Again....
A
story will be retold once more.
Over and over, with the same
beginning each time.
But therein lies an ending with many possible
outcomes.
Come and see what could have been.
Hakko, Konan; night
The forsaken blood of the dead slithered up through the earth, soaking the ground with a crimson glow, and dying the roses red. A moonlit shadow ripped a fresh flower up by its roots and pressed it to thirsty lips. Stepping down from the top of a broken tombstone, Miboshi twirled the thorny stem between her fingers. She pricked open fresh wounds to mingle her life force with those that came to greet her. The mark of Seiryuu's chosen, the glowing blue symbol for 'Basket', snaked around her belly button.
Wouldn't the dragon god of war be happy to see her here, in Konan, giving the useless people of the world a purpose? Her friends hadn't been out to play in such a very long time. It wouldn't do to start in a big city like the capital. No, no. That would be best left to the destined time, when her constellation aligned with the others of her kind. When the mysterious god child of the other world arrived. That time was nearly upon them.
She had been on her way to the country of her birth, following the scent of power, when she happened upon this sleepy farming village. So peaceful. So worthless. So revolting. It was Seiryuu's blessing upon this town that she took pity on them. They would become important actors in her play. Their piddling lives would provide a bit of amusement and exercise for her 'circle'. What more could anyone ask for?
Bringing her hands apart, the rose continued to dance in midair between her fingers. Demon beasts, part wolf and part man, clawed their way up from the depths. They stretched their aching muscles. Blood-caked dirt fell to the ground as they unfolded their expansive black wings.
Each looked to her expectantly.
A half-smirk slid across her face.
"You know what to do," she chimed.
Mighty howls shook the night sky, and the hungry monsters took flight as their mistress faded into the dark.
It was the only warning the town of Hakko would have.
***
The night air was cool on his skin. Sou had been asleep until a strange dream woke him up and his eyes refused to shut again. Now he was sitting outside his front door staring out at the sleeping village. He missed his old town. The way everyone greeted you when you walked by, how someone could watch the lives of their neighbors play out as if they were close friends; The atmosphere of his quiet hometown was so amazingly different from the noise of the capital.
Crossing his arms behind his head, Sou slumped back onto the wall and sighed. Leaving here had proved almost futile. What little money he was able to make in Eiyou was taken from him before being thrown in jail. On his way back he had stopped at a few towns to pick up some more coins, but they could hardly afford his low price. Sou wasn't even entirely sure about the reason he had decided it was time to come home since he had made so little to bring back, but something kept him thinking about this village. Still, being back here was like a healing balm for his heart.
When Sou stepped into the doorway, nothing could replace the loving looks he was greeted with. In that second it didn't matter how long he had been away, it was like he had never left. He couldn't help the beaming smile that appeared. He enjoyed cooking dinner with them again and helping Chuei take care of their father. Tonight he had read to Yuiren till she was sleeping soundly. Gyokuran, Shunkei and Chuei all fell asleep soon after. Kissing them all on the forehead and making sure Yuiren's covers were pulled up close to her chin, he headed off to bed himself.
He had fallen asleep faster than he expected at such an early time, and then his dreams turned to dark nightmares.
Now in the cool of the evening, the memories of the dream were fading. He could only recall a bright flash of red light that had been consumed by a murky darkness, and screaming. Even as a fading memory it left him feeling unsettled. Then, out of the night, a blood-curdling scream rose up. Sou jolted to his feet and tried to search the dark for the source of the scream. A red tint fell over the village; the moon was glowing with the color of blood. People filed out of their houses, and lamps were lit inside bedrooms. At that moment he saw them, the twisted creatures, dripping blackness. They moved lightning fast, snaking over the ground. The creatures were on the people in seconds flat, crushing the life out of one, tearing limbs from another. The ground quickly was stained the color of the moon as it shoved the still warm flesh into its mouth.
In the short time it took for the stun to wear away and his body to start moving, people he knew his whole life were torn apart. Sou ran towards the first of the creatures he saw, an intense red glow of his own emanating from his forehead. His foot ripped through the sludge that made the thing's head. Screaming, it stumbled back and let go of the person it was holding. He caught the ground on his hands and spun around low to sweep the creature off its feet. The thing turned its attention on Sou and sped towards him, the rip in its face closing up with threads of oil. Two more closed in on him, one from above. He jumped up, his uppercut catching the flying monster in its throat. It faltered and flapped to the ground, as claws raked across Sou's back.
***
Tasuki and Nuriko had been traveling all day and had barely reached the outskirts of a small town when full night had fallen. They had set up camp rather than going into town and looking for an inn. Tasuki had shed his coat and tessen holster and was bickering with Nuriko over what to cook over their small camp fire when the first scream pierced the still of the night.
Tasuki's head shot up and he cocked an ear towards the town, "Nuriko-chan, ya hear that? Sounds like screamin'. You stay here, I'm gonna check it out."
Nuriko shook his head and got up. "No chance. I'm going with you."
Hefting his tessen holster back on, Tasuki and Nuriko mounted the horse and made their way to the town. They had gotten no more than twenty feet when the screams gained force.
"Shit!" Tasuki growled as he kicked his horse into a gallop, freeing his tessen as he neared the town.
The sight that greeted him was by far the most grotesque thing he had ever seen.
Twisted black beasts with wings the color of night shredded and tore through people like paper dolls. The screams of the victims halted abruptly to die off in a gurgle of blood.
A woman screamed to his left and he charged his ki, feeding the spell he was about to loose.
"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed, fanning the flames at the beast who was busily devouring the woman alive.
The flames died down, and the beast was ash but so was the woman he was trying to save. "Godsdamnit!" He screamed as he looked up and saw that a mass of the big and uglies were swirling around a shadowy form that blazed a red light.
Tasuki leapt from his horse, and cocked the tessen back over his shoulder. "Get th' fuck down!" He cried, as he neared the red glow.
"LREKKA SHIN'EN!"
Nuriko could feel his strength building in preparation for a fight. His mark burned hot beneath the dress he wore. When he caught a glimpse of a bright reddish glow engulfed by the demons, he cracked his knuckles.
"What is that thing!?" He yelled over the noise.
The remaining beasts looked up from their feast with blood-stained muzzles when flames singed the fur of their pack. Their animal instinct was to recoil in fear. Their fur stood on end, and low growls rolled through their throats.
The shadow-dancer watched silently.
What is this? Have the main characters finally arrived? That man with the symbol on his forehead... yes, he must be a Suzaku seishi.
Miboshi flashed a wicked grin seen by none.
