...screaming running burning smoke choking bracken whipping earth steaming forest bleeding creatures running trees dying screaming burning hurting stop hurting me don't die don't leave don't hurt me you saved me please don't leave me need need land is mine my land dying me dying death me and the land life together death together... ...alive? life? without forest? without land? not life not death worse run away runaway don't think just be in head my head just me no one else no trees. dispossesed. nothing. alone. no no NO! ALONE NOT ALONENOTALONENOTALONESTOPSTOPSTOPALONESTOPSTOPST- **NOT ALONE** ALONEALONE! TREES GONE! **NOT ALONE** FOREST GONE! Gone! gone? **FOREST GONE** NONONONONONO! ALONEALONEAL- **GONE. LIVE** no reason to life why not die let me die let me die let me die kenchi it's you let me die you must understand you must know no land no forest means death let me die pleasepleasepleasedoyoucareformethenletmegoanddienoreasontolifenoreason **SHUUKOU. REVENGE.** ... revenge? Yes. * * * * * Well. You said you wanted to know what happened from my point of view. * * * * * Wings of Fate Created by John Evans and Ardweden Chapter Ten: Kia Kaha. By Phoebe Warning: This one has bad language, people. * * * * * I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling, instantly recognising the expensive Italian plaster. Kenchi's place. It figured. I swung out of bed, noting rather absently that my hands were wrapped in cloth bandages. Obviously I'd been quite badly burnt. It was nothing unbearable, and certainly better than the chill mist swirling through my veins. I raised one hand and looked at it curiously, then deliberately bit the bandanged thumb as hard as I could. That set off hot waves of throbbing pain. Good. It gave me something else to think about. I swung the door open and padded softly down the hallway. The house was eerily quiet, which would have normally disturbed me, but I was curiously above that. If anyone was here, they'd be in the living room. They were. It made an interesting tableau, really: The three men grouped around a coffee table, turning towards me at the sound of my entrance. The unconscious girl on the couch. The body of my former lover lying awkwardly on the floor. Once again, that would have normally disturbed me. "What happened?" I asked, my voice harsh and croaking, not the cool deadness I was thinking the words in. The smoke, I suppose. Kenchi recovered first. "Shuukou... you're up." His eyes scanned over me, taking special note of my expression and he nodded very slightly. It was a gesture of respect and approval. I nodded to him in return. I was grateful. Rather, I thought that gratitude was the appropriate response. The emotion seemed to have been mislaid somewhere. "Obviously," I said. "What happened?" "The fire..." Judou explained, getting to his feet and ushering me over. His face was an odd mix of fear and pity. I didn't want the second and didn't fully understand the first -- why should he be afraid of me? -- so I ignored him. "Phillippe started it." He glanced uneasily at Soshi. "Or a demon he invited inside him. Or something. Soshi was just explaining it..." Soshi finally shut his gaping mouth and stood up, stumbling slightly. "Shuukou? You're... awake?" he asked disbelievingly, turning his face to search for mine. For the first time I saw the blank white orbs set in his eye sockets. I didn't reply, choosing to sit down instead. I dislike repeating myself. Kenchi replied for me. "Yes, Soshi," he said patiently. "I said she would be." It wasn't until much later that I learned how long and hard Kenchi had argued with Soshi over the point of my sanity. Soshi had apparently decided that I was losing myself to my magic and that the loss of my forest must have pushed me over the edge. Truthfully, if it hadn't been for Kenchi, it might have. But Kenchi knew what he was doing when he forced life back into me and gave me new purpose, and he knew what he was talking about when he told Soshi I was perfectly sane. None of us ever gave Kenchi enough credit for the true depth of his knowledge at the time. He wasn't as good as he thought he was, of course. But he was a lot better than *we* thought he was. Of course, being Kenchi, he couldn't resist an 'I told you so' either. Soshi grunted. "So you did," he replied. He paused for a second. "I'm glad," he said distantly. "The fire?" I asked. "The demon in Phillippe set the fire." Soshi had slipped back into that irritating 'I know this and you don't' tone of his. "And he's dead," I observed, glancing