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The Banks Of The River Styx	By : AkashaEmily Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 915 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6: Eurydice

Sundays
were supposed to be relaxing days. A time to spend with family, free from the
chains that tethered him to work throughout the rest of the week, an entire day
devoted to catching up in the events of his children and household. Andrew
loved Sundays and the opportunity the rest day brought to simply be a normal
family.
�� Sundays were not supposed to be weird.
Andrew
Pryderi stared over the rim of his coffee mug and prayed that the caffeine in
the hot black liquid would soon hit his system. Plumes of condensing water
vapor rose into the air from both the cup and his mouth, and lazily he watched
the pale clouds be swept away by a stiff breeze laden with bright pink petals.
Shivering
in the cold sweetly scented air, Andrew wiggled his toes, happy that he had
decided to replace his old snow boots a year early and that the new ones were
so well insulated. His pajama bottoms, tucked tightly into the top of his
boots, kept the nearly knee deep snow away from his skin but the chill still managed
to get in through gaps in his hastily donned weather armor, making him wish for
the third time in less than a minute that he had pulled on something more than
a bathrobe no matter how comfy the damn thing was. Of course, if he�d known
what had been waiting for him, he probably wouldn�t have come outside at all.
Not that it was entirely a bad thing, He mused, plucking a petal from the air as it drifted
by. He slid it between his stiff fingers, trying to find some sort of
explanation as he pressed the fragile slip of pink between his fingertips.
It
was December, a week before Christmas, and winter had smashed into the north
eastern United States
with a vengeance. Foot upon foot of snow had fallen over the region, quickly
crossing the line between pretty and hazardous as mass transportation took a
beating. Trains, planes, and automobiles- all had been affected by the
inclement weather, forced to either grind to a crawl or stop all together.
Snowplows were running twenty-four hours a day to keep the roadways clear but
it still wasn�t enough to stop accidents from occurring and Andrew had been
forced more than once to listen to his aunt�s rant about public service
announcements not being able to prevent public stupidity. More and more people
were coming into the hospital for treatment after nearly being suffocated while
playing in a roadside snow bank. With the plows coming through constantly to
push newly accumulated snow off the roadway, it should have been obvious that
digging in the high piles would be a bad idea until the snow season let up.
Sadly, this was not the case, and so children arrived from far and wide by
ambulance, the angry paramedics red with exertion after helping panic-stricken
parents dig their children free.�
Some
kids hadn�t been freed in time to prevent brain damage, buried in the tightly
packed snow too long because their parents hadn�t been paying attention.
That
wasn�t even considering the multitude of fatal car accidents up and down the
roadways, tragedies that could have been avoided if everyone just slowed down
to appropriate speeds during the inclement weather season.
�So,�
Frank said, getting his employer�s attention by drawing out the simple syllable
into something much longer. �Do you still want the tree cut down?�
Shaking
himself and shivering again, Andrew took another sip from his mug and looked
over at his second in command, eyebrows in his hairline. �Why? It�s pretty.�
They
both turned back to the tree in question, the source of the pink petal carpet
blanketing everything in sight. Despite being out of season, the tree was in
full bloom, quite happily defying the normal order of nature and uncaring that
it was posing such a quandary for the workmen gathered at its base.
Frank
cleared his throat, silently nodding at the tree as a branch began to move
independently of its fellows and the wind, the twigs and other offshoots
curling to form a rough fist which was shaken at the humans in a threatening
manner, particularly at those still holding their cutting instruments. Mr. Hunt
turned to his employer, inclining his head toward the scene again as someone
began yelling and a branch flashed out to swat the individual on the ass as the
man sprinted away from the group.
�And
that?� Frank asked dryly, taking a sip from his own coffee cup. The man was
fully dressed in his usual three piece suit and looked like a doll fresh from
the package, something not affected by paltry matters such as freezing weather
or angry trees.
