Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Cross ❯ Annoyance, Fluff and the White Feathered Devil ( Chapter 11 )

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

Stuff happends. It's all good.

Umi and her "guest" spend some quality time together. But that's not necessarily a good thing. ^_^ What's this? What's this? Lantis is reading mythologies? And what's the deal with the organization? Will all of these questions be answered? Only time will tell.

Anime/Manga: Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Fantasy / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Sci-fi | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.19.2002 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 330 | Status: Completed

Note: Umiushi-to my understanding- means Sea slug.

-Wakarimasen- I don't understand

-Todaima- I'm home

-Minna-san -everyone

Remember that for later on in this chapter. If you any of these translations are incorrect, staple my foot with a nail gun and correct me. But I'm pretty sure they're right.

"Hello, Mark," Barbara said.

"Hi. How are you doing today?"

"Fairly well. Would you like to go out tonight to the movies?"

Tap, tap, tap.

Umi looked up from her English homework in agitation. "What? What do you want?"

"Oh? What makes you think I want anything?" Maxwell replied with a menacing smile on his face. "I'm just waiting till the dye in my hair is ready to be rinsed out." It had been nearly a week since he'd arrived and already the roots of his hair were starting to show his natural hair colour, so he'd decided to re-dye it, shinning silver before he would begin school next week.

"Well do you have to sit in here? The smell of that dye is distracting me from my studies." Umi stated as she looked up from her the textbooks and handouts sprawled all over the table.

Maxwell looked over at her papers and noticed the one with English writing all over it. He picked it up and read over it. "This-This is your homework? Reading this lame ass, boring story that has no point?"

She snatched it back from him. "Well excuse me. I'm not the one who's been living in North America for the past ten years!"

"Well, if you really want, I could always help you Umi-chan." He said in a 'know it all', arrogant tone.

"I don't need any sort of help from you. And you aren't allowed to call me "chan", you lost that right ten years ago."

"Oh, then perhaps you'd rather me call you-what was that Old Nick name of yours?"

"Don't-"

"Umiushi."

The water knight's cheeks turned a crimson colour, her eyebrows twitched in annoyance. In a low calm voice she ordered, "don't call me that." She hated the age-old nickname she'd been given since she was but only six. It was one of Maxwell's many going away presents and it had only been since the start of junior high a few years ago, that she was able to drop it completely. "If you ever call me that at school I'll-"

"What? Umiushi? I think it suits you."

"Shut up!"

"Umiushi!"

Suddenly she jumped up from her seat, knocking her chair to the floor. Her eyes were like ice and her fists were clenched tightly. "GET OUT!"

He seemed unaffected. "My, my, someone has a short temper. And here all I was trying to do was help you out, Umi-"

"Say it and I'll ram this bottle of water down your throat!" she said picking up the half drunken bottle of water she'd been drinking earlier at school that day.

"That's no way to treat our guest Umi." Her mother scolded from the living room.

"Argh! He's not our guest!" She muttered to herself, "he's-he's an inconvenience."

Maxwell heard. "I'm still your guest," he leaned in across the table, propped his elbows up and rested his chin on his hands, "you sure you don't want me to help you babe?"

"Are you going to be as annoying as you've been this past week, for the rest of your stay?"

"When you get over the past, get over that little incident involving your stupid hair, let bygones be bygones and stop referring to me as "the Jerk", I'll stop teasing you. How does that sound?"

She leaned in close to his face "Drop dead. And hello? Little hair incident, how dare you! Just who do you think you are?"

"Unfortunately, your fiancée," and then his hand reached behind her head and pressed his lips against hers.

She was caught off guard for a moment then pushed away and slapped him across the face. "What the?! Why the hell'd you do that?!" she tried to rub the taste of him off her lips.

"Felt like the thing to do," he said smugly as he rubbed the side of his face. He smiled in victory.

Without thinking, Umi suddenly yelled out, "Icicle Blades!" as one of her arms shot forward.

