Bond of the Soul by Child of the Faeries
Blind pain drove through Ken's body, wracking him. Sweat trickled down his face, obscuring his vision. Lack of water made his body weak and frail, Yamato's weight almost unbearable on his back.
"I'm sorry," Ken whispered over and over again, grunting as he treaded through the thick grass. His eyes shimmered with shame, even though Yamato couldn't hear him. "I've never had a friend before."
Even to his own ears, those words sounded absurd, and yet true. "Osamu took care of me.... but I never learned how to interact with people well. I locked myself in my room with my computers, manipulating lives from my isolated look-out."
He sat down, the sun beating on his face. Gazing sorrowfully at Yamato's face, Ken felt tears rise to his eyes. "Even with you, I pushed you away, because I was afraid of what you might think of me."
Yamato's lifeless face didn't change, and Ken fell to his knees, grasping the edge of Yamato's bloodied shirt. "Is this my fault? Am I cursed to have everyone near me killed?" He wiped an angry tear from his eye, not allowing it to fall. A true soldier didn't cry.
"You can't be dead, can you?" he whispered sorrowfully, his hand still clenched against the rough fabric.
Dead. How hollow that sounded inside Ken's heart. Surreal. The void of color and emotion frightened Ken, and he recoiled. A warm wind rushed across his face, and he slid his hands over his eyes, blocking the world out.
The wind danced around him, and suddenly the prairie was alive and dripping with magic. "Come to me," the wind whispered sweetly in Ken's ear. The air crackled with energy.
"Who's there?" he demanded wildly, raising his eyes. The air was twinged with the gentle, mocking laughter of the wind.
"I am," she taunted, her lovely voice teasing his very soul.
"Who are you?" Ken called out again, rising slowly. His hand slid from Yamato's shirt, and he fell aside.
"I am who I am, nothing more and nothing less," the wind whispered, it's gentle touch caressing the side of his face. "I have the answers you seek."
"The answers to what?" Ken demanded, an unfamiliar glint of anger in his eye. His magic shifted in the back of his mind, the delicate sound of a sword singing through the air.
"I can heal your friend," she whispered, a sweet, alluring sound in her voice. "And I can help you discover the truth behind your brother's death."
"What truth?" Ken said, his mind flickering with pictures of the past.
"The truth that only I know. Come to me," the wind murmured again, and for a moment Ken could make out the very faint shape of a woman before him.
"Where are you? How can I find you?" he said desperately, glancing at his fallen friend. "Surely, you must save my best friend. He must not die."
"I will do as I can, when you come," the wind chimed softly. Ken's heart filled with hope. "Come into my lair and dine with me."
The wind whipped around him quickly, and just as suddenly it died. The prairie was filled with an unnatural calm. Not even the grass rippled under the dire sun.
And before Ken stood a stately mansion, it's walls climbing into the heavens. An impressive marble stair case lead to the huge front door, exquisitely carved flowers in the cherry colored wood.
Ken lifted Yamato, happiness flooded his heart. He knew not who this was, but she could help him. He knew it.
He bounded up the stairs, and for a moment he hesitated at the door. The wind swirled around him once more, murmuring something in his native tongue. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
Impulsively, Ken grasped the handle and entered the huge house.
Directly in front of him was a large fountain, lush flowers growing up towards the heavens. The walls were lined with pictures of angelic beings, and the faintest strains of music rang through the halls.
"Hello?" Ken murmured, afraid to disturb the silence that resounded so thoroughly throughout the house.
"You, my sweet Ken, are in very grave danger," a voice purred gently as a shape emerged from the shadows. Ken jumped, startled, and whirled towards the voice.
A girl emerged from the darkness, a gentle calm reflecting from her brown eyes. Graceful hair the color of the earth tumbled down to her shoulders, and in her hands she held a small blue flame of light. With a simple breath the fire dissipated, and she gave him a chilling smile.
"Welcome to my humble home," she whispered, her eyes growing brightly as she stepped closer towards the two warriors. "I am known in these lands as the sorceress Mimi."
"Mimi?" Ken muttered, a flash of fear crossing his face. "The Whisperer of the Winds." Mimi laughed quietly, the sound of chimes in the wind.
"My reputation precedes me," she said with a smirk. "But I am the only one that can help your friend."
"What will you do to him?" Ken asked nervously, licking his lips. Mimi gave him another of her cryptic smiles.
"Don't worry, Ken. I won't kill him, "she cooed, resting her cold hand on his shoulder. "He's already dead."
Pain crossed Ken's face, and he turned away. Mimi bent down and pulled Yamato so he was facing up. "You're in big trouble, being paired to this madman," Mimi murmured softly. "I fear for you." Pulling a vial of something out of her blue robe, she breathed a incantation into the air, and Yamato floated, glimmering brightly. She walked away, Yamato trailing in the air behind her.
"How long it has been since I last saw you, Yamato," she muttered to herself safely inside her private quarters. "Fine mess you got yourself into." Despite her show of bravado, inside her heart was the terrifying truth that she might not be able to bring him back.
