Chapter 14: Emergence, Part I

by Karma

A shift in the dream.

Arslan woke up.

He blinked dizzily and looked around, taking a moment to absorb the strange sights around him before he remembered where he was: at the Ryudo's home, napping on the living room couch. Across from him, a few feet away, Tsuzuku slept.

Arslan frowned and took a deep breath, feeling anxious and not quite understanding why. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to talk to someone. Anyone. It did not happen very often; this sudden urge to escape from his current state of mind by conversation, but whenever it had struck him before, he had always gone to make inane comments to his servants.

Tsuzuku was still asleep, so he was out of the question.

And before he realized what he was doing, Arslan found himself walking towards the only other person in the room: Hiei.

His knees trembled and his left leg ached slightly; but otherwise, he had no other problems making his journey across the room. Belatedly, he realized two things when he crossed the room. The first was that he was not wearing a shirt, much to his embarrassment, and that it had been like this during their little discussion. Shuuichi or his friend must have undressed him to bandage him.

The second thing he realized was that Hiei was rather unfriendly and did not seem the type that one would ordinarily strike up a conversation with. Not to mention the fact that he could be...a little...excessively pragmatic.

"What?" Hiei demanded quietly, his deep voice rather startling. The demon did not turn to acknowledge the other's presence. Instead, he continued to stare out the window.

Arslan knew that hostility existed between Tsuzuku and Hiei, nevertheless, he decided to make an effort to prevent the same from forming between him and Hiei. It would, after all, cost him nothing.

"I just wanted to thank you for watching us while we slept," said the Palsian prince tentatively.

Perhaps those words would have angered any other person, but Arslan only nodded in understanding.

"I know. That's why I'm so grateful...that you would be willing to sacrifice your own time and energy for the friends of your...lover..." The Palsian prince said the last part rather hesitantly; after all, he never saw anything that indicated that Kurama and Hiei were an item. Nevertheless, something about those two had made him think so, although he could not quite pinpoint what exactly it was that gave them away.

When Hiei did not immediately respond with a negation of the last statement, Arslan continued. "And to watch over people that you care nothing about just for one person. It's amazing. Thank you. By having you keep watch, Tsuzuku is able to rest his mind in peace, and for that, I am deeply grateful."

Hiei said nothing, but he did turn his head slightly to acknowledge that he heard his words.

After a pause of silence, Hiei spoke, making the words sound like he memorized them to please someone, rather than out of sincerity: "You're welcome."

The fire demon was not attempting to throw him back to the other side of the room, which the prince took as a very good sign. Nor once did he tell the Palsian to shut up. Finding these actions very encouraging, Arslan looked out the window as well.

Clear droplets of rain spattered against the window, blurring the seemingly gray scenery behind it.

After a moment, the prince returned his gaze to the boy leaning against the window.

The other boy, Arslan realized, was actually much older than he looked. Though small in stature, there was a quality about him that made him seem darker, and more experienced. Much older.

Arslan changed the subject. "So were Shuuichi and Tsuzuku friends for a long time?"

Hiei shifted, perhaps unhappily. "No. They knew each other only for a couple of months, at most. But they became...close during that short time."

Arslan smiled encouragingly. "Why do you hesitate when saying that they were close?"

To his surprise, Hiei gave him a dirty look and said nothing. Calmly, he turned his head back towards the window and flatly ignored the prince.

"Sorry..." Arslan paused, but there was no response, and so tried to explain himself a bit more. "I'm just curious." No effect on the fire demon. He lowered his head, looking both embarrassed and slightly regretful. "...I just...wanted to... know...more... about Tsuzuku..." The last part he whispered more to himself than to the being next to him, the words surprising both him and the little fire demon that had excellent hearing.

Hiei turned and watched him silently for a while, saying nothing.

Crimson-red eyes met teal-blue.

Silence.

Finally, Hiei spoke, and it sounded more like a commentary to himself than anything else. "Humans feel so much..."

Feeling embarrassed, Arslan moved to change the topic. "Well, how long--"

The demon cut him off. "Kurama developed a crush on Tsuzuku. The dragon turned him down and avoided him, though he still cared for him." And he looked away again.

