Hi guys! First off, I do want to apologize for the long wait - I have moved twice, been worked off my feet with work, and having to deal with COVID-19 has taken a lot out of me. I also lost my motivation for a good long while - I finally pushed through and finished this chapter! I hope you all enjoy and forgive me for taking so long :)
Another Side
Chapter 49
A Hope's Fire
They could only be silent as they continued on, silence weighing heavily on their shoulders. Nuriko was the most silent of them all, eyes wide as he kept a careful feel on Igneous' string, comforted by the fact that he could still feel Igneous, trapped as she was in whatever spell they had been under. Her string kept flaring wildly, as if she was fighting the spell, and Nuriko felt proud for that.
But still, that guilt and fear stayed stones in his gut, weighing him down with each possibility and wrong thing that could happen to his daughter.
Nuriko glanced over at Tatsuki, who has been the picture of silence since they packed. Only the air of anger and hatred showed everyone the bandit's true emotions. He could believe it – it wasn't just a threat when Tatsuki said he would rip everyone apart. Nuriko didn't even think that holding him back would be an option.
"I hope we get there soon…" And then there was Miaka, quiet in that way that Nuriko didn't remember she could be. Of course, her best friend had been kidnapped before their very eyes, and there was nothing that any of them could do about it. The only hope that Miaka had was that her friend wouldn't be hurt and they could get the second piece for what they needed for the ceremony.
The victory of retrieving their first item was now soured by the fact that it was taken from them so easily.
They could only pray to Suzaku that everything will be alright.
It's all they could hope for.
Igneous gasped awake, immediately thrown into a coughing fit as she leaned over the side of the bed, eyes watering at the roughness of her throat. Everything hurt for some reason, and even breathing was seeming like a chore at this point.
She flopped down, taking in deep breaths and counting until she could breath normally again. The sheets were soft and cool against her skin, smelling like…
Wait.
Igneous shot back up again, realizing she didn't know where she was or how she even got there. Tatsuki wasn't in the bed with her, neither was Nuriko in the room anywhere. Now that she was paying attention to said room, it was decorated in greens and blues, the stone itself a sandy gold. There weren't any windows in the vicinity, and only one door made of a dark wood.
What happened?
Frowning, she stood up, feeling unsteady for a few moments as she hobbled her way over to the door. It was silent, at least from what she could hear, and Igneous hoped that meant there was either nobody on the other side or someone familiar waiting for her.
The door opened easily enough (not locked, thank Suzaku), though that was where Igneous' adventure stopped, for standing before her was… "Suboshi? What the fuck?"
The boy stood up, glaring at her with all the hate he could muster.
'Okay,' Igneous thought to herself, backing away nervously. 'Not Suboshi then.' The boy (was this who Suboshi was so worried about, when Igneous threatened him back at the palace?) stalked forward into the room, not bothering to close the door as he growled, "don't speak my brother's name to me!"
"Oooookayyyyy." Igneous looked behind him, ignoring how he made her feel jumpy. "So where am I, how did I get here, and who the fuck are you?"
"What, you mean you recognize my brother, but you don't know who I am?!"
Igneous had to raise a brow at that. "That is what I said, isn't it?"
He had to stop at that, a little frustrated this wasn't going the way it was supposed to go. "Amiboshi is my name. Suboshi is – was – my twin brother."
"Oh." What was she supposed to do with that information? She was also glad she didn't kill the little shit when she had the chance, though Igneous knew that she probably didn't have the guts or strength to do that sort of thing, even now.
Wait, that's not true.
She could probably kill that blonde bastard if she could get over her own fear long enough to do so.
"You killed my brother." Igneous whipped around at that, narrowing her eyes as Amiboshi continued with, "I will enjoy seeing you die as a sacrifice, little goddess."
...what?
Amiboshi smirked, seeing the shock paint her face. Looks like he had the upper advantage now. "Oh, we all know your little secret. How you could have ever hide your heritage from Mistress Yui is a mystery, you know."
"Yui… Yui knows?" Igneous looked down at her hands, feeling anxiety and fear grip her. What was she going to say to Yui? No doubt Yui thinks she lied to her all this time, but that wasn't true! The redhead doubted her blonde friend would believe her, but Igneous had to try!
He scoffed, lounging against the door frame. Amiboshi was supposed to go and get Yui once Igneous woke up and was able to move freely, but this was so much more fun. Watching the redhead fall into tears was satisfying… and yet something in him became uncomfortable at the action, at the words that sprang so easily from his lips.
Igneous took a deep breath and clenched her hands. This was no time to fall into tears – she had to face the music. She lifted her head and glared at Amiboshi, frowning. He flinched, seeing something dark flicker in her blue eyes. "Where is Yui?"
Amiboshi simply sneered and shut the door, quickly walking away. He didn't know how he felt about the redhead, but having her spin his head with her reactions was not what he had in my mind. He wanted to be on top, not be the puppet! He had to find Yui, she would know what to do.
"Let's rest here." The sun burned high in the sky, much like some of their tempers. Trotting around in the desert heat following vague directions was not the best of choices, coupled with the fact that none of the Suzaku warriors knew what was happening to Igneous… Well, things were not looking the best.
Following Tamahome's suggestion, the group stopped by a large rock wall, the height of it giving them some blessed shade. The horses were doing well, as they made sure they were well watered, but they still panted from the noon heat.
Tatsuki leaned against the wall, eyes distant and angry. All he could see was Igneous leaving his grasp, slipping through his fingers… He figured he would have nightmares of finding her body in pieces, or worse, still alive, but… The bandit shook his head, not wanting to think about it, but it was all his mind could focus on.
He needed a drink.
Several, preferably.
"We should be close," Chichiri commented, eye straining against the bright sun. It wasn't like it would help much – all he could see was rolling sand and distant mountains. He hoped they were close, for there was a desperation hanging off of the group. Now that the Seiryuu group had Igneous, there was a chance that they would use her as a Xiang, and that just wasn't good for anybody anywhere.
Especially for Igneous.
"Close to what?" The Suzaku group all whipped around and looked up, the bright glare of the sun silhouetting a man with wild hair and broad shoulders. They couldn't see who it was, their guard strengthening further at the strangeness. "Haven't seen ya in a while… Tamahome."
Tamahome narrowed his eyes, stepping further in front of Miaka. The voice was familiar, but he needed to see that face to be sure. "Show yourself!"
The man laughed, crouching down out of the sun, a face lined with white hair and laugh lines staring at them. There wasn't much of a smile on his face, but instead a smirk, his head framed with slicked-back white hair. "Looks like you're lost – need a hand?"
He was pushed aside suddenly, an old woman scowling at the knocked over man. "Quit being mysterious!" She looked over and waved, her own smirk on her face. "Looks like the Suzaku crew is here – come on up!"
The Suzaku group all looked at each other, not sure what to do, but Tamahome chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, we'll be safe. Best to have a place to rest before we move forward."
Miaka smiled.
There was hope yet.
Sorry the chapter is short - I do hope you enjoyed it though!
Thank you to both nowitsagummybear and Dragonmaster789 for your constant reviews and patience! I honestly don't know if I would have kept up with this story otherwise. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to your reviews :)
Again, thank you to each and every one of you for your patience regarding my posting and my stories - I'm hoping to get the next chapter out soon AND BOY HOWDY I have plans for how that's going to go! Hope to see ya'll soon :)
Love, Tiryn
