Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.
Red Wings of Fate
Chapter 12: Twin Talk
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
~Conversations between twins~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Suboshi slowly opened his eyes. He tossed and turned a bit. 'Man…I'm homesick…I think…I hate this…Momo…' He sat up quickly. 'Dammit to hell! I need to stop thinking about her…it's not making anything better.' He sighed and began pacing.
After a moment he felt his arm tingle. He pulled up his sleeve and looked.
~Suboshi…you there?~
He looked at his arm. ~Well duh…not like I can detach my arm…~
~Sorry. How are you?~
~Been better…I think I'm homesick…~
~Poor you.~
~Shut up.~
~Technically I'm not talking.~
~You're being a smart ass…~
~I know. So…any sign of the Suzaku seishi?~
~No…not that I really want to see them…~
~Why? …Wait…that's a stupid question isn't it?~
~Ya think? …How's Momo?~
~She doesn't like the fact that you're gone, but she seems okay. You miss her?~
~More than I care to admit.~
~Thought so.~
~Quit acting like some all knowing being. It's not helping.~
~I know. But it's fun to bug you.~
~Good night Aniki.~
~Good night.~
Suboshi pulled his sleeve back down. He rested his head against the window frame. How many more days until the Suzaku seishi showed up?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kohana leaned her head on the edge of the giant bath. Tasuki, Chichiri and Piao were at the other end of the bath. She hated to admit just how out of place she was. She shifted in the water and sighed. She'd ridden a few horses before, but never as long as she had recently.
A soft meow grabbed her attention. She looked to her left and saw Hime next to her. She reached out of the water and scratched her on the head. She purred softly. More than once, Kohana had wondered if there was something more to the cat. She had been one of Tai Itsukun's pets. Hime also had an unbelievable knack for getting her in trouble.
"Kohana ne-chan, you okay?" An Hua swam over to her. She looked concerned.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Don't look fine." She retorted.
"It's nothing really. I feel a little out of place."
"Why?"
"This isn't where I grew up. I don't have anyone else to talk about my world with. Well…the only other person I could isn't around."
"Who's that?"
"My…" She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next. "Friend…Momo. The priestess of Seiryuu." She liked calling Momo her friend, even if it might not be completely true.
An Hua made a face. "Isn't she supposed to be like an enemy or something?"
"No one is supposed to be an enemy. We could be friends with them if we tried hard enough." 'Maybe…'
"Oh." An Hua seemed mostly satisfied with that answer and smiled. "Okay."
After washing up, the girls redressed and went to find the guys. Hotohori and Kohana went out for food while everyone stayed in.
Kohana looked around at some of the shops. She wasn't used to small stalls like this. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she bumped into someone. He wore a cloak that shielded his face. He mumbled an apology.
She smiled. "It's okay. I wasn't watching." She walked away from her.
Hotohori looked at the young man. "Kohana, check your purse…he looks suspicious…"
She opened her bag. "No…everything's here…"
Suddenly, a man went running past Kohana. He grabbed her purse and pushed her over. "Thanks a bunch lady!" He laughed and ran.
Kohana stumbled into Hotohori. She hissed. "HEY YOU BASTARD!" Kohana was furious. She ran off after the man. Hotohori went after her.
The cloaked young man looked up as he walked. He stepped in the path of the robber. The older man sneered and shoved him. "Outta the way runt!"
Kohana continued to yell at him from a dozen or so meters behind.
The young man raised his hand. The Ryuuseisui flew from out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his legs, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Hey! What the hell is this?!" He growled.
"Are you going to give her back her money?"
"Make me!" He sneered as he wrestled with the strings.
The cloaked man moved his hand again and the Ryuuseisui began to dig into the man. He screamed. "Okay! I'll give it back!"
The Ryuuseisui distanced themselves from the man but continued to spin nearby. "Thought so…" He looked up at Kohana who was running up now. "He's ready to give up."
"Thanks." Kohana grabbed her purse.
