Blue Light Chapter 4

Ihen and Rei trudged through the snow, Ihen wearing a trench coat over his normal robes, and Rei clothed a form of pants under an ankle length dress, covered entirely by a thicker coat. The snow was up to their ankles, and navigating the drifts was becoming a little troublesome. Rei twirled her ring around her finger as she walked, thinking about things that had happened to her.
Her mother and father had both somehow died, leaving her in the care of  Ame and Hund, Ihen and Yumi's parents. When the three of them were old enough to live on their own, they had moved north into the forest, not too far from a good sized village with a few inns and things… She recalled how they had found her current house… it had just been in the middle of a clearing, broken down a little. Ihen had repaired it for her. He had always been there for her when she needed him. He was such a good friend.
Or was he just a friend anymore? He had been acting a little strangely around her. Maybe it was just her imagination, but ever since the incident with Ren he had seemed less like a friend and brother…and more like something else….
"Hey, careful here, there's a big root under the snow here," Ihen warned as they skirted a drift between two trees.  Rei looked up when she heard this and did completely the opposite, she tripped, falling into Ihen, and they tumbled into the drift, Rei landing beside him.
"You alright?" Ihen asked, and she started giggling. Pretty soon they were both laughing, laying there in the snow. Ihen quickly leaned over and pecked a kiss on her lips, blushing as he withdrew and they both sat up.
Rei blushed, looking uncertain about the whole thing. She sat there in silence for a bit then asked:
"Wha.. what was that?"
"I… I kissed you." Ihen thought she sounded surprised, which was what he expected… but there was something else there…
"W..why?" Now she sounded confused and a little angry.
"Because…  of the way I feel about you. It's driving me crazy… Rei, can't you see it? We should be together! We've grown up together and know each other better than anyone else," he stuttered a little, this wasn't going at all like he had planned.
"Ihen… I-"
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" a familiar male voice asked from behind them.
They both stood and looked over the drift. Two silver eyes looked back, his mouth covered by what looked like a thick black scarf. He also wore a hooded cloak over a heavy, long cloak.
"You! What the hell are you doing here? It's bad enough you show your face again, but… now of all times… And yes, you are!" Ihen fumed, with almost a pout-like expression. He was about to say something else, but Rei cut him off.
"Ren…it's… good to see you again… I never did feel like I thanked you properly…for..." She blushed here, she didn't know why, but she did. "for saving my life."
He might have smiled, they couldn't tell. He moved closer to them, and let the hood fall back from his head, his dark hair spilling out and flowing a bit in the wind. He looked very feminine at that point, and not being able to see his chin made it worse.
"I'm just passing through for a chance visit, that's all. I just couldn't resist seeing you all again," he mentioned, his voice very level, but his eyes focused on Rei. This didn't escape Ihen, who promptly came back with insults.
" Well, we could have resisted the temptation of seeing you again.," he added a bit of nasty tone on you, making his feelings about the whole affair clear. This didn't daunt Ren, who quickly replied.
"I see your manners didn't improve very much. Well, I guess I'm glad I came." He sounded like he was going to add something on, but stopped. Rei's attention was completely diverted from Ihen to Ren.
"Fine. If you don't like my manners, I'm just going to leave," Ihen scowled, then disappeared in the snow. Rei watched him go, an expression between confusion and sadness on her face.
"So, what did he do to you? I didn't speak up just then because I happened to have good timing," Ren asked, leaning against the tree whose root had been most troublesome. She looked at him, completely astonished.
"He… He kissed me…" She answered. She kind of wondered why Ihen had left if he didn't trust Ren like he said he did. This seemed to occur to Ren too, as he looked towards where Ihen had disappeared.
"So, he loves you. I knew that when I first met the guy. The question is, do you love him back?"
"I.. I don't know how I feel… I really don't. I don't want to hurt him either.. especially…"
"You're lying to yourself. You know how you feel."
She stared at her hands, playing with her fingers. She couldn't sit still very long. Rei felt hot tears well up in her eyes. Why was he being so cruel?
"Stop saying things like you know me!"
"I'm only trying to help you."
She was taken aback at this, then sighed wistfully. Rei let the tears roll down her cheeks, ignoring them as they began to freeze. She looked up suddenly at Ren, surprised to find he had left her alone there in the snow, feeling like a pathetic fool.

The sun was low in the sky when she made her way to her own house, a small two room building raised on low stilts, a foot or so above the ground. It had strange architecture, and eaves that hung out over the small wooden porch that wound round the entire thing. As she made to walk up the steps, she stumbled a little, then leaned against the doorframe, looking back into the falling snow, Ren was coming up the path she had taken to get there. He had been only a few steps behind her the entire time.
