Disclaimer: It ain't mine.
Author's note: Wow, I guess you guys like it considering all the threats I've been getting to finish it. Well, sorry guys but there's a loooonnnggg way to go. This is also something I'm writing as an exercise for myself in sustained writing. And after reading this chapter, don't worry, it's NOT turning into a Amiboshi/Miaka fic. That's a small subplot that will grow MUCH smaller as soon as Suboshi and Yui get into town which ought to be in the next two chapters. Oh, and for all you Suboshi/Yui fans, check this out:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~uathach/yui_suboshi.html
Pretty beautiful. Anyway, please keep the reviews coming because I need feedback on the story so I can make it better for you guys. Am I getting the characters right? Is the story still interesting? Any part of the story you want to see more of (I'll mention right now that the chapter after this will be nothing but Suboshi and Yui getting back to town and Nakago and Soi realizing that "Oh shit, the Miko ain't here!") Thanks for your support everyone.
Suboshi watched Yui as she slept peacefully by the fire. The sight of her still eyes lids and slow, paced breathing nearly made the guilt he felt for deceiving her vanish. He had often watched her sleep at night. Watched her as she struggled against invisible villains, her eyelids fluttering and soft cries of protest escaping her lips. Or when she would begin to cry in her sleep, calling for Miaka. Suboshi's eyes suddenly narrowed and his fingers clenched tightly together. Living in the village with that girl was going to take some getting used to . . .He shook his head. She was no longer the Suzaku no Miko. And more importantly, his brother Amibo- Kaika, his brother Kaika was fond of her. Suboshi sighed. It seemed to him that the Gods enjoyed making his life complicated.
Yui suddenly smiled in her sleep and turned away from him, twisting deeper into the blankets he had wrapped around her. The material had been pulled tight, revealing the contour of her figure. Suboshi felt the heat on his face and imagined the deep red it must be turning as he tried to rid his mind of the memory of changing her. After all, he didn't do anything, and had she woken in that brown uniform she always wore, an outfit utterly alien to the region, she would never believe the story. It was purely in keeping with the reality of the story, Suboshi rationalized while trying very hard to keep his hormones in check. A quick self-inflicted blow to the head with the heel of his palm cleared his mind long enough to throw a few more dried brambles onto the fire. There were no trees, only dunes upon dunes of sand. Suboshi had tried to rouse her earlier so that she could eat a simple meal he had prepared, but it had been to no avail. However, his father and mother had informed him that the Bohkyaku took quite a bit out of a body, and a person could sleep for one to three days after drinking it.
Suboshi's body suddenly jerked, his leg kicking out slightly as his eyelids drooped to cover troubled eyes. That would take some getting used to, the idea of having parents. People who were supposed to love him. People besides his brother who would take care of him. He was so accustom to watching his own back, or being a small cog in any random gang of street kids, always grubbing for his next mouthful of food. Order around no matter where he was. How would he make his way in a calm and normal life? One where people were kind to each other and had real trades? That was a small fear that Suboshi had stuck in his mind. Apart from cloaking the village from Nakago he would have to build a life for himself, start over again. He needed to be taken on as an apprentice at a late age and gain a skill that would support him, and someday a family, comfortably. Suboshi desperately wished that Yui would be a part of that family. He knew he was already setting things up that way, but figured he was at least doing it for the right reasons. He couldn't describe in mere words how frustrating it was to see the woman he loved destroy herself a little more every day. To see such a bright and lively girl grow colder and allow herself to be manipulated. Suboshi wasn't stupid, no matter what the other Seiryu Seishi thought. Yui had allowed him brief glimpses of her true self every now and then when they were alone. He recalled the night when she had allowed him to escort her around the palace grounds in Kutuo while he pointed out the constellations of Seiryu . ..
Yui suddenly rolled over and quite deliberately opened her eyes. Suboshi froze in his sitting position, one hand resting lightly on his knee, the other half buried in the sand as he leaned back. With a wild look of fear the girl ran him up and down with her eyes before leaping up, casting away the blankets with one graceful movement. Dancing backwards she braced herself in the shifting sands and raised her fists slightly, an expression of mistrust clouding over the initial reaction of terror.
"Who the hell are you and where the hell am I?" Yui was breathing heavily and seemed fully prepared to attack him if he didn't handle the situation properly. Suboshi swallowed and righted himself, raising his hands into the classic surrendered position. He began to stand. "Back on the sand!" She shouted, jumping away, frantically stealing glimpses of the desert surrounding them, looking for an escape.
"Yui," He said gently. She responded, blinked and was suddenly still. He released an inward sigh of relief, she evidently had a few important shadows of her memory left. "Yui . . .I know this must be really scary for you, but I need you to calm down . . .ok?" She head jerked downwards ever so slightly. Suboshi began again to slowly rise. "Yui, do you remember anything that happened?"
