Tony: Holy crap... I apologize for taking so long to update and then bringing you a filler chapter. Unfortunately, finals are coming up. So, this may be it for a while. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss
Tony: Enjoy.
Bloody Nightshade
Chapter VII
Night
Sirris watched from above as Luke walked out to the back of the ferry. Night had fallen hours ago, and while she could see perfectly, she knew that the lack of moonlight would be causing Luke problems. As if on cue, he tripped over a rope she had laid out mere minutes before, and a bell attached to it rang out loud. Feeling around for the problem for a moment, he nodded, then carefully continued along, this time crouching rather than standing straight.
Had he not been crouching, he would have run into another rope, this one hung at about five feet off the deck. He passed it without even knowing it had been there, and managed to get over the next trip line as well.
Sirris smiled to himself. This was the third time Luke had tried to navigate to the back of the ferry. So far, he had tripped and run into a choke line, which had ended his first attempt, and then he had tripped and tripped again. She had been changing the course up each time, so he had no idea what to expect next. Watching him left her in no doubt that he was a quick learner.
As he climbed over a crate quickly and quietly to avoid it falling apart, Sirris prepared to operate the next part of the course. But before she could even reach it, Malkuth soldiers poured out onto the deck. Luke, hearing their approach but not knowing what was going on, hunkered down and hid behind a few crates.
"-she's onboard-"
"-not in the cabins-"
"-find her-"
"-under arrest-"
Sirris sighed as the soldiers talked amongst themselves. She knew exactly who they were after, and she didn't intend to get caught. Carefully, she started moving around on the deck, removing the obstacles she had put in place for Luke, hiding them, and staying out of the soldiers' ways.
Luke had managed to reach the back of the ferry, where a large pile of crates led up to the overhang. By the time Sirris had finished cleaning up, he was sitting between two heating units, quietly listening to the banter down below. Sirris joined him with a quiet sigh.
Luke examined her carefully, but said nothing, instead choosing to stare off over the dark water.
(Luke's POV)
What was I thinking? There was no way I could have gotten the answers to my questions from the others, but why did I have to come with Sirris? Sure, she's been honest, but why did I stick around? Why didn't I leave?
Those questions kept floating around in my head, but I knew the answers. Despite her apparent hatred of me, Sirris and I have one thing in common. We prefer selective honestly over outright lies. But I still had to wonder, why was I still going with her? The training was tough, nearly-impossible at first. So why wouldn't I give up?
Looking over at her again, I had a feeling I knew what the answer was. It wasn't for the strength I was finding, or the stamina. It wasn't because I wanted to be better than Asch. I was doing it for my own sake. I had nowhere to go, and if I left now, I'd be a sitting duck anyways. At least with her, I had somewhere to go, something to do, someone to help, even if I was slowing her down.
"Tired?" a quiet voice asked. It was familiar, but it wasn't Sirris. The assassin was on her knees quickly, but relaxed when she saw who it was. Looking over, I smiled at Amai.
"Not really. Staying away from the soldiers," I answered, careful to keep my voice low. Amai sat next to me and looked up at the few stars that were poking through the cloud cover.
Sirris was examining her carefully, and I caught myself doing the same before I even realized she was doing it. Amai's hair was shorter, now hanging around her waist, and she wore gray pants and a silvery shirt. I was a little curious about the change in appearance, and it seemed that Sirris was as well.
Almost two hours later, the deck quieted down, and Sirris told us that the soldiers had left. I rolled my eyes. "Does no one think to look up?" I muttered. The slightest hint of a smile slipped across Sirris's lips, and Amai sighed.
"They didn't want to upset the other passengers," she said. Sirris gave her another look, one that I couldn't quite read.
"How do you know that?" she asked. "And who are you, really?" Amai smiled, and I realized that, despite what I saw, she wasn't really there. She never had been, really. Sirris had somehow, in the time we had been traveling, managed to teach me how to feel the fonons around me. And everyone let out a fonic signature…
Except for the girl sitting next to me.
"I heard one of the soldiers say it earlier. As for who I am, I was being honest with you the first time, back in Choral Castle. I am Amai Sakkaku," she replied. Sirris and I glanced at each other, and I knew that she wasn't going to leave it at that. However, before either of us could respond to Amai's comment, a quiet but male voice called out.
