Koiji

(Love's Pathway)

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden © 2006

Disclaimer: Gargoyles is the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. Characters from the fanfics of Kimberly T. appear by permission. Roslin is the property of Kiwifluff, Mozu's #1 fan. All original characters and plot are the creative property of Christi Smith Hayden.

Part VI

The beach party broke up not long afterward. Most of the young gargoyles glided back to the compound but Ariana and Kirin volunteered to help haul the party gear back to where it belonged. Takakura was lagging behind as he talked animatedly to Taeko but Tancho and Kirin were balancing an upside down table loaded with ice chests and crates of empty bento boxes between them. Midori, Ariana and Roslin were loaded down with beach towels, bags, and discarded swim wear. Mozo was helping Toshi lug sports equipment. Together they made enough of a spectacle that Kirin barely noticed the looks that came their way. As soon as the majority of the stuff was left at the kitchens, the others divided the rest between them.

"You two go on," Midori called as she headed towards the laundry with Roslin and Mozo. "You have things to do. We'll catch up with you later."

"Don't forget about the council meeting," Takakura said as he and Tancho helped Toshi untangle a volleyball net. "We must be there on time."

"Yes, yes, Tak-sama-kun," Kirin said, rolling his eyes for Ariana's benefit.

She smirked. "A little power and it's all gone to his head, neh?"

"Something to that effect."

"So what's this meeting? A mini-gathering of the world council?"

"I assume so." Kirin thought for a moment of taking her hand but an Ishimuran female was staring at them. The boldness he'd felt down on the beach fled like sand through his fingers. "Tak is authorized to speak for the Tengu but due to his age, I must be present as his adviser."

"Poor Tak – I know how that is." Ariana stumbled into him and wrapped her arms around his. She clearly had no problems dealing with public displays of attention. "Back home, I have the rights of an adult but there's always someone looking over my shoulder and double-checking on me. Is a little trust so much to ask for?"

Kirin hid a smile. "In all honesty, bishoujo, with your impulsiveness, can you blame them?"

"You're one to talk." She leaned into his shoulder. "Did you see the pink female in the red tunic? The one that Taeko spoke to outside the kitchens?"

"Neh?" He had noted that particular female standing near Setsu back at the dojo after the fight had ended. "Who is she?"

"That's Kusa – she's the martial arts expert since Setsu retired. She turned up at the beach while you were playing volleyball."

He frowned. "You think she's been watching me?"

"Probably." Her grip on him tightened. He was touched that she seemed genuinely concerned about the situation.

"Do not worry," Kirin said, nuzzling her brow ridges, "if nothing else, this proves how ideally suited we are for each other."

"Really?"

"Yes, we both seem to attract trouble wherever we go."

Ariana socked him playfully in the arm.

The path curved down the hill and into the elaborate gardens winding through the Ishimura compound. They came around a corner and found themselves in full view of an informal gathering on the infirmary porch. Happa was propped up on a futon while a gray female in a brightly embroidered tunic was pouring him a cup of tea. Ariana's hand tightened on Kirin's arm.

He pulled her back a few steps behind the cover of a flowering bush. "They have not seen us," he murmured in her ear. "We can go a different way."

"No," Ariana said, straightening her back and letting him go. "I need to make things right. You stay here – Happa's had enough for one night, I won't put him through any more."

As Kirin watched discreetly through the branches of the bush, Ariana went up the garden steps to the wide porch. She bowed at the steps and said, "Galena, could you give us a few minutes? Happa and I need to talk."

"Of course." Galena collected a tray of dishes. "I will go get his medicine from Master Kado." She rose gracefully and went into the building.

Happa looked after her and frowned. "Ariana, I really don't think-"

"There is no good time to talk about this so let's just get it over with, okay?"Ariana said. "We've been friends too long to not tell each other what we really think." Her shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh. "Ever since the Wyvern youth conference, you and I have kept in touch and in all this time, you've never said anything about liking me in a romantic way."

