El-Hazard is the property of Pioneer/AIC. This fanfic and all original characters are property of dooky. Do I make myself clear? EL-HAZARD: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Shape of Things So Far- After four years, Makoto Mizuhara has rescued his beloved Ifurita. Roshtaria is struggling to adapt to the Opaques- the oppressed Phantom Tribe dissidents without illusory powers, doing their best to integrate into normal society. Afura Mann is concerned about the state of El-Hazard theology, and seeks approval to track down a lost, previously forbidden prophecy. Thanks to some discreet intervention by her sister, Princess Fatora has avoided a seemingly inevitable political marriage by opting to marry Alielle instead. Meanwhile, Makoto's dimensional travels have, unbeknownst to him, brought two others to El-Hazard, one of whom has found herself mistaken for somebody rather more important... THE SECOND MONTH: "DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY" Day 36 Mari Kurai was Death. Now, admittedly it wasn't the first time in her life that such a comparison had been made. She got this sort of thing all the time at school. But this was no joke. These people honestly believed she was Death. Evidently, they'd never seen a goth before. Being Death had plenty of advantages. You got what you wanted. You didn't have to answer awkward questions. But she really didn't like deceiving these people, despite all the perks. The trouble was, it was becoming more and more difficult to come clean. To begin with, she hadn't realised what was going on. She was so relieved to have found people after almost a week alone in the forest, that she had thought nothing of the fact that the soldiers were rather jumpy, and predisposed to do whatever she asked of them very quickly indeed. She probably should have owned up as soon as she realised who she had been mistaken for. But the idea that somebody could look at her and think that this assembly of torn black clothes, black lipstick, over-applied mascara and congenitally pale skin was actually Death incarnate... you had to admit it was amusing. So she started to make the most of the role, assuming that sooner or later they'd figure out she was just an ordinary person. First, she had to convince the soldiers that she wasn't intending to kill them. She was after, oh, somebody else. But she had decided to follow them because... um... destiny would bring them to her target. She was quite proud of that one. Very foreboding, very death-like. And so, the soldiers had found themselves with an unlikely new travelling companion. They continued their tour of strategic spots around the forest, all the time with Mari wondering how long it would be before they found her out. After a few days had passed and nobody had dropped dead, she guessed they were growing suspicious. But then something happened which firmly re-established their belief in her. By chance, she happened to do the water thing. Somehow, she now had the ability to boil water. It must have scared the soldiers the first time it happened. It certainly scared the hell out of her. She was holding a drink, not thinking about anything in particular, when she noticed it was heating up. Rapidly. With a little practice, she found she could do it at will. From then on, there was no question about it. She was Death. She had tried not to give her situation too much thought. It wasn't easy, though. The soldiers weren't exactly talkative, for obvious reasons. She didn't want to be Death forever. But over the past month she'd managed to pick up some rather important information. She was in a country called Roshtaria, apparently some sort of absolute monarchy which was central to a large alliance of nations. The forest they were in was enormous, and the soldiers' mission was to detect smugglers. There was other information too. Enemies with names like Bugrom and the Phantom Tribe. Something called the Eye of God. It all made very little sense to her. They were on the edge of the forest now. The younger soldier was visiting a nearby town for supplies. The captain, the sergeant and Death remained hidden amongst the trees. God, she could do with a bit of shopping right now. Unfortunately, if the soldiers' reaction to her appearance was anything to go by, walking casually into a crowded area might not be the best idea. The bushes ahead rustled. The young soldier had returned from the town. "I brought food," he called. Nodding to his superiors, he set down four small bags on the ground. Mari suddenly gasped and picked up one of the bags. "What's this?" she demanded. "W... well, the soldier stammered, "it's a type of sandwich..." "No!" Mari interrupted. "I mean the bag!" She stared in wonder at something she hadn't seen in over a month. Kanji. The writing on the bag was mostly foreign, but a single word was written in Japanese. It said "Shinonome". "You! Why does this bag have Shinonome on it?" The soldier panicked, having apparently upset Death. "It's the name of the company, Lady Death. I... I think it's the name of the town that the manager came from..." "Where do they live now?" Mari urged. "Tell me!" "Florestica. But..." "Take me there!" The captain stepped forward. "That's impossible. Florestica is on the other side of the forest. It would take..." "I don't care!" she shouted. "Does thou wish to feel my... deathly wrath?" She picked up a nearby cup of water and made it boil in an attempt to prove her point. The captain relented. "On foot, it will probably take more than a week. But if you insist..." "Of course I insist!" she replied, trying her best to disguise just how sorry she was starting to feel for these people. Day 38 Although Miz had retired some years ago, like all ex-priestesses she remained an associate member of the seminary's leading council, and her highly successful stint as chief water priestess made her one of its strongest voices. She had been reasonably confident that with her backing, Afura's proposal to further investigate the Heretic Prophecy would be approved. But even she hadn't anticipated quite this level of support. Clearly, many members of the council shared Afura's curiosity. "You have their full approval," said Miz. "In fact, they're prepared to support a mission to retrieve the prophecy." Afura