I realized I've always been starting with Yui waking up and ending each chapter with her losing consciousness or something like that. Hope you still like it despite the opening and the ending. In a way, I think it somehow fitted the story. Or was it just me? Do tell me what you think!

Princess-of-doctors: I'm really sorry for the delayed update. Ehehe. I've been having an internal battle on how this chapter should come out and well…yeah, I hope you like this chapter. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

XxLadyYuixX: Hey, thanks so much for reading this story and for leaving reviews! I hope I'm successfully transforming you into a Nakago-Yui fan. Ahahaha! Enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: FY characters belong to Yuu Watase, the great mangaka behind FY. I'm just borrowing it for literary's sake.

Wolfbrother

By Slavedriver2008

SOUNDS OF LASHINGS filled Yui's ears but she could not open her eyes. Cries of pain followed each whip but the blonde girl's body refused to budge. She felt heavy—so heavy that's he could not move. She tasted blood but instead of waking her up, the liquid brought her consciousness away from the sounds of torn flesh, from the howls of pain, from vicious laughter. She was traveling into another consciousness. And she willingly drifted away.

Everything went still.

The full moon was high on the cedars, snow blanketed the horizon. Howling sounds filled the cold night air, wolves. A woman wailed from a distance and a few minutes after, a child's cries filled the air. Inside a lamp-lit room made of tatami mats, an old woman was holding on to a babe with dark gray hair, scrutinizing every detail of his frail body. A gasp left the older woman and the girls, who were then cleaning the bloodied mother, stopped and stared at the bewildered Wisdom.

"What is wrong with my baby?" the mother asked. Silence filled the room and the light from the lamps flickered. The Wisdom shook her head and wrapped the baby in clean white cloth.

"The prophecies have come true…You gave birth to a monster," the old woman said. "I shall talk to your father about him, my lady." With those words, the woman left the younger woman.

"Where is my child, father?" the same woman asked, she was dressed in a dark blue kimono and was sitting across her father. The older man, with hair of gray, looked at her gloomily.

"She has the mark of the dragon, Ayaka," the man said in a deep voice. The woman's eyes widened and another woman, who looked younger, held on to her shoulders. "You shouldn't have disobeyed me and ran away with a lad from another tribe," the woman sobbed. "You know what his appearance meant for us. The village elders have decided: he will be killed."

"Father! He is my child!" Ayaka answered, tears staining her beautiful ashen face. "He is your grandson—please I beg of you. Spare him!" The older man looked at her glumly.

"I cannot choose your child and let the whole village die. We have been traveling Kutou since time immemorial, hiding from the cursed man who called himself Emperor. His birth meant we have to show ourselves—and what would they do to us? Kill us the way they eliminated the Hins? Do not forget who you are, daughter."

"Father, maybe we could just throw him away?" the younger woman asked.

"Treacherous, Aiko. You shall not disobey the decision of the elders," the father said, still devoid of expressions. "As the mother, you are to kill the boy, Ayaka. If you cannot, he will be killed in front of the elders by my own hands. You have a choice." The woman dried her tears and nodded.

"I understand, Father. I gave him life, I shall take it away as well."

"Ayaka…" her sister lamented.

"Aiko, you shall see to it that your sister kills the boy and report to us immediately." The younger woman nodded with lonely eyes.

"As you wish, Father."

The baby was laid on the floor wrapped in cloths of white. Ayaka sat before him, her face glum. Her sister sat a few feet away, watching the movements of the child. Cold mountain wind entered the room, making the lamp light flicker countless times. The night was not at ease but the child was still.

Wolves' howls can be heard in the distance. Ayaka took a dagger from the sleeve of her kimono and unsheathed it, the metal shining in the meager light of the room. Ayaka's face reflected in the blade, her eyes blank. The child, as if realizing danger was to come, started to cry. A thin mark of blue glowed from its skin, engulfing the whole room in a sea of light.

Ashitare. Tail.

Ayaka raised the dagger above her head. The child kicked and cried violently. She was about to stab the child when a pair of hands stopped her. Ayaka looked up to see her sister. The child stilled, sucked its thumb, and then started to sleep.

