A/N: I changed the ending of the previous chapter around a some, so if this if you've been following the story since my last update and how this chapter starts doesn't make any since that's why. Sorry for any confusion. '
Strange Journey
By Phoenix Hoshika
Dyne Arc: Part II
"Where are you going? We haven't shown you off yet." The woman with green eyes said.
"That's right." The woman with brown eyes chimed in.
"We should show her to the king and see what he thinks before we do anything else." The woman with gray eyes said.
"Oh good idea!" The youngest of them agreed. "Maybe after seeing what we did with her he'll let me design something for him." The girl said excitedly.
"You're inexperienced. What makes you think the king would let you design his clothing?" The woman with gray eyes said angrily.
"Well…" The girl stammered. "Because I'm younger and more in the know about modern fashion you old hag!"
"I don't care who he let's design his clothes I just want to see him." The woman with green eyes said as the woman with gray eyes and the girl continued to argue.
"Oh, yeah. We have to make an appointment to see him anyway and besides that doesn't he have a "Do not disturb" order in place for the rest of this week?" The woman with brown eyes said and all chatter and arguing amongst the women came to a halt and they all let out a defeated sigh.
"Hey." The youngest said looking around. "Where did she go?"
"Who cares?" The woman with gray eyes said as they all walked away the cloud of defeat hanging heavily over them.
Taiko had hid behind a large drape and was anxiously watching them the whole time and sighed with relief once they were out of sight. "Thank God."
"Indeed, but it looks like I'll have to find better hiding places."
Taiko nearly shrieked hearing the second voice as she fell from behind the oversized curtain. "Freakin' creep so that's where he had disappeared to." Taiko thought as she lay on the floor shaking from the sudden fright.
"Did I scare you?" The man asked smiling.
"No!" Taiko lied quickly but unsteadily coming to her feet only to end up back on the floor.
The man turned away giggling.
"Stop laughing at me." Taiko said utterly embarrassed.
"You just look so funny falling over like that." The man said continuing to laugh. Taiko remained on the floor her face turned three different shades of red. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time." The man said after a few minutes.
"Are you sure you're finished?" Taiko asked feeling completely made a fool of.
The man nodded even though his face still smiling as if he would start laughing at her again. "Here." He said holding his hand out to her. Taiko hesitantly took it and he pulled her up to her feet.
"What's your name anyway?" Taiko asked as they started to walk.
The man stopped moving and gave Taiko a quizzical stare.
"What is it?" Taiko asked feeling uncomfortable.
"My name is Dyne." The man answered. "Yours is Taiko right?"
"Yeah, but how did you know?"
"Is it not what the man you were with called you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"I saw you when you first entered the city."
"Hmph, I knew it you were spying."
"Well, that time I was." The man admitted. "I wanted to know the name of the pretty woman who broke my ribs.
"I said I was sorry." Taiko said turning her face from him blushing. "What's wrong with me?" Taiko thought berating herself. "He's cute he's really cute, but…" Taiko thought quickly regaining her composer and facing him.
"What are you sneaking around for? Are you a thief or something?
"Well, actually…" Dyne said then paused for a moment. "Yes I am." He gleefully answered.
"Figures."
"Are you going to turn me in?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"Well, I don't know who this king is that claims me and Ryu are here as his guests but it seems fishy. For all I know he could be having trouble deciding whether or not to torture us to death or to just put in front of a firing squad." Taiko said.
"Why would you think that?" Dyne asked curiously.
"Well, he 'invited' us but I haven't seen him yet, at least." Taiko added. "Maybe Ryu has met him already. That would explain why he hasn't come for me or why this place hasn't gone up in flames." Taiko thought as they walked out onto a balcony.
"Are you really that suspicious?"
"Well, maybe if something like that hadn't happened to me just a short time ago maybe I wouldn't be thinking this way, but because of that I can't help but feel paranoid."
"I see." Dyne said then suddenly changed the subject. "Is the man you came her were with your husband?"
"What? No!" Taiko said caught off guard.
"Fiancé? Boyfriend?" Dyne continued to question.
"Huh? No." Taiko answered blushing.
"But you want him to be, do you not?" Dyne asked moving so that he could get a better look at Taiko's face since she had turned away from him.
"That's none of your business!" Taiko answered. "But you know for some reason everyone keeps saying that." She added in much calmer tone.
"Why do you think that is so?"
"I think mostly because people are assuming too much and maybe because we're always together. To be honest ever since I've met him this is the longest we've been apart." Taiko said sounding almost sad.
"Haven't you only been in the castle a few hours?"
"How long have you been spying on us anyway?" Taiko asked figuring he had been watching them the entire time and sighed no longer caring. "The only times I've left him was to take a bath or find food and even then the only times I'm ever alone are the fifteen minutes I use to clean up because other than that despite saying he'll wait for me to come back he always follows me."
"I know because I can feel him watching me." Taiko thought.
"So you are saying he won't leave you alone?"
"No, it's nothing like that. I'm actually the one who won't leave him alone."
