Kairi: -sneaks into a dark room carefully at looks at readers- Okay, so... Tony wasn't planning on posting this until May... Don't tell him, but I kinda snuck on here to give you guys this, since I had it after editing. Don't ask why, either, because it's something you don't want to know. Anyway, welcome to Part II of the Bloodline Trilogy...
Enjoy!
Chapter I
Picking up the Pieces
It could be called a perfect day in Grand Chokmah. It was neither too hot nor too cold. There was a steady breeze, but it wasn't an awful, windy day. The water was calm, save for where the waterfalls of the great city disturbed its surface. The sky was a bright, clear blue, and what clouds there were in the sky were light and fluffy.
High above most of the city, sitting on a high and dry ledge on the structures producing the waterfalls behind the Imperial Palace, was a girl. Her short, honey-blonde hair waved in the slight breeze, her eyes reflecting the light blue of the sea she gazed out over. A calm smile graced her lips.
It had been exactly one month since Van had been defeated. Six weeks since Sirris had agreed to move in with Jade. Five weeks since she was arrested and let out again. Three weeks since she had been kidnapped and Jade arrested on charges of helping her to escape, and she had been cleared of all charges pressed against her upon her return.
And at that very moment, Sirris 'Siri' Topaz Balfour had nothing better to do.
Well, that wasn't totally true. She could have been training her apprentice, Luke fon Fabre, but she had decided that he deserved a break for the hard efforts he had put in already, and was not keeping track of him, meaning she could waste away a week trying to locate the slippery replica. After all, Luke had been working harder than her, recently, something that continued to shock his original, Asch. Sirris and Luke kept in contact with Asch for multiple reasons. One of which, Sirris was loath to admit to.
Her feelings were one thing that she never liked to show. She knew all too well how easily manipulated feelings were, how easily manipulated people were through their feelings.
"You know… it's kinda wet up here."
Sirris started and looked over at the man who had spoken before heaving a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here?" she asked, scooting over to give the blonde man space to sit. He grinned.
"What, I can't say hi to a friend?" he asked. Sirris pulled one of her legs up and leaned against her knee.
"Well, considering our last proper conversation brought us back to the topic of grown men wearing pink tutus, a subject I desperately wanted to avoid, by the way… yeah… I have a reason to be cautious," she told him. He laughed.
"Well, when you put it that way, yes, I can understand that one," he replied. Sirris smiled and leaned back, putting her weight on her hands as she looked up at the clouds floating through the sky.
"Hey, Leomitch?" she started. "What would you do… if… Ah, never mind."
Leomitch crossed his arms. "If…?" he prompted. Sirris shot him a look, but when he didn't quit with the expectant look, she sighed.
"If nothing, now. It doesn't matter," she told him. He rolled his eyes.
"I will get an answer out of you eventually," he told her. She looked over at him and smirked challengingly.
"Is that so?"
"Yep."
Sirris threw her head back and laughed. "We'll see," she said, standing up. "In the meantime, I think I'm gonna go do a couple of runs."
Leomitch shrugged. "Whatever. I worked to get up here, I'm staying up here," he said. "Oh, and thanks for the advice." Sirris frowned and crossed her arms.
"Just don't fall behind on the actual workload, now," she told him almost teasingly. He smiled.
"Eh, Tony'll take care of that for me," he replied. Sirris frowned, then decided that he probably wasn't talking about the Toni she knew before walking off.
As she reached the end of the waterfalls, she smiled again, looking out over Grand Chokmah with something almost akin to pride in her eyes. "In the meantime…"
The tall brunette man scowled. "Of course the Coliseum would be closed when I need to vent my frustration," he grumbled. The girl next to him giggled.
"Well, there's always monsters in the marsh," she said. The man looked down at her and scowled.
"That's too much work. You actually have to chase after your enemies," he told her. She shrugged and started walking away.
"Lazy bum."
The man rolled his ice-blue eyes and ran after her, slowing to a walk once he'd caught up. Silver and green glittered out of the girl's black hair, contrasting nicely with the dark blue corset and sea green flowing skirt she wore. It was hard to believe that this girl was a fighter, but she managed to pull it off. The man himself looked much more the part of a warrior, but he had long since learned not to question people based on appearance.
