Chapter 6
Shattered Souls
by Fuuko no Miko
Raiha looked up from the warm sakura tea he was sipping when the man opposite him spoke.
"I hope you understand." he spoke in apologetic tones. "It was never purely intentional. But having my dear family at their mercy left me with no choice."
"I hold no grudges against you, Kai-san." Raiha said sincerely. He moved his bandaged arm about. "Other than the occasional tingling sensation, I'm doing just fine." he winked. "Helps to have a healer in the group. Yanagi is such an asset."
Kai nodded as he put his teacup down. "Good for you." he leaned back, a grim expression evident on his face. "I just wish i could be sure of my family's safety. I haven't heard any word from home as yet. I'd been itching to get home, but they wouldn't allow me until the tournament is over."
"Any idea what Neon was up to?" Raiha asked. "At first I thought she wanted us maimed to weaken us for the up-and-coming semi-finals match. But when you told me she wanted to make sure Desumasuku and Kurei-san saw it, I began to have...other thoughts."
The other man eyed the purple-haired Hokage. "I began to wonder myself." he then leaned forward, lowering his voice down to a near-whisper and said, "I have heard rumors that Kurei-san is beginning to have doubts on Desumasuku's loyalties."
Raiha's brow raised. "Why so? I thought he was Kurei-san's right-hand man and most trusted ally."
"He is." Kai affirmed. "Word among the other Uruha has it that Desumasuku was making beautiful music with a girl from one of the opposing teams. It wouldn't have really mattered, but they said it did when she was found out to be a Hokage. They say he's been filtering information about the Uruha to this girl in the Hokage, secrets and all."
The ninja shook his head. "Well if she did get any secrets, she certainly hasn't told me."
Jigoku no Ryuu's leader shrugged. "That's what's going around anyway." he looked Raiha in the eye. "If you were Kurei-san, and the loyalty of one of your men is in question, short of confronting him...for which he would probably deny it all anyway if it were true...what do you do?"
Raiha's reply was instant. "Get to the girl. Perhaps she would be a weaker link....someone more susceptible."
"Which was, what I think, how they approached the problem." Kai said. "They probably couldn't get anything out of Desumasuku, so they tried attacking the girl. And...if he were to defend her in any way, then they could confirm that there was something going on between them." he took a sip of his tea before continuing. "There are only three women in the Hokage. Yanagi-san. Kagero-san and your sister. I was told to assault your sister...."
The color began to drain from Raiha's face. He had his suspicions but as the truth began to unfold before him, the shock of finding out did not have any less of an impact.
"Tell me, Raiha-san." Kai spoke up after a very uncomfortable silence. "Have you seen Desumasuku without his mask?"
The younger man shook his head.
"I have, albeit accidentally." he said. "After you have left the arena this morning, during the match, I delivered a blow to his head with my sword. But he had evaded it and it had hit his iron mask instead. A portion of it cracked and it fell to the ground. For about two seconds I was able to look at him. But he was quick and had rammed into me before the audience could see what he looked like. By then, Mikoto had thrown him a spare." Kai laughed then. "Beats me why he wanted to wear one in the first place. He's sinfully good-looking, as my wife would probably put it. Literally a pretty boy. Kinda like you. Blue eyes, clear skin, hell if he weren't flatchested, I'd take him for a girl."
*******
"It was you." Fuuko accused, her voice near-cracking at the words spewing
out her mouth. "Desumasuku. Mask of Death. Of the Uruha Jyushinshuu."
Tokiya stood planted at where they had just a minute ago shared seat. The expression on his face frozen. Unreadable. Incomprehendable.
His lack of a visible reaction seemed to infuriate the fuujin-wielder as she walked up to him and grabbed the collars of his shirt. "Tell me the truth. It was you wasn't it? In the arena, this morning." she spewed angrily. "You are he...second-in-command to Kurei, one of the ten. The man in the iron mask."
