Disclaimer: Still...nope. Trying to negotiate rights to Yuri, but it's not going too well.
**
It was amazing how much a simple gesture could sicken you to your stomach. As the girl bowed to her mistress, as was expected of her, she realized she was also bowing to him. Since they were treating each other as equals, to bow to one meant to acknowledge the other as superior as well.
A scowl twisted her face. Not to him. He wasn't even worthy of Regina's attention. The only reason he was in this room was because the other Dreamers were too wary to be involved with an affair concerning a mortal, let alone two.
Still, she remained bowed, both to Regina and the Dreamer Pan, before deciding that she had shown the respect due to them. Her. Not him.
"First, I would like to thank you, Pan, for helping me."
"Heh heh." He had a rather rough laugh, noisy and rowdy. "I liked the girl's better. Interesting world, may I say."
"Unfortunately, from now on it'll only be Hyuga."
"Damn." The dreamer scratched absently at his face and finally asked, "You really think it's him this time? And her, why would she come back?"
"Perhaps one of them foresaw his return and decided to use her again. After all, she did manage to win the last time." Her lips twisted in a frown. "Not this time though."
"And him? Hyuga? Are you certain? He seems like a mortal to me."
Persephone wanted to argue, but kept her mouth shut. Just how blind could he be? she wondered, though careful to keep her face blank.
"Persephone says he is the one. That is all I need." Persephone's chest filled with the praise, the implied trust in her judgement. Regina could always count on her. She would make sure of that.
"As for little Pers...I was wondering if next time my payment could be..." He raised his eyes meaningfully and the girl found herself shuddering.
"It will be made in the customary metals," Regina told him, and he scowled.
"I found her, Regina."
"She serves under me now, Pan. If you can't accept the fact that a ten-year-old got away from you even after four years..."
"It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't a bastard halfling," he muttered, and immediately wished he hadn't.
Regina was now angry. It was well known Persephone was one of her favored servants, and an insult to Persephone was an insult to her. Fire curled about her body like snakes, their tongues coming off her finger and licking Pan as she pointed it at him.
"Pan, leave now..." She hissed menacingly, seeming to have grown four feet in height, "and maybe I won't burn your body from the inside out..."
Pan was already backing away from the angry goddess, and when she screamed, "NOW!" causing flames to rush at him in her temper, he ran. And fast.
**
Now that the tea was ready, Alice, Keith, and Margarete were each drinking some in the dining room, and discussing what they should do for the week.
"There's nothing set really," Alice said. She sipped on some of her tea and continued. "Picnics, stuff like that..."
"It would be nice to have some relaxing time together," said Keith. "We never did do much of that." He sat on Margarete's right, but was making sure to keep the sword close and away from her.
Margarete herself drained her tea and then sat forward, examining Alice from across the table. "What's wrong?" Alice asked, noticing the stare.
"You don't have a ring," she said bluntly. "He hasn't asked you?"
"Oh, Yuri...asked me...no."
"Geez, how slow can that kiddo be?" Margarete said.
"It hasn't been that long!"
"Well, yeah, but he seems like the kind of guy who'd be like, one month and you're hitched!"
Alice choked and spat out her tea, no longer lady-like. "Margarete!"
"What?! Am I not right Keith?"
Keith was staring at her with something akin to disbelief. "A month seems...a bit short, don't you think? Even Yuri would be wise enough to wait a while."
"Even???"
Margarete snorted derisively. "Come on, this is Yuri. You know how impulsive he is."
"Marriage is not just any little thing to be impulsive about!"
Alice sighed. "I don't know," she said, discouraged. What Margarete was saying really did make some sense.
The argument which had been building up died. "What do you mean, you don't know?" Margarete asked with concern.
"It's just that, you're right. Yuri does seem like he would decide really quick. But...he hasn't. We've talked about it before...just about our futures...I'm not sure," she finished.
"Well...you know...it might just be nervousness," Margarete said, now trying to be helpful. "Some guys just freeze up when marriage is mentioned. That might be it."
"It's a huge commitment, after all," Keith said.
"Yeah...I guess you guys are right," Alice said. "I don't know why I'm getting all worked up about it." She glanced at the grandfather clock and said, "Zhuzhen will probably come next. It's two right now, so in an hour or so..."
**
Meanwhile, Yuri was gathering clothes in his room. At first he had made a conscious effort to find some of the nicer clothes, clothes that he could actually see Keith wearing. Needless to say, he soon gave up on that and just focused on getting clean clothng.
After a half hour of ransacking a one room flat, he had four shirts and two pairs of pants. He sighed and thought, Keith will just have to live with this.
**
Yuri crossed the street, walking back to Alice's house. Many of the people he passed gave him small smiles, knowing him well enough to greet him but not enough to make small chat.
He passed the train station and on his way through, happened to see a familiar face getting off, holding one trunk.
