"Alec, you can't go in there!" Yuri pointed out gesturing to the nearby settlement. He thought that it was reasonable, after all, Alec was warned about not entering nearby villages on pain of death. He folded his arms and looked down disapproving at Alec.
"You can't just leave me out here!" Alec retorted. "Anyway, I doubt that if I'm notorious, the kid that turned into a 'demon' wouldn't be."
"That's my point!" Yuri replied. "They'll be looking for two teenaged boys, not just one."
"That's stupid," Alec said disdainfully. "I can cast a illusion over the two of us, but only if I'm there. Otherwise, it won't last long, and knowing our luck, it'll collapse at the most inconvenient moment." Alec folded his arms tensely and glared at Yuri through his eyelashes. "You're going to have to take me with you." Yuri rolled his eyes.
"Fine, whatever," he said in the tones of a practiced martyr. "Just if that illusion falls, be prepared to run for it." Alec nodded, repositioning his quiver on his shoulder.
"Oh, and that reminds me," Yuri commented, watching as the quiver slid down Alec's shoulder to it's previous position. "We should look into getting you a backpack of your own. You can't keep borrowing my stuff all the time." It was Alec's turn to put on the suffering tone.
"It wasn't exactly my fault that I didn't get a chance to pack anything. I don't think that you really can pack anything for the afterlife. Anyway, how on Earth did you manage to get my bow and quiver?" Yuri looked at him sheepishly.
"To be totally honest, I haven't a clue. Must have been one of those instinctive things, you know?" he shrugged.
"Couldn't you have instinctively packed a backpack for me as well?" Alec asked innocently, opening his eyes very wide and blinking.
"No, that would imply that I had the faintest idea what was going to happen," Yuri replied calmly.
"Anyone with half a brain could have worked it out," Death Emperor said snidely.
"Shut up Death Emperor," Yuri replied wearily.
"Good call," Alec commented. Yuri looked at him in surprise.
"What? Hear that?" he blurted. Alec laughed.
"No. Your face is very expressive," he replied innocently. Yuri made a face at that comment.
"Damn," was his eloquent reply. Alec repressed a grin at Yuri's woe-be-gone expression.
"You could say that," he said soothingly. "Personally, I find it rather amusing."
"Can we go yet?" Death Emperor whined. Yuri was struck with a mental image of Death Emperor folding his arms; pouting and stamping his foot in a time honoured manner utilised by toddlers worldwide.
"You bored?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. Alec really wished that he could hear the other half of the conversation.
"About a millennia ago. Get the damn roots and lets get going!" Death Emperor shouted. Yuri winced and clapped his hands over his ears. He lowered them sheepishly as he realised that covering his ears would have no effect.
"Death Emperor's getting a little anxious," he offered in explanation. Alec nodded sagely, then made an intricate gesture with both hands. Yuri blinked in confusion as Alec was replaced with someone about a foot taller, with black hair and brown eyes.
"What?" he asked stupidly. The stranger frowned, then grinned wryly. He whispered something and Alec reappeared.
"Sorry about that. Forgot to include you in the spell," he explained, looking apologetic. Yuri shrugged and walked toward the village. Alec growled then ran after him.
The village was very quiet, with no one on the streets at all. It was unnerving. Yuri kept looking around for monsters, riots and other possible causes of the quiet. He couldn't find any. Alec looked equally disturbed.
"I think that's the shop over there," Alec whispered, pointing to a house with a wooden sign hanging from the eaves. Yuri nodded.
"Is it just me, or is this creepy," Yuri replied quietly.
"This is creepy," Alec whispered. "Let's just get the roots and get the hell out of here." Yuri nodded in agreement as Alec walked toward the store. He watched as Alec grabbed the door handle and struggled with opening the door. Walking silently he headed toward the preoccupied Alec.
"You should try turning the handle," he whispered in Alec' ear. Alec jumped and whirled around. Realising that it was only Yuri, he glared at him.
"Do you mind? This place is creepy enough as it is!" he said angrily. Yuri shrugged.
"Death Emperor told me to do it," he replied innocently. Alec rolled his eyes and turned back to the door. He gestured with his hands, presumably releasing the illusion spell. Yuri frowned, wondering what Alec sensed that he didn't.
"I did not! If I tell you to do anything, it's for a good reason. And my jokes are funny, not like your infantile imitations," Death Emperor retorted, aggrieved. Yuri snorted, his reveille broken.
"I remember vividly the Castle Incident. Would you like me to remind you?" he replied calmly. Death Emperor made an incoherent noise. Yuri smirked.
"Well that's him dealt with. Now the door. What's up with it?" Alec ignored him. He was looking at the door; head tilted on one side and eyes half closed.
"Alec?" Yuri asked. Alec jumped. Yuri giggled. Death Emperor sighed.
"Oh sorry. Got caught up there. Someone's sealed the door," Alec replied absently. Yuri waited for more. When none was forthcoming, he tapped Alec on the shoulder.
