A Dragon\'s Call

Chapter 8



Chapter 8: The
Homecoming Dance

The living room
was quiet, almost too quiet.  Joshua sat on
the couch next to his brother, talking quietly.  They
were making plans to attend the Homecoming Dance that night.  The twins had finally achieved the one thing both
had sought for so long.

Popularity.  Acceptance.

Since Joshua's
amazing play at the Homecoming game, (which their team had won) everyone seemed to finally
notice the brothers'.  Both twins had girls
from their high school calling them at home.  Their
mother highly disapproved, but she said nothing when she saw they didn't respond to the
calls.

At the moment,
the twins' were sitting together, talking.  They
hadn't seen their mother since breakfast.  Both
felt relieved, but also upset at t his turn of events.
  Despite their differences, the twins' had hoped their mother would come
around.  No such luck.

"Ready to
go?" Jonathan queried his twin, smiling.  The
twins' had dressed in their only suits, the ones they'd been given to wear at their
uncle's funeral.

Joshua nodded
enthusiastically, grinning.  He was very
excited about going.  Neither brother had ever
gone to anything like this before.  It would
be a new experience for them.

Pulling their
coats from the hall closet, they shrugged them on, preparing to leave.  A shadow fell on the boys' and they looked behind
them.

Rachel stood a
few feet from them, clad all in black.  Her
blue eyes were dark with anger as she gazed at her children.  "I thought I told you that you aren't to
leave the house."

Jonathan
sighed, glaring angrily at his mother.  But
before he could say anything, she cut him off.

"Both of
you have fallen to the ways of Satan.  Stay
here with me and we will pray!  It isn't too
late.  Your soul's can still be saved!"

"Mother,
shut up."

Rachel and
Jonathan both stared at Joshua in shock.  He
stared back, his cerulean eyes hard.  "We
are going.  My brother and I are going to this
dance to have fun.  We are going to be with
other people our age, so get out of our way."

Her eyes
widened, unable to comprehend her youngest child's words.
  He had always been so meek.  He
never stood up for himself or his brother.  Jonathan
was the one who always spoke for them.

She bowed her
head in acquiescence.  Joshua nodded, opening
the door and stepping out with his twin.  Neither
brother saw Rachel's expression as they left.  Her
eyes were bright and a smile spread over her face.

A smile of
madness.

*           *
            *

The San Marcos
High School Gymnasium was filled with streamers, balloons and every other kind of
decoration imaginable.  There was even a large
disco globe hanging from the rafters.  The
bleachers were out, providing the participants with a place to congregate and talk amongst
themselves.  Large banners, proclaiming this
the Homecoming Dance, ran from end to end.  Small
tables were set up at each end of the gym, providing refreshments.

Two tables
lined the front of the gym, small placards displayed.
  This was where the contestants for Homecoming King and Queen would be
presented.  A large decorated box towards the
front doors would hold the ballets.

The reunion
between Tarek and Miaka was only shadowed by the similar reunion of the rest of the Suzaku
Seishi with their miko.  All of them were
currently sitting on the bleachers, talking.

Miaka was
amazed and delighted to find out that Nuriko had been reincarnated as a woman.  Reykia had only smiled at the young woman, linking
her arm with Anthony's.

The rest of the
group soon greeted her as well.  Nicholas and
Christopher both nearly glomped her.  Miaka
was in shock when they said they were brothers.

But the reunion
came to a head when the last two members arrived.

Reverend Damien
Lacroix entered the gymnasium and headed straight towards the group.  Behind him was the school nurse, a towering man of
6'7".  They both bowed to Miaka, and then
embraced her warmly.

"Chichiri!  Mitsukake!" She gushed, hugging them in turn.  They smiled, nodding.

Damien
explained that Michael Moxley and he were chaperons for this year's dance.  He then looked to Yui, who sat next to Tetsuya
quietly.  "Your seishi are here as
well."

"Nani?!"
Her eyes widened in shock, unable to believe her ears.
  "Are you serious?!"

Damien nodded.  "Yes, I am.
  I've accounted for all of us, now that Tarek has arrived.  Nakago's brought the other seishi together.  Or rather, almost all."

