Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.
Only in Dreams
By: Chibi Nataku
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.
Chapter 13 - When Dreams come from Boredom
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It had been three days since Yuber had gained consciousness after Pesmerga managed to find and humiliate him, luckily without any witnesses. Still, he wished that he had never gained back conscious until he was fully healed, mostly because he was bored out of his skull and was not allowed to step foot out of bed unless he had a bathroom emergency, something he no longer had an excuse for, though he made sure to use it regularly if only to prevent himself to counting the knots in the wood ceiling for the hundredth time. Now he could only amuse himself with stray thoughts about how bored he was and that he would need to slaughter an entire country to make up for lost time and amusement value.
'Ma~ggot, you are disappointing m~e! A~muse me, ma~ggot!' The Eightfold Rune chimed.
Yuber gritted his teeth and shook his head at the overly musical tone that the Eightfold Rune had taken up since his awakening, and it was equally as bored with his current predicament. Really, he was trying to figure out whether silence or talking to the True Rune was better for him, a decision that easily came down to the fact that at least the spider knew how to keep them both from killing his son by showing him images of past wars it had been through. Still, no image could compare to the thrill of feeling a blade pass effortlessly through another mortal's flesh, and he was quickly growing weary of not being able to participate in battle for three whole days.
He would have gotten up and wandered off had Mia not shown off her maternal side to him and had even caused to the True Rune to go silent on several occasions with her reprimands. So, he was forced to remain lying in a bed that was much too lumpy on the left side, probably from that miserable brat that was his son jumping on the bed. He did not so much wish harm upon his own child, but the boy was much too annoying for his tastes, always peeking in on him and screaming that the 'dead man' was attempting another silent escape out the window. If the brat decided to get close enough, he might find it in his heart to strangle the life out of the boy and raise him back to life again for discipline.
'Ma~ggot!'
'Stop calling me that, wretched spider.' Yuber chimed back at the Eightfold Rune, glaring at the spider as it seemed to contemplate a sing and dance routine to humiliate him further. It had already reenacted his battle with Pesmerga a few times, making especially sure to force him to watch every time. His frustration was growing with the wretched beast, almost as much as it was with his stupid child. 'Why do you call me that, anyway? You always called me 'boy' before.'
The Eightfold Rune chuckled at the blonde's frustration and rolled onto its back, kicking its legs in the air. God, it was so bored. It could practically image the blood it could have split. Still, it had managed to reserve itself to tormenting Yuber for lying to it about Natas. 'Well, you see, I used to call you 'boy' all the time because that is exactly what you were, a useless boy.' It rolled itself back to its feet and wandered forward in the blonde's mind, seeming to flop down beside the blonde's main consciousness. 'But, since you have taken it upon yourself to improve, you have graduated to 'maggot' so that is what I call you.'
Yuber quirked an eyebrow in slight confusion. 'Aren't children higher on the food-chain than maggots?'
'Depends on your perception, but no. Maggots are far less useless than boys. They actually do things, and...well, spiders tend to eat maggots not boys so are much more useful.' It chuckled at the blonde's unimpressed look in its general direction and signed heavily, almost painfully. 'Please, just get up and run away! This is getting worse than torture, maggot!'
"Don't have to tell me twice." Yuber muttered softly, letting his head fall back against the wood of the headboard, waiting for Mia to come in and order him to sit still while she checked his bandages, which had reduced to just a few around his chest, the rest of his wounds having healed with the help of the water rune. Why Mia didn't just heal him completely made him wonder if she was out to torture him for the fun of it. He could see this as his punishment for running off, he supposed, but that did not mean he had to be happy about it. In fact, he pouted quite often to show his unhappiness about being ordered around.
He leaned out of bed to try and catch a glimpse of Mia, smirking arrogantly when he found her grinding herbs and boiling them over a fire, back to him. He could sneak out and run off without her noticing, though he would have to come back for his armour, but that could be arranged. Pulling the covers back, he climbed to his feet, gaze on the doorway to make sure that he was not being watched by the miserable whelp he could call a son and silently crept towards the window, stopping with a stunned gasp as the tip of a sword pressed into the back of his neck threateningly, forcing him to stop his escape plans. Really, the time staying in this house only seemed to get worse the longer he remained in it, and now he was forced to deal with a vengeful Pesmerga again. For what it was worth to his dignity, he remained silent, preparing to attempt an escape should the other Black Knight strike him.
"Well, well, well, looks like someone is trying to make a quick and dirty escape without even bothering to say good-bye." The voice seemed much too amused for its own good.
Yuber felt his body go rigid as the voice reached his ears and the sword left his neck, instead moving to smack his bottom roughly, forcing him to jump a bit with the blow. He whirled to find an extremely amused Natas balancing a sword across his elegant shoulders, mocking grin making Yuber scowl at the former Black Knight. He stalked over to Natas, grabbing a stray piece of hair that crept his way and tugging it more than roughly, his face going straight for the silver-haired man's ear. "Took you long enough to show up! Do you have any idea how painful this experience has been?! Dammit Natas!" He slipped around the former Black Knight and back beneath the sheets as rustling from the other room drew his attention, not wanting to cause his lover to come in and check on him.
Natas grinned and leaned back against a nearby wall, all too amused by the fact that Yuber was being forced to remain in this place against his will. He knew that the blonde would not leave the woman in the other room without a real reason. His blood-red gaze traveled to the other room to watch the woman that had managed to catch Yuber's attention for all these years. He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow of interest as the ebony-haired woman bent to check on her boiling herbs. "Geez, look at that. I can see why you stay, Yuber." He glanced at the blonde who leaned to catch a glimpse of what he had been looking at, chuckling when piercing blue eyes glared at him. "That is quite a piece of work with all the right...curves. Why, if I wasn't such a blood-thirsty murderous bastard, I might actually want to...?"
