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Farseeing Eyes: Those of Many Faces

11: Farewells

The morning after a battle always felt surreal, Shinichi reflected. Almost as though the world itself couldn't believe that all was well. Or maybe it was just the world's way of reminding the petty humans who dwelled within it that they were small creatures by showing them just how little their squabbles marked it in the long run.

Well, whatever else it was, it was peaceful.

"I wish we could just stay here for a while," he sighed.

The arms around him tightened slightly as Kaito chuckled. "Me too."

They had both woken unexpectedly early, their nerves still high strung from the events of the previous day. So they had lain curled up together and simply watched the sun rise through the window of their room.

"It's kind of hard to believe it's only been four days isn't it?" the spy remarked into the comfortable silence.

"Feels more like four years," Shinichi agreed, his breath rushing out of him in a heartfelt sigh. "I can't wait to be home."

"We can't leave just yet," Kaito reminded him.

Noticing the rather odd note in the spy's tone, Shinichi craned his neck around to peer at the man behind him. "What's bothering you?"

The spy blinked then laughed. "There are times when I rather think you know me a little too well."

"You're not answering the question."

Kaito was silent for a long moment. "You know, I promised Mom we'd both come home in one piece."

"And we will," Shinichi agreed, wondering what that had to do with anything. After all, the worst of the storm was already over so there wasn't any reason to think they might not make it home.

Kaito hummed, burying his nose in the hair on the back of Shinichi's head. "Good."

More confused than ever, Shinichi watched a hawk soar past in the empty sky. Kaito might think he knew him too well, but there were still times when Shinichi couldn't even begin to fathom what was going through his partner's head.

X

Hanami welcomed them into her home when she saw them. Apparently she'd been forewarned of their arrival and made tea. The elder Kudos were already seated in the small living room. Everyone thanked the widow as she poured them tea before excusing herself. Shinichi noted that she seemed much livelier than she had the last time they'd seen her.

Ran cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. Quickly, she introduced everyone to get the formalities over with and bring everyone up to the same speed in regards to their unexpected helpers from the night before.

"You talked about the phoenix yesterday like it was a living entity," Shinichi stated the moment Ran was finished. "Why?"

"I suppose that's as good a place to start as any." Yuusaku picked up his cup of tea and took a sip from it, watching the rest of them with an pondering gaze. "You see, that legend we told you about last time you were here?" He waited for their nods before he continued. "Well, that was the story most people hear and that was the legend Sharon believed. But in our research Yukiko and I found an even older story. One that people did not like so much and therefore chose to ignore."

"Does it have something to do with that writing in the ritual chamber about needing mortal souls to mend the immortal's power?"

Both Kudos shot Eisuke surprised looks before Yukiko nodded. "That's the one. I didn't realize you were able to read that. Anyway, the more common legend interpreted that to mean that you needed seven sacrifices to activate the power of the crown, but the truth turns out to be much more straight forward than that." She paused, a faraway look coming into her eyes. "A long time ago there was a creature with immense power. It was said to be able to destroy and remake the world—the power promised in the legend to those who complete the Crown in fact. But there were people who feared that power—feared and desired it. In an attempt to claim that power, they captured it, but like the phoenix of myth which it was said to resemble the being was immortal and its power too great. The battle raged for seven years before it finally ended. Well, that part might be an exaggeration," Yukiko added as an afterthought. "But anyway, in the end everyone involved had lost their lives and the phoenix itself, terribly wounded, was unable to escape the last assault of a powerful sorcerer. Though unable to die, its power was fragmented along with its spirit and its body withered away until it was nothing more than a statue."

"In the centuries since, stories spread, saying that whoever could put the pieces of the phoenix's shattered powers together would be granted control over them," Yuusaku continued. "But what most stories forgot was that the phoenix itself dwells within those powers. However that was why the artifact was called a Crown to begin with. It was the phoenix's mind as well as its power, carrying with it any living being's desire to live. So great was its power however that no one mortal body could hold much of it long enough for it to put itself back together. To do that, it would need far more life energy than a single human could give it. That is why no one who has ever tried to piece the crown together has survived very long. They were burned away from the inside out by the phoenix's spirit before they could collect all its pieces, and without all the pieces it simply fell apart again."

