Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online. Gravity owns them, and I envy them so. I just wish that Ragnarok Online would receive the appropriate yaoi-lovin' it needs. And Getbackers…me no own them. Nu-uh. Ban-chan and Ginji are not miney.
Author's Notes: Looks like I have a plot here. Thank you for the reviews you've given me guys. I do appreciate them. -grin-
Warnings: A whole lot of swearing, cussing, potty mouth…whatever you'd call 'em. Yaoi / shounen-ai; that means' boy n' boy loving for the unwashed brain of society. If you dislike anything on that manner, kindly stop reading. Flames are appreciated, as they add to my reviews count; but I won't reply or mind them.
Err…yeah, and uh…'implied' playing with oneself at the beginning of the chapter. If you feel queasy about it, skip the whole section. Thanks.
Where was he? Ah…he remembered. Last night…the bar…him and a newbie crusader…apple tea. Blech…damn that drink, never did anything good for him. Ugh…he remembered how multi-colored lights engulfed the whole of his vision. He was still aware of his surroundings, but his vision proved too strong and distracting, he rather had his eyes closed than open.
The last he remembered was the strong grasp by his waist, gauntlets of the crusader no doubt. Hauling his lithe frame was no problem for the muscle-blessed youth, as Katze figured out he would need such strength wearing the hundred-something-kilogram-armor all day.
He closed his eyes once more, remembering the creaks of the wooden floor with the combined weight of the crusader and the professor he carried on his shoulder. The crusader had brains, Katze mused, asking the inn/barkeeper if the professor lodged in that inn and as to the room number he was staying.
He had felt the bed slowly engulf him, the cushions a bit too soft. The crusader had slowly laid him onto the bed, fixing the pillows at each of the professor's sides.
Randal sat on the bed, the weight of his armor causing the bed to creak somewhat noisily.
Slowly…Katze felt his armor shifting, and the crusader's youthful face hovering over his own. His warm breath, scented by milk or cream, traveled across his cold cheeks, warming it and reddening it.
A metal-clad hand brushed away a few strands of stray hair from his face, Katze remembered the feel of skin-warmed metal. He could still recall the sensation, as if it was burned onto his skin.
"Thank you, big bro." He finally whispered, causing Katze's countenance to scrunch into a troubled and confused expression.
"I've always felt alone…felt it was wrong…for feelings that I have for somebody I looked up to and like so much…"
There…Katze felt the touch of hesitant lips on his forehead, like what a friend would do to another. It was a light and feathery sensation, almost like running an angel's feather over skin.
"I will…go back to him. And I will risk my chance." He slowly stood up, wiping away unbidden tears. "I do not know if I even have a chance to start with…but I will still risk it."
Slowly, he stood up, and walked away, closing the door slowly. The hallway echoed his steps, until slowly, his steps altogether vanished.
And Katze heard no more, and cared no more. Sleep overtook him, and in his dreams…he was all alone.
Still alone.
Chapter 2: Entry 2
Eyes opened to the soft afterglow of the room. Morning sunshine slowly crept in, warming everything it touched. Birds outside sang a soft tune, celebrating life, freedom and love in the air. The noises outside were those of the residents of Prontera, scuffling around, always moving and never stopping. The church bells from afar signified that it was a Sunday…two hours more before Mass would start.
Light creeped upwards the bed, engulfing in its lulling warmth; soft, cotton blanket and shifting, pale, creamy skin underneath. Eyes blinked once more, sleep attempting to take over.
"Hurry up, koi!" A voice from outside the window of the inn he stayed perked his ears. "You're so slow, naaa" It obviously belonged to a male, seemingly just from his pubescent stage, judging from the cracks in the voice and its slightly high pitch.
"Oi, wait up!" Another man's voice, deeper and mature, assuming that of somebody twenty-one years old, hollered back. "You're one big ball of energy, you know that?"
I've got material to work on. Great timing.
A slight smirk flitted Katze's lips, as he removed the blanket covering his naked body. His lithe fingers worked its way towards the part of his body that thoroughly needed his special morning attention.
