----
The rest of the week continued in the same hazy rush of heated dancing and welcomed laughter for both women. It culminated in leaning over a balcony howling and screaming along with the throng of people that flooded Bourbon Street for New Years'. Yoshi stood behind Clarion, arms wrapped around the small woman's waist as they ushered in the new millennium. Amidst the wonderful chaos Yoshi took a quiet moment just to close her eyes and take in all that surrounded her. Clarion squeezed the arms around her as if she could read the dark woman's thoughts. If she had, they would have been filled with her own image as Yoshi took time to thank whatever god existed for what she had. She didn't know where the road would end, perhaps in death, or even in failure, but in this one moment where the whole of the world took time to celebrate its past, its present, and its future---there was no other person who could have been more satiated and more at ease than Yoshima Miakoda. She had witnessed a millennium come and go, and as she turned the red head around for a smoldering kiss, she quietly realized that it had all been for this....for her.
CH 3: 'I Never did mind about the little things.'
The satiated smile that Yoshima Miakoda fell to sleep with was the same she wore the next morning, January 1, 2000. The world did not explode and she did not disintegrate nor did Clarion disappear. The woman in question was sprawled across her body wearing the same smirk of satisfaction. Yoshi gave Clarion a gentle squeeze as the urge to wake up became greater than sleeping. Clarion groaned and buried herself in the cover causing Yoshi to giggle as she wiggled down her body.
"Are we going to have go through this today?" The covers rippled. "I don't understand the language of the comforter." She got a slap to her midsection. "I understood that." She mumbled. "Clarion, it's uh..2:00 in the afternoon." Yoshi was about to reach down and pull up the red-head, but it wasn't necessary since the covers flew away from the bed as Clarion sat up straight.
"Holy shit!" She grabbed tufts of red hair and looked down at the woman she was straddling.
"Problem?"
Clarion whined and fell forward onto Yoshi's chest, causing the woman to expel a breath of air. "I didn't mean to sleep this late that's all. Damn!"
"We have some place to be?"
Clarion sat up and stretched. "Yes we do and I wanted to make it before it rained." Clarion sighed and removed herself from the bed.
Yoshi propped herself up in the bed on her elbows and admired the red-head's shapely form as she walked to the bathroom. "That's not until at least 5 or 6 I thought."
"Yeah, but we got a drive."
Yoshi clapped her hands together and sat up. "Ooh, where are going?"
Clarion just shook her head as we she started the shower. "You're such a kid, you know that?" Her voice was playful and matched the comical grin that the dark woman was wearing.
"Only because you're spoiling me."
Clarion laughed as she stepped into the shower and then let out a yelp as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Green eyes widened in shock and then returned to normal as Yoshi winked and got in the shower. "Would you stop doing that?"
"Not my fault if you can't hear." Yoshi took a newly wet finger and stuck it in Clarion's ear. "Maybe if you cleaned these out." All Clarion could do was squirm since the shower stall didn't provide her enough space to get away. She pushed back against Yoshi's tall frame until the woman let go.
"If you don't behave you have to get out."
"I thought I was saving time." Yoshi was trying to sound sincere, but she was lathering her hands up and trying to decided which part of Clarion she wanted to wash first.
Sensing the Samurai's lusty thoughts Clarion turned the cold water hard to the right and stepped out of the spray so that it hit Yoshi full in the face. She turned it back to the left when she was satisfied the woman was exorcised of her demons. Clarion turned her back on Yoshi and started to soap up her towel, all the while humming to herself, silently daring the still slack jawed woman to say something.
She could only wear an expression of shock that became a look of dejection complete with pouty lips. A long arm reached over Clarion's head as she grabbed the soap and she mumbled. "I was just trying to help."
Clarion only smiled as she managed to hold in her laugh. "Just be a good girl and we can play later." Clarion's smile grew larger as the woman behind her huffed. Yoshi rolled her eyes and just as a pink tongue began to poke out from behind her lips Clarion spoke. "Stop rolling your eyes and put your tongue back in your mouth."
Yoshi sucked her teeth and looked down at Clarion. "How the hell are you doing that? You got eyes in the back of your head?" Yoshi swirled a finger in Clarion's short hair just to be sure.
"It's magic."
"Yeah right...or perhaps I'm just horribly predictable." She sounded a little hurt.
"Don't be so hard on yourself Yoshi, besides, I can see your reflection in the knobs." Blue eyes tracked to the chrome faucet and saw her own eyes grow wide.
