Thank you sooo much for putting up with my laziness ;A;
The birds had stopped chirping and all was silent save for Mikuo's pained groans. The attackers had completely surrounded them, Mikuo was injured, Len was unconscious, and as Kaito gazed hopelessly at their surroundings he felt an overwhelming sense of despair…
Their journey was proceeding much smoother than Kaito had thought it would be. Mikuo had finally gotten over the initial shock, and had come to a solemn understanding that no matter how much he cried his sister was not going to come back. He must have seen the negative effect his brooding had on his new companions, and made every attempt to absolve himself from all negative thoughts. It's alright. These people will surely help me.
Len's general curiosity assisted him in accomplishing this aim. When questioned about the huge book he brought along as one of his few possessions, Mikuo had replied with a wry smile: "it's sorcery."
Yet the incessant questioning that followed prevented Mikuo from dwelling any longer on thoughts concerning his sister. The younger boy seemed to possess great interest regarding magic. Remembering his joy at his sister's own little displays of witchery, he could understand why.
"Then, can you use magic?"
The question seemed to amuse him. "Yeah, sort of. I'm not as good as my sister though." He paused, as if contemplating his next words. "It's strange you should ask this. Generally it's the girls that have magic power in my village."
"I can use it too." The bluntness of the answer, as well as the apparent casualness he displayed at revealing he had skills normally attributed to the opposite gender, surprised Mikuo.
"You seemed so surprised at Miku's performance though."
"Yeah, 'cause I've never seen that kind of magic before. My one's different. Here, I'll show you my magic wand." Saying so, he grasped the bauble around his neck, which shone a blinding white before morphing into a golden staff. The crystal bauble on the end seemed to shine a million different colours under the sun.
"Haha, wow, that's pretty cool. By the way, that's a staff, not a wand. There's a difference."
As the two magic users chatted away, Kaito rode on contentedly in front. The pace was slow due to Chestnut's injured leg (Len was so attached to the animal he gave it a name), however it was peaceful and quiet, save for the occasional chirping of a bird. With nothing better to do, he mused.
The two back there had gotten along very well. Initially he had believed Mikuo would be a sulking mess the whole way, and Len did more than his fair share of brooding at first as well. Yet they seemed to draw life from each other. Len had not had a decent conversation in his life before meeting Kaito, and Mikuo was an outcast in his own village. Kaito, himself, was a bit of a loner. They were all isolated in different ways, yet all equally craved companionship…
Suddenly, Len's stomach growled.
"Ehehe, Kaito, can we stop? I'm hungry."
Mikuo also smiled sheepishly.
"Hm? It's not that dark yet though." Kaito replied, then changed his mind as he felt his own stomach protest. He had to admit, the food provided by Mikuo's village wasn't very filling. "Ok, we'll stop after we pass that tree. I think I see a clearing."
The clearing was a grassy patch of land and, though not very big, there was plenty of shade from trees and large rocks. Len had remarked with some excitement that it felt like a secret base, enclosed on all four sides by dense foliage, and only visible from the sky. Kaito smiled and brought out the food. There wasn't much , however the fruit from the trees should more than make up for it.
While crunching on an apple, Len suddenly said, "Hey Mikuo, show me some of your magic."
"What the-? I'm eating, Len."
"Doesn't matter. Show me your book. Teach me something easy."
"…alright." Truth be told, Mikuo had never had an eager audience for his displays, and it excited him that Len was so interested. He lugged the massive thing from his sack and flipped to one of the first pages. "I'll do an instant growth trick."
Len watched, expecting a wave of a wand and a dramatic poof, so was surprised when instead, Mikuo reached into the folds of his cloak and produced a tiny bottle. He did not voice his thoughts though, watching the teal-haired magician focus on his spell. Drops of the green liquid were poured onto the grass. After sealing the bottle, the older boy took a deep breath as he produced his wand, a simple wooden stick. He tapped the damp area, and a small red flower instantly grew from the soil.
"Wow!" Len's eyes lit up. That's so cool, what was in the bottle?"
