Disclaimer: We don't own FY or SM, demo if we did… we'd be in Japan buying manga and anime senselessly while chasing after bishies!
Notes: This IS a time-jumping fic, meaning the story is out of sequence. Secondly, imouto-chan and I noticed that some readers thought that the last chapter was all about the same guy, and it isn't. All the clues are there to be used to determine who each character is, though some are really subtle. Anyway, this chapter is entirely of my doing.
Quick blurb to my readers, ALL my other fics have been put on hold, with the exception of this one. I will be making an announcement soon regarding the status of my work and what I plan on doing. Just keep an eye out on my author profile for that.
To all the reviewers who've actually been following, arigatoo! ^-^
**
Chapter 2:
She sat there sullenly, the flames throwing her sulky features into one of beauty. It caught at the golden strands, and added tints of red to it. He sat there fascinated by everything she was. She was beautiful, strong, willful, and would run away if given half a chance. She also had a hurt, and a scar that she kept rubbing at absently, a vivid reminder of all that she had been through. 'Rei… how could you have kept such secrets from us?' For the first time, he found himself doubting the miko and what she had done. He remembered the anguish in Usagi's voice as she described the details. Her voice had been stony, but when she had gotten to what had happened, her voice faltered, and tears had begun streaming down her face. He felt himself burning with rage as he heard what had happened to her. He heard the pain in her voice as she longed to find her best friend.
"It was Nakago who saved me," she said softly, a warm glint appearing in her eyes. "He protected me, and destroyed those animals who … did that to me. He was there for every nightmare I had, every tear I shed. She wasn't. Rei was off gallivanting somewhere, finding her Tamahome so I could suffer as I did. You want to talk about selfishness? That's it at its prime. What she did to me… Yurunasai."
She looked so cold, so untouchable at the moment, but he knew better. He could feel the pain radiating from her, as she hugged herself, moving closer to the fire as if she could somehow revive her deadened soul. She had lost so much at such a young age. He, in a moment of oddity, was grateful to Nakago for taking care of her as he did, and for destroying those bastards that dared to hurt her. He felt his heart twist a bit as he continued looking at her, and she turned around suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Don't feel sorry for me. I don't want your pity. Save it for Rei once I'm through with her," she shot out. "And when my seishi come for me, you'll pay for it."
He saw through it all. The brave front she had thrown up to protect her already broken heart and tormented soul. She had been through so many disappointments in life. All she had ever wanted was to be with her best friend, and … how could Rei let her down like that? He mentally reminded himself whose side he was on. The last person he should be sympathizing with was the Seiryuu no miko. But as he remembered all she had been through, he felt an unusual feeling run through him. His hand reached out, and gently placed it on her shoulder. She whirled around, fear in those beautiful eyes.
"Don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you." He couldn't stop the words that came out of his mouth. The more he was around her, the more he was changing. She was taking away all the protective walls that he had normally surrounded his heart with. He didn't need the complications in his life. She gazed at him defiantly, and he could see the anguish in her soul, something she probably wasn't even aware of.
"You're the enemy… you're one of HER seishi," she shot back, voice wavering slightly.
"Are you just repeating things that Nakago told you? Or are you capable of forming your own opinions?"
She stared at him wordlessly, an odd mixture of annoyance and something else.
"Judge me not by who I am, but what I do. Don't be an idiot."
She blinked a few times, and flew into him, pounding her fists on his chest. He merely closed his arms around her, and he couldn't explain how the feel of her in his arms made him feel, that odd softening in his system. After a few minutes, the tears began falling, and he felt them sear his chest. The deep shudders that wracked her body and her cries were tearing his soul. He felt so damned helpless. All he could do was hold her as she wept for the loss of the girl she once was, before she had been tainted. Eventually, her tears subsided and the occasional hiccup that came from her signified her struggle to regain control over her emotions. She pulled her head from his, watery blue eyes that made him experience things he did not want to feel, should not be feeling.
"I…"
"You're such trouble you know that?" He growled as her eyes darkened slightly. He had done that? He had the power to affect her like this? Funny, he had always thought it was the other way around. She tried to pull away, but he wasn't going to let her. Until the next seishi came along to take over his shift, he would have but one moment in time with her. His arms tightened around her, bringing her closer to him again.
