~Chapter Thirty-Four: Secretive Arrangements~
Yomi's Point of View
Kairi changed before actually going to the Training Courtyard. I can't say I blame her. She was soaked, and freezing cold. She warmed up after drying off and using some fire magic. I started a fire in her room so it would be comfortable when she got back from training. I was kinda worried that she would get sick. We reluctantly returned to the Inner Training Grounds to finish up training.
After watching Kairi and Yoru train in the cold for a long time, they were finally dismissed. Justuo (finally) left after training, and Kairi and Yoru went to change. They were supposed to meet me in my room when they were done so we could meet up for dinner.
I opened the door to my room, and saw that one of my chairs was in front of the window near my bed. I stepped in, and could have sworn I heard an eerie organ playing in the back ground.
The chair turned around, and I found myself looking at Negative. The dimly lit room gave me a haunted feeling as the fire casted dancing shadows across his face and the walls behind him. "Umm…hey, Negative," I said, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Would you mind explaining to me why I saw you, Kairi, Yoru, and Justuo with Lightning? And why you healed Lightning with Forgiveness?" Negative asked. The blood drained from my face.
I chuckled nervously. "Well, th-that wasn't Lightning. That was Thunder," I lied horribly. Negative saw through me.
"He had blue eyes," Negative said, flatly.
"You were that close?" I squeaked trying to stall.
"I saw it in my mind," he said, simply; his face portrayed no emotion.
"Oh…oh no…," I said, feeling dizzy.
Negative's face softened into a gently, hurt-looking expression. My heart ached at how vulnerable he looked. "Yomi, what are you keeping from me?" His voice was so gentle that I wanted to cry.
I threw myself to the ground in front of his feet, and began to sob in guilt. "I'm sorry, Negative!" I groaned. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to lie! I don't deserve your forgiveness." Negative's face became shocked.
"Y-Yomi?" he asked, sounding bewildered. Just as he said it, the door swung open, and Kairi and Yoru walked in.
"Umm…" Kairi said in confusion. I looked up at her and saw that she was looking a bit concerned that I was on the floor, crying at Negative's feet.
"He knows about you and Lightning!" I said, hitting my head on the floor. I was such a failure…
"Oh no!" Kairi said, twitching before dropping to her knees in front of Negative and grabbing his hand. Looking more than a little freaked out, Negative watched her as she began begging to not tell Ash or Kiyo. Yoru looked around looking like she was in an Anime and she had a sweat drop hovering near her head.
"I have to tell Ash," Negative said firmly. Kairi shook her head frantically. "Kairi, I'm sorry but I," Kairi cut him off.
"Yoru, help me!" Kairi called to her. Yoru pinched the bridge of her nose before speaking.
"Kairi is in love with Lightning," Yoru began. Negative's eyes didn't show surprise. Had he guessed it? Apparently…
"We can't tell Ash, though!" Kairi blurted still clutching Negative's hand.
And so it progressed; Kairi's begging, Yoru's reasoning, and my terrible guilt. Hours seemed to pass when finally; Kairi crossed her arms and flopped onto the floor.
"I am just going to lay and wait. I'm going to sit here until I die. When you promise you won't tell Kiyo, then I'll move," Kairi said stubbornly. Negative, looking completely exasperated, pinched the bridge of his nose before stepping over her and walking to Yoru.
"Yoru, you understand that I must tell Ash about this, don't you?" Negative sighed sounding exhausted.
"How about this?" Yoru said after a moment of thinking. "As a friend, keep this quiet. We'll be careful, and keep an eye on Kairi and Lightning. If anything starts to go wrong, we will tell Kiyo immediately."
Negative looked Yoru up and down before glancing behind him at Kairi. She was watching intently, waiting for an answer. Then Negative looked at me, and sighed gently.
"Fine," Negative agreed turning back to Yoru. I stood quickly and helped Kairi to her feet.
"But you have to promise if we get caught that you knew nothing about it; that way you won't get in trouble if we mess up," I said, taking his hand. Negative looked into my eyes for several moments before caving into my pleading gaze.
