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
Chapter 2 - Let Dreams Go On
Mia cocked her head to the side, throughly confused. She gaze Yuber a good look-over before finally shrugging her shoulders and smiling warmly. "I have heard of worst. My father used to tell Pesmerga that he fell from the sky when he was angry. It's just something that people say to make gossip all the more juicy so don't you once think for one second that you are different. Just ignore what those people said. They are dead, and you survived so you have the last say."
Yuber forced a smile on his face as Mia turned away and nodded to himself. He had survived and everyone in his village had died so he was still a good boy. He trotted after the ebony-haired girl, smiling as the sun came out from behind the cloud cover, and he suddenly felt that he was walking away from his old life of being teased and whispered about to a new life where the road would lead down so many paths. Only Mia knew his little secret, and she didn't seem to care in the least what had transpired in his village.
He turned and grinned at Mia, brushing golden locks from his face. "Hey Mia, where are we going to go?"
Mia laughed at Yuber's sudden eagerness to be off and forget the pain of lossing everything. She knew that it would be difficult for him to deal with, but she wanted to help Yuber out; she had an inkling that his path would be an exciting one to travel, a feeling that she had often gotten with her real brother. Thinking about it, the feeling she got from Yuber was almost exactly to the one that she had gotten from Pesmerga. She shook her head and patted the blonde on the shoulder. "It doesn't matter. We will go where our feet lead us, down the paths that our destinies want us to go. Everything is going to be great!"
Yuber grinned as Mia suddenly took up a run and beckoned him to follow her with a hand outstretched in his direction. Laughing, he gave chase, enjoying the wind on his face, blowing the loose strands of hair from his face. He gave himself to that run entirely; he was in a completely new life, and though he would not forget about his last one, he knew that he would enjoy this one more fully. As long as Mia helped him out, he knew that things would work out.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Yuber, give me a hand, will you?" Mia called over her shoulder at the blonde, smiling when he was immediately at her side relieving some of the boxes from her arms. She put the other boxes down and dusted off her clothing, smoothing her dress back into place before turning to fully regard her friend. "Put those over in that corner, Yuber. That's fine. Thank you, blondy." Blondy, her affectionate term for Yuber, one that had just come up and never left after she used it the first time.
The years had gone by so quickly now that she really thought about it. She was now twenty-four and Yuber twenty. She had been surprised how much they had got along over the years, quickly bonding together into the best of friends. She had been proud when Yuber had stopped having nightmares about the massecre in his village, though she missed having to cuddle him back to sleep again. As he had grown, she managed to use her knowledge of the road to get him sword training with mercenaries who were travelling; she was surprised how quickly he managed to take the skill up. She had taught him to cook over a fire, mend clothing, how to read and write, and get small amounts of work from people in the villages. He had quickly developed polite manners and their long walks down dusty paths and playful fighting as well as sword practice had strengthened his body.
When he turned twelve years old, she bought him his first rune with all the money she had, a lightning rune. He cherished the gift and learned to use it so quickly that he beat her with rune use, but he never teased her about it. She loved her water rune, and he seemed very content with his lightning rune. They would often practise together trying to figure out how to get new spells from each rune, both failing quite miserbly. When the sat under the stars and talked about new ways to get more power from their runes, she would tell him the story of the Sword and the Shield as she had been told. Every night for three years, it was always the same:
In the beginning, there was "darkness."
Then, the "darkness" shed a "tear."
From that "tear," the brothers Sword and Shield were born.
Shield claimed it could defend against any attack.
Sword claimed it could slice through anything.
The brothers began a legendary battle.
At the end, both Sword and Shield shattered.
Sword became the sky, Shield became the earth, and the sparks from the battle became the
stars.
As for the jewels, they fell to the ground and became the True Runes--The runes that all other runes were born from.
She smiled at the memories of her story and remembered how Yuber, no matter how many times he heard the tale, would sit in silence, entranced with the stars. Sometime she wondered what he thought about in his silence with a gaze so distant, but never dared ask him. He was very open with her when he had a problem and she with him so nothing between them ever stayed hidden.
