Title:

When the Caged Bird Sings

Author:

Shun'u [ff.net ID: 61008]

Genre:

Drama

Series:

Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)

Rating:

PG

Notes:

(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio

Disclaimer: Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and (c) Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties.

November 2001

W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S

A Juline Fan Fiction

By Hanashiro, Shun'u

Part 1: Whispers in the Night

Juline...

"Papa?"

Juline...

Juline spun in a tight circle, glancing a little fearfully over her shoulder to see who had imitated her father's voice so perfectly. She didn't know if she would have felt better for seeing something. The point was mute as nothing was there but the House of Kenga rising out of the ubiquitous mist. Its dark wood structure was somehow more ominous this evening. The brown wood turned black at night, setting off white paper screens and making them glow with a ghostly light that illuminated the neatly arranged red tiles across the roof.

She shivered and rubbed her arms to encourage greater circulation. Quickening her steps, Juline made haste. She was headed... she didn't remember where she was headed. Her skull felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls into it. Thinking was a slow process.

"Is... is this a dream?" she asked out loud.

The timidly spoken question faded into lonely obscurity, leaving Juline without any answers and more violent shivers. She bit her lip.

"Okay, Juline. Calm down. You're letting your imagine run away with you. There aren't any monsters out here. This is Kenga land and no one can enter it unless they're friends. You've been letting Kio scare you with ghost stories."

Feeling a little calmer, Juline resumed walking. She still didn't know where she was headed, or what she was doing outside in the middle of the night, but she reasoned that at least she wasn't a sitting duck when she was in motion. A few minutes later she began talking to herself just to hear a sound other than the hollow tip tap of her slipper-shod feet.

"Juline, you idiot, you can't just walk on all night aimlessly." Talking to herself didn't feel so weird any more. Maybe it was something that just required practice. "Since you don't know where you're going, do you remember what you were doing last? What did you do all day?"

She thought back to her morning.

***

"Kio! Wait for me!"

The black-haired teenager looked back over his shoulder towards the person calling him. "Hurry up, Juline. We're gonna be late again if you don't."

Juline huffed and puffed as she came shoulder to shoulder with her childhood friend. She had had to sprint in order to catch up to him. "It wasn't my fault this morning." Kio's smirk made Juline defensive. "Hey! Mother made me late, okay."

"Your mom?" Kio was a little surprised. Usually Juline was late because of the extra training she always tried to cram into her mornings, or when she lost track of time while talking to her grandfather or Ryoku. Lately it was the latter case, he thought a little sourly. "How'd she make you late?"

"She wanted to show me a kimono she made for me," Juline said. She swung her schoolbag at her side and skipped a little ahead of him.

"Kimono..." Kio stopped in his tracks and tried to picture tomboyish Juline in a ladylike kimono. The picture his reprobate mind conjured was of Juline in a formal kimono with her hair done up in elaborate loops and pinned into a loose bun at the base of her neck. Then he imagined her getting into a fight with Hara and drawing weapons out of the hidden arsenal in her kimono. Sai, tanto blades, nunchakus[i], shuriken... she was even using her sharp hair sticks as weapons.

"Kio?" Juline waved a hand in front of his face. He was turning red and looked in danger of asphyxiating.

Kio tried to hold it in, but there was only so much that he could humanly withstand. He finally gave up and began laughing uproariously at the ridiculous scene his brain had conjured. Juline caught onto the fact that he was laughing at her when Kio would calm down to gasping chuckles only to look at her and start all over in hysterics again.

"Kio," she warned.

Kio kept on laughing.

Classmates who walked the same path as they did to school were pausing to give them odd looks. Juline tried a couple more times to get Kio's attention before she gave into her urge and kicked him on the shin. Hard. And she aimed directly over the bruise that she had inflicted on him earlier that week too. Kio yelled and hopped on his other leg, which she promptly swept out from under him, causing him to land on his derriere on the pavement. Satisfied with her work, Juline clapped imaginary dust from her hands and tossed Kio a sweet smile that practically issued a challenge in itself before skipping off to school.

