WARNING!
This story contains the following: Shonen-Ai, Yaoi - Lime and Lemon, Violence, Language, Male/Female sex.
*....* denotes italics
/..../ denotes thought
DAY TWO PART SIX Aya stood up silently and moved like a breeze across the room. He didn't want to wake the others. It was early morning, and only the faint promise of the sun could be seen on the horizon. Aya had always been an early riser, and his traditions still stuck with him. He felt compelled to return to the tavern. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. A strange compulsion, to go back to the cool room where no one would be. Not at this hour. It was too early. And yet, it ate at him. He *had* to get down there. He made his quiet way downstairs. He held his staff up so that the metal shod tip would not strike the wooden steps loudly. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, his quick eyes searching the room. There, on the other side of the room, was the serving girl, busily scrubbing tables. The same coolness from the previous day pervaded the room. The fire in the middle of the room was barely more than cinders. Aya watched the girl for a moment. She was talking to herself as she scrubbed, a very unpleasant look on her face. Without thinking, Aya set his staff down, a bit harder then he had liked, the thud echoing throughout the room. The girl looked up in surprise and stumbled a few steps backwards. "Oh!" she cried. Aya held out his hand. "Please don't be alarmed," he said. He descended into the tavern, walking across the cobblestones to the girl. "I didn't mean to frighten you." She stared at him, her eyes wide. She glanced around in fright. There was no one else in the room but them. She inched nervously away from him. It was the last thing she wanted, to be alone with him. Aya frowned, noticing her distress. "I seem to make you nervous. Would you like me to leave?" he asked with uncharacteristic kindness in his voice. The girl hardened at this. She frowned and drew herself up to her full height. She wouldn't show *him* any weakness. She took up her rag and began scrubbing the table with renewed vigor. "You *don't* make me nervous," she said defiantly. A small smile danced on Aya's lips at her proud statement. He pulled a chair out from a nearby table and sat himself in it. "Then you won't mind if I sit down." She turned her back on him. If she didn't see him, maybe she could pretend that he wasn't there. Not looking at him certainly lessened her fear. But she was still nervous. He might try something since her back was turned. "Breakfast won't be served for another hour," she muttered. Aya shrugged, his keen eyes watching her back. "Then I'll wait." The girl turned, her flashing emerald eyes fixing on Aya. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, clenching her jaw. "Do as you will," she grumbled. Aya tugged on one of his ear tails. /Why is she so afraid of me?/ he wondered. He frowned, lines creasing his forehead. He stared intently at the hands that gripped his staff. /Why do I care? It doesn't matter to me one-way or the other. I should be concentrating on finding a way home, not on this serving wench./ But still, he couldn't draw his eyes away from her, and he couldn't force himself to get up. He cursed himself in his head. /Fool! Get up and move! Why do you *care*?/ /Is it that the great and mighty Aya actually has feelings?/ Aya sneered mentally at the voice in his head. /Hardly. I don't care for a floozy of a girl. I *don't* fall in love./ The voice sighed. /You are magi. That is why she fears you,/ it responded to his earlier question. Aya watched as the girl moved to another table. /Magi?/ he questioned. /What has that got to do with anything?/ /Thought you didn't care,/ the voice said, amused. Silence followed the remark, and Aya had the feeling that the voice had left. /I *don't* care,/ he said vehemently in his mind. He put his elbows on the table, looking intently at the wooden grains in the scarred table. "Tell me. Does this town have a good magical market?" She turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. She spoke to him as if he were a child. "This is *Talaith*. We have everything, including your filthy magic." She shook her head, her eyes narrowing. "We're known all over the world. What did you do, live in a cave?" Aya shrugged, linking his fingers together. "A cave, if you will. Or another world. I'm from a place called Tokyo." She turned back to her rag. "Hmph. Well that's certainly not on this world." Aya looked at her curiously. /Why does she fascinate me so?