Disclaimer thingie- Would I even need one if I owned it? I happen to own
Kiboku, though. Oh, and the woman in his dream is MINE!
AN- I'm quite frankly amazed that you're reading this, since you didn't read the last chapter since if you read that you OBVIOUSLY reviewed, and I haven't gotten any of those great things. This chapter has been posted mostly to plead for reviews!
"-ku… Kiboku-san…"
Why were they calling his name? It was irritating, and besides, sleep still beckoned from dark depths…
"Can'tcha do anythin', Mits?" Another voice, this one with a strange accent, more brash. "Heal him, willya?"
"I can't heal fatigue," a deep voice answered regretfully. "He's drained. It seems that the requirement for bringing us here was too much for the gathered seishi, so he overdrew his own energy."
Oh, that was right. He had used up his ki on the summoning. Maybe if… He called on his inner reserves for the energy he knew was hidden there, feeling his strength return. He smiled and sat up, shocking Mitsukake.
"You're up," the healer stated rather pointlessly.
"Of COURSE I am!!" Kiboku seemed to be on an energy high. "I'm all recovered and rested and ALL now!! How long did I sleep anyway?"
"Two days," the bandit Tasuki answered. "You were like a rock."
He shrugged. "I just used too much energy. I didn't realize that the ceremony would be so demanding, and then those considerate higher powers didn't tell me… Whatever. It was a stupid oversight on my part. I don't think when I use my ki."
"Bad habit," Mitsukake chided.
"Whatever you say. So where's Chiriko?" he asked brightly. "He's that demented child genius, ne?"
"Yeah!" Tasuki replied, liking the hyper monk. "He's in th' library now, havin' his idea of 'fun'. Can't see how though. What kinda kid reads all day? He should be drinking sake like normal people."
"Normal people?" Kiboku raised an eyebrow. "For you, possibly. But for an average civilian…" He looked out the window. "It's nice out today."
"Kiboku-san no da!" Chichiri burst in. "You've recovered no da! We were getting worried. You shouldn't have used so much energy; it isn't at all healthy. You should have known better than that na no da!"
"Yeah, well…" he smiled teasingly. "I didn't want to strain all of you people, seeing as you're so horribly delicate and all that."
"I'm deeply hurt no da."
"Yes, I'm sure you are,' Kiboku returned sarcastically. "What time is it now? Somebody please clarify for a poor ignorant monk. I can sense that it's dark, but that's about it. Details?"
"Well, it's been that way for a while. It'll be midnight in a couple of hours no da," Chichiri told him. "It's time for all of us to get some sleep no da. We're all planning to retrieve Tamahome manually since he's protected to a ridiculous extent over in Kutou. We don't want you to kill yourself or anything."
"Yeah, yeah. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi no da." The three seishi filed out silently, leaving Kiboku alone in his room to watch the shadows play across the walls. Despite his long period of unconsciousness, he fell asleep almost instantly and began to dream.
He was alone in a field of beautiful flowers, waiting for someone. Whom, he did not know, yet it did not matter. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, perhaps forming from the mist itself, a woman appeared.
"Hello." A simple, albeit mocking statement that chilled him.
A paranoid part of him screamed that she knew, she knew, she had finally found him, she would betray him, she would… Common sense told him to calm down. She had not found him… yet. No, she was just irritating the first person who had the misfortune to meet her, as had always been her custom. That, and only that…
She laughed presently, a mirthless sound. The expression accompanying it contorted her much-admired features. Admired, for she was indeed beautiful and had always used that trait to her advantage.
"What are you doing here?" He forced the question out, willing his voice to remain casual and reveal nothing. "I haven't seen you around here before." As he waited for the answer he knew would not come he plucked a crimson bloom and inspected it. He silently marveled that it was like a work of art, perfect in its imperfections, still awaiting the woman's reaction.
He got it soon enough- laughter edged with insanity. Disregarding it, he began to methodically dissect the flower he held. He cursed his vow never to attack without concrete knowledge of a threat. One by one, the petals fell, floating lazily towards the grass. As the last scarlet fragment drifted down, his senses went on alert. But it was too late. The ground opened, and then he was falling, falling, never to reach the bottom…
Ikawa Kiboku slept on, though his face was twisted in torment. And when he woke up, the dream was all but forgotten.
That's chapter four! Was the dream too hard to wade through? If so, gomen nasai. (Oh yeah. How do you get italics onto these things anyway?) If you don't review, the next chapters don't come up. And there are SO many unanswered queries… Who is the woman? What does he think she's found out? What is up with the flower already? This and more, as soon as you review and I type it!
