Spirit of the Past

By Yai-tzu Hin

Warning: No part of this story or cast of characters may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author, Yai-tzu Hin. If you do, dogs will wake you at 3:00 am in the morning, your hair will go gray at an early age, all you pens will run out of ink at the most inconvenient time, and your computer will always freeze up in the middle of the best part of a fic.

"The woman he loves?" Keien stared at Yatsurugi. "I don't understand."

"I don't either, but I beginning to get a funny feeling about this. Shit, he's still shaking."

"What are we going to…" Suddenly the phone rang interrupting Keien's words, he dashed out of the room and snatched the phone from the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Nakabori-san? It's Kagamida Imizu, is Meiko there?"

"No. Kagamida, are you all right? I hear sirens in the background."

"The interior design club's house is on fire! I can see it from my dorm window. Meiko said something about going over there earlier when we were studying in the library." Keien's eyes widened and he could feel his throat constricting. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, I'm sure she isn't there."

Reimu, you better be protecting her, Keien thought as he steadied his pounding heart. "I am too. Why don't you stay in your room in case she calls?"

"All right. I'm sorry to worry you." With that she hung up. Keien stood for a moment shaking.

"Keien, Nodin has stopped shaking. Keien?" Yatsurugi touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Keien?"

"The interior design club's house is on fire. Kagamida just called to see if I knew where Meiko was. She'd apparently said she was going over there."

"Keien, I'm sure she's okay. Wait, the house was on fire?" Yatsurugi glanced back towards the bedrooms. "I wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"Remember what Nodin said, that he was under a seal. I bet there is a connection between the house and his seal. First we need to find out who this Alison is. I think I'm going to try and get a hold of Hades and see if he can dig anything up for us. I put Nodin in your room, he's asleep and there is no physical damage. I think we should tell Haruka though. She needs to know about this."

"She may not believe us though." Keien felt numb, too much was happening today. What was Nodin and why did he have a seal on him?

Nodin slowly opened his eyes. He ached all over. What had happened? The seal, yes he remembered now.

"I told them." He whispered. "I spoke her name. It's been so long. Alison." Sitting up he noticed that it was dark outside. From behind the closed door he could hear voices. He recognized Haruka's immediately. She sounded worried. He hung his head feeling awful. "I shouldn't be here. I should return and wait. I never should have left even if those people were annoying me. I'm such an idiot." Sighing deeply he carefully removed the covers and slipped off Keien's bed. Stealing across the darkened room, he headed for the window. "I need to find out what happened though." Opening it, Nodin hopped up and sat on the window ledge for a moment. "Forgive me." Jumping off he summoned what little power he had available to him and floated to the ground. Once on the street he fled, the wind at his feet pushing him forward.

"I don't know what to say Keien." Haruka admitted as she slumped into the chair.

"Look we don't know what Nodin really is, but he does have some power." Haruka was shaking her head.

"If you're implying that he's evil, I'm not going to believe you. I don't know how to explain it, but I know he's not evil. If you two are finished, I'm going to collect Nodin and we're going home."

"Haruka, this isn't over. There is more to this child than what we see." Yatsurugi said.

"We'll talk about it later." She snapped heading for the bedroom. Keien looked at Yatsurugi and sighed. There wasn't much they could do. Telling her had only made her become defensive. It was as if she were under some spell to protect Nodin.

"What am I going to do?" Keien asked softly. Suddenly Haruka came bolting back into the room.

"He's gone! The window is open, but I have no idea how he could have gotten down!" Her eyes were wide and fearful.

"WHAT!" Keien and Yatsurugi exclaimed at the same time.

"Nodin is gone!"

"I bet he went back to the house. There is some sort of connection between him and it." Yatsurugi said heading for the door. "What are you two waiting for?"

Throwing on their coats and shoes, the three raced off. Piling in Haruka's car they drove to the university. Pulling into a nearly deserted parking lot, Haruka slammed on the parking break and ordered everyone out. They ran towards the burnt building hoping to find the boy. Suddenly Yatsurugi grabbed Keien's collar.

"HARUKA! DON'T GO ANY FARTHER!" he yelled as he jerked Keien back.

"What's wrong with you?" Keien demanded. Suddenly he felt a shockwave of energy. It nearly floored him. They heard a scream.

"NODIN!" Haruka took off again. She hadn't a moment to loose.

