Moonlight

Ch 5: Ribbon

By: ani

Warning: they’re probably OOC, especially Azusa. ^^;

Disclaimer: its Shin Mashiba’s dreamscape, I’m only playing in it.

AN: Major Spoilers if you haven’t read all 9 volumes. And I mean MAJOR! So obviously this is Post-Canon.

Hiruko’s one of my absolute fav charas so I’ve gotta give him a happy ending. And besides Chitose deserves it!

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DING!

Hifumi and Mizuki jumped nervously as the customer walked in, the slight squeak giving her away. Slipping off her black raincoat, she stood by the first table in almost the same outfit she wore that first night. There was a long-sleeved gray shirt under her white vest, the same lilac skirt concealing her leg brace. She had those loose brown curls done up in a high ponytail. Turning to the far table, one hand flew to her mouth.

“Tsukiyo,” Azusa nodded at her, “It’s been a long time.”

She took a deep breath and put her hand back at her side. “Not long enough Azusa.”

The mortals jumped at Tsukiyo’s words. “Wait a minute, you two know each other?!?” Hifumi exclaimed, gawking as she started towards the baku’s table.

“How do you know his name?” Mizuki asked as she stood behind him, “I didn’t know you.”

She huffed as Hifumi helped her with her seat, “He’s the one that forbid me from getting Chitose out of there.” Azusa didn’t even blink so she continued, “The real Hiruko called on us because of an infection. Azusa called because those little assholes forced mothballs down his throat.” she stopped when Mizuki covered her gasp with her hands.

“But why would they do that? I thought they loved hurting him, why risk killing him?” Hifumi asked, remembering Kashina’s dream vividly.

“Just another form of torture,” Azusa answered, finally reacting, his gaze falling to the table. “They told him if he threw up on them they’d start cutting things off.”

Tsukiyo nodded as they both went white. “It’s what pushed that little bitch over the edge, why she loved patching him up as much as those bastards did tearing him apart,” she sighed softly, “I’d thought telling Hikari where he was would help, maybe she could get him out.”

“Hikari?” Hifumi stepped away from the counter, “You mean his sister?” Tsukiyo nodded.

“She’d been in the city for years,” Azusa cut in, “hopping from job to job trying to find him.” he smirked, “And we know how that turned out.”

Hifumi turned away at Mizuki’s confused look, “Kashina killed her so she wouldn’t have to take Chitose’s place.”

A loud crack of thunder made everyone jump.

Tsukiyo shook her head before getting up and started walking towards the front of the store. “Has Shima been by?”

“No, why?”

“We agreed to meet here,” she started, getting cut off by the ‘DING‘. They jumped at the young man falling on his butt with a squish and an “oomph.” A bento big enough to serve eight was stuck halfway in the door. He slid a few extra inches thanks to his wet coat, his tweed cabby hat flying a few more behind him. The teahouse staff all gasped at the dirty blond hair as Tsukiyo finished, “When Kairi calls you bring everything.”

Walking over to pick up his hat as he got his feet under him, Tsukiyo and he stopped at the sight of the blond boy standing outside in the rain. “I never thought I’d find you guys inside!!” Shima exclaimed, almost dropping his traditional umbrella.

A nervous chuckle brought everyone’s attention to the teenager. As he slowly stood up, turning around they gasped: two “Hiruko” and one “Chitose”.

He just smiled as he turned to Tsukiyo, taking back his hat. “I’m not the baku,” he spoke softly, her smile encouraging him, “And I don’t use that name anymore.” he turned to Azusa, “The name you gave is full of pain and bad memories.”

Mizuki took a tentative step closer, “If it’s not Chitose, then what is your name?”

The wet soles of his black boots squeaked as he went back to the door, helping shima with the package. “You can call me Seiya.”

Azusa laughed, “apt names for the assistants of Usagi no Tsuki.”

“But how is it possible?” Hifumi questioned as their guests all stood at the counter, “I mean Chitose’s been dead for two and a half years…”

Tsukiyo pursed her lips, “I don’t know what happened…”

*********

She smiled softly as she kept stroking the head of brown curls in her lap. “You knew what he was from the start Sweetheart,” she said when the sobs slowed down to sniffles.

“I-I know but…” was mumbled into her leg.

She nodded even though she didn’t move. “But it’s nice to find an old friend again. I know Tsuki, I know.”

A kind, regal voice carried into the room, “I had to call in a few favors, but…” they both turned to the doorway, the elegant woman standing there in full formal kimono, her hair intricately pinned. The royal air fell away at Tsukiyo’s tearstained face, quickly replaced with a mischievous smile as she walked into the room. And he stepped in the doorway.

He stood there with the collar of his long-sleeve black shirt open. His cabby hat, vest and short pants were all in the same black and gray tweed with black laced-up boots that stopped just below his knees.

The same shaggy dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes.

“Tsukiyo…” he said with a touch of surprise.

