Plura Ater Nox

Chapter 18

It had taken coaxing on the part of Jeremiah to have his twin agree to Captain Stonewall's request. The mission in essence seemed basic; not requiring much except a promise to participate and loyalty in addition to the combat that was essential in this mission. It didn't seem to be that involved in the war, except to be serving to free a group of POWs that were part of a French resistance trying to rid France of German occupation and help end the horrible war.

For this, he had pledged his and his brother's time for the mission, though not knowing the one important detail about this. This small fact was that he would be working for the one man he had not wanted to work with; the officer he had one been a soldier for – his former commanding officer, Captain Andreas. However, since he hadn't the faintest notion that he would be employed as a pawn of that captain, he felt no restraint being put on his freedom as he lay his promise to help sans American patriotism.

Ready to make his next move to the final coax on the moderately caving Séamus, Jeremiah deeply contemplated alternatives for just how much more it would take. Thus far, his words were in vain. It was pushing him to the limits. Now there was only one option remaining and that was dirty tactics. He figured, if he was going to revert to using dirty tactics, that he should at least have fun with it.

His rationale was that if the male species was easily seduced by the temptress female desiring whatever was on whim at the moment, then given how he felt about his twin and vice versa, such actions would likely work, so at least he hoped…

That was all he could do for the moment was hope, as he waited for his twin to finish up at the cleaning basin. His brother had made his painfully clear that he didn't want to be interrupted when washing up and thus, locked the door to the small room where he kept the water basin. With an incoming source from a small canal used for in-city irrigation – for those who kept small farms during the depression not wanting to have to pay for food – he had no need to go out daily for fresh water.

Though the water was cold, he didn't care entirely, as he splashed the brisk, refreshing water over his face. He then glanced up, shaking off the excess before grabbing a slightly damp towel to dry off. Listlessly replacing it, he pulled his shirt back on, as he had stripped it off in order to keep it dry while he freshened up.

Pouncing on his twin after he exited from the small bathroom, if one could call it such, Jeremiah gazed sweetly into his twin's eyes, his smile innocent. He wrapped his arms around his brother's neck. If it required cheap tactics, then this was going to be fun…

"Séamus, you know you're a good fighter and you're using your energy to fight for a cause here at home…why don't you join me for another type of fight?! You're good enough, aren't you?! Besides, you know you want to and you won't send me to fight on my own because you're a sweet loving brother that cares about me…" Jeremiah knew he was piling on the sweetness and sap thickly, but he also knew his twin had a low tolerance for such things. Hopefully it would breakdown his resistance!

Séamus, to the expectations of his brother, didn't let him finish and did cave once the sweetness and sap was getting laden thickly. "All right already! I'll help, just stop lowering yourself to such levels. Show some dignity brother!"

"Aw! I knew I could count on you!!" The former Seiryuu Seishi, Amiboshi purred, his mouth touching his twin's, though not covering it. His lips softly brushed over his brother's.

"Hn… You just had to revert to using temptress ways. You know I hate it when you do." The younger of the twins bitterly complained.

"But you don't complain about this…" Jeremiah cut his own words off by fiercely kissing his twin, pressing his mouth demandingly over his brother's, his tone twining with its counterpart.

"I hate it when you know what I can't complain about…" He softly whispered, his body melting against his twin's; his mouth embracing the sweet tasting one of his brother's. His hands trailed over his brother's back, gently snaking down the curve of his twin's spine, before slipping under the fabric of his twin's shirt. Skilfully his hands loosened the garment.

