It was morning on another grey day. Kieran was busy in the kitchen, while
Chieko hurried back and forth with platters of breakfast. Takaeyama was making
yet another pot of coffee. The others were already seated at the table and had
begun eating. To everyone’s shock, Yukiiae had emerged from the guestroom to
join them for breakfast.
“Just for a little while. I’m starving.”
She’d eaten very little in the past few days, and Harata suspected that
she hadn’t been sleeping more than two or three hours at night. It felt as
though a ghost had come to join them at the table, so rarely had anybody seen
her recently. After hurriedly chomping on pancakes and guzzling some coffee,
Yukiiae rose from the table and said,
“See you later.”
On her way out of the dining room, she tapped Harata on the shoulder.
“Got a minute?”
He rose and followed her into a quiet corner of the house.
“What’s up?”
“Mina’s fever broke late last night. She’s going to be ok!”
Yukiiae smiled broadly.
“That’s great!” Harata smiled back, relieved. After a pause, he
said, “Blue?”
The Decameron’s face fell. She shook her head.
“There’s not much more I can do, Harata. Those traps are always
filthy. I’ve seen this happen more times than I’d like to admit.”
“So… so this is it, then.” Harata’s heart constricted. It
wasn’t just the failure in the Task. He’d always liked the Night’s Herald.
In the rare moments that he allowed himself to envision a triumphant conclusion
to their journey, the Clanless had imagined that they both remained friends…
for a long, long time. Was this how Blue had been punished by the gods? Had he
foreseen their failure, a failure caused by his own death? Harata drew a shaking
breath.
“If what I’m going to do today doesn’t save him, then I’m afraid
it is.”
“Do whatever you have to do.”
Yukiiae nodded quickly.
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got. I have to go and talk to
Kieran.” She turned to leave. “Oh, and Harata? Could you make sure
Takaeyama’s kept busy? I really don’t want him to hear what I have to
say.”
“Sure.”
With a heavy heart, Harata returned to the rest of the Champions.
“You mean there might be HeadHunters waiting for us at the beach
house?” Chieko’s voice was incredulous.
“Yes, Chi, that’s what I mean.”
Harata had called a meeting to discuss their plan of action for as soon
as they could leave Kieran’s house. He’d told the Champions of Mina’s
imminent recovery, omitting the news that Blue could very likely be dead by the
next morning. He’d had his hands full earlier that day giving Takaeyama odd
jobs to do. The Corduran assumed only that Harata was trying to prove to him
that he did not see eye-to-eye with Keisuke, and for that felt grateful.
The Clanless looked at the faces of the people before him, people who had no
suspicion that by tomorrow they might all be turning homeward, only to await the
end of the world. Harata felt as though he’d been forsaken by all but the most
malicious gods.
“There won’t be any HeadHunters waiting there,” Keisuke was saying.
“I am not so foolish as to tell a known enemy where I’ll be placing my next
step. I told the Council only that we were going overseas and needed to obtain a
yacht or similar vessel. For that reason we would be heading southward until we
came across a likely prospect. At no point was Kinumi discussed, for as Harata
has pointed out, there would most assuredly be a welcome party waiting at the
door.”
“Or… you could be saying that now only to have us walk right into a
trap.” Harata put in.
“If that’s what you want to believe, nothing I say will convince you
otherwise.”
“If we can’t get Chieko’s yacht, what other options do we have?”
Kat asked.
“We could ask the Decameron,” Takaeyama supplied.
“We could build a boat!” Kazuki exclaimed, his face alight.
“Does anyone have the faintest idea how to build a boat?”
Harata asked. They all shook their heads.
“I bet Mina could figure it out,” Kazuki offered. “She’s real
smart.”
“She makes guns, you moron,” Keisuke sneered. “Maybe you can ask
her to build a cannon and shoot you across the sea.”
“Think she can do that?” the Pantagruel asked earnestly.
“Gods, you’re dumb.”
“That’s enough, Keisuke,” Harata said sternly.
“Seriously, Keisuke, what’s your problem?” Ayame put in. Everyone
stared at her after this uncharacteristic outburst.
“My problem, you little slut, is that all of you treat me like
an enemy. Yeah, one of these days, when all this is over, I’ll kill your
beloved ‘Clanless One’, but that’s a personal issue between the two of us.
I’ve sworn an Oath to complete this Task with you shitheads, but you’ve done
nothing but treat me like a spy. You never showed me any trust. That’s my
problem, you empty-headed whore.”
“Don’t call her that.”
“Shut up, fag,” Keisuke shouted at Takaeyama. “She’s no better
than you, but at least in her defense, she didn’t have a choice.”
