Authoresses Note:
I had such a hard time writing this one. With the other chapters I just wrote what came from my head, and then, sure, I did go over and make a few changes, but for the most part it was pure rambling. Here, after I copied down my mind's content, I made so many changes that this chapter is something completely different by now, and it would amaze anybody if I went into details about how much it changed. Still, I have doubts about its quality. If you think differently please don't hesitate to leave a review. And enjoy! ^___^
***Part Four of Forbidden: Her Sword As Lovely And Sad As Her Eyes***
The four of them - Ferio, Fuu, Umi, and Presea - started their journey through the Forest of Silence about midday. At least they thought it was midday, as according to their clocks and watches, but the reality of it all was that never mind what time of the day it was, the sky was black and it all seemed to be night anyhow.
They got rather far before the attack. It was almost useless for them to fight, but they did anyway, like the warriors they were, even though the two Magic Knights had no magic. The tribesmen, heavily tanned with body paint, shabbily wearing deerskin, were much more adapted to the battleground of the forest. Ferio never saw the attack that hit him unconscious, as neither did Presea. Fuu, somewhat quicker on her feet, managed to fight back a little, but it was all in vain. By the time they reached Umi, the Magic Knight of Water had already showcased a sophisticated suaveness concerning the whole affair, knowing that she couldn't win - so she stuck herself with her own fencing blade and threw it hard to the bushes before the tribesmen could see what she'd done.
It was a marking, sort of like how some people in fairy tales choose to leave breadcrumbs on a winding trail in scary forests, even though that attempt to eventually return home usually ends up afoul, as those same people are treated to long stays in candy houses with an awfully queer witch as their hostess. In the fantasy world that was Cephiro, however, Umi prayed that somebody - anybody - would recognize her sword with her blood on it. Then she fainted from her self-inflicted wound in the hands of her captors.
The tribesmen took their bounty and headed to their village. Their new dark mistress would be very pleased indeed on their capture. Their reward would be vast, as promised, and it had been so easy, too! Of course, it was expected. Years their ancestors had spent in this forest, forming a unique culture like no other, and boasted themselves on even being able to capture the GRAND ONE by usage of stealth - or, in other words, the Pillar. That's what the mistress Alcione had wanted to know when she had hired them, after all. Could they catch the Pillar? GRAND ONE might be passing through this forest soon, and she could pay them for her capture.
Alcione had never suspected that Clef would send Hikaru to the Celes Library.
So all the tribesmen could wonder was, which one was the Pillar? Alcione had said it was a foreign girl. The one with the glasses, or the one with the long hair? The one with the long hair had been able to fight longer, but the one with the glasses had successfully wounded five of their men, whereas the one with the long hair had not even attacked anyone. Oh well, better let the mistress Alcione decide.
Geo wandered the confines of the building, occasionally stopping to ogle the differences between Cephiro's and Autozam's style of architecture. He didn't even realize he was by Eagle's room until he was directly in front of the door. He paused, and then knocked. Hearing no answer, he remembered Ascot's conditions of capture, and barged in anyhow.
Eagle was sleeping in bed like a baby.
Geo breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat himself down on a chair next to the bedside, watching him silently.
He was so gentle. And yet so strong. Such an odd mixture, such an ironic and contradictory mixture, but within this man it worked and only made sense.
How weird. When Geo was with Eagle, it was like the whole world made sense, even in times of chaos.
Eagle provided a method to the madness.
It was probably under the influence of this train of thought that Geo did what he did, gently reaching a strong hand down and cupping one of Eagle's cheeks, gently brushing away a few soft wisps of silver hair back behind his ear. His skin was soft, portraying the gentle aspect of him more than anything else.
Eagle groaned a little and blinked weary eyes awake. Geo immediately returned his hand to his side and sat waiting for Eagle to come more fully to, blushing a deep red.
"What time is it?" Eagle asked tiredly, pushing himself up on his one arm and sending a glance throughout the expanse of the small, but still acceptable, room.
Geo grinned. "A pleasant good morning to you too, Eagle."
"I'm sorry." Eagle felt immediate misgivings for being so lazily rude and not saying a proper hello to his comrade of years. "Is it really morning?"
"I have no clue. The sky's dark."
"As it has been, for hours." Eagle sighed, rolling off the bed and fumbling with a dresser on the side opposite to Geo, pulling off his shirt to expose a strong arch of a back, somewhat more pale than it should be. Eagle had always been pale, never tanning, just going immediately to burn when in front of the sun's rays. It probably didn't help that Autozam's sun had gone toxic years ago.
