Echoes of Destiny : Chapter Three : Found

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters, they belong to Watase Yuu and several other people. This is just fanfiction.

Notes: Contains spoilers, yaoi, strong language, and violence. Read at your own discretion. Again, pairings aren’t canon and things are just starting to get interesting.

*thoughts*

The redhead groaned and reached for the alarm clock. As soon as his hand met the plastic casing, he tossed it across the room, nearly taking off his roommate’s head as he walked into the room. "Shun’u, will you get up already? We have to be in class in an hour," Saihitei replied. "And you can’t use your birthday as an excuse, that was two days ago."

Shun’u groaned and threw a pillow at the former emperor. "Go away, Saihitei," he mumbled. He rolled over and buried his face in the blanket on his bed. "You know I hate history."

Saihitei sighed slightly and then grinned at his fanged roommate. "Suit yourself," he replied. He lifted the bucket of ice-cold water above the bed and dumped it. "You have 45 minutes to get ready."

Shun’u yelped and sat straight up in bed as Saihitei left the room. "Hotohori! If I had my tessen, that hair of yours would be in for a bad hair day!"

The brunette paused outside of his door for a moment before remembering that Tasuki hardly ever made sense in the morning. "44 minutes, Tasuki. If you’re not out of bed in five, I’m calling Soi," he replied. As he walked into the kitchen, he could hear the shower running and smirked to himself. "Told you that would work."

Houjun chuckled and smiled at his old friend. "You always were the best one to get Shun’u out of bed in the morning no da. It’s too bad you don’t use Nuriko’s method, though," he replied. "I think that would be better than ice water, personally."

Saihitei nodded. "I would, but he’d fight back if I did," he replied. "Besides, I think ice water works well enough." He grinned slightly as he turned on the water in the kitchen, causing the redhead in the bathroom to start cursing in several languages.

Shun’u continued to grumble as he made his way to class, early for the first time that semester. And only because he was in a hurry to get away from his two childhood friends before they could try to drown him again. As he walked into the lecture hall, two students immediately drew his attention. One was a tall man with brown hair that almost looked gray, the other, his companion, a slightly shorter man with dark blond hair. "Amiboshi?" he asked quietly. He bumped into someone in front of him and blushed. "Sorry, guess I wasn’t paying attention."

"That’s okay," the tall man replied. Doukun chuckled slightly and smiled at his former friend. "I’m glad you could join us before class started Mr. Kou. If you would take your seat, you might find today’s lecture interesting."

The redhead was glad that no one else was around and quickly made his way to his seat. He watched as his old friend walked over to the blond and his companion. However, since he was on the other side of the class, he couldn’t hear what was being said. From the look on Chiriko’s face, it didn’t look good.

"Mr. Bu, Mr. Li, where is Mr. Chow this morning?"

Kotoku glanced at Jason before looking at their professor. "He wasn’t feeling well today. I’m not sure if he’ll be here or not," he replied.

Jason nodded slightly and looked at his notebook. "He got caught out in the rain a couple of days ago. Guess he caught more than he bargained for."

Doukun frowned slightly and nodded. "I hope he feels better soon. He’s missed quite a few days already and you three have only been here for a month," he replied. "Tell him that I would like to talk to him about his grades after class Wednesday. That is, if he’s feeling better."

The blond nodded as Doukun turned back to the front of the room. "Ok, class, since most of us are here, let’s go ahead and get started. I believe we left off with Ancient China last time. Can anyone tell me what period of history we were discussing? Mr. Kou?"

Shun’u jumped slightly when he was called on. "Wu Di?"

"Very good, Mr. Kou, you were paying attention. Now, during this period of time we have several historical events ...."

The redhead rolled his eyes slightly as he half listened to the lecture. He was distracted, as halfway into class, the door opened and a short man with long purple hair walked into the room. He watched as the small man closed the door and moved to sit with the blond he had seen earlier. It was several moments before he realized that someone was talking to him. "Huh?"

Doukun sighed slightly as the class started chuckling. "Now now class. It is rare for Mr. Kou to even be with us this early in the day. I’m sure he is still half asleep," he replied. He smiled and pointed to the chalkboard. "I was asking if you knew what Can Ji was responsible for creating during the Wu Di period."

Shun’u thought for a moment then shrugged. "I have no idea," he replied. A quick glance toward the other side of the room showed the purple haired man was staring at him from under his long bangs. It also gave Shun’u an idea as to why the slight man was so late in coming to class.