Kio lay a little stunned on the green earth. Blood suffused his cheeks and he thanked the gods that Juline had left. He would have been hard pressed to explain the reason for his sudden blush.

***

School proceeded as usual for them. Rarely did anything remotely eventful ever happen at their school. The student body for the most part consisted of upper-middle class families since their prefecture and district had many career people residing in it. A lot of students had teachers for parents, and those that did not had parents who were doctors or lawyers.

Juline and Kio, along with a few of their martial arts friends, were actually in the minority at school. Juline being heir to the House of Kenga and Kio's father having been in line for prospectively becoming the next master of said clan, but choosing instead to follow his heart and marrying the love of his life. Now the Shiga family was renowned throughout the district as having the best food and service at their Chinese restaurant.

Still, they never felt their difference from other students. They went to school. They learned. They participated in the expected clubs. Then they went home to resume their true training as martial artists.

It was at the Kenga compound that Kio spent most of his free time outside of school. Once he was done helping his mom around the restaurant with chores that she didn't have the time or strength for, he went to the House of Kenga.

As a child he had played hide and seek with Juline, Hara, and Kei under its eaves. In the dojo was where he had discovered his love of the arts. Grandfather Kenga was the person who helped him learn his kanji when he was struggling early on in school. Ryoku was his uncle and honorary father figure when his own father disappeared for stretches at a time with only the departing words, "I'll be back," to comfort his family. Juline was his best friend. Everything that he loved outside of his immediate family was at Kenga.

It was only natural that Kio considered Kenga to be his home.

So it was that he dashed alongside Juline to her ancestral home after school.

***

"We're home!" Juline hollered as soon as they entered the dojo.

All of the other students froze mid-swing, mid-punch, mid-kick, or mid-sweep as the case may be, and stared at the couple entering like twin tornados across the threshold. Most of the afternoon students at Kenga were male and ranging anywhere from fourteen to twenty-five. Afternoon and early morning were the prime times for practice and everyone who was serious about their training made it a point to appear for at least one of the two sessions in the day.

The two reasons for the training schedule oddity were completely oblivious to their fellow students' curiosity. It hadn't yet occurred to either of them that they served as daily entertainment for their peers.

"I beat you fair and square, Kio."

Kio's dark eyes widened incredulously. "You had those guys hold me back while you got a head start, Juline."

"Who?" Juline tugged her long brown hair into a ponytail and secured it with a red satin ribbon. "Me? No way. They did that all on their own."

"After you yelled bloody murder." Kio grumbled. "They thought I was some pervert attacking you."

"You were attacking me," she pointed out.

Kio tightened the royal blue belt around his trim waist. "I was only paying you back for stealing my lunch."

Hara had been following the conversation back and forth for quite some time. It was at this last that he felt he needed to support his friend. "Juline, you've got a bottomless stomach. Why don't you just bring two lunches instead of eating Kio's all the time?"

"Jeez, I didn't steal his lunch," she said defensively. "I just had the apple, for crying out loud."

"And the pickles," Kio added.

Juline glared and growled only loud enough for him to hear, "Thanks for the input."

"Any time." He winked outrageously, drawing an involuntary giggle from her.

Juline's laughter was a cue for the others to clear the dojo of weapons, straw dummies and tumbling mats.

It always worked the same every day. Kio and Juline would enter the dojo in a rush of energy, usually arguing about some insignificant slight one perceived the other to have committed. Once their argument was over and the tension of a full day was released, they would get serious and begin their training; which for them consisted of hand-to-hand combat with no holds barred. Anything was up for grabs and they could use weapons if they managed to get their hands on them, but most of the time they stuck to empty hand techniques and acrobatic acts that left the others in awe of the pair's skill level.

