A delighted smile graced Shachi's red-painted lips as she pulled her husband into a tight embrace; the roundness of her stomach pressing gently against his chiseled abdominal muscles. "I'm glad to have you back so soon." she said, green eyes sparkling as they locked onto his obsidian ones.
Indra's stern features were unusually soft, showing affection reserved only for her. "Listen Shachi, this may sound strange to you but I need you to pack some things for an approximated one day journey until tomorrow morning." he said, combing back strands of jet black hair behind her ear. "We are going to leave for the Shingetsu's kingdom for a while, my love."
Sincere puzzlement washed across Shachi's pretty face, blinking her gem green eyes in mild confusion. "Why?", was all she managed to say.
Indra pulled away from her and turned around, pointing an open palm at the elderly women standing behind him the entire time. "This is Nortia - chief medic of Lord Mantus' kingdom." The ravenette introduced the stranger with kind brown eyes and grayish hair, streaked with remnants of what used to be a midnight blue.
"It is my pleasure to meet you, Lady Shachi." Nortia said, bowing.
"Nice meeting you, too." Confusion and slight mistrust laced Shachi's voice as she nodded her head in return.
"I know it really is kind of confusing but I brought Nortia-san along to keep an eye on you while we're traveling. She's a professional and Mania's teacher, an excellent medic - so you should be fine." Indra explained.
Cringing slightly at hearing her husband saying the woman's name, she thought she would have never had to hear again, Shachi frowned deeply at Indra. "You still don't have told me what this is all about. Why do we have to go there?"
Indra cleared his throat. "You do know how difficult my relationship with Father has been lately, do you not? In all honesty, I can't stand being here. It might be much to ask of you, but you'll see the benefits of moving to their country for a while. I am sure you will like it there, too." He told her as calmly as he could muster.
"And you do know what going there means for me." Shachi said, gem eyes narrowing in growing anger. "I have no desire to be around this woman and her people."
If Indra didn't know how to restrain himself, he would have let out a low, irritated grunt; instead however, the ravenette closed his dark eyes and took a deep breath before continuing to explain his reasons to his wife. "You won't even get to see her; their palace is huge. The chance of meeting Mania isn't all too great."
Nortia strained her ears, secretly eavesdropping on what they talked about in voices only above a whisper. She had caught her protégée's name though; judging by the bewildered look on the female Otsutsuki's pretty face, the elderly woman could safely assume what had transpired between the woman's husband and her purple-haired student. Mania had always been an enchantress, luring men like light lures moths.
"I'm really not sure about this, Indra." Shachi said, worry flooding her features. "I'm sure I will be alright to travel but once we get there the question existing is how long will we stay there? Once I am past the sixth month you can't expect me to travel back home with you."
"Listen, love; it'll be alright to give birth in the Shingetsu's kingdom. If it comes to medicine and healing techniques they are superior to -
"Indra!" a husky female voice called his name all of a sudden. "My dear son-in-law; how good it is to see you!"
He looked over his shoulder only to see his dreaded mother-in-law walking up to him with arms wide open, golden hoop earrings and countless metal bracelets jingling with every movement. Her gray eyes were gleaming with motherly love, too artificial for Indra's taste and her dark-red lipstick painted lips were curled up into a terrifyingly bright smile.
"Aranyani." He spoke his wife's mother's name with all the fake delight he could muster.
She pulled Indra into a tight, almost suffocating hug, he would rather have avoided; the overpowering scent of her perfume - a mix of cinnamon, lavender and other spices - flooding his nostrils as he reluctantly wrapped one arm around her small waist.
Aranyani pulled away, resting her bony hands on her daughter's husband's shoulders. "Look at you; so handsome." She said, complimenting him on his dashing looks.
"Mum, it's enough. He knows how good-looking he is." Shachi said in awkward jest.
"Oh of course, of course; I know that. It has been a while since I've last seen both of you - you have grown so beautifully." she said, flashing an almost perfect fake smile at Indra. "I can't wait to see the both of you as an actual family."
Indra remembered the conversation he had with Zetsu two nights ago; this woman with her artificial youthfulness, over-dramatic mannerism and a face too heavily painted for a woman her age, knew about his unfaithfulness to her beloved daughter. Aranyani might have been a gaunt and small middle-aged lady but she possessed the strength of mind to talk down everyone and everything - including Indra.
"Less than four months and you'll see, mum." Shachi reassured, an awkward smile on her lips. "Why don't we all go inside, yes? Hagoromo can't wait to see Indra. So let us go, shall we?"