"I'll show you reflections." At that she took advantage of her height and lack of space as she cornered Clarion and tickled her senseless. Only when Clarion was sliding to the floor in side aching laughter did Yoshi stop. "Now, I say we play now...and if you're a good girl," she pointed a tapered finger down at he teary-eyed woman. ", we can play later."
Clarion wanted to be mad or at least pouty, but she knew it was pointless so she held up her hand. "You drive a hard bargain lady, but I'll accept."
Yoshi barely let her finish the sentence as she pulled the smaller woman to her and proceeded to show Clarion the finer points of showering together.
------------
Clarion knew they were going to get rained on, but she didn't care. They had been driving for a half an hour and we're a good 20 minutes away from the Parish just outside of Baton Rouge. Yoshi refrained from asking where they were going since she was more occupied with the scenery that blazed by them. Clarion pulled off the main road and pulled onto a gravel filled road. She looked over at Yoshi who was putting her shoes back on.
"Almost here."
"So do I get to know where we are?" She drew her hair into a ponytail as she waited for Clarion to answer.
Clarion looked out of the window and smiled wistfully as she pulled the car to a stop under a bank of trees. "Home." She said the word more for herself, but that was what it was. Yoshi felt it unnecessary to respond with words so just rubbed the back of her hand down Clarion's cheek and grinned at her. Clarion kissed her knuckles and squeezed the hand. "Let's go before I get all misty eyed." She adjusted her cowboy hat and got out of the car. She stretched her arms out and let out an elated holler. She drew in a big breath of air and released it. "Damn I love it here." She turned around to get her bag and saw Yoshi watching her with admiration and perhaps a hint of envy. Clarion could only smile as she felt a faint blush reach her cheeks. She just shrugged. "You ready to go Samurai?"
"Whenever you are?"
Yoshi shouldered both duffel bags and in her hand and carried the new canvas carrying case that Clarion insisted on buying her for her sword. "You want me to carry something? You look like you're about to topple over."
"Nah," she grunted and adjusted the bags. "I'm trying to impress you."
Clarion laughed and took the carrying case from Yoshi. "I'll just help you here."
Yohsi rolled her eyes and followed the smaller woman up the path. "Nice of you to take the heavy stuff."
"Not a problem."
Yoshi was searching for some biting comment to make, but as she followed Clarion up the gravel path, she became more and more intrigued by the scenery. The path itself was lined with Weeping Willows and Magnolia's that were no doubt older than Clarion herself. The sweeping leaves of the Willows made for a lush entrance way that promised wonders if not mystery at what lay ahead down the road. Just as they were about to exit the canopy of trees and Yoshi was prepared to make some crack about 'Welcome to Tara' Clarion turned left and left the gravel path.
"Hey, fearless leader what's the deal?"
Clarion slowed her walk and waited for Yoshi to join her, at which she removed one of the duffel bags and strapped it on her shoulder. "I said we were going home, not to The Big House." She wiggled her eyebrows and started walking again. "Besides, that place is a death trap."
Yoshi looked ahead of them and cleared her throat. "If the other place is a death trap, then is this the training ground?" Yoshi dropped the bag to the ground and scratched her head as she looked at the house a hundred yards away. It was one level and raised off the ground, which had probably served as an interesting little fortress for small children.
It had once been a startling white, but now was faded to a worn yellow and decaying with black in some places. The wood was beaten in the places where termites had not eaten through it, but the porch still remained. The steps leading to the porch looked shaky at best, but a well placed foot would surely collapse the entire structure. Yoshi watched Clarion drop the bags to the ground and wander up to the house as if being pulled along on a conveyer belt. Yoshi followed suit and stayed behind Clarion, never taking her eyes off the woman except to glance down at the canvas bag with her sword in it, wondering if she needed it. When Clarion stopped at the foot of the stairs and raised her hat so that it sat back on her head and exposed her brow, Yoshi came and stood beside her. Yoshi closed her eyes, less to mirror Clarion's gesture and more to get her bearings straight. There was life in that house, but it none of it had less than four legs.
Yoshi was slightly hesitant as she reached out to put a hand on Clarion's shoulder, but she became more confident as she saw no tension in Clarion. A warm hand rested on Clarion's shoulder and the red-head turned to look at Yoshi. "You okay in there?" She asked quietly.
"Yep." She pushed her hat back down. "Just looking."
"I was going to ask, if we had to fix it up before we got in it."
Clarion chuckled and turned away from the house. "No crazy. I just like to look at."
"This was her house."
Clarion smiled slyly and picked the bags back up as she gave one last glance to the house. "It still is."
