Chapter Two: Sift(through the fragments and find a better lie)
Bear watched the silver-haired Wavemaster tossing Twilight onions to the young grunties in the town's pen, laughing while the creatures fought over the treats, and couldn't help but be amazed. How could the kid be so relaxed after almost killing one of the Crimson Knights, the second in command no less? Didn't he know he was wanted for immediate arrest? Was he oblivious, or just stupid?
Apparently losing interest in bating the grunties, the boy hopped off the fence where he had been sitting and started walking towards the exit of the corral (which also meant walking towards Bear, since he was lounging near the entrance.)
"Oi."
The boy stopped, not bothering to look at him. "What do you want to ramble about this time, old man?"
He let the 'old man' comment pass; he was well beyond the age where he could get riled at people for telling the truth. Not to mention, his own son called him worse. "Do you ever check the message boards?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. It was almost impossible to miss the message boards, they seemed to go up anywhere there were people. Even in a skeletal town like Dun Loireag, too high up in the mountains to attract too many people, there were at least three message boards. And every single one of them had a wanted description of one nameless, silver haired Wavemaster…
"I don't bother with stupid things like that," the kid said cockily. Although, despite the cockiness there seemed to be an undercurrent of unease.
"Well, I guess I have nothing to say to you, then," Bear sighed. He didn't know this kid, if the boy didn't want to talk then he didn't have a right to get involved. The boy snorted, rolling his violet eyes and stormed off all but radiating irritation. As Bear pushed off the fencepost he had been leaning on he noticed a slight irregularity to the shadow of the main gatepost. "Haven't we had discussions before about manners and following people on their private business?"
A snort issued from the shadows. "I can't help it if your senses are going and you didn't notice me until now." A shift in the breeze exposed a hint of turquoise cloth and a few stray locks of wavy golden hair. Not that he needed the hint to know who was spying on him. "And can you blame me for being curious about why you left me to fend for myself back in the field the other day? Not that I should have been, I guess. You just can't pass up the hopeless cases, can you?"
"You were just fine by yourself," he countered, not really feeling like going into 'hopeless cases' with this woman.
"True, but I might not have been if the fight had gone on longer than it did."
"Now you're just sulking, BT. You're the best Wavemaster I know, there's no way those monsters would have defeated you."
At last she came out from behind the pillar, vivid green eyes sparkling in amusement. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Sir Bear. But I must admit, you picked a true problem child this time. Even your real son was never quite stupid enough to pick a fight with the Crimson Knights."
Bear had nothing to say to that. After all, he was well past the age where he could get riled up at people for simply telling the truth.
Oh my god, he's still alive! Mimiru thought, relief flooding her. She couldn't help herself, despite the fact that she was still angry at him a smile blossomed on her face. And what does the arrogant brat do? He glares at her and keeps walking.
"Hey," she snapped, starting to lose her temper. Still he kept walking away. "Did you know that the Knights have a reward out for you?"
Finally he stopped. "Really."
"Yeah! The second in command of the Crimson Knights was found half-dead laid out in a dungeon. The guy can't remember anything that happened for the last month but since he told his buddies that he was going after you before he left for the dungeon that they found him… the place where we met… they're assuming that you had something to do with it! If you don't go in and set the record straight soon, you're going to be in a huge amount of trouble. Not to mention the reward they put on your head is enough to make anyone feel a little greedy…" Finally she turned to face him, and he looked… surprised. How could he look surprised? It wasn't like the posters and the long speculation lists that people had been attaching to the boards were subtle. They were impossible for even her to miss.
And yet, judging by his face, this boy had, somehow.
"He really doesn't remember anything that happened? Are you sure?"
"That's the one thing that everyone agrees on," Mimiru snorted. The pale boy looked even paler, for some reason…
"Do you… do you know of any traps in there that would have caused amnesia?")
No. That just wasn't possible. "Say, I don't think I ever got your name…"
"It's Tsukasa," he replied, the expression on his face still looking like someone had walked up behind him and hit him over the head with a rock.
How does one subtly ask someone if they have amnesia? Mimiru wondered, her brain coming up with nothing. Subtle was not her strongest suit and something about Tsukasa's face said that one more question just might break him. "Well, if you're ever in trouble… you know how to get in touch with me, right?"
"Um, yeah…" he replied vaguely, that troubled expression seemingly stamped permanently onto his face. "I…" he trailed off and turned his back to her, wandering off without even saying good-bye.
"Tsukasa, wait up! I… you…" The only sign he gave that he'd heard her at all was speeding up to get away from her. "Arrgh! He must be the most infuriating person I've ever met!" she snarled, turning on her heel to storm away…
Something pale blue and tan was looming inches from her face. "Boo."
"Eeep!" she yelped, dropping her sword, which buried itself halfway into the wooden planking. Ooops, she was going to have to pay for that one…
"A… cat? As in, meow meow, drinks milk and eats mice?" Mimiru asked incredulously, more than slightly taken aback at the way the information-trading session had turned.
"Well, not exactly. This one's apparently purple and white with glowing red eyes, wears clothing, and is the size of a human child," her friend and mentor, Bear, explained.
"Are the Knights really giving so much weight to this? I mean, it sounds a lot like some wild rumor to me…" Mimiru trailed off suspiciously.
"Well, the knights seem to think it's real enough. In fact, that cat is the only other suspect they're pursuing in the assault case against the Silver Knight."
"I still have a hard time swallowing that," Mimiru snorted, propping her hands behind her head and shifting her weight back slightly on her perch, careful not to overbalance and go flying into empty space.
