There will be magic, chapter 76, RukaxYomi, KaixRuki, AoixReita, UruhaxAsagi, Ni-yaxSakitoxHitsugi
Title: There will be magic
Author: yukigafuru
Chapters: 76/?
Pairings: RukaxYomi, KaixRuki, AoixReita, UruhaxAsagi, Ni~yaxSakitoxHitsugi for now
Bands: Gazette, Naitomea, D... (and a surprise)
Rating: PG-15-PG-17 overall
Warnings: will be angst, yaoi, threesome, a bit of gore here and there, light mpreg
Genre: AU, Angst, Romance
Disclaimer: I am not connected to the real persons. This is just a figment of my imagination and I don't make any money nor profit in any way out of this (well, except gathering your love that is).
Summary: The age of magic and mystery is coming towards its end. But what if someone that has the gift to see the future can join forces with others who have the power to stop it? What will be born then? What will be found?
Chapter 76
Ruki and Kai were happily entangled in soft silk sheets when Aoi burst into the room and demanded they leave immediately. In their happiness at having found each other again, they had in fact lost track of the time and even though sunlight could not possibly reach the depths of the ocean, judging by the dark circles underneath Aoi's eyes, his unrest and disheveled appearance, it was clear that hours had passed and it would soon be close to morning.
They hurriedly jumped into the shower and then started dressing. Moments before exiting the room, Ruki took hold of Kai's arm and stopped him in his tracks.
“I want to keep this a secret.” It didn't take a genius to understand what Ruki was talking about.
“It's your secret to tell. But can you tell me why?” He in turn asked his lover.
“It's more of a hunch but I get this feeling that we're being watched. When we're above...”
“But what about Yune? You already used your gifts on you, didn't you? I mean, even without the transformation, the Necra could guess you have something up your sleeve.”
Ruki's brows furrowed. Kai cupped his chin in his right hand and then with the other, tenderly smoothed his frown.
“He still wouldn't be able to figure out what I am and what is the extent of my powers. And what I did before, it only delayed him for a few minutes and Yune himself was probably not aware of it. Remember that I leave no traces, unlike other magic? Even the Necra will most probably have overlooked the slight time gap.”
“But then what about practice? You've just transformed. Don't you need to explore your new powers?”
“Until we find the prophet, I think it's safer I don't. Maybe he'll know of some kind of shield. If he's still in his hiding place, even though the Necra should be hunting him down, it is quite probable he knows of some way to help with that.”
Kai nodded, convinced by Ruki's argument. It didn't feel exactly right to hide it from their friends, but it was the best solution to be taken at that point in time.
“And I can always practice my telepathy things on the crew. Make them stay out of the way while we explore all the nooks of that ship.” Ruki wiggled his eyebrows. Kai wouldn't have positively appreciated that offer if he hadn't seen the humor in his partner's eyes. It made him smile widely, dimples showing and all. Content to have such an effect on Kai, Ruki gently kissed both his cheeks.
“You know that I love you?” It wasn't exactly a question and so Ruki answered simply.
“I love you to.”
The next moment, they were leaving the room.
For the next hour or so, everything seemed to pass in a blur. Uruha was yelling orders up and down the corridors, other Abaias, most likely servants, were rushing around trying to obey... And finally, each one of them in the company of a crew member, they were teleported aboard a ship, facing the morning's gray sky - precisely the time when the night starts receding and light invades every nook and corner like mist spreading across water. Even on deck, there was nothing much for them to do except get out of the crew's way, who were busy getting the final preparations done.
Days turned into nights and the evenings turned into mornings and so on. Soon, almost a week had passed and they didn't seem to be getting anywhere nearer to the prophet. On the previous ship, there had been talk of only a couple of days remaining but if so, they were either running around in circles, victims of some sort of magic, or they had been led astray in the first place. Whichever the reason, Aoi had become more and more haggard and Ruki was seriously considering using his powers to force the man to take care of himself. He had lost at least ten pounds and if he had been skinny before, he looked practically skeletal now; his face was drawn, cheeks were sagging and the shadows under his eyes had grown so much and become so dark they resembled painful bruises. He would not eat except occasionally and most often nothing heavy, and when he finally fell asleep after days staying away, he was plagued by nightmares. Almost the entire ship could hear the screams. Each time, Ruki had interfered and managed to stop the nightmares, but as if on cue, stopping them also made Aoi wake up. In the end, he didn't eat and didn't sleep. Instead, he spent his time on deck, looking out towards the horizon, his eyes shining with tears, anger and the slightest glimmer of hope that they would find the prophet soon, frail light that grew fainter and fainter each day.
At the end of the sixth day, Ruki had had enough and decided to pose the problem to the dragon and Uruha, since they were the ones more objective in the situation.
“He's falling apart.” Ruki pleaded when seeing their looks of disapproval. Like Ruki, they lamented Aoi's state, but had serious reserves towards toying with his thoughts and emotions.
