Yes, yes. Many of you caught on to Ryou being Soy's brother. ^_^ But many questions are still unanswered. Like…how can he be her brother when Ryou has a father? (Someone brought that up in a review, don't remember who) And, Soy said her brother was dead, right? But Ryou is very clearly alive. So what's the deal? ^_^ I know what it is.
Soy stayed in the water for a long time, her mind racing as her tears fell into the still water. She shut her eyes, unwilling to accept the truth.
"Soy."
Soy turned her head at the sound of the voice, trying to hide her tears. She didn't want to face anyone right then. Bakura was standing at the edge of the pond, having followed her into the woods. He had a slightly worried look on his face, which seemed un natural for him.
"What's the deal, Soy?" he asked. He wasn't used to seeing the yokai like this, it was disturbing.
Soy stood up, water dripping from the end of her hair, and off of her clothing. "Nothing Bakura. But listen. I have to go somewhere. You and Ryou stay at the camp, I'll be back within a day."
Bakura frowned. She was leaving? "Where are you going?"
Soy shut her eyes and forced a small smile. "I just have some business to take care of. Watch Ryou while I'm gone."
As she started to leave, Bakura began to ponder that last comment. Something about it just didn't seem right. But he let her go, not bothering to try and stop her from leaving. Soy stopped, and turned around.
"And Bakura," she said. "Don't tell Ryou any of this."
* * *
Bakura arrived back at camp, to find Ryou awake, and eating some breakfast. The spirit was still a little confused. Nothing seemed to be making any sense. But the sight of his Hikari was a welcoming one, and it calmed him a little.
The silver haired boy raised his head as Bakura approached, looking at him with bright brown eyes. "Hey, Yami, where did you go? And where's Soy?"
Bakura hesitated. He wasn't sure what to tell Ryou. He couldn't tell him about Soy's little breakdown, nor could he tell her that she had disappeared, and may not come back. "Soy went to get the next stone. She told us to wait here. She'll be back soon." He lied.
Ryou nodded, accepting the excuse, and went back to his food.
Bakura felt a sharp pain in his heart. He didn't want to lie to Ryou, but what choice did he have? He was trying to protect his Hikari, but from what, he didn't know. There was just something that told him he would be better off if Ryou never knew.
* * *
Soy stepped into the water for the second time that day. But this time, she wasn't stepping into a pond, but a stream that surrounded a small shrine. The water came up to her knees, as she focused on the shrine in front of her. It had been a long time since she had been here, and the spot caused her pain.
Losing some of her courage, she took a step back, causing dirt from the bottom of the stream to stir us where she had stepped. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, before crossing the stream, and entering the small shrine.
The inside was dark, lit only by a few torches. Soy stepped into the shrine, heading toward the main monument. She felt a few tears rise in her green eyes, as she looked at the constant flame in memory of Soy's long dead brother. She stepped up to it, falling to her knees, praying to his long departed soul.
* Flash back *
Soy watched in horror, her long black hair blowing into her eyes as she stood at the edge of the high cliff. In front of her, at the edge of the cliff, stood a tall man, holding a boy with long silver hair, a sword at his throat.
"Father! Let him go!" Soy yelled, feeling fear and anger surge up within her.
The man smirked. "Be quiet Soy. You went against my wishes and brought him here. Now allow me to send him away!" with those words, he brought the sword across the boys throat, blood spilling from the wound.
"Takna!" Soy yelled, horrified.
The silver haired boy's face went blank as life slowly drifted away from him. In one quick movement, the man threw the now lifeless boy from the cliff. As his body fell to the ground, the man threw his sword, slicing the body into several pieces.
As the bloody body fell to the ground, the man smirked. "You see, daughter? Humans are much too frail. They are pathe-"
His words were cut off as a clawed fist punched through his chest, coming through from the back. Soy's eyes glowed brighter red, as she withdrew her hand, letting her father collapse, and fall from the edge as well.
Soy watched, no expression on her face, just a blank, cold red stare.
· End flashback *
Soy slowly opened her eyes. "I lost my entire family that day." She whispered. Slowly she stood, removing something from the alter. She held it in her hands, a chain of flat white stones "I miss you brother."
* * *
Ryou yawned. Soy had been gone a long time. He hoped she hadn't gotten into any trouble. She could take care of herself, but still. He worried.
His mind drifted back to when Soy had saved them before. Her hair and eyes had been different, and she seemed much more powerful, but how? And why didn't she remember the transformation? In was a puzzling question. And what had the body collector said? About the transformation being impossible?
Ryou was sure the body collector had been saying something about, but Soy had killed him before he could finish. What was he going to say? Had she killed him just because she had to? Or because he was going to say something that Soy wanted to keep a secret?
The silver haired boy sat up, a confused expression on his face, remembering what the body collector had said.
'You can only make that transformation if you're protecting a f-'
Ryou looked up to the sky. "If she's protecting a what?"
* * *
Soy stood atop the shrine, holding the chain of stones in her hand. A cold wind was blowing, reminding her of the day when she had lost her human brother. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to throw the chain, but suddenly stopped.
She blinked, a few tears falling from her eyes. If she threw the chain, the chances of finding it again were slim to none. She looked down at the chain.
"No. They just want to go home." She clutched the chain, tears falling from her green eyes. "And I have no right to make them stay here." She closed her eyes.
Her silver hair blew across her face, as she put the chain into her kimono for safekeeping. She raised her eyes to the sky, watching as the sun slowly set. A few petals from the flowers of nearby trees drifted past her, adding a little color to the dark, broken soul of the yokai.
