A/N: The first chapter of the new year. Since this chapter was rather short, I thought I would add something fun. So if Golden Sun were ever an anime, here's the seiyuu I think would fit well with the characters;
Robin - Daisuke Ono (Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji) He has a nice voice that I could totally see coming from Robin (even though he speaks in a British accent whenever I read his quotes).
Ivan - it's a tie between Mitsuki Saiga (Elk/Tsukasa from .hack, Wolfram from Kyou Kara Maou!, and Yoite from Nabari no Ou) and Koki Miyata (Nataku from Houshin Engi). When I was thinking about him, Saiga's name popped up in my head and I really do love Elk, she fits the shyer bits of Ivan. But Miyata has a soothing voice that fits Ivan's personality.
Picard - Daisuke Namikawa (North Italy from Hetalia, Fai D. Flourite from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles) He's a great seiyuu, going from serious to light and excited easily, I think he'd suit Picard perfectly.
Garcia - Takahiro Sakurai (voices Cloud Strife for Kingdom Hearts, Dissidia and FFVII movies/ova) He's got a nice, smooth voice. It's be perfect for the calm, collected Garcia.
Mary - Maaya Sakamoto. I don't have to explain this. Maaya Sakamoto is god.
Jasmine - Ayumi Hamasaki
Sheba - Sakura Tange (voices Sakura in Card Captor Sakura)
Gerald - Toshihiko Seki
To Elifer: Haha, well, we don't know much about Robin's background in this world but from what he has said, it's only safe to assume that he's had a rather rough life since his parents passing and he has the scars to prove it. I thought it would nicely suit the Robin of this world. Sadly, I don't intend for there to be much, if any, smut in this story. Ivan's still young and he's going through a lot and he's barely known Robin for a month. I want Mui to be more about developing their personalities, growing as people and slowly falling in love along the way and not just falling in love with each other because they travel together. However, the second story will be more mature and it will be more about their romantic relationship. I'm also working on another story that will be set in modern times, so the boys won't be so reticent to jump in bed together and have at it. Like I said, my biggest concerns for Mui now, is developing the story and Ivan's relationship with everyone as friends. Consider it as building the sexual tension. Though, I'm sure as soon as I have the boys do anything sexy, I'll get banned haha.
Thanks so much for the reviews. Happy New Year from me, the GS crew and my muses...who have been hard at work. Also, if you'd like a hint/preview of an upcoming project...head over to my deviantArt account and look for the doodle titled; Ivan: Harajuku. I won't say much more about the story...it's going to be a surprise. I don't know when you can look for it but I've got the title of it set and the basic story line. I might work on it after I finish the first book of Mui, before getting started on the second. We'll see. Man, I love how Ivan's hair turned out. Robin enjoys it too.
Anyway, I've rambled on enough. Read, review and enjoy, dearies.
Chapter 14:
Notes—faint and sweet—sneak into my dream and lead me away gently. Music. It's peaceful and it almost lulls me back to sleep.
I rub at my eyes and watch the sunlight and shadows play across ceiling together. I follow the silhouette of a tree and find Robin sitting on the windowsill, his violin tucked under his chin. He slides the bow across the strings with practiced easy, drawing out a sweet melody.
I raise myself onto an elbow, watching him—he still hasn't realized I'm awake. He's wearing a thin cotton shirt that's hanging open, shifting with his movements. He looks relaxed, as if all his problems melt into the notes and float away.
He opens his eyes, vivid blue visible through his sandy blonde hair. He smiles faintly, pulling the bow across the strings slowly to finish the song and lowering his violin and bow into the case. He walks over, leaning down and touching his hand to my cheek. "I wanted to say good morning before I left." He presses his lips to my cheek and whispers softly against my ear, "Good morning, Ivan."
My heart jumps as his breath tickles across my ear, making me shiver. "Good morning."
He's still smiling as he pulls away slowly, brushing my bangs back, "I have to head out now…I spoke with Garcia…he and Picard will explain what's happening." He steps away, buttoning up his shirt and glancing out the window, lost in thought for a long moment.
He finally removes something from his finger, turning back to me and taking my hand, slipping it onto my index finger. He leans forward, pressing his lips to it and smiling, "For good luck." He holds my hand, lightly brushing his thumb along my knuckles. I look down and something catches the sunlight.
A ring. A little like Mother's wedding band. It's a simple thing of silver, thin scuff marks marring it here and there. It looks like he's had it for a long time.