/ he asked himself. He looked away. /I don't care. I shouldn't care. But.../ He looked back up at her. /Why is she scared of me? That is what interests me more than anything./ "May I ask your name?" "Cordelia," was the short reply. Aya smiled slightly. "Ahh, the Jewel of the Sea," he said, the meaning of her name coming to mind. Cordelia looked at him in surprise. "Why, yes. My parents and I grew up near the sea," she said. Then her face darkened. "Like you care. What's your name?" She turned her back on him. "Aya." "Bird." Aya's eyes widened slightly. "Excuse me?" "Your name. It means bird." Aya snorted slightly, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Yes. She is like a bird, isn't she?" he said to himself. On a whim, he said, "Tell me then. What does Ran mean?" "Ran?" Cordelia stopped scrubbing for a moment, placing her hand on her chin. "A sea goddess or a queen." Aya burst out in laughter. "Queen?" he choked out between his laughs. He gripped his staff tightly as his whole body shook with laughter. Cordelia watched him curiously. "Are you... all right?" she asked. Aya sat back up, wiping at his eyes. He couldn't force the smile off his face. "Yes, yes. I'm fine." He wondered briefly if Ken or Omi or Yoji would have similar translations to their names. "What's to funny about that?" Aya smiled, running a hand through his hair to push his bangs out of his eyes. "It's nothing. I... know someone, a man, by the name of Ran. He wouldn't like being called a queen." Cordelia said nothing and went back to her tables. She was halfway across the room now. She felt tense with anticipation, like something was going to happen. She hated being alone with the mage. She just *knew* that he would try something. All mages were tricky like that. You couldn't trust any of them. Aya sat there, smiling to himself. He felt more like Ran than he ever had. Since his sister's accident, he had turned into the brutal, cold Aya. He had forsaken the happy, youthful Ran. But now... Now he felt more like himself. The smile on his face felt comfortable. He liked being Ran. He didn't want to go back to the killer Aya. He looked at the staff in his hands. Maybe he could return to being Ran. ~~~~ PART SEVEN Yoji slunk out of bed, pulling his vest on quietly. He laced up the front and grabbed his pack. He looked around the room. Aya had left, always being an early riser. The mage had spent the night sitting in the chair. Yoji and Omi had both claimed the two beds. Ken slept on the floor, rolled up in a blanket. Although Omi had offered him the bed, he wouldn't take it. He said his honor wouldn’t allow a girl to sleep on the floor. Yoji opened the door and shut it just as quietly. He crept down the stairs and peeped around the doorway into the tavern. Aya sat at a table, trying to engage the serving girl in conversation. As Yoji watched, he saw the girl burst into tears. Seeing this as his chance, Yoji slipped out the door without being seen. In the early morning air, he stretched, yawning. He wasn't usually up this early, but something had called him and made him get up. He started down the path at a fast pace. The longing had all started yesterday when he had been sent to find information. He had made his way to the market place easy enough. It was hard to miss, as loud as the voices were and as big as the market actually was. He had been distracted at first by the colorful stalls, and the number of them! Although only several hundred people resided in the town, there had to be at least a thousand just in the market place alone! As he approached the first stall, he saw money exchanged. At another booth, he saw the same coins used. It was obvious what currency was used here. "That done, it's time for Yo-tan to play," he murmured to himself. He rubbed his hands as he once more looked the market over. So much to do, so little time. And where to start! There was so much! While he was musing it over, an ornate carriage rolled past him. Curious, he watched as the two brilliant white stallions pulled the open-carriage past him. His jaw dropped just at the carriage itself. The buggy was crafted out of fine, dark wood that had been polished till it shone. Yoji could practically see his reflection in it. But what interested him the most were the gold trappings and jewels that decorated the vehicle. He watched in longing as the sun sparkled off randomly placed emeralds, sapphires and rubies. But what was even more beautiful to him was the lady who drove the carriage. She sat with a proud bearing, staring straight ahead with her dark eyes. Her hair was bound up around her head, single strands escaping to trail down her pale neck and face. She wore a spring dress of a shimmering green fabric that clung to her in all the right places. Yoji gulped as he noticed this, his eyes trailing over her body. His quick eyes noticed that her eyes were slanted and her ears were pointed. Remembering what little he knew about fantasy worlds, he whistled in admiration. “An elf,” he remarked. