Unfolding Situations
12th May 2009
Series: The Seer
Summary: More factors, as the title implies. Urashima Taro comes out to play, an "addition" is brought to light, and Shizuka must face what Watanuki truly is… and what his own future, voluntarily bound to his new friend, will bring.
Warnings: Implied homosexuality and some violence.
Author Notes: I was supposed to update an Original story today but it needs a lot more work than I have time to give it so I'm dropping it from circulation for a while. So, here's this story, updated a week earlier than scheduled. Thanks for your patience! Next update is on 8 August.
When the ship began to move in the middle of the night, shifting upon the waves, Shizuka wasn't certain what he had to say about it should cheer or worry the crew. It was obvious the heavy gloom of the Demon Parade had moved on and the lingering auras of the creatures attending it had begun to fade.
Shizuka spent a long moment sitting on his futon, his sitting height from the floor putting him at just the right level, to study Watanuki's peacefully sleeping face. The noble's fair skin almost glowed in the half light, the soft glow of moonlight making it look ethereally flawless, and his hair tumbled about the pillow loosely like a puddle of black ink. The monk idly wondered if he might be able to think up another occasion to get Watanuki to part with his hair ribbon again, to see the long, messy locks tumbling about the young lord's shoulders. The first time he'd had the privilege to witness that, it'd been for too short a moment and for inauspicious circumstances –the day of his duel with Prince Amko.
Resigned, he masked his presence and carefully slipped from the room after doubling up the wards around the cabin. He stepped out onto the deck into the chill of the early morning darkness, noticing the ship should be allowed loose now and yet the mist had only thickened, the tide had not changed and they were still unable to move. He studied the quality of the mist, considering if he should bother Sorata with this. But then he sensed the priest and his wife moving closer and moved toward the deck door to wait for them.
Arashi had swept her hair up into a tie this morning, no doubt roused only minutes before by the change in their surroundings, and Sorata yawned widely, obviously still sleepy but the dullness fading quickly from his eyes. They exchanged friendly nods, all more focused on the developments than in wasting time with pleasantries.
Shizuka stood beside Sorata out on the deck, Arashi by the railing with her hands raised toward the sea, extending her senses out into the mist beyond. She sighed as she lowered her hands and glanced over her shoulder at them,
"He's there."
Sorata angled a look at Shizuka, one hand tightening about the long metal staff in his hand. "Well?"
Idiot demonized human going up against what, three of them? "He seems desperate. I don't like that." The monk lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "Be my guest."
Sorata grinned gleefully, "Finally!" He thumped the staff on the deck and slapped Shizuka companionably on the back before stepping forward. "See you later!"
"Oh no, you don't," Arashi muttered, feet moving slightly apart as she took on a demanding demeanour. "He's going with you," she pointed at Shizuka.
"What?" The priest gaped. "I'm insulted you think I need an escort!"
"I have no doubts to your ability, husband," she said loftily, slit-eyed and determined. "But I happen to believe in chances and there are chances that fool demon will try something. I want you back safe and sound. You will leave with Doumeki or not at all."
Sorata glared at her, all humour vanishing, and she glared right back. Idly, Shizuka sensed out to the mist, searching for life. It wasn't a technique he had used before, uncertain whether to classify the mist as a life form. He pressed his senses out in a general radius around him, wondering Urashima-san might be. He found the demonic human's familiar aura just above ship… but a large, multi-coloured glow also registered far away in the distance in a separate direction, further startling him with implications of how sensitive his powers had become –the direction into which the Demon Parade moved further away.
However, he also noticed another presence of life …which explained why Arashi had asked her husband to allow her to sense for the turtle-demon's life force and not let him do it himself. The monk frowned, concerned.
"Ii!" Sorata relented with some disgust, coming to the end of his argument with his wife. "Doumeki!"
"Ahh," the monk agreed, following after the priest and, passing directly by Arashi, caught her gaze before deliberately looking down at her stomach then meeting her gaze again. Her eyes went challenging and he moved on past, the entire exchange indicating only that he knew what she was hiding and nothing more.
Without a barrier this time, it made things a little tricky but Doumeki and Sorata, highly skilled, moved up into the rafters of the ship where the protection charms were weakest. Moments after they arrived there, a puff of mist moved through the thickness, billowing oddly before unfurling to reveal the demon Tortoise on third mast.
"Urashima-san," Sorata greeted politely. "Good day to you."
The Tortoise stilled for a split second then threw its head back and laughed. "Oh," he said, his voice slimy and dangerous, "So you know who I am, do you?"
"As we know what that little bulge in your clothing is as well," Shizuka commented calmly, Centre gathered and ready to release at a split-second's notice. He would take no chances.
