Fanfic Archive: Into the Light, 12
May. 28th, 2009 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
texchan(Written: 2004)
Warnings: Bad Language. Violence
Summary: Badly injured while protecting his companions from a magical creature the Heavenly Ones sealed away centuries ago, Orphen has no choice but to call on Childman for assistance and protection. Will the sorceror who was once his master come to his aid, or is Childman really bent on Orphen's destruction?
Legal Stuff: As always, this story is intended to express one fan's genuine appreciation of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and its characters. It is just for fun and not for profit. If you have any rights in the anime described here and find the posting of this fanfiction offensive or harmful, please contact me, and I will be happy to remove it.
Into the Light
CHAPTER 12
Majic woke as the morning sun slanted through a crack in the shutters and into his eyes. As he struggled to come awake, he could hear the sounds of someone moving around in the outer room. He glanced toward the door, and, through bleary, sleep-filled eyes, he could see that it was open just slightly --- a tiny crack that allowed the sound of someone making breakfast to seep into the room. As had become his habit during their time here, Majic looked toward the bed, intending to check on Orphen before rising to face the day. Suddenly, the boy was wide-awake. He jumped to his feet, and glanced around the room in a panic. For the first time in ten days, the bed and chair were both empty. Majic bolted for the door and pushed it open. It swung open wildly and hit the wall with a loud slam, startling Cleao, who was busy at the fire, making breakfast.
She whirled around at the loud cracking sound. She had been cooking eggs, but the sudden, loud noise made her jump and caused her to drop the skillet she had been holding, spilling eggs all over the floor. "MAJIC!!" she yelled angrily, immediately dropping to the floor to clean up the mess. "What the hell are you doing? You scared the living daylights out of me! What's wrong?"
Majic skidded to a halt and stood, dumfounded, in the doorway to the inner room. His sleepy mind was having a lot of trouble putting everything together. He was a bit fuzzy from just waking up, but he could have sworn they had left Cleao in a nearby town. What was she doing here? "C … cleao?" he stammered, "Wh … what are you doing here? H … how did you…?"
"Oh, well, nice to see you, too, Magic Boy," she muttered. When she looked up from cleaning up the spilled eggs and saw the confused look on Majic's face, she smiled and continued in a softer tone, "Childman brought me here last night. You were asleep when I got here. He didn't want to wake you."
"Childman?" Majic asked.
Cleao nodded. "He left. Early this morning."
"He left?" Majic asked. "Why?"
Cleao shrugged. "Who knows? Sorcerers. They're all the same. Never tell anyone what they're thinking or why they do anything. He just said he wasn't needed here any more. And, then, he disappeared. Literally. Oooh. I hate that damn disappearing trick. I mean, he's there and then, he's not. I'm glad Orphen doesn't do it that much. I don't think I could take it."
Majic stared at her. She had gone back to picking up the spilled eggs, and he knew she was, basically talking to herself now. He might as well not have even been in the room. Majic dropped to his knees and grabbed both of her arms, physically jerking her out of her monologue. "Cleao!" he hissed, shaking her. "What about Master? He's not there. He didn't …" His voice trailed off as a lump rose in his throat, making it impossible to talk.
"Didn't I tell you?" Cleao asked, looking at Majic absently. "He woke up last night. That's why Childman came to get me." She pointed toward the open door of the little house. Majic knew, even though he couldn't see it, that a lazy, slow-moving river meandered through the woods a short distance away. "He's at the river. He said he wanted to clean up before breakfast."
Majic sighed. He had never felt so relieved in his whole life. "Cleao," he said, calmly, "did anyone ever tell you what a pain in the ass you are?"
She laughed, happy at the success of her little practical joke. "You are so funny when you're nervous, Majic," she giggled. "I'm so glad you missed me."
Majic bolted for the door, calling over his shoulder as he ran, "Oh, you'll never know how much!" He could hear Cleao's laughter behind him as he ran toward the river.
