The next chapter is finally up! Yay! In case anyone hasn't worked it out yet, this fic will (and does) contain yaoi. If anybody wants a list of all the potenial pairs that I've got planned, ask me for them in your review.
"You ready?" Max asked. The three of them were in Tyson's bedroom, applying the traditional face paint, and frantically running through their parts.
"No." Ray and Tyson answered in unison, sharing a nervous look. "Give me the mirror." Ray demanded, pulling out a yellow and carefully drawing a lightning bolt down one cheek. He switched colours and drew an orchid on the other cheek, finishing it off with a "K" on his forehead. "Mine's the easiest." he gloated, passing Tyson the small hand mirror.
"No doubt...about that..." Tyson said slowly, using a black to lay the basic outlines of a tornado diagonally along his face. "Where's the grey?"
"Never mind that!" Max yelped. "Where's the damn blue?"
Ten minutes of frantic searching later, they slipped on their robes, green and yellow, blue and black, and grey, respectively, and ran to the hall, where Hitwartari was already sitting down comfortably on the only stool, looking exceedingly bored. His red cloak was open to the waist, showing a complex pattern of flames, and a six-pack that made Ray's legs feel like rubber.
"Hurry up." he said shortly, rising to his feet.
Ray had always thought that the tournament ritual was more like a performance than anything else, and so far, he was being proved right.
"Nervous?" Tyson asked. The sound of the Elders' voices seemed loud to them all.
"You kidding? I feel like I'm about to fight, not just say a few words!" Ray whispered. Max nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a loud thump echoed through the hall. Their cue, if you could it that.
"Oh...damn!" Max whispered, clearly resisting the urge to swear. Ray gave him a quick smile as the blond Singer led them out. Then he closed his eyes, trusting to years of practice to keep his feet going in the right direction.
Driger, guardian of all living things, come to me. Come to me... He heard Max and Tyson muttering similar phrases, Hitwarti, standing behind him, completely silent.
"Draciel was old when the pyramids lined the great Nile." Max's voice rang out, the blond boy sending water rushing round the hall before stepping back, the echoes of his half said, half sung line hanging in the room.
Ray stepped forwards. He no longer felt nervous.
"Driger was old when dinosaurs roamed the Earth." Four bolts of lightning lit up the room, one to each corner. Ray stepped back, his throat raw from the effort of projecting his voice, and from speaking the unfamiliar, ancient language.
"Dranzer was old when molten lava poured from the first volcanoes." Hitwartari's harsh voice rang out, fire licking through the hall.
"Dragoon was old when the Earth was no more than a speck of dust." Tyson's voice sounded last, clear and strong, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind.
"They are the Four. We are the guardians."
"Mizuhara."
"Kon."
"Hitwartari."
"Kinomiya."
"Let's battle!" Tyson yelled. All four of them turned on their heels and strode back through the double doors.
"You know, that's the best bit about that, I get to say whatever I want to say for that ending bit. Makes up for all the boring stuff." Tyson was running round Max's bedroom where they had holed themselves up, too keyed up to stand still even for a minute. Max groaned and chucked a pillow at him. Apparently, using his powers had done nothing for his hangover. Tyson chucked it straight back at him, giving it an extra boost to help it hit its target. Suddenly, a slave-girl poked her head round the door.
"I'm very sorry to disturb you all," she started, flicking her short, light-pink hair nervously. "Master Kon is wanted in the Great Hall. Now, if not sooner." She blinked, waiting for a reply. Ray frowned. This was very unusual.
"Thanks, Mathilda," Tyson answered. "Off you go, then."
"Yes, Master Kinomiya." The door shut noiselessly behind her. Ray stood up.
"I suppose I'd better go and see what they want me for." he sighed.
"Ah good, you are here, Kon." Ray's grandfather greeted him at the entrance to the hall.
"It is a pleasure to be here, grandfather," he replied, inclining his head in the traditional show of respect.
"As you can see, we have a problem." The elderly man moved aside, giving Ray a clear view of the hall. An eighteen year-old boy was standing at the other end, his pale blue eyes alight with glee, his scarlet hair blowing about his face. In front of him was the shadowy outline of a wolf. The creature was clearly scared out of its wits, yet the boy was forcing it to fight, quickly overpowering his opponent, who Ray recognised as Oliver, from breakfast. "Young Tala there-"
"Has performed a Summoning." Ray cut in. "And you want me to sort it out." The Elder nodded. Ray took a deep breath and stepped forwards, entering the charged atmosphere of the battle.
"Kon...back off...this is my...fight..." Oliver choked. Ray felt a feeble shield spring up in front of him. He broke it effortlessly, and continued walking towards the combatants.
"Sorry Oliver, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this. This could get really ugly, and it appears to be up to me to stop it. Don't worry, you'll probably get a rematch." He faced the other boy, Tala. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" he demanded.
"Won." the other boy smirked.
"No." Ray said quietly. "You have Summoned an innocent creature's spirit to battle for you. Not only is this extreme cowardice, it is incredibly cruel to the animal. You-"
"Save me the lecture!" Sighing, Ray took a final step forwards and raised one arm, hand outstretched.
