Save My Broken World
Thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone that reviewed! They all meant a lot to me! Thank you for taking the time to do that for me, I mean after all, I took my time to write. So please take the time and review this chapter! Thanks!! Ja!!
*He walked down the dirt path that lead to an elegant temple looking building that was slightly nestled in the forest. This was the home to the Keratar (pronounced care-a-tar) of Lancetta. Their name means in "In Truth There Is Life". Very fitting for what they do.
The Keratar are a group of people that are know for telling the truth. A lie cannot pass there lips. A true Keratar undergoes training and meditation, and if the are worthy, they become one of the Keratar and so become decorated with the 'Keratar' tattoo on their upper left arm. It is a symbol of their worthiness and proof they are one of the Keratar.
For these reasons, they were perfect if you needed proof of something. That was number one in the plan Heero had formulated. He had heard Karmain telling the King he needed to go back to Scanra because he forgot to buy some of the supplies needed. Therefore, he would hire one of the Keratar and bring him with him to Scanra where he would watch Karmain and get proof of his treason. He would just have to wait for the right moment. When he next commits his crime, Heero would be there and so would one of the Keratar. The ultimate form of proof.
Heero laughed to himself as he thought about the meaning of Keratar, "In Truth There Is Life." Very true. Especially in his case, for there is no truth in Karmain, so accordingly there will be no life.
Boot covered feet carried him up the stone steps to the large oak doors. He opened them and stepped inside, instantly smelling incense.
An older fellow, cloaked in white robes, walked up to him. "Do you need any help, sir?" he asked softly.
"Yes, I would like to hire one of your people to come with me."
"Yes, sir. Come with me please."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten minutes later Heero had his hand on the doors ready to exit. "Meet me in one hour at the Grand Road that leads out of town," he told his Keratar, Quatre. The blonde man just nodded in response.
He had heard from other people that Keratar didn't speak much. You'd be better of with a traveling wench than with Keratar, if you were the kind of guy that needed company. But for him, that perfectly fit his criteria. He still thought that keeping to himself was the way to go, and maybe it was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She sat at the desk near the open window that presented her with fresh air and the melodious song of bird. Last night she had wanted to write her relative in Scanra, who was a servant in the castle, and ask him to watch some things for her, but she had been too giddy after Heero left her. So, she made the decision to complete the task tomorrow. And with that off of her mind, she had spent the time till she went to bed dancing about the room flooded with moonlight, to the music in her mind.
So now here she sat working on the letter. He was the only relative she knew about, and they had written each other on and off since her parents died. "All done," she announced to herself, slipping it inside the envelope.
Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?" Usagi called over her shoulder.
"Heero."
"Come on in, hun," she said happily and got up to meet him.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Good morning," she said and promptly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her face in the crook of his neck.
He pulled her closer, placed his arms around her tiny waist, and leaned his head softly against hers.
And that was how they stood for the next couple of minutes. Enjoying the absolute serenity of holding and being held by the one they loved.
She pulled away and walked back over to her desk, grasping the envelope with her hand. "So what brings you here this early."
"Did you just wake up?" he questioned.
She looked at him confused. "About a half hour ago. Why?"
"It's not early. In fact, it's half past 10. You slept in." He started to laugh at her stumped look.
"You sure?"
"Positive." Another chuckle.
"Damn. Oh well, only 3 hours past normal. Besides, I have an excuse. Last night we had to fight against Karmain only to find out that the King was going to be a stupid jackass about it," she grumbled with her arms crossed and her lower lip protruding slightly.
"Don't worry. No longer will he be able to refuse to believe our accusations. I hired ourselves a Keratar this morning. I'll be leaving in an hour, but I had to stop by and say goodbye. I mean, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I left without a word?" he grinned down at her.
Using her index finger, she poked his nose and answered his rhetorical question. "You'd be a cruel, heartless bastard that I would have to do many painful things to."
"Precisely," he agreed. "And that is exactly why I would never treat you less than perfect. You can be tough when you what."
"Precisely," she smirked with a small shove that caught him off guard and caused him to fall onto her bed. She sat down next to him.
"Hey, do you think you can drop this off at the Scanran castle?" she asked as she gazed at the envelope.
"Another letter to your cousin?" He had made himself comfortable and was now leaning on his side with his head on his hand, elbow on the bed.
"Yeah. I figured he could be an inside source of information. You know, for letting us know stuff that's going on with the King and such."
