Mark of the Magi
Chapter 5
By
Lily of Trust
Disclaimers:...Oh hell, I'm too tired to go through the effort. BTW, this chapter is kinda long...
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"I can't DO THIS!"
"It's not that you can't, it's that you don't want to."
"What does that matter?"
"Working with this power is very much like training a large animal; it knows if your heart isn't in the matter at hand."
Shin sighed and slumped back against the small cabin. "Your telling me this talent of mine is sentient? That it thinks?"
"In a very real sense, yes," Seiji nodded and pushed a shallow bowl, half full of water, towards him. "Now try it again."
"Go for it Shin," Touma encouraged from the cabin roof. He was lying on his stomach, with his arms crossed beneath his chin. "At least it gives the rest of us something to watch."
"I'm glad you're finding this so entertaining," Shin scowled. A shadow of a headache was beginning to gather behind his eyes. All of the exercises Seiji put him through required intense concentration on his part. He fixed his eyes on the bowl, brows drawing inward as he reached down inside himself to touch that same force he'd tapped during the struggle with the Kraken. There were barriers there, familiar ones. They ought to be, he'd put them in place himself, unconsciously, by refusing to acknowledge his abilities for so long. The power behind the barriers surged and churned like the sea during a storm. It wanted out; the tricky part was controlling how much managed to escape.
He reached out to the core of energy, and a warm feeling flooded through his veins. His hands tingled with a pins-and-needles sensation, itching to reach out to the bowl. However, for this particular exercise, he had been forbidden to use any gestures or words to help focus the power. Such things were unnecessary, Seiji told him, and used only because many people thought they were.
The water within the bowl began to ripple and move almost as though it were a sort of gel, and not a liquid. Beads of sweat began to appear on Shin's forehead; he couldn't understand why it was so hard to manipulate such a small amount, when he had brought an entire section of ocean under his control a few days earlier. The water surged up out of the bowl, hovering a few inches above the rim in a shapeless, shifting mass. Shin gripped at his knees in an effort to keep from using his hands to shape the blob. The headache stabbed fiercely at his temples now. He gritted his teeth together and dug his nails into his knees; the pain helped him to focus. The water slowly began to condense into a sphere, resembling nothing so much as a fishbowl without the benefit of glass.
"Hrm..." Seiji muttered, which might have meant anything really. Shin chose to interpret it as a sign that he was doing a satisfactory job at least.
Shu happened upon the exercise as he climbed up the short flight of stairs from the cabin, a small collapsible spyglass held in one hand, and a rolled up piece of parchment in the other. He stopped to watch in amazement, and the door slammed shut behind him with a sharp crack!
Everyone jumped and yelped in surprise...with the exception of Seiji, who twitched a bit. Touma nearly fell from the low roof, and Shin lost any and all control over the water sphere.
The small globe exploded in a shower of salt water, pelting them all with the force of a hailstorm. They all threw up their arms to shield their faces. It seemed there was more water flying into their eyes than the little bowl could have possibly held. A globule flew straight into Touma's mouth as he sucked in a sharp breath of air, and he promptly keeled over coughing. He pounded at his chest with a fist and glared through bleary eyes at Shu.
"Nice going!! It's a damn good thing he's not a fire Elemental!"
"How was I to know what was going on up here?!" Shu defended himself.
Seiji pushed dripping bangs out of his eyes and fixed Shin with a neutral gaze. The younger man was rubbing at his temples; the sudden shattering of his concentration resulted in a nasty backlash that aggravated his already aching head. Shin ignored the bickering with an effort, and concentrated on putting the storm walls back up against the internal power spring. For three days now, since Seiji had joined their little party, he'd been trying to master these exercises, with precious little success.
"It doesn't matter what distractions present themselves," The blonde said quietly to him. "You must be able to control your talent under any circumstances."
Shin shot him a venomous glare from behind his own drenched hair. "You're doing this deliberately, aren't you?"
Seiji smiled faintly. "Perhaps,"
"What if I told you exactly where you could stick that advice of yours?" The headache served to make him cranky.
Seiji laughed, surprising his intrepid student. He reached over and clapped Shin on the shoulder.
"It probably doesn't seem like it to you, but you're doing very well," He said, voice warm with approval. "Controlling smaller amounts of matter is always more difficult than huge blasts of energy, and less damaging in the long-run."
