Part Two
Amiboshi sat quietly, picking at his food. He really wasn't hungry, but he knew he should eat. The others were going as normal, discussing their plans for finding Chiriko, which Amiboshi wasn't listening to. The fact that they wanted him to come absolutely astonished him.
He felt a tingling in his arm and glanced down at it. Suboshi again. It had to be the tenth time his brother had asked what was happening. He scribbled a message under the table and returned to his food. It wasn't there.
"Sorry," Miaka said, smiling at him. "I was hungry and it looked like you really weren't going to eat anymore of it, so -- "
Amiboshi smiled for the first time since dinner had started. "It's okay," he reassured her.
He felt the tingling again. He looked down, ready to write "WHAT?!" in big capital letters, figuring maybe it would shut his twin brother up for once. Then he caught sight of what was actually written on his arm.
Amiboshi made a noise halfway between a gasp and a moan. Everyone looked up.
"What's wrong, Chir -- Amiboshi?" Tamahome asked, catching himself in time.
Amiboshi didn't notice the mistake. He was staring at his arm, reading as the characters appeared, trying to pretend they didn't say what he knew they said. This isn't happening . . .
"What?!" Tasuki asked. "Another message?" He grabbed Amiboshi's arm and started reading.
"What is it?" several voices clamored as Tasuki paled. He looked over at Amiboshi, whose eyes were wide, and then began to read out loud.
"Amiboshi, this is Nakago. I know what's happened. Please come back to Kutou immediately so we may call Seiryuu. Then I will allow you to explain your actions."
That's not that bad, Nuriko thought. Especially considering what I know about Nakago. What's the kid so upset about?
His question was answered quickly as Tasuki continued to read. "Remember that your younger brother is in my custody, and I will use him as an incentive for your return. I will give you two days. Every day you do not arrive after that will be one more day he suffers."
Tasuki paused. "What a fucking bastard," he muttered. He let go of Amiboshi's wrist. It remained hanging in midair for a second, then dropped limply to his side.
"There's more," Amiboshi said quietly, feeling a tingling. He looked down and said, "It's from Suboshi. He says -- " his voice cracked. "Aniki, I'll be all right. Don't worry about me."
Chichiri winced. "I guess this calls for a change in plans, no da," he said quietly, then reached up and removed his mask.
"No!" Amiboshi said. "I'll go. You just find Chiriko and call Suzaku. Then maybe Shunkaku and I will be all right."
"Well," Hotohori said slowly, "the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho says that Chiriko is very young, but extremely intelligent. For the next day, all we'll be doing is checking test records, trying to locate a good place to start. Any of you being gone one day really won't make much of a difference."
"I'll go, no da," Chichiri said. "We can go through my kesa. It's quicker that way, no da."
"I'll go, too," Mitsukake said, thinking, but not saying, that Suboshi might need a healer. The fact that he didn't say it didn't stop Amiboshi from realizing what he meant.
"That's enough, no da," Chichiri said. "We'll need to be in and out quickly, no da. The less people we bring, the better."
Amiboshi looked around the table. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered.
"You're our friend, ne?" Nuriko asked, slapping him on the back. "Friends do this kind of thing for each other."
Amiboshi closed his eyes.
"Don't thank us," Miaka said quietly, smiling at him.
Amiboshi managed to smile back. "How can I not?" he asked. He wished he could write to Suboshi, but he couldn't risk Nakago seeing it.
"We can leave tomorrow morning, no da," Chichiri said. "But you need to get some sleep, no da."
Amiboshi nodded. He'd never felt this tired in his life before. Sleep sounded good. But he somehow got the feeling that it would be long in coming.
~~~
Amiboshi lay flat on his back in bed. He couldn't sleep. He knew he'd been lying in the same position for at least an hour or two, and he also knew he had to be up early, but he couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop wondering what was happening to Suboshi. What would Nakago do to him?
