Author's Note: This chapter was supposed to be longer, but it got too long and I decided to cut it in two. Don't expect any fast updates though, but do please read and review. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll write this story and update faster. This has got to be one of the longest chapters that I had ever written, but I'm proud of it.
Disclaimers: Don't own it, never will.
Bloody Nightmares
Chapter Six: The Obon Festival and the Oracle
In the summer, Obon is followed with the tradition of darkness and light. This year's Obon was going to be another big celebration. After a night of ghost stories at Izumi's place, the whole gang was going to go to the Obon festival the next evening. It was traditional for them in their little group activities. They planned to enjoy it as the start of summer vacation.
Kouji and Kouichi were getting into their yukatas. Because the Obon Festival is held in the summer, it would be crazy to wear a kimono. Yukatas are lighter and a bit more comfortable for motive activities. And like any twins would do, their yukatas were similar in design and color. Only Kouji's is dark blue with a dark purple obi while Kouichi's is dark purple with a dark blue obi. After saying good-bye to their father and Satomi, the twins slipped on their getas and were off.
During their walk, Kouji asked how their mother was. It has been two weeks since he'd last seen her. At that time, he could clearly see for himself that Tomoko was getting better. After years of being ill from sadness, they finally were able to find a doctor who could help her.
"She's doing great," Kouichi replied. "I was feeling a little bit guilty for letting her go to Osaka by herself."
"But she's better now right?" Kouji asked. "I mean, Mom seems a bit more cheerful than she was two months ago."
"Yeah," his brother replied. "I'm really glad about that. I didn't know how much longer she could last. But ever since she went to see that doctor, everything else falls into place and things were getting better."
"Well, I'm glad that we don't have to worry about her illness much in the future." Koji stopped his brother since the street they were about to cross was pouring with passing cars. All around them were people in colorful yukatas and they were all heading to the festival closest to them. Some were heading in the same direction as the twins. Others to the harbor.
"The doctor said it was M.E.," Kouichi replied. "He said that because she was suffering from emotional pain and exhaustion, she might suffer from it."
"But that doctor said that all she needed was rest and time?" Kouji asked.
"Yeah," Kouichi replied. The crossing light turned green again and they began their journey along with two dozen people. "But still, I felt a bit guilty for letting her go to Osaka alone."
"But Mom's better now, she has a new job, a better pay, and we get to see each other more often this summer. You shouldn't worry so much, Nii-san," Kouji reassured.
"You're right," Kouichi smiled. "And besides, Mom's with her cousins in Osaka. I guess she'll be fine under their care."
The twins made it to the front gate of the festival. At the gate were Junpei and Tomoki. Junpei's yukata was a darker yellow with a blue obi while Tomoki's was lime green with a white obi. The four of them exchange their evening greetings and were later joined by Izumi. She was followed by Takuya who was trailing behind her a few feet. His face was sulking while Izumi's was a bit furious and offended. Although Junpei complimented her for looking fine in her purple and pink yukata, her anger didn't subside one bit towards Takuya.
"What happened this time?" Kouji mocked.
"Why don't you ask the goggle-head?" Izumi spat, still not looking in Takuya's direction.
"I said I was sorry!" said Takuya, trying to defend himself. "I forgot that I was supposed to take Shinya to his friends' house!"
"And you left me standing at that corner waiting for an hour!" Izumi argued.
Kouichi could tell that his brother was grinning with amusement while Tomoki was wide-eyed. Even he could see that his guardian-liked figure of a friend, Takuya, was pushing Izumi over the edge. Sure he looked up to Takuya as a second older brother, but there are times when Tomoki was certain that Takuya just doesn't get the big picture when it comes to offending Izumi. Junpei on the other hand was predictable. Always siding with Izumi, he always found faults in Takuya or Kouji's action towards her that are related to anything that would offend her by any means.
"You could at least call me before hand!" Izumi turned around, her face red as a tomato. "I was beginning to think that you stood me up!"
"I'm sorry, I forgot!" said Takuya.
"You should have gone with me instead, Izumi-chan," Junpei jumped in, hoping to change her mind. "You know that I wouldn't do something like that to you."
But Izumi wasn't paying him any attention. Her anger towards Takuya just can't be put on hold for someone who's always flirting with her.
"Can we go now?" said a voice.
All of them turned to face Tomoki who had been quiet since the others' arrival.
"It's the Obon Festival and we shouldn't fight," he pleaded. "Can't you just forgive Takuya this once, Izumi?"
"You do kinda over-react over small things, you know," Kouji said as Izumi gave him a death glare. Kouji wasn't taken aback. He had seen worse.
Izumi didn't snapped back at him, but but she does seemed a bit guilty for ruining their fun night and for Tomoki. It only lasted a second or so, but then she placed her hands on her hips and said firmly, "I'll forgive Takuya if he promises to never leave me hanging out in the streets again." Tomoki smiled in relief but she wasn't finish. Turning to face Takuya, she said, "And if you're really sorry, you'll treat me this evening." And with that, she strolled past the gate and into the first booth that she saw.
