[Ongoing] Dréd-Son - Chapter 14: Imminent Danger
Title: Dréd-Son - Chapter 14: Imminent Danger
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Nikaido Takashi, Senga Kento, Tamamori Yuta, Miyata Toshiya, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Takizawa Hideaki, Yokoo Wataru, Iida Kyouhei, 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: 37,919 \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.
“All our mortal lives are set in danger and perplexity: one day to prosper, and the next -- who knows? When all is well, then look for rocks ahead.”
(- Sophocles)
It was in the middle of the night, or maybe in the early hours of morning already, when two dark clothed figures strode down the corridor quickly, towards Master Takizawa’s quarters. The sudden arrival startled the two males standing guard in front of the door.
“Miyadate, Watanabe, is Master Takizawa in?” Nikaido asked them, slightly out of breath.
“He should be. At least, we weren’t informed of him leaving to go anywhere,” Miyadate replied.
Senga nodded, “Can we go in and talk to him? We’ll wake him up ourselves, too. So don’t worry.” He smiled at the two Snowman Guards. “It’s important.”
“I’ll go and wake him up,” Watanabe offered, although he looked rather nervous at the prospect of doing so. “If it’s this important I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“One of us can go with you if you want to?” Senga offered with a smile.
“Or I could just go and do it. You guys call the rest, you know, Kitayama, Fujigaya…our group,” Nikaido suggested and shook some sand off his body. The last few meters hadn’t gone quite as planned.
“Uhm, I’d rather go and wake up Master Takizawa. You can go and call Kitayama.”
“Worth a try. Alright,” Senga chuckled. “Let’s go and get the others Nika.”
“Let’s just get Iida or Miyata to wake him up?” Nikaido suggested as he followed Senga to their quarters. Yes, waking up Kitayama was just that scary and almost everyone at the Ghayi knew it. A lot of people had bad morning tempers and were horrible at waking up but Kitayama had to be the kind of bad morning tempers really. He’d literally turn into something like a demon, about to bite off the head of whoever had been unfortunate enough to be the one trying to wake him.
Surprisingly, there were no problems this time and everyone was gathered in Takizawa’s quarters quickly. Takizawa had cleared one of his tables so that Nikaido and Senga could put down anything they had found or use any maps or whatever for their report. Although Nikaido had told the other it would be fine but Takizawa had insisted anyways.
The two then told the gathered group everything they had seen on board of the ship - or what they had not seen rather - and Nikaido revealed the crystal from where he had stored it. He shook it out of the pouch and it curled onto the small, empty stone table in the room.
“That’s the only thing we found. We didn’t even find any human remains or otherwise. It was as if the ship had just been swept off everything it once held,” Nikaido said.
Senga nodded, “A real ghost ship.”
Master Takizawa gave a thoughtful nod. He looked at the crystal and then looked at Iida. “Do you think you might be able to get something out of it? It might have been lying around for a long time. Or it was dropped when other people explored the ship in the hopes of finding something?”
“I can try,” Iida nodded and walked closer to the table, extending his hand.
He was about to touch the crystal when it seemed to become alive. If it hadn’t been for Kitayama’s quick reaction, his friend would have been hit by an attack. Instead it hit the barrier he had erected and the two forces seemed to cancel out each other because both disappeared right after the impact.
“It sure is handy to have a friend who doesn’t have to do anything but will it to command his soul energy,” Iida commented, still slightly shocked by what had just happened.
Fujigaya shot Yokoo a look, the other just nodded in confirmation. Kitayama’s soul really seemed to have gone back to normal.
“You’re welcome, Iida,” Kitayama replied softly and then looked at the table, or rather what remained of it. It was still smoking a little bit. The crystal was gone. “What the hell was that?”
“Whatever it was,” Takizawa frowned, “It was not a good sign.”
Nikaido yelped, “I had something that dangerous with me all the time? Holy shit!”
“Nika!”
“Sorry.”
Iida straightened up again. “This might have been connected to the attack on the Fael’ay Tower. It was brief but I could sense a similar energy from this.”
