Disclaimer: the series is not mine, although it would be a huge compliment if someone did in fact confuse me with CLAMP.
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Oh shit.
Kurogane looked up and found a sword point in his face. Behind the sword was a young woman with fiery red hair and very tan skin, and behind her was the man who had spoken. The ninja looked at him before temporarily dismissing him on the basis that the woman was more of a threat.
"Don't move," she said, noticing how his hand twitched toward Souhi's hilt.
He glared at the swordswoman but kept his hands where they were. He could probably defeat her, but he hated to challenge fighters he knew nothing about – if he knew nothing about them there was always a chance they were very good. Besides, he had the wizard to defend. The strangers had the advantage for now, but that would change if Syaoran joined them. (The ninja took a moment to wonder where the kid was, anyway, and what was taking him so long.)
"Akane, is that really necessary?" the man asked. He was tall and skinny, with light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a friendly voice. "I'm sure we could just talk with this gentleman."
"This 'gentleman' is a warrior," the swordswoman said without looking at the man behind her. She held the sword steady and returned Kurogane's glare. "I just want to make sure all he does is talk."
"Yes, well – " the man coughed nervously and adjusted his glasses.
"Don't forget where we are," Akane warned him.
The man nodded then, realizing the gesture was lost on someone who couldn't see him, added "Of course."
"Warrior-san," Akane snapped. "What are you doing in Yuna's temple?"
Kurogane didn't answer – he wasn't going to explain about missing companions or battles with mages, not to some woman who was probably an enemy. She was hardly even a woman; he studied her more carefully, looking for clues or weaknesses, and guessed she was a year or two older than the kids. Her friend looked just a few years older than her, and he did not look like a fighter. Wounded Fai or no, Kurogane was feeling better about his chances of fighting these two.
Akane narrowed her eyes and moved the sword so its point rested on Kurogane's neck. "Talk," she ordered. "Who are you?"
The door opened and three heads turned to see Sakura standing in the doorway, a large pot of water in her hands, her eyes widening with surprise.
Kurogane took advantage of the distraction and drew Souhi while Akane was still confused. She recovered in time to block his attack and counter with one of her own. Their swords clashed again and Kurogane used his greater strength to push Akane backwards. She stumbled but came to her feet quickly. Still, it had been enough time for the ninja to jump over Fai so he wouldn't have to fight across the unconscious mage's body.
Akane lunged and Kurogane dodged, missing her attack by a second. The girl was fast, but she wasn't as strong as the ninja, and he hoped this meant she would have less stamina, too.
She withdrew, eyeing him warily and waiting for an opening he wasn't going to give her. Her sword slashed at him once, twice, three times, testing him. He blocked her, although the last time it was a close thing. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward once more, but didn't get to follow through.
"Akane! Stop this now!"
Kurogane hadn't really thought the nervous-looking man could sound so decisive. He didn't look nervous any more; his eyes were steady and determined. Akane glanced over her shoulder before sighing and lowering her sword. Her opponent kept his position, still ready for an attack.
"What?" she snapped.
The man smiled slightly and shook his head. "You really never listen, do you?"
"That's what I have you for." She returned his smile briefly before looking back at Kurogane and muttering, "This is over for now, but don't get any funny ideas." He lowered his sword slightly, distrustful enough that he didn't sheathe it.
"Don't you recognize this girl?" the man asked, gesturing at Sakura, making the girl wonder if she had a doppelganger in this dimension.
"No," Akane said bluntly. "Should I?"
The man was a little thrown off by this comment and replied slowly, "Well...yes, you should." He then turned to Sakura and bowed. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Takaki, and this is Akane."
Sakura had a heavy load in her hands and no idea what was going on, but she had been raised to be polite regardless of the circumstances. She bowed, almost losing her balance, and returned the introduction. "My name is Sakura, and these are my friends Kurogane-san and Fai-san."
