A/N: Okie...big problem. I was typing up the fifth chapter one day, then the next day, it was all gone. Well, I'll just see what I could remember from the last chapter! GRRRR!!!! Well, I'll just have to give kudos to Comrade Terror for reminding me about Shiuchon's name being spelled right the first time (Shuichon). Well, umm....okay. That's all I remembered from that "A/N". I'll leave you to this ficcie, and stop blabbing. Okay, now, as always, read 'n review!! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Yeah, I'll say this another time. NO, I DO NOT Digimon, Toei, Saban, Fox, etc. do. All I own is the plot, and the following characters: Akechi Oshita, Akechi Tsune, Noriba Hitori, Noriba Noriko, Doctor Iku, Yamakawa Nami, Kaayami, Hagami, Ketushi, Ichingo, Kokihime, Bo-ram, Omubi, and Ringo.
Note: I know I haven't mentioned this before, but I sorta don't own Samanosuke, or the family name, Akechi. His rightful owners are the creators of "Onnimusha Warlords"- not me. Well, his name sounded nice, so I used it. Partly for Tsune's family name and partly for the "bad guy" that shot Hitori.
Upon a Stormy Night
Sequal to "Dawn a Cold Night"
Chapter 5: Dearest Bo-ram
By: rukimakino
I hope she's okay! thought Jenrya. I didn't mean to get you upset, Shuichon! Just please be alive...
The teenager ran in the night, towards the kabuki school. His blue hair swayed in the mid-summer wind.
***
Shuichon sat on the bed, fear read clearly upon her eyes. The bed, which was supposed to be used as a prop, was still clean-looking and taken care of.
"Don't be afraid of me, Shuichon," began the woman, knowing that Shuichon was scared of her. "I know you don't know me, or even met me before, but you may have heard my voice in the past."
Shuichon realized what the woman had just said, and had a sudden flashback of her first day at kabuki school...
*Flashback*
Shuichon wandered through the halls of the large building. The girl dragged a pink, heavy-looking duffel bag in one hand and a script in the other. She looked frustrated, lost, and confused.
When she turned a corner, the girl saw a boy around her age walking while seeming to be placing something inside his green back-pack. The boy had his head in his back-pack, his reddish-brown hair covering his face. Shuichon stomped off towards the boy, even though he didn't see her.
"Umm...Excuse me- AHH!!"
Shuichon tripped and fell to the floor, on her chest. Her duffel bag and script slid to the far end of the hall, behind the pink-head. She groaned with pain.
The boy heard her voice, and looked up from his back-pack just in time to see a girl crashing to the ground. He ran to the pink-head's aid; she got up slowly supporting her weight with her elbows. The boy held out his hand to Shuichon; the pink head grabbed it and pulled herself up.
"You okay?" asked the boy in a childish voice.
The girl dusted her clothes, and nodded. She looked up from her clothes and into his worried face.
"Yeah," said the pink-head.
Then, she searched the hall for her bag and script. She found it six feet behind where she had fallen. Shuichon walked over to the items and picked them up. She shouldered her duffel bag, even though it was heavy. Then, with some difficulty, the pink-head walked back towards the boy, to thank him.
"Thanks, umm..."
"Jung Bo-ram." began the boy. Then, he eyed the script. He asked, "Are you from kabuki?"
Shuichon nodded.
"I kinda got lost and I was going to ask you if you knew where the theater is at."
"OH!" exclaimed the boy. "I'm heading there right now. Actually, I never recieved the script, so I had to ask one of the sensei's in the 'theater writing' room for a copy."
"Mind if I tag along?" asked Shuichon.
Bo-ram replied, "No, not at all. I'm on a tight schedule, but I don't mind you tagging along."
With that said, the girl and boy began to walk towards the rear-end of the building.
"...So, Bo-ram, when did you start acting?" asked Shuichon.
The boy replied, "Let me see...Oh, I started acting in plays at my school in Korea-"
"You're from Korea?" interrupted Shuichon.
"Uh...yeah. Well, like I said, I started acting in plays at school. Then, my 2nd grade teacher told my parents how well I did at acting. Then, Omoni and Aboji-"
"Huh?"