“You mean this didn’t just look like a soul attack just now, it was one? Even without another human being using it?” Kitayama looked at Iida. He wasn’t liking where this conversation was going, where this whole mission was going. It made him feel uneasy.
Tamamori apparently felt the same. He rubbed his arms and whispered a quiet, “Scary.”
“Tama, did you hear anything from the crystal?” Miyata asked then, apparently the only one in the whole room who remembered Tamamori’s quirky little gift. “Did it say something?”
Suddenly all eyes turned towards Tamamori. The other shook his head. “It was weird. It didn’t. It was just there. Just a thing. I couldn’t talk to it.”
“Things just keep getting weirder and weirder,” Yokoo didn’t like it at all. “And it all ties up with the message we initially received. It said there were rumors about new weapons with the ability to wipe out entire towns, didn’t it? But we’re not sure who’s wielding them.”
“I guess that’s where we’ll start,” Kitayama crossed his arms. “We’ll be going towards the desert territory anyway. So one way or another we’ll come across some bandits, I guess? That’s the only hint we have right now after all.”
Takizawa nodded, “That sounds like a good plan.” And with that the emergency meeting in the middle of the night was closed and the group disbanded to go back to sleep for a couple of hours.
When everyone else had left, Kitayama stayed behind again and looked at Takizawa. “The description of the state of the ship,” he started, “Do you think it might be related to…” He let the question trail off. Kitayama knew Takizawa would understand what he was referring to. At first he hadn’t planned to talk to the other about it but then, Takizawa would have probably talked to him about it. The other must have noticed it as when Nikaido and Senga had briefed them.
“Maybe, Kitayama. I cannot say for sure. I can only tell you to keep your eyes and ears and other senses on alert. Maybe you’ll find something. Maybe not. But do not approach this issue with biased thoughts and expectations. They’ll cloud your judgment,” Takizawa warned the other.
Kitayama nodded, “I understand. Good night again then, Master Takizawa.”
~*~
“You’re okay, right, Kyohei?” Yokoo looked at the other and checked for any injuries. “Kitayama shielded you from the blast right in time, didn’t he?”
Iida nodded and smiled at Yokoo. “I’m fine. Not a single scratch. And yes, if it hadn’t been for his quick response, I think things would have gotten a little nasty.” He pulled off his cloak for the night. “I think we’ll all be more careful from now on.”
“Yeah.” Yokoo looked down. “I’m sorry, Kyohei. I should’ve protected you.”
“Wataru,” Iida touched the other’s cheek gently. “You cannot do everything. And it’s not your duty to protect me either. I know you would always protect me and you would do many things for me but this time around, you didn’t have to or you weren’t able to. Tell your bruised ego that it shouldn’t feel bad about it. Things like this happen.”
Laughing dryly, Yokoo commented, “You always see right through me.”
“That’s because you make it too easy for me to do so,” Iida shoved the other onto the bed. “Go back to sleep now. Our inner clocks will kick us out of bed too early for our likings again.”
Yokoo complied and lay down and waited for Iida to settle down next to him as well before he closed his eyes. If the other was okay, he’d be able to sleep without worries.
Later that night though, it became apparent that Iida hadn’t been completely unaffected by the strange crystal. His sleep wasn’t peaceful and he could hear screams of pain and suffering in his head, feel death and despair seep into his mind and his being. The screams faded but the despair and the pain stayed and if possible, intensified. It felt as if they were clawing at Iida, clawing at him and his innermost sanctuary, his very being, his heart, his soul.
He bolted up in his bed with a silent cry on his lips. It had been quiet enough not to wake Yokoo. The other had also rolled away from him a little in his sleep and thus Iida’s movements hadn’t disturbed his sleep either. Sighing softly, Iida lay back down and pushed his hair out of his face, strands clinging to his forehead because of the cold sweat.
He shouldn’t worry Yokoo. Not when they were leaving so soon. Iida didn’t want to dampen the mood any further. He wanted the other to enjoy the time with his family.
~*~
The last night before they were to leave for Kwa’agnaa, Takizawa summoned them again. “This won’t take long. I just have one thing to announce to you all.” He addressed Tamamori and Miyata, “There is a small change of plans I wanted to tell you about,” he started. “Tamamori, Miyata, I want you two to travel to the mines in the desert. You’re familiar with those places right, Miyata?”
