(Everglow) Here's another chapter up here for all my readers! I'm still surprised that I have been able to update as much as I have been, but I'm positive these updates that appear in a day or a week will not last. I'm sorry but I have work plus school, which has to stand in the way of writing. Stupid work and school!! Anyway, hope you all like the new chapter!
Disclaimer: Yeah, see Chapter one for this stuff.
Take two here we go!
Title: Reflection in the Moonlight
Chapter Four: The Flute Song from the Shadows
'Taye…you're out here all along again…is reading the moon really that important right now?'
'Lukan…it's important that I know how to read the moon perfectly for when it really counts…if you expect me to actually be more than just a failure then I have to be able to do my duty as the Moon Reader…'
'Well, I do see your point little sister…but do you have to be out here so late at night?'
'Of course I do…I have to practice while the moon is shining bright in the sky…and if I go in now then hours will be wasted on…on…Lu…Luka…Lukan…'
'Taye…Taye, you're falling!'
'Lu…Lukan, I feel like…'
'Taye, can you hear me…Taye, please open your eyes…someone please help us…Taye!'
"Lukan!" Taye cried out to the night as she shot up into a sitting position. Her blanket slid off of her weakened body as she held out her hand towards where Lukan had been clearly sitting in her dream before her vision had blurred. However, instead of her brother sitting there beside the fire, Yunsung sat there staring at the girl with concern evident in his eyes.
"No, but nice try kid," Yunsung mumbled as he looked back into the dancing flames. "It's me Yunsung…you know, the Flame Head."
"Flame Head…" Taye repeated as she felt the world around grow dizzy once more. "Oh…oh right…Flame Head…"
"Don't overdo it Brat!" Yunsung snapped, moving to his feet over to the girl and holding her steady. "You're still pretty much out of it…so don't go shooting up like a pistol!"
"Right…don't overdo it…ok," Taye whispered as she felt her body grow weak in Yunsung's arms, staring up at the boy with blurry eyes. "Lukan…is that you?"
"No kid, I'm not Lukan," Yunsung frowned as he laid the girl down and replaced the blanket on top of her. "Whoever that is."
"Lukan…my brother…is he really not here?" Taye questioned as she gripped onto Yunsung's wrist, keeping him from leaving her side. "Please don't tell me I was only dreaming."
"Do you have a brother complex or something, kid?" Yunsung joked as he sat down beside the girl, hoping to calm her down a little. "There's no Lukan here, kid…so you must have been dreaming him up or something…maybe you're hearing voices too like Talim."
Taye accidentally let a giggle escape her lips at Yunsung's attempt to cheer her up, but quickly regained her composure. It was not quick enough however, and Yunsung smiled at his accomplishment.
"So what's the deal with this Lukan you keep mentioning?" Yunsung asked, looking down at the girl that held his wrist captive. "Your brother…do you miss him that much or something?"
"Lukan…my brother…is like the only one who understands me back at home…" Taye whispered, her smile disappearing at the thought of her brother. "He was there when I first fainted, pushing myself too hard while reading the moon…"
"I see…" Yunsung nodded in understanding. "He must be a really great brother for you to be missing him this much…"
"He is a great brother…and my best friend…" Taye shook her head, wanting to talk about something else more than anything. "Where is Talim?" Taye quickly changed the topic, noticing the Wind Priestess was nowhere in sight. "Did you scare her off?"
"I would have to say you scared her off if anything, Brat," Yunsung mumbled, accepting the change of subject while continuing to let the girl hold onto his wrist since it calmed her down some. "You're the one who randomly fainted in the middle of our argument…"
"Oh, right…guess I kind of surprised her with that one…" Taye mumbled as she remembered how frightened the Wind Priestess was when she had first grown weak after the reading of the moon. "Talim does get worried a lot, doesn't she?"
"Well of course Talim gets worried a lot…that's the kind of person she is," Yunsung sighed as he brought his free hand up to his face to massage his aching head. "But no…Talim went off to get you some fresh water…"
Taye laid there beside the redhead, staring up at him with tired eyes. She couldn't help but smile slightly at how the boy was showing concern for her. Even after all of their arguing, Yunsung was still being nice to Taye and taking care of her in her time of need.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Taye whispered suddenly, refusing to switch her gaze from the redhead. "Last time I checked…I was yelling at you, and you were yelling at me…and the words being exchanged were anything but nice."
