Mages and Knights
Summery: AU Takuya is the son of a poor farmer and on one day discovers he is an Elemental. Powerful people are out to get him so he travels to a School were he meets a lot of interesting people. And maybe fall in love with one of the strangest. Kouji/Takuya
Warnings: Digimon crossover, Cursing, Yoai, T rating
Chapter name: Starlight Strife
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon
Author Notes: Sorry for the really long wait, guys but I've been up to my head in freaking homework. I just started a new school so things have been hectic for a while but I'm back and I hope this chapter satisfies you. There probably one or two more chapters left.
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews especially Butterfly and EMAN. To EMAN: I'm so glad you like my story and my writing style so much. It's always nice to hear that. To MyLittleKitsune: you'll see. ;)
I seriously love all of my reviewers to death!
His whole world settled and narrowed down on a single point, the edges of his vision less than meaningless now. The presences beside him were tucked away at the back of his mind as he felt his tired legs propel him forwards, making a desperate dash forwards. His feet leapt off the ground with a force only a Knight could produce and he raced towards the middle of the large stone chamber.
He gave himself no choice. He had to get there.
And it seemed that he would as his heart pounded in his ears like never before. It was the scent of roses that saved him. The soft, sweet fragrance registered and it was instinct that made him bring his katana upwards. The resulting collision jarred his bones and his feet were unable to stop and he was pushed backwards, skidding the stone floor, with a force he had never felt before. The sheer surprise itself almost knocked him down but the reserve springs of magic sent strong bursts to his arms and knees and he was able to block the attack and slowly skid to a stop.
The scent of roses was stronger now. A fist with pink plating on the knuckles was now resting against the sharp edge of Kouji's katana and furious, narrowed blue eyes glared at him with a promise of sure death. His arms ached and trembled with the force of holding the woman back and he knew it was a matter of seconds before he had no other option but to give in. Kouji had never felt a Knight as strong as this, not even Maki or his father had the same level raw power that pulsed through the woman's slender limbs and cerulean eyes.
Could she be the Viola Knight? She certainly had the rebellious attitude they were famous for but there was a certain something that told him to hold of the accusation. He had seen Viola Knights before but he had never seen one like this one. The way she moved reminded him of a dancer and a snake. The grace and flexibility of a dancer and the poisonous strike of a serpent.
He dimly heard the sounds around him, yelling, the strike of metal against metal, and the static in the air as magics collided. But he was forced to push his concern away as the woman sneered, blonde strands falling around her face like lightning. Kouji had barely enough time to steady himself before the next hit came. She threw something in the air before clenching her hand into a fist and the pink plating collided with such a force against his katana's edge that his feet flew off the ground and he was forced to freefall from ten feet in the air, his katana flying from his sweaty grasp.
Images flashed through his mind and he commanded his body to move. This was ridiculous. He had no time to waste with this woman. Takuya came before everything. He landed on the ground in a crouch, harsher than he would have liked as it sent spasms of pain through his already abused body, but he righted himself to face his enemy. His eyes darted to the katana that laid a stone's throw away then back to the woman, knowing he would have no opportunity to retrieve it.
He saw the blonde woman sneer spitefully again, her arm in the air as she caught the object that fell. And he also saw, over her shoulder, the figure he had fought so hard to see.
The sounds were muted as the small body fell downwards, wind flying past his face and causing delicate strands of brown hair to follow the descent. The blood red robe was swept behind the slender figure, curving a path in the air. The fall slowly turned the body towards him ever so slightly as he catch one last look of those eyes. The eyes that showed him for the first time the true strength of fire and compassion, the true mercy of friendship and trust, and the eternal power of complete and utter devotion. Those eyes shinned at him, giving him one last glimpse of their light before the slight frame connected with the floor and the arch of the blood red robe settled over him and hid him from view.
Then he was filled with anger, a wave of wrath so fierce that his core, which had begun to weakly throb in distress, burst into a nova of power. Strength surged back into his limbs but, even with the extra energy, he was still weaponless. There was no way he would leave alive without a weapon but there was a reason he was here and that reason was being approached by a creepy white haired woman with spider-like fingers.
She will not touch Takuya if he had any say in it.
Damnit.
Kouji hunched over his stomach, his hands contracted several times as he drew them to the center of balance of his body. He barely heard the mutated roar of a hound in pain. His back ached and his limbs trembled so much his muscles were going through spasms. It hadn't been easy, far from it, to enter this far into the stronghold. Just the sheer number of guards made it practically impossible to go unnoticed. Their one miracle was that they hadn't encountered any User, giving them an enormous advantage. Takato's, Hazu's, and Lee's improvised spells, Ken's demons and Juri's enchantments were the only thing that ended up keeping them from being overrun and destroyed. They kept the halls in confusion and chaos, enough so that any reinforcements would be rare.
But miracles, like everything else, ran out at some point.
Kouji knew, as did everyone else that they had little chance to get out of here alive much less with Takuya. They were exhausted and almost magically drained, especially the Mages since it was by their main effort that they made it inside and past the guards. Massive sleeping spells, layered illusion spells, and triggered binding spells had all but sapped the magic out of the three of them. Juri was in almost as bad of shape as she had enchanted several halls to crumble and dissolve as well as flying weapons and chunks of rock. The Knights had taken care of the mobs of soldiers that had penetrated the spells by either charms or sheer dumb luck. They had been no challenge but the protective spells that the Mages hadn't noticed had done a number on them, sapping their strength and magic supplies, leaving them more vulnerable than usual to an ordinary soldier's attacks. Kouichi and Ken did little physically but their predictions and prowling demons had decreased solider morale.
