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Nikholas "elf" F. Toledo
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DiScLaImEr!!!
RAYEARTH is the property of CLAMP/Kodansha
Addiction to both the anime and manga series has prompted the author to
seek an outlet, withdrawal symptoms are not yet foreseen so expect more
to come.
warning: Download moderately!
Artistic muses are usually on strike!
<read: author is very lazy>
< ah... este +busy+ >
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Reunions and Tragedies
CHAPTER II
Abductions
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
... Bring back, bring back
Bring back my bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Bring back my bonnie to me...
<Scene: Another world... Cefiro, in the Forest of Silence>
Fighting weariness, the three swordsmen wandered down the path
through the dense undergrowth. The trees seemed monstrous in the
unbroken quiet as their somber, lacy foliage closed on the frayed
margin of the sky.
No conversation passed among the three. The dry leaves crackling
under their feet was the only sound they made as they trekked
towards the clearing up ahead.
"There it is."
The guide called out to his companions, effectively breaking the
strained silence. His amber eyes scanned the perimeter, only when
he saw the large black stone in the center did his face break into
a smile.
He was already sitting on its smooth surface when the two older
men came out of the forest. Both were excellent warriors, maybe the
best he'd ever encountered, but they were the worst travelling
companions a man could be unfortunate enough to get stuck with.
The blond man tiredly leaned down level to the creek to drink.
He splashed some water on his face and neck, welcoming the soothing
coolness.
_What possessed me to agree on this trip, anyway?_
He asked himself for the umpteenth time, casting a baleful
glance at the darkhaired Kailu <R.E. term for magical swordsman>.
_And, why the hell does he have to come along, too? He never did
before._
Lantis smoothly heaved himself up and settled quite comfortably
on the tree as a huge panther would. He watched as the sky changed
color as the dusk slowly claimed the day. He was glad he decided to
come along; the quiet was a welcome reprieve from Primera's shrill
yakking. He was rather fond of the cute little pixie, but her
unwavering adoration was starting to grate on his nerves. Ferio's
timing could've never been more perfect.
Well, that was until he learned that Lafarga was also a part of
this little expedition. Now, he had the feeling that he just jump
from the pan to the open fire. The man still doesn't trust him an
inch.
_Just because Zagato's my brother and Eagle's my friend, doesn't
mean the word 'traitor' is tattooed on my forehead!_
Ferio was through with playing diplomat.
It was just as well that they were heading back home; after five
days of polite conversation, snide comments and irritating silence,
he was more than ready to call it quits. The cold war raged on.
Both men at their best could give rocks lessons on silence.
Visually and Verbally.
"Let's camp here for the night, then we'll..."
"Let's not," Lafarga cut in. "I can't believe you'd still prefer
to sleep on hard ground when there's a perfectly decent bath and a
real bed just a few hours walk from here."
"Lafarga, you've been itching to go back since the second day.
We've been on the road for five days now, one more night wouldn't
make that much of a difference, right?"
WRONG. It would make a world of difference to him.
It would mean a scrumptious dinner feast... with Caldina popping
grapes into his mouth for dessert, a long relaxing hot soak in the
tub... with Caldina giving him a backscrub and him returning the
favor afterwards, and a soft bed... with Caldina cuddling up to him
under the satin sheets...
Ferio facefaulted upon seeing the expression on the blond man's
face.
_He doesn't drool like that, not unless he's asleep. It's bad
enough when he talks in his sleep while dreaming of Caldina; does
he have to go into a trance as well when awake?!_
At first, it was funny; he really had a grand time laughing his
head off. Then, things got rather embarrassing. He was starting to
hear things he wasn't supposed to be hearing, no matter how
INTERESTING they were.
"Okay, you win," Ferio finally gave in. "We'll go straight to
the castle. We'd better hurry up; I want to get back before night
falls."
Lafarga approached a nearby tree and called out, "Hey, pretty
boy! Wake up, we're going!"
