I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you
-Lyrics to 'Cosmic Love' performed by Florence and the Machine
Elements of Great Design Part 15
'One who is far more than what he seems.'
Heero berated himself for not seeing the signs leading to the last Keeper that was needed for the fight against Mariemaia. It was not as though he hadn't had enough hints over the last day-and-a-half of knowing the newest additions to the Alliance.
The black wolf certainly acted as though he understood what was being said. Then there was his clear attachment to Anna... as if he was a doting lover more than a beast. Finally, there was the simple logic that there were only six meant to take the journey into the darkness. And Wufei felt like a member from the beginning, regardless of the fact that he was a wild animal.
But the notion of the wolf actually being a human was so far-fetched that Yuy never considered the possibility.
And yet here the Fighter was... standing before the black wolf with the distinct shadow of a young man of a lean, strong stature and a height of his own. Suddenly, those onyx eyes watching him were more human in their shape as well as the expressions they unveiled.
In a rush, the last comments that had come from the thief set in. A chill running down his spine, Heero slowly turned towards Anna and breathed, "Eblan? But... that land had been destroyed by landslide almost five years ago. There were no survivors."
Smiling sadly, the Fire Keeper replied, "Eblan was wiped away, however there was one that escaped. Wufei is the last of his people to walk Gaia." Her grin slipping away completely, she frowned, "We were both there when Mariemaia decided to first test her powers there. Since the land was a desolate and open one, it provided the ideal layout for such an experiment."
Taking that news in was like having a bucket of iced water wash over the Fighter, his whole body shaking and eyes widening at his falling back a pace. "Mariemaia was responsible for..." he was unable to come out and say anything further, the shock still too intense and fresh to process anything further.
Wufei walked up quickly, ignoring the stunned members of the Alliance to stand beside Anna when her blue irises shifted behind water. Leaning heavily against her leg, he gave a soft, heartbreaking whimper as he looked up at her. In the brilliant light, the shadow of the young man appeared next to hers and the dark form wrapped an arm around the shoulders of her likeness.
His aquamarine eyes filling with tears, Quatre reached up to clutch at his white robes over his heart at the painful wave of raw emotions that he was picking up. "D-dear Creator," he breathed. Meeting the thief's watery gaze, he asked in little more than a broken whisper, "What happened out there?"
A full shudder physically shook the thief's whole body at the question. "I... we..." Shaking her head when she could not manage more than those couple of single-syllable words, she cleared her throat of the lump that had formed in it. "It's a long story," she finally managed, her tense posture and cast aside glance spoke worlds of how she hoped to not have to go any further into the matter...
...however, Wufei voiced his own wishes with a soft whimper and a nudge from his muzzle against his companion's hand. Gasping, Anna spun her head around to take in the wolf's imploring, black eyes as he gently brushed his damp nose into her hand again.
Her shoulders sagging heavily, Fraise sighed deeply. "Alright," she breathed to her furry partner. "I suppose that they need to hear it all at some point."
Duo stepped forward to squeeze the redhead's arm, reassuring, "It would only be good for us to understand what brought the pair of you together as well as your experience with Mariemaia." Gesturing to the Chang, he smiled sadly, "Maybe there is a way that we can be of help to you both as well."
"For you to be of any real assistance to us, my friend," the thief drew out slowly in a sigh, "...I will need you to help me die."
Their eyes widening and bodies tensing, Heero, Duo and the rest of their Alliance exchanged wide-eyed glances of disbelief that they had heard the Fire Keeper correctly. But in fact, there was nothing to be found in Anna's eyes but grave sincerity.
* * * * * *
"My brother is off fighting alongside Strangers against Mariemaia and the darkness?!" Relena shrieked.
After a long trek to a safe place where the people of Romefeller could set camp, Dorothy had waited until the Queen's tent had been pitched and for them to be settled in before discussing her earlier vision.
Well aware of how upset Peacecraft would be over the news of Zechs' decision to press into the Unknown with the brave Fighters of the kingdoms that had united along their journey, it was only right in the Oracle's mind that her friend have a place where she had some sense of privacy for the blow.
