Part Twenty-Eight:
Fai jolted when he realized the Nihongo teen was crouching by his side, just intensely staring at him. He looked and saw the men of Schwarz were eating a stew by the fireplace, not caring about how close their youngster was to their prisoners.
"So why do you stay with Mundanes?" he asked Fai.
"Mundanes?"
"It's our word for people who can't do what we can."
"Where I come from, most people are born mages of some sort, but a few aren't. We all live together in peace and respect, because everyone, even someone without magic, can contribute to society." Fai remember Ashura impressing the greatest respect for the people of Celes that had no magical ability; they couldn't help their situation, but needed to be afford the same rights as mages. They were the ones that needed the greatest care and protection. On Celes, though, everyone was at least born with some esper abilities, but magic was the center of life.
"But what if the tables were turned and your kind was in the minority?" Nagi asked with thick bitterness.
"Then I'd trust I'd be treated fairly."
"And if you weren't?"
"Then I'd have to find a way to make my own happiness. Listen, no matter the things you suffered, you can thrive and find happiness and joy. When we were little children, my twin and I suffered a great deal, but our adoptive father found us."
"Schwarz found me. I have a home now. You could have a better home. Crawford has big plans, and you could be part of it."
"I can't help you. If you escape, it could jeopardize the standing of someone I care about."
"We couldn't care less about that. I want to go to their world and live with them."
Lord Suwa turned his head and said, "You'd leave Nihongo and dishonor your parents by helping these evil men?"
"My parents never did anything for me. No one in Nihongo ever did anything for me. All they've done is fear me. Crawford took me in when no one else here would. They're my family."
"Well then, come with me to Celes. You'd fit in there and you wouldn't be around those sociopaths," Fai whispered.
Nagi looked offend. "I'd never leave them. Like I said, they're my family."
Nagi jumped up and went over to Crawford. "He won't budge."
"You tried your best, Nagi," Crawford said. "Don't worry..." Fai noticed the man's eyes glazed over for a moment and then refocused. Crawford smiled and looked over at Fai. "Interesting."
Fai turned his head and gazed at a spot on the wall to avoid looking at them. He kept his other senses sharp, just waiting for one slip up that he and Lord Suwa could exploit.
"Now where?" Ran asked. Kurogane looked around the woods. Youji had lost the trail and now night was falling.
"These woods are abandoned because of an increase in the wolf population. No one lives around here anymore," Kurogane said.
"Then what's that smoke from?" Youji asked, pointing in the distance.
Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "I'd say that's what we're looking for."
"We need to move carefully," Mamoru warned, before they took off towards the smoke spiral.
"So, it's time for us to leave," Crawford said. "Mr. Fluorite, you'll do the honors?" He was holding Fai's staff in front of his nose. His hands were still tied, but now in front of him. Lord Suwa was tied and on the ground.
"Never!"
"Farfarello, Schuldig, rough up Lord Suwa," Crawford ordered.
Fai almost capitulated, but Lord Suwa glared at him. "Don't you dare, mage, no matter what!"
He bit his bottom lip. It was quivering as the two espers started kicking Lord Suwa. Crawford finally said, "Enough."
They paused and Fai felt sick to his gut seeing Lord Suwa bruised and bleeding on the ground. The ninja groaned and open his eye that wasn't blackened. He looked at Fai. "I mean it, Fai. Ignore them!"
"Fine then. Farfarello, pluck out Lord Suwa's eyes," Crawford ordered. Farfarello took out his long knife and yanked Lord Suwa's head back.
"No! I'll do it! Just don't harm him any more. I swear, I'll send you back to your world. Please don't maim him!"
"I thought you might change your tune," Crawford said. "Now, how do you do this."
"We need to be outside," Fai said numbly. Crawford gripped his upper arm in a bruising hold and dragged him to the front yard. Nagi trailed behind. Farfarello and Schuldig grabbed Lord Suwa, yanked him to his feet, and pushed him to the front yard.
"Now what?"
"I need to know the realm you came from. I'll need the telepath to lower his mental shields and let me remove some information from his head." Fai had the kernel of an idea to rid Nihongo of these espers, but he had to rely on every bit of guile he possessed.
"No way!" the redhead snarled at Fai. "Brad, he's going to trick us."
"I need a telepath because their minds are most fluid. I can't do it any other way."
"Do it, Sebastian," Crawford ordered.
"Alright! But only because I'm dying to get back," Schuldig agreed.
"You need to unloose my hands. I can't trace runes without free hands," Fai said.
Farfarello put a blade under Lord Suwa's throat. "Don't ye do anything stupid, mage, or I'll slit his throat and rub your face in the blood."
