Chapter 15

The warlock raised a tall fire in the hearth to light the little room and, as Doumeki told him of the mountain mission, the ranger, and his story, pulled down cups and heated cider over the fire. All the while Watanuki felt the Hero's eyes on his back.

He was impressed. The rangers had gotten most of it right. He told Doumeki as much.

The Archer, his cup at his lips, only said, "So it was you," in a low tone.

Watanuki sighed deeply from his seat on the floor beside the other man. He said, quietly, "Yes, it was me. Myself and my aohola, Yuuko. The rangers have a tendency to exaggerate the truth," the young man fingered his bottom lip as his spoke, eyes staring dully into his cider. "But it seems mine…mine they have done right by."

Watanuki edged closer to the Hero, craning for warmth. "I've told you my mother taught me the goa'chya loe mayrsu, the tongue of sands, and that is true. She took sick while she carried me, and died of fever when I was very young. My father I am told passed of a wasting sickness.

"My…my teacher was good to me. Eccentric, and two-faced," He made an exasperated face that settled over his features like an old habit, and directed it towards the fire. "A drunkard and a good-for-nothing lay-about, but good, somehow, still."

The warlock's fingers trailed through Mugetsu's fur, the fox's head in his lap. Doumeki drank slowly from his cooling cider, but eventually he couldn't distract himself with it any longer.

"What happened on the mountain?" He pushed.

Watanuki's fingers paused, and began massaging again.

"Mm. The mountain." He put his cup down with a muted thunk. "When we were on it, Yuuko told me that she had died years before. And that she still 'lived,' after a fashion, thanks to the sacrifice of a dear friend. We climbed until we were far from the town, and she said, 'Now Watanuki, I've been expecting this, I've seen it coming from afar for so long I'm going with absolutely no regrets, whatsoever.'"

"I asked her why, and she smiled and said, 'Because I'm going to leave you this.'"

The warlock gave Doumeki a soft look. He rose to his knees and moved to sit directly in front of him, his toes precariously close to the fire. He said, "She did this to me," as he lifted a single finger, and laid its tip lightly on the crease between the Hero's eyebrows.

Doumeki did not look away from Watanuki's mismatched eyes.

The caster swallowed, softly, but still audibly.

"I felt a pain, and everything went dark. And when I woke again, her clothing and pack where in a pile in the snow, and I was alone."

He dropped the touch and moved back to his previous seat, albeit closer still.

"I wandered and got lost."

The Hero looked down his arm at the warlock and, with a sigh, raised it so Watanuki could move against his side. He felt the young man's cheeks lift in a brief smile.

Watanuki spoke again, his voice muffled into Doumeki's clothing.

"It was a little while before I meddled out what it was she'd given me, and I'm still…I'm still not positive. But I think that she gave me part of herself."

Doumeki frowned, confused. Looking to ask for clarification, he looked and—

Started, upon seeing a line of wet down the warlock's cheek.

He pulled the young man in tighter. "Watanuki-"

"No, it's alright." He said, voice steady, into his ribs. He paused for a long moment, and said "It confuses me sometimes. I think she only meant to…to give me her knowledge, of magic, but…well. I got more than that. Sometimes it's difficult…to tell, whether I'm still myself, or if—if I'm her."

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-Oceans

Spiegel, I'd be really happy to help you with that confusion :) Feel free to e-mail or PM me so we can talk.