This was the last thing in his life
that he expected to see. So, all right, he had been warned by Tomo
but he had never actually considered the possibility that the painted freak
might have been right about everything.
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes
fixed on Nakago and Amiboshi as they conversed. But it wasn't as
though they were making out right in front of his eyes or anything.
They were just
talking. There wasn't anything wrong with just
talking after all! Maybe they were just discussing some more
plans to torment the Suzaku or something...But then, he's never seen his
brother looking like that when Nakago was talking to him. Plus Amiboshi
wasn't really the plotting type so they couldn't be talking about that!
So what was it that they were discussing
so seriously? He moved in closer to find out...
~**~
" So, when do you think we'll find
the other two then?" Amiboshi asked worriedly. What if they didn't
find Ashitare and Miboshi in time? What would happen to them?
" You have nothing to be worried
about." Nakago replied, sounding as self assured as always, " We will be
complete very soon. Even if we aren't, we are detaining Suzaku
Shichiseishi, Tamahome."
" Yeah, but we you can't do anything
with him." The younger seishi pointed out, " Yui-sama won't let you."
" Yui-sama can be persuaded."
Dropping his gaze, Amiboshi buried
his hand in the grass, a small frown forming on his lips. He just
couldn't get this guy. Sometimes he appeared so thoughtful and considerate
and
and then other times, he was cold
and ruthless. Which was the real Nakago?
Nakago had noticed his sudden silence.
" I do what I have to do." He berated himself after he he had blurted this
out. He didn't need to explain himself to this boy! He was
the most powerful man in Kutou after all! He could do pretty much
whatever he wanted without reprisal.
" Nakago-sama...why?"
" Why?" Nakago repeated in puzzlement,
his brow furrowing in thought. He wasn't sure what the boy was asking...
" Why...why are you still doing the
Emperor's dirty work for him?" Amiboshi finally continued after a
while. He watched Nakago warily, afraid of what the older man's reaction
might be to this but there was nothing. He just stared back at him
with his piercing blue eyes, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable.
" I...I'm sorry about that, Nakago-sama. It was a stupid question..."
" Not at all."
Amiboshi stared at him in surprise,
as though he had suddenly grown a second head. He didn't even know
why he had bothered to ask him that. He hadn't even thought that
Nakago would actually answer his question.
" You, of all people should understand
this, Amiboshi." Nakago said, pausing for a few seconds to consider how
he should start. " Every night, while you're with the Emperor, what
gets you through it? What helps you you to keep on going even though
sometimes you really feel as though it would be better for you to just
end everything?"
" What you said about my brother,
Nakago-sama." Amiboshi replied, his face darkening at the thought of Suboshi.
He missed his brother so much! He supposed that could be easily fixed
by just approaching his twin since he had been the one who had distanced
himself, but he was afraid that he might just break down and tell Shun-chan
everything. " Shun-chan still needs me. I have to be here for
him for as long as he does."
Nakago nodded. " You have your
brother. That's what kept you going. Seiryuu knows that that little
idiot needs you! He'd get himself killed if you weren't here to keep
him away from Tomo!" Amiboshi chuckled at this, " As for me, Amiboshi.
I didn't have anybody. I had no brother. I had no family.
My mother was dead..." No use elaborating on this and telling him exactly
how
she had died... " My people were gone and I had nobody to turn to here
in the Palace. I was alone. So I held on to my anger.
That was the only thing that got me from day to day."
" So you're angry at the Emperor
but you're still helping him?" Amiboshi summarized. He didn't get
the man's reasoning.
" I have my own plans, Amiboshi.
You will see soon enough why I am allowing him to lord it over me right
now." Nakago told him, his eyes focusing on the group of stars that formed
his constellation, " The Emperor will pay for what he did to me.
And to you."
~**~
The Emperor will pay for what he
did to me...And to you...
Nakago's chilling words replayed
over and over in his head as Suboshi lay on his bed, staring thoughtfully
up at the ceiling. He had a sneaking suspicion of what it was that
the Emperor had been doing to his brother and to the blond shogun.
He wasn't stupid. He knew about these sort of things! How could
he not with Tomo around?
He wiped away angrily at a tear that
tracked it's way down his cheek. His aniki! How dare that man
touch his aniki in such a way! He was going to kill him! He
was going to slit his throat and watch him die! He would butcher
that bastard like the disgusting pig that he was...But how could he?
He would probably just end up getting hurt, even worse, killed if he tried
something like that. Sure, the people here had pretty much all had
it with the fat bastard but no matter what, he was still the Emperor.
He wasn't afraid of dying, not if it was for his brother. It was
just the thought that his twin might be left all alone that kept him from
jumping up and going directly to the Imperial Chambers to slaughter the
man.
Scowling darkly, he floated his Ryuuseisui
over to him and glared down at them as he held them in his hands.
Miserable bastard!
So this was why the guy had been
acting so strangely the past few weeks! Now that he knew the truth
about his brother, he couldn't blame him for the way that he had acted.
He was still a tiny bit hurt that he had turned to Nakago instead of him.
He couldn't understand it. So, all right, they might have had the
same experiences and everything but he was still a creep and he was still
Amiboshi's brother!
There was something that confused
him, though. Nakago. He had seemed different in the way that
he had treated his brother. He hadn't exactly been nice.
There was more chance of him seeing Suzaku come flying out of Nakago's
ass than actually seeing him nice. But he hadn't been his usual curt
self while he had been speaking to Amiboshi. Hadn't acted at all
condescending, as everybody around them tended to, because of their youth.
He had actually been listening to
Amiboshi. Nakago never listened to anybody. Sure, he pretended
to when it came to the Emperor but he was used to having people listen
to him. Not the other way around!
" I just can't let that guy get away
with this..." Suboshi decided finally, his hands clenching by his sides.
" I can't just let him keep on doing this to my brother! No way!
I have to stop this somehow! But the point was how exactly was he
supposed to do that? He had already decided that he couldn't just
go right up to the Imperial fat slob and just kill him. That plan
made the most sense to him but even he realized that this wasn't exactly
the best of times for that. He and his aniki could always just run
away from the Palace, away from all these people that he wished they'd
never even met in the first place, but he knew that Amiboshi wouldn't go
for such a plan. He was too loyal to the cause of Seiryuu.
He would never just leave his fellow seishi hanging like that, not even
if he didn't care the least for any of them...Except maybe for that Nakago...
He shuddered at the mental image
of his beloved twin in the shogun's embrace.
Gods. If ever he needed his
twin to confide in it was now! He needed to hatch some sort of plan
to get his twin away from that bastard and Seiryuu knew that he had never
been a brilliant strategist. But he knew someone who was...
Now, if he could only muster up enough
courage to approach Nakago...