Beside Miaka,
Tarek nodded.  "Yeah, I was there when he
tried to bully the twins into joining."

Yui's eyes
widened even more at this news.  "Suboshi…and
Amiboshi?"

Damien sighed
sadly, placing his hand on her arm comfortingly.  "Yes
Yui.  Both of them have been reincarnated.  They are together, but have had a very hard
life."

"Hard
life?" Yui asked, biting her lip.

Michael sighed,
nodding.  "Damien and I have both known
the two boys for years.  In fact, Damien has
been a sort of confidant for the eldest."  Damien
nodded, taking up the story where Michael left off.

"I only
know part of their story.  Tarek, I know you
intercepted the Seiryuu's attacking Jonathan and Joshua."  Damien replied.
  Tarek nodded.  "That was
not the only time the twins have been accosted.  They
have been the butt of many jokes through their lives."

"Jokes?"
Miaka frowned.

Damien nodded.  "Yes.  Almost
all of them have to do with their mother.  I've
heard people joke that Jonathan should change his name to Oedipal."

This reference
went over Miaka's head, but Yui understood it all too well.
  "You mean he's…"

Damien nodded
solemnly.  "Do not judge him.  I have spoken to Jonathan at great length.  His circumstances are not of his making."

The group
suddenly turned their heads towards the door.  Jonathan
and Joshua walked in their clothing immaculate.  Everyone
turned to watch them as they walked further in.  Silence
preceded them.

Joshua looked
to his brother, nervous.  The silence was
starting to get to him.  Just as they reached
the middle of the gymnasium, all hell broke loose.  Both
twins jumped as they were swarmed, people clapping and applauding them.

Tears filled
Jonathan's eyes, as students that had previously snubbed them, struck up conversations
with him and his brother.  It was like a dream
come true.

In the back,
the Seiryuu Seven watched, smirking.  Soi had
gone among the students, bribing or conning them into approaching the twins.  Tonight would be the night when Amiboshi and
Suboshi rejoined the fold.

Dirk watched
the proceedings from the back of the gymnasium.  He
had no intention of allowing anyone to interfere with his plans.  All was in readiness.  A frown creased his lips as he saw Tarek and his
group.  It appeared that the Suzaku
Shichiseishi had all gathered as well.

He was
determined to allow nothing to interfere with his plans.
  The fact that Yui was among them only added spice to the chase.  They would all pay soon enough.  Nothing would be allowed to stand in his way.

On the stage, a
local band was just beginning to play.  Various
couples moved to the dance floor to begin the celebration.
  Jonathan and Joshua were both surprised when young women of varying ages
asked them to dance.  Having no experience in
such activities, they agreed reluctantly.

Tarek and
Anthony both escorted their prospective ladies out onto the dance floor.  Both Miaka and Reykia giggled, accepting their
love's invitation.

*           *
            *

Yui sat at a
table, her chin on her hand.  It was nice
that Miaka had found Tamahome.  She was happy
for her friend.  But that did no good for her.  Keisuke and Tetsuya had quickly departed, wanting
to find a local American tavern.  Damien and
Michael were too occupied in their duties.  Christopher
was a bit young for her.

That only left
Nicholas, and he nearly ran at the prospect of dancing with a girl.  So Yui sat at a table, sipping her glass of punch.  She felt alone and very undesirable.  Everyone seemed to shy away from her.  Not for the first time did she find herself
thinking of Suboshi and his brother.

What were they
like now?  Did Suboshi still remember her?  Did he still feel the same way or had he forgotten
her?  These questions, and more, plagued her
mind.  She so longed to see them.  Having had only a glimpse of them before they were
surrounded, Yui sighed.

Just when she
was about to get up for some more punch, someone bumped into her form behind.  A low, irritated growl feel from her lips.  She turned around to tell whoever had bumped into
her off.  Her eyes widened and her hand went
to her mouth as she gasped.

Joshua blinked,
his face flushed.  He had tried to escape the
swarm of girls that had continually hounded him.  Turning
around, he looked down, blushing.  "Sorry!  I didn't mean to…"

"Suboshi?"

