A.N.: This is not a new fic. I started it under the highly uncreative title of "Sorceress Series: Raye and Minako"—heaven only knows what I was thinking—butchered my plot for a few wordy chapters, and then went away for nearly two years. When I came back and reread my poor, abused story, I realized just how awful it was. Of course, being me, the edited version got away from me just as much as the original had! Hope nobody hates it, and I hope nobody who read it before gets too mad at me for completely changing it. If anybody really cares, I'll probably leave the old story up for a while. It's different enough that I think I can get away with it.
And it really will pick up soon. It's a slow beginning, but stay with me!
Oh, and I'm looking for some poor masochist to be my beta. I can't seem to get a hold of the old ones (Sailor V-babe and Lightspeed Sazuka—where are you when I need you?), and heaven knows how much I need an editor! Email me if you're willing (and crazy)!
October 2006
Venus Smurf
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"Promises of a Stranger"
Chapter One
The clash of steel on steel echoed through the clearing, followed quickly by a cry of pure, almost inhuman rage. The strength of this cry sent entire flocks of rust-colored birds fleeing the dubious safety of their trees, their panicked calls quickly fading as they took to the skies. Neither of the two combatants noticed; every ounce of concentration was already bent on each other, on each other's weapons and movements and expressions. They certainly couldn't spare anything for the birds.
With another, slightly more subdued cry, the big, rather shaggy man in the center of the field charged. He swung his sword with wild force, knowing that even the slender, golden girl facing him lacked the strength to counter the downward momentum of his weapon. His lips twisted in a triumphant grin as the girl's eyes widened, as she made no move to bring her own sword up to block the blow...
...and the sword swished through the now-empty space to embed itself in the soft dirt of the otherwise vacant field. The man blinked, nearly losing his balance as his weapon failed to make contact with the slender girl's body and instead pulled him down towards the earth. He was too well trained not to recover quickly, however, and he immediately yanked the weapon free, spinning to locate the elusive young woman he'd just tried so unsuccessfully to skewer.
She was standing a few feet behind him, feet planted as firmly in place as if she'd been there all along, sword gripped tightly in her deceptively delicate hands. Her smile was slightly wicked, and it only became more so as she took in her foe's confused expression.
He scowled. Gods, how he sometimes hated her…
Anger surged in him once again, and he charged at her as forcefully as though he hadn't already done this once before. He pushed his body a little farther than he had, though, made himself a little faster, hoping he'd take her by surprise and finish this once and for all.
She watched him come, and her calm expression did not alter. Too late, he realized that his ploy hadn't even remotely worked. She was far too serene for someone about to be run through with a sword, and, maddeningly, she hadn't so much as braced herself. Her eyes had taken on a decidedly mischievous glint, though, and he just knew she was going to do something sneaky and underhanded, something that would leave him humiliated and defeated. Still, even knowing that, he'd already committed too much of himself to this charge. He couldn't stop the impetus of his heavily muscled body, even though the move would probably cost him the fight.
Did cost him the fight.
She didn't move until the last second, right before the point of his sword made contact with her porcelain skin. Then, with a casualness that revealed the true extent of her training, she brought her sword up, tapping it almost gently against his. That simple action deflected his blade, tossing it into the air with a force that he could not control.
As he tried in vain to regain mastery of his weapon, the girl kicked him viciously in the knees. He howled with pain, letting his weapon fall to the earth as he clutched at his abused kneecaps. The girl used his momentary inattention to drop to the ground, sweeping a quick foot out to knock him off his own feet. He fell, still yelping with pain and outrage as he landed, hard, on his stomach. His face hit the dirt, sending an additional lance of pain through his temple, but he only lay still, giving himself the chance to recover his breath before meeting his fate. The knowledge that he was lost and at the mercy of this pale girl-child was only reinforced as the sharp tip of her double-edged sword pressed against the back of his neck.
He groaned but kept his face to the earth in an unnecessary show of submission. "You win, damn you," he said, trying without much success to keep the frustration from his tone. Then, because that just wasn't enough for him, he added, "I really hate you, you know."
The girl's shook her head in a motion that was both quick and careless. "You adore me," she countered, her musical voice tinged with amusement. "You're just mad because I made you eat dirt. Again." She gave a golden little laugh, and his throat was suddenly free of that uncomfortably sharp metal.
How had he thought that he only sometimes hated her? She's evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. There's no other explanation.
He rolled over onto his back, staring up at her serenely lovely features, irritated all over again at the unabashed humor in her gaze. The glare died only a little as she laughingly helped him to his feet, as he rubbed ruefully at his sore neck, but then he sighed and let his anger go, too good-natured himself to hold a grudge for long. "I thought I had you that time, Minako," he told her.
The girl only smiled.
