Sorcerer Stabber Shinigami Part 1
Quatre raced down the stairs from his room, pulling on his shirt as he stumbled into the main room, catching himself on the wooden bar. He ran a hand through his short blond hair, in an attempt to straighten it, and smiled at his father. His father paused in cleaning off the bar and smiled at him in greeting.
"Good morning," Quatre declared happily as he grabbed his broom and apron from the corner.
"You're sure awake this morning."
Quatre just grinned. "The snow storm is over and it looks like most of it will melt away today. Spring's coming real soon."
His father laughed. "Okay, fine, go clean the rooms so you can enjoy this rare weather."
Quatre nodded happily and rushed back up the stairs with the broom. He opened the first door after the stairs, intent on getting his work done as soon as possible. He had it memorized last night from his father's list which rooms were full and which weren't. He'd clean all the empty rooms then have the day all to himself. He expected to find this particular room empty, after all it hadn't been purchased last night. However he was greeted with a full bed, and a figure curled up tightly in the corner against the wall of the bed in a fur cloak.
Raising the broom and gripping it tightly he approached the bed, gathering his courage in an attempt to look intimidating.
"Hey! Get up! We don't appreciate thieves! Get up and pay for this room!"
The figure stirred and uncurled from his cloak, revealing a set of bright violet eyes and long chestnut colored hair pulled into a disheveled braid. The violet eyes narrowed at Quatre. "Go away," he grumbled. "It's too early."
"No! How dare you steal one of our rooms!" Quatre swung the broom down, aiming for the boy's head but he was surprised as the boy caught the broom and yanked it from his hands. Quatre took a step back as the boy sat up and snapped the broom over his knee. Tossing it to the floor, the violet eyes glared at him. For a moment Quatre just stood there, caught in the boy's glare, then the trance seemed to be broken as the violet eyed boy broke into a loud yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Far too early," he murmured.
Quatre took a step forward to yell at the other boy once again but his eyes caught a glint of silver instead. He took another step forward, warily, and his eyes widened.
"Woah! Is that what I think it is?"
The boy glared at Quatre and then at the amulet around his neck. It was silver, in the shape of a dragon intertwined around a long rune covered sword. "This old thing?" he asked, fingering it absent-mindedly.
Quatre reached out to touch it and the boy slapped his hand away.
"Yeah, yeah, it's an amulet from the Tower of Fang, so what?"
The boy stood up and stretched, gazing around the barren room. "Are you really a sorcerer? From the Tower?"
The boy yawned and grinned. "Yeah. Name's Duo, what about you?" Duo glanced back to Quatre, looking the boy over.
"Quatre," Quatre said with a smile. But that smile quickly faded into a frown. "But sorcerer or not you still have to pay for your room. And now you owe us for the broom too!"
Duo took a step back in surprise at the boy's sudden change of mood. "Okay, okay! Cool down kid-"
"I'm not a kid! I'm just as old as you." Quatre pointed out angrily.
"Okay, sorry. Look, here's your broom." Duo turned to the splintered wood and waved his finger. Purple treadles curled out of thin air and wrapped themselves around the splinters, lifting them up into the air where they danced and slowly began to lace back together. Slowly the broom mended itself, almost as if time were reversing and all the pieces grew back into one. As soon as the broom was patched back together it flew into Duo's hand and he tossed it to the blond boy with a smile, the purple light disappearing from the room.
Quatre fumbled to catch the broom, nearly dropping it on the floor again. Turning it over in his hands he stared wide eyed at the newly mended wood. A moment later he shook off his awe and turned his gaze back to Duo. "This still doesn't pay for your room." He pointed out hotly.
Duo sighed heavily and dropped to sitting on the bed. He knew this kid wasn't going to give up nor would he drop the subject, so he supposed he'd have to come up with another plan. "Look ki-Quatre. I'm really low on money at the moment and I can't pay for the room. However I'll make you a deal. You let me stay here for a while and I'll take you as my apprentice." Duo fingered his necklace, watching the blond very closely.
Quatre blinked at him and a wide grin grew across his face. "You mean it? You'll teach me magic?"
"Sure, I'll teach. If you'll learn."