"What, the fact that the only other suspect in this attempted murder case is a feline, or that…"
"Well, obviously that, but I also don't like the fact that the Knights usually have to get three or four reports of a Rouge victimizing mercenaries before they act on it, but the minute something happens to their preciousSilver Knight, they hound the first possible lead without stopping for even the tiniest scrap of proof!" Mimiru burst out. Rouges really were a serious problem for mercenaries. A lot of them were registered as mercenaries themselves, but instead of hunting treasures in the abandoned ruins of times gone by or taking hires from the wealthy of the cities, they preyed on whatever travelers were hapless enough to be in their way. Some simply robbed the victims of their valuables, but most killed first and relieved their targets of their possessions later. As long as they stuck to leeching the blood of their own instead of attacking trading caravans, the Knights of all three colors (Be they Azure, Cobalt, or Crimson) tended to ignore them. "They put fifty thousand gold pieces on his head for a live capture, Bear! Every bounty hunter is going to be salivating over him the minute he walks out of this town… it's a real miracle that no one's just decided to ignore the no-combat laws and attack him in the town, and he doesn't even realize what's going on!"
"You really don't care for the Knights very much," Bear observed idly, although his dark purple eyes crinkled in amusement.
Mimiru sighed and closed her eyes so he wouldn't see her roll them. "Well, I can't deny that they do some good; I mean, someone has to enforce the law, and they do a fairly decent job of keeping crime down in the major cities like Mac Anu, but… ugh, I just can't stand their high and mighty attitude!" she snarled.
"I do agree with you on one point at least… there's something strange about all of this. Not just the bounty, but if you're right about Tsukasa's amnesia…"
Mimiru bit her lip. "It's the only option that makes any sense, I mean… how else could he possibly miss the message boards unless he couldn't read them? And he really seems clueless about other things to, like manners and the consequences of his actions…"
"There are less radical explanations for that, but… hmm…" An expression crossed Bear's face that normally would have had Mimiru wincing at any other time but this. "I'll think on it for a while, and keep you posted, so check your crystal periodically, okay?"
"I will, I will…"
Ugh, this is why I HATE traveling alone! BT thought to herself, wishing that she had simply decided to wait for Bear to answer her queries to go out for more training as she ducked around another series of stone pillars. The shadow was still stalking her in the afternoon sunlight, just as it had been for the last half an hour (it had taken her about half that time for her to admit that she was noticing something more than an abnormally paranoid monster). Truth be told, she had never been a great distance runner, and she was already starting to tire. No matter how she twisted or turned she couldn't manage to get a bead on her stalker to hit him with a well-deserved bolt of lightning, and after her the last of her previous three attempts had ended with a chip of stone that had been dislodged by a miss nearly taking off one of her arms, she had decided to conserve her energy.
This time the flicker was accompanied by a swish. BT whirled, staff slamming into the ground hard enough to strike sparks as her attacker jumped a good five feet straight up and landed behind her with a graceful twist. She was so busy gaping in astonishment that she almost failed to block his first strike. Not that it did her much good, his blade struck the staff with such force that she was disarmed almost instantly. With a flash of steel and a twist she was suddenly pinned against something warm and muscular, arms wrapped around her throat. A glance backwards told her that this knives were attached to his wrists somehow, possibly retractable and spring-loaded. She'd only seen the like a couple times, and although they were harder to use in some ways than normal knives, they also allowed a lot more versatility, especially when it came to the element of surprise. No wonder he disarmed me so easily, she thought ruefully before turning the rest of her mental facilities to removing herself from her current situation. The annoying thing about all this is that if she squirmed too much she might just remove her head accidentally…
"Your name, please?"
She blinked. "Are you serious? You've spent the last half hour stalking me, and all you want is my name?"
She couldn't see his face, but there was a definite smirk in his tone. "Well, that's not all I want, of course. You've seen my skills… I'd make a really powerful ally. And judging from those… GiRai Krutz spells, correct?... you're a rather skilled Wavemaster yourself. We'd be unbeatable if we worked together, what do you say to that?"
She snorted and rolled her eyes skyward. How had she let this idiot catch her, again? "I say you're a fool."
"Hmm… boring and smart, or interesting and foolish? What's your preference?" he leered. BT wished she could see his face… it would be really nice to be able to tell if he was flirting with her or just being childish. It would be even nicer to have a description so she could report this incident to the Crimson Knights when she got away, but at this moment she really couldn't afford to think that far ahead just yet.
"Heh, worst of all is the boring fool, like you are," she quipped. She needed to keep him distracted just a little longer…
"Oh, a sharp tongue? Better and better. Your name, please," he repeated, and this time it didn't sound like a question at all. "Last chance before I-"
The spell wasn't controlled or even completely finished when she released it, it was just a burst of electrical energy. Most people wouldn't have even been able to do that much without a staff to focus their energies. Her assailant screamed in pain and flailed wildly, allowing her to squirm out of his grasp… but not before one of those wicked blades caught her on the side of the throat, sending her precious red blood everywhere in a burst of brilliant crimson that spiraled into black at a dizzying, disconcerting speed…
Subaru gazed out at the watery canals of Mac Anu, the sight failing to soothe her troubled mind as it normally did. The defeat of her second in command made her feel both angry and… vulnerable. And further angry with her second - what had possessed the Silver Knight to go out alone? – which wasn't truly fair, considering his condition. Whatever stupidity had possessed him, he had certainly paid for it fivefold.
"Starting with the village where we encountered the Rogue Wavemaster, we are conducting a systematic search, and inquiring as to anyone who has had contact in with him in the past. If we continue in this manner and remain vigilant in our patrols…"
"Is that really going to be sufficient?" Subaru wondered. The fact that they still did not have a name for the boy was proof enough that they were doing something wrong. And they simply could not afford to take any more men away from their assigned duties to monitor the activities of one Rogue. She would not allow it, and might even go so far as to discipline whoever suggested it. The first duty of the Crimson Knights was to keep the cities, towns and villages safe from the monsters that might otherwise prey upon them.
