1 Shadow of Destiny – Once Again
1.1 Chapter 10
Eike and Margarete simultaneously jumped back at the voice, which broke through their beautiful, shared moment. Eike saw Margarete's eyes widen at the sight of something over his shoulder. He turned, already knowing who he would see. Homunculus stood in the street, one hand on his hip, his head on one side and a look that was somewhere between disgust at the sight he had just witnessed, and amusement at how he had ruined the whole thing.
"Great," said Eike, after a small silence. "So /now/ you decide to show up?"
"I do pick my moments, don't I, Eike?" said Homunculus, crossing his arms and smiling at the embarrassed pair.
Eike glared at him, despising him even more for showing up at precisely the wrong time, and quite obviously doing so on purpose. He turned to Margarete, who was still staring at Homunculus with eyes that showed both fascination and terror.
"Margarete?" said Eike gently, getting her attention. She reluctantly met his gaze, clearly embarrassed. "This is Homunculus."
Margarete looked more surprised than before. She looked from Eike to Homunculus several times, before finally letting herself focus completely at Homunculus.
"Is...isn't he the one Hugo says caused all this? The one who he thinks ruined our family?"
"Oh, but I never ruined /your/ family, little girl." Said Homunculus, chuckling quietly.
"Hey!" Eike practically shouted at the small man. Homunculus was toying with Margarete's mind, confusing her. Margarete was having a bad enough time as it was without that little...
Eike strode towards Homunculus, fully intent on dragging him off and beating the crap out of him. But before he could reach him the demon raised a hand and shook his head, signaling a truce. But Eike noticed he still wore that omniscient smirk.
"If you dare..." he said quietly, so that Margarete wouldn't hear. Homunculus simply rolled his crimson eyes at the threat and then made a small gesture with his head, indicating that he wanted to talk to Eike away from Margarete. Eike nodded. That would probably be best. He would have to explain to Margarete later. He turned back to her.
"Listen, Margarete...I need to talk to him alone. Could you meet up with me in about..." he looked at his watch, then over his shoulder at Homunculus, who promptly held up two slender fingers. "...two hours? At the bakery? You'll know your way around. Everything's pretty much the same as it was in your time."
"Well, if you think I'll be all right?" Margarete said uncertainly.
At this Eike began to feel worried. If they were in the time he thought they were in, then there was a chance Hugo might be around. If he saw Margarete...well, he didn't like to think about what might happen. Again he looked over his shoulder at Homunculus, who rolled his eyes again and then shrugged indifferently.
"If it's so important to you Eike, I'll keep an eye on her while we talk. I'll know if she runs into trouble."
"Great, but..." Before Eike could finish his sentence, Homunculus raised his hand to his mouth, palm up, as though he were about to blow someone a kiss. He blew gently on his hand and blood-red tendrils of pure energy and magic curled from his palm and wafted across to Margarete. She drew back slightly, obviously scared, but the magic crept towards her. It enveloped her head, entering her mind through here nose and mouth, as though she were breathing it in. Her eyes glowed faintly red for a moment, before returning to their normal brown.
"You can go now." Homunculus said simply, and Margarete just nodded, turned slowly and walked away from them down the street, walking as though in a daze. Eike immediately rounded on Homunculus again.
"What did you do to her?"
"Don't get so worked up, Eike! She'll recover quite quickly. The magic will alert me if she's in any danger, trust me okay?"
"Do you need to ask me to do that?" Eike said, unable to resist a smile. Then he sighed. "So what now? Where are we going?"
"Do I need to remind of where it is you want to go Eike?" said Homunculus.
"You mean to see Rachel's mother? But we can't just go there! It's not...it isn't..." Eike looked at Homunculus, who raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He realized that lecturing Homunculus on the subject of manners would be a waste of time.
"Fine." He said resignedly.
Homunculus smiled. //Like a child that had convinced it's mother to take it to the playground// Eike thought as he began to walk level with Homunculus. //It would be the most morbid playground in the world though!//
Eike suddenly thought of something that had been nagging at his conscience. He hoped that he wasn't risking anything asking.
"Homunculus?"
"Hmm?" came the disinterested reply.
Eike stopped walking and grabbed Homunculus' arm, turning the weaker man round to face him. The look on Homunculus' face was shock, but then quickly became one of barely contained rage. He jerked his arm out of Eike's grip and stepped away from him, glaring at him as if daring him to take one step closer.
"God, Homunculus! You don't have to look so upset! I just need to ask you something and, just this one more time, do you think you can give me a straight answer?" Homunculus said nothing. "Okay, look. Firstly, if I wanted to kill you or hurt you I would have tried before now. Secondly, I don't think I'd dare for a large number of reasons. Will you just...lighten up? I've resigned myself over to trusting you after everything you put me through, do you think it'll cost you anything to trust me too?"
