Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FY/SM characters.
Tenshi's notes: *sweatdrops* Minna, in all honesty, I've all but dropped this fic. I'm currently very busy working on Again, and another ficcie for myself. I do love the idea for this story and the plot twists I've come up with. I just need the motivation. So if any of you are interested, leave your email, or email me directly. As soon as I write new chapters, you will get in it the mail as opposed to reading it on ff.net (unless of course, miraculously I get a LOT of reviews). Special thanks to Jackie for emailing me about it. This one is for you, and all the other reviewers who took the time to send me their comments. I appreciate it. This one is for all of you guys out there! ^-^ Ja!
Translations:
Kurohebi – blacksnake
Ryuujin - dragon
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Chapter 2: A Stranger in Their Midst
She forgot the reasons why she was mad at him, and not speaking to him. All she saw was the face of the man she loved, standing there helplessly about to get destroyed. She hadn't meant to follow them, but the group of seven people had shown up unexpectedly. And though they were a friendly bunch, there were secrets that they were keeping from her. She shook her head, distracted by the thoughts at hand. The flame, the fear of loss, burst within her, and she could not for the life explain what happened next, or remember what she had done. It was as if another person had taken over.
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They were woefully underqualified. They could never hope to beat Nakago at the rate they were going. He cursed under his breath. His weapon was powerless against Nakago's shield that had enveloped them. And in their last match up, he had remembered the sense of helplessness that struck him. He had been so cocky, so confident that they could take down the blonde gaijin that was the protector of the Seiryuu seishi. As he thought about his fellow seishi, he was once again faced with his own inadequacies. He winced as Tamahome took another painful hit from Nakago, the anger and rage boiling within him. He had to do something. He could not just stand here and watch the team die just like that. And Miaka. He had to protect her as well. As he brought out his weapon, Nakago merely smiled cruelly in response.
"You forget how powerless you are when you're within the shield I created?" Kuso, that man almost seemed amused by his actions. He couldn't allow that as he gritted his teeth in aggravation and frustration. I will die if needs be, though hopefully Mitsukake will be able to revive me in time. His symbol glowed, almost matching the colour of his hair as he glared at the blue eyes of the Kutou general.
"You will not defeat us," he snarled, standing protectively in front of Miaka.
"You will die, along with your little miko there."
The smirk totally got to him as he burned with fury. The sound of a sword unsheathing greeted the group present and Nakago burst out laughing.
"This is the best you can offer?"
A flash of light appeared, blinding them temporarily as they heard the clang of metal. It wasn't until later that they realised that the light had not come from the sword.
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"Otousan, I hurt so badly." She clutched her arm that was broken, the tears flooding her eyes. Her father bent down to inspect the injury, wincing slightly as he did so. Scanning the area for a wooden splint, he proceeded to secure the arm, prevent it from moving further and causing more pain. The woebegone expression on her face always hurt him so much. She was so much like her mother in that way. Every emotion, every thought that went on in that head of hers was always open for the world to see. At least she wasn't whining as most little children were prone to do (even though he'd still love her if she did). Even as a baby, she was the most adorable child. She would never cry or give her parents too much grief. She fairly radiated with health and had begun walking at a young age. In fact, he was sure his precocious baby girl had skipped the crawling and walking stage and taken straight to running. She was so full of energy, a fitting symbol of the best of her parents' worlds combined together.
"You must remember to never let your guard down," he chided though the way he helped his child up was at odds with his tone. He felt so helpless with what was going on. It wasn't her fault that they were in this predicament. He had been bound by a promise to his wife, and he knew how badly she would hurt inside once she saw what had happened to their child.
"Hai, otousan. I will do better next time," she said solemnly.
He regretted the way things ended up, and why things had to happen the way they did. He wanted his only daughter to remain a child, and not grow up this quickly. She still managed to cling on to her childhood, and was bright and happy despite everything. He could only marvel and thank the gods that she had taken after her mother in that respect instead of him. He shifted, completely lost in his thoughts and nearly dropped his precious bundle. The motion jarred her arm, causing painful sensations to shoot up.
