#kottakawa kumiko

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Twelve ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Raziya ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

“All right...remember, we need to try and catch them by surprise. Our top priority is finding Ryū and getting the hells out of here,” Kakashi murmurs as Kumiko finishes opening the crack into the cavern. Blade drawn, he pushes his meager senses to their limit.

“Easier said than done, I’d imagine,” she replies softly. “They’ve surely sealed her ven with a rite. Sensing her through that will be nigh on impossible, as it’s extremely suppressed. We could trip over her before we’d sense her.”

“She’s under a what, now?”

Kumiko shoots him a disbelieving glance. “...a blood rite. It’s the only way to disable an el’ven’s powers. Each element has their own sigil, but the process is the same. In short, you combine the sealed and the sealer’s blood, and draw the sealer’s patron Elemental’s sigil somewhere on the sealed’s body...and you’ve got yourself a sealed el’ven. They can’t manually manipulate their ven, inside or out. You can’t stop the flow of ven altogether or the sealed person would die. It’s an essential system, like...the flow of your blood. So you just take away their ability to connect it to their will. It was a big factor in the civil war between the el’ven and the el’tahl.”

The pair of them lingering in their makeshift entryway, Kakashi pauses. This...seems important to know before they try to get Ryū out. “Really…? How so? El’tahl can’t use ven.”

“No...but you technically don’t need to in order to create a sigil. Technically everyone has at least some ven in their body. But el’tahl can’t connect with it, and their amount is always very low compared to someone el’ven. But there’s enough in their blood to create the sigils. Once they discovered the practice, they used it against us in the war.”

“But...you said something about a patron Elemental. Do el’tahl have those…?”

“Technically no...but a workaround turned out to be using the sealed’s opposing Elemental. For example, I’m of ice: child of water and air. If an el’tahl wanted to seal me, they only needed to use Orenium’s sigil, the child of earth and fire. My ‘opposite’.”

Kakashi sighs. “...sounds like a major pain.”

“It’s highly frowned upon now, of course. But I’m certain they’ll have her sealed, or she’d have escaped through a portal of her own long ago.” Glancing around, Kumiko adds, “And I’m sure this place is a maze of tunnels and dead-ends. And we still don’t know how many others are here.”

“I saw at least one through the barrier.”

“Really?”

“Yeah...and I don’t think it was the one who took her. This one felt…” Kakashi shifts, clearly discomforted. “...dangerous, for lack of a better word.”

“So, at least two...I’d have guessed as much. I’d like to hope they’ve kept to small numbers to avoid a need for supplies and risk of exposure. But...we can’t afford to assume anything.”

“Then what’s the plan? I’m not sure splitting up is a good idea.”

“No...we need to stick together. No offense, but against a well-practiced el’ven, let alone one of a Tenebreon’s level, you’d be in trouble on your own. It will make us slower, but...better slow than dead.”

“Agreed,” he replies gravely. “...so once we find her, what do we do about this...seal?”

“There are only two ways to undo a blood rite. Have the one who placed it revert it...or kill them. Their blood in the seal then becomes inert, and it fails.”

“...so not only do we need to find out who sealed her...but also either kill them, or somehow ask them nicely to take it off?”

Drawing her sword with a whisper from its sheath, Kumiko replies, “I’m afraid so. It’s either that...or she remains unable to use her ven until they die some other way. And I’m sure you know el’ven are long-lived.”

“...yeah, I do. Would have been nice to know this beforehand.”

“Sorry...I thought you’d know about rites. They’re a pretty big deal.”

“Most of this trip has been ‘learning as I go’, so...can’t really blame you.”

“...I’ll focus on trying to sense ven. You focus on what you can hear, see...smell, if you have to. That should leave us as prepared as we can be. Hopefully they think we’re dead after that avalanche and won’t bother trying to hide. Are you good at repressing your ven?”

“Fairly. It’s not very strong to begin with,” Kakashi replies dryly, doing his best to dim his aura.

Kumiko just nods as she does the same, cautiously stepping out of the crack she’s carved. The cavern is surprisingly warm, lit with a plethora of slow-burning candles. Wordlessly, she signs that there’s nothing she can sense to their left, toward the barrier. But she does indeed feel two signatures of ven to their right, one further in than the other.

Acknowledging her info, Kakashi follows, keeping his ears perked and eyes scanning the environment. By now, he’s honestly lost track of how many weeks they’ve been gone. The thought of Ryū being stuck in this place for that long, let alone with the company she’s keeping and whatever plot they have in store for her...well, it upsets him at the very least.

But there will be time for temper later. For now, he needs to stay calm. While he hardly expects it to go so smoothly...he can’t help but hope they can find her, slip back out...and then deal with whoever dared leave their mark on her.

At least if there are only two...it shouldn’t take much guesswork to figure out which is which.

...it’s then just a matter of managing to kill them.

Kakashi is hardly adverse to slaying another human. He’s done it countless times before, be it on a contract during his years as a hunter, or to protect himself while on the road. But this is the first time he’s had any need to face someone of a Tenebreon mage’s level. True, he’s not alone...but he knows he’s the weak link here. Skilled in the sword as he may be, a duel of ven is one he’s sorely outmatched in with most opponents...let alone one as destructive and deadly as a Tenebreon.

So for now, he tries not to think about that part. Their first priority is Ryū. The rest...well, he’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.

The pair of them creep along silently on the soles of their boots, cautiously inspecting any branching path they encounter. Any left dark Kakashi illuminates with a small ball of flame above a palm. Most lead nowhere. And to mark their way, Kumiko leaves tiny, hopefully-unnoticeable icicles above any route they’ve taken that proved fruitless.

This place is maze-like enough without worrying about getting turned around.

At one point they freeze, Kumiko holding out an arm as an echoing voice reaches them. Unfortunately, with so many places for it to bounce and travel, it’s nearly impossible to tell where precisely it’s coming from. But Kumiko pantomimes a fair distance yet as the other mage replies.

That one, however, sounds much closer.

Grip tight on the hilt of his blade, Kakashi stares down the tunnel, heart hammering seemingly just below the flap of his throat. He hasn’t been this nervous in...well, a very long time.

“Why is it that you meddling types always forget to check behind you…?”

Wheeling around, the pair of them find an open portal to their rear. And standing just within it, arms crossed and expression almost bored, is one of the Tenebreon mages: one of a barrel chest and lion’s mane.

Unable to do much more than stare, Kakashi immediately notices the mismatched eyes not unlike his own. One of red, and one of violet.

...what?

He in turn eyes them openly. “Is this really all that’s come looking for the supposed last light mage? An untested glacial representative, and...a weakling half-breed.” The gaze turns scornful. “...and with what looks to be stolen el’ven flesh. Disgusting.”

“Is that judgment coming from someone with as much conflict in their appearance as me?” Kakashi counters. “I may not know much about the el’ven...but one thing I do know is that everyone gets one element. So where’d your second come from?”

“I’ve no reason or want to bother explaining it to you,” their foe rebukes, tone aloof. “It matters little, anyway. You won’t be leaving this cavern alive. Tobi!”

Behind them, a masked man - the one from the Summit ball - blocks the way forward, cutting off their only other route.

Trapped.

“Where is the Luxerian disciple?” Kumiko demands, posture unwavering.

“Ask whatever questions you like: you’ll receive no answers. She will remain here until her purpose is served.”

“Is it true…? You seek the thirteenth?”

At that, the man’s brows lift. “...oh? And where did you hear that…? Did that Nori fool let you loosen his tongue? I should have killed him when I had the chance...but it matters little. If all your precious Summit sees fit to send is the pair of you...then it’s clear I won’t have any further interruptions once I reduce the pair of you to dust.”

“You’d risk the undoing of everything just for a chance at a forced peace?!” Kumiko bares her teeth in a snarl. “You’re just another faithless coward who’d rather take the easy way out.”

“Is this really the time to be taunting me, glacial mage? You’ve still got your spots: I’m not about to take a threat from you seriously.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. I’m stronger than I look.”

Glancing to his companion, Kakashi catches her eye, and in a brief look, conveys a plan. They’ll likely only have one shot. But at least with Ryū missing, they can’t flee so easily. They’ll have to fetch her first.

Until then...it’s time to try fighting.

With a shift of his weight, Kakashi spins to face the man behind them as Kumiko makes to strike the one at their fore. Ice rises up from beneath the stone, cracking and forming deadly spikes that race toward the portal. It closes, her element passing harmlessly before she turns and blocks an attempted grab, her foe tearing open another hole in space.

Kakashi, on the other hand, relies fully on his blade. Twisting and slashing with all the speed and complexity he can muster, he funnels his drive into every strike. And all the while, his opponent dodges with seemingly incorporeal ease. At times he swears the steel passes right through him!

“Where is she?” he growls, wondering if this one might be a bit more vocal. But all he receives is tense silence. Something tells him that - in his own way - this one is just as driven as he is...yet it feels different than the obvious want of power his companion boasts. This feels...personal.

Which only serves to confuse Kakashi further.

Trying to keep one ear tuned in case Kumiko needs his help, Kakashi fights on, his blows becoming more desperate. “No matter where you take her...no matter where you run...I’ll follow. I won’t stop until she’s back where she belongs…! She’s not some tool for your end! I’ll kill you for treating her like a gods-damned broodmare for whatever the hells you think you’re going to achieve!”

As his temper reaches a tipping point, Kakashi feels a desperate burning in his left eye, wide and manic. Unable to fight fire’s fueling by his anger, he unleashes a torrent of flame from a palm as he lets his sword fall to the wayside. Hungry and eager, the tongues lick and reach for his foe.

But with a wave of his own hands, the enemy mage easily diverts them...something a Tenebreon disciple shouldn’t be so adept with. Remembering the other’s dual-colored eyes, Kakashi can’t help but wonder if this one, too, boasts two elements.

“Cursed words...cursed! To think a mor selfish enough to take a second blessing...what greed, what insolence! A vile mor...I’ll tear his head from his shoulders myself for such a blatant disregard for the balance!”

Suigin’s words, recalled in his mind, fit together more pieces. This must be what she and that Nori bastard spoke of: someone with two elements in one body. But how?!

“Impressive you can even use ven, given the small token of flesh you bear.” Speaking at last, the second mage stares him down, visage hidden by his mask. “Stolen from the still-warm corpse of your friend, was it…?”

At that, Kakashi feels his chest echo with a flash of cold. “...how do you know about that?”

“I know more than that, Kakashi. Enough to realize that you are nowhere near strong enough to take her back. You will fail...and she will remain here.”

That grits the hunter’s teeth. “You have no right -!”

“It is not a matter of rights. Think you can return her? Prove it. Prove to me that you’re strong enough. I took her from you once...I can do so again.”

He knows it’s a taunt. It’s plain as day. But Kakashi lets himself fall for it, hook line and sinker. A cry tears his throat as he makes to strike, easily dodged. Alternating between fire and steel, he flails in desperation for just one blow -!

“Kakashi!”

At the frantic tone, Kakashi feels his heart leap.

Ryū!

Just as drawn to the voice, the one called Tobi turns too.

And that’s when he finds his opening.

Barely managing to twist his last attempt, Kakashi - rather than a slash - slaps the flat side of his blade against the mask of his enemy. With a clatter, it shatters into countless pieces as he’s stunned and stumbles aside.

“Tobi -?!”

Heaving for breath, Kakashi nonetheless stills as Ryū calls again...this time for the man he was fighting. But -? He -?

A hand at his face as a cut from stray porcelain bleeds sluggishly, Tobi leans heavily against a wall. Further down the tunnel, Ryū stares with obvious shock...tinged with concern. Her gaze then flickers to Kakashi, just as desperate.

But Kakashi doesn’t see it. He’s staring at his foe.

“...Obito…?”

Turning and panting, another pair of ruby and amethyst eyes meet Kakashi’s. He looks startled, almost...dazed. A gloved hand falls away, revealing the mottled skin: scarred over from obvious burns.

But there’s no mistaking it. That...that is Obito. But he’s...he’s dead. He watched the light leave his remaining eye after that sword buried through his back. Kakashi could see the cremating fires as he and Rin fled with Ryū from the city that night. The Uchiha always burn their dead. And Obito, without a doubt, was -

Too shocked to react further, Kakashi jumps as the other mage teleports beside his companion, teeth bared in a hiss. “Enough. We retreat. Now.”

A hand drags Ryū to his side, ignoring her cry of surprise and pain at his hold. Obito, still stunned, staggers forward as another portal opens. Beyond, Kakashi can see marshy swampland and the edge of a city.

“No!”

Behind him, limping, Kumiko tries to dash forward and give chase. But as the trio pass through and the door closes, she collapses to the floor of the cavern.

Silence.

With a slow dissolving of his joints, Kakashi falls to his knees, sword clattering against the stone. Too many things swirl within his mind, making his skull feel full to the point of bursting. Obito...Obito is -?

“Where did they go? Kakashi, did you see?!”

He doesn’t answer, staring at nothing.

“Kakashi!”

“...he’s alive, but...she’s gone. I…?”

Crossing the gap between them with furrowed brows, Kumiko searches his face. “What?”

“...it’s not possible…”

“Kakashi, snap out of -!”

“It had to be a trick. Something to unsettle me. I -?”

With a harsh report in the dead air of the cave, Kumiko’s hand slaps against the skin of Kakashi’s cheek. His head reels back, eyes widening and springing with tears at the sudden sting. “What -?!”

“Whatever the hells took over your mind, banish it!” she barks, her hand then moving to hold his shoulder as she stares at him unwaveringly. “You’re speaking nonsense, Kakashi! What in the twelve hells happened? One moment I was fighting the twice-blessed, and then -?”

“It was Obito.”

“...what?”

“The other mage. He had the same eyes. One red, one purple. But it...it was Obito.”

“...that’s not possible. The boy who died…? Gave you his eye?”

A slow nod. “...I’d know that face. Aged or not, it was him. I’ve no doubt.”

“...but...he died as a boy. Even a Tenebreon mage can’t bring back the dead on their own, Kakashi.”

A hand lifts to cradle his brow, trying to think. “...he had a Tenebreon eye. As did his partner. And he...he knew things. From before.”

“...could Ryū have told him?”

“It’s possible, but...Kumiko, I know what I saw. It’s why I...why I froze. The disbelief stole my mind. I...I’m sorry. I let this happen…”

“But why did they leave? The mage I was fighting, he had the upper hand - he’d wounded me! Why flee? Did you overpower the -? Er...Obito?”

“...I broke his mask. At first I thought that’s what stunned him, but...I spoke his name. And he looked at me strangely. Like it...woke something in him.”

Kumiko’s eyes widen. “...maybe he remembered you…?”

“...I don’t know.”

Sighing, Kumiko shifts to sit beside him. “...let’s put together what we know. Obito, your friend, is alive...and is one of two twice-blessed we now know of. Both of them have an eye of fire, and an eye of darkness. His companion is clearly far older. What if they...exchanged eyes?”

“...even if the other mage gave him the Tenebreon eye, Obito only had one left.” Kakashi points to his face. “...I have the other. The other igni eye would have to have come from someone else.”

“...then we can assume he either got the eye elsewhere...or already had it. But how can they both have two elements…? That’s impossible, I’ve never heard of that happening. Let alone with two elements that far apart. Fire is a child of light, darkness’ mirror!”

“...how does one get their element?”

“You’re born with it. Depending on your family tree, you can either have a parent’s element, or - if they’re the right tiers - a combination of the two. Wind and water could birth the same, or ice.”

“...but what about at the beginning?”

“...you mean the first blessed? It was a gift directly from the Elementals themselves. But Kakashi...the Elementals fled over a century ago, when war broke out after the coup. That’s not possible.”

“...is it?” he replies, tone dark. “...think about it. You were Embraced. No one has been since the coup, right? Or so we’re told? What if...Tenebreos blessed them? Could it be done remotely? Like your Embrace?”

At the suggestion, Kumiko’s jaw drops almost comically, if not for the circumstances. “...I...I don’t know. But...why would Tenebreos bless someone already blessed…? Maybe...maybe they stole the eyes from a Tenebreon mage.”

“You told me yourself: my ven is weak because I’m a vom berech: a halfling created rather than born. Surely if they took eyes from someone else, their Tenebreon ven would be weak. But they were both clearly using it with no limit or inhibition. Something’s fishy here, Kumiko...and it would explain why Suigin was so upset. Stealing or receiving ven from someone else wouldn’t make you twice-blessed. What if…” Kakashi’s posture shifts, more forward. “...what if Tenebreos blessed the other mage...and helped him revive Obito?”

“...why would they do that?”

“...I was hoping you’d have an idea. I’m a stranger to most of this, remember?”

Kumiko goes quiet, thinking. “...Tenebreos is the Elemental of darkness. Death, disease, matter...and some say, chaos to Luxeria’s order. Maybe this entire plot was their doing. Remember the coup...? It was born mostly out of spite by the Tenebreon mages. For ages they were targeted as “evil”, hunted for being harbingers of death despite their necessity. Maybe...Tenebreos wants revenge for their slaughtered mages. Maybe they’re looking for a rebirth of chaos, just as the world was righting itself.”

“By bringing about the thirteenth?”

“...I don’t know. I feel like there’s still something we’re missing. This is all just conjecture and guesswork at this point. But something tells me we’re on the right path.”

After a pause, Kakashi gives a humorless scoff. “...right. The path I just brought to a dead end. I let them escape...and Twelve know where they’ve gone.”

“...did you see anything through the portal? Anything that might help us find them?”

“...it looked like...marshland. Water, muck, bowing trees. And maybe a city of some kind. It was gone so quickly…”

“No, no - that’s a start.” Mulling that over, Kumiko then offers, “...we should return to Boralis. Regroup. Maybe someone there will have an inkling where that could be. Wherever they fell back to...it has to be somewhere they’d feel secure. They seemed confident they’d be able to take us, and keep their hideaway here. I doubt they have many backup plans, given how solidly they regarded this one.”

“...all right. Can you walk…?”

“Well enough. Besides, with the mages gone, that barrier will be too. They can’t hold it over much distance. Raziya can come in and take us straight from here back to the capital.” Struggling to her feet, Kumiko lets Kakashi bear her weight, the pair of them hobbling to the entrance as she calls her drach.

The beast wastes no time in fluttering into the cavern’s mouth, a moaning sound of concern echoing off the walls. “What happened?! Where is the lux mage?”

“We’ll recount it when we get back to Boralis. I need someone to patch me up, and...well, we need to plan our next move.”

Nodding curtly, Raziya gently helps her rider to her saddle, Kakashi climbing up behind as they streak out of the cave and back into the squall.

Yet another setback...and when they were so close…! As guilty as he feels, Kakashi does his best to shove the disappointment aside. It won’t do anything for him, now. Instead, he mulls over their conjecture, and the possible ways forward.

He wasn’t lying. This quest is one he will follow until the end. He made a promise to watch over her when he accepted Obito’s eye, and the burden Ryū’s mother gave him and Rin, both. Until he succeeds, or draws his last breath...he will follow.

...hold on, Ryū. I’m not out of this fight, yet. Don’t you dare give up…!

     Another day, another chapter! Technically finished last night buuut it was 2am, I was buggered, and I...waited until today to proofread! Then life got in the way, so here it is midafternoon :’D      BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. We have PLOT DEVELOPMENT! The (very obvious) secret is out: Tobi is Obito! And he seems...off somehow. We also have some guesswork on Kumiko and Kakashi’s part about what EXACTLY is going on, and why. But there’s only one way to know for sure...they’re gonna have to do...MORE TRAVELING!      Because there isn’t enough of that in this fic, right? :’D      There’s...probably more to say but I’m hella scatterbrained today so that’s all the commentary for now. Hoping to start C13 sometime today, we’ll see how more Life goes. Cuz right now it’s kinda kicking my butt, but what else is new :’D      Anywhoozle, thankies for reading, and I’ll get the next part out soon!

[sylveradrake]

    [ LOOK WHO DID MORE ART FOR ONCE! It’s me .w. With some hECKIN’ CUTIES, Kakashi and @yukaikokoro​‘s Kumiko from our nightmare of a verse Divine Light which I accidentally destroyed Star’s life with ahaha. She’s an ice mage el’ven lady, and Kakashi’s a kind of rogue with monster-hunting skills (and accidental fire magic cuz whoops fire elf eyeball a la Obito). And they go on an EPIC ADVENTURE to save Ryū from a couple’a baddies cuz...of course they do. And by the end, they’re a lil bit smitten with each other ;3c Hence the smooch!

     Star was a doll and is helping me with a lil financial thing SO this is the best attempt at a thank you / repayment I can do because I am a humble derg with no other skills, so! Here’s some DL verse art cuz HECK YEAH!

     (Seriously tho, Star you’re amazing and I wish I could do more but thank you THANK YOU)

     And, as always, the wee still frame! ]

[kusunogatari-a]

[ Northbound ] [ @yukaikokoro ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Suigin Ryū, Kottakawa Kumiko ] [ Verse: Divine Light ]

Hearing that they’re headed back to the frigid north brings about two feelings in Kakashi. One being elation: he hasn’t been able to see Kumiko in person for weeks. Obito’s proposed portal system is still in the works, and other ‘points of interest’ they want to connect are still debating whether or not to enact the passages. Frustrating, but...one can’t rush politics.

The other is dread.

While it’s true the most current chosen disciple of Glaciris is doing her best to make change...the ice and snow of the north are slow to thaw. The soil isn’t the only thing that remains frozen. He already got a taste of northern ‘hospitality’ during their journey to find the stolen lux mage that now makes her way up of her own volition. Kakashi has to admit, he’s not eager to experience it again.

But, the former point outweighs the latter...or, a least he hopes it will.

This time around, it’s just the pair of them traveling. And despite Ryū’s suggestion that Suigin take them, the berech refuses. One flight on Raziya was enough to tell him he’s really not fond of flying. So, the pair of them take tamer mounts: that being their horses. Kakashi’s bay gelding keeps stride with Ryū’s dappled grey mare, the pair of them keeping hoods over their heads. Thankfully the weather has held - it’s cold, and a little windy, but a far cry from the blizzard he and Kumiko endured.

