Promises Are Made For Keeping
Chapter 10
"We should go after Kina," Nuriko said in a feeble voice.
"Well," Hotohori said, "You're the one who knows her the best. Do you think she'd be better off alone to deal with what just happened?"
"You know her well too." Nuriko went into deep thought.
"Hello?" Shiva waved her hands in front of them, but they just ignored her. She shrugged and walked over to Chichiri, "We'll just watch."
"Is she ok? Because normally, I'd say alone, but…this is too big…and it's not like it's stuff about her family or friends, it's Yue. It's ME. Her best friend started shoving her physically away. Hotohori and I are usually the one she vents to. Normally, I'd say alone, but…" Nuriko thought out loud.
"It's all right," Hotohori said calmly. "We'll find her. She'll be alright."
~*~
Kina ran, like she always had done before.
"I've got to stop doing this, all I do is run. But isn't it ok to run from things that hurt? No, not always." She thought to herself as her feet crunched the leafs she was trampling over, "If I always run away things will never be worked out and it'll just end up in a mess. Why do I always run? Why can't I just face everything like a normal person? And here comes the tears, always crying. A cry baby. Be strong Kina, go back there and help Yue. Maybe he's dead but if he's not, what kind of person are you to abandon him? Surely not a wife. Or fiancée. I'm not worthy even to be his friend."
The tears dropped down her cheek and into the dirt ground. The words she was thinking to herself felt like a slap in the face. They always say that in the books, but it's true; that's what it feels like sometimes. A slap in the face, and like a hand squeezing her heart so hard that it was almost too much to bear
"You see?" Kina made herself say out loud, her voice shaking. "Even now, I'm glad I've been with Yue for so long of a time. I don't regret meeting Yue and taking him in or having Arashi tell me the truth about my parents. I don't regret it. Because like it or not, it's a part of who I am. You can't forget the bad stuff; it just doesn't work that way. You just have to overshadow it with good stuff, good memories. The past can hurt, but you…you have to be able to look back and laugh at your problems! That's the only way to show them who's the boss. The bad stuff isn't really bad if you have friends to help you! Nuriko and Hotohori where only helping me and I went and ran out on them. No more running out anymore Kina, no more. Never again will you run from your problems or the friends that are helping you. Now let's go back and apologize." She shook her head, wiping the tears away, amazed at her own little speech as she turned and ran back the way she had came.
~*~
"Tigress is waiting for us." Shiva crept over to the group; "I heard her say, 'just wait for them to come my pet.' My gosh, that woman scares the crap out of me!"
"Hey you guys, I'm sorry." A tiny voice whispered quietly as Kina walked out of the shadows. When had it gotten so dark? It was nighttime already. She had heavy bags under her eyes and looked eerily sad and sedate, "I guess I can be a pain sometimes, always freaking out when something bad happens. I just couldn't take it if something happened to any of you or Yue."
"It's ok, I'm sorry I pushed you like that. I don't know what happened to more; guess everything was catching up to me. But we can't focus on this right now, we need to save Yue!" Nuriko gave Kina a quick hug then turned to the others. A mental image of Yue strapped back by the chains make her shiver with anger, pain and fear. Suddenly, she had a flash back of something that had happened about a day after Yue had proposed to her. She had walked into her bathroom and was staring in the mirror at her reflection sadly.
~~ Flash Back (Kina's POV) ~~
"Look at yourself." Yue stood behind Kina as she stared into the mirror.
And I saw myself. I saw unkempt, self-cut red hair. Skin that was too pale, eyes that were too big, a few freckles on the skin, skinny everything, big ears covered by my hair. All in all, a pathetic little figure. My hair hung limply around my ears, as hair has a tendency to do. My eyes were rimmed with bruise-like circles and bags; those combined with the skin and the build made me look like some dying18th-century prisoner.
"Should I tell you what I see?" Yue said softly. Before I could decide whether "yes" or "no" was a safe answer, he had continued, "I see the person I love. The woman for whom I've spent my entire life searching for, who sacrificed so much for her friends and me. Kina. You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You're a beautiful person, inside and out. But I wouldn't care if you looked like a freak, as long as it was you, Kina, on the inside. I wish you could see that. I wish you could see it."
"I look in the mirror and see myself, and I say to myself, Kina, who are you kidding? You think Yue would trouble himself over someone like you? You're disgusting! And it's plain that he doesn't want anything to do with you. Who would? I can't see what Yue wants me to see. All I see is me. But isn't it something, to know that he sees more?" I think to myself, then I turn and I hugged him around the waist, not wanting to look him in the eye yet. My cheeks are red, blushing madly, "Someday, you'll see. Just remember, every time you look in the mirror…that I don't want anyone else but you. Try to convince me otherwise, and I will laugh in your face." Yue leaned down and kissed Kina.
