Different
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Legend of Legaia, but I glorify it above all else and consider it, even now, to be the best game I ever played. Reiko's story is my own; if you want, feel free to base a story of your own off of it, but give me the credit at least for the back story, or I will wreak havoc among your fan base and that's just for starters. Rar. At any rate, don't sue me.
Author's Note: I've had this story bottled up inside for the longest time, and I just woke up knowing that I HAD to start writing it TODAY. Why, I'm not certain, but I know I can't just let it curdle and die like so many other untold tales inside me. Reiko is so much a part of who I am that I can't let him go hated and undefended forever.
Reiko, though you don't know him as that, is my favorite character in Legend of Legaia and has been for almost as long as I've been playing. To me he embodies true beauty and I'm still somewhat in rapture over the combination of that and his incredible raw power. On top of that, his devotion to his human partner just makes him very endearing to me. If all that seems weird to you, weirder still would be the fact that I identify with his differences. A lot of people take the Vahn view and hate him furiously without waiting to understand why he is the way he is.
My story assumes the fact that Dohati is a liar who is constantly full of shit although his and Saryu's little lab may prove his point a tiny bit. (I still don't believe him onnnne iota tho.) As far as I'm concerned, this is Reiko's real story.
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Juggernaut n (Hindi Jagannath, title of Vishnu, lit., lord of the world): A massive inexorable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path
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"You damn brat!"
The angry cry and a heavy crash ran throughout the crystal openness of the Seru-kai.
Everywhere, the lords and their attendants flashed into the courtyard in time to see the confrontation unfolding.
The man who had shouted was still standing at the door to his laboratories, his short blonde hair in disarray with its blue tips almost invisible, his colorless eyes flashing in fury, his white coat swirling around him, and the thin blue crystals that constantly orbited his body doing the same.
The boy he'd just expelled from the room looked up at him rebelliously, seemingly unaware that a tuft of his long, thick, tangled black hair was hanging into his face, his silver eyes angry and stubborn. His clothes, black trimmed with silver, had been buttoned carelessly and now fluttered around him as he glared at the adult who'd just kicked him out. He seemed much like the other people of the Seru-kai except for the fact that two long, slightly twisted horns curved from just behind his brow, sticking up and back from the mess of his hair.
"I told you to stay out of here," the man hissed, looking quite dangerous. "Is it really so hard to do as you're told for once! Damn you!"
One of the other lords, this one a man about the first's age with unruly red hair and a braided rattail, stepped forwards, his deep blue eyes calm as usual. "Rogue... brother... tell me, what happened here?"
The first man, Rogue, spat. "What else? I was working on my latest project, as I have been for the last several moons, when this bastard walks in, bold as you please! I won't stand for it any longer! He must be driven out!"
The red-haired man shook his head. "To do so, my brother, you would be disobeying the will of Tieg. It was Tieg who brought him to us when he was but a small child, as I must remind you yet again. He was placed under the care of the Ra-Seru for a reason, and we must keep him here as we are bid."
"Be that as it may, Meta," Rogue growled, "I cannot have this disobedience any longer! These experiments are extremely important to me, as well as to every Seru that lives on these crystal isles! Our very way of life may depend on them! They cannot be disturbed, and so I want him OUT! Can he not understand it? OUT!"
The boy in question spoke up for the first time. "That's just cause you're up to something in there and you don't want to admit it!" He turned to Meta and to the others who observed. "I've seen what he's doing in there, and I don't understand it, but it's something bad! It used to just be building, building, building... now, he's actually trying to create something! I've watched and watched, and he--"
"That's enough, Reiko," Meta said sternly. "You're admitting that you're breaking the promise you made to stay out of Rogue's way."
"I do stay out of his way!" Reiko protested, frustrated. "All I ever do is watch! I don't disturb anything. It's what he's doing that's the disturbing thing! He--"
"Enough of this endless blame," Meta snapped, taking the tone of voice that meant there was no arguing with him. "This is not the way a Seru behaves. By staying out of his way, it was clear that we meant for you to stay out of his laboratory. Rogue dislikes being watched as he works. You know this, Reiko."
Reiko grumbled, but his voice wasn't loud enough to be heard.
"You're to stay out of the labs for as long as Rogue wishes you out," Meta told him, his voice firm and judgemental. "Now it's so clear that even you cannot disobey it."
A thin streak of flame flashed across Reiko's cheeks.
"Go to my sister the healer. She'll take care of those cuts and bruises," Meta said, and swept off. Rogue glared at Reiko one last time, then stomped back into his lab, slamming the door behind him.
"Hmph." Reiko rubbed his cheek, where an attack from Rogue had drawn a thin line of blood. They never listened. They refused to believe him. All because he was so different from them...
Reiko had been brought to the Seru-kai from another place, far away. What he was wasn't exactly an ordinary Seru; nor was he a Ra-Seru like his caretakers, though it was close. The god's avatar, Tieg, had brought him here with only the instructions to raise him well and take care of him like one of the Ra-Seru lords' own.
Although the lords obeyed, as was their wont, it was with varied degrees of resentment. The Ra-Seru's eight lords--the firstborn of each element--came into the world twinned, and so they always had someone there to talk to and did not always fare well when it came to relating to others. On top of that, Reiko simply did not behave like a Ra-Seru. He lacked their formality and let his emotions rule him, not only pinning his heart to his sleeve but throwing his inner self around in a whirl of hot young blood and disregard for laws that drove several of the high lords crazy--Rogue in particular. Meta didn't like Reiko very much either and made it clear that the boy was only tolerated because Tieg had ordered it.
It wasn't that Reiko was contrary and disobedient purposely; he tried and tried to be a part of the worldly whole the Ra-Seru spoke of with so much reverence. Watching their grace--especially that of the high lord of wind, a fierce, perceptive, protective woman named Terra--he did his best to imitate them, but always fell miles short. Even the two who were closest to him in age, a pair of actual twins (from an egg that split into two halves in development) called Jedo and Ozma, got exasperated with him every now and then for that. The only two lords who did their best to allow for him, in the end, were Horn the healer and Palma the herbalist and librarian.
