Mark of the Magi
Chapter 8
By
Lily of Trust
Disclaimer: With any luck, Sunrise is too preoccupied with the DVD release to notice li'l ol me...ho hum
The pleasant, near tropical weather held through the next day, the sun warming them to the bone as though striving to banish the lingering cold of the ghost vessel. It did little, however, to ease the ache of empty stomachs or the discomfort of dry throats.
Nothing more than driftwood lashed together by rope or sail washed ashore come morning. Shin sighed and poked at the debris halfheartedly. Absolutely useless. His stomach gave a painful growl, latching onto his spine and refusing to let go unless bribed by large quantities of breakfast.
"No luck?" Shu came up behind him, footsteps muffled by the shifting sand. Shin shook his head in dejection, looking back towards him as the big man clamped a hand down over his shoulder.
"We'll think of something," He said reassuringly, but his smile was forced, his confidence faked, and they both knew it.
"I should never have brought you along with me, Shu," Shin smiled sadly, spreading his hands in an apologetic manner. "Now it looks as though we'll starve here. It's better than being drained, I suppose, but it's still an unpleasant end."
"You couldn't have left me behind even if you'd tried, Shrimp," Shu scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd have followed you one way or another."
"Stubborn son of a bitch, aren't you?" Shin's half smile, at least, was genuine.
"We all are," Shu sighed and looked back towards where Touma had burrowed into the warm sand. The thief had come to earlier than the rest of them, waking them all with his incoherent screaming. Shu had been forced to hold him down while Seiji exerted his Empathy to calm him. Touma hadn't fallen back to sleep, but lay there, staring blankly at the sky. When Shin had left to search for supplies, Shu had been sitting by the pale man's side, watching him with a worried little frown. Shin was positive that his friend knew more than he was letting on, but decided not to press the issue. Yet.
"If there's nothing to be found," Seiji said, approaching silently from the side and startling the both of them. "Then we should leave this place and move on while we still have the strength to do so."
Shin nodded, glancing away from the water. The sandy beach gave way to dunes topped by thorny shrubs and crabgrass. A smudge of trees marked the horizon like low-riding storm clouds. With any luck there was water to be found within walking distance. Or a town, if they were really fortunate.
"Let's pry Touma out of the sand and go then," Shu sighed, obviously not enjoying the prospect of another long hike.
~
The temperatures climbed as the day wore on, transforming the strip of beach and scrubby grassland into a near-desert. The four of them staggered along the sun-baked ground, squinting against the intensely bright light, panting in the overwhelming heat.
"Let's...stop and rest..." Shu suggested. He half dragged, half carried Touma, trudging along with the thief's arm pulled around his neck.
"If you sit down, you're not likely to get back up," Seiji said, staring straight ahead at the near-endless landscape stretching out before them.
"If I don't, I'll fall over. And I can promise you I won't be getting back up if that happens," Shu spat, finding a second wind long enough to shoot off a sarcastic comment.
"Shu's right," Shin added, his voice rather faint. "I feel dizzy..."
Seiji glanced over at him, brows drawing inward in a slight frown. "...Perhaps we should stop, then."
"Explain to me why you listen to him." Touma spoke up for the first time that morning as Shu lowered him to the ground before flopping down himself.
"Because he's more susceptible to the heat than the rest of us," Seiji replied, folding his legs beneath himself and sinking to the ground. "Or rather, to the lack of moisture."
"I'm still here, you know," Shin muttered irritably, irked that they would speak of him as though he wasn't present. He leaned back on his elbows, then gave it up and flopped down onto the dirt. He let out a sigh and shut his eyes against the brilliantly bright sun overhead. The light still glowed red through his eyelids, refusing to leave him be. The ground beneath him was painfully hot, and seemed to leach all the sweat from his body.
"Open your eyes Shin," Seiji said in his commanding teacher-to-pupil voice. "This is no place to be falling asleep."
"I can't help it," Shin didn't bother to crack his eyes open. "I can't feel any running water for miles in any direction. We aren't going to find anything to eat or drink. It's hopeless."
"The Shrimp's got a point," Touma said tiredly, sagging forward over his knees. "I can't even walk without help."
Shu winced at the bitterness in the blue haired man's voice. Being helpless wasn't pleasant, but he hadn't thought Touma to be the sort who would just give up.
"...Very well," Seiji said after an awkward moment or two. "We'll have a short rest. But no more talk of lying down and dying."
Touma snorted as he curled up on his side in the meager shade cast by Shu's body. "Who kicked it and left you in charge?"
