"I see, so you came early," Mark pointed out as Hanabikai helped to bring him to his feet. Hot sun fell to his blazed shoulders. It was finally beginning to set, and the clouds began to tint with orange, tainted with purple. Mark dusted his clothes, clouds of brown and gray eating at his hands, brushed away, unwanted. Hanabikai's grip loosened on his weighted arm. Those osmium weights were just too much, Hanabikai figured. He shouldn't have been surprised. Kanadou was in to the "no-mercy" style of training. Mark didn't seem to mind, either.
"Yeah," Hanabikai answered honestly and proudly. "I'm surprised you survived so long. I suppose you don't have many major wounds at all?" The team exchanged second's worth glares as they stood before the taller, more adult-like council, they shook their heads. Hanabikai seemed pleased. He nodded in satisfaction, content with a new, fresh feeling. Being in the Swamp of Mystery brought back memories, good and bad. So… Hanabikai thought, keeping a secretive, sneaky sense in his head. He stared to Walter, who seemed to be unnoticed of the Council's presence. He crumbled to a comfortable sitting position, and folded his legs, closing his eyes gracefully as if praying, meditating. Strained and tired hands lay on respective knees, taking their finally deserved rest. Fingers resisted movement. This is him… the Fire Council kept a lock on him with his brown, worrisome eyes. He swallowed hard, feeling an inner panic inside him grow from hundreds of years ago, beginning to churn and blister itself alive again. It fingered inside him, demanding an escape from its restrained prison. Hanabikai did not obey, despite his fear for this – this feeling that he thought he'd never have to experience again. If only White Cloak didn't open the scrolls for who knows why, Hanabikai thought nervously.
Walter… Hanabikai's thoughts continued. The Fire Council seemed strained. Eric gave him a suspicious look; a triangle of stares ending at Walter's closed lids. I can tell he has the same eyes as Tsukansu had. I feel rather…weird around him; it's like I'm caught up in Déjà vu, the Fire Council thought in a fearful strain. He almost looks exactly like him. Then we have this guy… The council shifted his stare to Eric. He caught his glance, and the Fire Minor did not hide. He kept his gaze going, as if searching deep into Hanabikai's eyes, knowing that he had a problem with something almost, wanting to take it, grasp it, feel of it and change it. They exchanged stares for a long time, Eric's dark, brown eyes staring right back into another set of dark, brown eyes, almost washing away the memory of the council's worries. It began to become hard to form thoughts correctly. Is this guy… the splitting image of me as well? Hanabikai wondered, interest piqued. There were some differentiating similarities, but the council couldn't quite put his finger on the answer.
Suddenly, Eric took away his stare, retreating his dark, protective eyes as he began to head right past Hanabikai. This surprised the council, causing him to give Eric a hard, watchful leering as he approached him. "Come," Eric suddenly said, no at Hanabikai's shoulders. They were facing opposite directions, as if caught up in a drama. Eric did not even look at his counterpart, while his counterpart tried to do the exact opposite, too self-conscious to turn his head. The Fire Minor's voice seemed all business. "I have something to ask you," he explained. Hanabikai gulped as Eric began walking again, almost forcing him to follow.
Walter eyes suddenly burst open in a calm manner, watching the two Fire Elements that fit together like a puzzle walk away, slowly creating distance and making themselves into tiny, tiny dots, unreachable by society like they have always been. The Water Minor gave a suspicious glare. Mark seemed lost.
Moments later, birds fluttered above, planning to reach the sun with their confident, brownish wings. They chirped and twittered at each other in competition, broad wings showing their beautiful prowess, their stunning feathers. Clouds neared them, ready to drop like a bomb on them, white fingers rowing the paddles of the puffy sailboat in the azure, redirected sea, making the ship trail slowly by, calm as the invisible sea that cradled along with it. How leisurely was their movement, how odd were their shapes.
Forest upon foresting trees surrounded the two Fire Elements, as if wanting to play ring around the rosy, with them, combined, as the rosy. Wind and light sifted through their crooked limbs, cragged hands of needless greed. They had nothing to gain, nothing to lose but their own stable, stationary lives. Shadows with punctured specks of light fell upon their faces, shaping the gray darkness into a bushy-like favor, masking their bodies with a chameleon-like camouflage, a new skin tone discovered. "What is it?" Hanabikai asked as he trailed slowly behind Eric, the two continuing to pace the forest. The specks of light seemed to move on their bodies as they moved along the growing grass, changing their features so quickly and noticeably. "We've walked enough," Hanabikai demanded pause. Eric followed indifferently.
