Kuroi no Mahou
Aquatic Twilight
…
" I can feel it running… inside me." murmurs Taro as the excitement fueled him completely.
He can feel the soothing aqua ride within his coursing aura. Even if the pain in his eyes didn't fade completely, he felt very excellent. And having forgotten Elsa, the girl slowly emerged to his back, with her mouth over the mouthpiece of her enchanted flute " Hey, I never thought you can forget about me."
Taro looked back at her with a bold smile " Let's begin then!"
Within the lapse of a second, the two clashed. Aqua like beams started to spin out of the water as Elsa hid behind the rubble; her flute still playing a melody Taro isn't quite familiar with. All of a sudden, emerging from the shadows of the room were random figures of demons, all dashing towards Taro. But Taro evaded easily and the aqua beams he summoned sliced through the shadowy figures. Taro somersaulted to his back, evading a few shadowy figures from hurting him.
" No chance, Elsa!" And with a with a graceful flick of his arm upwards, the water leaned forth to produce large string like attacks towards Elsa.
Elsa was a bit deliberate in evading, so she commanded her shadowy figures to protect her. " Damn it!" I can't believe Taro! He just got his Fujutsu Object—and it felt like he's been using it for forever!
It was only a while before Taro caught her off guard. The strings of water got her left and right hands and her feet. Taro eased off the water that bounded her a bit and spoke " Surrender, Elsa."
The girl reluctantly shook against the constriction of the water. She flailed around, only to show that she hasn't given up yet. The look on her eyes was bloodshot and angered, but it didn't bother Taro until now. " I know we're enemies and all—" his tone was in concern " But why are you keeping that bound expression?"
" I won't tell." Finally spoke Elsa. Of course she's a child, but she acts not at her righteous manner. That superior look she's giving Taro was purely out of act, even though that's the look Germans usually arrive with when facing enemies.
Sighing, Taro made the strings of water let her go. It shocked partly half of Elsa, but the other half was highly suspicious. " Escape." He spoke in a rasped tone " I'm sure Schneider will have you in…"
Elsa growled. Her eyes narrowed. How dare he show compassion for his enemies! Certainly Taro hasn't experienced war, but the likes of thinking at that compensating age should be enough! The last thing Elsa had on her mind was Taro, unbinding her and setting her free—hoping to let her live another day! She knew that he was being considerate, but she wasn't falling for it… Even if the sympathetic composure is in him. " I won't escape, you fucking bastard!"
In a quick manner, her flute was instantly transformed into a long shaft—a trident. Taro scowled inwardly but suddenly, he felt a stringent pain pierce within him… And soon, he felt himself bleed. " Blood…" Taro's eyes widened in distress… A Pool of blood was formed. His blood. The trident struck him down the cold ground and before he knew, his eyes were readily failing him…
" Die, Taro Misaki…" scowled Elsa as she quickly thrusts the trident towards him. Left and right, but Taro evaded—only escaping with a few scathes on his face. His eyes looked crazily deprived of a rational mind. And his terrified shrieks seem to have come from an inner fear for the situation.
Elsa's temper brushed off mildly while trying to get a good grip of the trident, having had the notion of hacking Taro to pieces. But the boy felt himself scurry away from the trident, turning around agilely; he felt a long, seething pain slash across his back. He fell down the floor again, his eyes now boring a lost impenetrable insanity… Soon, he felt the cold wall behind him. Elsa has successfully cornered Taro. Raising her trident, her teeth bare and her eyes narrowing with confusion, she didn't falter a bit. All that was in her mind was finishing off the pitiful bastard in front of her. But… It took her a while to register what she must do.
The weight of her anger was rising and falling. Either to finish Taro, or to control him, now that he's nearly lost his mind. Looking at Taro was hard, but she managed a peek. The boy's eyes were filled with a lost soul, and his cheeks sheltered painful scratches. His uniform was tattered and blemished with a deep rouge of blood. But the deep thrusts on his chest were never left unlooked; for the amount of blood traced was damp and deep. Dragging his back across the cove's aquamarine floor left pools and traces of blood. Taro was in no good situation, in health and in mind.