Drawing a deep breath, Catalonia brushed down the front of her black robes and informed calmly, "He is only doing what he believes is the right thing to do. Running is no longer the option that he wishes to take. And if that means standing alongside people to defend our world, then so be it."
In the dim glow of the candles burning atop tables throughout the space, the gifted's fair hair glowed as she tilted her head. "Frankly, your brother had the perfect appreciation of what we all need to do," she stated. "Too long have we Gaians allowed the walls around our lands to form around our acceptance and understanding of our neighbors. It is what has made every one of us vulnerable to an attack like this."
"I completely appreciate what you are telling me," the young Queen responded as she began to pace the ground. "However, I am entitled to be a little less than thrilled to know that the last relative I have living is going off to battle an enemy that this world has never seen the likes of before."
With a deep bow of her head, her Oracle held her tongue out of respect. The wheels were turning in Relena's mind and that was the only real objective to be reached in bringing up the images that had been revealed.
Running her fingers over her chin as she would whenever she was in deep thought, Relena continued to slowly pace the 'floor'
Finally shaking her head, she thought aloud, "I agree that we cannot expect the threat that Mariemaia presents to just go away by running. She has made it perfectly clear through the expansion of her dark control that she is looking to claim as much of Gaia as possible. Eventually, there will be nowhere to run from her."
Outright shivering, Peacecraft rubbed her arms as though fighting a chill that had suddenly settled. "But... we have never had to work with others outside of what we know before," she frowned deeply. "What if we are willing to try and they are not? The same notions that we have conceived of them may very well be how they perceive us without their having taken the time to know who we are."
A sad grin curling her lips, Dorothy replied with her own, "What is the worst that can happen if that is the case? We are told by other Sovereigns that they choose not to flee with us or to fight along with Zechs? Perhaps we will be ridiculed for suggesting such ideas? Whatever the case may be, we will always be able to move on until we find those who will listen."
To the blinking eyes of her Queen, the Oracle opened her arms and reminded, "Your brother and sister-in-law managed to do just that on their own. I do not see how it would be impossible for us to accomplish the same."
Nodding, Relena took another deep breath. "Very well," she muttered. "That is what we will be our mission as well."
Her shoulders rolling back and head lifting, she declared, "Only, I also choose to not sit aside for long. Once we have the start of an impressive army, I will travel north with them to offer whatever I can to the fight, be it aiding healers or bringing in supplies. There needs to be more examples like my brother amongst the world's Sovereigns."
Dorothy clapped her hands together and closed the distance between them to pull her 'sister' into a tight embrace. "I knew that you would make a great leader, dear." Pulling back, she squeezed the royal's shoulders and promised, "I will also go to the darkness with your warriors with the hope of being able to use my gift for the cause."
Relieved, the Queen released the breath that she had been holding in a sharp huff and smiled, "Thank you." As her friend's hands fell away, her blue eyes grew as she asked worriedly, "Now, how is Heero? Have you had any vision to how he is fairing?"
Sighing, Catalonia refrained from rolling her eyes. A small and tired smile spread across her face as she shook her head in amusement. Where there was a great deal of progress in Relena's handling and decision making in the utmost of dire circumstances, there were other aspects of the royal that seemed as though they would never change.
Then again, there was a bit of comfort in that.
* * * * * *
Night was falling thickly over the open field where the Alliance had set their camp.
Sitting in a ring around the camp fire so that they could all see each other's faces, all attention had fallen on the redhead perched atop a short rock with Wufei's head resting across her lap as he looked up at her with clear encouragement in his eyes.
Clearing her throat, Anna subconsciously ran a hand along her partner's thick fur like a physical mantra to put herself at ease. Her gaze staring into the flames, she began softly, "About six years ago, I had was running from Toroia after one of my greatest steals."
She reached up with her free left hand to wrap her fingers around the large diamond stud on her ear as she smiled to her friends, "These came right from the Queen Phyllis' private jewel collection as a rare luxury claim on my part."
