Chapter Forty-Three

Sitting in the far back room, shards of glass covering the floor was a young woman. Despite her lazy look as she nearly hung over the side of the bed she was lying in, her choppy yet wavy chocolate hair drifting in her face, one would say she was nothing short of beautiful. Her pale, glowing naked skin was barely covered by bed covers, and only a brief moment later did she glance her pea green eyes to the one who walked in. "Echi . . ."

"Nice to see you again, Mom." Amefuri smiled awkwardly a little, walking over to the bed, not worrying about the glass since he was wearing boots. He helped sit her up, his hands feeling how wobbly his mothers' body was. He even wrapped the blanket around her for modesty, though he wasn't in the least embarrassed; he had seen her naked before. It wasn't a big deal to him.

Giving her a light kiss on the forehead as if it were a greeting home, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and spoke calmly, as not to disturbed any headache lurking about. "Now . . . tell me why you've been drinking again."

"Drinking . . .?" she replied in a weak voice, as if she didn't know what he was talking about. It wasn't a moment later that she leaned her head against his chest, and he could hear her sniffling. When she talked, it was in an almost unbearably loud voice, almost as if she couldn't control her tone. "Echi . . . you were gone! My baby boy, gone . . . I didn't know where you went, and I was afraid you were hurt by someone again. That you had enough, and left. Echi, I'm so happy you're home!"

Amefuri's smiled turned more genuine and he pulled her into a hug, comforting her as she started to cry hysterically. She was often like this, but he didn't mind at all. It made him happy that she worried about him this much. "It's okay; I won't ever leave you . . . not as long as either of us are alive."

She pushed away a little, wiping her tears from her face and beaming. She looked calm, but before he knew it, his mother was back in his arms, crying even louder. "My boy is home! I love you so much; I was so worried!"

She silenced herself for a moment once again, and Amefuri looked down at her curiously, wondering what was the matter. She seemed alright now and she lied back down on the bed, carelessly not taking the covers with her and acting as if they weren't even there. She held her hands over her mouth. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Amefuri laughed, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead again before standing up. "I'll go get you a bucket or something then. Don't get up; there's glass everywhere. I'll clean it up."

She grinned after a moment. "Better hurry up; I had eight bottles!"

"You should be dead by now, with the way you drink."

"Don't say somethin' like that about your mother!"

"I'm just kidding!" he replied, chuckling again. He turned around, stopping just before the door. His fingers were on the door handle, ready to open it and leave. "Mom . . ."

He waited for an answer, knowing that sometimes when she was like this she wasn't exactly quick to pick up certain things. ". . . Yeah?"

"When you're feeling better . . . there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Toroki was sitting back at the table again, watching curiously as Suzuno tried her best to prepare a meal. She didn't exactly know how to cook the same way Subaru did, but she was sure she could make the meal decent all the same. She was surprised to find that the cabinet had a few vegetables, and she was chopping them evenly to make a soup.

"Would you like to help?" Suzuno offered, only turning her face a little to look at the blonde boy. He shook his head, a frown on his face.

"No way," Toroki replied boyishly, sticking out his tongue. He drew his knees up to his chin, his arms wrapped around his legs. "I don't like knives. Reikoku cut me with his when I didn't listen."

'He sounds so calm about it,' Suzuno thought. Truthfully, she wasn't feeling so calm about this at all. Who was Reikoku, really? She knew his connection to Toroki, but at the same time, she didn't know what threat he was to all of Sairou and Kutou. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to seem too eager either. After all, it must have been a hard subject for him.

"How long will it take before we can reach Uncle Shuri?" he asked innocently, his fingers fiddling with his toes. He had long taken off his shoes when he entered the house.

"I'd say a couple of days . . . maybe even three, depending on how far it is from Hashi. I don't know a lot about this world though . . ."

"That's not fast enough. If he don't get there soon and warn everyone . . ." Toroki paused, as if he didn't want to say it. "If we don't, thousands of people will be murdered in cold blood."

Suzuno heard him physically shiver at the very thought, and she was tempted to do so as well. This person . . . he spoke of him so often, and whenever he did, he was always described with cruelty and brutality. But then again, she knew it was true; Toroki literally carried the marks to prove it. "He was strange . . . He used to be like a big brother to me, then when he learned I was a Warrior of Byakko, he changed."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She had finished chopping carrots and put them in a large stew pot, beginning on greens.

"Well . . . he discovered I was a warrior on accident one day; not even my Uncle Shuri knows. That's when he changed. He thought that the power could be passed on with the symbol, and he wanted to take it. That was the first time he cut me."

Suzuno turned around to see if he would show her what seemed to be only explainable with physical means, and show her he did. She vaguely remembered the mark earlier, but back when they first met she was so busy looking at the symbol to even really notice. He turned his body and pulled his hair to the front, and on the back of his neck in a circle was a deep hollow gouge, wide and a very fleshy pink. Suzuno did not even want to imagine the event that created something so painful. 'That scar . . .'

