|
Erin's Gift - Part 6.A Tokyo Babylon fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan. "Messy." I didn't turn my head when I heard the faint whisper. Faint echoes of steps rose in the air as Sakurazuka Sekai entered the stables and started inspecting the place thoroughly. My eyes saw him as he passed before me, walking past me as if I wasn't there, but my mind didn't register his presence. The young man stopped beside the corpse on my right and squatted down, unmaking the mask covering the assassin's face. He studied it for a while, and then shook his head, sighing. "I've never seen him...shit." Somehow Sakurazuka Sekai's restrained anger reached me, reached a part of me which hadn't completely drowned in grief. In a toneless voice, I told him, "Miyoshi Juzo." I gritted my teeth, as if that could have contained the keening cry within, and repeated, "His name was Miyoshi Juzo." Sakurazuka Sekai whirled around to face me, tense. His eyes met mine for a long time, and something he saw there made him look away. A shadow briefly passed over his face. "Onmitsu, then." He nodded to himself, his jaw set. There had been a frightening quietness in his voice. Onmitsu.... It meant the assassin had been part of the Shogun's own shadow guards, that.... No. Betrayal. No. I shook my head slowly, denying the inner voice. Denying the horrible truth which might be hidden behind what had just happened. Around us, silence fell back over the stables, deep and heavy, while a shroud of ice was slowly enveloping my spirit. Suddenly Sakurazuka Sekai walked over to Nia, and I stood, a nameless fear gripping my heart. Before I could fling myself forward to prevent him from approaching the black mare, he stopped beside her and reached out to her. The great horse sniffed his outstretched hand and lowered her ears slightly, but she neither drew back nor attacked. Sakurazuka Sekai smiled slightly. "Thank you. Watch over things here for a while. I'll soon be back." Nia snorted, and then Sekai turned towards me. He looked at me for a long time, his eyes again searching mine for something only he knew, then eventually he came towards me and closed his right hand over my arm, drawing me away from the horses. I tried to fight his hold, but the grip on my arm tightened, and he said in a whisper, "I reached the stables first after catching up with you in the corridors. I dispatched this assassin. Remember that." He shrugged and added, as if to himself, "It's inconvenient you killed him in such a flashy way, but I suppose my pride can take that small bruise." He looked straight at me. "Now come." No. No I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave this place. To leave my horses again, and.... Nia! The black mare's ears twitched and her eyes widened in distress, but she didn't move. In the neighbouring stall, Sreim had a muffled whinny, as if to tell me I had to go along with Sakurazuka Sekai, as if telling me I had to go away. A sudden, violent pull on my arm forced me to step forward in a reflexive movement to regain my balance, and Sekai hissed, "Enough!" He dragged me out of the stables and then back into the maze of corridors and room that the last level of Edo castle was. The guards at the gate didn't even spare me a glance, as if a gaijin wearing a kimono splattered with blood was a common place sight. In absolute silence, Sakurazuka Sekai led me forward, one with the night and the place, and I followed numbly. Unable to do anything else. Unable to fight him. Empty of thought. Empty of will. Empty of heart. Empty. After what could have been a mere few minutes or hours, he stopped in front of a sliding panel and opened it without even announcing his presence. Then he stepped inside, pulling me along. "I managed to convince my guests to forget about this incident. Did you bring her--" The quiet voice which had greeted our entry abruptly interrupted itself as its owner saw me. Sumeragi Kirikaze was kneeling on a cushion, a cup of tea in his right hand. His eyes widened, and for a fraction of a second something unreadable flashed in his eyes. He set his cup down on the table and turned away, looking out towards the inner garden basking in the ghostly moonlight, then slowly faced us again. Focusing on Sakurazuka Sekai, he asked quietly, "What are you doing here, Sakurazuka-san?" Sakurazuka Sekai's utterly black eyes sparked with what might have been either anger or distress, and he replied in a toneless voice, "I have no