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They took their time returning to the camp; he was hurting in far too many places to want to hurry, and Minako seemed content to amble along at his side. They said little, at least once Minako finished telling him what he'd done wrong. She had plenty of advice, as she always did, but she was so matter-of-fact about it all that it never occurred to him to get offended. He only listened quietly, taking her words apart in his mind, memorizing and applying. Don't throw so much of your weight into your swings—any opponent with half a brain will just use it against you. Stop thrashing around so much—hoard your energy as a miser does his gold, and you'll last longer. Never lose your weapon. A dropped blade automatically becomes the enemy's, and it will be used against you. And for heaven's sake, Jed, stop trying to turn me into a pincushion! It's annoying as hell.
Sometimes he wondered why she put up with him. He felt like—was—such a novice compared to Minako, and he was always half-afraid that one day she'd realize how fruitless this was and just leave. Even if he spent ten lifetimes learning, he didn't think he could ever reach her level. Then again, she was usually the first to remind him that he was still new to her lessons, that he shouldn't expect miracles until he'd been at this for a lot longer than the few months she'd been training him. Minako glanced up at him from the corner of one eye, and if she smiled again, and if that smile was a little more serious than any of the others she'd given him today, he was willing to ignore it. "Stop sulking, Jed. You did just fine, and I'm hardly going to give up on you."
He hated it when she did that. Bad enough that she'd knocked him flat again—did she have to know what he was thinking, too? She read him so well that he sometimes wondered if she could hear his thoughts. I wouldn't be surprised, he thought, annoyed. She can do pretty much everything else. Why not this?
And she was smiling openly now, as if she did, in fact, know exactly what he was thinking.
Hate her, hate her, hate her…And, of course, he didn't.
They'd crossed into the camp by now, though Jed was a bit startled by that. He'd been too busy replaying the fight in his head to really notice where they were. He sighed, waving a few greetings to those they passed, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by an over-excited horse and then spinning instead into what that horse had so generously left behind.
Minako was laughing again, but then having Minako laugh at his expense was about as common as having the sun rise in the morning, and he'd long since stopped reacting. He only scowled and began looking for something to scrape off the mess on his boot, lost and regained his balance in the process, and then began to curse loudly as he noticed the second figure approaching. Why does she always come when I'm doing something embarrassing?
Minako stopped laughing and shot him a quick glance of warning—a glance that hadn't lost any of its amusement, for all that. "You know how she feels about swearing," she quietly reminded him before turning to the newcomer. "Hello, Raye."
The figure was close enough now that neither or them could miss her expression, and it wasn't pleasant. "It's about time," she snapped, her tone acerbic but still somehow beautiful.
Like everything about her.
Minako only smiled, not at all bothered by her friend's lack of welcome. Raye was always like this, after all. It didn't mean anything.
Jed wasn't quite so unresponsive. He swallowed tightly, naked longing in his gaze as the raven-haired healer came still closer. He'd been in love with Raye almost since the day he'd met her, though if she'd noticed—and Minako confidently assured him that she hadn't—she was choosing to ignore it. Come to that, she ignored him, too, most of the time.
She was ignoring him now, in fact. Her attention was entirely on the perpetually smiling Minako. "You said you'd be back hours ago."
Minako just shrugged, unrepentant and not at all daunted by Raye's glare. "Sorry," she muttered, not fooling anyone but not really trying very hard to do so. "We were on a role. Didn't want to stop." She glanced at her companion, still smiling. "Jed's gone and gotten too skilled for me," she added. "He almost beat me this time."
Jed felt heat rushing to his cheeks, though of course they all knew Minako was lying. He hadn't come even close to beating his golden-haired teacher, probably never would. Still, knowing she knew how he felt about Raye, it was nice of her to try and make him look good. Not that it matters much. Raye doesn't see me.
Indeed, Raye didn't seem to hear the compliment, and she certainly didn't seem to care. Her gaze remained focused on Mina, her mulberry eyes flat and unfriendly. "He's awake," she told her blonde friend, voice typically curt. "He's been asking for you." Her gaze finally flicked over to Jed, then back to Minako. "Both of you," she amended.
Jed's sigh echoed Minako's, all of the elation they'd felt during the fight evaporating as quickly as if it had never been. Neither of them really wanted to deal with this, not now. I'd rather go back and eat more dirt, the big man thought tiredly. It'd hurt less.
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He was an old man, frail and bent and pale. He was old enough that those who watched over him tended to wince whenever he moved, hearing his bones creak so loudly, seeing how little energy he really had for anything. They stayed with him anyway, of course, because he'd been too good a leader for too many years, and they loved him too much to walk away when he needed them.
Jed loved his old chief as much as anybody, looked on him as a father-figure and respected him just as much as he once had his blood father, but he was starting to hate these visits. Didn't help that they happened so rarely, now, as age continued to ravage the old man's body and he was asleep more often than not, as illness sapped the rest of his strength. He hated seeing how weak the chief had become, hated his own helplessness in the face of it. Hated the foreign stillness that would come to Minako whenever she was around him. Death was something any warrior understood, but a quiet Minako was so strange that her silence only made the situation so much worse.
Not that she stayed away. Not that either of them could.
