Entrenching Shadows
Light rolled over with a groan as sunlight burned through his eyelids. It was pleasantly warm, but not when it woke him up at some god awful hour in the morning. He bit down on a hiss of pain as exertion-stiff muscles spasmed in protest of the sudden movement. Maybe it was a bad idea to go to bed without stretching first. Chocolate eyes fluttered open, to be confronted by giant panda-stare of heart attack inducing death. The brunette yiped and jumped away from the staring ghoul face he woke up to. A squeal of protest filled the room as the blankets tangled about their startled prey and sent him somersaulting face first off the side of the bed. Ryuuzaki blinked curiously from his position at the other side of the bed. He hopped up onto the mattress and peered over at the thrashing brunette. It was quite comical… like a human inventing an odd ritual spider dance. Light finally managed to free himself from the clutches of the insufferable blankets and stood, alternately glowering at the sheets and the Nekomimi watching innocently from his new perch on the bed.
"What do you want?" Light snapped irritably at the wide-eyed Neko.
"We have to go now." Ryuuzaki replied, grinning inwardly at the state of the young man before him. His white shirt was sleep-rumpled and a little dirt streaked, a couple of the buttons having come undone in the middle of the night. His normally perfectly straight locks of hair were in complete disarray. It made L want to seriously consider reaching out to mess them up some more. The teen looked sort of like a disgruntled puppy that was sour over being tossed into a puddle of mud without permission.
"Could have found a better way to wake me up." Light huffed and set about the hopeless task of straightening himself out.
"It would not have been quite as amusing." Near voiced both his and L's thoughts aloud. Light rolled his eyes as he tucked in his shirt properly and fixed the collar.
"I don't think I like your sense of humor." The brunette groused and attempted to finger-comb his hair into a semblance of order. L shrugged disinterestedly and started out the door and down the stairs when Light had finished pulling on his boots. The teen forced stiff muscles to hobble their way quickly after the Neko and seer.
"Hey…" Light protested, "aren't we eating breakfast first?"
"No." Ryuuzaki waved a small backpack that Light had not noticed before. "We will eat as we walk." He explained, ignoring the melodramatic groan from the teenager trailing behind.
--
A warm summer breeze fluttered the multiple banners along the still battlements, wafting the faint sounds of celebration and revelry to the silent countryside. Inside the wall rested the charred skeletons of buildings closest to the stone and iron barrier, an unwelcome reminder of the year, cast in the shadow of the two-story wall and smelling of old smoke. The outside was a blaze of glorious red and orange, bathing the area in warm light from the setting sun. A single figure stood outlined against the collage of fiery colours, staring blindly at the churned earth twenty feet below his position at the top of the battlements. Another wagon ambled by, its workers chattering happily despite their grisly task. The metallic taste of blood in the air was all but gone now, and most of the bodies had been taken away and burned (what remained now was random body parts that had been over-looked the first time), leaving everyone with an almost hysterical giddiness as the fact of their survival began to sink in.
Shuichi Aizawa leaned stiffly against the waist-high ledge, deep-set eyes shadowed beneath ruffled hair. He wore full, stark black armor turned dark auburn in the fading light, as well as the large broadsword strapped across his back that had been his constant companion the past few months.
The recently elevated Knight-Lutenent stared blankly at a dark stain on the gritty stone next to one callused hand, ignoring the chill seeping up his arms from the bloodied stone. Eleven months, twelve days and six hours he had been leading this mindless battle. The siege had finally broken.
His men were emaciated and malnourished from the prolonged confinement and the numbers had been cut in half, but they were alive… somehow. His dark eyes briefly regarded the tattered parchment clenched in his armored fist. They wouldn't be for long if the bloody nobles had anything to say about it.
The garrison commander was drawn from his brooding thoughts as a colourfully plumed helmet began bobbing towards him out of the corner of his eye. He suppressed a grin as a dark-haired young man awkwardly (but enthusiastically) saluted him. Honestly, what was the old commander thinking when he appointed Touta Matsuda as second in command?
"Sir! Healers report that… uh… well, most of the injured are going to survive." They had obviously used more clinical terms that the young officer was not inclined to remember. Aizawa nodded and pushed himself away from his leaning position on the ledge.
"Well that's a relief, at least." Matsuda stared at his superior for a few seconds, wondering if he was imagining the depressed expression he thought he saw.
"Aw, come on commander!" He enthused. "It's not all bad. We won!" Aizawa scoffed.
"No, we survived." He grumbled and started for the stairwell. Matsuda huffed and stomped after his stubbornly morbid-minded commander.