"Yet for all your certainty, you have come in a pair," Urashima pointed out blandly, a long tongue licking at his dark lips. "That's hardly fair."
"You ventured to threaten our Lord," Sorata refuted, "That involves the whole crew now, most especially me."
"Hmm," Urashima rolled his eyes at them looking, in Shizuka's sharpening perception, filthy and cunning, dangerous and blood-thirsty. "I realised I had crossed paths with someone important and powerful, the loyalty is an added bonus as well. He must have a clean soul, that one."
Shizuka didn't like the sound of that. Something about the way the Tortoise said it echoed in him with the thoughts in his ancestor's journal.
"Let's just say we don't like the way you spoke of and continue to speak of him," Sorata said reasonably, shoulders hunching and posture changing to reflect his growing inclination to settling the matter in arms. "We wish to continue on our way and we know the Demon Parade has moved on. The only thing we see keeping us here and barring our way, is you."
"Hm?" Urashima hummed, and Shizuka extended his senses, disliking the way the Demon seemed to be stalling. He must be planning something. "I want something. And I am not known for not getting what I want."
"If our master is who you want," Sorata said, voice lowering, turning dark, "You will not have him." He gave a humourless smile, "It doesn't escape my notice you are only just barely able to keep the ship here. The Dancing Dragon has been unstable in this position for some time now. It must be wearing you."
Urashima did not look pleased to realise Sorata had interpreted the situation so accurately. He snarled and lunged but Sorata was ready for him, swinging out with the staff with quicker reflexes than Shizuka had seen him use before. The priest blocked the first blow and quickly leaned forward, swinging up a leg to counter-attack but Urashima blocked the kick and crouched now to jab in with one large paw. Quickly and exchanging blows all the while, the two moved from the mast where Sorata had been perched, along the ship beams and over to others, back and forth, up to the masts and down, Shizuka watching carefully all the while for a need to step in.
Beyond, the thrashing mists seemed to react to the tension in the air, moving more quickly, folding and refolding. They drew the monk's attention at times and he cursed himself for being unable to juggle attention between the fight and their magic-infused surroundings.
"Filthy human," snarled Urashima, striking out.
"Ara," Sorata grinned, blocking the attack and moving to one side out of range, "You were once human yourself."
"I am human no longer," the Tortoise corrected, "Don't think of me as similar to you in any way." And then he crouched, avoiding the jab Sorata aimed at his chest, but something about the way he moved—
"Sorata!" Shizuka pounced forward, shoving the startled priest back, into the unfolding darkness expanding from Urashima's turtle-shell. The cold hit him first then he noticed the mist swiftly closing in on them, "Sorata get down into the ship's barrier—!"
The sharp blow to his abdomen made him step back, losing his balance, the force knocking him off his feet and into the air. Urashima pounced after him as he fell and he raised his arms, unleashing his Centre just in time to create a shield to protect himself from the unnatural claws Urashima raked at him. The defence cost him precious time, the beam upon which Sorata stood whizzing past, catching the startled look on the priest's face as he and Urashima plummeted toward the water.
He had no time to decide how to move, raising his arms again to create yet another shield but this time doubling up on the power to repel the demon human, the clash loud in his ears, Urashima forced backward enough that he could extend his arms. His bow and arrow formed quickly and within half a breath he had aimed and launched, Urashima tried to dodge but then his scream rent the air—
"Doumeki!"
Shizuka turned to look just as the railing blew past, Watanuki standing there with one hand gripping the rail and the other reaching out to him, a frightened and wide-eyed panic on his pale face –leaning over the railing enough to be beyond the ship's charmed barriers.
"You!" Urashima snarled triumphantly, dark black blood dripping from his shoulder, the mist sweeping about him like a blanket, pulling the demon-human out of his fall and to a parallel with the stricken noble –whose eyes were still on Shizuka, no attention for his own danger.
No!
Panic swept over Shizuka and he forced his Centre out in a way he had never used it before: into a shield below him to slow then stop his fall, solidifying it as he built the energy to create a platform upon which to stand. Even as he created it, he knew he had the power to sustain it, learning right then how to effectively remake the spell without as much effort. Raising his eyes above him, he made another platform and jumped up, leaping with added form from his spirit power and driven by worry for his friend.
"Watanuki!" he shouted, heart bursting up his throat when he realised that Urashima had Watanuki's neck in his grasp, just at the ship's edge, slowly lifting Watanuki up and over, a hungry smile coming over his misshapen mouth. Shizuka leaped up onto yet another platform, jumping up from beside and behind Urashima, bow and arrow in place, just as the demon-human became aware of him, head just beginning to turn. He fired.
Urashima snarled and dodged, letting Watanuki go, who fell from the grip and right over the edge of the railing, head first toward the cold sea.
