Authors Notes – This story is AU. Waaaaaay AU. Sorta Renasance Europe (Which is not a good AU for Anime, but oh well) Will contain Takouji, some Junzumi, and some Kou1xIzumi (Anyone know the term for that?). I feel obligied to point out that Takouji is shonnen-ai i.e. Male/male coupling. You have been warned, so don't complain when it turns up in later chapters.

Also, I've only seen the original, not the dub, so some of these characters may seem a little OOC. They may end up OOC anyway, but oh well.

"Speech (Common)"

"Speech (Elvish)"

Thoughts

//Telepathy//

Outcast

The town of West-bound had only one tavern stationed along the Great West Road. Passed down from father to son, the same family had been the owners for fourteen generations. When it had been built, the tavern had been the only stone building in the town, but back then the town had been no more than a hamlet. It had been in the reign of Malwark the Creator that the Great Roads had been built, heading north, south, east and west from the capital, Lyndora. The tavern was not often frequented by the locals, and was instead a resting place for those travelling the great road.

Few travelled the road these days. Brigands, and outlaws rode through the forests, bordering the roads, and rumour gave that further in these forests lurked things not entirely human. Only messengers, or adventurers would travel great distances in the now-times, the most the commoners would do, is journey to the market towns on Mid-day. Most were content to stay on their farms, or villages, letting their lives roll by as the seasons changed.

***************

Michael had lost track of how long the boy had been there, in the corner, watching the world within the tavern change as the hours passed. It worried him that periodically the lad would shiver, but made no move to draw closer to the fire. Now the place was empty, save for himself and the boy, who he felt responsible for.

"Come on, lad, surely your Ma is fair worried about where you are."

The boy looked up. "My family? They were the ones that sent me away."

Michael knelt by him. "Oh come now, every family has rows, but family is family. Why my own son ran away once, after I yelled at him, but I calmed down, and he calmed down, and we were happy again."

"This they can't forgive…"

It struck Michael then why the boy worried him so. Having spoken of his son, he could see that as once his son had been, this boy now was. Small for his age, with tousled brown hair and a tan from toil in the sun. His long fringe shadowed his eyes, which glinted out, brown, almost red, and a mouth that was predisposed to smiles, rather than the sad expression it now wore.

"Where are you from, boy?"

"Greenfields." He spoke the word with such longing that it was clear that he'd been away from there longer than he really wanted to be, though Michael had no knowledge of the place.

"Many travellers come along the west road, but none have spoken of this place before. Is it far?"

He shrugged. "How far is far? I don't know how far I've travelled, or how far I have to go before I reach the end of the world."

Michael sighed. "When did you last eat?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but his stomach answered first, making a low growl.

Michael laughed. "I guess that would be the answer." He patted the boy's shoulder gently. "Come lad, draw close to the fire, and I'll see if there's some food to be had."

The boy turned pale. "I cannot sit near the fire, sir. I'm too afraid."

"But you are frozen, and the rain has lent a chill to the air. At least draw a little closer, and take some warmth from it."

The boy looked down, then slowly shuffled closer to the fire hearth.

"Good lad."

He looked up again. "I cannot pay you for your hospitality… I have no money."

Michael smiled. "I'll not go hungry for feeding one stray, and the Goddess herself smiles on those who give charity to them that need it."

The boy touched something under his shirt, presumably his token, and nodded. "Thank you…"

Michael left him by the fire and went into the kitchen. He seems so unsure. No doubt his family are frantic. I should try to turn him back. The broth remained boiling on the stove, just as he had left it, and he soon found two bowls and spoons with which to eat. He returned to find the boy reaching a hand out to the flames, seemingly hypnotically. He jerked round as Michael coughed.

"Are you warm enough?" He held out a bowl.

The boy took it. "I'm fine."

He sat by him. "Have you got a name?"

"Takuya."

"No family name?"

He sighed and started to eat. "No family."

"You know," started Michael, looking into the fire, "I have no family either now, and what with Midsummer coming, there are more and more people coming. And my old legs can't keep up with it anymore."

Takuya stared into his bowl.

"I could do with a helper. Someone younger, maybe… Of course I'd pay them, and they'd get food." He looked at Takuya. "Know anyone who'd be interested?"

Takuya kept staring into his bowl. "I… Thank you… But you don't want me."

