Kokoro Mitsukeru Heiwa - Chapter 4
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The ship was moving at a decent pace. It would be a long journey regardless, but Chichiri was comfortable knowing that Konan's shores were already out of sight behind them. At the bow of the ship he sat, arms and legs crossed as he contemplated all that had happened. It hadn't been that long after he'd discovered Nuriko's disappearance that the others had been made known of it, and they'd decided to go on with their plans regardless. There was nothing else to do, really. It wasn't going to be easy, though... that much they'd known to begin with and now it was even worse. Hotohori had to stay behind, his duties as Emperor wouldn't allow for him to leave. That much had been expected. What hadn't been anticipated was the absence of the strongest of the seishi as well. The five remaining seishi and their Miko had been particularly subdued as the ship set sail.
Tamahome had been holding up well, even though he had the added weight of his family's death on his shoulders. Sweet Suzaku, if only they'd gotten there sooner. Chichiri shook his head at that, lowering his gaze to the deck of the ship. No... all things happened for a reason, and this was no exception. Still... the thought of those children lying dead on the ground infuriated him. Slender hands tightened around his arms as he looked out at the water before them once more. It was then that he felt it... the searing flare of raw power that could only be caused by one of the seishi. Or in the case of the sheer strength of this particular surge, it could only be Suzaku himself!
He rose to his feet quickly, whipping around to look over the ship. It didn't take long for him to pinpoint the energy flare and jump down to the main deck, taking off at full speed towards it. There, standing in the midst of a visible circle of crimson light, was Chiriko, the youngest of the seishi. He seemed to be staring at something just before himself, one arm outstretched as he darted forward. Chichiri heard a name shouted from the boy's lips as the glow surrounding him brightened for a brief moment, then vanished altogether. Chichiri was half expecting his comrade to have vanished as well, but let out a breath of relief when he saw Chiriko kneeling on the deck near where he'd been standing a few moments before. Stepping forward, Chichiri approached the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Chiriko was fighting back tears, his eyes glistening with moisture as he looked up to the blue-haired monk. "I saw him, Chichiri. I tried to reach him, but I couldn't."
"Who did you see, no da?" Chichiri lowered himself to the deck then, sitting next to the younger seishi. As the words left his lips, he knew instinctively what had happened. "Nuriko?"
The boy just nodded, looking forlornly back towards the spot where the crimson light has originated. "I saw him. He looked lost, and then he saw me. I know he saw me because he called out to me. He was trying to reach us, and I almost had him, I swear it. Then the light grew so bright that I couldn't see... and then it was gone." Sighing softly, Chiriko's shoulder hunched forward and he looked down to his hands. "I should have been faster."
"No, Chiriko. I don't think it would have mattered, no da." At the boy's surprise, Chichiri just held up a hand. The other seishi immediately stopped what he'd been about to say and waited for the monk to finish. "I wasn't present for this, but heard about it from Heika and Tamahome both. Before I joined the seishi, and long before we found you, Miaka and Tamahome were nearly captured by the Emperor's guard after she inadvertantly showed dishonor towards him, no da." He nearly smiled at the look of shock on Chiriko's face. "You see, the Emperor didn't know that she was the Suzaku no Miko just yet. No one did, no da. Tamahome rescued her from the guard, but before they could get away, a deep red glow surrounded her, much like what you just saw, and she faded right out of his grasp." The monk looked up towards the sky then, trying to remember all of the details he'd been told. It had been a while, but his memory had never failed him yet.
"According to what she told Tamahome afterward, she had nearly been taken back to her own world, no da. But something had stopped her, and Suzaku brought her back. That may have been what just happened to Nuriko. Almost able to return, but not quite, no da. The Miko's mission on this world hadn't been completed yet, and apparently neither has Nuriko's on whatever world he's been taken to."
Chiriko simply nodded, dropping his gaze once more. "I hope that whatever it is, he comes back soon. I didn't know him well, but he talked to me and made me welcome. I've only been here a few days now, but I felt like I knew him already. I don't think the others quite know how to deal with me, to be honest. Heika was kind to me, and listened to me, but that was only for a day or two at most."
