The 7th Warrior Trilogy - Ch 9 The next few days of the trip were spent in solitude, everyone avoiding each other. There were so many jobs available, it wasn't hard for people to occupy themselves. Eriol found a talent in repairs, and continued to scurry from port to starboard, bow to stern, fixing the bugs. Mr. Terada made busy by acting as a morale raiser, constantly giving the students hope, and new energy. At one point, Eriol and Syaoran managed to find themselves repairing in the same area, and as they fiddled with dial and button, they talked.

" Hey, Eriol..."
" Yeah?"
" How are you and Tomoyo doing?"
" Just fine..."
" No, I don't mean physically-- well, yeah I do, but I meant more..."
" You mean, how are we doing in the connected sense?"
" Yeah. How are you dealing with it?"
" Well, its tough, but we're getting used to it. You just have to give it some time."
" How much time?"
" Excuse me?"
" How much time does it take to get used to it?"
" Well, gosh," Eriol scratched his head in puzzlement, then shrugged," I couldn't really say, it all kind of depends on your personalities."
" So, there really is no set time, when you'll all of a sudden get used to it?"
" No, don't be ridiculous. It takes time, depending on you and your partner's compatibility..."
" And supposing its taking longer then you thought?"
" Syaoran," Eriol stopped tapping the control panel for a second," Are you having trouble with Sakura?"
" Well,"
" I've noticed you two haven't been around each other lately."
" I've been busy."
" Syaoran, even when I'm busy, I still find time to sit with Tomoyo and chat. It's a good healthy way to strengthen your bond."
" Well,"
" Syaoran," Eriol seemed to become serious," I've been watching you. You and her are purposely avoiding one another. I've seen you pass each other by without a second glance, as though the other didn't exist."
" Well,"
" Syaoran, the only way you're going to make this any easier for yourself, and for her, is to get to know her a little bit - share."
" It doesn't work." Syaoran muttered bitterly," I know, because I've tried it already."
" Are you sure you tried hard enough?"
" What do you mean?"
" I mean, maybe you aren't doing it as hard as you can, only as hard as you think you can."
" You've lost me."
" Look, all I'm going to say, is that you haven't been working your hardest to try and get to know her."
" She's too stubborn. I don't know why we were even paired together."

******

" That's why you have to make the best from the worst." Tomoyo and Sakura were having a similar conversation in the mess hall.
" How?" Sakura sighed in hopeless defeat.
" Find a common interest."
" That's easy for you to say, you and Eriol were meant to be like a pair." Sakura continued scrubbing aimlessly at the counter.
" Sakura, you have to sort of accept the facts. You and Syaoran are different! But, sometimes different is good!"
" How?"
" Well, it means that you can surprise one another!"
" Hmph. Him, surprise me? He's already surprised me enough!"
" Sakura, is it possible you're purposely looking for quirks in him?"
" Quirks?"
" Problems...you know, picking out all his faults."
" That's so stupid! Why would I do that?"
" Is it possible you really don't want to be paired up with him?"
" Tomoyo! What are you saying? Are you asking me to break up the link and stick with Marc?"
" No! I'm just saying, that are you deep down wishing that someone else was your partner?"
" No! No, that's not it at all."
" Are you scared?"
"..."
" You're scared of losing him, aren't you?"
"..."
" Sakura, is it because of what happened to the station?"
"..."
" Sakura, you're afraid to get to attached to him aren't you?"
"..."
" Answer me, please."

Suddenly, Syaoran and Eriol entered into the mess hall. Sakura startled, fled the room, a lump forming in her throat. Syaoran motioned helplessly.

" You see! I can't even go up to her."
" No, Syaoran, it's not your fault. I upset her a little." Tomoyo confessed.
" What happened?"
" Syaoran, it's not your fault. She's afraid."
" Of what?"
" Of losing you."
" What do you mean? I'd think she'd be happy to get rid of me, the way she avoids me."
" Syaoran, she's suffered a lot of loss lately. Her mother when she was born, her father when she was small, and now her brother."
"..."
" She's afraid. She doesn't want to get attached, because all the ones she's cared about are dead."
" But, what does this have to do with me?"
" She's afraid you'll die. She's afraid you'll leave and she'll be alone again. Her life's been nothing, but suffering, Syaoran." Tomoyo said.
" It's all she understands." Eriol put in softly.

Syaoran turned away. He knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about. Memories of his father's funeral returned. He swallowed tears.