"If the Rogue wishes to move through any sizable settlement, he will have to use a Chaos Gate eventually," one of the knights addressing her pointed out. "And as long as we control the Chaos Gates we will be able to apprehend him eventually."
"Hmm…" She still wasn't certain that the silver-haired Wavemaster she had seen on the docks that day was really responsible for what had happened to the Silver Knight, but until he woke up… "Didn't you tell me of an incidence where this Wavemaster was able to use teleportation in a warded settlement?" she asked, half turning to gage their reactions. Both knights jerked and exchanged what would probably be nervous looks if their expressions weren't so thoroughly hidden by their helmets.
"With all due respect Milady, Windfall Village is a very small settlement. This would not be the first, ah, failure of their defenses that has been reported. In settlements of any great size where Tsukasa has been seen, he has been reported to have used a Chaos Gate upon leaving. The fact that he is in possession of a Sprite Ocarina is proof of the fact that he cannot teleport at will-"
"The fact that he possesses a Sprite Ocarina is not proof of anything. He may simply wish to hide his ability and reserve it for emergencies. Most Weavers who operate outside the Council are very circumspect when it comes to their abilities. We do not know for certain that he will always need to use a Chaos Gate to travel from one place to another… but he should still need to use it if he wishes to leave the Mac Anu region." Weavers were those who were adept in more complicated spells, like barriers, the creation of Chaos Gates, the creation of many useful items like the Sprite Ocarinas and the messenger crystals… and the borderline-illegal things like instant teleportation regardless of location, true psychic communication, in addition to several other things that were more rumor and less fact, like necromancy and mindreading and dozens of other impossible things. However, the only Weaver she had ever heard of who could leap from one area capital to another without using a Chaos Gate was the legendary Helba herself, and considering the most popular rumor about the Rogue Weaver was that she was actually a demigod… the odds of this Rogue Wavemaster being able to duplicate the feat were nearly zero.
"Very well, Milady, we will keep the watch upon the Gates. And if that does not work, the bounty should be enough to bring him into custody."
Subaru's eyes narrowed at the mention of the bounty. "I'm still not entirely sure I approve of that measure. There have been at least three cases that I know of involving Wavemasters who have the misfortune to resemble our target being assaulted and dragged to the Knights' Stronghold… I am not at all certain that the ends justify the means in this particular matter, especially since we are still not a hundred percent certain that the Wavemaster was involved at all. Has Ginkan's condition improved?"
"He still sleeps a great deal, Milady. The healers believe it will be at least three more days before he can return to his duties, and his memories of the last month seem to still be patchy, but are slowly returning. And… I humbly apologize that the bounty was posted without your approval. Such a mishap will not happen again."
Or rather, you will take a great deal more care that I do not find out about it,she could not help but think. She was truly trapped; she could not remand the bounty issue without making it obvious that it had been posted against her orders for at least another three weeks, or until it became obvious in some other manner that it was not working. The ruling council of Mac Anu had had enough trouble accepting a woman as the new leader of the Crimson Knights even when Crim was around to act as her second and her regent of a sort, although most of the administrative work had still fallen squarely on her shoulders. When she had reached her majority and Crim had left her obviously in command of the Knights, it had nearly caused an uproar. She wasn't sure that she was secure enough in her position to let any challenge to her authority become a public spectacle at this point… And this is why I need Ginkan here, instead of warming a hospital bed in the Healers' House! she quietly moaned. Although she and the Silver Knight were often at odds with one another, he faithfully carried out her orders. In return, she did her best to give his advice due consideration even if she disagreed with him. He had been one of her earliest supporters and she was not slow to forget that. "See to it that it does not," was all that she allowed herself to say aloud.
"Yes, Milady!" they were both quick to answer. Subaru nodded slightly in acknowledgement and turned her gaze back to the water. Her thoughts had started slipping once again to a chance glance at the boy they were now so avidly pursuing when one of the knights hesitantly spoke up again. "If I may be so bold, Lady Subaru… about the Silver Knight…"
"Yes?" she asked, turning fully around this time. "Is there something else about his condition that you forgot to tell me?"
"No! Nothing like that, it's just… perhaps you did not notice, but the Captain… the Captain has always been very fond of you, Milady. It is possible that, out of a certain sense of rivalry with Crim he might have…"
What? She thought numbly as the boat hit the dock. She had been aware that Ginkan had always cared for her… but certainly not the way that this knight meant the word 'fond' if he was comparing the Silver Knight to Crim, who many people had speculated was her lover. (Although Crim had certainly not been her lover, despite those godsawful rumors! He was more of an older brother figure to her than anything else.) Not to mention the fact that by-the-book Ginkan had always hated it when Crim had gone off on his own in this sort of situation… he certainly would never dream of trying to emulate the actions of a man that he could barely stand even if he was trying to impress her… in that sort of manner…
She was not able to bring herself to reply to this new information verbally, although she was placed a hand against the shoulder of the kinight who had told her in a gesture of thanks. It was important that her knights came to her with the truth, as they had come to her father before her, or this entire organization would fall apart around their heads. He looked up at her in that moment, eyes earnest even behind the helm bespelled to give them an eerie blue glow.
"Please don't hold this against the Captain, Milady…"
"You are both dismissed," she commanded more harshly than she had intended. "Oh, and before I forget… if the barriers protecting Windfall Village are really that faulty, I want them strengthened."