was surprised. When Miz had asked her to her home, saying she had news from the seminary, she hadn't expected this. "A mission? That's a little premature, Miz. I found a reference to the prophecy being hidden away. I have no idea where." "I received this from the seminary today." Miz unfolded an ancient looking map. Afura stared at it in disbelief. "They have a map? Are you saying they already know the location of the Heretic Prophecy?" "It seems they always have," Miz observed. "But up until recently, they wanted nothing to do with it." Afura studied the old map, trying to recognise the landmarks. "Even if we can locate it, the texts say it was written in code. There's no guarantee we'll be able to translate it." "Well, the seminary council seem confident you will be able to translate it. It's in your hands, Afura. Of course, you'll need the co-operation of Qawoor and Shayla, but..." Miz was interrupted by a knock at the front door. "Excuse me," she apologised. She stood up and made her way out into the hallway. The blue-skinned woman standing patiently on her doorstep was greeted with a poorly disguised expression of surprise. "May I help you?" Miz asked. "I hope I'm not interrupting," the woman replied politely. "I was hoping to speak with Mr Fujisawa. My name is Doctor Amiri..." "Oh, I forgot. Masamichi mentioned you were coming. Please, come in." Miz led the visitor inside, then looked angrily up the stairs. "Masamichi, she's here!" she called. "What?" came the reply. "Oh, just a minute, honey!" Amiri cautiously entered the living room and came face to face with Afura. "Priestess Afura Mann?" "Doctor Amiri!" Afura smiled in recognition. "It's been a long time. Miz, this is the woman who led the Opaques' rebellion against the Phantom Tribe." "That's an exaggeration," Amiri replied. "I actually played a very minor..." "Masamichi, look at you!" Miz lectured her husband. "We have guests, you could at least make the effort to look presentable." Fujisawa skulked into the room wearing a loose fitting vest and sporting noticeably more stubble than usual. "This is Doctor Amiri," Miz continued. "Yes," Amiri nodded. "My son will be starting at your school tomorrow. I wanted to meet you in order to discuss..." "You're the parent?" Fujisawa interrupted. "I wasn't informed that you were... um, that is to say..." "I'm an Opaque," she acknowledged. "As, of course, is my son. He'll be the first Opaque to attend a Florestican school. I don't think I'm being over-cautious when I say there could be difficulties, which is why I wanted to talk to you specifically." Fujisawa scratched his head. "Well, gee, I'm honoured, but I'm just one teacher out of many." "I know, but... like the Opaques, you're something of an outsider. You've had to adjust to life in Florestica just as we have. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like it if you were to keep an eye on my boy." "Oh, I see... I understand your concern. Let me assure you that I will not tolerate racist attitudes from any of my students." Amiri looked a little guilty. "That's not what I mean... exactly. He's going to have to get used to being different. Protecting him now is only going to make it harder for him later on..." She looked to the floor. "Listen to me. That probably sounds awful, doesn't it?" "You have our sympathy," Miz sighed. "I just don't want him getting hurt." "I'll see that he doesn't," Fujisawa promised. "You can rely on me." "Amazing." Shayla took the map in her hands and shook her head. "The Heretic Prophecy." "I'm not at all sure about this," Qawoor frowned. "The Heretic Prophecy was denounced. Isn't it better left alone?" "There's no reason to fear it," Afura replied. "It was denounced for all the wrong reasons." Nanami walked over carrying a tray. "More tea?" "Thanks," Shayla nodded. "Hey! Mycea!" Nanami called to her assistant. "Three more teas, okay?" She turned back to the priestesses. "So, where is it?" "Where's what?" Afura asked. "This prophecy thing. Are you gonna look for it?" "Miss Nanami," Qawoor sighed. "This is holy business, it's classified." "Well, you're not doing a very good job of classifying it," Nanami taunted. "I could hear you from over there. Come on, let me see the map!" She leaned over Qawoor's shoulder. "Oh. All the way over there, huh? So are you going after it or not?" "The seminary council has approved a mission to find it," Afura revealed. "I don't see anything stopping us." "Um... well, actually," Qawoor hesitated, "there is one problem." She pointed to the area of the map where the prophecy's location was marked. "Isn't that Bugrom territory?" "It was Bugrom territory," Afura corrected. "Their numbers were so reduced by the Eye of God that they'd never be able to occupy such a remote area. Alliance defences haven't reported any Bugrom activity for over a year now. I think we can safely assume they're not a significant threat." "Hey, Nanami!" Nanami looked up. Makoto and Ifurita had just entered the restaurant. "Oh, hi, you two. The usual?" Makoto nodded to his old friend. "You're looking much better, Ifurita," Afura observed. "How are you feeling?" "Very well, thank you," Ifurita smiled back. "It's taken me a little longer than I'd hoped to recover, but I'm just fine now." Qawoor stood up. "Please, come and join us," she offered, taking Ifurita's arm. Ifurita felt a sharp pain in her back. When she awoke, Makoto, Nanami, Shayla, Qawoor and Afura were staring down at her with a collective expression of concern. She was immediately compelled to apologise. "I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what happened. One minute I was fine, the next..." "This isn't right, Ifurita," Makoto declared solemnly. "You shouldn't just be passing out like this. I think something might be very wrong." "But I'm fine!" she insisted. "Really." She swung her legs over the side of the table which was serving as a temporary stretcher, and stood up, in an attempt to prove her point. "Well, um, I think we should go home anyway." Makoto suggested apologetically. "If you insist, Makoto," she replied. "I'm very sorry to have caused so much trouble," she called to everyone as Makoto led her out. When they were safely outside, Makoto turned to Ifurita with a pained expression. "Is there something you're not telling