Souma Estate-
Count D-
Count D watched for only a moment after the dragon, Hatori, went to defend his family. As far as D was concerned, it was the end of his responsibility. Over the past months, he'd been randomly visiting Souma's to rid them of the Zodiac blood to prevent them from giving birth to a half-breed Zodiac. That was why he'd come to Japan in the first place.
To be honest, I came mainly to be with Leon and keep him from getting himself killed.
D chose the moment when Hatori landed in front of his family to leave the estate. He dropped down from the roof of the dragon's house and landed with ease on the ground below, safely out of sight of the attackers. No one noticed him - they were too busy with the attackers - so D was able to casually walk away. In all honesty, he had thought that they would have come to him sooner. In the past seven months, Hatori was the first to request D's service.
But I was certain papa would come. D frowned at the thought. Somewhere, out in the wide world, papa D was lurking. He wouldn't take his defeat well. D knew his papa would return for the cat and, if he had his way, would start the whole mess up again. I have put too much effort into all of this, I will not have it ruined now! I will not have him hurt this family, these unique animals. I will not have him hurt… There was another unique type of animal that D treasured, but his thoughts trailed away. He didn't want to think of what was likely happening to Tet-chan once again in papa's custody.
At least the day wasn't entirely wasted. D did have an opportunity to see the soul of the Rooster as it left its body. Like an iridescent jelly-fish the Rooster's soul floated gracefully out of the corpse it had been sheltered in and hovered momentarily above the body. It moved here and there before settling and D watched the soul invade one of the Zodiac females. She was the pig, Kagura. The soul slipped into her and D knew that soon the girl would discover she was pregnant. She was young, but thankfully older than the other girl.
Hatori, as a dragon, soared down to his family to defend them and D chose that moment to leave the estate. He hadn't gotten far when a voice stopped him.
"Boss," Ten-chan stood, solemn faced a few feet away. It had been months since anyone had seen Ten-chan smile. The long-haired kitsune had been nearly destroyed when Tet-chan, his closest friend, had been kidnapped. For all these months, Ten-chan had searched as best as he was able to, nearly exhausting himself in the process. He looked terrible. "I'm sorry, boss." Ten-chan hung his head, letting his lank hair fall over his face.
"Please, do not blame yourself." D was quick to reassure his kitsune. "None of this was your doing."
Ten-chan wouldn't meet D's eyes. "He would have returned by now, if he could."
It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was true.
"I know. But…I can not stop hoping."
Ten-chan looked at D, then. "I don't know if I can." He turned then and slowly walked away. "I think your papa has done something to Tet-chan. I think…I think he might not come home."
D didn't want to discourage Ten-chan, but he had been thinking the same thing for a long while. The chances of Tet-chan still being alive were growing less and less. The only hope D had left was that his papa would still find value in the last living Tou-Tetsu. Perhaps he didn't think a Tou-Tetsu was quite as valuable as the Zodiac's cat, but surely he must still treasure Tet-chan.
The problem was that they didn't even have the slightest idea where to look. Papa was a good deal more powerful than D, he would be able to hide without even trying. If D had been an unaltered kami, then they would have been on equal footing. If D were to touch the bracelet given back to him by the Zodiac's cat, Kyou, then he would have a far better chance at finding Tet-chan.
Ten-chan followed D away from the main action on the estate, though D left Hon Ron behind with instructions to look after the new dragon. It wasn't as though she'd really needed the orders. Hon Ron was fond of the one she'd called Kaio Lung.
D left the Souma estate as soon as he'd completed his task. There was no other reason for him to stay. When he saw that the Black Scorpion were dead, and it became apparent that nothing more - expected - was going to happen. He started for home even though he was troubled.
"What's wrong, boss?" Ten-chan asked.
D scolded himself and quickly smiled. He shouldn't allow so much of his thoughts show in his expressions. "Of course not. It went well. Only one of the Zodiac died, though that is regrettable. The rest survived, for now."
"Will that change?"
"The monkey, as well as the unborn future head of the family, have both been kidnapped. Perhaps they will die." He didn't like that thought. He'd only spoken with the monkey once or twice, but he had rather liked the boy. Sentiment! Nothing but a waste of energy! Not befitting a kami at all!
"Boss," Ten-chan tugged on D's sleeve and shifted around, uncomfortably. "Boss…something…"
That the kitsune had felt the change in the atmosphere before D had truly showed how distracted D was becoming. Something terrible surged through the air almost violently and, if D hadn't know better, he would have said that it was anger. Worse than anger, it was absolute fury. He turned to find the source of what he'd felt and saw something that made his mouth drop open.
A girl. A human girl.
Her body bristled with electrical current and called down lightening from the storm clouds. It was impossible. It really was impossible and if anyone were to know what was possible and what was impossible with the natural world, it was D. What he saw was impossible, yet it had happened. The girl demanded her friend and mentioned the nightingale even while the Souma's sobbed for their children and the head of the family was mourning one of his own.
D watched, for another moment or two, before he put a hand on top of Ten-chan's head. "Let us go." Whatever she was, it was a mystery. Human but…not.
Hanajima Saki-
She'd felt it on her way to school. A terrible fear from both Arisa-kun and dear Torhu. The fear ate away at Saki like a maggot in her mind. She'd stopped walking the moment she'd felt it and her normally placid face turned dark. Both Tohru and Arisa-kun were with the Souma's and Saki had never quite trusted them.
Putting aside all thoughts of school, Saki turned at once towards the Souma estate. How many times had she heard the promise of safety? How many times had they repeated over and over that no one and nothing would hurt either of Saki's friends?
