Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction / Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Red Shaman ❯ Last Call ( Chapter 84 )

 

Skye slumped onto the sofa, thoroughly exhausted. With Blaze temporarily out of commission the majority of the heavy work fell to her because she was the one most capable of handling it.

 

She heard Sunny enter the room. She knew who it was without turning around just by the energy signature and aura of him. At the moment, he seemed to be tense and worried about something. A few moments later she felt his hands come down on her shoulders and then begin kneading the knotted muscles there.

 

“Mmmm. Thank you, Sunny. I'll give you a week to stop that,” she said, leaning forward to allow him freer access.

 

“Any time. Are you sure you aren't overdoing it, Skye?” She could feel him frowning.

 

She sighed heavily. “It has to be done.”

 

“Not right this second it doesn't. You and Goddess managed to obliterate the more immediate threats before she was injured.”

 

“And you know as well as I do that underestimating an enemy, any enemy, is a mistake. I will be glad to go home tomorrow. At least I'll be able to rest for a day or so before going back out into the field.”

 

“Enough time to recharge a bit at any rate,” he agreed, his fingers straying to toy with a lock of her hair. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Of course,” she said, turning to look at him.

 

“Do you really love him?”

 

Skye smiled slightly. “Yes. But I also know he's better off with Oracle.”

 

Sunny nodded and looked as though he wanted to say something else for a minute but kept his mouth shut.

 

“Why do you ask?” Skye questioned.

 

Sunny remained silent for a moment, studying the auburn curl he had wrapped around one finger. He suddenly leaned forward and very carefully kissed Skye. Barely brushing his lips across hers before withdrawing quickly.

 

“I guess I hoped you loved me instead,” he said before turning and quickly walking out of the room. Leaving Skye staring after him.

 

 

 

“This just makes me feel really weird, guys,” Ghost said.

 

“Which part?” Omi asked. “Finding out you're technically over two thousand years old or finding out that you're really a faerie princess?”

 

“Both. It explains a lot but that wasn't what I was talking about. Just finding out that the people I thought were my parents weren't. That my biological parents actually wanted me. It's just so odd.”

 

“Your parents are odd, let's face it. Honestly, how many people can say their mother is a faerie queen and their father is one of the most brilliant advisors and poets ever known? Definitely strange. Not to mention they can only touch each other twice a year, which has to suck beyond belief. Can you imagine being able to see the person you love, be an inch away from them and still couldn't kiss them or hold them? That has got to be the definition of hell,” Omi said.

 

“They must have spent most of those two days seriously making up for lost time. Considering they had you,” Nagi said thoughtfully. “Hey, look on the bright side. You look really great to be over two thousand years old.”

 

Ghost smacked him in the face with a pillow.

 

 

 

“Aya, what the hell is your problem?” Yohji complained, trying unsuccessfully to pin him down for the fifth time in ten minutes.

 

“What makes you think I have a problem?” Aya said, sidestepping Yohji's next advance.

 

“Because, you haven't laid a hand on me with salacious intent for the last two days. Not only is that abnormal, it's positively criminal.”

 

 

 

 

“What the hell is this?” Schuldig asked, yanking off the hat Crawford had just plopped onto his head and holding it between his forefinger and thumb as though it carried something contagious.

 

“It's called a hat, Schuldig. Surely you've seen one before.”

 

“None that were this hideous,” he said, staring in horrified awe at the baby pink and fuchsia concoction.

 

“The others were worse,” Crawford assured him with a mild shudder. “It was the only thing I could find this far north at this time of the year.”

 

“Why are you giving me this?”

 

Crawford sighed heavily. “You'll need it where we're going tomorrow. There's sunblock and insect repellent in your backpack. You'll need those as well. Make sure you pack natural fiber clothing that will breathe, which does not mean pack everything leather that you own. It's still hot in the swamps, even in October.”

 

Schuldig stared at him blankly for a moment before jamming the hat back onto his head. “How do you know all of this shit?”

 

Crawford shrugged. “Research,” he said evasively.

 

 

 

Star woke to find herself resting partially on top of Farf, with Ken draped over her on the other side. She moved slowly, disentangling herself from first Farf and then Ken.