“In case you’ve forgotten,” Kat said coldly, “when we met you,
you were in the process of trying to kill us.”
“I was doing my job, Ice Queen. At least I wasn’t trying to
run from my problems.” He stood up. “I’ve had enough of this shit,” he
said as he stood up and stormed away.
For a moment, no one said anything. They were all staring at the door
Keisuke left through. Eventually, Ayame turned to Takaeyama and smiled at him.
“Thanks for sticking up for me.”
“Well, I kinda owed you one from the other night.” He smiled back.
“Then we’re even.” Turning to face Harata, she added, “You know,
maybe Keisuke has a point, in a way. What if we just put our trust in him and go
to Kinumi as planned?”
Harata looked uneasy.
“But what if he’s lying?”
“We run away from the HeadHunters and keep his ass tied up for the rest
of the trip. And when we’re done, Takaeyama can fry him with one of those
fireballs.”
“With pleasure,” said the Corduran.
Something wasn’t quite right. Disoriented, Blue opened his eyes. The
white ceiling overhead stared back at him. He felt exhausted, drained, and
shaken. Some little signal within was telling him that there was something out
of place. He drew a breath to calm himself, then set about the task of finding
out just what that something was.
I’ve been dreaming. Those torturous dreams still haunted his
sleep. Blue had made the mistake of assuming that once the Task was underway,
the dreams would disappear, or at least become easier to bear. Instead, they
grew more vivid, painted with the names and personalities that he’d come to
know. The things he saw became far more difficult to accept, now that he knew
the people who committed the deeds he witnessed. And always, always he saw the
vision of himself in Pandemonium, bloody and naked, defeated. Yes, he’d been
dreaming, but somehow he felt that the source of the nagging sensation lay
elsewhere.
He thought back over the last few days. There was the battle, Blue could
remember that clearly. He could remember getting caught in the Man Trap, and
walking through the woods with Takeyama. After that, his memory became hazy. He
remembered Yukiiae’s face in the lantern light, and in the light of the room
he lay in now. He could recall hearing someone cry out, doors opening and
closing. For some reason, his clouded mind placed Takeyama in the room, speaking
words he couldn’t quite grasp. He wondered what had become of the Corduran,
speculating if perhaps it was the ghost of the man he’d tried so hard to save
who’d been speaking to him in his sleep. An odd feeling came over his heart.
He forced himself to let it pass, then returned to trying to figure out exactly
what was amiss.
Oh…
As realization broke over Blue, who’d finally come fully awake, Yukiiae
lifted her head. In an instant, she was at his side.
“Oh, thank Trista!” She uttered the name of the goddess of healing
and traced her mark in the air. She looked warmly down at Blue. “You really
had me worried.” Gently, she brushed the hair back from his forehead. There
was still a troubled cast to her expression, and she asked tentatively,
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better, but a bit tired. Oh, and I seem to be missing half a leg.
Any idea where it’s got to?” He said it lightly, but still Yukiiae’s eyes
brimmed.
“I’m so sorry!” she wailed, laying her head on the bedcovers. “I
tried. I really tried, but the infection was spreading and- and-“ She broke
off, choked by her own sobs. Blue laid his hand on her head and weakly tousled
her dirty hair.
“Well, it’s only half a limb. Not a bad bargain for the remainder,
wouldn’t you say?”
Yukiiae lifted her head to look at the Night’s Herald. He looked the
same as ever, if thinner and paler. He was perfectly calm, didn’t seem the
least bit upset that she’d been forced to sever his right leg at the knee.
Most amputees woke furious, or in despair. Was he only hiding what he felt?
What Blue actually felt, if only for an instant, was pity for the
Decameron. She looked terrible. He was sure she hadn’t had a decent night’s
sleep since the night of the battle, and she looked ragged and thin. Yet there
she was, weeping for his loss.
“It’s ok, Yukiiae, really. I owe you my life, and Takaeyama too, for
that matter.” After a pause he added, “Is he alright?”
“He’s fine, thanks to you. Looks like you guys both saved each
other.”
Blue smiled slightly, then settled back, closing his eyes.
“Go to sleep,” Yukiiae said softly.
“I think I’ll do that. I’m quite tired.”
“Sleep tight.”
After a few minutes, the Decameron opened the door and hurried out of the
room, intent on waking Harata. She promptly stumbled over something in the
hallway and went sprawling. Untangling herself from the obstacle, she realized
it was:
“Takaeyama?”
“Oh, gods,” he groaned, gripping her by the shoulders. “Did he…
is he…” He couldn’t continue, choking in anguish.
“What are you doing in the hallway? Were you sleeping out here? Poor
guy.”