"I like you a great deal!"

"All you ever do is email me about clan business and what job Midori's screwed up lately and sports. Those are not romantic topics."

"I-" The yellow-green young male shook his head. "I didn't know how to bring it up."

"Did Kai tell you to do it?"

Happa's head snapped up and Kirin likewise held his breath, straining to hear the next words. "He's always said that he would like Sata-sama's bloodline to come back to Ishimura. It wasn't an order but when I went to New York, it was clear that we males were there specifically to court you." He gave her a wan smile. "Let's face it, Ari – we were all a little in love with you by the time it was over."

"Not so much," she said. "Dodger had a sweetheart back home, Yong was never interested, and Li Kao was too much into his studies. I wondered about you and Mawson for a long time because you two were the only ones that really kept in touch but nothing ever came from it."

"But we persisted!"

"And in five years, neither one of you treated me as anything other than one of the guys."Ariana sat down on the edge of the porch. "Do you know how lonely that is? Especially when I've got Graeme floating around on cloud nine with Lucy? Then I come here and try to fit in only to watch guys flirt with everyone else but me while you and Toshi talk my ears off about baseball."

"But I arranged the game for you!"

"Ye-e-e-eah." Ariana grinned slyly. "Galena got a little hot with me about that. If I were you, I might set my sights a little closer to home."

"Galena?" Happa scowled but he looked flustered and uncomfortable.

"Dude, she practically bit my head off. That takes guts."

Kirin stifled a laugh. The Japanese way to handle the situation would have been to apologize and concede but Ariana's method was to confront and challenge. It was strangely appropriate.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Setsu demanded in a harsh whisper. The old gargoyle was glaring up at him, having approached unnoticed while Kirin's attention was elsewhere. "Admiring your handiwork?"

"Not at all, master," Kirin said in a quiet voice. "Ariana wished to speak with him alone. They are sorting things out. I will apologize later, when he's had time to reflect on his actions."

"That might be wise. Kado will never forgive you if you make Happa pull out his stitches." Setsu pointed at wooden bench a short distance back up the path. "Come with me." It was a tone of voice that Kirin knew well from his own rookery days.

While Setsu settled on the bench, Kirin followed and sat down cross-legged with his back to a tree, drawing his braided hair over his shoulder so it wouldn't snag on the bark. The trunk was just narrow enough to fit between his horns and he leaned into it with a sigh. With his crown of horns, it was one of the few ways he could rest.

"I see you still do that," Setsu said. "I never understood how you could find it comfortable."

"One adapts." Kirin closed his eyes and waited for his old teacher to get past the formalities and come to the point. He didn't have to wait long.

"Kai is most displeased with you, Kirin-san," Setsu said. "As a member of the elder council, I cannot blame him. You could have ended that fight easily but you chose not to. Why?"

"I have been thinking about that myself." Kirin frowned. "When I was on my own, I had to use my skills to survive and the things I had to do – I do not like to think of them." He opened his eyes to see Setsu studying him intensely. "When I was fighting Happa, something in me snapped."

"Yes, I noticed."

"When I left Ishimura, I was so angry that I couldn't stand it." Dark memories threatened to surface but Kirin pushed them away. "I allowed my rage to change me and the person that I became could not be hurt by words or feelings; it was the only way I could survive."

"You killed." The old gargoyle's words were a statement of fact.

"How could you tell?"

"During the war, it was unavoidable, especially when it was necessary to protect our home." Setsu's eyes held a faraway look that Kirin knew all too well. "It was never something to be proud of. I hoped that none of my students would have to experience it as well."

"I'm sorry to have failed you, master."

"Once a sword is bloodied, it is hard to keep it clean."

"You speak truly, master." He sighed bitterly. "After I found peace with the Tengu, I had hoped that I'd left that past behind. When Happa said the things he did – it swept over my soul like a shadow. I did not want to harm him but I lost control."

