Me: Konichiwa, minna-san!^^
Fei: Hey Att-chan, what're you doing?
Me: Fei?! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be born in 187 years from now?
Fei: *sweatdrop* Inazuma TM Caravan, remember?
Wondeba: And now, the great coach Clark Wandebat-sama will do the disclaimer! *clears throat*
Me: You're not in the story, so you can't do it *innocent smile*
Wondeba: Gaah! *freezes and falls to the ground like a statue while looking like he got a heartattack*
Shuu: Lotus Sword or Att-chan, whatever you want to call her, doesn't own Inazuma Eleven (GO/Chrono Stone/Galaxy) characters.
Wondeba: *sulks*
Me: Arigatou, Shuu!^^ Enjoy, minna-san!
They woke up early in the morning, awakened by the muffled sounds from outside and the light of the raising sun that seeped in through the hole in the roof. Since sleep still invaded their minds and so much had happened lately, it took them a few moments to realize where they were. The fire had been extinguished over the night but the warmth still lingered in the room.
As if he predicted that they were awake by now, Shuu knocked on the wood next to the entrance to signal that he was coming in. "Ohayou," he said and the greeting was returned by all of them. "I've taken the liberty to pick out a few clothes for you, for I assume you'd like to change after traveling so hectically."
"Thank you very much," Shindou said and bowed before he took the heap of clothes in his hands.
"I don't know if I got the sizes right," Shuu smiled. "If something doesn't fit, I'll ask one of the women to adjust it later. As for now, there is a river not so far from this town. If you want, I can take you there so that you can refresh yourselves?"
"That would be nice," Kirino smiled. He had no trouble with Shuu's somewhat formal way of speaking, but the youngest members of their group seemed a bit uncomfortable. Though that could also be caused by their sleepiness, of course.
They followed the shadow and blinked when the bright morning light reached their eyes. Shuu led them to the river and left them alone after telling them how they should get back to the village. "Take your time," he said gently, "though I recommend you not to stay here for too long. It's still early, both in the morning and in the year, and the river is still quite chilly."
After they all showed that they understood his warning, everyone quickly undressed themselves until they only wore their underwear. All but one hesitated at the river bank, a bit reluctant to enter the cold water. Kirino was the only one who didn't seem to have any trouble with the water's temperature and he dived in immediately, splattering the others a bit in the process. All watched how he disappeared in the slowly flowing water and expected him to come up while shrieking from the cold. However, Kirino only smiled at them and said: "Come on, the water's not that bad!"
The fact that he didn't mention - possibly because he didn't know it or didn't think about it, possibly because he wanted to tease his friends - was that the scales on his body protected him from the cold. Though he had lost his precious tail - rather, it split in two - his body was still covered in scales instead of skin. His split tail, which he had used for walking up until now - seemed to get back to its original function and made unconscious movements to make steering easier for him. It was still hard to adjust to swimming with two tails and not one, though.
The people on the bank still seemed a bit incredulous of his words and none of them made the first move. That is, until Kariya finally did something. No, he didn't heroically jumped in like one would expect. Instead, he pushed Tenma and Hikaru, who stood at both sides of him, forward until they stumbled into the water. Tenma wobbled a bit with his arms before he fell and bumped into Shinsuke, so all three juniors toppled in the water. A short moment was filled with their startled shrieks and the other's laughter, before Shindou and Kariya also inched closer to the river. Kariya slowly put his feet in the water to get used to the low temperature, but Shindou lingered a little longer.
"Hurry up will you?" He looked down to see Kirino resting with his arms on the bank and his head on his arms. Droplets of water fell from his wet hair as he stared up at the brunette. The latter couldn't help but getting a slight feeling of déjà vu.
Voicing his thoughts, he smiled down and said: "Wasn't it in that cave, when we first met, that we were in the same situation?" Kirino thought about it and remembered himself putting on a similar stance while talking with the first humans he had ever met.
"I guess you're right," he laughed. "Only you wore more clothes back then."
Shindou's smile fell and he looked down at Kirino with widened eyes, blood quickly rushing to his cheek. Kirino didn't really understand what he'd said wrong, but he saw Shindou getting all flustered in a matter of seconds. The merfolk barely wore clothes. As said before, the scales protected them from cold and heat and fabric around their limbs and tail would only hinder their movements. That was why he didn't understand that his light comment made a heavy impact on Shindou. But since he noticed that the brunette blushed from something Kirino had said, he got embarrassed as well.
He grabbed Shindou's left ankle and pushed himself off, catching Shindou off-guard and pulling him into the water. He made sure that the brunette broke through the surface to catch his breath, and for a few seconds they just stared at each other while their faces were inches apart. But then Kirino snapped out of it and quickly swam a few feet backward. The river was broad and deep, so the current wasn't very strong.
"What was that for?" Shindou exclaimed in mock anger.
"You took too long to get in," Kirino shrugged indifferently. Flashing Shindou a cheeky grin, he concluded with relief that the embarrassing moment was over.