Geo paused before asking his question. It had been burning in his mind, however, ever since the joyful news that Eagle had awakened had reached him, and it could no longer be contained. ".Say, Eagle?"
"Yes?" Eagle's response was somewhat muffled as he pulled a new shirt over his head. He then began to address the issue of pants, and even though Geo shouldn't have been uncomfortable with it, the somewhat stronger man by way of physical condition found himself looking away to the wall.
"Now that you're awake, will you contact your father? He's probably curious as to where you are. You know, you told him you were going to take Cephiro and all that, and then you went in to Cephiro and you didn't return, and you obviously didn't 'take' it. Any father would wonder - maybe even worry, if they've got a worthwhile damn in them."
"Then my father doesn't have a worthwhile damn in him." Came Eagle's startling reply. Geo blinked and looked back to him, which was no longer a problem because he had the new set of pants on already and was now only having problems with the buttons interlacing his shirt. "No Geo, I won't tell him. He can think of me as dead, or missing in action, for all I care."
"Geez."
Eagle turned to face Geo, still unsuccessful with the shirt buttons, surprised at the 'geez'.
Geo went on, blushing again. "I've always known there's been no love lost between you and your father. But for Christ's sake Eagle, didn't you ever think that we may need him?"
Eagle returned to his buttons. "I don't quite understand - ah, these things are horrible. Damn."
"Here." With a couple quick strides Geo was out of his chair and over to Eagle, standing directly in front of him and helping him with the buttons, 'clumsily' using his large fingers with a grace that eluded a still drowsy Eagle. Progress was made. "I guess what I'm saying is we don't know what the hell is going on in Cephiro right now, but we'll probably need help with it. And Autozam is certainly in a position to help, if anyone is."
Eagle looked to the ground, avoiding Geo's gaze. "You give my father too much credit, Geo. As far as he'll be concerned, Cephiro didn't help Autozam out in its time of need, so - and here's a direct quote from him, 'Screw 'em over 'cause we've got our own problems'. True," He smiled weakly as Geo's expression assumed that of disbelief, "He didn't say -that- when he was talking about Cephiro, or anything to do with Cephiro. It's just his general philosophy on life, I think."
"Whatever's going on here could have something to do with Autozam in the long run, though." Geo returned, finishing up the last couple buttons. His fingers flitted over Eagle's soft skin for a moment, before moving back to the more allowed expanse of soft cloth, even though, in his humble opinion, the softness of the cloth was nothing compared to the softness of the skin. "I think he's a reasonable enough guy, and once he -"
Geo stopped speaking, his gaze having scanned the room briefly. Lantis stood in the doorframe, typically solemn, bordering on anti-social, as usual. Even though Geo knew he -technically- had done nothing wrong, his hands left Eagle's chest. A couple of buttons were left un-buttoned. Eagle, questioning Geo's sudden lapse, looked up and immediately spotted Lantis.
If Lantis thought anything about Eagle and Geo's interaction, he certainly didn't voice his unease. "We have a problem." He said, with just the same balanced I-don't-really-care-about-anything/I-care-about-everything way of living. Then he threw Umi's sword onto the bed, where it bounced a little under the soft, velvety cushioning, until finally coming to a rest. The white sheets were stained a light red where the blade was still wet.
Eagle, who was closest to it, blinked and picked it up gingerly, turning it around his hand and somewhat enjoying the feel of a sword in his hand once again. True, he fought mostly with his GTO, but as the prince of his kingdom (or at least very close to that ranking) he had learned swordplay and become a more than able swordsman.
As the blade glinted in the light, Eagle asked, "Why's it covered in blood?"
"Who's is it?" Geo asked, getting to the point.
"Umi's." Came Lantis' quiet reply.
Both Eagle and Geo looked up very quickly to Lantis.
"I went for a little ride after Hikaru and their group departed. And I started to head into the Forest of Silence, where I found that." A pause. Lantis continued, "I have a feeling that Ferio and the rest never quite connected with Clef and Ascot."
One of the first things Ascot had noticed about Clef once the sorcerer had gotten out of the trance was that he was taller. He asked Clef about it, and Clef answered merely that they were sort of the same, and that he could also take any form he liked. Ascot didn't prod any further after that, but he did have a thought race through his mind that he himself had changed because he'd wanted to impress a pretty girl with a penchant for fiery, determined kindness, so -
Who had Clef changed for?