"You can't say that wasn't victory." Maybe persistence would work where commonsense failed. Aizawa shook his head in exasperation. Nothing was going to derail the perpetual voice of optimism today. "We can go home, and maybe see families… well, I don't really have one since I'm a bachelor and all, but you got stuff to look forward to, right?" Aizawa attempted to ignore the man's happy chatter, but found it extremely difficult with that letter still scrunched in his fist.
They made it down to ground level and started in the direction of the building that had been dubbed the officers' quarters. Aizawa made small talk with some of the soldiers and civilians as they passed: worthless words of encouragement, really. Matsuda sort of continued to chitter aimlessly in the background.
The squat, square little wood building finally came into view just as Aizawa was beginning to critically consider drowning Matsuda in the well. He swiftly pushed his way in.
"Take a break." He ordered of the three startled secretaries sitting around the desk, buried up to their eyebrows in paperwork. "I'll need you back in an hour." Aizawa slumped into one of the vacated chairs as the three men nodded in relief and headed for the door. One of them hesitated at the threshold.
"Sir…" His eyes frowned as he took in Aizawa's haggard appearance. "Is everything alright?" Aizawa nodded curtly without taking his eyes from the desk before him.
"Yeah." He replied. "Fine." The secretary sighed and left, not believing him for an instant, but deciding that he would probably find out about it later anyway.
"Hey, good idea." Matsuda commented and grabbed a nearby seat. "They've been working non-stop through the night, y'know. Gods, what would we do without secretaries?"
"Be in an even bigger mess than we are now?" Aizawa deadpanned. It wasn't a question. Every good commander knew that an army was run on paperwork, dispatches and supply lists. The whole thing would fall apart without people to organize and keep track of everything. He was lucky in that Commanders only focused on the troops. He couldn't imagine having to sort all the problems of feeding the men, getting adequate transport for supplies, writing the families of the deceased… and everything in between.
Aizawa blinked as he saw Matsuda staring at him.
"What's with you?" Matsuda demanded. "You keep moping like that you're gonna start making the others nervous." He had a point. A valid one. Gods, he did not want to deal with the end of the world on top of all of this.
Matsuda sighed and got up to make coffee when his superior said nothing. Honestly, some people…
"Look, we get to go back to the capital in a few days to rest up and then we're discharged." Matsuda explained needlessly. He fiddled around with the pots and cups. Luckily he didn't have to actually make any coffee since there was a lot made by the recently vacated secretaries. Matsuda hummed tunelessly to himself as he poured two cups. "Man, it's been way too long since I had a decent meal. Hey I know this great place in the East District and—"
"Matsuda, we're not going home." Aizawa finally interrupted. Matsuda paused and stared silently at the quietly fuming commander as he set the coffee cups on the desk. Aizawa aimlessly waved the dispatch he received from the capital. "New guy in charge. We don't get a discharge after five years now." Aizawa sighed when his second-in-command simply continued to stare at him in incomprehension. "We leave for Nymar tomorrow afternoon." That seemed to get through.
"B-but…" Matsuda's eyes were wide and slightly confused. "We only have to serve for five years… then they release you, or offer higher pension to become an officer for another five years…" Aizawa frowned at him.
"Not anymore. Those rules held while the General Commander position was empty, but they found someone to replace L and he's making changes now." Matsuda dropped into his chair in horrified silence. The thought of going home had been the main driving force behind most of them through this horrible nightmare. Now they had to tell their men that there was a sudden change of plans?
"There's no way the soldiers are going to tolerate this." The young officer's face was abnormally serious. "There'll be outright mutiny when we tell them." Matsuda glanced up as Aizawa nodded in agreement.
"I know… but you better think of something, because every last one of them will be charged with high treason if they do." He said. "and so will we for being unable to control them." Matsuda groaned and buried his face in his hands.
"Why me?" Oh, but weren't they all wondering that today?
"I used up all my creativity in the siege." Aizawa explained; it was more of an excuse. In all honestly, he was feeding Matsuda to the wolves since there was simply no way to cast the situation in a good light. "I'm sure you can figure something out." Matsuda huffed and picked up his neglected coffee mug.
"This really sucks."
That was probably the most accurate sum of events the Lieutenant had ever heard.
--
The sun seemed somehow chillier when they got outside. The continued sounds of construction persisted out of sight as the three travelers turned west once again.
