WO AI NI: Part 7

KUTOU

He pushed her, and she fell clumsily onto her bed. He couldn't leave her alone. He leaned over her. "Do you know what this symbol means?" His character shone up at her  Her sparkling eyes were wide. *ACK! What were you perverted guys THINKING?* "I will protect you forever." He said. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness, and he felt her throw her arms  around his neck.
  "You're all I have left." She sobbed. "I want to stay with you forever." He wrapped his arms around her as well, wishing that he could make her every wish come true. Unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't do that much for her, however hopeful he became.
  Tamahome understood, all too well what it felt like to lose someone important to him. He didn't ever want it to happen again. Suddenly, the door creaked open and there stood the Emperor. His face didn't look all that happy. With a distinctive ring, Hotohori pulled out his sword and pointed it out to Tamahome. It gleamed under the lamp's light. Trouble. What had he done now?
  "Tamahome." His voice was low and deep as it always was, but this time, it was like he was fighting for it to be so. Tamahome knew that if in reality, Hotohori would be literally screaming at him. But then, that would be a bad impression to his people.
  Miaka cried, "Hotohori!!" But Tamahome stopped her from saying anything more. She backed away, frightfully looking from one man to the other. One elegantly dressed, the other, pale faced and waiting.  Time seemed suspended. Nobody moved. At last, the Emperor chose to speak.
  "I will give you a chance to explain yourself, " Hotohori said in a menacing tone. "But if you make any excuses, you life will be forfeit."  Tamahome had never been so scared in all his life. Well, he had certainly been up against something similar to this, but what was he supposed to say to an Emperor??? His mind rushed, his knees buckled. It was all he could do to not fall down. He straightened his back and stated his reply.
  "I love Miaka." Tamahome said, his voice sharp and clear. He had no idea how Hotohori, who was seemingly in love with Miaka, would take this. Nor did he care. "I make no excuses. But what I do know is this: I won't hand her over to anyone." He saw the elder man grip the hilt of his sword tighter. Inch by inch, the sword moved till it was up to Tamahome's throat. He caught his breath, but never blinked an eye. He knew that he could easily get out of it, but he wasn't up against a mere trader - he was up against the ruler of Konan.
  A smile hit the corner of the young Emperor's lips. "You've got guts." He said in a somewhat astonished voice. Hotohori turned to Miaka. "I want you to know Miaka, " Her gaze fell on him, disbelieving the fact that he would have killed Tamahome, "I am the man that loves you." With that, the Emperor sheathed his sword and walked swiftly away.

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  "You're Tamahome-sama right?" Three Kutou men were standing outside by the castle walls. They must have been really good to have passed Konan's guardmen. Tamahome jumped down, landed on his feet, and met their eyes with a steady gaze. "If I go with you, " The cold air was chilly and he wished he had put on more suitable clothing, "will you promise not to burn down any more towns?" The black clothed men nodded.
  "Come. Your horse is waiting." They told him. He had no choice but to follow them. It was his choice to go to the enemy's hands, he knew. But there was no other way. Already, three villages had been burned and the most recent one was very close to his. They had struck a compromise: If Tamahome came with them to Kutou, they wouldn't burn any more villages. The next one, they had told him, was his, if he didn't follow. So he had decided to go. He HAD to go. Burning wasn't exactly the way he wanted anyone to die, least of all his family.
  He had kissed Miaka goodbye, and left her a letter saying that he would return when she gathered all the rest of the Seishi. He promised. The last three characters hurt him badly. Would anyone who loved someone so badly do this? He decided not to think about it. Chichiri had saved them all. Tamahome hadn't even had time to say goodbye to any of them. Nuriko would have been too tired to have understood anyway.
  The Kutou men were fast. Tamahome kept a wary eye on all of them. Since they came from Kutou, there was no telling what they were up to. Crickets again. Why did they always sing whenever he was alone? It took him almost three hours to get partway there. He was exhausted. Already he could see the stars begin to fade out. They stopped only briefly. Finally, he had enough courage to ask a question.
  "Oi! What am I wanted at Kutou for?" One of the men turned his slightly in Tamahome's direction. "You're wanted for an audience." He answered. Tamahome scowled. "With who?" He demanded.
  "You shall see when we arrive. Sa, Tamahome-sama, we've arrived in Kutou. Might we suggest that you don't try anything stupid and we promise you total cooperation and privacy." They said. They pushed on for another two hours, stopping here and there to feed and water their horses. Tamahome himself had started to get hungry.
  They reached Kutou's palace in a short while after their last break. It was massive! Bigger than the one that Hotohori dwelt in. It had taken Tamahome weeks to memorize where his room was. He wondered vaguely how he was going to opperate at this new destination.
  Inside was amazing! Beautiful and absolutely spacey. Just the hallways themselves would have fit a whole village or two. His eyes took in all the tapestries and all the carvings. In every hallway, there was a Seiryuu statue.  Tamahome knew that this time, there could be no easy way out.

