Misunderstandings
by YEN
11/7/99
final edit (02/05/2000)
 

You will be staying in Shevat?

Yes, would you rather I leave?

No, it will be easier to keep an eye on you if you remain here.

I am glad you like the idea.
 

Hyuga watched her inconspicuously from a corner table in the bar. The drinking establishment was full, and the atmosphere, rowdy with the noise of young patrons.

He watched as she took a sip from her drink and smiled at Caleb Yanara, nephew of Councilor Sanae Yanara. With them also were other prestigious members of Shevat's nobility.

... She mingles in high society. Observed Hyuga as he too took a sip from his drink, a local brew which the bartender insisted was the toast of Shevat. ... I have tasted water stronger than this... But then, most drinks would be mild for him after Jessiah Black's tutelage.

A loud shout broke through his thoughts, and he glanced back to see Caleb standing and drunkenly offering a toast in behalf of Lady Gaspar. Unconsciously, his hand tightened around his glass when the noble upstart bent down to plant a sloppy kiss across the side of her face. It would have been on her mouth had she not turned away from him.

...Impudent little fool... The thought ran unbidden through his mind as he stood up and headed for the exit. I am wasting my time here... He paused ever so slightly to catch her attention as he passed by her. ...Her eyes haunt me...
 

Will you stay here long?

As long as it is required.
 

Yui sighed softly as she tried to keep Caleb's hands off her. It was well past curfew when Caleb had finally staggered out of the bar, the rest of his friends drunk and out cold inside. ...If it weren't for my promise to Lady Yanara, I would have left him there with his friends... Yui liked the elderly councilor. She was one of the few people Yui respected in the Council. It also made it harder for her to deny Sanae Yanara's request that she accept and marry Caleb.

Why did he have to have his aunt wrapped so tightly around his finger?! Yui complained silently. ...Family... and blood... She was glad that her uncle was above nepotism and all that. I couldn't stand it if he were otherwise... Now if she could just get Caleb home without incident.

He suddenly leaned heavily against her, and she stiffened when he grabbed and turned her towards him to kiss her passionately. A few seconds later, he was knocked out flat on his back with a still invisible bruise on his jaw.

Yui rubbed her tender knuckles and sighed wearily. Great! Now I have to carry him home!

"Do you require assistance?"

Yui glanced back and smiled when Hyuga materialized behind her.
 

"Thank you, Hyuga." She looked at him surreptitiously as they walked towards her house. They were alone now, having delivered the unconscious Caleb at his estate. His drowsy manservant wasn't at all pleased to be woken up at the late hour in order to receive his young master.

"You are welcome," Hyuga replied solemnly, his eyes flickered towards her before looking away to nod at their surroundings. "Shevat is beautiful at night," he commented softly.

Yui nodded, hardly in a position to disagree. Indeed, Shevat looked wondrous. The porcelain-like buildings and connecting steps gleamed ethereal with their own soft lights, their edges shadowed by night. Underneath Shevat and all around, the clouds rolled on by fluidly, the billows and swells of the ocean sky.

"Yes, she is beautiful. Shevat usually is." What is he thinking? Yui wondered. She could get nothing from him as if something was shielding his thoughts. She was a passive telepath. She could only receive mental information from others, not actively pry into their minds, and even if she could, she would never violate the personal privacy inherent in every individual. ... Solaris trains its people well...

Telepathy was a desired trait. Imagine the possible and numerous advantages such a skilled individual would possess. A key to doors shut and locked. Both Shevat and Solaris coveted this gift.

... Uncle could get through his defenses... No... That would not be right...

"What are you thinking about?" Hyuga's quiet question jarred her out of her thoughts and she looked at him to realize that he was staring at her thoughtfully. She stopped with him following suit one step after.

She looked at him, her eyes meeting his directly. They were dark eyes, deep brown orbs endless and cryptic. Hyuga Ricadeau both intrigued and terrified her.