"Foolish, foolish boy," she muttered, staring at the cold flesh of a man she had known once upon a dream. "Do you remember me, Yama? Or has Massah robbed even your memories from you?" A desperate tear fell from her eye, and she wiped it away.
She opened his shirt with a twitch of her finger, the frail rags falling limply at his side. Her face turned white as her eyes traveled through the torn flesh and dried blood. "My old friend...." she breathed, her hair falling forward over his twisted face.
Gently she called her magic to her, feeling the cool cleansing spiral to her fingers, surrounding her in a backlash of blue light.
Bringing her fingers to his head, sparks snapped as her magic wove through his own. Clenching her teeth, she tried to ignore the pain as she worked her way into his mind.
"Yamato?" she whispered, using every ounce of magic she had to maintain the contact. "Can you hear me?"
On Yamato's side only his magic was alive, a festering storm raining harshly against the minor shields that Mimi had placed. Her mind screamed in agony as white light engulfed her blue light, thrusting her away from Yamato in a whirlwind of magic.
"You always were stronger than me," she murmured ruefully, resting against the side of her bed. "I fear I cannot help you now."
She turned away, opening a hidden drawer in the wall. Removing a letter, she closed the drawer again and sat at his side. "Do you even remember me?" she wondered out loud, brushing her hand through his golden hair. "We were best friends long ago.... so long that you mind have forgotten. I have not. "She fingered the letter, hesitating. Finally she opened the old letter, a small smile on her face. Her eyes skimmed through the lines that she knew so well. "You were the shining knight of honor... and I the fair lady of truth. So long ago...." She gave him a bitter smile that he didn't return. "We were only children then, foolish and carefree. So different than we are now. I am a bitter woman, cursed and despised. And you, dear Yamato, are dead. Fate is often cruel and ill-fitting of our dispositions."
She rose, calling a flask of cool brandy to wash over Yamato's face. "I will try again tomorrow," she promised, bowing low beside his face. "Never give up. I know you're still on the other side, fighting."
"Ken?" she spoke softly, and the warrior jumped, his magic immediately at his side. She scowled and threw him an angry glare. "Don't threaten me with your useless magic, sir, or I will show you the extent of my power."
"How is he?" Ken asked, warily walking towards her. Mimi sighed and brushed her brown hair back from her face.
"I will try again tomorrow. My power is too drained to try again tonight." She smoothed the embroidered edges of her dress nervously, and then looked at Ken sadly. "He is too powerful for me."
Ken felt like he had suddenly been plunged under icy water. His lungs burned with fear. If Yamato was dead and could not be revived.... he would have to continue on alone.
"You must be hungry," Mimi said softly, drawing her hands together. A blue flame appeared. "I will dine with you." She turned and walked down a darkened hallway, Ken following in hesitation.
The walls crept closer and closer as they walked, and the ceiling rose, giving the house a magnificent impression of a cathedral or a building of ancient times. The angels that lined the walls appeared almost lifelike, their cold eyes staring at Ken with superiority."It's all an illusion," Mimi said with a soft smile. Ken tried to say something but the words stuck in his throat.
Finally she pushed a gilded door open, allowing him into a grand room illuminated by thousands of red and gold candles, each flame flickering delicately in a huge circle. A table was prepared at the very center of the room, and Mimi gestured for him to seat himself. Taking a glass of a wine the color of pure crystal, she sighed and sank into a velvety chair.
"Why do you not eat?" she asked coldly, her eyes flickering mysteriously in the candlelight.
"I'm sorry, my good lady, but this all reminds me of some sacrificial room used to slaughter animals, and it has set my stomach on edge." He looked anywhere but where she sat, and her laughter rang out harshly.
"Maybe it is a sacrificial room," she mused softly. "A room to sacrifice my soul." Turning her eyes towards Ken, she took another sip of wine and leered at him. "What troubles your heart, Ken?"
"In honesty, sorceress, it is you that troubles me most. I fear you will try and ensnare me and my friend in one of your lecherous webs."
"Lecherous webs?" she questioned coldly. "Is that what you think I am?" Mimi asked, cold rage rising in her eyes, banishing her calm and collected look. "That I would do such a thing to a man like Yamato? You are a fool."
"I wish to know answers. You promised to tell me the truth behind my brother's death," Ken said suddenly, and Mimi relaxed back in her chair.
"Indeed, I did make that promise." Setting her glass aside, she leaned forward, resting her hands lightly on the table. "Our lands are ruled by Massah, men of honesty and virtue. Each town has a Massah that they look to for guidance, and every few months there is a council of the Massahs to discuss regulations and new laws. More recently, there has been talk of outlawing magic." She rubbed her hands nervously, a glint of magic reflecting in her eyes. Ken could feel a surge of new magic in the air, a clean, clear form of energy that dashed from her eyes.
"People like me would be killed. I cannot live without the magic I harbor inside my frame, knitted inside me at birth. It is the air that I breath, the flame of my soul. Others would be affected, like you. Your bond, and the magic that you have from it, would disappear. Almost everyone would be affected, from schoolchildren to the soldiers that are trained back where you came from." Her eyes could not longer hold back her cold fear. "Our world as we know it would be destroyed."
"Why would they do such a thing?" Ken asked, his mind spinning.
