O.K. Next beta bit! C&C wanted...needed...

Windlily

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	"Well, I need a cigarette! You wouldn't think of reconsidering that, 
'No smoking in the house!' Tita-san?"

	Tita pulled herself back to the here and now. For a few moments she had 
thought that the girls had had a precognitive flash. "No. No smoking in 
the house, Mizuchi-san."

	"Oh, well. Shinkai, Nijikawa, care to join me?" Mizuchi rose in one 
smooth motion and stretched.

	Shinkai and Nijikawa both nodded and headed for the sliding doors and 
the porch outside.

	Matsuri took a deep breath as she felt Hajime withdraw from her once 
again. His fingers tightened a bit on her shoulders then they were gone 
as he moved back and shifted off his knees. It was so frustrating when 
that barrier he maintained between them would slip and she'd be almost 
certain that he had similar feelings for her! Then it would spring back 
up and she would be left once again to wonder it he had any interest in 
her beyond cousin.

	She had been thinking about their relationship quite a bit since she 
had found out about the female dragon's pheromone. She suspected that 
was the reason why Hajime had been so...unresponsive to her attempts to 
flirt. Maybe he thought that she was a 'woman' and had not detected her 
special scent. She wished with all her heart that her courses would 
start soon, even as a part of her hoped they would not. A small, 
terrified part that asked what she was going to do if she was not 
Hajime's dragon. *Well,* she told it sternly, *I will deal with that 
when and if it happens. Just happen so we'll know!*

	She gave a little smile to reassure Amaru and Owaru that she was all 
right as she got to her feet. She needed to go and wash her face and get 
her emotions back under control.

	Jasmine gave Tsuzuku's hand a squeeze then let him go and started to 
work her way up from the chair. "I should go with her."

	He nodded and steadied her as she stood then watched as she limped 
after Matsuri and Elenora fell into step at her side.

	Tita watched Hajime watch Matsuri walk away from them and gave a silent 
chuckle. Young love was always such a complex thing and being a dragon 
just seemed to complicate matters more.

	Amaru and Owaru went past her discussing the girls dream in low voices 
as they headed for the kitchen.

	"How did you know where we were?" Hajime tipped his head and held her 
with an almost predatory gaze.

	"I'm a precog." Tita answered with a wry twist of a smile.

	"A precog?" Curiosity and surprise were in Tsuzuku's voice.

	"Yup!" Tita chirped.

	"So you knew before hand that we would be there and would accept your 
invitation?" Tsuzuku continued.

	"Yes and no." Tita answered bluntly.

	"And what does that mean?" Hajime frowned at her.

	Tita sighed and shook her head. "You don't really want to open that can 
of worms, Hajime-san."

	"I don't understand." Hajime pressed.

	Tita tapped her finger on the arm of the chair and sighed once more. 
"O.K. Let me try to explain this to you so you won't keep pestering me 
about it. Precognition is not what most people think it is. The future 
is always shifting, always in motion. A precog sees various 
possibilities of what might happen. Some are more probable than others. 
Let me present one as an example. If Tsuzuku had chosen not to take the 
others into the subways, then after you had changed he would not have 
been able to get the plane. He and your brothers would not have been 
there when Shiyu appeared and neither would Matsuri and her bird. You 
would have died in that confrontation and your brothers would have been 
taken by the Gyushu and.." She make herself stop. That had been a bad 
thing to choose for an example. It was treading too close to some of the 
more probable possibilities.

	"You saw that?" Hajime was obviously shocked. So was Tsuzuku.

	She rubbed at her forehead. "I saw the potential of it occurring, yes. 
But it did not. You chose another path that I could follow and I knew 
where you would end up." She saw the calculating expression touch 
Hajime's face.

	"Don't even ask. I wouldn't tell you even if I could." She stated 
firmly.

	"Why not?" Tsuzuku almost pleaded.

	"Because fore-knowledge will only make you question every step along 
the path you take. And because I'm a mean old lady." She said it with a 
grin.

	Hajime nodded. "I understand. We won't ask, Oba-san."

	Tsuzuku frowned at his brother and seemed almost on the verge of 
challenging him on this, then shrugged and relaxed as the lighter voices 
of the girls floated towards them as they came back.

						*****

	Tsuzuku went back down the hall after seeing Owaru and Amaru settled 
into their rooms for the night. Hajime had said that he would take Amaru 
and Tsuzuku knew that his eldest brother would sleep better knowing that 
his youngest brother would be close at hand and easier to protect if 
something should happen. And besides, Amaru didn't snore. He heard 
Elenora's light giggle and Matsuri's laugh as he passed their closed 
door and glanced through Shinkai-san's half-open one. The reporter was 
sitting at the little desk against the wall and writing in his journal. 
Nijikawa had apparently all ready turned in, his door was shut and no 
light came from beneath it. He passed the last two empty rooms just 
before the turn for the stairs.