He stared at her blankly a moment then began laughing, "and just what was that? Some sort of Sailor moon attack?"

Oh I feel lame. If the planet decided to open up and swallow me right now, I wouldn't show much resistance…' Unsure of what to do, she did the only thing that came to mind; she hit him over the head with her textbook.

"owww…" He clutched his head in agony.

"I'm going to my room. You are so lucky I have homework to finish; otherwise I'd kill you. But if you dare try to sneak in you little pervert, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

"These actions of yours wouldn't happen to involve little imaginary icicle swords would they?" he mocked.

"Shut up!"

"Or what?"

"I'll kick your ass and make you eat mud like when we were little."

That quieted him down. He looked away, embarrassed by the memory.

Umi gathered up her homework and began to leave.

He couldn't leave things like that. He had to get in one last shot. He just couldn't let her walk off in triumph. "By the way." He began. Trying his best to sound casual, "I was thinking of asking that cute little red headed number out Umiushi-"

"Argh!!!" She screamed. He didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence before she'd stomped off out of the room.

Reaching her room, she pulled open the door, barged in then slammed it closed. "Stupid Jerk," she muttered as she walked over to her desk dropping everything held in her arms onto it. Unfortunately, half her stuff had been improperly balanced and slid off the desk and plummeted towards her feet. She yelped and jumped back and began hopping on her one foot as she held the other and tried to message the sore spot. After a few moments of this a thought came to her and she hopped over to her bed and sat down. She pulled back her sock and examined her foot; it was red and swelling and she desperately wanted ice to soothe the pain, but to get to her freezer she'd have to go back and deal with him so she motioned to head over to the washroom connected to her room. Before going in, she decided to pick up her mess, after gathering it up and placing it properly on her cluttered desk-so as that they wouldn't fall off again-she just happened to look down at the last item she'd picked up and what she saw startled her. "What the…" The last thing she picked up was her water bottle; she inspected it very carefully. Impossible. How did the water freeze to solid ice…how…did I…?

* * *

"It's no good…" Hikaru stated as she tossed from her side onto her back, "I just can't fall asleep…" Pushing back her futon bed's covers, she sat up stretched slightly then stood up and left her room. While aimlessly wandering the hallway she spotted a dim light radiating through her youngest brother's room. Slowly and quietly she peered in through the half open door into his room, and found him slouched over on his desk. "Kakeru, are you awake still?" her only response was a muffled snore.

Sliding back the door she entered the room and went directly to the closet, and pulled out Kakeru's folded futon. She set it on the floor and then retrieved a few sheets and covers, quickly made his bed, and went back over to his sleeping form. "Now here's the tricky part." She thought to herself as she debated how to get her brother from the rather uncomfortable sleeping position he was in, over to his bed.

"Let's see…" First she lightly grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back so that he was sleeping up against the back of his chair. Then she tidied his desk, which was cluttered with his books on electronics and electricity. Unfortunately before she could catch her brother, his body leaded forward and his forehead smacked against the hard wooden desk. "Oh shoot! Gomen ne!" But he just kept sleeping. "He's going to feel that in the morning," she stated aloud. But it's his own fault for being so insistent on getting a desk for his room…

She pulled him back up again and looked over his forehead where the bruise was forming before she attempted to pick him up. She ended up slinging his one arm around her shoulders as she held his other arm and tried to guide the sleeping young man to his bed. He's heavier than he looks… she thought as she finally made it over to his bed. Within a minute, she'd somewhat tucked him into bed and now she stood upright and tried to stretch herself out. "I think I pulled something…" And then she noticed the back of her hand had somehow become covered in Kakeru's saliva. A look of disgust washed over her face and she decided to go off and wash her hands. "Good night Kakeru." She whispered then slid his door shut, and preceded to go off and wash her hands.

After quickly washing her hands, she was going to head towards the back of her house, outside so that she could speak with Hikari but instead, ended up going into the living room when she heard movement within that particular room.