And though her voice rose to an angry pitch, the look in her eyes was anything but. This he noticed as he looked through them. They weren't demanding for an explanation, just seemingly pleading for him to deny her accusations. As if silently asking him to tell her she was wrong.
Even if she obviously wasn't.
Fuuko waited. Waited for him to laugh off her demand, tell her she must be dreaming, or that she had too much caffeine. That she was crazy and that in no way, shape or form would he ever be part of the Uruha Jyushinshuu.
Kami-sama let him tell me so.
"Fuuko-san," he began as his crystalline stare dramatically shifted into one as hard as the mask he had perpetually worn to battle. "It is true. I, Tokiya Mikagami am of the Uruha Jyushinshuu."
The color had gone off her flushed cheeks as she gasped, abruptly releasing him from her angry clutches. Tokiya remained unmoving as Fuuko backed away, not accepting what she was hearing.
"Why?" she said finally when she had mentally recovered from the assault his admission had sent her. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?"
An expression, sinister and awfully unfamiliar, registered on his features. "Lie, cheat, seduce, betray people, all for money and power. And when people can no longer be used, destroy them." he stated. "That is how we Uruha live by. You are Hokage. I am Uruha. Why else do you think I would want to associate with you?"
When she shot him a puzzled look, he explained. "I lied, cheated and seduced you...and now that you have fallen so deeply into my spell, is the time for me to betray you." A smirk appeared on his lips. "Seriously now, do you think I would fall for the likes of you? You must be dreaming..." he laughed derisively. "As I said, now I betray you." he approached her, tilting her chin so she could look up at him eye to eye. "How does a fighter like yourself face someone on the opposing corner when she is so smitten by him?" he asked, a brow raising. "Having you fall for my irresistible charms guarantees me a victory in the final round. Of course, make that two victories...for your demise will definitely put a large dent in your oniisan's armor, don't you think?" his eyes narrowed. "Your lovely friend Yanagi-san is a sureball prize for the Uruha, and your emotional weakness is one of the reasons why it'll happen."
He almost reeled back when her palm connected with his face. Pretending that it didn't sting, he stood tall and unaffected. Fuuko was fuming with anger.
"You...you...pathetic lowlife!" she screamed, purple with rage. "You used me!!! You are the scum of the earth! You...you..you..." frustrated, tears began running down her cheeks. "I'll get you, you a$$h@le! I'm going to get you. You'll be real freaking sorry you did this to me!" and she shoved him with all her strength, knocking him unto the ground before slapping him a second time. Breathing hard and wiping the tears with the back of her hand, Fuuko stormed away.
He tasted the blood in his mouth and he deftly wiped it with his thumb. He stood up and dusted his clothes. Tempted as he was, he didn't look where she had headed off to nor attemped to follow her. Instead, his eyes darted to a dark corner of the forest where three pairs of eyes were watching him.
"Kurei-sama."
The master of the blue flame stepped out of the shadows followed by the feminine figures of Neon and Aki. Despite the fact he had his mask on, Tokiya could tell that his superior was smiling.
"She packs a wallop, don't you think?" Tokiya laughed as he wiped more blood from his mouth. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
"Indeed." Kurei agreed. "I'd whip your ass too if you told me something like that."
The two women behind Kurei had their eyes wide with disbelief at what transpired. Both of them were utterly convinced that what was going on between the two was real and not some elaborate ploy to weaken the Hokage's defenses. Apparently they were mistaken.
As though reading their minds, Tokiya approached Aki, tilting her face and pulling her close to him, his breath a few inches from her cheek. "You honestly didn't think I was attracted to that lesbian, do you Aki-san?"
Aki felt her heart palpitate at his nearness. She could smell the remnants of his musky cologne. "Of course not. I was certain you had better taste than that."
"Enough of that mushy talk." Kurei interrupted, much to Aki's disappointment. "I have things to do." he irritatedly stressed, making them take leave of the premises.
