InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Interlude 3 - Burn ( Chapter 37 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: So many things can burn...

Chapter Rating: T.

Disclaimer: This is original content.

Author's Note: The four interludes are very important chapters. Imagine my thrill to discover a huge chunk of forgotten text TEN YEARS after I originally wrote it (july 2010). I edited in the stuff I'd been writing this last year, added some new stuff, and here we go!

Interlude 3 - Burn

a long time ago

wake

In the first moment of his life, he knew of nothing but the cold.

Rough hands had grasped his tiny body to pull him from oblivion's embrace, exposing his marble-smooth skin to the bitter air for his first awakening. A shudder wracked his small frame and he dared to crack open an eye to look around at the unfamiliar world. Brilliant light blinded him and he squeezed his eyes shut against the glare as a chilly gust of wind tore across his sensitive skin.

An uneven surface pressed hard against his forehead, and he opened his eyes again in an attempt to gaze upon the face so close to his own. He blinked once at the red-gold eyes before him as a surge of fiery magic passed directly from the rock-plated forehead of the elder fire-elemental into his own.

The rough hands settled his small body back into the warmth from which he'd been plucked, and he watched the being step back to stand beside another.

The magic triggered a sudden awareness of his surroundings, and with it came a slow trickle of knowledge - he understood that the two creatures before him were his mother and father, and they watched him with indifference as he sank back into the peaceful warmth.

understand

His consciousness drifted apart from his suspended body as time passed within the glowing red warmth of the Deep Rest, and soon, rough hands pulled him forth into the cold once more; his second awakening. The hands seemed smaller than they had been before, until he realized that he'd nearly doubled in size. He looked up at his mother in quiet curiosity as she examined his limbs and carefully dressed him in grey fabric that fastened around his waist and one leg. She stood and stared down at him, offering him no assistance as she waited for him to do the same.

He understood, even at this early age, that he was expected to learn a great many things through observation alone. He learned how to walk by watching his parents lumber around within the mountain; he learned to use his voice by listening to their seldom-spoken words.

He came to realize that his mother and father were very old, for their bodies were nearly completely covered by the same glowing rocks that had begun to form along his right arm. These rocks stood as a symbol of maturity as well as a measure of the burning energy that coursed through their spirits. Their lives revolved around the glowing red liquid that churned and flowed throughout their mountain, and he stood behind his parents and observed in silence as they hovered over the lava and performed a strange dance. His father drew his arms up his body to channel glowing trails of fire toward his mother, whose arms pulled and swayed to guide the scorching blasts of energy along the surface of the molten rock. The lava bubbled and swirled, chasing the energy as it raced toward vents leading away from their sheltered home.

His parents meant for this lesson to be the single, most important thing he would ever learn: he knew himself, and now he knew his purpose. Once their dance came to its conclusion, the pair stepped toward their only son and placed their hands upon his shoulders. His mother smiled briefly before they stepped past him toward another section of their mountain to repeat their dance.

When it came time to return to the hot liquid depths of their mountain, he felt an overwhelming exhaustion roll over him, beckoning his return to slumber. He lay back into the molten rock, and felt the quiet sense of solitude wrap around his body, as tangible as the thick red water.

As the last of his flesh disappeared beneath the roiling river of lava, he knew no more.

see

He had no awareness of the long years he slept away within the comforting embrace of the lava, until his mother pulled him back to the surface for his third awakening. As he struggled to open his eyes, his mother whispered that he would be able to bring himself from the Deep Rest in his next awakening, no longer needing to rely upon her assistance. She stood and handed him another grey cloth, which he fastened around his body as she'd demonstrated many years before. His parents moved into the familiar routine of the dance he'd watched during his last awakening, but this time he found himself burning with a great number of questions. This cavern was all he'd ever seen, and it contained nothing but the bubbling molten rock, the stony shore upon which he stood, and the immensely thick cavern walls which trapped the superheated air around them. There simply had to be more.

His mother glanced at his father and the two came to a quick, wordless agreement. His father, whose voice he'd never heard, moved closer to speak. "Son." His voice was as hard as the rocks plating his body. "You will go forth and see the land that we belong to. It is ours to mold and better, and we must always be vigilant in the needs of the earth." He nodded up at his father, wondering what might be beyond their home.

His mother's hand drifted to the right to indicate a dark rift in the stone wall that he'd not noticed before. As he moved toward the unknown, her voice drifted to his ears. "Return when the weariness comes upon you." The son nodded briefly before stepping through the narrow passageway.