"Finish that sentence and I will beat you to death with a small, miserable child." Yuber threatened.
Natas chuckled softly and shook his head, brushing a wandering lock of silver hair back over his shoulder, gaze set squarely on Mia again. He felt his amusement leave him and seriousness take over. "I cannot stay long, my friend. There has been a strange woman that I do not recognize sniffing about looking for you, one with quite a bit of magical abilities. She has already sent out her little lap dog to attempt to harass me, but I never did like vampires too much. I made sure that this...Neclord as he was called, knew that messing with the leader of the World of Emptiness is an act that he should rethink." He let his eyes wander to where Yuber was contemplating, watching at the blonde's eye clouded with an emotion before it disappeared quickly again. "I've been keeping my eye on this woman and her vampire friend. Though they do not seek out desperately, their urgency is growing it would seem. You're a starting to get popular, Yuber. I would watch your back, if I were you."
Yuber snorted and flexed his once damaged arm, feeling the crackling energy of the True Rune jump up his arm. His gaze flicked to Natas who remained leaning casually against the wall, however, Yuber could tell that the former Black Knight was on edge. "I have no need to watch my back, Natas." His gaze met the blood red one of Natas. "I have you to do that for me." He felt a smirk pull at his lips as the silver-haired man nodded wordlessly and pushed off of the wall. "What of Pesmerga?"
"He contains his rage at your escape and seeks you out. I think he knows where you are, but he cannot reach you without at least a few months hard travel. Still, he moves to kill you as we speak." Natas took a step towards the doorway and turned to face Yuber fully. "I will keep an eye on him as well, if you so desire."
Yuber nodded after a few seconds of thought. "Do, and keep your guard about you with this...vampire. I don't want my position revealed until I know what it is they seek in me, aside from causing bloodshed."
Natas nodded resolutely and prepared to leave the blonde to more torture. "Don't enjoy the silence of this room too much." He smirked at Yuber's venomous glare and swept his hair over his shoulders, looking around for the best way to escape from this warm, well-lit dungeon. He blinked in slight surprise to find his gaze lock with demanding green orbs before just settling for quirking an eyebrow and sweeping himself into a gracious bow. "It appears your woman has caught our secret talk, dear Yuber. By the look in her eyes, and what fine eyes they are, I would think that you may be in trouble. As I am not that much of a friend to you, I will abandon you to her whims."
Yuber sat up and scowled at Natas' attempt at gentlemanly conduct, not sure if the former Black Knight was attempting a joke or was actually serious. It was not until the silver-haired man disappeared from sight, and Mia stalked into the room that he realize just how much Natas was not joking. He sighed heavily and attempted to keep himself from rolling his eyes, without much success. He managed to reduce himself to glaring at the child that peeked around Mia's dress and glared back at him.
"Who was that, Yuber?" Mia asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, though she was well aware who that individual probably was. She did not want any association of Yuber that could cause harm to her child to be anywhere near this house, let alone inside of it. A part of her was ashamed for the silent treatment that she had been giving him over the last three days, but she was desperate not to fall into his arms and sob about how unfair the world was that he would leave her again once he was healed. And she knew that he would leave again once his wounds had mended, which was part of the reason that she did not heal his wounds entirely. She wanted Yuber to stay, if only for a little while longer. Her love for him, though now well-hidden through years of training, was still the same as it was before he left the first time. She was aware of the change in him, but she could look past all that if he could just spend one day with her as her lover again.
Yuber quirked an eyebrow at Mia's prolonged silent and distant gaze, wondering what she was thinking about. Sometimes he was always wondering what she was thinking. He could burn whole villages, slaughter without mercy, rule over an entire world, but he could still not understand the workings of a woman. However, when her gaze became clear and demanding once more, he merely shrugged his shoulders. "That was Natas. He is an associate of mine."
Mia scowled at Yuber honesty. "I recognize him from the descriptions that I have heard. He is the man you travel with, is he not?"
"Indeed, we work together on occasion." Yuber replied in slight disinterest. He really wished that miserable brat would take just one maybe two steps closer to him then he could really show the boy it was rude to glare at a superior being.
"Occasionally?" Mia questioned, taking a step forward to check the bandages that wound the only remaining wound on the blonde's body. Her voice softened as her finger worked to remove the white material and check the wound that was almost nearly healed. She rewound the bandages when she was content with the progress of healing, gaze flicking up to meet Yuber's blue one. She found herself staring into his hardened eyes, images of battles once fought and of a spider watching her back, looking away when she could no longer bear to think of the vile acts the blonde had committed. She stood back and sighed heavily as she wiped her hands on her dress. "You should be ready to leave again soon, probably if you wish, tomorrow. I will not stop you."
Yuber was surprised at the defeated edge to his lover's voice, cocking his head to the side questionably. He sat up fully and swung his legs out, watching Mia to see if she would reprimand him for attempting to stand. When he received none, he climbed to his full height and shook out his golden mane. His gaze switched from towering over his son to Mia who was keeping her gaze downwards. Gently, he lifted her chin with a finger, their gazes meeting again, though he was well aware that she did not like to look into his eyes for too long. "Will you miss me if I go?"
Mia bit her lip and slowly nodded her head. She had promised herself that she would not over-react should Yuber decide to leave again. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was inevitable, but still, she denied that the blonde no longer had feelings for her. She really wanted him to stay.