"You," she managed to answer his question unwaveringly, "I'm thinking about you."

He blinked. "What do you want to know about me?" ...Ask and it shall be given...

"Who are you?"

"My name is Hyuga Ricadeau. I am a citizen of Solaris, commander in the army of His Holiness Emperor Cain..."

"No!" She shook her head, exasperation threathening to spill over and take away her composure. "I know that. You told me that already."

"Not willingly-"

"So you are willing now?!" She retorted harshly, then paused, staring at him with wide eyes before turning away. ... What is happening to me?! She closed her eyes tightly, fighting the helplessness that dared try to overwhelm her. Why does he affect me so much?!

... A proper question for a proper answer... One of Azuire's favorite sayings suddenly came to mind. "... What are you, Hyuga Ricadeau?" She asked again.

"..."

Yui thought. If he's going to say he's a human being or a man or any rhetorical crap, I swear I'm going to clobber him silly! She promised to herself as she turned back and stared at him balefully. He was looking back at her, but his eyes weren't focused. A moment later, he coughed softly, glanced down, crossed an arm over his stomach and held a hand against his chin thoughtfully. She waited.

"... I cannot answer that question."

... Well, at least he's honest... this time. Yui sighed, turned away from him again and resumed walking towards her house. Soon, she heard him following her. ...It's been like this each day... Every time Yui went home, he would appear and escort her. ... Like a faithful pet... She almost giggled out loud at the thought and wondered what he would think of that. The reminder that she could no longer read his thoughts sobered her quickly enough. ...I must never forget that he is a dangerous enemy... albeit, a very attractive and dangerous foe. She blushed and lowered her head, her long bangs falling down to cover her flushed cheeks. ... Concentrate, Yui...

"How long will you keep this up?"

"... I beg your pardon."

"Shadowing me like this." She glanced at him, her eyes narrowing. "Why don't you just get it over with quickly and kill me?"

"... I cannot kill you..."

"Why? Because you're suppose to take me prisoner and ship me off to Solaris' laboratories?" Once again, she stopped and faced him squarely. ...These games end now! "You can just forget about that!" She glared at him, her throat tightening painfully. "You know I'll kill myself first before allowing that to happen. The only thing Solaris will have to experiment with is my dead body!"

... It hurts knowing he plans that... His face was hard, his eyes flint-like as he remained silent to her anger. ...Why did I have to like him? "Solaris will never have me alive, Commander Ricadeau," she continued softly, managing to hide her pain. "And surely you have other targets besides myself." Her brittle confidence was almost at an end. "You'll never fulfill any of your duties as long as I am alive, so logically you must kill me."

She ended at that and waited for his reply. She felt so cold, her stomach heavy and her chest burned. ...So this is what it feels to love... Hurt, every part of her being was hurt. ...Will I ever recover? She wanted to hide. Not more than any time in her young life did she feel the need to run away and hide. To hide and to forget. That nothing happened, that she never met this man who possessed the power to shatter her soul's will and bring her to the edge of despair... How can something as wonderful as love be so painful? ... Why couldn't I just hate you, Hyuga?!

Pain... Yui almost backed away in shock as feelings not hers invaded her perceptions. Wanting to know his thoughts so much, she had left herself mentally open to any hint from him. Despair... "...Hyuga..." She barely managed to gasped out, stepping away from him and trying to close her mind to his emotions. Yui closed her eyes, struggling to decipher the overwhelming flood of sensations. Wrong... Right... which is the path to take? ... Choices... the road not taken... Memories... family... father, mother, brothers... dead, all dead... Why didn't I die with them?! Why?! "No!" She screamed, seeing the bodies, the dead bodies of his... her family! Heat... burning... fire... gone... everything was gone! "No!"

Suddenly it stopped, the raging river of memories mercifully ceased. Yui drew in one strangled breath before fainting.
 

Hyuga caught her before she hit the ground. Instinctively, he held her close against him. "Yui?" When there was no answer, he quickly lifted and carried her. ...What have I done?! He ran the rest of the way to her house. Yui!
 

