Hikari dropped his hand as he stood in the threshold of her parents' bedroom. The second Hikari let his hand go, Takashi felt a sharp tug on the sleeve of his shirt tug him back, forcing him to follow the pull.
'Do not make a sound,' a voice threatened him in his mind. It was the voice of Lord Hiei's. He felt frightened at he followed the pull out of the room and into the hallway in compliance. Lord Hiei shoved him out of the room, around the corner, and into the nearest wall. 'Keep silent.'
Takashi opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He looked down at Lord Hiei beneath him, head band off and an intimidating Jagan Eye glowing on his forehead. Takashi knew exactly what that was and what his lordship was doing. Takashi closed his eyes, trying to tell himself not think about his vision of Hikari but without picturing the vision.
'What vision?' Lord Hiei's voice cut through his mind. 'Show me, or I will force it out of you.'
Takashi shook his head. 'You can't.' A dull ache came over his mind. 'You can't...' The vision rose up to the forefront of his mind. The pain left his mind almost as fast as it came. He sighed, feeling almost hopeless, even as his lordship let him go and stepped back away from him. "Don't tell her," he said in his quietest voice. "Please don't tell her. Don't spoil it for her, too," he begged.
Lord Hiei shook his head, scowling. "No," he denied cruelly. "Never." He turned around, punching the wall behind him with such force that it left a hole in the stone. He did not seemed to even notice the dust and debris that fell down. He did not turn back to face Takashi.
"My lord-" Takashi started.
Lord Hiei turned back to face him. A face full of rage silenced him. Both of them jumped when they heard the sound of scuffled footsteps down the hall. Lord Hiei stood up straighter and then flitted out of sight.
Hikari came running around the corner, acting just as flighty as her father. "Are you alright?" she asked, grabbing Takashi by the hand and looking him over.
"Quite alright," he replied, much surprised at the fact. Her father had been tamed in comparison to the last time he saw him.
"Come back with me, to Mother," she said, tugging him along with her. He much preferred her pulling him along than her father. She was much gentler in meaning than her father.
Takashi allowed her to take him back to her mother. Lady Nanashi looked haggard, but better than the last time he saw her. She was still so pale, with heavy black bags under her eyes. She looked like a skeleton. Her sons and Kurama still around her. Kaze sat on her lap.
She observed Takashi with a silent, steady look. "Takashi," she said his name without emotion. Lady Nanashi passed Kaze over to Izo. "Leave us, please," she said wearily. She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.
"Mother, surely this can wait," Izo cautioned.
She shook her head, turning a steady gaze on Takashi. "W- I will speak with Takashi now," she looked at Hikari, "and alone."
Kurama and Izo carrying Kaze left the room. Hikari stood her ground, not willing to budge an inch next to him. "Hikari," Lady Nanashi said, her voice warning her to leave, too.
"Mother-" she started, but she was silenced by a look from her mother. "Okay," she consented.
Before she left, she rose up to ball of her feet and kissed him on the cheek.
Once Hikari left the room, Lady Nanashi looked over at him in a way that told him no to speak unless spoken to. She sighed and began, "what are your intentions with our daughter? Hiei is listening in through my mind by the way."
He went over to her, slowly and cautiously lest she command him to stop in his tracks. "My lady," he said soothingly as he knelt down by her bedside. He did not like how low he was in comparison to her on the bed, but he did not want to be higher than her when he told her what he wanted. "Matehood, if it please you my lady."
Lady Nanashi blinked down at him, face conveying mixed emotions; excitement, dread, happiness, pity, relief, uncertainty. "Because of your vision?" she asked.
"He told you," he said, groaning.
"He showed me," she replied. "Before you had your vision, did you want it?"
"I don't know, my lady," he answered truthfully.
"Before she ran off and you saved her?" she asked.
"I..." he started. He did not wish to answer that. "I wouldn't have wanted that then, no." Unsure disappointment colored her face. "But I want that now, most certainly," he added fervently.
"If you had not had the vision while you cared for her, would you want her?" she asked in a longing voice.
He thought over the time when he was helping Hikari recover up to the time he saw the vision. "I can't deny it wasn't there. Developing on its own slowly. For her it is indeed real. Unspoiled, unlike myself by my vision."
She hummed under her breath. "So you have succumbed to the vision?"
"I want it," he admitted. "I considered resisting it and do not want to."
She sighed and shook her head, silent and not looking at him for a few moments. She closed her eyes tiredly. When she reopened them again, she said, "I'm to ask you why you won't fight against it? Why you are stuck in this path when the future is not set in stone? Have your own free will and make your own choices instead?"
Thinking it over, he answered, "I still have free will if I chose the path laid out before me."
"I already asked that," she said quietly, gritting her teeth. "Why don't- ugh... why won't you try to resist it?"
He felt his rueful temper spike at being asked the same question twice and struggled to keep it at bay. "I could if I tried, I'm sure, but I don't want to. I want Hikari, I love Hikari," he rushed out, half realizing what he said before it all tumbled out of his mouth. She looked down at him carefully, lips slightly parted and a worn down look in her eyes. "My lady, forgive me," he said, pulling back his tone and looking down. "You should be resting, not dealing with this. We can discuss this at a later time if you please." He rose up, but did not look up at her, frightened at what look he would read on her exhausted face.
She reached over and took his hand subtly, turning it in hers for some unknown study. "I say yes," she answered slowly. "Mmmm..." she hummed out.
"What is it, my lady?" he asked, knowing she still wished to speak.
"I'm the only one who said yes," she admitted. She was blinking rapidly, clearly upset at the thought. She pulled her hand away.
He felt his heart go out to her. He knelt back down next to her, taking her hand this time. "My lady, just rest, please. Don't worry yourself or get upset about it."
She closed her eyes running her hand through her hair. "Just take it slowly, please," she asked him as she caught his eye. "Don't... rush into anything... don't ask her either," she told him, shaking her head. "Not yet anyway. Until... until we can... mmm... figure something out." She winced slightly. She looked away from him, saying out loud, "can I rest now?"
"I'll leave you rest my lady, I promise. I'm sorry about the added stress on you," he said, standing back up. "Rest well my lady," he bid her, leaving the room.