Shunkaku groaned and rolled his eyes. 'Great, now he's taken to playing mind games and being mysterious, just great.'
Koutoku grinned. "Come on! It's nice. You'll like it."
Shunkaku yet again groaned. 'I hate it when he won't tell me anything! It really annoys the hell out of me! GR! He knows I wanna know, so he purposely holding out. It's bound to be shitty if he's not telling me. Ch'! I really hate this!'
He scowled, following behind his brother, his expression periodically changing to reflect his inner thoughts that he didn't vocalise. He did make an utter; a couple of growling type sounds during his silent rant, but nothing else really worth noticing.
Koutoku smirked. He knew that he was irritating his brother to no end. It was fun! He rarely got to tease Shun. They were usually too busy trying to make enough money to survive.
Leading the way, he went down a corridor, coming to the door to the gardens. Stepping out, he held the door for his brother and Yui. Once outside, he led them to a spot just before the peaceful grotto he had found.
Turning to the two, he smiled. "I want you guys to close your eyes. I don't want to spoil the surprise."
Yui willing agreed, while Shunkaku gazed suspiciously at his brother, "why?! What's the point?"
Koutoku sighed. "Just humour me, will you?"
"Na-uh! Don't feel like it!" Shunkaku retorted in reply.
"Then stay here. Yui and I will go on ahead. Come on...please? For me?" Koutoku asked his brother pleadingly.
Shunkaku sighed, shaking his head. "First you ask me to come, then you tell me not to bother?! Make up your damned mind, Aniki!" He inhaled. "What difference will it make anyway, whether or not I give in?"
"Because if you don't, you'll miss something very beautiful."
"I didn't say I wouldn't go!"
Koutoku sighed. "Fine. I'm not going to argue with you. You'll just spoil the effect."
Yui gazed up at Shunkaku. "Please? It won't hurt anything."
"Fine, but it still won't make a difference! The effect'll be the same." Shunkaku replied, still holding on to his stubbornness and barely relenting.
Koutoku smiled. He waited for the two to close their eyes, then led them into the mysterious, yet beautiful grotto. "Okay. You can open them."
Shunkaku blinked, shrugged and looked over at his brother. "So..."
Koutoku bowed his head. "Oi. You're hopeless. Doesn't this remind you of something? A place we used to go when we were little?"
"Barely. All I remember is the destruction of it," He answered with extreme bitterness in his tone, his expression darkening over.
Koutoku sighed. "I know. I wish you could remember it before that."
"I kinda do..." Shunkaku sound unsure.
Koutoku reached out with his hand and clasped his brother on the shoulder. "Tell me."
"Well..." Shunkaku brought his hands together, moving them over the others, demonstrating is uncertainty. He sighed. "I do kinda remember but it's kinda fuzzy...some things aren't though. I do remember some before then, but not a lot..."
Koutoku's heart felt like it was going to break. His baby brother couldn't even remember the joy they had as little children. The times they'd play around a grotto very similar to this one. "I'm sorry, Shunkaku. I wish you could remember..."
Shunkaku felt a wave of sadness knock him over. He brought his eyes away from his brother's, not wanting to know that his inability to fully recollect what his brother wanted him to, was breaking him.
Swallowing reflexively, Shunkaku muttered with a tone heavily coated with regret and remorse for his lack of good memory, "gomen nasai, Aniki."
Koutoku put his arms around his brother, holding him close. "Shhh...it's not your fault. Don't apologize. I just wish you could remember the good times and not the bad."
"Me too. I do remember some of the good." Shunkaku quietly replied, resting against his brother.
"Good. Just remember those times. Try not to think about the bad ones." Koutoku replied, running his fingers through his brother's hair. He hated the thought of his little brother hurting. About anything. "We'll make some good memories now. The bad ones don't matter anymore."
"I try, but sometimes it's hard because the pain doesn't go away. But I believe what you say, Aniki. I'll do more than try." Shunkaku quietly, yet assertively answered, gazing up with conviction and determination.
