Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ Tropicana ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

In the brief twenty minutes that followed, my brother had safely driven the girl and I to his precarious and rather dirty apartment. It had become apparent on the trip back to my brother's house that he had actually met the girl first, which, considering her beautiful appearance, did not surprise me in the least. My brother had learned of the girl's troubles concerning a sorcerer, and in order to receive a cellular phone call from Big Mama had sent the young girl, whose name was Sierra, over to me for those few moments.

My Niisan was, of course, acting very serious and charming for the young lady, and for some reason, my heart filled with something bitter, almost like envy. I refused to acknowledge my jealousy, however, and instead was my general, stolid and polite self. As we three sat on his rough red and black plaid couch; we conversed over the solemn matter at hand.

"So," I began, as my brother, who was sitting beside the girl, ran his eyes over the trembling Sierra once more, "Who exactly is this Sorcerer that you need our help in defeating?"

Sierra did not answer right away. Her eyes seemed to fill with a bottomless well of tears, as some deep pain from deep in her soul drifted to the surface. She looked at me, and my heart ached for her. I could feel her spirit so well.

"His name is Orange Sorbet," she sputtered. And just as she was about to utter more, the phone rang.

"Damn!" My brother lamented, and stretched for the cord phone hanging on the dimly lit wall.

As my brother quietly whispered at the phone a few feet away, I looked at Sierra. I knew she was in some kind of terrible trouble, and I fervently hoped that I could help her. Watching her brought a strange thought to my mind, and I decided to ask a bold question.

"Sierra," I watched her as she raised her lovely face, "Excuse me if this is a rude interrogation, but, how- how did you know we were Sorcerer Hunters?" Her face brightened at my question, and she smiled.

"Marron-san," her voice soft, "My late mother was a Sorcerer Hunter as you are. Or were. Your brother told me the Sorcerer Hunters were retired." She looked away, and took on that cold, fearful look once more.

"Well, in truth," I took note of the ugly green carpet my brother had to avoid meeting her eyes, "We have not fought any Sorcerers for about four years now. We all decided to pursue our own lives for a change, since the world did not need our services any longer."

"I need you now, though."

How I wished it wasn't in just a business sense.

"Marron!" Niisan alerted me as he promptly hung up the phone. He looked strangely perplexed and somewhat anxious. "Uhm..Big Mama alerted the others. Looks like we'll be a team again, at least for a little while."

"What?" This surprised me, for I had thought that the powers of my brother and I would be enough to tackle at least a novice sorcerer.

"Yep. Dota's been doing a little research, Marron. This Orange character seems to have been around for a quite a while, and it turns out he's been colleagues, you might say, with Zaha."

My eyes widened abruptly. So it was apparent our new adversary wasn't completely ignorant, as were some sorcerers we fought. The sorcerer with mirrors came to mind, for that particular one was unanimously stupid. Our energy had barely been used on that guy. I shook my head and turned to Sierra, who looked somewhat paler.

"Sierra-san, in order to help you, we need to know exactly what this Orange Sorbet is doing, and its relation to you," I stated encouragingly. I tried to seem as peaceable as possible, for the poor girl looked more and more ready to burst into tears every second.

"He's," she choked, her breath coming short as she looked up at me, "he's taking over my body." Her impassive face revealed this as an evident truth.

"What? Your beautiful, curvaceous body?" My brother blurted, incredulous. I felt ready to slap him, but by some strange force I restrained myself.

"Why is he doing this?"

"He needs my entire body and soul to communicate to the damned," the girl whispered. "I am one of the last true psychic women left on this world. Ever since I was born, I have been able to communicate through spirit. I suppose this proves valuable to him." She sighed, closing her eyes. "If only I didn't have this power..maybe he would leave me alone," Sierra sank her head back into the couch. In the pale lamplight, I saw tears glittering on her cheek. Such a sight made my heart ache for the girl.

"We will not fail, Sierra," I assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If you help us find him, we can defeat him for you," I said, putting emphasis on the last two words. For you. I stared at her warmly, and I was sure I felt a wave of gentle understanding drift between us. Yes, I thought emphatically as I gazed upon her serene beauty, I will do everything I can for you. Sierra closed her eyes and rested, her tortured soul slowly but surely being taken from her.

I lifted my hand from her shoulder and stood up. Leaving my brother and Sierra, I paced into the dark hall in the back of the littered apartment and effortlessly lifted my suitcase from the wall against which it had been resting. Opening it right there in the hall, I carefully fingered something I never left home without. Slowly, I pulled out a single black and white ornate piece of slim paper. Oh, it had been so long since I actually used one. I smiled as I looked at it. The ofuda.