time for games, Sumeragi." Sumeragi Kirikaze smiled humorlessly at that. "Neither do I. Why have you come?" "Help her." Sekai's hand left my arm, releasing me. He bowed, ever so slightly. "Tanomu." I'm asking you, please. There was a long silence during which both young men stared at each other steadily, then eventually Sumeragi Kirikaze shook his head. "Why aren't you doing that yourself, Sakurazuka-san? Do you think I'm blind?" Beside me, Sakurazuka Sekai tensed violently, as if struck right through the heart. Bowing his head, he said in a toneless whisper, "Because I can't. I *can't*, Sumeragi. You are indeed blind. I have no time to waste here, I must return to the stables and watch over her horses. Help her." Facing Sumeragi Kirikaze again, Sekai looked him straight in the eye and repeated, "Tanomu." A crooked smile full of sadness came to Sumeragi Kirikaze's lips, and he nodded, saying softly, "I will." He stood and came towards us, his eyes set on the other man. When he reached us, he added, "I'm not so blind as you think. I'm sorry." Sakurazuka Sekai shrugged at that, and turned away, walking out of the room. I listened to the waning echo of his rapid footsteps in the corridor, feeling it resounding within, rising and whirling with the raging storm of emotions safely sealed behind their shroud of ice. "Aislinn-san?" I didn't turn towards Sumeragi Kirikaze. He wasn't there. I wasn't there. Nothing of this was real, nothing of this mattered. It was just.... Hands took mine, warm and gentle. "The blood soaking your hands isn't dry yet, it's still cooling down." There was no surprise, no reproach in his voice. It was as if he was commenting a thing as simple and normal as the weather. I looked at him then, I looked at the blood staining my hands and now staining his, and deep within the wall around my soul started to crack. He released me, and pursed his lips as he studied the wound on my left arm. On instinct, I winced when his fingers gently probed it. "It's not too bad, even though it's deep." Turning away, he started towards a panel opening on another room, adding, "The first thing to do is to wash that all that blood away from you." Wash the blood away? A mad chuckle rose in the air, coming from me. Sumeragi Kirikaze stopped and faced me, unsurprised. As if he had been expecting the reaction. Words escaped my lips, as if of their own volition. "Just a small fraction of the blood on the kimono is mine. Most of it is Liath's." A lopsided grin came to my face. "And the blood on my hands is his murderer's. You can't wash that away, Sumeragi-san. It just can't be washed away." The dark brown eyes set on me, searching for a meaning to my words, and I explained, "Liath is dead. He's dead. And I exacted the payment for that." Still his eyes stayed on me, as if the words weren't enough. As if there was something more I should have told him. But there wasn't. Words.... Words were colourless and meaningless. Words were all that he knew, and nothing more could be expressed using them. I was wasting my time and his by staying here. There was nothing he could do for me, he could never understand. Nobody could ever grasp even the tiniest fraction of the emotions devouring me. Nobody! "Now I know why I can now see my reflection in your eyes even though I couldn't before...." I looked at him sharply. He stepped towards me, adding, "It's because you've locked everything out. Because you've closed in upon yourself, and because you've sealed your grief and pain within." He reached out to me, and his fingertips brushed my left cheek, wiping away tears mixed with blood. "I understand." I smiled, a smile full of bitter irony and sorrow, and lifted my left hand, closing it on his right to pull it away from me. Painful laughter was rising up my throat, and I doubted I could contain it. Deep inside, the cracks in the wall were widening threateningly. I had to get away from here, now. I had to-- I understand, Aislinn. I truly do. My heart skipped a beat, and I froze. That voice that presence.... Within. Close. Warm. Gentle. So close. Beyond words which were the only thing human beings could ever know. Sharing his heart. His self. With me...with *me*. Like.... No. Distantly, I felt myself trembling and squeezing his hand hard. Trust me, please. I know. The kind brown eyes were locked on mine. There was nothing but gentleness and worry in them, sincerity and something deeper, half hidden beneath the dark pools' surface. I know. He