"Tch!"
He let gravity take him, eyes only on Watanuki's falling body, catching up, holding tight and landing on another of his platforms just metres from the water. He gathered the coughing noble tight against his own body, letting his Centre leak out into Watanuki, eyes lifting overhead to where Urashima, a large wound over one side of his scaly head peeked from the mists looking venomous and furious.
Narrowing his eyes, he tightened his hold, already calculating how to avoid the next most possible attack and deposit Watanuki safely back on the ship before rejoining the fray—
Out of the mist above Urashima, Sorata fell gracefully and silently from the mists, sword poised… and sliced the Tortoise's head clean of its shoulders.
Watanuki cried out and tensed at the sight, turning to bury his face in Shizuka's robes. The monk watched grimly as the body fell, the water glowing as it absorbed the magical form. Angry and still riding high on the adrenaline, he formed the next platform up, jumping up to it before leaping from there onto the deck.
Arashi had thrown herself at her husband only moments before and Sorata looked solemn as he looked over at them from over his wife's head. "Is it over?"
With the favour of another world's Lord, that much power and with access to the Lady Yuuko… who knew what Urashima Taro had become in his long life? Who knew what enemies the demon-human had made… or allies?
Shizuka could not say.
--
"You purposely went and did this before I could wake, didn't you?" Watanuki demanded, waving his hands with irritation.
"It was circumstance," Shizuka corrected, finding a tea tray prepared on the dining table, the kettle of water only lightly steaming now, however. Jason, Arashi and Sorata silently sat down.
"You took advantage of that circumstance and left me here!" ranted Watanuki, standing on the other side of the table, cheeks red with anger and hands still waving. Then he gripped at his hair, his long unbound hair, and the monk had to turn his eyes away.
Instead, he calmly cast a spell over the water and made it hot again before nudging the tray over the table toward the noble. Watanuki automatically stepped up and reached to prepare the drinks, all the while glaring hotly across the small distance. The monk noticed that Sorata and Arashi wisely kept a tight rein on their amusement, but Jason broke out in a broad smile.
"Maa," Sorata interrupted, watching Watanuki array the cups before himself as the tea steeped. "It's over as best we can make it. The ship's moving and the men are happy to be out of this place. We'll be docking in Portugal by night fall."
"You still took a risk!" Watanuki hotly declared, waving a finger at the priest, Arashi leaning out of the way to allow him in seeming agreement with the assessment.
Shizuka shared a small smile with Jason, who had propped his chin up on his hand beside the monk.
"Ne, I hear it was Sorata who's the hero today," Jason smiled, "Is it true?"
"Yes, he is."
"Astonishing," he teased, "You're not the big man of the day today, are you?"
"I don't need to win all the battles," Shizuka pronounced calmly. "As long as Watanuki is safe." He felt that odd stab again at the words, alerting him to the fact that Watanuki was paying attention to what he said, eyes lifting suddenly to meet with the young noble's across the table.
"Hyu!" Jason laughed, "I don't think anyone could ever have doubts about you." He turned to Sorata, "So, come on, big guy, how does it feel to save the day?"
As Sorata broke out into telling the sequence of events, Arashi stepping in to downplay the parts Sorata highlighted about himself, Shizuka kept his eyes on Watanuki, holding that wide-eyed blue gaze. He stood slowly, moving around the table toward the nervous noble and stepped close enough to leave only inches between them.
That lovely pink blush slipped over Watanuki's face, despite the deepening scowl, and he planted his feet, angling his head, chin lifted, to his side where the monk had approached, obviously refusing to move away.
Which made it all too easy for Shizuka to step closer again and near walk right into Watanuki's side, the noble's arm against his chest, close enough to study the way Watanuki's eyes widened and his pupils dilate. Close enough that he could smell Watanuki's musk and mint scent…
Close enough to turn his attention to and reach for the tea pot to pour the drinks, pull out Watanuki's chair so the flustered noble could sit.
One corner of his lips lifted slightly when he set a cup before Watanuki, eyes returning to those narrowing blue eyes only at the last before turning away with his own cup back to his seat across the table.
"You are the most frustrating person I have ever met in my entire life!" Watanuki hissed across the table, cradling his cup of tea.
Taking a sip, Shizuka honestly replied, "You too."
And Watanuki near self-destructed, making enough noise to turn blue in the face but not enough to cover up the laughter of everyone else.
--
"You like him," Jason commented quietly, sitting on the railing of the poop deck, back to the ship and facing Shizuka.
The monk didn't need long to debate the answer. "Yes."
"He likes you, too." Smiling, Jason added, "I already said that but it bears repeating."