It was to Horn that Reiko went now.
The healer was in the chapel of the infirmary, as usual, sitting and reading a book of runes by the window of stained glass. Her white robes, threaded with dull gold at the hems only, were folded neatly around her as she sat, and her long pale blonde hair was brushed over her shoulders, waving slightly near the tips and darkening. Hearing Reiko's approach, she looked up, her golden brown eyes glinting briefly in the light. Upon seeing his condition and mood, she sighed unhappily, standing up with a disappointed look. "You've been in Rogue's laboratory again," she said softly. There was no accusation in her voice, but there was sadness, which Reiko didn't like.
"I keep telling them, he's doing something not right in there," Reiko growled with a soft huff of breath as he sat in the pew beside Horn's window seat. "But nobody ever believes me."
Horn shook her head sympathetically. "Poor Reiko. What can we believe? Rogue is the eldest of the Ra-Seru... our highest lord. Meta, his firmest supporter, is the next most high. When people look at you, they see a jealous child. I am not sure whether or not what Rogue does is right or wrong, but I do feel that he is tampering with things that should be left alone."
Reiko's eyes lit up. "You can get him to stop!"
Horn shook her head again and touched her fingertips to the cut on Reiko's cheek. "I tried to speak to him once before, but he scorned me. I will not ask again. It would be pointless effort."
Reiko scowled, his features rearranging into a pout. "It's not pointless when you're standing up for what you know is right."
Horn, though busy with her healing, stared at Reiko for a moment, then smiled. "You may be right. You aren't the most intelligent of Seru, but at times you are very wise."
"Whatever that means."
Finishing, Horn ruffled Reiko's wild hair. "Go off and find the twins," she suggested. "They're sure to let you do something. And... one last thing. I will not stop you from entering Rogue's domain again... but if you do go inside, be sure to cloak yourself in shadow. If he sees you, you will be in a lot of trouble."
Reiko nodded, then ran off.
---
The twins were sitting in the courtyard, on either end of a stone chessboard. Ozma, the high lord of thunder, was running a hand through his short, thick blue hair, his odd-colored eyes focused on his white pieces, frowning. His right eye was soft lapis blue, and his left was clear yellow--this unnerved some, but Reiko found it fascinating that one head could hold such different eyes. He was dressed in a cobalt uniform much like Reiko's; his was embroidered in copper-colored cloth. The frown was an alien expression to his face when he wasn't concentrating on something; he had a very outgoing, genki nature in other aspects of life.
Jedo, his twin, was the high lord of darkness, and he certainly looked it, wreathed in shadow colors as he looked over his thicket of black pieces. He had about twice as many left as his brother; Jedo was a natural at chess and could even defeat Rogue if given time and luck. His violet hair was cropped a few inches above his shoulders, and he, like Ozma, was odd-eyed--his right solid black, his left light lavender. His soft cloth uniform was a deep shade of royal violet, and was embroidered in warm gold thread. With a deft movement, he plucked a knight from his minute army and moved it in an inverted "L" towards Ozma's pieces. "Checkmate," he said softly.
Ozma shook his head, smiling. "Well, I never beat you, but still. Good game this time." Jedo smiled back, and the two of them clasped hands.
Reiko grimaced. Above everything else, he wanted a twin. Someone to confide in, to do everything with... the high lords had no idea how lucky they were.
Jedo, fixing up the chessboard for the next game, noticed him. "Oh... Reiko... do you want to play?"
Reiko rolled his eyes. "You think I haven't learned my lesson yet? I always lose! No. Thank you, but no."
Jedo sighed patiently. "The only reason you've lost in the past is because you sometimes have trouble seeing the whole picture. When focusing on small tasks, you're better than anyone else."
"I still always lose. No thanks." Looking around, the black-haired boy frowned. "Do you know where Palma is?"
Ozma shook his head, but Jedo ventured, "I think he'd gone into the library. Someone of the lower classes got in and made a mess of the place. He's probably still cleaning it up."
"Thanks." So saying, Reiko wandered off in the direction of the huge building.
Jedo and Ozma looked at each other critically.
"We try," Jedo said finally.
"We do," Ozma replied. "And he always gets himself into trouble anyway." Shaking their heads in tandem, the boys sat back down at the chessboard and got ready to play again.
---
"Don't tell me you've gotten the boy's foolish ideas fixed in your head too," Meta exclaimed, exasperation clear in his voice.
The woman seated across from him shook her head almost regally. "It would do no harm to at least investigate his claims. Besides, my sister and I have both felt some ominous spirit hanging over Rogue's domain. Although he's your brother, he's getting into something he should not." She had long, waved hair that was an almost-teal shade of green, and slightly stern magenta eyes. The dress of blue gauze that sheathed her tall and slender form did not mask the armor of living crystal that covered and clung to her body in a thin, almost translucent layer.
"You've never liked Rogue," Meta said reproachfully. "You're just using this as an excuse to make life hard for him."
The woman's eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened into pale lines. "You're blind," she snapped. "There is something not right in the Seru-kai. Rogue is its source. That child can sense it better than any of us, although Horn and I have begun to feel it as well. Mule has also expressed a vague sense of foreboding. You cannot close your ears for much longer. It isn't safe to do so."
"Don't forget what 'that child' is, Terra," Meta warned. "If he even gains the slightest inkling of his powers, I will see to it that he is banished forever from the Seru-kai." He stood, turned, and stalked away, leaving Terra glaring at his back for as long as he was in sight.
---
Reiko shyly pushed open the door to the great library, quietly picking his way in and shutting the heavy wood panel behind him once his feet were on the solid oaken paneling.
As Jedo and Ozma had told him, the place was a bit of a mess. Piles of books were strewn over the floor, and the wide expanse was otherwise empty aside from the shelves, tables, a high ladder, and the figure of Palma the librarian atop it, adjusting a line of tomes near the ceiling.