at the body. "Yes. I killed him," Soshi's voice held a faint note of... pride? Triumph? It didn't matter. I got to my feet. "Thank you, Kenchi," I said, heading towards the door. "It's a shame the help proved to be unneccessary." Kenchi was on his feet like a flash, interposing himself between me and the exit. "Wait, Shuukou," he said urgently. "Why?" I asked. "The one who destroyed my forest is dead. There's no point--" I almost said 'to life', but realised at the last second that Kenchi wouldn't appreciate that. "There's no point," I finished lamely. Violet eyes saw right through me and pulled my soul into his. I wavered for a moment, then gave up the struggle. It didn't matter, after all. **LIVE.** Why? **REVENGE.** "He could have been sent by others," Kenchi said out loud, still holding me with that hypnotic gaze. "He probably was, in fact. Right, Soshi?" "Possibly," Soshi replied coolly. "A distinct possibility." I couldn't pull myself away from Kenchi's eyes, despite the slow fury boiling within me. He'd *never* done this to me before, and this made for twice in twenty-four hours. The first time, I hadn't been aware of it on any conscious level. This time, I was, and I didn't like the sensation at all. Thus it was that I was grateful for Judou's intervention as he placed himself between Kenchi and I, my knees buckling slightly as eye contact and Kenchi's hold on me was broken. "We don't do that to each other," he told Kenchi matter-of-factly. "But-" Kenchi protested. "Shuukou will stay and listen. Won't you, Shuukou?" He turned to face me, his eyes oddly calm. Judou had obviously decided on something. "After all, there's nothing better for you to do." He was right. I went back to my place and sat down, Kenchi sitting beside me. "I'm sorry," he muttered, deliberately not meeting my eyes. I nodded. I wasn't going to forgive and forget that easily, but I knew his intentions were good. I'd take him to task later. But for now, I was more interested in Judou, still standing before the door, his face composed and focused. "You've come to a decision, Judou," Soshi said bluntly, having concluded the same thing as I, although I have *no* idea how. He couldn't see Judou, after all. Perhaps it had been the decisive, measured tone he'd used when he'd talked to Kenchi and I. "Yes," Judou nodded. He walked over to the couch where Akari lay, lifting her gently into a sitting position. "Akari," he said softly. "Wake up." He shook her lightly, carefully supporting her head. She looked so tiny, so helpless and childlike. Her eyelids fluttered open. "Judou?" she asked drowsily. "What hap-" She caught sight of Phillippe's body and stiffened, and I winced, preparing myself for the panic attack sure to follow. I underestimated Akari though. She merely closed her eyes for a brief moment, averted her face from the grisly sight and took a single deep breath. "I'm okay," she said tensely. "I remember. What now?" "What exactly did you do, Akari?" Judou asked. "I thought I saw a faint black cloud leave Soshi's body and streak away before you healed him. It was indistinct, but I could see it." Kenchi sucked in air sharply. "That's right," he affirmed. "I saw it too, but I was... a little distracted at the time." Akari shuddered. "It was black," she said, her voice thick with remembered revulsion. "It was *horrible*." "A demon?" Judou interjected. Akari nodded uncertainly. "I suppose so. I tore it away from Soshi and cast it out... and it ran away." "Ran where?" Judou asked, his face intent on hers. "I... I don't remember," Akari stammered. "I cast it out and it ran and I healed... tried to heal Soshi, then I fell down." Judou released her, his eyes thoughtful. We all watched him, curiously caught up in whatever he was struggling with in the privacy of his own mind. "Akari..." he said at last, "We think the demon may have been sent... that Phillippe wasn't working alone. Do you think you could follow the demon? Follow its trail?" Akari's mouth gaped open. "But I'm only a healer!" she protested. "Not exactly," Soshi broke in, obviously affronted that Judou seemed to be taking over. "Your healing abilities stem from your sensitivity and aversion to darkness. I believe that Judou is saying that you can use that sensitivity to track the demon down." I blinked. It sounded plausible enough. Judou nodded. "That's most of it. I think that if *I* was a demon, wounded and exorcised, that I'd travel back to my masters as fast as I could. We want to find those masters - observe them." "But I can't do