"Milady, with the bounty and all our other expenses, the Knights' coffers really cannot afford…"
"You may draw the money needed for the expenses from the Misono fortune if it is necessary." It's not as if I am likely to leave behind any heirs who will actually need it. The fertility rate of Ascendant was abysmally low; supposedly they were too 'pure' to need things of the flesh, such as children. Subaru remembered crying when she had seen her wings beginning to sprout in a sort of distant way, as if they had been the tears of another woman. In comparison to everything that had happened to her after that it seemed like almost a petty grievance now. "I will not have any settlement be unprotected in today's climate. It is simply too dangerous to be allowed to continue."
"Milady! We shall attend to it at once!" the knight that had not confided in her about Ginkan assured her. Both managed to somehow bow from their kneeling position before they both rose and filed off the boat in an orderly enough fashion, although the knight who had informed her of Ginkan's… feelings… keep shooting her half-guilty, half-worried looks over his shoulder. "Crim, huh?" she murmured under her breath, staring blankly out at the water as she waited for the next group to come and report, her mind lost in memories of a time when her life had seemed so simple and straightforward…
What now? Tsukasa wondered idly to himself as he returned to Mac Anu. Probably not the smartest place for a wanted man (looking for you, eyes everywhere, and when they catch you-) to be heading, but that was the point, right? Hopefully, they'd be looking for him in Dun Loireag(he only knew the town's name from eavesdropping on other people's conversations) or the other places he had frequented. After all, it only made sense that…
"Hey, there he is!" someone shouted. Tsukasa jerked around to see that not only was Mac Anu guarded as well, but he had had the unbelievably rotten luck to come just as the guard was changing, so he now had to deal with four knights instead of two.
"Stop right there!" another one cried. Yeah right, Tsukasa thought to himself, taking an instinctive step backwards before the golden light enveloped him again…
…when the rings died he found himself in a twisted, lonely place with heavy dark clouds and dead trees hundreds of feet tall. Nothing grew on the bleak landscape as far as he could tell. Some of those enormous trees had open coffins equally as tall propped against them Tsukasa could only stare in morbid fascination and wonder how it was that the skeletons stayed upright…
I've been here before, he realized with a flash of melancholy nostalgia. I… I think I used to come here a lot… it was a good place to sit and think for a couple of hours before I had to rush back to…
Blank. Part of him wanted to throw down his staff and scream in frustration, hopping up and down and tearing out his hair. However, since he knew that would attract monsters, he simply made his way over to one of the ancient trees destroyed in times gone by and half-collapsed against the trunk, sliding to the ground.
"What am I supposed to do?" he wondered blankly. Even though this was his Thinking Place (yes, that sounded right…) nothing brilliant was coming to him. Just an overpowering feeling of… sadness… that seemed to pin him to the ground, immobile…
A sense of… displacement in the air caused him to look up just as Macha materialized with a bow and a broad wink.
"Well, you're looking down! What's wrong, Tsukasa?"
BT returned to consciousness slowly, the base of her neck throbbing for some indeterminate reason. But even though she hurt, she was warm and safe, so instead of trying to wake up, she snuggled deeper into the blankets…
…blankets…
She sat bolt upright with a horrified shriek, a mistake that caused her neck to hurt even more. But even as she clapped a hand to the bandages (bandages?) she scanned the room warily, looking for any sign of her attacker.
Wait. Wait a minute, I recognize that vase, and the lilacs that are in it, and that table and those books… and that's my staff propped up in the corner near the door… eww, there's blood on the ribbons and the shaft; I'm going to have to clean it later. I remember buying that reclining chair to read in at night, and haggling for that throw rug… this is my room! That sneaky bastard, how long has he been following me?
Come to think of it, there was a letter on the table, along with a very familiar circular turquoise crystal. Her hands went instinctively to her chest, where her messenger crystal normally hung…
Nope, not there. Bastard, she thought to herself yet again as she dragged herself out of bed and staggered over to the end table. The handwriting had the awkward look of a child's but it was legible enough.
Dearest BT(And I look forward to finding out what those initials stand for),
I must admit, I like a person with a personality as… electric as yours. Don't do that again, I might not patch you up next time. Your messenger crystal was very helpful with small, inconsequential details like where you live, and the name I asked you for so politely. I've even left some money to replace your outfit and those sheets even though it really is your fault that you're so bloody… I am sorry about the sheets, but I had a feeling that you wouldn't appreciate me taking off your clothing. I really look forward to working with you in the future!
Here's to a profitable alliance!
Sora
"That… the temerity of that…" the worst part was, without a physical description, there wasn't any point in reporting him. The Knights wouldn't move until they gathered more information than just a name, or until there were fatalities. And she had – narrowly – escaped being a fatality, which she really shouldn't be too unhappy about. But still…!
"It's probably too much to hope that someone saw him carry me up here… damned monkey probably jumped through the window," she sighed as she looked down at what she had been wearing (hopefully) the day before. The entire right side of her robes was splattered in blood and probably beyond saving. Damnit, and this had been her favorite set of robes. If she was lucky, she might be able to get some duplicates made…
Bastard.The world tilted dizzily and she luckily managed to land in a chair, instead of crashing into a table or falling to the floor. She was going to have to call someone to help her out a little… and the only person she knew who she trusted around her when she was this feeble was Bear. He was going to have a serious gloat over this; she could already see his almost-smile…
Bastard.
"…I think I used to come here when I wanted to be alone, but the Knights will find me eventually wherever I run… They're everywhere," Tsukasa explained to Macha, who listened raptly. It was really nice to have someone who actually cared about what he had to say instead of bossing him around, like Mimiru and that hulking swordsmaster. "I wish there was someplace I could go to get away from them and just rest for a little while…"
Macha's brilliant red eyes seemed to light up. "Actually, I know about a place like that! I was sent to tell you about it!"
Tsukasa blinked. "Really… is that true? Who sent you?"
