Robshi: The moogles aren't in Madin Sari anymore because they left for Lindblum in WWTLF, remember? Zidane took them back so they could be with Eiko. And the reason no one else witnessed it was because the Summoner race hadn't completely died yet. Eiko was still remaining. Those are my excuses for this chapter. o
Chapter 10
Mikoto watched with sad eyes as everyone got off of the airship, laden down with their belongings and turning their excited eyes to their loved ones awaiting their arrival. Blaise and Blade immediately jumped off of the boarding ramp and tackled their mother in a giant hug along with their little sister. Kashiya and Seth had started off together, Mikoto was unsure where. This time it struck her much harder than all the other times that the possibility of her seeing them again was slim.
Even though Kashiya supplied her with her address, as did the twins and Ryuu, Mikoto never kept contact with her employees if she could help it. It was entirely too awkward seeing them again after an absence of a few years and them declaring several times, "You look exactly like someone I met five years ago…"
What hurt the most was knowing she'd probably never see Ryuu again.
It hurt even more knowing it was her own selfishness that prevented her from seeing him again. He wanted a relationship, and she did too. However, she did not want him to know the truth about her past. What he heard was a very condensed and sweetened up version of her life. She didn't want to risk him finding everything out.
She didn't want to risk him accepting it.
She didn't want to risk falling even more in love and being completely and ruthlessly torn away from him one day, like Zidane had been with Dagger.
Deep down inside, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle it. She didn't want to feel the pain of losing another loved one, so why should she set herself up for it? Then again, the feeling she got from just being around him compensated for all of the reasons why she should stay away from him.
She watched ruefully as Ryuu walked away with his mother, a feeble looking woman. His knapsack swung casually over his shoulder, his arm around his mother's shoulders, and from all that way she could hear his laughter. She wanted so badly to follow him.
Yet, she stopped herself and instead turned around to saunter up the boarding ramp of the airship. Her mind was in another place entirely. She was too distracted to notice the men trailing her until it was too late. She felt something very hard come in contact with the back of her head.
The next thing she knew, she was on her back, looking through blurry eyes at two indistinguishable faces.
"A sorceress? This youngin'?" one man asked the other.
"I'm tellin' you, she's the one! She cast a fireball from the palm of her hand and caught one of the shipping barrels on fire!"
Her head felt like it was being split open, which made her wonder what they had hit her with. Just as the pain was beginning to subside and the familiar warm healing sensation was just starting to take over, she felt her body being lifted from the ground, and swung over someone's shoulder.
"We're taking her to the center square, you know what we do with the likes of them…" one of the men scoffed.
"An army of sorcerers once destroyed Lindblum!" a different voice called out in front of them. "We won't let that happen again! We'll kill all who have the power to do so!"
The last statement hit her harder than any object they could have thrown at her. Desperately she lifted her head and struggled to break the man's grasp. "Let me go!" she cried, banging her fists as hard as she could against his back. When she saw that this didn't seem to affect him, she began kicking her feet as well.
"She's a feisty one," a man chuckled. He grabbed her legs and held them in such a fashion that she could no longer use them.
"If you don't stop it…" she warned quietly.
"You'll what?" another man cooed. He stepped behind the man carrying her so that he could look her directly in the face. "In a pickle now, aren'tcha? Can't use magic because it'll only prove your guilt!" He laughed, exposing the gaps in his mouth where some of his teeth were missing.
Mikoto scrunched up her nose to grimace at him, then spat in his face. He angrily wiped the moisture from his cheek, then reached forward to pull down on a lock of her blond hair very forcefully. She screeched in pain and watched as his face drew closer to her, so close in fact that she could smell the liquor heavy on his breath. "I'd not do that if I were you…" he warned venomously.
In an effort to grab her dagger, still sitting at her waist, she reached behind her, but the man carrying her caught her hand. "She has a weapon!" he announced loudly. "Take it from her!"
Mikoto struggled even more, trying to get away, but was restrained by the men. One took her weapon from its sheath and examined it. "Quite a knife you have here…" he said, smiling evilly. The man restraining her laughed and pushed her at the man with the knife. He caught her arms and wrapped them around her back, putting his face on the nape of her neck. "A very nice knife indeed…it would be a shame if it were to pierce your beautiful neck…" With a flick of his wrist, he held the blade dangerously close to her throat.
"You disgust me…" she seethed, keeping her eyes fixated on the blade. If he did manage to cut her throat, there would be no telling what would happen.
