Hello everyone in the 07ghost fandom. :3 Nice to meet you; I am obviously not a regular here, but I am not a greenhorn at writing fanfiction or any stories for that matter. Bear with me as I get you through the hardest chapter of any writer's story. The first.
Lock and Key
It just HAD to be one of those days.
Ya 'know those days where you expect everything to go smoothly but turn out to be just the opposite. Yes, that's the kind of day Frau Birkin is having at the moment. The blond haired boy is now trying to steer a hawkzile in winds far too strong to be normal for even the worst of weather. The icy water droplets completely blinding his vision, like someone was pouring paint from the clouds, instead of the snow. He could not go above the clouds either, to escape the whiteout, because the wind seems to be blowing vertical on him somehow.
I know Guido said that Raggs has unnatural weather but this is ridiculous! I can't feel my hands, feet, face, or anything for that matter, and the hawkzile is almost encased in ice!
" A simple scouting mission he says. Just don't go past the mountains he says"
Damn it Guido, I thought you said the storm wouldn't hit until tomorrow!
Ok Frau, calm down. Just need to find a place to wait out the storm, then you can chip off the ice on the hawkzile and get back to the others. That is if I could actually see! Everywhere I turn, all I see it white, white, white!
Rumble, rumble, clink, click, click, clink
Crap. There goes the engine. Ok Frau, just keep your hands on the handles and you'll be fine, just got to pull up before the thing nose-dives too close to the ground and the air pocket before you hit the now should break the fall enough for you to jump off and not get blown up by the hawkzile combusting from impact.
Great.
The hawkzile dived quickly in the snow filled air, the weight of its passenger and the ice encompassing it made it a fast decent. Down and down it went, quickly it became less than three hundred feet until impact into the snowy ground. Frau pulled up and the cushion of air beneath the hawkzile gave him a mere millisecond to leap off the machine before it hit the snow drifts. Frau was thrown into a snowdrift about fifteen feet away, frostbite and hypothermia already settling in from his flight.
"No..I can't just die here…I have to get back to the others."
Frau tried to get up but his body rejected his mind's plea as it was already shutting down.
"D-damn it…D-d-damn it all…"
Shaking and shivering he lay prone to the elements in the snowdrift, young face turning blue and purple as were his extremities. Even the warm clothing he wore did not save him from the frigid temperatures. But as he lay there, mind shutting down, he could dully hear voices. But quickly dismissed it was his mind playing tricks on him and finally surrendered into the dark, cold embrace of sleep.
o0o
Warmth.
That was the first thought Frau had as he awoke in a warmly furnished room and bed.
What the?
The young blond sat up quickly in a large bed, layered with ornate blankets and colors. A fireplace burned brightly and strongly in the right corner near the foot of the bed. The walls were decorated with richly colored red and gold. He kicked off the blankets and moved to sit at the edge of the bed when he noticed that his hands and feet were wrapped with bandages and he was dressed in black silken nightshirt and pants.
How did I get here? Where is here? I was on a scouting mission…the storm came out of nowhere and surrounded me…I couldn't find my way back, and then the engine failed. Then I landed in a snowdrift. How did I get here from the middle of the Raggs Kingdom? Am I dead and this is the afterlife or somethin?
The door, some feet away from the bed, suddenly opened, rousing the blond boy from his thoughts. There stood a man in white bishop's clothing, though it was on the tattered side. The man was tall, his hair a strange mix of pale yellow and white with a tint of pale green. The man did not appear over thirty but his face was riddled with signs of stress that a man his age should not have.
"Oi! Who the hell are you?" Frau shouted as he jumped off the bed and took up a fighting stance. Only to wince and falter as pain shot through him as his fists and feet screamed in pain. The strange man caught him before he hit the ground.
"My name is Fea Kreuz; I'm a bishop of the Barsburg Church. My small party of travelers who I am with came across you passed out in a blizzard. Might I ask what a boy as young as you, was doing out in such a storm?"
Fea helped Frau back into a sitting position on the bed, sitting in a wooden chair placed next to the bed. Frau examined the damage done to his hands as well as he could with the bandages covering them. He had probably gotten frostbite in the storm.