They talked briefly after that, mostly about their experiences in battle with Alcione. One of the points they found themselves stressing over and over with each other was that although she had not changed physically, she was so much stronger - so much! Both of them had been knocked out within five minutes of the battle, which, although may have been not quite out of the ordinary for Ascot, was saying something for the Guru Clef that had powers only second to the Pillar and the Knights.
Soon, however, they landed at Presea's hut. And waited. Waited. Waited. Waited some more.
And as they waited, Ascot couldn't help it. His mind wandered. He could remember the night of the picnic so well, when everything had seemed like the calm after the storm, even though now he realized it was the calm before the storm. So he sat himself down on the ground outside the building, and remembered.
He had been talking with Umi, and as night - real night, not just an eerie eternal black - descended upon them, he had remembered an old little cliff face about a half a mile from the palace that was a simply beautiful place to regard the worlds in their places in the sky. He'd asked Umi if she wanted to come, and she had nodded, signifying a silent yes. So he took her there.
'Wow.' She had said, more breathing than saying the words, scrambling to the top and kneeling on the grass. 'Beautiful. The moon's even prettier than on Earth. Or, at least, it's bigger. And brighter.'
Ascot had frowned wonderingly as he had come up behind her, taking a seat on the grass next to her. The cliff went a fair while down, maybe about a mile or so. Normally, it was dizzying. Then, however, he had had a very sappy and whimsical thought that it wasn't nearly high enough, because angels deserved to be higher. Which, of course, made him beat himself up over it, being that it was such an entirely disgustingly wish-washy remark. 'Earth?'
'Oh - the place we Magic Knights come from. - So that's Chizeta, over there?' She had pointed then to the honey-colored orb sitting a fair distance in the sky from the 'moon', which, Ascot guessed, was actually Autozam. But he wouldn't tell her that.
'I think so. We should ask Tarta or Tatra first, though.'
'Yeah.'
They were both silent for a long moment then, taking in the beautiful view. It actually took Ascot a moment to realize his hat was off his head, but he eventually did, looking down to Umi with an expression of surprise.
She had smiled up at him, the hat in her lap. 'There. You have beautiful eyes, Ascot. You shouldn't hide them.'
He had blushed, a hand instinctively going up to feel the absence of hat, resting uncomfortably on his tuft of reddish hair. 'Hey, give that back.'
She stuck her tongue out at him then. 'I just want to see you without it.'
'You saw. Can I please have it back now?'
She had shaken her head. He had blinked. And then whined. 'Uuuuuuummmmmmiiiiiiiii. Come on.'
'Come get it.' She had laughed gently.
He blinked again. The wind whistled through the trees, a soft and lovely sound, brushing back a bit of Umi's hair from her face and over onto her shoulder. Silence lapsed in between that and Ascot's next words, followed by action. 'Fine!' He had yelled out, but jokingly so, and then made a grab at it.
She dodged, and he tried again, it resulting in the two of them falling backward the way they had come, rolling softly down the soft expanse of hill. It was a blurred collage of Umi's hair, the black of the sky, and the green of the grass, the only sound being the soft thumps they made against the grass, as well as their laughter vibrating into the vague night like crystals. He wasn't sure why like crystals, but that was how it had struck him.
Then, to his horror and joy, they had come to a stop in a unique position: Ascot lying on top of Umi, his hands positioned behind her back, gripping softly at the cloth that was also his hat, as it had somehow arrived underneath the curve of her back.
Umi had giggled, and then let out a long sigh. 'You still don't have it.' She had pointed out to him. 'And you won't until you say the magic words. Do you know the magic words, As -"
He couldn't explain what had come over him then. It's just that she had been lying there, so playful and beautiful, and her body fit perfectly into his in this position, the curves of her legs into his groin, and he loved being around her, and he'd wanted so much to touch her, so he had - he'd reached down and silenced her with a long kiss. Long. It would have been bad enough if he'd gone down and given her a little peck, on the cheek, but no, he'd had to do a full kiss, on the lips. It was just that, at the time, he was pretty sure she had responded, her hands going up to massage the nape of his neck and her torso moving upwards to position against his.
When it was done, he had realized his mistake and rolled off of her, blushing.
She'd smiled and continued their conversation about Chizeta, as if nothing had happened. 'Tarta was telling me about how small their place is. Do you know anything about that, Ascot?...'
And so it had gone, for the rest of the night. Talking, like she hadn't taken any offense. Like it hadn't happened. But even the thought of that memory made Ascot blush, so it definitely had happened. He just hoped that he hadn't offended her in some way - after all, she hadn't slapped him or anything - basically she'd just refused to acknowledge that it had happened.
