Mizu_Tenshi: This is in Rei's POV now. I made some stuff up about the
village but probably not true but it is in this fic.
"..." Speech '...' Thought *...* Implied words
Disclaimer: I don't own this anime
******************
Chapter 2: Lead us
'There is happiness for those who accept their fate
There is glory for those who resist their fate' - Edel, (Princess Tutu)
(Rei)
It was about one perhaps two in the morning when I woke to the sound of someone pounding rather urgently against the door.
It was dark; it would have been pitch black if not for Lady Moon and her starry maids. I got up feeling really groggy and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
I looked around; Kai's sheets were laid very neatly in a pile but I wasn't worried about that; Kai always wanders off somewhere.
"Someone get that," Max mumbled blearily and then tossed a pillow over his ears.
I was fully awake by then. I mean, whoever was outside was obviously not going to leave; what if they were in trouble?
So, like I always did, I took it upon myself to answer the door.
Nowadays, I let Takao do that job.
I slid open the door wondering who could possibly be calling at this hour when my eyes came to gaze upon two adults. Two rather strange adults with sharp, fang-like teeth and amber eyes.
I'd like to say that they were harbingers of doom ready to take me from my perfectly happy life and throw me into something unknown but that would be wrong.
They were just messengers and, in a way, I'm kind of grateful that they came when they did.
Ever tried talking sense into a ballistic Kai? Don't. It's hazardous for your health.
Speaking of Kai, I caught a glimpse of him coming towards us over the shoulder of the first adult.
I guessed he had just came back from his daily wanderings.
"What's going on?" he asked me as soon as he got close enough.
"Dunno," I shrugged and then turned to the two men.
"We need to speak with you," the first one whispered.
I could tell this was serious.
***
The bedrolls had been folded and packed away to make space for the two men.
Takao, Max and Kenny had all been woken up and Kai decided to join in, leaning wide-awake against one of the walls.
"Me so tired," Takao complained sleepily, still swaying about unsteadily even though he was sitting down in our sleeping area.
"Then go back to sleep; we'll tell you all about it in the morning," Kenny hissed.
Takao instantly perked up "Huh? No way! See, Chief? I'm as wide awake as an owl," he said, stretching and doing small push ups to prove his point.
"Yeah, if only you were as smart as one," Dizzi's electronic voice remarked a little snidely.
In all rights it should have been Kai making that remark; those two never missed an opportunity to insult, well not insult but to tease each other but Kai was being all silent and broody at the time.
I thought nothing of it; he always gets like that but I should have noticed the distant look in his eyes and the way he wasn't quite there.
I was too caught up by the appearance of the two men to notice.
"Ahem," the first man, the one that had whispered two me, coughed politely and everyone instantly fell silent.
"You know who we are, you know where we're from so let's make this brief, shall we?" The second man began primly.
"Okay," I nodded a little uneasily.
"This isn't easy," the first man, who seemed considerably nicer than the second, began just as uneasily as I felt. "Erm, how should I say this? Well a few weeks back..."
"The chief elder died," the second cut to the chase rather impatiently.
"Died?!" I cried. I didn't know what I was expecting to hear but..first Maxi's dad gets cancer and then this? It seemed like death was surrounding us.
Behind I could hear the others draw in their breaths hold them there
"It was so sudden...a heart attack," the first man went on, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he was saying, "didn't expect it.. no one's fault but..." he trailed off.
I had a sudden, burning desire to wake up and realise that I had been dreaming. I didn't want to have to say, 'but what?'
Luckily, the second man saved me from that.
"His sudden death has left us in a bit of a sticky situation you see...we're unsure of who should lead the village now."
"One of the other elders," I answered. Of course, it was the obvious choice.
'Why are they coming to me about it?' I thought.
"Yes, well that's the problem, see?" the first man had a face that said that he too wished he could wake up. "All the past chief elders, at one time or another, was the master of the white tiger."
"So we want the white tiger to return to the village," the second man added.
"What?!" We all cried in unison.
"The white tiger is the guardian of our village and the people think that maybe the master of our sacred spirit should lead just like the previous leaders," the first man explained.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt as if I was dreaming.
"An elder that never used our guardian bit beast? That's not...*proper*"
"So you're saying either lead the village or give up my bit beast?" I asked the first man.
"Not give up," he shook his head. "No, we couldn't take your bit beast away from you but we do want you to lead the village."
"What?! Are you crazy?!"
My head shot back to stare at Takao who now looked more awake than ever.
"Are you crazy?!" he repeated. He was on his feet now.
"Takao!" The chief blushed and tried to pull him back down but Takao just moved his arm out of Kenny's grip.
"Sorry, Chief, but Rei can't go away; we have a tournament!"