His parents watched him silently before turning back to their work. The ground rumbled slightly beneath his feet as their magics flowed through the earth around them. He slid through gaps in the stone, running his fingers along the varied surfaces he came across. The air grew increasingly chill as a strangely bright light became noticeable ahead. He shivered and ran a hand over his arm, rubbing the warmer patch of rocky flesh in discomfort.

purpose

When the light grew bright enough to blind him and the cold had seemed to seep into his very core, he turned and looked longingly back down the passage toward his warm home. He didn't really want to see whatever might be out there, but he wanted to prove himself worthy of the land he belonged to.

It was his duty. He would do this right.

He stepped into the light, briefly shielding his eyes against the glare of the midday sun. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he looked at what might be seen. He considered strange colors, touched new surfaces, examined things that appeared to be alive. 'A tree.' He wasn't sure where this knowledge came from, but he accepted it and moved on to something new. 'Rabbit. Flower. Bird. Dirt. Leaf. Frog. Butterfly.'

Some things did not move and he picked them up, turning them over in his fingers, feeling strange textures and understanding that each thing had a place in the world. He touched his tongue to a stone and tasted the dirt. The flower was soft and terribly fragile, and it briefly tasted like the sweet forest air around him before it wilted into a shriveled brown crust.

Other things ran away from him. 'Fear.' He looked down at his hands. He understood their reaction, but not why. Why would anything fear him? He stepped too close to a dying bush on the path and it touched his rocky arm. The dried leaves sparked into flame within moments and soon the fire spread along the edges. He reached out for the burning energy and watched it lick up his fingers. He relished in the warmth and drew it in through his skin. The flame extinguished and he tilted his head with curiosity.

We belong to the land.

The land fears us.

We are dangerous.

He understood, but he didn't know why. Why must this be? Couldn't they belong to the land without being dangerous? Without the fear?

He walked into the forest and made certain to avoid setting anything else on fire. The magic of his home trailed behind him like a glowing path, and he knew he could not lose his way as he ventured forth.

He came upon a clearing in the woods and heard splashing and laughter. He peered through the foliage and could see some beings in the distance, playing. 'Water. Humans.' Water could be dangerous to him. He understood this, but did not know why. Humans were very afraid of his kind. He watched quietly, wondering what they had to fear, but did not approach.

The light grew dim as he explored the island and looked at all that he could find. 'Village. Farm. River. Fish.' From a large clearing he looked back toward their home, following the trail of magic with his eyes that would lead him back to his Rest. 'Mountain. Smoke.'

'Sun.' It still shone bright as it dipped low along the horizon. 'Clouds.' Clouds could be dangerous, but not this kind. He did not know why.

He continued to walk the land. Many names of things popped in his head as he examined his surroundings, but reasons behind why he should be cautious remained a mystery.

Wasn't he part of this earth? Didn't he belong to this land?

Everything was connected in some way. The sun to the plants, the earth to the animals, the water to the air. He stepped to the edge of a cliff and peered over the expanse of forest between him and his mountain. Birds burst forth from the trees in a cacophony of sounds, and he watched.

The sky darkened, and above him he could make out increasing numbers of tiny twinkling lights. These had no name that came to him. They seemed very far away and were so numerous that he sat on the cliff and considered them for a long time. Were these unknown to him because they did not matter? No purpose?

Since he'd left his mountain, he could feel faint echoes of magic rumbling beneath him as his parents did their work. He noticed the magic tapered off and then stopped entirely, and he tilted his head in interest. A bright disc of light rose slowly over the horizon, spilling cool illumination across the forest below him. The moon. This name was strange to him. He knew of this thing but it held no connection to his duties that he could tell, just another fascinating thing far out of reach.

Time passed. He watched the moon as it slowly drifted across the sky. A subtle change came over him as the moon seemed to reach its highest point in the sky, and the magic within him seemed to briefly float away, present but just out of his grasp. His arm ached as he waited, staring up at the mysterious glowing surface.

A while later, the magic began drifting back to him in pieces, and soon he felt normal once more. The moon held some significance to their lives. This seemed important.

He thought about what his duties might mean to this land, to the plants and animals that called it home.