"Frau Birkin. Part of the Sky Pirates. The storm hit while I was flying, my engine failed." He informed the man as he experimentally bended his fingers.
"You said the group you are with found me. Why were you out in such a storm? And why would a bishop be so far away from the Church?" Frau's blue eyes piercing the other's as he asked.
If Frau was less experienced with reading people as he was, he may have not noticed the small flicker in the other's gray blue eyes. A small flicker of panic, or perhaps it was fear, danced behind Kreuz's eyes before he covered it up with an excuse.
"My group was caught up in the storm like you, though we were traveling on foot and dressed warmer. I am leading a group of soldiers of Raggs to the Church, despite the military being not religious, a good portion of the soldiers are, both Raggs and Barsburg's armies."
Lies.
But Frau didn't call out on the man's lie. He did not need to know this man's intentions or why he was out in the storm unless it came down to Frau's own survival or something associated with the Sky Pirates. Speaking of which, how was he going to contact Guido and the others…
The door opened and closed very sharply as Frau pondered. Looking up from his bandaged hands, he saw a young boy, a little younger than himself.
The boy had hazel brown hair, peach colored skin, his eyes were the most stunning shade of emerald green Frau had ever seen. He was on the thin side but not too much as to show his bones. Or at least Frau hoped they weren't showing as the boy was wearing a thick white cloak with a navy blue edging. He was about a head shorter then Frau. His face though, was marred by a blank expression and the stunning emerald eyes held no spark that everyone that had life in them had. The only ones Frau had ever seen that had no spark were the eyes either of the dead or the eyes of those who had given up hope on life. Not the eyes that belonged to a young boy.
Though Frau had no room to talk, his own eyes had looked like that once upon a time…
Fea stood abruptly from his chair in alarm.
"Ti-Teito!(*) What are you doing up at this hour young one? Why are the others not with you?" Fea walked over to the boy, Teito, rather quickly.
"I wanted to make sure that he had not died." The brunette said in a monotone voice. It sounded robotic, forced even. The movement of the boy's eyes were sluggish, as were his words.
The man sighed and patted the top of the emerald eyed boy's head.
"Go back to bed Teito, the others will worry if they see you missing."
Teito looked down at the carpeted floor for a moment before asking in that damned monotone voice.
"Just a moment Uncle(*), please?"
Fea seemed to freeze for a moment before smiling widely, but it did not reach his tired grey eyes.
"Of course."
And with that the man left, leaving the two young boys alone.
The younger still had his eyes looking down at the carpet before looking up at Frau's sapphire blue eyes. He walked forward slowly, before reaching the chair that Fea was sitting in not even a minute beforehand, and sat down in it. He reached his tiny hands forwards towards Frau.
Frau tensed and shifted slightly away from the boy.
"I won't hurt you. I just want to check on your hands. They received the most damage from the frostbite. While your feet only received a first degree, you hands received a second hand degree of frostbite. They need more attention if you want them to heal quickly and return to the Sky Pirates." The green jewel eyed boy stated, still in that voice that lacked any emotion.
Frau blinked widely in surprise.
"How did you-"
"The doors and walls are thin."
Frau doubted that explanation; he knew how to pick up on someone's presence from Guido and the others. It was part of his training. This boy, even now, did not seem to have a presence.
But, EVERONE has a presence, even if they were dead. This kid isn't normal!
Teito grasped Frau's left hand softly, but firmly as he unwound the bandages. Frau managed to stop a gasp of surprise from leaving his lips only at the last second as he saw the condition of his hand.
The frostbite only affected his fingers mainly, but they were a sickening combination of black, red, and white. Most people who Frau had seen with their extremities like this usually ended up losing at least a finger or two.
Teito kept Frau's fingers placed lightly on his right hand as he fiddled around in the white cloak he wore. His free hand came out of his cloak which held a small vial of a transparent green gel(*). Teito brought the vial to his mouth and took the cork between his teeth and pulled. The cork came out with a soft "pop" and Teito dropped it into his lap.
