The Next Generation 10

(Magicman, Smokegirl, and Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat are sitting in front of a computer screen)

Smokegirl: Come on! Hurry up with the boring stuff! This needs more destruction!

Magicman: The destruction quotient is being worked on. I can't just write in a nuclear bomb going off!

Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: This is getting boring! You need more music! Featuring me, of course!

Magicman: Away with both of you! Let me work in peace!

(Dilandau storms in)

Dilandau: Okay, where's that sappy, music loving fake? So help me, I'll tear him limb from limb! No one impersonates Dilandau Albatou!

Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: Aah! Hide me! (Dives through a portal that was conveniently sitting there. Dilandau follows, howling for blood.)

Magicman: Well, while those two sort out their differences, why don't we get started?

Smokegirl: Good! (Pulls out bucket of popcorn.)



Yukari stood perfectly still. Her sword was raised vertically in front of her face, and both hands clasped the intricately carved hilt, made to look like a dragon winding around to the pommel. Holding the blade in both hands, she went into a stance.

Suddenly, she charged, her blade slashing through the difficult manoeuvres that her parents had taught her. Indeed, it almost seemed as if Hitomi herself was guiding the movements of her daughter.

Yukari was worried. No, better to say that she was getting scared. Yesterday, after they had deciphered part of that prophecy, she was afraid that she might understand another line. 'Fate can change for those with sight'. That sounded a hell of a lot like visions to her! What if Kasar, or Kriggen, or Veers, or whoever decided to get rid of her mother along with stealing Escaflowne?

Yukari shivered, and she slashed downward viciously. If those bastards hurt her mother she'd take their skulls and use them for drinking glasses! Whirling, she swung her katana in a level blow, and it met another sword with a deafening KLANG!

Blinking, Yukari came out of her thoughts and looked up into the smiling face of Mark.

The young man was bare-chested and wore only a pair of loose pants. "Hi!" he said, cheerfully. "You looked lonely, so I thought you could use some company. Do you mind?"

Yukari tore herself away from his lean chest muscles. "Er.what?"

Mark laughed. "I'll take that to mean that you don't mind." He stepped back, disengaging his sword from Yukari's, and settled into a stance. Yukari finally caught his meaning and smiled, slightly crazily.

"I'm not going easy on you, you know!" she taunted.

"I wouldn't want you to!" Holding his bastard sword in an overhead position, he waited for her attack. He didn't have to wait long.

That smile still on her face, Yukari charged full tilt toward Mark. At the last second, she jerked left to get around his angled sword and thrust home.

Mark's incredible reflexes saved him from harm, and he back-flipped from her. Coming to his feet, he swung a two-handed blow, which Yukari blocked. Twisting his sword around hers, he shoved in close, and caught her wrist in his hand. Attempting to twist it behind her back, he received a kick to his leg.

Mark fell back, a curse on his lips. Yukari smiled even more. Now this was exercise! "Didn't I tell you not to swear in front of a lady?"

Mark recovered, regaining his stance, and he smiled too. "I may recall something of the sort, yes. I was distracted with a certain fiery tempered girl, so I can't recall all the details."

"That fiery tempered girl was just getting warmed up!" Yukari went all out, in a style that had been inherited from both of her parents.

Sword trailing in the dust of the training room, Yukari sprinted forward. Five feet away, she brought up her blade and, still running forward crashed into Mark and his two-handed bastard sword.

The two stood like that for a second. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments. Then they attacked each other.

Mark dodged a vicious thrust and let fly an intricate series of slashing blows that always kept him covered. Yukari cut left around this attack and kicked out, forcing him to break off and face her. Catching her foot in his hand, he heaved, throwing her off-balance. Seeing an advantage, Mark ran forward, his pounding feet raising more dust.

Yukari landed in a crouch and was off again, blade meeting blade. Letting go, she spun and grabbed Mark's arm. Heaving forward, she flipped him over her shoulder.

Unlike Yukari, Mark landed heavily. Gasping for breath, he forced his sword up, blocking Yukari's attack to his chest. Removing one hand from his sword, he swung a fist at her, striking her shoulder. Yukari was sent sprawling.

They both got up at the same time. Yukari was grinning, and her eyes had darkened from crimson to a blood red. Dancing back and forth, from foot to foot, she beckoned him to come.

Mark took the dare. He advanced slowly, carefully. He always stayed on his guard. He stayed just out of sword's reach, teasingly waving his sword just in front of her, as if to say, "Come and play!"

