Seijyu
~Zoi no miko
~Chp 3~
The day passed, uneventful after that. Zagato moped around the castle,
more silent than before, a sadness in his eyes that I'd never seen before. To be
rejected.... I followed him, silent as well, not sure how to help him. But I wanted
to be there, to make sure I was there to do anything I could, anything he asked, I'd
be there. He didn't say a word, though, or eat, or do anything but walk or sit
silently, thinking. I finally left him when he went to bed, retiring to the room he'd
first let me sleep in.
Several hours later I awoke, hearing the clang of metal on metal. Darting
out of bed, I ran down the hall to Zagato's room, not really thinking about anything
at all other than the fact that he was in trouble. The only piece of human clothing I
could stand to sleep in was the undergarments, so that's all I was wearing.
Fortunately for me, the swordsman that was attacking Zagato had no protection
against the magic spell I unleashed at him, blowing him back to smash against the
stone wall.
Zagato, also clad only in undergarments, who had managed to summon his
sword, lowered it, shaking slightly. "I didn't have the wards up on the castle," he
said, "I didn't think, I -"
I pulled one of the ties from the drapes at the window, pulling the
swordsman's hands and tying them behind his back. He wasn't dead.... as I
finished, he managed to open his eyes, looking over his shoulder at me. "Who are
you... beautiful Angel of Death, fighting for Zagato-chan...."
"Do not insult him in such a manner!" I hauled him to his feet, pushing him
to kneel at Zagato's feet. "Your prisoner, Geika, who rudely attacked you and
interrupted your sleep."
Zagato looked at him a long moment. "Stone, I think," he said. "So he can
always remember what he's done, but never be able to do anything beyond see and
remember forever." He gave a slight smile, extending his hand, and with a swirl of
energy the stone statue of the swordsman had disappeared.
I looked up at him. "It's really... forever?"
Zagato gave a slight laugh. "Hardly. Stone spells are easy to reverse. But
only for the one who set them. When this is all over - or when I am dead - he will
be human again." He gave a long sigh, unsummoning his sword. "That caught me
by surprise."
"I know." I swallowed, watching him, the way the lamplight played on the
smoothness of his skin, like a statue, a god.... I blinked, somewhat surprised as to
where my thoughts kept leading. "Geika, if you will allow it, please let me sleep in
this room," I motioned toward the alcove at the side of the room with the small day
bed, "so that I can protect you, be your bodyguard."
He looked up at me, eyes protesting, but stopped. "All right," he said,
finally, with a slight smile. "I'd like to have you protect me, Innova."
"Arigatou gosiamashita, Geika!" I bowed low, returning to my room to
gather the small wardrobe Zagato-sama had acquired for me before we began the
fight. There was room to store it under the daybed. This was nice, this was
familiar, being able to protect someone. Like I had for Emerald-hime. Zagato had
gone to bed again when I returned, and I settled in quickly, following him into
sleep.
~
It became apparent after that, we were to be blamed for Emerald's
disappearance. All over Cephiro, knights and magicians were gathering to come
against us, or, rather, Zagato-sama. Cephiro itself, despite Emerald's conviction to
keep it safe, was still falling into unrest, monsters fighting with the people, and we
realised that with Emerald missing it would be next to impossible for us to attempt
to rally the people to keep Cephiro safe. Zagato gathered his sparse followers
together - his assistant, Alcyone, who still harboured her insane obsession with
him. A young boy, Ascott, a powerful summoner who got on very badly with the
members of his village because of his tendency to befriend the creatures he could
summon. True to his word, Lantis recruited help for us as well, in the form of a
beautiful illusionist from Faharen named Caladina. And several lesser sorcerers
who had trained under Zagato, who were positioned in the main city and larger
towns to help keep them safe, to protect them from monsters. They were told
nothing of Zagato's true wish, only believing that they were hired to help protect
the people of Cephiro against danger. But even with our best efforts to kill the
monsters that attacked the people of Cephiro, it still began to be very torn apart,
our forces making little more than a dent, barely protecting the people who sought
to destroy Zagato-sama for what he had done.
Zagato himself spent every moment of his time trying to develop a scry
spell that would let him see into the water-prison Emerald had place herself in,
desperate to contact her. As heartbroken as he had been when she first left, he
began to take an odd kind of comfort in the state of Cephiro, in knowing that
leaving had helped Emerald little in her quest to remove all thoughts of him from
her mind. And his silence gave way to confidence, letting me help him, planning
with me as well. The people began to respond to us, fighting against the monsters
that attacked, caring for Cephiro. Maybe we could have done it. Maybe, if we had
been able to talk to Emerald, she wouldn't have been so hasty in using her
forbidden magic.
I was reading a report from our operative in one of the south towns of
Cephiro when It happened. I don't think there was a magic-user in all of Cephiro
who could have possibly missed it, not felt Emerald's summoning spell. But only a
few knew what had really happened, what it meant....
I dropped my report at my feet and ran from the room I was in, through the
halls of Zagato's castle. She couldn't have - she wouldn't -
"Geika!" I almost wailed, darting into one of the darkened center courts of
the castle, where Zagato worked on a writhing spell-form in front of him.