pictures and visions and things," Akari said hesitantly. "Maybe I can follow it, that makes sense. But I'm positive I'll only be able to *feel* things. I can't see them." "But I can," Judou grinned. "If you allow me to, Akari, I'll kinda piggy-back on your search. You find them. I'll see them." Akari blinked. "Is that even possible?" she asked. "Kenchi and Soshi did it," Judou said bluntly. "We can too. Just... open your mind, Akari. Trust me." He paused. "You do trust me?" he asked, a tiny note of uncertainty entering his voice. Akari's response was immediate. "Of course," she said instantly, sitting up straight. "What do you need me to do?" I caught myself shaking my head. Beside me, Kenchi was making the exact same gesture and we shared a wry smile before I remembered I was annoyed with him. Akari was so naive. Yes, of course that naivete was necessary in this case. How many times do I have to explain this to you? I don't fully understand it myself - go talk to one of the others about it. Oh, very well. Once more. The combination of our powers between two or more people is dependent on a mixture of trust and need. The more you trust a person, the less urgent the need to combine powers needs to be before you let them in to share their talents. Since the problem Judou and Akari were facing at the time wasn't actually immediately threatening, (other than the low-grade terror we'd grown reluctantly accustomed to) just a challenge they wanted to overcome, the trust involved had to be pretty phenomenal. Luckily for all of us, Akari's very nature made her particularly good at letting people in to combine with her. It got so that she could link the moment any of us requested her abilities for a moment. Of course, that was after a lot of practice. The first time was somewhat different. I watched the two of them sitting on the couch and breathing in tandem with each other, hands linked and heads bowed and was suddenly and ludicrously reminded of articles I'd read on tantric sex. From the unsuccessful attempts Kenchi was making to stop a smirk spreading over his face, he was thinking along the same lines. Although in his case, I'm sure it was more a matter of reminiscence. "What's going on?" Soshi demanded, his voice almost querulous. "Nothing, yet," Kenchi replied -- just as something *did* happen. Akari and Judou gasped and stiffened in unison, their eyes starting open. Judou gripped Akari's hand so tight her fingertips turned white, but I'm sure she didn't notice, trembling as hard as she was. I got to my feet, concerned, but Kenchi stopped me with a gesture, his eyes intent. "They're not distressed," he said quietly. "Well, Akari is, but she's not in any danger. Just disgusted." I was positive that neither of them heard him, wrapped up as they were in the silent struggle of their shared minds. I rubbed my arms absently, only then noticing the goosebumps. I just couldn't comprehend letting someone in that close. I watched them, hesitant. Kenchi could say as much as he liked that they weren't distressed, but their faces were very pale and their breath was coming shallow and fast. "Okay," Juudou said finally, swallowing hard and releasing Akari's hand. She sagged back against the couch, pressing both hands to her stomach and twisting her mouth. "I think I got everything I could. Thank you, Akari." "It was horrible," she shuddered. Her eyes rested on Phillippe, filled with loathing. "He was one of *them*," she said, her voice filled with what I would have called venom, if this hadn't been Akari. "Never mind that," Soshi said impatiently. "What did you see?" Judou tugged his nose, his forehead wrinkling. "It was a little hazy," he said hesitantly. "Nothing very clear... But we followed the demon - or rather, Akari did, and I watched - and it flew in a window into a dark room... There was this group of people there and it began reporting to them. I *think* it was reporting - I didn't understand anything it was saying, and I didn't think we should stick around for long, in case we were seen." He shuddered violently, just once, then continued. "There were four of them. Two women, two men... in these weird ornamental robes. I could see their faces quite clearly - I'll draw them, as well as I can." He stared unseeingly at the wall. "The atmosphere... was not good," he said distantly. Despite myself the goosebumps rose again. Four. The unlucky number. I wasn't superstitious, but it didn't seem to be a good omen. I caught myself before I could laugh out loud. I was a magician, in a room with