The blessed of Suzaku could provide much more entertainment in the long run if kept alive. But what of the redhead? A simple bandit? Or another of the phoenix god's ilk? It was obvious that his power came from the item he held in his hands, but she had a sense about him, an intuition, and she was never wrong. Suzaku Seishi or no, it would do no good to have him burning her dear playthings to death. He would need to be eliminated.
She targeted the wolf-beasts with a mental message.
Take down the fire-user! But let no villager escape!
As if pulled by invisible strings, the wolf men renewed their attack, this time directed at he who controlled the fire.
Two sunk their claws into the sides of the poor farmhouses and climbed onto the rooftops. Together they spread their midnight wings and leapt for the bandit. Meanwhile, on solid ground, the one monster who had survived the initial attack limped toward him, slobbering with rage.
Three others rose from their meals, dark eyes directed at the man with the fan.
The remaining demons scattered to pick off the easy prey. Crashing through doors, crushing bones, tearing innocents from their families, and consuming them while their kin awaited a similar fate.
Miboshi licked the blood from her finger, lying in wait for her cue.
Almost as if his shout had called the beasts, they turned and converged on Tasuki. He back-peddled slightly to slow his momentum and brought his tessen around, gripping it in both hands like a sword.
The beasts were on him before he could blink, giving him almost no time to channel his ki into his flame throwing weapon. He swung the tessen in a wide arc, slashing at the creatures closest to him in an attempt to gain a little room.
The beasts leapt back as if expecting the flames that had come before to singe their dingy fur. Their wariness gave Tasuki the one moment he needed to encircle his body in flame.
"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed as he fanned the flames at the nearest of the beasts and darted through the opening, using his Gods given speed to put a safer distance between himself and the big and uglies.
"SHIT! What th' hell are these fuckers?! Okami mononoke or some shit?" He muttered under his breath as the beasts lunged at him once again. His flames might be useless at close range but he was still faster than these beasts...
Or so he thought.
Blinding pain ripped through him from the left side of his shoulder, across his back and down to his right hip, tearing his thin shirt and spilling copious amounts of blood onto the well worn dirt path.
"FUCK!" he swore as he turned and swung the tessen at his attacker, squelching through its seemingly gelatinous head before the stringy pieces slid and pulled back together. Another claw ripped through the front portion of his shirt, nicking the skin of his belly as he turned to run.
His shirt was in tatters and so he pulled the pieces of fabric from his body and flung it at one of the beasts, momentarily blinding it and giving him a small opening through which to dart away again.
He was tiring quickly; his vision beginning to haze towards darkness but he shook it off and braced himself for another go.
"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He yelled as the beasts converged on him once again.
'Shit! It ain't gonna be enough!' He thought as the beasts swarmed around him, the glow of his kanji slowly being swallowed by darkness.
Nuriko, still atop the horse, gasped in horror as the demons suddenly changed tactics. They attacked the bandit with extreme aggression and speed. It was almost as if they were being led by some dominant force. He jumped down and worked his way towards Tasuki, tossing and punching the demons as they lunged at him.
"Tasuki!" Nuriko yelled as several of the beasts blocked him from the fiery seishi. "Tasuki, get out of there! They're gonna-"
All of a sudden, Nuriko felt something tear at his own shoulder and heard blood splattered the already crimson soil below. Sucking in a sharp breath, he turned, eying his aggressor. Several of the demons began to close around him in an arc but Nuriko smirked, cracking his knuckles again.
"You want a taste of me now, too?" He called out to them as they hissed in unison, their sharp voices piercing the night. There was a low growl and then they pounced. His divine mark was burning his skin as he gathered his strength and batted them away, shoving several of them into each other. Scrambling up and over their bodies, Nuriko watched in horror as Tasuki was being swarmed, enclosed by darkness.
"TASUKI!" Nuriko yelled as he kicked at another ambushing wolf monster, sending it flying a few dozen yards or so. "TASUK-"
He was cut short by sharp, curved claws embedding themselves in his back, ripping away his flesh.
Slammed to the ground to the ground by the tentacle that held his ankle, Sou hit the dirt hard. For what seemed like forever his lungs refused to breath and white starbursts stacked in his vision.
Still gasping for breath, he heard the roar of fire from beyond the demons encircling him. Panic washed over him. Even if his family had stayed safe from the monsters, they would be burned to death by whatever creature was doing that. Wild fury engulfed his mind and he stood, hunched and wobbling, to face the demons again. The only thought shouting in his head was to clear a path to run to his family's side.
His fist came crashing down on the monster holding him. A voice shouted something and then he felt flames surround him.
Without warning, the monsters turned away from him. He didn't pause to wonder why, his thoughts were centered on his siblings and his father, unable to move or protect themselves.
He moved as fast as he could with his body bruised and bleeding. His house wasn't that far away but Gods it felt like it took an eternity to get there. A bright flicker of heat caught his attention from the corner of his eye. What lit up in that split second of flame stopped his heart. The door to his house had been ripped open, the shutters torn off their hinges. Then the sounds reached his ears, sounds of screaming and guttural howls. His mind went completely numb, his body moved on its own, racing the last few steps to his home, his back leaving a dripping trail behind him.
Flying through the doorway, he got there in time to see Chuei hit the wall of the house, tossed aside by one of two creatures cornering his siblings. His father lay on the floor halfway between the bed he was confined to and the group of children.
Fear quickly turning to anger, a battle cry escaped Sou's lips. He rushed in and slammed his knee into the monster's beak-like face.
"Run! Run get out of here!" His voice shrieked to his huddled siblings.
Miboshi's interest peaked as the downtrodden hero raced for one of the squat village homes.
I see... the hero has a supporting cast.
Oh, the excitement! What would he do if he lost these oh so precious family members? Would she get to see just what he was capable of?
Everyone who is not fighting the flame-wielder, surround the home beneath the beacon, and kill everyone inside!
Chuei, with his younger siblings in tow, threw open the door and rushed them outside, only to find more of those terrifying creatures. He grabbed Yuiren's hand and ran for an opening but just as he reached it, another winged wolf-demon landed before him. Instinctively, he threw Yuiren behind himself, as the demon slashed him open from his face to his chest.
"CHUEI!" Yuiren screamed.
Chuei fell heavily to the ground. He pressed his palms into the ground, trying to push himself up with wobbly arms. He didn't want to have to rely on Nii-san, but his body wouldn't listen. Everything was turning black. He shook his head to clear it.
"Run..." he said, before his head hit the ground.
But there was nowhere for the others to run. The demons were swiftly upon them. Yuiren managed to slip back into the house, tears gushing down her cheeks.
"Nii-chan, nii-chan! Chuei--Chuei is...!"
A single rose spun silently atop the condemned home's roof.
