Wandering Eyes, Wandering Hearts

Chapter I – Completed Pie

Violet eyes passed over the dark hair and then the apparel. He’d looked exactly the same as when she’d last seen him. How long had it been? Narusegawa couldn’t think of a number and the only answer that came to her was the obvious one.

Too long. It’s been too long… It was all she could think about as she studied every intricate contour of his face. He’d been keeping himself in good condition. His vest was spotless, his boots polished and glossy beneath the dim light, and the sheath to the Blue Midnight shone with brilliance. And his eyes, those deep, dark, penetrating eyes. Even in the little light the two were given, she felt pulled into his presence.

Her lips parted and she uttered the name that was on the tip of her tongue. It was as though a miracle had brought her word that he was safe. The hand at her pendant trembled and she tilted her head to the side. “Kyros…Kyros Valchion.”

As it had always been, her voice held no particular tone. She was adept at sounding indifferent and it helped her through most of her hardships. And even when her companion cracked a smile, she made no effort to return the gesture. Her arms returned to her sides and then she looked to the ground to where the bottle had shattered. “That’s new. I’m not typically off-balance. I hope that doesn’t become a new fashion for me.” Her eyes scouted around the storage room for cleaning supplies.

Kyros’s face grew serious as he watched her. He knew she was searching for something, but he was fairly disappointed that their meeting again wasn’t taking a reunion-type of turn. “No handshake? No heart-felt embrace? No feelings whatsoever?”

Narusegawa paused and then turned back to look at him. Her left hand raised and then she gestured her index finger to him. “You…my good Sir…” She shook her head, trying to think of a way to voice her thoughts. That wasn’t a strong suit for her, never had been, and probably never would be. “…This can’t be reality. It just can’t.” She was angry. Angry at the people who’d made her feel the way she was now. “Kyros, you were killed. You were taken by the D.S. Clan and you were tortured and you died. You don’t belong here. Your mission on this plane is over. You shouldn’t be here. She was finally regaining her composure. The last thing she really wanted anyone else to see was her beginning to falter as opposed to her calm demeanor.

He couldn’t understand what she’d said at first and a few moments of silence ensued. And then his eyebrows rose with curiosity and he began to laugh. “What?! You think I’m dead? You think I’m a ghost, Naru?” It was ridiculous! There was a big different between being alive and being dead. He’d heard the stories about the dead who still thought they were alive. Kyros shook his head with disbelief, his laughter dying down. “First of all, if I died, I know I wouldn’t be here now. I’ve got nothing in this world to hold onto in order for me to be bound here past life. Did it ever occur to you that what you heard was nothing more than a rumour? I hope you don’t believe everything you hear.”

Narusegawa narrowed her eyes at him. She hated implications of any sort. If someone was going to imply something, he/she should have just come out and said something. Beating around the bush was not something she was fond of. She stiffly shook her head and then raised her arms to fold over her chest. “Of course I don’t believe everything I hear. I don’t believe you. I don’t believe what you’re saying. That ‘rumour’ is much more logical. I would’ve understood if you were dead because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you or heard from you. I just thought it’d be possible for you to come to me to say that you’ve died. Instead you’ve come to me and you act as though it’s all right to tease me like this.”

The young man inwardly groaned. He should’ve known that something like this would happen. Narusegawa had always been stubborn until someone else proved her wrong. It wasn’t that she was usually wrong. Normally it was the other way around. She didn’t talk much and she had more time to listen. However, when she did speak, she made good points of conversation. “Naru, you know I would never deceive you. Have I ever done so in the past? You have to believe me.” Reasoning with the young woman wasn’t something that worked normally, but all he could do was hope for now.

She really didn’t have time for this. She was running a tavern and her first duty was to the public. The Kyros illusion had to wait until later. Besides, she still had to pick up after herself. Again, she hoped that the trend of breaking things was merely temporary. She edged past him and over to the broom in the corner to begin sweeping up the broken glass. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t believe that. It’s farfetched. It’s balderdash. There’s no proof.”

That was it. Kyros couldn’t think of anything else to do. His posture turned to her and in a quick action, he reached out a hand, took a hold of her wrist and then pulled her into his arms with a warm embrace. “You see, Naru? The dead cannot touch those on the living plane. Now you have to believe me.” His grasp tightened, that smile forming again. It’d been great to see her again and to hold her…? That was simply amazing. Somehow no matter how many times she’d change herself, when he held her, she always seemed so fragile. Kyros knew better, though.

Narusegawa hadn’t been given much of a chance to protest. And as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew from his warmth that he was indeed the Kyros she’d always known and missed. She hadn’t hugged him often and usually tried to reject it. In all honest, it made her feel special and secured. In the end though, Kyros was still a male and he had to be vanquished from every thought and feeling. That was much more difficult on her than it sounded. A hand raised and hesitantly patted his back. “…It would be in your best interest to release me now. I’d hate to clean up your corpse after slaying you.” And without waiting for him, she took the initiative and pulled herself out of his grasp and brushed herself off.

