"The Third Soul"
by Mikim (mikim@multimania.com)
Chapter 5 : One.
Standards Disclaimers Apply
Who could tell that the country was facing a war? The day was bright. It was almost summer time as four people were heading towards a large city.
There were three men, one with a light blue jacket and another with a deep blue one, and a woman who was walking between two of them, behind them, as the woman's shadow walked the third man.
They were on their way towards the capital, the heart of the country, the city which was on the brink of destruction because of the ongoing war: they were walking to Kyoto.
Saito turned his head to his left to watch her : she was still wearing the red string in her black hair, but she had switched her ceremonial robes for a dark red kimono with purple birds on it. Next to her in a protective manner was her brother. He also changed into a deep blue hakama and white gi, and the two of them were talking quietly. Behind the siblings, was Tokio's Guardian, dressed in black, he was holding his little mistress's belongings.
Though, his gaze always went back to her with her hair that seemed to absorb light, the pale skin...
Tokio must have felt his gaze on her because she looked at him, expecting him to ask her a question. He shook his head in a negative way and focused on the road, or rather he tried to, but his mind keep wandering and he recalled what had happened the night before...
**********
"Hold her hand; we need a physical contact between you."
Saito took Tokio's hand but as he let her arm go, she lost her only physical support, and she, dangerously, drifted to the ground once again, but he caught her first.
"Seems to me that you'd better take her back in yours arms, Saito-san."
"Tokio-chan." Sakuraï's sad voice asked, "Are you all right? Do you want me to help you a little?"
"No, thank you Sakuraï-sama," Tokio answered, and as he took her back in his arms, he realized that her voice was even weaker than before.
"Ryu, you lost your last argument. Tokio-chan obviously needs his help because, we, Elders we can't give her what she needs the most," Kamuro declared.
What she needs the most? What does that mean ? Saito frowned. Kamuro was saying this on purpose. For him. He was trying to give him a message but...
"All right. If it's what the Council thinks is best for Tokio-chan, then I'll give her all my help." Ryu's deep voice was tainted by emotion.
In his arms, Saito felt Tokio turned her head into Ryu's direction and heard her whisper, "Thank you, Grandfather."
"You look so much like your mother..." Ryu whispered. "Little girl, you are the jewel of the clan, not only because you are the daughter of my daughter but also because of your heart."
"Yes, Tokio-chan, please, remember when you'll leave the Domain to follow the wolf that you can always come back here, whatever happens to you," Tsuzuki went on. "Remember, Tokio-chan, here from the smaller child to the older people of the Magami Clan, we all hold you very dear to our hearts. Tokio-chan, promise me you'll remember!" he demanded.
"Tsuzuki-kun, Grandfather, I promise you to do my best against Muraki." Her voice was soft and happy. 'She's smiling', Saito thought. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt against his skin drops that surely had the taste of salt.
"Tokio-chan," Watari said, "don't cry because of these idiots. They are only trying to say they love you, in a rather clumsy way, but I must admit that everybody here thinks the same way."
"Why, you... Watari!"
"Hush, Tsuzuki!"
"But, Sakuraï, hadn't you heard what he told us?"
"Sakuraï's right, Brat, it's almost time to start the ritual. So, shut the hell up!"
Saito clearly heard Tsuzuki strangle himself with his rage, and he felt Tokio's giggle at her grandfather's comment.
So Ryu her grandfather. They sound like they will never see her again.
Someone put a hand on Saito's shoulder, and since he wasn't expecting it, nor did he sense the Elder coming close enough to touch him, he felt surprise stab his heart and stiffened immediately, cursing for at the hundredth times Toya.
"Relax," Kamuro's smooth voice whispered. "The ritual is about to start: you'll see things that you've never seen before, you'll also hear, smell, taste and feel things that are strange to your conscious and soul because they belong to Tokio. Don't fight them, don't be afraid. Focus on something you like, something you're used to, something that you don't need thinking about to do."
*******
Something flash through his mind, but he didn't pay attention to it, as he was mentally doing a kata. He knew what had just blurred onto his mind was one of Tokio's memories. Eyes closed, he almost felt the dojo of his early days around him when he was practicing on his own to be the best.
One. Sword down.
Two. Sword cutting down an opponent on his left.
Three. Sword blocking an unreal attack.
Four...