"Ascot." Came Clef's voice, somewhat tense, breaking through his thoughts.
Ascot blinked, and looked up from his gaze's position on the ground, taking in Clef standing in front of him. Clef's back was to him, as Clef himself faced the fringe of forest and the small hub of activity that was bristling within. Then, the source of trodden twigs and leaves was given to be Lantis.
Coming through the trees, on horseback. Wait. There was also Eagle now, on a different horse, coming in behind him.
Ascot had to fight hard to control the curse that made its way through his vocal chords as he saw the sword that Lantis straddled in his right hand.
Ow.
He felt like shit.
Rolling over - although he didn't know where he was rolling over or what he was rolling onto - he could tell that his leg had been cut by something, for it ached and felt wet. Beneath him, he felt something sticky and scratchy - straw? Yet, the straw had a method to it, like it was woven together - this kind of understanding told him that he was in a straw hut, even though the pain in his leg kept him from opening his eyes for a good moment or two, and the only vision he could be allowed was a deep dark black, occasionally with those fire red rings of hallucination that present themselves to people that shut their eyes too tightly, as he was doing then.
Slowly though, he fought through it and opened his eyes.
He was right.
He was in a straw hut, as was illustrated to him by the uneven, honey- colored material dominating the roof, walls, and floor. His right leg was torn up quite a bit, with the cloth shattered and long streaks of bloody red practically crisscrossing the expanse of bare skin by his ankle. At first he thought he had been burned, but since it didn't hurt the way a burn does, he dismissed that.
Telling himself to concentrate, to try to seek out and discover the confines of his 'prison', he quickly set about detailing where he was - which was, simply, nowhere. Without simplification, however, it could be seen to be a small straw hut, with no one else around, and windows barred by sticks. It was wholly dark in the hut, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust and note these things.
Another thing was that, if his injured leg was not enough implication for such, he knew he was a captive - wherever he was. His hands were bound together, normally soft cloth tearing at his skin because of how tightly it -was- bound. That actually pained him more than his leg, sufficiently so.
Before he could make any more observations however, the straw door to the straw hut was opened very slowly, as if someone was teasing it open. Deciding to play dumb, Ferio lay back down in his former position and resumed a look of a slumber. Footsteps, as that person fully entered the room.
"Insolent Sheki Tribe. I promised them five hundred of their stupid form of money, and they know it. It's idiotic - I won't pay that ridiculous amount."
Ferio had to fight the impulse to blink his eyes open as he recognized the voice. The speaker, feminine and beautiful, yet hiding a seductive level of dangerousness to her beauty, was supposed to be dead.
Of course, she wasn't, because Presea had reported that Clef and Ascot had reported the opposite. But still. It almost seemed to him as if she still was dead, for he did not see her body, and it was a disembodied voice that droned on and on.
He should keep up the act, however, he told himself, because Alcione might let something slip if she thinks I'm still asleep. I'm not sure what, but something is better than nothing.
He suddenly felt her presence - her warmth, maybe - step closer to him. He was positive she was kneeling by him. And his theory was only proven when soft fingers pressed against his face, trailing the path of his cheekbones and brushing back some bangs behind his ears. His heart thudded, and he wondered what the hell she was doing. Studying to see if it was really he, one of Clef's fellow disciples as a child?
A soft chuckle descended upon him, hot breath pushing into his ear. He felt his head tilted up, and knew she was staring directly at him.
Not yet, though, not yet, I'm still asleep and I want you to tell me something you idiotic excuse for a sorceress.
"Those little weirdo's couldn't even tell the difference between a Pillar and Prince. How disappointing. I told them she was red haired. Not blonde, nor with a blue tinge - red."
Wait a second here. How could Alcione know that Hikaru was Pillar now? She was killed far before those events had taken place.
Unless -
Someone had told her.
Alcione rambled on. Ferio tried his best to make his face appear slack. "Heh. Ferio, brother of that which took Zagato away from me."
And then, a shot of pain as her free hand pulled back and slapped him harshly against the cheek. Ferio's instinctive reaction was quick - after recoiling, he opened his eyes, saw his enemy for the first time in quite a while, pulled himself out of her grasp, and sent her a hard kick that caught her neatly in her side, sending her to the ground with a little feminine grunt.
Alcione smirked from her newly disgruntled position on the floor. "I thought you were awake, but I wasn't sure."