"Hi," he said softly, hurrying over to the ladder. "Can I help you with anything here?"
Palma glanced down briefly, giving Reiko a smile. "I'll be with you in a moment. I just need to finish this... ah." Apparently done, he climbed down and sat on one of the lower steps so that he and Reiko would be on eye level. "What can I do for you today?"
Palma, High Lord of Earth, made no secret of the fact that he liked Reiko. He was kindly in nature and very easy-going; he was the most accepting of all the Ra-Seru of Reiko's constant blunders. He had shoulder-length hair that was warm mid-tan in color and had several thin braids and wooden beads woven into it. His eyes were deep emerald green and looked with patience into the world from behind tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses; his features were young and smooth (he always joked about his having a "baby face") and pleasant. He tended to dress in a slightly quixotic fashion, and he liked the silence and relative solitude of the library. His "twin" was Mule, the haughty and uncompromising High Lord of Water. Another of Palma's likable quirks was his completely candid attitude towards his very intimate relationship with his brother. While everyone in the Seru-kai agreed that he could be strange, they also agreed that he was the one to go to if you were having some kind of trouble. He always helped those who needed it.
"I was wondering if I could help you, actually," Reiko replied, smiling a little. He loved the way that Palma always treated him like an adult; there was nothing patronizing or condescending about this High Lord, though his brother and consort Mule was (after Rogue and Meta, of course) the worst of the lot. "There anything I can do around here?"
"As a matter of fact, you can keep me company while I finish sorting out this awful mess," Palma said, gesturing around the building with a sigh. "And also... would you mind taking this youngling back to the nursery when she wakes up?"
Slightly confused, Reiko looked down to the spot Palma had gestured to. For the first time, he noticed that a small Ra-Seru girl was curled up upon a few stacks of books nearby. She had the same dark violet hair as Jedo, and by the color and spare ornamentation of her apprentice's dress, Reiko guessed that she too was a child of darkness. She looked to be perhaps two or three years old.
"Her name is Jada," Palma explained. "She wandered in here not long ago, and just fell asleep over here while I was working. No one came to pick her up... I suppose no one noticed she was missing. She's been coming here frequently for the past few days... no one seems able to discourage her from waltzing right in. I'd take her myself, but... I'm busy, and besides, you're far better than I am with the children. They all seem to love you."
Reiko laughed bitterly. "Yeah, but the nursery mothers and attendants don't let me anywhere near the kids. They haven't since I've been old enough to leave there myself."
"Poor Reiko," the green-eyed brunet said softly, a sad smile on his face. "They never have forgiven you for being different, have they?"
"They won't even believe me when I tell them Rogue's up to something," Reiko replied, rolling his eyes. "It could be serious, but will they listen to me? No..."
Palma watched the despairing set of Reiko's shoulders and face for a few moments before answering. "You know... you're not the only one who believes something may be wrong."
Reiko looked up curiously. "Horn said a while back that she thought Rogue was getting into bad things... so it's not just her and me?"
Palma shook his head. "No. Terra has been arguing with Meta about the issue for a while, but he won't listen to her. In addition to that, my brother and I have shared some disturbing dreams that revolve around Rogue over the past few weeks. The four of us, if no one else, believe that there might be some truth to your claims." He paused. "Reiko, just what is he doing in there?"
"Well, for a while now he's been building these weird machines," Reiko began. "But now... I think he's finished with them. And he's been using them lately, to bring in really strange stuff. I think he's trying to make something... something other than a machine, I mean. And the look on his face while he does those things is really weird, too. He looks... I don't know. Like he's doing something mean and he's enjoying it. Like a bully."
The lord of Earth was silent for a few moments. "I see... Reiko, if you're careful and cloak yourself, you should keep watching him. He's definitely up to something, and this sounds troubling. But you must be careful. If Rogue or Meta catches you..." He let the sentence hang. "Give him a few days, at least. He'll suspect less if he finds nothing when he looks for you."
The black-haired boy nodded, his silver eyes alight with excitement. "I will."
There was a soft whimper, then a yawn, as little Jada shifted and sat up, blinking sleepiness out of her eyes, which were deep blue. "Morning."
Both Palma and Reiko smiled. "I think it's more like mid-afternoon," Palma said gently. "Jada, you need to go back to the others now."
The little girl pouted. "Don' wanna," she sulked.
"I wouldn't want to either, believe me," Reiko replied, rolling his eyes. "They're annoying and boring and forever making you do things you don't want to, right?" Jada nodded, still pouting. "But you know, if you stay away for too long, they get mad, and then they punish you and you aren't allowed to go out at all. Sometimes, it's better to go back when you have to... that way you can come back here when you want to again." He held out a hand. "Come on, now."
Jada reluctantly took it, and the two of them headed for the door just as it opened and Mule strode in. The High Lord of Water had long straight sky-blue hair, matching his somewhat icier eyes, and tightly toned physique. He was haughty and distant, as well as somewhat disdainful. He only seemed to show passion around his brother, or around his artwork--Mule painted and sculpted living water and ice. He had zero toleration for Reiko's klutziness, but otherwise he didn't care about the boy one way or the other. In that, at least, he was better than Meta and Rogue, who openly hated Reiko and displayed publicly their wishes to be rid of him. Reiko, not wanting to bother him, gently tugged Jada out the door and down the path to the nursery.
Mule watched the children go, then closed the door firmly, heading over to his brother. "It's clearer than ever before," he said cryptically as he drew close to Palma, who was busy tidying the book piles Jada had disturbed. "Whatever outcome there is will be disastrous to the entirety of the Seru-kai."
"I just hope that Reiko will be alright after all this," Palma replied, straightening up with a groan. "He's such an innocent child, no matter what Tieg has predicted. The legends surrounding his race may be just that... legends."