"So you did." Setsu was silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "You were fortunate that the young Tengu with the long nose was able to call you back."

"I swore an oath to serve and protect him. Despite it all, my honor is everything to me." Kirin smiled. "Besides, when I look at Takakura, I still see that imp that liked to steal food from picnic baskets."

"It's hard to separate the hatchling from the warrior, neh?" Setsu relaxed a bit. "I will tell Kai that you regret this evening's fight and that you will confine any further challenge fights to the tournament later in the week."

"I do not intend to compete."

"You may not have a choice. Some of the visiting clans are interested in trying their champions against you."

Kirin swore under his breath. "That's not what I'm here for."

"I was surprised that you came back here at all. You swore that you would not."

"Things change." Ariana came around the flowering shrubs and stood for a moment at the intersection of the path, looking around for him. It brought a small smile to his face. "I have finally left my past behind me. All I want now, master, is peace and a future worth living."

"Wisely said."

Just as she started to look his way, Ariana's head swiveled around and she froze.

"Ariana! Here to visit the invalid, neh?" Kirin cursed his luck as Kai came up the path from the main compound, followed closely by Sata, Brooklyn, Mawson, and a broad bronze-colored gargoyle that Kirin vaguely recognized from the ball game.

"Fate is a cruel bitch," Kirin growled under his breath, "and she hates me."

Setsu reached out and seized Kirin's arm in a surprisingly vise-like grip for his age. "Do not do anything rash," the old gargoyle said with soft urgency. "Kai was very close to calling challenge on you earlier but I talked him out of it."

"I understand, master," Kirin said, slowly rising to his feet as his stiff muscles twanged like over-tight rubber bands. Stretching, he shifted his shoulders and twisted his torso to work out the kinks. Although he'd won the fight, it would take a good day's stone sleep to erase the aches and pains. "I will be suitably humble and contrite."

"Feh!" Setsu snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Ariana-chan? What have you been up to?" Impeccably dressed, Sata took in her daughter's disheveled appearance and tiny frown lines creased the corners of her mouth.

"I had the ball game, remember?" Ariana said as lightly as she could under the circumstances. "Then after that, there was a party on the beach."

Sata sighed and gave Brooklyn an exasperated look. He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. She's my daughter."

Ariana was glancing nervously in his direction as Kirin came down the path. He paused and bowed low to the group. "Kai-sama," he said, "I apologize for the disruption in the dojo earlier. My only intention was to give my class their first sword lesson. I did not seek trouble."

Kai's complexion darkened slightly and the corners of his jaws worked as if he was grinding his teeth. His nostrils flared just once before he said in a seemingly mild voice, "A most unfortunate incident, Kirin-san. Happa was fortunate that his injuries appeared worse than they turned out to be."

"Young Happa was a worthy opponent. His fighting style is not unlike your own at that age." Kirin bowed slightly. "I feel he will improve with time and experience."

"Perhaps you'd prefer a more seasoned opponent," Kai said, narrowing his eyes. "I'd be more than happy to meet you in the ring."

Setsu cleared his throat. "If I may remind you, Kai-sama, you have a meeting scheduled in less than an hour."

"Yama is overseeing that," Kai said, not taking his eyes from Kirin. "I'll make the time."

Although neither of them had growled, a low subliminal rumble passed between them. Kirin did not want to fight Kai, certainly not here in front of Ariana and her parents, much less the others. He had no doubts that he could beat his rookery brother; prosperity had made Kai thicker around the middle than he had been and Kirin was in prime fighting condition. If they fought now, it would look very bad for both of them.

"Regretfully," Kirin said with a slow bow, keeping his eyes on Kai, "I must also be at the meeting with Takakura, to represent the Tengu. Perhaps another time."

Kai's eyes flared. "No! We will have this out here and now!"

