A Dragon\'s Call

Chapter Seven : The Carnival



AN:
Warnings - slight angst, not too much.  And sap!!!!!


Chapter Seven: The Carnival

The
next morning, Jonathan woke to bright sunlight on his face.
  He groaned, turning his head away from the bright light.  Snuggling against the warmth next to him, he
sighed softly.  Something tickled his nose and
he sighed, opening his eyes to see what was so annoying.

His
brother lay in his arms, his head resting on his twin's shoulder.   Joshua's hair was what was irritating his nose so
much.  He smiled, brushing the locks of hair
from his brother's face.  He loved to watch
his brother sleep.  Joshua had a serene,
peaceful look on his face as he slept.  It
reminded him of an angel.

Brushing
a hand gently over his twin's face, Jonathan inched out of bed gently.  His brother mewed in protest at the loss of warmth
next to his.  Jonathan smiled, running his
fingers over his twin's cheeks.  The motion
quieted the younger twin, sending him into a deep sleep once more.

Taking
out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, he slipped quietly into the bathroom.  Closing and locking the door (more out of habit
then anything else), he turned the hot water on.  Stepping
into the shower, he sighed contentedly.  The
hot water pounding on his bare skin felt heavenly.

Picking
up a bar of soap, he lathered it, washing himself.  It
felt wonderful, this cleaning.  He smiled to
himself, realizing he was cleansing his soul as well.
  He had always been afraid to act on his emotions in regards to his brother.  But now that they both had, he felt clean, whole
again.

Grabbing
the shampoo bottle, he poured a liberal amount into his hand.   Washing his hair, he breathed in the wonderful
smell.  Rinsing his hair, Jonathan turned the
water off and grabbed a towel.  Drying
himself off, he put his clothes on as he towel dried his hair.  Unlocking the door, he walked into the kitchen
barefoot.

Humming
to himself, he pulled out items from the refrigerator and cupboards, placing them on the
island counter in the kitchen.  Pulling a
butcher knife from a drawer, he started to cut up items in preparation of the omelet he
was going to make.  He paid no attention as
the sound of someone entering the kitchen invaded his senses.

Rachel
stood in the doorway, watching Jonathan make breakfast. 
She had no intention of eating anything he made. 
Her eyes darkened as she remembered the night before.  "Satan has taken hold of you..."

"Mother.  Stop.  Now
before you force me to do something you'll regret." Jonathan growled, never looking
up from his dicing.  "If what me and
Joshua is evil and will send me to Hell, then so be it.
  What you've done to me is far worse.  Now
leave before I forget you are my mother." He looked up, his eyes hard with hatred.

She
stepped back, not accustomed to seeing such a look on her eldest.   She opened her mouth to speak but thought better
of it.  Stepping back, she left him.  She would bide her time.  They would screw up and she would be there to see
it.

*           *
            *

The
San Marcos Carnival was in full swing.  Vendors
dotted the landscape, their booths set up and waiting for business.  Coin toss, pellet gun shooting, you name it they
had it.  It was one of the largest carnivals
on the west coast.  What made this carnival
uni how however, was The Pier.  The Pier, as
all the locals called it, spanned the length of five basketball courts. 

It was
really a mini amusement park, The Pier.  A
Ferris Wheel able to hold at least fifty people was at the end.   At night, with the lights on, you could see the
ocean glimmer like sapphires.  In the center
of the pier was a roller coaster.  It was one
of the last, old wooden coasters in the United States. 
But the majority of the visitors visited the various shops and restaurants that
dotted the pier.  You could find just about
anything, it was so diverse.

Towards
the back, there was even an old ballroom.  It
had been converted, however.  It now housed a
large and ornately decorated carousel.  Mirrors
lined the walls, flickering lights on the ceiling.  There
weren't many people that visited this attraction, as it was isolated and quiet.

Tarek
yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.  He
had agreed to meet the others here after work.  In
order to support himself, he had had to get a job as well as going to school.  So he worked at the carnival, as an attendant at
the Ferris Wheel.  It was an easy job,
requiring not much attention on his part.

Stifling
another yawn, he looked around.  Reykia and
Anthony were due to arrive any minute.  As
were Nicholas and the others.  Nicholas wasn't
sure he'd be able to convince their mom to let Christopher come, but he said he'd try.  The others were anxious to introduce themselves.  Damien Lacroix, or Chichiri as Tarek knew him, was
the local minister.

The
last member of their group, Mitsukake, had been reborn as Michael Moxley.  Tarek had heard of him, as he was the Biology
teacher for the local high school.  He also
served as the school nurse, which didn't surprise Tarek at all.

