Love Looks Not With the Eyes
Chapter 4
Heart's Fleeing {Music: Prologue~Lorena McKennitt and Here In My Heart~Tiffany}
A year had past and it seemed ever since day one that wedding day appeared to be Mimi's favorite game. Many times he was the groom. But when she grew tired of playing the bride, Ryuuen was forced to be the lucky..."girl".
He groaned and got out of bed on such a day having been awakened by her cheeriness and news that this was gonna be the game of the day. Also, according to her, Sai was already there. That brought a little bit of a smile to his face. He was able to cope better with that, then hopefully get out of being around the girls thanks to it after a while. However, first... he had to get the girls dressed and ready.
Sai had been coming over quite a lot lately. More so, so the girls said, than he used to. His elder brother let it slip it was often at the prince's insistance that he came. When questioned deeper about it he said it was because of Ryuuen. Sai had finally found a true friend in Ryuuen. Not just some random person he was forced to play with because he was deemed "worthy" by the court.
It was a little while later in the day after the girls were dressed and had eaten, leaving only their hair to contend with that with a grim expression Nakago came into Mimi and Kim's room just as Ryuuen was finishing the styling of their long blond locks. Sai was seated on one of the beds giving comments on what hair accessiores would best fit fit their features. Sometimes Ryuuen swore Sai got as much of a thrill out of dressing the girls up as they themselves did. Of course it didn't help that Sai seemed to have a narcissistic complex.
But from the moment Nakago entered a chill of something foreboding ran up Ryuuen's spine. When Ryuuen looked into the mirror and saw his face he knew that the chill wasn't because of some paranoid fear, but of something desperately wrong.
"Ryuuen..." Nakago said barely above a whisper, but it seemed to echo throughout the room.
Ryuuen turned around already on the verge of tears. //Have I done something wrong?// But then he remembered the tone of Nakago's voice, it wasn't tinged with anger or disappointment, but an uncharacteristic warmth.
"Come with me. I need to talk to you." Ryuuen exchanged glances with Sai and began to follow.
Nakago didn't even seem to notice he was there- or anyone except Ryuuen for that matter. They walked through torch and sunlit hallways until they came to Nakago's study. When he opened the door the face of a stranger and Lady Soi greeted him with symapthic pained expressions. He looked at all three in turn with a desperate look. He began to feel a panic arise with in him.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked rushing forward to Soi who had finally turned away and began to silently cry.
"Ryuuen," the boy instantly turned to Nakago's voice, "it's your father. He died yesturday morning."
Suddenly Ryuuen felt himself break out in to a cold sweat, the blood drain out of his face and go pale. For several long seconds the seemed to go deathly silent except for the thundering in his ears produced by his own heartbeat. Before he even realized it, tears were falling from his eyes, trickling down his cheeks. //Dead? He can't be dead... It's not true... he... he... how can it be true? I just saw him last week. He was... fine... he was fine...//
He felt someone's hands on his shoulders, pulling him forward into an embrace. Numbly he looked to the side, caught a glimpse of brown hair and knew it was Soi. The stranger, this messenger of death, stepped forward.
"Doctor said it was due to heart complications. Though he wasn't too sure how... He said his heart- everything was healthy. Though they say it isn't possible, I honestly believe it was a broken heart that killed him. I wish I didn't have to be the one to bring the news, but your father and I had become friends. Master thought I should do it."
Ryuuen's legs gave out and left Soi as his only support. //We broke his heart... his family being torn apart was too much... we... 'I' did this to him... I'm sorry father... I'm sorry for breaking your heart.// And with a wail of grief he buried his head into Soi's comforting embrace.
~~~*~~~
He couldn't sleep. He just kept crying, and when he stopped crying his head hurt. Finally, he got up having felt a pang of hunger. With the recent news about his father, he had lost all his appetite.
With an aching head he got up and with an odd feeling of nausea, came to the door, opened it and stepped out into a drafty, poorly lit hallway. He made his way down a flight of stairs and began down the second when he looked over and saw Mimi crouched in front of a door down the hall.
Going back up the two stairs he had descended, he walked soundlessly down the hall. When he finally stood behind the girl he cleared his throat startling her. She stood up quickly blushing as if embarrassed. Realization upon noticing his surroundings told him he was standing in front of Nakago and Soi's bedchambers.
"What are you doing?" Ryuuen whispered.
Mimi blushed again then brought finger to her lips to quiet him. "I had a bad dream. Sometimes they let me sleep with them if that happens. But not when they're... when they're...", a moan floated out into the hall coming from the inside of the room and Mimi's blush deepened," they're doing THAT."