me?" "It's nothing very important," Ifurita sighed. "I know you inside out, Ifurita. You know why you passed out, don't you?" "Not quite." She looked to the floor. "There's something about the water priestess, Qawoor. I mean, she's a lovely girl, but... whenever I'm close to her I feel unsettled. I sense a conflict within myself. And when we're in direct contact, the conflict becomes too much to bear..." "Exactly what sort of conflict do you mean?" "I really... don't know." Day 39 Calm. There were many, many people, but all was quiet. They all stood silently, observing. Oblivious. Something truly awful was about to happen. Why didn't they do something? But they couldn't. They didn't know. Only he knew. Makoto could sense it. It was coming. He had to warn everyone. He screamed, but no sound came out. In desperation, he pulled the people nearby towards him, to get their attention. They'd listen. They had to. But... they were all smiling. What was wrong with them? A shot rang out across the crowded square. And all became chaos. "No..." Makoto moaned. "Stop them, somebody..." "Makoto!" Ifurita urged. "Wake up!" Makoto held his breath, staring up at his own ceiling. Before he made another move he wanted to be absolutely certain he was awake. "Ifurita," he murmured. "Something terrible... I saw it. Something terrible's going to happen. "You just had a bad dream," Ifurita reassured. "That's right," Makoto replied, still shaken. "That's all it was. A dream." Fujisawa was feeling more than a little apprehensive about today. That wasn't good. Kids could smell fear. "Good morning, class." He entered the classroom and greeted the children without even looking at them. 'Act like everything's normal,' he kept telling himself. Taking his first proper look at the class, it was obvious that everything wasn't normal. All of the familiar children were seated at one end of the room. The new boy was sitting at the opposite end. For them to be any further apart would have been physically impossible. Fujisawa sat down in his usual chair and wondered what the hell he should do. The next few minutes were very important. They could make all the difference. He'd have been naive in the extreme to expect the new student to be welcomed with open arms, but surely there was something he could do to make this easier. "Now, class, you've probably noticed we have a new student joining us today." Well, that was almost certainly the understatement of the decade. "Everyone, this is Cerev. Now, Cerev, would you like to tell us about yourself?" As a rule, Fujisawa didn't subject new students to this routine. It was hard enough starting at a new school without this sort of thing to contend with. Even the most articulate new students rarely got through it with their credibility intact. But this was a special case. The sooner the kids got to know him, the better. The boy stood up and looked straight ahead, despite the fact that the people he was supposed to be addressing were to his right. "My name is Cerev," he announced. "I live here in Florestica with my mother. She's a doctor. I want to be a doctor too." Seems confident enough, Fujisawa thought. The other children looked on with curiosity, but none were prepared to respond. One of them eventually broke the silence. "Why is he blue?" a girl asked. "He just is," one of the boys answered. "All of the Phantom Tribe people are blue." "I'm not one of the Phantom Tribe!" Cerev insisted. "Now, hey, come on, kids!" Fujisawa interrupted. "Cerev's not one of the Phantom Tribe, he's Opaque. There's a big difference." The children stared blankly back. "Okay, just because two people look similar or come from the same place, it doesn't mean they act the same. One could be your enemy, and another could be your friend. I come from the same place as Katsuhiko Jinnai, and that doesn't make the two of us the same." That seemed to have an effect on the kids. Fujisawa could almost see the questions forming in their heads. He sank back in his chair and started to explain who the Opaques were. Admittedly it was a rather simplified version of a complex political struggle, but the kids seemed to understand. After all, it made for a familiar story of heroes and villains, particularly as one of the main protagonists was Cerev's mother. It was possibly the most stressful twenty minutes of his career, but it seemed to have finally paid off now. As the kids settled down to work, he could finally relax. "Mr Fujisawa?" one of the girls asked. "These questions are too hard." "You've only been at them five minutes. Just put some thought into them." "But I don't understand them," she reiterated. He stood up and wearily walked over to her desk. "Let me take a look." Glancing at the question sheet, he realised what was wrong. "Sorry kids, my mistake. These questions aren't meant for you, they're for the older kids. I must have put these out by accident." He moved from one desk to another, collecting the sheets. Finally, he came to Cerev. "I'm sorry, Mr Fujisawa," the boy said. "I didn't realise. I already started." Fujisawa looked in wonder at Cerev's answers. After just a few minutes he was halfway through a sheet of questions meant for children almost twice his age. And every answer was correct. My God, Fujisawa thought. The boy's a genius. "I'm telling you, Nanami. It was terrifying." "Oh, Makoto. You're so easily freaked out. Here, have some more coffee and try to calm down." Nanami re-filled Makoto's cup, shook her head and walked back to the counter. He sighed to himself. "A crowd of people. Then someone gets shot. And everyone panics. If it was just a dream, why can't I get it out of my head?" Parnasse skulked into the restaurant and slumped down next to Makoto. "Hi Parnasse," Makoto greeted. "You look like I feel. What's up?" "Lady Qawoor and the other priestesses are off on some mission. Alielle and Lady Fatora are still away on honeymoon. I have nothing to do." "You're missing your big sister, huh?" "I suppose," Parnasse reluctantly admitted. "She's so lucky, Alielle. She has Lady Fatora all to herself. Well, most of the time." He sighed. "You're lucky too. You've got Ifurita. Makoto, did you know I've never had a steady girlfriend?" "Actually," Makoto reasoned, "that does surprise me." "There have been... well, you