"Can we break the seal?" he asked as Alec turned around, eyes wide.
"Um, the seal. I can't. Could you have a look?" His voice was distracted and Yuri got the distinct impression that Alec was looking at something that Yuri couldn't see. Yuri sighed heavily and squinted at the door. He could see the seal, which was a malevolent thing, seemingly throbbing in time to….something. Struck by an impulse, Yuri reached up and measured the pulse at his throat and nodded when his suspicions were confirmed. He reached out a hand and touched the centre of the seal. A wave of flame ran up his arm. Startled, he fused partially with Death Emperor. The fire disappeared as quickly as it formed and the seal fell away. Yuri shivered.
"That was weird," he commented finally, ignoring Death Emperor's ravings about being used so nonchalantly without his permission. It wasn't as if Death Emperor ever asked his permission before he used Yuri.
"You're telling me," Alec said fervently. He reached out and turned the doorknob, which moved jerkily. Yuri reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Do you smell something?" he asked urgently. Alec nodded.
"There's no monsters. I would have noticed," he replied. Yuri nodded, but still placed his claws on his hands in preparation. Alec pulled an arrow out of his quiver and opened the door with his spare hand.
As one, Alec and Yuri gagged as the smell assaulted them.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Alec called. Yuri grabbed his wrist again.
"I don't think anyone's going to answer you," he said faintly, gesturing toward the shadows. Alec gasped as the portent of Yuri's words caught up with him and he rushed inside. He knelt down at the back of the house and made a choked sound in the back of his throat. Yuri walked inside the house and dragged Alec forcibly outside. Alec didn't resist.
Once outside, Alec threw up, messily and all over Yuri's shoes.
"Distasteful," commented Death Emperor mildly. Yuri sighed philosophically.
"That was disgusting," he commented, gesturing at his shoes. Alec retched again. Once that was over with, he looked up at Yuri, smiling wanly.
"I hardly think vomit really compares to what we've just seen," he pointed out. "Did you see that poor man?" Yuri's eyes widened.
"You could identify its gender? I had problems with working out the species!" Alec laughed, a slightly hysterical sound. Yuri contemplated hitting him, then decided that hitting him might not be a good idea. He had had enough of the super-powerful annihilation spells for this year, thank you very much.
"Drag it outside, into the light," Death Emperor demanded. Yuri shook his head resolutely as he shivered.
"Not bloody likely," he replied. "Did you even see it! I am not touching it!"
"Drag it out into the light, because we need to see what killed it," Death Emperor insisted. Yuri shook his head again.
"His heart stopped. Next question?"
"Look, just do it!" Death Emperor snapped. Yuri, realising a futile argument when he heard it, directed his attention to Alec, who was not looking particularly happy.
"Death Emperor wants us to drag the corpse out here. Supposedly we're going to do an autopsy," Yuri explained, grimacing as he did so.
"Fun," was Alec's reply as his face twisted. "It's times like these that I wish that you had arranged for an exorcism." Yuri ignored him as he headed into the house. Alec looked torn, then followed.
The two grabbed the body and dragged it into the light, consciously ignoring the feel of the cold flesh on their fingers. Death Emperor chivvied them to hurry up with it and Yuri contemplated exorcism.
The corpse didn't look any better in the light. With the gaping rent in it's chest, it looked like something had ripped out the heart, blood sheathed the naked torso, arms and face and fragments of the ribcage seemed to be everywhere, glued to it's skin by the tacky blood. Other then the shattered ribcage, the corpse seemed intact, although it was hard to tell under the gore.
"Now that is tasteful…artistic almost," Death Emperor stated. Yuri ignored him.
"I repeat, you were able to identify gender how?" Yuri asked, turning to Alec, who was kneeling a short distance away. Alec, who had closed his eyes quite some time ago, replied "Magic. Has markers on it for gender." His breathing was heavy, as if trying to fight back nausea. Yuri wondered vaguely why he wasn't suffering like Alec was.
"I repressed it. I need you here, not throwing up in some corner," Death Emperor said smugly. "Now roll the corpse over. I need to see something." Yuri rolled the corpse over, teeth gritted. He gasped as the hole in the back of the corpse's skull was revealed. He rolled the corpse onto its back and sat on his haunches.
"So, Death Emperor. Got any suggestions?" he asked tonelessly.
"Not as of yet," Death Emperor replied. Yuri stared at the corpse. He had no idea what kind of animal would only eat the heart and brain but not touch the rest.
"I know that the heart and brain weren't eaten though," Death Emperor added. Yuri jerked. "Brain and heart. Heart and mind, the two components of the soul. But why would a monster make such a symbolic gesture of something purely instinctive like killing for food?"
"Yuri, get back!" Alec yelled. Startled, Yuri jumped to his feet and stepped a few paces away. His eyes widened as the corpse sat up and looked at him.