	He passed Tita and Mizuchi watching the wide screened television on his 
way back to the little den where he had left Hajime pouring over the 
hard copies that the printer was creating. Jasmine had requested them 
from the Order's data base while she hunted for references on the 
computer for what she had dubbed, 'The Dream'.

	Hajime had taken Jasmine's place in front of the screen and she was no 
where in sight. He took the straight backed chair with him, spun it as 
he set it down next to his brother and straddled it.

	"Anything interesting?" He asked as he stacked his hands one on top of 
the other along the flat edge of the back of the chair then rested his 
chin on them. 

	Hajime nodded. "The information this Order has access to is incredible. 
And frightening." He pointed at the stack of paper. "That is every 
newspaper article from around the world that mentioned dragons in the 
past two days. I got them all already translated into Japanese. Jasmine 
said that I could get it in English, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese or any 
other language I chose. There are also reports on four new Dragon cults 
that have formed."

	Tsuzuku raised his eyebrows.

	Hajime smiled. "You've got to read it to believe it. And all kinds of 
bits and pieces. I'd like you to go over them and see what you come up 
with."

	"Hai. Anything on 'The Dream'?"

	"No. The computer is working on it."

	"Do you think that is how it happened?" He asked quietly as he watched 
the cursor blink. "How we died? And if so, what happened to Owaru and 
Amaru?"

	"It very well might be, Tsuzuku." Hajime crossed his arms and leaned 
back in his chair.

	Tsuzuku looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You believe it 
because you recognized something out of the first dream Jasmine told us, 
don't you?"

	Hajime gave a little smile and nodded. Tsuzuku was getting much too 
good at reading him.

	"So, what were the connections?"

	"The women that Jasmine named were our wives or wives-to-be."

	Tsuzuku grinned. Then frowned. "Jen-lei was Jasmine. Mine? But she said 
Matsuri wasn't there."

	Hajime stiffened a bit in surprise. Yes, Tsuzuku was getting much to 
good at reading him.

	"No. Shanti was mine. Kimiko was Owaru's fiancee."

	"And Elenora/Eyanna?"

	Hajime grinned. "She was your concubine."

	Tsuzuku sat up straight and blinked at him in shock. "You are kidding, 
aren't you?"

	Hajime chuckled and shook his head, 'no'. The chuckle turned into a 
full laugh as Tsuzuku blushed as red as his dragon.

	"I didn't...did I? I wouldn't...I mean...I..."

	Hajime finally took pity on him as he continued to sputter. "No, 
brother. You didn't. She was yours in name only. We had to take her to 
get Jen-lei."

	Tsuzuku's whole body sagged in relief. Hajime raised an eyebrow, to 
tempted to resist. "At least as far as I know, you didn't."

	Tsuzuku dropped his face into one hand. "Elder Brother!"

	"If you're really concerned about it, Tsuzuku-kun, ask Jasmine. She 
would be the one to know for sure."

	Tsuzuku ignored that last tease, wondered if he could get up the 
courage to ask Jasmine that as he changed the subject slightly.

	"We seem to be making connections with people from our past lives. You 
need to talk to Shinkai-sempai about his theory on his, Nijikawa and 
Mizuchi's names. I wonder when and if we are going to meet Shanti and 
Kimiko?"

	"We've already met Shanti." Hajime's playful mood evaporated.

	"Oh?"

	"Lady L. Lady L was Shanti, if we are to put stock in our dreams."

	"Hajime! No! She isn't your 'special' female, is she?"

	Hajime shook his head. "No. There was no scent I detected. And even if 
there was, it wouldn't matter. I'd rather bed a rabid dog. Besides, 
she's dead." His voice turned harsh.

	"You didn't kill her, did you Hajime?" He asked at the pain and anger 
that came into his brothers face and eyes. His brother actually 
flinched. *Oh, Gods! He did! Oh, Elder Brother!*

	"No, she fell off the Dynasty. She was mortally wounded, Tsuzuku. Shot. 
She was dying." He pleaded with his eyes for his brother to understand. 
"I could have caught her, but the laser from the satellite would have 
destroyed the Dynasty and I needed it. And I didn't know then. I didn't 
have the dream about the Ladies until after our encounter with Shiyu."

