The dull sound of the toneless singing flowed through the corridor. Tomoko stood at the entrance of the biggest room, the book close to her chest. She swung open the door to faces of unfamiliar high-schoolers laughing and singing in revelry. Tomoko took a deep breath.
"TOYA NI-CHAN!" Tomoko shouted over the din of the music.
The room felt eerily silent, all eyes focusing on Tomoko. Tomoko cheeks blazed in heat as she determinedly stared back at the gazes, her eyes swimming with stress.
"What?" She heard the lazy voice of her brother reply from the back of the crowd.
Tomoko marched towards the sound, the high-schoolers going back to their party as they made way for the tiny disruption. Tomoko found Toya nonchalantly joining the conversation of the big group of students (mostly girls) around him.
"I have been calling and calling." Tomoko started, her voice shaking in anger and disappointment. "What is wrong with you? I... You..."
Tomoko's voice cracked as she broke down into tears. She heard her brother curse softly before rising. He stood before her for a few moments before placing a hesitant hand over her shoulder.
"Let's go." He murmured.
Tomoko nodded as she followed her brother out of the karaoke party.
The siblings stood quietly for a while, the afternoon traffic snailing past them. Toya leaned back on the entrance wall of the karaoke club, his arms folded defensively.
"Zakuro-ne went back." Tomoko said, taking a few calming breathes.
Toya didn't reply.
"And the book looks like this now." Tomoko said, finally releasing the book from her protective cage.
Toya's eyes narrowed for a moment but they went back being expressionless soon after.
"She chose to go back." Toya said, his voice devoid of emotion. "We can't..."
"They were supposed to die." Tomoko intejected, her anger rising again. "All the people who went into the book before... They were supposed to die. Two of them did, one brought back by Miaka-san. And the book never called Miaka-san by her name. She was always referred to as the Priestess of Suzaku. But Zakuro-ne is referred to by name. Why do you think that is?"
Toya frowned in confusion.
"I don't..." Toya started.
"Exactly." Tomoko said, looking Toya in the eyes, her expression furious. "We have no idea about what is happening or going to happen. All we know is that Zakuro-ne is in danger. And yet you don't seem even the least bit concerned. I didn't come here to ask for your help, though I desperately need it. I would rather ask Suki to help. I don't care about what happened between the two of you. I don't care if she went there even when you told her not to. But when she is back, don't play with her any longer. Don't act like you are her friend when you obviously only choose your convenience. Don't..."
"I told her that I love her." Toya barked, his hands clenched.
He marched a couple of steps forward. Tomoko recoiled a little.
"I told her that I love her and she chose to go back for a guy she knows for only a couple of hours." Toya said, his hands shaking. "She chose to go back. And if that means she dies, then I don't give a fuck."
"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Tomoko shouted. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DO YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE SHE WENT BACK, IT MEANS SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU? IS THAT IT? YOU'RE OK WITH HER BEING HURT OR WORSE BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T SAY SHE LOVES YOU BACK? YOU'RE DISGUSTING! I HATE YOU!"
Tomoko took deep breathes, her expression livid.
"When you rejected her, she didn't abandon you." Tomoko said, her voice a low snarl. "She could have easily stopped being friends with you. But that's not the type of person she is. She doesn't leave the people she cares about. I'm sure it would have been horrible for her, acting like everything was normal when it wasn't. The only reason why she would endure something like that would be because she cared so damn much about you that she didn't want you to endure the pain of separation. She deserves better. She really does."
Tomoko turned and started running.
Toya stood at the entrance, his expression unreadable.
"Is everything OK?" He heard a girls voice ask.
He turned to see Yuna, who was studying him with hazel eyes. Toya chuckled at the question, running his hand through his hair.
"I need your help." Toya said, rubbing a stitch on his neck. "Zakuro has given your numbers to her parents. If they call you, please tell them that she is with Tomoko and me."
"What's going on?" Yuna said, the wheels in her head on hyper-drive. "Is she in trouble? Is it because of the guy she likes from the yakuza?"
Toya clenched his hands for a moment.
"She is going to be fine." Toya said, his tone confident. "You see, she isn't allowed to get into trouble as long as I'm around. I will ask her to call you soon."