Ryuuen's brows knitted together in confusion. A sigh and another moan was heard by the two within again. Curious Ryuuen stepped forward to peer with in.
"Quiet... even I get in trouble if they know I see them doing that."
As he looked in he saw Nakago and Soi tangled within each others arms, their bodies seeming to melt into one. A slow rhythm seemed to be generating from the bed, and immediately Ryuuen KNEW what they were doing. Or at least had an idea. Sex... they were having sex. Which meant, and Ryuuen could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as well, that Nakago was inside of her.
He'd once walked in on his parents while they were int he middle of their love making, and being curious and concerned that it HURT,he had to be sat down by both his parents and told the basics about it. He turned back around and looked at Mimi.
"I think we should leave them alone... I'll sleep in your room tonight on the floor if you want. If you get scared you can hold my hand." Ryuuen began to walk away remembering his earlier mission. "But I need to get something to eat first."
She looked down shyly, then began to follow him. "You seemed to know what they were doing." Mimi whispered.
Ryuuen turned around in surprise just as he started down the stairs not realizing she had followed him until then. Then his ears conveyed her question his mind. He bit his lip to keep from letting out the embarrassed giggle that began to form in his throat. "Yeah, sorta." he answered resuming his descent down the stairs.
"They do it a lot." she said with an edge of a question at the end.
They rounded the staircase, turned from it's beginning and made their way to the kitchen.
"I imagine they do..." Ryuuen mumbled. She grabbed his arm to stop him when they reached the kitchen.
"Why do they do it? I mean it looks like they're in pain but at the same time it's like they aren't. And I know what he does to her... they told me once that it's how babies are made... Is that all true?"
"Well it IS how babies are made..." He gave her a wary glance. "But it doesn't hurt... at least that's what my parents told me... They said unless they man is trying to hurt the woman..." He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hurt someone else that way.
"Well is it supposed to feel good?" Mimi asked with a cock of her head.
Ryuuen shifted uncomfortably and began looking for an escape route. "My mom and dad said it does." He could feel his stomach begin to turn and his appetite slowly began to dwindle. "They said they did it because it showed they loved each other as man and wife. They said you should only do it if you're married."
"Oh, okay!" she said a little to brightly for Ryuuen's taste at 3 o'clock in the morning. He REALLY, REALLY did NOT want to talk about this. It was one thing to happen upon a couple while they were doing it... but then having to talk about it... to a GIRL was even more embarrassing.
"Weren't you gonna eat?" Mimi asked gesturing to the door.
"Yeah..." he opened the door and as he walked in he mumbled, "though the need to do so just went down about 10 notches."
~~~*~~~
Sai came a week later asking the same question EVERYONE seemed to ask him at least 20 times an hour every day. He had found him under the willow tree. Ryuuen had been out in a sad daze.
"I heard about your dad. How are you doing?" Ryuuen looked up. "How do you think I'm doing? My father DIED. I'll never see my brother or sister again... HOW DO YOU THINK I AM?" he exclaimed bitterly.
Sai winced and giving him a hurt look.
Ryuuen looked down ashamed. "I'm sorry... It's just I wanna be alone... not talk about it." He got up and gave an insincere smile, "I'll be fine."
Ryuuen turned to leave. But he'd only just past the prince by 2 steps when he was stopped mid-step by arms encircling him, and a voice saying, "You're not okay, and don't try to pretend you are around ME."
At those words the something that had kept Ryuuen from tears all week shattered and they broke free from his walls. They were left alone in that embrace until sunset.
~~~*~~~~
Two years past and with it Ryuuen's grief finally became bearable. The first year he'd spend his nights crying himself to sleep. One night his spasms of grief must've been too loud, for the cook had come and rocked, and held him until he slept. Also his responsibilities became greater and the time he had available for his own pursuits became limited.
It was a week of warmth in January when he had been blessed with a free day... the main excuse for it being that Sai was there to visit. Earlier in the day Sai had said he wished to tell Ryuuen something but it had since slipped from his mind as the day wore on admist their games.
Ryuuen and Sai had their heads together when Sai drew out his father's gift to him. A sword... a REAL sword. Ryuuen found it heavy, but Sai was able to lift and test it with ease.
"He also gave me this to go with it", then he brought out a gorgeous jeweled dagger.
Ryuuen's eyes lit up. "Wow! It's pretty!" "Pretty? Gods, I think you've been around those two girls too long..." Sai said with a cocked eyebrow.