Shizuka looked out into the bright sunlight, the wind sweeping swiftly over them, filling the sails, the shoreline on the horizon. "He's frightened."
Jason's smile faded. "He's lost a lot."
"I cannot be taken from him," Shizuka said softly. He shrugged, "After this assignment, I would be free anyway."
Blinking with surprise, "Really?" A smile began to bloom again, "So… you were thinking of staying?"
"Yes."
Slyly, "Thinking or deciding?"
"Decided."
"Ooohh," Jason sighed dramatically, "So definitive. Decided as in done and dusted, hmm?" Shizuka turned a flat look on him and he raised his hands in warding, "I'm just teasing! You two do look good together and I think he really needs you now. I think… you both need each other."
Shizuka accepted the words then quietly voiced his one concern, "I don't know much about him yet."
"But you're learning," Jason observed cheerily. "And I can tell you the rest if he doesn't."
"No," Shizuka frowned. "It should come from him. As my past should come from me."
Jason laughed gaily, pleased by the answer, "How gentlemanly!" Mirth fading, he sighed, and still smiling, said, "You two seem like you'll work out very well."
"Does nothing of this bother you?" Shizuka asked. "You are his only family left yet you seem to be entrusting him to me so easily."
"You obviously adore him," Jason explained. "And he needs more than family in his life. He needs to accept what has happened to him and grow with it." Smiling gently, "I know how you came to be in the Order of the Shirasagi. Sorata does, too, and what Sorata knows, Arashi does." By way of explanation, "The Council corresponds with Sorata." He waved a dismissive hand then said, "And if you can live with what life dealt you. Well, not just live but flourish, and decide that Watanuki is who you want when you are free… you have a lot to teach him. A lot you can share with him."
Shizuka said nothing though his brows had drawn together.
"Am I wrong?"
What Sorata, Arashi or Jason knew about him did not matter, he decided. Wanting Watanuki and for Watanuki to know how he felt when the young noble might be ready to hear it, did.
"No."
Jason smiled and looked out at the water, too. "Didn't think so."
A long, calm minute passed and the monk finally spoke up, "Are you ready?"
"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Jason admitted, "What are you planning?"
"Sorata says we'll be on land for three days," Shizuka explained. "Makes for good opportunity to head to the hills and find some space for you."
"It's that bad?" Jason asked.
Shizuka only said, "It hasn't escaped my notice that Sorata and Arashi avoid touching you."
"Yeah," the Englishman sighed, slumping a little.
"You can do this." The monk stared hard until Jason nodded, accepting.
"If you say so then I trust your judgement." With a barely-there smile, Jason asked, "So how are you going to keep my cousin from going insane with jealousy while we're away?"
Shizuka blinked at that.
"What? Surely you noticed—"
"I did." Shizuka frowned, "I've been sensing it from him not knowing what it meant."
Brows lifting, Jason smiled outright, "You knew how he felt about you?"
"I did not," Shizuka corrected firmly. "I only identified it recently."
The unholy glee on Jason's face did not change, despite his tone or his words, "But you know now that he's been… interested?"
Reluctantly, the monk admitted, "I do now."
Jason burst out in laughter, clutching his stomach with it, "Oh, this is fantastic!" He leaned over and demanded, "When did it start?"
"None of your business," Shizuka instantly replied, in no way inclined to embarrass Watanuki more than he probably already had.
"Awww," Jason moaned in protest, "No fun!"
Shizuka glared. "I shall have to explain soon what we are planning before we get to shore, now that I have an idea of what we might do."
The humour faded from Jason's expression and he went quiet for a long moment. Then he said softly, "Or you don't have to tell him at all."
"This isn't the time for more secrets," Doumeki pronounced slowly, eyes narrowing. "Having been on the receiving end of people hiding or conveniently forgetting to explain things to me, being in the dark does not make things easier. And it makes learning the truth all the harder."
"Like the truth about Kim himself?" Jason asked, tone also dropping to lower registers, features going tight. "It hasn't escaped my notice you and those two holy people keep implying what's up with Kim. But none of you care to decide what it might be."
"There are a lot of possibilities," Shizuka stated, displeased with the conversation.
"Aren't you going to make decisions about those, though?" Jason asked, already backing off.
"Sorata and I have had a few conversations here and there," admitted the monk. "We were planning to share them with you and Watanuki over dinner tonight." When Jason lowered his head in a small bow of silent apology, Shizuka nodded back, accepting it. "It has taken time to research more about this than we'd anticipated."
"It's not going to be pretty, is it?" asked Jason softly.
"No." Shizuka grimly didn't see a point in dancing around the answer. Not after he and Sorata had spoken this morning about Urashima's observation about Watanuki's clean soul… and not after how they'd realised it tied into everything. "Not at all."
TBC.