"Haruka! Get back here! There is some sort of force there! Haruka!" Yatsurugi screamed. She didn't listen. Her heart was pounding as she ran towards the house. As she approached she could see the burnt siding and broken windows. The fire fighters had been able to save most of the house, at least that was Meiko had said when she'd called Keien to say she was fine and hadn't been in the house at the time. Something told her to hurry, that Nodin was in over his head. Haruka ducked under the yellow tape that warned people to stay out and ran inside. He screamed again and someone cackled. Haruka slid into the living room and came to a dead halt. A woman with long red hair and in a very revealing black dress held Nodin in the air, her hands wrapped around his throat.

"This'll teach you a lesson you brat. I won't forgive you. It's all your fault!"

"Let him go!" The woman cocked her head at Haruka.

"Well, what have we here?" she sneered.

"Aydana, leave her alone. Please…" Nodin squeaked.

"Oh, a please from the likes of you! That's rich! Be gone girl." With a nod she sent a stream of fire at Haruka. She ducked behind a wall, narrowly missing being singed. "Ha! Got rid of her."

"No you didn't!" Haruka snapped, stepping back into the room. "Let him go you bitch!"

"Hrmph! Weak words coming from a mortal. Back off before you get hurt."

"NO!"

"Pity, then you'll die. You're no match for a fire spirit." She let go of Nodin, letting him fall to the ground. She turned to Haruka and narrowed her eyes. "Fire Lance!" A streak of fire shot towards Haruka.

"Haruka!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIII!" A bright flash blinded everyone as something extinguished the fire.

"What the?" Aydana exclaimed.

"Who the HELL do you think you are?" snapped Yatsurugi as he stood between Haruka and the fire spirit wearing his armor. "My sister would be very displeased if you'd harmed her and she's far nastier than I am." He spread his wings and glared at the spirit. Dropping the boy, Aydana shrank back.

"A…a..guardian angel. I, um…"

"Save it! What were you doing? Answer me or I'll let you feel the full fury of an angel."

"She got between me and him." Aydana pointed at Haruka.

"And what is your relationship to him?" Yatsurugi demanded as Keien skidded into the room. He took one look at Yatsurugi and quietly stayed put. Aydana tossed her head.

"Nodin and I are old friends. It's because of him that my friend died. That's why I've spent the past fifty years searching for him. The bastard went and got himself sealed in an oak tree, which was then cut down and made into that table." She jutted a finger out at a burnt, toppled over coffee table.

"Hey! I didn't kill Alison! A drunk driver killed her!" Nodin snapped. "If I could have stopped it, don't you think I would have?"

"You were her boyfriend! You were supposed to be with her that evening!"

"She ran down to the corner store for some milk! How was I supposed to know that someone coming home from happy hour would cross the yellow line and have a head on collision with her? I couldn't! I'm not psychic!"

"You should have gone with her!"

"HOLD IT! Both of you!" Yatsurugi yelled. "Who exactly was Alison?"

"Alison was a mortal that I fell in love with. She had the ability to see spirits such as myself and Aydana. She was kind and considerate. After her death, I had the elder wind spirits seal me in an oak tree to wait for her rebirth. I know it may sound weird, but I want to be with her no matter who she is now."

"You aren't a child then?" Haruka inquired, her voice shaking slightly. Nodin shook his head.

"I'm a wind spirit. We have two different forms, child and adult. Because I'm still partially sealed, I only have half my powers."

"And only Alison, or her reincarnated form can fully release you?" Yatsurugi interrupted. Nodin again nodded. "But what is she is a he this life?"

"It wouldn't matter. I love her soul, it doesn't matter the form."

"And you're mad at Nodin because he wasn't around to protect Alison?" Yatsurugi asked addressing Aydana. She nodded curtly. "That's not his job, that's her guardian angel's. There is no fault anyway. Death is death and the Almighty has the final word. As unfair as it might seem, it's true."

"But…"

"No buts! Are you going against the Almighty's decision?"

"No."

"Then leave Nodin alone."

"It took me forever to find him."

"Back off or I'll take it up with an archangel. And believe me I know one that would be more than happy to help me." Yatsurugi warned. Aydana sulked, but backed off.

"Fine! I have nothing more to do here. The fire fighters put out my lovely fire and you won't let me strangle Nodin, so I guess I'll go!" Without another word she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What a bitch." Keien snarled.

"She wasn't always like that." Nodin said. "True she and I didn't always get along, but she had never tried to kill me before. I guess she's still in love with Alison." He looked up at Yatsurugi. "You're a guardian angel?"

"Yes."