"Ah, I see." Watching Hiei avoiding eye contact, realization struck Arslan. He's holding something back. "Did Tsuzuku reciprocate his feelings?" he blurted out.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Yes."

"Oh." Then why didn't he return Shuuichi's sentiments...? Arslan pondered on the question, trying to ignore the brief flash of jealousy that he felt.

Hiei spoke quietly, as if answering a similar question to himself. "But he was too afraid to reveal himself. So he lost Kurama and the kitsune is now mine." The last word was emphasized slightly.

Arslan smiled, nodding his head in agreement. "You two seem well-suited for each other."

Whether or not the comment pleased Hiei he could not tell, for the demon turned his attention back to the window and ignored all other attempts at making a conversation.

Arslan returned to the couch and lay down. Being unable to sleep any longer, and with Hiei unwilling to say anymore to him, the prince had little other options available to him other than to just lie and wait.

To wait and to think.

And he wondered if he would ever be as lucky as a certain redhead.

Shuuichi returned about an hour later after Arslan awoke. This time, he returned not with Yukina, but alone.

"He's still asleep?" Shuuichi whispered, amused, indicating in Tsuzuku's direction.

Arslan nodded in response. "He's been asleep for a long time..." He had spent the last hour alternating between staring at the ceiling and studying the features on the dragon's exquisite face.

"Well, he did give you a lot of his energy..." The redhead gave a slow shrug, which Arslan admired at its grace. Wonder if I could ever be as graceful as him...

Kurama took off his damp jacket, hung it up, and dropped his wet umbrella by the door. He crossed the room to greet his lover with a quick kiss on the cheek.

Hiei watched him unblinkingly. "You're wet."

"It's raining outside," Shuuichi replied easily. "See anything of interest?"

"There were a couple of human spies wandering about and keeping surveillance on the house, but I took care of them."

Arslan started, surprised.

"Are we done here?" Hiei demanded, ignoring the prince's reaction.

Kurama grinned at him impishly. "I'm going to take Prince Arslan to Genkai's temple. Bring Tsuzuku when he wakes up, ok?"

The fire demon scowled at him. "You expect me to continue watching over this dragon?" he asked, irritated. "He can take of himself."

"Please, Hiei."

There was a pause.

"Fine." Sulkily, Hiei turned his attention back to the window and pointedly ignored his lover.

Shuuichi smiled and looked at Arslan. "Come on. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

The prince smiled back. He's good-looking, smart, and friendly. No wonder Tsuzuku fell for him. "Thank you for all your help."

The fox demon's smile widened into a grin. "No problem. The friend of my friend is a friend." And for a moment, the grin glinted eerily. "Besides. There's something I wanted to say to you." He indicated towards the door. "Hope you don't mind getting a little wet. We're going to have to share the umbrella."

"Not at all." What's an umbrella?

Kurama indicated towards the stairs. "Get dressed and then we'll go."

The rain pattered softly against the gray streets of Tokyo, the sound a soothing rhythm.

Shivering, Arslan huddled closer to Shuuichi under the black umbrella, feeling cold. He envied the redhead, who did not seem to be bothered by the cold weather in the least.

Owaru had no other clothes Arslan's size, so he was now wearing a loose white shirt that was too large for him, and as a consequence, hung awkwardly off of his shoulders. The jacket and gray shirt he had worn earlier was now soaked in sweat, soot, and mud, so he had been forced to discard both. He kept the black leather pants, though, deciding that the hassle of finding something else to wear that would fit was not worth it.

"So what did you want to say to me?" Arslan asked, trying to make a conversation to fill the silence that had formed in the first few steps of their journey together. Since leaving the house, Kurama had said nothing more to him, looking a little lost in thought.

Sharp green eyes glanced at him for a moment, as if testing him, and then flickered away.

They continued to walk together in silence.

Finally, Kurama spoke. "I wanted to know how you feel about Tsuzuku," he said casually, as if discussing the weather.

Silence was his response, as Arslan struggled to think of something to say. His mind was blank, his face hot, the rest of his body cold. The question had surprised him, and he was terribly embarrassed by it.

"Umm..."

What I think about Tsuzuku is one thing. He's very attractive, charming, intelligent, loyal, and kind...

