Disclaimer: We've been through this before. The only thing I own is four, not-good-quality, taped from a tape of tape of the series. Does it sound like I *#$&# own the series???
Author's Notes: I'm FINALLY back! It's been a while, I know. I've had.. umm.. problems... writing this. But.. all's well... it's done.. and yay!
Warnings: Shounen ai.. OF COURSE! Strange, reincarnation dreams, Sunekake babaa, A LOT of info in this chapter... ehehehe... read on, read on!
Heaven's Door
Chapter 7: Answers
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Chuin knew he was back in the palace. He had the same weird clothes on, and the same dreadful makeup he was wearing in the other dreams. Looking around him, he saw he was standing in what appeared to be a temple, a large statue of a dragon before him, and water all around. The temple was really quite beautiful. A high, vaulted ceiling gave it a sense of hugeness without actually being large. The floor was marble, except where the water lay in pools and flowed freely from fountains. The sound was calming, and Chuin felt a sense of peace at just standing there, admiring the details of the dragon sculpture.
"Why are you here, Tomo?"
That voice. That voice that was so like Ayuru's, only darker, more sadistic sounding. Spinning around, he saw the man who would be his boyfriend if not for the cold, cruel eyes peering at him from narrow slits. The question seemed to only alert the man to Nakago's presence, not intending to be answered. But Tomo spoke anyway, using the sing-songy inflictions in his voice that made it different from Chuin's.
"I came to pray to Seiryuu, Nakago-sama, of course." He felt Tomo's courage flare. "Why are you here?"
Nakago raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at the other man's bravery. "I came to pray as well." He was standing at the doors, not seeming surprised at all to find Tomo in the temple. A white robe adorned his body, with a maroon sash and cape attached to it.
A dry chuckle worked its way out of Tomo's throat. "No you didn't. Nakago-sama, I've known you for a few years... you try to avoid this place as if it would kill you to step foot through the doors."
The blonde man closed the gap between the two in three steps, glaring down at Tomo. "Do not presume to know me, Seiryuu no shichiseishi Tomoboshi. You know NOTHING about me!" The last came out in a hiss, and Tomo took an unsteady step back.
This man, this Tomo... he's obviously in love with Nakago... but what is Nakago doing here... or for that matter... why is he in Ayuru's mind? Chuin thought. Tomo had turned back to the statue, muttered to Seiryuu to give him strength, then turned back to Nakago, who stood still.
"Shogun," he started, but Nakago raised a hand.
"Iie, Tomo, do not say anything. Your curiousity has served you well." Nakago walked to the line of benches that ran along the one wall, seemed to sink into one. Tomo followed, but remained respectfully standing.
Then Nakago began to speak, his voice clear and deep, commanding Tomo's as well as Chuin's, full attention. "As you are well-aware, Tomo, I am not of Kutou. I am Hin. You should also be aware that the Hin people served the god Tenkou. When I was a child, the day I was to look upon our God, I became ill. I realized later that it was because I was a Seiryuu shichseishi, Tenkou had already cast me out of the tribe. Then, the Kutou army came, and I was taken to the palace. I had, before meeting the emperor, been ready to swear my allegiance to Seiryuu, the one who had given me all this power. But, after the emperor, I decided that I owed my allegiance to no one." Nakago looked at Tomo, his blue eyes clouded with a deep, impenetrable pain. "I swore allegiance to myself, and to myself only. Now, Tomo, do you want to know of my plan?"
The man nodded, unable to speak.
Nakago allowed a thin smile to grace his lips. "You know that Yui-sama was never raped. You know that I told her she was simply to make her become Seiryuu no Miko."
Again, Tomo nodded.
"All that has happened so far has been exactly to my plan. I took care of Yui-sama when she tried to kill herself, indebting her to me. The foolish girl will no doubt want to do something for me for saving her life. When the time is right, I'll ask her to save one wish for me, to repay me for being the loyalist friend she had here. That wish, Tomo, will be to grant me the powers of a God."
