Chapter 15
Title: The Quest
Chapters: 15/20
Author: sabersenshi
Genre: crack, AU,
Warnings: Not much. Some language, suggestive situations, hinted at sex.
Rating: R- I guess
Pairings/Characters: Aoi/Uruha/Aoi…sprinkled with some Ruki, too.
Synopsis: Ruki is sent on a quest
Comments: I got this idea from some dolls. Internet paper dolls, if you can believe that.
The pics are posted at the end of Chapter 2
~~
Our walking finally brought us to the river, border between the two realms. And Miyavi’s castle was just a day and a half’s walk from the crossing. We approached the bridge causiously, seeing no one on either shore. Aoi decided it’d be best to move across together, instead of splitting our party up. I agreed with him, of course. We seemed to be a lot more effective together. At least I know I was.
Stepping off the other side, I got the sensation of being watched. But there was nothing around. No homes or other buildings obstructing the view of the castle from the river. Or vise-versa. Even trees hadn’t been allowed to grow here. There was only the path, grass and flowers. I told Aoi of my strange feeling. He said to just keep my eyes open. Like I hadn’t been going to do that anyway.
When we stopped for the night, making camp just off the path, I still had that feeling. It had been with me all day. I was jumpy. Uruha noticed and stayed close by. It was mildly comforting. But I just couldn’t shake it. Something was wrong, and that something was watching us.
The sun had barely set when we all heard it. Laughter. High pitched, girlish laughter. It shouldn’t have sounded menacing, but I was afraid. I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever was making that sound. Knew it in my gut. And from the looks on their faces, neither were the others.
None of us managed to get any sleep. We just kept waiting for whatever it was to finally show up. But luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, it never did. When the sun rose, the giggling stopped. But now it was time to get to the castle and settle this matter once and for all.
Less than an hour away from the castle, we stopped. Where were the guards? Where were the people? There should have been a bustling market. We saw where it should’ve been. But all the shops were closed up tight. Kai walked over to one and rapped loudly on the door. I think Aoi actually jumped at the sound. But that’s OK, I know I did jump. Uruha was looking around nervously. But Kai just waited patiently in front of the door he had knocked on.
Finally a crack appeared. Followed by a voice.
“Go away. Leave, while you still can.”
Before the crack could disappear, Kai spoke up.
“We’re here to help. Let us in. Please. Tell us what’s going on.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the door opened further, and a hand appeared, motioning us in.
Once inside, I took a good look around. Jars of every shape and size lined the shelves. Now I know why Kai picked this particular shop. It was an apothecary. If luck was with us, then the proprietor would be a witch. And perhaps she’d have a little more knowledge than any of the others that lived around here.
She motioned for us to follow her, thru the curtain at the back of the shop. It turned out to be her home, just like with my shop. We soon found ourselves drinking spiced tea around a comfortable table. And yes, she was a witch. A young witch called Fuji Puri.
“They showed up early last year. Just one or two at a time. Until suddenly, we found ourselves overrun. I have no idea where they came from, or why they’re here. But they’ve taken over the castle. And no one’s seen Miyavi for months. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”
She finished, sadly.
“But do you know what they are?” Aoi prodded.
“I’m not really sure. They’re magical. And they’re small. Smaller than I am. They seem to be a lot like pixies or fairies. But without the wings.”
Something shorter than me to fight. Oh good.
“They sometimes venture away from the castle, but they don’t bother me. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a witch, or a woman. They don’t seem to care much for any of the women around here. But they do follow around some of the men. And the young boys, too.”
“So these things are female?” Uruha asked.
“They seem to be. They look a lot like young girls. And their laughter, you’ve heard, yes?”
I shuddered at the memory. How could we not remember?
“Is that what we heard last night?” Kai wondered.
She nodded. “Yeah, but they seem to not like daylight much either. They stay up all night and sleep all day.”
“That could help us” Aoi pointed out.
“But without knowing what they are, how do we fight them?” Uruha asked him.
”It’s not the first time we’ve gone into a fight like this.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Uruha was back to pouting.
Kai was looking thoughtful.
“Do you have any books on magical creatures?”
Fuji nodded and went into another room. She returned shortly with a thick volume. She carefully placed it on the table in front of Kai. He flipped it open to the first page and began scanning it. We watched as he turned page after page, shaking his head ‘no’ each time. Finally he stopped, eyes lighting up. He started reading from the book.
“Resembling young females...prone to fits of laughter or bouts of giggling…tend to follow around handsome young men and boys…. Like to dress up. Does that sound about right?”
“Mostly. They don’t venture too far from the castle. What are they?”
“Looks like they could be larfings. How many would you guess there are here?”
Fuji’s eyes had gotten big. Not a good sign, I thought.
“More than I’ve ever heard of gathering in one place before. Don’t they usually roam around in groups of two or three?”
She asked, standing behind him to scan the page.
“Alright, so now we know what they are. How do we fight them?” Ever-practical Aoi asked.
“That’s hard to say. No one’s ever bothered with them before.” Looking up from the book, Kai went on, “They don’t usually cause any harm. They’re more of an irritant than a threat. Usually. But if they’ve taken over the castle...” he trailed off, shrugging.
So, we were going to have to figure out a way to fight off what could best be described as a bunch of young girls. With magic. Oh yeah, this was going to be easy.
Not.
~~~
A/N: Sorry fuji-chan..I just couldn’t help it. I needed a female character, and you were the first person that came to mind.
And as for these 'things'..think lil fangirls.
On crack.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Smut Scene (f-locked)
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Smut Scene pt 1 (f-locked)
Smut Scene pt 2 (f-locked)
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 16