Search for the Shinzaho: Take Two
Chapter 6: Escape?
Author's Note: I suppose this would be where the story takes a more vulgar turn. So, for warning, there's some adult stuff ahead, no sex yet, but sexual themes, I suppose you could say. Enjoy, and please, I love reviews!
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Back in a small village near where the battle had taken place, the exhausted and somewhat injured Suzaku group gathered in one room.
The young emperor of Konan, still unconscious, lay on a bed, bathed in sweat from a nightmare, a fever, or both. Mitsukake knelt in front of the bed. He put his hand out, and the others watched as green orbs spilled from his palm.
The healer dropped his hand a few seconds later. "He's healed, but he may be out for a while. He was really exhausted."
The others looked at their emperor, concerned. "The only thing we can do is get some rest ourselves," Tamahome said.
Slowly, they exited the room and went to their own rooms to sleep. Chichiri stopped at the door and looked back at Hotohori. I don't think we'll be getting much sleep tonight, no da, he thought. He turned and walked grimly back to his room. Jiyuna-sama, you better be all right, no da.
Back in the room, the sleeping body of Hotohori twisted and writhed beneath the blankets. Sweat covered him from head to toe, making his robes and hair stick to him. His face was contorted in a grimace of pain and sadness, and though there was no one there to hear him, a pained whisper came over his lips.
"Jiyuna…"
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Nakago stared at her. "Take off your top," he said.
Jiyuna hugged herself as best she could with her bound wrists. "No, I told you, I don't entertain."
The man sighed in annoyance, then tore the piece of clothing from her body. "I'm not interested in that right now," he told her. "I need to check that wound."
"What, the wound that you gave me?" She was being stupid, she realized. Fighting with the man who kill her in an instant was hardly the smart thing to do, so she shut up and dropped her hands to her lap. Nakago leaned in, inspected the wound. He touched her lightly with his fingertips, and the gentleness took Jiyuna completely by surprise. Then he pulled out a roll of gauze and, applying some ointment, bound her wound snuggly.
He rocked back on his heels, stared appreciatively at the half-naked girl sitting on his bed. She was a goddess, he thought. So beautiful, so perfect, even wounded. He longed to run his hands over all that creamy white skin, to taste it. The kiss he had given her earlier haunted him, made him want more, but not yet. She was still too angry. He could take her, he knew, without much of a struggle, but he wanted her to want him, too. Before she was rescued by her Suzaku wimps, she would.
He handed her a set of robes that he had procured from a whining Soi, and helped her into them. Then he climbed back into the bed, pulled her down beside, and went to sleep.
Jiyuna opened her eyes, blinked, and blinked again. Her surroundings were completely alien to her. A tent, with a few torches providing the only light. She was laying in a bed, and slowly, she came to feel another presence in the bed with her. She tried to move, and that's when it all came back to her.
Hotohori had been injured, and Nakago had taken her, to get the shinzaho. He'd dressed her wound hours ago, and they'd fallen asleep. She was more wary of what Soi might do to her than Nakago. The woman was completely in love him, but he didn't seem to realize it, or care.
Jiyuna couldn't move, she realized, because Nakago had a strong arm wrapped possessively around her chest, she guessed so he didn't hurt her again. His hand was cupping a breast, something that made her more than a little uncomfortable. She shifted her body so she was staring at the Seiryuu seishi's face. He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping, she thought. Not at all like the murderous bastard he really is.
She scooted over to the edge of the bed, eased herself to the floor. Nakago's arm slid from across her chest to rest on the bed. She heard him move, so she remained completely still. He sighed, and turned over, gathering the pillow under his head.
Jiyuna felt a wave of relief wash over her. She sat before the bed to begin work on releasing the rope where it was tied to the leg of the bed. It took her ten minutes before at last the rope gave way and she was free. Sending one last glance at Nakago, she snuck out the tent and started running. She felt a terrible guilt at not killing the seishi. He did, after all, kill her parents and hurt Hotohori…
The young girl shook her head and ran faster. If she could get to the woods, she'd be safe, then she could make her way back toward where the battle had been earlier that day.
She was running so fast, so blindly, she didn't see the figure step in front her until they collided. Jiyuna sent the other person to the ground as she fell flat on her face.
"What the hell?" a feminine voice broke through the silence of the still night. The owner of the voice leaned in to see Jiyuna's face. "You!"
Jiyuna gulped. "Soi?" She was silenced from speaking another word as Soi grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and hefted her to her feet. The taller woman glared down at the shorter until Jiyuna felt she was 2 feet tall.
"Hmph. I'm going to enjoy killing you." Soi said in disgust. Before Jiyuna could react, Soi's fist had launched forward, landing squarely in her left eye socket. She staggered back, clutching at her eye. Jiyuna shook her head, clearing the pain away. She smiled sardonically at Soi.
