fly, fly, fly like a bird in the atmosphere

[imugi]

title: repeat balance.

series: Saint Seiya
characters: Shion & Dohko

rating: g

summary: The misadventures of Shion and Dohko in the next life, part two.
author notes: ♪

“Shion.”

It had been a good luck charm strapped to his belt, a simple string of jade marbles and a piece carved into the shape of a dragon. In the confusion of their tumble, it had incidentally been broken, the pieces scattered across grass and rock. Dohko was gathering them dutifully, scooping up grains of sand along with precious stones.

It was difficult for him, Shion could tell. The sky had already grown dark, and the marbles had found a perfect camouflage in the color of the grass. Shion was still largely unimpressed, however, sporting a few scratches on his face and a dirt stain on his shoulder. He wasn't sure what kept him there, arms crossed and face set, leaning against the wall that had caused their mishap just a short while ago. All he was certain of was that he still couldn't leave.

Dohko turned and smiled at him. He was a strange man that only seemed to smile honestly.

“Do you believe in fate?” he asked, mirroring Shion's earlier thoughts, standing and holding out his hand. Fragments of dirt slipped between his fingers, but the marble resting neatly in the center of his palm remained.

Shion stared at it for a long moment, unsure of what it was that Dohko wanted him to do or what kind of answer he was expecting. Dohko seemed to possess the patience not to waver, waiting with his hand outstretched even as the silence stretched just the same. Eventually, it all became too unbearable, and Shion reached back to curl his own hand over Dohko's palm, accepting the charm into his own.

“I don't know what you mean.”

Dohko laughed. “Ah. I meant that we could be good friends, you and I. As for that charm... Do with it what you will. I'm sure it will end up where it needs to be.”

Shion couldn't help but roll his eyes, though he stared intently at the marble between his fingers. “I am certain.”






FIRST WEEK / CHINA



Despite feeling confident that they would never meet again, a month's time found Shion strapped with a portion of his belongings and crossing over into China. A letter had arrived at his doorstep detailing a meeting place and even including the fares to get there. It was absolutely absurd— that he had given this man his contact information in the first place, that he was traveling out of the country to meet a perfect stranger, that he couldn't help but notice how clear the stars became at night.

— That he was always expecting to see that man every time the sky turned a soft shade of burgundy. Perhaps that was why he came.

Dohko lived alone, but in a relatively crowded prefecture. Shion half expected an apartment building of some sort, but the address led him further and further away until he'd found what appeared to be an old dojo or shrine located in a quiet corner. It was flanked by a pleasant amount of green vegetation, and China's mountainous landscape loomed in the backdrop.

“Are you... Shion?”

He was startled to awareness by a woman's voice. When he whipped around to face her she crossed her arms, long hair swaying at her back. A much smaller young lady was close by her side, placed just slightly behind, and she pressed her fingers to her lips in a dainty sort of laugh. They were both dressed in brightly colored cheongsams as if it were some kind of special occasion, though the former had splits in the skirt that nearly brushed the ground.

“Who... Are you here to pray?” he asked dumbly after a moment's pause.

The first woman's brows rose at the question, and the second began to laugh again. Shion was beginning to feel glad that there was no one else around to see— He could feel his face grow hot with embarrassment.

“My name is Yuzuriha,” the first began patiently, expression lifting in a subtle smile, “And this is Shunrei. You could say that we're live-in caretakers... I'm also from Tibet.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Shunrei added with a polite bow.

Shion once again began to doubt his own judgement in coming here. Not only did it seem that his assumptions about Dohko living alone were wrong, but he was in fact living with two beautiful young women. He was beginning to feel incredibly uneasy about the whole situation, but it would be impolite to jump to conclusions (even if they did not seem related), and certainly an insult to these two standing before him. He swallowed his reservations and nodded.

“A-Ah... Is that so... I must admit that I wasn't expecting a piece of property this substantial from him.”

“It was inherited,” Yuzuriha corrected. “Our families are close. They offered support so that my brother could attend a school here. Dohko graciously traveled to Tibet to escort my brother and I here, though Tokusa is currently living on campus.”

Informative and to the point; Shion couldn't help feeling relieved. “I see.”

“Shunrei is...” Yuzuriha began again, but trailed off into uncertainty and looked to the other girl for some kind of assent.

Shunrei smiled. “My parents passed away when I was young. Dohko is like a brother to me.”

It all seemed very innocent and full of goodwill, but something didn't quite add up. One claimed to be a friend of the family and the other nearly adopted into it, but then why did they describe themselves as caretakers? Perhaps he'd put the two of them to work in order to repay him for his kindness, or perhaps they'd offered up the suggestions themselves.

“And those outfits... What is the occasion?” he ventured to ask.

Yuzuriha exchanged a look with Shunrei before answering. “Dohko likes it when we dress this way.”

“Yuzuriha!”

Shion turned around to glare furiously at Dohko, who had just appeared by the gate and looked, by all rights, like a cornered animal. He stepped back and made vague motions with his hands like he wasn't sure what to do or where to go, but he started scrambling forward in earnest once Shion began stalking back in the direction of the exit.

“You animal! I can't believe I allowed myself to be convinced into traveling all this way!”

“W-Wait! Shion! It's not like that!”

“You'd better start preparing the fares for my return trip!”

“Can't we talk about this—?”


.


“I apologize. The joke was in poor taste,” Yuzuriha said over dinner that evening, lifting an elegant looking glass to her lips. Perhaps the truth of the matter should have been obvious from the start. It was the middle of the New Year, and Dohko had decided to take them all out to celebrate as a warm welcome to their guest.