know, girls... but I've never had anyone I could take home and introduce to my mother." "So you're feeling lonely?" Parnasse nodded. "Well, I don't think you can rush this sort of thing," Makoto advised. "Before Ifurita, I'd never had a steady girlfriend. You just have to be patient." "Yeah, I know," Parnasse frowned. "But I'm sick of waiting." "You know, Parnasse, your problems don't just disappear once you're in a relationship. If anything, they get more complicated." "Love's got to have something going for it," Parnasse countered. "Why else would it be so popular?" Qawoor's transport sped across the wilderness. Since Qawoor wasn't a qualified pilot, Afura was at the helm. Soon, the three priestesses of Muldoon would be the first people in modern times to cross to the other side of the Holy River. "You are certain that there won't be any bugs, right?" Qawoor called to Afura. "Well, I for one hope we run into a few," Shayla taunted. "I could to with a decent fight." "We're going after a prophecy, Shayla," Afura sighed. "We are not looking to start a war. If the Bugrom don't bother us, we don't bother them." "We don't get to have any fun any more," Shayla moaned. The transport moved onwards. Day 45 "Will the three of you try to keep me covered a bit better?" "Sorry, Lady Death," the soldiers replied in unison. "And stop calling me that! I thought I told you not to draw attention to me!" This was the first time since arriving in this world that Mari had entered a populated area. Her reluctant companions surrounded her, obscuring her from view as they walked through the city. Florestica. It wasn't like any city she'd seen before. It looked Middle Eastern, although most of the inhabitants didn't. She was reasonably sure she'd seen a few people with blue skin, although she couldn't say for certain. "Isn't it a little crowded today?" the sergeant observed. "The speech is this afternoon," the captain explained. They stopped. Mari collided with the captain's back. "What?" she enquired. "We're here." Mari peered over the captain's shoulder. Ahead was a restaurant. Across its entrance was the word "Shinonome". She couldn't wait any longer. She pushed between the captain and sergeant and darted out into the square. It was approximately two and a half seconds before somebody noticed. It was an experience both familiar and unfamiliar to her. Getting abuse on the streets was one thing, but the people weren't usually screaming. 'I can't hear them, I can't hear them,' she told herself as she approached her target. 'Oh, what now?' Nanami thought as one of the customers screamed. In the doorway was an extremely pale, dishevelled looking girl dressed in black. The girl's face lit up. "Nanami? Nanami Jinnai!" The girl ran, laughing, towards her. She vaulted over the counter and charged into Nanami, embracing her with undisguised relief. "Nanami, I can't believe I finally found somebody! One minute I was in Shinonome, the next I was stuck in this weird forest..." Nanami focused on the girl's face. Wait, she WAS from Shinonome. She was that goth in the year above her... "Mari Kurai, right?" Nanami checked. "I had no idea more people got sent here. How long have you..." Nanami noticed her arm was bleeding. She'd caught it on one of the surface edges as Mari ran into her. "Oh, I'm sorry," Mari said, noticing the cut. "That's my fault. Here, let me..." Mari took hold of Nanami's arm. Suddenly, the cut faded and disappeared. "How... how did you do that?" they asked each other. "That must be your special ability," Nanami observed. "You can heal injuries. Wow, this is amazing! I'll have to get Makoto. Mari, go and sit down, get yourself something to eat. You look like death." "So I heard," she replied. "That reminds me. You see those three heavily armed men at the door?" Nanami noticed the visibly nervous soldiers. "What about them?" "Could you break it to them gently that I'm not Death incarnate? I really don't have the heart..." Makoto, Nanami, Ifurita and Mari sat in the small back room of the restaurant. Mari listened closely as Makoto related the story of how he and the others were sent to El-Hazard. "So you've been here four years? I've only been here a month and a half." "Right, but we were all transported from Earth at roughly the same time," Makoto nodded. "You and I used to be the same age- now I'm twenty one but you're still seventeen. Somehow we got sent to different points in time." "This doesn't make sense," Nanami objected. "I'm no temporal physicist, but if the rest of us all got sent to the same point in time, why should it be any different for Mari?" "Proximity, perhaps..." Makoto pondered. "Ifurita sent us here by creating a bubble of dimensional energy. Now, you, me, Katsuhiko and Mr Fujisawa were all very close to the epicentre of the bubble, so we got sent to the correct place and time. But around the edges, a dimensional bubble can start acting up. Mari, you must have been at the edge of the bubble. Where were you?" "Outside the school," she replied. "Now that I think about it... there were two people on the playing fields. One of them... looked a lot like you." She pointed at Ifurita. "Then they disappeared. But not all the energy was gone. There was some left over, like static, you know? And when it hit me, I ended up here." "My God..." Makoto murmured. "Those people you saw... were me and Ifurita. What have I done? I was sure there wouldn't be any side effects from my experiment! I checked the calculations before and after. But... it looks like I'm the one responsible for sending you here, Mari." "Was there anyone else around you when you were transported?" asked Nanami. "There was a woman," Mari said, remembering Sakura. "But I think she got away." Parnasse quietly entered the room. He'd heard a rumour that there was a new girl here and, naturally, had come to investigate. "Aaagh!" he suddenly recoiled. "D... Death!" "Will you knock it off?" Mari snapped. "Haven't you ever seen anyone with pale skin before?" "Oh. Sorry." So this was the new girl. Actually, she was sort of cute, in her own unique way, It certainly wouldn't hurt to get on her good side. "Hi!" he beamed. "I'm Parnasse!" "Mari," she nodded. "So, tell us about your powers," Ifurita prompted. "Well, so far I've discovered I can heal people