"I should have guessed, but with only half of my powers I'm a bit blind. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I should have kept myself inside the table."

"You mean you were trapping in there?" Haruka asked walking over and righting the overturned coffee table.

"I was. The elder wind spirits granted me a little leeway to slip in and out of it. Mostly in case something terrible happened like a fire, I could at least attempt to put it out." Nodin sighed. "The people who bought the table were driving me nuts, after years of living in a quiet elderly gentleman's house with little noise, the chatter of the people working here drove me nuts. So I started trying to get rid of them, of course it didn't work."

"You're dealing with determined university students, of course it's not going to work." Keien pointed out. Nodin smiled.

"I know." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry for running away earlier. I know I made you worry Haruka, but I didn't want to cause anymore problems than I already have. It's been a while since I've roamed about, and as Aydana pointed out, I'm a brat. Therefore, mischief is my middle name, especially when I'm a child. You see, I'm normally in charge of those little breezes that blow things just out of your reach or take your kite off into the next county." He paused and looked about at the three faces staring at him.

"Nodin."

"Hai, Haruka?"

"How do we free you completely from your imprisonment?"

"I told you, only Alison's soul can do it. Not even an angel can break the seal, it has to be her soul. That is how the spell was worded." Haruka stared at the ground.

"I want to try."

"Nani? What do you mean?" Keien asked his sister.

"I want to try to free Nodin. If nothing else, I want the chance."

"Haruka." Yatsurugi vanished his armor and he was once more was dressed in his plain clothing. "Are you sure? I mean if it works, that means you'll know that you had a past life."

"That's okay. I've always believed that we have more than one life. This will just confirm it. Besides, I…I think there is a connection between us."

"If that's what you want." Yatsurugi replied. Haruka nodded her head.

"All you'd have to do is touch the coffee table." Nodin said.

"I understand." Haruka rose to her feet. In a few steps she was beside the table. Crouching down, she reached out her hand and touched the charred surface. Nodin's shoulders sagged as he realized that the seal was still on him. He'd harbored a secret hope that she had been Alison. He'd felt safe with Haruka and she was familiar in a way, but she wasn't Alison. Haruka sighed when she realized that it wasn't working. She lifted her hand off and as she did electricity snapped at her.

"Haruka!" Keien exclaimed as his older sister jerked back.

"It's okay, it's simply a shock. I guess I don't have Alison's soul. That just means we'll have to look for her."

"We don't have to." An unfamiliar voice said. As one Haruka, Keien and Yatsurugi turned. A young man with black hair that fell past his shoulders and dark violet eyes smiled at them. A pair of wings spread from his back. One was a bat wing the other was a bird wing very similar to Yatsurugi's. "I guess the elders wanted to have a little fun at my expense."

"N-Nodin?" Haruka looked stunned. The young man nodded.

"You broke the seal." Tears she didn't know where flooded to her eyes. It was as if she'd been waiting to see him her entire life. The figure who had secretly been her idea of the perfect man for as long as she could remember. She'd never told anyone and now he was standing in front of her. Her body moved on its own propelling her towards him. In an instant her arms were around him, it had been so long. Part of her knew him, knew that he would never harm her, knew that he loved her. The part of her that was from that life felt relieved, but the part from this life felt uncertain. She really didn't know Nodin, but she wanted to learn, for Alison and her soul's sake.

"The part of me that was Alison knows you, but I don't. I am Nakabori Haruka."

"I know and I want to know Nakabori Haruka as well as I knew Alison. Will you give me that chance?"

"Hai. I will."

From where they stood, Keien and Yatsurugi watched.

"I'm a bit confused, but I think I'll live." Keien muttered.

"You're not the only one and I'm an angel. He's definitely a wind spirit though." Yatsurugi said changing the subject briefly.

"Oh, how can you tell."

"Wind spirits are the only types of spirits with one bird wing and one bat wing. All others have bat wings. It's because of one spirit and one angel's love. All their children bear the mark of their love."

"Then let's hope that a little of that love is in Nodin's heart because if he hurts my sister he'll have to answer to me." Keien said winking at Yatsurugi.

"I'd be more afraid of Kayumi personally."

"Are you implying I can't protect my sister's honor?"

"No, I'm just saying that Kayumi has a meaner streak than you do. Beside she has this really BIG sword and it's sharp."

"Alright, I get the idea. Tease." Yatsurugi smiled. "Hey, you two going to stand there all night or are you going to drive me and my boyfriend home?"