“It's just so I can get him to eat something and sleep for a while. Reita would surely agree. He's going to collapse soon if we don't do something.”
He was getting ready to explain to them again that he wouldn't even be seeing Aoi's thoughts. He'd just send the proper suggestion and let his body take over the rest, when Yomi barged into the cabin.
“I can hear something.”
“What?” Uruha asked.
“Someone. It's close.” Yomi panted, his body finally starting to recover from the exertion of running.
Ruki extended his senses, far beyond the ship, about a kilometer on all sides, but there were no feelings and no thoughts.
“There's no one.”
“And I'm telling you there's something out there and we need to chase it. It's calling to me and leading us towards the South.”
“But we came from the South.” The dragon interjected.
“I know. It doesn't change the fact that that's the direction.” Yomi stubbornly stated, crossing his arms in a show of confidence and annoyance.
“It might be a trap.” Uruha also put in his two cents. “The safest would be to stick to this route.”
“That we've been sticking to for the last week. How long do you think it'll be until Aoi's finally had enough and does something stupid? That man is capable of jumping into the sea and swimming to the other side of the ocean and you know it as well as I do.” Yomi's voice had a harsh tone to it, a tone that resembled resentment and guilt and it wasn't aimed only at them. They had all allowed Aoi to become like that...
“We were just talking about him...” Ruki stopped in the middle of his phrase when noticing the look of concentration that had drifted across the kitsune's face. He tried sensing the surroundings again and he got the same results. He couldn't understand it. He should be able to read any creature's thoughts...
“It's not a creature.” He muttered to himself, realizing the key of the problem. “It's an animal, a bird probably.” He said louder, so that everyone in the room could hear him. “Only Yomi can talk with animals and I'm pretty sure the Necra shouldn't be able to. So then, there's no reason to suppose it's a trap. And if it's a bird, it's possible it flew from the island, maybe sent by the man we're looking for.”
Uruha wasted no more time. He was rushing out of the cabin and upward towards the steering wheel. He changed course himself and then instructed his crew to stick to this route come tides and high seas, until he told them to change it. Then he sent someone to fetch Yomi. The other three were not long in joining him.
“How's this?” he asked Yomi, who was still obviously hearing something.
“It's good. We're not falling behind. It's definitely leading us somewhere.”
“But you can't ask it how far away it is?”
“I might be able to hear it, but the bird cannot hear me. I have a human tonality after all. I need to be close for the vibrations of my voice to reach it.”
“I just hope we won't lose it.” Ruki sent a silent prayer, to whom he did not even know anymore. “I'm going to talk to Aoi.” Seeing the dragon trying to say something, he quickly continued. “I won't do anything, but I'll tell him about this new development and hopefully guilt him into a few hours of sleep and some dinner. Maybe. Wish me luck...”
Without waiting for their wishes, knowing for a fact that everyone was as worried about the mishepishu as he was, Ruki went off in his search. He found him where he had expected to find him, staring out at the deep blue sea.
“Aoi.” Even when hearing his name, the man didn't turn.
“I have news.” That at least seemed to get his attention. “We just changed course. We're being led somewhere and we think it's to the prophet.” Ruki supposed expecting joy was a bit much but he at least had thought he'd get more of a reaction than a nod. It was obvious Aoi was too tired for anything else. “Aoi, you have to sleep and eat. You're running yourself into the ground.” Still no answer and Aoi turned away once more. “If you let this go on, by the time we reach him, you won't even be able to fight for him.”
“I'd die if that's what it took. I'm getting him out one way or another.” Was the soft fatalistic whisper and it chilled Ruki to the bone to realize he meant what he said.
“Do you think Rei would want that? What do you think would happen to him if you died? He already went off once into the desert to die for you. Do you really want him dead too, just because you're too stubborn to listen to reason?” Ruki clenched his fists. The friend he knew would have been angry but the broken man in front of him simply squared his shoulders and finally faced him.
“You don't understand. I tell myself the same things. I go to the kitchen and pick up something but the food gets stuck in my throat and I can't keep it down. I go to sleep but then horrible nightmares, with what could be happening to him and our baby, plague me and I can't stay asleep long enough for the nightmares to finally drift away. Some part of me does want to behave normally, like you say, but another is doing everything possible to thwart any attempts at that.”
“Will you let me help you? I can persuade you into it. I won't be interfering with anything else, I swear to you. I think Reita would want you to do this.” There was a faint shadow of a smile on the mishepishu's face and Ruki wondered if he wasn't starting seeing things.
“You're devious, you know. But you care for my lover, and he obviously considers you a dear friend, so yeah, do whatever it is you need to do.”
Ruki focused and then sent a barrage of powerful suggestions making sure that apart from a visit from Reita himself or an end of the world situation, Aoi would stay asleep and would take better care of himself. He did it so well that Aoi never felt anything and so fast that in a few seconds he was finally giving the man the ok, telling him that for the next couple of days he'll be sleeping a lot.
