A/N: Well minna, here is my third chapter of this story. As of the time I
write this, I have one review for this story! Yeah! Much, much thanks to
Alatril Carnesr for the review! You have no idea how happy that makes me!
(^^) Amiboshi's POV here. In case you didn't know, Amiboshi's real name
is Bu Koutoku, and Suboshi's is Bu Shunkaku. The dream is a basic thing
from their pasts, though the conversation is changed a little, as I cannot
remember what exactly was said.
Yume no Fue
Chapter 3-Tatakai
By Futatsu no Kodou
He had been traveling for a long time. That was all he knew. He walked, he slept, and he ate. At the moment, he had his back propped against a large tree, trying to get to sleep. His clothing was already soiled from travel along the dusty roads of Sairou. He was following the river by nightfall. Looking back, he probably should have prepared for his journey more before leaving. But, if he had delayed any longer, he knew that despite the need to help his twin he would have found an excuse to stay with his adopted parents a little longer.
As he thought those things to himself, his brother stirred in his soul. He knew now that when he had felt that piece of him return, it had been Suboshi. They shared the same soul, the same life. His younger brother awakened a little. It felt a little uncomfortable when his brother's soul became a separate entity from his own. It felt a little like his skin was too tight. But since it was for Suboshi, he didn't mind.
/Aniki. . .?/ Suboshi murmured. Amiboshi nodded and smiled weakly, leaning his head back against the rough bark of the tree behind him. Its branches were covered in prickly flowers, almost like a cactus, but it provided him with enough shade to be useful, so he was grateful.
"What is it, Suboshi?" He asked softly to the air in front of him. That was how they talked now. Suboshi spoke through him, through his mind, and he talked with the air. Any passerby must have thought him crazy to be speaking to nothing. But he knew Suboshi was there.
/Somebody is coming Aniki. I don't know who it is, but you might/ Suboshi said. Amiboshi was puzzled. He sat up, his fingers searching around his waistband to grasp his reed flute. He didn't know who it might be that he knew. Had his parents come after him? He didn't think they would. Even through their pain and loss he had sensed a feel of. . . acceptance. There had feeling of knowledge that they knew he would leave. It still hurt though.
Suboshi returned to him, and their souls rejoined, leaving Amiboshi's mind silent. He could feel his twin sleeping, dormant. He wouldn't let himself be beaten or led astray now. He had something to do. He needed to help Suboshi. He didn't even know exactly where he was going, but he was just going to have to try.
He strained his eyes to try and look back in the direction he had come from. All he could see was the heat rising from the parched soil in waves, blurring his vision and distorting the arid landscape. He sat down heavily, leaning his back against the only tree in sight. Whatever was coming, it would reach him whether he watched or not. He closed his eyes briefly. Despite his relaxed position and appearance, his hands were within easy reach of his flute.
It seemed a few minutes had passed before he opened his eyes again. If he wasn't mistaken, a small cloud of dust was growing closer and closer. Amiboshi blinked and hoped he wasn't seeing mirages. He could get a drink from the river just to be sure. Thinking that a good idea, he got up and refilled his water container, taking a long sip. The dust cloud was going slowly but steadily, and he thought it would be here soon.
As he waited, the warm sun and the fact that he had run all night began to take a toll on him. He propped himself up against the tree again, using his arms as a pillow. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he found himself unwillingly slipping away into the land of dreams.
"Shun! Shunkaku?" He called over and over. His father's weak voiced words echoed in his mind over and over again.
'We hid your brother in the barn. Go save him Koutoku.'
'What about oka-san! And you oto-san!'
'Koutoku. . . take care of your brother. Your mother is. . .'
'NO! She's still alive!'
'GO! Save your brother now, before the Kutou soldiers get him! Go now!'
The next thing Bu Koutoku knew was that he was running towards the barn out back. Smoke clouded his eyes and made his cough. He slipped and fell, almost losing grip on the flute he carried in his hands. More of his father's words fogged his mind.
'You're a Seiryu shichi seishi! You are Amiboshi! You must protect the country!'
'Is Shun a seishi too?'
'I don't know. You have to protect him! You can channel your chi. . . Through your mouth. That is why you can affect us by whistling. Use. . . the flute. . .'
"Otouto! Where are you?!" Koutoku screamed, his hands thrown up in front of him as if to ward off the flickering flames. The Kutou soldiers had set the village aflame.