"WHAT?" Takuya yelled in shock.
"You've heard her," said Kouji, a wider grin on his face. He turned and grabbed Kouichi by the arm and dragged his twin and himself inside. Tomoki followed suit and Junpei turned to face Takuya and said, "I give in if I were you." And with that, he met up with Izumi at the booth, leaving Takuya dumb-struck at the gate.
Pulling himself together, Takuya could only muttered a few curses under his breath. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
The festival was like a carnival actually. The entire park was set up like a huge circus. Rows and rows of booths filled with games and activities. There were food stands with grilled, sizzling meat and vegetables for hunger customers. Sweet treats like cotton candy and lollipops for the sweet tooth. There were rides such as the Ferris-wheels, swinging Viking ship, roller-coasters, and rotating swings intertwining around the park. The variations of activities booths and tents were full of the usual games or the promise of offering new ones. The first booth that they went over to was a ring tossing game. Instead of the usual ring tossing into a couple of polls on the ground, they had to throw them at live ducks. This only made the game more difficult because unlike polls, ducks tend to move around, making it harder to aim for their necks. This seemed a bit cruel at first, but the rings were made of light plastic and would only tap the animals gently, slightly brushing their feathers.
The gallery of prizes varied from small key chains to large stuffed duck toys. The booth was a bit crowded with customers not for the prizes, but for the fun of tossing the rings. Tomoki, being the "game-prince" of the group decided that he liked the challenge and lined up for his turn immediately. There was a sign at top of the booth saying, "Whoever can get 20 rings in a row will receive a special prize!"
"I wonder what the special prize is," Izumi wondered.
"Well it's probably something big," said Takuya, shrugging his shoulders in response. "I mean c'mon! Who could toss twenty rings around the necks of waddling ducks in a row? It's impossible."
Unfortunately for him, this remark only encouraged the others a bit more. Tomoki wanted to prove his title as the best game player of the group paid 100 yens for each five plastic rings. Junpei, as usual for wanting to impress Izumi, rolled up the sleeves of his yukata paid double the price that Tomoki paid for twice the sets of rings. This way, he thought, I can improve my chances of winning and impress Izumi-chan! I'll show Takuya that I'm not just all bronze!
Izumi folded her arms and smirked a bit. "Well," she said. "I guess there are some people who believe that they can do it, unlike someone I know."
The last sentence just pressed the right button. Takuya turned to face her, eyes wide and fist clenched. Even though he was three months younger than Izumi and was a bit shorter than her on their first encounter, he had grown quite a bit, standing over her without the help of his sandals. Unfortunately, this could not be said for the same thing as his reaction towards her teasing. Even though he had grown a little bit more mature in age and height, his pride hasn't. Kouichi could tell that this was an issue of a challenge to Takuya. As for Kouji, he just stood by and watched. Knowing him, Takuya and Izumi was starting another show. Kouichi gave his brother an odd look. Was Kouji right? He thought. Is there a thing going on between these two? But Kouji didn't give him any indication to that question.
"Are you saying that you don't think that I can do it?" Takuya declared boldly.
"No, of course not," Izumi replied sarcastically. "I'm just saying that you don't believe that you can do it. Maybe you're right…after all, twenty in a row is pretty hard. But I guess it's more of your problem than it is mine if you don't believe that you can do it—"
"Fine!" Takuya raised his hands and stopped her before she could continue this conversation any further. "You're talking about scoring twenty goals in a row to a soccer-player here! I always get a goal every time. If I can score twenty goals in a row with a soccer ball, then I don't see why I can't score twenty goals with plastic rings and ducks. I'll show you that I do believe in my talent."
And with that, he turned around, paid for his sets of rings and joined Junpei and Tomoki. "Hit me!" he ordered the vendor. It seemed so far, that Junpei had only managed to score at least seven while Tomoki doubled that at fourteen.
Kouji then decided that he was bored and tugged on his brother's sleeve, indicating that they should go.
"We'll catch you later," Kouichi told Izumi, who waved back.
"See you at the food court," she called back.
After passing through a few booths, the twins came to a stop at a classical one. It was a booth filled with tanks of goldfishes and children and adults alike crowded around them, eager to catch one with a small, flat paper net. It was difficult because when dipping their nets into the water, waiting patiently for the fish to swim over it, they easily lose them as the fish fell through the net and back into the water. The water made the paper nets lose their stiffness, easily losing more yen coins than catching goldfishes.
Even though Kouji felt a bit too old for this game, he decided to go for it along with his brother. They had played this game when they found each other years ago. To Kouji, this was as easy and smooth as cutting butter with a knife, thanks to his quick reflexes from kendo practice. As for Kouichi, it was a little bit difficult for him. Even if he tried to catch a small one where it's lighter and little chances of breaking the net, the little fish still managed to escape his grasp. In the end, Kouji gave him the two fishes that he had caught. One was white with a little black dot on its head and the other black with a white dot. Holding the plastic bag containing the fishes, Kouichi could've sworn that they reminded him of the yin and yang symbol. Kouichi thanked his brother and they went from booths to tents.
