Ok, this is one of the longer chaps...just for a refresher: HukiYuki, ShigureShehure, TohruLhoru
Disclaimer: FBnot mine, anything you recognizenot mine
Chapter 13
Haku
That night, Rhena had just given Lhurone another dose of painkillers. Lhurone was pretty out of it, now. Whenever he gained consciousness, he'd usually mumble nonsense.
"He doesn't sound as though he's having nightmares," observed Hatsuharu, 'but he'll probably have some once he's off the painkillers."
"You really should relax more, he's okay now," I said. Hatsuharu didn't need to put himself out this much. Didn't he ever want a life of his own?
"Haku, you're the last person I'd expected to hear that from. From the person who's always on guard against our good guardian?"
"We deal with Asheno when we deal with Asheno. It's the way it is. I was thinking, maybe eventually I can hold Asheno back using the ghost."
"I was wondering about that myself. Have you heard from Faran-Zhuku lately?"
"Not a peep since those wild visions last night. Leaving my body and going so far to Shiwa took a lot out of him, I think. He's still not as strong as he used to be. Some more rest, and I'm sure he'll return."
"Have you given any thought as to what he'll be like once he regains full strength?"
I glanced down at Lhurone's bed sheets. Sighing, I said, "No, well, kind of. Truth is, I can't even imagine what he will be like. If I will have any control over him. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to control him to some extent—after all, I got him to Shiwa, didn't I? But there are still the times when I lost my grip on my emotions, and he killed innocent people. I must learn what his connections to my mind are like."
Hatsuharu nodded, looking out the window at the rainstorm. What was passing through his mind? "Aw, I left my bike out on the sidewalk!" He slapped his head with his hand. "I've got to bring it inside before it rusts beyond repair. Haku, stay here with Lhurone in case Asheno comes back." The muscular teenager galloped out of the room.
Naturally, Asheno sauntered in, the old calm-yet-devious look on his face. Not a good sign, Asheno's health being so stable lately. We could expect more trouble.
"How is my poor horse?" he purred.
Narrowing my eyes, I replied, "Lhurone is doing well."
"Good. Haku, earlier I realized that I'd stupidly forgotten to tell you and Hatsuharu something important. I have had trouble locating many of the Dzuni, including our precious Lhurone."
"And you call me incompetent." Asheno's mouth twisted slightly at that, but he straightened his composition.
"In any case, once school is out, I will have you boys search for the missing members. In absolute secrecy, of course. We shall discuss this more later." He said tersely, sliding toward the door.
"Rhena!" Both of us stared at the door, taken aback by Hatsuharu's sudden scream. Rhena ran through the servants' door.
"What? What?" she asked. Hatsuharu burst through the door, soaked from the rain. In his arms, he carried a limp body. My eyes took in the long silver hair and the white skin. Kho.
Rhena recognized him, too. "My goodness, it's little Khosure!"
Asheno smiled. "So it is. I'm so pleased that the snake has rejoined us."
Hatsuharu and I paid no attention. "He's not wearing any coat!" I panicked, knowing his susceptibility to cold. He was completely drenched, and he'd been out on the streets the gods knew how long…"Get a bed and dry clothes for him, Rhena! He'll develop pneumonia!"
"You heard him, woman! Now!" Asheno commanded, suddenly worried.
"You actually care?" Hatsuharu said, setting Kho upon the bed. I began taking off his wet shirt.
"It is the dzuni god's duty to look after his charges," Asheno said, "I must not have any of you die. It would be inconvenient." I knew it'd been too much to hope for a sudden change of heart from Asheno.
Two footmen wheeled in a cot. "Put it over here, by the fireplace," directed Rhena, "and build up the fire while you're at it." Rushing over to Kho, Rhena took over the situation as she expertly disposed with the rest of Kho's articles and swathed him in dry, heated towels.
"Good heavens, such a fever," Rhena said, "I'd better keep him in here, it'll be easier with Lhurone to look after as well. But he's going to get pneumonia at this rate, I'm sure of it. Hatsuharu, put him on the cot, would you, dear? Haku, hold that thing steady, we can't have Kho roll headfirst into the fire!" We did as bidden. It broke my heart seeing Kho totally limp when he should have been so dynamic.
After we'd tucked him underneath several layers, Asheno told Rhena to leave. "It'll only be for a few minutes," he snapped when she protested. As the servants' door shut behind her, Asheno turned to us. "You will not go to school tomorrow. I will call and make excuses. I will get Khosure's address, and you will go to his home and fetch his personal belongings. You will give his guardians a letter written by me, informing them that he will be living with us from now on." Asheno began to stride purposefully towards the door, then stopped.