Mule put his arms around Palma's waist, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "We must prepare ourselves for the outcome if Meta continues to refuse his chances to see the truth."
"...Yes." They held each other tightly for several minutes, then let go.
---
Several weeks had gone by with Reiko discreetly spying on Rogue's workings in the laboratory. At first, the experiments the scientist had done hadn't borne much fruit as far as Reiko could see, but strangely, Rogue didn't seem angry or disappointed. In fact, it seemed that he waxed happier with every bizarre object his machines had retrieved. Reiko just didn't understand it.
And just a few days ago, another person had suddenly appeared in the lab with him.
Okay, so Reiko hadn't seen him appear, exactly. It was just that he hadn't been there, then one day he was. And nothing like him had ever been seen in the Seru-kai.
Asked by Palma to describe this stranger, Reiko did his best. "Well, he's tall like Mule is. He has white hair and sad green eyes, and he doesn't look like he's any older than you. He's thin. He wears all white clothes. Someone wrote runes on his throat so he can't talk, but he keeps trying to. I think he sees me through the cloaking. Every time I was near him, he stared straight at me. Not through me, but at me. Rogue put him in this big thing... sorta like a glass case... or a cage, or something. And he keeps him in there. I don't know if he gets fed or not. He's not a Seru but he's not a Human, either. I've never seen anything like him before. Oh, and... you're not going to believe it, but... he has horns, like mine, only there are more of them and they're straight, not curved."
At Reiko's words, Palma's studious expression had changed to a perturbed one.
"He may not be... of this world, Reiko..."
Which, of course, Reiko didn't understand at all.
Palma sighed and began to murmur to himself, seeming to forget Reiko was there. "Rogue is definitely up to something again. The last time, after he let the high-level Seru into the world of the Humans... he was restricted to these grounds... if he ever goes out himself, or violates his agreement with Tieg, he'll get thrown back into the labyrinth... but he's up to something for sure... and this time, if it gets to the boiling point... not even Meta will be able to get him clemency..."
"Palma...?" Reiko began hesitantly.
The High Lord of Earth snapped back to reality, then smiled wistfully, laying a hand on Reiko's hair. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Just... know that Rogue is on his last chance. If he's exposed before the problem becomes large-scale, then... we could have him out of our hair for good. But don't get caught. And this stranger... watch him carefully, alright?"
Bewildered, Reiko nodded.
---
It was a few days later, and Palma was conversing with Terra in the library when Reiko blasted in, white-faced and shaking.
"What the--what's wrong!" Palma asked as Reiko ran towards him, tripping over a loose book and falling flat on his face. "Reiko, what happened?"
"We have to do something," Reiko cried, trying to get back up, his silver eyes huge with horror. "Or else, that man I saw will--!"
"Slow down and start from the beginning," Terra said firmly, though not unkindly. "If you don't, it may be too late to do anything about whatever you saw."
"She's right," Palma agreed, speaking in soothing tones. "Please, Reiko. Tell us everything you remember, or we won't be able to help."
Reiko took a few deep breaths, then nodded, calmed. "You remember that strange person I told you about, right? Well, Rogue took him out of that case thing he was in when I'd been there for a little while. He was saying stuff like, 'Now I'll finally have what I need' and 'With this the experiments will finally be under way'. It was creepy! And then... then..." Shuddering, Reiko shook his head and went on. "He took one of those thingies, you know, the thingies the doctors use to operate on people--"
"A scalpel?" Palma supplied.
"Yeah, that--and he... he used it to cut that man's throat open!"
Palma and Terra both flinched.
"You're sure about this?" Terra asked hesitantly. "Why?"
Reiko shook his head. "I only know that Rogue pulled something out of the man's throat, like... like some kind of organ, or a gland. He avoided breaking the runes, so that poor man still couldn't speak... but he was screaming. He was screaming, and he couldn't make any sound..." An uncontrollable shiver ran down the length of the boy's body again. "I'll never forget the look on his face...
"And after that, Rogue just went off on his own... he threw the man on the ground and walked into another room. I know I probably should've followed him, but I just couldn't... I couldn't leave that man... he was just, he was just bleeding so badly... and he was looking straight at me, begging for help...
"I tried to take care of him, but... without Horn's healing power, he's gonna die! I just ran straight back here to tell you, and... we have to go back and help him!"
Terra and Palma exchanged inscrutable looks, then turned back to Reiko.
"Come on!" the black-haired boy shouted, frustrated, looking as though he was about to go mad with sheer worry. "If we don't go now it's gonna be too late!"
"Reiko..." Palma said in a low voice, regret in his emerald eyes.
"What? Look, we can talk later, but that man--"
"Reiko," Terra said, looking somewhat uncomfortable. It was such an alien expression on her always-controlled face that Reiko stared suspiciously at her for a moment.
"What? What? What is it that I'm apparently not getting here? I know you think I'm an idiot, but maybe you're the ones not getting the point. There's someone dying--"
"It's not that we don't believe you, it's just that..." Palma sighed and fell silent under the intensity of Reiko's irritated silver glare.
"It's all very well for someone able to cloak himself and enter the laboratory under a suggestion," Terra explained somewhat brusquely, "but the two of us simply can't just barge into Rogue's domain without reasonable proof first."
"You've GOT proof! I just told you everything I saw! And if you find him there, you'll have all the proof you'll ever need!"
"But the fact remains that you will be exiled for breaking the restrictions set upon you," Terra said firmly. "And that defeats the purpose."
Reiko stared openmouthed at the two of them, shifting his gaze of disbelief from one to the other. Both seemed almost to squirm beneath his dumbfounded look. Finally, he found his voice. "So--so that's it? Because your stupid, high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou Ra-Seru rules say you might get in a little trouble for interfering, you're just going to let somebody die? There's an innocent life at stake here! A man is gonna die without your help, just because Rogue decided he needed somebody for a damn lab rat or something--"
"Reiko, that's not-- we just--," Palma fumbled, desperate.