four other magicians, one of whom was a *tengu*, we were being hunted by demons and shadow creatures directed by some grand council or whatever - and I was trying to say I wasn't superstitious? "Any location?" Soshi asked, his voice insistent. "What?" Judou mumbled vaguely. "Location! Where are they?" Judou blinked twice and rubbed his eyes. "Right. Close by, but not *too* close. Definitely in the city, though." "We're leaving then," Kenchi said, abruptly coming to his feet. "Now. Tonight." I agreed. "Where?" I asked, moving across to Akari. She gave me a weak smile and sat up straighter, still supporting herself with one arm. Judou rubbed his nose again. "I thought..." he began, then sighed. "I think we should go to my family," he said quietly. "They... may not be very helpful. At the least, they're not going to be happy that I shared the secrets with you. But they won't attack us." He winced. "I'm almost sure of it," he added. "The tengu," I said softly, a thought occuring to me. "Your people. They're forest creatures, aren't they?" Judou blinked. "Well, yeah, most of them," he said uncertainly, obviously not seeing any point to the question. "What would they think of the wilful destruction of a forest?" I asked, my voice going dead again. "Particularly one steeped in such ancient magic as mine... was?" Kenchi whistled. "Nice," he muttered under his breath. "Very nice." "They wouldn't take it at all well," Judou nodded, a slight smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Good thinking, Shuukou." "Where are these... relatives of yours, Judou?" I asked grimly. Judou frowned. "Most of them are in Aomori," he said thoughtfully. "But-" "Too far away," Soshi broke in brusquely, getting to his feet and coming forward. "We'd be hunted down and attacked before we were even halfway there." I glanced at Kenchi, who rolled his eyes and shrugged. So Soshi was annoyed that the conversation was slipping out his control, was he? Judou turned to face him, annoyed. "I was just going to say that, Soshi," he snapped. Soshi smirked. "Of *course* you were," he sneered. Judou glared at him. "Uh... you were saying?" Kenchi prompted smoothly. "Kamakura," Judou said shortly, still glaring at Soshi - a rather futile exercise. "There's a temple there... Not as many of my family as there are at Aomori, of course. But there's a sizeable flock, enough to establish communications at least." "Good," I said, ignoring 'flock'. "We can travel there tonight, get there by dawn. Judou, Akari and Soshi in Judou's car, Kenchi and I in Kenchi's. We'll stick close together... but I think having two cars is a good idea." "We'll want to get as much cash as we can from a Tokyo ATM," Akari added. "So that if it's traced, it's only traced to there." Akari *was* very intelligent, I reminded myself again, and nodded at her. "That's right. Kenchi, how much have you got in the way of supplies?" "Just a minute, Shuukou," Soshi interrupted again. "I suspect you might not want to travel anywhere with Kenchi once you hear what I have to say." He turned to face in Kenchi's general direction, his hands clenching into fists. "Well, Kenchi?" he asked softly. Dangerously. "Aren't you going to tell Shuukou exactly what you did to her? How you took over her mind after the fire? How you *raped* her?" He spat the last words out, more emotion in his voice than I'd ever heard. Silence enveloped us, placing every expression, every gesture in high relief, time freezing, but my mind working frantically, leaping ahead trying to decide trying to remember trying to think. I looked full into Kenchi's face, at the shock and horror reflecting back at me, into the pleading violet eyes staring directly into mine and *knew*. "No," I stated firmly. "He didn't." Kenchi's face showed his gratitude and relief for a very brief moment, before he exploded into anger. "You fucking *bet* I didn't!" he yelled, lunging towards Soshi. "You foul-mouthed cretin! How could you think - how could you DARE!" Judou recovered from his own shock and grabbed his arm as he went past. "Kenchi!" he shouted. "Calm down!" Kenchi was pale with sheer fury, as he attempted to wrench himself free from Judou's firm grip. "You disgusting moronic pervert!" he howled. "I've never done that, *ever*! And to SHUUKOU? How the fuck did your twisted little excuse for a mind come up with *that*? You're dead, you bastard!" I found myself half-wishing he'd fulfil that threat. I had the urge to do some fairly permanent damage to Soshi myself, but brutally forced that compulsion