I thank the anonymous person for warning me about posting author's notes as a separate chapter.
I'd posted the timeline and Authors Notes here earlier as a separate chapter, but an anonymous person warned me that fanfiction.net would prefer that authors didn't do that. I respect that. So I took it down and incorporated it into this chapter. Don't worry no one's missing anything. So thanks, anonymous person, once again.
This story is confusing because there are a lot of things going on at the same time and I've just realized what a hole I've dug for myself. Ulp! But I hope the timeline will help in clearing confusions. Please understand that not everything will be understandable yet because the plot is still unfolding. (I'm one of those sneaky drop-a-plot-hint-here-and-another-there types.)
I've also realized that I could mitigate the confusion if I simply have a date before each scene. So that's what I'll do. One of these days, I'll go back and add the dates on the earlier chapters, but for now . . . I'm too lazy. Haha. See, your comments really help me improve. Thanks!
(Oh yes, responses are at the end.)
Story thus far:
(Notice: I'll only be commenting on points that are relevant to the main plot. Therefore things that may seem important but are omitted may simply be points that are important to some subplot I have going on.
Also notice: Except for initial introductions, I will refer to the older counterparts by last names to avoid confusion.)
Prologue:
The time is at night. The scene is a small camp in the middle of a forest.
Takato Matsuki, the mercenary, is introduced.
He meets Henry Wong and Master Long.
Matsuki learns that Henry has been summoned by the Ohtori Academy to test his possible Vibration skills.
Matsuki learns that Henry is mute.
The night passes. The scene shifts to a village on the Raleighan border. It is morning.
Takato Matsuki, the baker's son, is introduced.
Takato experiences a Vibration that displaces him into another Tune for a moment.
Jeri Katou, the innkeeper daughter, is introduced.
Jeri and Takato Vibrate to the other Tune.
Jeri whispers, "Merciful Shuichon." (Schuichon is Suzy's undubbed name.)
The time is still morning. The scene is the small camp, but on a different Tune.
Henry is introduced to "Tunes".
Chapter 1:
The time is still morning. The scene is the master bedroom of Shioda Castle.
Jeri Katou, the Duchess, is introduced.
Katou wakes up from a dream involving vague figures and whispers.
Katou remembers events that happened weeks ago.
Ruri is introduced.
Katou is unnerved by Ruri's presence.
The time is still morning of the same day. The scene is a practice courtyard at the Ohtori Academy.
Rika Nonaka, the Echo, is introduced.
Ryo Akiyama, the Echo, is introduced.
Kenta Kitagawa, the Student, is introduced.
Chapter 2:
The time is still morning of the same day. The scene is the small camp on a different Tune.
Henry and Matsuki encounter a small Mistake.
Matsuki comments upon being unable to sense Henry's Vibration.
They sense another Mistake.
Henry has a flashback and gives chase to the creature.
Henry and Matsuki encounter two other Echoes, Li Mei Ling and Trowa Barton, who were ordered by Ohtori to retrieve them.
Mei Ling notes upon being unable to sense Henry's Vibration.
They all go in search of the Mistake.
The time is mid-morning of the same day. The scene is an unidentified room.
Shuichon Wong (I know it's really Li Shuichon.) is introduced.
Shuichon has a flashback.
We learn of the first Resonators.
We learn of a potential threat that has tried to and is trying to invade the Kami-Tune.
The time is mid-morning of the same day. The scene is the small village on the Raleighan border on a different Tune.
Rika, Ryo, and Kenta are trying to find Takato and Jeri.
They all find each other and defeat a Mistake.
They all leave the scene and find themselves in Veda Forest of that Tune.
They are attacked by a Mistake.
They meet Henry and co.
Rika learns Henry is mute but can communicate with her through telepathy.
Chapter 3:
The time is mid-morning of the same day. The scene is a clearing in Veda Forest on a different Tune.
Rika and Henry leave the scene of battle.
Kenta, Takato, and Jeri leave with Trowa and Mei Ling.
Ryo and Matsuki defeat the Mistake.
They discover a strange red substance, which killed the Mistake.
The time is just before Ryo and Matsuki's battle ended. The scene is an unidentified enclosure.
Two mysterious figures appear.
Their "conversation" echoes Katou's nightmares.
The time is just after Ryo and Matsuki's battle. The scene is off the Taikoubou River on a different Tune.
Rika and Henry learn more about each other.
Rika Vibrates and they both return to the Kami-Tune.
Chapter 4:
The time is mid-afternoon of that day. The scene is a council room
Hirokazu Shioda, the Duke is introduced.
Plans for a war on Cephiro are made.
A councilman is violently disposed by a strange creature that may or may not be a Mistake, but is definitely connected to Ruri.
The time is afternoon of that day. The scene is off the Taikoubou River on the Kami-Tune.
Rika dreams.
Henry journeys overland with an unconscious Rika.
Henry encounters bandits.
Henry fights bandits.
Henry has a flashback.
Henry "snaps".
Chapter 5:
The time is late afternoon of that day. The scene is the back of a covered cart.
Henry dreams.
We get hints of how he defeated the bandits.
Kazu Shioda, the blacksmith's apprentice, is introduced.