Shu glanced apologetically at Seiji, wondering why he felt the need to offer an excuse for Touma's actions. The blonde man simply shook his head and returned to staring impassively off into the distance. Shu sighed and crossed his arms behind his head as he leaned backwards into the earth's embrace. He and Shin were lucky in that their skin was already used to long days spent beneath the sun. He'd be willing to bet that the other two fairer-skinned members of the party would be red and peeling by the end of the day.
If they made it to evening, that was. Such troubling thoughts refused to be banished as he sought sleep. Well he, for one, would not be beaten by a bare stretch of ground! He hadn't left his home behind, survived a Siren, fought a Sea Serpent and escaped a ghost ship just to succumb to summer weather, dammit all!
Seiji watched from behind hooded lids as the other members of the little party lapsed into sleep. He listened to their slow, even breathing and tried not to be lulled by it. One of them had to remain awake to bring the rest back around. He sighed irritably, wondering why he always had to be the responsible one.
There came a flicker of movement at the edge of his peripheral vision. The Magi quickly turned to look, but found only the heat-shimmers causing the air to undulate. He sighed and sank back onto his elbows, allowing his eyes to close for a moment's relief from the sun. Just a moment's worth...
~
The brittle shrubs cracked audibly somewhere off to the right. Shin stirred, brows furrowing in annoyance. He'd been having an uncommonly good dream, all cool blue shadows and refreshing breezes, and he didn't appreciate being jolted from it. He muttered something incoherent and curled up on his side to seek the dreamscape out again.
Something wet, rough, and rather foul-smelling was abruptly dragged up his cheek. Shin yelped in surprise and disgust, flailing out with his arms to bat whatever-it-was away. His hand encountered something furry and disturbingly solid. His eyes snapped open, but saw only star-spangled sky overhead. How long had he been asleep?
A shadow loomed over him, a dark silhouette framed by the faint starlight overhead. Shin opened his mouth to cry out a warning, but found his chin caught in a strong grasp. Something was pressed to his lips, allowing blessedly cool liquid to trickle down the back of his throat. Recognizing it as water, he gulped greedily, taking deep swallows.
The flask was pulled away, but his benefactor pressed it back into Shin's hands before he had a chance to protest. His eyes had adjusted enough to the dark that he could nearly make out his benefactor. The other person's face was hidden behind a mask. The faint light gleamed dully off the matte finish of metal. Though there were eyeholes cut into it, Shin couldn't make out anything beyond them. Nor could he see the rest of the strange person's head, as he wore a hooded cloak with the cowl drawn up.
"Waaah!"
Shin jumped at the cry and looked over to find Touma grappling with a dark, four-legged figure.
"Kokuen-Oh." A low, hoarse voice said quietly from behind the mask. "That's enough."
Touma stared in shock and a small bit of fascination as the large, ebon feline that had been batting him around backed off. It padded over to the stranger and sat beside him, its wide, luminous eyes still watching the thief as though he was some sort of threat.
The scuffle brought Seiji and Shu awake as well. The Magi groped for his sword before remembering that it had been lost when the ghostship sank. Shu, usually a deep sleeper, leapt to his feet and glared the hooded man down.
"Who the hell are you?!" He glanced back and forth between the man and the immense cat. The animal had begun to growl warningly, perceiving some danger to its master. The stranger set a calming hand upon the beast's head but did not look up at the angry young man.
"Shu," Shin tossed the flask to his friend, who caught it instinctively. Shu stared at it in surprise for a moment before looking back to Shin, who shrugged.
"It's water," He said "And it seems to me that he would have done away with us by now if he meant to at all."
Shu shot their silent benefactor one more wary look before taking a deep draught of the refreshing drink. After a moment, he passed it to Touma, who took small, careful sips in order to remind his throat of what it felt like to be wet and get his stomach used to the idea of water.
"While you have a point, Shin," Seiji said, narrowing his eyes at the cloaked figure as though he could see past the metal of the mask, "He still hasn't answered the question. Who are you, sir, and why do you help us?"
The stranger remained silent for so long that they began to believe he would not answer. The flask came around to Seiji who took a swallow without ever removing his eyes from the man and the wild cat beside him.
"I live near here," He said at last. His voice was rough and broken, as though it were a tool this man had long left neglected. "And I was curious to see what type of men are so foolish as to navigate this waste during the daylight hours. Even the animals are not so stupid."
Seiji nodded once and passed the canteen back to its owner. Water still sloshed about inside of it, but no one asked for another mouthful.