Yuber felt something, a piece of himself long since buried, rip, and he gasped slightly. Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it had come. The only remaining human part of himself said something that he was not sure if he wanted to regret or not. "I will stay, Mia. I will stay for as long as I can, but I fear that it will not be long."
Mia blinked at the sudden softness in Yuber's voice, sounding so much like the boy she had raised all those years back to be a man. She found that even the blonde's eyes had softened considerably. Slowly, cautiously, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his muscular chest, running her hands up his back to rest on his sleek shoulder blades. It had been so long since she had been able to hold the blonde like this. She forced herself to allow this moment of absolute security in Yuber's strong arms, a moment that she wished would continue forever.
'Maggot, why not stab her in the back now? It's a perfect moment.' The Eightfold Rune pestered, prodding at the blonde's carefully placed mental shields.
'Shut it, spider.' Yuber ordered and felt the True Rune forced away from his mind before it finally just slinked away back to its webbing.
The Eightfold Rune passed one last glance back at the blonde and grumbled. 'Well, at least slap that miserable brat you call a progeny upside the head while you are there.' It felt itself forced back again, eight eyes narrowing considerably. The blonde was getting more than a little good at controlling its voice, something that it would not tolerate. It would need to act quickly to keep its hold on the blonde's mind, and quick it would be. It would wait for the perfect moment to act.
Mia eventually forced herself to release her hold on Yuber and pulled away, pretending to dust her hands on her apron. She quickly gathered herself and looked up at the blonde who was watching her carefully. She forced a smile on her face and sighed. "Are you feeling well enough to go to town with me?" She started to walk from room, surprised when a blonde flash leapt by her and settled in a predatory stance next to the fire. "I will take that as a 'yes' then. Good, you can carry the supplies that I need." She was surprised when Yuber's eager face failed to falter and chuckled softly, shaking her head slightly.
Yuber would do just about anything to get out of this dreadful place if only for an hour or even a few minutes. Besides, he was very good at lifting things now, but he was worried about how he should around normal everyday society. All he had to do was keep reminding himself that killing innocent people is not the proper way to act. If he could keep his hands to himself, everything would be fine...unless Natas choose that moment to show up and duel him. Still, he could handle normal society again, really, he could.
Mia picked up a spare shirt and tossed at Yuber, raising an eyebrow as he snatched it out of the air and put it on in one fluid movement. Smiling, she picked up the basket she always took to town and beckoned Yuber to follow her, stepping out into her yard and looking around for her son. She easily found him glaring at Yuber from behind a tree, something she was beginning to get used to. There was an obvious rivalry between the two men in her life. "Joshua, mommy is going to town with Yuber. Do want to come?"
Yuber crossed his fingers and hoped that the boy would decide that hanging around him was a bad idea. When the brat nodded his head and ran over to Mia, he flexed his hands. "Remember, keep your hands to yourself, Yuber...There is no need to strangle the life out of your son. You don't want to feel the soft struggles of a dying creature, that desperate fight for life that practically drives your entire existence..." He kept reminding himself softly as he walked a few meters behind Mia. It was probably the worst walk of his entire life, just staring at the little boy that bounced beside Mia's side, hand tucked protectively in his mother's soft one. He felt his right hand twitch and move for the scruff of the boy's neck, pulling it back to scratch his head when Mia shot a look back at him. "Geez, she's good..."
"Yuber, walk beside me." Mia ordered, shooting a glare when she felt his eyes narrow at her order. She stopped when he threatened to not listen to her, pointing at the spot where she wanted the blonde to be. When he just stared in defiance at her, she set her jaw and put her hands on her hips, her visual 'mad' position. "Yuber, I'm not fighting with you. If you don't like it, you can march your sorry butt right back to that cabin and stare at the wall."
Yuber quirked a skeptical eyebrow at Mia. He may be in love with her, but he was damned if she thought she could order him around like some sorry puppy. He refused to take orders from anyone unless it suited his mood and right now, he was not about to give up any of his new freedom. "You can't order me around. I refuse to listen to anyone's orders."
Mia felt her eyes narrow. Not many people in the entire village dared to push her far enough when she need to force them to listen to her. She felt her left hand clench, the water rune glowed softly to show her anger. "Oh yes, you will. I saved your life, Yuber. You owe me."
Yuber blinked in slight surprise. "That's a cheap and dirty trick..." He growled as he forced himself to walk to the spot where Mia wanted him. Certainly, he didn't have to listen to Mia, but she pulled a trick that only other creatures of darkness pulled and usually won. He had used it several times on Natas, and he knew how much it angered the former Black Knight. He couldn't believe he allowed himself to have the same tricked use on him. Still, he wanted to stay outside longer than Mia appeared to have intended should he continue to refuse.
"Good boys. No fighting now." Mia felt her smile return and continued to walk towards town. She allowed Yuber to wander back and forth along the road, not really caring how he acted until they reached town. "Now boys, I want you both on best behaviour when we are in town." She said as they reached the village's edge.
"Yes mother." Yuber shot back, looking away when Mia's eyes found him. He knew the rules and had been repeating them to himself for the entire trip. Keep his hands to himself. He wandered behind Mia again as they entered town, watching as practically every villager greeted her and stared at him. They never commented on him, but it was obvious that there were questions floating through their minds. He refused to let his mysterious nature fly out of proportion simply because people might ask questions about him.