"I was hoping you'd do that." Jiyuna balled up her fist, leaned back, and punched Soi in the mouth. The woman's head snapped back, and when she stood upright, she spat a glob of blood out of her mouth.
"Bitch!" she yelled. She threw herself at Jiyuna, but was jerked backward by an unseen force.
"Soi, enough."
The smile on Jiyuna's face faded when she recognized Nakago's voice. Shit! She backed away, hoping to be able to make a break for it, but was surrounded by guards.
The shogun stepped forward, holding a torch in one hand. "You disobeyed my orders once again. One more time and I will not hesitate to punish you," he reprimanded Soi. Then, he turned to Jiyuna. "Jiyuna, you should know better than to think I would allow you to get away so easily the second time." He walked to her and grasped her arm. "Everyone, back to your posts. Soi, back to your pao."
The woman muttered something unintelligible under her breath and sulked off toward her own tent.
Jiyuna looked up at Nakago. "You know I had to try."
He nodded, leading her back to his tent. "I wouldn't have expected any less," was his response.
After a few moments of walking, Jiyuna realized they weren't going back to his tent. "Where are we going?"
Nakago didn't look at her. "You tried to escape. That does not go without punishment."
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Jiyuna clenched her fists together, unclenched them, and clenched them again. She had iron shackles around her wrists and her arms were pulled above her head. Her arms had fallen asleep some time ago, so she did what she could to get the blood moving again.
Nakago had left her in the guard's "capable" hands, which meant that, since she was shackled, he could touch her wherever he wanted to. Jiyuna had smiled when she realized they hadn't shackled her feet and the guard found himself speaking in a high voice for the rest of the day.
Her eye hurt like hell. It was probably black to look at, and it was swollen completely shut. So this is how Chichiri sees the world, Jiyuna thought bitterly. Chichiri…. Mitsukake, Chiriko, Tasuki, Miaka, Tamahome, Nuriko…. Hotohori, she wondered if she would ever see them again. She felt sick, a terrible feeling in her heart that she would never be able to hear Chichiri and Chiriko's wisdom, Tasuki and Tamahome's fighting, Nuriko's advice, Mitsukake talking to Tama-neko, Miaka complaining about being hungry, or Hotohori's soft, strong, deep voice anymore.
"How is your eye?"
Jiyuna practically slumped in her chains. "It's fine, Nakago."
He approached her, looking to be in a very foul mood. His blond hair covered his eyes, and his lips were turned down in a scowl.
"Oi, who poisoned your sake?" she asked, noting his shoulders in a slightly hunched position.
He said nothing. Only regarded her indifferently. He hadn't wanted to walk to the tent where he had taken Jiyuna after her fight with Soi, but he supposed that he should do something before all his guards began to sound like women.
"Nakago, onegai, let me down. I won't try to run again," she was pissed at herself for pleading with the shogun, but she couldn't stand being locked up. It was the one thing Jiyuna hated. She shuttered visibly as the memory came to her.
She was eight years old, and already had a reputation for being a tough girl. The village boys thought it would be a great joke to play on her. One day, while working in the fields, a few of the boys grabbed her and dragged her to an old abandoned barn. They had tied her up in one of the stalls where the owners used to keep their horses, and then locked her in, turned out the light, and left her there. The whole night she stood against a pole, tied to it, terrified. In the morning, after her mother had become frantic searching for her, one of the town elders had found her. Jiyuna remembered that she didn't speak for a week. After she recovered from the ordeal, she had beaten the hell out of al the guys that were involved. From then on, she had been classified as almost a freak for doing what she did.
The tears hit so fast, she barely remembered how they started. In seconds, she was weeping, wishing she were anywhere but chained up in barren tent.
Nakago looked startled as Jiyuna broke down, sobbing and started thrashing wildly at the chains. He walked up to her and unlocked the shackles from around her wrists before she hurt herself. The girl collapsed in his arms, nearly knocking him over. He got his arm under her knees and carried her back to his tent, completely confused.
When Jiyuna finally got her sobs under control, she noticed she was in Nakago's tent. The shogun was standing over the bed where he had laid her, an odd look in his eyes.
Mortification was all she could feel. She had cried in front of the one man she promised herself she wouldn't. I am so ashamed, she thought. Never show weakness in front of the enemy, baka! She repeated her number one rule over and over in her head.
"Gomen… Nakago… for that undignified display of my own weakness," she managed to say, still diverting her eyes from his. A flush of crimson crossed her face.
Sorry? Nakago could hardly believe that she had apologized. He kept his cool and only nodded. If he tried now, they could still get some sleep until dawn. He grabbed her wrists and examined them. They weren't bleeding, but were very bruised from Jiyuna fighting against the shackles.
