THE CHARACTERS ARE STILL FIGHTING ME! I wanted to get more done with this chapter, but meh, the characters didn't want to work with me, so I guess we're dragging this all out.
Alright, we're getting little glimpses into how everyone is doing and WE SHOULD be taking off plot wise next chapter! As long as it doesn't fight me, we're good :)
DO not own, do not make money from writing this.
Another Side
Chapter 51
Sharper than Steel
It was as they sat for dinner that night, Tamahome and Miaka sitting next to each other as always and everyone else still uncomfortably silent, that the group learned of where they need to go next.
"You're Byakko Warriors?" Nuriko was intrigued with this information, leaning forward onto the table, one of his hands rubbing his gauntlets in a nervous habit.
Subaru scoffed. "Yeah, what's it to ya? We retired ninety years ago." He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "We're older than we look."
Tokaki cut in with, "the Shentso-Pao you're looking for? Our fellow Warrior, Tatara, has it."
Miaka lit up at this, happy at seeing even more hope in their future. She prayed that getting this Shentso-Pao could help them bring Igneous back with them, but one step at a time, she supposed. "Amazing! Do you know where he is? We need to get it as soon as possible."
"Question," Subaru sat properly, a serious look on his face. "Before you go gallivanting off, where is your Xiang?"
Everyone froze at this, though Tatsuki started growling, the mere word making him see red. "She ain't no damn Xiang, shut your fuckin' trap." The glares the group sent the old man almost impressed him – he could feel the anger and protection among the group.
"She was kidnapped," Miaka quietly replied, looking down into her empty plate. She could just see her reflection, thinking that it looked almost as pathetic as she felt. "Igneous is my best friend, and while we were traveling, the Seiryuu warriors came and got her while we were sleeping."
"Oh dear…" Tokaki frowned, then glared over at Subaru.
He didn't relent. "Why was she traveling with you? You know that she is to be sacr-"
The table split in half, the crack of dishes and wood echoing in the small room. Nuriko growled, his gauntlets glowing a bright and angry red. "She's not going to die." He enunciated each word, as if Subaru was dumb. "And she is not a Xiang – we will find a way to have her live." Chichiri laid a hand on Nuriko's shoulder, but it was shrugged off as he stormed out, the distant ripping of trees from the ground a few moments later letting everyone know that Nuriko was letting out some steam once again.
Miaka ran after Nuriko, hoping to calm him down, though she figured that it was kind of deserved.
Tokaki only held her face in her hands, letting her fellow warrior run his damn mouth. It's what he was best at, after all.
Subaru scoffed. "You know the divine law. Once the priestess has summoned Suzaku and the Xiang has been given over, the Priestess returns back to her world." He glared over at Tamahome, who returned it with equal fervor. "Stop it now, and you can all save yourself some heartache! You won't have to go through with it!" Subaru could only think of Tatara, how heartbroken and lonely the man must be, for he never took another lover, another woman, after their own Priestess left their world. This was the one wish the divine beast could never allow, he had to get that through to their heads!
His thoughts were promptly cut off by a sucker punch to the face. Once he regained his bearings, he came face to face with a very angry golden-eyed bandit. "Shut it, ya old fuckin' geezer." He shook his hand, though his eyes never strayed from Subaru. "That one's from Igneous, cause I know she wouldn't let ya talk smack bout her best friend. Secondly -" He leaned in close, narrowing his eyes even further. "I don't care bout no damn heartache, cause it ain't gonna happen."
Mitsukake sighed, watching Tatsuki stomp off to join Nuriko in their rage-fueled sadness. He walked over and healed the bruise on Subaru's face, though the aura around him was just as heavy as Nuriko's and Tasuki's.
Once all the Suzaku warriors left, Tatara promptly laughed. "You deserved that."
The old man grumbled. "I had to try…" He rubbed at his jaw, a distant memory of a similar punch by a very angry woman. "He doesn't punch as hard as our Xiang did…"
Tatara smiled sadly at that. "No, I don't think anyone can."
Nuriko, having exhausted all his rage on the trees around him, laid and looked up at the sky, latching onto that part of his soul anchored with Igneous. He couldn't really feel anything on her end, which alarmed him, but he knew no harm had come to her. The warrior needed to know what happened so he could know that his daughter was safe and sound.
