Chapter Six – Till Death Do Us Part

Miaka slipped slowly into the water, wading around contently. "Come in, the water's fine!"

Nakago dropped his towel on a chair and proceeded to the high diving board. He climbed the tall tower and Miaka watched with interest. Would he jump from that enormous tower? She expected him to dive in and splash her in the face with a cannon ball, however he bounced once and dove and break neck speed toward the water. She gasped, the world slowing as she watched the sun hit his muscular body. His hands, then head and body skimmed under the shining surface of the water. She blushed as he surfaced, little beads of water clinging to his skin and hair. He looked like a Greek god.

Nakago wiped his eyes and smirked, floating lightly under the robe marking off the diving end and joining her in the shallows. He stood easily where her feet barely touched the pool floor.

"I didn't know you could dive like that."

"I was on the swim team in highschool. I still hold several records."

"Where did you go?"

"Jonan."

"No way!" she cried. "Don't tell me the Gi Ayuru that had the perfect ten in diving and the record time in backstroke and butterfly... don't tell me that was you!"

"You went to Jonan too, that's right," he smirked. "Yes, that was me. You are rather dense if you never made that connection before."

"How should I know? You don't seem like a swimmer..."

"Oh?" he looked curious.

"You seem like more of a chess team sort of guy. You're all about strategy."

"I was on the chess team," he told her. "I won first all three years."

"Anything else?" she asked him, shocked. "Don't tell me you were captain of the American football team..."

"No, I loathe American football. I was the captain of the regular football teami."

"How did you have time to study?"

"I didn't have to practice at sports, I was just good at them," he shrugged lightly, leaning over and floating on his back. He took her arm and kicked them into the deeper waters. Miaka grabbed his stomach and used him as a floatation device.

"What are you doing? I'm not a very good swimmer."

"I know," he said. "I've seen you try to swim before. Remember, in the lake back then?"

"Don't bring that up when I'm holding onto your waist for dear life!" she blushed.

Nakago smirked and righted himself, pulling her little body against his own. She blushed and looked up at him. "What are you...?"

He smirked and dunked her. She came back up, sputtering and cursing. "YOU BASTARD!" she began to chase him, grabbing for his trunks.

"I didn't realize you were so eager to get my pants off," he grinned and swam away. She cursed and paddled after him until they made it to the shallow end again. He sat on the bank and laughed as she doggy paddled toward him, her knees scraping the shallow floor. She crawled over to him and stood up, shaking her fist in his face. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into his lap.

"What are you doing?" she asked again, softer this time. He was acting very strangely. He was acting... almost like a boy, chasing and being chased, laughing and teasing. She liked that side of him, but was scared of it. It wasn't... right. This was Nakago; serious, mean Nakago. She knew not to understimate him, and that he was full of surprises, but usually none so... normal.

He looked down at her, a blank stare meeting her confused gaze. He wasn't sure why he was behaving so childishly. He had dunked her and let her chase him. He had been smiling, laughing even. He hadn't been so carefree in... well, ever. Something about her intoxicated him and made him do stupid things.

"I enjoy shocking you," he told her and released her. She sat on the bank and looked at him. He was staring at the now-darkening sky. They had been out for a while, romping around in the water. They decided to go back.

"Yuuki," he said to her. "Come back to my room for a moment."

"What? Why?" she blinked.

"I want to show you something."

"What?" she asked, suddenly excited. Something for her? She agreed and they headed for the VIP deck. "Nakago, something seems weird... do you feel that?"

He was ahead of her, already looking around. "Your senses have grown more acute. Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head. It chilled her.

"Death." He followed the origin of the vibe back to his own room and opened the door. Miaka screamed when the door opened. There, sprawled on the floor with her limbs and long hair splayed about, eyes staring blankly at them, was Kanu, Nakago's visitor and prospective business customer. Everything seemed to be in order – there was no sign of a struggle.

Miaka turned and buried her head against his chest. That smell... that overwhelming stale smell of death. She tried to hold back tears. She didn't want to see that lack of life. Ever since her last adventure in the book, she'd been more in tune with the life forces of those around her. Those who were alive always had a vague sort of color around them, but death held nothing but blackness. The body was empty; completely devoid of soul. She shivered and began to cry. Nakago led her out and told her to wait there while he got somebody.

"Murder!" Nifei gasped. "Are they sure it wasn't just a heart attack?"