Handing
his mug to Frank, Andrew forced his hands to move and cupped them around his
mouth as he hollered. �Get away from it! Get away! Leave it alone!�
One
had to admit, it was quite the spectacle, a sight that had caused the whole
staff to come out and watch. Well, almost. Several of his employees were
missing from the impromptu lawn party, though he suspected that most of them
were still asleep. Unbidden, his eyes went to the window situated next to the
top of the animated tree as he idly wondered if their houseguest was awake
courtesy of all the racket going on outside.
As
if summoned by the thought, a similar looking individual to the one he�d been
musing about half stumbled down the kitchen steps and onto the snow packed
pathway. Hikaru, coffee cup in hand and in the same state of dress as Andrew,
wandered over to the pair, nearly tripping several times along the way. The man
appeared half asleep, removing all doubt when he rested his temple against
Andrew�s shoulder despite having to lean down to do so. The blonde let him,
long since accustomed to such behavior, and took a sip of coffee from the mug
Frank handed back to him.
For
several minutes the trio just stood there sipping from their respective mugs,
watching the workmen back away from the blooming plant as its branches made
shooing motions.
�That
tree�� Hikaru said slowly, as if processing what he was seeing was taking quite
a large amount of limited brain power. The brunette straightened up suddenly
and Andrew watched as the other screwed his eyes shut only to blink them open
wide.
Hikaru
promptly dumped the contents of his cup out onto the snow by his feet. �That�s
not possible.� He stated in a flat voice that broke no argument, quickly
slipping into what Andrew had long since dubbed �professional mode.�
�As
always, your opinion is invaluable.� Frank said dryly before finishing his own
mug off, blandly ignoring the glare being shot at him.
�Is
this your doing?� The brunette demanded, piercing black eyes boring into
Andrew�s blue ones suspiciously.
�Nope.�
The blonde replied with a small shake of his head. He smiled up at the other
benignly while Hikaru tried to think through the situation.
�Is
he behind this?� He pointed at Frank who merely lifted an eyebrow at the
comment, not taking his eyes from the animated tree.
�No.�
Andrew spoke into the tense silence, dissipating the tension that had appeared
when it became apparent that Frank was not going to say anything.
Muscles
in his left eye twitching, Hikau turned back to the plant, watching as a branch
snatched up the watering can being offered to it by the estate�s grounds�
keeper. The tree then proceeded to water itself judiciously before beginning
the arduous task of clearing itself and the ground around its base of snow.
Silence
stretched between them for a few seconds.
�Doesn�t
anyone find anything wrong with this picture?!� Hikaru all but screamed,
gesturing wildly at the tree. He was panting, his breath fogging out in great
clouds as he did so, and Andrew casually reminded the new-comer not to get so
excited. The man looked like he was going to hyperventilate.
�Not
get excited? Not get excited?!� Hikaru took the blond by the collar of his
bathrobe and shook him before leaning down to look the smaller male in the eye
as he continued the tirade. �Andrew, there is a freaking tree over there in full bloom grooming itself!�
Using
the other�s chin as a hand hold, he turned Andrew�s face in the direction of
the object of discussion, pausing long enough to watch as it gave itself a
shake to dislodge dead branches which the waiting grounds� keeper raked up and
added to a large neat pile nearby.
�� And�?� Andrew turned back to be nose to nose with his
brother-in-law, completely unperturbed.
�� That is NOT normal! How can you be so damn blas酔
Hikaru seemed to deflate and he let the blonde go, smoothing the ruffled clothing
in a habitual manner. The brunette took one last look at the tree before
scrubbing his face with his hands and covering his eyes. �Oh my God, it�s too
early for this.�
�� It�s nine in the morning.� Frank reminded him.
�� Like I said, it�s too early for this, especially after
having been woken up at three in the morning.�
�� Where are you going?� Andrew asked as the other turned
toward the house and began to head in its direction.
�� I�m going to check on my daughter and then go back to
bed.� Hikaru sighed loudly, glancing again at the tree. He shook his head. �I�m
obviously not ready to be out of bed yet.�
�� He took that better than I thought he would.� Frank
murmured, once the brunette had disappeared inside. �Hikaru never does handle
surprises well.�
�� Andrew scratched the back of his head, grinning over at
his assistant sheepishly. �I would have warned him if I�d known he would be
up.�
�� It�s Sunday.� The silver haired man shrugged, as if that
explained everything that was going to happen today.
