Chapter 18: Skipping the Language Barrier
A/N: Yay I'm writing at school! *sigh* the old pencil to paper technique. And now I'm at a loss. Well, not really but I'm trying to keep from rambling so yeah. Well, as of now I need 9 reviews 'til the 100 review mark! Oh I am SO excited! Yeah, I know that 100 isn't really that many, but you guys have no idea how much it really means to me. *sigh* My entire future depends on my ability to write and inspire...well my ideal future. *uncertain look* Yay...and on that note...off to the story!
Disclaimer: Has anyone noticed that Cartoon Network is seriously wacked? I say it's a good thing that they don't own RK any more than I do. And I don't.
~*~*~
"Hitomi...Hitomi, wake up...come on..."
Hitomi nudged the voice aside. There was no time for her to listen; she was busy trying to escape. She waded through turbid waters, trying to sort things out. The sludge was trapping her in her own mind! She shrank from the light tickling at the edge of her senses.
Eventually she realized this light was her way out, and before she could even reach for it, she was out. She shot bolt upright, gasping for air as if she'd drowned and never had the chance to draw a final breath."Whoa now...calm down Hitomi dear..." a gentle voice soothed. "I-I can't see..." she murmured anxiously.
"It's just an after-effect of the drug. It should wear off shortly. How is your shoulder?" Hitomi now recognized the voice as that of Flewrind. She flexed her shoulder; testing the muscles, tensing and relaxing, stretching tendons and ligaments. No pain remained though her shoulder had suffered a severe wound. "It FEELS fine." she answered, her voice stronger and more assured now.
"Good." Flewrind said, nodding to himself. "Can you see anything yet?" Hitomi paused searching for a light, for something, for anything. On the very edge of her vision, she saw a fuzzy grayness. "Oh! I see gray!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands and giggling as she bounced happily. Flewrind smiled, glad he could make her happy when she'd just been almost assassinated by someone they still hadn't caught.
Then came the question he knew was on its way. "...do you know who attacked me yet?" Hitomi asked quietly, looking at the blurred image of Flewrind. Flewrind lowered his head. "Not yet Hitomi...Hiko reckons you should take Fjork and head out to Earth." "WHAT?! EARTH!!!" Hitomi shouted, nearly falling off the examining table. "Yes Earth...isn't there someone you wanted to see there anyhow?"
Hitomi blushed. 'Shinta...' she thought.
Soon afterwards, Hitomi could see plainly again and her shoulder was mostly healed, so Flewrind allowed her to go roam the terrarrium. She unknowingly sat under the same tree which Fjork had pondered his 'love' for her. She soon found herself wondering about Shinta.
He was all grown up now...what was he REALLY like? All she knew was that somehow during Japan's Revolution he had become a hitokiri. But he wasn't anymore, right? He couldn't be, or he wouldn't have a family.
Family. She liked the sound of that. Sighing, she played with the grass under her fingers. She wished now that she could just stay on Earth, but she knew her place was here. Here, among the gods and goddesses WAS where she belonged. It didn't matter to them that she had once loved a human, and that made it much easier to accept the fact that he was dead now. "Cholera..." she said aloud, picking up a small stick. It really was amazing how fragile life was...as fragile as the twig she held between her thumb and index finger.
Hitomi scowled and snapped the twig. Curse life.
~*~*~
Fjork grimaced. Had he really changed that much? He sighed and carefully carried Kaoru over to Snae. "What will you do with her?" he asked quietly. Snae glared at Fjork. "That's none of your business!" Fjork flinched. Evidently the leader was not in the best of moods today. Perhaps it could have to do with the large knot atop his head. "What happened to your head?" he smirked, his haughty arrogance shining through finally.
Snae cautioned himself not to lose his temper. Though only slightly taller than he, Fjork could easily slaughter him where he stood without even dropping the woman. And the woman was all that mattered. Snae frowned. "She hit me."
Fjork doubled up with hysterical laughter. Snae could control his temper only so far, but to allow Fjork to laugh at him!? That was too far! His subjects would laugh at him! "Fjork. Did you finish your assignment?" Snae spat at the out-of-control assassin. Fjork became serious in an instant, staring down on the unconscious Kaoru. She was beautiful in her own way, he supposed. Her beauty to him was dim, but after all he'd lived in the world of Goddesses all his life.
"No I did not." he said proudly.