"Emerald-hime - "
He looked up, stilling the spell-energy under his fingers. "That spell - is she
in danger? What happened?"
"She was the one who cast the spell we felt," I told him. "She used her
forbidden magic to summon the Magic Knights."
Zagato stared at me, sorrow in his eyes. "The Legendary Magic Knights.
She considers me that much of a threat to Cephiro's safety, that she'd summon
them to fight me?"
"No." I shook my head. "Geika.... That's not the purpose of the Magic
Knights. Emerald-hime, the Pillar, has the power to summon girls from another
world to become Magic Knights. But it's not to protect her. The Pillar can't get sick
and die. No one in Cephiro can hurt her, and she can't kill herself, so she has that
forbidden power...." I stopped, unable to continue.
"...to call the knights to kill her." Zagato almost whispered.
I lowered my eyes, trembling slightly. "Yes."
He closed his eyes, a sudden hurt and pain crossing his face "What have I
done? Emerald... How can she hate life so much as to want to - to..."
He looked so hurt, so lost... oh, what I would have given to spare him that
pain. "Zagato-sama...."
He looked up again at me. "What can I do? What am I supposed to do now?
If she kills herself, what do I have to live for? Innova - "
"Talk to her." I murmured. "Make your spell work with the strength of your
will, Geika."
He looked at me for a long time, then down at the spell energy, barring all
trace of emotion from his face, as always. Then, with a twist of his hand, the spell
worked.
I took a step back, respectfully, hiding in the shadows in the court.
Emerald was alone in her water-prison, seated in a large white flower, silent
and sad. She looked up in surprise as the spell formed, right at Zagato-sama.
"Zagato! I'm sorry, I... I didn't have another option...."
"You used the last of your magic to summon the Magic Knights. To kill
yourself." Zagato's voice was curiously heavy, expressionless.
"I had to!" Emerald replied. "I can hardly pray for Cephiro at all anymore!
You've seen how twisted our world has become. How can I let Cephiro die? I have
to pray for it's well being! But all I can think of is you...."
"But how can you just kill yourself, Emerald?" The despair came now,
disbelief. "How can you throw yourself out like so much trash, because you don't
consider yourself useful anymore. You say you want to think about me. Do that
now! What do I have if I don't have you? I love you, Emerald. I don't want you to
die!"
"I don't want to die," she whispered. "I want to be with you, to love only
you. But I won't kill my people for that. I could never be happy with their deaths
on my shoulders."
"There has to be another way to - "
"No." She shook her head slightly, tears in her eyes. "Please, Zagato. Find
someone to love, don't mourn my death...."
"All right," he said. "I won't mourn your death. Because you aren't going to
die. Your Magic Knights will never finish their quest."
"What?"
"You heard me, Emerald. I will defeat them. Even with my bare hands. I'll
kill them, if I have to. I will not allow you to kill yourself at their hands."
Emerald was silent for a moment, making no attempt to hide the tears on
her cheeks. "There's nothing I can say to make you change your mind, is there?"
"I could possibly change my mind. But I cannot change my heart. I will
stop this, I promise you. Gomen, Emerald." With those words, he cut the spell,
turning to me. "Change of plans, Innova. The people will fend for themselves if
they have to. Our first priority is to kill the Magic Knights. Are you still with me?"
I nodded. "Yes, Geika. Until the end, I promise."
"Good. Then I will send Alcyone to kill the fledgling Magic Knights."
All in all, the fight didn't go well for us. Alcyone turned out to be less
competent in carrying out her assignment than she did in attempting to win
Zagato's love. We should have sent someone more competent from the beginning,
but she wanted so hard to please him... we mistook that desperate devotion for a
will to win. Our mistake. Because of her numerous failures, the Magic Knights
were able to claim the legendary mineral Escudo, one of the keys to reviving the
Mashin needed for their quest. We banished Alcyone then, and sent our little
summoner after them, who showed great promise. His first mission managed to
bring about the death of Pharle Presia, though, unfortunately, not until after she
had made the knights their weapons. Still, we were sure he would be successful.
Zagato continued to try and reason with Emerald, but she would have nothing of
it. They were both just as stubborn, I noted one day, both with their viewpoints so
set they wouldn't even try to see things any other way than theirs. It made him so
frustrated, the inability to succeed. He'd occasionally go fits of ranting, trying to
express his frustrations to me. Or more often he'd into long periods of silent
moodiness, not talking to anyone, which I thought was worse. I wanted to help him
so badly, and I was the only one he even thought of talking to. But what could I
do?
Zagato bolted the door to his rooms, letting his armour, headpiece and outer
robes fall to the floor. Ascott had failed again, and Zagato was getting beyond
angry.... He all but collapsed into a chair, the cold air he kept around him when he
was dealing with the minions gone. "The first Mashin. Ascott failed, and the first
Mashin revived." He brought his fist down against the side of the chair. "And
Emerald still prays for them! How can she pray for her death? How can she put
Cephiro above her own life?"
I moved behind him, moving his long hair off the back of his neck, then
began to rub the tense muscles. "I'm sorry, Geika."