Dohko was slumped over his food, looking mildly dejected. He sighed when Yuzuriha spoke up. “Yuzuriha... You have such a serious face, everyone will believe you when you do decide to say something in jest.”

“... The truth is,” Shunrei added, “Dohko really is very bad at things like cooking and cleaning, even if he does help around the house. Yuzuriha and I take care of most of it voluntarily.”

Dohko looked as if he might sink into his plate at any moment.

Despite the fact that he was still as good as a stranger to this makeshift family of three, Shion couldn't help but notice how warm and relaxed the atmosphere had already become. It was reminiscent of his first meeting with Dohko just a month ago, a first meeting that had seemed like the thousandth. He could see the quiet mirth in Yuzuriha's eyes, the smile on Dohko's face before he bit into his food, and yet something in his chest clenched painfully. It was a sort of melancholy that he couldn't explain, like there was something almost out of place about this slice of happiness.

Do you believe in fate?

It seemed as if Dohko knew something that he didn't. The jade marble that he had been given that day was suddenly a heavy weight in his pocket, and he reached in to pull it out. It rolled down the slopes of his fingers and caught Dohko's attention, enough that he turned away from his food with a pair of chopsticks still in his mouth.

“You have terrible table manners,” Shion scowled, smacking Dohko across the shoulder, “And you shouldn't slouch.”

Dohko swallowed his food and straightened himself obediently— He was smiling that honest smile again. He was fumbling something around with one of his hands, and when he pulled it out, the dragon charm was dangling from his fingers. All of the beads had been carefully restrung, eleven in total, though there was still space for one. And yet, Shion didn't feel that Dohko expected him to return it.

What, then?

“Dohko...” He curled his hand into a fist. “What's the reason you asked me here?”

Shunrei, who had been speaking quietly to Yuzuriha, fell silent and glanced over in interest. For his part, Dohko seemed confused, as if he'd never questioned his own motives, or maybe as if the answer was something obvious and Shion was the only one who couldn't see it. He looked away long enough to retie the charm to his belt, and when their eyes met again, he seemed more certain.

“I turned eighteen a few months back... I'm not sure why, but it seems significant. I thought that maybe I should do something extraordinary to celebrate, like travel the world.” He laughed and glanced away. “But I think that maybe there are just people out there, people that I don't know, that I've been waiting to meet for a long time. I bet it sounds crazy.”

It did sound crazy.

“What does this have to do with me?” Shion asked carefully.

“... When I first met you,” Dohko explained further, “I thought that I wanted to ask you to come with me.”


.


A day passed, and Shion did not leave. Then two and three and so on, until a week had passed. Seven days of shopping for necessities with Yuzuriha, seven days of helping Shunrei to dust the highest shelves, seven days of teaching Dohko how to play strategical board games— seven days and he knew that he had things and people that he needed to return home to.

“Why don't you go? I can't remember the last time you vacationed,” the voice on the other end of the receiver said, sounding vaguely amused.

“Doesn't it seem strange...?”

“Maaaasterrr Shiioooooooooooooonnnnnn,” a new voice took over, speaking too loudly into the receiver, “HAVE A NICE TRIP.”

On the seventh day, the sky was blue and clear.

Yuzuriha was standing beneath it, doing her morning stretches. Her entire body moved as fluidly as water, twisting at almost impossible lengths and angles. Her fingertips touched the clouds, and the shapes and movements she imitated made her look as graceful as a bird in flight. It made Shion wonder if she were a dancer or perhaps something similar, although he'd never actually bothered to ask.

People that I don't know,

She relaxed her posture when she noticed him standing there. “Good morning, Shion. Are you looking for Dohko?”

People that I've been waiting to meet for a long time,

“Actually,” Shion started, moving closer. “I'm glad I saw you first.”

She was clearly confused, though he disregarded that for now and reached a hand into his pocket. He pulled out the marble that he hadn't touched since the first day, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, and held it out to her. She stared blankly for a moment before opening her palm, allowing Shion to drop it into her grasp.

“I'm not sure why... but I feel that I should give that to you.”

“I don't understand.” Even as she said that, she held it carefully as if it were something precious. “... but I'll accept it.”

“Thank you,” Shion smiled. “Do with it what you will. It... will probably end up where it needs to be.”

He left her with that and continued until he did find Dohko. It was true that the other man was a person of much smaller stature, but Shion never truly noticed it until times like these— He was standing at the edge of a cliff that dropped into a great stretch of lake, breathing in the morning air. Against the sky and the landscape, he looked incredibly small— but not insignificant. (Never insignificant, because those were always the types that changed the world.)

He turned and smiled when Shion approached his side. Shion stared at him and then out over the lake, over the city beyond that. He had a moment where he wished that it wasn't there, that the only thing that he was looking at was a great expanse of nothing but untouched nature.

“I take back anything I said about fate,” Dohko said suddenly. “I think this is more like destiny.”

Shion groaned. “You sound ridiculous. Isn't it the same idea?”

Dohko didn't respond to that, only laughed and clasped his hands behind his head.

Even though he couldn't see them, Shion thought that he might still be able to pick out constellations in that blue sky. Hidden, but they never really went away, and the Earth never really stopped turning. It was like there was an enormous book spread out before him, and he had forgotten how to read it.

“Dohko...”

He'd had the other man's attention even before he spoke his name.

“Let's leave this country.”