Mysterious Mists
12 January 2009
Series: The Seer
Author Notes:

Trivia: The Sargasso Sea was named thus from the words "Mar de Sargazo" as dubbed by Columbus. As you can probably tell, the timeline is a bit off when I use it in my story but the point is that Mar de Sargazo means "Sea of Seaweed" which honestly anyone could have named since it's a rather obvious name.

Chapter 23

They were somewhere north east of the Canary Islands, heading up past Casablanca and Morocco when the trouble began.

Shizuka stared at Jason and Arashi in reaction to the news the two brought, stone-faced like he usually got when someone or something tested his patience, with Sorata gaping in surprise at his side. Exasperation mounting, he glared out at the mist surrounding the ship in all directions then glanced at the Miko, trying to soften his stare. Arashi ignored him and frowned at the compass in her hand, thoughtfully examining the way its needle idly rotated slowly round and round, signifying their loss of direction.

The four stood upon the poop deck where Sorata had been at the wheel, crewmen on the deck standing about, nervously done with everything they needed to do and awaiting orders that would not come.

Thankfully for them all, the main deck seemed mostly clear of the thick shroud; the charms upon the ship set the flooring humming beneath Shizuka's feet, signifying the ship's magic remained active. Even the air space of the ship, though hazy, allowed him to just barely see the other end of the ship and the tip of the mast, including the crow's nest. Whatever the parameters of the protection, they held faithfully. But he could not see over the rail, however. In fact, the railing seemed to half disappear into the mists and one could not see the edge of the rail-top.

"We're what?" Sorata asked quietly, a wealth of wary irritation on his face.

"Lost," Jason meekly repeated.

"We're lost--" frowning, the monk turned and glared at Jason who lifted his shoulders, hands palm up and smiling nervously. "--in the Sargasso sea. Anyone have ideas?" He noticed one of the men below on the main deck standing by the railing, grasping a rigging rope, looking so tense he seemed to be in a little pain. Shizuka furrowed his brows at the way the man seemed too close to where the fog thickened just beyond the deck railing.

"Jason and I figure something has its attention on us," Arashi explained, following his gaze. She seemed to dismiss the man and held up her large compass again, "We had best keep our heads down and try not to draw any more attention to ourselves."

Shizuka narrowed his eyes at the hapless device as she examined it once more but it only continued to aimlessly spin its needle. "What do you determine as 'not drawing attention to ourselves' may I ask? Because we certainly hadn't been doing much of anything when we got into this."

"Our predictions may have held true," Arashi sighed, "I think we need Watanuki-san to expend some of his power. His presence, charged as he is, might account for part of this."

Shizuka considered that. "It's possible. Have you encountered a similar situation before?"

"On one occasion, the winds stopped blowing," Sorata shared slowly, "Watanuki-san had been ill for a while, something his usual healing couldn't handle," Shizuka hated the sound of that one, "and he hadn't spent any power. For some reason, he'd attracted a water deity strong enough to calm the winds. Kept us in one place for days until Watanuki-san had been able to get out of bed and force air into the sails." He shrugged, "This does seem a little bit like that time."

Noticing the way Arashi and Jason glanced at each other, Shizuka ventured to ask, "A little bit?"

"Ahh…" Sorata's gaze slipped to one side. "This time… well… it isn't exactly the same."

Narrowing his eyes, Shizuka folded his arms and waited. Impatiently. This pattern of sharing only parts of information was beginning to irritate him immensely.

"We feel the danger now," Arashi explained quietly. She gestured to him, "You must have felt that ripple yesterday."

Shizuka decided against telling her he'd heard it and instead acknowledged, "Ahh."

"On that occasion with the water deity," she continued, "We didn't know what was wrong and thought that it was merely calm that day though the days following seemed odd. Generally, nothing at the time felt amiss and all seemed normal. We only found out about the deity at all because it manifested a corporeal form and waved goodbye. But this," she held up her compass, "was not ever part of the problem."

Annoyed, Shizuka raised a hand and pointed out at the mist, "And that?" At his tone, a few of Sorata's men nearby shifted nervously. One of them glanced at the crewman Shizuka had noticed earlier.

"Definitely nothing we've seen before," Jason finally spoke up, still smiling hesitantly. He looked out and blinked slowly at the mist surrounding them, expression dimming a little, "And this air… seems decidedly ominous, don't you think?" Expression melting into a playful smile, he waved his fingers and added in a theatrically spooky voice, "Woo!"

