

Jun stared at him a moment, considering carefully. "What was taken--"

"--Was the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho," a new voice piped up, and the trio whirled around in unison. Genrou, upon seeing the newcomers, gasped and nearly fell over.

It's you.

~~~~~

Author's notes: Sorry to take so long on this one... I'm still ironing out the details -_-() My muse hasn't been very helpful... may I borrow someone's?

Next chapter: Genrou's dreams begin to return at greater frequency upon meeting yet another strangely familiar face, to the point where he becomes physically unable to withstand the pain they cause. With Jun and Ryu's help, can they find out who has the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, and the truth behind their identities?