" But, what can I do? She won't listen to me. I'll talk to her later."
" Syaoran, you have to do it now. I may not be empathic towards you or her, but there's something I can sense. And that's that something is going to happen very soon. And if you don't make a decision now, you will regret it forever."
" What do you mean?"
" I can't see specifically, but something is going to test you. Both of you. And if you don't close the gap between you two now, it is going to be disasterous."

Syaoran pondered this over in his head a while. He turned, and a new glitter twinkled in his eye.

" I'm going to go find her!"
" That's the olde Syaoran! Go get her!"

Syaoran raced down the decks. With her mental barrier down, it wasn't hard to locate her. He found himself going further into the bowels of the ship. Suddenly, he found himself in pitch black. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, but he continued. Suddenly, he felt her mental colors overwhelm him, and he knew he was right on top of her.

" Sakura?"
" Go away!"
" Sakura?"
" I said 'Go away'!" Sakura got up and prepared to yell some more, only to see that it was Syaoran. " Oh. It's you?"
" Yeah, so?"
" I thought it was Marc. He wouldn't leave me alone a minute ago."
" Well, its not." Syaoran took a step towards her." Mind if I sit down?"

For a horrid second, Syaoran thought she would say no, but she just nodded her head, and crouched back down. As Syaoran's eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he realized that they were in the cargo bay area.

" Sakura, I know we kind of started out on the wrong foot. So I was wondering..."
" Can we start over?" Syaoran stared at her. She was looking a little embarassed.
" So...you...were..."
" Thinking the same thing you are? Yeah." Sakura nodded.
" Wow. This mental thing does the strangest thing." Syaoran laughed nervously.
" Yeah."

Silence. Uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, broken.

" Class! Please report to the main bridge immediately."

******

" Hey, Mr. Terada. What's going on?" Marc commented.
" Seeing as that the ship seems to be in working condition, I think its time to give you some more magic lessons."

Everyone began to murmur. It had been such a while since they'd used their magic.

" Now, here is something that will help you on your journey."

Mr. Terada opened up his fists, which were balled up, and everyone leaned in for a closer look. In his palms lay 8 small rings no bigger than their pinky, each with a colorless jewel smooth and round. They were very simple, no carvings, no inscriptions.

" What kind of hoax is this? These rings all look the same!"
" Meilin, these rings are more than a fashion statement. They are the key to controlling your magics...and to permanently fix your link as long as you wear them."

Everyone turned at this last comment. Permanent link? Everyone rushed forward and grabbed one of the rings.

" Teach. Supposing we lose them? How do we tell them apart?"
" Once you wear a ring, it is yours permanently. If you drop it, no one else can wear it except you."

Sakura stared down at the tiny ring on her finger. It looked odd on her pinky.

[ I wish my ring was bigger.]

Suddenly, her ring seemed to grow on her pinky, making her gasp in surprise.

[ What?] Syaoran sent.
[ It grew.]
[ What?]
[ I wished it would grow, and it grew.]
[ What?!]
[ The ring.]

Syaoran looked down and noticed that the ring now fit perfectly around her ring finger. He stared down at his. Suddenly, it to grew, increasing slightly, just big enough to fit around his fourth finger.

" Good! Looks like Sakura and Syaoran have figured their rings out slightly. Now, to get them turned on."
" Turned on?"
" Oh yes. These rings are not only a key, they are a gauge. They will change as you become more experienced with your magic, and depending on how they change, you'll know what level of experience your at, not to mention what magics you major in."
" Hmm."
" So, to begin, we first need them to register your magic type. So, on the count of three, I want you to conjure up your animal."
" All right."

Once again, the room was a myriad of furry folk: four birds and two cats.

" Good, looks like Eriol and Tomoyo have things in order. Marc, looks like your animal's finally beginning to behave itself. Syaoran, congratulations! Your's seems to have finished its transformation process."

Syaoran watched smugly as the orange, now cat, walked up experimentally to the white. At first, Sakura's hissed, but after a few puzzled sniffs, the animals settled down.

" Now, if you are to look at your rings..."
" Look! They're changing color!"

And it was true. Slowly, the gems on their rings were swirling from the opaque white to the colors that represented their magic. When they finished, there were now two onyx rings, one amythest, one sapphire, one bright topaz, and one pearl. Each wearer admired their rings, watching what looked like a small wind blown ocean inside, swirling the color lighter, now darker.