It was touching. No, really, it was, Max started yelling about how they could never split up the team; they were all so passionate about me staying; I could tell the second man was getting agitated.
Finally, his fuse blew.
"This is more important than some kid's tournament!" he roared, standing up to tower over Takao. "This is the future of the White tiger village!"
Takao stood his ground and eyed the man.
"Yeah but.." Takao tried to argue but he knew that the village was more important than the tournament. "If he becomes leader then..."
"I won't be able to travel with you guys anymore," I finished the sentence for him and they all stared at me.
It was horrible.
"You have to go back to China, though," the first man urged me with a slightly less violent passion the second man had displayed. "This is your fate; your destiny, you *have* to."
I hate the word 'have' I like to think that life is full of choices; it's too easy to blame everything on fate if you think you don't have a choice.
However, this time, it really looked like I didn't have a say in the matter. I was going to China whether they had to drag me kicking and screaming or not.
"Three days," the second man said sternly. "We're giving you three days to get ready. You'll leave with the White Tiger team for China in time for the funeral on the fourth of July."
They both got up without a goodbye and left the way they had came.
Like hurricanes; they blow into your life, destroy everything and then leave you with nothing left except what you can salvage.
There was silence.
Kai had not spoken a word since then but I did not find that odd at the time. It was just the team, silence and our worries that lingered in the house.
It seemed like we sat there looking at each other for ages until Takao finally summed up the whole situation in one word.
"Crap."
***
Morning was not something I looked forward to; it meant that I was closer to leaving the team.
The others tried to cheer me up. I was really grateful for their efforts but it was hopeless.
"Hey Rei, want another barbecue?" Takao offered. "You know, like the one we did for Max when he was feeling down?"
"It'll make you feel better. It helped me forget about my problems; you can't think about anything except keeping your food safe when Takao's around!" Max laughed.
"Hey - " Takao opened his mouth to protest but I turned my head and stared at Kai.
He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in a traditional 'Kai pose.' This time, I noticed the slight, subtle change in him.
"What's up with him?" I asked but even then I didn't think much of it.
"Ah, he's been all broody ever since this morning; he'll get over it," Takao waved the issue away.
"C'mon Rei, if this is gonna be your last few days then we might as well make 'em the best last few days ever!"
I smiled but I was in no mood for a party. "Thanks but no thanks, guys, I just wanna..." I trailed off. I didn't know what I wanted.
"Your choice," Max shrugged, saving me from having to say any more. "Maybe I'll go see my dad; I have to make sure he's coping with..with....you know..." Max frowned a little then fought to bring the smile back onto his face.
Poor Max. He tried so hard to keep positive. I think he was still trying to accept his father's fate and my leaving didn't help.
"I'll stay here," I shook my head. Even now I'm glad I made that decision.
"Me too, guys," Kenny nodded. "I better get some work done on those blades or we'll be toast when the tournament starts."
They were all trying to act normal. I think, deep down, they held onto a faint hope that I would come back and we would really be a team again.
I held onto that hope too. That was all had at the time.
"Looks like it's just the two of us then!" Max smiled. It was painful to smile even for him.
Now I look back on it it's amazing how hard we all tried to be normal. All those fake smiles and uneasy laughs and hollow words of comfort..it was incredible...it was so sad.
"Max," Kai looked up. He hadn't spoken for ages.
"Hmmm? You wanna come too, Kai? You're more than welcome to come if you want to," Max raised his eyebrows.
Kai clicked his tongue softly and seemed to contemplate this but in the end he shook his head. "No...no go ahead you two just..don't forget to train, that's all."
"They won't," I assured him.
Unwittingly, I had lied. We did no training for weeks, and all because of a little visit to the hobby shop.
****************
Mizu_Tenshi:
Othela - Here you go then! One more chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.
DragonBlade - Yeah, me too.
Mistress-of-eternal-Darkness - Thanks, I had my doubts but it looks like it's going okay.
Boys-On-Bosenberry - Thank you for your review. Hope I can keep this fic up.
Identity Thief - Yeah, poor Maxi's dad; life is tough. Anyway, glad you liked the fic.
Sakura-Hiwatari - Yeah, stupid, stupid Boris! I might let Kai kill him; it depends.
Glay - Thanks a load. I'll be updating once a week..hopefully.
TechnoRanma - Thanks. I wonder how long Kai can keep his secret.
Epona2 - My computer does that as well, damn computer.
Beyblader_grl - Don't worry, I have an unhealthy obsession with Kai too. Lol, thanks for reviewing.
Syaoran_Lover - Okay, I'll try an update once a week. Mmmm, sushi..
By the Stars - Thanks. It's been a while. Hope you update soon as well.
Vialana - Thanks, a bunch. I find it easy to write in Kai's POV but, hopefully, I can do the same with Rei's POV.