"Hey old man, don't break your back with that," he yelled, getting both Zhuzhen's attention and ire. He found a staff being directed at him and soon after his head was hurting.
"Hmph. Show me a little more respect," the elder one muttered and looked over the clothes Yuri was carrying. "What are you doing?"
"Keith forgot his clothes. Long story, involving Margarete. So, long ride?"
"My muscles are all cramped," the Adept complained.
"I didn't know you had muscles." That earned him another hit on the head. "Ow..."
Zhuzhen snorted and then traded Yuri the clothes to carry for the trunk, which was a bit heavy.
"Margarete brought two of these massive things over."
"Heh, sounds like her."
They walked along in silence a little. Zhuzhen was examining the new surroundings, and smiling faintly in approval. Meanwhile Yuri was wondering about a question he'd been thinking about for a while, but debating whether he wanted the answer or not.
"How's your work in Shanghai?" Yuri finally asked, trying to make it sound like a casual question. It'd been more than a year since he'd seen it and he hoped that the city was starting to get over the Seraphic Radiance's attack.
"Not too pleasant," Zhuzhen admitted, "But we're getting there. The most urgent matters have been taken care of. There are still some souls that won't rest easy still, but they're being taken care of. Zhen helped a bit by summoning powerful monsters to combat weaker ones sometimes," he said.
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't really sound too safe..."
"He has good control over the monsters, and he can get rid of them as soon as they've done their job. Now, if Sharon was doing it..."
They both shuddered. She'd either do nothing--which was the better alternative--or unleash them all over the city on innocent people.
"Well, Halley should know if she's learned how to control it better."
"Is Koudelka taking care of all of them?" Zhuzhen asked.
"Yeah, they don't really want to be separated...though, I don't know what they'll do after Halley leaves." Yuri stopped in front of the large white house and said, "We're here." He walked up the path with Zhuzhen following behind, then knocked on the door. Alice opened it and said, "Hi Yuri-Zhuzhen, you came! Good timing!"
"Why?" Both asked.
"Mother brought the food, but um...the stove's not really working."
Zhuzhen shook his head. He'd been in these kind of situations and he knew what the outcome was going to be. "You want me to use my fire magic for cooking?" he said, a bit incredulously.
"Please? Please? I want the food to be ready for when Koudelka and Halley come."
"Come on Zhuzhen, be a good sport," Yuri said with a smirk.
He glared at the younger man. "Why don't you just turn into Ifrit then and YOU start the fire?"
"No! Are you kidding? If Mrs. Elliot sees me as Ifrit she'll freak!"
Alice's eyes widened. "I forgot to tell Margarete!" She ran inside and they could hear her ask, "Margarete, would you come outside please?"
Zhuzhen looked at Yuri in confusion. "What exactly is going on?"
He scratched the back of his head. This was starting to get complicated very quickly. "Um, let's wait till they get here. We'll explain then."
**
When they were done explaining, Zhuzhen and Margarete just stared at them. "Well, I can see your point," Zhuzhen said. "But don't you think you should tell her anyway? She is familiar with exorcism. She probably knows a thing or two about monsters."
"Yes, but..." Alice looked at the door, which they had shut behind them to make sure her mother didn't hear. "Since Father's death, she's been very protective of me. She worries a lot. And if she heard about...certain events, I don't think I'd ever be able to leave her sight again."
Zhuzhen nodded. "You're probably right. Why not?" He asked Margarete as she shook her head.
"No, it's just...you made a lot of changes," she pointed out. "Slip up once and if she catches it, the whole thing comes undone." She only sighed as Alice and Yuri exchanged nervous looks. "Oh well, nothing you can do about that now."
"Thanks for the reassurance," Yuri said irritably.
"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully. "Oh, Alice..."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I used your bath?"
"No, go ahead. The towels are in the closet next to the bathroom, on the left."
"Thanks." Before she left, she looked at the clothes Zhuzhen still carried and grinned. "I've got to see Keith in this." Then, she walked back in the house, happily humming.
Yuri looked after her, and then his eyes widened with sudden enlightenment. "Oh..."
"What?" Zhuzhen asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Well, you're the cook Zhuzhen, get in there!"
"What about Mrs.-"
"Oh, she's seen fire magic before, and like you said she knows a bit about exorcism. She's known a few Adepts," Alice said. "That's fine."
Zhuzhen grumbled, resigned to his fate as cook, and handed Yuri the clothes, which he balanced with the trunk. He walked inside, Alice and Yuri following him.
"Heads up Keith!" Yuri yelled, throwing the clothes to a startled Keith. "Eh, sorry, I need to get my clothes washed before you can borrow more."
Keith just looked at the clothing that he'd caught with a dubious expression. Yuri caught the expression and said, "Nope, I don't have any fancy clothes like you do. Just put some on."
"Alright." Keith left and went off to the guest room and Mrs. Elliot looked at Yuri.