"You just, nothing!" Reiko yelled. "Screw you, and screw your rules too! I can't believe you! You know, you hold yourselves so far apart from people like Rogue, who like to pick on people 'cause they're different and fool around all they like since they've got a bunch of rules saying it's fine... but you're just like him!" Whirling, Reiko stormed off, looking both furious and tearful.
Once again, Palma and Terra exchanged glances of helplessness. They didn't know what else they could've said or done to make things go any differently.
---
"Reiko...? Reiko, where are you?"
Palma felt like he'd been looking everywhere. According to those who shared his home complex, Reiko had not returned home the previous night. In fact, he hadn't been seen since shortly after their argument the other day. It made Palma wince, just thinking about it.
The death of Rogue's test subject was regrettable, yes, but in all honesty, what could he and the others have done? Only Reiko's childish idealism had kept him from seeing the practicality of it--there was no lawful way that Palma and Terra could've stampeded into Rogue's laboratory without solid evidence. There was just nothing else for it.
Rogue's labs... there was an idea.
Palma knew that he couldn't go in and check for a cloaked Reiko, but that was alright, seeing that Reiko would probably not be in any mood to do more spying--his highly emotional nature decreed that he would still be caught up in yesterday's events. It was unbecoming, but before, Palma had always found Reiko's take on things to be a refreshing break from the scholarly mindsets of the other Ra-Seru of the crystal courtyard. Now... but anyway, he could look around the building. Reiko might be somewhere there.
He'd been circling the labs for almost an hour, and had halfheartedly come to check the waste receptacles at the back of the facility, when a brief movement caught his eye.
Weaving his way through the large, heavy bins, Palma slowly came to the back door to the labs. Between it and a receptacle that had been turned on its side, he found what he'd been searching for.
Reiko was there, kneeling beside the still body of the stranger he'd seen murdered in Rogue's keeping. As Palma drew closer, he noted the figure's bizarre white clothing--obviously not of the Seru-kai--and also the patches where the white fabric had been burned or torn. There were a few marks on the body that seemed either black and charred or red and blistered; apparently, Rogue had considered burning the evidence, but had then thought better of it and left it out in the back. No one would find it here... except perhaps the lower-class Seru in charge of removing garbage, and they simply didn't have complex enough minds to realize what had happened. A cynically intelligent choice... and it made Palma feel slightly ill. Even more than that, it was the gaping hole in the man's rune-marked throat and his half-open, glazed and staring eyes that produced an unusual hot lurch in his chest. Rogue... had to be stopped.
As Palma watched, a few feet away, Reiko shook his head. He was crying silently; there were red streaks beneath his eyes, though a bitter smile had frozen on his lips.
"When I left, I swore to him I'd be getting him help," he said in a rough, gravelly voice much unlike his own. "I promised."
"Reiko, I'm sorry."
"I promised him. And by the time I found him out here, he was already dead. I promised."
Palma took a few steps closer and looked critically down at the body, studying the blood and the pitiful expression on the soft, pale face. "We have him now," he said softly, surprised at the savage edge to his voice. "When the council sees this, they won't be able to disagree, not even Meta. Now that there's solid proof... a body, no less... we have him. Life imprisonment, for sure."
"You are sick." Reiko's voice sounded old, tired, disgusted. "Now that you've got your evidence. Now someone's dead, now it's too late, NOW it's time to go complain."
Palma tried to put a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Reiko angrily shrugged it off. "Come on. You've been out here all night, clinging to a corpse--you need proper rest, you need care and healing. Come on now, get up..."
"I used to consider you a friend," Reiko said flatly, bitterly. "But now I see. I can see the real you... just like all the others... I hate them. I hate you."
"You don't know what you're saying," Palma pleaded. "You're tired, come with me--"
"Get away from me." Slumping down, Reiko loosely put his arms around the body, leaning his face against the cold shoulder. "Just stay away."
Palma made as if to say something, but eventually sighed and left. He'd only wanted to help...
---
It was a few days before Reiko was seen again, and his reentrance to Ra-Seru society was as dramatic as his exit.
Horn, Terra, Palma, and Mule had been conversing quietly in the solitude of the library before the doors had creaked open and the disheveled figure of the wild-haired boy staggered through, managing a few shaky steps before collapsing facedown on the floor.
"Reiko! Reiko, what happened to you!"
No response--Reiko was already unconscious. His skin was ashen, his lips turning sickly blue. Horn, putting two fingers against the soft part of his throat, realized that he was covered in a thin film of sweat. His heartbeat and breathing were both wild, erratic; letting out a fine burst of power, Horn shook her head. "It's some kind of poison I've never seen before, almost like a drug. I'm sure he ran into this while he was around Rogue's labs. Whatever it was, he breathed it in... I think I can purify it, with a little time."
"Is this what he's been trying to create?" Mule asked softly, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"I have no idea. Quite possibly. But what could he hope to accomplish by creating a drug like this...? It makes no sense...!"
"Rogue is mad, he doesn't need a reason," Palma said flatly. "Think of the man he dragged here from another world--endangering the separation of the multiverse just to continue his 'research'!"
"If it has this effect on Reiko, what would it do to us?" Terra asked with harsh suddenness that made her companions stare at her. "He's a species apart from the other Seru here. And his kind are supposed to be immune to most toxins. Who knows how deadly it might be to a Ra-Seru, or just to one of the lower-levels? What effect would it have on plants? Who knows what damage it could do to the Mother Genesis Tree?"
There was a tense, dangerous silence.
"Rogue needs to be stopped," Palma insisted. "Once Reiko is doing better, we need to recover the corpse from behind his labs, and go to Tieg's Council right away. He'll be thrown back into the labyrinth, this time without any more chances. We have him now. We just have to keep pressing forward."
