The roof of the dojo standing above the trees was the single most welcome sight Destiny had seen in a long time. They passed over it, following the trail that was currently hidden in the trees, but whose path was forever ingrained in their minds. Soon they could see the ring of buildings surrounding the wide fountain and plaza that was their home village, Anaxagoras. Although Destiny felt the warm happy feeling she expected at seeing Anaxagoras again after such a long time gone, but it was tinged with a sort of regret. This was the only time she had ever left home alone, without her parents, and although the outside world had been intimidating it had also been exciting. There was much to learn beyond the borders of their little world. The words from her dream still echoed in her head and she glanced up at Kida, looking away quickly before she noticed. To kill her childhood friend… she didn’t know if she could do it. Or how.
Those thoughts were quickly driven away by their arrival in the middle of town, right next to the fountain. It was late evening by this point, so the plaza was mostly empty. A few people were still hurrying home, but the warm cozy lights shining from the windows of the buildings around them proved that most were home, probably eating dinner.
Destiny looked over at Kida and sighed. “Well, I guess this is where we part ways.”
“Just for tonight, though. We should meet here tomorrow and find Elder Kakashi, he will want to know what we have discovered,” Kida said.
“Yes, you’re probably right. So, tomorrow morning it is, right here. Say, just after breakfast, around nine?” Destiny usually woke up just after sunrise, unlike her sister - a notoriously early riser - so a meeting at nine would give her time to actually get up, get dressed, and eat before leaving.
“Sounds good to me. Well, I’m off to see the family, I’ll see you tomorrow!” With a wave goodbye, Kida turned and jogged off towards her parent’s house. Destiny too took off running, eager now to see the faces of her family again.
They lived in a small house set a ways back from the rest of the buildings in the circle, and separated from it by a short wrought iron fence. The area leading up to it, the front lawn, was devoted entirely to her mother’s gardens. Plants both large and small covered the patch of land, from the herb garden near the door to the tall apple tree by the gate. Most of the plants had lost the majority of their leaves, but there was still beauty in the garden. Several of the trees leaves were still showing their colors, the reds and golds just visible through the evening darkness. Destiny walked down the cobblestone path in the center slowly, the memories weighing heavily on her shoulders. All the times she’d come down this path. Never before had it seemed so meaningful, this return to hearth and home.
When she pushed open the door, she was met with a waft of delicious aromas. She picked out curry, chicken, and spiced rice, and… just a hint of apple pie, probably still sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen cooling. All the smells told her one thing. Her mother must have actually let Nanashi, her sister, cook for once.
Destiny loved her mother, she really did, but the woman simply could not cook. She made a mess of the simplest recipes, and Destiny and her sister had learned at an early age how to make their own sandwiches for lunch, to avoid their mother’s “experiments.” Fortunately, for the first fifteen years their grandmother lived with them and cooked dinner each night. Nanashi had learned from her, although Destiny had never really seen the appeal.
The sound of the door opening and closing had apparently gone unnoticed, because the chatter and clink of utensils and plates from the dining room continued unabated. Destiny considered being sneaky for a moment, slipping in and surprising them, but decided against it. Nanashi’s cooking was excellent, there was no point in putting any of it at risk of being spilled or knocked over in shock. So instead she simply stood in the doorway of the dining room and knocked on the doorframe, grinning.
The reaction was both predictable and heartwarming. With a cry of “Destiny!” her sister leapt up from her seat and threw her arms around her, hugging her tight. Although Destiny was just a few years older, they had always been the closest of siblings and friends. Even so, as she hugged Nanashi back, she realized with a twinge of guilt that she had not thought about her sister at all on their journey so far. The adventure had just been too distracting, she supposed.
Next in line for a hug was her mother, then her father. Neither of them asked where she had been, they knew better. Destiny had the wandering spirit, or at least that was what her father had always told her when she insisted he take her on one of his expeditions out into the woods. That, and she suspected Kakashi had spoken with them. Either way, they welcomed her in with open arms, asking all the right questions and listening avidly to her stories of the adventures she and Kida had run into on the road. Heavily edited, of course, and imbued with a bit of Destiny’s own natural flair for storytelling, but she felt she managed to keep the exaggeration to a minimum. After dinner, and the excellent apple pie that had indeed been cooling on the windowsill, Destiny found her old room just as she’d left it. Her mother had apparently come in and dusted, maybe straightened up a bit, but other than that, it was still her room, her sanctuary.