Kurei eyed Neon who walked beside him when they began their trek back to the Uruha mansion. "Your accusations are unfounded." he told her. "I will hear no more of your badmouthing my righthandman."
"K-Kurei-sama..."
"No more."
If Tokiya had convinced Kurei and Aki, he sure as didn't ease up Neon's suspicions. The red-haired Uruha was still skeptical about what had occured previously. She could be wrong of course, as she knew Tokiya was capable of acts much more despicable than what he had claimed to have done to the Hokage girl. But something was amiss. She had nothing to rely on other than her feminine instinct, and until she can find solid proof that Tokiya was doing something on the contrary, she would have to keep her mouth shut.
The ensui-wielder was glad to finally be alone when he had locked his door. He took a position by the window, his hands grasping the ledge so firmly his knuckles turned white.
They almost got caught.
He would have to thank Meguri-sensei for teaching him to sharpen his senses. It was that that allowed him to feel the presence of Kurei, Neon and Aki a few minutes back. They had arrived just at the moment Fuuko had shredded the sleeve of his outfit. Good for it too. Had they arrived several minutes earlier he would've not been able to conceal his true intentions with the Hokage girl. It would've been harder to defend his position.
Kurei could've killed her.
A tear fell down his cheek as he tried to shun the thought that he almost lost her.
That morning, after winning the semi-final round against the Jigoku no Ryuu which Mikagami's much-contested victory over Kai helped seal, the ensui wielder took a detour from his usual route of going to the private clinic to have his wounds tended to. Instead he had first followed the losing team to their private sanctuary to spy on Kai, looking for any link the latter's madougu had to his sensei Meguri Kyoza or to his sister's murder. After ten minutes of discovering nothing, he had gone back the Uruha mansion and as he passed by the main viewing room, he heard the familiar voices of his superior and Neon talking.
They spoke in low tones but his training in listening to such aided him to comprehend their conversation.
"I'm sure you saw what he did, Kurei-sama." Neon stressed. "If Mikagami didn't deflect those wayward icicles I had instructed Kai to throw the Hokage's way, they'd be permanently disabled by now."
"The point being..." Kurei said.
"He doesn't want any harm to come to them!" the flute-playing Uruha said. "I tell you, Tokiya Mikagami actually cares for the Hokage! He is in liaisons with them."
"I won't have you throwing accusations about my faithful assassin." the blue flamecaster firmly reasoned. "Perhaps the only reason he wanted them unharmed is because he doesn't wish to fight half-baked opponents in the next round. And besides, if they have been harmed it would seem a ploy for us to make them disadvantaged for the next bout." Kurei leaned back, his eyes boring sharply at Neon. "We may be Uruha, but when we fight, we fight with honor. I will not have any more stupid plots like this to destroy our reputation."
"But Kurei-sama..."
"No buts."
"Aki has seen him making out with that tomboy Kirisawa!!!"
"I'm pretty sure he has his reasons for the things he does." Kurei dismissed with a hand. "And when it comes to Mikagami, your lovely imoutosan is excessively paranoid. Any other girl he talks to gives her an impression that he is making out."
"Kurei-sama take heed of me..."
"Are you ordering me to follow you, Neon?" Kurei's voice rose.
The next sound Mikagami heard was a strong thud. No three guesses on what Kurei had done to the red-haired assassin. Tokiya left, the echoes of a woman's sobs the last thing registering on his ears. So Neon had squealed to the Uruha head. He could kick himself for being careless, letting Aki see his show of affection for the Hokage girl, but sometimes he could not help it. Could not control himself. Couldn't dictate to his subconscious that he should be more discreet than he already was. Not that he wasn't careful. He usually made sure no one would follow him when he went to see Fuuko. But sometimes even the smart could be outsmarted by the persistent, and Aki always seemed to find a way to hunt him down.
For all the denial Kurei had done, Tokiya knew it wasn't all peachy now. Deep in those tones, he could tell that Kurei did suspect something, he just wasn't going to let on about it.