"So… Kalli it is?" L sighed in resignation as Light attempted more conversation. He missed Misora's company. At least she understood the need for silence at times… and kept the princess occupied so he didn't have to talk to the boy. L nodded in response as they passed the final building on the outskirts of the village. The brunette lapsed into silence for a few minutes. "Where is Kalli?" L's ears twitched downward in annoyance.
"Across the mountains," Near replied, sensing that the anti-social Neko was at the end of his patience.
"How far is that?"
"It will take a week or two on foot. It depends on the weather." Light stared at the Nekomimi in disbelief.
"And we're going to walk the entire way?" Light demanded. "No way! My legs will fall off!" L rolled his eyes, but chose not to look at the fussing brunette. "I've already been dragged through hell and back, monsters have tried to eat me and my clothes are completely ruined." One furry black ear flicked back to listen to the teenager as he ranted. He found it quite comical that the last on the list seemed to be considered the most offensive.
"If Light-kun wished, I could always carry him again." Ryuuzaki droned. He glanced back to see the princess bristling irritably at him. Apparently there was enough intelligence in that pretty head for the teen to know when he was being teased.
"Why do we have to walk?" Light asked, refusing to acknowledge such a childish verbal jab. "Couldn't we buy horses or something?"
"No." Ryuuzaki replied a little too quickly. Light gave the Nekomimi a hard stare.
"… Why not?"
"There are many reasons, Light-kun, and I do not wish to explain them all." The Neko said. Light scowled.
"It's not as though we don't have time." Light argued.
"I have more productive things to do," Ryuuzaki continued, "than make conversation with overly talkative teenagers." L murmured dispassionately. Light glared; that one actually stung a bit. Insensitive bastard.
"Such as staring aimlessly at the ground while you walk?" The brunette snapped in annoyance.
"Exactly." L could feel death-ray eyes burning into the back of his skull for that comment
"You know, you're a jerk." Light observed when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Light-kun is not the first to make this observation."
"Imagine that." Light's voice was layered with sarcasm. "So what're we going to do about food?" He changed the subject. Ryuuzaki thrust the small bag at the chatty princess. Maybe he would be quiet while he ate. Light pulled a wrapped eggroll out of the bag.
"There is a supply depot for the Caldara army a few hours from here." Ryuuzaki informed him. "We stock up on supplies from there." Light slowly chewed the bite of eggroll as he contemplated the Neko's intentions.
"… You're not going to steal again, are you?" Light asked, eying his furry-eared companion dubiously. L sighed and shook his head.
"No, I am not."
"Well, good." He'd already borrowed more money while the brunette had been sleeping, so there was no need to steal.
"Someone had best think of a way to get into Kalli undetected." Near interjected. It was quite humorous that the two men often forgot he was there. Light shrugged.
"We'll do that when we get there." L nodded in agreement. They had half a month to figure something out, how hard could it be? Near reached up to twirl his hair in exasperated amusement. Chances of saving the world were not very good if he had to rely on these two procrastinators to do it. "By the way…" Light turned his attention to the black-haired Nekomimi. "How do you intend to get supplies from this place if you're not going to steal them? They only send goods to the army, right?" L shook his head.
"The clerks are corrupt." L informed him. "They've been selling excess supplies to outsiders for years to make a profit."
"…"
L ignored the sudden silence.
"Why hasn't anyone stopped them?" Light asked. L smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Because I believed I may find myself in a situation where I may have to buy supplies from my own depots if I could not prove who I was." Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the smug attitude the man was displaying.
Oh yes, Light sarcastically thought, everyone worship the magnificent abilities of foresightfulness. He still didn't believe that the Neko was really some former general of awe-inspiring greatness. He was freaky! No one would take this creep seriously. Maybe he was one of those creepy accountants that they stuck in a corner out of sight. That would explain how the man knew so much about the army, right?
Light stumbled slightly on the jagged terrain and bit back a curse as his stubbed toe sent shooting pains through his foot. Life must really hate him. They didn't even have a real plan! Or… if they did, no one had the inclination to share it with him. The next two hours passed in relative silence, the occasional insult and retort aside…
"Oh good," Light said as a large, warehouse-like building came into view. "I assume this is it?" L nodded and headed down the steep incline.
"Watch your step." The Neko advised him while gingerly picking his way down the gravel hill.
Light snorted and started after Ryuuzaki as the Nekomimi led the way to the supply depot. The teenager yelped as some rocks gave way under him. He flailed about in an attempt to gain a hold on the landscape sliding by him—but to no effect. The teenager slid down the hill, silently cursing his fate, to land at the bottom in an indignant heap of pebbles. Ryuuzaki slowly made his way down to the brunette and stood above Light with his eyebrows raised in inquiry.