"Your kind disgusts me," he said quietly. "But if you'll walk with me, I promise, nothing will happen to you until you reach the square…"
"As…tempting as that sounds…" she struggled to talk as she was being forced down the road, "I'm afraid I'll have to refuse…"
She conjured a fireball into one of her hands being held behind her back, and she heard the man holding her shriek. His grip loosened and she ran for an alleyway, but one of the men blocked her path and very easily picked her up.
"The little bitch tried to burn me!" the man cried, waving Mikoto's dagger over his head. "Hurry and get her to the square! The faster we get her there, the sooner we don't have to deal with her!"
The man grunted in response and carried her, paying special attention to her hands. The square was coming into view just ahead and now Mikoto saw what they had in mind for her. A single stake was in the middle of a platform, surrounded by hay bails. Many people stood around as if awaiting for her arrival.
"We've had this waiting for your return, sweetie…" the toothless man smiled. "Think of it as a welcome back gift."
"Burn in hell!" she yelled, tightening her hands into fists.
"Who's going to burn in hell? Me? Or a witch?"
She felt her feet hit ground again and she would have made another dash for it had not so many people held her down. One man pressed her back to the stake while two others worked to tie her there with a rope.
A man carrying a torch and her dagger yelled out above all the commotion in the crowd, "Citizens of Lindblum! Many years ago, our hometown was destroyed by an army of mages who used magic to burn, destroy and kill. This woman here has the same abilities as these soldiers had. Will we allow our beloved hometown to be destroyed anew by her kind?" He emphasized his last statement by throwing her dagger at her feet, its blade stuck in the wood and its hilt tilted just out of reach.
A shout of "No!" echoed through the streets.
"Let her death be a warning to all others who have these powers to stay away from our town!"
The crowd cheered and Mikoto was powerless to move. In the crowd she saw men, as well as women, even children, all sneering at her as if daring her to break free. With a sneer, the man threw the torch down at the bails of hay, which immediately flickered to life.
The smell of smoke slowly wafted up to her nose and she felt sick. Her legs felt hot and she felt the flames from the fire lick her bare arms. With all her might, she tried to bend in a way to pick up the dagger, sticking teasingly out of the wood, but no matter how she tried, she was unable to grasp it.
Panting from the effort, she cast a water spell at one of the hay bails. It was not enough to put out the fire though. Already it had spread all around her. The heat was overwhelming and coming from all directions. She felt lightheaded and knew that using her magic wasn't helping her at all, if anything it was making the situation much worse.
She felt the fire eat away at her skin and clothing, and the smell of burning flesh wafted to her nose, making her want to vomit. She felt the pain of burning alive, but she wouldn't be so lucky as for it to just end, she knew very well that she would have to endure the pain until there was some sort of escape.
Her head slowly drooped. All her strength had left her, and she was completely out of ideas. Now her only hope was to endure the feeling of burning until the ropes around her gave away.
She squinted her eyes and turned her head to the side. She wished that the mob had chosen some other form of execution for her. Something that was not as long and painful at least.
Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to handle anymore, she heard a series of loud shots from the audience. Several stunned citizens turned their gazes to the back of the square. Even Mikoto lifted her head and strained her eyes until she could see Seth, holding his hand gun over his head, chewing angrily on his cigarette.
"Let her go!" he yelled, just loud enough for her hear.
"Are you in league with her?" one of the men shot back at him.
"You don't want to get on my bad side!" Seth warned loudly. He reloaded his gun and aimed it over his head to send another shot into the air.
The man turned and glared at Mikoto, who still grimacing in pain. "Restrain him!" he yelled to several of his cronies. A gang of men ran from their posts around the platform to where Seth was standing.
She saw him being dragged away.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to speak out against this?!" the man called out over the audience.
"Yeah! We have something to say about it!" Blaise and Blade declared. She saw the two familiar faces pushing their way through the audience, swords brandished, looking just as angry as Seth.
"Get the twins!" the man yelled at the last of the men standing around.
As weak as she felt, she continued to struggle, hoping to find a weak spot in the ropes. She cried out in pain and agitation when she was still unable to break free. Suddenly, she saw a familiar face run up onto the platform and roll into the flames. He wrenched the dagger free and cut the ropes tying her to the stake, then picking her up in a cradle, ran off down the stairs.
"Get him! Get the brunette!" the man called desperately, chasing after him.
Though her vision was blurred, she knew it was Ryuu. She wasn't sure how he managed to run through the crowd without being stopped.
