Aozora's Song (7/12)
Previous: Aozora's Warmth
07. Aozora’s Name
They skirted around the soldiers then turned north-west around the confines of the ward. Forced to walk and fight through the wild forest on their feet, their progress slowed and were made slower as ONE took pains to cover their tracks. He carried Ao most of the way, or he charmed a few four-legged mammals to carry her, but she still reached the limits of her strength. She refused to complain because she knew he felt as exhausted as her, or even more, but she had not had his training and even her determination could not keep her going. Her feet blistered. Scratches and cuts marked the unprotected parts of her soft skin.
On their fourth day of traveling non-stop, after the forest bear carrying Ao tired and Satoshi released it back into the wild, Ao stumbled when set on her feet. Since that morning, she had felt lightheaded. Now, her body weighed down on her heavily and her movements were sluggish, her breathing shallow. She teetered. Her vision swerved. She could not stop herself from pitching forward.
*
Her master subjected her to punishment. The young woman knelt on thorns from roses she, herself, had cultivated. They bit into her knees and she bled. She knelt even as the pain numbed and she lost feeling in her legs. The rays of the setting sun through her open window assured her she had only an hour more to go before the end of her punishment. Her nails dug deeper into the palms of her hands and her teeth clenched. She willed herself to finish without a single groan escaping from her lips.
The young woman heard footsteps outside in the hall. She knew whom they belonged to. His lessons would have just ended. He stepped through the door into her room and she finally saw him; lean, tanned, and of average height. A man now. Her precious. He knelt in front of her and took her hand in his. He uncurled her fingers and they saw that her nails had cut into her skin and bled. He brought the cuts to his lips and kissed her palm. Even though she had been determined to be strong, the young woman could not stop the tears that sprang to her eyes from his gentleness. He stayed with her until she stopped crying, until her punishment ended, until she fell asleep.
In his tower, their master clutched his dark hair and rocked while he whispered to himself.
*
A long cut on her forearm, unattended, had become infected. Ao’s fever raged. Her body was overcome by both hot and cold surges. She shivered under her and ONE’s cloak. The cold, wet cloth he put on her forehead warmed quickly. Ao went in and out of consciousness. She dreamed about the dark tower, about the young woman and the second apprentice. She woke to silence and sometimes ONE. He fed her water often. Once, he popped purple food pills into her mouth, but her body refused to keep them down. In and out of her dreams, Ao called out to Masaki, ONE, and sometimes the young apprentice. She envied the woman for the young man’s affection. When, she woke again, she felt ONE’s strong arms around her.
“Don’t leave me,” she croaked in her delirium. Her own arms encircled his waist limply.
His embrace of her tightened. Assured, Ao nestled into his warmth and went back to sleep. She thought she felt him caress her cheek.
*
The young woman met him in the shadows, in the forest, in the safety behind locked rooms, and each moment she spent with him lit a part of her charred soul. He smiled at her even when they were not alone. But every day that her need of him grew, she also saw the darkness in her master grow.
“You belong to me,” her master said. “I won’t let you leave me, too.”
*
Ao was a child again. Fear gripped her when she realized she was back in her chamber at the palace. Had everything been a dream? Had ONE only been a figment of her imagination, created by her loneliness and desire? Her room was dark and she lay in bed under the thick, rich covers. She realized someone leaned over her. She saw his eyes gleam even in the darkness; gold. The Gold Magician. He reached for her and she flinched, but he only ran gentle fingers through her hair.
“Aozora, you have a pretty name,” he said.
*
She was on her knees scrubbing away her master’s blood, the blood that had streamed from his slashed wrists as he called on a dark spell. His frenzy had frightened her and she had waited until he left to clean. Someone entered her master’s study and she knew it was not her master or the one she love. She turned and saw the first apprentice in the doorway. He beckoned to her.
“I need to tell you something.”
She waited.
“We can’t talk here,” he said.
“He’ll punish me if he returns and the room isn’t clean,” she objected.
Impatient, the first apprentice scowled. “Aozora,” he called her. His gaze went to the empty corridor behind him then he shut the door firmly. “You are in danger. Satoshi’s too stupid to see it.”