And all of that work was going to be for naught if this woman killed him.
A snake lashed at him and he leaned back, eyes narrowing at the fangs flashing in front of his face. A loud, clown-like laughter was heard at his right as Takeru gasped in pain but there was not time to see to him. The woman leapt at him, the leather whip in one hand and a long slender golden ribbon in the other, flying behind her.
"Die, little boy," she sneered and the whip was swung his way, the snakehead rearing back and extending its fangs.
Kouji leapt backwards, the whip missing and carving a laceration in the stone. He gritted his teeth as the woman sent arc after arc of leather after him, his feet quick with adrenaline and magic. His unbound hair flew around his head and he caught the small glimpse of the white-haired woman silently drawing something with her finger on Takuya's forehead and a sudden surge of anger took over him.
As he moved forwards another attempted hit with the whip blocked him. "I'm your opponent, sweetheart," the blonde woman said softly, her voice carrying over the sounds of battle.
"Get out of my way," Kouji growled with anger, his voice rough and hoarse. Despite his urging his heart started to beat faster and not with adrenaline. He barely had enough magic to keep him upright but he had enough to beat this woman. He would make it enough.
His sight went black as the woman took the opening to charge in at him, her shoulder crashing into his stomach with the force of a sledgehammer. A nova of pain exploded in his abdomen and his limp body was sent flying into the stonewall. White-hot waves of agony went down his whole body, making every muscle in his body go numb. He didn't feel when his body slid down the wall onto the floor but he felt the escalating pain all too well.
He wasn't just seeing stars but everything went fuzzy. Usually this wasn't a problem but the impact shook him too much and it was just too hard to bring the depleting magic to his eyes. It was hard to breathe, all the air bunched up at his throat and his whole frame shook with exhaustion and lack of magic. It had never been this bad…never. Kouji couldn't move. He couldn't even drag up the will power to stand.
The fuzzy, tilting image of the pink-clad woman walked towards him slowly with both the whip and ribbon swinging skillfully at her side but to him they didn't even register to him. Her ice-cold azure eyes dug sharply into him, the murder in her eyes cutting through the fog. A curious sensation ran down Kouji's numb back and it almost felt like his blood turned cold. A furious flood of odd thoughts flew through his head.
Run away. Why should I care about the little runt that brought me so much confusion? I survived just fine before he came. I don't need him. I don't need the others. They'll just hinder me. I have to run away, save myself.
I don't need him.
"How does it feel boy?" the echoing, faint voice of the woman snaked into his ears and settled in his head. There was macabre, amused tone to her voice. "How do you feel now that you failed?" Kouji didn't have the strength to properly understand her words and blinked slowly in confusion.
He was so tired but his body kept shaking as if it wanted to get up and run away. All thoughts of staying and fighting fled his mind. He was so cold and a force so huge, with such a stifling effect, held him in place, sprawled on the floor, boneless. He was… he was…
"How does it feel to experience true fear, boy?"
He was scared. For the first time in his life he was truly scared for his own life.
He faintly heard a shuffling sound as the she squatted next to his immobile form, dangling her yellow ribbon up and down his back. It hurt to breathe. Each breath sent his lungs into agony, sending pins of pain up his chest to his throat. He had no magic left; he instinctively knew that as the humming in his chest grew still and cold. Kouji knew that there was no one left to help him as they were fighting for their own lives. Fear held his limbs frozen much more than the numbness did.
When did he become a coward?
"Poor, boy," the woman murmured, running her ribbon but his back to his head, circling it softly. "To fall in his first real battle. Such beautiful anger you had but too much fear burned out the fire. Not like the kid." She smiled as she laid the ribbon on his back and gasped a chunk of Kouji's hair, forcing his head into the air painfully. "The kid had a courage truly befitting of fire. The love in his heart had brought him so far. Too bad you didn't have any left, boy."
She let out a shrill laugh and smashed his head into the stone floor. Kouji couldn't even describe the sensation because he blacked out for a second then brought back as she made Kouji's chin collide with the floor again. An excruciating gasp left his scratched throat as he coughed violently, sending drops of blood and spit into the air. The pain was starting to swirl together, making his body one massive collection of pain.
He dimly heard shouts of alarm, the rush of feet, and a faint voice that yelled, "Get away from the Elemental…"
The Elemental…Takuya…Kouji forced his eyes open a sliver despite the pain that the light inflicted on him. He slowly moved his gaze past the woman, who lifted his head again, and saw an explosion of green lights erupt as a white-haired figure shrieked and fell back. A blur of green fell over the motionless form of Takuya, protecting him. That wasn't right. Juri shouldn't have had to save him. He was supposed to rescue Takuya. It was him who should have been there to shield him with his body.
Why was he lying here like an invalid when the one who accepted his hand to dance was being threatened?
His father would be ashamed of him.
His face collided with the floor again and a high-pitched whine echoed in his ears, his eyelids now stone heavy and closed. In his mind he could see the fuzzy image of Juri screaming and crying, huddling over the motionless Takuya as a tall man with long orange hair repeatedly showered her with orange flames, making her party dress catch fire.