Slow strokes started, as he closed his eyes once more, ears more perked and more concentrated in hearing the dialogue outside his rented room.
"Uwaa It's so big! I'm not sure I can fit that in my mouth!"
"Silly. You don't have to put in all in. You can start a little at a time." Small laughter followed.
"S-shut up!" Katze could almost visualize the pout of the younger male. "It's no big deal for me! I've eaten bigger things than that!"
The slow, languid strokes he started earlier grew faster and more frantic. Sweat slowly flowed from the crevices of his skin, staining the light blue blanket into a darker shade. The room dulled his solicited moans, but nevertheless, the silence amplified his constricted howls.
More…
"Well, I'm pretty sure about that one." He was sure the older male smirked. "Dive in, if you wish."
More…
"O...oi…don't put it in all together! You might choke on that! Here, let me help you–"
"Don't you dare stop me! I plan on keeping my end of the challenge! Now stay still and watch me!"
More…
"Aaaah, don't put it all in! It might –"
"Uwa something white came out!" The younger male coughed, choking on one side. "It came earlier than I thought!"
Katze's eyes struck wide, catching his breath as his whole body arched to the shivers his body was riding earlier. His fingers stopped riding up the trapped shaft as ribbons of white slowly fell from above, landing mostly on his smooth chest and navel. A puddle of white slowly dripped down from his hips to the bed sheets below.
"Man…these custard doughnuts taste great even from years back then." The younger male got his bearings back. "Tastes just the way mom used to make!"
"Silly momma's boy." Katze could make out a smile from the older man's voice.
"Ne, let's go. We'll buy something to drink from the milk lady a few blocks away. Just so you wouldn't choke again."
Laughter followed, and amidst Katze's frenzied breathing, he could well hear the receding footsteps. His awareness of the bird's chirps, the creaking of the wooden floor slowly returned.
Staring at the ribbons of white adhering on his hands and at the tips of his fingers, he slowly bought it to his lips and licked at it all too cautiously. It tasted sweet, like honey, and then bitter, like myrrh.
A smile graced his wearied form once more, before tears steadily flowed from his eyes. A few minutes more, and he dragged himself slowly, away from the bed, to take his morning shower.
-
"Morning, youngster!"
Katze's slumped form turned around to meet the cheerful innkeeper, a burly man in his late 50's. His mustache wiggled so often every time he spoke to somebody. One of his hands held a clean rag, wiping down the counter of their bar.
"Yo, mornin' pops!" He grinned, changing direction to settle down in front of the innkeeper, now barkeeper.
"Also serve breakfast here?" Katze's face was fixed in a mischievous grin, one not too appropriate for his age; but nevertheless, made him all too endearing.
"Look it up in the menu, boy!" The barkeeper laughed, seemingly in a good spirit. "It's a Sunday today. Aren'tcha gonna go to church?"
"Aa." The professor gave his confirmation. "I've no plans of missing a single Sunday Mass." He saw items in the menu for breakfast and immediately sighed in relief. He had no plans of just eating bread and cheese for breakfast…boy, he was famished from yesterday!
"Good. Good." The man nodded in agreement. "Who knows when the world will end. Better stock up on our prayers!"
Sheesh, whaddya think of prayers? Canned goods?
"Ahahah…ehh….yeah." Katze weakly agreed, not in tuned to debating as of the moment. "I'll have the…uh…vegetable omelet…fried rice…and some coffee. Any peas on the omelet, by chance?"
And I'm also guessing your perception of faith is just the same? Something like a commodity, eh old man?
"Oh? You don't like peas, boy?" The barkeeper prepared the ingredients and heated up the pan behind the counter, unawares of the mockery his customer was directing at him. "This green stuff is good for you, ya' know!"
"Ahahah…weeell, my research says otherwise. But the main reason is I'm allergic to peas. Beans are fine, and I can tolerate nuts…but peas are just way out of my league." Katze ruefully scratched his head, thinking it wise not to make the man who would serve his food his enemy. He'd rather pass the day without experiencing an upset stomach.