Her companion watched her and his arms enfolded over his chest. “That’s it? We haven’t seen each other for such a long time and you’re not even fazed? Is everything okay, Narusegawa? Talk to me. We’re friends. We’re best friends and have been since we met. Confide in me.” It was not like her to keep things from him. Even when she couldn’t go to anyone else, she could talk with him. He pressed his back against one of the shelves and watched her expectantly.

Why is he getting so bent out of shape? Narusegawa glanced around and then her eyes met his. She should’ve known better than to look there. She knew he was scolding her and then she also knew he wanted to hear about the things on her mind. She reached for the broom and dustpan again before returning to the shards of glass. It was best to talk and work at the same time. “Surely you understand. You’ve been gone for a while. I thought you suffered a horrible fate. You can’t expect me to suddenly change my feelings just because we were childhood friends. You’re still my friend and if you come around more often this time we’ll be able to continue as we did back then.” She leaned over and picked up the dustpan giving the glimpse of a smile to him.

Kyros was slightly annoyed by her attitude. She made it sound like it was his fault that he had been gone so long. Well, it sort of was his fault, but there were things that happened that he didn’t have power over. His eyesight dropped to the dustpan and reached out a hand to take it from her. “Let me help you, Naru. You can tell me what’s been going on since I’ve been gone.” He didn’t give her a chance to protest. A hand was pressed to her back and she was pushed through the doorway.

“O-oh! Stop that! Don’t push me!” There really wasn’t much more she could do. Besides she didn’t want to cause a big scene. Narusegawa turned and looked over her shoulder at him and she raised an eyebrow. “If you’re not careful you’ll hurt me. If that happens I will brandish my blade.” Her pace quickened, so it wouldn’t appear that she was being rushed along. As rude and arrogant as her customers often were, they were always concerned for Narusegawa’s well being (probably because they knew if they lost her, they’d lose their booze as well). As she edged behind the bar, she pointed to the wastebasket by the entrance. “Assuming you don’t want to carry that around for life, you may place the contents there.” She indicated the basket with an index finger.

Kyros watched her face and gestures and nearly gave a dejected sigh. One would think that after so long, Naru would have softened up. However, people were not so lucky. He made his way to the wastebasket, emptied the dustpan, and returned to the bar where he planted the broom’s better half upon the counter. “You haven’t changed too much. Or maybe you have and it’s too subtle for me to notice. Either way, I’m surprised. You’re not the way I expected you to be.” He pulled up a stool and took a seat. The others in the tavern could hear him distinctly and all squabbling seemed to lower in volume.

Narusegawa’s eyes narrowed at the dustpan and she used her free hand to point at her cleaning rag. “Don’t put the dustpan on my clean counter!” It wasn’t that she was angry. It was mere irritation. A lot of things irritated her. A lot of people irritated her. She regained her composure and then ducked her head. She was working hard and the more she concentrated on that, the less she needed to concentrate on Kyros. She wasn’t upset with him in spite of actions that had occurred and rather, she was just distrusting. Surely that would change with time as most things did. “It is not my obligation, by the way, to live up to your or anyone else’s expectations.”

By now, the others had stopped talking altogether and were watching the two at the counter. Regulars knew Narusegawa’s tone and that same general from earlier, stood up and gestured at Kyros. “Hey! You can’t treat her like that! You tryin’ to throw off my game, ya bastard?!” His hands tightened for a moment and then he reached down and unsheathed his weapon, a scimitar blade.

She’s so anal. What is her problem? Kyros glanced to Narusegawa who looked like she was growing increasingly angry. And as he turned to the other, he blinked a couple of times. And what’s his problem? Naru must be spreading bad energy. His eyes locked onto the blade and he began to reach for his sheath. The Blue Midnight could end all of this in a flash. Before he got the chance to, however, a hand was planted against his gently. He glanced over his shoulder and paused when he saw Narusegawa shake her head.

Her voice softened and she pulled her hand away. “Don’t. These are still times of war.” Her gaze turned towards the other guy. “There will be no spars in this tavern. I will clean up after your drinks and your vomit, but not your corpses or blood.” It wasn’t often that fights broke out, but when they did, Narusegawa tried her best to discourage them. In a world with so much hatred, there could be no peace. Sure, she’d fought her share of battles, but for the most part, she disapproved of such juvenile affairs. A few moments of silence passed and her demeanor became stern again. “What are you all looking at?! Show’s over. Go back to your…more important lives and stay out of mine.”