The blood drained from her face and she turned back to him by the door. “What do you mean?” she whispered.
A screech echoed through the tower and she shot to her feet, but relief flooded her when she recognized the voice to be her master’s; not Satoshi.
The first apprentice was already at her side and he touched her shoulder. “He’s insane. Even you can see it.”
She recalled the charismatic man she had met many years ago. Back then she already knew the Dark Magician, her master, had terrible abilities. She knew his nature to be sadistic. But she had never suspected the depth of darkness in the Dark Magician’s soul.
*
Ao shuddered and squirmed under the suffocating weight of her and Satoshi’s cloaks. Her eyes opened slowly, heavy. She was alone and the deep darkness of the forest uneased her. “Satoshi?” she called out. Fear clawed its way into her and she held her breath. Her heavy eyelids drew shut and she dreamed again.
*
She remembered.
Her master pinned her down with his larger body. He stripped away her clothes. Intense pain shot up her loins. Dark magic broke into her mind, forcing in his insanity. She shrieked and screamed Satoshi’s name, even though she knew he could not save her.
*
The Gold Magician’s hand was gentle in her hair, just like Satoshi’s.
"Then I will tell him so that he can one day find and call you."
*
ONE knelt by her side when her eyes shot open. He touched a hand to her forehead and was relieved to know her fever had broken. “You’re okay, Aozora,” he murmured in relief.
Tears streamed down the side of Ao’s face as she lay in the forest protected by their heavy cloaks. Still nauseated, her head pounded and she did not have the strength to move, but sobs wracked her frail body and she shook with the force of it. She could not draw in enough air; not enough to breathe. ONE pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, and she recognized his warmth. She willed her hand to move, to do what she should have done a long time ago. Ao tugged at his helmet and pushed his visor away from him. She took in his lovely lidded eyes, the precious slightly curved nose, his pale thin lips, his small ears. Her handsome Satoshi.
Ao drew in a deep breath and encircled her arms around him. “Satoshi,” she murmured. “Satoshi. I found you.”
Next: Aozora's Heart
07. Aozora’s Name
They skirted around the soldiers then turned north-west around the confines of the ward. Forced to walk and fight through the wild forest on their feet, their progress slowed and were made slower as ONE took pains to cover their tracks. He carried Ao most of the way, or he charmed a few four-legged mammals to carry her, but she still reached the limits of her strength. She refused to complain because she knew he felt as exhausted as her, or even more, but she had not had his training and even her determination could not keep her going. Her feet blistered. Scratches and cuts marked the unprotected parts of her soft skin.
On their fourth day of traveling non-stop, after the forest bear carrying Ao tired and Satoshi released it back into the wild, Ao stumbled when set on her feet. Since that morning, she had felt lightheaded. Now, her body weighed down on her heavily and her movements were sluggish, her breathing shallow. She teetered. Her vision swerved. She could not stop herself from pitching forward.
*
Her master subjected her to punishment. The young woman knelt on thorns from roses she, herself, had cultivated. They bit into her knees and she bled. She knelt even as the pain numbed and she lost feeling in her legs. The rays of the setting sun through her open window assured her she had only an hour more to go before the end of her punishment. Her nails dug deeper into the palms of her hands and her teeth clenched. She willed herself to finish without a single groan escaping from her lips.
The young woman heard footsteps outside in the hall. She knew whom they belonged to. His lessons would have just ended. He stepped through the door into her room and she finally saw him; lean, tanned, and of average height. A man now. Her precious. He knelt in front of her and took her hand in his. He uncurled her fingers and they saw that her nails had cut into her skin and bled. He brought the cuts to his lips and kissed her palm. Even though she had been determined to be strong, the young woman could not stop the tears that sprang to her eyes from his gentleness. He stayed with her until she stopped crying, until her punishment ended, until she fell asleep.
In his tower, their master clutched his dark hair and rocked while he whispered to himself.