* * * *
Kaika slowly, painfully lifted himself out of his bed. He heard Miaka talking with his mother in the next room, the two were unaware he had been listening for the past few moments still thinking he was asleep. A smile had settled onto his face as he heard the genuine fondness in the girl's voice. Already he was planning on how to build a life with her. Tu Hongren was prepared to take him back as an apprentice, despite the fact that Kaika could no longer remember the training he had already received. The entire village was mourning the tragedy that had befallen the young man and the two girls, one of whom was still missing. While Kaika was wistful for his past and worried over the brother he could not remember and the girl he was searching for, Yui was it? He couldn't feel a sense of sorrow. All he felt was elation as he saw his love's face.
"Kaika! You're up!" His mother gave him a warm smile that he returned wholeheartedly. One of the few things that cause him pain was thinking of the ordeal this must have been for his parents. Miaka smiled at him as she ate a piece of fruit. Kaika felt his heart swell as he stiffly walked to the table and took a seat across from his mother. "How are you feeling today?"
"Much better, mother, thank you. I think the sleep helped, I really do." He hoped his voice was earnest enough to convince his mother of his recent improvement. While he was feeling slightly better, Kaika still felt as though he had been dunked in the river, buried alive and then forced to combat feral wolves. He shook his head slightly Where the heck did that thought come from?
"Good, good. We want you to be all rested for the festival. You'll be playing your flute, won't you, dear?" He nodded with a broad smile, he could still play better then anyone in the village. As Master Tu had explained, music was intuition and not training, the soul could never forget it.
"So you'll be going then, Kaika?" Miaka queried in a concerned gentle tone overshadowed with a note of worry. "Everyone's been real worried because you got hurt so bad." She smiled nervously. Kaika covered her hand on the table with his own. She blushed and looked down.
"Don't worry, Miaka. I'll be fine. I'm not as bad off as everyone's been saying, I'm really not. Doctor Tau had been a great help to me, he says I should be fully recovered within a few weeks and I'll be easily on my feet by the end of this week." Smiling, she looked up at him before glancing at his mother who was nodding approvingly, supporting his story.
"Doctor Tau says he's never had a patient who's healed as quickly as our Kaika." His mother chuckled, relief in her eyes. "He's convinced that the Gods are with him!" Both Miaka and Kaika joined in her laughter. Everyone knew the Gods never played favorites with anyone, but it was a comforting thought nonetheless. After a few more minutes of idle chatter, Kaika's mother excused herself to go and 'finish the laundry'. Kaika was well aware that his parents were eager for him to wed the baker's daughter some day, and they wanted the pair to have lots of time ("But not too much time!" His father had joked the night before) to get to grow closer since they could no longer remember their childhood together. The two sat in silence until they heard his mother leave the house.
"Kaika, I'm so glad your getting better! I can't tell you how worried I've been!" Miaka suddenly burst as though she had been holding the sentiment in forever. She squeezed his hand while tears began to well in her eyes. Kaika reached across the table and gently patted her cheek.
"Miaka, don't worry!" The last thing in the world he wanted was for her to cry. "I'm fine." She sniffed a little, looking away. "Miaka, I really am better! And I'm going to get better! Doctor Tau said I'll be back to normal . . .physically anyway, soon and then I won't have to worry about anything except becoming an expert instrument crafter." Miaka nodded slowly, then asked thickly.
"Doesn't it bother you at all? Not being able to remember anything?"
Kaika sighed deeply. "It-It does. A lot. But I just remind myself that I've got to make new memories . . .and that moping over the lost ones won't help the new ones be happy. I've got to build a new life for myself, and I believe that the Gods have a plan . . .so this was all for the best." Miaka looked at him, a slight smile, tears slowly running down her face.
"Kaika . . .that was beautiful. Do you know how lucky I am to have someone like you to talk to?" Kaika felt his face turning red and tried to splutter some answer but she continued. "No, I think you're right. It just . . .well, it feels right being here. Like I belong here, like I've always been here . . .it's peaceful here." Kaika smiled, knowing just how she felt. "Are you worried about your brother?"
Kaika nodded. "I am, even though I haven't seen him since . . .well, before the sandstorm. But mother and father assure me that he's used to spending time in the desert and he'll find Yui and bring her back easily." He grinned. "Are you looking forward to seeing your friend again?"
"Yeah." Miaka ginned and nodded easily. "I am."