"Two friends...?" Takaki mused, puzzled. With the battle and Sakura's appearance he had forgotten or simply never noticed the man on the floor. "What happened to him?" he asked, walking forward when he saw Fai. Kurogane stepped forward to block him.
"Stop where you are," the ninja growled.
Takaki looked nervous again. "Please, let me help. I'm a doctor."
"No," Kurogane said firmly. "I don't trust you and I'm sure as hell not letting you get near him."
"Look, this is all just a misun – " Takaki tried walking forward again.
"Don't take another step," Kurogane said, raising Souhi again. Apparently, the stranger hadn't gotten the idea, but Kurogane had always found that a sword and a glare conveyed meaning much better than words.
"Leave him alone!" Akane yelled, stepping between the men and thrusting her sword at Kurogane.
Sakura quickly ran outside while the two resumed their fighting. "Syaoran!" she called as she ran around to the back of the cabin.
"Hm?" the boy looked up from the kindling he was attempting to ignite.
"There's trouble inside," she said as calmly as she could manage. Syaoran could tell how worried she was, so he drew Hien and ran on ahead of her.
Inside, Akane and Kurogane were at it again, swords moving so quickly they were just silver blurs.
"Akane!" Takaki yelled, but this time the woman was not so easily called off.
"He was going to hurt you!" she snarled.
"So? He thinks we're threats to him! Let's try to prove that we aren't!" His words had no effect, so he reached forward, grabbed Akane, and dragged her backwards.
The redhead turned on her companion angrily. "You could lose an arm doing something stupid like that!"
"Right, but you're invincible, and nothing bad will happen to you." He managed to sound sarcastic and polite at the same time.
"That's not the point," she muttered, adding sullenly, "I could beat him." If she heard Kurogane's snort, she ignored it.
"Maybe," Takaki replied. "But now he has reinforcements."
Akane turned to examine the teens. Sakura had followed Syaoran into the cabin despite his best efforts to keep her outside and away from the fighting. The swordswoman had to admit, at least in the privacy of her own mind, that she couldn't fight Kurogane and another warrior, even a young one, at the same time.
Kurogane, meanwhile, had sheathed Souhi (and Syaoran followed his lead). He crossed his arms, looking intimidating without posing a direct threat. He didn't want to provoke the volatile Akane, but he didn't want to appear soft, either.
Takaki continued, in his very mild way, "This is not the time to fight. These people are not our enemies."
"You keep saying that," Kurogane said, narrowing his eyes, "But how do you know? How did you recognize Sakura?"
Takaki looked around at the others and at their surroundings. "I'll explain, but please, can we step outside? I fear we are being disrespectful to Yuna."
Kurogane nearly let his temper get the better of him, but he noticed the expression on Syaoran's face and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to upset the kid, which would most likely happen if he said something rude. Judging by Akane's suddenly solemn and reverential attitude, it would probably set off another attack, as well.
Syaoran, always respectful of and curious about other cultures, replied diplomatically. "Of course, we'll continue this outside. Please forgive our ignorance." He led the way outside with Takaki and Sakura close behind. Akane blushed slightly then bowed toward the panther statue and traced a circle on her chest with her thumb before following them. Kurogane was last, carrying Fai.
Takaki sat on the grass and gestured for them to follow his example. Akane sat near him, her fiercely protective look spoiled somewhat by the way she kept glancing at the sky. The sun was not visible – it was too low in the sky and was still blocked by trees, even in the clearing – but the brilliant colors in the sky could only mean that it was sunset. The teens sat across from the strangers, forming a loose circle, and Kurogane placed Fai down carefully a short distance before taking a seat next to Syaoran.
"Talk," the ninja growled, sick of delays and distractions.
Takaki coughed, and the nervous expression settled over his features once again. "Very well," he began. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves more formerly. Akane and I are from Losai. That's a village just on the edge of the forest; you may not have heard of it before because it is rather small. Of course, it used to be a place of some importance to merchants and travelers, but since no one really travels through the forest these days – "
"Takaki." The redhead interrupted her companion and he looked at her, confused. "You sound like a school teacher. Get to the point." Kurogane felt his dislike for this woman decrease just the slightest.