"As long as I am doing this, I shall also have the chauffeur fetch Hotohori after school. She should be here, with the rest of her proper family." Self-satisfied smirk. "So that makes five out of thirteen. Not bad." Door slamming.
I stood silently as I contemplated the misery that three more unfortunates would now suffer under Asheno. No doubt Hatsuharu was thinking similarly.
"Rhena you can come back now," I called. Judging from her response speed, she'd been standing right outside the door. She fussed over Kho, still out cold.
"Well, I for one am actually kind of glad we're not going to school tomorrow," Hatsuharu said, "because I wouldn't be able to concentrate with both Lhurone and Kho down." I smiled. Then it came to me—"Tori might still be ill," I said.
"She is," confirmed Hatsuharu. "Kho visited this afternoon."
"Did he get caught in the rainstorm after the visit?" inquired Rhena.
"Kho is flighty, Rhena," I said, "but he's not so stupid to get caught in a major rainstorm without good cover. I'm more inclined to think something bad happened. Look at his face." I had only just noticed it. The horrific greenish-yellow blotch covering a good portion of his left face. All three of us stared at it.
"What--?" sputtered Hatsuharu.
"I saw more bruises over his body while I wrapped him up," Rhena reported grimly. "Some cuts, even."
"So that's why he was having trouble talking on the phone yesterday," Hatsuharu said. "He's been abused. Goddammit!" He threw a chair down and stomped out of the room. I placed a restraining hand on Rhena's shoulder.
"Hatsuharu's a good man," I said, "but he gets frustrated if he can't protect all of us. Let him have some space first."
"So true." Rhena smiled, adjusting Kho's blankets. "What did you mean earlier, 'Tori might still be ill?' What's wrong with her?"
A long explanation of Tori's mysterious lung ailment followed. "The attacks have gotten worse, and they last longer. It may not have abated by tomorrow, and she's been sick for five days now."
"Oh, that's just horrible," Rhena gasped. She shook her head, checking Lhurone. "It just keeps piling on, doesn't it?"
"No kidding."
"Go on to bed, dear. No, you must get a fair sleep. I'll send Hatsuharu off, too, when he comes back. You'll both need it for tomorrow, I daresay. Kho's guardians are not likely to welcome you."
Haku didn't want to admit it, but he did need to go to bed. His body had started revenging itself on him for the turbulent weekend—every movement required his stubbornness to happen. He flopped into bed without even changing or pulling the covers over him. A deep slumber conquered him effortlessly.
Sometime in the early morning hours…
"Haku." Faran-Zhuku had returned. "You see more now." A lone flame tree blossom dancing in the blackness, to the tune of the hated song. A man's voice spoke, one that Haku had never heard before. A voice that was once pleasant, but now sad and…regretful?
"My little boy, you must be strong."
Haku found himself staring down a hallway, sunlit windows on one side and lockers on the other. He tried to look down, but his body didn't respond. Instead, he found himself running down the hallway, towards two girls in Karori uniforms, waving his arm and yelling in a girl's voice, "Zhula, Hana! Hellooo!"
The dark, shorter girl smiled. Haku felt a strange aura emanating from her, but his body continued the enthusiastic running.
"Lhoru, how are you?" said the dark girl. She had long black hair tied in a plait down her back. Her eyes were a piercing black. Haku noticed that her fingernails were painted deep purple.
"What's up, Lhoru?" grinned the tall, blonde girl. She wore a long skirt, contrary to Karori's usual knee-length rule. Her shoulder-length hair flapped over her right eye and she chewed gum nonchalantly. What? Haku realized he was in Lhoru's body. A girl's body…Haku uncomfortably came to terms with the fact that he had breasts now. This had never happened before—inhabiting one of his visions' characters' bodies. He could listen to Lhoru's thoughts, hear everything she heard, and see everything she saw. It felt intrusive.
"Lhoru, why are you so late today? Don't worry, we covered for you with the teacher," Blondie said, rubbing Lhoru's head and hugging her. She was easily a foot taller than the tiny Lhoru.
"Oh, I-I," stammered Lhoru as Haku listened, "umm…I walked to school with Shoma Huki. I ran into him on the way to school."
"Hmm. That explains why Huki's admirers have been watching you like hawks," murmured Purple Nails. "I shall have to do something if they become too violent."