Lantis cracked open an eye and sighed, _Vacation's over._
He deftly swung down from his high perch and landed right in
front of Lafarga. He started to walk pass him without a word when a
sudden flash of pain slashed across his temple and exploded right
behind his eyes almost bringing him down to his knees.
"Lantis! What's wrong?!" Lafarga reached out to steady him.
"NOooo!" he groaned in agony, clutching his head and trying to
steel himself against the wave of panic that seemed to gnaw at his
gut.
_Hikaru!_ he screamed in his head.
"I have to go. Now," he replied, his voice revealing none of his
inner turmoil.
"<<Clefto!>>" Thunder rumbled and lightning split the air as it
struck the ground in front of him. After the smoke cleared, a
magnificent black stallion stood impatiently waiting for its
master. Lantis mounted the horse with flourish and rode him through
the skies, heading for the edge of Cefiro.
{ Lantis. }
{ Guru Clef! I have to go to Earth. }
{ Do you think it's wise to interfere with fate? }
{ I've already lost so much; Zagato, Eagle... I'm not going to
lose her too. So, don't even try to stop me! }
{ No, the thought never crossed my mind. But, tell me; what does
she mean to you, Lantis? }
Lantis didn't grace Guru Clef's last question with an answer.
______________________________
<Scene: a hospital room>
She slept.
A bandage was wrapped around her head, her long red hair
loosened from its braid and spread out over the pillow, her hands
folded neatly on top of the covers. So delicately fragile, so
serene in her slumber. She slept the sleep of death. And she
remembered through her dreams...
"Let her go, Ikeda! You've got nowhere to run!"
"Oh yes, I do. As long as I have her, you and your men wouldn't
dare fire a single shot." The arm around her neck tightened as the
man pointed a gun at her temple.
A low growl emanated from behind. It was the only warning she
received before her wolf launched himself at her captor, giving her
a chance to escape.
"Hikari, no!" she screamed, seeing the wolf's bared fangs before
they closed over the man's throat.
"RUN!" The command from the officer was the last she heard
before gunshots split the air.
She ran, shutting out the sickening sound of bullets connecting
with flesh. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned.
"Hikariii!"
The man named Ikeda was down on his knees, blood pouring down
his neck and from bullet wounds. It was all so horribly
fascinating; the blood, the pain, the hate and the malice in his
eyes.
And the gun in his hand aimed at her.
White hot pain flashed across her right temple, then traveled
down her spine. She was falling... but someone caught her before
she hit the ground. The officer was gently laying her down on the
pavement, cradling her head while ordering his men to call for an
ambulance.
"Hurry, she's been shot!" He then ripped off his sleeve and used
it to bandage her head.
_Shot! Can you still live after a shot in the head?_
"Listen, honey, we're taking care of you. The ambulance is on
its way. Now, lie still, and don't you worry," said that soothing
voice.
"Oh My God!!! Hikaru!"
_Umi! And Fuu with her! They look so worried. Fuu, please,
please don't cry. I need you two to be strong for me._
She struggled to lift her hand and was glad when her friends
enfolded it in their warm, reassuring grasp. Hikari was there too,
whining and licking her face.
The darkness was beckoning, promising peace and escape from the
pain. Again, she felt herself falling into the abyss. The only
difference was that this time, no one was around to break her fall.
______________________________
Down the corridor...
The television in the waiting room was turned on to a news
channel...
"About five-thirty this afternoon, a shootout
occurred in Shiba Park near Tokyo Tower. Undercover
agents were after the notorious terrorist, Nataku
Ikeda. Ikeda was set up, and was about to be
apprehended by the authorities when he managed to
grab an unsuspecting victim and use her as hostage...."
The elevator doors open as three young men emerged. Judging by
their features, it was safe to assume that they were of kin. The
younger two were frantic and clearly distressed; only the oldest
showed any signs of outward calm.