Snae gasped. Did Fjork dare defy him as his tone implied or was it simple arrogance that colored his tone?! He stalked over to the assassin and stared into his eyes. The emotions there were tightly held in check, but Fjork purposefully let his loathing of the creature before run wild. Snae grinned a tight, tersely grim smile of mock satisfaction and took Kaoru from Fjork with his mind. Well he tried anyhow. Fjork delighted himself for several minutes in refusing to relinquish control of his prisoner. At last he gazed down at her peaceful features.
"I captured her, thus she is mine, correct?"
Snae virtually exploded with anger. He had within his reaches a worthy substitute for his Raen and this man, this sorry excuse for a God was demanding HIS right to her! How absurd! How utterly unacceptable! HOW was he going to get her from him?
He knew Fjork was stronger than he, that much was obvious from his inability to wrest Kaoru from his grip. If he so wanted, he could take her by political force, but it would mean belittling himself in front of his inferiors. Fjork knew he wouldn't do that, for a smug smile asserted itself on his features. Snae scoffed. "Take her then. I have no use for the Battousai's wench."
Fjork's ego crowed. He had bested Snae once again! He gleefully brought Kaoru to, for the only thing holding her in her comatose state was the whims of his mind. He beamed at her as she surfaced from her sleep. "Hello Mis--" he was brutally cut off as she viciously socked him in the jaw.
Fjork sighed. "I suppose I deserved that..."he said, carefully rotating his jaw to see if she'd damaged anything. Nothing seemed broken, though he'd bet anything that there'd be a doozy of a bruise tomorrow. Wouldn't he get teased over that! Oh well...he'd worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
He regretted his vehemence in stealing Kaoru from Snae. He really had nowhere to put her, and if Snae sent him on another mission--Fjork scowled at the thought of another kill by his hands--if Snae sent him on another mission he most certainly would have to put a bond on her. Which he didn't really want to do. Though bonds could be broken with enough spirit, they left their mark on the unwitting victim. Sighing he resigned himself to what he had to do. He reached for Kaoru's hand, determined to lead her to his quarters. She gave him a furious glare and jerked her hand away.
Fjork quirked his eyebrow. 'Fiery little spirit she's got there. I see why the Battousai likes her.' he thought. He eventually gave up and looked her in the eye. "Will you follow me?" he asked her. She stared at him blankly. He stared back at her before shaking his head in understanding. He closed his eyes for a minute, and suddenly Kaoru understood what everyone around her was saying. "AH!" she exclaimed in surprise. Fjork grinned. "Sudden change isn't it?"
"Who are you?" she nailed him to the wall with unspoken questions. "And where is Kenshin?" Fjork sighed. It was not going to be easy to tell her she'd been kidnapped by the Others in order to keep them hidden from view of the leaders of the Plane. It wasn't a feat even the Battousai could be trusted with. He grimaced. "Uh...well...that bad guy? 'Member him?" Fjork said to her. She glared at him for speaking down to her. "Yes I remember him."
"He kidnapped you."
"Oh, I knew that already. But where is Kenshin and WHY exactly have you kidnapped me?"
Fjork broke into a grim smile. He wouldn't want to be there when she found out. The roof would probably explode! And preferably he could get Kaoru out before Snae realized what he was doing and tried to stop him. Battousai would be happy. And Snae would be angry. Gooooooood.
~*~*~
A/N: Well that chapter went a whole lot of nowhere. LOL. Well now you know more about Fjork's status as assassin. But I still haven't decided what I want him to be, good or evil. You all should tell me in your reviews. I NEED TO KNOW! *jumps up and down* GEEEZ. I can make him go either way, but I think I'll go with the majority. SO, that means you need to review and let me know what you think! WOOHOO!
aprun: Thanks for liking! Woohoo! Snae is suprised to see Fjork because all the things Fjork has been doing is wearing on him, plus the fact that Snae hadn't expected himback for a few days. *sigh* well maybe Fjork just wanted to make Snae mad. Most likely.
Brittanie Love: Glad to hear you loved the chapter! Here, see where it's going!
Shaolin and Amakakeru: Glad to hear you STILL like my story! I love making people happy! Seems I did a good job this time! ^-^
Falling_from_the_sky: Don't feel lame. I understnd how FF.Net can be sometimes. yeah It's quite...WITCHY sometimes. Hehe, yes Snae already annoys me. Fjork will have to kill him somehow. How do you prefer? Live disembowelment? That would be fun to write! ^-^ Anyhow, keep up the reviewing!
Brownie-luving Icee-chan: I'm sorry...why are you confused???
