Dome of Heaven -Illness-
"Talking"
¨Talking¨ in the minds of the winged people
*Thinking*
Disclaimer: I do not own RK.
Chapter 04: The Arrival
The wind caressed Misao's face as flew across the air keeping a close eye on her friends and Kaoru. If she began to struggle again here in the air, they would need to land. And she had no wishes for something like that to happen for it would great needless troubles.
She was worried of her friend too. She was looking very ill even though she had given her a little bit of her blood. Many years ago when they had still lived on the ground, their blood had been one of the reasons why they had been hunted.
All those years ago...
They had lived with the wingless and been happy. It was true that they had not had much land, but they had never needed much since they had the air to themselves. They had developed always better ways to farm and the rest they needed, they had traded from other farmers. They had given something and received something. Money had had no meaning to them.
But there was one thing they had kept silent about. They knew that many wondered how they never died from wounds or diseases, but it took a long time for them to find out that it was their blood. By sharing it, they made each other stronger and could heal wounds normally beyond hope.
One little whisper turned into a rumour and rumour into a fact. After that they didn't have any rest. People came to them everyday asking to be healed bringing nothing to give them in return. They were reluctant to help so many, when some came with a mere flue.
They had helped them in the past, but had never told what the cure was. Now that it became knowledge, some desperate people started to haunt them for their blood. Starting then, their lives became unsure and dangerous.
Then a war started between two great lords close to them.
They could not understand the reason for this sudden increase in violence since war had no meaning to them and so they tried to help as many as they could. That had been their mistake. Both sides decided to attack them for various reasons.
To kill the devils that tainted their lands.
To stop them from helping their enemy.
To get their lands to themselves.
And to get their blood.
They had been defenceless. They were a peaceful race and so they had never thought something like this could happen. One day the soldiers had came and the slaughter had began.
They had no weapons, no styles to help them defend themselves. They were butchered like cattle, their homes burned and blood stored for future uses, since the wingless knew that their blood could live long after being drawn out of their bodies.
They had run and run with nowhere to run. The King and the Queen had stayed behind to face their opponent to protect their people. The Prince and other of the Princesses had stayed as well while the youngest girl had been taken away, to safety.
It was she who had noticed something strange with the sky and pulled herself free to go and look. She had found a new land between the clouds and starry sky. She had led the remaining people to safety, but her entire family was dead by then. She had cried for a week and when she pulled her wings out the next time, every feather had turned from black to white.
After that week, no one ever saw her crying again.
Then she did the unthinkable. She had picked up a sword and studied it. She was only seven at the time, but still with resolution no one could take from her, she learned. She studied all the styles of the ground and developed them father. For fifteen years she did nothing but practised and tried to perfect her style. At the age of 22, she left for three weeks and no matter how much everyone called for her, she didn't answer.
When she returned, she was battered and there were scars that had not been there before. But she was smiling.
¨Come! Help me bring them here!¨ She said with enthusiasm so unlike her. In the dark of the night they travelled to the ground no one had dared to return to without absolute must. They were shocked to find a hut filled with clay cans. All filled with their blood.
In less than a month, the Queen had gathered all blood stolen from them. Blood that still lived on in their pools.
After this, she returned to her training saying that the style was not perfect yet. She never married, but did bear two girls to continue her line. She spent the rest of her life creating a new style that would be enough to defend them. She taught it to her daughters and all those who were interested. After she died, her older daughter took over the task of perfecting the style the first Queen had named Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu.
Misao sighed. Of all times to dwell on memories. It was her earlier visit in them that had brought this on. It had been that Queen, later named as the First thought there had been women in that position before as well, that had made the law never to allow people from the land among them.
Later, when it became obvious that their hatred towards men stopped them from giving birth to boys, it had been changed so that husbands could be brought there.
Now she was disobeying that order, that law. She knew her friends, but no one else did. To them they would be the same kind of men that had once killed and humiliated them. They would not see the difference. Misao could only hope that somehow their visit would restore their belief in men again so that they could once again get new men into their race.
¨Yuuki-sama.¨ A worried voice sounded in her head and she turned to smile at the woman flying next to her. Her thick brown hair was pulled back into a braid and her brown eyes were the only thing she could see behind all her clothing.
