Gaiden-Shiro Den 4

Shiro Den: Gaiden One

Chapter Four: Following the Trail

Disclaimer: Yuu Watase owns Fushigi Yuugi. I own other character and this story. Use with permission. ^_^

Author's Note: I've been handwriting some of my drafts in my Genetics class. Isn't it scary? Shouldn't I be paying attention? Do you care? Anyway, there's a flashback in this chapter. It's going to be sweet. For further reference, on Kouji's family check out, the chapter entitled, The Creation of the Seventh Seishi. Remember, Hono'o and Shiro knew each other as children. Everyone remember the verbal argument before in Chapter 34: Fire's Fading Light in Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Generation? Hono'o said that Shiro grew up to be a jackass after he was so sweet growing up. We'll get to see for ourselves. By the way, I've noticed that some people haven't caught on to the gaidens yet…hmm…I tried to help, didn't I?

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Hono'o arrived at the Mt. Leikaku at sunset. She had gotten pass the Mt. Leikaku Bandits' traps because she where they were and how they were set up. She did have to go to the stronghold, just to the cottage near it. She got off her horse and walked him the rest of the way. She came to the door and took a deep breath before she knocked on it. A young man who was tall and lanky in built opened the door. His hair was thick and dark; his eyes were hazel. When he recognized her, he smiled at her.

"Kuo Lei? It's you. It's been a while since I've seen you," said the young man as he welcomed her into the cottage.

"Hello Kanghui. It has been a while. Are your parents home?" asked Hono'o.

"Mother, Kou Lei is here," said Kanghui calling his mother. Shumi came from the kitchen. She was still very pretty. She didn't carry herself with the elegance and delicacy Hono'o's mother had.

"Hello, Lei-san," said Shumi as she gave Hono'o a hug.

"Father's out on patrol right now. He should be back soon," said Kanghui.

"What brings you to Mt. Leikaku?" asked Shumi.

"I'll tell you everything," answered Hono'o.

"No, wait for Father. There's no use in saying it now because you'll have to say it all again when he gets home," interrupted Kanghui before Hono'o. She decided to wait because he was right about having to repeat herself anyway.

They all got dinner ready while they waited for Kouji to arrive. Hono'o helped Shumi in the kitchen while Kanghui was out back chopping firewood. When he was done with the firewood, he brought some of it inside after he stored the rest. Kanghui didn't go on patrol around Mt. Leikaku because he wasn't a bandit like his father. He was a healer who was still being trained under the tutelage of his grandfather, Ruifu. Kanghui went to his grandfather's house often, which wasn't too far from Mt. Leikaku.

"Hello," came a voice at the door. Shumi, Kanghui, and Hono'o were just waiting for Kouji to come. Kanghui rolled his eyes and sighed. Shumi smiled, and Hono'o looked at Kanghui with a perplexed look.

"Hello, this is Kouji. I've come home. This is my home. Are you going to let me in? That's okay. Don't get up. I'll let myself in," said Kouji from behind the. He finally opened the door. Hono'o was sweatdropped.

"Hello my love. How's the patrol?" asked Shumi as she greeted her husband with a kiss on the cheek.

"I completely forgot about that," said Hono'o to Kanghui. She was referring to Kouji's greeting at the door. Kanghui let out a sigh.

"Kuo Lei. Hi! What brings you here?" Kouji greeted her with a smile. He picked her off the ground the same way he always did when she was younger. Hono'o had perked up.

"Why don't we start dinner first? I'm starving," suggested Kanghui. He was a going sixteen-year-old boy. Kouji nodded, and they all sat around the table for dinner. Hono'o summed up the events at the palace. She left out the fact that she had almost broken her own neck coming through the roof of the stable. Hono'o also had to leave out the rumors of the gathering army near Kutou. It was seishi business, and there was no need to alarm people about the rumor without confirmation.

"Hmm. You mean that Kuairong is a suspect?" asked Shumi when Hono'o had finished. Shumi had a worried tone on her voice.

Hono'o shook her head and answered, "The style was too messy compared to Shiro's. The thief wasn't tall enough and didn't have the right built. But, it's possible that Shiro might have some information. There are other things that the Emperor needs him for."

"Hono'o, I'm sorry, but we don't know where Kuairong is," said Kouji.

"He hasn't written at all in the past two years," said Shumi sadly. Kanghui looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped himself from doing so.

"Mariko says that he's alive, but just can't be found," said Hono'o with a frown.

"Just like him to go off where no one can find him," said Kanghui gruffly. He had finally said what he wanted to say.

"Kanghui!" exclaimed Shumi.

