Fubuki no Kaen
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: Here we are again! I'm just gonna give you guys a quick hint: Most of this chapter is dialogue between Marth and Roy, and basically all the italicized type is Marth talking/thinking… Unless Roy's thinking too!
Xan: Hope y'all like this chapter as much as
you liked the last one!!
Thanks to: YoshiMars (*giggles* Yes, I knew I'd lead some of you on with
that little statement. Bwaha! But it really does heat up from
here... *giggle*), PandaBear007 (Thanks! Glad to keep pleasing you
guys!), Klar (Nah, you're not gullible, I just like to play with you guys'
heads, that's all. ^_^ Yeah, poor babies... *cheers at the
PS* YES!), Dark Comet (*watches marth and roy through peephole* *giggles
nervously* eheheheheh...), LiL PriNCeSs Me (*clams up* Can't tell
ya! Maybe we're mean enuff to keep him deaf! Hopefully it'd help
that attitude problem of his... *coughs and eyes all the Roy fans*
Um, er... Like I said, we'll just have to see... er, hear... oh bad
pun...), chibi fairy (You bet we will! You're stuck with us for quite a
while, I'm afraid! *evil smirk*), Spectrum (Good to hear from you
again! We were afraid you'd abandoned the fic when you left the
group. But that's okay! We still love you! *giggles* Pyro
Roy! Vallen liked that.), Sinnatious (Yeah, it's good that Roy-chan
actually has stuff to do now. And give Vallen the credit for most of the
fire- that was her deal. She's veddy good, no?), tikimoof (Heh yes, we DO
listen to you guys griping at us! just kidding, we love y'all's requests,
comments etc. Keep it up! *squints at the german* oy, i have
enuff trouble with english, can't handle much else.), Sake Girl Duelist
(*laughing like mad* Oh jeez, Vallen and I cracked up when we read your
review! the "go roy, it's yer birthday" did it. Thanks
for the comments and Link and Marth still kick a lotta butt! give 'em
their due!), Treiz (Ooh, cool handle! sounds like trave,
almost. *raises a brow at the rabid Roy fans* a-HEM, but Roy
isn't the only one out there, you know! And of COURSE he gets his powers
after they leave Rowen! It's cruel irony! 'cause we're evil people
of course!), Miru-Miru (*cackles* Omg, you pegged us exactly! We
actually DO sit there and say that... *nervous laughter* Kinda sad,
ne? But we really do try not to be TOO bad about it...
*blinks at the townsfolk* well, um... they're nice people!
yay for them!), Asudem (Nononono! Don't boycott it! It gets better,
I promise!), Pichu*Star (*evil grin* yes, expect the unexpected! We
thrive on being unpredictable! *does funky dance* And thank
you! We are constantly amazed that so many of y'all would come back and
review our little fic! It's all to you! give yourselves a hand!),
Belldandy (*feels the pain of a broken game system* Stupid PS1.
Glad to help though!), Valimalirit (*blinks* SSBM and Spyro... works for
me! I've never actually played, but I know lots of people who like it.
Hope this helps with the boredom!), Marth-Roy-Fan (Thanks! Hope you keep
readin!) Hiru K. (Thank you for the praise! And hopefully we shall!),
Hooshi (well, we're so happy that you gave it a chance! we certainly hope
that it's not boring! that would be bad... yes, they're both hot!)
Faintly, ever so faintly did Marth hear Roy's thoughts. Worry filled his mind as he saw Roy trudging through the deep snow, eyes glassy and body drenched in sweat.
Biting back a whimper, the icy prince pushed himself up and out of the bed, wobbling unsteadily. Fortunately, his legs and feet weren't too badly burned and he could walk with minimal discomfort. After reaching out with his mind, he found with relief that there were no people in his immediate area. Then, using the stealth that he had acquired over the years, Marth slipped through the door to the night.
The cold air washed over Marth, filling him full of new life and the snow felt soothing on his burned and mutilated flesh.
'Roy will be lost in this snow…' Marth thought, biting his lip. He began to walk, following the distinctive aura of Roy's mind. After he took a few steps, he discovered with surprise that he was walking on top of the snow's crust. Shaking his head, he walked on. It wasn't long before he spied on auburn-haired figure in the snow.
"Roy!" He cried aloud and mentally.
There it was again. Marth's voice in his head, but this time it seemed closer and less faint. Roy jerked his head up and saw the exiled prince only a short distance away, walking towards him. The tired and confused teen picked himself up again and started to run towards Marth, stumbling once or twice. He practically ran into Marth, clutching the taller young man tightly.
"You're real…" Roy gasped, but was unable to hear his own voice. Deep confusion settled into his mind as he wondered how he could hear Marth's voice in his head, but not with his ears. Maybe it was something Rowen had taught him… Whatever it was, he was grateful.
"Oh, you're here…" Roy sobbed in relief. "Help me…"
Marth wrapped his arms around Roy, burying his face in his general's silky, frozen auburn hair.
'Roy…' He whispered, holding him. 'That's right, I'm here…I'll help you…'
The exiled prince tilted Roy's face up and gave him a gentle, reassuring kiss.
'What's happened?'
Roy froze as their lips came into contact, and turned his face away immediately after the kiss ended.
"I'm so confused,' He whispered. "I don't know what's happening to me. I couldn't hear anything but the fire, and now I can't hear anything at all. How are you talking in my head? Tell me I'm not crazy, please… Why is my body burning?!"
The teen pressed a hand to Marth's cheek, not in an affectionate manner, and shuddered at the difference between their skin temperatures.
Marth blanched at the heat radiating from Roy's hand. It was hot, much hotter than any normal human's should have been.