*
A long cut on her forearm, unattended, had become infected. Ao’s fever raged. Her body was overcome by both hot and cold surges. She shivered under her and ONE’s cloak. The cold, wet cloth he put on her forehead warmed quickly. Ao went in and out of consciousness. She dreamed about the dark tower, about the young woman and the second apprentice. She woke to silence and sometimes ONE. He fed her water often. Once, he popped purple food pills into her mouth, but her body refused to keep them down. In and out of her dreams, Ao called out to Masaki, ONE, and sometimes the young apprentice. She envied the woman for the young man’s affection. When, she woke again, she felt ONE’s strong arms around her.
“Don’t leave me,” she croaked in her delirium. Her own arms encircled his waist limply.
His embrace of her tightened. Assured, Ao nestled into his warmth and went back to sleep. She thought she felt him caress her cheek.
*
The young woman met him in the shadows, in the forest, in the safety behind locked rooms, and each moment she spent with him lit a part of her charred soul. He smiled at her even when they were not alone. But every day that her need of him grew, she also saw the darkness in her master grow.
“You belong to me,” her master said. “I won’t let you leave me, too.”
*
Ao was a child again. Fear gripped her when she realized she was back in her chamber at the palace. Had everything been a dream? Had ONE only been a figment of her imagination, created by her loneliness and desire? Her room was dark and she lay in bed under the thick, rich covers. She realized someone leaned over her. She saw his eyes gleam even in the darkness; gold. The Gold Magician. He reached for her and she flinched, but he only ran gentle fingers through her hair.
“Aozora, you have a pretty name,” he said.
*
She was on her knees scrubbing away her master’s blood, the blood that had streamed from his slashed wrists as he called on a dark spell. His frenzy had frightened her and she had waited until he left to clean. Someone entered her master’s study and she knew it was not her master or the one she love. She turned and saw the first apprentice in the doorway. He beckoned to her.
“I need to tell you something.”
She waited.
“We can’t talk here,” he said.
“He’ll punish me if he returns and the room isn’t clean,” she objected.
Impatient, the first apprentice scowled. “Aozora,” he called her. His gaze went to the empty corridor behind him then he shut the door firmly. “You are in danger. Satoshi’s too stupid to see it.”
The blood drained from her face and she turned back to him by the door. “What do you mean?” she whispered.
A screech echoed through the tower and she shot to her feet, but relief flooded her when she recognized the voice to be her master’s; not Satoshi.
The first apprentice was already at her side and he touched her shoulder. “He’s insane. Even you can see it.”
She recalled the charismatic man she had met many years ago. Back then she already knew the Dark Magician, her master, had terrible abilities. She knew his nature to be sadistic. But she had never suspected the depth of darkness in the Dark Magician’s soul.
*
Ao shuddered and squirmed under the suffocating weight of her and Satoshi’s cloaks. Her eyes opened slowly, heavy. She was alone and the deep darkness of the forest uneased her. “Satoshi?” she called out. Fear clawed its way into her and she held her breath. Her heavy eyelids drew shut and she dreamed again.
*
She remembered.
Her master pinned her down with his larger body. He stripped away her clothes. Intense pain shot up her loins. Dark magic broke into her mind, forcing in his insanity. She shrieked and screamed Satoshi’s name, even though she knew he could not save her.
*
The Gold Magician’s hand was gentle in her hair, just like Satoshi’s.
"Then I will tell him so that he can one day find and call you."
*
ONE knelt by her side when her eyes shot open. He touched a hand to her forehead and was relieved to know her fever had broken. “You’re okay, Aozora,” he murmured in relief.
Tears streamed down the side of Ao’s face as she lay in the forest protected by their heavy cloaks. Still nauseated, her head pounded and she did not have the strength to move, but sobs wracked her frail body and she shook with the force of it. She could not draw in enough air; not enough to breathe. ONE pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, and she recognized his warmth. She willed her hand to move, to do what she should have done a long time ago. Ao tugged at his helmet and pushed his visor away from him. She took in his lovely lidded eyes, the precious slightly curved nose, his pale thin lips, his small ears. Her handsome Satoshi.
Ao drew in a deep breath and encircled her arms around him. “Satoshi,” she murmured. “Satoshi. I found you.”
Next: Aozora's Heart