Yuna slowly nodded. Toya turned to follow his sister, but Yuna tugged on his shirt.
"Only because you're Toya and she is Zakuro." Yuna said, her hands shaking a little. "It's only because of that I'm not asking for more information. Zakuro trusts you and I trust her. But you have to promise that she calls me."
Toya smiled and nodded. Yuna let Toya go, against her better instincts. She prayed that her friend was safe.
-x-x-x-x-
Zakuro's sword fell a couple of feet from her. She knelt on the ground, panting, as beads of perspiration slithered down her neck. She looked at her opponent with malice, hoping to disarm him with rage.
"Zakuro!" Suzahara exclaimed.
"No." Zakuro barked back authoritatively. "Once more."
Mei Lin took her pinky out of her ear and nodded. Zakuro picked up her sword and charged at Mei Lin, shouting a battle cry. Mei Lin swiftly side-stepped her. She swung around mid way and tried to attack Mei Lin's side with her sheathed sword. Mei Lin caught her wrist and disarmed her, yawning as she did so. Zakuro fell on her face, her angry expression accentuated by the dancing fire.
"Lunch's almost ready." Nuriko muttered.
Suzahara was already at Zakuro's side.
"Should I accidentaly injure her ankle to give you an edge?" Suzahara muttered into Zakuro's ears as he held out his hand.
Zakuro glared at him as she ignored his hand, concentrating only on the condescending tuts Mei Lin made each time they dueled. She got to her feet and dusted herself off.
"I can't wait to wipe the floor with you." Zakuro said, scathingly.
"I was only trying to help!" Suzahara grumbled.
"Right." Zakuro said, rolling her eyes. "Because little old me can't win in a fair fight."
"That's not what I meant." Suzahara said. "Why do you keep doing that? Why do you keep twisting everything I say?"
"I'm going to wash up." Zakuro called over Suzahara's shoulder and walked into the forest, a lit branch acting as her guide.
Zakuro and group had been travelling for a week. By Chichiri's estimation, they were still two months away from Tamahome, a journey which Tamahome had completed overnight. They were travelling west of Hokkan's border, towards the dry and arid Sairou. The warm clothes of Hokkan were getting increasingly uncomfortable. Zakuro missed her sun dresses and shorts. She frowned at her beat up reflection in the lake. She carefully set aside the torch and started washing up, her reflection distorting. She sighed a little at the familiar rustling of the leaves.
"I can be left alone for a few moments, you know?" Zakuro called out as she washed her neck. "I'm not a child."
Chichiri appeared from the shadows, an apologetic grin on his face.
"You seem to be getting good at recognizing a presence." Chichiri said, kneeling next to Zakuro.
Zakuro splashed some water on her face. Chichiri observed her in the flickering torchlight.
"He only wants to help you." Chichiri said, finally revealing his true intentions. "Why are you being so hard on him?"
Zakuro quickly got to her feet.
"I'm not being anything." Zakuro said, trying to keep an even tone.
"I know you love him too." Chichiri said, getting to his feet too. "He worries about you. He thinks something is bothering you."
Zakuro flinched.
Why doesn't he hate me yet? Zakuro thought against herself.
Over the past few days, Zakuro had been determinedly avoiding Suzahara. She had been training with Mei Lin, the only one gracious enough to agree to teach her besides Suzahara. Suzahara looked hurt when she accepted Mei Lin as her trainer. But nevertheless, he encouraged her to get stronger. Suzahara was kind and caring and that was driving Zakuro to the brink.
"You can ask him to come out now..." Zakuro muttered. "You're not his messenger. I want to talk to him... In private."
Almost immediately, Suzahara stumbled out of the darkness. Chichiri patted Zakuro's head and left. Suzahara and Zakuro stood in silence for a while.
"Are we alone?" Zakuro asked, interrupting Suzahara who opened his mouth.
Suzahara slowly nodded. Zakuro looked up at the grey sky. She knew a hard stretch was ahead of them. She might not have the chance to speak to Suzahara like that again. Suzahara took a couple of steps forward.
"Now will you tell me what's bothering you?" Suzahara asked, a slight edge in his voice.
"I love you." Zakuro started. "A lot. A whole whole whole whole lot. It's so much that it's stupid. You won't believe just how stupid. I can't think straight around you."