"Fine," he repeated.
"Thank you so much!" Kairi shouted, hugging Negative tightly. He swayed at the force of her hug, a bit wide eyed.
"Sure," Negative said, sounding a bit awkward. Negative and Kairi weren't that close, but they were friends. Kairi pulled away and smiled sheepishly before hugging Yoru and then me.
"Thank all of you guys," she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Anytime," I said, warmly. She smiled, eyes watering.
"Don't go crying on us, Guardian," Yoru teased. Kairi shook her head, and blinked the tears of happiness away.
"We've got dinner soon," she said as if to distract herself. Yoru and I both nodded in agreement. Negative took my hand in his, interloping our fingers as we walked out of my room, and towards the dining hall. Things would be okay…but I still felt ever so guilty…
Kairi's Point of View
That night I slept so soundly, that I thought it had only been for a second that I had laid down. When I woke, Lancer was the one standing over me. I yawned, feeling well rested, and ready to train full force today.
Seeing Lancer had made me think of Lightning, and in turn made me excited for his visit. He didn't say when he was coming, but only that he would find me. I would trust him. He was probably really upset about Midnight…Elliot made my blood boil.
And what was up with that crazy shit about Justuo and Lightning training under Trace? Justuo had told me a bunch of crap like he used to work for Elliot, and he was trained by Trace. Did that mean Trace was my sensei's sensei? And if it did…I was learning things that Trace already knew! I mentally shuddered.
Apparently, Trace, Justuo, Lightning, Raven, Even and some guy named Razor (who was supposedly Raven's now-dead-brother…) were all training buddies "back in the day." What the hell did that mean? What else had happened that we didn't know about?
Next thing you know, we'll hear Midnight and Justuo had a thing before he liked Miki, I thought to myself. The thought made me shudder again, and I continue to ponder my new information, and how I would tell Kiyo.
Well I couldn't tell Kiyo straight up. She would wonder how it had come up in conversation. And I couldn't just march up and say, "Hey, Kiyo, guess what! The guy that you hate with a fiery passion and I have been kissing behind your back! Did I mention he's Elliot's Vampire general? Not only that, but we're in love! Well, when Justuo went to go kill him today, I took Justuo on to save him. And you wouldn't believe, but they know each other really well! Apparently, they used to be best buddies for life!"
No. Hell no. That would never fly with Kiyo.
As my internal babble continued, I dressed in my (recently bought) grey sweats and pink and grey shirt. Once finished, I said farewell to Lancer and left to meet up with my friends in the hallway.
Yoru and Kiyo stood there, both dressed in training sweats and waiting for the others. Mizu, Yami, and Yomi came sprinting down the hall towards us. I had a feeling Yami and Mizu had had some coffee. Yomi was always energetic, so I didn't pay much mind to her hyper attire.
Our group walked in silence except for the small chatter between Yami, Mizu, and Yomi. The drowsy atmosphere quickly faded when we stepped into the cold, brisk air of the early winter morning. As we breathed white clouds of puff came from our mouths.
"It is too fucking cold and too fucking early for this!" Mizu wailed. Yomi smacked her forehead in exasperation, knowing it was pointless to scold Mizu for her foul language.
"Agreed," Kiyo and I said in unison to Mizu. We hurried quickly into the Inner Training Grounds. Once inside the warm gym-like building, we stripped our coats and began to warm up.
When done, Rath told us to run laps; twenty minutes nonstop for Yoru and me, five minutes for the others. Five minutes of running was easy for us now. The running flew by like usual.
Then we split. Guardian Haru, Rath, Rufus and Night Rider trained us in groups. Guardian Haru took Yomi and me, teaching us how to enhance our fire. Night Rider took Mizu and Yami into physical combat. Kiyo trained more with water alongside Rath. Rufus helped Yoru on centering herself and using her senses to their full height.
Lunch time came, and I found myself eating and hurrying to the Gardens to see if Lightning was going to come today. Despite the cold, I felt unusually warm. Maybe it was the fact that I was so excited for Lightning to come. He knew I had a good three hour break around lunch time, and I would be waiting.