"It's a little late to be up and roaming about is it not?" Lantis asked as he quietly sat reading a book he must have found lying around in the house.

"I couldn't sleep." She said as she walked into the room. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead." He flipped the page and continued on for a few minutes. She watched him. His eyes were fixated on what he was reading and it was obvious that he was really in to it. "Sorry."

Her head perked up. "For what?"

He closed the book and set it down on the table. "It was rude to keep reading."

"Oh! No, that's all right. I don't mind. What book were you reading anyway?" She brushed her hand over the cover and read the title. "World mythologies? Ah, one of Masaru's books."

"There are a few interesting stories in there." The swordsmen said as he leaned back into the cushion of the couch.

Hikaru flipped through a few pages. "How far have you read up to?"

"Just began reading Norse."

"Hmmm… yeah, Norse is interesting. I remember when Masaru first got this book; he kept reading the different mythologies to me. I really liked The Dream time."

"Dream time?"

"Yeah, it's on page 46 I think." He picked up the book and flipped through the pages.

After reading the first paragraph, he asked, "Is there something I could use as a book mark?"

Hikaru looked around. "Just bend the corner of the page, I'm sure Masaru wont mind."

"Is there any truth to these stories?" he questioned after placing the book back on the table.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows. So how've you been adjusting to life on earth? I haven't been able to talk with you much this week. I've been either running around trying to finish my chores or busily trying to finish my homework."

"You're having problems with your school work?"

"A little."

"Why haven't you asked for help?"

"I don't need help. I need to focus on my school work."

"Wakarimasen."

"Well… I guess I'm just finding school boring is all," she said tiredly. She too leaned back into the cushion of the couch.

"Oh?" He raised a brow and looked down at her questionably. "Are you not allowed to stop going to school? If you're bored there, why stay?"

"Now that I'm sixteen, I could legally drop out but… my brothers wouldn't like that." Since the events with Cephiro, she'd sort of lost interest in schooling. Granted she still wanted to become a veterinarian, which would require schooling, but it wasn't her life's ambition. To her it now felt more like a hobby she might want to do later on down the road. She couldn't see herself as being a vet anymore. In all honesty she'd sort of lost interest in earth-though she hid it well. Cephiro was where she wanted to be. That was understandable wasn't it? She had become its Pillar and so she was connected with it on a very personal level. Not to mention she was also one of its three guardians. Was it so wrong to want to be there? The only things that had kept her back were her brothers and a lack of knowledge on how to return…

Lantis smiled. "So you waste your time confined within a building you've no interest in just to please others…"

"Well it's not quite like, that. I mean it's not all bad. Besides, it beats doing nothing. Sometimes it's fun. The kendo club is fun... Biology and…um… lunch…" She thought for a moment. Actually those really were the only things she liked about her school-aside from her friends. "Well at least I don't have to take music anymore."

"You don't like music?" he questioned, slightly surprised. How could anyone not like music? Even he liked music-well… not the overly upbeat kind but still…

"It's not that I don't like music, it's just that we don't mix very well together and I'm not very good in the subject."

"I see." The Kailu stretched and turned to face her better, crossing the ankle of his right leg over his left knee and wrapping his hands around that leg to keep it in place. "So then, what would you do if you were no longer in school?"

"I probably help Satoru nii-sama out with running the dojo. Get a job to contribute to household expenses… Not do much else than that."

"Sounds like what I'm doing only with out the job thing."

With that the young Japanese girl began to giggle which then burst into a quiet laughter. Leaving Lantis with a confused look on his face, which only made her, laugh more.

"What's so funny?"

She calmed herself. "You're acting different than usual."

"Am I?" He didn't think he was.

"Yeah. Usually you're very aloof and quiet. Frequently unemotional and at times you seem very distressed."

"I am?" He asked, as though he honestly had no idea that that was how many perceived him as.

She nodded.

"I'm sorry."

She wasn't sure what to make of his apology so she moved onto the next subject. "I think now that you're feeling better, Masaru and Kakeru are going to try to challenge you."