"Why you little!" The man suddenly got up and slashed at the cloaked man. He reacted quickly and grabbed the robber's hand. He twisted his wrist. The man yelped in pain and let go of the knife.
"Leave unless you want to lose something important." He hissed.
He ran quickly. "Freaks!"
Kohana saw a cut in his shirt. "You okay?"
He winced. "Damn…that knife was sharp…"
"We have a friend who's a healer. He could look at that."
"You're too kind…miss…umm…"
"I'm Kohana, this is Hotohori."
He sucked in a breath trying to ignore the pain. "My name is…" He thought for a panicked moment. "Shunkaku…"
"Nice to meet you. Thanks for getting my purse. How'd you do that?"
He made the Ryuuseisui come back. He shrugged. "I've always been able to do it. Guess I am a freak, huh?"
Hotohori shook his head. "You're not a freak. Everyone has certain abilities. Come with us. You should get checked out." The young man nodded and followed them to the in.
Mitsukake looked at the boy. "You'll have to take off your shirt. for me to look at this."
He shifted nervously, but complied. He untied the cloak, then took off his shirt.
Mitsukake began to look him over. "Now where does it…" He trailed off. "Kohana, Hotohori! Everyone, come in here!" Everyone filed into the room.
"What is it?" Kohana was first.
"This better be important. I was taking a damn nap. I'm tired!"
The boy sitting on the bed looked nervous.
"Look." Mitsukake pointed to Shunkaku's collarbone.
"Ummm…I can explain that…ummm…why are you all staring at me?" He blushed.
"I'll be damned. It is important." Tasuki was less annoyed now.
"Chiriko?" Kohana asked.
"So what if I am?"
Mitsukake noticed a large bandage on his left shoulder. "What happened here?"
Chiriko backed away. "That's nothing! Just a bruise from a while ago!"
"Well, we could just change the bandage…"
"No! Really! I just changed it a little while ago!"
Mitsukake gave him an odd look. "Fine…" He hated disagreeable patients.
Kohana studied Chiriko's face. 'Wait…where have I seen him before? Very familiar…' She couldn't quiet remember why he looked so familiar. 'Maybe it will come later…'
"Does this mean we can go back to the palace?" Chichiri asked.
"P-palace? Who are you guys anyway?" Chiriko looked confused.
"We're the Suzaku seishi, duh!" Tasuki gave him a playful whack on the head. "You're one of us, right?"
"Ummm…I guess so…" Chiriko lowered his head, causing himself pain. "Ow…"
Mitsukake smiled. "Let's get you healed now.
Kohana gave him one last look before leaving the room. 'Seishi…seishi…Suzaku…Seiryuu…Suboshi! That's Suboshi! Now I remember!'
"Something wrong Kohana?" Hotohori put his hand on her shoulder.
"N…no…I was just thinking about having all the seishi…about the summoning…"
He smiled. "It is perfect timing. We were almost going to give up searching here."
Chiriko came out of the room with another shirt on. "So…where do we go from here, Miss uh…Priestess?"
"Umm…I guess back to the palace."
Chiriko appeared to space out for a moment. Suddenly Nuriko slapped him on the back. "Glad to meet you!"
"Ow!" Chiriko hit the floor.
"Sorry!"
He picked himself up. I've already been healed once for today…"
"I said sorry." He grinned. "Don't know my own strength."
Chiriko sighed. "It's okay." He felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw An Hua.
"Your clothes are frumpy." She giggled.
Chiriko rolled his eyes. "Thanks for pointing that out."
"She's right. We can't take ya to a palace lookin' like that!" Tasuki nudged Chichiri. "Right?"
Chichiri looked at Tasuki. "Are you suggesting I use my magic to make him look more acceptable?"
"No…but that's an even better idea!" She grinned.
"Ummm…what do you mean, 'magic'?" Chiriko was a little nervous.
Chichiri folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not wasting my energy on making clothes.
"I guess that means only one thing then." Tasuki smiled and went to Tamahome's bed. She quickly found a pouch of money. "While the cat's away…" She grinned.
