Disclaimer: Same as ever

Notes: I have finally made up my mind that this will be romance in case you wanted to know.

Chapter 2

"We will proceed on our own from here on," the stern, commanding voice cut through the stuffy, shadow filled air like a bright, steel blade, "your people hinder our progress as it is."

The tall man dressed in an army uniform bristled at the youth's words. He longed to seize his sword and teach the kid a lesson, but he knew how much danger accompanied that action—which, of course, sat even less well with his proud mind than anything that had been said. To think that he was actually afraid of this—this impertinent young man because of the very powers that marked the people of his ilk as having no place anymore.

Still, he couldn't just stand there and let himself be ordered around by an outcast.

"My men know what they are supposed to do," he announced stiffly, "they are there to make sure you do your job."

"We will get it done," was the cold reply as hard, hazel brown eyes narrowed, "as long as you lot keep your end of the bargain."

"Then you should not object to being accompanied. So just accept it already and allow us to continue."

"Do not presume to give me orders," the youth turned towards the door and started walking, "do not send your men if you wish them to return to you. Come on, Syuichiroh."

He proceeded to walk right out of the room without so much as a backward glance. His green-eyed companion moved out of the corner where he had been standing nervously to follow after him.

"Should we follow them, Sir?" an anxious soldier asked shakily.

His leader's lips thinned but he shook his head jerkily, "No. To do that would be to sign our own executions."

"Oh…" the soldier looked relieved. He didn't want to have to tail a sorcerer, let alone one who didn't want to be tailed. Better to leave that kind of dealings to the Elite.

Crossing his arms, the officer glared at the closed door. The day the rest of those inhuman creatures were dealt with and gone… Well, it couldn't come fast enough for him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Tezuka!" Syuichiroh Oishi called as he hurried to catch up to his friend, "Are you sure that was a good idea? Talking to them like that, I mean. The officer looked kind of mad."

"Would you rather have them following us?"

"Well—no, but… I mean…" he sighed, "it doesn't seem prudent."

"What is done, is done."

"I know…" green eyes turned to wander down the city street, following the progress of the inhabitants as they hurried from place to place, "Tezuka… Are we really going to do this? I mean…"

Tezuka glanced at him, stern expression never changing, "What about your parents?"

"I—I want to help them, of course I do. But…do you really think the Elite would let them go if we brought this pendant thing back to them?"

Hazel brown eyes closed briefly, "No, I don't."

Oishi blinked, startled, "But then… Why?"

"Nothing will ever get accomplished if people did not try," was the quiet reply, "we'll find a way."

A sad but grateful smile made its way onto Oishi's face, "Thanks…"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Where are we going, Inui?" Ryoma questioned, turning to look up at the tall man who had basically invited himself to join them.

"To see a friend of mine," Inui replied casually, "He's a healer. I have some things I wish to get from him before we leave."

'Hope he's not as freaky," Momo muttered from where he was walking behind the two, all too keen to keep his distance from the Observer and the memory of his foul concoction.

"Freaky?" Inui repeated blandly, a wicked grin flashing briefly across his features, "Whatever do you mean?"

Momo rolled his eyes but decided that it would probably be a better idea to refrain from commenting. Who knew what someone like that would come up with if offended? Not that he looked like he could be offended.

"Over here," Inui announced suddenly, turning down a narrow alley and following it for several yards before he stopped in front of a plain, wooden door. There was a window set into the brick wall to its right, but the curtains beyond had been pulled shut and nothing could be seen.

Raising his hands to rap sharply on the door, Inui paused as said door swung inward with a soft creak, an expression of surprise flickering across his face before it was replaced with a speculative look. Stepping over the threshold into the lightless room beyond, he disappeared into the shadowy interior.

Trading glances, Ryoma and Momoshiro followed, the latter insisting on taking the lead. Pausing in the doorway to let their eyes adjust, they found themselves standing in a small but neatly organized living room. Several overstuffed couches stood around a small, glass table that crouched on curved, lime green legs. The slightly worn floorboards were covered in a threadbare carpet that showed the faded markings of floral patterns that must once have been beautiful. A round clock hung opposite the door, ticking away as its flat, pale face stared across at the intruders. There was an entryway directly beneath the clock, hung with multicolored drapes that were swaying slightly after having been pushed aside to allow Inui through.

"This place is deserted," Momo muttered uneasily. The emptiness of the place was pressing down around them like a thick layer of dust.

"Only recently though," Ryoma noted, running his fingers over the spotless surface of the table before heading for the cloth obscured doorway, "let's find Inui."

The Observer was standing at the counter of what appeared to be a small kitchen, thick glasses glinting even in the dim light cast by the candle he now held.