Mia walked over to where her new supplies where waiting, bending to investigate that all the required goods were there. She smiled when she found all of her herbs, bandages, and new gardening equipment was all accounted for. She carefully wrapped up all of the supplies and glanced over as Joshua as the boy moved to play with some of his friends. Smiling, she stood again and looked back at Yuber who was looking around the village of Kalekka. For the reputation that he held, he was an awfully good behaviour; maybe all those stories were just blown out of proportion and made Yuber out to be something that he was not.
Yuber passed a smirk over to Mia when she kindly asked him to carry her supplies for her. Looking at the two packages, he snorted and lifted both with one hand, resting the supplies on his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all. Really, it was not that heavy, for him at least. Probably for a normal mortal, it would be quite heavy with all the gardening supplies, but for him, it was lighter than his armour. However, the various stares of shock, one of which was Mia, told him that these were all just normal, pitiful mortals. He smirked arrogantly before blinking when Mia seemed to grow a little excited with his show of strength. "What?"
"Oh, I'm so glad, Yuber! That's not to heavy for you?" Mia smiled warmly when he shook his head. For a wounded man, he could sure carrying his own and then some. "Would you be able to carry something else then?" She felt her smile broaden when he nodded and wrapped arms around him tightly. "It's so good to have you back. I can finally get all of my supplies at once! Thank you!" She handed Yuber her money pouch and ran off to find the mayor for the picture that she had won which was much too heavy for her to carry on her own. Certainly, she could have asked some of the men of the village to do it, but she never wanted to bother them from their work.
Yuber stared at Mia as she left him standing in the middle of the bustling street then transferred his gaze to the money pouch in his previously empty hand. "You forgot your money..." He then thought that she was doing this to enforce his rule about keeping his hands to himself and forced himself to continue to hold it even as people brushed by him. He amused himself with thoughts of how many people he could club by turning with the tools over his shoulder. Still, he really didn't have a lot of time to muse when Mia returned with an older man in tow helping her carry a strange and rather large box. He investigated it when they arrived back at his spot, finding an intricate drawing of the world. He kept his mouth shut at some of the mistakes that were on it, mostly because the villages he was thinking of no longer existed thanks to him.
He watched in slight bewilderment as Mia seemed to pick up a conversation with this older man, shyly introducing him before running off on a complete tangent about her business and the son they had. He waited, not so patiently, for the conversation to end and looked up as stray water droplets landed on his cheek. At this rate, he would arrive back drenched and after dark, not like he minded. He had walked in the rain many times before, usually after a day of killing.
So caught up in his musing of the past, he nearly didn't catch the man that ran by and knocked him roughly. He ground his teeth together in restrain and forced himself to let the miserable beast continue on his way. However, his attention switched back to his now empty hand, flexing the fingers in thought. "Accursed thieves. They should die, every last one of them." He muttered as his gaze sought out the individual who dared to think that such crimes were allowed against him.
"Yuber?" Mia turned her gaze to the blonde as he looked off down the village path. She had only vaguely heard his words, but noted immediately that the money pouch she had given him to hold was now gone. "Oh...Oh, no! Not again!" She felt an arm around her shoulders as the mayor comforted her. This was not the first time she had been stolen from, and it never got any easier the more that it happened. She looked at Yuber as he set down the supplies he was carrying for her and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay. They are long gone by now. This isn't the first time, Yuber."
Yuber smirked and chuckled softly. "It will be the last time." His eyes were still on the fool that dared hurt Mia, thinking he was safe now that he was hidden in an alley counting the loot he had stolen. Yuber felt lightning crackle up his left arm, gaze fixed right on the young man, and he held out his left hand as the rune came to life and a bolt of lightning flew down the street, whizzing past innocent bystanders. He snarled angrily when the young man yelped and leapt back into the street, barely avoided the bolt of pure electrical energy. "Hmm, I missed." His gaze locked with the eyes of the young man and summoned forward the True Rune in his gaze. He chuckled when the man scrambled to his feet and ran down the street. He moved to give chase, stopping when Mia's hands grabbed his arm.
"Yuber, please don't do this. It doesn't matter." Mia pleaded softly. She had a feeling that the blonde had no intention of letting this man live.
"He stole from you. That is a crime that is punishable. I will punish him and get back your money." Yuber pulled his arm from Mia's grasp and stalked down the path, which everyone moved away from him. He summoned his blade from Mia's house, swinging it as he teleported to where he knew that young man was, stopping when he found himself looking into blood red orbs that twinkled with blood-lust. He looked down at the dismembered body at Natas' feet and chuckled when he found a money pouch in his hand again.
"I believe we ended in a tie last time, dear friend. I plan to win this time." Natas walked from the alley into the main street, looking around at the people staring at him. He snapped his fingers and chuckled when several houses exploded in fire, sending the streets into complete and utter panic. He glanced back at Yuber who looked to be contemplating how to react. "Everyone but your woman is fair game."
Yuber took a deep long breath and slowly nodded. "I am not human. I am above all mortals so I do not care what any mortal thinks of me. They are all puppets to my whims." He forced to words out and chewed on them for a few minutes before looking up at Natas a smirking cruelly.
Natas nodded and chuckled. "Let this village be our playground!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gahhh! I did it again! Noooooo! looks at the computer and pounds on the screen Why won't you end!? End! Eeeennnnnddddd!
I am so sorry! I promised it would end this chapter and look now, I have to write another why. I get the feeling that I don't want to end this fic...sigh But, next time! Next time, I really promise that the chapter is the next one. I guess I must have flittle-farted around in this chapter. Let's hope the next battle scene will be a good one!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I really appreciate it!