and make water boil," Mari recounted. "They don't really seem connected as far as I can see..." "They could be connected at a subatomic level," Makoto theorised. "By increasing the energy of the body's repair systems, you're able to speed up the healing process exponentially. Likewise, increasing the energy of water will eventually cause it to boil." "So the boiling water thing is more of a side effect than an ability?" "Yeah, I suppose," Makoto mused. "But it could be handy in the kitchen, I guess." Nanami peered through the door into the restaurant. "I'd better get back to work. The place is really filling up." "Of course, Princess Rune's speech is today," Ifurita acknowledged. Makoto, Nanami and Ifurita got up and walked through to the main restaurant area. Mari was left sitting, confused, in the back room. She noticed Parnasse was still there, smiling at her. "Did I mention my name is Parnasse?" he grinned. "Yes," sighed Mari. "You did." Princess Rune stepped onto the main balcony overlooking the square, which was packed with onlookers. She was greeted by Chief Servant Londs. "Your public awaits you, princess." "Thank you, Londs." The monthly speech was, effectively, invented by Rune herself some years ago. As Roshtaria's head of state she felt it was important to be seen to communicate with the public. A monarchy which spoke to its public via press releases was, in her opinion, not doing its job. "People of Roshtaria and El-Hazard," she began. "Last month I had the pleasure of witnessing my sister Fatora's marriage. On behalf of Fatora and Alielle, I would like to express our gratitude to the public for the continued support..." Makoto, Nanami, Ifurita, Parnasse and Mari watched the proceedings through the restaurant window. Now wearing a set of Nanami's clothes, Mari looked a little less like death, and although wearing a colour other than black outside of school hours was a novel experience, she could at least be reasonably confident she wasn't going to cause mass hysteria. "That's Princess Rune Venus," Ifurita pointed out to Mari. "The chief monarch of Roshtaria, along with her sister Fatora." "Yeah," Nanami continued. "Fatora's away on her honeymoon at the moment. Last month she got married to Parnasse's sister. You want to watch out for those two..." Nanami smiled at Mari's blank expression. "I guess I made that sound more complicated than it really is." "Makoto?" Ifurita said. "Is there a problem? You look troubled." Makoto stared through the glass at the princess. "Just... a touch of deja vu, that's all. I don't know how, but this whole set up seems..." "Aaaaagh!" Nanami screamed. "Makoto! There's a guy out there with a gun!" "What? Where?" "Right outside the window! Can't you see him? It's one of the Phantom Tribe!" "I see him," Ifurita confirmed, standing up. "As a machine I am unaffected by illusions. He is directly ahead." "My God!" Makoto panicked. "We've got to warn them!" He stood up and ran to the doorway. "He is aiming his weapon," Ifurita commentated. Makoto ran out into the crowd. "Makoto!" Ifurita called after him. "It's not safe!" The scene was horribly familiar. Makoto came to the grim realisation that this was what he had dreamed last week. He had to stop it from reaching its conclusion. What the hell was he doing? He was going after somebody he couldn't even see. Princess Rune continued her speech, unaware. "I plead with the Roshtarian public to show consideration towards the Opaque community..." Makoto could hear the shot even before it was fired. The crowd became a frenzy. Suddenly he was in serious danger of being crushed. His only option was to return to the restaurant. Fighting his way back, he briefly caught sight of the palace balcony. There was blood. The princess had been hit. Nanami, Ifurita, Parnasse and Mari stared in horror at the spectacle. Makoto stumbled inside. "Is she dead?" he called. "I do not believe so," Ifurita replied. "The projectile struck the lower abdomen. Such a wound should not cause immediate death. However, she is bleeding heavily, much more so than one would expect from a single shot." "Isn't there something we can do?" Parnasse asked, desperate. "Mari! Aren't you supposed to be able to heal injuries?" "I only did it once," she responded. "But if there's any way I can help..." Nanami nodded. "It can't hurt to try." "But how do we get her through that chaos?" Makoto pointed to the crowd outside. "Allow me." Ifurita took hold of Mari. "Hold on to me. And do not be alarmed." "Don't be alarmed by what... hey!" Ifurita took off, with Mari under her arm. Ducking underneath the restaurant doorway, she flew high above the crowd and towards the palace. "How the hell do you do this?" Mari shouted. "I used to be the ultimate weapon," Ifurita replied, eyes focused on the palace. "I see," Mari said. "I used to be Death." Ifurita swooped in through one of the palace's open windows, and soared along the corridor. "Where are we going?" Mari asked. "The palace surgery," Ifurita responded. "I assume the princess will have been taken there." They turned the corner into a second corridor, much more crowded than the previous one. Ifurita and Mari shouted apologies to the servants who were forced to dive out of the way, as the pair hurtled at breakneck speed towards the surgery. Londs paced up and down outside the door, visibly stressed for one of the first times in his long career. He almost jumped a mile when Ifurita landed next to him, depositing her passenger safely on the ground. "Mr. Londs," she enquired. "Is the princess alive?" "I am not at liberty to disclose..." "Answer, or I will be forced to enter without your consent!" He relented, thinking it best not to get on the wrong side of Ifurita. "She is alive, for now. However, her injuries are so severe that she..." "This woman is from Earth. We believe she may have healing powers." Londs very nearly tripped over his own feet as he hurriedly opened the door to the surgery. "What is it?" Doctor Schtalubaugh barked as he and a team of surgeons clustered around the unconscious princess. "I specifically said no interruptions!" "This girl has healing powers!" Londs said, steering Mari towards the doctor. "I don't want to get anyone's hopes up!" Mari interjected. "Just let me see what I can... oh my God!" Mari saw