"Of course!" Quatre grabbed onto Duo's wrist and yanked him to his feet, pulling him quickly to the door. Down the stairs and into the main bar Quatre yanked Duo all the way, despite the sorcerer's protests. Quatre finally let go of Duo's arm and rushed over to his father, meanwhile Duo caught himself before slamming into the bar. He rubbed his wrist and glanced between the boy and his father. The father glared at Duo as he took a seat.
"I don't remember you checking into a room last night, young man," he grumbled suspiciously.
Duo opened his mouth to answer but Quatre cut him off.
"He stole a room," Quatre blurted out. Duo scowled to himself and shook his head sadly.
"You'll need to pay for it you know, with money or your hide."
Duo winced and opened his mouth to protest once more, but once again Quatre jumped in.
"He's offered to teach me magic instead."
The boy's father raised an eyebrow and set down his rag, walking over to lean on the bar next to Duo. Duo simply grinned back at him. "You don't look much like a sorcerer, more like a little kid trying to be smart and avoid paying for the room he stole."
Duo pulled his necklace into sight for the old man. "And this?"
"A mere trinket, you can buy it at any booth in town. It doesn't prove you're from the Tower of Fang."
Duo smirked. "Then how shall I prove it to you, old man?"
The old man pointed to a pile of shattered glass that had been swept into a corner. "Had a rowdy group last night, clean up the mess, without a broom or mop."
Duo stood up and rubbed his hands together, walking over to the pile. He regarded it for a moment then shrugged and smiled. "Clean up, eh? How about I save you some money while I'm at it." Duo raised his hands and positioned them so his palms were facing the pile. Tracing a few shapes in the air he closed his eyes and muttered a word.
Purple light emitted from his hands, flowing down around the shards. The small pieces of glass rattled on the floor then, one by one, started jumping into the air to link back together. One at a time each glass rebuilt itself in the air until it sparkled brand new, then it floated onto the table next to Duo. Soon four glasses sat on the table, sparkling in the dim light. Duo opened his eyes and picked up the glasses, carrying them over to set them in front of Quatre and his father. Taking a seat again he grinned at both of them.
"Satisfied?"
The old man picked up the glass and turned it over in his hands. "Name your price," he murmured.
"Place to stay, food to eat, little spending money on the side and I'll teach him."
The old man nodded. "You'll teach him and get him into the Tower of Fang."
Duo frowned deeply, but quickly shrugged it away. "That's easy enough. Deal."
Quatre clapped his hands together happily. "All right! I get to learn how to do magic!"
Duo snickered and nodded. "Yeah, but first let's eat, I'm starved."
Quatre nodded and ran to the back to get some food. Meanwhile the old man just watched as the two boys worked their way through their plates of food, talking happily about run-of-the-mill things. His eyes kept wandering to the boy's amulet and his violet eyes.
The old man remembered once, long ago, he'd heard a tale of those with purple eyes. It was a sign of something very special and disturbing. He watched the grinning sorcerer and shook his head. No, that old myth couldn't be right. After all, how could someone born under that sign be so cheerful? It just didn't seem possible.
Shaking his head slowly he picked up his rag and went back to cleaning the counters.
~*~
Duo dropped into bed again that night, wrapping himself up tightly in his fur cloak. Quatre had explained that there wasn't enough wood to give to him at the moment, they had to save it for their paying customers. Duo had shrugged it off at the time, telling them not to worry about it, but now he really wished he'd demanded some or something like that. Once again he found the bed freezing cold and was forced to curl himself into a tight ball under his fur cloak. Shivering in the corner he closed his eyes and tried to get to sleep.
In truth he knew the room really wasn't that cold, but he always shivered. He knew that not even a fire would stop him from shivering. Beds without him were always cold, but Duo was starting to get used to it, even though he didn't want to. There wasn't much he could do about it.
Sighing softly he forced his eyes shut again and tried to think of warmer thoughts. Instead visions of cobalt blue eyes danced in his mind again. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting himself slip into unconsciousness. At least, if he couldn't have those familiar arms wrapped around him... at least he had his memories of them. That happy thought was enough to lull him into a light sleep.
