"The Last Wish" - continued from Part III
~ ~ ~
Seven Years Earlier
~*~*~*~
"Kouuuuuuuuuuuurin!"
The girl glanced up from the muddied ground, gave her brother a wide grin. "Niisama. Hayaku!" Kourin giggled, squeezing her tiny body beneath a nearby bush, and came out on the other side a moment later with grass and twigs twisting in her hair. "Hurry," she repeated in a low, giggle-smothered voice. "They're coming!"
Ryuen turned briefly, glanced over his shoulder at the empty path, then turned back to his sister. He smiled, brushing the dirt from his blue jeans and jogging to where she sat on the ground. "Kourin, they'll never find us here." He grinned, wrapping his arm affectionately around the girl's neck and pulling her close for a few seconds. "You're too good at this game."
Kourin wriggled free, gazed up at him with wide, smiling violet eyes so much like his own. "Only 'cause you taught me to play it so good," she insisted a bit stubbornly. She smiled then, her lips bending upwards, bringing a new light to her features, a new, admiring warmth to her eyes. "Niichan never loses...at anything, right?"
Ryuen grinned, raising his nose a few inches into the air and nodding. "That's right," he replied, a hint of pride slipping into his tone. He grinned. "Never. At ANYTHING." He lowered his chin, glanced at his younger sister in search of that pleased, amused smile that crossed her lips so frequently...and paused, frowning. An odd expression had crossed Kourin's face, and now she was sitting crosslegged on the ground, staring up at him with a strange solemnity glistening in those wide violet eyes.
Her small fingers were suddenly wrapped around his bicep, her eyes still locked intensely on his own. "Good," she said quietly after a moment, her voice low, harsh; urgent. "Don't lose. Not ever."
Ryuen laughed a bit hesitantly, the chuckle coming out harsh and strained in the stillness of the woods. "Kourin...what're you--" He broke off abruptly, eyes snapping to the nearby clearing as the sound of footsteps and a distinct rustling echoed from somewhere just down the path... Kourin immediately ducked beneath the bush so she was out of sight, reached up a hand to drag him down with her.
"Niichan, get down!" she hissed, the excited gleam back in her eyes.
He frowned at her but complied, puzzled by the disappearance of that strange solemnity in her voice and manner...what had that even BEEN? It was almost as if she was staring at him from another place in time, looking back at him with the wisdom of age and experience--the kind of knowledge no ten-year-old should ever find within them... But...but, now... He glanced at her again, crouched down there so near the ground, her small fingers wrapped around the leaves of the bush, her large, glittering violet eyes staring fixedly into the clearing to see who was coming... Despite the game, she was dressed in the flowered yellow sundress she'd practically been living in since Okaasan gave it to her for her birthday, and her hair was well-brushed and braided, hanging in immaculate twists around her head.
Ryuen shook his head, turning back to the clearing as a squat, familiar figure at last came into view. He put his worries aside for a moment, let himself concentrate on the game...besides...Kourin seemed fine now, back to normal...maybe he'd just imagined it. Yes...that was it.
He snickered, grinned mischievously at Kourin. "It's that weird girl with the meatballs on her head," he whispered, pointing briefly to the approaching child.
"Miaka," Kourin supplied in the same tone, staring at the girl with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. "I like her," she said at last. "We should help her out."
Ryuen blanched. "Help her out?"
"Yeah. I bet she doesn't have a place to hide yet..."
His face darkened, spying the odd girl digging blissfully through her backpack in the center of the clearing. "Kourin, maybe it's not such a good--"
Before he could finish the sentence, however, Kourin had risen to her feet and was waving wildly at the confused-looking Miaka, who--now that he looked at her--appeared to be perhaps a year or so younger than Kourin herself was...God, not only a moron with meatballs on her head, but a BABY moron with meatballs on her head... Despite his initial reaction, however, he forced himself to be pleasant with the girl--for Kourin's sake, at least.
This resolve, however, didn't last very long as the girl paused in the center of the clearing to unwrap what looked to be a candy bar...