All my life, all I ever tried to do was protect him, Amiboshi thought. But now, he's going to get hurt, because of me. Because of something I did.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the feelings of guilt wouldn't go away. Why do they want to help me? he wondered. It's bad enough feeling guilty about almost betraying them, but by saving them, I've gotten Shunkaku in trouble. Can't I do anything right? He sighed and turned over. I shouldn't let them come. The more of them here, the quicker they'll find Chiriko. They could've found him ages ago if it wasn't for me. I shouldn't drag them along. This is between me, Shunkaku, and Nakago. I don't want to put any of them in danger.
He sat up straight as he felt a familiar tingling in his arm. He fumbled with the light next to his bed and looked down at his arm.
"Why did you lie to me, Amiboshi?" Suboshi asked.
Amiboshi rubbed his face with the heel of his hand, wincing. That his brother was calling him by his seishi name was a bad sign. It meant Suboshi was angry with him. He paused, then answered the only way he could: with the truth. "I was frightened."
There was a long pause. "Of me?" Suboshi finally asked.
Amiboshi sighed. "Not just of you," he said. "Of Nakago."
"You thought I would tell Nakago," Suboshi accused.
"Yes," Amiboshi said simply.
"Why didn't you trust me?" Suboshi asked. "I wouldn't betray you. I would *never* betray you!"
"I'm sorry, Shun-chan. I should have believed in you. But -- you're so loyal to Yui-sama and to Nakago, and me . . . I'm just a traitor to my country."
Suboshi was silent a long time. "Why did you do it?" he asked.
"I had to," Amiboshi answered. "I didn't even mean to, I just sort of did without even thinking about it. I was planning on going through with it, but I just . . . couldn't. I can betray my country and my god, Shunkaku, but I couldn't betray my heart."
Suboshi sighed and leaned against the wall of the cell where he was being kept. "They must be really special people," he wrote.
Amiboshi smiled. "They are."
"Tell me about them," Suboshi said.
Amiboshi blinked, puzzled at the request, but at least Suboshi wasn't mad at him anymore. "Well . . . Yui's probably told you a lot about Tamahome. He's the best fighter in the group, and he's in love with Miaka, and that's pretty much all I know about him. He seems like a nice guy. Hotohori is the Emperor of Konan. It was funny -- we didn't know that at first, and you should have seen the look on Tasuki's face when he found out! Tasuki -- well, he's an ex-bandit. He's got bright red hair and a temper that could even match yours. He's got a metal fan that shoots flames at people and he swears a lot. Nuriko is . . . well, he's a gay cross-dresser, for one thing. And he's in love with Hotohori, which is too bad for him, because Hotohori is in love with Miaka. Miaka's in love with Tamahome. It's all really complicated. Nuriko's really nice, though. He tries to be everyone's big brother. Or sister. Or something. His seishi talent is super strength, which comes in really handy sometimes. Mitsukake is our healer. He's really quiet, but he's also a nice guy. He's one of those people who always wants to help others. I guess it comes with being a doctor. Chichiri's our magician. He's kind of strange, I guess, and he used to be a monk. He's got a scar on his left eye, so he wears a mask, which is controlled by a spell to have expression. He takes off the mask when he's being serious." He paused. "That's it, I guess."
Suboshi was smiling. "And we have a half-man/half-wolf, an ex-prostitute who shoots lightning bolts, an ex-dancer who paints his face and wears a really weird head dress, a twisted little monk, a sadistic Shogun, and a pair of twins who have no idea what they're doing."
Amiboshi sighed. "Why'd you ask?"
Suboshi paused. "Talking to you helps me forget about where I am," he finally admitted.
Amiboshi winced. "Where are you?" he asked.
"In some cell somewhere," Suboshi answered, shrugging. "I'm okay. You have two days to come, ne?"
"That's what Nakago said."
"You don't trust him, do you."
"No," Amiboshi answered flatly. "Listen, we're coming to get you, okay?"
Suboshi frowned. "We?"
