Another -14 sept'11-
Disclaimer: G-boys are not saru's... and saru already forgotten the details of the anime too.
chapter 3
"Demon...!"
"How nice of you coming into my parlor...!" the melodious hiss sounded almost gentle in his ears; he tried to force his arm strength pulling the hot thing from his chest.
Lix screeched in panic.
A crescent-shaped dagger plunged to the ground around his right wrist; the long spike at its center stabbed his flesh and nailed it unmoving.
He stared at the shadow's face hidden by a loose tattered cloth.
He knew the smell wafting around that humanoid form.
"Why are you in that form?" he asked flatly. "I meant no harm to this village. We're only passing through."
The shadow's leering lips froze and tightened flat.
A strong wind was suddenly bellowing for several breaths span, the trees made upset whispers with their leaves.
"Shut up! A dark creature like you has no right to ask me that...!"
"A CREATURE AS ABOMINABLE AS YOUUU...!" the shadow pulled its hands up, giving all its strength to plunge a wooden stake into his heart.
Lix let out a desperate screech.
A flash of the moonlight reflected from a sword as it was unsheathed behind the commotion.
The shadow jerked as another shadow looming over it, covering the moon as it looked up.
"You're...! The drug didn't-?" it pulled itself from the demon's sprawling body and hurriedly retreated behind a big enough tree that was shadowing three houses by the left side of the road.
Lix screeched again in fear and was frantically tried to escape the invisible trap.
"I'll free you soon, Lix; don't struggle about, it's getting hotter the more you move...!"
Pulling the pierced hand, he examined the dagger's handle. It was crafted with charmed jewelries and the intricate pattern carvings were actually spells. A too distinctive item for peasants; definitely didn't belong to such a small average village like that place.
'...iiiick? -krrrrr...'
He turned his gaze at his lizard again, Lix was cocking its head at the sides as it examined the dagger; he knew the lizard had recognized such weapon still attached into his wrist too.
Pulling the hot thing nailing his body to the ground, he stood up, frowning at the still sizzling red crystal in his left hand as he walked to his lizard. Lix was making upset clucking as he used the crystal to browse around its seemingly ensnared body parts, there were red-light strings lit as the thing neared particular parts and they were pulled back into the crystal again.
Once Lix was freed he tossed the thing casually to the ground, it's stopped sizzling once it wasn't touching him.
Pulling the dagger and the stake out, he slid them into his belt behind his back and walked to the man still standing with his sword out, grazing the dirt road with its tip.
He stared at the man's face, and looked down at the graze marks the sword tip made on the ground then stared back at the man's sleeping face.
"...what are you dreaming of, exactly?" he asked with a bothered face for once.
Odin answered with a long snore and a goofy sneer with a drool.
Lix rumbled its objection behind them.
"Uuuuughhh...!" a lazy moan, followed by a long yawn; and the man woke up.
Stretching his body and stopped half way as he felt a smaller body literally lied on top of his.
Opening his eyes, he looked straight into his demon's eyes staring at his face.
"That was a good sleep." he said without being asked.
His demon stared him unmoving.
"Didn't you sleep?" his big hands automatically embraced the slender body under the blankets, mostly checking whether it was cold rather than it was wounded.
"I had a nap in the cave yesterday."
"You're not cold. Good." the man didn't even think that the demon was using him as a mattress. "What's this?" he pulled the dagger from the demon's belt.
Odin lifted one brow as he looked at the weapon.
"Too expensive for peasants or hunters..."
"Druid's." he cut flatly.
"Druid's weapon?" the man stared at his face with a frown. "There are still druids around at this present time?"
"Perhaps their descendants."
Odin tsk-ed. "You alright?"
"Nothing I can't handle..." he muttered, "That's what you think when you consumed the drug deliberately."
The man paused at the demon's accusation. He was just wondering what would happen if he'd done that, he was sure his demon could handle a few hungry peasant hunters trying to collect more living expense out of him.
"Hunters made the best sleeping drugs, you know." and that wasn't even relevant with the reasoning.
"What if it was lethal poison and not sleeping drug?" he asked flatly but sounded bored.