"Miaka, come on!" he exclaimed, losing all patience at the sight of the girl's frantic chewing. "Come on, baka, they'll find us!"
Miaka stared at him with wide, frightened green eyes, then nodded, her mouth still stuffed full of chocolate. "Un!" she cried, nodding enthusiastically. Ryuen rolled his eyes. A moment later, the girl had flounced across the clearing and ducked behind the bush with the two older children, eyes wide and the remnants of the chocolate staining her lips and chin a dark, sludgy brown. Ryuen fought his brief disgust, glanced to Kourin to give her a pleading look...and paused, startled, as he caught a glimpse of his sister.
Kourin had lowered herself back onto the ground, folding her slim, pale legs beneath her...but, rather than peering out into the clearing, she was staring at him and Miaka, glancing back and forth between them with a strange, peaceful, contented smile crossing her face. It was an odd expression to see on a ten-year-old, made all the stranger when he thought of the strange things she'd been saying earlier...come to think of it, she'd been acting a bit strangely for a few weeks now...every now and then he'd glance up from whatever he was doing and find her just standing there beside him, gazing down at him as if trying to memorize his features...and, there were the nightmares, too. They'd begun the day after her birthday last week, terrorizing her mercilessly night after night after night...he would awaken to her screams, run to her bed, shake her awake...and, she would leap into his arms, shaking and sweating and crying, and cling to him so tightly that there would be fingernail marks on his arms...
It scared him...but he hadn't thought too much of it. After all, every little kid had nightmares...they were normal. Terrifying, horrible...but normal. Why worry about something so normal?
But...but, there was something about the way she clung to him...something about the look in her eyes after she woke up...something about the anguish in her voice as she cried out during the dreams...something about the strange, foreign words he heard her mumbling as she drifted back to sleep...
"Nuriko." Always...always "Nuriko." And, another word...one that filled him with a strange, unquenchable uneasiness... "Ashitare." He shuddered, involuntarily, suddenly very aware of the fact that Kourin was staring at him again...God, that word...it sent a chill to his spine like nothing else...and he didn't even know WHY...God, he didn't even know what it MEANT.
Coming back to the present, Ryuen pushed the frightening thoughts to the back of his mind, forced himself to focus on the warm sunlight flickering down onto his back, the cool spring breeze fluttering his clothes and hair...the two girls who sat staring up at him from just a few inches away.
There would be plenty of time to worry later...but not...not now. Not now.
"Ha! FOUND YOU!"
The three jumped, spinning towards the sound...
"Damn it!" Ryuen exclaimed, scowling at the blue-haired boy behind them. "Rokou, that's not fair...you didn't tell us you were bein' a searcher this game."
Rokou snickered. "Actually, I'm not," he replied, sniffing slightly. The elder boy sighed, sank down onto the ground. "If you wanna know the truth...well...um..."
The violet-haired boy's eyes widened. "Aw, no...Rokou...not again."
Rokou grimaced. "Yeah...sorry, Ryuen...but...um...well, they were right behind me...so, they might be coming here pretty soon..."
Sighing, Ryuen climbed to his feet, rolling up his sleeves as he moved. "All right," he said firmly, casting the three a stern glance. "You three stay here, I'll take care of this."
Miaka suddenly looked alarmed. "What's going on?" she asked.
Her voice was high; squeaky. Ryuen winced...then turned back to his older brother, nodded briefly. "Yeah, who is it this time, aniki?"
Rokou grimaced. "Um...actually..."
Something rustled. "There you are, you little idiot!" came a harsh voice from across the clearing.
The four turned, and Ryuen felt his eyes widen. "A GIRL?" he demanded, turning back to Rokou with a half-shocked, half-enraged expression crossing his face. "You pissed off a GIRL this time?"
---
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry to stop right in the midst of things, but alas, I must be on my way once more...but, never fear, gentle reader. I shall return. Ah, but until I do...lemme know what you think. I live on this stuff. ^_^. Ja!
