“I’m
sorry, Mina. I just don’t know… I mean, the timing is just kind of bad is
all.”
Hironah toyed nervously with her teacup. The
timing is awful. How could you even be asking me to do this?
“I realize that a trip to Mianuus is the
last thing you have in mind right now, but I don’t think anyone but you can
get to the bottom of this. If Quen goes alone, he’ll only be turned away.”
“Are
you sure it can’t wait?”
“I’m afraid not… I had intended to
talk to Takaeyama about this first, but…”
It was mid-afternoon on the day after
Blue’s funeral. Takaeyama was still in bed. This didn’t surprise Hironah in
the least, as he’d refused to get up since the morning after Blue’s death.
It had been all she could do to convince him to rise and dress for the funeral.
Chieko was having paroxysms of distress though Hironah seemed content to let him
be. If I was him, she thought, I’d be doing the same thing. In fact,
I wish I could just go to bed and not get up, too. I would, if I felt
that I had any choice in the matter.
Instead, she was sitting at the small
tea-table alone with Mina, who had surprised Hironah with what she felt to be a
rather pointless request.
“Maybe if you and Auntie Chieko went or
something… You guys were Champions.”
“Unfortunately, my work won’t afford me
the time, not with all the preparations for the Zeit. I’ve got to go back to
Morika’en as soon as possible. That’s why I’ve asked Quen to go in my
place… and you’re his niece Hironah. They won’t refuse you.”
“I haven’t seen Harata in a couple of
years, Mina.”
“But, in light of the circumstances…”
No. No lady, I am not letting you
convince me to use Blue as an excuse. We all owe him more than that.
Hironah’s
eyes narrowed.
I shouldn’t have been surprised
she’d be so stubborn, Mina thought to herself. This is Keisuke’s kid.
In truth,
Mina was having a hard time looking at Hironah. She’d last seen her as a small
child, and even then she’d been reminiscent of her parents. Now she did
nothing more than batter Mina with long-forgotten memories of the Champions
who’d been the closest friends she’d ever had, friends she was destined
never to meet again.
Hironah was of the same height and build as
her mother had been all those years ago- slightly tall with voluptuous curves.
Unlike Ayame, her muscles were toned as a warrior’s from years of training.
She moved with a grace reminiscent of Keisuke, a few of her gestures mimicking
his so perfectly as to make her a ghost. Her pale skin and raven hair, her
cynical smirk, the way she had of knitting her eyebrows spoke so strongly of her
long-dead father that Mina felt a pained longing for him smash her heart. The
curve of her lips, the shape of those vibrant violet eyes were her mother’s,
and within the calm serenade of her voice, in the stillness about her Blue
lurked, his legacy more than just the school he’d started with Takaeyama. Mina
was struck by the idea that as she watched this girl she saw a long echo of dead
and dying souls. It was like being shot in the heart.
“I have to talk to Kaiya about this. I
want his opinion… I’m sorry to say so, but I don’t think I can leave here
now. There’s too much I have to do. And all this might just be stress… what
with the Zeit coming up and Aki’s never been well.”
“Akihito is doing alright… We’re
doing all we can for him.”
“We? Who’s that? The Musubiki?”
“Yes… we’ve been studying his case
for a long time. We’re hoping to find a cure.”
“Do you think you’ll find one?” Mina
was a little taken aback by the tone of desperation in Hironah’s voice.
“We’re trying… You miss him, don’t
you? Maybe you could see him if you went to Mianuus. I saw him a couple of
months ago when I was there on business- quite a handsome boy. It’s a shame,
really.”
“My family has all the luck.” Hironah
had made the comment flippantly, but as soon as she’d said it she realized
that she meant it in all its sarcasm.
“We’ll find a solution. Don’t worry.
In the meantime, you could do a lot to help out by assisting us with this
problem. Kat’s honestly beside herself. It’s just not normal.”
“I’ll think about it… but I have
Kamitouki to think about as well. That’s my first priority. I’m sorry to
hear about Kat’s troubles, but I have my own. I’m sorry, but I’m sure you
can understand that.”
“I do. I know Takaeyama’s unwell… and
you have the burden of the whole school on your shoulders.”
I have the future of Kamitouki on
my shoulders. Thank the gods Kaiya agreed to stay.