Heero heard the whistle through his teeth before he realized that he had even pursed his lips to make the sound. Blinking widely, he appraised the thief with a newfound sense of respect in her skills. Well aware of how any royal guarded their gems and jewelry, Fraise had to be more than good to have walked away with such a catch.
A sad smile gracing her lips, the thief gazed back into the flames as she shared in little more than a whisper, "Eblan just happened to be the closest land at the time, a place where I could hide out within its hillsides and ridges that surrounded it in a natural wall with its peaceful Monks living there. I had only intended to stay until it was safe enough for me to move on again."
Biting her lip, she breathed, "I... never would have dreamed of meeting the one person that literally changed my life forever from that day on..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(Flashback)
Eblan was even more beautiful than the tales that Anna had heard throughout the many travels in her young life. Physically sixteen but part of the world for decades, the young woman was in wide-eyed and slack-jawed awe over the breathtaking realm that seemed completely secluded from the rest of Gaia.
Scrawny from meager eating and constantly being on the go, Fraise's mouth began to water at the sight of fields upon fields bearing fresh crops of every kind imaginable. Along with that, the people regularly hunted the forests and fished the kingdom's streams and lakes for a multitude of meat options.
It was a thief's paradise... a place where one with skills like Anna's could live off of the provisions that were laid out to them for years on end if they so chose while retreating into the shroud of the surroundings to always stay out of sight.
For several weeks, she had been able to accomplish just that.
Perched inside of a cavern in the side of the rock 'wall' wrapping the circular land that stretched for miles and miles, the redhead watched the white-robed men known as the mysterious Monks that inhabited the lush kingdom trained from sunrise to sunset in the art of hand-to-hand combat. Mesmerized by the agile flips, kicks, punches and the like, she watched their exercises with keen interest... and even tried to mimic their acts on her own.
Then, one fateful night, the thief that had prided herself in setting traps for unsuspecting targets that she would relieve of their coin found herself in the snare of a noose that had been placed for her.
Waiting for the cover of night as she always would, Anna slipped out of her cave to cover the grounds bearing the crops that were the most ready for the taking. It was the ideal setup- a clear sky and a full moon that provided more than enough natural night for her to navigate without the aid of a ball of fire in her hand.
Never hitting the same farming grounds twice was part of her game, spreading out the patches that she would excavate as to make the owners assume that gophers or other animals may have helped themselves to the offerings.
The large satchel that the fire gifted had thrown over her shoulder was filling quickly with an array of vegetables and fruits when she was nearly ready to head back 'home' for the evening. But then there was the lure of the fresh berries shining in the moonlight from where they hung on the stalks of branches that lined the plantation.
Slowly creeping through the leaves that rose up in perfect lines through the field without a sound, Fraise reached her destination and sank to her knees. Normally one to carefully inspect everything she touched, her desire for the ripe offerings before her was too great and she reached to grab hold of a filled branch.
The wrapping of her fingers around the limb set off a chain of bright rings of tiny bells that had been strung within the confines of the thick foliage.
Gasping sharply, the thief pulled her hand back as though it had been bitten but the light chimes only continued. Wide-eyed and frozen where she remained crouched, her heart hammered in her chest so furiously that the thump of her blood was the only sound filling her ears... until a baritone voice behind her said quietly, "I knew that we were not being invaded by an animal."
Her blue eyes closing and shoulders slumping, Anna dropped her head forward. The one time she had let her guard down... but she knew all too well that it only took once for such a slip to get her caught. And now here she was.
"No need to be alarmed," the Stranger to her back was quick to reassure when she did not move. "I have no interest in getting you in trouble. For weeks now, I have been watching you... and we have a great deal in common, you and I, little Firefly."
Stiffening at that, Fraise blinked in surprise at the nickname. Firefly. That could only mean that not only had she been discovered, but so had her unique talent...
...there were few things in the world that Anna held dear that she could call her own. And her ability with fire was the most revered possession she had.
It was her best friend, her only comfort and protector through her existence. To have anyone else come to know it felt like a violation of the most severe of natures. She felt exposed... naked and ripped apart to shreds left behind for the vultures to claim.