We learn that Kazu can also only hear Henry.
The time is sunset of that day. The scene is still in the covered cart.
Kazu and Henry talk.
We learn that there are seven Resonators and not six as is normally believed. Shuichon may have been the seventh Resonator.
They appeared on the s'Ffalen Strait.
Chapter 6:
The time is mid-morning of the second day. The scene is a tropical jungle.
Jeri, Takato, and Kenta make their way through the jungle. They are dragging Mei Ling and Trowa in constructed stretchers.
The time is mid-morning of the second day. The scene is an empty throne room.
Outside the throne room, thousands of soldiers cheer on Duke Shioda as he begins his campaign.
The time is several hours after the scene above (About evening of the second day). The scene is a computer room.
Shuichon discovers thousands of Vibrations.
We learn that only 1,000 Echoes are activated at any one time, therefore the above statement should be impossible.
Shuichon discovers there is only one frequency: Jeri Katou's.
The time occurs just as Shuichon discovers the Vibrations. The scene is the tropical jungle.
Some invisible force impacts Takato, Kenta, Trowa, and Mei Ling.
Jeri falls into a stupor. The words she mumbled echoed the mysterious figures' conversation in Chapter 3.
The time occurs just as Shuichon discovers the Vibrations. The scene is Kazu's bedroom.
Rika and Henry talk.
Rika gets a premonition.
Chapter 7:
The time is morning of the third day. The scene is a marching army.
Ruri and Shioda discuss the battle for Cephiro.
Ryo Akiyama, the Baron, is introduced.
We learn that Katou is also in a catatonic state and her mutterings echoes Jeri's words from Chapter 6.
The time is morning of the third day. The scene is a plain landscape then the tropical jungle.
Jeri meets a mysterious figure in a large, opaque bubble. The "conversation" she has with the figure echoes Katou's mutterings from the scene above.
Jeri wakes up.
Mei Ling and Trowa have awoken.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Resonators
By squishybookworm
Chapter Eight
4th day of March, 933 Resonance Era, 5:35 AM, Ohtori Academy
It was a bird that greeted their presence.
They swept through the open-air hallway towards the assembly room, where the dull roar of hundreds of students and teachers were gathered. Past the pale blue stone colonnades, a bird twittered from its position atop a barely budding pear tree. It canted its head quickly from side to side, catching sight of a group of men and women as they disappeared and reappeared from behind the high columns. Their forms were rendered into mere shadows, only the brightest scarlet robe, or a twinkle of gold thread flickering from their shadows.
The bird chirped once then fluttered to another swaying branch. Grey light filtered across the sky, but the sweeping architect of the surrounding buildings prevented any light from peeking into this moderate garden. Not until midmorning at least. It chirped again and hopped up to a higher branch. There it found the assembly of people turn a corner and continue down that hallway. Again they appeared and disappeared behind tall, smooth columns. Feet encased in richly brocaded slippers carrying them quickly to their destination. If their quick, short breaths and wet brows were any indication, those feet may have known nothing but the softest silks and fur.
But this did not interest the bird as it swooped down to a tall bubbler just beyond the shadow of the pear tree and began sipping.
"Councilmen," one of the shadowed people huffed, "is this really necessary?"
"Nonsense, Peremides." This voice was also winded, but perhaps more so than the first had been. "Do you not remember the intensity of that . . . that Vibration?"
Another, a feminine, voice interjected, "We are not certain if it is a Vibration. Don't jump to conclusions and frighten the students, Ekurya."
"Caelia," Ekurya grunted, "I don't think I will be able to frighten that bunch of rotten, little-"
"Guard your tongue, dear," another sly and catty voice spoke up from the back, "some of those students are nobles. If you are referring to the . . . commoners, well, that's another issue entirely."
Ekurya grunted again and carefully mopped away a sheen of sweat from his thickly furrowed brow. His fingers clutched the small square of snowy linen looking like protrusions of sausages spewing forth from a mushy apple. His droopy cheeks bubbled out once, twice as a fish surely gaped once it had been pulled from the water and he finally clamped his thick lips together tightly.
"Now we are almost to the Assembly room. I trust everyone here knows their lines?" The same sly voice almost purred from the small, slim woman. She carefully tucked back a stray curl of wheat-gold hair and patted her immaculate hairdo. Of all of them, she had somehow managed to look cool and fresh as if she had not just been involved in a near run from one side of the Academy to the other. Straightening out imagined wrinkles in her flowing rose-pink robe, she boldly met the eye of another tall and imposing council member. "Shall we enter, High Consulate Ikari?
Pushing up small spectacles on his bony nose, Ikari sneered. "Yes, shall we, council members?"
He stood silently before the large, gold-ornamented doors of the Assembly as the others arraigned themselves behind him. Sharp brown and tiny irises stared steadily at the decorated whorls of scenes depicting the first heroic Resonators and the final defeat of I-Ru. But whether from years or wearing glasses or whether he'd been born that way, the whites of his eyes overpowered the irises giving him the look of one whose eyes were perpetually bulging. Added with a largely skeletal face where the skin seemed to have been stretched over bare bone, he would have seemed like a grinning skeleton. Always smiling at some devious plot of which only he was aware. Only the short and neatly trimmed beard running along his jaw line was his saving grace.
