Elements of Christmas
Chapter 5: New Surroundings and Familiar Memories
((Disclaimer: I don't own any of this… only my OC's…))
They entered the store. Music, which sounded more like someone being stoned to death, blared through the speakers, as racks of baggy, word-bearing, chain covered types of clothing filled the store to the ceiling. Plasma televisions hung all about the store showing footage of skateboarders, trick bikers, and rap singers… all of it was new to the young elemental and she felt out of the loop with her new surroundings.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nami asked as she looked around nervously.
Zach looked back at her with a puzzled look on his handsome face,
"Of course it is… I go shopping with Sherry here all the time." He said nonchalantly.
Nami looked at him,
"Sherry?" she inquired.
Zach's eyes widened with realization,
"Oh, I didn't tell you about her…did I?" he asked, "She's my girlfriend."
Nami just nodded in an understanding,
"I see… well, where is she now?" she asked.
Zach pondered it for a moment and shrugged,
"I don't know… but I'll probably call her later… she's probably out with her friends somewhere…" He said, "She loves to go shopping, whether I'm there or not…"
Nami just nodded, though something about it didn't seem right to her.
She scanned the shelves, looking around…though she wasn't exactly sure of what she was looking for in the first place.
Zach watched, noticing her obvious confusion and went over to her.
"Too much stuff to handle?" he asked, chuckling as he did so.
"She's so weird…" he couldn't help but think to himself, "It's like she's never been shopping before."
Tsunami looked at him, feeling embarrassed and stupid, but she nodded, as it was the truth.
"Yeah…" she admitted, her cheeks reddening up.
"Well, first of all…you're looking in the men's section…you should be looking over here…" He said, gently leading her over to the girl's section of the store, "Second of all…just pick out something you like… you can always try it on later."
Nami looked at him, giving him a gentle smile with her blue eyes.
"Thanks… why do you know so much about these things?" She asked.
It was suddenly Zach's turn to be embarrassed,
"Well…I…uh…It's just that…I, y'know… I'm always taking Sherry shopping… I guess I just got used to the routine and all." He said, "I'm not…y'know… into guys or anything…"
"I understand." Nami said, though she was only lying halfway, because she didn't want him to feel as stupid as she was starting to, "It's just that we don't have anything like this where I come from."
Zach shrugged,
"Makes sense to me…I guess…" he said, watching her pick only a few things off the shelf, very carefully, as though she'd be punished for making a wrong move.
Zach moved closer to her,
"Well, we don't have all day…my gig starts in a few hours… I gotta grab my gear and pick up Sherry… just pick out whatever you want… I'll pay." He said.
"Don't worry… I think I've got it all." She said, holding up a small outfit, "I should…try it on then…?"
Zach nodded,
"Uh-huh." He said, "Make sure it fits well…it shouldn't be uncomfortable."
"Okay." Nami answered as she entered the fitting room cautiously.
This was entirely new to her, and, for the first time in her life, she felt timid…. It was an odd sensation and her hands trembled as she thought about it. Slowly, she slipped into the new outfit, removing the old one and looked at herself in the mirror.
The outfit she had picked out was elegant, yet rough at the same time. The bottoms were ripped jeans that sparkled slightly, her top consisted of a sky blue tank top, and a black jacket with a furred collar. As she gazed into the mirror she smiled recklessly.
"Wow, I look really good…" she thought to herself as she spun around, examining every angle of herself, "This shopping thing was a pretty good idea…for a human that is."
When she exited the dressing room, wearing the outfit that she picked out, Zach was nearly stunned, and he found himself growing awkward and nervous in her presence.
"You look…you look…um…great." He said forcing a smile.
"You really think so?" Nami asked excitedly.
Zach nodded,
"Really great! You'll fit in perfectly at my gig tonight! Guys will be climbing all over themselves to be with you, so you better watch out." He said without exaggeration.
Nami smirked,
"Well, that sounds…exhilarating!" she said, "So…after you pay for this stuff, where are we off to then?"
"Probably back to my place to pick up my stuff… then I gotta check on Tony and the others of my group and pick up Sherry at her apartment." Zach said.
Nami nodded, taking in all the scraps of information,
"Alright… let's go." She said.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
"Hold on… so you're telling me that Thunder and Lightning were kidnapped? That's not cool…" The Snow Miser exclaimed after his windbag of a brother had finished explaining the current events, "How did this happen?"
The North Wind gave a sigh, putting his hand to his forehead,
"Some evil force has taken them… Mother and the others are searching right now… but no one knows where they are… and Tsunami went down to look in the human world…" He said.
"B-by herself?!" The Heat Miser yelped, looking at his brother in disbelief, "You let her go on her own? What were you thinking?! She could get lost… or worse!"
The Snow Miser nodded in agreement,
"Does mother know about this?" He asked, looking at his other brother suspiciously.
The North Wind visibly hesitated,
"Well…not exactly…" he said, "But I'm sure she'll be fine…"
"Someone should go down there and get her… we don't want anything to happen to her…" Heat Miser said, "But how are we supposed to get down… Christmas isn't for another week… that won't give us enough time… besides… our sister and her husband are probably in danger!"
The North Wind looked uncomfortable as his two brothers ranted about all the terrible things that could happen… he never wanted anyone to get hurt in this scheme… just the sheer power that Smog had promised him; nothing more than that.
However, something didn't seem right… how would Smog give him the power he desired and where would he get it from… perhaps one of his many concoctions would come to hand… he couldn't guess… but something didn't feel right…but he didn't know what.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Thunder paced the perimeter of his cell, trying to figure any way out.
"Thunder please… just sit down… I'm sure my brothers and mother will figure a way out of all of this… there's nothing more we can do…" Lightning said, trying to comfort her agitated husband.
