:: Silken Fire ::

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

Sequel to Smoke's Wrath

Disclaimer: I don't own Sorcerous Stabber Orphen or any of the characters mentioned.

Rating: PG

Pairings: Hartia+Krylancelo, Rai/Hartia, Majic+Orphen, eventual Orphen/Majic

Warnings: AU, mild shounen ai, mild language

Notes: *sigh* I start school again Tuesday, which means much less time for me to write. I'll miss Winter Break... I like being productive for once.

Anyway, this chapter is sort of pointless and confusing, probably repetitive, so I'll try to move on with the important stuff next chapter. This one was difficult for me, probably because I was unsure of what I was doing half the time... Well, this won't be the best of chapters I've written, but it's something, ne?




Orphen awoke only to be assailed with a variety of smells. His head still throbbed, seeming to pound viciously when he sat up, but he didn't feel quite as lethargic as before. He recognized the scenery instantly; he was still at Stephanie's house, having just woken up on her couch, and he could hear two feminine voices in the kitchen.

"How much ginger am I supposed to add, Stephanie-san?"

"Shh, Orphen's still sleeping... And just a pinch-- No, not that much!"

"Shh!"

He felt a smirk tugging on his lips as he leaned back into the couch, the velvet-like material soothing on his cold body. "Maybe it's good Azari left," he mused aloud, enjoying Cleao's startled yelp. "Women are too difficult..."

"Nice to see you awake again," Stephanie said.

Cleao practically bounced over to the window-like space in the wall that separated the kitchen from living room. She beamed brightly, a sight he found himself relieved to see. At least SHE wasn't depressed. "I'm glad you're conscious! We're just fixing dinner right now. We're almost done."

Orphen nodded, gripping the low-set table to steady himself as he stood. "Where's Majic? And Hartia?"

Cleao blinked, tapping her chin as she stared up at the ceiling in thought. "Shrimp Man went for a walk, I think," she said slowly, earning a snort of appreciative humor at the Shrimp Man comment from the sorcerer. "And I haven't seen Majic since we talked an hour ago."

That's right... Stephanie had mentioned Majic had wanted to talk with the perky blonde when he'd first come in. "What did he want to talk about?"

For a moment Cleao looked harassed, but she waved the question aside. "Oh, nothing too important... Orphen, where're you going?" Her voice was suddenly sharp as he made his way to the front door.

"To find my apprentice."

She hurried out of the kitchen, pressing her slim palms flat on his broad chest. "No, you don't," she said firmly, using the not inconsiderable strength of her arms and shoulders to push the already weakened sorcerer back on the couch. "You're still tired, you haven't eaten in four days, and you're going to SIT here and let Stephanie and I attend to your immediate needs!"

Orphen raised an eyebrow, a shadow of his former skill, and the blonde girl blushed faintly. "At least... Until you're feeling a bit better," she added in a somewhat more timid voice.

He felt a chuckle rise in his chest, though it came out as more of a cough for some reason. He made sure to give her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Thanks, Cleao," he murmured.

She smiled back, seeming pleased to earn a thank you from the normally cold, closed-off sorcerer. "We'll be done soon, so just relax. Majic'll come back when he's hungry, anyway."

He nodded and she headed back for the kitchen, but he didn't mention that he was more worried of Hartia running into his apprentice before he could get to him first. He didn't blame his friend, really; he knew he had simply been concerned. But with both his best friend and apprentice as high-strung as they were... Well, hopefully they had calmed down in the past hour.

Hopefully.

Majic didn't come back by the time the three started to eat, but both Cleao and Stephanie were insistent on making him eat before he went anywhere.

"Majic's a lot more capable of taking care of himself than you let yourself think, Orphen," his former partner reminded him. "I don't think he'll be attacked by anyone here; the people here are better than that."

Orphen did agree with her there; the city of Allenhaten was a fairly good place. No one objected to sorcerers, thankfully, and from their few past visits Orphen, Cleao and Majic had managed to get along with the townspeople just fine.

Even still, he had to find him if he didn't come back soon.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, during which Cleao seemed a bit tense. He knew why; she liked to talk. It was practically all she DID, after all. He was correct in thinking so, because a few moments later she said with attempted casualty, "So, Orphen, what are you going to do now that Azari-san is back to normal?"