Everything here seemed so fragile. He picked up a small rock and poked at it with his magic, watching as it glowed dimly with heat. When he squeezed, it cracked and crumbled, falling to the dry grasses and dirt below. Old leaves sparked and smoldered briefly before the heat dissipated in the cool night air. A curl of smoke tickled his nose before it drifted away, shimmering in the moonlight.

When the sun rose again, birds became noisy once more and animals that had previously run from him in fear began to go about their normal routines. If he held still, he could watch the creatures and they didn't seem to notice him anymore.

He wondered at their purpose. Why did they matter to the land?

What reason did the birds have to exist? Those insects? The moon? Did anything here truly matter? He pressed his hand to the earth and felt for the trickle of his parent's magic that extended throughout the land. It wasn't as strong here as it was within the mountain.

What was his purpose? Why did he matter?

curious

A loud rustling behind him to the left warned him something was approaching his spot. A small being burst into view with a smile on her face.

This was different. He recognized that she was one of them… an other. Not safe. He racked his thoughts for what made her dangerous. She was smaller than he was. And … there was no fear. He couldn't understand. Fear was what made others dangerous.

He surreptitiously watched as she curiously peered at things he had marveled at the day before.

He recognized her very brief moment of fear when she noticed him sitting there, but then the familiarity of fear vanished beneath the curious nature of this dangerous little being as she rushed toward him. He kept his gaze on the valley below them, watching from his peripheral. Other creatures seemed to fear him more when he moved, so he remained still. He would wait to see what she did, but his discomfort at some unknown danger made him wish she would go away. He would feel better observing from a distance.

She seemed concerned for his well being. How strange.

She wouldn't leave. Even stranger.

And then she burned herself on his arm.

Foolish.

She must be out to see the world with new eyes, as I am. She doesn't understand. I don't understand.

She liked to talk. She observed him carefully, looking over his features with open curiosity. When she asked if she could stay, he was annoyed. He hoped she wouldn't make noise and scare away the creatures again. He turned to stare out over the valley once more, wondering if he had seen everything there was to see, but his attention mostly focused on the strange girl sitting quietly beside him. He could sense she had magic, but it was nothing like his own. It felt like she might be connected to the forest around them like he was connected to the land.

How could this be dangerous?

"My name's Hananoki. What's yours?"

His name? He stared down at his hand and racked his thoughts. She was … other. But that was not her name. Everything in this land had a name designating what it was. What made this other so special that she had a name to say who she was? Didn't he have one, too? 'Son' - he was sure this was not his name.

There were too many unknowns. He needed to go home soon to question his parents. He needed to get rid of her. He should just leave. But… he needed to know. "Girl, why are you bothering me?"

Her response sounded… sad. He didn't understand sad. It was a half-formed thought that made little sense to him. She wanted something she could not have. Someone to talk to, someone to 'play' with.

He questioned her briefly. She amused him. This was also a strange thought. Amusement? The curl of her lips… she felt the same way, amused by him and her own mischievousness.

He turned back to the cliff to ponder this. What was her purpose?

He saw her scoot around his side so she could peer up into his face. "So, you must be pretty bored, sitting up here all day. What are you going to do when you're done?"

She could not be content with silence. He sighed in irritation. "I'm going to sit here until I feel like leaving."

"And then what?"

He glanced down at her, confused. "Why does it matter to you?"

"I'm just curious. Maybe you'd like to go for a walk with me in the forest?"

More unknowns. She is a danger... Isn't she? "Why would I want to do that?" He wasn't sure if he should trust her. Surely others were like humans, and they'd normally stick with their own kind. This much he knew.

"There's a lot to see in the forest." She made it sound simple. Of course he should want to go look at things with her in the forest. There was much to see in the forest. He'd seen much of it the day before.

"Girl-"

"Hana," she interrupted.

He began to feel the real stirrings of irritation at this girl's insistence. "Hana, you don't even know me. Why would you want to go walking around with a stranger?" She wants to lure me into a trap. He did not know how this could be a possibility. He paused to consider what that might mean.

"If you told me your name, then I'd know you." She was so pure. So simple. If he could forget that she was some kind of danger, he'd be able to … to …

Too many questions. He sighed again and stood, feeling his arm ache when the joins in his plating cracked apart. He hadn't realized he'd been sitting for so long. She stood as well and stared up at him with a happy smile on her face. "You'll go for a walk with me, then?"

"No." He needed to go home and ask the questions that were burning through his thoughts.