"Don't do this sister." Aiko's face was filled with tears. "He is not yours, mine, or the tribe's. He is Seiryuu's."

"Are you willing to give up the village for a bastard?"

"If it is to save Kutou from the darkness, yes." Ayaka dropped the blade and slapped the younger girl. Aiko smiled in response. "One day, the priestess will arrive and look for him. The priestess does not discriminate, she will not judge us. But one warrior less meant doom. There is a reason why he came at such dangerous times."

"Then take him away…" Aiko's eyes widened and saw the glistening tears that formed on her sister's eyes. Without another word, she hastily wrapped the baby in the cloth and took him into her arms. A voice called outside the room.

"Is he dead?" the baritone voice made Aiko's eyes widened. She hastily stood up and went to the windows. She looked at her downtrodden sister one last time and climbed out to the night.

Ayaka took the dagger and brought it to her neck, at the pulsing point that gave her life. When the door opened, the chief saw his daughter slash her neck, blood flowed lavishly from her wan skin. She fell to the floor, sputtered blood, and was still. Her eyes that were ones the color of gold became dark. The father rushed to her and saw the opened window.

"Look for the child! Bring them back alive!"

Aiko ran away from the village into the dark woods. She heard her father shout orders to the village warriors. Panic filled her, she needed to save the child, her sister's beloved boy. Footsteps of warriors fleeted in her ears but she continued to run. Wolves howled in the distance but she heeded no mind. They would not come near them. The full moon lit her path and the cedars provided them refuge in its shadows. But the snow betrayed them. The sound of men running behind them emanated from the darkness. It won't be long before they were found out.

Panicked, Aiko turned toward her left but her foot slipped and she fell, rolling down the cliff. She clutched the sleeping baby strongly inside her arms. Twigs from branches broke and bore into her skin, creating gashes that bleed. Her head hit on a rock when she reached the bottom and it throbbed. The baby still lay sleeping on her breast. Aiko lost all strength and her body was bleeding. Red on white. Blood on snow. Salvation was to not come; the warriors looked down on her and rushed to the other side of the road to come for her. She wept bitterly as she brushed through the baby's hair.

"Poor thing, a pity that you will not see the world," she whispered. A growl came and when Aiko turned, she saw a big white wolf walking toward her direction. Yes, there was still hope. She looked into the wolf's yellow eyes and tried her best to talk to it. This child…Please take care of this child…

The wolf loomed over her. Dragon child…The wolf responded. Danger comes… Death comes… Aiko pushed the child into the wolf. Save him…please…she told the white wolf. The wolf then bit the cloth and took the boy from the bleeding woman. Thank you…

Footsteps came into their senses and the wolf ran away from her. Aiko saw one warrior come closer. Her heart ached, it was her father's right hand man and the man she secretly loved. Destiny was unkind.

"Traitor," he said. "I'm afraid death comes for you, Aiko." Without hesitation, Kei brought out a dagger and slashed her neck. Aiko closed her eyes. She felt the cold metal on her skin and the pain that ended all pain consumed her.

It was over.

YUI OPENED HER eyes and pain enveloped her body. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, from the dream she just had. She tried to stand up but she felt battered all over. She touched her cheeks and was surprised when she touched fresh blood, but no wound was on her face. Yui tried to adjust her eyes in the darkness and was surprised when she saw the boy tied to a pole above her. Shinji was unconscious and blood was dripping from his body. His clothes were tattered and when Yui looked at each cut, blood gushed from an open wound.

"Ah, you're awake," a man stated in the darkness. Yui saw eyes that bore hunger, hunger for her body. Yui forced herself to sit and she gasped when the soldier walked toward closer, half-naked. "I can finally claim my prize." Yui's eyes widened and she moved away. "There's no use being shy. Come on, I'll make you enjoy it." He hastily pulled her feet and Yui screamed.

"Don't—Please!" The man took her hands and placed it above her head. He was above her now, looking with lust.