Standing in front of the Souma family with electricity crackling around her, Saki's mind was filled with their promises and she almost hated them. She didn't care that they coward away from her or that few dared to meet her gaze.
No one answered Saki's demand when she'd asked, "Where is Arisa?" Saki watched the great black dragon transform into a man and she listened to the family weep for their dead. She didn't care. She wanted her friends. At least she knew that Tohru was safe, she'd seen Tohru with a little boy as she'd walked onto the estate.
"She was told that she would be safe here. She was told that no one could hurt her here." Saki cast her eyes about and fell on Akito, the head of the family. He wasn't strong, in any sense of the word. Physically and emotionally, he was a child as well as unstable. However, he was also responsible. "Where is Arisa?" Such terrible anger and Saki could still feel Arisa-kun's fear as though it were her own. "I felt her fear! Her pain! Tohru is frightened, but she is still close by. She is safe. What has happened to Arisa?"
It was the dragon man who spoke, loudly enough to be heard by all, though gently. "Take your dead home. The police will be called." His looked out over his family then at the dead enemies. Some Saki had struck down in her rage and others had arrows protruding from them. "This will be taken care of."
Saki felt the air begin to crackle around her again, tickling at her ears. She'd never felt such power before, but then she'd never had reason to release her control, either. If she didn't get answers soon…
"Hana-chan!"
Saki turned just in time to catch dear Tohru in her arms. Saki's anger lightened with Tohru's warm, but did not completely evaporate. Petting her hair and mumbling what she hoped were soothing words, Saki kept her focus. Arisa-kun had to be found.
Tohru pulled away from Saki and took her hand. "We have to help them." She led Saki to where a silver haired man was lifting up Souma Yuki and the boy, Souma Hatsuharu, was picking up a dead man. It was Kureno, Saki saw with dread. The man Arisa-san loved. He had no life in him, she could tell that without close inspection. There were no denpa waves in him at all.
Saki set to work with Tohru, helping Kyou to his feet and half carrying him inside a nearby house. It seemed that no matter how threatening she made herself, she wouldn't get answers immediately. Perhaps they didn't know themselves, yet. Even if Saki had any hopes that she would have her answers, she didn't press it. She wouldn't frighten dear Tohru even if her life depended on it.
But I will find you, Arisa-kun. Saki could trace a person by denpa waves, at short distances, but Arisa-kun was already far from the Souma estate. Guilt gnawed at Saki's heart. A few minutes earlier - if I'd just been able to run faster - and I wouldn't have lost you.
Petshop-
D-
D would do it. He would become a true Kami to save Tet-chan. There was no other choice. They'd wasted months searching fruitlessly for him, but papa D was too clever and hid too well. D hadn't expected any success, either. Papa wouldn't allow a mere kitsune to find him, even if Ten-chan were a nine-tailed kitsune. The only way D would ever get Tet-chan back was if he were to be on equal footing with his papa and that would never happen unless he reabsorbed the bracelet.
With Leon away, wherever he was, D found himself alone in his bedroom. Even seven months later, he found Leon's absence painful. It wasn't as if Leon had actually left the Petshop, but he was rarely there and when he was, the atmosphere was cool between them. Leon slept on the sofa and never had time for tea, anymore.
I should get it over with. Standing in the doorway of his bedroom, D's eyes fell on the little wooden box on his dresser. I have lost Leon. I might as well… His heart sank. There is no excuse anymore. He hadn't touched the little box since Kyou had given him the black and white beads months ago nor did he want to.
"Sofu?" D sat on his bed and ran a brush through his hair. "Where is Chris?"
"Where else? He is with Phillip."
Chris was always with Phillip. He was always to be found in the ocean room, ever since Tet-chan had been stolen. The past seven months had been hard on everyone in D's household. His family was suffering. Tet-chan was still missing and no matter how D had searched for him, papa always managed to elude him. Leon had been sleeping on the sofa and spending all day and most nights at the Souma estate. It felt like they hadn't spoken in months. When they did speak, it was like talking to someone he barely knew.
"My dear grandchild." Sofu settled himself on the bed and took the hairbrush from D's hand. "Turn." The command was obeyed and D turned his back to his Sofu. He relaxed almost at once when the eldest Kami began to brush his hair. The slow, steady rhythm of the bristles against his scalp was having a soothing effect. Either that or it was simply the attention his Sofu was giving him. It wasn't often that D had ever gotten such gentle attention from either his Sofu or his papa. Even as a child, affection had been given only sparingly.
"What am I to do?" D asked, closing his eyes. "I did not want this." Chris was withdrawing even more from humanity and taking solace with Phillipe and Pon-chan. Now, Chris didn't even have Tet-chan to talk sense to him. Leon was drifting away to lose himself in the hunt that would lead to his own death. Dear Tet-chan stolen away by someone who would never really love him. "I just wanted…I wanted…" He wanted a family. He wanted those he loved to be near him. He wanted Leon to share himself with; he wanted Chris to teach and protect; he wanted Tet-chan to rely on. What would happen next? Would the rest of his darling pets be stolen away in a whirlwind of his papa's anger and madness? Worse - would he touch the bracelet that would make him whole and become some monster that his darlings would run from?
"You are selfish, my grandchild." Sofu didn't pause in brushing D's hair. "Such a selfish, petty thing child."
D quailed at Sofu's words. They were true. Selfish and petty for allowing Leon to get so close and then hurting him so badly. "I feel so much for him. My mind tells me he is an animal, no different than my cats or the dogs, but I FEEL!" D raised a hand to his heart. "I feel weak. He makes me so weak." But the truth was that D liked the feeling, so long as it was Leon who was making him weak.
