Symphonic Lie

Shun watches his grandfather leave the room with his head held low. She, whoever she is, had told his grandfather to leave the room, yet she insisted that his friends stay. No matter how Shun tries to understand her intentions he can't make sense of anything. He pushes his thoughts aside and turns to face where her voice has come from.

"Are you going to stop hiding in the shadows like a coward?" he asks, coldly.

"I'm afraid not," she replies, gently. "It would only make you despise me more."

He narrows his eyes suspiciously at the vagueness of her statement. However, he believes her to be right about his feelings for her. A soft creak is emitting as she moves.

"I do apologise for this, please at least believe that," she asks, sounding almost nervous.

"Spit it out!" he hisses furiously.

"You must come with me, Shun. These people here must be left behind," she declares. "You cannot contact them after this day. You must never see them again. That includes your grandfather."

"How dare you!" Dan yells.

He stalks towards her angrily and is soon followed by Julie and then Runo. One by one they all approach her furious at her sudden declaration. The only one not joining them is Shun. His mind is racing through all of the endless possibilities of what could have happened that forces him to leave with her.

"Who are you to make me do this?" Shun demands.

"I think you should come with me to know such a thing," she replies, emerging from the shadows.

She stays near the darkness and he struggles to see how she looks. He sees flashes of purple from her clothes and something green that looks the ends of a scarf. Her appearance, what he can see of it, gives away nothing of her motives or her personality. Her clothes seem to be dark colours but there isn't much that he can deduct from that.

"I won't leave with you," he states frostily.

"I mean to take you to your grandfather so that he can explain to you," she says, reservedly. "He should have these words off by heart by now. It has been sixteen years…"

"So, you've become scared, have you?" gramps scowls at her. "I should have seen this coming. For all your big façade you're nothing but a coward."

"If the words are so easy then you won't mind using them," she urges, turning away from Shun.

He stares at her curiously. As they had made their way to his gramps he had finally gotten a good look at her. She wears loose black trousers, a purple shirt with a strange symbol etched on the centre and a long purple trench coat. Her hair is midnight silk and flows to her mid-thigh. She is one of the strangest people that he has ever seen and he has a bad feeling about why that might be.

"Gramps…" Shun urges, absentmindedly.

"You're a stranger!" gramps exclaims, flustered but he soon calms. "No, you were a stranger. You were a complete stranger when we first met you… Shun, the woman that we found injured and alone stands before us. She is also your mother. If you want to know anything else then you can ask her. I've kept him safe and trained him to be strong against his adversaries; please don't take him away now."

"What has been done is done. Time cannot unravel itself simply because one entity is displeased," she replies. "You should be glad of the years that you've had with him. Be thankful, not sorrowful, and ask for nothing more."

"How do you expect me to be thankful when you're stealing him away?" gramps roars. "We may not share blood but we've shared years, and I'll-"

"No!" Shun yells, glaring at them both. "All this time you've lied to me! You had so many chances to tell me the truth and you didn't! And you, you abandoned me to this liar! You think you can come back whenever you want to and I'll obey you? I won't. You won't get compliance from me."

The two helpless adults watch him storm off. Gramps still blames her for all of the suffering that his family has been through, but he doesn't know that she also blames herself for that. She knows such accusations lie in fact and she accepts what she has brought upon them all. However, she never wanted to hurt Shun. She never wanted him to suffer as he is now. She knows that he's happy here, and if it wasn't necessary, she wouldn't have returned and disrupted his life.

Shun stares blankly out over the sea of swaying viridian that is the forest. His head is resting on his arms which rest on his left knee. His right leg dangles over the side of the branch carelessly. He can't make sense of what they told him. He knows what the words were, and the sentiments were clear, but as a whole it doesn't make sense. He could almost throw his hands in the air in exasperation but he won't. He wants to think through everything even though he knows it will be a long time before it actually sinks in. There is one thing that he is sure of though and that is his feelings towards her. He hates her.

Shun's peace and quiet soon comes to an end as the soft crunching of undergrowth catches his attention. He leans further into the tree to avoid detection. Much to his horror and distaste the person is soon visible – his mother. He almost looks away from her but something stops him. He can't explain why when the very notion of her existence sickens him. Perhaps it is because she is wandering the forest alone as night is approaching and she isn't doing so to search for him. He knows that she isn't looking for him because her eyes aren't seeking his presence.

She gradually slows her pace until she's entirely still. Her right hand, delved deep into her pocket, withdraws from its shadowy recluse. She brings her hand in front of her face and uncurls her fingers. A small black porcelain locket decorated with ornate gold patterns and a pink crystal in the shape of a flower is resting in the palm of her hand. The locket fits perfectly into her palm as though it was made specifically for her. Just as she is about to open it she swiftly stashes it away in her pocket once more.

She takes a few strides forward. Her movements are calm and precise and very elegant. She keeps her gaze directly ahead despite knowing what is to come. She swears to herself, as she always has done, that this is the last time. She knows, deep down, that it is a lie just as every other time was a lie. Yet, despite that knowledge she would surrender it all to be with Shun. He has made his feelings for her clear and she knows not to interfere in his decision. She had always hoped to see him once more but she always knew that he would suffer if she ever returned. She simply can't risk it. She has to continue.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She turns around quickly. Her eyes instantly settle on the person that is too far back for Shun to see. She still appears calm but as Shun looks to her in confusion he can see that she changed. She is defensive and on guard. He doesn't trust her but he can't help but wonder what kind of person would scare her? She has never shown wariness before and it worries him.

Author's Note: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if it isn't that good but I can vouch that it is of a better quality than the previous version. This new version flows whereas the previous version wasn't. I do hope that I haven't disappointed you and I apologise if I have. Thank you for your time and thank you for reading.