I can't believe how fast the gums heal after having a tooth pulled out… I mean, it hasn't even been a week yet, but it was already fine by Friday. But, in comes another tooth, and hopefully this one won't need pulling…
Anyway, I've had some people criticize Ein's godlike powers in the previous chapter. I've no right to argue, because different people have different interests. I will tone down the "godliness" a bit though, so thanks for the criticism. It's very much appreciated, surprisingly.
I should have mentioned this in the previous chapter's A/N, but I forgot to. I got the name Oracion from the game called Tactics Ogre for GBA – it's the most powerful holy sword in the game (and the heaviest). Atropos also happens to be a name I got from that game as well; turns out Atropos is a mythological figure (though I'm not sure which mythology). Search it on Wiki for more info, though you might have a harder time finding Oracion. I'm not sure if I'll be using Clotho or Lachesis yet, but keep an eye out for them.
Now, welcome to chapter 9. This chapter is almost a return to the boringness of the first two chapters, and admittedly it's almost like filler… but it's a nice way to cool down after the fight scene in chapter 8 (which wasn't all that intense, actually…). Any hints of LxE are completely unintentional and should be very subtle. See chapter 1 for that stupid disclaimer (who started that anyway? It's not even in the rules…), and enjoy chapter 9!
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"Ein!"
Serene's cry could be heard some distance away. Ledah saw Ein falling to the ground and quickly flew after him. He caught him just before he hit a tree that survived the beast's fall. Oracion was still strongly clutched in Ein's hand.
"Get a grip, Ein," Ledah scolded. Ein's eyes opened halfway, slowly, and he looked up at Ledah. "Come on, I'm gonna take you home."
"Thanks, Ledah…" Ein said weakly. "Was… that… the power of Oracion? Such power…"
"Yeah, we can talk about that later," Ledah reassured him. "For now, we're going home."
"Mm." Ein closed his eyes and relaxed as Ledah carried him towards Fia and Lina's house.
"How is he?" Serene asked as she caught up, still carrying Lina. "Wow, he looks exhausted. That must have been really draining."
"Yes, I suppose so," Ledah replied.
"Being carried through the air is fun!" Lina squealed. "Ah, the scenery's so pretty!" She suddenly looked back at the beast that Ein had slain. "Except for that place, ugh, that stupid thing killed all the trees!" She shivered.
"It's not fun when you're the one carrying someone," Serene gave Lina a sideways glance. "It's harder than you seem to think."
"It's not that big of a problem," Ledah put in, "but maybe it's just the strength of our wings?"
"Could be," Serene agreed. "These wings aren't meant to carry two sprites, but I guess they come through when they're needed. Yours, on the other hand…"
"Well, we're here." Ledah pointed down at the house, and began his descent. They landed lightly in front of the house. Cierra and Ladie, who were at the fight before they got there, were nowhere to be seen. Fia was also still inside, probably still resting. Lina got off Serene and opened the door, and Ledah carried Ein inside. He set Ein down on the couch and began boiling water.
"What's Ledah doing?" Lina asked, running into the kitchen.
"Boiling water," Ledah explained. "Tea might help."
"Yeah, probably," Serene said, entering the kitchen. "Say, I wonder if one of Fia's potions might help him recover?"
"Well he's not wounded," Ledah pointed out. "He's just exhausted. Potions only serve to heal wounds."
"Oh yeah, good point," Serene said, and Lina ran out of the kitchen. "Where are you going?"
"Lina's going to go play!" Lina chirped happily.
"Okay, be careful." Serene went upstairs to check on Fia.
"Ah, is anyone home yet?" someone called from outside the house. Ledah recognized Rose's voice and went to open the door.
"Ah, Ledah," Rose said. "I was watching that battle."
"Mm." Ledah motioned to the house's interior, and Rose walked in, taking her shoes off. "Did you see where Cierra and Ladie went?"
"Yeah, they went off to Elder Graham's house for medical treatment," Rose replied. "They seem to be pretty wounded, but they'll survive."