***********************************************************
It only took Majic a few minutes to reach the river. It wasn't far from the cottage, but it was on the other side of a small hill, which hid it from the house, and vice versa. As he topped the hill between the house and river, Majic paused. He had to shield his eyes from the sun's light. The early morning sun had just hit the slow moving water, making it shimmer and sparkle with a blinding white light. Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness, Majic scanned the river below him. He smiled when he finally saw Orphen. The young sorcerer had waded into the river and stood, waist deep in the cool, clear water. His back was to Majic, and he was splashing water up over his head and bare torso. He looked fine … a little thinner, perhaps, but, otherwise, fine. Majic frowned as he noticed the scars crisscrossing Orphen's back. Even from this distance, he could see them, lacing across and along the young sorcerer's back and shoulders --- the souvenirs left from his fight with Morph. Majic knew there was a corresponding set on his master's chest.
"MASTER!!" Majic called.
When Orphen turned around and, smiling, waved to him, Majic waved back and ran down the hill. Orphen moved toward the river's bank, but Majic was faster. He reached the river and splashed right in. When he was a few inches away from the young sorcerer, he launched himself through the air and into Orphen's open arms. Orphen caught him, but the force of Majic's weight caused him to tumble backwards, and they both fell. They laughed as they rolled over and over in the water, a tangle of arms and legs, and finally came to rest on a shallow shelf a little ways away from the bank. Majic ended up sitting on top of Orphen, and he smiled as he looked down at his master, who was sputtering, coughing, and choking on the water he had swallowed.
"All right, Majic," Orphen snapped. He shook water out of his hair and tried to sound stern and angry, which was impossible because he couldn't stop smiling. He finally gave up on his "stern and angry master act" and whined, "Come on, get offa me. It hurts, and I can't breathe."
"Oh!" Majic exclaimed, as he scrambled off of Orphen's chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't … I didn't hurt you, did I?"
He looked so forlorn that Orphen couldn't keep from laughing. "No," he chuckled, reaching over to gently ruffle Majic's hair. "I'm OK. A little tired, still, but alive. Guess that's something."
Majic smiled and, impulsively, hugged his master. "Oh, Master. That's … that's everything. I thought … I thought I'd never see you again." He felt tears come to his eyes as he remembered how scared he had been. "I … I was so … scared."
Majic was shocked when Orphen hugged him back. "I know, Majic," he whispered, burying his face in the boy's wet hair. "I … I never meant for you and Cleao … I didn't want you to go through that. I … I was … scared, too. All I could think about was … what would happen to you two … if I was gone. That's why I called him … Childman. That's why I called Childman. I thought he would take care of you. I never woulda thought he'd actually save me."
"Master," Majic said, pulling away from Orphen, "Childman … he …" he paused, not sure if he should continue with what he wanted to say. He was afraid it would make Orphen angry.
"He what, Majic?" Orphen asked. He cocked his head and raised a questioning eyebrow at Majic as the boy nervously shifted back and forth.
"Well …," Majic said nervously, "It's just that … that I think … well, maybe … Childman isn't the way you … you know … think he is. I mean … he … he didn't seem all that bad … to me." He tensed, readying himself for Orphen's explosion of anger. He had seen his master's temper often enough to know that it wouldn't be pretty.
Much to Majic's surprise, Orphen just paused, as if he was thinking about what the boy had just said. "Yeah," he said slowly, "You just might be right, Majic. I don't remember a lot … the whole time I was sick, it was pretty much just one big blur. But, I remember waking up, and there was so much pain … and … it was hard … to breathe. But, Master … he was there. I was in his arms, and … I don't know … it was … it was like when I was little and I'd get sick … Childman … he … would sit up with me all night … and … I knew … somehow that it'd all be OK." He laughed, as if he was embarrassed at revealing too much, and said, quickly, "Guess that sounds pretty stupid, huh?""No, Master," Majic replied, "It doesn't sound stupid at all. Master Childman … he … he cares about you. I know it's hard for you to accept, but we all do. We all care about you. You are OK, aren't you?"
Orphen nodded. "Yeah. My power is still gone. Before he left, Master told me that it would return, but it would take a while. So, for the time being, guess I'm just an ordinary guy. Hope that's OK."
Majic smiled. "At this point, I think Cleao and I will both take whatever we can get." He stood up, still smiling, and held out his hand to the young sorcerer as he said, "Besides, you're far from ordinary. You're probably the skinniest guy I've ever seen. Geez! I can even see all of your ribs!"
