ヒカリ の シイド
Hikari no Shiido
T H E S E E D O F L I G H T
The next morning, Fujin slept peacefully in his chair. Kanji was sulking; Yuni was glaring at him. The other Elementals were talking heatedly.
“I can’t believe he hasn’t learned his lesson after what happened with Yami!” fumed Aisu.
“What I want to know,” commented Mizu, “Is why Fujin keeps protecting him!”
Kogasu ventured a guess. “Well… maybe he thinks of it Kanji’s way. I mean, he knows that Kanji loves him, but Kanji doesn’t know how to really show affection, so instead Kanji hits Fujin, and Fujin knows that Kanji loves him even though he hits him.”
Aisu stared, dumbfounded. “Who knew the stupid boy could be so philosophic? How the hell did you figure that?”
Kogasu stared into the fire. “My family was the same way. I don’t remember my mother, but my father abused me. I thought that it was okay of him to do so, until my brother, Kiseki, showed me otherwise. Except, my father always hated us, never loved us. Both of them died about two years ago.”
“Oh! I didn’t mean-“ began Aisu.
“It’s alright.”
“Well… I’m sorry for your loss,” apologized Aisu.
“Who asked you, old hag?!”
“I was trying to be nice, you stupid boy!”
“Ugly old hag!”
“Stupid boy!”
“Guys-“ Mizu warned, glancing at the unconscious Fujin.
Fujin stirred, and everyone went silent. “You guys don’t have to try and keep silent,” he yawned, “Oniisama… I’m glad you’re alright…”
“Fujin, I want you to stay away from Kanji,” commanded Yuni.
“Why?” asked Fujin.
“Because he abuses you!”
Fujin shook his head, sitting upright. “No! He’s just trying to help me!”
Yuni laughed bitterly. “Help you? He hurt you, nearly killed you, and you think he’s helping you? Tell me, when did the worlds go backwards? What, are we the evil ones now? Fujin, he nearly killed you! How can he love you?”
Kanji opened his mouth to speak, but Fujin spoke first. “…hates me? Oniisama… is that true?”
“Of course it is!” interrupted Yuni. “Why else would he-“
“Oneechan, let him answer for himself!”
“He’ll lie!”
“He doesn’t lie!”
Kanji began to speak. “Fujin, I-“
Yuni slammed her foot into his face angrily. Fujin threw a handful of dirt at
her in response. “Let him answer!”
Yuni got up
angrily and slapped Fujin. “Listen to me!”
Fujin kicked Yuni in the shin. Kanji got up and grabbed them both by the collars, hoisting them into the air; he threw Yuni to the ground. “Quit it!” he snapped.
Fujin stuck out his tongue at Yuni. Kanji threw him to the ground as he had Yuni. “You too!”
Tears formed in Fujin’s gray eyes. “Oneechan was right…”
Kanji began to protest, but had an idea. Doesn’t that reverse psychology stuff work with kids? I’m no psychologist, but I hope this works! “Yes, I do hate you! I’ve always hated you!” he spat. “Get out of my sight, I don’t want to see you again!”
Fujin scrambled to his feet and took a step back. “Oniisama…”
“Go!” thundered Kanji. Fujin bolted into the forest, intent on setting as much distance between him and Kanji as possible.
“Kanji, you idiot, you just sent him away!” berated Aisu.
“I-I didn’t mean to! I was trying to use that reverse psychology stuff!”
“Well, it evidently didn’t work, now, did it?” snapped Mizu.
“Idiot,” added Kogasu.
“I didn’t mean any of it!” protested Kanji.
“It had to have come from somewhere,” Yuni said quietly.
“N-no! I didn’t mean it!”
“Big brother… if you didn’t mean it… then why was it so intense? It even seemed real to me…”
* * *
Fujin ran deep into the forest, ignoring the branches that lightly scraped his skin. He hates me… He kept running as fast as possible, deeper into the forest. Deeper, deeper. Darker, darker. Oniisama hates me…! Soon, he was in the heart of the forest. He sank to the ground. He hates me… he always has…
* * *
“We have to find him!” exclaimed Mizu.
“I say let him go…,” Kanji replied listlessly. “He left of his own accord…”
“Big brother, we have to find him! Evil can get to him now, his mental state is delicate! If Evil gets him or kills him, they have a chance to take the worlds!” insisted Yuni.
“How would you know if he’s delicate or not?” demanded Kanji. “You’ve been gone, missing, out of the family! Now you think you know everything about us! A lot’s happened since you left and things have changed!”
Yuni looked shocked.
Kanji realized what he had just said. “Yuni… I didn’t mean…”
“Yes, you did mean it. It’s true that I barely know you guys now, if at all… but I still care about you.”
* * *
Fujin continued crying. He didn’t want to go back, not to live if Kanji hated him. Behind him, a person approached. Fujin wiped his eyes of tears and got up to continue running. He ran into the person. “Please move!” Fujin requested from the ground. He looked up at the person.
The person was a man of about Kanji’s age, perhaps a little bit younger. He had long silvery hair, and his eyes were silvery-gray, not unlike Fujin’s. He wore black pants that became baggy towards his feet, and a black shirt that was underneath an open black leather jacket.
Fujin continued staring, now at the man’s face, expecting to see anger; instead, he all he saw was warmth and friendliness. “O-oh!” Fujin exclaimed, suddenly shy. “I-I-I-I’m s-sorry! I-I didn’t see you!”
The man smiled. “That’s alright. My name is Zutto Matsudai. May I ask yours?”
“Sh-shiido Yuki,” answered Fujin. “Well, a-actually, i-it’s Shiido Fujin, b-but I like the name Yuki better. B-but, y-you can call me whatever you want!”
Matsudai smiled again. “Well, Fujin, may I ask how old you are?”
“E-eight. B-but people say that I act older!”
Matsudai looked around. “Well, Shiido Fujin, we should probably get out of here. It’s dangerous in this forest.”
“I… I don’t wanna go back…”
Matsudai’s face registered concern. “Why not?”
“He hates me…”
“Who hates you? Who could hate an innocent little kid?”
“My…. my big brother…,” sniffled Fujin.
“Well, I’ll go with you. If needs be, I’ll get you away from him. Okay?”
“A-alright…”
* * *
Yuni sank into her chair. “I give up… we can’t find him…”
“But… we have to find him!” protested Kanji. “I have to find him!”
“He wouldn’t go with you, you know. Not with what you said,” commented Aisu.
“I didn’t mean it!”
“You said that already,” sighed Kogasu.
“B-but I really didn’t mean it!!”
Aisu got up and stretched. “We gonna go look again? Perhaps denying it once more will work!” she quipped.
Mizu laughed. Kanji glared at her, and something caught his eye. “Who’s that?” he asked, pointing at the forest.
Indeed, emerging from the forest was a man, leading Fujin by the hand; Fujin was talking good-naturedly to him. He walked up to Aisu and Kanji and asked, “Is this your guys’ child?”