Tenkuu no Ryuugekitai - Anata no Atama no Naka de
Gatti walked down the hallway, the new Dragon Slayer a few steps behind him. The boy was so unearthly silent, Gatti had to rely on the second pair of distinctive clicks from the other's dark blue boots on the stone floor. Hardly a word had been shared between them as the ash-blond boy had knocked on the other's door.
'Excuse me. Master Dilandau would like to see you,' he had started in his usual droning voice used especially for summoning. At first, the large room had seemed empty; the only thing inhabiting it the was the clean sense of crisp sheets and bare tabletops, until Gatti's eyes saw the dark figure of a human in the dim light. He flicked a switch to his right, causing a cacophony of clicks from the small flints inside several glass globes. Sparks ignited into flame, and the room filled with light; a convenient invention of Lord Folken. 'Hello?'
He saw the hair before he saw the eyes; a shock of blood-fire flowing in two channels on either side of glowing, cat-like eyes that stared hauntingly into his own. They stared at each other for an eternity and a day until Gatti's sense of obeying his Master caused him to break their silence.
'Master Dilandau will see you now,' he said, his voice sounding like an invader in the room. The other stood, though eyed him warily, tilting his head and cocking a brow in such a way Gatti smiled. 'Come on, you don't want to be late. I'm Gatti, by the way. Shantain, isn't it?'
'Shanti,' The corner of his mouth turned up into a ghost of a smile. 'Nice to meet you,' he added afterwards, as if suddenly remembering a line in a rehearsed speech.
Gatti now slowed his pace so he could walk beside the other, whose head was bowed and whose eyes looked at the floor.
'Nervous?' he asked in a pleasant tone. Shanti blinked, lifting his head to look him in the eye.
'Perhaps,'
'Don't worry. Master Dilandau just wants to meet you,' Gatti gave a reassuring smile, which was returned by a blank look.
He doesn't talk much... They rounded a corner and stopped.
'Here we are. You ready?' At the boy's hesitant nod, Gatti opened the door and led him in. 'I've brought him, Master Dilandau,'
'Good. You, come here.' The voice was cold, commanding. Shanti breathed in and stepped forward to the foot of the marble throne, feeling several pairs of eyes scrutinizing him.
Dilandau stood up and walked over to the boy. He circled slowly as a cat circles a mouse before it attacks, studying the new face. The boy...Shanti his name, was fairly short; about 163 centimetres. His hair was a fiery red and parted down the middle, with long bangs in two large strands spiking out from either side of his forehead. Dilandau noticed the very back of his hair was crossed in the beginning of a braid, though the rest was concealed underneath the stiff collar. Besides the eye-catching hair, Dilandau's eye picked up the Slayer's lithe body, the black leather loose and hanging off his body. Shanti carried himself gracefully, yet with an air of brazen confidence, as if challenging the world to some inane madness.
'So...this is the replacement?' Dilandau muttered to himself, feeling the boy's eyes studying him as well. Vainly, he gave a rather self-concious flick of his long, wavy silver bangs. 'Your name?' The boy lifted his eyes, and their gazes met.
'Shantain Namuriel, sir,' His voice was pleasant to listen to; liquid and lilting, his tongue glancing the roof of his mouth to roll the 'R's. As he said his name, 'Shan-ten', Gatti realized he had mispronounced it.
'And what use are you to me, Shantain Namuriel?' Dilandau inquired, purring almost mockingly, holding his gaze in response to some unspoken challenge.
'I was specially trained, sir,' Shanti's voice was emotionlessly cold, yet the last inflection was final. Dilandau said nothing in reply, instead continuing to stare the other in the eye. The boy hadn't blinked yet, his dark gold and olive eyes peering into the red-clad commander's own eyes, as if he were looking deep into his soul. The other Dragon Slayers looked at each other nervously, becoming uneasy at the silence; even more so at the ghost-smile of the new boy. After what seemed like an eternity, Dilandau broke eye-contact with the other, his garnet eyes starting to water even as the other still regarded him. With a sneer, he returned to his throne.
'You may go.' Shanti hesitated, but he caught the cautious look in Gatti's eye.
'Yes, Master Dilandau.' He turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
*****
'I'm coming in!' Gatti announced as he entered Shanti's room to see him perched daintily upon the black sheets of his large bed.
