It Could Be Worse (4th Season)
Episode 8: Journey
By Sulia Serafine
[A Protector of the Small fanfic set in an alternate universe; all credit goes to Tamora Pierce. I'm broke, so you can't sue me. Any other copyrighted things that don't belong to me in here in fact belong to other very businesslike people. Could you believe that? I guess that's why I'm broke.
E-mail me at silverwlngaol.com okay? And you know the drill: titles or subjects of emails are fanfiction.net, s.serafine, or icbw.
Rating of this episode: R for revelations. Okay, that was corny. Sorry.
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The air was hot and dry. He was thankful for the shade that the palm trees provided, even if it was only a little respite from the harsh, glaring sun. He knelt by the pool and dipped his hands into the water. He brought some water to his mouth and sipped before splashing it all over his face. It was the most refreshing he had felt in days.
He sat back on his haunches and looked around for his traveling companion. The other man was nowhere in sight.
"Figures," Joren muttered as he got to his feet and padded through the tall grass until his shoes touched sand. He adjusted his gait and glanced about again for the missing man.
He was thankful for the sunglasses and the hat on his head. He would have been sunburned ages ago if he hadn't remembered to keep light layers over the majority of his skin despite his inclination to strip it off. He flapped the bottom of his shirt out so as to allow air to flow against his hot skin.
Why had Enishi taken him to a desert?
"If we'd stayed close to home, you'd be too tempted to go back and see someone you care about," Enishi answered, appearing from behind him.
Joren whirled around, hands already curled into fists. "How many times do I have to warn you not to do that?" He growled. The man had never ceased to spook him by reading his thoughts. "And I don't have people to care about."
"I would have believed that if you hadn't visited with young Mr. King. And I would have believed that if you hadn't returned home with Keladry the first time," the white haired man replied. He tossed a canteen at Joren, who caught it in his right hand.
While taking a swig, he kept his eyes trained on Enishi as if he expected the other man to disappear into thin air. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tossed the canteen back at him. "So really. Why bring me anywhere? What do you have to say to me that requires us to be completely isolated in a hundred mile radius?"
Enishi walked back into the oasis. "I told you, I didn't want you capable of running away, back to your friends and family. You don't even know where in the world you are. And I like that."
Joren shoved past the palm fronds. He could hear the man's voice, but he couldn't keep up with him through the greenery. The branches and leaves slapped at his face and his shoulders as he went past. Joren ignored the stinging pain like he would a mosquito. He finally came back to the pool, thoroughly annoyed. The pool rippled when his feet touched the edge. It was the only movement in the clearing.
The blond glanced about him, tense in anticipation. "So? What is it that you have to say to me that will make me run away?"
"It's not so much as I want to say something," Enishi's disembodied voice called out. Joren frowned. He could not pinpoint his location. The voice seemed to echo out from all directions.
After silently observing the palms and the bushes that surrounded the pool, waiting for the other man to reveal himself, Joren cursed. He relaxed his muscles and turned around to stomp back the way he had came. He wasn't about to play mind games in the middle of a desert.
Instead, he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. One of his Desert Eagles, to be exact. He'd brought the gun with him when he returned from Mithros. He let his eyes trail upward to see the person holding the gun. It was Enishi. Of course it was! Who else was in the damned desert with them? He'd made it extremely clear that he'd wanted Joren alone with him on this journey.
"You aren't really going to shoot me," Joren snapped. "You would have done that a long time ago if you were going to do it at all!"
The aquamarine eyes lit up. "Are you so sure about that?"
A sudden stab of fear cut through Joren as he realized that Enishi might not be bluffing. It had been so long since he had felt fear, true fear. He would have embraced death plenty of times before this moment, but now that it was under the direct orders of the one man he loathed… it seemed absolutely frightening.
"You wouldn't," Joren hissed, hoping against hope that it really was a bluff.
"Keep talking if it makes you feel better," Enishi said, sounding smug.
The blond stepped forward, suddenly outraged and affronted enough to give Enishi a piece of his mind. "Now you listen, you son of a—"
Bang.
…
…
…
Joren's eyes widened. He felt himself shoved backwards by a force his mind barely registered. His chest heaved once before he found himself unable to breath. And then, his body hit the cool water. The strength left his limbs as his arms floated by his side. Water rushed into his mouth and nose as his head went under. No scream would burst forth from his lips. There was no one to hear it, anyway.
