A/N: So sorry about the delay! My workload has just kept increasing so I didn’t have time to sit down and write for awhile. And thank you Gia18 (thanks! Here‘s the next chapter! =^^=) and Lilias (how‘d I get this chapter done? XD a very SPEACIAL thanks to you~! *hug*) for your reviews on chapter 2.

OK, this may become rather confusing, so listen up… I’ve had pretty much laid out the plans for “Earthen Angel” and have come to the conclusion that it will be a rather LONG epic, made up of small plots then build upon one another until the final conflict of the story. So to decrease confusion as much as I can, the story is going to be divided into different parts. They’ll all be posted here, so I have to explain how the start and end of each part will be specified.

How I will do this is by dividing groups of chapters into “missions”. The chapter entitled “Mission One” (this one) specifies the start of Part 1. The following chapters after that will be part of the first “mission” until the chapter entitled “Mission Two”. That’s when Part 2 starts. Oh, and the first two chapters were only like two intro’s for the story. Got it?

Don’t worry if you don’t. By now I’ve decided I have to make a website for this story, and I’ll make an archive for it that’ll list each of the chapters and the Parts they are in.

Hm, what am I doing babbling? Go read!

~Ryuu

That was a whole two months ago.

…

Hehe. Hehehehehe. Time sure does fly. The induction ceremony seemed so long ago, but from that day to now, I hold that name, that rank of a Shonin… which still makes me laugh. Yet I am all too aware of the serious air about it. This is the first time I belonged somewhere, the first time in my memory where I knew who I was. I had a home now, a family. And at last, I can give a proper introduction.

I am Shinjit Shuichiro, knight of the Shonin Clan.

You can call me Shin.

The Lord Enzeru gave me that name at the induction ceremony. It kind of feels like a safe-guard, having a name. I’m somebody now. How refreshing. I feel as if I’m starting over, beginning a whole new life. Then again, I was an assassin before and am now part of the most noble clan of the land. I must say I count myself as lucky. Everything’s so peachy. Perfect. It’s not as if I’m stuck in a stuffy old castle with nothing to do either.

The first month was full of training. I had most of the combatant skills mastered already, but the more tricks, the better. I also learned some new spells. Sadly, there were a few boring things I had to endure, like a few history lessons. Ick. Luckily, I was finally able to learn my way about the castle. I don’t get lost anymore! Yey! I know everything about the Shonin Clan too…

The top ranking Shonin are the Lord and Queen. Below them are the eight Masters, each being commanders of one of the eight main elements which govern over Anarden: earth, wind, fire, water, thunder, ice, light, and dark. After the Masters are the Seers, then the knights, and then the healers and soldiers. The amount of power is listed that way as well. And of course, I can place names with the titles.

I’m yet to figure out the true powers of the Lord Enzeru and Lady Emi. Ever since I became a Shonin, his highness has gone out of his way to treat me like one of his most elite advisors. I kind of feel pampered, and I think some of the others are getting jealous, but milady, on the other hand, seems to only approach me when necessary. She has this sad air about her and is fearful about everything. Maybe she’s part psychic or something. Not sure.

There’s only three out of the four Masters at the moment. I believe that’s another secret about the Shonin Clan. It’s crucial to have all eight, or else the Masterless elements could go out of control and destroy Anarden. I had heard all the past Masters had been killed in a great battle. As of now, only the Earth, Fire, and Thunder Masters are present

The Earth Master turned out to be Dokai. He’s also the leader of all the other Masters at the moment. I must say I had a grudge against him for awhile, since he was the one who had taught me Anarden history everyday in the library. Ended up scorching a whole section of books out of boredom, but we’ve settled our disputes. Dokai’s actually an okay guy. He’s rather kind and caring away from his duty, emotions that probably relate to the fact that he was human before he became a Shonin.

Kasen’s the Fire Master and my arch-rival. Didn’t like him to begin with and didn’t like him even more when the Lord commented on how we were alike. I’m not anything like that… that idiot. Though I must say Keiji calls me an idiot a lot. Hm… Still, he’s the Fire Master and that’s all I cared learning about him. Must not provoke him to burn me.

That leaves Lykonen as the Thunder Master. I don’t run into him much during the day because he’s usually in his office, but I’ve heard he’s a relaxed fellow. Does a lot of work, but is stress free, how strange. I don’t think his combatant skills are that good though, which is most likely why he’s content with paperwork. I should go visit him one day.

