A/N: Hopefully this will be the last short update in a while, the chapters should get longer after this one.

Bloody Abyss

Chapter 4

Reasonable Concern

"Explosion!" Lifting his blade to heaven, he released the fonons that his song had roused. His voice, as it had fallen and risen in an age old chant, had beckoned heat from the ground, the air, from Ginji, and a twist to the melody had turned heat to fire. Flames had come, and at his roared final word he released them. A spire of crimson smashed into the base of the mushroom, and the Albiore fell from it's inglorious perch at long last.

Somehow, despite the fonon drain and the weakness brought on by his illness he managed to stay standing. Granted the fact that he impaled his blade on the Albiore's steel side might have had something to do with that... Unsupported, unprepared, Ginji fell head over heels over the side of the Albiore and landed in the water with a loud wail.

For a moment Asch considered being nice. Of summoning the energy to journey to the edge of the ship and see if Ginji was alright. If he wasn't Asch was confident he could call forth enough fonons to push the man to some bit of floating mycoid. Confidence, kindness, and plans aside, his knees weren't cooperating. They bucked, and he collapsed, his hands wrapped around the hilt of his blade.

Pride alone was all the kept him standing.

And even that failed him when he closed his eyes to rest them for a moment and the world went black.

X

"And after I swam back there you were, out cold, pale as a sheet, slumped over your sword." Ginji snapped, glaring down at a groggy Asch. The young pilot's open face softened to a look of deep concern that made the god general wince. "I thought you were dead."

Stubbornly Asch tried to hold onto the thought that Ginji was only concerned, that the boy cared for him and it was only that that was making him over react. Still, his growled "I'm fine," wasn't very gracious.

"We're going to Belkend." Ginji announced with unbecoming crispness that reminded Asch of someone, but in his stupefied state he wasn't sure who. "I don't want to hear any arguments, people don't collapse after they cast a few spells."

"It was the size of the smallest tower in Batical." No comprehension flickered in Ginji's eyes. Belatedly Asch recalled the boy hadn't even seen much of Batical, save a glimpse of the city of light through the Albiore's port hole. "It's the size of..." Asch mentally floundered, mathematics, science, especially physics, they weren't his strong suits. Talking in feet, yards, or miles didn't make much sense to a man who gauged things on a more personal scale of perspective and observation than a scientific one. Remembering some of his history on Sheridan a comparison flashed into the warrior's mind that made him crack a small smile. "...of the rocket tower."

"Was not!" Ginji huffed.

"Know how much energy it takes to burn down a tower?" Asch asked, raising an eyebrow, his tone condescendence incarnate. "A great deal. And the fonons here aren't from warm blooded or even warm creatures... There just isn't anything for to take fifth fonons from, so I had to make a lot of them out of the seventh. It's a lot of work to do it once, but ten times? I'm surprised I woke up today, much less an hour later."

"How do you know what time it-" Ginji grumbled the last of the question while Asch pinned him with a smug gaze that made the boy growl. "Fine, so you know more than me. You always do! How's that new?" Still grumbling Ginji stood. "You really want to get to Mushroom Road so bad that you drag yourself there half dead, fine! Don't come crying to me when some egg headed mushroom zombie comes out of some mushroom choked abyss to eat you while your running around down there like a chicken with it's head cut off! What's so important that's out there that you're willing to die for it? Answer me that!"

With effort Asch managed to keep a straight face while maintaining his silence, and Ginji ranted some more about stupid suicidal priest-knights and stormed out.

The boy's last words though hung in the air behind him, and only long after Ginji was gone did Asch answer them.

My Mother's sick, she needs medicine. You wouldn't believe me capable of caring for someone like that, would you Ginji?"

Since Ginji was gone, there was only silence, and in his mind he amused himself in taking it in as shocked silence and with a humored chuckle he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

X

"We're here."

Sullenly Ginji announced their arrival, it was the most surliness Asch had heard out of the boy yet. Raising an eyebrow, the god general pushed himself out of the "observation post", and walked to the glass head of the Albiore three. To amuse the boy he'd started calling the chairs observation posts, and he had yet to be rewarded for folding to the boy's side. Granted, it was essentially a stupid argument, and Ginji might not care anymore...

Sighing Asch shook his head, the black edge of his lounging robe brushed the floor behind him. It had a sinister look -at least if you asked Ginji it was sinister looking- the red on the black. But to him a blank black robe with his red hair draped over it wasn't all that intimidating. But after spending the bulk of his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood amongst the robed priests of the order of Lorelie might have twisted his thinking on that score.

Frowning he cocked his head to the side, and stared blankly at what he thought was the mold encrusted ground that Ginji had picked to as a port. Wrapped in a haze of mist that offered surreal highlights to the mycoid tower -not all the mists were just a miasma tinted purple- it was somewhat surreal to see a multitude of mushrooms claw with stubby putrid fingers at the belly of heaven.

And I have to find one specific mushroom... out of all of that...

Eyes a little wild Asch abandoned his post and went to the nearest seat. Curious, Ginji set the Albiore on auto-hover and left his post to look at Mushroom Road. With an awed whistle the pilot returned and looked at Asch.

"It was nice knowing you."

"Ginji," With effort Asch checked the impulse to get up and throttle the boy. "shut up."