"Fubuki no Kaen"
(MarthRoy)
Authors: Xan and Vallen
Rating: R
Warnings: One thing… Or, lot's of things: This is a story with yaoi/shounen
ai/slash, whatever you want to call it. If that sort of stuff isn't your thing,
then don't read it. But, we hope that you do…
Disclaimer: The characters Marth and Roy, plus "Altea", do not belong to us. We
just use them for our pleasure.
Feedback: Yes. (That means we would love to hear from you and what you think!)
Notes: Vallen: *cheers* YES! This is the exciting/tense chapter that I've…
*cough* … you've all been waiting for.
Xan: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't commented for a while. Let's just say that it's due to parental difficulties. *sweatdrop* But I'm back and I think that you'll really like this one. At least, Vallen and I do. *evil grin*
Thanks to: Li Kayun (*laughs nervously* Heh… Yeah… *straightens up* Shhh! You'll find out about that later! Gosh, we have smart readers…), Spectrum (Yeah, the big training scene is in this chapter, so enjoy! Rowen is quite weird… And I was suffering right along with you in that chapter! No Roy!), LiL PriNCeSs Me (Gr, hate those annoying brothers! Xan has two and I have one… Heh, I said that note at the end to keep you guys interested. Suspense, ne?), ashford2ashford (^____^ Yay! If you're looking for more Marth/Roy fics, we have two more planned, I think. The F.no.K sequel is on the drawing board and we're thinking about the OTHER one.), Moiras (Like your sn! Hehehe… Our story is wicked! *adds that to the list of adjectives* Oh, and to answer your question: We bring the notebook to school and hand it off to each other every other period (whenever we get our "reply" done), so yes, we are still writing it and typing it up when we have the time. We're writing maniacs! At any given time, one of us could have "six inches" worth of notebooks in our backpacks…), Pichu*Star (tee-hee… Yes, I am excited! I can't wait to see what you guys say to that one. But then again, you probably aren't even reading this 'cause you're too busy reading the fic! Oh, and the "flings" part… Some Roman general (I think it was Alexander the Great) said that he promoted soldiers choosing partners/lovers on the battlefield, because he believed that soldiers would fight harder for their lovers right next to them in battle, rather than their wives far away. So I base my assumption off of that. Wow, that was long… I babble too much.), Alex (*blink* Quit high school? As much as we would love to do that, we can't… Gah. Oh, and the building of events creates great suspense… I like it.), tikimoof (Oooh! Chobits and Utena! Yay! I haven't read Chobits, but I like Utena very much. You have to tell me how they are! Anyways, yes, we can't help cliffhangers. We just leave the chapter off wherever we see fit… After all, our e-mail IS xan_vallen@cliffhanger.com… heh. I love that.), Shea (Freaky? Okay… Heh, we WILL keep it up. We love doing this!), Unproductivity (Mercedes Lackey, huh? Well, Xan and I are both very big fans of her… You get your bit of yaoi in this chapter!), lupa with a pen (^.^ Best ever? I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but if that's what you think, I won't argue… ~_^), Sami Sasamy (Don't worry, we will keep it up…), Miru-muru (*cheers for old hermits* Yea! Oh, and have you forgotten? We ARE mean…), tomboy51392 (Ahem… Roy-chan is mine for the moment, but anyways… And yes, both of us like the harry potter books very much, except we haven't really been too keen on the movies…), and YoshiMars (We're very glad you like the magic and angst is one of my specialties, so you'll be seeing a lot of that… With Xan's writing ability (she's REALLY good at plot) and my… *cough* well, me… you'll be liking this a lot more!).
It felt good to be back outside. Marth's eyes shone and his breath fogged the air slightly. He was excited about becoming a Mage. It almost made him forget the tortures that he had somehow lived through to get to this point.
'How long do you plan to stay here?' Rowen's mindspeak voice interrupted Marth's thoughts. The mage stood in the thick snow, holding his large sword and rubbing his sleeve on it to clean the blade.
'Not sure. I want to learn, but I also must return to reclaim Altea.' Marth unsheathed Falcion and took a few swings, savoring the feeling of his wonderful, dependable sword in his hand.
'That's what I thought… You'll know when it's time to leave, I'm predicting. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have a set time to leave before you started. I'd be disappointed to lose such a promising pupil…'
Marth's ears burned red from the unexpected praise. He had rarely ever been praised by anyone at his father's command. The King hadn't wanted a son who begged for praise like a mangy dog.