~ ~ ~
Seven Years Earlier
~*~*~*~
"Kouuuuuuuuuuuurin!"
The girl glanced up from the muddied ground, gave her brother a wide grin. "Niisama. Hayaku!" Kourin giggled, squeezing her tiny body beneath a nearby bush, and came out on the other side a moment later with grass and twigs twisting in her hair. "Hurry," she repeated in a low, giggle-smothered voice. "They're coming!"
Ryuen turned briefly, glanced over his shoulder at the empty path, then turned back to his sister. He smiled, brushing the dirt from his blue jeans and jogging to where she sat on the ground. "Kourin, they'll never find us here." He grinned, wrapping his arm affectionately around the girl's neck and pulling her close for a few seconds. "You're too good at this game."
Kourin wriggled free, gazed up at him with wide, smiling violet eyes so much like his own. "Only 'cause you taught me to play it so good," she insisted a bit stubbornly. She smiled then, her lips bending upwards, bringing a new light to her features, a new, admiring warmth to her eyes. "Niichan never loses...at anything, right?"
Ryuen grinned, raising his nose a few inches into the air and nodding. "That's right," he replied, a hint of pride slipping into his tone. He grinned. "Never. At ANYTHING." He lowered his chin, glanced at his younger sister in search of that pleased, amused smile that crossed her lips so frequently...and paused, frowning. An odd expression had crossed Kourin's face, and now she was sitting crosslegged on the ground, staring up at him with a strange solemnity glistening in those wide violet eyes.
Her small fingers were suddenly wrapped around his bicep, her eyes still locked intensely on his own. "Good," she said quietly after a moment, her voice low, harsh; urgent. "Don't lose. Not ever."
Ryuen laughed a bit hesitantly, the chuckle coming out harsh and strained in the stillness of the woods. "Kourin...what're you--" He broke off abruptly, eyes snapping to the nearby clearing as the sound of footsteps and a distinct rustling echoed from somewhere just down the path... Kourin immediately ducked beneath the bush so she was out of sight, reached up a hand to drag him down with her.
"Niichan, get down!" she hissed, the excited gleam back in her eyes.
He frowned at her but complied, puzzled by the disappearance of that strange solemnity in her voice and manner...what had that even BEEN? It was almost as if she was staring at him from another place in time, looking back at him with the wisdom of age and experience--the kind of knowledge no ten-year-old should ever find within them... But...but, now... He glanced at her again, crouched down there so near the ground, her small fingers wrapped around the leaves of the bush, her large, glittering violet eyes staring fixedly into the clearing to see who was coming... Despite the game, she was dressed in the flowered yellow sundress she'd practically been living in since Okaasan gave it to her for her birthday, and her hair was well-brushed and braided, hanging in immaculate twists around her head.
Ryuen shook his head, turning back to the clearing as a squat, familiar figure at last came into view. He put his worries aside for a moment, let himself concentrate on the game...besides...Kourin seemed fine now, back to normal...maybe he'd just imagined it. Yes...that was it.
He snickered, grinned mischievously at Kourin. "It's that weird girl with the meatballs on her head," he whispered, pointing briefly to the approaching child.
"Miaka," Kourin supplied in the same tone, staring at the girl with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. "I like her," she said at last. "We should help her out."
Ryuen blanched. "Help her out?"
"Yeah. I bet she doesn't have a place to hide yet..."
His face darkened, spying the odd girl digging blissfully through her backpack in the center of the clearing. "Kourin, maybe it's not such a good--"
Before he could finish the sentence, however, Kourin had risen to her feet and was waving wildly at the confused-looking Miaka, who--now that he looked at her--appeared to be perhaps a year or so younger than Kourin herself was...God, not only a moron with meatballs on her head, but a BABY moron with meatballs on her head... Despite his initial reaction, however, he forced himself to be pleasant with the girl--for Kourin's sake, at least.
This resolve, however, didn't last very long as the girl paused in the center of the clearing to unwrap what looked to be a candy bar...
