Disclaimer: I don't own the original FY characters; I own Kei, Taki, Lily, Jason, their kids and any other person who isn't a FY character.
Thoughts
Memories
Summary: The book was supposed to be sealed forever, never to trouble the real world again. But when the child of a seishi and descendant of a miko finds it 20 years later, there's no telling what could happen. When 17-year-old Akane finds the book, she understands what her parents tried to teach her through out her life. When she meets the son of her father's best friend, old ideals clash with modern thinking and sparks will fly. She and her cousins will learn about their parents' past and why they had hoped to leave it behind.
~*~Review Response~*~
~Jamie - Deranged psycho freaks must be in all fics! Okay so maybe not all, but it's the way it ended up, ya know? You thought I'd put Kimiko on the side? I can't. If she's gonna get the guy, she's gotta stay with them, ya know?
~Draco - Nyoko and Naoko don't know about Nuriko yet, actually none of them do, they'll find out soon though. Even though the adults won't go through, they'll still be involved one way or another that should prove very interesting. Coats in 70-degree weather? Well, we run around in shorts, t-shirts and sandals when it hits the 40s.
~Cat - Hi, again! Hope you like the story!
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Kimiko packed a few more things into her bag. 'Why am I going? How much does it really involve me? A psychotic killer is after one of my best friends…but I don't really understand it…the book isn't part of my history…' She slung the bag over her shoulder. 'But it's never part of the miko's life until they go, right? Who says I can't go? No one…I can go.' She shook the doubt from her mind and went to the back door of the house.
As she passed through the kitchen, her older brother stopped her. "Kimiko, where are you going?"
"Out…with some friends."
"Out where?"
'Great…he decides to be a big brother now of all times…' "It's no big deal, Akira…you'll barely notice I'm gone."
"Well, that's great and all but where are you going?"
"It's kinda hard to explain and you wouldn't believe me either…" She shrugged.
"You never had a hard time telling me things before…is this something Mom should know about?" The dark haired 18 year-old quietly asked.
"No…it's not dangerous or anything…" 'Okay…now I just lied to him…' "I gotta help Akane and Hiroshi with some stuff…" 'That's true. I'm not totally lying…'
"You'd tell me if it was dangerous though, right Kimiko?"
"Of course, Akira. I'll be back before you know it. Promise." She hugged her brother and left the house. It was already a little dark out, so she had to hurry.
She hurried down the streets back to Hiroshi's house where everyone promised to meet. She saw Toru and Toshiro making final adjustments to their stuff. Hiroshi saw her come in the house.
"You know you don't have to come, right?" He had his own bag in hand.
"I was thinking about that before I got here and I know I don't have to come, but I am."
"Why?"
"I just am." She crossed her arms.
Hiroshi shook his head and sighed. Once Kimiko crossed her arms on something, it was final and there was no way of convincing her otherwise.
A little bit later everyone was in the living room ready to go. Hiroshi had a second bag of clothes with him for Akane. Nozomi once again appeared before them.
"Are you all ready?"
They looked at each other and shrugged. "Ready as we'll ever be." Kimiko said.
"That's the spirit, I think." Nozomi smiled a bit and started to cast a spell.
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Akane watched some of the younger bandits playing with each other from the roof. Kano was right. Living at the stronghold was kinda boring if there were no raids to go on. She sighed and sat on the roof. Dressed in her father's clothes, she laid back and stared at the sky. The sun was beginning to set again. Another day lost where she was stuck her. She reached into the pocket of the coat and found her deck of playing cards. Luckily she left them in the coat she was wearing when she first came here and she had taken it off before she and Kano fell into the river.
She shuffled the cards carefully, making sure she remembered where all the cards were. She couldn't count all the money she'd gotten from kids who she played all sorts of card games with. No one knew she never played fair. She smirked to herself. 'Boy, would I be in trouble if anyone ever found out…' She began to shuffle the cards again, laying some face down in a pattern.
She knew how to tell fortunes with cards, though she never really believed what she predicted herself. After laying the cards in an elaborate pattern she flipped a few over of them. 'Love…pain…loneliness…danger…not the happiest lot I've ever drawn for myself…' For the first time, she felt concerned about her tiny prediction. Magic was stronger here, fortune telling was taken seriously…maybe there was some truth to it? She frowned and gathered the cards back up.
"Akane? Are you still up here?" Kano pulled himself up onto the roof. "You've been up here most of the day." His voice wavered between annoyance and concern.
"I know…" She put the cards in her pocket again. "I was just thinking…that's all…"
He sat next to her. "Is that all you ever do?"