The woman was saying something but Kouji couldn't understand it. It didn't really matter. Takuya's brown eyes lit up with his inner fire swimming across his mind. Takuya was taken from him without even knowing it. Kouji had tried to distance himself from that brown-haired boy, to escape that turmoil in Kouji that he ignited. But in the end he wasn't strong enough to face Takuya head on, to either accept or deny him. He just kept running and hiding until Takuya made him face it with the assurance of a lion. Takuya had been the one with enough confidence to trust and follow his heart. Kouji had been taught that his heart was the one thing that would always mislead him from his goal. Emotions would sidetrack him to what his mission was. That was, truthfully, all he knew how to do.
Takuya took that and tore it apart without remorse. He showed Kouji that a heart was something every human was born with for a reason and he shoved it in his face, waking up unpleasantly from his forced reality into the real one, full of emotions and the force of a spirit in the wind. In every laugh, in every smile, and whisper he saw a reality his mother wanted, that he wanted.
Love may be part of a human's imagination but it's a person's heart, which makes it come to life. And Takuya was the one that took the tiny flame and made it a blazing forest fire. Kouji did his best douse out that fire but it kept growing until there was nothing left to do but accept it and let it consume him. It had been a merciless defeat but he had been losing the war since the beginning.
Kouji saw a small pinprick of light swimming across the black of his vision. That last blow to the head must have rattled him badly. If he didn't do something soon he would surely loose his life and that of his friends would be in danger if they haven't already fallen. A sudden harsh breath left him as the sadistic woman shook him to get his attention.
"Your little friends are persistent," she casually commented, "My comrades are having a very good time. We will not kill any of you until Lord Luce commands it so be grateful. But," her tone grew cold and brittle as ice. "We do not need more than one to interrogate and you, child, are not needed.
"Goodnight, boy."
Something thin and slippery crawled around his neck as the woman held him up painfully by his hair. Kouji felt bile rise up his throat, as he knew the yellow ribbon snaked around him. He started struggling weakly, infuriated by this pathetic display but the pain consumed him so he could barely see in front of him. His feet slipped slightly as he tried to kick them, anything to get this woman off of him.
But all his efforts were futile as the yellow ribbon squeezed tighter and tighter, constricting the airflow. It was so painful. His lungs automatically tried to bring in air but all he got was a dry, scratched up throat. There was no magic left to help him, there was no one left to lend him a hand. He was going to die here, a pathetic warrior and a useless, feeble friend. Takuya was out of his reach and that hurt more than anything this woman could do to him.
He opened up his whole self to Takuya and he accepted it with open arms, making him feeling, for once, that he was worth loving. He was a Knight, a warrior, and a protector. He was not about to die here.
Over his dead body.
The woman let out a shriek as she was hauled back by a gloved hand yanking at her blonde hair. The yellow ribbon loosed its grip and unraveled around him, giving him the air he so desperately needed. She took with her a handful of black hairs but she had finally let go, letting his head drop to the floor.
"Damnation," the woman snarled with the most animalistic look in her eye as she swept her hand and backhanded the person with the grip on her hair. It was a weak, rather unplanned move, but it sent to person sprawling back several feet, landing on their back with a pained cry.
That cry was rather familiar. However painful the woman's grip had been it had given him the smallest amount of time to rest so he was able, at the very least, to lift his head from the ground and slowly try to focus his tilting and fuzzy sight. As soon as he focused a sense of shock so big settled over him that he momentarily forgot his pain. It couldn't be… What was she doing here?
A girl with yellow-gold hair under a purple cap was collapsed on the floor, supporting her upper body with her arms. Her blue eyes were terrified but they hold a sort of steely grit he had never seen and her body shook with tremors of horror. She held some sort device in her hand, a platinum headband with some sort of transparent extensions from the sides. She made no move to get up.
The woman obviously recognized her too because she looked surprised. "Little Izumi, may a… unpleasant surprise," she commented uneasily, her eyes darting to the head table. "Does your uncle know you're here? It would be unfortunate if you got hurt." Her gloved hand tightened on her whip.
"Izumi?" a softer voice broke through the sounds of battle and a new figure entered Kouji's field of vision. It was the slender, blond man that sat in the highest chair on the table. His big blue eyes were widened with something but Kouji could tell it wasn't surprise or even concern. "I do not believe I gave you permission to leave your room, niece."
Now that the two were next to each other there were obvious features the two shared. Their pale skin, blond hair, and blue eyes were the ones that stood out the most but Kouji could recognize the stance Izumi had back in school on the man, a cold pride that commanded respect. He had the same look she once had, like a sneer of contempt on everyone that angered or irritated him or her. It was now no surprise that they were uncle and niece.
But instead of being pleased with her uncle's appearance she looked terrified and she was fighting back tears. This wasn't the Izumi Kouji knew. This wasn't the Izumi with cold confidence and complete control over everything around her. This was a scared child in something she didn't want to understand.
She took a shaky breath and clutched her object at her chest. "Uncle Luce," she murmured quietly, somehow being heard over all the racket. "This wasn't what I wanted. You told me… he would be mine. Y-you would t-take away K-Kanabara to somewhere else. I d-don't want you to kill Kouji!" Tears were flowing freely now, making the woman look away in contempt.
"I'm afraid," Luce said just as quietly. "That you don't have a say in the matter. You did what you were supposed to. Your role is over." He turned his back frigidly to the crying girl on the floor. "Do not expect more than what you are given. Now be gone girl before you get yourself killed. Do not fail me Crusade."
She gave a small hiccup as her uncle walked away from her, into the fray of the battle without fear. She used her arms to wipe away the tears as she shakily stood up, her shoulders shaking. This girl was absolutely terrified out of her mind. Izumi looked years younger than she really was.