What I feel about him is another... It was that uncertain, nervous feeling whenever the other boy was around. It was the pleasure of his company. It was the sense of familiarity he felt around him; the security and the warmth. It was the feeling of sadness that he had experienced when he thought that the dragon would leave him because he had no reason to stay...

He felt Kurama's green eyes upon him, as if piercing his mind and reading his thoughts.

Embarrassed and still unable to think of a response, Arslan sighed and tried to sum it up: "I'm not sure. Many things."

Tsuzuku's former best friend smiled in amusement. "Just as I thought."

They continued to walk in silence.

"There was this time, three years or so ago, when I developed a major crush on him. He seemed so different from everyone else because-- well, because he was. By his nature."

A pause.

"So I told him how I felt, and he turned me away. It was rather depressing."

Shuuichi's smile faded from his face.

"Later, Hiei told me what Tsuzuku was: a dragon in hiding. And then Hiei told me that Tsuzuku *did* reciprocate my feelings, but that he was afraid. He was afraid to let anyone know what his true nature was. He was afraid to care for anyone other than his family."

A smaller, genuine smile. "Hiei told me these things because he loved me and he wanted me to be happy."

Silence.

"That was how I became aware of Hiei's feelings. I'm surprised I didn't notice them earlier. What a complete idiot I was! Then, suddenly, I realized many things. I knew that it would be difficult for anyone to get past Tsuzuku's emotional barriers. I knew how hard it had been for Hiei, especially from where he was coming from. I realized that how I felt towards Hiei was drastically different from how I felt towards Tsuzuku. Hiei was...one of my oldest and closest friends. And his actions touched me. And when I found out how he really felt towards me..." Kurama smiled at the memory, and this time, he seemed much, much happier than he had been before. "Let's just say that we ended up together after that."

A pause.

"I love Hiei. But I also care about Tsuzuku. More like I worry about him. Because of his nature-- he pushes people away easily, so he doesn't have many that he can call 'friend' outside of his own family. There was this time he was hospitalized a little while ago... Hiei said that the injuries were self-inflicted. I'm not positive exactly why, but I have my guesses."

Shuuichi stopped in the middle of his story. They had reached the train station. He closed the umbrella and indicated towards a bench, where they both sat down to wait for the next train.

"I guess the reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want him to lose another opportunity. Whatever you feel about him, I'm positive he feels the same way about you. And unlike me, he knows that you know what he is, so he doesn't have to hide anything from you.

"He isn't the type to ever express himself. More likely he'll wait until his chance passes and then regret it. In that aspect, he is very human.

"He'll be a hard one to get through to. But...I think you have a much better chance now than I did then. And I think it would be wonderful if he finally found someone to care for and who cared about him in return. I've always worried about how he would end up, and I'm so glad that he found a friend like you. I just wanted you to know that, though it may be difficult, it would be worth it. Completely. So please don't give up on him..."

The entire conversation seemed surreal to Arslan. Hearing Shuuichi talk reminded him of some other conversation-- he wasn't sure which-- where a similar request had been made. The d�j� vu feeling grew stronger, and as he struggled for the memory that was bothering him, Shuuichi's voice faded into the background, replaced by another.

"To ask you to please take care of Kouryuu-ou, since I will be unable to. To ask you to forgive him, for such was not his doing. And to ask you to love him, for he needs it and so do you."

"Arslan?"

Blinking out of his reverie, the prince looked at the redhead. For a moment, he did not recognize him. For a moment, it seemed that Shuuichi was older, dressed in white, equipped with silver hair and golden eyes. Then the image faded and the familiar redhead stood before him again.

"Arslan? It's here. Let's go..."

Finally, after several minutes passed by, Shuuichi looked at him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah...I'm just thinking." Suddenly realizing how rude he was being, Arslan smiled shyly at the older boy. "Thank you for sharing your story with me. I'll...um...think about it," he promised awkwardly, feeling flustered once more.

Kurama smiled. "Well, if I didn't get him, I'd like someone worthy of him to. I don't want him to be alone..." His voice trailed off when he realized how uncomfortable his entire speech must have been making the prince. Arslan's face was tinged with a pretty shade of embarrassed pink.

"Sorry...I know that this was really none of my business..."

Arslan shook his head. "No. Thank you for...telling me so much about yourself...and him." Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he changed the subject.