******
Sunlight hit him. He blinked, trying to get his eyes back into focus, and his senses came back to him like a punch in the stomach. He tried to sit up, but someone pushed him back on the futon where he had been sleeping.
"Don't, or you'll be sick. This is because of the ritual. It drained a lot of spiritual strength from you and from her, but although she's used to it, you're not. That's why you're feeling so horrible right now," a woman explained.
Saito nodded and, damn, yes, he felt like vomiting. He rolled onto his left side, grunting. His view came back to normal, and he felt a small hand touching his. He looked up and, as expected, there she was.
She was sleeping on her stomach, her face turned in his direction on the futon next to his. Her hair was spread all around and on her. She was such a mess!
Saito tried to free his left hand from her grip, but she refused to let go and groaned in her sleep, frowning at the same time, so Saito gave up the effort.
The room they were in was full on light, and he heard the woman moving around them. As she opened the panel to leave the room, he heard Tokio moan again in her sleep. He watched the sunrise through the open door, but something caught his eye on Tokio's face so he turned his attention back to her.
It was one of her tears running down her face that caught his attention. Again, she was crying in her sleep. With his free hand, and with a kindness unknown to him, he brushed her tear away.
Maybe he did it because they were alone in a room full of light, holding hands. Maybe it was because he had spent half of the night holding her, not that she was heavy, she was rather skinny for a woman of her built, he thought.
Saito sighed and turned his gaze back to the door, watching the sunrise. Why did he even agree on this foulness?
Because of the dream.
The answer was quite clear: it was because of the 'dream' she had shown him. He had hated the way he had felt, glad of that girl's death, glad of the agony that had followed, glad of feeling her soul leaving her body...
To stop that sick bastard, according to his faith: Aku. Zoku. San.
But now, in this room, it was for her. His gaze, by itself drifted back to her sleeping face. To protect her.
Yes, it was now a personal matter and that was bad for his work.
Rolling back onto his back, he shielded his eyes from the sun with his right arm, which he put on his closed eyes, and he realized that Muraki wasn't his worse enemy in this matter. No, she was.
Smiling to himself, he thought that maybe, for once, someone might be stronger than he, the Miburo and it wasn't bothering him at all!
If Okita ever heard about this, he'd laugh so much that his thick little head would roll by itself across the floor!
Frowning, Saito turned his head in her direction again. She was beautiful, her face lit with the sunrise, her black hair absorbing light, her red lips....
Sick bastard. I promise you, Muraki, I'll kill you.
"If you keep staring at her this way, Saito-san, you'll burn a hole in her face."
Saito jumped in surprise and sat up quickly without letting her hand go and faced, for the first time, the First Elder of the Magami Clan.
Kamuro Magami seemed to be younger than Kondo-san and than Reiji Magami, Tokio's father, maybe in his early 30s... Saito watched as he stepped in the room and knelt next to Tokio. The Elder started to chuckle.
Saito raised an eyebrow and kept looking at that weird guy when he remembered that Kamuro had the possibility to... damn !
Kamuro stopped laughing and looked up at Saito, his eyes still laughing. "Yes, I can read people's mind; in fact I can hear their thoughts. I'm here to explain some of the particularities of your link."
Saito, a bit annoyed, nodded.
"Have you ever learned to talk, Saito-san?" Kamuro asked while settling himself on the floor "because, since last night, you haven't open your mouth once."
"I know how to talk" Saito retorted, "but I have nothing to say since I'm here to learn, not to speak. And the faster I'll learn, the faster I'll catch Muraki."
"So you don't want to lose any time?" Kamuro was indeed surprised. So this was the Miburo. Hidden in shadows, waiting for his day, gathering anything that could make him stronger toward achieving his goal. Smiling, Kamuro thought that the girl had chosen well.
"Your link is for the moment, weak," Kamuro began "because you don't know each other very well, but it will grow stronger if you are always together, physically. The body cannot live without the spirit, nor can the spirit live without the body; the two of them are linked in a way that only a few can understand. So, she'll go with you to Kyoto, to hunt down Muraki. You'd better take a room for her near yours, pretend she's your wife, inazuke or whatever you want her to be, but for the first two days, you'll have to be always near one another. This is important. Tokio knows this and...'
"-- Muraki too, then," Saito interjected.