Tomo gasped, staring at Nakago with wide eyes. "N-Nakago..."
Nakago stood then, walked up to him, their faces only inches apart. "When that happens, Tomo, I'll be the ruler, the creator, the destroyer. The world will be as I want it to be." He smiled, an odd thing for the shogun to do. "Would you like to be a part of it?"
"A part of it?" Tomo echoed.
He nodded. "Swear your allegiance to me, and when I become a God, you'll be commander of my armies."
Chuin felt Tomo's mind swirling. "Commander? Why me?"
"You're cunning, you're cruel, and you're the only shichiseishi that doesn't annoy me," Nakago admitted. "Now, what say you, Tomo?"
To Chuin's surprise, Tomo dropped to one knee in front of Nakago. "I pledge my allegiance to you, Nakago-sama. I will serve you until my life is taken from me."
Nakago grabbed Tomo by the arms, lifted him to his feet. "We will be unstoppable," he said, a crazed glint reflecting in the pure blue of his eyes.
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Chuin awoke with a start, took a moment to let the confusion and the feelings of Tomo slip away, then sat up. He dropped his head in his hands, rubbed his eyes.
"I'm going insane, aren't I?" he asked aloud. The dreams, they were slowly tearing away at his mental stability, leaving him feeling oddly helpless and vulnerable. He sat on the edge of his bed for a long while, reflecting on all that had happened the previous night.
He and Ayuru had stayed in the cemetery for hours, talking. When they finally stumbled back, exhausted, to their apartments, Chuin had fallen asleep immediately. The sun now shown brightly through the windows. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was noon.
Standing, he stretched like a cat, felt a satisfying crack in his back. He walked out to his kitchen, made some coffee. While it was brewing, sending the eye-opening aroma throughout the apartment, there was a knock at the door.
Chuin opened it, greeting the person on the other side with a smile.
"Chuin Ryo?" It was a FedEx man.
"Yes?"
The man held out a box. "Package for you, sir. Just sign on this line."
Chuin took the box, scribbled his name on the receiving sheet. "Thanks," he said. He was about to close the door, when Ayuru walked up behind the man. "Hey!" Chuin greeted. "Come on in!"
Ayuru smiled half-heartedly, but stepped through the door. "Someone send you something?"
The other man looked at the box. "It's from Pennsylvania," he said.
Ayuru leaned over and gave Chuin a peck on the cheek. "Well, open it," he urged.
Grabbing a knife from the kitchen while Ayuru poured them coffee, Chuin cut the tape on the box and tore it open. A letter sat on top, so he read that first.
Dear Mr. Ryo,
Having gone through the things left from your parents' departure, the law firm found this book among the junk. It looked to be worth money, and since you are the surviving member of the family, it is yours by law. We are still very sorry for your loss, and hope that whatever this book contains will mean something of a sentimental value for you.
Sincerely,
Bob Thatcher
Chuin snickered. Those fools at the law firm never cared for him or his family. They wanted their money and that was all. He was mildly surprised that they even bothered to send him the book... whatever book it was.
He was staring so intently at the letter that he jumped when there was suddenly a steaming cup of coffee floating in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, then he heard a chuckle.
"Do you want this, or were you making coffee for the hell of it?"
He grabbed the cup and took a healthy gulp, letting the hot liquid burn a comfortable warmth down his throat to his stomach. "Thanks," he said.
"So," Ayuru sat across from him at the table. "What did you get?"
"A book."
"A book?" Ayuru raised an eyebrow, but Chuin ignored him, pulling the book out of the box. It was old, ancient-looking really. The brown leather that made its cover was worn and even torn in some spots. Chuin looked at the spine. A row of Chinese characters looked back at him.
"It's in Chinese," he said. "I can't read Chinese."
Ayuru took a drink of his coffee and set it down. "Chinese? Why did your parents have a Chinese book?"
Chuin shrugged. "Beats me. 'The Universe of the 4 Gods'?" His jaw dropped. "I just read that. Ayuru, I just READ that."