"There are some, like your past Massah, at the Ashram of Mercy, who believe that impenetrable soldiers are the key, and our survival lies on their soldiers. Others wish to cast our fate in with technology and the huge cyber-arena. Others fear creatures of magic, as you do."
"But what does all this have to do with my brother?" Ken's eyes were pinned on her.
"There is a secret group of the Massah that are breaking away, taking Fate into their own hands. They know what they wish the future to be, and will go to any length to see that it becomes all that they dream. Your brother got caught up with them. Their lust and grasp of power caught his greedy soul."
"No!" Ken shouted, rising to his feet. "I will not have you slaughter my brother's good name!! He was an honest man, of good integrity!" His eyes were filled with rage.
"No," Mimi whispered, an unsettling calm in her eyes. "You are wrong."
Ken approached her, his eyes filled with vehemence and betrayal. "You lie!" He rose his hand to strike her.
Mimi stood up, drawing her magic. Ken hit the wall, his head connecting squarely. One of her knees connected with his stomach, leaning against him with her full weight. She drew a knife out of the air, and pressed it against his chest. "If you ever accuse me of such things again, I will kill you," she seethed, pressing the knife harder against his chest. "And I will not bring you back."
Turning, she walked away, wrapping Ken in silence.
Mimi looked out her balcony at the stars, glittering like diamonds far above. She sighed, and glanced at Yamato again, her melancholy complete. Drawing her magic into her hands, she pulled the window shut and collapsed into her bed.
In the solemn silence of night, forgotten memories crept into her night unbidden. She remember standing in the rain, crying as the glorious angel tears fell unto her head. Her mother would be so disappointed that she had gotten her dress wet. Huge tears rolled down her face.
And suddenly he was there, a timid smile on his face. "You're getting all wet," he muttered softly, slipping his coat off and wrapping it over her head.
"You can't do that!" Mimi remembered saying. "Massah will be angry at you."
"What's a little more pain?" Yamato had whispered, looking away. Harsh venerability shone through his eight-year old eyes.
"I'm sorry," Mimi whispered, looking back at the now grotesquely scared and beaten Yamato. "If only I could have helped you.... but I didn't know how."
He had sat alone at dinner the next day at school, as usual. The others from the Ashram of Mercy were already learning that he was trouble, and to stay away if you wanted to be in good graces. As the daughter of a prominent merchant, Mimi was expected to follow their example.
Watching the other children scorning and teasing the boy, Mimi felt deep indignation in her heart. She held her head high as she approached Yamato. He turned away, muttering that she didn't have to do this.
A small smile flickered across her face as she sat beside him. Giving him a piece of her good, she struck up a conversation, telling him about this beautiful butterfly that she had seen walking to school that day. A bemused smile was on his face the whole time through, and when she had finished, he had whispered, "Someday you will be a beautiful butterfly, and you will soar above all of this, believe me."
Mimi had laughed, and as she stood, he caught hold of her sleeve and thanked her.
It was then the dream ended.
The next day he was locked away in the dungeon with the rats for stealing a bit of bread from a merchant. They hadn't found the bread, but given Yamato's past, they found it prudent to lock him away anyways.
When he was released, he didn't come to school. Risking it all, Mimi had ventured to the lower levels while her parents repented to the priests. There she was faced with the first fact that life was not fair.
Mimi remembered the large sore wounds and the haggard fear than was contained in his eyes. Her childish heart cried out in sincere sorrow for this boy. Taking his hand into hers, she was surprised to feel a pull in the back of her mind, a gentle tug of power and light. Murmuring words that she didn't understand, she called her magic for the first time, and watched in horrific fascination as her blue light melted into Yamato's bloodied flesh, restoring him.
That was the first time she had called her magic, dipped into the ethereal pool of darkness and light, love and hatred. For days afterwards she had longed to call the magic back into her, to reclaim it as her own.
But never again did the magic flow as it had the first time with Yamato. Never did the magic change from cold blue light into golden radiance, filling her soul with the angel's song.
She had never gotten a chance to even speak again to Yamato. Days after the discovery of her gift, she was taken from her family, striped of her title, and left for a servant in a far away land. The people had thought her no better than a common witch, a woman without morals or humanity.
Indeed, immortality had a price. It killed your soul.
The sorceress sighed, dousing the flames with a flick of her hand. She rested her head on the pillows, and her mind drifted to the other man that was somewhere in her house. Ken, the brother of Osamu.
Everything that she had seen pointed to the conclusion that she had already formed before his arrival. Unless she could bring Yamato back, he was a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any second. He was a man to be feared, no doubt, for his brother had trained him well.
It would be enticing to see which side he chose to be on, when all came into the light. Would Yamato be able to turn him to the light, to the continuity of life, or would he follow the path of his brother, the path of hatred, and bring their own demise?
Mimi prayed in her soul that Yamato would bring him to understanding... but if need be, she would be willing to fight against Ken to stop what was foretold....even if it meant the death of others.
The caged birds inside the mansion sand out sweetly, awakening Ken from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, rising to his feet. He thrust his hands into his pockets, trying to keep away the biting cold that clung to the dining room where he had fallen asleep in fear the night before.
