Lord Nakago of the Seiryuu Seven stood in the rain. “Suboshi, go to Lady Yui. I shall join you later.”
Suboshi bowed his head. “Thank you, Nakago! I’ll leave immediately.”
“Leave now,” Nakago ordered. “Use Tomo’s Shin to bring you to Lady Yui’s world.”
“Yes.” Suboshi turned to leave, but remembered something. “Are you going to take care of those Suzaku bastards?”
“No. I have something else I must first attend to. But yes, I shall take care of them! Soi must be avenged!”
Suboshi kept his head bowed. “May I inquire something? I thought you didn’t like Soi, Nakago.”
Nakago closed his eyes. “I didn’t hate her. I…she..” He turned on Suboshi. “Leave now. Don’t bother me anymore.” He whirled back to Soi’s grave and stared angrily at it.
“Yes, Nakago.” When the Kutou general turned around, Suboshi was gone.
Nakago fell to his knees and looked at the pouring sky. His heart was torn in two. Soi was gone now. But that’s good, isn’t it? I won’t be reminded of, of her anymore… He buried his face in his right hand. No. It wasn’t good. He wanted to remember her. But part of him didn’t. She was part of his old self, the self he had been at seventeen, ignorant of the evils of the world. Well, not completely ignorant, he thought bitterly. Sure, the Emperor of Kutou had asked him to be his general, but he hadn’t realized that Fate could be so cruel to him. Deep down inside him, he hadn’t truly hated Soi. He just acted like it because of who she reminded him of. Seiryuu, I miss you so much…You were so young, yet you died so soon. He raised his head and felt the rain hit his face.
“Soi, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t let myself love you because of her. I shouldn’t have done that, because the two of you were so different. And now I’ll never be able to.” He clenched his fist. “Soi, I promise you that when the Lady Yui grants my wish, I shall bring both of you back to life. I shall embrace the two of you again. One my light and the other my shadow part.” His eyes burned. “Tamahome, you I shall never forgive. You are too much like him with the Priestess of Suzaku. I must separate the two of you.” He turned back to Soi’s grave and said a prayer for her. Then he sighed. “I owe you my life, Soi, and I intend to tell you why I was so cold to you.” He smiled gently. “You who were so devoted to me. And I never talked to you unless it was orders. How you must have hurt inside.” He closed his eyes. “I’ll begin my story a year before I met you…..”