"I suppose we are fools," The Magi admitted calmly, "But I notice that you still do not give us your name."
Still there came no answer. The man stood and beckoned his cat along behind him, making as if to leave.
"Wait a moment!" Shin got to his feet, "Could you at least point us in the direction of the nearest town? I know you don't have to help us, but we were shipwrecked and now we're completely lost."
Neither the man nor his companion turned around, but he was answered by the same low voice.
"I happen to be heading that way myself. I cannot prevent you from following me."
Interpreting that as the closest to an offer of help they were likely to get, the others stood, gathered up what little they had brought, and followed their new guide.
The trek was a quiet one. The masked man's deep silence stifled any inclination to strike up a conversation. There were noises, of course; the scrubby grassland seemed to come alive at night with numerous small creatures. Mice scurried through the thorny, matted undergrowth, and every so often one would shriek in terror as a nocturnal bird of prey swooped in with spread talons. Small catlike animals with bushy tails, large ears and gem-bright eyes watched the humans pass. The sky overhead was gradually lightening; soft dove gray light filtered through the deep blue-black on the eastern horizon. The chill of the night climbed up into a pleasant, dry warmth that promised another scorching day to come. The dark line of trees grew ever closer as they walked, no longer seeming so unreachable.
Every so often the black feline would glance over its shoulder at the four young men, its disconcerting golden eyes meeting theirs as though it knew much more than it was letting on.
"That damn cat keeps looking at me," Touma muttered quietly. "I wonder if it's been fed recently?"
"Kokuen-Oh would never lower himself to feeding upon another sentient being," The man said, a hint of anger in his harsh voice.
"Oh...so the cat has a name, but you don't?" Touma cocked his head to the side and fixed his eyes upon the back of the hood.
"No."
"'No', you don't have a name, or 'no', you do have one but you're not telling us what it is?" The thief persisted.
There was a brief, hesitant pause before he was answered. "...My name would mean nothing to you, as I am not known by it."
"Well what are you known by then?" Touma grinned, sensing that he was finally about to get a straight answer out of the closemouthed man.
"Once," Came the quiet reply, "I was called Kenbukyou."
Shin, Shu and Touma all hissed sharply, taken aback. Seiji frowned, confused by their response.
"What is it?" He asked them quietly.
"'Kenbukyou' is a title, not a name," Shin said under his breath. "It's given to the captain of the King's personal guard, a company of elite warriors loyal to the Crown above all else. Legend says that the first leader of the guard actually was named Kenbukyou, and every successive one has taken that name for himself."
"They're supposed to renounce all personal ties, be invincible with their chosen weapon, and damn near unbeatable with anything else." Shu added, not bothering to lower his voice.
"I see. You three are natives of Kichis." Their guide said flatly.
"We are," Touma nodded. "But I don't understand. What would a Kenbukyou be doing weeks' travel from Kichis, in the middle of nowhere?"
"You admit to being from the Capitol yourselves," The ex-guard replied, still looking ahead as he strode forward, "And yet you are far from home as well. For, I suspect, reasons you do not wish to discuss either."
"There's a blatant hint if ever there was one," Seiji muttered.
"But the guard still exists," Touma, having latched onto the subject, refused to let it go. "Though there aren't as many since there's no real Royal Family to protect anymore."
Even from beneath the cloak, the tensing of Kenbukyou's shoulders was evident. Touma smirked to himself in satisfaction. Shin took him by the elbow and hissed into his ear.
"I think you should drop it now..."
"Ahhh, so that's it, isn't it?" Touma ignored the advice and stepped forward quickly so that he stood before the masked guard. "You were the Kenbukyou twelve years ago, when the King's Magi went rouge." Met only with silence, he continued thinking aloud. "And you must have been exiled after the Royal Family was murdered, since the guards are supposed to lay down their lives to defend the Royals."
"Touma!" Shu barked, glaring angrily at the thief. "That's enough! You're going to get your fool head kicked in, and I for one won't blame sir Kenbukyou for it."
"But I'm right, aren't I?" Touma said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Leave well enough alone, Touma," Seiji said sternly. Kokuen-Oh growled in agreement.
"You are correct in all details but one," The hoarse voice took them all by surprise. "I was not exiled. None of us were. The surviving guards were not penalized for failing to defeat so powerful a Magi, but we could not forgive ourselves. Many of us took our own lives in shame. I chose to live with my failure." He touched a hand to his masked face, his fingertips lightly brushing the metal. "I had given up my name to become the King's protector. It seemed only fitting that I should also relinquish my face when I could not save him."