"Hi Yuri," the corpse rasped. "Are you fourteen yet? Because you promised to marry me then." Yuri stumbled backward. "Sasha isn't much fun anymore. It's hard to play with a skeleton. But you… you'll be fun still, right? Or maybe," the corpse turned it's head and looked at Alec. "Your little friend here will know some new games. What's his name?" Alec paled. Yuri seemed incapable of speech. The corpse redirected its gaze at Yuri.
"Now this is interesting," said Death Emperor in a tone of mild amusement. "Nice of her to make an appearance. I was wondering when she would. Took her time, don't you think?"
Yuri ignored him again. He was too busy staring in bewilderment at the corpse who called him by name and made reference to some past event that he vaguely remembered. He shied mentally away from that thought. He really didn't want to remember where he had heard those words before.
"Have you accepted your destiny yet, last Harmonixer? After all, it was your cowardice that condemned me." The corpse staggered upright, lurching toward Yuri, who could only stare wide eyed at its approach.
"Get thee gone, Darkness!" Alec shouted from behind the corpse. The corpse collapsed, struggled to rise then lay still.
"Yuri, your little pet seems quite the magician. But remember, I'll be waiting!" The corpse disintegrated into powder. Alec swallowed audibly, then looked at Yuri. He was white faced, with his eyes impossibly wide and blank, staring at the corpse. Alec rushed over and grabbed Yuri's elbow. Shaking him vigorously, Alec yelled Yuri's name.
"He won't respond. He's too scared," Yuri said finally. Alec frowned at the usage of the third person. "Get him out of here before she comes back."
"She?" Alec asked. Yuri nodded, a surprising brisk movement. Alec nodded as the pieces fell into place.
"Alright Death Emperor," he acquiesced as he dragged Yuri's unresponsive body out of the village. Almost outside the village he paused, letting go of Yuri's elbow. Struck by an impulse, he ran into the open house, grabbed the stock and shoved it into a backpack, reasoning to himself that if he didn't take it, someone else would and he needed it more.
Racing back to Yuri, he dragged him away from the village to the south. The next half hour was a blur of tree branches, roots and the constant dragging of someone who was significantly larger then Alec. Once he reached a clearing, he let go of Yuri and forced him to sit down.
"Yuri? I need to talk to you! Who was that?" Alec demanded. Yuri stared blankly at Alec, then blinked.
"I think I know her," he said slowly. Alec growled deep in his throat.
"Who is she, then? Both you and Death Emperor think it's a she, you both seem to know her. Ask Death Emperor!" Yuri closed his eyes. Alec reached forward and shook him violently.
"I wouldn't bother. He won't wake. Leave him alone," Death Emperor replied, using Yuri as a mouthpiece once again. "And who is she? Yuri will tell you when he wakes up. If he remembers that is. And that will be a while, so I'd set up a tent if I were you. She won't find him just yet." Alec pulled out the tent and set it up, mind numb. Once the tent was set up, he dragged Yuri inside and shoved him into the sleeping bag, disconcerted by his lax limbs, which felt remarkably similar to the limp ones of the corpse. He crawled into his recently acquired sleeping bag (rather then the pink fluffy blanket that he had been using recently) and curled into a ball, staring wide eyed into the darkness.
Authors Note: Bet you didn't see that one coming! Any takers for who it was? I gave you heaps of clues! And yes, you have seen her before. And yes, the pink fluffy blanket is the one that Catherine gave him. Isn't continuity brilliant! (grin)
I intended to take a sabbatical from Yuri and Death Emperor for a while, until I had done my exams. Imagine my indignation when I was roused from my Laplace Transforms by a five-foot tall bird-boned blond who insisted in me continuing. Stupid Alec. Must remember to devise long torture scene for him (just kidding!). The "Get thee gone, Darkness" line came from Vagrant Story, which I highly recommend people who liked Shadow Hearts (which would be all of you I assume?) to play. It's equally morbid, with animated corpses, wannabe gods and all that good stuff. It also has a convoluted plot line and Ashley Riot kicks ass. It's a PSX game though, so it might be hard to find. That line happens to be my favourite line if you're interested.
The reason why I keep pushing Kingdom Hearts is purely altruistic. Looking at ff.net, there is no good Kingdom Hearts fanfic, and I want to read some. It was a good game and deserves better then the teenaged fangirl writing a cliched story entirely of netspeak. While I am sure that there are some decent stories in that section, I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of teenyboppers with an inability to use the dictionary or to pass a basic English test.
I'm glad that everyone acknowledges that initially Yuri came across as an oversexed jerk. Trust me on that, I'm surrounded by over four hundred of them at uni. And that Yuri/Pole story? I might write that one either during my holidays or on a train.
In conclusion? Play Vagrant Story or Kingdom Hearts, listen to Queensryche or Paul Gilbert (my inspiration - listen and you'll understand) and may your fanfics never be flamed.