Ryuu quickly turned a corner into an alley, pressing his body against hers to shield her from view as a mob of people ran past. Once the last person had gone by, Ryuu collapsed in front of her from exhaustion. Mikoto, also extremely tired, fell next to him only to realize that he had severely burned himself on her dagger when he cut her free. Though her hands were still bound by a very thick rope, she placed them on his chest and used the last of her energy on a 'Curaga' spell, then collapsed, unconscious, next to him.
Two yellow eyes with slits for pupils were peering at her when she awoke. The sheer sight of the feline appearing eyes glaring at her was shocking enough, not to mention the fact that they were within inches of her face. She gasped and almost fell off of the couch she had apparently been sleeping on.
With a devious and playful grin, the eyes pulled away and their owner leaned back in a chair. Black hair with vibrant red streaks fell in front of heavily made up eyes. Mikoto scrambled up from laying down, pulling the blankets around her and stared at the strange woman staring back at her.
"Where am I?" she asked, desperately looking around.
"In my house," the stranger said, still looking very amused, then turning her head to the side, yelled, "Hey! Ma! She's awake!" Her voice was very hoarse, and a lot different than what Mikoto would have thought originally.
Still grinning from ear to ear, she leaned in and motioned Mikoto closer. "So, I hear my brother has the hots for you…"
"…Your…brother…knows me…?"
Now confused, Mikoto looked around the strange living room. Finally a woman bustled in who looked very familiar. Ryuu had left with her when the Red Rose landed back in Lindblum. "I can't believe that mob. Getting a hold of a helpless little girl…" she was saying to herself when she came into the room, carrying a tray with soup on it. "Eat up," she said simply, depositing it on the table in front of Mikoto.
Suddenly, Mikoto remembered everything and shot up from the couch extremely fast. "Ryuu's your brother!? Where is he? Is he alright?"
"He'll be fine…" the cat-eyed stranger sitting in front of her reassured. "He's sleeping upstairs. It was you that we were really worried about." She delicately brushed her fingers over the blankets straightening them out, showing off her black fingernails and many rings.
"Kai, leave her alone," Ryuu's mother said, quickly picking some old magazines up off of the table.
"I haven't done anything to her!" the woman in front of Mikoto half whined, her voice cracking.
"Go get changed, you look ridiculous," the mother said, shaking her head.
The stranger grumbled something incoherent, then stood up with an air of grace, and walked up the stairs. Mikoto watched her for a few moments, then snapped her gaze back to Ryuu's mother.
"Is Ryuu alright? Can I see him?"
"I don't know if he's awake yet, but he's upstairs…"
"Which room is his?" she asked quickly.
"Kai!" Ryuu's mother called after the retreating woman going up the stairs, "Show her your brother's room!"
Desperately, she ran up the stairs after Kai. She pointed her to a room at the end of the hall, and without hesitation, she ran to it and threw the door open. Sure enough Ryuu lay in bed, sleeping a restless sleep. No sheets were on him, and his shirt was removed. Several red burns were spread across his bare chest, and his hand was still a bright red from him grabbing the hot metal dagger. Even more to her horror, it looked infected.
Mikoto sighed and pulled a chair up next to his bed. She suddenly knew what Kashiya felt like whenever she had to deal with someone's grievous injuries. Terrible guilt, and fear about not being able to succeed in healing it.
She reached forward and gingerly brushed a dark strand of bangs from his forehead, only to see his eyes slowly open. "I'm really sorry…" she whispered, looking at him with sad eyes. "I didn't mean for you to get involved."
Suddenly, his eyes grew wider and he tried to sit up, only to wince in pain. "Mikoto! You're all right! I thought you were a goner!" he said quickly.
She shushed him and pressed him back against the mattress, "I'm fine, it's you that I'm worried about. You didn't need to come and get me. Now you're hurt."
"I wasn't about to let them burn you alive!" he said loudly, protesting against her hand that still held him against the bed.
"You just don't understand the complexity of it…" she said quietly.
She sat on the side of the bed and took his burned hand in hers only to find that it felt scalding hot against her cool skin. She saw him wince at the action. She smiled at him reassuringly and laced her fingers around his, "Curaga," she said smoothly, letting the words fall from her lips like water.
She felt herself shiver as a cooling sensation spread down her arms and transported itself into Ryuu. A blue aura swirled around their joined hands before winding its way up to settle into his chest. The burns seemed to automatically fade into his tan skin, and she felt the heat in his hand vanish as well.
But, after the feeling of victory, she felt lightheaded; she needed to stop using her magic so often. She was out of practice with it and she never carried her Ethers around with her anymore. Mikoto tried to shake the dizzying feeling from her head, but it wasn't working.