After about half an hour of walking around and played a few games, they decided to head to the food court and meet up with the others. On the way, Kouji stepped on something and looked down. It seems to be a small bell attached to a ribbon along with a metal tab with a strange character or a symbol etched into it. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked it up and gave it to Kouichi. Kouichi was having second thoughts about his fishes from this.
"Maybe you should keep them, Kouji," Kouichi suggested, handing his bag of fishes to Kouji. "After all, you caught them. I know they can't replace Hiroki but—"
"No, Nii-san," Kouji stopped him. Kouichi thought that once again, he went a bit too far. He had stirred up old wounds. First it was his mother, and now his brother. Why can't he say anything right without hurting people? But Kouji turned to him and continued, "I want you to have them. Did you used to say that you always wanted your own pet?"
Kouichi nodded. Yes he did say that, back when he was still a toddler. He would beg his grandmother to keep his very own pet, but with the expense of their living, they couldn't afford one, let alone care for it.
"Well, then here's your chance to own two, Nii-san," Kouji smiled, giving the fishes back to his brother. "Besides, I think they like you more." It was a joke and Kouichi laughed a bit. This seemed to cheer the both of them up as they turned a corner at a sakura tree and into the food court.
"So are you going to name them?" Kouji asked.
Kouichi shook his head in response. "No, but to tell you the truth," he paused just for a bit. "I rather preferred having a cat than fishes."
"Why?" Kouji questioned, a bit curious.
The answer suddenly came to him in a flash. It reminded Kouichi of the little black cat at school and he had been wondering about it. "There was this cat I met yesterday. It looked so thin and hungry that I couldn't resist giving away all of my fried fishes. When I walked home and passed the pet shop and saw a smaller version of Hiroki, it reminded me of it for some strange reason."
Kouji gave him a confused look, not understanding where this was going. But he soon got his answer.
"It's so strange, but…never mind." Kouichi brushed the idea aside, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"What?"
"It's nothing really," Kouichi objected.
"You can tell me," Kouji reassured, promising him that he won't laugh or do anything like that of the sort.
"I felt as though I've seen that cat somewhere before. I know that it was my first time seeing it, but for a second there," he paused, trying to find the right words to described his thoughts. "I thought that I recognized its eyes."
He turned to face Kouji, but to no surprised, his face was motionless but his eyes tell all.
"Nii-san," Kouji started, pondering about this. "You mentioned the same thing with Izumi's story last night. And now this. Are you trying to tell me that you're experiencing déjà vu?"
Kouichi was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable about this subject as he replied, "Maybe…I…I don't know. It's all so strange. Maybe I'm just imagining things."
Before Kouji could speak, he heard their names being called. The twins looked up to see the others waving at them. They all seemed to be holding shish-kabobs of grilled meat and vegetables along with tea. They'd managed to find a table under a sakura tree with enough seats for all six of them. Kouichi gave his brother a small smile before pocketing the bell in his pocket and running off to join them. Kouji decided to push their previous conversation aside and followed Kouichi just seconds behind.
www
Lobo was getting impatient. He and his friend had run across town, followed the twins and had to somehow get their attention. Truthfully he was getting a bit annoyed. He was impatient to get to the boys and warn them of the danger. But no, they had to do this discreetly. The last time they had tracked down the twins a hundred years ago was a lot easier. Maybe because during their previous incarnations had lived in a cottage in the forest of France…without hundreds of people to stare at them? Lobo could still not believe that the population had tripled or even more than that in just a century.
But for now, he had to concentrate on their plan. First off, he was on guard duty. While Löwe is watching the twins on top of the sakura tree over their heads, Lobo has to hide in the bush under it that was next to the children's table. What was he on the lookout for? That vampire bastard, Dusk, for one is on the top priority list of watch dog is a duh. Just the thought of him made Lobo want to bit his head off. Second, he had to be sure that the coast is clear and few people with them as possible. Lobo, being turned into a dog he is, has an incredible sixth sense. He can sniff and tell if a person means any harm or not at all. He had to take great care that the twins aren't in danger, but he highly doubted it much what with too many people around. And third, he had a feeling that she is here.
So far, the twins were just sitting with their friends eating and talking. Nothing unusual with that. But the sight and smell of their food was just torture to him. Löwe was right. He hadn't eaten in days and he was starving. This is just another bad side of being turned into animals for them. He and Löwe had to scavenge for food for decades since they are vagabonds. How he wished that they were human again. They had once dined with the King and Queen of Lusteria as royal guests. And now they've been reduced to two small animals, trailing behind the foot of their masters.