"I've only ever used huge blasts," Shin ducked his head almost shyly. "I guess I don't see the point of anything less effective."
"Most of what a Magi does has nothing to do with big, impressive spells," Seiji settled back and went into 'lecture mode'. "The every day usages for power are rarely flashy. Mostly only small magics are used to make day to day life a little bit easier. Elementals are confined only to their respective elements. Magi work mostly with matter, creating and manipulating it as they will," He reached out a hand, palm up, and light flashed to life about an inch above his skin. It jumped and writhed like a candle flame, twisting into shapes that might or might not have had a meaning. Seiji closed his hand around the light, allowing it to glow redly through his flesh to reveal the shadows of bone before extinguishing.
"So you're some kind of light element?" Touma asked curiously.
Seiji nodded. "As I said before, I have only a slight Elemental talent. My main skill is Empathy."
"Not to seem ignorant or anything," Shu interjected "But...Empathy?"
"'An understanding and imaginative experiencing of how someone else is feeling,'" Touma quoted, drawing strange looks from Shin and Shu. "What?! There are public libraries in Kichis, you know."
"I could see how that might be useful," Shin nodded to Seiji, ignoring Touma's indignation. "Is it a rare talent?"
Seiji made a rueful sort of snort. "Rare enough. I have yet to meet another Empath that approaches my abilities."
"...If it's so rare, and you're so gifted...what are you doing out in the middle of nowhere with us?" Touma murmured softly.
Seiji leaned back against the side of the skiff and sighed. He shut his eyes for a moment, leaving the other three to wonder if he would answer at all. Shu took cross-legged seat below Touma's perch on the roof, folding his arms over his chest and waiting.
"It's a matter of family duty, really," The blonde man said after a few lengthy moments of silence. "There is a man who...." He paused and shook his head before starting again. "I'm going to have to explain something of Western culture to you. You see, among the Clans, it's not at all unusual for a father to arrange marriages for his children," Seiji stared pensively at his hands, clasped tightly together in his lap. "My father set up such a match for my older sister with a very well-respected older man of another Clan. Both families agreed to the match, and the melding of the Clans, but the man in question disappeared after the wedding night."
"You mean you're out here looking for a runaway groom?" Touma arched a sky-blue brow in something like mockery. "That's a little bit redundant, don't you think? It's kind of obvious he doesn't want anything to do with your sister. Just get your father to set up another wedding."
Shin hid his face behind his hand. Open mouth, insert foot. "Touma...aren't you being just a little bit...rude?" Shu shoved his fist upward into the small eve of the cabin roof, causing the wood beneath the thief to jump.
"Let the man finish his story."
Seiji's mouth twisted up into a bitter line. "You don't understand. If the groom is not brought back, it will result in open warfare between both Clans. A marriage contract is sacred and thoroughly binding," He set his chin into his hand and sighed again. "Not to mention that my sister will be unable to marry anyone else, with her virtue in question."
"Oh," Touma said in a small voice. "I see."
"How do even know where to start looking, though?" Shin frowned. "Did he leave any clues behind about where he was heading?"
"None," Seiji shook his head. "But I will be able to find him regardless."
"Again, I hate to question the obvious, but why's that?" Shu asked.
"The man I'm searching for is a Magi, as well as my teacher. I can get a vague feeling as to his whereabouts, that strengthens as I travel nearer. We're currently heading in the general direction of his aura." He looked at Shin, and chuckled humorlessly. "I neglected to mention that detail to you; the teacher-pupil bond, that is."
Shin shrugged. "I don't think it'll matter much. After you find this man and go home, you'll be too far away for any sort of feeling to bother me."
"Speaking of distance," Shu said, unrolling the thick tube of vellum he'd been carrying, "We should come within reach of a fishing village before nightfall. If we're where I think we are, that is. Maybe you'll find your runaway there?"
Seiji grunted a negative and got to his feet. "No, he's too far away for that. If he was within a day's travel, I would have been able to pick out his exact location."
"...Hey, Seiji?" Touma rested his cheek against his forearm and blinked at the blonde with inquisitive eyes. "I know a little bit about Western culture...and it just occurred to me that it really wouldn't matter if your sister was able to marry or not, would it? After all, it's the offspring of the eldest son that inherits leadership of the Clan, isn't it? Why should it be such a big deal if she spawns or not?"