"Oh, fine. I suppose you want to know how we - or rather I - recognized you? That's a very simple matter." He paused slightly, as though to silently show his disproval of questions that had easy, short answers and required no historical lecture. "Our priestess told us that you were coming."
Syaoran didn't think that this was quite so simple a matter as Takaki had promised. "How did your priestess – " but the loud redhead talked over him.
"What? These are them?" She didn't notice that she had interrupted Syaoran, and she ignored Takaki's muttered correction "These are they." "That's not possible, Takaki. That one – " she shot a glare at Kurogane and was undaunted when he returned it in spades " - profaned the temple and tried to kill you and I don't think he's a very nice person."
"I wasn't trying to kill anyone. I wouldn't have attacked you if you hadn't attacked me first, crazy girl."
"That was not my fault. I was defending myself."
"From what? I was just sitting there."
"But you could have attacked me."
"So, do you attack everyone you meet on the principle that they might be a threat to you later?"
"Of course not; don't be stupid."
"I'm not the one being stupid. You're the psycho who likes to go around stabbing random strangers."
"That's not what I meant. I just meant that you were very suspicious. I didn't even attack you at first, I just tried to stop you from drawing your sword, which you did the first chance you got. Proves that I was right to be careful around you."
"If you were really being careful, you wouldn't have challenged me."
"What's that supposed to mean, you maniac?"
"There's no way you could beat me. You're better off not trying."
"Oh please, spare me the male bravado! I could have beat you if Takaki didn't keep stopping me."
Kurogane rolled his eyes. "You're dreaming, psycho."
Akane drew an outraged breath, but Takaki once again interrupted their sparring. "Stop this idiocy." He turned to Sakura and Syaoran, appealing to them for assistance. "Really, I'm trying to explain. I am sorry about the misunderstandings, and the interruptions, but it would just be best if I could proceed now."
Sakura placed a hand gently on Kurogane's arm. "Please, Kurogane-san," she said softly. "This is not a good time to be fighting. We need friends, and we need to hear what Takaki-san has to say."
The ninja sighed, but relented. "Ah, fine. I'm sorry about the 'misunderstandings.'"
Takaki looked significantly at the redhead before she smacked her forehead and muttered, "Me too, sorry about all that." She took her hand away from her face and held it out to Kurogane. "Truce?"
He shook her hand and nodded.
Takaki grinned. "Good. Now before all this, I believe you had a question, ah...Syaoran-san?"
"R...right," the young archaeologist stumbled over his words before remember what it was he had been asking. "How did your priestess know about us, and what did she tell you?"
"She had a vision about you. She wouldn't tell us much about it, but she did say that strangers were going to appear, and she told us to look for you and bring you to her."
"You're sure these are the people she was talking about?" Akane asked with a frown. "I still think they're rather suspicious."
"Well, pretty sure," Takaki said, pleased that the redhead had expressed her doubt with more self control this time. "Sakura-san matches the description. And she said they would come from the forest."
"Maybe – " Akane began, but Takaki interrupted her.
"You don't trust me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. We'll bring them to onee-san tomorrow and let her sort it out. She's good at that sort of thing. I'm going now, okay? It's going to be night soon."
Takaki glanced at the sky, surprised and slightly guilty not to have noticed how late it was. "O-of course," he said. "Um. Good night then?"
The redhead whispered something into his ear before she stood up and walked back to the temple with a small wave at Sakura and Syaoran.
"Now that she's gone," Kurogane said sharply, "Maybe you could tell us more?"
"Hm?" Takaki asked mildly. "Yes, if you'd like. What do you want to know?"
"You could tell us about this priestess of yours."