"Magic ingredients" was Mikuo's ambiguous answer. He gave another sheepish smile. "Actually, I can't use real magic. My sister can. She makes reagent bottles for me which are imbued with her power. This wand too," he waved it for emphasis, "is actually a carved tree branch that my sister cast a spell on. And this book," he flipped it closed. The title was in an unknown language, "This book just tells me the order for the spells, for the magic to work."
The authenticity of the process did not matter as much to Len as the result. "Ah, so that's what your sister did!" He remembered how the witch had poured in ingredients from flasks into a massive black cauldron. "Hehe, it's like cooking."
Mikuo smiled. "Yeah, I guess our magic is a bit like cooking. Sis does it 'cause it saves her magic power." Seeing Len was still gazing in admiration at his flower he continued: "Would you like to try?"
Len beamed. "I'd like that."
"Don't add too much. There's not much in there. Yep, pour it slowly, like that. Now get your staff."
Len's staff emerged in a flash of white light, and he held his breath as the crystal end lightly made contact with the grass.
For a while, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a twisted green stalk barrelled out from the soaked ground like a drill. Sharp rugged leaves shot out, almost cutting the boys.
"Holy- I don't think that's supposed to happen!" Mikuo's eyes were wide with shock and fear. He warily gazed at his companion. "Len, Len? Are you alright? Len!" only then did he realise, Len's eyes had changed…
Those two have become very close. Kaito had been continuing to ponder as he saw the magicians well, making magic. The joy on Len's face as he observed the rapid growth of the red flower was like a breath of fresh air after the previous tragedy. And Mikuo…as he thought of the other boy's rapid positive psychological change he felt a smile form on his own face. Wow, smiles really are contagious.
"LEN!" Mikuo's frantic shouting broke him out of his reverie. He turned to the source, and his face was drained of all colour when he saw a massive ball of spikes twice his height.
"Holy crap, is that a flower?"
Blood red petals extended from a deep green stalk. Sharp leaves served as a gruesome decoration every few centimetres down the mass of green. Kaito realised with horror the knife-sharp petals seemed to be still growing, reaching beyond its nest of green. They looked like they were ready to drop, quivering with bloodthirsty excitement.
"Oh god, Len! Mikuo! Watch out!"
As if his words were a trigger, the red suddenly sprayed in all directions as the petals shot off the stem like mini rockets. With a yell, Kaito ducked behind a rock as the knife-like objects whistled past at an incredible speed. Deadly sharp, he flinched as another rock nearby was audibly sliced in half.
A sharp cry of agony caused the blue-haired man to tear his eyes back to his companions. Mikuo was on the ground, clutching his leg. Len had not moved, standing still in the same position as if in a trance. The red spikes had not touched him.
The initial danger was over, yet the dangerous objects still quivered where they had been embedded in the soil, a reminder of their near death experience. If one of those things had pierced their hearts…Kaito did not want to think of the consequences.
"Mikuo! Len! Are you ok?"
"Does it look like I'm ok?" Even with the sarcastic retort, Mikuo was unable to hold back a wince of pain.
"What about Len?" The younger boy was of more concern to the man, who felt a foreboding sense of déjà vu. "Len?" He gave the blonde a little shake, and with an incoherent mumble, Len collapsed onto the ground.
"Len!"
"Uh, I think he's alright. He's still breathing." Kaito realised Mikuo was looking a little pale. The red that had started to pool from his wound was quite worrying.
Kaito took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Y-yeah, you're right. Len will be fine. Moreover, Mikuo, I think we should treat tha-"
The man suddenly stopped talking, yet Mikuo's questions were silenced with a finger to the lips.
"Shh…" Without any other movements, Kaito's sapphire eyes scanned the surroundings. Yes, he could see them. Eyes that glinted in the darkness of the trees. Weapons hidden behind rocks that gleamed in the light.
"We're surrounded." Mikuo had noticed by now, too.
Both men felt their hearts dropped as they saw the glint of steel-tipped arrows. They were going to attack at the same time from all directions. There was no escape.
We're done for was Kaito's last thought as the arrows were released and he was suddenly enveloped in a bright green light…
Thank you for reading ;v;