Horn blinked and sighed. "I've purged most of the poison from his body, but he'll still be somewhat weak for a while. This is like nothing I've seen in my entire career. It seems to be some kind of organic vapor, absorbed by breathing or just by contact with the skin. I had to ward myself against it, even when doing a purification process... there's a definite element of corruption in it, but I don't know what it's supposed to corrupt. This could be truly dangerous if it were absorbed by one of the lower-levels; I'm not sure they possess the will to stave off total corruption for long."
Beneath her hands, Reiko stirred and half-opened his eyes.
"No... you must rest. Reiko, you're too weak to stay awake for long now. Just lie still for now!"
Refusing to listen, the boy struggled into a sitting position, his silvery eyes huge, their pupils so slitted that they seemed almost lost in the irises. "I know what Rogue's been making," he said quickly, before anyone could cut him off. "And you have to go do something about him RIGHT NOW. All those things he said, about it changing our way of life... that was his twisted way of telling the truth. We CANNOT let this get out--it's been making his Seru test subjects completely crazy! It's--"
But whatever Reiko was about to say was cut off by a sudden burst of coughing. He covered his mouth with both hands, leaning over, his back an exaggerated arch as his ribcage heaved.
"Don't try to talk," Horn said softly, sympathetically.
Terra exchanged glances with Mule and Palma, nodding slightly to each of them in turn.
"We must take care of this now," she said softly. "Before Rogue's collateral damage grows to become any more extensive. There have been enough lives taken and twisted forever by that monster."
Just before the door burst open, Reiko managed to whisper, "He calls it Mist."
"Minna-sama!" the harrassed-looking runner who had burst in on them shouted. "You must come, quickly! There's something strange happening--one of the Caruban has gone mad, and it's heading straight for this place! There isn't anything any of us can do against it... we need the help of every lord, immediately!"
Terra and Mule were up and out the door instantly; Palma, following them, paused in the door. "Reiko, you must stay back here. You're not strong enough yet to assist us."
Standing up in a burst of reserve energy, Reiko glared, his eyes a hot and angry glow. "I can fight!" he yelled, fists clenched beside him, his canine teeth seeming unusually pointed.
"Reiko..." Horn began.
Palma, however, sighed and shook his head. "Do what you want," he said, resigned. "I'll do my best to protect you, but that might not be enough."
---
Meta, Terra, Ozma, Jedo, and Mule had already surrounded the huge Seru when Reiko, Palma, and Horn arrived on the scene. Like all Caruban, this one was a huge, lionlike creature with ruddy fur and lurid violet mane and tail-tuft. Its eyes glowed with unholy light, and its batlike wings twitched spasmodically. It was most definitely mad, and trying to attack any who came near it.
"This is Rogue's doing," Palma said quietly, staring in a mix of horror and fascination.
Sighing in concentration, Terra raised one hand. Her body glowed briefly; a burst of scything air encased the Caruban, which squalled, writhed, and, once the spell's power over it had ended, went straight for the caster.
A look of surprise on her face, Terra stepped back a pace on the crystal walkway; galloping drunkenly, the beast leaped at her, slashing claws across her side. She yelled in pain and sprang away from the big thing, stumbling and slipping to her knees. Bright blood spurted over her body in what seemed like torrents; a few errant lines of blood traced over her lips. The wound was definitely a bad one.
"Everyone stay back!" Meta shouted. "I'll handle this."
"TERRA!" Reiko cried, eyes huge in shock. "You... you bastard, Rogue! I'll never let you get away with this!" As though he had never heard Meta's command, he rushed forward.
"I told you to stay out of my way, you ungrateful little cur," the flame-lord snarled, now turning his attention to the infuriated boy.
"No... don't go near him, Meta!" Palma cried in warning. "It's too late! He'll--!"
He had seen what the others had missed: Reiko's eyes had gone fully silver now, his nails lengthening into daggerlike claws. Blackness writhed all down his back, and sprouted in series of jagged spikes down to a lashing tail. He'd seemed taller; now, as in a flash he fell to all fours in a full-out charge, it was apparent that he was about the same size as the Caruban--all the adult lords stood only as tall as his shoulder. His teeth had lengthened into silver daggers, his frame sable and streamlined, with strength in his shoulders and hips, width to his ribcage but the slimmer waist of a creature built for speed.
After all this time living in the Seru-kai, Reiko had finally lost control.
"My God..." Meta breathed as Reiko, a low angry rumble in his chest, stalked forward, breaking the Ra-Seru's circle. "The forbidden Seru, the banished one, the heart-eater... it's true... Juggernaut..."
The mad Caruban rowled and ran to take on this new threat. Almost casually, Reiko sidestepped the swipe of claws, then lashed out with a swift black forepaw to send his enemy crashing to the ground. Even as the wretched creature struggled to stand, he stalked, almost sauntered, over to its side. He bared his long teeth and hissed, then pinned the Caruban down with a paw and bit into the nape of its neck.
Several of the lords cried out in disgust and shock, but Reiko stayed there, a paw on the Caruban's back and his teeth buried deep in its mane. The long spikes on his back rose, then settled several times, as if in imitation of bristling fur.
Palma was the one to notice that slowly, the Caruban's eyes were fading back to its usual green, and its mad snarls and struggles were also dying down. As such, he was the only one not shocked when Reiko released his hold, removing the paw so that the creature could stand.
"He sucked out the toxin," he said aloud, amazed.
Quickly this time, Reiko melted back into human shape, collapsing to his knees and clutching his lower belly, folding his arms tightly across it. His coughing fit from before had returned, now even worse than ever, and his lips were swiftly turning blue again.
And still, the Ra-Seru lords looked on, wary of coming any closer.
The Caruban, which had long since stood and walked in a confused circle, padded over to Reiko, sat in front of him, offered an anxious "mrrowl?" and licked the boy's shoulder with its sandpapery tongue. Reiko did not respond, too caught in his paroxysm to say anything.
Horn dashed over to the boy, put her hands on both his shoulders, and began to expend energy, looking worriedly down at him. "You little fool," she managed, a quite uncharacteristic quaver in her voice.
