A/N: From a surprise POV! And for those who think Kuchinawa's action are OOC, everything will be explained soon.
I blew out a sigh, watching my breath curl around me like smoke. The cold didn't really bother me, it wasn't that cold. Even when it's so cold that I can't feel my fingertips, I know it's not as cold as the Ice Temple in Flanoir. Just thinking of that place makes the half-frozen slums of Meltokio seem like a seaside paradise. Damn, but tracking this Kloitz guy is a hassle. At first it was easy to follow him- just meander along the trails made red from the blood of Mizuho shinobi. I know it's Kuchinawa who kills them, because it's too easy, the way they're falling down. They were being attacked by someone they once thought they could trust. At first I thought maybe Sheena's old 'buddy' might be held captive by Kloitz because he had a grudge against people from Mizuho, or something. I thought Kloitz was the one killing all of these ninjas, and some whim had stayed his hand when he had reached Kuchinawa. No. No, it was Kuchinawa who had a grudge against people from Mizuho. Whatever missions Kloitz might have him doing, Kuchinawa always made sure to leave room in his schedule to methodically search for and destroy every Shinobi in his area. Traitor.
The only good thing (even though I feel terrible for saying this is a good thing) about it is that if he kills those agents, they can't find me and take me to Raine.
And now here I am, talking to a whore.
How the mighty Genis Sage has fallen.
"Hey handsome," the whore says to me, and I cringe. "You're a little young, but it's kind of cute."
"Eh... yeah," I say. "Not interested. I'm interested in what you might have to say. I'll pay you for your time though since, you know, that's what you seem to do anyway." Raine would probably smack me for that. It's kind of liberating to be on my own, not having to watch what I say. The lady does her best to hide a frown and instead tries talking to me some more about... well I'd rather not say. Sheesh! You'd think she'd realize I was only sixteen. Some people might consider that being an adult already, but I'm in no rush to grow up, or to do any of the things she thinks I want.
Yeah. I'm a weird kid. I scratch my ear, a bit puzzled as to just how stupid this girl is, and finally get tired and interrupt her. "Hey, yeah, that's really nice and all, but I just want to know about a patron of yours. He has silver hair like mine-" I run a hair through my spiky, unkempt hair- "Only it reaches a bit past his shoulders. And his eyes are kind of blue like mine-" I point at my grey eyes- "And his name is Kloitz, if that helps."
Kloitz. What a joke, to have that name. It really pisses me off. I don't know what he's trying to pull, but that can't be his real name. I don't even want to think about what it could mean if it was... then again, was Kloitz a common name? Maybe it wasn't as I feared. Because if it was, this got a whole lot more complicated.
I snap back to reality as she nods and says yes, yes she does know who he is. I can smell the fear off of her when she remembers who I'm talking about. She brushes a strand of silver hair out of her eyes, a sure sign of elven blood. Whoever Kloitz really is, he seems to have a taste for silver haired half-elves.
I think of my sister and I shudder. No. No way. Even if what I thought wasn't true, he just wouldn't be after my sister merely because she had silver hair. I see bite marks on the girl in front of me, and I have a feeling it was Kloitz and not another 'customer' who had inflicted them. He was a violent kind of guy- it wouldn't surprise me if he likes everything he does to be violent.
If he got anywhere near Raine, I'd strangle him with my bare hands. He's not that much bigger than me- growing up has the advantage of growing seven inches or so, but he still has that one talent that keeps me from finishing him off whenever we fight. If only I could get that Ex-Sphere of his, the one that gives him that freakish power! I seethe inwardly, but my expression is calm. A trick I learned from Raine. She probably thinks I hate her- but how could she know? I never had time to explain why I really left. I'm sorry, Raine...
The woman of the streets gives me all the information I could expect from an (not quite...) innocent bystander like her. I thank her with 500 gald, a bit more than I had intended to give her. But I want her to at least get those bites treated by a doctor- the dog named Kloitz might have some sort of disease. Not that she didn't already have several diseases of a less savory nature...
"Why do you do this?" I blurt suddenly. "Can't you do anything else? Really, this is just sad."
She's going to slap me now. I know it.
"Listen," I say quickly, grabbing a note pad and a pencil from inside my thick, double-breasted blue coat I bought just the other day, when I felt the temperature starting to decline. I scribble a note and rip the paper out, shoving it into her hands. "Give that to the Ex-Chosen of Tethe'alla, if you can find him. Tell him it's for a woman named 'Raine Sage.'" I give her an extra hundred gald. "And ask him for a job cleaning dishes, or something. Goddess bless, don't you think that would be better? Tell him Genis Sage er... recommended you."
"Heh, I'm sure I can find him," she says, and I don't doubt it. She examines me, coldly. "And I expect you want a little favor, for being so nice and generous?"
