More Still! MS

Chapter Nine: Ache

Tasuki woke up in extreme pain. He remembered Amber not being there, a black symbol and a lot of dark light.

'And nothing except a helluva lota trees now.' he added. He sat up, his muscles protesting the movement as he made his way slowly to a nearby stream. He splashed some water on his face, shivering as the cold liquid came in contact with his face, reminding him of his previous rude awakening.

His inner-self chided him. 'It wasn't THAT rude. Besides, admit it. You enjoyed it. Especially AFTER she woke you up, you know, that whole sequence where ya had her in your arms and then couldav, but didn't, kiss her? That bit.'

He growled. 'I did not. Havin' water thrown on ya is not da best way ta wake up ya know. An I didn't want to kiss her. I don like girls.'

He could feel his inner-self laughing hysterically. 'Don't' laughter, 'like girls! Right. That's why you gave her your shirt AND let her keep it.'

'I gave it to her for modesty reasons.'

'Whose? Hers or yours?'

'Not funny.'

'Yes it is. Face it. I'm right and you aren't. So there.' Tasuki muttered something about girls not being quite that bad, but it was quickly stifled as he fell back asleep in the glen.

Amber landed in a jumble of limbs on a wooden floor, her body screaming with promises of apple-sized bruises yet to come. She groaned and sat up, her head in her hands. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Amiboshi's concerned face only inches from her own. She fell backwards with a startled yelp, its tones rising as already injured parts of her body came in contact with the unyielding floor yet again. Amiboshi helped her up, carefully avoiding her shoulders, knowing that they would be coated in bruises and not wanting to hurt her.

"Amber?" he asked, his voice full of amazement.

She leaned on the wall for support. "What? Where am I? Why is everything swimming?"

He smiled. "You're in Kutou, in the palace. Here, if you sit down, everything will stop swimming."

She sat down on a rickety chair behind her. "How'd I get here?" she asked, rocking back and forth in the chair. Amiboshi heard the chair begin to creak dangerously, and he caught her as the chair collapsed beneath her. She curled up against him, still waiting for Amiboshi's answer.

"I don't know." He said truthfully.

She opened one eye and looked at him. "You don't know?" she asked.

"No. One moment I was here, the next, you had landed on the floor."

She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the wall support her. "Oh. Right. What happened to you? You disappeared after the demon, then all goes black for awhile…What happened?" She stared at him expectantly, waiting for his response.

"Well," he started, "after the demon was banished, I remember being sent back here and meeting this really powerful guy all in black and he told me that my part was over. That I had outgrown my usefulness, but I would still be allowed to live. I've been here ever since."

"Oh…" her voice was quieter and he walked over to her, lifting her chin with his fingers and gazing closely into her eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly, his voice taking on a frighteningly husky undertone.

"Fine." She said in a falsely ecstatic voice that blew him backwards slightly. "Really."

He tipped his head at her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded brightly. "Yes!" She smiled, the smile not quiet reaching her eyes. "I'm, positive!" He looked at her closely, scrutinizing every little detail, placing them in his mind for the rest of eternity.

"Go to sleep."

"But I'm fine."

"Sleep."

After finding that he could move again, he saw the same dark flash that had brought him and presumably Amber to the lands shinning not too far away. He scrambled to his feet and started loping towards it, allowing his muscles to warm up before pushing them to run. He saw the Kutou palace ahead of him and his eyes narrowed, thinking of all of the horrible events that had happened here. His inner-self began to list them all before Tasuki shut him up with a few well-chosen words. Scrambling through the underbrush and hoping like a crazy maniac that none of the Seiryu warriors were around, he crept closer and closer to the foreboding shrine from which the blue light had previously emitted. He heard a crash and moved closer still to the no-longer glowing shrine. He walked boldly through the door a few minutes later and found Amber and Amiboshi locked in the middle of a tight embrace in the far corner.

"What the Hell!" he yelled loudly. "Get away from her!" He sprinted over to the corner and dragged Amiboshi away from Amber.

Amber stood shakily. "Tasuki…" she whispered softly. "Something's funny…not quite right…" She collapsed against the wall again, this time in a dead faint.

Tasuki knocked Amiboshi senseless, and then went quickly to her side. "Yes? What's not right?" The other warriors would have been amazed at his gentle touch.

Amber stood up again, leaning heavily on Tasuki's shoulder. "My head…and tailbone…and teeth…" He held her up by her waist and stood her back so he could look at her. Under his watchful gaze, a pair of white fuzzy ears erupted from her head and an equally fluffy tail from her rear. His eyes widened, and she seemed to wake up fully.

"What?" she asked, completely awake. "You're looking at me like I've sprouted ears and a tail!"

"And fangs." he added.

"And fangs." she repeated unconsciously. "Wait a minute…WHAT! You're saying I have ears, fangs and a TAIL!" definitely fully awake.

Tasuki nodded. "Fluffy, ears and tail."