His mind lingered back to what he had learned the night before, and shook his head. This sorceress, Mimi, was a liar. Never had he heard such ridiculous accusations before.
"Osamu would never had done something like that. He was honest and pure," Ken tried to reassure himself, but doubt clouded his mind. The magic of his soul wouldn't let him go.
Curses emitted from his mouth, mingling with the bird song. Pulling back the sleeve of his white shirt, Ken's flesh went cold when he looked at the black design tattooed into his skin.
It was a rose, it's petals in full blown. "Every rose has it's thorns, as hidden as they may seem," Osamu had said while Ken screamed against the pain. "This will be your passport into the future. Never forget this gift I give you, Ken. Someday you will thank me for this."
His mind had screamed no, that this was wrong, but he had been young and helpless.
"No." His eyes rang out with fitful rage, his magic slicing through the air in angry arcs.
His hand slid and covered the arm easily, hiding the wretched rose that spelled death. It was the kiss of the devil.
"No one will ever know. Not Mimi or the others... not even Yamato," he breathed in quiet menace. "I will not let them know that I have been betrayed."
He then collapsed, gasping sobs rocking his body in the silence of the monstrous room.
Mimi approached Yamato again, her hands still wet from her morning bath. "Yamato..." Strangely her words trailed off, and she approached him softly, as if afraid to waken the fallen angel from his slumber.
She held her breath as she breathed an invocation, the magic swirling behind her cinnamon eyes. As if in a trance, she lowered her hands over his heart, feeling the surprising surge of power that emerged from her hands and danced into his skin.
Through her magic, she felt her way to his heart and lowered her guard, pouring her life's blood into him, the sorcery of her soul. A blue flame danced around them, it's flame neither freezing nor burning, but just hovering. Her eyes grew dilated as she pressed deeper, trying to find the core of his soul.
Immediately his magic reacted, trying to wash out all trances of her presence. "Not this time," Mimi whispered, calling on more of her magic. The silence in the room was deafening, magic's noiseless chords playing a symphony of death.
She nearly screamed in pain as the white light engulfed her once more, but she wouldn't give up. In her mind flickered images of death and destruction. Still her white fingers were pressed against his dead skin, her very life swirling around him in a desperate hope of revival. In a few precious seconds she would loose total control.
An endless mix of blue and white light dashed past her, and she felt drained. Sinking to her knees, Mimi rested her weary head on Yamato's chest, whispering," I have failed."
Suddenly the silence was gone, and the magics had stopped their violent dance of death. Instead, the two magic melded together, a beam of blue and white light radiating into Yamato's soul.
Deep within his frame, a trembling started, and suddenly his soul flame burst alight, it's blue light sparkling into the very marrow of Mimi's spirit. She smiled, laughter on the tip of her lips as she started to pull back, bringing her magic within herself as Yamato's roared back to life and consumed himself.
"I did it for you, my old friend," she whispered, her hand resting on his scarred cheek. Yamato's eyes opened briefly, and he moved as if to speak.
"Quiet," she ordered, putting her fingers over his mouth. "You may talk later." She turned away, intent on finding Ken immediately.
"Th.....Tha......."Yamato slurred, and she turned back to him, concern in her brown eyes. "Thank......you......"
"You're welcome," Mimi whispered, resting her hand on the side of his face. "Thank the Creator that I could bring you back." Her magic stirred, and she brushed a piece of hair from in front of his venerable eyes. Sparks emitted from her fingers, and she jumped.
Yamato's face didn't change, but his eyes were suddenly filled with hope. Mimi let her fingers fall onto his face, watching in fascination as her magic melted into Yamato's skin once more. Gold light flickered from within her very being, and liquid sunshine merged with his face, the battle-worn scars and bitter bruises disappearing.
Mimi closed her eyes, losing herself in the song of her magic. Finally Yamato gently grabbed her wrist, and she opened her eyes, catching a smile on his face.
All traces of the cruel injustices inflicted upon him at the Ashram of Mercy had faded, leaving the image of a whole man. He touched his face, and a look of sadness overcame his eyes as he realized for the first time since he was a child he could smile without pain rippling through his face.
Mimi said nothing, but her eyes glittered with cold happiness, an empty kind of love. "That is my gift to you, Yamato. Watch your back, and bring Ken into the light." Lifting her arms, the whole house shimmered violently, and Yamato fell back. Slowly Mimi pulled her arms towards her, her magic forming a shield around her. Finally her hands clasped on her heart, and everything disappeared. "I will see you again, my dear friend," Mimi whispered in the wind as she exploded, leaving not a trace.
Yamato sat up, rubbing his eyes in a dazed confusion. "Yamato?" Ken called, his cry caught in his throat as he bound through the grasses of the plains. "Yamato!" Ken's face couldn't hide his happiness and he engulfed Yamato in a hug.
Yamato smiled, but his mind was elsewhere. "Your face," Ken whispered in amazement. "It's normal."
"It was a gift from the witch-girl," Yamato said softly, gazing across the open plains. "She spells trouble."
"What do you mean?" Ken asked, his arm burning where the tattoo was placed.
"I don't know........ but I fear that we have just met someone that will prove to be more than we have bargained for."