Yunsung remained quiet for a moment, staring into the flames, deep in thought. Taye continued to stare up at the boy in confusion, hoping he would soon break the silence.
"I guess it's because I was worried is all," Yunsung said finally, pulling his wrist away from the girl's grasp. "Now get some rest or you'll pass out again…I'm not going to be the reason that you black out anymore…"
"It wasn't your fault," Taye smiled as she grabbed onto Yunsung's wrist once more, bringing it close to her body and kissing his hand. "Thank you so much for caring about me Yunsung…"
"Hey, enough with the mushy stuff!" Yunsung yanked his hand away once more, glaring down at the girl. "Get to sleep now, you little brat!"
"Heh, you're so funny Yunsung…" Taye closed her eyes, slipping slowly into darkness. "Th…thank you…Yunsung…and…and I'm sorry…"
The boy sat there in the silence, feeling his cheeks burn red from the kiss on his hand. That girl was certainly acting weird towards him. She must have been totally out of it to kiss his hand and say such kind words to him. Yet, Yunsung couldn't help but smile and feel grateful to the gods for letting the girl be all right and able to speak with him once again.
"You're welcome…" Yunsung mumbled as he stared up at the moon above them. "I'm glad you're okay at least…Brat…"
'Lukan…I'm so glad I was able to speak to you alone…'
'Taye…what is it…why are you looking so troubled?'
'Lukan…the elders…they're actually trusting with a mission…they trust me with a mission, Lukan!'
'A mission…what kind of mission are you going on?'
'A mission to destroy the demonic blade Soul Edge…the elders actually think I can be able to destroy the sword all on my own…isn't that cool?!'
'All on your own…so you're going to be all by yourself on this journey?'
'Yeah…I'll be all on my…I'm going to be alone…oh no, what if I can't handle myself on my own, Lukan?!'
'You'll be fine, I'm sure…you've always been able to kick my butt little sister…but you know, I still can't believe that you're finally able to go on a mission on your own…'
'Yeah, I know…isn't it crazy?'
'Yeah…are you sure I can't come with you for just a little while?'
'I'm positive…the elders said that no one from the village is allowed to accompany me on my journey…not even my big brother…'
'Well…I guess they do want you to prove that you can handle yourself…but I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine on your own…so don't worry about anything…you just go on your journey…and I'll take care of the village…I might even try to read the moon from time to time…you know, to check up on my little sister…'
'Ha, that's funny Lukan…you know that I'm the only one with the ability to read the moon…but you know, I don't want you to be left alone here…and what abut Mother… Aden and Anee…I don't think I could leave you all for so long…'
'Oh please, Taye…we'll be fine…all of us are proud of you and want you to accomplish your mission with flying colors…'
'Everyone?'
'Yes, we all want you to do well...me, Mother, Aden, Anee…and even Father…'
'Father…'
Taye awoke once again next to the campfire; amazed to see Yunsung sprawled out on the other side of the fire. Taye knew that Yunsung was sleeping soundly because his snores echoed throughout the campsite.
"I'm so glad to see that you're awake now, Taye," Talim whispered from her seat next to the snoozing redhead. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel better than before," Taye answered, sitting up carefully so that another dizzy spell did not overcome her. "I'm sorry to have worried you and Flame Head."
"Oh, I'm just glad you're all right," Talim giggled at the new nickname that was given to Yunsung. "I was so worried when you suddenly passed out like that…you should have told me that you were still weak from the moon reading."
"It suddenly came over me…I'm really sorry that I ended up causing trouble for the both of you," Taye's gave a saddened look as she shifted her gaze away from the Wind Priestess. "I'm so sorry…"
"There's no need to apologize, Taye," Talim placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, smiling. "You know…Yunsung was really worried about you when you passed out…he insisted that he stay with you this whole time…he only recently went to bed because I made him…"
"You made him?" Taye giggled at the thought of Talim forcing the redhead to get to bed. "You've certainly got that boy under your control, Talim."
"Well, of course," Talim joked, handing Taye her canteen. "Here's some water…I got it for you earlier but you were still asleep when I came back to give it to you."