She had watched him turn from a scrawny ill-proportioned little boy to a strong, handsome young man. His golden locks of hair now reached to his backside, flowing as they would in a summer's breeze. His once deep blue eyes had lightened to more of a sky blue, but never had they lost the luster of youth and maturity. He was a few inches taller than her now, having filled out into the body of young man with skin that was lightly tanned from walking and working beneath the sun. He wore grey breeches with knee-high black leather boots. At her insistance, he wore a blue long-sleeved collared shirt beneath a black leather jerkin. He kept a long sword at his hip, not the most beautiful weapon, but it suited his purpose. To say that he was merely handsome was quite an understatement as all of the women in village seemed to woo without him even saying a word.
"Mia?" Yuber quirked a golden eyebrow when Mia finally broke from whatever thought that she had been engrossed in. He smiled and ruffled her hair fondly when their gazes met. "Are we planning on staying overnight here? If so, we had better go and find some accomidation. I personally don't want to sleep in the rain again."
Mia smiled at the blonde. "But you looked so cute all ruppled in the morning with your hair sticking out at all angles." She giggled when Yuber threw her a mock glare and stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, maybe you are right. Let's go find an inn to stay at. I think we have enough money."
Yuber watched Mia searched through her pouches, his gaze looking her over. She had grown into a lovely woman, though he had a bit of trouble understanding why she didn't settle down with a nice young man and start a family. Her long ebony black hair hung down to her knees and was usually kept in control by the confines of a braid. Her green eyes had lost one of the splender over the years, always expressive and caring. She had grown a bit over the years, but not as much as he had. However, she had remained a lithe, danty woman that was extremely well-proportioned for her size and had hidden strength. She wore either loose dresses that expressed her curves or confined herself to dark trousers and a loose shirt. Still, he had to stop staring at her sometimes with his jaw open to not draw attention to the fact that his liking for her was beyond normal friendship. For her, he was just her little brother.
Still, the pain from his past seemed to fade over the years, but had never really been forgotten as much as he would have liked. He no longer dreamed of finding his family lying in their own blood, but the images were always there if he thought about it too much. Also, the rumor of his birth had always bothered him, no matter how many times Mia convinced him that children cannot be born from the ground. Something in that rumor felt right, that it was more than just a rumor, that his path would lead him to find out the truth about himself someday. Still, until that day came, he would be happy to travel with Mia, still in search of her long lost brother, Pesmerga. He had never met the boy, but he felt as if he knew him as well as he knew Mia, especially when he would stare up at the stars. The stars held secrets, some that he wanted to know, but could not bring himself to reaching out to them to grasp at the information. He was afraid to be alone still, despite being twenty.
"Now looks who is daydreaming! Yuber, you are staring at my chest, stop it!" Mia said jokingly, bursting into undignified laughter when the blonde looked around and turned a strange shade of red. She wrapped him in a fond hug and patted him on the back. "Oh, you are too cute. Come on, let's get settled into the inn."
Yuber nodded stupidly and followed obediently like a scolded puppy. He didn't mean to stare at Mia, but when he attempted to look at his feet, her chest was right there! Still, he felt very stupid being caught in such a bad position. He wandered after Mia, watching her braid swing back and forth until they entered the inn, now standing off to the side to allow his female friend to do the negociating, as she was so good at.
While standing silently in a corner, he got the distinct feeling that he was being watched and glanced around. Aside from Mia and the innkeeper, no one was around so he was left in a bit of confusion before glancing out the window. Again, he could detect no sign from any of the people doing business that they were watching him so he forced himself to relax. It was probably just him thinking about past ghosts again.
Mia thanked the innkeeper and turned to regard Yuber, cocking her head to the side as she found his eyes moving around the room suspiciously. "Yuber, is something wrong?" Not many things got passed the blonde's guard and if he was not feeling right, something was obviously attracting his attention.
Yuber shifted his gaze to Mia before smiling and shaking his head. "Nah, it's probably nothing. I'm just being paranoid again."
"Well, glad to know you're feeling alright. Do you want to go to our room or over to the tavern to eat?" Mia lifted her pack onto her shoulder, smiling warmly as Yuber considered his options. He always took time making decisions, even for something simple.
"I could eat. Let's check out the tavern." Yuber finally replied after a few minutes of contemplation, reaching over to take Mia's pack from her. "You're supposed to act all pretty, and I'm supposed to lug everything around, not the other way around." He pulled the pack from her shoulder easily and slug it over his own.
Mia giggled and patted Yuber on the chest. "I don't know about that. You might look pretty good in a dress." She laughed at the blonde's panicked look and sudden restlessness. She had ways of putting stray comments into action, and Yuber knew it. Still, she smiled pleasantly and walked from the inn, glancing over her shoulder to find the blonde at her elbow, glaring at her. "Not tonight, blondy. Maybe some other time."