"Chichiri and Mitsukake are coming with me."
There was another long pause. "They *are* good friends," Suboshi finally said. "They'd delay their plans and put their lives in danger for you? Even after you almost betrayed them?"
Amiboshi nodded. "Now you see how I felt?"
Suboshi also nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Just . . . be careful, Aniki."
Amiboshi smiled. "I'll be careful. We'll be back in Konan before you realize what's going on."
There was another long pause. "I hear footsteps," Suboshi said.
"What is it?" Amiboshi asked.
There was no answer.
Amiboshi lay tensely on his bed, waiting for either an answering message or anything that would let him know what was going on. The pain came unexpectedly. He felt like someone had set his back on fire. He twisted and cried out, falling out of bed and landing on the floor with a thud. His confused mind only took a second to figure out what was going on. This was no ordinary pain, nothing like a cramp he might have gotten from lying in bed in the same position too long. This was not his own pain.
"Shun-chan!" he cried out, trying to somehow reach his brother.
There was a pounding on his door. "Chiriko? I mean, Amiboshi? Are you all right?"
"Shun-chan!" Amiboshi cried out again. The world seemed to be disappearing into a red haze of pain.
"Well, fuck," the voice said, then the door burst open. Tasuki, wearing only pants and holding his tessen in one hand, looked around, then knelt next to Amiboshi. "You okay? What the hell's going on?"
Amiboshi was shaking with pain; he couldn't seem to control it what his arms and legs were doing.
"Shit," Tasuki muttered. I'd call Mitsukake in to heal you, but you're not even injured! What's going on?
Abruptly, the pain ended. Amiboshi's body relaxed and went limp in Tasuki's arms.
"What the fuck?" Tasuki asked in his normal, charming vulgarity.
"Shun-chan," Amiboshi whispered. "What did they do to you? They were supposed to wait two days. Why didn't they wait?"
"You were feeling what your brother was feeling?" Tasuki asked, making a connection. "Shit, I wonder what they were doing to him."
Amiboshi closed his eyes.
"You all right?" Tasuki asked again.
"Why didn't they wait?" Amiboshi whispered again.
"Uh, there's a message on your arm," Tasuki pointed out.
Amiboshi blinked and sat up. He hadn't even noticed the normal tingling. Maybe it had come during the pain. He read the message aloud for Tasuki's benefit, his voice shaking. "Amiboshi, this is just a sample of what we can do. This was your warning. If you're not back in two days, your brother will receive far worse than this."
Tasuki frowned. "Did he know you would feel it?"
"I don't think he *knew*," Amiboshi said. "But he probably suspected. Nakago's pretty smart."
Tasuki said nothing, thinking, It's a good thing Mitsukake's going with them tomorrow. Suboshi might not be up to travelling.
"You need to get some sleep, kid," he said, rather roughly. "You gonna be all right?"
Amiboshi closed his eyes and nodded. He slowly stood up and lay back down on his bed. "Thanks, Tasuki," he said quietly.
"No problem," Tasuki said. "That's what friends are for, ne?" He turned and left without another word.
*Why do they all keep trying to assure me that they're my friends?* Amiboshi wondered. Then he rolled his eyes and thought, *Because they know you don't believe it, baka.*
He turned onto his side and stared at the wall. He wondered if Suboshi was all right, then stopped wondering because he already knew the answer.
Why are they doing this? he suddenly wondered.
He sighed and flipped back onto his back. You know it isn't just friendly concern, he thought. They need to keep an eye on you. They don't want you wandering around behind their backs. I can't blame them, either. If they let you go back to Kutou, Nakago can call Seiryuu. I'm surprised they haven't thrown me in the dungeon!
They wouldn't do that to you, he argued with himself. They're your friends, you know that.
Of course I know that. But still . . . why are they doing this? Why do they care? They could just keep me here and forget about Suboshi. They don't need to help me rescue him. But they never even suggested just leaving him there. They do care, at least a little. Why?
