[Ongoing] Dréd-Son - Chapter 13: Harbingers
Title: Dréd-Son - Chapter 13: Harbingers
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Nikaido Takashi, Senga Kento, Tamamori Yuta, Miyata Toshiya mentions of others
Rating: PG-13+
Warnings: None really...except, this is an AU!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Owned by J&A. The AU is mine though as well as aymagun's.
A/N: Current word count of this AU: 34,697 \o/ As promised last chapter, I am going to update more frequently again (maybe 2 chapters per month instead of 1) for the time being. Can't tell if I will be able to keep this pace up for long but I'll try! Since people are enjoying this fic, I'll do my best.
Summary: It's called the 'gift' or 'soul' by most. A strange, mysterious force only few possess on the planet that is half ocean and half desert. The people on the planet have lived in harmony with each other and their environment for centuries but something yet unknown is threatening to throw everything into chaos.
“Make all our trumpets speak; give them all breath, those harbingers of blood and death.”
(- William Shakespeare)
The ‘ghost ship’ turned out to be a reasonably sized merchant vessel or a trader’s ship. In its prime, it must have been a fast sailing one, judging by the built and the size. Traders and merchants relied on the speed of their deliveries after all. The ones who were able to deliver goods or messages faster than their competition would win more contracts and jobs. Senga stored that information away for later.
He and Nikaido were walking over the deck, carefully checking for any signs of life but there was none to be found on the ship. A strange sense of unease washed over them though. Apart from having been destroyed - the sails had probably been burned off or ripped off because not even a shred had been left - the ship didn’t look like it had been sailing around on its own for too long. Whatever had happened had happened recently, maybe a few months or a year ago but not more. It didn’t show any signs of ageing or the typical decay and rot that came with a lack of maintenance. The ship had more or less just been wiped clean off anything that might have been on it at some point in time.
Even an inspection of the cabins and the area below deck revealed nothing, only wood and iron. They merely found a small crystal in what must have been the captain’s chambers or maybe a larger storage room. It wasn’t anything any of them recognized though - not a known gem or other material of value.
“We’re supposed to get rid of this, right? They said because it was making people uneasy in this area and kept others from using this route?” Nikaido confirmed their orders one more time.
Senga nodded, “Yes. We were to inspect it and then, if nothing worth of note could be found, destroy it.”
Nikaido nodded as well, “Alright. Let’s make it quick.” He held out his hand, offering it to Senga without another word. The other would understand.
And that he did. Senga clasped his partners’ hand tightly and their combined destructive force propelled them through both wood and iron alike as if they were soft like butter. The flares of their battle souls surrounded them, his calmer blue mixing with the vibrant green of the other where their hands were touching.
Once they had caused enough damage they watched wordlessly when what was left of the ship fell into the ocean of sand below them and disappeared, swallowed by the sheer endless desert.
“It wasn’t carrying anything or anyone else worth noting, was it?” Senga asked again, just out of formality. This was a job after all. A mission.
“It wasn’t carrying anyone at all. There was no sign of life.” The other confirmed. Then, a single, small softly glowing crystal floated up and came to rest in Nikaido’s outstretched hand. “There was only this.”
“What do you think that means?”
“That maybe we weren’t the first ones to get to it,” the palm closed around the crystal. “We have to go back. Master Takizawa needs to be told of this. And we should have the crystal examined as well. Maybe Iida will be able to see something.” A set of sharp brown eyes framed by soft black locks of hair turned to look at him. The green flare subsided, turning into a soft glow.
“Okay.” Senga agreed.
If anyone without a gift had seen them, gliding over the sand without touching it with their feet, they would not have been able to make out their forms or faces. They would appear merely as a pair of shadows, unseen and unheard, swallowed up by the darkness of the desert night.
Their small boat was waiting for them by a formation of rocks. Nikaido put the crystal into a sealed box and tucked it away securely. He would have just put it in his pouch but carrying it openly had seemed too dangerous. Also, he had felt very odd holding it. As if it had been radiating something weird, maybe even dangerous. He didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“If we cheat, how long will it take us to get back?” he asked.
Senga looked up at the sky. “We might be able to cut the trip short by three hours. At least that’s until we hit the main routes and could be spotted.”
“Let’s do it.” He grinned and his partner grinned back.
“You know Wataru will blame you if anything happens?”
“We’ll just have to make sure nothing happens.”
~*~
Tamamori wandered through the halls of the ghayi. Their quarters were so quiet. He found Miyata in the common space, looking at books. “Miyata, where did everyone else go?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Kitayama is dozing outside in the garden and I think Iida is in the meditation chamber as usual. Yokoo and Fujigaya headed down to get a few things for the trip from the storage room. As for Senga and Nikaido, I haven’t seen any of them around in a while,” Miyata turned around to reply to the other with a smile on his lips. “Are you feeling lonely?”
“Don’t say stupid things like that,” Tamamori grunted but he went to sit down next to the other anyways and tried to get a look at what Miyata was reading or looking at. “What are you doing? Studying?” He got a closer look at the books. “You’re looking at tales and legends?”