“If we find him, you will wake me up though? Do you promise?” Was Aoi's request and it pained Ruki to hear the desperate hope in his voice. Ruki got closer, right into Aoi's personal space and gave him a hug, strong enough to break the man, but just on the right side of pain so that Aoi wouldn't feel guilty in accepting it. The mishepishu did indeed lean into it and for some brief instants, let his head rest on Ruki's shoulder.
“Thank you, Ru.” He thought he heard the whisper just before Aoi walked away and finally left the place he had been glued for the last week. Before descending himself, Ruki sent a prayer to the skies: “Please let him stay safe.”
…...............................
The Necra had moved the earth and the sky trying to get his hands on that prophet but nothing he could do worked, for even though he knew exactly where his hiding place was and sometimes could even see through the magical walls constructed to keep him out, he could not for the life of him get inside and no one was coming out except the birds. Not even that blasted owl. Finally, he gave up and turned his attention to the ship once more.
They had been coming closer and closer and he couldn't have that, so he sent some sirens to sing in the men's ears, at night, when the travelers were sleeping, unaware of what was happening. The Abaias, even more perceptive to the sounds of the ocean and homesick for their underwater citadel had thought themselves immune to the song and let it wash over them. The Necra made sure they weren't so immune after all. As a result, the boat slowly but surely veered off course, missed and then passed the island, only a few miles away from it. The Necra laughed. He might even get them across the ocean until the idiots realized what had happened. And now, it was time to visit his new pet.
Reita had still been sleeping the tiredness off when he entered but the tiger did not disappoint for he rose from his slumber immediately upon sensing the foreign presence in the room. But before he could have jumped off the bed and possibly bare handed attack him, the Necra spelled the rope-binds into action and the tiger, as a result, was pinned to the mattress.
“Remember me?” He cackled but grew disappointed when there was no reply. “Oh, I see, silent treatment now, is it?” Silence. “Oh, I'll make you scream, don't worry about that, scream from pain than from pleasure, then from pain again. Until the point your very soul will cry out. And I'll make sure to be here to give you the comfort you want.” He said while approaching the bed, the tiger's scared but defiant eyes, gems shining in the semi-obscure light clouding the room. It was so easy to just reach and drag his claws along Reita's face, leaving deep red marks. Just a little more or a little sharper and he would have drawn blood.
“I want to see if you bleed red. Or that metallic color of your magic.” He took out a small dagger he always kept upon him and dragged the blade downwards, from the lightly shadowed cheek to the neck. The knife caught in the folds of the soft skin and here and there nipped and cut, just enough to let a few drops of blood come out and then slide down the skin into the sheets. “Pity it's red. I like that tint your magic has. No matter, I assume even this normal boring red will do if in greater quantities.” He now held the blade with a tighter grip and then cut across the neck, just under the ear, making sure he didn't go too deep. Still, no matter the shallowness of the cut, rivers of life-liquid seeped through. “Oh, you are beautiful and when corrupted even exquisite.” Reita shuddered slightly and it only caused the grin on his tormentor's face to grow bigger. “Oh, I like that.”
The Necra placed the knife on his chest, slipped it under his shirt and then with one decisive cut, slit the garment open and then pushed it off his chest, revealing the skin underneath. Reita had to force himself not to move or shriek, for it wasn't just him in danger now, but his son as well. The Necra could clearly see the slightly rounded mound on his belly and Reita pleaded with the skies for liberation. The medallion gleamed red and the Necra reached for it instead, only to be burnt and pull back immediately. He then tried several types of magic put nothing he could do got the medallion off and Reita was grateful for that small comfort.
“You don't even know what it's for, do you? Stupid.” He was truly angry now and he wanted to hurt his prisoner. But he couldn't put too much physical strain, Reiza had warned him against that. What he could do was... hurt his heart, take away his will to live. His rough touch rested on the hairless smooth chest in front of him and he petted his stomach before gliding his hand upwards, finding a nipple and squeezing it roughly. Reita's body arched off the bed in pain but the man would still not give in and talk. The Necra was sure he'd get him to. With the blade he had put away before he made a small shallow circle on the skin around the nipple and then bended his own body to reach down and lick the area. Reita's body betrayed him again and the man had to bight his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from screaming. The Necra was pleased and the more he tortured him, the more he realized his body liked it, was waking up. The tiger was indeed a scrumptious thing to devour. With his handy dagger, he ripped the pants open as well, and that got him a tear and Reita closing his eyes at what he obviously perceived was a humiliation. He was completely soft but then he wouldn't have wanted him aroused anyway; it lessened the pain and the Necra wanted him to feel pain. He wasn't a patient man so he put the dagger down, opened his own pants and shirt and then lied down on the body underneath him, aligning himself just right. His victim opened his eyes and he saw terror in them, terror and pure hate and his heart soared at the sight. He was about to push in and he could just imagine the tightness, the pleasure of it all when he found himself flying across the room, smashed against the wall and then sliding down to the floor.