But the tiny smirk that always accompanied his words did nothing to absolve his visage. "I trust everyone is here?" he asked of the guards and the herald.
Both nodded perfunctorily, unwilling to meet his eyes.
"Good. Open the door."
With an ominous creak and a low groan, the guards pushed back the heavy doors. Immediately the muffled roar coalesced into a chaotic buzz of hundreds of students and teachers. Some sat sedately, calmly awaiting the words of the council members. But most were talking loudly, trying to be heard above the din, only to be overpowered by others who were striving for the same goal.
Yet one emotion filtered through the morass of shouting people: fear.
The sharp blare of trumpets sliced through the babble like a blunt axe cutting through silk. Everyone quieted and turned to the grand doors where the herald stood like a faded peacock in his pastel blue and green-checkered waistcoat and breeches.
"My Lords and Ladies, Echoes and Students, I present to you: Consort of Yui, Lady of Eva, Koshu Province of Nonaka domain of the Honored Aav Motherland, High Consulate, the Resonator Ikari Gendo."
The shuffle of hundreds of students and teachers reverberated throughout the auditorium as all stood up to welcome the highest-ranking member of the Council of Ohtori. He swept through the grand doors into a room of light.
A single aisle cut a wide swath down the middle of the room to flow up three steps onto a dais. From the door to the dais, students in an array of clothing – from nightshirts to fencing wear – sat on rows of cherry-wood benches on either side of the aisle. The benches were set on a levels that climbed steadily up the walls like a giant's staircase. The high domed ceiling above was comprised of a special working of clear crystal that reflected down even the slightest ray of light, so that even this early in the morning, the room was illuminated as if they sat within a meadow at noon on a cloudless day.
Ikari strode down the empty path as the herald announced the other council members. There was Peremides Sohalin, a Raleighan commoner and highly ambitious man. His slight frame and overly large eyes often fooled many into believing he was a harmless old man.
Then Meiden Aston, a large Raleighan noble. Wente Josiah Xtopher tel Ekurya, a Southern pirate or gentleman (depending on who was talking), whose bulk was exceeded only by his scorn for anyone and everything. Shioda Caelia, cousin of the Duke of Raleigh and shared many of his traits. Mainly that of long, lanky arms and legs, an extremely skinny body, and fox-like features. Finally, Sabine de Kercoz of Inepril, whose wheat-gold hair, flashing green eyes, and crimson red lips had every young man in the city falling at every turn to do her bidding.
Once they'd all arrayed themselves upon the stage, students and teachers alike sat down murmuring and hushing each other at the same time.
Ikari stepped forward and everyone immediately hushed to hear what he had to say.
"Echoes and Students." His voice was low and rough, causing even the closest of his audience to lean forward and strain to hear his voice. "I am sure you are wondering what that disturbance had been."
Another wave of whispered murmurs broke out again. Ikari waited patiently until the mutters had died down then began again. "At this time, our Tuners are still investigating, but I assure you that there is cause for alarm. There have been no reports of strange happenings or Mistake sightings as of yet."
He took a breath and prepared to continue his speech, but a loud voice to the back cut through the abated silence. "What about the task you'd assigned to Echo Nonaka and Echo Akiyama yesterday? Wasn't that a Mistake attack?"
The room immediately broke out into loud babble as everyone demanded answers and threw question after questions at the six council members. Ikari waited patiently, the smirk present upon his face.
Finally, Ekurya boomed, "SHUT UP, YOU WORTHLESS FOOLS! THE MAN HASN'T FINISHED YET!"
The room immediately quieted again. A few moments passed in pregnant silence as the lanky high consulate remained perfectly still. Then Ikari continued, "The council members and I, sent the Echoes Nonaka and Akiyama to retrieve two potential trainees, who'd managed to activate their di-genes. We assure you that the disturbance last night had nothing to do with those assignments."
"Then what was it?!"
"We know everyone, whose di-genes have been activated, sensed that disturbance. But what's going on?!"
"Yeah!"
"What's going on?!"
"Or don't you know!"
"You probably know just as much as we do!"
"Pretentious servants!"
"What did you say?!"
"Clow bastard!"
"Aav tramp!"
"Think yer so classy just 'cause daddy's rich!"
"QUIET, MORONIC FOOLS! LET THE MAN TALK OR YOU'LL ALL BE EXPELLED!"
The room hushed. Then the babble rose to a low roar that shook the crystal ceiling above. In the next few hours, the council members feverishly fielded questions to calm the mass of nobles and commoners. Aav and Raleighans. Students and Tuners. But in the end, no answer was ever quite satisfactory and all left the great auditorium into a sunshine so bright, it seemed unreal.
Behind, in the room, Ikari, Peremides, and Sabine remained until the last councilor had left.
"Bold move, Ikari," Peremides said. "Sending Echo Nonaka and her step-brother. Don't you think her mother will seek retribution if anything happened to her heirs?"
Barely glancing at the skinny man, Ikari swept to a bench and settled down regally. Sabine moved to stand behind him, her peach satin and chiffon day gown barely creasing. She looked like a creamy cloud floating across the floor.