It was a rule in the Uruha that an assassin had no right to go soft on his enemy.
It remained an unyielding rule for as long as he could remember.
Those who showed the least bit of sympathy for such were taught a lesson.
Just as they had done to Kurenai-sama.
He knew that if Kurei found out about his true feelings for Kirisawa Fuuko, he would have her destroyed.
Right before his very eyes.
And he had pretended to be playing with her emotions just to save her from Kurei's definitive wrath a while ago. Fuuko was strong, but she was without her fuujin and even so, she was no match for the head of the Uruha Jyushinshuu. He had no choice but to lie to her to save her from certain death.
But in the end he had to sacrfice his heart, wounded as it was with her words of hatred. How he could amend it to her puzzled him to no end. He had to have himself hurt to prevent her from being so.
He didn't want to lose her. Not now, Not ever. He had admitted as much to himself that once he had found happiness again he would never let it go.
There has to be some way.
But what?
A cry of agony tore through the night, like the caterwauling of a wounded wolf on the verge of a slow, most painful death.
Sometimes it was easier to die bodily than to suffer a broken spirit.
"Damn him....damn him...oni no tsume!!!!" the fuujin-wielder cried angrily as she released the demon wind claws flying through the expanse of forest, slicing through thick branches and wreaking havoc throughout its path. They returned, snapping violently back in place at the fuujin-wielder's command. Fuuko was breathing hard, seething with anger as she kicked the fallen twigs on the grassy floor. She had been venting her spleen for the past half-hour at every inanimate object that had the misfortunate to be in her path, sparing nothing that came her way.
And though her friends had longed to comfort her (even if they hadn't a clue to what she was furious about), they knew that a very upset Fuuko was something they shouldn't dare approach with a ten-foot pole.
Except maybe...
"Imouto-san..."
She did not turn around despite recognition of the voice. She kept still attempting to catch her breath as the owner of the voice cautiously came closer. She held on a breath as he touched her shoulders, making her turn about to face him.
The tear-stained face and the eyes so filled with pain seemingly broke his heart. He managed a small smile and drew her in his arms, saying nothing and comforting her with his brotherly embrace.
"H-he betrayed me." she croaked in a voice stained with a mixture of rage and agony.
"Imouto-san...."
"H-he, he made me like him only because, because he wanted me to soften so...so when we get to the battle in the end, he-he would win be-because I couldn't fight him...." she managed to sputter. The anger in her more evident than the hurt.
"Shhhh...." Raiha hushed as he held on to her tightly. He caressed her head. "Do...you believe all that he said?"
"At first I didn't," she continued in between sobs. "I didn't want to believe because everything was, was...was so good you know? I thought he really liked me, for all that I was and he accepted all those things I wasn't but...then..." she paused to wipe more tears with the back of her hand, "When I confronted him, and I looked into his eyes, he told me without blinking that he was just fooling around with me." she gnashed her teeth. "H-he said that my weakness for him will be his victory, that he is going to get Yanagi for Kurei and...and...it'll be all my fault."
And as Tokiya's last sentence replayed in her head repeatedly, the tide of anger flushed in Fuuko's face, making her break from her oniisan's comforting hold and rush towards the nearest tree. With an agonized cry she smashed her fist against the tree's massive trunk, barely denting it but wounding her knuckles in the process. She ignored the fact that it was bleeding and she sunken on her knees, the thoughts of hatred clouding everything else that was in her head.
She stared blankly at the blood that flowed freely on her wounded fist. It's violent color matching the train of thought running presently inside her head.
"I swear..." she spoke in hushed tones. "Over my dead body, will I allow you triumph Tokiya Mikagami of the Uruha Jyushinshuu. I will defend Yanagi and the honor the Hokage to the very last of my breath." A glint of determination appeared in the depths of her eyes. "I swear...I will defeat you...and break you...if its the last thing I do."
And with that oath she buried the demon claws of her fuujin in the depth of the trunk of the tree before her.