"You're probably right Kakeru's already made mention of a one on one match. Guess I'll have to work out the scoring."

"Oh, that's easy. I can help with that. All I want to say is, my brothers are pretty good-"

"So I should be careful when I face them?"

She scratched the back of her head, "Um, actually, I was going to ask that you take it easy on them. They're good but not that good…"

She yawned and let out a light sigh as she snuggled against his shoulder. He stiffened at the sudden action. Hikaru sensed his uneasiness and that's when she realized what she was doing. Instantly she bolted up away from him. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking."

Surprisingly he seemed a little hurt. "You don't want to lean against me?"

"No! No I mean yes. I mean. I don't know what I mean." Her heart rate sped a little and she wasn't sure what to do.

He looked at her a moment and debated something with himself, then his left arm he moved forward slightly, wrapping around her thin waist and pulling her towards him. Her upper half now rested on his chest and her right leg overlapped his left. "I don't mind. You just caught me off guard…"

Her cheeks burned crimson and she tilted her head downwards, burrowing her face within his shirt and taking in his scent. She was feeling that strange tingly feeling again.

"I'm not very good at this." She heard him state, but it was more like he was talking to himself than to her.

"At what?"

"Being close…" He loosened his grip on her.

"It's kinda scary," she admitted.

"Yeah." His fingers idly played with the odd strand of hair. His breathing was deeper than it had been. For quite some time, the two of them merely sat there. Enjoying each others company and wonder what they were supposed to do next. The silence was noticeable, yet not awkward. It was actually quite soothing.

She squirmed and moved a little and looked up at him. She'd never have pegged him as one to blush, but the sudden rose colour on his normally pale face told her otherwise. One of her hands slowly crept up his chest and hesitantly rested around the nape of his neck, as though she were afraid he would abruptly push her away. In reassurance his right arm gently held her mid back while his other stayed at her waist. Her free hand came to stroke his jaw line and ran over the bit of stubble growing on his face.

For a moment he leant his forehead against hers. "I'd like to kiss you now." She nodded and he lightly brushed his lips against hers. She smiled slightly and kissed him back in the same fashion.

"Todaima!" Masaru called out as he and Satoru entered the house.

Instantly Hikaru was at the other end of the couch with Lantis unsure of what to say or do. One moment he was being straddled by the young woman he was in love with, the next…

"Oh, hey, Hikaru-chan what are you doing up so late?" Masaru questioned passing by the living room he yawned while doing so.

"Nothing! I mean I couldn't sleep!" she said in a high voice. Satoru had stopped at the living room's entrance and shifted his eyes from Lantis to his baby sister. He made note her actions and Lantis' lack of. His eyes narrowed.

"Okay. 'Night minna-san." Masaru yawned and then headed off to his room.

"I should go to bed too." And with that, the little red head whizzed by Satoru as quickly as she could and headed off to her bed.

Which left Lantis and Satoru staring unreadable stares at each one other.

The eldest Shidou brother was unsure of what to make of what he walked in on-or rather, what he thought he'd walked in on. He wasn't angry, or upset in the least. He was a bit perturbed and the protective older brother in him told him to take action, but he also felt no particular desire to do anything so he simply said after a moment, "good night." Then followed in his sibling's footsteps.

* * *

I can do this. Sakuya had told himself as he stood at the foot of an apartment complex much like his own. He'd been trailing a man who'd had an aura signature unlike those of this planet and watched him head into the lobby. Part of his training had been to feel out the general energy pattern of a planet's people and the ones whom had signatures unlike those born of that particular world- those who's aura's differed were "targets" that he was supposed to take out, along with the head he'd personally lain claim on. He wasn't exactly sure why but it was something to do with rival organizations or potential threats to them. Something like, that-as if he cared. All he wanted was to avenge his parents and get Umi out of her Organization that he was associated with and away from that man who was always around her. He neither liked nor trusted the blond haired man, but Umi had for some reason held an indissoluble bond with the man and said that she'd stay by that man's side until he'd achieved his goals. So by allowing himself to be used by the Organization, he'd at least get two things that he want which he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. One: his revenge and two, his beloved sister-figure: Umi.