His eyes were still open. And though a dark haze was starting to cloud his vision, he could just make out the blurry image of a white haired man standing beyond the water's edge. The barrel of the gun was still smoking.
…
Enishi watched silently as the water of the oasis pool began to turn red. It went out from the body and swirled around until all the water was pink. In a few more minutes it would be completely red. He sat down on a nearby fallen palm and began to polish the gun. He thought to himself logically that if Joren had trusted him enough to not bring the gun in the first place, things would never have gotten so unnecessarily messy.
Young men were so foolish those days.
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He was floating. Or not. Maybe he was flying. Weren't they the same thing? Or did one require movement while the other required nothing? He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he did know that his feet did not touch any sort of ground and no wire held him up.
He sailed over the white capped mountains of the Eastern world, amazed by their majesty. No plane ride could ever have shown him this. The speed at which he moved took his breath away.
Then he arrived at Enishijirou. He slowed down as he approached the gigantic mountain, circling around it. At last he descended, the clouds brushing past him like caressing feathers.
Where am I?
He closed his eyes.
Am I dead?
He blinked and looked out again.
I am… definitely not where I'm supposed to be.
Joren stepped out into the familiar setting. He was in Enishi's bedchambers. He recognized the silk canopy of the bed and the patterns of the rugs. There was a golden tinge to the room, like he was looking at the place with tinted sunglasses.
Why am I here?
He reached out to pick up a lit candle resting in a brass candelabrum on the table. To his shock, his hand passed right through it. Joren jerked his hand back, staring at his palm in disbelief. The lines along his hands were still the same. The calluses were his. Nothing had changed.
I'm a ghost. Holy shit.
A movement from the corner of his eye caused him to turn. On the bed behind the drawn sheer curtains of the canopy, was a person sleeping. Joren tentatively moved forward. From what he could see, the person did not have white hair. So it puzzled him as to who would be sleeping in the king's chambers, in his very own bed.
His hand shot out to draw back the curtain before he realized that this was impossible. So instead, he slowly lowered his head through until he could see inside.
A woman with blond hair and fair skin slept soundly between the silk sheets. Her long eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, her eyes moving rapidly beneath their lids from some pleasant dream. There was a sharp intake of breath as Joren ducked his head back out. He took several steps back until he realized he had stepped completely through the table and the candelabrum.
He turned his back to the bed, thinking futilely that perhaps he was only seeing things. His curiosity got the better of him. Joren quickly turned and ran back to the bed, sticking his head through the curtain.
It can't be… he thought. Mom?
Joren withdrew from the bed a second time. It was her, alright. The face that he had seen thousands of times… sometimes at his bedside when he awoke, sometimes at his bedside at night reading him a story. He remembered being very little and riding around on his father's shoulders. His mother would take the opportunity to tickle him. She would laugh as well, and then her whole face would light up.
How can this be? What is she doing here?
His question was forgotten when the door to the chambers opened. In stepped a man who Joren did not have trouble recognizing at all. It was Enishi, looking just as young as he'd last seen him, maybe even a tiny bit younger. His hair was still white, but his body still youthful. Unlike the Mithran clothing that Enishi had been prone to wear in Joren's presence, here he retained the traditional Yamani garb that was more decorative than practical. It was like seeing a different man.
The former mafia don closed the door carefully behind him so as to avoid creating noise. Then he approached the bed, parting the canopy curtain with both his hands. Enishi sat down on the edge of the bed. The movement stirred Joren's mother awake. She lifted her head sleepily and smiled at her visitor. To Joren's shock, he realized his mother was wearing a red satin chemise.
"Celeste," Enishi whispered. "How are you feeling?"
She reached out one graceful arm for Enishi's hand. He leaned forward her and brought her hand to his lips. And there the moment stretched out until forever. For every second that his lips lingered on her skin, Joren felt himself die again and again. If he was not a ghost yet, Joren was now most certainly one.
"I have something to tell you," she murmured. Her eyes seemed to brighten. Joren recalled his father being able to cause such a reaction from her as well, and it pained him to see it here and now.
Enishi lowered her hand. He showed her a kind smile and nodded slowly. "I already know about the baby."
"You do?" she asked, a frown starting to make its way onto her features.
He chuckled lightly and moved across the bed to plant a kiss on the crown of her head. "Yes. I know everything, or have you forgotten?"
"Hmm… I remember," she replied coyly.
Enishi began to move off the bed. "But I must speak with my brother, as he has called upon me. I apologize, but we can spend the afternoon together if you would like."