It was a question to which he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. He also knew he wouldn't find it.
What if Nakago catches us tomorrow?
He shuddered, then forced himself to logically answer the question. Well, he'll have all the Seiryuu Seishi, so he'll want to call Seiryuu. He knows he'll have to force me to do it. He sighed. Then again, that probably wouldn't be too hard for Nakago to do. What about the others? If he catches Chichiri and Mitsukake, he'll just kill them right there, no questions asked. I can't risk that! This is all my fault anyway! Why should I risk their lives because of my stupidity?
If I go alone, he thought suddenly, that would work better. I could take two days to get there, those are two days in which they can be looking for Chiriko. If they find Chiriko soon enough, they'll be able to call Suzaku before Nakago can force me to help call Seiryuu. But if I bring the others with me, they may never be able to call Suzaku!
Wait a minute, his reasonable side spoke up. Are you seriously thinking of going to Kutou, by yourself, to rescue Shunkaku? You wouldn't get to his cell before Nakago caught you!
So what? he retorted. It'll buy the others time, give them a chance to call Suzaku. They're willing to risk their lives for me. It's all I can do in return to risk mine for them, especially after what I almost did to them.
It's not only your own life you're risking, his logical side reminded him. Don't forget about Shunkaku.
He'll understand, Amiboshi answered. Nakago can't kill either of us, we're Seiryuu Seishi!
Yes, but the minute the others call Suzaku, they'll seal Seiryuu, and then you won't be Seiryuu Seishi anymore! Then Nakago will be free to kill you all he wants!
Amiboshi sighed. What else can I do? he asked. For once, his logical side provided no answer. It's a risk either way, he thought. Better to risk my life than to risk theirs.
This decided, he turned over and went to sleep.
~~~
Yui peered into Suboshi's cell. He was lying on his stomach, apparently unconscious. "Let me in," she instructed the guard.
"Hai," he said, hastening to unlock the door.
Once inside, she knelt next to Suboshi and winced. His back was criss-crossed with wounds. It looked similar to Tamahome's after Nakago had whipped him. Yui knew all too well what had happened to Suboshi. She took the cloth she had brought and pressed it against Suboshi's back. He moaned and raised his head.
"Yui-sama," he whispered.
"Shh," she said. "You'll be all right."
His head drooped back onto the cold stone and he lost consciousness again. Yui sighed. Why did Nakago always feel the need to torture innocent people? Suboshi hadn't done anything wrong. He was just about as loyal as they came. His brother had betrayed them, that was true, but why did that make it necessary to torture Suboshi?
Yui thought about it while she cleaned Suboshi's wounds, which she knew no one else would bother to do. He must have tortured Suboshi to hurt Amiboshi. Yui had never met Amiboshi, but Suboshi had told her a little about him. If there was one thing she knew about the twins, it was their undying loyalty to each other. Amiboshi had protected Suboshi since the day their parents died. She nodded a little, coming to a conclusion. Nakago had tortured Suboshi because it would cause Amiboshi pain. All right, she could understand that. That didn't mean she approved of it.
Suboshi moaned again and tried to sit up.
"Lie still," Yui said softly, thinking, Poor kid.
"My arm . . . " Suboshi whispered.
Yui looked down at it and saw there was a message. "Do you want me to read it to you?" she asked gently.
"Please," Suboshi said.
Yui looked at the message and almost smiled. "It says, 'I'm coming, Shun-chan. Please hold on.' "
Suboshi sighed a little.
Yui stood up and turned to go. "I'm sorry it had to be this way," she said as she was leaving.
Suboshi looked up at her with his big blue eyes. "Me too," he finally said.
Yui turned and slowly walked away, shaking her head.
~~~
"Daaaaa!" Chichiri said, sticking his head into Amiboshi's room. He stopped halfway through the doorway, blinking in confusion. The room was empty. He was about to go the dining room to see if Amiboshi had beat him to breakfast when he saw a note on the table. He went over and picked it up.