" Your rings should be in constant activity...but..." Mr. Terada's voice went grave," I must warn you."
" What?"
" If your partner should ever...suffer a misfortune, and not survive...your rings will lose their color. They will die."
" What? How?!"
" These rings, as you, are linked to your partner's. They work with one another to produce the amount of power necessary to control your magic. Should your partner ever die, your ring will lose its hold, and blank out, never again can you use it."
" What if your link breaks?"
" Your link cannot break. Once you've placed these rings you are forever connected until death. But don't get any ideas. It's not like marriage, where if your partner dies, you can just join with another. I wasn't joking when I said that only one in a million are ever linked. This partner, is the only one you'll have. If he/she dies, you will never be able to partner again. Part of you will be lost...the effects, would be disasterous. You're magic codes only to one, and that one alone. No other can take their place. Never."

Sakura shivered. She tried to imagine the feeling of being alone again, one mind, one soul. It scared her. Syaoran's hair stood on end, a chill ran up his spine. Mr. Terada suddenly became brisk again.

" But we needn't worry about those things. First, let's have our first official lesson of MAGIC. To start, I want each of you to tell me your magic. Come on, you know it already."
" Psychic."
" Psychic."
" Dark Arts."
" Dark Arts."
" Fire. Transmorphing."
" Water. Transmorphing."

" Good!"
" Mr. Terada?"
" Yes?"
" You have two extra rings in your hand. There are six of us here, you had eight...who are the other two?"
" Like I said. They are the reason we left the station. I honestly can not tell you what they're like, because the news of their arrival is new to me too. So don't waste time worrying over that, and let's continue. All right, since you know their names, can you describe them?"
" ..."
" As I thought."
" Tell us."
" That's what I'm starting, Tomoyo. All right, who wants to go first?"
" Me."
" All right, Marc. Since you and Meilin have the same magic, This'll be easy."

" The Dark Arts is a very powerful form of black magic. It is much similar to the psychic ability, but can include a small amount of Transmorphing Magic as well. The Dark Arts were once banned from being teached, because if the user was weak of mind, they were consumed by the intensity of its control. But, I believe that the Dark Arts is a good test of a person's will power and mental strength. To control this is a great feat, and one that may come in handy over time. The Dark Arts is mainly an Illusionary magic, in that it mainly consists of conjuring images to fool the enemy. A defensive approach.
Psychic Magic. This draws mainly from the strength of the brain. It usually appears in those strong of soul, and requires emotional stability. Psychic Magic was once very popular, as it was the best to defeat Dark Magic, but now its toned down a little. Psychic magic is powerful, but it usually means the person has little physical abilities as well. The Psychic Magic isn't an illusionary magic, because it requires little to no conjuring to use. It is classified as Kinesis magic, but this title is pretty informal as the magic itself covers many categories.
Fire and Water are contrasting elemental magics. They're pretty self explanatory, so I needn't much to explain. Transmorphing magic is also different. It is an illusionary magic, and requires much concentration. There is no time limit to how long you can remain changed, but there are some mental problems. If you stay in one morph too long, you can mentally get stuck - your brain sort of gets used to the morph, and alters to think like the morph . Also, if you stay in a morph too long, it becomes exceedingly painful for the caster to undo the spell. Some have been known to die before they've completed their change.
And last. Sakura's healing magic is special. It's in a category all its own. Healing magic is pretty mysterious, there is little known about, it except that it ..well...heals. Healing magic is individualized, and can differ from person to person."

" Whoo, that's a lot of information, Mr. Terada."
" I know Tomoyo, but its only the bare necessities. As you go, I'll teach you more. For now, that's all you need to know about your magic, orally anyway. Now, let's get into the hands-on stuff."

Mr. Terada scratched his head.

" Now, what did I have next on the agenda? Ah, yes. An art lesson."
" Arts and crafts?" Marc hissed in disdain," What is so great about that? That's baby stuff! What about fighting?"
" Arts and crafts..." Mr. Terada turned sternly, " Can help you a lot. Besides, you understand later why I don't want you fighting here. Now, I want each of you to concentrate your imaginations. Now with your magic, make an original piece of artwork. Permanent or temporary. Begin, now."

