Made For Each Other
~*~
Part IV
The morning light slanted through the half-open blinds, dust motes glittering and swirling in it's wake. The golden beams lit up the faces of the two sleeping people, making their skin glow with an impossible gleam. Their chests rose and fell in unison, breaths leaving their mouths at the exact same time and reentering again together. A pair of intertwined hands lay on the pillow beside the man's head in sharp contrast to his black hair, and a mass of golden tangles lay across his muscled chest, shining in the new light like fire.
The girl stirred slightly as the rays of light tickled her eyes open; she sat up, stifling a yawn so as not to wake the other sleeper. But she was too late. His eyes fluttered open and he stared up at her with clear eyes. "I'll be damned if he wasn't awake way before me!" Hiryuu thought, slightly annoyed.
But even as their eyes met, amber and violet, the wizard seemed to notice what it was his hand was grasping. Tearing his eyes away he gave his hand a startled look, then let go quickly and retracted his hand. Hiryuu pulled hers back just as quickly and the two magic users sat there and stared at each other for many long moments.
The staring contest was only broken by the entrance of Luel, who upon noticing what was going on hide to hide a tiny smile. Hiryuu stood up and nodded to the alchemist, saying, "I think your brother will be fine now, Luel." Then she left the room.
Luka glared after her retreating form, then as soon as she was out of sight, let it melt away. Once more, Luel had to hide a snicker as he took her recently vacated seat by the edge of the bed. Luka didn't seem to notice him right away, he was staring at the ceiling as if lost in a waking dream. Luel finally had to clear his throat and speak, rather loudly. "Luka!"
With a start, the older of the two brothers looked over to find his brother snickering and trying in vain to hide it. "What?" he asked crossly, reaching for the package of cigarettes he normally kept on his bedside table. His hand scrabbled around for a few seconds, not finding the square package of cigs or the metallic lighter that went along with them. Pulling himself to a sitting position and looking around frantically, it finally clicked in his mind. "Hiryuu!!!" he shouted and lept out of bed, tearing off down the hallway as if he had never been sick in his life.
Luel sighed and left the room also, putting on his coat and deciding that now was as good a time as any to head to the store. Walking to the front door, he decided to leave his jacket where it was hanging in the closet and headed around back to say goodbye to Nell.
His lover was dousing the garden with water, the hose snaked its way across the yard like an over grown snake and Luel found himself almost tripping on it. Nell giggled as he came over and gave her a kiss saying, "I'm off to the store now. Come by a little after noon and we'll get lunch, ok?"
With a huge grin she hugged him hard and as he turned and was about to head off, he noticed Hiryuu being screamed at by a very irate Luka. Obviously she had confiscated his supply of cigarettes, and the addicted wizard was none too happy about it.
Sighing, he shook his head and muttered a curse upon them both under his breath. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," commented Madame Batolli, coming up behind him.
"And for heaven's sake, why not?" Luel asked, slightly exasperated with his brother's behavior.
The older witch smiled. "Well, isn't it obvious? They're made for each other."
Her audiences' jaws dropped. Luka and Hiryuu? Made for each other?! She must be crazy!
Madame Batolli shook her head. "No, I'm not crazy. Those two were made for each other. They just don't know it yet. The only reason they fight so much is because they are so alike, because they the same and act the same. They're two peas in a pod, those two. Just you wait and see," she finished and walked off with a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth.
Nell was the first to recover from the shock. "But…" she managed to squeak.
Luel shook his head and cleared his throat. "She means well," he said. "But I just don't see it happening. The way those two fight, the world will be in ruins before they ever admit to feeling anything other that revulsion for the other." With a small wave to Nell, the younger of the Reinhardt brothers finally began his trip to the store.
The foremost thought in his mind was that, when he came home, he hoped to find the house still standing.