"Sorry doesn't mean much when we're failing." He said, so loudly and
obviously frustrated. I didn't know what to day to comfort him. He was so angry....
"Emerald is trying to commit suicide. How can I let that happen? How can I not do
everything in my power to stop it?"
"I wish for Emerald's safety. I care for her, too, Geika. I would give my all
for your wish."
"How can you understand, though, Innova? I love her so much, more than
life, more than anything. I know she loves me. Yet she wants to leave me, wants to
save Cephiro. How can you possibly understand a love like that? You're a Seijyu!
How can you even understand love at all?!"
My hands froze on his shoulders, his words causing the most sudden,
intense pain inside me. And suddenly everything I'd been feeling since I became
human and even before that came to the surface, thoughts and feelings I barely
knew how to express. "You're right. Seijyu can't feel emotions like humans," I
answered, forcing my voice not to quiver. "We felt happiness, sadness, loyalty.
Not jealousy or anger. Not love like you do for Emerald-hime." I took a deep
breath. "And now I'm human, and I feel so much loyalty for a person that it hurts.
So much that I'd die if it would make him happy, that a smile, a word of kindness
from him makes me happier than I've ever been. And he wishes for another with
all his heart, and he loves her more than anything... so much that he'd die if it
would make her happy, if it would save her....."
I took a step backwards, half-hugging myself, trembling now. "I'm just a
Seijyu, and I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense, how I feel. My loyalty to
him should match his to me, not exceed it. But my feelings don't change. Because
I'm human now. And it hurts. But I won't change my loyalty, even though he cares
nothing for me, because I - I -" I stopped, knowing now what tears felt like, wiping
them from my cheeks with one hand, and trying vainly to stop them.
Zagato said nothing, not moving, not even acknowledging what I'd said. He
sat like that, silent, for several moments. Then he rose, walking past me and into
his bedroom without so much as looking at me, shutting and locking the door
behind him.
That hurt worse than what he said. I took off my foreign, human clothes and
curled under the cold blankets on my small bed against the wall, not caring to hide
my tears anymore.
In the next room, I could hear Zagato moving about, restlessly. Would he
ever speak to me again? Surely, he'd never confide in me. I'm sure it was wrong of
me to say all that I did, but I couldn't keep it inside me any longer, couldn't ignore
these awful human feelings of longing for him, to be close to him, to hold him
again.... But I should have. For his sake. And now I'd hurt him... gall, that thought
was even more depressing than the last. Shivering, I lay on my cot and listened to
him in misery until I finally managed to fall asleep.
I'm not sure how long it was before I awoke again, but it was completely
dark, and I'd finally managed to get warm. Around me, the air was silent, but I
could sense someone's presence.
I sat half up, human eyes straining in the darkness. "Geika?" I whispered.
"Innova. It's Zagato. Not 'Geika'." He must have been able to see better than
I could, for his hand touched the side of my face in the darkness, warm and gentle.
I shivered, but not with cold this time. "Zagato-sama -"
"Shhh." And then there were lips, against my forehead, soft kisses on my
eyelids.
I jerked backwards, not knowing really what was happening, let alone what
to do about it. A sharp breath escaped my lips, unbidden. "Don't - "
He sat down on the cot beside me, strong arms encircling me, his face
pressed into my hair. "How could you do it?" he whispered, finally. "How could
you be so loyal, to both Emerald-hime and me, when I love her so much?"
"How could I not?" I whispered back, one cheek pressed against his
smooth, bare shoulder. "You're everything to me, Zagato-sama. How you feel
doesn't matter. I will do my best for you no matter what."
"Innova." He bent his head slightly, lips caressing my forehead, moving
over the side of my face.
My breath caught, freezing in a trembling body. "Zagato-sama - "
"Shh," he said again, then claimed my lips.
My body's reaction to his kiss was so intense I was almost afraid, but
couldn't stop myself from holding him back, from trying to kiss as I'd seen others
do. But it wasn't - it couldn't be right, or real.... I pulled my head back, a slight
whimper escaping my throat. "Zagato-sama. Please, go back to bed. It doesn't
matter," I told him, trying very much to sound like I meant it.
"It doesn't matter that I want to love you?" he murmured, breath warm on
my ear. "Innova..."
"You want to love Emerald-hime."
"And Emerald-hime wants me to love you."
I shook my head slightly. "No, she doesn't. She wants you to be happy, like
I do. But she loves you, Zagato-sama."
"Like you do," he whispered.
I swallowed, trying very hard to keep my words and body from revealing
my heart. "What I feel doesn't matter. I told you I'd give my all for your wish, and
I won't break that promise, no matter what."
"Even if I ask you to let me make love to you?"
He sounded so real in the darkness, so sincere. There was emotion in his
words, a caring I hadn't heard in so long. Not directed at me, at least. Only
Emerald. I gave a small sob despite myself. "Zagato-sama - "
"Aren't we both lonely?" he whispered, pulling me closer, arms trembling
slightly in the darkness.
"Yes," I whimpered.
"Innova," he whispered again, kissing me. I didn't pull back this time.
~~~~
Cont...
~ zoi_no_miko@kuronue.zzn.com