The resident Seer of the Shonin Clan is a rather emotionless fellow named Yu. He’s also the one in charge of finding the other five Masters. His power must be really great. I’ve never done anything to him, but I think he hates me. I’m always reassured that his eyes always look that cold, but I can’t help to take it personally. It may not be noticeable, but his gaze looks sterner when it’s on me. What did I do?!

Okay, onto the knights. Heh. Knights are like the soldiers except they’re closer to the Masters in ability-sense. There’s only two of us, being my partner Keiji and I, and I must say, life as a knight is pretty easy. … Well, it was, until my dear partner told me we’d get a mission when I’m finally fully trained. Venturing out of the castle grounds doesn’t sound that bad. I’m in need of some good action… … Is it just me, or does something sound very dirty about that?

Hehe. For some reason, that train of thought had inspired me to broach upon my partner for a bit. Watch me play innocent. Hehehe. Unofficially, I call him the “cute blond,” but I’d get hurt if I voiced it. Our mental shields against his empathetic powers are a regular thing now. Before, when I hadn’t had mine built, he couldn’t really touch me or even stay in the same room as me for too long without being effected by my emotions. He always complains that their too loud and easy to detect, though on some occasions, I must say, he has run out of the room with a very bright blush on his face.

But we’re close, which is a remarkable thing. I thought we’d never get along, but I wasn’t right. Keiji is very dedicated to his duties, but he still has that softer side I remember him by. I guess we do have some form of a friendship between us, as well as our partnership. It’s a pretty funny pairing. Me, a tall, dark guy, with a little, golden eyed… Gah! Why does fate make me suffer so! Only a partner! I can’t help thinking about him! Kei’s so unbelievably cute!!

“Idiot. Will you stop zoning-out and get back to work?”

I snap out of my thoughts to find the blond glaring at me. Oh yeah, I’m still in the library. Keiji’s sitting across from me, and there’s a faint blush on his cheeks, might I add, with a heap of paperwork between us. The Masters decided to dump all their old files on us to organize and file into the records since we hadn’t been given a mission yet. How fun. It’s kind of embarrassing though when your partner catches you after you were gazing at him for ten minutes straight.

“It’s not my fault this is so boring,” I grumble back.

“Well, we’re almost done.”

Almost done. Yeah right. The remaining heap of paperwork seemed so menacing. Paperwork’s scary. I snort in response.

“It’ll go by a lot more faster if you do you share,” the blond offered, eyes lowering to the current document in his hands.

“But I’m hungry.” That was true. I think we missed lunch while working. Hope they saved us some food. … Hm… Keiji looks to tasty too.

“SHINJIT!” Shit. He had heard that, and even though his face was bright red, he looked like he wanted to kill me. “Keep your thoughts to yourself!”

Did I mention all Shonin acquired telepathic abilities?

A grin played on my lips. Let’s play a little game. “I was. You were the one who was listening in.”

His blush deepened. It was working. “It’s not my fault you think too loud!”

Time for the defense. “No I don’t. I was thinking in but a mere whisper.”

“Liar!”

“Aw, but come on…” I placed both my palms on the table, leaning forward. “You liked it.” My partner let out a little ‘eep’, leaning back in his chair as if retreating. He looked a bit nervous at my sudden serious composure and we remained like that, staring at each other for a few moments. We both knew what was going to happen next, so we moved at the same time.

I pounced as he darted out of his chair, papers scattering everywhere. Using my missed chance of catching him, I leapt from his chair before it overturned, landing neatly with one hand catching hold on his sleeve, then fastening on his arm. He gasped when he found himself caught, turning back around to try to tug his arm out of my hold. “Let go.”

“No.” Give up, I won this round. He tried tugging his arm a little harder, but I still didn’t give in. He suddenly stiffened under my hold, gritting his teeth.

“At least put your shields back up, idiot.”

I must say I hadn’t noticed that they had slipped and quickly put them back up. He relaxed again and I let my grasp fall from his arm. He rubbed the spot where my hand had been, frowning. I hope I hadn’t been holding onto him that hard. “Sorry…”

Keiji sighed, raising his hand most likely to cuff me on the back of the head like he always did, but my instincts took hold and reacted involuntarily. I caught the hand as it fell, but unfortunately for us, we both were startled and lost balance, toppling to the floor. I landed flat on my back, but my Kei was able to stop himself with his hands, which landed on either side of my head.

My partner’s blush still outdid mine.