Relief didn't exactly flood his expression, but he was glad to be spared the humilation for at least one night. Just as he walked halfway between the tavern and the inn, his vision sudden darkened, and he felt like he was about to vomit. He felt to one knee, wrapping an arm around his griggling stomach and felt a cold sweat spring onto his skin. He felt like he was about the black out, his vision tunnelling and his hearing gone completely deaf.
Suddenly, he was standing in the middle of the village as he had before, except every house was on fire and bodies littered the ground, all killed in a brutal fashion. He could smell and hear nothing, but his vision was enough to make his stomach chern and memories of past atrocities explode forward in his mind. He shook his head and closed his eyes tight, refusing to look any longer.
He really didn't know why he opened his eyes again, but his vision was filled with a cloaked figure. He took a step back as he noted the blooded blades in each hand, reaching for his own sword only to find it missing. The figure shook back the blood-stained cloak to reveal the face of a young woman with empty orbs that should be eyes, no emotion playing across her face aside from the very cruel smirk set on her lips. Blood spattered her face, and when their gazes met, he watched as her mouth moved, spilling out words that he could not hear nor understand simply by looking at her lips. The woman lifted her right blade at him, beckoning him forward, but he refused to budge, which seemed to anger her, but she made no movement to advance towards him. Again, she spoke words that he could not hear, this time releasing her hold on the blade in her hand and again, beckoned him forward. Still, he refused to budge, much too confused and ill to even think about taking a step. He took a step back when she scowled and started towards him, blade raised....
"Yuber!"
A sudden familiar voice jolted him back to himself and all feelings of nausia left him. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes before looking around to find Mia supporting him with an extremely worried look on her face. He really couldn't explain what had happened, nor did he really want it explained to him, but he remembered very clearly the cruel smirk and dead eyes of the woman. He reached over and patted Mia on the hand before making any attempt to stand. He looked around to find many villagers gathered to make sure that he was alright. Slowly, he nodded at each of them and turned to regard Mia. "S-Sorry, I felt suddenly very ill...maybe we should stay in our room tonight."
Mia nodded silently and wrapped an arm around Yuber's waist, helping him back to the inn. She watched the colour slowly return to his cheeks as they walked, relief that he was alright settling her fears. He had been feeling ill more than she liked to admit lately.
She helped him to sit on the bed when they reached their room, removing the packs from his shoulders and placing them on the floor. She silently pulled off his boots and removed his jerkin and long-sleeved shirt as he sat in a daze on his own. This was the not the first time that this had happened, but Yuber never explained what happened or even what caused it. She doubted that even he knew. Gently, she pushed him back to lie on his back. "Get some rest. You look quite pale. I will bring you some food later tonight." He only passed her an exhausted apologetic look before drifting off into sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yuber woke to the familiar smell of fire and slowly opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings groggily, sitting up with some trouble thanks to the fact that Mia had fallen asleep half on top of him. Still, even half-asleep, he knew that there was trouble so he gently shook the older girl awake, motioning silently that she needed to gather her things and leave quickly. He watched as Mia did as she was told, throwing their to packs over her shoulders.
Mia looked back at Yuber as the blonde strapped on his sword, moving to the door. She could smell the smoke and just glancing outside told her that most of the village was ablaze. For her, the memories of her own families demise whispered, but she feared that Yuber may become upset. Still, he looked calm to her eyes, which was all she could use currently. She stopped at the door when Yuber made no motion that he was following her. "Yuber, what are you doing? We need to get out of here."
"Mia, get out of town and quickly. Head for that huge pine that we slept under before we came here. I'll meet you there when I check out what is going on." Yuber gestured at towards the door, a silent order for Mia to leave.
"Stop trying to be a hero, Yuber. We can run away together. It will be okay if we go together. Please, come with me." Mia pleaded in as soft a voice as she could muster, beckoning the blonde to follow her, but he only shook his head, his stubbornness showing that he was not about to leave. She looked away and nodded. "Okay, but if you don't come to the pine, I'm coming back for you, Yuber. You can't leave, not now, not like this."
"I know...please go, Mia, before it is too late. I can handle myself here." Yuber watched Mia nod and slip from the room, walking over to the window to look around the burning village, his gaze following the ebony-haired woman as she ran out of the village, quickly lost in the intense smoke and flames. When he was sure that Mia had escaped, he made his own decent of the stairs, his gaze moving suspiciously around. Everyone but he and Mia had been butchered as far as he could tell which set him on edge.