It was a mark of just how strange the other night's events had been, Shinichi mused, that none of them doubted the story for a moment. They had seen too much with their own eyes not to believe that it was at least partially true.

"So what you're saying is that everything that's happened came from that—that creature's desire to live again," Hakuba stated, grimacing slightly at the thought and the memory of the archeologist's burning, white eyes.

Yukiko nodded, a hint of sorrow creeping into her eyes. "It calls out to people."

But then what do we do with the stones now?" Ran asked, worry drawing a line between her brows. "Can they be destroyed?"

"Probably not," Yuusaku replied regretfully. "However, we can dispose of the pieces where they will most likely remain lost."

"Like down a volcano," Hattori muttered.

The corner of the older man's mouth quirked up. "That may indeed be a good home for at least one stone."

The next few hours were spent mapping out what should be done with each of the seven stones and the gold statuette which was the heart of the Crown. The elder Kudos had apparently already done some extensive research into the matter and they promised to handle most of the leg work. By the time the session was over it was already after noon.

"Will you be heading back to Konoha then?" Yukiko asked as the six stood up to leave.

"We'll probably leave tomorrow morning," Ran replied with a tired sigh. "I'm sure we could all use a bit more rest."

"Oh good," Hattori said, brightening. "I'll be back in a few then. I need to get one of those woven tea cozies for Kazuha. She said the patterns from this town are famous. If I don't bring her one she'll take my head off."

Shinichi and Kaito hung back as the others trooped down the street towards the town market. Turning back to face his parents, Shinichi found them both watching him.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked a bit hesitantly. He wasn't particularly surprised when they shook their heads.

"It's been too long," his father replied. "Our place is on the roads now."

"But we promise we'll try harder to write this time," Yukiko declared, pulling Shinichi into a hug. He let her this time and found that it wasn't as awkward as he'd thought it would be. There was something familiar in that embrace.

Kaito started in surprise when the woman turned and hugged him too. "I'm sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances," she murmured, her voice growing more serious as she stepped back. "Take care you two."

"And have a safe journey," Yuusaku added.

"We will," Shinichi promised.

Beside him, Kaito held each of the elder Kudos' gazes for a long moment before he nodded. "You too. And we'll hold you to that promise about writing," he added, lips quirking up at the corners as his tone grew lighter. "I am afraid that as a gatherer of information I am not in the habit of losing track of those I have met." And if Shinichi wanted to hear from them then he was damned well going to make sure the two wrote.

Yuusaku chuckled lightly. "Indeed. That explains a great deal."

As they walked away, Shinichi could feel his parents eyes on them and he held onto Kaito's hand, a strange feeling in his chest. On the one hand he had the feeling that he probably wouldn't be seeing them again, and it sent a pang through him to think that, and yet at the same time he wasn't nearly as upset as he might have thought. Maybe it was because they'd already been away for so long that he'd just gotten used to the idea of them not being there. But no… That might be part of it, but this meeting had given him something he hadn't had before—a sense of closure and a taste of understanding. He still couldn't say he understood what they were thinking, but he knew at least that they hadn't forgotten him and that, in their own way, they still cared.

And he knew they were alive.

In a way, that was enough.

"Are you all right?" Kaito asked, squeezing his hand lightly.

Shinichi glanced up at him and smiled. "I'm fine." And it was true, he mused. More so than it had been in days.

The spy smiled back. "Good. So what do you say we go try that watermelon Sundae?"

Owari

A.N: And that's the end! Well, hope you all enjoyed it. It was certainly fun for me to write, though I have to admit it took several turns I never expected. Thank you to everyone who's stuck with me, and I bid you all farewell for now. I might visit this universe again in the future since I like working in it, but probably not soon. Have a happy weekend!