A quick nod of the head and a movement of his elegant hand to beckon Nortia to follow them was enough to dissolve their inconvenient reunion.
.
A feast in his honor was not what Ashura would have had expected.
Only a week or so ago, they had welcomed him in utter hostility, umpteen pairs of narrowed eyes gleaming with fear of the unknown; now, however they celebrated Ashura as if he was a god - a position that belonged to his grandmother or even his father, maybe to Indra in a way but not to him.
It was confusing in a way - scary even.
"Why the f'ck do you look s-so depressed, Ash'ra - , Taizo tried to utter; his speech slurred by intoxication. "'tis your feest, 'o why a face gloomy and sad l-like 'tis?"
The brunette rolled his obsidian eyes. "Taizo, I guess you should stop drinking. Honestly, I lost count of how much you've been consuming but I can tell by the way your eye lids nearly close, that it has been way enough." He told his childhood friend in half worry, half annoyance.
"Naaaah ... I'm fine; 's you I worry 'bout, my frien'" he said before taking another large slug of his wine-filled cup. "You missing 'er; I know, I know." Taizo added.
Being quite appalled by how right his quite heavily tanked friend was, Ashura raised his brows in anger of being seen through. "That is not the -
"S'rry ol' frien'- gotta go; a beautif'l woman's jus- beckn'd me to dance, ya know."
And with saying this, Taizo disappeared.
"Such an idiot." he winced, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared down into the contents of his own glass.
"He's quite the drunkard, isn't he?" Kanna said as she sat down in the seat across from Ashura; the one Taizo had sat in only a few minutes ago.
"Yes, he obviously is." He chuckled lightly, locking eyes with the woman who had run off on him only yesterday.
"So, are you enjoying the party?"
"In all honesty - no." the brunette admitted bluntly.
"I see ... so I assume you're missing a certain someone?" Kanna said with unfitting coyness, fumbling nervously with the hem of her plain dusky pink kimono.
Ashura focused his attention on her youthful face devoid of any color; not a trace of make-up highlighted her face - no lipstick, no eyeliner not even the slightest trace of blush other than the natural graced her complexion. It was not like she needed it; she was a pretty young woman with docile charm and sincere humbleness - the exact opposite of Mania.
"Well, yes. I do." He admitted once more, though a little more modest this time.
"Your lover, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"Is she your fiancée?" she asked with slight interest.
Ashura let out a wholehearted laugh. "No, not quite. I guess it is way too early for this."
"So you and her ... it's still recent?"
"You could say so." The brunette replied, running the tip of his index finger along his glass' rim. "So, Kanna-san, do you enjoy the party?" he asked in return, trying to shift her attention to another topic. He did not know her, therefore he really liked to refrain from getting into personal topics.
"Not really. Festivities are not my thing; never have been in all honesty." Kanna told him.
For reason unbeknownst to him, Ahura believed her, definitely taking her word for it. "I do understand. Parties can get pretty annoying - so many people, talking, laughing and drinking. It can get irritating, especially when oneself isn't really in the mood to join in."
"That is true indeed." She whispered as she lowered her dark gray eyes before looking up at him again with what equaled concern. "Ashura-san, may I ask you a question?" She bit her lower lip.
"Of course, go ahead." The brunette offered, being a little taken aback by her sudden change of mood. "What is it?"
"My mother, she's been affected by the tree, too. She is so weak and barely able to utter a coherent sentence, let alone do anything by herself anymore." Kanna explained to him in a shaky voice, almost tearing up. "So would you please heal her? I know you can use chakra to heal wounds, cure diseases or at least alleviate a sick person's pain."
Ashura's heart sank at the sight of her because he, somehow, even though he had never even gotten to know his own mother, could relate to the feeling of missing her.
"Kanna." he said firmly, omitting all honorifics on purpose as he put his large hand on top of her diminutive one. "Even though I cannot promise you I'm able to heal your mother, I'll do the best I can"
Kanna smiled, her pretty face lightning up and coal eyes becoming bright, glistening in the dim candle light of the room. "Thank you Ashura-san, thank you so much."
.
The air in the Throne Hall was heavy with hostile repugnance.
Leading the way, Mantus was the first one to approach his aged uncle, whose once short but thick midnight, almost black hair had turned a faded grayish silver. His son, youthful and healthy-looking, stood beside him, ocean eyes narrowed in vile glee as he watched this kingdom's royalty come closer.