“What the?” He exclaimed when he saw the light blue sheen of magic surrounding the tiger's body. He would have killed Ruiza at exactly that moment if he hadn't stayed a few moments longer to notice the way the glow gathered around the tiger's naked lower half, weaving an opaque material , helped by the water from a glass that had been placed on a nightstand next to the bed. The material formed was exactly like the one he had seen Aoi make for him once before, in the desert, and there was no doubt in his mind what had happened. The baby was indeed more powerful than he had imagined and from what he could gather, was already somewhat conscious. Perhaps he should kill Reita after all.
He rose from the ground, made his decision and grabbed the dagger, approaching the bed. But to his surprise, he couldn't get within a meter close before the magical shield was pushing him away again. He tried magic of course, lethal spells that he had practiced extensively before but nothing worked and so he was obliged to give up. No matter, he thought. He'd just starve him to death.
In a whirl he rushed out of the room, towards the dungeons, where he would take out his revenge on more malleable bodies. He'd see the tiger dead soon enough.
In the room, Reita was finally free from his bindings and he turned on himself, stroking his stomach, letting tears fall freely at last.
“Thank you.” He kept whispering to his son and he could feel the flutter inside him, like the wings of a butterfly caressing him. “Thank you, son.”
By the time he had managed to calm down just a bit, Reiza came into the room and hurriedly yet silently shut the door behind him.
“I don't have much time.” The man said and the tiger could indeed smell his fear. “Here. Water and bread. I can't give you the antidote for he'd notice the change in magic and come here immediately.”
Reita saw the offering but he did not trust this man enough to take it.
“Please. I never meant for all of this. He has my sister and doing what he asks is the only way to keep her alive. He's too angry now to be watching so I could slip in here. I have to hurry back. If you don't eat it at least throw it down the latrine. If he sees it, I'll be dead.” Just like that, Ruiza put the things down on the stand and then quickly left the room. Reita trusted himself and his senses and he had smelled true terror in the other man. He decided to accept his help and quickly ate the bread and drank the water. Then he lied down, pondered upon the days happenings and finally drifted off to sleep.
Ruiza came a couple more times in the first three days, and brought just like before something for him to eat and drink before slithering out of the room. Reita still didn't trust him but kept his mouth shut and accepted the help. At the end of the fourth day, he got a different visit.
“Why aren't you starving by now?”
He made up a lie. “As long as I have my magic and my body fat, I can last for months without eating or drinking anything. I'm afraid you can't kill me, you bastard.”
“So you can talk, after all. I was beginning to wonder.” His eyes were as thin as needles and Reita wondered if he'd buy the lie. “Oh well, once that kid is born, I will get to do whatever I want with you. And I'll be even more demanding than last time.” His voice sent darkness deep within Reita's heart but the small fluttering of wings touched him again and he drew comfort from it, knowing that in no time at all Aoi would come for them. The Necra must have seen some indication of his thoughts on his face for he cackled evilly. “Oh, he won't come. He'll be dead before you. Want to see?” Reita's heart grew cold as ice upon hearing the sureness in his tone. It wasn't an empty threat, he just knew it.
The Necra summoned a gray orb into the room and then used it to project the images in the air, in front of Reita. First, he saw a ship before he recognized the emblems the Abaias wore. Then he saw deeper into the vessel and gazed upon his friends. Finally, he spotted Aoi. He was thrashing in his sleep, screaming for him and it broke Reita's heart to see the state his love was in, especially because once he jolted awake, it was obvious it wasn't just the dream that had put that haggardness on his face. Aoi looked worn out, hanging on to life by a thread and Reita could not reach him, no matter how much he wanted to or how he clutched to his medallion. After the Necra finally left, he collapsed on the bed and wept bitterly.
His tormentor came several more times and each time he'd show him Aoi's state that grew worse with every passing day. Reita sometimes thought he'd had preferred the rape over the despair he felt when seeing his mate like that. After six days, the day finally came when the Necra didn't torture him anymore and Reita knew that something must have happened. He waited and hoped for Ruiza to appear but only after midnight did the man finally come.
“What happened? Please tell me. Is Aoi alive?”
The shadows played on Ruiza's face and his eyes were made bright with the light of the moon piercing through the bars.
“Yes. A friend of yours got some sense into him, it seems. He should be better now. And I think they'll finally find the prophet. It'll take a few days more, maybe, but they're coming.”
Reita almost collapsed with relief. He accepted the bread and water as usual and for a few moments held the other's hand in his.
“Thank you for this. I'll make sure you and your sister are safe once they get here.” He could see it in his eyes that the words were not believed but to himself, Reita swore to respect his promise. The man left him alone and Reita rose from the bed, paddled to the window and gazed longingly upon the night sky's shining face.
“Soon, my love.” He said and his hands drew lazy circles on his stomach.