"Yes, be careful. She's the most vulnerable now because your link is not really strong, but it will grow stronger really quickly, and it's draining strength from both of you. If you don't mind or don't feel it, it's because you've been trained to fight for hours. Physical strength and spiritual strength are the same thing, but for her... Muraki's destroying little by little all her spiritual defences and so is tiring her. And moreover, there is, now, another soul in hers. Three. Kind of weird, huh?"
Saito smiled a little at his last comment and asked, "How can a link be broken ?"
"How a man like you, Saito-san, agreed to do this without asking the fundamental question is beyond me!" Kamuro sighed "There is no way safe except death. If you kill Muraki, then she'll be free from his grip."
"The same for me, I guess."
So only death.
Kamuro watched Saito thoughtfully for a while before asking the ShisenGumi, "Do you know why we agreed to let Tokio do this, Saito-san ?"
"I think I do."
Kamuro, amazed, felt Saito's mind pushing him out of his thoughts, and he felt that the youngster had built some barriers, strong ones.
Saitou asked, "Does she know, too, how a link can be broken ?"
"You found a way to block me."
"Yes, since you've said that the body and the spirit couldn't live without the other and that you instructed me to keep Tokio near me, close enough to imagine a physical link between us, I tried to find a way to shield my thoughts from you and the image of walls came to my mind. Since you keep on insisting on the link of the body and spirit, I thought that shielding my thoughts from you, with walls would be easy. But, you didn't answer my question, Magami-sama."
Nodding to himself, Kamuro declared, while grinning, "So, you imagined walls around your thoughts. You got me here, Saito-san, Watari thought you wouldn't understand and so did I. I guess you have showed both of us wrong. It will teach us to take people for granted. And for your question: no, she doesn't. Atsuko let her believe it will be different with you."
Saito remained silent for a while before breaking the silence, leaving the matter drop. "And I suppose this is how I have to proceed to keep Tokio out of my thoughts."
Kamuro nodded, smiling, maybe they could still hope of freeing Tokio from Muraki...
*****
Both of them turned their attention to Tokio as she woke up, still holding hands with Saito. Not noticing the two men, she knelt in her bed, hair going in every direction, moaning, "My head hurts so much..."
Kamuro put a hand on her shoulder, and she faced him. He smiled and raised a hand to her forehead.
"Morning, Kam-sama and arigatou for easing my headache."
"You could have done it yourself, Tokio-chan. Oh, by the way, did you notice that you're holding a man's hand as if your life depended on it?"
Tokio's head snapped into Saito's direction, startled, and in a flash, she remembered what had happened the night before.
"Oh! Gomen." And she let go of Saito's hand, hiding hers behind her back. Blushing. Hard.
Saito found himself missing the feeling of her hand in his...how odd... Damn glad I found a way to throw him out of my head! Realizing that he was blushing a little, Saito tried to recompose himself.
But, unfortunately for him, Kamuro needn't to hear his thoughts to understand what he was thinking of. It was as clear as the sky behind them (well for those who knew how to read someone's face)
Well, she's young, Kamuro thought, she's only 17 after all, and she'll learn. And he's young too. Only 22, a mere baby, compared to us.
Contented with himself, Kamuro smiled to Tokio and said, "Saito-san, I don't think Muraki will stop playing with Tokio, just because she's out of the Magami Domain, so when one of his attacks occurs, you'll have to help her. You'll understand tonight." Kamuro stopped Saito's attempt to ask him more about this, and Saito didn't push the matter further as he saw Tokio bend her head, whispering to herself, "Tonight..."
"I believe that's all I needed to tell you, Saito-san," Kamuro concluded. He stood up and clapped in his hands twice, and immediately after, the sound of people running was heard. Toya's head and a head unknown to Saito appeared in the doorframe. Kamuro sighed heavily at the behaviour of the heir to the Magami Clan and left the room.
****
The unknown guy turned out to be Tsuzuki, one of the five elders. He was as old as Toya and looked a lot like him, but while Toya looked quite sure of himself, Tsuzuki or Tsu-chan, as Tokio called him, reminded Saito of a
newborn puppy.
Toya examined each inch of his baby sister to make sure that she didn't have a single scratch on her while Tsuzuki was babbling on how relieved he was since she seemed full of energy.
