Wooden torii stood tall before them. A gateway to the shrine and threshold for the stairs gave a weling presenbsp; Faded paint, stoairs and a surrounding pocket of a forest covered the hill in a rustic atmosphere.

  For only being a year, it felt longer by how witnessing it drew up memories. Yuki could see the two of them rag up the stairs. He delved into the forest with bold curiosity. A different sort of peace discovered within the hurrie of life aions.

  Seiji’s family, the Tsuji, was a long line of priests and priestesses that watched over the shrine feions. The Tsuji Shrine was of great pride to them, drawing back es to the emperors of the past before their dee. They were now mroundskeepers at times than Shinto Priests, even though they focused oraditions just as mubsp; Family and duty went before everything.

  A duty that haunted Seiji like his shadow.

  The two boys walked up the long stairs. Trees isoted them from the city. It almost felt like they had stepped into the past and a simpler time. A warm smile drew over Yuki with the day’s stresses melting away. Troubles disappeared in the embrace of nature.

  “Yuki!?!” a young boy’s voice said from a distant unseen er of the grounds. The shout was followed up by an old voice scolding the other. Then out of the side of a small detached structure from the main shrine a young boy popped out running towards Yuki. “It is you!”

  “Shoji?” Yuki questioned his sight and memory for a moment, almost nnizing him for how much he had been growing. Shoji leapt up into the air before ing into a collision path with Yuki. He knocked Yuki down to the stoiles, nearly sending him dowairs. “You’ve…gotten bigger…”

  “Hey Yuki, it’s been so long since you visited. Did y him, brother?” The little boy looked up from Yuki towards Seiji. “Is this what you meant the other day about ‘Finding what you had lost?’”

  Seiji twitched his eyebrow and then turned away not wanting to ahe childish question. “I-I just bumped into him and we found our way back here.”

  Shoji looked a little disappointed, but quickly got over the ck of an answer. He stared back down at Yuki with wide-eyed excitement. “Hey, you got any new moves you show me? Seiji won’t teach me anymore.”

  Yuki's eyes went wide for a moment with realization and then lowered. Behind Shoji in the distance a darkened figure gred daggers at him. “Afraid, I don’t. Sorry.”

  “Aw, but you’ve got to have-”

  “Shoji, let Yuki go.” Seiji went down to pick up Shoji. Shoji pulled away starting to pout in front of Seiji making him a little frustrated. “If you do, I’ll…show you something.”

  “Really?!” Shoji stood up immediately, tilting his hand back to look up at Seiji. Seiji relutly nodded ba as he ran off back around the wall he had appeared from. Seiji looked down at Yuki him a hand up.

  Ba his feet and alone once more, Yuki met stares with Seiji. “So what did you want to talk about?”

  Chapter 26 – The Echoes of Nothing

  Seiji took a step forward, breaking the standoff between them. He had a long pensive expression that looked unnatural for him. It was that aura that made it easy for Yuki to read him. Seiji resumed walking in front of him towards the stairs of the main shrine.

  The wood of the shrine was well polished with a refle of the surroundings boung in it as Seiji stepped on the old boards. Yuki followed in step and made their way to the back of the shrine around the outside. A small groan from the back steps released as Seiji took a seat. Yuki leaned up against the supp pilr of wood looking down.

  Silence carried him so far, but Seiji k had to end. ging the plicated emotions into words troubled him. “So… Yuki… The past year?”

  “Yeah?” Happy as it made him to see his friend again, he couldn’t dismiss the same questions Saki had. It made him increasingly curious, especially since he didn’t remember Seiji ag like this before when they were close friends.

  Silence poured in again for a moment as Seiji searched for his words that tio slip through his fingers. “What I mean… How has the year been for you?” Seiji tried to paint a friendly and happy fa, but failed iempt.

  Yuki slipped from the pilr in surprise, but eventually righted himself back up. “Wha?!”

  “Well I haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been doing?”

  The near matter-of-fact attitude tio puzzle Yuki as he stared at his friend. He slowly pulled himself bad blinked oo smooth out his disjointed feeling. “Well I’ve been going to school and started high school.”

  Seiji lowered his eyes a little annoyed by the easy answer. “Yeah, I know that. Besides school.”

  “I uh…” Yuki tried to think about what he had been doing, but found it all pretty ordinary and uful, besides ohing. ‘I ’t tell him that I’m ao some strange nd that I’ve never seen and have powers that defy reality. And that I’m being hunted by a corrupt group of people trying to take trol forcibly from the rightful ruler.’ The gears turned in Yuki’s head trying to e up with anything that worked no matter how small. “I ate Takuyaki!”

  It was Seiji this time that lost his grip and fell dowairs nding on his back upside down staring in disbelief and utter fusion at the response. Seiji recovered quickly a up to the stairs gring back at Yuki fiving such a ridiculous ao him. “What the hell sort of answer is that?! I didn’t ask what the hell you ate!”

  “Well I did!” Yuki leaned back trying to re-enforce that he was being ho, even though it was a random answer.

  Seiji grabbed Yuki up by the colr of his uniform and stared at him for a mihout words. Emotions took and over everything. “Dammit! That’s not what I’m asking!”

  “At least you’re sounding more like yourself now.”

  “Huh?” Taken aback, Seiji released him and stepped away rubbing his head. He surrendered. “If it was a year ago you’d never have even said a word. Guess that’ll do.”

  Yuki pulled down his jacket thten it out and made it down a couple steps. “You know that I’m not the same, right? I’ve put the past behind me. Was this a test or something, Seiji?”

