Note: I am not using Japanese as Elvish. It is a separate language in this fic, marked with . Doesn't matter, because it won't be used much more in this fic, except for the bad guys. Only the unknown characters are mine! The rest are J.R.R. Tolkien's creation. Any ideas of where Meiyuu could have gotten his scars from? I'm open to suggestions.
Found
Part 9
Meiyuu drew gasping breaths as he desperately raced through the forest, the cold air burning his lungs. He prayed he was on the path Legolas, Aragorn, and the others took. If he were not...if he were not...No! He would not entertain such thoughts. He *would* find them. He ran the shortest path out of these parts, and surely Aragorn would not lead Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, and the boy Frodo astray.
He had no doubt that it was the elder human who led the group. The man was a natural leader, and there was a nobility in his features that induced respect. He was the type of man a person would follow, be that person man, elf, or dwarf. And the human was prudent enough to realize that Legolas' life hung in the balance. If they did not escape, Tsuku and his cohorts would brutally murder the kind elf. It was for this reason that Meiyuu had to reach them, before Tsuku could bring about the elf's death. For the sake of friendship, for the sake of his own sanity, he would *not* allow that.
Blood streamed from his hands, leaving a trail as he ran. His breath wavered in the cold night air behind him like pale spirits hovering uncertainly in a world that no longer accepted them. It was so cold out that night, so bitterly cold, and he shivered as he continued fleeing. His clothes were of low quality, compared to Aragorn's or even Legolas' clothes. Threadbare and worn, they did little to keep the ice-cold needles of the wind from stinging him.
But Meiyuu didn't dare to stop and rest. He knew someone was following him. For the past half hour, he had noticed a faint constant crunching of snow behind him. It would be fatal to stop at that point. He only had one dagger left to defend himself with, for one had been carried away by the man who had attacked Legolas, while the other was still embedded in the wall in the inn. Why had he not retrieved the one at the inn, Meiyuu bemoaned. He'd been running for over an hour, and his lungs burned. His legs, before aching from the exertion, were beginning to numb from the cold. He *had* to find Legolas soon.
Soon, he stopped and leaned against a tree, panting hard. He was too tired to continue running. If there was the barest chance that he could take his stalker down and earn himself some time to breathe and rest... Meiyuu shot a tense glance behind him. The man had caught up with him. He unsheathed his last dagger, gripping the weapon in his right hand, ignoring the pain that shot up his hand and arm. His opponent would not wait for him to heal.
Meiyuu kept his wary gaze on the man, meeting the man's cold, cruel eyes. Falling snow stung his bare skin as, for a moment, the two stared at each other.
Meiyuu finally caught his breath, and slid into a defensive position, shifting the dagger to threaten his opponent. His feet were slightly apart; his blade was aimed at his opponent.
He stilled, listening to the silence. And so, when he heard the slight crunch of the snow as the older man shifted, when the man lunged at him, he was prepared.
Unbeknownst to him, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, and Frodo headed toward his confrontation, walking faster than ever, fear clawing at their minds.
Legolas, in particular, felt uneasy. He tried to ignore his apprehension, for they were only a little over an hour away from the town. He failed.
Aragorn walked next to the Elf and noticed his preoccupation. "What's wrong?"
"Uneasy…feeling," Legolas told the human.
The sounds of metal striking metal caught their attention. Two voices rang out in the crisp, cold air. Two voices, one a harsh voice and one a softer and younger voice that answered the harsh one.
Demuku makai! Meiyuu shouted.
A sword slashed at the youth who deflected most of the blow with his dagger. In turn, he lashed out with his leg, hooking the foot behind the man's heel and tripping him. His assailant snarled and quickly stood up. He immediately began a furious offensive against Meiyuu. Soon, Meiyuu was backed up against a tree, just managing to duck before his head could be taken off by a vicious swing.
The man snarled at him to give up.
Nain! the weakening youth cried. He was tired, and his movements were slowing. His hands didn't simply hurt; they throbbed.