"Am I invited in? I don't blame you if you don't want me around," he asked, reaching the bottom of the stairs. Rei nodded and gave him a smile.
"You're fine. Come inside and get warm," she beckoned, taking his hand and leading him inside.
The main room held a small table-like structure that held constantly warm coals for heat in the winter on one side, and on the other a low table with cushions sat. On the wall near the sliding door that lead to the other room there was a low futon mattress propped up to be a makeshift couch.
As they shed their outdoor winder clothing, setting them not too near the heated table, but close enough to dry out a bit, Rei thought of what she was going to tell Ihen. How did she feel? She asked herself this many times in the small space of maybe ten minutes.
"You're real talkative," Ren commented, sitting on one of the cushions. He took a moment to notice the cupboard on the back wall. She rolled her eyes at him.
"I didn't think you came to see us because of my amazing conversation skills. Otherwise I might have prepared a script," she joked, running her fingers through her hair and shaking it out.
"That's true I suppose, I didn't," he chuckled a little and set into studying his hands. She sat down across from him, and gave him a smile, something like the one he had seen before on that night. She set her hands on the table, still playing with the strange ring.
"What's that ring you keep playing with?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested. She took it off then and let him get a better look at it. The insignia on it was a mystery to him, so he asked another question. "It's interesting, where'd you get it?
"It was my father's. I've had it since I was sixteen, when Hund gave it to me.."
"Hund?"
"Ihen and Yumi's father. He was some high-ranking official in the war that took place in the Bogai sands, between the elementals and the desert dwelling dog demons," she explained.
"That's a mouthful."
"Yes. I suppose it is. So, what's the real reason you're here?"
"Well… I… uh.. I'm here because I want to get away from someone. "
"Your sister?" Rei looked  him in the eyes when she said this, and he met hers. They were full of understanding. Still, he hadn't expected her to guess.
"Yeah. I know I'm still mostly a stranger… and by all rights you shouldn't be being so hospitable.. But could I stay around you and those two for a while? It's almost too much for me to ask, or even hope that someone… decent… would want me or anyone like me around," he looked away from her, not wanting to hear the answer.
Instead, she reached across the table and put a hand on his chin, making him look her in the eyes.
"You know, I'm too trusting, but… I can't help but ask, what do you mean by people like you?"
Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. He pulled away, the sudden close proximity  between them made him nervous, and he hated feeling so oddly afraid, and of what he didn't know.  But at any rate, he had no explanation to answer her question, and so he remained silent.
"Just stay as long as you need to," she replied after he was quiet for a while. She went into the other room, and when she came out, brought a blanket for him.
"Now it's my turn to be the lender of  a blanket. Sleep there," she said, gesturing to the futon. Ren looked up at her and gave her a wry smile. She threw the blanket at him, hitting him in the head with it. This caused the two of them to start laughing, then stop abruptly and create an awkward silence.
"Are you… hungry or anything? Because I'm alright," she asked. Instead of answering, he asked another question.
"How long was it since I left? A year?"
"And a half."
"I'm fine, thank you, thank you for this chance," He answered, sitting on the futon.
"Good night then," she answered, leaving him in the main room and returning to the room which was most likely where her bed was.
And a winter night began.

"I still say your visit's over, snake!" Ihen shouted, making both Rei and Yumi give him disappointed looks. He ignored them with flare, thrusting the shovel into Ren's hands roughly. "You wanted to help out, then help. It's already been a few days since you were here, and it's kind of dragging on for just a quick visit. So help me clear the mud from around here."
The next couple of days after the snowstorm had been warm, and Yumi officially decided spring was on its way. This also caused a small mudslide to cover part of Ihen and Yumi's house. So of course Rei and Yumi had decided that they should clear it off before the thaw went on, while it'd be easy to move. This automatically elected Ihen and Ren for the job.
The men had gotten a few hours into their work, and were halfway through when a mud ball decided to land itself on the back of Ihen's head. This caused him to drop his shovel and whirl around to see Ren just working away diligently.
"If you're gonna act like a child, then just leave the man's work to me," he taunted.
"I don't know what nonsense you're spouting now, but it certainly sounds like you should be working harder if you have time to think up new insults without Yumi's help," Ren replied, never stopping his shoveling.
They went on fairly peacefully, and were even closer to being done, when this time a mud ball hit Ren in the back of the head. He was quick to retaliate on Ihen, who he suspected as the culprit. Ihen whirled around again, and threw one back. This caused Ren to make a larger glob of mud, move closer and splat it just onto Ihen's face, full on from the front.