Slipping from the inn, he walked to the middle of the road, the exact place that he had nearly blacked out only hours before. His gaze scanned the area, an exact replica of the images he saw with the cloaked woman except now he could hear the cries of the dying, smell the death and burning flesh. Everything was the same and again he felt bile rise in his throat, but he refused to close his eyes this time. He waited, allowing raw survival instinct to drive him.
To his left, a shadow moved, and he turned to face it, eyes narrowing as it disappeared completely before he could get a good look. Next, the moving shadow was to his right then behind him, but now he was very aware of mocking, cold laughter along with the movements. "...I'm being hunted...how quaint." Before he could be cornered anymore, despite the openness of the area, he turned and took off on the path, bolting with all his strength to move swiftly. He knew beyond a doubt that he was being persued, could smell death itself chasing at his heels, but he refused to look back.
He grunted in pain as what appeared to be the hilt of a sword smash into the back of his head, throwing his balance off and sending him head-over-heels to the ground, coughing vainly as the air left his lungs. He lay weezing on his back, mind screaming to get back to his feet, but his body refused to listen to his commands. He quickly found himself staring up at a coldly smirking face as it came into view from behind him, same hollow, unemotional orbs staring into his own.
When the woman's sword did not finish him, and she just stared calmly down at him, he forced himself back to his feet slowly, turning to regard her fully. He met her gaze equally. "You put me in that dream a few hours ago." He grabbed the hilt of his long sword when she started to chuckle and looked around at her handy-work.
"Not me, boy. This." She held up her right hand to him, and scowled when he only shot her a questionable glance. "My, the Rune sure can pick the stupid ones." It was his turned to scowl, but he did not answer, which seemed to indicate that she should continue to explain herself. "This is a rune, little boy, and it wants a new master...or perhaps a new puppet, but whatever. It doesn't matter to me so hold up your right hand, and we will get this done." She gestured what he was supposed to do.
Yuber cocked his head the side before shaking his head. "Sorry, little girl." For the first time, he saw emotion play across her face, eyes flashing dangerously. "I already have a rune so you can keep that one. Mine suits me just fine, and that one...well, it gets you to do fine work. I doubt that this is the first time you've done something like this." He scrambled to unsheathe his blade went she raised her blooded sword, then stopped in mid-swing before finally just dropping the entire attack altogether.
"This isn't the first time, nor is it the first time you've seen such death. Too bad I admit to myself the atrocities that I commit and don't hide behind illusions of my own mind." She smirked at him cruelly. "The Rune won't let me kill you for refusing, but I have ways of getting things done. Either you take this Rune, or I hunt down the girl you travel with. I suggest you take my very fair offer because it is the only one you are going to get, boy." SHe put enfice on the last word, indicting that she had lived too long to not have her own way.
Yuber looked away in desperation, not wanting to sacrifice Mia for his own selfishness. Reluctantly, he nodded and raised his right hand while she just laughed at his dilemma. He watched her place her right palm against his, and he nearly pulled away at a intense pain burning its way in his palm then up his wrist then up his arm. THere was a bright light and he flew back, falling to the ground before looking to his right palm to figure out what he had just gotten himself into.
Something grabbed his brain and before he knew it, he was on his feet again, staring at the cloaked woman who reached out and stroked his cheek with soft fingers, appendeges that no longer seemed capable of mass-murder. "It is time to end it, Yuber." Even before he himself managed to figure out what she was asking him, he raised his sword and with speed and strength he never knew that he had, brought the blade down, slashing from shoulder to hip, easily cutting her heart in two. He remembered seeing her smiling as she fell, but the horror of his own actions made him recoil and drop his blade.
He stared down at the body before suddenly jerking from his own shock as a voice echoed in his mind, one that made him look to the new Rune in his hand.
'Welcome to my nightmare, boy. It is time that you woke up to what you really are....'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Okies, kind of longish, but I really wanted to get the part where Yuber got his most favourite of Runes, the Eightfold True Rune. Comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome so don't be afraid. I enjoy knowing where I could improve.
I can guarentee that the storyline will speed up now that he has the Rune and the fun should be beginning in the third chapter. Thanks to everyone reading. I hope that you are all enjoying it.
