Summary: Frankenstein can't find Rai.
Set pre-series.
Secondary summary is 'Frankenstein has trouble sensing Rai when he spars with Muzaka.'
AHAHAH I THOUGHT THIS PART WOULD BE SO MUCH SHORTER THAN THE FIRST.
Care
By Dark Ice Dragon
The connection between Frankenstein and Master was muted when he had woken up that morning, like Master was asleep - except Frankenstein had never known him to do that. Master was in his room staring out the window when Frankenstein went to bed, and he was still there when Frankenstein went back in the morning. No other rooms were used in the mansion aside from what Frankenstein used, so unless Master slept on the sofa…
And then he couldn't find Master. Any summon Master had from the Lord, Master told him in advance (and Frankenstein would later remind Master when the date came around). The only other times Master left was in an emergency or to watch a spar between himself and Muzaka. Seeing as he had been asleep at the time, it could not have been the second.
The silence in the mansion stretched further than usual, every sound Frankenstein made echoing back to him as he double-checked the rooms, in case Master had changed his routine.
Was this what it had been like for Master before he had arrived? Only having distant sounds for company? For centuries?
Frankenstein pursed his lips and continued searching.
xOx
The mansion was empty. The full moon wasn't for another two weeks so Master couldn't be in his shrine either.
Frankenstein closed his eyes and focused on the connection he had with Master. It had been several hours since he began searching – waking Master now wouldn't be impolite.
He reached out through their link, but Master didn't react to his questioning presence like usual. It was as if… Frankenstein frowned, reaching further, trying to get Master's attention.
Nothing.
It was like being able to see where Master was, but when he tried to go to his side, a sheet of glass blocked his way: telling him Master was still alive, but it wasn't enough.
The number of years Frankenstein had spent contracted with Master as less than without; he'd still gotten used to sharing his head with Master, exchanging flickers of conversations and emotions faster than spoken word.
For that presence, that insurmountable wall of power to be the way it was now…
No.
Master wasn't sleeping.
Sick dread seized Frankenstein's stomach. Master was close to death. He wasn't dying -his presence wasn't waning- but there was no denying how weak Master was.
If Frankenstein didn't find Master in time-!
Frankenstein span on his heel, racing towards the Lord's mansion.
xOx
The visit to the Lord had been fruitless: Master hadn't visited him, and the Lord didn't know where Master could have gone.
Well.
There was one person Frankenstein knew that would be able to help his search for Master.
xOx
Muzaka had once given Frankenstein vague directions to the island where the werewolves lived; neither had expected him to make use of them. Why would he? He would stay by Master's side and Master stayed in his mansion. Frankenstein had noted the information just in case anyway.
He was glad he had.
The werewolf island was similar to Lukedonia in that it was covered in forests and rocky mountains. At a glance, the only difference Frankenstein could see was the trees were greener here. That didn't matter, and Frankenstein made as much noise as possible to alert the werewolves of his presence.
He stopped at a soft rustle above him, the movement too strong to be caused by the breeze.
"I want to talk to Muzaka," Frankenstein called out, looking in the person's direction. Pretending to be a weak human to be underestimated be dammed right now – it would take too long, and the faster he found Master, the better. From what he had observed of Muzaka, the werewolf Lord appreciated being casual over formalities.
Something white and red jumped out of the tree and landed in front of him.
"Lord Muzaka isn't here," the werewolf said, straightening. Normally, Frankenstein would have been curious at her pink eyes, but her information carried more weight. "It may be some time until he returns."
Frankenstein frowned. Muzaka had left their mansion a few weeks ago – that gave him ample time to return, unless he had left again straight away?
"If you need help, I can take you to Maduke," she said.
"No, that's fine," Frankenstein said, shaking his head. "Thank you for your time."
Trying to find Master with Muzaka was one thing; it was another to inform Master was missing to a werewolf he didn't know.
Muzaka liked travelling, Frankenstein knew that, so it wasn't too surprising he wasn't here. The information was troubling though.
Who else other than the noble Lord had the power to hurt Master?
And both of them were now unaccounted for.
He was jumping to conclusions and that wouldn't help Master. Frankenstein put that thought to the back of his mind and focused on finding Master.
xOx
Frankenstein found himself further north than he expected. Every other place he had searched was devoid of any clue of what had happened to Master so he had spread out further.
Snow crunched under his shoes, his breath freezing in front of his face. He had missed the light flurry of snow the day before, but the drop in temperature was tangible.
Frankenstein approached the ridge he had been aiming for since he'd seen it. There were no trees or mountains here, nothing that could give him a good vantage point of the island. This was the highest point on the island – once there, he would be able…
He slowed to a stop, his eyes wide at the utter destruction in front of him. There were craters metres across dotted around like someone had tried to use the landscape as a lake to skip stones over. Frankenstein was sure those lakes in the centre of a few had not been there a few months ago, the edges too crisp.
Amongst all the white and blue, patches of brown stood out in stark contrast, a lot of it clinging to the inside of the craters.
It only took a few hours until blood darkened to that colour.
His heart thudding, Frankenstein skidded down the ridge.
xOx
It wasn't just craters that dotted the landscape, but slash marks. Wide slash marks that went as far as the eye could see when Frankenstein was at ground level.
A werewolf's attack.
Frankenstein stared out at the landscape but there was nothing to suggest a body lay there. His eyes picked out something bright red amongst everything else and he knew what it was from the shape alone; he walked towards it anyway, certainty growing with every step.
He crouched down to brush away the snow from the crimson feather half-buried underneath. It was longer than his arm and there was only one being Frankenstein knew that had pinions that big. He'd found similar when he'd revisited where he'd sparred with Urokai, the feathers scattered around like someone had taken a handful and thrown them to the wind.
It was Master's feather.
No…
Frankenstein took a moment to control his breathing, gritting his teeth. Why had Master come here? Why had he fought here? Who?
He eased the feather out and frowned when frozen blood came up with it.
There was something else in the mush. He leaned in, peering and…
A clump of long silver hair.
Muzaka's.
Frankenstein rocked back on his heels, his thoughts stuttering to a stop.
There was no-one else who would be able to force either to use their full powers aside from each other.
It wasn't a spar. It couldn't have been. Not when they both knew Master drained his life force when using his more powerful abilities, and Muzaka wouldn't force Master to do that.
So why…?
Why had they fought? Why here? And why hadn't he sensed this when it had happened?
xOx
Frankenstein hadn't found bodies of either, no matter how hard he searched. He knew Master was still alive, the connection still beating in his mind, but he would have preferred to have found Master's body, or Muzaka's, so he could find out what happened.
But he would.
He just needed time.
So yeah, the secondary summary – I was wanting to play with the fact that 'he' changed depending on how you read the sentence, but 'spar' was too light a word for Rai and Muzaka's fight, and 'fight' was too series for Frankenstein and Muzaka's .