"Baka…" He muttered gruffly as he pressed a kiss into her silky hair. Sitting them down, she curled up on his lap, and that was the way they stayed, till dawn broke. I knew I should've stayed away from you…
**
She was running, her heart pounding in her chest, as she cursed herself soundly for not practising harder in her gym classes. She was the prey, and HE was gaining on her. No no no… not when she was so close to getting away. Adrenaline coursed through her blood, and zig-zagging between several trees, she tried to lose him but to no avail. He was too good, and she was just a bloody amateur. Her feet pounded hard on the rocks, and she winced slightly when she stepped on a particularly sharp rock. She stumbled, falling face first onto the ground. She felt the scraping on her delicate flesh, and she whimpered in pain, the sensation completely overpowering all her senses. She hurt all over, and she cursed herself soundly for being this careless. Her pursuer stopped near her, and glanced at her casually. He loomed over her, and she hated how he made her feel so tiny and insignificant. A soft exclamation came from him as he bent down to see to her injuries.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was deep, and actually sounded like he cared, unlike those harsh yells he had sent in her direction as he was chasing her.
"What does it look like?" She retorted. Her runaway mouth. It would get her into trouble some day. Then again, it already had, as a pain in her soul began throbbing once again. Iie. She would not allow herself to feel it. She couldn't. She had to get back to her seishi. His eyes, however, saw too much, and read the depths of pain that she couldn't bring herself to verbalise. A strange glint crossed his beautiful eyes, and he picked her up, his touch gentle.
"You shouldn't have tried that. Then you wouldn't have hurt yourself that badly, though I imagine I'm partly at fault for causing you to fall down like that."
She tried not to feel anything as he carried her. The sudden surge of attention lately had been confusing, and this was another one to add to the fray. Why was all this happening to her? She didn't even dare to examine her emotions at this point. Everything was jumbled in her head, and now, he was being sweet to her. He put her down on a tree that had fallen over, and he lifted her leg to examine it. Wincing slightly, she noted that his touch was light, careful, and oddly, tender.
"You won't be walking on this for a while," he commented, his voice sounding oddly unsteady. "Grab a hold of something. This is going to hurt."
Tears sprang to her eyes, as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, feeling the bite of her nails against her palm as he pulled out the rock that had embedded itself to the bottom of her foot. A soft moan of pain nearly escaped but she held on to her tongue, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her as she was. He shook his head, staring at the offensive rock that had caused her so much pain, and seeing the blood that now trickled on his hands. Standing up abruptly, he ripped his sleeve off, the sound drawing her attention to his face.
"What are you…"
"Hold still."
He wrapped the cloth around her foot securely, and as he finished, his gaze caught hers, and she could swear there was the slightest hint of a blush on his cheeks. He stood up once again, and was about to walk away.
"Where are you going? Aren't you afraid I'm going to run away?"
"You could try, demo I think your foot would hurt too much."
And it did, throbbing painfully. She scowled at his back, and he paused.
"I'm going to get some water to cleanse your wounds. Try not to run too far if you do try to escape. I'll just find you so you might as well just save your energy and stay put."
Damn him. It almost sounded like a command. Who did he think he was? She seethed as she waited, feeling the blood on her fingertips as she touched her cheek absently. Great. Another scar, she thought to herself bitterly. She heard the sounds of wildlife around the forest, and she froze in fear. What if she got eaten by a bear? She almost giggled at the thought. Seiryuu no miko taken down by a bear. A curious little squirrel went up to her and stood on its hind legs, staring at her. She found herself struck by the dark eyes that gazed up at her. She had no food on her, as she gazed around, giving a quiet "Aha" as she spied an acorn not too far away. Stretching her arms as far as she could reach, she grabbed at the nut and held it in her hand, offering it to the squirrel. It just stared at her warily, as if trying to assess how dangerous she was against the food she was clearly offering. She laughed softly, a smile on her lips.
"I won't hurt you. Honest. Not like the way I was."
To her surprise and the man watching the scene silently, the animal scampered up to her, sniffed at her offering, and grabbed at it. She giggled at the sensation of the squirrel's nose against her hand as it ran away. She let a soft sigh. Poor Nakago. He must be so worried about her, and she knew he'd be sending out an army of men to look for her. Her seishi would find her, or so she kept telling herself.
"You were almost happy there," he commented, startling her as he knelt down beside her. How had he managed to sneak past her defenses? She refused to comment. She wouldn't. She suddenly noted there were various rips on his obviously expensive garment. He had torn his other sleeve to wet the material that was currently wiping away at the cuts on her face. She winced slightly, and his eyes darkened. "Gomen. I am awkward at this."