"What's that?" Tasuki asked, walking by the door.
"A note from Amiboshi, no da," Chichiri answered, reading it quickly. "He left without us, no da."
"He what?!" Tamahome asked, overhearing as he walked by.
"He says he doesn't want to put us in danger, that he's caused us enough trouble, no da. He says he'll go get his brother and he wants us to concentrate on finding Chiriko and calling Suzaku, no da."
"Stupid little fuck," Tasuki muttered. "What'll he do if Nakago makes him call Seiryuu?"
"I think he's hoping we'll call Suzaku first," Mitsukake said quietly, standing in the doorway.
"And then what for him?" Nuriko asked, standing behind him. "Once he's not a Seiryuu Seishi anymore, Nakago's going to kill him!"
"He must have thought it out somehow," Tamahome said doubtfully. "I guess."
"I don't think he was thinking clearly," Mitsukake said. "He was kind of upset."
"Wouldn't you be, if you got a message saying that Nakago was going to torture your little brother?" Tamahome asked, thinking of his own siblings.
"Oi," Tasuki said. "I'd better tell you what happened last night." He quickly explained what had happened, ending with, "That'd be enough to freak anyone out, ne?"
"Should we go after him?" Nuriko asked.
Chichiri frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think so, no da. If he left in the middle of last night, he's got at least a half day's start on us. We probably wouldn't be able to catch up to him, no da. We should probably start looking for Chiriko, no da."
"But a couple of us could go after Amiboshi, and the rest of us could look for Chiriko," Tamahome suggested.
Chichiri shook his head. "We'll need to call Suzaku the minute we find Chiriko, no da," he said. "Or else Nakago might be able to call Seiryuu first, no da."
"Why couldn't the moron just stay here, and let some of the rest of us go?" Tasuki wondered aloud.
"I -- I think I understand," Tamahome said. "As an older brother, I mean. I'd go to the ends of the earth to keep my kid brothers and sisters from being hurt. I understand how Amiboshi feels."
"Sisters," Tasuki mumbled, and shuddered, thinking of his own.
"Come on, no da," Chichiri said. "We'd better find Hotohori-sama and Miaka and tell them."
~~~
It took Amiboshi a day and a half to reach Kutou's capital. Just outside the palace, he took a deep breath and concentrated on concealing his chi. He definitely didn't want Nakago sensing his presence. He knew Nakago would figure it out sooner or later, but he'd rather it be later than sooner.
He knew where the dungeon was, though he'd never been there. If Suboshi was in "some cell somewhere," the dungeon was the best place to start. He was stopped just outside the entrance.
"Where are you going?" a guard asked.
Amiboshi hesitated, then pulled down the shoulder of his shirt to reveal the blue symbol. "I'm here to see Suboshi."
The guard paused. "All right," he slowly said, then let Amiboshi through the door. He showed him to Suboshi's cell and unlocked the door.
Amiboshi knelt next to his brother. "Shun-chan," he whispered.
There was no answer.
Amiboshi hesitated. The pain had been in his back. Reluctantly, he lifted up the back of Suboshi's shirt and saw the wounds there. He winced. "Oh, God, Shun-chan . . . I'm sorry . . . " He lifted Suboshi and cradled his brother in his arms. "Please be all right, Shun-chan, please don't do this to me . . ."
"He's all right," a voice said from outside the cell.
Amiboshi's head snapped around. "Yui-sama," he said. He'd never met her, but he recognized her from Suboshi's descriptions.
"I was just coming to check on him," she said. "I cleaned his wounds. He's in a lot of pain, but other than that he's all right."
Amiboshi closed his eyes. "I couldn't protect him," he whispered.
Suboshi's eyes opened. "A-Aniki," he said weakly.
"I'm here," Amiboshi said. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt you anymore."
"You shouldn't have come . . . Nakago will . . . " he started to shiver, closing his eyes.
