Disclaimer: Tomite is my muse. Unfortunately, I don't own him or any other characters from FY. Of course, tomatoes aren't counted…


Hikitsu had gotten off his horse and was kneeling at the side of the path, looking at something that seemed to be stuck onto the earth. Dismounting, I patted my horse's head before I went to have a look at what was wrong with him this time. He seemed to be acting really weird ever since I mentioned about his hair colour or something like that. Perhaps he was ticked off because I thought that he was old?

"How could they do this?!"

I blinked, hearing the fury in his voice as I stepped closer. How could who do what? I wondered, blinking rapidly now as I approached his back. "Hikitsu, what's wrong?"

His eyes were wide, almost crazed as he swung around to look at me, and I retreated, seeing the slightly insane look in his eyes. "Hikitsu…are you all right? You look as if you could do with some rest…Iname?" I called out, feeling somewhat relieved to see at least one (or two, if you counted Takiko as sane) sane person here. "I think we should stop for tonight. Hikitsu-"

"I WON'T FORGIVE THEM!!"

The three of us jumped at the thundering boom of his voice, enough to make the birds flutter out of their nests in alarm just after they had settled in for the day. Hikitsu now looked like those insane maniac at my village that used to go around chopping people up with that gigantic knife of his before pulling their guts out. Of course, he was caught not long after he had committed his worst offence…chopping up at least 20 kids, much to their parents' horror.

"…Hikitsu?"

My voice was hesitant now as I cautiously reached for my bow in case he actually went crazy (despite the fact that I, in reality, was crazier than him in the first place). Iname had tightened her grip on the horse's reins, ready to give me cover if she needed to as I carefully approached him.

"Hikitsu, you HAVE to tell me what's wrong," I spoke, wondering why in Genbu's name was he vulnerable to so many sudden changes of mood. "If you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll never- Hey, is that a grave?"

I blinked looking at the stone that had been set up by the path. Moss had grown over it, showing that this had been here for a long time…but something was wrong. I quickly saw what was wrong- the soil had been kicked around, as if someone had been playing a game of tag over it. Despite the fact that I had been renounced by the villagers, I knew that this was a terrible insult, that the dead person wasn't honoured to the extent that even their final burial place had been violated.

"It's something about the grave, ne?" I spoke quietly, looking straight into his eye(s). That seemed to trigger something in him as suddenly, he extended his hand, letting the ice snakes fly. My eyes widened and I quickly grabbed an arrow and aimed it for his left arm (he always used his right hand, after all) just a transparent barrier formed around me, making the ice snakes bounce off harmlessly.

There was a roar of pain from Hikitsu as my arrow was embedded above his left elbow. Narrowing my eyes, I raced behind him, hoping that the next action that I was going to take would lessen the severe pain that he was feeling now. Lifting my right elbow, I slammed it down hard behind his neck, while Iname and Takiko watched in horror as his eyes seemed to roll to the back of his head before he fell, only to be supported by another barrier courtesy of Iname.

"Is he going to be all right?" Iname's voice was quiet as I went to inspect the wound on his arm. "You didn't have to take such drastic measures, you know."

"There was no other way," I spoke shortly. "Don't worry, I used a blunt arrow for this one; he's just got a little cut that'll heal in a couple of days." Turning to look at Iname, I frowned. "I'll bring him up to the peak. Takiko, can you handle his horse?"

"Me?" The girl looked as lost and confused as the time when I first told her that we would have to ride horses to the capital. "Demo…what about Hikitsu? How are you going to bring him up? Masaka…you aren't going to drag him up, are you?"

I glared at her, my face growing huge and furious as I yelled at her. "STOP THINKING OF SUCH THINGS! Now, will you get a move on, or do you need me to drag you up?"

She seemed to have been belittled by my statement as she fitted the fingertips of both her index fingers together, looking down. "Well, I was only asking…"

I sighed impatiently, giving her a lift up as she squealed in surprise. The horse itself didn't seemed to be pleased to have to accommodate a new and especially jumpy owner and neighed slightly to my mare as if to grumble about its plain bad luck. "I'll meet the two of you up at the peak, understand? Don't stall too much- it's almost sunset."