¨No need to worry, Moriko.¨ She said and the woman snorted, but it was not she who replied.
¨And what would happen if we didn't worry? You would exhaust yourself in an instance, Yuuki-sama.¨ Yukiko said. She was the other one carrying Kaoru. Her hair was black, but otherwise she was almost identical to her sister. Misao smiled at them, but there was no way they could see it. Flying in the air was cold business and they had learned to cover themselves to avoid sickness.
After she had returned and taken her position as the Queen, Yukiko and Moriko had immediately appeared at her side and had stayed there ever since. It was rare for her to go anywhere without them. Usually at least either of them was with her.
It had bothered her in the beginning, but she had gotten used to them following her around in time. Now she actually saw them as her best friends. They would never call themselves her friends, meaning equals, but she felt their happiness. They helped her with everything they could and always stood behind her.
Senritsu was still close to her as a council member and as her first friend here, but she had her own life with her husband. They were raising vegetables and had many things to take care of.
Chieko on the other hand had taken up the role of her mother, the one she had never known before. Of course she knew Sora now, but it was different to remember her than live with her. So Chieko had taken that role. She always scolded or praised her when it was needed.
Kaori on the other hand helped her the most. She had led them for so many years that she knew the present situation better than anyone and Misao had truly learned a lot from her. While she could remember her mother's life, she had no idea what had been happening after that.
That was why the amount of people in the council had been increased by one to include Kaori. Now there were eight when there had been seven before. The Queen was included. She was the leader of the council and held the final power of decision, but the council guided her.
The members of the council were Kaori, Chieko, Amaya, Senritsu, Hoshi, Arisu, Sho and Misao. All were chosen because of some particular gift that made them different from each other.
Chieko was so strong willed that it was hard for anyone to stand against her. She was a hard woman to deal with because of her pride and sureness in ones self. She had firm opinions of how things should be dealt with. Her hair already held a tint of grey and her attitude towards life was bitter. She had never loved a man in her life, but she still had four daughters, all good behaving kind girls who always obeyed their mother.
The only one who could stand up equally to Chieko was Amaya. Her intelligence was something all admired. Her logic was flawless and her feelings never got in the way of her thinking. She was also fiercely loyal person and her passion towards life gave her strength not many could rival. She was also a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. Had there ever been a war, she would have been the general. She was one of those involved in the Hideki-event.
Senritsu was on the council because of her kindness. She was forgiving and truly believed that they could discard their hatred towards men in time. Her hope was a ray of light to some. She also knew more than other about the matters of the ground with Kei helping her to understand them. Chieko and Senritsu had never liked each other and Kei had made the matters even worse. She had picked up a sword, but while she could fight well, her skills didn't reach Amaya and Misao.
Hoshi was quiet and a little shy woman, who always though things through in her mind before she presented them. She was often quiet in the meeting, but when she spoke everyone listened. She was often the tiebreaker between Chieko and Amaya. Her kind nature stopped people from being angry with her and so the work as a middle woman was the best for her.
Arisu was a mix-up of their blood and a blood of an Englishman. Since Alice was a name too hard for them to pronounce, she was called Arisu. She was a fierce woman with strong opinions and a strong head. If she decided something, no one could make her change her mind. She was not the brightest of people, but she often understood people's emotions better than anyone and didn't hesitate to point out what people actually felt behind their masks.
Sho was the youngest, about the same age as Misao. She was energetic person with great hopes for the future that not even Chieko could suppress with her sharp comments. Though soon twenty, she still liked to play around like a child. She had the kind of innocence that the others could only dream of. Some thought that perhaps she had never Bathed, but that was untrue. She was called the Child of the Wind because of her amazing speed in doing everything.
Then there was Kaori, the former Queen. She never held against Misao for taking her place. She had always felt that she was not enough for it, she didn't have the kind of nature that would be suited for the leader to begin with. She had had to change who she was to fill the position. Now that it was no longer necessary, she was slowly returning back to her real self again. She enjoyed helping people, but not making decisions that included many others.
Misao was truly grateful for their help. There were times she didn't know what to do, even when she had the memories of the past Queens to guide her. The council had been formed already before they had been forced to leave the ground and had survived as pretty much the same through all times.