"Onegai! Make it stop. Make it stop," she whimpered, biting down her lip to stop from crying.
"Gomen, musume. Gomen for everything," he whispered, pressing a kiss in her soft curls, feeling the familiar sense of helplessness hit him once again.
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With blinding speed, she appeared suddenly in front of Nakago, who gaped at her. Those on hand would've found the expression funny if it hadn't been for the fact that an identical one hung on their face.
"Leave him alone," her tone was chilling, at odds with the normally sunny and sweet disposition that the Seishi and the miko were used to.
Momentarily stunned, the blonde general quickly regained his composure. He had never seen another human being move so quickly in his life. It was as if within a blink of an eye, she had somehow covered half the field's considerable length. She almost hummed with a peculiar energy that radiated from her. Nothing detectable to the human eye, but one that he was able to, given his own particular skills. A chuckle sounded, and her eyes narrowed at him.
"Leave them alone," she repeated, her tone brooking no argument, eyes shining with deadly earnest.
"This does not concern you, though I could care less if I kill you."
"You believe that YOUR powers could kill me?"
The grin on her face nearly threw him off. Such arrogance for one so young, and one so insignificant. She was not one of the seven seishi, and as such, her life was irrelevant.
"You're pretty sure of yourself," he commented, allowing his amusement to take over.
"What's this, a contest?"
Smart-mouthed little shrew, Nakago thought to himself. The bored look that had appeared on her face filled him up with rage and he dimly noted the look of horror and dismay on her friends' faces. He suddenly realised something. By destroying her, he could affect the emotions of the Seishi and the miko, and as such, irrational people were more prone to mistakes. That way, he could dispose of them finally. The urge to become the most powerful being overwhelmed him, and became his only obsession. Very well. I will destroy you. He smirked at her. "I will enjoy ending your existence. Stay back, Amiboshi, Suboshi."
The twins hung back, ready to attack should the strange girl manage to somehow defeat Nakago, though it was highly doubtful that such a day would ever come. Even Tamahome's skills were lacking when compared to the shogun's.
A brilliant blue glow shone from his forehead, causing her to freeze momentarily. What have I gotten myself into? It doesn't matter. Confidence. I know I can do this. I know I can do it for him. With a sudden roar, he leapt towards her, drowning out the cries of her name on everyone's lips. Prepare, anticipate. She stood still, holding his blue gaze steadily. She read the confusion in them as she stayed put, not moving until the very last second before his hand would strike her. He was fast, but it was a good thing that she was even faster. She disappeared momentarily, reappearing just as suddenly behind him. He spun around too late, trying desperately to shift his momentum backwards. She reached forth, grabbed his shoulders, and flung him backwards easily, as if he were a rag doll and not some man who outweighed her by a good one hundred pounds.
The twins moved forth and caught the flying general though the impact sent them flying quite a few feet. The gasps of astonishment followed by silence greeted her as she stood there, not a hair out of place, looking calmly upon the blonde man who was now looking like he wanted to kill her most painfully. The red that flooded his face was almost comical in nature as she quirked her head sideways. Shoving the twins aside, he seethed and she could almost feel the anger radiating from him.
"Now you're asking for it."
No one in the group had ever seen Nakago using his power to full potential and the sight was eerie to say the least. The blue of his aura now felt ominous in nature, and the hatred that was in his system for being humiliated in front of the Suzaku seishi was palpable. Miaka shivered in response, feeling the cold rage spreading itself in waves. Be careful my friend…
He merely looked at her, and she felt the blow coming before it even appeared as an invisible wave. Telepathic powers, ne? She almost grinned to herself as she accepted the blow, feeling like a hundred punches being thrown at her, though she vaguely remembered that training was a lot tougher than this. She slid back a few inches, before pressing her feet down firmly, willing her body to stop. The sensation and power swept past her, causing her hair to fall from the confines of the bun that had held it up previously, and taking the seishi behind her along its path.
With the sunlight behind her, she looked fairly omnipotent as she grinned playfully at Nakago.