Blind pain drove through Ken's body, wracking him. Sweat trickled down his face, obscuring his vision. Lack of water made his body weak and frail, Yamato's weight almost unbearable on his back.
"I'm sorry," Ken whispered over and over again, grunting as he treaded through the thick grass. His eyes shimmered with shame, even though Yamato couldn't hear him. "I've never had a friend before."
Even to his own ears, those words sounded absurd, and yet true. "Osamu took care of me.... but I never learned how to interact with people well. I locked myself in my room with my computers, manipulating lives from my isolated look-out."
He sat down, the sun beating on his face. Gazing sorrowfully at Yamato's face, Ken felt tears rise to his eyes. "Even with you, I pushed you away, because I was afraid of what you might think of me."
Yamato's lifeless face didn't change, and Ken fell to his knees, grasping the edge of Yamato's bloodied shirt. "Is this my fault? Am I cursed to have everyone near me killed?" He wiped an angry tear from his eye, not allowing it to fall. A true soldier didn't cry.
"You can't be dead, can you?" he whispered sorrowfully, his hand still clenched against the rough fabric.
Dead. How hollow that sounded inside Ken's heart. Surreal. The void of color and emotion frightened Ken, and he recoiled. A warm wind rushed across his face, and he slid his hands over his eyes, blocking the world out.
The wind danced around him, and suddenly the prairie was alive and dripping with magic. "Come to me," the wind whispered sweetly in Ken's ear. The air crackled with energy.
"Who's there?" he demanded wildly, raising his eyes. The air was twinged with the gentle, mocking laughter of the wind.
"I am," she taunted, her lovely voice teasing his very soul.
"Who are you?" Ken called out again, rising slowly. His hand slid from Yamato's shirt, and he fell aside.
"I am who I am, nothing more and nothing less," the wind whispered, it's gentle touch caressing the side of his face. "I have the answers you seek."
"The answers to what?" Ken demanded, an unfamiliar glint of anger in his eye. His magic shifted in the back of his mind, the delicate sound of a sword singing through the air.
"I can heal your friend," she whispered, a sweet, alluring sound in her voice. "And I can help you discover the truth behind your brother's death."
"What truth?" Ken said, his mind flickering with pictures of the past.
"The truth that only I know. Come to me," the wind murmured again, and for a moment Ken could make out the very faint shape of a woman before him.
"Where are you? How can I find you?" he said desperately, glancing at his fallen friend. "Surely, you must save my best friend. He must not die."
"I will do as I can, when you come," the wind chimed softly. Ken's heart filled with hope. "Come into my lair and dine with me."
The wind whipped around him quickly, and just as suddenly it died. The prairie was filled with an unnatural calm. Not even the grass rippled under the dire sun.
And before Ken stood a stately mansion, it's walls climbing into the heavens. An impressive marble stair case lead to the huge front door, exquisitely carved flowers in the cherry colored wood.
Ken lifted Yamato, happiness flooded his heart. He knew not who this was, but she could help him. He knew it.
He bounded up the stairs, and for a moment he hesitated at the door. The wind swirled around him once more, murmuring something in his native tongue. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
Impulsively, Ken grasped the handle and entered the huge house.
Directly in front of him was a large fountain, lush flowers growing up towards the heavens. The walls were lined with pictures of angelic beings, and the faintest strains of music rang through the halls.
"Hello?" Ken murmured, afraid to disturb the silence that resounded so thoroughly throughout the house.
"You, my sweet Ken, are in very grave danger," a voice purred gently as a shape emerged from the shadows. Ken jumped, startled, and whirled towards the voice.
A girl emerged from the darkness, a gentle calm reflecting from her brown eyes. Graceful hair the color of the earth tumbled down to her shoulders, and in her hands she held a small blue flame of light. With a simple breath the fire dissipated, and she gave him a chilling smile.
"Welcome to my humble home," she whispered, her eyes growing brightly as she stepped closer towards the two warriors. "I am known in these lands as the sorceress Mimi."
"Mimi?" Ken muttered, a flash of fear crossing his face. "The Whisperer of the Winds." Mimi laughed quietly, the sound of chimes in the wind.
"My reputation precedes me," she said with a smirk. "But I am the only one that can help your friend."
"What will you do to him?" Ken asked nervously, licking his lips. Mimi gave him another of her cryptic smiles.
"Don't worry, Ken. I won't kill him, "she cooed, resting her cold hand on his shoulder. "He's already dead."
Pain crossed Ken's face, and he turned away. Mimi bent down and pulled Yamato so he was facing up. "You're in big trouble, being paired to this madman," Mimi murmured softly. "I fear for you." Pulling a vial of something out of her blue robe, she breathed a incantation into the air, and Yamato floated, glimmering brightly. She walked away, Yamato trailing in the air behind her.
"How long it has been since I last saw you, Yamato," she muttered to herself safely inside her private quarters. "Fine mess you got yourself into." Despite her show of bravado, inside her heart was the terrifying truth that she might not be able to bring him back.
"Foolish, foolish boy," she muttered, staring at the cold flesh of a man she had known once upon a dream. "Do you remember me, Yama? Or has Massah robbed even your memories from you?" A desperate tear fell from her eye, and she wiped it away.