"Our kind should feel no such things. The only family you have need of is your own kind. Your papa and myself are your family. All others are beneath you."
"Papa told me the same when I was small."
"He was correct, in that at least." The brushing stopped and Sofu placed a gentle kiss on D's cheek. "But the fact is that you DO feel these desires. You do not keep them hidden well. I have known and I have encouraged you in the past. Perhaps I was wrong. But you are unhappy, now."
"Very."
"My gentle child, I confess, I know of only one thing that may truly ease your pain, but though I have suggested it over and over, you will not relent."
D's eyes flickered back to the wooden box that held the beads - beads that had been made from his own blood and bones. The missing parts of himself.
"Your pain will end if you touch them."
"What else will end?" For that Sofu had no answer and D hadn't really expected him to. "What will change? I will no longer be who I am. I LIKE who I am. I do not want to change."
Sofu sighed and shifted until he sat beside D. "Tell me what happened today."
The rain. The attack on the Soumas. The dragon, finally, becoming the second of the Souma's to relinquish his human blood. The black dragon, like a massive serpent with short legs and long whiskers. Taking the dragon's hearing as payment for the service. D told Sofu everything. He told Sofu of Hon Ron spending so much time over the past months at the Souma estate specifically to watch over the young dragon. Death. He told Sofu of the deaths of the young children.
I did not stop it. I did not even try. The guilt he felt over that was terrible. But humans are humans and they do as they will. Humans do not deserve the protection - they kill their own young. A few deaths are nothing compared to what many humans do to the rest of the world. Why should I care what they do to their own? An image of Chris appeared in D's mind. It hadn't been long ago that Chris had nearly become one of those children. Some of those that had been killed had been younger than Chris. I do care. I should not. They are only human…only…
"And your human?" Sofu asked when D had fallen silent. "What has become of your Leon?"
Fear seized D. Something about the way Sofu had asked made him wary. "He…he said he had gone to look for work." D frowned and looked at Sofu. "He told me he was running out of money. Christmas is coming quickly and he wished to buy Chris something. He was looking for work today. He promised! He never lies to me!" D didn't realize his voice was rising until he was standing and looking down at his Sofu.
Sofu seemed amused. "Perhaps your Leon has bent the truth to suit his needs. He was at the Souma estate during the attack."
D paled. All that gunfire. All the death. "I felt nothing. Leon is fine. I would know if he were hurt."
At that moment, D heard the front door slam open, then shut. "D!" Leon's voice echoed through the Petshop. "D! Where are you!"
D nearly jumped off his bed to meet Leon. Before he'd even reached the door of his bedroom, D knew his Sofu was gone. He'd said what he had intended to say, so there was no further reason for him to stay.
Leon was closed mouthed when D found him. His mouth was tight and his eyes narrowed with little crinkly lines at the corners. His hands, when he reached for the tea kettle, were shaking. For a moment, D simply watched Leon from the kitchen entrance. He was filthy, his jeans and shirt covered in mud and grime, his hair wet from the rain and plastered down on his scalp. He smelled of sweat and blood.
"Don't just stand there." Leon grumbled, not bothering to turn around as he poured himself a drink. "I've gotta talk to you, anyway. Come on. Come on. I need some paper and a pen. I'm in a hurry. Will you get in here!"
Leon often spoke sharply - he was not a tactful man by any means - but the urgent tone made D worry. He did as Leon wanted and found a pad of paper and a pen which Leon took and slapped down on the kitchen counter. He quickly began scribbling on the paper as fast as he could make his hand move.
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving. I've got things to do." Leon frowned at whatever he'd written, but tore the paper from the notepad . "You need to look after Chris. He's got no one else and I know he's nuts about you. Make sure he does good in school." Leon kept his eyes averted. When was the last time he'd looked D in the eyes?
D's mouth was suddenly dry. "I do not want you to leave."
Leon looked at him with a frighteningly blank expression. Leon wasn't supposed to look so empty. He was filled with passion and fire, not the coolness D was getting from him at that moment. "Here." He handed D the paper and dropped the pen on the kitchen counter with a clatter. He left the kitchen without another word.
Confused and feeling mounting fear, D read the paper.
I, Leon Orcot, give everything I own to Christopher Orcot. Until he comes of age, he and whatever he owns is to be looked after by Count D.
It was simple and to the point. "A will." D muttered, going cold all over. "His will." And if Leon was thinking about his own death, then it couldn't be good. Crumpling the paper in his hands, D took off in search of Leon.
The animals, always aware of D's mood, were quiet and kept out of the way. He neither saw nor heard any of them as he raced through the halls. He found Leon kneeling on the floor with Chris in the hallway. Chris looked like he was about to burst into tears while Leon spoke to him softly.
"Leon! What is this?" He waved the crumpled paper in Leon's face.
"Isn't it obvious?"
/Don't let him leave/ Chris wailed, throwing himself at Count D. /He says he's leaving and we can't go with him/
"Look at me!" D took hold of Leon's shoulders and swung him around so that he would have to look at D. "What are you doing that you think you will need this for?" But he already knew, from Leon's obsession. What else had been on Leon's mind these past months? The Black Scorpion. D felt himself tremble. "You have found them."
Leon nodded. "Finally."
Part of D had hoped that Leon would never find the Black Scorpion for just this reason. "And now you think you will just run away to throw your life away?"
"I'm not planning on dying." He shot Chris a reassuring look and put a hand on his head. "You shouldn't talk like that around Chris."
"Then what is this for!" D slapped the paper onto Leon's chest. "You plan to go alone!"