 

She managed to get out of bed without waking either of them and grabbed the robe from the foot of the bed. She paused to look back at the two men. Farf had wrapped himself around Ken, who had his head resting on Farf's chest. She smiled, thinking they made such a pretty contrast lying as they were. Almost a yin-yang in fact. Her next smile was a bit sad. She had always known it couldn't last. Farf's soul, the one that recognized it's self as Jeirn, would come back to her eventually. He would be drawn to her the way he was always drawn back to Blaze. It had never made things any easier knowing it though. Ken, on the other hand, she would never see again after his death unless it was by a happy accident. Even then he wouldn't recognize her except perhaps in an odd déjà vu sort of way. It simply wasn't meant to be. She knew Skye had seen it even though she hadn't told her.

 

Sometimes, being dead really blows.

 

 

 

Schuldig wandered downstairs to find Skye still sitting on the couch looking as though someone had just hit her in the head with something.

 

“You okay?” he asked, bouncing over the back of the sofa.

 

“Huh?”

 

“The answer to my question would be “no”, by that reaction.” Schuldig's eyebrows drew together in worry and he did something he never could before. Scanned her. Even though he was fairly sure she dropped her shields and let him. He rolled his eyes after finding out what was wrong. “Oh, good gods! That was a chickenshit kiss and run if I've ever heard of one.”

 

“Yes. I do believe it was,” she said.

 

He sighed and pulled her onto his lap. “Maybe you should just take your chances with me.”

 

“Schu . . .” Skye said warningly.

 

“Ja, ja, I know. Don't worry; I'm not planning on having the Mistress deep six me just so I can be with you. Though if I were in Taliesin's position I might do just that. Scheisse, how do we fix this?”

 

“I sincerely have no idea,” Skye said, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

 

Schuldig sighed. “I'm so fucked up.”

 

“More so than usual?”

 

“Ja. Because I want both of you and I know I can't have things the way the Mistress does. Then there's Sunny to figure into it. He loves you and hates me.”

 

“You made him hate you, Schu. I suppose I helped in that as well when we were pretending to be lovers.”

 

“Yeah, but we haven't been pretending for quite a while now.” Skye shot him a dubious look. “You know we haven't, even before we . . . You know when it went from you being a comforting force in my life to being something entirely different. Probably doesn't help that Brad hasn't exactly been himself lately.”

 

“I'm certain being dead for a fairly extensive amount of time then being resurrected is quite a trial for someone to wrap their mind around. Even such a strong mind as Oracle has. Being ripped from a physical body then shoved back into one in a short amount of time is disorienting for even the best of us. It certainly was for me.”

 

Schuldig looked at her curiously. “Exactly where is your original body?”

 

“Ashes in the wind somewhere I suppose,” she said. “Women didn't carry any form of identification on them then. We were so and so's wife or such and such's daughter. We were slaves as much as any of the rest were. The cages were a little better is all. We were just war casualties, piled onto the pyres and burned with all the rest. There are plaques on the family crypt at the estate with mine and Star's real names and estimated date of death. But other than that, any physical evidence that she and I ever existed is gone.”

 

“Damn, I'm sorry I brought it up,” Schuldig said, hugging her tighter to him.

 

“Its fine, Schu. That was another time, another life. Much like Schwarz and Weiss. You all had lives before being brought into the one you currently live. Though most of you were dragged unwillingly into those lives.”

 

“What do you mean most of us were dragged in unwillingly. Hell, Farf and I got into this through Rosenkruz and Esset. Nagi we snagged by accident really. And Brad . . .” He paused and frowned. Suddenly realizing he really didn't know what had happened to Crawford before he had become leader of Schwarz. Obviously Skye did know. “Skye, you knew him before. In that other life, I mean.”

 

“We crossed paths briefly. I doubt he remembers it. Before you ask; if he hasn't told you then he obviously doesn't want you to know.”

 

“Damn, you're frustrating sometimes, love. Back to the annoying dead man finally getting around to kissing you. Though I'm not really sure that counts as a kiss. Hey, at least it was a confession of love. Kinda. Sorta. Half assed. He's almost as big of a coward as Brad in that department. I didn't think that was possible.”

 

“If you say so.”

 

“Aw, hell, just borrow some of Star's equipment, tie him down somewhere and beat it out of him. Have Farf videotape. We'll sell it on the internet for a fortune.”

 

“Very funny, Schu,” Skye said, finally really looking at him. She blinked a few times to make absolutely certain she wasn't hallucinating. “You do realize that hat is just hideous, don't you?”