That night, she laid down in her own bed, with her own pillow, surrounded by the familiar sounds and smells of home. Even so, it took her a long time to fall asleep. Thoughts kept spinning through her mind, most related to the dream, the ninja clan, and her task. If she went through with it, killed Kida, and joined the clan, she would have to leave all of this behind. How could she ever return home after something like that? The decision was a difficult one. Family and friends on one side of the balance, power and her future on the other. When she finally did drift off, her sleep was fitful, riddled with strange, half-formed dreams and nightmares.
When she met Kida the next morning, she knew her rough night showed on her face, so she was silently grateful that Kida’s only reaction was a long look. Other than that, she didn’t mention it, a cheery “Good morning!” her only greeting.
“A good morning to you too, miss sunshine. How long have you been waiting?”
“Oh, not long.” The impatient bounce in her foot put the lie to her words, as did her next exclamation. “Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s go find Kakashi, he’s probably up at the dojo teaching the morning class!”
Kida was right, that was their best bet for finding him, so they started running, laughing. Of course they had to race, but Destiny had a bit of an unfair advantage. As a cat, she was simply naturally faster than an angel like Kida. Still, she had to push herself to stay in the lead, and only made it to the top of the hill a few seconds ahead. They took a few moments to catch their breath before Destiny led the way into the dojo, ducking easily under the low sloping roof into the shade of the training area. Sure enough, Kakashi was standing to one side, watching his class of a dozen or so young children go through the moves of their simplified kata. Destiny slipped her sandals off and stepped up onto the wooden floor, approaching Kakashi with a bow of respect. Kida simply nodded her head gravely - only ninjas were required to give the full honors to the elder.
“Sensei, we have returned,” Destiny said quietly once he had acknowledged them with a look and a small smile.
“So I can see. Were you successful?”
“We’ve gathered quite a lot of information,” Kida replied. “We can relay it to you in private, if you would like.”
“Yes. I shall finish the lesson and then we shall go. Please wait for me outside.” He turned back to his class and began moving through their careful formation, correcting a hand here, a foot there, murmuring quiet words of encouragement and criticism.
Destiny and Kida ducked back outside to wait as instructed. After a while, Kakashi joined them and they returned to the village, albeit at a much slower pace. As they walked, they started telling their story. Kida did most of the talking, with Destiny piping up only when something was left out, or it was a time when Kida was either not there or was asleep. The tale lasted the entire walk back, and another hour once they had reached Kakashi’s house. After it was done, the elder sat quietly on the stool in his living room, looking from one to the other where they sat on the floor on cushions.
“What you have told me… all of this is very interesting. I do not yet know what to think of this Midas person, but I am inclined to agree with Kida. His intentions did seem honorable. Exacting punishment on one who has betrayed you is understandable. This is an acceptable reason for why he burned the house. He could have simply killed the man and his wife, but instead chose something that would be a painful loss, but not an impossible one to overcome.” There was a long silence as the girls pondered his words. Then Kakashi stood and sighed. “I am afraid I must leave again. There are things I must do now that I have heard your story. I will return in a few days. If you are still here, we will speak again then.”
“Yes, sensei,” they both replied. He escorted them to the door and bid them farewell. Once the door was closed behind them Kida frowned and scratched the back of her neck.
“Well… that was unenlightening. We know that Kakashi seems to support Midas, but not much more than that,” she said.
“True. Hopefully he’s off doing something helpful. Elder Kakashi is always so mysterious.”
“That he is. Well, I’m going to head back home to read a bit. I’ll see you around!”
Kida spread her wings and kicked off, gliding the short distance across the plaza back to her home. Destiny watched her go for a moment, considering her own next move. As she thought back over what they had just told Kakashi, something Midas had said sprang to her mind. He had mentioned Zadkiel, the owner of the magic shop there in Anaxagoras. Told them to say hello, in fact. Well, who was she to deny a reunion of two old friends, even if it was secondhand? And besides, her investigative spirit had lifted its head again. Maybe he could tell her something about Midas.