"You know, Leon. It's very possible that Ion could be moving around like we are. That could be part of our problem," the girl said. Leon rolled his eyes and brushed a few stray locks of his wild brown hair out of his face.
"Then what do you suggest we do, Rue? Stand around here for a few weeks?" he grumbled. "I've tried that already."
Rue sighed and fiddled with the edge of her skirt, which was short in the front and nearly ankle-length in the back. "You know, Leon, we'd probably be closer to finding him if you weren't so pessimistic," she said. Leon shot a glare her direction as they stepped onto the bridge leading out of Baticul.
"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist," he countered. Rue rolled her eyes.
"Really now? Why do I find that hard to believe?" she asked sarcastically. Leon groaned.
"Why? Why did I get stuck on this world with you for a companion?"
"Hey, hey! Keep your voice down about that, we're still near civilization," Rue warned him. Leon sighed.
"Yes, your dictatorship," he muttered. Rue smacked the back of his head and he flinched.
"I deserved that," he stated. Rue nodded.
"Indeed you did. Now come on! I'm bored!" she replied, taking off at a run the moment her feet hit the road outside of Baticul. Leon sighed and took off after her. He knew she was headed to the Inista Marsh, so it wasn't any problem for him to just keep running once he'd passed her.
What he didn't expect to find, however, was the Albiore III sitting outside the marsh. He raised an eyebrow at the flying craft and stopped to lean against a tree and wait. He knew it would take Rue at least three minutes to catch up to him, so he had time to kill.
"My, my. Now what's a handsome young man like you doing out here in a place like this?"
Leon stuck his hands into his pockets. Wallet, check. Other valuables, check. "What do you want?" he asked. Noir opened her mouth to speak, but someone shouted her name before she could.
Leon leaned forward to see Rue and a red-haired boy walking up to them. He raised an eyebrow at them.
Of course, the boy noticed him too. "Hey, weren't you the guy that fought Sirris and Jade in the Coliseum that one time?" he asked a moment later as Noir was heading into the Albiore. Leon frowned for a moment, then smiled slightly.
"The father and daughter that didn't get along well outside of battle? Yup," he answered. The boy smiled slightly.
"I'm Asch. Jade and Sirris are friends of mine," he told the brunette. Leon shook his hand.
"Leon. And since you already seem to know her, I don't think I need to introduce Rue," he replied. Asch simply chuckled.
"So, where are you two off to?" he asked. Rue smiled
"We're going into the marsh to train," she told him. "Leon started grumbling because the Coliseum's currently closed."
Asch looked between the two of them and sighed. "Any chance I could talk you two into joining me?" he wondered. Rue shrugged.
"Sure, I'll come along. Leon?" she prompted. The Berserker leaned back against a tree.
"I think I'll stay in Baticul a few weeks," he decided. Rue nodded in understanding.
"That's fine," she told him. Then she looked over at Asch and smiled. "Well, you ready to go then?"
Asch rolled his eyes. "Of course. Come on, Noir needs someone to talk to that isn't male," he said. Rue giggled and followed him up the ramp into the Albiore III.
"See you later, Leon!" she called over her shoulder. Leon smiled slightly.
"See you around, Rue."
Cloud sighed in frustration. His silver hair hung into his face as he continued drawing in the sand with a stick. Before him was a rough map of Auldrant. Names were written in some places, and it was obvious that some had been 'erased' by the uneven sand in that area.
In the Grand Chokmah area, the names 'Sirris', 'Jade', 'Valon', and 'Guy' were written. Over near Daath were 'Anise', and 'Ion', while 'Leon', 'Asch', 'the Dark Wings', 'Ginji', and 'Rue' were near Baticul. Cloud was in the process of 'erasing' one of the names that had been in that area as well before starting to write it near Belkend. After a moment of contemplation, he smoothed over the sand where he had marked it and went back to looking at the other names.