A/N: Two times the normal length, to make up for the delay. My bunnies desperatly need food. They're quite famished, you know. It won't be long now and if all goes according to plan, next week you'll finally have a great mistery revealed. I won't say more. Squishes
Author: yukigafuru
Chapters: 76/?
Pairings: RukaxYomi, KaixRuki, AoixReita, UruhaxAsagi, Ni~yaxSakitoxHitsugi for now
Bands: Gazette, Naitomea, D... (and a surprise)
Rating: PG-15-PG-17 overall
Warnings: will be angst, yaoi, threesome, a bit of gore here and there, light mpreg
Genre: AU, Angst, Romance
Disclaimer: I am not connected to the real persons. This is just a figment of my imagination and I don't make any money nor profit in any way out of this (well, except gathering your love that is).
Summary: The age of magic and mystery is coming towards its end. But what if someone that has the gift to see the future can join forces with others who have the power to stop it? What will be born then? What will be found?
Chapter 76
Ruki and Kai were happily entangled in soft silk sheets when Aoi burst into the room and demanded they leave immediately. In their happiness at having found each other again, they had in fact lost track of the time and even though sunlight could not possibly reach the depths of the ocean, judging by the dark circles underneath Aoi's eyes, his unrest and disheveled appearance, it was clear that hours had passed and it would soon be close to morning.
They hurriedly jumped into the shower and then started dressing. Moments before exiting the room, Ruki took hold of Kai's arm and stopped him in his tracks.
“I want to keep this a secret.” It didn't take a genius to understand what Ruki was talking about.
“It's your secret to tell. But can you tell me why?” He in turn asked his lover.
“It's more of a hunch but I get this feeling that we're being watched. When we're above...”
“But what about Yune? You already used your gifts on you, didn't you? I mean, even without the transformation, the Necra could guess you have something up your sleeve.”
Ruki's brows furrowed. Kai cupped his chin in his right hand and then with the other, tenderly smoothed his frown.
“He still wouldn't be able to figure out what I am and what is the extent of my powers. And what I did before, it only delayed him for a few minutes and Yune himself was probably not aware of it. Remember that I leave no traces, unlike other magic? Even the Necra will most probably have overlooked the slight time gap.”
“But then what about practice? You've just transformed. Don't you need to explore your new powers?”
“Until we find the prophet, I think it's safer I don't. Maybe he'll know of some kind of shield. If he's still in his hiding place, even though the Necra should be hunting him down, it is quite probable he knows of some way to help with that.”
Kai nodded, convinced by Ruki's argument. It didn't feel exactly right to hide it from their friends, but it was the best solution to be taken at that point in time.
“And I can always practice my telepathy things on the crew. Make them stay out of the way while we explore all the nooks of that ship.” Ruki wiggled his eyebrows. Kai wouldn't have positively appreciated that offer if he hadn't seen the humor in his partner's eyes. It made him smile widely, dimples showing and all. Content to have such an effect on Kai, Ruki gently kissed both his cheeks.
“You know that I love you?” It wasn't exactly a question and so Ruki answered simply.
“I love you to.”
The next moment, they were leaving the room.
For the next hour or so, everything seemed to pass in a blur. Uruha was yelling orders up and down the corridors, other Abaias, most likely servants, were rushing around trying to obey... And finally, each one of them in the company of a crew member, they were teleported aboard a ship, facing the morning's gray sky - precisely the time when the night starts receding and light invades every nook and corner like mist spreading across water. Even on deck, there was nothing much for them to do except get out of the crew's way, who were busy getting the final preparations done.
Days turned into nights and the evenings turned into mornings and so on. Soon, almost a week had passed and they didn't seem to be getting anywhere nearer to the prophet. On the previous ship, there had been talk of only a couple of days remaining but if so, they were either running around in circles, victims of some sort of magic, or they had been led astray in the first place. Whichever the reason, Aoi had become more and more haggard and Ruki was seriously considering using his powers to force the man to take care of himself. He had lost at least ten pounds and if he had been skinny before, he looked practically skeletal now; his face was drawn, cheeks were sagging and the shadows under his eyes had grown so much and become so dark they resembled painful bruises. He would not eat except occasionally and most often nothing heavy, and when he finally fell asleep after days staying away, he was plagued by nightmares. Almost the entire ship could hear the screams. Each time, Ruki had interfered and managed to stop the nightmares, but as if on cue, stopping them also made Aoi wake up. In the end, he didn't eat and didn't sleep. Instead, he spent his time on deck, looking out towards the horizon, his eyes shining with tears, anger and the slightest glimmer of hope that they would find the prophet soon, frail light that grew fainter and fainter each day.
At the end of the sixth day, Ruki had had enough and decided to pose the problem to the dragon and Uruha, since they were the ones more objective in the situation.
“He's falling apart.” Ruki pleaded when seeing their looks of disapproval. Like Ruki, they lamented Aoi's state, but had serious reserves towards toying with his thoughts and emotions.
“It's just so I can get him to eat something and sleep for a while. Reita would surely agree. He's going to collapse soon if we don't do something.”