"Thanks Talim," Taye gratefully took the canteen, bringing the nozzle to her parched lips.
Taye took a gulp of the satisfying liquid, happy to finally have fresh water pouring down her throat. Talim sighed as Taye finally removed the nozzle from her lips, and handed over the canteen back to the Wind Priestess.
"I was worried when I came back from getting you the water," Talim gave a guilty smile. "I thought that if you had woken up that you and Yunsung would fight again and worsen your condition…but it seems I was wrong."
Taye stared up at the Wind Priestess in confusion, trying to figure out why she did not already know about Taye and Yunsung's talk during her absence. Taye was about to mention that she had indeed woken up and talked with Yunsung with minimal arguing when she heard the faint sound of something playing in the night.
"Do you hear that?" Taye whispered as she looked up towards the sky. "Do you hear that music, Talim?"
"Music?" Talim repeated, looking at Taye with concerned eyes. "I'm sorry…I don't hear anything…are you sure you're hearing actual music Taye?"
Taye nodded, getting to her feet abruptly as she followed the sound of the music. Talim watched the Moon Reader with wide eyes, scared that the girl was going to overdo herself again.
"Taye, please lay back down…you're in no shape to be up right now!" Talim jumped to her feet, trying to grab the girl before she disappeared into the forest. "Taye, wait a minute…Taye!"
It was too late. Taye rushed into the forest before Talim could stop her. The Wind Priestess began to panic, pacing back and forth unsure as to what she should do.
"Oh no…oh no…oh no!" Talim continued her pacing as she tried of think of what to do next. "Should I go after her…should I let her be…what if she faints again…what if she's attacked…what if she…Ah?!"
Talim froze as a large hand came down upon her shoulder, causing the girl to gulp down in fear. This was not a good time for him to wake up.
"Judging by the fact that the brat is not where I left her and I wake up to find you pacing back and forth while whining about going after someone, I can conclude Taye ran off." Talim turned heel to face the angered Yunsung that held her shoulder captive. "I should have known better than to listen to you when you told me that you had everything covered."
Talim cowered before Yunsung, trying to escape the full onslaught of his anger. Talim could feel the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and she could not bring herself to even look up at the redhead.
"I know I said I had everything under control…" Talim whispered, feeling the guilt overcome her as she let her tears flow like waterfalls. "I'm really sorry Yunsung…I thought I could handle everything…she just surprised me and suddenly rushed into the forest talking about some sort of music playing!" Talim brought her hands up to cover her face, trying hard to hide her tears from Yunsung. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to screw up like this…I'm so sorry, Yun…!"
"Well, this certainly isn't like you at all," Yunsung brought his arms around the Wind Priestess, pulling her into a comforting hug. "Don't cry, Talim… we just have to chase after the brat as quickly as possible in order to make sure that she gets out of the forest without passing out again…" Talim pushed away from the redhead, looking up at him with watery eyes. "Now tell me, Talim…which way did the brat go?"
(In the Forest)
Taye followed the sound of what appeared to be a flute, ignoring any cries that Talim had made as the Moon Reader left camp. Taye felt compelled by the music and needed to know exactly where it was coming from. Taye needed to know who was it in the forest that was making such a beautiful sound.
"What the hell is up with me right now?!" Taye cried out as she continued to storm through the woods, hoping to come in contact with the player soon. "It's like I'm being drawn in…like I'm being hypnotized or something!" Taye let out a scream as she tripped over a branch, falling forward towards the ground. "Oh no!" The girl groaned as she came in contact with the hard ground, feeling pain move throughout her body. "Ah, great…just great!"
"Smooth, Kiddo!" Taye gasped and looked up from her place on the ground, trying to locate the owner of the obvious female voice. "Uh oh, you better look out…seems Midnight's on the attack!"
"Mid…Midnight?" Taye squealed as a small black dog came bounding towards her, attacking the defenseless girl with his wet tongue. "Stop…hey, stop it…!" Taye couldn't help but laugh at the dog that continued to lick her face. "Well, aren't you the happy boy…"
"Midnight has always been a happy boy," Taye took the dog into her arms, pushing herself up into a sitting position as she scanned the trees above. "So, Kiddo…you've heard my song, I presume?"
