Chapter 1 - Prologue

Old Friends

Prologue





“Naru, stop that!” He squirms in bed, the body on top of him shifting to accommodate for the change in position. “Naru, get off!”

“Why?”

“It's just awkward…and…and…”

“This morning you said I should come over later to talk about something important. Something that big requires privacy, and I can't think of anyplace that would give us more.” The other quirks a smile. “Well, aside from the bath.”

“You wouldn't dare.”

“Of course not. What were you going to say earlier?”

“Um…” He squirms more, but the other will not move off of him. “I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't remember what happened that day a couple months ago, or why the treasury had to be rebuilt.”

“Earthquake.”

“Naru…”

“You had nothing to do with it.” The other smiles, cupping his face with one hand.

“No, I do…it's only after that day I got these weird tattoos. Chinese characters…it must mean something. I know I had something to do with it.”

“If you're leaving tomorrow, then…” A hand moves down to toy with his collar, and is slapped away.

“You're already weird enough, Naru. You're supposed to be a monk, aren't you?”

“……Yeah…but I'm still human.” The other leans down, hugging his friend tightly, and his face flushes red at the realization of how close they are. “C'mon…”

“No…I'm leaving tomorrow, and that's it. I don't want you to come with me. I'll go with Rin Qiao and no one else.”

“But…sure, she's the all-knowing Chinese monkey spirit, but…I'm your best friend, aren't I?”

“Yeah, Naru, you are. That's why I have to leave you. In case the memories I lost…are bad ones.”

“Don't worry about any of that! I'm your friend, and…and I love you, no matter what!” The other hugs him tightly, not wanting to let go.

“Naru…” He's not sure how to console his friend. One wrong word can make him all that much more upset. “Naru…I do, too, but…I don't wanna hurt you.”

“You won't hurt me. I know you. There's no way you could hurt me.”

He laughs; his friend is so cheerful and so insistent. So kind, so accepting…so quiet right now. He blinks and smiles at the sight of his friend asleep. Then their position becomes quite apparent to him. “Naru?” He asks, trying to shove his friend off. “He's heavier than he looks…Naru! C'mon, wake up!” He sighs, and looks at his friend's peaceful expression.

“Love you…don't leave…”

He pats his friend on the head and sighs, pulling the blanket over them. “…Seeing you asleep with that expression on your face will make it that much harder to leave.”









The blonde jerks awake, and hits his head against the trunk of the tree behind him. He rubs his head, trying to remember where he is. Oh, right…special training in the mountains. He had fallen asleep next to a tree the previous night. He sighs, and draws his legs close to his chest, and wonders….why did he have that dream? “I haven't had that dream in years.” He pulls his pack over to him, wondering what it meant. “Haven't had it in years….this could only mean one thing…” He grins, and grabs his pack, jumping to his feet as he runs down the hill, his eyes bright. “Eri's back!”





A/N: Gawd, that first scene was just so…suggestive! Sheesh….Naru's a fun character, but I like my Eri more. And I'd guess, even though that scene was fifteen years before, Fung was still the master monk there. He's old, so there's no telling.

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