"I won't take that as an answer, Lightning… there has to be something we can do to get out of here…" Thunder answered, as he continued to pace.
Lightning sank back to her small corner, not knowing what else to do… she had never felt so helpless in her entire life.
"Please… whatever you can do… please help us…" she whispered in a soft prayer to her family.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Deep within his lab, Smog poured over dozens of books, each of them hand written and splattered with black ink.
"Yes… all my calculations are correct…" he said, a dark smirk lining his face, as his index finger traced a specific line in a red, leather-bound book, "If all goes as planned… I'll only need to wait until the time is right, retrieve Tsunami, and all shall go smoothly… Oh… all that power… I can feel it surging through my veins… I will be the most powerful of all the Elements, and not even my SISTER can stop me…"
He laughed manically, throwing his head back as his claws curled in front of his chest. However, his laughter was cut off as he felt a stinging pain seep into his chest. His heart started pounding and sweat broke from his forehead.
He gasped, clutching his chest tightly, as his ability to breathe was steadily being lost to him. As full on pain came to his center, he staggered over to his lab table, where several translucent, yet colored vials sat watching him… watching his suffering.
Slowly, his form changed, as his claws slowly became hands and his dragon's muzzle slowly morphed into a delicate face and hawk-like nose. Long grey hair sprouted from his head and travelled slowly down his neck, until it reached his shoulders. His long, crimson cloak covered his thin frame as he reached for a green vial with shaky, trembling hands.
Once he reached it, he uncorked it and drank the contents desperately. Slowly, his dragon form returned, as did the dark reptilian smile that went along with it.
He looked himself over quickly, checking to see that everything was alright, and it was…the pain slowly dissipated from his body as he almost sensed the concoction seeping through his veins.
He collapsed into a chair, letting his body once again reach its equilibrium. He breathed deeply, as the silence of the room filled him… along with silence, came thoughts… and with thoughts, came the past… and he hated the past…
As hard as he tried to push the thoughts aside, they were persistent… or rather…she was persistent… perhaps it was her spirit, longing not to be forgotten… but that was one answer that his alchemy could never bring to him…a peace that fate would never allow to come to his cursed form.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
"Susan, wait up!" a young man with sparkling eyes, and black hair said, running towards his beloved, his crimson cape blowing behind him.
The young girl, his beloved, looked back with her delicate, luminous blue eyes, her blonde hair surrounding her beautiful face.
"Oh, come now, my dear… surely, as a foreign knight, you can run faster than me, a young milkmaid." Susan giggled.
The man laughed,
"Well, when one has been working with an axe all day, I have an excuse to be at least weary…" he answered, fighting back the urge to take her into his arms gracefully.
He caught up to her and she leaned out to kiss him, but the man took a step back to avoid her.
Her eyes shone with tears as she realized her mistake.
"I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…" she said, her voice broken, "I keep forgetting that you don't like to be touched…or kissed…"
The man's expression turned cold and melancholy,
"It's not that I don't want your affections… because I do…more than anything in the WORLD!" he said, "It's just that… I'm cursed…I don't want to lose you…"
He went as close as he could to her, but no further.
"You're always talking about that silly curse… yet I see no evidence of it!" Susan said, "I don't understand how you would lose me if I gave you a simple kiss!"
The words hurt him, and he flinched slightly.
"I would tell you more if I was able to… but I can't… Don't you see…? We're not the same… but despite all that, I love you…" He answered frantically.
"I never doubted your love…" Susan said, "But the depths of it are a bit shaky… Love can conquer anything…even a curse…"
She took several steps towards him, and once again, the man stepped back.
"No… I don't want to take any chances… no… not with your life…" He said seriously, "Anything, but your life…"
Susan nodded, realizing that nothing, not even her affections could sway his opinion. She just smiled, though her heart burned with sadness.
"You needn't say any more." She said quietly, "I'll never mention it again."
The man smiled,
"Good…" he said, "I appreciate it, Susan… I really do…"
She didn't answer, but only looked out to the horizon of the stone valley in which they frolicked. In the distance, there were snow-capped mountains and clouds even further than that…. What lay beyond that was a mystery to her.
"The sun is setting… I should be heading back to Lord Valiente's castle…he and the other servants are probably looking for me by now…" Susan said.
The man nodded,
"Of course, m'lady." He said; his voice gentle and soft in texture.
As he turned, his ears picked up a crumbling sound, and soon, her screams came with it.
She had fallen off the cliff, and gripped the edge for dear life.
"I can't get up…" she cried, tears of pure fear pouring down her face.
The man hesitated, but as she slid further, he fell to his knees, reaching his hand out to her.
She grabbed it, and the touch surged through both of their bodies. The man looked down at Susan with horror in his eyes…
"Wh-what have I done…?" he gasped breathlessly.
Gradually, her eyes closed and her touch grew cold in his hand… she looked up at him with glassy eyes…a look that would haunt him forever…and what she said to him would keep his soul from resting.
"I'm sorry… and never forget me and our love…Smog…"
And with that final sentence, she dropped into the gorge below, never to be seen again.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Smog looked up, his draconic eyes filled with familiar tears as he looked down at his clawed hands… hands that weren't meant to bring life… only death…
He had learned too late how to control his abilities…
"If only I had worked harder… then you might still be alive, Susan…" he growled.
He stood up with rage, and with one swipe of his huge paw, he knocked aside countless test tubes, and chemicals spilled everywhere…. But it would do no good… Susan would never return to his side….
Not even he, cursed with the Element of Death and Destruction, could reverse his sins.
((I hope you like this chapter… I know, it's really dark, but I really enjoyed writing it… Please, leave reviews, positive or negative! ))