"He forgot his clothing?"
"Yeah, well, he lost his luggage on the way..."
"Oh! Then, he'll need some new ones for the trip back won't he?"
"I guess..." Yuri replied uncertainly. If he turned into a bat, no he wouldn't, but he couldn't say that.
Mrs. Elliot smiled, knowing a new project to start on now, and stepped out of the room. Yuri groaned as he realized she was going to the sowing room. Once in there, it'd only take the house on fire to get her out until she finished.
Which, from the sounds in the kitchen, could be provided by Zhuzhen soon.
He groaned and sat down on the sofa, only to jump back up when he heard Halley's voice.
Hey...Hey! Yuri, take...look...clock...
Yuri looked up in curiosity at the grandfather clock in the living room. 10 minutes after 5. And this was important why...?
testing...telepathy...cool, huh?
No, not cool. Yuri was considering hurting Halley when he arrived. He was testing telepathy on him, the only one who always got a migraine from it?
Yuri suddenly realized something as he thought about that. His head wasn't hurting. It felt fine. None of the fusion souls were acting up at Halley's voice. Weird...
But Halley's voice kept going on about how he was testing telepathy, and Yuri suddenly realized he'd probably been doing this for a while on the train ride and would keep it up for a while. Must be testing his range, he thought absently. That's why he mentioned the clock, so he would know what time I heard him at.
Trying to distract himself from Halley's voice, he entered the kitchen, where Alice was just staring at a too large fire while Zhuzhen was trying to get it under control. He wasn't having much luck though. Before the food--meat, potatoes, and peas--got burned, Yuri did the obvious, taking a bowl, filling it with water, taking the food out of the stove, and pouring out the fire.
"Great. Now I've got to start over," Zhuzhen grumbled.
"Just don't burn down the house," Yuri told him, putting the bowl back in the cabinet. As Zhuzhen started the chant again, Yuri tapped on Alice's shoulder, startling her. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, then looked back to where there was now just a small fire. In her mind it had seemed so large, like it could consume the whole kitchen, everything...
"Hey, Alice. Don't zone out on me. What's wrong?"
She shuddered and then said, "It's hard to explain..."
"Well, come on. Let's leave the chef to his job." Zhuzhen snorted at the remark but said nothing.
Alice felt grateful as he led her away by the hand. Watching the fire, she had felt transfixed, her body frozen. She shook her head, feeling a bit irritated. What was wrong with her? It was just a dream...right? Unless her mother had been right...
"Come on," Yuri said, sitting on the sofa. "What's wrong? You were acting like a zombie or something."
Alice looked around the room and said, "I...Last night, I had a nightmare. That I was in Hell, I think."
"You think?"
"Well, there wasn't a devil or anything. Just a woman. She said she hated me, wanted me to burn. She said I was her rival." Alice thought about it and murmured softly, "but I don't know anyone who would hate me that much."
"Like you said. It was just a dream," Yuri said confidently.
"But...when I woke up, I was still in pain for awhile, before I healed myself," Alice said. "I don't know...it reminded me of your Graveyard." And she stopped, because when she had said 'Graveyard', Yuri's eyes had widened. "What is it?"
"Did you recognize any of it as the Graveyard?"
She thought about it, but shook her head. When she thought about it, there had been nothing except flame. Perhaps there had been nothing beyond or beneath. "Why? Did something happen...?" she trailed off as Yuri nodded.
"I had a dream in the Graveyard last night."
"You went there?" Alice asked. She thought that the Malice had been taken care of for good since they defeated Atman, but there was a chance...
"No. Someone called me. There was a woman. She was tall, with long red hair. Pale. And the weirdest thing was her eyes. They were red, like her hair but darker."
A chill went down Alice's spine. The description seemed somehow all too familiar...and evil. "What did she say?"
"She said I'd forgotten her...mentioned a spell, and a brooch." He shook his head. "I'd never seen a woman like her before, and I've never been given a brooch. Nothing specially for me. She said she'd made it for me."
"Yes...the Flare Brooch...remember? It reacts only to you, doesn't it?"
Yuri looked at her, confused. "Well, it does react only to Harmonixers, but...we got that from that innkeeper's grandson in Dalian."
"But, I've always wondered..." Alice started, trying to get him to see her point. "If it only reacts to Harmonixers, wouldn't it make sense that it was made for a Harmonixer? What was it doing in Dalian?"
"Don't know," Yuri said, shaking his head. "Maybe a Hyuga was in Dalian at one point. Why does it matter? As long as I know it wasn't from the woman."
"Did she give you her name?" Alice asked.
"I wanted to ask...but the clock woke me up. Man, one is really too early to be waking up," he complained.
"O-one?"
Yuri stood up and over her, "Alice, what's wrong?" She had turned a bit pale and looked very surprised.
"My dream happened...just before the clock struck one," she told him.
