Chapter 3: Time Messenger
All the color was gone from her skin. She stood out with long black hair and deep green eyes. "Are you feeling alright? You look paler than usual."
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
"You look like you need to rest. Since you're staying I can't have you getting ill."
"Good night then."
She waved before she ran off. She ran past Miaka's room catching her in the corner of her eye. She quickly skittered to a stop while trying to go back almost loosing her balance. "Miaka, can I have a few words with you?"
"Suu, you're back. I've been wanting to talk with you."
"My name is Jade, I found my past. Nothing is left so I decided to stay."
Jade said that so pleasantly, like it didn't matter. Tamahome only told her that Suu might only be able to take her as far as when she arrived the second time, which wouldn't help. She looked into Jade's eyes still trying to decide is she was masking her true feelings or not. "Aren't you sad about it?"
"Yes, but I've also lived most of my life as if they were dead. I can't dwell on it now, I don't have time."
She brushed a hand over her arm and white sand fell freely from it. Miaka's eyes widened. "I made my decision. I can't allow you to try to take me back to the past."
Jade collected the sand she just dropped. "It was rude of me to leave this on the floor. Can you tell me about Yui? I want to know your side."
"What are you planning to do?"
"Send a message. You and seven they are looking for. They don't know me. Besides if I get caught I'll just slip time again."
Jade made it sound so simple. Miaka told her all that had happened between her and Yui both recent and past. "I'll try to tell her how you feel. Please don't tell them where I went. I'll leave my target in my room before I go."
"I'll make sure nobody touches it."
"See you later Miaka."
"Just be careful."
Jade nodded as she jumped from the balcony landing silently. Miaka looked over in disbelief that she jumped and managed to land so quietly. Thinking back Jade had always been able to move silently. She watched as Jade disappeared into the night. She ran through the night until she arrived in the place Seriyu dwelled. She placed a hand on the cool stone of the wall. "Impressive as you might be I've gotten past worse."
She heard motion and jumped back into the underbrush without making a sound. A tall man with long blonde hair walked to where she was standing. Jade made a mental note that talking was out of the question for a while. He was coming. She knew now he could sense her. Quickly she moved deeper into the brush as the man plunged his hand into the brush where she once sat. She retreated to a low branch of a nearby tree. It was time to slip. Her eyes lit up. He saw the green eyes in the tree and started to approach. Jade tried to remain calm, all she wanted to do was step out, not completely exit. He realized the eyes were human as he approached fighting the brush as he went. "Who are you?"
Jade closed her eyes and felt herself going back. She managed now to be heard only. Tall, blonde, and evil would still be able to feel her presence but wouldn't be able to get her. "I know you're still here."
"I am in no mood to be seen tonight."
"Your mistake. I was about to dismiss you as a cat. Why are you here?"
"Just out for an evening walk."
"Why did you hide?"
"Men always want to know the why of everything. Can you blame me? If I would have stayed still that grab you made would have hurt."
"Show yourself."
"I really don't think so."
"I'll find you then."
She laughed, as he looked right through her presence. "If I was still here you might have had a chance."
"Where are you?"
"The void."
"Dead people don't mock dangerous people."
"Who's dead? I should have waited and pulled you in. You just rub me the wrong way."
"I want the name of the girl I will have so much fun with once you come back."
"Now, here's a funny thing. I do believe you are the reason I was protected as a child. I think you know who I am. How well do you know Suzaku's land, well the land of five years ago?"
"What does the past have to do with who you are?"
"The Master Goldsmith, you'd know him. He didn't care where you came from only that his work was the best."
"I took my revenge four years ago."
"Revenge?"
"They knew their daughter was powerful and they left here. I was glad and disappointed when I learned the girl was taken from them a year earlier. Disappointed I never got a chance to see her power, glad because I had no desire to watch over a six year old."
Jade felt tears in her eyes. "You killed them! I looked so long to find nothing and you're the reason!"
"You can't be their brat. She would only be ten, you sound much older."
He cast a spell. Jade's reflection couldn't leave the sphere that now encased her. "What's this?"
"My way of demanding the truth in a nice way."
"Do you even know the power of the girl who vanished?"
"Not really, something to do with time. Whoever you are I know some part of you is here and it sounds like I found you."
"I can slip time. Five years ago I did it not knowing when to go back to. It has taken me eleven years to be here now."
"But, where are you now really?"