Leon was quiet for a long time. "Chris, go play."
/No! Just 'cause you two had a fight doesn't mean you're allowed todo stupid things/ Chris glared up at Leon.
"I won't do anything stupid. Go. I need to talk to D." He waited until Chris had reluctantly gone back into Phillipe's room before speaking. "What do you care?"
So, that was what it was about! D scowled blackly and struck Leon across the cheek. "You stupid human! Blind! Deaf! You can not see or hear what happens right in front of you!"
"Why are you always hitting me?" Leon groused, rubbing his sore cheek. "How am I supposed to know anything if you won't tell me anything? You're the one keeping secrets! I thought we were getting…close."
It hit D, then. Leon was doing this because he was angry at D. He would have gone after the Black Scorpion, regardless, but now he would do it without any intention of returning. He didn't want to live.
"I will not allow you to die for a worthless cause. Do not interrupt me. We both know this is not about the Black Scorpion or about Murakai - the poor child. I will support you with all of my strength when you hunt them, but I will not allow you to simply die." To keep Leon safe, to keep him from such danger, he would have to prove to Leon that any relationship was futile. Leon would stop being angry and would start looking for someone else.
Leon turned angry at D's words and tried to pull away. "I'm a grown man, I can do as a I please. You've made it pretty clear that I don't matter." The anger seeped away and hurt shone in his eyes. "Was I really nothing more than a friend? We slept in the same bed. Didn't that mean anything to you?" Leon made a funny little shrugging motion that might have made D laugh in any other circumstance. "I do love you. I can't help it and it hurts. Damn it! What the Hell did I do wrong? Did I…misinterpret something? I don't understand."
"You did nothing wrong." D spoke slowly and carefully, feeling light-headed. If Leon didn't love him, then he wouldn't do anything stupid. "If I show you why a relationship for us is a bad idea, will you stop this foolishness? Will you be sensible?" He would do it. He would do as Sofu wished. D took hold of Leon's arm. "I will show you."
D took Leon to his bedroom and went immediately for the little wooden box on his dresser.
Q-chan perched silently on the back of a chair.
"This!" D showed Leon the box, though he kept it protectively in both hands. "This is why there can be nothing between us!" He didn't allow himself to hesitate and slid the top off the box off before Leon could say anything. The black and white beads looked harmless.
"What is it?" Leon asked.
"Me. Parts of me." D met Leon's eyes and regarded him gravely. "My Tet-chan has been stolen. Chris has told you this. It was my papa who stole my dear Tou-Tetsu. He did it out of spite because I had something he wanted. These beads will help me to rescue my Tet-chan. They will change me."
"Change you? How?"
"Have you not noticed? We have known each other for quite a while, now." D almost laughed at the confused look on Leon's face. "I am not human." With that he tipped out the box onto the palm of his hand and immediately felt something stir inside of him. The beads in his palm They instantly softened then oozed together, like melting butter and chocolate. It burned. D's fingers twitched and he hissed at the discomfort. The beads, no longer beads, but a little puddle of black and white goop. The burning increased as it sought a way into D's body and seeped in.
Leon, who still probably didn't understand what was happening, was alarmed and seized D's wrist. "What's happening! Drop it!"
"No!" D easily pulled away from Leon. "It's too late. I did not want to hurt you, but I am not human. I have deceived you for so long." As the pain grew and shot through his arm up into his chest. "We can not be together. I am too unlike you!" He let out a cry as the pain leeched into his brain. It was like a quickly spreading poison and let no part of him untouched. There was no stopping it, now.
Leon's eyes were wide and his mouth partly hanging open as he watched. "Let me help…"
"No help. It is done." The pain flared unbelievably. D had never felt anything so terrible before. Then…it stopped. D found himself on his knees, panting heavily with the thud of his heart against his ribs and knew that he was whole. He was what he had always been meant to be. He could feel the increased awareness and power running through him. It felt as if he'd just woken from a deep slumber.
"D! D!" Leon was holding him by the shoulders and almost shouting at him. "What happened?"
"You see?" D asked. "I am not human." He opened his eyes and looked up at Leon fully expecting something dramatically different. To his amazement and delight…nothing had changed. His heart still beat stronger when he looked at Leon. Nothing had changed, really. Nothing important had changed.
Leon's expression of concern and worry was almost immediately replaced by one of irritation. "Yeah. And?"
"What do you mean, 'yeah'?" D sat up on his knees and couldn't help but feel a little cheated that he hadn't gotten a bigger reaction from Leon.
Leon waved nonchalantly at D. "Do you think I'm stupid? I've know you weren't quite normal from the day I met you. Mermaids? Medusa? I knew something was up. Are you alright?"
D allowed Leon to help him to his feet, shocked. "You…knew?"
"Well, I knew something was different. Seems logical, I suppose." He didn't let go of D's hand once D was standing and, in fact, tightened his fingers around D's hand. "You're a moron if you think I'll run screaming into the night. I meant what I said."
D could have cried. "I will never grow any older, Leon. I am frozen at this age."
"We'll deal with that later."
"I have to move my home every two years before the humans begin to notice that I am different."
"That's alright."
"I am kami, as far above a human as a god."
Leon smiled. "You can't scare me off. I've only got one worry and it's been eating at me for seven months." He looked at D meaningfully. "I still love you."
D put his free hand up to touch Leon's face and said what he'd wanted to say seven months ago. "I love you, too."
Souma Estate-
Yuki-
Yuki woke slowly with his head throbbing. He felt as if he were going to throw up. With his stomach rolling and his head throbbing, Yuki wondered if it had been real or just a nightmare. But his head hurt and how else could he have gotten hurt? Perhaps Akito had hit him. That didn't seem right.