"I understand, m'boy!" The barkeeper laughed, setting the bowl of peas aside. "I'm allergic m'self to shrimp! Turns me as red as those damned critters!"
Katze laughed, nodding and agreeing. He took his book by his side out and returned to reading where he left off yesterday. His eyes occasionally traveled from the book…to the eggs…to the rice…and back to the book. Never hurt to be cautious right? What if the man had mind-reading abilities?
All thoughts of food poisoning and ill thoughts were thrown out of the window when the old man dropped the cloves of flattened garlic into the heated pan. A few seconds passed before chopped onions and tomatoes followed suit. The smell was languidly acrid, and maternally oriented, as most mothers have the scent of the kitchen permanently attached to them.
Meat, shreds of cabbage, spring onions…it was standard bar fare, and yet Katze felt he was being lulled into nostalgia by the scent. Of course no, he wasn't thinking about his home he left behind (heavens forbid, it would cause his nightmares to act up once more!).
It reminded him of his friend, long time colleague and one time live-in partner and rival. The boy, yes a boy, knew how to cook, do the laundry, and was the top-notch student of the Academy.
He, Katze, on the other hand, just cleaned the house and sat in a corner to read, and still never managed to beat said rival from his pedestal of being top Sage back in those days.
This particular boy's turning point however, is his cooking.
People say that it takes music to soothe a savage beast. Well, in their live-in situation, it was almost the same. It took his cooking to soothe a disgruntled Katze.
Katze still wondered how he managed to juggle everything…from house chores, studying, school, work, and babying him (if that meant cooking for said kitchen-idiot Katze) and still managed to rise to the top.
That boy…no less a man right now. Maybe an outright genius from the start, one he had no hopes of beating.
He wondered where he was now. What could he be doing? Katze never received any news from him two years when they had separated ways. The boy had become a professor first, and did not even wait for him.
Almost three years of staying together, he still remained a jerk and a cold bastard, Katze mused.
His thoughts traveled back to two newly recruited Sages, down the hallways of Juno Academy.
Yes, not so long time ago. Not so faraway either…
(Juno Academy, two years ago)
"You're not worth my time. Hardly even my level. And you consider me your rival?"
The platinum blond graced a calculating look at the brown-haired Sage, fists shaking in anger.
"Just because old man Montague favored your thesis more doesn't mean you have to be an asshole about it! My thesis is just as good as yours!" The smaller youth gritted, eyes glaring back at uninterested ones.
"And using coarse language as well. How ever did Juno Academy accept your application of becoming a Sage?" The taller youth smirked, though it faltered immediately to show that not even his reaction was worth of the person before him.
The youth grew more irate, catching on the simply gesture. It was degrading. Very degrading.
"Easy, bastard! Because I'm smart! And not because I'm some pompous rich asshole like you!
He frowned. "Tch…I'm not stooping myself to your level as to waste every minute of my life conversing with you. Good riddance…"
"O-oi! Don't you turn your ass on me! I'm still talking to you!" He warned, half-panicky and half-furious. The score wasn't settled.
"And I'm not. Nor do I give any care about your need to talk to me." He continued walking away, not even to spare a glance.
"Stuck-up, little, prissy…FROST DIVER!!!" The brown-haired youth screamed, hands outstretched as a blast of cold energy rippled outwards to the direction of the other Sage.
No…he didn't mean it! It was unintentional! He should stop…stop the pillar of ice from turning the other boy into a frozen statue…
"MAGIC ROD!" The other youth was quick to respond, his mantle flapped as energy met with resistance. The rippling cold slowly dissolved into a vortex of blue, and it was quickly absorbed into the waiting hands of the platinum-haired Sage.
"Fuck…rich boy is fast…" He murmured, partly-awed and partly pissed off. Forget what he thought earlier, he still loved the idea of a bastard-on-ice.
"Oh my." The boy shook his hand as energy still crackled in small bolts of lightning. "It seems the cat has something behind his incessant mewling. And you took your time to learn such a useless spell."
