Made For Each Other
~*~
Part XI
"Now, tell me more about this Luka character." Sousuke's voice was full of contempt and a lust of for revenge. Throughout their entire childhood, Hiryuu could only remember a handful of times when Sousuke had lost his renowned placid temper; each time it had been over a major insult or physical harm to family member or close friend. She smiled softly at the thought; he was the exact opposite of her, who lost her own famous temper over the drop of a hat.
Sousuke caught the little smile and let her drown in her thoughts for a while before he wiggled long fingers before her eyes, calling out her name. "Hiryuu!"
Jumping a little, she playfully snapped at his fingers, laughing as he drew them back with lightning-fast reflexes and a mock look of fear. Her laughter was replaced by a sigh as her cousin leaned back against the trunk of a tree, putting his arms behind his head and crossing one leg over the other, the perfect picture of a patient listener.
And patient he was. Sousuke listened as his cousin and best friend poured out her entire story, even though it was often punctuated by tears and much sobbing. He sat quietly during the entire tale, not moving even to offer comfort; he knew Hiryuu well, possibly better even then anyone else, and he knew that right now she needed an outlet, not a comfort source.
Finally finished, Hiryuu wiped her eyes with her hand and glanced over to see the dangerous signs of anger brewing in Sousuke's violet depths.
That was another thing that had set them apart as children, something that had always seemed to bring them closer together: their eyes. The color, the long lashes, and even the way they danced with laughter and boiled with anger were exactly the same. Oftentimes, they had found their mothers jokingly wondering if maybe the two had been twins somehow separated before their births.
Now the emotion burning in Sousuke's eyes reminded Hiryuu much of Luka's own anger and she cringed inwardly as he stood up suddenly. "Where is this bastard Luka?"
"Sousuke!"
"Where is he?!?! I will-"
"SOUSUKE!!!"
Startled at the sudden outburst from Hiryuu, he finally looked down at her and saw the lingering pain in her identical violet orbs. Sighing, he sat down next to her and put and arm around her shoulders, squeezing them in a half hug. "I really gotta stop that, huh?"
Grinning, Hiryuu punched him playfully and replied, "Yeah, I'm the one who's supposed to throw the temper tantrums."
The two sat in silence for a few more minutes before Hiryuu broke the quiet by asking, "So Sousuke . . . find yourself a girlfriend?"
With a roar, he lept up and she ran away from him, gleefully darting about and throwing her teasing remarks back over her shoulder. Whooping loudly, Hiryuu fell as he tackled her and the two rolled and tumbled playfully under the benevolent guardian moon.
~*~
Sunlight painted fire on the insides of her eyelids and she rolled over, muttering inappropriate curses under her breath. Soft grass tickled her nose and she sneezed. It took a few moments for her sleep-fuzzed brain to finally process the fact that she was not in a bed nor in a house.
Sitting up suddenly, she found herself almost blinded by bright sunlight. Squinting, she looked over and found Sousuke sleeping beside her, a muscled arm thrown over his face to protect it from the light. "That's right . . . I remember now. . ."
The two had eventually stopped their wrestling game; Sousuke had the slight physical advantage over his smaller female cousin and Hiryuu had found herself paying for her teasing by being pinned to the ground and tickled until she apologized.
Worn out, the two had lain on their backs and talked quietly of anything and everything as they stared up at the dazzling stars above. Remembering this, Hiryuu could only guess that they had fallen asleep out here in the large field, and were only now awakening.
"Just like when we were kids . . ."
She reached over and jabbed Sousuke in the ribs; he sat up with an exclamation of "Holy Shit!" and glared at Hiryuu, his eyes still clouded with sleep.
Yawning, he looked around and casually remarked, "Reminds you of when we were kids, huh? Sleeping out in the fields all the time, climbing trees, and getting covered in mud in the river?" He looked over at her and arched one eyebrow.
She grinned at him and stretched languorously, yawning much as he had. They sat for about another hour, watching the hawks circle above, and once again talking in soft voices, before both decided, with unsaid consent, to head back home.