"Laran! What a surprise!" The King greeted, a forced smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It has been quite some time since we last saw each other."
"It has been indeed." The older man said, reciprocating a fake smile as he took a step forward; the bronze metal of his armor clattering as he moved. "I can't even recall how long exactly."
"Eleven fucking years." Mania replied in her brother's stead. "Let's cut the bullshit and get down to business already. What are you doing here alive and well? We've heard the rumors of your death. So go ahead and tell us what you and your offspring are doing here." she hissed venomously; azure eyes even colder than usual.
Booming laughter filled the vast room, echoing off cream marble pillars and golden-plated parapets lining the upper galleries. "Mania, my dear - what did you expect? Just like you said; rumors, what you've heard were only rumors. And they seldom turn out to be accurate." Laran said with ringing laughter in his deep voice.
Utter disgust washed across Mania's beautiful features and the urge to vomit right there and then was hard to fight. "Answer my question for kami's sake, Laran." She demanded.
"Calm down, sister." Mantus suddenly spoke in a soothing voice as he put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay; we'll settle this in rationality. No need to get agitated."
Still chuckling, the tall, bearded man raised his arms half-way up in reconciliation. "Yes, that is quite right. There is really no need to get all worked up, Mania. A wrathful expression like this doesn't suit your exquisite features, my dear. I used to tell my sister the same. And I do have to admit you look exactly like your mother - beautiful and dazzling."
The urge to slash her uncle's neck grew almost unbearable but her brother's reassuring squeeze of her shoulder made her calm down at least a little.
"Father, don't you think it is a little rude of you to ignore me this entire time?" the youth next to Laran said in fake-huffiness. "After all I am alive, too."
Mantus smirked maliciously at his cousin. "Seth, I almost didn't recognize you. When I last saw you, you were a boy of six or seven? It's my pleasure to see you've become a man." The King said with slight mockery, which the adolescent did not fail to notice.
The boy's exquisiteness rivaled even Mania's and Persipnei's. With his sea-green eyes like his father's, soft curly hair and heart-shaped face he could have been easily mistaken for a pretty girl, had he not possessed a youth's wiry build. Except for the eyes, he was a spitting image of his mother - a delicate foreigner with chocolate skin and jet black hair just like his. Mantus recalled his father derogatively calling his brother-in-law's son a half-bred, not being worthy of their family's name.
"It is my pleasure to meet you again, too King Mantus." Seth replied snidely, yet somewhat polite. "As it appears, you have ruled your Father's country with distinguished wisdom and an equilibrated use of force. It is impressive, indeed."
Mantus could not help the deep frown crossing his face; this boy was much more eloquent than he would have dared to expect. "Thank you, Seth ..."
The boy nodded politely with closed eyes and hands folded underneath the long sleeves of his pure white tunic; its color clashing with his ebony skin. Unlike his father, Seth wasn't a warrior, certainly not - he appeared to be a healer, a foreign country's official or maybe even a fucking cleric. Mantus could not really decide upon which profession he might practice; all he did know for sure, however, was, that this youth was not trained in martial arts but in the arts of the intellectual.
"Queen Persipnei, I am honored to meet you again. I know it has been a long time but I hope you remember me." Seth said in a voice as thick and sweet as honey, which struck a certain nerve in Mantus.
"Oh I do." The blonde spoke with unfitting delight. "You've been an adorable kid back then. And I must admit, you've grown into a handsome young man."
Young man? Mantus felt wrath creep up his spine, slowly flooding his veins. He was nothing but a boy; to be more exact, a seventeen or eighteen year old child in the king's eyes, which had the audacity making mooneyes at his wife and queen.
Noticing her brother's change of mood, Mania decided to take control of this whole messed-up situation. "This goes out to you, too Seth; cut the over-exaggerated bullshit politeness and spit it out. What do you want from us?"
A light chuckle escaped the youth's lips. "You haven't changed a bit, Mania. Even though I have been a child back then, I did not fail to notice your filthy mouth. Despite all of this, it is great to see you again." Seth said unnervingly polite.
"Everyone come on, now." Laran chimed in. "It is late - and we all are tired. Let your servants prepare rooms for my son and I and we'll talk this through in the morning. What do you think, Mantus?" He added with zestful glee, gesticulating widely.
"I think this is quite a wise idea, Laran." The man's nephew agreed. "Let us discuss this twisted reunion in the morning hours."