Disclaimer - Yoroiden Samurai Troopers belongs to its affiliates, and since I can't think
of who they might be at the moment, I'll just leave it at that.
Chapter 16
Kyoto. Despite the many times she had returned to this place, it had been many years since she had visited the little town of her birth. Twelve years had gone by, if she hadn't been mistaken. With the news of her father's 'supposed' death, Kiyone's mother, Angeline had taken her own life, leaving her young daughter alone in the world.
Kiyone stepped off the bus, looking up at the steps leading to the old shrine where she and her parents had resided. The red and green trees were still the same, as lush and as beautiful as she had remembered, the marble stones lining the path were still intact. Looking to the end of the path, Kiyone could see her mother's old school house, weathered and worn out from lack of use.
The young woman let out a sigh, something she found herself doing more often. She was a little disappointed to find that the local residents had failed to keep her mother's pride and joy in better condition; but then again, she wasn't surprised. Kiyone's parents - even her father surprisingly enough - were very close with their surrounding neighbors, and it had surprised and shocked everyone to hear of their deaths. Many people had offered to take her in as one of their own, but little Jade Kiyone, barely 6 years old, had politely refused.
"I didn't want to be taken in by anyone," she had told Nasuti that first night. "I didn't want anyone to replace the ones I had lost. It hurt too much."
Kiyone paused before making her way towards the old school house. 'It still hurts now,' she thought, forcing one foot in front of the other. 'It hurts to think that I'll never see them again. I'll always be alone.' She stopped again, remembering Shuu's jovial words. She smiled slightly. "I guess they are my family now… I never thought things would turn out this way." She brought her hand up to her face, touching her lips tentatively. "He kissed me. It's what I wanted, but… he actually kissed me. He doesn't like me, so why did he do it?"
This question continued to plague her as she made her way towards the school. Once she reached to it, she veered to the left, to a small garden that had grown wild in neglect. Treading carefully, she waded through a small sea of tall grass. As she reached the middle she came upon a small gravestone. Upon the stone was etched a small sword, along with the words, Kenbukyo -friend, father, soul mate.
She lowered herself to her knees, bowing her head in respect. After saying a quick prayer she looked up at the stone, a small smile on her face. "Konnichi wa, otousan." she said shyly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" There was no response, but she hadn't expected one. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you, but it's just been too hard. It was too hard for me to talk to you when I was angry with you for leaving - yes, I was angry… I didn't show it, but I was."
She paused a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I know why you left now, and I understand. I want to apologize for doubting you, and I thank you for sacrificing yourself for us." She looked up at the sky, laughing slightly. "I never expected this… Who would have thought my life would be like this? I'm only partially human, friends with the people who killed my father, and in fact, in love with two of them!"
Kiyone blinked, her words catching up with her. "No… that's not true, Papa… I take that back." She looked down at her father's tombstone. "I'm not sure what I feel. Seiji is always so kind to me, trying to look after me and protect me… but when I'm with him… what I feel is a little more platonic. I don't think we'll be much more than friends." She let out a sigh, this time one of relief. "Yes, Seiji and I are only friends. Good friends."
She paused again, uncertain. "But… what about Touma, Papa? This feeling I have for him… I don't know what it is. It wasn't often that the two of us were alone together, but when we were, everything just felt right. It was like… I could say whatever I wanted, and he wouldn't judge me for it. I know I made it quite clear to him that I didn't need any protection, but I know that when I was with him, he watched over me, trying to protect as if I were the most precious thing in the world to him. He was always trying to make me laugh or smile. Were you like that with kaa-san, Papa? I felt so at peace with him, otousan, I never wanted our time together to end!" She stopped, sobering a bit, keeping in mind that she was in fact only talking to a slab of stone.
"I shouldn't have put him on the spot like that… It wasn't fair of me. Still… whenever he looked at me, my heart would speed up… it was like he was always trying to tell me something, but was too afraid to do it. And when he kissed me…"
Once again, Kiyone stopped and stood up, that dark feeling returning stronger than ever. "I thought that when he kissed me…. there was a chance that he might actually like me." She shook her head furiously. "He was probably trying to upstage Seiji. Jerks."
Deep hurt and anger filled her as she shot up from her spot in front of the tombstone. Without paying any final respects to her dead father, she turned on her heels to the steps leading towards the old shrine. 'I don't need him. I don't need anybody.' She trudged up the stairs angrily with that thought in mind, knowing deep down in her heart it wasn't true.
In her anger, the shadows looming behind her went unnoticed. When they struck, she never saw it coming.