It wasn't a nightmare. I'm sure it was real.
Flashback-
Yuki lowered Kyou to the floor of Akito's house and helped him get comfortable. It was rather nice not fighting all the time, but Yuki did sort of miss it.
"You took long enough." Akito's voice floated through the room and when Yuki looked up from Kyou, he saw Akito laying on his back on the porch. He was staring up at the rain clouds.
"Sorry." Yuki said, moving to sit. The first day he'd spent with Akito had been nerve-wracking. He'd been terrified that Akito would suddenly turn back to the way he used to be that he'd been jittery for hours - which had only set Akito on edge. "The rain caught us by surprise halfway here. We tried to wait it out, but I don't think it'll stop." Yuki found himself wondering about his garden. Perhaps it would be washed away in this storm. I haven't been there in months. My homework's still on my desk. My leeks are dead and my strawberries rotted on the vine. How depressing.
Akito turned his head towards them and regarded them with solemn eyes. He did that a lot, lately. Akito didn't look well and that - according to everything Hatori had told them - meant that Arisa-san's baby was very healthy. It was sort of a balance. Both couldn't be healthy at the same time. Still, Akito didn't complain. He gave Kyou a plaintive frown. "None today?"
Kyou barely had the energy to raise his head to look at Akito. "Sorry. No sun. No energy. Nothing to give you. Sorry. Barely enough to keep myself upright." Then he allowed his chin to sink back down onto his chest, again. Kyou's eyes suddenly shot open wide and he looked to the left, then the right. "Hide." Kyou spoke very suddenly, but his tired, weak voice was heard clearly. "Hide. We're under attack."
"What?" Yuki looked at him sharply even as he rose to his feet.
"I can hear gun fire and screaming. It's close. Getting closer." Kyou struggled, making and effort to push himself to his feet and keep his eyes opened when he would obviously rather be sleeping. "Gotta get Akito out of here. Gotta go."
"No." Akito was scowling blackly at them, looking very much like his old self. His eyes narrowed at Kyou, then back out his window. "Someone dares attack my home?" He was working himself up to a temper. "My people? My home?" He leapt to his feet faster than Yuki and turned swiftly towards the door. He said nothing, but snarled as he stalked towards it.
Yuki was afraid. He hadn't been so afraid of Akito in a long time, but the old habit of holding his breath and keeping still made him freeze for a moment. But this is my duty. Yuki reminded himself, sternly, that Shigure wouldn't have hesitated. "We should wait."
"What!" Akito turned on Yuki almost viciously. His hand clenched and unclenched rapidly at his sides and his eyes were slightly dilated.
It send a chill down Yuki's spine. "Attackers would only be here for one reason and I don't think we can stop them. The children, they'll be here for the children. We should call the police and…" He didn't even have time to finish his sentence.
The door of the house burst open and a half-a-dozen people surged in. Kyou, sitting so close to the door as he had been, was knocked to the side and fell with a curse. After that, it was pandemonium.
End flashback-
"Hold still." Hatori's cool, dry hand settled on Yuki's forehead and he instantly felt better.
"Thank you…Hatori?" Yuki opened his eyes again and frowned up at Hatori. It was definitely Hatori. He'd known Hatori his entire life. But he was different. Hatori's face was narrower with higher cheekbones than he'd had before. His visible eye was brighter and his skin slightly darker. "You allowed Count D to…"
"I'm sorry." Hatori said before Yuki could finish his sentence. "I can't hear you. You're better now. There's no damage to you. The attackers struck you over the back of the head, but you're fine. Akito's waiting for you."
Yuki had been put in a small room in Akito's house. By tradition, there were no guest rooms in Akito's house. No head of the family had ever been stable enough to have friends who might want to spend the night. But there was a small room that Yuki was all too familiar with. He sat up and looked around with a renewed feeling of illness. Why did they have to put him in THAT room? It was the dark room Akito had put him in when he'd been younger.
"We're all in Akito's bedroom. You need to come." Hatori offered Yuki a hand to help him stand. "He's not taking it well."
"Not taking what well?"
Hatori frowned. "I told you - I can't hear you. Ask one of the others your questions. We have to go, now. I don't want to waste anymore time."
Everyone was there.
Akito, glowering and furious, was half-propped up on his bed, sprawled out with his mouth a tight line. He didn't say a word to any of them, but the rest of the Zodiac family - those who were still at the estate - were spread out around him.
Hatori left Yuki the minute they walked into the room to go to Akito's bedside. He leaned over and whispered something to Akito, though Akito showed no sign of having heard it. With his dour, unhappy expression, Hatori looked very much like a stern vulture. Kagura and Kyou stood to one side while Hatsuharu and Rin kept pacing around. Kisa and Hiro were practically sitting on top of each other, they were sitting so closely. Ayame kept flitting around the room. It was he that made Yuki pause in shock.
"Oh, Yuki! Are you alright? I was so worried!"
For once, Yuki didn't stop Ayame or try to step out of the embrace. In fact, despite the circumstances, he found that he rather liked like. Ayame was a mess. So was the rest of the family, but it seemed more unnerving to see the ever elegant Ayame with mud splattered on his clothes and caked under his fingernails. Several of his fingernails had been broken, Yuki noticed, and he wondered if Ayame had thrown a tantrum about it. There was a tension in Ayame's eyes that didn't look natural.
"What happened to your hair?" Ayame had always had long hair for as long as Yuki could remember. Long, flowing silver tresses. His crowning glory, Ayame would call it. It had been rudely chopped off almost to the base of his skull.