Lavender eyes narrowed in some unreadable expression. Touma swallowed hard and fought the urge to duck down away from the laser-gaze. There was enough chill in those irises to coat the ocean in a film of ice. Without replying, Seiji pushed past the door to the cabin, and disappeared below decks.
"...I think you touched on a nerve, Touma," Shin said finally.
"Do you even think about the things that come out of your mouth?!" Shu stood and grabbed the thief by the back of his vest. He hauled him off the low roof and down to the deck. "You obviously offended the man. Several times, I might add!"
"Leggoame!" Touma took a swing at him, and missed by a wide mile. Shin rolled his eyes and gathered up the bowl before one of them tripped over it and hurt himself. If they were lucky, they'd make it to the village without any casualties.
~
"See anything yet?" Shu called from the stern. Shin leaned out over the prow of the skiff and squinted against the bloody light of the dying sun. It might have been setting behind them, but the water caught the glare and threw it back, setting the sea aflame. He scanned the coastline with his eyes, looking for the telltale splotch of shadow that would mark a small town or village. A cluster of dark little spikes jutted out into the water. Tied to them were what seemed from a distance to be water beetles floating gently on the surface of the water.
"I can see a harbor! A small one, but it's there. Maybe a half mile more?"
Shu grinned. "Hah! I was right! We should be there before supper."
Shin looked down at the lump of hard-tack in his hand. He'd been nibbling at it for perhaps an hour, and had come to the conclusion that it was actually a rock doing a not-so-successful bread impression. "Thank God. I don't know how much more of this I can stand to eat." He padded barefoot down the deck to perch on the railing beside Shu. "Not that there's much left anyway."
"Who knew the thief was such a bottomless pit?"
"Look who's talking." Shin poked him in the shoulder.
"That's not funny."
"I think I'll go and get the others," Shin grinned, quickly backing out of the subject. About an hour back, Touma had cautiously poked his head below decks to apologize to Seiji. It had only taken Shin three hours to persuade him to swallow his stubbornness, and another half hour to gather the courage to do so. The silence from the cabin meant that one way or another, peace had been reached. Whether or not the solution involved that sword Seiji carried was open to question.
"Hey, is it safe in there?" Shin called through the door.
"We're both alive, if that's what you mean," Touma's voice seemed slightly flat through the wood. Shin stepped into the cabin to relay the news.
"We'll be docking soon, if we can get permission from whoever the harbormaster is."
Seiji looked up from where he'd been sitting cross-legged on the floor. His sword lay across his knees, naked steel gleaming quietly in the lamplight. He paused in running a whetstone down the blade.
Touma lay sprawled in one of the hammocks, one leg dangling over the edge as he sewed a patch into a ripped length of sailcloth. He glanced upwards, taking his attention away from his work, and promptly jabbed the needle into his finger.
"Be upf's soon's 'm dunf," He mumbled around the injured digit.
"I'll go assist Shu," Seiji sheathed the sword and rose to his feet. Shin turned to Touma after the door had closed.
"What did you say to him?" He asked curiously.
Touma shrugged and folded up the sailcloth. "I apologized, and we got to talking. He's a very...complicated person," He smirked. "At least I found the answer to my question." Shin waited a moment for him to elaborate before realizing he wasn't going to.
"And?"
The thief chuckled and swung himself out of the hammock. He made it to the door before turning around and winking conspiratorially at Shin.
"That, my friend, would be a secret."
~
A rim of crimson outlined in liquid gold was all that remained of the sun by the time the skiff reached the fishing docks. Surprisingly, a cluster of people stood gathered on the piers. Behind them, several mismatched and lopsided homes hunkered down on the cleared area of shore. Typical fishing village, typical setting, so why the crowd?
"What's with the welcoming committee?" Shu wondered as Touma let the sails go slack. Shin leaned over the prow and was troubled to note that most of the faces in the crowd bore angry expressions.
"Permission to dock?" He called out, hoping someone of authority stood within the group.
"You're not Kaegryn," Someone growled.
Looks and shrugs were exchanged between the four on the boat. No one had the slightest idea who they were talking about.
"No, we're not," Touma admitted. "None of us have ever heard of the man."
"That's Kaegryn's craft," Another, feminine, voice shouted. "I'd know it anywhere. He went off to Kichis in it!" Cries of 'thieves' and 'pirates' went up from the other villagers.
