Quicksilver's Quill Offers 
Pawns 
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
Standard disclaimers 

AN: I would like to stress that this is an ALTERNATE
REALITY- it follows up to episode twelve, then
diverges from there.   Dedicated to Kayla, for
inadvertently inspiring me.   

I�m holding the next section ransom for 50 reviews-
j/k.   Though reviews are great (and appreciated!),
it�s seeing other great KKJ fics that get me moving�
so if you want more, your best bet is to write your
OWN KKJ fic and get my competitive spirit fired up!

Earlier parts can be found at: 

http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=268131

And you�re invited to join my Mailing List at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver

I�ve decided I�m actually going to start paying
attention to it�
*************************

Part Six:

	Maron awoke from a pleasantly groggy state to return
to the unwanted phase of existence known as reality.
Ever muscle in her body was aching, and she wondered
exactly what had hit her. 

	She blinked, trying to organize her hazy thoughts.
She had... tried to Checkmate last night, and for the
first time, the demon had been more powerful then she.
Sinbad had saved her, only to abandon her in a Park.
Then Chiaki had come and taken her home. All in all,
it had been a hectic day. 

	She felt like a wrung out dishrag. She had used far
too much energy trying to Checkmate, and she had
nothing to show for it aside from a colossal headache.
Finally she attempted to sit up, only to fall back on
the pillows, and feel the pain in her forehead
increase. It felt like someone had taken a hammer and
was trying to work their way out of her skull from the
inside. I'm too damn weak to even sit up straight! she
thought furiously. How the hell am I going to do
anything? I've got a Checkmate to make! Not to mention
that damn math test! 

	"Just lie down, Maron," a voice said softly. She
started, and then groaned as the movement sent another
spike of pain through her. "I've got something for the
headache. Open your mouth." 

	She was too tired to argue. Two small bitter pills
were placed on her tongue when her lips opened. He
then lifted her had up and held a cup to her mouth.
"Swallow," he commanded, and she did so. 

	"I feel awful," she whispered. 

"I'm not surprised." A cool cloth wiped her face.
"Your skin is clammy to the touch, and your cheeks are
flushed. I had to carry you home last night."

	 She muttered under her breath, tried to sit up, and
failed. "How am I going to take that test?" she said.
She would have wailed, but even the sound of her own
voice sent sharp jabs of refreshed agony through her
head. 

	Chiaki's voice soothed her. "It's ok. I'll talk to
Pakkyamlamao-sensei, get you an extension." 

	"Do you think...." Maron said, trying to sound too
hopeful. 

	"I think so. Now how about trying to get some sleep?
Or do you want something to eat?" 

	Her stomach rebelled at the idea of food, but she
knew she should eat something. "I have some Gatorade
in the fridge- it should be a good thing." 

	He nodded. "Restore your electrolytes," he agreed. He
hurried into the kitchen and she heard the sound of
him fumbling through her cabinets as he tried to find
a glass.   The noise seemed to vibrate inside of her
head, and she wished that someone would put her out of
her misery.   She hated being sick.

	He came back moments later, holding up a clear glass
full of light blue liquid.   �Whatever happened to the
days when it was just� well, red?�

	She looked at it, not in the mood for his lousy
jokes.  �This tastes better,� she stated abruptly.

	He propped her up against a few overly stuff pillows
and she was relieved that the pills he had given her
had already started to take effect.   He helped her
take a few sips, and the entire exercise exhausted
her.   

	There was the distant sound of pounding, like someone
knocking on a door.  �MARON!� a voice called.

	She flinched as she heard someone yelling her name.  
�That sounded like Miyako.   She�s here to pick me up
for school.�

	�I�ll go tell her we�re not coming.�

	�We�re?!� she exclaimed, then immediately regretting
it.   Her voice vibrated in her head like cymbals.

	Pain, pain, pain.   She should have known to keep her
mouth shut.