"Are you okay?!" he asked worriedly, sitting up. He tried to steady her only for her to slump completely backwards into.
"Just dizzy…that's all…" she replied, sleepily.
"You're amazing, you know that?" he chuckled, resting his chin on the top of her head.
She sighed, breathing in his scent. "I'm just happy you're all right. I was worried about you. You really shouldn't have gotten involved." She felt the tears sting her eyes. If he hadn't gotten involved it would have been so much easier for her leave him and Lindblum behind. Yet, everything he did seemed to draw her even closer to him, and she was afraid by this point, there'd be no way she could turn back.
"Don't be stupid. If someone hadn't gotten you, you would've died."
She couldn't say anything. Not that it mattered. Words would only have ruined the moment between them. She finally let go of his hand and studied it, making sure the burn was gone completely. Sure enough, there was not even a trace of the burn that had previously been there.
She smiled in satisfaction and leaned up against him, nuzzling her head into his shoulder.
"Sorry to bother you two," Kai's hoarse voice said teasingly, "But mom wants to talk to you. And Ryuu, where did your shirt go?" she snickered.
Ryuu turned his head to look at the intruder and rolled his eyes, "Tell her I'll be down in a minute."
Kai nodded with that trademark smirk and shut the door again.
"By the way, I didn't know you had a sister. She's beautiful. You never mentioned her come to think of it…"
"That's because I don't have a sister…" he muttered. "That's my brother."
She laughed and quickly covered her mouth, "Oh, I guess that's why you didn't mention 'her'."
"Yeah, he just got back from doing a show, where he played the female part. That's why he's got all the make up on, the contacts too," Ryuu stated, casually reaching around her to grasp his wristwatch lying on the bedside table. "He switches his contacts out every day, always a new color or style. He's nuts."
Mikoto stood up followed by Ryuu. Before leaving the room, he quickly grabbed a tee shirt and pulled it over his head to prevent further questions from being asked.
"I thought his voice sounded a little too strange to be female…" Mikoto mused aloud as they walked down the stairs.
"He's losing his voice again," Ryuu's mother stated, bustling into the room and shaking her head. "I tell him he needs to drink warm liquids, it's good on the throat, but he doesn't listen to me."
"I don't drink warm beverages, ma," Kai yelled from upstairs.
"Stop yelling!" she hollered back at him, "It'll only make it worse!"
"Whatever…" Kai said, then she heard a door close, soon followed by loud music.
"Would you turn that racket down!? I can't hear myself think!!"
Ryuu blushed slightly, "…That's my family…" he said softly, then he glanced back up at his mother. "So what'd you need us for?"
His mother turned around from the staircase where she had been yelling at Kai, and walked over to Ryuu and lifted his shirt up. "How're those burns, baby?" she asked.
"C'mon, ma!" he protested, pulling his shirt back down. "They're gone."
"Gone? How did they just disappear?"
"I'll tell you later," he said uneasily. "Now, ma, what'd you want us for?"
Ryuu's mother smiled brightly, and turned around so that she was looking directly at Mikoto. With a very friendly smile, she asked, "What are you planning on doing now?"
"What?" Mikoto asked awkwardly.
"What are you planning on doing now?" a man repeated, wheeling into the room in his wheelchair. "You can't go back out there! Those maniacs are probably still looking for you."
"I…I don't…" she stuttered, looking around nervously.
The man reached up and rubbed a hand over his beard as he thought.
"Can't she just stay here?" Ryuu asked, cupping a hand onto Mikoto's shoulder.
"How many people saw you run off with her?" his father answered sternly, "Think boy! At least one of them knows where you live. This'll be the first place they check for her!"
Ryuu muttered something and averted his eyes to the ground. His father stared at him angrily, then looked back at his wife.
"How will we get her out of here without anyone seeing?" Ryuu's mother asked, wringing a dishcloth in her hands.
Before anyone could offer an idea, someone knocked on the door.
Ryuu gasped.
"Get her out of here!" his father bellowed, wheeling over to the door.
Ryuu grabbed Mikoto by the shoulders and steered her around. "Come on!"
Not sure of where he was leading her, she ran after him up the flight of stairs in his house. He threw open a door and motioned her inside. She was pretty sure she was now standing in his parents' bedroom.
"Get in the closet, hurry! Hide under something!"
She didn't run in the closet so much as Ryuu shoved her in. Desperately she fumbled around in the darkness trying to find something to hide under.