'Thank you,' he sent, his mental voice quiet, 'what is the next lesson?'
'I'll tell you later. Now, we're going to duel and you're going to lose horribly. Just keep in mind that this is part of your training.' The mysterious mage grinned for the first time, readying his sword.
Marth blinked and lowered his sword. He hadn't lost a sword duel in years and was considered to be a master of the blade. The exiled prince was curious to know how he was going to lose horribly. He shrugged, lifted his sword, and struck at Rowen.
Rowen chuckled and came at the ex-prince, their swords meeting as they sparred. Suddenly the mage's mouth quirked into a tiny smirk and an abrupt strong wind blew Marth backwards, almost off his feet.
Marth's eyes widened and he dropped into a crouch to keep his balance. His fingertips touched the ground lightly, steadying him. His eyes had become cold and calculating. What was the mage up to now?
'Do you understand now? Or do I have to demonstrate some more? Stop trying to hit me and hit me,' Rowen beckoned, ready for anything.
The blue-haired man growled and bared his teeth angrily. He took his sword in both hands and swung it as hard as he could at Rowen's neck.
Falcion met the mage's large sword and electricity crackled between the two of them, originating from Rowen. The energy coursed down Falcion, jolting Marth's arms and hands painfully.
'Hmm… Almost fun. I do believe I still have my talent.'
Marth broke away with a curse, smoking slightly. Still glaring at the grinning mage, he removed his shirt and robes, tossing them aside. His eyes burning blue fire, he charged Rowen again.
'Lesson One: Fighting a Full Mage can be quite aggravating if you aren't one yourself.' In a series of complex moves and using the wind again, Rowen knocked Marth to the ground, his sword tip pointed at the ex-prince's neck, lightly pricking.
Marth pushed the blade aside and rolled quickly out of the way. He jumped to his feet, grabbing his sword.
"One more time." He snarled. The former prince held Falcion in his hands and faced Rowen. The mage saw with surprise that the blade was blazing as brightly as Marth's eyes but his student didn't seem to notice. He ran at Rowen and swept the sword down at him. There was a blinding flash of snow and a roar of wind.
'Nice try, but I see you're getting the point,' the mage's voice echoed loudly in Marth's head. Rowen stood behind the blue-haired man, behind a shield of fiercely blowing wind. 'You use that technique to cloud my vision, but also risk yours. Interesting.'
Marth turned around, head bowed in defeat. He threw Falcion onto the ground.
'You win. I'm too weak to defeat you, even though I used dishonest tactics. I can see through the snow.'
'Pick up your sword,' came Rowen's stern voice. 'I told you that you were going to lose horribly, so why are you disappointed now? That's why we're going to train, understand? You learn from your mistakes, not cower and apologize to a higher being when you make them.'
Marth winced and picked Falcion up out of the snow. Rowen had sounded so much like his father just then. Too much. He ran his finger along the blade and wasn't surprised to find that it now bled. A drop of blood fell onto the snow, hissing and steaming.
'That's the first time I've ever used Falcion and magic at the same time,' he said, finally looking up at Rowen again. 'I had no idea that it would react that powerfully. Could the sword itself have magic?'
'Perhaps. But it will when I'm done with it, though. It is not uncommon for swords to have power within them,' Rowen answered, then stopped, glancing towards the cabin.
Roy was standing there, the omnipresent scowl upon his face. He was wearing his warm black breeches and several long-sleeved tunics over one another.
"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence. Good morning," the mage said aloud, which Roy did not dignify with an answer.
Marth glanced at Roy's bundled form and realized that he was still shirtless and covered in dirt, sweat and snow. He picked his clothes up and pulled them back on.
"Good morning, Roy." He said quietly.
The ex-general thought for a moment whether he wanted to answer or not.
"'Morning," he replied curtly. "Could I possibly see you alone for a second? Or would that 'disturb' anything?"
Marth nodded.
"Certainly." He walked with Roy off to the side. "Is anything wrong?"
"What exactly is it you're doing?" Roy asked quickly.
"I'm learning how to use these powers I've been 'blessed' with," Marth replied. "They will be useful in reclaiming Altea and defeating Gaimen. I do apologize for the delay this makes in our journey, but it's unavoidable."
"Damn you and your stupid powers…" Roy growled, clenching a fist. "How long are you going to make me wait?"
"I did not ask for them. And need I remind you that they saved our lives? Twice, even. Do not disregard them so."