"That's kinda mean…" Piao murmured quietly.
"Well, Chichiri's too damn weak to do it and the guys won't mind if we just BORROW some money…"
"I am NOT weak! It's a waste of energy!" Chichiri whacked the younger woman with her staff.
"OW!" Tasuki rubbed her head. "You're just covering up! You're too weak!"
Chiriko looked at them. 'I'm gonna die…'
Chichiri was fuming mad. "If you want clothes so bad, why don't you use your magic? Hmmm?"
"I don't have that! Face it! You're weak!"
"I'll show you weak!" Chichiri cast a quick spell and changed Chiriko's outfit. She paused for a moment. She realized by the smirk on Tasuki's face that she had just been tricked. "I hate you…"
Tasuki pocketed Tamahome's money. "Don't hate, hon, just keep up." She kept on grinning.
"Ummm…shouldn't you give that money back?" Chiriko asked quietly.
"Aw, Tamahome doesn't have to know the clothes came from magic. Besides, I could use some more spending money." She waved off his concern.
Chiriko looked at Shen. He just smiled and shrugged. Chiriko kept quiet. He had a lot to learn about these people. He wondered just how long he'd be able to keep up his façade. By the way Kohana had been looking at him, he figured she already knew he was Suboshi and not Chiriko.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kohana groaned and looked up at the tent roof. It was the last night they'd be spending in tents and bedrolls. They'd be spending one more night outside then Chichiri would take them back to the capital. Tamahome never did find out exactly where his money went.
Giving up on sleep for the moment, Kohana got up and went to the fire. Chiriko was sitting near it, keeping watch.
"Hey, mind if I sit here for a while?"
He looked up at her. "N…no…go ahead."
They sat in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound. Kohana poked at fire with a stick for a few moments. She looked over at Chiriko. "Hey, Chiriko?"
He was to busy looking into fire to notice her talking to him. He'd been thinking about Momo for a while. She called him again when he realized she was talking to him. "Yeah?" He barely looked up.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?"
He blushed and looked up at the stars. "Nothing. Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"
"I'm not really tired. You…you're thinking about Momo aren't you?" She smiled.
"Well…" He paused for a moment. "Wait…you know?
"Well, it's not like I'd forget my little trip into Momo's head. You're Suboshi, right? It took me a while to recognize you."
He let out a small snort. "She was right then…"
"Who was right about what? Has Momo been saying bad things about me?"
"No…she just…she told me to tell you the truth. She said you'd understand or something."
She gave the fire a few more fierce pokes. "I wish I didn't know so much…"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"
"It…it's hard knowing so much…after everything I've been trough…"
He idly played with Ryuuseisui's tassels, not really responding.
"You know it's funny…"
"What?"
"I've been here a while and yet…I still haven't told anyone why I know what I do about this world…I'm surprised no one's straight out asked me…" She looked up at the sky.
Suboshi looked straight at her. "Why do you know so much about his world?"
She smiled. "I asked for that didn't I? Well…" Though it took a while, she told him the story of finding book and having two ex-seishi for older brothers.
He gave her a questioning look. "A-Amiboshi? B-but…He's in Kutou…"
"He's not your Amiboshi…boy, that sounded wrong didn't it? Anyway, as near as I can figure, my older brother Amiboshi is the one that existed around 50 years ago."
He shifted nervously, obviously disturbed by the story. "Oh…" He put more wood on the fire and watched the flames grow again.
"Yeah…it is weird…" She poked fire again. "Best not to think about it for very long…"
"I hope they're okay…"
"Umm…maybe this is a dumb question, but who do you hope is okay?"
He folded his arms and snorted. "You ask too much."
She wrinkled her nose. "Hey, I could wake up the others and tell them who you are. Are you thinking about Momo again?"
"Don't do that, okay? I'm sorry." He blushed and looked away. "She's my priestess…and my friend."
She smiled. "That's nice…" She looked at the sky again. "So…how has she been?"