"You know nothing of Aav affairs," the high-consulate finally said. "Her mother will believe her daughter died a grand and noble death defending this world from the dreaded Mistakes."
"Hmph!" Peremides laughed, sounding like a dry hack. "I thought you sent them on a mission to retrieve potential trainees?"
"And naturally they upheld their honor by defending those trainees from a vicious brigand attack."
"And you think she still won't be suspicious? That she won't come for your neck?"
Ikari smirked.
"Of course you wouldn't understand. You're only a man," Peremides said.
Both Ikari and Sabine raised one brow.
"You think the Lady Nonaka won't suspect anything at all?"
Lazily brushing his fingers across the back of Sabine's hand where it rested on his shoulder, the lanky man sneered. "And just what should she suspect?"
"She's not an idiot. She'll recognize the man who tried to court her daughter."
"There were many men who tried to court her daughter."
"But none with your paucity."
Pushing his glasses up, Ikari's sneer widened. "There's a smudge on your tabard, Sohalin-san. My, but it looks like a green stain, does it not, my dear?"
Sabine's ruby-red lips curved upwards into a luscious smile. "Why, yes," she purred, "However did it get there?"
"Perhaps the silverware was too fragile."
"Yes, yes, that must it." Sabine's green eyes glittered like a pouncing cat.
"Did you only have boiled vegetables for lunch, Peremides?" Bulging eyes seemed to bulge even farther as he gave a wide smile. "My cook will be more then happy to serve you."
Only a slight tightening of Peremides' mouth betrayed his irritation. "I like to keep myself humble. Remind myself why rich foods can so easily rot one's teeth."
"Nonsense," Ikari smiled, baring two rows of perfect, white teeth. "That is only a myth perpetuated by the less fortunate so as to console themselves."
"I am sure you will need the consolation, Ikari, when the Lady Nonaka comes for you." Peremides smiled, showing off his own perfect rows of white teeth. Then spun and strode towards the great, gilded doors. As he passed the couple, he gave one last shot, "I don't know much about Aav affairs, but I'm sure Aav women especially do not accept promiscuity kindly."
Ikari smiled contemptuously and tugged Sabine down to devour her plump, red lips. The sonorous boom of the closing doors echoed throughout the room, but neither broke the kiss to acknowledge it.
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4th day of March, 933 R.E., 7:02 AM, Cephiro
It was a damn bird that woke her.
Rika huffed and pushed the woven blanket back. She swung her leg over the side of the "bed," which was really a pallet thrown over a protrusion of the white, stone wall. Touching braided rugs underfoot, and eternally grateful for the protection it yielded from the freezing stone underneath, she reached blindly for the dragon light. Predawn light filtered through the cracks of the wooden shutters and past the thick woven covering. But the faint illumination only rendered strange shapes in this strange room.
Outside, the damn bird twittered again like those inane maids at the Ohtori Academy. For the life of her, Rika could not comprehend how such vacuous fools could find so much to giggle about. Every time she rounded a corner of the Academy halls, there they would be, scrubbing the floor or delivering laundry, and there wouldn't be only one. No. There had to be a whole pack! All high-pitched giggles and absurd chatter.
As if to flaunt her thoughts, another damn bird answered the first damn bird and they started up a great, merry song of tweets, warbles, and screeches. Growling lowly, Rika resisted the urge to jump through that window, shutters and all, and hunt down those things to wring their scrawny little necks!
Instead, she continued to grope about the small room, neck muscles tightening with each of the damn birds' shrieks. Her shin slammed into the low table.
"OUCH! Dammit," Rika hissed lowly so as not to wake anyone else up, "Shut up, you stupid birds."
As if sensing the murderous spirit of the young Echo, the birds fell silent. Then . . .
Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Growling like a prematurely awakened bear, Rika swiped about the room angrily. Maybe she'd get lucky and accidentally hit the dragonlight. Unfortunately this only resulted in a sore knuckle for her as she struck her hand against some object. With a resounding clang, the metallic something crashed onto the floor and rolled away.
A string of curses fell off her lips easily as she cradled her injured hand. Murderous thoughts of roasted songbirds tumbled through her mind's eye deliciously and with grim determination, she approached the shutters. But before she touched the woven curtain, a low knock sounded at her door.
[Miss Nonaka? Are you awake?]
Rika paused. It was the . . . sorta mute. What would he say to her this morning? Already she regretted admitting to him that she'd had a nightmare. He hadn't believed her yesterday, yet he hadn't been offended by her half-truth either. So, what the hell did he want?
[Miss Nonaka?]
She straightened. Well, nobody could say she was a coward and she certainly didn't fear some misty-eyed Clow! No way. Not. At. All.
Clearing her throat, Rika replied, "Yes. I'm awake. But I can't find a light."
[Oh. You should open the shutters. The dragonlights do not work when daylight is on us.]
"Yes. I will do so." Rika waited, listening for the retreat of his footsteps. When they did not come, she cleared her throat again. "Was there anything else?"
[I . . . No. Nothing. Nothing else. Just . . . Mr. Shioda and I will be downstairs. If you are hungry, we will have breakfast ready.]