�� Andrew sighed loudly, watching the petals in the air
drift around like a second snow fall. He again looked up at the window near the
top of the tree before letting his gaze drift back down to the trail of small
footprints leading from the kitchen door to the tree. From there he briefly
landed on the tangled heap of branches that the ground�s keeper was currently
hauling away.
�� The blonde finished his coffee, sighed, and glanced over
at his assistant with a large grin. Ignoring the suspicious eyebrow raised in
his direction, he gestured with his chin back toward the house and the way
Hikaru had gone.
�� I think it�s time we go find the boys.�

�� Well there goes that theory.� The blonde grumbled, one
hand pinching the bridge of his nose while the other rubbed his temple as he
leaned against the door jam of the currently empty room.� The bed had been slept in, he knew, because
the covers were rumbled in more disarray than even the most restless sleeper
could accomplish. Providing further evidence that Andrew�s theory hadn�t
completely been far fetched were several articles of clothing strewn about the
floor near the window that were much too small to ever fit Sasuke.
Shoes,
two sets of small boots to be exact. They had been thrown willy-nilly, as if
taken off in a hurry and left to roam. There was not just one jacket but two, a
red one and a pale blue one, both made for winter wear and slightly damp from
recent use. Frank had found a backpack leaning against the bed which Andrew
recognized as the one Brian always carried around on day trips, the ownership
concretely confirmed when he opened it and found the boy�s ever present digital
camera inside. Sighing, the blonde scrolled through the images, scanning the
photographs quickly as they appeared on the LCD screen.
He
really was going to have to do something about his twins� obsession with
Sasuke.
Then
again, from day one the kids had had a weird fascination for him. They had been
the ones who had discovered when he began to show signs of returning to
consciousness from his vegetative state. The two had spent copious amounts of
time in the brunette�s room while he laid comatose, playing card games or chess
as they lounged on the bed and talked to both each other and Sasuke. There had
never been any doubt in the twins� minds that he would wake up, the boys
insisting that it was just a matter of time despite what Mary or Andrew said
otherwise, and so the two had made it a point to spend as much time with Sasuke
as possible. It had driven Sam crazy trying to make them stay by his side when
at the hospital since the moment he wasn�t looking they would disappear to go �hang
out,� as the pair termed it, with Sasuke.
Andrew
had been sure that he would find them here, curled up with each other as they kept
the older brunette company and though the blonde knew indisputably that they
had all been there earlier, the question still remained about where everyone
was now.
�I�m-
I�m sorry!� Hinata stammered, the young woman near tears as she tried to gather
her wits. The poor girl had been asleep in a chair outside the room and looked
it as she stood stiffly in her rumpled suit. �I�m- I just� Only for a
minute..!�
Andrew
blinked at her slowly, trying to process what she was getting at in her jumbled
apology. Then he smiled good-naturedly and patted her shoulder as he turned
fully toward her. �It�s okay, Hinata. This is my fault anyway- I should have
remembered that you were coming off a double shift when I asked you to look
after him.�
�� Oh, no, Sir!� Hinata said, standing as straight as an arrow.
�This is my fault, not yours!�
�� Seeing that this was going to degenerate into a pointless
argument, Frank stepped in between them. �As entertaining as this is, we still
have to find them all before Sam has an aneurism.�
�� Which all three knew was entirely possible given how high
strung and frantic the man seemed to be this morning with his charges missing.
�� Andrew checked his watch. �It�s nine thirty on a Sunday
morning. If I were a six year old with a new friend, where would I be?�
�� Andrew!� Hikaru�s yelling effectively curtailed the
blonde�s musings. The tall brunette was absolutely furious, taking the stairs
two at a time in his haste to reach the second floor. He strode- stomped- over
to his brother-in-law, grabbed the blonde and began dragging the other toward
the stairway.