"Well, Mr. Kou, you apparently don’t know what that tattoo on your arm is, then do you?" Doukun replied. He grinned slightly to himself at the reaction from his fellow seishi. "Mr. Li, can you tell us?"

The former bandit barely listened as the darker man gave the correct answer. He was too busy staring at the purple haired youth and at the black eye that was not completely hidden by his hair. He failed to notice that while he was staring at the other man, the blond was staring at him.

Doukun Ou, age 29, had been teaching World History nearly a decade, hoping it would draw his former friends out into the open. And over the years, he had seen several people who could have been and might have been, but nothing could have prepared him for the day he walked into a classroom and came face to face with someone he never wanted to meet again. "Can I help you, Miss?"

Eeyan turned and nodded at the older man. "I’m waiting on Professor Ou. I’m Ryuuen’s friend. He had something he had to take care of at home," she replied. "I’ll take whatever it is he needs to him."

The former advisor sighed slightly and forced himself to relax. "I’m sorry, miss, but I have to talk directly to him concerning this matter," he replied. He placed his bag onto the floor beside the desk and then turned to face her again. "But there is one thing you might be able to help me with. It concerns his latest injury."

"Ryuuen is a little clumsy sometimes," Eeyan replied before turning back to face Doukun. "And he’s still not used to the new house. He’s always running into things."

"He must be. That’s the third time he’s come in to my class with a black eye in less than a month. I don’t know him very well, but I do know that no one is that clumsy."

Eeyan smiled sadly. "For his sake and yours, stay out of it," she replied. She picked up her book bag from the floor as the sun glinted off of something metallic under her coat. Without another word, she left the room.

Doukun sighed and sat at his desk. "Oh, Nuriko, what has happened to you?"

Kaen glanced around the commons for the third time before spotting the redhead sitting under a tree, his back to her. She smiled to herself as she walked over to him and tapped him on the head. "Wake up, sleepy head. You’re going to be late for class."

"Fuck off, Soi," the redhead replied. "I’m in no mood to deal with you right now."

Kaen nearly fried him before she realized he had sounded more depressed that truly upset. She sat beside and then realized that she could see faint outlines of tears on his cheeks. *Well, now I know why he’s hiding over here. He’d never let Houjun and Saihitei see him cry.* She sat there silently, waiting for him to tell her what happened.

"I saw him, Kaen. It had to have been him. But he looked so sad, it was worse than back then," Shun’u replied. He sighed and leaned his head against the tree. "And it looked as if this life has been worse on him than the last one."

"Him? Do you mean the seventh Suzaku? Nuriko?"

Shun’u nodded and closed his eyes. "He’s in my history class and I didn’t even know it. I feel so stupid for not noticing him before. But then again, I didn’t even know my professor was Chiriko," he replied. He was about to say something else when he heard a familiar tune being played on a flute. He glanced around and noticed the blond from class, sitting on the edge of the center fountain, playing the flute. Seated behind him was the violet-haired youth. "There he is. And that has to be Amiboshi with him. No one else could play that song."

Kaen nodded and narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "That’s one of the people I saw at the store the other day. If Nuriko is with him, then we may have a problem. We need to find the others," she replied. She quickly got to her feet and headed toward the parking lot.

Kotoku watched his former comrade and friend leave as he continued playing. He felt Ryuuen slump against him and stopped playing. "And now the wheels are set in motion. I just hope he knows what he’s doing," he replied softly. He lifted the flute to his lips and started playing again.

Yenting looked up as the younger blond came into the room. "Shunkaku, where is Chuin? I haven’t seen her all day," the older man replied.

Shunkaku shrugged and looked at the men standing around his long time friend. "She went straight to her room after class and hasn’t come out since," he replied. "I have no idea what she’s doing, neither does anyone else."

"And Ryuuen?"

"He’s still at school. Kotoku said they had to stay after for some kind of meeting," the younger blond replied. He tensed slightly as Jason came into the room and stood beside him.

"I think we might have a problem boss. That guy I told you about the other day kept staring at Ryuuen today."

Yenting waved off his concern and shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. That’s what Kotoku is taking care of. Right now, I need the two of you to get Chuin out of her room. I don’t like it when she gets like this," he replied. "And we have a meeting we have to go to tonight. All of us."