The roads are largely empty - they take the main path this time, and trade caravans stick largely to another route. Given how few travelers the north gets, they encounter almost no one...and most that they do are leaving.

“It would seem little has changed these past weeks,” his charge notes quietly.

“Winter never does like to give way to Spring.”

By afternoon they finally reach the capital city gates. Pale stone forms the bulk of the architecture, rounded to best let the frigid winds slip between structures. Banners flutter stiffly in the wind, too frozen to properly ripple. People dressed in furs and thick textiles give them curious glances...and a few seem to glower.

Neither of them pay their hosts any mind - it’s not these people they’ve come to see, after all. Instead, the pair make their way through the city toward the northernmost point, where the robust Glacirian castle stands. Unlike Meridiem, what with its reaching spires and parapets, Boralis’ royal quarters are more grounded: two stories at its tallest, sprawling to cover more ground rather than go skyward.

They stop at yet another gate, guards demanding their documentation. It’s something Kakashi finds ridiculous: how many lux mages are there, and how many berech with mismatched eyes? But he doesn’t voice his disdain, instead going through quietly as they’re given leave.

They’re met at the door by another set of guards, their mounts led to the stables as they make their way inside. The snow-like stone only echoes the cold atmosphere of the place, decorations made mostly in deep blues and silvers. Kakashi can’t help but note there’s an unnerving amount of armed personnel. Likely something Kumiko’s father ordered - some kind of display of might, if he had to guess.

Ryū makes no note of it, passing them by without a glance. Thankfully it’s not a long walk to the main hall, and they come upon Kumiko speaking with what looks to be a captain. As Kakashi suspected, her hardened expression and terse tone seem to hint that she’s unhappy with the situation, but she turns to them at the sound of approaching footsteps. A forced smile brightens her features.

“It seems our guests have survived the frozen wilds!” she greets, and Kakashi can’t help a perk of his brow at her falsely-cheer lilt. “I’m sure you’re weary - we’ll retreat to my study for the time being.”

The other pair exchange a subtle glance before nodding. Silence reigns until Kumiko shuts a heavy door behind them. Immediately, all pretense of her expression fades to a scowl.

“Have I no control over my own staff?” she growls, striding tersely across the room to sit at her desk, a hand gesturing curtly for them to take their seats. “I tire of my father usurping my orders ‘in my best interest’. I apologize for your crude welcome - I meant to head the greeting at the gate, but was...waylaid.”

“It’s no trouble - we prepared for as much,” Ryū assures her, giving a wry smile.

“I, at least, had an inkling what we were in for.” Kakashi can’t help but match her dry humor. “We know what was going on...and who we’re actually here to see. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

“If this were the only circumstances, I wouldn’t,” Kumiko replies. “Ever since our disagreement upon my passage through to look for you,” she nods to Ryū, “my father has only grown all the more irritable and closed-off. He’s acting like a child who’s lost their favorite toy. I think it’s finally clear I’ve no intention to follow so closely in his footsteps.” Elbows brace atop the desk’s surface, palms catching her brow. “...the final straw was when I told him about my contact with Glaciris. He refuses to believe me. Claims I’m lying to try and buffer my image over his.”

While Ryū’s brow furrows sharply, Kakashi just rolls his eyes. “What?! He’d dare deny -!”

“He wasn’t there to witness it,” Kakashi cuts in with a glance. “...technically no one really was. I was unconscious, and though the caravan saw it from a distance, the Embrace faded as they got close. Only one person claimed to know what it was.”

The lux mage lifts a lip in a snarl. “What reason does Kumiko have to lie?”

“My father and I have butted heads on the direction to take our lands for some time now,” Kumiko replies, tone weary. “Our lands were one of the few least affected by the Rift. Survival this far north without ven is nigh on impossible, so those without it relied on us...or left. It only deepened the feelings of animosity for outsiders here. As our element is cold, so are we, to a point. Glaciris’ lands have remained in el’ven hands throughout the times of the wars with the el’tahl, and then after most el’ven took to hiding. We’ve remained unchanged, and it’s let us fester. My father wishes to continue on this way, and I do not. Times are changing. If we don’t, we’ll only get left further behind.”

A hand gestures. “He is the main reason we still have not formally agreed to the portal system. Why, beyond trade, we see so little travel between our land and the others. And even then, he argues allowing traders is still too open a border. Some of my people have come to disagree with him and side with my call for moving forward...but not all. Not even most. Our slow approach to things may have saved us in the past...but it’s going to be the end of us in the future.”

“...is that why you called us here?”

“Partly. I wish to try to negotiate with him, but I doubt much will come of it.” Kumiko’s arms fold, and she practically pouts. “...mostly I wanted show I wouldn’t obey his suggestion of distancing ourselves from the other lands, and the renewed Summit. So I brought its unofficial leaders here, instead.”

There’s a pause...and then they all break out into laughter as the tension breaks.

“I’m sorry,” Ryū offers in sympathy, wiping at an eye. “I know you’ve been so frustrated, and I can’t blame you. If only we could get Glaciris themselves involved, he’d change his tune.”

The glacial mage snorts. “Oh, a lot of things would change.”

“I do wonder if we’ll hear from them more after all that trouble with Madara and Tenebreos...true, the Rift brought great imbalance, but that was something else entirely.” Ryū’s head cocks. “...maybe we will hear from the Elementals more. If things get out of hand enough, at least.”

“I’d rather not have to go hunting for you all over the continent again,” Kakashi deadpans.

“Oh gods, no. But maybe -”

A knock sounds at the door, and the three of them glance over. “...yes?” Kumiko asks.

The entry opens, and a young woman sticks her head through, looking a little flustered. “There’s...there’s a man here for the Luxerian mage, milady.”

They all blink. “...a man?”

“A right frightful one, ma’am.”

Another pause, and then something seems to click. Ryū’s expression falls flat. “...I’d best to attend to this…” She stands and mutters something unheard under her breath, the door closing behind her.

Kumiko gives Kakashi a confused look. “...what was that?”

“That, I’m willing to bet, was Obito looking for his ward. He is her bodyguard while on probation, after all.”

“Did you not tell him you were leaving?”

“Oh, we did. He said he’d be fine. Apparently he underestimated his patience.”

After a beat, she largely fails to withhold a snort. “...I see.”

Kakashi can’t help a wry grin. “To be fair, he was stuck with her for quite some time...and she is also one of the few things he knows from both his time under Madara, and afterward. I think it’s made him a bit clingy.”

Kumiko chuckles with a slow shake of her head. “Just a bit.” Giving him a coy look, she adds, “They weren’t the only ones stuck together all that time, you know.”

“...true.” He softens, ever so slightly. “But we’re now about a half a continent away, sadly.”

“Yet another reason to get the portal system up and running…” There’s a sigh. “...I suppose for now, I can suffice with a visit. With your charge busy, maybe we can take a little walk...just the two of us?”

“The two of us, and all the guards spaced ten feet apart.”

She groans. “Don’t remind me.”

“Not to worry - I’m very good at ignoring guards,” Kakashi assures he as he stands, offering an arm she takes with a perked brow.

“...what is that supposed to mean…?”

“Well, sometimes...in order to slay a monster, you have to jump over a few private manor walls…”

“...okay, you have to tell me more about that one.”

“Who says it was just one?”

     ...I dunno what this is xD Kakashi pays Kumiko a visit in Boralis, and...stuff’s still a lil unsteady politically because why wouldn’t it be, lol      I’m still lacking a lot in regards to the various elemental cultures...and even then it’s gonna vary cuz of pocket populations and the like, so most of what this is is literally winged as I went. Hopefully it makes sense xD Though I DID come up with the Luxerian capital, Meridiem. It means glow and is one of the least ridiculous-sounding Latin words relating to light, haha! So now we have two capitals named out of...twelve. Welp.      Anyway, it’s a lil short cuz honestly a month straight of drabbles still has me rather burnt out, but...hopefully it was still a good read ;w; Kakashi has a lot of...interesting stories to tell from his years rogue as a hunter. Trespassing on nobles is probably one of his least trouble-inducing tales, honestly. He could write a book if he had the patience, but I think DL-Kakashi would find that rather boring, so he’ll just retell them verbally (and maybe do some slight embellishing).

[sylveradrake-a]

     *brushes the dust off this blog* Look who made a thing! After...how long of not making any things? Over two months? Ohhh...oops. Well, I’ve made things, just...haven’t posted any...      ANYWAY      Slightly-late berfdai pixel doll for the adorable @frozen-guardian-of-the-leaf‘s OC Kumiko, whom my muses have latched onto and are currently indoctrinating into our various verses x3 I wanted to have this done before her birthday, I just...had a lot on my plate, apologies OTL BUT I hope this is worth being late, and uh...hopefully it’s not horrible xD      Bonus still frame:

[yukaikokoro]

Commission made by the incredible SinkSankSockie!!!

I can’t even begin to describe how happy I was with this. It was everything I was hoping for and more OwO

Sockie is an amazing artist that I’ve known for a while thanks to the glory of the interwebs and I’m always excited to throw my money at commission her. Seriously one of my art role models, she’s such a good bEAN! Seriously y’all, when she has her commission open hit her up cause she is 200% WORTH IT!

Original Twitter Link (x)

[yukaikokoro]

@redlineoffate

                       i know there’s no   ( fixing me )

                                   i’m too far gone

                             but, you…

              you were the first person to even  t r y

                          so, thank you for that

                         thank you for  t r y i n g

[kusunokihimea]

Radiance Usurped

[ From this google docs thread ]

The Ice Mage listened intently to his story, ears twitching ever so slightly at the series of events that had filled the el’kor’s life. It all made sense now why he was so distraught and eager to find the Lux Mage. She recalled mention of finding and caring for her with Rin back at the Gala only a few nights ago. Kumiko could only fathom a guess as to the torrent of thoughts and emotions swirling inside his mind.

And the tale of the Igni Mage, the one who had gifted him his eye. Turning her gaze forward her chin lowered slightly for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s sounds as though your life has been anything but easy.”

Relaxing into her seat a bit as he returned her question her gaze lifted again to the road ahead. “I was born the only child of my parents; Tamotsu and Yuka Kottakawa. My clan is the strongest within the Realm of Glaciris, my father the leader of our people. Ever since I was young he’s groomed me to be his successor, unfortunately my father and I have starkly different ideals.”

She paused a moment, smiling solemnly to herself, “Father feels that since our lands are tucked so far away in the North that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with the other nations. That we should just tend to our own and shut out the rest of the world. He wanted me govern our people from afar but,” she rolled her head to the side her features having lightened a bit, “I was never content cooped up inside the manor. I was always looking for ways to sneak out when father wasn’t looking so I could see the world I was going to inherit.”

Kumiko’s expression fell again, “That was when he assigned Nori to me. He figured if I insisted on emerging myself into society that I needed a guard to ensure no one would harm me.” She chuckled.  “That was one of the first things I sought out to change. I requested Nori to train me how to fight. No, not just fight. To survive. My ven even back then was hardly lacking but having knowledge of how to wield a blade and not rely solely upon my magic has been useful on more than one occasion. It was then when my people saw me walking among them that they realized I wasn’t a replica of my father. Where my father governs our land perched atop an unreachable pedestal, I wanted to know the people who would be under my care, whether they be el’ven or el’kor. People started coming to me with their hopes and concerns for our city and I knew then that it was time for me to act.”

Drawing in a breath her shoulders fell slightly as she exhaled, “So I devoted myself to my studies and began partaking in my political duties to my people. Hence why I was chosen as the Representative of Glaciris.”

Kumiko chuckled to herself as she gave her mount more reign letting the stallion lower his head into a lax position, “My people are by no means perfect but, that’s something I’m hoping I’ll be able to change.”

     Kakashi’s shoulders shrug at her sympathy. “...it was a long time ago. And life is rarely easy for anyone. Besides, it’s toughened me for what I face now. I can hardly begin to despair in it after so long. I’m far more concerned in remedying what’s wrong now instead of loitering around in the past.”

    Still, his gaze falls slightly. “...we’d been bickering. As always. I still can’t help but feel it was in some way my fault, but you can’t change the past.” A pause. “...well...you can try. But it rarely goes as you want it.” Not to mention all the other risks Ryū’s told him about tampering with time. She would know.

    In turn, he listens to her story, unable to help a few quirks of his lips at her telling of learning swordplay, and taking such a different approach compared to her father. “While I can understand needing some distance in ruling - not that I’m in any way qualified to speak - you can’t be so...isolated. You have to know your people. And they can’t trust someone they know only as a name and a far-off face. I think I much prefer your method.”

    His head then tilts. “I’ve not known many people from Glaciris’ north. And of the few, none of them well. So I suppose I can’t pass any judgment. But I hope you can get your people on track to something better.”

    Once garbed in trousers and a blouse, Ryū leaves her makeshift bed behind, daring to poke around a bit. Surely if there’s anywhere she’s not meant to be, her captor will be sure to have cut her off. She’s tucked in a side pocket of what looks to be a network of caves, outfitted like a makeshift camp. Her bed is simply tousled blankets in a corner, lit by candles that have yet to spill any wax.

    Peering out, she doesn’t see him, taking a cautious step. It’s still oddly warm...maybe there’s an igni’el’ven around somewhere? That would explain the candles...fed by magic rather than wick.

    Looking for telltale runes that match her rite to signify boundaries, Ryū finds a myriad of maze-like tunnels, all lit by the same candles placed wherever a ledge or cranny can be found. Something tells her finding her way back won’t be easy, but...surely her kidnapper can simply escort her back.

    But otherwise, there’s not much of note. Following the sound of howling wind, Ryū finds little more than cave. But after a few minutes of wandering...she finds the entrance.

    Held back by a barrier, a snowstorm rages just beyond the mouth of the cavern, so thick it’s practically a wall of its own. The sight is a shock - it’s the middle of Summer! Then...she must be -?

    “You can’t get through.”

    Spinning around, she finds her forced companion. “...I know.”

    “You shouldn’t wander...it’s dangerous.”

    A mouth opens to inquire why, but only gives a startled yelp as he simply...scoops her up. “I can walk!”

    Her retort is ignored as long strides take her back the way she’d come. Only once they make it back to her inlet does he offer, “If you want something to do, I can bring you things. But you should remain here.”

    “Why?”

    “...my companion is not as...eager to entertain as I am. It’s best you keep out of sight for now.”

    Only all the more confused, Ryū gives a short sigh. “...very well.” A pause. “...could I...have a book to read?”

    He gives a nod, slipping through another portal.

    For now, best to play by the rules. She can’t know why she’s here...until then, she won’t press her luck.

[kusunokihime-a]

[ frozen-guardian-of-the-leaf ]

Kumiko smiles warmly, "Hello, Hinata. How are you doing?" ^_^

     Jumping slightly, the little genin spins to the voice. “O-oh! Um...hello, Kottakawa-san!” Hands fidget to take the edge off her anxiety. “How, ah...h-how are you?”

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Eleven ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Raziya ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Two days later, Ryū hasn’t eaten. Has barely slept. Though hardly granted much freedom beyond her nook before, she now remains tucked into its furthest corner, curled into the smallest form she can manage.

He’s starting to get worried.

Just as diligently, Tobi has continued to bring her her meals, lead her to the other ‘rooms’ of the cave she needs, and has even risked sitting as he did before Madara discovered their pastime. But she remains despondent, not even looking up when he enters. Her food sits and grows cold.

Part of him understands, and yet...part of him doesn’t. And it frustrates him to no end…! Until now - until her interference - he’s had no reason to question things. Madara’s every word and action has been gospel, no inkling in his mind telling him otherwise.

...and yet…

Now, he finds questions burrowing into his brain where there has always been mindless obedience. She called Madara’s treatment of him wrong...cruel. Refuted it and insisted he deserved kindness. And all after she herself faced the man’s wrath for interfering in his punishment.

It had brought a spark of...something to his chest. It felt hot, like fire...but there were no flames. And it left him wondering where such a reaction came from.

In his short memory, he never recalls feeling it before.

And then there was what he told her. About needing her kindness. He knows it’s true, and yet...why? He had no need of it before. He wanted for nothing before they met. And yet now, whenever he has another task to tend to, or a place to teleport...his mind remains back in the cavern, in her nook. It’s like a string that gently yet insistently tugs at him whenever he’s away.

And before, being in her presence was...pleasant. Her reading, though a simple gesture, brought forth an excitement and yearning he’d not yet known. Never before did he have something to look forward to. A reason to complete his tasks beyond the tasks themselves.

...but now, being with her is...is…

...painful.

He decides he doesn’t like her like this. It’s...wrong. And it disquiets him, somehow. Even if he doesn’t understand why. But he doesn't know how to remedy it. He brings her meals like before, sits like before...but nothing seems to help.

...will she be like this forever? The notion leaves him deeply unsettled.

The morning of the third day, he finds her as he left her: leaning back into the corner, eyes fogged with something he can’t know.

And he decides he has to try something new.

“...you need to eat.” The words are given lowly, holding out the bowl.

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t even blink.

“...Ryū, you must eat.”

The only sign she still lives is a slow, shallow rise and fall of her chest.

The disquiet in him grows to the point of making him shift in discomfort. Though he hasn’t dared it yet, he breaches the edge of her blankets, carefully approaching until he’s close enough to touch her. 

Still no reaction.

His chest tightens to an unreasonable degree. “Please.” The word is croaked desperately, only made harsher by his rasping tone. “You...you worry me.”

Finally, her eyes lift to look to him somberly.

“I...I don’t like to see you like this. If you don’t eat, you’ll start to wither.”

“...maybe that’s what I want.”

“...but -?”

A soft sigh escapes her. “...you don’t understand,” she whispers. “If I keep on, I’ll…”

“Can you explain? I want to understand.”

He’s never needed a reason before. For...anything.

She curls up tighter. “...that man - Madara? - he...he wants to do something horrible to me. Something that...will not only hurt me, but possibly hurt everyone. And he’ll treat me like an object in order to do so. It won’t matter that I tell him no. And that...that scares me,” she admits in a whisper.

Conflict rises in him. Treated like an object...no use in saying no...why does that sound like his own circumstances? Why does she seem so averse, and yet...he’s never had any inkling to question it?

What is he missing?!

Shifting carefully, he sits just beyond her bent knees. “...I was told his plans were necessary.”

“Did he tell you why…?”

“...no.”

She studies him, eyes flickering across his face. “...you’ve never wondered…?”

“...I…” That same uncertain feeling rises in him. “...I had no reason to…”

“...you really don’t remember anything, do you…? It’s so strange. You’re like...a doll. No thoughts or feelings or memories of your own. I’ve never met anyone like you…”

“...is that...wrong?”

“...it gives me a bad feeling,” Ryū admits softly. “But...I don’t know enough. And I don’t want to make a wrong assumption. But…” Her brows wilt. “...all I do know...is that what he’s doing to you is wrong. He mistreats you, Tobi. You’re not his...partner, or his friend, or even his ally. It’s like you’re a tool. And no one should be treated like that.”

He sits and tries to think, mind full of swirling, conflicting thoughts. “...I don’t know.”

“...I’m sorry. I don’t mean to confuse you.”

“...until now, I’ve had no reason to doubt, or to question. But you…” He sighs, a hand at his brow. “...you unlock thoughts I’ve never had before. Questions. And it feels like something is...is missing…”

“Your memories, I’m sure. Whatever, or whoever you are...it’s clear Madara erased it. Made you into something...blank.”

“...do you think...I can remember…?”

“I don’t know. But I hope so. It’s cruel for you to be without your past.”

The pair fall into an uneasy silence. Tobi sits, one hand at his brow and the other still cradling her bowl. When his frustration - unable to make sense of this - grows too great...he tries one last time to offer it.

Ryū’s eyes lower to the food, and after a long pause...she reaches and accepts it.

And for a moment, their fingers brush...and Tobi feels static run up his arm to his chest, where it pulses.

“...thank you,” she murmurs, taking a spoonful.

“...you’re welcome.” As she eats, he feels something in himself ease, still watching her mindfully to make sure she keeps going. Nor does he move, remaining perched just beside her. Once she seems steady in her pace, he takes to watching the entryway, wary of being discovered.

So when he hears a faint rustle of paper, it takes him by surprise. Head turning so fast he nearly grows dizzy, he sees her pull out a book.

Their book.

For a moment she seems to consider it, but then heaves a breath...and starts to read.

Relief washes over him like a tide.

From there, Ryū slowly seems to improve. One day at a time, she regains her appetite, and color in her cheeks. Though still muted, her melancholy seems to shift to quiet contemplation.

He wonders what she’s thinking of.

“Where...do you come from?”

Looking up, she pauses. She’s yet to begin reading today. Their time together has been far more fragmented, both of them wary of Madara’s intrusion. “Well, I...I don’t know. There’s much from my childhood that’s foggy. All I really know is what Rin and Kakashi have told me.”

Deep in his chest, there’s a hint of a flicker. He decides to call it curiosity. “...who are they?”

“I...guess you could call them my guardians. They’re not much older than me, really. Rin tells the story of them trying to help my mother fight off el’tahl hunters, and taking me in after she died. They lost a friend that day, too...a boy named Obito.”

Another flicker, this one ever so slightly stronger. “...he died…?”

A somber nod. “They fled the city that night to protect me...Kakashi had lost an eye, which my mother replaced with one of the boy Obito’s. He was el’ven...and it granted Kakashi igni. He eventually parted ways from us, and...Rin raised me in a little town, trying to keep me hidden.”

“Why?”

“There aren’t many people like me left,” Ryū sighs. “It’s...a long story. A lot of history. But...she was afraid people would try to use me. And...I guess she was right.”

Ever so slightly, Tobi wilts. “...but you were in the Luxerian capital when...I found you.”