Ryuu slammed the door shut and pressed his back against it when he heard someone call from down stairs, "False alarm! She's safe to come back down."
With a sigh of relief, he slid down the rough wood of the door and laughed half-heartedly to himself. Still breathing fast from the run up the stairs, he opened the door and flipped the lights on.
"Sorry, about that. I panicked."
Mikoto stumbled out and tentatively walked out of the room.
"Who's here?" Ryuu asked loudly as he walked ahead of her down the stairs.
"Mikoto!" a familiar face exclaimed. Before the Genome knew it, she had been pulled into a tight embrace. "Oh, that was a close one!"
"Kashiya, don't hug her so tight! She was damn near burnt alive!" Seth's familiar voice said. Seth was standing in the doorway, sporting a black eye and a cut lip, apparently from the mob earlier.
Kashiya gasped and pulled away quickly to study her.
Not a scratch. Not a single burn was visible on her pale skin.
Kashiya stumbled back a few paces and covered her mouth with her hand, "But…how did? You were…you were tied up! We all saw it! We saw the burns! We saw you bleeding!"
Mikoto smiled sadly and looked at the carpeted floor.
"Was it your magic?" Kashiya murmured.
Magic! That was it! It was the perfect excuse. After all, her magic had spared Ryuu, hadn't it? "Yes, I used some curative spells after Ryuu saved me," she said quietly.
Ryuu's father's eyes grew wide. "So you're saying that she can use magic?" His face turned purple, "This is an outrage! We take her in only to find that she's guilty of the crimes the mob accused her of!?"
Ryuu's mother's eyes grew even bigger and she whispered, "That's why the burns are gone…" Turning quickly to face her husband, she put a hand to his arm hoping to comfort him. "Jei, Jei, sweetie…" she said soothingly.
"I want her out! She can't stay here! She's endangering the life of my family; I won't have it!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"But Dad! She did it to save me! I'm alive because she used her magic!"
"I don't care. I want her out!"
"Then I'll leave," she said quietly. She turned away from the group only to be stopped by Ryuu.
"No, Mikoto!" he turned around and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, restraining her from going any farther.
"I'll be fine on my own," she muttered, facing away from him, her eyes shut tight, refusing to allow the tears collecting in the corners to spew out.
"But…" he started, yet she only yanked her arm away and began out the door.
"Mikoto!" Kashiya exclaimed as the Genome made her way to the door, "You can stay with me! My apartment is in the Industrial district; it's not the nicest place but I have room." There was an awkward pause between everyone.
Ryuu's father was still seething, and it was difficult to decipher what his mother was thinking. Seth, Ryuu and Kashiya all stared at her looking apprehensive and worried.
"No, I don't want to trouble anyone."
"It's no trouble!"
"Please, Mikoto, don't put yourself in any more danger by going somewhere alone…" Seth said softly.
Still staring at the door, Mikoto chewed on her lip.
"Come on, you can lay low at my place until everything clears up…" Kashiya offered again. "We'll think of a way to get you there and everything, just please, don't go commit suicide by walking out there alone."
Hmph…suicide…Mikoto thought bitterly.
"Ryuu, do you have any cloaks? Anything that would cover her up without making her seem too suspicious?" Seth asked.
"I'm sure we can find something…" his mother said brightly.
"Niya, don't encourage them…" his father muttered.
"It's because of this young lady that Ryuu is alive, you should at least help her to have safe passage to somewhere else."
Jei stared daggers at her, then wheeled back out of the room.
"Any ideas?" Ryuu asked, looking expectantly at everyone else left in the room.
"Maybe you should go ask your brother if he has anything," his mother said thoughtfully. "He does have an extensive wardrobe…"
From the look on Ryuu's face, Mikoto could gather that he would probably have rather eaten oglops than ask Kai for clothes for Mikoto to borrow. His face looked similar to someone who had just sucked on a lemon, yet he grabbed Mikoto's wrist and pulled her up the stairs behind him. Kashiya and Seth glanced at each other, then followed.
"Kai! Kai, open up!" Ryuu yelled, banging his fist against the closed door. "We need your help!"
The loud music was turned off, Mikoto heard as someone slowly and calmly walked across the room. The door opened slightly and Kai's familiar face poked out, an impish smile spread across his face.
"Yes, dear brother, what can I help you with?"
Ryuu glared at him and pulled Mikoto into sight. "She needs a disguise."
Now Kai completely opened up his door. He leaned against the doorframe momentarily and put a thin finger to his mouth as he thought. "Okay, I'll do it."