Loud talking, telephones ringing, and carts being shuffled about
alerted Satoru to the location of the nurses' station. He started
down the long corridor, followed by his brothers.
Kakeru's nose twitched as he recognized the familiar smells of
hospital disinfectant, the faint but unmistakable scents of flowers
in various rooms, and always, in spite of the constant antiseptic
cleaning, the smell of sickness and dying. _I hate this place._
Maseru would've echoed his brother's thought out loud. But he
was too keyed up to think of anything else but his sister's
condition. He spoke even before he came to a complete stop, beating
Satoru to asking the question.
"Hikaru Shido, what room, please?"
"She's down at the end of the hall. Room 207. She just came in
from E.R., I think you have to first talk with the doctor..." She
didn't get to finish as the two marched of in the direction she
indicated.
"Thank you, please forgive my brothers," Satoru bowed in apology
"We're very much distressed about this whole incident."
"It's all right. I hope she'll be fine," she said.
Satoru smiled; for the first time since he heard of the
shooting, he finally found hope.
______________________________
Fuu and Umi were sitting down on the chairs just outside the
room. Both were still in shock over what they've learned from the
doctor. Umi was clutching Fuu's hand in a death grip, her eyes
bleak and flooded with tears.
Kakeru was the first to reach them; judging by their
expressions, the situation hardly looked good, but he asked anyway.
"Umi, How is she?" Kakeru knelt down to bring himself at level
with her face. Getting no response, he asked her companion
instead. "Fuu?"
"The doctors... they managed to stop the... the bleeding," Fuu
got out in a choked sob. "But... but it was a head wound and... and
we can never tell when she'd wake up."
"Are you telling me she's in a coma!" Maseru cried, "and that
she may never wake up!"
Umi finally snapped out of her despair and rounded on Hikaru's
brother in anger. "She's stronger than you think! I have faith in
that strength and her will to survive. She will wake up, make no
mistake about it!"
_She just has to. Please, Hikaru, you must!_
"Kakeru, take Umi and Fuu down to the cafeteria. They're about
to fall off their feet from exhaustion and hunger." Satoru
instructed.
"Thank you, but I want to here when she wakes up!"
"Umi, please. Hikaru wouldn't want to see you and Fuu suffering
like this. We don't want to be worrying about your health as well,"
he reasoned out.
"He's right. Satoru-san, thank you for your concern." Fuu bowed,
"Umi, we'll come back here right after we eat," she added for her
friend's benefit.
"Oh. All right, but if she wakes up while we're there, promise
me you'll come right down and tell us!"
"I will." Satoru promised.
Satoru stood in front of Hikaru's room. Being a well honed-
martial artist, he immediately felt the different kind of energy
that seemed to come from inside. The very air seemed to be
vibrating with electricity.
_Someone's inside with Hikaru._
Maseru saw him frown and asked, "Satoru-niisama, what's wrong?"
"I'm not sure..." He turned the knob and opened the door.
Light from the hallway poured into the dark recesses of the
room. Within the shadows, they saw a cloaked figure, sitting with
its back to them, leaning over the bed.
"WHAT THE HELL...!!!" Maseru yelled, ready to commit bloody
murder.
"MASERU!" His elder brother's sharp tone and restraining grip
held him back.
The man stood up and faced them, cradling the sleeping young
woman in his arms. His lean tall form, dressed entirely in black
and encased in dull gray armor, was that of a seasoned warrior.
Hair black as a raven's wing fell over his eyes. Cold eyes in an
emotionless but otherwise handsome face.
"Who are you? And, what do you want with her?" Satoru asked
evenly.
{ My identity is of no great importance. I came only for her. }
Satoru's eyes widened in shock, not only because of his blunt
answer, but by the way it was delivered, as well. The man spoke
directly into his mind!
Lantis could've spoken to the man with words just as easily. But
what he intended to ask for would no doubt enrage the younger one
named Maseru even more.