"Who are you?" Taye called out towards the treetops, still unable to catch a glimpse of the other person. "Why are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding, Silly," Taye watched as a girl leaped down from the trees beside her, her strawberry blonde hair falling over her face as she landed. "See, I'm right here."
Taye watched as the girl brushed the hair out of her face, revealing her kind smile and beautiful hazel eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. In her hand was a wooden flute, which was obviously instrument that was being played.
"I'm glad that you came here, Kiddo," the girl smiled, placing her flute into a pouch that was tied around her belt. "I was hoping my flute would lure you out here…oh, but not in a bad way…" She explained at Taye's startled look. "I simply wanted to meet the Moon Reader herself…being as I have heard so much about you on my journeys." The strawberry-blonde held out her hand to Taye, smiling. "So, here I am to meet you."
"Um, you wanted to meet me?" Taye repeated, staring at the girl's hand in question. "Can you tell me who you are…sine we have yet to be introduced to each other?"
"Huh?" The girl blinked for a moment before smacking her head as she giggled. "Oh, silly me…I totally forgot to introduce myself…I'm sorry…my name is Margaritte…but, I actually prefer the name Poppy."
"Poppy?" Taye continued to stare at the hand, questioning on whether or not to trust this newcomer that had lured her deep into the woods. "Poppy…what is your reason for luring me out here all alone?"
"I didn't expect you to come out here all alone…that was your fault," Poppy shifted her gaze down to her awaiting hand, showing a bit of impatience. "Well…can you introduce yourself, Moon Reader?"
The Moon Reader frowned slightly at the girl's response, disappointed that she did not receive a clear answer. However, Taye finally gave a sigh and relented, taking hold of Poppy's hand. It was surprising to Taye that the strawberry-blonde simply wished for her to shake her hand: she did not even try to capture or harm her.
"This is weird," Taye mumbled, staring up at the girl that towered at least six inches above her. It didn't help that Taye was naturally short either. "I'm Taye, just in case you were wondering…"
"Taye, Hm?" Poppy's smile brightened, as she yanked the girl into a hug. "Well, you're certainly a little one…but aren't you just the cutest thing?"
"Um…" Taye's eyes were wide as she struggled in the other girl's hug, hearing poor Midnight whimper as he was smothered between the two girls. "Hey…personal bubble…you've popped it completely!"
"Huh…oh?" Poppy laughed to herself as she pulled away from the freaked out girl, petting the black dog that panted in Taye's arms. "Well Midnight, seems we've both made a new friend."
Taye continued to stare up at the other girl, watching her as she scooped Midnight out of the Moon Reader's arms and hugging him with care. She was…different. That's for sure. However, it seemed to be a good kind of different. And she did show signs of being a caring individual, no matter how strange her manner was.
"Well, Kiddo…sounds like you're being called," Poppy interrupted Taye's thoughts, backing away from the Moon Reader quickly. "Don't want your friends to worry any more than they already are, right?"
"Huh…hey, wait a minute!" Taye snapped, causing the strawberry-blonde to stop in her tracks. "What was the whole reason for calling me out here…tell me what's going on…I know you couldn't simply want to meet me!" Taye moved towards the girl, watching her as she let the dog jump out of her arms and onto the ground. "How could you even know that I was the Moon Reader?!"
Taye fell silent as the girl pulled out her wooden flute quickly and yanked it apart, revealing the flute to actually be two blades that came together to form the instrument. Poppy brought the blades up to the Moon Reader's throat, her facial expression revealing nothing to the girl. Midnight began to growl as he stood at Taye's feet, prepared to launch himself at whoever made the next move. Taye felt scared but could not scream out to her friends whose voices could now be heard and were coming closer. How could she let this Poppy girl get the better of her?
"You seem scared, Kiddo…but no worries," Taye blinked as Poppy smiled and pulled her blades away from her throat. "Your eyes were like…the size of lemons…you little scaredy-cat!"
"That…that wasn't cool at all!" Taye screamed, backing away from the strawberry-blonde. "What in the world is your deal?!"
"You couldn't even react in time to grab your weapons," Taye shook her head as she patted her hip, luring Midnight over to her side. "As for why I called you out here with my flute…it's exactly as I said…I wanted to meet you, the Moon Reader."