"Half before you and mostly still in the void. I'd love to let you see it."
"Maybe later. Bring the rest of yourself here."
"That would be a great trick. But as you have it now I can't come or go just remain as I am.
"You better not pull any tricks. I will not let you leave."
"I have no doubts of that."
He canceled his spell but Jade pulled herself from time completely. "What an idiot. Kill my parents and expect me to behave like a good girl."
Jade watched him a few more minutes before moving on. Her walk right in plan wasn't working. But was he ever angry. She stepped back into time outside of Yui's room. The huge guy would still be looking for her outside since no time had passed between her vanishing and coming back here. Jade knocked on the door. "Miss Yui, would you be kind enough to spare me a few minutes?"
She came to the door. Her expression was one of concern. "Do I know you?"
Jade smiled and held out a hand. "My name is Jade."
Yui shook her hand. "Yui, my journey back here has been long and dangerous. I had to slip through security that protects my once home just to return. It doesn't matter I'm here now. I bring a message of sorrow."
"What is your message?"
"She spent the short time looking for you everywhere thinking you might have gone somewhere while she was here. She was warned never to take up the book again but she couldn't leave you here."
Jade bowed and stepped back. "She only came back for Tamahome."
"It is true she fell in love with him but that was not her original goal. If you weren't here she would have followed her brother's warning and never would have opened the book again."
"What is your part in this?"
"I'm not sure I know anymore. That blonde, one-man army you have confessed he killed my parents a year after I vanished. He was glad I was gone so he wouldn't have to deal with a six year old. I just found this time. I could jump another six years and act as if I never left. I'd be the right age for the year. Tamahome, he thought he let me down. He was my protector and I vanished on him."
"Is everyone after him?"
"I won't be in the game much longer if you think me competition."
"What are you planning?"
"I just slipped time. I think I only have two left before myself and the sands are one and I will most likely become part of the void."
"So you have no interest in him?"
"Your blonde friend is coming. I hope you and Miaka can mend your friendship. I'll tell you this, I will not hesitate to leave blondie in the void if he does anything to prohibit my exit."
"Yui, are you alright?"
Jade found herself trapped again. She readied herself to slip time. Yui nodded. He reached in and grabbed Jade by the neck. Her eyes glowed. She flung her hand releasing sand into her attacker's eyes. He ignored the pain. "Let me go. Let me go or you will be praying I won't let you go."
He laughed. Yui pleaded for him to let Jade go. "Jade? Do you really think you are in any position to be making demands? Suzaku seven power will not work here."
She smiled as the hourglass appeared. "I'm not one of any seven. Last warning."
He scoffed at her. Jade grabbed his arm as she slipped time. Into darkness until her own light too effect. He lost his grip under the weight on hi. She held his arm tight. "You're too sure of yourself. I could have let you go and allowed the void to crush you, but then how would I be any different?"
She loosened her grip. He was light as air to her here. She lifted her pinky and ring finger. The pain of the weight could be seen on his face. Point proven she closed her hand around his arm. "Give me your other hand."
She took his other hand and he felt all the weight lift from him. "To kill you now would bring me no joy. Maybe I should find you as an old man or as a child. That thread below us is time. Yui trusts you even if you are a manipulating bastard. Just so you won't give me any issues returning."
She let go of his arm and punched him in the stomach. She had power in the void. He crumpled in pain. The shock of it was apparent in his eyes. Jade entered time again and dropped her prey. Yui was crying. She placed a hand on her head. "Even for all the pain he's caused me and the evil he is I couldn't let the void have him. He'll wake in a minute. I might have hurt his ego though."
Jade quickly slipped time as the blonde started to move. She found the marker in her room. Miaka must have told because there was quite the audience, the sand before them started to glow. They went silent. Jade was starting to appear before them. Tamahome saw it first; the last grain of sand had just dropped on Jade's cheek. Her eyes became very solemn as she realized that this time she wouldn't be exiting the void. "I told Yui for you Miaka. The man that protects her, he killed my family because they took me away from them."
One last tear rolled down Jade's face. She waived and smiled. "Don't worry, have faith in meeting again."
Miaka ran to hug Jade slipping from Tamahome's grasp. Her arms went through the now white as snow time traveler. Like a candle Jade flickered and was gone. Miaka turned to the others. "Where did she go? Why didn't she make it back?"
"She did what she set out to do. I can't follow her, you know."