"Of course it's true, and the Voice sent me, silly! Just like the Voice sent me to get you the first time," Macha replied with a grin.
"So… you don't really know me. From before, that is…" Tsukasa trailed off, feeling suddenly depressed. Macha was really his only lead; now he was back to square one.
"Tsukasa…" Macha began hesitantly. "Have you ever considered that you might be better off without your memories?"
"I…" Come to think of it, the only memory that had come back to him so far had been so painful that he had begged Macha to take it away. His memories couldn't all be like that, could they?
"Just think about it for a while," Macha suggested. "Now, I'll tell you how to get to our secret place, so listen carefully…"
Something is weird about this dungeon. I haven't encountered a single monster yet… boring. Although, maybe there's a reason there's no monsters here, like there's a powerful monster waiting in the bowels of the dungeon, something so terrible that all the weaker denizens of the place were driven away by paralyzing fear… that would be sort of cool! I'd love to fight something like that! The youth thought gleefully, his dark green hair glinting in the light of torches that, somehow, never burned out. He wondered if there was some sort of spell involved. Probably. Maybe if-
The sound of footsteps cut off his thoughts and he ducked deeper into the shadows. A Wavemaster with silver hair and brownish-orangeish cheek stripes walked right past him, completely oblivious to his presence. Hmm… silver hair, violet eyes, brown and tan robes with a crescent staff and cheek stripes… that couldn't possibly be that Rogue that the Knights are looking for, could he? The young man wondered, right hand blade sliding out of concealment. Things are actually getting interesting! Not that he was going to turn someone so fascinating over to the Knights. Not without talking to him first. Treasure, maybe a fight, and maybe a new friend! I knew that things were looking up for me from the moment I spotted that BT lady! So he silently trailed the Wavemaster as the boy made his progress to the treasure room. When he arrived at the statue, instead of opening the treasure chest like a normal person he walked around the statue. The youth heard the Wavemaster murmur something, and then there was a brilliant flash of light, completely different from a Sprite Ocarina or any other type of teleportation device he had ever seen. Still, when he made it around the statue to see for himself, the strange Wavemaster was gone.
"Well," said Sora, scraping a blade along the stone wall, something stirring in the back of his head, something about those 'assignments' that were given to him by the figure that he could never see, the jobs that he could never quite remember after doing them. Maybe he could get a lead on his mysterious benefactor(benefactress?). After all, he couldn't remember anything in the contract he'd signed what seemed like forever and a half ago about not snooping around the Master(Mistress?)'s business once things were complete; he just wasn't supposed to do anything to interfere beforehand. "This has the potential to be rather interesting."
And dangerous, couldn't forget the danger of squishy, immediate death.
Sora smiled at the prospect.
"This way, this way!"Macha prompted, still dragging Tsukasa along by the hand. They were in a field unlike any Tsukasa had ever seen before; sure there was nothing strange about the grass or the few scattered trees, but the rainbow sheen that seemed to permeate everything was bizarre. Not to mention the floating stuffed animal. (Teddy bear) his mind supplied, and he stopped to stare at it. Wasn't that annoying Blademaster named Bear? After a cute, cuddly thing like this? Tsukasa couldn't help but snicker imagining the man with black button eyes and rounded fuzzy ears stuck to his head.
"Come on, Tsukasa, she's waiting for you!"
"She?" Tsukasa asked, wondering if Macha was talking about the Voice again… and then he saw her.
Like everything else in this place, she was iridescent. Her skin was had an oddly reflective quality that he had never seen on a living creature before, picking up the rainbow sheen of nearly everything else in this bizarre place. Her dress was a pale, nearly white shade of pink that matched her hair, which was only a few shades darker. Long bangs covered her eyes, and her lips seemed to be curved in a faint smile. She hovered a good three feet above the bed that had been provided for her.
"Macha? Who's that?"
Mimiru nearly spewed her drink all over them. "What? The Crimson Knights let Tsukasa get away?" she gasped, and Bear winced. Perhaps a crowded tavern hadn't been the best of places to have this conversation with Mimiru, but all the noise of other people's conversations was a good mask for their own – if they could keep their voices down – and he didn't feel that BT should be exposed to the elements just yet. In fact, if he'd had his way she would still be in bed, but he couldn't break his appointment with Mimiru and there was no way he was going to leave her alone in her apartment to just wait for that psychopath Sora to drop in and 'check on her recovery', so…
"Well, I was able to talk to the knights," he studiously ignored Mimiru's glare and continued, "and they were able to give me some information. Tsukasa was spotted and nearly apprehended at the Mac Anu Chaos Gate. A surface check of the Gate's activities showed that he'd done a field jump instead of going to a different town or village. So, theoretically, he should still be in the Mac Anu area somewhere."
BT rolled her eyes. "Oh please, unless they know exactly what field he sent himself to it's just as likely he sent himself to somewhere just outside a remote village. Then he could walk to the village and use the Chaos Gate there."
"Unless the Knights were there too," Mimiru grumbled.
BT rolled her eyes skyward. "There are at least twenty outlying villages in the Mac Anu province, and since the Knights are traveling in pairs lately that would mean that they needed at least forty people to cover all of them. Considering that their overall personnel only total at about a hundred and fifty men, and that they're responsible for security both in Dun Loireag and in Mac Anu, they can't afford to spare that many people. They probably have the villages closest to the capital guarded, but there's no way they have men stationed at all of them. The Knights just don't have enough people for that."
"Well… but…"
"What, do you know something else about the kid?" BT asked.
"Do you think it's possible that he might really have amnesia, Bear?" Mimiru asked, her eyes shining with concern.