Löwe ignored their hunger as it gnawed their stomach. After finishing their conversation, the six children got up and walked away. This was probably their only chance now. He leapt from the tree and landed smoothly and lightly on Lobo's back. Nudging his friend's ear, he said, "There's our chance, my friend! Let's go!"
"About time!" Lobo replied, getting up and running after them.
"Just remember to act like a dog first," Löwe instructed.
"Are you sure that they'll be safe?" Lobo asked.
"Of course I'm sure," his friend replied. "I placed that charm in their path so that the princes will find it. One of them already has it in his pocket. It will keep them safe for us for the time being and will lead them to her."
"I hope that you're right, my friend," Lobo said. "I hoped that you're right."
"See, I told you I could do it," Takuya gloated, waving the grand prize in Izumi's face.
"Whatever," Izumi replied as though she doesn't care. Grabbing the tickets out of his hands, she flipped through them to read the labels. "Two tickets to a free dinner at the La Vie en Rose? Is this for real?"
"You mean that fancy French restaurant?" Kouji asked in surprised.
"Why don't you see it for yourself Minamoto!" said Takuya, taking another bite of his shish-kabob.
Izumi gave the tickets to Kouichi who handed one to his brother. The twins read the text word by word. It was true. These are tickets to the La Vie en Rose. Winning a large stuff animal from a game booth is one thing but this is just ridiculous!
"How can that booth afford those tickets?" Tomoki asked, taking a small bite of his cotton candy. He was a little bit disappointed in losing to Takuya. He was so close to winning to retain his title but lost at nineteen. It was so close. Tomoki was just moments away from winning when his last ring was ricocheted by Junpei's and they both missed their marks.
"He's right," Izumi added. "Even a monthly free dinner pass to my family restaurant cost a lot of money. You guys are just lucky that I let you eat there for free."
"Who cares," Takuya said, shrugging his shoulders as Kouichi handed Izumi back the tickets. "I know my own skill and won, baby!"
Izumi rolled her eyes and sigh. Typical, she thought to herself. You dared a guy to play a game with ducks, he won and then he rubs it in your face.
"So who are you going with, Izumi-chan?" Junpei popped the question. The other boys stared at her.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Izumi hissed, a tint of red blossomed on her cheeks. "And besides, Takuya won them, it's his. I don't care."
"WHAT?" Takuya cried, eyes wide in shock. "No way! You're not dumping them on me! I won that game to show you that I do believe that I can win."
"So you're saying you did it for me?" she mocked.
Junpei gasped. I knew it! He thought. There is a thing going on between them!
"Yes—I mean no! I mean…um…" Takuya stuttered, not wanting his friends to get the wrong idea, but it seemed that he's getting the wrong idea himself. "Oh forget it! Just take the tickets!"
"But there's two of them," Tomoki pointed out. "It would be a waste to just use just one and throw away the other one."
"Don't look at me, I got soccer practice," Takuya held up his hands to signified that he wouldn't go.
"I'll go with ya, Izumi-chan!" Junpei chirped up, trying to take the opportunity to go on a date with her.
Izumi didn't replied but put the tickets away in her pocket. "It doesn't expire until two weeks. I don't have to go right now."
"So now what?" Kouji asked.
"Well, we've been to every other booths and tents," Takuya replied, shrugging. "But there seems to be nothing new or exciting this year."
"Hey!" Izumi cried, pointing to an elegant looking tent up ahead. "What's that?"
As they got closer to it, Kouichi felt his skin tingling, not from the sign in front of it, but from the aroma coming from it.
Takuya bent over and read the sign posted in front of it. "It says, 'Consult the Oracle and have your destiny revealed'. What is this?" he leaned back to take a better look at the tent. It was by no mean a little bit mystical. There were golden embroiders of ocean waves and the sun, moon, and stars decorating the fabrics. The aroma surrounding it was sweet, but they couldn't be sure what type of smell it was. It was a pinch of those incenses from those Buddhist alter and flowers.
"It sounds like fortune-telling!" Tomoki realized.
"That sounds like fun!" Izumi clasped her hands in excitement. "Oh let's give it a try."
"Count me out," Kouji remarked, turning away. "Stuff like this is usually fake. You see these things out on the streets all the time."
"Kill joy," Izumi spat, giving him her disapproving frown. "But at least it's better than nothing. Who knows, this might be different! C'mon!"
Junpei followed her immediately into the tent, leaving the other four waiting outside since the sign did said two people at a time in small print.
After a minute of silent, Tomoki asked, "What do you think Izumi's prediction would be?"
Takuya finished his shish-kabob, threw it away in a nearby trash bin before replying. "Oh you know, the usual stuff. Who's she gonna marry, how many babies she's gonna have and all that crap."
"You can't know that for sure," Kouji commented, not turning to face him.
"I thought you weren't interested in stuffs like this, Kouji," Takuya remarked.
"I don't," Kouji replied.
"Why?"
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Just because!"