"I mean Haha and Otousan wanted to persue my dream, so they enrolled me to an after school theater school. But then the school shut down because of low-fundings. My ojii heard about that and suggested my parents enroll me here in kabuki school for the summer. He lives here, so that wouldn't be such a hard ajustment. I know kabuki is very different from theater, but I would do anything-even go to America, if that was possible. Anyway, I decided to go here and try it out," explained Bo-ram.
"Oh," was all Shuichon said.
Before Bo-ram could ask the same question, a voice boomed from an intercom.
"Jung Bo-ram, if you are in the building, please report to kabuki. Jung Bo-ram, if you are in the building, please report to kabuki class. Your teacher is waiting for your return," boomed a woman's voice.
The two exchanged "Uh oh, we'd better hurry up" looks, looked forward, and ran towards the rear end of the building.
*End of flashback*
"...Ugashi-san?" said Shuichon softly.
The pink head didn't know how she knew the woman's name, but somehow she seemed to remember it from a distant past somewhere deep within her memory.
"Yes?"
"Um...what happened?"
"Shuichon, Bo-ram found you outside this building lying outside alone on the ground," began the woman. Shuichon furrowed her brows in confusion, but she did not question the woman. "Your teacher cancelled class when Bo-ram brought you inside. I believe Bo-ram's still here, though your teacher left home a long while ago. The last time I saw Bo-ram, he was sitting on one of the chairs out in front."
***
The blue-head arrived at the school. Though, when he tried opening the front doors, they were all locked.
"Damn!" the teen cursed. "Open up for Kami's sake!"
Eerily, the door opened wide. Jenrya gasped, his eyes wide with great shock. A cold wind suddenly blew past the boy, whispering his name.
"Jenrya...Jenrya...Jenrya..."
Suddenly, there was a large amount of laughter behind the teen; the blue-head turned around. Out of nowhere, a man with a long nose appeared, just a few feet away from Jenrya. A grin was set on his thin mouth.
Frightened by the sudden appearance of the man, Jenrya's knees began to shake.
"Who-who are you?" stuttered the teen.
The man laughed airily.
"I am what many humans fear. I am a demon who may eat you, mere little human, but...I have also been sent for a reason."
Jenrya's whole body was now shaking, once he had heard the mention of the "man" eating him.
"It is about your imooto."
The teen narrowed his eyes. Then, his skin prickled, and the hair all over his body stood up. He knew what the demon was now.
"...You...you're a tengu!" exclaimed the blue-head.
The tengu grinned and laughed again.
"So, I see the weak little human has caught on. Now, on to your imooto. She is not like a mere human. In fact, she is very special, indeed. Your imooto...Shaochung?"
"Umm...yeah, in Cantonese. In Japanese her name's 'Shuichon'. What is your name, fellow tengu?" asked Jenrya politely.
"In 'tengu', my name is Paeku. In Japanese, my name is still Paeku," mocked the demon. Then, "Your imooto, Shuichon is related to the all famous Akechi Tsune, though dead, was a fine demon himself. On his word, I was told to tell her an important message."
***
The girl gasped.
"Ugashi-san! How did he take all of this? ...Oh, wait. If he's out in front, can you call him?"
"Sure, Shuichon," replied Ms. Ugashi.
The woman smiled. Shuichon noticed how beautiful the woman looked with her long, midnight-black hair, in contrast to her dusky skin. Ms. Ugashi suddenly looked younger than thirty. But, the woman's dark brown eyes shined with a hint of sadness. A sort of sadness that the girl couldn't identify- almost a deep longing for something lost. Ms. Ugashi left the room silently.
Wait...Ugashi-san said that...no...I couldn't have been alone...Tsune was there! That isn't exactly possible-
"Shuichon!!" squealed Bo-ram, interrupting Shuichon's thoughts.
He stood in the doorway of the storage room (which was backstage of the theater), staring at the girl with utter shock. Suddenly, the boy ran towards the pink-head and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Shuichon, I thought you would've died out there!" wailed the auburn-head.
The girl made a choking noise in her throat.
"Bo-ram...you're...choking...me...Need air..."
The boy let go of the girl; she exaggerated her breath. Then, she laughed.
"I was only kidding, Bo-ram...you know that!" the girl joked. Then, more seriously, "Bo-ram...about what happened outside..."
