**Spoilers for Byakko seishi.**
She watched the four boys eating, keeping a close eye out so no one attempted to poison anyone. The last thing she needed was a repeat of last night. Genbu ate his food slowly, savoring each bite. A thoughtful look rested on his dark features. Genbu always seemed to be off in his own little world.
Byakko ate his food slowly as well. He ate, as he did everything; with calm arrogant air…as if he didn't care one way or the other. Then again, perhaps Byakko was afraid of getting specks on his immaculate white robes.
Seiryuu gulped down his dinner in huge bites, growling threateningly on occasion and never left the table without a fourth helping. Not that she minded. They had plenty of food, now even more so since the four kingdoms were plentiful. They had rich venison from the west, sweet water from the north, savory fish and ripe fruit from the south, and delicious rice from the east, among other things. She wished the dragon would take it slowly though. It was far more attractive.
Suzaku ate the fastest yet it took him the longest to get done. The god would rather play then eat and if he couldn't play he'd torture his brothers. Right now, thankfully, the boy was eating. His chopsticks were a blur as he devoured everything on his plate and then some. Every now and then, Byakko would have to fend off the young phoenix's chopsticks from his own plate. The older god didn't seem to mind though. The years had mellowed him to a much more tolerant brother.
"Taiitsukun-sama, guess what," Seiryuu said, taking a breath from his eating.
"Taiitsukun-sama, guess what," Suzaku mocked. Seiryuu shot a glare at his brother then looked back at her.
"One of my seishi was born. Can I go and see him?"
"Yeah? Which one?" Suzaku asked.
"Miboshi."
"Miboshi! The midget!" Suzaku burst into a fit of giggles. "He's probably so small his parents were wondering if he was a human or a mouse!"
"Shut up! Taiitsukun-sama, tell bird brain over here to shut up!"
"Taiitsukun-sama, tell bird brain over here to shut up."
"Stop copying me!"
"Stop copying me!"
Seiryuu reached out and swiped at his younger brother. His fist connected with the redhead's jaw and Suzaku went sprawling out of his chair and onto the floor. Taiitsukun closed her eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache lurking about her temples.
"TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID TO ME?!" Suzaku wailed. Two young arms wrapped around one of hers. When she dared open her eyes, two huge tear filled eyes, the color of red wine batted up at her.
Taiitsukun sighed heavily. It had been at least two hundred years since they had picked their seishi. Gods aged differently then mortals. Normally they gained an age every three hundred years or so. But with each new seishi's birth they gained an age or two.
It really all depended. Genbu was into his late thirties, if judging by human standards. Although he was now more a snake then a tortoise. Byakko was in his mid-twenties. The tiger seemed out of it lately. That was probably due to the fact that his miko had summoned him twice all ready and he was all ready weak. Taiitsukun wiped at her eyes irritably. After the
Taiitsukun wiped at her eyes irritably. This third time, if he didn't succeed in devouring her, she would devour him. Nothing would be left of him except for the tiger. He would still retain his personality, but it would take centuries, if ever, for him to regain enough strength to attain his human form.
Genbu had the opposite problem. Since the unfortunate death of his miko, he was trapped between two forms. Unable to return to the tortoise form he so loved but having the serpent part of him hanging around his shoulders, continually hissing his anger to the world.
Then there was the gruesome twosome. Suzaku and Seiryuu, originally appearing eleven and twelve, now twelve and fourteen. She had hoped that the arrival of a new seishi would help calm Seiryuu a bit, make him more mature. Wishful thinking on her part.
"Can I see him, Taiitsukun-sama?" Seiryuu asked again.
"But remember, Seiryuuseikun, you must not interfere with his life in any way."
"Yes, yes I know." The boy changed into dragon form and started to leave the table.
"What do you say Seiryuu?" Byakko asked. The dragon rolled his eyes.
"Thank you Taiitsukun-sama and you, oh wise
Byakko-sensei."
"You're welcome," Byakko said. Taiitsukun shot him a stern look but otherwise didn't comment. A faint ghost of a smile was on the tiger god's face but his eyes were so distant.