“Yes. Rin and I traveled to Salustia a few years ago. I...decided I wanted to try and revive the Council of Elements: a meeting of representatives of all twelve elements. And since I was presumed to be one of - if not the - last disciples of Luxeria, I was the only one who could open the city from the barrier that protected it. It took years of planning, but...I managed to do it. And Kakashi returned to be my advisor, and protector.” A sad smile flickers across her face. “...they’re like big siblings, really. Him and Rin. I used to consider them my parents when I was young, but...well, now that we’re all grown it seems a bit odd.” The smile then fades. “...I wonder if they’re looking for me…”

He doesn’t have an answer for that.

“...I feel so foolish. I keep asking myself if I could have done anything different to prevent this. I feel like it’s my fault...and now, with my ven sealed, I have no way to try and change my fate.”

Tobi watches her carefully. Something, in the back of his mind, seems to be pounding from the other side of a door, at the end of a winding corridor. Faint, and yet… “Is it...truly so terrible?”

“What?”

“Being...here.”

Her greys flicker over his face. “...I was taken against my will. Madara’s plans for me will steal my future...and maybe that of everyone else. I have no freedom, no way to return to my home, or my family. I’m...trapped.”

Part of him is not happy to hear that. If she weren’t here...if they never met...then he -

“Tobi!”

Flinching at Madara’s barking command down the cavern, he jumps to his feet. Something in that tone makes his chest clench.

...something is wrong.

Beyond the cave, battered and blown by the storms of the snowy peaks, Kakashi keeps his face buried against Kumiko’s back. Even at his fastest gallop, his mount has never gone as fast as Raziya streaks among the peaks. Add in the buffeting of the headwind itself, and he’s amazed he hasn’t simply been blown from her saddle and smashed against the ice below them.

With the weather so violent, getting close enough to the mountains to try and sense anyone within them has been dangerous. More than once, they’ve nearly been thrown against the crags. But Kumiko wasn’t lying: it’s clear she and her drach partner have practiced flying in even the worst conditions. Each time they grow too close, the dragon manages to pull away.

At the front, Kumiko’s brows are furrowed against the cold, ven steadily trickling as she uses it to shield herself from the wind and snow. Even so, ice clings to her forelock and lashes. “Anything yet?” she calls against the squall.

“Not yet,” Raziya reports, her mental call far clearer than her rider’s voice in the whipping winds. “But there is much of the range yet to search!”

Heaving for breath, Kumiko replies, “We may have to break soon - even with my ven, the storm’s taking too much of our body heat.You could go on for days at this rate, but we’ll freeze to death in a few hours.”

Behind her, Kakashi feels his heart clench. He’s already come close to that once on this journey. Doing so again is far from appealing.

“Tell me when you wish to land, and I shall -” With a jerk, Raziya flutters in an attempt to stop, far from still as the winds try to toss her. “Wait! Do you feel that?!”

“What?”

“A large cloud of ven, not far!”

“I can’t feel it yet - can you get closer?”

“Yes, but -” The drach hesitates. “It will likely be dangerous.”

“Likely little more so than staying out here much longer,” Kumiko calls back. “Close the gap!”

At the words, Kakashi dares to look out, one hand sparing to reflexively grip at the hilt of his blade. Though already unsettled, his heart pounds in his chest.

They must be getting close…!

Raziya continues fighting the storm, and eventually even Kakashi can feel the buzzing disruption of energy in the air. Squinting through snowflakes the size of his fist, mismatched eyes then widen at what he sees.

A rippling shroud of black seems to stretch across what appears to be the mouth of a cave. Like a starless night, it seems to swallow light...and the snow vanishes into its depths.

“What is that?”

“A Tenebreon barrier, if I had to guess,” Kumiko calls back, tone fringed with worry. “If we touch it, we’ll be dissolved to less than dust. A Luxerian barrier reflects...but Tenebreon consume.”

“Then what do we do? They have to be in there!”

Kumiko bites at the dry, windswept flesh of her lip. “Neither of us have any skill in terra...or I would suggest tunneling in from the side. But I doubt either of us could manage it. I might -”

“Look out!”

With a jerk, the three of them suddenly dive, the humans clinging to their mount as their hearts leap to their throats. Where they’d been a moment before, a flurry of snow catapults off the mountain: enough to bury them ten times over.

“The snowpack is unstable! We must be cautious!” Raziya warns. “More could collapse at any moment!”

“Can you divert it if it does?”

“...I can try.”

Ever so slowly, they try to edge closer and get a better look. And the nearer they get, the more the hair on Kakashi’s neck stands on end. The pull of the ven is terrifying.

...and soon, they realize, more literal than they first assumed.

“Raziya, we’re getting too close. We’ll have to find another way in,” Kumiko calls.

But even as the drach pumps her wings...they don’t make any headway back out into open air. “I...I can’t retreat!”

“What?!”

“It’s pulling me in!”

“...a black hole,” Kakashi mutters, heart dropping at the realization. “Between the pull of the barrier and the push of the wind...we’re being sucked in!”

Tensing, Kumiko plants her hands against Raziya’s neck, trying to help give her energy by granting her own. “You’ve got to change course!”

“I-I’m trying!”

As they draw closer, Kakashi stares at the barrier...and like a shadow, he can barely see the outline of a figure beyond the shield.

And something about it fills him with dread.

“...Kumiko, I’ve got an idea. But you aren’t going to like it.”

“Tell me! We’re running out of time!”

Beneath her, straining until her muscles pop and joints crack, Raziya foams at the mouth. The sickening power of the barrier is almost overwhelming.

“NOW!”

Watching from behind his barrier, Madara grits his teeth. While the possibility did indeed exist of being discovered...the fact that it’s only been a few weeks...irritates him. They’re in the corner of the world, in some of the most inhospitable terrain of the continent. How did these fools find them?

“Madara, what’s going on?”

“Someone’s stumbled upon our little hideaway,” the man growls at his companion, ignoring his flinch. “And we may have to clean them up.”

Following his master’s gaze, Tobi watches as the looming shape struggles against the pull of the ven. “...seems it won’t be long until that happens.”

“Indeed.”

The pair of them jolt, however, as a faint but deep rumble sounds above them. “...what?”

Like a waterfall, snow and ice cascade just beyond the sealed mouth of the cave, burying the would-be intruders and sweeping them down the mountain face.

Shocked, Tobi moves to the edge, trying to watch through the dark shroud of the barrier.

“...well, that should take care of that,” Madara muses.

“...what happened?”

“Avalanche. The snow collapsed off of the peaks. The weight of the new snowfall must have proved too much. A fitting burial for them.” Turning his back, Madara then calls, “You’d best feed the lux mage. She’s still thinner than I would like. I want her kept at a fit weight before her cycle turns. She’ll be needing the extra energy.”

Tobi doesn’t reply, watching him retreat. The ones beyond the barrier...were they the people Ryū spoke of? Rin and Kakashi?

...why did the avalanche make him feel so...panicked? If it were them...then there’s little hope now of her being rescued. Which means she’ll stay here, with them.

...with him.

...and with Madara.

Like two ends of a rope pulled taut, duality and indecision tear at him. In part, he’s happy she won’t be taken. And yet...he knows being here hurts her. But if she leaves...surely he’ll never see her again.

Would she even want to see him again…? Does she...hate him? Surely not. Not with how she defends him. But...why does she do that? He’s just as much her enemy as Madara, and she clearly hates him...is frightened of him. But he himself was the one who brought her here, helps keep her here. So why…?

Unsure and agitated, he turns on his heel from the shield and makes to follow his orders. Ryū needs to eat. But...what will he tell her? Should he be honest? No...he shies from that. Something tells him if she were to know their fate, she would fall back into that hopeless despair.

And he cannot bear to see her like that. Not again.

For now, he’ll spin half-truths. Tell of the avalanche...but not of those caught in it. Besides, he can’t know it was the pair she hopes for. Surely that will be enough to assuage her. 

As per usual, a basic stew is all he can afford her, thinking over his story as he returns to her ‘room’. He prays she won’t needle him too deeply.

“Is everything all right?”

She’s still in her mess of blankets, looking up in question as soon as he turns the corner. He sees her tuck away a book, shifting her focus entirely to him.

“Avalanche,” he responds, crossing the gap and kneeling to offer the bowl. “Madara feared it may affect the barrier.”

“Oh...did it?”

“No. It rolled over and down the mountain.” Watching her, he catches the wilt of disappointment as she accepts his offering. “...even if it had, we could have recast it.”

“...I know. I just...hoped.”

Studying her closely, Tobi asks, “...if...you were to be freed...what would you do?”

“...do?”

A nod.

“...I’d return home, of course. Back to Salustia. Surely by now the Summit has ended, but...hopefully Suigin held it in my place.”

“Who is that?”

“My drach kirav - my dragon partner. She is a child of Luxeria. Surely with me gone, she took the mantle and kept the Summit going. I hope it went smoothly…”

“Is it so important?”

Ryū looks up to him in surprise. “...of course. There hasn’t been a proper summit in over a hundred years, when the war began.”

“...war?”

After a pause, she sighs. “...I forget how little you know. But now isn’t the time to explain. It’s a long and heavy tale. Like most of history.”

“...I see.”

She chews slowly, thoughtfully. “...maybe someday I can teach you more. After all...it seems I’ll be here quite some time…” is her somber note.

“I...would like that.” As a silence blooms, he then blurts, “And if you were to leave?”

“What?”

“If you were ever to leave...would you still teach me?”

Ryū stills, studying him with an unreadable expression. “...I...suppose that depends.”

“On what?”

“...on many things,” is her vague reply, which frustrates him. 

“But would you?”

“...I would. But maybe you already know these things and just...forgot. Until we know what was lost in your memories...” She trails off to silence.

Tobi sighs, clearly still agitated.

“...what’s wrong?”

The truth would only make things worse. “...I don’t like this blank slate in my mind,” he offers instead.

“...maybe someday we’ll fill it again.”

Out beyond the barrier, the snow is finally still. Caught in a crag dozens of meters down from the cavern, the newly-tumbled tons reflect the rising moonlight like a billion crystals.

And then, with a flare of flakes, a hand lifts from the mass. Like a rock dropped into a pond, the snow disperses outward to create a crater. Standing in the middle, still peppered with white, Kumiko heaves for air alongside a knelt Kakashi.

Not far away, Raziya bursts from the snow, shaking like a drenched dog to dislodge what clings to her fur.

“...that...was the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” the glacial mage admits, dropping to her knees to catch her breath.

Beside her, Kakashi manages a weary chuckle. “Well...it was either that, or get disintegrated.”

“You’re still a madman.”

“True...but we’re alive.”

Resting back on her haunches, Kumiko stares up at the cave above them. “...so...we need to be a bit more stealthy, it seems.”

“Indeed. Any ideas?”

“Raziya can’t come with us - for one, getting us in will be hard enough, let alone something her size. True, she can take her mor form...but she’s far less effective with her ven in that state. She might not fit once we’re inside if she were to try to change.  And two, they’ll still be able to sense her as easily due to her saturation of energy. Her presence is just too obvious. And it’s as you say: we need the element of surprise in case they decline a fight and decide to simply teleport elsewhere once they realize we’re there..”

“So we go in alone. But do we know how to go in at all?”

“I have an idea...not as mad as yours, but hopefully viable. First, however, we need to get back up there, and without Raziya’s help.”

“What should I do?”

“Wait here. We may need to make a desperate escape. Be ready at a moment’s notice, my friend,” Kumiko offers.

“Very well.”

“So how are we getting up there?” Kakashi asks again.

“With a little ven. Here, stand next to me. Keep your knees bent - it’s going to be a little...loose.”

“...what?”

“I’m going to urge the snow back up, but it’ll be a little unstable. Think of standing on a ship.”

“...wonderful.”

“Just don’t fall off.” Adjusting her stance and letting Kakashi do the same, Kumiko then feeds ven into the snow beneath them before lifting her arms. Following her guidance, it starts rolling back up the incline in reverse.

Kakashi’s stomach can’t help a small turn of its own, and he’s immediately reminded of why he hasn’t been on a ship in quite some time. “I...think I might vomit.”

“Just a little longer - hold on.” Sliding up the peak, Kumiko brings them to a stop along one edge of the cave, several meters to the right to avoid the barrier’s pull. Maintaining their height, she spares a hand to gently clear away snow until the mountain itself is exposed. “All right...step off here.”

Eagerly doing as he’s told, Kakashi glances around. “...now what?”

“Now...I’m going to give you a little science lesson, Kakashi. Do you know why we don’t make much use of stone roads this far north?”

“...no, enlighten me.”

“Because the freezing and thawing of water causes cracks. Water seeps into any divet it can find...and when it freezes...it expands…” Ven melting some of the snow, Kumiko guides it into a gap in the earth. Then with an urging, it freezes...and Kakashi hears a soft crack. “Over time, with each freezing and thawing...the crack widens. And eventually...you’re left with little more than rubble.”

Watching with widening eyes, Kakashi can only stare as Kumiko carves a tunnel through the earth and stone of the mountain face with only a few gallons of water. “...you’re amazing, did you know that?”

Grinning, Kumiko just keeps going until - after uncounted minutes - light and warm air slips through a gap.

The pair glance to each other, each nodding and preparing themselves for whatever might lie ahead.

     Holy mother of overdue chapters, Batman! This is...well, very late :’D But since I’ve decided to just go full-blown hiatus from RP for July and just...take a breather, I thought I’d try and finish up some WIP fics instead while I have some spare time / energy. Maybe not...fully taking a break, but...tbh fic writing is almost always easier for me than RP for...some reason.      ANYWAY, a bit of a cliffhanger cuz...honestly I was going to have a whole other scene in this chapter but it was getting...really long :’D I’ve been trying to keep chapters between 3-4k, and this was just over 4k, and uh...yeah it would end up a monster if I kept going. And there’s a LOT of plot in this next scene. So I think just...better to wait and let that stand on its own. And that means MORE CHAPTERS anyway, so...y’know xD Total word count is almost to 38k so that’s neato!      BUT YES. We are...SO CLOSE to a possible reunion...? But things are about to start hitting the fan. We’ve got “Tobi” having FEELINGS and starting to question the unquestionable. We’ve got Ryū being that big depressy, Madara still being a jerk, aaand Kakashi and Kumiko getting ever so slightly closer (in more ways than one, huehue)...! So the next chappy SHOULD be pretty excitinggg!      I am going to DO MY DARNDEST to finish this fic by the end of July. As my plotting stands now there should be four more chapters, but uh...the last two ended up having to be split into four, so that’s...probably not accurate x’D BUT either way, this is my main goal for July writing-wise. I will DO MY BEST!      For now tho I...need to eat, then I’m get right back to it ÒωÓ *dashes away* Thanks for readinggg!

[kusunogatari]

[ In Love and War ] [ @yukaikokoro​ ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Nohara Rin, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Divine Light ]

Had anyone who’d known Kakashi before the new Elemental Summit met him again after the events that followed that fateful meeting...they’d hardly recognize the man.

Sure, there were his share of physical changes, depending on how long it had been since they’d last laid eyes on him. Some more...significant than others.

But what would likely startle them far more - and have them question just what happened to the boy from the Igni capital all those years ago, or the monster slayer that once roamed the roads - would be his shift in attitude.

While he still has his overall grizzled look and typical deadpan expression, that tends to change around a select handful of people. One of which is a more...recent addition.

It took just about everyone by surprise. Rin hadn’t witnessed the trials Kakashi and Kumiko had faced together, and umber eyes had widened at the look she saw him give the glacial mage upon their return. If anyone could spot a difference - no matter how minute - in the Hatake...it would be his best friend.

Ryū, reunited with her longtime companion (and having seen Kumiko’s temporary demise) had understood, at least in part...but the depth of Kakashi’s attachment to the mage he’d been introduced to at the Summit had still surprised her. Curiosity had burned of what precisely had happened during their weeks trekking to find her...but there’d been more pressing matters. Namely getting them all back to the Luxerian capital safely, and making sure both Kumiko and herself would make full recoveries after their experiences.

The days immediately after, while Kumiko was kept isolated for her safety, Kakashi had rarely been so agitated. Rin had watched as he’d paced the corridor, jumping every time Suigin (still taking her mor guise) came through the door. Ryū herself had been forbidden to tend to Kumiko, the strain of her captivity and the battle making the dragon put her foot down.

“I have told you once, and I will tell you no further: she will live. But the less stress - the fewer interruptions - the swifter her recovery. Consult Thera and learn some patience, vom berech. Your fretting grates my nerves. Her life is out of danger. You need only wait.”

That...hadn’t gone well, but he’d finally left the hallway until Kumiko was allowed visitors.

As soon as her door was open? He was through it.

The days and weeks left over as she regained her strength were filled with talk, and the pair eventually came to their own understanding. Kakashi wasn’t much of a man of the heart - not in the way many expected him to be. It’d hardened after the loss of his parents, his friend, and other companions during his time on the road. Nothing ever seemed to last...and each loss left its mark. But Kumiko...Kumiko was different. Which left many scratching their heads...and yet happy to see the reclusive warrior find his own brand of companionship.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Rin had teasingly needled a while after, when she was sure he was no longer agitated over Kumiko’s health.

“I didn’t think you were the presumptuous type,” Kakashi deadpanned in return.

“Don’t need to presume when it’s plain as day, Kakashi. How long have I known you, hm?”

“Too long, apparently.”

Rin scoffed. “Not long enough, if you’re still doubting my insight. In all our years, this is a first. I know you - this means something, as much you might try to downplay, old friend.”

He gave her a sidelong glance. “...doesn’t mean I’ve lost my mind and am going to jump into things willy-nilly. I’m too cautious for that.”

“...mhm. Too cautious, or too -?”

Another look cut her off, and Rin pouted, arms folding. “...fine, fine. I’ll stop badgering you. But this isn’t over, Hatake.”

“It’s never over, Nohara.”

He knew she couldn’t help but be curious. Obito aside, she’d known him the longest, and the most consecutively...even if they’d parted ways for a time. His life taking a turn like this was sure to spark interest.

But he’d always been a private person. Cordial enough when he had to be, but reserved in branching out. People knowing his business was...irking. That’s all.

But Kumiko couldn’t stay in the Luxerian capital forever. She was needed back in Boralis, and Solustia was still scrambling to get back on track with its dignitary returned.

“Don’t worry,” Kumiko assured him when the day arrived for her to return. “You heard Ryū: Obito’s going to travel to all of the capitals to set up a portal network. Then I’ll only be a few steps away, hm?”

“It’s not so much the distance as it is knowing you’re safe.”

“Trust me, things will be calm at home. The worst I’ll have to fear is an angry father, and he hardly frightens me,” Kumiko countered with a wry smile. “I’ve faced far worse, now.”

“Don’t remind me…”

Once Obito was cleared and his journey began, Kakashi had to play the waiting game. There were ten other capitals besides Solustia and Boralis, after all. And each one had to be enacted manually.

Rin had been the one to build the portal hall within the castle, and he had to admit...it was beautiful. The same white stone as the rest of the structure, with eleven frames distributed to hold the Tenebreon portals to each of the other cities. Each other capital would be outfitted with a similar room to allow quick travel for the dignitaries for meetings and discussions.

As soon as Obito finishes Boralis’ portal, Kakashi is on his way out.

Ryū, expecting as much, has already given him the week to just stay in the icy north and make up for lost time. She’ll get along just fine without him. Besides, Obito has to rest after setting up each portal, so...she has her own company to look forward to.

The Glacirian dignitary is just beyond the doorway, having been present for its opening...and possibly expecting someone else to come through. Smiling widely, she opens arms to embrace Kakashi as he crosses the room.

“See? Just a few steps,” she teases. “Come on - I have the afternoon to myself. We’re going to enjoy it.”

A few corridors later, they arrive at her chambers, and Kumiko flops rather gracelessly atop her bed. “Ugh...what a day…”

“Did something go wrong?” Kakashi asks, taking the other side and letting her wriggle her way beside him.

“Nearly,” she sighs. “Obito arrived this morning, and my father had the gall to challenge the portal mandate just as we were getting started.”

“Stubborn old goat, isn’t he?”

“You have no idea,” Kumiko mutters, an arm flung over her eyes. “So that took several more useless hours of deliberation. During which I threatened to ask Glaciris what they thought. That shut him up, even if he keeps claiming he doesn’t believe I was Embraced. Let alone twice.”

Kakashi just gives a soft snort.

“So...as you can see, we have our portals. Poor Obito looked ragged…”

“It’s good for him.”

“Maybe. But with each new portal, he has to go back to all the other established capitals and connect them. It’s got to be taxing.”

“Believe me, he’s resting as we speak. Every new capital he gets the rest of the day to stay in Solustia. Then he comes back to the latest portal, and travels on to the next.”

“Ah…” Kumiko’s lips quirk. “I take it a certain lux mage gets to ensure he’s fit as a fiddle before he leaves again?”

“We’d never hear the end of it, otherwise.”

That earns a snicker. “So...were you given leave to come see me, then?”

“Of course. It didn’t take much arm-twisting.”

“I’d assumed not. After all, if something does arise, all it takes is a messenger through the portal and you’ll be back. Gods, the time this will save...weeks of travel reduced to a trek across a hallway. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s handy, certainly. As...questionable as Obito’s powers were in their origins, I can’t say I regret how things are now.”

“I certainly don’t.” Turning to lay on her side, Kumiko glances to him. “...and how are you faring?”

“Fine. There really haven’t been any downsides...I pretty much just have more ven, and don’t get as many funny looks now.”

She snorts and sits up. “After all that’s happened to you - something that, besides Madara and Obito, hasn’t happened in centuries - it’s just a mild improvement?”

“What do you want me to say?”

Flattening, Kumiko snatches a pillow from her bed and smacks him with it. “Does anything impress or amaze you?”

“Hm...I can think of one thing.”

“Oh?”

Grey brows lift, staring at her wordlessly until she goes pink. Then the pillow smashes into his face again.

“N-not what I meant!”

Grasping the decorative throw, Kakashi lobs it back at her. “You didn’t specify.”

“You’re ridiculous!”

“Shouldn’t you know that by now?”

Arming herself with another pillow, Kumiko throws it, rolling from the bed expertly and dodging as Kakashi returns fire. “Given that you’re taking the bait for a pillow fight...perhaps I should!”