"I think it's just one of many possibilities. We won't know for sure unless we talk to him again…"
BT sighed leaned back against her chair, eyes flickering shut. Whether she was still fatigued from losing three quarters of the blood in her body and then being force-fed healing draughts of questionable quality or simply sick of the conversation was up for interpretation. "You're hopeless cases, both of you. A wanted criminal is a wanted criminal, and as long as he has to use the Gates the Knights are going to catch him eventually. Who knows, you might even get in trouble for withholding information… the Crimson Knights would really be interested in knowing his name."
"I wonder if Tsukasa's in trouble right now…?" Mimiru asked, staring blankly out the window with a sigh. It was quite clear that she had not heard the older woman at all.
"See what I mean?" BT muttered to Bear. "Completely hopeless. Not only does she lack even the tiniest glimmer of spatial awareness-"
"I heard that!"
"Oh, her? That's the Voice's Child. She says to me sometimes that when the Child wakes up, that the world will be reborn!" Macha gave the boy a huge feline grin. "Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't know the first thing about the current world, so I guess I could really care less about a new one… Macha?" Oddly, once he had torn his eyes away from the alien girl, the bizarre catlike creature had once again disappeared on him. "Honestly, I don't think I'm ever going to understand her…"
"Tsukasa? Can you hear me, Tsukasa?"
That same contented feeling he had gotten came back to him, not strongly enough to make him collapse but still enough to totally relax him. "May I ask who you are?"
"…as long as we walk together, Tsukasa, I will protect you, just as the Guardian I bestowed upon you saved you from that vile Knight before."
Tsukasa remembered the knight, but the memory of his screams didn't seem as raw or frightening as before. Actually, now that he really thought about it, hadn't that pompous jerk deserved to be taken down a couple of pegs? He'd been trespassing, after all. He'd put his presence and his nasty magic where it didn't belong. He had received his due, in fact, he should be on bended knees giving thanks that his pathetic life had been spared. Yes, that interloping knight should be thankful that the Guardian – his Guardian – had spared him.
Somewhere in his reminiscing the fact that the Voice had failed to answer his question was completely lost; a tidbit that he would not realize for quite some time.
"Tell me what to do and it shall be done," he replied as respectfully as he knew how, bowing to the empty air. A tiny sliver of panic infected that perfect calm. The thought of being abandoned was distinctly terrifying.
"Contact Mimiru and arrange a meeting," the instruction came. Did the omnipresent Voice sound amused by his show of respect? He really hoped so, because as long as the Voice was happy he knew that he would be happy too. "Do you recall how to use the messenger crystals?"
Messenger… Wait, now he remembered what that pale lavender crystal in his belt pouch was for! Of course he could contact Mimiru, as long as he had her name it would be easy, except… "How can I? The Knights guard all the Gates, and I…"
"Do not fear, Tsukasa... those who have faith in me are duly rewarded."
Horrified that he might have offended one of the only entities that had given him anything even remotly resembling help and comfort since he had first awoken to helplessness in the bowels of that abandoned temple, Tsukasa quickly choked out an almost panicked, "I'm sorry!"
"There is nothing to forgive, darling Tsukasa," the voice assured him, and suddenly that feeling of safety and security and belonging was back, the heady euphoria stealing his legs out from under him. He found himself sitting on the floating girl's bed, not quite understanding how he had gotten there and not particularly caring. The girl didn't seem to be in any condition to mind, after all. "To make your task easier, I shall bestow upon you a new power," the voice reassured him. Tsukasa briefly wondered what exactly the voice was talking about… and then, he knew. The same way he suddenly gained insight to things from before he lost his memory, he knew that he could now…
"Heh. Heheheh!" he chuckled. This was going to be great…
Unusually large group of Knights crowding the Lady Subaru's private gondola… doesn't she usually go out there when she wants to think and be by herself? Bear wondered idly. He'd left BT in his own apartment for the moment, as they were in the process of selling hers so she could move someplace else. It didn't make much sense for her to stay at that address while that moron was stalking her, and until they had more than a name (and a rather common one too) to go off of, it was probably better to be as cautious as possible. For some reason that he'd never be able to figure out, the Lady suddenly looked up, the symbol of House Misono tattooed on her forehead.
This girl is nineteen? Bear wondered incredulously, shaking his head as he broke eye contact. The Lady Subaru looked like nothing more than a child, and a fragile one too. Arms that slender should not be able to heft an axe that heavy… but then again, the Lady was also a fledgling Ascendant, and hence entitled to circumvent the laws of nature. Still, he'd trained years to build up strength and speed, and the thought that someone could just be handed all that by the powers that be simply by virtue of being born, well…. It annoyed him.
"Bear! Beeaaar!" called a familiar voice, jolting him out of his slightly melancholy reverie. Elbowing her way past the crowds and running up to him was a rather familiar looking girl in rather skimpy red armor…
No, he was not going to allow himself to go there again. He was not Mimiru's father and had no right to tell her how to dress. She'd made that rather clear to him when she had upended her drink on him and stormed out of the pub the first time – was it three years ago now? – that he had delicately suggested that it might be a better idea in their line of work to wear something that offered one more protection for one's vitals. "I can't believe I finally found you! I've been looking for forever, and you haven't been checking your messenger crystal…" she trailed off, leaning against the railing of the bridge to catch her breath. Bear couldn't help but wonder just how long Mimiru had been running to become that winded.
"For someone who complains so much about the rudeness of others, Mimiru, you certainly can be a bit inconsiderate when you're in a hurry," Bear commented as he waited for his sometimes-pupil to compose herself.
"Heheh… guess I'm a bit flustered. You see, I… well, I have a bit of a problem."
"Hmm?" he prompted, knowing that if thoroughly independent Mimiru was coming to him for help that she probably really was in trouble.
"Well… Tsukasacontactedme," popped out in a relieved rush.