"Ooh, I'm shaking." Yoshi smiled and picked up the bags as she followed Clarion.
The smaller woman smirked at Yoshi. "You can be smart all you want, sugar. But, this ain't the city."
Yoshi scoffed. She didn't mean to sound condescending, but Clarion seemed to be pushing the spooky issue. "You trying to scare me Larieux? I remind you I'm nearly a thousand years old, I think I've seen and fought all the things you can dream up."
Clarion stopped and turned towards the tall woman, hands on her hips, eyebrow arched to it's highest altitude. She got as close to Yoshi as she could without stepping through her and craned her neck up. Yoshi looked down into green eyes and did her best not to let her grin get any larger. Clarion spoke softly, but firmly. "Yoshima, I am not suggesting that you are not privy to what exists down here. I am only saying that perhaps you forget yourself. Perhaps, you've forgotten about the things that go bump in the night."
"Au contraire-
Clarion stopped Yoshi with a finger pressed to her lips. "Yoshi, you may indeed kill the monsters...but I believe in them." Clarion didn't let the silence hang too long between them before she removed her finger from Yoshi's lips and placed a sweet kiss there. "Come on."
Yoshi watched the small woman turn away and shivered less on account of Clarion's words, but more at the eerie sensation that she was being watched. 'I need a drink.' She shook her head and started walking. "Hey, do I need to sleep with a garlic wreath tonight?"
Clarion laughed as she cut through the trees. "Not if you expect me to sleep with you."
"That stuff works on you?" She asked the question with a smile.
Clarion laughed louder. "Not in the least, but it stinks to high heaven."
"Yeah well, it keeps you healthy." Yoshi grumbled and then laughed. "Hey are we going to get somewhere soon, cause these mosquitoes are eating me alive, and I don't know if it's my hearing or what, but the snakes down here are huge."
Clarion smiled and started digging her foot into the ground. "Those aren't snakes." Yoshi scowled and groaned and then watched as Yoshi pulled up a strip of grass and then lifted a handle. She looked up at Yoshi and grinned. "Those are gators." She winked and then disappeared down the hole she exposed.
With ginger steps Yoshi stepped towards the small hole and peered into it. "Clarion?" A small hand shot up and Yoshi jumped.
"Down here. Wait...let me...just." With a grunt and a squeak, metal grinded against metal and heavy door was raised. "You can see now."
Yoshi just nodded, as she saw the steps that led down. "What is it with you and being underground?"
"Lots more space down here. Be careful, it's kind of damp and wet here. Basically we're pretty much under water at this point, but nature and a little bit of science and technology has provided for a nice little cavern of sorts. Close that hatch behind you."
Yoshi just shrugged as she entered the stairwell and closed the top. "Can I get some light here?"
"You mean your eyes don't glow in the dark?"
"Ha ha. Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't find you." To prove her point, Yoshi reached out and pinched Clarion on her butt.
"Hey!" She laughed and then stopped walking as she came to a door. "Just a second, it's kind of rusted."
Yoshi could hear Clarion throwing herself into the door. "Want some help there little lady?"
"Sure thing." She gasped out. Yoshi blindly moved past Clarion and gave the door a hard kick causing it to open. "I just knew you'd come in handy."
Before Yoshi could ask about a light switch torches and lanterns seemed to blaze to life on their own. She dropped her bags as she took in the sight of the large room before her. "This is definitely more like it." The room they were standing in was a large circle in design. When Yoshi took a step forward she could have sworn she was stepping into a tuft of down feathers, so plush was the carpet beneath her feet. The walls were covered in art, and where there was space the walls were filled with tapestries and Curios. For all intense purposes the room itself was a sitting room. A large coffee table was surrounded by a Recamier, a chaise, and two high-backed chairs that looked like they walked out of Louis XIV castle. Yoshi found herself walking up to a few of the paintings and squinting to read the signatures.
"They're real."
Yoshi flinched at the sound of Clarion's voice breaking the quiet. "Never doubted it." She turned towards Clarion. "You've been busy haven't you."
She shrugged. "Come on there's plenty more."
Yoshi nodded and followed. Each room was connected by one tunnel or another, seven all together. A bedroom or two, a kitchen, what appeared to be a sauna, a dining room, a large room that held an alter, and one that she they hadn't entered yet. They found themselves back in the bedroom, where Yoshi collapsed onto the large bed.
"Did we walk a few miles?"
Clarion laughed and sat on the bed. "Not quite."
Yoshi sat up. "So what about the last room?"
Clarion rubbed the back of her neck and focused on the end table by the bed. "How about we eat first."