Saito watched them. Two older brothers worried for the little sister, and he was about to put her in danger, to catch Muraki. Did he have the right to expose her to the danger ? That was his duty not hers. It would be better if she remained here, safe.
That was stupid, he knew it, he wouldn't catch Muraki without Tokio's help, and she'll turn insane if she stayed here. No, she had to come with him. And it was his duty to make sure Muraki wouldn't put a single finger on her.
Saito stood up, willing to leave them alone, when he felt someone's gaze on him. He turned his head back to the siblings and the Elder. It was Tsuzuki who was staring at him. The latter smiled and said, "You can't leave the room, remember? And don't blame yourself, better blame the sick bastard outside. In a way, you're now part of the Magami Clan."
The siblings didn't seem to notice Tsuzuki and he. Toya was fussing over his little sister while she was trying to explain him that she felt perfectly well. Tsuzuki followed Saito's gaze and turned back to the ShisenGumi. "I kinda told them not to bother with us. They know we're here, but we're not important, just part of the room."
"You knew what I was thinking."
"Well, I'm just 19 so why do you think I'm one of the Elders?"
"They only judge on talent."
"Yup! Power is the determinant, and as much as it annoys Ryu, I'm supposed to be the next First Elder."
"Why do you tell me this?"
"We trust you, Saito-san. Here, nothing remains in the shadows."
But I do. I live in the shadows while she stays in the light. Saito's eyes fell on her hair, her strange hair that absorbed light, that seemed to glow, that seemed to give her an aura... She stays in the light; I remain in the darkness....
"Oy ! Didn't you hear us last night ? I mean Ryu, Watari and I? Tokio, since what happened 7 years ago, has been guarded by her father, brother, guardian and by us, the Elders as a bunch of tengu over a jewel! Do you get it ?"
"You trust me to give her to me."
"Yes, but be careful, Saito-san. We all know how dangerous this is, but some of us will make you pay if she dies and not you."
Saito smiled. That was something he knew. "And so what ?"
Tsuzuki was a bit taken aback but after a while, he smiled back and he nodded as Saito sat back on his futon.
*SIGH* that's it ! I've finished the 5th part ! ! WOWOWOW ! That was
tough! hehehe, see you in the next part !
by Mikim (mikim@multimania.com)
Chapter 5 : One.
Standards Disclaimers Apply
Who could tell that the country was facing a war? The day was bright. It was almost summer time as four people were heading towards a large city.
There were three men, one with a light blue jacket and another with a deep blue one, and a woman who was walking between two of them, behind them, as the woman's shadow walked the third man.
They were on their way towards the capital, the heart of the country, the city which was on the brink of destruction because of the ongoing war: they were walking to Kyoto.
Saito turned his head to his left to watch her : she was still wearing the red string in her black hair, but she had switched her ceremonial robes for a dark red kimono with purple birds on it. Next to her in a protective manner was her brother. He also changed into a deep blue hakama and white gi, and the two of them were talking quietly. Behind the siblings, was Tokio's Guardian, dressed in black, he was holding his little mistress's belongings.
Though, his gaze always went back to her with her hair that seemed to absorb light, the pale skin...
Tokio must have felt his gaze on her because she looked at him, expecting him to ask her a question. He shook his head in a negative way and focused on the road, or rather he tried to, but his mind keep wandering and he recalled what had happened the night before...
**********
"Hold her hand; we need a physical contact between you."
Saito took Tokio's hand but as he let her arm go, she lost her only physical support, and she, dangerously, drifted to the ground once again, but he caught her first.
"Seems to me that you'd better take her back in yours arms, Saito-san."
"Tokio-chan." Sakuraï's sad voice asked, "Are you all right? Do you want me to help you a little?"
"No, thank you Sakuraï-sama," Tokio answered, and as he took her back in his arms, he realized that her voice was even weaker than before.
"Ryu, you lost your last argument. Tokio-chan obviously needs his help because, we, Elders we can't give her what she needs the most," Kamuro declared.
What she needs the most? What does that mean ? Saito frowned. Kamuro was saying this on purpose. For him. He was trying to give him a message but...
"All right. If it's what the Council thinks is best for Tokio-chan, then I'll give her all my help." Ryu's deep voice was tainted by emotion.
In his arms, Saito felt Tokio turned her head into Ryu's direction and heard her whisper, "Thank you, Grandfather."