The dream that took over was actually a memory, portrayed in bright vivid colors as if he were living it all over again. He'd worn a ratty old brown robe, and he'd followed one of his older teachers by the name of Milliardo on that first day. Milliardo was the one who'd found him living on the streets, where his uncontrolled powers would occasionally go out of control and leave him shivering from fear in the dirty alley corners. He'd never been a particularly good thief, not with his power spurting out of control at random moments. He'd practically been on death's door when the tall blond sorcerer found him. At the time he didn't care about learning about magic, he was just glad to be offered a place to stay.
Yet when they reached the Tower of Fang he was overwhelmed. Before him, set alone on the rocky landscape, was a cluster of towers with one directly in the center, all made of smooth gray stone, as if the structure were a natural part of the mountain it stood on. The direct center tower was curved slightly to the side, giving the impression that it was actually a fang. Over the main doorway hung the symbol of the Tower of Fang, a large silver dragon curled around a rune covered blade. Duo couldn't help it; his jaw dropped open in awe as they approached.
"Wow," he murmured softly.
Milliardo chuckled softly beside him. "It is quite overwhelming the first day you see it."
"I really get to learn magic?" Duo asked softly.
"You will be taught the arts, yes. What you learn, however, is up to you."
Duo looked up to the source of the voice, realizing it was not Milliardo who spoke, and spotted a pair walking toward them. One was a tall man, with honey-blond hair cut close to his head and forked eyebrows. He wore robes like Milliardo but they were more ornate, making plain his status as a higher teacher or leader of the school. Beside him followed a silent boy dressed in a black and red outfit, with auburn hair which covered half his face. A single bright emerald eye regarded Duo silently.
"Milliardo," the man said in greeting, a small smile crossing his face. "A new student?"
"Yes, his name is Duo. Duo, this is Master Treize and his current apprentice, Trowa."
Duo grinned and nodded greeting, still quite speechless from his amazing surroundings. Treize stepped forward and took Duo's chin lightly, tilting his head up so he could gaze into the boy's eyes. Treize's own blue eyes locked with Duo's violet eyes and after a moment he smiled lightly, letting go of the boy's chin.
"A child of Shinigami, how interesting. He most certainly has potential, you did well in finding him Milliardo."
Duo glanced in confusion from Treize to Milliardo, but neither answered his questioning look. After a moment his eyes flickered to Trowa, who he found was watching him intently. Duo flashed a bright smile, trying to get the silent boy to smile back, but instead he only blinked in response.
Treize turned to Trowa, who merely glanced to him but still did not speak. "If you would please take him to his room, I have some things to discuss with Milliardo."
"His room?" Trowa asked quietly.
"Yes. Place him with Heero, the two will do well as roommates."
Trowa nodded and gave a short bow. Turning to Duo he beckoned the boy to follow then started down the halls which connected the many towers together. Duo stood there for a moment, watching after Treize and Milliardo who headed in the opposite direction speaking in hushed voices. A second later he rushed to catch up with Trowa.
"So you're a student here too?" Duo asked as he followed the silent boy. He noticed that Trowa moved like a breeze, walking smoothly and covering distance quickly, even though he didn't appear to be moving at all.
Trowa only nodded in response.
"Are all the students as quiet as you?"
Trowa paused in his step and glanced back at Duo, an amused expression on his face. "Some are, some aren't."
"And my new roommate? What's his name-Heero? Does he talk much?"
Trowa nodded. "Yes and no. You'll get to know him and understand."
Duo nodded as they started walking again. "I guess, what's he like?"
"That is something you will discover on your own." Trowa paused by a large oak door. "This is your room, for as long as you stay here in the Tower." Pulling the door open he ushered Duo inside. Duo stepped in, and just gazed at the large room.
"Where's my roommate?" He asked as soon as he noticed the room had no other occupants.
"He is studying under his master. Get some sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow."
Duo nodded. "Thanks."
Trowa turned to leave but paused as Duo glanced at him.
"Where's your room?"
That small amused smile crossed Trowa's face once more. "Down the hall. Good night, Duo."
"Night," Duo responded cheerfully as the door shut, leaving him alone in the large room. He turned and glanced around himself, finally taking stock of the room around him. Smooth stone walls reached up to a vaulted ceiling shrouded in darkness, for not even the candlelight could reach that high. The room was barren, with a small table, a fire pit in the corner and two beds.