was.... The shadow within shied away from him, wild, terrified, and I snatched his hand away from me, shaking my head. NO! Turning my back on him, I ran, unaware of anything but the gut-terror and sorrow clashing in my heart, and the silent corridors of Edo castle drowned the sounds of my flight. Nia lowered her head towards me and blew softly in my face, worried. It's all right, Nia. I forced myself to reach out to her and gently pat the tip of her nose. Preventing me from seeing.... Eyes lighted by fear. Preventing me from feeling.... Liath's weak, painful breaths as his lungs were slowly drowning in blood. Preventing me from hearing.... My voice, sentencing a soul to wander, lost and alone forever. Preventing me from remembering.... "So, you're still here." Sakurazuka Sekai's presence registered in my brain, but I didn't look up at him. I had no wish to see him, or anyone else. I just wanted to be left alone. To be left alone with my horses, with memories which haunted me as I waited for assassins to strike again, to take lives like I had.... The young man squatted before me and reached out, slipping his right forefinger beneath my chin and forcing me to face him. "You've been here for more than two days without moving, I asked the other stable boys and none of them has seen you sleep or eat a true meal in all that time." The beautiful black eyes were clouded with a mixture of the same worry Nia and Sreim had expressed, and of a fear I didn't understand. "You need to give your mind and body a rest, Aislinn-san. You can't go on like this forever. You know that's true." Perhaps, but what choice had I? He bowed his head, whispering, "I understand what you're doing, more than you will ever know." I had an ironic smile when I heard that, which froze on my lips when I saw the tension filled with pain in his stance. Then, and only then, a part of me remembered that this man was my friend. That I trusted him and loved him as such. He looked up, facing me again, and said quietly, discarding the feelings which had overwhelmed him just now as if they were unimportant, "You're going to get out of these stables and go out, walk in the gardens, be in the sunlight and watch life flowing around you. You're going to get out of this place and rest for a while. In the meantime, I will stay here and watch over your charges. Nothing will harm them, I swear to you on my life." "Will you do this for me, Aislinn-san?" He released me, holding out his hand towards me and waiting. I stared at his outstretched hand for a while, wondering what I should do, and eventually concluding he wouldn't leave me alone if I didn't comply. I didn't want to, I didn't want to leave this place. Shelter of shadow. I blinked as the inhuman part of me gave a name to what the stables had become for me, then nodded at Sakurazuka Sekai and accepted his help to stand up. Avoiding his eyes, I slowly stepped out of the stables, brushing off the blades of straw which stubbornly stuck to my shirt. To walk out in the sunlight.... I smiled humorlessly, looking up at the startlingly clear blue sky. It was true the sun was shining. It was hot, even though it wouldn't reach its zenith for a few hours. I froze as I recognized the shadow falling over me, realizing where my steps had instinctively led me. The torii. I reached out to it, but my fingers stopped a hairwidth away from it. I didn't dare touch it, I didn't dare feel the life around me, flowing and drawing everything with it. I saw my fingers shaking ever so slightly, and shook my head, denying the lump in my throat. Stepping beyond it, I walked over to the ancient sakura trees in the garden's heart. I stopped beside one of the old trees and embraced it, resting my right cheek against it and closing my eyes. Silence. Peace. Life, pulsing quietly from the tree's roots to its leaves. Spark. Pain. I jerked away from the tree, biting my lower lip. "Darkness." I whirled around to see Sumeragi Kirikaze coming out of the shadows of another sakura tree. He came towards me, a gentle smile on his lips and what could have been compassion shining in his eyes. "You finally came out of your refuge. I thought it would hold you and never release you." I stepped back, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to see him, I didn't want to feel him so close to me, I was.... Afraid. The shadow within rose, urging flight, its terror invading my being. I shook my head, taking another step back and telling him in