Sighing, Kirin leaned towards him and said in a low voice, "I just made hash out of a younger, stronger, faster version of you. Please, Kai... be reasonable."

The Ishimura leader growled.

"Kai-sama!" Everyone looked towards the new voice and saw Happa staggering towards them with a determined look on his face and his hand pressed firm against his bandaged midsection.

Galena was at his side, looking anxious and worried. "You know what Master Kado said-" she began but he hushed her with a stern glance.

Giving a disgusted look to both Kai and Kirin, Sata pushed past them to the injured young warrior. "Happa-san," she said with a gentle smile, "we're sorry that we have disturbed your rest. Please don't strain yourself or your wounds will not heal properly." She looked about for assistance. "Mawson? Yong? Here, come help your friend back to the infirmary."

Happa gave a brief nod to everyone, his injuries preventing him from giving a proper bow. "Thank you, Lady Sata for your concern but it is my duty to put things right." He glared at Kai. "I alone am to blame for the fight at the dojo, not Master Kirin. I acted too rashly and I apologize for the misunderstanding that this has caused."

"Well spoken, young warrior." Kirin bowed his antlered head graciously. "I look forward to see you fight in the upcoming tournament. Anyone who can stand their ground with me is a warrior worth watching."

"That's better," Ariana said, smiling at them both. "See? You guys can be civilized about this."

Turning to her, Happa said, "I know now that I should have explained myself better, Ari-chan." He sighed. "I only hope I will have the chance to try again."

"Of course you can," Sata said. "Tomorrow night you can make a fresh start, can he not, Ari-chan?"

Kai and Brooklyn both looked optimistic at this comment but before either of them could say a word, Ariana held up her hand.

"Mom, Dad, guys… look, let's get one thing straight. Before everyone tries to set me up, there's something you need to know." She took a deep breath and let it out in a noisy huff. "The real reason Kirin followed me to Ishimura was to ask me if he could court me." She raised her brow ridges archly at her audience. "Anybody see the trend here?"

"Oh, hell." Brooklyn looked sick. "I did not need that confirmed."

Kai was tight-lipped as he said, "You remember the agreement, Kirin, do you not?"

Crossing her arms, Ariana said, "Would that be the deal where you guys decided my love life for me? I don't think so!"

"Brooklyn-san!" A hard glint came into Sata's eyes. "What have you done?"

"Sata-sama," Kai said, "Brooklyn was only thinking of Ariana's well-being. There is a considerable age difference to think of as well as other things. We merely asked Kirin-san to allow younger, more suitable males to court her."

"Males may compete for a female's favors," Sata said with some heat, "but ultimately she and she alone must chose. Has the tradition changed since my days in this clan?"

"No, but-"

"Look, I'll make it simple." Ariana looked past the adults to Happa, Mawson and Yong. "Guys, that means if you want to date me, get in line behind him." She thrust her thumb back at Kirin.

"As it should be," Kirin said under his breath.

Ariana looked back at him with a pert expression. "Mind your manners, bub. You can get demoted any time."

"Yes, dear."

Amused at her ferocity, he shifted his weight and his loosely braided hair moved with him. He had been careful to keep his newest scar covered but his shoulder was now in full view.

"Hey!" Ariana pushed the rest of his hair aside. "What's this?" She ran her finger over the glossy shallow groove across his right shoulder. "This is new. When did this happen?"

It was only by chance that Kirin caught the sudden consternation on Brooklyn's face. They both realized at that moment that she knew nothing of their confrontation the previous evening. Everyone held their collective breath… and then Ariana went off like a bomb.

"This is a blaster burn!" Her head snapped around to glare at Brooklyn. "YOU! You SHOT him! Dad, how could you!" Her eyes went completely crimson but before Ariana could act, Kirin took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Nonsense, bishoujo," Kirin said. "Why would Brooklyn-san want to shoot me? Combat outside the dojo is strictly forbidden, you know that."

"I know a laser burn when I see it! You didn't have it before!"