"ANIKI!" He heard a frantic, high-pitched yelp. Koutoku raced off in the direction it had come from, running as fast as his small legs would carry him. Several of the mean men were advancing on his brother threateningly. Shun had always been sickly and weaker than him, and he stood rooted to the spot. "Aniki!" He wailed again.
"Shut up ya brat!" One of the soldiers barked, jabbing shortly with his spear in a warning. Shun sniffled a little and cried out again for his brother.
"This one's gonna die soon anyway, lookit how scraggly he is and sick lookin too." One of the other men commented off handedly. "We could sell him, but he wouldn't get much."
That was when Koutoku reached his brother and jumped in front of him protectively. Shun immediately latched onto the back of his torn shirt, sobbing softly. The soldiers guffawed loudly.
"Lookit the lil brave boy here! Whatcha gonna do, kid? I say we sell this one and kill the weak one! They're twins, see? We always kill the weak twin where I come from, they're bad luck!" The larger soldier said, brandishing his sword.
Koutoku didn't know what to do. They were going to kill Shun, and then sell him into slavery! They. . . they killed his parents! And now they wanted to take his brother away too? Without hesitating now, he brought the flute his father had given him to his mouth.
Koutoku had never played a flute in his life. He knew how to whistle though. But when the flute touched his mouth, he knew what to do. His fingers moved of their own accord and a high pitched, fast paced melody spring forth. The soldiers clutched their heads and screamed in pain, but Koutoku didn't stop playing. A bright blue symbol shone briefly from his shoulder. He didn't stop until the men stopped twitching. . .
Amiboshi awoke quickly, a cold sweat covering him. He panted briefly. He couldn't see! Quickly he realized that their was a bright light shining in front of him as his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden onslaught of brightness. He blinked rapidly when he heard the sound of a horse pawing the ground.
"Kai-Ka? Are you awake?" He heard of young woman's voice. Well, a girl's voice. He sat up and managed to focus on the voice, his eyes taking in the surroundings. His was still in the same place as before. A bright fire burned in front of him, fed by brittle branches torn off of the tree. A dusty brown horse was tethered nearby, attempting to graze on the withered grass. What caught his attention was the woman, he meant girl that was sitting in front of him.
"Rekki?" He wondered aloud. The girl giggled a little and nodded. She was sitting down on a blanket, poking the fire with a long and sturdy branch to keep it going. She wasn't wearing her usual attire; skirts and blouse. She was dressed in a man's tunic, with what looked like pants borrowed from her younger brother's clothing. Even her head was wrapped in a cloth to hide her waist-length hair. Except for the slight chest she possessed, she looked just like a man, well, except for some delicate facial features.
"How do you feel Kai-Ka? I think you might have passed out from the heat. You ran all night didn't you?" Her voice was tinged with concern and worry. Just being around her reminded Amiboshi off his village, and he realized that she might be trying to get him to come back.
"I'm fine!" He insisted, trying to sound gruff and unfeeling, like he didn't care. He did though. It was kind of, a touching feeling to know that someone had come after him, but he couldn't allow anyone to interfere now. He turned his head away. He could still see Rekki through the corner of his blue eyes. She looked genuinely hurt at his words, and he regretted them instantly, but it had to be done.
There was a very long and awkward pause between the two of them. Amiboshi pretended he didn't care and Rekki tried to collect her thoughts.
"Kai-Ka? Who's Shun?" She asked suddenly in a small, weak, and almost submissive voice. He almost winced; both at the tone and the question. He didn't respond and stared into the fire sullenly. He was almost glad that his brother didn't separate for the moment. Rekki tried to fill the silence. "Because. . . I heard you calling that name when you were sleeping." She said softly, staring down at her booted feet.
Amiboshi gritted his teeth. He couldn't respond. It would absolutely kill him to tell anyone that Shun was 'no one', even if it was a lie and he knew it. He could never say anything like that about his twin, not even to throw someone off the trail. So, he stared at the fire as if something extremely interesting lay within.
"Is he. . . your twin brother?" Rekki said suddenly, daring to look up and gauge his reaction. Amiboshi couldn't help but start, looking up. How in the fours corners of the earth had she known? As he looked at her, the one thing he kept noticing was her eyes. They were so expressive and he could read so many things in them; concern, worry, curiosity, and something else. He didn't know what the something else was.
"How do you know?" He asked, glaring at her accusingly as if she'd been snooping around in his memories. She shrunk down under his fierce glance, but obviously tried to gather herself up. She straightened her back and looked right back at him.
