Chapter 3: Acid Smile
There was a certain chaos in the marketplace of Nebanos. The ordinary shopkeepers had carts out, selling all kinds of things, clothing, food, and even some useless trinkets. The street was particularly glamorous, but itwas rather homey. It seemed as though everyone was out in the street that day, or rather everyone that had chosen to remain in the small town was there.
Kurogane found it easy to slip into the crowds and bury himself deep there, far away from the place he was staying at. He knew that if he remained there he would wind up killing someone, probably Fai. That man certainly had pissed him off. There was a fierce burn on Kurogane's arm, evidence of every lie that Fai had ever told about his magic.
It was hard to keep his burnt arm hidden from the crowd though. Once one person pointed it out another twenty would see it was well. "You poor thing, did the Tier get to you? That creature is ruthless, I tell you." " Hold on, let me bandage that--" " Oh, it ruined your shirt! Here, have this one, free of charge."
At first Kurogane had been irritated by this behavior. He didn't need any reminders of the fact that he had not only lost to that creature, but he had also been attacked by a mild-mannered imbecile (in fact, said imbecile had done the most damage). Kurogane slowly began to realize that they were doing this to everyone who looked injured or hurt. The community was obviously very close, close enough to go out and help those in need, to go out of their way and give people whatever they needed. Kurogane remembered the old man who had run away from Nebanos and how he had just given them his house and wondered if this is just what the people of Nebanos were like.
Either way, Kurogane decided it was still annoying. It was forgivable though.
The carts were decorated with bright colors and large, unfamiliar letters. Children ran back and forth, ducking in and out of large crowds. There weren't too many of them though. Many parents had probably removed their children from Nebanos, to save them from the Tier. If Kurogane peered off into the distance, he could see the wreckage from the other day. Entire buildings had been desecrated.
Kurogane gritted his teeth in anger, remembering who he had pulled from the wreckage. Due to his idiocy in battle, Fai had nearly been killed and Kurogane couldn't stand the way he played it off as nothing. After all, he was the one who had moved the rubble and dug his scrawny ass out of there. He was the one who carried Fai away from their battle, cleaned him up and tended to his wounds.
Of course, Kurogane would rather die than admit this to him. It wasn't something Fai needed to know and then he would have to answer pointless questions like " Why did you do it?" " Why didn't you leave me there?" and " Who knew Kurowan was that kind?" Kurogane didn't feel like he needed to answer such inane questions. After all, it wasn't as though he cared for Fai at all. Good deeds shouldn't need to be explained.
" Wow…it looks like there was a huge battle over there, doesn't it?"
Shivers shot down Kurogane's spine. Someone had snuck up behind him and he hadn't even noticed. That was immediately suspicious to him. Kurogane slowly turned around, ready to face some sort of assassin or crazed murderer.
The man before him didn't appear to be a madman, but Kurogane wasn't quite ready to let go of that assumption. Dark hair flowed around him in an almost feminine way and his smile didn't quite meet his eyes. His forehead was adorned with jewels, as though he was royalty, however what was strangest about the man was his clothing. He was wrapped in a cloak, despite the heat of Nebanos, and beneath it were black garments that strongly resembled Fai's clothing. There was a slight pang of recognition, but Kurogane wasn't sure where it had come from exactly.
" Though you have to wonder," the man said in a sly way. " What would attack such a poor little town?"
He smiled again and Kurogane wanted to stab him. There was something about the man that irritated him. Perhaps it was the mild resemblances to Fai that set him off.
" I suppose it's none of my business though," he said. " I mean, it's not as though I live here."
" What is it you want from me?" Kurogane asked roughly. " You might as well just spit it out."
" Well, aren't we in a rotten mood?" the man laughed as he stepped next to him.
Kurogane glared at the man, trying to pin down exactly what it was about this man that he instinctively resented, but it certainly didn't help that he had no concept at all of personal space. The man turned with the grace of a dove and the ferocity of a lion and stared into Kurogane's eyes.
" I'm looking for someone," he said, smiling all the while. " Do you know anyone that goes by the name of Fai D. Flowright?"
This statement made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his face twist into a frown. Still, he kept his composure and spoke calmly. His annoyance was far from hidden though.
" Who the hell are you?" he asked.
The man bowed theatrically and laughed.
" I'm sorry," he said. " I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ashura."
Despite everything that had happened that day or the day before, despite how many hairs were pulled and how many arms were bruised, there was one thought that lingered in Kurogane's mind, or rather a series of thoughts. He could see clearly every time his smile had been fake and every time his face had turned a little pale when the name 'Ashura' was whispered. There were all of the moments where conversation became awkward and suspicious, and all of the times where Fai played it off as nothing. Then there was his face, Fai's horrified face after he had used his magic to fling Kurogane into the wall.
" Never heard of him," he lied.
Kurogane was never very fond of lying, but that didn't mean he wouldn't lie every once in a while. Ashura looked surprised, as though he hadn't expected such a response from him. His smile was back after only a moment though.
" Ah," he said. " I see."
He waved a hand and smiled as sweet as acid. It seemed as though behind his sweet smile there were hidden fangs.
" I suppose I should be on my way then," Ashura said. " I really need to find Fai."
Kurogane merely grunted. He had grown rather sick of Ashura and his irritating head games and was glad to see him taking his leave. There was a lingering concern though, and Ashura had already confirmed it. Once Ashura was gone, he would leave as well.
" Take care, Kurogane."
He merely mumbled a barely intelligible reply and watched Ashura take his leave. Ashura confidently had his back turned from him. Kurogane scoffed at this. If he had wanted to he could have killed the creepy bastard three times over by then. He had refrained though, telling himself that it was because of the curse Tomoyo-hime placed upon him.
Once Ashura disappeared into the crowds, Kurogane turned around. It wasn't as though he was worried about Fai. The damn wizard could take care of himself for all he cared. He was certainly powerful enough to. The marketplace was just getting too crowded, that was it. It wasn't because of Fai.
In his walk back to their house, the full weight of what Ashura had said dawned on him. It crashed through the top of his head and through the bottoms of his feet, crushing every bone. Kurogane had never introduced himself. How had Ashura known his name?
Kurogane certainly wasn't well versed in magic, or anything else from Fai's home world of Celes. All he was certain of was that this man, this Ashura was powerful. He was deadly powerful and he wanted Fai.
Suddenly Kurogane's walk broke into a run.
(A/N: Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews. I am SO sorry this didn't go up sooner. One of the fans in my computer broke and so I had a half-written chapter three on my hard drive just…sitting there, that I couldn't write. Thankfully, my computer is in working order now. Thank you so much for waiting. Anyway, I'll warn you now that this week is the ever-dreaded high school final exams week for me, so there might be another delay. Please R&R and I'll try and get the next chapter up soon. : ) )