Chapter 15: A Prior Engagement
The next morning, nobody wanted to talk much. They all had various intensities of headaches; a side effect of the memory-transfer spell. Xylek and Setsuna were not present for breakfast, which everyone had found prepared upon waking. Normally, this would bother them, but after seeing some of what Xylek had been through, they couldn't blame him if he wanted to be alone after dredging up those painful memories.
"So, how's everyone feeling this morning?" Colette asked, trying to cheer up the mood.
She received very little response. She looked down, sad that her cheery disposition hadn't done anything, and Lloyd got up and put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Colette. We've just got a lot on our minds. It's not you," he said, trying to comfort his childhood friend.
"Enough of this gloom!" Celsius yelled at everyone. "We don't have time to just sit around and brood over someone else's past! We need to find Xegros."
"She's right," Yuan said, as he was unfazed by seeing such memories. He himself had fought in the war as well, and he had crossed paths with Xylek many times over the course of the war.
Setsuna ran out of the trees into the camp. "Sheena! Where's Sheena?" she yelled.
"What's wrong?" Sheena responded, running out of her tent.
"Well, it seems we've got a slight problem. Xylek and I were heading over to Mizuho to check it out, and, well, we encountered a patrol. They wouldn't listen to our explanations and attacked. Xylek is messing with them, but you should call them off before he hurts someone."
Mizuho was famous for its skilled ninja, and the sheer concept of calling off a patrol for their sake, not the "intruder's," was something that bothered Sheena. Perhaps it was her pride in her home.
"Alright, I'll hurry over to clear things up," Sheena said with a nod.
"Ahem," Lloyd said, looking at Sheena. She looked at him, confused, and then he pointed to his hair. She looked, and then remembered her own hair was still a mess. Embarrassed, she ducked back into her tent and quickly fixed it. She bolted out, and ran into the trees after Setsuna.
"We should all probably head over to Mizuho anyways. I think Setsuna at least wanted to look around, since it seems she was sisters with the village founder," Regal said, and everyone nodded in agreement. They all owed a lot to Setsuna, since she had managed to not only stop Xylek, but it seemed that he had become an unexpected ally. Celsius was still angry at everyone's attitudes, but Efreet was trying to calm her down. Ironic for the spirit of ice to be calmed down by the spirit of fire, isn't it?
Setsuna and Sheena arrived outside the village quickly, and they saw that the entire village had begun to take up arms against Xylek.
"It's a good thing I'm here, it's been a while since the village showed this much aggression," Sheena said, proud to see her people unite against a common enemy, even if the Xylek didn't quite fit the definition of an enemy.
"Yes, with this many people, it would be difficult for Xylek to defend himself and not hurt anyone," Setsuna remarked, deflating Sheena's ego, as she was quite right; Xylek could probably remove the village from the map if he were angry enough.
"Everyone, stand down!" Sheena yelled, leaping into the clearing that Xylek had chosen to reduce the chance of an ambush attempt by the shinobi of Mizuho. "He's no longer a threat! Stop the attack!"
Everyone stopped, and looked at her, confused. They had been told that Xylek was evil, and that he would bring harm to the world, but now Sheena, the granddaughter of the Chief, was telling them that he was no longer dangerous. Xylek stood there holding, much to everyone's surprise, a tree in his hands. He hadn't drawn his sword to defend himself, but had instead uprooted a tree and he had been using it, with great effect, to keep the attackers away. It would be easily dodged, but the ninjas would still have to maintain proper distance to avoid injury.
"If you would have allowed us to explain," Xylek said, tossing the tree to the side, "things would have been much easier. I, Xylek, and that armored woman over there, Setsuna, merely wished to look at the village."
"We don't allow outsiders in," one of the head guards said adamantly. "Not without permission of the village chief."
"Well, considering who Setsuna actually is, you should all be ashamed at attacking her," Sheena said, defending the two armored warriors. "It turns out that her sister was the founder of this village."
Everyone looked at Setsuna, dumbstruck.
"Absurd! She probably doesn't even know the name of the founder. This person is lying!" another guard said.
"Yukimaru," Setsuna said, and everyone was again, shocked. Nobody outside the village would know the first name of the founder, and they began looking at her again. She had removed her helm, and she looked extremely similar to drawings and paintings they had of Yukimaru. It was indeed possible she was related.
"Anyways, I vouch for these two, and as the rest of my friends agree with me, I assume you will have no problem allowing these two into the village," Sheena said as the rest of the heroes began arriving. Lloyd was a bit shocked by the number of armed villagers, as was everyone else.
"Fine, we agree to let this 'Setsuna' in, but that man," everyone looked at Xylek, "should remain outside until we've discussed it further."
"You would make the village founder's sister's fiancé wait at the door like a dog? Absurd. I won't be leaving Setsuna's side anytime soon."
Everyone had stopped any talking they were doing at the mention of the word "fiancé," and now all eyes were focused on Xylek and Setsuna. The heroes hadn't heard this, and Zelos seemed particularly crestfallen at this news.