The other nodded. “They were my home.”
“Go there and try to find out more about that crystal. You saw what it looked like. The mines are the only possible sources for those kinds of things as far as we know. Maybe you’ll find a clue.” Master Takizawa said. “I wasn’t able to trace the ship back to anywhere but Senga said he and Nikaido thought that it looked like a trader’s ship or a merchant’s vessel. It might just be a gut feeling but maybe they had something on board they found on the miner’s market. Or maybe the miners’ black markets.”
“You want just the two of us to go?” Tamamori asked, shifting a little bit. It wasn’t exactly because he was nervous or uneasy but because of something else. He couldn’t define the feeling really.
“Yes. It’s better that way. Too many people would attract too much attention. And I trust you two to be able to take care of yourselves,” Master Takizawa smiled. “You will go to Sunäa with the others and then you’ll split up. Instead of disembarking there with the rest, I want you to continue on until you reach Bel-i-Gäa, the gateway to the core. If somebody knows about mysterious new crystals, then you’ll most likely find that person there.”
“Understood,” Miyata and Tamamori nodded. Although Tamamori still looked a little insecure.
Takizawa smiled but then turned to look at Miyata. “Miyata, do you think you two will be okay?”
Miyata smiled, “We will be. I trust Tama. And I will do my absolute best to support him however I can.” He looked at Tamamori and his smile grew brighter and gentler, “You’re strong, Tama. I know you are.”
“Don’t get in my way then,” Tamamori shoved at Miyata but everyone around them could see that some of the tension had left his body. “Keep up with me.”
“I will, Tama,” Miyata laughed.
“Alright. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Travel safely and if anything happens, report back to me, Tsubasa or Yara. In case I am not here and you absolutely need to reach me, use this to get in touch with me,” he handed each one of them a pink and golden pin. “It’s only for messages of utmost importance and you can only use it once. So between all of you, that’s eight. And I think that should be enough.”
They saluted to him one last time and then left. They would be leaving early in the morning.
To be continued...
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Nikaido Takashi, Senga Kento, Tamamori Yuta, Miyata Toshiya, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Takizawa Hideaki, Yokoo Wataru, Iida Kyouhei, 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: 37,919 \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.
“All our mortal lives are set in danger and perplexity: one day to prosper, and the next -- who knows? When all is well, then look for rocks ahead.”
(- Sophocles)
It was in the middle of the night, or maybe in the early hours of morning already, when two dark clothed figures strode down the corridor quickly, towards Master Takizawa’s quarters. The sudden arrival startled the two males standing guard in front of the door.
“Miyadate, Watanabe, is Master Takizawa in?” Nikaido asked them, slightly out of breath.
“He should be. At least, we weren’t informed of him leaving to go anywhere,” Miyadate replied.
Senga nodded, “Can we go in and talk to him? We’ll wake him up ourselves, too. So don’t worry.” He smiled at the two Snowman Guards. “It’s important.”
“I’ll go and wake him up,” Watanabe offered, although he looked rather nervous at the prospect of doing so. “If it’s this important I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“One of us can go with you if you want to?” Senga offered with a smile.
“Or I could just go and do it. You guys call the rest, you know, Kitayama, Fujigaya…our group,” Nikaido suggested and shook some sand off his body. The last few meters hadn’t gone quite as planned.
“Uhm, I’d rather go and wake up Master Takizawa. You can go and call Kitayama.”
“Worth a try. Alright,” Senga chuckled. “Let’s go and get the others Nika.”
“Let’s just get Iida or Miyata to wake him up?” Nikaido suggested as he followed Senga to their quarters. Yes, waking up Kitayama was just that scary and almost everyone at the Ghayi knew it. A lot of people had bad morning tempers and were horrible at waking up but Kitayama had to be the kind of bad morning tempers really. He’d literally turn into something like a demon, about to bite off the head of whoever had been unfortunate enough to be the one trying to wake him.
