Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

Disclaimer: I don't own Rai or Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. All rights go to ADV, Manga, Akita Sandanobu, and others. I did, however, make up (Rai's guardian here), so please don't use him without permission (like you'd even want to use him ^^;).

Rating: PG

Warnings: pre-SSO series, Rai-centered, vaguely dark issues

Notes: Whee! I finished! The Rai-fic was fun to work on, and look! NO romance whatsoever! I'm so proud of me. ^_^

Anyway, this has been fun and I want to thank everyone for the feedback! It helped me continue, really. Saa... If only I could go through every plot bunny like this... ^^;;

Oh, and for anyone that's confused by the ending, Rai is about nine and the other two are eight, mmkay? I'm not sure if he really is older than them, but in VF he is, and this was inspired because of VF and could be considered a sequel, so... Yeah. ^^

It had all been his fault...

He had only wanted to go to his mother. So what if he abandoned his own birthday party? It didn't mean anything without his mother there!

But no, no, he had to stay there-

He didn't want to stay there!

Then a scream...

A shout...

Fire...

Rai awoke, pale, shaking and sweating. He shivered, clenching his eyes shut, hands clutching at the robes on his body. That night... He didn't want to remember that night!

... It wasn't night. And these most definitely were NOT his clothes.

"Makubura-sensei?" he called tentatively. Something weird was going on. Not only was sunlight streaming through the window of a room he didn't recognize, but the half of the room to his right was dark. He turned his head- There was light. But now to his NEW right...

The zynth.

Rai swallowed, knowing he didn't want to know, but his hand had a mind of its own. Trembling, he reached up, touched the right side of his face, where his right eye should have been...

His scream could be heard for miles around.

"MAKUBURA-SENSEI!"

There was the sound of footsteps. People burst into the room, all adults, all male but one. Rai screamed again. He had been doing that a lot as of late, and his throat was sore already. But he was far from the point of caring. Realization hit him, flooding his senses. Makubura could not be found; his presence was dead and gone. HE was dead and gone. Rai's only companion left was no longer alive, and here, with all these strange people...

He began to cry. His small body shook with racking sobs, his hands flew to his face, which only made him cry harder as the palm of his hand felt the sealed flesh over the eye that had been torn beyond repair.

Then a voice spoke, a deep smooth one that sounded so much like Makubura it made him stop crying instantly. "I will tend to him."

There was some muttering as most everyone filed out. A prickling sensation on the back of Rai's neck told him someone was giving him a cold, scrutinizing look, but then it passed as that person, too, left. And then there was just one man.

The man sat beside him on the bed, bringing him into a fatherly embrace. Rai welcomed this open form of solace, hiccuping into the man's shoulder. A large hand smoothed his tousled green hair, calming him down very quickly. This man's aura felt nice. It was warm, yet it held no shimmer. He was a kind man, obviously, but also very righteous and firmly planted in his beliefs. How Rai knew this, he couldn't explain. He could just FEEL it.

"I am sorry for the great deal of losses you have suffered," the man said calmly, obviously knowing of more than just Makubura. "You may cry again if you wish."

Rai finally shook his head, squirming out of the embrace. His hiccups grew faint and he stared down at his hands, plucking at the material of the strange dark robes he had been given.

"Is Makubura-sensei dead?" he finally asked quietly. He already felt he was, but if this man would just confirm it, then...

The older man sighed softly, closing his eyes as though in sorrow. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry."

Rai inhaled sharply, tears stinging his single eye. He rubbed furiously at it before he said in an unnaturally firm voice, "I will not cry for him."

"And why not?" This man seemed neither offended or angry, which startled the boy. He had been expecting a lecture; you SHOULD cry for loved ones when they pass away. But...

"Because he was not that type of man," Rai heard himself say distantly. "He would not cry. And even if he would, it would be in secret, so as not to shame either himself or the one who passed away. It does not do to dignify death with tears."

The man stared at him solemnly. "You are wise beyond your years, Rai."

Rai didn't bother to ask how he knew his name. He really didn't want to know, nor did he care. "What now?" he asked in his unnervingly soft voice. Gone was the urge to cry, gone were his tears and childish whining. There was nothing he could do with his former teacher dead. All he could do was... Move on. And in order to do that, emotions had to be set aside.

Or, in his case, completely wiped off the slate.

"If you wish, you may stay here at the Tower of Fangs," the man finally said. "Makubura was informed of your... Unique talent, and so he set out to find you. Under the special circumstances, he simply took you away from your past." The dark, tanned hand came to rest on his head again. "I'm sorry to say that I didn't agree with his methods of both bringing you here and taking care of you, but what's done is done."

Rai was silent for a long moment. "Sir-"

"Childman-san will do just fine."

He nodded slowly. "Yes... Childman-san, what exactly IS my... My talent?"