Dear Suzaku, how could he be so blind? Chichiri sighed inwardly, berating himself as he put a hand on the boy's arm. "Chiriko, I'm sorry. For what that's worth. The rest of us have had little time to get to know each other, really. Hotohori, Tamahome and Nuriko have been among each other the longest, and had the longest amount of time to know each other. Myself, Tasuki and Mitsukake only joined them over the past month. This is harder on you than on any of us, I think... of us all, the only one with family still is... was, Tamahome." They both fell silent for a few moments, each of them looking towards the small entrance to the cabin where Tamahome slept. "You were brought to Konan to join us and had to leave your family behind. I know I likely haven't been the most talkative of us lately... but if you give me a second chance, I'll certainly try."
As Chiriko nodded and smiled to him, Chichiri found himself mirroring the boy's expression. He was far too young to have to deal with all of this, and he vowed he'd make it easier any way he could. The soft rumbling of thunder in the distance startled them both out of their thoughts and as one, they turned to face the sound. Chiriko narrowed his gaze, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun above and get a better look. "Those clouds don't look right to me..."
Chichiri had to agree. Ominously black, the clouds hung over the horizon, drawing closer with each gust of wind. The wind itself seemed to grow stronger even over the short amount of time they sat there watching. The monk felt the hair at the back of his neck rise and immediately was on his feet, hand tightening around the staff at his side. "Chiriko, warn the others, no da. This isn't a normal storm."
He wasn't sure if the boy heeded him instantly or if he stood there a moment longer. His concentration was on the impending storm and the fact that the energy surrounding it was manevolant enough to set his teeth on edge. Seiryuu shichiseishi... it had to be one of them. Only their power could leave this kind of signature for anyone to see. His suspicions were confirmed when he realized that his powers of sight couldn't penetrate the clouds at all, in fact they seemed to bounce right off of it. The darkness in the sky seemed to begin to shift, curling around so that no matter what direction they might turn the ship, they would be headed directly into the seething mass.
Scanning the skies, he deduced that they had perhaps another half hour before they would hit the leading edge of the storm. That was enough time to prepare the ship as best they could. He had a sinking feeling however, that if the Seiryuu seishi were indeed behind this... it wasn't going to be easy to get through this. They'd already come into this adventure minus two of their number... how many more would be missing before this was through?
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TBC
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The ship was moving at a decent pace. It would be a long journey regardless, but Chichiri was comfortable knowing that Konan's shores were already out of sight behind them. At the bow of the ship he sat, arms and legs crossed as he contemplated all that had happened. It hadn't been that long after he'd discovered Nuriko's disappearance that the others had been made known of it, and they'd decided to go on with their plans regardless. There was nothing else to do, really. It wasn't going to be easy, though... that much they'd known to begin with and now it was even worse. Hotohori had to stay behind, his duties as Emperor wouldn't allow for him to leave. That much had been expected. What hadn't been anticipated was the absence of the strongest of the seishi as well. The five remaining seishi and their Miko had been particularly subdued as the ship set sail.
Tamahome had been holding up well, even though he had the added weight of his family's death on his shoulders. Sweet Suzaku, if only they'd gotten there sooner. Chichiri shook his head at that, lowering his gaze to the deck of the ship. No... all things happened for a reason, and this was no exception. Still... the thought of those children lying dead on the ground infuriated him. Slender hands tightened around his arms as he looked out at the water before them once more. It was then that he felt it... the searing flare of raw power that could only be caused by one of the seishi. Or in the case of the sheer strength of this particular surge, it could only be Suzaku himself!
He rose to his feet quickly, whipping around to look over the ship. It didn't take long for him to pinpoint the energy flare and jump down to the main deck, taking off at full speed towards it. There, standing in the midst of a visible circle of crimson light, was Chiriko, the youngest of the seishi. He seemed to be staring at something just before himself, one arm outstretched as he darted forward. Chichiri heard a name shouted from the boy's lips as the glow surrounding him brightened for a brief moment, then vanished altogether. Chichiri was half expecting his comrade to have vanished as well, but let out a breath of relief when he saw Chiriko kneeling on the deck near where he'd been standing a few moments before. Stepping forward, Chichiri approached the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Chiriko was fighting back tears, his eyes glistening with moisture as he looked up to the blue-haired monk. "I saw him, Chichiri. I tried to reach him, but I couldn't."
