Chapter Four
Special Times
After awhile, Jason had finally settled down, and they stopped for lunch.
"Akuira, I'm--"
"You don't have to say anything!" Akuira cut Tondrin off.
"Yes I do!" He followed her from the water side up to the edge of the forest.
"No you don't! I understand entirely!" Akuira snapped. He nearly kissed me! The nerve, Akuira thought.
"No, you don't! I have to explain! Give me a moment!" he said a bit harshly. She's going to hate me for doing this, Tondrin thought. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him.
"Listen to me!" he cried.
"No! I'm not going to listen to you, Tondrin! You can't change what you've done!" Akuira shouted before running off into the island's forest.
"Oh… Shit.. Jasonu's going to kill me when he finds out what happened..." Tondrin muttered.
"Hey there, Tondrin! Where's my sis?" Jasonu said as he walked toward Tondrin. Oh shit. Jasonu's here, Tondrin thought.
"She's in there." Tondrin pointed toward the forest.
"Oh okay, well--SHE'S WHERE? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Jasonu grabbed the collar of Tondrin's shirt.
"Hey! Easy there, Jason! I didn't do anything!" - Well, sort of, Tondrin thought - "I'm serious!" And I seriously hate you now. But it's not as if I didn't hate you before, Tondrin thought.
Jasonu let go of Tondrin, staring him hard in the face.
"She went into the forest." Jasonu finally stated.
"Yes." Tondrin nodded.
"Why did she go into the forest?" he asked.
"You're asking me this!" Tondrin asked.
"Is there anybody else to ask?" Jasonu muttered.
"No." Tondrin answered.
"There you go." Jasonu said, nearly snapping at Tondrin.
Tondrin shook Jason off.
"Back off, I'm gonna find her, unless you hold me and something bad happens." he said harshly. Jasonu stared at him.
"Fine. Don't come back unless she's with you, and if she isn't then I'm blaming you." he said. Tondrin punched him with all his strength in the stomach.
"I've had enough of your shit." he said walking into the forest.
"No wonder I hate you.." Jasonu muttered on his way back to the others.
-X-
Tondrin moved the bushes and a tree out of the way.
"AKUIRA!" he called, getting worried. Silence answered back until a horrified scream rang through the air.
"AKUIRA!" he yelled, running toward the scream. Don't let me be late, he thought, Oh god please don't let me.
"TONDRIN!" Akuira yelled, which was followed by a loud roar which was unfamiliar. He found her on the ground.
"Akuira.." he said, hugging her, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." he said. Akuira put her arms around his neck.
"Tondrin.." she whispered faintly.
"Are you okay.." he asked. She didn't answer but was breathing quickly. He picked her up and ran back to the beach, his heart racing. "This is all my fault, why… Why must I be such an idiot?" he told himself, stumbling out of the woods onto his back at the camp site.
"H-help.." he coughed out. Kagome looked at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Akuira's hurt… Kagome help her, please.." he pleaded. Kagome looked at Akuira, seeing her state.
"Oh dear. Quick, lay her on the sand and please, gather some herbs." she said slightly fast.
Tondrin got up sighing.
"Kagome… This is all my fault." he said, laying Akuira down and getting herbs at the foot of the forest.
"It's not your fault, Tondrin." Kagome told him.
"Yeah, it's Jasonu's fault." Inuyasha said.
"And how in the hell is it my fault!" Jasonu asked, but Inuyasha only shrugged. Tondrin shook his head.
"No, it's all mine. I don't deserve to have friends like you." he said.
"Tondrin, don't blame yourself for everything you do.." Sango told him.
"I don't do that. I almost kissed her, she got mad and ran into the forest." he said, "It's my fault she ran in the forest…" Jasonu looked at him.
"So that's why she hit me over the head with a tree branch.." he said. Tondrin was walking into the water, not paying attention to them. The water was as cold as ice against his skin.
"Tondrin, come back please!" Sango yelled, but Tondrin didn't move from his spot.
