The Cursed Iris

Sprout 36: The History of Chiyoko and Aimi

A week had passed since the group had left Katsumi's village.

Chiyoko and Miya were still training the others with full force. Ayame was on the side, but she was taking notes on what they were doing. She thought maybe if they couldn't teach her, then she could try and teach herself for now. With lots of studying.

Natsume and Katsumi were sparring but without their spirit energy, "Hey Chiyoko I've been meaning to ask you something," Miya said.

"Yeah what is it?" Chiyoko asked as she began stretching.

Miya nodded as she saw Katsumi deflect a strike from Natsume. "I noticed that you and the Empress are more friendly to each other than anyone else. I've also noticed that she has more faith in you than any one of us as well."

"Are you getting jealous?" Chiyoko teased.

"Why should I be jealous?" she laughed. "I wanted to know why are you both so close like that? It's an interesting thing I've seen, and I like interesting."

"I saw that as well," Ayame agreed. She looked away from her notes. "I know I haven't been here for long, and I just met you, but you do seem close to Empress Aimi."

Chiyoko felt like she was being interrogated. She didn't like that, "I know the reason why," Usagi interjected.

"Quiet you!" Chiyoko replied.

Usagi got nervous from the air Chiyoko was giving off, but everyone had seemed interested in the story now. So Chiyoko had two options so far. Tell or don't tell? If she had told them, then her most embarrassing secrets would be revealed.

No one knew how she had met Aimi, which was good.

Ayame noticed that Chiyoko's face was flushed. "Chiyoko you have to tell us. Please!"

She couldn't fight that look in Ayame's eyes. It was pleading, not only that it was almost controlling her. Chiyoko sighed knowing that she was going to regret this. What choice did she have? If she stayed silent they would've pestered her more about it.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Fine."

Katsumi and Natsume stopped sparring, "She said fine twice," Natsume noted.

"Who told you to stop? I know you both know how to multitask, so multitask!" Chiyoko demanded. They both returned to sparring, "Usagi who told you to stop as well? Continue your training," she said less forcefully.

"Okay where should I begin?" she made a thinking gesture. "Oh I know the first day we had met, I guess? That was about thirty years ago."

*****

A time long before the story of Ayame and Katsumi we find a younger Chiyoko Nakajima. She had shorter hair, her clothing was more different as well, and her aura seemed a lot stranger than what it is now. She was out exploring for her mother, "Why couldn't she send Sayuri or Katsumi for this crap?" she grumbled.

Chiyoko's mother had her looking for a moon spring which was a plant that grew only at night. She followed a trail of info that led her to a certain town in the south. The day was a warm and sunny in the middle of July, "Although it's been a while since mother sent me on a quest, maybe she saw that I needed some fresh air," she concluded.

As she walked through town people around her continuously stared at her. Mumbling about what she was. She decided to ignore them, because at this point she was used to it. She didn't care. "Wow they're really laying into me, aren't they?"

Maybe I should live up to their expectations, she thought with a smile.

"If I had done that, then mother would be pissed," she shrugged.