"It's not useless, bastard!!! I've spent a better part of my years learning that spell, so don't fucking tell me it's use-"
"FROST DIVER!"
Freakin' fast…
"MAGIC…uwah!" Katze barely had enough time to catch the spell. The ice was faster compared to his, and a particularly large spike erupted in front of him, throwing him back.
Flakes and crystals of ice now shrouded the once dry and hot hallways of the academy. The stone tiles, immaculate and antique, were littered with cracks from where spines of ice and frost traveled; to and fro from both apprentice Sages.
"How innovative." The caster of the last Frost Diver remarked at the youth on the floor. His eyes skimmed the area surrounding Katze, prominences of red energy arcing and flowing around the stone tiles and the pillars. "You had set up Volcano even before using Magic Rod. No wonder your own Frost Diver was sluggish compared to mine."
Katze stood up, dazed up a bit, but a confident smirk graced his face. "That's because I'm a genius, and you are not, bastard. I had insurances not to be frozen by the likes of you." He took his Soul Staff behind him and focused his energies at it.
The other youth sighed, consternated at Katze's energy. "Stop it. I have no wish of being expelled from the Academy because of being involved by your stupid actions." He rubbed his temples as he turned around, deciding to leave the idiot Sage behind.
"…on kakaka makyou tenjin onmyou…Abracadabra!" Katze finished chanting, as he aimed his palms at the boy's retreating back. The distinct sound of crystals cracking, yellow gems no doubt, was audible, the other youth heard it even at their distance.
"Troublesome." He muttered, still walking away.
"METEOR STORM!!!"
"What the…" He was forced to turn around, awe struck as he saw Katze suddenly kneel on the floor, struggling with the spell. Lines of energy had now formed beneath their field, slowly converging into what was turning into a perfect runic circle for summoning meteors.
"Stop this at once." He turned around once more, furious at the irresponsibility the other was showing.
"I WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" He spit back, tears glazing his eyes. "Not until you recognize my power, bastard!"
"Your power?" He made a dirty face, apparently expressing his disgust at the idea. "This is hardly worth of praise…if you call this force as something that can destroy rather than create."
Katze sobbed, humiliated and insulted. "Fine…" he sobbed in between. "If I have to destroy to make people recognize…I will!"
He succumbed to the spell, kneeling down at the magnitude of Meteor Storm. Sages rarely get a lucky shot of using Abracadabra, and this was the first time he handled this spell. Volcano added to the pressure, the skill needed to control the meteors were rising as the damage capacity also rose.
"Idiot."
Katze looked up, surprised at the insult and the calm façade of the other sage.
"SPELL BREAKER!" He slammed his palm down, the lines of energy dissolved in an instant. The runic circle was shattered, and Katze was released from its hold, stumbling back and falling on his backside.
The other Sage swept the entire area with his arms, and created a perfect downward arc to his feet. Brilliant light spread throughout the area all of a sudden.
"LAND PROTECTOR!" He uttered softly. The pillars of ice, rime and hoarfrost, and the effects of Volcano all disappeared, shattering into nothingness. The hallway and stone tiles looked the same way it was before their confrontation.
Katze looked around, panic-stricken and afraid. Afraid of what he had thought of doing earlier, and what he was capable of.
-SLAP!!-
He missed seeing a hand slap him square on the face though.
Hard.
"Have you seen everything? Everything that I was able to do?" He stooped in front of the dumbstruck Sage, grasping Katze's chin forcefully so his eyes never left his face.
"All of what your so called "power" can do." He crooned tonelessly, piercing eyes fixed on those that reflected fear and sadness. "I threw it all aside. Your power does not mean anything to this world. So don't go around sticking your chest out and bragging about your parlor tricks –"
"Don't."
The platinum-haired Sage quirked an eyebrow.
"Don't you dare insult my power." Katze whispered softly. "You don't have any idea of what I went through…to improve this power."
"My past is my power. Everything I had to lose for this power…my family…my childhood…even myself!" He gritted, unable to stop tears. "Don't…just don't disregard my power!"