Her agony didn't last long if her external appearance was anything to go by. For the cheerful, fun-loving Fuuko resurfaced as early as the following morning, teasing Rekka and Yanagi until they were red to the roots of her hair. Even Domon and Koganei were surprised at her turnaround. Only her oniisan, who knew her well more than anyone, realized that it was all for show. That deep inside she was hurting, and hurting bad. But her pride had gotten over her more than anything and Raiha knew he wasn't going to be the one to burst her bubble no matter how superficial it was.
The days went on.
If Tokiya Mikagami had been a recluse then, he was more of a hermit now. He spoke little if any, merely answering with a nod or a shake of the head unless it was absolutely necessary for him to talk. He had turned his attention to sword practice, often enclosing himself in the underground chambers of the Uruha mansion and ensconcing himself with the techniques of his madougu, modifying a move here and a style there. Kurei, in his preoccupation with defeating his half-brother and the rest of the Uruha Kurenai engaging in the own private affairs paid little heed to the sullen affect of their best sword-wielder. Only Aki paid him her undivided attention but he was as cold to her as he had been before. Or worse.
I want to see you.
I want to be with you.
Hold you in my arms and tell you the truth.
But you despise me. I can feel your animosity, even if I could not see your face. I can sense your anger, your hatred. But should our cover be blown, they will be out for your blood, as I am not allowed to feel for you even a fraction of what I feel now.
I never wanted it to be this way. Never. I don't want your fury to be upon me.
It breaks me.
However, I know it would crush me more if they would do anything to hurt you.
Kami-sama, why did it have to end like this?
With the inner turmoil brewing within him, he threw his ensui with full force, burying it in one of the sackcloth dummies propped up against the wall. It took a while before he walked over to retrieve his madougu, and he stopped midstride before a broken mirror to cast a glance over its shattered reflection.
Crystalline eyes drowning in sorrow looked back at him, and he glared at them in return. Had he not been distracted by his thoughts he would've noticed that the reflection looking back at him was not his own.
It was that of a girl.
A beautiful 18-year old girl who had once donned the signature cloth of the extinct Hokage Clan and had carried the ensui proudly in the name of the Mikagamis. A tortured soul who had been laying in unrest since the day her life had prematurely ended, making her unable to express that particular affection to one who had loved her for so long whom she had all but ignored in return.
She had come back to tell him.
To be with him.
To confess, to declare, that all he had offered her was returned in full.
To feel that wonderful sensation of emotional bliss as they would come together to be united in heart and soul.
How she had longed for this moment to come.
But it was seemingly all for naught.
He had been waiting too.
Four hundred years of longing seemed more than an eternity. He had returned in this lifetime to find her.
For the love that has burned ever so brightly in his heart had not abated, not now, not ever.
He would move heaven and earth to know....
If she loved him too.
For heaven waits for this to come. Awaits for them to be one.
But the circumstances now seemingly are insurmountable odds.
For theirs was a love that bordered on the impossible.
As the present situation dictates.
For as Mizumi's heart, belonging in this lifetime to the one called Tokiya burns with an all-consuming passion.
Yukaze's own, now Fuuko's, was filled with a fury that threatened to extinguish all that they had beautifully shared.
Murphy's law dictates that if anything can go wrong, it definitely will.
For more fuel adds to the fire.
The day before the finals, Fuuko ventured out to the woods to practice. She had gone first to her usual spot, beneath the tree where she had first experienced the wonderful throes of a first kiss. It was nothing but a memory now, as she had tried suppressing her feelings of elation with that of pure disgust at the thoughts of his treachery. But she had soon tired of the location and for a change wandered off further to the depths of the forest where the sound of a familiar voice beckoned to her.
"I want to appease her pain, yet I know not how."
At first she had thought her oniisan was speaking to someone, but when she risked a look she saw he was talking to his reflection of the clear brook before him.
"I know my imouto-san loves him, and deny it as I may, I know he returns her feelings."