the wound for the first time, and just managed to avoid being sick. It was far, far worse than she'd envisaged. She wasn't usually the sort to be affected by gore- she'd watched and enjoyed many televised operations in the past. But seeing it for real was almost too much for her. Almost. "This... wasn't caused by an ordinary bullet, was it?" she observed. The answer was obvious enough. A bullet left a hole. This injury would be more accurately described as a trench. Wide and deep, and unlikely to be rectified by conventional surgical techniques. "I have never seen an injury like this before," the doctor answered. "A sizeable area of her lower abdomen has simply been... vaporised, for want of a better word. Severe blood loss, critical organ damage- a few have gone completely- this is a no-win situation. My girl, only a miracle will save the princess now." Mari approached the patient determinedly. She tried not to flinch at the sight of the injury. Just think of it as a collection of parts, she told herself. It was the advice her biology teacher had given the class when performing dissections. And it had persuaded Makoto Mizuhara to cut up a sheep's heart, so it must have been pretty convincing. She placed her right hand on the area above the wound, and concentrated. Come on, heal. She could feel the process starting to work... but there were no visible effects. It wasn't fast enough! She concentrated harder, shutting her eyes and ignoring the noise around her. The process was pulling her into a trance. 'Help,' the body said. 'Dying.' Amazing. The princess's body was crying out for help, and she could hear it. 'Need blood,' the body said. Mari forced herself deeper into the trance, then applied every ounce of mental energy she had to the healing process. She couldn't see it, and yet, she perceived it. The damaged organs began to grow, and knit back together. At the same time, she energised the bone marrow, stimulating the rapid production of millions of new blood cells. It was working. But the body still begged for more energy. "Unbelievable." Schtalubaugh could only stand and watch as the body gradually, but quite visibly, reconstructed itself. The surgeons, too, had stopped. Their efforts had been largely pointless anyway. Suddenly, the doctor could see a way through this. The princess may not die after all. This realisation was enough to jerk him back into action. "You! Give her more fluids, get her blood pressure up. Increase the anaesthetic dosage by one quarter..." Mari didn't hear. She was too far into the trance to notice any peripheral sensory stimuli. And this was starting to get difficult. She was getting tired. Not in the usual, physical, sense- this was a complete, all- encompassing exhaustion. But the body needed more. It was desperate, she could hear its cries. She couldn't stop now, not yet. She'd done a lot, but there was still so much more... Everything went silent. Mari quietly collapsed on the surgery floor. The ball of fire which Shayla held cupped in her left hand was all that illuminated the cavern. The three priestesses cast huge, deformed shadows against the walls as they slowly but purposefully ventured further into the unknown. "How much further is it?" Shayla asked. Afura let out something intermediate between a sigh and a growl. "For the last time, Shayla, I don't know. The map says the prophecy is somewhere in here, and that's all I know." "I can't believe the seminary council approved this mission. We're priestesses, not archaeologists," Shayla moaned. "The prophecy is very important. A major prophecy, wrongly condemned as heresy. It's left a serious hole in our theology all this time." Qawoor voiced her agreement. "Afura's right. Many of the texts say that in ancient times, followers of this prophecy were hunted down and killed for blasphemy. I think we owe it to them to find out what it really said." "Well it had better be good stuff," Shayla warned. "After all this trouble, I'd like something explosive to show for it." "Wait!" Qawoor froze, stopping the others in their tracks. "I think I saw a light up ahead!" "I don't see anything," Shayla said sceptically. "No, she's right," Afura replied. "It was a reflection. Something's reflecting your light." They advanced into the darkness, and came to a dead end. A door. At its centre was a glass panel, which reflected Shayla's orange fire. Afura looked closely at the panel. "Could this be where the prophecy's been concealed?" "Let's find out. Shayla placed her free hand on the panel, which began to glow slightly. Afura and Qawoor lent their assistance, and finally the door slid reluctantly open. Inside was a small stone cube. Shayla picked the strange object up. "There's an inscription. Looks like Ancient Roshtarian... damn it, half these symbols I've never even seen before. Hey, Qawoor, you're the expert on old languages. You try." The water priestess took the cube and scanned the writing. "Within this shell lies the great prophecy. Many have mocked its followers, but there will come a day when the truth contained herein shall be recognised by all." "Interesting," Shayla mused. "So the prophecy's in there. Can we get it out?" Qawoor turned the box end over end and looked perplexed. "I can't see any way of opening it. How strange." "We should take it back to Roshtaria," Afura advised. "Opening it may require further study. Plus, Makoto has a way with ancient artefacts like this. Let's go." "Thank goodness," Qawoor sighed. "I don't want to spend any more time in Bugrom territory than necessary." Immersed in the warmth and softness of the bed, Mari awoke so gently that, for a few minutes, she forgot where she was. She was comfortable, that was all that mattered. Gradually, unwelcome doubts started creeping into her barely conscious mind. Something wasn't quite right... The princess! Mari desperately pulled herself up. Where was she? This bed was unfamiliar. What about the princess? She hadn't been able to heal her fully. "Hello?" she called weakly. "Is anyone there? Where am I?" Doctor Schtalubaugh hurried into the room. "You're awake!" "What happened to the princess?" she asked immediately. "Princess Rune is alive, thanks to you. We owe you a great..." "But I don't remember healing her properly. I got so far, and then... I must