He was getting ready to explain to them again that he wouldn't even be seeing Aoi's thoughts. He'd just send the proper suggestion and let his body take over the rest, when Yomi barged into the cabin.
“I can hear something.”
“What?” Uruha asked.
“Someone. It's close.” Yomi panted, his body finally starting to recover from the exertion of running.
Ruki extended his senses, far beyond the ship, about a kilometer on all sides, but there were no feelings and no thoughts.
“There's no one.”
“And I'm telling you there's something out there and we need to chase it. It's calling to me and leading us towards the South.”
“But we came from the South.” The dragon interjected.
“I know. It doesn't change the fact that that's the direction.” Yomi stubbornly stated, crossing his arms in a show of confidence and annoyance.
“It might be a trap.” Uruha also put in his two cents. “The safest would be to stick to this route.”
“That we've been sticking to for the last week. How long do you think it'll be until Aoi's finally had enough and does something stupid? That man is capable of jumping into the sea and swimming to the other side of the ocean and you know it as well as I do.” Yomi's voice had a harsh tone to it, a tone that resembled resentment and guilt and it wasn't aimed only at them. They had all allowed Aoi to become like that...
“We were just talking about him...” Ruki stopped in the middle of his phrase when noticing the look of concentration that had drifted across the kitsune's face. He tried sensing the surroundings again and he got the same results. He couldn't understand it. He should be able to read any creature's thoughts...
“It's not a creature.” He muttered to himself, realizing the key of the problem. “It's an animal, a bird probably.” He said louder, so that everyone in the room could hear him. “Only Yomi can talk with animals and I'm pretty sure the Necra shouldn't be able to. So then, there's no reason to suppose it's a trap. And if it's a bird, it's possible it flew from the island, maybe sent by the man we're looking for.”
Uruha wasted no more time. He was rushing out of the cabin and upward towards the steering wheel. He changed course himself and then instructed his crew to stick to this route come tides and high seas, until he told them to change it. Then he sent someone to fetch Yomi. The other three were not long in joining him.
“How's this?” he asked Yomi, who was still obviously hearing something.
“It's good. We're not falling behind. It's definitely leading us somewhere.”
“But you can't ask it how far away it is?”
“I might be able to hear it, but the bird cannot hear me. I have a human tonality after all. I need to be close for the vibrations of my voice to reach it.”
“I just hope we won't lose it.” Ruki sent a silent prayer, to whom he did not even know anymore. “I'm going to talk to Aoi.” Seeing the dragon trying to say something, he quickly continued. “I won't do anything, but I'll tell him about this new development and hopefully guilt him into a few hours of sleep and some dinner. Maybe. Wish me luck...”
Without waiting for their wishes, knowing for a fact that everyone was as worried about the mishepishu as he was, Ruki went off in his search. He found him where he had expected to find him, staring out at the deep blue sea.
“Aoi.” Even when hearing his name, the man didn't turn.
“I have news.” That at least seemed to get his attention. “We just changed course. We're being led somewhere and we think it's to the prophet.” Ruki supposed expecting joy was a bit much but he at least had thought he'd get more of a reaction than a nod. It was obvious Aoi was too tired for anything else. “Aoi, you have to sleep and eat. You're running yourself into the ground.” Still no answer and Aoi turned away once more. “If you let this go on, by the time we reach him, you won't even be able to fight for him.”
“I'd die if that's what it took. I'm getting him out one way or another.” Was the soft fatalistic whisper and it chilled Ruki to the bone to realize he meant what he said.
“Do you think Rei would want that? What do you think would happen to him if you died? He already went off once into the desert to die for you. Do you really want him dead too, just because you're too stubborn to listen to reason?” Ruki clenched his fists. The friend he knew would have been angry but the broken man in front of him simply squared his shoulders and finally faced him.
“You don't understand. I tell myself the same things. I go to the kitchen and pick up something but the food gets stuck in my throat and I can't keep it down. I go to sleep but then horrible nightmares, with what could be happening to him and our baby, plague me and I can't stay asleep long enough for the nightmares to finally drift away. Some part of me does want to behave normally, like you say, but another is doing everything possible to thwart any attempts at that.”
“Will you let me help you? I can persuade you into it. I won't be interfering with anything else, I swear to you. I think Reita would want you to do this.” There was a faint shadow of a smile on the mishepishu's face and Ruki wondered if he wasn't starting seeing things.
“You're devious, you know. But you care for my lover, and he obviously considers you a dear friend, so yeah, do whatever it is you need to do.”
Ruki focused and then sent a barrage of powerful suggestions making sure that apart from a visit from Reita himself or an end of the world situation, Aoi would stay asleep and would take better care of himself. He did it so well that Aoi never felt anything and so fast that in a few seconds he was finally giving the man the ok, telling him that for the next couple of days he'll be sleeping a lot.