Only in Dreams
By: Chibi Nataku
Chapter 2 - Let Dreams Go On
Mia cocked her head to the side, throughly confused. She gaze Yuber a good look-over before finally shrugging her shoulders and smiling warmly. "I have heard of worst. My father used to tell Pesmerga that he fell from the sky when he was angry. It's just something that people say to make gossip all the more juicy so don't you once think for one second that you are different. Just ignore what those people said. They are dead, and you survived so you have the last say."
Yuber forced a smile on his face as Mia turned away and nodded to himself. He had survived and everyone in his village had died so he was still a good boy. He trotted after the ebony-haired girl, smiling as the sun came out from behind the cloud cover, and he suddenly felt that he was walking away from his old life of being teased and whispered about to a new life where the road would lead down so many paths. Only Mia knew his little secret, and she didn't seem to care in the least what had transpired in his village.
He turned and grinned at Mia, brushing golden locks from his face. "Hey Mia, where are we going to go?"
Mia laughed at Yuber's sudden eagerness to be off and forget the pain of lossing everything. She knew that it would be difficult for him to deal with, but she wanted to help Yuber out; she had an inkling that his path would be an exciting one to travel, a feeling that she had often gotten with her real brother. Thinking about it, the feeling she got from Yuber was almost exactly to the one that she had gotten from Pesmerga. She shook her head and patted the blonde on the shoulder. "It doesn't matter. We will go where our feet lead us, down the paths that our destinies want us to go. Everything is going to be great!"
Yuber grinned as Mia suddenly took up a run and beckoned him to follow her with a hand outstretched in his direction. Laughing, he gave chase, enjoying the wind on his face, blowing the loose strands of hair from his face. He gave himself to that run entirely; he was in a completely new life, and though he would not forget about his last one, he knew that he would enjoy this one more fully. As long as Mia helped him out, he knew that things would work out.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Yuber, give me a hand, will you?" Mia called over her shoulder at the blonde, smiling when he was immediately at her side relieving some of the boxes from her arms. She put the other boxes down and dusted off her clothing, smoothing her dress back into place before turning to fully regard her friend. "Put those over in that corner, Yuber. That's fine. Thank you, blondy." Blondy, her affectionate term for Yuber, one that had just come up and never left after she used it the first time.
The years had gone by so quickly now that she really thought about it. She was now twenty-four and Yuber twenty. She had been surprised how much they had got along over the years, quickly bonding together into the best of friends. She had been proud when Yuber had stopped having nightmares about the massecre in his village, though she missed having to cuddle him back to sleep again. As he had grown, she managed to use her knowledge of the road to get him sword training with mercenaries who were travelling; she was surprised how quickly he managed to take the skill up. She had taught him to cook over a fire, mend clothing, how to read and write, and get small amounts of work from people in the villages. He had quickly developed polite manners and their long walks down dusty paths and playful fighting as well as sword practice had strengthened his body.
When he turned twelve years old, she bought him his first rune with all the money she had, a lightning rune. He cherished the gift and learned to use it so quickly that he beat her with rune use, but he never teased her about it. She loved her water rune, and he seemed very content with his lightning rune. They would often practise together trying to figure out how to get new spells from each rune, both failing quite miserbly. When the sat under the stars and talked about new ways to get more power from their runes, she would tell him the story of the Sword and the Shield as she had been told. Every night for three years, it was always the same:
In the beginning, there was "darkness."
Then, the "darkness" shed a "tear."
From that "tear," the brothers Sword and Shield were born.
Shield claimed it could defend against any attack.
Sword claimed it could slice through anything.
The brothers began a legendary battle.
At the end, both Sword and Shield shattered.
Sword became the sky, Shield became the earth, and the sparks from the battle became the
stars.
As for the jewels, they fell to the ground and became the True Runes--The runes that all other runes were born from.
She smiled at the memories of her story and remembered how Yuber, no matter how many times he heard the tale, would sit in silence, entranced with the stars. Sometime she wondered what he thought about in his silence with a gaze so distant, but never dared ask him. He was very open with her when he had a problem and she with him so nothing between them ever stayed hidden.