"Sounds wonderful."
The two people gazed at each other with such affection that Joren had thought he had only seen once before—between his own mother and father. But as he watched Enishi's departure and his mother's lingering gaze upon his back, he started to get the feeling that the affection was exactly as he had likened it to be.
Joren cast one last hurt look at his drowsy mother before running through the chamber doors and following his white haired tormentor.
Enishi walked purposefully through the Palace, emerging outside in the gardens. Joren walked close to the shadows of the cherry blossom trees. He knew he was a ghost and that no one could see him, but the act of sneaking along stealthily was still an ingrained habit. He continued to trail Enishi until the other man reached the stone courtyard where the benches and tables were.
There waiting was a man with white hair identical to that of the king's. He was the same height as Enishi, but had a more athletic, intimidating build to his body that showed through the layers of rich fabrics and decoration. With the man was a boy who looked to be around seven or eight years of age. The boy looked up when he saw Enishi approach. With a cry of delight, he hopped off his seat and ran toward him to hug the king around his leg.
"Uncle! How are you today?" the boy asked, grinning.
The king smiled fondly down at his nephew. "Very well, Yahiko."
"Yahiko," the seated man called. "Please go play farther off with your nurse. Your uncle and I have some matters to discuss."
"Yes, Papa."
The boy seemed disappointed, but he complied. A woman that Joren had not noticed before who reminded him much of Lady Haname bowed from the far side of the garden. She held out her hand until Yahiko reached her and took it, casting a baleful glance over his small shoulders.
Yahiko's age and the presence of his father indicated something very important to Joren: he was in the past. He had to have been! He recalled Enishi first telling him that Yahiko was his nephew and that he had come under his guardianship after his brother and sister-in-law had died. For Yahiko to appear this young, Joren's mother to be alive, and Yahiko's father to be present, Joren must have been viewing the past. But what did it all mean?
Enishi adjusted his tunic as he sat. His expression transformed into something more businesslike. Joren recognized that look. It was one that had ruled the gangs of Tusaine for years. It had been Joren's worst pictorial memory.
"So, Sanosuke, what did you wish to speak to me about?"
"You know very well what I'm going to say," his younger brother accused.
The king sighed. "You sensed that she is with child, too."
"How could I not?" Sanosuke retorted, appearing very affronted. "The same blood runs through our veins. I should be able to move the mountains just as much as you, if not an inch less! The point is, you should not act as if I know nothing. And," Here Sanosuke leaned forward conspiratorially, "you should not ignore my advice."
"I know what advice you give and I care for none of it," Enishi replied casually.
His little brother appeared very frustrated with him. He stood up and leaned over the stone table, placing both hands to brace him. It was an aggressive stance and Joren wondered if all little brothers of Enishijirou were as big and assertive as Sanosuke.
"Listen, Onisan, your mistress is pregnant and you must have her leave before the Elders know that she is carrying your child. For if they do, they will kill her and your unborn babe to prevent the royal inheritance of an impure bloodline."
"They will do no such thing. I am king. If I do remember correctly, that position entitles me the ultimate power, does it not? I shall declare her my chosen queen and the babe my heir." Enishi continued to remain the epitome of calm and nonchalant, but Joren could tell that he was starting to be affected by his brother's words.
Sanosuke was now thoroughly exasperated. "Do you not get it? They swear their loyalty to the throne itself, the very root of all tradition in this entire city. They swear their loyalty to law, which is older than both of us and older than Enishijirou itself. They will uphold the tradition and they will kill Celeste."
There was a silence that followed that signaled Enishi's resignation and defeat. After a few more moments, Sanosuke sat back down and reached for his brother's hands. Enishi pulled back and placed his hands in his lap, looking his younger brother square in the eye.
"And what do you suggest I do, oh wise little brother?"
The contempt for not just Sanosuke, but everything in the entire world that was not Celeste, was clear in Enishi's eyes.
"I suggest," Sanosuke began, "that I introduce you to one of my friends."
"I hardly think this is the time for you to be matchmaking."
His younger brother chuckled. "No, not that. I was referring to a young traveler who has just entered our realm. He's one of the most interesting men to have unwittingly stumbled in for centuries. I think he would be perfect to assist us in sneaking Celeste out."
"Sneaking her out?" Enishi echoed dully. Joren sighed. He could tell that the white haired king in front of him really did care for his mother and, more, was devastated by the thought of losing her.