'He doesn't think of me much,' the red-haired boy stated with quiet certainty. Gatti walked over and sat down on a chair opposite him.
'Hey, it was your first day,' he shrugged. 'That's never easy. I thought you did pretty well,' Shanti lifted his head at that, tilting it precariously to one side. 'Don't worry about what Master Dilandau thinks...I know that he likes you, even if you did beat him at a staring contest...' Gatti added, hoping his careful probing would allow him to read the boy.
'Do you think Dilandau will ever see me as more than just a replacement?' Shanti asked in a bemused fashion, choosing to ignore the last statement. Gatti shrugged again, his blue armour quietly clicking against the squeaking black leather of his uniform.
'Master Dilandau. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, why don't I show you around? I don't think you've met all of us Dragon Slayers,' he stood up, reaching out his hand to the other. 'Come on.' Shanti took his hand, and stood up as well; his face betraying faint curiousity, and together they left.
*****
Guimel, Dalet, and Shesta sat at a table, deep in discussion.
'Did you see how thin the new boy is?' Dalet smirked, twirling his gloved finger elegantly around a long coffee-coloured strand of hair. 'I hope Master Dilandau doesn't accidentally break him.' Shesta, a petite blond, gave him a disapproving look.
'That's not being very nice, Dalet. I think we should try and help Shanti fit in,' Dalet tossed his head, and a disparaging glance snaked its way the small boy's direction.
'Did you see how long his hair was?' Guimel asked suddenly, his indigo eyes bright. 'I bet it's past his shoulders.'
'And that colour!' sniffed Dalet. 'Who needs Invisibility Cloaks when we could just blind our enemies by sending him out!' He and Guimel laughed, while Shesta rolled his eyes.
'I just hope that he's as good as Migel was.' Guimel said suddenly, wishing afterwards he hadn't. The pained look in Shesta's eyes made him cringe. Of all of them, Shesta seemed to miss their fallen comrade the most. They had, after all, grown up together.
'Nobody will be as good as Migel was.' Dalet said, putting lots of effort into keeping his voice steady. He'd seemed the worst hit after Shesta at hearing of Migel's death, Guimel observed.
'He'll have to be, if he wants to live.' the indigo-eyed boy finished.
***
Gatti led Shanti into the main recreational room, where Dragon Slayers lounged about; some playing cards, some talking.
'That over there's Guimel, the one beside him is Shesta, and the narcissist beside him is Dalet.' he said, pointing each boy out. 'That over there is Viole. This here is Dante.' Gatti reached out and stopped a Slayer who was walking past them. Shanti studied the boy as he and Gatti exchanged some words. Dante had black hair that was obviously very curly at the back, though it was cut short. Flowing from the crown of his head was a cascade of dark red hair that spilled over his dark brown eyes. He was also very tall; at least a head taller than Gatti, with pale skin and a sinewy body.
'Nice to meet you,' he said, nodding to Shanti as Gatti more formerly intoduced them. 'Now if you excuse me, I have to take care of some important matters.' Gatti smirked.
'Still writing love-letters to that girl of yours?' Dante mumbled something and brushed breezily past them, provoking a laugh from Gatti.
'That's Dante Lagatso for you. The self-proclaimed sexiest man in Gaea,' He leaned in close to Shanti, and whispered conspiratorially with a grin, 'Ever since he met this girl, his ego's been through the roof. I'm surprised he can still get through doorways,'
'I heard that!' came the shouted reply from the doorway. The boy grinned mischeiviously, and led Shanti towards the table where the trio of Slayers was sitting.
'Hey, guys! This is, as you know, Shanti,'
'Yes, I'm sure everybody knows who the replacem-.' Dalet started smugly, then yelped as Guimel's foot squarely connected with his left shin, the latter not liking the former's tone. Guimel, an innocent smile upon his angelic face, moved over as Dalet rubbed his leg and sent a look of Death in his direction.
'Sit down and tell us more about yourself, Shanti.' he said pleasantly.
*****
Darkness...
'Mama, what's that?'
Light...
'There's breathing!'
Light and voices...piercing through this darkness. My darkness...
'Mikyla, boil some water, quickly!'
Am I dead?
'This may sting a bit.'
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!'