I had such a hard time writing this one. With the other chapters I just wrote what came from my head, and then, sure, I did go over and make a few changes, but for the most part it was pure rambling. Here, after I copied down my mind's content, I made so many changes that this chapter is something completely different by now, and it would amaze anybody if I went into details about how much it changed. Still, I have doubts about its quality. If you think differently please don't hesitate to leave a review. And enjoy! ^___^
***Part Four of Forbidden: Her Sword As Lovely And Sad As Her Eyes***
The four of them - Ferio, Fuu, Umi, and Presea - started their journey through the Forest of Silence about midday. At least they thought it was midday, as according to their clocks and watches, but the reality of it all was that never mind what time of the day it was, the sky was black and it all seemed to be night anyhow.
They got rather far before the attack. It was almost useless for them to fight, but they did anyway, like the warriors they were, even though the two Magic Knights had no magic. The tribesmen, heavily tanned with body paint, shabbily wearing deerskin, were much more adapted to the battleground of the forest. Ferio never saw the attack that hit him unconscious, as neither did Presea. Fuu, somewhat quicker on her feet, managed to fight back a little, but it was all in vain. By the time they reached Umi, the Magic Knight of Water had already showcased a sophisticated suaveness concerning the whole affair, knowing that she couldn't win - so she stuck herself with her own fencing blade and threw it hard to the bushes before the tribesmen could see what she'd done.
It was a marking, sort of like how some people in fairy tales choose to leave breadcrumbs on a winding trail in scary forests, even though that attempt to eventually return home usually ends up afoul, as those same people are treated to long stays in candy houses with an awfully queer witch as their hostess. In the fantasy world that was Cephiro, however, Umi prayed that somebody - anybody - would recognize her sword with her blood on it. Then she fainted from her self-inflicted wound in the hands of her captors.
The tribesmen took their bounty and headed to their village. Their new dark mistress would be very pleased indeed on their capture. Their reward would be vast, as promised, and it had been so easy, too! Of course, it was expected. Years their ancestors had spent in this forest, forming a unique culture like no other, and boasted themselves on even being able to capture the GRAND ONE by usage of stealth - or, in other words, the Pillar. That's what the mistress Alcione had wanted to know when she had hired them, after all. Could they catch the Pillar? GRAND ONE might be passing through this forest soon, and she could pay them for her capture.
Alcione had never suspected that Clef would send Hikaru to the Celes Library.
So all the tribesmen could wonder was, which one was the Pillar? Alcione had said it was a foreign girl. The one with the glasses, or the one with the long hair? The one with the long hair had been able to fight longer, but the one with the glasses had successfully wounded five of their men, whereas the one with the long hair had not even attacked anyone. Oh well, better let the mistress Alcione decide.
Geo wandered the confines of the building, occasionally stopping to ogle the differences between Cephiro's and Autozam's style of architecture. He didn't even realize he was by Eagle's room until he was directly in front of the door. He paused, and then knocked. Hearing no answer, he remembered Ascot's conditions of capture, and barged in anyhow.
Eagle was sleeping in bed like a baby.
Geo breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat himself down on a chair next to the bedside, watching him silently.
He was so gentle. And yet so strong. Such an odd mixture, such an ironic and contradictory mixture, but within this man it worked and only made sense.
How weird. When Geo was with Eagle, it was like the whole world made sense, even in times of chaos.
Eagle provided a method to the madness.
It was probably under the influence of this train of thought that Geo did what he did, gently reaching a strong hand down and cupping one of Eagle's cheeks, gently brushing away a few soft wisps of silver hair back behind his ear. His skin was soft, portraying the gentle aspect of him more than anything else.
Eagle groaned a little and blinked weary eyes awake. Geo immediately returned his hand to his side and sat waiting for Eagle to come more fully to, blushing a deep red.
"What time is it?" Eagle asked tiredly, pushing himself up on his one arm and sending a glance throughout the expanse of the small, but still acceptable, room.
Geo grinned. "A pleasant good morning to you too, Eagle."
"I'm sorry." Eagle felt immediate misgivings for being so lazily rude and not saying a proper hello to his comrade of years. "Is it really morning?"
"I have no clue. The sky's dark."
"As it has been, for hours." Eagle sighed, rolling off the bed and fumbling with a dresser on the side opposite to Geo, pulling off his shirt to expose a strong arch of a back, somewhat more pale than it should be. Eagle had always been pale, never tanning, just going immediately to burn when in front of the sun's rays. It probably didn't help that Autozam's sun had gone toxic years ago.