�� You should have told
me!� The brunette hissed once they were on the first floor. He didn�t stop even
when Andrew stumbled, opting instead to simply drag the blonde back to his bare
feet as they continued down the hallways toward the kids� area, nearly popping
Andrew�s shoulder from the socket. �You should have warned me that he was here, that you brought him here!
What were you thinking exposing our kids to�?!�
�� They finally came
to a stop outside the play room and Hikaru gave the blonde a rough shake before
finally releasing him. The brunette balled his fists at his sides briefly but
then gently pushed open the door to expose the little group inside.
�� The TV was on, the volume low, the appliance the only
source of illumination in the room since the overhead lights weren�t on. Andrew
spotted several empty bowls on the kids� work table, raising an eyebrow when he
spotted one of the largest salad serving dished in the kitchen among the
collection. Overall, the room had been left in its usual tidy state, relatively
untouched, save for those exceptions and some sort of orange paper creations on
the back of the boys� couch. Andrew was about to ask the tall brunette what the
hell his problem was when the blonde spotted it.
�� I�ll miss this
when they�re older.� His wife had sighed sadly then, nuzzling the small
tufts of dark hair just beginning to cover Brian�s head. She had done the same
to Alex�s golden sprinkling seconds after before placing a kiss on each baby�s
forehead and adjusting them so that all three were comfortable as she rocked
them all gently.
�One day they�ll be too big to hold. But in the mean
time,� The exhausted bags under her
eyes had been pronounced since she�d spent all night soothing the newborns �and he had worried after her then to go get
some sleep. But the new mother had simply given him one of her mischievous
smiles as she cuddled further under the blanket draped around her. �I�m fine here. I want them to know that
I�ll hold them for as long as they want no matter what age they are.�
�� As they�d grown up, mother and children had spent most of
their time in such a fashion, the three spending copious amounts of time
wrapped in a blanket in the rocking chair as Suki told them stories about far
off lands. Some of the tales were real and about her travels abroad, but most
were make-believe, well known fairy tales from all across the globe, stories
that she had learned and memorized while getting her degree in literature. The
boys had grown up on her stories and had inherited her love of the magic of
reading, devouring books almost as fast as their mother. Andrew had been proud
about it, had been a very proud father knowing that while most kids their age
were sitting in front of the television playing video games for hours on end,
his boys were exercising their imaginations, creating their own entertainments
and learning skills that would one day put them leaps and bounds above their
peers
�� Coming back to the present with a jerk, Andrew swallowed
the lump in his throat, shaking his head to dispel the memory and the ache in
his heart.
Silently,
he padded over to the rocking chair and looked down at the sleeping forms of
his sons, his baby niece, and their new houseguest, all tucked in and cuddled
under what appeared to be the comforter from Brian�s bed. Sasuke was holding
Aiko with his right arm and Andrew wondered if the brunette�s left arm was
still weak, spotting the appendage in question hanging limply around Brian�s
shoulders as the boy lay sprawled on the same side. Alex had positioned himself
right in the middle and lay happily sleeping against the elder brunette�s mid-chest,
his forehead nearly touching his brother�s. Sasuke�s chin rested on his upper
chest, head bowed, his face obscured by his hair as he slept and Andrew could
hear him making slight grunting noises as he slept. Spotting the remote for the
TV, the blonde picked it up and hit the off button before walking over to the
entertainment center and setting the remote down on top of the set. Sensing Hikaru
fuming silently nearby, Andrew returned to the rocking chair and very carefully
removed the infant from Sasuke�s hold, gently returning the month old to her
anxiously awaiting father. As Hikaru settled the infant, Andrew turned back to
the chair and resettled the comforter, watching with some surprise as the
fingers of Sasuke�s right hand began to twitch as if hunting for something.
