Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me and are being used for entertainment purposes only.
Warning: This story is rated "R" for sexual situations between men, twincest, language, violence, and extremely disturbing imagery. If you are afraid of being disturbed, please do not read this fic. There will also be some spoilers.
A/N: This is my take on the Seiryu Seven and how the twins became a part of them. It starts off slow as far as the yaoi is concerned. Please let me know what you think and let me know if I have any of the information or spellings incorrect.
Koutoku or aniki: Amiboshi
Shunkaku or Shun-chan: Suboshi (I do not use the twin's original names much)
Mingled Memories:
Part I
Prologue:
Suboshi cradled his brother in his arms. Forget with me, his brother's eyes pleaded, we can go back to how we were before…before everything. Drink the potion with me and we can pretend it never happened.
Suboshi felt on the verge of tears. Forget Amiboshi, is it what you really want? It would be so simple to forget it all--to live happily with his brother--to even forget his love for Lady Yui. It would be so much easier to forget, but Suboshi was suddenly overcome by memories.
I.
Nakago surveyed the teens before him. Their cool blue eyes were hard and he could tell that they were old beyond their years. He also noticed that they were extremely attractive, not in the effeminate way he had been attractive, but their identical blonde hair and slightly muscular bodies would appeal to more than one man in Kutou. Nakago felt no pity. If he could survive the emperor's lust, so could they.
The two had made no move to retaliate, but instead seemed to be sizing him up. They looked weary and judging by their threadbare clothing and slightly hollow cheeks, life had not treated them kindly.
"Is your cheek alright, shun-chan?" The brother Nakago thought of as Amiboshi touched his brother Suboshi's cheek tenderly. A small amount of blood collected at the skin's surface. Amiboshi gave Nakago a reproachful glance, while the other twin openly glared at him.
Nakago smirked. He had barely cut the boy with his whip, and he had deserved much more for his insolence. That Seiryu warrior would definitely need to learn his place.
Amiboshi licked his thumb before rubbing it across the small wound.
"I'm fine, Aniki," his brother pushed his hand away. "I'm just not sure why we're both still here listening to this bastard." As he said the last word Suboshi braced himself for a blow, but Nakago stood unmoving and glared down the two.
"Understand that the two of you will come to the palace--willing or not, but as members of the Seiryu Seven, it is your duty to serve the priestess and help bring peace to this land."
Suboshi met his gaze defiantly. "So you call allowing your troops to attack innocent civilians keeping the peace?"
"Shun-chan!" his brother warned.
"That was unfortunate," Nakago answered, remembering the screams of the young girl as the group of soldiers had attempted to rape her. He would have stopped them before they had achieved their goal, much in the same way he had stopped the men with his mother, but he had waited when he noticed the twins approaching the scene from behind the soldiers. Soon haunting music filled the air, and Nakago had to use some of his life force to keep himself from a splitting headache. He watched as Suboshi used some sort of telekinetic energy to kill the men with an odd weapon which looked much like a child's bauble. He hadn't stopped him until three of the men had been systematically killed. "I don't encourage that sort of behavior in my men." Nakago told the boy presently.
"War encourages that kind of behavior in men." Amiboshi met his gaze and held eye contact. Nakago felt briefly unnerved.
Suboshi snarled. "You sure as hell weren't doing anything to stop them."
"You were punishing them sufficiently with your little toys." When Nakago had approached the massacre, Amiboshi had immediately stopped playing, but Suboshi had turned his weapons on Nakago which had resulted in the cut across his cheek. Nakago had not been overly surprised to see the blue glow on their skin as he had approached. Their demonstration of power had already revealed that the two were not in the least bit ordinary.
"I'll show you toys," Suboshi hissed, before looking around at Nakago's regiment. "Sometime when the odds are more even."
"Shun-chan, quiet!"
"You would be wise to listen to your brother," Nakago advised dispassionately, "So are you coming by choice or by force?"
Suboshi took up the fighting stance while Amiboshi asked politely, "May I please have a word in private with my brother?"
"Be my guest." Nakago allowed them to move out of earshot, though he watched them carefully.
Shunkaku looked at his brother expectantly. He would do whatever Koutoku suggested although all he really wanted to do was wipe that smug smirk off that asshole's face.
"We should go with him," Koutoku announced. "If we're really members of the Seiryu Seven, then it's our destiny. It's the reason we were born." They both stood in silence as they remembered the stories they had heard of the warriors and all the strange prophecies surrounding the priestess. Koutoku continued. "Perhaps we can use our skills to keep others from suffering as we have."
Shun loved that his brother was optimistic, but for some reason couldn't feel the same. "Couldn't we become the ones who cause the suffering? Those men were just like the ones who killed our parents." Shun could feel tears. He had used his power to hurt before, but he had never taken a life. Koutoku took his hand and held it, somehow knowing exactly what his brother needed. Shun was soon pulled into an all too familiar embrace. He wanted to snuggle closer, but instead he pulled away.
"Shun-chan?"
"We're too old for this, besides he's watching."
Koutoku shrugged as if it were no concern to him. "If we're Seiryu warriors I bet we'd eat well in the palace, and it wouldn't hurt to get proper training. We could always leave later if we wanted."