a toneless voice, "Leave me alone, please." "Leave you alone?" He chuckled humorlessly. "Even though I waited here for so long, knowing you'd come eventually? I don't think so." I watched him coming towards me, trying to control the desperate need to flee him before he could touch me, before.... I bolted as he reached my side, unable to deny the devouring fear stalking me, but at the same time a hand closed around my left arm, reviving the pain of the wound. On instinct, I froze. "Must I cast a spell on you to hold you back, Aislinn-san?" I shook my head wildly. "Leave me alone, Sumeragi Kirikaze. I told you to leave me alone." I made myself look him straight in the eye. "No human spell can bind me, you have no power over me, none. So leave me alone! I don't need your pity or anything else! Leave me alone!" The fingers of his right hand released me and I made to run away, but stopped despite myself when I saw the light in the deep brown eyes. Sorrow and understanding. Sadness and.... He bowed his head with a weary sigh, and said softly, "No, I have no hold on you, it's true, and I'd have no right to bind you against your will even if I had." He looked up at me. "I don't pity you, Aislinn-san. If I came here, it's because I want to help, and because you need that help to win free of what's poisoning your spirit." Poisoning my spirit.... I turned away from him then, and stepped back towards the old sakura tree. When I reached it, I leant my right hand against the hard bark of its trunk and looked up at its beautiful canopy of leaves and branches. Painful laughter rose around me. Mine. Shaking my head to deny the tears I could feel burning my eyes, I said in a low, harsh whisper, "You don't want to help me, Sumeragi-san. You don't want to help someone who's done what I have." Silence followed my words, but I knew Sumeragi Kirikaze was still there, waiting. I gripped the old tree, focusing on the feeling of its rough surface against my fingers, and went on, in a voice devoid of emotion, "I took a man's life, but it wasn't enough. Nothing...." I bit my lower lip to restrain the keening cry I could feel rising in my throat, and then added, "I denied him peace and rest. I cursed his name for all eternity." I turned around, facing Sumeragi Kirikaze, and challenged him. "Do you have the slightest idea what that means, Sumeragi-san?" A cold smile came to my lips. "I sentenced him to wander in the dark until the end of time. I have condemned him to become one of those wretched lost souls whose eternal pain haunts places like those you share the magic of your heart with to get them free of the darkness staining them." "I know." I stared at him numbly, taken aback. There had been such a sadness in his voice, as if.... "Do you think I haven't felt the shroud of pain and grief imprisoning the stables?" His eyes locked on mine, forbidding me to look away. "Do you think I haven't felt the shadow growing in your heart?" He stepped towards me and I didn't move away, lost, hearing his words echoing in my mind over and over again. He reached out to me, and very gently wiped away a tear which I hadn't been able to hold back. Why? Why was he doing this? From very far away, I felt my body shaking, then I saw my left hand lifting up and closing upon his, my fingers gripping his with desperate strength. I didn't know. I shook my head as tears started streaking down my face. I never knew I had that terrible power. It rose within, and I used it. He had to pay, for Liath's death, he had to pay the price. There was only one path I could follow, only one, but.... I opened my mouth to let out the cry of grief and guilt choking my soul, but no sound came out. Nothing. I looked into the dark brown eyes which had never left mine, and shook my head wildly. I didn't know! He nodded slowly, as if he had heard me, and then very gently pulled me against him. I felt his arms coming around me, and he whispered softly in my ear, "Let it go, Aislinn-san." My whole body shook when I heard those words. I couldn't do that, no matter how much I wanted to. No matter how much I needed to. I couldn't control the storm within, I couldn't force it out of me, I couldn't win free of it. It raged on and on, growing and festering inside my heart. And I couldn't.... I couldn't.... "As you said, there was no other path you could follow. There was a price to be paid for the crime committed, and you exacted it. You were true to your heart, true to your heritage. The