Disclaimer: To Natsuki Takaya FB belongs, and anything you don't recognize doth not belong to me.
Chapter 8
School. The teacher lecturing as usual. The students, anxiously copying down notes for the high school entrance exams. Haku could barely stifle demented laughter. Sticking to his everyday routine when so many supernatural and horrible things had been happening in his life…it just seemed so macabre. Tomorrow would be the first day of the weekend. At last he would finally have some time to try to process all that had transpired. Hotohori was still ill, for the second day in a row. He should try to visit her after school today. Kho also worried him. Obviously Kho was very upset over Tori's illness, but something else was wrong, Haku suspected. Today, Kho had winced while sitting down. Then there was Asheno. He had given orders that the boys should be at home whenever the school didn't require their presence. Oh, then he wouldn't be able to see Tori. He'd call later, in that case. Haku was positive Asheno intended to corner him about the ghost wolf. For now, Haku would do his best to keep throwing Asheno off. Hatsuharu…he needed to tell Hatsuharu about last night.
On top of all that, the ghost wolf still had to be dealt with. At least now Faran-Zhuku's secrets were slowly revealing themselves to Haku. But so many questions remained: how well could he control the wolf? Could he? And the family curse—the wolf seemed determined to take his sweet time in revealing the secrets behind the curse. Finally he knew that Shoma Shehure had existed (if he was even still alive), then there were the other Dzuni members Asheno had sent away, but so many questions…For the first time in his life, Haku preferred to concentrate on his algebra problems. Even math, his worst subject, was more appealing right now than dealing with his turbulent life. And that damn song was still droning on, it hadn't stopped since midmorning…
Precisely at 4:00, when the last period ended, the Shoma family chauffeur arrived to escort the two boys homes. Kho had gone to visit Tori. Haku and Hatsuharu both entered the car with feelings of regret. At school, they had a better chance of escaping. This is a good opportunity, Haku thought, and rolled up the soundproof glass so the chauffeur couldn't eavesdrop.
"Hatsuharu," said Haku, "at home I need to tell you some things." Some things? More like everything.
Privately, Hatsuharu felt glad that Haku seemed ready to shine light on his secret workings. Really, Haku bottled his emotions too much.
"OK," nodded Hatsuharu, "Definitely, let's talk. Although it'll have to be later, because I need to deal with that girl's father. It wouldn't look good if only Rhena did." In Hoth, it was always considered suspect if a servant died under unusual circumstances and the employers did not send a representative of the family to console with the servant's family.
"Hm-mm, what do you think chances are Asheno will be sick?"
"Very likely, Asheno gets sick a lot after big events like a servant getting killed by a ghost wolf."
"You say it like it's so normal for our family," Haku started giggling. Hatsuharu stared at him, then began giggling himself.
"We must be losing our minds," Hatsuharu said when he'd calmed down.
Upon their arrival at the house, Rhena took their coats.
"You'll be happy to know Asheno is ill," she whispered to them.
"Yes!" hissed Haku.
"Oh, and Hatsuharu, Fadzula's father is here," Rhena's voice took on a conspiratorial tone. "Be careful, I wouldn't be surprised if he's looking for an excuse for an investigation. It won't be a problem—all of us loved Fadzula, that poor, poor girl, she never gave me any trouble, no sir. But her father, he has that greedy look of a moneygrubber, how he could've had such a nice daughter--"
"I'll be careful, Rhena, thanks for the warning," Hatsuharu replied, rolling his eyes. How much fun this was going to be.
"You or any of the servants seen the ghost wolf lately, Rhena?" asked Haku.
"No, no, and hopefully that demon will never come here again." Haku breathed a sigh of relief.
Haku and Hatsuharu went their separate ways, Haku up the stairs to his room and Hatsuharu towards the parlor they used for receiving visitors of a lower status. In the doorway, Haku stopped and took in his room. It hadn't changed for the last few years. Small, yet comfortable, and it had a nice window overlooking the most beautiful part of the courtyard garden. The bedcovers were rumpled as always—Haku had never been a neat sleeper—and drawing paper still covered the small desk and floor. Yes, he welcomed some stability very much right now.
Haku settled into his creaky chair before the desk, and picked up an empty piece of paper and a well-worn ebony pencil. Some doodling would help him relax. After half an hour, he snapped out of his reverie and saw that he had drawn and colored dozens of unfamiliar flowers. They were all the same kind—their form resembled a smaller version of hibiscus, but the ends of the petals were pointy, almost sharp. In the center delicate, bright yellow pollen stems gently rose upwards. The center of each flower was colored orangish-yellow, extending out slightly onto each petal. The orange-yellow sections ended in uneven lines resembling the leaping of flames in a fire, giving way to a pure red. A dark crimson tinged each tip, as though the flowers were dripping blood onto the ground. Haku could only gaze at the blossoms he'd drawn, amazed. Never had he seen flowers of their kind. In his mind, "The Flame Trees of Thika" took on a louder, more glorious tone, then stopped abruptly.
"Fire flower, beautiful, yes?"
Faran-Zhuku lay curled on Haku's bed, almost filling the entire length of the bed, gnawing softly at a forearm. Haku gasped. He hadn't even felt Faran-Zhuku appear that time.
"You mean these…these are the flame tree blossoms of legend?" Haku asked unbelievingly, once he'd recovered.
"Yes…beautiful, sad they not around anymore…" Faran-Zhuku awkwardly shook his head. "I remember them before not bloom. They not bloom because Shoma secret."
