You like this! You really like this!
I've got 30 reviews! I hadn't expected more than 10, then I got 15, then 20, now 30!
*Floats on cloud 9 for a while*
I do have an ending, and maybe even a sequel, so don't worry, it will be finished.
I'm going to apologize for my cliffhanger endings for the chapters. Once again, this is due to time constraints, not laziness.
I've gotten a third review from Ankle and GlaiveGirl! This chapter is dedicated to you two! (You guy's really do know how to inflate a girl's ego!)
Things will be moving a bit faster now, I think….
Same disclaimers as before…and before…and before…….
Please R&R!!!
Peace, Love and Anarchy!
~The Elemental
Walk Through the Fire
Chapter Nine:
Cost of Life.
Hotaru groaned and rubbed her very sore ankle. With all the healing she had done over the past two days, her old injuries were placed on the 'back burner' of sorts, and now, walking on a still sprained ankle, she wished she could transform. But you can't, so stop thinking about it. You can't transform with Duo and Shanra around, and you don't even know if you can transform to begin with. Besides, you just feel bad about Duo carrying all the weight. Hotaru hated to admit it, but part of her wish to transform was guilt. As Saturn her injuries world heal faster, but she's also gain the strength Hotaru never had. As Hotaru, she couldn't help Duo with Shanra.
The girl's injuries had been extensive. They had learned that Shanra had been captured by goblins, a race that dwelt mainly in mountain caves. They had manacled her, and when she refused to lead them to her camp (which she explained to the two was actually a permanent summer home for a centaur community) beat her to an inch of her life. She'd managed to escape and remove the manacles, but had collapsed in the cave, where they had found her. But no matter how much healing Hotaru had done, Shanra's bones were still very weak; her right foreleg had been broken in three places, her right hindleg in two; Though healed, they still couldn't support her weight.
Uncertain as to what they could do, they had resigned themselves to waiting in the cave until she could walk when Duo suggested a litter. Hotaru had pointed out that, unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to support the weight, when Duo sketched out a plan in the dirt of the cave floor.
They'd woven branches together, then bound them to two large chutes of what Duo called purple bamboo (and Hotaru was inclined to agree with him), and Shanra called 'Takla'.
It was large enough for Shanra to kneel comfortably on, and Duo could drag it easily down the wide path that wound through the forest.
Though both Shanra and Hotaru had protested the plan at first, Duo proved both his ability to pull the centaur's weight, and his unbelievable stubbornness. He would not take no for an answer. Giving up, the girls allowed him to carry out the plan, expecting him to tire quickly, but they had been walking for over two hours, and Duo was still going strong, chatting about everything every step of the way.
Hotaru didn't mind. Between the three of them, they shared as much information on their worlds as they felt comfortable with. Hotaru and Duo learned that they both came from a planet called "Earth", (which Shanra had never heard of, but she told them she didn't know a lot of worlds), and though their planet seemed alike in the physical sense, and both were populated by humans, the similarities ended there.
Hotaru's Earth had just celebrated the year 2001. Their main threat came from monsters Hotaru called Yoma. She mentioned a group named the "Sailor Senshi" who battled the evil, but Duo had never heard of any of it.
They had stopped using the A.D. timeline almost a hundred years ago. It was AC 197 on his Earth, and colonies had moved to the skies, taking humans, and war, with them. There had been many wars, but the latest had all involved robots that were piloted by humans, called 'mobile suits'. The war had been ended by five pilots who risked their lives to show humankind the horror of war, and had succeeded, to an extent. Duo mentioned a smaller war that lasted for three days, a year after the war had ended. Neither had heard of the other's Earth, and though Shanra had suggested that they might have come from the same Earth but different times, both Hotaru and Duo couldn't believe it. There were too many differences to account for, even in a hundred and fifty year's worth of development.
Stopping for lunch break, Shanra explained what she called 'eleven years of life in three hours', basically, everything she knew about Orian, or more specifically:
"Everything that has been pounded into my head by my mother and teachers since I was born. Most of it's really important, and since you two are so clueless about Orain, I figure I'd better fill you in."