Time ticked by, and I almost left, thinking he wasn't coming. But just as I stood, I heard him, and felt his presence. He stepped from the bushes that he usually came from. At the mere sight of him, I was automatically drawn forward. I ran right into his open arms as if they were my home.
"Kairi," Lightning murmured. His voice made me melt under its gentle caring tone. "I've come for you."
"You're here! I'm so glad," I breathed. And I was. Even if had only been a day since the last time we had seen each other, it seemed like too long. His scent, calming and comforting, washed over me. I smiled to myself.
"I'm glad I'm here, too. I needed to hold you again. And I know you're confused," Lightning said, pulling back so he could see into my eyes. "I'm here now. Tell me what you want to know, Kairi. And I will do my best to answer it."
The truth in his eyes was over-whelming. I couldn't help smiling before sobering and asking him a serious question. "Why did you run away?"
"I ran because I saw you," Lightning paused for a moment as if pain stopped him from speaking. "And I saw your servant. You were kissing, and that made me so angry, got me so upset, that when I returned to Master Elliot's castle, and heard the news about the wedding being moved up, I couldn't help but run. I had to get away from everything. The pain, the sorrow, the anger, everything that seemed to embrace me at the moment," Lightning was so caught up in explaining his feelings, that he hadn't even stopped for a breath. He sucked in at the end, still planning on continuing when he had the air, but I quickly put one finger over his lips to calm the typhoon of words he was about to spill.
"It's okay," I whispered the words, feeling tears swell in my eyes. He had seen Lancer and me, kissing on the balcony. He had been there. Why was I so stupid! "Everything's okay now, Lightning." My voice trembled.
"But it isn't, Kairi, because I don't love Midnight, I love you," he breathed. In that moment, I had never been more scared. Echo, Fear's giant spider, Fluffy, or even Elliot himself didn't compare to how scared I was of losing Lightning. I clenched his shirt in my hand as if to hold onto him forever.
"Don't leave me," I whispered panicked.
"I couldn't if I even wanted to," Lightning said, cupping my cheek. "You're my light, Kairi. Every time I get upset, and the Darkness starts to mess with my head, I think of you, your soft skin, your brilliant blue eyes, and your touch. Every little detail that I love about you," Lightning whispered. I couldn't help be smile and pull him closer. In turn, he dropped his hand and wrapped it around me.
"Is it true that you and Justuo trained together under Trace?" I asked. Lightning nodded. "And that you both learned Darkness together?" Again, he nodded. "And Elliot almost killed him in his attempt at escape?" Another nod. "I didn't know any of that," I said, thoughtfully.
"It's a gruesome tale that has to be told another time. For now, I want to hold you," Lightning said, sweeping me off my feet (quite literally) and cradling me close to him. I relaxed and allowed it. After what seemed like only seconds (which were actually minutes) Lightning sat me down, and kissed my forehead. I smiled sadly, knowing goodbye was coming.
"I must go, love," Lightning said. I nodded before standing on my tip-toes and kissing him. The kiss ended too quickly, and I found myself standing there alone when my friends came up.
"Hey Kairi," Yomi said. "Are you taking a nature walk or something?" Her teasing tone snapped me out of my daze, and I turned to greet them.
"Maybe, maybe not," I returned her teasing tone. She rolled her eyes, and Kiyo giggled.
"While we're out here on this cold brisk afternoon, let us walk," Kiyo said in a fake English accent. We all laughed and began walking towards the Fountain of Shadow and Aurora. This was one of my favorite fountains. One half was the personification of Darkness, and the other half was the personification of Light.
The clear water of the Light side of the fountain inhabited a black koi fish with a white spot, and the dark, murky water of the Dark side was inhabited by a white koi fish with a black spot. Pure, clear water trickled from the Dark side into the Light side, and tainted, yucky water trickled from the Light side to the Dark.
