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Lost Ground, Lost Souls	By : Quycksylver Category: +S to Z > s-CRY-ed/Scryed Views: 4059 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own s-CRY-ed, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Lost Ground, Lost Souls

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope, still don�t own s-CRY-ed. Nope, still don�t have any money, either.

A/N: Um�yeah� Eight months since I updated� ^^;;; Well� if anyone�s still interested, here�s chapter 3.

Many thanks to Brightdreamer for beta-ing--You rock, girl!

As Kazuma stumbled towards him, Ryuhou sighed. It always seemed to come to this� Why did things between them always have to go this way? Wearily, the former HOLY officer climbed to his feet, facing his long-time rival. With a sweep of his arm, the glow of his power flared brightly around him, clearly visible in the dim half-light of the cavern. A moment later, two shallow pits appeared in the cavern floor before him, and Zetsuei took form in the space between himself and the other Alter.
�Stand down, Kazuma!� he warned the other man, �You�you can�t hope to fight me�In the shape you�re in, you can�t even Alter--so, stand down!�
A dry chuckle like the rattle of bones rose from Kazuma�s throat as he took another step forward. Sweeping his own arm out to one side, the aged leather of the half-glove on his right hand creaked as his fingers slowly curled into a fist, his own aura flickering weakly about him. �Fuck you�� he rasped, taking another step forward.
Faster than thought, Zetsuei rushed forward, the violet ribbons unfurling to wind around Kazuma�s body, pinning the Alter�s arms to his sides. Sweeping one leg around, the construct knocked Kazuma�s feet out from under him and he hit the ground with a dull thud and lay still.
Cautiously, Ryuhou approached his fallen rival, keeping Zetsuei�s ribbons firmly in place until he�d determined that the other man was indeed out cold, and not simply feigning unconsciousness. As he crouched beside the younger man, he was almost stunned to discover that his rival was indeed unconscious. ..from a blow that normally wouldn�t even have fazed him. More than a little uneasy, he allowed his Alter to disintegrate, only the ribbons remaining behind, binding the unconscious man securely. His expression impassive as he gazed down at the other man, Ryuhou was once again tempted to simply destroy Kazuma before he regained consciousness--and once again quickly discarded the idea. There was, however, little doubt in his mind that Kazuma was the culprit--who else possessed such capacity for destruction�other than himself, of course?
Old habits died hard, however; and after spending most of his life, to date, in the pursuit of justice, he simply couldn�t abandon the principles that had sustained him for so long�even if most of his ideals had eventually turned on him at some point. Yes, he had changed as well over the past four years, but even if HOLY and all it stood for had betrayed him, he still had faith in his own ideals. There was a process to be followed here, and he would follow it. As soon as Kazuma could travel, he would take the other man back to the village he had destroyed in order to verify his guilt. It was a mere formality, of course, but one that must be carried out.
Once that had been accomplished, he would continue on with his captive, taking him into the City. There were places there�institutions�where his rival could receive treatment for�whatever was wrong with him�or at least be restrained so that he couldn�t hurt anyone else--or himself. No doubt the remaining villagers would protest strenuously, demanding their own brand of �justice,� but that, he wouldn�t allow. No matter what Kazuma had done, his long-time rival deserved a better end than being strung up by an angry mob.

Not that my solution is much better� Ryuhou thought. If allowed to decide for himself between the two options, Kazuma would probably prefer a quick death to being imprisoned for the rest of his days.
Shaking his head, he turned away, walking back over to where he�d left his duffle bag. Stooping down, he rifled the contents for his water bottle and some of the remaining rations. Now that he had decided what to do with Kazuma, he couldn�t very well let him starve. Setting the unconscious man�s portion aside, he took up his own before retreating a short distance away. Positioning himself between Kazuma and the cave entrance, Ryuhou lowered himself to the cavern floor, resting his back against the cold, uneven stone wall. Unwrapping his own portion, he took a bite, grimacing at the taste and texture. The stuff tasted like particle board, but it was better than nothing�barely. After a brief glance back to check on his�prisoner, he turned away once more, raising the bottle to his lips as he gazed through the cave opening at the brightening sky.

* * * * * * * * * *

Some time later, as Kazuma struggled back to consciousness, the first thing he was aware of was pain; jagged, white-hot bolts stabbing through his head, his spine, traveling along the scars on his arm like molten fire. Groaning, he tried to sit up, only to find himself restrained. Raising his head, he grimaced as fresh pain exploded in his skull. Looking down, he saw violet ribbons wound tightly around his body, binding his arms securely to his sides.

What the fuck?

