Fumei no Musubi
Chapter Ten
by
Ina-chan
First Posted Online: April 1, 2004
History: Sequel to Jyuunishi no Enkei Monogatari
It's
been almost fifteen minutes.
The
writer idly tapped his pen on the edge of the notebook on his
lap as he continued to wait. His eyes focused blankly on the
same page... more like he couldn't get himself to look up, thus
his notes seemed like as good as an excuse to occupy his
attention. Nontheless, his ears perked anxiously as he monitored
his surroundings.
Waiting.
The
room was so silent that the tapping pen blared like a base drum
in his ears. But still, he patiently waited as another minute
added to his vigil. It was a battle of the wills... a great
matter of principle was on stake. But it would seem that his
opponent was just as determined to not be the first to break
down.
"I've
had enough of this nonsense, You're no longer in elementary
school. If you don't resolve this like adults, it's up to
you," Ayame sighed with uncharacteristic exasperation, he
ran his fingers through his silvery strands melodramatically,
making his way out of the room," I'm GOOOO~~ING now!
I better not come back to a blood bath or I'll spank the both of
you!"
With
that, the snake left the room in feigned huff. Shigure almost
allowed the amused smile creeping to touch the corners of his
lips at his cousin's antics... but he forced his face to keep
its apathetic expression. He thought it was unusual that Ayame
seemed impatient to leave his side when his cousin first came to
visit him that morning. It seems that this was the answer to his
unspoken question. It doesn't really matter now, anyway. He
pushed all other thoughts away from his mind. After all, this
was still the middle of a battle. His opponent had already won
countless battles like this in the past... but this time, it'll
be different. He knew he was on the right this time, despite
what Hatori may believe. This was one battle he can't lose. He
refuses to lose...
"OW!
What the---" Shigure yelped in pain, suddenly clutching his
arm. He finally looked up and saw the Souma Family doctor
standing by his bedside as he nonchalantly untangled the
sphygmomanometer. Shigure could only glare at the other man,
"What did you do that for?"
"That
piece of tape was on the way," The doctor said blandly as
he wrapped the blood pressure cuff around the novelist's upper
arm, before adjusting his stethoscope
"You
didn't have to rip my ski---" The dog protested indignantly
"Shhhh!"
The dragon pointed at his cousin sternly, demanding his complete
silence, before proceeding with his task
Shigure
let out a defeated sigh and slumped back on his pillows. He
really should have known by now that those tactics don't work on
Hatori, "I don't know why you're allowed to become a
doctor. Your bedside manners are horrible."
"You
talk too much," was Hatori's simple curt reply as he peeled
off the measuring instrument and motioned at the other man to
sit up
The
writer sat up obediently, shrugged off the sleeves of his yukata,
and the doctor started examining his chest sounds. Hatori still
had that chilly 'I'm still mad at you aura around him'. The dog
knew well enough from childhood experience that the dragon was
slow to anger. In those instances after Hatori's ire was
unleashed, though he may act civil, Shigure knew too well that
the fire of the dragon's wrath was also slowly extinguished. To
be quite honest, he was still a little surprised that Hatori
actually came to him when the embers were obviously still
seething. Then again, Hatori does have the noble trait of
swallowing his pride for the sake of the common good. It
saddened him that more likely than not, Hatori was only seeing
him out of duty.
"So
what's the verdict? Am I going to live," Shigure called out
playfully as he pulled on his clothes after Hatori finished his
examination
"Unfortunately,"
Hatori replied abruptly, "Right until you're a senile dirty
old man."
In
spite of himself, Shigure allowed himself a small smile,
languishing on the relief that relieved at least, they were in
talking terms again, "I'm sorry about earlier. I knew I
should have told you in the first place... but I didn't intend
for Kana-chan to get involved in this. And she still isn't. As
far as she knows, she was only helping me with my research for a
new book."
Hatori
didn't answer, maintaining a stoic expression on his face.
Shigure
sighed again, "This is exactly the reason why I didn't want
to tell you..."
"But
you didn't hesitate to tell someone else," Hatori stated
blandly
The
novelist frowned,"What?"
No...
Hatori's anger hasn't waned a single notch. Behind the impassive
mask and the calm voice, Shigure could sense the intensity of
his best friend's fury. Whatever it was that got him riled up,
it was definitely bigger than the Kana incident. The dog tensed
up instinctively, as anxiety started to settle in the pit of his
stomach.
"What
are you talking about?" Shigure stared at the other man
nervously, "What happened?"
"Shigure,"
Hatori began, his steely gave locking his best friend in place,
"Why did you tell Tooru-kun?"