This time, Kai leaned forward and grabbed her wrist, leading her into his room.
Black and red were the main colors, and they were everywhere. Strange and slightly creepy trinkets adorned the unused spaces, and candles made up most of the light source of the room. "Sit here," he instructed, motioning to a chair. He stared at her a little longer before walking slowly to his closet and searching through his clothes, throwing around everything he didn't approve of or need.
"Aha! Here it is!"
She looked up just in time to see several articles of clothing flying at her face. "Hurry up and put it on. The bathroom is right there."
It was about thirty minutes later when Kai's bedroom door opened again. Out stepped a very proud looking Kai, smiling from ear to ear. "Ladies and gentleman," he announced, waving a hand gracefully at the door, "I am proud to present to you…" he furrowed his eyebrows and poked his head back inside the door, "What's your name, sweetie?"
"Mikoto…" she answered quietly.
"Aw, that's not good enough for this look. I'm proud to present to you…Miko!" Kai held his hands in a fashion to state that she was on her way out, but when she didn't come, he poked his head back into his room. "Aren't you coming out?" he laughed.
"I feel strange."
"But you look awesome!"
"Come on out, Mik!" Kashiya called.
Very slowly, she walked out of his room, and either out of amusement or pity, Kashiya giggled. Mikoto wore a pair of very baggy and torn pants, underneath a pair of fishnet panty hose. The shirt she had on was a tank top with a gothic appearing cross in the center. Kai had gone overboard and put very thick makeup on her and had also gone crazy with the hairspray.
"Is that really you?" Seth asked, an unlit cigarette hanging lopsidedly out of his mouth.
"Is it that bad?" Mikoto asked, immediately blushing a bright red.
"It's…original," Kashiya continued to laugh. "But no worries, no one will be able to recognize you."
Ryuu stared at Kai for moment, and shook his head, smiling, "I wonder how you get such strange clothing in your wardrobe sometimes."
Kai grabbed his younger brother around the neck and gave him a noogie, "The shirt belongs to my lover, he left it last time around."
Ryuu rolled his eyes and pulled away. "Not in front of them…" he grumbled.
Kai merely smiled and walked back into his room, but he lingered in the doorway before disappearing. "If my service is ever needed again, then please let me know," he bowed, taking Mikoto's hand and raising it to where he could barely press his lips against it. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Ryuu seethed, then still smiling, stood erect and shut his bedroom door behind him.
Once he had disappeared the group of four walked down the hallway, Kashiya giggling the entire time. "He's an interesting one, isn't he? Ryuu, I've decided that I like your brother!"
Ryuu laughed and shook his head. "Interesting is hardly the word. Eccentric is a bit closer."
Mikoto smiled really big, "He reminds me of my eldest brother…" she said quietly, looking back at bedroom door, now shut tight.
"Oh really? How so?" Kashiya asked, prodding Seth in the side with her elbow, as if to get his attention.
"Mannerisms mainly," she continued to smile, then she turned and looked at Ryuu, "Even as eccentric as you think Kai may be, just keep in mind that I'm sure he cares for you more than you realize. It's one of those things that you don't notice until it's gone, though. I was so angry at Kuja for the longest time…I hated him for leaving me…but once he was gone forever…it left a void in me that will probably always be empty."
She was now aware that everyone had stopped, mid-step to listen to her spiel. She blushed a little and looked at the floor. "Anyway…I better leave now. I don't want to impose on your family any longer."
"Kashiya, can I get your phone number? I'd like to know that you guys made it to your house safely," Ryuu said thoughtfully.
"Sure thing!" she exclaimed, pulling an ink pen from her purse. Hurriedly, she scribbled the digits down on the back of Ryuu's hand, then waving goodbye, Mikoto, Kashiya and Seth walked out of his house.
It was dark outside now, which made Mikoto wonder how long she slept. If they had returned to Lindblum around noon, and she had been taken shortly after then, she had to have been sleeping for at least seven or eight hours.
"Stay quiet…" Seth whispered as they walked out onto the streets. "How're we going to get her to your place? Air cabs would be too risky," he whispered to Kashiya.
"The Industrial district isn't too far of a walk from here…"
"We're in the Theatre district!"
Kashiya bit her lip as she thought. "Well, would it be that big of a gamble to use the air cabs then? I mean, it's late, not many people will be on them at this time of night."
"Granted…" Seth sighed. "Look, I'm not too worried about all of that. Truthfully, you two could probably ride the air cab, no one would be able to recognize Mikoto. But they'd be able to recognize me. I created a disturbance in the crowd, and these battle wounds aren't exactly secretive either," he pointed up to his bruised eye and cut lip.
