cuprum

Suikoden series are trademarks and copyrighted by Konami. This fanfiction's mere fanwork only, not to gain profit, just to cure mental illness and don't sue me because of everything.
Timeline: 3-4 years after the end of Suikoden II.

Common silence flowed over the forest. As usual, the animals of the day were sleeping, the night beasts showed their eyes everywhere. Owls, Bat, and all of their kinds, roamed the darkness of jungle, they had the gift to do so, they were different from the other animals.

"Thief!"

But few moments after, the still must be disturbed by humans interfering voice. Few animals stirred in their sleep, completely uncomfortable of the new disturbance. It always connected to the humans. No matter what they were doing, humans're most likely one of the creatures that couldn't tolerate privacies, eh?

Blur of shadows, moved hastily from the one spot to the other. Not like the other visits from their kind, this time, there was only two shapes, two young man, moving without sound but fast, different from the other humans. Owls cocked their heads in confusion, eyes following every rapid move that they could catch.

There was a sound, a crack, like something was stepped. "Tsk!" followed soon after and one of them stumbled, fell in to the ground. The other man didn't waster this opportunity, he set down his feet at the other's back, pushed him deeper to the ground.

"Got you, Luc." The animals saw his lips moving.

"Let go off me." Luc hissed, trying not to make his word as a request, but more like a demand.

"No, 2 hours, we've been playing hide and seek in this forest." The other objected and soon added, "now, I'm going to end this all, give back the True Wind Rune that you stole from our shrine."

"I said to you for too much time," Luc debated, cuprum eyes glaring behind his shoulders, to the man who had the identical one, his arch rival, the Holy Priest of Harmonia, Sasarai, "it picks me as its owned, and you know for yourself, just like you, who's picked by the True Earth Rune, it can't be detached so easy."

"But it can!" Sasarai shoved his foot with more pressure to his back and the other man had to held his breath so he wouldn't cry too loud. "It can be detached! I'll soon find out how if you just go with me back to Harmonia."

"Hmph. It's the only thing you say to me since we've met few days ago." He displeasedly showing his smile. "Pathetic."

"And running away's the only thing you do since we've met, dear Luc." argued Sasarai. "Where's the courage you'd shown in the Dunnan Unification War. Is it missing somewhere?"

"I'm going to get you for this humiliation, if you want to fight, then we had to fight as magicians."

"You want a duel, then?" Sasarai folded his two arms.

"Yes." Silence for a few moments, Sasarai couldn't see Luc smile mockingly. "What's the matter, Sasarai? Getting afraid already? We haven't even start, for your information."

"Hmph." He breathed out. "You asked for it, you're getting it. But, if you run away again, I'm not going to waste my time, I'll kill you in instant." He took his foot from his back, carefully.

"Let see first if you strong enough to kill me, dear High Priest of Harmonia." He stood slowly, and clapped all the places where dirts pasting to his robe, then turned his body so he could face his opponent. "En garde."

Sasarai smiled, not an ordinary one, a challenging one, he titled his face, looking at the the man in front of him lowly. "Sasarai, True Earth Rune Wielder from the Holy Shrine of Harmonia."

"Luc, True Wind Rune Wielder, pupil of the Great Leknaat of Magician's Island." Luc soon replied his greetings, two fists clenched at both sides of his body. "So the time has come."

"How can you so proud sentencing your school, Luc," Sasarai frowned. "You're originally from Harmonia, a thief... or now, you're a traitor already."

"It has nothing to do with our duel, Sasarai." He closed his eyes, extending one hand towards his enemy. "After intorduction has done, you must concentrate to your battle, have pride gotten you so stupid that you've forgotten it? The Shredding!"

Sasarai widened his eyes in surprise, he automatically jumped for the nearest save place, that was far away from the effects of the spell. "How dare you to choose minor spell as an introduction spell, Luc! You'll regret this!"

"I won't!"