"Who did you see, no da?" Chichiri lowered himself to the deck then, sitting next to the younger seishi. As the words left his lips, he knew instinctively what had happened. "Nuriko?"
The boy just nodded, looking forlornly back towards the spot where the crimson light has originated. "I saw him. He looked lost, and then he saw me. I know he saw me because he called out to me. He was trying to reach us, and I almost had him, I swear it. Then the light grew so bright that I couldn't see... and then it was gone." Sighing softly, Chiriko's shoulder hunched forward and he looked down to his hands. "I should have been faster."
"No, Chiriko. I don't think it would have mattered, no da." At the boy's surprise, Chichiri just held up a hand. The other seishi immediately stopped what he'd been about to say and waited for the monk to finish. "I wasn't present for this, but heard about it from Heika and Tamahome both. Before I joined the seishi, and long before we found you, Miaka and Tamahome were nearly captured by the Emperor's guard after she inadvertantly showed dishonor towards him, no da." He nearly smiled at the look of shock on Chiriko's face. "You see, the Emperor didn't know that she was the Suzaku no Miko just yet. No one did, no da. Tamahome rescued her from the guard, but before they could get away, a deep red glow surrounded her, much like what you just saw, and she faded right out of his grasp." The monk looked up towards the sky then, trying to remember all of the details he'd been told. It had been a while, but his memory had never failed him yet.
"According to what she told Tamahome afterward, she had nearly been taken back to her own world, no da. But something had stopped her, and Suzaku brought her back. That may have been what just happened to Nuriko. Almost able to return, but not quite, no da. The Miko's mission on this world hadn't been completed yet, and apparently neither has Nuriko's on whatever world he's been taken to."
Chiriko simply nodded, dropping his gaze once more. "I hope that whatever it is, he comes back soon. I didn't know him well, but he talked to me and made me welcome. I've only been here a few days now, but I felt like I knew him already. I don't think the others quite know how to deal with me, to be honest. Heika was kind to me, and listened to me, but that was only for a day or two at most."
Dear Suzaku, how could he be so blind? Chichiri sighed inwardly, berating himself as he put a hand on the boy's arm. "Chiriko, I'm sorry. For what that's worth. The rest of us have had little time to get to know each other, really. Hotohori, Tamahome and Nuriko have been among each other the longest, and had the longest amount of time to know each other. Myself, Tasuki and Mitsukake only joined them over the past month. This is harder on you than on any of us, I think... of us all, the only one with family still is... was, Tamahome." They both fell silent for a few moments, each of them looking towards the small entrance to the cabin where Tamahome slept. "You were brought to Konan to join us and had to leave your family behind. I know I likely haven't been the most talkative of us lately... but if you give me a second chance, I'll certainly try."
As Chiriko nodded and smiled to him, Chichiri found himself mirroring the boy's expression. He was far too young to have to deal with all of this, and he vowed he'd make it easier any way he could. The soft rumbling of thunder in the distance startled them both out of their thoughts and as one, they turned to face the sound. Chiriko narrowed his gaze, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun above and get a better look. "Those clouds don't look right to me..."
Chichiri had to agree. Ominously black, the clouds hung over the horizon, drawing closer with each gust of wind. The wind itself seemed to grow stronger even over the short amount of time they sat there watching. The monk felt the hair at the back of his neck rise and immediately was on his feet, hand tightening around the staff at his side. "Chiriko, warn the others, no da. This isn't a normal storm."
He wasn't sure if the boy heeded him instantly or if he stood there a moment longer. His concentration was on the impending storm and the fact that the energy surrounding it was manevolant enough to set his teeth on edge. Seiryuu shichiseishi... it had to be one of them. Only their power could leave this kind of signature for anyone to see. His suspicions were confirmed when he realized that his powers of sight couldn't penetrate the clouds at all, in fact they seemed to bounce right off of it. The darkness in the sky seemed to begin to shift, curling around so that no matter what direction they might turn the ship, they would be headed directly into the seething mass.
Scanning the skies, he deduced that they had perhaps another half hour before they would hit the leading edge of the storm. That was enough time to prepare the ship as best they could. He had a sinking feeling however, that if the Seiryuu seishi were indeed behind this... it wasn't going to be easy to get through this. They'd already come into this adventure minus two of their number... how many more would be missing before this was through?
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TBC