"Why not?" asked Michael. "You need money, and food, and a home."

"I can't go home."

Michael shrugged. "So stay here. The road is no place for a youngster."

"Can I think about it?"

Michael nodded.

****************

The wind was howling through the taverns main room, where Takuya slept, making him curl tighter into his cloak. He thought about moving closer to where the fire was banked, but decided against it. I can't let it happen again. He shivered again, this time not because of the cold, but because of the memories coming back. Would it be so bad to stay? Who says it would ever happen again? It was just bad luck, chance. Nothing to do with me. If I stay, I'll be warm and fed… His stomach growled again. And I wish for that, almost as much as for my family. I can't keep wandering for all my days because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep. I'll stay… just long enough to get some money. He sighed gently, and fell asleep. He didn't notice when he shivered with cold during the night, or when the fire grew fiercer, and escaped its hearth. It spread through the old wooden tables, soaked over the years by countless pitchers of alcohol, and into the rafters, turning the tavern into a furnace.

Takuya smiled in his sleep as the flames surrounded him, warming him. It wasn't until the smoke got thicker, and he started to cough, that he woke, to find the flames flickering over him, dancing along his skin. He scrambled backwards, through the wall of fire, coughing, looking around wildly.

"Mister? Where are you?" He pulled his cloak over his mouth to shield his lungs from the smoke, and started to search, before finding a small set of stairs behind a curtain, leading upwards.

He took the stairs two at a time, hurrying to the small flat above the tavern, where Michael was sleeping. Flames were already starting to poke through the floorboards by the time Takuya made it to his bedside.

He started to shake him. "Wake up! Please sir, you've got to wake up!"

Michael lurched awake. "What? What is it, Takuya?"

"The place is on fire, we've got to leave!" He started to tug at Michael's arm, wanting the old man to move faster.

"What? But how…?"

"Later. We've got to leave before this place burns down around us."

Michael nodded, and started down the stairs, pausing as the wall of fire in the ground floor room confronted him. "We're trapped."

Takuya was at his side a moment later. "Goddess help us." He placed his hand over the token under his shirt, invoking the ruler over life.

The flames started to flicker, and then parted, to give a clear path to the door.

Michael froze. "What is this?" He looked at Takuya. "Did you…?"

Takuya grabbed his arm forcefully, and led him through the fire, coughing all the way, until they cleared the burning tavern, to see a group of bystanders, trying to set up a line of buckets to put out the blaze.

Takuya let go of Michael's arm, and turned to face the burning building. "Please Goddess," he muttered, "I didn't want this. I want it to go away." His hand moved automatically to stroke the token round his neck, in traditional prayer, then froze as the flames started to die away as he watched. Did I do… Does the Goddess really listen to me? He looked at his hand as the flames died completely, missing the stare of horror Michael was giving him.

"You… you burnt my tavern down? After all the help I gave you?"

Takuya looked up at Michael suddenly. "I… I…"

"Demon!"

"No!" cried Takuya. "I didn't… It wasn't me!"

One of the crowd spoke. "I heard him. He said 'Stop' and the fire died down. There's still tinder left, this place should only be a shell. Only a demon could make fire go against its nature!"

Many of the gathered crowd made the gods circle over their hearts as a protection against evil.

"What?" Takuya was starting to panic. Not again. Oh Goddess please not again. "I'm not a demon!"

A rock sailed over the crowd to strike Takuya's face. "We don't want things like you here! We're all gods-fearing folk. Go back to your masters in hell!"

"Why don't you believe me?" cried Takuya, starting to be upset. "I'm not a demon! I saved a man! Please!" More rocks came, causing Takuya to raise an arm to guard his face. "Please, sir! Tell them I didn't do it."

Michael backed away. "The fire did what you told it. I saw you… you tried earlier before I fed you."

"Get out of here!" called one of the crowd.

It was like a dam burst, and the entire crowd started to hurl rocks and abuse at Takuya.

He looked at Michael for a long moment.

"It wasn't me… I swear, I never did you harm…"

Michael looked back at him. "…… Get out, demon. Never come here again."

Takuya felt that his heart had been crushed. "I warned you. Should never have stayed." He fled from the projectiles, through the streets, never once looking back at a place a scarce few hours ago he'd hoped could be a new home.

There is no home for me… I'm cursed…

An outcast…