There was mutual silence between them. Katze, who rebelliously remained staring at the other youth, and the other Sage, grasping Katze's chin lightly, eyes trying to figure out the boy before him.
"Then tell me…why your power is useless against mine?" He finally spoke once more.
Katze looked away. Directly insulted. As in directly. Did it mean that the past was not enough for his strength to grow?
"It's simple." He softly let go of Katze's chin, surprising the boy. "Because as you said…"
"My past is my power."
"Chop, chop! Eat up, young lad!" The barkeeper waved a burly hand in front of the dazed Professor. "The food's getting cold!"
Katze shook out of his self-induced stupor, momentarily lost in a haze of memories. Looking at the surprised barkeeper's face, his slightly steaming bowl of fried rice, omelet and orange juice and the surrounding area around him; he apologized for his rudeness, said his prayers (itadaikimasu!), and dug in his food.
A little more and the bar's regulars came in. Wandering parties from different cities and different continents came in; some to relax and some to converge. Most of them were in search for party members, others were there for socializing. Still, a few of them were there for rumors or news about strange events, happenings and monster anomalies.
Katze wondered why he never joined a party. Scrap that…why he was never able to join a party. He was a professor, wasn't he? Professors were valued for their ability to create energy out of their life force, just as Priests were valued for creating life force out of their energy.
Professors rarely left Juno Academy or King Tristan's castle for that matter, so in extreme cases, it was once in a blue moon, can they find Professors walking casually down the streets. Could it be the fault of Creators and Alchemists, who, possessed more firepower via their Acid Demonstration and their energy-revitalizing Blue Potion Throw?
"That." Katze muttered, as he downed his glass of juice. "Or Professors are really down on their luck."
As Katze paid for his food, his near empty wallet reminded him he needed to get a job. Fast.
Or at least a party. Which was out of the question. Since, as he mused before, no one was in particular need of Professors nowadays.
"A job it is, then." Katze sighed, more to himself. He took a copy of Midgard Daily beside him, and browsed the ads for any job offerings. "Yeah, while people are out hunting and making names for themselves, I get stuck here doing nothing but paperwork."
Katze sighed more audibly this time, earning a few gazes from people near him. "Well, I guess no wonder why Professors were never meant for parties, nowadays. We're better off stuck in dreary, dust-laden office rooms, than outside in the Midgar sun."
He scanned the entire length of the bar around him, eyes skimming over heads of knights, blacksmiths, wizards and hunters. Seems like no one was interested in a Professor like him…
"Ne, Ban-chan." A blond blacksmith flopped bonelessly on a table nearby. "Where do you think can we find a professor, ne?"
Well, talk about devil's luck.
"Just keep your eyes peeled, Ginji." The priest sighed, bringing to his lips a lit cigarette. "We need somebody less stingy than Hevn and her outrageously-priced Blue Potions."
"Troublesome." The assassin cross beside them muttered, arms crossed in a gesture of secrecy in his line of job. "Do you think Professors even come to places like this?"
"Mou, Jackal-chan's right, Ban-chan." Ginji mumbled, looking more like a jellyfish every minute. "I think Professors are too…uh…too rich to come to places like these."
"The word is 'sophisticated', ne Ginji-chan?" The assassin cross named Jackal corrected gently, smiling at said blacksmith, looking all angelic and pure. He turned a deadly façade towards the priest however. "But, Ginji-chan is right, Ban. We're searching for a person at the wrong place. I suggest we try the Prontera castle or Juno Academy."
"Ma," The priest stood up, apparently tired of being ganged up. "let's go then. But really, it's an expensive trip going to Juno and we barely have enough to make the trip."
"Scuse' me." Man, I should work on my entrances.
"I believe I'd be one who can answer all your needs, as far as I picked up your conversation." Katze grinned, a palm outstretched in greeting, and his mouth murmuring a 'yo'.
The three glanced at him, the blond wide-eyed, the assassin cross disinterested, and the priest…well, not entirely looking at his face but rather at his waist.
The man Jackal spoke up first, an exasperated tone in his voice. "Ban…I'm sure we've talked about this before, and I've told you to do it only at night or any place otherwise where Ginji-chan is not concerned."