"Your parents told me, and before you ask. . . they overheard you speaking with. . . the Suzaku no Miko." She said firmly. Amiboshi was dumbstruck for a moment. His parents had listened? And, what was that emotion in her voice when she referred to Miaka? It was an icy inflection that he'd never heard in the sweet, quiet girl before.
"He is my twin brother." He said. Having confirmed her question, he said no more, not knowing exactly how much she knew, but she continued to press the issue.
"Is he Suboshi? And. . . You are Amiboshi." She said wonderingly. He didn't see any gain in denying it, so he nodded slowly. He didn't know the extent of her knowledge yet. "Kai- Amiboshi? Where. . . are you going?" She asked again, clasping her hands in front of her nervously.
"Nowhere that you should concern yourself with Rekki. Go home." He said harshly. She flinched and Amiboshi was surprised himself at how hard his voice sounded. It reminded him of Nakago. Rekki stared at him. "Go back to the village Rekki." He insisted again.
"Why do you want me to go, Kai-Ka? I can help. Onegai?" She queried softly, her voice almost breaking, her eyes begging him for an answer. He stood up, anger tainting his voice.
"I don't want you here!" He snapped. "Go home now before I carry you back myself Hanashi Rekki." He surprised himself again at the anger and fluster in his voice. He didn't know where this steel-hard resolve came from. /Aniki, please help me?/ It was Suboshi, influencing him through his soul. He was partly glad, but he sobered a little when he saw the girl get up and gather her things mechanically. He could even hear her choking back tears. Had he made her cry?
"Do you really love Miaka that much, Kai-Ka? Is that what this is all about?! IS IT?" She demanded when she shouldered a small bag containing her things. Tears flowed down her cheeks from her gold-brown eyes and her voice overflowed with something he wanted to label jealousy, and that confused him. He called on Suboshi to help him with what he needed to say.
"Go home." Those two words came from his mouth, devoid of emotion. Rekki stiffened and turned around, her shoulders shaking in anger and sadness.
"Take the horse with you. . . you'll need it. . . to get to HER quicker." She said softly, her voice barely audible. "I'll walk back to the village, it's not that far." And with that she began to walk away before she broke into a hasty run under the starry sky.
Amiboshi was sorely confused. He was doing this all for Suboshi. All for Suboshi. Miaka wasn't involved at all. . . was she?
A/N: Well folks, that's it. When I called this chapter Tatakai, I meant a battle of wills, not a physical battle. But anyway, review people! Onegai?
Minna/Everybody
Oka-san/Mother
Oto-san/Father
Otouto/Little Brother
Onegai/Please
Yume no Fue
Chapter 3-Tatakai
By Futatsu no Kodou
He had been traveling for a long time. That was all he knew. He walked, he slept, and he ate. At the moment, he had his back propped against a large tree, trying to get to sleep. His clothing was already soiled from travel along the dusty roads of Sairou. He was following the river by nightfall. Looking back, he probably should have prepared for his journey more before leaving. But, if he had delayed any longer, he knew that despite the need to help his twin he would have found an excuse to stay with his adopted parents a little longer.
As he thought those things to himself, his brother stirred in his soul. He knew now that when he had felt that piece of him return, it had been Suboshi. They shared the same soul, the same life. His younger brother awakened a little. It felt a little uncomfortable when his brother's soul became a separate entity from his own. It felt a little like his skin was too tight. But since it was for Suboshi, he didn't mind.
/Aniki. . .?/ Suboshi murmured. Amiboshi nodded and smiled weakly, leaning his head back against the rough bark of the tree behind him. Its branches were covered in prickly flowers, almost like a cactus, but it provided him with enough shade to be useful, so he was grateful.
"What is it, Suboshi?" He asked softly to the air in front of him. That was how they talked now. Suboshi spoke through him, through his mind, and he talked with the air. Any passerby must have thought him crazy to be speaking to nothing. But he knew Suboshi was there.
/Somebody is coming Aniki. I don't know who it is, but you might/ Suboshi said. Amiboshi was puzzled. He sat up, his fingers searching around his waistband to grasp his reed flute. He didn't know who it might be that he knew. Had his parents come after him? He didn't think they would. Even through their pain and loss he had sensed a feel of. . . acceptance. There had feeling of knowledge that they knew he would leave. It still hurt though.
Suboshi returned to him, and their souls rejoined, leaving Amiboshi's mind silent. He could feel his twin sleeping, dormant. He wouldn't let himself be beaten or led astray now. He had something to do. He needed to help Suboshi. He didn't even know exactly where he was going, but he was just going to have to try.