"You look so much like your mother..." Ryu whispered. "Little girl, you are the jewel of the clan, not only because you are the daughter of my daughter but also because of your heart."
"Yes, Tokio-chan, please, remember when you'll leave the Domain to follow the wolf that you can always come back here, whatever happens to you," Tsuzuki went on. "Remember, Tokio-chan, here from the smaller child to the older people of the Magami Clan, we all hold you very dear to our hearts. Tokio-chan, promise me you'll remember!" he demanded.
"Tsuzuki-kun, Grandfather, I promise you to do my best against Muraki." Her voice was soft and happy. 'She's smiling', Saito thought. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt against his skin drops that surely had the taste of salt.
"Tokio-chan," Watari said, "don't cry because of these idiots. They are only trying to say they love you, in a rather clumsy way, but I must admit that everybody here thinks the same way."
"Why, you... Watari!"
"Hush, Tsuzuki!"
"But, Sakuraï, hadn't you heard what he told us?"
"Sakuraï's right, Brat, it's almost time to start the ritual. So, shut the hell up!"
Saito clearly heard Tsuzuki strangle himself with his rage, and he felt Tokio's giggle at her grandfather's comment.
So Ryu her grandfather. They sound like they will never see her again.
Someone put a hand on Saito's shoulder, and since he wasn't expecting it, nor did he sense the Elder coming close enough to touch him, he felt surprise stab his heart and stiffened immediately, cursing for at the hundredth times Toya.
"Relax," Kamuro's smooth voice whispered. "The ritual is about to start: you'll see things that you've never seen before, you'll also hear, smell, taste and feel things that are strange to your conscious and soul because they belong to Tokio. Don't fight them, don't be afraid. Focus on something you like, something you're used to, something that you don't need thinking about to do."
*******
Something flash through his mind, but he didn't pay attention to it, as he was mentally doing a kata. He knew what had just blurred onto his mind was one of Tokio's memories. Eyes closed, he almost felt the dojo of his early days around him when he was practicing on his own to be the best.
One. Sword down.
Two. Sword cutting down an opponent on his left.
Three. Sword blocking an unreal attack.
Four...
******
Sunlight hit him. He blinked, trying to get his eyes back into focus, and his senses came back to him like a punch in the stomach. He tried to sit up, but someone pushed him back on the futon where he had been sleeping.
"Don't, or you'll be sick. This is because of the ritual. It drained a lot of spiritual strength from you and from her, but although she's used to it, you're not. That's why you're feeling so horrible right now," a woman explained.
Saito nodded and, damn, yes, he felt like vomiting. He rolled onto his left side, grunting. His view came back to normal, and he felt a small hand touching his. He looked up and, as expected, there she was.
She was sleeping on her stomach, her face turned in his direction on the futon next to his. Her hair was spread all around and on her. She was such a mess!
Saito tried to free his left hand from her grip, but she refused to let go and groaned in her sleep, frowning at the same time, so Saito gave up the effort.
The room they were in was full on light, and he heard the woman moving around them. As she opened the panel to leave the room, he heard Tokio moan again in her sleep. He watched the sunrise through the open door, but something caught his eye on Tokio's face so he turned his attention back to her.
It was one of her tears running down her face that caught his attention. Again, she was crying in her sleep. With his free hand, and with a kindness unknown to him, he brushed her tear away.
Maybe he did it because they were alone in a room full of light, holding hands. Maybe it was because he had spent half of the night holding her, not that she was heavy, she was rather skinny for a woman of her built, he thought.
Saito sighed and turned his gaze back to the door, watching the sunrise. Why did he even agree on this foulness?
Because of the dream.
The answer was quite clear: it was because of the 'dream' she had shown him. He had hated the way he had felt, glad of that girl's death, glad of the agony that had followed, glad of feeling her soul leaving her body...
To stop that sick bastard, according to his faith: Aku. Zoku. San.
But now, in this room, it was for her. His gaze, by itself drifted back to her sleeping face. To protect her.
Yes, it was now a personal matter and that was bad for his work.
Rolling back onto his back, he shielded his eyes from the sun with his right arm, which he put on his closed eyes, and he realized that Muraki wasn't his worse enemy in this matter. No, she was.
Smiling to himself, he thought that maybe, for once, someone might be stronger than he, the Miburo and it wasn't bothering him at all!