"Shumi, he's right," said Kouji quietly. Hono'o shifted uncomfortably. She felt bad for bring Shiro into the conversation at all, but that was why she was there. She wanted to get moving at that very moment.

"Hono'o, you should stay for the evening. We'll see what we can do in the morning," said Kouji.

Hono'o nodded. They all talked for a while longer and decided to turn in for the evening. Hono'o had to spend the night in Shiro's old room. No one was using it, so it was for guests. She was in his bed. The room was very clean, and there wasn't very much of him left behind from four years ago. Hono'o noticed the old kendo swords at the corner. Each one represented a time when he had out grown one and moved on to another one. Hono'o was on her back staring at the ceiling. She let out a sigh because she couldn't sleep. Hono'o began to recall the first time she met Shiro.

~*~Flashback~*~

Kuairong had to play with Tasuki's sons, but they didn't like him very much. They thought that he was a brat who had to tag along with them. The three of them tortured him mercilessly. The last straw was when they dared him to climb up a tree, and he couldn't come back down. The six-year-old triplets tried to get him down, but the five year old was too scared to be pulled down. He gripped the tree branch tightly. His clothes were still damp from the three of them throwing him into a nearby stream earlier. Their fathers were out on patrol, so no one was keeping an eye on the boys.

"What the Hell is going on?!" demanded a voice from behind the triplets.

"Papa!" they cried out in alarm.

"What are you doing up there, baby?" Kouji asked Kuairong gently.

"Baby! HAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Tiaowo who immediately stopped when Tasuki gave him a sharp look.

"I AM NOT A BABY!" shouted Kuairong at the top of his lungs. Tasuki and his sons winced. "KANGHUI IS THE BABY! HE'S THREE!"

"I'm sorry. Let's get you down first," said Kouji realizing his mistake. Kouji tried to climb up the tree, but Kuairong moved further away from him. His pride was even more injured.

"I'll get him down. Come here, Kuairong," said Tasuki who was better balanced than Kouji was. Kouji jumped down from where he was. He was glaring at Wangshi, Lingsu, and Tiaowo who were looking rather ashamed at themselves, and deathly afraid at the look that Kouji was giving them.

"Here we go. Back to leveled ground," said Tasuki as he put Kuairong down on the ground. Kouji was yelling at Tasuki's boys at this point. When he was done, Tasuki took over, and the boys were really getting it.

"Are you alright?" asked Kouji. Kuairong turned away from him with a pout and his arms crossed over his chest. Kouji sighed.

Tasuki and Kouji agreed that it wasn't a good idea to let Kuairong continue playing with Tasuki's sons. It was better to bring in someone else to play with. So, the next day after all the wounds were tended to, and Tasuki's sons were punished, both fathers introduced new playmates to each other.

"This is Lei-chan. Tasuki's daughter. She's a year younger than you," said Kouji with a smile. Lei was clinging to one of her father's legs, and Tasuki was stroking her hair affectionately. Kuairong's jaw dropped.

"S—SHE'S A GIRL!" Kuairong declared in stammer.

"I'm so glad you noticed, son," said Kouji with a smile.

"I'M NOT PLAYING WITH A GIRL!" shouted Kuairong at the top of his lungs. He always did when he thought that his father wasn't listening to him. Lei pouted and clung to her father even more tightly. Tasuki was now pissed off.

"HEY! She's my daughter! I can guarantee you that she's not going to get you stuck in trees or throw you into streams. You freakin' brat!" shouted Tasuki defensively.

"I don't want to play with him either. He's mean," said Lei shaking her head firmly. She let go of her father's leg to offer her arms up to him, so that he would pick her up. Tasuki picked her up.

"Kuairong. Make the best of it. Your little brother is too little to play with you, and Lei-chan doesn't have any friends here. So, you two should at least try to get along," said Kouji patiently. Kouji surprised everyone with his patience when Kuairong was born. Kuairong wasn't really a difficult child. He was spirited. Kuairong pouted.

"Don't hurt my Lei," said Tasuki possessively as he put Lei back down. Lei didn't want to be put down, so she was squirming.

"No, Papa. I don't want to play with him. He already doesn't like me," pleaded Lei with her large amber eyes starting to water.

"He won't hurt her, Genrou," said Kouji as he looked at his son. Kuairong gulped because he didn't like the look that his father was giving him. Kouji pushed Kuairong forward gently after kissing Kuairong on the cheek. He whined and wiped off the kiss. Kouji smiled and ruffled Kuairong's hair. Tasuki gently tapped Lei's behind to make her go forward. She turned to go back to her father. Instead, Tasuki kissed her on the cheek, and Lei kissed him on his cheek. He pushed her forward again. The two children were now looking at each other directly.