Her expression immediately fell in disappointment. He knew disappointment, and it caused more questions. "Wait, where are you going?" Her voice wavered with sadness as he stepped away from her toward the edge of the cliff.

He paused for a moment to watch her carefully. "What does it matter to you?"

He could see her eyes growing strangely wet. That was definitely dangerous. "I don't want you to go, yet. I just met you, and you want to leave already..."

He felt regret… so many questions. He turned toward the cliff edge, feeling the magic traces that would lead him back to the mountain, where he might find some answers. "Maybe I'll come back tomorrow, if you want to talk again."

He stepped off into the great expanse and found exhilaration as a rush of air flew past him. His connection to the magic of the earth cushioned his landing. He didn't understand how he knew he could do this, but it felt right.

He went straight home with hundreds of questions. His parents answered very few as they spared him little attention during their work.

He was, however, given his name. Youganryuu. He held this knowledge and turned it over and over in his mind. When would he have learned his name, had he not asked for it? His mother had felt joy when he asked her the question. This was new comprehension.

Joy.

Hana seemed like much joy. He made his way back to their cliff, then followed her bright trail through the darkening forest. Her traces of magic sang to him like the birds, but quietly and far less annoying.

He stood some distance from where he could sense she slept, watching the strange home under the large tree where her family lived. He could hear talking between the others that made up her family. He pressed his hand to the earth and listened to the words they spoke. Of fruits that had been gathered that day, and work in the village to repair a home, and their mischievous daughter that had snuck off to play. These others spoke much more than his parents did, but much of it mattered little to him. Silence and darkness fell on the strange home, and soon the inhabitants slept just like the creatures in the forest. Just like he would soon in the recesses of the mountain.

But for now, he watched, curious. He watched when the sun began to lighten the horizon once more, and Hana's father slipped quietly from the home to head off into the woods for the day. He could sense when the youngest had woken. Her magic lit up the area, and the forest around him smelled more alive. There was a brief commotion as her mother failed to contain the young girl, and she sped from the home with two strange things clutched in her small hands. He watched for a moment longer as her mother stepped from the home and stared after her running daughter, the look of fear on her face. She stood there for some time. He wondered if she would follow the wayward girl.

When she turned to go back inside, he slipped into the forest to find Hana at their cliff.

play

She was very kind and fearless, and they were very interested about one another.

He was glad that he had a name he could give her when she asked again.

She talked a lot and he learned meanings for many new words, and he learned how to play.

She proved to be very good at hiding herself in the forest, trailing her magic in crisscrossing patterns so that everything felt like her. He learned her patterns and her giggles and the rustling sound her tail made when she couldn't hide her amusement.

They chased and played for the entire day until the light began to fade into evening. He could feel the magic of the earth calling him home. His time of Rest was coming soon.

When he told her he wouldn't be back for a long time, he saw the fear in her eyes. She was so sad. He told her he'd be back some day, and then they could play again. The dangerous liquids gathered in her eyes and slipped over her cheeks. They played until night fell and they could hear her mother calling her home once more.

As he walked with her toward her strange home under the tree, he thought about his strange home under the mountain. He and she were so different. But were they, really? Their hair and eyes were different colors. He had stripes, she had a tail. His magic was for the land, and hers was for the forest. But they had held hands. Spoken and laughed under the midday sun. Tasted the sweet flesh of fruit and played in the forests together.

His arm glowed with fire, and she glowed with joy.

cold

His next emergence from the Deep Rest was more unsettling than those before. The air within the spacious domed cavern had been heated through exposure to the molten rock, but still he felt chilled to his core as the warmth struggled against a freeze gripping the earth. Tiny eddies of cooled air swept into their sanctuary, snapping against his skin in icy currents, numbing his arm as the joins in his plating tried to solidify. He twisted and bent the limb, wincing as the stone cracked along the fissures and sent jarring pain lancing up his arm.

His mother met him as he emerged. "Our awakening has come during the Cold. Within the hollow rock at the base of the tall tree is something that will protect you."

He nodded in understanding and made his way out into the brightness once more. He shivered uncontrollably, making his way carefully to the hidden spot. The wrappings he found tingled with old magic, and they hummed against his skin as he tied them into place. They banished the chill and he finally relaxed, flexing his limb carefully as his body warmed.

She had been coming back to the cliff every day since he'd left. Her welcoming embrace was unexpected but pleasant.

Eight days to play together. Whispers about dreams. Regret about long years apart.