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He let his eyes linger on her as she drove past him. He fell into step behind the buggy, following it discreetly. It took him to a wealthy neighborhood, filled with lush gardens and ornate mansions. The elven lady herself turned into a wide avenue that led to a large, decorative house. Yoji smiled to himself, noting the route he had taken to get here. He would need that information later. And that was the reason Yoji had woken up early this morning. Beauty and wealth. He retraced his steps to the lady's villa, stopping outside the closed iron gates. He leaned against the shinning white wall, thinking. He needed to scout the area out before he made his first move. /If her carriage was that ornate,/ he thought to himself, /Then she must have untold amounts of wealth hidden in that house./ He smiled to himself. /Perhaps she needs to be relieved of some of it./ ~~~~ PART EIGHT Ken stirred, groaning loudly as he sat up. A night of sleeping on the floor had left cramps all over his body that ached every time he moved. He sat up, untangling himself from the blanket. He looked around the room. Sunlight filtered in through one window, making golden puddles on the floor. There was no one else in the room, except him and the sleeping Omi. Aya had left, and even Yoji was gone. Ken yawned and stood, stretching. He looked out the window, trying to figure out what time it was. He missed his watch. Judging by the position of the sun, he figured it to be about seven. Omi moaned softly, tossing in her sleep. "Ken," she whispered. He turned to see what she wanted, but she was still asleep. He smiled, laughing softly. “Talking in your sleep,” he murmured. "Ken... I... I love you." His eyes went wide. "Wh... What was that, Omi?" he asked softly, padding across the room to the sleeping girl. He sat down on the bed, looking into her serene face. "Is that true, Omi?" He sat back, watching her sleep. The girl did not say anything else. /Does Omi really love me?/ he asked himself. He tried to laugh it off. /Like a brother, I'm sure./ But that didn't fit. It still left him with doubts. Was it romantic love then? And if Omi loved him, how did he feel about her? ~~~~ Omi rubbed her eyes, yawning as she stumbled through the streets. "Really, Ken! You woke me up for this?" A clang sounded as she dropped his leg greave again. Ken turned, picking it up swiftly before the sleepy Omi could try for it. He waved it at her menacingly. "You keep dropping these, and this set of armor won't be worth anything!" Omi flushed slightly, bowing her head. "I'm sorry, Ken." He sighed, reaching out to ruffle her blond hair. "S'ok, Omittchi." A smile directed at her made everything right again between them. They stopped outside a building. Above the door, a sign hung with a shield on it. "This must be it," Ken remarked, before pushing the door open. Inside, the walls were lined with ever type of armor known. Many different sizes and styles were littered everywhere. At the back of the shop, there was a counter, and behind that stood a man in a leather apron. Ken dropped the armor on the counter. He smiled across to the man. "I'd like to sell this," he said. Omi dropped her load on the counter too. The man looked over the armor, fingering each piece. "A full set of metal armor, huh?" His eyes narrowed as he looked at the innocently smiling Ken. "Sixty rupees." Ken looked at the armor, thinking. Shrugging, he began to say, "I guess so..." "Sixty? You're kidding right?" They turned as Yoji waltzed into the shop. "A full set of armor, new, sells for about three hundred. I think this set it worth about two-eighty." He winked at Ken. He whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Back off and let me handle this." Ken nodded, grabbing Omi by the shoulder and pulling her out of the shop. "How'd Yoji know we'd be here?" she asked after they exited the building. Ken shrugged. "Dunno. Guess that's why he's the thief and we're just plain, regular people." Omi pouted slightly. "The three of you get specific jobs, but I don't get to be anything." Ken reached out, resting his hand on Omi's sunshine colored hair. "I'm sure you're something. You