Disclaimers: Not mine! They belong to CLAMP and Chistato Nakamura etc
Another crossover in the making… Angst & inevitability… Needless to say, shounen-ai too.
Author: Narsus
“Narsus?” A pause “Narsus?” the Prince peered at his strategist.
“What? Forgive me your highness, I was distracted.”
Prince Arslan frowned for a moment, noting the slightly glazed look in those green eyes before turning his attention back to the battle plans laid out before him. “Will this be sufficient?”
“I dare say. The Lucitanians are being particularly immobile in this region. And even if it comes to a siege their provisions are hardly enough for the garrison stationed at the castle.”
Arslan nodded, before gracefully exiting the tent with Jaswant and Quisward in toe. Daryoon remained, seemingly engrossed in studying the map.
“Daryoon, what do you know about castle Samanuel?”
“As much as anyone else.” Daryoon looked up, shrugging, “It fell to the Lucitanians early on in the war.”
“And what about its inhabitants? What happened to them?”
“Those that weren’t killed; fled. I suppose…”
“Ah…” Narsus’ gaze was unfocused again.
Daryoon sighed, diverting his attention from the map to the seemingly unaware strategist, who was just standing there, staring at nothing. The warrior stepped up to him, gently taking hold of Narsus’ arms to get his attention. “And don’t you be giving me this nonsense either.”
“What nonsense would that be?” Narsus enquired mildly, teasing gaze now focused on Daryoon.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.” Daryoon pulled Narsus into his arms, silencing the smug tone with a firm kiss.
Castle Samanuel fell easily, the next day. A surprise attack and the foolish compassion of the castle’s Lord was all it took. By ordering the gates to be kept open till the last of his troops returned, the Lord had sealed their fate.
War, Narsus reflected, had nothing to do with justice or compassion.
The Prince had been horrified by the sight of the remaining Lucitanians throwing themselves from the battlements rather than surrendering.
Daryoon had watched with his usual impassive expression. The less prisoners the better really, after all they were only an excessive drain on resources.
Narsus arrived in the courtyard as the last of the Lucitanians were preparing to end their lives. He sighed at the melodrama of it all, looking mildly bored, though he turned his gaze away as they fell. Narsus closed his eyes briefly at the sound of bodies striking the ground. He couldn’t actually blame them on some level, especially when they’d most likely been unwittingly dragged into this war…
The battlefield was no place for the weak; where no act of compassion, no gentleness went unpunished.
As it was, some of the Lucitanians eventually surrendered and a handful of Palsian prisoners were freed from the dungeons. And the strange Lucitanian girl, Estelle was put in an isolated cell; since she maintained that she was a soldier and shouldn’t be placed with the women.
That evening, Arslan went to talk to the girl, seeing as she refused to eat and Narsus had followed discreetly just in case the Prince’s honest demeanour managed to pry any potentially important facts from her. He didn’t have to stand in the poorly lit corridor long before Elam and Alfreedo joined him. Followed by Daryoon, trailing Quishward and Pharangase behind; and finally Jaswant. Unfortunately listening in on the Prince’s conversation didn’t provide anything of interest other than to reinforce the fact that Arslan’s compassion was without prejudice.
When he emerged from the cell Arslan smiled at the waiting listeners. It seemed that he had yet to realise that fraternising with the enemy now might have less than positive repercussions later. Narsus’ gaze followed the Prince as he departed with most of the others; the look in his eyes was completely unreadable.
“I hope he’ll never be as jaded as the rest of us.” Daryoon murmured softly.
“It’s hardly efficient though.” Narsus said sharply, before striding past, with Elam and Alfreedo hurrying to catch up.
Not so much later both Elam and Alfreedo had ceased their normally endless arguments over gaining Narsus’ attention because the strategist in question was getting progressively more drunk with each passing hour. Elam was looking highly uneasy at the latest request for more wine.
As he filled another wine jug Alfreedo stepped up beside him and hissed “Water it down!” into Elam’s ear.
“I can’t.” he whispered back.
“Why not?”
“He’ll notice.” Elam replied, again in a whisper, nodding his head in the direction of the couch where Narsus was slumped, blinking owlishly at the low table that he had his feet propped up on.
“What! He’s probably so out of it that he can’t even remember his own name!”
“Really…” Narsus drawled, now staring in their direction.