"He's very likely saved this Seru's life," Palma pointed out softly.
Pale and looking as though he was still in shock, Meta shook his head adamantly. "You know the terms of our agreement to foster him here--if he were ever to learn of his true identity, he must leave this place! This... this thing cannot be allowed to destroy our world!"
"I doubt that Reiko would do any such thing," Palma said staunchly.
"Not purposely, of course," Meta told him wryly. "But such unchecked power as this shall surely begin to unravel the fabric of the Seru-kai, endangering the Mother Genesis Tree. Whether directly or indirectly, the end will come for us. Because of him."
The argument was cut short by the sound of hysterical laughter. Everyone save Reiko turned to stare--it was Rogue, madness in his colorless eyes, his crystal satellites cycling wildly about his body.
"Ha... ha ha ha ha ha ha... I told you... I told you I would be able to change everything..."
Palma's eyes were sickly drawn to the brown, twisted scar on the Ra-Seru lord's throat. Streaming from his lips whenever they parted was a thick, foglike vapor, gray and foul.
"It's my Mist, my little creation... how do you like it...? The lower-class scum can wipe itself out and take those filthy Humans with it... opening a permanent passageway between the realms... and I can show them what true rule is... ha ha... ha ha ha..."
"You're insane," Ozma said uncertainly, edging a little in front of Jedo.
"And you're going to be bound again, with no escape this time," Mule said flatly, glaring. "You'll do no such thing. It would destabilize the entire multiverse."
As the other lords watched, faint, vaguely humanlike shapes began to form about Rogue, solidifying in every breath of his hateful Mist.
"Tieg," Terra whispered wonderingly, wiping the blood from her face.
Just as the specterlike beings were fully formed, they each raised wispy appendages towards Rogue, pinning his arms to his body with bands of light.
There was a flash, and Rogue was gone.
---
"You know the price you must pay. Banishment is the toll of your reckless actions."
Reiko glared rebelliously through his messy bangs. "I don't care. I never belonged here."
"Hold your tongue, Juggernaut." Meta was acting even worse than usual, whether from the spook he'd gotten when Reiko transformed or his brother's imprisonment.
"You will be sent to the world of the Humans. Some of our number will also be descending, to man the stations of the ten Genesis Trees in case of disaster in that world... disaster caused by your actions, no doubt. Live in exile, and know that if you ever enter or take any action against this realm again, you will be killed, swiftly and without trial."
Although Terra had spoken against Reiko's banishment, reminding the others how he had fought to protect them, to protect her, it hadn't gone down too well. The other Ra-Seru just didn't want to hear it. Palma, Mule, and the twins expressed regret, but also that they had to go along with the law. As usual.
It made no difference to Reiko. He would just be trading one world of cruelty and suspicion for another; wherever he was, he would always be met with intolerance because of his race. That was just the way of the world.
And he would be free of that obnoxious bastard Meta at the very least.
So as the air rippled and swam around his body, he closed his eyes, forcing himself to feel no fear. He wouldn't take his first steps into the Human world cowering and cringing.
No... now, he knew who and what he was.
The scathing term Meta addressed him by wasn't an insult. Reiko liked the ring of it. Juggernaut... he'd heard the tales of the immensely powerful creatures, rumored to have been sealed away because their destructive force had threatened to obliterate the world. They were huge, incredibly fast, and very dangerous.
There were other rumors, not-so-pleasant ones that claimed that a Juggernaut fed on the life force of lower creatures such as bottom-class Seru and Humans. Reiko knew that wasn't true. He'd always eaten the same kinds of food as the other Ra-Seru, and he'd survived on that just fine.
In any case, he was himself. And that was the knowledge he would take with him to a world where, undoubtedly, everyone would once again hate him.
---
It was raining.
The boy walked along the forest path with a blink up at the sky and a sigh. He would be soaked when he got home, and his father would be furious. Even worse, his mother would hover, certain that he would become ill. He'd end up hiding in his room again, just to get away from it all.
The courtspeople were just all so annoying. Every one of them, from Zora to Dohati, were subservient, groveling nobles, catering to his father's every whim. There were so few people around who were his age... and the three he knew were Gi, Lu, and Che Delilas, who only took interest in fighting. The fact that Gi, the oldest, was three years younger than him probably had a lot to do with that, but it still tried his patience. Well, Zeto was alright, but he was always so busy, and so rarely had any time to spare with a twelve-year-old everyone else treated like a toddler.
The outdoors was really his only solitude. His parents never even let him come near Seru, which to his knowledge provided the best companionship there was. They were like highly intelligent animals, able to work out simple problems on their own... and you could talk to them without their ever saying how strange you were. He wanted so badly to have a Seru of his own...
It was the snapping of a twig that drew the boy's attention; before he knew it, he was staring into the silver eyes of another child about his age. A child in ruffled, sopping wet black clothes.
A child with the twisted horns of a Seru...
Hesitantly, the two stepped towards each other.
"You're... a Seru, aren't you...? I've never seen one like you before..."
The other boy was silent, then said slowly, "Because my other form is so big... I usually take Human shape. You're... the first Human I've ever met. You don't think I'm strange?"
"Me, think you're strange?" The first boy could hardly believe his ears. "All Seru are a little bit different. They have every right to be that way, because they're the special children of Tieg that God blessed us with. You don't think I'm weird? Everyone says... because of these eyes..." He ducked his head to hide them, the hateful orbs of crimson and azure-blue.
"You're kidding me." There was slight disbelief in the Seru-boy's voice. "I knew two other people with odd eyes, and it's the coolest thing ever! But then, everyone always used to tell me I had weird ideas back... there."
Looking up, he rewarded this stranger with a smile. "Yeah, I know. People around here give me strange looks because I see Seru as living creatures instead of tools to be used however you like."
The silver-eyed Seru boy walked up to him, smiled back, and held out a hand. "My name's Reiko. What's yours?"