"Yes. He will sneak her out and take care of her for the rest of their short mortal lives."
"And the child?"
Sanosuke shrugged. "I imagine that his royal blood will be latent as long as he is not born within the realm where the very air will affect him."
"That would mean that she must leave right away, while she is still fit to travel the mountains," Enishi whispered.
His brother shook his head. "I know this is difficult for you, Onisan, but you must let her go. It is the best choice for her. You want her to live, do you not? You want her and the child to enjoy a full life unhindered by the ties that we have here?" He gestured around him. "I know you love her, but you have loved Enishijirou longer. And you owe the Elders and your people obedience to the law that they, too, submit to. It is only right."
The king hung his head. The conversation was over.
After that very revealing scene in the garden, Joren suddenly found himself transported to a one of the square cubicles of the hive-like First District. He leaned out a window and discovered that he was indeed in the same time period as before. Sanosuke and Enishi stood below him dressed in dark cloaks fastened with bright golden clasps. The younger brother seemed to be comforting his grim-faced onisan as the two prepared to enter the dwelling that Joren was in.
When he saw the pair pass through the entrance below, Joren scrambled for the wooden ladder and almost fell right through the opening to get to the lower floor. He landed on his rear, but felt no pain. There were some benefits to being a ghost after all.
An older woman wearing dozens of bright beaded necklaces and very large turquoise earrings greeted the two men. She bowed many times, causing her jewelry to make a pleasant tinkling noise that continued long after the two men had entered the main room and seated themselves.
Another man was seated at the wooden dinner table. He was dressed in Western travel clothing, and had slight sunburn all on his lower part of his face where his goggles had not covered. His face was actually quite charming. His tousled dark hair and thick eyebrows were attractive and his smile absolutely irresistible.
Joren almost cried out aloud when he realized he was staring at his very own father.
"I would like to introduce you to Derek Stone. He's an extreme sports enthusiast, motorcycles in particular. He was out here with his friends looking for some 'extreme' slopes to snowboard upon." Sanosuke's voice communicated that he was very fascinated with Derek's chosen hobbies. Since they had not left the mountain in centuries and a traveler had not been taken in to them for decades, everything that the man spoke was obviously very interesting and new.
"Greetings, Derek," Enishi said stiffly. "I am Enishi Yukishiro, king of all that you see. I hope you are enjoying your stay in the First District?"
Derek heard the word king and immediately stood to bow to him. His action was obviously jerky and amateur, but it should have been considering that he'd never seen royalty before. "Oh, I'm absolutely loving it here, Sir! Er, Your Highness!"
Joren could feel his breath hitch. He had missed his father so much. Years of replaying that last time he had seen him, pushing him to safety from his burning home… And now here he was, his father in his youth, being introduced to Enishi Yukishiro, who was—
--his real father.
I'm going to vomit, he thought deliriously before stumbling through the doorway leading outside.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he found himself standing at the First Gate. He looked down at the familiar black Yamani characters on the floor. Then he looked to the metal doors with their animals. He walked over to the doors and touched an image of an elephant. He could not feel anything. He didn't think he would.
Enishi and Sanosuke stood side by side in the center of the room. Behind them, Shinkokami looked on, indifferent. Joren recalled that the First District had been her appointed domain. She had probably only wished to be rid of the new traveler so as to preserve the way of life in Enishijirou.
In front of king and prince stood Derek Stone, Celeste, and two other mortal men carrying western style packs. The two men were obviously part of Derek's snowboarding party, the way they looked about nervously as if they wanted to just go home and forget the whole thing happened. Joren knew they wouldn't remember anyway. Enishi would make sure of that, using whatever magic the king wanted.
Celeste was not able to meet Enishi's eyes. She appeared very sad, almost heartbroken. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying for days. She probably had. Enishi murmured something to her that Joren could not hear. Neither lover approached the other for a last embrace or kiss. Derek tried to ignore the scene out of politeness. Sanosuke did the opposite.
The prince heir cleared his throat. "Onisan."
Enishi exhaled deeply. "The way has been cleared for you. My kinswoman shall lead your way back to the outside world. And you shall never again see the snowy peaks of this place again." He paused. His voice sounded ragged. "Farewell. Mays the stars shine upon you with favor."
With that, the king swiftly turned around and faced the door. Derek opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Before he could, Sanosuke stepped to the side to put himself between the traveler and his brother. Shinkokami came forward, whistling. She was, after all, a woman of purpose and business. She would get these mortal humans out of her domain as quickly as possible and without problem.