"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Shindou threatened before he jumped towards Kirino and pushed him under. Kirino had a slight advantage in the water, since his gills hadn't silted yet and he could still breathe fine. Shindou, however, often needed to go to the surface for air and Kirino always let him. But as soon as the brunette had taken in enough oxygen, Kirino was sure to pull him under again.
"Well, they sure have a good time," Kariya commented while watching the 'fight' of the two older boys.
"Don't think you're off the hook," Hikaru said while glaring at his friend. "We still haven't forgiven you for pushing us in like that."
"You're still not over that?"
"It was really cold, Kariya!" Shinsuke exclaimed and Tenma nodded in agreement.
Kariya rolled his eyes. "So you won't forgive me just like that?" The other three boys nodded with determined faces, though Kariya knew that if he simply acted like he didn't care for two more minutes, they would just accept his so-called 'silent apology' since they wanted to talk to him again. But right this moment, he didn't want to act like that. Smirking at his companions, he said: "And what if I told you that I've arranged some entertainment for our upcoming journey?"
"Entertainment?" Tenma wondered. "You mean, you asked a fiddler to go with us? Why would you do that?"
Kariya suppressed the urge to knock the brunette on the head to check if the boy really had a brain - because he sincerely doubted it - and rolled his eyes again. "No, of course I didn't hire a fiddler. Where would I even find one in this forest?" He turned back to his frolicking senpais as a mischievous grin spread over his lips. "No, it's more like a fool duo, to make us laugh a little every once in a while."
Now he had caught their interest. Teasing them a little when they pleaded him to tell them what he meant, he said: "First, do you forgive me now?"
"Yes!" they screamed in unison and Kariya smirked victoriously before he shared his plan.
"Did you know that whenever Kirino-san and Captain get close to each other, they start blushing and stuttering like maidens in love?" He snickered. "Well, I just made sure that that'll happen more often from now on."
"How did you do that?" Shinsuke inquired while he giggled slightly at the prospect of two stuttering seniors.
"I gave Kirino-san a few advices on how human 'friends' act among each other. But I need your help to keep this going, or else it'll be ruined. So whatever you do, don't make it too obvious that you know what's going on, okay?"
They all nodded and Hikaru giggled to himself. "So, what advices did you give him?" Kariya motioned them to come closer and explained it in whispers, afraid that either Shindou or Kirino might hear him. But he shouldn't have worried about that, because those two were still indulged in their water fight.
Shindou stood up, glad to finally be able to stretch his legs. It was already late in the evening, and he couldn't see the sun anymore. It was probably still above the horizon, judging by the amount of light, but the trees blocked the burning ball from his view.
He had sat cross-legged ever since he got back from his bath this morning. They had talked all day with Shuu, Taiyou and a few other people from the village about what should happen next. Right after breakfast, Shuu had informed the people about the situation, using a calm voice and clear sentences. After that he respectfully asked a few older men to join them during the negotiations. Shindou had realized that, even though Shuu and Taiyou were really powerful and considered to be the village's leaders, they still paid respect to others and listened to their opinions. As if Shuu had read his thoughts, he walked past the brunette while softly muttering: "A good leader repays his followers with respect and deeds, not with money." After that he walked into the tent as if he never said anything.
And now they could finally get out again. His legs and his bottom were stiff from sitting so long in the same position and his respect for Taiyou and Shuu grew, since he figured that those two did this on a regular basis. Kirino walked next to him in silence as they headed for the tables in the middle of the huts. Apparently, when some people were really busy with something important, the others would join forces and cook for the entire village to support the ones who worked hard.
They sat down on the ground - to their great annoyance, they had to sit cross-legged yet again - and smiled gratefully as a little girl handed them a plate at her mother's request. There was a heap of rice with a mixture of cooked vegetables and a salty sauce that neither of them had ever tasted. After finishing the formalities, they happily filled their stomachs with the warm food. The villagers, both the shadows and the fire nymphs, were really kind to them ever since the trial and conversations sparked as the meal proceeded. Shindou noticed the glimpse of curiosity in a shadow girl's eyes, but she didn't ask him about the meeting.
After everyone finished eating, Shuu and Taiyou stood up and all conversations immediately died down. They shared a glance and Taiyou cleared his throat to ask for anyone's attention, which was pointless since everyone already focussed on the two representatives. "Brothers and sisters," Taiyou spoke. "I'm afraid I have bad news. A war is coming up." The people around Shindou whispered among each other to express their shock, but it automatically died down after a few seconds.
Shuu took over. "The enemy is someone who does not care about others. He is willing to throw nature's harmony out of order to obtain power, even if it kills all but himself. Our dear Sorano was one of his victims, and we all saw how she ended up."
"Tell me, are we gonna let that bastard get away with that?" Taiyou yelled. He pumped his fist in the air and his hair crackled to express his determination. Everyone on the clearing, including Shindou, Kirino, Hikaru, Kariya, Shinsuke and Tenma copied him and roared their assent.