My heart jumps again and I shake my head slowly. "I-I couldn't possibly accept this…it must be something very important to you…" No one's given me something like this before. What am I supposed to do with it? What if I lose it?
"If you don't accept it, it'll hurt my pride." I laugh softly, looking down at the ring again before nodding slightly.
"If you put it that way…I guess I have no other choice." I look up at him slowly, "When will I get to see you again?"
He hugs me suddenly and with his arms around me I almost feel like I'm being swallowed up. His heartbeat is steady, thumping gently against my chest. I lean against him, reaching up slowly and resting my hands on his back.
"I'll most likely be in Faolan when you return with Garcia and Picard. It may take up to a month at the most…" He runs his fingers through my hair, inhaling deeply.
Somehow, this feels really nice…almost right. Almost like I belong here. It's warm and comforting, though it makes my heart feel strange—like its swelling.
"A month…? That seems like a long time." I miss him already. I'm so pathetic.
He chuckles, shaking his head and running his hand down my back, "You're going to be so busy traveling and having adventures of your own, you'll be back in Faolan before you know it. I'll warn you now though, Mary will fuss over you as soon as you get back. She's always like that when we come back from a long trip."
"Be careful…" He pulls back, kissing my hand lightly before turning and stepping back. I hold onto his arm with my free hand. "If you have another wound when I get back, I'm not going to be happy with you."
He laughs softly, dropping into a regal bow. "Fret not, dear heart. On my honor, your knight shall return with nary a scratch on his body." He lifts his head, smiling sadly, "Even when you get back home, I don't think we'll have much time to relax. We still have to stop the Emperor…but after that…after that, maybe we can go on a proper journey, together." He shakes his head and slips out the door, shutting it behind him.
All I can do is watch him go. His footsteps sound in the hall as he gathering his things and finally heading down the stairs. I can hear the timbre of his voice from downstairs as he talks with someone—probably Garcia. A door opens and shuts and he's gone.
I wait a little longer, listening to the sounds of the house. It's quiet with the occasional sound of voices drifting up the stairs but they're too soft to pick out words. With a sigh, I wash up and dress, pausing to study the ring.
It's beautiful in its simplicity. The metal was still pleasantly warm from Robin's heat when he slipped it on my finger. I turn it along my finger, noticing a small amethyst stone set into the center of the band. It catches the morning light brilliantly, casting small flecks of light along my hand. I touch it to my cheek, closing my eyes.
There's a knock at the door. I jump, turning and quickly straightening the bed. "It's open." Picard comes in with Garcia, the taller man tossing my goggles over. I fumble and blink at them. He had removed the lining and tinted the lenses.
"Wear those, you're gonna need them where we're headed. I'll remove the tint once we've finished our business here." A pair of goggles nest in his russet hair, tinted the same as mine. They're a little weather worn but they seem like the same make as mine.
I slip the goggles over my head, letting them fall to my collarbone, "Are we leaving now?"
"Yes, to Fahari Desert. Robin confirmed the rumor that one of the Muse instruments is being kept there." Picard hesitates for a moment, helping Garcia tie a dark green scarf around his neck, "We've never been to the desert…and the guardians there may be protecting the instrument. If they are, they're going to know we're looking for it and that will pose a problem."
"Guardians?"
"Animals created by the natural music of the desert winds. They take the form of wolves—the beings devoted to the Muses. Normally they are very gentle but they become vicious when approached with intent to do harm or take that which they protect." Picard smiles gently, smoothing out the scarf once he had finished.
"If they are guarding the instrument…they won't greet us warmly." Garcia sighs, sinking onto the foot of the bed and resting his arm across his knee. "If that happens, Picard will try to play a song to win them over. If they still come, sing along with him. It may help calm the wolves."
May? He's not even sure if it's going to work. I nod slowly, swallowing. "What if that doesn't work? What if we can't calm them down?"
"We'll try not to think about that until the problem arises." Picard turns to me, taking out the bandana he used to wrap my hair when we passed through Luis. He ties it loosely around my neck, "There are guardians everywhere, even in Tuari Plains. They protect the entrance to keep people from finding it. These wolves probably won't attack us in the end, we just have to wait and see."
The desert village of Bevis. It's an unassuming little town of stone buildings that sits along the border to the Fahari Desert. It isn't even on Father's map—he never came through here. Picard leans towards me, smiling gently and helping mark the town onto the map. "He made this when he was younger, he didn't have much of a reason to come here then. I'm sure he would have been proud to have you add to the map."