Using the wrist as a hand hold, Andrew gently guided Sasuke�s searching hand to
Alex�s back, watching as the fingers stilled again. The blonde then moved so
that he was looking down over the back of the rocking chair and the blue-black
hair that he absently noted needed to be washed. ��
He
reached forward and cradled the dark head, gently tilting it backward to reveal
a pale face with features so heartbreakingly familiar that they made his hands
shake slightly and his heart twist painfully. The blonde�s thumb ghosted over a
discolored spot on the brunette�s cheekbone, rubbing the slightly swollen area
in an effort to both impart comfort and check for serious damage. Unable to
stop himself, Andrew checked the other damaged areas, palpating each bruise
carefully, knowledgeable fingers hunting for deeper injuries that could be
hidden by the soft tissue and muscle surrounding the bone structure.
�� �Ow, Honey!�
Andrew, his fingers stilling instantly, nearly jumped as the memory surface triggered
by the familiar situation. �I know you
know what you�re doing but be a bit gentler!�
�� You take getting
the snot beaten out of you by your own stunt team without a sound but you
immediately begin whining the moment I touch
you? Is there something you want to tell me?� He�d been incredulous and had
stared at her as she tried to pull off her trade mark smirk with an oozing
split lip. She had done it but not without a visible wince.
�� Action sequences
always carry a risk. I�m not good at them and wasn�t paying attention. This is
my fault so I can�t get angry at them.�
�� He remembered thinking that as her husband he certainly could get angry at the stunt
men, and seriously debated it as he looked over the fresh bruises adorning his
wife�s beautiful face. She was still gorgeous, there was no way to hide that
despite how marred her skin was, but it was a different type of beauty than the
norm. A black eye, a split lip and a myriad of bruises� It had transformed her usual
sex appeal into something dangerous, more predatory in nature. � By the wicked twinkle in her dark eyes and the
knowing upward curve of her swollen lips, Suki had realized this just as well
as Andrew, the idea confirmed when she casually leaned forward to begin whispering
naughty little suggestions in his ear about what they could do together once
she was done with the shoot and they were alone.
�� Again, Andrew shook his head, trying hard to ignore the sudden
hot rush running through his frame that made his mouth dry and his pajama
bottoms tight. He forced the thoughts away by berating himself for
inappropriate behavior, happy when his body calmed enough to let him
concentrate and finish the examination of his new patient. Though most of the
damage had healed, the pummeling that had Sasuke had taken was still evidenced
on the pale skin in the form of dark bruises, most noticeably on the brunette�s
forehead and jaw. Nothing felt broken, despite the coloration, which was good
and Andrew let his attention wander to other potential problems.
�� Fingers pressed firmly over Sasuke�s carotid artery,
Andrew leaned down and listened to the brunette draw breath, mildly concerned.
The younger male was rasping as he breathed, the air seeming to drag as it
flowed into his lungs but the pulse under the blonde�s fingertips was steady
and normal.
�� A cold? Andrew wondered,
tilting his blond head to the side as he placed a hand lightly on Sasuke�s
chest. He felt the muscles expand and contract for several seconds before
finally taking his hand away and straightening.
�� Hi, Daddy.� Alex whispered, raising up from where he lay
against Sasuke�s chest. The child blinked sleepily up at his father and rubbed
his eyes as he tried to wake up.
�� Good morning sleepy head.� Andrew smiled and ruffled the
child�s hair. �Why are you all sleeping in here and not in your rooms?�
�� Alex blinked and glanced at Sasuke before holding both
arms out to his father. Andrew complied, moving so that he could lift the child
up easily, a wry smile touching his lips. Once the child was settled in his
arms, Andrew took them out into the hall so that they could speak freely.
�� Now,� Andrew said, giving his son a light affectionate bounce.
�What have you two been up to? Why is Sasuke down here and why is Aiko out of
her crib?�
�� Alex blinked at him blankly, giving him wide innocent
eyes.
�� Not buying the act for a second, Andrew set the child on
the floor and knelt down to look Alex in the eyes. �I know you two went out
side to get into Sasuke�s room and that you climbed the tree there to get in. I
forbade you two to go near that tree
because it was dangerous! You also know that you are supposed to remain inside
because the cold air aggravates your asthma.� Even as he said it, he was
checking his son for signs of respiratory distress.