He slumped against the wall, defeated.
“I just wanted to know… as soon as it- it happened.”
“It’s alright, Takaeyama,” Yukiiae said gently. “He’s going to
be ok. You can go and see him, but try not to wake him up, alright?”
“He what?” Takaeyama sprung to his feet and barreled into the room.
“Blue!”
“Hi.”
Yukiiae shook her head and went downstairs to find Harata.
“Hey, Kieran! Whatcha doin’?”
Chieko bounced happily into the kitchen.
“Baking a cake. I thought maybe everyone might like to celebrate the
recovery of your companions.”
“Oh, I love cake! You can bake, Kieran?”
“Yes. I find it quite relaxing.”
“I can’t cook a thing. At home I’m not allowed to mess around in
the kitchen. Can I help you, please?”
By now, Kieran knew better than to try to dissuade the GelbFaust.
“If it pleases you.”
“Yay!”
He smiled down at her. He’d decided that he’d truly miss having
Chieko around the house. He liked her spunky, upbeat nature. He found he
didn’t even mind her incessant storytelling or probing queries. He found
himself thinking that it might be nice to have someone like her around the house
regularly.
As they worked on the cake, Chi chatted merrily about all manner of
subjects. Kieran listened patiently, inserting questions in all the proper
places. When they’d finally gotten the large sheet-cake into the oven, the
Corduran pulled out one of the stools that stood along the breakfast counter.
“Please, have a seat,” he said. “Would you care for something to
drink, Miss Chi?”
“Yes, please,” she answered, taking the proffered seat.
“Orange juice?” She always asked for orange juice.
“You know it!”
Kieran returned with two glasses of juice and sat down beside her.
“Miss Chi, if it wouldn’t trouble you greatly, I’d like to speak on
a topic of a fairly serious nature.”
He wanted to talk to her about something “serious”. Chieko’s eyes
grew even larger as she turned them on Kieran.
“Okay.”
“Might I ask what Mr. Kurokawa meant by what he said a few evenings
ago?”
“Um…” Chi shifted uncomfortably. “Well…”
“Not the foul language. Unfortunately, I am well aware of what he meant
by that. No, I am referring to what he said with regards to Takaeyama’s
state of being during the course of your journey.”
It took Chieko a few moments to untangle the vague formal language.
“Oh, you mean when he said Takaeyama was a vegetable?”
“Yes. May I ask what would cause him to say such a thing?”
“Well… When we met Takaeyama, he was a little, um, strange. I was
the one who found him,” she informed Kieran proudly. “At first, it was kind
of like the lights were on but no one was home. You know what I mean?”
“I’m not certain I do.”
“Well, it was like you’d talk to him, but he didn’t even hear you.
He just sat around, staring at stuff. He didn’t even notice when the
HeadHunters showed up the first time. He just stood there. Keisuke was going to
shoot him even, but ended up shooting Blue instead. I was really scared when
that happened.”
Kieran, who had already heard the story of the Champion’s first
encounter with the HeadHunters several times, said only,
“I see.”
“Takaeyama’s been kinda funny ever since we met. I just guessed it
must be his personality or something.”
“This is quite disturbing. What could be the matter with him?”
“I dunno, Kieran. You could ask Blue. He’s sort of Takaeyama’s best
friend. Or you could ask Yukiiae. I’m pretty sure she knows what his problem
is, but she won’t tell me.”
“Thank you, Miss Chi.”
“Don’t worry, Kieran. I’ll help take care of Takaeyama. I won’t
let Keisuke be mean to him.”
“He’s lucky to have found a friend in one such as yourself.” Kieran
smiled again.
Chieko glowed at the praise. She was very fond of Kieran. He was a really
good listener, and she found his funny, formal way of speaking endearing. She
wanted him to like her. For some reason, that had become very important to her
over the past few days.
“I wanted to say I was sorry about the other night, what Keisuke said.
It was kinda my fault.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Miss Chi. What caused Mr. Kurokawa to say
such words was no fault of yours. Sadly, I’ve heard such things said far too
many times.”
“Do you have a boyfriend, too?”
“No, Miss Chi. I do not.”
“Kieran…” Chieko said tentatively. “Is that why your mom and dad
won’t talk to Takaeyama anymore?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“But… don’t they love him anymore?”
“Please understand, Miss Chi. What Takaeyama did is rather unforgivable
in the eyes of our Clan. It’s a foul act, and it broke my parents’
hearts.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“We consider it both unnatural and ungodly.”
“I guess a lot of GelbFausts feel that way, but we don’t talk about
it. We have a saying: ‘Be it the boardroom or the bedroom, if the door is
shut, don’t bother asking’.”