Sun browned children play in the shade of the buildings. They lift their heads as the horse whinnies. Smiles spread across their faces and they run up to the cart, greeting us cheerfully. Like in every town we've passed through before here, the kids seem no different, always excited when travelers arrive. They must not know about the trouble in Mui. Why should they?
Garcia parks the cart at the village's stables and a boy around my age tends to the horse as the children lead us by the hand to the chief's house, trying to get Garcia to tell them stories along the way. He lifts his eye path and winks. He reaches back, grasping Picard's hand but he doesn't meet his eye, watching the kids as they circle us. A woman lifts the curtain in doorway, calling out to the kids. They pout a little but run to her, reaching the middle of the dirt path and turning back, waving to us.
Garcia rubs the back of his neck, "The people here are rather ignorant of what's going on. I'm sure they would run up to soldiers if they came through here."
A door opens and a hunched old man stands in the doorway, smiling at us from behind a heavily wrinkled face. He welcomes us warmly, letting us into the room.
We sit around a doused hearth with the chief while Garcia leans against a pillar supporting the roof. "King Lian spoke highly of you. He says the fate of Mui rests in your hands. When I read his note I thought you would be much older. I am reticent to entrust the task to ones so young. Do your parents know what you're doing?"
Picard bows his head, "With all due respect, sir, most of us have lost our parents because of the Emperor. We have to do this because we have nothing left open to us except this path. We've lived during the peace of the late King and the dark times of the Emperor. Those who dare to speak out against him have been killed without a second thought. The only thing keeping this continent safe is the hologram. What do you think will happen when the Emperor discovers it's just an image?"
The man falls silent, turning his eyes to me instead and smiling suddenly. "I thought the Goddesses had forgotten about us. It seems Sarah still grants her children with her gifts. There is indeed light in these dark times." He nods slowly, returning his gaze to Picard. "We cannot offer much, but I will give you my best wishes and keep you in my prayers. Please relax here before you go into the desert. You must conserve your strength."
"Thank you, Chief."
The man frowns suddenly, his gaze hardening, "But you know of the guardians. They protect those living beneath the sands. They are our ancestors and they guard that which you seek. The guardians will know as soon as you set foot on their sands that you wish to take the instrument. They won't allow you to lay your hands on it, even if you have the best intentions. You go there knowing you may die."
Garcia grins, "We're all going to die some day. Might as well go out with a bang." Why did he have to say it like that?
The sun beats down hot and the sand slips beneath my feet making each step a struggle. As a strong gust picks up the sand, I adjust my goggles and the bandana around the lower half of my face. Picard and Garcia walk ahead of me, the brunette clutching the neck of the guitar strapped to his back. He squints against the sun, pausing. "Where is it? We've been walking for an hour." He pops open his compass, cursing. "It's no good. There's something throwing it off."
I squint, pushing my sweat soaked bangs from my eyes. Maybe it's the heat or my imagination but for a moment…I thought I saw something moving in the sand. Garcia loosens his collar, starting to walk again but Picard reaches out, grabbing the edge of his jacket, "I just saw something."
"Is it them?" Garcia turns to look in Picard's direction, gripping the neck of his guitar more.
A howl pierces the air sending a shiver down my spine. I turn in time to see sand colored wolves leaping from the dunes. Garcia spins his guitar around, running his hand down the strings in a quick motion, ripping five notes from the instrument. The strings fly back and he gives the neck a hard twist, pulling it from the body. A silver blade glints dangerously in the blazing sun as he drops into a fighting stance.
Several wolves surround us, lips rolling back, bearing their teeth and snarling. I winch, pressing my hands to my ears. It's not right. There's something wrong—something wrong with them. The sound's painful, too sharp.
Picard fumbles with his flute, trying to get it out as one of the wolves faces him, pawing the sand. It hunches down, preparing to pounce. I gasp, "Picard!" Garcia jumps in front of him as the wolf lunges, striking it down with his sword.
Something's wrong. The sand doesn't seem solid—less solid than before. Picard's moving away. Wait. He's not moving. I'm…sinking. I let out a gasp, trying to tug my legs from the sand but they sink in more. Picard spins around, "Ivan!" He grabs my arm and tries to pull me up. The sand beneath his feet beings to slip away, sucking him in with me.