She froze to the spot, eyes wide in shock. Usagi quirked an eye and asked, “Why did you do this Chang’e?”

Chang’e smiled softly as he stepped up, helped Tsukiyo to her feet. “We both know what it’s like being alone up here,” she blushed as Usagi reached for her, taking her hand and pulling her closer, “Besides, we could use the help.”

Tsukiyo giggled at them as he jumped in surprise. Turning back to him, she smiled, “So is it Chitose again?”

He smiled back, taking both hands in his, “No, Seiya,” she gasped, “I remember now Tsuki.”

Both women laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. “Moonlight and Starlight,” Usagi started.

Chang’e finished, “Fitting, isn’t it?”

************

The mortals jumped as he turned to the portrait sitting there. “I don’t remember and Chang’e won’t tell us the details, just that this is a real living body.”

“Not part of some spell,” Tsukiyo glared at Azusa before turning to smile at Shima, “It’s just not the one he was born in.”

“And I don’t remember being the baku,” he turned to Mizuki as she gasped.

“Why not?”

“Because he does,” Tsukiyo turned back to Azusa, “Technically they are his.”

Hifumi jumped, “Really?”

Azusa put his chin in his hand and smirked. “You broke the case with an ugly hand-shaped vase.”

Hifumi gulped, nervous of the look in the baku’s eyes before turning back to the others. “But one little visit wouldn’t explain how well you got along, how you could find his sister.”

“You didn’t say a word to each other the first time you were here and yet you were picking on Hifumi like you’d planned it,” Mizuki added.

Tsukiyo stopped talking with Shima and turned back to them, “It wasn’t ‘one little visit’. The mothballs made him violently sick; I had to stay through the day. He didn’t believe it was me until the fever broke.” she sighed before turning to Seiya, “I snuck back a few more times when I was sure they weren’t going to hurt him that night.”

“My memories were fuzzy,” he took her hand, “but Tsuki understood why, how I got there. And since she couldn’t take me with her, I asked her to find Hikari. She could come during the day and get me.”

Tsukiyo squeezed his hand as he turned away from everyone, “And you already know how that turned out.”

“So, does that mean…” Mizuki wondered.

“Yes,” Azusa answered, “They knew each other before the storehouse, before the brothel.”

They nodded. “He was timid and quiet so he got left out like I did. Hikari would help us with the bullies when we were little, but then she was sent to work in the city.”

He continued. “Tsukiyo was sold and taken away in the middle of the night. No one knew why or where, so I wrote a letter to Hikari and ran away to find her.”

“And that pretty much catches us up,” Tsukiyo turned from the Silver Star’s staff to the Delirium’s, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got to get going or Kairi’s bound to do something stupid.”

Mizuki stepped up, ringing her hands. “Will you come visit again?”

Hifumi and even Azusa looked at her in surprise. Tsukiyo just turned to Seiya. His gaze fell to the floor. “We can’t ignore a call for help,” biting his lip he turned to her, “We’ll see.”

He tried to smile as she nodded with tears in her eyes.

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor made everyone turn to the baku. Sticking both hands in his pockets and leaving Formalin hanging off the table, he kept his eyes down as he crossed the room, stopping in front of Tsukiyo. Even she jumped at his sigh. He slowly raised his head, looking her in the eye with a weak smile. “I should have known I didn’t stand a chance.” Blue eyes glared at him as he stepped closer. The smile weakened a little more as he turned to him and back, “If he felt this much from bits of memories, there’s nothing I can do.” he turned to his left as he pulled a thin blue ribbon from his coat pocket. Leaving his head turned, he held it out to her.

Everyone just stared as the long strip of fabric barely fluttered. Azusa flinched slightly at the squeaky hinge, but he jumped as she pulled his sleeve up, pushed the arm warmer back. “Tsukiyo…?”

Not looking up, she smiled softly as she took the ribbon. “With lives like ours,” she wrapped it twice around his wrist, “no matter how much they hurt later,” she tied it off and looked him in the eye, “any happy memory is a good memory.”

He blinked at her a few times before looking back at his wrist and nodded. They both turned to Seiya and he nodded too. “We need to go,” he said simply.

“Okay!” Shima cheered, easily slinging the pack on his back, somehow still holding onto his umbrella. Tsukiyo smiled at Seiya as he helped her with her coat, holding the door for both her and Shima.

They got to the end of the block when she took his hand, “Are you sure about this?”

He squeezed it and smiled softly, “Not really…” Tsukiyo nodded as she looked into his eyes.

“I’m not loosing you again.”

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AN: I’m using a little continuity/translation mix-up that was in Vol.6 the 33rd Night. And a tiny reference to the ending of Vol. 9, when Hiruko’s fading away while Azusa‘s snapping out of it.

As for Chang’e, she’s the Chinese equivalent to the Man on the Moon, or the Moon Princess - there‘s even a crater named after her. If you wanna know more on her story, look her up on wiki. I made her a lot nicer than half the myths do.