Takaki took off his glasses and squinted at them before beginning to clean them with a small cloth he produced from one of his pockets. "Well, she serves Yuna, obviously. Sometimes Yuna sends her visions, like the one she had about you, and she prays to Yuna for protection and strength. It's because of her that you can sit there so peacefully. The forest is full of dangerous things – "
"We were starting to notice that ourselves," Kurogane commented drily.
"Yes, I suppose you were," Takaki mused thoughtfully. "But the temple here has Yuna's blessing on it, and it keeps the forest dwellers and their vile spells and creatures away from here. There are a few other havens throughout the forest, so that believers can journey out here in relative safety. Of course, it would still be foolish to travel by oneself through the forest, especially at night, but it's possible for a group of armed travelers."
"But you're out here, just the two of you," Syaoran pointed out.
Takaki placed his glasses back on his nose but had to adjust their position a few times before he was satisfied. "What? We're not – oh, of course. You've only met us. The rest of the party we were traveling with set up base camp at the last safe place, about a half a day's walk from here. That's where our priestess is. She doesn't need to come to the temple to communicate with Yuna."
"Right. So what exactly did Yuna tell her that makes you like us so much? She must have said more than just 'Oh, if you see these people, I want to have a word with them.'" Kurogane looked at the man without blinking.
It succeeded in making him nervous, although since this was how he appeared under normal circumstances it meant little. "Look, really, she wants to talk to you about that, and I don't think she would appreciate it if I went ahead and told you," Takaki squirmed.
Sakura took pity on the man. "You don't have to tell us everything she said, or anything like that," she said softly. "Maybe you could just tell us what she wants to talk to us about. I'm sure she wouldn't mind that, and you can tell her that we asked you and you were just trying to be nice. We're all friends here, and friends shouldn't keep secrets."
"I guess – and if that's what it takes to bring you to her – " Takaki was still rambling, but he looked calmer than before, thanks to Sakura's healing presence. "She wants to ask you for your help," he added, rather succinctly by his standards.
"Huh? What could we help her with?" Syaoran asked, frowning.
Takaki looked out into the forest. "I really can't say," he replied vaguely. "Look, it is getting dark, and we ought to get a fire going."
"In a minute," Kurogane growled. "You say you're going to talk to us, but then you avoid our questions or answer with nothing. So either tell us, or stop pretending that you're being helpful."
Takaki looked the ninja squarely in the eyes for the first time, and the older man remembered that he had already been surprised by the stranger once. He should stop thinking of him as a weakling, or he was going to be proven wrong.
"She's going to ask you for help in the war with the forest dwellers," he said.
Kurogane shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not our fight. We have nothing to gain by getting involved in some war we don't know anything about."
Syaoran gasped. "Kurogane-san, they need our help! How can you say no?"
"Because I have my priorities straight," he answered gruffly. "We don't have any reason to waste our time here with them while there are more important things to do."
"More important than these people's lives?" Syaoran asked doubtfully.
"Look, you have a goal," the ninja tried to explain patiently, and the kid nodded slowly. "If you get distracted by the problems of every person you meet on the way, you'll never finish your goal. Besides, wars are complicated things. How could you be sure you were doing the right thing?"
Syaoran set his mind to contemplating this, but before he could protest again Takaki coughed politely and interrupted with another comment.
"That is of course your decision," Takaki said sadly. "You four and your friend will have to discuss this with the priestess."
"Our friend?" Sakura asked, not daring to say the name in case she jinxed things.
"Mokona-kun," the stranger replied.
The teens breathed grateful sighs of relief, but the ninja fumed. Trust the manjuu bun to find these people while we were out wandering the forest. He's probably been telling them all sorts of lies about us. Kurogane could picture the scene now: the little manjuu bun sitting around a large, comfortable room, getting drunk with the obnoxious redhead and the priestess and telling them, "Kuro-wanwan is a big, friendly puppy!" It was enough to make a ninja sick.
"You met Moko-chan?" Sakura asked, anxious and excited. "How is he? Where is he? He was alright when you saw him, wasn't he?"