¨Yuuki-sama!¨
Misao blinked and turned to look at Moriko. She was scowling at her and Misao felt her cheeks burn. ¨Sorry.¨ She said hesitantly and slowly Moriko's gaze became gentle.
¨We are soon home.¨ She said and Misao nodded. The air was no longer as cold as it had been before and the thick clouds were beginning to scatter. Soon the sunlight blinded them and when their eyes had managed to adjust to the change, the scenery was clear.
Misao felt her heart beat faster as always when she saw her home. The warm air welcomed her back, the trees seemed to move their braches to wave at her. And her people turned to look with warm eyes.
This was her home.
They flew to the palace and Misao waved back to the people who yelled "Welcome back"s for her.
¨Moriko, Yukiko. Take Kaoru-san to the smaller bathing room and release her from the stretchers, but keep the blanket around her. I will be there as soon as the others are taken care of.¨ Misao said and the sisters nodded before flying off. Then Misao turned her attention to the others and send a word not only to their carriers but also to other people in the palace.
¨Let's take them to the guestrooms in the west part of the castle. Guards have to be appointed to them to make sure that they don't start to wonder around.¨ She commanded and felt silent hum of agreement in the back of her head. They flew further into the castle and soon reached large doors. There they landed.
Misao helped to release the carriers and could hear silent voices from inside the packages asking if they had arrived. With the help of the carriers and the guards that had soon been appointed, they released first Yahiko and Megumi, and then the rest.
They all stared around them in wonder.
"What is this place?" Sanosuke asked and stared at the huge doors before him.
"These are the guest quarters of my palace." Misao answered and they all turned to look at her with unbelief clearly visible in their eyes.
"Your ...palace?" Yahiko asked and Misao shrugged. "Yes. What about it?"
Sanosuke stared at her and then at his surroundings. "This is all yours." He said and Misao nodded. "Yes, so?"
"So, what so?! You are rich!" He yelled and was surprised to see every single woman stiffening and their eyes blazing, even Misao's. "What--?" He blinked at the angry gazes.
"So like men." One of the carriers said with a rusty voice as if she had not used it in a long time. The others nodded and few shook their heads sadly.
"They don't care about money or riches." Hiko interrupted and they turned to look at him. "And while Yuuki is said to own this place, you could also say that she is the mother of this entire race and all her children are welcome here. Meaning this palace as everything else here is owned by everyone. No one is rich, no one is poor."
"Well spoken, considering that you are a man." One of the women said. She stepped fort and from her clothing they could tell that she had not been one of those who had carried them. Her eyes were cold grey steel and her lips formed a thin line. Her brown hair was starting to have grey in it, but she most definitely was not the kind grandma you usually read about. Her voice was strong and even the compliment sounded like something one should be ashamed of.
Misao bowed her head. "Chieko."
"What is this nonsense of bringing them here?" She said and her cold eyes trapped Misao. But she had learned that no matter how cold she seemed, she was capable of warm feelings.
"I understand your worry--" She started.
"My worry?" The woman interrupted and raised an eyebrow. "I am not the only one worrying. These--" She pointed at Sanosuke and the others. "--are men. Men of the ground. You of all people should know what kind of pleasure they take of hurting others."
Misao could see her friends eyes widening and Sanosuke opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped by Megumi.
"I am very well aware of the danger their presence causes. Still, when I was still on the ground, I fought alongside with them. These are good men. The fact that my mother chose to love Hiko Seijurou speaks for him. Himura, while being the cause of many men losing their lives, believes in protecting lives without killing now. Yahiko is growing to be like him. The style he practises is Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, which believes in not killing. Sanosuke then---" Misao looked at the man and sighed. "Well, he may be the most corrupt of them, but Himura believes in him and so do I."
She almost smiled as Sanosuke started to protest, stopped by Megumi's fist. "And as you can see, Megumi-sensei will take care of him." The woman had the grazes to blush. Chieko only snorted.
"And the last, Aoshi-s..." She stopped before voicing the honorific. "He helped to raise me. These people will not cause trouble, and if they will, they will be taken back. With force if necessary." Misao finished and after a while Chieko nodded.