~~ End of Flash Back (Back to narrator) ~~
Tears filled in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away, "Let's do it!"
"Ok, here's the plan." Shiva bent down, her eyes glowing with anticipation.
Her red hair wavered in the slight breeze as the trees around her shook. Her mind wandered but at the same time she tried to pay attention to their plan. She thought about the memory she had just had, ah memories have a funny thing with popping up at the right moment to make you feel better. Or make you sad. But suddenly she found herself thinking about how she felt insecure sometimes, "I suppose anyone could be insecure, because when you're inside yourself, you can't see what others see. And it probably takes a lot of effort for people to see themselves as they really are." She thought to herself, then tried to concentrate on the plan again.
"So you're saying we surround her, have Chichiri transport Hotohori and I right above Tigress, drop on top of her while the rest of us ambush her and free Yue." Nuriko raised an eyebrow at Shiva's plan.
"Yeah!" With her hand raised in the air, Shiva pointed out a finger, "Let's gooooo!!" And the group all ran to their positions, but when they peeked out at their target, no one was there.
"Hey...where'd she go?" Kina's eyes widened in anger as she looked around, not a soul in sight, "That little witch ran away!!!!!!!!" her voice bellowed.
"Look at this!"
A small paper fluttered on the ground, held down by a rock. Nuriko began to read it out loud, "I know you all are out there. If you want your darling Yue back, come and find us. We'll be waiting at the Pools of Love. Signed, Tigress."
"Pools of Love?" Hotohori looked around in confusion, "Where's that?"
"It's a place about a few miles from here. There is a shrine built to the goddess of love, Venus and pools of hot water surround it. They call it the Pools of Love because it is legend that if you are to jump into the pool of water and say a prayer to Venus, she will grant the lover's wishes. If they are meant to be together forever, Venus will reign their life with happiness and bless their union. If they are not meant to be, then the pools will curse them both, making their life literally a living hell and whenever anyone looks at them, they will see what they fear most. And if their lover looks at them, they too will see what they fear most. Basically, it drives everyone away from them, even their so-called lover." Kina finished.
"Ouch. Do you think she's planning on taking Yue into one of the pools with her?" Hotohori questioned Kina.
"Either way, I don't want to wait to find out. We need to find them and FAST! If she takes him in there, there is no telling what'll happen!"
And with that the group headed off to the Pools of Love.
~*~
Meanwhile...
"Why are you so heavy Yue!??! Drop a few pounds for goodness sakes! Give up the Twinkies!" Tigress silently cursed at the unconscious figure she was dragging him behind her in chains, "We'll show them Yue, we'll be together forever after we take a dip in the Pools of Love. Then nothing can stop us, nothing can stop me!" She chuckled as a psychotic look formed on her face.
~*~
As the group trudged on through the muddy Earth, Kina thought to herself as she looked up at her friends, bathed in moonlight, "My soul had been so empty, and for so long, before I met all of them. And once I had them…my heart and soul was whole again. If any of them die, if any of them are taken away from me…I wouldn't be able to bear it. That's why it's better me than them, because I can deal with pain and with death. But I couldn't bear it if part of my soul was torn away." She thought to herself as her foot sunk into a puddle of mud.
"CRAP! THESE ARE MY NEW SHOES!" She angrily shrieked as if the mud could hear her yelling at it.
"Shh, we're almost there." Nuriko turned with a finger held up to his mouth.
"Thanks you guys." Then her blue eyes began to sparkle with happiness at how much she loved her friends.
"You're welcome." They all replied and smiled back at her, the same happiness shining in them.
"Too bad Arashi isn't here yet, she's love to kick some Tigress butt with us!" Punching the air, Shiva burst out laughing, "With her Frying Pan of Doom!"
"She may not be here hitting Tigress physically, but I know she's nailing her mentally!" Kina gave Shiva thumbs up; "We're here." Her eyes glanced up at the immense marble statue before her. It was of a woman wrapped in golden robes with long flowing hair; it was Venus.
~~
A/N: I have no idea where this came from...
And now...Lauren's random twisted part of the story! O_o
Nuriko: "You know her well too." Nuriko went into deep thought.
Hotohori: "Yes, we all know her too too well."
Yue: Good enough to make one go insane
Nuriko: They're right when they have that saying about knowing too much info. This is one for example
Lauren: Be nice! Or I'll tell him what you REALLY did to the table Hotohori! Or what you where really doing with the whip cream in Bishonen of February, Nuriko! Or or what Yue wears under his long drapy clothing (a pink tutu)!
Yue: I do not! Shut up!! They all attack Lauren
Hotohori: We know her too well, we should have known she'd do this!!