The cry of a child drew Tasuki's attention away from the blackness engulfing him, firing his determination to win.
He couldn't just stand there and let death take him!
With a fierce roar he drew the tessen up and over his head, angling it to point straight down and thrust it into the ground at his feet. "LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed, collapsing to his knees as if in prayer.
Flames burst to life around him, blowing away the beasts surrounding his kneeling form in a gout of raw fire. A ring of ruby power surrounded him, protecting him from both flame and advancing demons.
Golden eyes slitted open, looking for any beasts that might be lingering nearby. Spotting Nuriko in the distance near one of the ravaged homes, he dispersed the flames and got to his feet, his tessen firmly in his grip.
"Oi! Nuriko, what th' fuck are ya-"
Miboshi's eyes lit up with glee as one of her beasts tore through the child's flesh. Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived, as the fan-wielder decided at that moment to light up the scene in a different way.
Her eyes zeroed in on the weapon in his hands. That would just have to go.
Mildly displeased, she brushed her hair off her shoulder and disappeared from her position atop the roof. Though she was loathe to do it, she appeared in full form. She watched her target from the shadows for the opportune time. This was such a loathsome way of doing things, but it would be far more efficient than trying to wrest the item from his hands.
With a feigned cry of panic, Miboshi ran for the man whose hair shone like fire in the red moonlight. She rammed into his side, dazing him enough to slip the fan out of his hands as he came crashing to the ground. Moments later, she returned to the safety of the shadows.
It was then a simple matter of casting a glamour on a mid-sized rock in the image of the fan. The buffoon would go straight for it.
Tasuki's words were interrupted as a fragile woman came careening out of the darkness, plowing him over in her fright only to vanish into the darkness again.
"Godsdamned woman! I fuckin' hate women, ya rude bitch!" He ranted as he got to his feet once again, rubbing his abused backside.
She cocked an eyebrow. This was an intriguing fact that could be used to her advantage later. That is, if she decided to keep him around. Based on his reactions thus far, if he could be kept under control, it might be worth it.
She tapped the fire-fan lightly on her palm, then held its folded edge just below her lower lip. He'd been screaming 'Lrekka Shi'nen' just before a burst of flame. That must be the incantation. She gave herself a wicked grin.
What fun it would be to see him try to squeeze fire from a rock.
Tasuki moved his right hand to re-sheathe his tessen when he noticed that it was gone. He figured he had dropped it when that woman had bowled him over and turned in a wide circle looking for the holy artifact.
Hands on his hips and a frown on his face, he spotted a glimmer of silver next to a small tree. He walked over, scooped up the tessen and put it back in it's holster which had, miraculously, survived being clawed by the demons.
A low growl reached his ears and the scent of death filled his nostrils as he turned.
It was time for round two... he just hoped he would survive it.
He pulled the tessen free of its holster and held it in front of him, pointing the end at the advancing beast.
"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed and waited for the flames to erupt from the end.
And waited... the beast moving ever closer.
Tasuki frowned and tried again, "LREKKA SHIN'EN!" and again the spell didn't work. 'What th' hell? Why ain't it workin'?'
The beast roared and leapt at him, forcing him to dodge to the side in order to avoid being disemboweled by the razor sharp claws that had a taste for his blood.
He spun and tried one last time to make his weapon work and when it didn't he growled and tossed the useless object to the dirt.
"Fuckin' woman!" He screamed, running back towards the center of town. "Where th' hell are ya?! Gimme back my fuckin' Tessen you bitch!"
He searched through a few broken down houses, stepping around corpses and staying out of sight of the few beasts that still remained. After having looked into four houses and checking up and down the street Tasuki finally snapped.
"You bitch! Ya better not lemme find ya else I'll rip yer tits off an' fuckin' feed 'em to ya! FUCKIN' WOMEN! GODSDAMNIT!"
He stood in the middle of town, screaming to the sky and drawing the last of the beasties to him.
He was going to rip them apart with his bare hands and then he would find the bitch...
***
Nuriko turned at the child's scream, recognizing the little girl in an instant.
Those are the little kids from when we passed through here with Miaka! Crap! The older one is hurt!
He slammed his fist into a row of the demons, sending them flying a fair distance away. He wasn't as fast as Tasuki, but he raced towards the fallen child. Demons converged near the boy, ready to tear him apart, when Nuriko leapt into the fray, knocking the creatures this way and that, his energy focused on protecting the youngster.
The pain from his wound was sharp, but bearable. Nuriko could feel the blood seeping through his clothing, drying slowly as the cool night's breeze caught the fabric. Before the creatures could recover from the blows, the seishi turned and gently scooped up the child in his arms before bolting for the door to the house that the little girl had escaped into.
There was a scream and after that everything seemed to slow down and silence. Sou turned towards the sound, saw Yuiren come through the door. He caught a glimpse of his brother collapsed outside. His sister's mouth was moving but he couldn't hear her words through the silence the pounded in his ears.
The monster gouged its claws through his turned back and he began to fall. He saw Yuiren tilt along with the rest of the world. Somehow his mind didn't understand it was he who was falling, not her.
"Yu…"
His own voice seemed to come from far away as he tried to tell her to run or hide. He hit the ground and the slowness was halted in an explosion of pain. Suddenly everything was speeding to catch up the lost time. One of the wolf-demons grabbed Sou by the neck and lifted him into the air. His vision began to shift and blur as he grappled with the claw around his neck.
Yuiren stood frozen still in the doorway staring helplessly up at her older brother. Their brother who was supposed to protect them, their brother who was completely useless when it counted. A pain worse than the one in his body erupted in his heart.
As small red dots constricted his vision, a hazy purple slammed open the door carrying something he couldn't make out.
Nuriko watched with wide eyes as a wolf demon snapped up a young man by the neck, a hiss emitting from its fanged maw. He carefully laid the little boy down on the ground beside the frightened little girl in front of her who was gaping at what appeared to be an older sibling about to be eaten.
Shoving the little girl aside, Nuriko lunged at the beast, elbowing it in the gut. It let go of its prey and turned in time for him to tackle it to the ground. Pulling back a bloody fist, he slammed it into the creature's head with a sickening crack. The monster snarled and hissed, its claws digging into the seishi's back. Nuriko fought back with all his might. He hurled another fist at the demon, shattering what was left of its skull.
The creature slowly ceased moving, but Nuriko punched it a couple more times for good measure before letting out a pained groan. He fell back against the wooden planks of the flooring, his vision somewhat cloudy. As blood seeped through the torn ribbons of his dress, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.
As soon as he felt the grip loosen, Sou fell to the floor. He managed to put his hand out to catch himself and his balance. He blinked once to get his vision back on track and reached for Yuiren.