She opened his shirt with a twitch of her finger, the frail rags falling limply at his side. Her face turned white as her eyes traveled through the torn flesh and dried blood. "My old friend...." she breathed, her hair falling forward over his twisted face.
Gently she called her magic to her, feeling the cool cleansing spiral to her fingers, surrounding her in a backlash of blue light.
Bringing her fingers to his head, sparks snapped as her magic wove through his own. Clenching her teeth, she tried to ignore the pain as she worked her way into his mind.
"Yamato?" she whispered, using every ounce of magic she had to maintain the contact. "Can you hear me?"
On Yamato's side only his magic was alive, a festering storm raining harshly against the minor shields that Mimi had placed. Her mind screamed in agony as white light engulfed her blue light, thrusting her away from Yamato in a whirlwind of magic.
"You always were stronger than me," she murmured ruefully, resting against the side of her bed. "I fear I cannot help you now."
She turned away, opening a hidden drawer in the wall. Removing a letter, she closed the drawer again and sat at his side. "Do you even remember me?" she wondered out loud, brushing her hand through his golden hair. "We were best friends long ago.... so long that you mind have forgotten. I have not. "She fingered the letter, hesitating. Finally she opened the old letter, a small smile on her face. Her eyes skimmed through the lines that she knew so well. "You were the shining knight of honor... and I the fair lady of truth. So long ago...." She gave him a bitter smile that he didn't return. "We were only children then, foolish and carefree. So different than we are now. I am a bitter woman, cursed and despised. And you, dear Yamato, are dead. Fate is often cruel and ill-fitting of our dispositions."
She rose, calling a flask of cool brandy to wash over Yamato's face. "I will try again tomorrow," she promised, bowing low beside his face. "Never give up. I know you're still on the other side, fighting."
"Ken?" she spoke softly, and the warrior jumped, his magic immediately at his side. She scowled and threw him an angry glare. "Don't threaten me with your useless magic, sir, or I will show you the extent of my power."
"How is he?" Ken asked, warily walking towards her. Mimi sighed and brushed her brown hair back from her face.
"I will try again tomorrow. My power is too drained to try again tonight." She smoothed the embroidered edges of her dress nervously, and then looked at Ken sadly. "He is too powerful for me."
Ken felt like he had suddenly been plunged under icy water. His lungs burned with fear. If Yamato was dead and could not be revived.... he would have to continue on alone.
"You must be hungry," Mimi said softly, drawing her hands together. A blue flame appeared. "I will dine with you." She turned and walked down a darkened hallway, Ken following in hesitation.
The walls crept closer and closer as they walked, and the ceiling rose, giving the house a magnificent impression of a cathedral or a building of ancient times. The angels that lined the walls appeared almost lifelike, their cold eyes staring at Ken with superiority."It's all an illusion," Mimi said with a soft smile. Ken tried to say something but the words stuck in his throat.
Finally she pushed a gilded door open, allowing him into a grand room illuminated by thousands of red and gold candles, each flame flickering delicately in a huge circle. A table was prepared at the very center of the room, and Mimi gestured for him to seat himself. Taking a glass of a wine the color of pure crystal, she sighed and sank into a velvety chair.
"Why do you not eat?" she asked coldly, her eyes flickering mysteriously in the candlelight.
"I'm sorry, my good lady, but this all reminds me of some sacrificial room used to slaughter animals, and it has set my stomach on edge." He looked anywhere but where she sat, and her laughter rang out harshly.
"Maybe it is a sacrificial room," she mused softly. "A room to sacrifice my soul." Turning her eyes towards Ken, she took another sip of wine and leered at him. "What troubles your heart, Ken?"
"In honesty, sorceress, it is you that troubles me most. I fear you will try and ensnare me and my friend in one of your lecherous webs."
"Lecherous webs?" she questioned coldly. "Is that what you think I am?" Mimi asked, cold rage rising in her eyes, banishing her calm and collected look. "That I would do such a thing to a man like Yamato? You are a fool."
"I wish to know answers. You promised to tell me the truth behind my brother's death," Ken said suddenly, and Mimi relaxed back in her chair.
"Indeed, I did make that promise." Setting her glass aside, she leaned forward, resting her hands lightly on the table. "Our lands are ruled by Massah, men of honesty and virtue. Each town has a Massah that they look to for guidance, and every few months there is a council of the Massahs to discuss regulations and new laws. More recently, there has been talk of outlawing magic." She rubbed her hands nervously, a glint of magic reflecting in her eyes. Ken could feel a surge of new magic in the air, a clean, clear form of energy that dashed from her eyes.
"People like me would be killed. I cannot live without the magic I harbor inside my frame, knitted inside me at birth. It is the air that I breath, the flame of my soul. Others would be affected, like you. Your bond, and the magic that you have from it, would disappear. Almost everyone would be affected, from schoolchildren to the soldiers that are trained back where you came from." Her eyes could not longer hold back her cold fear. "Our world as we know it would be destroyed."
"Why would they do such a thing?" Ken asked, his mind spinning.
