The Secrets that Last
Chapter 1
The door to the old tavern creaked open as the figure casually made its way to the bar. The figure took long, masculine strides that suggested a lean, well-built frame beneath the disguising cloak. As he sat at the bar, a young bartender almost gasped at his face.
He pulled down the black cloth to reveal a flawless heart shaped face with the most entrancing sapphire eyes imaginable. The young girl approached him in awe.
"Excuse me Sir, may I help you?" she asked carefully, still staring at his exquisite face. He smiled lightly at her, letting out a soft, almost feminine chuckle.
"Sure thing, I'll have a beer. The best you've got." The girl nodded and busily sought out a glass, sneaking glances at him every now and then. Similarly, the bar had suddenly calmed and the eyes of every inhabitant seemed to be trained on the oblivious man's every move.
"Excuse me if I'm being too forward, but may I ask your name Sir?" she asked after returning with a mug. The young man smiled slightly and lifted the mug to his smirking lips, taking in a long drink.
"My real name is of no significance to you. But most call me Ren."
The girl blushed slightly as the man leaned over the counter toward her, a sexy smirk on his face.
"And what is your name Beautiful?"
She blushed further.
"Soi." She answered softly, feeling his hot breath against her cheek.
"Soi..." he breathed the name, as if tasting it.
"I like it, very pretty." He smiled again, stealing her breath away. "So, what's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this anyway? You don't seem like the type of girl to be caught in a place so...rough." He gazed at her warmly. She stared at him, loosing herself in his bewitching sapphire orbs.
"I'm..." her words were cut short by a thunderous shout from outside.
"REN!! HURRY UP IN THERE!! I'M GETTING BORED HERE!!!" boomed an agitated male voice from beyond the door.
The man smirked, brushing his abnormally long blonde bangs from his eyes and standing up. He tossed several gold coins on the counter, way more than the drink was worth. "Arigotou Soi-san, I hope we meet again." He smiled at her and waved slightly as he headed out the door. For the first time since she'd seen him the girl realized that he was actually quite young, perhaps more around her own age then the originally presumed twenty or so. Soi smiled up at him and took the money, her eyes growing misty as she held the coins to her chest.
"Ja..." she breathed at his retreating form.
**************
"You jerk! How could you put me through that? I was soooo bored!" Ren smiled at the other boy slightly.
"Sorry Tasuki, but I was detained by a young lady." He stated matter-of- factly.
"A young...Oh Kami-sama, what is it with you and talking like that? You sound like a freakin' scholar or somethin'." He rolled his eyes and tossed his flaming red hair over his shoulder in a superior manner. Ren smirked and walked past his friend to the horses that stood just beyond them.
"Shut up Genro. You only speak the language of the mountain bandits and you haven't been in the clan for half as long as I have."
The only reply he got was a snort of annoyance and Genro's irritated glare.
"Yeah right."
Ren smirked.
********That night
Soi studied the coins in confusion. "That's strange." She mumbled to herself. The 'coins' were actually not coins at all. They were solid gold! They resembled coins, but that was only the shape. On the one side there was the image of a rearing unicorn with a silver crescent moon behind it and stars surrounding it. On the opposite side was the image of a dagger thrust through the center of an intricately carved rose with the pattern of a stem in the background. Soi stared at the beautiful coins in awe. The creak of the door brought her attention back to reality and she quickly shoved the items into her blouse. "Now I can remember him always." She thought with a secret smile. The way he had smiled at her made her knees weak...
***********2-3 years later
"Hey Ren! How'd your little trip to Kutou go?" Ren glanced up, sapphire eyes flashing briefly in recognition of his best friend's dark figure in the shadows of his room.
"Well."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Tasuki blinked at the curtness of the reply. Normally his friend would jump at the opportunity to brag about a job well done.
"It means nothing. I completed my assignment. I visited the castle and robbed it of a good portion of its riches. There's nothing to it." He snapped his fingers for extra emphasis.