I loved this fountain. As we approached it, I felt a presence. Strange as it may sound, I thought I knew the presence. It was a gentle, kind, and almost fragile presence. Kiyo felt it immediately, and stopped on the Light side of the fountain. She held her arm up, and took a deep breath.
"Someone's here," Kiyo whispered. We fell very still and Yoru tensed, as if ready to fight in case of danger.
"But it isn't someone bad," Yomi said after a few moments of feeling with her sixth sense. Yoru relaxed and Yami and Mizu just looked around like they were clueless. I allowed my sixth sense to allow me to feel for who or what this presence could belong to.
"Lea," Kiyo whispered as soon as I realized whoever it was, it was a Light being.
"What?" I asked. My confusion mirrored the others as we watched Kiyo.
"Her name is Lea, and she's a Light Phoenix. She's only five," Kiyo whispered, her eyes sparkling. "Lea, come here."
There was shifting of the air around us, and a warm feeling filled me from head to toe. It felt like the same feeling Kiyo made me feel when she was healing me from injuries. I found that my friends were also feeling it.
"She's scared and sad," Kiyo breathed.
Suddenly, a little girl with blond hair popped out of a bush right near the fountain. She had tears on her face.
"Lea, come here, little girl," Kiyo said, coaxing the small girl from the bush.
"Will they hurt me?" Lea whispered, pointing a shaking finger at us. I felt myself blush. Was I intimidating or something?
"No, of course not. They're friends of mine," Kiyo said, crouching down, and holding her hand out to Lea. She only hesitated for a moment before running to Kiyo. She enveloped Lea in her arms, embracing her tightly.
"Mommy, where's King?" Lea asked, crying. Kiyo picked her up and patted her back. Okay, I was missing something. Mommy? King? What? As I thought that, Kiyo turned towards the castle and began walking.
"I'll take you to Ash, sweetheart. Hold on just a second," Kiyo murmured. "Guys, we need to get Lea inside to Ash." Surely they were speaking to each other in their minds, because I didn't understand anything that was going on.
I glanced at Yoru and Yomi who just shrugged and began to follow Kiyo. Yami and Mizu, clueless as ever, followed after me. When we got inside, and to the throne room, Ash was sitting on his throne.
"Ash, I found a little girl named Lea. She was looking for you," Kiyo explained while still holding Lea. Ash's eyes widened when they fell on Lea, and he quickly stood, closing the distance between him and Kiyo.
"Lea, dear?" Ash asked.
"King!" Lea cried in what seemed to be joy or relief. "You're here! My tree is gone! And my sissy is dead! The black ones killed the rest of us!"
My face was a huge question mark, and I know my friends' faces mirrored mine, even Kiyo's. Ash took Lea in his arms, and cradled the little girl like she was a baby (which, technically, she was five…)
After several minutes of comforting from Ash, Lea seemed to calm down. He walked back to his throne and sat Lea down on it. "Here, stay right there for a little while. Rath will play with you, right Rath?"
Rath looked up from his book. "Uh, sure?" Ash nodded while Rath stood. Ash ushered us out of the room quickly, and stopped when we were out of earshot.
"Uh, what the heck is going on?" I blurted. Yoru gave me a disapproving look as Ash cleared his throat to explain.
"Lea is a Light Phoenix that was being protected by Nanonalie near the Sanctuary Entrance near your house, Kairi. Lea and her sister were taken care of there with lots of other young Phoenixes. A long time ago, 'the black ones,' or rather the dead Phoenixes that are under Raven's control came and destroyed most of them. After the deaths of all of the young Phoenixes except for Lea and her older sister, Midnight came and finished Lea's sister off while Nanonalie was busy. Lea was the only survivor besides Nanonalie. She sent word to me that Lea would be arriving soon, but we never saw any sign of her arrival. Feeling Kiyo's presence, the presence of the Queen Phoenix to-be probably coaxed Lea out of hiding." When Ash was done explaining, it took awhile for the information to sink in.
"But why did she call me Mommy?" Kiyo asked, sounding a bit bewildered.