You couldn't be all the more wrong, oniisan, her mind spoke. He is as false as they come.
"I don't know why he said what he said and did what he did. I am certain he has his reasons." he told his reflection as he took seat on that all-too-familiar rock. He shrugged. "But then, maybe it is for the best. I wouldn't know how they would react if they ever found out..."
Fuuko gasped as she saw what her oniisan pulled out from under the collar of his shirt.
The other half.
The incirminating half of the necklace that told her and Tokiya, if he ever knew, who had taken the life of his beloved oneechan.
No.
It was....
Her brother....
She tried not to scream in a mixture of shock and dismay at her discovery. The gravity of what she had learned came crashing down on her like an avalanche. So sudden and so severe had the impact been that all she had recalled after was that she had gone as fast and as light as she could. Running far and away, in a speed that defied all possible laws of nature until she collapsed in exhaustion somewhere along the tournament grounds.
Niisan...he killed...he killed...Mifuyu...Tokiya's sister...it was my...brother...
Nooo, it's not possible. Her kind, loving, oniisan...he wouldn't hurt a fly...much less kill another human being...he wouldn't...he would never even think about doing such an act...not her niisan, never her niisan....
She must be having a nightmare.
Kami-sama, wake me up now.
Please.
But she was awake, wide awake and face-to-face with a horror so real it all seemed anything but. Denial was a poweful tool but it did nothing to help her now.
It was the worst day of her life.
But then there was tomorrow to come.
My brother killed the sister of the man I loved.
He was the reason of all his pain.
As Tokiya is all the reason for mine.
She didn't know how she managed to sleep that night, but she did after countless hours of tossing and turning about in her bed. She had been so agitated Yanagi had to remind her of the finals the following day for her to cease twisting around. Her mind must have been numb with all the events that had happened as for some odd reason they did not pervade her dreams as they have in the previous nights. When she woke up, she felt none of the anger or the shock over what had transpired the past few days. Fuuko Kirisawa's emotional roller coaster had seemingly come to a halt atop an upramp. The question now was whether it was going over it or if it would fall back to a downslide.
"I now declare...the third Ura Butou Satsujin, final round begins!!"
A roar of cheer and applause drowned the Arena as Tatsuko the referee opened the ceremonies of the most anticipated bout of the Tournament of Death. She nodded as she waited for the noise to abate and directed to the North gate where the light focused on the entrance.
"From the North gate, the defending champions of the second Ura Butou Satsoujin...the team Uruha Kurenai!!!!"
A thunderous ovation greeted Uruha Scarlet as they made their way to the arena, paying no heed to the cheer of the diehards nor the catcalls by antifans. They marched proudly, apathetically, taking their place on one side of the arena. No reaction visible on their faces nor obvious in their moves.
"Noroi! Joker! Mikoto! Desumasuku!"
Whispers predominated at the visible absence of the Uruha leader. The four team members remained sullen to the obvious question of Kurei's whereabouts. Mikagami, however, had thoughts of his own as his vision was trained to the opposite corner of the arena. Beneath the mask he bit his lip as he anticipated the entry of the Hokage while Tatsuko called them.
There she was.
The expression on her face was blank, he had noted as she came in. For someone who was trained for years to read faces and expressions, Tokiya was at a loss. He wondered if it was due to the fact that in this particular instance his heart was involved more than anything...if the turmoil within him clouded his otherwise impeccable judgement.
How he ached to hold her, touch her, tell her the contents of his bleeding heart.
But he can't do that. Not now....
Perhaps...not ever?
There he was.
And though she had sworn to keep her resolve and remain unaffected, Fuuko could not help her heart wincing. He looked flawless in the black leathery wardrobe he was donning, his silver hair and mask enhancing the aesthetic appearance. The aura of magnificence he had always carried with him regardless of where he went was no less potent now as it had before.
How she wanted to run to him, feel his reassuring arms around her and pour her heart out.