~*~*~*~
In his dream, he felt as though he had been sinking. Swallowed up in darkness, there was nowhere for him to escape; there was no one to help him. He was alone. He couldn't speak, he couldn't see, he couldn't breath. Never in his life had he felt like this, never in any of the battles, the skirmishes, the near-death experiences had he felt so… empty, helpless, frightened. He prayed that he could escape it.
Within moments, it seemed as though his prayer had been answered. The fog and darkness lifted, a heavy weight seemingly being lifted off of his chest as air reached his lungs again. He took a deep breath, resulting in a fit of coughing.
"Here, drink this."
A glass of water was placed in his grasp. He took it gratefully, gulping it down greedily. A heat he hadn't known was there before slowly dissipated. He opened his eyes in wonder, staring at his surroundings. He was in his room. Nasuti was sitting on the edge of his bed, a worried smile on her face.
"Good afternoon." she said.
"Afternoon?" Touma could only blink.
His bedroom door opened and through it Shin emerged carrying a covered tray. Touma could smell the delicious aroma of food wafting from inside of it. "Ah, I'm glad to see you're up again." he said, smiling. "Good to see that another meal won't get wasted on Shuu."
"I heard that!" came a voice from outside.
Touma smirked beside himself. "Thanks," he replied. "Though I don't remember missing any other meals."
Shin blinked at him for a moment, confusion crossing his features. He turned to Nasuti, a worried look on his face. She smiled slightly, assuring him slightly. The warrior of trust let out a sigh of relief, setting the tray down on the nightstand. With a quick smile and a small wave, he was out of the room again.
"What was that all about?" asked Touma.
Nasuti turned towards him, a motherly smile on her face. "How do you feel?" she asked.
How did he feel? Touma blinked in confusion. Why was she asking him that? Granted, he had a headache, due to the fact that his blood sugar was a little low. He chalked that up to the fact that he hadn't eaten in quite a few hours. Perhaps that was the reason for Shin's concern. However, despite all that, he felt fine - well, okay, considering the circumstances.
Figuring he was not about to answer her question until she answered his, Nasuti spoke again. "I always find it funny that when I'm really depressed I come down with a cold or sleep a lot."
"Huh?" Touma stared at her in confusion.
"You've been knocked out with the flu the past week, Touma." Nasuti told him calmly.
"Seiji found you zonked out in your room here burning up with fever the day after Kiyone left." Touma flinched. "The weather has been getting colder lately, do remember going out without your jacket?"
Touma shook his head slowly as the events of the past few days trickled back into his brain like cold molasses. After Kiyone had left, he had blacked everything out of his mind in efforts to forget about her. Unfortunately, his attempts had been deemed useless; he couldn't forget about her no matter how hard he tried.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Nasuti's voice rang out like a bell through the jumbled thoughts in Touma's brain.
"Hm?" he answered absently, although he was completely alert.
Nasuti sighed. "Touma, I may not have a 250 IQ, but I can tell when you're trying to avoid the subject." Touma sighed inwardly. "Why didn't you tell Kiyone how you felt when you had the chance? I know that's what's bothering you."
Flopping back down on the bed, Touma ran his hand through his hair. "To be honest," he replied, slightly surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded. "I'm not sure." He could feel Nasuti's questioning stare. "Even though I'm the warrior of intellect, no matter how hard I think about it, I just can't figure out why I didn't tell her. I wanted so badly to tell her… not just to make her stay… but, when she asked me…" The blue haired trooper sat up, a saddened expression on his face. "I was afraid."
"What were you afraid of?" Nasuti asked gently.
"A lot of things." Touma answered. "Afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid of rejection, afraid of losing her before I could really say I had her." He looked up at her. "It's so strange, Nasty," He laughed softly. "I've never felt like this before. I barely even know Kiyone… but just thinking about her… I'm not really sure. It's kind of scary. What if I had told her? What if she had rejected me? Would she have?"
"That's a tough call to make, Touma." Nasuti replied. "Kiyone isn't like other girls. I don't know much about her past other than what she's told me, but I do know the death of her father hurt her very deeply - more than she'd like to let on." She took out the picture of Kiyone and herself with her grandfather before the appearance of Arago. She noticed that while she and her grandfather smiled at the camera, Kiyone's gaze was focused on the two of them. While she did smile for the camera, the look her eyes was somewhat wistful.
"I don't understand." Nasuti looked up at Touma. "I tried to help her, but she wouldn't let me."
"You're talking about the daughter of Kenbukyo, Touma." Nasuti replied. "She's not one who will take help from others. She's had to deal with a lot of things in her life, and I'm sure she refuses to let others get close to her because she's afraid of getting hurt again. That's just the way she is."
Touma sighed heavily. "I just wish she'd let us in."
Nasuti sighed sadly, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know, Touma," she replied. "I feel the exact same way."