"COOL! I HAVE EARS, FANGS, AND A TAIL! I HAVE GOT TO TELL SOLEI!" An image of Solei appeared in front of them.

"Tell me what, Amber?" she asked, rubbing her head as if in pain. "I can hear you yell across the worlds."

"I HAVE EARS, FANGS, AND A TAIL!"

Solei nodded. "Good, father kept up his end of the bargain." Amber tipped her head sideways, a confused look on her face. Solei sighed, and a shinning glaive blade ripped a hole in the dimensions near them. "Come on through. I'll explain it to you and the guys all at once. Quickly." Amber and Tasuki stepped through the portal, and watched as she expertly pinched the sides together again, destroying her portal before Amiboshi could follow them. Amber tucked her hair behind her ears, using the motion to mask her feeling for the cat-like appendages that had been there a minute earlier; they were gone. Solei stood in front of the four others as they seated themselves comfortably on the couches. The warriors felt a ripple of chi race past them as Kamai soundproofed the room. She turned back to the already seated four, taking a seat herself in the overstuffed, high backed armchair behind her. She sighed and took a deep breath before starting. "It all began with a set of twins."

A portal opened in front of Nakago suddenly and Solei stumbled out, blood pooling in small puddles on the ground as she closed it tightly behind her. Nuriko had gone for a moment of quiet reflection, and she and Nakago were alone in the foyer. She shuffled forward, trying not to collapse.

"Oww…" Her quiet declaration of pain struck him as odd, he having sensed that her pride was as dominating as his own. She dropped silently, painfully, to her knees, dark-feathered wings curling protectively in front of her. "Why the hell does it have to happen every time?" she asked herself, not realizing that Nakago was there. He looked closely at her back, recalling the long scars that had run parallel down her back, and noticed that her wings had sprouted out of them, the other scars that covered her back being much thinner, softer lines.

"Does what have to happen every time?" She started to stand and spin quickly to see who spoke, but fell to her knees again, her sudden motion too much for her aching and bloodied back.

"This." She answered softly, not looking up from the floor. "The blood, the pain, the me-" she stopped herself, but the damage was done.

Nakago elegantly dropped to her level. "The memories?" he asked, his voice not betraying his inward curiosity.

She nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. "They have always come. It used to be just in my dreams, but now my dreams are real, like… The pain is real, the blood is real, and the memories that I have tried to repress for so long, are real."

Nakago found himself wondering if her memories were anything like his own. "What sort of memories."

Her answer was curt and clipped, and she spoke through clenched teeth to try and hide the anguish she felt. "Painful ones." She slowly stood, using a nearby wall to support herself. Nakago waited patiently, knowing that she would not be able to stand for long. She took a careful step then gasped in the agony the small movement provoked, falling once more to the ground. A strong arm slowed her rapid drop, and lowered her gently to the ground.

"You don't say." His voice was mocking, and Kamai wanted dearly to whack him solidly upside the head, but knew she was weaker than a kitten and unable to even lift her arm anymore. Nakago felt her sag against his arm, her slight body relying on his strength to remain off the ground.

Her voice was weak when she responded. "But I do." She smiled slightly and her wings folded tight against her back, blocking it from view. "Oh, but I do." It occurred to Nakago a moment later that he could heal her, and he gently unfolded her wings ignoring the slight yelp the motion provoked from the slim girl in his arms. He laid his hand softly against her back and was surprised when the wings retracted into her back, leaving only the long, deep, bleeding scars. He traced the network of lighter lines that ran across her back, purposefully avoiding the bleeding ones, not noticing, or not caring about, the reaction that she had to his long elegant fingers moving sinuously over her back. Eyes snapping open as he began exploring the maze of scars in the delicate flesh that crisscrossed her back, Solei swallowed a moan as his hands flitted across the sensitive skin. He finally followed the long scars from shoulder blades to the base of her ribcage, healing her with his chi as he drew the lines down her back. He set her onto her knees once he had healed her, standing up and looking down at her as though his actions had been commonplace.

When he spoke, his gaze seemed fixed on something far in the distance that could not be seen quite right. "Pain is only what we make of it, Girl. It is all an illusion." He spun to face her fully as she stood on shaky legs, his inner-self amazed that she could stand alone and applauding her effort, wanting to catch her in his arms and spin her around in a surprising bout of happiness that was quickly quenched, and yet, not noticing the strained expression only in her eyes; her face was as blank as Nakago's own.

She nodded, noting what he said. "Yet it is pain that reminds us that we are human, and not gods."

"Why should we not be gods?" He caught her stare and returned it with his own, and she plunged through into their icy depths, lost in the cold, harsh blue. His words struck her a moment later, and she looked away sharply.

"Why should we be?" she asked, her voice barley audible.

He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. "Why not?" Defiance flashed through her eyes momentarily, then she pulled away from him and started walking slowly out of the room. Nakago blocked her exit. "What aren't you telling me?" he demanded. She looked at him, her eyes silver and full of sadness, and shook her head no before she resumed walking towards Nakago and the door. He stopped her at arm's length and waited.