pain choking your spirit was born of loss, and also of the kindness of your heart. Let go of it, Aislinn-san, you've grieved enough, you've hurt yourself enough. Stop tormenting yourself for having been true." I bowed my head, resting my brow against his chest, and closed my eyes tightly shut. Willing the tears to stop, willing the pain to go away and focusing on his words, words much like those I myself had used when I had found out who and what Sakurazuka Sekai truly was. But.... Help me. The plea rose from the core of my being, undeniable. The arms around me tightened their embrace, and I felt fingers very gently stroking my hair. I'm here. I froze against him, a sudden, instinctive fear taking hold of me as I felt Sumeragi Kirikaze's presence beside me. Where I knew nobody could ever be. I'm here for you, if you'll let me, Aislinn. I could run. Yes, I could flee now. For a fleeting moment, I saw two paths before me, I saw a choice, and I didn't move, torn between two opposite impulses. I should push him back. All that I was feeling was a lie, a delusion which I knew couldn't exist. He was human, and even though he had the Sight.... Warm. The shadow within tentatively reached out to the alien presence. Gentle. He smiled. I didn't see it, but the feeling of his smile enveloped me, like a cloak of light. I did so, unable to deny him, and hugged him tight. Around us a keening cry rose, a long moan born both of his voice and mine. Pain engulfed me, raw and wild, tearing me apart, and then slowly spilled away from me. Sobs shook me and I wept in Sumeragi Kirikaze's arms for a long time. When he released me, I looked up at him and saw traces of tears on his cheeks. Then I remembered I had felt him shaking against me, shaking with the pain of a terrible, inhuman grief that he had pulled away from me. He had.... I bowed my head, feeling cold all over as I realized how far he had gone for me. What he had done.... I whispered tonelessly, "Why?" Very gently, he made me look at him, and replied, "Because Sakurazuka-san asked me to, and because...." He smiled softly. "You needed me." The fingers of his right hand brushed my left cheek in a caress. "Give yourself forgiveness, Aislinn-san, and one day, perhaps...forgive Miyoshi Juzo." I winced when I heard the name, as if he had physically struck me, but he went on, merciless, "The very air around you is screaming this name over and over again. There's no darkness over the stables, no stain on the place, it was always within you. The shadow is in your heart, and it's been growing there, feeding on your pain." "Not anymore." I shook my head, and looked straight at him. "I won't let this land be tainted because of me, I promise you." "It's good." He took my face between his hands, and bent over me. Too surprised to react, I didn't move as his lips brushed my brow in the featherlight ghost of a kiss. Our eyes met as he stepped away from me, and I felt my heart going out to the young man in front of me. To the one who had shared my heart. To the one who had touched the shadow that I was, and hadn't drawn back. I watched calmly as Aodhan galloped towards me, ears flat on his skull. As expected, the chestnut stallion came to an abrupt halt less than a step away from me, and pricked his ears forward, blowing in my face and shaking his head. Yes, yes, rascal, I know. I should have played along. Despite myself, I grinned at the infernal horse, who immediately bolted, cantering away and whinnying like a frightened foal. The fool then started giving a whole series of kicks each wilder than the former, disturbing Sreim who was rolling over on the dry, dusty ground to take out a persistent itch at the level of his left shoulderblade. The great black stallion stood in a lightning quick movement, and made to bite Aodhan, who barely escaped. With an inward shrug, I thought it would have thought the rascal a lesson, even if Sreim's would likely have been a painful one. Beside me, Nia twitched her ears, as if sighing at the eccentricities of her troops, and I reached out to her, gently patting her neck. It was thanks to Sakurazuka Sekai that this had been possible. I had wondered how I could exercise my horses in this place without being able to find an answer, but Sekai had solved the matter for me. On the first level of Edo castle was a huge field the Shogun's guards used for the training of their own horses. Sakurazuka Sekai had requested the use of it for the Shogun's gifts, and