Shu made a faint 'urk' noise, and glanced sideways at Shin; it figured, with their luck, that they'd happen to steal a boat belonging to someone of this remote village. Seiji, who had no knowledge of the theft, but noticed their reactions, raised an eyebrow in question. Touma stepped forward, hands raised in pacification, a story already sliding off his tongue.
"I assure you that we did not steal this vessel! Our own ship was lost, wrecked by a Kraken who makes its home at the bottom of the Straits. Only the four of us survived the attack, and found our way to shore." He rapped his knuckles against the railing and continued. "We were fortunate enough to find a boat moored in the shallows, and though we waited nearly two days for the owner to return, no one did." Now the thief shrugged, acting helpless, "So we took the craft and left for our home port."
A ripple ran through the crowd as the people murmured amongst themselves. Shin stared incredulously at Touma before realizing he was probably being watched. He'd never known the other man could spin such tales.
Finally, someone spoke up in a loud, decisive tone. "Fetch the witch, and we'll find out the truth of this!" Shouts of agreement went up, and several people split off from the crowd to head back to the town. The remaining men turned back to the four on the skiff.
"You, come with us. Pray that you've spoken the truth."
~
"Wonderful, just wonderful," Shu remarked caustically, watching Touma as he paced the confines of the small room they'd been locked inside. "What the hells possessed you to lie like that?!"
"Did you want to be lynched?" Came the snapped reply. "Those people were about ready to drown us all!"
Shin leaned back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. "Who do you suppose they meant by 'the witch'?"
"Witches are very low level magic-users," Seiji explained quietly from where he sat cross-legged. His sword and Touma's daggers had all been confiscated, leaving them all weaponless. "They're mostly only found in small villages like this one." He didn't seem angry that they hadn't told him about the origins of their craft, but he hadn't spoken a single word to Touma since.
"If you're so upset about being locked up," The thief was growling at Shu, "Why don't you just plow your way through the wall?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" The larger man demanded, reached out to grab a fistful of Touma's shirt.
"Can't even recognize an insult when you hear one?"
"You're coming dangerously close to the bounds of my patience, lightfingers!"
"Enough! Both of you!" Shin shoved Shu back away from Touma and kept his body between them. "This is neither the time, nor the place. Save it."
The door swung open, letting a sudden sharp evening breeze into the room. The young woman in the doorway arched a brow at the scene before her. She wore the same garb as the rest of the villagers; a sharkskin bodice laced tight over a tattered, calf-length dress of homespun cloth, but there the similarities ended. Her feet were bare, but she wore ankle-bracelets of carved bone and shell. Wristbands of leather covered her forearms from wrist to elbow, and bore the marks of several burns and nicks. Her long, kelp-red hair was pullet back into a fillet of mother-of-pearl, and tiny conch shells dangled from her earlobes. The truly strange aspect of her appearance were her nails; small holes had been drilled into the ends, and tiny chains of beaten metal links dangled from them. Equally tiny bells hung from the end of these inches-long chains, chiming to her every movement. A tattoo bearing a stylized dolphin stained pale skin above her left breast, disappearing below the bodice.
"Hardly what I expected to walk in on," She said, her voice tinged with amusement.
"You are the witch?" Seiji asked calmly, since the other three were still blinking in surprise.
The woman nodded, her earrings swaying with the motion of her head. "I am. My name is Nasuti." She gestured for them to have a seat, and sank bonelessly to the ground, folding her legs beneath her with fluid grace. "Before we begin, I feel I should warn you; my primary talents are divination, and premonition. Therefore, it is useless to lie to me, as I already know the truth of the events which brought you here." A tiny smile curved her lips.
"Then why have you not already turned us over to the people here for punishment?" Seiji asked, seeming somewhat surprised.
Nasuti sighed and tucked a stray lock of hair behind one ear. "Because that would benefit no one. Not you, not this village."
Touma narrowed his eyes and peered suspiciously at the witch. "What exactly are you getting at?"
"This was once a prosperous fishing town," The young woman replied, settling her hands in her lap. "We exported our deep-sea fish to many cities and larger settlements inland." Her stormy green eyes grew troubled, and a line appeared on her brow. "However, a few months ago, our boats began to disappear. Crews went out and were never heard from again. Before long, we became too frightened to venture out of site of the coast, but the source of our troubles came to us instead. A Sea Serpent has made its home in a grotto near here, since we deprived it of its prey on the open seas. Already it has razed this village to the ground twice, causing many, many deaths."