The beds themselves held very little covering, merely just a fur covering and a hard feather stuffed pillow. He glanced from the beds, on one side of the room, to the fire pit on the other side of the room. Duo smiled softly to himself and rolled up the sleeves on his robe. Walking over to the bed he grabbed the blanket and pillow, pulling them off the bed with a quick movement. Then he walked over to the fire pit and piled what little wood he had inside. Lighting the fire he curled himself into the blanket about a foot away, close enough to stay warm but far enough away to make sure his hair didn't catch fire.
Living on the streets for most of his life he knew how to get warmth when he could, especially when one lived in a country where the weather predominantly consisted of winter and snow. Closing his eyes he smiled softly, enjoying the warmth, even though he knew the meager amount of wood wouldn't last long. Still, it was like heaven while it lasted.
The fire lasted for about an hour, then died into soft glowing embers. Duo was left shivering on the cold stone floor which sucked whatever remaining heat he had out of his body. He lay there shivering for most of the night and completely miserable for most of the night. Well, that is until an unfamiliar set of arms wrapped around him and a warm was pressed up against his back. Then the shivering had stopped and he'd slept peacefully for the first time in his life.
~*~
Quatre glanced up the next morning, as the door to the Inn swung open and a girl entered. She wore a light blue dress that only reached her knees, quite short for the cold weather outside, and a dark fur lined cloak bearing the emblem of one of the numerous warrior schools. A huge clunking sword was strapped to her belt, just high enough to avoid it catching on the floor. It did however bump against the door frame and almost threw her off balance. She hopped past the door, caught her balance once more and grinned at Quatre. He returned a smile.
"Hilde? That you?"
"Heya Quatre," she took a seat on one of the many bar stools and glanced around the main bar entrance to the Inn. She was greeted with the site of many empty tables, in fact they were all empty save for a couple glancing at each other with starry eyes in the corner. Hilde turned back to the blond boy behind the counter. "Pretty dead for this time of year," she commented.
"What are you doing back so early? I thought you went to a warrior school for the year."
Hilde nodded. "Yeah, I did, but it got boring. All they did was fight against straw dummies and they kept telling me that I needed to trade in my father's sword from something smaller and more... feminine." Hilde made a face and Quatre giggled. Hilde and feminine were two words that just didn't go together at all.
"So what have you been up to?" She asked as he handed her a glass of water. "Have you decided what school you're going to yet? Or you still planning on staying here in this crummy old inn the rest of your life?"
Quatre grinned broadly. "Yep. I'm going to the Tower of Fang."
Hilde blinked in surprise and set down her drink before it dropped from her hand. "You can't be serious! Do you know how hard it is to get in there? You need to find a sorcerer, which is hard enough in itself, and then you need to convince them to teach you. Have you completely gone nuts? There's no way you're going to find a teacher-"
"I already found one."
"Who?"
Quatre smiled. "Come on, I'll introduce you two. I have to wake him up here anyway before he sleeps the day away." Quatre set down his cleaning cloth and pulled off his apron, then beckoned Hilde to follow him up the stairs. She left her cloak hanging beside the counter and hurried after him up the stairs, her long sword catching several times on the wall and stairs. Were it not for the thick leather sheath she probably would have owed Quatre and his father for wooden stair repairs, but thankfully that was not the case. She reached the top of the stairs without much incident and followed Quatre to the first room. She caught up with him just as he pushed the door open.
She honestly didn't know what to expect of this sorcerer that Quatre had found but she certainly wasn't expecting what she discovered. What she found was a shivering young boy, making tortured sounds in his sleep and he winced almost like he was in pain. Quatre quickly rushed to his side and shook him awake while Hilde inched closer in wonder. He certainly didn't look like any sorcerer she'd ever heard of.
"Master? Master wake up." Quatre said as he shook the boy.
Duo's eyes snapped open in surprise and his eyes immediately shifted to Hilde. She gasped and stepped back against the opposite wall.
"A child of Shinigami!" she breathed in surprise and a tinge of fear.
Quatre looked back at her. "What?"