Rika nodded tersely, although she knew he couldn't see. The soft thump of his footsteps faded away and she turned back to the only window in the room. Pushing aside the thick weaving, she pushed open the shutters. Grey light washed through the room immediately along with the sound of twittering birds.
Lowering her face into her hands, Rika groaned. "Will you two please shut up?"
But they continued obliviously. With a sigh, she turned back into the dimness of the room to search for her clothes.
Dressed in the stiff and now clean uniform of the Ohtori Academy, Rika paused at the landing of the stairs. The smell of rice porridge and sautéed vegetables floated up, making her stomach rumble and remind her that she'd been unconscious for quite a while. While Echoes were in that state, they didn't need any sustenance, but would be ravenous when they woke up. She would have even welcomed roasted fowl this early in the morning.
Making her way down the stairs, the shadowed gloom of the second level fell away to warm light. The open stairs went down to a small area. As with the room she'd stayed in last night, this one was furnished with braided mats underfoot and woven rugs along the wall, to keep the chill of spring nights out. A low table, polished to a smooth dark sheen, sat in the middle with various cushions around it.
Two of the cushions were occupied by two young men, who were engrossed in their breakfast. Another large bowl of steaming rice porridge sat at another corner of the table with a plate of vegetables and a pair of chopsticks.
Both youths stopped long enough to look up at her and give a greeting before going back to their food. Ignoring the silence, Rika approached her place and sat down.
"Itadekimasu," she whispered, before picking up her chopstick and eating. No one seemed to have heard her comment. If they did, they said nothing.
The occasional chink of chopsticks against bowls or plates dominated the silence for the next few minutes. From the corner of her eyes, Rika peeked at the other two. Henry seemed deep in thought, his misty-grey eyes far as he mechanically scooped rice to his mouth and chewed. His short blue-black hair was extremely mussed up as if he'd repeatedly ran his hand through it and his clothes were different. He wore only a white, long-sleeved, mandarin collared shirt that was too tight across his chest and too long in the sleeves. Ill-fitting. As if they belonged to someone taller and skinnier than he was.
Probably the silent boy that sat across from her. Even sitting and slouched over as if he had a hangover, the brunette easily topped Henry by about half a head. She peered at him through her eyelashes, studying the dark smudges under his blood-shot eyes and a gauntness in his cheeks. He probably was hung-over.
He looked up suddenly and she had to stop from lowering her eyes in startlement. His crystalline blue eyes would have been light with mischievousness, she believed, if they hadn't been so dull with fatigue.
"Yo." He smiled. But that fell quickly as he tried to suppress a yawn. "So you're an Echo, yeah?"
Rika shrugged. "Yeah."
"Yeah . . . I'm Shioda Kazu. . . ."
"Nonaka Rika."
More silence. Rika couldn't help it. She didn't want to be rude to her savior, but she just wanted to eat in peace. The effects of the Vibration had not worn off yet, despite her rise from slumber. What Henry had said last night was true. Most Echoes needed at least three days to recover from an extensive Vibration.
True she was stronger than most and true she was more skilled than most; however, that did not mean she could force herself to wake up from the induced sleep. In fact, she was sure she hadn't done it herself. Last night, something had happened. And it had ripped through her unconscious hard enough to wake her. What was it? She did not know and this was an aggravation she could not bear.
She set her bowl down with a decisive clink. "Thank you. That was a good meal. Please excuse me."
Henry stood up quickly. [Miss Nonaka, where are you going?]
"Out," she replied.
[I do not think you should be going out so soon after your recovery.]
"I need to go," she said, her strides not slowing. "I need to find a Binary."
"Whoa! You can hear Blueberry, too?!"
The statement by the bandannaed youth caused both Henry and Rika to pause in surprise and turn to said youth. His head was cocked slightly. The fringe of his wide bandanna barely touched his shoulder and Rika was reminded of a floppy-eared puppy gazing up at her quizzically.
Rika spoke carefully. "And what does that mean exactly?"
[It means that strangely enough, only you and Shioda can hear me if I direct my thoughts to you.]
Giving him a sharp gaze, she tried to gauge the directness of that misty grey stare. But all she found was a clearness that surprised her for its intensity. She nodded. "I see. Perhaps it is a manifestation of your Vibration."
[Vibration? I was not aware I could Vibrate.]
She frowned. "Weren't you part of a Binary? I thought one of your other companions might have been your partne—Wait. I don't remember sensing your Vibration. I remember sensing the Vibration of your companions but," she glared at him accusingly, "why did I not sense yours?"
Henry blinked. Then, [Binary?]
"Binary?" Kazu echoed.
Impatiently, "Traveling Echoes. They're pairs. Ohtori has at least one Binary in every major city on this continent. But there are more than that running around. The fact that you're a Tuner may explain your communicative ability, but it does not explain how your Vibration was masked!"
[Tuner?]
"Tuner?"
Rika scowled darkly. "Great Mother, do you boys know nothing?!" she snapped.
"Well, I apologize if I ain't a royal prissy tomato lump, your highness." Chestnut brown eyebrows lowered into a deep frown under Kazu's black bandanna and he stood up with one hand clenched.