Ryuuen shot him a dirty look. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, you have been. What'cha gonna do about it?"
An evil grin came to his face. "What am I gonna do about it?"
Sai raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms with a know-it-all snicker. The dagger dangling from his hand loosely. "Well, I'm gonna take your dagger!!!"
With that he raced forward and yanked the dagger out of his hands and raced away.
"HEY!!!! Give it baaaaaaaaccccck!!!!" Sai yelped then took off after him.
Laughing, Ryuuen ran at top speed to the orchards, only to be tackled to the ground by Sai a few minutes later.
"Owwww!" Ryuuen groaned as he hit the ground, then went about tucking the dagger as close to himself as possible as Sai clawed for it admist their wrestling.
Both were giggling like loons by this time and Sai kept gasping out, "Give... it... back!" and Ryuuen answering with, "Shalln't! It's mine now!" The tumbling around cause them to end up rolling down a grassy hill. At one point in the rolling process the dagger became unsheathed, and tumbled out of his hand to catch him on the shoulder and arm.
Once they stopped rolling they laid there and laughed for several moments. Finally, Sai gained control of himself enough to open his eyes and immediatly his eyes fell upon the bleeding cuts. His laughter stopped all at once. The sudden change in mood caused Ryuuen to stop laughing as well.
"You're bleeding." a grimace formed on his feartures. "Did I do that?"
Gently, he pulled the fabric away that was covering the wound, horrified at the thought of having hurt Ryuuen.
"No you didn't do it... you're blasted dagger did though. It slipped from my hand during our little fall down here. You need to check it's sheath. It unlocks easily apparently."
Sai scrunched his face up in sympathetic pain as Ryuuen endevored to move his wounded arm.
With a sad, guilty look he peered at Ryuuen,"I'm sorry."
Ryuuen continued to look back up at him, and gave him a small smile. Then he noticed Sai get a weird look in his eyes, his cheeks tinting with pink.
"It's okay... really." Ryuuen said trying to identify the emotions behind that strange expression. "I mean when people wrestle, it's bound someone will get hurt. Especially with a dagger in hand. Sai nodded looked away, then back at him again the unindentifable emotion creeping back in his eyes.
"I... ah...", then with a rushed effort that was quite noticible, Sai got to his feet. "I don't think we should play games like this anymore.
"Why? I'll be fine really." Ryuuen got up giving him a confused look.
Sai looked away as if ashamed of something. "That's not the reason why."
"Then why?" Ryuuen pressed. Sai frowned. //How can I explain to him... that he... he looked like a girl, had the same effect on me as a girl does at that moment. A pretty girl...// "Because you still strike my senses at times that you're a girl." he said finally without looking at him.
"What?" Ryuuen asked trying to take that comment in.
Sai shook his head. "Don't worry about it... I need to tell you something."
Ryuuen's confusion became even more frustrating. // Why the sudden change in subject. I know I look like a girl... I have all my life. What does it matter?// He tried to focus on the new subject. "Okay...?"
"I won't be seeing you again- at least for a long while..."
A strange panic began to take the place of the confusion. "Why?"
"I'm to leave tonight to go to the shrines. I've been due to start attending them for 2 years now, but because of the responsibilities of my position it's been put off... until now."
"Oh. But tonight?" Ryuuen questioned, a sudden urge to cry coming to him.
"Nakago is taking me..." Sai stepped forward with an insincere smile, then surprizingly took Ryuuen into his arms to embrace him tightly. "I need to go now... both of us do. The sun is setting. Thank you Ryuuen for being my friend. My only true friend."
Then he let go, and for a moment the weird look from before crept into his eyes, and just as quickly went away. "Good-bye."
He grabbed his hand, gave it a slight squeeze, then turned to leave. He only stopped once to look back, a strange, yet undoubtly deep pain in his eyes.
That night Ryuuen was unable to sleep. So he was able to watch as Nakago, two armed guards, and their precious passenger climbed into the carriage and drove off. That night Ryuuen thought about all that had happened to him over the past couple of years.
With a tearful, heavenward gaze he asked to whatever powers there were, "What have I done to deserve this? Why is it that you keep taking all the people I love away from me? Why? Please tell me what I did wrong...."
Somehow at that moment, as if the very wind whispered the answer to him, 'You have done nothing child... you are one of my beloved and these tears of grief will one day be wiped away forever...'. Somehow, somewhere within him the words comforted him... somehow he knew they were true. He didn't know how or why he knew but he couldn't help but believe it.