Shanra then proceeded to explain the 'thirteen rules of thumb' in Orian, as she called them.
"Be polite to everything and everyone, especially dragons, though you probably won't meet any. A dragon might eat you if you're polite, but he will eat you if you're rude."
"Dragons? You're kidding, right? It's a joke…" Duo forced a laughed.
She didn't have to answer him, the look in her eyes told him enough.
"Dragons….Oh God…"
"Don't take anything that isn't yours, don't enter another's home without permission, if given food, don't start eating until your host does, of until they instruct you to do so. Don't promise to do anything before knowing what the task is, choose your words carefully, don't give your word lightly, don't give out your true name to strangers. Be respectful of others traditions, never refuse a boon, never refuse another's invitation for a communal event, never dance with fairies and always shake out your boots in the morning."
Duo sat perched on a large stone across form Hotaru and Shanra, gaping openly. Hotaru was also surprised, but managed to conceal it, mostly.
"Some of that I understand….But 'True Name?' And why shake out your boots?…" Duo shook his head. This place was just too weird.
"Sprites like nooks and crannies, especially boots and shoes. They'll often spend the night in a shoe, and if the owner doesn't shake them out, he's in for a nasty surprise."
"And the names?" Somehow, Hotaru knew this was important.
"In order to hold power over anything in magic, you need to know only three things, it's true form, it's true nature, and it's true name. If you wanted to light some tinder, for example, you'd need to know it's true form, what it was before you shredded it, be it moss or bark; it's true nature, which is of growth and life- a plant; and it's true name, in this case, 'tinder'."
"You can do magic?" Duo looked incredulous.
"No, no. Centaurs are magic, we cannot create it. That's left to others."
"You gave us your true name, did you not? Why?" The centaur shrugged.
"Because you swore not to harm me. Because you told me your name, and because I wasn't thinking too clearly at the time."
Hotaru and Duo laughed.
She doesn't have my 'true' name, I guess…I don't remember it. I've been Duo for so long now…
'True Name'…No. I'm Tomoe Hotaru only in this life, my true name is hidden still, even to me…
But they don't need to know that.
But they don't need to know that.
"What about the dancing with fairies? What's dangerous about that?" Duo passed the water-bag to Hotaru who gratefully wiped the mouthpiece on her wrist and drank, passing it to Shanra who copied the movements. Duo passed out a piece of 'Guncha', the large raspberry-looking fruit to Shanra and Hotaru, before biting into his own piece.
"Fairies are magical creatures, time has no hold on them. It's said that if you join a fairy ring you'll dance away a century in a second. I don't know how true it is, but I don't wish to find out. We'd best continue when we finish eating."
"How far is it to your tribe's camp?" Hotaru washed sticky fingers in a small stream that wound itself adjacent to their trail.
"It's about two hour's trot…Sorry, about four hours from here. I'm sorry I can't walk…I'm such a burden like this."
"Don't worry about it. It's not a problem, besides, I could use the exercise. You just concentrate on getting better, and on giving us directions. From all these twists and turns, I'm lost already."
They all laughed, enjoying the moment.
"Well, I'm done. Hotaru?" Seeing her nod, Duo picked up the handles of Shanra's litter and headed towards the fork in the road. "Left or right, Shanra?"
"Left."
"Got it." Turning down the path, the strangest group that Orian had seen in a long time headed towards a centaur camp. A boy with the mantle of death, a girl with the duty of destruction, and a centaur who's innocence blinded her. A centaur travelling with two humans who, though as interwoven as death as a being could be, wished to cause no harm to the fragile balance of his world.
A very strange group indeed.
*****************(Stars! Pretty!) *****************
"We're coming close, see- those are trail markers. We'll be there in about five minutes, I think."
They had crossed several clearings, skirted a marsh and wound through a maze of trees, but were finally close to their destination.