Minako slipped inside the chief's darkened tent, immediately going on her knees beside the old man's deathbed, taking his hand in hers. She was smiling at him, but while her smile was warm, he knew her well enough by now to see the sorrow behind it. "It's about time you woke up," she told him, voice teasing but still too soft. "You're so lazy."
The old man smiled in return, but unlike Minako's, his smile was full and genuine. He knew he was dying—how could he not?—but at this stage in his life, death was a friend and welcome. "I think I'm entitled," he told her, voice wavering only a little with his weakness. He glanced over at Raye, who had come to stand next to Minako. "Besides," he added with a wink in the healer's direction, "if I'm lazy, it's only because this one hasn't let me do anything today."
Raye rolled her eyes, having heard this all too often already, but she still stepped aside so Jed could take her place. He knelt beside Minako, dwarfing his diminutive teacher even while on his knees, and taking the age-spotted hand she'd been holding. "Just ignore her," he told his chief, knowing he wasn't exactly endearing himself to Raye but not caring at the moment. "She's just your healer—she doesn't know anything."
The old chief smiled again, but he didn't answer. Their conversation, short as it had been, was proving too much for the man's strength, and sleep was fast claiming him. Jed frowned, not missing how ragged the man's breathing was, not missing the wet rattling in his chest. That can't be a good thing. He glanced up at Raye, not releasing the chief's hand, frown intensifying as she only looked away. From the way her lips had pursed tightly together, from the sudden clenching of her tiny hands, he knew she could hear it, as well. Knew she was aware of what it meant.
Minako was standing, now, her smiles completely erased. Her gaze was shadowed, her expression set. She caught each of their eyes for an instant, then motioned them out of the tent with a graceful jerk of her head. Jed slowly eased his hand from the chief's, cast one last look at the old man's peaceful, sleeping face, and then followed the two women into what was now the night air.
Minako led them only a short distance away, close enough that Raye would hear if one of the chief's attendants other called for her, far enough that nobody else could eavesdrop, at least not as long as they kept their voices down. Raye stood with slender arms crossed over her chest, a frown identical to Jed's marring her beautiful features. She completely ignored Jed, as always, focusing instead on Minako's equally unhappy features. "He has a few days at most—three, maybe four," she told her friend, knowing what Minako had planned to ask before the other girl had even opened her mouth. When the blonde didn't answer or even seem to hear her, she sighed and shook her head. "There's nothing you or I could have done, Minako," she murmured. "He's old and sick, and not even you can fight death. It's his time, nothing more or less."
Something dark flared in Minako's eyes, at that, though her expression never changed. It was gone before Jed could put words to whatever it was he'd seen, but he found himself feeling suddenly cold, as though some unrecognized warmth had died within him. He glanced at Raye, wondering if she'd seen it, too, but while he noticed how sharp her own eyes had suddenly become, she still wasn't looking at him.
Maybe he'd been imagining things, and maybe Minako had finally realized that he was staring at her, because she visibly shook herself, clearing her gaze of that sudden, unnerving heaviness. Her expression changed again, and now the only emotions he could read in her face were regret and grief and nothing else. Her lips twisted in a sad smile that somehow seemed false, and she nodded. "Then do what you can to make his passing easier, Raye," she gently commanded. "Jed and I will see to the rest."
Raye's dark head inclined downwards in a slight nod, her full lips parting as though she was about to say something else, but then her expression changed, her eyes becoming as shuttered as Minako's. She bit her lip, abruptly pulling her blonde friend away from Jed. The girl went willingly enough, though she cast an apologetic glance in the man's direction as they moved out of earshot. "That was subtle," she gently chastised the healer, voice deceptively light. "Are you trying to give us away?"
Raye scowled, dismissing Minako's concerns with a shake of her head. "Does it even matter?" she cut in, voice harsher than it should have been over a simple death. "Everything we came here for is slipping through our fingers. We've lost our chance."
Minako's expression was positively grim, but she only shook her head. "There's still the succession. We haven't lost all hope, Raye."
The healer snorted. "The succession? Are you serious? Even if the old man does stay lucid long enough to choose someone, what guarantee do we have that the new chief will support us?"
Minako shrugged. "We'll deal with that when the time comes, Raye," she answered quietly, "though I don't think that's going to be our biggest problem." She tilted her head to one side, slanting her eyes rather meaningfully in Jed's direction.
Raye picked up on the look, interpreted it correctly but only scowled harder. "Him?" Her lips thinned as she studied the man waiting so patiently for them. "Maybe," she finally conceded, "but that's still not a guarantee. Nothing is, with what we'll be asking."
"No," Minako agreed, "but we'll ask it anyway." She sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Raye, but we're out of time, and we're out of choices. We're going to need everybody we can get, if we want to win this thing. We need them."
"And if they still refuse us?"
Minako's answering smile was cold and hard. "Then we force them."
Raye's eyes were just as cold. "Force them to die for us? You know it'll come to that."
Minako was already turning away, but she paused long enough to give Raye the answer she already had. "Yes," she said. "To both."
A.N.: And there you have it—the world's lamest cliffie! It really will pick up, people.