"You're the Mother Phoenix, the strongest Phoenix that's ever been. That's why most Phoenixes refer to you as their mother. Centuries ago, you disappeared from the worlds. Most Phoenixes lost hope, and went into hiding. Phoenixes are rare, and most are sentenced to death if found. Now that you've returned, they have regained their hope. They're rising again, and now they are awaiting your climax so that you shall rein again."
I was shocked to the point where I couldn't speak. Kiyo seemed a bit paler. "I have all that responsibility?" she squeaked. Ash smiled gently at her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, love. I'll be here for you through it all," Ash said, confidently. I couldn't help but be filled with the love and adoration that was coursing from Kiyo. After a few moments, we returned to Lea who was playing peek-a-boo with Rath.
I savored the cuteness of the moment as we made our way to Lea and Rath.
Thunder's Point of View
The dark, cloudy sky will be great for cloaking me, I thought as I walked down the West Wing main corridor. I was going to see my lovely Grace-Lilly before leaving on my task. She wouldn't think much of it, especially considering she had to deal with Lady Fonda, her formality instructor.
I tapped on the door, and waited for Lilly's soft voice to invite me in. When it did, I came into her valiant room. The theme of her room was based on ancient royalty and consisted of lush, red, velvet cushioned seats that matched her comforter. Her windows were cover with great red drapes to block out any excess sunlight.
Lilly's room looked fit for a Queen in the Human's World's Medieval Period. With the exception of the television above her obsidian fire place and the radio system beside her laptop that sat on her desk.
She was lying on her large, comfortable bed when my eyes found her. She was wearing her silk nightgown and looked like she had just awoken. The sun had set only minutes ago, and I knew that was when she rose. Instead of going through the trouble of being bewitched to except sunlight, my lovely Lilly had decided to bare her curse gladly.
"Hey, silly goose," Lilly said, drowsily. Her English accent made her adorable as I walked to her beside, and kneeled down to level with her. "How was your day?"
"Lovely, though I really missed you being there with me. How was your night?"
"Slept like a baby," Lilly commented. I smiled, and kissed her forehead. She smiled in return, and took my hand in her's. "You seem to be distracted, Thunder. Are you okay love?" She glanced at my attire, and saw that I was wearing my black traveling cloak.
"Fine, fine," I said quickly, seeing the worry that instantly sprang to life on her features. "I just have a few errands to run tonight, and won't have much time to be alone with you before the sun comes up." I sighed when I was finished, upset that I had to leave her for my own selfish matters.
"Okay, love. That's fine with me," Lilly said, touching my face with her free hand. Her kindness made me smile, and I kissed her hand.
"Until we meet, my lady," I said. grinning her favorite gentleman grin.
"Until then, my lovely warrior," Lilly breathed. I kissed her softly for a few moments before taking my leave. I pulled the hood of my cloak on, slipped down the hallway, and made my way to the Garden Courtyard. Once outside in the cold, still night air, I went for the West Gate.
It didn't take much to get me out; the guard keepers never questioned Lord Ash's inner circle. In the streets of our town, I made my way to the edge of it, hoping to get far enough away from civilization that no one would question me.
And once there, I opened a portal to the Sanctuary. Blending into its shadows, I quickly came out in a windy plain of grass. At first, I saw nothing but the dark shadows of the clouds around the moon. But their presences found me, and I was almost knocked breathless when they came into my line of vision.
Haruka, my precious baby sister, flanked by my mother and Lightning. Haruka dashed towards me, and leaped into my arms. I caught her automatically. "Brother!" the seven year old shouted excitedly. She clung to my neck and I held her tightly.
"Haruka, you've gotten so big," I breathed.
"I miss you, so much, Lightning!" Haruka said. I sat her on her feet and she wrapped her arms around my leg, hugging it tightly. Mother walked up to me, looking worn, but strong and motherly like she always had been. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me like she used to when Lightning and I were younger.