Smirking nastily and showing two rows of white teeth, Rika sneered, "More like a drunk monkey's ass."
It was interesting, she noted, how quickly the flush suffused his face. Although it really, really made him look even more inebriated and she wondered if she should comment on that. Hell, why not? "You shouldn't blush, that wasn't a compliment."
[Rika.]
She jerked her gaze to the other boy in startlement. His misty grey eyes regarded her calmly, without censure, without anger, without emotion. Yet, somehow, they managed to convey a deep sense of disappointment that almost made her cringe. She hadn't felt this uncomfortable since she was four years old and had accidentally broken an ancient urn in the Grand Palace, before being presented to the High Mother. While her mother's glare had not been as subtle, it had been just as effective.
"Puh!" She spun away before she could catch those misty orbs again. She didn't mean to be nasty. She just needed to leave quickly. Fatigue was pulling at her limbs like chain weights and if she didn't start moving soon, she was sure she would collapse and would never want to get up again. She didn't have time to be a lexicon for the fools.
"Man, is she always such a stuck-up bi--"
[Shioda, please.]
She was sure Henry had glared at the other boy because she could feel it brush along the back of her neck like a chill, ghostly touch. "Don't worry about it, Henry. I doubt he will remember this conversation tomorrow."
Henry sighed. [Please do not say anything else you might regret. He and his master were very kind when most of the others could not be bothered with us.]
"Puh." But she refrained from saying anything more.
Sighing, Kazu said, "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Blueberry. I ain't gonna say no more, but I ain't gonna be responsible for what happens either, y'hear? Princess Tomato had better understand that."
Ignoring the barb and turning back with a curious expression, Rika probed each boy with a searching gaze. "Responsible . . . for what?"
[Rika,] Henry motioned her over to sit at the table, [sit down for a moment. If you are planning to go out, you will have to be careful and we must discuss this first.]
"Why do I have to be careful?"
"That's what we're discussin', your highness," Kazu said snappishly. He picked up a chopstick and drummed a steady beat on the polished rim of his rice bowl. "Look, I ain't in a good mood now, yeah? Let's just get this over with, yeah?"
Rika growled, "Monke--"
[Rika, please.]
It was his damn grey eyes. Rika snorted and came back to sit down stiffly. All the time, Henry kept his misty grey gaze steadily trained on her as if she was a slumbering tiger.
She crossed her arms to keep from fidgeting as the itching between her shoulder blades and a tingling across her skin persisted. It felt like someone was Vibrating very far away. It had remained throughout her restless night from the "nightmare" she'd awoken from. She needed to find a Tuner. Fast.
Once everyone had settled down again, Henry turned to the scarlet-haired Echo. [You are an Aav.]
Rika snorted again, "No, really? And here I thought I was a Mistake all this time."
"Princess Tomato ain't as smart as she'd like us to think, hah!" Kazu set his elbow on the table and set his chin in it lazily. "You're an Aav. This is Cephiro, a city in the heart of the Clow empire. You get it now, princess?"
"No," Rika said, "if I remember correctly, Cephiro isn't in the heart of the Clow Empire. It's actually on the Eastern border of the empire and is separated from Raleigh by the Ryuzaki Mountains. Because only one road leads to this city, it is actually quite isolated although it is also very famous for the excellent weapons and armors forged in its equally famous smithies. But all trade of said weapons and armors actually occur in Vione, a smaller city a day's journey to the west where a moderate amount of caravans go through. You wonder why I tell you this, yes?"
Kazu began to nod his head, but Henry said, [Rika, the people here may not be . . . as zealous as those near the Clow and Aav border, but they will still recognize what you are. Your features are very classic of an Aav woman. No one will be able to mistake you for anything else. You are too noticeable.]
"Yeah," Kazu drawled, "even your mighty Echo clothes ain't gonna help you much if they don't know what they represent. You wait here till it gets dark first."
[I am sure the Binary will not leave this city before nightfall.]
Frowning, Rika absently rubbed her tense neck muscles. "People would be less likely to attack me in the middle of the day with the sun high overhead. In the dark they could still recognize me and would feel less restraint in assaulting me." She resisted the urge to start rubbing her arms where goose bumps had started to rise. Had it been this chilly earlier?
"She's gotta point there, Blueberry."
A slight vertical line appeared between Henry's brow as he ran his hand through his hair. Several new strands popped up after the passage.
[Do you know where they are?]
"Who?"
[The Binary.]
She paused. "Binaries are a different division of Echoes. They live outside the Academy and follow orders as are given, but otherwise they are not subjected to being formally recognized as such."
Nodding, Henry rested his elbow in one hand and brought the other up to tap his mouth contemplatively. [I see. So those others were . . .]
Rika affirmed his statement with a nod. "Yes. That is why I assume you are an Echo." She raised one eyebrow. "Are you and Echo?"
He hesitated then shook his head. [No. No, I do not think so.]
Kazu stopped in his rapid tapping, then continued when Henry would say no more.
Carefully hiding the rise of her other brow, Rika silently ferreted away that little tidbit. She would have to corner Kazu later, away from the misty-eyed Clow.