At his antics, Sorata half-smiled and even Arashi looked kindly at him; no arguments there, after all.

Sorata ran a nervous hand through his hair, "For the moment, we cannot be certain of Watanuki's safety if he expends any energy." He inclined his head at Arashi, "You yourself said we might not want to draw more attention to ourselves than we obviously already have."

Nodding agreement, Shizuka considered the things he'd been reading about lately in his search for more information about his master's powers, and said, "I think we should investigate our circumstances first, before deciding a course of action." At Arashi and Sorata's raised brows he added, "It's possible, despite the lack of land to go searching about on."

Sorata frowned at him, "You mean in spirit form? But only Watanuki-san can do that."

"Not so." Shizuka tucked his hands away into his sleeves, considering if we was ready to do this. "I've practiced this less than a hundred times so I'm not considered experienced enough to do it unsupervised. And my grandfather always told me to be careful because I'm not a natural at the Spirit Arts. But I can."

"And you didn't do this at the Palace, why?" Jason prodded cheekily, looking rather knowing.

"Because it wasn't necessary," Shizuka responded. When no one spoke for a long moment, the Priest's and Priestess' eyes glittering at him, he admitted, "And I would have needed a physical vessel to contain Watanuki should he have been injured in his spirit form."

Arashi smiled warmly and Sorata grinned; Jason merely looked puzzled but something in the other two clued him on to the general idea and he turned an assessing look on the monk.

Cheeky buggers, the whole lot of them.

"Let's wait for the night to pass and then decide what to do come morning," Arashi suggested, sounding cautious. "We don't want to go jumping into things this early on without at least allowing the light of day to shed some sun on the matter."

Sorata nodded, "My men and I will ward the ship's hulls. The deck itself is safe but I would rest better knowing we'd done all we could."

Shizuka inclined his head in agreement, glancing briefly down toward Watanuki's door then up at Jason.

"I think I'll go keep my cousin company while you magic-workers do your thing," Jason said cheerfully, waving over his head. "This is waaaaaay out of my league." With a wink, he practically skipped down the poop deck stairs and swept out of sight.

Shizuka stared after him.

Strange man.

--

It should be dawn, Shizuka reckoned internally, peering out the port hole at the thick nothingness of the mists. Well, no help for it then, he would have take a look around.

He checked in on Watanuki, staring down at the pale face relaxed in slumber. Without thinking, he reached to stroke his fingertips over one pale hand on the coverlet, thinking idly that Watanuki should have good dreams if his waking life held such terror in it. Oddly, his left shoulder tingled at the touch and he absently rubbed it.

When he turned away, it was to strengthen the barriers over his master and the room, and complete the final checks on his preparations. He climbed up and sat upon one of the built-in wall tables in the cabin front room, the surface only barely deep enough for him to perch cross legged upon it, facing the little glass-covered portal. Whatever could be out there might be watching or waiting and the monk hated the idea he might be caught off guard.

Casting out, he sensed no ill-intent in the blanket of fog, only a presence.

Patient? Perhaps.

Benevolent? Definitely not.

Curling his fingers upon his knees, Shizuka activated the guarding array he's sketched onto the wood table top, a circle which formed a protective ring around his physical form. Murmuring the correct spell, he Detached, shifting gently out of his body and slightly toward the Between World.

Unable to enter it, he could only use this spiritual form to Look. Around him, warm and thick, he could clearly see the overlying spells integrated into the very wood of the ship. They formed smoky characters, drifting idly through the entire vessel, overlapping, touching, slipping through one another, a great and whole spell. Shizuka could see what he had noticed that first night aboard; that the spell had not been cast on individual pieces of planks, or portions of the ship one at a time until completed, but that the ship had been built first and then the spell cast as a whole. The rules, the circumstances, the conditions of the protection had all been put in place at the one time the spell had been cast.

The sheer magnitude of the protection shocked him all over again. Someone with this much power could not exist in this world.

And then it hit; a story. A distant memory of a tale his grandfather had once told him. Doubt stole over him but he considered this new idea a moment before setting it aside to ponder later.