"You mean...our dreams happened at the same time? Couldn't it be just coincidence?"
She smiled weakly at him. "What are the chances of that?"
Yuri could only shake his head as he considered them. Pretty slim...slim indeed.
Luckily, they were not allowed to stay in this mood for too long. Keith came out of the guest room, having finally chosen some clothes that were a bit decent in his opinion. It was actually one of Yuri's favorites, the red shirt with black pants.
"Hey, looks like they fit pretty well," Yuri said, welcoming the distraction. "How do they feel?"
Alice could only stare at him before starting to laugh. It looked funny, him still trying to look a bit noble in clothes that clearly were not. "Yuri, where's your trench coat? I want to see it on him," she giggled.
"They fit alright," Keith said sullenly.
"The trench coat's at the flat, and I am not giving him that," Yuri said, "Anyways, I think your mom is starting to make him some clothing."
"Oh no. She's in the sowing room?"
"She's in the sowing room," he confirmed. "Oh, and I think Koudelka and Halley are getting here soon."
"Why?"
"Halley's been talking to me." Alice was about to ask how, before realizing what he meant. She tilted her head as she asked,
"And you don't have a headache?"
Yuri shrugged. "Hey, works for me. You want me to go meet them at the train station?"
"I'll come with," she said, smiling. "Zhuzhen, you take care of dinner!" She laughed as some grumbled response came back and grabbed Yuri's arm. "Come on. I haven't gotten out yet today."
"Alright. Keith, you want to come with?"
Keith was still looking down at his clothing. "No thank you."
Yuri only rolled his eyes before opening the door, and both of them walked out towards the train station.
**
A/N: Keith: The Ken Doll of the 19...something...s...darn. I forget, when does Shadow Hearts take place? I think in the beginning they say 1913 or 1914...and then later on they say...15 years ago, 1889...problem.
1889+15=1904
1914-15=1899
...? I don't know, maybe I just read one of the dates wrong, or maybe they had an error in there.
Writing this chapter, I realized something: I cannot...can not...cannot...write cannot now that I'm trying to. I also can't (good abbreviation!) write suspense. The first time I wrote this chapter, I think I gave away half the plot. Which is not a good thing. And this time, I don't think I gave enough, but I can always fix that later, right?
Um...Halley doesn't cause headaches for Yuri? [For a minute, let's assume SH's creators are perfection itself and do not make mistakes, in spite of anachronisms and screwy dates.] Koudelka always causes Yuri's headaches with the telepathy, so it makes sense that Halley would.
However, in the mental hospital, Koudelka gives Yuri a headache by using her power (I can't say anything about Nemeton, because I haven't seen that part in a while). But the times Halley goes out of control with his power, Yuri doesn't get a headache.
???
Is that right, or are my facts wrong...?
What the heck, my storyline. I can adapt that to it.
Who hasn't picked up the Flare Brooch in Dalian? It's one of the easiest things to get. After you defeat the monsters at night, before you leave on the boat, go to the inn's basement and talk to the grandson (the little kid). He moves and lets you take the Flare Brooch, which is actually a pretty neat accessory. Only Yuri can equip it, but it raises his attack and defense stats, and decreases SP consumption from a fusion by a quarter. Nifty.
And yes, it is the item this story assumes is in your possession. If you have it, check out the description. It might reveal a lot about this plot.
Yuri: I don't think you should've told them that.
Ah, screw it. They probably would've checked that anyway.
Read and review? Thanks again to Greyfriars and Delka (Yay!). And to Dalhallyn. Sorry, I didn't realize my settings didn't allow anonymous reviews. I've changed it so you can review without logging in, but please leave some kind of name so I can acknowledge who reviewed!
Yuri: Hey, the hell...? You've reviewed with no name.
Shut up.
Yuri: And when did I get in the A/N section? You still don't have the rights to me!
Aw...do I have to...?
Yuri: (starts rocking around in the chair he's tied to) Let me go! Let me go!
You know, you could always just fuse and then...never mind, I didn't say anything.
Yuri: (fuses with Seraphic Radiance and shreds chair and rope) Free at last! Free at last!
SERAPHIE!
Yuri: Oh hell. You know it's bad when they've got a nickname for it. (flies out the window)
Oh...shoot. I have to learn when to keep my mouth shut.
Good news! I am now #29 in my new game. I just got to Shanghai. I have a ring perfect rate of 41.something-
Yuri: And a ring success rate of 91.something-
Shuddup! You have to make sacrifices sometimes. And why are you back?
Yuri: (shrugs) Felt like annoying you. Have you figured out the plot for the rest of the story?
Umm...
Yuri: (yells) Hey Alice, I was right! We're doomed!
Would you ever so kindly just SHUT UP?!
Yuri: Eep! (runs away)
Um...anything else? If I've written anything contradictory to myself or the game, please tell me. Sorry the update wasn't as quick as I promised. The brain would not cooperate.