He took it, and hesitated before speaking. "I..." Meeting those candid silver eyes, he only saw honest curiosity and a strange amount of absolute trust.
The kind of trust he already felt for this Reiko, however irrational.
"I'm Cort."
-owari-
Author's Notes
"Reiko": The name Reiko, like all names used in the Legaia games, is Japanese. It can be used as a girl's name, or a neutral-gender name. In the feminine tense, it means "little spirit" or "Rei's daughter". The word Reiko, the neutral-gender name, means "gratitude". I figured Reiko-kun needed a name of his own... it's really gotta suck to have everyone address you by your species.
Saryu and Dohati: As far as this fic goes, what they were actually after making were Juggernaut-clone Sim-Seru that they could use as their servants of mayhem and destruction. I hate Saryu and Dohati. I want to throw them out the window.
Rogue: He was thrown into the labyrinth after releasing high-class Seru into the human worlds, then given temporary leave on good behavior. His creation of the Mist screwed his last chance, and they chucked him back in again, where he remained until Cort and Jette accidentally broke the dimensional barrier during their experiments.
Timeline: Since I figure Cort to be about twenty-seven or so in the game, this takes place about fifteen years in the past. Reiko, as a child, does not transform into the full-sized Juggernaut, but a sort of miniaturized version. When he grows older (twenty-five or so at LoL's "present" setting), he becomes the one we know and love.
Mist and the stranger in Rogue's lab: This character is modeled after Final Fantasy: Unlimited's Kumo, belonging to the same race. Their people, known as Mystarians, have an extra organ--a gland in the throat that produces a substance called, you guessed it, Mist. Obviously, as a rabid fan of both FF:U and LoL, I saw the parallels and decided to borrow a Mystarian for the purpose of the LoL Mist's creation. If you want to know more about Mystarians, I suggest that you either pick up some FF:U DVDs or one of my FF:U fanfics. (plug, plug, wink, wink)
Human bodies: It would be very irritating trying to write a dramatic fanfic in which the characters are expressionless little gemstones. Besides, Reiko is supposed to have no idea what he really is, which is hard to accomplish when he's already in Juggernaut form 24/7. It's much easier to give them human shape, so that their expressions and actions can be interpreted more accurately. While in the human world, maintaining human form uses up precious energy, so most Ra-Seru prefer possessing someone or something, like Terra and the wolf.
Meta: Hoo boy, he was being a royal bastage in this fic! As we know, he can be kind and diplomatic, but he hates and fears Reiko, so our fluffy little protagonist only gets to see his nasty, prickly side. Forgive me, Meta lovers!
Reduced roles: Meta, Ozma, and Jedo, as you may have noticed, didn't have very large roles in this fic. I wanted to have a bigger focus on the other Ra-Seru lords (the ones you can receive as extra magic in the game), who are a little closer to Reiko. They were almost guest stars... (sweatdrop) But because Meta, Terra, Ozma, and Jedo are the four Ra-Seru that you get to know in the game (Jedo-kun is Songi's Ra-Seru, for those who never managed to pick up the Dark Stone after the two of them died), it was safe to rely on the player's knowledge of them instead of forcing their inclusion to characterize them. Or something like that...
Reiko's REAL personality: Unfortunately, this fanfic and my other LoL one-shot, "The Cost of Loyalty", show Reiko acting more seriously than usual. Normally, he's more of a cheerful idiot, positive and optimistic, hyperactive and enthusiastic. Think Bankotsu from Inuyasha meets Noa and you're getting there. Yes, he IS a klutz, which is part of the reason that he usually ends up totally destroying a lot of the stuff he's around. And with his power, that is a very bad thing. Think of it sort of like this...
If you run into a wall, you really hurt yourself. You smack it and fall down.
If Reiko runs into a wall, even while in human guise... he knocks the wall over, and tumbles to the ground in a pile of bricks. I have a doujinshi planned on this subject, in which Reiko-kun accidentally kills the half-rebuilt Rim Elm wall a third time. And he's not even trying to. (sweatdrop) You see what I mean...
Among other things, Reiko thinks with his heart instead of his head, making him very reckless and impulsive, and is loyal to Cort (the only one to ever accept him as he is) unto death. As proved in the game. He's just a very likable character, and besides, all his wonderful CGI cutscenes kick major ass. Love the animation... LOVE the animation... want to go give Reiko's character designer a big hug...
The last scene: This fic's last scene is an important one, so I just wanna draw attention to it. I thought that Reiko and Cort's first meeting would be a good stopping point, just to emphasize their relationship and similarities as compared to how everyone else treats poor Reiko-kun. Besides, the mental image of them both as midgets is just soooo KAWAII!
Thanx
Thanx Reiko-kun for being wonderful, and for my dear muses, who though they torture me, DO get the job done. Thanx Dusty for listening to me way back when and picking up a copy of LoL when I couldn't shut up about it. That really means a lot to me. You'll probably never read this fanfiction, but I hope you'll think back every now and then to the good old times!
I never thought I'd actually type this, but thanx to my stepbrothers for introducing me to LoL in the first place. I love this game soooo much, and I guess it's really because of you that I even started gaming at all. Thanks... I guess.
Thanx to that random person in Maryland whose used copy of LoL I bought. I think you're absolutely insane for selling such an awesome game, but if you hadn't sold it, then I never could've picked it up in a GameStop while I was on vacation. I love ya, just so you know... whoever you are.
Thanx Thalia the Tiger for actually taking the trouble to go and buy your own used copy of LoL after I showed you mine. Hehe... I'm glad I can pass on all my lovely addictions to you, nyo!
Thanx readers for getting this far. Although, you should be forewarned... any flamers and spammers will be deleted and/or blocked, as well as given to Reiko-kun as a new chew toy. He just runs through them so quickly... (tragic sigh) But all you KIND readers out there are my livelihood!
I'm going to go free the flying monkeys from the poser wizard now. Ja ne! (Until next time, that is...)