Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Tangled Webs We Weave ❯ Brothers Reunited ( Chapter 6 )

A/N: Many thanks to the two of you that have been pestering me to get this chapter finished, I’m dedicating it to you both. ^_^ I just hope that it’s up to par. Enjoy!

B/N: Mayhem issues…we’ve returned! x.x ooOoo  

The movie would have been only a half-hour into itself if Shin hadn't suggested fast-forwarding to near the middle. And as much as he enjoyed the Star Wars saga, Touma wouldn't have been able to concentrate on it. After getting Seiji resettled and rechecked (confirming once more that nothing was broken), he'd found himself wondering towards Ryo's room. He hadn't missed Seiji's reaction and glance before getting the elder into their shared room. He himself had been hesitant when he reached out to push the cracked door open. But once again he'd found nothing beyond his own hesitation and imaginative fears. ‘If his injuries weren’t so bad,’ Touma thought, closing the door behind him as he left. ‘Then I’d say we’re all just jumping at shadows and blowing this out of proportion. But the truth is, Ryo’s injuries aren’t natural. And with no sign of entry or retreat, that only leaves the supernatural.’

Descending the stairs without any thought to his actions, he continued to puzzle the mystery. ‘Yeah I didn’t lock the door behind me when I took off after Seiji and Shin, but there’s nothing out of place or missing that I can tell either. We’re too far out of the way for some random act of violence or vandalism, and that late at night, any kind of vehicle would have been hard to miss. Especially with our heightened awareness because of whatever was chasing us.’ Sighing quietly, he dropped into the chair across from the couch and stared at the space battle on the TV screen without any real acknowledgment or recognition.

When he did come out of his daze, he leaned forward and looked towards Shin’s resting figure, intent on finally questioning the elder on what had happened to him. But as he opened his mouth, the door-bell rang. Cursing quietly, he quickly stood but froze when Ryo stirred. The elder settled after only a moment, and Touma released a relieved breath; drugged sleep or not, he didn’t trust Ryo to stay out for more then a handful of hours. ‘And Murphy’s Law would demand he wake now,’ Touma thought derisively as he stalked towards the front door. He had to take a moment to compose and calm himself before opening the door. There was no faking his relief when he saw Shu standing before him, a tired grin on his child-hood friend’s face. Forgetting himself in those first few seconds, Touma released the door and practically leapt forward the few steps between them to hug the older boy.

Shu winced in response, but brought his own arms up to return the embrace with a deep laugh. “You act like I’ve been gone for months Touma,” he teased. “They were just a few burns.” Touma’s arms tightened around him, and the younger boy shook his head where it was pressed against his chest.

“It was still the hospital,” the muffled words came from Touma’s hidden face. Steps went unheard by the two as Shu’s father stepped up behind his son. Chan-sama gave the boys a moment before he placed a hand on both of their shoulders. Ever since Shu had taken up studies at Touma’s grandfather’s shrine while their family relocated, the two boys had been best of friends and as close as brothers. To Chan-sama, Touma was akin to another son; and for him, it had been a few months since he’d last seen the young man.

“And I’ll trust you to remind him he’s still healing.” His words in combination with his touch served to break the two apart. Touma took a step back and with a sheepish expression bowed to the elder man. Chan-sama would have none of it and pulled the blue-haired boy into a similar hug while Shu stepped aside and stuck his head into the house.

“Where’re the others?” Shu asked, finding the house’s silence odd. He could hear the TV in the living room, but nothing more.

“Sleeping,” Touma answered as he took a step back. He seemed to only then remember his manners. “Sorry to keep you standing outside. Seiji’s off meditating in the woods, and Shin ‘n Ryo are sleeping in the living room. We were watching Star Wars….” Chan-sama followed the boys inside, but he made no move beyond the entrance-way. He passed a small bag off to Touma and shook his head when the boy motioned him in further.

“That needs to go on his burns whenever they dry out, at least twice a day. Keep it in the fridge otherwise. As much as I would like to sit with you both and learn what you’ve been up to, I left Mama-Faun with the children and the restaurant. Outside of this incident, you both are doing well?” he looked towards Touma for an answer, having spent his time at the hospital and on the drive discussing such things with Shu.

Touma stole a glance at Shu as he took the bag and saw the elder roll his eyes; the role-reversal was amusing, but Touma refrained from smirking. He nodded his understanding of the instructions, and only then smiled in both relief and assurance. “Yes sir. Shin’s been helping us with our studies for the new semester.”

Shaking his head, Shu folded his hands behind his head with an amused sound. “Yeah, in exchange for fishing and camping out by the lake in two weeks. There’s suppose to be a canoe out by the cabin too.”