Yukari suddenly frowned, and her eyes lightened somewhat. 'Calm down Yukari.' she told herself. 'What was it that mom said?'

The memory came to her. Hitomi was telling her daughter about the time that she had fought Refina. "Yukari, going berserk is all very well, and it's a formidable style of fighting. But it relies on blind aggression. If you're fighting a skilled opponent who knows what he's doing, then you must always keep your head. Besides, you could hurt someone you care about." She added.

Yukari nodded slowly. Aloud, she said, "You're pretty good Mark. This is some of the best exercise I've got in a while."

Mark nodded. "You're not so bad yours-". He was cut off. Yukari had taken his momentary distraction to launch an attack. 'She was just trying to distract me!' Mark thought. He grinned. 'The clever little minx!'

Yukari suddenly stopped fighting. Ducking Mark's sword, she ran ten feet behind him. Mark spun quickly to stop her from going for his flank. But Yukari reversed her motion, and ran back the other way. She dropped her sword and tackled Mark to the ground, causing him to drop his own sword.

The two rolled around on the ground, grappling for the upper hand. Sometimes Mark would seem to be winning, but then Yukari would get him in an arm bar and take away his advantage.

Eventually, however, they ended up pinning each other. They lay on the ground facing each other. Mark's arms were wrapped around Yukari, pinning her arms to her side, Yukari's legs were wrapped around his, and their heads were cheek to cheek on each other's shoulders.

Yukari gasped for breath. Mark wheezed. And both lay on the ground, entangled with each other, amidst the ruins of the castle training room.

They lay like that long after their breaths were regained. Nether said a word. Each was too wrapped up in their thoughts to attempt to move.

All things, good or bad, must come to an end, however, and this moment was no different. The sound of someone clearing his throat brought both teens back to reality.

"I assume you two are finished training for today?"

In a flash, Mark and Yukari were separated and off the ground. Blushing furiously, they avoided looking at anything. Van smiled. "Maybe you two should hit the showers, hmmm?"

Silently, they almost fled into the room opposite of the training room. Van chuckled quietly to himself. "Oh to be young again!"

***

Yukari winced as she felt her muscles. Mark had nailed her pretty good, and she was sore all over.

Glancing at the door to the shower, she wished he would hurry up. Since there was only one room filled with thirty different showerheads, they'd decided that they should go one at a time. Though it might actually be more helpful to go together. They could wash each other's backs and-

Yukari slapped herself. "Will you stop talking like that?" she growled. "You sound almost like Dalet!"

Another jolt of pain lanced through her shoulders just as Mark strolled into the room, fully dressed and clean as a whistle. Yukari was almost disappointed. Before she could slap herself again, Mark walked up to her and frowned.

"What?"

He pointed to her shoulders. "You have sore muscles, don't you?"

Yukari got to her feet. "It's nothing a hot shower won't cure." Then she stumbled into the shower room.

Twenty minutes later, she felt no better than before (with the exception of being clean). Swearing horribly, she walked painfully through the door. Much to her surprise, Mark was till there.

"What? Why are you still here?"

He stood up and gestured for her to take his spot on the bench. "Lie down. I'm giving you a massage."

The thought of Mark's hands touching her made Yukari blush. Despite stammered protestations, she allowed Mark to sit her down on the long bench. Then when he directed her to lie facedown, she wordlessly obliged.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"My sisters taught me everything they know." Mark smiled. "Just relax and leave the work to the professional."

Nervously, Yukari tried to do what he said. When his hands touched her shoulders, she winced.

"Try not to tense up."

Yukari lay limp and half-closed her eyes. The pain subsided, and she was left with a feeling of warm pleasure.

Mark kneaded her stiff muscles until they were warm and soft. Then he moved down to her back, and legs. Each area of her body, he lovingly rubbed and soothed from its aches, and soon enough, Yukari was buzzing with pleasure.

When he finished, Mark stood back and surveyed his handy work. Yukari rolled her head and directed a glazed smile at him. If Mark didn't know better, he'd think that she was drunk.

He kneeled by her head. "Does that feel better?"

Yukari slowly sat up, leisurely stretching her body along the way. "Much better." She said slowly. "How did you do that?" she asked leaning closer to him.

Mark shrugged. He was getting sweaty she was so close.

Yukari leaned forward. Mark was shivering now. He closed his eyes and felt a warm touch on his forehead. When he opened his eyes, Yukari was still smiling. 'God she's sexy!' This time, Mark didn't shut up the thought.