"So why are you so quiet then? Have a run in with an old girlfriend or something?" he laughed at the thought. Not because of the girlfriend part, but because Ren was well known for his kindness toward women and even if he did leave one, the probability of her being angry with him was about a trillion to one.
Ren gave him a sharp look. "Iie. And Tasuki, what have I told you about women?" he asked. Tasuki stepped out of the shadows and plopped down in front of his friend with a goofy grin plastered across his features.
"In the great words of Ren-The-Genius; ahem, thou shalt not loose one's self to the charms of a woman. And, a-HEM!" Tasuki closed his eyes and put his hands on his knees in his Indian style position. "Never get too attached. Women are weak and not worth the time. Thank you for the applause my fellow bandits." He mock bowed, accidentally hitting his head on the floor in doing so. Ren smirked as a red-faced Tasuki pried himself off the floor.
"Yeah, but don't forget that women were created for a purpose as well. Every person was created by the gods for at least one purpose in life." Tasuki nodded, rubbing his sore face. That was one of the things that made him and Ren such good friends. Ren never laughed. That is, he never laughed at him.
His clumsiness, his stupidity, his immaturity, and his mindless aggression. Ren had never, ever made fun of him like the other bandits had. Ren had always been there for him to lean on, even when he felt like nothing could help him feel better, like when he had learned of his father's death, Ren had comforted him and made him smile. When he fell down, Ren had left the other bandits to help him up and offer Tasuki his usual stupid grin. They were more than best friends; they were brothers.
Then again, all the other bandits seemed to be like that when it came to Ren too. Fiercely overprotective and sharing a special bond with the blonde warrior. All the bandits projected the image of loners until Ren showed up. Tasuki had seen them once while Ren was gone. It seemed like they had forgotten that others existed, they were like zombies; walking around like idiots and hardly speaking to each other. But then, with Ren's return, they had all been laughing and chattering away like old times, looping arms with each other and acting like the best of friends. It was obvious to Tasuki that Ren was the light of all their lives; someone they all depended on to lighten the darkness and loneliness of their lives.
Ren was the reason that Tasuki had been allowed to join the bandits in the first place. Because of his strong influence. Their leader had apparently been raising Ren since he was only three and he had grown up in the world as the greatest bandit imaginable. He was the best at his job and so far, he had only been caught once, but that was a looong time ago.
Tasuki blinked out of his reverie as Ren grabbed his arm and tugged him into the corner of the dark room. "Sh..." Ren placed a finger to his lips. "Wha..." Ren clamped a hand over Tasuki's mouth to silence him as the door swung open. A white as a sheet leader stepped into the room, looking around frantically for any sign of life.
"Minna-san! Hurry! We must find him immediately! If we don't then..." his voice trailed off as he left the room, slamming the door in his haste.
Tasuki looked at Ren almost fearfully as he released him. "What's going on?" he knew it sounded lame, but what could he do? Ren sighed, casting him a sideways look.
"I'm leaving Suki-chan." He blinked; the nickname hadn't been used since he turned fifteen.
"What?" he breathed; shocked as the information sunk in. "Again? But you just got back!"
Ren shook his head; long blonde locks falling into sparkling cerulean eyes. "No. This time I'm not coming back."
Tasuki almost fainted. Ren, leaving? Impossible! The thought of life without Ren was nothing...it just wasn't comprehendible. "What do you mean you're not coming back? Of course you are!" he tried to sound convincing.
"Iie." Ren sighed, gazing out the window with an unreadable expression on his face. "It is time for me to leave. Touji and the others can take care of themselves. Just as you. I wouldn't expect you to understand this Suki- chan, but this is something I must do. Many lives depend on the choice that I am about to make. Gomen nasai, demo, I must leave." He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Forgive me Suki-chan for I have sinned and the only way to repent is this." He bowed slightly before silently walking to the window.
"Matte! Will I ever see you again?" Tasuki asked desperately. Ren paused, his eyes glancing back and locking with Tasuki's.