"And you smell good…" He licked her cheek, where the blood was and trailed kisses down her neck. "You taste wonderful too…Not bad for a peasant boy." Yui cried, pushing him away but he was strong and her body was still in pain. He pushed her to the ground, and Yui thought her bones would break from his weight.

"Stop! Please don't touch me!" The soldier clasped her wrist tightly and she screamed. "Help! Somebody help me!"

"Stop resisting or you'll get hurt!"

"You're the one who should stop or you're going to get hurt," a voice said in the darkness and the soldier stopped harassing the hime. Yui hastily moved away from the soldier when he stood up to face the man hiding in the shadows. A blond hair appeared, holding a sword. He winked at her and she blushed profusely. "It's nice to see you again, pretty boy."

"How did you get in here?" the soldier bellowed. "Guards! Kill this man!" he ordered but no one came into the tent. Yui tried to stop her body from trembling. She was saved, at least for now.

"It's no use calling them in, they're all dead," the blond swordsman walked toward the man.

The two engaged in a swordplay while Yui struggled to stand up and untied the unconscious boy from the pole. Sounds of steel clashing on steel emanated from the tent and she carried the boy on her back. The blond man then signaled her to leave the tent. She obliged, and before she went outside, she looked at him one last time. He was a good swordsman, better than the ones she had seen in her father's army.

"I'll meet you outside," he said and she nodded to him.

The surroundings were bare and guards lay unconscious on the cold ground. Yui carried the boy and ran away from the tent. The fighting ensued and suddenly a strange sensation filled her. She fell on the ground, moaning from the surge of power. A familiar feeling throbbed until it finally drifted away. When she opened her eyes, a handsome face with deep blue eyes looked down on her.

"You really do have the face of a woman," he said in his deep voice.

She tried to stand up but her body forbade her. She ended up moaning in pain. The blond swordsman then carried her and placed her at the back of a black horse. Yui tried to steady herself on the mare while the man went back to carry the unconscious child. He took Shinji in his arms and placed him in front of her.

"Support him, and let's get out of here." The man pulled the horse and they left the camp. Yui looked back, the camp was dead—literally.

"Why did they hurt us?" she asked out of the blue, body still trembling.

"Shinji killed a soldier and so they beat him. It's a grave mistake for anyone to hurt an Imperial soldier—they are warriors of the god," the man answered her sarcastically.

"And they tried to…" she shook her head, trying to get the image off her head. It was traumatic, being under the commander. She felt unclean.

"They've been away from their wives for a long time because of the commotions in the countryside," the blond answered softly. "They often do that to young girls or in your case, young boys. No one can blame them, they've been giving their lives for this country—they deserve some compensation." Yui shivered and she embraced the boy.

"It's…disgusting." The thought made her sad; she never knew such realities existed outside the capital.

"It happens all the time. The power of the emperor wanes the farther a village is from the capital. Kutou is a big country."

"Are we that far from the capital?"

"We're in the far north of the kingdom, boy. We're almost close to the borders," he said, smirking.

Yui frowned, realizing the air was indeed colder. Her thoughts wandered on how she was able to be so far from the capital in a night, considering that it would have taken her the whole day or more to reach the northern border. Silence filled them and Yui could not hear anything but the monotonous sound of the horse's hooves on dry earth. The sound somehow relaxed her.

"Thank you for saving us." The blond man grumbled in response and stopped the horse.

"We'll stay here for the night. Don't mind it, I came late. Too bad your brother had to endure the lashings."

"How did you know where we are?" she asked, turning to the man. The blonde smirked as he took the boy down from the saddle.

"I saw the soldiers tying you two to the horses. I should have intercepted them then, but the horses might run off somewhere so I waited for night to fall. How are you feeling now? Still shaken?"

"Better, actually. But Shinji…"

"His wounds will heal over the night. There's a river nearby, you can wash yourself from there." Yui nodded and waited for him to come back for her, but the blond was already preparing fire. "You're not planning to come down?"