They were not ordinary humans, owls couldn't show his panic, but bats were already flown away from the face, uncomfortable hearing the high frequency sound sounded by the clash of spells, and chantings of magicians. Few of the sleeping already awake and ran from the forest since the first spell was spoken by Luc.

Woods and leaves stirred when a Mother Earth spell was chanted. It must be stopped, animals instincts said so, but they couldn't, they didn't have authority to command humans. Humans could do anything, they were every where, every time, any place. And they could do anything... including destroying the forest.

Their staffs met, trying to smash each other heads, while their lips were murmuring the chants of spells and charms. Identical copper eyes challenging each other, narrowed... need to kill, lust to assasinate one... They were... more frightening than wild beasts...

Those were... humans.

"Argh!" Luc's spell was disturbed by Sasarai's staff hit in his head, it bleed... a lot. He felt sticky red liquids flowing from the top of his body, smelled like irons, he didn't like it, he didn't like it at all, especially when he found Sasarai few steps in front of him, standing in alert of him, but lips still moving slightly, reading a spell.

"Tsk!" His brought his concentration back from the pain in his body, to his opponent in front of him, waving his rod, his lips tried to speak some meaningless sounds, a new spell that would counter the other's. Again their weapons met and the sound made more animals flew, eyes and eyes met but lips still chanting magic words.

Luc freed one of his hand from holding his rod, he flew a a slap to his cheek, hard, so he would stop his chants.

"Ah!" And so it did, blood dripped from his lips, seemed that he had it too hard, but he didn't care, no need to. Luc now had one thing in his mind while Sasarai was occupied, his spell.

But it was stopped again, as Sasarai's staff hit his chest, making him fall backwards, while his heart stopped in shock for a while. "Damn!" He cursed, in an instant, the spell was missed from his lips.

"Concentrate, Luc." The High Priest smiled, taunting him. "You can't win if you waste your breath for a cussing."

"I don't need your advice!"

Owls closed their eyes because a bright light came from the man called Sasarai, he had finished his spell, aiming it directly to the man called Luc. This was it, even the forest couldn't be another safe place for them. But why they didn't move from their place? the owls just shook their heads (if they could), they wouldn't find every day, when magicians fought, their energy were sensations for them, for they were too, mistycal creature.

And why you were still reading this piece anyway? The owl asked back. That was, an asnwer to be found.

Dark was soon interfered by small pieces of light from the eastern horizon. The duel still continues, for how many hours they didn't know. It was almost the time for owls to go back to their slumbers... dawn.

Luc leaned his hand to his staff, trying his best to catch few oxygen from the air. Sasarai too, holding his rod so his feet could stand at the ground, an eye closed because blood flowing its way from his head to his chin.

"We should over this." Luc managed to say between his rushed breath. "If we don't we'll kill ourselves."

"So..." Sasarai breathed slowly, his heart couldn't able to pump more blood at this rate. "You're saying that you're to surrender yourself to the Magician court, Luc?"

"I don't say so." He laughed lightly. "I'm suggesting you to do so, for your own good. Harmonia doesn't want to loose its High Priest in a duel with a common magician, does it?"

"Hmph!" He snorted. "You're thinking to lowly to myself, dear Luc." He walked slowly to him, while the other man didn't budge a single move when he was closer to him. "What I see is you, almost died in my hands. So, why won't you stop this useless thing before it's worse."

"Better die." He ran his fingers, covered in blood at sweat, through his limp hair. "High Priest of Harmonia's so scared that he asks his opponent to surrender, huh?"

"Hah." The other man laughed. "Your condition is not able to fight anymore." He smiled when he saw Luc's frowining of his words, and soon added. "So am I." At that moment, his body fell to the ground, his eyes half closed, his self wanted to hold the consciousness.

"Uh." Luc soon followed, dropping his body to Sasarai's side. "Ah..."

So this was the end of the duel? The owls uttered few protests, they didn't need to destroy parts of the forest if it would be ended this way. And then in irritation, they went to their sleep too.