He took in a deep breath and thought over his plan. He'd have to get in and out of there relatively quickly if he wasn't going to get caught. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that he couldn't shake and realized that it was because this was going to be his first time…

Don't think about it. He told him self and took the first step.

He paused for a moment and tried to get a lock on the man's energy. He felt it remotely and looked in that direction. He saw the man just as the elevator doors closed. Sakuya took note of what floor he was going to get off: seven. Damn it. Luckily there was another elevator at the other end of the lobby for going up and he quickly moved towards it. Stepping inside, he pressed floor seven and now it was a matter of waiting.

How to get into the room? How to keep the man from screaming out? A thought occurred to him, and that's when the doors opened to reveal the seventh floor. He darted quickly over to where he felt his target's aura and saw that the man had only now just stepped into his apartment. As quietly as he could he dashed to the door and slid his fingers between the door and it's way. He sucked in a grunt of pain as his fingers throbbed and pulled open the door slightly. He crept in and shut the door behind him.

The room was dimly lit and from what he could tell, the man he'd been after was currently in the washroom fore he could hear the flow of running water. Silently, without making any noise at all -just as he'd been taught- he walked over to the hall and stood behind the wall. He waited.

The water stopped and the sound of a door sliding back sounded. As the man came near Sakuya, he waited for the man to pass by him and the held his hands together. He knocked the man in the back of his head in one swift movement. He went down in one hit and he was out cold.

The man awoke to a rather harsh slap across the face. His head throbbed and he felt constricted. It took a moment but he realized that he was bound tightly to one of his kitchen chairs. Without thinking he struggled to no avail to free himself. He grunted and noticed the teen in front of him.

The young man was idly fumbled through his wallet, going through his credit cards, identification, and all other personal information he had in there.

"Well that proved useless." He said. He closed the wallet and threw it onto the man's lap. He then covered the short distance between them and bent over, leaning into him. "I guess I'll have to force it out of you."

"Force what out of me? Who are you? What do you want?"

"I want information about who you're working for."

"I- you must have me mistaken for somebody else, I'm a banker, I-"

"I mean information about your organization!" He said in annoyance.

The man's eyes went wide but he said nothing.

"You don't want to talk with me?" he asked calmly then in a quick movement punched him in the mid section. He watched the man bend over as far as he could in his current state of bondage and cracked his knuckles. "I guess I'll have to get you to open up." Sakuya held one of the man's hands and with almost a completely unemotional, expression; he slowly began to bend one of the man's fingers back. The finger broke and the man cried out in pain.

"I've been trained to get what I want through any means possible. This is my first time actually torturing someone," he began as he stood. First he walked over to the stereo and turned it on. It sounded to him like the music that of a radio drama which began to play. He walked back over and grabbed -what looked like a potential gag and a small knife, which had been resting on the counter. He walked back over to the man and went down on his knees first tightening the restraints and then readying the gag. "So let me know if I'm doing this wrong."

Slowly Sakuya raised the knife up to the side of the man's cheek. He pulled back the locks of blue that cover half of his face. "Do you know how I got this scar?" the blade gently ran along the man's features, "I was battling a Swordsmen from one of the Cephiros."

"You-you've been to one of-"

Slash. For a few seconds there was no indication of even a scratch, and then the skin began to split. Blood formed and began to run down his face.

"I didn't say you could talk yet."

There was silence.

"How many are there?"

"How many are what?" as soon as the worlds left his mouth, he instantly regretted it. He tightly shut his eyes and winced, expecting another harsh gash to appear.

"Cephiros. How many are there?"

"S-seven according to our sources." A bead of sweet trickled down his face and he was beginning to feel faint but dared not to pass out again. Who knew what this psycho-kid would do?

"I see. And your position?"

"R-reconnaissance."

