Author notes:

Thanks to the reviewers of my last chapter Renkin-chan, Aaidurii, Toraus, Lonewolfe001, Estrella85, GoddesOfWrath, and Hikari Manganji. I'm so glad you're still with me. No, I still don't have a beta so the updating is stupidly slow unless the muses are in the mood.

I always appreciate hearing from you, from anyone, since it's rather disheartening to see there are over sixty people on the story alerts for this one but I only get a few comments every chapter; makes me want to write for stories where I get more reviews, you know?

So all of you, don't forget to feed(back) me!

Caught in the Game
28th July 2008
Series: The Seer
Summary: More details. Pay attention.
Warnings: None.

The morning passed quietly, the crew attending to their various duties as Watanuki attended to his own. As he watched, the monk supposed the young Lord's actions could seem like mere amusements but the determination and concentration Watanuki put into whatever he was doing certainly scratched that notion away.

Shizuka observed as he worked, monitoring as the noble referred to the thick book propped open on a metal frame, mixing and mashing ingredients together, muttering to himself in places as he carefully did as the book instructed. The odd quiet, the sailors' cries and talk made a distant background, providing a good atmosphere to meditate. The monk picked a corner, sat down, closed his eyes and with his mind open, senses expanding to fill the little room, Shizuka's thoughts and awareness became clearer and clearer until;

"You're making protective potions," he murmured, opening his eyes only to narrow them at Watanuki. "Why?"

"I have an errand to run," came the simple and much too glib reply. He continued working without even looking up, packing what looked like the finished product into little pouches.

More pieces fell into place so the monk said, "For when something or someone vulnerable leaves the ship." He ignored the way Watanuki stiffened. "You should know that repellent spells are more powerful than protective ones."

"Something like that. And I don't know what I should mark the repellent for," Watanuki stiffly admitted, setting his handfuls down and staring at Shizuka. "What would be powerful enough to keep one safe from one thing would be next to useless against another.

"Do you know where this place of danger is?" Shizuka asked calmly.

"Well yes, of course I do but I don't know--"

"What to expect when you get there?" Shizuka finished easily. "But if you know where you are going and what nature of purpose your attention is required for, that narrows things down." Watanuki remained silent and the monk realised, "You don't know how to tell."

Miserably, the young Lord shook his head.

"Idiot."

"You arrogant, self-important show off!" Watanuki snapped. "You make all your noise about teaching me but make me feel like shit first! You're a rotten--" He turned his hands upward and clutched at the air in frustration, rolling his eyes as he spoke, "I can't believe I even agreed to listen to you!" He pointed his finger at the monk, glowering, "If something happens to us one day, it will be on your head. You deserve whatever stupid situation you got your dumb ass self into!"

Idly Shizuka asked, "Are you concerned for me?"

"Absolutely not!" came the instant denial. "You're supposed to be my bodyguard, I…" His voice seemed to catch in his throat. After another failed attempt at continuing his sentence, Watanuki gave a snort and continued working. He appeared quite embarrassed by everything he'd said.

Deciding he had tortured his little noble enough for the day, Shizuka stood and approached, looking over the book his Master was reading from. "The Elemental Grimoire," he observed, one brow rising. "That's a good book."

"It darn well better be," Watanuki muttered as he began to clear up, glowering darkly.

Shizuka sensed the expression wasn't meant for him. He asked, "Where did you get it?"

With a sigh Watanuki said slowly, "There is someone I met, purely accidentally mind you." He scowled, "Though now I wouldn't put it past her to have really orchestrated the whole thing, that scheming…" Watanuki shook his head, discontinuing that sentence. He slowly if reluctantly amended, "There is someone I met who knows everything you could ever want to know and more besides."

Curious and a little amused the monk asked, "Why have you not asked this person about your abilities?"

"It costs too darn much!" Watanuki hissed, glaring at some absent figure. "You think she tells people what they want to know for free? She's a ruthlessly over-pricing and mind-bending drunkard, I tell you, but she's…. she's…"

There 'she' was again; the lord's choice of words puzzled Shizuka. "Over-pricing?"

A line of red began to creep up Watanuki's neck. "She charges too much. You know, in trade for her… assistance."

Shizuka prodded, "Mind bending?" And how odd was that Watanuki's ears were turning red too.

"She says the strangest things, really, but she--"

"But she?"

"But she… is a Lady," Watanuki admitted with utter defeat, shoulders slumping and looking rather guilty. "And I… I do treat her nicely. I'm… polite… well, most of the time at least." He seemed to deflate again. Brightening a little he amended, "I'd say I'm polite about ninety percent of the time." He frowned, "Except when she's being a child. She can be worse than a seven year old sometimes… thankfully I've been properly educated or I likely wouldn't be polite at all."