His farewell embrace came too soon.

control

He returned again. He would always return to her. Her greeting felt strange, as though something in her thoughts had changed as she grew older. It mattered little. He would learn and understand. They had more knowledge to share.

Ryuu brought Hana to the northern shoreline to see the red water's slow trek to the ocean. "Here is where my parents are working to make the island bigger. There is so much of this," and he reached out to scoop up a handful of molten rock in his bare hand. They watched it slide through his fingers to plop back into the cooling edge of the flow.

"It moves slowly within our mountain, and it runs deeper than the deepest oceans. Sometimes there is too much for the mountain to contain and it comes out too fast for us to control." They turned to look at the dark expanse of mountain rising into the clouds above. The edge of a crater was barely visible along one side, and it opened toward where an old village had once been.

"My mother told me a story of the last time the red water grew beyond their control. It would no longer follow their instructions and leapt from this side of the land." He gestured at the old damage, now overgrown with huge patches of forest and brush. "Everything fell out of balance and much of our land was in danger at that time. None of the rivers or lakes could stop the fire from spreading. My mother was unable to do anything because she was making me, but father slowed the damage and used his magic to push the red water into the ocean so it could be quenched in the cold. Many lives were lost, and the land has not forgotten its fear of fire."

"I'm not afraid of you," Hana said with a small smile, looking up into his face.

Before, he couldn't understand why she didn't fear his fire.

Time had forged new bonds between those too young to know the pain of loss.

Their friendship had led to acceptance of their differences and new understandings that the unknown is not always to be feared.

magic

He learned that her duty to the land was to encourage life through all manners of green things. The green things fed the animals, and their roots held the earth firm so the wind and waters could not wash it away.

Plants feared him though, and he wished to understand if they could be nudged away from their fear.

Hana's efforts to encourage the plant to accept him went awry. As her life magic trickled into him, he could sense its presence, and felt his own magic slide into her skin as a counterbalance, a trade. She became warm to the touch, and the air around them seemed less chilly than before. The plants shrank from them both in fear. He could read the sadness in her gaze when she turned to him with questions in her eyes.

The exchange between them made her curious. Her fingertips roamed fearlessly through the burning joins along his arm and leg, and his eyes slid shut in pleasure. Other new things quickly came to mind, and she tried to bring him home with her to grab some fruit to sate curiosity further, but he kept his distance from her tree, suspicious and cautious of the mother.

She returned quickly with her treats and together they ran to the cliff. He took her into his arms and leapt from the edge with her, and he reveled in her thrill at the plunge over the edge, in how she clung to him and buried her face against his skin. They laughed and ran and he watched, amused with her newfound curiosity as she explored his normal. They touched and experienced the balance between them, and he thought she was beautiful in her joy.

fear

When they parted for the night so she could go home to her parents, he took up a spot to sit and listened through the earth. He would never forget the fear on the mother's face.

The discussions were mild and boring, but there was a tense strangeness to the household after Hana went to sleep. It grew in small whispers and long periods of silence until it became enough to drag his friend from her rest. He could feel the vibrations of her silent footsteps as she moved across her room in the otherwise still of night. The sparkling presence of his magic drew his gaze through the walls of her strange home beneath the tree.

"This dalliance with that monster is a travesty against our kind!" her father hissed angrily. Ryuu tilted his head in confusion at the unfamiliar words, but the father's emotions could be felt through the earth. Fear. Anger.

And he felt the duty lacing her mother's next words, "Such steps are necessary." He watched, concerned at the disturbing tones.

The sparkle of fire magic moved again, and he followed it with his gaze until it stopped once more. He heard the vibration of her voice speaking his name, and he wanted very much to steal her away from her home to spend the long, quiet hours of evening with him.

rain

He hadn't been paying attention, so he missed when she awoke the next morning. She made haste to rejoin him, and they fled together into the forest, breathless and giggling as she tried to tickle him as he did her. He wanted to pull her closer. Something drew him to her.

They played in the woods until the first droplet of water sizzled against his skin. He looked up.

Rain. Dangerous. If it was more than a little.

It was.

They ran for cover, but not fast enough. The heat seeped out of him so quickly, it felt like he'd been dumped in the Cold under a full moon without his wraps.

This was different. Wrong. His energy failed him, like he needed to return to Rest. Hana tried to shake him awake. She was warm, but not warm enough. This rain might actually kill him. Death was something he understood. Would death be like the Rest? Nothing?