"So... um... anyway... how did Hiei know what Tsuzuku was?"

"He went after him to beat him up," Shuuichi noted in amusement. "And his sword broke against Tsuzuku's skin."

The latter's voice tilted slightly higher, as if this was one of the actions that Hiei had done that Shuuichi had been touched by.

Which, Arslan reflected, it probably was. "So that explains the bad blood between them?"

"Something like that."

"And you left Hiei to take care of him," Arslan said, worriedly.

Shuuichi grinned mischievously. "Yup."

He didn't stop smiling until the train stopped at their destination, much later.

Tsuzuku woke up.

Sweat soaked his forehead. Disoriented, he looked around, wondering why his surroundings were so familiar and so alien to him at the same time.

Tokyo, that's right. I'm home. The dragon looked at the empty couch, the sight of it disturbing him terribly. For a moment, he drew a blank, unable to think of why. Something was missing... Then the knowledge returned to him.

"Where's Arslan?" Tsuzuku demanded worriedly, addressing Hiei.

Hiei glanced at him. "You're finally awake."

"Yes I am. So where's Arslan?"

The demon watched him with a critical eye. "I like your lover more than you," he said to himself.

Ignoring that last comment, Tsuzuku waited impatiently for a response.

"C'mon. I'm supposed to take you to the old lady's place," Hiei said unhappily. He opened the window and hopped out in one smooth motion.

"If you don't keep up, I'll leave you behind." With that last statement, he flickered out of sight.

Tsuzuku ran to the window, cursing. Unhappily, he leapt out the window, and then stopped to close it. He turned around when he was done, searching for the little demon with great irritation.

A small dark figure was standing on a tree branch in the distance. When the dragon's eyes landed on him, he disappeared again, reappearing on another tree, this one even farther from Tsuzuku than the first.

The rain pattered against the ground.

Extremely unhappy now, Tsuzuku broke out into a run after him. That little ass! What the hell does Shuuichi see in him?

He woke up to a conversation.

Guibu awoke from his dream uneasily. He grabbed at what he could remember of it, and tried to think of how it fit in with the rest of the story that he had told the night before.

I was injured. The prince had saved me. And the brothers were arguing about something. Frustrated at the elusive details, the minstrel repeated the memories in his mind until he was sure that he would not lose them in the sea of forgotten dreams. He would have liked nothing more than to sit and ponder over them, to see if perhaps something else was triggered, but it was a new day, and there were probably more important matters to attend.

He stretched and stood up. He had descended from the tree branch after he had calmed down the night before, following his conversation with Farangis, and had spent a restless night sleeping against the bottom of the tree trunk.

The minstrel headed back to the camp, where the tired faces of Arslan's other abandoned followers greeted him.

"Good morning," Guibu greeted them cheerfully. His eyes fell on Farangis, who met his gaze looking slightly uncomfortable, and then looked away. His smile never faltered, though inside, the action wounded him deeply.

Outwardly, he took it all in stride.

"Well, have we made a decision yet?" He plopped down and joined the group, or rather, joined the few that were awake and scattered among the general vicinity.

There was a moment of silence.

Narcasse exchanged a look with Darun. "Well, we may not know where he is," began the strategist. "But that doesn't mean that we have to give up looking for him."

Darun nodded in agreement. "We'll search for him until we find him. No matter what it takes."

"There's no point in us continuing this journey without him." Narcasse raised his voice, catching the attention of all those that were awake and disrupting the slumber of those that were still asleep. "From here on, the decision to stay to search for Prince Arslan depends on each person. Anyone who wants to leave for any reason, whether it be because of a doubt, or whether something more important has come up, is free to leave, with no hard feelings."

Guibu surveyed the area. Everyone was now awake, with the exception of Amaru, and sprinkled about over the campground. The Ryudo family was huddled together in their own little group, discussing their options. None of Arslan's original followers chose to leave, although Melain was now talking quietly with his sister.

Such loyalty in us all for our prince. Then again, I can think of no one else that deserves it more so than him.

"Well, Aniki, what do we do now?" Owaru asked his older brother. "Arslan's been kidnapped, and Tsuzuku-aniki disappeared after him. We don't know him where he is, and Amaru's still sleeping."

Hajime rubbed his temples once more.