"Miaka, come on!" he exclaimed, losing all patience at the sight of the girl's frantic chewing. "Come on, baka, they'll find us!"
Miaka stared at him with wide, frightened green eyes, then nodded, her mouth still stuffed full of chocolate. "Un!" she cried, nodding enthusiastically. Ryuen rolled his eyes. A moment later, the girl had flounced across the clearing and ducked behind the bush with the two older children, eyes wide and the remnants of the chocolate staining her lips and chin a dark, sludgy brown. Ryuen fought his brief disgust, glanced to Kourin to give her a pleading look...and paused, startled, as he caught a glimpse of his sister.
Kourin had lowered herself back onto the ground, folding her slim, pale legs beneath her...but, rather than peering out into the clearing, she was staring at him and Miaka, glancing back and forth between them with a strange, peaceful, contented smile crossing her face. It was an odd expression to see on a ten-year-old, made all the stranger when he thought of the strange things she'd been saying earlier...come to think of it, she'd been acting a bit strangely for a few weeks now...every now and then he'd glance up from whatever he was doing and find her just standing there beside him, gazing down at him as if trying to memorize his features...and, there were the nightmares, too. They'd begun the day after her birthday last week, terrorizing her mercilessly night after night after night...he would awaken to her screams, run to her bed, shake her awake...and, she would leap into his arms, shaking and sweating and crying, and cling to him so tightly that there would be fingernail marks on his arms...
It scared him...but he hadn't thought too much of it. After all, every little kid had nightmares...they were normal. Terrifying, horrible...but normal. Why worry about something so normal?
But...but, there was something about the way she clung to him...something about the look in her eyes after she woke up...something about the anguish in her voice as she cried out during the dreams...something about the strange, foreign words he heard her mumbling as she drifted back to sleep...
"Nuriko." Always...always "Nuriko." And, another word...one that filled him with a strange, unquenchable uneasiness... "Ashitare." He shuddered, involuntarily, suddenly very aware of the fact that Kourin was staring at him again...God, that word...it sent a chill to his spine like nothing else...and he didn't even know WHY...God, he didn't even know what it MEANT.
Coming back to the present, Ryuen pushed the frightening thoughts to the back of his mind, forced himself to focus on the warm sunlight flickering down onto his back, the cool spring breeze fluttering his clothes and hair...the two girls who sat staring up at him from just a few inches away.
There would be plenty of time to worry later...but not...not now. Not now.
"Ha! FOUND YOU!"
The three jumped, spinning towards the sound...
"Damn it!" Ryuen exclaimed, scowling at the blue-haired boy behind them. "Rokou, that's not fair...you didn't tell us you were bein' a searcher this game."
Rokou snickered. "Actually, I'm not," he replied, sniffing slightly. The elder boy sighed, sank down onto the ground. "If you wanna know the truth...well...um..."
The violet-haired boy's eyes widened. "Aw, no...Rokou...not again."
Rokou grimaced. "Yeah...sorry, Ryuen...but...um...well, they were right behind me...so, they might be coming here pretty soon..."
Sighing, Ryuen climbed to his feet, rolling up his sleeves as he moved. "All right," he said firmly, casting the three a stern glance. "You three stay here, I'll take care of this."
Miaka suddenly looked alarmed. "What's going on?" she asked.
Her voice was high; squeaky. Ryuen winced...then turned back to his older brother, nodded briefly. "Yeah, who is it this time, aniki?"
Rokou grimaced. "Um...actually..."
Something rustled. "There you are, you little idiot!" came a harsh voice from across the clearing.
The four turned, and Ryuen felt his eyes widen. "A GIRL?" he demanded, turning back to Rokou with a half-shocked, half-enraged expression crossing his face. "You pissed off a GIRL this time?"
---
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry to stop right in the midst of things, but alas, I must be on my way once more...but, never fear, gentle reader. I shall return. Ah, but until I do...lemme know what you think. I live on this stuff. ^_^. Ja!