Prickling tears filled the redhead's vision as her eyes narrowed and teeth gritted with a low growl. She felt her hand wrap tightly around the hilt of the dagger at her waist and shot upward as she spun around to slash at her assailant. But her blade came up against metal with a loud clang and her blade was knocked back.
In a flash of speed that far outmatched Fraise's, the shadow she had turned to face darted around her to bind her arms behind her with one hand as the other came up to hold a long sword against her throat.
Struggling to free herself, the thief hissed and snarled in doing her best to wiggle. The fact that there was a sharp weapon pressing against her throat did not matter. Freedom was all that she cared about... she would burn her captor to ash before he would claim any more of her integrity.
"Please do not struggle," the mouth that had moved beside her ear beseeched in a whisper. "I swear that I do not want to hurt you."
He was not going to get the chance. He was going to burn before he could. Anna was quickly calming her body and mind to see to that.
Only... just as she was about to touch her gift with her subconscious, the redhead gasped in wide-eyed disbelief at the sight and feel of the ground vines moving in the glow of the moon of their own accord. They wove together, thickening their lines and swerving in to wrap up her legs and over her torso to relieve the grip of her captor. Too taken aback by the strike, Fraise allowed the binding to hold her still.
This was no ordinary spell from a Mage. It was familiar... comfortable.
'...we have a great deal in common, you and I,' those words ran through Anna's mind as the last comment from the person holding her. Now she knew exactly what he meant.
He was gifted through an element the same way that she was.
Instantly, the thief stopped struggling all together as the ropes of leafy vines stopped at her breasts. Only one tall stem rose up before her face, its end opening and blooming into a large, purple flower, larger than any natural feathered bud that she had ever seen.
A peace offering.
"My apologies for startling you like this," the young man behind her said sincerely, a true hint of sadness in his tone. "But I did not know how else to approach you, given how skilled you are in your slipping in and out so quickly."
At his stepping back, the vines around the redhead fell away while the flower remained suspended on its single branch for her. Her eyelids fluttering open and closed rapidly in their blinks, she tentatively reached forward and accepted the gift. "I made it so that it will never die," her fellow elemental informed quietly.
The last of her trepidation melting away, Anna sighed out a bashful giggle. "T-thank you," she grinned widely as she turned at the same time that her captor with her walked back around to reveal himself. Once more stricken to a soft gasp, her eyes grew for a new reason in taking in the handsome teenager.
No older than she in his appearance, the boy's raven-dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with its ends brushing his shoulders. Lean and muscular in the white robes rimmed in red and detailed in black swirls at the bottom, his status as a Monk was announced. Dark eyes that peered beyond the slanted eyelids of the Eblan people glimmered as they ran over the thief in the very manner that her blues were drinking him in.
Simply being in the presence of the strikingly handsome teenager, Anna felt her throat constrict and her pulse elevate again. It had been... a very long time since she ever had the privilege of being in the presence of another her age, or anyone for that matter. That had to be the reason for why she was so drawn to him, she told herself.
A small, pleasant smile curled the other gifted's lips when he stopped before her. "Do you have a name, Firefly?" he asked.
Her head shaking to clear its drifting thoughts so that they could return to the present, the thief felt a blush color her cheeks as she smiled in a stammered, "A-Anna... Anna Fraise." Freeing a hand from its cupping the beautiful flower in her possession, she extended it in greeting. "Nice to meet you..."
"Wufei," the Monk grinned back as he accepted her hand into his for a firm shake.
That simple brushing of their skin together brought on the first sensation of burning that the fire starter had ever experienced. It was intense and profound, threatening to consume her from deep within her being and out to the surface.
Bowing his head deeply, the dark-haired boy smirked, "Wufei Chang. And it is an honor to meet you, Anna."
She beamed at that, her first real introduction with another person in decades.. a Stranger who was just like her, no less.
And so began the bond between two hearts that would stand the test of time and the greatest of trials... never to be broken.
TBC...
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