Elam hurried back over with the wine; an exasperated Alfreedo followed.
“Narsus-sama…” Elam began, seating himself next to his master.
“Yes, Elam.”
“Umm…” the boy didn’t seem to know how to continue.
“What… what is it, Elam?” Narsus enquired kindly, somehow also managing to keep hold of the wine glass that Alfreedo forcibly tried to remove from his hand.
“Umm… Please, Master, do you really have to drink so much?”
“Haven’t we had this conversation before, Elam? I’m beginning to think that it’s getting a little too repetitive.”
“Well, he’s right! You can’t just drink yourself into the gutter!” Alfreedo burst in.
Narsus smiled at her, quite charmingly, before downing the entire contents of the glass.
Luckily, before Alfreedo could make any further comment there was a knock on the doors of the chamber and Daryoon stepped into the room. The warrior took a moment to gauge the situation before ushering Elam and Alfreedo out of the room, despite Alfreedo’s loud protests. Closing the doors on their departure, Daryoon leaned back against the wooden panelling and looked at Narsus. The strategist managed to put the wine glass down, with only a little excessive force and smiled weakly at him. Daryoon sighed and went to sit down, pulling a drunken Narsus into his arms.
“Will you tell me what this is about?” He asked, inhaling the alcohol-scented air around them.
“I thought you didn’t want me to talk about such… nonsense.” Narsus waved a hand in the air vaguely.
“This.” Daryoon stared poignantly at the wine jug on the table “This is all to do with… with… that om-… om-… whatever-its-called stuff?” He finally gave up trying to pronounce the word.
Narsus mumbled something into Daryoon’s shoulder.
“What?”
The mumble was repeated.
“Uh huh.”
“Onmyoujitsu.” Narsus said, raising his head from Daryoon’s shoulder briefly.
“Right. And you’re a lot more drunk that you’ve been in quite a while because?”
“I don’t know…” Narsus closed his eyes.
“You don’t know.”
“Something.”
“Something?”
“Something isn’t right… don’t know what though…”
“Something.” Daryoon repeated, sceptically.
“Out of balance…” Narsus trailed off, sinking into sleep.
Sighing again, Daryoon shifted so that he could slide his arms beneath his sleeping lover and carry him to bed. As he laid Narsus down against the sheets the moonlight streaming in from the un-shuttered windows was suddenly blocked out by a bird-like shape. The almost translucent bird made some sort of hissing noise in Narsus’ direction before turning its knowing gaze upon the warrior. Daryoon moved over to the window and the white crow hopped up onto his extended arm.
“Something out of balance…” he muttered softly, stroking the top of the bird’s head.
“It sounds like Sakurazukamori but I don’t think it is. Besides…” Daryoon looked over towards the bed where Narsus was snoring faintly. “If it was I don’t think Narsus would mention it, no matter how drunk he was. Their clan tend to look after their own… not that we don’t do the same.”
The shikigami
looked up at him, a certain intelligence gleaming in its avian eyes. “Go find it; this imbalance.” He said,
leaning out of the window and throwing the bird up into the sky.
Explanations:
Onmyoujitsu is the art practiced by onmyouji. You could say sorcery I guess.
A shikigami would be a sorcerer’s familiar, though as far as I know you can also translate it as ‘devil’.
And a Gundam Wing note: When Duo Maxwell is captured on board Professor G’s space ship and a joke is made to the effect of him being called a little devil, he responds by saying that he’s not a devil but the devil… the famous “I am Shikigami” line. A joke that’s lost in the Viz translation.
00:06. 18/06/02
Narsus woke, shivering slightly even though Daryoon’s arms were wrapped about him. In the growing dawn last night’s dream still haunted his memory, shards of bizarre recollection reaching towards his conscious mind. He closed his eyes again, shifting within Daryoon’s embrace, trying to forget. But the prophetic dreams of a DreamGazer are rarely forgotten.
The scene replayed itself despite Narsus’ determination to be rid of it.
A strange city, gleaming towers reaching towards the heavens. Light crackling along the streets, as if by it’s own accord. People in outlandish costumes making their way through the strange city of steel and glass. At least Narsus had thought it was glass, he couldn’t be sure.
The city had been loud and chaotic but somehow also wonderful to behold, for in dispersed among the strange constructions were odd patches of ornate gardens, small pools of tranquillity. And it had been in one such artificially placed area of natural greenery that he had seen it… the Tree. The source of all power, the endless grave, a cold vortex housed in the shape of a living thing. The root of clan Sakurazuka’s power.