If Okita ever heard about this, he'd laugh so much that his thick little head would roll by itself across the floor!
Frowning, Saito turned his head in her direction again. She was beautiful, her face lit with the sunrise, her black hair absorbing light, her red lips....
Sick bastard. I promise you, Muraki, I'll kill you.
"If you keep staring at her this way, Saito-san, you'll burn a hole in her face."
Saito jumped in surprise and sat up quickly without letting her hand go and faced, for the first time, the First Elder of the Magami Clan.
Kamuro Magami seemed to be younger than Kondo-san and than Reiji Magami, Tokio's father, maybe in his early 30s... Saito watched as he stepped in the room and knelt next to Tokio. The Elder started to chuckle.
Saito raised an eyebrow and kept looking at that weird guy when he remembered that Kamuro had the possibility to... damn !
Kamuro stopped laughing and looked up at Saito, his eyes still laughing. "Yes, I can read people's mind; in fact I can hear their thoughts. I'm here to explain some of the particularities of your link."
Saito, a bit annoyed, nodded.
"Have you ever learned to talk, Saito-san?" Kamuro asked while settling himself on the floor "because, since last night, you haven't open your mouth once."
"I know how to talk" Saito retorted, "but I have nothing to say since I'm here to learn, not to speak. And the faster I'll learn, the faster I'll catch Muraki."
"So you don't want to lose any time?" Kamuro was indeed surprised. So this was the Miburo. Hidden in shadows, waiting for his day, gathering anything that could make him stronger toward achieving his goal. Smiling, Kamuro thought that the girl had chosen well.
"Your link is for the moment, weak," Kamuro began "because you don't know each other very well, but it will grow stronger if you are always together, physically. The body cannot live without the spirit, nor can the spirit live without the body; the two of them are linked in a way that only a few can understand. So, she'll go with you to Kyoto, to hunt down Muraki. You'd better take a room for her near yours, pretend she's your wife, inazuke or whatever you want her to be, but for the first two days, you'll have to be always near one another. This is important. Tokio knows this and...'
"-- Muraki too, then," Saito interjected.
"Yes, be careful. She's the most vulnerable now because your link is not really strong, but it will grow stronger really quickly, and it's draining strength from both of you. If you don't mind or don't feel it, it's because you've been trained to fight for hours. Physical strength and spiritual strength are the same thing, but for her... Muraki's destroying little by little all her spiritual defences and so is tiring her. And moreover, there is, now, another soul in hers. Three. Kind of weird, huh?"
Saito smiled a little at his last comment and asked, "How can a link be broken ?"
"How a man like you, Saito-san, agreed to do this without asking the fundamental question is beyond me!" Kamuro sighed "There is no way safe except death. If you kill Muraki, then she'll be free from his grip."
"The same for me, I guess."
So only death.
Kamuro watched Saito thoughtfully for a while before asking the ShisenGumi, "Do you know why we agreed to let Tokio do this, Saito-san ?"
"I think I do."
Kamuro, amazed, felt Saito's mind pushing him out of his thoughts, and he felt that the youngster had built some barriers, strong ones.
Saitou asked, "Does she know, too, how a link can be broken ?"
"You found a way to block me."
"Yes, since you've said that the body and the spirit couldn't live without the other and that you instructed me to keep Tokio near me, close enough to imagine a physical link between us, I tried to find a way to shield my thoughts from you and the image of walls came to my mind. Since you keep on insisting on the link of the body and spirit, I thought that shielding my thoughts from you, with walls would be easy. But, you didn't answer my question, Magami-sama."
Nodding to himself, Kamuro declared, while grinning, "So, you imagined walls around your thoughts. You got me here, Saito-san, Watari thought you wouldn't understand and so did I. I guess you have showed both of us wrong. It will teach us to take people for granted. And for your question: no, she doesn't. Atsuko let her believe it will be different with you."
Saito remained silent for a while before breaking the silence, leaving the matter drop. "And I suppose this is how I have to proceed to keep Tokio out of my thoughts."
Kamuro nodded, smiling, maybe they could still hope of freeing Tokio from Muraki...
*****
Both of them turned their attention to Tokio as she woke up, still holding hands with Saito. Not noticing the two men, she knelt in her bed, hair going in every direction, moaning, "My head hurts so much..."