have blacked out." "Your efforts exhausted you, my girl. Even though you didn't completely heal Princess Rune, you repaired much of the damage. We were then able to take over and operate. It was still a struggle, but we saved her. She should regain consciousness soon." Mari heaved a sigh of relief. "So she'll recover?" "A full recovery might be somewhat... unrealistic," he said, in a momentary lapse from his previous upbeat demeanour. "Certain rather drastic procedures had to be performed. But what I do know is that a woman whose chances of survival were practically nil is now alive, against all the odds. This nation is in your debt, Miss..." "Kurai," Mari responded blankly. "Mari Kurai." The sun was setting on the barren, featureless landscape. The holy trio had almost completed their mission. With skill and professionalism they had rediscovered a long lost relic in potentially hostile territory. There now remained the comparatively trivial matter of getting home. Perhaps not quite as simple as it sounded. "Come on, Shayla. Try to remember where we left the transport," Afura urged, trying to maintain her composure. "It's getting dark. Think, Shayla," Qawoor encouraged. "Will the two of you get off my case?" the fire priestess snarled. "How should I know? Afura, you're the one that parked it, not me." "I remember," Qawoor interjected. "Afura, you left it next to a rock. You said that way, we'd be able to find it again." "What sort of logic is THAT?" Shayla exploded. "This place is FULL of rocks! There are rocks everywhere! What were you thinking?" "Well, a rock was the closest thing I could find to a landmark," Afura snapped. "Okay, I'll fly up and see if I can spot it from the air." Afura took off, soaring effortlessly upwards until her companions were just dots below her. She thought she saw something moving on the horizon. A few seconds later, Afura returned to the ground greeting Shayla and Qawoor with an expression of uncharacteristic shock. "Did you see the transport?" Qawoor asked. "Forget that. We have bigger problems. I've just seen something disturbing." "What?" Shayla probed expectantly. "Bugrom. Thousands of them." Qawoor went totally white, and had to sit down on a convenient rock. "Oh dear," she said, understating her true feelings on the matter by several orders of magnitude. "That can't be!" insisted Shayla. "The Eye of God wiped the Bugrom out!" "A handful survived," Afura countered. "We know that." "Maybe so, but not thousands. The Eye of God couldn't have been that sloppy!" Afura sighed. "Sorry, but I know what I saw. There are definitely Bugrom here, and plenty of them." "Where are they?" Qawoor asked gingerly. "To the east..." Afura responded. "Thank goodness, we're heading west." "...and west," she finished. "They were marching in formation. They must be using this remote area of their territory for training." "We have to get back," said Shayla. "Warn the Alliance!" "But how do we get back?" Qawoor challenged. "Our route back is cut off now. How do we get out of here without being seen?" "One thing's for sure," Afura said wearily. "The transport's out. On flat terrain like this they'd see it a mile off. It's a miracle we ever got in here in the first place. The only solution is to make our own way back, and try to keep out of sight..." The Glorious Fatora IX's engines were pushed to previously untested limits as the craft sped across the cold desert night. A pilot stood solemnly at the helm, trying to concentrate on the task in hand rather than the circumstances surrounding it. Fatora stared out across the wilderness, observing the scenery as it flew past. She had been staring for over an hour now. Alielle sat wrapped in a blanket at the other side of the transport, looking smaller than ever. She was worried about Fatora. The princess was putting a brave face on it, but the news about her sister had obviously left her very shaken. "Fatora?" Alielle offered. "Why don't you come down here? It's cold up there." "I'm fine," Fatora lied. She turned to the pilot. "Can't you make this thing go any faster?" She already knew the answer, of course. She'd asked the same question approximately every twenty minutes since they'd received the message about Rune. Complaining was just a way of taking her mind off matters. Alielle joined Fatora, leaning over the side. She didn't know what to say, so she just rested her head on Fatora's arm, not being quite tall enough to reach her shoulder. "Now you'll get cold too," Fatora commented, still gazing into the distance. "I'm sure she'll be okay, Fatora," Alielle whispered. "She has all the best doctors..." "Naturally, she's royalty, of course she does," Fatora babbled nervously. "No, this is what I want to know- where was her cat when all this was going on? Somewhere else, I'll bet. Useless, that's what they are." "I'm worried about Rune as well. Do you want to talk about it?" "What? No, no, no. Not necessary. I'm dealing with this just fine. Can't you tell? I don't allow myself to get worked up about events beyond my control. Calm. Pragmatic. That's me, right?" Fatora looked to Alielle for the approval she knew she wouldn't get. Alielle could see right through the confident front. Fatora was a deeply private person. When they were alone together, sometimes she would let her true colours show. But as a rule, she preferred to keep her innermost feelings ambiguous to others. Even now, the presence of the pilot was enough to keep her from confiding in Alielle. Perhaps she was afraid of appearing weak. After five years, Alielle still didn't really know what made Fatora the way she was. "You're very close to your sister, aren't you?" Alielle observed. "When I first met you, I found it a little..." "Surprising?" Fatora guessed. "It's just that the two of you are so different. I definitely didn't expect her to approve of me." "To begin with, I don't think she was too sure. But she gave us the benefit of the doubt. All she really wanted was for me to be happy. That's why she takes so much responsibility for everything." Alielle nodded. "She's still protective of her little sister." "Well, both of my parents were dead by the time I was seven. After that, Rune was all I had." "It must have been tough." Fatora's expression changed, almost imperceptibly. "I