Childman paused for a moment, as though searching for exactly the right words. At last, he said, "You are a clairvoyant, Rai. Do you understand what that is?" Rai shook his head in a negative. Even if he WAS a little smarter than others his age, and definitely more experienced in life than most by the age of ten, possibly even older, there was still much he didn't know. He was not omniscient. "In literary terms, it means you have the power to see things or objects beyond the physical vision. Do you understand?"

Rai hesitated. "Sort of... Like... I can see things on the other side of the world in my mind?"

"You could, if you practiced hard and well enough," Childman agreed. "However, clairvoyancy is not just a gift. It has to be practiced, polished and refined before you will be able to do something that drastic."

The boy glanced up at the older man. He was so much like Makubura upon first glance- High cheekbones, elegant pose, expression neutral... But where there had been creases in Makubura's forehead there were smoother and less lines in Childman's. Where Makubura's eyes had been hard, Childman's were crinkled at the edges, indicating he had clearly smiled a lot more.

"Childman-san," he began, "I do not understand. If my power is that of the clairvoyant type, why... Why did I dream of the zynths attacking Makubura-sensei before it actually happened?"

"With a gift like that there is a good chance of having a mild psychic lurking beneath," Childman said with utter calm, as though this question weren't startling at all. Oh, how he and Makubura were so alike!

"When do I begin my training, Childman-san?"

Childman shook his head, his dark hair shining with so much more luster than Makubura's ever had, even slicked back. "Wounds must heal first, Rai," he said gently. "Both physical and emotional. When you are stable enough to train, I will request of it from the Elders. But until then... Heal."

Rai's head dropped. Frustration began to build; what was the use of training his powers to make them better if he couldn't use it right away? But there was no use arguing, and anyway, Makubura would have agreed.

Childman stood and began to leave, but the sound of his name falling from the other boy's lips made him pause. "Childman-san..."

"Yes?" he prodded gently when Rai didn't speak up.

"Can... Can you try to make sure that... YOU will teach me?"

A gentle smile touched the man's lips. "I will do my best," he promised, appearing almost fond of the small boy as he made the vow. "Now rest."

"Yes, Childman-san." With a sigh, Rai lay back. When the door closed behind Childman, he allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek, turning over to muffle his sobs in his pillow. It was all right now, he was alone. He could cry now.

Just now.

No one was around... Good. Rai slipped between the crack of the door and the doorframe, running on silent feet. His hood was pulled up over his face, held in place with one hand. It wasn't necessary to be this sneaky. Quite the opposite, in fact. Childman had given him full permission to join the normal classes, and he did.

But always his cloak covered his face. He didn't want the students gawking at his right eye, though it would be hard to see even with his hood down. He had grown his hair so that most of the front covered the right half of his features, the thick green strands hiding the mutilated eye from sight.

Even so, accidents could happen and he didn't want to risk one. So when it came time for his special training, he always felt the need to get there without being seen. It would, he reasoned, come in handy someday.

"Hey-!"

Startled out of his thoughts too late, Rai crashed headlong into someone. Both of them fell back, Rai to the floor and the other was just barely caught by the student behind him. Rai felt his face redden in embarrassment; he was so careless! Luckily, the other two didn't see his obvious humiliation because of his hood.

"You okay?" one of them asked with genuine concern. Rai glanced upwards at the second boy, the one helping his friend with chestnut-coloured hair up. The second boy had slanted but gentle golden eyes and dusty red hair that fell with silken softness to his shoulders. Rai felt a pang of longing; the boy resembled Makubura a little. Then he took note of the six freckles, which made the pang disappear.

"Fine," he said quietly, picking himself up. He was surprised when the boy he had run into grasped him by the elbow, aiding him to his feet. Rai pulled his arm away, rubbing at it nervously. After six years with hardly any human contact, touch made him nervous.

The first boy shrugged, sienna-coloured eyes glinting with vague humor. He seemed to find the situation amusing. "Sorry 'bout that. Be careful next time, 'kay?"

"Krylancelo," the second said, frowning, before he returned his gaze to Rai. "Are you in a hurry? Rai, right? You're the quiet one in the back of Childman-sensei's class?"

Rai nodded, surprised he had noticed. The other boy seemed to recognize him, too.

"Why do you always keep your hood up, anyway?" he asked curiously, reaching for it.

The red-haired boy slapped his hand away. "If he has his reasons, let him be," he scolded. Obviously he was the more mature one of the two.

"Right, right, sorry..." Krylancelo mumbled, still grinning at Rai. He seemed to be the more amiable of the two. "C'mon, Hartia, we should go..."

"See you," Hartia said brightly to Rai, waving as the two disappeared down the hall and around the corner opposite of where Rai himself had just come from. Fascinated, Rai reached up to brush his fingers across the smooth skin sealing his right eye shut.

Obviously, there was a lot more to the Tower of Fangs than just learning magic. And how he wanted to see the boys again, make friends like he'd never had before in his life.

Maybe, eventually, he could find someone to confide in, even.

~Owari :: The End~