"Tell me how your midget's doing…that is if you can find him!" Suzaku yelled. Seiryuu stomped out of the room, making the bowls on the table shake.
"Can't you grow up?" Genbu muttered. "You don't have any more sense then the mortals."
"Yeah? Well at least I wasn't to slow to eat my miko." Without warning a wave of green chi caught Suzaku in the chest, knocking him back through three walls. Taiitsukun waved a feather away from her plate then calmly sipped her tea.
"Suzaku hurt! We fix Suzaku! We cure Suzaku!"
The old woman winced as the voices filtered into the room.
The only reason she kept the Nyan-Nyan around was because Suzaku absolutely adored them. They were his playmates. Once she had caught sight of them all taking a nap in the summer grass, with the phoenix cuddled in the middle. It had nearly melted her heart. That, and that alone, was the reason she kept the critters. Well…that and the frightening thought that they had so much chi infused in them they might be impossible to destroy.
---
Seiryuu followed the running man. This was Miboshi…he could sense it…yet he didn't look like Miboshi. He looked quite handsome actually. Three cobalt braids twisted together at the back of his neck and dark brown eyes stared from under dark lashes.
Miboshi had actually been born twenty years ago…but the dragon hadn't bothered to visit him then. Children were weak. He didn't want to see his seishi weak. They had to be strong. Miboshi collapsed against the wall outside of a temple and slid to the ground. He panted as he tried to catch his breath and through his heavy breathing were small whines like he was trying to keep from crying. Seiryuu crouched beside him, watching.
"The inheritance was mine," the man snarled, clenching his hand into a fist, "Father said it was! Damn the brat for taking it from me!" Angry tears slid down his cheeks and the young seishi punched the ground.
~What are you going to do?~ Seiryuu asked him mentally.
"What am I going to do? What can I do?"
Seiryuu blinked in surprise. The human had heard him? He hadn't meant to do that. Taiitsukun-sama had said not to interfere…but…but asking wasn't interfering was it?
"I can't kill him, all the soldiers are loyal to him now. The only way I could get my inheritance back would be to crawl inside…his skin…" The human trailed off, eyes widening. There was a thoughtful expression on his pale face. Without warning, Miboshi sprung to his feet and dashed inside the temple. Seiryuu followed him, sniffing at the incense that coiled through the halls. Ahhh…what an intoxicating smell.
"I want to see Jai-sama!" Miboshi snarled. The young monk he had spoken to cowered back, face pale.
"M…my lord. Ma…many pardons but the temple master is busy."
"I don't care!" Miboshi lifted his hand, palm up, and crooked his fingers into claws. Seiryuu perked as he felt the undeniable hum of magic fill the air. "Do it…" the seishi continued in a soft, dangerous purr. "…Or regret it."
"Y…yes sir!" the young monk squeaked, tearing from the room. Miboshi dropped his hand and the magic dissipated. The dragon smirked. Heh. What a wonderful choice for a seishi.
Why do you want to see Jai?~ Seiryuu asked, coming to stand beside him.
Jai knows the dark arts. He promised to teach me…and I will take him up on it. I will get my lands back from my brat of a younger brother."
Seiryuu rolled his eyes. Well that explained a lot. Younger brothers got everything. The attention, the love, the freedom to do whatever they wanted. It really wasn't fair. After a while, a monk in a black cloak entered the room.
Did you bring anyone with you?"
No."
Come with me, my son."
Seiryuu followed them down the hall, then up a narrow set of stairs into a cramped room, filled with scrolls. A window was set on the east wall and looked out over the sleeping village.
"What do you want this time? A spell for mutating flesh? Raising the dead? Or perhaps, more demon summoning charms?"
"I want to learn how to control people's minds.
"Ah…to defeat your brother no doubt."
"And who are you loyal to, old man?" Miboshi asked, leaning forward. The old monk waved a hand.
"I am only loyal to the great god, Tenkou."