Duo sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He acted completely normal, as if he'd just woken from a peaceful slumber, rather than a restless nightmare filled sleep. Given a huge yawn that would have rivals a tiger's he glanced from Quatre to Hilde. "Friend of yours, Quatre?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
Quatre nodded. "This is Hilde."
The violet eyes flickered to Hilde, who was staying as far away from him as she could. Duo smirked quietly at her reaction to him. It had been so long since he'd been around others that were afraid of him, despite the fact that he shouldn't have liked it he did. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed that small comfort from his days on the street. "What did you call me?" he asked quietly, in a tone that was more amused then threatening.
"A child of Shinigami." She repeated quietly.
"What's that?" Quatre asked.
Hilde's eyes flickered to Duo, who gave a slight nod, beckoning her to go on. He wanted to hear her version of the old myth, it would be interesting, since he could tell by her sword and her movements that she was from one of the warrior schools.
"They're supposed to be cursed, and they all have purple eyes."
Duo laughed coldly. "Yeah, I've been called that before, by many people. That's why they let me into the Tower in the first place."
Quatre still looked confused.
Duo turned an amused grin to Hilde as he began to undo his tangled braid. "Would you care to enlighten us on this particular belief? Since you could probably tell it much better then me."
Hilde eyed the two warily and finally nodded. She leaned against the wall near the fire place while the two boys sat on the bed. Duo watched Hilde quietly, seeming more intent on fixing his hair and watching her sword, while Quatre gave her his undivided attention.
"Well, I don't know too much about it," she started. "All I know is that once every five years the moon shines with a strange red light. Any children born on that night are said to be Children of Shinigami, the God of Death. These children are said to be cursed to bring misfortune to all those around them and they usually become quite powerful, I think that the leader of a local village was one before. The village died though."
"People die because of them?" Quatre asked quietly.
Duo flinched and closed his eyes. In his mind he remembered that night in the school, night before he'd left.
~
"What did you do to him?!"
"He received punishment for his crime."
"You bastard! You know he didn't do anything. I was the one who broke into the room, not him! And you know it!"
"It doesn't matter. We could not sacrifice you, you are too important."
"It wasn't his fault!"
"Others will always take the fall for your actions. That is your fate as one of Shinigami's Children. Accept it."
"Like hell!"
~
Duo flinched and pushed the memory away. Beyond him Hilde closed her mouth and spread her hands in a helpless gesture.
Quatre turned his eyes to Duo, who was now looking out the window and watching the calm snow fall, his fingers still tangled in his now half finished braid. Quickly he finished off his braid, tied it and tossed it over his shoulder. Standing up he walked to the window and leaned his forehead against the cold glass, his breath fogging up the view. He seemed to forget he wasn't the only one in the room as his mind kept repeating Treize's words. 'Others will always take the fall for your actions. That is your fate as one of Shinigami's Children.' Duo shook his head softly, trying to push the words away or make them silent.
"I'm sorry," Hilde said quietly.
"Are... are you cursed?" Quatre ventured softly. He knew he probably shouldn't be asking but he wanted to know.
Duo's eyes snapped open at that question but he didn't move. "Yeah. Yeah kid, I'm cursed. She's right, you don't want to be around me. Look I just agreed to take you as my apprentice because I couldn't pay for the room." Duo turned from the window and faced Quatre, his face very serious. "You don't want to be around me, you'll end up dead."
Grabbing his cloak from the bed he left the room and walked down the stars. Quatre raced to the window and watched as Duo's cloaked figure walked away from the inn, into the snow.
"Duo," he said quietly, placing his hand on the window.
"I'm sorry Quatre, but he's right. The Children of Shinigami are cursed, you're better off without him."
Quatre frowned and shook his head. "You don't understand Hilde. I've always wanted to go to the Tower of Fang and learn magic. None of the other schools interest me, you know that. Chances like this aren't common. He may be my only chance to get into the Tower and I won't lose that! I know it might be dangerous, but if I wanted it to be safe I would have gone to the School of Scholars like my father wanted. I'm not going to miss this chance, Hilde. I don't care. I'm going to the Tower of Fang!"
Turning on his feet he raced out of the room and grabbed a cloak, rushing out after Duo. Hilde was left standing in the room, not sure what to do next.
TBC...
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