Left with one small dagger and tiring by the second, Meiyuu knew he didn't have much chance of winning. He did the only thing he could. He waited until the man swung at him again, hands too preoccupied to stop him, and, taking care to avoid the blade of the sword, dodged away from the tree and threw the dagger at his opponent's left shoulder.
A roar erupted from the attacker, and he redoubled his efforts on the now weaponless boy.
Legolas gasped, "That… is…Meiyuu!" He recognized the youth's voice when the latter told whoever he was fighting with to go to Hell.
"And he still curses," Aragorn muttered. "We have to find him." He shrugged off anything that might hamper him, including his pack, and followed the sounds of the fight, followed closely by Legolas, Gimli, and Frodo.
Meiyuu found himself lifted off the ground and flung hard against a tree. Before he could crash to the ground, he concentrated his energy and opened his eyes to meet the icy blue eyes of his opponent. He transformed the energy into an invisible force that flung the man away.
Meiyuu then fell and lost consciousness as he impacted with the cold, hard ground.
The assailant was stunned. It was this little troublemaker that had removed the barrier?! He could barely believe it. Well... perhaps he would keep the boy alive. He had power to spare, and Meiyuu had just unknowingly confirmed his potential. Besides which, Shira had sent him after both the Elf *and* the boy.
He sheathed his sword, and tore the dagger out of his shoulder. The man walked over and knelt beside the limp boy. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he gazed appraisingly at the youth. Meiyuu was exhausted and would not be waking up anytime soon. The boy's hands would have to be treated, of course, but that was a minor matter.
Another sound reached his ears, and he looked to see Legolas and Aragorn burst into the clearing.
Legolas felt his heart skip a beat when he saw his bloodied and unconscious friend in the snow.
Aragorn gasped in anger and concern at the sight of Meiyuu's limp form.
The attacker slung the boy over one shoulder, and then turned to face the newcomers.
"Let him go," Aragorn growled. "Or face my wrath."
"I think not," the figure in black said. He dropped the boy back on the ground, and a faint, muffled moan was heard.
Aragorn gestured for Legolas to stand back, as he drew Anduril and began fighting with the stranger. Their swords clanged as they clashed. Neither man was stronger than the other; they were equals.
Legolas made his way around the fight carefully, and sprang to his fallen friend, kneeling beside him. Carefully, he scanned for wounds, detecting none until his gaze fell upon the slightly curled hands. Gently, he took one of the hands in his, and frowned as he something wet seeped through his fingers. Blood, he thought grimly. Quickly, he tore the inner lining of his cloak, knowing that it was the cleanest fabric he had on him, and wound the strips around his friend's hands.
Meanwhile, Aragorn kept his opponent at bay, and away from Legolas and Meiyuu. After what seemed to be an eternity, Gimli and Frodo finally caught up with them, with the dwarf carrying Aragorn's abandoned pack. The icy-eyed assailant sprang away from Aragorn's thrust and, sheathing his sword, ran to the edge of the clearing. There, he stopped and turned to face the man he had fought.
"You win, for now. Take the boy and the Elf. But don't count me out of the picture yet, for I always get what I want, in the end." The figure turned and ran off.
Legolas held Meiyuu in his arms, whispering his name. He gently shook the groaning boy.
Aragorn sheathed his sword and quickly went over to the two. "How is he?" he questioned, dropping to his knees beside the Elf.
"Hands…hurt," Legolas told him, showing the youth's hastily wrapped hands to the older man.
Despite his keen eyesight, Aragorn could not see much. He touched the youth's scarred, young face, and was relieved to find that it was a little warm. Meiyuu still lived. "We need to get him somewhere warm, Legolas."
Legolas nodded. He winced as he tried to lift his unconscious friend for his injured hand still ached. Seeing this, Aragorn gently took Meiyuu in his arms and stood. Legolas gave him a smile of thanks, before standing as well. They walked over to Gimli and Frodo, who observed them in silence. Together, they walked off to find a warm resting place for Legolas' friend.