A lot of this chapter focused on Soy at her brother's shrine, but come next chapter, she'll be back with Ryou and Bakura. And she'll explain to Bakura everything. So stay tuned! And review! Pretty please? * Puppy dog eyes *
Soy stayed in the water for a long time, her mind racing as her tears fell into the still water. She shut her eyes, unwilling to accept the truth.
"Soy."
Soy turned her head at the sound of the voice, trying to hide her tears. She didn't want to face anyone right then. Bakura was standing at the edge of the pond, having followed her into the woods. He had a slightly worried look on his face, which seemed un natural for him.
"What's the deal, Soy?" he asked. He wasn't used to seeing the yokai like this, it was disturbing.
Soy stood up, water dripping from the end of her hair, and off of her clothing. "Nothing Bakura. But listen. I have to go somewhere. You and Ryou stay at the camp, I'll be back within a day."
Bakura frowned. She was leaving? "Where are you going?"
Soy shut her eyes and forced a small smile. "I just have some business to take care of. Watch Ryou while I'm gone."
As she started to leave, Bakura began to ponder that last comment. Something about it just didn't seem right. But he let her go, not bothering to try and stop her from leaving. Soy stopped, and turned around.
"And Bakura," she said. "Don't tell Ryou any of this."
* * *
Bakura arrived back at camp, to find Ryou awake, and eating some breakfast. The spirit was still a little confused. Nothing seemed to be making any sense. But the sight of his Hikari was a welcoming one, and it calmed him a little.
The silver haired boy raised his head as Bakura approached, looking at him with bright brown eyes. "Hey, Yami, where did you go? And where's Soy?"
Bakura hesitated. He wasn't sure what to tell Ryou. He couldn't tell him about Soy's little breakdown, nor could he tell her that she had disappeared, and may not come back. "Soy went to get the next stone. She told us to wait here. She'll be back soon." He lied.
Ryou nodded, accepting the excuse, and went back to his food.
Bakura felt a sharp pain in his heart. He didn't want to lie to Ryou, but what choice did he have? He was trying to protect his Hikari, but from what, he didn't know. There was just something that told him he would be better off if Ryou never knew.
* * *
Soy stepped into the water for the second time that day. But this time, she wasn't stepping into a pond, but a stream that surrounded a small shrine. The water came up to her knees, as she focused on the shrine in front of her. It had been a long time since she had been here, and the spot caused her pain.
Losing some of her courage, she took a step back, causing dirt from the bottom of the stream to stir us where she had stepped. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, before crossing the stream, and entering the small shrine.
The inside was dark, lit only by a few torches. Soy stepped into the shrine, heading toward the main monument. She felt a few tears rise in her green eyes, as she looked at the constant flame in memory of Soy's long dead brother. She stepped up to it, falling to her knees, praying to his long departed soul.
* Flash back *
Soy watched in horror, her long black hair blowing into her eyes as she stood at the edge of the high cliff. In front of her, at the edge of the cliff, stood a tall man, holding a boy with long silver hair, a sword at his throat.
"Father! Let him go!" Soy yelled, feeling fear and anger surge up within her.
The man smirked. "Be quiet Soy. You went against my wishes and brought him here. Now allow me to send him away!" with those words, he brought the sword across the boys throat, blood spilling from the wound.
"Takna!" Soy yelled, horrified.
The silver haired boy's face went blank as life slowly drifted away from him. In one quick movement, the man threw the now lifeless boy from the cliff. As his body fell to the ground, the man threw his sword, slicing the body into several pieces.
As the bloody body fell to the ground, the man smirked. "You see, daughter? Humans are much too frail. They are pathe-"
His words were cut off as a clawed fist punched through his chest, coming through from the back. Soy's eyes glowed brighter red, as she withdrew her hand, letting her father collapse, and fall from the edge as well.
Soy watched, no expression on her face, just a blank, cold red stare.
· End flashback *
Soy slowly opened her eyes. "I lost my entire family that day." She whispered. Slowly she stood, removing something from the alter. She held it in her hands, a chain of flat white stones "I miss you brother."
* * *
Ryou yawned. Soy had been gone a long time. He hoped she hadn't gotten into any trouble. She could take care of herself, but still. He worried.
His mind drifted back to when Soy had saved them before. Her hair and eyes had been different, and she seemed much more powerful, but how? And why didn't she remember the transformation? In was a puzzling question. And what had the body collector said? About the transformation being impossible?
Ryou was sure the body collector had been saying something about, but Soy had killed him before he could finish. What was he going to say? Had she killed him just because she had to? Or because he was going to say something that Soy wanted to keep a secret?
The silver haired boy sat up, a confused expression on his face, remembering what the body collector had said.
'You can only make that transformation if you're protecting a f-'
Ryou looked up to the sky. "If she's protecting a what?"
* * *
Soy stood atop the shrine, holding the chain of stones in her hand. A cold wind was blowing, reminding her of the day when she had lost her human brother. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to throw the chain, but suddenly stopped.
She blinked, a few tears falling from her eyes. If she threw the chain, the chances of finding it again were slim to none. She looked down at the chain.
"No. They just want to go home." She clutched the chain, tears falling from her green eyes. "And I have no right to make them stay here." She closed her eyes.
Her silver hair blew across her face, as she put the chain into her kimono for safekeeping. She raised her eyes to the sky, watching as the sun slowly set. A few petals from the flowers of nearby trees drifted past her, adding a little color to the dark, broken soul of the yokai.
A lot of this chapter focused on Soy at her brother's shrine, but come next chapter, she'll be back with Ryou and Bakura. And she'll explain to Bakura everything. So stay tuned! And review! Pretty please? * Puppy dog eyes *