Takaki inched away from the princess and held up his hands, as if in defense or surrender. "Yes, he was fine when I met him. Very, uh, exuberant. As far as I know, he's at the base camp, with the priestess. He should be very safe there, so don't worry yourself about his welfare."
"Oh, I'm so glad!" Sakura was so glad she wanted to hug Takaki, but she didn't want to scare him. She just had too much joy to contain, so she turned to Syaoran and threw her arms around him.
The boy turned several interesting colors and stammered, "Er, yeah, me too." He seemed to decide that the easiest way of dealing with the princess' display of affection was to pretend it wasn't happening, so he glanced at Takaki and tried to continue the conversation. "Um, thank you for – the good news. Where, exactly did you say Mokona was?"
"At the base camp," Takaki replied, at the same time that Sakura's joy wore off enough for her to feel awkward. She let go of Syaoran and turned away from him on pretext of listening to Takaki's answer. "At least, that's where he should be. The guards who escorted us to the temple said they would take him back there. It's another clearing along the river, about half a day's walk from here. That's where our friends are staying. It's very safe; Yuna protects it from the monsters of the forest and from magic." He spat out the word as though it made his mouth taste bad.
The traveling companions exchanged careful glances. "Is that a serious threat here? Magic?" Syaoran asked as causally as he could.
Takaki looked astonished for a moment and then nodded knowingly. "Well, I guess they don't have magic where you are from. Where are you from, just out of curiosity?"
"Very far away," Syaoran said, and added carefully. "It's very different from here."
"Well it must certainly be a good place if there's no filthy magic to contaminate it," the nervous man commented wistfully. "Of course in Losai, there's nothing like that, but these – " he waved his hands vaguely, trying to express something he couldn't put in words " – horrible forest dwellers use magic for all sorts of wicked things. They've taken over the forest and filled it with all sorts of monsters they created."
"And that's why you're at war with them," Kurogane stated.
"Yes. Magic is an offense against Yuna, and against the natural order of things. And they use it for the most violent attacks against the villages surrounding the forest, including Losai."
"So what are five travelers supposed to do?" Kurogane scoffed.
Takaki shifted uneasily. "You'll really have to discussed that – "
Kurogane sighed. "I get it, I get it. You can't tell us anything."
The smaller man coughed. "I've told you what I know, really. Important things like the course of the war are left to the priestess. I'm just a humble doctor."
Syaoran decided to switch topics. Magic was obviously not something they wanted to discuss, and Kurogane was making their source of information nervous again. "Is your village a theocracy, then? The priestess is in charge?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. There's a town council that has a say in important secular matters, but the priestess is sort of the final word on any debate, as well as an advisor."
Takaki continued to chatter on, his lecture interrupted when Syaoran asked questions or shared stories about some of the places he had visited. Sakura tried to pay attention, knowing that the information about this world could be useful, but she was too tired. She hadn't had a moment of rest since they came to this world, and the day's walking and fighting had been preceded by several sleepless days of fighting in the last world. Without exactly meaning too, she rested her head on Syaoran's shoulder and fell asleep.
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Author's Note: Let's start with an apology. I did NOT mean for this to take so long. Don't really have any excuses, either, that's just the way it turned out.
Secondly, I'm a bit worried about the story. Two reasons: Akane and Takaki sort of took over this chapter. I didn't really want them to, but I had a lot of exposition to do and this was the easiest way. (One thing you can say about Shine, she is a lazy, lazy girl, and so naturally she took the easy way out.) My two OCs will be in future chapters but I will try to limit their roles. Of course, if I had any control over my characters at all, this chapter would have gotten a lot further in the storyline and been shorter. Brings me to point two: This chapter carries on the tradition of the rest of the chapters in this story in that it was much longer than I thought it would be but didn't get far enough plot wise. Hm.
Anyway, please let me know what you think of Akane and Takaki. I hope you like them and if not, I hope you'll be honest so I can proceed accordingly. So reviews, etc. are most welcome and rather helpful.