Chapter Four: Desperate Times
Hokuto blinked when the light from some electric lamps hit her eyes. She had just emerged from the void she'd called 'limbo' and now glanced about with confusion on her pretty features.
"This doesn't look like the park where I last saw Sei-chan….In fact, this looks like the basement of a building!" Hokuto thought, as she started exploring the mysterious place she'd ended up in. It appeared to be a huge room, almost an antechamber; the only piece of furniture she could see, however, was an ornate, high-backed chair in the very center of it.
"Not much I can say about the décor, but the size of the room itself is somewhat impressive….." Hokuto mused, silently, as she started to approach the chair to get a closer look at it.
"You look a little lost." A woman's voice stated, startling Hokuto into turning around. To Hokuto's surprise, a beautiful (yet scantily clad) woman had emerged from the shadows at the other end of the room.
"Um….yeah…I am kinda lost, to be honest. Can you tell me where I am?" Hokuto asked.
"You are in the basement of Tokyo's city hall. How you got down here is really beyond me, since security is tighter than usual." The woman replied, as she approached the wary Sumeragi.
"Really? Gee, I wonder why….?" Hokuto murmured, even though she had a feeling she knew the reason. She then noticed that the other woman was giving her an odd look.
"Is it normal for ceremonial robes to have holes in their chests?" the woman asked, rhetorically.
"Uh….no…Not really…..EEK!" Hokuto yelped, when she finally realized that the hole in the robes caused by Seishiro's deathblow now revealed a good portion of her otherwise bare chest.
"I think you'd better be glad that Yuto wasn't the one who had found you." The woman muttered, dryly, watching while an embarrassed Hokuto futilely tried to cover herself.
"Is this 'Yuto' person a pervert?" Hokuto asked, a little bit afraid of what would be said next.
"Yes and no. It really depends on who he's with." The woman replied, smirking a little bit when the deadpan expression appeared on the younger woman's face.
"Sounds a little bit like someone I know." Hokuto muttered, unaware that both men in question (Yuto and Seishiro) has just sneezed in response to the words being spoken against them. This got an amused chuckle from the woman.
"Indeed? You're going to have to tell me about the one you know so well over tea. Come. I'll find you some clothes to wear in the meantime." The woman said, as she extended a hand in invitation to Hokuto.
"How very kind of you…..I believe I'll take you up on your offer." Hokuto replied, then added, "On the condition that you tell me your name, first." The older woman gave her a smile and nodded.
"Of course, how rude of me! My name is Kanoe. And you name is…..?" the woman questioned, curiously.
"Hokuto is my name. Pleased to meet you, Kanoe-san." Hokuto said, deciding to withhold her last name from the strange woman, and stay on her best behavior…..since even she could sense the dark, lingering presence of the Twin Star…..and could almost tell that revealing any more about herself could lead to an unfortunate fate…..
"I hope I'll be able to find my way out of here and find out where Subaru and Sei-chan are now…..I don't like the feel of this place at all…." Hokuto mused, as she followed Kanoe into the upper levels of the government building.
……………………….
Seishiro blinked as he looked around at the bleak expanse. He could have sworn that, just a moment ago, he'd been asleep in his bed.
"Or is this a dream? I can't really tell, since this feels so similar to the illusions I used to use as the Sakurazukamori….." Seishiro mused, jumping slightly when brilliant light broke into the darkness, and revealed what appeared to be a crystalline lake.
"Well….This is different." Seishiro thought, as he cautiously approached the lake. Almost immediately, he spotted someone sitting on the lakeshore; and his heart almost stopped when he realized who it was.
"Mother! What in the world are you doing here?" Seishiro asked, as he rushed over, and as the woman looked up and smiled happily at him.
"Seishiro, my dear son! You look well!" the woman said, equally as surprised to see him.
"I am, Mother, now that I see that your soul has been released from the tree as well." Seishiro said, voicing his relief and almost overwhelming joy at knowing this fact. His mother nodded, as she gracefully stood, smoothed her kimono, and hugged him tenderly to her.