Crawford untied Fai and handed over his staff. Fai could sense Schuldig lower his shields. He traced six runes in the air. He pointed at Schuldig's forehead. The runes sunk into Schuldig's head. That was actually a temporary binding spell so Schuldig couldn't read his mind and be forewarned about his intentions. He traced another rune set. The pink thread went into Schuldig's head and then floated back out and into Fai's head. The realm's coordinates were now known to Fai.
Fai lofted his magic staff, casting tip now pink, and looked at Lord Suwa. "Please forgive me, but I couldn't let them hurt you. It's just something I can't let them do, because I respect you too much, and I could never looked Kurogane in the eyes if I ever let something happen to you. Besides, these people don't belong here. I'm confident their own world will dole out justice to them one day."
Lord Suwa nodded after a long pause, his expression grim. "I understand. And yeah, one day they'll get theirs."
"Remember, you're to also help us. We will take Lord Suwa's eyes if you renege," Schuldig said, pushing his mental shields back up.
Fai gathered his magic and started to trace a huge casting circle in spidery Celian runes. Finally, the circle was traced around the six of them. Fai concentrated and triggered the spell. "Here we go," he said as the runes closed in and swallowed them all.
Spring thunder rumbled and lightening lanced across the sky, yet no rain. They road their horses hard through the forest. Suddenly, they all pulled their reins up short, and halted their horses when a huge, pink ball lit up the sky.
"That's Fai's magic! He's cast a spell!" Kurogane said. They all spurred their horses forward again. Now, Kurogane's worry hit an all time high. He didn't know what he'd do to those foreign mages if they hurt his father or Fai, but he knew it wouldn't be pleasant.
Fai felt them being dragged between realms and then there was a dropping sensation. The pink bubble started to dissolve around them and reform the rune set casting circle. There were some tall glass and steel structures. There were also some odd things moving on a hard, black road. It was all extremely noisy and noxious.
Lord Suwa asked in incredulity, "What kind of accursed place is this?"
"It's the realm they belong in," Fai said as their feet softly touched down in between two of the tall glass and steel structures, the pink rune set still encircling them.
"Finally!" Schuldig said, smiling widely.
"Well now, goodbye," Fai said as the runes started to swirl counter to the direction they had originally floated. Fai threw his arms around Lord Suwa's neck, otherwise the man would be trapped in this realm.
"Son of a..." Schuldig snarled and went to grab at Fai as he and Lord Suwa drifted back towards the sky.
Crawford grabbed Schuldig's wrist and said, "No, I foresaw this; he'd be too much trouble to control. Let them go. We've got Nagi, so we don't really need the mage."
Then darkness enveloped them. Fai and Lord Suwa were then dropped back in Nihongo, just like Fai had planned out his runes to do. They landed in the front yard of the cabin.
"Lord Suwa! Hold still," Fai said, putting his magic staff aside and then untying Lord Suwa.
"Thank you, mage," Lord Suwa said, while Fai helped the ninja.
"Are you okay?" Fai asked, because the man looked so roughed up.
"I'm fine." Lord Suwa perked up and said, "Horses. Grab your staff."
Lord Suwa went to the cabin and retrieved his sword as Fai lofted his staff. He lowered it when he saw, in a flash of lightening, Kurogane riding towards them with Ran and the others in tow. Lord Suwa rushed to Fai's side, but stood down when he realized the same. The five horses stopped short of Fai and Lord Suwa.
"Kurogane!" Lord Suwa shouted. "We're fine. The foreign mages are gone."
"So they were the ones that kidnapped you and my mage? Why?"
"Because they wanted your mage to send them home," Lord Suwa explained, sheathing his long sword, Pale Blue Ice.
"Say the vixen didn't do it! Say he didn't send them home," Ran said, hopping off his horse and marching towards Fai and Lord Suwa.
"I did it because they would have tortured Lord Suwa. I had no choice," Fai said, looking at the ground and turning his back on Ran.
"You need to let your revenge go, cousin Ran. It's over, and for the best," Lord Suwa said.
Ran drew his sword and said, "It's not over!" Fai didn't turn quick enough when Ran shouted, "Wind dragon attack!"
The energy blast from the swung katana caught Fai on his left temple as he turned. Fai stiffened, seized up, and crumpled. Lord Suwa caught him and lowered him to the ground, gently. Fai thrashed around for a few seconds in Lord Suwa's arms and then fell still.
"Fai!" Kurogane shouted and scrambled to the mage's side, but his father restrained him by grabbing him by a shoulder.
"It's a head injury! If you're not careful, you'll kill him. He's alive, but not for long."
Kurogane's face paled and his expression grew blank. He asked his father in a numb tone that frightened Lord Suwa, "Alive for now?"
"Yes. We must get him to your mother!"
Kurogane stood as a few rain droplets of rain came down. He drew Ginryuu and faced Ran. "Any last words before I kill you?"
"You're vixen denied me my revenge. His life was mine to take. Stand down, cousin Kurogane, because it was justice."