The students had been in training roughly the same amount of time as others their age. Because of this they were able to measure their progress against each other since they had learned together from the beginning. Not so with Juline and Kio. They had been born and bred into the fighting world. Grandfather Kenga would sometimes tell stories of how the two babies would be kicking at each other in the crib that they shared as infants, only to be found half an hour later sleeping as peacefully as if nothing adverse had transpired.

This aspect of Juline and Kio's relationship carried into young adulthood, much to everyone's equal measures of dread and delight. Although neither knew it, their sparring gave the other students a chance to learn new techniques and combinations. Juline was the acrobat. She had no qualms about heights and would leap from peak to peak when they fought outdoors. Her lack of fear also allowed her to experiment with new moves, constantly adapting to the situation and making the best of each. Kio was the clever fighter. He could sneak through any defense without anyone knowing the wiser until he had them pinned to the ground. His technique was textbook precise. He was also strong. Almost abnormally so for someone his of size, and Juline wasn't far behind in that respect.

***

The two opponents squared off in the center of the dojo. Juline comfortably dressed in her black leotard and short battle kimono, and Kio in his blue collared shirt and faded gi with a blue belt. Juline figured that she had less than a second to respond to Kio should he attack from the distance he stood from her. It was enough for her to dodge and maybe, if she was quick, counterattack with a back kick straight to the solar plexus.

With Kio it was difficult to tell what would work. They had practically lived in each other's skin growing up so it was second nature to anticipate each other's moves. Juline had noticed that lately it was getting harder to surprise Kio with her attacks. There wasn't an offensive attack that she hadn't tried against him at least once, and Kio never forgot a move. Juline started circling.

Kio followed her lead and moved in counterpoint so that they maintained the same distance apart, a comfortable distance. A sliding kick would make contact. A sweep would be just short of reaching her unless he shuffled first. Kio liked fighting with his hands so he figured that he'd just have to get closer. But how should he go about it?

Juline tugged at the pink straps of her fighting outfit that had a tendency to slip off her shoulders constantly. Kio tracked her motion and a wickedly inspired idea came to mind. He grinned. It was a dirty trick, but he wasn't about to lose a match for the sake of being a gentleman. Not when everyone in the dojo was watching them like hawks.

"Juline, what're you bothering with the straps for, it's not like you have anything worth hiding beneath it."

Absolute silence.

Juline turned an interesting shade of red.

Kio let her see his smirk.

Juline let out a battle cry the likes of which none of them would hear in the rest of their lifetimes.

Kio choked on his laugh and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. He frantically waved his hands in a conciliatory manner in hopes that Juline would see that he had only meant his jibe as a joke. She did not.

"Whoa! W- wait, Juline!" He ran from the charging girl who had just picked up a lethal looking crimson hilted katana. "It was a joke. A joke!"

"Get back here, Kio!" Juline failed to see the humor. "Take your punishment like a man and stand still!"

"Heck no!" Kio made sure that there were many meters, and innocent bystanders, between them. "Not unless you put that sword down."

Juline glared and sheathed the katana before handing it off to Kei, a classmate as well as fellow martial artist with wavy brown hair that constantly flopped into his eyes, obscuring them from view. Kei felt a little ill at the prospect of getting close enough to Juline to take the weapon. Only Hara's prodding at his back and Kio's beseeching glance gave him the courage to reach towards the angry girl. The sword was slapped down into his hand hard enough to cause a minor welt to swell. Kei managed to keep hold of the sword and swiftly withdrew to the sidelines. He blew on his stinging hand and winced at the diagonal mark already forming.

A huge weight lifted from Kio's shoulders when he saw Juline weaponless. The Kenga clan practiced many martial arts and none of its students were ever denied the knowledge of any, with the one exception of kenjutsu. The art of the sword was reserved for family and the next appointed leader of the clan. Only Juline and Ryoku were taught sword fighting by Grandfather Kenga. Kio had managed to glean some knowledge by helping Juline practice, but he didn't have the formal education in it that she did. He would rather have sparred with anything other than swords.