"Get on my back, quickly!" She reached out and clasped her hands around her brother's neck. He winced a bit as she touched the pealing skin from before. Sou looked around, "Where is Shunkei and Gyokuran?" he slipped his arms around Chuei and lifted him gently.
Chuei stirred, one eye slitting open through the blood beginning to cake over it. "..they... out... still... I have to..." The small voice tried desperately to speak but trailed off and his eye closed again. Biting back the pain and breathing hard even under the slight weight of his brother and littlest sister, Sou set his eyes on the door and stood up.
"Nii-chan, what about Daddy and her?" Sou glanced back and saw the two slumped figures. His father was lying in the same position he had been in when he first came through the door. Sou couldn't tell her yet that he was not breathing anymore. The other figure was someone he had never seen in town before but the purple hair told him it was the same person who had come running through the door moments earlier, the one who must have fought off the beast who was holding him. But she was an adult, and if she could fight off one monster she had a better chance of surviving alone than his siblings. He looked away, trying to forget what he was about to do and kicked open the door.
Just outside the door was a sight he had never wanted to ever have to witness. Gyokuran and Shunkei were lying collapsed on one another, neither of them moving, in a puddle of both their blood. Two beasts stood over them
A hand shot up to cover Yuiren's eye's "Don't look Yuiren, close your eyes." Cradling Chuei to his chest so he could reach out with the other hand, his mind called out to them, Shunkei, Gyokuran....
The two beasts turned at his voice. One swiped at him with it's giant paw, the other opened its blood-stained mouth and chomped down. Sou jumped straight up, avoiding claws by only a few inches with the extra weight on him. When the teeth came, he brought his heel down hard on its snout, slamming its jaw closed. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he said a silent goodbye and jumped over the back of the second beast, using the thing's own mouth as a stepping stool.
There was a growing coldness in the pit of his stomach as he landed. The world seemed in darkness now. He ran, ran as far away as he could run to safety. He ran with the images of his brother and sister haunting his steps.
***
Tasuki walked through the now silent town. He had ripped apart the last four of the demon wolves that had terrorized this sleepy little village with his bare hands and a lone boot dagger.
He was exhausted beyond anything he could ever remember but he wasn't done yet. Blood worked sluggishly out of the massive tears in his back and shoulder, new scars to add to his already whip marked back, caked with dirt and the black ooze that had come spurting out of the demon beasts as he tore them limb from limb.
He stumbled back to the broken down home that he had last seen Nuriko near and fell against the broken doorway, gasping for breath and fighting off the black haze that clouded the edges of his vision.
"N-Nuriko?" he called, his voice horse and breaking on the 3 syllable word of his friend's name. "Ya here?"
A soft groan from a far corner caught his attention, he staggered and lurched towards the sound. He found Nuriko lying on his back in a small puddle of blood. Dropping to his knees, Tasuki checked over the pretty seishi, searching for life threatening wounds. Finding that his friend was suffering only from overexertion and a bit of blood loss, Tasuki hefted Nuriko up to rest against his chest and staggered towards the doorway, his head spinning and his shoulder connecting roughly with the edge of the broken door.
He closed his eyes as he had to step around the bodies of two small children laying in a pool of their own blood. He could live with anything except the thought of children being hurt. He promised those two babies that he'd be back to put them to rest as soon as he got Nuriko fixed up. "I'll be back chibis, I swear."
He could see their camp fire winking in the distance and drew a deep breath as he made his way back there with Nuriko's body slung across the back of their horse. He led the horse by the reigns as quickly as he could muster, falling to his knees every few steps but doggedly getting back to his feet leaving small trickles of blood in his wake.
Once he reached the camp he all but collapsed onto his bed roll and set Nuriko down, rolling the other seishi onto his stomach.
He gently peeled away the ripped and torn pieces of cloth that had stuck to the gaping gashes on Nuriko's back. He poured the last of the sake he had brought on the wounds to clean them and tore apart his last clean shirt to use for bandages.
Satisfied with the temporary fix, Tasuki got to his feet and staggered back to fulfill his promise to the two small children.
He found them just as he had left them, quiet and still. He gathered them both in his arms only to collapse on his side in the dirt, the lifeless children cradled against his chest protectively and their cooling blood mingling with his as he finally lost the fight to stay awake.
Sou had been running into the woods for a while before he finally turned around to look behind him. The trees hung in an eerie silence. He slowed his pace to a walk. Now that his adrenaline had calmed down the pain was back. His fingers were slick with Chuei's blood and it was making it hard to keep his grip. Yuiren held tightly to his neck and rested on his marred back.
He kneeled down and let her slide off, gritting his teeth against the sting. "We can walk from here, Yuiren." His voice was flat despite the warmth he tried to speak with. She took hold of both his sleeves and looked up at him with large watery eyes.
"Nii-chan? Where's Gyokuran and Shunkei? Are Daddy and them going to know where to find us?"
A steel hand gripped his heart. She knows. There was something in the way she said their names. Even as small as she was she must know somehow that they were never going to talk to her again. Her father was never going to hold her again.
"First we have to get your brother some help, ok?" He tried a smile for her sake. He took her hand and stood up to look around. The once familiar trees were all ghostly in the moonlight. At least that had returned to its normal pale glow. The nearest village would be about a days journey the way he was progressing and he needed help now.
Sou cocked an ear to the wind and listened. That eerie quiet was his only answer. He heard no more howls, no more screams. His town had been silenced for good. In the distance he could make out the flickering of a campfire. If there were people there he might be able to leave Chuei and Yuiren safely while he went back to town and searched for some medical supplies. The faces that had haunted his steps as he ran returned to him in a heartbeat and he closed his eyes. They deserved a proper resting place. Tears caught in his throat and he forced them down.
Just a little while longer. Be strong for a little bit more, just until Yuiren is safe, then you can let go.
Sou gripped Yuiren's hand tighter and made his way towards the fire.
It's funny how some things seem to happen, like a play. When he reached the fire, the last person he had expected to see was the woman he had left back at his house. How did she make it there first? The campsite must have been freshly visited. There were white strips of cloth being stained with fresh blood on this person's back and a trail of blood leading to one of the other sleep packs that lay spread around the fire. He hesitated then placed Chuei down on the unused sleep mat. He slipped out of his coat, now stained with blood, and took off his white shirt underneath. Quickly tearing it to make bandage strips, he wrapped a few around Chuei's eye and neck. They wouldn't last long, but it would have to do.
Next he leaned over the woman and placed his hand on her cheek. "Hey, are you able to hear me?" He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by waking her up, but he couldn't just leave his sister here alone to watch her brother bleed to death.