Miaka came and sat next to him, resting her head onto her knees. "Wish I could do that…"
He looked over and raised a brow, waiting for the Priestess to continue.
She smiled and said, "I would like to rage at the world, just throw and break it all until I'm too exhausted. I think it would be therapeutic." Miaka gazed out over the trees, seeing the distant village and a large pagoda overshadowing them all. Further than that, there was a large golden temple, and something about it drew Miaka in, beckoned her to come closer.
"You have a lot on your shoulders, no da." Chichiri sat down on the other side of Miaka, the rest of the warriors coming to sit around them. "It's a lot, no da, but we believe you, and more importantly, Igneous believes that you can do it."
Tasuki was still nursing his hand, cursing quietly. "Fuckin' old man…"
"Did you… punch him?!" Nuriko sat up, almost laughing at the redness on his knuckles. "Why?"
"Igneous would have…" The bandit muttered, eyes dimming just a bit at her name. He missed her, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on that Seiryuu prick for taking her from him. "Fairly certain talking shit would have warranted that reaction."
Everyone laughed and nodded at that.
Tamahome laid a hand on Miaka's shoulder, smiling slightly. "Come on, let's go into town, see if we can scrounge up some information, alright?"
Chiriko started talking excitedly to Tasuki, knowing that it was a good distraction for the bandit at the moment. The child, even though he couldn't have the knowledge he wanted all the time, was still intelligent for his age.
Nuriko thought it was kind of cute. He could imagine Tasuki and Igneous having a couple of kids even though the concept completely terrified Igneous. Nuriko could understand why – there was a fear she had that she would turn out like her stepfather, that she would grow to hate her own children. Still, Nuriko would like to see a couple of redheaded terrors running around the palace, or maybe just terrorizing the bandits in the mountains.
It was a nice image, Nuriko thought to himself as the group traveled down to the town below. The thought made his heart ache in loneliness, wanting to give that same thing to Hotohori, but knowing that even if he had the capability, he didn't know if Hotohori even loved him.
Meh, he could still set the emperor up with someone good and just and wholesome for the kingdom.
It was the least he could do.
The corner was the safest place – there was nobody to attack the back, and Igneous could see the door clearly from where she was crouched. She made herself as small as possible, scrunching her legs and arms together until it was pretty clear that Igneous could fit in a box and stay there for hours.
She hadn't said a word since she was brought back here, her mind shutting down everything and just holding onto what she felt of Nuriko and Miaka with everything she had.
Nuriko was angry, though she could tell it was because someone had insulted her, which she found sweet, but didn't really feel anything about it, which was alarming, but again, Igneous didn't do anything about it.
Miaka was sad, but there was hope there as well. Igneous assumed her friend had found word about the next Shentso-Pao and knew this was a good thing. That meant that Miaka was close to summoning Suzaku and setting things right, though Igneous didn't know where that left them with Yui and the Seiryuu gang.
She ran the entire conversation over in her head, wondering what it was that made Igneous feel something was wrong with Yui. It wasn't the normal gut punch of 'warning' and 'terror' that Igneous usually had around danger or before it happened, it was more like something was warning her that all was not it seemed to be.
It was hard, though, because Igneous didn't know how to deal with the all-encompassing fear that had taken over when Yui had thrown that bowl at her, or more like next to her, but it was all the same to Igneous. That action wasn't something that Yui would do, though, and it had Igneous thinking as hard as she was, even though she had taken up the old habit of making herself seem as small as possible in her room, just blend in and pray he won't come in and find her…
Igneous shivered, shutting her eyes tight for a split second before they popped back open, glaring at the door.
She hated this, how easily she had fallen into that old habit, into that well of darkness and depression she hadn't realized she was in until she had the hands and footholds helping her out. Being here in this world had opened her eyes and mind to what she could accomplish, and she didn't want to go back to being scared of every little noise around her.
Scowling, Igneous tightened her arms around herself, still not willing to get up just in case. She would be angry (oh, was she fucking angry), but she needed to play this as safe as she could for as long as possible.
The door opened, showing Amiboshi and a weird man with a brightly painted face. Igneous immediately growled at the newcomer, her intuition telling her that he was the reason she was where he was at right now. Amiboshi she trusted at least a little bit more – angry teenage boys were much easier to handle in terms of confinement than strangers.