"Because you're too cool for it? Or is it because you're afraid of your prediction?"
That tears it. Kouji gave him a menacing glare, but Takuya was unfazed. "Stuff like this doesn't interest me."
"Can't hurt to try it just once," Takuya grinned.
"Look," Tomoki cried. "Here they come."
Izumi and Junpei emerged from the tent, eyes wide and sparkling.
"How was it?" Kouichi asked.
"It was incredible!" Izumi squealed, once again clasping her hands. "She's really amazing! I didn't even say anything and she knew almost everything about me! She said that I am going to be part of an adventure with someone interesting this summer! Just like a fairy tale!"
"Yeah," Junpei agreed. "You guys should have seen her. She was really amazing. There were no crystal balls or magical magnifying glasses. Her method is gonna leave you speechless!"
"Plus, she's really pretty, too!" Izumi added. "And her voice is so enchanting…"
"No way!" Takuya remarked.
"There's got to be a trick here," Kouji added.
Kouichi didn't know what to say. As for Tomoki, he was smiling.
"Really? For real?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're not lying!" Junpei replied, turning to face the twins. "She's different than those other fortune-tellers. Consulting her would change your lives."
"This I gotta see for myself," Takuya decided, dragging Tomoki in with him. "C'mon little buddy, let see what's so amazing about this Oracle."
Fifteen minutes later, they both came out in the same state that Izumi and Junpei was in. Takuya could only say one word to express what they had just experienced.
"Wow."
Izumi and Junpei grinned.
"See? What did we tell you?" she said, folding her arms. "How was it?"
Tomoki tried to find his voice as he spoke. "That. Was. Amazing. Kouji, Kouichi," he looked up at the twins. "You gotta try this!"
Kouji didn't change the expression on his face as he crossed his arms. "Are you guys really serious?"
"Don't knock it until you try it, buddy," Takuya said, giving him a big stupid grin. Turning to Kouichi he said, "Kouichi, you knock some sense into him."
But Kouichi seemed uncertain. Something about this "Oracle" feels…strangely intimidating. But seeing that his friends seemed to like it, he supposed that it couldn't hurt to try. Giving his bag of fishes to Izumi to hold on to, he said, "I guess we could take a peek."
Kouji gave his brother a stunned face. "Nii-san, you can't be serious? I'm not wasting my time on fortune-telling."
"C'mon!" Takuya and Junpei chirped, rubbing their hands in way that it seems as though they're plotting something. Kouji knew what they were going to do, but it was too late. Takuya and Junpei move closer to the twins, and began to shove them into the tent.
"QUIT IT!" Kouji yelled.
"C'mon, Kouji," Izumi smiled. "It can't hurt to try."
"Yeah, and besides," Tomoki added in with a grin on his face. "She knows you're standing out here."
"It's rude to linger in doorways," said Izumi firmly. Turning to face Kouichi she said, "And Kouichi, make sure he doesn't chicken out."
"I'M NOT A—" Kouji started but he didn't get to finish his sentence.
"Have fun, you two!" Takuya and Junpei sang in tune, before giving the twins one last shove and into the tent.
The twins stumbled on their feet a bit from the shoving, but got to their feet properly to face the occupant in front of them. It was quite strange to see that there was some furniture in this tent. With soft rugs on the floor, Kouji and Kouichi took off their geta sandals politely, leaving them by the entrance. There were a few china vases with orchids and bamboo in them placed on top of four small columns. Each at one placed at a corner of the tent and were accompanied by sweet-scented candles, too, giving the inside of the tent a warm and mystic feeling of enchantment, although the air feels a bit cooler. Kouichi was surprised to see a small feng shui fountain trickling water into a bowl on the left side of tent. It was placed in the center of a small zen garden with rippling patterns of pebbles and stone. On the other side was just a small King Louis XIV table with three matching chairs to completely the set. Kouji could've sworn that the entire setting was small from the outside. While being in here, it was like being inside someone's home rather than a fortune-telling booth. The inside was a bit hazier and there was some sort of sweet smell that made him and Kouichi want to sleep.
"So you've decided to come in after all," said a voice. It was female and had a touch of maturity and enchanting in a way. "I'm not surprise, after seeing the looks on your friends' faces. It's only logical that they would recommend you, too. But even if they hadn't, the two of you would have wandered in here without noticing because it is destiny that we would meet again this evening."
In the center of it all was a woman sitting in a grand couch smoking from an antique-looking pipe. It was strange that the smoke was the source of the sweet smelling air, instead of the usual eyes-watering kind of cigarettes. The twins didn't think that it was opium, though. They realized that Izumi was right in a way. The woman was captivating. She had short blue hair with a top-knot tied up in the back with Chinese-looking hairpins dangling from one side. She was wearing a deep blue kimono decorated with patterns of small light blue daisies with a kelp green obi tied around her waist. What really captured the twins were her eyes. They were deep blue and endless like the sea. It felt as though those mystic blue eyes could see straight into their heart and souls. Just by the way she's looking at them, the Kouichi felt exposed and naked, having no protection to hide from her gaze. Kouji, on the other hand, tried his best not to show his surprised but put on an expressionless face.