"Now, Hana, easy, remember what happened the last time you used your waves on someone?" Blondie, who must be Zhula, said. "Besides, I shall also protect our dear Lhoru!" The distinct look in Zhula's eyes reminded me of Lhurone when he was still in a gang. He'd had the same appearance. Had Zhula been a gang member? If so, what was she doing with someone as sweet and un-violent as Lhoru? For that matter, what was Hana doing there? Haku found the three to be an odd trio.
The scene faded away. Now Haku, still in Lhoru's body, was walking on a street with Huki. Judging from Lhoru's thoughts, school had ended and Huki was walking her to her part-time job.
Huki was absolutely silent. This moody boy and Hana would be a good match, I thought idly. Clearly, Huki's depressed attitude concerned Lhoru.
"Thank you for walking me to school, Mr. Shoma," Lhoru piped up, "I'm so sorry to put you and your guardian through all this trouble." Wow, Lhoru was a polite one. Haku still didn't have a good sense of what year this was, but he was pretty certain that Lhoru was polite by any standards. Most kids didn't use honorifics in addressing their own classmates, even ones they didn't know well.
"It was no trouble at all," Huki replied, trying to reassure Lhoru. "We don't mind others admiring our Dzuni decorations." Haku thought he discerned a note of irony in that last sentence.
"They were lovely," gushed Lhoru. "Although I was sorry there wasn't one for the cat. I've always loved the cat." Huki's face visibly hardened, and he stopped walking.
"Huki?" chirped Lhoru. "I-I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you." Haku snorted inwardly; he was getting fed up with her apologizing constantly for no good reason.
Huki looked up and half-smiled. "No, you didn't offend me, Ms. Mileshi. But you would do well to forget the cat. The cat is a fool and has an unpleasant nature. Come, you'll be late for work as it is."
Oh-ho, this was getting interesting now. I wonder which animal of the Dzuni Huki is, Haku thought. Ah, I bet I know.
Lhoru, who had been standing stunned, ran to catch up with Huki.
Once again, the scene shifted. Now night had fallen. Haku had left Lhoru's body and was now a separate observer. Leafy trees surrounded him, and a dirt path lay under his feet. He recognized the forest around Shehure's house.
"Later same night," narrated Faran-Zhuku, "Soon Shoma secret reveal to Lhoru. You pay attention. Important."
"Thanks, Faran-Zhuku. Wait…it's going to take a lot of visions to explain everything, isn't it?"
"Yes. I told you. Take a while. Too important to mess up. Be patient."
"Shehure, I'm getting tired of ordering delivery all the time," complained Huki as he and Shehure walked down the path towards Haku's spot.
"But you despise my cooking, dear Huki," whined Shehure.
"It is not natural to cook eggs with bean oil," Huki responded coldly.
"Huki, Huki," Shehure shook his head placidly, "you may be very intelligent, but you are quite the slothful housekeeper."
"And you're criticizing my housekeeping?" Huki cocked his left eyebrow.
"Perhaps it is time we had a flower in our dreary home to brighten it up," mused Shehure.
"Stop being a pervert. And anyway, having a woman in the house would cause problems."
"Oh, not if we were careful." Haku tried to recall what he'd heard about the curse. Let's see, Rhena had said that under the old curse, a dzuni would transform into his or her animal when hugged by a member of the other sex or when physically weak. So these dzuni had to actually avoid the other sex? How were they able to live in society? Haku felt surprised that Huki attended a coed school. How did Asheno, assuming he was their head, even allow Huki to attend in the first place? How much had Asheno changed since Shehure and Huki's generation of the curse?
"Stop ask for now. Get answers sometime," scolded Faran-Zhuku.
Haku scowled, but his attention was drawn by Shehure suddenly stopping.
"I don't remember that tent being there before," he said, pointing to Lhoru's tent in the clearing. "I'm not renting this land to anyone, so we'd better go over and see who it is."
At that moment the tent flap opened and Lhoru, face flushed, crawled out with a towel in her arms. She looked up and saw the two men. Everyone froze, surprise etched on their faces.
"I-I-I," stammered Lhoru.
Shehure doubled over, laughing hysterically. "A girl living in a tent in the middle of a forest…ha ha haa!"
"Don't insult her, stupid," Huki remonstrated. He turned to Lhoru. "Lhoru, this is Shoma land."
"I'm sorry! I-I didn't know! But please let me stay-I'll pay rent! But I can't burden anyone else by moving in with them..." pleaded Lhoru. She swayed on her knees. A wolf howled. Shehure stopped laughing and listened.