"I did warn you." Again in maddening monotone. Light's eyes shot daggers at the bored semi-human. It lacked conviction since the princess was currently half-buried in rubble.
"You know what Ryuuzaki?" Light said as he pulled himself out of gravel. L tilted his head, ears pricked forward in attention, but eyes clearing saying that he didn't care. "Just shut up." The Neko looked disappointed by the unimaginative come back. Light ignored him. He couldn't be creatively snide all the time. Although he was beginning to suspect that he would become a master of it within a few days if he was still with his scruffy companion at that point. He brush himself off as Ryuuzaki walked toward the warehouse and followed. The teen pulled some bread out of the snack bag the Neko had shoved at him earlier and munched on that for a while.
Ryuuzaki gruffly greeted a man that appeared in the doorway.
"Do you have anything for sale as far as foodstuffs?" The Nekomimi demanded bluntly. Light almost fell over. Bloody tactless barbarian. They had to find the right people to talk to first! He was shocked when the guard shrugged and waved them through. Ok… maybe the man did know what he was talking about.
Beyond the door was a small room with a spindly office worker that was miraculously skinnier than the slender Neko. Papers were stacked in tall, precarious piles all over the place and several large doors were arrayed about the small room—presumably leading to storage and/or living quarters.
"Can I help you?" The old man's voice was raspy and seemed to easily match his stick-like appearance. L pulled the drawstring purse out of his pocket and let it dangle between thumb and forefinger as he spoke.
"I need a weeks worth of food." Ryuuzaki informed the man, watching as the accountant's eyes lit up at the sight of the rather large coin bag. Light deftly seized the bag from the momentarily distracted Nekomimi and took about a quarter of the contents before Ryuuzaki could protest.
"I'll get some things outside." Light explained as he handed the purse back to the incredulous part-time thief. Ryuuzaki pouted as the brunette turned towards the door.
"That's stealing." He muttered sourly. Light laughed in genuine amusement.
"No, it's borrowing." The teenager retorted as the door drifted shut behind him.
… Brat… But he turned his attention back to the task at hand.
-
L sighed as he dragged the food packs out of the building, dreading what Light might have done with his money.
"Do not worry." Near advised. "He is more resourceful than you think." L didn't even bother to comment on that, but his skepticism was obvious. Near's gaze hardened. "Not everyone can survive off of nothing in the middle of the wilderness, Lawliet. I suggest you stop being so childish and not base your first impressions solely on that or this entire situation will end poorly."
"Are you lecturing me?"
"Yes." The albino seer admitted bluntly. "Obviously you need it or we would not be having this conversation." L glared at the young seer.
"Don't use that name in public." L ordered as he hoisted the backpacks and shuffled into the outside. Near shrugged and trailed after.
"Yes Commander L, Sir." Near mumbled in a monotone obviously intended to be sarcasm. L ignored him; this was why he hated seers. He really wished he had not ditched little Misora now. The Nekomimi jumped as a malevolent snort sounded near at hand and came face to face with his arch-nemesis. Ryuuzaki's tail bushed out and he backpedaled out of reach of the large teeth that nearly took a chunk out of his face. An involuntary hiss escaped his lips as the beast attempted to break out of its restraints to get at the retreating Neko-san.
"Light-kun!" Ryuuzaki barked at the brunette struggling to keep a hold of the reigns when he was a safe distance away. "I told you no horses!"
"Yes, well…" Light yanked down on the reigns, forcing the two horses' heads toward the ground. The two mounts paused uncertainly when their ability to see clearly before them was obstructed. "I figured I'd ignore you on this one…" He gripped the bridles and jerked the chestnut's head away from Ryuuzaki's direction. "Since it could cut our travel time—in half." Light grunted as the grey attempted to break away. He smiled sheepishly as Ryuuzaki just looked at him like he was a crazed lunatic. "They're a little spirited, I guess. But there's a bit of mountain pony in them, so they'll be good for passing through the mountains." L had to concede that point. The two horses could have been twins if he disregarded the colour difference. Both big boned, a little stocky, but with long legs for distance gallops. Not that they would be particularly inclined to race through treacherous mountain paths at a full gallop, but it would be useful if they did happen across any enemies.
Near drifted toward the grey gelding and placed a hand on the velvet soft snout. The horse instantly quieted, ears flicking forward as though listening to something. Near nodded suddenly.