"Most of the time…" The stars were starting to come out. "Maybe I'm still overwhelmed by this…I dunno…"
Kano wasn't sure what to say. "Hey…what was that thing you put in your pocket?" He felt the need for a subject change.
She pulled it out. "Cards. Just a toy."
He looked at the cards with fascination. She smiled at his slight confusion. "What do you do with 'em?"
"Play games…like Poker, War…um…Blackjack…" She thought for a moment. "That's all I can think of. There's more, I just forget."
"Po…ker? I don't think I understand…"
"I could teach you how to play…" Akane offered.
"Is it hard?"
"Not really. Come on…let's go in your room. It'll be easier."
"Okay." They got up and walked back to Kano's room.
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"Hiroshi? Are you okay? I think were here." Hiroshi slowly opened his golden eyes and was met with bright green ones.
"Kimiko?" He sat up slowly. He found himself, Kimiko and the two sets of twins in a small clearing in a forest.
"So…are we in Konan?" He stood up.
"We're guessing." Nyoko looked up at her cousin.
"Were do we start looking for Akane?" Toru was sitting on a nearby rock. "We have no idea where we're going."
Naoko looked around. "Well, she's supposed to be at the mountain stronghold so…I say we head towards the mountain. It's the only one around." She pointed to a mountain a few kilometers away.
"Logical." Toshiro shrugged.
"Then let's go! It's getting dark already." Kimiko took the lead. Hiroshi followed close behind.
"Don't you think you're a little over zealous about this? We really don't know…"
"Trial and error, Hiroshi. Trial and Error." She smiled.
He shook his head. "If you say so…"
The troop of kids ran through the forest with only the mountain as their guide.
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Akane laughed. Kano lost another hand. He glared at her. "Are you sure I lost…again?"
She took the cards from him. "Yes…I'm not trying to cheat you." She shuffled the card again. "Wanna play another hand or quit while you're ahead?"
"I'm not ahead…" He muttered.
She giggled. "I know. Wanna try one more time though?"
"Sure, what have I got to lose?" He shrugged and sighed.
"Okay…5 card, aces high, deuces wild?"
"Yeah." He waited for her to deal.
She set the deck down and picked up her own cards. She wondered if Kano even knew how good a hand her had. She purposefully dealt so he'd win.
They only bet verbally and continued raising each other's bets for a long time. Eventually Akane stopped when she bet everything she remembered having.
Kano warily laid out his cards. Akane put down hers. She smiled. "You win."
"I do?" He looked at his cards and hers.
"Yeah. Royal flush beats 2 pair. Final game is yours making the score roughly 20-something to something in the teens. I won more games but you've got everything."
He looked her over. "You let me win…didn't you?"
"Me? What makes you say that?" Akane wrapped a rubber band around the deck.
"You're so calm about it…" He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh relax would you? You won!" She put the cards on a table.
"Well, yeah…but…"
"Get your hands off me!!" A girl's scream surprised the two teens. "I wanna see Akane!"
"Be quiet!" Kouji sounded exasperated. "Get back here!"
"No! Akane!"
"Somebody catch her!"
Akane and Kano stared at the door. "Someone you know?"
"Um…I dunno…" She opened the door. "Maybe…"
He followed her into the hallway. A small purple haired girl was running down the hall towards them. Kouji was close at her heels. Akane stared at her. "Naoko?"
"Akane!" Naoko ran behind her so that Akane was in between her and Kouji.
Kouji looked aggravated beyond belief. "Akane…can you explain this?" He shook his head. "Sweet Suzaku, I'm too old for this…"
"Umm…yeah…this is one of my cousins…Naoko…though I can't really tell you why she's here…" Akane stared at her questioningly.
"We came to bring you home. Aunt Kei is really anxious to get you home."
"Please tell me Nyoko and the others are with you…"
"Well, they were…"
"Till she ran off looking for you…" Kouji glared at her.
"You were being mean! You wouldn't tell me if she was here!"
"How was I supposed to know you're related to her?"
"You didn't ask!"
"You didn't give me a chance! You came in here screaming!"
"Stop it!" Akane pushed the bandit and child away from each other. "Kouji, where are the others?"
"Down by the gates, I'll get them." Kouji left the hall.
Kano stared at the small girl. "Who's this now?"
"My cousin Naoko."
"How many more are there?"
"Naoko, who's down by the gates."
"Nyoko, Toshiro, Toru, Hiroshi and Kimiko."
"Kimiko? Why?"
"She came 'cause Hiroshi did. I think he told her what happened to you. Hiroshi's got clothes for you too."