The
writer's eyes widened at the revelation and started to shake his
head protest.
"I
don't care what you do on your own anymore," Hatori
interrupted before words could leave the other man's lips,
"I hoped Kana was your last mistake. But Tooru-kun... She's
already stressed as it is, Shigure. Involving her in this...
Most specially now... it's unforgivable."
"I
didn't..." Shigure began, "Ha-san... what happened?
Did something happen to Tooru-kun?"
Hatori
crossed his arms and studied his patient before speaking,
"She's having problems sleeping. Kagura told me that Tooru-kun
has also been sleepwalking. And it all seemed to have started
roughly after your incident in the library."
Shigure
stared at the doctor in shock. He was aware that their flower
has been going through a lot, and she had told him in passing
about her sleeping troubles. But he didn't realize how serious
the situation really was. Suddenly, it was completely clear the
real reason why Ayame was acting strangely that morning. He
clenched his fists as a wave of guilt descended over him once
again, "How is she?"
"Resting,"
Hatori replied quietly, "Fortunately, she's a more
compliant patient than you and she has Kagura and Kyou to be my
eyes."
"Yuki..."
Shigure started
"Don't
think about any thing else now," Hatori interrupted once
again, his voice raising slightly, betraying his real emotions,
"I need you to tell me why you told Tooru-kun?"
Direct
to the point. So annoyingly typical of Hatori. The writer glared
at the doctor defiantly, "I didn't tell her anything!"
"Then
what happened in the library that day?" Hatori demanded
"Nothing.
I was just doing research on the family logs, she came to bring
some tea, we talked, and..." Shigure's voice trailed, his
eyes turning inwardly as he remembered"...the
sketchbook."
"Sketchbook?"
Shigure
looked back at the other man, "I just showed her a few
drawings from Souma Yuuta-san's sketchbook."
"Souma
Yuuta?"
"Iwaku-san's
nephew. He was the..." The writer's voice trailed again,
"...mouse... zodiac..."
Hatori's
eyes flashed at the statement, "What else?"
"That's
it," Shigure replied, feeling torn between his growing
concern for his cousin's wife and the nervousness starting to
gnaw at him as Hatori quietly studied him. This was a side that
his bestfriend rarely shows. Hatori almost never forces himself
into other people's business' unless he was called upon for
damage control. Thus, all at once, Shigure realized the
seriousness of the situation. Something else is going on that
would rattle Hatori's "live and let live" attitude
that would make the doctor to procatively intervene and take
matters into his hands. Hatori has not acted like this since...
...since
that time, years ago...
...when
Tooru started living in Shigure's House.
"Hatori,"
There was an uncharacteristic tremor in Shigure's voice as he
stated his best friend's full name, "What is it?"
"She
knows," Hatori answered gravely, "Tooru-kun knows
Iwaku-san's story."
The
Dog's eyes widened once again in disbelief, "What? How's
that possible? She couldn't possibly have known about it?"
"Unless
there's something that you're not telling me."
"Why
would I hide something like that from you?"
Hatori
simply gave him a significant look. Shigure shrank back, feeling
stung. At the same time, he could feel his anger starting to
rise within him. He took a deep breath and pushed back his
annoyance. This was not the time for this.
"Kagura
prodded if Tooru-kun remembered anything about the dream that
caused her to sleepwalk,"Hatori began, changing the
direction of the conversation, upon senseing Shigure's unspoken
plea
Shigure
nodded, encouraging his best friend to continue.
"Kagura
doesn't know about the story," Hatori stated, "So I
was rather surprised to hear her describe about the garden that
Tooru-kun told her from her dream. It was almost the same
account as the peach orchard that Iwaku-san described in his
story."
"The
garden where Kaji and Yukino-chan played in as children?"
The dog asked, a contemplative expression crossing his face,
"But that doesn't really mean anything."
"Kagura
said that when Tooru-kun was sleepwalking," The dragon
added, "She called Kagura a strange name."
Shigure
frowned, his anxiety was quickly turning to full blown fear...
"What is it?"
"Nagusami."
The
writer took a deep intake of breath. Somehow, he had a feeling
that was what the dragon was going to say. His mind whirled as
he desperately searched deep inside the recesses of his
memories. He closed his eyes and rubbed his right temple as he
desperately tried to recollect every conversation... every
incident... Souma Iwaku... the Souma curse... the Mizugawa
revenge... Akito... anything! Anything at all that would give
them a clue to why this was happening.
"It
seemed that it all started after your incident in the
library," Hatori repeated his earlier statement helpfully
Shigure
shook his head, "No... Tooru-kun said once that she had
that dream about the garden ever since she was a child."