Looking beyond the ship, Shizuka stared at the roiling mists. What had appeared white to him in his physical form, now looked slightly grey. It moved over and around the ship in a way the fog had not, shifting, touching… testing. It could not get through the barriers of the spell.

Shizuka glared.

Reaching out his senses, he activated the conduits he had set throughout the ship, tentatively filtering in his Spirit force evenly into them. With his current Vision, he could see the invisible charms light up with a faint glow and he watched, pleased, when the fog recoiled, the bits of fog the light had touched turning white and dissipating.

Curious.

Withdrawing his energy, he watched the fog hesitate before moving closer. But this time, he clearly saw the fog avoid getting too close to where it had noticed the cleansing energy had come from, and generally avoided the rim of the ship's railing. Might be a victory of only a few inches but it was a victory nonetheless.

Shizuka released his spiritual form and blinked his eyes open, and a faint smirk curled his lips as he uncoiled and stood.

Outside, he saw the fog avoided the railing at the points where his charms had been entrenched into the railing, and he saw that some of the crew had noticed this anomaly as well, pointing and muttering amongst each other. That crewman he had noticed yesterday stood further back than the rest of the men who'd come to investigate the strange –to them—phenomena. The man noticed but did not discuss.

Something plopped on his head and Shizuka looked up.

Sorata, arms curled on the poop deck railing as he leaned over and with a pastry in hand, quirked a small smile down at him. "I thought you did something," he said. Gesturing to the railing and the receded fog, "Neat trick."

Shizuka nodded in acknowledgement, caught Sorata stifling a yawn, and returned inside to his sleeping master's side, brushing what crumbs there might be from his hair.

--

At breakfast, Watanuki set down his cup of tea and absently murmured, "I do not understand how people can take a life." Shizuka paused, looking up from his reading and watching his master carefully across the table. "Life is precious. To take it away is… a supreme level of arrogance. No one has that right."

Shizuka disliked that lonely, distant look on his master's face, but only blandly asked, "Not even to protect?"

Startled, Watanuki seemed to snap out of his musing state. He frowned, "You're not supposed to listen in when people talk to themselves!" His cheeks and the bridge of his nose turned faintly pink, "Sometimes, people don't mean to talk out loud."

Shizuka turned back to his reading. "Then you shouldn't talk out loud at all."

"How in the world would that be possible if they're not even conscious of it in the first place?" Watanuki asked hotly, frown darkening. "It would be common courtesy to speak when spoken to, not eavesdrop on barely audible musings." He rolled his eyes with a snort, "Leave me alone. I was thinking out loud but they're my thoughts and I want you out of them."

"I would kill for you," Shizuka stated calmly, eyes finding where he had left off but he paused there; in his peripheral vision he noticed Watanuki not only froze but also blanched but he only ruthlessly continued, "I would kill to keep you safe."

Shizuka wondered if perhaps, to an extent, this was a little how Amko felt. That those the prince protected, kept in his palace, were his like a possession. Shizuka didn't think of Watanuki as a possession at all but he could certainly understand how it felt to be in control for someone.

Not of them, but for them.

To see to their wellbeing, make sure they were safe and kept and cared for. Though where Amko had been arrogant and assumed the lives in his care were his to do as he pleased was, of course, where they differed. But Shizuka realised he did not want Watanuki belonging to someone who would not make him happy, did not want Watanuki to belong to someone who would not be as in control for him as Shizuka was and—

Not part of my job.

"That's not part of your job… is it?" Watanuki asked in a very small voice.

Shizuka wondered if he had leaked that thought out unknowingly. He looked up, met Watanuki's damp blue eyes and truthfully stated, "Anything for you, master." But there came again that distant pain in his chest of emotions not his own, making him pause. Only this time it felt, instead of like a clench, a tearing rip at his heart. "Watanuki? What is wrong?"

Pale, Watanuki averted his eyes and shook his head, expression blank and shocked, "It's nothing."

Shizuka frowned, "Something is wrong. Tell me."

"I..." Watanuki faltered. Then something in his expression changed, firmed, and he met the monk's gaze before saying, "I just don't think it's right for you to need to take a life for me." He shifted uneasily, gaze still bravely meeting the monk's. "I… don't want you to kill. I don't want you to die either, though. I just…" With a sigh his eyes skittered to one side and he deflated. "I want you to be… safe."