	�Someone needs to watch over you, and Miyako can�t
afford to miss anymore class- she�s really busy
helping her father chase Jeanne and Sinbad.�

	�But-� she began to protest.

	�No buts.   It�s a done deal.   You just stay right
here and I�ll go ask Miyako to collect our homework.� 
He left the room, and she scowled at his back.

	Maron fumed.   �Insufferably bossy prig!� 

	�Is he gone?� a small voice said quietly from the
windowsill.

	�Fin!�  Maron exclaimed.   �Where did you get to last
night?�

	The little angel flew over and gently perched on
Maron�s lap, studying her with intent eyes.   �I
thought Chiaki would be able to deal with you, so I
got out of the way.   He makes me nervous.�

	�You don�t like him?� Maron asked, surprised.

	�It�s not that� exactly.   Anyway, how are you
feeling?�

	Maron recognized an attempt to change the subject
when she heard one, but she let her friend get away
with it.   �Absolutely lousy.   My head is killing me,
I think I have a fever, and I have no energy.�

	�I�m not surprised.   You used too much energy trying
to Checkmate last night.   You should be better in a
few days.�

	�Three.�

	�What?!� Fin exclaimed, horrified.

	�I want you to send notice for three days.   I have
to go back out, or Sinbad is going to win.�

	�Win?   You nearly died and you�re worried about
Sinbad �winning�?!�

	Maron stared blankly.   �I nearly died?!�

	�You did!   If Sinbad hadn�t helped you when he did,
you wouldn�t have had enough energy to keep your heart
beating when you let go of your transformation!  I
don�t like him, but you owe him your life!�

	�Why would he save me?� she whispered in a wondering
voice.

	�I don�t know!   But he must have had some reason!�

	Maron blinked, trying to integrate the new knowledge.
  She had almost died.  It made being a kaitou seem
less of a game, and all the sudden dangerously real.  
�Three days.   I�ll figure something out before then.�

	Fin Fish nodded reluctantly.   �Three days.   I�ll
have a notice ready.�  She rose and stretched slowly. 
 �Chiaki�s coming back, so I�ll leave you alone to get
some sleep.�  The angel smiled and flew up to place a
kiss on Maron�s forehead.   �Sleep now.�   Her tiny
hands lit up with a faint green light.

	Entranced by the hypnotic power Fin was using, Maron
fell into a healing sleep, aided by the love of an
emissary of God.

!*!*!*!*!*!

	Miyako knocked on Maron's door, impatient.   "MARON!"
she yelled for what must have been the fifteenth time.
  "Hurry up or we'll be LATE!"  Losing Jeanne the
night before had put her in a foul mood, and now that
Maron was late, as usual.   She was just about to
pound on the door with her fist one last time when the
door swung open.   "It's about time- Chiaki!" she
exclaimed, seeing a pair of unexpected blue eyes.  
Ruthlessly she suppressed the feelings of suspicion
that welled up in her.  "What are you doing at Maron's
place?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.  
It was probably something innocent- maybe he had come
over for breakfast, as he was always threatening to
do.

	He raised a finger to his lips, indicating that she
should be quiet as he stepped out into the hall.  
"Maron's sick- she won't be able to go to school.  
I'm going to stay here and watch her."

	"She's sick?" Miyako asked, making a move to go into
her friend's apartment.

	Chiaki blocked her by moving.   "I just got her to
take something to help her sleep- she's going to be
out of it.  I'm going to stay with her today.   Could
you please collect our homework?"

	Miyako's heart pounded.  "Why not let my mother know?
  She can keep an eye on her- she stays at home, and
that's what's happened in the past when Maron's ill." 
 She didn't like the thought of Chiaki spending the
day alone with a vulnerable Maron- whether it was out
of concern for her friend or for her crush, she wasn't
sure.

	"You can tell her, but I'm staying anyway," Chiaki
said.   His eyes were strangely gentle as he glanced
at the door.  "She would do the same for me."

	"Yes, but Chiaki... you can't really afford to miss
school, can you?   You're absent quite a lot," Miyako
said, trying a different tact.

