Disclaimer: El Hazard is owned by AIC/Pioneer LDC. The author owns only the writing. Rock and Redemption Chapter 4: Palace of Roshtaria She spied Londs near the ballroom's outside entrance and called out, "Hey! Londs! Get the healers, Fujisawa, Makoto, ah you know who to get!" "My word, is that--" "Not Jinnai, another Earther. And he's wounded! Hurry!" Shayla-Shayla shouted flying into one of the guest rooms. Floristica had no official at the palace. Injured guards stayed in the city. Dignitaries and other important people were given guest quarters as they healed. She set him gently down on his side and rummaged around for a towel or anything she could use to clean the wound. Hiashi moaned slightly. Shayla-Shayla remembered about is apparent power and turned off her Lamp of Fire. She couldn't risk his throwing fire in his semi-conscious state Hiashi rolled over on his back before Shayla- Shayla could find what she needed. Instead she rushed to his side and tried to coax him awake. Damn, where were those healers?! She is a priestess, not a doctor. The he muttered, "Shinonome Health Group, member number 4394F1995, insurance agent Jannius Hiriko." "Hey there, don't go delirious on me. Start talking sense." "Where am I?" "Floristica, capital of Roshtaria. You're in one of the palace's guest rooms." "You ... flew me here didn't you? After that giant ant..." "Yea, you saved my life. Twice. And I attacked you. I'm sorry." "You mistook me for Jinnai." Shayla laughed with a hint of embarrassment, "Well you had on the same uniform. No one else wears that material. Even Makoto gave his up weeks ago." Hiashi snapped back to full consciousness and instantly regretted it, "Makoto's here too? How?" She was about to answer when the door burst open. Fujisawa charged in and gasped, "Hiashi?! It is you! I had no idea. What happened?" He was followed by Makoto, Miz, both princesses, Ifurita, Londs, and a trio of healers. "Some Bugrom punched him in the back. That big one which you slammed that big rock on its arm. The scar cut him real bad." The healers pushed their way through and turned Hiashi over. "The wound looks minor." one said, "But we'll have to remove the jacket to be sure." "Leave it to me." Fujisawa said as he prepared to finish ripping the jacket in two. Just then Hiashi remembered something, "No." he tried to say, but was too tired to make himself heard. Fujisawa easily tore the damaged jacket, dress shirt, and t-shirt in two and pushed them aside so the healers could apply their craft. Then everybody gasped in shock. All over Hiashi's back were small scars and welts, large bruises of various colors, even a few old circular burns. It make the cut from Gommo's scar seem almost insignificant. Hiashi could do nothing but try to hold back his tears of shame. Fujisawa recovered and said in an even tone, "HE did this didn't he?" "Yes, Sensei" came the barely audible response. "Champion, we must tend to these injuries." the lead healer said nudging Fujisawa out of the way. "All right, everybody out. Give the poor kid some privacy." Fujisawa said making shooing motions with his arms. He was the last one to leave. Before passing through the doors, he looked back at his former student and softly said, "I'm sorry." Both to Hiashi and himself. After he closed the doors, Miz asked, "What happened to him? That was no Bugrom attack. Fuji, tell us." "Miz, go to the house and collect all the booze. Use your powers to make sure you get it all. Then dump it down the nearest sewer." "Fuji! What are you talking about?" "Please, Miz." Fujisawa finished as he left the group. "Makoto?" Miz asked. "Sorry. I'm just as surprised as you. Maybe Nanami knows." "I'll stay here." Shayla-Shayla volunteered. Minutes later, Fujisawa was pounding a fallen tower to rubble. While Ifurita was under Jinnai's control, she knocked over several of the castle towers. It had taken a while but recently construction teams began to clear the destroyed walls. "Why!!!" he shouted accenting his question with a shattering punch to a large brick. "Please God, send me back to Earth for a day! An hour! Five minutes! Just give me the chance to wring that bastard's neck!!" Fujisawa continued his unanswered pleas while taking out his frustration and anguish on the destroyed tower. Miz stood away watching him with tears in her eyes. Never had she seen him this upset. Never had he even hinted at wanting to go back to Earth before now. What would have this effect on the strongest man in El-Hazard? When Fujisawa finally sat down in exhaustion, she ran to him. He was muttering, "I should have known. Should have done something. It wasn't his allergy." "Fuji, what happened. Please tell me." she said gently rocking him. "I remember it so well now. On Earth several months before I came to El-Hazard..." Interlude: Earth Fujisawa entered the bar after a long day of classes. This wasn't his usual pub, but he was thrown out of his favorite one last night for starting a fight. Like it was his fault that other guy spilled his beer. After a couple of cold ones, he thought he saw Hiashi. "Hiashi," he said, "you shouldn't be here." The man stood up. Fujisawa knew instantly he made a mistake, "I'm not that little bookworm, I'm his father." "Sorry, my mistake. Care to join me? First round's on me, friend." the teacher offered to keep the peace. Actually he bought the first several rounds. There was something about his body language which intimidated Fujisawa. "That kid's nothing but trouble. He has no respect for tradition." "Come on, with so many possibilities out there, who can blame today's youth for taking new kinds of jobs. This isn't the Middle Ages. I should know. I teach history." "Is that what your father did?" "Well errr. Yeah, he was a teacher." Fujisawa