"..." Speech '...' Thought *...* Implied words
Disclaimer: I don't own this anime
******************
Chapter 2: Lead us
'There is happiness for those who accept their fate
There is glory for those who resist their fate' - Edel, (Princess Tutu)
(Rei)
It was about one perhaps two in the morning when I woke to the sound of someone pounding rather urgently against the door.
It was dark; it would have been pitch black if not for Lady Moon and her starry maids. I got up feeling really groggy and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
I looked around; Kai's sheets were laid very neatly in a pile but I wasn't worried about that; Kai always wanders off somewhere.
"Someone get that," Max mumbled blearily and then tossed a pillow over his ears.
I was fully awake by then. I mean, whoever was outside was obviously not going to leave; what if they were in trouble?
So, like I always did, I took it upon myself to answer the door.
Nowadays, I let Takao do that job.
I slid open the door wondering who could possibly be calling at this hour when my eyes came to gaze upon two adults. Two rather strange adults with sharp, fang-like teeth and amber eyes.
I'd like to say that they were harbingers of doom ready to take me from my perfectly happy life and throw me into something unknown but that would be wrong.
They were just messengers and, in a way, I'm kind of grateful that they came when they did.
Ever tried talking sense into a ballistic Kai? Don't. It's hazardous for your health.
Speaking of Kai, I caught a glimpse of him coming towards us over the shoulder of the first adult.
I guessed he had just came back from his daily wanderings.
"What's going on?" he asked me as soon as he got close enough.
"Dunno," I shrugged and then turned to the two men.
"We need to speak with you," the first one whispered.
I could tell this was serious.
***
The bedrolls had been folded and packed away to make space for the two men.
Takao, Max and Kenny had all been woken up and Kai decided to join in, leaning wide-awake against one of the walls.
"Me so tired," Takao complained sleepily, still swaying about unsteadily even though he was sitting down in our sleeping area.
"Then go back to sleep; we'll tell you all about it in the morning," Kenny hissed.
Takao instantly perked up "Huh? No way! See, Chief? I'm as wide awake as an owl," he said, stretching and doing small push ups to prove his point.
"Yeah, if only you were as smart as one," Dizzi's electronic voice remarked a little snidely.
In all rights it should have been Kai making that remark; those two never missed an opportunity to insult, well not insult but to tease each other but Kai was being all silent and broody at the time.
I thought nothing of it; he always gets like that but I should have noticed the distant look in his eyes and the way he wasn't quite there.
I was too caught up by the appearance of the two men to notice.
"Ahem," the first man, the one that had whispered two me, coughed politely and everyone instantly fell silent.
"You know who we are, you know where we're from so let's make this brief, shall we?" The second man began primly.
"Okay," I nodded a little uneasily.
"This isn't easy," the first man, who seemed considerably nicer than the second, began just as uneasily as I felt. "Erm, how should I say this? Well a few weeks back..."
"The chief elder died," the second cut to the chase rather impatiently.
"Died?!" I cried. I didn't know what I was expecting to hear but..first Maxi's dad gets cancer and then this? It seemed like death was surrounding us.
Behind I could hear the others draw in their breaths hold them there
"It was so sudden...a heart attack," the first man went on, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he was saying, "didn't expect it.. no one's fault but..." he trailed off.
I had a sudden, burning desire to wake up and realise that I had been dreaming. I didn't want to have to say, 'but what?'
Luckily, the second man saved me from that.
"His sudden death has left us in a bit of a sticky situation you see...we're unsure of who should lead the village now."
"One of the other elders," I answered. Of course, it was the obvious choice.
'Why are they coming to me about it?' I thought.
"Yes, well that's the problem, see?" the first man had a face that said that he too wished he could wake up. "All the past chief elders, at one time or another, was the master of the white tiger."
"So we want the white tiger to return to the village," the second man added.
"What?!" We all cried in unison.
"The white tiger is the guardian of our village and the people think that maybe the master of our sacred spirit should lead just like the previous leaders," the first man explained.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt as if I was dreaming.
"An elder that never used our guardian bit beast? That's not...*proper*"
"So you're saying either lead the village or give up my bit beast?" I asked the first man.
"Not give up," he shook his head. "No, we couldn't take your bit beast away from you but we do want you to lead the village."
"What?! Are you crazy?!"
My head shot back to stare at Takao who now looked more awake than ever.
"Are you crazy?!" he repeated. He was on his feet now.
"Takao!" The chief blushed and tried to pull him back down but Takao just moved his arm out of Kenny's grip.
"Sorry, Chief, but Rei can't go away; we have a tournament!"
It was touching. No, really, it was, Max started yelling about how they could never split up the team; they were all so passionate about me staying; I could tell the second man was getting agitated.