"Don't be silly. It wasn't you that they were trying to burn, you're safe."
"So…I don't understand…are we braving the air cab?" Mikoto asked softly.
Seth and Kashiya traded uneasy glances, then nodded to each other. "Don't have much of a choice…" Kashiya said slowly.
The three walked to the air cab station in silence. When they got there, Kashiya approached the counter, "When's the next cab for the Industrial district coming?" she asked politely.
"The next one is getting ready to depart. If you hurry you can still make it," the man behind the counter replied.
"Okay, thank you!" she exclaimed. "Come on, guys! Let's try to catch it before it leaves us!"
They sprinted in the direction of the air cab. Mikoto saw the conductor standing beside the open door, waiting impatiently for them to hurry up and board.
"Industrial district?" Kashiya asked, hoping to confirm it was the right destination.
The conductor nodded impatiently and shooed them into the cab.
Kashiya's theory was correct. Not many people rode the air cabs late at night. The only others in the cab were two middle-aged women. Mikoto, Kashiya and Seth stood in a huddle on the opposite side of the cab, hoping to keep the women from taking too much notice of them.
"Did you hear what happened today in the Business district?"
"No, what?"
"Well, I was talking with Allyce, and she said that there was a witch burning."
"They found a witch? Here in Lindblum!?" one of the women panicked.
"Yes, but they took care of her. Some boy came and pulled her off of the stake, but she'd already been on it for a good fifteen minutes. She won't survive. The burns had to have been severe."
"Serves her right. Did she honestly think that she could just barge right into town and not expect to be found out? I wonder what kind of onslaught she was planning?"
Mikoto pretended to be very interested in a stain on the floor of the cab. She felt her face reddening as the two women continued to talk.
"Witches are a disgrace to society. They should all be handled in the same way. The only good witch is a dead one."
When Mikoto looked up she saw Seth's face distorted in an angry scowl. He looked as if he were on the verge of pummeling something, and the only thing holding him back was the thought of giving away their identities. Kashiya on the other hand began tapping her foot impatiently.
"What kind of witch was she? Did they say?"
"She apparently tried to attack one of the men who brought her to the stake. He said that she conjured fire into her hand and hurled it at him."
"Is he all right?"
"Oh, he'll be fine. It didn't hurt him too much. What she got was much worse."
"But you said she was taken off of the stake! Do you think she might've used her powers to heal herself?"
"Dear God, let's hope not! For the sake of humanity and this town, that would be horrible!"
"The last thing I want is a witch burning down my house while I sleep!"
Seth's hands were now clenched into fists and he was grinding his teeth.
Kashiya's amethyst eyes were glowing a dangerous color, and she was drumming her manicured nails against her forearms in anger. Yet, the women continued in their conversation. Since she was the only person who had not made herself known at the burning, Kashiya turned around and walked to where the two women were standing.
"I'm sorry, ladies," she said a bit more harshly than she meant, "but your conversation is very loud. My friend over here witnessed the burning and it had left a negative impression. She'd prefer if you didn't discuss it anymore around her."
"We apologize," one of the women said, smiling. "And tell your friend we're sorry. Youngin's like you shouldn't have to witness the evilness of witches, or have to experience watching their burnings. I'd imagine how it would have a traumatizing effect."
Kashiya nodded, and turned back to Seth and Mikoto.
"Thanks," Mikoto mumbled.
"No problem," Kashiya smiled, sadly, then lowering her voice, said, "Don't worry about what they say. We wouldn't be risking our necks for you if we thought you were like that."
Mikoto smiled back weakly and continued to stare at the floor.
"You handled that much more civilly than I would have…" Seth said.
"Yes, I'm sure your plan of action would have included a gun and a couple of shells," she chuckled.
Seth raised his eyebrows but said nothing more.
Finally the air cab slowed to a stop, and the doors opened with a mechanic squeal. Mikoto was the first to dash for the exit, wanting to get as far away from the women as possible. Seth and Kashiya followed closely behind her.
"Well," Seth sighed, "This is where I'm leaving you two. I don't want to follow you home and create any suspicions."
"Alright," Kashiya nodded.
"How far of a walk is your apartment from the air cab station?"
"No more than ten minutes. We'll be fine," she reassured.
Still looking slightly uneasy about leaving them, he waved goodbye and started down the opposite way.