"Forget I asked…" Kano shook his head.
Kouji returned with the others.
"Akane! You're okay!" Kimiko was the first to speak.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"'Cause there's a crazy ass psycho bitch out to kill you maybe?" All the kids stared at Naoko.
Hiroshi sighed. "You always have to be blunt, don't you?"
Akane paled. "Wha…what are you talking about? Someone's out to kill me? I haven't been here long enough to get death threats!"
"Who could be after her? No one outside the stronghold even knows she's here…" Kano didn't believe the small girl.
"Well, that's not really true. Some guy named Reizo is the one who is after you." Hiroshi muttered.
"Reizo?" Kano frowned. "How could he know? He's in Kutou…"
"Spies." Toshiro sighed.
Kouji frowned. "We'll talk about it in the morning. It's late now and we're going to have a lot of work to do in the morning."
"Dad, where do they all sleep?"
"The boys can sleep in the bunks downstairs. You can give the girls your room. The door has a lock."
"I should have seen that coming…" Kano rolled his eyes.
"Sorry Kano…" Akane looked at him apologetically.
"It's okay." He shrugged. "I'll just get some of my stuff and go downstairs."
Kouji had already taken the boys to the bunks downstairs and Kano went back into his room, leaving Akane, Kimiko Nyoko and Naoko in the hall.
"You like him, don't you?" Kimiko smirked.
"Who? Kano?"
"Who else?" Naoko stood next to Kimiko. "You like him."
"Why…why would I?"
"I think they're right. You're turning red…" Nyoko giggled.
"Nyoko, you're supposed to be the nice one!" Akane crossed her arms. "I still don't see why you guys think I like him…" She felt her face burning.
Kimiko shook her head. "Denial, denial…shame on you, Akane…"
"But I…"
Before she could finish, Kano came back. "You girls can go in."
"Thanks Kano." Akane smiled.
"Sure." He headed downstairs.
The other girls eyed Akane.
She noticed. "What?!?!"
"Nothing…" The 3 giggled.
"You…" Akane took them down to Kano's room. When they came in, there was an extra cot on the side of the room besides the one Kano had originally set up.
Nyoko and Naoko took the bed while Akane and Kimiko used the cots. Kimiko sat on the edge. "You know Akane, it's not bad to like him…"
"Are you still on that? I don't like Kano. Give it a rest."
"If you really didn't like him, you would defend yourself so much."
"Kimiko, you are so not one to talk. It's been over two years since you and Hiroshi have started hanging out together and you still won't tell him you like him."
"M…me like Hiroshi? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We're friends. I don't have good luck with long relationships anyway. I don't wanna blow it with him…"
"But you admit you like him then?"
"Okay…fine so I do, yeah…but he has no reason to like me back…"
"Sure yeah, no reason, that must be why he's had a crush on you for 4 years." Nyoko sat up in bed. "You were all he talked about for a long time."
Kimiko blushed. "4 years? We've only gotten along for about 2 though…"
"Doesn't matter." Akane shook her head. "He's always liked you…"
"I…I didn't think he would…"
"Gimme a break…you kinda sorta humiliated him when he was trying to prove to you he wasn't a bad person. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have stood for it."
"Oh…" Kimiko thought for a moment. "I…I guess…"
"She guesses, does she? Hello teenage drama!" Akane threw her hands up into the air and shook her head.
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Kano lay on his back staring at the bunk above him. He was used to sleeping in his own room and more recently he had become accustomed to sleeping with Akane. He let out a small sigh. A flash of silver surprised him. "Can't sleep, Kano-san?" Hiroshi was hanging over the side over his bed looking at him.
"What? No, I'm fine…just not all that tired." He muttered.
"Oh…Kano-san?"
"Huh?"
"Do you like Akane?"
"Why would I?" He tried to stay calm.
"You sounded really worried when Naoko said that guy was out to kill her."
"Well, why wouldn't I? He's from Kutou and therefore he's an enemy. If he wants something, it's any Konan citizen's job to make sure he doesn't get it, Hiroshi-sama…" Kano snapped his mouth shut. He wondered if he should have called Hiroshi that.
"Why'd you call me Hiroshi-sama?"
"You really have no idea, do you?"
"No…"
"You're dad's name is Hotohori, right?"
"Yeah…why?"
"Before he lived in your world, he was our emperor. I think that makes you a prince or something like that."
Hiroshi's eyes widened. "You…are you serious?"
He nodded. "And given that you all are probably going to go to the capital, I don't know what's gonna happen to you."