Her statement was hesitant and Yoshi raised an eyebrow as she looked at the woman who was clearly avoiding her. She decided to make light of the situation. "That's where you keep the dead bodies?"
Clarion chuckled nervously and whispered to herself. "I wish."
Yoshi's expression became serious. "I heard that. Clarion what's wrong?"
She sighed. "Nothing."
Yoshi sighed as well. "Is this the conversation we didn't have in Desire." Clarion nodded and continued to look anywhere but at the woman next to her. "Hey, talk to me." Yoshi gently used her hand to guide Clarion's face in her direction. "What's up?"
Clarion touched the hand and stood. "Well," she clapped her hands and spoke louder. ", it's not that bad. And in my defense, I really didn't know...well not really, but, whatever." She shook her hands and started pacing. "Things happened quickly and I'm not complaining...but I left out some stuff in explanation of my life and so on."
Yoshi was listening to the red-head with intensity, but she was mostly just concentrating on breathing and keeping her face devoid of any emotion. "What did you leave out?" Her voice was even and controlled.
Clarion grimaced and dropped to her knees in front of Yoshi and took her hands. "It's best if you see, um, I could explain, but you need to see."
"You're scaring me?"
"I'm scaring me and you know what," she hopped up and clapped her hands together as her face warmed with a smile. ", It's not that big of a deal. You're going to have some questions and be a little miffed, but it's not that bad, I'm just being crazy, and silly, and paranoid, and worried for no reason." Yoshi could only nod as she tried to grin. "Up with you let's go."
Yoshi stood and looked down at the bag at her feet. "Do I need my sword?"
Clarion just chuckled and started to lead Yoshi from the room. "It's best your unarmed, wouldn't want you lashing out in anger."
"Clarion?" She spoke through clenched teeth.
They walked down a tunnel until they stood before the doubled doored room. Clarion stood in front of the doors and held onto the knobs. She looked up at Yoshi's furrowed brow and gave her a weak smile. "Promise me you'll let me explain?"
Yoshi tousled her hair and blew out a breath in frustration that was bordering on anger. "Good grief Clarion, just open the door, this isn't cute any more. I'm sure you've probably got the Hope Diamond in there or the Jesus scriptures or something, so just let me see."
"Okay." Clarion closed her eyes and opened the doors as she backed into the room.
Like all the other the rooms, this too was round. However, it was much cooler in this room and it was not carpeted nor were its walls filled with art. Instead its walls were covered with bookshelves. Yoshi's immediate attention was drawn to the bookcases at her side and not the center of the room Some books were so old they know longer had spines, but the ones that did had archaic languages embossed on the worn leather. The entire room smelled of age and wisdom if possible. Yoshi did a quick spin and shrugged.
"Okay, you've got a great library. I see you've got some books I was looking for." She winked. "But what's the problem. So, you've probably got the complete set of Aramis books, maybe a dead sea scrolls. That looks like a book I had in school and," she arched her brow as she focused on the large alter of marble in the middle of the room. "And you've got an arsenal. Hmm?" Yoshi stepped closer to the marble, unaware that Clarion stepped back to the door. "Nice swords. 12th century, 18th, even older." She leaned down as she got closer and then drew in a breath. "These are Hunters swords?" It came out as a question and then she repeated the words as a statement. She reached a finger out and dragged it along the handle of one. "I knew this guy."
Black hair whipped around as Yoshi looked for Clarion and found her behind her near the door. Her scowl was so deep her eyebrows almost touched. "Why do you have these? How do you have these?" She didn't let Clarion answer as she stepped towards her. "What do you need to say?" Yoshi clenched and unclenched her fist and took a breath.
Clarion rubbed her hand down her face and walked towards the alter careful to avoid the rigid woman. "There's more." Yoshi could make no comment as she watched Clarion touch the side of the altar and pressed a button. There was the deep rumble of movement inside the marble as the top raised automatically. Yoshi couldn't even speak as the large broad sword was revealed. She wasn't sure if it was out of respect, fear, or plain disbelief that made her step back.
"That's...that's...holy shit!" Yoshi turned to Clarion for confirmation.
The head nodded solemnly as she bit her lip and then sighed. "It's the sword of Magnus."
Yoshi shut her eyes tightly and took three deep breaths. She focused on the weapon and not Clarion, who stood to the right and off to the side. "That's Magnus's sword. That's impossible Clarion, it doesn't exist. It was destroyed in 80 A.D. when Magnus descended back into the sea from which he came. It does not exist." Her tone was full of conviction that was more for herself than Clarion.