"Stupid girl," the woman in pink, Crusade, snarled, cracking her whip in front of Izumi. The younger girl flinched horribly. "Disappear." As she turned back to face the immobile Kouji he felt the yellow ribbon start to snake around his neck again as he weakly pulled on it.
He had to do something before he was killed. He had to do something, anything. He couldn't just lie there and be killed. He had-
"No."
Both Kouji and Crusade looked back at her in astonishment. Tears still flowed down her face but there was thing almost wild look in her eyes that spoke of determination and commitment. Her fists were clenched and the hard look on her face was unlike anything he had ever seen before. For a second in time she, to Kouji, truly looked like the beautiful person she had hidden deep inside. She had the same look of utter loyalty and passion that Takuya had and, for a minute, he could see the image of Takuya's face over hers, matching their the emotion in their eyes.
She looked like a warrior.
"I made a promise," she said softly but firmly, eyes sparkling with tears. "I won't let you hurt Takuya's friends!" With that yell she placed the metal headband over her eyes and the transparent wings glowed with the colors of the rainbow.
There was instantaneous reaction. Powerful winds from nowhere came storming down and exploded outwards, the gales disrupting the battle as they cut deep grooves into the stonewalls. Crusade managed to jump upwards and out of immediate danger but she got caught in the currents and was thrown into the walls. Cracks ran upwards as dust and bits of rubble dislodged from the ceiling and wall, crashing down on crusade as she recovered from the blow. Cracked pink platting fell from her back and chest, scattering on the stones.
Kouji placed his arms over his head as winds ripped at his clothing and struggled to hold his ground, the cold sting bit at his face. A sword flew by him, narrowly missing his face as it was embedded in the stonework. The cold air blasted into his lungs with such a force that he couldn't get a decent breath of air. Where in the world had Izumi gotten an object with such a powerful charm?
There was the faintest trace of his name in the air as a body hurled itself across the winds to land next to Kouji, the flash of his red outfit signaling that it was Tai. He was barely holding on and he slowly raised his arm to hand something to Kouji, the hand retreating and pushing back forwards because of the force of the winds. As soon as Tai yelled something, unable to get loud enough over the storm, Kouji knew that Tai wanted to give him something, a weapon.
As soon as the stone touched Kouji's palm, energy and magic flared out of it and flowed over Kouji like a warm ocean current, healing and soothing his sore muscles and restoring his sight in one smooth, fluid wave. The pain in his head eased and his sight came back to Knight level, seeing the tiny grains of stone whipping around. With that overpowering flare of magic his fears disappeared and transformed into confidence and an unbearable sense of urgency. He didn't know how long Juri had been able to protect Takuya or even if she was still alive.
He could feel blood slipping down his neck from his various head wounds and he could taste it in his mouth. But he forcefully pushed all those thoughts aside as he narrowed everything he had, feelings and power, into one goal: Rescue Takuya no matter what it takes.
He had never done this before. It was only a theory taught to young Knights that they swore never to use unless on the treat of death and, sometimes, not even then. Knights go their whole lives without doing what he was about to do. It was the only thing he could think to do. He… couldn't let Takuya down, not after all he had done for Kouji, his heart and pride wouldn't allow it.
Against his basic instincts he closed his eyes and began meditating which was a hard task with the fierce winds whistling in his ears and his heart pounding in his chest like a frightened horse. Slowly, slowly he managed to retreat into himself, sliding past the noise, the fear, the worry, and the pain. His spirit sank deep into his body as if it was water as the absolute silence filled his ears and the image of rising bubbles flew past his mind's eyes.
The soul of a Knight has always been described as an ocean of oaths. The duty of a Knight was to obey and fulfill whatever demands were made of him for the good of the kingdom and royal family. Maybe it was right to be the image of an ocean because, as he sank, all the promises he had ever made, the swears, the oaths, his duty, and his way of life, flashed across his mind's eye like paintings in a sequence. He saw when he was six years old and swore his father he would not disappoint him. He saw the pinky swear he and Kouichi made in the field behind their summer manor, to always be best friends. He saw all the pain he endured to be the perfect Knight and all the cold shoulders he gave to his friends, classmates, and admirers. He saw a person who he wouldn't have liked to know.
Many it was fate but this core was a beam of light, shinning from the bottom of this ocean, cold and desolate. He hated going near his core because he hated knowing what his true nature was like. Maybe it was the ideal soul of a Knight but Kouji never liked it. He got used to it but never went out of his way to nurture it.
If he had a body right then he would have shivered as he let himself be enveloped in the cold beam of light. Kouji formed an image in his mind, the image of two large, brown eyes, and he managed to stabilize himself enough so that he wouldn't sink out of it. Tiny signals from his body sent the message that it was feeling sick as the cold automatically reached past his spirit into the connect between spirit and body, sucking away his body heat. Kouji forced himself to calm down as he slowly and painfully drew in all the light that he could into the connection.
His body was dry heaving now and acid rolled around in his stomach but he carefully guided the cold, cold light into the flesh of his arms, turning his fingertips blue; Tai's stone falling from nerveless hands. It was so cold. A sheet of ice wrapped around his insides, stabbing him from the inside. He felt terminally ill now but pressed on ahead, the brown eyes pushing him forwards. He was a Knight damn it! Pain was nothing to a Knight.