"Through these trees?" Hotaru sounded hopeful. Her ankle ached and she wanted nothing more but to rest, and maybe get some warm food. Somehow, a good meal always made things seem better, that's why she enjoyed Makoto's company so much. No matter what had happened to her that day, her memories of Mistress nine re-surfacing in school, or a fight between Haruka and Michiru, she always knew that Makoto had an open ear and a batch of cookies, ready to cheer the girl up. Thinking about it now, she couldn't decide what cheered her up most, the cookies, or a friend she could confide in without worrying about them telling Haruka and Michiru, or telling her that things would work out if she just smiled more. As nice as Chibi-Usa was, she wasn't much of a source of advice.
*CRACK*
The sound of Shanra's litter skid breaking brought her out of her reverie.
"What? Damnit, It's shot." Duo examined it. "I can't drag it like this…"
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Hey! It's not your fault, don't blame yourself." Duo flashed a manic grin. "We just need to find a way to get you a little farther, that's all…"
"Shanra, if I helped you, do you think you could walk?" Hotaru offered her hand to the girl and smiled.
"I don't know…I could try."
"Then let's do so. Come on, you're almost home…"
A few minutes later, Duo pushed his way through the final wall of trees that surrounded the camp, Hotaru helping Shanra walk behind him.
"Well Shanra, we're here."
"Yes. My mother will be in the cabin with the red door and the gold rune on it, there." She pointed to a small cabin close to the edge of the forest across form the three. They stepped completely out of the forest and headed towards the cabin, fully aware of the many, many centaurs emerging from similar cabins and huts, all carrying bows or swords, pointing and speaking quietly amongst themselves. None made any move towards the group, arrows were kept pointed at the dirt ground, but their message seemed very clear.
Halfway towards their destination, a single centaur approached them, empty-handed. Face hard, his voice seemed to be brimming with contempt and hatred.
"You are not welcome here, humans." He practically spit the word out. "Leave our child here and go, we have no need for your kind, always polluting, always-"
Quick to anger, Duo realized he had two options. One he could do what he always did when confronted with someone like this, mainly, punch them. But one look at the weaponry around him and he quickly switched to option two, which was more fun and always got a better reaction anyway. Ignoring the centaur in front of him, Duo brushed past, leaving one very pissed, sputtering centaur in his wake. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled and asked:
"Red door, gold thingie on it, right?"
"That's the one." Shanra was smiling brilliantly; even Hotaru had the beginnings of a grin. Listening to the centaur behind her, she heard another approach and pull the first away, saying something about the 'price of life'. Frowning, she stopped in front of the red door, still supporting Shanra. Duo knocked, and a few moments later a female centaur opened the door. She stood with her eyes open wide for a moment, then rushed forward to sweep Shanra into her arms.
"Mother…"
"Shanra! We'd likened you for dead! How did you? Are you all right? What happened to your forehead? What—"
Hotaru pulled Duo out of the hallway and outside. Sitting on top of a woodpile, she motioned for Duo to join her. "Let's give them some privacy. As far as I can guess, she's been gone for about three weeks."
"Wow…Man, I hope they're alright."
"Who?"
"My friends. I got sucked into that portal thingie right before the satellite exploded, I just hope they got out in time."
"I see."
"What about your friends? Will they be aright?"
"I don't know. I believe so. I took that monster with me through the portal. Unless something else shows up, but the others are there. I'm sure they'll be fine."
"Man, what a world you live in. Monsters attacking you all the time, 'Sailor Senshi'. It's got to be pretty hectic."
"Yes, but we always pull through."
"I bet. Men I'm thirsty, and our water-skin's almost dry. I'm going to the well in the center to fill it up and grab a drink."
"I'll come too. These centaurs are really acting strange."
"Like they're waiting for something. Weird." Standing up, Duo headed towards the well, Hotaru close behind.
"Do you think this 'Grandmother Silverarc' will be able to help us?"
"I don't know. But she's our best bet at the moment. Unless you've got any other ideas?"
"None whatsoever. You?"
"Not a clue."
"Well then, I guess we'll just have to wait. Hey look, Shanra and her mom's coming out!"