Chapter 10
"We should go after Kina," Nuriko said in a feeble voice.
"Well," Hotohori said, "You're the one who knows her the best. Do you think she'd be better off alone to deal with what just happened?"
"You know her well too." Nuriko went into deep thought.
"Hello?" Shiva waved her hands in front of them, but they just ignored her. She shrugged and walked over to Chichiri, "We'll just watch."
"Is she ok? Because normally, I'd say alone, but…this is too big…and it's not like it's stuff about her family or friends, it's Yue. It's ME. Her best friend started shoving her physically away. Hotohori and I are usually the one she vents to. Normally, I'd say alone, but…" Nuriko thought out loud.
"It's all right," Hotohori said calmly. "We'll find her. She'll be alright."
~*~
Kina ran, like she always had done before.
"I've got to stop doing this, all I do is run. But isn't it ok to run from things that hurt? No, not always." She thought to herself as her feet crunched the leafs she was trampling over, "If I always run away things will never be worked out and it'll just end up in a mess. Why do I always run? Why can't I just face everything like a normal person? And here comes the tears, always crying. A cry baby. Be strong Kina, go back there and help Yue. Maybe he's dead but if he's not, what kind of person are you to abandon him? Surely not a wife. Or fiancée. I'm not worthy even to be his friend."
The tears dropped down her cheek and into the dirt ground. The words she was thinking to herself felt like a slap in the face. They always say that in the books, but it's true; that's what it feels like sometimes. A slap in the face, and like a hand squeezing her heart so hard that it was almost too much to bear
"You see?" Kina made herself say out loud, her voice shaking. "Even now, I'm glad I've been with Yue for so long of a time. I don't regret meeting Yue and taking him in or having Arashi tell me the truth about my parents. I don't regret it. Because like it or not, it's a part of who I am. You can't forget the bad stuff; it just doesn't work that way. You just have to overshadow it with good stuff, good memories. The past can hurt, but you…you have to be able to look back and laugh at your problems! That's the only way to show them who's the boss. The bad stuff isn't really bad if you have friends to help you! Nuriko and Hotohori where only helping me and I went and ran out on them. No more running out anymore Kina, no more. Never again will you run from your problems or the friends that are helping you. Now let's go back and apologize." She shook her head, wiping the tears away, amazed at her own little speech as she turned and ran back the way she had came.
~*~
"Tigress is waiting for us." Shiva crept over to the group; "I heard her say, 'just wait for them to come my pet.' My gosh, that woman scares the crap out of me!"
"Hey you guys, I'm sorry." A tiny voice whispered quietly as Kina walked out of the shadows. When had it gotten so dark? It was nighttime already. She had heavy bags under her eyes and looked eerily sad and sedate, "I guess I can be a pain sometimes, always freaking out when something bad happens. I just couldn't take it if something happened to any of you or Yue."
"It's ok, I'm sorry I pushed you like that. I don't know what happened to more; guess everything was catching up to me. But we can't focus on this right now, we need to save Yue!" Nuriko gave Kina a quick hug then turned to the others. A mental image of Yue strapped back by the chains make her shiver with anger, pain and fear. Suddenly, she had a flash back of something that had happened about a day after Yue had proposed to her. She had walked into her bathroom and was staring in the mirror at her reflection sadly.
~~ Flash Back (Kina's POV) ~~
"Look at yourself." Yue stood behind Kina as she stared into the mirror.
And I saw myself. I saw unkempt, self-cut red hair. Skin that was too pale, eyes that were too big, a few freckles on the skin, skinny everything, big ears covered by my hair. All in all, a pathetic little figure. My hair hung limply around my ears, as hair has a tendency to do. My eyes were rimmed with bruise-like circles and bags; those combined with the skin and the build made me look like some dying18th-century prisoner.
"Should I tell you what I see?" Yue said softly. Before I could decide whether "yes" or "no" was a safe answer, he had continued, "I see the person I love. The woman for whom I've spent my entire life searching for, who sacrificed so much for her friends and me. Kina. You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You're a beautiful person, inside and out. But I wouldn't care if you looked like a freak, as long as it was you, Kina, on the inside. I wish you could see that. I wish you could see it."
"I look in the mirror and see myself, and I say to myself, Kina, who are you kidding? You think Yue would trouble himself over someone like you? You're disgusting! And it's plain that he doesn't want anything to do with you. Who would? I can't see what Yue wants me to see. All I see is me. But isn't it something, to know that he sees more?" I think to myself, then I turn and I hugged him around the waist, not wanting to look him in the eye yet. My cheeks are red, blushing madly, "Someday, you'll see. Just remember, every time you look in the mirror…that I don't want anyone else but you. Try to convince me otherwise, and I will laugh in your face." Yue leaned down and kissed Kina.