He smiled to himself as he remembered what happened between them before he left. "Momo's fine."
Kohana grinned at him. "Sweet memories of Momo?"
He blushed and looked away. "What?! No!"
"It's okay to be in love with her. I'm in love with Hotohori."
"I…I'm not in love with her! She…she's just a good friend, okay?"
"Fine. I'll let you stick to that. For now anyway."
He was getting flustered. "Are you threatening me?"
"No…I guess you're just not ready to admit you're in love with her. Hey Suboshi?"
"I'm not in love, okay?" He sighed. "Yeah?"
She was silent for a moment. "Did…did Momo come out of Naraku's mind game okay? Is she really okay? I've been worried about her."
"Yeah…" He unconsciously brushed his lips.
She looked at the ground to hide a grin. "That…that's good to know."
"I have a question. What's wrong with that Tamahome guy? Is he mental or something?"
She forced a small laugh. "It's possible. Wouldn't surprise me…he…he's jealous…"
Suboshi paused. "Of what?"
"He's in love with me…and I…well…I can't stand him. I'm in love with Hotohori and he won't accept it."
He gazed into the crackling flames. "How can you tell? I mean…about Hotohori?"
"How can I tell I'm in love with him?"
He coughed a bit. "Uh…yeah…"
"Well…" She smiled thoughtfully. "It's the way he makes me feel…" She laughed softly. "I'm not sure I can even describe it…"
He looked sad for a moment. "I guess you just bluntly told him, huh?" A sudden smirk hid his previous emotions.
She blushed. "Well…it wasn't that blunt…" Her blush deepened as she recalled being in Tai Itsukun's palace with him.
"You won't tell anyone about any of this right?"
"As long and you don't. Tell me something though…"
"Ummm…Okay…"
"Do you think…that maybe…just once…the Suzaku and Seiryuu seishi should work together…to fight Naraku?"
"Aniki always says stuff like that…he hates violence you know…" He took a moment to think it over. "I don't think it could happen, but it would be nice…"
"I don't wanna fight. I don't wanna see anyone get hurt…"
"Me neither." Something occurred to him. "Hey, if I go back maybe I could convince them to join sides with you."
"It would be nice…but I don't think my seishi would be any more willing than your side. And Nakago seems like a stubborn guy…"
Suboshi chuckled. "Nakago's a woman."
Kohana's eyes widened. "What? Oh! Well, I didn't expect that…"
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling Nakago know about Momo and me…" Kohana started giggling. He raised an eyebrow again. "Is something wrong?"
She momentarily stifled her giggles. "You just said you think Nakago knows about you and Momo…you just admitted more than I'm guessing you wanted to."
His cheeks went crimson. "Sh…shut up!"
"You said it, not me!"
'Why does she insist that I'm in love with…with Momo? …Well…it's not like I don't like her…I…shit…I do love her…' "Knock it off already! I just meant the she thought me might threaten her plans or something!" 'Yeah…that sounded really convincing…' He didn't even try to believe his own spoken words.
She smiled, still giggling. "Fine, fine. I'm going to sleep. Good night Suboshi."
"I'm Chiriko, remember? He smiled slightly. "Good night."
"'Night Chiriko." Suboshi watched her disappear into her tent. He stared at the fire a few more minutes then went back to the tents to wake up someone else for night watch.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few days had passed since the group came back to the palace. In private, Kohana called Suboshi Chiriko, but she was very good about calling him Chiriko around the others.
One thing Suboshi had come to hate more than anything though, was night. He always paced around his room. He couldn't sleep to save his life. He desperately wanted to tell the other seishi who he was, but the opportunity never truly presented itself. But alone at night, he had too much time to think about it. He lay back down on the bed in hopes sleep would find him.