“If we find him, you will wake me up though? Do you promise?” Was Aoi's request and it pained Ruki to hear the desperate hope in his voice. Ruki got closer, right into Aoi's personal space and gave him a hug, strong enough to break the man, but just on the right side of pain so that Aoi wouldn't feel guilty in accepting it. The mishepishu did indeed lean into it and for some brief instants, let his head rest on Ruki's shoulder.
“Thank you, Ru.” He thought he heard the whisper just before Aoi walked away and finally left the place he had been glued for the last week. Before descending himself, Ruki sent a prayer to the skies: “Please let him stay safe.”
…...............................
The Necra had moved the earth and the sky trying to get his hands on that prophet but nothing he could do worked, for even though he knew exactly where his hiding place was and sometimes could even see through the magical walls constructed to keep him out, he could not for the life of him get inside and no one was coming out except the birds. Not even that blasted owl. Finally, he gave up and turned his attention to the ship once more.
They had been coming closer and closer and he couldn't have that, so he sent some sirens to sing in the men's ears, at night, when the travelers were sleeping, unaware of what was happening. The Abaias, even more perceptive to the sounds of the ocean and homesick for their underwater citadel had thought themselves immune to the song and let it wash over them. The Necra made sure they weren't so immune after all. As a result, the boat slowly but surely veered off course, missed and then passed the island, only a few miles away from it. The Necra laughed. He might even get them across the ocean until the idiots realized what had happened. And now, it was time to visit his new pet.
Reita had still been sleeping the tiredness off when he entered but the tiger did not disappoint for he rose from his slumber immediately upon sensing the foreign presence in the room. But before he could have jumped off the bed and possibly bare handed attack him, the Necra spelled the rope-binds into action and the tiger, as a result, was pinned to the mattress.
“Remember me?” He cackled but grew disappointed when there was no reply. “Oh, I see, silent treatment now, is it?” Silence. “Oh, I'll make you scream, don't worry about that, scream from pain than from pleasure, then from pain again. Until the point your very soul will cry out. And I'll make sure to be here to give you the comfort you want.” He said while approaching the bed, the tiger's scared but defiant eyes, gems shining in the semi-obscure light clouding the room. It was so easy to just reach and drag his claws along Reita's face, leaving deep red marks. Just a little more or a little sharper and he would have drawn blood.
“I want to see if you bleed red. Or that metallic color of your magic.” He took out a small dagger he always kept upon him and dragged the blade downwards, from the lightly shadowed cheek to the neck. The knife caught in the folds of the soft skin and here and there nipped and cut, just enough to let a few drops of blood come out and then slide down the skin into the sheets. “Pity it's red. I like that tint your magic has. No matter, I assume even this normal boring red will do if in greater quantities.” He now held the blade with a tighter grip and then cut across the neck, just under the ear, making sure he didn't go too deep. Still, no matter the shallowness of the cut, rivers of life-liquid seeped through. “Oh, you are beautiful and when corrupted even exquisite.” Reita shuddered slightly and it only caused the grin on his tormentor's face to grow bigger. “Oh, I like that.”
The Necra placed the knife on his chest, slipped it under his shirt and then with one decisive cut, slit the garment open and then pushed it off his chest, revealing the skin underneath. Reita had to force himself not to move or shriek, for it wasn't just him in danger now, but his son as well. The Necra could clearly see the slightly rounded mound on his belly and Reita pleaded with the skies for liberation. The medallion gleamed red and the Necra reached for it instead, only to be burnt and pull back immediately. He then tried several types of magic put nothing he could do got the medallion off and Reita was grateful for that small comfort.
“You don't even know what it's for, do you? Stupid.” He was truly angry now and he wanted to hurt his prisoner. But he couldn't put too much physical strain, Reiza had warned him against that. What he could do was... hurt his heart, take away his will to live. His rough touch rested on the hairless smooth chest in front of him and he petted his stomach before gliding his hand upwards, finding a nipple and squeezing it roughly. Reita's body arched off the bed in pain but the man would still not give in and talk. The Necra was sure he'd get him to. With the blade he had put away before he made a small shallow circle on the skin around the nipple and then bended his own body to reach down and lick the area. Reita's body betrayed him again and the man had to bight his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from screaming. The Necra was pleased and the more he tortured him, the more he realized his body liked it, was waking up. The tiger was indeed a scrumptious thing to devour. With his handy dagger, he ripped the pants open as well, and that got him a tear and Reita closing his eyes at what he obviously perceived was a humiliation. He was completely soft but then he wouldn't have wanted him aroused anyway; it lessened the pain and the Necra wanted him to feel pain. He wasn't a patient man so he put the dagger down, opened his own pants and shirt and then lied down on the body underneath him, aligning himself just right. His victim opened his eyes and he saw terror in them, terror and pure hate and his heart soared at the sight. He was about to push in and he could just imagine the tightness, the pleasure of it all when he found himself flying across the room, smashed against the wall and then sliding down to the floor.
