A/n Here's a little something for Christmas to you guys! Thanx to all who
reviewed, you rock! ^_^
Chapter 19
"Allelu-chan! Leave the poor fish alone!" Lana cried, seeing Allelu trying to grab some of the fish swimming in the small pool of water. Allelu giggled, then looked around, seeing no one else was around.
"Can we go for a ride, Lan-chan?" Allelu begged. It had been a few days since Lana had returned from running away, and she was nearly back up at full strength. In the times when no one else was around, the two girls had been testing the limits of Lana's wings. They had just begun having Lana carry Allelu while she flew to see how much weight she could carry, and it quickly became Allelu's favorite pastime.
"Alright! Hang on!" Lana laughed, also finding flying fun, and grabbed Allelu, backing up a few steps, then taking a running leap into the air, flapping her wings with strong, graceful strokes.
The two girls had discovered that if Lana concentrated hard enough, the wings would appear. Faia also agreed with practicing in case there was an emergency, and would help Lana with a little whispering voice in her ear while they were air-born. Faia had told Lana that since Allelu had already seen, that Lana might as well explain. Both girls were completely concentrating on flight, and didn't hear the approaching foot-steps until they had almost reached the large doors leading into the courtyard.
"Uh oh." Allelu gulped, and Lana landed in a hurry, the wings vanishing.
"What's going on? I could have sworn I heard a bird..." Sodom mused, coming through the doors with Rouin, Schola, Chimi, Serena, Kami and Joses following behind.
".......... What happened?" Serena asked, seeing Lana and Allelu's frozen and guilty looks.
"Ummmm, nothing. What are all you guys doing here?" Lana asked, casting a quick glance over her shoulder just to make sure her wings were gone, though she knew they were, knowing she looked stupid.
"Since you are nearly well, we will be leaving to find the last seishi soon." Sodom told her, shooting a disapproving look at her. Schola gave her a sympathetic smile when she made a face at Sodom's back when she turned, and had to follow him when he called him.
"All right, what was going on?" Joses asked after everyone but him, Kami, Lana and Allelu had left.
"What are you talking about?" Lana and Allelu both asked, looking incredibly innocent. Lana even cocked her head to one side cutely, looking slightly confused. Joses and Kami glared at the two of them, and Allelu decided to come up with an alibi, much to Lana's displeasure.
"I was trying to get Lan-chan to tell me which one of you she liked the most." she piped up, and Lana paled.
"Um, I mean- er- uh oh." Allelu said meekly as identical devilish grins broke out on the boy's faces.
"Nice going, Allelu-chan." Lana mumbled, backing up a step. Next thing the poor girl knew, she was tied up by chibi bandits, and helpless.
"So, what'd she say?" Joses asked innocently, looking as if he didn't notice the murderous Lana sitting on the ground in front of him.
"Er, she didn't say." Allelu gulped.
"Oh, but she will now, won't you, Lan-chan?" Kami asked with an almost sadistic grin at the girl, who pressed her lips together, glaring. "Are you ticklish?" he asked next, and was rewarded with a horrified look on Lana's apart.
"Ohhhhhh, THIS is going to be entertaining." Joses said with an evil smirk, and both he and Kami began relentlessly searching for her ticklish spot, Lana almost dying laughing.
"Stop! STOP!!!!" she screamed, tears of laughter flowing down her face.
"Well?" Joses asked expectantly, sitting in front of her beside Kami and Allelu after they untied her.
Lana looked in deep thought for a while, and said, "Wait a sec, I'm trying to remember if I have a boyfriend back home who needs to be taken into consideration."
"Are you going to get married while you're here?" Allelu suddenly asked, leaning forward intently looking at Lana.
"I'm too YOUNG Allelu-chan!" Lana exclaimed, jumping a mile high.
"Not HERE." Joses pointed out with a grin.
"No way! I'd hate being tied down!" Lana insisted, backing away.
"But Lana, maybe you could find a guy who you wouldn't feel 'tied down' with." Kami said, all innocence.
"I swear, you guys are going to drive me crazy!" Lana cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
"Nah, we just love sticking our noses in other people's business." Joses said with a grin, throwing an arm over her shoulders.
"I liked you better when you thought I was a guy." Lana grumbled, crossing her arms. Allelu giggled, then cocked her head to one side.
"Would it make you feel better if you were working on something?" she asked, scratching her chin and thinking up a few ideas.