"It is true. All of the souls that had been trapped within the cursed tree have been freed, including those of both of your young friends from the Sumeragi Clan." The woman stated, laughing softly when Seishiro breathed a huge sigh of relief and swiped a hand across his brow to emphasize the fact.
"But what is happening now, Mother? And what is this place?" Seishiro asked, as he motioned to the peaceful scene with some confusion on his face.
"This is a place within your dreams, my son. Or, better yet, a place deep within your heart. It is where your most precious memories are stored." The woman said, quietly.
"Did you call me here? Does something yet trouble you, Mother?" Seishiro asked, noticing when his parent's expression sobered.
"Yes….And, then again, no. You did, in some small way, call me here because you wanted to know whether or not my soul had been released; but I also chose to come here to try and warn you." The woman replied, as she looked anxiously up into his eyes.
"Warn me? Of what?" Seishiro questioned, sensing that this was the main reason he'd been allowed to see her again, after so long.
"Seishiro, someone is after your life. Very soon, she will reveal her true intentions……You must take care." The woman whispered, turning slightly when a tall figure appeared beside her and gazed seriously at Seishiro; seeming to silently add to the worried mother's words with his actions.
"I will….I promise." Seishiro murmured, as the scene started to fade from before his eyes, taking the two figures with it.
"See to it that you do,…..my son." The male figure quietly said, as pride shown from his red-brown eyes towards the startled Seishiro. And then, Seishiro was alone again…..But not for too long.
"I see that you have been 'visited' by loved ones, Sakurazuka Seishiro-sama." A girl's voice said, as the owner approached him from behind. With a swift movement, Seishiro turned to find Hinoto sitting there; and he remembered to keep his parents' dire warning to himself by burying it deep within his psyche so the Dream-seer would not sense it.
"I have been…..What brings you here, Hinoto-hime?" Seishiro asked, warily.
"Please, I mean you no harm. I merely wanted to tell you of something important I thought you wanted to know." Hinoto said, hearing the leery tone in the man's voice and trying to placate his fears somewhat.
"And what would that be…?" Seishiro questioned.
"I know now where Subaru-sama's elder sister is…..and she is in grave danger." Hinoto said, getting an alarmed look from Seishiro in response.
"Where is she?" Seishiro whispered, as a feeling of foreboding settled heavily in his gut.
" She is being held within the city hall building…..The stronghold of the Dragons of Earth." Hinoto replied; her words turning Seishiro's blood into ice-water.
"Oh no….." Seishiro muttered, his face paling at the thought of having to go in there again.
"What do you intend to do, Seishiro-sama?" Hinoto asked, when the man before her breathed a shaky sigh, swallowed his fear, and resolve appeared in his mismatched eyes.
"I'm going to go and bring her back….Since I was the one who had killed her, and, subsequently, gotten her into this mess, in the first place." Seishiro murmured, as he started willing himself to wake up.
"Be careful, Seishiro-sama. As it is, right now, I have no way of knowing where the Twin Star is….." Hinoto said, sitting back a little when the former assassin gave her a grim smile from over his shoulder.
"Wish me luck, then." Seishiro whispered, as light started breaking into the dream. Yet, before Seishiro awoke completely, he could have sworn that he heard Hinoto say something else under her breath; something decidedly sinister…..
"I'll wish you so much more than just that, Sakurazuka Seishiro-sama….I'll wish you death."
……………………………………
In the waking world, much was going on. Kasumi Karen and Aoki Seiichiro were on patrol in Ginza, and the rest of the Dragons of Heaven were resting and trying to get on with their lives as best as they knew how.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Seishiro-chan!" Yuzuriha chirped, in greeting, as the former Sakurazukamori drowsily wandered into the kitchen area of the large apartment the Seven Seals shared.
"Ohayo, Nekoi-chan. How are you doing this fine morning?" Seishiro asked, smiling when the youngest Seal gave him a kittenish smile.