Kyros’s face broke into a rather large smile as he watched her duck her head. At least she was somewhat the way he remembered her. “Nice to see a side of you that hasn’t changed too much. How long were you going to hold out on me?” He couldn’t conceal the glee in his voice. One of his favourite things to do had always been making Narusegawa angry. She just seemed so innocent when she lost her temper. He often wondered if that was the way she’d been before that awful mess…that devastating war.

Her face was starting to redden, which only caused her to lower her head even more. Her left eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly, the first sign to her erupting like a volcano. “…Oh, stop it. Don’t count it as a weakness or vulnerability that I am not as heartless as you.” Her tone became clipped and she was giving off the vibrations to tell him to back off and leave her be.

Since when had Kyros ever listened to the nagging voices in his head? Since when had he paid attention to warning signs? When it came to women, he was semi-clueless. Charming and witty, yes, but…not much more than that. He leaned forward and tugged upon the left strands of black hair hanging before her eyes. “Come on! Don’t be like that! I’ve missed you, you know. You can be a little happier to see me. Are you so disappointed that I’m still alive? Do you want me dead so eagerly?” He wasn’t being serious, but he knew that she would given some other kind of reaction besides narrowed eyes and low growls. His right hand lowered to his nodachi sheath and withdrew that beautiful blue blade. It was his trademark melee and in a way, he felt it was an extension of him. He planted it upon the counter with a loud slam in order to get her attention and then his voice rang out softly. “Do you wish for my death so anxiously? I have already told you that there is nothing left for me to hold onto in this life. I can die now if that will bring you some type of prosperity.”

Narusegawa’s head snapped up and it seemed that all of her anger had dissipated into the heavy air. The very last thing she ever wanted to see was Kyros’s death. Kyros meant everything to her. He was her ally, her friend, her only family, and her connection to the world. She was more than a little hurt by his calm demeanor. “I would much rather have my heart pierced by that sword than yours.” She gave a small sigh and then finally sat down. And a few moments later, she pulled up a bottle of warm papaya sake. It wasn’t uncommon to see her drinking on the job. She filled a couple of cups and then handed him one before taking the other. Her eyes dropped to the eggshell hue before her. “It’s not that…I’m not happy to see you. I’ve always been happy to see you. It just seems strange to see you now…after so much time has passed. I’m relieved that you’re alive and well. I’m sort of hoping you’ll share with me the journey you went on while you were away.” Her eyelashes fell and she took a sip.

Kyros glanced between Narusegawa and his cup. Papaya sake…? Just as formal as ever, I suppose. At least she was finally opening up to him. He followed suit with a sip and shot her a nod before sheathing the Blue Midnight. “I think…it would be nice to hear about what you’ve done. Word came to me that you too have recently returned. In fact, that is exactly why I’m here now. I wanted to sit down and catch up on what we’ve missed from each other.” That was true. She had recently come back. Kyros was actually hoping to see her alone, but of course, she had the sentimental attachment to her bar. If he wanted her time, he had to take the bar as well.

“…It wasn’t really my intent to return…” Narusegawa watched him for a moment and then the corners of her lips raised, the small sign of a smile. “I was searching for someone based on rumours I’d heard. I suppose that makes me gullible, because I do listen and believe everything I hear.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “Not much has really happened. Don’t expect a long story.”

Short and sweet. That was how she liked to do things. She never had been fond of drawing anything out. Kyros chuckled softly when she’d confessed. “So you’ll believe everyone except when a man pleas that he’s alive?” Nothing like poking a little fun at friends. He took the sake bottle and tipped it to refill his cup. “So you were looking for someone? Looking for me?” He gave her a broad grin as he reached out a hand and nudged her playfully.

Narusegawa couldn’t resist laughing…and for a long time, it was the first that wasn’t forced. It was a nice feeling to have when one could lighten the heart with company. “Oh, get over yourself, Kyros. You’re not always on my mind.” She was teasing as well, but it was a cover up for who she was really looking for. She watched him pour another cupful and gave a small shrugging gesture. “Whenever we get together, I feel like reminiscing about old times. I think about the things I went through to get here, and then I remember meeting you.” Her gaze grew wistful and then she shook her head slowly. “Just the ramblings of an old woman.”

Old. She must be kidding. For as long as he’d known her, Narusegawa hadn’t really changed too much. Sure, the apparel she wore now was drastically different, but the face, the eyes, the thin-willowy figure, and the silky dark hair…that had all remained the same. And as he studied her, Kyros suddenly realized that he did not know her age and that he’d never known it. And as much as he thought they were friends, it was increasingly obvious that he knew very little about her past (and vice versa). Oh, the questions he could ask. He really only wanted to ask one, though. “Naru, may I ask you something on a serious note?”