Ayame laughed, though a not very convincingly. "Oh, it's nothing. It's nothing." One of his hands found it's way to the back of Yuki's head. "You're sure you're alright? 'Tori said it was just a bump. He said you'd be fine."
"I am. What's been happening?"
Ayame took Yuki's hand and patted it as if he were trying to comfort Yuki. "Terrible things. So many people dead. It all happened so quickly. It's awful." A little shiver ran through Ayame. "We have to stay here. Go talk to Kyou, though. He's not handling it well, either."
Indeed, Kyou looked ready to burst. Yuki nodded at Ayame, but stopped before walking away. "Are you alright?"
Ayame gave him a watery smile. "I need to talk to 'Tori. Don't leave. Don't try to wander off after the princess. She's fine. She's very brave, you know. Her little dark-haired friend's with her."
Yuki nodded and made his way to where Kyou was muttering and Kagura was shaking her head, her hand on his upper arm. Both of them were on the floor, Kyou sitting while Kagura knelt at his side. Yuki could see the rain still falling through the open door of Akito's bedroom that led to the porch, he suspected that Kyou was still weak and unable to stand.
"A few hours. Not too long." Kyou was muttering. "Useless. I'm useless. No good damned power. No good if I can't protect. No good. Stupid. Had to happen on a rainy day!"
Kagura stood in front of Kyou and slipped her other arm around his waist. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong." She looked at Yuki with teary eyes. "They killed Kureno. Have you heard? He's dead."
Yuki's eyes widened and he felt his breath catch. "No."
"Arisa-san's gone. Kidnapped. Ritsu's gone, too. There are so many people dead." Kagura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. "We should sit. Hatori's ready to begin."
It was almost like New Years. They all sat in front of Akito's low bed and kept their eyes on him. He was listless and almost didn't seem to see that they were there. After a moment, he bowed his head and put his face in his hands, muttering just loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Falling apart. It's falling apart. We're falling apart." He looked up, confused. "Kureno? Where…? Shigure?"
Hatori met Kyou's eyes and nodded at him. Grimly, Kyou nodded back and stood up. It took a long time, but he did it on his own. When Kagura offered her hand to help, Kyou motioned her away. His pride had not changed at all since his transformation. Unsteadily, Kyou made his way to Akito's side and wordlessly took his hand. The kiss must have given nearly all of Kyou's energy away. Kyou seemed actually to be in pain. His eyes squeezed tightly shut. His breathing became too rapid and his skin faded to an unhealthy gray. When he finally broke away from Akito, he fell to the floor and didn't get up.
Kagura and Yuki both rushed to Kyou and took him by the arms to help him back to his seat. He was unconscious, so they lay him on the floor and resolved that they'd tell him what happened as soon as he woke. It seemed that he'd given his last remaining energy to help Akito.
"We will not allow them to attack again!" Akito snarled. "I will not have my family victimized! We must find where they've taken my monkey and the baby. We must find them and…" His voice trailed off as Hiro's hand slowly rose.
"I know where they are."
"What?"
Hiro swallowed hard, his nerves getting the better of him. "Orcot-san and I have been looking for them for ages, now. Kureno was helping us. I think they were planning to go there themselves. I know who the leader of these people is and I know where he is. Hong Kong, China."
Akito shook his head. They can't have gone that far."
Though he can't have known what was being said, Hatori cleared his throat and spoke. "Regardless of what we do, we need Shigure. You will all call on your animals. You will have them search all of Japan for Shigure. We need him, now."
The family- barring Kyou - bowed in unison.
There was no questioning of the order. No arguing even from Rin or Hiro.
Still sitting formally on his knees, Yuki tried to focus. He rarely called the rats to him, but he knew it would work. After all, that was how he'd gotten Torhu's tent unburied from the landslide when they'd first met. Calling the rats was easy enough, but to send them out as far as he could to find Shigure?
The snakes came first, crawling out of Akito's garden, and it seemed to Yuki that it wasn't so odd as he thought it might be to see Ayame draped in snakes. They slithered in from Akito's gardens and crawled up onto his lap and, from there, to his arms and shoulders. One had even gotten into his short white hair. Ayame smiled softly at the touch of the snakes and let them make themselves comfortable in his lap while he held a large, bright green snake with both hands. He let the animal lick at his nose and made soft little hisses at it.
Kagura, Hatsuharu, and Rin had animals that lived only on farms or in the wild, so they merely sat as through entranced as they called to their animals and gave them instructions. Momiji already had a small rabbit on his lap. He looked very sad, but considering what had just happened, Yuki didn't think it was at all unexpected. Momiji had always been sensitive. It was lucky that he wasn't bawling.
Hatori kept close watch over Akito, who had not been made much better by Kyou's small donation of energy and, unsurprisingly, didn't seem to make any effort to call his animal. How many dragons could there be?
Shigure can fix everything. Yuki told himself. Shigure was always the one to fix problems in the family, though how he would mnanage this one, Yuki had no idea. All we have to do is find him.
Yuki let his body relax as much as possible even as his mind tightened, stretching out to all the rats he could touch. There was no better word for it - the indescribably feeling that took hold of Yuki when he forced his talent with rats. He'd often wondered if it was like this for all the Zodiac, but he'd never asked. Communication had never been a high priority amongst the family.
Momiji-
/What's wrong/ Large black eyes of a tawny hare looked up at Momiji. Its long ears were high and turned this way and that, wary of predators. The poor thing was a mass of nerves as it was surrounded by things that would love to eat it. No doubt Yuki's rats were in the same state.