lied. OK so Dad was a thief, a poacher, but he did teach him stealth and some karate, so technically he wasn't lying. "So that's what you should be. We were meant to stay in our social ranks. Been that way for thousands of years and things were fine. Now kids got these stupid ideas in their heads and look at society now. Sons defying their fathers, yakusa running wild, foreigners invading our country!" Fujisawa knew it was only a half truth. The problems of today paled with the attitudes and crimes from the past. How social standing was rigorously enforced, people were frequently killed for showing even a hint of disrespect for their lord. But the other man's attitude and fearsome build kept him from speaking. "Kids these days have to be kept in line and I'm going to make sure mine do what is expected of him. Thanks for the drinks." he finished a long pull of beer and left. End Interlude: "I asked Hiashi about his father the next day. He didn't say anything. I went to the principal, but he couldn't do anything on the word of a drunken teacher. We knew he bruised easily so it made it that much harder to get the principle to think something was wrong. I kept trying, sure something was up. But he transferred to the Western History classes at the end of the semester and has avoided me ever since. Soon I forgot about it, hoping another teacher will notice. No such luck." Fujisawa finished putting his head in his hands. "Oh Masamichi. I'm so sorry. You did what you could." "You're wrong and you know it. I could have done more. Much more. Even if it meant having to give up my teaching career, I should have tried harder." He hugged her close. A side effect of his super strength was his sub-conscious taking control of his powers. This allowed him to juggle giant boulders and still give a big hug to his wife without having her vital organs shoot out her ears. Above them, hiding near a window near Hiashi's room, Shayla-Shayla watched and heard every word. Hearing Hiashi's story made her angry. She knew he didn't dive through the portal out of curiosity, but to escape his father. She wanted to take it out on him as much as Fujisawa did. But she knew it was probably impossible. Unless he also came to El- Hazard. She thought about it for a moment, struggling to recall everything she learned about the Eye of God. Makoto liked to leave a bit of room to spare in his calculations. He gave enough energy to the portal for himself, Ifurita, the some more for the unexpected. Now considering how much energy was left in the link, there should be just enough to safely send one more person here. If Hiashi's father did try to follow him through the portal, he would be lost in time and space forever. A decent punishment, though far from the one Shayla-Shayla preferred. Of course, that assumed he even had the chance to enter the portal in the first place, which was very unlikely. She went to tell Hiashi the news. But he was asleep when she entered the room through the window. Afura was there studying him. "Hey Afura, what are you doing here? I thought you were headed back to Mt.Mooldun." "I was until I heard about him. Does he have any special powers?" "We don't know for sure yet. But I think he can duplicate any active abilities around him. When I ... mistook him for Jinnai, he wound up throwing fireballs at me and copying my wings perfectly. And when Jinnai hit me with that goop, he couldn't use any of my powers until we washed it off." "Goop?" Afura asked in her 'why didn't you mention this before' tone. "Oh right, almost forgot. The Bugrom have this new weapon. This crud drained me of my strength and powers until wiped off. We'll have to be careful from now on." "Hummm you say he couldn't do anything unless you could too?" "That's what I figure. He's pretty smart though. Figuring out how to use his powers so quickly." "You're probably right. A scout reported the same thing. I also felt something at the shrine a while ago, a type of duplicity. Like the kind we feel during meditation and another uses her elemental powers. Except then, there was two." Afura moved closer to Hiashi's side looking cross. "Hey what are you doing?" Shayla-Shayla demanded. Afura Mann raised her arm and prepared to attack the helpless student. "You know the rules. No man may use the powers of the priestesses." Shayla-Shayla got between Afura and Hiashi, "You didn't try blasting Ifurita at the party, even though she could use our powers too." " Ifurita is a woman, or however close she can be to one. The laws of the Priestesshood are quite clear. 'Any man caught using the sacred powers of the Priestesses shall be put to death.' It's been that way ever since the Lamp of Rock was lost." "That's a misinterpretation of the law written eons ago and you know it! Back then it refereed to anyone outside the Sisterhood and it was meant to protect our secrets, not to murder innocent people! Besides we don't even know if he can really do that." "How he got his powers doesn't matter. You admit yourself that you saw him use your elemental flame. I don't see why you are protecting him." "Maybe because I'm obeying the spirit of the law. At least he deserves a fair trial." Shayla-Shayla's headband flared a bright glowing flame. "Can you stand there and tell me our predessors knew that one day another-worlder will drop into El-Hazard and be granted the ability to use our elemental powers instinctively? We trained for years, learned forbidden knowledge, given unique devices to channel our powers. THAT is what the law was meant to protect. To keep spies away, not men who have the talent for elemental magic." "Enough! You're neglecting your sacred duty!" Afura finished by creating a sudden gust of wind, sending Shayla-Shayla out the window. She prepared to