Natalia was in Chesedonia, while Arashi was in St. Binah again. Interestingly enough, Ellie was also in St. Binah at that time. Tear, meanwhile, was in Yulia City. Legretta, Dist, Largo, Mohs, and Arietta were at an odd point somewhat close to Tataroo Valley, but too far away to actually be there. That one certainly had the silver-haired man confused as he looked over his impromptu map.
"Need some help?"
Cloud looked up and shook his head. "No. Thanks though, Ion," he replied. The boy in front of him was about Guy's height, he decided. Aside from his bangs, which were relatively wild, his lighter brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Steel blue eyes glinted in the light of the cavern, provided by the numerous sixth fonons that were contained within.
Ion examined the drawn map for a while before sighing. "Leon's still looking for me, isn't he?" he asked. Cloud nodded.
"Yeah. I'm not sure, but I think he'll be in Baticul for a few days," he stated. Ion shrugged.
"I don't especially care. I just don't want him to find me right now," he replied. Cloud sighed. What was it with family not getting along these days? Well, at least Ion hadn't tried to kill his brother yet. That at least gave him a few points more than Sirris and Nigai.
"Is Amai still…?" Ion trailed off. Cloud sighed.
"Yeah," he replied. "But, she did heal not only her own ridiculous wound, but Asch's as well, not to mention forcing Nigai's soul out of Ellie's body. Her God's Aura will take a while to recover, and she won't wake again until after it does."
Ion sighed. "And your brother is looking for what, again?" he asked. Cloud started scratching a picture into the sand.
"The Seer's Thorn. One of nine artifacts that belong to our family. Three of them are here, in Hikarikage, but the other six were scattered, although one was lost long before I was born," he told the younger man. "Each one enhances one of the eight Auras, save for the ninth, which enhances any of the eight rather than just one," he explained, having drawn out a rose and what appeared to be a locket, as well as a circlet.
Ion crossed his arms. "The rose is the Seer's Thorn, right?" he asked. "So, what are the other two?"
Cloud sighed. "They're the other two artifacts that could help us out right now. Either one would go to Amai. The circlet is God's Ring. If we had it, we wouldn't have to worry about Amai going comatose every time she used her God's Aura," he told the brunette. "The other is Illusion's Lock. It's the one that's been missing for years."
Ion scratched the back of his head. "So, you're having trouble finding them?"
"Well, I'd think that would be the general idea, Ion."
The two men looked up as a girl with silvery blonde hair walked into the cavern-room. At first glance, she could easily pass as one of the Sakkaku siblings, but closer inspection revealed lavender eyes rather than sky blue, and her hair was a constant silver-blonde instead of the normal colored highlights. Ion smiled.
"Hey Nyra. Feel up to a treasure hunt?" he asked. Nyra rolled her eyes.
"No, actually, I don't, but you're welcome to go chasing after whatever it is yourself," she replied. Then, after stumbling to the side a bit, she groaned. "Damn it, Ysenri…"
Nyra pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. A moment later, she relaxed and opened her eyes, which were now a light shade of pink. Ion sighed.
"Hello, Ysenri," he said. The girl looked over at him and smiled softly.
"Hello, Ion. Been a while since I've been on this side. You realize how boring Korath is, don't you?" she said. Her voice sounded different, lighter and softer than Nyra's had been. Ion rolled his eyes.
"Ysenri, I could care less about how boring Korath is. It's not like we can switch places like you and Nyra can. Actually, I think I'm glad we can't switch places like you and Nyra can. I don't think that would end well at all," he told her. Ysenri giggled.
"So, about that treasure hunt…"
Ion rolled his eyes. "Nyra's not going to be happy with you, you know," he said. The blonde girl simply giggled some more.
"I don't think she'll mind too much."
Luke sighed and ran a hand through his bangs.
"Master!"
The redhead turned and chuckled when he spotted the little blue cheagle that had been chasing after him. "Hey, Mieu," he greeted him. Mieu started jumping up and down, waving a small white envelope around.
"Master, Asch left this for you!" Mieu told him. Luke took the letter and stuck it in his bag, next to a rather large and seemingly out of place manila folder. A few more letters sat next to it.