"Did I say something wrong?" Xylek asked as Setsuna slowly walked over towards him. He looked at her, but her face was hidden by her hair. His instincts told him to run, but he was frozen with fear. In movements so fast they were almost invisible, Xylek suddenly found himself in a tree. Possibly upside-down, but he wasn't sure. Setsuna stood, fuming over the situation.
"You should really learn to be more tactful," she said in a low voice. Xylek was suddenly glad there was about thirty feet separating them. He would need the head start, though he was still unsure why she was angry about him mentioning their engagement. He was proud of it, but was it really improper to talk about it like that in front of so many people?
Setsuna walked around the village, being personally toured by the chief, as she examined what her sister's pride and joy had become. When Setsuna said she had been taking the job as an assassin to support her sister, she had actually meant that she was funding her sister's efforts to establish a village that supported this kind of life-style. She saw that, even after 4000 years, the village still held onto the customs her sister Yukimaru had valued so much.
The people of the village treated Setsuna like a celebrity, but for some reason, they still scorned the ebon-clad knight that stayed with her during her tour.
"Perhaps they got their cold dispositions from your sister, too," Xylek mentioned to Setsuna as they walked around. "She never did like me…"
"Be quiet," she hissed back as the chief was showing them some of the scrolls containing the history of the village. Setsuna found one of the scrolls to be a bit odd, and walked closer to it to examine it. She noticed a small symbol in the corner, which meant that there was a hidden message in the scroll. She chanted the proper password, and the seal activated. The scroll's words suddenly began mixing around, forming an entirely new message. Setsuna grabbed it and read it to herself. She smiled, and turned to Xylek.
"It's for you," she said, handing him the scroll.
He gave her a confused look, but took the scroll and began reading it.
"Xylek, I am sure now that my time has come to an end, but this village will continue. I felt that I should give you this message, as I know you'll eventually find a way to get unsealed. My sister sealed herself away so that she wouldn't die without you, so if you do break her heart, I will come back and remove your head. Remember that. I trust, though, that you'll do everything within your power to make her happy, so I, reluctantly, approve of your engagement. There is a second seal on this scroll, and I would like it if you were to undo it at the marriage ceremony. I have a present I would like to give the both of you."
At the bottom, there was another symbol for a seal, but next to it was written "Yukimaru."
"See? I told you she hated me," he said to Setsuna, handing the scroll back to her. The chief had been surprised that nobody had noticed the strange symbol in the corner for so long, and he planned to berate the historians for missing such an important detail.
"You know, I've been thinking, and I figure we could get married here after this problem with Xegros blows over," Xylek said, and Setsuna stopped mid-step. The chief had wandered off somewhere.
"You make the current issue seem so small if it can be referred to as 'blowing over.' This isn't the best time to talk about… that," she responded.
"Well, I just kind of want it to be official already. Plus, it's easier to say 'wife' than 'fiancé.'"
She turned to hit him, his less-than-serious attitude irritating her, but she saw that he had several blades already pointed at him, as Mizuho's stealth squad had been following him, and after seeing Setsuna's displeasure at his recent comments, had chosen to take action.
"On your word, we will end this pathetic man's life," one of them said, and Xylek wondered why he hadn't decided to wear his helm, regretting it as he now had several blades very close to his face.
"Umm, you guys, you do realize you have been spying on a conversation she would probably not have wanted anyone to hear but us. As of this moment, in case you can't tell, her object of irritation is no longer me, but you," Xylek remarked, and the stealth squad froze.
They immediately went to the ground, and held their own blades to their throats.
"We swear to keep this conversation secret to the grave, and if Lady Setsuna so desires, we will take our lives here and now to assure her!" they yelled.
Being treated like this bothered Setsuna, and her anger subsided into awkward embarrassment.
"Regal-sama!"
Zelos froze, his memory of the encounter in the hospital still quite clear, after hearing the voice of Stacie as she came running up to the group, and everyone turned to look at her. She had a massive pack on her back, which she slowly placed on the ground.
"I received your orders for more supplies, so I personally ran them here!" she said, her smile beaming as she bowed to the duke.
"Ah, yes, thank you Stacie," he responded.
Xylek and Setsuna walked around a building, approaching the group, but Stacie, misreading the situation, vaulted over everyone's heads and rushed Xylek.
"You won't hurt Master Regal again, you brute!"
Xylek sighed as he allowed his newest assailant to slam him to the ground. Setsuna grabbed Stacie by the back of her shirt, and lifted her off of Xylek before she could continue her assault.
"Knock it off," she said, casually throwing Stacie back.
"Stacie, hold on a second," Regal said. "It's okay, he's with us now."
"But-" Stacie was cut off as Regal held his finger to her mouth. She nodded, and then her face began turning very red as she realized how close Regal was standing. She turned and grabbed the supplies, and, after giving Xylek another dirty look, she took them to find out where they should be placed.
"How did she get in here anyways?" Zelos asked, curious about why the guards hadn't stopped her.
"She did a bit of her martial arts training here in Mizuho. Most of the guards are scared of her," Regal answered. This resulted in several blank stares.