"So you came here, where no one who had been in Kichis that day would find you," Shin surmised.
"It's not as though the Royal Line's completely gone, you know," Shu said awkwardly. "There's still that one son..."
"I strongly disagree with the methods the Magi are using to keep him alive," Kenbukyou replied coldly, striding forward again. "I do not believe that my King would desire innocent people to die so that his son might live."
"I'll wager that attitude didn't win you any allies with the nobles, either," Touma fell to the side and let him pass, wincing as the rough hem of the cloak snapped against his legs.
"Yet another reason why I choose not to associate with people from Kichis."
Seiji, who had not been present in Taidem during the slaughter twelve years before, simply absorbed all this information and tucked it away for future reference. It seemed there had been quite a bit more going on in the neighboring kingdom than the rumors back home had let on. He made a mental note to question Shin further on the matter once they reached a safe haven, half listening as Shu apologized for Touma's large mouth and total lack of respect. He wondered for a moment what Kenbukyou hid behind that mask. The man possessed a strange aura, one that roiled and churned as though it constantly tried to bury something deep beneath it.
"Is something the matter?" Shin asked him quietly, discreetly withdrawing from Touma and Shu's now familiar exchange of insults.
"No, nothing," Seiji assured him, lips quirking into a small smile. "I was just wondering how far we have left to travel until we reach a village."
"A day and a half," Kenbukyou answered, though the question had not been directed to him. Shu and Touma abruptly stopped arguing and redirected their attention to the new topic. "The nearest sizeable community is nearly a two-day journey in that direction." He pointed off to his left. By now they had come so close to the forest that they were able to make out individual trees. The path Kenbukyou indicated looked as though it would take them deeper into it.
Without warning, the ex-guard turned to them, producing from somewhere beneath his cloak two canteens made of cured leather stretched over a wooden frame. He shoved them into Shin's hands and took a step back.
"This is where we part ways," He said. "When you reach the forest, stay along the edge of the treeline. Soon you will encounter a small stream. I suggest you fill these there, and continue on foot. I have no provisions to offer you, but you will find small homes when you come to the end of the forest. If you manage to keep up this pace, that should be around evening." He glanced skyward, where traces of peach and pale, delicate pink tinged the lightening gray. "I wish you luck in your journey, Magi. Should I encounter any of the King's men that undoubtedly follow you, I will misdirect them as best I can. But I suggest that you leave Taidem and find someplace where being an Elemental is not punishable by death."
By the time the four travelers had managed to pry their jaws out of the sun-baked ground, Kenbukyou and Kokuen-Oh were both out of earshot.
"...How did he know?!" Shu finally said, shaking his head in surprise.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he had an ability to sense magic," Seiji replied slowly, wondering if perhaps that was what he had felt about the man. "It certainly would have been useful in his previous line of work."
"Then he knew all along," Shin hefted the empty canteens, listening to them clack hollowly against each other. "Maybe that's the only reason he helped us, because he knew we were running from Kichis too."
"Maybe," Touma agreed. "But then again, maybe he had his own reasons."
"Whichever it is," Seiji said, "We had better get under the shade before the sun rises. We do want to make it to that stream before the heat becomes too intense."
The other three nodded. Shu reached over and took one of the canteens from Shin, slinging it over his shoulder as he struck off towards the trees. Seiji and Shin followed him, not noticing when Touma paused for a moment to watch the two dark figures of Kenbukyou and Kokuen-Oh as they began their journey home.
AN: Well what do you know...this chapter took me exactly two months to complete. I am disgusted with myself, especially since it's only six pages long -_- To be honest, I sat down and wrote the majority of it this afternoon. I can't say what kept me from writing, because I'm not sure myself. I couldn't write anything. This is actually more of a filler-chapter, done mainly so the characters could cover some ground.
I also glossed over the fact that Kokuen-Oh is a tiger. I just don't see how a tiger could be black, because then you wouldn't be able to see the stripes, right? *is confused* So then it wouldn't be a tiger, correct? Eh...so he's just a big black cat.
Credit for motivation this chapter goes to ReRe-san for nagging me, (although she only did it so I'd be free to work on Steps...) and Ria ne-san for loaning me her muse. I have no idea where mine vanished to, although I believe the feline one is currently passed on my pillow.