"Iie." He was gone.
************************
Ren sighed as he hopped through the trees like a panther.
"I wish that didn't have to happen." He sighed to himself, his voice obtaining a feminine quality.
"I should have never agreed to become the Bearer of Light." The voice was now completely feminine. A girl's voice.
"Ren, it is time for you to take your rightful place in our midst. Come to the ceremony now." The voice boomed through Ren's mind. It was more like a combination of voices actually. Four male voices speaking as one.
Ren nodded curtly, landing in a secluded area of the forest. He sighed, removing the hood from his ever-present cloak.
*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*
The ceremony.
It was time to begin.
Ren glanced at the image reflected in the mirror-like surface of his silver wrist brace and smirked.
"It is time my lady." Came a soft voice.
Ren nodded, dropping the cloak from his shoulders to reveal the slender form of a shapely female.
"It's nice to see you in your true form again Usagi." The voice continued.
Usagi smiled, her sheer robes swaying as she made her way to the lake before her. Moonlight flooded the area, clinging to her curves and dressing her in rays of sparkling silver. The night seemed magical. To anyone that might have walked by they would have thought they'd seen a mystical nymph or sprite. Silver streaked blonde waves tumbled down her back as she padded bare-foot toward her destination.
The ceremony of light it was called. The ceremony that would bind herself to the gods for all eternity. She smiled thinly. Her outfit was similar to Seiryu no Miko's. Revealing to a point, but not so much that it was indecent. Her anklets clattered like bells and she smiled softly at the lake as it began to glow an eerie blue. A soft chanting filled the air as gods and goddess became one forever. And as the moon faded from the sky there was but one witness to the brilliant show of power remaining.
"The spirits rejoiced with her tears." Came a whispered voice as a woman with long green hair made her way into the void of time. "When the god's are apart, she shall be called on again." She sighed wistfully, brushing off her fuku. "Goodbye Serenity, may your destiny be bright in this world."
And she was gone.
Chapter 1
The door to the old tavern creaked open as the figure casually made its way to the bar. The figure took long, masculine strides that suggested a lean, well-built frame beneath the disguising cloak. As he sat at the bar, a young bartender almost gasped at his face.
He pulled down the black cloth to reveal a flawless heart shaped face with the most entrancing sapphire eyes imaginable. The young girl approached him in awe.
"Excuse me Sir, may I help you?" she asked carefully, still staring at his exquisite face. He smiled lightly at her, letting out a soft, almost feminine chuckle.
"Sure thing, I'll have a beer. The best you've got." The girl nodded and busily sought out a glass, sneaking glances at him every now and then. Similarly, the bar had suddenly calmed and the eyes of every inhabitant seemed to be trained on the oblivious man's every move.
"Excuse me if I'm being too forward, but may I ask your name Sir?" she asked after returning with a mug. The young man smiled slightly and lifted the mug to his smirking lips, taking in a long drink.
"My real name is of no significance to you. But most call me Ren."
The girl blushed slightly as the man leaned over the counter toward her, a sexy smirk on his face.
"And what is your name Beautiful?"
She blushed further.
"Soi." She answered softly, feeling his hot breath against her cheek.
"Soi..." he breathed the name, as if tasting it.
"I like it, very pretty." He smiled again, stealing her breath away. "So, what's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this anyway? You don't seem like the type of girl to be caught in a place so...rough." He gazed at her warmly. She stared at him, loosing herself in his bewitching sapphire orbs.
"I'm..." her words were cut short by a thunderous shout from outside.
"REN!! HURRY UP IN THERE!! I'M GETTING BORED HERE!!!" boomed an agitated male voice from beyond the door.
The man smirked, brushing his abnormally long blonde bangs from his eyes and standing up. He tossed several gold coins on the counter, way more than the drink was worth. "Arigotou Soi-san, I hope we meet again." He smiled at her and waved slightly as he headed out the door. For the first time since she'd seen him the girl realized that he was actually quite young, perhaps more around her own age then the originally presumed twenty or so. Soi smiled up at him and took the money, her eyes growing misty as she held the coins to her chest.