She sounded so scared.

He tried to explain, but he had trouble forming his thoughts.

He couldn't sense the way home, anymore.

Would his parents miss him?

Hana would miss him.

Hana….

Hana held her to him so tightly, curled around his shuddering body. He couldn't feel fear of the unknown with her there.

Her magic trickled through his back, filling the voids in his spirit. The chill faded and he sighed into the skin of her neck, relaxing into the soft pleasure of her warmth.

His awareness faded.

Colors danced. The soft sounds of laughter. A press of lips against his own. Sweet fruits and the splash of water. Glowing green eyes and a joyous smile. Hands clasped, rain fell, water kills…

He gasped, jerking awake and trying to orient himself in the confusion. What had he just seen? What was that experience? Had he died? Had she died? He stared down at her, eyes wide, horrified that she'd given too much of herself and had doomed them both. She looked as shocked as he felt.

Her mouth moved, and he thought she might be saying something, but he could not hear over the roaring in his head. Her hands found his face and the ringing faded. She was warm, the same temperature as him. Or was he just as cold as she was, now?

He realized he was squashing her and scrambled to give her space.

He reveled in the overwhelming surge of her energy within him.

Her life magic danced with his fire magic. He wanted to stay In the circle of her arms forever.

Her joy washed through him as she realized he'd be okay. She was so relieved to see he was alright, but concern shadowed her joy. Her parents would be worried. They'd been away for too long. Days. Neither wanted to leave.

He walked her home and kept his distance again, watching and listening to her mother and father. Hana explained what had happened with the rain, and he was surprised at the timbre of their reactions.

Relief, satisfaction, joy?

Those reactions rang hollow, false, and wrong.

He wasn't sure why.

After bidding her parents goodnight, Hana crept to the opening in her wall and peered out at him through the darkness. Her eyes glowed for a long time that night as they watched one another.

more

Concerned about how the rain had affected him, he considered that night that he should probably go back to the mountain, in case his magic began to fade for the Rest.

Her magic coursed through him, nearly drowning out the sense of the trickling trail that would lead him back home.

When she woke with the sun the next morning, she ran into his arms and together they found somewhere far away to sit alone together in the quiet.

He curled himself around her, at peace. They spoke of everything. They spoke of nothing. They did not part until the sun set again.

He was reluctant to leave, but she understood his worry. He felt the warmth of her care flowing through him, and it felt perfectly natural to press his lips to hers in sweet farewell. It felt perfectly natural that she would watch him leave and wish he could stay forever.

The wait for his Rest to come upon him was maddeningly long.

Not two days, when his mother and father returned to their Rest.

Not ten days, as he wondered if he could leave his mountain for a few more stolen moments with her.

Thirty days. He was right to wait near safety, for the Rest came upon him without warning.

Something had shifted in his magic. Hana had happened to him. As his consciousness slipped away, he dreamt of her. He knew her in the void. Echoes of her life filtered through to him, filling his nothing with something.

When he awoke from the Rest, he could think of nothing but her. Her magic had twined with his own, warming his heart His pathway home led straight to her. She dozed in a warm patch of sunlight, her face shaded. He crept close, plucking a long blade of grass from his side as he approached. He brushed the grass along her to rouse her from sleep, but when she didn't quite stir, he gave in to the urge to touch her and used a fingertip across her skin.

She awoke, and his name on her lips was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. She threw her arms around him, and it felt right to kiss her again.

It felt right to taste her lips.

It felt right to meld their mouths together when she gasped in surprise. His magic rose within him during that brief moment, and he knew what must be.

He explained his idea that they could be together, forever. Never again separate for years on end. She glowed with her joy. She burned with her hope. Their lips met halfway in another kiss, and their magic swelled between them.

He wanted to hold her to him and explore where this might lead at that very moment.

But he knew. If they traded as equals, they would share as equals.

When they'd traded and he'd been on the verge of death, her magic filled them both.

If they waited until the light of the moon when his magic was out of reach, it could be so much more.

She understood. Her excitement and anticipation grew. They whispered plans for their future. They kissed. They touched. They prepared for whatever might happen the next night.

She wanted to do things right. She wanted advice from her loved ones who had so much more experience than her. He warned her away from speaking to her mother and father. Something was concerning with the way they behaved. He hoped one of her sisters might be a safe choice to ask her questions.