Orphen laughed and took the hand Majic offered him. He groaned as the boy pulled him to his feet, and said, rubbing his ribs, "Which are still broken, by the way. You'd think, if Master really cared, he'd have fixed that. As for being too skinny, I have a feeling Cleao has decided to dedicate her every waking moment to fixing that. She was cooking a huge breakfast when I left."
"Yeah, well," Majic replied as they sloshed their way out of the river and up onto the grassy bank. "Childman did bring you back from the dead, you know. You can't expect him to fix every little scrape and bruise. And, um … about those eggs…"
Orphen stopped and gave Majic a shocked, wide-eyed look, "Majic, you didn't … you didn't ruin Cleao's breakfast, did you?"
Majic blushed and looked away. "It was an accident," he mumbled. They were about halfway up the hill that would lead them back to the little house when Orphen suddenly collapsed onto the grassy slope. "Master!" Majic exclaimed, dropping to one knee next to the young sorcerer, "are you sick? Are you OK? What's wrong?"
Orphen fell back against the grass and stared up at the sky. "Majic," he said, "I'm not a well man. Couldn't you have managed to not piss off Cleao for at least one day?"
Majic laughed, but the sound died in his throat as he thought about how scary Cleao was when she was mad. He flopped down onto the ground next to Orphen, lying on his back and resting his head on his arms. "Well," he replied in a soft voice that was almost a mumble, "it really was an accident. How long do you think we'll have to wait before we can go in there?"
Orphen cocked his head slightly to the side. He could still hear the girl yelling about how stupid he and Majic were. Her words were punctuated by the auditory exclamation point caused by the occasional clang of a skillet or pot hitting a wall or door. He sighed, and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the warm morning sun shining down on his bare chest and the warm breeze that gently blew through his hair. On the verge of sleep, he mumbled, "With that girl, who knows? She's so irritating. And, I was hungry, too." Within moments, he was fast asleep.
Majic rose slightly, and, leaning on one elbow, watched his master sleeping. His breathing was soft and even, and Majic could see his chest rising and falling with each breath. For the first time in a long time, he truly believed that Orphen would recover. He laughed as he heard Cleao throw another pan and flopped back down onto the warm, sweet-smelling grass. He smiled and, as he closed his eyes, muttered, "Finally … everything's back to normal."
End
Warnings: Bad Language. Violence
Summary: Badly injured while protecting his companions from a magical creature the Heavenly Ones sealed away centuries ago, Orphen has no choice but to call on Childman for assistance and protection. Will the sorceror who was once his master come to his aid, or is Childman really bent on Orphen's destruction?
Legal Stuff: As always, this story is intended to express one fan's genuine appreciation of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and its characters. It is just for fun and not for profit. If you have any rights in the anime described here and find the posting of this fanfiction offensive or harmful, please contact me, and I will be happy to remove it.
CHAPTER 12
Majic woke as the morning sun slanted through a crack in the shutters and into his eyes. As he struggled to come awake, he could hear the sounds of someone moving around in the outer room. He glanced toward the door, and, through bleary, sleep-filled eyes, he could see that it was open just slightly --- a tiny crack that allowed the sound of someone making breakfast to seep into the room. As had become his habit during their time here, Majic looked toward the bed, intending to check on Orphen before rising to face the day. Suddenly, the boy was wide-awake. He jumped to his feet, and glanced around the room in a panic. For the first time in ten days, the bed and chair were both empty. Majic bolted for the door and pushed it open. It swung open wildly and hit the wall with a loud slam, startling Cleao, who was busy at the fire, making breakfast.
She whirled around at the loud cracking sound. She had been cooking eggs, but the sudden, loud noise made her jump and caused her to drop the skillet she had been holding, spilling eggs all over the floor. "MAJIC!!" she yelled angrily, immediately dropping to the floor to clean up the mess. "What the hell are you doing? You scared the living daylights out of me! What's wrong?"
Majic skidded to a halt and stood, dumfounded, in the doorway to the inner room. His sleepy mind was having a lot of trouble putting everything together. He was a bit fuzzy from just waking up, but he could have sworn they had left Cleao in a nearby town. What was she doing here? "C … cleao?" he stammered, "Wh … what are you doing here? H … how did you…?"
