They had settled in an inn close to the castle in the big city of Nevilliotus. Fukuro and Karasu stuck together, considering Karasu was basically like a royal guard to Fukuro. Kiri had her own room. And of course, Tsukiyomi and Tadashi shared their own room.
Tsukiyomi flopped on the bed as soon as they reached the room.
"I'm overjoyed to know I still have family left! I thought I was the only one left." He said, his hand covering his eyes. Tadashi sat on the bed next to him. He smiled softly, he often didn't smile, but only towards Tsuki.
"Did she say she would join us?"
"She said she would think about it. What…are we going to do once we get out of Moonrose?"
"Complete the mission of course. We'll learn more about what to do throughout the journey, I'm sure."
Tsuki paused. He couldn't stop thinking. "Well, suppose there's more to look for than what we're looking for now and we can't find it. It seems too easy to just complete one thing and leave. There has to be obstacles. What next? For all we know, we could die out there."
"Don't Think so negatively, I'm sure Lazhu will lead us all the way through. She's helped us this far, surely she'll come with us too."
"I'm scared. What if there's nothing out there? I have this awful feeling too. An awful feeling that Lazhu will somehow…I don't know."
Tadashi laid himself next to Tsukiyomi, stroking the strands of his long black hair. "Tsuki, I'm positive there is something out there." Tsukiyomi's heart fluttered. Whenever he heard Tadashi say that name, it made his heart pound against his chest. He slightly smiled. Tadashi then took his hand and held it against his chest. The pendant around Tsukiyomi's neck glowed that red color again and the room began to change. The two stood up to find themselves in a temple. It seemed like it was replaying the Funeral of Tsukiyomi's death in his past life. They saw Rose walk up on a platform. She held a cse in her hand, most likely full of Tsukuyomi's ashes. She started to speak.
"It's said that the strongest bonds don't break easily Only if the heart is strong. A bond between two wedded beings, between a ruler and their land, or in this case, between an apprentice and his highness. These bonds are tied with red strings once those two beings meet. One that will only break if it is cut. Cut by death. The string is tied to one being and connects to another. Tsuki and I had one… A string of friendship, trust, promise, and possibly something more. He became my apprentice soon after I broke things off with tragedy. I was clueless and rude, I used to treat him awfully, but I learned from my mistakes and we got close. He taught me things a royal woman should never be taught. He taught me how to protect myself and use weapons, he taught me how to love writing and poetry. He showed me things hidden behind darkness and I brought them out. He helped me all the way through and never left my side, just how I never left him when he was struck by the darkness's poison on the end of that corpse sword. He did everything for me, taught me how to see the world differently. He would resolve our fights and he would listen to my stories and ideas and support them. When I would awake from nightmares, he would comfort me. I began to write letters to cope with myself, they were written to him. I pray that in his next life, he suffers nothing, he will learn to live with what he has, maybe he will even find someone to be tied with again."
His tears left a stain on Tsuki's heart. He felt her sadness. In the seats watching the funeral was a small figure who was blurred out. But before the two could see anything else, the vision had ended and they were back in the inn bedroom.
"She really cared about you." Tadashi said, Tsukiyomi seemed puzzled.
"What did she mean by myself being 'tied' to someone else? She said the bond could be with anyone else."
Tadashi's eyes lit up. "Bound Together by a red string, never to break, for whatever the darkness may bring!"
"What?"
"That's the poem she wrote! I remember it in a book. 'Bound together by a red string', Two beings tied together, sharing their fate. 'Never to break, for whatever the darkness may bring', the bond won't fall apart even in the darkest times unless its death. Tsuki, I think I know what the red string means and represents. It means…that…" The two sat on the bed, both blushing and staring intensely at each other.
"We're…supposed…to be together?! Like that??" Tadashi nodded,
"I'm sure it was what Rose intended in her speech. I guess it means that the red string is tied around our fingers."
Tsukiyomi wasn't thinking straight, realizing that their faces were both inching closer to each other.
