Fan Fiction ❯ No Rest For the Wicked ❯ Chapter 3

Kagayaki studied the note that the angry wolf pack had handed him when they had returned from Firefly forest. He wondered where Junsui and all the stuff were. Not that it really mattered. He laughed. She was like Saikoubi, just another… There was a knock at the door.

"What?" He growled. Kagura scowled at him.

"I know what the fuck you did to Saikoubi and I just wanted to say no one fucks with my friends!" She shouted and in one giant step crossed the space between them. He wore a smirk.

"What happens when they get married, Kagura-dono?" He mocked. She smirked back.

He never saw that right hook fly at his jaw. He stumbled back from the pain. Enraged he ran toward her. She kicked him in the chest. He crumpled to the ground. On the way down he received a knee to his face, breaking his nose. The blood poured onto the floor. Kagura laughed. She 'accidentally' stepped on his arm breaking it. He stood up. That is when the rest of the Wolf Pack appeared. They had heard the shouts of pain. She gave them a look that clearly said stay back. Kagayaki stood, he held a wakizashi that he had pulled from his shirt. Akane smiled and tossed Kagura a wakizashi of her own. Kagayaki smiled. He hadn't lost in sword fight in years. Considering he only sparred against Kizoku, who was a fist fighter and… Well the details weren't important. What was, was the fact that Kagura had just slashed his side open. He weakly stabbed at her. He gasped. She was behind him. Before he could turn around she kicked him in the back. He fell face first into the ground coated with his blood. Then Kagura got a dangerous idea. She slit his shirt open. A sadistic smirk graced her features. The rest of the Wolf Pack looked at each other apprehensively. They knew she wouldn't kill him. If Saikoubi somehow found out she really would die of a broken heart. Any fears they had were soon put to rest. In his back were carved two words that basically explained his entire life, "Rapist Bastard". Nodding in satisfaction, the Wolf Pack left.

"I'm glad Saikoubi isn't here." Yukie said as they left.

"Why?" The rest shouted at her.

"Because, she's Saikoubi. She would have tried to stop you. Or right now she would be in there helping him. Besides if she saw that she would lecture us!" Yukie replied. Everyone laughed.

They all went to their rooms. That is when each opened a letter addresses specifically to her from Saikoubi. They all laughed. But had anyone known they would have been surprised. Not a one shed a single tear. They were all dry-eyed. That is the way that Saikoubi wanted it though. And considering that they never cried, one would suppose that it was normal. For them at least.

~*~

He wondered if he should at least send a letter to the Wolf Pack. Saikoubi was sleeping fitfully in the small room at the inn that they had taken for the night. The elderly woman from before ran the inn. Her name was… Kifujin, yeah that was it Kifujin Wayama. Her son was the doctor who had taken the time to make sure that Saikoubi was all right. He said that she would be fine after a few days of rest. Wayama-san agreed to let them stay as long as they needed. Kizoku had told her that they were married in secret and had to leave their town before their parents found out. They had been traveling for months and along the trip Saikoubi had gotten pregnant. She had replied with an 'aww that is so romantic' and an offer to allow them room and board if they helped her around the inn and such. Jobs, a place to stay, and somewhat close to the Wolf Pack and a doctor. Somewhat close to the Wolf Pack Saikoubi would… Saikoubi thrashing about in her sleep broke him from his thoughts. He had been watching her from a corner by the door. He sighed. Her face was flushed and she had tears in her eyes. He walked over to her.

"Hmmm! No Kagayaki!" He heard her mumble, he never knew she talked in her sleep. "No Kagayaki, I will not. Hmm! Let go now!…… No! You… Y… You wouldn't!…… They can defend themselves…… Yes even her!……No. Not Kizoku!!……If you hurt him I will……No… Please Kagayaki don't!! … … No!!" She began whimpering quite unlike her waking self.

For a moment she stilled and Kizoku, pardon the language, took advantage of the moment. He straightened the blankets and slipped under them. Before she could begin thrashing about again he pulled her close. She stiffened and almost cried out. But he brushed a strand of stray hair from her face and she snuggled next to him. Adapting to this change. Her head rested on his shoulder.

"Kagayaki, you bastard. She did that to protect me and I will find a way to repay her." He muttered. "I will find a way to repay her. It is the least she deserves."

"Hmm… Kizoku?" He heard her mutter.

He looked at her. She was dreaming again. He smiled. What he said now didn't matter.

"Yes sweetie?" He asked she curled up closer to him.

