Ch14-10: Rude Wakening

Unruffled, Zazo paced forward and shoved her nose right up in TsuYa's face. ~Lazy Earthian. Wake up!~

“TsuYaaa!” the name ripped out of Zento’s hoarse throat as he swooped down towards the splayed body below. He had been searching up and down the western edge of the main Island for any sign of his son, in trepidation. What he finally found didn’t leave him with any comfort at all.

TsuYa lay face down in the grass. It looked like he had been dragged under cover after he had been overcome. There was blood, both black and red, everywhere that the winged man looked. His terrified eyes couldn’t measure how much of it might belong to his son.

Light. Please… please… don’t let him be dead. I’ll never forgive myself if…

The winged man dropped lightly to his knees, reaching both hands down to support TsuYa’s limp head. He fought back the threat of tears that blurred his vision and made it so hard to tell whether or not his son was still breathing.

“Tsu… please. Please stay with me. Zemi will be here soon,” Zento pulled him up, cradling his head against his chest. His hands were shaking as he stroked through the dirt-matted hair.

~ZenToYa…~

A familiar voice sounded in his senses. The winged man drew in a choking breath and turned his eyes to the crest of the hill. His gaze was met with the unblinking green eyes of the giant white wolf.

“Lady Zazo?”

~If awards were given for theatrics, you would certainly have won something tonight.~ she gave a panting laugh.

Despite the fact that he was facing down an Arweinydd, Zento found himself gritting his teeth at her casual disdain. He wanted to yell at her. To rant and rage. To get her to understand that the life of his child was far more than just a game.

Zazo’s tail flicked back and forth. As if his agitation only served to amuse her all the more.

The Champion balled his fist. “When Zemi gets here, he’ll–”

~Relax, ZenToYa. You don’t have to threaten me with my brother’s so-called ire. Your son is alive. I have personally brought him here and seen to his well being.~

Zento’s mouth shut with a click.

She gave a wolfish grin at his sudden turn of discomfort. ~Now tell me again. What will Zemi do when he gets here?~

“Nothing,” the winged man turned his head, eyes focusing back on the quiet face of his son.

Is Tsu really okay? He’s so still…

~It is the nature of what he has become.~

“What are you talking about?” Zento glanced up at her, holding TsuYa closer to his chest.

~Certainly you do notice. As much as Zemi and his pet Watcher would like to say otherwise, your son has begun to change.~

“No…” he shook his head, fingers tightening on the cloth of the blue coat. “You’re wrong.”

~Am I?~

“Aur has created a cure for Tsu..?” Zento heard the questionmark at the end of his own statement and gave a frown.

~Aur has created a delay.~

“What do you mean?”

Zazo shook out the ruff of her coat. ~I felt it in TsuYa today as he fought. I feel it in him now. Until Zeromus is completely gone, the threat to your son remains.~

There was far too much truth to the words. And after all that had happened that day, they were far too much to bear. Zento felt his will sag and his body slump forward, still cradling his youngest son. Tears threatened to come. But he knew if he released them, he may never get them to stop.

~Don’t start that now. There is still time. TsuYa has a powerful fighting will. You must continue to hold your strength in the face of the changes that will come.~ Zazo gave him a very serious look. ~Also… do not be fooled into believing that a band aid is a cure.~

The winged man peered at the white wolf. Once again, something in her words rang true.

As he drew in a deep breath, TsuYa uttered a low, guttural sound. Something between a groan and a growl. Zento felt the speckle of goose bumps rush over his skin. But as his sons’ dark eyes fluttered open, he did everything he could to suppress the encroaching feeling of uncertainty.

She’s right… I can’t… let myself doubt.

Unruffled, Zazo paced forward and shoved her nose right up in TsuYa’s face. ~Lazy Earthian. Wake up!~

TsuYa jerked back with a startled shout, accidentally jabbing his elbow into Zento’s stomach as the two of them scrabbled in the grass. Much to Zazo’s obvious amusement.

~I knew there was a reason I stopped by today.~

“Zazo!” TsuYa choked, eyes flicking around frantically. Then he seemed to realize that Zento was there, too. “Father!?”

“Tsu… are you okay?” the winged man choked down the flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

“I’m… I’m alright, Dad,” TsuYa nodded in response. Then, much to Zento’s surprise, he added with a quick breath, “I’m so glad you’re here…”

Against his son’s better wishes, the winged man pulled him close into a long, relieved hug.

TsuYa took in a long, broken breath. He seemed to sit there for a moment before his thoughts were collected. Then he gave a shudder, like a skittish animal, and took a hold of Zento’s robe. His voice croaked out one heavy word, “LuShi?!”

Puzzled, the winged man shook his head, “I didn’t see LuShi here. Only you?”

“LuShi!?” the young warrior turned, stammering at Zazo when he didn’t receive the answer he seemed to be looking for.

~I got you away from there before things got too dangerous,~ she informed him. ~Zemi is taking care of the boy Sygnus right now.~

“What? Why?” Zento’s chin jerked up as a sick, heavy feeling began to churn in the pit of his stomach. For the first time, he began to sense that something about the air felt wrong. Up until that point, he had been so engrossed in his son’s health that he had completely overlooked everything else.