Yui blushed and gently went down from the horse. She was not used to riding lest go up and down the horse on her own. She momentarily forgot she was a boy. Her foot got tangled in the saddle and she fell face down. The blond grabbed her and pulled her down. Her ankle hurt but her cheeks were burning. His breath was warm on her neck.

"You're so careless, where did you come from?" she frowned and he assisted her as she stood up. "Do you also need help in taking a bath?" Yui's cheeks burned and she pushed him away.

"Of course not! I can take a bath on my own!" She turned from him and sighed. "What's your name?" The man didn't say anything and Yui felt ashamed she even asked. She sighed again and was about to say something when he answered.

"Ayuru. Call me Ayuru." She nodded, back against him.

"Thank you for saving us tonight, Ayuru-san. But I swear, if I find you watching me take a bath, I will skin you alive!" He laughed.

"I don't actually want to see you naked, boy. I'll save my time for a beautiful well-endowed girl."

Fuming, Yui smirked and was about to leave for the river when Shinji made sounds. She hurriedly went to him and was surprised when something glowed from his right hip. Blue light enveloped the place and her eyes widened when he transformed into a four-legged creature. Shinji's howls of pain filled the night. Ayuru pulled Yui away from the wolf and threw her to the side. Yui screamed in protest when he unsheathed his sword and stood in front of her.

"Don't hurt him!" She pulled his cloak and he angrily looked back.

"We'll die if we don't stop him! Wolfbrothers lose themselves when they transform into wolves. Do you want to die?" he screamed.

It's happening again, she's losing the people close to her heart. Why does the heaven always kill the people around her? Images from the dream returned to her thoughts and when she looked at the mark carefully, she can read the sinuous lines that formed one word: Tail.

"He's a Seiryuu sei! You can't kill him!" She ran from the blond and spread her arms wide to protect the boy. It was her duty to look for the seis, she can't let this man kill him. She promised the high priest she would find them. And now that she found one, she can't just have this man to kill him. "He's suffered long enough!"

The howling stopped and the light started to fade. Yui turned to the boy and slowly sat on the ground. She raised her hand toward the beast.

"Shinji?" The wolf looked viciously, growling and showing its fangs. The boy had transformed to a white cub with a blue mark at the root of its tail. "Ashitare?" As if recognizing the name, the cub stopped growling; its yellow eyes, which earlier looked wild, suddenly looked afraid. "It's me…the one you saved in the waterfalls last night…I won't hurt you…Ashitare?" she called again and the cub slowly sniffed her hand.

Yui let out a sigh when the wolf finally licked her fingers. She patted its head and it made a sound of satisfaction as she took him into her arms. His coat was of the purest white and it was warm on her skin. The wounds have disappeared too. She felt sad for the creature, remembering how unwanted it was in her dream.

"I won't let them hurt you…" she whispered while brushing the wolf's warm fur. A tear left her eye and the little creature looked up expectantly.

She cried and remembered one summer when her father gave her a dog she named Fufu. Since she was never allowed outside the palace, he became her best friend. But the palace soldiers stabbed him one summer. Her father said that because of the heat, Fufu had gone crazy. Yui remembered crying for a week after they buried his body and her father never gave her another dog for fear that she might not be able to take it if one of them die again. She had been lonely ever since.

The cub slowly fell into slumber and Yui gently placed him on the ground. He opened his eyes and smiled. Probably realizing she would not leave him, the cub fell asleep. Fire crackled and Yui was surprised when he found Ayuru adding more wood to the burning embers. He looked up to meet her gaze, his face expressionless. His eyes glimmered before the fire and Yui could not help but blush at the way he looked at her. She looked down.

"There are myths that wolfbrothers transform into their animal forms either to heal themselves or because their human forms have died." Yui gasped and met his gaze. "I've never seen one and I'm quite surprised you're in the company of a shinchiseishi."

Yui did not know what to say, they were found out. Does she have to admit being a girl as well? No, she had to find them all, especially the miko. It was a promise she meant to keep.

"We need to find them." Ayuru looked at her.