But, as Elsa was ready to strike the boy, her breath caught as the self same tears she shed tarnished Taro's striking face—even if it was drenched in blood. Soon, the tears gradually increased and it somehow bothered her. But the tears that cascaded down his face seemed so fine and pearl-like, and so much tempting to be wiped off of his fair skin.
" I GIVE UP, DAMNIT!" shrieked Elsa in a shrill tone, as she threw aside her trident to care for the horror-stricken, hemophobic Taro. But as she neared, she noticed something wrong. At every tattered part of his clothes, there were no apparent signs of scratches or stabs. Elsa didn't hesitate to rip open his uniform to see the large stab she dealt to him. Her mouth full of questions just unfolded the answer to her. Taro's tears can heal?
And out of her fear and surprise, Taro's eyes had that normal glint of significance to his soul. She fell back, in forlorn and shock as Taro emerged up with no help whatsoever. " I see you are not worth being trusted, but you can certainly know when to give up." His mouth curved upwards in a smile, even if his voice was laced with sarcasm.
" Oh my god." Gasped Elsa, as she dodged looks around Taro " What the hell just happened? Are you faking that?"
Taro just walked towards the waters and replied, " No. I guess I really did have that fear." He paused to take a look at his clothes "And I think you owe me for ripping my uniform that Miss Yuuki made."
Miss Yuuki? Elsa's brow furrowed. That very name Taro spoke echoed in her with a pain. She didn't know why, but she cared to listen still to Taro.
" I think I also owe you since you stopped yourself from nearly killing me. So I guess the debt is paid." He looked back at Elsa with a wide smile " Got to go!"
Jumping on the waters, Taro was gone in a flash.
" Goddamn it…" cursed Elsa as she dragged her feet across the cove to pick up her flute " I'm in deep if Schneider finds out that I let Taro escape…"
But, she frowned, realizing that she let her enemy escape off undamaged. And it was not in her right mind and age that Schneider would be torturing her off somewhere. Taro was good. His tears saved that little bit of sanity he was holding. For a while there, it wouldn't be surprising if you would think that Taro must've belonged in a constitution—being traumatized due to a fear for blood…
Meanwhile, Taro was busy swimming down towards the opening. He didn't waste any second even if he just found out the ability of breathing under water. He knew he had to get back to Tsubasa. Deeply concerned for his friend, he dashed under water, with the currents aiding him. And at the moment he reached the opening, the water was calm. He also found out that it was gradually purifying. A while ago, he can't even see the tip of his nose, and now, he had a wide range of visual. Having an idea for a graceful opening, he couldn't just let it dance at the tip of his tongue.
Tsubasa emerged from the uprising of the aura absorbing tentacles. After nearly thirty minutes of waiting and holding down Schneider, he found his strength depleting. Even if he had a good observance of Schneider's aura sucking, element stealing Fujutsu, it did no good to the situation. A while ago, his forehead was nearly stabbed by a plummeting demon on his side. It only managed a scratch.
To his right was Genzo, trying to hold back Schneider's massive gauntlets with his taut and gloved hands, literally burning with a concentrated blaze. His eyes radiated an intense amount of valor and dignity. He dangerously growled " Let's bet that Taro will be out here before I take you down!"
" Let me advise you—" cleared Schneider as his eyes grew a maniacal blue " You're ignorant friend will never come out alive!"
But just at that moment, the river started to get rough and wild like a tremendous storm. Soon, the devastatingly tremors of the river has eventually caught everyone's attention. It was a while before the river miraculously halved into two similar to Noah of the Ark. But it wasn't Noah who emerged from the river; it was none other than Taro. Evenly wet and untidy, he was unharmed and calm. As soon as he arrived on the dry ground, the river gradually morphed into a gargantuan wave.