Of course the Tree had been in full bloom, it always was, the cherry blossom ever fresh with the blood of chosen victims. There had been a man standing under the blossom-laden bows, stark black clothing standing out in contrast to the pink shower of blossoms gathering around him.
Within this dream Narsus had no true form, so had moved so that he was directly in front of the stranger and daringly, had leaned forwards to brush his lips lightly against the man’s, which had elicited a smile. Narsus had laughed and spun backwards, throwing insubstantial arms wide to catch the falling blossoms. And suddenly a hand had closed around his wrist and he found himself looking at the man, who shouldn’t be able to see him, let alone touch him.
“Sakurazukamori.” Narsus murmured thoughtfully, unafraid.
The man nodded but didn’t speak, though he did release Narsus. Then he appeared to say something but no sound could be heard. Narsus frowned then suddenly he understood. He raised a finger to his lips, smiling slightly.
“Not yet… Sakurazukamori, but not yet…”
The man frowned managing to lip-read quite successfully, since it seemed that neither could hear the other.
Then there was only reflective darkness; both Tree and the inheritor of the Sakurazuka clan had vanished. The darkness didn’t worry Narsus; he had long ago grown used to the ever-changing dreamscape. He closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses and this time it was peach blossom that he could smell and the sound of water slowly dripping close by.
Briefly, on the edge of his vision he was sure of the sight of a large wing sweeping downwards, as the creature it was attached to flew onwards but surprisingly in the watery surface that had appeared below the only reflection that could be seen was that of a full moon.
Another movement to the side, though this time Narsus turned to catch sight of a boy, perhaps no more than 13, moving determinedly along, ornate black robes flapping about him. Realising that he was being watched the boy stopped and turned to stare.
“Black dragon of the North sea.” Narsus spoke softly, with a slight bow.
The boy’s eyes widened in surprise, he seemed about to speak when the darkness consumed him again.
This time there was a tall man facing him, wearing some vaguely military-style uniform and a strange device of some sort covering his eyes. It looked like a redundant visor, though it did reflect as if it were a mirror. And that was the only observation that Narsus had time to make before odd ropes of a sort coiled round the man and drew him possessively back into the darkness.
The silence stretched out and Narsus found himself looking at the bizarre city again, watching it equally strange inhabitants go about their business. Then the scene was disrupted, the ground beginning to shake and gape open, rending terrible chasms that swallowed people and their constructions whole. Flames licked along the streets, climbing structures, devouring people. The graceful towers disintegrated. The dreamscape was filled with the deafening sounds of screams and explosions; the smell of charred flesh and blood filled the air. In the midst of the destruction there was no redemption, the city fell into ruins but the land did not heal. The last bindings that seemed to hold everything together cracked…
“No… this isn’t the way it should be…” a weak voice could be heard.
Narsus turned away from the vision before him and it immediately faded.
“No…” he heard the voice again and was now searching for the source. And there crouched over the reflective surface of the dreamscape was a young man, dressed in white, long hair obscuring his features.
The young man looked up quickly as Narsus approached him, choosing to hover slightly above the surface of the dreamscape, since such a thing was easily changeable.
“You are…” the young man began, looking suddenly hopeful.
“Like yourself, a DreamGazer.” Narsus replied steadily.
“You have seen the same vision of the end of the world.”
“It would seem so.”
“Then it is foreordained.” A soft sigh.
“I… do not know.” Narsus said quietly.
“But we have both seen it so it will come to pass.”
“Not necessarily. I have no great power, my visions are infrequent but what I do see…” Narsus hesitated, wondering briefly if he should be saying any of this.
The young man waited.
“What I do see is changeable. My visions are only ever instances…” he shrugged.
“You see the turning points of fate?” there was hope in the young man’s gaze again.
“Yes, I suppose you could call them that.”
“Your training-“
“I was never trained.” Narsus cut him off.
“Never trained? Then…” there was awe in the amber eyes now.
“I am Sakurazuka.” Narsus said by way of explanation, with a slight lift of his chin, referring to the distant ancestry of his clan.
The man smiled “That changes everything.”
Narsus frowned, unconvinced “It is not my place to decide the fate of humanity.”