"Have fun," said Tasuki as he and Kouji walked off.

"Don't get into any trouble," added Kouji.

The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes. Kuairong broke the stare and turned around so that he wasn't facing her. Lei bit her bottom lip and pouted.

"What do you want to do, Kuairong-kun?" asked Lei.

"What can we do? You're a girl," answered Kuairong back without turning around.

"We could go fishing at the stream. My Uncle Chichiri taught me how with my brothers and Boushin-kun," said Lei. She was too young to understand that Boushin was the Emperor of Konan, but he didn't mind being called Boushin-kun.

"You know how to fish?" asked Kuairong with his head slightly turned and an eyebrow arched.

"Yes," said Lei as she nodded her head repeatedly.

"Oh well," said Kuairong shrugging his shoulders.

"Let's go!" shouted Lei happily as she grabbed Kuairong's hand.

"Hey!" shouted Kuairong in surprised as Lei dragged him away.

The two of them went off to the stream. They spent hours playing around the forest and the stream. They were wading in the water. Lei told Kuairong embarrassing stories about the bad things that her older brothers had done. They chased butterflies and caught fish in the stream. Kuairong caught more than Lei, but they returned all the fish to the stream after catching them. They played hide and seek. Lei was able to find Kuairong faster than he was finding her. Kuairong showed Lei were the honeycombs were in the trees. He had gotten stung a few times trying to get one for her. He didn't mind it so much, but he didn't know why. They were giggling a lot. Kuairong found out that Lei didn't like to go swimming because of the way her brothers taught her how to swim. Wangshi, Lingsu, and Tiaowo would just throw Lei in the water and tell her to swim. So, they stayed in the swallow parts of the stream. Kuairong and Lei came back to his house just before sunset. Shumi and Ling were with them.

"Hello Lei-chan, did you have fun with Kuairong-kun?" asked Ling as she hugged her daughter.

"Yes," answered Lei with a bright smile.

"Kuairong. Lei. Your fathers went to go and look for you. Look, it's almost sunset," said Shumi as she scolded the two children.

"We didn't notice, Mama," said Kuairong with a pout.

There came the sound of stomping feet. Lei clutched her mother's hand because she saw the look on her father's face. Kouji looked just as mad. Kuairong hid behind his mother.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU TWO?!" demanded Tasuki in an angry voice. He and Kouji had been looking for the children for an hour. They were both worried out of their skulls.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU COME HOME RIGHT AWAY?!" barked Kouji. Lei whimpered and pulled her body closer to her mother. Ling held her tightly.

"Mama!" shouted Kuairong as he pulled closer to his mother. Shumi rubbed his head.

"DON'T HIDE BEHIND YOUR MOTHER!" shouted Kouji.

"Don't yell at him like that. He's five. Kouji, you don't usually yell like that at him. Look I know that both of you were worried, but they are back safe and sound. Just be happy. You told them to go and have fun. Now, they're back," said Ling calmly. Kuairong wasn't her son, but she didn't like the way the children were clinging to her and Shumi.

"Ling!" said Tasuki. He wanted to really yell, but then he saw the look on Lei's face. His features immediately soften.

"You shouldn't have stayed out for so long, Lei-chan," said Tasuki. He had relieved look on his face as he looked at his daughter's face.

"Way to act tough, Genrou," mumbled Kouji. He couldn't yell at Kuairong if Tasuki was going to be soft on Lei. Tasuki turned to glare at Kouji. Shumi smiled and pulled Kuairong in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Papa," said Kuairong as he hung his head down.

"Me, too," piped up Lei.

Kouji let out a sigh. In the effort to look for the children, he and Tasuki didn't go on patrol like they were supposed to. Kouji got down to Kuairong's level and tilted his chin up. Kouji gave him a smile, and Kuairong smiled back at him. Shumi was laughing softly, or at least was trying to hide her laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Ling.

"I was just thinking about who the best bandit is all of Mt. Leikaku. I think I know who it is…and it's neither you or Genrou," said Shumi to Kouji. Kouji was carrying Kuairong in his arms. Kuairong had placed his head on one of his father's broad, muscular shoulders.

"Who?" asked Tasuki.

"Lei," answered Shumi.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Tasuki and Kouji in unison.

"Actually, she's right. Lei's probably the best thief of all. She stole her papa's heart when she was born. Just right now, my love, you couldn't stay mad at her. Because of that Kouji had to let it drop as well," said Ling.

"Uh…" said Tasuki with his jaw open. Lei was still in her mother's lap. She had fallen asleep and wasn't listening to any of the conversation.