"At least we know that he's not dead," Owaru said cheerfully. "Yesterday I was really scared," he admitted. "I was really worried about him. But today, I feel great. I'm sure he's fine. He probably beat up that old bull so quick that the guy didn't even know what hit him."

Hajime frowned at the reminder that his younger brother had disappeared in the middle of a brawl with a monster that appeared to hold some sort of ancient grudge. It still angered him to think about it-- that someone would dare attack his family even though they remembered nothing.

And the thought of his younger brother hurt or injured clenched his heart tightly with fear. He knew that the second eldest Ryudo would be able to take care of himself. Like Owaru, he also sensed that Tsuzuku was no longer in any danger.

Nevertheless, he was still worried. And it made him feel disturbingly helpless.

"We'll go with them. We might be able to help later if we ever start sensing where Tsuzuku is. Besides..." Hajime glanced once, briefly, at the minstrel who was chatting animatedly with Narcasse and Darun. "I want to know if he has any other stories to tell."

Owaru nodded in compliance. "You're the leader. We follow what you say and keep guard your decisions."

"This," Kurama introduced, "is Genkai. She has a knack for training people, and I think she might be able to help you. Obaasan, this is Prince Arslan, the one I told you about."

Genkai was a small, rather frail-looking old lady with pale hair that held a tinge of light pink. She was dressed in a red and white robe with a purple sash tied around her waist. Standing straight, her hands were behind her back as she examined Arslan before her with a critical eye.

Arslan gave her a princely bow of respect.

They had finally arrived in the countryside after a long train-ride, and Arslan was impressed by how green and majestic the mountains were. They teemed with life, rather unlike the barren, dark, and dry mountains of his world. From there they had hiked up a long set of stairs until they reached a small temple where Genkai and Yukina had been waiting.

Genkai stood up and walked slowly around Arslan, as if searching for something. When she finally completed a full circle, she stopped once more in front of the prince, meeting his gaze with her own.

"Hiei said that the prince had enough power to take him and his friend back to his world," Shuuichi offered.

"His friend," Genkai repeated flatly. She met his gaze and the green-eyed boy did not turn away.

"Yes."

"I see." She turned and looked at Arslan. "Tell me, Prince. How did one such as yourself become acquainted with someone of another dimension? Any ideas why they appeared in your realm?"

"Not really," Arslan admitted ruefully. "They just kind of woke up there."

"Anything else?"

"The youngest brother said that they were destined to meet me," Arslan said uncertainly. He did not wish to sound stupid, but when Genkai did not react to his last statement, he continued. "Tsuzuku said that they believe that they came from somewhere else, some other lifetime ago, and that I came from the same place..." It sounded silly to his ears when he tried to speak of it, though somehow Tsuzuku had managed to sound so convincing.

The old woman's eyes widened slightly at that. "Some other life, did you say?"

Arslan shifted nervously under her steady gaze. "Something like that." He paused, before he gathered the courage to venture a simple question: "Is there a faster method we can use for me to use my powers? I don't know if I have all the time needed for training."

"It depends on who you are." Genkai watched him for a moment. "That is why, then," she said to herself and ignoring his last question. "I can sense a potential for power within you. I can sense great power within you. And if Hiei is right, then it is very powerful indeed. However, it is locked away within yourself, and the only one who can open the cage is you. If it's as Tsuzuku had said, then all of your power is probably locked away within your memories and your sense of your past-self." She looked at Kurama. "Your specialty."

Shuuichi nodded, without looking the least bit surprised. "It's just as I thought. So that means that, if we can get Prince Arslan to switch back to his past-life self, he might be able to access his power more readily."

"Correct." The older woman nodded her head in approval.

Prince Arslan blinked uncertainly. "Is that even possible?"

"Says the boy who crossed over from one dimension to the next and who has seen a friend turn into a big, red dragon," Kurama said, with a hint of humor. His face grew more serious. "There are ways, yes. But there are also many risks involved. Your past self may not have any control over your power either, and so you would have your power but be unable to control it. If done incorrectly, your past self could replace your present self completely, and you would forget who you are in this life and only remember who you were then. Or your past memories could surface, replace some of your present ones, but not enough to give you clear memories of either lives. In this case, you would end up forgetting who you are now AND who you were then. Occasionally, a confused memory would slip through and perhaps you would retain memories of skills ingrained within you, but otherwise, you would be amnesiac-- Is something wrong?"

