Author's Notes: See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.
Love, Life, and Death By Annie-chan Chapter Twenty-Two: ReunionHôjun ran through the forest, unheeding of the cold wind that buffeted his body. First, he had smelled an oddly familiar scent on the wind. Second, he wakes up completely alone in the forest, his only companion the currently incapacitated Nyan-Nyan hanging from his prayer beads in a crystal-like ball. Third, he finds a bruised and bloodied Taka lying unconscious on the ground. Fourth, Taka had run away, screaming Miaka's name, unnoticing of his injuries. Something was definitely wrong. He didn't know where he was going, merely following the others' ki signatures. He sensed immediate danger.
A sudden smell invaded his nostrils. That smell again. Since he had first noticed it, a nagging memory had been struggling to identify itself. He couldn't place where he had smelled it before, but he knew it was important.
"That smell…!" Hôjun gasped. "Where do I remember that smell from, no da?!"
"Where are you going, Chichiri?" an unexpected voice said from up in a tree. Hôjun whipped his gaze up to the source, beholding a tall, winged humanoid. "There's really no point in going so fast. I doubt you'll get there in time."
"In time…?" Hôjun repeated. He had sensed right. Something awful was happening, and he was pretty much powerless to stop it.
"Hai," the winged man confirmed. "Tasuki is behaving just as I expected. I couldn't be more satisfied with how he's taking my influence."
"Tasuki…? You…you did something to Tasuki…made him hurt Tamahome…" Hôjun couldn't believe they had let something like this happen. Without another word, he gathered energy for a simple yet effective attack and released.
The winged man jumped clear just as the branch under him shattered into splinters. He spread his wings, and a sudden downpour soaked Hôjun to the skin in a matter of seconds.
"Water?" Hôjun questioned. So, this was a Water Demon. He started to prepare for another attack, but suddenly fell to his knees as the ground moved under him. "Da!" The rain had stopped falling as suddenly as it started, and all he could do was stare at the demon floating above him.
"Tenkô-sama's power is growing," the demon said, sounding pleased. "What you just felt was an outlet of his power. Soon, the whole world will feel his strength, and the humans will be his to control. Not only here, but in the Miko world, as well."
"You demons!" Hôjun screamed. "You'll never reach Miaka's world, no da! We won't let you, no da! We—!"
He stopped abruptly as the moon emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating the demon's face for the first time. It was revealed slowly, and Hôjun felt a cold sweat form on his skin as the features became distinguishable. That face…the expression was so different from what he remembered, but…
His hands were trembling. His eye began to sting sharply as his quivering fingers pulled the thin fabric of his mask from his face. He could feel his face slowly dissolve into a look of still-fresh pain over something he wished more than anything had not happened.
I see, a voice echoed in his head. You two are in love! I never would have guessed! Have you set the wedding date? This next spring? Omedetô!
Hai! he heard his own voice reply. We wanted you to be the first one to know about this! You…you'll come to the wedding, won't you?
Of course, I will, the first voice said. You and I are best friends, aren't we?
All he could see was the willow tree in the distance as his mind brought up memories of running up the hill toward it, a small wooden object clutched tightly in his hand. He couldn't stop himself from remembering before he saw that horrible sight of his best friend and his dear soul mate in each other's arms.
"Dô shite…" Hôjun whispered, just as he had that fateful day, dropping the mask just as he had dropped the small hair adornment he had lovingly carved for his fiancée. A single sentence kept running though his mind: You and I are best friends, aren't we?…best friends, aren't we?…best friends, aren't we?…best friends…
"HIKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" was all Hôjun could bring himself to scream out. A sudden rush of anger, sadness, and betrayal flooded his system as he realized Tenkô's newest weapon against him and the others was none other than his dearest friend.
"You remember now, don't you, Hôjun?" Hikô replied to Hôjun's scream. He watched with a smirk on his face as Hôjun wavered on his feet, looking like he was ready to collapse.
"Uso da…uso da!" Hôjun almost sobbed, his eye wide. "Hikô…you…you've come back…as a…as a…" He floundered for a minute, then tried to say something else. "I…I remember now…that smell…it's…it's the fragrance you used to always wear…"
"Chichiri!" a voice cried from his right. He turned his head and saw Nuriko and Mitsukake running up to him. He looked back to Hikô and realized the once-human was now gone.