down. That wouldn't help any of us, and I needed to conserve my anger to unleash on its rightful recepients. "Kenchi, *please*," Akari pleaded, bringing her hands down from her mouth. "We all believe you wouldn't do that. Soshi too, don't you, Soshi?" Soshi's face was also pale. "Of course he denies it!" he snapped. "And of course you all believe him! But I *heard* it!" He moved uncomfortably, and the barrier he'd erected flashed into opacity for a split-second. Well, at least that removed one worry. Kenchi wouldn't be able to get through that to rip the slimy bastard limb from limb, appealing as the notion sounded right now. "Heard *what*?" Judou asked, his tone dangerous and his eyes narrowed. "These are some pretty inflammatory accusations you're throwing around here, Soshi. Where's the proof?" "Surely you don't believe-" Kenchi began angrily, staring at Judou. "No, I don't," Judou replied. "But Soshi needs to tell us *why* he suspects this. Then maybe you can set him straight." Kenchi nodded, and subsided, shaking Judou's arm off. "Right," he grunted, glaring at Soshi. "Soshi?" Judou asked, keeping a wary eye on the man beside him, probably afraid Kenchi would leap at Soshi again. Soshi's entire body was shaking, his breath coming in sharp whistles. "I heard it," he forced out through his teeth. "Right after the fire... while Shuukou and Kenchi and I were in the car. He must have thought I was asleep. But he was screaming and gibbering... and then he took control of her." His face twisted. "She was moaning," he spat out, his voice full of loathing. "He was talking to her softly... and she was making a low moaning sound. What else could it have been?" I had never been angrier in my life than I was at that moment. "It could have been Kenchi saving my sanity and my life," I hissed. Akari took one look at my face and gasped. I took a step towards Soshi and Judou brought his hand up in a warning gesture. I had no intentions of touching him, however. "You're right to a point, Soshi," I said calmly, regaining my composure somewhat. "Kenchi *did* take control of me. But he was helping me. Not harming me. You were mistaken." "But-" Soshi began. I ignored him. "In addition," I continued, "I can assure you that my body shows no signs of such an... intrusion. You were *wrong*, Soshi." There was another long silence. "It seems I misinterpreted the situation," Soshi said finally, his face blank and expressionless. "I apologise, Kenchi. I apologise to you all." Kenchi grunted, obviously not trusting himself to speak. "Good," Judou said, letting out a long breath. "Now that that's over with, may I suggest we get moving?" "What about Phi- the body?" Akari broke in timidly. "I'll take care of it," I said curtly, bending over to grab the corpse's shoulders. "Can you please get some things together, Akari? Food, medical supplies, that kind of thing." "I'll get the cash and fill up the petrol tanks," Kenchi said, already halfway out the living room door. "There's a door to the garden behind that maroon curtain, Shuukou," he called down the corridor before the front door slammed behind him. Clever Kenchi. He'd obviously guessed what I'd intended to do. I lugged the body over to the hidden door and opened it, awkwardly trying to drag Phillippe through it. Judou held the door for me, his face expressionless, and I nodded my thanks, finally able to drag the corpse into the garden. It was a curiously clear night, for the city, and the thin sliver of moon seemed to be smiling wryly at me. I smiled back. This was an experiment, to be completely honest. I had no idea how I was likely to react to what I was about to try, given recent events. I had to face it, however. My powers were an intrinsic part of me, and attempting to lock them away because of unhappy memories would be foolish at best. I dragged Phillippe the last few steps to a cherry tree and propped him up against the trunk. I stared around at the garden, shadowed over, moonlight providing contour and shape to the tame greenery, but not enough to provide any details. I took a single deep breath, placed my hands firmly on the tree trunk and opened my mind to my friends for the first time since the disaster. The sensation of belonging flooded over me, and I felt my knees begin to give way, but only distantly, caught up as I was in this natural communion. Sympathy and sorrow flooded my mind as the trees gave me comfort in the only way they knew how. There were no words involved to begin with, just pure feeling, as they tried to console me for