"It's real."
"Jesus. Explain. How, why." She sighed and then held up her hand as she took a step back and retreated towards one of the bookcases. "Nevermind, a question." She took Clarion's silence as agreement. Blue eyes opened and she focused the ice chips at Clarion. "Was I looking for or were you looking for me?"
Clarion sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She gave Yoshi the faintest of smiles, but lost it when she was sure it would not be returned. "Technically, I was supposed to be looking for you. I stress technically. Technically, I'm supposed to be plotting and planning to get rid of Stolova or what have you, but I've been avoiding that for some time."
Yoshi groaned and raised her hands like she was about to start yelling, but she blinked slowly and put her hands at her sides. "So, you've let us run around searching for needles in the haystacks for all this time and you've known all along how to kill to Stolova. You know he's been looking for you, you know what the scrolls say. What don't you know, huh? All this time, my god, I can't believe you."
"Yoshi, it's not like that. It's not! Would you stop fuming and look at me." Yoshi folded her arms across her chest and stood still as she focused on Clarion. "Yes, I've known how to kill Stolova. I practically came with an instruction when I was born. When I say that technically I was supposed to be looking for you that's a half truth. I wasn't looking for you specifically, but just a certain hunter. Those scrolls are cryptic and convoluted. So when I say I didn't know, I didn't, but when I started to think about it, I had to be sure. Shit, I couldn't just tell you. You tried separate my head from my body when you found out I was Vamp. You saying if I would have just walked up to you, and said, hey man I'm the Daywalker and I need your help to kill the Master, you would been all like 'oh okay sure let me get my bag." Yoshi made no comment.
Clarion sighed and stepped towards the woman. When she made no gesture to move, Clarion stepped a bit closer. "Point is, I've been trying to avoid all this because I still really don't understand it all. There's so much that I'm unsure about and I just took the path of avoidance than facing it. It's selfish it's stupid, but I figured you guys were smart enough to find a way to kill or stop Stolova without my help."
"Clarion," Yoshi's tone was softer. "Stolova is the most powerful of all Masters. Even if we are able to stop him this time, he will rise again in a hundred years or so. By then, no Hunters may exist. This just isn't about getting rid of Stolova, this about replenishing the council, setting things right. You have no right to take that away from any of us, because you're scared." Clarion hung in head in remorse. Yoshi reached out her hand as if to run it through her hair but then pulled back with a small groan. "Clarion?" She paused and Clarion raised her head. "Uh, I love you."
Green eyes grew big as saucers and Clarion let out a sound that was as much a laugh as it was a gasp. "Wh-what!"
Yoshi nodded, but still wore a small frown. "I love you." She was serious and sincere. But she said it as if she was saying the sky is blue. There was emotion behind it but perhaps it was clouded by the fact that she was trying not to be angry even in the wake of this admission.
Clarion was just mortified with glee. Words she'd been afraid to say herself, spilled from Yoshi's lips like she was cracking her knuckles. "What did you just say?"
"Yea, but I need to take a walk." Yoshi turned to the door.
"Whoa! You tell me you love me and then you need to go take a walk?!" Clarion cleared her throat, fearful she would squeal.
"I, I can't talk to you right now, I mean I can, but, I just want to clear my head you know."
"Okay." Clarion's voice was filled with question, but she was still too dazed to be worried. "Um, should I go?"
Yoshi turned to Clarion looked at her. "I'll find my way. I'll come back, but I just need to work out some kinks, you know."
Clarion smiled loosely. "I know."
"Yoshi, I am so ö
Yoshi covered Clarion's lips with her hand. "I'm trying to be mad right now, so don't say that or I'll just forgive you without thinking." She held her hand on her lips for a moment and then removed her hand. "Where's my blade."
"It's in the room, I'll go, I'll go."
Yoshi couldn't have stopped her even if she wanted to. They met each in the large sitting room. Yoshi standing with her hands in her pockets trying not to laugh as Clarion carefully approached holding the blade away from her body by the handle with two fingers. Clarion stopped in front of Yoshi and then after a moment of contemplation decided to hold the blade horizontally so she could hand the handle to Yoshi.
Yoshi took the blade and nodded, as she ducked her head under the strap so that the blade in its sheath rested on her back. She tightened the leather and let it go with a snap. Yoshi ran a hand through her hair and looked at doe-eyed Clarion. 'You're going to get me killed aren't you?' "When I come back I want an entire history lesson, you got it." Clarion nodded. "I mean complete and unabridged."
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