She could tell by his tone that he was completely sincere. As her eyes passed over his face, her eyelashes fluttered a few times and she gave a sharp nod as reassurance. “Of course. You may ask me anything and if I feel I can answer, I’ll be honest and deceit will fly out the window.” Narusegawa was not naturally vindictive, however, most found it difficult to trust those within her field.

Kyros dismiss the idea of dishonesty and shook his head quickly. “I would never hear of such things. You know it as well as I do.” He tried to regain the serious tone he had before and then continued. “I want to know about who you were before we met. I want to know about the things you did and how you came to be.” His eyebrows furrowed and he seemed so intent on getting an answer.

She was quiet for some time and then lowered her hands to the counter surface. It was the first time he’d ever asked anything of the sort. In fact, it’d been so long that she had to remind herself quickly of her past. “…What a strange thing to ask. Why are you so inquisitive to know about my past? I’m sure I told you once before not to ask me.” The question made her a little uncomfortable. Her past was not an open subject and she tried to avoid it whenever it came into question. She was afraid of what Kyros would think of her when he learned of thing things she’d done. She wasn’t naturally a bad person…well, not entirely.

Did she make that request? I remember no flattering, gratitude, or apologizing…but was there more? Kyros was a bit perplexed, unsure of how to continue. Then he felt that being completely honest was the way to go. “I didn’t ask to use your past against you. We’ve been such good allies all of this time and it hadn’t been based on events in the past. I suppose I’m trying to find the foundation of our friendship.” It was a bad way to put the situation, but he was running short of other ideas. Besides, it was the truth.

Narusegawa was almost angry. Almost, but not quite. She understood why he was asking, but couldn’t exactly encourage herself to divulge such information to him. “Kyros Valchion, the point that we didn’t rely on our pasts means that we accept each other for who we are. We respect one another. You can’t really ask for more than that.” A dejected sigh was given and then she pulled her hands towards her to rest upon her lap.

“But aren’t you the least bit interested in getting to know me? Aren’t you at least interested in who I am? Who I was? The past shapes the people we are today. The future shapes the people we will become. I want to know what has shaped you into the person you are now. I want to know how you came to be the lovely young…erm…lady sitting before me.” Kyros chuckled slightly and then brought his cup to his lips. It really hada nice scent and he did enjoy the occasional bottle.

There were words that he’d said which completely skipped her thought process. Kyros wanted to get to know her. She wanted to get to know him. It wasn’t exactly what she expected, but it was a nice surprise. She shook her head quickly to distract him from the growing hue upon her cheeks. “Well, that does sound like a good idea. I wonder why I never thought of that myself.” She gave him a consenting nod and then refilled her dainty cup with sake. If she was really going t get into this, it was going to take a while and she’d need some help getting through it all. “I’ll be relying on you to tell me how you came to be so well-known also.” Then she narrowed her eyes at him, addressing a final thought. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you hesitate on referring to me as a female. I know you think of me as a male, but it’s time you got your genders correct.”

Kyros scoffed and slammed his right fist into the bar counter for emphasis. “I know you’re a female. I know I know you’re a female. I was trying to think of what to call you. Are you a young lady? Are you just a lady? Or are you a woman?” He pointed to her face and then her outfit. “We’ve known each other for years and you look the same as you did when we first met. Just how old are you, Narusegawa?”

She raised an eyebrow out of amusement and almost began to laugh. It was almost ridiculous to ask that and honestly, she didn’t have an exact answer. This was another long story she knew she was going to have to give. “I’m seventeen.” A solemn nod was given as added reassurance.

Kyros shook his head and folded his arms over his chest. “I know that isn’t true.” Then he raised his right index finger and shook it at her. “Sorry, but you don’t look that young.” He shook his head again in disagreement.

Narusegawa leaned towards him with a knowing smile. “Is that so? And how old are you, Sir Valchion?” She was teasing him and she was making it apparent to him when a hand came forward and she pushed him off of his stool with a sudden thrust. “You have no room to scold me.”

Typically Kyros’s reflexes were exceptional, however, seeing that Narusegawa wasn’t really the most playful person, he was caught off guard. He found his way back onto his feet, then the stool, and scolded her against with that index finger. “Yeah, but at least I don’t lie about my age.” He pointed to himself and gave a broad smile. “I…am twenty-four. And I look absolutely fabulous for my age.” Then he pointed it back at her. “Now, what age did you say?”

The sip of her sake turned into a snort as she listened to him. The whole ordeal was so humourous that if Kyros had pushed her, she would’ve let him. “Twenty-four? Yeah, right. More like forty-four.” She shook her head quickly and then smiled as she filled his cup to the rim. “Seriously. I’m about nineteen or twenty.” She lifted her left hand to silence him. She knew it was a strange way to phrase the answer, and she was going to clarify. “Just listen, Ky, and I’ll explain everything…”