"How would you know? You've only seen me without a shirt once before."

She stuck out her chin. "That doesn't matter – I know a laser burn when I see it."

"Ari…." His voice became low and teasing. "I don't recall you ever taking a survey of my scars, neh?"

Ariana's eyes widened for a moment and then she ducked her beak in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah… right."

"Master Kado can tell you that I'm terrible at taking care of myself. I've been in more fights than I care to remember and I rarely think to clean the wounds afterward. I have more scars than I can count. "

She bit her lip and whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Your head was on my other shoulder," he whispered back. "How could you have possibly seen it?" He reached out and gently stroked her brow with his thumb. "Do not blame others for my own clumsiness."

"I don't know..."

Kirin smiled. "It is nothing, Ari-chan. Everyone makes mistakes." Her eyes narrowed and he whispered in her ear. "Please play along. I promise I will explain everything later."

"Well... I suppose that's possible." She managed a half-smile for their audience. "It has been a busy night, after all."

Sata chose that moment to intervene. "If you will excuse us, Kirin-san," she said, steering Ariana away from him, "I must help Ariana get properly dressed." She raised her brow ridges. "Have you forgotten about the kimono showing?"

"Was that tonight?" She winced and looked back at Kirin. "I gotta -"

"Go, do what you must. I will see you later." Kirin bowed low to her mother. "I beg your pardon, most noble Ancestress, for causing Ariana to neglect her duties."

Sata bowed graciously in return and quickly began herding Ariana away. Kirin and the other males watched until they disappeared from sight before letting out a collective breath.

"That was close," Kai said, his broad shoulders visibly slumping.

Brooklyn glared at him. "I suppose you think I owe you one now."

Returning his look, Kirin said, "Yes… make peace with Ariana."

"That's none of your business."

"Ariana regards you very highly," Kirin continued as if he hadn't heard, "and it upsets her knowing that you are unhappy with her." He looked down at Brooklyn. "Sulking about it will not change the fact that she's a grown female who can make her own choices. You will lose her entirely if you keep acting this way."

Brooklyn stared at him with his beak hanging open.

"Kai, if you still want to fight, let me know and we'll go off somewhere away from everyone,"Kirin nodded to the Ishimuran leader. "but for now, there are matters I must attend to before the meeting. Good evening." As he left, Kai nodded to large gargoyle in striped pants standing in the shadows. Taiju nodded back and followed Kirin at a respectful distance.

"The nerve of that guy!" Brooklyn exploded. "Who does he think he is, telling me off like that!"

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Kai sighed. "Like it or not, Kirin makes a good point. You are too close to Ariana – in a normal arrangement, you would be her elder, not her father. You must not take it personally."

"With respect, honored leader," Happa spoke up, "may I suggest you take your own advice, Kai-sama?"

"Neh?" Kai raised an eyebrow at the younger gargoyle. "What are you still doing here? Go back to Kado's hut!"

"You have been pushing me at Ariana for years," Happa said, leaning a little on Yong's broad shoulder. "All for what? Politics? Clan honor? I nearly lost the respect and friendship of someone I dearly care about today." He glared hotly at Kai. "If the choice is truly up to Ariana, then with all due respect, I suggest that you two leave her to it."

Mawson exchanged a look with Yong. "You go ahead and take him back up to the house." He waited a moment before facing the two older males. "I don't know quite what's going on yet," he said, "but I think Happa's got the right of it. He and I have always known one of us would end up with Ari so I think you need to let us sort out this Kirin fella." He turned on his heel and followed the others back up to the infirmary.

Kai and Brooklyn stood in the path staring up at the younger gargoyles as they left. Setsu waited for them to say something – swear, rant, rave – but they seemed stunned by this unexpected turn of events. The elderly gargoyle hid his amusement. It was always a bit of shock when hatchlings suddenly grew up right before your eyes.

To be continued in Part VIi of "Koiji"...