"That young man... he recognized my ring crest, he wouldn't want to oppose the Palace." Odin tried to reason his act.
"You don't know that." he muttered. "You don't know what was in other humans' minds."
Odin blinked at his demon. It's as if the demon was worried for him.
"I got you worried?" he asked openly. The man was not as curt outside as he was in the Palace; he even let his demon saw the clumsy almost irresponsible acts he made which he never let anyone else saw.
His demon didn't say anything back.
"It's nothing you can't handle, right?" he repeated his thoughts. There was a flash of something in the demon's eyes for a millisecond.
"You hurt?" Odin instantly sat up embracing his demon's body to sit on his laps then inspecting the pale naked chest presented to him. There were red marks on the pale skin, he'd remembered every mark and place it was etched, and there was a new circular mark on the chest right on where his heart should be.
"Your heart...!" Odin frowned and his shoulder stiffened with the sense of responsibility.
"It's dead, anyway." he answered the man apathetically. "I let it happened." he said when Odin's hand rubbed his cheek with a hardened face, it was his way of apologizing.
He never cared whether others apologized to him or not. That's why he'd hidden the stake away.
...besides, it was you who scared the perpetrator off, he thought, but didn't voice it.
"Are we going?" he was generally feeling bored with the cave, having stayed up all night to keep watch; the sleep drug was strong, alright; usually Odin was a light sleeper who'd be woken up by even slight movements. That was to say that he never moved when the man embraced him when they're sleeping together.
Odin was still frowning when he put his baggy shirt on his demon again. He seemed to be displeased with the idea of continuing the journey, since it appeared that the attack last night was more than just a band of peasants-turned-hunters trying to collect some coins. He hated when he made wrong decisions and wouldn't let go until he right them.
"I'm not really eager to go back to the Palace in a hurry." he knew what was on the man's mind, so he spoke up.
Odin stilled after buttoning the shirt, and stared at him; seemingly he was torn between his assailant and his task.
"Are your border-men waiting for you in a hurry?"
Odin made a face as if he was pouting, but not really; you'd say it was a battle-man's pout if you're into hardened soldiers.
He sighed, knowing his reasoning wouldn't win anyway. "Let's go then." he stood up and folded the blankets.
Odin was still 'pouting' on his seat when the demon walked outside the cave to find his lizard with the blankets in hand.
"The man took it to heart about last night." he muttered to the lizard when he packed his saddlebag. Lix rumbled to him, its eyes shone with something like alert.
"You're worried about the crystal? It's seldom for humans to be able to catch a Sauria, but I think the attacker wouldn't try catching you again, you're not their target."
Lix rumbled again and nuzzled at his ear-wings.
"You don't need to worry about me. Nothing can get to me." the apathetic way of how he'd said the words might sound lonely to other's ears.
"We'll finish the border-men fast and come to check here again!" Odin snorted and readied his saddle.
He blinked at the man's sturdy back. He sounded like he was thinking of killing someone.
"...don't kill them when they start to nag. You're supposed to bring them peace back, not making new wars." he reminded his owner, "The General will be mad at me again for not managing to hold back your temper."
"Ha! I'll get mad at him back for blaming you for what I'd done...!" Odin pulled the horse rein and urged it to go.
Lix rumbled low at the disappearing human on his horse back. Humans might've let it out as an appreciative 'ooooohh'.
He stared at the lizard's face from the ends of his eyes. "He can't really get mad at The General, right? Not without facing a court martial later!"
The lizard let out that lizard's rumble-laugh again.
"On your feet, Lesard! And bring that demon with you...!" Odin's agitated yell only intensified the lizard's rumble.
He made a note to self to check what was the man dreaming of.
It bothered him to see what signs the man made on the ground last night.
It's something no human should've known about him... eventhough he knew that man was different from the first time they'd met.
Another half day ride and they entered Darque Lord's estate.
The city folks looked a bit haggard because of the battles, they seemed frightened about their future more than about a demon entered their vicinity; that had spoken a lot for itself. That's why before the battles spread wider to another states and took more casualties than it already was, Odin was sent there to reconcile the warring states. The news reached the Palace was about the two heirs disputing about family affairs, that's why The General only sent the Commander alone to deal with them, and currently the mentioned Commander was considering on how to maim and torture the messengers for not updating the news or giving the necessary details.