The elder softly purred; mewed plaintively at the gentle caress of hands over his warm skin. His mouth eagerly responded to the embracing kiss, devouring the sweet salvia of his twin's, relishing in the tempting and delicious sinful sensations, they both knew were deathly wrong but felt so right.

~~~~

Sitting on the floor, her hands across her face, as she hide her anguish, the wife of a young Japanese male, sobbed softly, choking on her cries. She didn't want to believe that they would now have to suffer after being reunited. They had been through so much only to now have this thrown in their faces and hurt them and their peaceful lives.

"Iie! Taka! They can't be serious! But you're an asset to the country; a farmer!" Sukanami Miaka cried out, her soft green eyes glistening with tears, as she fought them back, not wanting to cry. Desperately, she reached out for his hand.

"Ore wa… Gomen nasai, Miaka." Taka softly replied, his teal hair cascading over his eyes, as he bowed in head in regret for what he hadn't done. A morose sigh slipped unbidden over his lips, as his fingers laced through hers, trying to reassure her, but he knew as well as she did: there was no concept of reassurance in such times of war.

Her chin quivered and tears streaked her cheeks, unchecked, as she couldn't hold them back any more. The glistening moisture in her eyes became tears of melancholy, expressing her remorse as they fall, rolling softly down her cheeks.

Reaching a hand, Taka gently took her salty tears on his finger. "Miaka, your tears aren't worthy of anything right now. There is still a hope, but it's risky."

"Anou? What?" She asked softly, almost fearfully as she registered his words.

"We have to flee if I am to avoid being completely drafted."

"No…Taka! The Kempei-tai is ruthless!! They won't let us get away!"

"Trust me, Miaka. We lived through Kutou's war on Konan and its consequences. We are stronger than that. This is just a small set back. We can make it. Yui did. She's safely in the west."

She wordlessly stared at him, before mutely nodding her assent.

Standing, he smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll gather us a small bag and we'll leave in the night. It'll be easier. We'll try and escape on a vessel carrying other civilians, who are leaving. We'll blend in and they'll never know."

"All right, I trust you, Taka."

"Arigatou. Wo ai ni."

"Aishiteru."

~~~~

Petulantly waiting for the package from their unexpected yet questionable ally, Arielle, the elder of the siblings, didn't let her younger brother, Achan say anything, even to their mother, insisting that such trust was hard to come by and that they had to remain silent. She explained it was better to wait and get out and send for their friends and relatives rather than say anything right away. Even the modest slip up, she said could have dire consequences for both parties and likely endanger their chances of escaping from the ghetto and Nazi imposed hellhole.

Achan could only sigh in sadness, as he still had the youthful taste for freedom and hated having to comply with Nazi regulations that restricted even their worship of Yahweh. He was a young, impetuous boy with no desire for the regime and laws. He had only listened to Kepler because the man was his former friend and ally: Genbu Seishi, Hikitsu.

Other than that, he showed no respect for the authority and Arielle was stunned and amazed by the fact that her younger brother remained unscratched and unharmed because of his daring and defiant ways. She didn't say anything though. She knew it oft was not going to be heeded. Instead, she could only pray that her brother wouldn't do anything he would regret.

Her greatest fear was that he would end up in the dreaded concentration camp. The ghetto was paradise compared to that type of hellhole. She didn't want to loser her only brother to such a horrible place. She tried to stop him everyday, by making excuses for him. But soon they would run out, as would Achan's time.

They sat in the small cramped kitchenette of their housing complex. Their mother was out with her friend. Their father, they only knew he had been taken away in the last round up and could only continue to pray for his safety and well being.

She gazed up, reaching for her brother's hand, squeezing them reassuringly. "Trust him, I know he may be one of them on the outside, but he's putting his life and job on the line for us. We can't do anything hasty now that would cost us our freedom because he was discovered."

Her gentle, forest green eyes pleaded with the ones identical to hers. Achan could only look away. He knew that look in his sister's eyes and he knew he was vulnerable to it because she was gentle and knew how to win over his favour when she needed to.

"All right, I'll do it, for you, Arielle." He whispered softly, his black, untrimmed hair falling in his eyes as he spoke. He didn't want to sit still, but his sister had a gentle way of persuasion that always got him to agree.

"Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you once we're out of here."

~~~~

Word of the presence of German U-boats littering and loitering in the city harbour became known to allies, but the rebels did nothing to stop it. They welcomed the enemy because they viewed the allied forces as the enemy. They had no need to do what the allied forces wanted. They had been stripped of their land and freedom centuries ago and in return, expected to serve some faceless monarch. They refused to, even up to this present day, in such a time of a destructive war.

There was however, the other faction of the citizens felt strong ties to the motherland of England and swore absolute and undying loyalty. They were the ones that took up arms to defend the home front from the impending threats of any German invasion. They were also told to be on alert for any infiltration, by the cunning Japanese spies employed by the fearsome Kempei-tai. They hadn't had any hints of such people being around, but kept an eye open for those who weren't loyal to the cause.

This unnerved Yui. She was aware of the happenings, as she did speak English and fully comprehended the language. It made her strive to fit in even more. She didn't want to be arrested as a suspect because of her nationality. For that reason, after her encounter with Jeremiah, she had sought out a clothing shop where she was able to acquire western clothing, all accessories to cover her from head to foot.

Now she only had to worry about her accent, but she was able to cover that by saying she had been living in the eastern parts of the world and her family were English teachers trying to convert the primates to conventional folk from the ancient beings they were.

She did explain she was exposed to both languages and that's why she had a soft accent on her English. Many accepted that. She was thankful for that and her less than oriental appearance. Her blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes were deceptive and acted to cover up her roots of origin, as she came to fit into a western, Christian society. To further assist her in her mask and cover-up so that she wouldn't be suspected, she started attending mass, letting herself become apart of that weekly event.

There was still a small problem or rather issue that unnerved her. It concerned the one boy she had met, the one looking like her Seishi. Did he remember? Was he Suboshi? Or…no, she couldn't possibly think that that was Amiboshi she had dealt with. She had wanted it to be the loyal boy she had known. She needed him now, just to hold her and tell her it was going to be okay. She wanted to feel his arms around her slender body as she leaned against his muscular one, seeking comfort.

She sighed, wandering the streets. She had managed to find the address of the boy, hoping that maybe both were together and it was just a coincidence that she had met up with the other one and it had been a test for her to endear.

She was unable to push all thoughts out of her mind about him, only wanting to see him one last time. She could only remember him chasing after her best friend, who had come by the dojo her family owned. The next thing she knew, the young man was dead. She lived with the guilt that it was her fault he was dead. If she hadn't sent him after Miaka, he would've been alive and she would've had someone to comfort her as she feared the war that waged around her.

She stopped at a small series of what the locals called "flats". She smiled at the term, it was cute. She glanced around, watching a young couple push a "pram" with the new-born "babe" down the path. She turned her face away, trying to focus back on what she came for. There was no room for fantasy right now.

As she had watched them, she wondered if that's what she could've had if she hadn't sent him after Miaka... To have him die...

Shaking her head, Yui turned and took a few steps over to the squeaky wooden steps of the three storey red brick building. Grasping the rusted, black handrail, she cautiously walked up, her insides twisting, as a thousand butterflies ate her stomach alive. She felt like it was needles pulling her stomach apart. She had felt less nervous than this when preparing to summon Seiryuu than to see if she had a chance of finding the one boy whom she longed for now.

She lifted a hand, her knuckle jutting out as her hand shook. She didn't know if she could do this. Her throat felt tight, her mouth dry. She feared encountering the one that wouldn't know her. He had been cold and curt with her, very blunt. She didn't know what else to make of that, other than it was likely Amiboshi that had been the one she had met up with first.

'His name? That was Jeremiah. I want to speak with the one that doesn't go by that name.' She thought weakly knocking on the door, waiting. No answer came yet. She waited patiently, not wanting to make herself seem aggressive.

A good solid minute past before she knocked again, this time more forcefully than before, though it was still weak. She didn't know if she was disturbing them…him or not.

She sighed in relief, hearing the signs of muffled conversation - two voices, both distinct in accent. One sporting the local flavour and the other foreign. She assumed the speaker with the regional accent was not the one she had met up with in the least pleasant of circumstances.

She stiffened as the door opened.

"Hn…seadh?!" The first of the pair had answered - the one with the regional accent on his voice.

She blinked and softly smiled. "Hi." She would have normally bowed out of courtesy, but she reminded herself that this was the western world and such customs weren't present.

Yui gazed at him expectantly.

There was a moment of silence then…

He blinked, stepping out, shutting the door behind him. Séamus shut the door, staring down at her, slightly surprised. "Yui??"

* * * * *

Author's Notes: Wow, I'm surprised at myself, two chapters in one week, I'm on a role. This is a record for me. I wonder if I can get out another one before the end of May? We'll have to see, won't we? I guess it is all dependent upon the amount of inspiration I feel when I write each chapter. It looks like I was bitten by the creative bug today. I wrote some of this in math class, when I should've been reviewing for the test I have tomorrow. Aw hell, it's just algebra, it's easy! I could factor that stuff in my sleep! Anyway, consider this chapter to be the pivotal point in the epic because from here, it all changes and hopefully I can get this whole fanfic down in less than a hundred pages. With this chapter, my fanfic is now 85 pages long. That is a long of work. Now you see why it takes me a longtime. I have a goal of at least one chapter/month. So, consider this a luxury that you get two… I'll try and get chapter 19 done ASAP.