This Knight pushed the frozen light of his core into his arms, raising goose bumps and the tiny hairs; making it go numb. Even a Knight's body couldn't support too much of a change in temperature. He knew his body was going to shut down soon so he forced the essence of his core into his palms, making the blood in his veins flow sluggishly. This was his one chance. He was not going to waste it.
Kouji exhaled slowly, the mist of his breath visible as small crystals of ice formed on the back of his hands. His hair crackled and tiny icicles fell to the floor when he made to stand up. The wind had dies down a bit but it was still hard as the currents buffeted him and forced him to kneel several times. Even with the extra energy he wanted to lie down and sleep but he forced himself to stand. The cold wind stole the few degrees of warmth he had left and he could feel himself going into shock.
His magic wasn't going to help as the numbness almost forced him to the ground. It was so cold.
His lungs were frozen; he couldn't breathe but that wasn't his main concern at the moment. His hands were blue and he couldn't feel them as ice grew in chunks on his palms. The ice seemed to laugh as it crackled and twisted, a bright light shinning from the inside. The frost collided and hissed as his stiff hands touched the other, the magic of his core giving off a dull blue shine on the floor and turning the wind around him sapphire. The feeling of his magic twisting out of his body gave him a venerable feeling like he was giving up his main defense and his last resort. It made him feel weightless and as quick as the speed of light.
He only had one chance. He would not waste it.
A short, high-pitched scream cut through the wind as the wind came to an abrupt and sudden stop, chunks of rock, weapons, and dust flew down. Izumi was unconscious, crumpled into a heap on the floor as Luce stood over his niece with a cold, uncaring look, holding her charmed object in one pale hand. The air around him crackled softly with anger and the thin delicate hand broke the headband in half with a twist of a wrist. He threw it to the ground in disgust.
"Foolish girl," Luce growled, glancing at the icicles growing from under Kouji's feet. "Lady Devi, Devi, this is getting troublesome. Dispose of all these fools." And without another glance he turned on his heel and started to walk towards the other end of the room.
A thin skeletal man and a equally skinny woman detached from the shadows, like hidden observers witnessing a horrible crime without care. The man looked as if he had been ill for years because he leaned heavily on the woman next to him but the ruby on the gold ring on his hand was glowing a hazy red, matching the mist twisting around the woman's identical ring. The sudden increase in temperature signaled one thing as wide bands of light, red and purple, melted around their forms, entwining both as if they were a single person. A flash of gold and an incredible burst of magic were the warning before a heavy blood-red mist descended from above, sending the profound smell of ozone and burning wood into the air.
The work of Wizards.
Kouji swore softly, his numb lips moving. His heart was slowing down, he could feel that he didn't have much time left. His white-blue hands gripped the column of glowing ice in his hands. The hissing of the ice grew loudly as it reached the height of a katana, jagged and rough. Kouji calmed himself down and tough of warm brown eyes as he let the last of his core leave his body.
The stones under his feet cracked as the cold forced them apart. The light that shined down from the ice rebounded off the fair as if hitting a mirror and was sucked back into the ice from where it came. There was a cascade of chimes as a rain of slivers of ice rained down, gently clinking as if laughing.
The power of his core transformed into a physical shape. His core's last defense. His blood weapon.
A sword made of pure light that had no edges nor gave a physical presence. A sword that truly felt like an extension of his own being. His body was high tuned to every shiver of magic that the sword gave off, the air surrounding the sword felt as if it was flowing past him. He could see where the sword wanted to strike, where it would move, and when it would tear flesh. Kouji felt his heart beat in his palms, sending the soft, calm sound down his arms. He wasn't cold anymore. The blood weapon was his core; a part of him and it gave him strength like nothing he had ever felt before. He was holding his soul in his hands. If the sword were destroyed, shattered to pieces, there would truly be no hope left for him.
It was a fair trade, Kouji mused. His life for Takuya's. He knew Takuya was going to hate him forever for doing this but he knew that Takuya's life meant more than his by a large amount. Maybe it was just him but he was willing to give his core, his soul, for Takuya's.
Funny how life works out, doesn't it?
Kouji charged.
The glowing yellow eyes disappeared as a black hood hid them from Takuya's sight, startling him.
"So here you have come."
Takuya looked at the woman with something close to reluctant awe as she completely bypassed him and stirred the flame in the fire pit back to life with a long stick. Takuya stared at her for another moment before blinking rapidly and look around rather panicky. The last thing he remember was blacking out in front of Luce and his group of not-so-merry men and now he was in the middle of what looked like to be a thick forest near dusk, as the sun started to lower over the horizon.
The trees were a rather dark brown with smooth bark and bright green leaves that looked inky in the darkness. He heard the fire crackle to life and his shadow extend in front of him. Takuya turned back to face the woman, almost tripping over a small log. The sharp hoots of owls and the chirping of crickets were loud in the near silence of the woods. Despite the darkness the place didn't feel threatening, it felt like the woods behind him home in Izumai.
The woman included did not look like she was going to attack him soon though she dressed suspiciously. Her face was totally covered by her black hood and only a few stands of bright blonde hair could be seen. Despite the slow movements of her body Takuya felt something… A coil of sleeping power; the windy calm before the storm. There was some sort of connection that treaded him and the woman together as if she had been with him for a big part of his life. Which Takuya was pretty sure she hadn't. It was an odd feeling especially if he had never felt it with another person before. Takuya found himself relaxing almost unconsciously as she tossed a few branches in the flames and seated herself on one of the logs around the fire place and motioned for Takuya to do the same.