�� Alex pushed his hands away, clearly irritated. �I�m okay,
Dad! My chest hurt a little before but when I woke up it was better. Hey! Do
you really have to cut down that tree?�
�� Andrew felt his eyebrows shoot into his hairline at the
anxiously voiced question. �Why? What�s wrong with the tree?� �
The
boy fidgeted and bit his lip, worry clear in his bright blue eyes as he
regarded his father. He looked down at the floor. �You�re going to think I�m
being silly��
�� A light went on in Andrew�s mind and his curiosity
couldn�t let the hunch go. �Alex, tell me, did the tree�move when you climbed
it?�
�� Since his father already seemed to know what had taken
place and appeared as if he was just seeing if Alex was going to tell the
truth, the six year old confessed. He left no detail out concerning their
adventure outside and was relieved when his father seemed to take him seriously
when he talked about the tree coming to life and saving him. Alex then told him
about their morning, about getting breakfast and watching Elmo, concluding the
tale with how Aiko had come to be in Sasuke�s care. The boy however left out
the part about the new �pets� Sasuke had made for the children, thinking that
his slightly pale father needed a break from any further inexplicable
details.�
�� Well,� Andrew said at length, blinking as he absorbed it
all. �It does sound as if you all have had a busy day.�
�� Daddy, you aren�t going to make Sasuke go away, are you?�
Alex asked suddenly, becoming solemn.
�� Taking aback by the unexpectedly serious turn in the
conversation and by his son�s shift in demeanor, Andrew blinked. �Why are you
asking me that? Do you know something I don�t?�
�� The last was said in a teasing manner but it made Alex
tense and worry his bottom lip again, young eyes pensive and anxious.
�� You do know something.� Andrew stated quietly, watching
his son nod slowly. �Is it a feeling?� Again Alex nodded. �Does Brian have it
too?� Another nod and Andrew blew air out in a rush through his nose. �Did�
did��
�� He couldn�t ask the final question, didn�t have the heart
to voice it, and so let it go unvoiced.
�� I�ll make you a deal.� Andrew said, standing and taking
the child into his arms once more. �Sasuke can stay here as long as he obeys
the rules of the house.� And doesn�t hurt
anyone, he added silently.
�� Can we sleep in his room?�
�� Why do you want to sleep in his room?� Andrew asked,
though he had a sneaking and awful suspicion why. After all, Sasuke and Suki
shared an extraordinary similarity in appearance and for a child with a missing
mother, it would only be natural to harbor a desire to be close to a surrogate.
He found it odd, though, that his boys had attached themselves to a stranger
rather than a family member; Hikaru and Suki looked nearly identical and had
been known to the children since birth. He was also currently living in the
house with them and if the kids had needed someone to remind them of their
mother in her absence during times when Andrew himself wasn�t able to fit the
bill, he would have bet money that the twins would have sought their uncle out
for comfort.
�� But none of that had happened; Suki had disappeared and
shortly there after Sasuke had been found, the twins instantly taken with the
comatose male with little to no surprise of the brunette�s sudden appearance.
�� Looking back on it and the boys� behavior, one could
almost draw the conclusion that the twins had been expecting Sasuke�
�� Because we want to keep him company.� Alex said,
derailing Andrew�s strange train of thought. �We don�t want him to be lonely.�
�� Hinata will keep him company.� Andrew said. �She�ll be
looking after him while he recuperates. You know he�s still hurt right?� At
Alex�s nod he continued in a whisper, taking them back inside the play room. �So
until he�s better, you can�t play with him too roughly. Hinata will be with him
a lot so when you�re with Sasuke you need to listen to her, you got me?�
�� But can we sleep with him?� Alex whispered anxiously, making
Andrew frown in confusion over his son�s insistent question.