Only in Dreams
By: Chibi Nataku
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.
Chapter 13 - When Dreams come from Boredom
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It had been three days since Yuber had gained consciousness after Pesmerga managed to find and humiliate him, luckily without any witnesses. Still, he wished that he had never gained back conscious until he was fully healed, mostly because he was bored out of his skull and was not allowed to step foot out of bed unless he had a bathroom emergency, something he no longer had an excuse for, though he made sure to use it regularly if only to prevent himself to counting the knots in the wood ceiling for the hundredth time. Now he could only amuse himself with stray thoughts about how bored he was and that he would need to slaughter an entire country to make up for lost time and amusement value.
'Ma~ggot, you are disappointing m~e! A~muse me, ma~ggot!' The Eightfold Rune chimed.
Yuber gritted his teeth and shook his head at the overly musical tone that the Eightfold Rune had taken up since his awakening, and it was equally as bored with his current predicament. Really, he was trying to figure out whether silence or talking to the True Rune was better for him, a decision that easily came down to the fact that at least the spider knew how to keep them both from killing his son by showing him images of past wars it had been through. Still, no image could compare to the thrill of feeling a blade pass effortlessly through another mortal's flesh, and he was quickly growing weary of not being able to participate in battle for three whole days.
He would have gotten up and wandered off had Mia not shown off her maternal side to him and had even caused to the True Rune to go silent on several occasions with her reprimands. So, he was forced to remain lying in a bed that was much too lumpy on the left side, probably from that miserable brat that was his son jumping on the bed. He did not so much wish harm upon his own child, but the boy was much too annoying for his tastes, always peeking in on him and screaming that the 'dead man' was attempting another silent escape out the window. If the brat decided to get close enough, he might find it in his heart to strangle the life out of the boy and raise him back to life again for discipline.
'Ma~ggot!'
'Stop calling me that, wretched spider.' Yuber chimed back at the Eightfold Rune, glaring at the spider as it seemed to contemplate a sing and dance routine to humiliate him further. It had already reenacted his battle with Pesmerga a few times, making especially sure to force him to watch every time. His frustration was growing with the wretched beast, almost as much as it was with his stupid child. 'Why do you call me that, anyway? You always called me 'boy' before.'
The Eightfold Rune chuckled at the blonde's frustration and rolled onto its back, kicking its legs in the air. God, it was so bored. It could practically image the blood it could have split. Still, it had managed to reserve itself to tormenting Yuber for lying to it about Natas. 'Well, you see, I used to call you 'boy' all the time because that is exactly what you were, a useless boy.' It rolled itself back to its feet and wandered forward in the blonde's mind, seeming to flop down beside the blonde's main consciousness. 'But, since you have taken it upon yourself to improve, you have graduated to 'maggot' so that is what I call you.'
Yuber quirked an eyebrow in slight confusion. 'Aren't children higher on the food-chain than maggots?'
'Depends on your perception, but no. Maggots are far less useless than boys. They actually do things, and...well, spiders tend to eat maggots not boys so are much more useful.' It chuckled at the blonde's unimpressed look in its general direction and signed heavily, almost painfully. 'Please, just get up and run away! This is getting worse than torture, maggot!'
"Don't have to tell me twice." Yuber muttered softly, letting his head fall back against the wood of the headboard, waiting for Mia to come in and order him to sit still while she checked his bandages, which had reduced to just a few around his chest, the rest of his wounds having healed with the help of the water rune. Why Mia didn't just heal him completely made him wonder if she was out to torture him for the fun of it. He could see this as his punishment for running off, he supposed, but that did not mean he had to be happy about it. In fact, he pouted quite often to show his unhappiness about being ordered around.
He leaned out of bed to try and catch a glimpse of Mia, smirking arrogantly when he found her grinding herbs and boiling them over a fire, back to him. He could sneak out and run off without her noticing, though he would have to come back for his armour, but that could be arranged. Pulling the covers back, he climbed to his feet, gaze on the doorway to make sure that he was not being watched by the miserable whelp he could call a son and silently crept towards the window, stopping with a stunned gasp as the tip of a sword pressed into the back of his neck threateningly, forcing him to stop his escape plans. Really, the time staying in this house only seemed to get worse the longer he remained in it, and now he was forced to deal with a vengeful Pesmerga again. For what it was worth to his dignity, he remained silent, preparing to attempt an escape should the other Black Knight strike him.
"Well, well, well, looks like someone is trying to make a quick and dirty escape without even bothering to say good-bye." The voice seemed much too amused for its own good.
Yuber felt his body go rigid as the voice reached his ears and the sword left his neck, instead moving to smack his bottom roughly, forcing him to jump a bit with the blow. He whirled to find an extremely amused Natas balancing a sword across his elegant shoulders, mocking grin making Yuber scowl at the former Black Knight. He stalked over to Natas, grabbing a stray piece of hair that crept his way and tugging it more than roughly, his face going straight for the silver-haired man's ear. "Took you long enough to show up! Do you have any idea how painful this experience has been?! Dammit Natas!" He slipped around the former Black Knight and back beneath the sheets as rustling from the other room drew his attention, not wanting to cause his lover to come in and check on him.
Natas grinned and leaned back against a nearby wall, all too amused by the fact that Yuber was being forced to remain in this place against his will. He knew that the blonde would not leave the woman in the other room without a real reason. His blood-red gaze traveled to the other room to watch the woman that had managed to catch Yuber's attention for all these years. He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow of interest as the ebony-haired woman bent to check on her boiling herbs. "Geez, look at that. I can see why you stay, Yuber." He glanced at the blonde who leaned to catch a glimpse of what he had been looking at, chuckling when piercing blue eyes glared at him. "That is quite a piece of work with all the right...curves. Why, if I wasn't such a blood-thirsty murderous bastard, I might actually want to...?"