Seiryuu's scales rippled at the word and he felt a growl rise in his throat. The name seethed in his mind. Tenkou. That damned maijin. They had sealed him during the Genbu no Miko's time. He was gone, yet his evil presence still remained. Damn the monk for even speaking of him!
"What can you teach me then?"
"What exactly is your goal, my son?"
"I want to control my brother's mind." Miboshi sat back, folding his arms. "Even if I can't rule myself I can at least do it through him. Perhaps even manipulate him to get me back into power…"
"What if you were to become your brother?" the monk asked. Miboshi lifted an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"I can teach you a power that would make you greater then Seiryuu…greater then all four beast gods. Perhaps even as mighty as Tenkou himself!"
The dragon's eyes narrowed. If that wind bag mentioned Tenkou one more time…
"I can teach you…" the monk continued. "To completely invade another's body. To replace their soul with yours."
"Show me."
The lesson progressed. It was elaborate, ritualistic and complete nonsense. Seiryuu curled up at the window, resting his head between his claws and watched snoozed. The acrid scent of blood woke him. He opened his eyes to slits. Miboshi was lying on the ground, a dagger buried in his throat. His soul was standing over the body, looking a little bewildered. The soul looked up at him and anger flickered through it. Interesting. Most humans would be afraid.
~I'm dead, aren't I?~
~You are,~ Seiryuu said, piercing the soul with a look. ~But you don't have to be.~ Then he made himself invisible even to the spirit world. Miboshi seemed to think on this for a moment, then smirked. Seiryuu followed his seishi's spirit out the window and into the darkening night.
Soon, he saw a young man on horseback, traveling to the monastery. There were a couple soldiers behind him. The horses squealed, prancing nervously.
"Sir! There are evil spirits in the air, sir!" a soldier said.
"Are you scared?" the man asked, pulling his horse back to look the pale soldier in the eye.
"I…I…well…I…"
Without another word, the man pulled out a sword and sliced off the soldier's head in one, clean, stroke. Blood sprayed on his face and clothes, but he didn't even flinch.
"Any one else frightened?" the young man snarled, pointing the blood soaked weapon at the others. They didn't say a word. He cleaned the sword off on the dead soldier's saddle cloth then sheathed it.
"That's one gone… Still, five should be more then enough to take care of that idiot brother of mine."
~Idiot am I?~ the soul hissed. It twisted down and entered the young man. He sat straight and still in the saddle. Seiryuu could sense the two souls fighting for dominance. Although the young man's soul wasn't weak, Miboshi was far too strong for it. Seiryuu smirked as the youngest brother's soul was shoved out of the body and was carried away by the night wind.
"M…master?" a soldier said, tentatively coming closer. Miboshi looked at him, then his gaze flicked down to the dead soldier on the ground.
"I don't care how frightened you are." He looked all his soldiers in the eye. "As long as you obey my order without question that," he said, pointing for emphasis. "Will never happen to you."
"Y…yes sir!" The soldiers said, still a little unsure. Seiryuu nodded. That was a smart idea. Killing men because of a stupid emotion was foolish. There were easier ways to control the minds of mortals. Miboshi, now true master of his city, rode off. There was only one thing left to take care of.
He flew back to the temple. The monk was there, hunched over a scroll.
"The fool," the monk muttered. "You can't possess people, that's just a fairy tale. The real power is in the blood. With this spell I shall be greater then Seiryuu. I shall be a god!"
OH…REALLY? The dragon said, appearing before the monk. Jai looked up at him, the ink brush falling from his limp fingers. His mouth dropped open and a sound much like a choking kitten came out.
THE HEAVENS ARE CROWDED ENOUGH AS IT IS, THANK YOU,AND THE LAST THING I NEED IS ANOTHER LITTLE BROTHER.
"I…I…I call upon the power of Tenkou!" the monk screamed, clutching at the scroll. "May his mighty power come down and slay you, foul-" Seiryuu bit him in half, cutting off his gibbering words. The monk's blood was bitter on his tongue. He spat the blood out and left the way he had come. If Taiitsukun-sama wanted to punish him for it, then so be it. Even if Tenkou was sealed…the dragon wasn't about to take any risks.