Hironah twisted the amethyst pendant she
wore on a silver choker around her neck. Mina felt as though it was she who was
being wrenched so. Aya… whatever became of you? Why couldn’t you just let
us help? She had to end this conversation. As much as she wanted Hironah’s
agreement, Mina could no longer stand the sight of her.
“I’ll let you have some time to think
it over. I have to return to Morika’en tonight, but I’ll leave Quen here in
Nira. If you can’t help us, I guess he’ll just have to go on to Mianuus
alone.”
Mina stood up and extended her hand to
Hironah.
“It was good to see you again,” she
lied.
“Have a safe journey.”
“Meela! Meela, if you’d just listen to
me for a second-“
Pause.
“C’mon Meela, my uncle just died.”
Pause.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?
That’s a damn insensitive thing to say!”
Pause.
“Yeah, well you might have a better idea
about what’s going on if you’d come with me like I asked you.”
Pause.
“Yeah, I know. I know how you feel
about funerals. I know how you feel about everything. You never shut your
yap.”
Pause.
“Well, it’s true. Look, I’m
the one having a hard time here-“
A long pause. Yoshiki stood in the foyer,
phone to his ear.
“Yeah,
yeah, uh-huh.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Look, this is my family, okay? It
doesn’t get much more important than-“
Pause.
“No, it’s not because I care about them
more than you. This is a real problem- Meela? Meela! Gods, you’re such
a bitch,” he whispered to no one. She’d hung up on him.
When Yoshiki reentered the room where
he’d been sitting with Yume, Hironah and Kaiya, his sister sighed heavily.
“I wish you’d just break up with
her.”
“You’d say that about any girl I was
dating,” Yoshiki replied. “You’re just jealous.”
“Jealous? Don’t be dumb, Yoshiki. All
you two ever do is fight.”
“We make up afterwards,” he said with a
sly smile.
“I just hate to see you wasting your time
with someone who doesn’t appreciate you.”
“And where am I supposed to meet such a
person? You know how people feel about dating… well, people like us. And Meela
stayed with me even after her parents found out. They threw a fit. So, she’s a
little selfish. She’ll outgrow it.”
“A little selfish? She wouldn’t even
come here with you!”
Hironah looked over at Kaiya, who appeared
to be studiously ignoring the conversation. While she agreed with Yoshiki that
it was difficult for young people of mixed Clans to find relationships, she
wondered what Kaiya thought about it. Hasn’t been easy for you either, has
it? His duties at the school and the temple kept him so tied up that he had
few friends. He’d never had a girlfriend. Unlike Yoshiki, Kaiya never
complained, didn’t bemoan his lot in life. Yet there had been many occasions
in which Hironah wondered what it was that ran through his mind during those
brooding moments of silent speculation that gripped him. He never spoke to her
about them.
Despite a great number of eccentricities in
his appearance, Hironah had always felt that he was handsome. He was shorter
than Yoshiki, but stockier, and incredibly strong. She’d seen Kaiya move loads
that she was sure they’d need to hire a Pantagruel to take care of. He had a
casual, easy grace, shot through with an air of intense determination. He always
dressed in the customary clothing of the Night’s Herald, but like Yoshiki and
many other young Diasminian men wore a number of silver earrings in his ears. He
wore his straight, night-blue hair in a fashion that Hironah frequently
questioned- one side grew to his earlobes, while the other he kept completely
shorn. His most eccentric feature, however, was his eyes. Hironah recalled that
they had frightened her quite a bit as a child. Unlike every other set of eyes
that she’d ever seen, his were not uniform, being two different colors
entirely, one a deep caramel brown and the other a vivid green. However, despite
the unsettling difference in their shades, those eyes often radiated a soft
kindness, evidence of Kaiya’s gentle spirit. Hironah turned to him and asked,
“Have you seen Seiken?”
“Seiken? No, not since morning… You
gonna tell me what that lady wanted?”
“Who Mina? Yeah, I’ll tell you later.
Right now I got stuff to do, some of which involves a certain Decameron. I hope
he hasn’t left already. He does seem like the type who’d just slink off
without saying anything.”
“Cut the guy a break, Hironah.”
“I
like Seiken,” Yoshiki stated, ignoring his sister’s latest remark and
jumping into the conversation. “He’s a laugh if you can get him to open his
mouth.”
“Didn’t Blue get to be kind of fond of
him?” queried Yume.