just haven't found it yet." "Yeah," Omi sighed. Her gaze wandered across the street. There was a tailor's shop across from the armory, and brightly colored garments for men and women hung in the windows. Ken glanced at Omi. He followed her gaze to the tailor's. A blue dress caught his eye, and he looked back at Omi. Flushing slightly, he began to fidget. "Say, Omi," he said. He could feel his ears burning. "Yeah, Ken?" "You don't have any clothes except those, another tunic, and that blue robe, right?" "Yeah." "Don't you think that you might want to get something more... feminine?" He knew his face was bright red, so he looked away from Omi's curious gaze. "Ken?" she questioned. She flushed, looking back to the dresses that hung in the windows. "Do you... want me to get a dress?" Ken shuffled his feet. "Ahh, I didn't say you had to. Just that you would look really... *pretty* in one." Omi's bright blue eyes wouldn't leave his face. "Do you really think I'd be pretty if I wore one, Ken?" Ken scratched nervously at his neck, looking uncomfortably down the avenue away from Omi. "Yeah," he said softly. "Ken," Omi said in such a voice that he couldn't resist looking at her. Their eyes met, and twin flushes leapt to their cheeks. Ken took a step closer to her, reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, a small pouch was jangled in front of their faces, breaking the moment. Yoji appeared behind it, smiling broadly. He dropped the bag into Ken's hands. "I didn't get as much as I'd have liked, but I got enough," Yoji explained. Ken opened the pouch and looked in. "How much is in here?" "Uhh, I think we settled on two-fifty." Ken's eyes went wide, and then he smiled. "Wow! Thanks Yoji!" Yoji smiled, waving it off. "And here you were going to sell the suit for sixty rupees! Better leave all the bargaining to Yo-tan here!" He looked hungrily at the bag. "Um, perhaps we should split it between the four of us? I mean, what are you going to do with all that money?" Ken looked at the bag in his hands. "Hmm. You're right. I don't really need all this money." He smiled up at Yoji, handing him the bag. "Could you split it evenly between the four of us?" Yoji smiled, his eyes shinning as he licked his lips. He saluted. "Can do!" He grabbed the bag and walked down the street away from the two, sitting down at an outdoor cafe to work out the amounts. Ken turned to Omi, clapping her on the shoulder. "With your share, you can go buy yourself a pretty dress!" he remarked. Without waiting for an answer, he wandered away to Yoji. Omi sighed, watching him. Her eyes strayed back to the tailor's shop. Glancing back at Ken, she steeled herself. /I'm a girl now,/ she reminded herself. /I'm allowed to wear a dress and look pretty for the one I love./ She clenched her fist in determination. /I'll do what I can to win Ken's love!/ ~~~~ PART NINE Aya joined them later, coming up to the three as they sat at the outdoor cafe. "Let's go to the Market," he suggested, refusing to sit down. "We need to start searching for information. We need to get home." Yoji yawned, stretched his arms behind his head. "Do we *really* have to go home?" he asked. Omi looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't want to go home?" Yoji leaned forward on the table, pulling his glasses down to reveal his intense green eyes. "What are we going back to? A life as an assassin. A life where we kill with no feeling. Here," he gestured around him, "Here we don't have to fight for justice. To kill or not to kill. Its much more simpler here." Omi frowned. "But, Yoji..." Yoji shook his head, pulling himself to his feet. "Come on," he said, meeting Aya's glare. "Our esteemed leader wants us to find a way home. We might as well send *him* home." Aya stalked ahead of the group, his narrowed violet eyes darting from booth to booth, looking for magical artifacts. Yoji trailed him, hands behind his head with his elbows sticking ridiculously out in the air. He watched both the stalls for gold and jewels and the crowds for women. He couldn’t bring himself to flirt with them though, because his mind kept wandering back to the elf woman. Omi and Ken walked together following Yoji. Ken whistled happily, thinking of nothing in particular except how exotic the items were. Omi, face creased in a frown, thought of what would happen if they could not get home. They reached the end of one of the long runs, and turned to enter another. The Great Market was set out in a grid pattern with runs, or lanes, both stretching the length and width of the Market. Aya's plan was to walk up and down