~It seems the enemy has attempted to awaken the boy Sygnus’ innate power.~

If the whole Island had come down on his head, Zento didn’t think he would have felt more shocked. This was the first time that he had been informed that the Arweinydd did, in fact, know of some sort of danger that LuShi held.

“Innate… power?” the winged man choked. “What innate power?”

~We do not know yet. That is what Zemi is checking on right now,~ she replied with a warning cock of her head.

I… KNEW it! I KNEW something like this would happen all along!

Zento’s fingers tightened upon his son’s shoulder. He gave a hiss of displeasure.

But did Zemi listen to me! NO!

“Dad…” TsuYa gave a low sound. “Dad, that hurts?”

“Huh?” the winged man pulled his hand back with a jerk. “I’m… sorry, Tsu.”

Zazo interrupted the frothing tide of thought with a well-jabbed nose. Straight into his son’s face. ~TsuYa… what happened to cause this?~

Instead of answering her, the young warrior rose to his feet and gave Zento an incredulous look. “Dad… you’re never going to believe this. But I saw KoGuRai!”

“What?” it was so out of the blue that he completely lost all track of angry thoughts. He found himself standing, too. “KoGuRai?”

“He’s one of them… he’s the one that caused all this with LuShi,” TsuYa looked down, shaking his head. “KoGuRai… looked like one of the Marked. But he was different. He could talk… had a mind of his own. The same old attitude, of course. And he had wings. Except… they were black.”

“I see…” Zento couldn’t think of anything else to say to the rush of upset words that came from his son.

~Zerom has chosen his Champion?~ Zazo’s tone seemed surprised.

“I guess so?”

~That is peculiar.~

“Why?” the winged man frowned slowly, pushing himself up on the palms of his hands.

The she wolf didn’t reply, however. He knew from experience with Zazo that when she wanted to say something, you’d hear it whether you wanted to or not. But when she wanted to keep her secrets, to get her to speak was like trying to move a mountain.

“What happened to KoGuRai?” TsuYa asked. His knees seemed wobbly. But he was holding. An iron will that seemed ready to try and face down the dark winged Champion if he were to appear right then and there.

~I left him there to reap the darkness that he attempted to sow,~ the she wolf finally spoke. There was a nasty gleam to her fangs as her lips curled back in pleasure. Or displeasure. He couldn’t tell which.

“Is he dead?”

~Doubtful. The boy Sygnus has power… but he is not yet strong enough to destroy the Rhyswyr of Zeromus.~

“Darn…” TsuYa muttered under his breath.

Just then, a soft galewind kicked up the stray grass around them, sending it scattering up into the sky. Zento craned his head back to see the lithe golden shape of KaiShi backwinging down for a landing only a few yards away. He could hear the joyful shout of SoYa as the winds died down.

Only a moment later, the Athrylith had slid down the Dragon’s shoulder and was rushing over to greet them. “Father! Tsu! Tsu – you’re alright?”

“Of course…” TsuYa gave a grimace at all the fuss his brother was making.

“Why do you always have to go running off alone like that! You had us worried SICK!” SoYa scolded momentarily. Then he grasped TsuYa by the shoulders, shaking him around good-naturedly.

“Yeah… yeah…” the young warrior rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. But he didn’t protest too much when his brother gave him a long pat-on-the-back hug.

Zento let out a long breath, allowing much of the tension to drain out of him. With a grim face, he strode up to the golden Dragon, KaiShi. She was also watching the two brothers, an unreadable look on her face.

“Hey,” he said quietly, just trying to capture her attention.

“Zento,” she acknowledged, tilting her head down towards him.

He reached up and touched her nose with the palm of his hand. An appreciative gesture. “You saved my hide back there. Thanks.”

“Nonsense,” she flicked her tail slowly. “ZenToYa always has everything under control.”

The winged man laughed, “Of course. That’s right. I forgot.”

They stood together quietly for a while as the sound of the battle faded into the distance. The shadows crossed the sky far less often and plumes of smoke grew weaker as fires were tended. Not far away, SoYa and Zazo seemed to be prodding TsuYa on some matter while the young warrior mock protested with crossed arms.

“Is it over…” he heard himself ask of no one.

“The battle is. For now, we’ve held Ceiswyr,” KaiShi replied. “But there is trouble with LuShi, it seems.”

The golden Dragon had adopted a wait-and-see stance on the issue of the boy Sygnus. Though she had never verbally rebuked Zemi’s choice of raising LuShi on the Islands, neither did she seem to completely agree with the decision. Like Zento, she was a leader of her kind. And her thoughts hovered on what was best for those that she was responsible for.

“I guess I better go see what damage has been done,” the winged man sighed grimly. “I’m sure things will need tending.”

“Would you mind if I joined you, Zento?” KaiShi asked quietly.

Taken by surprise at the question, Zento realized that he wouldn’t mind. Not one bit. As he turned his head back towards the waiting Compound, he told her so.