"But how did you know I was the Moon Reader?" Taye questioned again, trying to calm her beating heart down. "Please, just tell me what's going on!"
"I suggest you be careful as you proceed forward towards that sword you're hunting, Kiddo…I sought you out because I wanted to warn you that you're about to get yourself into a war that you won't be able to escape until you are dead…or you assist in destroying the sword that caused all this fighting," Poppy sighed as she continued on with her explanation. "Soul Edge is a demon blade…and it can easily take over your soul…yet you still go after it."
"Soul Edge?" Taye repeated, staring at Poppy in confusion. "But I'm going after Soul Edge to destroy it…I don't want anything to do with that blade besides destroying it completely."
"Right…you wish to destroy it…" Poppy smiled again as she nodded towards Taye. "Good girl…I was worried that when I had heard of the Moon Reader going after the sword Soul Edge, she would use it and lose her own soul to the blade…but I guess I was wrong."
"Taye!" Yunsung's voice echoed over the trees, growing louder with each passing minute. "Taye, where the hell are you?!"
"Seems your friends are worried still…so I'll leave you to them," Poppy bowed as she scooped up Midnight in her arms. "Listen Kiddo…I knew you were the Moon Reader because someone told me you were the Moon Reader…and they wished me to at least warn you of the dangers you're going to face on your journey." Poppy waved childishly at the confused Taye. "It was nice to meet you though, Taye…and I'm sure our paths will cross again soon!"
With that, the girl jumped into the shadows, disappearing completely from view. Taye stood in amazement and confusion, trying to figure out what all exactly happened during her time out in the middle of the woods. Poppy was certainly a strange character, but it seemed like she was simply treating Taye like she was her little sister. The Moon Reader inwardly smiled at the fact that someone had been concerned for her well-being and all, but she still wanted to know who had told the strawberry-blonde who she was and that she was going after Soul Edge. Taye wanted to know more about everything at that moment, yet no answers were coming to her.
"Taye, you little brat!" Taye snapped out of her thoughts as something hit her in the back of the head, catching her off-guard. "God, your reactions suck…what's the deal with you running off like that?!"
"Yunsung?" Taye turned heel to find Yunsung and Talim both charging over towards her, concern evident on both their faces. "Yunsung and Talim?"
"Oh Taye, I was so worried about you!" Talim threw her arms around the girl, happy to finally find the Moon Reader safe and sound. "I was scared that you were going to pass out again in the middle of the woods…or something even worse happening to you!"
"Talim…" Taye smiled as she returned the hug to the girl, guilty to make her worry like she did. "I'm sorry for causing you to hardly get any rest tonight…and for everything that's happened."
"Yeah, you better start apologizing to me too!" Yunsung snapped, batting Taye in the head as he fumed beside the girls. "You little pain in the ass…I shouldn't have bothered coming to look for you!"
"Yunsung, don't be mean to poor Taye!" Talim released Taye from her grasps and punched the redhead hard on his arm. "She's dealt with enough tonight, don't you think?!"
"We've dealt with enough ourselves, Talim…mostly at this brat's fault!" Yunsung rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I should have listened to my better judgment and just kept on sleeping…I shouldn't have come out here searching high and low for this girl."
"But you did anyway…" Taye smiled as she nursed her head from the punch that Yunsung had given her. "For that alone…thanks Yunsung…you big Flame Head!"
Yunsung would have yelled at the girl, but he was taken aback from the actual act of Taye thinking him. The redhead certainly was expecting Taye's attitude to fully surface again and to continue on with the fighting that they had left off on. Instead, the girl was actually showing gratitude for him being there. Yunsung was confused, but appreciative himself. He couldn't help but blush somewhat, looking away from the girls as they both stared at him.
"You're welcome, I guess," Yunsung mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and backing away into the woods. "Let's go, Brats…I'm tired and haven't gotten much of any sleep tonight at all…and the sun's bound to appear within the hour at the rate we're going tonight."
(Elsewhere)
Poppy let her feet swing freely below her from her seat on the highest branch of a nearby tree, watching as the three teens walked away back towards their camp. Midnight panted heavily from his spot in the girl's lap, excited to be up so high with his master. The girl giggled and patted her puppy's head happily, smiling when she lost all sign of the three teens in the clearing below.