"Well, that's food for though…" Hiroshi pulled himself back onto his bed. "Wow…"
"Do with it what you will." Kano sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll be back. There's something I gotta check on…"
"Okay…"
Kano quietly walked across the room and went back up stairs. His eyes were well accustomed to the dark and he noticed a shadow walking down the hall. He followed closely enough to see where it was going, but not close enough to be heard or seen.
The figure wasn't moving fast. It moved as if it wasn't sure of where it was going but it did know what it was looking for.
After a time, it found the ladder that led up to the roof and climbed up. Kano followed. The figure faced the bright moon and looked up. Kano stood watching for a long time.
'Who is that and why are they just standing there? If they were trying to get out of here, it's kinda pointless to just stand there, right?' He crept towards the figure.
Its shoulders were slightly slumped as if this person didn't have much confidence in anything.
He held his breath and stood silently behind the figure. With speed that surprised even himself, he grabbed the figure and spun it around. They both gasped.
"Akane?"
"Kano?" She looked up at him.
"What are you doing up so late?" Even though it was dark, the moon was enough for him to see her eyes shinning with tears. "What's wrong?"
She abruptly pulled away. "Nothing! Nothing's wrong…"
"Hey, I was just asking…" He backed off.
"I know, I know…never mind…" She walked to the edge of the roof and sat down.
"Akane…what's wrong? Don't tell me 'nothing'…" He sat down next to her.
"Can we not talk about this?" She stared at the ground.
"No. Come on, tell me what's wrong." He pulled her closer to him.
She rested her head on his chest. "I'm scared…" She whispered, almost too soft for him to hear.
"Of what?" His found himself hugging her closer.
"Of what my cousins said…that there's someone out to kill me…" She sniffed.
Kano was surprised to see her like this. She didn't strike him as the type to be scared like this, but how well did he know her? How much had he learned in a week? "Don't worry about that. Reizo won't touch you…I'll make sure of that…" 'Wh…what am I saying? I don't stand a friggin' chance against him! Why the hell do I keep making promises to her that I can't keep?'
"You mean it?"
"Yes…" 'Dammit! I did it again! What the hell is wrong with me?'
"Thanks Kano." She rubbed her eyes and looked up at him. "It makes things a little better…" She leaned closer to him and kissed him lightly.
'Oh yeah…that's what's wrong with me…' He brushed a few stray strand of hair from his face. "Akane?"
"Yeah?"
"In the morning, we're gonna take all of you to the capital. Once you're there, the psycho won't be able to come near you."
"Will you stay?"
"Do you want me to?" He was a little surprised by her question.
"Yeah. You're the only one besides Kouji I know and if I got thrown into a place with no one to actually talk to about this place…"
"I understand. I'll come with."
"Thanks again."
"Sure." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. 'Well, at least now I have an excuse to go with her…'
'At least I came up with an excuse for him to come with me…' Akane curled her fingers into the young bandit's hair as she leaned even closer.
The two remained kissing until they couldn't ignore the need for air. Kano smiled and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Think you can sleep now?"
"Yeah…I think I'm okay now."
The two children of the mountain bandits got up from their seat on the edge of the roof and went back down into the stronghold.
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Reizo was seething mad. Only his mother could tell though.
"Reizo, what has you so angry now?" She wore robes of deep blue that matched Reizo's cape.
"Those bungling fools are taking to long to bring me the girl…" He crushed a teacup in his hand. "If she gets to the capital, I will not be able to kill her…"
"Why not do it yourself then? Never let fools do a real man's job."
"Perhaps you are right, Mother…those fools know nothing. I cannot risk any failure…"
"Have you decided what to do with the rest of them, including your own brother?" Kanako didn't want to see her other son killed, but it wasn't up to her.
"I will most likely kill the rest of them as well, but Kano…I have not yet decided."
"You should not kill your own flesh and blood."
"Are you suggesting I let him live, Mother?" Reizo turned his anger towards her.
"We both know what he is, how much power he has, and how he has no idea. You know as well as I do with all the power he has, it would be better to turn him to our side."
"Perhaps, but he would be difficult to break. His feelings for my father's murderer's child are stronger than I would like." He frowned deeply.
"You could brainwash him. Your father did it. It would not be difficult to find someone to tell you how he did it."
"I must admit, I like you thinking, Mother. That could work very well." He smiled evilly.
'Perhaps then, we could be some kind of family…' Kanako nodded.
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Brainwashing to be a family? That can't be good.
What's so special about Kano?
Will the group actually get to the capital?
Answers soon!
Review please!
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~
3/15/03