[So, Miss Nonaka, you do not know where the Binary lives.]
It was not a question and it only added to the steadily rising prickling of the fine hairs along the back of her neck. She would have growled if she didn't think it was so undignified.
"So, what do you suggest, then?"
Kazu and Henry glanced at each other then back to her. Her hackles rose. "Puh! Typical males! Typical Clow males! Believing the assertions of females are nothing more than hysterical paranoia in a discussion of possible danger. So they must protect the fainting woman and speak only when she is not in the room! Well, I won't have it! You think to stop me?" She stood up, amethyst eyes narrowed, and brushed her sword's hilt. "Well, try it."
She spun, intent on sweeping out of there with outraged dignity wrapped around her like a royal cloak.
"I told ya so. She ain't a Clow woman. In fact I ain't sure she is a woman."
[We are not trying to stop you, Rika.]
She faltered at the door. It was more the use of her name than anything else that had stopped her. Not that that was important or anything.
She turned back, scowling slightly. "You're not?" Sarcasm dripped from her tone like slightly congealed lard.
Henry shook his head. [Please hear us out.]
She did not move, but she did listen. And when they were finished, she had to grudgingly admit that they had come up with a decent plan. It was so simple she'd have smacked herself if the other two hadn't been present. But that didn't stop her from hurling a cushion at Kazu's face when he commented smugly on the irrational, overreaction of tomato-lumped Aav females.
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4th day of March, 933 R.E., 11:27 AM, The Rainbow Tune
It was a trill, much like a bird's that caught his attention.
Duke Shioda craned his neck to peer past the line of his cavalry. But the expressions of his men were grim and focused and they seemed unaware of the sound. He sat back and stared at the horizon of the verdantly green plain.
Fortunately the grey plain had gradually gained in color and his men were considerably cheered. He wanted them motivated, not depressed to the point of considering suicide.
Unfortunately, the colors did not stop at "normal". The scarce vegetation and the sky above; hell, even the damn dirt possessed an intensity so bright he would have thought he was hallucinating. If his men didn't want to kill themselves now, they'd at least wanted to put their eyes out.
Hirokazu rubbed his temples. The bright green was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He was getting a damn headache.
"My lord."
He turned to glare at the cause of all this. ""Tis better that you have good news, Ruri, or Vibration or not, I'll wrangle your blighted neck."
Unfazed, she moved her horse closer to his. "The Mistakes will be here soon."
"Hmph! 'Tis damn time! Egidius!"
A smaller horse nudged its way forward, bearing a young courier. "Yes, my lord?"
"Inform the knights to prepare their troops. The Mistakes will arrive shortly."
The youth licked his lips nervously. "Yes, my lord."
Hirokazu considered venting his irritation on the youth, partially to calm his nerves and partially to motivate the damn boy again. But the boy had already disappeared. Hmph. Well, there would be motivation enough once the Mistakes arrived.
"Ruri," he barked.
"Yes, my lord?"
"This cursed plain is sorely testing my patience."
"We shall arrive shortly, my lord. The Mistakes will meet us at the point of departure."
Hirokazu grunted. Ruri had explained to him the danger of arriving directly within the walls of Cephiro. For one, the Vibration could cause indiscriminate destruction to the surrounding buildings and he wanted a fairly intact city, not a wasteland. Another consequence of Vibrating too close to the city would be enough to alert any with activated di-genes before they'd actually fully materialized within the Kami-Tune. He knew Ohtori Academy would have at least one Binary within such a prosperous city. Several kilometers from the first wall would be far enough to allow time for his army to materialize before the Echoes could warn about their presence and close enough for him to launch his strike before they could muster a defense.
Ruri arched one fine brow, "You have no compunctions of the . . . request the Mistakes have made in exchange for their support?"
Smile pulled back like a fox's smile, Hirokazu jerked his reins and his stallion tossed its head angrily. "Why not? It will be great sport to see how the prisoners fare against such creatures."
The golden-eyed girl smiled, but the small curve of her mouth did not quite reach her eyes. "Will my lord have so much amusement that he will forget to send the 2nd and 3rd cavalry along with the 4th, 6th, and 7th division with this unworthy self?"
They'd planned a simultaneous attack. One would be on the city of Cephiro to obtain the crucial ores, the numerous smithies, and the talented blacksmiths that resided there. The other would be along the Clow/Aav border. It would be a simple raid on several of the smaller villages of either country. In doing so, their presence at Cephiro would not be immediately noted if the Clow emperor was too busy dealing with an outraged Aav matriarch.
Lips compressed in a savage smile, Hirokazu's ice-blue eyes glittered with unholy glee. "Of course not, my dear. After all, the more the merrier."
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4th day of March, 933 R.E., 1:56 PM, Veda Forest
It was a bird that alerted him.
It went silent suddenly. Then took off from its perch in a flurry of wings and scattered dewdrops.
"Mr. Matsuki, please tell me that's you. My head hurts too much to deal with thieves right now."
"It's me."
From the shadowed foliage, Takato's tall form emerged like a lumbering bear. He tossed a wrapped package at the youth, who sat at the foot of the tallest tree in the vicinity, and stepped aside to allow another figure through. He was old, although a spry bounce in his step disproved any notion of weakness.