"You can let go now." The seer murmured. Light let go of the bridle and watched in amazement as the dark-grey gelding trailed after Near like a pet puppy as the seer moved away. The brunette quickly turned his attention back to the golden-brown mare when she tried nipping his hand to make him let go. He jerked resolutely on the bridle to get the mare's attention and glared.
"You be good." He said firmly, tightening his grip to get his point across. Horses weren't stupid animals, especially war horses. Most of them were smarter than dogs if you just knew how to train them. These two had been rejected from the war line because they were too lightweight to make it with the heavy chargers, but too aggressive to have any success in the light infantry either. He glanced up to see Ryuuzaki still hovering a good ten feet away. "What are you doing? Come on, we have to get going."
"I cannot ride, Light-kun." The Nekomimi insisted.
"It's not going to kill you, now come here." Ryuuzaki regarded the bared teeth and flattened ears of the giant war horse and had to promptly disagree with that assessment.
"Let me restate: I do not know how to ride." The Neko admitted reluctantly. Light stared at him.
"What?" L shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and glared through his shaggy bangs at the disbelieving brunette.
"I do not know how to ride a horse." He repeated it slowly that time to make sure Light would understand him. The princess glanced at the mare, then back at the obviously discomfited Neko-san. He grinned suddenly.
"You're not frightened, are you?" Ryuuzaki bristled at the implication, though his dark eyes remained riveted on the large beast incase it decided to charge him again.
"I am not frightened of horses," Ryuuzaki patiently explained, "merely cautious because they tend to make attempts on my life when I am within trampling distance." Light was not buying it.
"Then cautiously get your tail over here and in the saddle." The brunette advised with an even bigger grin.
"I told you I cannot—"
"Well it's a good thing that I can since we have to ride double anyway." Light observed candidly. Ryuuzaki began to enter his Pout and Scowl mode when the brunette refused to be dissuaded, but eventually shuffle-stomped over to the waiting Brunette Duo of Death. Yes, he was referring to both Light-kun and the horse.
"What are we going to do with these?" Ryuuzaki hoisted the two backpacks. Light handed the Neko the mare's reigns and grabbed the backpacks before walking over to the gelding.
"We'll tie them to Near's saddle since there'll be more room." The teenager explained. L wasn't listening. He was too busy meeting the gaze of a homicidal chestnut mare, trying to determine which vital part of his body he would have to defend first when the psychotic creature finally realized it had L to herself. Luckily, it didn't get the chance. Light was back in a moment, having already secured the packs to the other mount. The princess took the reigns back and looked expectantly at the dark-haired man. "Well, get on." Ryuuzaki looked at the confusing mass of buckles and leather, briefly wondering how he was supposed to mount a horse. He didn't really want to just jump onto it. It might move…
"Use the stirrups." Light said.
"Stirrups?" L asked blankly. Oh, right. Stirrups. He remembered something about the medal things during his attempted equestrian lessons as a child… This was stupid. L finally just grabbed the top of the saddle and pulled himself up to perch precariously at the back of the leather contraption. He met Light's incredulous stare with his own expressionless one. The brunette simply shrugged and moved to the mare's side. L watched curiously as the brunette lifted one long leg to reach the closest stirrup. Light gripped the front of the saddle with both hands. His thigh muscles tensed and coiled, abruptly levering the teenager up, allowing him to swing his other leg over the saddle as the brunette gracefully settled in his seat and hook his free foot into the other stirrup. The Neko blinked slowly. If that was how it was done, he did not think he would be riding on his own for a while.
Ryuuzaki sucked in a startled breath as the horse suddenly shifted beneath him, almost causing the Nekomimi to overbalance.
"Ryuuzaki, you have to hold on if you don't want to fall off." Light informed him. L nodded in agreement and tried to decide the best way to go about it. "H-hey! Not like that." Light protested. The Neko pouted.
"Why not?"
"For goodness sake, sit properly."
"I don't want to." L determined that the perfect position was in his usual crouch; knees pressed up against Light's back, hands gripping the brunette's shoulders to prevent him from falling off.
"Your toes are digging into my backside. We are not riding like this." Light snapped.
"If I sit like Light-kun," Ryuuzaki explained as though to a very slow child, "it will be even more uncomfortable since he will essentially be sitting on my—"
"Ok! Ok!" Light hastily interrupted. "Alright, I get it." L smirked as he saw the teen's ears turn red.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Positive?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Ryuuzaki?"
"Yes?" Ears perked.
"Shut up."
Ryuuzaki grinned.