---
Byakko rested on the top of Mt. Taikyoku. It was a flat peak, hidden in the clouds that humans never saw and only gods could get to. He propped his chin on his fist and stared across his western lands. Soon he would no longer be a man. His miko…his Suzuno was strong. She would eat away his human form. She would devour him. He sighed and closed his eyes. Many times had he chosen his beast form over his human one. Now that he was about to lose the shape forever, he almost wished he hadn't.
Something warm came and curled by his side. He knew who it was and didn't bother to look down. Instead he wrapped his free arm around his youngest brother and pulled him against him. Suzaku rested his head on the ground and gazed toward the south. Ever since Suzuno had appeared, they'd gotten closer. Suzaku had taken such an interest in Byakko's seishi that he couldn't help but develop a soft spot for the young god.
"This may be the last time we'll be able to snuggle like this, Suzaku," Byakko said, fighting hard to keep the tears from his voice. The redhead twisted his head to look at him.
"That's okay!" he chirped. "You're still Byakkie-kun when you're a tiger too and when you can't hold me I'll hold you!"
The white haired man smiled at his brother's words and kissed the top of his head.
"Hey! I made a rhyme!"
"Yes you did."
"Wait 'till I tell it to the Nyan-Nyan, they love rhymes."
Byakko winced. He would hear that rhyme echoing in his head for years to come if Suzaku told them. They'd never shut up about it. He wasn't about to tell his brother this…. The Nyan-Nyan could do no wrong in the phoenix's eyes.
They were silent for a while and the tiger watched the goings on. He couldn't bear to watch his seishi…not with knowing…what would happen. Instead he watched the farmers and the other poor people, peering into their dreams as they slept. He found a little boy having a nightmare and absently reached out to sooth it. The boy smiled and relaxed and the tiger smiled softly.
"Hey, Byakkie-kun, can I come with you when you're summoned? I'll stay invisible. Please?"
"No, Suzaku. It's not for you to watch." He didn't want his youngest brother to see him weakening…to see his power fading.
"Please, Byakkie-kun," Suzaku begged, fixing adorable eyes on him "You don't want to be alone…do you?"
Byakko sighed…he was more then trapped in those eyes.
"All right, all right. But you have to stay invisible and not a word," Byakko said sternly. The boy giggled wildly and Byakko glared at him. "Not a word, Suzaku."
"All right…not a word," he giggled again. "A sound maybe. I'll screech so loud half you're seishi will wet themselves."
Byakko tried to maintain the glare at his brother but couldn't keep his lips from twitching into a smile.
"Your miko'd probably pass out from the shock of it and the other seishi would go running for the hills; with the pervert in the lead."
"You little brat!" Byakko said with a laugh. "You should be punished for even thinking that." He began to tickle his brother's ribs. The phoenix writhed and squirmed, trying to get out from under his fingers, giggling all the while.
"Stop! Stop! Please!"
"Do you give?"
"Yes! Yes! I give!"
Byakko stopped and smiled down the youngest. A wicked grin flared on Suzaku's face.
"I give revenge!" Suzaku reached for him with outstretched fingers. Byakko rolled to his feet and bounded away.
"Ah, ah, ah, little one," he said, shaking his finger at him. "You have to catch me first. In human form."
"I will then!" Suzaku said bouncing to his feet.
"You can't even keep up," Byakko said, flicking his hair over his shoulder.
"Wanna make a bet?" The phoenix launched himself in the air and flew at him. Byakko laughed and ran.
---
Suzaku yawned and opened his eyes. He had finally caught Byakko and they had fallen asleep on a drifting cloud. His brother was still asleep, eyes closed tightly against the morning sun. The redhead reached up to tickle under his brother's chin A loud purr rumbled deep in Byakko's chest. Then he rolled over right on him. Suzaku gasped.
"Ack! Get off, Byakkie-kun! You're squishing me!"