The two centaurs joined the pair at the well. Shanra's mother stepped forward and held her hand out to Duo.
"I'm Dyan, Shanra's mother. I thank you for my daughter's life." Duo chuckled as he shook her hand.
"Duo Maxwell. And I didn't really save her. You better talk to Hotaru 'bout that. She healed Shanra when we found her."
Dyan nodded once and extended her hand towards Hotaru, who grasped it. Something about all this wasn't right. She didn't like the way Dyan was phrasing her sentences…Something about them reminded her of an incident on Saturn, so very long ago…She also didn't like the large circle of centaurs that had surrounded them.
"Silverarc Dyan. You have returned my daughter. I thank you."
"Tomoe Hotaru. It was nothing, we could not leave her dying in a cave as we found her."
Dyan nodded again and reached behind her, pulling out a small silver sword from the scabbard hidden on her back. An arm's length, it shone in the sunlight. She swung it up in the air in an arc, then placed it in Hotaru's hands.
"You have returned my child to me and my people. By the code of Orian I give you my life in return."
Shanra gasped and made to move in front of her mother when two centaurs grabbed her by the arms. Struggling against them, she tried to call out to Hotaru, but a heavy slap against her face quieted her, leaving tears streaming heavy against her cheeks.
"It is the cost of life. You should know this child." The first centaur whispered to Shanra, loud enough for Duo to hear. The second centaur placed his other hand over her shoulder, still restraining, but comforting at the same time.
Duo gapped, and began to sputter something when Hotaru sent him a single look, a glare that shut him up immediately. Her face was cold, hard. The light had left her eyes completely, there wasn't a drop of emotion on her face.
"Dyan of the Silcerarc tribe. Am I to understand that you offer your life for that of your daughter?"
Duo shuddered. How could a person's voice be so cold? There was no emotion, nothing. He hated to admit it, but at that moment, Hotaru scared him.
Hotaru shuddered inside her own mind. How? Why is this happening?! Let me out! I swore I wouldn't hurt anyone! I gave my word! She still couldn't understand exactly what had happened…When Dyan had placed the sword in her hands, her mental blocks had collapsed. Her memories of Saturn and Mistress Nine flooded her mind. She was about to drop the sword when she felt her hands tighten around the hilt instead. From the very back of her mind, she could hear Saturn speaking softly… I'll handle this little one…Don't worry, I have dealt with this before…And Hotaru promptly found herself smashed to the back of her mind, no longer in control of herself. And terrified of what this cold, heartless version of herself would do.
"I offer my life, Lady."
I'm no lady, just Hotaru…I can't kill her! She's her mother for God's sake! Saturn! Don't Hurt Her!!! Her mind screamed, to no avail. All she received was a cold, low chuckle and the instructions: Don't worry, little one. It will be fine.
"Do you understand what you offer? I find that hard to believe. Do you grasp the consequences?"
"Yes, Lady." The centaur's head finally bowed in submission. She had kept eye contact all this time, but no one could hold against eyes that cold and lifeless. "You have returned the life of my child to us. By the cost of life, I give my life to you in payment. You will kill me for a portal to cross into a world with greater magic and power. Such is the way of things." Her voice lowered, so that only Hotaru could hear. "Please. Strike fast and true."
Hotaru wanted to curl up and die. How could someone be so calm about death? You are every day, little one. You are death, and destruction, but also rebirth. This is their way of life. They cannot be condemned for their traditions. You still have much to learn, child.
"Very well. Dyana of the Silverarc tribe, I accept your life." Hotaru raised the sword and swung it down in one fast arc—
"Hotaru!"
Saturn NO!!!
"Mother!!!"
—and swung it right over Dyana's head. Letting the momentum of her swing carry her, she spun to face Shanra and in three steps crossed the distance between them. Placing the sword in Shanra's hands, she smiled. "And I give that life to your daughter, Shanra Silverarc."
Dyana straightened, looking up. She saw the sword in Shanra's hands, and Hotaru's smile… "Blessed Spirits…What just happened?"