"Well Midnight, that was fun, wasn't it?" Poppy questioned, letting out a sigh of relief. "At least I was able to get some information on them…"
"Poppy: time to report!" The girl jumped and almost screamed at the sound of the new voice. "Geez, I thought you were going to work on those senses of yours!"
Midnight growled for a moment at his owner's sudden jump of fear, but relented as he caught sight of the tall boy leaning on the trunk of the tree beside Poppy. The boy's ninja mask was removed from his face, showing his clear blue eyes and his devilish smirk. Poppy fumed in her seat, as she gazed up at the ninja beside her, wishing that he did not have to test her so much.
"But I have been working on them, Jayme!" Poppy whined from her spot, staring up at the tall boy at her side. "You are like the only person who I can't react to, all right!"
"Well, work on it some more so you don't react like a scared, little girl when I come back for a report," Jayme's smirk vanished as he got back to the business at hand. "So, what information have you found out?"
"Huh…oh?" Poppy giggled slightly at her sudden mind block, but quickly remembered what she was supposed to report. "Well…Taye was her name so we have confirmed that this girl we are pursuing is the Moon Reader. Also, the two companions with her are a girl named Talim and a boy named Yunsung. I believe they also hunt the sword Soul Edge."
"That's all you could find out?" Jayme questioned as his eyebrow rose up. "You haven't found out anything else?"
"Taye doesn't plan to use the sword for evil purposes!" Poppy pointed out as she smiled up at Jayme. "Isn't that good?"
The ninja stood there for a moment, glaring down at his companion with cold eyes. Finally, he reacted like he always did when the girl would give him a bullshit answer. He brought his fist down hard on top of the girl's head, making her cry out in pain. Midnight growled again at the ninja, angered by the sudden abuse towards his owner.
"That wasn't nice, Jayme!" Poppy cried as she nursed the top of her head. "Man, can't you be a little gentler on me…I am a girl, you know."
"Yeah, well you certainly do act like one, don't you," Jayme sighed and reached out a hand to the girl. "Come on, let me help you up…we need to get going…"
Poppy stared at Jayme's hand through her tears, debating on whether or not to accept it. However, when the ninja started to lose his patience and began to motion to hit the girl again, Poppy quickly took hold of the boy's hand and scooped up Midnight with the other. Jayme smirked at Poppy's quick reaction and pulled her up to her feet, making sure she was steady on the branch.
"Are you going to report to Lukan, or should I?" Poppy asked the boy beside her, still gripping his hand like her life depended on it. "I know you're probably tired from all the scouting and stuff…so maybe you should rest here and I'll…"
"I'm not tired at all," Jayme chuckled as he helped Poppy leap down the tree to the ground. "But you need to keep pursuing Taye for the time being and try and find out some more information…this is not enough for our client to be pleased."
"Aw, Lukan will be relieved enough to know that his sister is alive and well," Poppy smiled as she pulled away from the ninja, waving back at him as she turned to follow after the teens. "I'll do my best to keep an eye on the Kiddo…you be careful returning to Lukan, all right!"
With that, Poppy disappeared into the trees, followed at the heel by her faithful dog Midnight. Jayme stood there for a moment and waited, making sure that Poppy didn't end up getting hurt along the way. The girl was still new to all this fighting and spying, and she most certainly was a klutz when it came to running in a simple, straight line. Jayme smiled to himself and finally departed back towards the Village of Moonlight, where Lukan awaited to hear news of his sister.
(AN) Well, there's chapter four for you guys. Not my favorite, I must say but it's not like I totally despise it or anything. I actually really hated Poppy when I started writing her again, but after reading it over and over with my trusted beta, I discovered that I liked her more and more. Sure, she's a little weird now but that's ok!! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please review. Thanks to all my readers and my beta inthisdarcness!
(BN, i.e. Beta Notes, lol) Hey guys! Once again, I've been a horrible friend and dragged my feet in beta-ing this chapter. Oh so sorry, it's been done for a while, but computer problems combined with some RL issues have made it quite difficult to get out. Oh so sorry and I swear that Chapter Five will not be this bad. Thanks for your patience!