Despite the hammering of unease he sensed from Watanuki, something expanded in Shizuka's chest at those words, warm and comforting, so very tender, and made him want to protect Watanuki all the more fiercely. He asked quietly, "And what about you?"

"Eh?" Watanuki blinked at him, embarrassment warring in his expression with curiosity.

"And what about your safety?" the monk prodded patiently, studying his master's face.

"Well…" Watanuki squirmed a bit under the scrutiny. "Regardless, I just don't want you to die because of me." I'm not really needed. I don't serve a real purpose but to fulfil my selfish desires.

Ahhh… the honour pledge. That was going to need some explaining. But more importantly, those thoughts of Watanuki's needed attention first. And that horrible tightening in his gut at the thought of his master dying, "Well, you can't mean to allow yourself to be hurt either, not when there are people who care about what happens to you." Irritated, he added, "Idiot."

Red-cheeked, "What did you callme?!"

"Honestly," Shizuka mock complained, prodding internally at their bond once more, trying to push his feelings across a little. "Do you think that death means nothing to those around you? The living you will leave behind? They will mourn you." As will I. "They will feel the loss of you by their side." Whose side will I stand by? "And they will regret they could not protect you." I don't want to fail.

"Well," Watanuki said faux brightly, "I certainly wouldn't want you to not do a good job." His smile was strained and tight. Why do you do this? Why me?

"I stand by your side, you know," Shizuka muttered. Watanuki look surprised again –why was that? "You are my master. I will do all I can for you." I will not fail you. I will not let you go.

"You really shouldn't have," Watanuki looked to be melting back into tears. "You didn't know anything about what you were getting into, how could you put your life on the line for someone you hadn't even met?" He growled, fists tightening, anger overtaking his features as he leaned across the table and he shook one at the monk, "Are you stupid or something? What kind of sane person pledges to die for the sake of some faceless master?!" You cannot stop me.

"But we know each other now," Shizuka pointed out. "You're not faceless anymore." But I can stand in your way.

"You bloody fool!" Watanuki cursed, "Will you stop being deliberately obtuse?" He slammed a fist down on the table between them, catching the monk's eye. "You blooded a five-year contract to protect a stranger! And I know that stupid Council couldn't have warned you of everything we get up to out here. I'm sure that this situation warrants twice what they paid you!" You are not making sense.

"Five times, actually," Shizuka shrugged carelessly. "But I'm not complaining." He returned to his reading, listening to Watanuki pant and glower his frustration and surprise. I don't have to make sense. Neither you nor I have to.

"But why are you still here?" the noble demanded loudly, pointing. We should!

Shizuka turned a page, "Because I decided to be." Dead silence and no movement had Shizuka surreptitiously glancing up. Watanuki remained frozen and staring at him and the monk reached across the table, nudging Watanuki's slim fingers with his own. "Watanuki?"

"Decided?" Watanuki shakily asked, suddenly staring down at where their hands touched.

"I decided that I was going to protect you," Shizuka clarified, puzzled by Watanuki's reaction. Shouldn't the noble be glad he got such a good deal?

"I… I see." Watanuki blinked, slumping in his seat, quietly tugging his hand away and into his lap. I don't understand.

Shizuka's left shoulder throbbed again and he stared at his master, at Watanuki; the pale skin and graceful features, the quiet gentleness and the driving passion, the persistent concern and fiery mask of all his emotions. The faint filter of feelings from his master confused him. How could he have not wanted to keep Watanuki safe? And why did his pledges of loyalty seem to hurt Watanuki?

He knew what he saw and heard; the expressions and words Watanuki used to cover up his insane desire to disassociate. But their bond made it clear that Watanuki wanted nothing more than to be pulled closer, to be near, to connect.

(I do not understand.)

Shizuka had to consider the unpleasant truth then.

He too did not understand.

TBC

We're back to our regular programming, people!! But I'm posting this on a Friday because I am going to be heading off to the airport tomorrow for a flight to the Philippines. See you all next Saturday. Once again, please remember to leave me some love! The muses need feeding, darn it, we've been starved over the last few months.

Nobara, I'll take you up on the Alpha reading soon, I promise.

Iyo, thanks for the tip on Watanuki's characterization but for now, Watanuki's going to have to be a little bit more sedate than you expect him to be.

Everyone, yes, the fluff is forthcoming but you need to be patient.