"Sit. There much to be talking about now," the cloaked woman said, her voice light almost like a child's but with a sharp twang that told Takuya she was not from the kingdom.
Takuya did just that and seated himself on a log, starting to feel uncomfortable. He was in the middle of nowhere (again) with a strange woman that could or could not pose a danger to him. Normally he wouldn't have picked up on it but the weird, familiar air around her signaled that she had enough power to take him down easily. He had been helpless once and he had no desire to feel that way again. Despite the fire's warmth a chill crept through him.
"Fear not for a fear 'tis the poison of a sound heart and mind," the cloaked woman said softly in her accented voice, reading his mind with such ease it made him uneasy. "A harmful intention 'tis nay one of mine. Peace may alight upon a restless soul as such is yours, youngling."
Takuya immediately simmered down, instinctively trusting her word. He had never been the kind to easily read people but with her it was easy. Too easy. "Okay," he said hesitantly, crossing his arms. "Who are you and…where are we? This place looks familiar…"
The woman's cloak rustled slightly as she looked at him full on, her eyes hidden. "Aye, 'tis is such a place that memories come to a lost soul." A long-fingered hand waved at the surrounding woods. "A curious alliance has brought thyself to my self's path. Being such as ourselves bear such as little semblance to the people. It is however that a connect is bred to the Gods, as such they say." A faint smile lingered on the uncovered part of her face.
"An alliance?" Takuya repeated curiously, enjoying the fire warmth. When a small itch manifested on his forehead he scratched it without a thought. They way she sat, with her one hand laying daintily over the other, reminded Takuya of how some of the more high class girls would sit.
"Powerful are many a friend of one as yourself, youngling," she replied, still looking at him. "Thy divine sisters have spirited yourself from a danger great as such is of the righteous brothers' will, that is. Aided you they have for such a soul is such as is a time that needed to be in guidance. Come they have in my self's nightly ventures, telling of a kin that would be in need of my word of mouth."
Wait… "Did you just call me family?" Takuya said somewhat incredulously though a sneaking suspicion was crawling inside him. The way she put him at ease despite the power he knew she held…
The smile grew slightly in amusement. " 'Tis not like yourself to be denying the sense of soul around ourselves, as it is. Thy lack of learning lays not on thy shoulders but is as more of that of Gods, as such is so. As creatures of Gods, beings of our spiritual heritage posses little boundaries as such stands."
Hold it! "Okay," Takuya huffed out, not sure if what she was hinting was what he was thinking about. "Let me get this straight. If we both have the same "spiritual heritage" that you would also be a…. like me?" It was completely, utterly impossible. He was the last one left! He was the first Elemental in a hundred years. This woman couldn't possible be…
"Astute" was the answer he was given.
"B-but that's impossible!" Takuya exclaimed, jumping to his feet, disbelief running through him. "I'm the first Elemental in a hundred years! You can't possibly be one! I-I mean someone would have found out sooner or later! You can't hide a power like this." That Takuya knew all too well.
A wave of amusement and slight disappointment emanated from the woman. "Tell you not I have of what was brought thee before myself as such is? 'Tis ist a familiar homeland to yourself, it is as the cause is the birth of you and the overflow of timeless in a river, yes it is."
The hooting of a barn owl startled Takuya into jumping, already jittery with nerves. Ï still don't understand," Takuya complained, unable to sense her lying. I mean a year ago I didn't even know I was an Elemental! Tanshin told me that they disappeared before me. How have you been hiding so long?"
A small gesture of her hand and Takuya found himself sitting again. "Hiding always is the center of mine life, youngling," she said softly, crossing her legs with a rustle of cloth, a familiar emerald green. "The life 'tis before thee ist nay the life given to thee. Value mine words with care. The sisters of the fortune, that of Destiny and that of Fate, have come't to myself. 'Tis as is naught thy time, fiery one. As it is the sun fell and it became year 122."
Year 122? "That can't be possible!" Takuya exploded, standing up in righteous anger, waving his arms in a panic. "I come from the year 236 and you tell me it's the year 122! That means that I'm supposed to be born in over a hundred years! How the hell I can be in the year 122! It's not possible!" It's completely impossible. That means that he wasn't even born yet nor Kouichi or Juri. Kouji didn't exist. As soon as that thought hit him he felt shivers run up his spine and a sudden roll of his stomach made him feel sick. He felt cold even with the fire.
The woman apparently sensed his distress and rose, quickly and without hesitation, wrapping her arms around the distraught boy. The smell of vanilla and ginger invaded his senses as he unconsciously leaned against her warmth, suddenly recalling memories of his childhood. His mother constantly smelled like vanilla after she made her special vanilla cake when a birthday came around. She always stored sugar and extracted vanilla from the flowers over the year to make sure she had enough for one cake on each birthday. The sugar was cheap but the vanilla gave it a flavor that was purely homemade and wonderful. Only his mother could bake with such low-priced ingredients but still produce something delicious.
The way she wrapped her arms around him in a cocoon of safety reminded him of Mimi's sisterly embrace. The way she smiled at his foolish mistakes without being irritated. She was the one who picked him up from the field of ashes and helped him through. He was only a small child but she held his hand anyway. His family was the one who made his comfortable with their familiarity but Mimi was the one he went to when he needed comfort. His family was obliged to care because they loved him but Mimi didn't have to. She just did. And that made all the difference in the world to Takuya. She was his first friend.
