Well, here's chapter 2! It's a little longer then the last one, and I hope
I gave a decent description of Sonna. I don't think I've had enough time to
develop her character quite yet, but her personality will get better. Oh,
and by the way, the song during the dance scene? Mizu-Kagami. If you want
it email me or review and leave your email and I'll send it to you. It's
one of my faves. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Calmness
Sonna looked around the room and gasped slightly at the clothes the servants had left her. She'd never been in such fine clothes! Her family had been killed during the war in Gannal when she was only 3, that was 20 years ago now. She had been taken in by a group of traveling dancers, and had been trained as soon as she was old enough (7). When she was 22, her troupe had performed for the emperor in Gannal and he fell in love with her. He paid the owner of the troupe quite a bit of money for her, and she was made to perform for only him. The emperor wanted more than for her to dance though, but she denied him over and over, and was beaten each time. They had never beaten her so badly as this last time though, and only over a misstep. She had to get away. And now look where she was! With a pair of strange men, one looking to be a monk the other a vampire of sorts!
"I'll never be able to make sense of the Gods' choices for me. Well, I guess I should dress and go explore!"
Sonna walked over to the table holding a brush and a mirror. She started to brush out her waist length auburn hair and then tied it up with a strip of material from her own clothes. She turned her back to the mirror and dropped her pajamas to the ground, looking over her should at the scars her back bared. She had a perfect figure, although she was quite short and her only flaws were those scars. She slipped into the lavender dress they had left for her, feeling the silk against her skin.
"Ah! This is so nice!"
The dress fit her perfectly. And I do mean perfectly. Sonna slipped on a pair of sandals and stepped out of her room, pausing for a moment to breathe the fresh air. How long would she be able to enjoy this? How long until they searched for her? Gannal's borders were close. She sighed and mentally told herself not to worry about it. The setting sun caught her eyes and she walked down to the end of the porch to see it better. She stood on the corner, looking out over the hill into the sun, when the wind caught her hair and tore the tie from it, setting it loose. Her auburn hair billowed around her, turning even redder in the sunset.
Chichiri walked around the corner and stopped dead at the vision before him. A woman in a lavender dress, hair caught in the wind, was watching the sun set. If he were an artist he would have painted this scene. He caught his breath and walked up to her.
"Lady Sonna, I am glad to see you are feeling well, and are out from your room, no da. May I show you around the castle, no da?"
Sonna jumped slightly at the sound of a voice, but then realized who it was. She was calm around Chichiri, unlike when Tasuki was around.
"Why Chichiri-sama, I am honored. Of course you may give me a tour!"
"Please, just Chichiri, no da."
Chichiri and Sonna had been wandering around the palace for a while, and it was now dark. They found themselves sitting by the lake, watching fireflies and talking. Sonna found herself telling this man everything about her, and her fears. She feared that men would find her hideous because of her scars. Chichiri just looked at her and removed his mask.
"I wear this because I am afraid people will be sickened by my appearance. I understand your feelings, but from my point of view you have nothing to worry about. You are beautiful anyway, and from what I can see you have a wonderful heart."
Sonna blushed when he took off his mask. He was gorgeous.
"Why would people be sickened?? You're handsome!"
She put her hands to her mouth and blushed a deep crimson.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward."
Chichiri laughed and replied that he didn't mind getting a compliment.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO UP TO???"
Sonna jumped up and landed in an attack stance from a form of fighting Tasuki was not familiar with.
"What's that?"
"Ah! You scared me! You are a redheaded freak! Why must you always be so loud?"
"Awwww, did I disturb you two's romantic moment?? Well, screw both of ya! I've been looking for ya. And as for the loud thing, that's just me. Get used to it."
Chichiri, Tasuki and Sonna headed back to the main part of the palace where they were setting off fireworks in celebration of the emperor's birthday.
"I didn't know it was the emperor's birthday! I could dance for him, as a gift for letting me stay here!"
"No da! That's a good idea, I'm sure we'd all love to see that. Let me see what I can do, no da."
As Chichiri went off to talk to the emperor Tasuki was left with Sonna. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, until Tasuki awkwardly broke it.
"So, you dance huh?"
"Yep. Done it for years."
"You any good?"
"I should be. I danced for the emperor of Gannal."
"Cool."
Sonna suddenly felt at ease with Tasuki. It was as if they had come to some kind of truce.
"So you like to be loud eh?"
"Ayep. But I'll stop surprising you if you like. I guess Warriors like me an' Chichiri ought to respect a lady's wishes."
"You're one of the famed Suzaku Seishi? Wait! I recognize the name! Aren't you the fire thrower?"
"That's me!"
At that moment Chichiri came back and dragged Sonna away to show her were to dress and where she'd be dancing. He came back a few minutes later.
"You two get along ok, no da?"
"Fucking great."
Sonna stepped out into the throne room. This is where she'd be dancing. It wasn't too much different from Gannal, but it was much prettier. She was dressed in an outfit similar to the harem dresses from India in the colors of red, blue, and green. She had a silver head dress to hold her hair out of her way. The gongs were sounded and people filed into the throne room. She picked out Tasuki and Chichiri right up in the front. Finally it was time to begin, and she bowed to the emperor.
The audience gasped in amazement at her movements. She was very limber from years of training, and made sure to show off her flexibility as she had been taught. The scarves swirled around her as she danced, and she felt at peace.
Chichiri looked at Tasuki to find that his jaw was hanging open. He reached over and pushed it closed, indicating that it was impolite. He himself was quite impressed with Sonna, but at least he was polite about it. The two men watched on in awe as the colors seemed to take on a life of their own, telling a story; a story of love and loss; of happiness, yet great pain. It was truly beautiful. It brought peace to all those who watched. But how long would this peace last?