"Who does your heart beat for?" She mumbled. He chuckled.

"You." He whispered in her ear. "You."

Kizoku shut his eyes happily. Saikoubi opened hers sadly. He drifted off into dreamland but that word anchored her to the waking world. Ten years ago he decided, what had changed to make him change his mind? She looked over at him. The moonlight shone on his face and he slept smiling. There was a time when she would have done anything to see that smile. Now… Well now can only be explained by then.

*~*

Ten-year-old Saikoubi Akahoshi and her six best friends (Kagura Fujita, Shizuka Koshikawa, Akina Kawasaki, Yukie Tomayasu, Akane Sanjo, and Anzu Yukimura) gathered under the biggest tree in the yard with the rest of their 27 classmates. Their teacher, Katsu-sensei had sent them out to think up an idea for a project of some sort. Eyes burning with passion Saikoubi leapt up from her seat on the ground. Eyes dull with fear, twelve-year-old Kizoku Toyoyoshi gulped.

"Town!" Saikoubi cried. "Why don't we make our own town? We all stay at the 'school house'! Our rooms can be our houses and the main hall can be the market! We could set up stands there! The empty classrooms can serve as like dojos and fields and we could have jobs and stuff!" Everyone agreed that that was the plan, the idea. They all thought it would be fun… So they went to planning.

" I think that Kizoku should be lord of the town." Hideki suggested. "Kizoku should be Lord of Akina." Akina turned red when everyone suddenly stared at her. The rest of the Wolf Pack was laughing.

"Akina??" Saikoubi shouted then began laughing. "Like we name the town Akina?"

"Yeah. We should name the town Akina." He said as though they were all idiots.

"Kizoku would make a good lord." Junsui cooed. The rest of the Wolf Pack looked at Saikoubi.

"Whatever we aren't naming the town Akina." Spat Keiko. "I mean I get to name the town since I'm going to be lady." Everyone looked at her. "Who else would Kizoku choose?" Saikoubi's eye twitched.

Kagura looked like she was about to slap her. It got even worse when Keiko's best friend Megumi interfered. They were the sworn enemies of the Wolf Pack, except Junsui. Megumi began saying how if the town should be named after anyone it should be named after her or Keiko. Then she started ranting about how Keiko would make the best lady of the town. Saikoubi looked at Kagura, who was about to go hurt them, as if to say you wouldn't want the town named Akina either. Saikoubi then smiled.

"Why don't we just name the town Kyoto?" She said. "Like the city, so that it is fair to everyone?"

"Yeah!" Akina said, happily relieved of having the town named after her.

"Hey Kizoku, who are you going to choose to be Lady of Kyoto?" Hideki asked.

"Well it is Saikoubi's idea she should be lady." Shizuka said softly, except that everyone heard her.

"You mean that I would have to marry Saikoubi?!?!?" Kizoku yelled. Kagura nodded like he was stupid. So did the rest of the Wolf Pack, except Junsui. "I'm only being Lord of Kyoto if Junsui is lady!"

"Saikoubi could be Lady of Kyoto on her own." Kagura answered resisting the urge to add dumbass her favorite new word. Shizuka agreed. The three were like sisters. Shizuka was the youngest of the sisters was quick to agree and quick to annoy when she didn't.

"Umm, I don't have to be lady." Saikoubi whispered, she was the oldest and tried her best not to go against anyone else in the Wolf Pack. As the oldest of the seven she tried to keep things together.

"Junsui would just wreck the town!" Akane shouted. "She would make us give up stuff!"

"It doesn't matter who the Lady of Kyoto is!" Hideki yelled. "Kizoku will run the town."

"Both the Lady and Lord should work together to run the town!" Saikoubi said angrily. "It isn't fair other wise!" From the classroom a pair of cold blue eyes watched in interest.

"Saikoubi should be Lady forget about that idiot Kizoku being Lord." Kagura exclaimed.

"HEY!" Kizoku shouted. "I'm right here! I can hear you, you know!!!"

"Amazing the idiot Lord can hear and understand. Kagura it's a miracle!" Shizuka laughed.

A low growl emitted from Saikoubi. The two younger sisters looked towards the eldest.

A breeze blew through, as if trying to cool the raging tempers. Kizoku looked at Saikoubi who stood behind Shizuka and Kagura. She was composed and emotionless. Her eyes locked onto his and he shivered. He had never seen eyes that cold, not to mention those were Saikoubi's eyes. She was never this calm, she was never this quiet. He shivered again. Those were not Saikoubi's eyes… They couldn't be. She stepped forward. He took a half step back. For a moment she smirked almost as if to taunt him.