"God, I've got to get you out of here . . . Mitsukake can heal you."
"You shouldn't move him," Yui said softly. "He's hurt pretty badly."
Amiboshi glared at her. "You said he was all right!"
"That doesn't mean he can travel to Konan," Yui answered. "He needs to rest for a while."
Amiboshi was trying to think of a plan when he felt a strange feeling. It was almost as if something inside him had disappeared. He frowned, puzzled.
Suboshi's eyes snapped back open. "Koutoku -- did you feel . . . ?"
Amiboshi stared at his brother. "You felt it too?"
"It must have been . . . "
"I have to get you out of here," Amiboshi said, standing up. He lifted Suboshi gently. "We have to get out of here."
Yui was looking at the two of them confusedly. "What are you talking about?"
Amiboshi tried to think of a good way to put it without upsetting her. He decided there wasn't one. "Seiryuu's been sealed," he finally said. "They must have called Suzaku."
Yui's eyes widened.
"Nakago will know," Amiboshi told her. "He'll be able to feel it, the way we did. He's probably on his way here now."
Yui looked confused.
"He can kill us now, damn it!" Amiboshi cried. "We're not Seiryuu Seishi anymore! He doesn't need us anymore! We've got to get out of here!"
"Yui-sama . . . " Suboshi began. "Come with us . . . "
Yui backed out of the cell. "No, I can't. I have to stay here. Maybe there's a way to unseal Seiryuu. I won't lose to Miaka!"
Suboshi looked up at his brother. "I don't . . . want to leave . . . without Yui-sama."
Both Amiboshi and Yui stared at him.
"Yui-sama, please . . . " Suboshi gasped out, starting to shiver again. "For me . . . you can see Tamahome . . . "
Yui looked between the twins. "All right, I'll come," she said.
"Thank God," Amiboshi muttered. "All right, let's go." They left the cell and walked straight into Nakago and two guards.
For a minute, they just stared at each other.
Amiboshi closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shun-chan. I tried."
Suboshi said nothing.
"Should we go back to the cell?" Amiboshi asked Nakago. "Or are you just going to kill us now?"
Nakago pointed to the cell.
"Yes, I suppose just killing us wouldn't be any fun at all," Amiboshi said, going back into the cell.
"Yui-sama," Nakago said.
Yui looked at him.
"We have plans to discuss."
Yui nodded and followed him out of the cell.
Amiboshi laid Suboshi down gently and leaned against the wall. "I'm sorry, Shunkaku. I wish I'd never gotten you into this."
"It's . . . all right . . . " Suboshi whispered. He rested his head on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Amiboshi asked him, ignoring the fact that he obviously wasn't.
"We were so close," Suboshi said.
"I know," Amiboshi replied. "But my friends . . . they might come for me. No. They will come, I know it. They won't leave me here."
Suboshi smiled. "I wish I had friends like yours."
"Well, when we get out of here, I'll introduce you to them," Amiboshi said, trying to keep the conversation light.
"Is Nakago going to kill us, Aniki?"
Amiboshi winced. So much for keeping the conversation light. "Not yet," he said. "You know Nakago."
Suboshi laughed bitterly. "Yeah, he'll want to make us suffer more first."
Amiboshi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. *All I ever wanted to do was protect you . . . and now look what I've gotten us into! *
"Koutoku," Suboshi said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. The world was fading in and out. "Don't . . . blame . . . yourself . . . " He let his head drop back and lost consciousness.
"Shun-chan!" Amiboshi knelt beside his brother. He was still alive, but how long would he stay that way? Amiboshi leaned against the wall and tried to think about what to do, but there was nothing he could do except wait. He'd run out of good choices.
~~~
"Okay, we've called Suzaku, everything's cool, so can we please go get that stupid little fuck Amiboshi now?" Tasuki asked at dinner.
"We don't know where he is," Hotohori said calmly. "For all we know, he's already rescued his brother and is on his way back."