managed." It was enough to let Alielle know that this conversation was beginning to upset Fatora. Nothing she could say would improve the situation. She moved closer. Fatora instinctively wrapped her arms around Alielle and held her as tightly as she could. "Poor Fatora," Alielle whispered, her head now buried in Fatora's chest. Day 46 "So, have you seen her yet?" "What?" Fujisawa looked up from the newspaper he was semi-reading as he and Miz walked through the city's early morning crowds. "Seen who?" "Your student," Miz replied. "Makoto told me. Another one of your students arrived in Roshtaria and helped save Princess Rune. Mari something..." "Kurai," Fujisawa said, remembering. "I wouldn't call her one of my students, exactly. I hardly know her." "Well, I'm sure she'd still appreciate your company," said Miz. "She's stranded in a strange land, and you're one of her teachers. She may need your guidance." "Makoto and Nanami are in a much better position to do that than I am." He held up the newspaper. "Have you seen this? They think the person who shot the princess was Phantom Tribe." "So I heard," Miz sighed. "It's worrying. And everyone was just starting to relax after the Bugrom War." "Yeah," Fujisawa agreed. They turned the corner of the road leading to the school, and stopped suddenly. Outside the school was a small crowd of people. Fujisawa immediately recognised several of them as parents of some of his pupils. "What are they all doing?" Miz asked. Fujisawa frowned. "One possibility springs to mind. I just hope I'm wrong." Quickly he made his way to the centre of the crowd, and suddenly found himself surrounded by angry faces. "Yes? Can I help you people?" "You're teaching a Phantom Tribe boy at this school!" a woman shouted. "Why weren't we consulted?" "It isn't school policy to seek the approval of parents when admitting new students," he rebutted. "This is different!" a man insisted. "Those people can't be trusted! Yesterday one of them almost killed Princess Rune! If something isn't done, we'll withdraw our children!" Fujisawa shook his head. "You people should be ashamed of yourselves. You know as well as I do that the princess supports the Opaques. Would she approve of this? Taking your anger out on a five year old boy, in her name? If you really want to withdraw your kids, then go ahead, because I'm not budging on this. But it'll be their loss." A distinct murmuring rippled through the crowd. Fujisawa stood his ground. Eventually, parents on the edges of the crowd began to leave discreetly. The numbers dwindled further until only a few hard-liners remained. Miz walked over to her husband. "Damn," he said. "I knew something like this would happen sooner or later." "You should be proud," Miz reassured. "You broke them up." Fujisawa's brow furrowed. "For now," he sighed. "But this isn't over. Not yet." The transport had barely stopped moving as Fatora descended the steps. Alielle, who still hadn't slept, followed as quickly as she could. A palace guard met Fatora at the foot of the steps. "Your majesty," he acknowledged. "Well?" Fatora desperately prompted. "Is she alive or isn't she?" "The princess is in a stable condition, majesty," the guard revealed. "She regained consciousness last night. If you'll wait just a moment, there's a full escort on the way for you. Under the current circumstances such precautions are..." Fatora was already halfway over to the palace. The guard turned his attention to Alielle, who was wearily making her way down the steps. "Do you require assistance, princess?" he asked. "Princess?" Alielle glanced over her shoulder, looking for the mystery royal, until she realised it was her. "Oh yeah. That's me. I'm okay." This was going to take some getting used to. She trotted after Fatora. "Fatora! Wait up!" "Rune!" Fatora burst into the bedroom, with Alielle behind her. Rune was lying, almost flat, in bed. She tried to raise her head, but could only manage to tilt it to one side. "Fatora, Alielle... there was no need for you to rush back." Fatora took no notice of this and knelt down next to her sister. "Oh, Rune, you don't know how relieved I am to see you again. When the message came through, I was so afraid you'd been killed." "They tell me I came close. I was very lucky." "Just as long as you're okay," Fatora sighed. "That's all that matters." This statement triggered a sudden change in Rune's expression. She started to sob. "W... what's the matter, sister?" Fatora asked, concerned. "I'm so sorry..." Rune said weakly. "What for? You have nothing to be sorry for. Everything's fine!" "No, it's not! Please forgive me, Fatora. I just wanted you to be happy... and now everything's ruined..." Fatora looked to Alielle, who was just as confused as she was. Londs entered the room. "Your majesties, the princess needs rest." Alielle nodded. Fatora looked back at her sister. "I'll be back later, Rune." Londs led the pair outside and closed the door quietly. "What's she upset about?" Alielle asked. "Is she okay?" Londs looked apprehensive. "A certain... situation has arisen." Looking to Fatora, he continued. "Princess, I must speak with you in private." Fatora emerged from the conference room a few minutes later, white as a sheet. Alielle stood up immediately. "What is it, Fatora? What's wrong?" "Come on," Fatora said, leading Alielle down the corridor. "I need a drink. So do you." "You don't drink," Alielle reminded her. "I start today," she replied. "There's a... problem. Rune's been badly hurt. The surgeons had to take some pretty drastic measures to save her. The damage is permanent." She stopped, and looked Alielle in the eyes. "It seems this incident has left my sister... sterile." "Sterile?" Alielle echoed. "But doesn't that mean..." "I'm afraid so," Fatora nodded, expressionless. "It's down to me now. I must give birth to the next royal generation." TO BE CONTINUED "Death Takes a Holiday" featured- Makoto Mizuhara, Mari Kurai, Afura Mann, Masamichi Fujisawa, Ifurita, Nanami Jinnai, Miz Fujisawa, Shayla-Shayla, Qawoor Towles, Princess Fatora, Princess Alielle, Parnasse Ralielle, Doctor Amiri, Doctor Schtalubaugh, Princess Rune Venus, Londs and Cerev. dooky 29th April 2001 Proofreading by the magnificent Firebird... cheers!
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