"He thought that if he cut out the skin with the symbol . . ." Toroki continued, putting his hair down and resuming to playing with his toes. He averted his eyes. ". . . He would be able to obtain the power of Toroki. But it didn't work, so that's why he took me away from home. He said other things, but I never really understood them . . ."

Suzuno really felt like she wanted to know now. He seemed open enough to speak about it; she was glad he could talk about everything. She was hoping he was alright with her asking her own questions. "Why does Reikoku want to take your power?"

"He wants . . ." he paused, as if he needed a moment to really think about it. "He wants to be the new Emperor. He was going to wear down Sairou and Kutou with the Toroki monsters, then he was going to kill Uncle Shuri, the Emperor . . . even Amai . . ."

"Amai?" Suzuno questioned. This name was new to her. She had heard him mention the name before and she vaguely remembered it from Danko, but she never really wondered about it until now.

Toroki didn't answer her question. Instead he smiled widely, childishly, standing up to look down into the bowl filled with vegetables. He sniffed and grinned. "Wow! This looks delicious!"

"Thanks," Suzuno replied, continuing to cut her food again. It was alright; whenever he wanted to talk again, he could talk. She wasn't going to force something like that if he didn't want to speak of it. She wanted to wait until he himself was ready.

The two turned their heads when they heard footsteps, seeing Amefuri coming back from the room. He smiled at the both of them, even waving a little. He sat down at the table, his arms crossed on the top as he rested his head and yawned a little.

"Mom is fine," he told the both of them as if they knew her. "She's just a little drunk is all. I'll have to clean up her messes later, but don't worry about it, okay?"

"It's okay," Suzuno replied for Toroki, who looked as if he were going to say the same thing. "It's not our house anyway."

The two stayed in silence for a moment and Suzuno awkwardly found herself staring at Amefuri. Looking into his violet eyes, she was suddenly reminded of the very first time she met him. He was so different then, but then again exactly the same. She blushed as she turned around to cook more, breaking the contact. 'He was touchier then too!'

"Say . . ." Toroki started, putting a finger to his lip as he glanced at the two of them. He smirked devilishly. "I sort of thought of Suzuno and Tatara this way, but . . . with the way you guys are so friendly, you must be a couple! Almost husband and wife!"

"What!" the both of them shouted at the same time, looking down at the young boy between them. He giggled mischievously as the two met eyes once again. Suzuno knew her face had gone even darker than before, but . . . was that a blush on his face as well? 'Amefuri? Being embarrassed . . .?'

After a moment Amefuri seemed to gain his carefree composure again, stretching his neck a little while he spoke to relax his muscles. His cheeks had come back to a smooth tan, and his easy smile was back as well. "No, the both of us aren't a couple. But even so, you're too young to know about things like love."

In reply Toroki pouted, his lower lip puckered out. "I'm not little! I'm fifteen years old!"

"Really? It's hard to believe that a boy who barely looks ten years old is the same age as that monster Jin-Shun."

"Jin . . . what?"

Toroki turned to look at Suzuno for answers, but he only found her giggling.

"Ah!" Subaru said with a smile, stretching her arms out above her head. She felt so giddy all of a sudden, stepping through the door. "I'm so happy to be home!"

The first thing she did was run to the kitchen, twirling in a circle. For once she didn't have to borrow anyone else's home to cook a meal; this was her kitchen, built the way she wanted it to be. Lanva smirked as he leaned against the doorway, watching her hum to herself. She searched through her cabinets quickly just to get a feel of being back, but suddenly she frowned.

"What's up?" Lanva asked, walking into the kitchen as well. He sat himself up on the counter, something he knew she didn't approve of but knew he could get away with. At least, he was sure he could now for some reason. "Something bothering you?"

"This kitchen just seems small now," Subaru said, kneeling on the ground. She closed the cabinet door and stood up again, looking around a little more with her eyes. "You know what I mean? There's the kitchen in the palace, Danko's kitchen . . . I miss being wealthy."

Lanva stuck out his tongue playfully as he pulled her into a familiar, but less romantic hug. "Aww, no you don't. Don't worry about this; someday when your mission as a Byakko Warrior is done, we'll be married and have so much money that we'll be able to afford the biggest kitchen in the world!"

There was a moment between them, and Subaru wasn't sure what to say. Part of that made her feel so joyful, but at the same time . . . was he really being truthful when he spoke? Was it false hope? She wanted badly to believe that this fate would befall them, but at the same time she thought of Toroki, of Amefuri, of Tatara. Those three warriors, unlike her, seemed to have sadness to them. A pain.