"There are some, like your past Massah, at the Ashram of Mercy, who believe that impenetrable soldiers are the key, and our survival lies on their soldiers. Others wish to cast our fate in with technology and the huge cyber-arena. Others fear creatures of magic, as you do."
"But what does all this have to do with my brother?" Ken's eyes were pinned on her.
"There is a secret group of the Massah that are breaking away, taking Fate into their own hands. They know what they wish the future to be, and will go to any length to see that it becomes all that they dream. Your brother got caught up with them. Their lust and grasp of power caught his greedy soul."
"No!" Ken shouted, rising to his feet. "I will not have you slaughter my brother's good name!! He was an honest man, of good integrity!" His eyes were filled with rage.
"No," Mimi whispered, an unsettling calm in her eyes. "You are wrong."
Ken approached her, his eyes filled with vehemence and betrayal. "You lie!" He rose his hand to strike her.
Mimi stood up, drawing her magic. Ken hit the wall, his head connecting squarely. One of her knees connected with his stomach, leaning against him with her full weight. She drew a knife out of the air, and pressed it against his chest. "If you ever accuse me of such things again, I will kill you," she seethed, pressing the knife harder against his chest. "And I will not bring you back."
Turning, she walked away, wrapping Ken in silence.
Mimi looked out her balcony at the stars, glittering like diamonds far above. She sighed, and glanced at Yamato again, her melancholy complete. Drawing her magic into her hands, she pulled the window shut and collapsed into her bed.
In the solemn silence of night, forgotten memories crept into her night unbidden. She remember standing in the rain, crying as the glorious angel tears fell unto her head. Her mother would be so disappointed that she had gotten her dress wet. Huge tears rolled down her face.
And suddenly he was there, a timid smile on his face. "You're getting all wet," he muttered softly, slipping his coat off and wrapping it over her head.
"You can't do that!" Mimi remembered saying. "Massah will be angry at you."
"What's a little more pain?" Yamato had whispered, looking away. Harsh venerability shone through his eight-year old eyes.
"I'm sorry," Mimi whispered, looking back at the now grotesquely scared and beaten Yamato. "If only I could have helped you.... but I didn't know how."
He had sat alone at dinner the next day at school, as usual. The others from the Ashram of Mercy were already learning that he was trouble, and to stay away if you wanted to be in good graces. As the daughter of a prominent merchant, Mimi was expected to follow their example.
Watching the other children scorning and teasing the boy, Mimi felt deep indignation in her heart. She held her head high as she approached Yamato. He turned away, muttering that she didn't have to do this.
A small smile flickered across her face as she sat beside him. Giving him a piece of her good, she struck up a conversation, telling him about this beautiful butterfly that she had seen walking to school that day. A bemused smile was on his face the whole time through, and when she had finished, he had whispered, "Someday you will be a beautiful butterfly, and you will soar above all of this, believe me."
Mimi had laughed, and as she stood, he caught hold of her sleeve and thanked her.
It was then the dream ended.
The next day he was locked away in the dungeon with the rats for stealing a bit of bread from a merchant. They hadn't found the bread, but given Yamato's past, they found it prudent to lock him away anyways.
When he was released, he didn't come to school. Risking it all, Mimi had ventured to the lower levels while her parents repented to the priests. There she was faced with the first fact that life was not fair.
Mimi remembered the large sore wounds and the haggard fear than was contained in his eyes. Her childish heart cried out in sincere sorrow for this boy. Taking his hand into hers, she was surprised to feel a pull in the back of her mind, a gentle tug of power and light. Murmuring words that she didn't understand, she called her magic for the first time, and watched in horrific fascination as her blue light melted into Yamato's bloodied flesh, restoring him.
That was the first time she had called her magic, dipped into the ethereal pool of darkness and light, love and hatred. For days afterwards she had longed to call the magic back into her, to reclaim it as her own.
But never again did the magic flow as it had the first time with Yamato. Never did the magic change from cold blue light into golden radiance, filling her soul with the angel's song.
She had never gotten a chance to even speak again to Yamato. Days after the discovery of her gift, she was taken from her family, striped of her title, and left for a servant in a far away land. The people had thought her no better than a common witch, a woman without morals or humanity.
Indeed, immortality had a price. It killed your soul.
The sorceress sighed, dousing the flames with a flick of her hand. She rested her head on the pillows, and her mind drifted to the other man that was somewhere in her house. Ken, the brother of Osamu.
Everything that she had seen pointed to the conclusion that she had already formed before his arrival. Unless she could bring Yamato back, he was a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any second. He was a man to be feared, no doubt, for his brother had trained him well.
It would be enticing to see which side he chose to be on, when all came into the light. Would Yamato be able to turn him to the light, to the continuity of life, or would he follow the path of his brother, the path of hatred, and bring their own demise?
Mimi prayed in her soul that Yamato would bring him to understanding... but if need be, she would be willing to fight against Ken to stop what was foretold....even if it meant the death of others.
The caged birds inside the mansion sand out sweetly, awakening Ken from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, rising to his feet. He thrust his hands into his pockets, trying to keep away the biting cold that clung to the dining room where he had fallen asleep in fear the night before.