Tala watched as a change seemed to fall over Kon's features. They became harsher, more...primeval, lit from within by a faint green light. Tala stepped backwards, suddenly scared. Kon, now glowing green, spoke a single phrase.
"Vivae simulare." Live as you were. Tala watched, mesmerised, as the other boy stepped even closer, resting a hand gently on the wolf's head. A blinding flash of light shone round the room.
Tala opened his eyes warily. The wolf was gone, and Kon was nowhere to be seen. Neither was his pathetic opponent, Oliver. Avoiding the stern gaze of Kon's grandfather, he turned and fled.
"Hey, Max?" Ray pulled open the door. Max was lying on his bed, eyes closed.
"Yeah?" Max turned his eyes towards him, but continued to lie still.
"Um...they called me out because a boy called Tala performed a Summoning in a battle..."
"And?" Max gestured for Ray to go on, propping himself up on his elbow.
"And...um...the battle was against Oliver, you know him?" Max nodded mutely, his face suddenly pale. "Well...he's in pretty bad shape...he asked me to see if you would come down and see him." Max swung himself upright, panic suddenly flashing in his eyes.
"I'll come."
Tala faced Hitwartari. Or rather, he stared at the floor just in front of Hitwartari's feet.
"You are an idiot." Hitwartari's cold voice cut through him like a knife. "Why did you Summon it so early in the tournament?"
"Oliver was making me angry."
"I don't care what your temper was like, I'm asking you: why did you Summon it?" Tala shrugged, still staring intently at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Hitwartari. It won't happen again."
"Damn right it won't. You are so clueless. If you'd kept that back, used it on someone worthy...on the other hand..." Tala dared to look up quickly. "No matter how much he tries to deny it, Mizuhara likes that Oliver. It's about time something took that insolent brat down a peg or two. Well done." Tala muttered a thanks, hardly able to believe he'd got away with it. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled forwards. His mouth was crushed against Hitwarti's in a brutal, demanding kiss. He was thrown backwards just as suddenly, then was grabbed by the hair and hauled forwards again, a harsh voice whispering in his ear;
"If you disobey me again, Tala, you're finished, understand?" Tala nodded, wide-eyed with fright. Dropped unceremoniously on the floor, he tried to run. "Oh, and one more thing. I want the whereabouts of Kon, Kinomiya and Mizuhara. Especially Kon."
Ray watched, feeling slightly awkward, as Max knelt down next to Oliver's limp body.
"Oliver? Can you hear me?" Max whispered.
"Of course I can, stupid." Oliver's faint voice said. His face twisted in pain. "Max..."
"It's okay, ssh, I'm here..."
"It hurts..."
"I know, I know. Don't try to talk." Ray slipped away, not wanting to intrude any more than he already had.
"Where are they?"
"Mizuhara's in the medic's room with that pathetic little worm, Oliver, Kinomiya's in his room, I'm not sure what he's doing, and Kon's heading towards his room as well."
"Kon's in his room?"
"Around there, yeah."
"All right. Get out."
Ray wandered back to his room, wondering what Tyson was up to. Questioning Max had yielded a quick "In his room.", which could mean he was doing just about anything. Tyson being Tyson, he was probably eating everyone's leftovers from lunch and tea. He'd eaten the breakfast leftovers for a quick midday snack. Ray chuckled to himself. If Tyson ever stopped eating, he wanted to be the one who saw it first. In fact-
Come to me, Kon.
Ray stopped dead.
Come to me... He shivered. His rational mind was telling him: "Step away, you do not want to do what this voice is asking you." The other part of him was quivering with delight as the seductive throb wrapped itself round him.
Come... The voice whispered down the corridor. As if he was watching himself from up above, Ray saw himself take a step forwards, then another, then another...
He stopped outside a heavy wooden door. The euphoric feeling that the voice had given him was so strong that he felt dizzy. As if in a dream, he turned the doorknob.
Heat billowed over him, making him feel even more light-headed. A fire was burning in the large brick fireplace, and standing in front of it was Hitwararti. He was still wearing his red cloak, open to the waist as before. Ray saw this through a haze, his head so confused he barely even knew which way was up. Hitwarti turned and locked eyes with him. Briefly, his whole body glowed red. Ray let out a faint gasp, his sight fading to vague shapes and colours. He felt his legs giving way. A strong arm caught him and he lay still, unable to move.
Hitwartari looked down at Kon. He was completely under his spell, lying limply against his arm. His amber eyes were glazed and unfocused. His lips were slightly parted, moving as he took quick, shallow breaths. Hitwarti felt a shiver of desire run through him, brushing aside the exhaustion of spelling such a powerful magician. Only one more thing to do...
A dark shape leaned into Ray's field of vision..
"Drink this." a harsh voice ordered. Obediently, Ray sipped at the glass of liquid being held to his lips. His sight was almost gone, blurred shapes moved around in a red mist. It felt as though he was floating in a void, slowly getting further and further away... A split second before he lost consciousness, he felt himself being roughly pulled upwards. His lips met another's with bruising force, and the other's burning desire and lust flooding through him for a second as his unresisting lips parted. As suddenly as if a light had been turned out, everything went black.
Well? What do you think? Please point out any mistakes. Review, because then I'm happy, soI update faster!