Nuriko groaned as he felt something warm touch his cheek. His eyes fluttered open slowly but a haze clouded his vision. It was like being very dizzy. He sat up slowly and held onto his head, trying to sort out where he was.
"Where's Tasuki?"
The village was devastated, three of her five targets destroyed, and two unexpected meddlers were taken care of. The rose paused and spun the opposite direction. The remaining wolf men trudged back from whence they came, picking bits of human from their blood-stained teeth.
Miboshi stalked through the woods silently, peering out at her prey like a wild cat. The child of Suzaku and his two attachments. One looked about half-dead. That was one half too little.
They approached a dying campfire, beside which laid the purple-haired one from the village. How had she gotten here? Could she have dragged herself back here to die? Not that it really mattered, as long as she did, indeed, die.
Miboshi weighed her options. She could leave this mess to play out on its own, or she could stay and watch it unfold awhile. In particular, the young man with the blue-green hair was of interest, as his tragedy was only just beginning. Oh the angst. Oh the misery. Her lips curled into a delicious smile.
She adjusted her long, flowing silk clothing and placed her golden headdress upon her soft dark hair. For added assurance, she ripped and dirtied up her robes and mussed up her hair just a bit.
Out of the woods stumbled a gorgeous woman, out of breath and beside herself with fear. At the sight of the valiant hero, bent over a fallen comrade, she ran to his side and fell against him.
"Oh, it's terrible! I was only passing through on my way home, and... so many innocent people! Those… those monsters! Please, please protect me..." Miboshi simpered.
Sou smiled when Ms. Purple-Hair fluttered her eyes and groaned a bit. At least she was conscious. Then, he heard a cry in the woods and only had time to retract his hand from purple-hair's face before a woman came crashing down into him.
Almost immediately he felt his protective instincts switch on. Sou brought down his hand, which had been frozen in a gesture of surprise, to rest it gently on her head.
"Hush, calm down. They've gone now." He smoothed out the mussed dark hair. "You'll be safe with us."
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much..." Miboshi visibly relaxed under the man's gentle touch.
The woman looked up at him with wide frightened eyes. She was pale and shaking. She was also stunning, even the way the tears shimmered in her eyes. Sou could feel a light blush rising to his cheeks. Thankfully purple-hair bolted upright at that moment and broke the beautiful woman's stare. Sou quickly looked away from the woman in his arms and set his gaze on Nuriko.
"You're pretty tough you know, holding your own against those beasts. Are you going to pull through?" He cocked his head toward the bandages growing more and more red. "Your friend must have dragged you back here and left." He took the frightened woman gently by the shoulders and set her to sit by the fire.... off of him. "He probably went to do what I need to do, get some real medical supplies for the injured we have here." He looked into woman number 2's eyes. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Miboshi sat on the grass before the quietly smoldering embers. The low flame's reflection simmered in her amber eyes as she kept her gaze on her protector.
Miboshi shook her head slightly in response to his question, "No, I'm unhurt," she said.
"But these people, this little boy... are they--?"
One could only wish. Ah, well. All things in time.
She made as if to touch the injured boy, but then retracted her hand for fear of harming him, "If we can get him back home, maybe the doctors could help him..."
Sou watched as the woman reached out to Chuei and recoiled. He set his gaze on Chuei, who was looking worse by the minute.
"I need help, but I can't risk bringing him back there. I don't know if all the beasts have gone and I can go faster if he stays here." He explained. "I know it's asking a lot, but could you watch him till I get back?" He directed this question to both women.
Yuiren pulled on his sleeve. "Nii-chan," She whispered softly.
Sou put a hand on his little sister's head and smiled. "They'll watch over you too, ok?" Brushing away the wisps of bangs, he kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back."
He stood up and looked down at the two he just put in charge of the most precious thing left in his life. "I'm expecting them to be in good hands," He said, half-pleading half-accusing. With that he ran off into the woods towards his destroyed town.
Please, Suzaku, protect them while I'm away.
He prayed silently to the heavens.
Nuriko watched the moonlight dance across of the face of the beautiful woman and he couldn't help but wonder how she had survived the hellish nightmare, in one piece no less! She was very beautiful, far too stunning to be one of the village girls that lived in these regions. How come she hadn't been chosen to become part of the Emperor's harem? How had such beauty been passed by?
His back felt like it had been torn into a million little pieces. He needed to keep talking to stay awake until the other man returned with medical supplies. "What's your name? How did you survive the demons without a single scratch?"
Brushing a strand of his hair away from his own cheek, Nuriko stared down the woman, wondering how he could have been so injured as a seishi when this ordinary woman wore only the battle wounds made up of dirt and smudges.
Miboshi looked about skittishly once their protector had left. The little girl she'd been charged to look after stuck close to her brother's side. The purple-haired one looked to be having a time of it just trying to sit up straight. The latter broke the awkward silence.
"My name is Zhen Ji, daughter of Zhen Xi," she explained, as if it were part of her training.
"When I heard the screams, I hid right away. It was so terrible... cramped in that crate, listening to the screaming and the growling and..." Ji closed her eyes and raised a shaking hand to her cheek to catch a falling tear.
"I thought for sure they'd notice me, and I heard one right outside, with its horrible smell, but suddenly, they all turned away... and when they did, I took my chance to run into the woods."
She tilted her head to the side, peering at Nuriko's open wounds.
"It's amazing you survived! You must be very strong," she said.
Much too strong to be any normal human.
At this moment, Yuiren stared off towards her village.
"Nii-chan... What if Nii-chan doesn't come back? What if the monsters get him?" she began to cry.
***
The world seemed to fade and sharpen as Tasuki blinked open his eyes. His back was on fire and his head ached but he couldn't move to get up. He couldn't force his limbs to shift even slightly.
Tasuki's eyes widened as he realized that there was a weight against his chest and struggled to look down. There, like sleeping angels, were the children he had intended to return to the earth after they had been viciously murdered.
Tears welled in his eyes and he squeezed the babies closer to his chest, almost as if he held them tight enough, close enough, they might breathe again.
His vision hazed again and he gave himself up to the painless darkness once again.
When Sou arrived at his doorstep he was first struck with hope, then panic, then anger at thinking his siblings to have been perhaps alive but not finding them where he'd left them. Then he saw a strange orange-haired man with them in his arms. What was he trying to do? He must have tried to move them to where they could get help and got killed by trying to do it. His silent thanks went out to the stranger.
He walked over to the three collapsed on the ground and his composure snapped. Tears were falling and he couldn't hold them back any longer. He picked up his siblings and carried them nestled against his chest to a spot not too far off, near the tree line. He came back and dragged his father out from the house where he had fallen trying to protect his children with the last ounce of mobility he had. Trying to do his work quickly, he leaned the three against a tree and told them to be patient a little longer. When he came back the third time he decided to add one more to his family plot. He picked up the stranger's body and walked him over to the graves he had dug for his family.