Saturn retreated to Hotaru's mind once again, leaving Hotaru weak-kneed and struggling with far too many memories and emotions. Still, she managed to keep up her smile.
"I don't want your life. Neither of us does. We are lost and looking for a way home, not searching for power or magic. I'm sorry, I have to sit down. Duo, explain it to them?"
Hotaru felt like she was going to faint, not exactly the greatest thing to do at the moment. She brushed through the circle of centaurs and made her way towards a tree at the edge of the camp. Sitting down among its roots, she placed her head between her knees and fought for consciousness. She hadn't noticed the figure following her until his shadow fell over her.
"Hey Duo. I thought you were going to find out about Grandmother Silverarc?
"How'd you know it was me? And I will, after I find out if you're all right. That was one hell of a freaky piece of acting. It was like you weren't even yourself. As though someone else had taken control of you. Weird huh?"
He is smart, little one. You should be careful of how you speak.
"I'll be fine. It's just memories. Sometimes…"
"They're just too much. I understand. Well, you sure have left them dazed and confused. I'm going to try to use that to our advantage. Got to tell you thought, you had everyone fooled. It looked like you were really going to kill Dyan there. Well, feel better ok? I have a feeling I'm going to need your help when finding out about this Grandmother." Duo left leaving Hotaru with the very strange feeling of talking to herself.
You're not talking to yourself. You're talking to me. There is a difference.
I guess…This was weird. She'd never been able to talk to Saturn before. She was Saturn. Wasn't she?
Not completely. You can talk to me now because you've finally let down those silly mental blocks of yours. Little one, you are never going to learn that way. That was the whole point of regaining your memories.
But I don't want to remember. There are too many horrible pasts…Too much death…
Saturn laughed. Child, you ARE death. Like it or not. But death is the most necessary of that which is needed for survival. You must embrace your true self. The death and the rebirth, or we will always be separate, and that will kill you one day.
There was a pause. When Hotaru said nothing, Saturn continued.
You know, he was right.
What?
I was going to kill her. Saturn sighed, an ethereal sound.
What? How could you! I—
No! Not this one, child. But another. This is why you should be aware of your memories, they can teach you much…Watch. Somehow, Saturn pushed Hotaru deeper into her own mind, further and further until they came upon a single memory amidst a sea of thousands. Concentrating, and with a small mental shove from Saturn, Hotaru fell into the memory…
***
"Saturn-Hime, there is one who wishes to see you. An ambassador from Earth."
"Another? I had hoped my reaction to the last would have told them enough about Saturn… Very well, I will meet with him in the Great Hall in one hour."
"Of course, Princess. It is a girl."
"What?"
"The ambassador is female, perhaps seventeen or eighteen Earth years old."
"Strange, for them to send a child…"
"Do not forget, Princess, that the people of Earth base age on appearance. To them, you are but a child."
"Foolish of them. Very well, I will meet with her. One hour."
"Of course Princess." Jadara bowed and left the room, scurrying to take the visitor to the Great Hall.
Looking into a random mirror, Saturn idly touched the small tiara in her hair. "If I'm to meet an ambassador, I suppose I must dress for the occasion." Chuckling slightly, the Princess of Saturn headed for her chambers.
Decked out in resplendent royal purple silk, Saturn fingered her dress, smoothing out any creases she found. Setting her crown of Amethyst and Fluorite firmly on her head, she checked her reflection once more in the polished bronze mirror before her. "Shall we meet another ambassador again? Let us listen to her lies before we judge her guilty? Humph. I wish I could see what Serenity-Hime saw in that human knight of hers." Opening the door that lead onto her podium in the Great Hall, Saturn entered and sat down on her throne. Summoning her Glaive, the standard of all of Saturn's rulers, she motioned to the footmen at either side of the main entrance, who opened the doors and announced the Ambassador.
She was definitely young, by her standards, and Saturn agreed with Jadara's previous assessment of the girl's age. She wore a simple tunic and leggings, a strange sight as few girls wore anything but the many-layered skirts that were high in fashion. And were extremely awkward. Saturn's opinion of the girl rose a small notch. Anyone who dressed for function rather than to impress was worth a second glance.