He looked up at
that name, frowning.  It sounded so very
familiar.  Looking up, his mouth opened in
wonder and recognition.

"Yui-sama…"

*           *
            *

Jonathan too
had tried to escape the onslaught of people.  He
wasn't used to so much attention.  Escaping,
he headed for the refreshment table.  Dashing
over to the table, he nearly ran over the person standing in front of the table, munching
on some cheese.

"Oh sorry!  I didn't mean to…" he stopped in
mid-sentence, blinking.

Christopher
Dainty turned around to smile at Jonathan.  "Oh
it's okay.  I'm used to being ignored.  How do you like it here?"

"Uhm…okay…"

Chris grinned.  "You don't have to be so wary around me,
Amiboshi."

Jonathan
blinked.  "That name does sound familiar.  And I've always had this strange feeling
around…er…"

"Me.  It's okay." Chris grinned, winking.  He took a sip of punch before continuing.  "You don't remember everything, I can see
that.  It's okay.  You will one day."

Shaking his
head, Jonathan turned from the enigmatic young boy.  He
was easily the strangest person he'd ever seen.  He
blinked, looking over at the stage.  It
appeared that something was going on…

*           *
            *

Joshua and Yui
had stared at one another for what seemed to be hours, but was only a few minutes.  Her heart soared, knowing he was alive.

Her hand
reached out to touch his cheek softly.  Joshua
let out a breath, one he hadn't known he had been holding.
  Impulsively, he hugged her tightly.  She
sighed, returning it.

She looked up
at him earnestly, concern evident in her features.  She
remembered what Damien had said regarding the twins.
  It was bad enough what Suboshi had gone through before.  But now, the way his own mother treated
him…it was simply appalling.  She found
herself hating the woman, without ever having met her.

A radiant smile
fell across her features as he stared at her.  Joshua
grinned, winking.  "See?  I do remember…er…some of it
anyway."

Yui laughed,
linking her arm in his.  In heavily accented
English, she spoke.  "I'm glad.  It's nice to see you again, Suboshi."

He shook his
head, making a face.  "Joshua, please.  I hardly remember anything from when I was
Suboshi."

"All
right.  Joshua."

"What are
you doing here anyway?" He queried.

She shrugged.  "Miaka, her brother, a friend of ours and I
all came to America for a vacation."

"Oh."

She grinned,
pressing a kiss to his cheek.  "I'm very
glad we came.  It's wonderful seeing you
again!"

He nodded
emphatically.  "It is!  Wait until you meet my brother!  He'll really like you!"

She found
herself blushing at his words.

He grinned, and
then blinked.  Both looked to the band on
stage.  They were preparing for something it
looked like.

*           *
            *

The senior
class vice-president, Linda Claibourne, cleared her throat and addressed the gymnasium.  "Welcome everyone!  Welcome to the Homecoming Dance, or as we like to
call it, 'The Dance of the Serpents!'"

A silence fell
over the gathering and Linda rolled her eyes.  "Anyway,
it is now time to choose your Homecoming King and Queen!
  Ballots are on the tables, along with pencils!  Cast your ballets and we'll announce the winner in
fifteen minutes!"

A scramble of
people went to the various tables; the ballots quickly filled out.  Who would be the new Homecoming King and Queen?

The box was
quickly filled and taken backstage to be counted.  The
counter, Sasha, took the batch of ballots to a separate room.  As she entered, the other members of the Seiryuu
Seven turned.  Sasha nodded to them, dumping
the contents of the box into the trashcan.  A
new box was taken out form under the table and its contents replaced the Homecoming Ballot
Box.

Brad tallied up
the new results, handing it over to Sasha who nodded.
  Dirk watched impassively, nodding absently at Sasha.  The twins would soon learn what it meant to defy
him.

Sam watched
silently, saying nothing.  He highly
disapproved of all this.  The twins hadn't
done anything to them.  Why couldn't they just
leave them alone?  He felt sorry for them.

After ten
minutes or so passed, Sasha took the box, with the tally sheet, back out to the stage.  Raphael followed behind her.  He couldn't wait to see the expression on the
twins' faces.

*           *
            *

The tally has
been finished and I hold in my hand the name of the winners!"