"Fine, fine." She said and gave them all a sharp look before turning and walking away. ¨The meeting will have to be delayed till tomorrow.¨ Were the last thought Chieko send her and Misao nodded towards her retreating back.
"Who was that?" Sanosuke asked, obviously still angry at the comments.
"That was Chieko, one of the council members." Seeing the question in their eyes she continued. "I am the Queen, but no one presumes that I know what is best in everything. The council helps me in every way the can. Chieko is one of the members and another member you know is Senritsu. Beside them there are Kaori, Arisu, Sho, Hoshi and Amaya."
"Misao-dono. Where is Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked and suddenly all of their worry returned. All eyes were on her and she sighed. "She has been taken directly to a room where she will spend most of her time here."
"Can we see her?" Kenshin continued and Misao shook her head.
"You intend to stop us from seeing her?" Megumi asked and Misao turned her eyes on her. They were all shocked at the strength they saw there.
"Yes. She will be in a place that must not be shown to others, no matter how much I would trust you. I told you there would be restraints. This is one of them." She said and her voice left no room for arguments.
It was then that they truly understood that before them stood the Queen of the Sky, Hiko Yuuki. This was the woman who led an entire race and expected to be obeyed. Her eyes were unreadable and her entire posture majestic. There seemed to be power radiating from her, power like nothing they had ever encountered before.
"But don't worry. I will take good care of her." Misao smiled and suddenly the pressure was gone. But the memory of it would never leave them.
Misao walked past them and opened the left door. She had to push quite much to move it. "This will be yours Megumi-sensei. It is too big for just one person, but we had nothing smaller we could give you." Megumi nodded.
"Misao-san, I didn't expect such an abrupt leaving and so I don't have clothes or other necessities with me." She said and others noticed that she had added -san to Misao's name. True, calling her -chan would have been so unfitting.
Misao nodded. "I noticed you didn't have much with you. Any of you. I will have things brought over. I hope our clothes will be fitting." She said and Megumi nodded. She entered the room and they heard her gasp.
"This is magnificent!" Her yell sounded to the hallway and they looked inside the room and their eyes widened.
The ceiling was far up and it was decorated with beautiful carvings and pictures. The room itself was huge. The decoration was simple, one big wooden table and huge red sofas around it. One wall was covered with bookshelf filled with books. The entire floor was covered with red carpet. There were torches lightening the room along the walls. On the table there was a huge candle giving light. In the middle of the room was a fireplace that was not lit. There were three doors leading out the room.
"These are to bedrooms?" Megumi asked and Misao nodded. "Choose the one you like the most. Also, remember to be careful with fire." Megumi nodded and started a closer inspection of the rooms. Misao turned and led the men to the other door.
"This will be yours." She said and Hiko pushed the door open. The room was similar to the one Megumi was staying in except there were five bedrooms instead of three.
"The food will be prepared elsewhere, but brought here. Ask any woman for food and they will send a message forward. Also those women--" She pointed at the guards. "--will be your guides. They will show you around and stop you from entering places you should not go to. Understood?"
They nodded and Misao smiled. "Good! Inform Megumi-sensei of these things, will you. Now I have to hurry to Kaoru-san. The healing has to be started as soon as possible." She turned and suddenly the wings sprouted from her back. They all stepped back in surprise. She gave the one last glance before she jumped and flew off.
End of Chapter 04.
To be continued in chapter 05.
Tiian
After staring to write this chapter, I realised that in the first part Misao went to their home for the first time in the chapter 4. The same as here. What a coincidence.
Sorry if this was a little boring, but I needed to explain few things and introduce few more people.
Moriko and Yukiko will now take the place of Senritsu and Chieko and Amaya will probably cause chaos.
Also, when rereading this I noticed something. The feathers of the first Queen turned from black to white because of her pain. Doesn't that sound familiar? ^^
Don't know why I wrote so, but decided to keep it.
^__^ This is so much fun!
Nekonomiko: Yes, there will be more of Aoshi later on. You just need to be patient.
unique-starfish: Was this soon enough? A week has passed since the last update. I don't want to rush or I will run out of ready chapters and then you will need to wait a longer time.
Cat H: Yes, yes. Aoshi and Misao. I like Megumi, but I don't see her with Aoshi. It seems too unreal for me.