Taking the other side of the room, Kakashi can’t help a hint of a smirk. “Isn’t this a bit below your level of sophistication?”

“I am an expert pillow tosser.”

“I think your maids will have something to say about this.”

“Oh, we’ll tidy our own mess. But until a victor is crowned...this is war, Hatake.”

Like Theran mages loosing boulders at one another, Kakashi and Kumiko both make use of the small mountain of pillows atop her bed, chucking and dodging (and doing their best not to break anything of importance). Laughter begins to ring out, and after nearly twenty minutes, there’s no sign of a winner...or an end.

“Had enough, yet?” Kakashi calls, hiding behind a chair.

“Death before dishonor!” is Kumiko’s retort, a pillow poofing harmlessly against his hiding spot.

Another ten minutes pass before there’s a knock at the door, and the pair of them freeze. One pillow has suffered a recent casualty, and there’s a litter of downy feathers dusting the room. “Lady Kumiko…?”

“Um...one moment!” Tossing Kakashi a sheepish look, she makes for the door, opening it just wide enough to address the messenger outside.

Silently behind her, Kakashi begins gathering up all of the remaining pillows.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Megumi. And yes, we will have another for dinner, if you’d pass that along. All right.” Shutting the door, Kumiko rests her hands against it for a moment, heaving a small sigh. “...I don’t think she -” Turning, there’s a gasp as she sees Kakashi right behind her, arms full to the brim before tossing every single pillow at her at once. Squealing and batting a few away, the rest topple over her like a bucket of water.

“Do you surrender, dignitary of Glaciris?” Kakashi then demands, planting hands along the door.

In spite of herself, Kumiko blinks wide eyes with a blush. “...surrender…?”

“I believe I have you completely surrounded.”

“...perhaps you do. But I have a secret weapon.”

“...secret -?”

With a flash of a cheeky grin, Kumiko leans forward and captures his lips with her own. It’s his turn, then, to go a faint shade of red.

“...do you have no counter attack?”

Expression slack with shock, Kakashi simply replies, “...I suppose I don’t.”

That gets her to laugh out loud, leaning back against the door. “Well...if the war is over, I have some news. Obito won’t be back to leave from here to head toward Orenium’s capital until the morning, so I have the rest of the day off. And I confirmed that you are remaining for the night. You have guest quarters already arranged.” Her head cocks. “...should I just make those permanent?”

“Hm...wouldn’t hurt.”

“Consider it done, then. In the meantime...maybe we best take a little break…? After...we try to clear up these feathers.” Slipping out from between his arms, Kumiko claps her hands. After a moment to focus, she calls on her lesser-used parental element. Air carefully begins to swirl, picking up the lofty feathers and corralling them into a small cyclone, which then shrinks to a sphere.

Opening up a spare case, Kakashi lets her stuff the wayward downs into the fabric, and it’s almost like there was no war at all.

“Tadaa!”

“You’re just full of little tricks, aren’t you?”

“But of course. I’m a woman, a politician, and a warrior. I have to be ready for anything, hm?”

“I suppose you do.”

     A bit later than I wanted it to be but irl stuff popped up and I got delayed, as usual :’D      I guess this is a...pseudo-partial-followup to Divine Light...? Which isn’t...finished yet because I’m horrible??? OTL It’s...something that takes place after, so technically it’s got spoilers and stuff, but uh...I guess Star pretty much knows how it goes anyway cuz she helped me plot most of the fic anyway, BUT! That’s not the most important part:      HAPPY BIRTHDAY STARRR <333      Hopefully this is what you wanted ;w; It’s been A While since I’ve written in this verse so I feel a lil rusty, but I gave it my best. And I hope you had a WONDERFUL birthday, m’dear! I will...try to finish the fic soon. I have pretty much all of it plotted, just...haven’t had the time or energy or verse mojo OTL BUT SOON. I PROMISE. Life permitting x’D      *gallavants off into the sunset*

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Ten ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Kottakawa Yuka, Raziya ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

“Mn…” 

Eyes still closed, Kumiko finds herself so utterly drained, she can’t even muster the will to open them. Every muscle lax, she feels herself jostle. It’s almost like being on horseback, and yet...she’s laying upon her back, something soft beneath her. Memories swim foggily in her mind, disjointed and twitching. Are they...still in the border town? Is there an earthquake? Around her she can hear subtle clinks and low thuds alongside a rhythmic...grating noise?

...what is going on?

Finally, after taking in what she can without them, she manages to open her eyes. Her sight is blurry. How long has she been asleep…?

“Ah, you’re awake…”

Struggling to turn her head, Kumiko finally notices an el’ven woman sitting beside her. It looks like they’re in some kind of...wagon? That explains all the noise and the strange movement she can feel. Did Kakashi buy them passage with a caravan…? No, that...that doesn’t sound right… “W...where…?”

“All in due time, child. You must be weary - how do you feel?”

Shaking arms do their best to prop her upright. It takes her a moment to realize she’s been stripped of her armor to better rest unhindered. “...like I was trampled by a herd of caribou,” the elf replies dryly.

Without a word, the old woman holds out a canteen, and Kumiko realizes just how parched she is. Before she can give a thought to manners, she snatches the offering and starts guzzling down the liquid before her brain catches up. Suddenly sheepish and red in embarrassment, she stops and stutters, “I...I’m so sorry -”

A laugh cuts her off, the woman waving a nonchalant hand. “You needn’t fear for your manners, dear. You were close to death when we found you - desperation is natural. Please, don’t censor yourself on my account. Take what you need, as you need it.”

Still looking a bit chastised nonetheless, Kumiko takes up the canteen again, this time sipping slowly. “...you say I was almost dead…?” What could have happened…? It must have been serious if she can’t yet recall.

The elder nods. “Yes...you and your companion, both.”

That stiffens her spine. “Is he -?!”

“Worry not - he’s in another wagon. We’re a bit crowded and weren’t expecting extra passengers, but we made room as we could for you. He awoke before you and is already on the mend.”

“...I don’t...remember how we…?”

“He explained as best he could, but...parts of his tale were tainted with confusion. Seems he knows nothing of what it means to be Embraced...not that I blame him. He’s clearly el-tahl, after all.”

Kumiko blinks. “...Embraced…?”

“You truly remember nothing…?”

“Well...not yet. Maybe as I wake further. It’s just a bit of a blur. I remember us stopping at the border village, but...from there it’s muddied.”

“I see...your companion - Kakashi? - told us you’d only been on the road since that morning. It would seem your timing was simply sour. The storm blew down from the north. Had you waited half a day, it would have passed over you while you were still safe within the inn.”

The words ring a bell in her mind. “...I remember...the cold. It was so sudden, and we couldn’t find a place to take shelter.” Her brow furrows, trying to recall. “...and then…”

“Do you remember their voice?”

“...their voice?”

Nodding sagely, the old woman offers, “Before you were Embraced, surely you heard them.”

“...I’m sorry, I…” Kumiko’s head can’t help but shake. A hand reaches to cup her brow, furrowed with confusion as the other gestures for a pause. “...I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Ah...I thought, given your lineage, you would have been taught the history of Glacris’ Embrace.”

Slowly, her eyes widen. “Glaciris…?” Then the rest of her words sink in. “Wait, you know who I am?”

A sly smile curls the old woman’s lips. “There was no mistaking Tamotsu’s daughter. We have never met, but few would miss your face, young mistress.”

“Oh, please don’t -”

“My name is Miyuki. I hail from the border village you passed through. I’ve traveled this path for decades, and accompany caravans to help guide them when the weather is unkind. As luck would have it, we were both on the trail yesterday.”

Still a bit off-kilter, Kumiko nevertheless offers, “...a pleasure to meet you, Miyuki. Thank you for your help. Seems we’d have perished if not for you.”

“Oh no - not me, my dear. It was Glaciris’ will. They kept you safe until we arrived.”

The mage can’t help but hush. “...you mean they...they truly…?”

Another nod. “It would seem the elders were right to choose you. The Elemental themself stepped in and gave you their power to stopper the storm. I cannot know why, but...it would seem your destiny goes beyond freezing to death on the trade route roadside. You are important enough to lend their strength...which has not been seen, to my knowledge, since before the rift...or very soon after.”

Kumiko jolts in surprise. “W-wait, what? They helped me? Glaciris themself? A-are you sure?”

“There’s no mistaking it. I could feel the ven long before we reached you, child. No mor could hope to produce, let alone control, energy of that magnitude.”

“But...how? Glaciris fled with the others of the Twelve.”

“Yes...our foolishness led to the flight of those who blessed us,” Miyuki murmurs, tone suddenly heavy with sadness. “Even I, in my many years, can barely remember the time before they left us. I was a small, small child. But before then, my mother would tell me stories of the Twelve lending their power to those truly in need: who championed their ideals and sought to protect their chosen people. An Embrace was a rare and revered thing, even then. To think that now, so long after the rift, that it has happened again...well, it gives this old woman a spark of hope.”

“So, Glaciris, they...they lent me power?”

“To be Embraced is to be possessed by an Elemental themself,” Miyuki hushes. “Until now, I had no idea the distance over which such an event could take place.”

“They possessed me?!”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Glaciris fused your physical body with their ethereal one, and with it, was able to use you as a vessel for their power. Not their full power, of course - that would certainly kill you. But it still grants a boon far above and beyond what you could ever accomplish on your own, or even with a drach partner. Embraces were hailed as miracles by most.”

After a long, shocked pause...Kumiko’s brow wilts. “But…”

“Hm?”

“...why me?”

Miyuki blinks. “Whatever do you mean?”

Lifting her hands, calloused and worn with training and work, Kumiko can’t help but stare sadly. “...I’ve done nothing but fail Glaciris as of late. I’ve not managed to help my people. I allowed great misfortune to befall the sole lux mage we know of. And on my journey, I’ve done more harm than good…” Her expression crumbles, finding herself overcome with emotion as her worries and fears pour from her lips. “...why would Glaciris help me…?”

“The Twelve work in mysterious ways,” Miyuki replies softly after a long, heavy pause. “But child...they do not make mistakes. Glaciris chose you. I cannot tell you why. But that should not bring forth your doubts. It should vanquish them! We mor...we are flawed, and imperfect. We quarrel and falter. But even at our weakest moments, and after our greatest failures...we still retain our potential. Glaciris sees something in you that, perhaps, you cannot yet see yourself. But like the disciples of light, it is good to have faith. Follow this path with your head held high. It will take you where you must go. Do not doubt Glaciris. They know what they do. Trust in them! And thus, trust in yourself...as they have already done.”

After a brief pause, Kumiko lifts her eyes to Miyuki, who smiles softly. “...you’re right. Thank you...I let myself be blinded.”

“We all must be reminded of our own potential at times. It is an easy thing to lose sight of, especially in these troubled days. But lady Kumiko, I know you will do great things. Our people believe in you. Now, you must take that belief, and do right by it. Falter no longer. Face your destiny with the strength of the permafrost!”

In spite of herself, Kumiko manages a hint of a smile, feeling a small sting of happy tears in her eyes. “...I will.”

Kumiko soon learns that she slept all through the prior day and night, and has her first meal in over a day as the caravan stops at midday for their repast. Accepting her share gratefully, she nonetheless hops from her wagon and searches for Kakashi. Already her strength feels like it’s returning, mood greatly lifted by Miyuki’s explanation. She can’t wait to tell Kakashi…!

He’s sitting along the rear edge of the wagon he was placed in, talking easily with several of the traders as they take seats on crates set in the snow. Catching sight of her, he can’t help but perk up a hair. “You’re awake…!”

“I am! But what about you - how are you feeling?”

“Groggy, I’ll admit. And I was pretty stiff for a while. But otherwise, fit as a fiddle. By the time we reach Boralis I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He then nods to the cart behind them. “They tied our horses to the rear - they’ve been following and packing our gear.”

Kumiko blinks - in all of the other rush, she’d admittedly forgotten about the beasts for a moment. “Ah, good. Were they hurt, or…?”

“Not that I could note. They had some ice on their longer hair but otherwise seemed fine. Especially yours - like you say, everything in the north is built a bit tougher.”

That earns a grin. “Told ya!”

Chuckling, Kakashi then glances to his new companions. “Think I’ll stretch my legs a bit more, lads - I’ll be back before we shove off, if you don’t mind.”

They make noises of assent, and he hops to the road and gives a subtle nod of his head. Seems he knows they need to talk, and best done without too much extra company. So without a word, Kumiko follows.

They meander a ways behind the caravan, but both subconsciously stick fairly close. Neither are too keen to get too far from their salvation, even if it means possibly being overheard.

“So…”

Kumiko can’t help a small nibble of her lip. “...you sure you’re okay?”

Posture lax, Kakashi lets hands rest in his pockets. There’s a moment of silence, his gaze caught to one side. “...I’ll admit, I haven’t brushed death that closely in a while. It was a little unnerving, but I’m fine now. It’s something I had to get used to fairly early on. Guess I’ve just been spoiled the last few months and I’m a little out of practice.”

“You’re certain?”

“...yeah. I was stiff for a while due to the cold, and slept quite a bit as I warmed up and regained some energy. I’m not quite back to full yet but I expect to be by tomorrow. Miyuki said we should arrive tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.”

“Oh, so you spoke with her?”

“A bit. She wanted to know what happened. I said what I could, but…” Shoulders shrug. “I was either addled or unconscious for most of what seemed to be important.” Mismatched eyes then look to her from their corners. “...can you fill in any blanks?”

“Sort of…” Suddenly, her prior excitement seems to idle. “...Miyuki seems to think I was...Embraced.”

“She mentioned that but didn’t explain what it meant. Seems important, though.”

The glacial mage nods solemnly. “...Glaciris came to me. The Glaciris. They lent me their strength. It’s what kept us alive. I don’t really...remember what I did, though. It’s like my vision was fogged over.”

As she speaks, his eyes go wide. “...you mean the Elemental approached you…?”

A nod. “Miyuki says...that they sort of possessed me, in a way? It’s like they inhabited my body and helped me overcome the snowstorm. I think that’s why my memory feels a bit disjointed. I wasn’t the only one in me, experiencing things. It must have altered my perception a bit.”

Unbidden, the hunter can’t help a small shiver. “...sorry, I...realize that’s probably a big deal. To me, though...it’s unnerving.”

Before she can stop herself, Kumiko brings her arms around her torso. “...it was, in a way. But it had to happen. It’s all that kept us alive. We have a bigger purpose, Kakashi. Glaciris protected us to help us keep going. They want us to succeed.”

“Yeah...I get it.”

With that behind them, Kumiko’s eyes get a bit starry. “...Miyuki said there hasn’t been an Embrace since the rift...since the Elementals left…! She didn’t even know it was still possible with them gone! Just...think of it! They’ve been gone for so long...but in some small way, they’ve proven to still be with us. Whatever we have to face, it’s enough to beg their interference for the first time in over a century…!”

At that, Kakashi can’t help a small, solemn smile. “...and they chose you.”

Kumiko balks. “W-well, I...yes. I mean, I’m the daughter of the north’s leader, and...the elders chose me as the representative -”

“You know those aren’t the real reasons. Even if you were commonborn and connectionless, what matters most to you is your people, and the rest of the el’ven. You’ve got good circumstances, but if I had to hazard a guess - and I’m just a measly el’tahl - what really matters is your drive to do what Glaciris knows to be important.”

That gets her to quiet, glancing aside. “...maybe you’re right. But...either way, we know we’re on the right track. We just need to reach Boralis and then make our way to the Gelidan mountains.” Kumiko’s expression sobers. “...then, well...who knows? We have at least one Tenebreon mage to fight, but there may be more. Should we bring reinforcements…?”

“No. The more people who show up, the greater the chance we lose our element of surprise. And that’s crucial: if we spook them and they decide the fight isn’t worth it, they’ll teleport again...and then Twelve know where they’ll end up. We have to strike quickly and brutally. We likely only have one shot,” Kakashi counters, tone oddly gentle as he explains.

“Yes, you’re right…” Heaving a sigh that plumes in the cold air, she brings her gaze back to Kakashi. “...I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“Yeah, you too. It looked pretty grim there for a moment. But I told you you’d handle it,” Kakashi replies, eyes closing with a grin.

Kumiko makes to argue that it wasn’t entirely her who saved them, but swallows the retort. “...we’d best get back to the wagons. I’m sure they’ll want to get going soon and make good time.”

“Aye.”

They part at the wagon train, each returning to the cart that bore them. Now fully awake and full of thoughts, Kumiko sits and mulls over the next leg of their journey. Seeing her concentration, Miyuki does nothing to interrupt.

They spend one last night on the road, Kumiko finding it difficult to sleep despite the safety of the wagon. Tomorrow...she’ll return home for the first time in weeks, but only briefly. Part of her is glad to return, but the rest...is wary.

Her father is already skeptical enough about the new Summit. If he catches wind of her abandoning it, and of the trouble that’s plagued it, he’ll only give them grief and make this all the more difficult. Avoiding Tamotsu is imperative lest they be waylaid.

Come morning, Kumiko can’t help but watch through the opening to the driver’s seat. The foothills have started cropping up, along with the boreal trees. Soon enough, they’ll find the walls of the capital of Boralis. A duality of nerves and excitement makes her anxious and unable to sit still.

“Calm, lady Kumiko. I am certain your return will go smoothly,” Miyuki offers with a wizened smile. By now Kumiko has entrusted her with a few more details of their trek.

“I hope so,” she murmurs in reply, brow still slightly drawn as she retreats back into the belly of the wagon.

By noon, the large wooden gates - formed from the hulking trunks of pines of the region - open up before them. Likely from the storm that nearly killed them, several feet of fresh snow litters the ground despite the season, dusting the wooden fort-like walls with white powder. It’s drifted up to the barricade like frozen waves crashing against a cliffside. And within the city proper, it litters every surface.

But already the streets are cleared, the many el’ven of the capital working tirelessly to keep it traversable and safe for its citizens. The wagons rattle against the cobblestone streets, and curious eyes - always on the lookout for fresh supplies - are drawn to them.

But the caravan only takes them so far as the markets as to unload their burdens. Hopping from her cart with a scarf obscuring her face, Kumiko motions to Kakashi to gather their mounts. “Miyuki...thank you for your help, and your wisdom,” she offers to the old elven woman, taking her small, frail hands in her own.

The elder merely smiles. “It was an honor, my lady. I wish you luck in your endeavor. Do be safe.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Leaving the parade of wagons behind, Kumiko hops astride her horse and gives a leading nod, taking them further into the city where her family - and all those who have led the north before them - reside. “Pray we can avoid my father,” she mutters, visage still obscured to try and hide her return.

“Any reason in particular…?”

“He’s not easy to get along with on good days. And given his...attitude, trying to explain all of this will only rile him further. The sooner we find Raziya and head further north, the better. I don’t want him to know I was here, if we can avoid it...at the very least, not until we’re long gone.”

Giving his companion a questioning glance, Kakashi nonetheless takes the words without comment. They’ve only spoken of Tamotsu a few times, and...well, he can understand her wariness even from what little he’s gleaned. He sounds the type to embody much of the icy element’s traits...especially those less desired.

Eventually, they make it to the proper address. The hub of the north’s capital isn’t as...grandiose as the one of Luxeria’s lands, but Kakashi wasn’t really expecting it to be. It’s nearly all a single level in height, with a few taller tower-like sections near the outer walls. Built from shaped stone and felled trees, it’s just as sturdy and imposing as its people. Kumiko leads them into the grounds, where they store their mounts in the stable before making their way in.

“This is a side entrance,” Kumiko confirms, glancing ahead before leading on. “Father, if he’s here, will likely be at the other end.”

“You seem well-versed in dodging him.”

She gives him a look over her shoulder, but before she can retort, a figure steps in her path, bringing her up short. “...oh!”

Taller than any woman he’s ever seen, Kakashi looks upon their sudden companion. Silvery-blue hair falls in a curtain around her face, eyes a matching icy tone. “I received your correspondence!” 

Visibly, Kumiko wilts in relief. “You’ve told no one?”

“Not a soul, kirav. Though I believe your mother suspects something.”

“Of course she does...she misses nothing, that woman.” Stepping aside and gesturing, Kumiko offers, “Kakashi, this is Raziya, my drach partner. Raziya, this is Kakashi. He’s a dear friend of the lux mage - the one I told you about in my letter.”

Too-large eyes turn to him, and Kakashi can’t help but stiffen a hair. This is only the second dragon he’s met, well...personally, and seeing them in human form really isn’t much more comforting. You can still tell something is...off. “Well met, hunter. I look forward to taking wing with you!”

“...wait, wh-?”

“Kumiko.”

Stiffening, Kumiko turns to find another woman. “M...Mother!”

Slightly creased with age and yet doubtlessly beautiful, Yuka’s face turns to her daughter. “Funny...I didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” she offers, eyes flickering briefly to Kakashi. 

“Er...well…”

“Don’t bother with falsehoods, I’ve already noticed Raziya up to something.”

The dragon glances aside, sheepish.

“Is...is Father here?”

Arms fold, billowing sleeves fluttering as Yuka looks over Kumiko. “...no. He’s out on a hunt. But he’s due to return soon. So whatever schemes you’re up to, you’d best carry them out quickly before he stumbles upon you, hm?”

Kumiko hesitates a moment. “...you’ll not tell him I was here?”

“I never saw you. But...I do hope you’ll explain when you’ve a moment, daughter mine.”

“...I will. For now, I’m too pressed for time. But your silence is appreciated - hopefully I’ll see you soon. For now...we have someplace to be, and urgently.”

Icy eyes flicker over Kumiko’s face, Yuka’s own tingeing with worry. “...be careful, dearest. Return to me soon.”

“I will.”

“Glaciris be with you.”

Moving to turn, Kumiko pauses...and then gives a curt nod. “Come, Raziya!”

Without hesitation, the drach makes to follow, and the trio begin jogging down the hall.

“So...mind explaining what just happened?” Kakashi asks, keeping pace.