He strained his eyes to try and look back in the direction he had come from. All he could see was the heat rising from the parched soil in waves, blurring his vision and distorting the arid landscape. He sat down heavily, leaning his back against the only tree in sight. Whatever was coming, it would reach him whether he watched or not. He closed his eyes briefly. Despite his relaxed position and appearance, his hands were within easy reach of his flute.
It seemed a few minutes had passed before he opened his eyes again. If he wasn't mistaken, a small cloud of dust was growing closer and closer. Amiboshi blinked and hoped he wasn't seeing mirages. He could get a drink from the river just to be sure. Thinking that a good idea, he got up and refilled his water container, taking a long sip. The dust cloud was going slowly but steadily, and he thought it would be here soon.
As he waited, the warm sun and the fact that he had run all night began to take a toll on him. He propped himself up against the tree again, using his arms as a pillow. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he found himself unwillingly slipping away into the land of dreams.
"Shun! Shunkaku?" He called over and over. His father's weak voiced words echoed in his mind over and over again.
'We hid your brother in the barn. Go save him Koutoku.'
'What about oka-san! And you oto-san!'
'Koutoku. . . take care of your brother. Your mother is. . .'
'NO! She's still alive!'
'GO! Save your brother now, before the Kutou soldiers get him! Go now!'
The next thing Bu Koutoku knew was that he was running towards the barn out back. Smoke clouded his eyes and made his cough. He slipped and fell, almost losing grip on the flute he carried in his hands. More of his father's words fogged his mind.
'You're a Seiryu shichi seishi! You are Amiboshi! You must protect the country!'
'Is Shun a seishi too?'
'I don't know. You have to protect him! You can channel your chi. . . Through your mouth. That is why you can affect us by whistling. Use. . . the flute. . .'
"Otouto! Where are you?!" Koutoku screamed, his hands thrown up in front of him as if to ward off the flickering flames. The Kutou soldiers had set the village aflame.
"ANIKI!" He heard a frantic, high-pitched yelp. Koutoku raced off in the direction it had come from, running as fast as his small legs would carry him. Several of the mean men were advancing on his brother threateningly. Shun had always been sickly and weaker than him, and he stood rooted to the spot. "Aniki!" He wailed again.
"Shut up ya brat!" One of the soldiers barked, jabbing shortly with his spear in a warning. Shun sniffled a little and cried out again for his brother.
"This one's gonna die soon anyway, lookit how scraggly he is and sick lookin too." One of the other men commented off handedly. "We could sell him, but he wouldn't get much."
That was when Koutoku reached his brother and jumped in front of him protectively. Shun immediately latched onto the back of his torn shirt, sobbing softly. The soldiers guffawed loudly.
"Lookit the lil brave boy here! Whatcha gonna do, kid? I say we sell this one and kill the weak one! They're twins, see? We always kill the weak twin where I come from, they're bad luck!" The larger soldier said, brandishing his sword.
Koutoku didn't know what to do. They were going to kill Shun, and then sell him into slavery! They. . . they killed his parents! And now they wanted to take his brother away too? Without hesitating now, he brought the flute his father had given him to his mouth.
Koutoku had never played a flute in his life. He knew how to whistle though. But when the flute touched his mouth, he knew what to do. His fingers moved of their own accord and a high pitched, fast paced melody spring forth. The soldiers clutched their heads and screamed in pain, but Koutoku didn't stop playing. A bright blue symbol shone briefly from his shoulder. He didn't stop until the men stopped twitching. . .
Amiboshi awoke quickly, a cold sweat covering him. He panted briefly. He couldn't see! Quickly he realized that their was a bright light shining in front of him as his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden onslaught of brightness. He blinked rapidly when he heard the sound of a horse pawing the ground.
"Kai-Ka? Are you awake?" He heard of young woman's voice. Well, a girl's voice. He sat up and managed to focus on the voice, his eyes taking in the surroundings. His was still in the same place as before. A bright fire burned in front of him, fed by brittle branches torn off of the tree. A dusty brown horse was tethered nearby, attempting to graze on the withered grass. What caught his attention was the woman, he meant girl that was sitting in front of him.
"Rekki?" He wondered aloud. The girl giggled a little and nodded. She was sitting down on a blanket, poking the fire with a long and sturdy branch to keep it going. She wasn't wearing her usual attire; skirts and blouse. She was dressed in a man's tunic, with what looked like pants borrowed from her younger brother's clothing. Even her head was wrapped in a cloth to hide her waist-length hair. Except for the slight chest she possessed, she looked just like a man, well, except for some delicate facial features.