He
sighed, looking around absently.  He wished
they'd hurry up.  His shift was almost over.

 

"MIAKA!!!"

"Eeep!"


Yui
Hongo grinned, watching her best friend look sheepishly at her brother.  The Yuuki's were arguing (yet again) about food.  Or rather, about Miaka swiping Keisuke's cotton
candy.

Miaka,
her eyes wide and cheeks bulging with the fluffy candy, swallowed.   "Gomen ne, oniichan!  I'm just so..."

"Hungry.  Yeah Iw.&qw." Keisuke rolled his eyes at his
sister.  "Honestly Miaka!  All you had to do was ask!  I'd have bought you some more!"

"Gomen..."

Chuckling,
Yui turned her head to watch the people around them. 
This was t heir first trip to America.  You
hadn't expected things to be so diverse.  People
of all nationalities and colors mingled amongst each other.

Shaking
her head, she turned back to her friends.  She
blinked, looking around.  "Tetsuya...Keisuke...where's
Miaka?"

The
two friends spun, turning their gazes from the alcohol stand in front of them.  "Nani?!"

Keisuke
cursed, looking around frantically.  "Where
is that little ditz?!  She knows she doesn't
understand English that well!  She's gonna get
lost!"

Placing
a hand on Keisuke's shoulder, Tetsuya shook his head. 
"You know her.  Besides, she knows
enough to get by.  She'll be okay.  Come on.  We
can look around for her, ne?!!"

Keisuke
growled, but after a nod from Yui, agreed.

*           *
            *

Detecting
the smell of hot dogs and chili fries, Miaka had skipped ahead of her friends.  Her nose and stomach were demanding immediate
attention.  Finding the vendor, she purchased
two hot dogs and an order of chili fries.  Devouring
the dogs, she turned.  "Oniichan..."

She
blinked.  Where were they?   'I didn't think I'd gone that far...' Shaking her
head, she popped a fry into her mouth as she walked from the vendor.  They'd find each other later, she was sure.  Marveling at everything around her, she smiled
sadly.  The only thing missing was...Tamahome.

Her
thoughts never strayed from him for long.  Her
heart was still too full of love for him.  It
was impossible for her to forget him for long.  Thinking
of him now, a tear slid down her cheek.

Looking
down at the food in her hands, she sniffed.  She
missed him so much.  It was wonderful having
Yui back, but she had hoped Suzaku would allow her to have both of them.

Walking
past various vendors, she stared in awe at all the games and rides that surrounded her.  She'd never seen anything like this before in her
life.  She stopped at coin toss, watching the
various people come up and try and win a stuffed animal.
  Most of them were couples, the man throwing to try and win his ladylove a
prize. 

Miaka
turned away not able to watch them anymore.  It
all brought back her own pain.  'Why did I go
away from them?  Now I'll never find them in
this mess.'  Sighing, she trudged down the
avenues of the carnival, feeling more and more depressed.

Coming
to a stop, she leaned against the fence of a popular ride, the Ferris wheel.  There was no one in line at this time, mainly due
to the fact the attendant wasn't around.  'Must
be on his break or something.'

Sighing
sadly, she watched the ride turn, her head moving in a circular pattern, following the
wheel.

"Your
head will fall off if you keep doing that."

"Eeep!"
Miaka flushed, looking down as she turned around.  "I'm
sorry!  I didn't..."

The
young man behind her never heard the rest of her words. 
Tarek stared at the flushed face of the young woman and smiled.   She was so sweet. 
Reminded him of...

He
frowned, looking down at her more closely.  The
darkness of the area contributed to his inability to see her properly.  Reaching out with a trembling hand, he lifted her
chin, raising her face to the light.

A gasp
escaped his lips and he felt tears in his eyes.  It
couldn’t be true..."Miaka?"

Miaka
blinked, still flustered.  At the sound of her
name, she frowned and looked up.  How did this
guy know her name?

She
too gasped, staring up at the stranger, who wasn't.  Her
hand reached out to touch his cheek, unable to believe her eyes.  "Tamahome..."

"Miaka!"
Tarek pulled her into his arms, crushing her body against his.  He felt his tears flow freely, finally finding the
one he had been searching for.  It had been so
long, he had almost forgotten what she looked like.

A
quiet sob escaped her, as Miaka held him to her tightly. 
All of the pain from the past seemed to evaporate in his arms.   They were together, once again.  And nothing would keep them apart, she would make
sure of it.

to be continued...