Chapter 5
Janus stared in shock at the hooded woman before him. Her piercing violet eyes were discernable even through the heavy fall of rain, and he felt his heart flip-flop alarmingly.
They stared at each for several long moments, trying to decide how to react, until Zoite grew tired of getting wet. "Excuse me, Miss Bliss, but may we please come in? Nestor is hurt, and it's quite soggy out here," he explained diplomatically.
Numbly, she opened the gate and stepped back.
"Is there someplace we can station our mounts?" Kunshan inquired politely.
"Yes, there's a stable right over there. Here, I'll take them, and–"
"No, I'll go," the tall man interrupted.
Sighing, Janus volunteered, "I'll do it. Since you're the strongest out of all of us, you'll have to help Zoite lift Nestor." And secretly, he wanted to put off the inevitable confrontation with Reiliana.
She looked after his retreating form, flanked by the three horses, with an unsure look on her face before turning back to the two men, who were carrying the prone form of their friend. "Come. The closest entrance is right over here." She moved at a medium pace across the grounds, and they followed her carefully, stumbling over tree roots every so often. Holding open the door, she called, "Lita! Mina!" When they appeared almost instantly, she ordered, "Go get Ami. Nestor's hurt."
Lita turned pale and fled immediately, while Mina sidled up to her sister to peer at the men. As he maneuvered through the door, Kunshan shook raindrops from his face, trying to see better, and caught a glimpse of her golden-blond hair. He smiled suddenly in recognition. "Miss Bliss, isn't it? Minalia?" She nodded wordlessly, staring at him, and he added, "You've grown up."
While she looked helplessly at Rei, who was just as confused, Zoite coughed and said in a strangled voice as he made his way into the warm house, "I apologize for my friend, Miss Mina. He usually isn't this rude. Miss Mina, this is Kunshan Bayonne. Kunshan, Minalia Bliss, who you seem to already know." Then he had no voice to continue, for Ami appeared, supporting a small, sleeping form on her hip.
She flushed slightly when she caught his unwavering gaze. Handing Alexander to Mina, she led the way through the parlor. "Right through here, please." After they'd placed him carefully on the bed, with her helping to support his injured leg, she bustled away in search of her kit. Mina, meanwhile, had disappeared wordlessly after to put Xander to sleep and also to hunt up appropriate clothing.
Zoite breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the child, getting over his initial fear that Ami had had a baby. He scolded himself wordlessly. Alexander was approximately three–or four–years old, he remembered, and the last time he had seen Ami had been a little less than a year ago. Meanwhile, Kunshan was giving him the odd look this time. Ignoring him, he watched as the slender woman returned and began examining Nestor without a trace of embarrassment as she rolled up his trouser legs. She was different, he realized. They were all more grown up, as Kunshan had so boldly blurted out, even Reiliana, whom Zoite had thought was old enough for her age as it was. Of Minalia, he had only been able to catch a brief glimpse, but he watched Ami intently.
She moved gracefully, with self-assurance, her hands capable and busy. There was a deep sadness in her eyes that had not been there before, and he knew what had caused it. He had never said a word about that night at the tavern, not when he watched them leave after helping them load their wagon, not when he was questioned by the villagers about his account of the incident. He had watched her leave, sitting hunched over inside the wagon, her eyes dull, her spirit weighted down. Now, she had a semblance of life back, but she hadn't been completely restored. Her voice was quiet and soothing, almost like the water flowing peacefully, as she talked to Nestor, even though he was unconscious. Zoite kept watching her, not noticing when Rei silently let Janus in until Ami turned to give him a bright smile.
"Hello, Janus," she said, her voice low but as clear and soft as ever. "It's so nice to see you again. We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back."
The blond grinned at her. Before he had left, he had always thought of Ami, Lita, and Mina as his younger sisters. It had hurt just as much to leave them as it had hurt when he had left Rei. "Doctor Amiliana Bliss," he saluted playfully, and Zoite raised an eyebrow when she smiled back at him, without a trace of a blush.
"Oh, get on with you," she replied, still smiling.
"Yes ma'am," Janus responded lightly.
Zoite leaned against the wall carefully, letting his clothes dry. Janus moved around a bit more, offering his help and answering Ami's questions about what had happened to her patient. Kunshan stood beside his quiet friend, eyeing him astutely.
After a while, Mina returned. "I'm sorry we don't have any men's clothes in the house...the best we can give you are these towels and blankets," she explained, blushing slightly as she handed over the heavy stack of linens. She retreated back to the kitchen, murmuring something about helping Lita, while Rei also disappeared.
"We did have clothing," Kunshan muttered belatedly, shooting Janus a dark look, "someone just forgot the saddlebags in the stables."
