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LP Chapter 31

This version was saved 12 years, 11 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Volkes_Wagon
on April 30, 2011 at 11:35:05 pm
 

you know what? i seem to write better when it's late and i'm not thinking. weeiiird.

that swing took an impossibly long time to happen. either that or these conversations happen at supersonic speed. jeez. i should give up on making this realistic.

remember that kucabara had an injured leg? ...yeah...

Things That Fly

 

     "What's your name?"

     The boy stared back blankly.

     The new Minister hesitated, then led him to a sofa and sat down next to him, gesturing to the Vice Minister to follow suit.

     "Do you speak Northern?" 

     The boy didn't seem to understand.

     His blood-red eyes were disturbing, offset jarringly with his blue hair. He would need to wear some sort of mask and wig, or else who knew what the others would do to him. And would he be able to learn Northern fluently enough to pass as a citizen? His tribe had good connections with Angel City, but as far as he knew only a few could speak Northern. Kucabara hadn't realized how complicated saving just one child could be. And he had wanted to save the entire village singlehandedly...

     He shook himself and focused on the current topic again.

     "Okay. Let's try this." He thought for a moment. "Buchele tresha nimai?"

     Southern was met with the same reaction. Kucabara sighed.

     "Vladimier, help me with this. The kid's gotta talk. Should we start with something easier?"

     His legal uncle rolled his eyes. "Do I look like a father to you? I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe you should start with food."

     "He's not an animal, Vlad. Let's see. I mean, you start conversations with introductions, don't you? How do you give an introduction when a kid's lost his memory from shock?"

     "Ask that psychologist again. She actually knows what she's doing. Don't ask me."

     "Riiiight."

     Kucabara leaned back wearily. He hadn't slept in days. With his father's death came a dizzying array of accusations, congradulations, paperwork, public speeches, public outrage, and public approval, in that approximate order. And that was just in his own small circle, most of which was dealt with by his Vice. There was still the matter of the Blue Riders massacre and the Navi's alliance to deal with. And more accusations. All concerning his father. He closed his eyes. His mind was so numb he hadn't felt true sorrow for his father yet. But it would come.

     "Where are you when I need you?"

     His whisper was too soft for Vladimier to notice.

     Slowly he sat up. "Right then, I've got to get back to work. You call the psychologist and get the kid to talk."

     "Wha-!?"

     "You're the daddy here. I'm just the older brother. Give me a call when something happens. Well then, good luck and good e'en."

     He rose. Vladimier fidgeted uncomfortably. "...You've still got to call him something."

     "Oh? What do you mean?"

     "I mean...I don't know...give him a name."

     He grinned. "You've got a suggestion?"

     "Well, no, not exactly, no."

     "One no is enough to understand you're in the negative, Vlad."

     "Yes, yes, of course, that's right, yes."

     "...What's your suggestion?"

     "Er. Yesterday I was thinking we should give the child a new last name, and on my way down to Strawberry [i do believe that's what the town coocoo was coming back from during the ambush was called] a blue jay flew by. I've never heard of them being in this area before. But it was most certainly there, and when I saw it I thought the color was exactly like the child's hair. So I decided if we ever needed to rename him his last name would be Jay. Of course it could be changed to his first, or if you have a better idea we could use yours, but...well. Yes. A blue jay." He stared at Kucabara accusingly. "Your side of the argument?"

     Kucabara wasn't looking at him. "...Blue jays, huh? Thought they were all gone." He strode back to the boy and squatted down in front of him. "Guess what? You are about to be named after a legendary bird. A blue jay. They say that if you take one of its feathers and crumple it, the color will drip out and stain your hand sky-blue forever. Bue jays are things that fly. You're a blue jay, and you soar through the skies unhindered by rain or snow."

     The boy blinked. "...Sky?"

     Vladimier jumped. He looked at the two with astonishment painted all over his face.

     "...Yes, my boy. Did you know? Some people call the blue jay the dragon of the skies, its call is so strong. [this is so not true, but blue jays are quite well known for their harsh alarm call/song thing.] You're a dragon, and a singing bird, and a boy with wings. You're Jay."

 

     Gold magic crashed through his hand like water out of a dam.

     It flung itself against the spikes, blue metal frail and weak when faced with its resolve. They crumbled in its wake, the pieces knocked away, as the sickle-shaped gold tore at their cores and stripped them of their magic. The Lersi destroyed, it continued on its path unchecked and spiraled against the tunnel's ceiling, ripping out wires and bits of machinery and leaving a rut an arm's-length across, getting deeper as it went. It burst out into the sky and still it continued, wind roaring out the gaping hole.

     For a brief second, his magic followed the piece of gold and evaporated, leaving him entirely vulnerable. That was his greatest weakness. The longer he tensed his spring, the more powerful its release was, but also the longer it would take to recoil his magic. Right after each of his four possible shots, he would be a sitting duck. And Yera knew this well.

     And still he sent off his hopes and left himself defenseless.