"So, where is Asch?" Luke asked as he continued down to the port, Mieu now sitting on his shoulder.
"Asch said he had something to do and told me to get that letter to you!" the cheagle replied. Luke sighed.
"So he's gone off on his own, huh? Figures, I was going to go talk to him," he muttered. "Oh well. You coming with me, then?" he asked.
Mieu looked excited. "Of course I am, Master! I want to come with you this time!" he replied. Luke chuckled, remembering that Tear had taken care of the little guy since he had followed Sirris away from Choral Castle.
"Alright, come on. We're heading to Sheridan on a ferry," he told him. Mieu looked confused.
"Mieuu… Why?" he asked. Luke smiled.
"To get the Albiore. I'm gonna go talk to our friends. It's been a few weeks, and Sirris gave me the time off, so…" he explained, trailing off as he figured Mieu could figure it out. The little cheagle just seemed happy to see him again.
"Alright!"
Once Luke had gotten on the ferry and it had set out, the redhead sat down and pulled the letters out of his bag before sorting through them. The one from Asch that Mieu had just given him sat on top, while letters from Tear, Anise, Arashi, Noir, and Ellie were stacked neatly underneath.
The letter from Asch was short and simple.
Luke-
I'm heading out with the Dark Wings and Ginji. Keep an eye on the God-Generals if you've got the time. I'm busy cleaning up your mess.
And apologize to Sirris for me if I don't make it to Chesedonia, please?
-Asch
"Mieuuuu, why would Asch tell you to apologize to Sirris for him?" Mieu asked confusedly. Luke sighed.
"Mieu, I'd rather not get into that one. Actually, I'm more concerned about the supposed 'mess' he's cleaning up. The only two messes I've left behind recently are another botched mission in Engeve and… well, you don't need to know about the other one," he said. "But, either way…"
Mieu frowned. "Why don't you read the next letter?" he suggested. Luke nodded and pulled Tear's letter out, opening it quickly and skimming over it before actually reading it.
"Amazing, it's not a status report this time," he muttered with mild sarcasm.
Dear Luke,
I would ask how you found out about the miasma, but I have a feeling your answer would be either 'Asch' or something along the lines of 'I do actually notice things, you know'. At any rate, it's under control. It doesn't hurt anymore, simply because I've gotten so used to it. It will flare up on occasion, but not often.
Yulia City is still adjusting, but Grandfather is taking it well. He is working in conjunction with Ion to run the Order, but it's not going as well as we'd like. Many people are still desperate for the Score.
I received a letter from Ellie a few days ago, but I still haven't read it yet, as I've been working on a report for Ion. I did send Sirris a letter a couple of days after I sent the first one to you, but she hasn't responded yet. Has she been busy?
I'm sorry. I'm really not used to this. Van would write me letters that Major Legretta delivered, but I never had the time to write back before he had sent me another.
Hoping you are well,
Tear
Luke smiled. "Looks like I get to answer her letter in person this time," he said. Mieu smiled.
"Yep!" he said cheerfully. Luke looked through the other four letters for a moment before giving in and pulling Anise's out. After scanning it quickly, he stuck it back into the envelope.
"Mieu, what did it say?" Mieu asked rather dejectedly. Luke rolled his eyes.
"It's… definitely Anise. Apparently the words 'Malkuthian assassin' mean nothing to her," he replied. Mieu's ears drooped before Luke opened the next envelope. The curly script on front identified the sender as Arashi, but Luke was mildly skeptical about that.
Upon opening it, his eyes were affronted with something more akin to chicken scratch, which raised an eyebrow.
Luke,
I'm not sticking 'dear' in front of your name, no matter how polite it may be, because it seriously sounds kinda wrong considering I'm a guy and you're a guy and… yeah, I'll just shut up.
Well, sort of. See, Cloud's sending me out after some things, but I know it's not going to be easy to find them, so could you do me a favor? I'm looking for this crystal rose, called the Seer's Thorn, as well as a completely black locket (the chain's black too) called Illusion's Lock, and a really simple golden circlet (God's Ring). The Thorn is for me, the Lock or Ring is for Amai. She really kinda needs one of them right now.