The two of them nodded, riding off first as I turned to look at the unconscious Hikitsu on the ground, now that the barrier had disappeared with the absence of Iname. Sighing, I picked him up by the scruff of his neck and flung him as gently as I could onto the horse, wondering if I'd become as insane as that one day when I snapped.

Climbing up onto my horse, I looked at his closed eyes for a second before shaking my head, chuckling slightly under my breath. "What would you do without me, Hikitsu?"

-------

The girls had already gotten everything ready with the best efficiency I had ever seen when I arrived with a still unconscious Hikitsu (Takiko said later that they managed to do everything faster than usual because I wasn't here to disturb them. Hmmph. Some thanks I got for helping Hikitsu.).

Dusk had already fallen by that time, so even if we had arrived at the designated time that Hikitsu had pre-planned, it would still have been too dark to see anything. Oh well, so much for his plans…

Dinner was much quieter than usual, each of us absorbed in our own thoughts before Hikitsu finally stirred in the tent, bringing a stampede (that was us) to see how he was. He had refused to talk, only stating that he wanted to be alone for a while , and that he wasn't hungry, so we didn't have to leave any food for him.

Amazingly enough, we had fresh water for once when Iname brought out the saucepan full of rain water that she had collected while I had been napping away in the cave. It seemed to taste a little different from the normal well water that I was used to, but all the same, water was water. It was something that we could never live without.

It was about midnight when I head a slight rustle from Hikitsu's spot, and peeking open one eye, I watched as he slid out of the tent silently. "Where's he going?" I wondered out aloud, grabbing the thickest coat that I could get my hands on (and perhaps a few more) and following him.

He was walking down the same path that we had come from, I noticed as I struggled to get my boots on without tumbling head first into him. Jumping on one foot while trying to keep up with him proved to not be easy, for I almost lost sight of him a couple of times. Gods, where was he going?

After much scrambling from my part, I finally slid to a halt when I saw Hikitsu in front of the grave that we saw earlier, only that this time, he was on his knees and flattening the sand over it, trying to repair the damage had been done to it.

"There's no need to hide, Tomite. I know you're here."

I blinked, wondering when he had noticed me following him and slowly came out of the shadows, squatting beside him as I hugged my knees. "Ne, Hikitsu…why is this grave so important to you? Was it someone you knew?"

"It was someone I loved," came the soft reply, and I blinked, watching as he sat back and brushed some moss off from the gravestone. "Someone that I lost too. They deserved each other in the end…I ended up playing the villain."

"…You're confusing me again."

He smiled sorrowfully at me, and I was stunned for a second, seeing that expression on his face. "I never actually told you about myself, have I, Tomite?"

"No. Now, could you please tell me what in Genbu's name is happening, for the sake of all the four gods?! You've been acting weird lately, if you haven't noticed."

There was no reply from him as he clapped his hands together, offering a silent prayer to the disturbed souls of the dead. Then, he opened his eyes and stood up, gazing straight at the night sky, at the millions of stars that twinkled beneath that dark background.

"He always said that Genbu had compassion on humans," I heard him whisper, his fists clenched slightly. "In the end, I had my compassion, but it should have come earlier. Then, I wouldn't have done it…"

"Done what?" I was getting really irritated now, with Hikitsu speaking in riddles whenever I asked him something. It was so annoying! "Can't you at least give me a straight answer for once?!"

Looking at me, there was a long pause before he continued speaking, for the first time, unraveling the thread that led down to his memories.

"When I was fourteen, I fell in love with a girl from my home village. It was heaven for me- pure bliss, in fact, when she told me that she shared the same feelings. Unfortunately…"

"Unfortunately what? Hikitsu, if you stop, I'm going to put another arrow through you, I swear."

He chuckled slightly, patting me on my head. "You're impatient, Tomite- just like me when I was young and immature. He always told me that…until he stole her away. He knew that if I was there, I'd block him from getting her in his grasp, and he sent me off to prison for five years. For that five years, I was shut up in a dreary underground cellar with nothing but bread crumbs to eat."