thanks to some miracle the request hadn't been denied. I was free to come down here whenever I felt like it and let my charges run freely. It felt so good to see them this way, happy and carefree. Liath would have loved it so much. Nia's head gently bumped against my chest, almost making me lose my balance. I caught myself and sat back a bit correctly on the top pole of the field's fence, and then turned towards the black mare. Thanks to Sumeragi Kirikaze. An insistent whinny interrupted my train of thought, and I suddenly realized Laigen, Aodhan and Sreim had joined Nia at my side. The impossible chestnut nodded, and then playfully grabbed the edge of my right sleeve between his teeth, pulling me forward. Sreim lowered his ears and snorted, helpless to prevent the prankish stallion from misbehaving again. I reached out to the black stallion, smiling. I love you. Laigen softly blew in my neck, and I felt a lump in my throat. There was pain in my heart again, but it was all right. It was good. I love you all so much. "Well, that's what I call a crowd of admirers, you're lucky, Aislinn-san!" Laigen pricked up her ears, recognizing Sakurazuka Sekai's voice, and the young man climbed up the fence unceremoniously, joining my side. I smiled at him. "Welcome. Are you sure you're not disgracing yourself by coming up here as if you were a little boy?" He laughed at that while patting Laigen's neck, and replied, "Not a problem. Anyone who'd dare spread rumors of my scandalous behaviour wouldn't live long enough to regret it, and they all know it." The jet black eyes were sparkling with mischief. I reached out to him, and closed the fingers of my right hand over his. "Thank you, Sekai-san. For what you did." He nodded, with a strange smile on his lips. "I see Sumeragi has been saying things he shouldn't have." He sighed almost inaudibly, and then stared at me steadily. "I wish I could have helped you myself, but...." Something unreadable flashed in his eyes as he added, "I couldn't." An ancient sakura tree in full bloom. Its delicate petals, flying all around me. Blood, staining young blades of grass. Death. Confrontation. A promise...no, two promises. I nodded slowly, remembering. Understanding what was hidden behind the words. My fingers squeezed his. I know, and I thank you for this also. There was silence between us for a while, and I let it stretch, content to let Time flow freely, holding on to an eerie feeling of peace within me. Eventually, Aodhan whinnied, shaking his head, and he turned away, pushing Laigen aside in the same time, bored with human beings and quietness. The bay mare cantered after him, indignant, and the rascal dashed away, proud of himself. Sreim snorted disdainfully, while Nia cocked her head to the side, watching the black stallion with a comical expression. Sakurazuka Sekai chuckled softly and I imitated him, watching the horses for a while before turning back to my friend. Eventually, I lifted my hand from his, and asked him in a quiet voice, "Any news on the why of the attack?" His eyes stayed set on Aodhan, who was busy racing Laigen again, while he replied, "No. But I can tell you that Miyoshi Juzo wasn't acting on orders. He may have been onmitsu, but in doing what he did, he cast shame and dishonor on his name." Shame and dishonor.... I looked down at the dusty field. It was nothing compared to what I had done to him. The curse I had set on his name was eternal, and I didn't think I'd ever lift it, even though I was myself paying the price for my action. Sending away senseless regrets, I looked at Sakurazuka Sekai, and said, "But what is your opinion on all this?" He shrugged slightly, as if indicating helplessness. "I think that whoever was behind it is a very shrewd and dangerous opponent. Your delegation's gifts have officially been stored in Edo castle, even though the Shogun hasn't received them yet. They are thus outside of the delegation's responsibility, it falls to us to protect them. The person who ordered this sent a powerful message to your delegation, while in the same time casting the blame on us. The fact that this assassin was part of the Shogun's shadow guards is a disturbing element which will send rumors flying all over Edo, the Houses will wonder and a certain feeling of uncertainty could rise because of it, weakening the Shogun's position, even if only slightly. I'm sure that's why you were able to get a name out of him, so he could be identified.... In the