***

"Ahh..." Sasarai mumbled, he tried to open his eyes with all his might, and narowed pupils then met the orange sky of the dusk. "Oh god, we were sleeping all day?" He muttered disbeliefly in low tone. He tried to move his body, but a hundred of needles pierced his skin and he couldn't do it again because of numbness. "Damn."

"So you're awaken." A voice said beside him, he moved his eyes a little and came eyes to eyes with the lower rank magican. "You're numb too, huh?"

"I guess so." Sasarai closed his both eyes, avoiding his gaze. "Exhausted, I think. If you want to run away, this is the time."

"No." Luc replied, Sasarai turned his face back to the True Wind Rune wielder, he moved his right hand to his chest. "Can't. Broken ribs maybe, can't be healed even with Healing Wind."

"I see." Sasarai smiled. "So we're in a truce here?"

"Maybe." Luc said, sighing. "Any other option that we could take?"

"Yes, you're right." Sasarai returned his gaze above, to the tangerine sky above, looking at the yelowish clouds and the Venus that was seen far distance in the sky, and some... crows? "Darn."

"Crows, huh?" Luc commented soon, his eyes following the man beside him's. "They're here since this noon, smelling blood, maybe, our blood for exact."

"They're smelling us." He then laughed bitterly, a painful laugh. "They smelled the scent of death. This is pathetic, are we here now, waiting for the Reaper comes and take our lives."

"Well, we couldn't move." Luc said, he followed the trails of the flying crows, black dots in orange sky, black beasts, simboling that the time was near. "But we could try something."

"I see." Sasarai stretched his lip line in amusement. "You're true indeed. But my magic couldn't reach the sky... I am... the earth."

"No need to tell me." He countered him in a similar smile. "I know what you're thinking." Sasarai just still beside him, watching the man beside him closing his eyes and mouth moving randomly, some chants he didn't know, of course, their elements were different, he needn't to study wind elemental spells, for it was his greatest weakness.

A wave of wind spells throwed into the sky, some crows started to fly away, but the unlucky ones were falling down in great speed towards them. A slight illusion of canopy covered both of them and crows were bounced into other places.

"Huh." Luc smirked, looking at the earth magic few above his eyes, it weakened his magic. "I don't know I should thank you or not."

"The same here." Another silence followed them both, didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. "Say, Luc." (Well, the author took back her previous typing). "I don't think I have any major wounds, no broken ribs."

"Now, are you saying that my magic is that weak, High Priest of Harmonia?"

A chuckle. "No, not that." He reached for his robe, taking something from a pocket there, a scroll. A Healing Wind scroll. "Sorry, Luc. Guess I'll win this anyway."

Luc was speechless as the element of his escaped its power from the scroll, flows of air circling the man beside him. He could even feel the sensation of its power as it stopped all his blood flowings, closed his wounds, cured his arch enemy. "Great," he hissed in between his breath. "My own element betrays me."

"Hah." Sasarai tried to use his hands to move him into a sitting position, his eyes then fell to the lying man beside him, wounds are covered, of course he had tried using that spell before, he'd said it. But still, it was useless for aiding broken bones. "No, I'm just more careful than you're." He adjusted himself in a sitting position. "Well, what should I do to you?"

"I thought we're on truce." Luc chuckled. "I should know I couldn't trust High Priest of Harmonia's words."

"Well, no," He beamed back. "I'm not taking back my words back, little one."

"Who do you think you are, my father?" He retored in emotionless tone.

"Ah, Luc, trying to humor yourself at times like this." He shook his head. "No, maybe I'm trying to use something that would make you could walk for a while, until we reached the nearest town, or village."

"And that is---"

"Listen." Sasarai cracked both his fingers. "I haven't try this for a long time, so don't panic. I'll try to freeze your neural senses, that means you couldn't feel anything, including your pain, your brain's still functioning normally. We can walk but don't get yourself try too hard, your ribs are broken though you couldn't sense it. Try that and you worsened your wound, understand?"

