Chapter 15
Trading Places
Ebony turned over again under the
covers as she had been doing for hours now. She really should be getting some
sleep. She hadn't obtained enough sleep for the past few days. Accurately, that
would be five weeks now ever since she crammed that stupid report. Moreover,
it's been days since she's had some rest.
The first week was spent marching from
Mushiyori to Makai. Since then, she had been hard at work under Yusuke and
sometimes Kurama and Hiei, as well. The obstacles were hard and grueling. Many a
time, Ebony wondered whether she had been too rough a teacher to Yusuke that she
deserved such cruel treatment.
She had known nothing but pain these
past few days. Every part of her body, all of her muscles, ached incessantly.
Her body was covered with sores, bruises and various wounds. Some ointments and
potions Aiea cooked up helped a great deal especially for the burns she got from
that nasty black flame. Hiei got a lovely few minutes of brain racking where in
she released a no small amount of electricity coursing through his nervous
system and snapping a few synapses. You get the idea. He was quite jolted out of
reality. At least, she's sure there won't be any scarring.
Of course, she never uttered a single
complaint. She took every challenge and test with a set determined expression.
When she falls, she gets up. No nothing. However, if she thinks you're too lax
on her (or too hard) she'd pretty much return the favor twofold your strength.
As a result, the others had sustained quite a few damages as well from sudden
bursts of rebelling energy.
True enough, her teachers are quite
impressed with her. She's a relatively fast learner and easily picks up bits and
pieces of their advice. Even if she had trouble learning a new tactic or style,
she won't stop trying until she succeeds in doing so. More often than not, they
have to drag her back with them to the house.
It is quite true. Kurama himself said
there was nothing more to teach. Even the occasionally arrogant Hiei admitted
she knew more about certain things than any of them does. She, however, needed
to practice some more. Her defense was quite rusty at times but good enough. The
real problem was her offense.
She hesitates. She always does, giving
her enemy time to respond to her attack and to counteract it. How many times had
it happened? Many times, she had one of them under her thumb but stopped at the
last moment. Once, it happened with Yusuke. He built up a strong amount of
energy to cancel out the effects of Ebony's sacred spirit beam. She, however,
veered to a different direction at the last moment. As a result, she received
the full blow of his attack. She was knocked out cold for a few hours. In short,
she still wasn't ready.
But you
get the point. She was quite an ideal student and it embarrassed Yusuke greatly.
And Ebony had meant to do that. She decided to behave really well so Yusuke
won't be able to say a single thing. So don't think Audric was lying. He had had
his share of frustration in teaching Ebony.
Speaking of Audric, he wasn't here.
He's with his wife somewhere in the eastern wasteland Lethe. He was currently
readying his ranks there but won't stay too long. As he had been doing for the
last few weeks, he will soon move on to fortify the defenses of the scattered
remains of the Lethian camp.
Here is in Hiei's house. He had
volunteered his home as a place for them to stay and prepare themselves for the
siege. It was the best place since it's quite far from populated areas so no
life would be threatened. It's quite safe there, too, since it's near the
capital of Makai and the surrounding area was well protected.
You might be worried about what may
happen to their spic-and-span home. Imagine three individuals, including two
bachelors and a king-like person who lost his wife, plus a boyish teenage girl
under one roof. No way! Iantha was there to steady things a bit. She keeps the
house neat and orderly for them as Mukuro does plus cooks for them and stuff.
How on earth did she end up there and
where are the others? Well, Audric figured it would be the best place for her
even though she had been offered a place in Enki's palace. Besides, she wanted
to accompany Ebony. Shizuru, Keiko, and Yukina wanted to come as well but the
others unanimously decided to let them stay in Ningenkai. Who'd want them
running around while they train? They'll only be nuisances. Anyway, Ningenkai
was quite safe especially since more men were concentrated in Mushiyori City
ever since the portal incident. Kuwabara was also there to keep an eye on them.
Ebony finally stopped flipping over and
over. She gave up her sleep for the lost and rose from her bed. She noticed
Aiea's bed was empty.
"Hmm," she thought, muttering
to herself. "She's probably downstairs."
She slipped on her glasses, her fur
slippers and then threw on her robes. She glided out of the room silently and
walked down the hall, her feet making no more noise than a cat's padded feet.