"So where's the healer you mentioned?" Ryoma asked, scanning the room and peering into the dark hall beyond.

"It would seem he has departed," Inui frowned slightly, "but he never told me he was leaving…"

"Big surprise," Momo muttered under his breath, "I certainly wouldn't tell you if I were leaving."

Turning towards the cupboard, Inui started to rummage through its contents, extracting several packets of varying colors. He then proceeded to pack them all into his traveling pack, pausing as his fingers encountered a folded note amidst the packages.

Opening it, he scanned the familiar handwriting, "Interesting…"

"Can I see?"

Accepting the note, Ryoma frowned down at the writing:

Sorry for not giving you a heads up about leaving, but I have some really important business to attend to with my brother. I'll come visit when we get back.

—Syuichiroh Oishi

"What's so interesting about it?" he asked, looking up from the note. It seemed rather clear cut to him.

Inui turned to stare thoughtfully into the shadow filled corners, "Oishi doesn't have a brother."

"Oh," Ryoma nodded, bemused.

Momo chuckled from where he was still standing in the doorway, "I'd say that that is a good reason."

"Tell me," Inui turned suddenly to Ryoma, "can you sense anything here?"

"Huh?'

"Any traces of spells, perhaps?"

"Hmm…" closing his eyes, Ryoma let his senses drift outward, feeling the air around them like it was a layer of soft river clay that he was searching for footprints, "yes… It's not very clear though. Someone was wiping the traces, but they must have had to leave partway through the spell or something. Does that help?"

Inui nodded slowly, "I remember that Oishi once mentioned a friend he grew up with. I got the impression that this friend of his might have been sorcery gifted, though he never really said as much."

"A sorcerer?" Momo repeated.

"Yes," slinging his pack back over his shoulder, Inui smirked at his two younger companions, "it looks like we have found our first quest."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I want this one!" the excited exclamation echoed loudly up and down the stables, causing the ears of several horses to twitch. The roan mare who was standing next to the source of the shout snorted slightly, and tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, sorry nyah," Eiji laughed, patting the mare on the neck.

"We'll buy the mare then," Fuji said, turning to the salesman.

"Nyah, what about you Fuji?" the redhead bounded over to seize his friend's arm and drag him over to where a chestnut stallion was eyeing them from his stall, "This one likes you! And look! He even has this little white triangle between his eyes too!"

Fuji blinked at the horse and it blinked back. He smiled, suppressing a laugh.

"All right, Eiji, just hold on a second so I can pay the nice stable master."

The said stable master was watching the two strangers curiously. They were…an unusual set of customers indeed, and he had seen a lot of travelers in his day. Still, something about these two just struck him as odd. Especially the smiling one, who seemed to have decided that the natural state for ones eyes while walking around was closed, yet he hadn't run into anything yet. And of course, his companion wasn't exactly normal either. Way too energetic to be normal—and all the horses in the stables seemed to like him.

"Sir?"

"A—ah? Oh…" blinking as he was pulled out of his thoughts, the man accepted the payment at gestured at the two horses' stalls, "you may take the tack hung at the back of the stalls, since you don't look like you have any."

Fuji nodded placidly, "Thank you."

"Nyah! Do they have names?" Eiji demanded, bounding up to the stable master, blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

He smiled at the youth's eagerness, glad to see that his charges would be going into the hands of one who would care for them. "No, not yet. What would you like to name them?"

"Hmm…" the redhead turned to face the roan, hands on hips and head tilted to one side with a speculative expression, "How about…uh…Finiko! I used to have a cat called that! How about it?"

The mare flicked her ear and tossed her head as though to agree. Laughing happily, the redhead bounced into the stall to take down the saddle and bridle hung on the wall at the back, chattering to his new friend all the while.

"And what about you, lad?" the stable master asked, turning to the quieter brunette.

Fuji considered the chestnut for a moment, then his smile widened, "Triad."

"Triad?" the man asked dubiously, "Bit of a strange name, don't you think?"

But Fuji only smiled, "For luck. I always did like the number three."

"Ah," the stable master nodded like he understood, though in truth he really didn't get it. Who believed in luck these days?

He watched silently as the two travelers saddled and bridled their horses. Assured that they knew how, he bid them farewell and hurried off to meet one of his other customers.

"Let's go!" Eiji exclaimed, bounding down the aisle between the two rows of stalls, followed by his new four-legged friend.

"Hold on, Eiji!" Fuji reached out to catch his friend's sleeve, "the exit is the other way."

"Oh," the redhead flushed with embarrassment, "okay."

Leading their new steeds, the two friends made their way through the stables, with Eiji reaching out to pat the muzzles of every horse he passed and chattering cheerfully to each in turn.