"Tsubasa! I have it!" said Taro in a triumphant voice, with his smile broad and blissful. Tsubasa's eyes widened with happiness as the others gazed at Taro with high spirits.
Schneider gawked in utter displease. His eyes narrowed at the sight of a petite figure looking washed off at the near end. He slowly stalked towards it in a menacing manner…
Instantaneously, Taro and Tsubasa jumped into each other's arms like decade long friends yearning for a friendship lost in the years. Tsubasa ignored the dampness and chuckles heartily " You're just in time, Taro…"
Taro only took warmth in the arms of Tsubasa and replied, " It was hard back there… I nearly died out of trauma."
Genzo happily patted Taro's back and spoke " We're all just glad that you're safe."
Hyuga oddly looked at Taro " You almost died?" He slowly inspected Taro but found no wound, except the tattered clothing, only emphasizing half of Taro's muscles.
Taro and Tsubasa finally separated and then Taro gave Hyuga a brief nod " That is until I discovered that my tears have healing powers."
" Healing powers?" stated Ken in question " Just like phoenix tears?"
Taro was about to answer when Gino slipped in the discussion " You really got it!" He voice in amazement and shock " I can't believe it! It really is true!"
" Didn't we tell you?" smiled Taro, as his joyfulness found their way out. " We'd succeed—"
But Tsubasa stopped Taro, his curved mouth forming into a humble smile " You were the one who succeeded, Taro."
But as the five briefly celebrated their triumph, they soon noticed the disappearance of Schneider and his companions. It was not surprising that they were gone like the wind. They left the area nearly destroyed as cement and asphalt crumbled under the light drizzle of rain.
" Oh yeah, it was Elsa who saved me." Spoke Taro all of a sudden. Not too soon did he find everyone's eyes boring at him with an alienating streak.
Genzo stared at him " That bitchy brat saved you? Did I hear that right?"
At first, it was difficult insisting everyone of what really happened. He told them of the discovery of the canister up until he left Elsa in the cove. It was even hard to prove to Gino that a cove existed in the river, hollow and filled with pure water. It was even harder to prove that the Tears of the Holy is in fact, just tears. He just didn't remember what happened to him when his Fujutsu Object entered him. He just felt what happened after the event.
"… What happened to your clothes?" spoke Hyuga in a disillusioned tone. " I wonder if the Mikos would hand you seconds."
" Probably." Guessed Ken as he inspected Taro " It's beyond repair, and I'm afraid that it would be hard to walk in broad daylight with your chest bare and your coat in shreds."
Taro only blushed a bit as he uneasily fidgeted with the remains of his left glove.
" And I guess this means goodbye." Voiced Gino in a rather sardonic manner " Only after a few hours of arriving in Florence, you're about to leave. It was a good start, but I'll bet those four will be after you again. Maybe in a force twice as much as you fought."
" Oh they'll be after us for sure." Wittingly stated Ken " But now that two in our team have their Fujutsu Objects, it'll be no harm done."
" But how do we get off Florence?" spoke Hyuga nearly to himself. " And… where's Genzo's Fujutsu Object located?"
" Hamburg." Quickly answered Genzo without even thinking. Whoah, that was weird. Did I just—I didn't even know it was in Hamburg! Genzo just sighed and spoke " Anyways, we can't just steal an aircraft, or even travel in foot. Frankly, I don't recommend the Wakabayashi airlines in Hamburg, since I'd figure it's destroyed."
" Rich people…" mumbled Hyuga incoherently " Don't care how much money they give and receive…"
Genzo pretended that he didn't hear that." Or…" he studied his thoughts before he spoke " Has anybody studied Invocation for the Non-living?"
It wasn't surprising that the most studious individual, who is Ken, answered, " I did, but only a little."