my loss, the loss they also felt. It was agony at first. Sheer, unrelieving pain as I was vividly reminded of what exactly had been taken from me, and reaffirmed my determination to make those responsible pay for their crimes. The trees agreed, their spirits fortressing my own. There would be a reckoning. It had been decided. The pain lessened a little, and I was able to narrow my perception to the cherry tree beneath my hands, show it what I wanted done and provide the power for it to do so, if it wished. DONE, it sent grimly. GRATITUDE I stepped away from the tree and watched as Phillippe's body slowly slid into the trunk to the accompaniment of a grisly sucking sound. The trees stayed with me, at the back of my mind. They wanted to watch over me for a while, make sure I was okay, and I was happy to let them. The close contact would ensure nothing followed us on our way to Kamakura at any rate. The last remnant of Phillippe's body -- his right hand -- vanished and I smiled grimly. It seemed ironically appropriate that one who was responsible for the deaths of so many trees end his earthly existence nourishing another. There was the sound of footsteps behind me and I half-turned, spotting Kenchi coming into the garden. He was back already? I blinked and looked up at the moon, noting how far it had moved in the sky while I'd been lost in silent conversation. Far longer than I'd thought, I noted. Kenchi half-smiled at me. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and his eyes concerned. Evidentially, the trees weren't going to be the only ones looking out for me. "I will be," I replied, smiling back at him, my first real smile for a long time. "Thank you, Kenchi." He looked surprised, then gratified. "Thank *you*, Shuukou," he responded simply, then gestured to the open doorway. "We should go," he explained. I nodded and followed my friend to the door. ... my friend? Well, why not, I decided. There were a thousand reasons why not, of course, but I chose to ignore them right at that moment. I'm sure Kenchi was thinking roughly the same thing as we made our way through the corridor to the front door. Kenchi locked up, sighing slightly. "Oh well," he remarked philosophically, slipping the key into his pockets and escorting me to his car. "The house will still be here when we come back, I guess." My lips quirked. "We might not come back," I reminded him, sliding into the passenger seat. "Hmm," he murmured, starting the engine and waving out the window to Judou in the other car as we slid out of the driveway and into the night. "But if so, we'll go down fighting." I smiled humourlessly. "Exactly," I said grimly, settling back in my seat for the long ride. "Fighting." End. Author's notes: I hate to repeat myself, but God, I loved writing this. WoF is a great story, and Shuukou is one of my favourite Impro characters ever, so writing this was enormously satisfying. Thanks go to Ravi, Scott Schimmel and Cham for suggestions and for prereading this at various stages, and also to Yu-Mei for going over the accusation scene with me and pointing out that yes, Kenchi would be very, very angry. Sorry, Robin, I couldn't break Soshi's legs. I wanted to! Now for the title. No, it's not Japanese. It's Maori, the language of the first human inhabitants of New Zealand, and it means, approximately 'Be Strong'. Yes, I'm getting nationalistic again. Bear with me. ^_^; Certain aspects of traditional Maori beliefs have always seemed to me to be peculiarly applicable to Shuukou, the most important being 'tanagata whenua.' This rather loosely translates as 'people of the land', but the meaning stretches a bit further than that. It implies belonging, safety, security and identity all stem partially from the land - one does not own the land, one is owned *by* the land, and your life is tied with its life. Shuukou takes this to extremes, of course, but it seemed fitting, all the same. ^_^; This concept of tangata whenua and 'belonging' heavily influenced the opening sequence in particular. Since I ran this chapter through (American) prereaders without telling them this, and with no difficulties regarding this interpretation of Shuukou, I think it's safe to assume my strange furn ideas haven't make this inaccessible to my readers. If they have, I apologise sincerely. Except of course, for the title. It's a command/request for mental and physical strength, and was sometimes used as an encouragement before heading out to battle. It seemed appropriate for this chapter, so I (indulgently) used it.