A/N: Yay I'm writing at school! *sigh* the old pencil to paper technique. And now I'm at a loss. Well, not really but I'm trying to keep from rambling so yeah. Well, as of now I need 9 reviews 'til the 100 review mark! Oh I am SO excited! Yeah, I know that 100 isn't really that many, but you guys have no idea how much it really means to me. *sigh* My entire future depends on my ability to write and inspire...well my ideal future. *uncertain look* Yay...and on that note...off to the story!
Disclaimer: Has anyone noticed that Cartoon Network is seriously wacked? I say it's a good thing that they don't own RK any more than I do. And I don't.
~*~*~
"Hitomi...Hitomi, wake up...come on..."
Hitomi nudged the voice aside. There was no time for her to listen; she was busy trying to escape. She waded through turbid waters, trying to sort things out. The sludge was trapping her in her own mind! She shrank from the light tickling at the edge of her senses.
Eventually she realized this light was her way out, and before she could even reach for it, she was out. She shot bolt upright, gasping for air as if she'd drowned and never had the chance to draw a final breath."Whoa now...calm down Hitomi dear..." a gentle voice soothed. "I-I can't see..." she murmured anxiously.
"It's just an after-effect of the drug. It should wear off shortly. How is your shoulder?" Hitomi now recognized the voice as that of Flewrind. She flexed her shoulder; testing the muscles, tensing and relaxing, stretching tendons and ligaments. No pain remained though her shoulder had suffered a severe wound. "It FEELS fine." she answered, her voice stronger and more assured now.
"Good." Flewrind said, nodding to himself. "Can you see anything yet?" Hitomi paused searching for a light, for something, for anything. On the very edge of her vision, she saw a fuzzy grayness. "Oh! I see gray!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands and giggling as she bounced happily. Flewrind smiled, glad he could make her happy when she'd just been almost assassinated by someone they still hadn't caught.
Then came the question he knew was on its way. "...do you know who attacked me yet?" Hitomi asked quietly, looking at the blurred image of Flewrind. Flewrind lowered his head. "Not yet Hitomi...Hiko reckons you should take Fjork and head out to Earth." "WHAT?! EARTH!!!" Hitomi shouted, nearly falling off the examining table. "Yes Earth...isn't there someone you wanted to see there anyhow?"
Hitomi blushed. 'Shinta...' she thought.
Soon afterwards, Hitomi could see plainly again and her shoulder was mostly healed, so Flewrind allowed her to go roam the terrarrium. She unknowingly sat under the same tree which Fjork had pondered his 'love' for her. She soon found herself wondering about Shinta.
He was all grown up now...what was he REALLY like? All she knew was that somehow during Japan's Revolution he had become a hitokiri. But he wasn't anymore, right? He couldn't be, or he wouldn't have a family.
Family. She liked the sound of that. Sighing, she played with the grass under her fingers. She wished now that she could just stay on Earth, but she knew her place was here. Here, among the gods and goddesses WAS where she belonged. It didn't matter to them that she had once loved a human, and that made it much easier to accept the fact that he was dead now. "Cholera..." she said aloud, picking up a small stick. It really was amazing how fragile life was...as fragile as the twig she held between her thumb and index finger.
Hitomi scowled and snapped the twig. Curse life.
~*~*~
Fjork grimaced. Had he really changed that much? He sighed and carefully carried Kaoru over to Snae. "What will you do with her?" he asked quietly. Snae glared at Fjork. "That's none of your business!" Fjork flinched. Evidently the leader was not in the best of moods today. Perhaps it could have to do with the large knot atop his head. "What happened to your head?" he smirked, his haughty arrogance shining through finally.
Snae cautioned himself not to lose his temper. Though only slightly taller than he, Fjork could easily slaughter him where he stood without even dropping the woman. And the woman was all that mattered. Snae frowned. "She hit me."
Fjork doubled up with hysterical laughter. Snae could control his temper only so far, but to allow Fjork to laugh at him!? That was too far! His subjects would laugh at him! "Fjork. Did you finish your assignment?" Snae spat at the out-of-control assassin. Fjork became serious in an instant, staring down on the unconscious Kaoru. She was beautiful in her own way, he supposed. Her beauty to him was dim, but after all he'd lived in the world of Goddesses all his life.
"No I did not." he said proudly.