'Toroki's pain came when someone learned he was a Warrior of Byakko,' she thought, lifting her hands to hold onto the strong arms wrapped from behind her. 'He was abused because someone wanted his power. What if something like that happens to me? What is it's something . . . worse?'

"Subaru?" Lanva snapped her out of her thoughts, and she leaned in closer to his body, his chin lying softly on top of her forehead; he was still sitting on the counter, so even though he was already taller than her, it felt like he was even more so. "Hey . . . are you okay?"

"Do you really want to marry me?" Subaru asked, surprising him a bit. It was so out of nowhere for him. "You said that we'll be married after this, but . . . I mean, it was a set up between our parents. We didn't have a say in it at all. So . . . is it really that okay with you?"

He didn't even hesitate. "Are you kidding? There's no one else I'd want to marry! It's gonna be you, now and forever."

Subaru giggled, pushing out of his grip a little, only to turn around and pull him down herself. She gave him a light kiss, followed by a much deeper one. She closed her eyes, her cheeks burning. 'He tastes so good to me . . .'

Tatara turned to take one last look in the direction of the Capital, though it was barely visible under the dark. The stars were the only thing that illuminated the distant buildings. But, his mind had anything but buildings. The one thing, the one person on his mind, was the Priestess. 'Suzuno . . .'

He walked into the cave just underneath the Haunted Mountain, his footsteps the only sound heard in the echoing, dirt-pad cavern He didn't understand it at all, but Suzuno was someone on his mind a lot more than anyone else. It didn't nag at him; in fact, he didn't mind it at all.

'It's just strange,' he thought as he stopped before a wall of flowers. The vines twisted within each other tightly, but it was only with his slight touch that they withered away, flowing away before him. 'We've known each other for only a short time . . . Maybe it's because she's the Priestess?'

Tatara could only see in the room slightly, noting the table in the room. He remembered there being a lamp right above it, hanging by vines. He quickly lit it, the whole room illuminating. Once he did that, he saw Aoi-Yuki in the corner, as if he had never left the home. He smiled softly and leaned over to scratch behind his ears, then he scolded his lightly with a pat.

"Go back to Toroki," he said, and the animal looked at him curiously. "He's very attached you you, I can see . . . go back to Amefuri's home, where he's be waiting."

With that, as if it were a direct command Aoi-Yuki stood on all fours, lightly purring like a kitten as he rubbed his head affectionately against Tatara's leg before starting back out. He looked back for a moment, but Tatara's willing, soft ushering let him continue on.

Home . . . This was his home. But, all of a sudden the once comforting room he'd stayed in for over two years, the room filled with beautiful exotic plants resting against the walls felt different. It seemed lonelier. Suzuno once again came to mind.

What was this? 'Something is just . . .'

X x x x x

Finally, we are introduced to the woman that is Amefuri's mother. :D And she's crazy! Crazy-fun, and crazy like a fox. Lol! As you can already see, she and Amefuri have a very good relationship, and an odd one at the same time. She'll be in the story more later!

We also learn more about Toroki and where he got the scar from, and we also learn that he's actually fifteen. XD That means not only is he the same age as Jin-Shun, but Amefuri sixteen so they're a year apart! Or technically not. I think in earlier chapters (19?) is says that Amefuri just turned sixteen not too long before the journey began, so they're actually only a few months apart. What a difference in looks and personality!

And it looks like Tatara is showing more signs of being if looooooove . . . –sighs all dreamily- Yeay! It's about time! XD

Oh, and sorry for this chapter being so late . . . I wont miss this Thursday! Promise! –Hugs- Thank you all so much for 200 reviews too! XD I luv you all. –heart-

Care- Oh, Reikoku is coming pretty soon and everything will be very easily confirmed. :D No worries about that! And I dunno if Tatara will ever find out about that . . . XD Maybe! It'd make for a cute scene. XD

RabidMantisGirl- lol:D Like the kid from Mummy II . . . that's great! XD He's also making some moments between Ame and Suzuno, which is good too! More love triangle-ness, even though we know who she'll really be with. Oooh . . . Ame wasn't described? How could I do that! He's everyone's favorite! T.T lol, no worries! More on him since this is, of course, his home town. Especially something big soon . . .

Anon- Thank you very much:D I hope you'll continue to read and review for it.

LiL-pUnK-pNaY27- Hee, seems a lot of people know the answer to the Poll. :D

Suzuno Oosugi- Yes, the hints make it so obvious! Gosh, Ame-chan, why don't you go kiss her or something? XD But then again, Tatara should be doing the same thing . . . they're both falling in love. Yeay:D

Queen of the Paperclips- Yes! The power of Positive thinking compells me! XD And yes, it's definitely Ame-chan being jealous. Hee hee, he's falling in love and he doesn't even realize it. :D Crazy kid!

Ice- Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this update too.