"Why am I telling him all of this? Saying it out loud like that makes me hate myself for being so clingy." Taiko thought. "I guess he just feels like he has to keep an eye on me." She continued. "Because despite being as strong as I am I can't fight worth anything. I bet that's why." Taiko thought looking down at her hands.
"So you two are just friends?"
"Yeah." Taiko answered.
"You never…" Dyne said trailing off.
"Never?" Taiko said looking up at him.
"So, you two never…"
Taiko gave him a quizzical look for a second before she understood what he was saying. "No! Pervert!" Taiko said running away from him.
Dyne was going to chase after her to apologize but saw the guards and ducked back out onto the balcony. "Did they see me?" He wondered his heart pounding. "I guess not." He thought as he listened to the foot steps disappearing. "I've been behaving a little careless." Dyne thought before jumping into the air and quickly scaling the wall to an open window above.
Ryu sat on the plush oversized bed in the room the guards had taken him to not sure if he should go look for Taiko or take advantage of the soft feather mattress. "She'll be okay." Ryu thought then laid down and went to sleep. It was five hours later when a strange presence awaken him, perhaps not so much a strange presence, but certainly a bothersome one as far as he was concerned.
"Why is there an animal in here?" Ryu wondered opening his eyes to see a man looking down at him.
"Hi." The man said with a smile and a slight wave.
Ryu took a half hearted swipe at him that would have probably been fatal if the man had not quickly moved out of the way.
"Barely made it." He thought looking down at his ripped shirt then sighed with relief. "That was close. Were you trying to kill me?"
"No." Ryu answered scratching his head not really caring if he had. Ryu couldn't quite put his finger on it but something about the man irritated him.
"Hmm, I don't really too much care either way." The man said then paused. "No I do care, but it wouldn't have been a wise thing to do."
"What do you mean?" Ryu asked becoming more agitated.
"Everyone would be extremely upset with you." The man said with a slight smile that quickly faded and for a split second he looked very sad.
"Who are you?" Ryu asked even though he had a pretty good idea.
"Do I really I have to say?"
"No." Ryu answered heavily.
"Good, because besides not liking having to point out the obvious I hate having to make those kind of declarations." The man said pouring a drink of water into a cup from the pitcher on the table near the center of the room that was almost overflowing with food. "You haven't eaten a single thing; aren't you hungry?" He asked then drank the water in the cup.
"I don't mean to be rude but I can't eat any of that stuff."
"Don't worry about it; it's far too much for one person to eat alone anyway." The man said taking a hand full of grapes and putting a few of them in his mouth. "I just didn't want to be rude so I told them to give you plenty." He continued talking with a mouth full. "But it looks like they over did it."
"Yeah." Ryu answered suddenly feeling depressed.
"What's the look for?" The king asked noticing Ryu's expression. "You don't mind do you?"
"No. It's nothing like that." Ryu answered. "You're just annoying me." He said then sweat dropped. He didn't mean to say so out loud but couldn't help himself. The truth was Ryu was so annoyed by his presence he wanted to take another swing at him just because and was battling with himself not to do just that.
At first it seemed as if the king didn't hear what Ryu had said since he seemed to busy stuffing his face to pay attention to him, but after a few minutes he turned and smiled at him. "I'm glad."
Ryu sweat dropped again.
"I don't like you either." The king said walking to the door.
"I really wasn't aiming to hurt you." Ryu said and thought that may have been try for that moment I was certain that if he did take another swing at him it would definitely be on purpose.
"Don't worry about that. From the moment I saw you I couldn't stand you."
"Then why-" Ryu started but was cut off.
"Does it really matter? You are my guest for as long as you wish to stay" He answered then left.
Ryu shook his head. "I suppose there is no point worrying too much about him, but he's still annoying." Ryu thought then laid back down returning to his sleep.
It was night fall by the time Taiko was able to get away from the guards that she had ran into earlier that day. They had taken her to a rather luxurious room much like the one Ryu was in but they kept a rather vigilant guard over her and wouldn't let her out the door without insisting upon escorting her where ever it was she wanted to go and when she asked about Ryu they refused to tell her anything as to his whereabouts. Since they were patrolling around outside as well there was no way Taiko could go out the window without them seeing her making nightfall the only chance of escaping, that is if they didn't have strobe lights or any other means of spotting her. Fortunately they didn't making it a bit easier for her to find Ryu.
"Look at him just sleeping like a baby. It really pisses me off! Doesn't he care about our situation?" Finally deciding to wake him up then stopped. "Do I really want to do that? I really don't think he knows friend from foe when he's sleeping." Taiko thought then sighed feeling defeated.
"Taiko?" Ryu said waking up.
Taiko nearly jumped out of her skin. "You jerk!" Taiko said rather loudly.
Ryu squinted one eye at her. "What's your problem?"
Taiko covered her mouth suddenly releasing how loud she was. "Do you think anyone heard me?" She asked in a much lower tone.
Ryu looked around. "No." He said still wondering why she was so angry.