"Come along now," the painted man said, gesturing with his hand. Igneous scowled, but then shrieked in surprise at what felt like thin shiny ropes reached out from the ground and wrapped around her, carrying her forward.
"Hey, what the ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS?!" Igneous struggled for a tiny bit, but then winced at the tightening she got for her struggles. She growled, but settled further.
What she wouldn't give for a bat or some weapon at that moment, if only to bash in the asshole's head.
"Her Eminence is asking for you – we must ready you for the ceremony." Igneous froze at Amiboshi's words, her eyes locked onto the young boy. "Priestess Yui is getting ready herself, and now we have to take care of you as well, just to be sure everything goes well." Amiboshi looked over at his fellow warrior. "Do you think Mibushi has everything settled?"
The man scowled. "Probably, but we have better things to do than speculate. Let's go."
The villager frowned, scratching at his head. "That pagoda? Some monsters have been showing up and eating the people waiting there. There's a legend that if two lovers kiss at sunset, then they're destined to be, but that hasn't even brought any couples to the pagoda. I wouldn't go there if I were you."
Miaka grinned. "Thank you for the information though! Have a good day!" She ran down to the rest of the group that waited a ways for her, relaying the information they were given.
Chichiri smiled. "It's as good a place as any, no da." They moved as a unit down the road, waving at the passing villager. The silence this time wasn't heavy with grief and anger, but instead a little bit of hope. "Wonder what those monsters are that the villager was talking about, no da…"
Nuriko scoffed. "Whatever it is, we can handle it, no problem." He pushed Tasuki in good fun, smirking at the yell that escaped the bandit's lips. "Isn't that right, fang boy?"
"F-fang boy?!" The two proceeded to get into a friendly scuffle, the rest of the group laughing and moving around them so they didn't cause too much of a mess. Nuriko would toss Tasuki a little, Tasuki would singe Nuriko, and repeat process until they were both feeling better about that situation.
They fell behind, of course, with their ruff-housing, but they would catch up eventually.
"How is she?" Tasuki's voice was quiet, but he wanted, no, needed, to know how his girlfriend was doing. Igneous was a tough young woman, but he thought she must be at least a little scared to be in the situation she was in now.
Nuriko looked over at him, carefully feeling Igneous out in his mind. What he came across was a wall, made of stone-cold terror and red-hot rage. "She's alive, thankfully, unhurt, I think. Right now, she's just very angry, so I guess someone did or said something she didn't agree with."
"Being with the Seiryuu Warriors would piss anyone off, that's for sure." Tasuki stretched his arms until they rested behind his head, eyes traveling to where Miaka was excitedly talking to Tamahome, turning to Mitsukake every once in a while as the gentle giant said something.
"We need to bring her home." Nuriko clenched his fists. "She doesn't…" He couldn't pull his thoughts together, but Tasuki understood the sentiment. He needed her home, too, before everything could fall apart.
"Come on, guys!" Miaka waved at them from the front, waiting on the bottom steps to a doorway that was going to lead them to the top of the pagoda. "We're waiting on you!"
Nuriko could see it – living with all these people, Hotohori providing a good and safe home and Igneous by his side. Though, if he was honest with himself, Igneous probably wouldn't be with him. She would be with her bandit in the mountains, or traveling, or whatever it was that made her happy. As long as he was able to see her and try to keep her safe, then Nuriko would be happy with whatever she wanted.
Tasuki bumped shoulders with Nuriko, a sad smile on his face. "Come on, we better not keep them waiting." Miaka and Tamahome already walked up, and when everyone else caught up with them, Miaka and Tamahome were speaking urgently with each other. "Yo, what's up?"
Miaka pointed towards a temple in the distance, some carriage disappearing into it's doors. "I saw Yui go in there! I don't think she was alone, though…"
Tasuki growled, his anger reappearing as a large blaze that threatened to swallow him whole. Where Yui was, then her warriors would be not far at all.
It was time for some motherfucking revenge.
I hope you all enjoyed that, despite how filler-y it is. Little bit of character insight, I think but who knows!
Reviews:
Dragonmaster789 - Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Thank you to all of you for your views, reviews, and patience while I'm updating. I will have the next chapter out next week, dammit, so be on the look out for that!
See you soon!
Tiryn