The woman smiled and crossed her legs, taking in another puff of smoke. "It's been a while since we've last met, Kouji Minamoto and Kouichi Kimura."
"How do you know our names?" Kouichi asked surprisingly finding his voice.
"Takuya and the others must have told you, didn't they?" Kouji accused. His brother stared back at him in shock but he didn't pay attention. "Or at least you've heard it outside."
The Oracle didn't flinch at the indictments, but instead placed her smoking pipe down and turned her head slightly to face them. "Your friends didn't tell me your names, and if you haven't noticed, noises from outside this tent can't enter."
It was true. From the outside, the festival was noisy and buzzing with the sound of people's laughter and clattering of food and games. They can practically hear them still in those recent tents and booths that they'd been into. But in this tent, the only sound that existed is the sound of running water from the fountain and their beating hearts.
"I've known you two for a very long time," the Oracle continued. "Even before you were born."
"How can we tell if you're lying?" Kouji demanded, crossing his arms. "Our friends said that you're different than those fortune-tellers and your method is also unusual. Why don't you enlighten us?"
"Kouji!" Kouichi whispered, tugging at his brother's sleeve.
"As always, you've always disapproved of things and never really try to understand the truth behind them. Just like you did recently with Izumi's story the other night?" The Oracle raised an eyebrow questioningly while giving him one of her mysterious smile. "Or like the way you disapproved of your father's announcement a few hours ago?"
Kouji and his brother froze in shock. They hadn't told her anything. It may be possible that the others told her about his conflict with Izumi's story, but the both of them were quite certain that they hadn't told the others or anyone about their father's business announcement.
"How d-did you k-know about our-f-father's news?" Kouichi once again found his voice to speak, but stuttered a bit. "Do you…" he paused. "D-do you have some sort of insight?"
The Oracle this time turned her attention to the older sibling and smiled. She sat up straight and spoke. "There are indefinite things in this world that remain unexplained. No matter how strange it is, mankind will always observe it. I do have the divine ability only if you believe so. You are amazed, and yet, at the same time, afraid of me, aren't you, Kouichi-kun?"
Kouichi blushed since what she just said was true. The Oracle laughed a bit at his shyness. "You're still as shy and quiet as you once were before. But do not worry; you need not be afraid of me. As for this tent, there is a barrier around it. For now, you are my guests and are under my hospitality. It is my duty to protect you from the danger of the other side."
"What do you mean?" Kouji asked curiously, although his tone was once again very demanding.
The Oracle leaned back a bit before answering his question. "There's a barrier-spell placed on the structure of this tent and within a 20 kilometer radius around it. When monks practiced Buddhism and the local Shinto religion to Amaterasu, there are often disturbances from the outside of the ground from which they practiced. They find another area, which has an inside and an outside, but with no entrance as to eliminate the noise. This also means that—"
"Can't you be more specific?" Kouji interrupted her.
She stared back at him and mocked in the same irritated tone that Kouji possessed. "You're very impatient, aren't you? And besides that, you're also very rude! Aren't you going to ask me my name?"
"That's your problem for not introducing yourself earlier," said Kouji.
"Kouji!" Kouichi gently scolded his brother. Turning to face the woman, he bowed his head slightly to apologized, hiding his blushing red face at the same time.
"You're wasting our time, I'm leaving! C'mon, Nii-san!" Kouji decided, pulling at his brother's arm and dragged him out.
But just as he was about to open the curtains to leave the tent, his legs were frozen in place and soon his entire body. He couldn't move. And Kouichi was in a panic. He tried pulling on his brother, but the only thing he managed to do was stretched his yukata more, endangering it into tearing. Kouji's body was moving on its own and turned around to face the Oracle. He gave her a deathly glare as his legs slowly moved forward with Kouichi following him nervously.
"W-what did you do to me?" he demanded. "Unhand me or you'll regret it!"
The Oracle didn't seem fazed at his threat. Instead, she slowly got up and walked over to the table with the three chairs and sat down.
"I already told you," she explained. "Even if your friends hadn't advised you to come in here, you would still wander from one way or another. It is fate that we could meet. There is no coincidence in this world, only fate. Now why don't the two of you take a seat?"
Kouji and Kouichi had no choice. In the end, Kouji gave up his resistance and was able to move on his own again. Even if he had made a run for it, he didn't think that she would let him go that easily. There was definitely something strange about her.
Kouichi's nervousness grew. How is she doing this? He thought as he took a seat next to Kouji. How can she stop us and know about us and our family so much? Who is she?
"Why, I'm the Oracle and the owner of this temporary tent for the festival of course," she answered.
Kouichi's eyes widened in shock. "You can read my mind?"