Though he admitted that if he were to bring his soldiers with him then there might be new wars he'd have to deal with. Right, his demon knew him well enough about his patience endurance -which was almost zero- when dealing with nagging people. Seemingly The General already knew what would happen too, since he'd instructed clearly that Odin was to take his demon along.
Now, where did that come from, anyway?
Surely he was The General's subordinate, so The General could order him around as he want concerning his duties; but his demon was his, he's NOT in the list of The General's orderable...!
"...what are you grumbling about?"
Odin glanced at the demon's plain face. "You're not in the slightest bit mad?"
He blinked. "What for?"
The man tsk-ed as he recalled; the demon was only objecting about being told to wear his baggy shirt. He turned his face forward and glared deaths to a poor stable-boy who was cowering behind a horse butt.
"So...!" Odin frowned darkly at the end of the table; "I tried to make this short and as domesticated as it can be. Where's your brother?"
The Darque's Lord sweat on his seat across Odin, his wife choked on her breath in her most-possible-far-away seat from her husband, and the maid holding the problem-baby snapped her head at Odin.
He thought the man should have said it as 'personal' or 'familial' or something else in that line, but he kept it to himself since he didn't really care either ways. That's what to be expected from his owner, though; what the man thought of as 'family' was only 'horse and bunk', anything more than that was just the excess from living with others. Although he kind of not bored seeing the Darque Lord fidgeted nervously.
"Well?" Odin gritted his teeth.
"Yes..., Commander." Darque's Lord was surprisingly managing to gain his calm and composedness in short time, his whole profile wasn't bad.
The young man could've been a good ruler, he thought. But for making his soldiers died in vain in a war driven by selfishness was NOT good; he recalled the soldier on the battlefield, and stared intently at the young Lord's face from behind his owner.
The Darque Lord squirmed and cowered a little. "...I... received the Palace-letter that you'd arrive today, so I'm sure he also received the same letter too. But I don't know why he hasn't come..., Sir." the young man stole a glance at Odin's face and added the last part hoping to smooth Odin's darkened face.
The baby cooed in the maid's hands.
Now it was the wife's turn to fidget on her seat.
He stared at the baby. The maid felt his eyes directed on them and shiftily covered the baby using her body turning her back gradually at him in fear.
The baby cooed again.
He turned his stare at the Lord; white skin, black hair, grey eyes.
The wife had white skin, blonde hair, green eyes.
The baby had dark skin, silver hair, shockingly bright yellow eyes. A different race from its supposed parents; even a fool could see that.
"...-take the baby, Heero!" Odin said as he stood up abruptly.
He snapped his eyes at the man's rigid back, he was ignoring their conversation so he didn't catch the earlier part of the man's order.
"WHAT?" the Lord and his wife yelled together as they stood up in panic.
"I said I confiscate the origin of this problem until it's SOLVED. Take the baby, Heero!" Odin slammed his fist to the table; the chandeliers shook by the impact and fell rolling to the floor making a pretty tinkling sound.
The baby cooed in excitement at that pretty sound and jolted in the maid's hands.
He stared at the people in general and walked to the trembling maid.
"...no-... NO!" the wife jumped and tried to grab the baby as the demon's hands pulled the baby from the fear-stricken maid.
"YOU THINK I WILL ALLOW YOU THE LUXURY OF HOLDING YOUR CHILD WHILE YOU LET YOUR SOLDIER'S CHILDREN LOSING THEIR FATHERS FOR NOTHING?" Odin's roar shocked everyone present and the wife fell petrified on the floor staring the man with wide eyes.
The baby was surprised and cried instantly.
He glanced at his owner, recognizing how furious the man was. More than finishing off some border-men, he might want to finish off some border-Lords instead. He rocked the baby gently, cocooning it in the frilly silk and velvet cloth of its luxurious blankets, carefully tried to not touch the baby since he knew everyone would condemn the baby as the child touched by a demon for the rest of its life if he did. Staring at the baby's clear eyes, knowing the irony that the now fatherless children of the soldiers' might only have simple old blankets for their cold nights and their dead fathers would be lucky if they had graves at all, but it wasn't the baby's fault...