Surprisingly, there were no problems this time and everyone was gathered in Takizawa’s quarters quickly. Takizawa had cleared one of his tables so that Nikaido and Senga could put down anything they had found or use any maps or whatever for their report. Although Nikaido had told the other it would be fine but Takizawa had insisted anyways.
The two then told the gathered group everything they had seen on board of the ship - or what they had not seen rather - and Nikaido revealed the crystal from where he had stored it. He shook it out of the pouch and it curled onto the small, empty stone table in the room.
“That’s the only thing we found. We didn’t even find any human remains or otherwise. It was as if the ship had just been swept off everything it once held,” Nikaido said.
Senga nodded, “A real ghost ship.”
Master Takizawa gave a thoughtful nod. He looked at the crystal and then looked at Iida. “Do you think you might be able to get something out of it? It might have been lying around for a long time. Or it was dropped when other people explored the ship in the hopes of finding something?”
“I can try,” Iida nodded and walked closer to the table, extending his hand.
He was about to touch the crystal when it seemed to become alive. If it hadn’t been for Kitayama’s quick reaction, his friend would have been hit by an attack. Instead it hit the barrier he had erected and the two forces seemed to cancel out each other because both disappeared right after the impact.
“It sure is handy to have a friend who doesn’t have to do anything but will it to command his soul energy,” Iida commented, still slightly shocked by what had just happened.
Fujigaya shot Yokoo a look, the other just nodded in confirmation. Kitayama’s soul really seemed to have gone back to normal.
“You’re welcome, Iida,” Kitayama replied softly and then looked at the table, or rather what remained of it. It was still smoking a little bit. The crystal was gone. “What the hell was that?”
“Whatever it was,” Takizawa frowned, “It was not a good sign.”
Nikaido yelped, “I had something that dangerous with me all the time? Holy shit!”
“Nika!”
“Sorry.”
Iida straightened up again. “This might have been connected to the attack on the Fael’ay Tower. It was brief but I could sense a similar energy from this.”
“You mean this didn’t just look like a soul attack just now, it was one? Even without another human being using it?” Kitayama looked at Iida. He wasn’t liking where this conversation was going, where this whole mission was going. It made him feel uneasy.
Tamamori apparently felt the same. He rubbed his arms and whispered a quiet, “Scary.”
“Tama, did you hear anything from the crystal?” Miyata asked then, apparently the only one in the whole room who remembered Tamamori’s quirky little gift. “Did it say something?”
Suddenly all eyes turned towards Tamamori. The other shook his head. “It was weird. It didn’t. It was just there. Just a thing. I couldn’t talk to it.”
“Things just keep getting weirder and weirder,” Yokoo didn’t like it at all. “And it all ties up with the message we initially received. It said there were rumors about new weapons with the ability to wipe out entire towns, didn’t it? But we’re not sure who’s wielding them.”
“I guess that’s where we’ll start,” Kitayama crossed his arms. “We’ll be going towards the desert territory anyway. So one way or another we’ll come across some bandits, I guess? That’s the only hint we have right now after all.”
Takizawa nodded, “That sounds like a good plan.” And with that the emergency meeting in the middle of the night was closed and the group disbanded to go back to sleep for a couple of hours.
When everyone else had left, Kitayama stayed behind again and looked at Takizawa. “The description of the state of the ship,” he started, “Do you think it might be related to…” He let the question trail off. Kitayama knew Takizawa would understand what he was referring to. At first he hadn’t planned to talk to the other about it but then, Takizawa would have probably talked to him about it. The other must have noticed it as when Nikaido and Senga had briefed them.
“Maybe, Kitayama. I cannot say for sure. I can only tell you to keep your eyes and ears and other senses on alert. Maybe you’ll find something. Maybe not. But do not approach this issue with biased thoughts and expectations. They’ll cloud your judgment,” Takizawa warned the other.
Kitayama nodded, “I understand. Good night again then, Master Takizawa.”
~*~
“You’re okay, right, Kyohei?” Yokoo looked at the other and checked for any injuries. “Kitayama shielded you from the blast right in time, didn’t he?”