"Finish that sentence and I will beat you to death with a small, miserable child." Yuber threatened.
Natas chuckled softly and shook his head, brushing a wandering lock of silver hair back over his shoulder, gaze set squarely on Mia again. He felt his amusement leave him and seriousness take over. "I cannot stay long, my friend. There has been a strange woman that I do not recognize sniffing about looking for you, one with quite a bit of magical abilities. She has already sent out her little lap dog to attempt to harass me, but I never did like vampires too much. I made sure that this...Neclord as he was called, knew that messing with the leader of the World of Emptiness is an act that he should rethink." He let his eyes wander to where Yuber was contemplating, watching at the blonde's eye clouded with an emotion before it disappeared quickly again. "I've been keeping my eye on this woman and her vampire friend. Though they do not seek out desperately, their urgency is growing it would seem. You're a starting to get popular, Yuber. I would watch your back, if I were you."
Yuber snorted and flexed his once damaged arm, feeling the crackling energy of the True Rune jump up his arm. His gaze flicked to Natas who remained leaning casually against the wall, however, Yuber could tell that the former Black Knight was on edge. "I have no need to watch my back, Natas." His gaze met the blood red one of Natas. "I have you to do that for me." He felt a smirk pull at his lips as the silver-haired man nodded wordlessly and pushed off of the wall. "What of Pesmerga?"
"He contains his rage at your escape and seeks you out. I think he knows where you are, but he cannot reach you without at least a few months hard travel. Still, he moves to kill you as we speak." Natas took a step towards the doorway and turned to face Yuber fully. "I will keep an eye on him as well, if you so desire."
Yuber nodded after a few seconds of thought. "Do, and keep your guard about you with this...vampire. I don't want my position revealed until I know what it is they seek in me, aside from causing bloodshed."
Natas nodded resolutely and prepared to leave the blonde to more torture. "Don't enjoy the silence of this room too much." He smirked at Yuber's venomous glare and swept his hair over his shoulders, looking around for the best way to escape from this warm, well-lit dungeon. He blinked in slight surprise to find his gaze lock with demanding green orbs before just settling for quirking an eyebrow and sweeping himself into a gracious bow. "It appears your woman has caught our secret talk, dear Yuber. By the look in her eyes, and what fine eyes they are, I would think that you may be in trouble. As I am not that much of a friend to you, I will abandon you to her whims."
Yuber sat up and scowled at Natas' attempt at gentlemanly conduct, not sure if the former Black Knight was attempting a joke or was actually serious. It was not until the silver-haired man disappeared from sight, and Mia stalked into the room that he realize just how much Natas was not joking. He sighed heavily and attempted to keep himself from rolling his eyes, without much success. He managed to reduce himself to glaring at the child that peeked around Mia's dress and glared back at him.
"Who was that, Yuber?" Mia asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, though she was well aware who that individual probably was. She did not want any association of Yuber that could cause harm to her child to be anywhere near this house, let alone inside of it. A part of her was ashamed for the silent treatment that she had been giving him over the last three days, but she was desperate not to fall into his arms and sob about how unfair the world was that he would leave her again once he was healed. And she knew that he would leave again once his wounds had mended, which was part of the reason that she did not heal his wounds entirely. She wanted Yuber to stay, if only for a little while longer. Her love for him, though now well-hidden through years of training, was still the same as it was before he left the first time. She was aware of the change in him, but she could look past all that if he could just spend one day with her as her lover again.
Yuber quirked an eyebrow at Mia's prolonged silent and distant gaze, wondering what she was thinking about. Sometimes he was always wondering what she was thinking. He could burn whole villages, slaughter without mercy, rule over an entire world, but he could still not understand the workings of a woman. However, when her gaze became clear and demanding once more, he merely shrugged his shoulders. "That was Natas. He is an associate of mine."
Mia scowled at Yuber honesty. "I recognize him from the descriptions that I have heard. He is the man you travel with, is he not?"
"Indeed, we work together on occasion." Yuber replied in slight disinterest. He really wished that miserable brat would take just one maybe two steps closer to him then he could really show the boy it was rude to glare at a superior being.
"Occasionally?" Mia questioned, taking a step forward to check the bandages that wound the only remaining wound on the blonde's body. Her voice softened as her finger worked to remove the white material and check the wound that was almost nearly healed. She rewound the bandages when she was content with the progress of healing, gaze flicking up to meet Yuber's blue one. She found herself staring into his hardened eyes, images of battles once fought and of a spider watching her back, looking away when she could no longer bear to think of the vile acts the blonde had committed. She stood back and sighed heavily as she wiped her hands on her dress. "You should be ready to leave again soon, probably if you wish, tomorrow. I will not stop you."
Yuber was surprised at the defeated edge to his lover's voice, cocking his head to the side questionably. He sat up fully and swung his legs out, watching Mia to see if she would reprimand him for attempting to stand. When he received none, he climbed to his full height and shook out his golden mane. His gaze switched from towering over his son to Mia who was keeping her gaze downwards. Gently, he lifted her chin with a finger, their gazes meeting again, though he was well aware that she did not like to look into his eyes for too long. "Will you miss me if I go?"
Mia bit her lip and slowly nodded her head. She had promised herself that she would not over-react should Yuber decide to leave again. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was inevitable, but still, she denied that the blonde no longer had feelings for her. She really wanted him to stay.