The magic shop was off to her right, a tall, narrow building that was one of the few in the city with more than one floor. She entered with some trepidation. Her memory of Zadkiel cast him as a somewhat sour, cranky old man who didn’t like small children in his shop, and who more often than not was gone off to far away cities with strange and exciting names.. The man who stood behind the counter fit that description roughly, but the smile that lit up his face when she walked in eased all of her worries as to his temperament now that she was all grown up.
“Destiny! It’s so good to see you again. Your father has been telling me all about your adventures, he was in here earlier today.”
“Really? I, ah, hope he didn’t overexaggerate too much.”
Zadkiel laughed at this, coming out from behind the counter. “Not too much, not too much. Now, what can I do for you, young lady?”
“Well, I’m actually here to deliver a message. While Kida and I were travelling we met an old friend of yours, Midas.” At the mention of the name Zadkiel’s face grew serious. “He told us to tell you hello for him.”
“Did he now… well, that’s interesting. I haven’t spoken with Midas in, well, in quite some time. Not since he started pursuing the Chaos. Not since Matt Fisher went missing.”
“Matt Fisher? Who’s he?”
“An old friend of Midas’s. They were students together. After he went missing… yes, that’s when all the trouble started. No one really knows what happened. No one but Midas, that is.”
“Of course. So you’re saying he only started studying Chaos magic after his friend, Matt Fisher disappeared?”
“Yes. Some people say he was desperate to save him, but from what, no one knows. Personally, I think that Matt boy just up and ran away. He’d always been the troublemaker of the two. Back when they were my students they were always up to mischief, and it was usually Matt’s doing.”
“I see… so when did Matt first disappear?”
“Well, let’s see, that’d be… about three years ago now. He’d been off travelling for a while, but always kept in touch with Midas and his other friends. I was still spending most of my time there, just summers here in Anaxagoras. Midas would stop by and see me regular-like, so I was likely one of the earliest to hear that Matt had supposedly vanished. He was due back in Blowin to visit his family, but never showed. I still say he just wanted his freedom. Don’t blame him, to be honest. My folks are back in Mizumi, and I’ve never looked back.”
Destiny kept her own opinions on the subject to herself. She loved her family, true, but could easily see a situation that would cause her to abandon them, as Matt had his. The ninja clan. Perhaps something similar had happened to Matt Fisher, if there were such “clans” among the wizards. It had been hundreds of years since the last truly power-hungry, ambitious wizard. Anyone who showed those traits these days were rejected from the schools at a young age. The thought of another one on the loose sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. The thought of the damage he could cause if unopposed was downright frightening.
“Thank you for the information, sir, you’ve been very helpful,” she said respectfully. “I just have one more question. Do you know where we can find Midas? Kida and I wish to help him, if that is possible.”
He sighed and shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t. Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. That’s why he burned down that man’s house, you know. He gave away Midas’s location to Matt, betrayed a confidence and put Midas’s life in danger.”
Destiny could only nod, finally understanding what could have made a supposedly honorable wizard do something like burn a house down. A betrayal like that, a broken trust… yes, he had indeed been merciful in sparing their lives. Destiny did not know if she could have shown similar self control.
“That’s all right, I understand. Well, again, thank you. It has been nice talking with you again,” Destiny said.
“Yes, yes it has…” he replied. Just as Destiny was turning to leave, he spoke again, stopping her short. “Wait… Would you and Kida mind running an errand for me? There would be compensation in it for you.”
Destiny considered his words for a long moment. She wasn’t sure how Kida would feel about it, but she knew she was open to it. Although it was nice to be home, now that she had gained a taste of the outside world, she found she wanted more. Geonova was a huge place, after all, and she had seen only a small portion of it. It would not at all surprise her if Kida felt the same way. “Well,” she said slowly. “I know I’m willing. I can’t speak for Kida, but I imagine she will be as well. What is the errand?”
“It’s quite simple. Just deliver this package to the magic shop in Gerse for me.” Zadkiel reached under the counter and brought up a small package wrapped securely in brown paper and tied with a long piece of twine. Destiny could not help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Gerse was not far, and it was only a medium sized town, although their technology was quite good. She had been there once with her father, as a child, and remembered being impressed by the electric lights and small cars owned by the wealthy inhabitants of the town. Even so, she had agreed to the task, and it was another excuse to leave Anaxagoras, after all. Nothing exciting ever happened in Anaxagoras.