“I’ve always liked this kind of thing,” Miyata smiled and brushed a hand affectionately over an illustration on a scroll which lay open in front of them. “The artwork, the stories, everything. It’s very fascinating and I wonder how much truth is in all those things and if there is no truth at all, how people came up with such wonderful stories. Master Tsubasa always said that to be able to write stories, you have to have experienced a lot. I wonder what experiences these people made.”
A hum came from Tamamori, signaling that he understood but didn’t seem too interested himself. He could understand Miyata’s fascination with these though. Miyata looked at these things in a different way than others. The books and tables seemed to agree with Tamamori but that wasn’t really anything new. He looked at Miyata.
“Let’s go downtown. We’re going to be away from here for a while, right? So let’s say goodbye properly,” Tamamori decided and stood up again, looking at Miyata expectantly. “Cone on.” It hadn’t been a question, it had been an order.
Miyata obliged happily, clearing the table again and putting the books away before he followed Tamamori out. “I’m coming, Tama.”
The two of them strolled down the narrow streets, stopping here and there briefly to look at the merchandise the craftsmen or merchants had on display today. There was a lot to look at because people from the visiting cities and towns were still around in the capital, people who brought in fresh money and goods. As well as interesting tales, much to Miyata’s delight.
After some walking around, the two of them had stopped at a little street café, where people had laid out pillows underneath a large olive tree. A few children and other curious listeners had crowded around a man, dressed in foreign looking clothes and sporting the facial markings of a tribe from one of the small visiting villages. His appearance was that of an old man but his eyes were full of life and also full of wit. His voice was strong and even carried over the noise of the vehicles on the nearby street and the shouting merchants at the shops around them.
Miyata and Tamamori had missed the beginning of the story but they sat down to listen anyways.
“…even the bandit tribes and pirates from the sands fear them for they move in the same territory but never have bandits or pirates made entire cities vanish and turned them into ghost-towns. It was them, who first noticed the ill omens. The eerie light of a ‘Death Star’ they call it or a ‘Sick Star’. It is said to be a star that does not guide our captains safely through the oceans of water and sand but a star that will guide them into the netherworld, into death.”
A collective shiver went through the crowd at those words. Apparently that had been the end of the story though so people started to leave again.
Miyata looked at Tamamori. The other shrugged and then looked at his tea.
“I don’t think something like that really exists. Do you, cup-san?”
The cup didn’t have a reply but the slight quiver of it as a cart was driven by, might have been an omen, an ill omen but less severe maybe than the one the old man had spoken of. Trouble and worries were sure to arise again along with the return of Nikaido and Senga.
To be continued...
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Nikaido Takashi, Senga Kento, Tamamori Yuta, Miyata Toshiya mentions of others
Rating: PG-13+
Warnings: None really...except, this is an AU!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Owned by J&A. The AU is mine though as well as aymagun's.
A/N: Current word count of this AU: 34,697 \o/ As promised last chapter, I am going to update more frequently again (maybe 2 chapters per month instead of 1) for the time being. Can't tell if I will be able to keep this pace up for long but I'll try! Since people are enjoying this fic, I'll do my best.
Summary: It's called the 'gift' or 'soul' by most. A strange, mysterious force only few possess on the planet that is half ocean and half desert. The people on the planet have lived in harmony with each other and their environment for centuries but something yet unknown is threatening to throw everything into chaos.
“Make all our trumpets speak; give them all breath, those harbingers of blood and death.”
(- William Shakespeare)
The ‘ghost ship’ turned out to be a reasonably sized merchant vessel or a trader’s ship. In its prime, it must have been a fast sailing one, judging by the built and the size. Traders and merchants relied on the speed of their deliveries after all. The ones who were able to deliver goods or messages faster than their competition would win more contracts and jobs. Senga stored that information away for later.
He and Nikaido were walking over the deck, carefully checking for any signs of life but there was none to be found on the ship. A strange sense of unease washed over them though. Apart from having been destroyed - the sails had probably been burned off or ripped off because not even a shred had been left - the ship didn’t look like it had been sailing around on its own for too long. Whatever had happened had happened recently, maybe a few months or a year ago but not more. It didn’t show any signs of ageing or the typical decay and rot that came with a lack of maintenance. The ship had more or less just been wiped clean off anything that might have been on it at some point in time.
Even an inspection of the cabins and the area below deck revealed nothing, only wood and iron. They merely found a small crystal in what must have been the captain’s chambers or maybe a larger storage room. It wasn’t anything any of them recognized though - not a known gem or other material of value.
“We’re supposed to get rid of this, right? They said because it was making people uneasy in this area and kept others from using this route?” Nikaido confirmed their orders one more time.
Senga nodded, “Yes. We were to inspect it and then, if nothing worth of note could be found, destroy it.”
Nikaido nodded as well, “Alright. Let’s make it quick.” He held out his hand, offering it to Senga without another word. The other would understand.
And that he did. Senga clasped his partners’ hand tightly and their combined destructive force propelled them through both wood and iron alike as if they were soft like butter. The flares of their battle souls surrounded them, his calmer blue mixing with the vibrant green of the other where their hands were touching.