"Well, Kio?" Juline scowled. "Are you ready for a beating?"

"Huh?" Kio snapped to attention. "Yeah, yeah..." His grin returned when he realized that Juline was within arms reach. She was too irritated to notice for herself. He wasn't about to give her time to figure it out. "Here I come!"

Kio charged and grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey!" Juline yelled indignantly. She shrugged him off and snapped her arms out in a wedge block, both of her forearms stopping his from coming together around her upper body.

He let his arms fall away and followed to motion to bring them inside her guard and slide over her chest and grab at the shoulder straps again. This time when Juline broke his hold he kept hold of the straps and brought them down over her arms, tangling the girl up in her clothes before twisting the loose cloth until she was tied up.

"Why you!" Juline jerked her arms out of the loose confinement. "Beating me won't be that easy, Kio."

Kio gave her a cheeky grin. "I didn't think it would. But at least I got a free grope for my trouble."

"ARGH!"

Juline snapped a kick at his face that would have been extremely painful if he hadn't deflected it at the last moment with an open palm block. As it was his right hand stung like the devil. Then it was on for real and they were kicking, blocking, punching, and dodging. All in all they were trying to kill each other in the most uncivilized manner possible. The dojo was completely silent but for the sound of flesh striking flesh and grunts of exertion peppered with controlled breathing.

Against the east wall Hara and Kei leaned side by side and watched with eager eyes. They were of the same age as Kio and Juline, and yet both were behind the pair in skill. Their abilities never seemed more deficient than during these afternoon spar session, when they could see for themselves where they should be versus where they stood. Had it been at another dojo, they might have been ridiculed for their inferiority. Not so here. The Kenga clan took care of its own. If a student was weak, that was not a reflection on him, but on the clan's teachings. Thus he would be given more education and guidance rather than being put down.

The reason why Juline and Kio were allowed to fight on a regular basis, and so violently, was simple. Their fights were a teaching aid for the others. There was also the fact that had they not been allowed to fight, neither teenager would have had a natural outlet for their passionate emotions. Grandfather Kenga had long ago declared that Juline and Kio were only allowed to resolve their disputes in the dojo.

Their current dispute was no exception.

Sparring was a tiring activity when one poured forth all of their effort and energy, such as the case with Juline and Kio when they partnered each other. Since they didn't pull their punches they used up the reserves of energy in their muscles quickly. By the time each managed to land a handful of solid hits they were slowing down to the speed of an average person. Of course landing five hits meant that they had tried to land about four times as many without success. Such was the negative aspect of being equal in ability.

"Truce," Juline gasped.

She was a little breathless and her heart pounded in her ears. Kio stopped pressing his attack and gratefully sank to the floor next to her. They sat back to back for support and focused on recovering.

"Juline," Ryoku called from the doorway.

"Ryoku!" Juline somehow hopped back up as though she hadn't just burned up her caloric intake of the week. Suddenly deprived of his bolster, Kio slumped to the ground. "How are you?" she asked of the tall, fair-haired man who had always been there for her.

"I'm fine," he said. His deep voice did funny things to her heart that she was just beginning to understand. "Come see me when you're done."

"Yes, Ryoku."

"'Yes, Ryoku.'" Kio mimicked in falsetto.

Juline stomped on his abdomen, eliciting a whoosh of air from Kio before she took off. Kio rubbed his sore abs and scowled after her retreating back.

"Tough luck, Kio," someone said. People had dispersed to continue their previous activities. There were only two people standing close enough to have spoken.

Kio glared at the bleach-blond boy. "What are you talking about, Hara?"

"You and Juline. There's no chance, buddy." Hara and Kei nodded in unison as if they saw everything clearly. Their pity made Kio feel sick. "She's head over heels for Ryoku. Has been since before any of us knew that boys and girls were different. You're just setting yourself up for heartbreak."