Forgetting that Ami was in the room, moving quietly by the bed, they stripped off their shirts and began to dry off. Zoite was rubbing himself vigorously with the towel and about to start on his long hair, which took longer to dry than anyone's except Nestor's, when he caught Ami's embarrassed look in his direction. She turned away quickly, her cheeks burning, and he rapidly draped one of the large blankets over himself, frowning thoughtfully. She had been perfectly composed while caring for Nestor. He shrugged and made a note to think over the matter later.
Mina had returned and beckoned to them. "Come with me. You must be tired, and Ami's perfectly capable of watching over Nestor."
"This place is humongous," Janus remarked, staring at the space around him. There had been more than enough guest rooms for him and his companions. "How did find a place like this? The upkeep must be horribly expensive..."
Her cornflower blue eyes refused to meet his, and she glanced away evasively. "I think you should ask Rei that tomorrow. Just get some rest tonight. We'll talk more tomorrow." She accepted his warm hug gladly. "Janus...I'm glad you found us. Rei needs you. We all do."
He narrowed his bright blue eyes. "What do you mean? What happened to her?"
"Just–you'll see tomorrow," Mina said hurriedly, spying a silent shadow gliding down the hall. "Good night."
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Reiliana went to sleep very late that night, after sending Lita and Mina to sleep. She couldn't get Ami to budge, but she made her promise that she would at least get some sleep. Double-checking that the doors were locked and the blinds drawn, she paced in the middle of her bedroom, feeling disquieted. She had finally bee able to find a little peace out here, in the wilderness, a new life, and good friends. The rest of the town didn't matter that much. But now Janus Aureole had returned, bringing with him old problems and new ones. One of those was Zoite Skylab. She was glad to see him, for he had always been kind and honorable. But Rei had seen the way he had been looking at Ami. She remembered certain things that the old doctor, Ami's ex-teacher, had said, and they stuck in her mind. She wondered how Mina had known Kunshan Bayonne.
Sighing, she sat on the edge of her bed. Slight movement attracted her attention, and she walked over to the much-smaller bed where Xander slept. She recovered his small form, placing her hand lightly on his face. After she blew out the lamp and settled under the covers, she began to try and formulate a smoothing-over of the affair with Artemis and Luna's will. Rei had overheard Janus and Mina's conversation, and while she loved her sister dearly, she wasn't too fond of her matchmaking skills. She scowled into the dark. What did she mean, she needed help? She was perfectly fine as she was. She didn't help. She didn't need a husband–or she did, but Janus certainly wasn't going to be that man. Rei groaned softly and turned over. Life was not going well...the last thing he needed to know about, after he'd accused her of marrying Chad for his money, was that she would have to marry someone for money...and soon. By December, which was only two months away.
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The next morning, Lita was the earliest to rise, and she crept into Nestor's room. Quietly, she wondered aloud, "Where's Ami?"
"Sleeping."
She jumped and turned around, meeting amused but tired navy blue eyes. Glaring at him, she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, too?"
He shrugged. "I'm being a good patient. She didn't want to give me too strong a sleeping draught, and before it took effect, I made her promise she'd get some rest." Grinning at her, he said unrepentantly, "I've missed you. Did you also help nurse me back to health?"
Lita glared at him. "No," she retorted harshly, although the shock in his face hurt her. "I'm no good at caring for invalids."
A troubled look came over his face, and he tried to sit up, falling back with a grunt.
Before she could rush forward, a sharp voice cut through the air. "Lita." They both turned to look towards the doorway, where an exhausted-looking Ami stood. "If you're going to fight with him, I won't have you arguing in here, while he's sick. He's a guest. And this is the House of Bliss. I think the other three are awake now, and Mina's waiting in the kitchen to help you start breakfast. If you could go, please?" The brunette bit her lip and fled, and Ami sighed and moved towards the bed. After a few seconds of silence, she admitted ruefully, "That was badly done of me."
"Sorry," Nestor apologized, flushing.
"It's none of your doing. I'll see if I have a chance to talk to her later."
"What did you mean, ‘this is the House of Bliss?'" he asked curiously, as she checked on the wrappings on his knee and ankle.
Brushing stray locks of dark hair out of her eyes, Ami explained briefly, "When we moved here, we decided to call it the House of Bliss, because of our last name, and because we decided that it would be a safe haven for any injured creatures that came. We just didn't know that men would be included in that description." A faint smile passed over her face before she became business-like again. "You should spend the next few days here, recuperating. I'll give you something to lessen the pain, and it'll serve the dual purpose of putting you back to sleep."
"Wait," Nestor requested.
Ami blinked and set the cup down on a nearby stool. "All right. What is it?"