And so the four human mortals followed Shinkokami down the long tunnel. Joren could make out the bright blue swirls of light along the tunnel walls, activated by the presence of people. He watched down the dark tunnel until the last bit of blue was too far for him to see.
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Joren was surprisingly in no pain when he awoke.
He found himself in a tent. It reminded him of the time that Neal had sent him tumbling down the slope of a mountain and headfirst into a rock. He had awoken in a tent then, too, though it was not as hot as it was now. He got up from the mat he was lying down upon and pressed his hand against his chest. He let his fingers roam over his ribs and his belly and over his sides just to be sure that everything was well.
Perhaps he had only dreamt it.
Enishi would not have shot him. If he had, then why would Joren be sleeping in a tent? He was even wearing the same shirt that he had thought he had been shot in. There were no bullet holes, no evidence at all that what had happened before his revealing flashback had occurred.
Joren slapped himself in the forehead and cursed his imagination for all the stress his mind had endured. He grabbed a nearby cap to shade his fair head from the sun and ducked out of the tent, feeling very grumpy and aggravated by the visions burned into the back of his mind.
He stepped out into the oasis next to the pool. And it was here that Joren almost had a heart attack for what he saw.
The water of the pool was red with blood.
"Have a nice nap?" Enishi called from behind him.
Joren whirled around, utterly lost and confused. "I don't understand."
"Which don't you understand? You'll have to forgive me, but you have quite a few questions running through your head and I can't sort them out for the life of me."
The white haired man was smirking.
"You're…"
"I am."
"Am I…?"
"Depends on how you look at it," Enishi chuckled.
"I cannot be dead!" Joren protested. He glanced back at the red pool. "That's my blood, isn't it?"
"It is." Enishi tilted his head to the side. "And you are not dead. You are like Liam now in a way, but I bet that's the last thing you want to hear. I had to re-initiate you into the family. A little messier than I had first planned all those years ago, but it did its job."
The blond sneered at him. "I refuse to be Joren Yukishiro. My father died in a fire saving my life! I am now and forever will be Joren Stone!"
Enishi's gaze did not soften, but the tone of his voice betrayed what emotion the monarch truly felt. "I would never take that from you. I surrendered that right the moment I agreed with my brother Sanosuke to expel your mother from the realm. You are Joren Stone. I do not deny that."
Joren shook his head. He tried to slow his racing heart to no avail. "How could you… If you loved her… then how could you let her die in a damn fire?"
Enishi's emotionless gaze faltered for a moment, revealing a flicker of emotion recalling the event. "I did not know. I cut off my link to her when I turned my back at the gate." He took a deep breath. "It was your emotional anguish that I felt that signaled me to it. Though I had terminated my link to her, yours was still there. Never tried, never tested, but strong."
The questions were finally being answered. But Joren now wished that he lived in ignorance for the rest of his life. He cursed loudly and kicked at the sand.
"Damn it, then why? Why did you go to Tusaine and put me through all that hell? To test me or something?"
"I had to. Impure blood tends to create either a great hero or a great villain."
"I am no hero."
"I know."
Joren swore again. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at his blood father. "I thought my regenerative abilities were because of the Stormwing blood."
Enishi snorted derisively. "Merely an activating agent for what was already there. Honestly. You think an embarrassingly freakish bird could give you that much power? You have more than you think, you know."
Father and son stared each other down. At last, Joren walked away again, cursing and swearing up a storm. He went down to the edge of the red pool and kicked at the water, sending the pool rippling. He stomped to the other side of the pool to put as much distance between him and Enishi as possible. The white haired king remained patient, only bothering to move his eyes to watch his errant son's tantrum.
At last, his temper died down and Joren collapsed to his knees. His eyes were moist with unshed tears. He balled his hands up into fists and punched the sand.
"I can never go home again," he muttered.
Enishi perked up. "Oh? You actually want to?"
Joren did not answer.
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Author's notes:
5-30-04
Well, there's four seasons of unanswered questions, aye? Either confirming or rejecting all those hypotheses that you nice people had developed—and I tell ya, there were some puh-retty interesting theories. . So I hope you enjoyed the chapter of revelations. Tell me what you think, email or review!
By the way, Sanosuke is also a Rurouni Kenshin character. Thought he would be a nice touch to this whole story. I mean, Enishi and Yahiko are already in it….
Onisan = elder brother in Japanese
Sulia S.