Kouji gave her another threatening glare. It was bad enough that she invaded his body control, but entering his brother's mind? It was unforgivable.
"If that is what you believe, Kouichi-kun." She answered nonchalantly. Taking out a large but shallow bowl from under the table, she placed it in the center between herself and the boys. Then she took out a white and elegantly looking jug and poured shimmering water into the bowl. "Give me the thing that you have in your pocket."
Kouichi gave her a confusing look before realizing that what she meant was the little bell and tab attached to a ribbon that Kouji gave him earlier. Hastily, he took it out of his pocket and placed it in the palm of her smooth hand. The Oracle gave it a long review before placing it down on the table.
"It's a good charm with a powerful spell," she declared, putting her hand in her obi to pull out a small bag and opened it. "Very valuable and so predictable of him to leave it there for you to find it."
"Who?" the twins asked in unison.
"You'll find out later, but for now," she said, opening the small bag and poured the content it held and into the bowl of water. It was shards of crystals and they glimmer and shown even more in the water than ever. "We'll see what's in store for the two of you."
The candles suddenly dimmed as she took out a flat disk with ten strange symbols on them and placed it on the surface of the water. The disk floated and began to swirl around and around, creating streams of smoke to rise and a soft wind to blow all around them. One of the symbols on the swirling disk matches the one on the charm that Kouichi gave her. The twins held their breath as disk picked up speed and spun faster and faster. The wind began to howl even though the gust was gentle. The Oracle's blue hair flowed elegantly along with it, dancing on its end. The crystals beneath the spinning disked began to shine, projecting the walls of the tent with star-like light. Then the Oracle began to speak in the most mysterious voice in tune.
"Ancient Spirits of Wood, Earth, Ice, Thunder, Metal, Water, Wind, Flame, Light and Darkness! Grant me your wisdom and reveal the fate of the descendants of the Old Kingdom, who are now in my presence on this night."
The spinning disk slowly stopped, but the tent remained dark and the crystals still illuminating stars. The Oracle bent a bit closer to the water and breathed in its knowledge. Kouji could feel that his brother was as confused as he was. In truth, he was a bit intimidated by this woman. She seemed like a powerful witch with the ability to freeze his entire body and control his motive actions. And the way that she created this feeling of nervousness with her methods of telling their fortune is enough to prove that. Suddenly he felt something touched him. He didn't have to look down to know that Kouichi was holding his hand tightly. Somehow this contact helped their anxiety subsided as the Oracle looked up and stared at them with those deep blue eyes of hers.
"Once again, your destinies are now intertwined with the ancient evil of Darkness. After decades of searching, he has found you again and his thirst for power is strong. Your lives shall now be part of a game of chess. You, Kouichi Kimura, will become the pawn of his game and you, Kouji Minamoto will become the white knight and will have to make a sacrifice to save the Queen…or the King. To defeat this Evil, the Ancient Spirits have advised that you be wise in your decision of who is the most important in your life. Learn your past mistakes, and you shall succeed. And you, Kouichi, must decide who's right and who's wrong. Make the wrong move, and you will once again repeat history. The choice is yours as it is your fate."
The Oracle stopped and the room was back to normal. Kouichi gave off a sigh of relief of the end of the prediction. He realized that the others were right. Her methods of fortune-telling wasn't just different, it was powerful and very magical. It wasn't like anything he had felt before and it made him feel…strangely familiar with it. The Oracle smiled and put the bowl away without spilling any water. But still, he was confused with her prediction. Didn't Izumi mention that her fortune was like a fairy tale? This was beyond fairy tale.
Kouji lean back against his chair and folded his arm, a bit unsatisfied, but not unimpressed. "What do you mean when you said that I will become this White Knight and Nii-san someone's prey? And who is this evil of Darkness?"
The Oracle didn't answer right way, instead she reached over for the tray of tea and biscuits to her left and poured all three of them a cup each. Slowly sipping her tea, she answered. "I can't be specific with my predictions, Kouji-kun. The two of you must figure out the riddles on your own, but do not worry, you won't be alone."
She looked over their shoulders and they both turned around to see a white German shepherd and a small black cat. Kouichi recognized the cat right away. It was the same one that begged him for fish the other day! The two animals got closer to the twins and wagged their tales in joy. Kouji was immediately bonded to the dog right away and his brother to the cat. After their little encounter, the cat jumped top of the table and sat himself in front of Kouichi. He smiled and gently scratched the cat from behind its ears. It purred sweetly and licked his fingers. Kouichi noticed that it was still thin and offered the cat his portion of tea and biscuit, which it happily accepted. Kouji did the same as he patted the dog while it returned the favor by licking him on the face. This dog reminded him so much of Hiroki, or at least, an old forgotten friend.