Sakuya thought a moment frowned and then jammed the knife into the man's left thigh. Again a scream, "You're supposed to refuse to answer my questions."

The man was currently in far too much pain to respond. So the young man continued. "I'm supposed to question you. You're supposed to play dumb then I'm supposed to torture you. Isn't that how this game is played?"

"You think this is a game!?" The man spat.

Sakuya smiled. "That's correct. This is a game to me but right now, you're proving to be not all that entertaining."

The man gulped in fear, then hissed in pain.

"I'm becoming bored with you." Sakuya stood up, he grinned and all that could be heard over the soft music now playing were the tortured screams of a dieing man.

That had happened several days ago.

The annoying, repetitive sound of his alarm clock blared in his ears, forcing him to stir. Wearily, Sakuya rolled over and looked over to his nightstand to find the bright red numbers flash from seven o'clock to seven o' one. He groaned and was about to get up when he remembered that there was no school today. So instead, he hit the snooze button and rolled back over. He heard the faint cry of a bird off in the distance. A moment later he felt a chill and figured he must have left his balcony door, open a crack. Then he felt a sinking feeling that he'd become all too familiar with.

Sitting up he was not surprised in the least at who stood before him. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"I was board," The man began. His eyes watched Sakuya stand up and gather some clothing for him to change into. "So I decided to come and visit with one of my favorite pawns."

He clenched his teeth. It was bad enough that he knew he was Eagles pawn. The man really didn't have to come and throw it in his face. "Without the protective company of your lap dog?" He glared icily towards the blond.

"Now, now. How would Umi feel if she heard you refer to hear like that?" Eagle calmly questioned as he made his way over where Sakuya was. "And just why would I need a lap dog when I have a cute little puppy like you who'll do as I command."

That set him off. The gathered clothing fell to the carpet floor and with lightning quick speed he slammed Eagle up against a wall. His rage was barely controllable. His hands shook fiercely as he tightly held the delicate material of Eagle's outfit. "Don't mess with me!"

Eagle simply smiled under the young man's hold, "No look what you've done. You've wrinkled my outfit." He expression now mirrored malice as he easily overpowered the blue haired man in one swift motion. Before Sakuya knew what was happening, the floor underneath him fell away and he fell back. His wrists were being painfully bound together by the ends of the other man's cloak; which at the moment appeared to have a mind of its own. While Eagle himself straddled him down onto the bed in a rather suggestive manner. His one hand tightly held the boys neck making it hard for him to breathe.

Sakuya struggled for a few seconds before his body was subdued and went limp. He could hardly move; a sudden paralysis had seemed to overcome him. He felt his energy drain and he was now too weak to push the man off of him.

Eagle's cloak loosened its grip around Sakuya's now swelling wrists and reverted back to its former lifeless state. Eagles eyes bore into his. Their faces were mere centimeters away from each other.

"Know now that I tolerate you only for my beloved water dragon's sake. Were it not for her you'd be rotting away in some hellhole boy. You'd only be able to see the light of day when and if we ever required your… rather unique abilities." He smirked and loosened the hold he had around the young man's throat. He began to trace the contours of Sakuya's face. "Though you are in fact a Cephirian and of royal lineage, that Cephiro is tainted by the influences of disgusting Earthlings. Which in turn, taints your very existence." His eyes narrowed as his fingers delicately danced over the scar on Sakuya's cheek, before roughly slashing his finger nail over it. Reopening the recently healed wound. Sakuya sucked back a cry. Eagle raised his finger up to his mouth and tasted the blood that had gathered there and wrinkled his nose in revulsion. "I expect you to kill that little bitch you've been blindly chasing after as soon as possible." He said simply and raised himself off of the bed and headed towards the balcony. "Oh, and of course, feel free to knock off anymore other-worlders who just so happen to cross your path."

Sakuya lye drenched in a cold sweat; still unable to move. By the time the paralysis had began to ware off, Eagle had vanished and in the far distance, he could just barely make a bird flying away.