* * * *
Yui decided that her mind simply wasn't prepared to handle this onslaught of decidedly bad information and that was why she couldn't rid her ears of the harsh buzzing sound. She leaned into Shun, resting her head on his shoulder, comforted by his strong arm wrapped around her shoulder as they sat side-by-side. She stared dully at the fire.
"Well . . ." She began, desperately searching for something to take out of loosing everything that was her life. "I guess I'm lucky I wasn't killed . . .or injured." Frowning, Yui looked down at her impeccable tan dress and yellow blouse. Something wasn't adding up. "Shun, how did I make it through without a scratch?" She looked at the boy and was surprised to see him slowly blushing.
"Um . . .well, I brought an extra set of clothing for you because we all saw the state of Kaika and Miaka's clothes when we found them . . .so, I uh . . .I sort of . . ." Yui felt herself blushing furiously as Shun trailed.
"Oh! Ok! I'm sorry, I should've figured that alread-"
"No! No! It's my fault really! I should-"
"No, no fault! I should be thanking you for-"
"No! Nothing to be thanked for, it just seemed what I should-"
"Still, it was very nice of you and-" Suddenly aware of how fast the stumbled words had flown from both their mouths, and how red Shun was, and imagining how red she must be, Yui began to laugh. Shun grinned at her, surprised but gratified, and joined her. After a few moments the pair calmed down enough for Yui to ask "So why are you out here alone looking for me? Where's my father?" Shun sighed.
"When we found Kaika and Miaka he was needed back in the village to help Doctor Tau mend them. Kaika was pretty beat up . . ." He trailed, a wave of concern for his brother overcoming him. Yui lifted her head.
"You're worried about him." It wasn't a question, it was a concerned statement. Shun swallowed.
"Yeah, he's my brother. He's my twin. He's always looked out for me . . .and I wasn't there for him when he really needed it." His thoughts turned to the 'what ifs' of if her had only gotten to Tomo a little earlier. "I wish I had been in the desert with all of you when this had happened . . .so I could've protected you. Instead of just finding all of you." He felt Yui's hand run through his hair as she sighed.
"You're worried about your brother and you came to look for me." Shun heard the slight tremor in her voice, he looked at her and couldn't understand why she seemed ready to cry. In an instant she was in control of herself. "Don't beat yourself up so much Shun . . .it's not your fault we were all stupid enough to try and make it to Sairo without any protection. Besides," She smiled at him so warmly he felt like the scum of the universe. "You could have left us and then we'd all be dead." He managed a shaky smile. I should be happy about this . . .he thought as Yui put her head on his shoulder again murmuring something about him being a hero. He let a few minutes pass, not wishing to disturb her.
"So . . .y-you don't seem too upset about . . .well- everything." Shun stuttered. Yui sat up sharply, leaning away from him with a cryptic expression, somewhere between shock, sadness and anger. She stared at him and Shun raised his hands. "I-I just mean that-" She cut him off.
"No, it's alright." Yui sighed, staring at her feet. "I suppose I'm still in shock . . .I'd-I'd really rather not think about it right now." She managed a smile. "Thanks for your concern though . . .don't worry, tomorrow I'll probably be plenty upset for you." She rolled her eyes and leaned against him again, closing her eyes. "You make a good pillow." She teased. Shun smiled, putting his arm around her again, reflecting that this was all he could possibly want in the world at this moment. To hell with riches or fame or power or whatever else anyone wanted, for the first time in his life he felt completely contented.
* * * *
Across the dunes the ragged figure staggered amid the moonlight. As he reached the top of the massive sand drift an arid wind beating against his already dried and blistered face. The mask he wore had long since been discarded, torn to shreds by the blowing sand. His aching hand still clutched the heavy staff as he pulled himself along. The sand shifted suddenly and his feet gave way. He tumbled down the cliff like side of the dune, a wave of sand coming with him. He lay at the bottom, partially covered, still clutching his staff. He knew he would require it for one last task. His kesa and kasa had been left in the city of illusions, the monk had never realized before how convenient they had always been. Despite his pain, thirst, hunger and mounting troubles his desire drove him on. He had watched as a child and a decent man had withered away before his eyes, once the Seiryu spell had been broken by an unknown force. He was a powerful mage, he shouldn't have succumb to a stupid spell so easily. If his body had had any moisture to spare, he would have cried. He wore on. As a mage, he could feel things the other Suzaku could not. And as soon as he had broken free from the spell and found his dying friends he had felt it so distinctly. Two strong Seiryu forces moving through the desert. The Miko and the young warrior Suboshi. The girl who had betrayed Suzaku no Miko and the bastard who had killed children for sport. He had already lost precious time burying his dead comrades, but now he was close. So close . . .
It was time for the Seiryu to pay. And he, Suzaku Seishi Chichirri would have his vengeance.