"Sea Serpent?!" Shin gaped. "Those exist?!"
Nasuti nodded. "We sent our headman to discover what it was the Serpent desired, to see if we could somehow make peace, and it laid out its terms. Once a week, we deliver a young person of the village for the creature's consumption. Already we have lost much of the men and women under the age of twenty."
Touma and Shu made noises of disgust and anger, while Shin frowned intensely at the thought. Seiji leaned forward and regarded the witch.
"What does this have to do with us?"
She raised her chin a fraction, and returned his cool gaze. "Four nights ago, I saw all of you in one of my visions. Somehow, you are key to the solution of our problem. If you agree to help us defeat the Serpent, I will see to it that the village council allows you to go free. If not...well, it nears the feeding time, and you all seem to be within the acceptable age limit."
"...You drive a hard bargain, witch," Shu said after a long moment of silence. "What is there to keep us from leaving to kill the monster, and just continue walking?"
"I intend to accompany you," Nasuti replied evenly. "Because it's my duty to protect this place." She leaned forward, mirroring Seiji's posture. "Also, I happen to have information about another foreign traveler that wandered through here a few weeks ago..."
The blonde caught his breath sharply and stared at her. "Who?! What did he look like? Did he leave a name? Or even a destination?"
The witch smiled triumphantly and sat back again. "I'll tell you after the Serpent has been slain."
"You leave us little choice, Lady," Shin said, smiling sardonically. "You certainly do drive a hard bargain."
"Looks like we're with you whether we like it or not," Touma agreed, although he looked none too happy about it.
Nasuti got back to her feet and dusted her skirt off. "I will inform the council of your decision. You'll be shown to more comfortable quarters," She turned to leave, and hesitated. "...And...I thank you. This place is my home, and I can't stand to watch it slowly die."
Touma sighed as the door closed behind her, and looked at his three companions. "You do realize that we're not likely to survive this one, don't you? With the exception of Seiji, none of us are armed, and we can't exactly rely on Shin for Elemental backup just yet. What does she expect us to do?!"
"Damned if I know," Shu scowled at the ground, "But even if she hadn't asked for help, it's just not right to turn our backs on something like this." Shin and Touma both had to nod reluctantly at that. Seiji gazed thoughtfully into empty space, his thoughts chasing themselves in circles. If the man he sought had come through this way, maybe he had left clues as to his eventual destination behind....
The door opened once more as a few men came to escort them to what passed for an inn. All of them carried vicious looking hooks, normally used for catching drifting fishing nets and hauling them in. Agreement or no, they were not trusted.
"We're going to die one way or another, aren't we?" Shin whispered to Shu, who just stared grimly ahead, remaining silent.
((AN: Ta Da! That didn't take too long. What do you all mean, I'm not using Ryo? How do you know he just hasn't made his appearance yet?! I fully intend to use all the YST characters...at least all the important ones. I think I'll leave the giant floating head out of it, and heaven only knows how I'd be able to incorporate Byakuen...
Like the Nasuti cameo? I'm fond of her, so I'm giving her a fairly large part. ^_^ A girl at my school really DOES have her nails done like that; she happens to be my partner in Home Ec. Fact truly is stranger than fiction, my friends
Many, many thanks to everybody who reviewed *bows repeatedly* 'specially to Ninxa, with her multiple revies, and Risa, with that one BIG ASS one. 0.0 Color me stunned.
Seeing as how this fic seems to have gained a few readers, I feel there are a few things that I, as the author, must confess...
1) Up to this point, I've had every chapter already written out, and I was spacing it along to see how many reviews I could get (because I'm devious and evil and all that other jazz) which explains the fairly regular updates...but now I'm flying blind, none of its written out, and updates will be fewer and farther between. If you want to know why, take a look at my profile and see how many other epics I'm working on. I apologize for that.
2) When I originally started this story, it was with the intention of making it a shounen-ai fic. If that sort of thing disturbs you, you're free to leave. Any implications of that sort of thing are probably going to be extremely subtle until later chapters, and I doubt I'll go into much more than a little PDA. Most likely no lemons.))