Author Notes:

This story is really fun, but I won't be posting anything for a while as I complete the writing and edit of the next three chapters. I'm trying to get certain details to really line up and correspond to each other, so that will take some time. In the meantime, I give you Helpless.

Some feedback, thoughts, comments or reviews are always appreciated!

Shizuka was standing guard at Watanuki-sama's door when the messenger crewman returned with Jason-san in tow. He wouldn't move from his post, arms crossed, watching the Englishman's approach with hooded eyes.

He listened impassively as Sorata explained what happened.

"I see," Jason-san murmured. He nodded, dismissing Sorata, before giving Shizuka a pat on his arm and turning toward Watanuki-sama's door. "I will speak with him. This wasn't something he should have done."

"He hurt his arm, Jason-san," Shizuka added baldly, stopping the Englishman in his tracks.

"Let me guess," Jason-san smiled wearily over his shoulder. "He faced the spell chest-on, without angling his body or giving physical way." He shook his head at the narrowing of Shizuka's eyes, "The principles of Spiritual fighting are probably not all that different from weapons combat. At least that's what I suppose."

Shizuka inclined his head in silent agreement, making Jason-san sigh.

"He should know better, considering his own skill with weaponry." He eyed Shizuka up and down appraisingly. "Can you teach him?" He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'because that witch woman surely will not without it costing ten arms and legs...'

"You want me to teach him to fight?" The monk frowned.

"He and I have had schooling at weapons combat, we each have and develop our own strengths as I'm sure you saw. He has the theoretical discipline to take to a new medium of fighting." Jason-san angled back around to look him in the eye. "But he says his abilities… they feel different. On top of that he knows too little about it for certain. It was providence at all he met someone who could tell him even what we do know about it, we knew absolutely nothing for so long." He inclined his head ruefully, "I'm sure you can understand that England's mythologies explain nothing of what he can do."

"Pardon me… but you said you met someone?" Shizuka prodded, puzzled once more to hear Jason-san grumble again beneath his breath.

"It's a long story," the Englishman finally said, annoyance in his tone. "So will you teach Kimihiro or not?"

Shizuka couldn't stand it. "Kih. Mih. Hee-roh."

Jason-san blinked.

Shizuka stared.

Then Jason-san laughed. He covered his mouth in a poor attempt at keeping it in but Jason-san's chuckles couldn't seem to be kept quiet.

The monk remained staring impassively, a little irritated at the amusement at his expense.

"Oh, good grief!" Jason-san said through his laughter, "Kimihiro says the same thing to me all too often, 'My name is not pronounced that way, you deaf idiot!' as he says," in a rather accurately similar pitch to Watanuki-sama's high toned rant.

Shizuka didn't say anything, merely watched until finally Jason-san grinned and playfully said,

"Kih. Mih. Heeeeee-row."

The monk slowly blinked, staring patiently.

"Alright, alright," Jason-san patted the air in a conceding manner. "But only if you refer to me as Jason, without that damn honorific."

"As you wish." These Englishmen were so strange. All he'd been waiting for was the invitation to address Jason properly, it wasn't necessary to bargain for it.

"Kimihiro," Jason smiled. And Shizuka supposed he looked all too pleased at the correct pronunciation because Jason narrowed teasing eyes at him and deviously added, "Perhaps you should call him by that name as well."

He didn't think his expression changed at the idea the question implied but judging by the widening of Jason's smile, something must have. Shizuka furrowed his brows a little but merely returned firmly, "It's not really your decision, I believe."

"Indeed it may not be," Jason murmured, looking smug in a way that had Shizuka looking away and frowning. "Now I do believe I am overdue a visit to my foolish cousin."

Cousin, eh? Well that explained the same surname. He wondered how it couldn't have also meant a similar temperament. He and his new Master would probably have gotten along much better, he thought, as he watched Jason slip into his Master's cabin.

With a soft smile, Shizuka allowed that if the two had similar temperaments, however, then Watanuki-sama would never have been quite as interesting...

He shook his head at himself.

Sorata had finished arrangements with the crew and their captives when he came back on deck. They had not made arrangements to meet but Shizuka understood the telling look in the priest's eyes, meeting him across the main level. They converged on the starboard side and leaned against the guard-wall.

All was quiet for a long while.

"You didn't seem to know there would be magic involved," Sorata said in a blank tone, however graciously he was probably aiming to be. One didn't leave their Master to need to fend for himself on one's first day on the job and they both knew it.

"I should have made allowances for all possibilities." And if there were things Shizuka hated, it was being underestimated or underestimating an enemy. "I will not be as careless in future."

With a sigh Sorata turned to lean on his elbows and stare out into the darkness. "Maa. Someone really ought to have warned you."

"You did," Shizuka frowned. "I simply didn't take it as seriously as I should have." It was not a mistake he usually made, either.

"In all honesty," Sorata admitted, turning to lean back against the guard-wall and propping his elbows up behind him, "I had a warning myself. Which I paid about as much attention to as you did mine." He shrugged, tilting his head back to stare at the sky, "Not to say we didn't take it seriously. This sort of thing happens."