The sound of movement off to one side drew his attention, causing him to turn his head, another grimace contorting his features as he recognized the man crouching next to him. Great�As if things weren�t bad enough already�
�Kazuma� do you remember me? Do you know who I am?�
The younger Alter user favored his long-time rival with the sort of look he might hold in reserve for the day Ryuhou sprouted a second head�and tentacles. After a moment, he croaked a rusty laugh, �Don�t you know who you are?� he rasped, �Listen--when you find out, don�t tell anybody!�
With a bemused expression, he once again glanced down at the ribbons binding him before allowing his head to fall back, wincing slightly as he struck the hard stone surface. When his vision once again cleared, he smirked up at the other man. �What�s with the bondage gear? I�never thought of you as the kinky type� Now�untie me, you prick�� Kazuma was pleased to see a faint blush creep up into Ryuhou�s cheeks as the other man shifted uncomfortably. However, his�captor�made no move to release him.
�No. Not until you�ve answered a few questions� Like� why you attacked me� and why you destroyed that village..�
Frowning, Kazuma struggled to prop himself up on his elbows, wincing slightly as the sharp edges sliced through his threadbare clothing and into his flesh. Great�Just what I need�More fucking scars on my arms� Ryuhou wasn�t making much sense, however, and the younger man cast a half-annoyed, half-puzzled glance at his rival. �What the fuck are you talking about?� he growled, �I didn�t attack you� Might�ve if I�d known you were anywhere around�but I didn�t�� Fuck�I can�t even hold onto my Alter for more than a few seconds at a time, anymore�Think I�ll just keep that to myself though�for now�

Ryuhou, however, was insistent. �You did,� he stated flatly, �And you destroyed a village.�
Snorting a laugh, he lowered himself back to the ground, �Yeah�right�whatever��
�You did,� Ryuhou insisted stubbornly, giving Kazuma a strange look, �Don�t you remember?�
�No�because it didn�t happen�� Kazuma�s voice carried little conviction, however. For the past several months, his memory had been getting progressively worse; sketchy, full of holes and out and out blank areas. Sometimes, entire weeks would go by, and at their end, he would have almost no recollection of what had passed from one day to the next. He didn�t even remember how he had gotten here, for that matter�wherever here was.
Apparently picking up on the tiny shred of doubt in Kazuma�s voice, Ryuhou intensified his cross-examination; the smug self-righteousness in the other man�s voice setting his teeth on edge. �You did. Whether you remember or not.�
�Yeah�right�Whatever you say�� Kazuma groaned, rolling his eye, �Now will you fucking untie me before I get loose on my own and kick your ass?� His words were empty, and he knew it--in his current condition, he couldn�t kick a sick kitten�s ass, much less Ryuhou�s. Still, it made him feel a little better to say them.
Apparently, Ryuhou had no intention of releasing him, however. Instead, the former HOLY officer moved out of his line of vision for a moment. Returning a few moments later, the crinkling of paper was audible as he unwrapped�something�which he then offered to Kazuma. �Here�Eat this�It�s not much, but it�s better than starving.�
Glaring first at Ryuhou, then at whatever the other man was offering him, Kazuma turned his head to the side, his eye slowly sliding closed. �Fuck you�� he spat, �I�d rather starve.�

* * * * * * * * * *

Hours later, Ryuhou once again sat near the cavern mouth, gazing out at the darkening landscape as he absently crunched another of the tasteless ration bars. Perhaps Kazuma was right, and starvation was the better option.
Glancing back into the depths of the cave, Ryuhou frowned at the captive. Either unconscious or asleep, Kazuma hadn�t made a move or a sound in the past several hours�and that was beginning to worry him. Standing up, he dusted his hands off on his pants legs before slowly approaching the motionless figure, his expression impassive, almost blank, as he gazed down into rival�s ravaged features.

Kazuma�What the hell happened to you?

The past four years had taken their toll on Ryuhou as well, of course. He, too, bore his own scars; the price he paid for channeling such formidable power. But�his own scarring was nothing compared to Kazuma�s, nor had his limbs or spine become twisted as the other man�s had. But then again�Zetsuei�s two lesser forms were separate from him�and he rarely had to use the most powerful form of his Alter anymore. But Kazuma�all forms of his Alter were very much a part of him, all required that he Alter his own body--or part of it, at any rate--and�well�the younger man had never been much for moderation.
Kneeling beside the unconscious man, sudden, dark fear fluttered within him--if Kazuma was breathing at all, then the rise and fall of the other man�s chest was too shallow to be discernible. Allowing the ribbons still binding the other man to disintegrate, Ryuhou Reached out to press two fingers against Kazuma�s throat, just over the carotid artery and was relieved to feel a strong pulse--although the other Alter�s heartbeat was much too rapid and erratic for his taste. But�why wasn�t the other man breathing?
Almost in answer to Ryuhou�s unspoken question, Kazuma�s head lolled slowly to one side as a series of loose, rattling coughs wracked his body, causing him to eject a wad of yellowish mucous mixed with blood out onto the cavern�s stone floor. Grimacing slightly, Ryuhou shifted Kazuma over a few inches so that the other man wouldn�t have to lay in the mess.
As he touched the redhead, a low moan rose from deep within Kazuma�s chest, and despite the chill of the stone he was lying on, a thin sheen of sweat broke out over his forehead and face. One amber eye slowly peeled itself open, fixing its gaze upon Ryuhou�s forehead--although he doubted that the other man saw him or even knew he was there.
�K�Kimi�shima�� Kazuma murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, �Wake up�Kimishima�� His eye slid closed once more, an expression of disbelief and desolation settling over the younger man�s features as parched lips parted to hitch in an uneven breath. �St�stop�screwing around��
Ryuhou�s own eyes widened as tears seeped out from under Kazuma�s eyelids, carving trails through the dirt and grime encrusted on the other man�s skin. Kimishima� Was this the same person as the �Shima� that Kazuma had mistaken him for earlier? Perhaps�Shima was a nickname