"If you say so," Ledah said, taking the tea set out and rinsing it out.
"Say, Ledah, when did you learn to do that?" Rose asked.
"Tea?" Ledah said. Rose nodded. "Well, I used to make tea all the time in Asgard. It's pretty easy."
"Asgard… don't you miss that place sometimes?" Rose asked, sitting down at the table. "I mean, you came from there, and your duty lies there too." Rose examined the picture that Serene looked at when she came earlier.
"Uh, yeah, but my duty lies with the will of the Gods," Ledah replied, looking down a little. "I'll be Ein's ally from now on. We're friends, after all."
"Well, Asgard is the realm of the Gods." Rose put the picture down and went to stand beside Ledah. "Doesn't your duty lie there then?"
"You sound like you want me to leave," Ledah commented. "You do have a point, but the Gods are gone. Ein… I can count on Ein. His heart stays true." He looked down at her. "Am I wrong?"
"Ah, no!" Rose waved her hands in front of herself. "Of course not! You should be following Ein's will! He reflects the will of the Gods the most." She turned away and looked down. "And I don't want you to leave… never, ever… please never leave me…" She sniffed.
"I won't be leaving anytime soon," Ledah assured her, putting small amounts of tea into the pot. "I don't really want to return to Asgard." He filled the teapot with hot water and stopped the stove.
"Huh? Really?" Rose turned back to him. "Th-thanks, Ledah." She helped him bring the cups to the table and sat down. "It's a promise, right? You promise to never leave?"
"Um, yeah, promise," Ledah agreed half-heartedly, looking out the window. Rose noticed his weak resolve but stayed silent. She watched as Ledah poured the tea. "Here."
"Thanks," Rose said and accepted the cup. As she sipped, she saw Serene coming back down the stairs.
"How is she?" Rose asked as Serene entered the dining room and sat down.
"Still a bit tired, and she's still sleeping," Serene replied. She thanked Ledah for the tea and sipped from her cup. "I think she'll awaken soon."
"That's good to hear," Ledah said.
Serene raised an eyebrow. "You know, a Ledah with emotions still feels a bit strange."
"I'm getting used to it." Ledah picked up the teapot and a cup. "Come on, let's check on Ein." He headed for the living room, followed by the two girls.
"He's still sleeping," Serene said, ruffling his hair. "Still totally out from that fight."
"Figures," Rose put in. "It all happened so fast to him. On the same day he received his wings and his new weapon, he has to use them to fight."
"That's true," Ledah added. "He's had no experience yet with it, but what a display of power."
"That Oracion is something, isn't it?" Serene pointed at the white, still softly glowing sword that stayed in Ein's clutch. "I bet just touching it can paralyze you if he intends to hurt you."
"How fearsome." Rose shuddered. "At least we're his friends. We don't need to worry about that."
"As long as he doesn't become swayed by that power," Ledah pointed out. "Power accompanies responsibility; if you cannot accept the responsibility, you will become hateful and dark, and ultimately die in the end."
"I suppose so," Serene agreed. "If he can't handle it, he'll become completely consumed, right?"
"That's right," Ledah confirmed darkly.
"But, Ein's a strong guy," Rose protested. "He won't become corrupted. We should believe in him."
"Yeah," Serene added. "Hope goes a long way. We defeated Hector and Seth-Rah with our hopes for a brighter, peaceful future."
"That may be so…" Ledah's voice trailed off, lost in thought.
"Ever wonder what he's thinking?" Serene asked Rose.
"Hardly ever," Rose answered. "But sometimes I get curious." She giggled. "Like now."
Serene laughed. "I don't think he's perverted like Ein, do you?"
"Ah, no way," Rose defended him. "He's Ledah, after all."
"Mm, what are we talking about?"
Serene and Rose turned towards the source of the voice and saw Fia coming down the stairs.
"Ah, Fia, you're awake!" Serene exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine now," Fia said. "Really, I'm all right." She helped herself to some tea, which Ledah had set down on the table. "Ledah, you brewed this?"