Kio left without responding.

What could he say? Everything that Hara said was true. He had seen it since they were little kids. He was Juline's best friend, but her first love was Ryoku. He couldn't do anything to change her feelings. If he did that, he risked losing her friendship. That was not a chance he was willing to take. He needed her. Without Juline in his life, it would be painful to live. From birth they had been together; it was natural for them to be closer than siblings, more than best friends. But how much further would he dare to push the envelope? Could he bridge the gap?

***

"What did you want to see me about, Ryoku?" Juline perched on the windowsill of Ryoku's austerely furnished room and swung her slipper covered feet.

"Juline, you're turning fifteen soon."

Ryoku studied the young girl, no, young woman, he had helped to bring up. She had changed in subtle ways from the gregarious child that she had been. She was still outgoing, but more reserved in her affections, more selective in her friendships. From what he could see she only truly opened up to him and Kio; sometimes he even felt left out as she shared her deepest secrets with his nephew alone. It was as if she grouped people in her mind and only a certain few were allowed in the inner circle. It was something that he was grateful she had learned to do, but a part of him also wished that she had never had to learn to be cautious of people.

"I was wondering what you wanted to do for your celebration."

"Celebration?" Juline's smile was brilliant. "Really?!"

Ryoku couldn't help but respond to her happiness. "Yes, really. Your mother was thinking of giving you a party. She said that you could invite your classmates and any other friends you would like to come."

Juline cheered. "Yes. Yes. Yes! I would love to have a party!" She hopped off the windowsill and twirled about his room. Light as air and almost insubstantial for a brief moment as her fluttering motions gave the illusion of a bird in flight. Ryoku had to blink away the phantom image. "When will it be? How many people may I invite? Will we have it in the dojo? Or can I have an outdoor party?"

"How about next weekend? As many people as you like. And it's up to you whether you want it in or outdoors. This is going to be your birthday party so you get to have your pick."

Juline let out a joyful sound and raced out the door, departing with the words, "This is great! I've gotta tell Kio. Thanks Ryoku. You're the best guardian ever."

Ryoku sat down. He shook his head ruefully. "Little Juline. You've grown so much, yet your innocence is untouched. I dread the day you discover your feelings for Kio, and his for you."

***

And then she had gone to tell Kio, but he had already gone home. She remembered being disappointed and wanting to rush after him, common sense being the only thing holding her back from running full speed to the Shiga restaurant. What happened after that? Why couldn't she remember? Had she just gone back, had dinner and gone to bed? She must have because she was in her sleeping clothes.

Juline suddenly wished that she had something warmer on. At least something more substantial than her nightgown would have been appreciated... What the heck was she doing out at night in a nightgown? Juline flushed beet red. Her mother would kill her. No. Forget that. Ryoku would never let her outside again. She'd be grounded for life for this one.

"Get a hold of yourself, silly. If you just turn back now no one would be any wiser."

That was a good idea. Juline considered it for an inordinately long amount of time. Looking back to the house she thought of her options. Certainly returning was the logical choice. She should get back inside where it was safe and there wasn't fog curling in plumes of mist that bit at her ankles. Get back in bed where she could curl up under the covers and warm her chilled limbs.

Intuition told her not to return; the house wasn't safe. There was something malevolent about it that had never been there in the daylight hours, something evil and eager to corrupt. It suddenly didn't matter what direction she went in so long as it took her away from the house.

Juline took a faltering step, followed by two more, and then she broke into a full headlong sprint. Fear choked her and she wanted Kio to be there. Where was he anyhow? Didn't he know that she was terrified and lost? He was supposed to be there, always.

"Kio!" she screamed his name. "KIO!"

She tripped on a root and cursed herself. Of all times to behave like a typical girl, it had to be when she was in danger of being scared to death. The stress was too much. She felt a sob gather power in her throat.