the length of the Market. Omi lagged behind as they turned into a new lane. Ken turned, looking curiously at the young girl. "Omi?" he questioned. Omi's eyes had caught sight of an object at a corner booth. Slowly, her trembling hands made their way to cover her mouth, her sky blue eyes wide. Her glance flickered to Ken and then back to the stall. Ken walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "What is it, Omi?" he asked, looking at the objects scattered on the frayed cloth of the booth. The setting sun cast a ray on the items, reflecting off the one that had Omi speechless. Omi reached out and picked the small, metallic object up in her hand. "It’s a processor," she breathed. She turned it over in her palm, watching as the light sparkled off the wires and tiny data cages contained inside. "Oh, yes! Very good piece, that is," the woman explained. She rooted around in her other items, but couldn't find what she was looking for. "Yes, that only one. Very rare. Use as brooch or necklace, yes?" Omi smiled weakly and put the piece back down. "No thank you," she said, backing away. "I'll pass." She turned and walked hurriedly away, with Ken following. Omi threw herself down on a bench, dropping her face to her hands. Ken sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Omi, what's wrong? That was a processor... from our world?" Omi nodded, looking up at Ken with pained eyes. "Yes, Ken. From our world. Somehow a processor made the world leap. And now they're advertising it as a necklace charm!" She laughed bitterly. She lowered her head, her bangs hiding her eyes from Ken. She whispered, "Ken, what if we never make it back?" Ken laughed nervously. "Oh, don't say that! You know we'll get home. We'll find a way. Aya won't rest until he finds a way." Omi sat back, leaning against Ken. "I'm serious. What would we do if we were stuck in this world forever? We really have little knowledge of this place and the outside world. You're a fighter," she said, fingering one of Ken's daggers at his waist. "Does that mean that you will have to fight for your living? What if you... die in battle?" Ken shook his head violently. "Don't talk that way, Omi! We'll find a way home! We won't be stuck here, and no one is going to die here!" Omi was silent, her head resting on Ken's shoulder. "What do you think would happen to me if I had to live here forever?" Ken thought about that for a moment. "You'd probably catch yourself a nice husband, and settle down and have children." Omi pulled away, glaring at Ken. "I don't want children. And I'm a *guy*, remember?" Ken flushed, looking away. "Sorry... We've all grown use to you as a girl because... you yourself seem comfortable with it." "I wanna go home." "Soon, Omi. Soon." They were silent for a moment. "I'm a *boy*," Omi stubbornly restated. "I'm tired of getting used to being a girl." She directed wide eyes filled with fear up at Ken. "I'm a *boy*. But here... Here I feel..." She struggled with words. "What do you feel, Omi?" "It feels... right." "Right?" "Being a girl. It feels... right. As if I was never wholly complete in Tokyo as boy. As if I was meant to be a girl. It just feels so... right." Tears came to her eyes. "And I don't want it to feel right. I just want to go home!" Ken pulled her to him and let her cry into his shoulder. "There there, Omi. We'll get home. I promise that we'll make it home." "I don't want to marry a boy, and I don't want to have children," Omi muttered. Ken smiled, stroking her hair. "Well, he'd have to be quite a guy to win you over." "Ken!" "Seriously! You know we wouldn't let you marry some louse. He'd have to go through the three of us before he ever reached you." "...Really?" "Of course! I'd test him physically. I mean, we're not going to let you marry some idiot who makes you do all the work." Omi giggled softly through her tears. "And then Yoji would make sure that he wasn't fooling around on you. I can just see Yoji asking him how much experience he's had, how many girls he's slept with..." He chuckled at the thought. "And then Aya. Aya, in his cold way, would grill your poor boy until he was exhausted mentally. Aya's a good judge of character, you know. Anyway, we'd make sure that you'd marry a good guy." "Why thank you, Ken," Omi said with a hint of acid in her voice. Ken looked at her in surprise and she laughed, snuggling closer to him. /Silly,/ she thought to herself. /If we were stuck here forever, I'd want to marry you. And I'm sure Aya and Yoji would understand./ She looked up at Ken's smiling face, highlighted by the setting sun. /I want *you*./