"There's going to be a landslide!" he yelled as he grabbed Lhoru and pushed her to the path, Huki following close behind. Rumbling shook the ground as the muddy top layer of the small hill gave way and collapsed squarely on Lhoru's defenseless tent.
"My mother!" Lhoru frantically rushed back to the mud pile before Shehure or Huki could stop her. "The picture of my mother was in there!" She began digging through the tough mud with her bare hands. "Mother is hurt! Mother is hurt!"
"She's sick, Shehure, she has a fever," Huki said, worried. "Lhoru, please come back to our house. It's too dangerous here right now."
"Lhoru." Shehure stilled her digging hands. "If there's another mudslide and you get trapped, your mother will be even more hurt." Lhoru sobbed. "Hmm, she does have a fever. Come back to the house, Lhoru. All right? There, that's a good girl." Lhoru obediently rose, supported by Huki's arm.
Back at the house, while Shehure searched the filthy kitchen in vain for ice, Lhoru explained how she'd ended up living in a tent on Shoma land.
"When my mother died a month ago, my relatives argued over who would take me. I went to live with my grandfather. Then my aunt and uncle started remodeling their house, so they came to live with Grandfather, b-but there wasn't enough room for all of us. So Grandfather asked me if I could live with some friends. I couldn't burden Zhula and Hanadzima, Zhula lives in a tiny apartment and Hana has seven people at her house. I-I was going to live on my own someday, so why not start now?" She lightly shrugged her frail shoulders. "I used my savings to buy that tent, and I managed nicely…" She fell to her side.
"It's okay, Ms. Mileshi, don't overdo yourself," Huki said, helping her stand up. "We'll take care of you until you're better." He guided her to a side parlor, where Shehure had set up a mattress on the floor. "Here, lie down."
"I-I couldn't p-possibly…" began Lhoru.
"No, you will stay here." Huki stopped her firmly. Shehure had finally found some ice and placed it on her forehead. He sat next to her.
"Just relax, Lhoru," Shehure smiled reassuringly. "Being hard on yourself is not good when you're ill."
"But if I had just said good-bye to Mother that morning, this wouldn't have happened…I stayed up late studying, Mother wanted me to go to high school so I could have a better life than she did, she had to work so hard. I promised her. I promised…"
"I'm very sorry," whispered Shehure.
"I lost my home, my picture…can't let Mother down…" Lhoru's eyes closed, and she drifted into a sound sleep.
Shehure glanced up at Huki, who'd been listening.
"I wish I were as strong as Ms. Mileshi," Yuki whispered sadly, "I could have run away from Asheno and lived in a tent in the forest, but instead, I only run to another Shoma house. I'm not strong enough to free myself from the Shomas."
"Huki," chuckled Shehure, "you and Lhoru have entirely different spirits. If that's how you see things, you have some growing up left to do, I'd say."
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Huki acquiesced, the merest hint of a smile appearing on his lips. "Can you look after her for a little while? I'm going to go dig up her stuff."
"Alone?"
"When I did I say I was going alone?" Huki's purple eyes caught the moonlight, and Haku saw thousands of rats gathering outside the windows.
"So your friends will help you. Fine, but be careful," Shehure smiled.
Huki can talk to rats, thought Haku. I did think he was the rat. He remembered one time when his class went on a field trip to a farm in fourth grade, and the bull had tried to charge Hatsuharu. As far as he could remember, dogs had always acted terrified around Haku.
"Wake up, Haku, you need to get dressed and have breakfast," Rhena yelled, shaking him by the shoulders. "I'm glad to see you sleeping so well for the first time in years, but really, you shouldn't see Asheno with nothing in your stomach. You'll need your strength!" Haku blinked, seeing the picture of flame tree flowers tacked on the wall opposite his pillow.
"When did that get there?" Haku wondered out loud.
"Oh, I found it in the trash and I thought it was absolutely shameful of you to waste such a pretty drawing, so I taped it up there," Rhena responded, pulling him out of the bed.
"Do you know what they are, Rhena?" Haku asked as he started pulling on his socks.
"Heavens, no, I've never seen such flowers. But it would be so nice if they actually existed."
An unaccountable sadness filled Haku. The flame trees had been dead for so long that Hothans had forgotten what the flowers even used to look like. It was all so…unfair, Hoth being deprived of something so lovely.
Faran-Zhuku, exhausted from the unusually long vision (at least his strength continued to grow), agreed with Haku. But, at the same time, Faran-Zhuku knew that such beauty masked darker elements. It would be a long time yet before the boy would understand the duality that lay behind the flame trees, thought Faran-Zhuku.