Koutoku smiled. "I know you will, Shun-chan. I know you will. And I know all too well about the pain. Give it time. It may not entirely go away, but it will get better. I promise."
Koutoku thought back to the time their parents died. His brother hadn't seen, thank goodness. He had known that their parents were dead, but he at least didn't see their bodies. Koutoku thanked Seiryuu for that small, precious gift at least.
Being the entirely more restless one of the pair, Shunkaku immediately had to find out if there was more than just greenery here in this area. Pulling away, he leaned against the body of a weeping willow. "Ne, Aniki...is there any water around here?!"
Koutoku nodded. "Hai. On the other side of that tree, there's a small pond."
Shunkaku nodded. "In that case, I'm gonna take a dip!"
Koutoku groaned. "Why am I not surprised?!"
Yui's eyes widened. Was he serious?! Then her eyes crinkled in amusement. This would give her the perfect opportunity to get him back for that dress comment.
Shunkaku smirked. "Because I've always love that kinda thing?!"
Koutoku rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Yui smirked. This was going to be fun!
Shrugging indifferently, Shunkaku eagerly trotted off in the direction of the small pond that his brother had indicated. Stopping at the bank edge, he stripped down to nothing but his breeches and jumped in.
Enjoying the cooling seductively sensual feel of the water against his warm flesh, as he floated on his back, enjoying a moment of peace and tranquillity in a moment of profound serenity.
Yui turned to Koutoku. "I'm just gonna look at the flowers."
Koutoku nodded. He sat down at the tree again and began to play his flute.
Yui snuck off behind the tree. Creeping up to the pond, she stood at the water's edge. She saw Shunkaku floating on the water, his eyes closed. She smirked evilly.
"How's the water?"
"GAK!" From the shock of being scared witless, Shunkaku lost his concentration and went under the embracing surface of the crystal clear, life-giving pond water. He came back up sputtering water indignantly and proceeded to glare daggers at Yui. He muttered a miscellaneous profanity before exclaiming, "Why can't I enjoy the water alone without interruptions?!"
Yui ignored his profanity and mutterings. She stepped out of her slippers and tested the water with a toe. It wasn't that bad. Nice and cool, but not cold. "Mind if I join you?"
Shunkaku swallowed nervously. "Uh..."
"I'll take that as a no." Yui stepped back a moment and began to untie the sash that held her dress together.
"AH!" Shunkaku freaked out completely and went under the water for protection. 'Well, it's safer down here...shit...how do I deal with a girl who decides to strip in front of me...' His oxygen supply only lasted so long before he gasped for air. He then turned his back to Yui. "Shit...don't strip down...it was bad enough when you were just in that skimpy shirt before..."
Yui grinned. She tapped Shunkaku on the shoulder. While he had been under the water, she had slipped out of the dress, clad only in her bra and underwear, and entered the pond. "Too late."
"EEP!" Shunkaku's voice went up an octave and he paled significantly. "Anou...Yui-san..." He again turned his back to her. "Shouldn't you be dressed in more than that?!"
Yui looked down. She shrugged. "Why? How can I get clean with my dress on?! Besides...this isn't that bad. Some of the bathing suits Miaka has are a lot worse."
"But...but couldn't you have waited?! And it's bad! I mean, shit, I can see almost all of your body...what're you trying to do to me by approaching me dressed as such?!" Shunkaku asked, feeling uncomfortable. He then mildly sweat-dropped. "And what's a 'bathing suit'?!"
"I'm not doing anything. I'm not approaching you at all. I just wanted to take a swim. And if you're uncomfortable with my body, then leave. I'm not going to change it. I have no problem with the way my body is." Diving down, she came back up, her hair dripping with water. "And a bathing suit is a suit you where to go swimming in. Similar to what I have on now. Except skimpier."