Zakuro knew she was going on a tangent. But in her life, the most successful love story she knew was of her parents. And the reason they were strong was because they were honest with each other. Zakuro knew she couldn't be completely honest with Suzahara given the circumstances. But she wanted to be as honest as possible with him.
"And..." Suzahara goaded, waiting for Zakuro to continue.
"A long time ago, there was this boy, who I was in love with." Zakuro said, her hands shaking a little at the confession.
She knew it was too soon to bring up Toya. But to make her point, she needed to be honest.
"He was..." Zakuro continued. "He is my best friend. But when I confessed my feelings to him, he rejected me. And he would go out with other random girls instead of me. And it... sucked. Being around him, being in love with him sucked. Seeing him with other girls sucked. I know how it feels to not have your feelings returned."
Suzahara's expression was unreadable.
"Are you avoiding me because you still have feelings for this person?" Suzahara said, trying his best to hide his true emotions.
Zakuro extended her hands and cupped Suzahara's face.
"I'm avoiding you because I know how much it hurts to have unrequited love rubbed in your face." Zakuro said. "I love you with all my heart. I know it's been only a week but just being around you makes me happy. It's easy. It's calming. It's stupid and I can't describe it. But I'm hopelessly in love with you."
Suzahara smiled and nodded.
"And I don't want Nuriko to endure this." Zakuro said, finally speaking her mind. "I don't want Nuriko to endure you and me being rubbed in her face."
"Huh?" Suzahara said, confused.
Zakuro sighed.
"Nuriko is in love with you." Zakuro said, trying not to smile at Suzahara's denseness.
"What!" Suzahara said, incredulously. "No, she isn't!"
Zakuro shook her head a little.
"Think about it." Zakuro said, letting Suzahara in on her train of thought. "She didn't want to come with you but no matter how much I badgered her, she was never hostile towards me. She was almost soft around you. I know the internal turmoil of wanting your friends to be happy. It was around the time that we left that I figured it out. And her behavior the past week only confirms my suspicion. Your first clue should have been that Nuriko wasn't getting along with Mei Lin."
Suzahara was looking at Zakuro as though she was insane.
"Come to think of it." Zakuro said, putting her hand near her face, counting her fingers. "In the girls that you know, Nuriko likes you... Mei Lin likes you... I like you. That's three out of three. I'm not sure if I'm okay with that. I'm so not OK with a harem."
Suzahara response was incoherent blubbering.
"I want to give her the time for getting over you." Zakuro said, putting her finger on her chin. "And I definitely don't want to lose her. So for the time being, we have to keep it low key."
"Do I not get a say in this?" Suzahara said, frowning.
Zakuro looked at Suzahara confused.
"I don't know much about being in love." Suzahara said, his face red. "But I know that we can't act individually. We are a team and we decide things together. You can't just randomly decide that you want to spare Nuriko's feelings and ignore me for a week without telling me about it. Do you have any idea of the hell I went through?"
"Oh." Zakuro murmured. "Sorry. I didn't realize..."
"And another thing." Suzahara started on his rant, interrupting Zakuro's apology. "I know you have this thing where you have to be right all the time. You sit and obsess and obsess and obsess and obsess and then stubbornly stick to the decision you think is right. But Nuriko is not in love with me. Neither is Mei Lin. Of that I'm sure."
"I don't obsess!" Zakuro spluttered. "And I'm not stubborn."
Suzahara rolled his eyes.
"You were willing to leave me behind in the castle to go with Nuriko." He said, shaking his head. "That's just how stubborn you are. If it were me, what would you have done?"
"I would have followed you too." Zakuro replied promptly. "But what I did... I'm sorry."
Suzahara pushed a stray strand of hair behind Zakuro's ear.
"The way I feel about you..." Suzahara said, his tone gentle. "It's almost like the way you feel. I traveled alone for four years before I met you. Even then, on that day, I'm not sure why I asked you to come with me. But I'm so glad I did. Because you... You are..."
Suzahara closed the distance between them, his lips pressing against Zakuro. Zakuro held the back of Suzahara's neck while his hands grazed her lower back.
"I love you." Zakuro said, pulling back a little.