Homunculus looked at Eike, as if he was truly listening to what the young man said for the first time. Trust was not something that Homunculus encountered often, either coming from him or someone else.
"I wouldn't expect you to even begin to understand how I view these petty human emotions like compassion and trust you seem so intent on making me feel. I don't /feel/ anything, Eike, I've told you I'm not human. I know nothing about such things and I have no wish to know of them either. You have no idea what it's like."
"Is that what the problem is? You think no one would get it? That your 'superior' knowledge somehow makes us all beneath you? Maybe if you just /tried/ trusting people then...well...how would it hurt?"
Eike stopped. He wasn't quite sure why he was pushing Homunculus like this. He just felt that, if the demon trusted him then maybe he wouldn't go off and do something like he had done before with Dana and Margarete. He also felt...guilty for some reason. Like he had somehow hurt Homunculus' feelings, if he actually turned out to have any.
"Listen," said Eike a lot more gently than before. "I think what I really mean is that...I just feel like I've...offended you somehow. With what I said back in the square. And when you didn't appear in your realm when I died I thought that you might have gone off to do something...horrible."
Homunculus sighed and met Eike's rather embarrassed gaze. "Eike, you know very well that I despise this body. And I have it forever, there is nothing else I can have other than this...shell. I was not offended by what you said it simply...surprised me that you seemed to understand what I am."
"I guess that might come from me summoning you up when I was Dr. Wagner right?" said Eike, laughing nervously.
"Perhaps." There was a long pause during which Homunculus appeared to be thinking very deeply. As if considering the consequence of an action. "I have never trusted humans Eike. I have always considered them somewhat...stupid and not worth my time. But this...relationship you and I have, for all it's fragility and hostile feeling, well...it is perhaps the closest thing to friendship I've ever experienced."
"Does that make you nervous?" said Eike, more than a little shocked by Homunculus' confession.
"Yes, but for reasons I would rather not elaborate on at the present. I think we should really go and visit this woman now."
"'We?'" said Eike "You mean you're coming in with me?"
"It would appear so." Homunculus said, smiling. There was a mischievous gleam in his eye now, and Eike couldn't help but smile in return.
"Lead on then!" said Eike.
Homunculus glared at him. Whether he was truly offended or not Eike wasn't sure. But he wasn't taking risks.
"Please?"
//Phew! Long chapter! Hope you like. Sorry no action this time but lots of Hom makes up for that right? Do I get some reviews as a reward? *puppy-dog eyes* Please!
1.1 Chapter 10
Eike and Margarete simultaneously jumped back at the voice, which broke through their beautiful, shared moment. Eike saw Margarete's eyes widen at the sight of something over his shoulder. He turned, already knowing who he would see. Homunculus stood in the street, one hand on his hip, his head on one side and a look that was somewhere between disgust at the sight he had just witnessed, and amusement at how he had ruined the whole thing.
"Great," said Eike, after a small silence. "So /now/ you decide to show up?"
"I do pick my moments, don't I, Eike?" said Homunculus, crossing his arms and smiling at the embarrassed pair.
Eike glared at him, despising him even more for showing up at precisely the wrong time, and quite obviously doing so on purpose. He turned to Margarete, who was still staring at Homunculus with eyes that showed both fascination and terror.
"Margarete?" said Eike gently, getting her attention. She reluctantly met his gaze, clearly embarrassed. "This is Homunculus."
Margarete looked more surprised than before. She looked from Eike to Homunculus several times, before finally letting herself focus completely at Homunculus.
"Is...isn't he the one Hugo says caused all this? The one who he thinks ruined our family?"
"Oh, but I never ruined /your/ family, little girl." Said Homunculus, chuckling quietly.
"Hey!" Eike practically shouted at the small man. Homunculus was toying with Margarete's mind, confusing her. Margarete was having a bad enough time as it was without that little...
Eike strode towards Homunculus, fully intent on dragging him off and beating the crap out of him. But before he could reach him the demon raised a hand and shook his head, signaling a truce. But Eike noticed he still wore that omniscient smirk.
"If you dare..." he said quietly, so that Margarete wouldn't hear. Homunculus simply rolled his crimson eyes at the threat and then made a small gesture with his head, indicating that he wanted to talk to Eike away from Margarete. Eike nodded. That would probably be best. He would have to explain to Margarete later. He turned back to her.
"Listen, Margarete...I need to talk to him alone. Could you meet up with me in about..." he looked at his watch, then over his shoulder at Homunculus, who promptly held up two slender fingers. "...two hours? At the bakery? You'll know your way around. Everything's pretty much the same as it was in your time."
"Well, if you think I'll be all right?" Margarete said uncertainly.
At this Eike began to feel worried. If they were in the time he thought they were in, then there was a chance Hugo might be around. If he saw Margarete...well, he didn't like to think about what might happen. Again he looked over his shoulder at Homunculus, who rolled his eyes again and then shrugged indifferently.