Garcia curses, tossing his sword aside and grabbing Picard around the middle. He digs his heels into the sand, grunting as Picard sinks in faster. He stumbles as the sand swallows him up to his knees. I clutch at his arms, the sand rising up around my chest. His eyes widen in horror, "Hold your breath." He tugs off his bandana, using it to tie our wrists together. "Don't panic." His voice shakes even as he tries to force a reassuring smile.
Just as the sand reaches my chin, I take a deep breath, shutting my eyes against the sand. Everything goes dark as the sand falls in to cover my goggles.
"Un…" My head throbs and my entire body is aching. Opening my eyes slowly, blinking until they focus on the pale light from above, grains of sand trickling down and rolling across my cheek. I try to lift my arm but it's heavy. I glance down to find my wrist bound with a cloth.
Picard's.
I sit up quickly, the world spinning and I almost black out again. Strong hangs grasp my shoulders, keeping me steady. "Whoa, poppet. Take it easy. We had a good fall." Garcia.
I tug my goggles and scarf down slowly, "Where are we?"
"The land beneath." I peer over his shoulder, squinting in the faint light. We landed in a wide floral field. It reminds me of the field around Faolan—but without the glowing flowers and the strange fireflies. The only light here comes from the sun above and the torches ahead.
"Torches…it's a village. People…people live down here? How is that even possible?"
Garcia glances back over his shoulder, nodding slowly. "Aye. They're the ancestors of the people living in that village we just left. They're not accustomed to visitors." He shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck, "They've always lived here. It's natural for them to continue living here."
He turns as Picard groans, sitting up slowly and lifting his hand to his head. He squints up at the hole we fell through, pushing his goggles to the top of his head. "So we made it…they must have smelled the Tuari wolves on us. They wouldn't have let us live otherwise." He loosens the bandana linking our wrists and Garcia helps him to his feet, rubbing at the red mark the bandana left on his wrist. Picard dusts himself off, looking toward the torches.
Garcia's expression darkens as he turns towards the village as well, "They're guardian the instrument." He mutters, "I can feel it."
He's missing something. I tilt my head. "Where's your guitar?" He grits his teeth, nodding to the broken bits of wood not too far off. His sword was still intact but he'd plunged the blade into the dirt near the remains of his guitar.
"I must have landed on it when we fell. Bugger. I've had that thing for years." He shakes his head, "Come, let's get on with it. Though I'm not looking forward to returning home now."
Picard smiles gently, extending his hand to me, "Are you alright? Can you stand? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
I shake my head, quickly taking his hand, "I don't think so. I feel fine." He hauls me to my feet and I dust off my clothes as we follow Garcia through the field.
The village slowly comes into view—stone houses, much like those in the village above ground line the wide dirt path, tightly packed together, not giving the villagers much space between their neighbors. It's nothing like Faolan. It's seems so much older. There doesn't appear to be any advanced technology anywhere.
A pale young woman drawing water from a well at the edge of the village is the first to spot us. She gasps, dropping the rope and running down the path, calling out to others as she went. People lean out windows, glancing our way before disappearing back into their homes, doors opening all over the village.
Garcia frowns, "Perfect. Just what we need." He moves his jacket to cover his guns, buttoning it quickly and resting his hand on his hip as he looks around. "Who do you suppose is in charge?"
"I believe we're about to find out." A group of people come towards us, the young woman at the leaning them, walking alongside a middle aged man.
"They don't look scared." I shift, my heart starting to pound. I feel dizzy again, every instinct telling me to turn around and run. They don't have any weapons on them and most look peaceful but…
"They've got us outnumbered. They have no reason to be frightened of us." Picard steps past Garcia and the pirate rests a hand on my shoulder, clutching it tightly to keep me in place. Picard drops to his knee, bowing his head, "My name is Picard and these are my traveling companions; Garcia and Ivan. You have my humblest apologies for intruding upon the peace of your village."
The man smiles warmly, "I am Ronan, the head of this village. Please, rise, child. You must not apologize. We welcome any visitor that arrives, though, I must admit, you are the first to appear before us." Picard stands slowly. "I invite you to my home where you can relax. You must tell us all about the happenings above ground."
He leads us to a large house and we sit around a fire. Garcia hangs back near the door, close enough to hear the conversation. He keeps glancing towards the man called Ronan, his fingertips twitching slightly.
Picard rubs his earring absently as he tells Ronan about the Emperor and the health of young king Lian—Garcia adding some tedious news here and there. I touch Robin's ring through my glove as he's mentioned. A month. It seems so far away now.
The man frowns, nodding slowly as Picard finishes, "I see…things are much worse than I could possibly have dreamed. You are all strong men but I must ask, what has brought you to our village?"