execute Hiashi briefly wondering why he hasn't awakened yet. The healers used special plants with healing properties in balms and salves they used on Hiashi. But these plants also had large doses of lactose instead of sugar. Worse, they were applied directly to the skin to sooth the muscles first. No one else knew it, but he was close to death's door even without Afura's summary judgement. Afura took a moment to prepare her blast. She rarely used it because it was so draining. A small cyclone formed between her outstretched hands. In the vortex a white-blue sphere of energy grew. When she was about to release it, Fujisawa broke down the door. "Stop!" he yelled putting his foot down, literally. The room shook causing Afura to miss, her power blast blew Hiashi's sheet off as it arced to the ceiling. Afura got a good look at his condition. The healers found more of his father's attacks and also wrapped his arms and legs in medicated bandages. For an instant, Afura felt pity for him. But that emotion was washed away by something foreign. The energy in the cyclone circled up and came straight down into Hiashi's chest. It dissipated throughout his body doing no damage. Wisps of white smoke floated away from his body. His eyes fluttered open just as Shayla-Shayla rocketed inside. "He-he wasn't hurt." Afura gasped. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Fuji asked grabbing Afura by the shoulder. "She was going to murder him." Shayla-Shayla answered. "He was using the sacred powers of the priestess." Afura stated as if that justified her actions. Miz spoke up, "Afura, that law was meant to keep outsiders from learning our secrets." "Told ya." "The law is the law and it must be obeyed!" Afura dictated. "Well I don't know what law you're talking about, but if it demands cold blooded murder, then it should be examined. Afura, I expected better than that from you." Fujisawa said. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Hiashi said sitting up. "You were using the powers of the Great Priestesses. That is an offense punishable by death." Afura said casually. "Wait, that law hasn't been enforced for thousands of years, if it ever was. Come to think of it, all the laws of the Sisterhood were reexamined a century ago. Who knows, maybe that law has been rewritten or even nullified. We must journey to the holy library and find out. All of us." Miz said, finger on her chin trying to remember. "Death?" Hiashi said shocked, "You mean you were trying to kill me?!" "I was doing my scared duty. Nothing personal." "That's sick!" "Hey wait a minute." Fujisawa interrupted, "Why weren't you hurt by Afura's blast?" "We think he has the power to use any active elemental magic, including that of the Priesthood. He might also be able to draw and absorb it into his body for healing." said Shayla-Shayla. "Boy Shayla, that sounded smarter than anything I've heard you say before. What happened?" Afura said sarcastically. "What do you mean by powers?" Hiashi asked Shayla-Shayla. "So far everyone from Earth who came to El-Hazard gained some sort of ability. Fujisawa got super-strength, Jinnai can communicate with the Bugrom, Makoto can use the devices of the ancient El-Hazardians, and Nanami can see through illusions." she explained. "And I have a power which may be illegal. Just when things were starting to look up. Well how soon do we leave? I hate this uncertainty." "Just a minute young man. You're still injured. You're in no shape for travel." Fujisawa said. "I feel fine. Just a little hungry that's all." Hiashi insisted. His stomach seconded the motion. "Just how long has it been since you last ate?" Shayla-Shayla asked. Hiashi thought back, he had to skip lunch and dinner yesterday due to all the paperwork his new position required. Breakfast was forgotten for years since it meant he had to spend more time at home. So his most recent meal was an instant ramen package almost two nights ago. "Long enough." he said blushing. "Well if the executioner can wait for the trial, maybe we can get something to eat." Shayla-Shayla said throwing a look at Afura. "Very well. Go ahead." Afura sat by herself on the roof of a tower looking over the city. Why was she in such a hurry to kill someone in his sleep? The law was just an excuse, a way to justify and coax her into acting. But the way her friends defended him, questioned the law...threw everything into doubt. She would never admit it, but Shayla-Shayla was right. Regardless of the letter of the law, Hiashi was a unique case and didn't break the law's spirit. There were still the dreams. She's been having them every night for the past week. The Lamp of Rock being stolen by a man. Seeing it being hidden in some anonymous cavern. Someone in a blue coat finding it and causing great destruction. At first she thought it was Jinnai, but with Hiashi and his powers she wasn't sure. He seemed like a good person. She thought hard about the last part of the dream. Was the finder of the Lamp causing the damage or was it coincidence? Before her an ghostly image of a man appeared. His face was old, eyes blazing with evil. The expression on his face was stern anger. "You must kill him! Has he not broken the scared law?" "I do not know. The law might have been changed." Afura said as if in a trance. "It doesn't matter. He is a threat to my plans. Obey me or your friends shall suffer as well." the image said and silently vanished. Afura snapped to attention. There was that weird feeling again. She's been having it more and more these past few days. "What is going on? Am I losing my mind?" she said to herself. Something inside told her to kill Hiashi, but another part wanted to find the truth before acting. She put her face in her hands and tried to sort everything out.