Light gently nudged the chestnut mare with his knees, noting that the Neko's grip on his shoulders tightened considerably as the horse began to move. Near was already on his mount, sitting casually sideways with one leg drawn to his chest. The gelding seemed to follow Light of its own accord, without any prompting from the silent albino. He assumed that Near could probably talk to animals because of his telepathy.
"So…" Light pointed between two peaks in the near distance. "We go that way?"
"Correct." L answered. Light nodded and used the reigns to ease the mare in that direction. She fought him for a few moments, but eventually gave in and started toward them at a leisurely walk. Iron horseshoes crunched on the packed gravel as they neared the tree line. Light sighed as the mare suddenly sidled to the right. He shifted his weight to ride with the sudden movement and shortened the reigns to force the mare's muzzle toward her chest. The mount paused at the restriction of movement, snorted and pawed the ground in disappointment while Ryuuzaki clung anxiously to him from behind.
Light slowly relaxed the shortened reigns and urged the mount forward once again when she stopped fidgeting. Nothing too unpredictable thus far, so at least she wasn't bad tempered. Just a little stubborn—not unlike a certain-someone-else that he was stuck with.
"Light-kun is quite a skilled rider." Ryuuzaki observed mildly. Light shrugged and aimlessly watched the passing undergrowth as they plodded along.
"One of the few useful skills Princesses are required to have, I guess." The chestnut mare picked her way daintily around a prickle bush under Light's watchful eye. He didn't doubt the horse might try and dump him into the bush if he wasn't careful. "I mean, do you have any idea how often those muscle-headed fools do battle and then pass out from exhaustion right after?" It was a rhetoric question. "You'd have to be able to handle even a twenty-five-hand war horse that has been trained to obey only one rider. Not exactly an easy task when that rider is laying in a drooling mess in the mud." A vivid image of Light standing in a pretty silk gown and a tiara jumped into L's head, glaring in utter disgust at a fainted knight and staring a seven-foot-tall white charger into submission.
Light glanced back to see Ryuuzaki smiling in amusement—for what, he didn't really want to know.
"What are you smiling about?" He had to ask anyway, even if his tone was a little suspicious. Ryuuzaki released one of the teen's shoulders to nibble on his thumb.
"I imagine that Light-kun would take his horse and leave him there." Was the simplistic reply. Light rolled his eyes and tossed his hair away from his face as he turned forward once again. The forest around them was slowly darkening, becoming more dense. L craned his ears forward as the brunette chuckled suddenly.
"You know, you're probably right." He admitted ruefully. Twinkling brown eyes met onyx in the waning light. "I was never any good at the whole Damsel in Distress gimmick." The Neko smirked.
"I would disagree," Ryuuzaki countered. "Light-kun has done a remarkably accurate performance of it thus far." Light elbowed the man behind him in exasperation, though an embarrassed expression painted his features as he did so. He couldn't really blame Ryuuzaki for thinking that. He hadn't exactly been at his best when they met… or anytime thereafter. It was a little mortifying, but his travelling companion was just so weird on his own that he couldn't really bring himself to care about it too much. Ryuuzaki frowned suddenly. "When did you change clothes?" Light scoffed at the fact that the normally observant Nekomimi was just now noticing his change in attire. The clothes were darker now and made of sturdier cloth. Brown, military issue breeches with a black leather belt were tucked into his knee-high riding boots. His shirt was long-sleeved and also black with little bits of formal embroidery along the neck cuffs. He believed the shirt was a modified version of the mage's uniform. In any case, it was a lot more serviceable and wouldn't get dirty in less than two minutes.
"I needed something that could stand up to a little more rough living." The princess explained. "My other clothes were completely useless."
"Then why were you wearing them?"
"They were more practical than a white silk dress and high heels." Ryuuzaki raised an eyebrow in bemused disbelief. Light caught the expression out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, I'm not joking. I couldn't exactly ask my mother to get me more sensible clothes, or it would have raised suspicion."
"So you are a runaway Princess, then?" It wasn't a question. Light sighed.
"Am I really that obvious?"
"Yes." Light rolled his eyes.
"Thanks."
"Your welcome." Near deftly tuned out the bickering duo and allowed the little colourful spheres of light to materialize around him. The grey gelding beneath him snorted in inquiry as a small green one floated in front of its face.
:Food?: It thought, attempting to bite the odd little ball.