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  Tamahome sat with his arms folded in impatience. The carpet was soft and well...blue. Not that it bothered him in any way. He had been ushered to this place where his "audience" was so called asked for. He closed his eyes and tried to picture what Miaka and everyone was doing now. He looked up when he saw a tall blond man enter.
  He was dressed in armor and had blue eyes. A man with blue eyes and blond hair was very uncommon. It surprised Tamahome so much that he had to stare. It was the first time that he had ever laid eyes on hair of that color. He must have been the Shogun (general) by the way he was attired. He snapped out of it when he spoke. "So you must be Suzaku Seishi Tamahome." Tamahome stiffly nodded, remembering that this was the same man he Chichiri and he had encountered in Seiryuu's mausoleum.
  The Shogun smiled and bent down to his level. "I too, am a Seishi. But don't be mistaken. I'm a Seishi of Seiryuu. Not some bird who is ready and waiting to be injured." His eyes had a hard look in them. One that showed no emotion. Tamahome spat at him, "Che! You're just weak!" The Shogun's stare became as cold as ice. He reached down and slapped the younger seishi.
  "Nakago!What are you doing?!" Came an angry voice from the door. A female. Yui.  Tamahome turned his head toward her as she fell to his side, "Are you okay?" She demanded softly, taking out her hankerchief and wiping the blood from his lower lip that had opened.
He nodded. "It didn't hurt." He insisted, as she turned around with her blue eyes snapping. "Out. All of you. This is my command." The Shogun bowed. "As you wish...Seiryuu No Miko." And with that, everyone exited.
  She turned back to him. "I'm sorry Tamahome. I'll tell Nakago to be nice." Tamahome's eyes searched hers. So that was his name. Nakago huh? She helped him to his feet. He felt dizzy. Too many things were happening all at once. He tried to sort his questions out as she led him down one of the many corridors. "Ne, Yui. Were you the one who requested my audience?" he finally asked. Yui nodded, looking him up and down. "You look tired Tamahome." She said, resuming her walk with him following close behind. "I chose one of the best rooms for you. You can take a shower, have a bite to eat, and then get some rest."  It sounded good enough to him. She turned another corner and stopped at a door.
  Yui led him into the room, and he looked around. Simple, huge, and clean. On his bed were new clothing and on his table was food. "Tamahome. What would you like to drink? Anything is fine." She offered. He shook his head smiling. "It's okay Yui, you don't have to wait on me." She picked up the clothing from the bed. "Then try these on. I chose them myself. I think they'll match you." He couldn't refuse her. She looked too happy. So he took them, and after showering, tried them on. "It's silk!" He said in an awed whisper. He had never actually tried silk on before. Felt the material, yes, but owned it, never.
  "You look so cool! I knew it would suit you!" She cried. The sun was up. It was morning already? He looked away. By now, he knew that Miaka had found his note. "Do you want beer?" Yui was saying. She tsked jokingly. "That's bad!" He forced himself to smile. Yui peered at him. "Why don't you rest up? No one will bother you." She smiled one last time before departing. He was alone. Again.