The Fire Minor slowly turned and shot a narrowed glare at Hanabikai, showing nothing but seriousness. He did not care how much powerful he was than him; it seemed as if he was ready to rip the council to pieces, arms crossed fractiously in front of his broad chest. Clothes wrinkled. "What does the Water Element have to do with a silver energy?" Eric spat out quickly.
"Silver energy?" Hanabikai seemed confused. "What're you talking about?" His voice seemed up and down all of a sudden, as if it were hiding something he didn't even know about, the owner of his own voice!
"Walter…" Eric began, stating the Water Minor's name. His eyes trailed to the side diagonally, watching grass blades cool against the wind, swaying lightly in an unnoticed, unpaid hula. They acted as their own grass skirts, heads as arms and body as feet. How cool they thought they were. Hanabikai filled with even more astonishment, puzzlement filling him and showing through his fragile eyes. A tiny suspicion flickered inside him, unnoticed. "He cut off an opponent's arm with this blade that traced his arms with silver energy," Eric explained.
The flickering suspicion became a bonfire of light, cracking the idea-filled light bulb and replacing it with raging, untamed, burning thoughts of memory passion. No way… Hanabikai thought in his mind, catching himself speechless as his eyes began to peer into space, as if something inside there was much more of interest and pique than the current situation. How untrue this was.
"It was glowing all over him sometimes and –" Eric's words were suddenly cut off. A knife of words stopped his mouth short, slicing, threatening at his tongue with glimmering, meaningful spoken letters. Letters that could not have been interpreted easily to the human ears and mind process.
"Enough," Hanabikai stopped him short. Boy, how this invisible, glimmering knife of words worked! How much of awe it put into one's imagination! Amazing, truly amazing was it. "It was nothing," the council began. Eric was the one this time to change his features into a dazzle. Eyes crinkled in confusion, confounded by what was really going on. Lips lost steady track of the conversation and began to quiver with emotionless feelings – a nervous habit of some sort? No, it was not. "You're seeing things, Eric." Hanabikai turned quickly in disregard, footsteps beginning to crunch the young knives of grass once more. Eric watched his steady, unconfused back as the robes fluttered with a resistant, blocking wind. Fingers of breezes seemed to motion for Hanabikai back to his Minor Counterpart, but he, being more ignorant, simply brushed it off as a friendly caress of skin.
No way, the Fire Council thought as he walked towards the brighter area of sunlight. Specks of the dying halo in the sky strolled over every aspect of his skin and clothes. They friendlily danced on him like joyous, cheerful jubilation; distorted bodies of luminary energy deleted their unsightly selves from their recollection for once. There's no way that what Eric is talking about could be… Hanabikai refused to complete the thought and make it whole, refused to give it power. "Eric," he called out to his Minor Counterpart, pausing his crunching slippers for just a few seconds. The nature seemed to frown and mourn, grieving at the loss of snapping slipper noise. Dreaded silence seemed to spill everywhere. Voices began to echo.
"What?" the eighteen year old teenager asked, ready to answer anything for just a sliver of information. He paid close attention, arms stilled folded against his body, eyes still cross yet piqued with increasing interest. A cool wind nestled by as a long pause created distance between them.
"I'm counting on you," Hanabikai suddenly spoke. Eric seemed to be shocked at the unexpected choice of words. He pulled back, muscles beginning to lose their tense locks. Cross eyes began to loosen their narrow points, dulling them purposely. Tight arms softened, a large exhale of somewhat relief and somewhat indifference blew out in long-waited escape, long-deserved liberation. Hanabikai quickly resumed his walking, and slowly the nature around him began to cheer again, cheering at the fresh, powerful noise made by a powerful person, feeling welcomed and honored to have such a being in their forest's prowess. For once, it seemed happy. Eric slowly began to realize that Hanabikai had left his thoughts even more scrambled and scattered than ever. He sighed in tediousness. The talk had done nothing for Eric, but had done a lot for Hanabikai, the exact opposite of what was expected to happen. Fingers of thick trees tried to bow and touch the presence of Hanabikai, wanting to make sure that this was, indeed, not a mirage. Desperate hands failed. Apathetic, unmoved touches had no intention of doing so in the first place. Wind rustled, light pushes against skin, not strong enough to knock down this Council. I know it's not a really bad sign, but… Hanabikai thought. It must mean something, he figured. Eric would soon follow him through the forest.