Shizuka found himself vastly amused and he observed, "This so-called education must be why you insult her behind her back."

Sputtering a moment, Watanuki finally managed to find his words, "In all honesty, I have told her all those things already to her face!"

"She must like you a lot then," Shizuka commented blandly.

"Shut up!" Watanuki bristled. "It's none of your business anyway!"

Tonelessly though still enjoying himself way too much, "Well thank you for sharing things which aren't my business."

"You're twisting my words..!" the young lord accused.

"In case you've forgotten, you are supposed to tell me these things so I can protect you." Shizuka pinned Watanuki with a pointed and disapproving stare, "And don't say you don't need protection."

Watanuki huffed, cheeks and ears dark, and turned away.

"In fact, perhaps this is a good time for you to tell me more about yourself." Shizuka's thoughts turned toward another cousin, "Especially about that relative of yours who wants you dead."

"In all honesty, I know so little about him he may as well be a stranger," Watanuki declared, scrunching up his nose. "I hear all sorts of things about him, his ambitiousness and such. The Council imply at cruelty but I think they're over exaggerating." He shrugged, "I really don't know him, I've never met him."

Then a change of target would suffice. "What about Jason?"

The young noble irritably responded, "What about him?"

"Where does he get his blond hair?" Doumeki asked. "You look a lot alike save the pale hair where yours are dark."

"His mother, I believe," Watanuki replied, "My aunt Eleanor, sister in law to my father. She passed away a long time ago before I ever knew her."

Shizuka caught that particular tone in his Master's voice, recognised it. "He's an orphan then." A few things began to make more sense. "Like you."

Watanuki said slowly, "She… passed away not long after Jason's father."

Shizuka noticed the tension in his Master's voice as he spoke, sensing something hidden in the words. He nodded encouragingly.

"Both our fathers, Jason's and mine, liked to cook." Watanuki fiddled with one of the glass bottles on the work table. "They would host family dinners and everyone would come. It was a happy affair--" Watanuki's voice cracked. He swallowed before he could continue, "Jason and I wanted to… it was a dream of our fathers' and they didn't have the chance to… so we decided… well, Jason more than I but still…"

When the muttering faded, Shizuka pulled out his knowledge. The one he'd realised the beginning of when Watanuki had asked him not to get killed his master's behalf, "You want him to go home. You want Jason to go back to his own fate instead of remaining out here with you."

Watanuki looked away, no longer doing anything but simply standing there and looking miserable.

"Did you ever consider that maybe he was meant to be out here with you?" Shizuka asked quietly. Watanuki stirred but didn't reply. "Perhaps the fact you both have no parents is a source of comfort for him. Has he ever complained about being out here?"

"You will never see him frown, you know," Watanuki said softly, voice faint as though not realising he spoke his thoughts aloud. "He looks miserable when you know what to look for, but he always smiles. Even when you stop to look into his eyes and all you see is a sea of tears. He's always… happy."

Shizuka paused, considering. He hadn't noticed. But then again, Jason was not his Master. He had only really been paying attention to Watanuki.

"Let us discuss that another time then," Shizuka suggested calmly. "I'd like for you to know I sent I intend to send a message tonight." Watanuki lifted his head to stare. "There is someone's advice I am hoping to solicit about your abilities. But I need to know more about you and what you can do, to more accurately give him a picture of what I need to know from him."

"Why do you need to contact anyone at all?" Watanuki asked then frowned, "We're not anchoring tomorrow, how do you plan to send a message anywhere?"

"There are more ways, and certainly more reliable ones," Shizuka answered, "Than sending letters."

"Really?" the young Lord asked, head tilting a little to one side, interest and curiosity in his eyes. "How do you do that?"

Shizuka blinked, finding this innocent expression a little too becoming of his Master. He slowly replied, "By wind. It's done by forming the words with the air, I speak them and gather the air patterns of my voice into the spell, shape them into a manifestation then send it." He shrugged, "So because the spell manifests in the air itself, it can go anywhere. The spell unfolds to whom it is intended."

"How fascinating," Watanuki breathed. But then a moment later he blinked as though remembering himself, and looked away again.

And suddenly Shizuka realised that his Master was insanely curious about magic… but Watanuki also believed he should not want to learn more about it; perhaps in fear of learning something he would not want to hear.

Well too bad.

"Well then, Master," Shizuka said magnanimously, "Perhaps it is today you shall receive your first lesson." Watanuki froze. "Nothing like trying things out yourself to learn more about them."

"I…" Watanuki licked his lips nervously, "I think we should try that another day. Yes. Another day of course--"

"Nonsense," Shizuka said softly, a little slyly. He gave his Master a sidelong glance, pinning the poor noble where he stood. "I insist."

TBC