"Great! How're you doing?" Yuzuriha questioned, as Seishiro poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Fair. A little bit tired, but otherwise good. I take it everyone else is still in bed asleep?" Seishiro asked, having noticed how empty the kitchen and living areas seemed that morning.
"Subaru-san and Kamui-chan are still asleep, Arashi-san is still with Sorata-kun, and Karen-san and Aoki-san left earlier to go to Ginza to protect the Spirit Shield there." Yuzuriha replied, getting a nod from Seishiro in response to this information.
"I see….Do you think you can do me a favor, Nekoi-chan?" Seishiro asked. Yuzuriha nodded enthusiastically.
"Hai! Just name it and I'll do what I can!" Yuzuriha said, gung-ho even though it was so early in the morning. Seishiro smiled at her exuberance and eagerness to help, then began to explain what he needed her to do.
"I want you to tell Subaru-kun and Kamui-kun that I have picked up on a lead to Hokuto-chan's whereabouts. I'm going to go and follow up on it while I can." Seishiro stated, seriously.
"Want me to go with you?" Yuzuriha asked. Seishiro shook his head.
"No, I want you to remain here, where it is somewhat safe……Where I am going is the equivalent of jumping from the frying pan and into the fire. You and Inuki need to stay here, for the time being." Seishiro said, ruffling the girl's hair gently when he saw the disappointed look in her eyes.
"Don't fret. I'll be all right…..I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. See you soon." Seishiro murmured, as he finished his coffee, walked out of the kitchen, gracefully put on his coat, and disappeared out the door.
"Good luck, and please be careful, Seishiro-chan." Yuzuriha whispered, as Inuki whimpered and looked after the man with worry in his translucent canine eyes.
………………………………..
Meanwhile, within the shrine of Hinoto, the Dream-seer and her two keepers waited anxiously for news from Aoki and Karen.
"I pray they both come back to us safely." Sohi murmured, her worried tone belying her cool exterior.
"Kasumi Karen-sama and Aoki Seiichiro-sama….two brave Dragons of Heaven." Hien added, her concern showing a little more freely than that of her sister. And yet, neither one noticed when a sinister grin graced their charge's face; they were still unaware of the changes in Hinoto's demeanor that Kamui, Subaru, and Seishiro had started to pick up on.
"I wish to rest for a time…." Hinoto said, as the two faced her and kneeled before her.
"We shall be in the next room, Hinoto-hime." Hien murmured, as she and her sister again stood and briskly exited the room. As silently as a shadow, when she was certain they were out of earshot, Hinoto reached into her kimono, grasped another of her talismans and changed its' form into that of a deformed bird that had a single leg and eye.
"Be my eyes! Go…for in my stead, you shall witness the deaths of two Seals." Hinoto ordered, before the bird left in a flurry of white feathers. She was therefore unaware that her actions had been witnessed by a pair of tiny eyes in the corner of her chamber…..and those of a more human watcher.
"This 'other' you….She does not see it. You, on the other hand, would not have been so blind to the presence of that avatar….Not when you were in control." Kakyo Kuzuki, Dream-seer for the Dragons of Earth, murmured, as he watched a cut appear on the true Hinoto's wrist, and as blood flowed freely into the water that surrounded her.
"My body is not my own….At least,….not in the waking world….But that does not change the fact that she is still me! I may only exist in dreams now, a mere soul, but what hurts me in turn will hurt her as well. Her power will grow weak." Hinoto replied, with a sad confidence in her voice that Kakyo couldn't help but react to.
"But…the pain….If you keep getting hurt, your soul will most certainly die." Kakyo said, concernedly. Hinoto nodded and gave him a soft look.
"Yes, I know. I can but pray that they find out in time….to stop my other self." Hinoto whispered, before sinking back into the depths, beyond Kakyo's sight.
"A lot to ask….since time goes ever on. The future is still moving, but in such an unusual way…..A Dragon of Earth has ceased to exist, but he has not been killed….and his position has yet to be filled. Also it seems that soon, one more will fall…another Dragon of Earth will be no more, and another new power will then fill its' void….." Kakyo muttered, before silently adding, "Just what in the world is going on? Is the future indeed changing? If so, then into what? And will it be as that girl had wanted?"