"Hey Regal, thanks for what you said earlier," Xylek commented as everyone was eating. Setsuna sat at the head of the table, much to her displeasure, and everyone was finally settled down from the recent events.
"What did I say, exactly?" Regal asked before putting more food into his mouth. He and Xylek had gone all out when preparing this meal, and the group had been scared to look into the kitchen. There had been flames, sharp objects, and other such things flying around. These two cooking in the same kitchen had been almost as intense as their last battle.
"Ah, you said that I was with you guys now. Does that mean you all have finally accepted me as an ally?"
Lloyd coughed on the food he was chewing, trying to say something, but Kratos spoke first.
"We see no point in you showing us your memories if you weren't being honest, and it would be logical to ally ourselves with you, as nobody else here holds any sway over Xegros. Considering we didn't choose to ally with you, but it was you, and Setsuna, who trusted us, we shouldn't be so callous as to still consider you an enemy."
Everyone nodded, and Lloyd had grown silent again after hearing Kratos.
"Alright, then. I'm glad to hear that," Xylek said, showing a bit of relief and relaxing his shoulders a bit.
"Hmm, I can't decide," Raine said, and everyone looked at her.
"Decide what?" Genis asked.
"Whose cooking is better. Regal's is fantastic as always, but Xylek's is really good too."
"Of course it's Regal-sama's!" Stacie immediately blurted out.
"I'd have to say that Xylek's is better," Setsuna commented.
"Well of course you'd say that. He's your fiancé, after all," Stacie retorted.
Setsuna blushed at the fact that it had become common knowledge in the village, but she still managed a comeback. "And your infatuation with Regal has nothing to do with your choice?"
Regal coughed as Stacie's face turned beet-red, and everyone quickly finished their meal before all hell broke loose.
Setsuna and Stacie had taken their argument outside, and they were now standing in front of the well. Zelos slowly crept up on them, and popped out from behind the well.
"Hello, my beautiful hunnies. Lovely evening, isn't it?"
They stopped their argument and glared at him. Not giving up easily, he continued.
"You see, with both of you liking different men, you're bound to get into arguments when comparing the two. Wouldn't it be easier if you both simply came with me? We could all get along so well. You two wouldn't have anything to argue about, either. Why, I'd even be willing to-"
He suddenly found himself dangling over the edge of the well, held in the air by both Stacie and Setsuna. Both of the women had a look in their eyes that would normally be reserved for vermin.
"Wait, maybe you two misunderstood what I meant. I was only trying to-"
They dropped him.
"Ah, I wonder where I'm going to sleep tonight," Xylek said, and Lloyd looked at him, confused.
"Why is that an issue?" he asked.
"In case you didn't notice, I have a rather large group of dangerous people, which now includes that insane nurse, wanting rather 'unpleasant' things to happen to me right now."
"I see your point. Why don't you just stay with Setsuna, then? Nobody would dare disturb her,"
"You have a point, but, well, I guess you could call me old fashioned. I feel it would be improper for us to stay in the same room, since we're only engaged at the moment."
"How gentlemanly of you," Raine said, popping her head out.
"Professor! What are you doing there?" Lloyd said, shocked.
"Eavesdropping."
"Not even subtle about it…" Lloyd muttered.
"It's fine. I assume she has some questions to ask me about my magic and such. If you'll excuse us, Lloyd," Xylek said as he stood, preparing for the inquisition he was about to endure.
They all stopped for a second when they heard Zelos yell, followed by a loud splash. Many people around the village covered their faces with their palms when they heard this.
Later, as everyone was settling down to sleep, the guys noticed an empty futon in the building they were staying in.
"Is that Zelos' futon?" Genis asked, having not seen him for a while.
"Probably. I wonder where he went," Emil pondered.
"Xylek isn't here, either," Genis noted as well.
"Do you think he sleeps in that armor?" Emil asked, curious.
They realized they had never seen Xylek without his suit of armor, and wondered if he actually slept with it on.
Several runes on Xylek's armor pulsed, and the armor seemed to soften as it took another form: loose-fitting clothing for sleeping. The runes now seemed like embroidery, and he realized that, in reality, he hadn't truly removed his armor in over 4000 years. He crawled into his futon, positioned in the corner of the room he was in, and slowly began to drift off. Setsuna was positioned in the large bed in the middle of the room. It had been constructed exclusively for her, and it was much more comfortable than the futons that had been provided to everyone else.
"Xylek, this bed is really big. I trust you, so you should really just-" she was cut off by a very loud cough from Xylek.
"That… won't be necessary," he said from his corner, which he had picked out. "The only reason I'm here is for safety purposes. I wouldn't put it past that Stacie girl to try to 'remove' me in my sleep."
"Fine, have it your way," she said with a smile, since he was embarrassed to be in the same room as her for the night. "I've been considering you suggestion from earlier, and I think we should have a small ceremony tomorrow. You were right. Over 4000 years is too long to be engaged."
He coughed again, and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew it was as red as could be. She also knew he would fall asleep with a grin big enough to scare some children.
Xylek: Chivalry isn't dead.
Tiger: And neither is comedy