~End of Chapter 16
of who they might be at the moment, I'll just leave it at that.
Chapter 16
Kyoto. Despite the many times she had returned to this place, it had been many years since she had visited the little town of her birth. Twelve years had gone by, if she hadn't been mistaken. With the news of her father's 'supposed' death, Kiyone's mother, Angeline had taken her own life, leaving her young daughter alone in the world.
Kiyone stepped off the bus, looking up at the steps leading to the old shrine where she and her parents had resided. The red and green trees were still the same, as lush and as beautiful as she had remembered, the marble stones lining the path were still intact. Looking to the end of the path, Kiyone could see her mother's old school house, weathered and worn out from lack of use.
The young woman let out a sigh, something she found herself doing more often. She was a little disappointed to find that the local residents had failed to keep her mother's pride and joy in better condition; but then again, she wasn't surprised. Kiyone's parents - even her father surprisingly enough - were very close with their surrounding neighbors, and it had surprised and shocked everyone to hear of their deaths. Many people had offered to take her in as one of their own, but little Jade Kiyone, barely 6 years old, had politely refused.
"I didn't want to be taken in by anyone," she had told Nasuti that first night. "I didn't want anyone to replace the ones I had lost. It hurt too much."
Kiyone paused before making her way towards the old school house. 'It still hurts now,' she thought, forcing one foot in front of the other. 'It hurts to think that I'll never see them again. I'll always be alone.' She stopped again, remembering Shuu's jovial words. She smiled slightly. "I guess they are my family now… I never thought things would turn out this way." She brought her hand up to her face, touching her lips tentatively. "He kissed me. It's what I wanted, but… he actually kissed me. He doesn't like me, so why did he do it?"
This question continued to plague her as she made her way towards the school. Once she reached to it, she veered to the left, to a small garden that had grown wild in neglect. Treading carefully, she waded through a small sea of tall grass. As she reached the middle she came upon a small gravestone. Upon the stone was etched a small sword, along with the words, Kenbukyo -friend, father, soul mate.
She lowered herself to her knees, bowing her head in respect. After saying a quick prayer she looked up at the stone, a small smile on her face. "Konnichi wa, otousan." she said shyly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" There was no response, but she hadn't expected one. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you, but it's just been too hard. It was too hard for me to talk to you when I was angry with you for leaving - yes, I was angry… I didn't show it, but I was."
She paused a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I know why you left now, and I understand. I want to apologize for doubting you, and I thank you for sacrificing yourself for us." She looked up at the sky, laughing slightly. "I never expected this… Who would have thought my life would be like this? I'm only partially human, friends with the people who killed my father, and in fact, in love with two of them!"
Kiyone blinked, her words catching up with her. "No… that's not true, Papa… I take that back." She looked down at her father's tombstone. "I'm not sure what I feel. Seiji is always so kind to me, trying to look after me and protect me… but when I'm with him… what I feel is a little more platonic. I don't think we'll be much more than friends." She let out a sigh, this time one of relief. "Yes, Seiji and I are only friends. Good friends."
She paused again, uncertain. "But… what about Touma, Papa? This feeling I have for him… I don't know what it is. It wasn't often that the two of us were alone together, but when we were, everything just felt right. It was like… I could say whatever I wanted, and he wouldn't judge me for it. I know I made it quite clear to him that I didn't need any protection, but I know that when I was with him, he watched over me, trying to protect as if I were the most precious thing in the world to him. He was always trying to make me laugh or smile. Were you like that with kaa-san, Papa? I felt so at peace with him, otousan, I never wanted our time together to end!" She stopped, sobering a bit, keeping in mind that she was in fact only talking to a slab of stone.
"I shouldn't have put him on the spot like that… It wasn't fair of me. Still… whenever he looked at me, my heart would speed up… it was like he was always trying to tell me something, but was too afraid to do it. And when he kissed me…"
Once again, Kiyone stopped and stood up, that dark feeling returning stronger than ever. "I thought that when he kissed me…. there was a chance that he might actually like me." She shook her head furiously. "He was probably trying to upstage Seiji. Jerks."
Deep hurt and anger filled her as she shot up from her spot in front of the tombstone. Without paying any final respects to her dead father, she turned on her heels to the steps leading towards the old shrine. 'I don't need him. I don't need anybody.' She trudged up the stairs angrily with that thought in mind, knowing deep down in her heart it wasn't true.
In her anger, the shadows looming behind her went unnoticed. When they struck, she never saw it coming.
~*~*~*~
In his dream, he felt as though he had been sinking. Swallowed up in darkness, there was nowhere for him to escape; there was no one to help him. He was alone. He couldn't speak, he couldn't see, he couldn't breath. Never in his life had he felt like this, never in any of the battles, the skirmishes, the near-death experiences had he felt so… empty, helpless, frightened. He prayed that he could escape it.