Somebody cleared their throat behind us and Keiji jumped off, as if he had been shocked, a hand covering his face to hide his blush. I sat up, looking over my shoulder to find Dokai standing with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

The Earth Master looked around at the paperwork scattered across the floor before his vision befell the two knights again. He couldn’t help the smile that formed at his lips for he himself found it quite amusing that he had walking into the library to find the two… in that position. “His highness requests to see the two of you.”

“But… the documents,” Keiji tried to argue, the blush still on his cheeks visibly effecting his thought-process. Dokai easily dismissed the argument.

“I’ll deal with it. Lord Enzeru wants to see you immediately.”

Whoohoo! No more paperwork! “Hey, thanks!” I got up, exiting the library before the Master could change his mind about the mess. My partner followed at a slower pace.

________________________________________________________________________

Lord Enzeru was waiting for us in his office, hands folded before him and a passive smile on his lips as we entered. Both Keiji and I offered a small bow, which I found was the customary greeting when entering the Lord’s presence during my training. Everything remained oddly still even when we rose, and I finally noticed Yu was there. The seer stood silently at his highness’ side.

His bright blue eyes then met mine…

And I swear, I saw his glare harden.

What did I do??!!

Keiji elbowed me in the side. I hadn’t noticed when his highness had started to speak.

“I have a special request for the two of you.” The Lord paused at this, regarding us for a moment. He then let out the breath he had been holding, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair, as if having decided on something at the last moment. “Yu has located the Master of the Light Elemental, and I want you to travel eastward and rendezvous with him in the city of Filas.”

“Does he know of his position?” Keiji asked. My partner was still at my side, but he was doing nothing to acknowledge me. In fact, this was the first time he spoke since the library…

Lord Enzeru folded his hands again. “Actually, yes. His name’s Aquila Anar Elenithil. I’ve been contacting him for the past few days, and he’s already accepted the position, so you will only have to meet him and escort him back. I hope this will be alright for you. Will it, Shin?”

“Yes, my Lord. Just fine,” I answered automatically, saluting smartly. I could tell my partner was rolling his eyes at my side by the way he was shaking his head ever so slightly in the corner of my vision. So I turned to him, smiling brightly. “Right, Kei?”

The blush was instant and he looked away, stuttering a small ‘yeah… right…’ It wasn’t as if it was a difficult mission. Pretty easy sounding for being my first, actually. We only had to go find the guy and bring him back, the finding part probably taking the longest amount of time. He would’ve even been able to come here himself if it wasn’t for the magic shields the Lord places around the palace, masking it from the view of normal travelers.

Overall, his highness seemed rather pleased we had accepted the mission. Yu just frowned.

“Oh, and Keiji?” The blond looked up when Enzeru called on him. His highness then accepted a long, clothbound bundle Yu handed to him, presenting it to my partner. “Will you please give this to Aquila as soon as you meet up with him?”

“Yes, milord.” Keiji cautiously took the bundle into his arms, hugging it against his chest so he definitely won’t drop it. He then bowed low, but Enzeru chuckled, ruffling his hair.

I… am so jealous.

“The two of you can depart early tomorrow morning, since Filas is only about a day’s walk away,” his highness began explaining. “It’s not a high risk mission, but please try to keep a low profile in the city. You don’t want to chance attracting any unwanted attention.”

Acknowledging his warnings, we both bowed again and exited the office. With the large doors swinging closed behind us, Keiji was already heading toward his quarters. I, of course, had to jog to catch up, putting my hands behind my head as I fell into step with him. Ah, he’s so hasty. I wish he was with other things too…

Whoops.

Ah, good, my mental shields were still up. Hm, but I guess I had to spark conversation another way now. By the looks of it, he’s still mad at me for what happened in the library. Jeez. Kids these days hold onto grudges way too long.

“Ne, Keiji, why did you ask the Lord if this Aquila guy knew of his position?” I asked innocently. Okay, okay, innocently can’t be the best way to explain it. Just ignore the imaginary horns and tail. Ehhehe.

But of course, my dear partner is quick to suspect any ulterior motive and glared at me for a moment. He then spoke. “Well, look how you reacted when his highness asked you to become a Shonin. Now think about how you’d react if someone told you you’re one of the most powerful members of the Shonin Clan, second to only the Lord himself.”

“He never really asked m---wait a moment… Second to only the Lord?!” That was new.