Or a�petname�?

for the same person? At any rate, Ryuhou was beginning to get an idea of why this other person was no longer with his rival.

They�re dead�

Something had happened to them, obviously. Something�bad. Acting on impulse, Ryuhou reached out, gently brushing sweat-drenched bangs back from the other man�s too-warm forehead. �I�m here�� he said softly, �It�s�all right, Kazuma� I�m here�� He didn�t quite know why he once again pretended to be the mysterious Shima and/or Kimishima�but he was glad that he had as his words seemed to both calm and comfort the other man.
��Shima�� Kazuma whispered, a faint, relieved smile playing about his lips, �Knew�you were just�yanking my chain��
�I�m�sorry I worried you�� Ryuhou replied as he continued to caress the other man�s feverish face. Kazuma�s only reply was a noncommittal grunt, and after a few moments, the younger man�s breathing slowed, deepened, as he once more either passed out or drifted off to sleep.

Respiratory infection�maybe even pneumonia� Ryuhou pulled away, sitting back on his heels to gaze thoughtfully down at his captive. After a long moment, he pushed himself back up to this feet, heading back over to rummage through his duffle bag until he located the small bottle of penicillin tablets. He�d brought them to prevent infection from any injuries he might sustain during his travels, but they were all he had that might help Kazuma to recover�if he could get the stubborn ass to take them.
Taking the penicillin and the water bottle, Ryuhou crossed back to the area of the cave where Kazuma still laid. Although sweat still seemed to pour from him, Kazuma now seemed to be in the grip of a severe chill, his teeth chattering, his body visibly shivering.

Dammit, Kazuma�I didn�t bring anything that even looks like a blanket�

After a few moments, Ryuhou quickly unbuttoned his rather threadbare uniform coat before draping it over the shivering man. Almost as an afterthought, he once more crossed over to the other side of the cave to retrieve his equally threadbare cloak, spreading it out over the other man as well. During the time he�d been tracking the other, he�d been using his cloak as a bedroll himself; at any rate, it was all he had, so it would have to do.
For the time being, Ryuhou had done all that he could for Kazuma. When the other Alter next woke, he would try to force a couple of the antibiotics into him. But for now, all he could do was wait. Once more, he lowered himself to the ground; picking up his water bottle, he raised it to his lips as he watched the last vestiges of sunlight fade from the late evening sky.

So much for leaving at first light� Even with Kazuma�s enhanced healing abilities, it would be at least a couple of days before the other man was fit to travel--and possibly longer than that, depending on how firm a grip the infection had on him.

Why are you going to such lengths to save him? A rival�An enemy�? An almost cynical smile tugged at Ryuhou�s lips as he pondered his own question. Why, indeed�? There had never been any love lost between them, not from the moment they had first met. Even during their uneasy truce those three months when they had lived and worked together, fighting against the Mainland forces�even then, the camaraderie between them had been volatile, at best. And when there had been no common enemy for them to unite against, they would as often as not turn to and fight each other--and there had been times when the fighting between them became so bitter that he had been sure that they would save the Mainland the trouble and kill each other.
And yet�
Ryuhou had never felt more content�more�alive than he had during those times. For all his other faults--and he had many--Kazuma had never disappointed him. Time and again, the other man had proven himself to be Ryuhou�s equal�and he was still the only gauge by which the former HOLY officer never tired of measuring himself. At heart, they were the same; Kazuma was his mirror image, the darker side of his own tarnished soul. Total opposites�and yet, two sides of the same, dysfunctional coin.
Although he would never go so far as to say--even to himself--that he liked Kazuma, he did at least respect the other man. If he just allowed the other to die, something vital in himself would die, as well.

It�s just�not a fitting end for so worthy an opponent�

Again, that might not be the right answer, or the only answer�but it was all he had, so it would have to do.
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Lost Ground, Lost Souls