"Getting a help from an enemy."

"You're the one that asked for truce." Sasarai put his hands in front of the other man's chest, started to whispered. "Guardian of Earth, Ruler of Woods, grant the power for me to my little hands, as the---" His hands were slapped, he stopped the chant almost instantly. "Wha--- why!?"

"If you're asking me to walk with this condition, even without pain, you're trying to get me kill myself. What if my broken ribs pierced through my heart without me noticing it, and when the spell's finished, I'd die... You're so stupid to be a highest magician in Harmonia!"

"Hmph." He snorted. "I was trying to help you. Now, what you're going to do? Lie here and wait?"

"Better than get myself killed."

"Pity for your life." He said. "Why did you steal the Rune in the first place?"

"I said for lord knows how many times, I don't steal it. It chooses me." Brownish yellow eyes glaring at his. "I thought, you, as another chosen one, would know this feelings, Sasarai. I wouldn't let it, and it wouldn't let me go, until there's another chosen one, until I died."

"You're not worth it." He disputed. "It's must gone through ceremony and ritual, and a not fulled magician just take it like that, you're more a scandal for the Harmonian shrine. I know it would chose you ever since you stepped your foot there, but must you take it without permission?"

"Hmph. I have no comment. I know I can't fit myself in the royal shrine." He countered back. "I'm glad I ran from it, and studying under Lady Leknaat's tutorings. She's another wielder of True Rune, and I'm more than glad to be at her service."

"So, it's Leknaat then?" He arched his eyebrows. "Phedophilian witch." This sentence was commented by a 'hey' from the wind magician, but Sasarai pretended didn't hear it and continued. "So, you think I'm no better than her, eh?"

"She's not a phedophilian witch, and yes, she's better than you, she's older you and she's--- argh!" Luc fell back. The sudden anger and temper making him not realizing that he was trying to make his body moved forward, trying to sit. He clutched his chest with his fingers. "Damn it!"

"Are you alright?" He moved closer to him, his hands holding his. "Now, look where that temper brings you."

"Tsk! It has nothing to do with it!" He berathed heavily. "And will you take off your hands from mine? They make me uncomfortable."

"Is that so?" Sasarai's hand squeezed the other's clutching ones, while the other moved to the paralized man's chin, cupping it, and brushed his thumb lightly against the wind's magician lower lips. "So this makes you uncomfortable?"

"Truly." He frowned, a pair curious eyes look at the Earth Rune wielder's. "You sound like a gay."

Another light chuckle was only the answer from the older man, as he closened the distance between their faces, as his lips caught his in a gentle brush, and then prisoning him fully.

Luc was stiffened, as the man, his arch rival for exact, doing all, pressing his lips and deepened the kiss. His body moved above his, carefully not to touch his chest, not crushing him. "Sasarai---" He said slowly, trying to talk between his roaming lips. "Do you know what you're doing to me?"

"I know too well, that's why I'm trying to get you back."

"A---" He couldn't say anything anymore, his tongue was captured by his, the time he had opened his mouth for a talk, the earth magician had took the chance to invade the inner cave of his mouth. He closed his eyes, felt heavy because the sudden senations, where his tongue deepened and now fighting with the other's. Luc unconsciously wrapped his hand to his rival's neck, wanting him to go deeper.

They soon broke off, searching for some air, Sasarai was looking him, disbeliefly. "I... hh, never thought that you would give me the answer that fast..."

"I'm surprised myself."Luc tried to control his breaths despite the pain in his chest. "Since when?"

"The day you unleashed True Wind Rune's maximum power, sometime in Dunnan Unification War." He smiled sightly. "So young, innocent and handsome that day..."

"I don't like being praised by a fagot."

"I'm your lover now."

"You're imagining things, Sasarai. You're not my lover. I'm normal. I like girls." Luc smirked, eyes shining with proud, like it wanted to say that he won.

He sighed, but still, smile was on his face. "So, we're back at square one now?"

"I think so."