Laughing, Chan-sama shook his head in amusement at the two. “Shin was the one that went with you to the hospital?” he asked, receiving a nod in confirmation. “What year is he?”

“This will be his senior year,” Touma answered. The elder man nodded and took a step back to the still open door.

“You know to call if you need anything. You boys take care of yourselves.” He didn’t chide his son to be more mindful in the kitchen, that it was no play-area; he’d done that often enough on the drive to the manner. “I regret not being able to meet your other friends. Perhaps your group should make a visit to the restaurant before summer’s end. It would do your mother’s heart good.”

Dropping one arm, Shu rubbed at the back of his head with his other hand. “Yeah….” he said sheepishly. “I’ll talk to the guys about it later. And I’ll give Mamma a call this evening, I promise.”

Nodding once in acceptance, Chan-sama took his leave then, letting himself out. As the door closed behind him, Touma couldn’t help but sigh quietly in relief. He didn’t move from the front entrance nor acknowledge Shu’s gaze until he heard Chan-sama’s engine start, the sound of tires on gravel the most pleasant he’d heard all day.

“Well?” Shu questioned the moment Touma’s shoulders eased. It was plain as day that something was troubling the younger man. Shu was surprised his father hadn’t called the blue-haired archer on it, but decided it wouldn’t have been as obvious to the older man. They were subtle things that he himself noticed, things Chan-sama, no matter how close the man was to Touma, simply could not know. The fact that Touma jumped at the sound of his voice was as amusing as it was concerning.

Turning around to face the older boy, his first friend and brother, Touma reached out and took a firm grip around Shu’s wrist. The elder’s surprise lessened while his concern grew. “You’ve no idea how good it is to have you back and whole.”

“Touma,” Shu drew the name out in warning. The boy’s excuse about the others’ absence was growing more and more suspicious and concerning as other outrageous (yet equally applicable for their group) notions spurred, one after the other. Touma only tightened his grip.

“Shin…had an accident…or something,” he added, realizing he still had yet to get the complete story. “Seiji went after him--it was late, he was walking back apparently. We’d woken Ryo from nightmares, he was ill and knew something was wrong. After a while I went after them.” Knowing Shu was close to simply throwing him over his shoulder to find Shin, he moved past the larger boy and pulled him into the living room. He knew he was rambling too. “I found them both injured. …Then something found us.”

Kneeling down on the floor beside Shin on the couch, Shu looked up at the blue-haired boy, his expression tight. “Where’s Seiji?” he demanded.

“Upstairs,” Touma answered quickly. “He strained his leg, almost broke it. He’s not allowed to take the stairs alone, and not until I tell him we’re clear.”

“Aa,” Shu sounded, his tension noticeably lessoned. “What about Ryo?”

“He insisted his nightmares weren’t visions, but he knew something was wrong with Shin….”

Shu nodded faintly. He sat back after a moment, finally certain that Shin would be well, and looked towards his blue-haired best friend. “They are close enough for that to be the truth. Especially if something was lurking about out there.” ‘Hard to believe that started near the beginning of the war…but I guess it makes sense. When the armors separated us, to strengthen our spirits, we were all spiritually opened for a few days after we woke up--it had been a relief when Seiji explained that, as we descended the mountain. We all risked our lives for each other in those few days…but Shin and Ryo were the only ones to truly depend on the other for survival. Naaza almost killed them both…their spirits had to connect, to become one, in that final attack, or Shin would have destroyed Ryo and the rest of the bridge, instead of syncing their attacks, and containing them both between Ryo and Naaza.’ Shu shivered, recalling his awe and fear when Shin and Ryo had first explained that battle to them. ‘They’ve had a sixth-sense about each other ever sense.’

Touma nodded in reluctant agreement. “Yeah…. Still doesn’t feel completely right.” Touma shook his head and dropped down onto the corner of the pallet so he could watch the entire group. “Shin armored up after I found them. Whatever it was, was teasing our senses, brushing just beyond our own touch. He carried us back, being the only one with his orb.” Here he looked chagrined, but Shu just shook his head; Kongo was upstairs still.

“When we got back, it abandoned us…yes,” he nodded, seeing the sharp look in Shu’s eyes. “It followed us back.” Sighing, he leaned back on his hands. “Shin sent me up to check on Ryo, you know he’d of come after us if he suspected anything. He was bleeding worse then Shin when I found him, still in his room.” In the blink of an eye, Shu was at Ryo’s side. “Shin told me to drug him. Seiji did what he could for them both last night.” He shook his head when Shu’s demanding slate colored eyes caught his own. “We don’t know. No signs of anything, any entry by physical or spiritual means. Neither one of them,” he pointed at both Ryo and Shin, “have been up long enough for me to question them. …Not that I really want Ryo up any time soon.”