Stephanie shot her a warning look, but Orphen found he really didn't care if she mentioned Azari's name. He couldn't hate her for what she'd done... How could she help falling in love with someone else? It wasn't like he'd had any "claims" on her in the first place.

"I don't know," he admitted, stirring his soup with a spoon without clear intent on tasting it. "I told Hartia I would travel for a while... But I'm not completely sure."

"You could stay here," Stephanie offered.

Cleao smirked. "With you getting married to Tim?" she asked in a singsong voice.

Orphen shook his head slightly. "Thanks for the offer, Steph, but no thanks." He paused before glancing over at the curly-haired blonde. "What about you?"

Cleao started, dropping her fork. "I... Well... Uh... Actually, I was going to..."

The black-haired woman beside her muffled a small laugh. "I believe Cleao had plans on returning home, didn't you?"

The sorcerer narrowed his eyes. "That's right. You and Hartia talked..."

Now Cleao looked a bit guilty. She twirled a strand of hair with her finger, staring down at the table so as not to meet his gaze... Much in the irritating fashion Majic sometimes did. "Well... I did think it would be unfair to ask you to tolerate me now, in your sensitive state... We both agreed you might be better off alone for a while." 'Even if Majic doesn't consent,' she added silently.

Perhaps it was simply because he was tired and weak, but her admittance unsettled him. "It's wonderful to know you and Hartia are determined on deciding what's best for me," he snapped, getting to his feet and storming to the front door, ignoring his wobbling legs.

"Orphen," she started, getting up, but Stephanie put a restraining hand on her shoulder until the door slammed shut. She turned to look at the older woman, hurt. "Stephanie, why...?"

"Leave him alone," she advised with a knowing air. "He didn't mean it, he's just not used to being so physically incapable of doing what he wants whenever he wants. He'll be fine in a couple days."

She sighed and took a seat, gaze fixed on the place he had been sitting only moments before. "I suppose so..."

That didn't mean she liked it, of course. Rather, it hurt to see him act like that. He was still, undeniably in so much pain... And all she could do was sympathize.



How long had it been snowing? Orphen blinked as some of the soft flakes caught on his eyelashes, obstructing his vision. Maybe it hadn't stopped since that day... Yes; the snow was deep. And... Admittedly, it was quite lovely outside.

Lovely, but cold. He shuddered, rubbing one arm as he realized he was wearing little else than his boots, pants and T-shirt. He felt oddly light without the pendant hanging from his neck. An icy breeze blew, making the faded brown shirt ripple across his body like water.

"Oshou-sama!"

He blinked, eyes focusing on a stricken-looking Majic, who was standing in the snow just before the steps his master was currently on the top of.

Orphen frowned faintly. "What are you doing out here? You'll catch cold."

"I should be telling you the same thing!" the blonde cried, immediately rushing to his side. Orphen tilted unsteadily, and almost at once his apprentice had an arm around him in an attempt to keep him upright. A warm, pale hand came to rest on his arm, trailing down to his hand and them fluttering up to his face. "You're so cold..."

He felt oddly safe, though the sorcerer couldn't begin to explain why. "I'm fine," he murmured even as he went lax, realizing he was still too weak and tired to move. "Let me stay out here for a little while. I need a change of scenery."

"You need to lie down," Majic replied worriedly, though he didn't move to urge him back inside. Instead he brushed some snow off some bricks that formed a small garden so the young man could sit down. "How long have you been awake?"

Orphen considered telling him the truth, but decided he wasn't feeling up to dealing with Majic's uneasiness. "Long enough."

Azure eyes flickered with nervousness, but then the look disappeared. "Oshou-sama, I... I don't want to step out of my boundaries as your student, but I really think..."

"A lot of people think they know what's best for me," he snapped, inwardly groaning as the boy flinched. He was being an ass again, and he knew it. "Sorry."

Taken aback by the apology, Majic stammered, "I... Please, Oshou-sama, I don't want you getting sick upon being hurt so badly already."

Orphen had the unsettling feeling his pupil meant more than just physical hurting, as though he somehow understood, as though he could somehow EMPATHIZE with his teacher's abrupt and huge loss. But he was also right... If he got sick while his body was still so weak, it would be even longer before he could heal.

"Okay," he relented, leaning against the wall tiredly. "I'll go back inside."

Relief washed over the youth's face and he hurried to open the door. Orphen went back inside, feeling warmth wash over him like he was sinking into a hot bath. It was... Nice.