:No.: Near replied patiently. He did not like speaking with animals. Their minds were horrifically simple, usually consisting of only a few coherent thoughts in total. This horse was quite the glutton from what he had listened to so far. It knew food, battle, simple inquiries and more food. The gelding whickered in disappointment, but soon left the strange anomaly alone. Near focused inward. Disjointed images raced across his second Sight. Mangled bodies, screaming, black smoke choking the sky… then knights, and demons, and a shadow… shadow? Was that important? The seer attempted to focus his Sight on the rippling shade, but every time he got close, something would interrupt, or it would shrink away. Various other images bombarded him; was it to draw his attention away from this being?
Near smirked and pressed on. Not likely. If this thing thought it could hide from him by attempting to distract him with gruesome images, it was sadly mistaken. But if it was consciously doing this… didn't that mean it also had the Sight? Near blanched as the shadow suddenly expanded to encompass his entire Vision – reaching for him, trapping him. The seer struggled to back away, get away now. He could feel adrenaline racing through his distant body. He had to get back. If he was drawn much further from his physical form, his body would stop functioning and die within a matter of minutes. The thought sent a shock of panic through the small albino.
Absolutely not. That was not going to happen. The obscure shadow was an all encompassing darkness by that point. Poking and stabbing at him as the seer collected his power. It hurt, interrupting his concentration every few seconds. Near stared grimly at the dark obstruction, ignoring the pain when he knew that it would threaten his survival if he reacted to it. He focused on one thought: back. Back to his body, out of this shadow. The seer concentrated all of his attention on that, power quickly building in response to his urgency. Near released the command, biting back a scream as raw force ripped out of him like a tidal wave. He felt himself slingshot back to his body, burning away the last traces of the creature as he went.
"Near?!" Light caught the albino boy as he pitched forward with a cry of pain. "What happened?" He demanded. "What's going on?" All he knew was that one minute the boy was fine, then his eyes went dead for almost an hour. He started to glow a bright white for a few seconds and then shot awake with a scream.
The young seer was limp with exhaustion, trembling and trying to hide it. The teenager cradled the panting boy gently, trying to keep from panicking himself. He didn't know what to do. One look at Ryuuzaki told him that even he was at a loss. A few minutes passed, allowing Near to finally regain his composure, though his expression had shown nothing more than mild strain.
"All is well." He murmured, pushing himself into a sitting position. The two older men both gave him The Look. The one that said 'Oh, don't give me that bullshit.'
Near hugged his knee to his chest and stared contemplatively into the trees. Someone—or thing—didn't want him to See whatever was behind that shadow. They even made it with attack capabilities… He could not face that on his own. He would need others to keep his body alive and use defensive spells to hold off the attacks. But it could just be a distraction. Something to make him waste his efforts while the real threat slipped by.
"What did you See?" L asked. The little green sphere slowly faded back into existence, having shattered earlier. The albino stared meditatively into its glowing depths.
"Much of the same." Near replied, his voice a little hoarse, but still expressionless. "Death, fire, destruction…" The Neko leaned further over Light's shoulder. He did not believe the Seer for an instant. The pale boy glanced up and quickly away. "There was something else," he admitted. "but I do not understand its meaning yet."
"So… you're alright?" Light wanted to make sure. Near nodded in response, but decided not to return to his own mount immediately. The teenager waited for some sign of what was going on, but shrugged and nudged the chestnut mare forward when the boy showed no inclination to move from his seat. The gelding trailed obediently behind as the travelers resumed their trail, an awkward silence settling between them as they rode. Light glanced down at the white haired child. "… Are you sure?" The brunette asked again as the stoic seer leaned against him. Near really didn't strike him as the type to accept much physical contact, much less initiate it on his own.
"Yes."
Light glanced back at Ryuuzaki, his expression questioning—and promptly wished he hadn't. That creepy stare was waaayyy too close for comfort.
"Uhm… Ryuuzaki?" L tilted his head to let the brunette know that he was indeed listening. "I'm feeling a little crowded here." So back off. Ryuuzaki regarded the princess mutely for a few seconds as though mentally digesting this new fact. He suddenly looked at Light like he was a complete idiot.
"Well, we are riding three in one saddle, Light-kun." Light stared. Was the man serious? The brunette shook his head. He wasn't even going to touch that one. It was best for his sanity if he just dropped it and endured the discomfort.