PoVS
Derek, Kawari, Dylan and Zack sat around in a squared circle. They seemed to wait patiently, waiting for the sun to set, waiting for something new and fresh to approach them. Sighs went around from boredom. Derek found himself completed indifferent. Kawari hid emotions behind his full-of-care eyes. Zack was free to express anything, while Dylan seemed tightly tense, timid and afraid of something. This is how they remained for long, long hours.
Unexpectedly, Kawari's ear twitched; his fingers lightly tapped the ground. Rustling took place in the bushes many feet behind them. Quickly, his eyes moved to the corner of their lids, and just as swiftly, he brought himself to his feet. He made a stretching groan as he picked and replaced his things. Eyes began to lift and stare up at him, ready to listen to him as he seemed to call for attention without words and just one action. The eyes all seemed to hope for an idea of fun from the blue-haired teenager. "I should get going. I have to move," Kawari explained suddenly. Shocked faces went all around, mostly showing on Zack.
It was easy to tell that he would be the first to make a complaint. "What?" Zack cried out in rejection. "What do you mean?" he demanded seriously. His loud voice caused Derek to wince. Dylan stared up at Kawari respectively, eyes crinkled and sad, as if ready to cry, yet, in reality, not really.
"I have to get moving," Kawari repeated in different word choices. His voice was cross and straightforward. It somehow surprised Zack, causing him to become more serious as well, more focused, more confident and determined to convince Kawari to stay. However, these feelings remained much too far away from Zack's existing emotion. "People are after me," Kawari informed.
"But…!" Zack began to protest. He was about to get up on his feet and persuade Kawari to sit back down. His eyes began to narrow in growing confidence.
"Zack…" Dylan called out to his teammate. His eyes were crinkling at him now, and the Wind Minor noticed, causing his eyes to crinkle as well. His expected uproarious feelings calmed, as if a sandstorm finally subsiding in the hot, set ablaze deserts. Zack looked for Derek's reaction, and found it, watching a black-haired boy shake his head respectively, no eye contact. Zack seemed to sigh depressively on the inside.
"Okay, but…" the Wind Minor looked back to Kawari. He watched his blue hair fluster with the swaying wind. His clothes seemed ready to move, calling out to the wearer, beckoning him to get running all ready, to escape from something much, much overrated! Zack slowly brought his right hand to his face and took the other one to tear off the strip of fabric on his ring finger. It slid off easily like a ring, the white tasseled cloth slipping irresistibly. The kanji symbol of wind was portrayed shortly on the middle of it, a sign of his Base Minor element. The clear, sinless fabric seemed tainted with nothing but dusty air. How powerful, how successful it seemed from face value. It was almost speechless, mind blowing. Kawari seemed confused. Slowly, the Wind Minor took his other hand and tore off a long end of the ribbon-like cloth. The tolerant rip sent an attention-grabbing noise through the air. All eyes were hard on him as Zack's eyes remained at the pure, angelic cloth. "Here," Zack put out his hand delicately. In it held the torn fabric end, swaying in the air at its own, new ends.
Kawari gave a hard, suspicious and confused stare. "As a memory," Zack explained. Kawari's puzzlement faded and washed away. He smiled easily, and brought his hand out as well. Slowly, time handed the white, silky fabric into new hands. Zack tied back the rest of the cloth to his ring finger. "Are you sure you have to go?" Zack muttered sadly.
"Yes," the blue haired boy repeated formally. Zack remained displeased. Kawari sighed, and smiled a crooked smile, trying to cheer the brown-haired boy up. "Thank you, Zack-san," he showed his gratitude as he stuffed the strip into his pockets uneasily, as if it were no big deal. "It was nice meeting you guys," he explained. Dylan nodded and smiled. Derek remained indifferent, eyes still narrow and protective of what hid inside. "Bye," Kawari paid his farewell thoughts a thank you as he started for the trees far, far away. Vast acres of green and brown and shadow remained at his new road as he waved somewhat happily, soon disappearing into the shadows. Now, only the Minors remained.
"It's sad," Zack muttered, still displeased.
"Yeah," Dylan answered back. Derek still remained silent. Just what was he so quiet for?
Suddenly, a metal creaking caught the attention of the Minors, and brought their attentive eyes to the gate. The middle seemed to split, and creak open ever so slightly, separated walls becoming sides. They moaned eerily and creepily, a rusty grieving of despair given from their metallic ribs, glimmering off faint sunlight as they gave access to the outer world. Temptation filled the minds of the majority of the team. Of course, Derek remained outside of this group, however, he continued to watch those gates with suspicion either way.