'Stop,' He said, calmly pulling Roy's hand away from his face. 'You are not crazy; I'm talking to you with mindspeech. Rowen taught me how and I've been able to do it for months, but you didn't know. Come on, we need to get back to shelter and I'll explain everything to you. I believe I have an idea of what's wrong with you.'
Roy was quiet as Marth led the way through the snow, feeling shaky. He then became aware of water at this feet- Melted snow.
"Marth…" He whispered, stopping quite literally in his tracks. Through the five-inch deep snow, there were small puddles of water at his feet. "I really want to get inside…"
Marth glanced down at Roy's feet and his eyes widened slightly.
'Roy, come here…' He picked the general up and held him, wincing because of his wounds. 'Please don't be offended. I can carry you faster than you can walk.'
About ten minutes later, they reached the stables of the demolished inn. It was plenty warm for Roy and there were no people around, which was exactly what Marth wanted.
'Here,' he thought, setting Roy down gently on a pile of hay and sitting down across from him.
The auburn-haired teen leaned forward and hugged his knees, wiping off a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"You didn't have to carry me. You're injured enough as it is," Roy said softly, averting his eyes. He touched his own skin once again, his brows knitting together in a frown. "Am I sick? Am I going to die?"
'No, you're not sick. At least not in the way you think,' Marth paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. 'Roy, I think you have magical powers. It's the only logical explanation.'
"No!" Roy exploded, clenching his fists with his eyes bright and glaring. "That's ridiculous…"
'It happened to me.' Marth replied calmly. 'And, while unlikely, there is always a chance that you have mage power. Do you have a better explanation?'
The teen hid his face and bowed his head to his knees, still clutching his legs tightly. From his body radiated denial.
"This isn't happening to me," He said quietly. "Just you, only you… It's not possible."
'Roy, look at me,' Marth commanded, 'Calm down. There are certainly worse things that could happen to you other than acquiring magical powers. And it's not for certain- just a theory. I'm going to give you a test, all right? It will determine whether you have magic or not.'
Marth gathered a bit of straw and cleared a space on the floor between him and Roy.
'A barn in probably not the best place to do this, but I'll be able to control it.' Marth thought as he placed the bit of hay in the empty space. He stared at it, concentrating. Abruptly, the hay burst into ice-blue flames, which quickly faded to their proper color.
'Try to control the fire.'
Roy looked up at the fire curiously, the flames reflected in his bright blue eyes.
"But… What if you're right and it gets out of control?" He asked. The fire wavered when there was no wind, but the teen was still doubtful.
'In any case, I'm still a more powerful mage than you and I'll be able to control it. My magic is that which puts out fires.' Marth replied, waiting for Roy.
The boy-general still stared at the fire, unable to take his eyes off of it.
"Hold it. I am not a mage, so don't start jumping to conclusions!" He cried.
Suddenly the fire leapt up to the ceiling of the barn, roaring loudly, and produced an intense heat. Roy jumped back in surprised, covering his ears and closing his eyes. He could hear that.
The horses in the barn screamed and shied away, the whites of their eyes showing with fear. Marth scrambled up, ice blue power shimmering around his hands. The fire once again became that shade of blue and shrank back down to the height that it had been. Marth turned to Roy, the blue fading from his hands.
'Now do you believe that you have magic?'
"No… Well… You could have done that. I don't want to believe it, Marth. Can't we just forget this whole thing? I don't want magic!"
Roy stood up, a look of contained pain on his face.
Marth looked at him emotionlessly.
'It is not a matter of what you do or do not desire. The fact is that you have powers and if you don't know how to use or control them, you'll be a danger to yourself and everything around you. Now either you accept yourself for what you are, a fledgling mage and allow me to help you, or you remain in a state of denial and I train you anyways. Which would you prefer?'
"I'm not a mage, Marth…" Roy protested weakly, avoiding the question. "It scares me." The teen stumbled over to the ex-prince and buried his face in Marth's chest, wrapping his arms around his torso.
Hesitantly, Marth placed his arms around Roy, unsure of how Roy wanted him to respond.
'I know it's frightening, but I'll help you. You won't have to do this alone.'
There was a steaming hiss and Roy pulled away, startled. His eyes were strangely wide and bright, full of tears yet to be shed. But the salty droplets upon his cheeks were boiling and giving off a small amount of steam from their rolling tracks on Roy's feverish skin. The former general looked ashamed of himself and turned his head away quickly, fisting his hands in Marth's shirt for support.
"How can you help me? Your power is of ice and cold…" He asked softly.
'And yours is of fire and heat. But Rowen taught me that the basis of all magecraft is the same. I can teach you how to control and use your power, but you'll have to refine it on your own.' Marth slid a cool hand beneath Roy's chin and turned his head so that the ex-general was looking at him. 'Why are you ashamed you look at me? We have been together through hell and survived. You have no reason to feel ashamed of anything in front of me.'
Roy shook his head and met Marth's eyes briefly with a frown.
'I can't believe I'm doing this…' He thought privately.
"Marth… I've thought about it."
Marth felt his innards tighten as if a freezing cold hand was squeezing them.
'And?' He asked quietly, not allowing his face or his voice to betray his emotions.
TBC…
Vallen: Aha… Ee-hee.. Yes, we're evil. For those of you who are confused at what Roy was talking about in the end there, I'll explain. After they had the big fight and were arguing, Roy said: ""What I want? I," Roy's voice lowered so that Marth could not hear it. "…I…I'll think about it." He finally whispered." So, that's what was going on. But… The answer is for another time! Later!
Xan: *DA DA DAAAA* OMG, what does he say?! I can't teeeeeeeeeell you!! *runs off cackling a la Wicked Witch of the West*