"Foolish." Sasarai swept his lips against the framework of Luc's mouth, only teasing; then his kisses trailing the other's man's bones to his neck, nibbling gently, and it moved upwards again, under his ears, as he bit Luc's earlobe mild and kindly. "You're not straight, " Sasarai whispered near Luc's ear. "If you are, then this, would not happen." Sasarai's fingers caught another him in his hands.

Luc's jerked his body quickly and soon screamed as he burried his fingers to Sasarai's shoulders. "Stop it! I *have* broken ribs!"

Sasarai grinned, laughed lightly, brushing his fingers to a part of him that needed much attention. "No, I won't let you go, as well as I won't let you die." He ran his hands along the length of him, and stopped at the base, where he massaged it gently. Too fascinating, although it was behind his greenish robe.

"You won't let me die, yet you ARE killing me!" Luc gritted his teeth. He screamed once more, his ribs are hurting him when he tried to arch his back. Sasarai's gone kissing him again, making him mute while his other hand was comoforting another place. "Sasarai, I swear---" He managed to say between the High Priest's demanding kisses. "After this, I'm going to kill you!"

The other one chuckled. "I guess you won't, you can't." He went to his rival's ear once more and said slowly. "You've waited so long for this, haven't you?"

Luc half screamed, half moaned when Sasarai forced his tongue to enter his mouth again, and he was kissing back. Surely, Luc also didn't protest when Sasarai's other hand went under Luc's robe, rubbing his chest slowly. Sasarai released his lips from his mate's and then chanted in front of Luc's ear, a charm he had never studied before, an alien chant...

"Sasarai, what are you---"

The spell continued as something bright shining from under Luc's robe, from Sasarai's hand, and it was strangely warm. In a split second, it had blinded Luc's eyes. And after a moment, everything was usual again. Sasarai closed both his eyes and smiled innocently as he stood. "Now, you'd better stand up, the spell's wearing out another 3 hours. Until then, we've to find a doctor for you."

Luc tried to sit, and it worked, his chest, didn't feel any pain. Realization came and he narrowed his eyes in disgust. "That spell..."

"No, it's not a spell for paralizing your senses, it's another spell that works well too, but---"

"You have to make the victim's body excited..." He hissed, continuing Sasarai's words. "Inner organ manipulating spell, a spell that can control other person's inner organs functions and circulation." Luc's snorted, when he saw Sasarai's eyebrows bend. "I know. What I didn't know was, Harmonia was studying banned spells."

"Well, it worked rather nicely. I've just created temporary substance to connect your ribs, from the calcium inside your body, but I need to stimulate you first." Luc was insulted when he heard Sasarai's calm voice.

"And if you want to use the spell, the person's hormones need to be produced in higher speed and amount." Luc titled his face in strong dislike. "And you're playing my body just to do that?!"

"Well, if I told you before, you would object it the second after I had said it."

"Of course!"

"Now, that's the only way out. I want you face the Harmonian justice, alive; And I don't want to waste myself there, waiting for you without doing nothing, and don't debate, you don't want me to do it again when the spell's wearing off, do you?"

Luc's face reddened, and he walked pass Sasarai. "Fine!"

Sasarai smiled, amused by Luc's sudden attidute, and went chased his footsteps, until he walked beside him. His arm circling Luc's shoulder while they were walking together. "You know, Luc. You don't have to be so disappointed. There's still a lot of time for us."

"Sasarai!" He muttered. "Take your hands off me!"

"Ah, you're so tempting when you're angry."

"Another flirt and I'll make sure you die!!!"

Both man left the forest at dusk, with a completely different way when they first reached the woods. The owls woke up since the Wind Magician screams were echoed through every corner of the greenish Earth oxygen. Well, they had seen another wonder of Mother Earth, could make two rivals walking together hand in hand. Yes, hand in hand... (even though Luc looked so irritated). Well, at least the owls could roam the forest freely again at night...

end
(January 3rd, 2002; 14:19 pm)