"Co... Commander, please..." the young Lord stammered with blue face, listening his wife cried on the floor.
The baby started to choke in his hysterical cry; several soldiers came running in from the doors hearing the loud voice and the baby's cry.
He sighed, knowing this was why his owner would get court martial-ed sooner or later; so he opened his mouth...
...home... where...
Land of fathers... thrive...
and mothers... smile...
winds come...
cool rains... bright...
flowers scent...
save from harm... to be...
together happy...
He hummed the dying soldier's sleepsong he heard yesterday, it was broken in sentence and he might be wrong in some words but despite he knew some sleepsongs in demon language, thinking the humans might accuse him of cursing the baby instead since they didn't understand his language, he thought at least the soldier's singing would reach at least a baby's ears if not his children, so his last breaths wouldn't be in vain.
Odin stared at his demon, knowing what ran in his mind. He might look stoic beyond belief or heartless even, but the man always could see through his kindness. His anger cooled down, recognizing the baby had stopped crying too, now it was only hic-upping in exhaustion; but its wide clear eyes didn't look scared of the demon. So at first he was thinking of punishing the Lord and his wife by giving the baby to his demon, knowing they'd be freaked out when a demon was in possession of their baby, blood related or not; but he felt guilty now for ever thinking of using his demon in that way.
"...Milord?" a confused soldier asked the petrified Lord in a very small voice.
Odin snorted. "There's a resting house in the eastern side of Galley Hill facing the lowlands. We'll be waiting there for you to talk and solve your problems. For ever causing the Palace to interfere with your internal affairs, you'd be lucky if Master doesn't punish you as war criminals. Be sure your brother get the message right this time." Odin straightened his pose and said levelly; he took some time to stare everyone in the eyes to see they understood his reason, then sighed to himself and walked away, cueing his demon to follow him close at his side. He did say 'we', indicating to the others that he treated his demon as equal; though mostly no one caught that.
"...but- ...but who will feed the baby...?" the wife tried to chase them although she needed the maid's support to stand.
Odin stopped. "Then you better be there before the baby gets hungry!" he said in annoyance, and draped his hand on the demon's shoulder to take him in his fast strides, ignoring the complaints and other things behind them.
Saru's note:
got almost three weeks without internet in the last Ramadhan holiday, Oni-tan visited her grandparents' village so saru stuck at home playing game in our old PC (since saru's family don't religiously celebrate it, and studio's work-PC is in Oni-tan's house), and fighting over whose turn for it with sister-snake. not doing illustration works, not typing comics script, not penciling comics too. it was straight sleep-eat-game-toilet everyday made saru stored stomach fat (blush), though it'd be burnt soon enough now that the Museum project continued (the notice suddenly came in email today and it's to be started next week, while saru thought it was only a one-time gig that's already finished), so saru thought to make up with anyone who was waiting for this fic's progress since seemingly saru wouldn't have time to write for a long while (again...OTL ... just like the other incomplete fics that ended as saru's "deposit" which saru continued if saru had time to write).
saru will try to write short chapters, though; so that any incomplete fics could be updated gradually.
many thanx for you who'd been appreciative for this selfishly-just-for-the-sake-of-venting-some-works-stress-made fics... handling three jobs at a time is really gets to saru's nerves sometimes, and saru's really sucks at being social too that even most of the neighbors don't even realize saru's Mom has TWO daughters while saru had lived in that house for over 20 years; or they just forgot?
'the poor un-wise hermit' as other-mind called saru... haha
so, as the event came (Idul Fitri already passed, though), saru would like to apologize to everyone whom by chance or (probably, if anyone ever feel like saru-) intentionally or unintentionally saru had made mistakes to.
most of the time saru didn't realize saru made mistakes until very late afterwards and usually saru gets too awkward to ask personally whether they have problems with saru or not. (this sounds like making excuses, duh)
so once again, Saru humbly apologize to everyone for saru's mistakes. -bow-
sept17, 2011