�� Not at night.� Andrew allowed, still confused and
frowning because of the feeling. �You three can nap together during the day but
that�s it for now.�
�� I can�t believe you!� Hikaru hissed at him, stepping
close to the two blonde as they neared him. The tall brunette turned back to
the now fussing infant in his arms and tried to sooth her. �How could you bring
him here without telling anyone? Into your home? Into her home? It�s a scam, I�m telling you. Sickos do this all the time
to grieving families, taking advantage��
�� Andrew bit back the scathing retort he wanted to say,
telling himself that Hikaru was entitled to his own opinion. The man had a
right to be angry about this since Andrew, knowing how close the siblings were,
hadn�t given Hikaru any advanced
warning about the idea of moving Sasuke- a dead ringer for his wife and the
other male�s missing sister- into the house. Even though, technically, it is my
house and I should be able to do anything I damn well want in it. And Suki isn�t dead, damn it, so there isn�t
anything to grieve about! �
�� He kept his comments to himself, silently fuming, unable
to voice any of them due to rationalized empathy. Besides, the kids were in the
room.
�� He is NOT a sicko!� Alex shouted indignantly, angry voice
echoing in the confines of the room and making Hikaru wince visibly as the baby
began to fuss again. �Don�t call him that! And mommy is missing, not dead!�
�� Sasuke made a small noise then, drawing attention to
himself while his eyelids fluttered warningly that he was rousing. Unable to
help himself, Andrew stopped scolding Alex about indoor voice usage and peered
down at the brunette, watching as a pink tongue slipped out to wet chapped lips
while dark lashes parted to reveal equally dark unfocused eyes.
�� Alex said something then, speaking in that cute made-up
language the twins and their mother used when talking privately to each other.
Andrew knew only a few words of it but got the gist of what his son was saying.
Though it was nice that the twins were trying to include Sasuke into their
little world, Andrew didn�t really see the point in using such a language to
reassure Sasuke since no one outside Brian or Suki would understand what the
boy was saying. But the thought was there all the same and it made Andrew
smile.
�� It�s alright.�
Andrew murmured to the brunette, looking down into Sasuke�s eyes. The newly
roused sleeper seemed to be having trouble fully waking; his eyes kept almost
focusing, the pupils contracting briefly before dilating fully again and his
lids kept trying to shut of their own accord. Oddly, the blonde got the
impression that Sasuke was fighting- unsuccessfully- against something that
wouldn�t let him become fully alert.
�� Fearing a complication from surgery, Andrew set Alex down
and quickly checked Sasuke�s pulse again, smiling down into those dark eyes as
he leaned close to listen to the brunette�s breathing. With a quick apologetic
grimace, Andrew pushed the comforter down and, ignoring Brian who lay still
asleep inches away, pulled Sasuke�s pajamas out of the way to take a cursory
perusal at the stitched incision over the brunette�s lower abdomen. Satisfied
with what he found, Andrew put Sasuke�s clothing back to rights and straightened
up, pausing.
�� What�s up with his eyes?� Hikaru leaned over Andrew�s
shoulder and peered down at Sasuke�s suddenly off color eyes, nearly obscuring
the blonde�s view altogether.
�� They�re red.� Andrew said, quietly amazed. The
brunette�s eyes weren�t just red; the irises also had black, comma shaped
specks in them. Sasuke�s eyes closed again, the brunette�s head lolling to the
side as the younger male once again slipped into unconsciousness and Andrew
forced one eye open, examining the orb closely, openly puzzled when he could
find no trace of the strange pigmentation in the now dark sphere.
�� Brow knitted in confusion, Andrew straightened up and
scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of a logical reason for
such an occurrence. He soon gave up though; everything about Sasuke was a
mystery so what was one more? Still, there were more questions than answers
concerning the mysterious male and Andrew realized belatedly- with no small
amount of irritation- that Sasuke being asleep again meant that they couldn�t
get any information out of him.
�� Rubbing his temples and suppressing the sigh that wanted
to escape his lips, the blonde suggested that the all leave for now and go get
some breakfast. He opted to leave Brian and Sasuke where they were for the
moment; the smells of a hearty breakfast would wake Brian faster than anything
Andrew could try and, since he knew from personal experience that Brian would
be less than subtle about obtaining his share of the meal, it was a safe bet
that Sasuke would be forced to follow shortly there after.