**
It was amazing how much a simple gesture could sicken you to your stomach. As the girl bowed to her mistress, as was expected of her, she realized she was also bowing to him. Since they were treating each other as equals, to bow to one meant to acknowledge the other as superior as well.
A scowl twisted her face. Not to him. He wasn't even worthy of Regina's attention. The only reason he was in this room was because the other Dreamers were too wary to be involved with an affair concerning a mortal, let alone two.
Still, she remained bowed, both to Regina and the Dreamer Pan, before deciding that she had shown the respect due to them. Her. Not him.
"First, I would like to thank you, Pan, for helping me."
"Heh heh." He had a rather rough laugh, noisy and rowdy. "I liked the girl's better. Interesting world, may I say."
"Unfortunately, from now on it'll only be Hyuga."
"Damn." The dreamer scratched absently at his face and finally asked, "You really think it's him this time? And her, why would she come back?"
"Perhaps one of them foresaw his return and decided to use her again. After all, she did manage to win the last time." Her lips twisted in a frown. "Not this time though."
"And him? Hyuga? Are you certain? He seems like a mortal to me."
Persephone wanted to argue, but kept her mouth shut. Just how blind could he be? she wondered, though careful to keep her face blank.
"Persephone says he is the one. That is all I need." Persephone's chest filled with the praise, the implied trust in her judgement. Regina could always count on her. She would make sure of that.
"As for little Pers...I was wondering if next time my payment could be..." He raised his eyes meaningfully and the girl found herself shuddering.
"It will be made in the customary metals," Regina told him, and he scowled.
"I found her, Regina."
"She serves under me now, Pan. If you can't accept the fact that a ten-year-old got away from you even after four years..."
"It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't a bastard halfling," he muttered, and immediately wished he hadn't.
Regina was now angry. It was well known Persephone was one of her favored servants, and an insult to Persephone was an insult to her. Fire curled about her body like snakes, their tongues coming off her finger and licking Pan as she pointed it at him.
"Pan, leave now..." She hissed menacingly, seeming to have grown four feet in height, "and maybe I won't burn your body from the inside out..."
Pan was already backing away from the angry goddess, and when she screamed, "NOW!" causing flames to rush at him in her temper, he ran. And fast.
**
Now that the tea was ready, Alice, Keith, and Margarete were each drinking some in the dining room, and discussing what they should do for the week.
"There's nothing set really," Alice said. She sipped on some of her tea and continued. "Picnics, stuff like that..."
"It would be nice to have some relaxing time together," said Keith. "We never did do much of that." He sat on Margarete's right, but was making sure to keep the sword close and away from her.
Margarete herself drained her tea and then sat forward, examining Alice from across the table. "What's wrong?" Alice asked, noticing the stare.
"You don't have a ring," she said bluntly. "He hasn't asked you?"
"Oh, Yuri...asked me...no."
"Geez, how slow can that kiddo be?" Margarete said.
"It hasn't been that long!"
"Well, yeah, but he seems like the kind of guy who'd be like, one month and you're hitched!"
Alice choked and spat out her tea, no longer lady-like. "Margarete!"
"What?! Am I not right Keith?"
Keith was staring at her with something akin to disbelief. "A month seems...a bit short, don't you think? Even Yuri would be wise enough to wait a while."
"Even???"
Margarete snorted derisively. "Come on, this is Yuri. You know how impulsive he is."
"Marriage is not just any little thing to be impulsive about!"
Alice sighed. "I don't know," she said, discouraged. What Margarete was saying really did make some sense.
The argument which had been building up died. "What do you mean, you don't know?" Margarete asked with concern.
"It's just that, you're right. Yuri does seem like he would decide really quick. But...he hasn't. We've talked about it before...just about our futures...I'm not sure," she finished.
"Well...you know...it might just be nervousness," Margarete said, now trying to be helpful. "Some guys just freeze up when marriage is mentioned. That might be it."
"It's a huge commitment, after all," Keith said.
"Yeah...I guess you guys are right," Alice said. "I don't know why I'm getting all worked up about it." She glanced at the grandfather clock and said, "Zhuzhen will probably come next. It's two right now, so in an hour or so..."
**
Meanwhile, Yuri was gathering clothes in his room. At first he had made a conscious effort to find some of the nicer clothes, clothes that he could actually see Keith wearing. Needless to say, he soon gave up on that and just focused on getting clean clothng.
After a half hour of ransacking a one room flat, he had four shirts and two pairs of pants. He sighed and thought, Keith will just have to live with this.
**
Yuri crossed the street, walking back to Alice's house. Many of the people he passed gave him small smiles, knowing him well enough to greet him but not enough to make small chat.
He passed the train station and on his way through, happened to see a familiar face getting off, holding one trunk.