"That's good news," Bear said, although he was slightly confused. It seemed that every time they came into contact with the surly boy, regardless of their intentions, he gleefully rebuffed their attempts to help him. Why would the boy suddenly contract Mimiru out of the blue?
"Yes, but well… the place he wants to meet is in the Lorieag region. If he wants to get there from here in Mac Anu…" as one, their heads turned in the direction of the Chaos Gate. They'd both seen the concentration of Knights in this area recently. There was no way Tsukasa was going to be able to avoid the search net and get to the only gate in this region strong enough to take a person to another one.
"Well, we'll just have to go ahead to this meeting place and wait for him," Bear sighed.
"You mean you're not going to help-"
"Mimiru, the first person that even thinks about drawing a sword in Mac Anu right now is going to be swarmed by at least twenty Knights. All we'll do if we try to interfere here is get arrested. We're just going to have to trust that Tsukasa has found a way around the Knights somehow."
"I still think we should try and help him here," Mimiru muttered, kicking a nonexistent stone on the cobblestone street. Bear was just relieved that Mimiru had come to him before going off to meet the mysterious Tsukasa. Because, if the boy really had dispatched the Silver Knight on his own, he was not someone that should be treated with unconsciously, and he knew from talking to her that Mimiru viewed Tsukasa as a sort of lost little kid, not as someone who should be feared. And hard as he himself found it to believe that the wispy little Wavemaster that he had first encountered hacking ineptly at a fountain spirit was capable of the brutal assault, well… things weren't always what they appeared to be at first glance.
Oooh, hello, targets number One and Two, Sora thought as he dropped from his perch, landing right behind the pair of patrolling knights and covering their eyes with his hands. "Peek-a-boo!" he called out cheerfully before somersaulting backwards to avoid the pair of sharp and pointy objects coming at him. Huh, they were a bit quicker on the draw then he had expected, but still as completely unaware of their surroundings as most knights he had met. If it wasn't straight ahead of them, they didn't see it. How typical… and how easily transferred over to their worldviews.
"Who the heck are you?" Left Hand Knight growled, surprisingly without charging him immediately, hacking and slashing like the monster his helmet made him appear to be. How fascinating, he had picked a pair of targets that might have a brain between the two of them. What a pleasant surprise.
"Say, this Wavemaster you're looking for… would he happen to be a broody kid, about yea tall with silver hair?" Sora asked, gesturing to an indistinct point about halfway between his upper arm and shoulder.
"I'd say that sounds like our guy," Right Hand Knight muttered to Left Hand Knight, who nodded in mute agreement. "Do you happen to know anything about…"
"Really? Thank yooou!" Sora trilled as he leapt a good ten feet straight backwards and another eight to the nearest ledge. There was a pronounced pause before the soldiers started cursing. He knew they'd already lost sight of him and would probably be asking after him next, but let them come. They day had not yet dawned when Sora would allow himself to be afraid of even a hundred idiots in bright shiny armor who were too stupid to think to look up, or even side to their sides in most cases. No, all that was important was that his mysterious disappearing Wavemaster and the Knight-killer Extraordinaire (the fact that the knight in question had survived was an inconsequential detail) were one and the same person.
"I just have to get someone like that to be my friend," Sora thought aloud, a rather childish grin blossoming across what probably should have been a serious face. How could he help himself? The entire affair just reeked of mystery and secrets… which might lead him to treasure…
Treasure and fun people to hang around with… Sora thought blissfully as he looped haphazardly around towards the Chaos Gate. There was someplace he wanted to investigate, and it simply wouldn't do to give those annoying knights an opportunity to report back so that they could do something really inconvenient, like barricade the Gate. Because then he'd have to kill some of them, and while he didn't mind the thought of that or the idea of getting in on a piece of the mystifying Tsukasa's infamy, he knew his… investor… might not appreciate that.
"Tsukaaaasaaa!" Mimiru shouted through the deluge, her waving arm illuminated by a brilliant flash of lightning, pulling the boy out of his brooding. He actually blinked in surprise. The freezing cold rain wasn't bothering him for some reason, but in all that revealing armor Mimiru must be freezing. And yet, she had still waited for hi-
Another flash lightning arcing from cloud to cloud instead of hitting the ground lit up the dreary plane once again, revealing the swordsmaster who almost seemed to be stalking him as of late.
"Why is he here?" Tsukasa shouted over the rain as he approached, pointing his staff at the tattooed man in an accusatory manner.
"Bear is here because I asked him to be! It's not like you said I had to come alone in your message!" Mimiru snapped. Or maybe she was just shouting because she didn't think she'd be heard over the downpour.
Lightning turned the world a less oppressive shade of gray, glinting off a rather annoyed pair of clear blue eyes. Yup, Mimiru was definitely snapping at him.
"I can leave if you don't want me here," Bear offered, clearly lying.
"No way, Bear, you're staying as long as you want to," Mimiru protested before Tsukasa could call the older man's bluff, throwing the frail-looking Wavemaster another glare in the gloom between lightning flashes.
The silence stretched out, occasionally punctured by thunder and thrown into painful illumination by the lightning before fading back into blessed obscurity.
"So," Tsukasa said, unsure of what to do next. The Voice hadn't told him what he was supposed to ask Mimiru, just that he was supposed to contact her. And, as of yet, she had not contacted him with more instructions… unless the thunder was supposed to be a cryptic message of some sort.
"So," Bear echoed, crossing his arms, clearly waiting for Tsukasa to begin. Something in the mess that had once been his memory hissed at him that that was what was expected of the one who called a meeting.
"So," Mimiru announced in a tone that clearly implied that she was sick of waiting. "Have you finally gotten around to checking the message boards?"
"No. Why should I care?" Was this really all she had to talk about?