"Didn't you just say you couldn't read Chinese?" Ayuru asked.
The dark-haired man looked up at him. "I can't... or... I thought I couldn't. I never learned." He opened up the book. "Yet, I can read every word. What the hell is going on?"
Ayuru stood up and walked around the table to peer over Chuin's shoulder. "Read some of it."
But Chuin didn't answer. He sat at the table, the book in his hands, and remained silent.
"Chuin?"
"He's in here," he whispered, his amber eyes wide and fearful.
"Who?" Ayuru was going crazy, wanting to know what Chuin was talking about.
"Nakago."
The silence in the room was loud. Seconds ticked by, but neither of the men moved or spoke. Chuin heard the dripping of water in the sink, the faint sound of the traffic on the road below them. He looked up and finally noticed that Ayuru was shaking. "Ayuru, what--?"
"Get out of here," he said, his voice trembling. "Chuin, go... NOW!"
Chuin clutched the book to his chest, and ran out of the apartment. On his way out, he glanced over his shoulder. A bright blue light was pouring out of the door to his apartment. Where am I going? he thought wildly. The answer came as if it had always been there. Miz Zacharie. I have to go to Miz Zacharie. He held the book tighter and ran faster.
Nearly falling down the stairs that lead out to the street, Chuin ran in a crazed, stumbling manner. He didn't slow down or pause until Miz Zacharie's house was in sight. Then he slowed to brisk walk, still holding the book to his chest, right over his rapidly beating heart.
He reached the porch, and, breathing hard, reached up to knock. But the door opened and Miz Zacharie stood there, concern etched on her face.
"Come in, child, quickly!" she said.
Chuin tripped through the door, made his way into the kitchen. Miz Zacharie followed, took one quick glance at the book in his arms, and sat down at the table. "You have the book," she observed.
He looked at her, scared, and nodded silently.
"Do you know what this book is, Chuin?"
"N-no," he answered, still trying to get his breath back.
"What if I were to tell you that you are the reincarnation of a character in that book?" Miz Zacharie asked.
Chuin laughed bitterly. "At this point, Miz Zacharie, I'm willing to believe anything."
The old woman raised an eyebrow, studied the young man. "Then I will explain things to you, young Chuin." She sat down across from him at the table, held her hands out. "Let me see the book."
Hands shaking, Chuin slid the book across the table to her. Miz Zacharie flipped open the cover and scanned the first page. "Well, I'll be damned," she muttered. Looking up at Chuin, she allowed a smile to grace her lips before frowning again. "This book here is the reason Nakago is in Ayuru."
Chuin stared at the woman, blinked. Had she lost her mind in her old age? What the hell was she talking about?
"Actually," Miz Zacharie went on, ignoring the blank look on the man's face. "This book here is the reason Ayuru exists. It's the reason you exist, too." She stood abruptly, walked to the stove, put on a kettle. "This book is called the Universe of the 4 Gods. It has the power to take a young woman from this world, and pull her into the world that exists in this book. The four gods are Byakko, Genbu, Suzaku, and Seiryuu."
Chuin jumped at hearing the last two names of the gods. Seiryuu... that's the temple I was at.. and Suzaku... he was talking about the Suzaku no miko...
Miz Zacharie paused to take two coffee cups from the cupboard, placed one in front of Chuin. "The story that's in here now is about Suzaku and Seiryuu. Each god has seven seishi... or celestial warriors. These seven warriors are sent to protect the one who comes into the book. She will summon the god, and her wishes will come true. The seven seishi of Suzaku are Hotohori, Nuriko, Tamahome, Tasuki, Chichiri, Mitsukake, and Chiriko. The seven seishi of Seiryuu are Nakago, Soi, Amiboshi, Suboshi, Ashitare, Miboshi, and Tomo."
"Nakago? Tomo?" Chuin nearly leapt of his chair.
"You know about Tomo?"
"Sort of," he said, kneading his hands together. "I keep having these dreams. In it, I'm a man named Tomo, and Nakago is there."