"She was perfectly healthy," Muji shook his head. "I saw her just a few minutes ago... in fact, I was told to deliver a gift to his room not an hour before, and she answered because Gi-san was gone."

"I can't believe it..." she sighed. "I suppose Gi-san is in for questioning? I imagine he's a suspect."

"No, he was with Miaka-san," Muji informed. "They had just arrived back at his room when they found her.

"They were together?" Nifei asked quickly. "Going back to his room?"

"They'd been swimming. Gi-san asked me to get some clothes for her. Speaking of which, that's why I came by. Don't tell anybody about this, okay?"

"Right," she nodded and handed him some dry clothes for Miaka. "Let me know how it's going."

Muji pulled the door shut behind him and went to the investigation office. He knocked on the door and a man in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals let him in. Was this the detective?

"I brought some clothes for Miaka-san," he said, handing the clothes over. Miaka was still wet from having been taken straight to the office from the hall. Her swimsuit had soaked her sun dress and she was shivering. Muji felt a twinge of sadness when he noticed that she was curled up against Nakago, staring blankly forward. Part of it was sadness for her having to see the body, but the other part was sadness for himself – they looked pretty close.

"How's it going? Was the cause of death determined yet?"

"Oh yes, it was definitely murder; death by poisoning," the man sat back in a big office chair and sighed. "In all the years I've been an investigator, I've never seen such a clean crime scene. It appears that somebody delivered a package to Gi-san here, and she opened it and drank the contents – a fine wine.

"The package was for Gi-san?" Muji asked, eyes widening. "Gi-san, is somebody trying to kill you?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," he said non-chalantly.

Miaka looked up at him. "How can you say that so calmly? Somebody tried to kill you!"

"I have made a lot of enemies over the years. I have beaten out many people for government contracts and prestigious positions. It isn't shocking that somebody would try to kill me."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

He looked at her pointedly. Did anything really bother him? She pulled away from him and sat up, taking the clothes and going to the tiny office's bathroom, dressing slowly. Had it really been for Nakago? She was sure the people who's jobs he took were angry, but who would try to kill somebody for it?

"It's sad, but she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The poison wasn't intended for her."

Miaka opened the door suddenly. "Wrong place at the wrong time? What if Nakago had been in that place!" she yelled. "You have to find out who did it before it happens again! They obviously didn't get him!"

"We're doing all we can with rather limited resources. We've dusted for prints – there are no suspicious prints. All have been accounted for in the room, and the package is being examined as we speak.

Muji suddenly got light headed and sat down. Had he...? Had he delivered the package that was meant to kill Gi-san? "I think... I might have delivered the package..."

"What?" Miaka gasped. "You?"

"A package was left anonymously in the galley and I was called specifically to deliver it to his room..." he looked horrified. Had the package he delivered killed her?

"We'll need to get your fingerprints, sir. Come with me."

"Muji! Where are they taking him?"

"For questioning, I imagine," he said, sitting back.

"Nakago, who would... who would really kill you?"

He shrugged and shifted uncomfortably in his wet swimsuit. He imagined he wasn't as uncomfortable as she had been, but he was getting cold and the suit was sticking to him in places he would rather not have had rubbed by moist nylon.

"Let's go," he stood. "I want to look around the room."

"What? But it's a crime zone, they won't let you..." she realized to whom she was speaking and shut her mouth. If anybody could get around that problem, it would be him. They delayed the boat for him, they would let him get his belongings.

Miaka closed her eyes and held to Nakago's arm as they went up the stairs. She couldn't believe somebody had tried to murder him. Why would anybody try to take the life of another? She felt odd clinging to him, but also comforted. Nothing threw him, nothing shocked him, he was as calm and collected as ever, and she really needed that.

"Sir, you can't come in here, it's an investigation area!" a man tried to stand in front of him and stepped aside when he realized how pitifully small he was compared to the tall blonde.

"Gi Ayuru," he murmured. The man immediately straightened. "I am here to collect my belongings. I will obviously not be sleeping here tonight."

They went inside and Nakago looked around slowly at the room. Nothing seemed to be out of place, aside from a lamp that was probably knocked over when she died. There was a purple ribbon lying on the floor next to a cushy easy-chair. He picked it up and examined it. It seemed rather out of place: Kanu certainly hadn't been the type of woman to wear ribbons in her hair.