"I was here first!" Shunkaku shot back. He then hmphed. "I'm just not used to sharing the water space with such a scantly dress girl!"
"Then don't look."
"I wasn't."
"Good. Then you shouldn't have a problem with me being here."
"I still feel really uncomfortable with just the knowing."
"So...don't think about it." Yui turned her back to him, letting the feel of the water wash over her. "You aren't like any boy I've ever known. Most guys I know of would jump at the chance to be around a girl dressed like me."
"That's what I want to do." Shunkaku retorted, shuddering. He sighed, plunging back down beneath the surface of the water and staying there for a long period of time. He wanted to completely chill his body so he would forget about how scarcely dressed she was. He tried to stay under as long as his body would possibly sanction for.
'Che! I'm just scared shitless because she's the first one and on top of that, from a whole other world with a whole different set of traditions and conventions. She makes me so nervous.'
Yui sighed. She scared him off again. 'I wish he wouldn't be so scared of me...what did I do that was so wrong?' Sighing, she manoeuvred to a rock and leaned against it, lost in thought.
Feeling satisfied that he had been chilled enough, Shunkaku broke through the smooth, undisturbed surface of the lucid crystal shaded water and inhaled deeply, appreciating the oxygen that penetrated down to his air deprived lungs. He heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't look around, out of fear that he would lay on eyes on Yui who was dressed so skimpily. It wasn't that he didn't like her; he just had a certain amount of respect, which coincidentally happened to be coupled with his fear of her. Fear because she was so different from all the other girls. It wasn't a bad type of different, just a scary type that induced fear from within; a fear of doing something that might offend her too badly, that she would be turned away.
Yui sighed. She stared off into the distance, not really seeing the beauty before her. Her heart was sad. She had upset Shunkaku again, and she hadn't meant to. She just wanted to spend some time with him, alone.
Not turning in her direction put Shunkaku at some ease. He didn't want to look at her when she was barely even dressed, since he felt it was improper, he wouldn't have even done it with his mother and the one time he did, he felt embarrassed. He sighed dejectedly. 'Was Aniki wrong?! Could this not work out...after all, I'm unsure on how to act, so I'm trying to respect distances between her and me...is that wrong?! I wish I knew how to act, it's just so confusing and makes me all nervous and scared. I know I shouldn't be scared of her, but I am because she's so forward and unusual in her conduct...'
He took some water in his cupped hands, spread his fingers and let the water drip through, dropping back into the rest of the pond, causing a rippling affect.
"Shunkaku..."
"H-hai?!"
"I'm sorry. I upset you...and I'm sorry. I'll go now."
"You...you didn't. You just caught me off-guard. Plus, I'm not sure how to act around you, since you were raised with different customs...please, forgive my ignorance, I don't know anything really."
"Oh no! Don't say that! It's my fault...I would have known how you would react."
"O-orai. It's okay...I guess I'm too conservative for you. Gomen."
"No! You're not! That's part of what I like about you so much!"
Shunkaku looked up in amazement, though not directly at Yui, but his body language told just as much. "You do??!!" His tone sounded even more flabbergasted than his body expression could be.
"Hai. You're not like any of the boys in my world. You actually...care about my honour. Most of them don't."
"What kind of place is that?! Guys brought up not to respect a lady's honour?!"
Yui shrugged. "Its...different."
Shunkaku quirked an eyebrow. "I don't mean to pry, but how so?"
Yui sighed. "Well...guys and girls are taught at an early age that they're equal. So...a lot of guys don't think they have to respect a woman. Its what we call chivalry. And a lot of guys...think it's outdated."
"That's truly sad, that a guy thinks it doesn't matter if he respects a lady or not. It shouldn't matter if people are equal or not." Shunkaku replied, running his fingers through the water, while gazing blankly at a school of fish around his feet.
Yui nodded. "Hai. I agree. But...it's just not like that in my world."