She pulled her hands away shyly. "They're fine," she said shortly. Then, she lay back onto the bed, yawning. She barely saw Nakago crawl in beside her, because her one good eye was beginning to close from sheer exhaustion. She felt his arm go around her hip, keeping a safe distance from her side. Then, Jiyuna was asleep.
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Jiyuna knew she couldn't get away. The shogun had posted more guards to patrol along the woods, and basically had the camp surrounded, cutting off any means of escape she would have had. She sighed heavily, knowing she was stuck her until Nakago killed her, Soi killed her, or her friends brought the shinzaho. No, she shook her head furiously. I don't care if I'm here until my life ends, I won't let Nakago get the shinzaho, no matter how bad he wants it.
The man to her left moaned again, this time more loudly. Jiyuna turned back to him. He must be having one hell of a dream, she thought. Then, he opened his mouth, and said the one word that meant so damn much to her.
"Okaasan…"
The young girl was completely taken aback. Mother? Why would he be saying "mother" in his dreams? At first, Jiyuna thought it only sounded like "Okaasan," but then he said it again, louder, and in a more painful voice.
"Okaasan…"
She sat up completely and got onto her knees. From beside Nakago, she stared down at him sleeping fitfully. Should she wake him, or let him continue to go through the torment that was evident from his face? She was about to just let him go, to suffer like he had made her suffer, but something made her feel pity for him. Pity, for the man who had ruined her entire life.
Or had he?
Jiyuna forced herself to think as clearly as possible about her present situation. What would have happened in her life if she had stayed in the village? She knew she probably would have grown up alone, without a husband. Her own bitter laugh echoed in her head. Those village boys were such fools, locking her up in the barn, for all they had done was make an enemy for life. After she had recovered, she never showed fear or weakness in their presence. In that respect, she supposed she was like Nakago. Never let them see your weakness, Jiyuna, somehow, knew that that was the daily code the shogun lived by. Something terrible had happened to him, just as something terrible had happened to her.
Now that she was gone from the village, she knew she would never go back. Why torture yourself, Jiyuna? she asked.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as a low, deep, tormented groan started in Nakago's throat. Going against her better judgment, Jiyuna reached down and grasped Nakago's shoulders.
"Shogun," she said, loudly, hoping to wake him up. When he didn't respond, Jiyuna shook him. "Nakago!"
Strong hands came up from the bed and grabbed her bruised wrists.
"Ahhh…" she whimpered aloud. She looked down, and into pure blue eyes. Nakago had a strange expression on his face. He looked as though someone had just spoken his deepest secret to a crowded room. Seeing the grimace on Jiyuna's face, he let her wrists go, expecting her to release his shoulders. When she didn't, he sat up.
"Why did you disturb me?" His voice was low, callous, a guarded expression adorning his handsome face.
Jiyuna sat back on the bed, rested her arms on her knees. "You were have a nightmare," she said simply.
Nakago glared at her. "I don't dream."
"Tell that to your mother." She spoke without thinking, and immediately regretted her words. "Oh, Nakago, I didn't mean that," she apologized.
The damage had been done, however, and Nakago wrapped his almost inhumanly strong hands around her wrists again. His face was actually full of anger, and when he spoke, the words cut through her like ice. "I said I don't dream, you bitch, and if you don't shut up, I'll let Soi kill you."
Her mouth dropped slightly open. Something had definitely happened, else he wouldn't have gotten so angry. She pulled her wrists out of his grasp and crawled out of the bed. She laid down on the ground, hugging her robe tightly around her. Might as well try to get a little sleep, she thought, before I die,
But Nakago was still sitting up in bed. He had been dreaming, of course, but the memory was much too painful to even try to think about. He cursed himself for allowing the dream to even come to him. He kept it hidden away in the darkest corner of his mind. Emotions cloud your judgment, only the weak show emotion. Curiously, he looked at the beaten girl lying on the ground beside the bed. He had figured her to be one of his greatest conquests - after he had broken her - but it never came to that. The break down earlier took him completely by surprise. He frowned, forehead creasing in thought. What had happened to her to make her react like that?
He cleared his throat, what the hell was happening with him? He felt…vulnerable, and consciously wanting to know more about this girl. He wanted to go walking, but he knew she would try to run the moment he stepped out the door. Nakago laid back down, sighing in frustration. He was.. feeling… too much. It has always been a point with him to act calm, cool, indifferent. No one was safe from his cruelness, he assured himself. But, then, his head dropped to the side and he saw the shivering form of Jiyuna, still lying on the ground. He knew she wasn't asleep, not even Ashitare could sleep on the hard, rocky ground. Turning his head purposefully, he stared up at the cream colored top of his tent. He willed sleep to take him, but it would not come.