With a deep frown, Shizuka pondered how close he had come to losing his Lord. Not good.

"Those fools who attacked tonight," the Priest murmured. "I had been warned they were coming. But the thing is… I know them, who they are." He angled his head over to one side, meeting Shizuka's eyes sidelong.

Staring impassively and immensely displeased at where this seemed to be going, the monk waited.

"They're from the Japanese courts," Sorata said, "From Watanuki-san's province. I think they were sent to get to him before you could get here. You did arrive ahead of schedule."

Too close. "But there will never be proof they've been ordered by Watanuki-sama's cousin."

"Indeed." Sorata frowned himself, a moment. "I sent a spell message away home about this threat when I first heard of it. So I expect to receive communication in a few days time. I am sure that there will be some unofficial confirmation."

Shizuka looked at him and Sorata understood, nodding almost immediately.

"Of course I will speak with you as soon as I know anything." He nodded dismissively at the topic then cheered up a little to say, "But lucky for you, the human threat is all you'll have to contend with for a while."

Brows drawing together again, Shizuka asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means," there slipped a big smile across Sorata's face, "That you'll have a little bit of time to accustom yourself to our other problem."

Judging by that smile, he should probably have agreed the Affairs Council price against four years instead of five.

Smile slipping away, an unbecomingly grave look in his eyes, Sorata said, "Watanuki-san has spent a good deal of his power tonight. So there won't be any visits from spirits or ghosts for a few days until he recharges enough for them to notice him again."

Shizuka stared, not certain he was hearing things correctly.

With a teasing superior air, Sorata waved a mockingly condescending hand in the air and lectured, "You see… Watanuki-san generates spiritual energy almost constantly. Spirits feed on emotions as a kind of energy but our dear Lord simply outputs the raw, good stuff. It attracts mostly malevolent spirits; the hungry ones, if you know what I mean."

Oh no.

"Worse, the energy saves itself up naturally, as it does. And, well… let's say once he's fully-charged, it's not a pretty sight. The rest of that... I don't know." He shrugged, expression no longer amused, then nodded in Watanuki-sama's general direction; at the Lord's cabin. "But what I do know is that he regularly spends it. About every week he summons wind to blow the ship's sails or helps move cargo. That's usually enough."

Make that three. Or... wait a minute… "Usually?"

The reply was short, "He's getting stronger."

"How strong?" Shizuka thought he might feel a headache setting in.

"Well," Sorata smiled again. "He filled the sails for almost the entirety of our last journey across the Pacific. We made it in almost a third of the usual time."

The monk glared, "Almost the entirety?"

"Well, he did have to eat... and sleep... and pick fights with Jason..."

No. One year. His superiors should have bargained for one year, those cheating Affairs Council bastards. His Order was going to hear about this… and yes, that was a headache coming on.

"Jason can tell you the rest." Sorata nodded toward Watanuki-sama's cabin door, which had just opened. Jason stepped out, looking pleased and smug.

A step behind him followed Watanuki-sama, changed into a traditional Japanese kimono, a deep blue that set off his eyes, embroidered with wispy silver clouds that accented his smooth and pale complexion. The deeper azure of his sash cinched the flowing fabric at his slim waist, the two Wakizashi glinting at his lower back. By their body language, Jason had obviously been scolding him.

He wondered how Jason won.

As the young Lord stepped a little further into the light of the deck torch fires, Shizuka saw that the blue of Watanuki-sama's gaze didn't flash with irritation but instead were coloured darkly with self-reproach and... hesitation.

Well.

Maybe two years wouldn't be so bad…?

The cousins paused just by the doorway and, heeding the unvoiced summoning, Shizuka left Sorata at the guard-wall and approached. Jason stepped to one side when he got close enough and swept an arm to gesture Shizuka should enter the room, Watanuki-sama stepping back in echoed invitation. Closer now, Shizuka could see that despite the apprehension in Watanuki-sama's gaze... the determination there far out stripped it.

Those eyes slipped away a moment, around Shizuka and behind the monk where he couldn't see. Perhaps it was to Jason for reassurance because when Watanuki-sama's eyes returned to him, it was with conviction all the brighter in them.

Watanuki-sama spoke softly and politely, "Would you care for some tea?"

"Yes." He followed in, not paying attention to the door shutting quietly behind him, and merely following when Watanuki-sama led him to one of the tables.

He sat, waiting as the Lord busied himself, wondering if he should be asking to take the task over. As he waited, he watched, and noticed the deeper shadows beneath Watanuki-sama's eyes, the paler shade of skin in a colour from stress and weariness.

But in the next breath, he was distracted: In a classic gesture, the Lord reached with one hand to hold back his sleeve as he poured tea, baring a surprisingly slender wrist, just as pale as the little the monk had seen of him. Jasmine tea, Shizuka could smell it, eyes still riveted on his Lord's movements.

When Watanuki-sama stepped closer to set the cup before him, their eyes meeting briefly and the Seer's cheeks coloured a little… a fleeting thought occurred to Shizuka;

That maybe five years was just right.

TBC