'I want to embrace her, let her know it's okay, but I'm too scared...' Shunkaku bit his lip tentatively, trying to ignore the feeling that he got. 'If she knows I respect her, than it shouldn't be a problem, right?! But why does it still feel wrong?'
Exploring for the unknown answer, he continued to watch the fish beneath the water, noting how peaceful everything was. The tranquillity of this moment of profound silence gave him a chance to contemplate even further. He let out a long drawn out, pensive breath before he spoke.
"Yui-san, I would feel at ease if you at least put a top on, please?! I don't mean any disrespect for you, I'm just uncomfortable with you dressed like that. It feels improper for me to even look at you when you're dressed to scantly."
Yui blinked. "I...Hai." Moving from her rock, she pulled out the under slip of the dress. Slipping it on, she turned around. "I...okay."
Feeling an easing sensation overwhelm his senses, he plodded back through the water and sat next to her, sighing, feeling it was okay to actually look at her and not feel shame.
Yui looked over at Shunkaku shyly. She felt strange all of a sudden. Despite her earlier brazenness, she felt...strange being with him like this. It felt...nice.
Noting she wasn't as bold as she was previous, Shunkaku relaxed immensely and drew her in close to him, holding her small form against his.
Yui leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes. She sighed contentedly. It felt right, being here like this.
Holding her tightly, he vainly refused to ever let anyone else have her, for anything. He held her protectively. 'Kawaiso...such a world she comes from. She should have had more respect than what she received.'
Koutoku sighed. He stretched. The two had been gone for a while. Getting up, he walked around the tree, looking for Yui. He stopped. Then blinked. Then sweat dropped. "Oi...can't you guys give it a rest for once?!"
Shunkaku hung his head. "Anou...Aniki..." He couldn't think of anything else to say, as his blond-haired maiden had turned his mind to absolutely inconceivable pile of mush. He sighed contentedly, keeping Yui against his person in a gentle embrace.
She turned her head and stuck out her tongue at Koutoku. "Go away. We're busy."
Koutoku rolled his eyes.
"I agree with Yui-san." Shunkaku added, backing her up, and pointedly glancing his brother's way.
Koutoku sighed. He threw his arms in the air. "FINE! I'll leave! Will that satisfy you two?!"
"Yes." Yui replied.
"Hai, we're busy 'learning'." Shunkaku smirked impishly.
Koutoku's eyes popped out of his head. "Excuse me?! Learning what??!!!!"
Shunkaku laughed spine tingling wickedly, not bothering to clarify what he had meant. It was more amusing for him this way.
She smirked triumphantly.
Koutoku face vaulted.
Blinking innocently, Shunkaku sweetly inquired in a tone heavily laced with sugar, "is something wrong, Aniki?"
"Shut up!"
"Hmm...nah, no can do."
With having said that, he didn't necessarily turn his back to his brother, Shunkaku just ignored his brother to a small degree, enough to give a strong hint that he wished to be alone in this tranquil solitude with just one other person. He didn't want to say out loud that's what he wanted, since he didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings, he just hoped his subtle hint would be enough.
Koutoku rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll leave you two alone. Just watch yourselves! I don't trust Chang or Chuin!"
"We already know that, Aniki." Shunkaku replied in bluntly obvious exasperation, with an underlying tone of asperity.
"Fine! Ignore my warnings!" Koutoku huffed. Turning his back, he left the two to continued exploring the place.
'Oi! I wasn't ignoring his warnings, I just didn't need to hear him repeat them over and over again!' Shunkaku bitterly thought. He disliked the redundancy of his brother's frequent warnings, since in his eyes they were all the same and very rarely differed from prior ones.
Yui sighed. She snuggled up against Shunkaku. She hated to hear them argue. She didn't like it. In fact, she hated it. She wasn't used to people arguing so much. She and Miaka had an odd argument now and then, but nothing like these two!
Sensing something amiss, he softly brought a hand to her face. "Something wrong?!" He asked.