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  He held her in his arms, her face pressed against his chest. What was he going to do? Before he could say anything, she pushed away from him, apologizing for her behaviour and ran off. He stood there, dumbfounded. He had been in Kutou for about three weeks. So far, nothing bad had happened. He was treated more like a guest than a prisoner. Yui came to talk to him all the time though. And sometimes, Tamahome would see her with Nakago.
  His encounters with the Shogun were always uneasy, but as Yui had instructed Nakago, the Shogun was stiffly polite in a twisted way. Tamahome hated his guts. "Don't hate me Tamahome." Nakago said sarcastically, "it isn't my fault that your Miko has been able to locate her fifth seishi who is, unfortunately, dead." He gave a small smile. "My sincere apologies to you. So sorry you can't summon Suzaku." Tamahome grit his teeth as Nakago brushed by him, and walked away.
  He walked  the other direction, wondering if there was a way to summon Suzaku if one seishi was missing. It didn't seem fair. Yui came down the hall, holding a steaming tray of food for him. "Gomen Tamahome. You're meal was late. I had half a mind to punish the servants." She winked. He shook his head. In truth, he wasn't hungry. His mind kept going back to what Nakago had said. "Yui, do you know alot about Miaka?" He asked, sitting down and picking up his chopsticks. She never said anything for a while but then finally answered. "Yes. I do. We've were friends for a long time." She turned to look at him. "Were."  He blinked. "I'm sorry Yui. But I know Miaka didn't mean to leave you alone. She -" She cut him off. "-She doesn't care. At all." Yui bit off every word. Then she sighed. "It doesn't matter. Please enjoy your food." Then she turned and left. Tamahome turned to his food and ate it slowly, wondering how one who knew her best friend for so long could give up on her right away.
  Sevants came in and out, bringing clothes, food, drinks, and cleaning up. Offering him whatever he wished. He felt like an emperor himself. Two days later, he and Yui were having a pleasant conversation when Nakago entered. "Yui-sama, I wish to talk to you." Yui stood, a worried look came to her eyes when he told her it had something to do with Miaka. Tamahome straightened, fearing the worst. Nakago seemed to enjoy telling Yui within earshot of Tamahome.
  "The Suzaku No Miko has taken deathly ill. She will not survive." He said. Yui looked up, fear and pain showing clearly on her face. "Miaka is...?" She asked in an unbelieving voice. Then for some reason, she grew calm and unruffled. Tamahome couldn't believe it. He felt like his life was being taken away from him.
  "I understand Nakago." She said non-chalantly. Then she turned and walked with him out of the room. 'I understand? I understand???!!!' Tamahome thought angrily. That was her best friend dying! What was there to understand about that??? He got up, his mind racing. Maybe there was still a chance to save her. If he was there, maybe she would live. Frantically, he pushed open his door and ran down the hallway. He stopped when he heard someone call out his name.
  Yui appeared from behind one of the pillars. He turned to face her. "You're going back to Miaka aren't you?" She demanded. He was breathing hard. He nodded slowly. "I'm sorry Yui. But Miaka can't die. I wouldn't be able to stand it. I know I said that I'd go as soon as she found all the seishi but-"
  He wasn't able to finish, because he tripped. No...someone tripped him. He swore as he fell to the ground heavily, his breath flew away. He struggled to get to his feet, but then realized that he couldn't. A whip was fastened around his leg. And the one holding it was none other than Nakago, who spoke with his small smile that Tamahome grew to hate. "Tamahome. You were brought here for Yui-sama. To make her happy. And disappointing her will be a grave mistake. Your body will be shown the meaning of that." Two bulky men holding whips appeared behind him. He was dragged off, toward the dungeon...

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  It was dark down there. He could vaguely see his prison cell. His arms were cuffed and chained to the ceiling and his feet were also cuffed and chained to the floor. His shirt was ripped off and he knew with a dread what was going to happen. He braced himself for the first hit, but even so, the pain was excruciating. He looked up to see Nakago's little smile, taunting him.
  'I will not cry out.' Tamahome told himself. But in due time he broke that promise. He was at the mercy of the whipmasters. At times they would stop, while Nakago would tease him in his twisted way, and then suddenly give him a series of beating that he hadn't been expecting.
  His shackles clinked, as Tamahome slumped in pain. When was it going to end? "Had enough Tamahome?" Nakago asked, walking around and around him, poking into his fresh wounds which made the pain intensify. He gasped. "No more!" He said, in a harsh whisper.
  "Good, I was waiting to hear that." Nakago answered, giving his abdomen and easy slap. Tamahome winced. "You take it very well actually. Others fold at the first touch." Tamahome would have liked to listen to him but the pain from his wrists was like a living fire. Nakago faced him again. "Now, how is this? You forget about the Suzaku No Miko, and never say her name again." Came his preposition.
  Tamahome's head snapped up. A new fire in him. He glared at the Shogun. "Ah...no." He said angrily. Yui's voice echoed in the cell. "Nakago! Stop! Don't hurt him!" But Nakago was having fun. Tamahome's screams were heard all the way up the stairs leading to the castle's main floor. He saw blood - a lot of blood - and it was his. He panicked. He had never been in this much pain before. There was nothing he could do.
  "Get this straight Tamahome." Nakago said, placing the sharp point of the whip's handle under Tamahome's chin, "You belong to Yui-sama now. Body and soul." Not if he could help it. He  heard Yui's terrified screams and the sharp point dug deep into his chin, causing blood to fall from the open flesh. His head swam, and he wished with all his might that his wounds would go numb. Unfortunately, they didn't. He leaned forward as much as he could to reach Nakago and whispered sharply, "Die you f**king bastard."
  Nakago's smile returned and he began whipping him cruelly, making new wounds and criss-crossing the others. Time distorted and Tamahome could no longer hold on. His body began to numb thankfully, and his arms threatened to fall out of their sockets with the strain that he placed on them. Pain kept coming from all sides as the whipmasters and Nakago went at him with all their might. The last thing Tamahome remembered was him crying out Miaka's name in a hoarse whiper before everything turned black.

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