TBC...
Chapter 4
Heart's Fleeing {Music: Prologue~Lorena McKennitt and Here In My Heart~Tiffany}
A year had past and it seemed ever since day one that wedding day appeared to be Mimi's favorite game. Many times he was the groom. But when she grew tired of playing the bride, Ryuuen was forced to be the lucky..."girl".
He groaned and got out of bed on such a day having been awakened by her cheeriness and news that this was gonna be the game of the day. Also, according to her, Sai was already there. That brought a little bit of a smile to his face. He was able to cope better with that, then hopefully get out of being around the girls thanks to it after a while. However, first... he had to get the girls dressed and ready.
Sai had been coming over quite a lot lately. More so, so the girls said, than he used to. His elder brother let it slip it was often at the prince's insistance that he came. When questioned deeper about it he said it was because of Ryuuen. Sai had finally found a true friend in Ryuuen. Not just some random person he was forced to play with because he was deemed "worthy" by the court.
It was a little while later in the day after the girls were dressed and had eaten, leaving only their hair to contend with that with a grim expression Nakago came into Mimi and Kim's room just as Ryuuen was finishing the styling of their long blond locks. Sai was seated on one of the beds giving comments on what hair accessiores would best fit fit their features. Sometimes Ryuuen swore Sai got as much of a thrill out of dressing the girls up as they themselves did. Of course it didn't help that Sai seemed to have a narcissistic complex.
But from the moment Nakago entered a chill of something foreboding ran up Ryuuen's spine. When Ryuuen looked into the mirror and saw his face he knew that the chill wasn't because of some paranoid fear, but of something desperately wrong.
"Ryuuen..." Nakago said barely above a whisper, but it seemed to echo throughout the room.
Ryuuen turned around already on the verge of tears. //Have I done something wrong?// But then he remembered the tone of Nakago's voice, it wasn't tinged with anger or disappointment, but an uncharacteristic warmth.
"Come with me. I need to talk to you." Ryuuen exchanged glances with Sai and began to follow.
Nakago didn't even seem to notice he was there- or anyone except Ryuuen for that matter. They walked through torch and sunlit hallways until they came to Nakago's study. When he opened the door the face of a stranger and Lady Soi greeted him with symapthic pained expressions. He looked at all three in turn with a desperate look. He began to feel a panic arise with in him.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked rushing forward to Soi who had finally turned away and began to silently cry.
"Ryuuen," the boy instantly turned to Nakago's voice, "it's your father. He died yesturday morning."
Suddenly Ryuuen felt himself break out in to a cold sweat, the blood drain out of his face and go pale. For several long seconds the seemed to go deathly silent except for the thundering in his ears produced by his own heartbeat. Before he even realized it, tears were falling from his eyes, trickling down his cheeks. //Dead? He can't be dead... It's not true... he... he... how can it be true? I just saw him last week. He was... fine... he was fine...//
He felt someone's hands on his shoulders, pulling him forward into an embrace. Numbly he looked to the side, caught a glimpse of brown hair and knew it was Soi. The stranger, this messenger of death, stepped forward.
"Doctor said it was due to heart complications. Though he wasn't too sure how... He said his heart- everything was healthy. Though they say it isn't possible, I honestly believe it was a broken heart that killed him. I wish I didn't have to be the one to bring the news, but your father and I had become friends. Master thought I should do it."
Ryuuen's legs gave out and left Soi as his only support. //We broke his heart... his family being torn apart was too much... we... 'I' did this to him... I'm sorry father... I'm sorry for breaking your heart.// And with a wail of grief he buried his head into Soi's comforting embrace.
~~~*~~~
He couldn't sleep. He just kept crying, and when he stopped crying his head hurt. Finally, he got up having felt a pang of hunger. With the recent news about his father, he had lost all his appetite.
With an aching head he got up and with an odd feeling of nausea, came to the door, opened it and stepped out into a drafty, poorly lit hallway. He made his way down a flight of stairs and began down the second when he looked over and saw Mimi crouched in front of a door down the hall.
Going back up the two stairs he had descended, he walked soundlessly down the hall. When he finally stood behind the girl he cleared his throat startling her. She stood up quickly blushing as if embarrassed. Realization upon noticing his surroundings told him he was standing in front of Nakago and Soi's bedchambers.
"What are you doing?" Ryuuen whispered.
Mimi blushed again then brought finger to her lips to quiet him. "I had a bad dream. Sometimes they let me sleep with them if that happens. But not when they're... when they're...", a moan floated out into the hall coming from the inside of the room and Mimi's blush deepened," they're doing THAT."