I kinda get the feeling people are going to be pissed at me...but I will do my list of 'Thank You's anyway! Ta da:
Angel- I think I'm offended! *gasp* You make it sound like I never ever update! I'm not all that lazy (Shoosh, I know you're laughing). If you gang up on me, there won't be anymore chapters, so there! I'm guessing that's the only thing keeping me alive right now. *glomp* But you love me anyway!
Risa- o.o Goddamn! That's the longest review I have ever received in all my days of FFnet-ness. Have I thanked you for your wonderful reviews lately? Yeep! I can't tell you what I'm going to do to Touma, because that would be spoiling quite a bit, but he seems to have so many fans that I'm afraid to do anything mean to him...
Touma: *smirks oh-so-smugly*
Me: *steals one of Angel's pig-stickers and baps him with it* Of course, if he keeps this up...
It's so nice to know that my writing keeps people on the edge of their seats! Please, do not kill me! Death by Dictionary is so demeaning...
Khisanth-It took me another two months ^-^;; I sure hope you're still sticking around! I don't think Shu will be telling Touma the truth any time soon. Think about it; Would you want to know that you weren't actually real? I sure wouldn't! But of course he'll have to find out eventually...maybe...ish....*snickers* I got Monty Python flashes myself when I went back and re-read it! I didn't mean for that to happen, but oh well. As long as nobody sues, it should be fine. NI!
Physh-If you ask me, Touma's getting entirely too much attention. He'll become impossible to live with if you and everybody else don't stop worshipping him. I need to do something about his smart-ass-ness.
Sumsum-I intend to put this chapter up on the board as well, if only to kickstart the damn thing *sweatdrop* But I'm glad you've been keeping an eye open for new chapters ^_^ I had to laugh when all these people gasped and said "Whoa, you got Sumsum to review your fic!" I must be lucky to know someone as infamous as you!
MaryD-Yes, exactly two months, on the dot, no less! *laughs* I'm so sorry...But considering that I'm juggling a webcomic, RPGs, and lots of other fics, a chapter every two months doesn't seem totally unreasonable, I don't think. I'll try to write the other one sooner, I really will. Summer has turned me into a vegetable. As to all your guesses about who's who...I can reveal nothing!
Ninxa-I'm glad I managed to surprise you with the ending! I don't want to write a story that the readers can predict. If I want you people to keep coming back, I have to keep you on your toes ~_^
Kar-chan-You're not the only one with a messed up sleep schedule. I don't think I've gotten up before noon at all this summer. I'm so bad. Good to know you think it's worth the wait *smirks* and I should hope I managed to throw you off guard with Touma's backstory. Geez, I didn't even know what he was going to be until I sat down and wrote it.
Yamino Tora-Ah, but since you expected him to be one, I had to do something different! Honestly, I didn't know what to do with Touma until I wrote it. He even surprised me! ^_^ I like to keep my stories kind of amusing, since I'm not such a huge fan of angst. I'll try not to take so long this time, I promise.
V-Lady-Oh no! Not the wet noodles! *has been whipped by wet noodles before* Do you have any idea how hard those are to get out of my hair? Ick! I cower to think what forces you may be gathering....
Leigh-0.0 Yeep! Don't hurt yourself! Get some sleep! Though I must say, Death Threats are the best way to get me working. I finished a chapter of another story within two days after someone sent me a death threat ~_^ You seem to be a violent reader to me, but I'll overlook the psychoticness in favor of regular reviews.
Kathrine-If you sit back and think about it, I think you'll figure out who Ryo is. *smiles* I haven't really tried to keep it a big secret or anything. I won't come out and tell you, but I have mentioned him already. People sure seem to be getting anxious about him.
Melee-^_^ Thank you! I'm rather proud of how I'm writing Seiji as well, since I've never had much to do with him before. I promise that Ryo will make an appearance...it just won't be for a while. And as for Tiger...-.- Uhm...I'll get back to you on that one!
Angelrain- Well I didn't post this chapter all that soon, but at least I wrote it! Your question about Seiji's whole story should be answered within the next chapter, but like I told Melee and Kathrine, Ryo's staying out of it for a while. It's not that I don't like him, I just had to cast him as a particular character who won't be appearing for a while! But he will. I like him too much to keep him out of it.
Damn, that's a LONG list of thank yous, but I really do appreciate every review that I get. ^_^ I'm the sort of person that needs to be nagged at to write.
However, I sort of have a request to make...if ANYBODY is willing/able to be my beta reader, I would be extremely grateful. I need someone who can get back to me within a day (or two at the most), and nitpick about my grammar, sentence structure, etc. I don't really have anybody I can ask. Thank you!
I'm done now ~_^