"Oh, well, nice to see you, too, Magic Boy," she muttered. When she looked up from cleaning up the spilled eggs and saw the confused look on Majic's face, she smiled and continued in a softer tone, "Childman brought me here last night. You were asleep when I got here. He didn't want to wake you."
"Childman?" Majic asked.
Cleao nodded. "He left. Early this morning."
"He left?" Majic asked. "Why?"
Cleao shrugged. "Who knows? Sorcerers. They're all the same. Never tell anyone what they're thinking or why they do anything. He just said he wasn't needed here any more. And, then, he disappeared. Literally. Oooh. I hate that damn disappearing trick. I mean, he's there and then, he's not. I'm glad Orphen doesn't do it that much. I don't think I could take it."
Majic stared at her. She had gone back to picking up the spilled eggs, and he knew she was, basically talking to herself now. He might as well not have even been in the room. Majic dropped to his knees and grabbed both of her arms, physically jerking her out of her monologue. "Cleao!" he hissed, shaking her. "What about Master? He's not there. He didn't …" His voice trailed off as a lump rose in his throat, making it impossible to talk.
"Didn't I tell you?" Cleao asked, looking at Majic absently. "He woke up last night. That's why Childman came to get me." She pointed toward the open door of the little house. Majic knew, even though he couldn't see it, that a lazy, slow-moving river meandered through the woods a short distance away. "He's at the river. He said he wanted to clean up before breakfast."
Majic sighed. He had never felt so relieved in his whole life. "Cleao," he said, calmly, "did anyone ever tell you what a pain in the ass you are?"
She laughed, happy at the success of her little practical joke. "You are so funny when you're nervous, Majic," she giggled. "I'm so glad you missed me."
Majic bolted for the door, calling over his shoulder as he ran, "Oh, you'll never know how much!" He could hear Cleao's laughter behind him as he ran toward the river.
***********************************************************
It only took Majic a few minutes to reach the river. It wasn't far from the cottage, but it was on the other side of a small hill, which hid it from the house, and vice versa. As he topped the hill between the house and river, Majic paused. He had to shield his eyes from the sun's light. The early morning sun had just hit the slow moving water, making it shimmer and sparkle with a blinding white light. Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness, Majic scanned the river below him. He smiled when he finally saw Orphen. The young sorcerer had waded into the river and stood, waist deep in the cool, clear water. His back was to Majic, and he was splashing water up over his head and bare torso. He looked fine … a little thinner, perhaps, but, otherwise, fine. Majic frowned as he noticed the scars crisscrossing Orphen's back. Even from this distance, he could see them, lacing across and along the young sorcerer's back and shoulders --- the souvenirs left from his fight with Morph. Majic knew there was a corresponding set on his master's chest.
"MASTER!!" Majic called.
When Orphen turned around and, smiling, waved to him, Majic waved back and ran down the hill. Orphen moved toward the river's bank, but Majic was faster. He reached the river and splashed right in. When he was a few inches away from the young sorcerer, he launched himself through the air and into Orphen's open arms. Orphen caught him, but the force of Majic's weight caused him to tumble backwards, and they both fell. They laughed as they rolled over and over in the water, a tangle of arms and legs, and finally came to rest on a shallow shelf a little ways away from the bank. Majic ended up sitting on top of Orphen, and he smiled as he looked down at his master, who was sputtering, coughing, and choking on the water he had swallowed.
"All right, Majic," Orphen snapped. He shook water out of his hair and tried to sound stern and angry, which was impossible because he couldn't stop smiling. He finally gave up on his "stern and angry master act" and whined, "Come on, get offa me. It hurts, and I can't breathe."
"Oh!" Majic exclaimed, as he scrambled off of Orphen's chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't … I didn't hurt you, did I?"
He looked so forlorn that Orphen couldn't keep from laughing. "No," he chuckled, reaching over to gently ruffle Majic's hair. "I'm OK. A little tired, still, but alive. Guess that's something."
Majic smiled and, impulsively, hugged his master. "Oh, Master. That's … that's everything. I thought … I thought I'd never see you again." He felt tears come to his eyes as he remembered how scared he had been. "I … I was so … scared."
Majic was shocked when Orphen hugged him back. "I know, Majic," he whispered, burying his face in the boy's wet hair. "I … I never meant for you and Cleao … I didn't want you to go through that. I … I was … scared, too. All I could think about was … what would happen to you two … if I was gone. That's why I called him … Childman. That's why I called Childman. I thought he would take care of you. I never woulda thought he'd actually save me."