"If it's so important to you Eike, I'll keep an eye on her while we talk. I'll know if she runs into trouble."
"Great, but..." Before Eike could finish his sentence, Homunculus raised his hand to his mouth, palm up, as though he were about to blow someone a kiss. He blew gently on his hand and blood-red tendrils of pure energy and magic curled from his palm and wafted across to Margarete. She drew back slightly, obviously scared, but the magic crept towards her. It enveloped her head, entering her mind through here nose and mouth, as though she were breathing it in. Her eyes glowed faintly red for a moment, before returning to their normal brown.
"You can go now." Homunculus said simply, and Margarete just nodded, turned slowly and walked away from them down the street, walking as though in a daze. Eike immediately rounded on Homunculus again.
"What did you do to her?"
"Don't get so worked up, Eike! She'll recover quite quickly. The magic will alert me if she's in any danger, trust me okay?"
"Do you need to ask me to do that?" Eike said, unable to resist a smile. Then he sighed. "So what now? Where are we going?"
"Do I need to remind of where it is you want to go Eike?" said Homunculus.
"You mean to see Rachel's mother? But we can't just go there! It's not...it isn't..." Eike looked at Homunculus, who raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He realized that lecturing Homunculus on the subject of manners would be a waste of time.
"Fine." He said resignedly.
Homunculus smiled. //Like a child that had convinced it's mother to take it to the playground// Eike thought as he began to walk level with Homunculus. //It would be the most morbid playground in the world though!//
Eike suddenly thought of something that had been nagging at his conscience. He hoped that he wasn't risking anything asking.
"Homunculus?"
"Hmm?" came the disinterested reply.
Eike stopped walking and grabbed Homunculus' arm, turning the weaker man round to face him. The look on Homunculus' face was shock, but then quickly became one of barely contained rage. He jerked his arm out of Eike's grip and stepped away from him, glaring at him as if daring him to take one step closer.
"God, Homunculus! You don't have to look so upset! I just need to ask you something and, just this one more time, do you think you can give me a straight answer?" Homunculus said nothing. "Okay, look. Firstly, if I wanted to kill you or hurt you I would have tried before now. Secondly, I don't think I'd dare for a large number of reasons. Will you just...lighten up? I've resigned myself over to trusting you after everything you put me through, do you think it'll cost you anything to trust me too?"
Homunculus looked at Eike, as if he was truly listening to what the young man said for the first time. Trust was not something that Homunculus encountered often, either coming from him or someone else.
"I wouldn't expect you to even begin to understand how I view these petty human emotions like compassion and trust you seem so intent on making me feel. I don't /feel/ anything, Eike, I've told you I'm not human. I know nothing about such things and I have no wish to know of them either. You have no idea what it's like."
"Is that what the problem is? You think no one would get it? That your 'superior' knowledge somehow makes us all beneath you? Maybe if you just /tried/ trusting people then...well...how would it hurt?"
Eike stopped. He wasn't quite sure why he was pushing Homunculus like this. He just felt that, if the demon trusted him then maybe he wouldn't go off and do something like he had done before with Dana and Margarete. He also felt...guilty for some reason. Like he had somehow hurt Homunculus' feelings, if he actually turned out to have any.
"Listen," said Eike a lot more gently than before. "I think what I really mean is that...I just feel like I've...offended you somehow. With what I said back in the square. And when you didn't appear in your realm when I died I thought that you might have gone off to do something...horrible."
Homunculus sighed and met Eike's rather embarrassed gaze. "Eike, you know very well that I despise this body. And I have it forever, there is nothing else I can have other than this...shell. I was not offended by what you said it simply...surprised me that you seemed to understand what I am."
"I guess that might come from me summoning you up when I was Dr. Wagner right?" said Eike, laughing nervously.
"Perhaps." There was a long pause during which Homunculus appeared to be thinking very deeply. As if considering the consequence of an action. "I have never trusted humans Eike. I have always considered them somewhat...stupid and not worth my time. But this...relationship you and I have, for all it's fragility and hostile feeling, well...it is perhaps the closest thing to friendship I've ever experienced."
"Does that make you nervous?" said Eike, more than a little shocked by Homunculus' confession.
"Yes, but for reasons I would rather not elaborate on at the present. I think we should really go and visit this woman now."
"'We?'" said Eike "You mean you're coming in with me?"
"It would appear so." Homunculus said, smiling. There was a mischievous gleam in his eye now, and Eike couldn't help but smile in return.
"Lead on then!" said Eike.
Homunculus glared at him. Whether he was truly offended or not Eike wasn't sure. But he wasn't taking risks.
"Please?"
//Phew! Long chapter! Hope you like. Sorry no action this time but lots of Hom makes up for that right? Do I get some reviews as a reward? *puppy-dog eyes* Please!