The brunette then dribbled the substance lightly over Frau's discolored fingers. Then he held the bottle by the neck between his teeth as he used his free hand to gently smooth the gel over frostbitten fingers. The gel felt cool and soothing to Frau's aching and pain laden fingers. The boy then wrapped the injury back up with a fresh roll of bandages he produced from his cloak as well.
The boy repeated this with Frau's other hand before re-corking the half used vial and storing it and the bandages back into his cloak. During all of this neither boy had spoken a word.
"Um, thanks, Teito right?" Frau inquired.
"Yes. I apologize for this but it will take at least two more days for your fingers to heal. You should be able to walk tomorrow." And with that he got up to leave.
Frau, though, thought of something at the very last moment, before the door shut behind the boy.
"You can't be part of the military, why are you with the group?" Frau asked remembering the Bishop's cover story.
The boy simply stared at the blond for a while, his eyes blank, but an every so slight flicker of remembrance. But with that came a sliver of fear and a bit of pain. The boy's eyes took upon a far off look and seemed to be lost in thought. His right hand reached up and touched, ever so lightly the base of his neck, while the other hand was placed on the right hand's wrist and smoothed over it. As if making sure something was gone. Then the boy abruptly left, slamming the door shut.
Frau watched the door for a while, waiting for someone to barge in. But no one did, and after a while Frau got tired of staring at the damn door, and laid back down to get some sleep. Unaware of the events set spiraling into motion by the blizzard.
o0o
The next time Frau awoke, it was because of a large amount of water dousing him. Shaking his hair and using his bandaged hands to move his blond locks out of his face he peered up at the face of the culprit.
It was Guido. (*)
The man towered over Frau, his dark hair still slicked back, his left arm held a presumably empty bucket over his shoulder, cigarette hanging out of his mouth and wearing the long black trench coat.
"Sup, brat?"
Frau could feel his blood boiling beneath his skin.
"You send me on a stupid "scouting mission" that almost kills me because of a freak blizzard! I get rescued by chance by a group of travelers and get frostbite," He held up his bandaged hands, "and all you have to say is "Sup, brat?".
Guido seemed to ponder for a moment looking towards the ceiling before he plopped a fist into his other open hand.
"Oh yeah."
The black haired man then flicked Frau between the eyes, and then proceeded to put him in a head lock while rubbing his knuckles against the boy's skull.
"This is for abandoning the hawkzile you brat!"
"I almost died and you are worried about the hawkzile!"
"The hawkzile had a chip in it. When it crashes the chip goes off sending a signal to all our other hawkzile. We would have found you but the "travelers" found ya first. But it is probably good that they found you first since you didn't wear enough layers to prevent frostbite!" Guido pointed at Frau's bandaged hands and feet.
"It was the same amount of clothing I wear back on the island(*) during the winter!" Frau put up a feeble excuse.
"Yeah well there is a big difference between there in the winter and Raggs in the middle of blizzard season!" Guido then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Frau fiddled with the bandages on his feet that stopped at his ankles.
"Sorry."
Guido flicked him upside the head.
"Learn from your mistake."
"Yes sir."
Another flick.
"Ow! What was that one for?"
"For calling me "Sir", I ain't some old man."
Frau muttered a "sez you" under his breath and Guido pretended not to hear it.
Guido walked over to the door.
"Unravel the bandages, go take a shower and get on the hawkzile out front in thirty minutes or I'm leaving you here. Fea said your frostbite should be healed up and I have some business to attend to that I'll need you to be with me for."
And with that he shut the door.
What is it with people and leaving me in this damn room?
Not catching that Guido had mentioned "Fea", Frau tried bending his fingers, relieved that he could bend them without them aching with pain.
It took him a minute to unravel the bandages, but then did he realize that he had no idea how big the place outside the room was, or where the front door or bathroom was.
Great.
After Frau tested his footing-which thankfully was ok, a bit wobbly at first through- he opened the door, and was met with only two other doors on the opposite wall. To the left and right was only a painting and a vase. Both doors were equally ornate but the one on the left had a lock on it.
Weird. That bishop made it sound like this place was huge since he said he was traveling in a group. And even if that was a lie that kid was with him, and they had to sleep somewhere…
Frau opened the right door, revealing a small bath with a folded pile of thick winter clothing on the sink counter. Frau picked up the over coat and held it too him. It was just his size.