Ryuuen's brows knitted together in confusion. A sigh and another moan was heard by the two within again. Curious Ryuuen stepped forward to peer with in.
"Quiet... even I get in trouble if they know I see them doing that."
As he looked in he saw Nakago and Soi tangled within each others arms, their bodies seeming to melt into one. A slow rhythm seemed to be generating from the bed, and immediately Ryuuen KNEW what they were doing. Or at least had an idea. Sex... they were having sex. Which meant, and Ryuuen could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as well, that Nakago was inside of her.
He'd once walked in on his parents while they were int he middle of their love making, and being curious and concerned that it HURT,he had to be sat down by both his parents and told the basics about it. He turned back around and looked at Mimi.
"I think we should leave them alone... I'll sleep in your room tonight on the floor if you want. If you get scared you can hold my hand." Ryuuen began to walk away remembering his earlier mission. "But I need to get something to eat first."
She looked down shyly, then began to follow him. "You seemed to know what they were doing." Mimi whispered.
Ryuuen turned around in surprise just as he started down the stairs not realizing she had followed him until then. Then his ears conveyed her question his mind. He bit his lip to keep from letting out the embarrassed giggle that began to form in his throat. "Yeah, sorta." he answered resuming his descent down the stairs.
"They do it a lot." she said with an edge of a question at the end.
They rounded the staircase, turned from it's beginning and made their way to the kitchen.
"I imagine they do..." Ryuuen mumbled. She grabbed his arm to stop him when they reached the kitchen.
"Why do they do it? I mean it looks like they're in pain but at the same time it's like they aren't. And I know what he does to her... they told me once that it's how babies are made... Is that all true?"
"Well it IS how babies are made..." He gave her a wary glance. "But it doesn't hurt... at least that's what my parents told me... They said unless they man is trying to hurt the woman..." He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hurt someone else that way.
"Well is it supposed to feel good?" Mimi asked with a cock of her head.
Ryuuen shifted uncomfortably and began looking for an escape route. "My mom and dad said it does." He could feel his stomach begin to turn and his appetite slowly began to dwindle. "They said they did it because it showed they loved each other as man and wife. They said you should only do it if you're married."
"Oh, okay!" she said a little to brightly for Ryuuen's taste at 3 o'clock in the morning. He REALLY, REALLY did NOT want to talk about this. It was one thing to happen upon a couple while they were doing it... but then having to talk about it... to a GIRL was even more embarrassing.
"Weren't you gonna eat?" Mimi asked gesturing to the door.
"Yeah..." he opened the door and as he walked in he mumbled, "though the need to do so just went down about 10 notches."
~~~*~~~
Sai came a week later asking the same question EVERYONE seemed to ask him at least 20 times an hour every day. He had found him under the willow tree. Ryuuen had been out in a sad daze.
"I heard about your dad. How are you doing?" Ryuuen looked up. "How do you think I'm doing? My father DIED. I'll never see my brother or sister again... HOW DO YOU THINK I AM?" he exclaimed bitterly.
Sai winced and giving him a hurt look.
Ryuuen looked down ashamed. "I'm sorry... It's just I wanna be alone... not talk about it." He got up and gave an insincere smile, "I'll be fine."
Ryuuen turned to leave. But he'd only just past the prince by 2 steps when he was stopped mid-step by arms encircling him, and a voice saying, "You're not okay, and don't try to pretend you are around ME."
At those words the something that had kept Ryuuen from tears all week shattered and they broke free from his walls. They were left alone in that embrace until sunset.
~~~*~~~~
Two years past and with it Ryuuen's grief finally became bearable. The first year he'd spend his nights crying himself to sleep. One night his spasms of grief must've been too loud, for the cook had come and rocked, and held him until he slept. Also his responsibilities became greater and the time he had available for his own pursuits became limited.
It was a week of warmth in January when he had been blessed with a free day... the main excuse for it being that Sai was there to visit. Earlier in the day Sai had said he wished to tell Ryuuen something but it had since slipped from his mind as the day wore on admist their games.
Ryuuen and Sai had their heads together when Sai drew out his father's gift to him. A sword... a REAL sword. Ryuuen found it heavy, but Sai was able to lift and test it with ease.
"He also gave me this to go with it", then he brought out a gorgeous jeweled dagger.
Ryuuen's eyes lit up. "Wow! It's pretty!" "Pretty? Gods, I think you've been around those two girls too long..." Sai said with a cocked eyebrow.