Sou took care of his family first. He buried them each next to each other, saying prayers over each grave. The ground was soaked with his tears. He kneeled, no longer able to stand, at the foot of the graves and leaned over to bring the stranger to his final resting place.
Quiet sobs brought Tasuki back to waking, his amber eyes slitting open slowly. His vision was hazy still, but he struggled to keep his eyes open.
A fuzzy form knelt nearby, the source of the sobbing. Tasuki's head fell to the side and he was able to look at the person more fully from beneath his lashes.
A dark haired angel wept over three fresh graves before turning and reaching for him.
It was then that he knew he was dead.
His limbs felt like they were filled with stone when he tried to move them to escape the Angel of Death that had come for him.
He tried to speak, to reason with the angel, to make the angel see that he wasn't ready to leave this earth just yet... but all that escaped was a soft whimper.
His voice was horse and low, almost too low to hear, but he hoped -prayed- that it was enough to spare him.
"Angel..."
Sou's world was filled with the sounds of his agony and despair. Through his tears he barely saw the man's head fall to the side and the gold eyes slit open. Picking him up in his arms and treating him with the same gentle care his departed family received, Sou placed the fallen man in the freshly dug grave.
The moon glowed fiercely behind him, outlining his shadowy figure with silvery moonlight. It gave the graves the surreal shimmer his mind was still trying to comprehend.
Sobs caught in Sou's throat. The choked sounds almost sounded like another voice. He started pushing the soft dirt back into the grave. Had he heard someone speak the word angel? Wishful thinking.
Soft earth covered Tasuki's legs, the angel pushing dirt over him to bury him in a shallow grave.
His eyes snapped open as he realized he wasn't dead.
"I-I'm not-" a handful of dirt plopped down on his face, cutting off his words. He turned his head and sluggishly spat out the mouthful of dirt. "I-I ain't dead..." still his voice was a whisper and the grave was filling fast.
Sou's brain was on auto pilot. Pick up dirt, choke on a sob, throw dirt in grave. His body refused to feel anything further. The hurt was still too close. It came rushing in to him from too many angles at once, burying him in his own grave of pain.
The words floated up from the grave, sounding muddy and muffled.
Sou blinked and halted his cycle, slowly coming out of the fog inside his head. Someone had said something. Thoughts of his freshly packed graves sprouting hands that were attached to deformed, red-eyed demons of what used to be his family sprung to life in his vulnerable imagination. Bringing his head closer to the grave he was working on filling, Sou peeked cautiously over the edge. His heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Tasuki's heartbeat sped up as he realized he was going to be buried alive and adrenaline pumped through his body, giving him one spurt of strength.
He sat up and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I ain't dead!"
The dirt-covered flame-haired undead guy shot up out of the grave. Sou launched himself back a few feet, a horrified scream slipping from his lips. His heart nearly stopped while his mind replayed what had just happened until he could understand. Still he sat, sprawled backwards on the ground, speechless and staring into the face of what still looked like a halfway-dead-guy.
"What are you doing sitting up?" He finally shouted. Sou couldn't really understand why that was the first thing to come out of his mouth, given the situation.
Tasuki stared at the angel for a minute, trying to decide if the pretty man he was looking at was indeed an angel or if he was human. The man was sitting back on the grass, looking for all the world as if he had just seen a ghost.
Tasuki almost laughed at the shock written on the man's face; he probably DID think he had just seen a ghost! HIM!
"You were gonna fuckin' BURY me! A'course I sat up! Ya think I wanna be buried alive!?" He growled back, putting his hands behind him to brace his weight and winced. His back and shoulder were killing him and his spurt of adrenaline was fast wearing off.
Sou was trying to regain his composure when the redhead started shouting at him. He didn't know what about this guy made him start to feel angry, but he almost immediately jumped up, pointing a finger in his face.
"How was I supposed to tell you were alive? You have blood leaking out of every part of your body, you were collapsed and it didn't look like you were breathing." He rattled off the reasons he had dragged him here in the first place.
"Look," he gasped as his vision swam again and his elbows trembled. "I got a campsite not too far off in th' woods..." His elbows buckled and he fell back to rest on them, his breathing coming in great gasping breaths. "My friend, Nuriko, is there. He's hurt but should be okay... Can ya help me get back t'camp?"
The darkness swirled in front of his eyes again and with a groan he collapsed to his back, his breathing hitching at the pain the action added to his already pain leaden body.
Sou listened as Mr. Undead explained about the campsite in the woods. Figuring it was probably the one he had found. How many people could this village possibly have camping in the surrounding woods right now? Why was today playing out like this? How many coincidences was that?
"I think I found your..." He was cut short when the redhead groaned and began to fall. In the space of a heartbeat, Sou's instincts kicked in and he lunged to catch him. "Let's get you back to your camp. But first," He set the boy against a tree, recalling why he had come here, "I need to pick up a few things." His eyes grew dark and he was immediately drained of his emotion as he turned towards the medical house.
Tasuki blinked and the angel/man was gone. At least, he thought he'd only blinked. He had only closed his eyes for a moment hadn't he?
He shook off the looping thoughts and sat forward with great effort, looking around for the angel/man who had been yelling at him just a few moments ago. Finding no one, he sighed and slumped forward on his hands and knees and tried to crawl away.
The pain was horrendous but if he wanted to make it back to Nuriko and his camp he had no choice but to deal with it; his only other option had left him laying against a tree to die as far as he knew.
He could feel the dried and scabbed-over wounds on his back crack and bleed anew, the blood running in rivulets down his sides and arms to pool around his fingers and drip to the ground, leaving a trail of red in his wake.
He hadn't gotten very far when his arms gave out again, leaving him sprawled about ten feet from the tree in a bloody mess. Tasuki groaned and tried again to get back up; he felt humiliated at having to crawl but could not see himself making it to his feet long enough to get any distance.
He forced his weakening arms to carry his weight, making it another twenty feet before his body gave out again and he was hurled into painless darkness once more.
Getting the supplies Sou needed was easier than he thought. He returned with fresh bandages, some antiseptic, some thread, and ointment. He hoped it would be enough to at least get them to a place where real medical care could be given.
When he got back to where he had left the fallen stranger, he wasn't there anymore. Well, that wasn't entirely the case. It was more that he had moved about 20 feet from where he had put him down. Making a face, Sou walked up beside the freshly bleeding man. He walked over with his armful of supplies in silence, waiting for a reason as to why he had moved and, more importantly, why he felt the need to.