Azuire watched silently as the Solarian entered the house with his niece. His hands clenched as he forced himself not to go and to beat the living daylights out of the man who would dare hurt his Yui.

He clamped his mouth shut and ground teeth. Be careful, Solarian. Be very, very careful...
 

He watched as she slept fitfully, her head moving restlessly on the pillow, damp strands of hair clinging to her face. Worried, he quickly dipped the cloth again in a basin of ice-cold water, wrung it of excess liquid and wiped the sweat from her face and neck.

What have I done?! He thought frantically, blaming himself for her current condition. I shouldn't have forced it all on her like that!

She murmured something, and he leaned over to hear her more clearer. "-cle... A-zuire..." ...Azuire? Azuire?! He stared at her blankly. What would she have to do with him?! Azuire was one of the nobles of Shevat. A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. The way she called for him... He shook his head. What does it matter if this Azuire is special enough to her that she would call out his name while unconscious. ... Liar! He winced, hearing her voice echo with the word. ...I care... I do care...

He swallowed as he stood up and tossed the compress aside. Already, Yui had relaxed, sleeping more peacefully as if the mere mention of the noble's name was of more comfort to her than any ministrations he had done.

...Perhaps it did... He turned away and walked out of her bedroom. In the time he had followed and spied upon her around Shevat, she had remained solitary most of the time, avoiding company even when other nobles chased and begged for her presence. She was popular, no doubt, and yet, he rarely saw her with a particular individual. He never saw her with Lord Azuire.

...I am jealous... In the hallway, Hyuga paused and chuckled softly. ... Here I am on a mission whose success and failure will decide the fate of the human race, and I am experiencing the petty emotions of jealousy and envy... He shook his head wearily. ...like an animal in rut...

"Hmm..."

He looked up to see Cain regarding him with a somewhat amused expression.

He bowed respectfully. "Your majesty."

Cain nodded regally. It was a barely discernable motion. "You removed the block, why?"

"..."

"Come now, Guardian, you have no secrets from me." Hyuga could have sworn the Holy Emperor was teasing him. "The woman is very beautiful."

He looked away or at least tried to. No matter what direction he faced, Cain was there, looking back at him wisely. "... If you know everything, it is unnecessary for me to tell you."

Cain laughed. "True, but I prefer that you explain yourself to me." This time there was steel in the command, and Hyuga sighed mentally. He had no privacy at all.

"... I did not want her to hate me..."

He had seen the anger in her eyes. Anger at him... Many times had he seen pity turn to hate. The pity in the eyes of men and women who had used him turning to hate when they realized they could not control and manipulate him anymore. He did not want her to hate him.

"I see...," Cain's words rumbled through him, "so you let her see a portion of yourself." He winced as Cain continued. "To renew her compassion for you..."

...Am I so pathetic? Hyuga wondered, knowing that Cain was thinking about the same thing too.

"Hmm... so what will you do now, Guardian?" Cain asked.

"... Use whatever means I have at my disposal. ... Fortunately, I possess something not even Lord Azuire of Shevat has..."

"And what is that?" Inquired Cain rather curiously.

"As a Solarian, sworn enemy of her people, I intrigued her." There is no mistaking the way she looks at me... "I would no doubt be an exotic experience for her."

Cain smiled. "Be careful, Guardian, you are not exactly immune to her charms either."
 
 

Author's note:

Whee... this is the longest chapter so far! Made up for "Idyllic."

(sweatdrop) See what I mean about this fic being whimsical. ^^;; Ack! I really hope I'm not making a big mistake with the plotline, but no matter how I think about it, work the story through, it still ends up the same way.

Really felt clique. Ugh! That is something I try as much as possible to avoid, but I hope the way the story goes and ends will make up for it. ^^

Yen^^
alex@gsilink.com

Go to next part...
Rebuilding
Worlds Collide