"Talking"
¨Talking¨ in the minds of the winged people
*Thinking*
Disclaimer: I do not own RK.
Chapter 04: The Arrival
The wind caressed Misao's face as flew across the air keeping a close eye on her friends and Kaoru. If she began to struggle again here in the air, they would need to land. And she had no wishes for something like that to happen for it would great needless troubles.
She was worried of her friend too. She was looking very ill even though she had given her a little bit of her blood. Many years ago when they had still lived on the ground, their blood had been one of the reasons why they had been hunted.
All those years ago...
They had lived with the wingless and been happy. It was true that they had not had much land, but they had never needed much since they had the air to themselves. They had developed always better ways to farm and the rest they needed, they had traded from other farmers. They had given something and received something. Money had had no meaning to them.
But there was one thing they had kept silent about. They knew that many wondered how they never died from wounds or diseases, but it took a long time for them to find out that it was their blood. By sharing it, they made each other stronger and could heal wounds normally beyond hope.
One little whisper turned into a rumour and rumour into a fact. After that they didn't have any rest. People came to them everyday asking to be healed bringing nothing to give them in return. They were reluctant to help so many, when some came with a mere flue.
They had helped them in the past, but had never told what the cure was. Now that it became knowledge, some desperate people started to haunt them for their blood. Starting then, their lives became unsure and dangerous.
Then a war started between two great lords close to them.
They could not understand the reason for this sudden increase in violence since war had no meaning to them and so they tried to help as many as they could. That had been their mistake. Both sides decided to attack them for various reasons.
To kill the devils that tainted their lands.
To stop them from helping their enemy.
To get their lands to themselves.
And to get their blood.
They had been defenceless. They were a peaceful race and so they had never thought something like this could happen. One day the soldiers had came and the slaughter had began.
They had no weapons, no styles to help them defend themselves. They were butchered like cattle, their homes burned and blood stored for future uses, since the wingless knew that their blood could live long after being drawn out of their bodies.
They had run and run with nowhere to run. The King and the Queen had stayed behind to face their opponent to protect their people. The Prince and other of the Princesses had stayed as well while the youngest girl had been taken away, to safety.
It was she who had noticed something strange with the sky and pulled herself free to go and look. She had found a new land between the clouds and starry sky. She had led the remaining people to safety, but her entire family was dead by then. She had cried for a week and when she pulled her wings out the next time, every feather had turned from black to white.
After that week, no one ever saw her crying again.
Then she did the unthinkable. She had picked up a sword and studied it. She was only seven at the time, but still with resolution no one could take from her, she learned. She studied all the styles of the ground and developed them father. For fifteen years she did nothing but practised and tried to perfect her style. At the age of 22, she left for three weeks and no matter how much everyone called for her, she didn't answer.
When she returned, she was battered and there were scars that had not been there before. But she was smiling.
¨Come! Help me bring them here!¨ She said with enthusiasm so unlike her. In the dark of the night they travelled to the ground no one had dared to return to without absolute must. They were shocked to find a hut filled with clay cans. All filled with their blood.
In less than a month, the Queen had gathered all blood stolen from them. Blood that still lived on in their pools.
After this, she returned to her training saying that the style was not perfect yet. She never married, but did bear two girls to continue her line. She spent the rest of her life creating a new style that would be enough to defend them. She taught it to her daughters and all those who were interested. After she died, her older daughter took over the task of perfecting the style the first Queen had named Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu.
Misao sighed. Of all times to dwell on memories. It was her earlier visit in them that had brought this on. It had been that Queen, later named as the First thought there had been women in that position before as well, that had made the law never to allow people from the land among them.
Later, when it became obvious that their hatred towards men stopped them from giving birth to boys, it had been changed so that husbands could be brought there.
Now she was disobeying that order, that law. She knew her friends, but no one else did. To them they would be the same kind of men that had once killed and humiliated them. They would not see the difference. Misao could only hope that somehow their visit would restore their belief in men again so that they could once again get new men into their race.
¨Yuuki-sama.¨ A worried voice sounded in her head and she turned to smile at the woman flying next to her. Her thick brown hair was pulled back into a braid and her brown eyes were the only thing she could see behind all her clothing.