"Because the Crimson Knights have increased the bounty on you head from fifty to a hundred thousand gold pieces. Because about ten Wavemasters with pale hair and earth-colored robes have been accosted by bounty hunters, even though only one or two of them bear even a passing resemblance to you. Because that knight that you attacked – and I really do hope it was provoked – finally remembered his fight with you. He managed to choke out the word 'Wavemaster' before remembering the attack sent him into fit of screaming and, eventually, convulsions. They had to knock him unconscious again… you do realize that, at this rate, he might never recover?"
"Bear…!" Mimiru gasped, sounding almost scandalized. "Even if that is true-"
"You know that my sources are reliable."
"-we still don't know that Tsukasa did anything. It still could have been that damn cat-thing that the Knights are chasing," Mimiru finished angrily, ignoring said Wavemaster in favor of glaring at Bear. So it really wasn't her fault that she missed the way that Tsukasa's eyes went painfully wide and he reeled a step backward in horror.
"I thought that you didn't believe that the cat-creature existe-"
"Is it true?" Tsukasa demanded, drawing both their eyes back to him. "Is that knight really in such bad shape?"
Almost as if the sky had a sense of dramatic irony, a thunderous crack of thunder punctuated his words.
"Tsukasa," Mimiru started as softly as the wind and the rain would allow her to while still being heard by her companions. "You didn't really…"
"No… yes… not really, at least I don't think I did," Tsukasa babbled, all the worry and panic that not even the Voice or his new powers could completely suppress bubbling to the surface as the words poured out of his mouth. "He was trying to kill me!"
Even the suspicious Bear seemed to melt a bit at the young Wavemaster's obvious distress. "Calm down, Tsukasa, and tell us what happened," the older man murmured comfortingly, reaching out a hand and patting the skitterish child on the shoulder. Tsukasa seized up at the contact as some warning bell sounded deep in the roving mess of fragments that had once been his memory. Reflexively he jerked back from the unexpected contact, almost falling in the mud, nearly tripping over his own feet in his need to be away from…
…what? What was he so afraid of? Stubbornly, a memory refused to solidify and give the irrational fear some backing, so he swallowed the illogical emotion and snarled, "Don't touch me!" in the coldest voice he could manage.
"Hey! Don't be so rude to Bear when he's just trying to be nice to you!!" Mimiru bellowed in defense of her friend. Tsukasa had to stop himself from letting out a heavy sigh of relief. Apparently he'd managed to fool Mimiru, which was a relief. He didn't think he could stand her babying him the way he was half-sure she would if she found out about that twinge of fear(-absolute terror, the sure knowledge that what was to follow would be painful, he never touched anymore unless he was going to-)
And then the memory was gone again. Tsukasa didn't know whether to be aggravated or relieved. Maybe Macha was right – maybe his lost memories were more trouble than they were worth.
"I'm not offended, Mimiru, I'm just curious…" oh no, that glance Bear was giving him was far too insightful for comfort. "…about a lot of things. First of all, one must wonder how you could miss those bounty notices. After all, such a big number tends to catch the eye… if one can read numbers. Or anything at all."
"It's not so uncommon not to know how to read," Tsukasa mumbled before he realized his mistake, and then he felt like biting through his own tongue.
"Oh? Perhaps you're right… except, in order to be a Wavemaster in the first place, you have to be able to read the original spells in order to memorize them."
"Maybe I just learned by word of mouth," Tsukasa shot back, privately patting himself on the back for his inventiveness.
"Perhaps you did," Bear acknowledged, drawing his sword and pointing it at Tsukasa. "So? Let's see you cast something."
Tsukasa's hands balled into fists around his staff's glossy handle as yet another peal of thunder shattered the air around them. The game was well and truly up.
"Bear! Put that thing away or I'm going to attack you!" Mimiru shouted, smacking his shoulder with a balled fist and drawing a wince out of her companion. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Proving your point, Mimiru: that Tsukasa really does have amnesia, and that the Knights are chasing him over something that he really does have no control over," Bear replied, sheathing his weapon. "Furthermore, Tsukasa, if you can't cast spells you can't defend yourself… which brings up the impossibility of how you managed to defeat one of the best swordsmen in the Crimson Knights. And of how you seem to be able to cross entire territories without using a Chaos Gate."
"I… I didn't really do anything," Tsukasa admitted. "Everything I have, was given to me by someone."
"Who?" Bear asked.
"I… don't know. I've never seen her face," Tsukasa admitted, shooting Mimiru a curious look as a flash of lightning coupled with an explosion in the sky made her look almost ashen underneath her tan… and then he remembered. Mimiru had been to the temple before, and the Voice had chased her off, from what little he had gleaned from the encounter. Which meant that he probably shouldn't have said that…
"Tsukasa, please tell me you're not listening to that crazy voice!"
Yeah, I updated. And somewhere in someone's .hack video game, a Grunty died a horrible, painful death by Virus corruption.
I would tell you that such a horrible update gap will never, ever happen again, but… well… I know me. It can and it will. College and writer's block and all that fun stuff. All I can do is try my best… after all, it's not like I don't know what's going to happen in the end.
Next Chapter: Bear expresses his displeasure at being left out of the loop and Tsukasa suffers an emotional breakdown. As an immediate consequence of this, Mimiru gets to try and find out what sort of biscuits a Gelatinous Guard Dog would like to eat. (yes, I know that this fight should have been in this chapter… but don't you think it's long enough already? I'm TIRED!) And, you know, Sora's off plotting and the Knights are off hunting, and BT is almost well enough go back outside and try and turn her dream of Fried Assassin into a reality. You know, love and fun stuff.
Oh, and before I leave...
Question: How badly is Tsukasa's mind being screwed with by the Voice?
Answer: ...(evil smile)