Picard hesitates, "Your people guard the instrument of the Hell Muse Abeille and we have a great need for it. To put an end to the Emperor."
"You have endured much hardship through the years but we cannot give you the instrument. It has been with us for a long time, since before I was born…and it does not just belong to the village. We cannot hand over to the first people who ask for it. You cannot hope to protect it better than we can here."
Picard leans forward, pressing his palms to the floor. "Please, Ronan, you do not understand…the only way we can stop him is with all four instruments. We cannot go home without your instrument. We've come all this way…"
Garcia starts to pace before the door, growling under his breath, "The instrument is no good here. The Emperor will come for it eventually—he'll find a way and once he does, he'll destroy all of you. You're pride will lead to hell."
"Garcia, please." Picard warns gently, fixing his golden gaze on Ronan. "He is right…once the Emperor's men discover that you keep an instrument, there is nothing that will stop him, not even the guardians. He's a determined, intelligent man—he won't show you any mercy, he'll torture you and then he'll kill you—all of you."
Ronan hangs his head, "I do wish I could help you, you all seem like great boys. You're too young to be fighting in such a dangerous war. However, this is how things have been, since my father's time, and before that. It's been safe here, it will stay safe here. People have forgotten about us, it's a miracle you children have found us."
Garcia slams his fist against the door, "You fool, you're going to kill your people! You think you're safe, you don't even know what he can do—you haven't seen what he's done. We have. My father—" His accent becomes thick as he yells, his word running together. He locks eyes with Picard, slowly regaining control of his emotions and looking away, rubbing his hand.
"Excuse me, Ronan, might I speak with our young visitors?" A curtain draws back from a dark doorway and a pale woman with long dark hair steps from the shadows. She's wearing strange white robes, a wooden pendant resting on her chest.
Ronan lifts his head, nodding, "Ah, Elysia, of course. Please, come sit with us. This does concern you. You're more than welcome to join."
"Thank you, Ronan." She lowers herself to the floor, sitting beside Ronan. "The instrument you desire has been in my family for generations. My great-grandmother was a priestess at the Hell Muse's temple." "When she was a young girl—working as an apprentice to the Head Priestess, a dark cloud fell upon the continent and attacked all the temples devoted to the four Goddesses. My great-grandmother managed to escape, taking the instrument with her and seeking refuge in the desert.
"The desert weather was too much for her and she passed out from exhaustion. The desert wolves took pity on her and took her to the village beneath. The people nursed her back to health and the instrument has been here ever since. She told the story of the instrument to her daughter, and she to her own daughter—until it was told to me and the duty of protecting the instrument was passed down through the line."
Ronan closes his eyes and sighs deeply, nodding. "For a long time, we have protected the instrument alongside her family. We intend to do so long into the future as well." He opens his eyes, frowning at us.
Elysia rests her hand on Ronan's gently. "This is the first time someone from above ground has come before us asking for the instrument. Please explain to me why you desire it?"
Picard bows his head, "There is trouble on the main continent. The Emperor has the Song of Death and intends to use it; he does not know he requires the four instruments. It will only be a matter of time before he realizes he needs them and once he does, you can be sure he'll find them swiftly. Perhaps he plans on destroying the remaining musicians in Mui…or maybe more than that."
The woman gasps, touching a hand to her pendant and whispering a swift prayer. "Does he not understand the power of the instruments? And even the Song…countless lives could be lost…he can't hope to control such powers…no mortal could. Even the Golden Muse could not destroy her own creation."
She glances around at us, her eyes resting on Garcia before she sighs, bowing her head. "I didn't know things were this bad. I can't hope to keep the instrument safe in the face of such evil. This goes against my better judgment but…the instrument belongs with you. It is the will of the Goddess." She steps out of the room, returning with an instrument wrapped in a dark cloth. She walks over to Garcia and presents it to him, bowing her head. He blinks—something strange in his eyes as he pulls back the cloth to reveal a lute of pure black. Though it's so dark, there's something calming about it.
Picard stands, smiling softly and bowing to the woman. "Thank you, my lady. You don't know just how many this has helped."
-Continued in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Book of Mui-
Alex: -whistles- 126 pages. I'm proud.
I've finally won Alex's approval. I feel faint.
Alex: ...Because you haven't eaten.
Oh, that. Yup. I feel this chapter was a little rushed...I do apologize for that. Anyway, I hope it was to your liking, poppets. Until next we meet~