A twinge on his arm startled him. ~Subo…still awake?~
He sat up quickly and lit a small lamp. ~Aniki? Seiryuu, I miss you guys…~
~I know…feels weird without you…~
~So umm…how is…our priestess?~
~She's been really quiet lately. She misses you terribly…~
~Really?~
~You know she cares about you. She didn't want you to leave. She told me.~
~She did?~
~Yes she did, Mr. Self-Confidence…oh wait…She's here. She wants to talk to you.~
~Okay! I mean…ummm…okay.~
~She's laughing…~
~…Shut up…~ Suboshi cringed.
Momo's handwriting slowly appeared on Suboshi's arm. ~Suboshi?~
~Momo? Are you alright?~
~Yeah…I'm just…it's a little lonely without you…~
~Same here. Your friend is nice. And you were right about her.~
~Thought so…I wish I could see her too…~
~She fell in love with Hotohori.~
~I hope they're happy together.~
~Believe me, they are.~
~Su…Suboshi?~ He saw that the characters on his arm were getting a bit messy, as if her hand had become unsteady.
~What's wrong? Are you okay?~
~I…well…I need to say something…~
~Oh…okay then…~
~I…I love you…I hope you don't mind…~
His heart skipped a few beats. He read it again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. ~You…do?!~
~Yeah…I wanted to tell you in case I don't get to see you again.~ The writing stopped for a moment. ~Maybe I shouldn't have said that…~
~I think I love you too…and I don't mind.~ For the first time all day, Suboshi smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amiboshi looked at Momo then his arm. 'I knew it…'
One tear fell from Momo's eye onto Ami's arm next to Suboshi's words. ~I miss you…~
~Seiryuu…I wish I was back there…with you…~
Amiboshi hated to ruin the moment. He touched her arm "You'd better hurry up. If Nakago catches you out off bed…"
She looked at him. "Okay…You're right…Ummm…thanks for letting me talk to him." ~I have to go…Nakago might come back…~
~Wait for me okay? I'll be back as soon as I can…Good night Momo.~
~Good night Suboshi…~
Momo quickly got up and left the room. Amiboshi looked at his arm and smiled. ~You know I'm going to have to go around with 'I love you's on my arm for a week.~
~Thanks bro.~
~You're welcome. I knew there was something between you two.~
~I hope this is all over soon. Shit if this keeps up…~
~Fantastic. Now I'm going to have swears on my arm too.~
Amiboshi could almost feel his brother smirking. ~Shit shit shit! Dammit dammit dammit!~
He rolled his eyes. ~Thanks a lot! Good night Suboshi.~
~Aniki?~
~Yeah?~
~Can you keep a strong watch on Momo while I'm gone?~
~Of course I'll watch her.~
~Thanks Aniki. Good night.~
~Night.~
Momo walked quietly down the hall, hoping not to disturb anyone. More than once she'd accidentally woken up Ashitare if she wasn't careful. Though she was still smiling. Her smiled disappeared when she saw Nakago.
Nakago eyed the young priestess. "Why aren't you asleep Lady Momo?"
"I…I wanted to take a night walk…"
"You need to be careful…who knows what might happen here…"
Momo swallowed. "Yeah…I'll be careful. But it's not like I'm completely defenseless." She continued on past the older woman.
"Don't let your emotions get the better of you, my lady."
Momo turned and looked at her. "Don't let yours disappear."
Nakago snorted and walked away. 'Bitch…'
She opened the door to her room. She glanced at herself in mirror and started to take off her armor. "What does she know?" She growled.
She whipped a pillow at the mirror and watched it fall to the floor, shattering. "What the hell does she know?!" She hissed through her teeth.
Soi was casually walking down the hall when he heard the mirror shatter. He looked into the room. "Nakago?"
She wiped away a tear before it could fall. "What?" She glared at him
He gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong?"
She took a deep breath. "Don't ask me questions Soi. Just…go back to where ever you came from!"
He walked in her room. "You're not a particularly good actress…"
Her cheeks turned the slightest bit pink. "Can you just leave? I'm…fine, okay?!"
"You are not fine. What happened?"