Yuber felt something, a piece of himself long since buried, rip, and he gasped slightly. Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it had come. The only remaining human part of himself said something that he was not sure if he wanted to regret or not. "I will stay, Mia. I will stay for as long as I can, but I fear that it will not be long."
Mia blinked at the sudden softness in Yuber's voice, sounding so much like the boy she had raised all those years back to be a man. She found that even the blonde's eyes had softened considerably. Slowly, cautiously, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his muscular chest, running her hands up his back to rest on his sleek shoulder blades. It had been so long since she had been able to hold the blonde like this. She forced herself to allow this moment of absolute security in Yuber's strong arms, a moment that she wished would continue forever.
'Maggot, why not stab her in the back now? It's a perfect moment.' The Eightfold Rune pestered, prodding at the blonde's carefully placed mental shields.
'Shut it, spider.' Yuber ordered and felt the True Rune forced away from his mind before it finally just slinked away back to its webbing.
The Eightfold Rune passed one last glance back at the blonde and grumbled. 'Well, at least slap that miserable brat you call a progeny upside the head while you are there.' It felt itself forced back again, eight eyes narrowing considerably. The blonde was getting more than a little good at controlling its voice, something that it would not tolerate. It would need to act quickly to keep its hold on the blonde's mind, and quick it would be. It would wait for the perfect moment to act.
Mia eventually forced herself to release her hold on Yuber and pulled away, pretending to dust her hands on her apron. She quickly gathered herself and looked up at the blonde who was watching her carefully. She forced a smile on her face and sighed. "Are you feeling well enough to go to town with me?" She started to walk from room, surprised when a blonde flash leapt by her and settled in a predatory stance next to the fire. "I will take that as a 'yes' then. Good, you can carry the supplies that I need." She was surprised when Yuber's eager face failed to falter and chuckled softly, shaking her head slightly.
Yuber would do just about anything to get out of this dreadful place if only for an hour or even a few minutes. Besides, he was very good at lifting things now, but he was worried about how he should around normal everyday society. All he had to do was keep reminding himself that killing innocent people is not the proper way to act. If he could keep his hands to himself, everything would be fine...unless Natas choose that moment to show up and duel him. Still, he could handle normal society again, really, he could.
Mia picked up a spare shirt and tossed at Yuber, raising an eyebrow as he snatched it out of the air and put it on in one fluid movement. Smiling, she picked up the basket she always took to town and beckoned Yuber to follow her, stepping out into her yard and looking around for her son. She easily found him glaring at Yuber from behind a tree, something she was beginning to get used to. There was an obvious rivalry between the two men in her life. "Joshua, mommy is going to town with Yuber. Do want to come?"
Yuber crossed his fingers and hoped that the boy would decide that hanging around him was a bad idea. When the brat nodded his head and ran over to Mia, he flexed his hands. "Remember, keep your hands to yourself, Yuber...There is no need to strangle the life out of your son. You don't want to feel the soft struggles of a dying creature, that desperate fight for life that practically drives your entire existence..." He kept reminding himself softly as he walked a few meters behind Mia. It was probably the worst walk of his entire life, just staring at the little boy that bounced beside Mia's side, hand tucked protectively in his mother's soft one. He felt his right hand twitch and move for the scruff of the boy's neck, pulling it back to scratch his head when Mia shot a look back at him. "Geez, she's good..."
"Yuber, walk beside me." Mia ordered, shooting a glare when she felt his eyes narrow at her order. She stopped when he threatened to not listen to her, pointing at the spot where she wanted the blonde to be. When he just stared in defiance at her, she set her jaw and put her hands on her hips, her visual 'mad' position. "Yuber, I'm not fighting with you. If you don't like it, you can march your sorry butt right back to that cabin and stare at the wall."
Yuber quirked a skeptical eyebrow at Mia. He may be in love with her, but he was damned if she thought she could order him around like some sorry puppy. He refused to take orders from anyone unless it suited his mood and right now, he was not about to give up any of his new freedom. "You can't order me around. I refuse to listen to anyone's orders."
Mia felt her eyes narrow. Not many people in the entire village dared to push her far enough when she need to force them to listen to her. She felt her left hand clench, the water rune glowed softly to show her anger. "Oh yes, you will. I saved your life, Yuber. You owe me."
Yuber blinked in slight surprise. "That's a cheap and dirty trick..." He growled as he forced himself to walk to the spot where Mia wanted him. Certainly, he didn't have to listen to Mia, but she pulled a trick that only other creatures of darkness pulled and usually won. He had used it several times on Natas, and he knew how much it angered the former Black Knight. He couldn't believe he allowed himself to have the same tricked use on him. Still, he wanted to stay outside longer than Mia appeared to have intended should he continue to refuse.
"Good boys. No fighting now." Mia felt her smile return and continued to walk towards town. She allowed Yuber to wander back and forth along the road, not really caring how he acted until they reached town. "Now boys, I want you both on best behaviour when we are in town." She said as they reached the village's edge.
"Yes mother." Yuber shot back, looking away when Mia's eyes found him. He knew the rules and had been repeating them to himself for the entire trip. Keep his hands to himself. He wandered behind Mia again as they entered town, watching as practically every villager greeted her and stared at him. They never commented on him, but it was obvious that there were questions floating through their minds. He refused to let his mysterious nature fly out of proportion simply because people might ask questions about him.