"Hôjun…iya, Chichiri," he heard Hikô's voice come from the dark foliage of the pine trees. He barely registered what else Hikô said, only that Tasuki, Miaka, and Taka were at some inn in the nearest town.
"Chichiri!" Nuriko said, skidding to a stop with Mitsukake. "Dô shita no? Who was that guy? Miaka-tachi wa?!"
Hôjun looked down at his hand, a sudden resolve forming. "Hayaku…Miaka…we have to go, no da!"
Before either of his companions could question, he sped off toward the nearest town, hoping against hope they would get there before anything irreversible happened.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He lay in bed, his eye closed. What he bothered to listen to from the others indicated they did not know he was awake yet. He didn't care right now. He could only remember.
Hikô had not died as a human should. He had been twisted, possessed, molded into a demon at the hands of the most unspeakably evil creature in existence. He had nearly made Tasuki rape Miaka, taking the bandit's brotherly love for the Miko and turning it into a raging fire, confusing him into thinking he loved Miaka in a way he was not allowed to. Now, Hikô had kidnapped Miaka, and left a challenge to come get her to the Seishi…most pointedly, Hôjun himself.
Everyone…everyone now knew what happened eight years ago in that monstrous storm. He had remembered it from time to time since then, but to see it played out before him, open for everyone around to watch, only made it cut deeper than usual. He had broken down, shrieking for it to stop. He had next been slammed against the wall behind him, and could do nothing but slide down to the floor as Hikô issued his challenge, saying he planned to take everything Hôjun held dear away from him. He had blacked out a few seconds later, and woke up a few minutes ago in this bed.
Mitsukake was speaking…something about waiting until he woke up…waiting for his sake.
"I…can't fight," he whispered, his eye still closed.
"Chichiri!" Mitsukake exclaimed at the same time as Tasuki.
"You're awake!" Tasuki continued on his own.
"You all saw," Hôjun said shakily. "I…was eighteen years old…Hikô…I killed my best friend." He paused, memories of Kôran's weeping voice and the uncontainable rage sweeping through him dominating his thoughts. "I…I had two people in my life…my soul mate and my soul brother. That day…a huge flood swept through the valley my village sits in. The town was completely destroyed…nothing was left! My family…my friends…almost everyone I knew drowned that day! But…not Hikô! I…I can't put him to death a second time! I can't…I can't fight…!" Tears were threatening to stain his cheek. He refused to let them fall. He turned his face away, unable to look his friends in the eye.
"Chichiri," he heard Mitsukake say softly. "I…I also lost my family in that flood. I thought my life was over. But, I had Shôka with me. She saved my soul, much like I imagine your wife saved yours. This power we have…it's all for naught if we can't protect the ones we love with it. I thought I had let Shôka down by letting her die, and my not being there for her turned her into a demon. I managed to put her to rest, a year later. I wish I could have done it sooner. You have to go to your friend, let him know you care, release him from the misguided hatred he holds for you. You're the only one who can do that. Only you can make him see the light. Show him the love you still hold for him, and he will finally be able to rest in peace."
Hôjun could only stare. Mitsukake was right…but…
"Chichiri," he heard Taka say. "I'm sorry. You've always been there for me, for everyone. You've given us your help, asking nothing in return. I can't believe you to be so insensitive as to kill your friend on purpose, as Hikô's implying. You're one of the most selfless people I have ever encountered, in both my lives. Now…I need your help one more time. Please…find them! Let me go there…I have to save Miaka! If I'm the only one to go, so be it! I—"
"Iya," Hôjun said, sitting up, a new determination burning through him. "I will go. This is my fight. If he plans on taking everything I hold dear—!" He stopped short. "Every…thing…I…hold…dear…?" His eye was wide. A sudden thought had occurred to him. Hikô had taken Miaka…but there were others he cared about even more. "Oh…Suzaku!" He suddenly fazed out, ignoring the worried questions from the others.
He reappeared in his own house. It was very late, and the house had not been warmed in any way for quite some time. He did not notice the chill, though he was shirtless. He ran to his room and flung open the door.