"Yes, Your 'Highness'," the teen sneered, "Anything else I should do while I'm at it?"
Marth's eyes narrowed and he hauled back and punched Roy in the face as hard as he could.
"How many fucking times do I have to tell you not to call me that, you dense, arrogant, self-centered little bastard?! That's not who I am anymore!"
Roy reeled back, staggering to lean against the side of the cabin. Blood flowed from his nose and his upper lip was beginning to swell. When he cleared his head, he marched right back over to Marth.
"I don't have to take orders from a goody-goody ex-prince who was too weak to stand up for himself when he was accused of a crime he did not commit!" He punched Marth back, hitting the ex-royal in the stomach with his hard fist.
Marth doubled over, pressing one hand to his abdomen.
"And I won't be spoken to this way by a bratty little boy who is too full of foolish pride to be civil who has been nothing but decent to him!" He tackled Roy and pinned him to the ground, punching his face repeatedly. "And who thinks that just because he can beat one man, it makes him General of an entire army!"
Roy could do nothing but lie there and take it, trying not to cry out with each hit. It hurt, but Marth was right, and he was not weak. He just continued to stare into the blue-haired man's eyes, wondering when his anger would run out.
Suddenly he threw everything away and raised a hand to grab the back of Marth's neck and pull the ex-prince's face close to his. He kissed Marth then, still staring into the similar blue eyes, unafraid.
Marth's eyes became impossibly wide and his icy fury melted. He was too surprised to kiss back, but he didn't pull away either. The kiss tasted of blood and Marth could feel that Roy's lip was swelling badly.
When it ended, Marth was still on top of Roy, pinning him to the ground. Their faces were only about an inch apart and Marth's lips were stained with blood from Roy's. He could only stare at the auburn-haired boy, shock registering on his face.
Roy turned his head to the side, covering his face gently with one hand, not wanting Marth to see the pain there. He was stronger than that.
'Oh Gods… What have I done now?' The teen put on a mask to face the ex-prince again. He reached up and rubbed the blood off Marth's face gently.
"I was wrong…" Roy whispered with his speech hindered by the blood and his swollen lip.
His face calm and maybe just a little paler than usual, Marth climbed off of Roy, but still held him to the ground with one hand. With the other, he tentatively placed a finger on Roy's lip. His touch was very cold and helped the swelling go down considerably.
Marth stood up, taking a step away from Roy.
"Why did you do that?" He asked with his voice hardly about a whisper. Confusion was making his head spin and he had no idea what to feel.
"I don't know," Roy replied. He lay there, looking up at Marth. The teen felt too sore to move and was afraid to, actually. "I offended you, didn't I?"
"No.... Just surprised." Marth took a step back, eyes never leaving Roy. "I'm.... sorry…" He turned, walking off quickly towards the stable. A minute later, Cloud burst out of the building and galloped off into the forest, Marth on his back.
Rowen stepped out into the area where Roy was laying, one eyebrow raised.
"Well, that was certainly interesting," he said to no one in particular. Then he turned to the auburn-haired teen,
"Come. You can get yourself cleaned up inside."
Roy got up slowly and stumbled back inside, with the mage at his heels.
Cloud raced through the snowy forest, his warm breath creating small buffs of steam in the air. Marth let him run as he pleased, not keeping his mind on where he was going.
'What was that?' He asked nobody. 'Why did he kiss me for? Was it just to get me to stop hitting him or because I was just there, or because of another reason? Does this mean he does feel something for me or is he just using me?!' Tears of frustration and anger leaked out of the corners of his eyes and he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Who am I?!" He screamed aloud. Cloud, alarmed by his master's outburst, neighed loudly and reared up on his hind legs. Marth fell off and hit the ground sharply. He lay there a moment, staring up at the blue sky between the treetops. Concerned, Cloud walked over cautiously and nudged Marth's cheek with his soft nose. Marth raised a hand to pat Cloud, assuring him that he was fine.
"I am Marth, exiled Price of Altea. It is my mission to reclaim my kingdom. My own personal wants, needs and dilemmas are irrelevant. My life is not my own, it is my peoples'."
Marth repeated this to himself several times, forcing himself to cast aside his emotions and become ice. He mounted Cloud again and began to ride back.
To Be Continued…
Vallen: *giggles happily* Oooh! Torture, angst- I love it! Don't you?
Xan: *pokes all the readers* Well? Did you like it? Of course you did! But now what's gonna happen to our poor boys? You'll just have to wait and find out!