~~ End of Flash Back (Back to narrator) ~~
Tears filled in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away, "Let's do it!"
"Ok, here's the plan." Shiva bent down, her eyes glowing with anticipation.
Her red hair wavered in the slight breeze as the trees around her shook. Her mind wandered but at the same time she tried to pay attention to their plan. She thought about the memory she had just had, ah memories have a funny thing with popping up at the right moment to make you feel better. Or make you sad. But suddenly she found herself thinking about how she felt insecure sometimes, "I suppose anyone could be insecure, because when you're inside yourself, you can't see what others see. And it probably takes a lot of effort for people to see themselves as they really are." She thought to herself, then tried to concentrate on the plan again.
"So you're saying we surround her, have Chichiri transport Hotohori and I right above Tigress, drop on top of her while the rest of us ambush her and free Yue." Nuriko raised an eyebrow at Shiva's plan.
"Yeah!" With her hand raised in the air, Shiva pointed out a finger, "Let's gooooo!!" And the group all ran to their positions, but when they peeked out at their target, no one was there.
"Hey...where'd she go?" Kina's eyes widened in anger as she looked around, not a soul in sight, "That little witch ran away!!!!!!!!" her voice bellowed.
"Look at this!"
A small paper fluttered on the ground, held down by a rock. Nuriko began to read it out loud, "I know you all are out there. If you want your darling Yue back, come and find us. We'll be waiting at the Pools of Love. Signed, Tigress."
"Pools of Love?" Hotohori looked around in confusion, "Where's that?"
"It's a place about a few miles from here. There is a shrine built to the goddess of love, Venus and pools of hot water surround it. They call it the Pools of Love because it is legend that if you are to jump into the pool of water and say a prayer to Venus, she will grant the lover's wishes. If they are meant to be together forever, Venus will reign their life with happiness and bless their union. If they are not meant to be, then the pools will curse them both, making their life literally a living hell and whenever anyone looks at them, they will see what they fear most. And if their lover looks at them, they too will see what they fear most. Basically, it drives everyone away from them, even their so-called lover." Kina finished.
"Ouch. Do you think she's planning on taking Yue into one of the pools with her?" Hotohori questioned Kina.
"Either way, I don't want to wait to find out. We need to find them and FAST! If she takes him in there, there is no telling what'll happen!"
And with that the group headed off to the Pools of Love.
~*~
Meanwhile...
"Why are you so heavy Yue!??! Drop a few pounds for goodness sakes! Give up the Twinkies!" Tigress silently cursed at the unconscious figure she was dragging him behind her in chains, "We'll show them Yue, we'll be together forever after we take a dip in the Pools of Love. Then nothing can stop us, nothing can stop me!" She chuckled as a psychotic look formed on her face.
~*~
As the group trudged on through the muddy Earth, Kina thought to herself as she looked up at her friends, bathed in moonlight, "My soul had been so empty, and for so long, before I met all of them. And once I had them…my heart and soul was whole again. If any of them die, if any of them are taken away from me…I wouldn't be able to bear it. That's why it's better me than them, because I can deal with pain and with death. But I couldn't bear it if part of my soul was torn away." She thought to herself as her foot sunk into a puddle of mud.
"CRAP! THESE ARE MY NEW SHOES!" She angrily shrieked as if the mud could hear her yelling at it.
"Shh, we're almost there." Nuriko turned with a finger held up to his mouth.
"Thanks you guys." Then her blue eyes began to sparkle with happiness at how much she loved her friends.
"You're welcome." They all replied and smiled back at her, the same happiness shining in them.
"Too bad Arashi isn't here yet, she's love to kick some Tigress butt with us!" Punching the air, Shiva burst out laughing, "With her Frying Pan of Doom!"
"She may not be here hitting Tigress physically, but I know she's nailing her mentally!" Kina gave Shiva thumbs up; "We're here." Her eyes glanced up at the immense marble statue before her. It was of a woman wrapped in golden robes with long flowing hair; it was Venus.
~~
A/N: I have no idea where this came from...
And now...Lauren's random twisted part of the story! O_o
Nuriko: "You know her well too." Nuriko went into deep thought.
Hotohori: "Yes, we all know her too too well."
Yue: Good enough to make one go insane
Nuriko: They're right when they have that saying about knowing too much info. This is one for example
Lauren: Be nice! Or I'll tell him what you REALLY did to the table Hotohori! Or what you where really doing with the whip cream in Bishonen of February, Nuriko! Or or what Yue wears under his long drapy clothing (a pink tutu)!
Yue: I do not! Shut up!! They all attack Lauren
Hotohori: We know her too well, we should have known she'd do this!!