Mia walked over to where her new supplies where waiting, bending to investigate that all the required goods were there. She smiled when she found all of her herbs, bandages, and new gardening equipment was all accounted for. She carefully wrapped up all of the supplies and glanced over as Joshua as the boy moved to play with some of his friends. Smiling, she stood again and looked back at Yuber who was looking around the village of Kalekka. For the reputation that he held, he was an awfully good behaviour; maybe all those stories were just blown out of proportion and made Yuber out to be something that he was not.
Yuber passed a smirk over to Mia when she kindly asked him to carry her supplies for her. Looking at the two packages, he snorted and lifted both with one hand, resting the supplies on his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all. Really, it was not that heavy, for him at least. Probably for a normal mortal, it would be quite heavy with all the gardening supplies, but for him, it was lighter than his armour. However, the various stares of shock, one of which was Mia, told him that these were all just normal, pitiful mortals. He smirked arrogantly before blinking when Mia seemed to grow a little excited with his show of strength. "What?"
"Oh, I'm so glad, Yuber! That's not to heavy for you?" Mia smiled warmly when he shook his head. For a wounded man, he could sure carrying his own and then some. "Would you be able to carry something else then?" She felt her smile broaden when he nodded and wrapped arms around him tightly. "It's so good to have you back. I can finally get all of my supplies at once! Thank you!" She handed Yuber her money pouch and ran off to find the mayor for the picture that she had won which was much too heavy for her to carry on her own. Certainly, she could have asked some of the men of the village to do it, but she never wanted to bother them from their work.
Yuber stared at Mia as she left him standing in the middle of the bustling street then transferred his gaze to the money pouch in his previously empty hand. "You forgot your money..." He then thought that she was doing this to enforce his rule about keeping his hands to himself and forced himself to continue to hold it even as people brushed by him. He amused himself with thoughts of how many people he could club by turning with the tools over his shoulder. Still, he really didn't have a lot of time to muse when Mia returned with an older man in tow helping her carry a strange and rather large box. He investigated it when they arrived back at his spot, finding an intricate drawing of the world. He kept his mouth shut at some of the mistakes that were on it, mostly because the villages he was thinking of no longer existed thanks to him.
He watched in slight bewilderment as Mia seemed to pick up a conversation with this older man, shyly introducing him before running off on a complete tangent about her business and the son they had. He waited, not so patiently, for the conversation to end and looked up as stray water droplets landed on his cheek. At this rate, he would arrive back drenched and after dark, not like he minded. He had walked in the rain many times before, usually after a day of killing.
So caught up in his musing of the past, he nearly didn't catch the man that ran by and knocked him roughly. He ground his teeth together in restrain and forced himself to let the miserable beast continue on his way. However, his attention switched back to his now empty hand, flexing the fingers in thought. "Accursed thieves. They should die, every last one of them." He muttered as his gaze sought out the individual who dared to think that such crimes were allowed against him.
"Yuber?" Mia turned her gaze to the blonde as he looked off down the village path. She had only vaguely heard his words, but noted immediately that the money pouch she had given him to hold was now gone. "Oh...Oh, no! Not again!" She felt an arm around her shoulders as the mayor comforted her. This was not the first time she had been stolen from, and it never got any easier the more that it happened. She looked at Yuber as he set down the supplies he was carrying for her and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay. They are long gone by now. This isn't the first time, Yuber."
Yuber smirked and chuckled softly. "It will be the last time." His eyes were still on the fool that dared hurt Mia, thinking he was safe now that he was hidden in an alley counting the loot he had stolen. Yuber felt lightning crackle up his left arm, gaze fixed right on the young man, and he held out his left hand as the rune came to life and a bolt of lightning flew down the street, whizzing past innocent bystanders. He snarled angrily when the young man yelped and leapt back into the street, barely avoided the bolt of pure electrical energy. "Hmm, I missed." His gaze locked with the eyes of the young man and summoned forward the True Rune in his gaze. He chuckled when the man scrambled to his feet and ran down the street. He moved to give chase, stopping when Mia's hands grabbed his arm.
"Yuber, please don't do this. It doesn't matter." Mia pleaded softly. She had a feeling that the blonde had no intention of letting this man live.
"He stole from you. That is a crime that is punishable. I will punish him and get back your money." Yuber pulled his arm from Mia's grasp and stalked down the path, which everyone moved away from him. He summoned his blade from Mia's house, swinging it as he teleported to where he knew that young man was, stopping when he found himself looking into blood red orbs that twinkled with blood-lust. He looked down at the dismembered body at Natas' feet and chuckled when he found a money pouch in his hand again.
"I believe we ended in a tie last time, dear friend. I plan to win this time." Natas walked from the alley into the main street, looking around at the people staring at him. He snapped his fingers and chuckled when several houses exploded in fire, sending the streets into complete and utter panic. He glanced back at Yuber who looked to be contemplating how to react. "Everyone but your woman is fair game."
Yuber took a deep long breath and slowly nodded. "I am not human. I am above all mortals so I do not care what any mortal thinks of me. They are all puppets to my whims." He forced to words out and chewed on them for a few minutes before looking up at Natas a smirking cruelly.
Natas nodded and chuckled. "Let this village be our playground!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gahhh! I did it again! Noooooo! looks at the computer and pounds on the screen Why won't you end!? End! Eeeennnnnddddd!
I am so sorry! I promised it would end this chapter and look now, I have to write another why. I get the feeling that I don't want to end this fic...sigh But, next time! Next time, I really promise that the chapter is the next one. I guess I must have flittle-farted around in this chapter. Let's hope the next battle scene will be a good one!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I really appreciate it!