"Are you kidding?" Tasuki asked. "Amiboshi can't even take care of himself, let alone rescue anybody!"
"I think you're underestimating him, no da," Chichiri said. "Just because he's a little younger than you -- "
"That has nothing to do with it!" Tasuki cried.
"You're worried about him, aren't you," Nuriko said. "I am, too. But Hotohori-sama's right. We don't know where he is. How can we rescue him if we can't find him?"
"Well, he left two days ago, so he should be there by now," Tamahome said. "We should give him two days to get back. If he's not back by then, we'll know something's gone wrong."
Tasuki shifted in his chair. He hated inactivity. "It's not that I'm underestimating him," he said. "But gimme a break! Pitting the poor kid against Nakago?!"
"He's got a point," Mitsukake said.
"I don't think Amiboshi was planning on running into Nakago if he could avoid it, no da," Chichiri said.
"I could wish them back," Miaka suggested. "I've still got two wishes left."
"Why don't you save those for really important things," Hotohori said. "We can always go find Amiboshi if we need to."
Miaka nodded.
"So we just wait?" Tasuki asked, irritated.
"I think you can last two days," Tamahome said dryly. "We're all worried about him, okay?"
Tasuki muttered something unintelligible. "Fine, fine, fine. But when we go to get him, I'm going!"
"We shouldn't bring too many people, no da," Chichiri said. "We can go through my kesa. But even without powers, Nakago is someone I don't want to mess with, no da."
"I'll go," Miaka said. "I want to see Yui-chan!"
"Maybe we should just get her and bring her back, ne?" Tasuki asked.
"How exactly are you planning on convincing her to come with us, no da?" Chichiri asked.
"Well, she probably knows Amiboshi," Tasuki said.
"I'll go with you," Tamahome said. "I can talk Yui into coming back with us."
Miaka looked at him, nervous. "Tamahome?"
He smiled at her reassuringly. "I'll be okay. I'll be back before you know it."
"Then it's settled, no da," Chichiri said.
"What about me?" Mitsukake asked softly.
Chichiri looked uncertain. "If we come back with the twins and Yui, that's six people going through my kesa at once, no da," he said. "That's a lot of people to transport, no da."
"But Amiboshi or Suboshi might need his help," Tasuki protested.
Chichiri considered. "I think they'd be all right for a trip through my kesa, no da. It's very safe. If either of them need a healer, they can see Mitsukake as soon as we get back, no da."
Mitsukake nodded.
Nuriko looked at the others. "You think you're really going to need to go?" he asked.
"Hai," Tamahome answered.
Tasuki nodded. "Amiboshi versus Nakago? He doesn't have a chance."
~~~
The next day . . .
By the time Nakago walked into the twins' cell, Amiboshi's anger had developed into rage. Few things could make Amiboshi angry, but hurting his twin was at the top of the list.
"Why?!" he yelled when Nakago walked in. "Why torture him? He didn't do anything wrong!"
Nakago closed the cell door behind him. "You misunderstood," he said. "I wasn't torturing your brother. I was torturing you."
Amiboshi stared at him. "You knew I would feel it?"
Nakago shrugged. "I guessed. I didn't care if you felt it or not. But nothing hurts you more than causing your brother pain, does it. Now you blame yourself for what's happened to him, which is exactly what I intended."
Amiboshi closed his eyes. All because of me . . . he thought.
"No!" he yelled. "I won't blame myself! It's your fault! You're the one who hurt him! I won't forgive you!"
"Would you rather I torture you?" Nakago asked, pretending to be genuinely interested.
"Yes," Amiboshi answered simply.
"And yet torturing you will hurt your brother just as much as torturing him," Nakago said.
Amiboshi winced. What else can I do? he wondered. He looked at Suboshi, who was still unconscious. No! I won't let Nakago hurt him anymore! He looked at Nakago and said nothing.
"Stand up," Nakago ordered him.