	"I understand, Elder Brother." He reached out and rested his hand on 
his Hajime's shoulder and offered what sympathy he could. "You didn't 
know and even if she was a wife from another time, here she was your 
enemy!"

	Hajime took a deep breath. "I know." Should he tell Tsuzuku about the 
problems that had been between Hakkei and his wife? Did it really make 
any difference, especially now that Lady L was dead?

	Tsuzuku watched Hajime's fingers go through his hair. His brother was 
obviously disturbed but was it because of Lady L's death or from his 
dreams of her as his wife? Or perhaps both. He wasn't sure if he should 
ask this next question, but he wanted to know.

	"I wonder how Matsuri-chan fits into all this? Did you dream of her 
also, Hajime?"

	A strange, sad smile touched his brothers mouth. "Yes. I dreamed of 
her."

	"And?" Tsuzuku prompted when his brother seemed hesitant to continue.

	How should he answer? He eyed his brother then gave a mental shrug. 
Tsuzuku had figured out how he felt about Matsuri and it would be best 
to put a halt to any well intensioned match-making his brother might 
try. 

	"In my dream, Matsuri was a Lady named Taishinoufujin. She was the 
Heavenly Emperors wife. Hakkei, The Blue Dragon King and Lady 
Taishinoufujin were secret lovers." He had made himself think of this as 
if they were characters out of a book. It was the only way he could keep 
himself distanced from that fact and the feelings they stirred in him.

	Tsuzuku looked startled.

	*Hajime and Matsuri? That would be wonderful!* "Hajime, have you..."

	He shook his head and interrupted the question he knew Tsuzuku would 
ask. "No. Matsuri is a woman by now, Tsuzuku, and she is not for me."
	
	"Oh." Tsuzuku looked down, flustered by the flatness of Hajime's voice 
and the almost hidden longing he saw in his brothers eyes. "I'm sorry, 
Elder Brother. I didn't mean to pry."

	*Me too, Tsuzuku. Me too.* "It's all right." He made himself smile, 
made his voice be steady. "Perhaps I'll have better luck here in the 
States and there is some dragon blooded lady waiting for me. And a 
wonderful young dragon blooded man for Matsuri. Hope this for us both, 
Brother."

	Tsuzuku raised his head and studied his brother. Hajime knew he hadn't 
fooled him but Tsuzuku nodded. "I will, Hajime."

	"So, are you pleased with Jasmine?" It was his turn to change the 
subject.

	Tsuzuku nodded once again with a shy smile. "Yes. But we haven't had a 
lot of time to talk yet."

	"She said she was going outside for a bit of fresh air. I imagine she 
wouldn't mind some company." Hajime suggested as he turned his attention 
back to the computer.

	Tsuzuku grinned and rose.

	"Those will wait 'till the morning, Tsuzuku-kun." Hajime told him as 
his brother reached for the stack of print outs.

	"Hai, Elder Brother! I will look at them first thing in the morning!"

	Hajime waited until Tsuzuku had left before he let himself sag and 
dropped his head into his hands to rub at his tired eyes with his palms. 
So much had happened in such a short time! He now yearned for the life 
of that mundane history teacher and his simple problems. He had known 
that the 'Time' Grandfather had spoken of in snatches would come, but he 
figured it wouldn't be until after Amaru had grown up.

	A variety of worries crowded his mind at the thought of his youngest 
brother. What was he going to do about Amaru and Owaru's schooling? How 
was he going to provide for them? And Matsuri. Should he send her home? 
Would the Order take her and give her shelter? A part of him said yes, 
that would be the wisest thing to do, to get her away from him and the 
danger he and his brothers posed to her safety. He tried to harden 
himself. All she did was slow them down and divide his focus. He would 
never have had to go with Lady L if Matsuri hadn't been in the blast 
radius of that damned bomb. Then he shook his head. That wasn't true. He 
would have gone no matter what. There had been children clustered 
against the fence of the warehouse yard to see the helicopter up close. 
Innocents that had no idea of the death they faced. And he would have 
gone just to spare his brother's from Changing.

	He squinted at the half-formed request for information he had been 
composing on the screen. He really was going to have to replace his 
reading glasses if he was going to be doing a lot of computer work. He 
snorted to himself. He wished his mental faculties was as far-sighted as 
his eyes. Then he sighed and gave a self-recriminating smile. He would 
just have to admit it. He couldn't send her away. He wanted Matsuri with 
him for as long as he could have her there. He knew that time would be 
brief, that she would soon be finding a husband and he would be left 
behind. And that would be for the best. For both of them. But until that 
time she was his to love and protect and cherish, even if he could never 
show it.

						*****