"Ban-chan…" the blond blacksmith was all teary-eyed. "You promised me! Ban-chan is a liar! I hate you! I hate you!" He wailed, running out of the bar, much to the surprise of a few patrons.
"O-oi…Ginji! It's not what you think it is! Wait up!" The priest muttered a slight curse, looking at the blacksmith's retreating figure and the person that suddenly just appeared in their midst. "Oh why! Why do bad things happen to handsome guys every time?! Ginji! Oh, c'mon, Ginji! You're misunderstanding!"
Katze just stared, as the priest ran outside, to catch the blacksmith that was fast disappearing from their view. A few sweatdrops littered his face.
"Alright."
The Professor heard the slithering of metal against leather behind him, and he immediately jumped away, hands prepared to cast a spell to whoever was drawing a blade behind him.
The assassin cross who was just sitting earlier, stood up, one hand holding an unmistakable Haedonggum and the other hand on a Main Gauche. The knife was so curved it looked like the letter J.
"Tell me, whoremonger, when and how much did Ban pay for your services?"
Silence fell in the whole bar, all the customer's ears picked up the word 'whoremonger'. Their eyes immediately leered towards Katze, suspicious glints and stares stabbed at his figure like needles and nails.
"Now, wait a second!" Katze flustered, a bit red from the accusation.
"Well, it is kinda complimenting to be mistaken for a whoremo- THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Dumbass! Do I look like a whoremonger to you?!"
The assassin cross gave him a once-over. His eyes skimmed the ruffled brown hair, the bluish fox scarf on the youth's neck, the lithe and stringy figure, the slitted uniform that exposed impeccable flesh in the hips, and the slight, effeminate way he carried himself. And not to mention the tight pants he was wearing.
"My mistake." He closed his eyes for a second. Katze sighed/
"Whore."
If Katze was made out of stone right now, he would have definitely split in half, crumbled and blown off by the wind.
Consternated beyond his limits, that was what the professor felt at the very moment. The intimidating glares he was receiving didn't matter anymore.
The man was going to die. A slow, painful, fiery, death.
"DOUBLE BOLT!" He intoned, flashing with a brief red aura, his hands held in a seal of some sorts. He immediately changed the pattern of his hands, pointing towards Jackal.
"FIRE BOLT!" Katze snarled, uncaring whether there were still people around them. Twenty spears of glorious flame shot through the roof of the bar, all aimed towards the assassin cross.
Jackal immediately shrouded himself in his tattered manteau. The flame bolts landed with pinpoint accuracy, shrouding the assassin with flames of varying degrees. A few of the patrons fled towards the other side of the room, only mildly perturbed that their day at the bar was ruined.
The flames parted, revealing the assassin cross unscathed by the attack. Both his blade were dripping with a vile, purple energy though, one which Katze all knew well.
"SOUL DESTROYER!" The assassin swung, releasing an arc of deadly energy. The wind blew with such force, half of the room's tables and chairs were scattered by that one attack.
"Shit…" The professor immediately raised his left arm in the air, as energy glowed between the stone tiles beneath his feet.
"FOG WALL!" His voice echoed, issuing dark mist from the floor beneath him. In an instant, a wide area around the professor was covered in a thick, heavy mist.
A split second and the arc of energy hit the wall of mist squarely. It automatically dissipated, disappearing in a display of violet lights and sparks. The fog wall looked little to not disturbed at all, shimmering mysteriously with its small specks of light and energy.
A few more seconds and the wall of fog dissipated, revealing a displeased professor with a blade by his neck from an equally displeased assassin cross, who held the professor in a neck lock. The assassin cross had melded the contours of his body with the professor's back – a little bit of tension, and the assassin would know his victim was planning escape.
"Give it up, sport." Katze nervously threatened, a bit intimidated by the coolness of the blade resting at his neck. "A bit foolish running in the territory of the Fog Wall. Can't see now, can'tcha?"