"That's the best you can do?"
Without warning, she moved, appearing in front of Nakago and punching him straight in the gut while staring into his eyes as she did so, the confidence of such a move shocking everyone senseless. And right before he passed out, he only had one thought on his mind. Magnificent eyes…
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She remembered the happier times, the way her siblings would play joyously with the other children. She also remembered her father being alive, though he hadn't been the best man in the world, he was the reason why they were alive. A gambler by trade, she had found out about the huge gaming debts that took away every cent that they had. One by one, each piece of furniture, any item of remote value disappeared, and transformed into the empty house that they now lived in. Years of neglect had turned it into the run down building it was. Her siblings were a little older now, though painfully thin. She tried her best, to give them as much nourishment as possible. But that was expensive. And now, this had to happen. A sob escaped from her as the tears fell, streaking hot across her cheeks as she cradled her baby brother in her arms. He had fallen sick to some dread illness, and the only cure was one of the rarest herbs to be found in China. Besides the fact that the medicine itself was hard to find, she could not afford to buy it for him. She pondered her choices that were sitting in front of her at the moment. If only she could've asked someone for guidance, but time was of the essence. Ryuujin would die if she couldn't get her hands on that herb. She wished desperately that Hotohori was by her side. He had once told her that if she EVER needed any help of any kind, he would be able to figure something out. Closing her eyes as the conflicting emotions swirled through her, she cursed her ill-fortune as he had just left a few days ago on some urgent matter. He had promised her he would be back … for her, he had told her tenderly.
"Hoto-chan… gomen for doing this. I have no choice. You have to understand. Onegai."
To be honest, there weren't very many options she had. She only had one. Kurohebi. The richest man in their tiny village. A rotund man who should by all means be jolly was instead the personification of evil. He was essentially the official in charge of their area. And when he had first set his eyes upon her, she had noticed the gleam of lust in his eyes as he licked his lips, looking at her as if she were some delicate morsel he could devour. He had always wanted her, and the sight of his grubby, fat hands and evil cruel lips made her shudder in disgust. She had heard about his countless cruelties towards various villagers for some imagined offense against him, and their lives were usually used as payment. She cringed as she imagined how she would be forced to degrade herself in order to gain his help, and thought about all that she would have to do with him.
"I love you, Hoto-chan." She wept for the loss of her life, and the loss of her love. But for her otouto, she would do anything. Taking a deep breath, she hoisted Ryuujin carefully, and making her way towards the palatial home. She would be forced to speak to the devil himself, and offer him her soul in exchange.
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"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Hotohori yelled at her once Amiboshi and Suboshi had retreated with their severely weakened shogun. He wanted to shake her senselessly for scaring the life out of him. When he had seen her standing up so bravely to him, he had been admiring for the briefest of seconds before freezing in absolute shock. He almost made a run for her, to scoop her delicate form into the safety of his arms, so he could protect her life with his own. Before he could do so, something about the way she stood struck him as off… as if she knew what she was doing, and she was fully confident of defeating Nakago. It had struck him dumb when he had seen how quickly she had been moving. Even Tamahome could not move at such speeds. Within a blink of an eye, she had somehow ended up behind Nakago. And when that telepathic blast had been sent at her, his heart stopped beating. He swore by it. He seemed powerless to move though something in her eyes, an odd glint, told him that she would be okay. She almost seemed accepting of the blow and allowed it to sweep through her as she stood her ground firmly. Then in a move that surprised them all (and caused him to choke on his tongue), she punched Nakago in the stomach, probably causing quite a few internal injuries. He grabbed her roughly by her shoulders and shook her, trying to get some sense into her. The overwhelming fear of losing her was too much as he suddenly crushed her body against his own. He could feel the tears slowly squeak by the tightly closed lids.
"I was so worried I would lose you," he whispered harshly against her ear, fighting the surge of emotions rising within.
He felt her body slump in his arms, not before she managed to murmur some fairly cryptic words. "Okaasan, otousan, I miss you so much."
It wasn't until much later that he discovered that the look in her eyes had been one of a stranger.