Shu chuckled, easing the atmosphere. “Yeah, imagine he’s not going to be too pleased.” Touma just groaned. ooOooOoo

After checking in on Seiji and helping him downstairs, Shu took a decent shower, mindful of the burns and bandages naturally. When he rejoined the group downstairs two hours later, lunch was ready and set out in the living room. Shin and Seiji were both awake and once more pleased to see him; Shin more-so, though he was a little peeved that no one had woken him upon Shu’s arrival.

Twenty minutes into lunch and a peaceful atmosphere, Shu pinned Shin with a heavy look. “What happened?” he demanded in all bluntness. To which he was blinked at. “Coming home,” he elaborated, exasperated. Quiet laughter appeased the group, while causing Shin to look sheepish.

“I took a cab for most of the trip back. But Suiko was getting antsy, so I sent the driver back once we neared the cliffs; was waiting for his lights to vanish when…whatever followed us pounced me.” Making a face, Shin pushed himself up further on the couch and scooted back to lean more against the couch’s arm. “Rather, its presence did; it was like a large pressure or…bubble of air. I went over the road’s edge and blacked out, but it was gone near as I could tell by the time I came to. Seiji found me minutes later. Literally tripped over me…and further down the falling.” It was Seiji’s turn to look sheepish, though none of the three ribbed him for it.

“By the time I got to him and we got each other up, we got maybe a quarter mile before Touma found us.” Here Touma snorted, then looked down when he suddenly found everyone’s attention on him. A few seconds later, Shin returned his attention to Shu. “It wasn’t gone for long. The three of us moved…maybe a few feet before we all felt it.” Seiji nodded with a quiet sound, while Touma nodded and kept his eyes lowered. “It followed us all the way back to the manner. But it didn’t make direct contact again. …More like…it was herding us.”

“Or hurrying us,” Seiji murmured, throwing his own two cents in. “Something must have happened while the four of us were gone,” he elaborated, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze. “If it was waiting for Ryo to be absolutely alone, then our return sent it back to wherever it came from.”

“Yeah,” Shu agreed quietly, inclining his head faintly. “But what was ‘it’?”

Seiji shook his head. “I still don’t have a clue. I thought I saw something last night in Ryo’s door-way…but then, I was exhausted still. You checked it out though, once you left me, didn’t you Touma?”

Startled more by being brought into the conversation then Seiji’s predictions of his actions, Touma looked up and stared at the blond for a moment before realization struck. He nodded and glanced at the others briefly before looking down with a shake of his head. “Yeah…but I couldn’t find anything. I wouldn’t have bothered either, if I hadn’t noticed it snag your own attention.” He looked back up, eyes apologetic.

Silence settled, but it was short-lived. “Well,” Shu started, eyes going to the sleeping member of their group. “What did Ryo have to say about it?”

The trio shared a look amongst themselves before releasing a collective sigh. “He woke up while he was alone, and tried to come down stairs. Either his leg couldn’t support him, or his exhaustion got the better of him, because he tumbled down about half-way. Once we got him calmed enough, Touma drugged him.”

“You told me to!”

The oldest three laughed quietly, bemused while Touma glared and huffed. Shin was the first to stop and he smiled faintly at his blue-haired friend. “Yes, that I did.”

“Bah!” Touma huffed once more. He stood and walked around the group to the hall and front door. “I’m gonna check the mail,” he muttered his excuse to escape the group for a few minutes. He knew they were just picking at him, that they didn’t mean anything by it, but…even after a year, he was still getting used to it. He’d been bullied and mocked by strangers in the past; being teased and picked at by his brothers was still a novel thing.

He returned ten minutes later, though nobody said anything about it. He went straight to the kitchen and snagged Shu’s cream before rejoining the group, leaving all but two pieces of mail in the bill holder there. Touma felt his lips twitch when he heard Shu’s groan; he smirked at the older boy and didn’t bother to say anything. He tossed one piece of mail to Seiji, and dropped the other in Shin’s lap before kneeling down beside Shu. “Yours didn’t have a return address Shin,” he commented as he waited for Shu to finish with his shirt. “Any idea who it could be from?”

Shin was frowning at the heavy letter-sized envelop; he glanced up at Touma only to shrug. In the recliner beside the couch, Seiji muttered something about junk and dropped his own to the floor beside his chair. Shrugging faintly to himself, Shin opened his piece and pulled out the hand-written letter with growing curiosity. He could feel the others watching him expectantly, but as he became further engrossed in the letter, Shu offered a distraction--the burn cream was just a little too cold for him. In the fuss that followed, Shin was ignorant of the curious eyes that watched him still.