The boy sighed almost in a sad way.
"Yeah...what?"
Shuichon stuttered, "Oh...I was just wondering if you saw anyone else there...like a boy around twelve or eleven I was laying on top of."
Bo-ram sweatdropped.
He asked nervously, "Umm...were you doing something with someone out in the open?"
Shuichon furrowed her brows in confusion for a second. Then, she realized what her innocent-looking friend meant. The pink-head became flushed with anger, her face becoming very red.
"WHAT THE?!" yelled Shuichon. The furious girl whacked the boy's head with her hand.
"OOWWW!!!!!" the boy yelped.
He held his head and continued to howl with pain.
"I WAS JUST ASKING!!" the girl growled.
"I know!" the boy whimpered. "And I just answered you!!"
"...Oh...I'm sorry, Bo-ram; I over-reacted. It's just..." Shuichon made a face. "That's nasty!"
***
The tengu told Akechi Tsune's message to a very surprised Jenrya. The teen was speechless.
"Oh, and by the way, stupid human, there is a back door that is open," began Paeku. Then he ordered, "Turn around."
The blue-head did as he was told, not wanting to upset, and/or offend the demon. With a bang, the tengu transformed into a large bird. Jenrya only heard the big bang becuase he was turned around, facing the closed doors.
Paeku flew into the air and yelled, "Sayoonara! I shall go back to Mt. Fuji!"
The blue-head nodded and yelled back (while still facing the wall), "Sayoonara, Paeku-san!"
With that said, the teen turned back around and headed towards the back door.
***
"Okay, I'm sorry, too for err... that mistake. Forgive me, oh great Shuichon-sama," apologized Bo-ram.
The boy bowed, despite the slight pain in his head.
"You're forgiven, little Bo-ram," said Shuichon. Then, "Enough with the acting. Can you help me up? I need to call my mom and ask her if she could pick me up."
"Uh...sure."
Bo-ram took Shuichon's hand and tried helping her stand. The girl stood up and pressed her feet on the ground. She scanned the room for her shoes and saw them in a corner.
"Bo-ram, can you get my shoes? They're over there."
The girl pointed to the corner where her shoes lay; the auburn-head walked over to retrieve them. After Shuichon slipped her shoes on, she began to walk out of the storage room, with her friend holding her hand for support.
No sooner after the two exited backstage, had they seen a worried Jenrya. He seemed to be talking to Ms. Ugashi, but then caught a glimpse of his sister's pink hair in the corner of his eye. The teen turned around and saw Bo-ram and Shuichon hand in hand.
Not only did he see the two friends holding hands, but also his sister's hair messy, and her clothes wrinkled. Also, the usually neat Jung Bo-ram had wrinkles and folds on his clothes. His normally tucked in shirt was untucked, and his hair was in need for a haircut (or so it seemed, for it was long and untidy).
"SHUICHON!!" yelled the girl's brother.
His suspicions had gotten the best of him and convinced the teen that his little sister had seen enough of her friend. Jenrya ran towards the girl and boy, anger rising within. As the two friends saw him approach, they realized that they were holding hands, and how much a mess they were in- literally. Abruptly, Bo-ram released his grip from Shuichon's hand, blushing slightly.
The blue-head was now close enough to punch Bo-ram on his cheek-which he did. For once, the boy felt a pain greater than a scrape on his elbow. Time seemed to go in slow-motion as Shuichon's friend recieved the full blow. It was odd that, even though there was an adult in the room, she did not seem to have interest in the scene.
"BO-RAM!!" screamed Shuichon. She turned to face her brother. She yelled, "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT, YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR A BROTHER-BASTARD!!!?"
The girl slapped her brother-hard. But Jenrya didn't seem to feel the pain stinging on his cheek. Instead, he felt as if he had just been stabbed in the heart by a cold, metal knife. His dearest sister, Shuichon, never in her life screamed at him before with such spite and anger. Jenrya stared wide eyed at the pink-head with pure shock and confusion. His dearest sister also, for the first time, called him a "bastard", and had slapped his face with a large amount of strength. That instant, Jenrya knew he had failed as a good brother.