"Can I…"
"Don't ask!" Tsuki blurted as it had then happened. The feeling of warmth against his lips, the hot breath in his ear as he was laid down, Tadashi towering over him. Humans were always a lot larger beings than Yokai anyway, but Tadashi was huge in general. Whilst they continued with the vanilla kisses, Tsukiyomi couldn't help but think. Was this really true? Were they meant to be together? It felt like just a week ago they had just met and hated each other, now they were in a different wall, in an inn, making out on a bed.
Tadashi was slow and gentle with every kiss and touch. He held Tsukiyomi, shielding him. Tsukiyomi knew he wouldn't go too far. But he also couldn't help but tremble and cry. It was nice being loved but the trauma always seemed to get to him. They stopped and laid there, Tsuki enclosed within Tadashi's arms. Tsukiyomi wondered how a person so stern and cold like Tadashi could love a body such as his. It puzzled him, but he wanted to know more, he wanted to get closer. He wanted to know everything. But his thoughts were paused.
"What do you think of me? Since you asked me the other time."
There was so much Tsuki could say but his mind was blanking. "You're cold and collective but really you're caring and I guess everybody has a soft side. I like it. You're promises make, to protect me and stay by my side and…and..you're just everything I could have possibly asked for."
Tadashi kissed Tsukiyomi's forehead and smiled. Tsukiyomi thought that this would be a thing now. Kissing while sleeping together, then before bed, one more kiss on the forehead. Tadashi finds Tsuki's open hand and holds it tightly in between the two of them. Tsukiyomi really wanted to say he loved Tadashi. He really did love him, it was just hard to say.
Tsukiyomi was woken up by Tadashi who was already dressed.
"Lazhu is here, get up soon, I'll be downstairs in the inn." Tadashi said, kissing Tsuki's forehead and leaving with his sword. He never left without it. Tsukiyomi got up seconds later and got out from under the covers. He walked over to the dresser to change. He put up his hair with the spare plain ribbon replacing the green one lost at Darkai. Looking in the mirror, he noticed his reflection shape and shifted into something else, someone else. It was him but in a distorted yokai transformation.
"What's wrong, Minakami? Join me! We Need each other, WE understand! Haven't you decided yet!"
Tsukiyomi jumped back from the mirror as the distorted, laughing, being reached out of the mirror, grasping at Tsuki. Tsuki hid on the ground, but when he stood back up, the reflection was gone and he looked normal again. Hesighed and continued to dress himself. He headed downstairs. Tadashi, Kiri, Karasu, and Fukuro were at a table with cups and breakfast. Lazhu stood near them with a familiar person by her side.
"Now that you're all awake, I'd like to introduce you to the ex-Squire of Jasmanium, Qingse, Descendant of the Reef Mountain family." Lazhu said. She wore a pretty green dress as always. Qingse stared at Tsukiyomi who made his way to the table next to Tadashi.
"Miss Lazhu said I was to join you on a journey to reach the outside. I escaped the abuse of the leader of Jasmanium, Nicholas Fawnhigh. I, as well, want to venture outside, but as well as find my brother, Size. He is said to still be hiding in the Reef Mountain. My second reason is, I might know where Rose's letter box is. I am very happy to be of service to this group."
Lazhu smiled as someone else entered the room. "Also, her majesty of Neviliotus, Miss Mei Lian Tsukiyomi, decided to join you as well."
"My dear Brother, all my thanks goes to you!" Tsukiyomi's eyes lit up and the two hugged. Tsukiyomi thought upon himself as having to lead the group. He didn't know how. But knowing he had his sister back and Tadashi by his side, he had reassurance. He could compare to them a bit too. The fears everybody had, he could sense them. Fukuro and Karasu were like him and Tadashi. One leads whilst the other one follows. Qingse struggled with identity, Mei Lian was scared of the unknown and what not she could discover. Kiri was scared of death. And Tadashi was afraid of losing Tsuki, just as Tsuki was afraid of losing people close to him. He had a lot of fears. Loud noises, high places, being in the dark or behind a locked door, all alone with no way of escaping. All of the horrid things done to him in the past as well. He wondered what Lazhu was afraid of.
She walked over towards him and smiled, her bright pale eye staring at him.