"Put her down and get the hell away from her!!!" Maseru yelled,
he shrugged out of his brother's grasp and made for his sister's
abductor.
Lantis' eyes narrowed into icy slits as he held out his hand to
stop Maseru's progress. Suddenly, a barrier materialized around him
with Maseru running right smacked into it.
"Oooh SHIT!!!" he cursed as he landed on his butt, holding his
head and feeling like a dazed duck in the middle of a lake at the
height of a thunderstorm.
Satoru's eyes locked with Lantis' violet gaze.
{ I need you to trust me. I can save her, but I have to take her
with me. }
Somehow, deep inside he knew that this stranger was his sister's
only hope. But the way he possessively held Hikaru brought another
pressing question to mind.
"Can I trust you to bring her back?" he asked aloud.
The question seem to melt the man's stony facade, allowing
Satoru to glimpse the regret and longing in his face as his violet
eyes lingered on Hikaru's simple beauty.
"That is for her to decide, not mine," Lantis finally answered
aloud.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of rushing water. Waves rose up
around the stranger, swirling around him in a double helix
formation. The wind picked up, whipping the waves into a frenzy as
the floor within the barrier turned into a pool of water filled
with light, the man sank in its bright depths together with his
captive. Then it exploded, washing the dark room with its
brilliance.
"GIVE HER BACK!!!" Maseru yelled as he grabbed a chair and
smashed it against the barrier. It shattered, but the pieces seem
to evaporated even before it touched the ground.
"What happened? We saw a flash of light, and..." Kakeru trailed
off when he noticed the empty hospital bed. "Where's Hikaru?" he
asked.
"She's been kidnapped by a guy straight out of a bad medieval
European play. I think that jerk was Merlin the Magician's
understudy. Got pissed off 'cause he have to play the part of the
evil black knight and took up abducting helpless maidens instead,"
Maseru replied, aiming at humor to calm himself, he was simply
scared out of his wits by what he saw.
"Don't kid around!" Kakeru said through clenched teeth, he
grabbed his brother by the collar and shook him until his teeth
rattled.
_Black knight?_ Fuu thought to herself and met her friends
puzzled glance. _Lantis was here?!_ Umi seemed to know what she
was thinking for she nodded in agreement.
"Kakeru! Unhand your brother at once!" Satoru commanded. "Hikaru
has indeed been abducted, by whom and why, we do not know." He
simply cannot tell his brothers the reason the stranger gave him
because they wouldn't believe it. He also felt that there was more
to what the man said. Much, much more.
"So, what do we do now?" Kakeru asked.
"We wait for her to return."
"WHAT! You REALLY expect that psycho to bring her back? ARE YOU
OUT OF YOUR GODDAMNED FRIGGIN' SKULL!!!"
Kakeru's head was thrown back from the force of the slap, never
had Satoru raised his hand on him... until now. He gingerly touched
his stinging cheek, his mind still unable to comprehend his elder
brother's action.
"We can search all over Tokyo, Japan or even the whole world for
that matter; but, I doubt that we'll find her. You weren't here
when it happened, you've no idea of the kind of power that man
wields. The situation is out of our control, all we can do now is
wait," Satoru explained.
_And hope that Hikaru will decide to come back to us,_ he added
silently.
"Umi, Fuu. It's getting late. C'mon, I'll take you two home."
Maseru volunteered, needing to get away from all the tension in
that small room.
"Oh, no. We could manage by ourselves, really. We'll just call a
cab and be on our way home," Fuu said, noticing the tired slump of
his shoulders.
"Right, you guys get some rest. This is just too much for one
night," Umi added. The men tiredly grunted their affirmative.
At the hospital lobby, everyone said their good-byes. The men
stood by as the two young women got inside the cab.
"Call us when you reach home, okay?" Satoru instructed as he
came up to the cab to close the door.