“Yeah,” Hironah answered reluctantly.
She was suddenly overcome by the memory of Blue’s last word to Seiken, when
the Decameron had gently told him he would leave the family to spend their last
moments alone. Blue had whispered only “Erishkegal”, the meaning of which
was obviously quite lost on Seiken. The Decameron answered simply “Goodbye,
Blue… and thank you,” before leaving the room.
“What did it mean?” Hironah had asked
Kaiya later.
“I don’t know. Erishkegal is the
goddess who rules Pandemonium… but you knew that. Maybe it was the eyes.”
“Huh? What’s that got to do with
anything?”
“Ever seen anyone else with red eyes?”
“No…”
“Hers are red, too… Maybe he just
wasn’t thinking straight, Hironah.”
“Maybe.”
The memory still nagged at her.
What did she want?
Kaiya had been standing there, half-hidden
in the doorway, for what must’ve been at least fifteen minutes. He watched as
the red light of the Prime Sun glinted off Dawn and Dusk, dying sunset reflected
on steel. Hironah was on the exercise grounds outside, practicing with her
blades. He was relieved to see that she’d taken the time for her daily ritual,
despite all the running back and forth she’d been doing. It always gave her
comfort, and Kaiya secretly enjoyed watching her. As she went through the
graceful motions, he would witness a transformation come over her, worries
slowly ebbing, replaced by peace. He would watch her in secret silence, as he
did now, with a feeling of wonderment. It was his custom to turn away after
she’d finished, to quietly ponder the serenity he’d seen in her. Today,
however, as she sheathed Dawn and Dusk, he stepped from the doorway.
“There you are, Hironah.”
She turned as Kaiya called to her, and he
watched with dismay as her peace slipped away, anxieties creeping into its
place.
“Hey, Kaiya.”
“Did you find Seiken?”
“Yeah… I asked him to stick around for
a couple of days. He seemed kind of relieved, actually.”
“Makes sense… Must be hard not knowing
where your next meal’s coming from. Meeting him has really made me think a lot
more about what’s happening to the Decameron.”
“They think they can stay neutral
forever. It’s killing them.”
“Do you think they’d have it any easier
if they chose a side? Look at us… or Yoshiki, even.”
“At least we’re doing something… and
our enemies only strike from one side. The Decameron are going to have to accept
that things have changed. Things are only going to get worse for them if they
don’t.”
“I guess… Can I ask you now what it was
that Mina wanted?”
Hironah sighed heavily.
“She wants me to go with Quen to
Mianuus.”
“Why?”
“She’s worried about what’s been
going on there… apparently Harata’s gone strange.”
“Strange? Like, strange how?”
“I don’t know exactly… reclusive,
refusing to meet with anyone… and Mina said that Kat was really cagey last
time they met, slipped her a note.”
“What did it say?”
“Help.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah… but I don’t see why Mina’s
asking me to do this. At any other time I’d go, but… now?”
Kaiya looked
skeptically at Hironah.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. How could I leave here
now, even for a couple of days?” Hironah shook her head in frustration. “We
both know Takaeyama’s about to lose it, and Yoshiki was saying something about
Remnant making problems again.”
“Sirrah can handle Remnant.”
“Maybe… I heard they got official
sanction from the Ghost Clan, though. They’ll have better weapons and training
now. Yoshiki’s guys are a really tight crew, but still. Can I really take the
chance and hope that Remnant doesn’t try anything while I’m away?”
“It is only for a couple of days.
It’ll be okay here. Bel can handle it. He’s more than competent, you know
that.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll go with you. You can’t go by
yourself.”
“No, Kaiya. I need you to stay here.”
Kaiya sighed, then looked directly into
Hironah’s eyes.
“I made a promise, Hironah. Blue asked me
to watch over you. I know you’re a grown woman and you can take care of
yourself… but there was something in the way he asked me, like… like he had
a reason for it. You know, like he knew something.”
“You’re just being paranoid, Kaiya. Of
course he asked you to protect me. He was my father. He can’t take care of me
anymore, so naturally he asked you to do it.”
“Whatever the reason, I promised.”
“Well, I need you to stay here. I need
you to stay with Taka. You’re the only one I can trust to take care of him.”
“Bel-“
“Bel has students to deal with.”