“Nor mine but if changes are not prevented there may be no Promised Day.”
No Promised Day. The thought sat uneasily with Narsus. He knew a little of the reference from the vague and often indecipherable prophecies of his clan. The Promised Day, when the fate of humanity would be decided… he’d said as much in his dream to the other DreamGazer with the amber cat-like eyes. It was something irrefutable, something that could not be changed… supposedly and yet his dream had implied differently. But what could possibly change fate so drastically and what did it have to do with him? Just like… like… the imbalance he had felt. Just the sort of thing that could upset the flow of destiny.
Narsus shuddered; fate didn’t like disruptions and the repercussions were always horribly unforeseen.
Daryoon woke slowly, letting the layer of sleep roll of him with no hurry. There was a reason that didn’t really want to wake up today; he just couldn’t remember what it was at the moment. As his eyes finally opened the pensive expression on Narsus’ face reminded Daryoon just why the morning didn’t seem like such a good idea right now.
“Bad dreams?” he asked softly.
“Hmm, no… Not really.” Narsus’ gaze barely focused on Daryoon. “Just something…”
So they were back to this again. Daryoon said nothing, flinging back the covers and abruptly getting out of bed.
“Daryoon, where-“ Narsus began, startled.
“Breakfast.” Was the only reply he got as the warrior began to go about the motions of preparing for yet another long day.
Later that morning Narsus sat in front of the detailed map with it’s various markers signifying Pulsian and Lucitanian forces, respectively. He was supposed to be construction yet another elaborate plan that would ensure victory for the Prince’s forces but somehow the war was the furthest thing from his mind. Even his terrifying night-time vision didn’t truly hold his attention. It wasn’t something so seemingly as important that occupied his mind now but… Narsus focused his gaze on the map for an instant before looking up and round the room, noting the angle of light slanting in through the windows. Surely it would be time for lunch soon, time to sit and make polite conversation with those around him while he was ignored by the sulking Black Knight beside him.
Daryoon hadn’t spoken another word to Narsus after his sudden departure that morning. He was obviously sulking over something but Narsus couldn’t imagine what that might be. He considered his actions over the last few days… What was it he had done?
Daryoon said very little during lunch, only really making any effort to answer Arslan’s questions about the conditions for troops and prisoners alike. The Prince made some mention about taking some food to the Lucitanian girl in her cell and Daryoon forced himself to make some polite noncommittal comment.
“If she wants to starve herself, let her.” Narsus muttered under his breath.
“Exactly.” Daryoon found himself replying in the same low tones before he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to be talking to Narsus. There was a light touch on his arm when he turned away.
“Daryoon…”
“What?”
“What did I do wrong?” Narsus asked softly, a note of resignation in his voice.
That got Daryoon’s attention “Nothing…”
“Then what is it?”
Daryoon glanced round the table at the others, and drew a deep breath, decision made. “We need to talk. Later.”
Narsus stared at him wide-eyed, seeming to have forgotten their surroundings. “What-“ he began but it came out as something of a squeak.
“Later.” Was all Daryoon would say, in a tone of voice that allowed no argument.
I had a day off work so I finished part one and part two has gotten off to a good start. This may well prove to be a short and bizarre little series.
And to explain, it would appear that Narsus sees Tokyo in the dreamscape.
The Sakura, which is the so-called ‘Cherry Blossom Burial Mound’ that Sei-chan, is guardian of is located in Ueno Park, in Tokyo. For anyone unfamiliar with CLAMP’s “Tokyo Babylon” or the background of Sakurazukamori… they are termed the ‘assassin group that is only one person’ since there is only ever one Sakurazukarmori at any given time. The bodies of those that are killed are given to the tree and the pink petals flourish due to the fresh blood.
The white-winged creature that reflects as a full moon would be Yue, the Moon Guardian and Final Judgement Maker from CLAMP’s “CardCaptor Sakura”. The first character of Toyua’s name means peach blossom (I think), which is an understandable link to anyone who’s read the manga.
The Black Dragon of the North Sea is Amaru Ryudo from “Soryuden” or “Legend of the 4 Kings” as it was titled here. Of the 4 brothers he is the most psychic.
The man with the visor and wires is Gingetsu from CLAMP’s “Clover”. The wires that coil round him possessively would be Ran’s doing.
And of course, the DreamGazer is Kakyou again.
17:29, 24/07/02