Umi exchanged a meaningful glance with Fuu before answering.
"Sure," she hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Don't
worry, Hikaru's safe with him."
"Bye!" Fuu waved as the car shifted into gear and sped out of
the hospital gates.
Satoru stood there, his forehead knotted in a frown.
______________________________
"Where to, Miss?" the driver asked.
"Tokyo Tower, please," Fuu replied.
She leaned back in her seat and contemplated their next move.
They were going after Hikaru, back to Cefiro. The man's description
fitted none other than Lantis. They knew that their friend had
feelings for him, but like everyone else, they don't know if he
felt the same way for her. Truth be known, she didn't trust
Lantis with Hikaru's heart. His calmness bordered on coldness, and
he had always been too mysterious for everyone's piece of mind.
A light drizzle began to fall. Umi stared out from the misty
window at Tokyo's bustling night life. The car stopped at a red
light and the street lamp illuminated her beautiful but troubled
profile. The driver adjusted his rearview mirror to get a better
view of his blue haired passenger. He passed the next corner,
accelerating forward along the highway. Umi was so immersed in her
thoughts that she almost failed to notice that deliberate mistake.
"Hey, mister! You just missed that right turn."
"Let's just say I have a different destination in mind," the
driver replied, his mocking hazel eyes meeting hers in the rearview
mirror.
"GRYFF! Is this some kind of a sick joke? 'Cause if it is, I'm
definitely not laughing. Stop this car and let us out. NOW!"
"No can do, Blue Eyes. You and your friend are coming with me
for a little trip out of town."
"And if we refused?" Fuu asked.
The door locks automatically clicked in answer as a glass
barrier materialized between them and the driver seat. Sedative
fumes came from beneath the backseat and started to fill the tiny
enclosure.
"I suggest you sleep on it," then added, "Trust me, I've no
intention of hurting you. I'll explain everything when you wake
up."
"I'd sooner trust a snake than you!" Umi shouted from behind the
glass, "You won't... get away... with this Gry..." and slumped down
on her seat.
"Talk about an over-used, futile parting phrase," he said to
himself, screwing up his face in distaste. "But, I have, my dear
Umi," then looking at his sleeping captives, he whispered, "I
already have."
______________________________
"Rex, open the docking gate, I'm coming in." Gryff announced
over the tacnet as he guided his mecha towards the NSX which was
hiding just behind the earth's moon.
"Where have you been, Gryff?" Geo bellowed out, elbowing Rex
aside from the console. He pushed some buttons on the control panel
that displayed a window on the wide screen and opened the docking
gate. Gryff's smiling face appeared on the small window, his eyes,
a perfect replica of Eagle's looked back from behind the yellow
visor.
"I just hauled in the last box of supplies," he said.
"I thought me and Zazu already did that."
"But, this one's a gift. We simply can't visit Lantis and not
bring him one," Gryff stated matter-of-factly.
"I see your point, but, next time, will you please inform
somebody on the bridge where you're going," then he added
teasingly, "If you haven't noticed, it's already 30 minutes after
YOUR designated departure time. I was sorely tempted to head on to
Cefiro without a Commander just to teach you a lesson."
"You wouldn't: you're my Sub-Commander." the younger man
countered confidently, putting an emphasis on the 'Sub'.
"Try me."
-=| end of chapter 2 |=-
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Happy holidays from the Nikholas F. Toledo Zu!
Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/mezza9.html
Vector, Switch, Yebah, Rain Man, goo, Pervert, Scruples, Hollie, NomaD,
Blitz, Gee, Datzo, Jewel, Elf, Radler, Pinball, Mayhem, Chaos, Father
Fanfiction @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/fanfics.html
Warp Zone @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/thirteen.html
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The logo of the Church of All Worlds is nine concentric circles.
Word from the Laity: Wipe yer feet! Bloody 'ell...
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/3145/index.html
Currently under construction... confessional at the links.
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