She just didn't get it. "Yeah. I want you to leave me alone and deliver the note."
She stops. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Well, duh." I roll my eyes. "Later, lady." I flip up the collar to my new coat and I'm about to walk off when she grabs my arm, stopping me.
"He mentioned Triet," she says, quickly, as though someone might hear. "It was a few days ago, but he might still be there."
I grin, "Thanks."
She lets me go and takes a few steps back, looking confused. She'll probably take my gald, squander it on potions, and rip up my note for the wind to take. Ah well. I make my way out of the slums, towards the more ritzy part of town. There's always the chance she was trustworthy and actually deliver it to...
...Raine!
I dart off into a patch of shadows, my heart beating wildly. Had she seen me? I can see her getting closer, and I think, What's she doing here? Not now, not now, I don't want to drag her into this, I don't want to get her any closer to Kloitz. I have to keep her away from Kloitz. I don't even want to know what he might do to her.
But luckily, Sheena (who hasn't changed a bit... still wearing that revealing ninja outfit, too. I vaguely remember having fantasies about her, but I gave up, realizing she's way outta my league) managed to distract her and she gave up, probably thinking it was her imagination. Phew. It's a good thing I wasn't caught, I think, waiting a moment before trailing behind them, slipping from shadow to shadow until they reached the safety of Zelos's mansion. Meltokio just wasn't safe at night anymore, what with that new thief and his whole underworld of cutthroats and thieves...
...so why do I feel like crying when she's gone, into the warm house with all of my friends, and I'm still here, alone on the cold streets of Meltokio, on an impossible mission with no one to help me?
This is all my fault, I remind myself, managing to turn away from the soft glow of lights coming through the windows. I have to fix this mess on my own.
"Took you long enough," sighs a voice to my left, startling me. I try not to let it show, but he probably read my face like a book. Being 4,000 years old probably gave you a deeper insight into the minds of humans and half-elves. The blue-haired Seraphim sighs again, looking attractively bored in his elegant silks and neatly combed hair. I look like a mess compared to him- muddy boots, mussed, uncut hair ( I can't pull off long hair like he does...) and dirty face. "Remember, we don't have time for visiting. Unless you've changed your mind and want their help after all."
...Almost forgot about him. The idiot seraphim wants his own revenge against Kloitz, and I know from experience groups are better than going solo. But really. I liked him better when he was just that one guy who was all silent and mysterious and weird. Now that I'm setting up camp with him every night, I've found he's too obnoxious for words. Or maybe I just get special treatment for being a rude brat. Even if he was Mithos's friend, doesn't mean I want him to be my friend.
"Shut up, Yuan," I mutter, revving up my Rheiard. The days might be lukewarm, but as soon as the sun sets the cold starts to creep up on you as surely and as stealthily as any monster. The warmth and familiar vibration of the engine are a welcome distraction from the biting winds I knew were coming. "At least it'll be warm in Triet," I say out loud, tossing something to Yuan. He reaches up and catches it with one hand, and then turns his head to look at it, puzzled.
"And what's this?" he asks, turning the small ear piece around in his hands. He looks up at me, "Did you ask your sister for them while you werestalking her?"
"A: I lifted them from Zelos's house and B: The way you said that made it sound gross," I snap, really having no patience for his banter right now. "And C: The ear thingummies should let us communicate even when we're far apart or on the Rheiards." I grab a pair of goggles and snap them over my eyes to keep bugs out. Tightening a navy blue scarf around my lower face to keep my nose from freezing off, I plug the communicator into my ear and take off, Yuan following with his angel wings. Turning my new toys on, I say, "D: We're going to Triet. If Kloitz isn't there, we can ask the fortune-telling woman for her help again."
"E: And we all know how helpful she was last time," Yuan stated drily into my ear. "F: You shouldn't use so many G: Letters when trying to explain because H: It starts to sound ridiculous after a while."
"I: Shut your trap and J: Don't get in my way this time or K: I'll kill you when I'm done with Kloitz."
Yuan responded by sounding off a bark of laughter and then turning off the communicator. I really can't stand him but... the enemy of my enemy. This is his mess, too, and he's doing his best to clean it up too. Goddess curse his hide. I do my best not to 'accidentally' ram into him with my Rheiard, and the rest of the trip to Triet is made in silence, the howling of the wind our only companion.
A/N: Shout out to Meowzy-Chan, and her Idiot Seraphim series! You should read them... after you're done reviewing mine, of course! Heee hee hee! Also a 'Thank You' for Johnny Ohm, my beta reader. And, of course, all of my other reviwers, you all get hugs. Muah. And kisses. And don't YOU like the idea of a GenisXYuan pairing? Maybe I'll write a sequel starring our favorite now-lanky-teenager and the calm and collected Seraphim...