Chapter 2: Calmness
Sonna looked around the room and gasped slightly at the clothes the servants had left her. She'd never been in such fine clothes! Her family had been killed during the war in Gannal when she was only 3, that was 20 years ago now. She had been taken in by a group of traveling dancers, and had been trained as soon as she was old enough (7). When she was 22, her troupe had performed for the emperor in Gannal and he fell in love with her. He paid the owner of the troupe quite a bit of money for her, and she was made to perform for only him. The emperor wanted more than for her to dance though, but she denied him over and over, and was beaten each time. They had never beaten her so badly as this last time though, and only over a misstep. She had to get away. And now look where she was! With a pair of strange men, one looking to be a monk the other a vampire of sorts!
"I'll never be able to make sense of the Gods' choices for me. Well, I guess I should dress and go explore!"
Sonna walked over to the table holding a brush and a mirror. She started to brush out her waist length auburn hair and then tied it up with a strip of material from her own clothes. She turned her back to the mirror and dropped her pajamas to the ground, looking over her should at the scars her back bared. She had a perfect figure, although she was quite short and her only flaws were those scars. She slipped into the lavender dress they had left for her, feeling the silk against her skin.
"Ah! This is so nice!"
The dress fit her perfectly. And I do mean perfectly. Sonna slipped on a pair of sandals and stepped out of her room, pausing for a moment to breathe the fresh air. How long would she be able to enjoy this? How long until they searched for her? Gannal's borders were close. She sighed and mentally told herself not to worry about it. The setting sun caught her eyes and she walked down to the end of the porch to see it better. She stood on the corner, looking out over the hill into the sun, when the wind caught her hair and tore the tie from it, setting it loose. Her auburn hair billowed around her, turning even redder in the sunset.
Chichiri walked around the corner and stopped dead at the vision before him. A woman in a lavender dress, hair caught in the wind, was watching the sun set. If he were an artist he would have painted this scene. He caught his breath and walked up to her.
"Lady Sonna, I am glad to see you are feeling well, and are out from your room, no da. May I show you around the castle, no da?"
Sonna jumped slightly at the sound of a voice, but then realized who it was. She was calm around Chichiri, unlike when Tasuki was around.
"Why Chichiri-sama, I am honored. Of course you may give me a tour!"
"Please, just Chichiri, no da."
Chichiri and Sonna had been wandering around the palace for a while, and it was now dark. They found themselves sitting by the lake, watching fireflies and talking. Sonna found herself telling this man everything about her, and her fears. She feared that men would find her hideous because of her scars. Chichiri just looked at her and removed his mask.
"I wear this because I am afraid people will be sickened by my appearance. I understand your feelings, but from my point of view you have nothing to worry about. You are beautiful anyway, and from what I can see you have a wonderful heart."
Sonna blushed when he took off his mask. He was gorgeous.
"Why would people be sickened?? You're handsome!"
She put her hands to her mouth and blushed a deep crimson.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward."
Chichiri laughed and replied that he didn't mind getting a compliment.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO UP TO???"
Sonna jumped up and landed in an attack stance from a form of fighting Tasuki was not familiar with.
"What's that?"
"Ah! You scared me! You are a redheaded freak! Why must you always be so loud?"
"Awwww, did I disturb you two's romantic moment?? Well, screw both of ya! I've been looking for ya. And as for the loud thing, that's just me. Get used to it."
Chichiri, Tasuki and Sonna headed back to the main part of the palace where they were setting off fireworks in celebration of the emperor's birthday.
"I didn't know it was the emperor's birthday! I could dance for him, as a gift for letting me stay here!"
"No da! That's a good idea, I'm sure we'd all love to see that. Let me see what I can do, no da."
As Chichiri went off to talk to the emperor Tasuki was left with Sonna. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, until Tasuki awkwardly broke it.
"So, you dance huh?"
"Yep. Done it for years."
"You any good?"
"I should be. I danced for the emperor of Gannal."
"Cool."
Sonna suddenly felt at ease with Tasuki. It was as if they had come to some kind of truce.
"So you like to be loud eh?"
"Ayep. But I'll stop surprising you if you like. I guess Warriors like me an' Chichiri ought to respect a lady's wishes."
"You're one of the famed Suzaku Seishi? Wait! I recognize the name! Aren't you the fire thrower?"
"That's me!"
At that moment Chichiri came back and dragged Sonna away to show her were to dress and where she'd be dancing. He came back a few minutes later.
"You two get along ok, no da?"
"Fucking great."
Sonna stepped out into the throne room. This is where she'd be dancing. It wasn't too much different from Gannal, but it was much prettier. She was dressed in an outfit similar to the harem dresses from India in the colors of red, blue, and green. She had a silver head dress to hold her hair out of her way. The gongs were sounded and people filed into the throne room. She picked out Tasuki and Chichiri right up in the front. Finally it was time to begin, and she bowed to the emperor.
The audience gasped in amazement at her movements. She was very limber from years of training, and made sure to show off her flexibility as she had been taught. The scarves swirled around her as she danced, and she felt at peace.
Chichiri looked at Tasuki to find that his jaw was hanging open. He reached over and pushed it closed, indicating that it was impolite. He himself was quite impressed with Sonna, but at least he was polite about it. The two men watched on in awe as the colors seemed to take on a life of their own, telling a story; a story of love and loss; of happiness, yet great pain. It was truly beautiful. It brought peace to all those who watched. But how long would this peace last?