Pausing at the open exit, Fuji stepped over to a side window and peered out into the streets. Eyeing each passing face carefully, he thought he caught a glimpse of two familiar figures approaching from the distance. He leaning forward a bit for a better look when something tugged on his hair. Surprised, he nearly jumped, turning his head slightly to glance back over his shoulder.

Brilliant blue eyes blinked open in a mixture of shock and amusement as he found himself looking into one large, soft brown eye. It was Triad, with his soft muzzle buried in Fuji's hair, nibbling lightly on the honey colored strands and looking rather thoughtful.

Eiji was rolling around on the ground, laughing fit to burst.

Chuckling as well, Fuji reached out to pull a handful of hay from the pile that was sitting conveniently beside him, he nudged the horse's head out of his head and presented it with the hay. It looked at him for a moment as though wondering why he would push it away like then, then it accepted the mouthful of hay and returned to the task of chewing.

Remembering what he was doing, Fuji turned quickly back to the window and squinted. For a moment he thought he had missed them, but a more detailed search proved him wrong. The two were standing in the doorway of a food supplies store, talking to the storekeeper. One was extremely tall with a mop of windswept brown hair while the other was slightly shorter and wore a dark gray cloak with the double moon symbol of a healer stitched in silver on the right shoulder.

He had seen them before.

Feeling somewhat inclined to curse their misfortune, he ducked out of view and tapped a still laughing Eiji on the shoulder.

"Eiji," he hissed, trying to get the redhead's attention. It took a few more tries but he eventually got it.

"What is it, nyah?" Eiji asked, trying to suppress the bursts of laughter that were still threatening to surge forth. But then he caught a glimpse of his friend's face and sobered. Fuji's eyes were open.

"You remember the people who were tailing us in the other city?"

Eiji nodded.

"Well, two of them are standing just across the street," Fuji explained, sounding so calm that it took several seconds for the severity of his words to actually register in the redhead's mind.

With a gasp of horror, Eiji leapt to his feet, "What are we gonna do! We have to get out of here! We have to—"

"Calm down," Fuji held up one hand to halt his friend's onrush of panicked speech while his other reached up unconsciously to touch the pendant hanging beneath his shirt, "this is what we're going to do. I am going to cause a distraction and draw them to the other side of the stables. When you see them running in that direction, you take the two horses and get out this way. Leave the city and hide in the forest to the east. I'll join you as soon as can. Okay?"

"Are you sure, nyah?" Eiji asked anxiously, "I could cause the distraction nyah. It's you they really want to find after all."

"No," Fuji shook his head, serene smile back on his face, "I'll do it. Now, get ready all right?"

"All right…"

Swinging himself up into Finiko's saddle, Eiji watched as Fuji disappeared down the aisle towards the other end of the stables on silent feet. Then he leaned over to whisper into Triad's ear. The horse bobbed his head in understanding.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Darting between two racks of various brushes and assorted riding gear, Fuji pushed open the small window in the back wall. Vaulting through it, he landed cat-like on the ground outside, thankful for his small stature. Glancing around, he found himself standing beside a fruit vender's stall—or at least that was what his nose was telling him it was, he couldn't see anything but a blank, wooden wall and hay covered ground.

Raising his hands and concentrating, he murmured a quiet spell. A flash of brilliant blue light lit up the alley he was standing in, sending a blaze of magical energy racing outward like ripples through water. It was an obvious beacon to anyone who could sense such things.

Satisfied, he spun on his heels and sprinted down the alley towards the opposite street, not bothering to hide his aura.

oooooooooo

Over by the supplies store, hazel brown eyes snapped towards the left. Quickly stuffing their newly purchased supplies into a dimensional container, Tezuka turned towards the disturbance and set off at a run.

Confused, Oishi stood frozen for a moment. Then he bolted after his friend, calling a harried thank you to the bewildered shopkeeper over his shoulder.

Watching from inside the stables, Eiji saw them go. He counted to five after they disappeared then leaned over Finiko's neck and whispered for her to go.

The two horses raced out of the yard and headed down the street, the redhead urging them onward. Startled people shouted as they flew by, streaks of color and flying hooves that cut straight through the bustling streets like a warm knife through butter.

Eiji narrowed his eyes in an attempt to keep track of the road before them as the wind whipped up the horses' manes and tails and caused his stung his eyes until they watered so much that his vision was blurred. Still, he knew this was the right street.

He only hoped Fuji would be all right and that they would meet again as planned.

TBC

NOTES:

Ages: The characters are older for this story because it fits better, and anyway, they never looked like 12-14 year olds. So: first years are going to be sixteen, second years are seventeen, and third years are eighteen.

A.N. Hope you liked it!