¨No need to worry, Moriko.¨ She said and the woman snorted, but it was not she who replied.
¨And what would happen if we didn't worry? You would exhaust yourself in an instance, Yuuki-sama.¨ Yukiko said. She was the other one carrying Kaoru. Her hair was black, but otherwise she was almost identical to her sister. Misao smiled at them, but there was no way they could see it. Flying in the air was cold business and they had learned to cover themselves to avoid sickness.
After she had returned and taken her position as the Queen, Yukiko and Moriko had immediately appeared at her side and had stayed there ever since. It was rare for her to go anywhere without them. Usually at least either of them was with her.
It had bothered her in the beginning, but she had gotten used to them following her around in time. Now she actually saw them as her best friends. They would never call themselves her friends, meaning equals, but she felt their happiness. They helped her with everything they could and always stood behind her.
Senritsu was still close to her as a council member and as her first friend here, but she had her own life with her husband. They were raising vegetables and had many things to take care of.
Chieko on the other hand had taken up the role of her mother, the one she had never known before. Of course she knew Sora now, but it was different to remember her than live with her. So Chieko had taken that role. She always scolded or praised her when it was needed.
Kaori on the other hand helped her the most. She had led them for so many years that she knew the present situation better than anyone and Misao had truly learned a lot from her. While she could remember her mother's life, she had no idea what had been happening after that.
That was why the amount of people in the council had been increased by one to include Kaori. Now there were eight when there had been seven before. The Queen was included. She was the leader of the council and held the final power of decision, but the council guided her.
The members of the council were Kaori, Chieko, Amaya, Senritsu, Hoshi, Arisu, Sho and Misao. All were chosen because of some particular gift that made them different from each other.
Chieko was so strong willed that it was hard for anyone to stand against her. She was a hard woman to deal with because of her pride and sureness in ones self. She had firm opinions of how things should be dealt with. Her hair already held a tint of grey and her attitude towards life was bitter. She had never loved a man in her life, but she still had four daughters, all good behaving kind girls who always obeyed their mother.
The only one who could stand up equally to Chieko was Amaya. Her intelligence was something all admired. Her logic was flawless and her feelings never got in the way of her thinking. She was also fiercely loyal person and her passion towards life gave her strength not many could rival. She was also a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. Had there ever been a war, she would have been the general. She was one of those involved in the Hideki-event.
Senritsu was on the council because of her kindness. She was forgiving and truly believed that they could discard their hatred towards men in time. Her hope was a ray of light to some. She also knew more than other about the matters of the ground with Kei helping her to understand them. Chieko and Senritsu had never liked each other and Kei had made the matters even worse. She had picked up a sword, but while she could fight well, her skills didn't reach Amaya and Misao.
Hoshi was quiet and a little shy woman, who always though things through in her mind before she presented them. She was often quiet in the meeting, but when she spoke everyone listened. She was often the tiebreaker between Chieko and Amaya. Her kind nature stopped people from being angry with her and so the work as a middle woman was the best for her.
Arisu was a mix-up of their blood and a blood of an Englishman. Since Alice was a name too hard for them to pronounce, she was called Arisu. She was a fierce woman with strong opinions and a strong head. If she decided something, no one could make her change her mind. She was not the brightest of people, but she often understood people's emotions better than anyone and didn't hesitate to point out what people actually felt behind their masks.
Sho was the youngest, about the same age as Misao. She was energetic person with great hopes for the future that not even Chieko could suppress with her sharp comments. Though soon twenty, she still liked to play around like a child. She had the kind of innocence that the others could only dream of. Some thought that perhaps she had never Bathed, but that was untrue. She was called the Child of the Wind because of her amazing speed in doing everything.
Then there was Kaori, the former Queen. She never held against Misao for taking her place. She had always felt that she was not enough for it, she didn't have the kind of nature that would be suited for the leader to begin with. She had had to change who she was to fill the position. Now that it was no longer necessary, she was slowly returning back to her real self again. She enjoyed helping people, but not making decisions that included many others.
Misao was truly grateful for their help. There were times she didn't know what to do, even when she had the memories of the past Queens to guide her. The council had been formed already before they had been forced to leave the ground and had survived as pretty much the same through all times.