“Hironah…” Kaiya’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s more dangerous for you going all alone to Mianuus that it will be for
us here. You could just as easily be jumped by Remnant or any of the other
gangs, for that matter. You can’t go by yourself.”
“I’ll be going with Quen.”
“You don’t even know Quen!”
“Fine, you’re right. That settles it.
I’ll just stay here.”
“Aren’t you a little curious about
what’s going on?”
“Yeah, but…”
“If this is a real problem, it would
probably be best to get to the bottom of it before something… happens.”
“Yeah, if. Taka’s a real
problem. Trying to keep Kamitouki running is a real problem. Remnant is a real
problem. Harata’s the Emperor. He has plenty of people to help him. He
doesn’t need me.”
“He didn’t come to the funeral,”
Kaiya said softly, eyes lowered. “Don’t you want to know why?”
“Things changed, I guess,” Hironah
answered bitterly.
“Yeah, but how?”
Hironah stared hard at Kaiya. Why does
he always know what to say to push my buttons? He’d obviously figured out
that Harata’s absence the day before had needled her. Yes, she wanted to know
why. She wanted to hear the excuses for why Blue had been ignored, why she and
Takaeyama had been abandoned in their grief. She wanted to know why it was that
the Ghost Clan could sponsor gangs throughout the country to wage their war for
them while rival gangs like Sirrah, who fought and bled for the Empire, were
harassed by the police and renounced by the Musubiki. She wanted to know a lot
of things.
“I’m going,” she stated, “but
you’re not.”
Kaiya was silent a moment, then said
suddenly,
“Take Seiken with you.”
“What? Why?”
“He’ll be useful to you in a pinch, if
you run into anything. And besides, you’ll get to know him better. It’ll
help you decide whether or not you want to take him on permanently.”
“You want me to keep him,” Hironah
observed.
“It would be good to have a resident
Decameron, and I think he’d be helpful for Takaeyama.”
“Made yourself a new friend, have you?”
Hironah watched smugly as Kaiya averted his eyes and smiled shyly.
“He’s a nice guy, Hironah. I think
you’ll get to like him.”
You’ve been so lonely, though you’ll
never admit it, huh Kaiya?
“Alright, I’ll drag him along, if only
for your sake.”
Just don’t blame me if I send him
packing afterward.
“Seiken?”
Hironah watched as the Decameron tensed,
shoulders twitching, and turned around. Skittish bastard.
“Oh, hey Hironah,” he replied.
She observed him in the overhead lights of
the dorm where they’d decided to board him for the length of his stay. Seiken
was of medium height- taller than Kaiya, but shorter than Yoshiki- and of a
rather non-descript build. His clothing- a red homespun shirt and black
trousers- was shabby, and the leather boots on his feet had holes worn through
them. His hair was brown, save for a vibrant red forelock and was extremely
straight, hanging well past his ears, which like Kaiya’s and Yoshiki’s were
pierced numerous times. He had something of a hangdog expression, especially
around his crimson-colored eyes. His entire being seemed permeated by a
relentless anxiety, as though his soul quaked within and sent shivers of worry
to his tattered surface. Kaiya had once wondered aloud if he’d always been
that way, or if the years of homeless wandering had caused his desperate
dishevelment. The only one who knew that for sure was Seiken himself, and he
never had anything to say on the subject. He never seemed to have much to say at
all.
“Come out with me,” Hironah invited.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
“O-okay.”
Seiken put down the book he’d been
reading. Hironah recognized it as one of Kaiya’s. The pair walked out into the
night, still warm, but bearing hints of the coolness that would come with the
end of the summer. Light spilled from the dorm and the training hall nearby,
where a group of students would no doubt be sparring. Hironah found herself
wishing she was in there with them… nights when she and Bel and Kaiya would
spar always left the students in envious wonder, but that was an activity for
happier days. She glanced over at Seiken after they’d gone a ways into a small
garden in the trees. Something about him rendered small talk nearly impossible,
so Hironah decided, as she usually did when speaking to him, to simply cut
straight to the reason she had for seeking him out.
“I have to take a trip to Mianuus. I’d
like you to come with me.”
“Me? Uh… um… why?”
“Kaiya doesn’t want me going by myself.
We decided to ask you if you wouldn’t mind going, as he can’t.”
“Well… um, if that’s- if that’s
what you guys want.”
