---
onaji desu...continued from part I
~ ~ ~
He'd been fully intending to speak
during the long walk home--after all, Saihitei had seemed interested in hearing
what he had to say, and even if it wasn't the type of subject he enjoyed
talking about for long periods of time, it was still conversation...gods. Conversation with the most beautiful
creature he'd ever had the pleasure and misery of laying eyes on in his life--that
smooth, bronzed skin, that silken chestnut hair, those broad, muscled
shoulders...that strange, powerful grace... He'd wanted to speak to this boy very much, to laugh with him, see him
smile...but, now that he was here with him, now that they were trekking side by
side down the cracked sidewalk...he found that his vocal chords seemed
stubbornly unwilling to cooperate. His
tongue lay heavily in his mouth, and the words swirled maddeningly in his
brain, refused to settle into something resembling a working order...
The other didn't seem to notice, however,
seeming to be rather caught up in savoring the warm flood of afternoon
sunlight, in taking in the peaceful suburban scenery...but, it would only be a
matter of time until the taller man expected him to say something...and, then what
was he going to do? He'd never
experienced this kind of suffocating vocal paralysis before, wondered for a
moment if he would ever be able to find the will to speak again...was this what
love did to a person?
He caught the thought almost before it
completed itself, felt a sharp, icy jolt shudder up his spine. Love?! he demanded silently, eyes
going wide with something very akin to panic. Love?? What the hell is wrong
with you, Ryuen?? Mattaku, you've only
known him for a few HOURS! Baka.
He felt the weight of the other man's
stare on him, turned his eyes almost guiltily towards that soft amber
gaze. "Ryuen?" Saihitei
questioned, sounding a bit uncertain. "Are you all right?"
He forced himself to swallow, smile, try
to regain the will to speak. "H-Hai," he managed, a bit surprised by
how high and light his voice was, how much like his sister's voice...gods. Just what he needed. Sounding like a girl when he got
flustered... He forced his voice to
return to its normal octaves, cleared his throat. "I-I mean...gomen...I was thinking..." Why was he having such trouble speaking all
of a sudden?? Why were his muscles
frozen like this, his mind so strangely blank...his entire body tense with
anxiety? He hadn't felt this before,
when he met this boy...so, why was it hitting him now? Delayed reaction? Gods, what was wrong with him?? Why couldn't he just carry on a normal conversation?
He drew in a deep, determined breath,
opened his mouth with the full intention of saying something...but, before he
could, he became aware of a loud, braying honking sound, coming from very
nearby...he frowned, turned towards the sound...and gasped as a heavy weight
slammed into his chest, sent him flying onto his back on the ground. He closed his eyes in brief pain, spent a
long moment wondering if perhaps God was trying to strike him dead for daring
to have such feelings for this boy...but, then, he heard a soft giggle from
just above him, opened his eyes and found himself gazing up into a well of
bright, glittering green.
He smiled despite himself, somehow
lifted himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around the girl,
dragging her into a quick hug. "Miaka!"
he exclaimed. "When'd you get
back?"
The girl disentangled herself from her
arms, sat back and smoothed a bit at the fabric of her skirt. "Just last night," she
bubbled. "Ne, N--Ryuen, it was
great!! Taka took me to a carnival and
won me a stuffed bear and there was so much to eat and I could hardly move by
the end of the night and I--" She
broke off for a moment, took a breath...and then, rather suddenly, seemed to
notice the tall man standing just above them, peering down at them with a
curious, thoughtful frown.
Miaka leapt to her feet, a wide
smile spreading over her face. "Hotoh--" She broke
off very suddenly, blushed. "Ahhh...I mean..." She
glanced down at the violet-haired boy, smiled a bit shyly. "I-I mean...who is this?"
Frowning a bit at the girl's strange
reaction, Ryuen drew himself back up to his full height, still moving a bit
stiffly from Miaka's glomp, and offered Saihitei a brief, apologetic
smile. "Miaka...this is
Saihitei. Sai...this is--"
"Yuuki Miaka!" she
interjected enthusiastically, holding out a slim hand in greeting.
Looking a bit uncertain but smiling,
softly, Saihitei stretched out his own hand, wrapped his long fingers over
Miaka's smaller ones. "It's nice
to meet you," he offered formally, the smile lifting a bit,
softening. Once Miaka released his
hand, the three began to walk, moving at a slow, comfortable pace down the sidewalk. Almost immediately, the tallest of them
turned to Miaka, offered her a warm smile. "Have you and Ryuen been friends for a long time?"
Miaka nodded, grinning. "Hai. A long time."
Ryuen made a face. "Ne, not that long, baka. Only a year or two."
"Aa," Miaka agreed, her
voice uncharacteristically soft. "But, it feels like a lot longer." She seemed to exist in the solemn moment for a few seconds...and then, abruptly, she
brightened, let out a low squeal. "Ne, but I'm so glad to be back! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again..."
"I'm sure Taka's looking
forward to the same thing," Ryuen murmured, grinning wickedly.
Miaka flushed a dark red, looked
away. "Iie, it's not like
that." She smiled. "Or...at least not yet. We want to get married first."
"Miaka?"
Startled from the comfortable
rhythm of their conversation by Saihitei's low, polite tones, the two turned,
regarded him as if just now remembering he stood there. "Ah, gomen ne, Hoto--err,
Saihitei!" Miaka exclaimed. "I didn't mean to ignore you!"
Saihitei offered a slight smile, his
brow creasing slightly at the girl's words. "Iie...it's all right. But..." He frowned. "What is it you keep almost calling me? Hoto-something...?"
Miaka paled. "Uhhh...it's nothing, really! You just...you just look like someone I used to know...that's
all." She managed a weak
smile. "Gomen..."
Ryuen joined in the frown. "Ne...I thought I looked like
someone you used to know, too." His
face darkened, and he glanced towards Saihitei with a conspiratorial grin. "It's her fault my sister came up with
that nickname, you know." He
smiled wickedly. "Ne, maybe we
should start calling you 'Hoto-chan...'"
Miaka choked.
~*~*~*~
*AN: Now, technically, if Nuriko and Hotohori had
been reborn, they would have to start as infants and work their way up to being
Miaka's age, of course, but let's just say for the sake of plot that they did a
Taka and are now around the age they were in the series. Hai? Hai. *firm nod*