Once they had caused enough damage they watched wordlessly when what was left of the ship fell into the ocean of sand below them and disappeared, swallowed by the sheer endless desert.
“It wasn’t carrying anything or anyone else worth noting, was it?” Senga asked again, just out of formality. This was a job after all. A mission.
“It wasn’t carrying anyone at all. There was no sign of life.” The other confirmed. Then, a single, small softly glowing crystal floated up and came to rest in Nikaido’s outstretched hand. “There was only this.”
“What do you think that means?”
“That maybe we weren’t the first ones to get to it,” the palm closed around the crystal. “We have to go back. Master Takizawa needs to be told of this. And we should have the crystal examined as well. Maybe Iida will be able to see something.” A set of sharp brown eyes framed by soft black locks of hair turned to look at him. The green flare subsided, turning into a soft glow.
“Okay.” Senga agreed.
If anyone without a gift had seen them, gliding over the sand without touching it with their feet, they would not have been able to make out their forms or faces. They would appear merely as a pair of shadows, unseen and unheard, swallowed up by the darkness of the desert night.
Their small boat was waiting for them by a formation of rocks. Nikaido put the crystal into a sealed box and tucked it away securely. He would have just put it in his pouch but carrying it openly had seemed too dangerous. Also, he had felt very odd holding it. As if it had been radiating something weird, maybe even dangerous. He didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“If we cheat, how long will it take us to get back?” he asked.
Senga looked up at the sky. “We might be able to cut the trip short by three hours. At least that’s until we hit the main routes and could be spotted.”
“Let’s do it.” He grinned and his partner grinned back.
“You know Wataru will blame you if anything happens?”
“We’ll just have to make sure nothing happens.”
~*~
Tamamori wandered through the halls of the ghayi. Their quarters were so quiet. He found Miyata in the common space, looking at books. “Miyata, where did everyone else go?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Kitayama is dozing outside in the garden and I think Iida is in the meditation chamber as usual. Yokoo and Fujigaya headed down to get a few things for the trip from the storage room. As for Senga and Nikaido, I haven’t seen any of them around in a while,” Miyata turned around to reply to the other with a smile on his lips. “Are you feeling lonely?”
“Don’t say stupid things like that,” Tamamori grunted but he went to sit down next to the other anyways and tried to get a look at what Miyata was reading or looking at. “What are you doing? Studying?” He got a closer look at the books. “You’re looking at tales and legends?”
“I’ve always liked this kind of thing,” Miyata smiled and brushed a hand affectionately over an illustration on a scroll which lay open in front of them. “The artwork, the stories, everything. It’s very fascinating and I wonder how much truth is in all those things and if there is no truth at all, how people came up with such wonderful stories. Master Tsubasa always said that to be able to write stories, you have to have experienced a lot. I wonder what experiences these people made.”
A hum came from Tamamori, signaling that he understood but didn’t seem too interested himself. He could understand Miyata’s fascination with these though. Miyata looked at these things in a different way than others. The books and tables seemed to agree with Tamamori but that wasn’t really anything new. He looked at Miyata.
“Let’s go downtown. We’re going to be away from here for a while, right? So let’s say goodbye properly,” Tamamori decided and stood up again, looking at Miyata expectantly. “Cone on.” It hadn’t been a question, it had been an order.
Miyata obliged happily, clearing the table again and putting the books away before he followed Tamamori out. “I’m coming, Tama.”
The two of them strolled down the narrow streets, stopping here and there briefly to look at the merchandise the craftsmen or merchants had on display today. There was a lot to look at because people from the visiting cities and towns were still around in the capital, people who brought in fresh money and goods. As well as interesting tales, much to Miyata’s delight.
After some walking around, the two of them had stopped at a little street café, where people had laid out pillows underneath a large olive tree. A few children and other curious listeners had crowded around a man, dressed in foreign looking clothes and sporting the facial markings of a tribe from one of the small visiting villages. His appearance was that of an old man but his eyes were full of life and also full of wit. His voice was strong and even carried over the noise of the vehicles on the nearby street and the shouting merchants at the shops around them.
Miyata and Tamamori had missed the beginning of the story but they sat down to listen anyways.
“…even the bandit tribes and pirates from the sands fear them for they move in the same territory but never have bandits or pirates made entire cities vanish and turned them into ghost-towns. It was them, who first noticed the ill omens. The eerie light of a ‘Death Star’ they call it or a ‘Sick Star’. It is said to be a star that does not guide our captains safely through the oceans of water and sand but a star that will guide them into the netherworld, into death.”
A collective shiver went through the crowd at those words. Apparently that had been the end of the story though so people started to leave again.
Miyata looked at Tamamori. The other shrugged and then looked at his tea.
“I don’t think something like that really exists. Do you, cup-san?”
The cup didn’t have a reply but the slight quiver of it as a cart was driven by, might have been an omen, an ill omen but less severe maybe than the one the old man had spoken of. Trouble and worries were sure to arise again along with the return of Nikaido and Senga.
To be continued...