Kasou ~ Flower Burial

by littlemaiko





Disclaimer: Gensou Suikoden 2 and all its elements are properties of KCE. Title is taken from "Kasou", property of L'arc~en~Ciel. Stealing is prohibited.

Note: Hisui is the name of Hero from Suikoden 2.



:: Chapter 2 ::





Studying the soft features on the girl's face, Camus gradually let his muscles relax. For a few seconds, he'd stood there like a statue, his mind trying frantically to adjust to the most unexpected happening. He watched the pre-spring breeze carry Nanami's chin-length brown hair, exactly as he remembered from before. There was no mistaking the girl who held so much space in his heart.

"Lady Nanami." Camus finally called the name, approaching with grace to take a beige-gloved hand in his own. "It has been... long." Speaking with suppressed affection, he brushed his lips against the back of the small hand.

A tinted blush colored Nanami's cheeks at the knightly greeting. She smiled and managed a return. "I'm sorry for not coming by earlier."

"L-L-L-Lady Nanami!"

"Waaaa!"

A blur of blue crossed Camus' vision and it took him a moment to focus to Miklotov hugging the lithe visitor. He had to chuckle; his friend was crushing the girl in his joy. He couldn't blame the more emotional knight for acting upon the feeling, but he cleared his throat and pulled at the other's shoulder.

"Miklotov, that's no way to greet a lady."

"...I-I am sorry, Lady Nanami!" The dark-haired Blue Knight jumped away from the girl as hastily as he had approached her, turning red.

Nanami broke into a fit of laughter, her clear, high voice carrying over the rustling of the wind. Soft-colored cloak cascaded with air and floated about her person like wings. Camus thought that he smelled faint aroma of flowers but couldn't recognize what scent it was. No sooner than he had sensed it, the sweetness dissipated into the breeze.

"Please come to the palace, Lady Nanami. I'd like to hear your story." The Red Knight offered a hand to escort the teenager. Once it was taken, he began back to the stone palace of Rockaxe, Miklotov following close by.

//...Cherry blossom...//

Remembering the scent that had touched his nostrils, Camus glanced briefly at Nanami. The girl was the same as before, from lively chestnut eyes to small toes clad in cloth shoes. Then, what was the instinctive unnaturalness he felt from the soft hand he held?

**********

Miklotov shifted slightly in the chair, unaware that he was making it creak under his weight. His attention was fixed upon the young woman seated to his right; he wanted to question her right away about her miraculous survival, but Camus had deftly avoided the topic and offered them strawberry shortcakes and mint tea. It was obvious that the amber-haired man had done so to keep Miklotov from speaking up.

//Isn't he even a little curious? No, this is Camus. He must be dying to ask but he's taking necessary steps to inquire a lady.//

Thinking to himself, the dark-haired man stabbed his fork into the strawberry. He munched upon it rather absentmindedly, eating the sweets only to pass time. At least, an old burden had been weighed off of his conscience. He and Camus had both been there, in this palace, when Nanami had "died". They'd been there, yet they couldn't even save one girl's life. Moving on hadn't been too difficult, but forgetting was impossible. How could they? He didn't know about Camus, but to him, Nanami had been the only girl to whom he could relate. Women often intimidated him with their flirtatious smiles and sultry tone of speech, but the brown-haired girl was different.

"So... Lady Nanami." Camus put down his silverware and smiled across the table in his most conversational expression. "Will you grace us with the truth? I'd imagine that Sir Shu and Sir Huan conspired to hide you from us."

A thoughtful look crossed Nanami's rounded face. She swallowed the piece of cake in her mouth and took a sip from the steaming tea, eating in dainty yet hearty fashion like she used to during their afternoon teatime back at the Camelot Castle.

"I don't know about Shu and Huan-sensei... I woke up in my house at Kyaro. I didn't know what was going on... I thought I was dead." Nanami sighed deeply and held her hands on her lap, looking unsure. "By the time I recovered enough to move around, the war was over. I heard that Jowy abandoned L'Renouille and that he was missing... and that Hisui became the new ruler of Jowston."

"...Lady Nanami, do you know of Sir Jowy's...?" Miklotov asked hesitantly.

"I figured it out." With a sad little smile, the girl nodded. "Hisui wouldn't have become the king if he'd found Jowy... or if Jowy was alive. I think... he took in the Black Sword Rune to complete the Beginnings Rune."

"We don't know for sure, either. From what we have heard, Lord Hisui's rune has changed its appearance. Your guess is the most probable." Camus offered another cup of herbal tea for Nanami, setting the porcelain pot aside before continuing with the talk. "Did you go see Lord Hisui?"

"...Not yet."

"Why? Lady Nanami, Lord Hisui has been keeping to himself since you left him. He'd be delighted to find out the truth!" The chair made a cluttering noise as Miklotov stood up.

"Miklotov, sit down." The older knight ordered calmly, reminding the other once again that it was not the way to act before a lady. "Lady Nanami, why haven't you? Muse is on the way from Caro to here."

"I'm uneasy. I'm sure that Hisui will be happy to see me. I will be happy to be with him again... but he's a king now. I don't want to shock him just yet, when the country's finally pulling itself together." Nanami whirled her spoon in the tea, watching milk melt into the brown liquid. Her eyes were downcast, straight oriental lashes creating shadows over her eyes.

"Being a king does not change the fact that he is your brother, Lady Nanami." Camus smiled reassuringly, placing a piece of curved sugar-rose in Nanami's teacup. The pink crumb dissolved slowly, sinking into the depth of the tea.

"...I will go see him, later. I want to stay here for a while, though. Is that all right?"

"It will be our pleasure." The two knights nodded in unison, then the three of them joined in soft laughter of the warm midday terrace.

**********

"If there is anything you need, please tell us."

"Thank you, Camus, Miklotov."

Nanami closed the door with a soft click, glad to be in the dimly lit room by herself. She liked the company of two handsome knights, but their attention suffocated her. The fact that she couldn't answer most questions without lying made her feel pathetic. All the talk about Caro had been something she made up along the way to Rockaxe. How could she tell them the truth?

"...That I found myself standing under the cherry tree? No, I can't... That's too strange." Shaking her head, Nanami began to take off her traveling clothes to take a warm bath. She kept her glove on the right hand on until the very end when she had the towel wrapped around her body. With a bad anticipation that accompanied her every time she did this, she pulled the glove off.

"Why won't you go away?"

A thin red line was still vivid on her index finger. It was the mark Camus had made when they'd exchanged the promise a year ago. Just a small nick that should have healed in a few days. Nanami tried pushing on the fingertip a little and stifled a cry of dread. Vivid droplet of red puckered out of the cut, as if she'd been cut only just now. Sweet smell of spring flower filled the room with that of blood.





"Why won't you go away!?"





Nanami fled into the bathroom and poured cold water over herself. She didn't know what was going on. It scared her... She couldn't go to Hisui, because he'd find out and be upset. Her first thought had been to seek out Camus. She didn't know why, but she had come to Rockaxe as though she'd been drawn to the Red Knight. She only hoped that... the elegant knight would become her savior and pull her out of the muddled madness and confusion.

Red from her slender finger was washed away in the rain of water. Lingering smell of iron and cherry blossom haunted her until she gave way to tears.





To be Continued