She sighed and looked at the ground when she spoke. "Ever wonder who the Goddess Protector is?" He waited in silence, already knowing, and Solei answered her own question, eyes blazing in fury. "I am. Ever wonder why I'm called the Goddess Protector?" more silence met her fury. "I'm the child of a god, and the protector of a goddess. I AM a goddess. Or rather, I WAS a goddess. Then my sister and I met a prophet and well…" she trailed off into silence and Nakago lifted her chin gently. She did not flinch at his touch, or try to pull away. She just stood there and kept eye contact as tears streamed down her face, pride long since forgotten as she wept. His hands slid up to cup her cheeks, and his thumbs softly wiped the tears from her face.

"Painful memories?" he asked quietly, trying to gain her confidence, and she did not respond. An uncomfortable moment passed as they stood there, then something clicked in Solei's mind.

'Bother with destiny and fate.' She thought, 'They've destroyed my life enough.' She moved in towards Nakago and kissed him somewhat hesitantly; throwing her hands around his neck and standing up on her tiptoes so she did not have to tilt her head as far back. Nakago stood stock-still and she began to draw away, her hopes falling with each unresponsive moment she stood there. His hands never left her face, and she stepped out of his grip, blushing uncontrollably.

'Well, NOW I feel stupid.' she thought. Her voice was soft when she spoke, her back towards Nakago. "Sorry, I…"

"Painful memories?" he restarted the conversation, ignoring her stuttering

"Yes. Painful." The response to his question came accompanied with a slight smile that he did not see.

"Such as?"

She hesitated badly. "My sister. My father. My uncle." Her voice wavered and she felt the tears coming on. 'I won't cry again.' She told herself. 'Not in front of him, not again. I've made enough of a fool of myself for one day. Maybe destiny knew what she was doing…'

Amber's voice interrupted the tense moment, faint, distant and excited. "…I have got to tell Solei!…"

Solei carefully sent a portion of herself to wherever Amber was. "Tell me what, Amber?" She asked, rubbing her temples, trying to think coherently after being such a complete and total idiot. "I can hear you yell across the worlds." She asked Nakago to get Nuriko; she needed to explain something to all of them at once. He turned and walked away on cat's-feet as she sent herself almost fully to where Amber was, using Nakago as an anchor to her current realm.

Amber's response came fairly quickly. "I HAVE EARS, FANGS, AND A TAIL!" Solei nodded, relieved, and was surprised when she saw Amiboshi lying in a state of semi-consciousness.

"Good, father kept up his end of the bargain." Amber tipped her head sideways, a confused look on her face. Solei shook her head and ripped a hole in dimensions near Amber and Tasuki. "Come on through. I'll explain it to you and the guys all at once. Quickly." They stepped through and she pinched the hole closed behind them, motioning for them to take seats next to Nakago and Nuriko who had already arrived without her noticing them. She sat down herself, and only Nakago noticed that she deliberately kept her back from touching the seat back. She sighed softly, then spoke. "It all began with a set of twins."

Nuriko found himself in a heap on the ground suddenly while Nakago had landed standing. He stood up, trying to keep the embarrassment from colouring his cheeks, and brushed off the black clothing, telling Nakago that he was going to go and think about what had just happened. As he walked he noticed that Nakago had headed in the opposite direction.

'The further the better.' He thought. 'Why does she even let him stay?' he asked himself, then the answer dawned on him. 'Cause it's a temple and she has to. Duh.' He arrived at his door and walked in, his mind spinning with everything that had happened in the last few days.

'Just who is she?' he wondered.

A small voice in the back of his head answered. 'An enigma. Don't try to figure HER out. It won't work.'

He nodded at the wisdom of his inner self. 'Yeah, but I can't help but wonder how she got the wings.'

'Don't ask her.'

'Why not?'

'If you had wings that seemingly spontaneously popped out of your back, would you enjoy people asking you about them?'

'Good point. Maybe she'll come out of her shell…' he let his thoughts trail off and he picked up the knife again. She obviously knew how to use it; otherwise she would have either pierced his body, or sliced his hair on that first day. Instead, the angle was just right so that not a single one of his hairs had been chopped. He pulled his braid in front of him and looked at it.

'It's time.' he thought. He handled the knife carefully, his long-since healed hand a testament to its sharpness. He ran it quickly through his hair, and no resistance met it as it came free on the other side. His braid hung limp in his hand and he just looked at it, amazed, as he sat at the desk. A sharp rap came at his door and he heard Nakago's voice through the wood.

"The Girl would speak with us." Nuriko started to say he'd be there in a minute, but when he opened the door, Nakago was already halfway down the hallway. He raced after Nakago, keeping pace once he caught up, amazed at how light his head seemed. He and Nakago entered the parlor, and a moment later Tasuki and Amber stepped through a slice in the air. Solei sat down carefully after soundproofing the room and sighed slightly as she began to speak.

"It all began with a set of twins."

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