Geo paused before asking his question. It had been burning in his mind, however, ever since the joyful news that Eagle had awakened had reached him, and it could no longer be contained. ".Say, Eagle?"
"Yes?" Eagle's response was somewhat muffled as he pulled a new shirt over his head. He then began to address the issue of pants, and even though Geo shouldn't have been uncomfortable with it, the somewhat stronger man by way of physical condition found himself looking away to the wall.
"Now that you're awake, will you contact your father? He's probably curious as to where you are. You know, you told him you were going to take Cephiro and all that, and then you went in to Cephiro and you didn't return, and you obviously didn't 'take' it. Any father would wonder - maybe even worry, if they've got a worthwhile damn in them."
"Then my father doesn't have a worthwhile damn in him." Came Eagle's startling reply. Geo blinked and looked back to him, which was no longer a problem because he had the new set of pants on already and was now only having problems with the buttons interlacing his shirt. "No Geo, I won't tell him. He can think of me as dead, or missing in action, for all I care."
"Geez."
Eagle turned to face Geo, still unsuccessful with the shirt buttons, surprised at the 'geez'.
Geo went on, blushing again. "I've always known there's been no love lost between you and your father. But for Christ's sake Eagle, didn't you ever think that we may need him?"
Eagle returned to his buttons. "I don't quite understand - ah, these things are horrible. Damn."
"Here." With a couple quick strides Geo was out of his chair and over to Eagle, standing directly in front of him and helping him with the buttons, 'clumsily' using his large fingers with a grace that eluded a still drowsy Eagle. Progress was made. "I guess what I'm saying is we don't know what the hell is going on in Cephiro right now, but we'll probably need help with it. And Autozam is certainly in a position to help, if anyone is."
Eagle looked to the ground, avoiding Geo's gaze. "You give my father too much credit, Geo. As far as he'll be concerned, Cephiro didn't help Autozam out in its time of need, so - and here's a direct quote from him, 'Screw 'em over 'cause we've got our own problems'. True," He smiled weakly as Geo's expression assumed that of disbelief, "He didn't say -that- when he was talking about Cephiro, or anything to do with Cephiro. It's just his general philosophy on life, I think."
"Whatever's going on here could have something to do with Autozam in the long run, though." Geo returned, finishing up the last couple buttons. His fingers flitted over Eagle's soft skin for a moment, before moving back to the more allowed expanse of soft cloth, even though, in his humble opinion, the softness of the cloth was nothing compared to the softness of the skin. "I think he's a reasonable enough guy, and once he -"
Geo stopped speaking, his gaze having scanned the room briefly. Lantis stood in the doorframe, typically solemn, bordering on anti-social, as usual. Even though Geo knew he -technically- had done nothing wrong, his hands left Eagle's chest. A couple of buttons were left un-buttoned. Eagle, questioning Geo's sudden lapse, looked up and immediately spotted Lantis.
If Lantis thought anything about Eagle and Geo's interaction, he certainly didn't voice his unease. "We have a problem." He said, with just the same balanced I-don't-really-care-about-anything/I-care-about-everything way of living. Then he threw Umi's sword onto the bed, where it bounced a little under the soft, velvety cushioning, until finally coming to a rest. The white sheets were stained a light red where the blade was still wet.
Eagle, who was closest to it, blinked and picked it up gingerly, turning it around his hand and somewhat enjoying the feel of a sword in his hand once again. True, he fought mostly with his GTO, but as the prince of his kingdom (or at least very close to that ranking) he had learned swordplay and become a more than able swordsman.
As the blade glinted in the light, Eagle asked, "Why's it covered in blood?"
"Who's is it?" Geo asked, getting to the point.
"Umi's." Came Lantis' quiet reply.
Both Eagle and Geo looked up very quickly to Lantis.
"I went for a little ride after Hikaru and their group departed. And I started to head into the Forest of Silence, where I found that." A pause. Lantis continued, "I have a feeling that Ferio and the rest never quite connected with Clef and Ascot."
One of the first things Ascot had noticed about Clef once the sorcerer had gotten out of the trance was that he was taller. He asked Clef about it, and Clef answered merely that they were sort of the same, and that he could also take any form he liked. Ascot didn't prod any further after that, but he did have a thought race through his mind that he himself had changed because he'd wanted to impress a pretty girl with a penchant for fiery, determined kindness, so -
Who had Clef changed for?