She had watched him turn from a scrawny ill-proportioned little boy to a strong, handsome young man. His golden locks of hair now reached to his backside, flowing as they would in a summer's breeze. His once deep blue eyes had lightened to more of a sky blue, but never had they lost the luster of youth and maturity. He was a few inches taller than her now, having filled out into the body of young man with skin that was lightly tanned from walking and working beneath the sun. He wore grey breeches with knee-high black leather boots. At her insistance, he wore a blue long-sleeved collared shirt beneath a black leather jerkin. He kept a long sword at his hip, not the most beautiful weapon, but it suited his purpose. To say that he was merely handsome was quite an understatement as all of the women in village seemed to woo without him even saying a word.
"Mia?" Yuber quirked a golden eyebrow when Mia finally broke from whatever thought that she had been engrossed in. He smiled and ruffled her hair fondly when their gazes met. "Are we planning on staying overnight here? If so, we had better go and find some accomidation. I personally don't want to sleep in the rain again."
Mia smiled at the blonde. "But you looked so cute all ruppled in the morning with your hair sticking out at all angles." She giggled when Yuber threw her a mock glare and stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, maybe you are right. Let's go find an inn to stay at. I think we have enough money."
Yuber watched Mia searched through her pouches, his gaze looking her over. She had grown into a lovely woman, though he had a bit of trouble understanding why she didn't settle down with a nice young man and start a family. Her long ebony black hair hung down to her knees and was usually kept in control by the confines of a braid. Her green eyes had lost one of the splender over the years, always expressive and caring. She had grown a bit over the years, but not as much as he had. However, she had remained a lithe, danty woman that was extremely well-proportioned for her size and had hidden strength. She wore either loose dresses that expressed her curves or confined herself to dark trousers and a loose shirt. Still, he had to stop staring at her sometimes with his jaw open to not draw attention to the fact that his liking for her was beyond normal friendship. For her, he was just her little brother.
Still, the pain from his past seemed to fade over the years, but had never really been forgotten as much as he would have liked. He no longer dreamed of finding his family lying in their own blood, but the images were always there if he thought about it too much. Also, the rumor of his birth had always bothered him, no matter how many times Mia convinced him that children cannot be born from the ground. Something in that rumor felt right, that it was more than just a rumor, that his path would lead him to find out the truth about himself someday. Still, until that day came, he would be happy to travel with Mia, still in search of her long lost brother, Pesmerga. He had never met the boy, but he felt as if he knew him as well as he knew Mia, especially when he would stare up at the stars. The stars held secrets, some that he wanted to know, but could not bring himself to reaching out to them to grasp at the information. He was afraid to be alone still, despite being twenty.
"Now looks who is daydreaming! Yuber, you are staring at my chest, stop it!" Mia said jokingly, bursting into undignified laughter when the blonde looked around and turned a strange shade of red. She wrapped him in a fond hug and patted him on the back. "Oh, you are too cute. Come on, let's get settled into the inn."
Yuber nodded stupidly and followed obediently like a scolded puppy. He didn't mean to stare at Mia, but when he attempted to look at his feet, her chest was right there! Still, he felt very stupid being caught in such a bad position. He wandered after Mia, watching her braid swing back and forth until they entered the inn, now standing off to the side to allow his female friend to do the negociating, as she was so good at.
While standing silently in a corner, he got the distinct feeling that he was being watched and glanced around. Aside from Mia and the innkeeper, no one was around so he was left in a bit of confusion before glancing out the window. Again, he could detect no sign from any of the people doing business that they were watching him so he forced himself to relax. It was probably just him thinking about past ghosts again.
Mia thanked the innkeeper and turned to regard Yuber, cocking her head to the side as she found his eyes moving around the room suspiciously. "Yuber, is something wrong?" Not many things got passed the blonde's guard and if he was not feeling right, something was obviously attracting his attention.
Yuber shifted his gaze to Mia before smiling and shaking his head. "Nah, it's probably nothing. I'm just being paranoid again."
"Well, glad to know you're feeling alright. Do you want to go to our room or over to the tavern to eat?" Mia lifted her pack onto her shoulder, smiling warmly as Yuber considered his options. He always took time making decisions, even for something simple.
"I could eat. Let's check out the tavern." Yuber finally replied after a few minutes of contemplation, reaching over to take Mia's pack from her. "You're supposed to act all pretty, and I'm supposed to lug everything around, not the other way around." He pulled the pack from her shoulder easily and slug it over his own.
Mia giggled and patted Yuber on the chest. "I don't know about that. You might look pretty good in a dress." She laughed at the blonde's panicked look and sudden restlessness. She had ways of putting stray comments into action, and Yuber knew it. Still, she smiled pleasantly and walked from the inn, glancing over her shoulder to find the blonde at her elbow, glaring at her. "Not tonight, blondy. Maybe some other time."