"Why?" he asked and Yui looked at him quizzically. "They say the appearance of the shinchiseishis bring all sorts of plague in the empire, that is why they have been persecuted since time immemorial." Yui's jaw clenched. "It's not only happening in Kutou but in the other countries as well. They say that a sei born to a tribe signals the demise of the whole community. His birth might have annihilated one."

"Seis are not evil. Seiryuu would not send them to make people suffer. They hold the key to Seiryuu's good graces." Yui tried to control her anger. He was right, she never saw in her dreams what happened to Ashitare's family.

"No, they are not evil," Ayuru said finally. "It is the people around them who are twisted. Remember this, Aki, the appearance of the East god's messengers bring out the worst and the best in men. Seis and mikos are double edged swords. It is better to be wary of them than to trust them completely," he told her and she sighed in response.

"If the appearance of the seis can change my life in one night, then it can change the whole nation too. I trust Seiryuu, he will not bring his country to damnation."

"If you say so."

"You seemed to have lost faith in the god of the land. Why is that?" she asked and he looked sharply. His eyes sent ice daggers through her and Yui's body trembled.

"There are more important things than faith and gods who don't answer your prayers." Ayuru threw another wood into the fire and the flames consumed it hungrily. "If the seis and the miko are Seiryuu's way of sending his graces to his people, then it means he loves this country less."

"What?"

"He only sends the warriors and the miko once every million years—more than a million lifetimes for those who had consistently prayed for him. Tell me, if you love your country, would you give them graces only after 500 million years?"

His question caught Yui off-guard and she felt the edge in his voice. Loneliness filled her face and she felt restless. Were her sacrifices all for a dying cause?

"I don't know what's really happening in the countryside and I probably haven't seen as much as you. All I know is that I'm living for a purpose. And one day, I will change Kutou and make a country that does not have to depend on Imperial soldiers to protect them."

"The river is waiting for you," Ayuru answered and Yui looked back quizzically. "You need a decent bath. The day's events have been rubbing into you." He smirked, making Yui blush. She turned to check on the cub when Ayuru spoke again. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him. I don't save people and then kill them afterward."

Yui nodded and headed for the river, head still deep in thoughts. She did not check her surroundings when she decided to take her clothes off and her mind was still in deep contemplation when she jumped into the cold waters. Parts of her body wringed from the pain but the waters calmed her throbbing flesh. It washed away the dirt from the day's events—Shinji's blood on her face, the traces of the commander's saliva on her body, the pain brought by the day.

Deeper into the river she went, without a care if the moon was full and the tide was high. She plunged herself into the deepest abyss and turned toward the surface. She closed her eyes and let the waters cradle her to serenity. She slowly opened her eyes and her breath caught when she saw the glistening light of the moon on the surface.

It was beautiful.

No words could describe the peace and beauty that filled her. Yes, the reflections on the surface were always more beautiful in the river, sea, or a bigger body of water. She had always laid down on her tub and opened her eyes to see the lights dance on the surface and the view she was seeing now was incomparable to the ones in her tub. For a moment, the hime thanked the heavens she was lucky enough to be outside the palace. Almost out of breath, she swam with ease toward the surface and bobbed her head toward the moon. She walked slowly near the banks and stood up to face the full moon.

Numerous stars filled her vision, the seven constellations of the eastern sky twinkled on her head. Ashitare's constellation glimmered at her and she smiled. She placed her hands together and uttered a silent prayer. She had to thank Seiryuu for the gift of another life and for Ashitare. Yui had to thank him for helping her find the boy and getting the chance to see his past. A smile formed on her lips as light spots of pink appeared on her cheeks with the mere thought of the god.

Peace enveloped her and she never saw another constellation glimmering brightly in the ebony sky, shining down on her, waiting to be recognized. She was deep into the prayer that she likewise never felt the presence of a soul, watching her silently from the shadows, looking through her pale soaked body, raking blue eyes on her serene form, and then leaving before he was found out.

A/N: Thanks for reading this very long chappie. I'm so heartbroken that Michael Jackson just died and I was thinking of creating a collection of one-shot song-fics for him. Anyway, please don't forget to review!