Jiyuna lay, freezing, in silent anger. She was angry with herself, first of all, for acting even slightly compassionate toward Nakago. He was a murderer, she kept reminding herself over and over, a murderer who killed her only family and messed up the life she had in the village. What life? The life of living in fear, in solitude, afraid that people will call you bad names or give you strange looks? He may not have known it, and neither did you, but he probably saved you. The words came out of nowhere, she tried to push them back, but she knew it was true. Nakago had saved her, but lucky for her, he hadn't a clue.
She was still scowling at the open air, trying desperately to sort out the random thoughts that were bouncing around her mind, when a squeak was heard right by her head. She lifted it, and looked at the ground. A rat - a huge rat, with black, dirty fur, and small, beady eyes - was scampering across the ground toward her, squeaking and wiggling its tail.
Jiyuna held back the scream that rose in her throat. Before she even knew what was happening, she found herself back in the bed, clutching to Nakago as if her life depended on it.
Nakago was staring blankly in front of him, not looking at anything when he heard the squeak. He had turned his head to where Jiyuna was lying on the floor, but she was no longer there. In the second it took to tilt his head, she had thrown herself on top of him and was grasping at his robes, strange sounds coming from her throat.
He scoffed, pushing her away firmly. Afraid of a rat? This girl, who didn't seem to be afraid of anything, was afraid of a rat? "What's the problem? Afraid of a little rat?"
The girl was trembling, her fear nearly consuming her, but she focused on Nakago, on his mockery, his amused face, and not on the rat that she could still hear shuffling around on the ground. She took a few, deep, shaky breaths. "N-no," she told him. She wanted to kick herself. How could she convince him that she wasn't afraid of rats when it was so clear that she was? "It.. just.. startled me… that's all."
But Nakago had figured it out. His mouth twisted into a sneer. "Hmm, afraid of rats. Pesky rats, that bite, and scratch." He reached up and played with her hair, his fingers pretending to be a rat.
Jiyuna almost cried out as fear gripped her again. "Stop it!" She hugged herself tightly, rocking on her heels as a small child would.
The shogun's smile faded and he withdrew his hand. Now, he was really curious. He sat up, facing her small, curled up body.
"Stop? But I've just begun to play, my dear."
She felt tears sting her eyes. Angry, frustrated tears that she forced back. No way in hell was she going to let him see her cry again. She looked around the tent, wanting to get away from Nakago, away from the tent, but the rat was still there, sauntering around the ground. Hopeless, she thought. I'm stuck here.
"Why don't you leave?" He waved toward the opening of the tent. "The guards have probably all fallen asleep by now. Oh, that's right. There's a nasty little rat blocking your way."
Jiyuna whimpered, Nakago went on.
"Rats are rather smart," he said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Smarter than humans are, occasionally. They run from danger, and they bite and chew their way through anything in their paths... including people."
The image of a rat gnawing at her sent Jiyuna's head spinning.
"It happened when I was eight!" she screamed. Before Nakago could remark, she continued, her words flying rapidly from her mouth. "The village boys all hated me, because I didn't have a father, and I was stronger than they. One day they grabbed me and drug me to an old abandoned barn at the edge of the village. They tied me to a post in the middle of one of the stalls and left me there that night. All I really remember were the bats that crawled through my hair, the rats that scratched and bit me while they tried to climb my legs, the spiders that scattered all over me, and the cold... the dreadful, bitter cold…" she trailed off, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she remembered that night.
Nakago listened in horrid fascination. "How were you found?"
Jiyuna sighed. "The next day, after my mother convinced the village that I was missing, one of the elders found me. I didn't speak for a week after that incident. And when I finally left my house, I beat up the guys who did it to me. Ever since then, I've been an outcast in my village."
Outcast. The shogun knew what that felt like. He forced the sadness that threatened to rise to surface away. He would not think about it, not now, not ever.
But Jiyuna had noticed. She saw the fear and sadness that had crept into his eyes for a just a moment. "What is it, shogun?"
He looked at her coldly. "What's that?"
She gave an exasperated sigh. "You know what your problem is? You don't think about the most important things that happened in your life!"
Nakago grabbed her roughly and threw her onto the floor, right beside the rat.
"And yours is that you think about it too much," his voice was in its usual calm, deep, expressionless tone.
The rat started toward Jiyuna and to her, she saw a hungry look reflecting in its beady red eyes. A scream welled up in her throat, and this time, she didn't hold it back. Right before the rat reached her bare foot, it's mouth hanging open, she was grabbed again by Nakago and pulled back onto the bed.
"That was a warning," he said threateningly. "Speak to me in the manner you used earlier again, and I'll make sure you get chained up, in the dark, with the rats."
The promise made Jiyuna completely quiet. I can't, she thought. If he does that, I'll go crazy. I can't possibly handle reliving that night again.
"Good." It was almost a whisper. He reached out a hand and stroked her battered face.