“I think it would make Kaiya feel better
to know I was with someone he trusted.”
Seiken felt his face flush, thankful for
the cover of darkness.
“I- I’d be happy to go then.” He hung
his head. “But… I… well, I, um… I-haven’t-got-any-money,” he blurted
almost inaudibly.
“Huh? Oh, Kaiya will take care of it.
You’ll be doing him a favor. When we get back we can discuss your future here
at Kamitouki.”
“Alright, Hironah. Anything I can to help
you and Kaiya… You’ve- you’ve both been very kind to me.”
“You did a lot to help Blue,” Hironah
admitted grudgingly. “We’re both thankful for that.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more,”
Seiken murmured, almost to himself.
“He spoke to you a lot, didn’t he? Did
he tell you what happened in Pandemonium?”
“No… We, um, we talked about… lots of
things, but not that.”
“But you know what happened.”
“Beyond what I told you, I- I don’t
know anything more. I’m sorry… I don’t know why it happened either.”
“What’s ‘Erishkegal’, Seiken?”
Hironah asked abruptly.
“The Queen of the Underworld.”
“Why did Blue call you that? Why, with
all the things you two could’ve spoken about, was that the last thing he said
to you?”
“I… don’t know.”
Sure you don’t, and I’m the future
Empress.
“Kaiya’s
determined to find out what happened. Anything you know would help him a lot.
You can tell it to him if you don’t want to tell me.”
Seiken said nothing.
“Well, anyway, I’ll tell you tomorrow
when I have the travel plans. You can go back in now.”
“Goodnight, Hironah,” he said, turning
away. Looking back over his shoulder he added, “I really am sorry. I wish
things could’ve been different.”
Not as much as I do.
“So,
when are we leaving for Mianuus?” Yoshiki asked eagerly, rubbing his hands
together.
“We? There is no ‘we’, Yoshiki.”
“Yes there is. I’m going, too.”
Hironah looked at her cousin in
exasperation. She put down the stack of breakfast dishes she’d been holding.
They hit the table with a rattling clink.
“What are you talking about?”
“Going to Mianuus. Your husband told me
you were going and asked if I wouldn’t mind tagging along, since you so
stubbornly refused to let him accompany you.”
“First of all, Kaiya is not my
husband, and second of all, no.”
“Oh, please. Everyone knows it’s just a
matter of time. And I am going. Loverboy is right, you need a
bodyguard.”
“Yoshiki, I could beat you with my eyes
closed. Anyway, what about Remnant?”
“What about them? I’m leaving part of
Sirrah stationed here in Nira. It’s just a couple of days. I’m going with
you- no ifs, ands, or buts.”
Hironah sighed heavily.
“Oh, are you guys talking about the trip
to Mianuus?” Yume asked brightly as she entered the room and began stacking
dishes and silverware. “I’m going, too.”
“No, you are not, Yume,” Yoshiki
said firmly.
“I
am so. You know I wanted to take a trip before I have to go back to school.”
“We’re all going to the Zeit-“
“That’s after school starts, and
besides, I’ll be stuck with Mom and Dad the whole time. I’m going with you
guys. I never get to see you anymore, Yoshiki. It’ll be fun to go together.”
“It won’t be any fun if we get jumped.
You could get hurt.”
“I’m not scared,” Yume replied
defiantly.
“That’s because you’ve never been in
a fight.”
“Hironah,” Yume turned to her cousin,
“tell Yoshiki I can go. Everybody else is going, even Seiken.”
“Kaiya’s not going,” Hironah stated,
“and besides, it’ll be boring. We’re not going on a sightseeing tour.”
“I know, but I want to go. You guys
always leave me out, since I was a kid. It was always you and Yoshiki and Kaiya.
I always got left behind.”
“Yume…” Hironah began gently, “you
know why that is. Nobody wanted it to be that way, but-“
“I’m fine, Hironah. I’ve been
fine. I wish you guys would stop treating me like I’m so fragile. It’s
bad enough that Mom and Dad act the way they do. Stop leaving me out.”
“Fine. I give up. We’ll all go to
Mianuus, harass the Imperial Family, turn around and go home. I’m sure it’ll
be a blast.”
As Hironah picked up the stack of dishes
and walked out of the room, she wondered why it was that everyone she knew had
to be so stubborn.