Ryuuen shot him a dirty look. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, you have been. What'cha gonna do about it?"
An evil grin came to his face. "What am I gonna do about it?"
Sai raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms with a know-it-all snicker. The dagger dangling from his hand loosely. "Well, I'm gonna take your dagger!!!"
With that he raced forward and yanked the dagger out of his hands and raced away.
"HEY!!!! Give it baaaaaaaaccccck!!!!" Sai yelped then took off after him.
Laughing, Ryuuen ran at top speed to the orchards, only to be tackled to the ground by Sai a few minutes later.
"Owwww!" Ryuuen groaned as he hit the ground, then went about tucking the dagger as close to himself as possible as Sai clawed for it admist their wrestling.
Both were giggling like loons by this time and Sai kept gasping out, "Give... it... back!" and Ryuuen answering with, "Shalln't! It's mine now!" The tumbling around cause them to end up rolling down a grassy hill. At one point in the rolling process the dagger became unsheathed, and tumbled out of his hand to catch him on the shoulder and arm.
Once they stopped rolling they laid there and laughed for several moments. Finally, Sai gained control of himself enough to open his eyes and immediatly his eyes fell upon the bleeding cuts. His laughter stopped all at once. The sudden change in mood caused Ryuuen to stop laughing as well.
"You're bleeding." a grimace formed on his feartures. "Did I do that?"
Gently, he pulled the fabric away that was covering the wound, horrified at the thought of having hurt Ryuuen.
"No you didn't do it... you're blasted dagger did though. It slipped from my hand during our little fall down here. You need to check it's sheath. It unlocks easily apparently."
Sai scrunched his face up in sympathetic pain as Ryuuen endevored to move his wounded arm.
With a sad, guilty look he peered at Ryuuen,"I'm sorry."
Ryuuen continued to look back up at him, and gave him a small smile. Then he noticed Sai get a weird look in his eyes, his cheeks tinting with pink.
"It's okay... really." Ryuuen said trying to identify the emotions behind that strange expression. "I mean when people wrestle, it's bound someone will get hurt. Especially with a dagger in hand. Sai nodded looked away, then back at him again the unindentifable emotion creeping back in his eyes.
"I... ah...", then with a rushed effort that was quite noticible, Sai got to his feet. "I don't think we should play games like this anymore.
"Why? I'll be fine really." Ryuuen got up giving him a confused look.
Sai looked away as if ashamed of something. "That's not the reason why."
"Then why?" Ryuuen pressed. Sai frowned. //How can I explain to him... that he... he looked like a girl, had the same effect on me as a girl does at that moment. A pretty girl...// "Because you still strike my senses at times that you're a girl." he said finally without looking at him.
"What?" Ryuuen asked trying to take that comment in.
Sai shook his head. "Don't worry about it... I need to tell you something."
Ryuuen's confusion became even more frustrating. // Why the sudden change in subject. I know I look like a girl... I have all my life. What does it matter?// He tried to focus on the new subject. "Okay...?"
"I won't be seeing you again- at least for a long while..."
A strange panic began to take the place of the confusion. "Why?"
"I'm to leave tonight to go to the shrines. I've been due to start attending them for 2 years now, but because of the responsibilities of my position it's been put off... until now."
"Oh. But tonight?" Ryuuen questioned, a sudden urge to cry coming to him.
"Nakago is taking me..." Sai stepped forward with an insincere smile, then surprizingly took Ryuuen into his arms to embrace him tightly. "I need to go now... both of us do. The sun is setting. Thank you Ryuuen for being my friend. My only true friend."
Then he let go, and for a moment the weird look from before crept into his eyes, and just as quickly went away. "Good-bye."
He grabbed his hand, gave it a slight squeeze, then turned to leave. He only stopped once to look back, a strange, yet undoubtly deep pain in his eyes.
That night Ryuuen was unable to sleep. So he was able to watch as Nakago, two armed guards, and their precious passenger climbed into the carriage and drove off. That night Ryuuen thought about all that had happened to him over the past couple of years.
With a tearful, heavenward gaze he asked to whatever powers there were, "What have I done to deserve this? Why is it that you keep taking all the people I love away from me? Why? Please tell me what I did wrong...."
Somehow at that moment, as if the very wind whispered the answer to him, 'You have done nothing child... you are one of my beloved and these tears of grief will one day be wiped away forever...'. Somehow, somewhere within him the words comforted him... somehow he knew they were true. He didn't know how or why he knew but he couldn't help but believe it.
TBC...