¨Yuuki-sama!¨
Misao blinked and turned to look at Moriko. She was scowling at her and Misao felt her cheeks burn. ¨Sorry.¨ She said hesitantly and slowly Moriko's gaze became gentle.
¨We are soon home.¨ She said and Misao nodded. The air was no longer as cold as it had been before and the thick clouds were beginning to scatter. Soon the sunlight blinded them and when their eyes had managed to adjust to the change, the scenery was clear.
Misao felt her heart beat faster as always when she saw her home. The warm air welcomed her back, the trees seemed to move their braches to wave at her. And her people turned to look with warm eyes.
This was her home.
They flew to the palace and Misao waved back to the people who yelled "Welcome back"s for her.
¨Moriko, Yukiko. Take Kaoru-san to the smaller bathing room and release her from the stretchers, but keep the blanket around her. I will be there as soon as the others are taken care of.¨ Misao said and the sisters nodded before flying off. Then Misao turned her attention to the others and send a word not only to their carriers but also to other people in the palace.
¨Let's take them to the guestrooms in the west part of the castle. Guards have to be appointed to them to make sure that they don't start to wonder around.¨ She commanded and felt silent hum of agreement in the back of her head. They flew further into the castle and soon reached large doors. There they landed.
Misao helped to release the carriers and could hear silent voices from inside the packages asking if they had arrived. With the help of the carriers and the guards that had soon been appointed, they released first Yahiko and Megumi, and then the rest.
They all stared around them in wonder.
"What is this place?" Sanosuke asked and stared at the huge doors before him.
"These are the guest quarters of my palace." Misao answered and they all turned to look at her with unbelief clearly visible in their eyes.
"Your ...palace?" Yahiko asked and Misao shrugged. "Yes. What about it?"
Sanosuke stared at her and then at his surroundings. "This is all yours." He said and Misao nodded. "Yes, so?"
"So, what so?! You are rich!" He yelled and was surprised to see every single woman stiffening and their eyes blazing, even Misao's. "What--?" He blinked at the angry gazes.
"So like men." One of the carriers said with a rusty voice as if she had not used it in a long time. The others nodded and few shook their heads sadly.
"They don't care about money or riches." Hiko interrupted and they turned to look at him. "And while Yuuki is said to own this place, you could also say that she is the mother of this entire race and all her children are welcome here. Meaning this palace as everything else here is owned by everyone. No one is rich, no one is poor."
"Well spoken, considering that you are a man." One of the women said. She stepped fort and from her clothing they could tell that she had not been one of those who had carried them. Her eyes were cold grey steel and her lips formed a thin line. Her brown hair was starting to have grey in it, but she most definitely was not the kind grandma you usually read about. Her voice was strong and even the compliment sounded like something one should be ashamed of.
Misao bowed her head. "Chieko."
"What is this nonsense of bringing them here?" She said and her cold eyes trapped Misao. But she had learned that no matter how cold she seemed, she was capable of warm feelings.
"I understand your worry--" She started.
"My worry?" The woman interrupted and raised an eyebrow. "I am not the only one worrying. These--" She pointed at Sanosuke and the others. "--are men. Men of the ground. You of all people should know what kind of pleasure they take of hurting others."
Misao could see her friends eyes widening and Sanosuke opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped by Megumi.
"I am very well aware of the danger their presence causes. Still, when I was still on the ground, I fought alongside with them. These are good men. The fact that my mother chose to love Hiko Seijurou speaks for him. Himura, while being the cause of many men losing their lives, believes in protecting lives without killing now. Yahiko is growing to be like him. The style he practises is Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, which believes in not killing. Sanosuke then---" Misao looked at the man and sighed. "Well, he may be the most corrupt of them, but Himura believes in him and so do I."
She almost smiled as Sanosuke started to protest, stopped by Megumi's fist. "And as you can see, Megumi-sensei will take care of him." The woman had the grazes to blush. Chieko only snorted.
"And the last, Aoshi-s..." She stopped before voicing the honorific. "He helped to raise me. These people will not cause trouble, and if they will, they will be taken back. With force if necessary." Misao finished and after a while Chieko nodded.