The
blonde waited until the others had left the room before bending down and
positioning his elbows on either side of the dark head below him.
�� Where�s my wife?� Andrew asked him, speaking softly so
as not to wake Brian prematurely. Blue eyes ghosted over the familiar yet not
familiar face, noting several faint scars here and there that had never been on
his wife�s face. �Who are you and why do you look so much like her?�
�� Raspy breathing greeted him but he had expected as much.
Andrew would wait for now, would allow things to progress at Sasuke�s pace and
see if that gave him any information about Suki�s whereabouts. A few days,
maybe a week� Enough time to let the brunette settle in and relax before the
interrogation began. The blonde could be incredibly patient when he had to be
when waiting for an investment to pay out.
�� He just hoped Sasuke didn�t make him wait too long since everyone�s patience ran
out eventually, even Andrew�s. When that happened, it was the blonde�s temper
that took over and many people had learned the hard way not to ever repeat the
resulting experience.
�� Sasuke would tell Andrew what he wanted to know, one way
or another.
�� Slipping his hands into the pockets of his bathrobe, the
blonde turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

More�s Moment:
�� Gah! At long last, another chapter! Sheesh, I�ve been
trying to get this out for the past two weeks but it just didn�t happen no
matter how hard I tried. Stupid school papers, grrr. Anyway, as promised, I am
returning back to the Greek mythos hinted at by the title. Speaking of themes,
don�t be surprised if you see reoccurring ones here and there- I promise that
I�m not recycling material, I�m just making a point.
�� I was really rather nervous about this chapter. I�m
trying to walk that fine line between giving out the information you as a
reader need to know in order to make sense of the story but at the same time I
don�t want to give out to much information and ruin the plot. This ought to
give everyone an idea where I am going yet hopefully not reveal all the twists
this plot is going to take.� Then I
remembered that this is chapter number six and knew everyone deserved some
answers; if I keep playing it so close to the chest I�ll ruin the story anyway.
�� Getting back to the title of this chapter, Eurydice is
the name of Orpheus� wife. For those of you who are familiar with Greek
mythology, or even the Sandman comics by Neil Gamen, the name Orpheus should be
ringing some bells�er, I mean, plucking some strings. In the book I�m using for
information, Eurydice herself only has a small paragraph telling her tale while
in other books she�s only mentioned in passing (as Orpheus� wife), much to my
regret. Oddly, the Sandman books have a whole arch relating back to the
Orpheus/Eurydice tale which gives the reader a nice idea both visually and
emotionally about how everything happened and the subsequent fall out for
Orpheus. If you happen to know which volume the tale occurs in in the series,
please feel free to leave it in a review for anyone who may want to do their
own research since I have no idea any more what the name of the volume is.
Anyway,
the long and the short of it is, Eurydice dies via snake bite after trying to
escape from this guy who is attempting to molest her. Distraught, Orpheus
travels to the underworld to try and gain her freedom. Along the way, Orpheus
uses his musical talents to accomplish his goal, making many enemies along the
way. After a lot of discussion, Orpheus manages to make a deal with Hades, a
bet if you will: Eurydice can leave Tartarus under the condition that, one
their way out, Orpheus does not look back at his wife until they reach the land
of the living.
I
know a few of you are playing Who�s Who with the characters in this story as
they pop up which is good since otherwise it�ll be mighty confusing later on
but, with what you�ve just read about Orpheus� tale, can you guess who is what as they appear?
I�ll
try and be more timely with my updates but I honestly don�t think it�s going to
happen. I have a relative who is really sick and the family is preparing for
the worse while school is getting infuriatingly difficult.
Please
leave a review: I love to hear everyone�s theories and sometimes they give me
inspiration and ideas for later. Also, if you haven�t read it and are looking
for another story to keep you occupied as you wait for me to post again, I
highly suggest reading �The Sound of Dreams� by Zrina. Personally, I enjoy the
story a lot.
Happy
tales everyone!
- 5
- 6
- 7
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The Banks Of The River Styx