meantime, your Lord Fitzgerald will sweat a bit, worrying about who it was he either slighted or denied, and he'll think twice before angering the one who's behind this whenever he comes to him again." He had a humorless smile. "All in all, it was a master stroke." A master stroke, dealt by someone who wanted to send a message to Lord Fitzgerald.... The Lady Yodo. Hell. I forcefully mastered the fury which had suddenly sparked to life inside me, and tried to think. There was nothing I could do by myself, nothing at all except watching over my horses night after night, but.... "Will it ever end?" I asked Sakurazuka Sekai in a hollow voice, "Will my horses be safe one day, or will this go on until they're all dead?" Sekai's eyes met mine, and then he bowed his head, whispering, "It should become safer once the talks are over and your delegation has left Edo castle, but...." He let out a sigh full of weariness. "Intrigue is the way of this court. The Shogun has powerful enemies, who will try to undermine his authority by any and all means possible. Until they are defeated for good, there is no guarantee of safety, for anyone." There was a long moment of silence, and eventually I nodded. " I understand." Yes, I understood what Sakurazuka Sekai was telling me, I understood it all too well. I could never be sure of anything as long as the Shogun's opponents could walk in Edo castle all but unhindered and hatch plots to seize power. Nothing could be certain, perhaps for a very long time. And my horses would have to live here in the danger, at the mercy of nameless assassins which haunted this fortress like the elusive ghosts they were. No. I blinked as the shadow's voice rose inside me, strong and clear. Unwavering. Certain. Around Sekai and I, the wind rose, flying locks of hair in front of my eyes, and I pushed them back reflexively. Unexpectedly, I felt a smile creeping up my lips. The shadow was right. Nodding to myself, I jumped down the fence and entered the training field, whistling to call the horses back. Laigen cantered towards me, while Nia and Sreim waited patiently by my side. Aodhan shook his head on the other side of the field, and I grinned. The chestnut's ears went flat on his skull and he flung himself forward. A few seconds later, the stallion thundered past me, raising clouds of dust which made me cough and triggered a concert of protestation whinnies from Nia and Sreim. "I see that rascal will never change." I shrugged, turning to face Sakurazuka Sekai with a helpless smile. Laigen stopped right in front of him and started nuzzling in his neck. I chuckled gently, saying in a teasing voice, "I think she listens more to you than to me, I'm jealous!" I laughed when I saw my friend's expression, and then sobered up, turning towards the horses. "All right, it's time to get back up towards your stalls. Enough fun for one day." I started ascending the lower levels of Edo castle with Sakurazuka Sekai, and four impatient horses who had all suddenly discovered they were famished. By the time we reached the penultimate level, Aodhan had tried ten times to race on ahead, and it was only thanks to Nia's help that I had managed to restrain the wretched stallion. Once I was done seeing to them with the help of Sekai, I exited the stables and stretched like a cat, feeling painful knots in my shoulders. "Done for today?" I started, surprised, and laughed when I saw Sumeragi Kirikaze coming towards us. He grinned at both Sakurazuka Sekai and I, and said, "If so, I propose we get moving. It'll take some time for Aislinn-san to get a change of clothes, even with the servants' help." My complete lack of enthusiasm must have showed, for Sekai chuckled. "No help for it. You promised." I rolled my eyes heavenward, knowing that full well, and walked over to Sumeragi Kirikaze with a small fatalistic gesture. As I reached his side, a soft, almost inaudible whisper reached my ears. "It seems you have gone back to stealing the images of your friends to keep them close, I cannot see my reflection in your eyes any longer. I'm happy you're a thief again." Behind us, the sun was setting.
End of Part 6. Notes
Tanomu: to request, to ask for. Also, to ask to take care of. At first I had used the semi-formal form "tanomimasu", but then I decided to use the informal form, given what Sekai is saying and the way he's saying it. I wish I knew whether I was right or not.... ^^;;
On to Next Part Back to Previous Part Back to my Fanfic page. |