“I’ve been awaiting your arrival,” Raziya offers. “I have supplies stashed, but there’s little hiding things from lady Yuka. But she is the soul of discretion - she knew better than to pry, or to reveal my dealings to anyone else. Otherwise, she knows not where we go, or why. Only that something grave lies before us.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” the hunter can’t help but mutter.

“We’ll get our packs situated on Raziya’s saddle, and then we can head out.”

That gets him to pause. “...so...we’re going to be going...on foot?”

Kumiko snorts. “You’re joking.”

“Well…”

“We’re going on dragonback, of course! What would take us days even on horses will be a matter of hours, if that, with her help.”

Kakashi’s stomach does a weary flip flop. “I, uh...I’ve never -?”

“It’s really not much different than a horse, I promise.”

“If you fall off a horse, you might bruise your backside. If we fall -?”

“You’ll not fall, sir,” Raziya then offers, grinning toothily at him. “And even if you do, I can catch you!”

“Raziya and I have practiced.”

“...you’re both going to get me killed.”

In a storehouse just outside the manor, Kumiko hauls open a door to reveal the largest set of tack Kakashi has ever seen, including a menagerie of saddlebags that would make his gelding’s knees buckle. He blinks. “...we really need all that?”

“Better to be prepared,” Kumiko offers. “It’s only a few hours to the Gelidans from here, but depending on what we find, we might have to make camp.”

“How, er...big is she, exactly?”

Glancing back to him, Kumiko’s eyes lift over his shoulder before grinning and nodding. “Take a look.”

Brow furrowing, he does just that and nearly leaps out of his skin. Where the woman was standing only a moment ago now rests a dragon the same color as her locks, easily dwarfing the roofline beside her. She’s now a shaggy, furry dragon the likes of which Kakashi has never seen.

Not...that he’s seen many, but the change from Suigin and her sleek scales (the only other dragon he’s had a civilized conversation with) admittedly surprises him.

Amusement glitters in the drach’s eyes, lowering her mighty head to blow warm air at him teasingly. “Forgive me, berech. The chance to startle you was one I could not allow myself to miss.”

“Everyone here is so used to her, a newcomer is an excitement,” Kumiko offers, hauling the largest saddle he’s ever seen to the dragon’s side, who obliges and crouches to better let her put it on. “She’s harmless...unless you bother me.”

“Were that the case, you’d already be smashed between my toes,” Raziya assures him, grinning with pearly teeth.

“...noted,” Kakashi remarks faintly, earning laughter from the pair of them. Once the shock fades, he moves to help arrange their supplies, Kumiko handling the tack until it’s all as she wants it.

“...ready?” the glacial mage then asks, glancing to Kakashi with a far more sober expression.

“...not really, but I suppose I don’t have any choice.”

“Well then...to the Gelidans!”

     Chapter ten! Finally! Good GRACIOUS this took...way longer than it should have. I’ve been so busy and a bit museless (but hey that’s nothing new) BUT I’m hoping to wrap this fic up soon! I THINK there will only be four more chapters, but uh...this and nine were meant to be one chapter, and THIS chapter is the longest one yet, so...y’know. My planning isn’t entirely accurate x’D      ANYWAY, more Kumiko and Kakashi! They’ve made it to Boralis, woo! But now the toughest part of their journey is upon them...they’re so close! Things are about to get very...interesting :3c      No spoilers, but next chapter WILL see the two separate storylines finally converge! Which is gonna be chaotic but uh...we’ll see how it goes, lmao      For now tho, it’s...very late and III need to scurry to bed. Tomorrow we’ll see if I can do more between juggling...literally everything else :’D Thanks, as always, for reading!

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Nine ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Come morning, things aren’t...quite as tense. Rousing slowly, Kumiko finds Kakashi already awake, seated on his side and pulling on his boots.

Seems he’s eager to get back to the road.

...frankly, so is she. He clearly isn’t ready to chat, so having some riding to do in the meantime will be easier than just sitting around.

With the room already paid for, the pair pack up their gear, double checking their saddles and mounting up. Their pace is slow as they make for the front gate. Not unlike its slums, the clearer parts of the war-torn city are crowded, and hold a lingering anxious energy. Apparently there’s still unease given how back-and-forth the territory has been over the years.

Funny...she didn’t notice it as much on the way south to the Summit. Maybe, in at least some ways...he’s right.

There’s much she has yet to learn.

Soon enough hooves clopping against cobblestone are muffled in mud, the roads still sloppy from the night’s rain. Even now, the sky is overcast, and Kumiko can’t help but find it fitting. But the clouds are wispy, carried swiftly by wind and not weighed by unshed rain. Along the surface, the wind is cool, but the height of Summer means even a rainy day can’t be too biting. They’re not quite far north enough for that, yet. Odds are the weather will clear by midday and they’ll have sunlight bearing on their backs.

For the longest time, the only sounds are hoofsteps and the subtle groan of leather saddles, accented by the clink of metal and the occasional equine snort. Normally they’d each find the silence of a trip easing, but...the heavy thoughts and unspoken words seem to weigh on them and snatch the calm, replacing it with a moody tension.

Come nightfall, they’ve made good distance in spite of the soggy terrain, and find a relatively mudless spot a ways off the road. Kakashi finds enough dry wood and tinder to light a fire with a spark of ven, and they sink into yet another silence.

“...do you want me to tell you you were right?”

Mismatched eyes flicker up from watching the flames, instead studying her face. “...it’s never a bad thing to hear,” he replies, tone blithe. “But that’s not my point.”

“Then what is?”

Sighing, Kakashi drags a hand down his face. Now, without temper, he has time to think. To phrase. “...you have a certain degree of naivety that comes with the territory of your birth and your position. I don’t blame you for it,” he offers, seeing her make to cut in and raising a hand to beg silence. “...rather, I was hoping you’d trust someone who - unlike yourself - has spent many years on the road. I know what I’m doing in ways you just can’t. Which isn’t your fault. You’re the only child of a leader, you’re going to be sheltered. Sure, you gallivant around your city, but there’s always a degree of separation, if I had to guess. A guard, a hidden tail...you’ve never been exposed to the world the way I have.

“So when I gave you the warning before we reached the city, I expected you to listen. I know the place, I know the people, I know their nature. I realize you’re optimistic. Driven to do the right thing. Believe me, Ryū’s the same way. I know that type. But you have to temper it with knowledge and clear judgment. The Theran territory has been traded around more than once. The people there are almost more refugees than citizens. They’re poor, they’re crowded, and they’re desperate. The ruse of using a child to bait the kind-hearted is nothing new. But even when I told you no a second time, you insisted. You can’t ignore my insight. 

“True, I have a lot to learn from you about the world you know, where we’re going. But this? Where we are now? This is my expertise. And if the pair of us are going to make it to Boralis alive, let alone what’s beyond it...you have to trust me.”

After a pause, Kumiko releases a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as a sigh. “...you’re right. And I do trust you, Kakashi. Maybe I am a bit naive. Maybe, in a way, Nori was right...I’m not yet fit to bear the mantle I’ve taken on…”

Kakashi doesn’t interrupt her thoughts, watching her silently. 

“...but I’ll try harder. I’ll listen next time. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I needed it.” She gives a wry grin. “Sometimes the only way to change a Glacirian’s mind is to knock some sense into it.”

“Well, here’s hoping there won’t be any more of it - from me, or anyone else. I’d rather you have your wits about you, hm?”

“Yeah.” A pause is filled with the crackle of burning wood. “...so, I guess I still owe you an apology.”

“It’s accepted,” he replies, waving it away like smoke. “All I wanted was for you to realize your mistake, and learn from it. And I’m sure I’ll make my own once we’re further north, so don’t lose hope on getting your turn to lecture me.”

That makes her laugh. “I think political mishaps are a bit less deadly than ones out here, hm?”

“Depends on who I manage to offend,” Kakashi replies dryly, lips quirking. “...but, for now, we better get some rest. Still another few days to the border.”

“Yes...and given our need to take the trade route, we’ll need to start veering east, soon. We’ll also rise in elevation a good bit, so it’ll get cold fast.”

“I’ll consult the map in the morning when my mind’s fresh. Won’t do me much good as I am, now.”

“Understood.”

“So, I’ll take first watch - that way I won’t be groggy come time to navigate.”

Nodding, Kumiko adjusts her bedroll a bit before laying upon her side, watching the shadows dancing on the trees, cast by the campfire behind her. With the disagreement settled, she manages to slip into sleep within minutes.

Once their route is planned come morning, the two of them ride with new vigor in their pace. Even the horses seem to sense a hurdle’s been passed, and three days see them to the border. The warm weather appears to fade behind them, and a cool, muggy atmosphere rises. By the time they reach the beginning of the true north, snow dusts the ground, which admittedly boggles the hunter’s brain a bit, given the Summer nights just a few weeks prior. A small town - relying mostly on the traders stopping before the next leg of their journey - holds an inn the pair hunker down in for the night.

“It’ll be a good two days’ ride, maybe almost three to reach Boralis,” Kumiko reports. Stationed at a window, she holds back the curtains, watching the terrain to the north. A subtle furrow wrinkles her brow. “...that is, if the weather holds up.”

“Seemed pretty clear today,” Kakashi replies, laying out their supplies and making note of what to buy in the morning before they set off. His regular clothes have been packed away, exchanged for the lined ones Suigin gave him before he left.

“True...but the north is fickle. Best to assume the worst while hoping for the best.”

“Well, surely nothing to worry about with Glaciris’ own chosen leading us, hm?” Kakashi replies, rolling up his list and starting to pack up. “Surely you can make us an igloo if need be.”

Kumiko can’t help a dry snort. “Glaciris didn’t choose me,” she murmurs, a hint of bitterness in her tone. “The elders did. Glaciris hasn’t been with us - truly with us - since the Elementals fled after the rift.”

“Well, still...surely the elders of a people like yours knew who they were sending to the Elemental Summit…?” he retorts. “All I’m saying is, I doubt I could be in any better company for this particular leg of the trek.”

Glancing to Kakashi with mild curiosity, Kumiko can’t help a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, like the frost on the window panes. “...that’s quite the compliment.”

“I don’t hand those out freely.” Tying his rucksack closed, Kakashi looks to her mildly. “I haven’t known many ice mages, but you seem worth your salt.”

“...thank you. You’re not too bad yourself, wanderer.”

“We’ll see how I handle the north. Maybe then I can be called a skilled wanderer. This is a new challenge. I might fail, yet.”

“...you can’t,” she replies softly. “You’ve too much to fight for. You, if nothing else, will keep us driving forward.”

“...I’ll do my best.”

As he turns in for the night, Kumiko decides instead to take time to meditate: something most el’ven practice to help balance their energies and ensure a clear mind...and a clear mind means less chance to go awry.

There’s a lingering, funny sensation in her gut...a wariness that seems to prelude something going wrong. There’s no true reason she can give for it - just a gut feeling she can’t shake. Kakashi is right, they’re about as prepared as they can be. And she doesn’t doubt her own abilities. Then why…?

Sighing, she sits atop her bed and does her best to clear her mind, tuning herself to the interior rather than the exterior. Maybe it will help her find the root of this...feeling.

Soon enough, her breathing slackens, evening out as her muscles go lax. The whirling of her mind calms from flurries of snowflakes to a calm field of powder.

...but her foreboding remains.

Ever so slightly, her brow draws, a small wind kicking up snow. Something is coming...she knows it in her very bones. Worry begins to build again. What if she isn’t ready? What if she isn’t enough? What if -?

Like a thick blanket, something seems to settle over her. A calm, but...it’s not her own. Yet it smothers her feelings of doubt. It isn’t words, or images, just...a presence. Like an old friend assuring her she’ll be all right. A feeling of nostalgia overcomes her, and yet...nothing about this is consciously familiar.

Part of her is wary. This feeling - this resolution - isn’t her own. Then where is it coming from…? An older, wiser part of herself she’s not yet met? Or is it truly something beyond herself? But...that’s impossible. The only beings that can connect minds to minds are drach, and she doubts there’s any nearby. And this presence, this...being isn’t crisp and sharp like her connection to Raziya. As close as they are now compared to, say, the Luxerian capital of Salustia, she still could never connect to her kirav with this many miles yet between them. But this hazy, vague impression does indeed feel far and away. Like something reaching across a great distance to touch her.

Slowly, icy eyes open to find herself released from her mind and instead looking back at the room in the inn. The calm from before still lingers, along with knowledge. There’s a challenge they’ve yet to face, but...when it comes, they’ll be ready.

She’ll be ready.

...or so she hopes.

For once, she’s the first one awake, snatching Kakashi’s list and heading out herself. Cloaked and hood drawn, her breath plumes in freezing clouds, exchanging coin for everything he’s made note of. It should be enough - combined with what they have - to see them comfortably to Boralis.

...if all goes well.

Pack full, she returns to their room and finds him awake. Wordlessly, they sort out supplies between them to equal their load.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Horses fetched, they give their gear one last check before mounting up and stepping onto the well-worn road of the trade route.

The immediate terrain is mostly flat, broken by a few swells of small hills, banks, and valleys. Though typically free of snow this time of year to reveal a grassy plain, a dusting of white makes it look even more two-dimensional. Few rocks or trees break up the monotony. Pockets of water occasionally dot the tundra landscape, and in the distance they can see the smudges of the Gelidan mountains.

Kumiko can’t help but feel two emotions: a relief at being so near home again...and yet the lingering foreboding of what’s waiting for them out here. Weather, beasts, bandits...it could be anything.

But for now, the road is only dusted with snow, and the sky is a clear, crisp blue. The air at this elevation is starkly chilled, but with their heavier garments neither of them really feel it.

“So, what sort of animals call this part of the continent home?” Kakashi asks to try and break up the silence.

“Well...there’s quite a few smaller ones,” she offers, glad for the distraction. “Mostly rodents like rabbits, mice, voles...and then the things that hunt them. Birds of prey, foxes, weasels. A few bigger creatures like elk and caribou are prey for things like bears and wolves, but they tend to stick more west where there’s tree cover during the rougher seasons. The plains are more their Summer homes, so...we might see some, but it seems things are getting chilly early this year.” Autumn is still, officially, a few weeks away...but the north is often unpredictable. “We’ll hit more forested land before we reach Boralis - this plain will see us for the first day, day and a half. Then we’ll get into the foothills where the capital sits, and there will be more trees and shrubland. The places we’ll have to worry most about are the mountains, but...well, I have a plan, there.”

Kakashi deadpans. “Well...reaching the capital will be nice. I’m not a fan of open spaces, myself...feels too exposed.”

“I know what you mean,” Kumiko agrees dryly. “The sooner we get to a more covered landscape, the safer I’ll feel. The winds can get wicked out here, and there’s few to no places to take shelter.”

The morning passes slowly, Kakashi occasionally needling Kumiko for more information about her homeland. It’s...nice. In all reality, it’s been so long since she’s talked to an outsider. Someone unfamiliar with the northern country. To be able to give the information freely to a mind that doesn’t yet know it gives her a new kind of vigor. Hours tick by unnoticed as she waxes on about Glaciris’ lands.

...but the afternoon brings her pleasant mood swiftly down.

Slow at first but building quickly, a northern wind begins pushing them from the front. Its breath is icy and bitter, and the pair snuggle down as best they can into their lined gear. 

“Twelve,” Kakashi can’t help but swear under his breath, which plumes but swiftly scatters. “Where’d this squall come from?!”

“I told you the north is fickle!” Kumiko replies, having to shout over the wind. “Keep an eye out for a bank or a dip we can lay low in!”

With their horses keeping their heads bowed to the cutting air, they attempt to press on. Soon, flakes begin to flurry. The fresh snow clings to anything and everything. Even Kakashi’s eyebrows freeze over as the powder hits his skin, melt against the heat, and swiftly refreezes in the wind.

On they march, and Kumiko’s chest begins to hammer in desperation. Still no sign of a place to hunker down...damn these plains and their shapeless expanses! If they were one of the caravans, they’d have wagons to hide in and circle to protect their mounts...but here?

They’re alone, exposed, and running out of time.

Arm braced in front of her face and squinting through the weather, Kumiko barely hears a faint thud behind her. Kakashi’s gelding gives a distressed whinny, and with a turn she sees why.

Having slipped from his saddle, Kakashi lays in the road, motionless save for the wind whipping his clothing.

Heart leaping to her throat, Kumiko hurriedly dismounts, managing to catch both horses’ reins and pull them in together. “Kakashi!”

A hint of a groan carries through the wind.

Struggling against panic, Kumiko glances around. She can’t sense any other presence within her range. No one else is currently braving the storm, or at least anywhere near them. With some nervous urging, she manages to get the horses to lay down side by side, helping to create a small buffer. Then with a surge of ven, she brings up a curving wall of ice behind them, careful not to spook them. It cuts down some of the wind, but the killer chill remains. And she can’t hold its form forever - eventually, she’ll tire...especially as the wind eats at the ice.

Drawing Kakashi up with her to lean against her mount, Kumiko narrows her senses. His energy is dwindling to frightening levels, quickly being sapped in an attempt to stay warm. Even Obito’s gifted fire, usually resilient in el’ven bodies against cold, isn’t enough to waylay the frost. Its influence in a foreign body is too weak.

On the edge of dread, Kumiko draws him close, holding him to her chest and staring out into the storm beyond the curve of her ice. Even she, adjusted as she is to the north, can feel the bite of the cold locking up her body.

...this can’t be the end. It can’t...it can’t…! Teeth grit as if she can simply be stubborn enough to fend off the cold. They’ve come so far - together, and alone. Surely their paths go on from here. Kakashi has to save the lux mage...and she has to save her people. There’s so much she wants to do, yet. So much to accomplish...she can’t…

Hiding her face in the crook of Kakashi’s neck, she can feel his signature fading. He has a few minutes left, at best. And she won’t be far behind at this rate.

No...I can’t let us…

“Hold steady…”

Eyes snap open, unmoving. What...what was…?

“This is not your end, mor. You’ve a role yet to play. Open your heart to me...and I will grant you my strength.”

Barely daring to breathe, Kumiko hesitates. She doesn’t know this voice, and yet...it seems so...familiar…

It doesn’t take words, or actions. She just...lets go.

Like water welling up through a spring, ven suddenly floods her body. With nowhere to go...it explodes.

Akin to a cyclone, the energy swirls and whips outward. Snowflakes are batted aside, the winds left to part around the rotating vortex of ven like water past a clogging stone. Slowly, a dome builds around them of still air, a spinning mass of white shielding the pair from the squall.

The temperature stabilizes. Though still cool, it loses its bite. Eyelids twitching, Kakashi feels his energy slowly, sluggishly, return. As mismatched eyes manage to open, he stares dazedly at the strange wall of white. Is that...snow...? Did Kumiko…?

Realizing her hold on him, he stiffly turns his head to look at her. Surely something like this is taxing...how…?

He goes slack.

Posture upright, the glacial mage is unnaturally still. All that moves are the locks of her hair, slowly wafting in the whisper of wind left in her eye of the storm. Her own are wide, staring, unseeing...and glowing with an ice-blue energy that seems to overflow from within.

Kakashi can do little more than ogle. He’s never seen anything like this. Even when pushed to their brinks, he’s never witnessed a mage’s eyes do that. The energy is so palpable, he can feel it tingling along his skin like electricity, making every hair stand on end.

Where is this power coming from…?!

Uncounted minutes pass in the strange, muffled half-silence. Kumiko never moves. Never blinks. Just sits like an idol at the center of the clearing as the winds roar, muted, beyond her sphere of influence.

And then...after what feels like both hours, and yet seconds...something seems to shift. The sounds begin to quiet. The air slows. Like a spinning wind losing its energy, Kumiko’s ring of protection starts to unravel, revealing a spiraled drift meters out from them. The storm, it seems, has passed.

Still exhausted, Kakashi brings his eyes back to Kumiko. Her own lose their glow, and flutter in their sockets before rolling back into her head. Collapsing back against her mount, she loses consciousness.

“Kumiko...Kumiko…!” An arm unbending with both cold and stillness tries to jostle her. “Wake up…!” It’s so hard to keep his eyes open…

Behind him, just as the world goes dark, he hears a rhythmic clatter...and then silence.

     :’D Howdy y’all, long time no see! It’s been...WAY longer than I intended between this update and the last, and the only excuses I have are no time, no muse, and no mojo. My bad...? .w.;      Technically this chapter was SUPPOSED to have a whole other scene, but uh...it’s long enough as it is, so I s’pose I’ll have to save the rest for another one, eh heh. So now we’re up to 14 total outlined chapters from 13. I HAVE the rest...mostly plotted out. Just need to sit and DO IT. And I thought I’d best post as I finish or we’ll be waiting a while, whoops.      But uhhh yeah! Seems our first disagreement has been resolved! I hope I don’t write Kumiko as too...much...? Like her naivety and optimism. But I kinda see her that way: having so much high hope that’s gonna be MAJORLY tested during this whole trek as it hasn’t been able to be tested before. Then we have hardass Kakashi who’s the polar opposite, so...this is basically just them evening each other out xD      And my my, what happened to her there at the end, huh? Who’s that voice? I guess we’ll just have to wait and find ooout :3c With that tho, I’m gonna go sleep actually, haha~ Thanks for reading!

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Three ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Suigin, Nohara Rin ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

As Kumiko and Kakashi make to move, Suigin announces, “I must assume a mor guise to better blend with the others.” A pause, and then, “Perhaps, for now...it is best you carry on alone. I may do something rash when confronted with such a traitor.”

Deadpanning, Kakashi agrees, “...likely for the best.”

He and his companion then retreat back inside, heading out from the hall and toward stairs that descend into the belly of the castle.

“I’ll admit, it still surprises me that Luxeria’s capital has dungeons in the first place,” he observes as they go. “But I suppose even healers and protectors have to deal with the criminal…”

“Ill intentions are everywhere,” Kumiko agrees heavily.

Upon arriving to the dungeon proper, Rin has already strung up the betrayer, solid casings of stone pinning his wrists, ankles, and midriff to the wall. By now, he’s awakened, hanging slack from his shackles. She leans nearby, watching him with narrowed eyes. “I take it you calmed the beast?” she then asks, giving the pair a glance.