"Master Tsukiyomi, I know you will do great things. This journey for you has only just begun. Even though I've known you for a long time, I'm even happier to know you in person! You are very special!"
Withthat Lazhu left and the group took a boat to the next wall; Marigold. The group talked amongst themselves as Tsuki stood aside. Looking out at the pale and murky water, the smog and smoke in the sky. The world was changing around him. Factories would be built with upgraded machines and vehicles powered by fuel would be built. His thoughts were interrupted by his sister.
"Hey, are you alright? You seem a bit out of it. And your cheeks are kind of red." She said, Tsuki appreciated her concern for him but was fine. Tsukiyomi nodded his head.
"Right, then, we're heading to Wall Marigold now, then we'll go to Whither."
Whither. Home to Tsuki. The hut, the saloon, the market. He hadn't seen Teacup and Shikashi in a while.
The ferry soon entered Marigold. It would be a bit before they departed though. The crew on the ship served lunch to the folks on board including the group. To Tsukiyomi, it was nice having a meal with so many people, it felt like a family.
They stepped into Marigold soon after and stopped at the front entrance of the wall, the canal in between wall Marigold and Wall Clorina. Tsukiyomi froze as he realized why they had stopped. In Front of the wall entrance were tall figures in white cloaks with the Chi symbol. He felt dizzy and rubbed his eyes, only to open them and be in the dark corrupted universe again. And he saw his corrupted reflection again, the distorted voice that was his spoke.
"YOU KEEP COMING BACK HERE! ALL THIS FLICKERING IN AND OUT OF REALITY MAKES ME THINK THAT YOU ARE TEASING ME! JUST JOIN ME ALREADY! BE MY OTHER HALF! LET US CONJOIN TOGETHER! MINAKAMI TSUKIYOMI! TSUKIYOMI!"
"Tsuki!" Tadashi's voice pushed through, Tsukiyomi was back. "Hide your face!" Tsuki did just that in a panic and put his hood up. The group surrounded him as they passed through the gates. They passed without any suspicion. The Chi clan had been at walls without a leader lately, waiting for the right moment to take over and attack. They were already spectating at three abandoned walls. Tsuki tugged on Tadashi's cloak and whispered to him.
"They're most likely looking for me. Kibishi is trying to find me again. He will kill you, all of them too."
"Well, I'll just have to kill him first then."
Tsukiyomi called himself, focusing on his breathing so he wouldn't find himself in that corrupted world. He was confused, how did he keep ending up there? Was it strong emotions bringing him to that world? But he was fine, right? He had the katanas, he had Tadashi and his sister and the others there to protect him.
"Marigold has no wall leader so the artifact could be anywhere." Tadashi pointed out, the group walked cautiously through the wall. It was barely populated and there were many abandoned buildings. Lots of Chi clan members followed and messed with people who walked the streets.
"What if we split up and look for it?" Mei suggested, "Kiri, Qingse, and I could go to one side of the wall, Karasu and Fukuro will go together, and then you two could search somewhere too. We'll meet back in this spot in an hour."
Everyone agreed with the idea and walked off. Tadashi and Tsukiyomi walked towards a vegetative part of the wall. Buildings and small shrines covered in vines and dead and rotting plants. The flower Lantern was the artifact they were looking for, the artifact that belonged to the original wall leader. Marigold must have hidden it.
"What are you thinking about?" Tadashi grabs Tsuki's hand.
"Nothing really."
"What about the nightmares?"
Tsuki was about to answer until the hand holding his melted and he looked over to see Tadashi dead, flesh and guts laid around the broken blood-covered bones. Tadashi's eyeballs had finger bones sticking out of them and his intestines were covered in maggots. He was dead. Tsukiyomi fell through the ground into the corrupted world again. He was frightened, especially after seeing Tadashi like that. Tsukiyomi's heart slumped, he was scared as where the body of Tadashi lay now stood the reflection. The reflection jumped on the corpse, playing in it like a puddle. It was insane.
"DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!" The reflection kept chanting, "DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!"
The corpse squirmed and squelched under the reflections feet. Tsukiyomi screamed at the sight, he shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears.