"I understand your determination and I admire your fighting spirit," Shuu said with a raised voice in order to be heard over the cheering, "but what Taiyou and I agreed upon with our guests, is that we shouldn't rush things."
"We have something that the enemy wants, and if we'll run at him to attack him, we'll be presenting that something to him on a silver platter."
"What does he want then, Taiyou-sama?" a fire girl as old as Shindou asked, but it was Shuu who answered.
"He wants one of you, one of the fire nymphs." The girl scowled deeply and cracked her knuckles.
"I'd like to see him try," she glared, but Shuu squatted beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Not now, Midori. Let's be smart." She nodded, but the scowl didn't change. Shuu raised both himself and his voice as he spoke the next words. "We need to be cautious with that man, for he has shown that he doesn't back down from hurting us. We need all fire nymphs to stay back..." he waited a few seconds before he added: "...and prepare for the final battle!"
Cheering was heard among the trees as the sun sank behind the horizon, taking the last light and warmth with it. But Taiyou simply snapped his fingers and a circle of bonfires appeared between the seated listeners. "Hopefully, we won't fight alone," he said with a serious look in his eyes.
"Indeed," Shuu nodded. "Judging from Shindou-san and his friends' stories, the enemy has already gathered the powers from vampires, merfolk and shadows. That means that both the fire nymphs and the angels are still in danger, so we want to warn the people from the sky as well. Since we need to stay back, our guests will be the ones to travel and tell them. They will also ask the angels if they can fight alongside us. And then we will stop that villain!"
The cheering went on for a couple of minutes, before Taiyou and Shuu made their final announcement, saying that Shindou and the others would depart tomorrow at sunrise. Many people glanced gratefully in their direction and a few even lifted their cups as if they brought out a toast. The last sunrays had now disappeared and the humans and the merman stood up to prepare for the night. Tomorrow would start early, after all.
They entered the hut one after the other, feeling delighted when they noticed that the fire was burning again. Probably Taiyou's doing, Shindou smiled to himself and he just wanted to change for the night when he noticed that Tenma wasn't with them. Frowning, he moved the hide in front of the entrance and was relieved to find the younger brunette outside. Tenma was looking at the top of a certain tree, but Shindou didn't see anything but specks from the fire. His eyes were adjusted to the warm glow of the burning bonfire behind him and that caused the darkness outside to seem even deeper than it was in reality.
"Tenma, are you coming? We need to get up early tomorrow."
Tenma turned around and smiled brightly. "Hai Captain!" Shindou watched with a tender smile as the younger boy darted past him towards the warmth and light of the fire. What a difference with two days ago, he thought while remembering Tenma's critical state. Without casting another look outside, he dropped the hide and curled up at the fire, enjoying the blanket of warmth it emitted.
.
But even if Shindou had casted a look around, he probably wouldn't have spotted the squatted figure in the treetop that Tenma had been staring at. The seemingly young boy sat perfectly still as his golden eyes drifted over the roof of the hut. His sharpened ears could hear the muttered 'good night's the boys exchanged before their breathing slowly evened, signalling that they fell asleep. A small breeze played with his navyblue locks and brought him the scent that he knew very well.
He'd seen that boy staring in his direction, but he hadn't worried about being spotted. He knew that a human's eyes couldn't pierce through the darkness like his own eyes could. He had been in this position, in this tree, ever since the last rays of sunlight disappeared and it was finally safe for him to come out. Of course he had caught the last part of the plan, and he smirked as it crossed his mind.
"Che, like they could actually do something useful," the mocked in a silent voice. He was the only one who could hear it, for the breeze increased in strenght and volume, effectively muffling his words for all other creatures around.
Casting one last look on the hut beneath him, he pushed himself off. That way, he disappeared without a sound or sight in the darkness of the night.
Me: The seventeenth chapter! WOOHOO! ^^
Fei: Who is that in the end?
Me: Ushishishi, you should read the whole story if you want to find out!
Fei: You know what? I should indeed do that! Wondeba, let's travel back to our own time to find out how this story will end!
Me: Eeeh?! Wa-wait a minu-
Wondeba: Yosh! Come on, Fei, let's do it! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, TIME JUMP!
Me: DON'T YOU DARE READ IT AND COME BACK TO SPOIL THE ENDING!
*silence*
Me: *grumbles* I'm so gonna kill them if they do that! Anyways, minna, I'm sorry for not adding a little more fluff, but I wanted to ask for your help! You see, I asked this before, but no one replied to it, so now I ask it again. I need a few loveydovey things for Shindou and Kirino (of which Kirino will think that it's normal between friends ;) ). Please tell me if you have any ideas!
Bye! (L)
Ps. The journey will take about five days, so I need lots of loveydovey, okay? ^^ Expect a little fluff every now and then in the upcoming chapters!