"Come," he told Miaka, leading her to his bedroom. He slowly packed his things and led her back to her room. She was rather dazed, allowing herself to be pushed along to her room. She wouldn't have even noticed if the Japanese emperor himself had walked right past her. Seeing somebody dead had really thrown her. She hadn't seen somebody dead since Tamahome, and that was an event she didn't wish to relive.

"Go to sleep," he ordered her.

The young woman didn't even protest, only laid down and started crying. Nakago glanced to her for a moment. That woman... she was doing such strange things to him. He had rough housed with her in a pool, splashing and yelling moronically. He had laughed and played with her, and when she saw Kanu dead, he couldn't care a second for the bland woman whose life was lost; all he knew was that Miaka was crying and he wanted to make her feel better. It was a new sensation. He had always considered himself to be unusually aware of the feelings of those around him, but he had also thought himself to be proficient at ignoring said feelings as long as it suited his purpose. However, for some reason when he was with her he felt the urge to make her happy, even if that meant making an ass of himself.

Don't even think of falling for her, you idiot, he chided himself. It is fruitless. She is too young, too innocent, she doesn't contribute anything to your life. He knew outright that that wasn't true. When he was with her, he felt like he had a greater motivation to do well, not only in the world of business, but in personal endeavors. He wanted to be better for her; a better person, a kinder, more selfless person so that just maybe he could be somehow worthy of being in the presence of her own selflessness. He was kidding himself thinking that she didn't add anything to him; she did what nobody could. She softened him into something more than the unpleasant cynic he usually was.

He knew for most people this would seem like a good thing, but it was frightening to Nakago. All his life he had used his coldness to keep him from getting too close to people and in turn getting hurt, yet she opened him up without a thought, and made him act stupid and childish and when he was with her, he honestly didn't care.

The blonde sighed deeply. How had that happened? He knew there was no use fighting it. She was infectious and she had planted her seeds and taken root in his very soul, and he knew that once Miaka, the former formidable Suzaku no Miko, had laid roots, there was no weed killer that could exterminate her from her newfound premises. The infuriating thing was that she had no idea what she had done, and most likely did not reciprocate.

Nakago finished packing his things in her drawers and went out to the deck to contemplate this strange twist further. For once in his life, he was totally at a loss.

Miaka yawned and stretched like a cat on the bed. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her bloodshot eyes. She remembered crying and being sad, but it took her a moment to remember why. When she finally did, she began to cry again. How... how could such a thing have happened?

"Yuuki," she heard somebody say smoothly. The young woman looked up.

"Nakago? What are you doing here?" she wiped her eyes.

"How long are you going to continue to uselessly cry?" he asked her, his voice completely cold and devoid of emotion.

She looked at him, confused.

"What good does it do? What good does it do to sit there and weep over something that cannot be repaired. There is no Suzaku and no Seiryuu here. Nothing will bring the dead to life again in this world." He stared down at her crumpled form. She knew he wasn't only talking about Kanu.

"Why are you saying this?" she whimpered. He faltered for a moment, seeing her large, green eyes filled with sadness and tears.

"If it makes you sad, if it makes you angry, find out who did it so they can be punished. What good does crying do anybody? It doesn't bring them back, it doesn't prevent it from happening again, it is completely and totally selfish."

Miaka stared at him, eyes wide. He was right. Kanu had been killed, and it was not an accident. Even if the poison wasn't intended for her, somebody had been trying to kill that night. Miaka didn't want to see anybody else die, especially Nakago. She gasped softly when she realized what she'd just thought. Would she have been so angry if somebody had tried to kill somebody she didn't know? She felt disgusted briefly.

"It's natural to be angry that somebody you knew was killed," he somewhat incorrectly interpreted her expression of horror.

"It's not... because she was killed..." she said softly, feeling nauseous. "It's because they tried to kill you."

Nakago looked at her blankly for a moment, not quite processing the words. How cryptic they were. But he understood at least that she thought of him as somebody worth protecting and would do her damnedest to try. Somehow, that made him feel very warm.

"I'm, uh... I'm going to get dressed," she went to the dresser and pulled some clothes out. It took a moment for her to realize that her clothes were no longer alone in the drawers. "Nakago?"

"Hmm?" he smirked, watching her realize what she'd found.

"Why are your clothes in my drawer?"

"Because I'll be staying here for a while. Meet me for breakfast downstairs." And he was gone, leaving her sputtering angrily, unable to say anything before he departed. Staying with her? Not again!

iWhat we consider football in America is known as American football in Japan. Soccer is simply called football.