My eyes were growing wider as I listened to his life story intently, wondering how he could have withstood five years locked up. Five years! I'd go ballistic if I was locked up for such a long period time. Genbu, five years…

"When I finally got out, I swore revenge. I killed him the first chance I got, then begged for her to follow me. Unfortunately, she was his wife then- and had even bore two children for him. She told me that she had slowly fallen in love with him- that all was over now that he was dead. Then, she killed herself with her entire family."

His last sentence was emotionless, as if trying to hide the overwhelming sorrow in his heart. He looked down at the grave, as if reflecting on his past memories before continuing. "She always said she loved the mountains, and so did he. In the end, I hiked up here and made their grave so that they could be together- forever. I moved on after that and married a girl from another tribe, and well, Tomite, you know the rest."

"Gods…" I whispered. That had sounded like those dramas that the villagers usually staged after a long day at work. Yet…it was true. And to imagine that he alone had gone through those experiences was astounding; I began to see him in a totally different light.

"Now, Tomite, swear that you'll never tell another soul what I just said. I told you only because I know I can trust you. Don't let me down, ne?" he glared sharply at me and I blinked. "I don't want to be forced to kill you too."

I smiled, suddenly getting an idea. "Tell you what, Hikitsu. Let's swear to be brothers- forever. If I break that promise even once, that bond is broken. Of course, you have to keep your end of the bargain too. Can't be unfair, you know," I suggested, thoroughly enjoying the look of surprise on his face. "Come on, don't look so surprised."

A slow smile spread over his face as he interlocked arms with me. "You've got yourself a deal, Tomite."

I grinned, then unconnecting our arms. "Oh, and did I mention that that also comes with a life long guarantee from you that you won't be freezing me to an ice statue no matter what?"

"Nani?! You didn't say anything like that!"

"Too bad," I grinned, sticking out my tongue as I ran up the path with Hikitsu hot on my trail, each of us laughing hard. Somehow, it seemed so good to hear him laugh after that- I was just glad that he was back to his old, serious yet funny self. There was only one place for one of those weird personalities of his- and I was glad to see that he was finally back to normal. "You never asked!"

"Come back here, you little baka!"

"Who are you calling a baka? You can't even catch me!"

"Well, once I get my hands on you, you'll be hoping you'd taken that clause back earlier! Now you come back here!"

"Not happening!" I stuck my tongue out, before tripping over a stone and landing headfirst onto the ground. "Ow…shimata! No!! Stay away!"

Hikitsu was upon me on a second, and we continued that long unfinished quarrel that had lay unresolved after receiving the hell-like punishments from Takiko.

Ah, yes, the past. Why not let it lay forgotten when you had the future to look forward to?


Author's Notes:

Well, there's your little hints on the Hikitsu side story. It's going to be one BIG tragedy, and I've already started writing the first chapter. It should be out soon- if I ever get around to finishing it.

Aha! I'm sure you never knew that Hikitsu could go crazy, ne? Fooled you! Hikitsu has a very dangerous ego that can snap if under too much pressure. If not, why would he have frozen Tomite so many times when he was angry? You think about it yourselves… :p

Weird combination of songs made me write this story, though. Let's see…Voice (as usual- the effect's beginning to wear off, I think), Scarlet (AnC), One (also AnC), Yo Ga Akeru Mae Ni and Yume Ka Mo Shirenai (an OVA 2 song, just search for it on Winmx). Kami-sama, I need help.

Tomite: …but we knew that a long time ago, didn't we?

Shut up. I'm not stupid, you know. Anyway…did you enjoy this chapter? This time, it deals with the more serious aspects of Hikitsu's past (I have no idea for Iname yet…maybe someone could suggest something??). And yes, just like all characters from FY, his entire past is dark, bleak and tragic. Well, he is a seishi…

I AM getting boring; no one reviews me anymore other than Kang Xiu!! *sobs* Please, people, be like Kang Xiu! Be faithful!! As for Kang Xiu, um...sensei is a little too high a rank for me. I'm just a normal fanfic author...

By the way, congrats, Kang Xiu! You're the first (and only) to review! No one else seems to be reading...perhaps I won't pot the next chapter until...6 reviews later?? Warning: There is a sap scene coming up in the future chapters...say two or three more. Delaying it will not be good, trust me.

Okay then, until next time, ja ne~!