Near allowed himself to listen to their aimless banter as he attempted to puzzle through what he had Seen and his reactions afterward. It was true that he did not particularly like physical contact. There was rarely a useful application for it in his life… but when he felt like he had been rolling around in dead bodies after being touched by that thing, he decided that he would rather not be sitting alone while the sensation remained. He felt better knowing that a fellow human was at hand… maybe it was his animalistic instincts motivating him. Humans were supposed to be community motivated after all. Like horses… or wolves…
That had definitely been Blood Magic at work. If he based his theories off of that, it was obvious that humans were somehow involved. They were the only beings capable of harvesting that kind of power. He would have to work out a spell to conceal himself from the Sight if he wanted to avoid placing his companions in danger. That… shadow (it annoyed him to no end that he could not determine what might lay behind it) knew him know. It would only be a matter of time before it managed to trace him and watch his every move. It was more powerful. Undoubtedly. But he could construct defenses that would slow its search down.
Light frowned as the boy slipped into another trance, now leaning his full weight into the brunette. "What's he doing?" The teen asked Ryuuzaki quietly, as though the seer were sleeping. Ryuuzaki shrugged.
"Mystic things." Was the Neko's offhanded remark. Light turned his head to look at the somber expression covering the boy's face as his dark eyes slowly closed.
"Does this happen often?"
"Often enough." Ryuuzaki admitted. "Though I've never seen him wake up screaming before." Light snorted.
"No doubt." Near's eyes snapped open, causing the brunette to jump.
"Still with us?" Light asked, worried despite himself. Near nodded and reached up to twiddle a lock of hair between his fingers. He could practically taste the compassion and paternal instincts radiating from the young man. It was a little embarrassing, actually. True, he was only thirteen, but he had long believed himself to be self-reliant and quite capable of handling the situations he faced. People really didn't have much place to be worrying about him when the world was on the verge of ripping itself apart. Near coughed suddenly, burying his mouth in his sleeve. A few others followed, his throat and stomach feeling suddenly abrasive and raw.
"Is that blood?" Light asked suddenly, staring in horrified silence at the previously snow-white sleeve as Near let it drop away from his face. The albino lifted his arm for inspection. It was indeed.
"Hm."
"What do you mean 'hm'?!" The teenager demanded heatedly, paternal instincts spiking.
"It is nothing to concern yourself with." Near murmured, feeling queasy despite his assurances. "These are common side effects to the over exertion of my abilities. It is not fatal." Hopefully. It could be fatal if he ever pushed things beyond his body's ability to cope, but he rather doubted that was the case. Another coughing fit seized him suddenly, leaving the boy weaker than before. His insides began to burn, stomach clenching painfully as his body suddenly gave a huge retch. Sour bile and the sickly metallic taste of congealing blood filled his mouth as the pale-skinned boy leaned over the side of the horse to dump the contents of his bleeding stomach onto the ground.
He vaguely heard Light Yagami trying to figure out what to do, but he was loosing consciousness. There was no way to tell the brunette that it was a natural occurrence. He didn't have the physical stamina to pay the price for his magic, so now it was raking in its dept with pain and agony to make the seer pay up for it.
Near's vision went black.
Maybe he miscalculated how much power he used…
--
Author's Note:OMG I'M SO SORRY! Throw things at me. Put me on the rack. Disembowel my innards. DX I'm such a horrible person for taking so long to update. Trust me; I know. I love you all, really. I made myself go through and read all your comments again to guilt myself into getting this evil chapter written. I hate writer's block. And work. And family obligations.
But now that it is done: rejoice! It's all fantastically long and such. And look! Plot depth. Oooo… (0.0) ((-- See? Wide staring eyes of awe. And sparkles.
...
Well I thought it was clever. DX )) Plooottt ddeeepppttthhh… Phear its awesomeness. I feel so horrible doing this to Near. ;-; And I love Matsu. Dun worry, we'll definitely see more from that angle as well. See? It's not all sunshine and smiles. Anyway... don't mind me. It's really late, and I'm so proud of this chapter that it's making me giddy.
I apologize for any typos or weirdosity. I haven't even read the thing over and I don't have time if I want to get it posted sometime before tomorrow night. XO I'll fix them within the next two days. Btw, the title sucks. I made it up, like, three seconds before hitting the "submit" button.
EDIT: Ok, so lots of typos, I guess. DX Oh! You must go to my profile, and look at the picture that MiaoShou made, okies? It's of when Light and L first meet in the tree. I loved the outfit he used on Light so much that I shamelessly stole it in this chapter. XD
EDIT 2: I think I got them all... Evil typo demons. Btw, anyone interested in helping me beta a fic I've been working on? Almost done chapter one. It's a BB/L fic. So it obviously going to be dark... and if you haven't read Another Note, you'll be a little lost... actually, come to think of it, you could probably understand the story even without having read the book. I'm sad because beta-readers seem to avoid me like the plague. :(