"Yeah," Ledah said. "It's good tea."
"I'm glad," Fia said, sitting down. "I grew this tea." She suddenly noticed Ein sleeping on the couch and jumped up. "Ah, Ein! What happened?"
"Settle down, he's fine," Serene assured her. "He's just tired. He had a big fight today."
"Really?" Fia sat back down in relief. "What a relief." She sipped her tea. "So what happened?"
The three of them explained to her what had happened with the beast in the village's outskirts and everything that had happened after her return.
"Oh, my," Fia held her hand to her mouth. She looked down at her clothes. "How did you get this on me? Last thing I remember, I was completely naked."
"Oh, uh," Serene started, blushing slightly. "Ein and I did that." Fia turned bright red. "Don't worry, Lina helped me keep an eye on him. I don't think he saw anything."
"I… saw… everything…" Ein mumbled.
"What?" Everyone froze.
"Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, brat," Ein murmured. "Give it back right now…" Ein turned back to the couch and mumbled some more. "Mmbmmmbmmb."
"He's just talking in his sleep," Serene giggled. "Geez, he gave me a scare there."
"I wonder what he's dreaming about?" Fia asked playfully. "Doesn't sound perverted, but with Ein you never know." She gave Serene a wink, and she grinned back.
"Anyway, you've been out since Ein carried you back," Ledah interrupted. "You've missed quite a lot."
"Yeah, you have," Rose agreed. "That was some fight you should have seen."
"I wish I could have." Fia clasped her hands together. "Ah, you embellish it too much."
"Embellish?" Rose asked.
"Decorate, to make it sound better, fancier, or more exciting," Ledah explained.
"Oh, okay," Rose said. "Thanks. Some writer I am…"
"Hey, don't worry about that," Fia told her. "There's plenty of vocabulary I have yet to learn too."
"I guess you're right." Rose sipped some tea. "But really, you should have seen what happened. His last attack split the beast clean in half, and each half destroyed every tree within two meters from the impact."
"That's huge!" Fia gasped. "How was he able to do that?" She turned to look at Ein, still sleeping facing the couch's backrest, his back to them. His wings were folded behind him, still emitting a soft glow. "That weapon…" She indicated Oracion. "That weapon is truly powerful if he can pull off something like that."
"That it is," Serene agreed. "He's a full-fledged Light Angel now."
"He's one level above me, and yet his power is more than ten times mine," Ledah added. "That's one heck of a jump in power for one level."
"I think you have a lot of power locked away too," Fia assured him. "You just have to open up, and your powers will come to you. Maybe you can even become a Light Angel too!" She sipped some tea and refilled the cups. "
"Yeah! The crimson Light Angel!" Serene exclaimed. "I love it!"
"Wouldn't that be the Red Angel?" Rose giggled. "Well, it would still be cool!"
"You're all fantasizing," Ledah murmured, sipping his tea with his eyes closed. "I have a long way to go before that happens."
"We'll see." Rose winked at him. "It might not be as far away as you think."
"Well, anyway, who's up for a walk?" Ledah suggested, suddenly changing the subject.
"Yeah, come on, let's go," Serene said, pushing Rose towards the door. Ledah followed silently, and Fia stayed behind.
"You're not coming, Fia?" Serene called.
"No, I'll stay with Ein," Fia replied.
"Okay then! We're off!" Rose called, and the three left the house, leaving only Ein and Fia inside.
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A/N: Well, that's that. Enough of the boring stuff for now XD. Not much to say about this chapter, so if you don't have anything to say for a review, you don't need to do it (though I'm sure a certain someone would have something to say for every third line or so… you know who you are ;D)
On the next chapter of The White Wings…
Chapter 10: A Visit from the Former Guardian (Release on August 10, 2006)
Title says it all again. Ursula pays a visit to Ein in his dreams to warn him of his new nemesis. The identity of the voice in Ein's head is finally revealed. And hey, what a nice sunset! Can Fia finally confess her feelings for Ein?