Shun considered while tracing the cut with his finger. He hoped it wouldn't leave a scar; he didn't want to be one bit different from his aniki. As if reading his twin's mind, Koutoku took out his pocket knife and traced it lightly across his cheek barely drawing blood. The mark he created was nearly identical to that of his brother.
Nakago watched with fascination.
000
"Concentrate!" the woman before him commanded. Suboshi glared at Soi before attempting to mentally lift the heavy axe once more. Amiboshi sat in the grass and watched while he absentmindedly fingered his flute. Amiboshi, in the month they had spent at the palace, Suboshi had finally become used to using their new names in public, though in private he was usually Shun-chan and his brother Aniki. Although he was constantly with his brother, the two were busy with a strenuous training schedule. They were still in the process of finding all their powers and currently Soi wanted to strengthen his telekinesis and Amiboshi's mind control. Suboshi lifted the axe again before his mind allowed it to drop with a thud. This woman obviously had no idea what she was doing.
"Pick it up," she requested coolly.
"This is ridiculous," he spat. "I'd never use a weapon like this in battle. It's bulky and extremely difficult for my mind to wield. Surely Lord Nakago would agree with me."
Soi's lips puckered angrily. Four years his senior, Soi was the most beautiful woman Suboshi had ever encountered and was the subject of more than one of his uncomfortable dreams, but her one-sided love for Nakago and idiotic battle tactics left Suboshi with little respect for the woman. She had exhausted him with this useless training for the last time. He squeezed his fists so tightly that he knew his nails would draw blood.
Amiboshi played a few notes on his flute which at first made Suboshi even angrier. He knew his brother was trying to manipulate his emotions so that he would calm down.
Soi lifted the axe effortlessly and tossed it aside. She then set Suboshi's Ryuseisui in its place.
"Attack me," she ordered.
Suboshi complied and to his amazement, he found himself much more efficient than he had been mere days before. Soi stopped his weapons with her lightning and placed the axe before him. "Don't ever question my methods again."
Amiboshi's music had stopped because he was laughing.
"I would like to meet the new warriors," the emperor informed his top general.
"Not a surprise, your majesty." Nakago replied.
The emperor didn't notice the obvious barb and continued. "Identical twins. I can't believe you've tried to keep them from me. I want to meet them. Tomorrow night."
Nakago ignored the queasy feeling in his stomach, he must have eaten something bat at dinner. "Of course."
"Have them bathed and dressed by the concubines and sent to my private chambers. Make sure I am not disturbed." There was no need for the emperor to hide his tastes from Nakago. Although for the most part the detestable man indulged himself with young virgin maidens, every now and then he grew bored and craved young men. Unfortunately his craving for Nakago hadn't waned until the general was near adulthood.
"It shall be as you wish." Nakago bowed to his leader.
Suboshi tossed in his sleep. It was the same nightmare: his mother's scream as the flames devoured her--his father's tortured expression as the sword was run through his throat. He and his brother hiding and watching in absolute terror…
Suboshi awoke gasping for air. He was not surprised to find his brother seated on the bed next to him running cool fingers over his forehead and through his hair. "Same nightmare, Shun-chan?" his brother asked with concern. Suboshi nodded as he basked in his twin's attention. Somehow Amiboshi could always calm his fears as he had for the years following their parents' deaths. He knew that he gave Amiboshi support too, but it was nothing compared with the unconditional love his brother provided. Suboshi rubbed his cheek against his brother's hand causing Amiboshi to smile slightly. "Do you want me to play for you so that you can sleep?"
Suboshi jerked his head away. "So you can manipulate me? Like you did earlier?" He hated the fact that his brother's musical talent was so much stronger than his own.
Amiboshi sighed. "I just hated to see you make an ass of yourself in front of such a beautiful woman."
"Whatever." Suboshi's cheeks flushed at the memory of his humiliation.
"I'll go back to bed." The springs creaked slightly as they lost Amiboshi's weight.
Suboshi moved to the edge of his small bed. "No, please stay. In case I have that dream again." He knew it was babyish, but Suboshi wanted nothing more than to be held and comforted by his brother.
Amiboshi crawled into the bed beside him and wrapped his arms around him. Suboshi secretly dreaded the day they really would be too old for this. Amiboshi kissed the back of his brother's head. "Better?"
Suboshi nodded. "So you think she's beautiful too, Aniki?"
Amiboshi chuckled. "A man would have to be dead not to notice."
"Or Nakago," Suboshi quipped causing both of them to laugh. "I wonder what she looks like naked."
"Shun-chan, that's not polite."
"Don't you wonder?"
"Of course, but I wouldn't just go around saying it."
"I only said it to you." The twins lay quietly content for a few moments before Suboshi asked, "Aniki, do you ever have weird dreams?"
"You mean dreams about our parents?"
"No, different dreams…dreams where you wake up and…something happened."
Amiboshi was silent. His body had gone completely rigid. "Yeah," he finally answered, "I have."
"Have they ever been about Soi?" Suboshi asked.
"Yeah," Amiboshi replied. "Why?"
"No reason." But Suboshi felt comforted that this was yet another thing he and his brother had in common: another experience they could share. He snuggled closer and was soon asleep.
TBC
All kinds of feedback accepted and appreciated.