Sakura looked at her open palms, unsure how to start. Suddenly, it began to come to her. Without much thought, Sakura formed a small bit of ice in her hand, and began trying to shape what came to her mind.
Syaoran concentrated hard, then in his fury growled and formed a ball of fire, ready to chuck it at the floor. Suddenly, his eyes seemed hypnotized by it. He could almost....with surprising speed he used his mind and began to manipulate the dancing light in his palm, amusement and wonder crossing his face as its shape twisted and whirled around and around.
Tomoyo was having fun, making odd rings with her magic, but it wasn't inspiration. Her eyes were hard upon the little shapeless blob, but nothing seemed to come to her. Why?
Eriol was having the same problem. What was he to do? He tried and tried, but nothing seemed to come to him. Not wishing to fail the assignment, he began fooling around with psychics, making gravity defying pyramids of strange shapes and colors.
Marc was angry. Syaoran was obviously just in the partnership because he had to, and the worse was that Sakura accepted it. What could she see in a slob like Syaoran, that was missing in good looking him? In his fury, a thought came to mind, and he wickedly began to stretch and skew some black magic into something that would get his A and pay Syaoran back at the same time.
Meilin felt dumb. All she had so far, was two blobs connected into a sort of snowman. What a dumb assignment.

Mr. Terada smiled knowingly. So the prophecy would be confirmed soon. And when that happened, the day of Reckoning would begin. He grinned to himself. Purging of the dirt would soon take place. He turned to look at the now partially completed projects. Meilin was staring off into space, and her project looked like two blobs. Well, cross her off. She wasn't the one. Marc was making an ingenious little magic...something...he was blocking it from view. Very good, but not quite. Ah, Tomoyo was creating a series of complex loops, being connected by a line...interesting, she was promising...Eriol was also on the verge, his project was a pyramid of shapes that normally would no balance as they did, had they been in normal gravity. Bravo! Well, look at this. Mr. Terada felt he'd needed a second glance. Syaoran had created a small replica sculpture, he was still "carving" the finishing touches. It was a girl, dancing about gracefully on air. Very interesting. Could he be the one spoken of?
Mr. Terada stopped at Sakura's art work. She was craned over a small palm sized object, clear as glass. Mr. Terada raised an eyebrow.

" It's a key, Mr. Terada." She said without looking up.
" A key?!"

Bringer of Wrath, bearing the sign of Cosoli
Shaped like music coming from this of ivory.
Guardian comes next with physical joy.
Protects against Evil with Burning Love.
But, bearing a weakness hidden away.
The Bringer must die, for one life to stay.
" Mr. Terada, are you all right?"
" Huh? Yes...Would you let me see this....key?"
" Yeah. Here." She placed it in his palm." It's gonna melt in a minute though."
" I only need it for a second." He stared down. It was small, cold, and shaped like a piano key.
" Sakura...is this key for opening a door?"
" Yes...well, no actually I don't think any door would have a key like this..."
" It's an interesting design...looks almost like a key on the piano."
" It does, doesn't it?" Sakura studied her key with new interest as Mr. Terada handed it back to her.
" Syaoran, that's interesting. Very original. Dancing."
" Yeah. My mother loves to dance so I thought I'd make it."
" Very creative. Now, what is this Tomoyo...."

" Agh!" Mr. Terada turned to hear a squeal of indignation.

Syaoran shouted out as he watched a little black dragon snorting tiny flames at Sakura's art project. Marc grinned in satisfaction, as the little key melted away to a puddle. Suddenly, the dragon began to jerk, as though enduring a painful spasm. It fell to the floor, and Marc set upon it immediately.

" What's wrong with it?" Suddenly, the little beast got up, shaking its head, jeweled eyes sparkling again.

Marc was about to pick it up, except something was wrong. Instead of hopping into his hand obediently as he'd taught it to do, it grabbed his finger in its little teeth, and began to gnaw away.

" Oww! Hey!" Marc shook the pest off. Sakura unintentionally turned into her cat form, and began to laugh, rolling about the floor. Mistake.

" Hsssss...." The little dragon wasn't pleased. It swooped down on Sakura and began trying to flame at her. She squealed an ran towards Tomoyo, but the little dragon beat her there, and chased her back in the other direction. Syaoran's instincts began to whirl, and he changed into his form, cat, and watched as Sakura zoomed behind him. He growled menacingly at the small dragon, but when it tried to dodge around him, Syaoran plucked it out of the air, and pinned it down with his paws.

[ Sakura, are you okay?] Syaoran turned in concern.
[ F-fine.] She was shaking.
[ Ssh..] Syaoran swept a paw over Sakura's back, causing Tomoyo to gasp.

" Syaoran, you shouldn't touch her! She's made of ice!"