"Hey old man, don't break your back with that," he yelled, getting both Zhuzhen's attention and ire. He found a staff being directed at him and soon after his head was hurting.
"Hmph. Show me a little more respect," the elder one muttered and looked over the clothes Yuri was carrying. "What are you doing?"
"Keith forgot his clothes. Long story, involving Margarete. So, long ride?"
"My muscles are all cramped," the Adept complained.
"I didn't know you had muscles." That earned him another hit on the head. "Ow..."
Zhuzhen snorted and then traded Yuri the clothes to carry for the trunk, which was a bit heavy.
"Margarete brought two of these massive things over."
"Heh, sounds like her."
They walked along in silence a little. Zhuzhen was examining the new surroundings, and smiling faintly in approval. Meanwhile Yuri was wondering about a question he'd been thinking about for a while, but debating whether he wanted the answer or not.
"How's your work in Shanghai?" Yuri finally asked, trying to make it sound like a casual question. It'd been more than a year since he'd seen it and he hoped that the city was starting to get over the Seraphic Radiance's attack.
"Not too pleasant," Zhuzhen admitted, "But we're getting there. The most urgent matters have been taken care of. There are still some souls that won't rest easy still, but they're being taken care of. Zhen helped a bit by summoning powerful monsters to combat weaker ones sometimes," he said.
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't really sound too safe..."
"He has good control over the monsters, and he can get rid of them as soon as they've done their job. Now, if Sharon was doing it..."
They both shuddered. She'd either do nothing--which was the better alternative--or unleash them all over the city on innocent people.
"Well, Halley should know if she's learned how to control it better."
"Is Koudelka taking care of all of them?" Zhuzhen asked.
"Yeah, they don't really want to be separated...though, I don't know what they'll do after Halley leaves." Yuri stopped in front of the large white house and said, "We're here." He walked up the path with Zhuzhen following behind, then knocked on the door. Alice opened it and said, "Hi Yuri-Zhuzhen, you came! Good timing!"
"Why?" Both asked.
"Mother brought the food, but um...the stove's not really working."
Zhuzhen shook his head. He'd been in these kind of situations and he knew what the outcome was going to be. "You want me to use my fire magic for cooking?" he said, a bit incredulously.
"Please? Please? I want the food to be ready for when Koudelka and Halley come."
"Come on Zhuzhen, be a good sport," Yuri said with a smirk.
He glared at the younger man. "Why don't you just turn into Ifrit then and YOU start the fire?"
"No! Are you kidding? If Mrs. Elliot sees me as Ifrit she'll freak!"
Alice's eyes widened. "I forgot to tell Margarete!" She ran inside and they could hear her ask, "Margarete, would you come outside please?"
Zhuzhen looked at Yuri in confusion. "What exactly is going on?"
He scratched the back of his head. This was starting to get complicated very quickly. "Um, let's wait till they get here. We'll explain then."
**
When they were done explaining, Zhuzhen and Margarete just stared at them. "Well, I can see your point," Zhuzhen said. "But don't you think you should tell her anyway? She is familiar with exorcism. She probably knows a thing or two about monsters."
"Yes, but..." Alice looked at the door, which they had shut behind them to make sure her mother didn't hear. "Since Father's death, she's been very protective of me. She worries a lot. And if she heard about...certain events, I don't think I'd ever be able to leave her sight again."
Zhuzhen nodded. "You're probably right. Why not?" He asked Margarete as she shook her head.
"No, it's just...you made a lot of changes," she pointed out. "Slip up once and if she catches it, the whole thing comes undone." She only sighed as Alice and Yuri exchanged nervous looks. "Oh well, nothing you can do about that now."
"Thanks for the reassurance," Yuri said irritably.
"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully. "Oh, Alice..."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I used your bath?"
"No, go ahead. The towels are in the closet next to the bathroom, on the left."
"Thanks." Before she left, she looked at the clothes Zhuzhen still carried and grinned. "I've got to see Keith in this." Then, she walked back in the house, happily humming.
Yuri looked after her, and then his eyes widened with sudden enlightenment. "Oh..."
"What?" Zhuzhen asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Well, you're the cook Zhuzhen, get in there!"
"What about Mrs.-"
"Oh, she's seen fire magic before, and like you said she knows a bit about exorcism. She's known a few Adepts," Alice said. "That's fine."
Zhuzhen grumbled, resigned to his fate as cook, and handed Yuri the clothes, which he balanced with the trunk. He walked inside, Alice and Yuri following him.
"Heads up Keith!" Yuri yelled, throwing the clothes to a startled Keith. "Eh, sorry, I need to get my clothes washed before you can borrow more."
Keith just looked at the clothing that he'd caught with a dubious expression. Yuri caught the expression and said, "Nope, I don't have any fancy clothes like you do. Just put some on."
"Alright." Keith left and went off to the guest room and Mrs. Elliot looked at Yuri.
"He forgot his clothing?"