This
time, it was the dragon who stared at the dog in disbelief,
"That's impossible! She's not even a Souma by blood. The
only possible way she could dream that too, is if someone
suggested it..."
"Dream
that... too?"
Hatori
stopped abruptly, as if suddenly realizing he was saying
something that he shouldn't have said aloud. However, it was too
late to take back his words. He stood up from his seat, and
motioned to leave the room.
But
Shigure literally leapt from his bed and held on to the other
man's arm urgently, "Who is it?"
The
doctor looked away, and remained silent.
"Ha-san,
tell me who it is," Shigure's grasped tightened on his best
friend's arm, "When I first brought Souma Iwaku's story to
light, you scoffed at the mere idea of it. I know you. There is
absolutely no way you will suddenly change what you believe
unless you've seen proof otherwise. Someone else aside from
Tooru-kun and myself are having these dreams. There is someone,
isn't there? Who is it? Is it one of the jyuunishi? Is it
you?"
"No,
it's not me," Hatori replied quietly, still refusing to
meet the other man's eyes, "And it's not my place to tell
you anything."
"Cut
the confidentiality crap," Shigure growled, finally
allowing his buried anger to surface, "History is on the
verge of repeating itself and we don't have much time to stop
it. Tell me who it is!"
"It's
not my place to tell you anything," The Dragon repeated
firmly, "But if you really want to get your answers,
there's only one thing that you can do."
"What?"
Hatori
looked up and faced his friend to hold the writer's eyes in a
very significant and enigmatic gaze, "Pray."
The
Dog's face darkened at the Dragon's cryptic reply, his hands
loosening their grip and forming twin angry fists on his lap.
******
The
sound of hurried orders and panicked feet echoed over the
polished wooden floors, thundering in the background. She made
an involuntary cringe as another tortured wail punctuated in the
air. The atmosphere around them was heavy with tension. Despite
the numerous times this has happened, she still couldn't get
herself to be rid of this agonizing sense of fear that she's
feeling. Finally the the torrent of sounds finally ebbed to
silence, as the cause of the newest storm has finally been
calmed.
Thus,
she fully concentrated on wringing out the excess amounts of
antiseptic from the cotton ball that held it with her tweezers,
before turning her attention to the cleaned small cuts and
scratches on the young man's cheek in front of her. And for the
life of her, she couldn't understand why he's doing this. Or why
she's doing this. But despite her past efforts to separate
herself from this person before her, in the end, she found
herself still by his side.
He
didn't react at all when the swab cleansed his wounds.
She
knows from experience how much this stings. His strength in
bearing pain was one of his qualities that attracted her. Then
again, knowing all the sacrifices this person before her is
going through... the sting of alcohol on a scrape is nothing
more than a bite from an ant. She loved and hated him for that
nobility of his. But even more, she hated herself for not having
the power to protect him.
"Rin
is suddenly so quiet... mystery," her patient's cool, laid
back voice, broke their silence
"Idiot,"
She replied in a quiet tone, "Why do you put up with this?
You already know that there's no stopping him when he falls into
his spells."
"It's
not his fault, you already know that," the young man
answered patiently
"That
doesn't make it right," she stated with an angry lilt in
her voice, as she taped a piece of guaze over one of the deeper
cuts on his face
"But
at least," he countered as he caught her fingers on his
bandaged cheek, closed his eyes and pressed against them,
"it gives me the pleasure of having Rin tend to my battle
wounds."
The
young woman immediately pulled her hand away, an embarrassed
flush rushing to her face, "I-idiot. Stop saying stupid
things like that."
The
young man rose to his feet and started to make his way out of
the room.
"Don't
tell me that you're going back there!" she glared at him in
disbelief.
"I
just want to make sure that Kureno is alright," he replied
with a non-chalant wave. He rose to his feet and made his way
out of the room.
She
ground her teeth before turning after him, "HARU!"
Haru
looked back from the doorway to give her a reassuring smile,
"Everything will be alright, you'll see."
Rin
could only bow her head in defeat, listening to the fading
echoes of young man's footsteps against the polished wooden
floors.
End
of Chapter Ten
Return to Chapter
Nine
Continued on Chapter
Eleven
AUTHOR’S
SQUAWK:
For a chapter so
simple, writing this bit was rather difficult. The noose is
getting tighter and the leash is getting shorter. I have a
feeling that the end is very near, (I hope). Anywayz, thank you
everyone for commenting on this rather strange fic. And see you
guys in chapter 11 (Soon, I hope...)
Ja!
Ina-chan
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