Miz Zacharie looked thoughtful, then turned and took the kettle off the stove. She poured them both tea in silence, before sitting back down. "Those aren't dreams, Chuin," she told him. "They're memories."
Chuin look a huge gulp of tea. "Memories?"
She nodded. "You are the reincarnation of Tomo, Seiryuu shichseishi."
There was silence in the small kitchen as Miz Zacharie drank her tea. Chuin was too shocked to speak, but finally, in a small voice, he asked. "Is Ayuru the reincarnation of Nakago?"
The old woman said nothing for a long while. She sighed then. "Ayuru's reincarnation is... difficult. When Nakago was killed in the book, Seiryuu completely divided the two. Ayuru was once a gentle soul. But he was of the Hin Tribe, a race of people with fair skin, eyes, and hair. They were hated in Kutou, the country they lived. The emperor of Kutou ordered the entire eradication of them. When that happened, Ayuru's power as Nakago awoke. He was spared because he was shichseishi... spared from death, at least. The emperor had always taken a liking to young boys, and Ayuru was no different. It warped and twisted him until all he could think of was revenge. Revenge against the emperor, revenge against the world, and revenge against Seiryuu."
"Whoa, whoa... wait a minute," Chuin cut in, holding up a hand. "How in the world do you know all this?"
Miz Zacharie smiled. "I was there, Chuin."
"How is that possible?"
"I am the Creator, the one the 4 gods answered to. My name is Taiitsukun."
Miz Zacharie went on to tell Chuin about his life as Tomo, filling in the gaps that the dreams had left out. She explained everything that had happened after he died, and Nakago's ultimate failure.
"He wanted to become a god..." Chuin whispered. "That was his revenge. Become a god, and he could destroy all that had given him pain."
Miz Zacharie nodded. "Nakago came back with the same purpose."
Chuin looked at the ancient book that lay open on the table. "He needs the book. The book is the only thing that has the summoning ceremony in it."
"He needs more than that. Nakago must have the other seishi AND the miko for it to work. Beyond that... it's still her call as to what wishes she asks for."
The young man dropped his head in his hands. "It's a hopeless quest... why does he still want it?"
"Because revenge is all he's known, all he's ever cared about. That's why Seiryuu separated them. He wanted Ayuru to live a normal life, unplagued by the memories of Nakago. Nakago was too strong, though, and found his way out anyway, still with the notion that he must have revenge. He's spent two years searching for the book, and here it was sent right to Ayuru's boyfriend, and fellow seishi." Miz Zacharie shook her head. "Funny how the world works."
"What do I do?"
She looked at Chuin. He looked so hopeful, so ready to do whatever he could to save his beloved. Tomo was the same way, she thought. "Somehow, Ayuru must become stronger than Nakago and the two personalities must become one. Only then will the personality of Ayuru overshadow that of Nakago."
"But what do I do?" he asked again.
Miz Zacharie took a deep breath, let it out through her teeth. "I don't know," she admitted. "There's no doubt in my mind that Nakago is at his full strength right now, so Ayuru is probably going to be extremely difficult to reach."
"Dammit," Chuin mumbled, hanging his head. When he looked back up at Miz Zacharie, a few tears had glistened down his pale cheeks. "Then it's up to me to figure out what to do. It's my turn to be the one to make the decision, and save Ayuru."
The Creator nearly gasped at the sheer determination set in Chuin's amber eyes. I wish you the best of luck, child, she thought. "Do not be afraid to ask Seiryuu for help, Tomo," she said, using his seishi name for the first time. "He will be there for you, when you need him."
Chuin stood, picked up the book. He nodded to Miz Zacharie. "Thank you, Taiitsukun," he said, offering her a quick bow. "It's up to me now... I know that." He offered a small smile, then turned and left the house, seeming more grown up than when he had arrived.
Seiryuu, my son, Miz Zacharie prayed. Be with your chosen, Tomoboshi, in this dire time. Help him save another of your children, and at last heal their pain.