"Kio," she whimpered.

Juline...

"Father?"

Juline...

She swiveled her head frantically. "Who is it? Who's there?!"

Juline...

"This isn't funny!" She suddenly found strength in anger. "Come out and show yourself, you coward!"

Blessed silence. Juline hoped that it would remain that way. The voice was cruel. She knew that it sounded like her beloved father's voice on purpose.

Little bird,

Fly. Fly away.

Spread your wings,

Take to the skies,

Little Juline...

Fly to me...

"No..." Juline whispered. She clapped both hands over her ears in a vain attempt to dispel the voice that tormented her. "Please. No more."

"Juline!"

"No!"

"Juline!"

She cautiously removed her hands. That exasperated tone... she recognized it. She stood and searched for him through the thick mist.

"Kio!" she called. "I'm over here!"

"Juline, keep talking. I'll find you."

"Here, Kio." She could tell that he was closer. "I'm right- ugh." Juline rubbed her abused nose. He had walked right into her. "...Here," she finished.

Kio grabbed her bare arms. He had been searching forever and had almost given up hope of finding her whereabouts in the fog. "Juline, are you all right?"

He quickly removed his felt lined jacket to drape it over her shoulders. Juline pulled the lapels close and leaned into the heat that he generated. Her face met with the scratchy wool of his sweater.

"I'm fine. I was lost and scared," she confessed, "but I'm fine now." Juline pulled back to look into his coffee brown eyes. "How did you find me?"

"It was a minor miracle." Kio tugged on the jacket sleeves that were too long for her petite build. His heart beat a mile a minute from the worry that her disappearance had caused, but at the moment he didn't care if she could feel it through the layers that separated them. He just wanted to hug her and let his mind absorb the fact that she was safe and sound. "I couldn't see in this weird fog. Every time I thought I was on your trail I wound up back at the dojo. Weird huh?"

Juline shivered. "Yeah, weird."

Was the house safe to return to? She didn't want to go back yet. Even if everything was fine, she didn't want to go back to where her fears had started.

"Kio?"

"Hm?"

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Juline prayed that he wouldn't ask any questions. She certainly didn't have the answers. All she had was a jumble of feelings that left her feeling exhausted.

"Sure..." Kio wanted to ask why, but she was so tense in his arms that he was afraid she would shatter any moment. He tried to inject some lightheartedness into the situation. "We'll have to call Ryoku from my place or he'll have my head on a platter."

Juline smiled. Kio could be so sweet. "Thanks, Kio. I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one, young lady," he faked grumpiness. "I was called awake in the middle of the night to come get you. I figure that with this you owe me about two five-scoop ice cream sundaes at Baskin Robbins."

"Two?!"

"Yes, two." Kio slung an arm around her slim shoulders good-naturedly. They began to once again walk away from the House of Kenga. Only this time they had a destination. "You owe me for coming out here tonight and one for earlier when you called uncle in the fight."

"What?!" Juline screeched. "I only stopped because you looked dead on your feet. I could have lasted much longer."

Kio couldn't let that pass. "No way, Juline. I had the fight under control. You were the one who was getting woozy just from a little exercise. Maybe you should lay off on those ice cream sundaes yourself, huh."

"Why you!"

[End part 1]

Author's notes:

Hmm... I anticipate that many displeased people will be emailing me about Full Circle. *shrug* Oh well. ^_^ In my defense, I just can't help myself. Inspiration strikes at the oddest times and I can't always control in what form it takes.

Juline is one of my favorite characters and, as you can probably tell, Kio is also a favorite. Heck, next to Kenshin and Kaoru, I have a hard time thinking of any "original" pairing that I like more than these two. They're not childish and they're not angst-filled suicidal types. They're just plain fun! Check out the series if you haven't already. It's well worth collecting.


[i] Suddenly forgot how to spell this! Clue me in, please.