Snae gasped. Did Fjork dare defy him as his tone implied or was it simple arrogance that colored his tone?! He stalked over to the assassin and stared into his eyes. The emotions there were tightly held in check, but Fjork purposefully let his loathing of the creature before run wild. Snae grinned a tight, tersely grim smile of mock satisfaction and took Kaoru from Fjork with his mind. Well he tried anyhow. Fjork delighted himself for several minutes in refusing to relinquish control of his prisoner. At last he gazed down at her peaceful features.
"I captured her, thus she is mine, correct?"
Snae virtually exploded with anger. He had within his reaches a worthy substitute for his Raen and this man, this sorry excuse for a God was demanding HIS right to her! How absurd! How utterly unacceptable! HOW was he going to get her from him?
He knew Fjork was stronger than he, that much was obvious from his inability to wrest Kaoru from his grip. If he so wanted, he could take her by political force, but it would mean belittling himself in front of his inferiors. Fjork knew he wouldn't do that, for a smug smile asserted itself on his features. Snae scoffed. "Take her then. I have no use for the Battousai's wench."
Fjork's ego crowed. He had bested Snae once again! He gleefully brought Kaoru to, for the only thing holding her in her comatose state was the whims of his mind. He beamed at her as she surfaced from her sleep. "Hello Mis--" he was brutally cut off as she viciously socked him in the jaw.
Fjork sighed. "I suppose I deserved that..."he said, carefully rotating his jaw to see if she'd damaged anything. Nothing seemed broken, though he'd bet anything that there'd be a doozy of a bruise tomorrow. Wouldn't he get teased over that! Oh well...he'd worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
He regretted his vehemence in stealing Kaoru from Snae. He really had nowhere to put her, and if Snae sent him on another mission--Fjork scowled at the thought of another kill by his hands--if Snae sent him on another mission he most certainly would have to put a bond on her. Which he didn't really want to do. Though bonds could be broken with enough spirit, they left their mark on the unwitting victim. Sighing he resigned himself to what he had to do. He reached for Kaoru's hand, determined to lead her to his quarters. She gave him a furious glare and jerked her hand away.
Fjork quirked his eyebrow. 'Fiery little spirit she's got there. I see why the Battousai likes her.' he thought. He eventually gave up and looked her in the eye. "Will you follow me?" he asked her. She stared at him blankly. He stared back at her before shaking his head in understanding. He closed his eyes for a minute, and suddenly Kaoru understood what everyone around her was saying. "AH!" she exclaimed in surprise. Fjork grinned. "Sudden change isn't it?"
"Who are you?" she nailed him to the wall with unspoken questions. "And where is Kenshin?" Fjork sighed. It was not going to be easy to tell her she'd been kidnapped by the Others in order to keep them hidden from view of the leaders of the Plane. It wasn't a feat even the Battousai could be trusted with. He grimaced. "Uh...well...that bad guy? 'Member him?" Fjork said to her. She glared at him for speaking down to her. "Yes I remember him."
"He kidnapped you."
"Oh, I knew that already. But where is Kenshin and WHY exactly have you kidnapped me?"
Fjork broke into a grim smile. He wouldn't want to be there when she found out. The roof would probably explode! And preferably he could get Kaoru out before Snae realized what he was doing and tried to stop him. Battousai would be happy. And Snae would be angry. Gooooooood.
~*~*~
A/N: Well that chapter went a whole lot of nowhere. LOL. Well now you know more about Fjork's status as assassin. But I still haven't decided what I want him to be, good or evil. You all should tell me in your reviews. I NEED TO KNOW! *jumps up and down* GEEEZ. I can make him go either way, but I think I'll go with the majority. SO, that means you need to review and let me know what you think! WOOHOO!
aprun: Thanks for liking! Woohoo! Snae is suprised to see Fjork because all the things Fjork has been doing is wearing on him, plus the fact that Snae hadn't expected himback for a few days. *sigh* well maybe Fjork just wanted to make Snae mad. Most likely.
Brittanie Love: Glad to hear you loved the chapter! Here, see where it's going!
Shaolin and Amakakeru: Glad to hear you STILL like my story! I love making people happy! Seems I did a good job this time! ^-^
Falling_from_the_sky: Don't feel lame. I understnd how FF.Net can be sometimes. yeah It's quite...WITCHY sometimes. Hehe, yes Snae already annoys me. Fjork will have to kill him somehow. How do you prefer? Live disembowelment? That would be fun to write! ^-^ Anyhow, keep up the reviewing!
Brownie-luving Icee-chan: I'm sorry...why are you confused???