Keiji shrugged. “The Light Master is the commander of all the Shonin Masters, and is the Lord’s closest advisor.”

“I thought Dokai was the commander…”

“He was only holding the position until the Light Master was found. It‘s really nothing about him, just the light element is much stronger.” He had a point there. Earth, fire, water, and wind are the four main elements, and thunder and ice are lesser ones. Light and darkness are the two biggies, and I must boast, though I don’t dare say it aloud much like other things, I’m pretty good with dark magic.

“I see…” I slipped closer to my partner. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. And once again, ignore the imaginary, forked tail. “Then what’s in the bundle?”

“It’s just the legendary sword of Light.”

The bluntness of his answer made me fall flat on my face. “What?!”

“It’s just the legendary sw--” he began again, walking straight past me before I interrupted, sprinting now to match his step again.

“Woah, woah, woah! Wait a minute! Legendary?”

Golden eyes fixed on me. “Yes, this is Luithra, the Shonin light sword. Haven’t you ever heard of it?”

I thought for a moment, or two… or three… or four, or five, or-- “Nope. I’m not that street-smart, I guess. Have never heard of it.”

“You’re not book-smart either, compared to your history lesson results.”

“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled. “But what does make this sword ‘legendary’?”

“This?” My partner gestured towards the bundle in his arms. “This sword was wielded by the Lord Susumi in the First War.”

I almost fell on my face again, but caught myself. “Why are you digging this artifact up then? It’s ancient! Can’t be of any use in battle.” The blond seemed to think otherwise, though, for he hugged it closer to his chest again.

Ack. Now I’m jealous of a sword.

“Luithra is ageless, a weapon pulsing with power and pure light. It’s mere presence can devour weak souls and if wielded by the wrong person, can make them go mad, or even kill them. Ever since Lord Susumi passed on, the light sword has only been used at dire times of need by the Light Master. This sword spirit is a wild one, with the will to do good and evil, but even with its supreme strength, it is not destroyed because of its other abilities. Luithra can strengthen hearts and restore hope. It is a very great symbol to the Shonin Clan. Still, as long as we have it, we have to be careful, and deliver it to Aquila quickly!”

I couldn’t help but notice something deep in Keiji’s eyes when he spoke. He wasn’t staring at me anymore, but beyond with that glazed look of an old fear and inspiration that made the gold shimmer and darken all at the same time. Beautiful. Yet I had the strongest impulse to hug him when he had stopped talking. I almost acted on it and our foreheads bumped together, snapping him back to reality.

“Shin…” There was no flush on his cheeks this time, but rather on my own. I knew it, even as I pulled back, realizing we had stopped walking at the door of Keiji’s quarters. I knew it, and now I felt a bit embarrassed that I had asked to know. It was an uncomfortable sense really, but made everything in me go calm and protective. For some reason, I could only see my partner, perceive him.

So this is what it’s like to feel another’s emotions.

Unnoticeably, I had been the one to cause it, directing out conversation in that direction. I had been the one to stir up that fragment of Keiji’s past, a fragment that hurt. The pain in his eyes hurt me the most, framed by the almost untouchable air of innocence around him. Like I said, raw emotion. He hurt. I hurt.

Why does my heart hurt?

Why? I caused it, and the guilt was growing so rapidly. I couldn’t stop it. It chewed me, it swallowed me, it tore me apart. It hurt, and I was trembling. I couldn’t breathe. No. No, no, no. I couldn’t hurt Keiji anymore.

I pulled back, even when my partner’s hand reached out to touch my arm. That was followed with a worried look, which I answered with a smile, raking my fingers through my hair. A fake smile. A dead smile. Oh why is this happening now? Why? Everything’s clouded and upside-down. Spinning, spinning, scrambling the answer.

Think, dammit!

Keiji then says my name again and I retreat a step. Can he not sense it to? Oh fates it hurts. Guilt. Pain. Keiji… Kei…

…

Oh…

Ooooooooohhhhhhh… I get it now. Back in the present, I feel myself chuckle. It’s weak, but it’s there and I’m back in reality.

Even now, the sword’s power is effecting us, isn’t it?

“Sorry,” I murmur to my worried partner, turning my back to him. For what? I don’t know. Something. For something I did, or had done. “We’re leaving tomorrow, right? You should get some rest.”

I walked away without a glance backwards.