“For now. We convinced her to remain here, and keep things in order,” Kakashi replies. “Someone has to represent Luxeria...and make sure everyone else behaves themselves. For the moment, at least, she’s not tearing the castle down.”

“Good.” Rin then gives a jerk of her head to their captive. “All he’s done thus far is keep spewing the same cult-like nonsense. Seems he’s just about taken leave of his senses. Not sure we’ll get much more out of him.”

“What is that nonsense?” Kakashi asks again. “I still feel like I’m missing something here.”

Sighing, Rin abandons her perch against the wall, and instead takes a seat at a nearby table and chairs, one leg rested atop her other knee. “...for about as long as there have been el’ven, there have been those convinced of the existence of a thirteenth Elemental. They called them Aequilibria, the Elemental of balance, equilibrium. Of course...no such being existed. Since the beginning, the true union of lux and tenebris has been forbidden, taboo. That didn’t stop believers, however...and they soon radicalized into two main factions.”

Rin holds aloft a finger. “The first believes that the thirteenth will bring about the reverse of the First Breath: the creation of the universe. If Aequilibria were to be created, everything would reverse and become nothing once again. They think this is the only way to stop violence, chaos, and suffering.”

A second finger. “The other believes that Aequilibria is the key to true balance. That the separation of light and dark is actually what allows chaos and conflict to exist. With the thirteenth, they are convinced the elements would finally settle into a perfect harmony, and all will be forever right in the world.

“You can guess which of the two groups is more destructive. Within the el’ven world, such talk is strictly prohibited, and is considered an act of heresy. Thus, most believers hide their devotion to the thirteenth, and worship of them is done in secret.

“For now, there’s no way to know if it’s even possible to create such a being...or what the creation of them would accomplish. People have tried all throughout history, but...no success has ever been recorded or remembered.”

“...so that’s what the traitor wants to do? Bring a union of lux and tenebris? To…?” Kakashi can’t bring himself to say it aloud.

“From what this Nori fellow keeps rambling about, it seems that way. Given what I’ve gathered, he’s part of the more peaceful group: that which believes the thirteenth is the path to peace. Some kind of...messiah. But other than that, I can’t get anything out of him.”

“Not even a location?”

“No...just the same phrases over and over before just...going silent.” Sable eyes shift to Kumiko. “...maybe she should give it a try. I’ll assume you didn’t know he was part of this group…?”

“No,” Kumiko murmurs, expression unreadable. “He never betrayed such thoughts.”

“I would imagine not. As I said, it’s a repressed subject. But at least he seems part of those who want peace...rather than destruction.”

“But that doesn’t guarantee the others’ intentions,” Kakashi notes dryly.

“...true.”

Stepping past them, Kumiko approaches her guard. As she gets near, his head lifts, beholding her with a blank, calm expression.

“...why did you do this, Nori?” she demands, tone soft and yet unyielding.

“Surely you know, my lady...surely you know, it was all for you.”

“...for me…?” An edge laces her tone. “...don’t patronize me!” Kumiko demands, a heeled foot driving against the stone of the dungeon floor. “Tell me the truth!”

“I would never -”

“Don’t,” Kumiko warns, venom in her tone as her heartache bleeds through into anger. “Do you realize what you’ve done…? Aided in the kidnapping of what may very well be the last true disciple of Luxeria! Delivered her into the hands of someone who wants to use and abuse her! You may very well have doomed the balance forever! And for what?!”

“My lady, please...a moment to explain…?”

Icy eyes narrow, lit with the fire of rage. “...speak.”

“I did what I must to bring about peace eternal...peace you have wished and worked for…!” When he’s not interrupted, Nori goes on. “For so long, our people have remained as cold as the ice we call home. They refuse to warm to their neighbors, the rest of the elements. Since you were young, I know you have dreamed of changing our people. Of guiding them to a more open, welcoming future. And these past years, you have grown into a diplomat worthy of such a goal. You strive ever forward with intent to better the world around you, and care for your people.

“But you are drowning, Kumiko...the tide you fight will never cease. Our ways have remained frozen for so long, I fear they may never truly thaw. And that fear, that knowledge that you may fail in this quest...it broke my heart. So I began to seek other answers, other avenues...and it was then I found the solution. Aequilibria will be our light…! Will be the key to true peace! All of your efforts will no longer be in vain, my lady! All we need to do is be patient...and allow the seed to take root. Then...it will bloom into the flower of eternal peace. Just as you’ve always wanted…! No longer will you toil against the odds. Your burdens will be lifted!”

Despite her hardened expression, Kumiko’s lip quivers, tears brimming along her lids. “...I never feared that burden, Nori. I never wanted to shy from it. I do not seek a mystical answer for my people or their problems. Are you truly so lacking in faith in me…? Do you believe me so inept? So unworthy?! I have entrusted you with my life, my deepest secrets...and you betray me for an ideal that may yet bring an end to all we know? You have taught me, molded me...but now I see you for what you are: a coward. You shy from the work we must do to make this world right ourselves. I will never concede. But this betrayal...it wounds me…!”

She stares at him, daring in her eyes. “...how much of all we’ve faced together...was a lie…?!”

“My lady, no! I -!”

“When word reached us of a light mage - when we discovered that Luxeria’s disciples still clung to life - I finally felt hope, true hope! For change, for balance, for a way forward! I knew she would lead us to a united future...to a new elemental balance! End the fear mongering of the elves, stop this cold war, allow our people to be free…!” That hope is tangible in her form...but then wilts.

“...and now...now that hope has been dashed. All because of this twice-blessed you praise like a god. You did this...you gave her away, and for what…?”

Expression crumbling, Nori’s head bows, unable to hold her gaze for shame.

She watches him, her own unreadable. “...but beyond all that...you have betrayed me, Nori. You have fractured my trust. The one person I have always felt able to turn to...has betrayed us all.”

“...please...lady Kumiko...f-forgive me.”

“...forgiveness comes only with time, and with action.” Taking a knee, she lifts his chin, stare unyielding. “...and you can begin by telling me everything you know of this Tenebreon mage. Give me the tools to make this right, Nori. And you may yet, in time, be forgiven.”

For a long, tense moment...he remains silent. But then, just as she moves to speak again, Nori murmurs, “...the Gelidan mountains. Northeast of Boralis. A system of caves within the peaks. That...is where they have gone.”

Kumiko’s jaw sets. “...the perfect hiding place. It’s far too dangerous for most to traverse, even the disciples of Glaciris...no one would ever stumble upon them there. Now…” Standing, Kumiko turns to her companions. “...all we must do...is retrieve her.”

“You said it yourself...traversing such terrain won’t be easy,” Rin murmurs. She glances to Kakashi. “...do you think you can make it…?”

“I have to,” he offers simply. In all honesty...something about Nori’s speech begets a nostalgia from him. Before his death, Obito used to have such dreams: of true freedom for the el’ven, of making a unified, peaceful world. He has to wonder if - were Obito alive today - he would have placed such stock in beliefs like this.

But the thought is swallowed down - no time for it now.

“We must be cautious,” Kumiko offers. “There may yet be other hideaways this rogue has crafted. With portals that cut across space...he could flee anywhere. You’ll have to maintain the element of surprise.”

“Don’t suppose there’s an Elemental I can pray to for that, eh?” Kakashi deadpans.

“I’m afraid not,” Rin replies wryly.

“Well...I’ll figure something out. If I can battle beasts, I can battle the elements,” he insists...if only to try to convince himself.

“Are you sure you don’t want someone to go with you?” Kumiko asks, brows knit with worry.

“I don’t want to risk anyone else,” Kakashi replies firmly. “And that way I can make my own pace. I’d hate to run anyone else ragged. I lived for years on the road, made my way through many lands...I’ll manage.”

“What if this traitor has other mages with him? You can’t fight them alone!” Rin counters.

“You both need to stay here and help keep order.” The hunter gives them both a glance. “Rin and I both know well enough, Ryū would insist we do all we can to keep the Summit from crumbling...it’s her ultimate goal. Right now, you both have ties here. And mine are to her and keeping her safe. If there’s more than one of these bastards...well, I’ll just have to do what I can.”

“...be careful,” Rin offers softly.

“Careful is my middle name.”

Watching the exchange quietly, unknown thoughts clearly run through Kumiko’s head. Even now, her land’s ties to this disaster weigh on her. Her own guard was part of the plot...and if she hadn’t held Kakashi back, maybe he could have made it in time. Maybe he could have…

No. She won’t let this stand. Making up her mind, she straightens, keeping her thoughts her own.

“Well...I should get going,” Kakashi them murmurs. “I need to pack some supplies, and you two should get back to your parties. I expect Suigin’s going to keep everyone in the guests’ quarters until we make some headway.”

“Probably for the better...I expect she’ll try to keep things moving as smoothly as we can,” Rin agrees. “Even if Ryū’s not here...she’d want things to progress. We can still begin talks with Suigin present. She knows Luxeria’s agenda and beliefs better than anyone.”

“Exactly. I’ll let you know when I’m off, but...until then, best we keep things calm and organized.”

With that, Nori is moved to a proper cell, and the trio ascend the stairs - the ladies head back to the ballroom, and Kakashi toward the storerooms. He’ll need food, some water...and anything else he can scrounge up.

“Berech!”

Startling, he turns and gives a blink of surprise. A white-haired woman - strikingly similar to Ryū, but with notable differences - stands in the mouth of the hallway. For a moment he’s blank-minded, but then it clicks: that haughty gaze is unmistakable, even on a now-human face. “...Suigin?”

“You are correct. Forgive my intrusion...it took time to shift my form, and then find appropriate garments.”

Doing his best not to think of the drach-now-mor bare, Kakashi gives a light shake of his head. “I...er, good.”

“Come - I will lead you to the supplies you will need. After the coup and subsequent rift, Luxeria themself erected a barrier over the castle...all of its original supplies have remained untouched by time or mortal hands. And anything among them you need, you may take. First, we shall go to the armory.”

...that earns a pause. “There’s...an armory?”

Rather than answer, Suigin leads him to a large room, giving life to lights along the ceiling. “Though Luxeria’s ways are of health and healing...at times, one must take life to protect it. I realize that you are likely too familiar with the weight and balance of your own blade to consider another...nor is heavy armor suited for one of your...style. But there may be some pieces here you can find useful. And given your northern trek, I advise you take some of the lined garments to protect against the cold. Boots and woolen socks, too. You must prepare yourself adequately.”

Only half-listening in the wake of his awe, Kakashi stares. Rows upon rows of armor and weapons gleam in the ven-fed light: a blinding pallet of white and gold, the Elemental’s sigil bold along every chestplate. Enough to garb an army in defense of the kingdom of light. Swords of every make, daggers, bows and quivers of arrows...hammers, axes, staffs...any class of weapon he’s ever seen can be found here.

Suigin, seeing his expression, gives a hint of a coy smile. “...there is also armor for your steed, but I imagine you prefer speed to protection.”

“...aye,” he breathes in reply, still staring.

“Once you have any equipment you desire, we shall head to the kitchens. Most rations brought for the Summit are the types to quickly spoil, but we retain those meant for long travels that resist the bite of time. Otherwise, you will have to find and keep your own stock.”

“That’s fine. I hunt well enough, and water is easy to find if you know where to look. The roads were my home for years before I came here,” he assures her, awe beginning to wane.

Watching him test the balance of a dagger, Suigin offers, “Anything you desire that will aid in your quest to bring Ryū home is yours without question. Any thought of debt will be repaid upon her return.”

In the end, Kakashi settles on the dagger, new vambraces, and lined clothing for when he reaches the north. Once they visit the kitchens and supply his food pouch, he packs the rest into his steed’s saddlebags.

Rin and Kumiko are fetched to see him off alongside the drach, watching as he slips into a stirrup and mounts.

“...guess there’s nothing left but to leave,” he murmurs.

“Is it really prudent to start at this hour?” Rin asks. “It’s nearly midnight, and you could get a few hours’ rest before sunup!”

“I’ve slept in the saddle before - I’ll manage,” he assures her. “I can budget my time.”

Relenting, Rin steps aside and instead lets Suigin take her place. Beckoning, she plants a palm to his bowed brow. “Luxeria’s blessing be upon you, berech. May you find time, protection, and health on your side. May your journey be swift, and your victories clean.” Silver eyes seem to glow in the moonlight. “...bring her home.”

The subtle hum of ven seems to charge through every nerve, and Kakashi knows those were far from empty words. Nodding gravely, he flicks his reins and urges his mount into a brisk trot. Soon, the castle grounds begin to fade behind him, the road clear in the full moon’s light.

Mismatched eyes stare out at the northern horizon, steely with determination. Hold on, Ryū...I’ll be there soon.

Left behind, Rin heaves a sigh. “...I’m going to go start ushering the parties to their quarters...tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

“I will help you,” Suigin offers. “I only wish to remain a moment longer.”

Lifting a hand in acknowledgement, the terra mage retreats to the castle.

“...if you are to follow, you’d best act quickly.”

Startling, Kumiko breaks her stare after Kakashi with a wary glance. “...I beg your pardon?”

Silver eyes spark keenly. “Your thoughts are so loud, it’s a wonder the other mor cannot hear you. Your heart is easy to read, overflowing with troubles as it is. I see your guilt...and I understand your drive. And...in all honesty…” Suigin glances out to the road. “...I believe it is for the best. He will need guidance, and who better than you who call the north home? Besides...we know little of this threat. Another body - especially one imbued with ven - can only aid him. His concern for swiftness is noted...but must be cautioned with bolstered numbers and strength. Go. Denote one you trust to your place, and follow. He will not get far this night...and it is clear what path he will take. It will not be long until you find him.”

Clearly taken aback at the permission - urging, even - to leave, Kumiko hesitates...and then nods curtly. “...very well. Thank you, my lady.”

A hand waves. “Titles are for the mor and their pride. I’ve little need of them. Be swift, disciple of Glaciris.”

Striding back into the castle, Kumiko finds her party on their way to the guest halls. Matching pace, she mimics their behavior before pulling one aside. “Megumi...I must speak to you. Privately, and at once.”

Brightening, the younger elf follows into the empty corridor. “Yes my lady? What can I do for you?”

“Urgent business calls me back to the north. I need you to take my place as Glaciris’ eyes and ears.”

Expression slackening in shock, she pales. “B...but my lady, I -?”

Smiling warmly, Kumiko holds her shoulders firmly. “There are none better than you to take my mantle. You know best my thoughts and feelings regarding our homeland. You will serve them well.”

“But, Nori...surely he is -?”

“No,” Kumiko cuts in, and her underling stiffens at her tone. “...I will explain, but swiftly. Nori...has betrayed us all. The lux mage’s advisor was right...it was he who plotted against her. And now, I must help Kakashi bring her back. There’s far more to this tale, but I’ve not the time. Just...please, Megumi. I’m trusting you. Tell no one why I’ve gone...only that I must return home. The lux mage’s safety is of the utmost importance. She’s necessary to make all our hopes a reality. Do you understand…?”

Head clearly spinning, the young woman gives a slow nod. “...I understand. I’ll...I’ll do my best, lady Kumiko! You can count on me!”

“That’s my girl. If you’ve any questions, ask the stand-in lux mage, Suigin. She will help you.”

“There’s another…?”

“...more tales I’ve no time for, I’m afraid. You’ll soon understand. Wish me luck.”

Nodding more surely, Megumi returns to her party’s quarters, the representative herself having her own. Swiftly, she changes from her ballgown to a shirt and trousers, buckling on light armor and strapping her sword to her hip. Supplies thrown as quickly and carefully as she can manage into her packs, she dons a traveling cloak before making her way down to the stables for the guests’ mounts. There her white stallion nickers quietly in greeting.

“I’ve no time to chat,” she assures him with a smile, quickly saddling and packing her steed. “I fear the fate of our very world may be in our hands! Carry me swiftly!” Swinging up into the seat, she urges him out onto the path and toward the road.

It’s going to be a long night for them all.

     Woo, another chapter! Kakashi’s headin’ out...and he’s got someone on his tail...! A bit of a change here with Suigin talking with Kumiko before she leaves. I dunno, I thought it a neat lil exchange to kinda set a tone between them. Rin also gave a bit more background on lore stuffs cuz...reasons, lol

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Six ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko ] [ Blood, gore, animal death ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

After a night of fitful rest, Kakashi rises with the sun - even after a few months off from his life on the road, old habits die hard. With the same efficiency and care, he repacks his few removed belongings into his saddlebags, ready to haul them down from the inn room to the stable beyond. Today, it seems, his real journey begins. With Kumiko now joining him, and the first landmark left behind...the rest seems to loom before him, the trail she traced upon the map fresh in his mind.

Once Kumiko rises and does the same, they take their leave, thanks given to the innkeep as they cross to the stalls. Drawing up the cinch on his gelding, Kakashi can’t help a perked brow at his companion’s mount. “Quite the beast you’ve got,” he notes.

Glancing over, Kumiko gives a soft snort. “He’s rather fancy, isn’t he? It comes with the rank...and he’s the horse I’ve come to trust most. He bore me down here...so I’m sure he can make the return trip, and then some. The horses from the north are just as tough as everything else born above the snow lines.”

“I don’t doubt it. He’s a magnificent animal.”

“Thank you.” Kumiko nods to his own. “Something tells me you’ve quite the bond with yours as well.”

“Aye. I’d probably keel over if someone could tell me the miles we’ve covered together.” He gives the gelding a pat on the neck. “There’s few places he hasn’t taken me across the continent. He’s even helped with a few contracts.”

“Oh really?”

“Let’s just say he’s a lot less skittish than most equines you’d meet.”

Small talk over, the pair mount up, carefully navigating through the streets as not to trample anyone. Already the main roads are bustling, and it takes longer than Kakashi expected to finally make it back out onto the open road.

“So,” Kumiko then begins, reins held loosely in one hand. “Seeing as we’re to spend at least a few weeks together, is there anything I should know about the infamous vom berech?”

“...before I answer that, mind telling me what that means?” Berech he’s heard before, and he...vaguely knows the term’s meaning. “Suigin called me the same.”

“It’s, well…” A pause to think how to explain. “Berech is a bit of a catch-all term for those who are both el’tahl, and el’ven. Typically it’s attributed to halfbloods or quarterbloods, but the more literal translation from old tongue is ‘between’. Not much of the first language remains - when the lands were divided and cultures began to branch out, it was lost and splintered. Then Common was made of a mish-mash of many languages. But you can still find bits and pieces.”

“And the ‘vom’? What’s that mean?”

“It, er…” A hesitation. “It sort of means…‘something created from nothing’…? Or perhaps ‘created’ is enough. I think Suigin was referring to the fact that your ven comes from something originally outside your body.”

“Ah...that makes sense.” Kakashi heaves a small sigh. “...well, I suppose that ties into your question, so maybe I’ll loop back around to it, eh?”

“I don’t mean to pry - don’t think I’ll wrestle from you what you won’t want to tell.”

At that, he gives a dry smile. “Even if you tried, I’d doubt you’d succeed,” he assures her. Still, he lapses into silence, thinking where to begin. “...I was born in a large city in the old Igni lands. Both of my parents, to my knowledge, were simple el’tahl folks. My mother died when I was very young - I remember little of her. And my father was part of the city guard. He raised me for a few years, but took his own life after an incident that brought shame to the family.”

Kumiko’s eyes widen. “...I’m sorry.”

“...it was a long time ago. From there, I was taken into the barracks early and started training to follow his career. When I was young, I made a few el’ven friends. Rin was one, and...Obito was the other. The one who gave me this,” he adds, gesturing to his vermillion eye. “Rin’s family is mostly terra mages, but she branched out into flora, and worked in an apothecary shop raising plants and making medicines. Obito was berech igni, an orphan from a large clan that was like the ruling class of the city. The three of us were always running around, sticking our noses into trouble. And then, of course...there was the time it finally went wrong.

“We were outside the city a ways, looking for new specimens of plant for Rin to start cultivating, and then there was a ruckus nearby. Rin insisted we go look, and we found a group of mage hunters attacking a lux mage. Rin know what she was in a moment, and insisted we help. Where Rin went, Obito followed, so...we joined the fray. It was a fairly even struggle, but I got clipped in the eye by a blade. Things started going downhill, and then suddenly...they all vanished. Rin later theorized the mage used the rest of her strength to send them through time portals. But...she’d acted a little too late.”

Pain shadows Kakashi’s face, and Kumiko glances aside. “...Obito had been run through just as they disappeared. And with so little ven left, the lux mage couldn’t save him. So instead...she asked if he’d give me an eye to replace the one I’d lost. Obito agreed, and she managed to perform the transplant before she…” A fade to silence. “...Obito passed not long after. We buried her, having no idea what funeral rites lux mages’ culture entails. But we knew Obito’s clan would want him back.

“Before she died, the mage told us to take a ‘treasure’ she had hidden in the hollowed tree at the edge of the clearing. And that treasure...turned out to be Ryū.”

“What?! So...that woman was…?”

“Her mother. Rin and I took her with us...Rin reported Obito’s death to the igni mages, and they went to fetch him, cremate him as is their way. But I was afraid to stay in the city. I thought they’d see my eye, and assume I’d killed Obito to take it. After all...there were no hunter bodies - they’d all disappeared. All that was left was his corpse, and the signs of a struggle. And Rin had concerns about the igni clan getting their hands on Ryū. So...we fled. For a while we stuck to the road, and it was while traveling we found out Obito’s eye changed me enough to let me use some igni ven. It scared me, at first...so when Rin found a little village to hide Ryū in, I decided to leave. I didn’t want to bring them trouble, or hurt them on accident before I trained how to use my new power. Instead, I started doing contracts. Mostly killing pests...which led to beasts. I was making a decent living, and then...a few months ago, Rin found me and told me all Ryū was up to, trying to remake the Summit. So I came back, let her wrangle me into being her advisor, and...now, here we are. And here she’s not…”

“...we’re going to get her back,” Kumiko affirms, tone sure. “...I guess now I know why you were so distraught. She means more to you than I realized, like family...I’m sorry if I came across as aloof to that fact.”