…………………………………….
Arashi awoke to the sounds of birdsong and sunlight filtering in through the hospital window, and the feeling of Sorata's warm body beside hers'. For a brief moment, she was a bit bewildered; and then a slight blush and a soft smile came to her features. She could see that their actions had not only loosened a lot of Sorata's bandages, but also had exhausted him to a point where he was oblivious to when she moved to sit up. With a whisper-soft movement, Arashi gently kissed Sorata's brow, then glanced around to see if anyone else was there.
"I don't sense Sumeragi-san, and most of the hospital staff seems to have gone home." Arashi mused, then glanced at her left hand. For a brief moment, she concentrated on it; trying to make the sword emerge…..But, to her dismay, nothing happened.
"Oh no……" Arashi thought, as the meaning of this became perfectly clear…..Her time, as a Dragon of Heaven, was over.
…………………………………….
Kamui, the Dragon of Earth, sighed as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, in his search for a replacement for one of his own.
"Even I am at a loss as to what exactly happened. Sakurazuka Seishiro is no longer a Dragon of Earth…..and yet, he still lives. Why? How could this be? Kakyo seems just as confused about this as I, since he had foreseen that the Sakurazukamori would die on Rainbow Bridge…..Could this truly mean that the future can, in fact, be changed? I wonder…." The Twin Star mused, as he closed the distance between him and his destination; a drug store.
"Hmm….It seems the question on the open position may be answered a bit sooner than I expected." The Twin Star thought, smirking when he saw those inside of the establishment; specifically one tall, dark-haired boy who looked to be about his own age……
…………………………………………
A dog's wet tongue was what awoke Subaru from what could have been his first full night's sleep in almost five months.
"…..Go away, Kyoku…..go bother Hokuto-chan….." Subaru muttered, sleepily, as he tried to push the dog off of him.
"Subaru-san? C'mon, it's time for breakfast." Yuzuriha's voice called, gently, giggling when Inuki climbed onto Subaru's chest and started licking the onmyoji's nose. After a few more moments, Subaru reluctantly roused up; starting a little when he saw that it was Inuki that had awakened him so rudely.
"I see that you have taken on a rather bad habit, Inuki." Subaru stated, feigning irritation as he slowly sat up and stretched a little bit; wincing when the action pulled on some stiff muscles.
"Does your back hurt, Subaru-san?" Yuzuriha questioned.
"It's just a bit tense, that's all. So, what's for breakfast?" Subaru asked, in turn.
"Anything you like. Just name it and I'll fix it." Yuzuriha replied, looking to the side when she heard Kamui enter the room.
"Sounds good." Subaru murmured, noticing when Yuzuriha gave him a curious look.
"Subaru-san, who is Kyoku? You said that name before you woke up just now." Yuzuriha stated, getting at first a surprised look, and then a somber one.
"Kyoku was the name of a dog I had owned when I was little. He was one of my best friends, since I didn't have too many human ones at the time……I haven't thought of him in years…." Subaru mused, smiling sadly when Inuki floated over to him and he ruffled the almost non-existent fur on the pup's head.
"Maybe it's because you have so many human friends now, Subaru-san…..It's not that your heart has forgotten Kyoku, it's just that you have so many others in there now." Kamui suggested.
"You could be right, Kamui-kun. That could very well be the case." Subaru stated, thoughtfully.
"So, did your dog like to lick your nose like Inuki just did?" Yuzuriha asked, getting a slight chuckle from Subaru in response.
"Hai. In fact, when he grew out of his puppy stage, he would sometimes pin me or my sister to the bed so he could get our noses good and wet. I guess he thought that if we had wet noses, we were healthier that way." Subaru said, actually smiling when he remembered the fond memories of his youth. Yuzuriha giggled; imagining the normally serious Subaru as a child and the dog that had been his closest companion 'getting his licks in'.