  “A test? Hell no, I know without a test… I guess I—“

  “Yuki!” Shoji yelled from the shrine as he threw open the doors on their skids without . The young boy leapt on Yuki’s back, hugging him tightly as Yuki had early to Seiji. “I’m all finished with my training. So y, Yuki!”

  “Shoji! Yoing to hurt, Yuki!” Seiji rushed to Yuki’s aid to pull off his hyper-active little brother. He struggled with Shoji a little, but eventually mao pull him off sharply with a bonk to his head.

  Shoji looked up at Seiji, rubbing his head. “What did you do that for? Yuki’s strong.”

  “Well I…”

  “It's fine.” Yuki patted Shoji on the head. ‘I don’t remember him being like this before…’ He wao go over to Seiji and talk straight with him, but that seemed to be impossible. When they so often painted ses with blood and versed through fists, a normal chat came off as unnatural.

  A creaking of the boards signaled another visitor to the back of the shrine. It was the grandfather of Shoji and Seiji and the head of the Tsuji family. He was the ohat taught the passed down traditions. As to be expected, he wore the standard vestments of the Shinto priests without promising any of the modernism that was slowly trying to seep into their world.

  In his age, he was almost pletely bald with only a ring of hair around the base of his head that hung close to his very wrinkled and dotted head. However, in spite of his appearances, he had the fieress of anyone half his age and refused to aowledge age as a weakness. “Seiji, you missed your training again. At this rate, your brother will pass you.”

  “That’s fine. I’ve told you tless times, I don’t care about any of that. Why ’t you leave me alone?!” Seiji turned away from his grandfather, starting to have anger shaking his arms.

  “But it’s fun!” Shoji ran from Yuki over to Seiji grabbing his hand to keep him from leaving. “Please. You’re much better than I am.”

  Seiji ripped free his hand and started to walk from the shriowards the protected woods below. “I told you. I don’t want your tradition!”

  “Watch your tongue, boy!” The old man stared from the porch of the shrine down at him. Seiji paused for a moment before he tinued walking away. Stairs quickly hid Seiji as he stomped down, his steps eg through the forest.

  Their grandfather turo Yuki looking at him through his deep set eyes and dry lips. “I thought you might have ged him in the past. I thought you might drive him back to where he was meant to be, but I was wrong. You were only a ive influehat ences his rebellious side. I see that hasn’t ged.” Upon the final words, he turned aered the shrine fading into the shadows.

  Shoji looked dowh and up at his grandfather before to Yuki. It ainted heavy on the young kid’s face how fused he was now. The boy sought two paths, but couldn’t pibsp; “Yuki…”

  For a brief thought, he questioned his decision. Perhaps Saki had been right. The sight of Shoji’s expressio away the doubt. He k doatted his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Shoji.”

  “I wish they’d stop fighting all the time…” Shoji colpsed to his knees grabbing onto Yuki’s pant leg.

  “It’s not your fault. Yrandfather and Seiji have different lives. It’ll lead to fighting, but I think if you tell them your feelings and don’t give up… You’ll reach them.”

  Shoji wiped away his tears, but still had an uaiioning look for Yuki. “My feelings will reach them? If I don’t give up?”

  He nodded with a smile. “It’ll take time. But yes, I promise.”

  “Really?!” Shoji seemed to return back to his cheerful self. He jumped up and hugged Yuki quickly before running off dowairs in the dire that Seiji had left.

  The grounds were empty once more leaving Yuki standing in the wind that blew through. Emptiness made him awkward like he had already overstayed. He slowly made his way to the front of the shrio put him ba his path. ‘If you don’t give up huh?’ Yuki stared down at his hand, still fused about his power that was locked inside him. ‘I guess I ’t do this half assed either.’

  The forest killed all the damnable sounds of the city. Though barely any of the calm ass nature or creatures filled it. It was hel annoying just sitting in silenbsp; But he had beeo such shit. ‘Finally shut out that damn coward’s voily to piss away the whole thing. Damn old man! Damnit! He’s probably left now too…’

  A long frustrated sigh left him. Seated on the rough ass rock, he braced his head against his palm. Seiji stared out the long ass distahrough the trees at nothing. Nothing out there but his shitty thoughts.

  Footfalls snapped him out of the hell of his mind. Tilting back, it was Shoji meekly watg him. Seiji turned away from the forest. Quickly, he forced down the rage and anger. “Shoji? What are you doing here?”

  “I-I came to find…you.”

  “ht…you found me pretty quickly.”

  “It's pretty easy when you pick the same spot.”

  Seiji gnced around the forest. It pletely went past him, but Shoji was right. The whole area looked familiar. “Bad habits, I guess.” His alone spot found, Seiji got up and walked over to his little brother. “Were you needing something?”

  “Let’s go back…please…”

  “...Shoji…”

  “Please, brother!” He paused hunting for the words. “You promised to show me one of your moves!”

  Roughly swallowing, Seiji looked at his hopeful, pleading brother. Down the long stairs back to the shrine darkened a bit as he thought about the old man. But Shoji stood o him. A firm nod, he checked his emotions at the tree. “Right! I did! Just remember to watch!”

  “Thank you, Seiji!” Shoji bounced up renewed with energy. He hurried over to the stairs eager to see his brother in a.

  Joining his little brother, Seiji took a swift look up at the opy. A little of the sky crept through. ‘I guess I’ll have tain… Maybe ime I talk properly to Yuki…’