She tiptoed down the wide staircase then made her way through out the house.
Still no Aiea.
Her ears picked something up. Guitar
stains? Yep. Where is it coming from? The garden? Ebony noticed the back door
wasn't latched. Definitely, she's out there. So off she went outside onto the
garden, passing a few trees. Then when it seemed like she was trapped in the
middle of a forest, she went face to face with a high hedge of briar roses. She
groped for the door, being careful not to prick herself with the thorns, then
entered into a clearing.
Sure enough, there was Aiea some few
yards away, sitting on the swing, her figure clearly illuminated by the full
moon. Still, the light was too poor for her to see the strings.
"How can you see in this
light?" Ebony asked.
Aiea didn't seem surprised, as if she
expected Ebony's arrival. "I can't."
"Oh," she sighed heavily.
Iantha can play with her eyes shut.
"Can't sleep?"
"Yeah."
"Me, too."
"Thinking about Ixion?"
"Ebony, that's too private a
question."
"Sorry."
"Does anything pain you
dear?"
"Oh, no. I'm all right, really.
Thanks to your medicines, I feel fine."
"Ah, so it's pain not physical,
then."
"Well, yes. It's been bothering me
so much about, you know, Azrael."
"If you want to know the truth,
Ebony. I don't want you to go."
"I know, Aiea. But I have to face
my destiny."
"I guess so."
The two became silent for a while and
the fountain in the middle of the garden can be heard as the splashing water
murmured happily. It was quite a beautiful serene night, honestly contrary to
the real events in the rest of the worlds.
"I was thinking about him,
Ebony." Said Iantha presently.
"Hmm?" Ebony shook herself
from her withdrawn silence.
"Ixion. But he wasn't the only
one. My thoughts were also on Gramps."
"Funny. I miss him already. I'm
sorry I didn't meet him flesh and bone before he passed away."
"Ebony?"
"What?"
"How did you know about
grandpa?"
"Well, I saw him. He actually said
good-bye to me in a dream."
"Ebony, is it true that you and
Audric had spoken to mother and father."
"Yeah."
"Just that once?"
"Actually, I think this wasn't the
first time Audie spoke to them. For me it was. I mean, I didn't even recognize
them at first. But you know what, when I did, I suddenly remembered that all
through out my childhood, I had heard voices inside me giving me advises and
stuff. Remember when you became trapped inside the caves of the Goblin
sovereign? It was them who led me the way to you."
"I wish I had seen them, too. I
barely remember their faces but I've seen pictures."
"You'll get your turn. Perhaps,
they've also spoken to you before. You just don't remember. I didn't either
until the blast actually came and I saw the figure of Gramps in my mind's
eye."
Aiea stopped strumming and alighted
from the swing. She placed the guitar leaning against the tree then flopped down
on the grassy ground. She beckoned to her sister who had been standing all the
while to come and sit with her. Ebony eased down beside her with both their
backs against the trunk.
The winds gently blew with its icy
breath. The nights here can get chilly. The house was in a rather elevated
place, overlooking the rest of the locality. It was quite a change from the
burning heat of the desert where they practice every day a few miles from there.
Well, the temperature was temperate enough since it was early spring.
Ebony leaned against her sister and
Aiea took her in her arms.
"Aiea?' whispered Ebony.
"Gramps specifically told me not to be blue. But I can't help but feel
sad."
"That's OK. But try not to be
anyway."
"I hate me."
"What is it now?"
"I'm always acting like a
kid."
"Well, you are a child."
"I know that. That's precisely it.
I'm too young to die!"
"Don't get carried away by the
mood. Besides, I've enough of death. Ixion's as good as dead, I suppose."
"Sorry. But he's still alive,
right? Physically, I mean."
Aiea didn't say anything.
"Iantha?" asked Ebony,
straining to look at her sister.
She was crying. She choked and sniffled
as the moonlight shone on her tearstained face. It was so beautiful, it nearly
took Ebony's breath away but it also broke her heart seeing her sister weeping
so distressedly.
"Aiea, I'm really sorry. I should
have been more tactful."
"No, I need to cry, Ebony.
Suppressing sadness hurts me so. I thought you knew that men die more from heart
attacks because they try to hide their frustrations to badly."