"We'd better get something to eat soon, so we can visit Sorata and see how he's feeling. He won't like it if we're late." Kamui said, imagining the rather irritated expressions they would probably get from both the Koya priest and Kakushi Miko if they didn't show up at the time they had promised Arashi they would be there.
"Then we'd better hurry up and get dressed. Hokuto-chan would've had my hide if she'd found me still in bed after having been awake for the past ten minutes." Subaru muttered, jokingly, getting a nod from both of the teens in understanding. As she and Kamui made their way out of Subaru's room so her could change, something occurred to Yuzuriha that she was forgetting to tell Subaru something important.
"But what was it? And how could I have forgotten so easily?" Yuzuriha wondered, then shrugged. She'd remember eventually.
……………………………………..
A couple of tense hours had passed, Hokuto sat uneasily on the couch where she and Kanoe had had tea. Across from her a young man in a business suit and a woman in a skin-tight black leather bodysuit sat, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Now, now, you two! No need to be so hostile-looking! I mean, this young lady just simply got lost and wandered into the basement. Right, Hokuto-chan?" Kanoe asked, trying to smooth down the hackles of at least one of those sitting there.
"True enough, Kanoe-san." Hokuto replied, increasingly aware of the icy look she was getting from the other woman.
"Happens all the time, nowadays." The man said, seemingly calming down and donning an easygoing smile……not that Hokuto was convinced by the act in the slightest.
"So, were you trying to apply for a job here, Hokuto-san?" the man, Yuto, asked; his curiosity winning out over suspicion, for the time being.
"Um…..Yeah! I was wondering if this place needed a new secretary or something like that! I have some experience!" Hokuto said, lying in an effort to preserve her newly-regained life.
"We don't really need any secretaries at the moment, but we can refer you to another office, if you would prefer." Kanoe offered, placatingly.
"Uh…..No, don't trouble yourselves over me! Really! I'll find work somewhere else, honest!" Hokuto said, nervously, as she stood up and slowly made her way to the door.
"It isn't often we find such an honest young lady in this day and age! Please, Hokuto-san, at least let us help you find employment." Yuto added, sensing that Hokuto wasn't telling them the truth and starting to go after her; to prevent her escape.
"Um…..Nope, sorry! Gotta run!" Hokuto shouted, as she dashed out the door and into the hallway.
"Beast! Don't let her escape!" the woman in the skintight outfit shouted, signaling the monstrous computer under their feet to take action. Hokuto yelped when wires erupted from within the walls to grab her, and she did what she could to avoid them.
"I've gotta get out of here! I have got to find Sei-chan and Subaru, NOW." Hokuto thought, as she raced through the halls, desperately pushing past people as she did so. She didn't stop until she rammed head-on into someone and knocked that person down.
"….Ouch…..Hokuto-chan……your head is as hard as ever!" a male voice gasped, startling Hokuto into looking up. She smiled an overjoyed smile when she saw who it was.
"Sei-chan!" Hokuto shouted, not caring who heard her (and also not caring who saw her when she embraced him warmly).
"Good to see you to, Hokuto-chan…..it seems I am not too late to rescue you?" Seishiro asked, breathlessly, as he quickly stood and helped her to her feet. Hokuto shook her head vigorously.
"No way! You're never too late, Sei-chan! But how did you know where…..?" Hokuto started to ask, before she was picked up by the former Sakurazukamori and carried quickly out of the building by him.
"I will explain later. For now, just hang on, Hokuto-chan…..things are about to get rough." Seishiro murmured, as he leaped to the next building and raced away from the city hall as though his life depended on it……Which, of course, it did.
Author's Note!
Things are starting to come to a head with the changes in Sei-chan's destiny, ne? Well, just wait and see what else I have in store, minna!
(Oh, and by the way, this will be one of the first chapters I post as an engaged woman. My boyfriend finally proposed! Hoorah!…….Okay, I'm finished bragging now…..I think…….)
Gemini14