Author's Note: Mayonee/Mayonnaise is Flea's Japanese name.
Apprentice of the Mystics
Janus had grown taller. He was about as high as my shoulder. The boy would probably be short for quite a while, a fact that he was starting to get more sensitive about. Slash made fun of it when he got a chance. I didn't do anything about that, but I didn't join in either. The kid was okay for a human. Better than most, anyway. …Aw fine, I admit it, I kinda like the brat. He just grew on me, ya know? Not that I'd ever admit that to anyone like Slash or Ozzie. They both tease me more than they used to. And then I kick them. Hard.
"Hey, that's pretty good," I admitted, breathing hard after the boy attacked me. He had jumped up to slash me with his scythe, and then hit me with a lightning spell twice the strength of the basic spell he'd started out with. It crackled all around the room, and I could still feel my hairs standing on end.
He smirked slightly. "Of course it is…"
I took a deep breath and walked over to circle around him, looking him over appreciatively. "You've improved a lot… In magic, fighting… and definitely looks!" I licked my lips.
"Quit it, Flea!" he exclaimed, glaring. "I don't want to be flirted with."
"But it's so much FUN!" I exclaimed with a girlish squeal.
"Flea…" he started, blushing just a little. "…Are you really… a guy?"
"Hm, wanna find out…?" I asked, grinning and running my hands down from my chest to my thighs. Damn, I'm hot…
"N-no!" he said quickly.
"I could be either one, you know…" I purred, putting my hands on his shoulders to make him blush more.
"S-stop that!" he insisted, squirming out of my grip. I laughed.
"Come on, you know I don't mean it. Not unless you want me to."
"Well I don't. Why do you have to be like that?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest defensively.
"It's who I am," I said with a shrug. "Why do you always glare at everybody, and act like you've got a stick up your backside?"
He visibly withdrew. "…I don't want anyone to be able to hurt me…" he said after a long pause.
"And neither do I. We just have different ways of doing that."
"But… What if someone accepted your offers…? What would you do then?"
"Depends on who it was," I said with a shrug. "…Why, were you thinking about accepting?" I grinned and winked at him.
"No!" he said quickly.
"Heh, then I guess you'll never know," I said, pleased that my aura of mystique was still intact.
He rolled his eyes. "…Flea… You're a pest just like your name…"
"Yeah, princey? Well I didn't pick it for its sugary sweetness."
"You picked it? No one named you?"
"Oh someone named me. I just chose a different name." I casually flicked a flame at him to see if his guard was still up. He startled, but quickly blocked it. "Not bad."
"…What was your first name, then?" he asked, more cautious now.
"What business is it of YOURS?" I inquired, floating upside down and looking straight into his eyes.
"None, I guess. But you know my real name. And I wondered."
"Hmmmm…" I considered this at great length. What harm could it do? "Fine, then. My other name, before I came here, was Mayonee."
"…Mayonee? What a strange name…"
"Hey, you're one to talk. I didn't say anything about being named after an indecisive freak of a god."
"…Sorry. Mayonee… What does it mean?"
I stared down at him for a moment. "…It means mayonnaise. That was also a nickname of mine as a child."
He blinked, not sure whether or not to believe me. "…Mayonnaise?"
"Yes."
"Um… Not to be offensive… But why would anyone name their child Mayonnaise?"
"Who knows? Maybe they liked the word. Or maybe they thought I would be pale and fattening. In any case, I was Mayonee."
He laughed slightly. "Mayonee… Can I call you that?"
"Hmm… How about no? It was my own private name. Ozzie and Slash know it, but they know the consequences for using it, too. A good kick in the groin. I am Flea, and Flea I'll remain. And shall I call you Janus?"
"…What else would you call me? That is my name," the boy said, confused.
I laughed. "For now, yes. But not always. Some day you'll be a great magus, and that's what I'll call you."
"Magus…" he said slowly, trying it out. Then he looked up at me. "…I recognize the root, but what exactly does it mean?"
"It means a powerful sorcerer. Which is what you're becoming."
"…Better than you?" he asked with a smirk.
"Oh we'll see about that, princey."
He glared darkly at me. "When you call me that, what should I call you?"
"Flea the Magnificent," I answered with a smirk. "Because that's what I am, just as you're a darling little princey. And don't forget it." I patted him on the head for good measure.
"I hate you so much sometimes, Flea…" he muttered, glaring at the ground.
"That's good. I'm glad to hear it." I smiled almost affectionately before whirling around to blast the boy with an explosion of flames.
"AAAHH!" he screamed, caught off-guard. He glared, rubbing at his raw burns. "Isn't there ANY time I can relax without worrying about being attacked?"
"No, there isn't," I said in perfect seriousness. "You dropped your guard, and I took advantage of your weakness. Never put it past anyone to do that. Would you relax that way with Slash? Or Ozzie?"
"Of course not!" he glared angrily. "I'm not stupid enough to trust them!"
I sighed. "You seem to think that your trust should honor me. It doesn't. It's a dangerous thing for you to do, and you need to stop it. I've told you before that I'll kill you if I have to. You'd better damn well fight back."
"…But you weren't trying to kill me," Janus said softly. "…You were testing me, preparing me…"
"That's right. And I'd feel a hell of a lot better if your reflexes and defenses improved…" I aimed a light kick at him, and he brought up his foot to block it. "You're good when you're ready. You just need to be ready all the time." The kid was kind of cute, but pathetically trusting. "Hmm… What should you learn next…"
"What is the hardest thing you can do?" Janus asked thoughtfully.
I considered for a moment. "Shapeshifting, I think. Especially into something little like a bat. It's hard to compress myself that tiny."
"Can you become anything else?" he asked. "…I was surprised to see that bat become you in Slash's chambers…"
"Heh… Well I can become a few things. Bats, cats, rats, foxes, monkeys, anteaters… Things like that. All mammals, nothing aquatic. I usually like bats and cats the best, though."
"…Could I see what you look like as a cat?" he asked hesitantly.
I shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Hold on…" I shut my eyes and stepped forward, leaning down as I shrank and slipped into a cat's shape. I blinked slitted purple eyes at him, my fur a light tan with deep reddish brown stripes the color of my hair.
"You make a good cat," Janus said quietly. He offered me his fingers to smell, which I did, and smiled as I nuzzled him. I made figure eights through his legs, rubbing against him and purring, flicking my tail back and forth as he stroked me gently. Ah, it felt good… It was so easy to get caught up in the mindset of a cat, relishing the motion…
"May I pick you up?" the child asked. I tilted my head at him thoughtfully, then meowed and butted my head against his leg. He smiled slightly and bent to pick me up, holding me against him as he went to curl up on my throne with me. I immediately stood and walked all over him, rubbing him every so often. This one was mine… And then I settled in his lap, shoving his leg over a little for my comfort, and began to knead him. He sucked in his breath at my claws, as I knew he would. Silly little human. I told him not to lower his guard to anyone. Such a trusting fool. …Ah, a trusting fool who knew all the best places to scratch. I stretched and snuggled deeper into him as he rubbed behind my ears and under my jaw.
…And of course, being a cat, I allowed him to tempt me to settle down in his lap. It was very warm and soft, and the petting was good. He did mutter the word "Alfador" a few times, but I was willing to ignore that in the interest of comfort.
Endnote: I do so love reviews! (hint hint!)