"I'll vouch for that," agreed Kouji with a smile.

"What?" said Tasuki.

Ling, Shumi, and Kouji had a really good laugh at Tasuki's expense. They had dinner. The boys were still under house arrest. Their punishment was that they had to do whatever chores their paternal grandparents wanted to do. Tasuki told his mother that she could send the boys to help out their aunts as well. The triplets were numb with exhaustion. Their Aunt Aidou was the worse one according to them. Ling said that was too harsh a punishment to give the boys, but Tasuki said that they seemed to have excess energy. Kanghui was clinging to his mother pretty much the entire time. He was either standing behind her or looking for her. If wasn't around his mother, then he was with his father. Kouji had to keep carrying Kanghui because he didn't like be put down at all. Kuairong and Lei were still playing. Everything was perfect, and everyone was more or less happy. Wangshi, Lingsu, and Tiaowo complained about their grandma and aunts pushing them around. Tasuki ignored their whining.

The next day came the time for Tasuki and his family to go back home to Eiyou. Lei was playing for a little bit more with Kuairong in her grandparents' yard. Tasuki's father was trying to keep an eye on them, but he was the quiet sort, so they didn't hear him when he said not to pull up the flowers too much. He shook his head and sighed.

"Shun'u, how old is Lei?" asked Tasuki's mother as she watched Lei and Kuairong play outside.

"She's four, Ma," answered Tasuki as he made sure that the final preparations for the trip home would be done. Kouji was helping, so he wasn't listening to the conversation that Tasuki and his mother were having.

"How old is your friend's son?" asked Tasuki's mother.

"He's five, Ma," answered Tasuki without paying much attention to what she was saying.

"That's perfect. He's only a year older than her. And they get along fine," commented Tasuki's mother with her hands clasped together.

"What are you saying, Ma?" asked Tasuki in a frustrated voice as he turned around to look at the window where the children were playing.

"He'll grow up to look like his father. Won't he?" asked his mother. Tasuki narrowed his eyes and looked at his mother suspiciously. He didn't like the look his mother had on her face. It was the same look she had when she was trying to marry him off.

"SHE'S FOUR!" exclaimed Tasuki suddenly.

"Ah, you figured out what I was saying?" asked his mother.

"She's only a baby, Ma! She's my baby!" ranted Tasuki. His mother looked at him with a smile on her face.

"She'll eventually have to get married, Shun'u. You can't ignore that forever. You should start thinking about her future now. What about your best friends son?" suggested Tasuki's mother. His jaw dropped.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! NOT EVEN IF HE WAS KOUJI'S SON! I AM NOT MARRYING OFF MY DAUGHTER AT THE AGE OF FOUR! I'LL BE DEAD BEFORE THAT HAPPENS! F**K MAN!" shouted Tasuki at the top of his lungs.

"Everything is ready, my love," said Ling coming in. She sweatdropped when she saw that Tasuki was fuming and his mother was smiling calmly. 'Honestly, that woman really knows how to get under people's skins, doesn't she?' thought Ling.

"Let's go!" said Tasuki as he stalked off to go pick up Lei.

"What did you say to him?" asked Ling.

"Nothing that should have upset him," answered Tasuki's mother with a shrug. Ling had questions marks around her. She decided it was best to get out and not ask any more questions.

Lei was still playing with Kuairong. Tasuki and Kouji walked up to them.

"It's time to go, Lei-chan. Say goodbye," said Tasuki. He saw her face fall.

"Come on, you've had your fun. It's time to say goodbye. Don't be rude, Kuairong. Thank each other for the fun you had," urged Kouji.

Lei walked up to Kuairong. "Thanks for getting me that honeycomb."

"You're welcome. Thanks for telling me those stories about your brothers," said Kuairong.

"Bye, Bye Kuairong-kun," said Lei as she walked up to him closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. After that she ran to her father to pick her up. She waved to him as her father walked off carrying her.

"Don't get your grandma's hopes up," mumbled Tasuki to her as he carried her. Lei buried her head on his shoulder.

Kuairong stood there waving. He didn't understand why she kissed him on the cheek. That was very strange he thought. "Looks like you made a friend, Kuairong-kun," said Kouji as he place his hand on his son's shoulder. Kuairong couldn't even say goodbye. He had a bewildered look on his face as he placed his hand on the spot that Lei had kissed. It was very strange indeed. He didn't know why he even liked it. It wasn't like being kissed on the cheek by his mother or his father. He didn't know what to make of it.