Kamuro put a hand on her shoulder, and she faced him. He smiled and raised a hand to her forehead.
"Morning, Kam-sama and arigatou for easing my headache."
"You could have done it yourself, Tokio-chan. Oh, by the way, did you notice that you're holding a man's hand as if your life depended on it?"
Tokio's head snapped into Saito's direction, startled, and in a flash, she remembered what had happened the night before.
"Oh! Gomen." And she let go of Saito's hand, hiding hers behind her back. Blushing. Hard.
Saito found himself missing the feeling of her hand in his...how odd... Damn glad I found a way to throw him out of my head! Realizing that he was blushing a little, Saito tried to recompose himself.
But, unfortunately for him, Kamuro needn't to hear his thoughts to understand what he was thinking of. It was as clear as the sky behind them (well for those who knew how to read someone's face)
Well, she's young, Kamuro thought, she's only 17 after all, and she'll learn. And he's young too. Only 22, a mere baby, compared to us.
Contented with himself, Kamuro smiled to Tokio and said, "Saito-san, I don't think Muraki will stop playing with Tokio, just because she's out of the Magami Domain, so when one of his attacks occurs, you'll have to help her. You'll understand tonight." Kamuro stopped Saito's attempt to ask him more about this, and Saito didn't push the matter further as he saw Tokio bend her head, whispering to herself, "Tonight..."
"I believe that's all I needed to tell you, Saito-san," Kamuro concluded. He stood up and clapped in his hands twice, and immediately after, the sound of people running was heard. Toya's head and a head unknown to Saito appeared in the doorframe. Kamuro sighed heavily at the behaviour of the heir to the Magami Clan and left the room.
****
The unknown guy turned out to be Tsuzuki, one of the five elders. He was as old as Toya and looked a lot like him, but while Toya looked quite sure of himself, Tsuzuki or Tsu-chan, as Tokio called him, reminded Saito of a
newborn puppy.
Toya examined each inch of his baby sister to make sure that she didn't have a single scratch on her while Tsuzuki was babbling on how relieved he was since she seemed full of energy.
Saito watched them. Two older brothers worried for the little sister, and he was about to put her in danger, to catch Muraki. Did he have the right to expose her to the danger ? That was his duty not hers. It would be better if she remained here, safe.
That was stupid, he knew it, he wouldn't catch Muraki without Tokio's help, and she'll turn insane if she stayed here. No, she had to come with him. And it was his duty to make sure Muraki wouldn't put a single finger on her.
Saito stood up, willing to leave them alone, when he felt someone's gaze on him. He turned his head back to the siblings and the Elder. It was Tsuzuki who was staring at him. The latter smiled and said, "You can't leave the room, remember? And don't blame yourself, better blame the sick bastard outside. In a way, you're now part of the Magami Clan."
The siblings didn't seem to notice Tsuzuki and he. Toya was fussing over his little sister while she was trying to explain him that she felt perfectly well. Tsuzuki followed Saito's gaze and turned back to the ShisenGumi. "I kinda told them not to bother with us. They know we're here, but we're not important, just part of the room."
"You knew what I was thinking."
"Well, I'm just 19 so why do you think I'm one of the Elders?"
"They only judge on talent."
"Yup! Power is the determinant, and as much as it annoys Ryu, I'm supposed to be the next First Elder."
"Why do you tell me this?"
"We trust you, Saito-san. Here, nothing remains in the shadows."
But I do. I live in the shadows while she stays in the light. Saito's eyes fell on her hair, her strange hair that absorbed light, that seemed to glow, that seemed to give her an aura... She stays in the light; I remain in the darkness....
"Oy ! Didn't you hear us last night ? I mean Ryu, Watari and I? Tokio, since what happened 7 years ago, has been guarded by her father, brother, guardian and by us, the Elders as a bunch of tengu over a jewel! Do you get it ?"
"You trust me to give her to me."
"Yes, but be careful, Saito-san. We all know how dangerous this is, but some of us will make you pay if she dies and not you."
Saito smiled. That was something he knew. "And so what ?"
Tsuzuki was a bit taken aback but after a while, he smiled back and he nodded as Saito sat back on his futon.
*SIGH* that's it ! I've finished the 5th part ! ! WOWOWOW ! That was
tough! hehehe, see you in the next part !