"Maybe" she murmured into his ear, "Maybe I could return the favour sometime." With that, Yukari Kanzaki Albatou stood up and walked from the room, leaving behind Mark Killowitski, desperately struggling against a nosebleed.

"I think I'm gonna need another shower" he said to himself.

***

Setto was wandering about the shrine where Escaflowne slept. The great figure loomed overhead like a sleeping giant. The young man checked out various paths into and out of the grove, and when he came to a likely spot, he kneeled on the ground and buried something small in the earth. He repeated the process at six more points in the shrine, and when he was done he stood back and wiped his hands with satisfaction.

Suddenly, he turned around and frowned. He stared at a bush intently. "Alright Sabrina. You can come out now!"

Sabrina stepped out, but from behind a tree twenty feet away. "You were half-right Setto!" she said cheerfully.

Setto broke into a broad grin. "You're getting there! Not quite, but you're getting there!"

In one day, Sabrina had made remarkable progress. She had already mastered lock picking, and was excelling at moving silently. She was remarkably athletic for a girl who was never allowed to make a move on her own, and she would make an excellent ninja, thief, or any other career that requires moving quietly and sneaking into buildings.

At the moment, Sabrina was dusting her brown leather pants. Her soft black hair was tied up in a braid, and her eyes sparkled with her newly found sense of humour.

"What are you doing Setto?" she asked, looking curiously at the areas he'd hid things.

"Oh, I'm just making this place a little more.defensible in case of attack."

"Why would you be doing that?"

"Let's just say that-"

"Does it have something to do with that prophecy of yours?"

For perhaps the first time in his life, Setto was speechless. Sabrina smiled. "Oh don't look so surprised. You were being so mysterious yesterday that it was getting annoying. You'd be surprised how easy it can be to listen at a keyhole."

Setto suddenly laughed. "I believe I have been outfoxed!"

"Nice try Setto. I've known you for two days, but I can read you like a book. You're trying to hide something from me, and I want to know what it is!"

Setto's laughter changed to a sigh. "Alright, I'll tell you. But this is a secret. You can't tell anyone, alright?"

Sabrina nodded. After Setto had spoken, she was quiet. Too quiet. "Well? No response?"

Sabrina looked Setto straight in the eyes. "Kriggen's going to have help stealing the Escaflowne."

"What? How could you know that?"

Sabrina shrugged. "The same way I found out about your prophecy. I was walking down a hall, trying to be quiet. I must have succeeded, because I passed a room and no one inside heard me. They were talking quietly, and I had to get right up against the door to hear." She shuddered. "This is what I heard. Andrakus was in that room. And he was talking to father."

"Your father? General Veers?"

Sabrina nodded. "I'd know that voice anywhere!"

"What were they saying?"

"Father said to go ahead with the plan. Andrakus didn't want to. He thought that man Kriggen had screwed everything up. But father said to 'back him up'. And then they stopped talking."

Setto was silently trying to figure out the meaning of what he'd just heard. It didn't take long. "This is very bad. This means that Kasar knows about Kriggen going after Escaflowne. And it would seem that Veers wants him to provide backup."

Sabrina sat down on the ground dejectedly. "There's something depressing about learning that your father is a power hungry lunatic, and I think I know what."

Setto sat down next to her and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't feel so bad. My father was a complete psycho."

Sabrina looked up. "Really?"

"Really. Even now, he has his moments." Setto shook his head to clear it. Generals, Escaflowne, and spooky bastards. And to top it off, his friend is suffering a family crisis. "Look, it really doesn't matter who our fathers are. What matters is that we don't let them rule our lives. Understand?"

Sabrina looked Setto in the eye. "I think so."

"Good. 'Don't get upset over what God does.'"

"Who said that?"

"Me, weren't you listening?"

Sabrina smiled slightly. "So you believe in God?"

"Not really, but he provides a decent scapegoat when things blow up."

Sabrina laughed. "Thanks, I needed that laugh."

Surprising himself, Setto touched her cheek softly. Startled, Sabrina looked into his eyes. "Are you going to be alright?"

Wordlessly, she nodded.

"Good". Setto reached into his pocket and pulled out a communicator. Sabrina looked on curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Calling in reinforcements."



Magicman: Did you guys like it? If so, email one dollar to tetotaller101@hotmail.com!



I'm just kidding you know. That was a joke. Hey! Put down that chainsaw! HEY! (leaps through portal to join Dilandau and Dilandau-with-a-cowboy- hat.)