"I love you too." Suzahara said, leaning in again.
Zakuro chuckled.
"We're going to be late for lunch." Zakuro said, gently pulling away.
"I'm not very hungry." Suzahara said, resting his head on Zakuro's shoulder, putting his weight on her.
He turned his head and blew on her neck. Zakuro shivered as she tried to balance Suzahara.
"Get off!" Zakuro protested.
"No." Suzahara said, putting more weight on her. "You were mean for a week. I think it's only fair that I stay like this for a month."
Zakuro's knees buckled. Suzahara softened their fall but still lay on top of Zakuro.
"I'm seriously dying here." Zakuro said, wriggling. "Get off!"
Suzahara got to his elbows, his face dangerously close to Zakuro. In that moment Zakuro realized the position that they were in. She instinctively blushed. Suzahara grinned as he got closer to her. He gently pecked her forehead.
"Are you sure you want to go for lunch?" Suzahara said in a low baritone.
"Yes." Zakuro said, without betraying any hint of embarrassment.
Suzahara bent a little and nibbled Zakuro's ear lobe.
"Are you sure you want to go for lunch?" Suzahara repeated, his breath warm on her neck.
"Y-yes." Zakuro said, almost perfectly.
She heard Suzahara chuckle. He then got to his feet and offered Zakuro his hand. Zakuro lay on the damp forest ground for a few moments.
"Aren't we getting late for lunch?" Suzahara said, a sly grin on his face.
Zakuro tried to camouflage her smile to a look of disdain as she took his hand.
"So about Nuriko..." Zakuro said, immediately changing the topic. "Let's look at it this way. If you're right, then we don't need to worry about anything. If I'm right, we're putting her through hell and she doesn't deserve it. So how about we just keep it low around the group until she can finally move on. Please?"
Suzahara looked at Zakuro with his eye brows raised.
"Fine." Suzahara said. "We will do it your way. But don't get used to it."
Zakuro smiled. They walked back towards camp holding hands, knowing that they couldn't do so in front of the others.
"So about this other guy you liked..." Suzahara started, as they walked through the shadows.
-x-x-x-x-
Annelise watched Tamahome sleep, his prey laying limp a few steps away. She pushed away stray hair from his face and bent closer.
"It's a pity father wouldn't let you be mine." Annelise cooed at his sleeping figure. "Zui Gao always got the best things. We could have had so much fun."
The flickering of the candle bought Annelise out of her reverie. She loosely tied a robe around her and went towards the door.
"Yes." Annelise said curtly to the human who had dared to interrupt her time with Tamahome.
"The humans draw closer." Reported a short skinny boy with red hair and piercing blue eyes. "Master thinks it's best if this was sorted out before they got here."
The boy balanced a zanbato almost a large as him on his shoulder. He tried to see inside the room behind Annelise but Annelise spread her wings, blocking it from view.
"Does he think that they're strong enough to withstand us?" Annelise said angrily. "The nerve. Listen, punk. I don't care what contract father and..."
"Master would prefer that this be resolved away from the den." The boy interjected. "Your father is in agreement."
Annelise eyes clouded over for an instant as she communicated with her father who was still in hell.
"Fine." Annelise snapped. "What do you need from me?"
"Fifteen." The boy said putting up both hands. Annelise snapped her fingers and hardened demons appeared in front of her.
"Go with Chao Shi." Annelise ordered. "Kill the humans."
"Not all." Chao Shi interrupted. "We're not to harm the girl."
Annelise snarled in frustration.
"You have no right to over rule my direct orders." Annelise said.
"Why don't you ask daddy?" Chao Shi said, grinning toothily.
Annelise eyes narrowed in anger. She flexed her talons and jumped at Chao Shi. A large man with a strong jawline and a scar across his chest put himself between Annelise and Chao Shi, who was already swinging his sword.
"Forgive his insolence, your grace." The man said, bowing slightly. "He is young and the young lack delicacy. However, Master has cleared it with his excellency."
Annelise looked at the duo scathingly.
"Spare the girl." Annelise ordered. "Kill the rest."
Inside the room, Tamahome rubbed his bond to Suzahara, a small smile on his face.
AN:
Translations: Zanbato- an especially large, single-edged sword.