All eyes in the
high school gym were on the senior class vice-president as she made her announcement.  Once it was quiet, Linda unfolded the paper in her
hand.  "And the winners are…"
she blinked, staring at the paper.  It made no
sense.  She hadn't even thought he was on the
ballot…

Shrugging, she
turned back to the collected attendees.  "First,
our King!  Let's give a warm welcome to our
new Homecoming King: Jonathan Thomas!"

Silence.

Jonathan felt
his face burn.  They had chosen him?!  It seemed unreal.
  Why him?

Suddenly, he
looked behind him to see his brother applauding.  A
young blonde girl stood next to his twin, her face radiant with happiness.  She too was applauding.  Soon, the entire gymnasium was filled with the
wound of clapping hands.

Flushing,
Jonathan slowly made his way to the front of the stage.
  Climbing the steps, he stood motionless.
  A young woman came over to him, placing a bouquet of roses in his hands.  He blinked, still dumbfounded.

Linda applauded
as well, and then turned back to her audience.  "And
now for the moment we've all been waiting for!  Homecoming
Queen!"

Her words were
drowned out by the loud shout that filled the gym.  She
grinned, and then called for silence.  Once it
was relatively quiet, she announced the Queen.

Reykia smiled,
ascending the platform as her name was called.  No
one was really surprised.  She was the most
popular girl in school.  Everyone liked her.  She waved, and then winked conspiratorially at
Jonathan, who blushed.  She accepted her
bouquet and crown gracefully.

Resounding
applause made Jonathan blush again.  This
night was just so amazing and unforgettable…

He never knew
just how right he was.  Above him, in the
rafters of the stage, stood a figure.  His
long brown hair was tied in a ponytail.  His
face held a malicious expression.

Joshua blinked,
shielding his eyes.  A bright flash had run
across his eyes.  He frowned, looking upwards.  His mouth opened in a silent shout.

Raphael stood
just above Jonathan, a knife in his hand.  He
smirked evilly, staring at Joshua as he cut the rope next to him.  The bucket the rope held tipped, spilling its
contents onto Jonathan.  The young man gasped,
dropping the soaked flowers.  He held out his
hands and watched as tar dripped from his fingers.

Cackling,
Raphael overturned a pillowcase.  Dozens of
feathers began to float down and stick to the tar.

Silence,
then…

The gymnasium
suddenly erupted into peals of laughter.  Hands
rose, pointing at the sight before them.

Jonathan stood
on the stage, miserable.  Tar and feathers
fell from his clothing, his suit ruined.  He
would have run out, except he was too mortified to move.
  Tears fell from his eyes, but were indistinguishable from the black tar on
his face.

One word was
heard through the laughter.

"ANIKI!!!"

A blue aura
surrounded Joshua and people around him gasped, moving as far away from him as possible.  Wildness could be seen in his eyes as he extended
his hand.  Two swirling balls appeared,
connected by a long rope.

Joshua stared
at Raphael, his eyes glaring hatefully.  He
watched impassively as he sent his ryuuseisui towards the unsuspecting young man.

Raphael gasped,
blood flowing from his opened lips.  He looked
down, only to see a gaping hole in his chest.  He
blinked, seeing filaments of his bones, muscles and tissue poking out of the hole.  His face held no expression, as he seemed to watch
in slow motion, as his heart slipped from his chest to fall onto the stage, still beating.

His form
crumbled soon afterwards, following his heart to the ground.  Screams surrounded Joshua, but he had no ears for
it.  The doors to the gym suddenlosedosed on
their own, locking.  There was no way out and
death was at hand.

Suboshi had
returned to avenge his brother.

to be
continued...

 

AN: *cackle* I
am so evil!!!  Well, her is the beginning of
the upcoming bloodbath!  Suboshi gets to go
nuts!!  Woohoo!!!  This part is for my partner in crime, Ai-chan!  Hope it satisfies you until next chapter!  Oh, and if you've seen the Stephen King movie (or
read the book) 'Carrie' you'll know where I got my inspiration from.  Oh, and Oedipal
is a reference to something called Oedipal Syndrome.  It basically is a form of
incest.  Usually between a mother and a child.