"The Shomas are responsible for the death of the flame trees?"
"No, trees not dead. Waiting. But Shoma little responsible, yes."
"What happened?"
"No, you not understand enough. Not see enough yet."
"But I need to find out now!" yelled Haku, leaning forward. The wolf flattened his ears and growled. "But you don't understand!"
"YOU not understand! I know what Asheno did you, did Dzunis. I lock up five hundred year. I free at last. You only fifteen."
The wolf knew about everything Asheno had done to him. "Why did you not help me against Asheno when I was younger?" Remembering that night, when he was five, the countless other times besides.
The wolf's eyes narrowed mockingly. "Trust me with boy five year old?"
Haku had to concede to the wolf's point. "I a complicated thing," continued the wolf, "You know more me later. Patient."
"I assume the same is true for the Dzuni curse?"
"Not real curse. Different. But complicated yes, yes. Take many year fix."
"It's not a curse?"
"No…depend on how look. It change. Much time pass."
"Will it ever go away and leave the Shomas in peace, to live lives as completely normal people?"
Silence, as Haku stared at the floor, fighting to keep himself under control. That last question had brought back many fears and questions he would rather forget. The wolf, for once, sat still and contemplated him quietly. Faran-Zhuku was still recovering from insanity and mental deterioration—part of the reason he'd been absent during Haku's childhood—that had built up during his long imprisonment. However, enough of his acute powers of perception remained. He could sense Haku's every thought, fear, fantasy, and subconscious emotion. This boy was tormented, had many emotional issues, but he had a strong character. Faran-Zhuku smothered the impulse to go on a murderous rampage—Haku's tumultuous thoughts were intricately interwoven with his actions. Must calm him down, Faran-Zhuku thought.
"Haku." The teenager raised his eyes.
"You have one worst burdens in entire Dzuni." There would be others, thought the wolf, but they did not yet exist in this world. Perhaps in the next generation of Shomas. "But I impressed. You strong. Many Faran-Hat-Zhuku before lose mind, even when life more easy than you. I certain not happen you go insane. And I possess many so I know. I one hardest Dzuni to be possess. I one most dangerous. No weak man able stand me."
Haku met the wolf's gaze squarely.
"Stay strong. For sake Hatsuharu, Hotohori, Khosure and other. For Shoma family sake. For Hoth sake. There hope for Shoma, Hoth better future. But you must patient and learn me." Faran-Zhuku was grateful his speech was fast improving, but this was not an undertaking to be rushed.
For a long time nothing more was said.
Then Haku asked, "Faran-Zhuku…will I continue to have visions and hear voices?"
"Always. Part Faran-Hat-Zhuku burden. But now I free, so control little better, especially voice you hear. Least I try. Still some trouble."
"Are you going to show me more visions like last night, you know, explaining the family history?"
"That what I want do. Important, you have know. But I try show at night when sleep so life not intruded."
"Fine," Haku smiled. "Thanks for trying. I guess I can't appreciate the torture you've gone through, but…you obviously know what I've gone through. I'm glad someone knows…"
Yes, thought the wolf, this one has the potential to be a great master of Faran-Hat-Zhuku. If nothing goes seriously wrong, which God knows, often happened in the Shoma family.
"I have one more question," Haku said tentatively, "is Shoma Shehure still alive?"
"Yes." A knock on the door.
"It's me, Haku." Hatsuharu's voice.
"Come in," Haku said.
Hatsuharu had just undergone a grueling meeting with Fadzula's father. Her father went after Hatsuharu, looking for any excuse to sue the Shomas. Disgusting, thought Hatsuharu, he didn't care about his own daughter at all. He opened the door and saw red eyes looking at him. His muscles stiffened.
"it's okay, Hatsuharu," Haku said. "Faran-Zhuku's calmed down a little. We were just talking." Hatsuharu took in Haku's red eyes. The wolf kept worrying his hindleg.
"You can talk to Faran-Zhuku?" Hatsuharu queried, keeping his eyes on the wolf as he managed to squeeze his large frame into a sitting position next to Haku's chair. The wolf chuckled to himself—Hatsuharu was a hitokiri, after all. Continuing to watch him so closely, staying near Haku to protect him—yes, Hatsuharu was doing his job, and he didn't even know it. The hitokiri, official protectors of the Dzuni.
"Yes, I can," replied Haku. "His speech isn't so good because he was imprisoned for so long. Right, Faran-Zhuku? But he's improving quickly." Haku summarized his conversation with Faran-Zhuku, while Hatsuharu never took his eyes off the ghost for one moment.
Excellent, smiled the old ghost, he's still trying to protect Haku from his own Dzuni spirit.
"Faran-Zhuku?" Hatsuharu said. The wolf didn't reply. Faran-Zhuku had used up too much of his strength talking to Haku and trying to restrain his urge to lash out at every human nearby. Oh, well, I'll talk to Hatsuharu another time, Faran-Zhuku said to himself as he phased back into Haku's body. He'll need to know about his Dzuni. But not until I'm stronger.
"I think he got too tired," said Haku. "He was really struggling to keep himself under control."
Hatsuharu only continued staring at the bed. If what the wolf had told Haku was true, then there could only be more trouble to come. Would he always be able to defend Haku against Asheno? Should he? Did the wolf know how Tori's illness could be treated?
"I have a lot of questions for that wolf," Hatsuharu said. "A lot of questions."