A/n: I originally did intend for the chapter to be longer...but I got lazy, haha. Would you guys like for the chapters to be longer though? Please let me know. And would you like for me to hold polls for major story decisions? Ones that would not affect the plot too much that is. You know, maybe a poll on what training Hikaru should go through or wether Kyouya should get a collar for Leone or not? I'd love to hear your preferences, so please do let me know.
I apologise if the chapter was not up to the mark this time, my brother actually busted our laptop so, yeah. I'm using the tablet to do stuff right now. Hopefully, it gets fixed soon! Anyhoo, let me know how you liked it! Cuz I'd love that!
And yeah, if I did not mention this earlier, this fic is gonna be a slow burn (meaning Kyouya and Hikaru won't get together until pretty later.) and may even have some mild dub-con (dubious consent that is, for those who are unaware. I'll put a warning beforehand for that).
Also, this story is more like an AU folktale of how beyblades came to be. Other than that, enjoy, review, favourite and follow.
Of Sickness and Health
Her feet, hot with sickness, sunk deep into the slushy ground as she plodded through, struggling to catch up to the impatient man waddling in front. The moonlight, like a distant pleasure, filtered scantily through the heavy foliage of the Inner Forest, barely lighting the duo's path.
Her lids felt heavy, weighing down on her tired eyes like a hundred tonnes. She had so desperately wanted to lie down on the wet, sodden grass; to let the chill of the winter rain soak her tepid ailing body. Even her stomach flipped every time she picked her feet up to take another tiresome step in the slush, threatening to spill all its contents out if she did not stop.
A soft moan of pain left her quivering, dripping lips as her soaked palm rushed to her bleeding arm. Slowly, and lethargically, she let her orbs wander to the crimson that trickled down her arms along with drops of cold, frigid water that cascaded down the leaden sky. A alarmingly huge gash ran along the lengths of her scrawny arm, seeping a soft trail of blood down her grey kimono. She had scratched herself against one of the innocuously jutting out swig, perhaps. She could heal it, but she chose not to. She could not expend her mana, or Magical energy, on patching up her wound, she had to save it for the Lion Summon and his owner. At this point, she could only wish she had not scrapped herself against a poisonous bush, or worse—the Manchineel tree. If it were that unostentatiously deceptive tree, she would be done for in a few minutes.
Before she could let her mind -razed with the heat of her sickness- wander further into analysing the different ways she could meet her death, Kyouya caught her attention by a rough, genuine cough.
Hikaru immediately looked up ahead, her half lidded eyes making it extremely difficult for her to retain her focus, and saw the dark void that was probably the entrance to -or what seemed like- a wild cavern. On squinting, she even noticed the ghost of a small spruce-coloured flame, sizzling softly on some logs of dark oak wood.
"He's…inside." He spoke. His voice hushed to a whisper as soft as the morning breeze, cautious and tender, as if he were trying to hide what was broken; trying to conceal what was hurt.
Hikaru nodded, no words forming on her quivering lips. Her hand gingerly took ahold of his, cupping his calloused skin in her fresh one. With a gentle tug, she pulled him inside the small cavern. And he complied submissively, his head hanging in supposed shame.
Hikaru let her fizzing magic expand; analogous to a sea of liquid stardust, it settled on the pair. Little bursts of sparkles erupted around them, like the fireworks that shot through the dark skies on festivals. The dome of blue magic glimmered under the soft green fire that lit the ashen wood ablaze, shrouding them in a teal as pliable as the the clouds that oftened the sky.
Kyouya almost gasped as the sudden warmth that filled him once the magic descended over them. Every nook, every corner of his body felt touched; touched by a purity so winsome that it made his soul ache and weep in delight. The warmth of her magic coursed down his veins; pulsating and lively, it washed against him with such tenderness, making his heart quench in pain. He felt his sins trickle down his back like thin rivulets, soaking the ground beneath him in a dirty burgundy.
For that one moment he felt as if god's own light shone on him; dazzling and vivid, it purged his soul of all evil he had ever committed. It felt as if his soul was being torn apart by a force so pious, that it ignited all the ill-will it made the slightest of brushes with.
Maybe this was his purgatory; his repentance.
His hands shook, body shivered and his vision blurred as the magic grew in intensity, jolting though his veins like monstrous thunderbolt. And he felt as if a tempest raged inside him; angered and tyrannous it shook him to his very core. His wounds burned; they blazed as the muscles healed themselves, stitching back to the other ends of the ruptured tissue, leaving not a shade of pain behind, just a vibrant bath of blue hues.
The former affliction now had phased down into a softer warmth. An indication of the completion of the mending of his internal wounds, the only wounds that would cause him to be in grave danger. All his inner wounds had been successfully patched up.
As soon as he felt the stinging of the magic subside, he pushed her away with a little more force than was actually required. With his still workable hand, he pointed at the mewling beat that lay slumped against the cave wall.
"B-But..." her teeth, chattering from the cold rendered her speech a mess of stutters, "you-u aren't h-healed c-completely...your wounds inside..."
Kyouya shook his head, his other arms wrapping around his midriff to contain the small grunt of pain that the stab wound on his stomach elicited, "He...needs...help more than I..."
Hikaru looked at him incredulously, her eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. She knew if she left him in the state that he was currently in, there was a good chance his wounds could break out into a nasty infection. She was not high on mana but she did want to heal him properly and completely.