"Hey!" a familiar sound boomed.
"No way!" Zack cried out, eyes broadening in shock.
Eyebrows began to rise. Sunlight began to flicker even more slightly. Perspiration was finally ignored! "Madasora-sama!" Zack cried out with his loudest tone. Its volume was not known to the human world. All three stared at the gate in their different emotional poses as they watched the last bits of sunlight shine their brightest crowd upon the entrance of the fluttering clothes, the tobacco pipe and the twittering, annoying bird of the Wind Council, Madasora. His crooked smile played with the tobacco pipe that was tainted with ash, its elephant mouth blowing out as much white-gray smoke as it could, its curved horn like a finger digging deep into the Council's teeth, ready to taint them in a yellow, moldy grudge.
"Ah, it's been a while hasn't it?" Madasora shouted just as loudly from his tobacco-filled breath. Now Dylan and Derek knew why the wind Minor and wind Council were so similar. Madasora's hands were calmly stuffed inside his pant's mouths, greedy mouths of hunger and mutilation, forever remaining unfed until now. Clothes fluttered with an uncontrolled wind of lost interest. Eyes crinkled happily and cheerfully, as if he had been stuck in this hellhole-Swamp of Mystery for a week, and the gates had just opened for him. Minasan, the bird of species nostalgia twittered and danced on the Council's proud and modest shoulder, dancing a happy dance with one, altering foot. Its whitish beak remained open in a jubilee hunger, a tiny, diamonded black hole of wanted feed. Its pale, tended wings fluttered about, tickling Madasora's cheek ever so slightly.
"Yes we can go home!" Zack shouted in jubilation. His eyes crinkled in a happiness that would last centuries as his loud voice began to irritate Derek. The black-haired boy's eyes began to narrow behind closed, annoyed, tanned lids. A tedious palm supported his perfect head.
"Settle down," Madasora demanded. The council suddenly appeared at their area, away from the open gates and finally right in front of them. So fast was his speed, the most agile of all councils! Not even Lance's detail-catching eye could figure out his trick for doing so. A long burst of air came as his presence came to. The bird seemed to become nauseated from the sudden decision of a rush. Madasora did not notice. "It's been a long time, eh, Derek-kun?" he asked as he nodded to Zack in acknowledgment and turned to the black haired Minor sitting irritably on the ground, legs crossed with each other. The sun seemed to linger on the backside of his body.
Derek nodded in further indifference. "Yeah," he muttered, finally opening his eyes and revealing his secretive dark, dark brown eyes that they were almost black. One could swear upon it.
"Dylan-san," Madasora called for the green-eyed Minor. He nodded quickly and cooperatively, flashing a wide smile, unable to help it from spreading across his face like peanut butter on bread, except with much more ease. "I hope Zack hasn't been too much of an idiot for the past six days and a half," Madasora wished as he snickered secretly behind closed lips that couldn't help but force a smile. Zack seemed hurt.
"Whaaaaaaat?" he moaned loudly and comically, his face going ten times its size and all chibi-like. How funny were moments like these, really? They were, in fact, hilarious! Madasora's bird chirped and chirped and chirped, laughing over and over again at the thought to be stupidity of the Wind Minor. Zack continued to seem sad.
Derek seemed to want to make a comment, but somehow, for some reason, stopped himself. His face slouched back to his supporting hand. His wrist began to sore. "Why am I always the one that gets picked on?" Zack whine unhappily. His child-like complaints annoyed the hell out of most people.
"Zack-san…!" Dylan called out to the brown-haired Minor scornfully from his place on the floor. The Wind Minor sighed. I'll miss that Kawari guy, Zack thought as he cried humorously. Dylan couldn't help but burst out a short laugh, stopping himself short as the explosion caused an attention calling.
From far away behind trees and trees and trees, Kawari watched. His back lay against the splintered body, tall enough to reach the sky. His no longer innocent eyes stared narrowly back at the three Minors and the Council come to pick them up, readying to bring them out at any moment. So they've all ready come, he noticed. No matter. I have no use for them any longer, Kawari thought in a serious tone as he turned away. His blue hair seemed to prick the cool, forest-stench air as his whole body began to hiss wildly, hiss like they had their own, snaky mouths of threat, of danger and hell as his own teenage skin began to spill out white smoke into the air above, unnoticed by the Minors that were so, so far away. And so, so naïve.