Relief didn't exactly flood his expression, but he was glad to be spared the humilation for at least one night. Just as he walked halfway between the tavern and the inn, his vision sudden darkened, and he felt like he was about to vomit. He felt to one knee, wrapping an arm around his griggling stomach and felt a cold sweat spring onto his skin. He felt like he was about the black out, his vision tunnelling and his hearing gone completely deaf.
Suddenly, he was standing in the middle of the village as he had before, except every house was on fire and bodies littered the ground, all killed in a brutal fashion. He could smell and hear nothing, but his vision was enough to make his stomach chern and memories of past atrocities explode forward in his mind. He shook his head and closed his eyes tight, refusing to look any longer.
He really didn't know why he opened his eyes again, but his vision was filled with a cloaked figure. He took a step back as he noted the blooded blades in each hand, reaching for his own sword only to find it missing. The figure shook back the blood-stained cloak to reveal the face of a young woman with empty orbs that should be eyes, no emotion playing across her face aside from the very cruel smirk set on her lips. Blood spattered her face, and when their gazes met, he watched as her mouth moved, spilling out words that he could not hear nor understand simply by looking at her lips. The woman lifted her right blade at him, beckoning him forward, but he refused to budge, which seemed to anger her, but she made no movement to advance towards him. Again, she spoke words that he could not hear, this time releasing her hold on the blade in her hand and again, beckoned him forward. Still, he refused to budge, much too confused and ill to even think about taking a step. He took a step back when she scowled and started towards him, blade raised....
"Yuber!"
A sudden familiar voice jolted him back to himself and all feelings of nausia left him. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes before looking around to find Mia supporting him with an extremely worried look on her face. He really couldn't explain what had happened, nor did he really want it explained to him, but he remembered very clearly the cruel smirk and dead eyes of the woman. He reached over and patted Mia on the hand before making any attempt to stand. He looked around to find many villagers gathered to make sure that he was alright. Slowly, he nodded at each of them and turned to regard Mia. "S-Sorry, I felt suddenly very ill...maybe we should stay in our room tonight."
Mia nodded silently and wrapped an arm around Yuber's waist, helping him back to the inn. She watched the colour slowly return to his cheeks as they walked, relief that he was alright settling her fears. He had been feeling ill more than she liked to admit lately.
She helped him to sit on the bed when they reached their room, removing the packs from his shoulders and placing them on the floor. She silently pulled off his boots and removed his jerkin and long-sleeved shirt as he sat in a daze on his own. This was the not the first time that this had happened, but Yuber never explained what happened or even what caused it. She doubted that even he knew. Gently, she pushed him back to lie on his back. "Get some rest. You look quite pale. I will bring you some food later tonight." He only passed her an exhausted apologetic look before drifting off into sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yuber woke to the familiar smell of fire and slowly opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings groggily, sitting up with some trouble thanks to the fact that Mia had fallen asleep half on top of him. Still, even half-asleep, he knew that there was trouble so he gently shook the older girl awake, motioning silently that she needed to gather her things and leave quickly. He watched as Mia did as she was told, throwing their to packs over her shoulders.
Mia looked back at Yuber as the blonde strapped on his sword, moving to the door. She could smell the smoke and just glancing outside told her that most of the village was ablaze. For her, the memories of her own families demise whispered, but she feared that Yuber may become upset. Still, he looked calm to her eyes, which was all she could use currently. She stopped at the door when Yuber made no motion that he was following her. "Yuber, what are you doing? We need to get out of here."
"Mia, get out of town and quickly. Head for that huge pine that we slept under before we came here. I'll meet you there when I check out what is going on." Yuber gestured at towards the door, a silent order for Mia to leave.
"Stop trying to be a hero, Yuber. We can run away together. It will be okay if we go together. Please, come with me." Mia pleaded in as soft a voice as she could muster, beckoning the blonde to follow her, but he only shook his head, his stubbornness showing that he was not about to leave. She looked away and nodded. "Okay, but if you don't come to the pine, I'm coming back for you, Yuber. You can't leave, not now, not like this."