Within moments, it seemed as though his prayer had been answered. The fog and darkness lifted, a heavy weight seemingly being lifted off of his chest as air reached his lungs again. He took a deep breath, resulting in a fit of coughing.
"Here, drink this."
A glass of water was placed in his grasp. He took it gratefully, gulping it down greedily. A heat he hadn't known was there before slowly dissipated. He opened his eyes in wonder, staring at his surroundings. He was in his room. Nasuti was sitting on the edge of his bed, a worried smile on her face.
"Good afternoon." she said.
"Afternoon?" Touma could only blink.
His bedroom door opened and through it Shin emerged carrying a covered tray. Touma could smell the delicious aroma of food wafting from inside of it. "Ah, I'm glad to see you're up again." he said, smiling. "Good to see that another meal won't get wasted on Shuu."
"I heard that!" came a voice from outside.
Touma smirked beside himself. "Thanks," he replied. "Though I don't remember missing any other meals."
Shin blinked at him for a moment, confusion crossing his features. He turned to Nasuti, a worried look on his face. She smiled slightly, assuring him slightly. The warrior of trust let out a sigh of relief, setting the tray down on the nightstand. With a quick smile and a small wave, he was out of the room again.
"What was that all about?" asked Touma.
Nasuti turned towards him, a motherly smile on her face. "How do you feel?" she asked.
How did he feel? Touma blinked in confusion. Why was she asking him that? Granted, he had a headache, due to the fact that his blood sugar was a little low. He chalked that up to the fact that he hadn't eaten in quite a few hours. Perhaps that was the reason for Shin's concern. However, despite all that, he felt fine - well, okay, considering the circumstances.
Figuring he was not about to answer her question until she answered his, Nasuti spoke again. "I always find it funny that when I'm really depressed I come down with a cold or sleep a lot."
"Huh?" Touma stared at her in confusion.
"You've been knocked out with the flu the past week, Touma." Nasuti told him calmly.
"Seiji found you zonked out in your room here burning up with fever the day after Kiyone left." Touma flinched. "The weather has been getting colder lately, do remember going out without your jacket?"
Touma shook his head slowly as the events of the past few days trickled back into his brain like cold molasses. After Kiyone had left, he had blacked everything out of his mind in efforts to forget about her. Unfortunately, his attempts had been deemed useless; he couldn't forget about her no matter how hard he tried.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Nasuti's voice rang out like a bell through the jumbled thoughts in Touma's brain.
"Hm?" he answered absently, although he was completely alert.
Nasuti sighed. "Touma, I may not have a 250 IQ, but I can tell when you're trying to avoid the subject." Touma sighed inwardly. "Why didn't you tell Kiyone how you felt when you had the chance? I know that's what's bothering you."
Flopping back down on the bed, Touma ran his hand through his hair. "To be honest," he replied, slightly surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded. "I'm not sure." He could feel Nasuti's questioning stare. "Even though I'm the warrior of intellect, no matter how hard I think about it, I just can't figure out why I didn't tell her. I wanted so badly to tell her… not just to make her stay… but, when she asked me…" The blue haired trooper sat up, a saddened expression on his face. "I was afraid."
"What were you afraid of?" Nasuti asked gently.
"A lot of things." Touma answered. "Afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid of rejection, afraid of losing her before I could really say I had her." He looked up at her. "It's so strange, Nasty," He laughed softly. "I've never felt like this before. I barely even know Kiyone… but just thinking about her… I'm not really sure. It's kind of scary. What if I had told her? What if she had rejected me? Would she have?"
"That's a tough call to make, Touma." Nasuti replied. "Kiyone isn't like other girls. I don't know much about her past other than what she's told me, but I do know the death of her father hurt her very deeply - more than she'd like to let on." She took out the picture of Kiyone and herself with her grandfather before the appearance of Arago. She noticed that while she and her grandfather smiled at the camera, Kiyone's gaze was focused on the two of them. While she did smile for the camera, the look her eyes was somewhat wistful.
"I don't understand." Nasuti looked up at Touma. "I tried to help her, but she wouldn't let me."
"You're talking about the daughter of Kenbukyo, Touma." Nasuti replied. "She's not one who will take help from others. She's had to deal with a lot of things in her life, and I'm sure she refuses to let others get close to her because she's afraid of getting hurt again. That's just the way she is."
Touma sighed heavily. "I just wish she'd let us in."
Nasuti sighed sadly, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know, Touma," she replied. "I feel the exact same way."
~End of Chapter 16