"Ja..." she breathed at his retreating form.
**************
"You jerk! How could you put me through that? I was soooo bored!" Ren smiled at the other boy slightly.
"Sorry Tasuki, but I was detained by a young lady." He stated matter-of- factly.
"A young...Oh Kami-sama, what is it with you and talking like that? You sound like a freakin' scholar or somethin'." He rolled his eyes and tossed his flaming red hair over his shoulder in a superior manner. Ren smirked and walked past his friend to the horses that stood just beyond them.
"Shut up Genro. You only speak the language of the mountain bandits and you haven't been in the clan for half as long as I have."
The only reply he got was a snort of annoyance and Genro's irritated glare.
"Yeah right."
Ren smirked.
********That night
Soi studied the coins in confusion. "That's strange." She mumbled to herself. The 'coins' were actually not coins at all. They were solid gold! They resembled coins, but that was only the shape. On the one side there was the image of a rearing unicorn with a silver crescent moon behind it and stars surrounding it. On the opposite side was the image of a dagger thrust through the center of an intricately carved rose with the pattern of a stem in the background. Soi stared at the beautiful coins in awe. The creak of the door brought her attention back to reality and she quickly shoved the items into her blouse. "Now I can remember him always." She thought with a secret smile. The way he had smiled at her made her knees weak...
***********2-3 years later
"Hey Ren! How'd your little trip to Kutou go?" Ren glanced up, sapphire eyes flashing briefly in recognition of his best friend's dark figure in the shadows of his room.
"Well."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Tasuki blinked at the curtness of the reply. Normally his friend would jump at the opportunity to brag about a job well done.
"It means nothing. I completed my assignment. I visited the castle and robbed it of a good portion of its riches. There's nothing to it." He snapped his fingers for extra emphasis.
"So why are you so quiet then? Have a run in with an old girlfriend or something?" he laughed at the thought. Not because of the girlfriend part, but because Ren was well known for his kindness toward women and even if he did leave one, the probability of her being angry with him was about a trillion to one.
Ren gave him a sharp look. "Iie. And Tasuki, what have I told you about women?" he asked. Tasuki stepped out of the shadows and plopped down in front of his friend with a goofy grin plastered across his features.
"In the great words of Ren-The-Genius; ahem, thou shalt not loose one's self to the charms of a woman. And, a-HEM!" Tasuki closed his eyes and put his hands on his knees in his Indian style position. "Never get too attached. Women are weak and not worth the time. Thank you for the applause my fellow bandits." He mock bowed, accidentally hitting his head on the floor in doing so. Ren smirked as a red-faced Tasuki pried himself off the floor.
"Yeah, but don't forget that women were created for a purpose as well. Every person was created by the gods for at least one purpose in life." Tasuki nodded, rubbing his sore face. That was one of the things that made him and Ren such good friends. Ren never laughed. That is, he never laughed at him.
His clumsiness, his stupidity, his immaturity, and his mindless aggression. Ren had never, ever made fun of him like the other bandits had. Ren had always been there for him to lean on, even when he felt like nothing could help him feel better, like when he had learned of his father's death, Ren had comforted him and made him smile. When he fell down, Ren had left the other bandits to help him up and offer Tasuki his usual stupid grin. They were more than best friends; they were brothers.
Then again, all the other bandits seemed to be like that when it came to Ren too. Fiercely overprotective and sharing a special bond with the blonde warrior. All the bandits projected the image of loners until Ren showed up. Tasuki had seen them once while Ren was gone. It seemed like they had forgotten that others existed, they were like zombies; walking around like idiots and hardly speaking to each other. But then, with Ren's return, they had all been laughing and chattering away like old times, looping arms with each other and acting like the best of friends. It was obvious to Tasuki that Ren was the light of all their lives; someone they all depended on to lighten the darkness and loneliness of their lives.
