Chapter 5

"Um… can you please tell me where are we heading?" asked Franchine from her horse, for the first time since they've had left the palace.

Chichiri glanced at her briefly and turned his attention back to the road. "I've been planning to return to my hometown since last month and that's where we're heading. Don't worry, Nuriko knows."

"Ok," came the hesitant reply. Now that she's alone with Chichiri, she can't seem to find the strength and the courage to start a conversation. Chichiri isn't helping either; he's too lost in his own thoughts. She sighed trying to think of ways to keep herself from being bored. Talking seems to be out of the question, however. Suddenly, a thought struck her mind. She took her flute from one of the saddlebags and started playing a tune.

Chichiri, who had been lost in thought, was jolted from his revere by the soft notes of the flute. He turned to his companion just to discover that his companion was the one playing the flute. He turned his gaze back at the road, a hint of smile played on his lips as he
hummed along.

Franchine was so engrossed in playing that she didn't notice the change in Chichiri. It was not till the end of the piece that he commented on it.

"I didn't know you could play the flute," Chichiri said, "What was the piece? I never heard it before."

"Thank you. It was a piece composed by my dad before the accident. He said that he'll always be with me and if I miss him, I'll just play the piece and he'll be by my side though he's far away. The piece was originally a poem by my mom and he made the tune. Miaski would sing it and I would play the flute whenever we're sad or we feel very alone," Franchine explained.

"Do you feel alone now?" Chichiri inquired.

"Not really, I just miss my sister and I wonder if she's still breathing or is Tasuki wringing her pretty neck now?"

"Knowing Tasuki, he's probably the one whose neck was being wrung," Chichiri said dryly.

Franchine laughed. "Ironic isn't it?"

"Yeah, Tasuki almost always seem to get into everyone's nerves, even mine," he said thoughtfully.

"So does my sister. And I'm usually the one on the receiving end of her tirade about an idiot who did this and that, etcetera… etc…"

He smiled, "I know what you mean. I'd usually have to play deaf whenever Tasuki's temper starts."

They both laughed.

"There was once a time a guy dared to tell Miaski that she's dumb. You should have been there. I never saw the guy for two weeks after Shun's through with him. It later turned out that his nose was broken and he was sporting twin black eyes."

"Hah! Tasuki's worse. One of the new bandits dared to criticize Tasuki by saying that Tasuki's too young to be the pack's leader. Needless to say, the new guy never lived to tell the tale."

"Those two are hell raisers, aren't they?" Franchine concluded, smiling, her eyes dreamy.

"They really are," agreed Chichiri. A sudden breeze blew Franchine's hair to her face. She raised her hand to brush it away as she turned her attention to the road, humming. Just that moment, Chichiri realized that Franchine was beautiful. Not just the usual provocative beauty but the one that tends to grow on the person after some time. Her hair that never seemed to behave was, at first notice, plain brown but is really an interesting combination of browns and blacks. And her eyes, baby blue that's deceptively innocent but has a hint of world-weariness that can be seen at closer inspection. He has also seen those eyes clouded with worry, glinting with anger and sparkling with mirth. He felt as though he shared something in common with this person, the pain of losing a loved one. And, he concluded, since Franchine lacked the outlet a.k.a. temper of her twin, she must have accepted all and bore the burden without complaining. His respect for the girl grew, and his admiration for her silent beauty was… he mentally shook his head. What was he doing? Thinking such things of the innocent child. Hardly a child, he though, fifteen is the most confusing age of life. But it's easy to see she matured early. He quickly tore his gaze away from her and turned back to the road blocking out unwanted thoughts.

"How long will it take to arrive there?" asked Frachine breaking the silence.

"About three hours more," Chichiri replied.

"Can't you just teleport to there?" she asked.

Chichiri turned to her and seriously said, "Having power is good but we're not supposed to take it for granted. You never saw Tamahome displaying his martial arts just to make money, nor has Hotohori used his swordsmanship to kill those who oppose him. Tasuki never used his speed to steal every trinket in the market, same goes with Mitsukake, he never used his healing power with payment. Chiriko never used his supreme intelligence for vain and he never played to
have tons of fans, in fact, he's ashamed of his powers. He only wanted to be a simple kid. Enjoy life like other kids his age; instead, he's to protect the miko. Besides, instead of using my
powers, I could do with the exercise."

"Exercise my foot! You're not just exercising your body, you're forcing stress in it," Franchine scoffed, suddenly her eyebrows furrowed, "you never mentioned my cousin, and I happen to know that he uses his unbelievable strength for granted. I remember when
Miaski and I were kids, he would hold both our arms and whirl us about, one arm, one kid."

"Nuriko haven't used his strength to make Hotohori like him," Chichiri defended.

"You have a point," allowed Franchine.

"By the way, I never knew Nuriko has cousins, I thought his only relative is his older brother," wondered Chichiri.

"Oh, Rokou? Well, you see, um… we ARE cousins but distant ones," explained Franchine hesitantly.

Chichiri knew the girl is hiding something from him. He just don't know what. Turning back to the road, he made a mental note to confront Nuriko when they arrived back in the palace.

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