"Good idea. That may become very useful." He paused. "Sad to say," regret and sadness was easily apparent in his voice as he sat from his spot on the bed, "I must be off. Most of my stuff is already packed, but I want to say goodbye to Makoto and Duo before leaving."
"What are you gonna tell your parents? About your leaving?"
"Well I was thinking I'd either leave it up to Makoto to tell them something, or tell them I'm leaving on a 'quest to acquire game for the Hunt.'"
Usagi was standing close to his chest as she gazed up at him. "Well you just go and do what you think is best. And try not to be gone too long, I hate missing you." She poked him in the chest.
"I know." He grabbed the hand she had poked him with and led her along with him to the door. "I'll be gone no longer than must. That okay with you?"
"Fine, but I don't have to be okay with it. Only put up with it. And only because I want to see Karmain go through Hell and back by the time we're through with him," she said with a triumphant stance.
"I'll be off then, but first I want a hug. And a smile," he sent a grin at her.
She walked the step separating them, with a smile, and placed her arms around him, giving a gentle squeeze. "Of course," she whispered to him. "Watch yourself. And don't let Karmain get a whiff of you following him. He might have cronies that could hurt you. I don't want that." She let go. "I'll be seeing you then. If anything goes wrong, write me and let me know, okay? Or if you somehow run into my cousin, I know not a place that he doesn't know people, and he uses them to send important verbal information. I suspect that will be how I'll get my information. So if you need to you can tell him and he'll make sure it gets to me quickly."
Using his hand he opened the door. "Goodbye Usagi."
"Goodbye," she bade, before beginning to close the door. "Wait!" She thrust opened the door. "The letter!" Running inside, she grabbed the letter off the bed and raced it back to Heero.
"Goodbye again," he stated with a grin and a small wave. But as he was turning away, he felt her tug at his shirt, effectively pulling him toward her, and place her lips over his.
"Take care, Heero," was all she said before she let the door close between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been almost a week since they arrived in Scanra. The letter was dropped of first thing. After, they found and watched Karmain. And not once yet had they done anything illegal. Heero was shocked of the fact. But still they'd watch him as much as was possible, day and night. When they were too tired to be awake any longer, they would go out in the forest to sleep. It never bothered Heero, sleeping in the wilderness. It wasn't a bother to the Keratar either, because they held nature as something special. They took advantage of the time they could be a part of it.
It was already late at night and both were beginning to grow weary. They had seen Karmain enter a private residence and he hadn't come out yet. But he didn't want to call it a night just yet.
"Hey, I'm leaving to get a drink. We can go to the forest when I get back. Can you stay awake for another ten minutes or so?"
"I should be able to," Quatre answered with a chatter, pulling his blanket tighter around himself. It got cold at night. He wished he hadn't have left his other blanket at their campsite. Oh well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepping into the bar, he found himself being suffocated by cigarette smoke and the sour smell of vomit. And he thought that the bar back home was bad. He walked over to the counter and sat down.
The bar tender walked over with a towel and glass in his hands. "What'll it be?"
"Iced tea. 2 lemons."
"No liquor?" It looked like the boy must have had a long day. He figured he would be craving a beer or something.
"Nah. Doesn't interest me right now."
"Whatever you say. Be done in a minute," the bartender said and walked away to make the tea.
Heero spent the time waiting looking around. Guys and girls, or rather wenches, littered the room. Most were drinking, some were playing poker, and other were engaging in 'activities' out in the open where anyone could see without any shame. Some even watched them for entertainment. Not something he was personally interested in.
"Here ya go, lad," he said and slid the glass toward him.
"Thanks," Heero replied and slid something of his own to the man across the counter. "Keep the change."
He had wanted to relax and drink the tea, but he had to get out of here. Him and this atmosphere didn't mix. He gulped it down, and left the bar with not a trace of him having been there moments ago.
Stepping out he was glad to finally get a fresh breath of air. But just before he could fully inhale, he spotted Karmain stepping out of the house. He was looking inside, leaving everything behind him, including Heero, unseen. He took the opportunity to run to were Quatre was waiting for him.
Shaking the man awake, Heero told him they were going to follow Karmain. Crawling through the shadows, they followed. And when he turned down an alley, they started to follow, until they saw it was a dead end. Now Heero knew for sure that Karmain was up to something, finally. Likely meeting another person. As if the shadows heard his thoughts, they moved to uncover a man standing near Karmain.