Kieran didn’t say anything in reply.
“Poor Takaeyama,” said Chi softly. “He must be really lonely. First
he lost his family, then his boyfriend dumped him. No wonder he’s unhappy all
the time.”
“I do feel quite sorry for him.”
“But he has you. You’re a good brother, Kieran.”
He smiled brightly at her once again.
“And I’m going to have a big old scar,
just like a real soldier, right? At least I didn’t end up like him.” Mina
jerked her head toward Blue, who was asleep. She struggled to sit up, grunting
in pain. Keisuke reached out to help her.
“Thanks. I wonder when this damn thing will stop hurting.”
“Probably not for a while.”
“I guess I owe you my life. I really thought that guy was going to off
me.”
Keisuke shrugged.
“I’d expect you’d have done the same.”
“Yeah, but still…” She trailed off. “Anyway, did I miss anything
interesting?”
“My triumphant return to the flock,” Keisuke answered cynically.
“What do you mean?”
“I decided to report to the Council. It kept me for a day or so. Harata
is convinced I’m a traitor.”
“Doesn’t reporting to your Council kind of make you a
traitor?”
“Maybe in your small minds. My loyalty can lie in more than one
place.”
“There’s bound to be a conflict of interest somewhere along the
line.”
“I don’t see why you say that. Unless, of course, you buy Harata’s
tragic hero act.” Keisuke’s voice was bitter. “He plays the tortured loner
so well, beset on all sides by enemies. I doubt that he realizes he makes those
enemies through his own righteous pigheadedness. I wonder where he gets all
those ridiculous ideals from, anyway?”
Mina tried to shrug, but ended up wincing in pain.
“He’s so paranoid,” Keisuke went on. “Why is it that he thinks no
one wants to help, only to hinder? Look at the way he ran away from Mianuus.
There was no reason for that. Now, my own Clan grants some amnesty, and he
treats it as a ploy to throw him off his guard.”
“Is it?”
“You know as well as I do that if my Clan wanted you dead, you’d be
dead. They’d have been here days ago. How do you think I found my way to this
place?”
“I see your logic.” Mina looked Keisuke straight in the eyes. “But
surely you can understand how suspicious your actions have been. Aside from
that, you keep saying that you’re going to kill Harata.”
“I am.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t advertise. Why do you want to do that, anyway? I
mean, I know he’s a jerk and all-“
“He bound me to a Task I find repellant. I’d much rather damn the
world than save it, and so would you.” He gazed at her intensely.
“I wouldn’t go quite that far. I hate this country, I
hate all the people I’ve ever met, but the world is a big place. There’s a
lot I don’t understand about it. I’m not sure I’m ready to pull the plug
on such limited data.”
“What makes you certain that the world is any different from what
you’ve seen?”
“I’m not. I don’t know one way or the other, but without more
information, I don’t feel ready to be responsible for the deaths of so many
people.”
“You sound like Yukiiae.”
“Yukiiae? I thought she was perfectly happy with the Task.”
“On the contrary, she feels much the same as you do. Not that I blame
her. She’s seen her share of troubles. Apparently, her entire family’s been
wiped out, and there was, ah, an ‘incident’ in the Otherlands. It happened
shortly before I returned here. Highly unpleasant, but that’s the cost of
war.”
“Hm. News to me.”
“So, what have you discovered in the course of your, shall we say,
research? Seen any other worldviews that make you question your view of the
human race as a bunch of assholes?”
“Well, there’s Chieko. She seems more than content with her lot.
Perhaps she’s had a very different life than we have, full of people worth
saving.”
“Of course she’s had a ‘different life’. She’s GelbFaust. The
Upper Clans should all be happy with their lot.”
“Then how do you explain Kat? She’s miserable.”
“She’s a spoiled brat. She’s only miserable now because she wants
to go home, back to her cushy life.”
“Perhaps.”
The opening of the door interrupted the two. Kieran peered around the
room, then entered.
“Ah, Miss Moria, it’s good to see you feeling better. Your companions
were quite concerned.”
“You must be Kieran.”
“At your service. I was seeking a word with Miss Yukiiae. Do either of
you know where she might be?”
“She went to get some sleep,” Mina answered.
“I see. I shan’t disturb her then. Thank you. Forgive me for
imposing. Miss Moria, should you need anything, anything at all, please don’t
hesitate to ask.”
“Could somebody find out what happened to my glasses? I can hardly
see.”
“I shall inquire on your behalf. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He gave
a nod and one of his bright smiles, then exited the room.
“That guy is related to Takaeyama?”
“I know, seriously.”