"Amai, it's time to go," I heard. Amai smiled and walked over to the edge of the roof before turning to look at us.
"You'll figure it out soon enough," she said mysteriously. Before Sirris or I could say a word, she stepped off the roof. A glance was all I gave to the assassin before I ran to the side of the deck where Amai had jumped off. My eyesight wasn't nearly as good as hers in the darkness, but I didn't need her cat-like ability to see.
Amai and the mysterious boy who had called out to her were both gone.
(3rd Person POV)
Asch scowled. He was being sent to Akzeriuth to help the people out when he should have been looking for that damn replica. Managing to keep his cool in a room with a man he despised standing only yards away was difficult as it was, but trying to do so while confronted with this information?
Finally, his patience broke as King Ingobert went back to explaining why it was important that Kimlasca send a rescue team to Akzeriuth. As the king finished his sentence, Asch stepped forward, attempting to at least remain polite. "Your Majesty, if I may interject, I believe that it would be best for the parties involved to have some time to rest before setting out tomorrow," he said. Ingobert nodded.
"I understand. I will have everyone accompanying you meet outside the castle tomorrow morning," he replied. Asch bowed one last time and turned, walking as briskly as he could without seeming disrespectful.
He left the castle at a run, bypassing the elevators for the stairs, though no one used them anymore. His red hair flowed behind him like a cape, and the honey-brown color of the stones and buildings around him were doing nothing to get his mind off of Topaz, or Sirris for that matter.
As he came to a stop on the bottom level of Baticul, he looked around and found himself laughing. Quietly, he sat under the staircase he had just run down and let his memories overcome him.
"Topaz!" the six-year-old Luke called. Nearby, seven-year-old Natalia and ten-year-old Guy called the younger girl's name as well. "Topaz!" Looking around, Luke bit his lip. "Topaz…" The whispered name reached only one person's ears, but she ignored it. Luke couldn't see her, none of them could. She was well-hidden behind the crates of food that were piled up near the vendor.
"Luke, we're not gonna find her like this. We should start asking around and see if anyone's seen her," Guy told the younger boy. Luke sighed.
"Yeah. But what I don't get is why Father had to say that stuff. She's not trying to pretend to be my sister, she doesn't know why her hair's changing at all. It hurt her a lot, Guy, and if we don't find her, she'll end up on the streets again," he told his friend. Guy placed his hands on his hips.
"We'll find her, Luke. Besides, even if we don't, she'll probably be back home tomorrow morning," he promised. Luke nodded and began asking around. But only a few people had seen a girl matching Topaz's description, and they hadn't seen which way she had gone.
Night had long since fallen by the time three tired children returned to the top level of Baticul. King Ingobert met Natalia outside the castle and led her inside, and Guy took Luke to his room. The duke stood in the entrance hall, but Luke ignored him, biting his lip to keep from crying. He wouldn't cry, he had promised Topaz.
The sun rose the next day, and Topaz hadn't yet come home. Two more days passed, each one spent searching for her, and each one ending in failure. Finally, on the fourth day, Luke rose from his bed and trudged to breakfast. He ate quietly, not really paying attention to what was going into his mouth. Susanne tried to get him to talk, but to no avail.
With breakfast finished, Luke left the manor, walking down the stairs rather than riding the elevator. He wanted time to sulk. His best friend had been yelled at and was now gone. "I hope Father's happy," Luke grumbled as he kicked a stone away. Watching it tumble down the stairs, a thought crossed the redhead's mind, and he wanted to kick himself.
Running now, he reached the bottom level of Baticul in minutes. Rather than shoot off into the crowds, as he normally would have done, he stopped and looked under the stairs. Sure enough, a four-year-old girl in a gray, now-ripped-up dress was laying there asleep, her face still stained with tears. Luke bit his lip and crawled into the small space with her. Re-adjusting the thin blanket she wore, her curled up next to her and fell back asleep.
Asch sighed. 'Topaz… what happened to you? Why did this have to happen? You were just a little kid… you're still a kid,' Asch thought, correcting himself at the end. 'So… Why?'
Tony: Not a lot to say, other than 'sorry.' Please review on the way out...