She looked at Yanagi.
And knew what she had wanted to do was impossible.
For he was Tokiya Mikagami of the Uruha Jyushinshuu. And loving the enemy as she did was the worst betrayal a friend could do.
She recanted the words he had blurted out to her not too many nights ago.
"Your lovely friend Yanagi-san is a sureball prize for the Uruha, and your emotional weakness is one of the reasons why it'll happen."
She had sworn as early as she was five years old that she would never be weak.
Never.
With that she promised herself that she would not allow him to triumph. Fuuko allowed the fire of hatred consume her heart.
It was the beginning of the end.
Temporarily, her mind was rid of her personal vendetta as she cheered Domon against the walking corpse Noroi. Every now and then she stole a glance at the silver-masked man, berating herself when her heart skipped a beat as she caught him staring at her.
Get it over your head, Fuuko no baka! she reminded her alter ego. He is not interested in you. He only wants to rile you...he only wishes to get Yanagi for Kurei.
She cheered louder.
And as Domon's hand was raised in victory over the first of Uruha Kurenai, Fuuko's mouth tightened. She genuinely felt jubilated for her friend's win, but she was mentally preparing for her own bout.
"Round Two..."
"I'm taking this one." she declared to the others. She felt her oniisan's hand grasp her arm as she started to advance towards the ring.
Blue-violet eyes met green ones.
"Imouto-san..."
She forced a smile to her lips and raised her hand to form a "V" sign. "I'll be alright, nii-san." she reassured in a manner that can only be described as genki. "This is virtually chicken feed."
Knowing he couldn't convince her stubborn side anwyay, Raiha smiled in return and released her, giving her a pat on the back. "Go get 'em, little sister."
"No sweat."
In a move that was so sudden as it was surprising, Fuuko grabbed her oniisan by the arm and pulled the necklace concealed beneath the cloth around his neck. She dashed for the ring, clutching the half-broken jewelry and taking it with her as she made it to the battle ground.
"Fuuko!!!" was all that came out of Raiha's mouth. He hadn't the slightest idea how she had known about the artifact and why she had done what she had just pulled off.
"Forgive me, niisan." Fuuko called out to him. "This is something I must do..." she added in a whisper, "For the good of all of us."
"Well whatever are you waiting for?" Tokiya heard his superior's voice behind him. Kurei had arrived on the other side of the ring after Noroi's match and had returned to his team's corner afterwards.
The ensui master turned about. "Kurei-sama?" he wondered.
A smirk appeared on Kurei's lipsticked mouth. "Your up next for battle, yes?"
Tokiya did not reply. A puzzled look crossed his face but his mask prevented Kurei from seeing it.
"Let's see...is this not the plot you have so masterfully executed these past few weeks? Get that Hokage girl to fall for you so you could easily defeat her in battle, as she would be too consumed in her affection for you?" he reminded Mikagami. "Orrrr...perhaps you hesitate because your plan has backfired?"
His words confirmed Tokiya's suspicion that Kurei wasn't totally buying his initial story. A stoic expression replaced his questioning look, followed by a smirk on his lips. "A guaranteed victory for the Uruha Jyushinshuu is what I promised." he said. "And Mikagami Tokiya always delivers."
The silver-haired warrior did not bother to see if Kurei had bought this and went on his way to the arena. And as he approached the impatient fuujin-wielder, he mentally steeled himself. They faced each other, looking eye to eye but not seeing in them as they denied the true emotions they felt then and there.
Forgive me, Fuuko-san.
I never wanted to hurt you.
Please tell me this isn't true.
I don't want to fight you.
I want to be with you.
I want us to be together.
Using her utmost willpower, Fuuko placed a bitter smile on her lips, tilting her head in challenge and raising a brow. "I know you have perfect record Desumasuku-san." she stated. "But I have a very nasty habit of breaking winning streaks."
He issued a throaty laughter. "My record may become broken...but neither will it be now...nor will it be done by a mere Hokage like you."