Kakashi waves a hand. “No harm done.” A pause, and then a glance. “...so? What about you, lady Kumiko?”

Snorting at the title, Kumiko thinks for a moment. “I was born an only child to the main family within my clan: Tamotsu and Yuka Kottakawa. As ours is the strongest, we were chosen to act as leaders within the realm of Glaciris. That mantle fell to my father from his, and to me when the time came. But, while he has trained and groomed me to be his successor...he and I have vastly different ideals for our lands, and our people.”

There’s a light sigh. “...my father agrees with the old ways. Of being cold, and cut off from the rest of the continent. His pride holds us to a different standard, and insists we tend to our own affairs, and our affairs only. While he is content to rule at a distance...I cannot keep myself so far from my people.” A warm smile blooms across her face. “More than once, I snuck from the manor and wandered the city. I wanted to see the people and places I would come to lead. And that was...when…”

Kumiko’s features darken. “...when Nori was assigned to me. When my father realized there was no holding me back, he instead insisted I be protected when I went. But I would not stand for that. Instead, I had Nori train me how to fight...how to survive. While I had been trained in the beginnings of channeling ven, I wanted to know how to wield a blade. What if my element was taken from me? I had to have another skill to rely on. All of that, as I walked the streets of my city, made me realize...I would never be as my father is. As he wants me to be. He holds himself far and away from our people, but that is not a road I can take. I want to warm them to me, as I seek to warm them to the world. I want to inspire unity both within our lands, and beyond them. El’tahl and el’ven alike...I want them to trust me. To have faith in me. When they began approaching me on our walks, I knew it was my destiny.

“So, I doubled down on my studies. Threw myself into learning all I would need to know, and becoming embroiled in the politics of the north. And it was that dedication that saw me chosen as the representative of Glaciris for the new Summit.”

Kakashi watches as Kumiko smiles to herself - it’s more than clear her words are fully backed by actions and intentions. “...my people have much to learn, and far to go...but I will not give up on them. I will lead them to a brighter future.”

The hunter gives a curl of his own lips, chuckling. “It’s quite the sight to imagine, you learning your swordplay and butting heads with your father. True, a leader cannot be everywhere, cannot know everyone...but I think I prefer your method to his.” A thoughtful pause. “...I’ve never known anyone from the north well, so I’ve no judgment to make. But if your actions are half so strong as your words, I’ll wager you meet your goals.”

“I hope so, Kakashi.”

From there, their journey fades into a companionable silence broken by random quips. But with so many miles and hours to go, most pass with little interruption. The plains of the heartland soon overrun with trees, and the path lines with dense forest, shaded as the afternoon ages. For a time, the ride is pleasant...but the pair’s keen senses soon realize something is...amiss.

It’s quiet.

Too quiet.

Glancing to one another in a silent bid to be on guard, they both startle as a ruckus sounds a ways down the road. Both horses jolt, dancing in the dirt as their riders work to soothe them.

“Easy,” Kakashi murmurs, calming the gelding to a snorting standstill. Something sounded like...snapping wood? Almost as if a tree had fallen, but...there’s no wind. Nor any wagon tracks to suggest someone out to fell them.

“What do you suppose that was?” Kumiko asks quietly, reassuring her stallion as he huffs a breath.

“I can’t say for sure...but it stinks of trouble,” he replies, brow furrowing. “For now, I think it’s best we get off the road. Circle around to the other side and keep our eyes peeled.”

“Agreed.”

Dismounting, they instead lead their hoses to the left, abandoning the path and carefully stalking through the trees. The tall trunks and broad canopies mean little light for undergrowth. Nice in that it makes it easier to see...but also to be seen.

A few minutes of silence eventually give way to growing noise. Another silent agreement, the pair tethering their horses in a thicket before creeping onward alone. Peering around a turn in the road from behind a fallen log, they both tense at what they see.

A wagon, goods splayed all over the road, is completely overturned. Nearby, an ox lies dead, neck clearly broken. The other is still tethered to the cart...and atop it, tearing into flesh with a wicked beak...is a gryphon.

“Twelve above,” Kumiko whispers.

“Guess that explains the noise we heard…what in the hells is it doing so close to town…?”

“...wait…” Patting Kakashi’s arm, she points. “...look!”

Cowering under the splintered wreckage of his cart, the driver is somehow still alive, currently unnoticed as the beast occupies itself with his livestock.

“...well I’ll be damned.”

“We have to do something!”

Sighing curtly, Kakashi nods. “...all right...can you create an ice wall?”

“A small one, probably. There should be enough moisture for me to draw from.”

“Good...when I give the signal, make a wall between the gryph and the cart. Use that to get him out of there, and back here into the trees. With those wings and that bulk, the gryphon won’t want to follow. I’ll be a distraction.”

“Will you kill it?”

Kakashi considers the wreckage. “...the cart’s not worth saving, and the oxen will spoil before they can be used. I doubt much of his merchandise is whole, either. I could just leave it to finish up the mess, but…” He drags a hand down his face. “...it’s too close to town. And now that it knows it can find easy prey on the road, it’ll just strike again.”

“...can you kill it?”

“Only one way to find out.” Before she can argue, he vaults over the log and heads toward the road, posture crouched and pace quick. 

Swearing lightly under her breath, Kumiko follows, remaining hidden behind a trunk and awaiting Kakashi’s signal.

Making it to the cart, Kakashi taps the driver, who flinches with a yelp. Slapping a hand over his face, the hunter makes a curt gesture for silence. 

Above them, the creature pauses...and then returns to its feast.

“My companion will come for you,” Kakashi whispers. “When she does, follow her back into the trees, and stay down. I’ll take care of the beast.”

“Oh, Twelve bless you sir - bless you!”

Sighing at the unnecessary noise, Kakashi peeks around, then waves back to Kumiko.

In a sprint, she gestures to the path before her. Water condenses from the air and the nearby forest, cooling at her urging and forming an icy barricade.

Squawking, the gryphon flutters in surprise as Kakashi runs out the other side. 

“Oi! This way, bird brain!” he calls, sending a stream of fire from a palm into the creature’s face.

A shrill shriek cuts through the air, rattling Kakashi’s brain with the sound. Teeth grit, he watches Kumiko reach the cart, dragging out the driver and dashing back for cover.

Okay, good…

Summoning more ven, he directs dual jets to the wagon, the dried wood catching like tinder. Smoke billows up from the wreckage, and the beast shies from it with an angry cry.

Drawing his sword with a twirl, Kakashi squares off against his new quarry. Seems to be a young male, juvenile...not as big or strong as an adult, but more limber, and faster. No wonder he took an easy meal where he could. Odds are, he’s been having trouble hunting regular prey on his own. Also why he’s so close to town: likely driven out of any other established territories.

“Sorry friend, but you’re too dangerous to leave here,” Kakashi murmurs, watching as the beast crouches with a hiss. Bird talons dig into the dirt for a steadying grip...and then with a lunge, it leaps across the gap, beak wide open.

Tucking and rolling to one side, Kakashi makes to loose more flames...but the element sparks and flickers. What?! Out already?! But I -?

A screech gives him just enough warning to dodge again, trying to land a hit with his flailing blade. It grazes along a rear leg, blood arcing as the gryphon screams. Hardly deadly, but...it might slow it down.

Beyond the treeline, Kumiko settles the cart driver in their previous hiding place. “Stay here, don’t move, and don’t make any sound.” Accepting his shaking nod, she turns on a heel and sprints back to the road, watching as Kakashi dances with his foe. The cart is aflame, belching black smoke as the pair strike and dodge. Assessing the situation, her eyes narrow as she notices Kakashi seem to lag.

...he didn’t instruct for her to interfere, but…

Determined, she closes some of the distance before kneeling, palms planted to the ground. Ven bleeds into the earth, looking for something…

Aha!

With a growing roar, she struggles to drag up the water from beneath the ground, the liquid seeping up and following her command. As the gryphon moves her way, she begins firing shards of ice. The sharp projectiles earn a shriek as they cut through feathers and into flesh, garnering the beast’s attention to her, instead.

“Kumiko!” Kakashi shouts in warning.

Unphased, she slides under as the monster pounces, water shadowing her arms and rippling. Almost as if time slows, she raises her limbs as the hybrid’s underbelly glides over her...and with a thrust of energy, the element strikes forward, hardening into condensed ice that spears through into its abdomen.

A strangled cry of pain sounds, the beast landing in a heap as Kumiko comes to a stop. Panting, she struggles back to her feet...but it’s clear the fight is over.

Kakashi stares with widened, mismatched eyes.

...he...was not expecting that.

“...we should end its misery,” she then murmurs, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“...aye.” Closing the gap, Kakashi - wary of the talons - drives his blade up behind a foreleg, and into the beast’s heart. It gives a dying bleat of pain...and then goes limp.

Silence...save for the crackling of cart wood.

Withdrawing his sword, Kakashi cleans the gore from it before sheathing it, looking to the beast somberly. “Well...a life for a life, I suppose.”

“You were right - it’s far too close to town. Just a matter of time before a human fell prey,” Kumiko agrees, a hand upon his shoulder. “But...what shall we do with the driver? He has no way to the next city without his wagon.”

“And we’ve no time to backtrack,” the hunter muses. “I’d rather not take him with us for a week to the town beyond, either.”

“My...my good sir? And lady?”

The pair turn, and Kumiko’s expression flattens. “I told you to remain where I left you!”

Flinching, the salesman replies, “I...yes - I-I know. But I heard things go quiet, so…?”

“It’s dead,” Kakashi confirms, sensing his question. “You’re safe...though your goods are forfeit.”

“That’s no matter in the face of my life! You have my eternal thanks, good people. I...I have no coin on my person, but -?”

Kakashi shakes his head, raising a hand. “I wasn’t hired. There’s no price. Besides...it needed to be done.”

“Please, may...may I have your names?”

“Kakashi Hatake. And the lady is Kumiko Kottakawa.”

Bowing and bowing, the man finally dares to step into the road, skirting the carcass nervously. “Please, I hail from the town just south. If you should ever pass by again, seek out the Oakheart Trader! I’ll gladly settle the debt then! I insist!”

“It will be some weeks before we head that direction again,” Kumiko warns. “But your honor is appreciated. I’m afraid we’ve pressing business - we cannot take you back to town…?”

“Oh, fret not! I passed a patrol on my way out - they will surely soon about-face and find me, for I doubt the smoke will go unnoticed for long. I’m certain there will be help before sundown! You have done more than enough, kind sir and lady. Thank you, thank you!”

A bit unnerved at the praise, Kakashi just gives an awkward nod...then reaches to his side, unbuckling the dagger he took from the Luxerian armory. “Here. It may not save you from a beast of this ilk, but...I’ll not leave you undefended. And it should sell for some to help amend for your losses.”

Eyes wide at the pristine dagger, the man only becomes all the more reverent. “Your generosity, sir...it knows no bounds…!”

Trying to wave him off, Kakashi offers, “Stay in the treeline, and with your back to a tree. Wait for that patrol, and be sure to report all you saw.”

“I will, thank you! Safe travels, lord and lady!”

As the pair move to retrieve their horses, Kumiko gives a small snicker. “I think you’ve an adoring fan, Kakashi. Something tells me if you ever enter that shop, he’ll never let you leave!”

“Best leave that to you, then...after all, you were the one to strike the deciding blow.”

She waves the sentiment aside. “We worked together. Call it even.”

“As you wish.”

     Aaand with that, we officially enter non-thread territory! We started this scene, but Kakashi bailed on me and blog stuff changed before it finished. I am...NOT the best at fight scenes, obviously xD Tbh it feels a little short, but...oh well. It’s mostly just a filler fight and an event for these two to bond a bit more!

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Four ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Thankfully the full moon and clear skies mean an easy trek along the night-drenched road. Above him, stars shimmer and glitter like so many diamonds in the blackness. Though Kakashi has always considered them company during his time on the road, his thoughts are too clouded to pay them much heed now. He’s far too preoccupied with his quest to spare eyes to the sky.

For now, he keeps a steady pace, dozing in the saddle as his gelding marches along the roadway. He’s well-versed enough in such a position, he does so easily until the sun begins to peek over the horizon. Stirring groggily, Kakashi spares a hand to wipe at his face as they crest a hill in the road. In the distance, likely reachable by nightfall, is a humble town: far smaller than the capital he’s left behind, but a good place to ensure he has anything else he might need. The next leg will see him roadbound for nearly a week. While he’s skilled enough to maintain himself without a merchant’s help for that long, still best to take what he can get, as he can get it.

But it soon becomes obvious that he’s not alone.

His mount’s ears flicker back, giving a soft nicker of agitation.

While Obito’s gifted eye has granted him some of the typical el’ven ability to sense others, Kakashi’s isn’t nearly as strong or wide-ranged as someone born with the affinity...but from here, at least, he senses nothing. Being so bold as to look behind him...still nothing.

In all honesty, he’s not overtly worried. He can handle most anyone he might come across should they try to give him trouble. Even one able to wield ven. His own may be a bit weaker than a blooded elf, but he can still hold his own relatively well. And his swordsmanship training means having a different style than many who rely on ven alone. It often means giving him an edge of unpredictability.

But, for now, he simply ignores them. If they aren’t the sort to strike when they’re alone on an open road, then he likely has nothing to fear until they’re in the crowds of the town. Perhaps they’re the type to prefer a thicket of people to hide amongst first.

He reaches the village a few hours before nightfall, finding a promising inn and stable not too far from the southern gate. Paying for a room and stall, he asks over town gossip and wares.

“You’ll not reach the next town for near two hundred miles,” the innkeeper assures him, drying a tankard behind the bar. “But the roads are oft clear, little trouble in these parts. You’ll have a smooth ride, sir...especially with that blade at yer hip. But if ye’ve a want to pad your stocks, we’ve a market with all manner a’goods and trinkets. They’ll serve anyone, tahl or ven.”

Nodding his thanks (and giving a small tip of gold for the trouble), Kakashi heads out into the throngs. It’s a busy place, people scurrying to conclude their business before the sun sets. Here, his senses are nearly overrun, a few auras bright with strong pools of ven. But none seem to follow as he meanders through the markets, needing little but deciding to try and draw out whoever may be tailing him. Perhaps it was just another traveler, but...the past day’s events have him wary.

At his rear, Kumiko enters town a scant ten minutes later, finding Kakashi’s grey mount and asking after him. The keep assures her he was here, then left. Taking a stall, she goes on foot to find him.

Something tells her he’ll likely be annoyed at her following, but she still believes this is her wont: even if the blame doesn’t lie on her shoulders directly...she’ll still bear the burden of her kinsmen who aided the traitor. She’s a lady of honor, and doing what’s right. If she missed Nori’s slipping, and failed to act when the masked man appeared...then it’s her duty - even if only self-imposed - to help.

Hood drawn, she slips into the crowds, looking for his energy. At least it’s unique: a typical tahl’s, but tinged with the red-orange of an igni-blessed mage. Easy enough to spot once it’s in range. The weaker aura of his ven will make getting closer a necessity, but surely he’s gone to the barterers to ensure his readiness for the next leg of his trek.

Relying on all her senses, not just her sixth, she catches a break: his flyaway grey mane stands out as he idles at a stall of cured meats. Easing after him as he moves, she does her best to remain within sensing distance, but out of sight. Best, she assumes, to speak to him someplace less...chaotic.

Kakashi, however...has picked up her signature. His senses are dull enough he can’t distinguish the ven of his follower, but as he moves, he can tell they’re keeping pace. This isn’t a coincidence...he’s being tailed.

Along the way, still testing his theory, he fills his water skin, chatting with merchants to test the air. None offer tidbits that resemble the one he’s after...not that he fully expects it. Whoever formulated this plot surely isn’t foolish enough to leave a trail or be noticed. But at least he knows there’s been relative peace in the area as of late. Less chance of running into trouble and waylaying himself. Otherwise, he has need of little else, only replacing what he consumed between waking and making it to town.

All the while, the one behind him never gets any closer. He keeps his back turned, trying to lure them out with a false sense of security, but...nothing. So, he decides to test them another way.

With new purpose, he winds through the busy streets, taking this corner and that in an attempt to lose them...or at least confuddle them. Once he feels he’s done enough, Kakashi slips into a dark alley, drawing his blade and keeping knees bent in a stance ready for conflict. Doing his best to dim his aura, he waits for the ven-laden signature to pass, and makes to strike. Steel meets dense ice with a loud clang, blade caught as he’s blocked.

“Who are you?” he growls in demand, bearing down on the smaller figure. “Why are you following me?!”

Struggling against his force, Kumiko grunts in effort, having condensed enough water from the air to shield her arm like a vambrace. “Kakashi, w-wait! It’s me!” With her free hand, she whips back her hood, eyes wide as she struggles with the shock of the sudden attack. “Please, stay your blade! I’ve come to help you!”

His own gaze widening, Kakashi realizes several things in rapid succession. This is Kumiko. Who should be back in the capital. At the Summit. Because she’s...a dignitary.

...oh Twelve.

He just attacked a dignitary.

With a tug, he frees his sword, staggering back half a step as he realizes what he’s done. “I...forgive me, my lady, I didn’t realize it was you.” At least for now, she doesn’t appear angry or upset. Anyone else in her position, he feels, would have him arrested on the spot. Accuse him of treason and have him locked away.

Sheathing his blade, he then thinks over her words. Here to help? But they agreed she was to stay in the Luxerian capital. Surely her party will struggle without her?

But, it’s more than obvious that if anyone were to accompany him...it would have to be her. After all, she’s the representative of the lands he seeks to search through. For now, she’s his greatest ally.

Still...he wonders if this is wise. He’s already noticed the sword at her side, but...how well-versed is she in swordplay and self-defense? The last thing he needs is to be responsible for losing another dignitary.

“...is this wise? What of your party, back at the Summit?”

Having taken the time to regain her own breath, Kumiko offers, “There’s no need to apologize. I’d have done the same thing in your place.” Noting his obvious worry, she gives a reassuring smile. “No harm done - I’d hardly be worth my salt if you’d manage to get the better of me there.”

At his questions, she sobers. “...I elected one of my followers to take my place. Behind Nori, I trust her the most. She will carry on and represent our lands in my stead. No one else knows my mind and my intentions - and those of our people - better than she. I’ve trained her for just such an occasion...though I didn’t realize I would need her so soon.” Bitterness overshadows her expression for a moment. “...I only hope I’ve placed my trust well this time. I cannot let myself fall into paranoia that anyone and everyone may betray me. Such feelings will only doom me. But for now...that is not where I am needed most. That is here, helping you.”

Clasping a hand on his shoulder, Kumiko regards him gravely. “I know your hesitance, and cannot blame you for it. And so too is it obvious, the guilt you feel. But I too feel responsible. Had I not stopped you...had I been more cautious and conscious with Nori…” For a moment, her face bows, weighted by regret. “...I too bear responsibility here, even if the rest of you deny it. Therefore...I will do all I can to aid you, Kakashi. I will not rest until this imbalance is corrected. I’ve given you all my word. And I shan’t back down from it. If those who took Ryū truly do reside in my lands...then it’s my duty to challenge them. And so too must I guide you through it.”

Bringing her gaze back to his own, she manages a confident smile. “...I won’t weigh you down - I’m capable of handling myself. I may be one trained for diplomacy and politics...but I know my way around a sword and my ven.”

Finally calming after the rush of adrenaline, Kakashi gives a nod. “Well...at least no one was hurt. But surely you could have warned me rather than try to sneak up on me, eh?” At least then he’d not have tried to chop her head off. But...what’s done is done, he supposes.

“Well...I hope you chose wisely. But we’ve still defenses left in our absence. Suigin, surely, will have something to say - let alone do - should anything else go awry. Rin, too. Between the pair of them, the Summit is in good hands.” ...paws? Well, he supposes Suigin looks human for now, at any rate.

At the talk of guilt, his form seems to weigh at the reminder. “...well, all that’s left to us now is action. As for Nori, that was hardly a fault of your own. It was his decision to act as he did, and given your shock, you had no way to know. And in my case...I’ve no idea if I could have stood up to a Tenebreon mage. If I had reached him before he left...he may very well have killed me. And then where would we be?” In truth, he knows that would mean Rin would probably charge off in pursuit instead, but...he’s all the gladder it doesn’t fall to her. “It would suit us to think more to what’s yet to be done than that which has passed.”

At her quip of her abilities, he allows a hint of a grin. “I’ve no reason to doubt you, given your reflexes. I doubt that blade is only for show.” For now, he can’t know just how skilled she truly is - only time will tell, and he hopes it’s later rather than sooner.

“But, for now, I think it’s best we make use of the inn. Neither of us slept well last night, and we’ve a week at least until the next one. Best to take a good bed and rest when it’s afforded to us.”

“Aye,” Kumiko agrees. “We can regather our strength, and perhaps discuss more of our plans, and possible actions. I’m not one opposed to a rough journey, but we need to be at the top of our game when we can be.” Their destination may yet be many miles, but...well, it will all add up over the course of their trek. “I’ve a map we can pour over and plan a more particular route. I know the best ways in and out of our lands.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Leading the way, Kakashi cuts back through the thinning town crowds to the inn nearby the gate. By now, dusk begins to settle over the land, bathing the buildings in a monochrome tone. Thankfully it’s simple enough to exchange his room for one with a second bed, handing over the additional coin. After so long traveling with Rin and their little tagalong, he hardly minds sharing space with a woman...even if this one is still yet an acquaintance, let alone minding how far she outranks him. But best, he thinks, to stay close. Though threats are hardly expected now, best they adjust before such a time comes.

Kumiko agrees, and they make their way up and deposit their packs within the room. Kakashi, out of habit, makes to check all available entries and exits. One door, two windows, both rather lacking of footholds to be climbed to...and thankfully built with locks he ensures are latched. He never feels fully secure anywhere, but the more he can rule out, the better.