The girl approached the podium and dropped low, not moving until Saturn commanded the girl to rise.
"What do you want?" Saturn was intrigued by this girl; she was the first ambassador to not begin the meeting spouting praises of 'the beautiful and ever wise goddess of Saturn. Frankly, Saturn was sick and tired of being called the goddess of anything. The least these Earthlings could do was get her title right.
"I seek a boon, your highness."
Now this was interesting. An Earthling ambassador who got to the point without any obsequies. Saturn nodded.
"Really. Please, tell me what you seek. Immortality? Perhaps a cure for death so you will never grow old…No, I believe you are smarter than that, to come to my door asking for the unforgivable. Tell me, Earthling. What do you seek that I would possibly give you?"
The girl bowed her head again, but raised after a moment, eyes bright.
"My name is Kiren Wrightswift."
Saturn's eyes narrowed. Wrightswift? Now I understand…
"My brother is being held in one of your prisons for crimes against your highness."
"And you have come to beg for his life? Hrumph. I had assumed you were smarter than that. Do you know what he did to find himself in such a position? He—"
"He attacked your highness in a fit of rage. I do not know the specifics, but I believe it was his misplaced belief that you controlled life and death in this system that drove him to do so."
Slightly annoyed at being interrupted, Saturn continued. "And you want me to pardon him? After he attacked me?"
"No highness."
"No?" Now this was new. What did she want, anyway?
"I was adopted, highness, by a loving couple when I was very young. They had an older son who was, unfortunately, very unstable. They raised me like I was their own, and I can never repay them for doing so. The mother, however, has fallen ill." Saturn groaned inwardly as she waited for the girl to beg her for her mother's life. She had one of these visitors every month, like clockwork. It was becoming monotonous.
"The doctors believe they can replace her damaged organ with one of her child's. Because I was adopted, I cannot offer my own organs. It must be a blood child, and she has only one."
Saturn was beginning to understand now. She didn't want her to save her mother, at least not directly. Still…
"I have come to ask the Ruler of Saturn to release my brother, that my mother might live, and to take me in his steed."
"What?!" She had not just said that, did she?
"I offer my life for that of my brother's. I have read in the Book of the Planets that there is a 'Cost of Life'. A system of equaling out such cases. I ask that you allow me to take my brother's place."
She's actually done research on this! How? No one has used the Cost of Life in a millennia! But then, there have been few prisoners and fewer people seeking to release them. Kiren had fallen prostate on the floor. Shaking her head, Saturn stood.
"Get up. I mean it, get up. Am I to understand that you are offering your life for that of your brother's?"
"Yes Princess."
"Do you understand what that implies?"
"By the rules of the Cost of Life, all of his charges and convictions fall to me. He has been sentenced to death for treason against the Sovereign of Saturn. I would take his place."
"And die."
"And die." The girl lowered her head once again, but thankfully, to Saturn's approval, stayed upright.
"Tell me child. Why are you so eager to die? You are young still. Why are you seeking death?"
"I'm not seeking death. I'm seeking the life of my mother. If I find my death as a result, I accept that. Death is never an end. It is necessary for life to begin. Such is the way of the worlds."
Saturn smiled. There were few who saw Death as she did, as more of a beginning than an end. Her face hardened. If this was what she wanted, so be it.
"I accept your life for that of your brother's. Do you wish to say good-bye to him?"
"No, I have already seen to that."
"Very well." Saturn motioned to a page. "See to it that Zeth Wrightswift is removed form the prisons and sent home." The page scurried off. "Now, as for you, child…"
Kiren approached the dais and kneeled, removing the cloak that was wrapped around her neck. Raising her Glaive into the air, Saturn began the rite of passage necessary for the Cost of Life.
"I, Gaurdian of Saturn, Sovereign of Silence, Goddess of Destruction, Sailor Saturn, Call upon the very core of my planet to witness this. Kiren Wrightswift this day, gives her life that another may live, as bound by the Cost of Life." Somehow, in this closed room, a harsh wind had picked up, blowing around the two figures. "Do you, Kiren Wrightswift, accept the Cost of Life and all it embodies?"