Before Kurogane could launch himself at Ran, Lord Suwa said, "Think of your mage! He needs aid, now! Help me get him to your mother and get your revenge later!"
Ran sheathed his katana. "Save him if you can. I doubt it, and I hope not."
"If he dies, I won't rest until you're dead," Kurogane promised in a deathly tone as he sheathed Ginryuu and then turned to help his father with Fai. They quickly, carefully got him into the bed of the wagon and left. Ran and his companions followed at a distance.
"...and it would seem the beast has moved to the Southlands. The duchess, your aunt, is requesting you send some combat mages immediately. It seems her most loyal retainers were found bloodless," King Ashura's valet reported.
"That seems a real pity," Ashura replied. "I'll send her some, for the sake of my subjects, not for hers."
The valet bowed and left to go muster some combat mages. Ashura smiled to himself and leaned back on his throne. The incredible power he had gained from killing was intoxicating. And the best part, he had the duchess corned in the Southlands with a bunch of dead retainers.
Suddenly, a jolt hit Ashura's stomach. His eyes widened as he sensed a huge spell being cast. He murmured, "Fai, what are you up to?" The spell then reversed itself and King Ashura smiled. "I sense you're getting stronger, too. You'll need to be very strong for your homecoming. Soon, my precious child, I'll fetch you."
Lady Suwa was horrified when she saw the mage's left temple, his blond hair matted with blood. She had her son and husband take him, gently, into her prayer room where she could work her style of magic. Soon after they left, she started the candle lighting.
She was surprised to see Aya-chan rush in and kneel in front of her. "Please, my brother made a huge mistake. Please allow me to help heal Kurogane's mage."
"Of course. It would be welcome." Lady Suwa knelt by one side of Fai's head and Aya-chan moved to kneel at the other side. They started chanting in tandem to infuse healing energy into Fai's body.
Lord Suwa found his son at the shrine of their ancestors, praying. He wasn't surprised. He went into the small shrine and knelt beside him, lit some incense, and prayed as well. The mage had save his life and his eyes; that was a very noble thing that indebted him to the young man. Plus, it was white hot irrational rage that had caused this injury rather than a justified vengeance.
After a while, Kurogane slumped onto the alter and clenched his fist tightly. "I hate him, Father. I will kill him when I see him next. I know he's blood... but..."
"Aya-chan is trying to help you mother heal him, so don't be hasty like he was. Think before you act, or else this will go out of control."
Kurogane took a deep breath and nodded. "I will get justice for Fai, one way or the other."
He put his hand on Kurogane's shoulder, dread filling his chest. "I hate to say it, but it's looking like the mage won't pull through. We have to contact the ice king so he can decided what to do with him."
"How can I ever look that man in the face after my vow?"
"I'll take your vow onto my shoulders. Anything the ice king demands in compensation, I'll pay that price on my own. Your mage put his life on the line for me, so I'll do likewise."
"According to Fai, the ice king can be extremely vindictive, even though he seemed so kind and very reasonable when I met him. I just can't picture the ice king asking for anything unjust."
"If it were you killed, I'd demand blood. He may do the the same. I had accused Fai of not knowing the value of blood, but it was I who didn't know the value of the heart. And your mage has a lot of heart." His father was silent and took a deep breath. "I hate to bring this up, but I must. If his father will allow it, we could bury him in Nihongo."
"No, that's not Celian tradition. They burn their dead and scatter the ashes." Lord Suwa flinched and shivered, but didn't say anything about the revolting custom. Kurogane said calmly as he sat up straight, "I swore to Fai not until the last minute it was possible that we'd part ways. I'm not ready to say it's over until he actually passes away. I'll stay by his side and care for him."
"But if he doesn't wake up, it may be merciful to..."
"Please don't speak about these things to me. That would be for King Ashura to decide. You see, Fai is still considered his ward until he turns thirty."
"We'll give your mother a chance to see if she can revive him before we contact the ice king."
"I want to go see him."
"Avoid walking by the guest quarters. Ran and the others are there. Aya-chan chose to stay, so they have to as well."
Kurogane did as his father told him and went around the west side of of compound rather than through it. He went into his mother's pray room. His mother turned and beckoned Kurogane to sit by her.
"How is he?"
"His vitality is very low, but I promise I won't give up," his mother said.
"And I won't either. I'm so sorry my brother wronged you," Aya said.
He looked up at her and said, "Thank you, Aya-chan. My mage means a great deal to me." He then looked down at Fai. He was so still, it seemed unnatural to Kurogane. "May I have a moment alone with him."
"We should get something to eat. We'll be back soon," Lady Suwa said. After she and Aya left, Kurogane took Fai's hand.
"Don't you dare leave me early, Fai. I'll never forgive you for it."
To be continued.
