Disclaimer:
I don’t own Beyblade.
I’m using the original-version names:
Yuri =
Tala Giancarlo = Enrique
Takao =
Tyson Hiromi = Hilary
Sergey =
Spencer
Boris =
***
For All Who Gave Their Lives
***
Chapter 16: Strange World
***
The only
place where you can dream
Living here
is not what it seems
Ship of
white light in the sky
Nobody
there no reason why.
(Iron Maiden “Strange World”)
The
ambush caught them completely unprepared – Boris was knocked off his horse in a
matter of seconds and so was Giancarlo. Lucrezia tried to launch a spell but it
fizzled. Yuri managed to jump of his horse and start fighting with a burly
bandit. Sergey was cursing like mad and trying to pry of a small woman who was
trying to slit his neck. Takao’s horse panicked and stood up on its hind legs,
the young samurai having a hard time making it calm down.
But the thief wasn’t going to get himself
killed – he somehow managed to pull one of his knives out and immediately
struck. However, pushing a knife randomly didn’t seem to be good tactic, as the
victim only hissed in pain and started wrapping his hands around Boris’ neck.
Lucrezia decided she couldn’t really use her
spells if she wanted to help Giancarlo and took out her dagger. She somehow
managed to sneak behind the bandits, who were occupied with her cousin and
swiftly pushed her weapon into the side of the nearest ruffian. The man grunted
and tried to turn away, but that made the cut grow wider. And then the mage
yanked her knife free, ripping the man’s innards in the process.
Sergey managed to throw the woman off him,
only earning a shallow cut on the neck in the process. As she was getting up,
he slammed his saber into his scull, shattering the bones.
Takao was still trying to restrain Kaze, when
one of the bandits had the brilliant idea that he could kill the horse and
dispose of the rider easily. He prepared to do so, but before he could notice
somebody jumped before him and a sharp blade buried itself in his face. A
chocolate-eyed person in Nipponian armor stood still for a moment, estimating
the situation. Then the person jumped at another opponent, scaring Takao’s
horse even more.
Yuri was fighting two bandits at once, but
seemed to have no problems. He was defiantly too swift for the ruffians to get
him, not to mention the wolf which took every possible occasion to jump and
bite didn’t make it easier.
Meanwhile Giancarlo managed to roll away from
the bandits, leaving his cousin to deal with them for the moment. It seemed the
mage was going to be in some trouble,
but Nipponian mystery-warrior rushed to aid her. The young Venezzan smirked
impishly as she dodged an attack. She weaved her hand in a rapid motion
flinging a ball of multi-colour energy at the attacker. He stumbled back,
extending his arms protectively, but it didn’t save him from being stabbed by
Lucrezia’s knife.
From that moment the adventurers seemed to
have regained their luck and methodically slayed those bandits who where to
slow to run away – especially that Takao finally managed to calm his horse down
and used the “Wind Slash” technique.
“Who are you?” Yuri said turning to the
Nipponian mystery-warrior. “And why did you help us?”
The person took off the helmet reviling
shortish brown hair and a fair yet annoyed face.
“Hi-Hiromi?” the blue-haired bushi yelped.
“You where trying to run away from me
Kinomiya! Why you dirty bastard! Can you imagine what I felt?! Of course you
can’t! You probably didn’t think a moment, did you?! How could leave me like
that?!” she started yelling at the samurai, who took a few steps back, more
shocked than scared. After noticing that the tirade was not going to end soon,
he frowned.
“I forgot to tell you!!!” he yelled at the top
of his lungs, making the other wince.
“You what?..” the brown-haired woman blinked.
“I forgot…” Takao answered scratching the back
of his head, now sheepish.
“You didn’t abandon me?”
“Nuh.”
“Oh.” she sighed and appeared to calm down.
“You are such a silly, you know?”
“Sorry to interrupt, but who are you?” the red-haired half-elf stated,
sounding rather impatient.
“That’s Tatibana Hiromi, my fiancée.” Takao
answered with a grin. The girl bowed.
“Was?” Boris gaped at the blue-haired youth
with a baffled expression. “You have
a fiancée?”
“Hai. Is something wrong?”
“You are stupid. Only idiots marry.” The thief
stated and blinked as he found the blade of Hiromi’s naginata uncomfortably
near to his nose.
“Are you suggesting something?” she growled.
“Is it me, or is that ragazza – how do you say
it? – bi-polar?” mused Lucrezia rather quietly.
“I wouldn’t be sayin’ that aloud, lass.”
Sergey muttered to her. “She nay ‘ave a sense o’umour, I be guessin’.”
“Bright words, o big one.” the mage nodded.
“Me da be sayin’ the same, ‘till I went to
sea.”
“Ah-h… Si. Did he disapprove of your choice?”
the mage turned her head to look at the sailors profile. Ugly he may have been,
but you couldn’t say he was boring.
“That nay be yer business, lass.”
“… and those two are the mage Lucrezia,
Giancarlo’s cousin and Sergey – he’s a sailor from Var.” meanwhile Takao was
introducing his fellow adventurers to Hiromi.
“Well, they aren’t very polite.” stated the
Nipponian woman.
“Ye cannae ‘ave evrythin’, lass.” the sailor
answered with a shrug. “Ye ‘ave to accept what ye be gettin’.”
“It’s nice you can say something remotely
intelligent, but I’m still convinced you are impolite.”
“Deal with it.” growled Yuri. “But please
don’t start bringing me up, ‘cause you don’t want make my mother turn in her
grave, do you?”
“Takao couldn’t you have found some more civilized companions?”
“Sorry… But no.” the young bushi didn’t seem
to be very worried about it.
“Well, if you think I will leave because of
this Kinomiya, you are mistaken.” Hiromi reverted to her annoyed personality.
“I will make sure you don’t make anything stupid and you–“ she turned towards
Yuri. “-are not going to stop me.”
The half-elf merely sighed.
***
Mariam stood calmly, next to the three young
men – one of them large and tanned, next one short, bushy-haired and
stern-looking, while the last one, who seemed the youngest also appeared to
have an air of impishness. They were in the large cavern where the
dragon-emperor Varlanreva resided for most of the time.
“Sire?” the bushy-haired one asked.
“Ozuma, I want that this half-elf gets the
Scroll of Rhye. Try to do it rather unsuspicious, would you?” the Varan ruler
demanded.
“Of course, Your Highness.” the short man
bowed.
“You may go…. Except for you Ozuma.” the three
others looked at each other with puzzlement as they left.
“Is something wrong, Your Highness?” Ozuma
asked.
“Not what you worry. I would just hurry up and
find Mariam a decent husband.”
“Do you suggest anything, Your Highness?”
“No. It is a human matter.”
***
Yuri closed
his eyes. He was tired, but not enough to fall asleep. Besides it was still
early and the others seemed to be enjoying the evening quite a lot. Takao and
Hiromi did kiss and make up. Now, wasn’t that cute? Exactly what he needed. Lucrezia
was pestering Sergey to tell her more about Var, while Giancarlo was scribbling
something again and humming. Boris was probably still trying to find a way how
to hide his knives more effectively.
How he wished he could have people he knew
since he was a child! But they were either all dead or in that elven city far,
far away. If time healed wounds, why did he miss them so? He wished that Hiromi
didn’t show up. He wouldn’t have to remember his home or his friends again. All
he wanted was to forget and he almost succeeded.
He only had to kill Balkov… But what after he
would do it? He never thought about his future.
***
A/N
Anybody heard Queen’s “Seven Seas of Rhye”? That’s
where “The Scroll of Rhye” came from.
***
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