When he went a few moments without being noticed he spoke up. "Are you planning on dragging yourself the entire way?" There was no response. It seemed the fool had gone and hurt himself to the point of fainting again. Sou took off his coat, wrapped the supplies up in a bundle, and carried them on one arm. Crouching down, he slung the redhead's arm over his neck, supported his back with one arm and lifted his legs with the other.
Sou looked towards the graves and bowed his head. He offered one more silent prayer to Suzaku.
Please, look over them.
Opening his eyes, Sou looked towards the woods. He had two siblings left, he needed to get back as quickly as possible and do his best… no, beyond his best to protect them.
When he looked down at the stranger, he felt close to him in an odd way. Maybe it was that he tried to protect his siblings while he couldn't, maybe this wasn't all just a coincidence.
Sou assured his grip on undead-red-haired-passed-out guy. "Baka," he whispered to the limp form, and took off in the direction he had come.
It wasn't too long before he got back. At the camp he placed the injured man in his arms next to his brother.
"I was able to find some supplies." He unwrapped the bundle and unwound Chuei's old bandages. "Yuiren, look away please?"
Sou attended to each one in the order that they needed treatment. Cleaning out his brother's wounds, he heard Chuei hiss in pain as he patted the disinfectant over the gashes.
Nuriko stared at the fire silently, his fist clenched. He was strong, he knew that, but if his superhuman strength didn't save him or Tasuki, did it mean he could protect Miaka if he had to? He watched the other boy return, dragging Tasuki along, and a wave of relief washed through him. At least his friend was still alive.
"Come over here and I'll see what I can do with this." Sou gestured for Nuriko to sit beside him.
Nodding, Nuriko managed to crawl over to him, collapsing in a heap at the man's feet.
"Thank you." Nuriko tried to ignore the pain while he waited his turn by staring back into the fire. "I'm Nuriko. What's your name?" He asked, trying to break the silence.
"My name's Sou," He answered in a flat voice as he continued his work. After bandaging up his brother, he moved on to the other unconscious one. "This is my younger brother Chuei, and she's Yuiren." He gestured to each of them as he made the monotone introductions.
He pointed at the person he was currently working on, "Tasuki, right?"
The sound of his name brought Tasuki fully awake from the half-sleep he had been suffering through. A groan of agony pulled from his lips as the disinfectant burned his tender back.
"S-shit... that…" He gasped, clenching his jaw. "That fuckin'.... s-s-stings."
He flinched away from the gentle touch of whomever was cleaning his back and bit back another groan of pain, his hands clenching at his sides.
A small hand lay against his head and a familiar face filled his vision. "Don't cry cousin, Nii-chan will make you better. He can make anyone better, isn't that right, Nii-chan?"
The little girl he had helped (along with her older brother) knelt at his side, her golden brown hair shining in the flickering firelight.
He gave her his best grin, "Hai, cousin, I'll try not t'cry. Hold my hand?"
Her face lit up and she smiled widely, happy to finally have a way to help out. "Of course I will, cousin! I'll always help family!" Her cheerful voice distracted him from the stinging of the ointment seeping into his wounds as her tiny hand settled into his larger one, gripping his hand as hard as she could. "Nii-chan will make you better, cousin. I promise."
He smiled at her again and squeezed her hand gently.
She wasn't so bad... for a girl.
Sou jerked back his hands from the wounds he was wrapping when Tasuki spoke. He should be out cold after how much blood he had lost. Sou was about to tell him to stay quiet when Yuiren spoke up. She had been sitting between Chuei and Tasuki watching over both with frightened concern in her eyes.
He quietly took care of Tasuki as Yuiren spoke to him. It seemed to stop the wincing. He wondered why she kept calling him 'cousin' like she knew him. Was this a relative he had never met? It would explain a few things, but that was impossible. He took a good long look at the stranger's face and tried to fit the pieces together. The hair was all wrong, face shape different, eyes all shifty, and those fangs were definitely not from his family line. Conclusion? Yuiren must have managed to find another one who couldn't bear to leave her side. He smiled at this as he moved on to victim number 3.
Ji watched the play unfold. She'd been sitting nearly motionless since Sou, as she'd recently discovered his name was, returned with the bloody fire-user.
Tasuki. Purple-hair had called him Tasuki. There was no doubt now, he was a soldier of Suzaku. There was two in one place. If her suspicions were correct then...
Oh how amusingly coincidental that they should all converge in one place. Seiryuu had quite a sense of humor.
She eyed Purple as they all joined the bandaging party. Unfortunately, all of her dear ones' work was going to waste. But there was a cloud to this silver lining. This just meant there was opportunity to do it all over again.
While they were preoccupied, a simple glance towards the woods transported the Tessen, hidden just out of sight, into the claws of one of her horde.
Take this to Azazel, she instructed.
When she was certain he was too far away to be easily tracked, she drew attention back toward herself.
"Did-did you hear something?"
She shivered and held herself close.
Nuriko's eyes narrowed as the woman shivered. Something was amiss, he could feel it, even with the pain in his backside. Regardless, he forced a smile to the little ones, trying to keep the illusion of everything being okay.
"They're gone for now, but those demons may come back. We should probably get back on the road as soon as possible and put some distance between ourselves and this whole mess."
Sou was working on Nuriko's bandages when he realized this… woman had a surprisingly broad back. Then the pretty woman spoke up. He got up on one knee and listened to the trees. No, he didn't hear anything, the eerie quiet had returned.
Sou agreed whole heartedly. Chuei and Tasuki were as fixed as they were going to be before they got proper medical attention and there was something terribly wrong with the air. He needed to get all these people to safety.
He scooped up Chuei in his arms and took hold of Yuiren's hand, kneeling so she could resume her station on his back if they needed to run. He turned to Nuriko, who looked the stronger, despite her injured state, of the two. "Do you think you could carry him?" Sou motioned to the small child in his arms. "I'll take your friend and Yuiren." Finally, he looked at the still-frightened woman, "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but could you guide the horse and carry the bedrolls and supplies?"
Manual labor. How distasteful. Nonetheless, Ji nodded silently and gathered up the supplies that the others could not carry. If nothing else it brought her closer to becoming their travel companion, and that would provide many opportunities for future 'incidents'.
Nuriko. That was all the confirmation she needed. Apparently, she, he, it was gifted with amazing strength, as he lifted Tasuki with hardly an effort.
Three in one place. And not a one suspected a thing. They seemed to have just met. Tasuki and Nuriko didn't even recognize Sou as one of their own. Could this be any more perfect? She was so excited; her heart began pounding, which only added to her air of nervousness.