"Hello, my old 'Nemesis'." Karmain smirked.*
~~~~Review if YOU want the NEXT chapter! Ja!! ~ * ~ Firefly Princess ~ * ~
Thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone that reviewed! They all meant a lot to me! Thank you for taking the time to do that for me, I mean after all, I took my time to write. So please take the time and review this chapter! Thanks!! Ja!!
*He walked down the dirt path that lead to an elegant temple looking building that was slightly nestled in the forest. This was the home to the Keratar (pronounced care-a-tar) of Lancetta. Their name means in "In Truth There Is Life". Very fitting for what they do.
The Keratar are a group of people that are know for telling the truth. A lie cannot pass there lips. A true Keratar undergoes training and meditation, and if the are worthy, they become one of the Keratar and so become decorated with the 'Keratar' tattoo on their upper left arm. It is a symbol of their worthiness and proof they are one of the Keratar.
For these reasons, they were perfect if you needed proof of something. That was number one in the plan Heero had formulated. He had heard Karmain telling the King he needed to go back to Scanra because he forgot to buy some of the supplies needed. Therefore, he would hire one of the Keratar and bring him with him to Scanra where he would watch Karmain and get proof of his treason. He would just have to wait for the right moment. When he next commits his crime, Heero would be there and so would one of the Keratar. The ultimate form of proof.
Heero laughed to himself as he thought about the meaning of Keratar, "In Truth There Is Life." Very true. Especially in his case, for there is no truth in Karmain, so accordingly there will be no life.
Boot covered feet carried him up the stone steps to the large oak doors. He opened them and stepped inside, instantly smelling incense.
An older fellow, cloaked in white robes, walked up to him. "Do you need any help, sir?" he asked softly.
"Yes, I would like to hire one of your people to come with me."
"Yes, sir. Come with me please."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten minutes later Heero had his hand on the doors ready to exit. "Meet me in one hour at the Grand Road that leads out of town," he told his Keratar, Quatre. The blonde man just nodded in response.
He had heard from other people that Keratar didn't speak much. You'd be better of with a traveling wench than with Keratar, if you were the kind of guy that needed company. But for him, that perfectly fit his criteria. He still thought that keeping to himself was the way to go, and maybe it was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She sat at the desk near the open window that presented her with fresh air and the melodious song of bird. Last night she had wanted to write her relative in Scanra, who was a servant in the castle, and ask him to watch some things for her, but she had been too giddy after Heero left her. So, she made the decision to complete the task tomorrow. And with that off of her mind, she had spent the time till she went to bed dancing about the room flooded with moonlight, to the music in her mind.
So now here she sat working on the letter. He was the only relative she knew about, and they had written each other on and off since her parents died. "All done," she announced to herself, slipping it inside the envelope.
Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?" Usagi called over her shoulder.
"Heero."
"Come on in, hun," she said happily and got up to meet him.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Good morning," she said and promptly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her face in the crook of his neck.
He pulled her closer, placed his arms around her tiny waist, and leaned his head softly against hers.
And that was how they stood for the next couple of minutes. Enjoying the absolute serenity of holding and being held by the one they loved.
She pulled away and walked back over to her desk, grasping the envelope with her hand. "So what brings you here this early."
"Did you just wake up?" he questioned.
She looked at him confused. "About a half hour ago. Why?"
"It's not early. In fact, it's half past 10. You slept in." He started to laugh at her stumped look.
"You sure?"
"Positive." Another chuckle.
"Damn. Oh well, only 3 hours past normal. Besides, I have an excuse. Last night we had to fight against Karmain only to find out that the King was going to be a stupid jackass about it," she grumbled with her arms crossed and her lower lip protruding slightly.
"Don't worry. No longer will he be able to refuse to believe our accusations. I hired ourselves a Keratar this morning. I'll be leaving in an hour, but I had to stop by and say goodbye. I mean, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I left without a word?" he grinned down at her.
Using her index finger, she poked his nose and answered his rhetorical question. "You'd be a cruel, heartless bastard that I would have to do many painful things to."
"Precisely," he agreed. "And that is exactly why I would never treat you less than perfect. You can be tough when you what."
"Precisely," she smirked with a small shove that caught him off guard and caused him to fall onto her bed. She sat down next to him.
"Hey, do you think you can drop this off at the Scanran castle?" she asked as she gazed at the envelope.
"Another letter to your cousin?" He had made himself comfortable and was now leaning on his side with his head on his hand, elbow on the bed.
"Yeah. I figured he could be an inside source of information. You know, for letting us know stuff that's going on with the King and such."