     The tunnel was cleared by the shooting gold. In the center, moving faster than a meteor, was an arrow.

     It scintillated blue electricity. It barreled towards his heart from Yera's fingertips. Without his golden light to counter it, the cold blue veil draped every reachable surface and filled the tunnel. He couldn't see anything else. In the brief second that it took to reach him, the sight of the arrow filled every corner of his thoughts and numbed the fearful voices in his mind. All he could see was a curtain of blue, a single, brilliant streak.

     There was a sharp click.

     In the same second a shadow appeared in front of him. The cold lights exploded, nearly blinding him. There was a glitter of silver, and the shadow crumpled to the floor.

 

     Everything was so clear from where Jay stood. There was no sound, no stifling smells or musty weight bearing down on his skin. There were no conflicting desires, no distracting thoughts, no prodding sense of guilt or duty. Above the clouds, the air was clear.

     Jay could see the city laid out in the distance, a sparkling island of soft-glowing lanterns and sharply flaring firecrackers. He loved it. Not like a home or family, no. Nor was it the love one feels towards a long-accustomed presence. He didn't want to admit it, but his love for the city was detached, like a beautiful jewel behind a glass pane. He loved the lanterns, the houses, and most of all the people, in their day to day musings and chattings and soft warm smiles, he loved them so much it felt like his insides were tearing apart every time he saw them. But that love stemmed from tenderness, or admiration, and could be given to any city of people. Jay couldn't put a finger on his love.

     As he looked at the celebrating city he realized how small it all was. The people talked about trivial things, the day was filled with menial tasks, like an island of paradise surrounded by suffering. He knew what suffering was like, having lived through it. The island was relief and relative happiness, and so he picked up his shipwrecked self and eagerly made a falsified place in that world.

     But what was it that he wanted? Not that kind of happiness, like a green candy apple, too sweet and preserved for too long. He had slept in paradise for long enough now. The group of travellers made him see that. It felt strange to be awake again, the sharp cold air stabbing his lungs as he breathed in, deep. [i think i've been reading too much poetry--i can't express myself without using similes and metaphors these days - __ -]

     Jay turned his ruby eyes to the night sky. There was a temporary lull in the fireworks show as the city crew prepared for the last stretch. Every year, at exactly midnight, the Ending Arrow would set off the last firework of the Festival of Angels. This one firework would last all the way until dawn, the designs changing every year. It never failed to launch and amaze. To the dear people of Angel City it was the pivoting point between last year and the new year, a sign that previous mistakes can be fixed, and with a fresh slate, set to rights. [hahah yeah the LP new year's apparently at around the same time as Chinese New Year. woah i just realized that. 0 - 0 sweetness~<3] It was important to them, so it was important to Jay.

     Yes, the city and its people were still important to Jay, more so than any other random passerby, and always would be. But he could never be happy again staying peacefully with them. 

     The drums sounded.

     Jay sucked in his breath. Could he do it? Nobody had ever given him so much responsibility before. His heart started to pound as he fingered his arrow.

     The second boom. A strange thrill shot through him, not entirely unpleasant. What, so he actually enjoyed this kind of thing?

     His foot slipped. He yelped and grabbed the edge of the Crow's Nest. [remember? that lookout post at the top of the Big Tent? yeah i was gonna have an awesome climbing scene but i cut it out (darn i even had to cut out vlad vs. servant twin). he's already at the top.]

     Maybe not.

     Several fireworks shot up from the city walls and exploded, setting the stage for what was to come. More followed, brightly colored and magically moving in midair, painting pictures and scenes that transported every onlooker into the story. It seemed that this year's theme was historical, in commemoration of the fiftieth year since the treaty between Angel City and the Navi was signed. The fireworks depicted the Minister and leader of the Navi of that time in perfect detail, how they met, became friends, and after having fought for so long, made peace. It was a simple but beautifully presented story.

     The scene had reached the climax. The leader of the Navi had to choose between following the beliefs of his people or following his own desire for peace. Holding his breath, he stretched out his hand to make his choice.

     Jay watched, mesmerized. He was calm now, it would be alright. His own deep breathing consumed all other sound.

     For the first time in his life his existence seemed worth it.

     A single lantern drifted up from its walls, exactly like the first--soft, pure, angelical. He would really miss those lanterns.

     He realized that with his arrow he would be saying farewell. And in a secret, selfish way, for this he was glad.

     Jay shook out his feathers to prepare for flight.

 

     The second passed.

     Yera stood with his bow still outstretched. The debris from the tunnel ceiling started to fall, and Kucabara raised his arms protectively. Then he saw Kuchiha.

     She was curled up on the ground, her back to him. Her clothes were scorched, hair smouldering. Her hands were burned black, still gripping onto her swords tightly. Scattered all around were remnants of the arrow.

     "...Oh, my God." Kucabara shuffled forward and prodded her gently.

     She growled.

     "The heck d'you think you're doing?"