"I may be blind now," He smirked back," but I sure as hell don't need my eyes to feel if my blade had sliced a deep enough hole in your neck."
Katze was about to just create another hand seal when the assassin cross quickly took hold of both hands and restrained them effectively behind the professor.
"N-n-n…" He mewled softly, feeling slight pain shoot up from his hands and the feeling of something inconceivably hard digging at his backside. "Fuck…that hurts…"
"Until you promise to calm down, I am not letting you go." He silkily whispered, shifting slightly to a better, more comfortable position. "I will not risk the people and the property you damaged."
"We damaged, to be precise." Katze whimpered, the slight shifting of bodies now causing that something hard to dig deeper in his ass! Fuck! He had to escape! But the more he tensed up, the more the assassin pushed him (or rather pushed into him) deeper towards him.
"Let go…let go…let go…" He whispered, mewling as if in agony. Hell, I am in agony! My libido is going off the charts! "I promise to calm down! I won't resist! Just fucking get your sword out of my scabbard!"
The assassin nodded, albeit a bit confused by the last part. But when he let the professor go, he immediately understood the situation and blushed on cue. Katze just sat on the floor, spread eagled, blushing as well.
Fuck…was I stupid or was I smart? It's like resisting a gift. Damnit, Katze! Damn your virgin mind! That guy had an eight-incher, you dill!
And with the thoughts that plagued his mind, Katze blushed even more.
-
Half of the bar was a wreck, contributed by Katze's twenty Fire bolts and Jackal's Soul Destroyer attack. The owner was behind what remained of the counter, who apparently fainted, after seeing the damage done to his store.
A crowd had gathered around the wreckage, curious onlookers and passersby, watching and observing. The Prontera chivalry, a squad of no less thirty or so Lord Knights in their Peco Pecos, had set up borders and military lines around the site.
"Whoa, cripes." The priest whistled, returning with his blacksmith companion. "The hell happened to the bar? I wouldn't wanna be the dope who destroyed this place. And right at the center of the capital! The guy's gotta be high!"
"Ne…" the blacksmith sniffled, having just recovered from much sobbing and crying. "…where's Jackal-chan? –sniff– "
If they were set in a land of comic figures now, one would swear a light bulb suddenly lit up over Ban's spiky head, with a dawned and why-did-I-not-think-of-it look on his face.
"He was probably the one who did all this mess." He finally put two and two together, feeling proud of himself for figuring it out. Chibi-Bans in his head gushed and clapped their awe at him.
"Relax." A silky and velvet voice behind the two immediately spoke up, surprising the two almost out of their wits. "Oh my…Ginji-chan. Were you worried about me? I feel so loved." The assassin cross who appeared out of thin air, crooned. Ginji immediately backed off a bit, torn between relief and worry…for himself.
"Jackal…get your hands off Ginji!" Ban slapped the man's advances away with a thick book, consternation visible on his face. "And for chrissakes, what happened here and where the hell did you go off to?"
"You're plan of getting a professor? Forget it." Jackal eyed Ginji with slight disappointment, seeing him fidget up the priest's pants. "The sexy guy who came up to us was one. Set the damn place on fire, and don't ask me how it started."
"And frankly, I'd rather have Hevn than him. For the sake of both of you anyways. Knowing you, Ban, I doubt you wouldn't let any beautiful thing pass by you without you corrupting it." Jackal heaved a difficult sigh, shrugging at Ginji's inquisitive stare. Sighing once more, he produced a candy cane out of nowhere. Ginji immediately lunged for it, and Jackal got himself a handful of Ginji on his arm.
"Give me more credit, Jackal." Ban replaced his cigarette with a Romantic leaf. "If I did that, you think Hevn would have kept away from our party a long time ago?"
"I suppose." The party started walking away from the scene, almost forgetting about the disaster. "Hevn is corrupted as it is. I remember she was asking for a threesome with you and Ginji?"
"I could have taken up her offer." Ban grinned, glancing lovingly at the blacksmith that still clung at Jackal's lollipop-armed hand. "But Ginji and I just started back then…wouldn't want to break his innocence that quickly. We ended up giving her a show instead."