Calling over the wind, yet never raising her head, she answered: "I accept."
"Then let this very planet bear witness!" Saturn brought the Glaive down, swing to meet the girl's neck.
And stopped.
The winds died down almost immediately. Kiren looked up, face filled with confusion.
"But…He was sentenced to die…I should be…"
"Dead? You gave me your life child. I choose what to do with it. There is a need for people such as yourself. Smart, practical, resilient, determined. I have no need for your death, but could find uses for your life."
"But what? How?" Kiren shook her head slightly, careful as the Glaive still rested against her neck.
"You are the best ambassador to come to Saturn in a very long time. You should seek out a position as Earth's ambassador permanently. Now go. Return to the mother you were ready to die for. She must be a very wonderful woman indeed." Saturn raised her Glaive and sent it back to its nether-space, where it waited for her summons again.
"Go home little one. You have earned yourself that." Smiling, Kiren rose and backed up a few steps before turning and leaving the Great Hall. Turning at the main doors, she smiled, her face light with happiness.
"Thank you!" She left before Saturn could reply.
Settling back down in her throne, Saturn sighed. What a day…
*****
What was that? Hotaru asked even though she was certain of the answer.
The past, child. Your past. It is here for you to learn form, not ignore. Remember that.
But…
No 'buts'. Now go child. Seek out your dark friend and find this 'grandmother' who may help. Be careful though. You must use caution.
Why? About what?
You have not won over all the centaurs. There, that one. A single centaur's aura blazed in Hotaru's vision for a moment. It was the one who had stopped them when they had first came. He will test you little one. Be wary. The others will follow his lead.
All right. If you say so. Standing, Hotaru headed off towards Duo and Shanra, who were recounting their last three days together in front of a circle of centaurs.
I hope this 'grandmother' can help us. She's really our only option at the moment. Approaching the group, she neared just in time to hear Dyan insisting hat Duo and Hotaru stay the night.
"No you must! It's far too dangerous to spend the night in the forest unarmed!"
"I really don't know. I'd have to check with 'Taru, and I—"
"Of course we'll stay."
"We will? Oh, hey Hotaru! Feeling better? Good. Dyan and I were just discussing…Oh, I guess you know that already…" Hotaru smiled. It was impossible to feel down with Duo around.
"Good. Then it's settled." Dyan clapped her hands. "And of course you'll have dinner with us! You probably haven't had a half-decent meal since you got here."
Duo's stomach rumbled loudly as if to prove Dyan's point, but it was Hotaru who answered for them.
"We'd love to stay."
************************************************************************
Oh God. Another week, another chapter. I can't believe how long this one is! I had to force myself to stop! These are beginning to hurt, I'm so desperate to type them out, but with school and work, I haven't any TIME!!!! Eep! Oh well.
What do you think of Saturn? That whole back-story kind appeared to me in a second. Weird huh?
What do you think of Orian? It's based on the world of Diadem by John Peel, kinda…Ok I read two of the quartet about a year ago, and liked what I could remember….but I couldn't remember much. Basically the premise of magicians wanting portals to cross into stronger worlds is his, I just added the element of death to it…Oh, I took two character from it too. Shananra (who hasn't been mentioned yet and is dead anyway, so no biggie) and Rothar. (The centaur that stopped them.) That's all folks!
Okies, shameless self plug #1 Check out my Twisted Anime Christmas Carols! Just what you need this holiday season. Updated! The twelve days of Christmas as what would really happen if I got what I wanted for Christmas…Ack!
And shameless self plug #2 Please read Perfect Soldier and Others. It's narritave poetry on the GW guys, Shounen-ai, 1+2, 3+4. I'm really proud of them especially the way Duo and Heero's mirror each other.
Ok, well that's all for me folks, until next week!
I am the Breeze of Wisdom, I am the Wind of Insanity
~The Elemental