"Yes, but 'Sodom-sama' has so many servants, I'd just get in the way." Lana growled, saying Sodom's name like it was a poison.
"He IS quite annoying sometimes, isn't he, no da." a voice suddenly said on their right.
Lana shrieked in surprise, and jumped to her feet drawing her sword, and hyperventilating. "Don't DO that!" she yelled at Schola, who had magically appeared, taking deep breaths.
"Gomen, didn't mean to scare you, no da." The monk said apologetically.
"Ah, that's okay." Kami told him cheerfully, waving a hand at him dismissively.
"When are we leaving to look for the last seishi?" Lana asked in a business-like tone.
"Are you sure you're well enough, no da?" Schola asked her with concern.
"Healthy as a horse." Lana responded happily, doing a cartwheel to convince him.
"Good to hear, no da. We should be leaving soon." Schola told her with a smile, then turned and disappeared back into the palace.
"Hmmmmm, maybe the little vixen prefers her men more religious?" Joses said seriously, looking thoughtful.
That pushed Lana right over the edge.
".........Vixen?" Lana asked, turning slowly to Joses, murder in her eyes.
Joses just smiled back at her innocently. "You prefer Lan-chan?"
"YOU'RE DEAD!!!" Lana yelled, diving at him but just getting a fistful of air as he dodged. "COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!!!" she yelled after his retreating form, chasing him.
Alleu and Kami both shook their heads, and at the same time said, "Crazy."
"Allelu-chan! Kami-chan! Come here!" Serena called, coming out th door with two bundles in her arms. Suddenly she saw Joses and Lana, who were running around in circles and she blinked, then shook her head, sighing.
"Here, these are for your trip." she told her children, smiling slightly and handling them her girfts. They both opened them and saw warm clothes, thick blankets, and a little bound book and writing tool in each.
"What are these for?" Allelu asked, holding up the writing materials.
Serena suddenly turned stern. "You are going to write down everything that happens on your journey so I can read what happened when you get back." she ordered, hands on her hips.
"So basically they're journals?" Kami asked, looking like he'd rather not use it.
"Yes. And you WILL write in it." Serena told him flatly, and he 'eep'd and agreed.
"What about Lana?" Allelu asked, turning to look at Lana, who at the moment was shouting something at Joses about 'If he called her that one more time'.
"I'd like to talk to her in private about that." Serena said airily, and went over, asking Lana to follow her inside.
"Uh, sure." Lana said, walking in after her.
"What was THAT all about?" Joses asked, looking after them in confusion.
"No idea..." Kami answered, watching them closely as Serena closed the doors after them. Allelu looked at her brother worriedly, but neither of them knew what was going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lana-san, I have a request to make." Serena told Lana, holding her hands folded in front of her. Lana looked at her a little worriedly.
"H- Hai?" she stuttered, looking nervous and rocking back and forth, but stood up straight when Serena looked at her firmly.
"As you know, I cannot come with you, your friends and my children on your journey." Serena said, sighing and looking down at the ground.
"I know. It must be hard for you." Lana said softly, and put a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena looked up at Lana, and placed her own hand over Lana's, bringing it in front of her and clasping it in both of hers. She mentally wondered why Serena had not yet seen her husband, though she had made many requests to do so. Shouldn't HE be the one Serena talked to about her worries?
"Lana, this is my request. Comfort and care for my children as I would. Be their mother for me while I am not near. Protect them as I would." Serena begged Lana softly.
"N-Nani?" Lana gasped. "Serena-san, I am too young! I know nothing of parenting! How could I-" she started to argue, but Serena held up a hand to silence her.
"I believe you do, Lana-chan. You care for both of them greatly already, just try to be thier mother for a while, I'm sure you'll do fine." Serena assured her.
Lana looked at her helplessly for a second, before standing up straight and proud, then bowing low, and saying, "Hai, Serena-san. I swear to protect them with my life."
"I know it seems selfish of me, but I just need to know they'll have someone to care for them while I'm not around." Serena sighed after smiling gratefully at Lana.
"No it doesn't. You just love them." Lana told her with a soft smile, then bowed low again, and said, "I'll go pack our things." With that, she turned and left for their rooms. Things had been brought from Serena's house after they discovered her children were seishi so that they would not have to go back by their home and slow the trip.
Serena smiled after Lana, then turned to check on the horses Kami and Allelu chosen for the trip. Kami chose Campfire, Allelu took Lan-chan, and Joses kept his own horse.
'Be safe.... all of you.' Serena thought worriedly, biting her lip. She had a terrible feeling about this trip.