"Troublesome…the both of you." The assassin cross shook his head, but nevertheless smirked a little. Their conversation slowly died down as they disappeared into the horizon of Prontera Main Street, where they were sure, their alchemist party mate was hawking her wares.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
Katze yelled all the way from the scene of the crime to the drawbridge of Prontera's castle, drawing the gazes of curious passersby and onlookers at him. For a sophisticatedly (huh?) dressed man, he sure had the temper of an eight year old.
"You're hurting my wrists!" He lunged and bit the hand of one of the guards. The victim immediately dropped his hold and howled in pain. Katze was unceremoniously dropped, but he was nevertheless pleased, wearing a satisfied grin.
Screw the temper of an eight year old. Make that six…
"By order of the Imperial... hey!" The guard fidgeted with the scroll containing the order, as Katze remained being stubborn, attempting to escape every or so second. Of course, Katze could have easily zapped them sky-high with a bolt spell or either smacked them silly with his book. But his duty to the kingdom of Prontera reminded him that said guards where under jurisdiction of said entity…thus were ineligible targets for his ire.
"Uhurm…keep him still, will you?" The guard eyed his companion exasperatedly, who tried his best hold the whiny professor still. "(Again)…by order of the Imperial Chief of Scribes, you are to be come with us to the castle with your full cooperation as one bound to the laws of the meritorious Academy of Juno."
Katze slid them a pouty face, eyes narrowed in slits. "Imperial Chief of Scribes, eh?" He motioned for the letter and inspected it himself. The chief guard and his lackey merely shrugged, wondering why the professor bothered with the authenticity of the letter.
"Peh…"
The two guards eyes would have popped out of their sockets when Katze had casually torn the "imperial" order into shreds. Nevertheless, they had efficiently conveyed their expressions of shock when the professor gazed at them, haughtily covered his mouth with the back of his right hand and made "ohohoh" sounds.
The pieces of paper had did not float away as all natural pieces of paper did though. They swirled, and swirled did they. A pillar of light erupted in front of them, and Katze whistled in appreciation. The guards poked the mysterious beam of light curiously with the point of their spears.
"Well," Katze gave them a two-finger salute. "thanks for the delivery! See ya some time!"
Before both had the chance to ask what he meant, the professor disappeared; in what seemed to be a warp portal conjured by the scroll.
Katze shuddered, never liking the way warp portals delivered people to their intended destinations. He was still shuddering, a shiver kept running up and down his spine for some reason.
He experimentally opened his eyes, assessing the area around him.
A small, stone tiled room. No windows. Light provided by what seemed to be endless candles hanging on the wall. Bookshelves lined at each side.
He guessed that he would be under the Prontera castle dungeons, though more like in the bookkeeper's office. Old documents, tomes and books were archived here, before being sent for safekeeping at Prontera Library.
A rustling sound irked his ear, which twitched slightly. A solitary figure was behind a table, poring over signing and stamping documents. From his distance, the man (he knew it wasn't a woman) looked like a shadow.
"You called me here?" He called to the figure, who immediately stopped whatever he was doing.
The shadow stood up, his figure still unrealistically protected from the light. Okay…creepy.
Silk trailed behind his arms, the rustling of staffs and books beside him were faint as he neared Katze. The figure of a fox scarf entwined protectively against the man's shoulders were starting to get clear.
Slowly, light revealed the figure of a lean man, around his early twenties. Long silver hair, a sly smirk, and eyeglasses perched upon his nose bridge. It took a while for recognition to creep into Katze's face, but when it settled…
"K…Kianu?"
The shadow swept an arm, and in an instant, the air dropped forty degrees below zero. Ice flakes materialized out of thin air, and words were not spoken.
The only sound came from a ravaging spine of ice heading towards the unprepared Professor.
Yeah...I know. Pretty anti-climactic, ne? Thanks to the guys who reviewed, I always make sure to leave a response. It's just that I've been busy with Kingdom Hearts and...crap. No worries, I'm not gonna start on a spastic trip to No-Finish town.