"Hatori's different." Momiji whispered when he was sure everyone else was too busy with their own animals to pay him any attention. "He changed when I wasn't looking." Momiji picked up the hare gently and stroked its fur. He loved the touch of the hare's fur between his fingers and running under his fingernails. "He changed, just like that."
/All things change. Snakes. There are snakes near. Let's run. Let's hide./
"My family won't hurt us. You don't have to be scared." There wasn't anything he could do about it, anyway. "He can't hear. He can't hear a thing. He's not Hatori anymore." And what if this new Hatori didn't want Momiji? Kyou's temper had drastically changed as well as how he treated people. What if Hatori had changed just as much? "I need you to help me find someone." Momiji tried to fill his mind with the image of Shigure. "He smells like a dog, but looks like a man. He might look like a large black dog."
The hare quivered fearfully and trembled in Momiji's arms. /Dog? Danger! Death/
"No. Not Shigure. He's very good. Very kind."
The hare bit Momiji's finger hard enough to draw blood and make Momiji cry out. It looked at him, reproachfully. /Would you send your own kind into the jaws of death? All Teeth and claws all make death. All/
Momiji watched his finger bleed, then looked sadly at the hare. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't make you, but I have to ask. It's great trouble for my family."
"Momiji?" Hatori was suddenly standing in front of Momiji and gave him a concerned look. "I saw you get bitten. Are you alright?" He was taller than ever. It was no illusion. The cuffs of his white shirt were up far above his wrists, almost halfway to his elbows. His trouser legs were several inches above his ankles. His face was longer and sharper than it had been and his black hair hanging nearly to his shoulders. He hardly even looked like Hatori.
The hare looked at Hatori with something close to awe. /Dragon. So long gone from here…two of them./
Two? There was only Hatori…and a strange little lizard peeking out from his shirt pocket.
Hatori knelt and took Momiji's hand. "I'm sorry. You always look like this when you want to cry. You mustn't worry. I'm sure Shigure will find Ritsu and Arisa-san."
"No, it's not that." Momiji set the hare on the floor and watched it hop away. "Go on." He told it. "Please, find Shigure and tell me where he is."
"Don't speak." Hatori told him. "It doesn't do any good, anyway." He put a hand to his left ear and massaged it. "It's gone. I'm deaf. A fair price, I'd say." He moved forward and knelt on one knee next to Momiji. "Let me see your finger."
"It's not my finger that's bothering me." He stopped at Hatori's baffled expression.
"I'll have to learn to read lips." Hatori said. "I don't understand you."
Momiji opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure if he should speak or not. He'd wanted to say it for a long time, but kept putting it off. The attack made Momiji think he might not have another chance. "I wanted to grow up, now. I'd made up my mind. You took care of me for so long. You held me when mama didn't want me anymore. You let me cry and you never told anyone. I didn't want anything to change. I was afraid if I grew up that you wouldn't want me. You'd want me to leave so you wouldn't have to take care of my anymore." Momiji reached out and took Hatori's hands in his. Even Hatori's hands felt different. His fingers were exceedingly long, like the legs of a daddy-long-legs spider. "But you have Aya, now. You were so happy with him and I was starting to think that it would be fun to own a toy store. I thought, 'I'll make Hatori proud. He'll be so proud when I make something of myself.' I was going to go to college. I was going to buy that little building next to the bakery and have all kinds of toys. I'd sell teddy bears and tops and jump ropes and…and…I just wanted to make you proud. I wanted you to know you haven't wasted your time with me. Do you care?"
There was a long quiet when Hatori tightened his fingers around Momiji's. "I…I don't understand."
Momiji started to pull away in despair.
"I don't understand, but I wish I did. Don't cry." Hatori raised one hand and wiped it across Momiji's cheek. "I hate it when you cry."
It was then that Momiji saw it. Everything about Hatori seemed different - except Hatori's eye. His one usable eye was exactly the same as it had always been. Violet and sad, it was perfectly normal. It was enough. Momiji threw himself into Hatori's arms and hugged him tightly.
"It's okay if you don't understand." Momiji muttered into Hatori's shoulder. "I'll do it anyway. No matter how all of this turns out. I'll make you proud." With his heart at ease, Momiji settled back and refocused his mind on his hares, letting himself fall into sync with them. He could see through their eyes as they meandered around the forests and he could hear what they heard. It was taxing and not entirely pleasant, a strain on his whole being, but Momiji stuck with it. He wouldn't give up.
Later-
It took three hours before there was any response and it came from Ayame who shouted very suddenly, "Found him!" So excited that he forgot himself and leapt to his feet, dragging everyone else out of their trances. "My snakes found him! Shigure's in the forest, due west, from the feel of it. He's with that wolf pack."
Yuki rubbed his forehead and pushed himself to his feet, obviously exhausted from the searching effort. "I'll go fetch him. Kyou's in no shape to go anywhere."
Hatori held up a hand. "Sit back down. All of you will be staying here. Yuki, look after everyone. Aya, go check on the rest of the family." As he spoke, Hatori slipped off his muddied jacket and folded it neatly before putting it on the floor. "I'll be back shortly."
In the deep forest-
Hatori-
"Pathetic." Shigure really was pathetic. As lazy and selfish as Shigure had always been, he had never looked so lost. His trousers were torn to the knees and he was barefoot. His skin had darkened, burned by the sun. His hair was quite long and he was filthy with streaks of dirt where the rain hadn't washed him. His fingernails were black from dirt. "Get up."
Shigure shook his head and said something. He squatted down with his arm around a wolf and leaned his head against the wolf's.
"You're coming home."
Shigure laughed and spoke again with an expression both sad and angry.