"Good idea. That may become very useful." He paused. "Sad to say," regret and sadness was easily apparent in his voice as he sat from his spot on the bed, "I must be off. Most of my stuff is already packed, but I want to say goodbye to Makoto and Duo before leaving."
"What are you gonna tell your parents? About your leaving?"
"Well I was thinking I'd either leave it up to Makoto to tell them something, or tell them I'm leaving on a 'quest to acquire game for the Hunt.'"
Usagi was standing close to his chest as she gazed up at him. "Well you just go and do what you think is best. And try not to be gone too long, I hate missing you." She poked him in the chest.
"I know." He grabbed the hand she had poked him with and led her along with him to the door. "I'll be gone no longer than must. That okay with you?"
"Fine, but I don't have to be okay with it. Only put up with it. And only because I want to see Karmain go through Hell and back by the time we're through with him," she said with a triumphant stance.
"I'll be off then, but first I want a hug. And a smile," he sent a grin at her.
She walked the step separating them, with a smile, and placed her arms around him, giving a gentle squeeze. "Of course," she whispered to him. "Watch yourself. And don't let Karmain get a whiff of you following him. He might have cronies that could hurt you. I don't want that." She let go. "I'll be seeing you then. If anything goes wrong, write me and let me know, okay? Or if you somehow run into my cousin, I know not a place that he doesn't know people, and he uses them to send important verbal information. I suspect that will be how I'll get my information. So if you need to you can tell him and he'll make sure it gets to me quickly."
Using his hand he opened the door. "Goodbye Usagi."
"Goodbye," she bade, before beginning to close the door. "Wait!" She thrust opened the door. "The letter!" Running inside, she grabbed the letter off the bed and raced it back to Heero.
"Goodbye again," he stated with a grin and a small wave. But as he was turning away, he felt her tug at his shirt, effectively pulling him toward her, and place her lips over his.
"Take care, Heero," was all she said before she let the door close between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been almost a week since they arrived in Scanra. The letter was dropped of first thing. After, they found and watched Karmain. And not once yet had they done anything illegal. Heero was shocked of the fact. But still they'd watch him as much as was possible, day and night. When they were too tired to be awake any longer, they would go out in the forest to sleep. It never bothered Heero, sleeping in the wilderness. It wasn't a bother to the Keratar either, because they held nature as something special. They took advantage of the time they could be a part of it.
It was already late at night and both were beginning to grow weary. They had seen Karmain enter a private residence and he hadn't come out yet. But he didn't want to call it a night just yet.
"Hey, I'm leaving to get a drink. We can go to the forest when I get back. Can you stay awake for another ten minutes or so?"
"I should be able to," Quatre answered with a chatter, pulling his blanket tighter around himself. It got cold at night. He wished he hadn't have left his other blanket at their campsite. Oh well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepping into the bar, he found himself being suffocated by cigarette smoke and the sour smell of vomit. And he thought that the bar back home was bad. He walked over to the counter and sat down.
The bar tender walked over with a towel and glass in his hands. "What'll it be?"
"Iced tea. 2 lemons."
"No liquor?" It looked like the boy must have had a long day. He figured he would be craving a beer or something.
"Nah. Doesn't interest me right now."
"Whatever you say. Be done in a minute," the bartender said and walked away to make the tea.
Heero spent the time waiting looking around. Guys and girls, or rather wenches, littered the room. Most were drinking, some were playing poker, and other were engaging in 'activities' out in the open where anyone could see without any shame. Some even watched them for entertainment. Not something he was personally interested in.
"Here ya go, lad," he said and slid the glass toward him.
"Thanks," Heero replied and slid something of his own to the man across the counter. "Keep the change."
He had wanted to relax and drink the tea, but he had to get out of here. Him and this atmosphere didn't mix. He gulped it down, and left the bar with not a trace of him having been there moments ago.
Stepping out he was glad to finally get a fresh breath of air. But just before he could fully inhale, he spotted Karmain stepping out of the house. He was looking inside, leaving everything behind him, including Heero, unseen. He took the opportunity to run to were Quatre was waiting for him.
Shaking the man awake, Heero told him they were going to follow Karmain. Crawling through the shadows, they followed. And when he turned down an alley, they started to follow, until they saw it was a dead end. Now Heero knew for sure that Karmain was up to something, finally. Likely meeting another person. As if the shadows heard his thoughts, they moved to uncover a man standing near Karmain.
"Hello, my old 'Nemesis'." Karmain smirked.*
~~~~Review if YOU want the NEXT chapter! Ja!! ~ * ~ Firefly Princess ~ * ~