"I know...please go, Mia, before it is too late. I can handle myself here." Yuber watched Mia nod and slip from the room, walking over to the window to look around the burning village, his gaze following the ebony-haired woman as she ran out of the village, quickly lost in the intense smoke and flames. When he was sure that Mia had escaped, he made his own decent of the stairs, his gaze moving suspiciously around. Everyone but he and Mia had been butchered as far as he could tell which set him on edge.
Slipping from the inn, he walked to the middle of the road, the exact place that he had nearly blacked out only hours before. His gaze scanned the area, an exact replica of the images he saw with the cloaked woman except now he could hear the cries of the dying, smell the death and burning flesh. Everything was the same and again he felt bile rise in his throat, but he refused to close his eyes this time. He waited, allowing raw survival instinct to drive him.
To his left, a shadow moved, and he turned to face it, eyes narrowing as it disappeared completely before he could get a good look. Next, the moving shadow was to his right then behind him, but now he was very aware of mocking, cold laughter along with the movements. "...I'm being hunted...how quaint." Before he could be cornered anymore, despite the openness of the area, he turned and took off on the path, bolting with all his strength to move swiftly. He knew beyond a doubt that he was being persued, could smell death itself chasing at his heels, but he refused to look back.
He grunted in pain as what appeared to be the hilt of a sword smash into the back of his head, throwing his balance off and sending him head-over-heels to the ground, coughing vainly as the air left his lungs. He lay weezing on his back, mind screaming to get back to his feet, but his body refused to listen to his commands. He quickly found himself staring up at a coldly smirking face as it came into view from behind him, same hollow, unemotional orbs staring into his own.
When the woman's sword did not finish him, and she just stared calmly down at him, he forced himself back to his feet slowly, turning to regard her fully. He met her gaze equally. "You put me in that dream a few hours ago." He grabbed the hilt of his long sword when she started to chuckle and looked around at her handy-work.
"Not me, boy. This." She held up her right hand to him, and scowled when he only shot her a questionable glance. "My, the Rune sure can pick the stupid ones." It was his turned to scowl, but he did not answer, which seemed to indicate that she should continue to explain herself. "This is a rune, little boy, and it wants a new master...or perhaps a new puppet, but whatever. It doesn't matter to me so hold up your right hand, and we will get this done." She gestured what he was supposed to do.
Yuber cocked his head the side before shaking his head. "Sorry, little girl." For the first time, he saw emotion play across her face, eyes flashing dangerously. "I already have a rune so you can keep that one. Mine suits me just fine, and that one...well, it gets you to do fine work. I doubt that this is the first time you've done something like this." He scrambled to unsheathe his blade went she raised her blooded sword, then stopped in mid-swing before finally just dropping the entire attack altogether.
"This isn't the first time, nor is it the first time you've seen such death. Too bad I admit to myself the atrocities that I commit and don't hide behind illusions of my own mind." She smirked at him cruelly. "The Rune won't let me kill you for refusing, but I have ways of getting things done. Either you take this Rune, or I hunt down the girl you travel with. I suggest you take my very fair offer because it is the only one you are going to get, boy." SHe put enfice on the last word, indicting that she had lived too long to not have her own way.
Yuber looked away in desperation, not wanting to sacrifice Mia for his own selfishness. Reluctantly, he nodded and raised his right hand while she just laughed at his dilemma. He watched her place her right palm against his, and he nearly pulled away at a intense pain burning its way in his palm then up his wrist then up his arm. THere was a bright light and he flew back, falling to the ground before looking to his right palm to figure out what he had just gotten himself into.
Something grabbed his brain and before he knew it, he was on his feet again, staring at the cloaked woman who reached out and stroked his cheek with soft fingers, appendeges that no longer seemed capable of mass-murder. "It is time to end it, Yuber." Even before he himself managed to figure out what she was asking him, he raised his sword and with speed and strength he never knew that he had, brought the blade down, slashing from shoulder to hip, easily cutting her heart in two. He remembered seeing her smiling as she fell, but the horror of his own actions made him recoil and drop his blade.
He stared down at the body before suddenly jerking from his own shock as a voice echoed in his mind, one that made him look to the new Rune in his hand.
'Welcome to my nightmare, boy. It is time that you woke up to what you really are....'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Okies, kind of longish, but I really wanted to get the part where Yuber got his most favourite of Runes, the Eightfold True Rune. Comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome so don't be afraid. I enjoy knowing where I could improve.
I can guarentee that the storyline will speed up now that he has the Rune and the fun should be beginning in the third chapter. Thanks to everyone reading. I hope that you are all enjoying it.