FY The Kana Chronicles

Title: Stargazing

Author: Jigoku no Miko

Author’s quote: Dreams can sometimes be premonitions so make sure you’re wearing pants before you head off to school!



Some things wrong

Shut the light

Heavy thoughts tonight

And they aren’t of snow white

Dreams of war

Dreams of liars

Dreams of dragons fire



Enter Sandman- Metallica





“Well that was… weird.” Nuriko muttered to himself.

“Required to find my place in this journey? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? DAMMIT TAIITSUKUN!” Kana spat punching her thigh. “It’s getting dark so we might as well set camp up here and head back in the morning.” She whispered before jumping up into a nearby tree. Nuriko settled down in no time and was gladly snoring his head off in a matter of an hour. Tamahome sat in front of the fire in his own world while Hotohori sat by a nearby stream trying to clear his thoughts. Kana sat in the tree fiddling with her necklace in her hand as Taiitsukun’s words rang in her head. ‘“I have restored your life because you are required to find your place in this journey but you must do it on your own, take care everyone.”’ “What does she mean I’m required to find my place in this journey? I can’t be part of the Suzaku legend could I? Dammit couldn’t you have at least sent me one sign?” She yelled into the night dropping the charm so it rested on her chest, it was a locket with a “K” engraved onto it, Dani had given it to her for her 16th birthday.

“Ah screw it.” She crossed her arms in a huff before jumping from the tree and walking to a nearby lake.

“Wow.” She whispered a gasp once she saw the moon.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Hotohori whispered walking up behind her.

“Nyah! Oh, Hotohori you scared me.” Kana sighed putting a hand over her heart relieved. “Yeah, gorgeous.” Kana agreed turning her gaze back to the sky. “Back in Tokyo you can’t see the stars like this there’s too much in the way.” She whispered.

“Too much in the way?” Hotohori echoed in a question.

“Yeah, there are a lot of really tall buildings and lights are on all over the city dimming all of the stars, even the moon sometimes but out here they’re so bright, I never knew stars were so beautiful.” She explained as Hotohori walked over to stand next to her but also kept his distance. Kana looked at him out of the corner of her eye before looking to the ground. “Look Hotohori I’m sorry about what I said earlier today…”

“Don’t apologize.” Hotohori cut her off.

“But I hurt you.”

“No, not really.” He shook his head as Kana looked at him confused. “All my life people have always told me what I wanted to hear because they were afraid of me but you told me exactly what you thought and it really made me think I mean do I really rule that horribly? Am I really that bad and people are just too afraid to tell me?” He whispered focusing on the lake.

“No, no your not.” Kana put a hand on his. “Hotohori look at me.” He raised his gaze from their hands to her face. “You’re a great leader you hear me a great one. I don’t know what came over me back there I guess it was just all my fear, I was really scared that monster was going to hurt you and Tamahome also that it was going to kill me.” She whispered.

“I wouldn’t have let that happen.” He reassured her placing his free hand over hers which was still on his. “Thank you Kana you’ll never know how much today has meant to me.” He gave her hand a light squeeze and she smiled.

“So do you know all the constellations of the Universe of the Four Gods?” She questioned looking back to the stars over the lake.

“Yes, would you like to see them?” He asked before the two sat on the ground.

“Are you kidding? I’ve always loved astrology.” She smiled before he pointed out the constellations to her the two sat for a while talking before falling asleep in the grass by the lake.

********

The next morning when Kana awoke she realized she was the only one by the lake now. “Hotohori?” She called softly looking around. Figuring he headed back to the camp she got up and walked back only to find a massacre of arrows along with Hotohori’s, Nuriko’s and Tamahome’s limp forms. Running over to Hotohori she kneeled next to him before checking for a pulse. When she found nothing she cried into his chest.

********

“Hotohori!” Kana yelled sitting up with a start. ‘It was just a nightmare? But it was so real.’ She thought as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Kana are you okay?” Hotohori questioned sitting up next to her.

“Hotohori? Thank the gods you’re okay.” She cried hugging him tightly.

“I’m fine did you have a nightmare?” He questioned setting a hand on the back of her neck.

“Yeah, it was horrible you were all dead.” Kana whispered before a few more tears slid down her cheeks.

“Don’t worry we’re all…” Before Hotohori finished his statement a loud shriek came from the direction of Tamahome and Nuriko. Kana pulled away from Hotohori’s embrace before getting to her feet and realizing where the shriek had come from.

“The camp.” She whispered before taking off running Hotohori not far behind her. When they arrived Nuriko was shrieking, as Tamahome lay frozen on the ground, a large tarantula was sitting on his chest.

“Get t ff.” Tamahome mumbled trying hard not to scream himself. Kana sighed in relief before walking over to him and picking up the spider. The moment it left Tamahome’s body he jumped up and began dancing around as if the spider were still on him.

“Ewe, ewe, ewe, ewe, EWE!” He chanted over and over brushing off his clothes.

“Hey Hotohori want to hold it.” Kana questioned outstretching her hand towards the man that was intrigued in trying to figure out what the hell Tamahome was doing. Turning his attention back to Kana when he heard his name he saw the big black and brown spider a little too close and personal.