It was empty. The bed was unmade, and Hana's cradle was also in disarray. He stared numbly, unable to think. He walked stiffly into the children's bedroom, but it was in a similar state: empty, and the beds looked like someone had neglected to make them.
He walked back into his own room and stared into the darkness. Despite the cold, he had started to sweat, and he began to feel terribly cold, inside and out.
"Nya…?"
Hôjun turned toward the wall and looked down. There, near where the floor joined the wall, was a dark little shape, barely distinguishable in the darkness. It was the cat, curled protectively in on itself, its soft, white fur spotted with red.
"T-Tama," Hôjun whispered, walking over and picking the cat up. He held it to his bare chest, stroking it gently. It had been flung hard against the wall, and was lucky it didn't smash its head open. "You tried to protect them, didn't you? Gomen nasai. You didn't deserve this." The cat tried to mew, but all it could manage was a small squeak.
Suddenly, in a delayed reaction, all of what happened came crashing down on him. Hikô was a demon. Miaka had been kidnapped. His wife and children had been kidnapped. His children may be dead already. Even the cat had suffered from Hikô's seemingly undying hate for him. Hôjun squeezed his eye shut, tears streaming down his face, and let loose a cry of grief. Then, he knelt on the floor silently, cradling the cat against him.
A few minutes later, he teleported almost mechanically back to the inn, tears still making their way from his eye. He had not made a sound since that initial wail. The others stared down at his kneeling form, speechless at his unexpected disappearance and reappearance. The only one who made a move toward him at first was Mitsukake, who took the dying cat from him, and let his healing magic fix the poor animal's injuries.
Finally, someone stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. Hôjun raised his eye just enough to see the person's feet, and identified him by his shoes. Tasuki.
"Chichiri," the young bandit started, seemingly at a loss for words. "Dô shita no?"
"He took my wife and children," Hôjun responded numbly, his voice soft and flat. "My children may already have been killed by now." He stood up, his eye not really seeing his surroundings, and lay down on the bed, his back to the room. "I…I want to be left alone for now, if that's all right. Onegai?"
The others said nothing, only walking silently out of the room, apparently understanding that their senior member was under a huge amount of mental and spiritual stress. Just as the door closed, however, he felt a small weight land on the bed. A newly restored Tama-neko had jumped up from the floor, and climbed over his prone form until it was in front of him. It came up to his face and began licking at his tears, not stopping until his face was dry.
"Oh, Tama," Hôjun said softly. "You really care about me, don't you?"
"Nya!" the cat responded, pawing playfully at his bangs. Hôjun could almost imagine the cat was smiling at him. He reached up and pulled the cat to him, letting it snuggle up under his chin. It began purring, its little body vibrating its contentment. It's fur was still had bits of blood in it, but had apparently been subjected to a hasty cleaning just prior to the cat's jumping up on the bed. That was a bit odd. Usually, cats cleaned their fur until it fairly shined.
Hôjun paid no attention to that little fact, opting to close his eyes and concentrating on pinpointing the people he so desperately needed to find to avoid disaster.
To be continued…Author's Notes: I had to write the last part of this chapter twice. I didn't really like it after Chichiri realized Miaka isn't the only one Hikô took, so I erased it and rewrote it. I'm sorry for dialogue discrepancies. I don't understand Japanese enough to make an accurate translation, so I paraphrased from what I can make out and what I think was appropriate for the characters to say in those particular scenes. I also shortened some conversations, because I just couldn't think of anything for them to say. Again, gomen nasai. I'm basing my story on the manga, not the anime, which is why Hikô and Chichiri met up before the whole bit at the inn. For any parts where the anime and manga differ, and I gave the anime version, it's because I hadn't gotten that particular manga volume when I wrote that part. For example, in the manga, Tasuki doesn't forget his little memory stone, and he gives it to Taka in his own house (we meet Tasuki's mother, father, and oldest sister—Aidô—in the manga!). I didn't have volume fourteen when I wrote chapter twenty. Since I have all of the mangas now (yay!) that kind of thing won't happen any more. Read the manga, if you haven't. The anime is good, but the manga is better. That said, I should say again to PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leave a review, or write me at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!