The two men nodded and left the room. They knew Yenting would say nothing more about this ‘meeting’ in front of the others. Shunkaku glanced at Jason as they left the kitchen. "Are you coming with me to talk to Chuin?"

Jason shook his head and walked toward another room. "She doesn’t like me. Never has. If I went with you, it might scare her even more," he replied. He smiled sadly and glanced at the younger twin. "Guess it’s my charming personality."

Shunkaku nodded slightly and took the stairs two at a time to the second floor. It didn’t take him long to find the former illusionist’s room. He knocked on the door and waited on her to open it. After several minutes of no reaction from the young girl in the room, he opened the door and was surprised to find Chuin sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor, tears running down her face. "Chuin? Are you okay?" he asked, walking over to her and lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. He knelt in front of her and looked into her amber eyes. "Chuin? What are you doing up here in your room all alone? I thought you would be downstairs bugging Jason."

"Don’t you mean Ashitare?" Chuin looked up at him before knocking his hand from her shoulder. "The last thing I need is your sympathy, Suboshi."

Shunkaku watched her, stunned. "You ... remember? How? Yenting said you cou--"

"Even Nakago doesn’t know everything!" Chuin yelled. She jumped to her feet and backed away from him. "Just get out! I don’t want anything to do with you! Any of you!"

The blond nodded slightly and quickly left the room. He nearly knocked down Jason on his way out of the room. The darker man glanced into the room the blond had vacated and instinctively backed away from the not so sane look in the young girl’s eyes. "Hello, Tomo."

Chuin slammed the door in his face before slumping against the back of it. She started shaking as tears fell down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this to me? Why couldn’t you leave me alone?"

"Why should you get to live in peace when the rest of us can’t?" a voice replied. The small black and white cat on her bed changed into a grown woman with dark purple hair and looked at the crying form by the door. "Welcome to the hell of being a seishi, Tomo."

"Just leave, Uruki! I don’t understand why you people have to do this?!"

Uruki stood and placed a hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder. "Because you need to remember," she replied. She walked over to the window and changed into a small bird. "I know the truth hurts. But you are Tomo and you can fight back against Nakago now."

"Why do you care?" Chuin asked after a moment. She had stopped shaking, but the tears were still falling.

"I don’t. But someone else does," Uruki replied. With that, she flew out of the window, leaving only a single red feather as evidence of her visit.

Chuin glanced at the window and stood. She carefully picked up the feather and turned to face the mirror. "New life, same illusions," she replied, wiping the make-up from her face. She pulled her hair free from the hair band and watched as the dark gray strands fell around her face. She took off the dress she was wearing and decided that she wouldn’t make the same choices this time around. *I guess Ryuuen could help me. But I don’t really know how to act like a boy. I never have.*

A knock at the door brought Chuin out of his wandering thoughts and he dropped the red feather he was still holding. "I said go away, Shunkaku."

"It’s not Shunkaku," Yenting replied. He opened the door slightly and looked at Chuin. "He told me you remembered everything. Are you okay?"

Chuin looked at the blond for several moments before shaking his head. "No," he replied shakily. He turned away from the older man, hugging his arms close to his body as the tears started again. Yenting stepped closer to the shaking boy, only to have something hit him in the chest sending him flying into the hallway. "You have used me for the last time, Nakago. If you come near me or Ryuuen again, I WILL kill you."

Yenting caught a glimpse of green light as the door slammed shut once again. "Genbu chi? Impossible," he replied as he slowly got to his feet. He stepped closer to the door, only to have Jason pull him back.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," he replied, pointing to the door. The wood seemed to ripple slightly just before the form of a snake, made completely of ice, shot out at the two Seiryuu no Seishi. Jason pulled the older man down the hallway and looked back to see the snake vanish as ice completely covered the door.

"I’ve failed," Yenting replied as they stopped near the top of the stairs. "Sami carried out his threat. He’s made Ryuuen hate me and taken Chuin away. There’s only one thing left for us to do."

"You can’t be serious. There’s no way we can trust them," Jason replied. "Soi was a traitor in that life as well. You were just too blind to see it."

The blond glared at him, the blue ‘kokoro’ on his forehead flashing momentarily as he punched the younger man in the face. "Don’t presume to tell me what I do and do not know, Ashitare. You are human now, much easier to kill," he replied. He started down the stairs before glancing back up at the former wolf-man. "Get him out of there now. This ends tonight."