Byakko remained still for a minute or two. Then rolled off again. The redhead sat up, gasping for breath.
"That should teach you to interrupt a cat nap," Byakko said, tweaking his nose. Suzaku grinned and was about to say something. When a clear voice lifted into the air.
"Kaijin!"
Byakko winced and began to descend. No! Suzaku thought. This was happening to soon. She was calling him to soon! It wasn't fair. He followed his brother silently though, knowing Byakko wouldn't listen to reason. He saw the miko and her seishi gathered together. Byakko's white symbol glowed on the girl's forehead.
Suzaku knew Byakko was still invisible to the human's eyes. He reached out and touched his brother's arm. Telling him with his eyes that it was going to be all right. Byakko smiled, then focused his attention back to his miko.
"I wish me and Tatara will always be together, I wish to stay here."
Suzaku smiled. That was sweet. He liked that miko. She loved so much to want to stay in this world rather then hers. Byakko floated down and appeared before them. He looked sad again, his eyes were downcast.
I'M SORRY. THAT IS THE ONE WISH I CANNOT GRANT.
Suzaku gasped. That wasn't right! That couldn't be right!
B…but…" the miko stammered.
I CANNOT, Byakko repeated.
"No! You have to!" Suzuno cried. The desperation in her voice made Suzaku's throat twist. The one called Tatara came up to her side, holding her close.
"Suzuno, it's all right. If he says he cannot. He cannot. Let it be."
"But Tatara, I don't want to leave you. I love you!"
"I love you as well, but we must…" he paused, tears streaming from his eyes. "We must part…and we must be strong."
"Tatara," she sobbed, leaning into him. Suzaku shook his head. No, they couldn't be separated. Not when they loved each other that much! It wasn't fair! If Byakkie-kun was going to lose his humanity then he should lose it for a good cause. He alighted by his brother's side, still invisible and tugged on his sleeve.
"Byakkie-kun," he said in a voice only his brother could hear. "What are you saying? You have to keep them together! Can't you see how much they love each other?"
"Yes…little one. I can see. It breaks my heart but I can do nothing. The laws of heaven won't allow it."
"WHO CARES ABOUT THE LAWS OF HEAVEN!?" Suzaku screamed, fisted his hands at his sides. "Can't you see? They're in love. Love conquers everything! You have to show them that. It isn't fair that they should hurt. Please Byakko, I'll help! I'll give you my powers and together maybe we can…."
"If you do that, what will happen to your miko? Would you leave her with no power to draw on?"
"B…but I don't have a miko yet and I…."
"You will, little brother, and you will love her. You will want to give her all you have."
"No I won't I…"
"You forget; I know you." Byakko laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this hurts you, but this is the way it must be. Even together, our powers would not be enough." He sighed, shaking his head. "They should never have fallen in love."
"You can't help love," Suzaku whispered. The tiger didn't comment to that. The miko made her final wish. Suzaku turned away. Byakko wouldn't want him to watch the draining of his powers.
"Goodbye… Tatara… goodbye," the miko's voice whispered, then faded away.
"Suzuno," Tatara cried. Tears streamed down the god's face as he heard the seishi cry. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. It shouldn't have happened that way! Strong but gentle teeth latched themselves on the back of his neck and he found himself being carried up into the air. Byakko set him down on the cloud and rested beside him.
Suzaku looked at his brother. He was a tiger now and his face was expressionless. Only his eyes showed his pain. He stroked the tiger's fur gently.
"You're still beautiful, Byakkie-kun. Not even heaven could take that away from you," Suzaku whispered. He climbed between Byakko's paws, wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his neck, buried his face in his fur and cried. The tiger purred softly in comfort and curled himself around the boy as the cloud drifted lazily on.
Notes: To answer your question, Fire Pendant, yes the gods do have seasons. Genbu is winter, Seiryuu is spring, Suzaku is fall and Byakko is autumn. Although I think it would be better if it was the other way around with Seiryuu and Byakko. ^^:
More to come!
Night~Mare