Amiboshi stood. As directed, he faced the wall and let Nakago chain his arms to it. He clenched his teeth, waiting for the pain.
Nakago knelt beside Suboshi and shook him.
"Wha . . . " Suboshi blinked. "Nakago-sama!" He sat up suddenly and scrambled away.
"I was just about to torture your brother," Nakago said pleasantly. "I thought you might want to watch. After all, he got you into this."
Suboshi spat in Nakago's face. "Don't talk about my brother like that!"
Nakago smirked and turned away.
"Don't watch, Shunkaku," Amiboshi said quietly. "Please don't watch. Just look away."
Suboshi hesitated, then turned away, hiding his face in his hands.
Nakago paused, then decided it didn't matter. Even if Suboshi couldn't see, he would most definitely hear.
Amiboshi closed his eyes and found his center of balance. He could endure this. He'd felt pain before. He wouldn't scream, he wouldn't give Nakago the pleasure of knowing he was hurt, he wouldn't frighten his brother. He would rather die than scream.
When the first pain came, Amiboshi concentrated on his friends. They're probably coming for me right now, he thought. Mitsukake can heal Shunkaku and me, and then we'll go back to Konan. We can bring Yui-sama with us, and she and Miaka can be reunited. I have faith in my friends. I was willing to give my life for them. They'll come for me. They'll come.
Suboshi hesitantly lifted his face from his hands and stole a glance at his brother. Amiboshi didn't seem to even be feeling the pain. Suboshi felt hope rise. Then, before he could realize what was happening, Nakago turned towards him and the whip came flying at his face. Suboshi cried out in disbelief, then it hit him and he was knocked over backwards, hitting his head on the wall.
The sound jerked Amiboshi out of his concentration. "SHUN-CHAN!"
Just as quickly, Nakago turned back to him and started whipping him furiously. It caught Amiboshi off guard, and he cried out in pain.
Suboshi tried to sit up. Blood was streaming down the side of his face. "I'm . . . all . . . right . . . " he tried to say, then fainted.
"SHUN-CHAN!" Amiboshi screamed again. He pulled violently against the chains, but couldn't succeed in moving more than an inch.
"Do you regret what you've done?" Nakago asked quietly, not missing a stroke.
Amiboshi paused. Tears were starting to seep out from between his tightly shut eyes. "No!" he yelled. "I'd do it again! My friends will come for me! I trust them!"
"They aren't coming," Nakago said disdainfully. "They're Suzaku Seishi."
"What do you know?!" Amiboshi shouted. "Suzaku, Seiryuu, what does it matter? They're my friends! They won't let me be hurt!"
"After you almost betrayed them?"
Amiboshi winced at the memory. A particularly hard hit against his back made him cry out again.
"So where are they now?" Nakago asked. "Where are these precious friends of yours?"
"They're coming!" Amiboshi yelled.
But after a while, it got too painful to believe. What if they don't come? he wondered. What if they leave you here, and every day it's just a little more painful until he finally kills you? What if he kills Shunkaku? Then what will you do? Where are they, oh, God, where are they?
They're not coming . . . he thought dismally. Why should they? You almost betrayed them. This is as good a way as any of getting rid of you . . . why would they come? Why would they care after what you did to them? You don't deserve their friendship, you never did. It would serve you right if they left you here to die. He couldn't hold back the screams any longer, and he could only be glad that Suboshi was unconscious and couldn't hear.
Finally, he got too tired to even scream anymore. His whole body jerked with each new blow, but the screams stuck in his throat. He hung limply, his toes just barely touching the floor, and felt the darkness closing in on him.
Nakago stepped back and unchained Amiboshi's wrists. He fell to the floor in a heap and lay still. Nakago left the cell and instructed the guard not to let anyone in other than himself, not even Seiryuu no Miko.
After a few minutes, Amiboshi raised his head and tried to crawl over to his brother, but he lost consciousness before he was halfway there.
~~~