Chapter 19
"Allelu-chan! Leave the poor fish alone!" Lana cried, seeing Allelu trying to grab some of the fish swimming in the small pool of water. Allelu giggled, then looked around, seeing no one else was around.
"Can we go for a ride, Lan-chan?" Allelu begged. It had been a few days since Lana had returned from running away, and she was nearly back up at full strength. In the times when no one else was around, the two girls had been testing the limits of Lana's wings. They had just begun having Lana carry Allelu while she flew to see how much weight she could carry, and it quickly became Allelu's favorite pastime.
"Alright! Hang on!" Lana laughed, also finding flying fun, and grabbed Allelu, backing up a few steps, then taking a running leap into the air, flapping her wings with strong, graceful strokes.
The two girls had discovered that if Lana concentrated hard enough, the wings would appear. Faia also agreed with practicing in case there was an emergency, and would help Lana with a little whispering voice in her ear while they were air-born. Faia had told Lana that since Allelu had already seen, that Lana might as well explain. Both girls were completely concentrating on flight, and didn't hear the approaching foot-steps until they had almost reached the large doors leading into the courtyard.
"Uh oh." Allelu gulped, and Lana landed in a hurry, the wings vanishing.
"What's going on? I could have sworn I heard a bird..." Sodom mused, coming through the doors with Rouin, Schola, Chimi, Serena, Kami and Joses following behind.
".......... What happened?" Serena asked, seeing Lana and Allelu's frozen and guilty looks.
"Ummmm, nothing. What are all you guys doing here?" Lana asked, casting a quick glance over her shoulder just to make sure her wings were gone, though she knew they were, knowing she looked stupid.
"Since you are nearly well, we will be leaving to find the last seishi soon." Sodom told her, shooting a disapproving look at her. Schola gave her a sympathetic smile when she made a face at Sodom's back when she turned, and had to follow him when he called him.
"All right, what was going on?" Joses asked after everyone but him, Kami, Lana and Allelu had left.
"What are you talking about?" Lana and Allelu both asked, looking incredibly innocent. Lana even cocked her head to one side cutely, looking slightly confused. Joses and Kami glared at the two of them, and Allelu decided to come up with an alibi, much to Lana's displeasure.
"I was trying to get Lan-chan to tell me which one of you she liked the most." she piped up, and Lana paled.
"Um, I mean- er- uh oh." Allelu said meekly as identical devilish grins broke out on the boy's faces.
"Nice going, Allelu-chan." Lana mumbled, backing up a step. Next thing the poor girl knew, she was tied up by chibi bandits, and helpless.
"So, what'd she say?" Joses asked innocently, looking as if he didn't notice the murderous Lana sitting on the ground in front of him.
"Er, she didn't say." Allelu gulped.
"Oh, but she will now, won't you, Lan-chan?" Kami asked with an almost sadistic grin at the girl, who pressed her lips together, glaring. "Are you ticklish?" he asked next, and was rewarded with a horrified look on Lana's apart.
"Ohhhhhh, THIS is going to be entertaining." Joses said with an evil smirk, and both he and Kami began relentlessly searching for her ticklish spot, Lana almost dying laughing.
"Stop! STOP!!!!" she screamed, tears of laughter flowing down her face.
"Well?" Joses asked expectantly, sitting in front of her beside Kami and Allelu after they untied her.
Lana looked in deep thought for a while, and said, "Wait a sec, I'm trying to remember if I have a boyfriend back home who needs to be taken into consideration."
"Are you going to get married while you're here?" Allelu suddenly asked, leaning forward intently looking at Lana.
"I'm too YOUNG Allelu-chan!" Lana exclaimed, jumping a mile high.
"Not HERE." Joses pointed out with a grin.
"No way! I'd hate being tied down!" Lana insisted, backing away.
"But Lana, maybe you could find a guy who you wouldn't feel 'tied down' with." Kami said, all innocence.
"I swear, you guys are going to drive me crazy!" Lana cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
"Nah, we just love sticking our noses in other people's business." Joses said with a grin, throwing an arm over her shoulders.
"I liked you better when you thought I was a guy." Lana grumbled, crossing her arms. Allelu giggled, then cocked her head to one side.
"Would it make you feel better if you were working on something?" she asked, scratching her chin and thinking up a few ideas.
"Yes, but 'Sodom-sama' has so many servants, I'd just get in the way." Lana growled, saying Sodom's name like it was a poison.