"What does Seth do for a living anyway? Do you know, Mikoto?" Kashiya asked. "If he lives in the Industrial district, my guess it's an industrial profession…"
"He's a mechanic," Mikoto said. "Or, that's what he used to be. I'm not sure if he still does that kind of work."
"Oh, I see." Kashiya glanced at her watch. "We better hurry to my place, it's almost eleven, and these aren't the best streets to be on late at night."
Mikoto nodded and the two girls made their way down the dimly lit streets of the Industrial district. Not many people were out except a few drunks.
It wasn't too long when Kashiya pointed to a tall building just in sight. "That's my apartment building, we're almost there. Now we just have to figure out what we're going to do about clothes…and how long you're going to stay…" She shook her head and continued to walk. Kashiya was just realizing just how complicated this was going to get.
"Good evening Ms. O'Malley, you were sure out late tonight," someone said as they passed him to get to her apartment.
"Hi Oscar, yeah, today's been pretty hectic."
She reached into her purse and searched frantically for her keys. After she found them she jammed them into the doorknob and threw the door open, flipped on the lights, shut the door behind her and locked it up.
"Steer clear of him, do you understand?" Kashiya asked, turning to look at Mikoto.
"Okay…?" the Genome said uneasily.
"He's a convicted rapist and child molester. Stay away from him!"
"How close to you does he live?!"
"A few blocks away. I'm telling you, if you see him, either find someone to cling to, be it a stranger or not, or get your ass back to the apartment. Capice?"
With wide eyes, Mikoto nodded.
Kashiya ran her fingers through her hair nervously then looked around the room, making strange popping noises with her mouth. "Blankets…blankets…" she repeated. "Okay, here's a plan…" she proposed, "We take the mattresses off of my bed and we each get one. I have several sheets somewhere…I'll just have to find them."
Mikoto nodded, "Do you need any help?"
Kashiya chewed on one of her nails and looked around the room. "The spare sheets should be in the closet over there," she pointed to a closet on the opposite side of the room. "You can check for me while I situate the mattresses."
It wasn't too long before everything was settled. The lights were off, and Kashiya and Mikoto were lying on their own mattresses, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm really sorry about what happened today. That should have never happened."
"Well, it's not the first time something like this has happened to me."
"I'm pretty sure it's never been that extreme though."
Mikoto mentally scoffed at that comment. Though she had never been burned before, she'd had her share of bad experiences with the 'norm' of Gaia. That's why she tried to remain secluded most of the time.
It was quiet again, and Mikoto knew that Kashiya was probably asleep. As much as she wanted to sleep too, events from earlier that day played in her mind non-stop, and when she did manage to doze off, she could feel the fire eating at her flesh in her dreams.
After a miserable hour of tossing and turning, a loud ringing sound startled her out of her thoughts. Kashiya groaned loudly and Mikoto heard the sound of an agitated hand hitting the telephone receiver. "Hello?" she asked groggily.
There was a pause as she listened to the other person, but then she groaned and hung up the phone.
"Who was it?" Mikoto asked.
Kashiya ignored the question and rolled over in bed.
The phone rang a second time.
"What do you want now?" Kashiya asked, picking up the phone. She paused and listened, and from Mikoto's bed she could hear frantic babbling coming from the earpiece. "Well what do you expect me to do? You call at one in the morning to check on us? If I answered the phone, doesn't that mean we're alive?" There was another pause, then the woman groaned out loud and yelled, "Mikoto you talk to him, he's your boyfriend anyway!"
Slightly confused she picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, you guys get home all right? Everything okay?" it was Ryuu's voice.
"Yeah, we're all right."
"That's awesome. Look, I had to apologize for my dad. I know that he seemed really harsh tonight…" he stopped for a moment and tried to find a different approach, "okay, I admit he was very harsh tonight. But you have to understand for someone who served in the Lindblum army, a mage of any sort is a threat."
"I understand…" she said quietly, her voice trailing off.
"Please, don't be upset. If mom and I had our way, you'd be staying here."
"I'm not upset. It's not like you called me a witch."
"Mikoto, people are idiots. Don't listen to them, because they don't know what they're talking about. They know nothing."
She couldn't help but smile.
"Anyway, how long are you staying in Lindblum? You're not going to leave, are you?"
"It's dangerous if I stay here too long…" she said.
"Even if we let this entire thing cool down, you don't think you could stay?"
"I want to stay, Ryuu. Lord only knows how much I want to stay…"
"Well, I just want you to know, that if you leave, I'm following you."
"What?"
"You heard me Mik, I'd follow you…to the end of the world…"
To be continued…