~*~End of Flashback~*~

Hono'o slept until it was early morning. The sun wasn't even out yet. She had to get moving and find Shiro. She decided to go out for a little bit before dawn. When she got outside of his room, she found that Kanghui was awake in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Good morning. I see you're an early riser, too," said Kanghui.

"Good morning, Kanghui. Are you making breakfast?" asked Hono'o.

"I always do. I don't mind. It makes my parents happy," answered Kanghui.

Hono'o smiled. She always thought of him as a younger brother. After all, she's been more of an older sibling to him than Shiro ever was. Hono'o noticed that Kanghui and Shiro were direct opposites in everything. Kanghui was eager to please others. He did so at the sacrifice of his own happiness. The Shiro that Hono'o remembered was a hedonist who only did things that made him happy, and it didn't matter that it made others unhappy. Kanghui always had a kind look on his face, while his brother had a cocky and arrogant look on his face. Kanghui was a pacifist, while Shiro was always looking for a fight. Hono'o didn't know when Shiro had changed so drastically. Kanghui was dependable and willing to help others. Shiro had to be tricked into following Mariko's orders and being her seishi.

"I'll be sure to tell Shiro that he should come home for a visit," said Hono'o softly.

"Don't bother. It's better that he's not here," said Kanghui. There was tension in his voice. There was always tension in him whenever someone talked about his older brother.

"I'm sure that he's ready to come home," insisted Hono'o. She didn't know why she was standing up for the irresponsible bastard, but she was. She always did.

"I don't get it, Lei. Everyone thinks that he can't do anything wrong. They're always ready to welcome him back with open arms. They don't care that he's never here. He makes all sorts of promises and never keeps them," said Kanghui as the anger rose in his voice.

Hono'o was quiet. She didn't know what to say. She could tell that Kanghui was upset.

"I hate him," said Kanghui in a cold voice, "I hate him for never being here. I hate him for being so blest by Suzaku especially since he doesn't deserve it. I hate him for being able to do things that I can't do. I hate him for being better than me in everything. You don't know what it's like to be in his shadow. Especially when I know I'm better than him."

"You don't hate your brother. You don't have it in you, Kanghui," said Hono'o. She could hear the pain in his voice. Shiro had abandoned him. Hono'o had felt the same way when Kouji had told her family when he had first left. She was just numb the second he left without a trace. His brother was left with all the responsibility and to fill the void that he had left behind.

Hono'o didn't say another word. She waited for Kouji and Shumi to get up. They ate breakfast. Shumi and Kouji were in high spirits that Hono'o would be able to find Shiro. Every time she looked at Kanghui she could see that he was upset, and early on during the breakfast he excused himself. He said that it was time to go to his grandfather's house. Hono'o decided to leave right after breakfast.

"Here's some lunch for you when you stop. Some of that tavern food isn't very good," said Shumi as she handed a lunch to Hono'o.

"Thank you, Aunt Shumi," said Hono'o as she gently gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Do me a favor, Lei-san?" asked Shumi.

"What?" asked Hono'o. Shumi was a very sweet, good-natured woman.

"Tell my son that we love him. That we miss him, and that he should come home for a visit. But he doesn't have to," said Shumi with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"I will," promised Hono'o with smile.

"Well, your horse is ready, Hono'o," said Kouji. He helped her onto the horse.

"Thanks for everything," said Hono'o as she waved her hand.

She had to find Shiro because she made a promise. She had every intention of keeping her word.

~*ClareBear's Omake*~

Miaka: Do you think Hono'o will be able to find him?

Chiriko: Of course, she's Tasuki's daughter. I don't think the words "quit" or "defeat" are in her in vocabulary. I think that she'll be taking him back kicking and screaming if necessary.

Nuriko: Tasuki was pretty funny about his daughter not getting married ever.

Tamahome: Remember the look on Shiro's face when she kissed him on the cheek?

Miaka: It was so cute.

Nuriko: I feel sorry for his younger brother.

Tamahome: He's not a very good big brother leaving him behind like that.

Nuriko: I'm so happy with the last omake's ranking.

Miaka: Why? You said that you didn't like being third.

Nuriko: Yes. I know. But, I've had time to think about it, and I'm now very happy with the results. Because out of all the people who do the omake, I'm the favorite. Heehee. I'm more popular than Tamahome who didn't even make the list…

Tamahome (red aura around him): Why you?!

Nuriko: Why are you glowing?

Tamahome: NURIKO!

Chiriko: Cut it, ClareBear! This will go over your PG-13 rating!

Nuriko: That's okay. Don't cut it off.

Nuriko picks up the glowing Tamahome and flings him into the air.

Miaka: TAMAHOME!

Nuriko dusts off his hands.

Chiriko (sweatdropped): He went really far…