AN- I'm quite frankly amazed that you're reading this, since you didn't read the last chapter since if you read that you OBVIOUSLY reviewed, and I haven't gotten any of those great things. This chapter has been posted mostly to plead for reviews!
"-ku… Kiboku-san…"
Why were they calling his name? It was irritating, and besides, sleep still beckoned from dark depths…
"Can'tcha do anythin', Mits?" Another voice, this one with a strange accent, more brash. "Heal him, willya?"
"I can't heal fatigue," a deep voice answered regretfully. "He's drained. It seems that the requirement for bringing us here was too much for the gathered seishi, so he overdrew his own energy."
Oh, that was right. He had used up his ki on the summoning. Maybe if… He called on his inner reserves for the energy he knew was hidden there, feeling his strength return. He smiled and sat up, shocking Mitsukake.
"You're up," the healer stated rather pointlessly.
"Of COURSE I am!!" Kiboku seemed to be on an energy high. "I'm all recovered and rested and ALL now!! How long did I sleep anyway?"
"Two days," the bandit Tasuki answered. "You were like a rock."
He shrugged. "I just used too much energy. I didn't realize that the ceremony would be so demanding, and then those considerate higher powers didn't tell me… Whatever. It was a stupid oversight on my part. I don't think when I use my ki."
"Bad habit," Mitsukake chided.
"Whatever you say. So where's Chiriko?" he asked brightly. "He's that demented child genius, ne?"
"Yeah!" Tasuki replied, liking the hyper monk. "He's in th' library now, havin' his idea of 'fun'. Can't see how though. What kinda kid reads all day? He should be drinking sake like normal people."
"Normal people?" Kiboku raised an eyebrow. "For you, possibly. But for an average civilian…" He looked out the window. "It's nice out today."
"Kiboku-san no da!" Chichiri burst in. "You've recovered no da! We were getting worried. You shouldn't have used so much energy; it isn't at all healthy. You should have known better than that na no da!"
"Yeah, well…" he smiled teasingly. "I didn't want to strain all of you people, seeing as you're so horribly delicate and all that."
"I'm deeply hurt no da."
"Yes, I'm sure you are,' Kiboku returned sarcastically. "What time is it now? Somebody please clarify for a poor ignorant monk. I can sense that it's dark, but that's about it. Details?"
"Well, it's been that way for a while. It'll be midnight in a couple of hours no da," Chichiri told him. "It's time for all of us to get some sleep no da. We're all planning to retrieve Tamahome manually since he's protected to a ridiculous extent over in Kutou. We don't want you to kill yourself or anything."
"Yeah, yeah. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi no da." The three seishi filed out silently, leaving Kiboku alone in his room to watch the shadows play across the walls. Despite his long period of unconsciousness, he fell asleep almost instantly and began to dream.
He was alone in a field of beautiful flowers, waiting for someone. Whom, he did not know, yet it did not matter. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, perhaps forming from the mist itself, a woman appeared.
"Hello." A simple, albeit mocking statement that chilled him.
A paranoid part of him screamed that she knew, she knew, she had finally found him, she would betray him, she would… Common sense told him to calm down. She had not found him… yet. No, she was just irritating the first person who had the misfortune to meet her, as had always been her custom. That, and only that…
She laughed presently, a mirthless sound. The expression accompanying it contorted her much-admired features. Admired, for she was indeed beautiful and had always used that trait to her advantage.
"What are you doing here?" He forced the question out, willing his voice to remain casual and reveal nothing. "I haven't seen you around here before." As he waited for the answer he knew would not come he plucked a crimson bloom and inspected it. He silently marveled that it was like a work of art, perfect in its imperfections, still awaiting the woman's reaction.
He got it soon enough- laughter edged with insanity. Disregarding it, he began to methodically dissect the flower he held. He cursed his vow never to attack without concrete knowledge of a threat. One by one, the petals fell, floating lazily towards the grass. As the last scarlet fragment drifted down, his senses went on alert. But it was too late. The ground opened, and then he was falling, falling, never to reach the bottom…
Ikawa Kiboku slept on, though his face was twisted in torment. And when he woke up, the dream was all but forgotten.
That's chapter four! Was the dream too hard to wade through? If so, gomen nasai. (Oh yeah. How do you get italics onto these things anyway?) If you don't review, the next chapters don't come up. And there are SO many unanswered queries… Who is the woman? What does he think she's found out? What is up with the flower already? This and more, as soon as you review and I type it!