Shuichon turned to her friend who was lying on the floor and wailing like a baby on how much his cheek hurt. At that moment, she could've smiled and maybe laughed because he sounded so childish, but he was wailing for a good reason. Bo-ram had never been hurt physically and mentally in Korea.
When the boy had arrived in Japan, he longed to fit in with the people surrounding him, especially his peers. Bo-ram thought he had found the missing piece in his childhood when he met Shuichon. She was always sticking up for him when his other peers made fun of his childish voice and slight accent. She and him also hung out once in awhile, at the park practicing lines, or eating food. Even though Shuichon was sometimes bossy, Bo-ram felt as if she were his best friend. But now, Bo-ram felt as if he had been betrayed and stripped from his life. Repeatedly, the boy cried. He cried for his home, his parents who had faith in him, and he cried for the world to accept him. The auburn-head was still crying when Shuichon stopped consoling the boy and left the theater without her seemingly lost brother. Shuichon's brother seemed very far away, and falling into his own world, so she did not try to force him to go home.
"Bo-ram, dear," called out a sweet, womanly voice. "Don't cry, your cheek will be fine. The swelling is already going down, so you don't need to worry about a thing."
The auburn-head stopped crying and rubbed furiously at his eyes. When Bo-ram opened them, he immediately saw the gentle, brown eyes of Ms. Ugashi. She held an ice-pack to his red cheek. Quickly, the boy glanced around the room. Besides the woman and himself, the room was empty. Bo-ram had never been to this part of the room. For some reason, it was dusty and yet they were still sitting there.
A chill went up Bo-ram's spine. He suddenly felt alone in the large school.
The boy stuttered, "U-ugashi-san...I think I'll be going to ojii's home now..."
He stood up. Ms. Ugashi smiled, though her face looked gaunt and dark. There was that sadness again and deep longing, yet there was also another look. Almost a look of cold hatred. A look that scared Bo-ram.
"Don't worry, Bo-ram," began the woman. Bo-ram figeted a bit, but told himself that Ms. Ugashi was just being generous. "I will drop you off your ojii's. I just need my car keys-"
The auburn-head couldn't take it. Paranoia had engulfed his concious mind as he made a run for the door. Bo-ram was now out in the hall of the abandoned second floor. He ran down the stairs and kept on running until he reached the back exit (which Jenrya had entered through).
Then, the boy saw a figure ahead. Catching his breath, Bo-ram stopped running. His eyes widened in the dim theater.
That's not her!! She can't be that fast, thought Bo-ram.
Indeed, he was correct. The figure was tall and had short-cropped hair, and seemed to be staring blankly into the door, not moving. Whoever/whatever the figure was, they were too occupied staring at the wall to hear a muffled scream.
***
Shuichon walked home alone. It was very dangerous at that time of night for a girl to be walking without being escorted by a companion. The pink-head stomped off in the darkness. Suddenly, she shivered as if a cold wind had engulfed her entire body.
The girl's first instinct was that Bo-ram was in danger. She turned around and started to walk back towards the theater, but then stopped herself.
Ugashi-san and...ugh...that "old man" are there nothing bad would happen to him. But why do I still feel like he...he's not fine and his life's at stake? the girl questioned herself.
"Go back...Shuichon...you must go back...if...you...care..." trailed a ghostly voice.
Shuichon became alert. There was that voice again. This time though, it told her to go back.
Something's definitely fishy about that voice...it's creepy, but it also sounds familiar...thought the pink-head.
Then, she knew what she must do. The girl ran towards the theater, suddenly scared of what she might meet.
A/N: GEH!! That was...THEE BEST CHAPTER I'VE EVA DONE THIS YEAR (even though it was short)!! X^D. KAMI-SAMA!! What will happen to Shuichon, Jenrya, and Bo-ram?! How about Jenrya and Shuichon's mom, Mayumi?? Let me remind you fans of this ficcie, that this is ALMOST finished!! The conclusion to this ficcie will be up SOON!!! I *think* this ficcie has one or two chapter/s left til it's finished!! WOOOOO!!! Yeah, I'm just REAL happy for this to be finished b/c it was a great ficcie. Enough with my babbling!! REVIEW now!! (pleez?!) Thankies!! =^.^= Happy Mothers Day!!
~rukimakino