"Please..." he started. His deep blue eyes pleaded for kindness, "...save him."
Hikaru's past apprehensions died down, a feeling of understanding washed over her. She knew if any one of them died, the other would too. But the care that the green haired Summoner displayed deeply warmed her soul. He really cared about his companion.
She nodded her head almost instantly at his quiet demand and rushed to the companion in pain. Despite the raging temperatures her skin was touching, she plopped down beside the beast and par her mana soak though to hit hurt body.
The blue, glittering glow covered the couple as Hikaru let her healing magic do its wonders. The magic fizzled softly, making the Lion's fur stand up on its ends in genesis of the static energy generated. She pressed her burning feet against the beasts' paws and stilled, concentrating all her mana into him.
The healing stretched easily into the wee hours of the day.
As the sun broke out of the horizon, its dazzling glow making the wet leaves sparkle in joy, Kyouya stirred awake from his uncomfortable sleep against the sharp cave rocks.
After a brief moment of popping his knuckles, he got up to his feet, his eyes immediately scaling the lengths of the cavern for his companion; for his solace. His eyes, however, did not need to search for long for the Lion Summon slept curled up against the wall.
Its soft fur ruffled against the body of the sleeping -or unconscious- blue haired woman's body. His tousled mane fell along his maw, tucked listlessly under the arm of the woman. His massive torso was curled inwards, sheathing the woman in the warmth that radiated off his body. Even his tail was lackadaisically wrapped, completing the irregular circle made by his now fully healed soma.
With a swift flick of his wrist, Kyouya extinguished the magical fire that was no longer need to light up the cave. He shuffled up to his companion noisily, hoping to wake the sleeping woman up without much effort on his part. But she lay still, her mouth agape and leaking of drool, her chest heaving up in down in soft inhales and exhales and her hands clasped snugly to her tilted lap.
Kyouya let out a sigh, his hands finding his temples, rubbing around in calming circles. The sudden gyrating headache making the task of rousing the sleeping woman without snapping an insurmountable one.
She was getting her filthy saliva all over his companion's shiny -a state which Kyouya had a really hard time achieving- pelt!
Furnishing the limp body of a sleeping Hikaru a mindless kick (which Kyouya would have argued about being a tender nudge), he groaned.
"Oi, Blue. Wake up."
No response.
"Blue."
None.
"Blue."
Nothing.
"Wake up you idiot."
Nil.
"Blue."
Nought.
"Blue..."
Nowt.
"Blue?"
Kyouya had crouched down on his good knee, his coarse palm pressed against her tender yet hot skin roughly. The heat emanating from her skin did not even take a moment to register in the older man's head as a fever.
Kyouya clicked his tongue against his teeth, muttering under his breath as he moved to wake the sleeping beast. He could not have her dying on him.
She had helped him, after all. He was in debt to her.
Kyouya was pretty close to what people would call one broke. He had lost a myriad of battles and fights by now, losing a lot of currency in the process. He had not the money to take Hikaru to a hospital; stars, he did not even have money to treat himself or Leone!
He had pegged all his current problem on that opponent, Gingka Hagane -Kyouya made a point to remember that dumbhead's name-, who had taken quite a hit on Kyouya and Leone with his legendary beast Pegasus. And his benevolence was no better when he elected to offer mercy to the former duo, the annoying smile plastered on his bugging visage like he had freaking won the battle (he had, of course, for he had left completely unharmed. But Kyouya would claim no fact to that.). The whole encounter had left an ugly stain on Kyouya's jagged ego.
After that horrifyingly embarrassing match, the green haired man had challenged a group of Summoner crooks -all of them- to an 'all or nothing' monetary battle. As expected, the crooks played dirty and successfully left a brutally beat up Kyouya, a gravely injured beast and a completely empty pocket.
Kyouya, with his unwavering pride still intact, sought help in the only one place where he could without paying anything—be it money or his pride. And that is how he ended showing up on the blue haired healer's window.
"Leone." Kyouya commanded his now awake companion, "we have to take her to the home with us." There was nothing else he could do to help her.
The drowsy Lion nodded, his large maw tightening as he saw his master carefully slip the woman on his back.
"I know. It's a bother. But it's the least we can do for her." Kyouya muttered softly, being a tad bit more careful of the woman under the influence of his levitation magic.
Kyouya dismissed the sparkling green magic that had wrapped around the woman and turned to face the bright mouth of the cavern.
The orange dawn sky glittered in glee. Tender gusts of breeze gingerly kissed the leaves, making them moan in happiness. The birds sang their lovely songs; decorating the stillness of the morning as if to welcome the gods. Flowers bloomed, their fragrances vibrant in the air as squirrels scaled the ground, scurrying around to obtain the fresh spoils that the rain had brought. Bees hummed in a sweet rhythm, their saccharine sounds only mixed with the buzzes of other critters. And dew-drops on the tiny blades of grass danced amicably under the rays of the vibrant star. It was as if the goddess of life had breathed into the day, making every thing flourish with joy.
The lion sighed softly, the winds caressed his lustrous mane as he stepped outside crippling darkness of the cavern. It was truly a beautiful day.
After the most tremulous; the most deadly of nights, had come the dawn; so bright; so young.
Kyouya felt a small smile tug at his lips.
Their darkest hour was over.
Only their dawn lay ahead.