"Master," Majic said, pulling away from Orphen, "Childman … he …" he paused, not sure if he should continue with what he wanted to say. He was afraid it would make Orphen angry.
"He what, Majic?" Orphen asked. He cocked his head and raised a questioning eyebrow at Majic as the boy nervously shifted back and forth.
"Well …," Majic said nervously, "It's just that … that I think … well, maybe … Childman isn't the way you … you know … think he is. I mean … he … he didn't seem all that bad … to me." He tensed, readying himself for Orphen's explosion of anger. He had seen his master's temper often enough to know that it wouldn't be pretty.
Much to Majic's surprise, Orphen just paused, as if he was thinking about what the boy had just said. "Yeah," he said slowly, "You just might be right, Majic. I don't remember a lot … the whole time I was sick, it was pretty much just one big blur. But, I remember waking up, and there was so much pain … and … it was hard … to breathe. But, Master … he was there. I was in his arms, and … I don't know … it was … it was like when I was little and I'd get sick … Childman … he … would sit up with me all night … and … I knew … somehow that it'd all be OK." He laughed, as if he was embarrassed at revealing too much, and said, quickly, "Guess that sounds pretty stupid, huh?""No, Master," Majic replied, "It doesn't sound stupid at all. Master Childman … he … he cares about you. I know it's hard for you to accept, but we all do. We all care about you. You are OK, aren't you?"
Orphen nodded. "Yeah. My power is still gone. Before he left, Master told me that it would return, but it would take a while. So, for the time being, guess I'm just an ordinary guy. Hope that's OK."
Majic smiled. "At this point, I think Cleao and I will both take whatever we can get." He stood up, still smiling, and held out his hand to the young sorcerer as he said, "Besides, you're far from ordinary. You're probably the skinniest guy I've ever seen. Geez! I can even see all of your ribs!"
Orphen laughed and took the hand Majic offered him. He groaned as the boy pulled him to his feet, and said, rubbing his ribs, "Which are still broken, by the way. You'd think, if Master really cared, he'd have fixed that. As for being too skinny, I have a feeling Cleao has decided to dedicate her every waking moment to fixing that. She was cooking a huge breakfast when I left."
"Yeah, well," Majic replied as they sloshed their way out of the river and up onto the grassy bank. "Childman did bring you back from the dead, you know. You can't expect him to fix every little scrape and bruise. And, um … about those eggs…"
Orphen stopped and gave Majic a shocked, wide-eyed look, "Majic, you didn't … you didn't ruin Cleao's breakfast, did you?"
Majic blushed and looked away. "It was an accident," he mumbled. They were about halfway up the hill that would lead them back to the little house when Orphen suddenly collapsed onto the grassy slope. "Master!" Majic exclaimed, dropping to one knee next to the young sorcerer, "are you sick? Are you OK? What's wrong?"
Orphen fell back against the grass and stared up at the sky. "Majic," he said, "I'm not a well man. Couldn't you have managed to not piss off Cleao for at least one day?"
Majic laughed, but the sound died in his throat as he thought about how scary Cleao was when she was mad. He flopped down onto the ground next to Orphen, lying on his back and resting his head on his arms. "Well," he replied in a soft voice that was almost a mumble, "it really was an accident. How long do you think we'll have to wait before we can go in there?"
Orphen cocked his head slightly to the side. He could still hear the girl yelling about how stupid he and Majic were. Her words were punctuated by the auditory exclamation point caused by the occasional clang of a skillet or pot hitting a wall or door. He sighed, and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the warm morning sun shining down on his bare chest and the warm breeze that gently blew through his hair. On the verge of sleep, he mumbled, "With that girl, who knows? She's so irritating. And, I was hungry, too." Within moments, he was fast asleep.
Majic rose slightly, and, leaning on one elbow, watched his master sleeping. His breathing was soft and even, and Majic could see his chest rising and falling with each breath. For the first time in a long time, he truly believed that Orphen would recover. He laughed as he heard Cleao throw another pan and flopped back down onto the warm, sweet-smelling grass. He smiled and, as he closed his eyes, muttered, "Finally … everything's back to normal."
End