Finally, his fuse blew.
"This is more important than some kid's tournament!" he roared, standing up to tower over Takao. "This is the future of the White tiger village!"
Takao stood his ground and eyed the man.
"Yeah but.." Takao tried to argue but he knew that the village was more important than the tournament. "If he becomes leader then..."
"I won't be able to travel with you guys anymore," I finished the sentence for him and they all stared at me.
It was horrible.
"You have to go back to China, though," the first man urged me with a slightly less violent passion the second man had displayed. "This is your fate; your destiny, you *have* to."
I hate the word 'have' I like to think that life is full of choices; it's too easy to blame everything on fate if you think you don't have a choice.
However, this time, it really looked like I didn't have a say in the matter. I was going to China whether they had to drag me kicking and screaming or not.
"Three days," the second man said sternly. "We're giving you three days to get ready. You'll leave with the White Tiger team for China in time for the funeral on the fourth of July."
They both got up without a goodbye and left the way they had came.
Like hurricanes; they blow into your life, destroy everything and then leave you with nothing left except what you can salvage.
There was silence.
Kai had not spoken a word since then but I did not find that odd at the time. It was just the team, silence and our worries that lingered in the house.
It seemed like we sat there looking at each other for ages until Takao finally summed up the whole situation in one word.
"Crap."
***
Morning was not something I looked forward to; it meant that I was closer to leaving the team.
The others tried to cheer me up. I was really grateful for their efforts but it was hopeless.
"Hey Rei, want another barbecue?" Takao offered. "You know, like the one we did for Max when he was feeling down?"
"It'll make you feel better. It helped me forget about my problems; you can't think about anything except keeping your food safe when Takao's around!" Max laughed.
"Hey - " Takao opened his mouth to protest but I turned my head and stared at Kai.
He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in a traditional 'Kai pose.' This time, I noticed the slight, subtle change in him.
"What's up with him?" I asked but even then I didn't think much of it.
"Ah, he's been all broody ever since this morning; he'll get over it," Takao waved the issue away.
"C'mon Rei, if this is gonna be your last few days then we might as well make 'em the best last few days ever!"
I smiled but I was in no mood for a party. "Thanks but no thanks, guys, I just wanna..." I trailed off. I didn't know what I wanted.
"Your choice," Max shrugged, saving me from having to say any more. "Maybe I'll go see my dad; I have to make sure he's coping with..with....you know..." Max frowned a little then fought to bring the smile back onto his face.
Poor Max. He tried so hard to keep positive. I think he was still trying to accept his father's fate and my leaving didn't help.
"I'll stay here," I shook my head. Even now I'm glad I made that decision.
"Me too, guys," Kenny nodded. "I better get some work done on those blades or we'll be toast when the tournament starts."
They were all trying to act normal. I think, deep down, they held onto a faint hope that I would come back and we would really be a team again.
I held onto that hope too. That was all had at the time.
"Looks like it's just the two of us then!" Max smiled. It was painful to smile even for him.
Now I look back on it it's amazing how hard we all tried to be normal. All those fake smiles and uneasy laughs and hollow words of comfort..it was incredible...it was so sad.
"Max," Kai looked up. He hadn't spoken for ages.
"Hmmm? You wanna come too, Kai? You're more than welcome to come if you want to," Max raised his eyebrows.
Kai clicked his tongue softly and seemed to contemplate this but in the end he shook his head. "No...no go ahead you two just..don't forget to train, that's all."
"They won't," I assured him.
Unwittingly, I had lied. We did no training for weeks, and all because of a little visit to the hobby shop.
****************
Mizu_Tenshi:
Othela - Here you go then! One more chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.
DragonBlade - Yeah, me too.
Mistress-of-eternal-Darkness - Thanks, I had my doubts but it looks like it's going okay.
Boys-On-Bosenberry - Thank you for your review. Hope I can keep this fic up.
Identity Thief - Yeah, poor Maxi's dad; life is tough. Anyway, glad you liked the fic.
Sakura-Hiwatari - Yeah, stupid, stupid Boris! I might let Kai kill him; it depends.
Glay - Thanks a load. I'll be updating once a week..hopefully.
TechnoRanma - Thanks. I wonder how long Kai can keep his secret.
Epona2 - My computer does that as well, damn computer.
Beyblader_grl - Don't worry, I have an unhealthy obsession with Kai too. Lol, thanks for reviewing.
Syaoran_Lover - Okay, I'll try an update once a week. Mmmm, sushi..
By the Stars - Thanks. It's been a while. Hope you update soon as well.
Vialana - Thanks, a bunch. I find it easy to write in Kai's POV but, hopefully, I can do the same with Rei's POV.