They talked briefly after that, mostly about their experiences in battle with Alcione. One of the points they found themselves stressing over and over with each other was that although she had not changed physically, she was so much stronger - so much! Both of them had been knocked out within five minutes of the battle, which, although may have been not quite out of the ordinary for Ascot, was saying something for the Guru Clef that had powers only second to the Pillar and the Knights.
Soon, however, they landed at Presea's hut. And waited. Waited. Waited. Waited some more.
And as they waited, Ascot couldn't help it. His mind wandered. He could remember the night of the picnic so well, when everything had seemed like the calm after the storm, even though now he realized it was the calm before the storm. So he sat himself down on the ground outside the building, and remembered.
He had been talking with Umi, and as night - real night, not just an eerie eternal black - descended upon them, he had remembered an old little cliff face about a half a mile from the palace that was a simply beautiful place to regard the worlds in their places in the sky. He'd asked Umi if she wanted to come, and she had nodded, signifying a silent yes. So he took her there.
'Wow.' She had said, more breathing than saying the words, scrambling to the top and kneeling on the grass. 'Beautiful. The moon's even prettier than on Earth. Or, at least, it's bigger. And brighter.'
Ascot had frowned wonderingly as he had come up behind her, taking a seat on the grass next to her. The cliff went a fair while down, maybe about a mile or so. Normally, it was dizzying. Then, however, he had had a very sappy and whimsical thought that it wasn't nearly high enough, because angels deserved to be higher. Which, of course, made him beat himself up over it, being that it was such an entirely disgustingly wish-washy remark. 'Earth?'
'Oh - the place we Magic Knights come from. - So that's Chizeta, over there?' She had pointed then to the honey-colored orb sitting a fair distance in the sky from the 'moon', which, Ascot guessed, was actually Autozam. But he wouldn't tell her that.
'I think so. We should ask Tarta or Tatra first, though.'
'Yeah.'
They were both silent for a long moment then, taking in the beautiful view. It actually took Ascot a moment to realize his hat was off his head, but he eventually did, looking down to Umi with an expression of surprise.
She had smiled up at him, the hat in her lap. 'There. You have beautiful eyes, Ascot. You shouldn't hide them.'
He had blushed, a hand instinctively going up to feel the absence of hat, resting uncomfortably on his tuft of reddish hair. 'Hey, give that back.'
She stuck her tongue out at him then. 'I just want to see you without it.'
'You saw. Can I please have it back now?'
She had shaken her head. He had blinked. And then whined. 'Uuuuuuummmmmmiiiiiiiii. Come on.'
'Come get it.' She had laughed gently.
He blinked again. The wind whistled through the trees, a soft and lovely sound, brushing back a bit of Umi's hair from her face and over onto her shoulder. Silence lapsed in between that and Ascot's next words, followed by action. 'Fine!' He had yelled out, but jokingly so, and then made a grab at it.
She dodged, and he tried again, it resulting in the two of them falling backward the way they had come, rolling softly down the soft expanse of hill. It was a blurred collage of Umi's hair, the black of the sky, and the green of the grass, the only sound being the soft thumps they made against the grass, as well as their laughter vibrating into the vague night like crystals. He wasn't sure why like crystals, but that was how it had struck him.
Then, to his horror and joy, they had come to a stop in a unique position: Ascot lying on top of Umi, his hands positioned behind her back, gripping softly at the cloth that was also his hat, as it had somehow arrived underneath the curve of her back.
Umi had giggled, and then let out a long sigh. 'You still don't have it.' She had pointed out to him. 'And you won't until you say the magic words. Do you know the magic words, As -"
He couldn't explain what had come over him then. It's just that she had been lying there, so playful and beautiful, and her body fit perfectly into his in this position, the curves of her legs into his groin, and he loved being around her, and he'd wanted so much to touch her, so he had - he'd reached down and silenced her with a long kiss. Long. It would have been bad enough if he'd gone down and given her a little peck, on the cheek, but no, he'd had to do a full kiss, on the lips. It was just that, at the time, he was pretty sure she had responded, her hands going up to massage the nape of his neck and her torso moving upwards to position against his.
When it was done, he had realized his mistake and rolled off of her, blushing.
She'd smiled and continued their conversation about Chizeta, as if nothing had happened. 'Tarta was telling me about how small their place is. Do you know anything about that, Ascot?...'
And so it had gone, for the rest of the night. Talking, like she hadn't taken any offense. Like it hadn't happened. But even the thought of that memory made Ascot blush, so it definitely had happened. He just hoped that he hadn't offended her in some way - after all, she hadn't slapped him or anything - basically she'd just refused to acknowledge that it had happened.