“What the?” He exclaimed when he saw the light blue sheen of magic surrounding the tiger's body. He would have killed Ruiza at exactly that moment if he hadn't stayed a few moments longer to notice the way the glow gathered around the tiger's naked lower half, weaving an opaque material , helped by the water from a glass that had been placed on a nightstand next to the bed. The material formed was exactly like the one he had seen Aoi make for him once before, in the desert, and there was no doubt in his mind what had happened. The baby was indeed more powerful than he had imagined and from what he could gather, was already somewhat conscious. Perhaps he should kill Reita after all.
He rose from the ground, made his decision and grabbed the dagger, approaching the bed. But to his surprise, he couldn't get within a meter close before the magical shield was pushing him away again. He tried magic of course, lethal spells that he had practiced extensively before but nothing worked and so he was obliged to give up. No matter, he thought. He'd just starve him to death.
In a whirl he rushed out of the room, towards the dungeons, where he would take out his revenge on more malleable bodies. He'd see the tiger dead soon enough.
In the room, Reita was finally free from his bindings and he turned on himself, stroking his stomach, letting tears fall freely at last.
“Thank you.” He kept whispering to his son and he could feel the flutter inside him, like the wings of a butterfly caressing him. “Thank you, son.”
By the time he had managed to calm down just a bit, Reiza came into the room and hurriedly yet silently shut the door behind him.
“I don't have much time.” The man said and the tiger could indeed smell his fear. “Here. Water and bread. I can't give you the antidote for he'd notice the change in magic and come here immediately.”
Reita saw the offering but he did not trust this man enough to take it.
“Please. I never meant for all of this. He has my sister and doing what he asks is the only way to keep her alive. He's too angry now to be watching so I could slip in here. I have to hurry back. If you don't eat it at least throw it down the latrine. If he sees it, I'll be dead.” Just like that, Ruiza put the things down on the stand and then quickly left the room. Reita trusted himself and his senses and he had smelled true terror in the other man. He decided to accept his help and quickly ate the bread and drank the water. Then he lied down, pondered upon the days happenings and finally drifted off to sleep.
Ruiza came a couple more times in the first three days, and brought just like before something for him to eat and drink before slithering out of the room. Reita still didn't trust him but kept his mouth shut and accepted the help. At the end of the fourth day, he got a different visit.
“Why aren't you starving by now?”
He made up a lie. “As long as I have my magic and my body fat, I can last for months without eating or drinking anything. I'm afraid you can't kill me, you bastard.”
“So you can talk, after all. I was beginning to wonder.” His eyes were as thin as needles and Reita wondered if he'd buy the lie. “Oh well, once that kid is born, I will get to do whatever I want with you. And I'll be even more demanding than last time.” His voice sent darkness deep within Reita's heart but the small fluttering of wings touched him again and he drew comfort from it, knowing that in no time at all Aoi would come for them. The Necra must have seen some indication of his thoughts on his face for he cackled evilly. “Oh, he won't come. He'll be dead before you. Want to see?” Reita's heart grew cold as ice upon hearing the sureness in his tone. It wasn't an empty threat, he just knew it.
The Necra summoned a gray orb into the room and then used it to project the images in the air, in front of Reita. First, he saw a ship before he recognized the emblems the Abaias wore. Then he saw deeper into the vessel and gazed upon his friends. Finally, he spotted Aoi. He was thrashing in his sleep, screaming for him and it broke Reita's heart to see the state his love was in, especially because once he jolted awake, it was obvious it wasn't just the dream that had put that haggardness on his face. Aoi looked worn out, hanging on to life by a thread and Reita could not reach him, no matter how much he wanted to or how he clutched to his medallion. After the Necra finally left, he collapsed on the bed and wept bitterly.
His tormentor came several more times and each time he'd show him Aoi's state that grew worse with every passing day. Reita sometimes thought he'd had preferred the rape over the despair he felt when seeing his mate like that. After six days, the day finally came when the Necra didn't torture him anymore and Reita knew that something must have happened. He waited and hoped for Ruiza to appear but only after midnight did the man finally come.
“What happened? Please tell me. Is Aoi alive?”
The shadows played on Ruiza's face and his eyes were made bright with the light of the moon piercing through the bars.
“Yes. A friend of yours got some sense into him, it seems. He should be better now. And I think they'll finally find the prophet. It'll take a few days more, maybe, but they're coming.”
Reita almost collapsed with relief. He accepted the bread and water as usual and for a few moments held the other's hand in his.
“Thank you for this. I'll make sure you and your sister are safe once they get here.” He could see it in his eyes that the words were not believed but to himself, Reita swore to respect his promise. The man left him alone and Reita rose from the bed, paddled to the window and gazed longingly upon the night sky's shining face.
“Soon, my love.” He said and his hands drew lazy circles on his stomach.
A/N: Two times the normal length, to make up for the delay. My bunnies desperatly need food. They're quite famished, you know. It won't be long now and if all goes according to plan, next week you'll finally have a great mistery revealed. I won't say more. Squishes