Ihen had taken all he could take, this was enough. He ran headlong at Ren, tackling him into a large pile of the squelchy stuff. Ren shoved a fistful of slime down Ihen's robes, and received a mud pie to the face. He then started laughing, wiping it off good-naturedly. Ihen just sat there and stared at him, then suddenly cracked up.
"Are you two taking a break?" Yumi asked, looking at them like a scornful mother, Rei had her hand over her mouth  and was standing next to her. Yumi held her right hand behind her back, and waved her finger at the two boys.
"Wait a second.. I smell a conspiracy," Ihen said suspiciously. He went up to the two girls and grabbed Yumi's right arm, revealing a muddy hand. "You were the one!!"
"She's not the only one," Rei said, giggling and showing her other hand as well, covered in mud.
"Well I never… They teamed up on us…" Ren commented. He was still sitting in the mud, a wily grin on his face. "That… and I do believe I am stuck…"
"Here, let me help," Rei answered, walking quickly over to where he was sitting. He held out his hand and she took it, trying to pull him up, but instead finding herself sitting in the mud next to him.
"You dirty cheater!" she laughed. Ihen watched her, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of anguish. She never had smiled and laughed quite like that when he was the cause. And, he though bitterly, she probably never would.
"Oi, dog-boy, what's with the sour persimmons? You look like a crab crawled out from under its rock and pinched you on the butt," Ren commented, now standing next to him and Yumi, Rei next to him.
"I'm fine," Ihen practically growled. "In fact, we're all fine. And we were fine long before you came along.  Why did you have to come back, huh? You're still just an outsider to us," he fumed, then turned and stormed off, leaving a small wake of singed leaves and branches as he went through the woods.
"What was that all about?" Rei asked, looking ready to cry.
"He's… just going through a rough patch. Rei, you should go talk to him," Yumi answered, rubbing her temples. "Ren, let's have some tea, shall we?"
"Alright," Ren answered. Rei conjured water throughout herself, cleaning the mud instantly and then drying herself as quick as she had used the water. She brushed past Ren, and as she did so, he whispered: "If he gives you any trouble, just tell me."
She nodded silently and followed the small path of destruction Ihen had left behind. It was an easy task to find him, she had known where he was going. It was a place they had always been able to go to when they need to think about anything in general. He was sitting on a rock above their swimming place, where he would always sit while Yumi and Rei swam. He had never really liked water to say.
"Ihen?" She addressed him warily, noting that his hair was burning brightly. He looked at her, his eyes full of pain and confusion.
"What? Didn't the snake come with you?" He asked, purposely making it sting. Rei flinched. He had never been quite this mad. She still kept trying.
"Ihen, what's wrong? I don't understand… "
"What's not to understand? That snake's the problem, not me. I was here first, he shouldn't even be here after what he did."
"What does Ren have to do with this?' Rei asked innocently, standing still. Ihen turned and looked at her, looking like a wounded animal.
"…Rei, I love you…. Can't you see it? We're supposed to be together, you grow up with someone, and that makes us closer than anything! Who does that snake think he is, coming in and acting like he can do whatever he wants, like he's the greatest…"
At this point, Rei could feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes again… this was too hard… she knew she had to tell him now just how she felt, but she didn't know if she could face him after this…
"Ihen…" she said softly, almost a whisper. He looked up at her, his face so full of hope. Hope she was about to dash against the rocks. "Ihen…I don't love you like that… I- I can't… You're my brother…not my boyfriend."
"I see…" His voice was tight, and he had turned his back to her. His face contorted in such emotional pain, and tears streamed from his eyes as he faced the water below. His hair gave off more heat now that ever, it had almost a blue tint to it. He sat there until the sun set, just thinking; his tears long gone. He didn't care if that was the truth. If he eliminated the competition, or one-upped them, maybe he'd make  her see, just how much she meant to him. He'd be there for her no matter what.
He returned home just after dark, where Yumi was sitting at their table, sipping a small cup of tea. He sat down across from her, his face emotionless as he could manage.
"Brother, there's something I should tell you. Rei asked me to. I didn't stop her because it's her choice. She's decided to leave, because she says that she can't face you after saying something that hurt you so deeply. So she left today, as soon as Ren was ready."
"REN?!" Ihen stood and slammed his palms on the table.
"She needed an escort other than you. Women shouldn't travel alone, it's unsafe." Yumi answered tranquilly. She sipped her tea some more.
"Then why didn't you go?"
"Because, my herb garden's going to need tending," she answered as though it should have been obvious.
"I'd rather have her traveling alone than with that… that… SNAKE-FACED BAAARGH!!"
At this point Yumi kicked her brother in the shin, making him fall over.
"Now, now, I've told you that if you don't watch your mouth you'll give yourself bad karma. "
"You're such a pain in my ass."
"I love you too."