His mind lingered back to what he had learned the night before, and shook his head. This sorceress, Mimi, was a liar. Never had he heard such ridiculous accusations before.
"Osamu would never had done something like that. He was honest and pure," Ken tried to reassure himself, but doubt clouded his mind. The magic of his soul wouldn't let him go.
Curses emitted from his mouth, mingling with the bird song. Pulling back the sleeve of his white shirt, Ken's flesh went cold when he looked at the black design tattooed into his skin.
It was a rose, it's petals in full blown. "Every rose has it's thorns, as hidden as they may seem," Osamu had said while Ken screamed against the pain. "This will be your passport into the future. Never forget this gift I give you, Ken. Someday you will thank me for this."
His mind had screamed no, that this was wrong, but he had been young and helpless.
"No." His eyes rang out with fitful rage, his magic slicing through the air in angry arcs.
His hand slid and covered the arm easily, hiding the wretched rose that spelled death. It was the kiss of the devil.
"No one will ever know. Not Mimi or the others... not even Yamato," he breathed in quiet menace. "I will not let them know that I have been betrayed."
He then collapsed, gasping sobs rocking his body in the silence of the monstrous room.
Mimi approached Yamato again, her hands still wet from her morning bath. "Yamato..." Strangely her words trailed off, and she approached him softly, as if afraid to waken the fallen angel from his slumber.
She held her breath as she breathed an invocation, the magic swirling behind her cinnamon eyes. As if in a trance, she lowered her hands over his heart, feeling the surprising surge of power that emerged from her hands and danced into his skin.
Through her magic, she felt her way to his heart and lowered her guard, pouring her life's blood into him, the sorcery of her soul. A blue flame danced around them, it's flame neither freezing nor burning, but just hovering. Her eyes grew dilated as she pressed deeper, trying to find the core of his soul.
Immediately his magic reacted, trying to wash out all trances of her presence. "Not this time," Mimi whispered, calling on more of her magic. The silence in the room was deafening, magic's noiseless chords playing a symphony of death.
She nearly screamed in pain as the white light engulfed her once more, but she wouldn't give up. In her mind flickered images of death and destruction. Still her white fingers were pressed against his dead skin, her very life swirling around him in a desperate hope of revival. In a few precious seconds she would loose total control.
An endless mix of blue and white light dashed past her, and she felt drained. Sinking to her knees, Mimi rested her weary head on Yamato's chest, whispering," I have failed."
Suddenly the silence was gone, and the magics had stopped their violent dance of death. Instead, the two magic melded together, a beam of blue and white light radiating into Yamato's soul.
Deep within his frame, a trembling started, and suddenly his soul flame burst alight, it's blue light sparkling into the very marrow of Mimi's spirit. She smiled, laughter on the tip of her lips as she started to pull back, bringing her magic within herself as Yamato's roared back to life and consumed himself.
"I did it for you, my old friend," she whispered, her hand resting on his scarred cheek. Yamato's eyes opened briefly, and he moved as if to speak.
"Quiet," she ordered, putting her fingers over his mouth. "You may talk later." She turned away, intent on finding Ken immediately.
"Th.....Tha......."Yamato slurred, and she turned back to him, concern in her brown eyes. "Thank......you......"
"You're welcome," Mimi whispered, resting her hand on the side of his face. "Thank the Creator that I could bring you back." Her magic stirred, and she brushed a piece of hair from in front of his venerable eyes. Sparks emitted from her fingers, and she jumped.
Yamato's face didn't change, but his eyes were suddenly filled with hope. Mimi let her fingers fall onto his face, watching in fascination as her magic melted into Yamato's skin once more. Gold light flickered from within her very being, and liquid sunshine merged with his face, the battle-worn scars and bitter bruises disappearing.
Mimi closed her eyes, losing herself in the song of her magic. Finally Yamato gently grabbed her wrist, and she opened her eyes, catching a smile on his face.
All traces of the cruel injustices inflicted upon him at the Ashram of Mercy had faded, leaving the image of a whole man. He touched his face, and a look of sadness overcame his eyes as he realized for the first time since he was a child he could smile without pain rippling through his face.
Mimi said nothing, but her eyes glittered with cold happiness, an empty kind of love. "That is my gift to you, Yamato. Watch your back, and bring Ken into the light." Lifting her arms, the whole house shimmered violently, and Yamato fell back. Slowly Mimi pulled her arms towards her, her magic forming a shield around her. Finally her hands clasped on her heart, and everything disappeared. "I will see you again, my dear friend," Mimi whispered in the wind as she exploded, leaving not a trace.
Yamato sat up, rubbing his eyes in a dazed confusion. "Yamato?" Ken called, his cry caught in his throat as he bound through the grasses of the plains. "Yamato!" Ken's face couldn't hide his happiness and he engulfed Yamato in a hug.
Yamato smiled, but his mind was elsewhere. "Your face," Ken whispered in amazement. "It's normal."
"It was a gift from the witch-girl," Yamato said softly, gazing across the open plains. "She spells trouble."
"What do you mean?" Ken asked, his arm burning where the tattoo was placed.
"I don't know........ but I fear that we have just met someone that will prove to be more than we have bargained for."