"Tell me...why is she angry? What did I do wrong? I tried to get here quickly, as fast as I could, but my departure was later than I expected. All of a sudden, all these problems were brought to my attention, and by the time I'd fixed them, it was several months later than the date I had expected to leave."
She sighed and looked into the distance, folding and unfolding her hands in apprehensive gestures. "It's hard to think of Lita as younger than me. She's always been stronger, quicker, more lively, and she defended me from bullies when we went to school. But things like these bring out the youth in her. You see, Lita has had very few romantic admirers. She's always been good friends with the boys, because she was such a hoyden. But there are lots of things that are considered proper past times for ladies that she does well. And so...no one has ever truly loved her, I think. Before you came along."
Coughing, Nestor croaked, "How could they not?"
She smiled at him, a bright yet wistful smile. "You see? No one like you has been able to see the beauty of her soul. Everything happened so fast–so fast." He was suddenly struck by the distinct feeling that she had drifted off topic, but Ami quickly realized that she had been talking a little about herself and returned to the subject of her sister. "She fell in love with you so quickly, and while we traveled West, you were basically all she talked about. You were her hope for the future, her happiness, after our father died. But you never returned her letters."
Nestor resisted the urge to hit himself on the head. He was hurt enough. "I think I know why. I thought it was because mail would be slow, coming all the way here, but my family was–opposed to my leaving. They may have–ah–neglected to mention the letters, and they probably disposed of them."
"I see. And so, you were late, and she began to wonder if she had been deceived in giving her heart to you. She really does care for you, Nestor. You just have to assure her that you do love her. I think you truly do. She seems so strong, but her soft interior is hard to reach. She's easy to hurt, so do be careful. Try to be patient, and she'll come around."
When she tilted the cup to his lips, ready to end the conversation, Nestor asked one last question. "How do you know she still loves me?"
Ami smiled gently. As he drank and began to feel drowsy almost instantly, she murmured, "Did you get a good look at her hand? She still wears your ring. Make sure you put it on her fourth finger soon, won't you?"
He drifted off, smiling to himself, and she straightened up, feeling more at peace. Glancing in the mirror hanging on the wall, she sighed as she noticed the darkness around her eyes.
"Miss Ami?"
She whirled around, startled. "Zoite! I mean, Master Skylab."
"No, no, please call me Zoite." He smiled at nervously at her. "I was just coming to see how Nestor was...and Miss Mina said to say that breakfast is ready."
"Oh," she said softly. "Um...he's fine, but I'm afraid he'll have to spend some time resting and recuperating before he'll be able to move about. The good thing is, his leg isn't broken." She spoke to his back, as he led the way down the hall. Some traitorous part of her made a note of his height and the ruddy color of his hair, and she quickly focused her eyes on the carpet.
He turned around to smile at her. "Yes, it is good news."
She flushed and tried to look away from his dark green eyes. No matter where she traveled, it seemed, no one had eyes like his. Not that she particularly liked them, of course. Not that she remembered their exact shape and size. Not that... "Lita? Could I have a quick word with you?" she asked quickly, tearing her gaze away.
Her sister nodded wordlessly, her face impassive.
Rei watched them leave with narrowed eyes. Already another sign of disquiet in the household. As Zoite seated himself with a polite greeting, she watched him closely. Early that morning, Janus had retrieved their saddlebags, and they had gotten a clean change of clothes.
Well, speak of the devil...
"Morning, Rei." She nodded wordlessly, and his eyes darkened a few shades, but he continued, "About how far are we from town?"
Kunshan tried not to snort into his food. "I thought you lived here, Janus. Last night, I thought we were so close to town...so you really didn't know where you were?"
He shot his friend a deadly glare.
Before he could speak, Mina broke in delicately, since her sister seemed inclined to do nothing but stare moodily into her cup. "Ahem. We're just on the outskirts, Janus. It should only take you about a half hour's ride to get to town."
Half-jokingly, half-resentfully, Zoite muttered, "Another half an hour could have killed us all last night if something–or someone–else got struck by lightning."
Janus turned beet red, and conversation after that was stilted. The only good point of the morning was the fact that Ami and Lita returned in good accord and on better terms.
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AN: Another chapter–yay! ^^ Hope the plot is going okay and not too muddled. Thank you for your feedback and support, everyone! :) (Especially Cherrystar, Wyse, Lady Fenix (you should really read "Destinies" if you haven't, I have the link on my favorite stories page), and CC2. Arigato gozaimisu!) I know there wasn't a lot of Rei or Mina in this chapter (and a lot of Ami, yes, but she'll disappear a little next chapter), so you have "a happy little family goes to market and Rei comes back in a steaming bad mood" and "Janus meets up with some old friends and gets laughed at." I wouldn't want to spoil all the fun...so...until next time ^^
~Ice