~*~
Stretching like a cat, Hiryuu rose from her seat underneath the tall oak tree. She yawned widely and pocked the wrappers from her lunch. The sun shone down brightly, the exact opposite of the downpour only two nights ago. She swung her arms in the air, loosening her shoulders and cracking her neck. Taking a deep breath, she calmed and focused her energy inward, searching for the calm void that always revolved around her magical force.
Opening her eyes and stretching out her hand she whispered the spell under her breath and watched as a crackling, spitting fireball sprang to life in her hand. She could feel the heat radiating off of it as it floated, suspended in the air half an inch above her palm. A satisfied smirk crossed her face; this was the spell Luka had obviously been slaving over to perfect. And she had gotten it on her first try, after only seeing and hearing him do it once. And they called him the 21st century's greatest wizard.
With a snort, she let the fireball die and raised both her hands in the air in front of her, palms facing outward. Taking another deep breath to utter the incantation, she stopped abruptly when Luka's head appeared, topping the rise in front of her.
Letting her hands fall back to her sides, she crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, staring at him with a quizzical look on her face.
Luka looked livid once more. Sighing, she made a "Tsk-tsk" noise at him and shook her head slightly, her pale golden hair swinging back and forth in its ponytail. "You really should learn to control that temper of yours," she stated, her voice tinged with mock concern. "You don't want to burst a blood vessel or anything."
With a snarl, Luka ignored her sardonic comment and continued advancing towards her, the sunlight glinting off his various chains and buckles. "Where did you learn that?" he growled, his voice low and gravely.
Hiryuu widened her eyes in fake innocence. "What on earth do you mean Luka? That little old spell?" She couldn't stop the leer that now spread across her face. "I saw you perform it yesterday, and even though it was somewhat less then perfect, I managed to pick up on it and perfected it myself." With a snicker, she muttered the incantation once more and was soon twirling another heated fireball in her slender fingers.
With a cry of outrage, Luka took several steps forwards before visibly regaining his control. With a tight smile, he spun on one pointed black heel and walked back across the yard and into the house.
"He's so sexy when he's mad," Hiryuu sighed.
~*~
Nell, having watched the entire exchange under the tree, now leaned against the fence, hose forgotten in her grasp. Could it be that her mother was right? Hiryuu and Luka did seem to fight a lot, but then again…even she could not miss how much alike they really were.
With a thoughtful gaze, she stared at the hose for many lengthy moments before realizing that the dirt at her feet had been transformed into a lovely puddle of mud. With an exclamation of disgust, she quickly turned the water off and flung the hose down.
Seconds later she strolled out of the garden, all traces of thoughts of Hiryuu and Luka gone. She was going to go meet Luel for lunch, and nothing was going to ruin her date. She would worry about the two wizards later.
~*~
Still fuming over the fireball incantation, Luka furiously tried for what must have been the hundredth time that afternoon and failed, the tiny flame in his hand dying after only a few seconds. With a growl, he wiped the sweat from his brow, fingers lingering over the short scar across his otherwise unmarred skin, and remembering the wizard that had given it to him.
Fuan.
Even Fuan was not as irritating as Hiryuu. He snorted. If someone had told him a week ago that there was another person more irritating then the robed, evil mage, he would have laughed in their face, scorning them. But now, his ground his teeth even thinking about the female "dragon".
He snorted once more. What kind of name was Hiryuu anyway? She was obviously not Japanese, her blonde hair and purple eyes were a dead giveaway. So what was she hiding? Why did she not wish them to know her real name? It was obvious that Luka, Luel, and the Batolli's meant her no harm, so why did she still wish to hide her true identity?
She must have some dark, secret, he decided; something that would unmask her before everyone.
With a moan, he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes tightly against the throbbing in his head. Not another headache. Deciding that enough was enough, he left his lab and staggered upstairs in search of something for the pain in his skull.
He didn't notice the slender form that detached itself from the shadows at the base of the steps leading down into his lab. Luminous amethyst eyes watched him go, flooded with concern as the obviously still sick man wobbled his way upstairs. A small noise of concern left her mouth as she flitted up the steps after him, being careful to remain out of sight.
Part V