Anyway, sis'll be comatose for at least another week or so, according to Cloud. He says her God's Aura was pretty depleted, but since she didn't activate it until after Skye put his scythe through her gut, she actually spent less of its energy by simply healing rather than making it distort space. (Don't ask me how it works, God's Aura ain't my specialty.)
Well, hoping you're doing okay, and Sirris and everyone else too. I sent Valon a letter, but I'm not sure if it got there or not… As you can tell, my handwriting's not that great. I'm probably gonna ask Cloud to address this one to you, so they can actually read it…
See you soon (I hope),
Arashi
Luke had to read the letter twice to translate Arashi's rough handwriting, and chuckled at the last sentence. "Well, that explains the neat handwriting on the envelope," he commented. Mieu laughed too as the redhead put the letter back before standing. "And look, there's Sheridan," he added, pointing to the port city as the ferry approached it. Sheridan itself was slightly past them already.
"Are you gonna read the rest on the Albiore?" Mieu asked. Luke laughed.
"Planning to."
Green eyes narrowed in concentration. It was very dark in the 'arena', but that was intentional. A black-gloved hand ran through spiky green hair before the sound of crunching sand caused the boy to settle into a defensive position.
Only a moment later, a wooden doll, about the size and shape of an average man, rushed into his short area of vision. From the other direction, a wooden woman attacked as well. The male doll held two daggers, one in each hand, while the female's 'fingers' extended into long, sharp claws.
Sync jumped to one side at the last possible moment before kicking the female as hard as he could, sending it flying, and turning to the male. A short flurry of punches and kicks later, it was thrown back as well. He paused to listen.
Not a sound was made. His eyes narrowed for a few moments. The sound of shifting sand came again, and Sync spun around.
"Reaper's Toll!"
The female doll flew away from him again, but the male had snuck up on him while he had been disposing on its partner. Sync started to wriggle out of its constricting hold, but stopped the moment its daggers were pressed against his body, one at his neck, the other in a lower area.
Slowly, the 'arena' was filled with light, illuminating the cavern and revealing one other person in the room. The woman's silver hair shone with light green highlights whenever the light hit it right. Black gloves covered her hands, one of which was extended toward Sync and the male doll, her pinky bent up at an angle, her middle and ring fingers pressed together and straight, her index finger pointed to the ground, and her thumb curled against the side of her hand.
Sync sighed as Nigai flattened that hand out, moved it to the side a bit, and held her hand up as if she had hit a wall, spreading her fingers as she did so. A moment later, that puppet fell to the ground, lifeless once more.
"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Nigai asked. Sync ran his hand through his hair again.
"No. But really, this isn't the kind of stuff I'm used to," he told her. Nigai crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall nearby.
"Tough. I'm not watching your back in a battle. And with only three of us, we're bound to end up outnumbered at least twice," she told him coldly. He shot a glare at her.
"Like I even asked to help!" he shot at her. Then he frowned, looking at the ground. "Why the hell am I helping, anyway?" he muttered to himself. There were unexplainable occurrences in his actions, if his memory was correct.
And then he stopped thinking about it altogether, instead thinking about how to avoid the scenario Nigai had put him in earlier. As he and Nigai walked out to get something to eat, though, he realized that he had completely forgotten what he was going to think about, despite it seeming important.
Why did this keep happening?
Kairi: So, a couple of things I thought were funny that went into writing this:
Kairi- (while attempting to beta-read) You know you're not fully awake when your sleep-addled brain reads 'the guy that fought' as 'that fat guy thought'.
Tony- (to me, when I asked about the Leomitch and Legretta section during the epilogue of Bloody Nightshade) So, about Leomitch mentioning Tony up in the first section… Sirris was intelligent. She didn't ask. Legretta? Not so much… (And trust me, this comment will make a lot more sense in a couple of chapters.)
Kairi: Also, Leomitch, no, you will not be paired with Legretta. Now then... If you would be so kind as to review... -hint, hint-