"Yeah, well, he lost his luggage on the way..."
"Oh! Then, he'll need some new ones for the trip back won't he?"
"I guess..." Yuri replied uncertainly. If he turned into a bat, no he wouldn't, but he couldn't say that.
Mrs. Elliot smiled, knowing a new project to start on now, and stepped out of the room. Yuri groaned as he realized she was going to the sowing room. Once in there, it'd only take the house on fire to get her out until she finished.
Which, from the sounds in the kitchen, could be provided by Zhuzhen soon.
He groaned and sat down on the sofa, only to jump back up when he heard Halley's voice.
Hey...Hey! Yuri, take...look...clock...
Yuri looked up in curiosity at the grandfather clock in the living room. 10 minutes after 5. And this was important why...?
testing...telepathy...cool, huh?
No, not cool. Yuri was considering hurting Halley when he arrived. He was testing telepathy on him, the only one who always got a migraine from it?
Yuri suddenly realized something as he thought about that. His head wasn't hurting. It felt fine. None of the fusion souls were acting up at Halley's voice. Weird...
But Halley's voice kept going on about how he was testing telepathy, and Yuri suddenly realized he'd probably been doing this for a while on the train ride and would keep it up for a while. Must be testing his range, he thought absently. That's why he mentioned the clock, so he would know what time I heard him at.
Trying to distract himself from Halley's voice, he entered the kitchen, where Alice was just staring at a too large fire while Zhuzhen was trying to get it under control. He wasn't having much luck though. Before the food--meat, potatoes, and peas--got burned, Yuri did the obvious, taking a bowl, filling it with water, taking the food out of the stove, and pouring out the fire.
"Great. Now I've got to start over," Zhuzhen grumbled.
"Just don't burn down the house," Yuri told him, putting the bowl back in the cabinet. As Zhuzhen started the chant again, Yuri tapped on Alice's shoulder, startling her. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, then looked back to where there was now just a small fire. In her mind it had seemed so large, like it could consume the whole kitchen, everything...
"Hey, Alice. Don't zone out on me. What's wrong?"
She shuddered and then said, "It's hard to explain..."
"Well, come on. Let's leave the chef to his job." Zhuzhen snorted at the remark but said nothing.
Alice felt grateful as he led her away by the hand. Watching the fire, she had felt transfixed, her body frozen. She shook her head, feeling a bit irritated. What was wrong with her? It was just a dream...right? Unless her mother had been right...
"Come on," Yuri said, sitting on the sofa. "What's wrong? You were acting like a zombie or something."
Alice looked around the room and said, "I...Last night, I had a nightmare. That I was in Hell, I think."
"You think?"
"Well, there wasn't a devil or anything. Just a woman. She said she hated me, wanted me to burn. She said I was her rival." Alice thought about it and murmured softly, "but I don't know anyone who would hate me that much."
"Like you said. It was just a dream," Yuri said confidently.
"But...when I woke up, I was still in pain for awhile, before I healed myself," Alice said. "I don't know...it reminded me of your Graveyard." And she stopped, because when she had said 'Graveyard', Yuri's eyes had widened. "What is it?"
"Did you recognize any of it as the Graveyard?"
She thought about it, but shook her head. When she thought about it, there had been nothing except flame. Perhaps there had been nothing beyond or beneath. "Why? Did something happen...?" she trailed off as Yuri nodded.
"I had a dream in the Graveyard last night."
"You went there?" Alice asked. She thought that the Malice had been taken care of for good since they defeated Atman, but there was a chance...
"No. Someone called me. There was a woman. She was tall, with long red hair. Pale. And the weirdest thing was her eyes. They were red, like her hair but darker."
A chill went down Alice's spine. The description seemed somehow all too familiar...and evil. "What did she say?"
"She said I'd forgotten her...mentioned a spell, and a brooch." He shook his head. "I'd never seen a woman like her before, and I've never been given a brooch. Nothing specially for me. She said she'd made it for me."
"Yes...the Flare Brooch...remember? It reacts only to you, doesn't it?"
Yuri looked at her, confused. "Well, it does react only to Harmonixers, but...we got that from that innkeeper's grandson in Dalian."
"But, I've always wondered..." Alice started, trying to get him to see her point. "If it only reacts to Harmonixers, wouldn't it make sense that it was made for a Harmonixer? What was it doing in Dalian?"
"Don't know," Yuri said, shaking his head. "Maybe a Hyuga was in Dalian at one point. Why does it matter? As long as I know it wasn't from the woman."
"Did she give you her name?" Alice asked.
"I wanted to ask...but the clock woke me up. Man, one is really too early to be waking up," he complained.
"O-one?"
Yuri stood up and over her, "Alice, what's wrong?" She had turned a bit pale and looked very surprised.
"My dream happened...just before the clock struck one," she told him.
"You mean...our dreams happened at the same time? Couldn't it be just coincidence?"