Kumiko watches him, a brow perked until he finally acquiesces to sit at the small table in their quarters. He takes out some bread not yet stale and some cured meat, offering some to her. “I’ve some of my own, but we can trade to help vary our table,” she replies with a grin, offering an apple for half his bread. Crunching one of her own, she gestures to the map she’s unfurled along the woodgrain. “So...this is us here,” she points: a small village still within Luxeria’s domain. “We’re actually not all that far from the border. Our next logical stop is within a sizeable Theran territory. Once we cross that...we’ll be to the edge of Glaciris’ main lands.” A finger traces their path, tapping at the border to the north.

“I’ve been near there, but admittedly never into the tundra. I suppose your people’s attitude to outsiders has much to do with that?” Kakashi suggests. “I’d get work from lands all over, but never a request from that far north.”

“I’d imagine,” she agrees dryly. “That and as I told you, our beasts are of another sort. While I don’t doubt your skill,” Kumiko amends with a hint of a grin at his look, “there’s something to be said of the savagery the snows bring. When prey is scarce and humans competitive, it makes any creature with an aching belly all the more desperate. They’ve evolved to be at home in one of the harshest landscapes of our world, aside from the deserts. To face one, you have to know one.”

“I can concede to that. So...what path is best to take for us to reach the peaks the Tenebreon representative mentioned?”

“Those would be the Gelidan mountains,” Kumiko reminds him, gesturing to the range that runs along the northeastern edge of the continent. “Few places are as treacherous. Our capital, Boralis, is here.” A point to a large plot in the same direction, a ways from the ocean. “Now...there’s one true main road from the border nearest us that’s used for travel, but…” Her brow furrows. “It can be dangerous, depending on the time of year...and sadly for us, one of those times draws near. Snowstorms and squalls can make it not only dangerous, but nearly impassable for the snow. And given the usual traffic, it’s often plagued by beasts looking for an easy meal. My armies spare men to patrol it, but they’ll be lightened as the season takes hold, and travel is less advised. So...we’ll do best to go here.”

She gestures to a path more east. “This is my people’s favored trade route for exports. It’s a longer path, but safer, and more protected from the elements. It will add a good day’s travel to our time, but that’s quickly outweighed by the near certainty of trouble on the main road this time of year. We’d likely lose far more that way...and we’ll attract less attention.”

Kakashi’s silver brows lift in pleasant surprise. A trade route...interesting. “Well, I’ll take a bit more road than a bit more trouble any day,” he agrees. “Time is our greatest enemy, after all...and taking a riskier route would also open up the possibilities of injuries, or illness from the cold. In this case, at any rate, gambling is almost surely the worse outcome. We’ll take the trade route, then.”

The last thing he wants is to have an injury to nurse before even facing their foe...or perhaps foes. They still have no idea how many others may be plotting alongside this traitor. He may have an entire network to rely on. And that doesn’t begin to cover who may be hiding up north with him, let alone where they might leap to through portals. The thoughts are daunting...so he pushes them aside.

“I agree completely. I suppose all that leaves, then...is to travel. From here, it will likely be a good three weeks before we reach Boralis, if all fares well. From there, depending on the weather, several days to begin trekking to the mountains. But,” Kumiko offers, lifting her guiding finger with a grin. “We’ll have help on that front.”

“Oh…?”

“You may recall my words to Suigin: I’ve a drach partner of my own. Raziya, a child of Glaciris. She can take us on dragonwing to the mountains, and make searching all the easier. But it will still take time...the mountains span for miles along the coast, and if the weather is poor, we’ll have a tough time seeing. She will likely be able to sense any cave systems in the ice, but there are many...and there’s no telling which our Tenebreon friend is hiding in.”

In spite of himself, Kakashi pales slightly. Ah...another dragon. He’s barely met any of them, and he’s certainly never ridden one before. But...there’s no time for fear. Only action. “Very well. For now, we’d best call it a night...and get an early start come morn.”

“Aye. The road is long, and the nights short. Goodnight, Kakashi.”

“Goodnight.”

     And our journey begins, woo! Poor Kakashi almost gave himself a heart attack once he realized who he swung his sword at xD Only real changes here are having slightly more realistic times / distances for a journey of this scale...I had to google stuff, bahaha      Otherwise, note too much to note this time!

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Two ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, Kottakawa Kumiko, Suigin ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

As tempting as it is to remain upon the balcony, Kakashi knows that time is of the essence. Surely there are some Tenebreon mages among those here. If they aren’t part of the plot...perhaps they can give him some kind of lead. About-facing from the railing, he strides back inside the main castle hall.

Already the floor has been cleared, but all of the guests remain, corralled to the walls. Good...they need to try and rat out any possible accomplices. Surely there had to be someone who helped the dark mage into the hall. Admittedly, Kakashi knows little of the abilities dark mages possess...beyond them being mostly counterparts to those of light mages. Ryū has tried explaining it before, but...even with his own gifted ven, there’s much that escapes Kakashi’s comprehension. He wasn’t born into the el’ven world...but tossed into it.

And now that lack of knowledge might very well cost him.

A strange, darkened mark remains where the Tenebreon disciple appeared, small smoke-like tendrils curling and fading. Crouching beside it, Kakashi looks to it with a critical eye. Hovering a palm over the residual ven, he can feel it hum against his skin.

“...my lord…?”

If it weren’t for his knowing he’s standing alone, Kakashi would never guess he was the one being addressed. Never in his life has someone called him lord. Mismatched eyes lift to spy the entire Tenebreon party: two men, one considerably older (and more scarred) than the other. “...yes?”

“You are the the lux mage’s advisor, correct?”

“You could say that.”

“We wish to say now: this plot was not sanctioned by our people.” The older man brings  a fist to his chest. “We will aid in whatever way possible. The lux mage’s safe return is now our utmost priority.”

Kakashi is a man of instinct - it’s all that’s kept him alive since he and Rin were forced to flee their city. And they tell him now, this one’s telling the truth. Giving a nod, he asks, “Can you tell me anything from this?”

Kneeling opposite Kakashi, the Tenebreon mage plants a hand against the besmirched floor. Around his fingers, the tendrils of darkness quiver and flare as his eyes close in concentration.

A long moment of silence, and then a shake of his head. “...I cannot reopen this portal. It’s too faint. But I can tell you where it opened on the other side. Far to the north of here, beyond the snow lines.”

Silver brows furrow. “...the realm of Glaciris?”

A nod. “I can barely feel it, but...it seems to be even further than the capital of Boralis. Perhaps back in the mountains there, in the wilds.”

...that makes no sense. If a dark mage is who took Ryū, why not take her to their homeland? But...then again, these two insist they have nothing to do with the plot. A rogue, then...perhaps one who knew their actions wouldn’t be supported. “...thank you. Please...tell no one else.”

“Of course, my lord.”

“And please...no titles,” Kakashi insists wearily. “I’m just a swordbearer, not a gentleman.”

To his surprise, that earns a short snort and a smile. “Very well. If you need anything else, please...don’t hesitate to ask.”

Nodding gravely, Kakashi abandons the mark and considers his next move. As he thinks, Rin cuts across the floor to join him. “Well…?”

“...I have a possible lead, but I’ll need help to follow it,” he murmurs. “The Tenebreon disciple told me the portal was opened far to the north, in the mountains beyond Boralis.”

“...why there?”

“I don’t know. But that puts our icy friends at the forefront of suspects,” Kakashi offers quietly. “...when I give a signal, can you use your ven to bind them? But...not the representative.”

“You don’t suspect her?”

Thinking back over Kumiko’s behavior, he shakes his head. “No...I don’t.”

Trusting his gut as much as he does, Rin nods. “Very well...I’ll have to use terra. Flora might let them get loose, as we share aqua between us.”

“Whatever you think necessary. I’m sure we can fix things when we no longer have more pressing priorities. First, I think...we’d best speak to Kumiko. I doubt she’d take kindly to us attacking her party without warning.”

Rin gives another nod, and they move toward the ice mage as she idles nearby her company. Gesturing, Kakashi invites her over.

“Have you found something?” she asks quickly, concern in both her brow and tone.

“I believe we have,” Kakashi explains quietly. “But I must warn you...it plants suspicion with your entourage.”

Surprise slackens her face. “...what did you learn?”

“Tenebreos’ disciples were able to trace the portal the rogue took...and claim it opened far to the north. As it’s our only lead…” he trails off.

After a pause to let that sink in, Kumiko shakes her head. “No, you’re right to be suspicious...to think a traitor would be among my kin.” Resolve tightens her jaw. “...what would you have me do?”

“For now, I need to question your party, see if we can root out who may have helped this traitor. We may have to use force if it comes down to it.”

“So long as you investigate properly...I will not stop you. I’ll not tolerate a traitor in my midst.”

“At the very least, the dark mage would have to have been within ice lands,” Rin then cuts in. “For a Tenebreon portal to work, the mage must know precisely where to open it. Unless they are exceedingly lucky, they must have visited the location first, or at least seen it. If they are holed up in the north...they’ve been there before.”

“Then how were they able to come here?” Kakashi muses.

“The parties have been here for several days, now. It may have been enough time to get communication back to the rogue,” she explains gravely. “Perhaps he was even here in disguise among one of the representative’s groups.”

Anger sparks in Kumiko’s gaze. “Believe me...the turncoat will be severely punished. No one under my watch may be allowed to threaten this new balance.”

Together, they abandon the wide hall floor and head toward the walls. Moving to Glaciris’ party, Kakashi begins with basic questions: what they saw, if they knew any dark mages, and so on. All the while, he watches the faces of each underling. His own senses are rather dull compared to a blooded mage, so he also relies on Kumiko and Rin’s observations. 

“Forgive me, lords and ladies...but I have questions for you,” Kakashi offers. “A lead from the portal remnants suggests that the culprit escaped to the north...your homeland.”

One woman tenses. “What? Why would disciples of Glaciris help those of Tenebreos? We’ve no love for the dark elves!”

Beside her, a younger woman jabs an elbow into her side. Suspicious...but Kakashi can tell it’s more a gesture against her bias than a coverup.

Behind him, Kumiko can’t help but cut in, “Such an attitude is out of the question. When we return home...consider your apprenticeship severed.”

“B...but my lady -?”

“We have waited decades upon decades for Tenebreon and Luxerian disciples to reappear. It was the biases against them both that sparked the rift. I will not tolerate such bigoted beliefs among my inner circle.”

Everyone in the party shifts nervously, fear in their faces. All...but one. A man stares out blankly ahead, and Kakashi can’t help but feel he’s endeavoring a bit too hard to appear nonchalant. It’s not a solid lead, but...do they risk it?

Giving Rin a glance, he nods ever so subtly.

With a lift of her hands, Rin urges the white stone of the floor upward, encasing the man and scattering the other mages with shrieks of surprise. Around them, the other parties also react in shock.

Looking to him with narrowed eyes, Kakashi offers, “You seem awfully calm, sir…”

Staring down haughtily, he rebukes, “An innocent man has nothing to hide.”

“Perhaps...but you seem a bit too composed. Everyone else in this room is unnerved, one way or another. I think you might be trying too hard.”

Nostrils flare with a curt breath, ears pinning as he attempts to wriggle in his rocky confines. But then a hint of a grin curls the man’s lips as he appears to accept his fate. “...I suppose it doesn’t matter now,” he murmurs. “You’re too late…! By the time you even begin to find them, the deed will be done! The twice-blessed will have planted the seed - she will be the vessel! The thirteenth will be reborn, and all will -!”

Jabbing a pressure point, Rin forces him to go slack, earning a jump from Kakashi at her swift, unbidden movement. Upon his incredulous look, she hisses, “We don’t need him spewing that nonsense here where everyone can hear him!”

“What nonsense?”

Huffing through her nose, Rin glances across the hall before murmuring, “...we’ll take him down beneath the castle, question him there. This is starting to look grave, Kakashi.”

Behind them, softly, comes Kumiko’s voice. “...Nori...I can’t believe…”

Rin and Kakashi both turn to her. “...you were close?”

A wellspring of emotions flicker across her face: anger, betrayal, hurt, and confusion. “...he was assigned to me when I was young, by my father...a guard, a friend, a teacher. Out of everyone, why…?”

Rin wilts a bit in sympathy. “If this is what I think it is...well, let’s just get underground. I don’t want his ramblings to cause panic.”

Nodding gravely, Kumiko offers, “I’ll tell you all I can - whatever you think may help. But yes...best to move this out of sight before everyone else becomes unsettled.”

Confused - he could glean little sense from whatever this Nori fellow started spewing - Kakashi decides to play it patient. With their man unconscious, he moves to pick him up...but is interrupted as a great thud rocks the castle floor. The panes tremble in their frames as a grating roar cuts through the air.

Rin flinches. “...seems Suigin has noticed,” she murmurs. “You’d best go calm her down, tell her what has happened. I’ll take this one downstairs and wait for you.”

Kakashi balks. “But -?” Rin, however, is already on her way, and he wilts. This is the last thing he wanted to deal with...the beasts he’s used to are mindless and dangerous.

Dragons, on the other hand, are dangerous, and dangerously intelligent.

“...come on,” he mutters, gesturing to Kumiko. The pair make their way toward the balcony, barely exiting the door before the drake’s mental presence drowns them.

“WHERE IS SHE?!”

Kakashi staggers for a moment, never quite ready for the way the creatures communicate. It’s like she’s stomping around in his head! “...she’s gone, but -”

“WHERE?!”

“Spare me a moment of your shouting and I’ll tell you!” he cuts in, his own tone swelling in volume. “Please, just...grant me your patience?” He sounds more asking than telling.

Growling to the point of shaking the stone balcony, the moonstone dragon bares teeth in a gesture of fury. “...very well. But be swift, mor...the longer we tarry, the more my bones ache to act!”

“Great drach,” Kumiko then offers, stepping up beside Kakashi. “We are doing all we can. As someone bonded thus to one of your kin, I understand well the pain you feel. If our positions were mirrored...she too would tear earth and heaven to find me. I know your worry. Allow me to explain.

“During the gala, a Tenebreon portal was opened from somewhere far to the north: my homeland. From it emerged a mage of dark ven, who pulled Ryū through back into the tundra. We do not yet know why...but one of my party was the traitor who aided this rogue. The words he uttered are of great concern. He spoke of a ‘twice-blessed’...and claimed that the thirteenth shall be reborn.” Expression hardening, she plants a hand to her chest. “...I feel, at least in part, responsible for this. I knew nothing of the plot, and my own guard was abetting this atrocity. Anything I can do to help...I will do. I am at your disposal. I will not let this breach of my trust, and the dignity of my people, go unanswered.”

All the while, Kakashi watches in careful silence. Kumiko’s resolve and calm in the face of an enraged dragon, he admits, impresses him. No wonder she was chosen to represent her lands at the Summit. At the mention of Nori, he wilts a hair. It’s clear the betrayal wounds her deeply...and yet is doing little to hinder her call to action.

Suigin, as Kumiko speaks, listens with narrowed eyes and thrashing tail. Only once she silences does the dragon speak.

“Cursed words...cursed! To think a mor selfish enough to take a second blessing...what greed, what insolence! A vile mor...I’ll tear his head from his shoulders myself for such a blatant disregard for the balance!”

Breathing a hot breath and tossing her head in irritation, she goes on. “But far more troubling are the intentions...they seek the thirteenth. I wonder if they know the truth behind what they look for. Aequilibria is both, and yet neither. They exist, they do not exist. The unintended.”

Frustrated as he seems to be the only one unknowing of what they speak, Kakashi asks, “But what does any of that mean? What is...Aequilibria?”

Silver eyes turn to him, the drach regarding him thoughtfully. “...you are the vom berech...the one who watched over my kirav…? A pity it is only now we meet. I forget...you hold ven, but it is not yours. There is much you do not know.” Taking a moment to think, regarding the moon, Suigin then explains, “...the thirteenth is a title given to the Elemental that is, and yet cannot be. The union of dark, and of light. Two sides of a coin that must never touch. Some believe they will bring the undoing. Some believe they will bring balance eternal. None can know, for such a creature exists only in theory. Or so we are told. There have been attempts in the past to create such a being. It cannot be known if any succeeded. But never has one stepped forth claiming the name.”

Brow furrowing, Kakashi mulls that over. A union of dark and light…? No...they can’t mean -?

Sensing his disquiet, Suigin rumbles again. “...you are not of el’ven blood, so perhaps you are unaware that their kinds are slower to cycle. We yet have time before this pig can act. And even then, the odds are against him. The el’ven races are slow to spread, as they are slow to die. Still…” The beast’s lip curls. “Another moment beyond the necessary she is kept within their company will boil my blood. I will not let us tarry.”

“...Suigin, I’m not sure you should accompany us,” Kakashi offers carefully.

She stills, fury palpable. “...and why not?”

“To our knowledge, you’re the only other creature tied to Luxeria here,” he begins, trying to frame his concern a bit...differently. Something tells him she wouldn’t take kindly to having her anger rebuked as a flaw in their plan. “Ryū has struggled to bring about the new Summit, and if things fall apart now...it will mean all her work has been in vain. We need you to stay here, and enforce order until I bring her back. Someone under Luxeria’s banner should remain, and lead by example. I swear to you...I’ll do all within my power to bring her home. I let this happen...it is I that must make it right.” She was entrusted to him, treats him as her father...and he let her slip through his fingers. And if her kidnappers get what they want…

Suigin considers him silently. “...your words honor the trust she places in you. So too must I trust you. You are right...in her absence, I must take the mantle, and uphold her efforts, and the Summit.” The stare seems to intensify. “...and I know you will atone...you do so not purely out of debt. Therefore, as my kind are wont...I will have faith in you, berech. Go, then. And carry Light’s blessing. Be swift. For if you take too long, I cannot guarantee my patience will hold, and I will tear apart the north myself.”

In spite of himself, Kakashi can’t help a soft snort. “I believe you. I’ll do what I can.” It’s then he turns back to Kumiko. “...any words of advice?”

“...you will go alone?” she questions.

“It will be faster to do so, yes. And you’re needed here, with your people.”

Studying him for a moment, the glacial mage then nods. “...very well. The north is home to desperate, feral beasts. The harsh snows have made them strong...and hungry. You must be careful.”

“I’ve hunted many beasts,” he assures her.

“Yet few, I fear, like those of the snows. And they are not the only difficulty you may face. The people under Glaciris’ banner are as cold as their element. We have long been closed off to the other lands, and...they may turn away from you. I have worked during my time as their representative to soften this, but...I have much work yet to do. I will send word ahead with a messenger bird to warn of your arrival, and insist you be helped. But if any treat you coldly, know it is simply their way. I hope that some, at least, will give you aid.”

“I’m a bit of an outsider to everyone,” Kakashi reminds her dryly. “I’m more than used to facing obstinate people. But I’ll keep that in mind.” Daunting obstacles, but...he has no choice. And it will be some time before reaching the north - Luxeria’s lands occupy the heart of the main continent. He has far to go before reaching the snows...he’s never been more thankful to own a swift and steady steed.

He then turns to the dragon. “As I’m able, I’ll try to send word back...but I’ll likely have little to report until I arrive.”

“It matters not. I will not be at ease until Ryū stands again before me,” Suigin admits. “But your thoughtfulness pleases me. Perhaps word of your progress will help ease my temper.”

Kakashi gives a dry nod. “...well, I’d best stock up before I go. And we still need to see what we can glean from our guest.”

“Anything within the castle’s walls is yours, should it aid you in her return,” Suigin assures him. “Any debt will be settled with her back home where she belongs.”

“Understood.” Glancing back to Kumiko, he asks, “...should I assume you’d like to help with the interrogation…?”

The edge returns to her expression. “Gladly,” is her stoney reply. “As I said...I do not take such betrayals lightly. I want to know what he’s been up to. And...I want to know why…” A momentary lapse, and then, “...besides, if you are unable to twist his arm...perhaps I may be able to help, given our connection.”

“Very well. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

“Indeed.”

     WELL this is a long time coming! I’ve been grinding this out for like...over a week trying to get the thread parts rewritten, and a few chapters beyond that for something new for Star to read :’D I have so many WIPs now kjhfdgh      Anyway...I thought it would make the most sense to go ahead and rewrite the thread so it could be one single, coherent...thing, haha. I’m doing so completely from scratch so I’m not just, like...copy-pasting. Besides, there’s a few wee details I wanted to shift around a bit, expand on, etc. But of course, Star is just as much responsible for chapters 2-6 as I am since it was threaded, and much of the plot beyond that.       So the next four chapters are basically recounts of the thread (and yes I got five chapters out of it xD), but AFTER THAT we get into new stuff! Which was plotted, tho vaguely, and also with stuff from Ryū and Obito’s side that we didn’t get a chance to figure out. So from here on...I’m mostly winging it xD      I’m gonna just spam-post all the chapters I currently have done (which is 2-8), and then do my best to juggle more amidst the other WIPs I have. ngl this one is probably gonna be pretty high priority, so HOPEFULLY there’ll be more soon! Thank you Star for your patience with me through...ALL of this mess, ahaha - hopefully you can enjoy it nonetheless ;w;

Translation notes:

mor’el’ven: full Old Tongue name for elves meaning “human of energy”; later shortened to el’ven in slang, which was later used in newer tongues as elf and elves.

mor’el’tahl: full Old Tongue name for humans meaning “human of nothing”; the term is mostly abandoned by any but the elves. In common, mor’el’tahl eventually became mortal, but el’tahl typically prefer the term ‘men / man’

mor: catch-all Old Tongue term for humanoids; both elves and humans.

ven: literally “energy” in the Old Tongue; refers specifically to the energy el’ven use to manipulate their elements.

drach: fully “drach’el’ven” in the Old Tongue; the proper name for dragons, or “children of (select Elemental)”.

kirav: an Old Tongue term meaning “soul bound one”; used to denote beings intrinsically tied to one another; most commonly between drach and the mor they choose to align themselves with.

vom berech: literally “created between” in the Old Tongue; refers specifically to those like Kakashi who receive their ven from outside sources, such as exchanged body parts (like Obito’s eye).

berech: literally “between”; a term used to denote those of half or quarter el’ven blood; those ‘between’ el’ven and el’tahl.