The Oracle smiled. "I see that the four of you are enjoying your introduction." She turned to face Kouji and said gently. "Kouji, I know he can't replace your old friend, Hiroki, but Lobo is a wonderful friend and is willing to sacrifice himself to keep you safe. And Kouichi," she turned to the older twin and the cat. "Although I can't give you back your grandmother, Löwe is an old friend and will do anything to make you happy. I'm sure the four of you will get along quite nicely."
"I—we…can't!" Kouichi started. "We can't accept them like this! We don't have enough money with us—"
The Oracle stopped him in mid-sentence. "I'm not giving them to you, Kouichi-kun. They found you and wanted to be with you. I usually charged my customers, but I'll make an exception for the two of you tonight. But, I'll kindly accept this charm as your payment as well as theirs." She nodded toward the animals and pocketed the charm in her kimono. "And before you go, I still have something to say."
Löwe went over to her and purred as she gently strokes his head and back. She looked up at the twins and began to speak. "Kouji-kun, I already mention that you are always disapproved of things like your father's business announcement earlier today, and that you failed to see the true meaning behind it. I will tell you however, that you are a right in a way that Kousei's business engagement will change your lives."
Kouji gave her a surprising look. "Does this mean that we're moving? That Kouichi and I—"
"But not in the way you think it is," she interrupted him.
"What do you mean by that?" Kouichi asked. "If our father's business engagement works, doesn't it mean that we won't be able to see each other?"
"The two of you," she pointed out, "will have to figure that out for yourselves. All I can tell you that meeting the Clairebournes will change your feelings in your relationship. And I also advised you to be careful tonight, Kouichi. You don't know what you possessed will make you become his prey."
The twins could only give her a confused look before she got up. "Well, shall you get back to your friends waiting outside?"
Kouichi gasped. They were so busy that they didn't notice that the others were waiting outside. The two of them must have been in here for at least an hour!
"Don't worry about the time," said the Oracle. "Like I said, there is a barrier on this tent. Time doesn't flow the same in here as it does out there. For your friends, you've only been in here for ten minutes at least."
Kouichi was surprised that this woman could control time. She wasn't a normal human being. She was definitely something else. Kouji didn't seem too convinced about this but he too got up and made his way for the exit, hopefully this time, he can actually get out safely. Kouichi bowed to the Oracle, thanking her for their fortune before following his brother. They slipped their getas back on and beckon their new pets to follow.
Lobo and Löwe gave her one last look and she said spoke to them mentally by opening a mental link. This way, Lobo and Löwe didn't have to worry about their masters eavesdropping on her message. She took out the charm and looked at it one last time as she addresses to Löwe.
"I have accepted this charm as your payment to me for guiding them here tonight. Normally, I would have charged all four of you and the rest of their friends, but I have reconsidered. I take it that you've understood my reasons for this magical barrier?"
Löwe nodded, indicating that he understood. "Yes, and thank you…Miss Gali."
It has been a while since anyone has addressed the Oracle by her real name. "Take care of them; they'll need you and each other to survive. You know where to find me when you need to."
And with that, the both of them make way for the exit, joining their masters as they introduced them to the other four children. Unfortunately, Löwe and Lobo were suffocating under the pressure of Izumi's tight hug as she snuggled the both of them as soon as she saw them.
Author's Note: I didn't intended for Kouji and Kouichi to meet Gali at the Festival, but I couldn't find another time to fit their encounter. As I mentioned Gali is based off from Yuuko from CLAMP's xxxholic, as you can tell from her habit of smoking and method of fortune-telling. It's all a reference to Watanuki's first meeting with Yuuko in her home. The ring tossing game around the necks of live ducks is based from a game in a Vietnamese Tet (New Year). I once saw it when visiting Vietnam during the carnival and thought that it would make a good idea for this chapter. It is difficult to win because your targets are moving! Those ducks don't want to wear a bunch of plastic rings around their necks, so yeah, they're gonna move around. Don't worry, no animals were harm during the writing of this chapter. Gali is the name of Galimon, my creation of the pure and true Legendary Warrior of Water. She's a lot more graceful than Ranamon and more mature. The name Gali is Hebrew for water spring.
Also notes on cultural artifacts:
Yukata are like kimonos but lighter and are made of cotton instead of silk and are easier to move around in. they are worn during the summer since it's hot to wear a full kimono in that heat. It's the casual version of the kimono.
Geta are those wooden sandals that are worn along with yukatas.
An obi is a sash or belt that ties a person kimono or yukata and keeps it in place.
Kimonos are traditional Japanese national costumes. Gali wears one in this chapter because the inside of her tent is chilly.
The name of the French restaurant, La Vie en Rose, is just a reference to international culture and is the name of a very famous song. La vie en Rose means Life in Pink and is also a 2007 film that won an Oscar for Best Actress.
Hopefully, I could get the next chapter up before Halloween or at least by then. And to see my drawings of Galimon and the promotional poster for this fan fiction, then go to my website at deviantart dot com. Or you can go to my fanfiction homepage and click on the link instead. It's http semi-colume slash slash galistar07water dot deviantart dot com slash