When he lost her to a new world more friends were dropped his way. Juri with her smiled and cheerfulness that was so like Mimi. Kouichi with that caring attitude but wise advice. Tai, Hazu, Daisuke, Takato. They all fell into place one by one into the new puzzle shown before him. With Kouji's reluctant caring and strong stature his life had entered a new stage that he had never thought would come to him. But it had. This woman's warmth reminded him of Kouji's kiss, his embrace, and that one dance they shared. He wanted it. He wanted that warmth back.
Takuya gripped the woman in a needy hug, burying his face in her shoulder while she whispered soft nonsense words. He would have been embarrassed with anyone else, mortified out of his mind, but it was like he was hugging his mother or Mimi. They same caring, non-judging hold that Takuya could break down in and feel no shame or fear in doing so. There was this trust that stemmed from her. It was like he was hugging someone who cared.
Someone like family.
"Let peace settle upon thy soul," she whispered softly, patting his hair. "The weight of loss 'tis a burden on too small a shoulders. Nay fear, nay fear. Thine sisters have the knowledge of ages. They knowst thy righteous path." She let Takuya compose himself and didn't resist when Takuya moved away from her embrace, keeping mindful of his damaged pride.
Takuya sniffled then coughed roughly; trying to keep intact whatever pride he had left. "Ah, sorry," he mumbled, bring himself under control. What kind of a guy broke down in front of a woman? In front of anyone even?
"Nay, nay," she whispered, smiling, and gestured at him to sit down again. "A blow to a heart 'tis mightier than one to flesh."
As Takuya sat down, composing himself, she reached to her neck and undid the clasp that held together her cloak. She gathered the cloak in her arms, folding delicately and sitting down, placing it next to her in the soft grass. Takuya felt a nagging sensation as he saw she was wearing a sturdy emerald-green dress that fell above her ankles, revealing brown riding boots. The long, thick sleeves clung to her slim arms and brown gloves. The elegant but sturdy dress gave Takuya a creepy feeling though he couldn't exactly say as to why.
The woman had long, golden hair that hung to her waist in a smooth waterfall. Her face was a pale color but smooth and untouched by blemishes with high cheekbones. The odd part was the she kept her eyes closed even as she faced Takuya and smiled casually. Takuya knew that she had yellow eyes, he saw them, so he was a bit confused as too why she didn't open her eyes.
"Forgive me you must," she said, noting Takuya's curiosity. She gently touched her eyelids with a gentle fingertip. "As our kin age so our power must as it is. Still young you are, youngling, untouched by the burden old must bear. As two souls join in one flesh, the body must submit to the power as it gives way. Our kin are nay immortal nor undefeatable for as such most pass on by their own."
So whatever happened to her would one day happen to him too. Well, the book did say an Elemental must have a big soul in order to accept a God's power but she said that a body can't control two souls and the God's power for too long or it will begin to break down. Takuya looked down at his own hand. What will happen to him? Will he one day fall asleep and never wake up?
"Power, as fate, 'tis such a fickle creature," the woman said, breaking Takuya out of his morbid thoughts. "Dwell naught upon the future as it is unseen to eyes upon Earth. What shall be shrouded shall upon one sun and one moon give way to the lights. My name, youngling, shall be and is as such Ange, bearer of the God's light and shall I tell thee our kin's tale."
Her eyes snapped open and bore deeply into Takuya's brown ones. Her golden eyes glowed softly then increased in brightness every second, like the light of a candle turning into a blazing bonfire. Pinpricks of pain exploded in his eyes but for some reason he didn't -couldn't- close his eyes from the light. It was mesmerizing and drew him in a funny sense of déjà vu. The light from her eyes grew until it was all he could see and feel, a warm, slippery feeling sliding under his skin.
Takuya thought he fainted or something because when he opened his eyes again he saw two children in what looked like a stable. He knew this wasn't real because the picture was slightly blurry, the edges of the children and wood were fuzzy and the colors ran into one another like a watercolor a painting that never dried. To Takuya's horror he also saw a big chestnut horse in one of the stalls, the mane and the hide blurring indescribably, but it seemed to be interested in the apple one of the kids held.
Both kids laughed as the horse swung its head towards the in an oddly slow fashion, leaving streaks of faint color in the air as it moved. The bigger kid, a boy, grabbed the apple from the girl and stepped forwards in the same slow way, kind of like the child moved slow but flickered so that he moved from one place to the other with a regular pace. They reminded Takuya of the ghost Mimi used to tell him when it got late on their play dates when they were younger.
"Take not his pleasure, Seraphi," the girl whined when the boy teased the horse with the apple. Her voice had an echoing quality as if he was hearing them speak from far away, dim and heard to hear.
The boy, Seraphi, turned his head towards her and grinned, his face blurring into a solid color. "Thy heart's much too cowardly, sister. Too smart am I for this beast." His voice echoed around Takuya's head as he continued to tease the horse. The horse wasn't too pleased and extended its neck, snapping up the apple and barely missing the boy's fingers.
The girl gasped and she reached out, protectively cradling her brother's hands in her own, her soft blue dress mixing with the boy's green tunic. Her eyes kept moving, blurring and coming out of focus so Takuya wasn't sure what color they were. "Heed advice of those dear to you, brother," she chastised gently. "It would sore myself's heart if an evil star befell pain on you."
The boy was said something but a torrent of echoes assaulted Takuya from all sides, unable to hear the boy's response. The stable began fusing colors and textures as the children walked away, disappearing into the mixture of hues. The horse became a smudge of brown then a part of the stable door. The colors paled and became lighter until there was nothing but white.