     His hands flew up as he stammered an apology. "You're alive!! I thought you were--but that was--how did you--!?"

     Yera took a step back. "How did you do that? What magic did you use?"

     She coughed and shook the soot out of her hair. "Say what?"

     "That was over a million times the amount of a normally fatal electric shock. How are you still alive?"

     Kuchiha squinted at the Navi and pushed herself up. "Huh?"

     "Answer me!!"

     "Don't pressure me, jeez!! I don't get it!!"

     "What kind of South are you!!?"

     She bristled, arching her back as she prepared to spring. "How'd you know I was a South!!?" [yes guess what guys she's a south who didn't even know what Southern was until Ruru told her. hahah...yeah, i made up Southern after i made up her, so things went a little wacko...]

     "You used magic!"

     "...I used magic?" 

     Yera's momentum tumbled into a ditch. "I...believe so."

     "Me? Use magic!?" She hissed with indignation. "If I could use magic I wouldn't be in this mess. And if I could, I wouldn't. I hate magic. Hate it with all my guts and brains and everything in me that ever could hate and ever will. Which is everything."

     "But...you just used it. You must have used it! You survived the electricity, and you're still conscious!"

     "You call that a shock!? It could hardly've made a seagull surprised!" She leered at him. Kucabara didn't get her sense of humor.

     "But that was--...!?"

     "Hey! Do I need an excuse for being tough to beat!!?"

     "Actually, yes, you do."

     "You stay out of this, M!"

     She leaped forward, trailed by smoke and charcoal.

     "I warned you guys, don't look down on me!! Now let's get down to business here, seagull!!!"

     Yera just motionlessly watched her approach. 

     Kucabara tried to tense his springs, but his magic was still gone.

     "...Did you know? Just 7.5 watts of electricity can be fatal in humans. My full power is eight hundred million watts--but rest assured. Normally, Navi magic can only be used to magnetize a target to Lersi stone [and make them into living lightning rods]; we cannot directly electricute objects"

     "Hah, giving a science lecture won't help you now!! Brace yourself!!!" 

     Yera threw down his bow.

     "Ah? Surrender?"

     Kucabara started to run.

     "No. I don't need it anymore." He sank both hands into the mud on the tunnel's side. "Within the walls of this tunnel is built a Lertec Electricity Amplifier. By channeling my electricity through a tri-bid system I can increase my energy output by 440 percent."

     Magic visibly shot through his whole body and flared into the wall, recklessly, perpetually. Metal groaned against metal, echoing deep inside the muddy earth. The tunnel shook. Debris rained down from the hole Kucabara had made.

     "What struck you was over 35 billion watts of pure electrical energy that can both magnetize my targets and electricute living creatures. And you say you survived without magic?" He smiled and shook his head sadly, like he was scolding a little child. "No. That is simply impossible. Lying is useless. Now what trick did you use?"

     Kuchiha bared her teeth. "Tch. How many times do I have to tell you I didn't use magic!!" 

     She raised her arm for the swing. 

     "I personally oversaw the building of this tunnel. Every single inch of earth, every single scrap of metal had to pass my inspection. It took five years of sleepless nights for the machinery within these walls to be completed. I made certain of its abilities. Do you expect me to believe that you survived my flawless system with nothing but brute resilience? ...Well. At any rate, I suppose I shall find out."

     He popped his hands out of the tunnel's side. They were still clawed, grotesque in their case of mud. 

     A deafening roar broke out of the wall. Hunks of muck hurtled and smacked and globbed against the opposite side. Giant protrusions of Lersi metal emerged again, bigger and hardly fitting in the narrow tunnel. They were shaped like feathered arrows, the points twisting towards Kuchiha to form a sphere around her.

     They were twisting around to face her.

     The metal was twisting.

     Kucabara slammed into Kuchiha. Somehow he had made it.

     "Ow! What the-"

     "Run, run, RUN!!!" He yanked on her arm.

     "What're you doing!!?"

     "Quick, just GET OUT OF THERE!!!"

     She turned to him and smiled. "No way."

     With the back of her katana she knocked him back out of harm's way. He stumbled on his injured leg and fell on his back.

     What could he do? How could he save her? How could he save her, or the village, or the little boy with red eyes, or anyone in the world? How could he save them?

     "Watch closely, li'l cuckoo bird. And you too ugly seagull."

     Kuchiha's long black hair was tinted blue by the light. It billowed out behind her in rippling waves.

     "I'm gonna teach you guys how to fly."

     Jay.

     Yera raised his hand and clenched it.

 

     He turned his cold eyes to Kuchiha.

     sldkfj

     Cold light ran through the walls.

     "

 

But since the Kuchiha, and Kake and Runo, and the monster tsunami of the Navi's attack. The city now knew that he was a Blue Rider. He felt like he had betrayed them. Even if they forgave him he would never be able to walk among them again. His paradise was shattered. He was glad for this, though, because it pushed him to find what he really wanted to do.

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