“AHHH! Get it away get it away ewe, ewe, ewe! KUMO!” He yelled like a girl before ducking behind a tree away from it.

“Geeze you scare it more than it scares you.” Kana huffed petting the spider on the back before walking over and setting it on a dead log. “There you go little fella.” She whispered before standing from her crouch and walking over to Nuriko. “You sir are a pansy.” She whispered as Nuriko gave her a death glare.

“Yeah well it was ugly and creepy and that’s not the prettiest thing to see early in the morning.”

“Well neither are you.” Tamahome chimed in before he had his daily collision with a tree.

“Uh, I see a problem.” Kana whispered pointing towards the group of now only three horses to the earlier four.

“And what’s that?” Tamahome spat walking over and spitting tree bark out at the same time.

“Well Nuriko’s wailing sent one of our horses in a beeline in the other direction.” Kana explained before Hotohori walked up behind her.

“Oh, alright than… Kana can ride with me.” He stated before Kana looked at him sideways.

“I’ll wha…? Uh no I don’t think so…” She trailed before Hotohori cut her off.

“Would you rather walk? It’s only a day and a half journey.”

“Well no.” She whispered.

“Well than it’s settled come on lets get going before it gets dark out.” Hotohori mounted his horse before helping Kana up to sit in front of him. The four took off a few moments later.

‘Well this is awkward, the day before I bitched him out and mainly told him he was a jackass and now here I am riding on his horse. This is so weird, I don’t know what’s going to happen for the next three months before Miaka gets back except Tamahome’s plate chewing phase…’ At the thought of Tamahome chewing on plaster Kana let out a suppressed giggle that sounded more like a stuck up snort.

“What was that?” Nuriko questioned looking at the girl sideways from where he was riding next to the two.

”Nothing, nothing at all.” Kana whispered turning her attention back to the path.

“Kana are you okay?” Hotohori suddenly questioned, the sound of his voice in her ear made her jump.

“What? Oh, yeah, fine why?” She stuttered.

“Well ever since you mounted your shoulders have been really tense and you sit with perfect posture. Honestly you look like a stick.” He smiled and she sighed.

“I guess I’m a little tense.” She admitted. Hotohori released his reins a little so he could keep them on his hands still and set his hands on her shoulders.

“Relax, I don’t bite.” He reassured her giving her shoulders a light squeeze before wrapping the reins back around his hands and returning his arms to the way they were one on each side of her waist.

“Well you can never be too sure.” She whispered before leaning back against his chest and drifting off into a light sleep. A few hours later the four stopped to set up camp for the night, the last night in the forest.

“Kana, Kana.” Hotohori shook the girl lightly and she stirred before looking up at him blurry eyed.

“Hotohori?” She whispered sitting forward and looking around. “Where are we?” She questioned.

“We stopped to set up camp for the night, we’ll get back to Eiyo in the morning. You slept through all of daytime.” He explained while dismounting.

“Oh, was I really asleep that long?” She wondered.

“Yeah, you looked so peaceful I didn’t want to disturb you.” Kana swung her leg over and sat in the saddle sideways before Hotohori put his hands around her waist and helped her down.

“Owe, my butt hurts.” She wined rubbing her rear. Hotohori laughed at her lightly before she walked over to help Nuriko with the fire he was attempting to build.

“You like her don’t you?” Tamahome questioned moving forward to stand next to Hotohori who was watching the girl by the fire.

“No, she’s a warrior just like you and me.” Hotohori shook his head before turning to unload his bedding from the back of the saddle.

“Yeah sure Hotohori, that’ll be your little secret.” Tamahome mocked before walking over to where his bedding was already set up and lying down. Hotohori looked from his bedding in his hand than back to the girl and smiled before shaking his head. Kana sat by the fire late into the night. A few hours before daybreak Hotohori awoke and walked over to sit next to her.

“Have you been up all night?” Hotohori questioned.

“Yeah, I guess after sleeping all day you just aren’t tired.” She whispered before looking up to him from the fire. “Hotohori, if you hadn’t have been so afraid of that spider and it hadn’t been a spider instead a monster, would you have saved me?” Kana whispered as he looked at her subtly confused.

“Of course, I would have done my best to insure you were safe.”

“But why?”

“Well you could be one of the Suzaku seven seeing as Taiitsukun thought it important for you to find your purpose in this journey and if that is so we need you to help protect Miaka.” Hotohori whispered.

“Oh, is that the only reason?” She questioned hopefully.

“Why?” He raised an eyebrow in wonder.

“It’s not important, look I can teleport so to insure my safety I’m just gonna head back now, I’ll see you guys later okay?” She asked rhetorically before disappearing. Hotohori looked at the spot she had been sitting in for a while before sighing heavily.

********



Kana appeared in her room before collapsing on her bed crying. ‘Is that really the only reason? Just because I may be one of the Suzaku seven? But that’s impossible I can’t be part of the story could I? It doesn’t matter anyways, he’ll never see me as anything but one of Miaka’s protectors, a warrior, an element and nothing else.’ She thought to herself before crying herself to sleep.