Guido or…
Frau shook his head, he learned to never look the gift horse in the mouth. Or however that saying went.
After taking a quick bath, and making sure all his extremities were indeed the right color again, which thankfully they were, he quickly got dressed in the warm clothes and went out the door he had yet to open, the one with the lock on it.
He was greeted by a frigid gust of air, that while was more bearable with the thick cloth he wore, it was still damn freezing. The snow had not let up, leaving almost everything in sight in a white blanket of snow and ice. Everything Frau could see, but Guido, who was perched on the hawkzile.
"About time!" Guido called out over the howling winds.
Frau said nothing as he climbed atop of the machine-bird combination.
As they soared through the air, just above the frost laden trees, Frau scanned the area for any dwellings that the Bishop and Teito could have resided in.
He saw none.
Perhaps the small cabin like dwelling he was in had some sort of secret room?
He tried hard not to think about it, almost as hard as he tried not to think about the emerald eyed boy. Instead he focused his attention on the snow swirling around them.
o0o
It had taken them a good twenty minutes to reach the large hawkzile they resided in when traveling across the skies. But as they descended Frau noticed a small group of people huddled together near the entrance to the inside of the hawkzile looking at Guido and himself.
Frau faltered as he and Guido approached the group. As they were approaching the group they reveled to be four men, two standing in front of the other two, as they moved closer in the white out. One of the men in the front was Bishop Fea Kreuz. But Frau did not see little Teito.
Guido spoke up, surprising Frau.
"Oi! Kreuz! I thank you for saving this twerp's life!" He gave a large grin.
Kreuz returned the grin with a small smile.
"Ah yes, well, I was not the one to find him. Teito did." The bishop paused and then took on a more serious and slightly saddened look.
"So you have heard about what happened with…?" The bishop trailed off.
Guido huffed and nodded.
"Not much we could have done about it. She told me what I would need to do. First stop is the Church right? Haven't been there in a while…"
Frau just looked at Guido with a questioning look as Fea nodded.
"Well twerp, you are going to have to do me a favor and babysit out newest member." Guido spoke as the Bishop and what appeared to be one of three body guards moved to the side.
"Frau, Teito Weldeschtein Raggs, the secret and only prince of Raggs, though we call him Teito Klein."
Frau stared with his mouth agape as he saw the same emerald eyed boy from before. Though Guido smirked at the kid's dumbstruck expression he continued to explain the situation.
"He was somehow abducted about fourteen months ago by sklave traders one night when his uncle," Fea nodded at this, "and a few of his body guards were traveling Raggs for a reason I am not yet allowed to reveal. They lost him for about a year, but then found him and broke him out of enslavement two months ago. But it isn't safe for him to travel alone with them anymore. But the King cannot bring him home or send out any more guards to go with him because it would draw in too much attention. So while those four travel around like they still have the Prince with them, we get to play taxi and help move the Prince from one safe place to another. He will be staying with us even for rather short periods of time. This is why I'm putting you in charge of him." Guido pointed at the blond boy.
"EH? Why me? Why not one of the others?" Frau asked animatedly. Why did he have to be in charge of the brat? He was still learning things about hawkzile and mechanics!
Guido still wore that damn smirk.
"Let's call it punishment for crashing the hawkzile, brat."
o0o
(*) You will see that Teito's real name plays a significant part in the story; but not yet.
(*) If you didn't know that. Sorry.
(*) Since Teito doesn't have healing zaiphon I would presume that either one of the guards, Fea, or someone gave home that if he were to ever get frostbite
(*) Guido: Young Frau's mentor/father figure. He isn't an OC he is in 07ghost's manga
(*) Frau is from an island that had two names: Eden and F-31 I will refer to it by both names
(not noted but I'm putting it here anyway; Sky Pirates; I just capitalize it to make it sound like a group name instead of a generalized one. So I will probably make other Sky Pirate groups; just a forewarning; no major OC in them though! I will only have one minor character OC because no one fits the profile I need for that character. That comes muuuuuuuuuuch later though. So a character fitting that profile may pop up while the manga updates. So yeah. Ja Ne~!)