She came back some time later, blushing and happy, with confidence that had been missing before. They spoke until she grew sleepy, then they curled into each others' arms as she dozed off. He watched her sleep, content. He gently traced the features of her face with a fingertip, dropping hints of his magic within her, feeling hers rise up to join with him.

When she woke, they spoke little and kissed more, moving gently against one another with their bodies and magic. Gentle touches, kisses, fingertips on arms and necks and lips. More would happen this evening, but they strengthened their connection with every sweet embrace and happy sigh.

The sun began to set. Their time grew close. She'd been asked to come for one last moment with her sister, something important. He felt her reluctance. He almost didn't let her go. They didn't need anything else from anyone. They could figure it out on their own. They had forever together ahead of them.

Another kiss and a laugh, and she pulled away from his arms. She would return soon. He curled into their secret nest and luxuriated in the feeling of her joy and excitement to return to him.

He watched her magic sparkle in her wake throughout the forest as she skipped back to her sister.

He frowned in concern at her sudden sense of dread.

He sat up at her shocked surprise.

He stood at her angry disbelief.

He sprinted headlong into the forest at the burst of phantom pain.

Her magic sang within him, and no matter how many turns she'd taken or how far she'd traveled, he'd be able to find her.

Anywhere.

Only…

He slowed to a stop at the edge of the ocean. A dark smudge could be seen in the distance, bobbing against the horizon. Hana…

He could not follow her across this water.

moon

The moon rose early that evening.

Worried, he paced the shore, trying to force his mind to come up with a solution to get to her. He couldn't risk the water. He could… maybe travel through the mountain. There were superheated passages of molten rock all throughout the land, and he'd be able to make it across any body of water by simply going under.

He sensed when she awoke.

Unease. Disbelief. Fear.

He nearly went mad with despair that he couldn't reach her and take her away from whatever would dare to hurt her.

Fear. Fear. Fear.

He fell into her fear.

The moon had risen early.

His fire magic floated away, just out of reach. The ache was less pronounced this time, with Hana's magic still flooding his body. The fear became more pronounced. He realized there could be danger here. He turned and stared back at the mountain he'd called home.

He couldn't reach her until after she made it to dry land. She would have to wait for him.

The fire magic remained just out of reach, but he could find home without it.

He ran, his flames dim.

He ran, and the forest reached out with tenuous fingers. The daughter of the forest had gone, and her magic sang from him.

He ran, toes digging into the soil as he flew through the night toward home.

The time of weakness passed, and his fire magic swelled in its return, stronger than it had before.

More than just his magic.

His mother's magic flowed through him with sadness and her strange version of love.

His father's magic swept through him, thundering with pride yet muted with despair.

His running faltered in surprise, but he pushed forward, leaping high over the rocks and hills and slopes to reach the well-worn clearing where his mother and father had enjoyed sitting to stare up at the full moon.

The magic within the mountain churned, growing restless. He felt it heave, uncontrolled.

When he landed amidst the steaming rubble, he couldn't understand what was before his eyes. Chunks of rock were strewn across the clearing. Large pieces, small pieces, pebbles in a variety of colors. The ground was damp, but there had been no clouds in the sky for rain. A foreign, deadly magic saturated the earth here. Not of the forest people, but of those that lived in the cool rivers that wound across the island. One of Hana's sisters had mated a water elemental.

The angle of one rock changed as he stepped forward, and he recognized his mother's face.

The magics within his home raged out of control. He ignored it. He stared down in confusion at the broken beauty of her face. What he felt for his mother and father were insignificantly small in comparison to what he felt for Hana, but this was wrong.

He stepped to the edge of the cliff and stared down into the darkness below. They had known when to strike. Hana had told them too much, and he'd been right to be wary of them. How had they found his parents?

He felt nothing when the mountain burst free from its careful confinement. Burning red fluids erupted fiercely from the fissures, spilling out into the cool night air. He felt the magic of the fire as it flowed past, faster and faster. He could stop the destruction. He could contain its madness and spare their lives.

But they had taken her from him.

They had taken his parents from him.

He watched as it flowed. He moved his attention to the grove where Hana's strange home had been. The flow followed his gaze and rolled into the trees, taking everything with it and setting the rest on fire. He flicked his fingers, and an offshoot of the magma rushed toward the water elemental's homes in the deep pools sheltered by cliffs.

A burst of steam flew into the night sky.

Screams.

He watched it all burn.

Her magic still sang to him.

They would be reunited, again.

Soon.