-X-
As darkness settled around them, the group all sat around a small bon-fire. Akuira leaned against Tondrin with her head on his chest as well as having a medium-sized branch clutched in one hand.
"Tondrin... You're an idiot.." Jasonu muttered. Akuira raised her hand, and hit Jason over the head with the tree branch.
"OUCH!" Jasonu yelled for the umpteenth time.
"Sucker..." Tondrin muttered before getting hit over the head himself.
"I'm going to do this until you both stop taking shots at each other." Akuira said with her eyes closed, head on Tondrin's chest and once more letting her arm rest.
"It bloody hurts, though!" Jasonu protested.
"Suck it up... Wimp..." Tondrin snapped.
"Do the both of you want another hit over the head!"
"No..."
"Then stop acting like children!"
Inuyasha chuckled slightly.
"Akuira... You sound like someone I know.." he stated. Akuira opened one eye and looked at him.
"And who would that be?" she asked.
"I can't remember their name... But you really do sound like them." Inuyasha reassured. Tondrin put his arms around Akuira to keep her from moving.
"Tondrin," she whispered very quietly, "I'm alright...you don't have to keep your arms around me.." Tondrin lowered his head slightly.
"I know... But it's not very often that you're calm like this..." he whispered back. She smiled and closed both her eyes once more.
-X-
"AKUIRA!"
"AKUIRA!"
"TONDRIN!"
Tondrin awoke with a start in the middle of the night. He turned onto his other side, seeing Akuira's back. Tondrin moved closer to her, seeing that she was shivering and wrapped his arms around her. His warm breathing caressed her neck gently. Akuira opened one eye sleepily.
"Tondrin..." she whispered.
"Akuira..." he whispered back. She sighed slightly before turning onto her other side to face him while still in his arms. He smiled down at her.
"You're awake.." she asked, her voice still hushed.
"Yes... And I see you are too.." he answered.
Tondrin held her closer to himself, holding her slightly tighter.
"Thank you for keeping me warm..." Akuira purred. He smiled, and looked at her face. She peered up at him through the dark of night, and just managed to see his face. The perfect moment, he thought, the perfect moment to kiss her. At long last. Tondrin tried to hide the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth as his face loomed closer to hers once more. There was no Jasonu to interrupt this time.
She smiled just before his lips pressed against hers. Akuira's eyes grew wide for the first few seconds, but they then closed as she enjoyed the moment. Score for me, Tondrin thought. And no screwed older brother to ruin the moment. Tondrin held her tighter, not wanting the moment to end. A soft, low purr developed in Akuira's throat before breaking the kiss and looking at him.
"Tondrin.." she whispered gently before he placed his index finger on her lips. He stared down at her, a small smile was on his face.
-X-
"Rise and shine, lovers!" Kagome teased, trying to wake both Tondrin and Akuira.
The morning sun blazed down upon them brightly, bringing with it another day in the middle of a strange island that they have no knowledge of. Jasonu walked over, then sharply kicked Tondrin in the back.
"Get up, and get your miffs off my sister." he said angrily. Kagome scowled as Tondrin sat up on the warm sand. He repeated what Jasonu had said, but in a slightly higher pitched voice and much faster.
"Shut up." Jason snapped, walking away.
"Make me, you moron." Tondrin snapped back, then laid back down on the sand. I don't know WHAT he's got against me, Tondrin thought, but he's making a scene about it.
Akuira opened her eyes, peering up at Tondrin.
"Morning, already?" she asked sleepily.
"Yeah, and your screwed up brother is at it again." Tondrin muttered.
"I'm going to kill him one of these days, whether we're back home or not." Akuira declared, giving Jasonu an evil look.
"Just leave him. He's just grumpy because he doesn't know where we are." Kagome smiled, then got up and walked away.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." Tondrin muttered, then looked at Akuira as she began to giggle.
"What's so funny?" he asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing." she smiled. He looked at her oddly, then began to tickle her.
"Come on, what's so funny?" he asked again, starting to laugh.
Akuira began to laugh harder.
"Tondrin!" she squealed, trying to move away.