"Your arrogance amuses me." she returned. "But I have a secret weapon." she teased. "Because I will never allow my friend Yanagi to be a prize for your Uruha...and your emotional weakness will be your downfall."
He almost laughed at her reissue of his own words by her. But the laughter had died down when his eyes caught glimpse of the object Fuuko had held in her right hand. She raised it up to his point of vision, swinging it tauntingly before him like a pendulum.
"Lovely isn't it?" she provoked him.
Tokiya saw red as the memories came upon him like a cold splash of water. His initial pallor was replaced by the fiery fury that began to burn his very heart. His voice lost its arrogance and tuned down into a throaty whisper. "How did you get that...from who did you..."
She was torn between wanting to cradle his head in her arms to comfort him and laughing in his face with ridicule. With shaky hands, she put the offending piece of jewelry around her neck, choosing to provoke him with it. "A little family heirloom of the Kirisawa clan." she faked a smile, but the voice that spoke was dead serious. "You want your sister's killer...well...what are you waiting for? Come and get me"
It took all of his willpower not to lunge and attack her. For all the violent anger that brewed in him now, he was sitll able to hold on to his temper. "Fuuko don't do this..." he spoke tonelessly. "Tell me where you got that stupid necklace."
She paid no heed to his request. Instead she reached up and held the faceless mask, cradling his face in her hands. "As I told you, its a family heirloom..." she said in a whisper. "Something passed on from one generation to the next."
"Take it off. Now."
She scoffed. "Only if you take your mask off." she shrugged. "I'm not the only one with secrets."
It was a mistake on her part to ask him to remove his mask, Fuuko realized. For beyond the stone-cold face were the eyes of a boy who had hurt so much losing the one person he loved. Eyes whose pain bored through hers and almost knocked her off her defenses.
Almost.
The swooning of the females in the audience gave her a reality check as she realized that Tokiya Mikagami, with all that boyish good looks and charm of his, was as deceitful as a snake. So good was he in his acting that he had nearly conned her into falling in his spell.
Remembering their time together and how he cleverly orchestrated it to trick her brought anger poinding in her head again.
"Prepare to lose, Mikagami Tokiya...Desumasuku...whoever you are." Fuuko declared boldly as she summoned the powers of her fuujin.
The face of the ensui wielder calmed down, as a lake would after a ripple. "Yours will be the only end the audience will see here, Kirisawa-san." He opened a bag of water he had carried and drew from it to form the blade of the water madougu.
"Let the battle begin!!!!" declared the referee.
Fuuko called upon the wind currents.
Tokiya stuck the ensui to the ground.
Raiha was aghast.
Kurei was smiling.
The battle was just starting.
******
Gomen nasai...as you must know I got stuck in the plot again....numerous
times. Plus, my usual reason of getting real life stuck in the way. Ah
yes, you do understand, no? Please? In my original idea the story is supposed
to end by this chapter, but there was a bit much of the explaining to do...plus
I wanted to bring out the characters' emotions into this thing, as well
as develop the story better. Hopefully it'll end by the next installment.
Sorry to have kept you guys waiting. Kindly read and review. Comments are
much appreciated. Also, my shrine has been updated so please do visit me.
It's at http://bluhdy1.tripod.com
or http://destined.to/fuuko
This story is dedicated to my friends both on the net and in real life, to the devoted visitors of The Fuuko Shrine, to the wonderful reviewers of my fics (all of them), and to my *new* inspiration...the real life Tokiya Mikagami (who isn't the original one I mentioned at the prologue, but hey, we're entitled to change our minds, ne?)
Sentences typed in bold are Fuuko's thoughts, typed in italic are Tokiya's thoughts, and if its both italicized and bold, it goes for the two of them.
Flame of Rekka is copyrighted by Anzai Noboyuki-sensei and in no way, shape or form will it ever be the property of Fuuko no Miko. This is done only for purposes of entertainment and personal satisfaction.