She smiled weakly at him. "What are the chances of that?"
Yuri could only shake his head as he considered them. Pretty slim...slim indeed.
Luckily, they were not allowed to stay in this mood for too long. Keith came out of the guest room, having finally chosen some clothes that were a bit decent in his opinion. It was actually one of Yuri's favorites, the red shirt with black pants.
"Hey, looks like they fit pretty well," Yuri said, welcoming the distraction. "How do they feel?"
Alice could only stare at him before starting to laugh. It looked funny, him still trying to look a bit noble in clothes that clearly were not. "Yuri, where's your trench coat? I want to see it on him," she giggled.
"They fit alright," Keith said sullenly.
"The trench coat's at the flat, and I am not giving him that," Yuri said, "Anyways, I think your mom is starting to make him some clothing."
"Oh no. She's in the sowing room?"
"She's in the sowing room," he confirmed. "Oh, and I think Koudelka and Halley are getting here soon."
"Why?"
"Halley's been talking to me." Alice was about to ask how, before realizing what he meant. She tilted her head as she asked,
"And you don't have a headache?"
Yuri shrugged. "Hey, works for me. You want me to go meet them at the train station?"
"I'll come with," she said, smiling. "Zhuzhen, you take care of dinner!" She laughed as some grumbled response came back and grabbed Yuri's arm. "Come on. I haven't gotten out yet today."
"Alright. Keith, you want to come with?"
Keith was still looking down at his clothing. "No thank you."
Yuri only rolled his eyes before opening the door, and both of them walked out towards the train station.
**
A/N: Keith: The Ken Doll of the 19...something...s...darn. I forget, when does Shadow Hearts take place? I think in the beginning they say 1913 or 1914...and then later on they say...15 years ago, 1889...problem.
1889+15=1904
1914-15=1899
...? I don't know, maybe I just read one of the dates wrong, or maybe they had an error in there.
Writing this chapter, I realized something: I cannot...can not...cannot...write cannot now that I'm trying to. I also can't (good abbreviation!) write suspense. The first time I wrote this chapter, I think I gave away half the plot. Which is not a good thing. And this time, I don't think I gave enough, but I can always fix that later, right?
Um...Halley doesn't cause headaches for Yuri? [For a minute, let's assume SH's creators are perfection itself and do not make mistakes, in spite of anachronisms and screwy dates.] Koudelka always causes Yuri's headaches with the telepathy, so it makes sense that Halley would.
However, in the mental hospital, Koudelka gives Yuri a headache by using her power (I can't say anything about Nemeton, because I haven't seen that part in a while). But the times Halley goes out of control with his power, Yuri doesn't get a headache.
???
Is that right, or are my facts wrong...?
What the heck, my storyline. I can adapt that to it.
Who hasn't picked up the Flare Brooch in Dalian? It's one of the easiest things to get. After you defeat the monsters at night, before you leave on the boat, go to the inn's basement and talk to the grandson (the little kid). He moves and lets you take the Flare Brooch, which is actually a pretty neat accessory. Only Yuri can equip it, but it raises his attack and defense stats, and decreases SP consumption from a fusion by a quarter. Nifty.
And yes, it is the item this story assumes is in your possession. If you have it, check out the description. It might reveal a lot about this plot.
Yuri: I don't think you should've told them that.
Ah, screw it. They probably would've checked that anyway.
Read and review? Thanks again to Greyfriars and Delka (Yay!). And to Dalhallyn. Sorry, I didn't realize my settings didn't allow anonymous reviews. I've changed it so you can review without logging in, but please leave some kind of name so I can acknowledge who reviewed!
Yuri: Hey, the hell...? You've reviewed with no name.
Shut up.
Yuri: And when did I get in the A/N section? You still don't have the rights to me!
Aw...do I have to...?
Yuri: (starts rocking around in the chair he's tied to) Let me go! Let me go!
You know, you could always just fuse and then...never mind, I didn't say anything.
Yuri: (fuses with Seraphic Radiance and shreds chair and rope) Free at last! Free at last!
SERAPHIE!
Yuri: Oh hell. You know it's bad when they've got a nickname for it. (flies out the window)
Oh...shoot. I have to learn when to keep my mouth shut.
Good news! I am now #29 in my new game. I just got to Shanghai. I have a ring perfect rate of 41.something-
Yuri: And a ring success rate of 91.something-
Shuddup! You have to make sacrifices sometimes. And why are you back?
Yuri: (shrugs) Felt like annoying you. Have you figured out the plot for the rest of the story?
Umm...
Yuri: (yells) Hey Alice, I was right! We're doomed!
Would you ever so kindly just SHUT UP?!
Yuri: Eep! (runs away)
Um...anything else? If I've written anything contradictory to myself or the game, please tell me. Sorry the update wasn't as quick as I promised. The brain would not cooperate.