Then as if someone was drawing on parchment colorful lines arched the blank expanse before him. Takuya watched, feeling slightly detached as the lines twisted and turned, leaving behind a path for swirls and patches of colors to fill and follow. The artist of this scene continued passively to creature a picture out of the whiteness, giving life to something that had never known the ways of life.
When Takuya opened his eyes he saw the children again except this time they were older, about his age if not a year older. They were standing in an old-fashioned study with a bear rug under their feet and the walls teeming with square holes, which, in turn, had a scroll in each ones. The walls looked like the inside of a beehive. The stone walls and holders were roughly made with scratches of tools and telltale signs of magic, looking like a jagged stone terrain wet from rain. It felt odd to Takuya to see one or two circles on the walls glowing softly, telling of runes as there were usually more than that. There were two candleholders at either side of a small table, covered in books.
The window was darkened so he was unsure of whether it was light or day.
"Grandfather hast been ill as of late," the girl said softly, holding her brother's hand. Her hair, a fuzzy cascade of gold, fell to her waist and melted with her embroidered gold-brow dress. "Unlike him it is to summon ourselves in the midst of civil warfare in the family."
Seraphi didn't say anything but glared into a corner of the room. Takuya briefly panicked as the image of the boy looked in his direction but a sudden movement beside him signaled that there was a third person in the room. He was taller than the other two and unlike the golden-haired siblings he had straight black hair to his shoulders. The weird part was that even though Takuya was next to him his face was a complete smudge of black. Takuya couldn't se his eyes or face.
"So trying," the black-faced boy commented, a cold and hazy sound. "Great uncle allows only thus, the next in line of the God's kin. Regret it is for neither of yourselves fit the role."
The boy, Seraphi, made an angry noise in his throat that sounded like static but his sister restrained him from moving forwards. "Let there be still peace among kin. Cherubi light dwells in siblings as dark dwells in thee. Let there not be barbed word lest they poison old wounds."
"Mere sound will nay reason with such waste," Seraphi snorted, angry and hot. "Beyond justification it is for grandfather allowing him into succession. Not even him of pure blood being tainted."
Cherubi hissed, a horrible bitter sound
The scene blackened this time, going a pure endless shade of darkness. Little streams of light colored the landscape, much like the black lines on a white canvass. They, like little snakes, colored the starless sky, and darker, subtle colors twisted in between the seams and gave life once again. Dark green gave birth to pine needles in the darkened shadows. Dark red adorned the blackened brown dirt. Little stars shined above a forest much like Takuya's own.
The gasping was the first thing that registered to Takuya. It was a small sound but it talked of fear, hopelessness, and grief. It was such a small heart wrenching sound that it almost felt as if someone close to him had died and it made him recoil in dread. The sight before his eyes was one he never wanted to see again.
It was the little girl but this time grown up. She was bent over a thick root as if she had tripped but hadn't the energy or will to get back up. The woman just lay there like a limp doll, sobbing into the moist earth with such a silent passion that even the wind stood still. Her cherry-red evening dress was ripped and torn, the bodice long lost. Her feet were bare and cut, looking pitiful and painful but being stubbornly ignored. The night made her once bright yellow hair look like dried wheat, dull and brown. The small light she had as a girl was gone and replaced by something that not even a firefly could come near. She looked broken.
"Brother," she whispered so softly that her sobs quieted. "Why hast thou been taken from me?" Her thin shoulders shook, dried leaves falling from the tree above her. "Foolish. Such a foolish a-angel."
"Advice he never sought, starlight," the cold voice snaked through the night like poison, making Takuya jump, but the woman didn't even move. Her head was still surrounded by her arms.
The figure stepped into Takuya's sight, breaking a branch underfoot. The night made his blackened face that much more dark. Almost as if he didn't have a head. He was dangerous Takuya's instincts told him the minute he spoke, chills creeping up his spine and quickly trying to back away from the horrid person. Takuya stayed in one place though as he didn't have a physical body.
The woman said nothing for a long minute. "Torment my flesh thou can but this heart of mine can know not a more painful loss." Here she tossed her head back and keened piercingly to the sky, showing her grief for her beloved deceased brother. Her pain was so intense that her broken nails dug painfully into the dirt.
"Peace, peace, starlight," the adult Cherubi whispered, walking forwards and kneeled next to the broken girl. He carefully caressed her hair, letting the dull strands trickle from his fingers. "The Chaos kin have made a worthy bargain. Shalt themselves wield the Gods' power and ourselves grant protection. Freed we shall by contract." He tried to touch her tear-stained face.
A pale, thin hand came up and sharply smacked his hand away with such force that he drew back. Blue eyes stared at him with such anger. "Condemned us thou deceitful beast!" she screamed in a rage, her hoarse voice cracking. "Beloved brother ist upon Hades by guilt of yours! Thy wretched contract has doomed all of our kin and those the Weavers birth!"
Then she suddenly deflated, all the anger and will flowing out of her like a dammed river finally released; tears running down her face and letting Cherubi caress her face with fondness and care. She sobbed again, ignoring the soothing sounds and whispers the man made.
"Thou hast killed us all."
This chapter may be a little short compared to my other ones but it just seemed like a very good place to end on. So maybe by now some of you have figured out what has happened and how it all connects to Takuya and some may have not. There will be one more chapter and, maybe, an epilogue.
A lot of somber stuff in this episode and whatnot. But, hey! At least I updated and that's always a good thing!
Until next time,
Illsuionwolf.