"Come on, what's so funny, Akuira-chan?" he asked again. Akuira looked at him.
"Nobody's called me that in years, Tondrin. How'd you know my real name was Akuira?" she asked, looking amazed.
"Oh... I've got my ways.." Tondrin smiled. He wasn't about to say that he'd heard Jasonu call her Akuira in one of their many fights. Akuira gave him an odd look.
"Do I want to know how you found out?" she asked, sitting up.
"Maybe.." Tondrin answered, sitting up beside her.
"Akuira, if you could come back to reality I want to talk to you!" Jasonu called, growing more impatient by the minute.
"When will he ever leave me to live the way I want to?" Tondrin heard Akuira mutter before she got up to talk to Jasonu.
Tondrin watched Akuira. He had only met her just a year and a half ago, yet it seemed like they'd known each other their entire lives. He remembered meeting a small half-tiger demon girl when he was just a young child, outside his own village which was miles away from a village of Tiger demons. He couldn't forget her. She had the same sharp crystal blue eyes as Akuira.
Over and over, countless times he had thought that moment over, as if trying to make sense of it. He had considered it being Akuira, but, it couldn't be. Tiger demons and Fire demons were born enemies, never in a million years would they be on the same side. Fire demons were strictly forbidden from villages of Tiger demons, and visa versa.
It didn't make any sense to him at all. Then, he remembered the war, which happened quite a few years after then. The war between both demon races. He took part in it, and broke an arm. He remembered their prisoner. Their female half-tiger demon prisoner. For some odd reason, he believed that she too, was Akuira.
He remembered standing guard, in case she had ever attempted to escape. They had talked, although it was mainly for information. As being on guard to watch prisoners, Tondrin was to gather as much information as possible. Anything was useful at that time. He remembered all the silent answers, but when he thought how the prisoner could have been Akuira, he became slightly angry with himself from attacking the prisoner so many times just for answers.
He recalled the dirty look she had given him after he smacked her across the face.
"Give me straight answers, you stupid Tiger!" Tondrin had yelled. The female only gave him the dirtiest look ever as a response.
"Why should I? I'm not your servant." she had snapped with disgust.
"You'll end up dead, just like the majority of your people." Tondrin snapped, then sat down again as she turned away, resting on the ground. He remembered it all. The silence after that. He recalled feeling bad as his prisoner began to shed tears.
"Don't cry." he said softly. The girl turned around and looked at him.
"What?" she asked. He looked up.
"I said don't cry." he repeated.
-X-
"Don't cry..."
"Uh... What are you talking about, Tondrin?"
Tondrin shook his head as Akuira sat beside him. He looked at her.
"Oh, uh.. I was just... I don't know." Tondrin said finally. She looked at him.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He nodded, "Yes, I'm fine." He looked at her.
"Akuira, I've been thinking." Tondrin started.
"Of what?" Akuira asked.
"The war." he answered. Akuira looked at him before becoming silent.
"Akuira," he said, "what's wrong?"
She looked down for a second, then answered, "I too, remember the war. I remember the fights, the fear, the looks on everyone's faces. And, being captured." Being captured. Once more, the scene that he had just remembered played in his mind. That was when it clicked in.
"You were her. You were the girl!" Tondrin said suddenly. Akuira gave him an odd look.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"You were the prisoner!" he exclaimed, then realized she had no idea what he was talking about.
"Akuira, I remember standing guard, being sure the prisoner, my captain had captured, didn't escape. Wasn't that you?" Tondrin asked, looking at her. Akuira nodded, then it also clicked in.
"You were the guard. You were the one that wanted straight answers from me," she looked down again before continuing, "you told me not to cry.."
He saw the look on her face, and the emotion it held. Tondrin wrapped an arm around her, despite the fact that Jasonu was watching out of the corner of his eye.
"Naku na, o-negai shimasu, Akuira-chan." Tondrin whispered. She looked up at him before letting her head rest on his chest.
A/N: The phrase Naku na, o-negai shimasu means Don't cry, I beg of you.