Tasuki groaned as he tried to get to his hands and knees, the bandages around his torso pulling taught as his muscles tightened and strained to lift his over-tired body from the ground. He didn't want to be carried by this pretty man, he wanted to get to his feet and show that he was strong and could pull his own weight.
His body had other ideas.
He collapsed to his belly on the bedroll and huffed out a sigh.
"Oi, Nuriko..." he called out turning his head towards the purple-haired seishi. "C'mere an' use some 'a that strength t'help me t'my feet."
Nuriko slowly walked over towards Tasuki, dragging his own feet. With a flick of the wrist, he raised Tasuki to his feet with flawless effort. He couldn't help but smile at the thought that he could use his strength even in this crippled state. Most people wouldn't be able to help another man stand up, but Nuriko had done it flawlessly. He also picked up Chuei, much more carefully hoisting him over his shoulder.
Tasuki swayed on his feet, gripping Nuriko's shoulder to keep himself steady. He felt as if were going to pass out again but forced it back; he had already made himself look like an idiot passing out before in front of the pretty man and refused to do so again.
He slit his eyes closed and peeked at the new man from beneath his lashes. He was attractive; thick turquoise hair, soft blue-grey eyes, firm build, a tender heart and was assumedly betrothed to the woman at his side. He assumed she was his betrothed due to the simpering gazes she directed at him...
Wait a minute... she looks- she looks like that baka onna that knocked m e down an' took th' Tessen!
He growled and made as if to lunge at the deceptively fragile woman and succeeded in falling against the pretty man's chest. Tasuki's hands clenched in Pretty Boy's ripped coat to hold himself upright.
He froze for a moment, cursing himself for three shades of an idiot before slowly raising golden eyes to look into the face of his savior. He steeled himself for a reprimand, all the while secretly enjoying the unique scent the flowed from this man's skin.
They had to move quickly and this brief halt to exchange words could have been a fatal mistake. Sou looked down at Tasuki, who had fallen into his chest. His eyes were stern, "This is no time to try and be a hero." He scolded the man lying against him and lifted him up.
Ji watched as Tasuki of Suzaku seemed to lunge for her. Did he know? How could he? He was just a stupid looking---
She blinked in shock as he lay against Sou's chest. Luckily, their leader took charge and led them into the forest. She eyed Tasuki silently for a moment, and then followed close behind.
Tasuki had never been more mortified in his life.
First he had to try and grab at little Miss Simper-Skirt and miss, then he had to fall against the prettiest guy he'd ever seen and get admonished by him and NOW he was being CARRIED by said pretty guy... would his shame ever end?
A blush stained his cheeks and he kept his face averted so as to not look at the man carrying him in the eye.
He caught a look from Miss Simper-Skirt and narrowed his eyes; the look on her face was almost challenging if not down right disgusted. Feeling childish and awkward he stuck his tongue out at her and crossed his arms.
He started to slip and immediately wrapped his arms around Pretty Boy's neck and buried his face against his shoulder. Large grey eyes met his and he squeaked in surprise, lurching backwards and nearly falling from Pretty Boy's arms.
"It's okay, cousin. I'm sorry for startling you."
The little girl was perched on Pretty Boy's back, looking over his shoulder at him with a kind smile.
He sagged and fell to rest against his human palanquin, his eyes and nose peeking over Pretty Boy's shoulder. "It's arright, chibi, I just wasn't expectin' no one t'be there." He blushed again and gave her a partial grin, one fang poking out of his mouth cutely.
Tasuki wasn't being the best of riders. He kept squirming and twisting. Still, when he let out a yelp and nearly fell out of his arms, the first thing that came to Sou's head was concern.
"Are you ok? Am I hurting you?" Sou looked down, his concerned grey eyes meeting with golden ones before he felt Tasuki wrap his arms around his neck and hold on tighter.
Tasuki froze when he realized the position they were in and slowly pulled back to look into concerned grey eyes. The questions that Pretty Boy had asked flitted through his mind.
A dark blush colored his cheeks and he grinned sheepishly, averting his eyes quickly. "I-I was just startled seein' th' chibi restin' on yer back..." He trailed off and dropped his head, he was too embarrassed to look the other man in the face. He pulled his arms away from Pretty Boy's neck and settled his hands between his knees. "Sorry man, I didn't mean t'hug ya like that."
Shit, now he's gonna be all weird 'round me now. Nice goin' aho! Ya meet a nice guy an' ya fuckin' screw it up by actin' like a baka.
From the corner of his eye, Sou watched the other as he seemed to avoid looking at him. Understandable, he wouldn't want to have to be carried out of a fight either.
"Sou." He chanced a glance down to Tasuki as the trees flew past him. Sou smiled. The formal greetings would have to be skipped, but it might make Tasuki more comfortable to know the name of his carrier. "My name." His eyes returned to concentrating in front of him. "I don't know how you know my sister, but thank you..." His eyes took on the day's all too familiar dull ache." .. for trying to help."
Tasuki's head snapped up and he looked Pretty Boy in the eye.
Sou? That's his name... simple an' direct. It fits 'im.
His blush was still prominent but he gave Sou a fanged smile, "Genrou, but Nuriko-chan calls me Tasuki. Somethin' 'bout Suzaku or some shit." He shrugged and dropped his head again, unwilling to let Sou see his blush darken further.
The name of his God struck a chord inside Sou. His heart skipped, his breath caught. There had been something about a legend he had heard when he was small. Something related to the symbol etched in light on his forehead. His father had spoken of it in passing, a story Sou thought was only made up in order to explain the strange marking. This Tasuki couldn't be talking about the same thing. Suzaku was their country's God after all and almost everything got back to the phoenix somehow.
Sou kept his eyes fixed before him as the name Tamahome raced into his thoughts. Though his heart beat faster and his eyes narrowed in thought, he wouldn't be letting them hear that ridiculous story of his. The less people to know about the mark the better, he had had enough of being ridiculed for it.
Ji followed behind Sou, an un-amused look frozen on her face. That lowlife Tasuki stuck his tongue out at her. How old was he anyway? However old, it definitely didn't warrant this much thought.
The next thing she knew, he'd blurted out his position as one of the Suzaku seven.
It appears the chosen of the phoenix God are nothing more than overpowered children. At least one of them, anyhow.
"Sou," she addressed him to stall the current conversation, "I don't know where you're headed, but my home is not far from here. If we head North West, we should be there by tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure father's doctors will tend to your siblings and..." she glanced at the red-headed moron, "The others."
When he'd agreed to it, she directed them to the city of Hu Lao, the city to which Zhen Ji belonged. Miboshi hadn't expected to return there so soon, but under these circumstances... She supposed her return would become a bittersweet interlude to the next leg of their perilous journey.