________________________________________________________________________

To say Keiji was brooding was an understatement. With his door locked and the light sword laying I the far corner of his quarters, the empath was curled up on his bed, burrowed under his sheets. He had been there for the past few hours, having skipped dinner entirely, but he wouldn’t of noticed. The curtains were drawn over his windows, giving him no inkling of what time it was.

He couldn’t sleep, that’s all the blond knew. He lay there, trapped in his thoughts, of which mostly centered on his brown haired, violet eyed partner. It wasn’t as if the blond couldn’t do anything else, though. He just didn’t have the willpower to do it.

The blond thought back to the earlier episode, when the Light Sword’s power had almost devoured them. He remembered Shinjit’s features… the look in his eyes… There was certainly more to the dark knight then he had realized before. It didn’t make a difference how long he had been a Shonin, though two months certainly wasn’t a great amount of time, for there was still the truth of which Shinjit had a life before this.

And Keiji would certainly be lying if he said he hadn’t tried using his empathic abilities on his partner then.

________________________________________________________________________

Chestnut eyes gazed across the kingdom of Shirin, taking in the landscape in the early morning light. There was a small chill to the air, making fog hang over the ground, tainted silvery-gold from the new rays of the sun as it began to peek over the treetops. The gaze then focused on two figures below, cloaked in gray, slip through the palace gates and disappear in the tree line. Enzeru smiled, but was saddened to see them go.

“I didn’t think they’d depart so early,” Dokai yawned as he approached the Lord. His highness turned, smiling a ‘good morning’ to the Earth Master as he leaned against the balcony’s railing. “They left without a word too. I’m surprised.”

“It’s only a small mission,” the Shonin Lord countered softly, turning his eyes back to the land once more. The tall brunet took up a spot at a railing beside him and they were both silent for a long time.

“Do you think they will come back?” Dokai finally voiced what was on both of their minds. They remained still with the musing budding in their thoughts, their voices in mere whispers.

“I believe, or at least hope, so.” But he pondered upon the idea for a few more moments. “No. They will come back.”

“You put so much trust into Shinjit, even when you don’t know a lot about him.”

The corners of Enzeru’s lips twitched upwards. “You angry about it?”

Dokai snorted. “No.”

“Well, it frustrates you at least. I know you, Kasen, and Yu tried to do a reading on him, a reading which proved inconclusive, so you take it as a threat.”

The Earth Master was a bit flustered, his jade eyes squinting before finally looking at his old friend. Much to his disliking, the Shonin Lord looked amused. He quickly averted his gaze again. “I want to do what’s best for the Clan.”

The statement caught his highness for a few moments and he sighed. “Will you find it hard to serve under Aquila?”

“No,” Dokai was swift to reply. “I trust him, as I trust your intentions. He’s a good man, and an older friend to you then I am. He was always a good candidate to be the Light Master, and I often wondered how long it was going to take before someone realized that. I guess I’m happy he’s coming to stay now. With him among our ranks, it won’t be long until the circle of Masters is complete.”

“Hopefully not long at all…” Enzeru gripped the railing. “You said you trust my intentions, Dokai, so trust me on this. Shinjit will bring both Keiji and Aquila back. This mission will prove where his loyalty truly lies now, no matter what past he may hold.”

________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Whooo. Chapter done. Personally, I didn’t really like this one. OO; Don’t know how long it’ll be until the next update. oO;; But for a recap: Shinjit (Shin) is the narrator’s name, so now it’ll be less confusing. (I hope!) The character Aquila Anar Elenithil is also based off one of the characters I created for a RolePlay a long time ago. Hehe. I liked him so much I decided I’d give him a part in the story.

Sorry! No Kasen or Lady Emi in this chapter! Yu didn’t get to say anything though, and Lykonen hasn’t appeared AT ALL yet. Oo;; So many characters… Gah… _ I’ll make sure to put them ALL into the next chapter though. Promise.

Yey! And now I have a LiveJournal where I post all my fiction-related ideas and such. It’ll also have messages for chapter updates as well as plans for some one my upcoming stories. It’s also a place where I can complain about having no time to write, and where you can scold me for neglecting my stories! Check it out!

h t t p : / / w w w . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / ~ r y u u m i k a r a s u

And lookies! Another “Earthen Angel” related picture! This one’s of both Shin and Kei.

h t t p : / / w w w . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / v i e w / 5 1 6 4 1 9 0 /

That’s all I have for now. Please review! And don’t forget to check out my sites listed on my profile page!!! ‘Til the next chapter! W00t! W00t!

~Ryuu