They reached the small town a few minutes later, and with a promise to meet up with him and a few of the others later, Hiryuu crossed the threshold into her house and was met by four pairs of pained eyes. Confused, she lingered in the doorway, watching as her mother rose from the table and beckoned to her.
"Hiryuu, dear, please sit down. There's something we-" She choked on her words and Hiryuu rushed over to her side, wondering what could have upset her mother so bad.
Her father and her grandmother were also seated around the table, and they glanced at the two women, eyes full of guilt. "What's going on here?!" Hiryuu exclaimed, noting that the fourth person seated around the table was the wizened form of the village Prophesier, her eyes still dark and sharp despite her considerable age.
"Your presence honors my house," Hiryuu said, bowing solemnly to the woman. One always showed the utmost respect when speaking to the Prophesier, for they held the past, present, and future in the palms of their hands.
But Aviana Truthliver only waved a gnarled hand at the young woman and made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "Sit down, Hiryuu and stop that. You should know by now, that of all people, it is I who should be bowing to you."
Hiryuu sat down with a murmured thank you and ignored the bowing comment. Her mother sat also and clasped her hands together, wringing them nervously. Hiryuu's father sat in silence, his face neutral but his eyes turbulent, watching all with eagle's eyes that had only grown sharper with age and experience. Her grandmother was the only one who seemed unperturbed, for she sat with her hands resting calmly on the table and her head held high, smiling at Hiryuu.
"The Golden Dragon," Aviana said, her voice gravely. "The Savior of the World; the one who was to rescue an entire population of magic users and set them free from the confines which have bound them."
The girl's mother bit her lip and worried at it much like her hands. Hiryuu nodded, having heard this already, many times before. "But that is not be so."
Startled now, Hiryuu stared at the elderly Prophesier and saw her eyes sparkle with glee. "The Falcon and the Serpent-" Hiryuu glanced at her parents who nodded, "were to give birth to the Golden Dragon, whose magical prowess would surpass all and be outshined by none. It was this child who would supposedly save the world by her union with the darkness. For, to save the world from the dark, the Dragon would have to marry the Child of the Shadow. The Light would unite with the Gloom and a new union would be born; one that would rock the foundations of our very world and create a new life for all in it's stead."
Hiryuu nodded once more, her mind repeating the story as the elder said it to her. She had been raised with these words from birth, raised like many other children are raised with fairy tales and Mother Goose Rhymes. This was her Prophecy, her legend, and she knew it well. "I have failed you, Great One. I couldn't fulfill my duty." Her head fell and as it did so, she heard a whimper escape her mother's throat, as if she were the one in pain.
But Aviana merely cackled, sending chills up and down Hiryuu's spine. "Not so child, not so! For the Prophecies are smarter then we are! They are living things with the capacity to change the universe beyond our comprehension! Oftentimes even their appointed ones are thwarted by the forces of the Dark and then they see fit to tweak their predictions to meet the circumstances of weak mortals. This always keeps the Shadow on its toes, watching for their mischievous little changes and trying to put a stop to them."
"But I don't understand!" Hiryuu exclaimed, bewildered. "Was I not supposed to join with Luka Guillaume Reinhardt and therefore smother the dark for good and restore order to the world of magic?! Wasn't he the Child of the Shadow of which the my Prophecy spoke?!" A hysterical note entered her voice and rose in pitch with every word.
That cackling laughter rang out again. "The Golden Dragon must be overcome by the Darkness before the light is to be seen!" Her words rang true, echoing with the strains of foretelling.
"Overcome . . . by the darkness?!" With a cry, Hiryuu lept to her feet and ran from the room, her hair streaming out behind her. The cackling laughter followed her all the way to the field where she had been only minutes before, reverberating in her ears. Kneeling down by the river's edge, she emptied the contents of last night's feast into the cool waters and stared at her own reflection once the water cleared.
"The Prophecy was fulfilled without my even knowing it . . . that's why I couldn't make Luka love me back . . .I really did serve my purpose, didn't I?"
Tears fell like rain, sending ripples all across the surface of the clear water. "We weren't made for each other after all. . ."
Part XII