"Yeah, right. Oh, come on, Aiea.
Don't lose hope. Maybe the spell can still be reversed.
Something will happen. You'll see."
"But what if it's hopeless? What
will I do if the real Ixion doesn't exist anymore? I don't think I would be able
to fight him face to face when the time comes even if he isn't himself."
"Ebony snuggled closer to her
sister, the rim of her glasses pressing hard against her face. "I'm sorry,
Iantha," she said in a muffled voice.
"Really?" answered Aiea
jokingly. "I thought you hated him."
"I don't hate him," said
Ebony. "I'm just sore about his stealing away my sister."
"Silly!" Both laughed softly.
"Aiea?" said Ebony presently
when they both had calmed down.
"Hmm?"
"You know, we haven't been this
close since we were really young."
"Of course. But I kinda miss
Adrian. I haven't seen him for a longer period."
"He's probably hunting up witch
babes. 'Sides, he'd have that blasted Diego with him."
"Aren't you suppose to be with
Sean?" teased Aiea.
"I resent that. Who wants to be
with that pompous piece of crap."
"Seriously, Eb. Why do you always
try to kill each other?"
"Because he tried to kill my best
friend."
"He did not."
"Well, I don't want him around
Ivory."
"He's not-- Never mind. You really
are dense."
They laughed again.
Ebony and Aiea weren't the only ones
awake that night. He was sitting on his bed staring at the empty space beside
him. It's been, what? A month? And he is still having trouble being used to
sleeping alone. Why? He had done so before for many centuries and he had never
complained. How easily one becomes used little things! And what if he had to
endure this for eternity?
He rose from where he was huddled
amidst the pillows and linen. He stretched and yawned; pushing his fingers
through his hair and making it stand up on end. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and
looked about the room. The shadows loomed through out the vast expanse of the
chamber void of movement. He had to get out of there quick. The emptiness only
made his loneliness more acute.
He hated the emptiness. Outside, at
least, there is something else to engross himself. Outside there is motion, some
drab excitement, the life of the nocturnal organisms.
He slipped on his furry slippers and
was about to throw on his robes. He hesitated. No. These things have her smell
on them. He wouldn't be able to bear the memories it aroused. The weather
wouldn't bother him at all. He has Koorime blood, doesn't he?
He gently rolled aside the great
sliding glass door. He walked across the glistening surface of marble. He
noticed how well polished it was. He shook his head. Always, cleaning like a
fiend, he thought. He still hadn't change and had lain on his bed all dirty and
bedraggled. She'll surely throw a fit if she finds out. Not that she ever does.
The wind blew again sending a cool
blast on his face that was sort of refreshing. The sleeping earth had a certain
tranquillity hanging over it. It really reminded him of the last night, before
Corin's fatal news, when he and---
Damn it! Why does everything remind him
of her?
He walked down the end of the balcony.
There he could see the rest of the estate like some sort of landlord
scrutinizing his hacienda. His eyes
settled on the garden. The moonlight illuminated his view and the two siblings
were quite visible as they sat there together in each others' arm.
Iantha, that girl. She might be able to
understand his feelings. She's feeling the same thing, too. At least, she has
her sister to open up to. Hn. If he said anything to Yusuke and Kurama, they'd
probably ridicule him. He can imagine them saying, "Oh, I never thought
you'd care about anything!", "I thought you were insensitive.",
"Is that really you?" and on and on.
His eyes scanned the room a few windows
away from him. The lights there were shut and the room was dark. That was where
Yusuke and Kurama shared a room. Actually, he wanted to stay with them but after
what happened with Kurama in Genkai's place, he wouldn't take the risk. (Note
for those with malicious minds: They have separate beds like the sisters.)
They appeared to have no problem
sleeping at all. At least, they gave no out ward sign. And that Yusuke. How come
he has always managed to save Keiko when she's in trouble? He on the other hand
was pretty much helpless in rescuing people important to him.
Soft vibrations of some stringed
instrument caught his attention. He looked towards the direction of the garden.
Iantha had taken up the guitar again. He couldn't make out the words from where
he was but he used his Jagan. Hmmm.... It's a Ningen song.
Show me the meaning of being lonely?
<YUCK, Backstreet Boys na naman.>