Hands shook him and he opened his eyes to Tadashi. He was sitting on the ground. Tadashi looked terrified, Tsuki even more. Tears rushed down his face as Tadashi helped him up.
"Tsuki, what happened?"
He mumbled and spoke through his tears. "I want to go somewhere where there are no people around…"
Tadashi practically dragged Tsuki's body to a small temple near the plantation. Tadashi held Tsukiyomi's hand tightly. They walked into the broken temple, vines on everwall holding up the unstable roof. It was like a small home. Tadashi came to the realization that this was Marigold's Temple.
"I think my father took me here when I was really young. It's all fixed up in the inside, which is strange. This was Marigold's personal hiding place where fled from everything he didn't want to deal with." The interior had not been tended for years but it was lovely. A carpet lay under a table with a statue and candles around it. The ceiling was painted with former leaders of Wall Marigold including Marigold himself. There were two other rooms but the two sat down next to the table. They sat on a rattan floor futon.
"Tsuki, what happened back there? You fell on the ground and started to mutter, your eyes were all weird too. Your skin was burning cold."
Tsukiyomi was quiet. He didn't like knowing Tadashi could see something was wrong. "There's this thing in my head, inside of me or something. It's my reflection, another me, but it's corrupted and in my yokai form. I get pulled into this corrupted world it lives in, whether I'm conscious or dreaming. Their voice is distorted and broken and I saw them in the mirror this morning. It's like, the more and more they appear to me, the stronger they get and begin to become physical. They feed on my fear and eat at my hate and sadness. The one I had just now, the vision I was sucked into, you…you were dead. And that awful reflection! He stepped on you like a bud, he jumped in your flesh and bones like a puddle. How I wanted to do something but I was frozen. It wants me to join them and combine our bodies," Tsukiyomi's hands shake, his whole body trembled. The thought of losing someone made him want to scream.
"It taunts me. They taunt me, looking at it makes me realize what body I live in. I'm not them, But they say I am!"
"Tsukiyomi, those are all lies."
"You think I'm crazy, Tadashi, that's it…"
Tadashi held Tsuki by the shoulders. "I do not think you're crazy. You are NOT crazy. I want to help, but this is all in your head. I can't see what you see but I can believe you."
Tadashi and Tsukiyomi hugged. Tadashi might be the only one who truly believes Tsukiyomi's pain. Voices came from outside of the temple as The rest of the group walked in. Tsukiyomi and Tadashi separated.
"If we all have ended up here then the artifact is surely in this temple. Oh, Tsukiyomi, have you been crying?" Kiri asked concerningly, as Tadashi and Tsuki got up. Tsukiyomi wiped his face. Qingse left the huddle and ran to the other room. Mei Lian went to comfort Tsuki.
"I found it!" Qingse exclaimed, "It's in the wall, buried! It's the lantern." Of course the lantern would be here, it was the Marigold temple. The was the ninth artifact, meaning there were seventeen more to find. Qingse dug through the wall, dirt and broken tiles falling on their feet. They collected what they needed and left Marigold quickly. They found an airship that looked empty and stayed in the rooms there without a worry. The sun went down and so did Tsuki and Tadashi, ending the night, of course, with a kiss on the forehead.
ROSE'S POEM
"To my loyal apprentice..
Earlier today, while I was cleaning out my old bedroom, I found a box of old papers. As I was looking through them, I came across a poem I wrote when I was younger. I absolutely fell in love with it as I read it.
' A certain darkness Is needed to see the stars. A certain feeling can lead you to the dark. Only the color red can reach the heart. An individual will be found. And when that starts, a new beginning, a new life, There's a relationship that is to be bound. A bond of friendship, partners, loyalty. Haters, travelers, even romantics. This is my confession; As dark as this world gets, I can still find light. Nothing will keep j me from finding something beautiful, luminescent, and bright. Bound together by a red string, never to break, for whatever the darkness may bring. I will be there, forever and always. If the bond is not to break easily, that means the heart is strong'
This was before I even met you. I loved learning how to write and read. I hope you found my poem interesting. If possible, remind me to make a meeting request with the leaders!"