The Palsian prince gaped at him, aghast. He shivered and hugged himself, closing his eyes tightly and recalling one of his original six followers and one of his closest friends.

That describes exactly what happened to Guibu! He forgot who he was or had ever been, but occasionally he would say something strange. Like call me 'Hoshiki' or Tsuzuku 'Kouryuu-ou,' a name that even the brothers recognize.

Amaru's words came back to him.

"I don't mean that. I mean Arslan has powers too... You mean you didn't know? The reason Guibu lost his memory...is because of you."

"Prince Arslan?"

Arslan blinked.

"Are you all right?"

The prince shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry. Please go on," he said distractedly, trying to focus on the words that the redhead was saying. Shuuichi said nothing until Arslan finally met his green eyes with his own blue, and then nodded for him to continue.

"You might also experience great difficulty sorting through the memories of both lives. It can be overwhelming and it might leave you in a constant state of confusion on who you are."

"Are there any advantages to this?" Arslan asked desperately, needing to be reminded again why they were even considering it.

"Well, yes. As we've stated before-- your past self may have access to your powers, which you need to get home. It may explain all the strange things happening to you and why you have enemies. Certainly, if nothing else, it'll explain your connection with Tsuzuku, if what he said was true. And if you can settle on a proper union between your current self and your past self, it would be most beneficial. Doubtless, it would make you stronger."

"How do you know so much about past lives?" Arslan asked, curious.

Shuuichi blinked. "Didn't we tell you? I was a demon in my last life."

They did mention something like that when we were explaining our situation to him, but still...

And suddenly, without warning, Shuuichi's appearance melted away. The crimson red hair and bright green eyes disappeared and what stood before him was a taller, more beautiful creature than Minamino Shuuichi ever was. He was dressed in white, his hair a glossy silver, his eyes a strange shade of golden yellow. On the left side of his face ran a light vertical mark, towards the top of his head popped out a set of furry fox ears and from the back swished a silver tail.

Arslan gawked.

"This is what I used to look like. I was a fox demon by the name of Youko Kurama, which is why Hiei calls me Kurama. Hiei's a fire demon jaganeshi, and I'm a former thief." A deep, smooth voice explained to him from the handsome being who was now clearly male.

"For a while I couldn't access higher-levels of my power unless I was in this form. I have learned, however, how to utilize both the powers of Minamino Shuuichi and Youko Kurama. United, I am stronger." With that, the handsome devil shifted back into the more familiar human form of Shuuichi.

"Of course," the fox demon noted somberly, "My situation is different from yours. I've known from childhood who I used to be, so recovering my previous form wasn't that big of a deal. Your situation is different. You know nothing of your past self, whereas I've always considered my present self little more than a shell to house my spirit. So the risks are greater."

Arslan considered this. "Are there other options?"

Kurama shrugged. "Probably. We haven't explored them all yet. This would have been the most logical, but the most risky. We can also see if we can find a way for you to express your power, although it would be easier if we knew exactly what kind of power it was."

"I don't understand. How was Hiei able to know?"

"His third eye allows him to see things beyond the senses. Trust me, Hiei's good."

"But it's not the only choice we have," Genkai said. "We can try more conventional methods. For some reason, my intuition tells me that if we tried to teach you how to bring about your power by the normal methods of concentration and focus, it would not work out as well. Especially since we aren't positive on what to expect from you." A pause. "Still, it's worth a shot. Are you interested? I can see if I can help you draw your power from yourself."

Arslan hesitated, and then nodded. "Let's try that first."

Genkai exchanged glances with Kurama. "All right. Close your eyes and concentrate on my words closely. Follow everything I say exactly. Do you understand?"

The prince closed his eyes. "Yes."

"All right then, listen to me..."

The older woman spoke calmly and collectively. Her voice lulled Arslan into a strange state where he felt calm and...detached. Emotionlessly, he listened to her and followed what she said. Her voice began to fade, though he was unaware of it, and then he saw darkness.

And then there was a flash of blue light--

Chapter 13: Gratitude and Grief

Chapter 15: Lies and Truth ~ Emergence, Part II

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