"Son, I've missed you," she said, before pulling back and smiling at me. "And I'm proud of you. You saved yourself from that wretched tyrant. I know you'll save us, Thunder. From what Lightning has told me of this Lord Ash, he seems to be a fine fellow. You did the right thing. And you will continue to do the right thing by facing Elliot in this war."
Mother's words made me feel emotional, and I couldn't help but hug her again. "Thank you, Mother. I will do everything in my power to save you, Haruka, and Lightning from Elliot," I vowed, pulling back. Haruka squeezed my leg tightly.
"We can't stay long, Thunder," Lightning said from a ways away.
"Come here, Lightning," Mother said, ushering him to come closer. A bit reluctantly, Lightning made his way to us. Mother wrapped the two of us in a hug that made memories of our childhood flash through my mind.
"My boys," Mother murmured.
"And me!" Haruka said, sounding excited.
"And of course, my little Haruka," she said, serenely. With the warmth of my mother's love, I knew I would be okay and that I could save them from Elliot's wrath. The only obstacle was time. "The only one we're missing is Iria…" Mother's words strayed off. "Though I'm sure she doesn't even remember us."
"Iria is doing well. She has taken on the responsibility of being a Guardian. She's well. We don't talk much about the past," I replied quietly. There was a long silence before Lightning broke it.
"We should leave," Lightning muttered. Haruka gave a small whine in the chilled night air, and we broke from the hug. I lifted Haruka in my arms and hugged her tightly one last time.
"It'll be okay, little sister. I promise," I vowed. She nuzzled my neck with her cold nose and sniffled.
"I don't want to go back," Haruka whispered. My heart wrenched. "Why can't we just go with Thunder and leave Elliot?"
"Baby, you know I want to, but Elliot has me in his strings to control," Mother said. My little sister heaved a small sob, making me want to hold her tighter. Instead, I handed Haruka to Mother, and glanced to Lightning.
"Thank you, Brother," I said. My words could never express how grateful I was.
"Sure," Lightning said flatly. Mother nudged him. He sighed before continuing. "You're welcome, Thunder." Before he turned to leave his gaze locked with mine for a few moments, and something in that gaze made me realize he did care. Then it was gone and they were leaving. The moments that followed were silent and long, leaving me cold and breathing white clouds of air from my mouth.
I left the surrounding area, with thoughts pulsing through my mind.
Yomi's Point of View
The morning hours were early, but I knew Negative would be awake. I made my way to his room, wearing some sweats and a sweatshirt. In the West Wing, I walked down the corridor, glancing at the doors and the names written on them to make sure I got the right door. I saw Thunder leaving Lilly's room, looking exhausted. I smiled and nodded to him. He gave a drowsy smile and nod back as we passed.
I found Negative's door to his room and knocked three quick times. At first there was no answer, but soon the door opened to reveal Negative looking like he had just woke up. I automatically felt bad.
"Did I wake you up?" I asked quickly, taking a step back and readying myself to scuffle down the hall.
"No, no, of course not," Negative said, quickly. "I've been awake for awhile, I just haven't gotten up and moving." Feeling relieved, I smiled.
"May I come in?" I asked. He smiled gently, and moved to the side.
"Of course you may." I stepped into his huge room, and my eyes popped open. Negative's room was huge, even bigger than the room Mizu, Yami, Kiyo, Yoru, Kairi, and I shared the six beds in. The color theme was red, green, and white. His bed was against the northern wall of his room. He had a huge flat screen television across the room from it. On the western-most wall of his room there was a miniature kitchen-like area. A coffee machine and miniature fridge sat on a black and white counter. Around the rest of the room, a laptop on a mahogany desk, and other technologies were spread.
"This…is your room?" I breathed. Negative smiled sheepishly. "Yea, I guess you've never really had the chance to get a good look at it."
"I like it," I said, sincerely before turning to him and facing the reason I came. "Negative, I'm really sorry for lying all this time…"
Negative's face softened to be even gentler. "Dear, you did what you thought was right. Kairi was desperate and came to you with her problem. It's alright." His voice made me melt with its understanding.
I ran to him, hugging him tightly. Now everything would be okay…