Ryo slowly let go of the breath he'd been holding. His Vibration-induced slumber had been violently interrupted last night. He'd been unable to go back to sleep since, waking up in starts and jerking at the slightest sound in the dense shrubs. The wind through the dry branches did nothing but amplify the tingling sensation across his skin, as if a thousand ants were crawling over him. His tense muscles quivered at the point of exhaustion.
But Takato had insisted that they rest before returning to Inepril. Then he'd disappeared for the morning, leaving Ryo to sit at the base of the tree in a sleep-deprived stupor.
"Who's this?" Ryo asked as he unwrapped the package with unsteady fingers. Inside, he found a dry, hard loaf. Finally realizing how hungry he was, he fought to keep back a drool. Breaking off a corner, he offered it to the mercenary, who accepted it and sat down on a log. Takato motioned to the old man to take a piece and sit down.
Chewing the bland traveling bread thoroughly, Takato took a swig of water and passed the water pouch to the young Echo before answering. "This is Master Long. Remember what I was telling you last night about that young man I was with?"
"The one who left with Rika? Henry, right?"
"Yeah."
Ryo turned to the old man. "So you're Master Long? I'm Ryo Akiyama."
Master Long nodded, the bread ignored in his hands. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He paused. "I do not wish to be rude, but . . ." He fiddled with the bread, causing large crumbs to tumble to the loamy ground. ". . . what has happened to Henry?"
Ryo stopped chewing for a moment and dropped his gaze. Then resumed chewing. He wasn't sure what to say. From what Takato had told him, the Mistake had pulled those two to the other Tune and left Master Long. Takato had also said Master Long and Henry seemed to have a fairly close relationship and the young man would surely go looking for his master as soon as he returned.
So, it was troubling that even at high noon of the day after, Henry had not shown up yet. If he wasn't here then that meant Rika wasn't here either. She could have returned Inepril. In fact, she would have insisted, but Takato had been sure that Henry would not leave his master. Were they still in the Tune? Did they escape? Surely another Mistake did not show up. Surely not. Three in one day was just too much. Especially after ten years and no report whatsoever of a Mistake. But what about that disturbance last night? Was that somehow connected to Rika and Henry? And what about Kenta? Did he and the others escape?
Rubbing his temples, Ryo bit off another morsel to prolong his answer. What the hell happened?! They were only to retrieve two potential trainees! What the hell happened?
He couldn't think. The itching that was not quite an itching was driving him crazy. Was it a Vibration? It sure as hell felt like it? But if it was, why did Takato look so unbothered? And that Mistake. Was it natural for a Mistake to die like that?
Dammit, but he just couldn't think right now. His head was buzzing as if he'd been up late drinking sake with his buddies. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised to learn this was all a hallucination and he was really in bed puking his guts up right now.
But Master Long patient brown eyes regarded him steadily. He found he could not stall any longer.
Ryo swallowed and cleared his throat. "You're not being rude, Master Long. Were I in your place, I imagine I would also be worried. . . ."
Tilting his head towards the young Echo, Master Long said, "But . . ."
"But I'm sorry," he said on a sigh, "If Rika has not taken him to Inepril then I don't know what has happened to Henry. I'm truly sorry."
Master Long sighed. He seemed to deflate like a shriveled apple. The bright sun overhead filtered into the deep crevasses and wrinkles of his face, making the shadows deeper. The folds of his loose robes suddenly seemed to swamp his short frame. The skin of his hands as they curled limply around the dry bread, seemed paper thin with delicate spider webs of veins etched out in sharp relief.
"That boy," he chuckled sadly, "that boy was always such a serious little thing." He clenched his fist and swung his hand out in a wide arc. Blonde crumbs flew out into the greenery, soon to disappear when the various forest animals set upon them. "But it seems fate deems that his life shall not pass in peace."
They all sat in silence. An impending portent carried along with the words and hung there amongst the trees. No one contested the claim. And strangely, no one wanted to do so.
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Responses:
Henrika: Thanks for the compliment and I hope the timeline below abates any further confusion.
littleweirdwriter: Lord of the Rings-type fic? Wow, that's the best compliment I've ever had! Thanks a lot! Is Jeri like the Rose Bride? Hm. Now that I think about it, she may play a similar role, although I'm not completely sure, because I haven't had time to finish that series yet. (Shocking, I know. Smiles.) I've noticed you also posted some more Henrika fics. Yay! I want to check them out soon.
Shadow of Light4: No, you're not stupid. Don't ever think you're stupid or I'll whack you with my, um, English papers! Yeah! I think you're the only one who has caught on to the fact that Henry is without a doppelganger. I can tell you this now that the older versions of the characters are not a previous generation. Maybe the timeline below will clear things up some more.
NekoNoko: Thanks!
RSMB: Thanks, too!
Additional A/N: Don't I ever shut up? Eh. Oh wells. Just wanted to know, how do people feel about a glossary? With all the terms I'm throwing out, I don't know if I'm explaining them well enough for you guys. Let me know, okay? Thanks.