Nakago turned away from Soi. Words tumbled unwanted from her mouth. "She…I told her not to let her feeling get the better of her…" An unwanted tear rolled down her cheek. She suddenly despised herself for the display. "She said…that I shouldn't let mine…what a bitch…" She sat on her bed.
He sat with her. "What did Momo say?" He didn't need Nakago to say the name to tell him who she was talking about. Momo and Nakago couldn't get along if their lives depended on it.
"She said I shouldn't let mine d-disappear…" She looked at the ground. "Why am I even telling you?"
"You can't hold everything in." He put hand on her shoulder.
She flinched at the touch. "I don't need your sympathy, Soi." Her words came out harsh, maybe harsher than they should have.
"I didn't mean it like that…"
She looked confused. "What?"
"Seishi look out for each other, don't they? You looked like you could use a friend."
"Well…you did your job…" She began to rub her eyes.
He pulled her hand away and wipes away other tears with his thumb. "Don't rub."
"Wh-why not?" His boldness was surprising. But it made her a little uncomfortable.
He let go of her hand. "Makes your eyes red and puffy. Wouldn't want people to think you'd been crying in the morning."
She looked away. "Yeah…Momo would love that."
"Don't think about Momo." He quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Good night Nakago." He left the room before she could respond.
She sat on the edge of her bed, stunned. "Good night." She carefully touched her cheek. She sat there for a few moments. "Damn emotions…" She suddenly muttered as she got up to clean up the glass.
"Who needs them?" She picked up some of the larger glass, muttering a few choice things when she cut her finger.
"Emotions are for the rest of the world…" She watched blood ooze from the cut.
"Emotions are for people who have others that care for them…" She scowled and stuck her finger in her mouth. The bleeding stopped after a moment and she slid into bed. Just like all other nights, she drifted into a deep dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kohana…Kohana, are you okay?" Piaoliang's voice startled Kohana from her daydreams.
She quickly looked up to see Piaoliang and Shen looking at her. "Huh? Yeah. I'm okay."
"You don't seem fine…" Shen looked down at her.
"Well…I am…"
"Everyone's a little worried about you. You've been really quiet since we came back to the palace. You barely talk to anyone but Hotohori and Chiriko." Piao sat in the grass with her.
"I know…I just…I guess I'm just thinking about the summoning…all the seishi are here now…"
"So shouldn't you be a little happier then? You can get your wishes granted or whatever."
"I know…but then there's Naraku…you two seem to be the only ones that can fight her…"
"Isn't that a better reason for the summoning to happen sooner than later?" Shen continued standing, looking out over the gardens. "If we got into a big battle, you'd be safer in your world."
"Well…sorta…I guess…but…I'd feel bad if all I could do was watch from my world." Kohana sighed and looked towards the Eastern sky. "And then there's Momo…"
"Momo…the priestess of Seiryuu, right? Why are you worried about her?"
"Be…because…when I was back in my world…I read part of the book…Momo got a attacked by Naraku too."
"She did?" Shen asked.
"Yeah…one of her seishi saved her…"
"So…Naraku doesn't have a preference as to who she goes after…"
"No…we're all gonna have to fight her."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend…" He murmured quietly. "Maybe it's time to stop fighting with them and we all fought her together…"
"Yeah. There's no sense in fighting a war on two fronts when we could join forces against one."
Shen looked down at Piao. "You sound like me. That's a little scary."
"What? I can't be with you as much as I am and not pick up something." She giggled.
Kohana smiled at the couple. "Sounds like someone wants couple time." She got up. "I'll talk to you later." Kohana went back to the main area of the palace.
"Think she'll be okay?"
"Probably." Shen sat down with his fiancé. "She does have a lot to think about."
"Working with the Seiryuu seishi…I wonder if it's possible…" She leaned on him.
"I'd like to think anything is possible." He wrapped his arm around her. "Anything good at least."
"I suppose that's a good way to look at it."
He shrugged. "Good as any other."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Damn school work…so tired…Well, on the up side I have a 3 day week end before mid terms and another one after, so maybe I'll recuperate then.
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~