Iida nodded and smiled at Yokoo. “I’m fine. Not a single scratch. And yes, if it hadn’t been for his quick response, I think things would have gotten a little nasty.” He pulled off his cloak for the night. “I think we’ll all be more careful from now on.”
“Yeah.” Yokoo looked down. “I’m sorry, Kyohei. I should’ve protected you.”
“Wataru,” Iida touched the other’s cheek gently. “You cannot do everything. And it’s not your duty to protect me either. I know you would always protect me and you would do many things for me but this time around, you didn’t have to or you weren’t able to. Tell your bruised ego that it shouldn’t feel bad about it. Things like this happen.”
Laughing dryly, Yokoo commented, “You always see right through me.”
“That’s because you make it too easy for me to do so,” Iida shoved the other onto the bed. “Go back to sleep now. Our inner clocks will kick us out of bed too early for our likings again.”
Yokoo complied and lay down and waited for Iida to settle down next to him as well before he closed his eyes. If the other was okay, he’d be able to sleep without worries.
Later that night though, it became apparent that Iida hadn’t been completely unaffected by the strange crystal. His sleep wasn’t peaceful and he could hear screams of pain and suffering in his head, feel death and despair seep into his mind and his being. The screams faded but the despair and the pain stayed and if possible, intensified. It felt as if they were clawing at Iida, clawing at him and his innermost sanctuary, his very being, his heart, his soul.
He bolted up in his bed with a silent cry on his lips. It had been quiet enough not to wake Yokoo. The other had also rolled away from him a little in his sleep and thus Iida’s movements hadn’t disturbed his sleep either. Sighing softly, Iida lay back down and pushed his hair out of his face, strands clinging to his forehead because of the cold sweat.
He shouldn’t worry Yokoo. Not when they were leaving so soon. Iida didn’t want to dampen the mood any further. He wanted the other to enjoy the time with his family.
~*~
The last night before they were to leave for Kwa’agnaa, Takizawa summoned them again. “This won’t take long. I just have one thing to announce to you all.” He addressed Tamamori and Miyata, “There is a small change of plans I wanted to tell you about,” he started. “Tamamori, Miyata, I want you two to travel to the mines in the desert. You’re familiar with those places right, Miyata?”
The other nodded. “They were my home.”
“Go there and try to find out more about that crystal. You saw what it looked like. The mines are the only possible sources for those kinds of things as far as we know. Maybe you’ll find a clue.” Master Takizawa said. “I wasn’t able to trace the ship back to anywhere but Senga said he and Nikaido thought that it looked like a trader’s ship or a merchant’s vessel. It might just be a gut feeling but maybe they had something on board they found on the miner’s market. Or maybe the miners’ black markets.”
“You want just the two of us to go?” Tamamori asked, shifting a little bit. It wasn’t exactly because he was nervous or uneasy but because of something else. He couldn’t define the feeling really.
“Yes. It’s better that way. Too many people would attract too much attention. And I trust you two to be able to take care of yourselves,” Master Takizawa smiled. “You will go to Sunäa with the others and then you’ll split up. Instead of disembarking there with the rest, I want you to continue on until you reach Bel-i-Gäa, the gateway to the core. If somebody knows about mysterious new crystals, then you’ll most likely find that person there.”
“Understood,” Miyata and Tamamori nodded. Although Tamamori still looked a little insecure.
Takizawa smiled but then turned to look at Miyata. “Miyata, do you think you two will be okay?”
Miyata smiled, “We will be. I trust Tama. And I will do my absolute best to support him however I can.” He looked at Tamamori and his smile grew brighter and gentler, “You’re strong, Tama. I know you are.”
“Don’t get in my way then,” Tamamori shoved at Miyata but everyone around them could see that some of the tension had left his body. “Keep up with me.”
“I will, Tama,” Miyata laughed.
“Alright. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Travel safely and if anything happens, report back to me, Tsubasa or Yara. In case I am not here and you absolutely need to reach me, use this to get in touch with me,” he handed each one of them a pink and golden pin. “It’s only for messages of utmost importance and you can only use it once. So between all of you, that’s eight. And I think that should be enough.”
They saluted to him one last time and then left. They would be leaving early in the morning.
To be continued...