"Ascot." Came Clef's voice, somewhat tense, breaking through his thoughts.
Ascot blinked, and looked up from his gaze's position on the ground, taking in Clef standing in front of him. Clef's back was to him, as Clef himself faced the fringe of forest and the small hub of activity that was bristling within. Then, the source of trodden twigs and leaves was given to be Lantis.
Coming through the trees, on horseback. Wait. There was also Eagle now, on a different horse, coming in behind him.
Ascot had to fight hard to control the curse that made its way through his vocal chords as he saw the sword that Lantis straddled in his right hand.
Ow.
He felt like shit.
Rolling over - although he didn't know where he was rolling over or what he was rolling onto - he could tell that his leg had been cut by something, for it ached and felt wet. Beneath him, he felt something sticky and scratchy - straw? Yet, the straw had a method to it, like it was woven together - this kind of understanding told him that he was in a straw hut, even though the pain in his leg kept him from opening his eyes for a good moment or two, and the only vision he could be allowed was a deep dark black, occasionally with those fire red rings of hallucination that present themselves to people that shut their eyes too tightly, as he was doing then.
Slowly though, he fought through it and opened his eyes.
He was right.
He was in a straw hut, as was illustrated to him by the uneven, honey- colored material dominating the roof, walls, and floor. His right leg was torn up quite a bit, with the cloth shattered and long streaks of bloody red practically crisscrossing the expanse of bare skin by his ankle. At first he thought he had been burned, but since it didn't hurt the way a burn does, he dismissed that.
Telling himself to concentrate, to try to seek out and discover the confines of his 'prison', he quickly set about detailing where he was - which was, simply, nowhere. Without simplification, however, it could be seen to be a small straw hut, with no one else around, and windows barred by sticks. It was wholly dark in the hut, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust and note these things.
Another thing was that, if his injured leg was not enough implication for such, he knew he was a captive - wherever he was. His hands were bound together, normally soft cloth tearing at his skin because of how tightly it -was- bound. That actually pained him more than his leg, sufficiently so.
Before he could make any more observations however, the straw door to the straw hut was opened very slowly, as if someone was teasing it open. Deciding to play dumb, Ferio lay back down in his former position and resumed a look of a slumber. Footsteps, as that person fully entered the room.
"Insolent Sheki Tribe. I promised them five hundred of their stupid form of money, and they know it. It's idiotic - I won't pay that ridiculous amount."
Ferio had to fight the impulse to blink his eyes open as he recognized the voice. The speaker, feminine and beautiful, yet hiding a seductive level of dangerousness to her beauty, was supposed to be dead.
Of course, she wasn't, because Presea had reported that Clef and Ascot had reported the opposite. But still. It almost seemed to him as if she still was dead, for he did not see her body, and it was a disembodied voice that droned on and on.
He should keep up the act, however, he told himself, because Alcione might let something slip if she thinks I'm still asleep. I'm not sure what, but something is better than nothing.
He suddenly felt her presence - her warmth, maybe - step closer to him. He was positive she was kneeling by him. And his theory was only proven when soft fingers pressed against his face, trailing the path of his cheekbones and brushing back some bangs behind his ears. His heart thudded, and he wondered what the hell she was doing. Studying to see if it was really he, one of Clef's fellow disciples as a child?
A soft chuckle descended upon him, hot breath pushing into his ear. He felt his head tilted up, and knew she was staring directly at him.
Not yet, though, not yet, I'm still asleep and I want you to tell me something you idiotic excuse for a sorceress.
"Those little weirdo's couldn't even tell the difference between a Pillar and Prince. How disappointing. I told them she was red haired. Not blonde, nor with a blue tinge - red."
Wait a second here. How could Alcione know that Hikaru was Pillar now? She was killed far before those events had taken place.
Unless -
Someone had told her.
Alcione rambled on. Ferio tried his best to make his face appear slack. "Heh. Ferio, brother of that which took Zagato away from me."
And then, a shot of pain as her free hand pulled back and slapped him harshly against the cheek. Ferio's instinctive reaction was quick - after recoiling, he opened his eyes, saw his enemy for the first time in quite a while, pulled himself out of her grasp, and sent her a hard kick that caught her neatly in her side, sending her to the ground with a little feminine grunt.
Alcione smirked from her newly disgruntled position on the floor. "I thought you were awake, but I wasn't sure."