"He IS quite annoying sometimes, isn't he, no da." a voice suddenly said on their right.
Lana shrieked in surprise, and jumped to her feet drawing her sword, and hyperventilating. "Don't DO that!" she yelled at Schola, who had magically appeared, taking deep breaths.
"Gomen, didn't mean to scare you, no da." The monk said apologetically.
"Ah, that's okay." Kami told him cheerfully, waving a hand at him dismissively.
"When are we leaving to look for the last seishi?" Lana asked in a business-like tone.
"Are you sure you're well enough, no da?" Schola asked her with concern.
"Healthy as a horse." Lana responded happily, doing a cartwheel to convince him.
"Good to hear, no da. We should be leaving soon." Schola told her with a smile, then turned and disappeared back into the palace.
"Hmmmmm, maybe the little vixen prefers her men more religious?" Joses said seriously, looking thoughtful.
That pushed Lana right over the edge.
".........Vixen?" Lana asked, turning slowly to Joses, murder in her eyes.
Joses just smiled back at her innocently. "You prefer Lan-chan?"
"YOU'RE DEAD!!!" Lana yelled, diving at him but just getting a fistful of air as he dodged. "COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!!!" she yelled after his retreating form, chasing him.
Alleu and Kami both shook their heads, and at the same time said, "Crazy."
"Allelu-chan! Kami-chan! Come here!" Serena called, coming out th door with two bundles in her arms. Suddenly she saw Joses and Lana, who were running around in circles and she blinked, then shook her head, sighing.
"Here, these are for your trip." she told her children, smiling slightly and handling them her girfts. They both opened them and saw warm clothes, thick blankets, and a little bound book and writing tool in each.
"What are these for?" Allelu asked, holding up the writing materials.
Serena suddenly turned stern. "You are going to write down everything that happens on your journey so I can read what happened when you get back." she ordered, hands on her hips.
"So basically they're journals?" Kami asked, looking like he'd rather not use it.
"Yes. And you WILL write in it." Serena told him flatly, and he 'eep'd and agreed.
"What about Lana?" Allelu asked, turning to look at Lana, who at the moment was shouting something at Joses about 'If he called her that one more time'.
"I'd like to talk to her in private about that." Serena said airily, and went over, asking Lana to follow her inside.
"Uh, sure." Lana said, walking in after her.
"What was THAT all about?" Joses asked, looking after them in confusion.
"No idea..." Kami answered, watching them closely as Serena closed the doors after them. Allelu looked at her brother worriedly, but neither of them knew what was going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lana-san, I have a request to make." Serena told Lana, holding her hands folded in front of her. Lana looked at her a little worriedly.
"H- Hai?" she stuttered, looking nervous and rocking back and forth, but stood up straight when Serena looked at her firmly.
"As you know, I cannot come with you, your friends and my children on your journey." Serena said, sighing and looking down at the ground.
"I know. It must be hard for you." Lana said softly, and put a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena looked up at Lana, and placed her own hand over Lana's, bringing it in front of her and clasping it in both of hers. She mentally wondered why Serena had not yet seen her husband, though she had made many requests to do so. Shouldn't HE be the one Serena talked to about her worries?
"Lana, this is my request. Comfort and care for my children as I would. Be their mother for me while I am not near. Protect them as I would." Serena begged Lana softly.
"N-Nani?" Lana gasped. "Serena-san, I am too young! I know nothing of parenting! How could I-" she started to argue, but Serena held up a hand to silence her.
"I believe you do, Lana-chan. You care for both of them greatly already, just try to be thier mother for a while, I'm sure you'll do fine." Serena assured her.
Lana looked at her helplessly for a second, before standing up straight and proud, then bowing low, and saying, "Hai, Serena-san. I swear to protect them with my life."
"I know it seems selfish of me, but I just need to know they'll have someone to care for them while I'm not around." Serena sighed after smiling gratefully at Lana.
"No it doesn't. You just love them." Lana told her with a soft smile, then bowed low again, and said, "I'll go pack our things." With that, she turned and left for their rooms. Things had been brought from Serena's house after they discovered her children were seishi so that they would not have to go back by their home and slow the trip.
Serena smiled after Lana, then turned to check on the horses Kami and Allelu chosen for the trip. Kami chose Campfire, Allelu took Lan-chan, and Joses kept his own horse.
'Be safe.... all of you.' Serena thought worriedly, biting her lip. She had a terrible feeling about this trip.