"Orphen?" Cleao called from another room. "Is that you?"

Majic sighed heavily and hurried off, leaving Orphen feeling somewhat disoriented. Funny... He hadn't noticed until it was gone, but Majic had a pleasant warmth that put him at ease. Perhaps it was simply because he was comfortable around the boy most of the time, but... Something was bothering him, like a memory that he didn't quite want to think about. There was something similar between Majic and Hartia...

He wearily ignored everything around him, finding that all he wanted to do was curl up under the blankets of his temporary bed and fall asleep. His mind was exploding with so many things he knew he had to think about, but right now it HURT... He just wanted to get away from it.

Orphen stumbled into the room he had been asleep in earlier. It was dark, but that was all right. The snow had stopped falling outside, and the stars and moon looked oddly crisp in the dark sky. He sat on the edge of the bed, gazing almost dreamily out the window.

As a child he had believed in promises of the stars... At least, for the first few years of his life. Around the age of eight he grew self-conscious of his fantasies and denied ever thinking that way, especially after Hartia began to tease him about it. Back then all he had wished for was for Azari to love him... Now he knew that wish had always been fanciful thinking. So many hints had been there, dancing in front of him, that she had already found someone... But he had blissfully delusioned himself for all these years. It had worked until she had admitted it to his face that Childman had been the one she loved all along.

A flicker of light caught his eye and he turned to see Majic standing in the doorway, donned in sea-blue pajamas that were too big for him, holding what looked like a lit candle in a silver, intricately designed candle holder. His face reddened when Orphen's slanted, mahogany-coloured eyes fell upon him. "Ah... I'm sorry, Oshou-sama... You're going to bed already?"

He nodded once. "In a bit, when I'm tired enough."

The blue-eyed apprentice inched his way in, growing bolder when Orphen made no objection to his intrusion. "You're not tired now?"

He snorted softly. "I'm dead exhausted."

Majic gently set the candle on the nightstand. The dim light form the single flickering orange flame seemed to give his dusty golden hair orange highlights, an observation the older sorcerer only made absently. His student knelt beside the bed, directly in front of him, and rested his hands in his lap, gazing down at them. "May... May I stay with you until you fall asleep?" he asked in a small voice.

The request was almost cute, in the way a little brother would ask an older sibling to sleep in their bed after waking from a childishly frightening nightmare. "Why?"

The young teenager's hands clasped, tugging on the lower hem of his top. "Just because," he mumbled, face lit with a blush.

Orphen shrugged. Inwardly, he was relieved that Majic had offered to stay beside him. He felt better going to sleep with someone else there, which was a childish thing to feel, but right then he really didn't care. He didn't want to seem clingy to his apprentice, though, so he had the right of mind to act like he didn't care. "If you want to."

Then, to his surprise, Majic leaned forward, resting his arms and head in his teacher's lap. The action was a bit unnerving and made Orphen a little uncomfortable, but his student's whispering distracted him. "Oshou-sama... When you leave to travel again, may I go with you?"

The question sounded a bit familiar. Once a few moons ago, shortly after meeting Fiena, Majic had asked if he could follow his master, always. Orphen couldn't figure out why he wanted to then, and he still didn't now.

"I won't be able to teach you anything for a while," he reminded him, finding himself stroking his student's irresistibly soft hair. Majic really was feminine in so many ways, yet not once did Orphen ever forget he was completely male.

Majic sat there for a moment before he answered, "I don't just follow you to learn magic, Orphen-sama."

That hadn't been what he'd been expecting. Amber, catlike eyes swung down to look at his apprentice's youthful face. "Why, then?"

"I can't tell you." The answer was so simple, but Majic sounded so broken, torn up... It must have been painful to say, but certain feelings kept people from admitting things... Such as fear, apprehension and uneasiness.

"My answer remains the same. I don't care if you follow me to the depths of hell. Do as you please."

Perhaps it was just him, or a flicker of candlelight, but Majic seemed to smile for a moment. "Thank you," he murmured.

"For what?"

"For not rejecting me."

It was simple, sweet, and yet so thought-provoking. Orphen pulled away from him, ignoring his tired body's protest for the innocent warmth that seemed to blanket Majic and spread to other people with a simple touch. Something about the boy was so enchanting, so mysterious, so intriguing... Someday Orphen would have liked to find out just what it was.