"How do you feel Kai-Ka? I think you might have passed out from the heat. You ran all night didn't you?" Her voice was tinged with concern and worry. Just being around her reminded Amiboshi off his village, and he realized that she might be trying to get him to come back.
"I'm fine!" He insisted, trying to sound gruff and unfeeling, like he didn't care. He did though. It was kind of, a touching feeling to know that someone had come after him, but he couldn't allow anyone to interfere now. He turned his head away. He could still see Rekki through the corner of his blue eyes. She looked genuinely hurt at his words, and he regretted them instantly, but it had to be done.
There was a very long and awkward pause between the two of them. Amiboshi pretended he didn't care and Rekki tried to collect her thoughts.
"Kai-Ka? Who's Shun?" She asked suddenly in a small, weak, and almost submissive voice. He almost winced; both at the tone and the question. He didn't respond and stared into the fire sullenly. He was almost glad that his brother didn't separate for the moment. Rekki tried to fill the silence. "Because. . . I heard you calling that name when you were sleeping." She said softly, staring down at her booted feet.
Amiboshi gritted his teeth. He couldn't respond. It would absolutely kill him to tell anyone that Shun was 'no one', even if it was a lie and he knew it. He could never say anything like that about his twin, not even to throw someone off the trail. So, he stared at the fire as if something extremely interesting lay within.
"Is he. . . your twin brother?" Rekki said suddenly, daring to look up and gauge his reaction. Amiboshi couldn't help but start, looking up. How in the fours corners of the earth had she known? As he looked at her, the one thing he kept noticing was her eyes. They were so expressive and he could read so many things in them; concern, worry, curiosity, and something else. He didn't know what the something else was.
"How do you know?" He asked, glaring at her accusingly as if she'd been snooping around in his memories. She shrunk down under his fierce glance, but obviously tried to gather herself up. She straightened her back and looked right back at him.
"Your parents told me, and before you ask. . . they overheard you speaking with. . . the Suzaku no Miko." She said firmly. Amiboshi was dumbstruck for a moment. His parents had listened? And, what was that emotion in her voice when she referred to Miaka? It was an icy inflection that he'd never heard in the sweet, quiet girl before.
"He is my twin brother." He said. Having confirmed her question, he said no more, not knowing exactly how much she knew, but she continued to press the issue.
"Is he Suboshi? And. . . You are Amiboshi." She said wonderingly. He didn't see any gain in denying it, so he nodded slowly. He didn't know the extent of her knowledge yet. "Kai- Amiboshi? Where. . . are you going?" She asked again, clasping her hands in front of her nervously.
"Nowhere that you should concern yourself with Rekki. Go home." He said harshly. She flinched and Amiboshi was surprised himself at how hard his voice sounded. It reminded him of Nakago. Rekki stared at him. "Go back to the village Rekki." He insisted again.
"Why do you want me to go, Kai-Ka? I can help. Onegai?" She queried softly, her voice almost breaking, her eyes begging him for an answer. He stood up, anger tainting his voice.
"I don't want you here!" He snapped. "Go home now before I carry you back myself Hanashi Rekki." He surprised himself again at the anger and fluster in his voice. He didn't know where this steel-hard resolve came from. /Aniki, please help me?/ It was Suboshi, influencing him through his soul. He was partly glad, but he sobered a little when he saw the girl get up and gather her things mechanically. He could even hear her choking back tears. Had he made her cry?
"Do you really love Miaka that much, Kai-Ka? Is that what this is all about?! IS IT?" She demanded when she shouldered a small bag containing her things. Tears flowed down her cheeks from her gold-brown eyes and her voice overflowed with something he wanted to label jealousy, and that confused him. He called on Suboshi to help him with what he needed to say.
"Go home." Those two words came from his mouth, devoid of emotion. Rekki stiffened and turned around, her shoulders shaking in anger and sadness.
"Take the horse with you. . . you'll need it. . . to get to HER quicker." She said softly, her voice barely audible. "I'll walk back to the village, it's not that far." And with that she began to walk away before she broke into a hasty run under the starry sky.
Amiboshi was sorely confused. He was doing this all for Suboshi. All for Suboshi. Miaka wasn't involved at all. . . was she?
A/N: Well folks, that's it. When I called this chapter Tatakai, I meant a battle of wills, not a physical battle. But anyway, review people! Onegai?
Minna/Everybody
Oka-san/Mother
Oto-san/Father
Otouto/Little Brother
Onegai/Please