He wished he could understand what Shigure was saying. It could be important. Why was Shigure lurking in the forest with his pack? Why hadn't he even tried to contact them? Shigure had missed so much in his time away from the family. "What you want is irrelevant."
Shigure looked angry and scowled.
That only made Hatori angry. "I can't hear you, but I know you can hear me! You ARE coming home. You don't have a choice. If I have to drag you back and throw you down in front of Akito, you are coming home. Do you have any idea how worried we all were? For seven months I have tried to be patient to let you have time alone - seven impossibly long months!"
There were more wolves, then. They gathered around Shigure, watching Hatori warily.
"You've missed a lot. Don't argue with me. You are coming home." Hatori was frustrated and tired. He was too frightened to think straight, or so he would tell himself later. Hatori was not a fighter. Shigure was. Shigure one of the best fighters in the Souma family. He was more than just a fighter.
Perhaps the wolf knew what Hatori was intending, but it broke away from Shigure and when Shigure turned to watch it go, Hatori launched himself at Shigure, taking him unawares. The two men tumbled to the ground, rolling in the mud. Hatori ended up on top and drove his knee into Shigure's gut and while Shigure took a swing at Hatori, Hatori's body had changed so much from the long ago days when they would spar together. His face was too far out of Shigure's reach. It was just a half-hearted strike, anyway.
Shigure was a fighter and quite a good one at that. Hatori, dragon or not, would not best Shigure so easily. Shigure managed to get hold of Hatori's arm and with a simple twist threw Hatori off. Shigure jumped to his feet and made every effort to block Hatori's attack. He didn't want to hurt Hatori or he would have attacked instead of just blocking. There was no doubt in Hatori's mind that Shigure was just as capable of killing as Kureno had been.
The wolves had stayed away as long as they'd been able to. The pack rallied around Shigure and then, despite something he shouted at them, all charged for Hatori.
A wave of the hand was all it took for Hatori to bring to life the small river. At his will, the water surged up and shot at the wolves as if it were from a fire hose, pushing all of them back.
Shigure, astonished, stared open-mouthed at Hatori and at the river as it returned to its peaceful state. He said something.
"I am the dragon." Hatori repeated himself. Everyone knew that dragons had great influence over water. He stared challengingly at Shigure. "Are you quite finished?" Hatori asked, stiffly. "The family has been attacked. Kureno is dead. Ritsu has been kidnapped along with Arisa-san. She is carrying the future head of the family and is due to give birth in just a few weeks. Don't look at me like that. I'm not lying. You know I don't lie." He hardened his voice. "You have a few weeks, at best. Akito is dying."
Shigure-
Dying.
Of course Akito was dying. He'd been dying since the moment of his birth. But…if the new head would be born in weeks, then Akito had only weeks left to live. Weeks. Seven months and Shigure hadn't been there for him. Looking down at his lap, Shigure felt such utter shame that he couldn't stand it. He felt his stomach heave and threw up.
Wiping away the bile from his lips, Shigure muttered, "Uotoni-san? Who's the father?" When only silence answered him, Shigure looked up. "You hit like a girl, Haa-san."
Hatori's frown deepened. "Did I forget to mention that I'm deaf?"
"What!"
"I really am the dragon of the Zodiac now."
Shigure hadn't been paying attention. He took a deep breath in through his nose and caught all the scents in the area. He singled out the ones that didn't belong in a forest and found that Hatori had been telling the truth. He didn't smell like Hatori.
Again and again, Shigure inhaled through his nose, hoping that he'd made a mistake. Perhaps there was something else that was adding the strange scent to the air, but the scent was coming directly from Hatori. Shigure climbed to his feet and moved closer to Hatori. The closer he went, the stronger the scent became. Shigure moved so close to Hatori that he put both hands on Hatori's shoulders and put his face nearly on Hatori's neck.
"You're taller. When did you get so tall?" It was true. Count D had gotten to Hatori, too. There was no human blood left in Hatori. He was the dragon.
"I know you're hurt." Hatori leaned into Shigure and putt his hands on Shigure's arms. "I know it hurt you to give Akito to Count D. We all know that you want only what is best for the family...for Akito. You're not the only one ready to fight for the family. I gave up my hearing. I will never hear again. When you and Aya laugh over some stupid joke, I won't hear it. I'll never hear Momiji's voice. I don't know if I'll be able to continue as a doctor. But I did it! I gave it up knowingly and willingly for the family."
"'Tori…"
"Don't say we don't need you." Hatori shook his head. "Even as I am, I am useless. A weak, crippled man. I could have followed! I have the strength! I have the power!" His eyes filled with tears. "But I did nothing. By the time we realized they'd been taken, the rain had washed away their scent too much for me, even as I am. Yuki was injured. Akito was frantic. There were so many dead…so many of the children had been killed. I let them go - the people who may have destroyed our family and I let them go! I don't know what to do! I can't leave Akito for any stretch of time and I can't send Kyou to deal with people like that, no matter what kind of power he now has. He's just a boy, he's a child. They'll come back if we don't do something. We can't withstand another attack." He met Shigure's eyes, desperately. "We need you."
Shigure weakened. He couldn't stand to see Hatori crying. Shigure shifted his arms until he was holding Hatori and he held him tightly, running his hand over Hatori's hair, soothingly. "It's alright." Shigure said, feeling numb. "You aren't meant to kill, anyway. You were never meant to do any harm." Though he knew Hatori couldn't hear him, Shigure said it anyway. "That's my duty." Shigure smiled when he pulled away from Hatori enough to let Hatori see his face. "Let's go home."
To be continued…