"Fine, fine." She said and gave them all a sharp look before turning and walking away. ¨The meeting will have to be delayed till tomorrow.¨ Were the last thought Chieko send her and Misao nodded towards her retreating back.
"Who was that?" Sanosuke asked, obviously still angry at the comments.
"That was Chieko, one of the council members." Seeing the question in their eyes she continued. "I am the Queen, but no one presumes that I know what is best in everything. The council helps me in every way the can. Chieko is one of the members and another member you know is Senritsu. Beside them there are Kaori, Arisu, Sho, Hoshi and Amaya."
"Misao-dono. Where is Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked and suddenly all of their worry returned. All eyes were on her and she sighed. "She has been taken directly to a room where she will spend most of her time here."
"Can we see her?" Kenshin continued and Misao shook her head.
"You intend to stop us from seeing her?" Megumi asked and Misao turned her eyes on her. They were all shocked at the strength they saw there.
"Yes. She will be in a place that must not be shown to others, no matter how much I would trust you. I told you there would be restraints. This is one of them." She said and her voice left no room for arguments.
It was then that they truly understood that before them stood the Queen of the Sky, Hiko Yuuki. This was the woman who led an entire race and expected to be obeyed. Her eyes were unreadable and her entire posture majestic. There seemed to be power radiating from her, power like nothing they had ever encountered before.
"But don't worry. I will take good care of her." Misao smiled and suddenly the pressure was gone. But the memory of it would never leave them.
Misao walked past them and opened the left door. She had to push quite much to move it. "This will be yours Megumi-sensei. It is too big for just one person, but we had nothing smaller we could give you." Megumi nodded.
"Misao-san, I didn't expect such an abrupt leaving and so I don't have clothes or other necessities with me." She said and others noticed that she had added -san to Misao's name. True, calling her -chan would have been so unfitting.
Misao nodded. "I noticed you didn't have much with you. Any of you. I will have things brought over. I hope our clothes will be fitting." She said and Megumi nodded. She entered the room and they heard her gasp.
"This is magnificent!" Her yell sounded to the hallway and they looked inside the room and their eyes widened.
The ceiling was far up and it was decorated with beautiful carvings and pictures. The room itself was huge. The decoration was simple, one big wooden table and huge red sofas around it. One wall was covered with bookshelf filled with books. The entire floor was covered with red carpet. There were torches lightening the room along the walls. On the table there was a huge candle giving light. In the middle of the room was a fireplace that was not lit. There were three doors leading out the room.
"These are to bedrooms?" Megumi asked and Misao nodded. "Choose the one you like the most. Also, remember to be careful with fire." Megumi nodded and started a closer inspection of the rooms. Misao turned and led the men to the other door.
"This will be yours." She said and Hiko pushed the door open. The room was similar to the one Megumi was staying in except there were five bedrooms instead of three.
"The food will be prepared elsewhere, but brought here. Ask any woman for food and they will send a message forward. Also those women--" She pointed at the guards. "--will be your guides. They will show you around and stop you from entering places you should not go to. Understood?"
They nodded and Misao smiled. "Good! Inform Megumi-sensei of these things, will you. Now I have to hurry to Kaoru-san. The healing has to be started as soon as possible." She turned and suddenly the wings sprouted from her back. They all stepped back in surprise. She gave the one last glance before she jumped and flew off.
End of Chapter 04.
To be continued in chapter 05.
Tiian
After staring to write this chapter, I realised that in the first part Misao went to their home for the first time in the chapter 4. The same as here. What a coincidence.
Sorry if this was a little boring, but I needed to explain few things and introduce few more people.
Moriko and Yukiko will now take the place of Senritsu and Chieko and Amaya will probably cause chaos.
Also, when rereading this I noticed something. The feathers of the first Queen turned from black to white because of her pain. Doesn't that sound familiar? ^^
Don't know why I wrote so, but decided to keep it.
^__^ This is so much fun!
Nekonomiko: Yes, there will be more of Aoshi later on. You just need to be patient.
unique-starfish: Was this soon enough? A week has passed since the last update. I don't want to rush or I will run out of ready chapters and then you will need to wait a longer time.
Cat H: Yes, yes. Aoshi and Misao. I like Megumi, but I don't see her with Aoshi. It seems too unreal for me.