She shrugged. "I just don't like to hear you two argue."
"You really think we were?!"
"Weren't you?"
"Not really, no."
She sighed. "Well, it sounded like it to me. I'm not used to it I guess. I don't have any brothers or sisters, unless you include Miaka. She's always been like a sister to me."
"She's your best friend, ne?!"
"Hai."
"She's always been there for you?!"
"Hai. Always. And I there for her too."
"It's always nice to have someone."
"Hai. It is. Which is why I'm worried about her. I don't know where she is, or even if she's okay!" She bit her lip worriedly.
He grew pensive for a brief allocation of time. "How worried do you feel?! Like something bad's happened or what?!"
She nodded. "Hai. I'm so scared something bad has happened to her!"
"Hmm...I was just thinking, while you're looking for the remaining three Seishi, why not try and scout out your friend in the process, I mean the odds are you might find her, so what do you have to lose?!" Shunkaku suggested, with the slightest bit of optimism in his tone as he quietly spoke, feeling that he would disturb the peaceful serenity of the crystal lake front.
Yui closed her eyes, thinking. She liked that idea. It had distinct possibilities. Only... "What if she's not in Kutou? What if she's still in Konan?!"
"She will have to look over the entire region, so chances are, her exploration might spill near Kutou-Konan borders."
Yui nodded. "Hai. What...what if we don't find her?!"
"There's always that. Question, do you have any sort of connection to her?" Shunkaku inquired, remembering something from his own distant past that he wasn't going to mention.
"Connection?" Yui closed her eyes, then popped them open. "My school uniform! We were both wearing it when we first came here! Before I was sent back to our world!"
Quirking an eyebrow in a perplexed arched, he inquired, "sorry, am I missing something here?! You were here before then sent back??!! What?!"
She nodded. "Hai. We found this book in the library. I started reading it; then both Miaka and me were surrounded by a red light. When we woke up, we were in this world, but I think we were in Konan." She smiled at the thought. "We met a boy who helped us. He was nice, but kinda...greedy." She shook her head. "Anyway, the red light came back and took me back home. I was still able to read the book, but whatever was happening was what Miaka was going through. I could feel what she felt through our uniforms. I guess. I think that's the reason anyway."
"Red light...Suzaku's." He muttered, his eyes growing expressive in deep, contemplative thought. "You said she was Suzaku No Miko, as well as she had some Seishi. Finding her might be so hard; the search for the chi of Seishi is easy.... sometimes. Unless of course they're like Chuin and decide they're in the mood to be a bastard and conceal their chi..."
Closing her eyes, Yui leaned into his embrace. "Is...is that what made you save me?"
"Well that and I happened to be trying to steal someone's change purse at the same time in the same general area," Shunkaku admitted, with a short nervous chuckle.
Yui turned wide eyes to Shunkaku. "You...you were stealing?!"
"What else do you expect, I'm a pick-pocket! Great job! Easy scratch, especially if you find a dead person!" Shunkaku grinned, flashing a peace sign.
Yui face vaulted.
He blinked innocently. "Doushitanda, Yui-san?"
Yui looked up at Shunkaku. "Shut up, Shunkaku."
His eyes quivered, showing genuine hurt. 'Great, now she hates me!' He sighed and looked away with shameful, downcast eyes.
Yui reached out and touched his face. She put her arms around him, holding him close. "Ne...I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Don't be sad. I know you had to do whatever you could to survive. I'm not ashamed of you for doing that."
He sighed. "Yea, we had to. I'm glad you aren't." He finally gazed back up her, her hand still rested on his face. He rested his own over hers. 'At least I only stole and never killed anyone yet. After all, like Aniki, I've seen too many killed...'
"I could never be, not of you."
'I'd rather have shame than pity.' He thought bitterly before he replied with a gentle tone, "I'm glad you aren't."
Yui sighed. She laid her head on his shoulder. She wanted him to feel as safe as she felt.