She laughed at the expression on his face. He looked so lost as to what he was doing, like he had never done it before. He glanced at her, surprise on his face. She felt oddly compelled to say something.
"You're doing a good job," she said softly.
A smile appeared on his face, and she found herself struck dumb by how gorgeous he was. Unwrapping her foot again, he gently cleansed the wound and applied some leaves before re-wrapping with a red piece of cloth that he had ripped from the front of his garment.
"It looks like something I saw my physicians use once. It should help." Gathering a few more leaves, he placed them carefully on the ground, nestled on another piece of cloth. Taking the handle of his sword, he began pounding at it, making a poultice. He made a slight face, as she stared at him in shock, and dipped his hand to apply it on the scratches on her face. Suddenly, his face broke out into a smile of amusement. "This stuff stinks, ne?"
She couldn't help herself. For the first time in a long time, she laughed in front of someone else. She didn't notice how captivated he was by her smile, nor did she realise that he was leaning closer, laying a gentle hand on her other cheek, thumb grazing it softly. She stared at him helplessly, his gaze capturing her own, and she wasn't sure what to do. She felt her heart accelerating, and the slight flush that coated her cheeks. Her lips parted and she saw him close his eyes, as if fighting an internal battle. With a muttered curse, his lips descended upon her own.
**
She had felt all of Rei's pain as if it were her own, as she sat there in that dank, musty library, reading each word carefully. She realised with a sudden start that this book was somehow describing all of what Rei had experienced in that world. She absently touched her heart, relieved that her best friend had made the decision to live, but it wasn't for her. It was for her newfound friends in that world. She couldn't help feeling just a bit jealous. Despite all that they had been through, it wasn't enough that Rei should want to live for her, so they could go to the same high school together. It took some complete strangers that she had just met to sway her mind. Usagi felt petty, when she should've been glad that Rei decided to return to the world of the living. She repressed her feelings, buried them where she wouldn't have to think about them and continued reading. Suddenly, she felt a strange warmth suffuse her entire being, much like that first time they had been shifted to that world. She jumped up in alarm, and it felt like something was ripping through her body. She screamed in pain right before she disappeared.
**
It wasn't right. What he was feeling wasn't right. How could he possibly? He felt like he was being disloyal, yet as he gazed upon her, there was a strange feeling that overcame him. The sadness in her eyes, he wanted to slay all her demons for her, protect her from the evils that she had seen in her life. She was too young, too innocent to have viewed all of this. But she was the Seiryuu no miko. He wasn't supposed to feel such emotions for her. His heart was taken by somebody else, but even as he saw her stir, he wondered if his feelings for the other wasn't spawned by his duties. First love. It was all too confusing.
"Iie!!! Stay away from me!!! Don't … onegai… don't… oh kami-sama, where are you, Rei? Where are you?! Why aren't you saving me??! Doushite?!"
Her screams came from the depths of her soul, and he found himself with his heart lodged in his throat as he reacted. She was thrashing on the ground, trying to escape from her invisible assailants. Tears were streaming from her eyes, her face twisted in anguish. Harsh cries left her throat, as he stood there helplessly, not really knowing what to do. He had to do something before the other two came back to kill him. He didn't miss the look in both men's eyes as they looked at her. He knelt down beside her, and she fought him as he struggled to contain her flailing arms. One fist got him particularly good right in his stomach and his breath flew out, grunting in pain. He finally managed to restrain her arms, and he held on to her tightly, as if his life depended on it. Eventually, the struggles subsided, and her sobs quieted down.
"Doushite, Rei?"
Those words tore at his very being. It had all been circumstances, and bad timing. Still he couldn't help the guilt that flooded through him, or the emotions that surged with her in his arms. He could not. He could not. He must not. She looked so troubled, and he resisted. He tried so desperately, but it was a losing battle. Her lips beckoned like a siren's call, and he was powerless to its spell. He just wanted to soothe her, and know what it was like to feel those lips beneath his own. With a soft groan, he kissed her softly, feathering little kisses . To his immense surprise, she appeared to calm down at the touch, and he gave himself up to the moment. One stolen moment. Just one. The guilt would remain in his soul forever. And he wondered if the price he'd pay wasn't worth it.
From the bushes behind, two figures watched silently, rising emotions of surprise, horror, and jealousy mixing powerfully.