They walked for a few hours, searching, for Legolas had never wandered so far from the town before. Luck was with them, for the blond Elf spotted a cave. He sprinted over to it, and tested the air for poisonous vapors. Finding that there were none, Legolas entered the cave, albeit carefully, his hand on his sword hilt.
The cave was dark and clammy, and made the Elf uneasy. Stalactites were everywhere, and the cave seemed to stretch on for a long while. However, as no sounds were heard, proof of the absence of any presence in the cave, he walked back to Aragorn and the others and called for them to join him.
They took care to install themselves far back into the cave, to ensure that any light they could create would not escape to betray their location. As Aragorn lay Meiyuu flat on the ground and pulled the boy's hood off, inspecting him for signs of waking, Gimli dug through Aragorn's pack and pulled out the flint. Frodo and Legolas busied themselves with gathering sticks and logs from outside the cave to fuel a fire. In no time at all, a cheerful fire was lit, and Legolas sat beside Aragorn, watching the human work on Meiyuu.
Aragorn removed the torn cloth from the boy's scarred hands, careful not to take the skin with it. He wondered where the scars had come from, but focused on the task at hand instead. He used water from a water bag to clean the deep gashes, before applying the aloe. He applied clean, white bandages around the hands. Hopefully, the bleeding would stop soon.
Meiyuu blinked his eyes open and instantly tried to jerk up. Aragorn's hands gently and firmly pushed him back down. The boy struggled again, but had not the strength to escape Aragorn's grasp.
Houmen ware, shimatta! Ware gozen hidoi! Meiyuu cried, hiding his fear behind a façade of anger. He did not recognize the man who sat beside him. Legolas was blocking the light from shining on Aragorn, and, in the dark, Aragorn seemed no different from other men.
"What did I tell you about cursing like that?" Aragorn asked firmly.
Meiyuu gasped, "Aragorn?" He ceased his struggles against the older man as relief coursed through him.
"And…me," Legolas said.
"Legolas?" Meiyuu breathed a sigh of relief, for he had been worried about his Elven friend. He then turned back to Aragorn. "Let me up!"
The latter frowned. "You shouldn't sit up, Meiyuu. You were badly hurt. We found you unconscious."
"Only 'cause I was tired," Meiyuu muttered. He frowned when he realized his hood was down and tried to replace it.
Legolas sighed as he saw Aragorn stop his friend. "Meiyuu… he is…stubborn," the Elf carefully warned.
"So am I!" the boy countered. He groaned when he realized he'd lost his last dagger. Shimatta… Meiyuu moaned. He was now completely weaponless, and the daggers were the only thing he'd had left to call his own.
Aragorn and Legolas both scowled at the boy.
"Meiyuu, the next time I hear you curse like that, I'll wash your mouth out," Aragorn said sternly.
Meiyuu smirked. "Try it."
The willful contestants were interrupted by a snort of laughter, which they promptly ignored in favor of glaring at each other. Gimli was trying not to laugh. The boy was very impudent, challenging Aragorn so. He was so similar to Legolas... so similar that it was funny. Even Frodo hid a smile as irritation swept over Aragorn's face.
"Meiyuu," Legolas warned his young friend.
"Legolas…" the boy threw back. He sat up, and the light from the fire seemed to dance on the scars on his face.
Aragorn reached out his larger hand and took hold of the boy's chin, peering at the scars. Meiyuu frowned, but did not jerk away as his face was turned and inspected.
"Are they that ugly, that you need to inspect them closer?" the youth questioned bitterly.
"What caused them?" Aragorn ignored the question. "And the ones on your hands, too."
Meiyuu gritted his teeth. "I don't remember," he said harshly.
To be continued
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Demuku makai = Go to Hell
Nain = No
Houmen ware, shimatta! Ware gozen hidoi = Release me, damn it! I am serious
Shimatta = Damn it
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