"I can run a town on my own." She said quietly. "But fighting over this would be pointless, wouldn't it?" One of the girls was about to make a comment when she received a glare that could kill a small elephant, if looks could kill. "Lets do it this way shall we? The history of Kyoto in a way. Junsui was my sister and on his deathbed, considering that she had married first and we had no brothers my father passed the town to her. I shall take a simple life like the rest of my sisters. But if any of us should marry the townspeople would then decide who would run fair Kyoto."

Everyone agreed. Then in a single moment an odd look came into Saikoubi's eyes. The smirk was gone from her face. For that Kizoku was thankful, he hoped he would never see it again. One of the girls stood up. Saikoubi looked at her. It was Keiko.

"So then we like get to get married and have jobs?" She asked, just a bit stupidly.

"Yes." Saikoubi nodded, back to her old self. "We should figure all of that stuff out now, like who we marry or if we choose to go in unmarried and our jobs." She said smiling. "Or if we choose to marry at all. Courting must happen though. It wouldn't be a town without some sort of gossip, scandal, or rumors!"

Kagura smirked. She loved talking about who liked who. That was her business, that and beating up any boy that even came near her sisters. Saikoubi was sneaky when it came to gossip, her motto when it came to that was 'A lady never reveals her sources' some how though she knew things. Shizuka… Shizuka heard everything that went on basically, in the Wolf Pack at least. She also knew a different language, like some of the other girls in class, so she could spill what they were saying… It was a nice little ring of spies.

It wasn't long after that that Hideki and Kizoku were rushing back to the schoolhouse to tell Kagayaki all that had happened. The rest of the class was preparing to open up Kyoto tomorrow morning. Chattering the different groups in the class all walked back to the school house. The Wolf Pack was on its way out, Junsui having already gone ahead, when Katsu-sensei (the teacher) stopped them.

"I need to see Saikoubi for a moment, the rest of you can go on ahead." He said.

"Where one wolf goes so do the rest." Kagura quoted, Saikoubi's infamous saying.

"Go on ahead wolves. I mean…" Then she whispered, "remember Operation: Akina and Hideki."

Akina blushed. The other four laughed and all of them began running to catch up to Kizoku and Hideki. Saikoubi smiled then she gulped and quaking with fear she turned to face Katsu-sensei.

"Saikoubi." Katsu-sensei said in a tired voice. Saikoubi stood at her tallest, trying to look brave.

"Y… Yes, Katsu-sensei?" She stuttered. "What is it that you wanted to see me about?"

"They tell me that this was your idea." Katsu-sensei replied. Saikoubi nodded.

"I… I know what this is about." She said. "I promise I'll try not to be so bossy."

"What?" Katsu-sensei exclaimed. "That isn't what this is about at all! Minoru told me everything that happened. Including how you 'gave up the honor' as he put it of being Lady of Kyoto."

"I… It really wasn't anything like that. It was nothing." Saikoubi protested in wonder.

"I saw and heard everything you were doing out there." He said, surprised that she wasn't. "You did everything with great grace and honor. Your father will be proud when I tell him. Saikoubi, I shouldn't be the one to tell you this but… Well let me put it this way you are destined for…" A knock at the door cut off what he was going to say next. His eyes narrowed, in the door way stood, "Kizoku. Yes well you can go now Saikoubi. What is it Kizoku?" He asked the gray-eyed boy. Who grinned.

"Nothing. I was sent here by the people to find Lady Akahoshi." Kizoku said smirking.

"I'm not Lady Akahoshi." Saikoubi said angrily. She turned and bowed to Katsu-sensei and they left. "Kizoku what was that!!" She yelled when they were out of earshot.

"You can be lady if you want… I don't care." Kizoku responded apologetically.

"No. Its alright." She said. She noticed he had stopped walking but she pressed on to Kyoto.

"Don't be mad!" He yelled running to catch up with her. "I mean I want you to be Lady of Kyoto Saikoubi. Please? Pretty please?" She just glared at him for a moment before smiling.

" Everything is written, everything decided." She said. "You have made your decision and so have I, live with it."

"You… You don't want to be lady?" He asked, astounded, wasn't it every girl's dream to be royalty? It made no sense to him.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Lord Toyoyoshi." She said and bowed. She walked away. He wondered why a few simple words could hurt so much.

*~*