Ren was the reason that Tasuki had been allowed to join the bandits in the first place. Because of his strong influence. Their leader had apparently been raising Ren since he was only three and he had grown up in the world as the greatest bandit imaginable. He was the best at his job and so far, he had only been caught once, but that was a looong time ago.
Tasuki blinked out of his reverie as Ren grabbed his arm and tugged him into the corner of the dark room. "Sh..." Ren placed a finger to his lips. "Wha..." Ren clamped a hand over Tasuki's mouth to silence him as the door swung open. A white as a sheet leader stepped into the room, looking around frantically for any sign of life.
"Minna-san! Hurry! We must find him immediately! If we don't then..." his voice trailed off as he left the room, slamming the door in his haste.
Tasuki looked at Ren almost fearfully as he released him. "What's going on?" he knew it sounded lame, but what could he do? Ren sighed, casting him a sideways look.
"I'm leaving Suki-chan." He blinked; the nickname hadn't been used since he turned fifteen.
"What?" he breathed; shocked as the information sunk in. "Again? But you just got back!"
Ren shook his head; long blonde locks falling into sparkling cerulean eyes. "No. This time I'm not coming back."
Tasuki almost fainted. Ren, leaving? Impossible! The thought of life without Ren was nothing...it just wasn't comprehendible. "What do you mean you're not coming back? Of course you are!" he tried to sound convincing.
"Iie." Ren sighed, gazing out the window with an unreadable expression on his face. "It is time for me to leave. Touji and the others can take care of themselves. Just as you. I wouldn't expect you to understand this Suki- chan, but this is something I must do. Many lives depend on the choice that I am about to make. Gomen nasai, demo, I must leave." He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Forgive me Suki-chan for I have sinned and the only way to repent is this." He bowed slightly before silently walking to the window.
"Matte! Will I ever see you again?" Tasuki asked desperately. Ren paused, his eyes glancing back and locking with Tasuki's.
"Iie." He was gone.
************************
Ren sighed as he hopped through the trees like a panther.
"I wish that didn't have to happen." He sighed to himself, his voice obtaining a feminine quality.
"I should have never agreed to become the Bearer of Light." The voice was now completely feminine. A girl's voice.
"Ren, it is time for you to take your rightful place in our midst. Come to the ceremony now." The voice boomed through Ren's mind. It was more like a combination of voices actually. Four male voices speaking as one.
Ren nodded curtly, landing in a secluded area of the forest. He sighed, removing the hood from his ever-present cloak.
*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*
The ceremony.
It was time to begin.
Ren glanced at the image reflected in the mirror-like surface of his silver wrist brace and smirked.
"It is time my lady." Came a soft voice.
Ren nodded, dropping the cloak from his shoulders to reveal the slender form of a shapely female.
"It's nice to see you in your true form again Usagi." The voice continued.
Usagi smiled, her sheer robes swaying as she made her way to the lake before her. Moonlight flooded the area, clinging to her curves and dressing her in rays of sparkling silver. The night seemed magical. To anyone that might have walked by they would have thought they'd seen a mystical nymph or sprite. Silver streaked blonde waves tumbled down her back as she padded bare-foot toward her destination.
The ceremony of light it was called. The ceremony that would bind herself to the gods for all eternity. She smiled thinly. Her outfit was similar to Seiryu no Miko's. Revealing to a point, but not so much that it was indecent. Her anklets clattered like bells and she smiled softly at the lake as it began to glow an eerie blue. A soft chanting filled the air as gods and goddess became one forever. And as the moon faded from the sky there was but one witness to the brilliant show of power remaining.
"The spirits rejoiced with her tears." Came a whispered voice as a woman with long green hair made her way into the void of time. "When the god's are apart, she shall be called on again." She sighed wistfully, brushing off her fuku. "Goodbye Serenity, may your destiny be bright in this world."
And she was gone.