Thank God. Genzo quickly pointed to the old broom on the floor. Ken cocked his eyebrow, at first in question, not until Genzo asked, " Ken, can you invoke that broom to fly?"
" You mean invoke spirits and transport them into objects?"
Genzo nodded affirmatively. " So that we can ride on it."
Ken understood and murmured the next few words…
" I call upon the spirits of benevolence to guide us…"
The broom briefly glowed in stark contrast to the darkness, and it suddenly floated in mid air. Genzo quickly hopped on it and he commanded it to approach Tsubasa " See what I mean? It's quite unfair that you're the only one who can fly—being that you're the only one who has wings!"
" Jealousy suits you Genzo" snickered Hyuga, who was given a very threatening glare by Genzo.
Genzo domineeringly reared down in front of Hyuga " I swear that you'll get what you deserve for ticking me off badly…" He only got a roll of eyes from Hyuga, who further stayed silent.
After a few minutes, Heaven's Fujutsu five were ready for take off. Genzo was confident to ride on the broom while standing upright. On his right was Taro, who chose to ride on a metal platform he somehow found around the area. To Taro's right is Hyuga, who somehow chose a wide skateboard he awfully found quite familiar. To Hyuga's right is Ken, who was apparently too smart for his own good—chose a rocking chair that took him quite some time finding. And in front of them all was Tsubasa, his wonderful wings, overlapping arrays of purely white feathers.
" Next time." Genzo vowed furiously " Next time I'll really prepare some good materials for us to ride on!" The others just peered at him and exchanged odd looks.
" I recall Hamburg's north, right?" asked Tsubasa to Gino, who was standing by.
The Italian player nodded. " Good luck, guys… And…" he smirked.
The five shot curious looks at Gino, who grinned " Godspeed."
" Well, well. Look who's trying to become a British wannabe." Sheepishly spoke Genzo aloud.
" We'll see each other someday!" waved Taro with pleasure.
Gino nodded positively " Yeah! And I really look forward for a match, Italy against Japan!"
" Well, I just hope your teammates are fine!" Tsubasa grinned " You know there's no such thing as a one many army!"
Hyuga smirked and raised a thumb up" Yeah, and we'll be sure to defeat you!"
" We and Japan team altogether!" added Ken who waved at Gino cordially.
The five were slowly being lifted up beneath the dimming skies and off afar. They can only vaguely see Gino waving off against the distance.
Soon, they were off beneath mountainous terrain. The night's color gradually faded into a more enthusiastic color of morn. The sun was slowly rising, outlining the mountains ahead in a beautiful radiance. It felt like they hadn't seen the sun's beautiful beam for a lifetime since the first fight for Taro's Fujutsu Object began. Now, since they were headed to Hamburg, Tsubasa expected something more than troubling. Tsubasa edged his wings a bit to get a look to the back. There, he saw Taro letting of a sneeze as he vehemently tried to warm himself.
" Comfortable?"
Taro let out a surprised gasp when he saw Tsubasa gliding beside him. The large platform jiggled a bit when Taro stuttered a prudent reply " V-very—cold."
Tsubasa bit his lip. He couldn't help seeing the poor boy furiously shivering, even with the morning sun present. Even with water as his present element, it didn't do him any good if he commanded the water to dry him up.
Tsubasa heaved a groan " Once we get to Hamburg, let's get some decent clothes for you."
To be continued…
A/N: La, la, la. I feel extremely nervous and nauseous now that school's a week away. A WEEK! I need to finish this story and fast! Ah well, working double time and watching CT in the TV is a nice routine.
Remember that I advised you to look in the A/Ns? Well, Schneider's off doing something to Elsa. And it's something bad for sure! And the term hemophobia means exaggerated fear of blood. In the story, Taro is unfortunately a hemophobic.
Okay, got to go! Need to fish out some reviews and race against time to finish Kuroi no Mahou!
…Aren't you all happy it's shortening?