She picked up the package, which was surprisingly light for its size. “Not a problem. Should we just drop it off, or would you prefer we give it directly to the owner of the shop?”
“Oh, you can just drop it off. It’s simply some dried herbs that the owner asked me for. Apparently she has been having some trouble growing them, and I have something of a reputation as a gardener.” Zadkiel laughed, gesturing towards the window, outside of which she knew lay the patch of ground where he kept an herb garden.
“Very well, should not be too hard. We’ll probably be back within the week, unless we decide to go off on another adventure,” Destiny said, the last part tinged with sarcasm. Maybe they would be lucky enough to run into something interesting again, but then again, that was hardly how the world worked. One adventure was more than anyone could rightly hope for in their life.
She scooped up the package, and the rather generous bag of gold he had placed next to it, and bid farewell to Zadkiel, walking out of his shop back into the fresh, cool outside air. Takin a deep breath, she took off at a slow jog towards Kida’s house. It was a good deal smaller than Destiny’s, and built in a more minimalistic manner. Kida had once told her that the design was a reflection of the simplicity a true swordsman sought in his or her life. Material possessions were supposed to mean nothing, outside of one’s blades. Kida had confided in Destiny that she thought it was just because her father was too cheap to properly decorate, but the house was at least functional, if not entirely comfortable.
Destiny knocked on the front door and waited. She heard the scramble of footsteps inside, then the door was yanked open by Kida’s younger sister, who immediately attacked Destiny with a bear hug, although the effect was somewhat spoiled due to the fact that her head barely reached Destiny’s stomach.
“Well hello there, Marin,” Destiny greeted the little girl, laughing. “Is your sister at home? I need to talk to her.”
“I’ll get her!” Marin caroled happily, turning and bolting away as fast as she’d come, disappearing quickly up the stairs that were just visible from the front door. Destiny waited patiently for a few minutes until Kida came down those same stairs.
“Hey Dez, what’s up?” she asked.
Destiny chose to ignore the nickname this time. “Just came back from talking to Zadkiel. He had some interesting things to say about Midas - I’ll tell you later. He also has an errand for us, he wants us to deliver this…” She held up the small package. “To the magic shop in Gerse.”
Kida wrinkled her nose, echoing Destiny’s own feelings about the job. “Gerse? Really? It couldn’t be somewhere more exciting?”
“I know, I know. But he seemed to want both of us to go. And it’s an excuse to get out of here again. You know, we don’t have to come straight back afterwards…” Destiny let her words trail off. When Kida’s mouth curled up into a mischevious grin, Destiny knew her thoughts were on the same track. With their pockets weighed down by the new gold they’d just earned, and a whole world to explore, there was no reason at all they should return to the tiny little town of Anaxagoras.
“Should we leave notes?” Kida asked.
“Don’t bother. Zadkiel will tell our parents, I’m sure. ‘Course, they probably know by now not to worry too much. We’re young, this is our time to live and have fun!” Destiny was excited now at the potential of more adventure. And in the back of her mind, a small voice spoke up, telling her that she would never be able to complete the task of killing Kida here in Anaxagoras. Too many witnesses. Out in the world there were all kinds of ways to die, many of which at least looked like accidents. She kept her expression cheerful, though, not wanting to betray any of her inner thoughts to her friend.
“Well, all right. Just let me pack, and then we can meet up and leave.”
Destiny agreed and they parted ways. She headed home to pack as well. Miraculously, she managed to avoid her family, and the awkward questions that seeing them would have entailed. It took her barely ten minutes to repack, as all she needed were a few changes of clean clothes and some food from the kitchen to add to her bag, which was still mostly packed from her arrival the day before. Then, slinging the bag onto her shoulders, she returned to Kida’s house. A few minutes later and Kida joined her.
“You ready?” Destiny asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. To adventure?”
“To adventure!” They both laughed, then Kida snagged Destiny’s arms and took off into the air with a kick, her wings soon falling into the easy pattern they’d developed. It was still a bit nervewracking for Destiny at first, seeing her feet dangling so far above the treetops that soon were all she could see below them, but it didn’t take long before she could let herself zone out into the relaxed state that made the miles and minutes fly by.
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