	"That's not a concern.   I still have the highest
grades in class, as you very well know.   If Maron's
feeling better later, I might help her with her
studying."

	"It'd be more efficient if you went so you knew what
you were tutoring her in."

	"Please, Miyako?" he said, giving her a pleading
look.

	She sighed, unable to deny him.   "Fine."

	He flashed her a smile that went to her very bones; a
brilliant, charismatic smile that was all for her.  
"I knew I could count on you!"   With that, he opened
the door to Maron's apartment quietly and went back
in.

	Miyako basked in the remembered glow of his smile
before a thought occurred to her.   "How did he know
she was sick before I did?" she wondered aloud.

	Something was going on, and she was going to find
out.  

	But first she had classes.

!*!*!*!*!*!

	Chiaki was dead tired.   His antics as Sinbad the
night before had taken their toll, and he had been up
all night trying to keep Maron alive.  She had come
dangerously close to killing herself.   It was only by
using some of his personal power that she had managed
to survive the night.

	He knew about magic, knew the costs and consequences,
better then most.

	Magic could be an internal or external thing.  His
family had always used magic, but he was the strongest
to be born in recorded history.   The portents on the
night of his birth had been enough that anyone who
knew enough to read them had shivered in fear- no one
should be that powerful.

	And then Maron had been born, and the world itself
had unconsciously quivered.

	Jeanne D'Arque walked the earth again.

	He thought it strange that she was still so ignorant
about the true nature of her powers, wondered how she
had survived all these years alone.   The Devil
himself was her opponent, and she'd been stripped of
her family early.   Even raw talent like hers needed
training.

	He moved back into her room, smiling at her.   The
two pills he'd given her had been designed to help a
person recover their magic, and soothe the trauma of
magic burn.   They weren't the type of things that
could be bought over the counter; he had made them
himself.   Chiaki himself had taken one shortly after,
and knew he was about to crash. 

	While he hadn't attempted to Checkmate, he had
spontaneously teleported with a passenger, a very
complex and tiring spell. Glancing around to check for
a green-haired jun tenshi, he was relieved that she
wasn't around. That meant it was safe for him to cast
a simply cantrip, one that would alert him if Maron
needed him for anything. 

	He murmured under his breath as he wove his fingers
in an elaborate, yet short, pattern, taking the mana
in the room and bending it to his will. Luckily such a
small spell didn't require him to use his personal
reserves, something he could ill afford to do. He drew
on the earth's inherent mana, smiling slightly as the
power embraced him.   It was so addicting that it
would be easy to cast spell after spell until he died,
worn out by channeling.

	The tendrils of magic reached out and wrapped around
Maron gently. Had he been using his mage-sight, he
would have seen the light blue fibers encase her
gently, tying her to him. It wasn't an offensive
spell, nothing that could hurt her, so her native
defenses didn't kick in. Instead, he was suddenly more
aware of her, her presence tingling against his skin,
her fatigue conveying itself so well that he nearly
collapsed on the spot.  Somehow or other he managed to
make his was to the couch in the living room, where he
shut his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. 

	It was a few hours before he felt a tug on the spell,
warning him that Maron was stirring. He rolled off the
couch and shoved his feet back into his slippers,
padding over to the door. "Maron?" he called out.
Chiaki heard her murmur sleepily, and took it for an
invitation to enter. "Feeling better?" he asked
cheerily. 

	"I feel wonderful," she said sarcastically. "The
hammer in my head has decreased about two sizes- does
that count?"

	�Can�t you think about anything except your head?� he
asked.

	�Right now the pain that�s there won�t let me,� she
said.

	He thought carefully before making an offer.   Chiaki
was well aware of the fact that Maron suspected his
motives, but there was something he could do.   �I
know you�re going to accuse me of being a pervert, but
I do have an idea that might help.�

	She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.   �What?�

	�I�m really good at given massages.�

	�NOOOOO!� she yelled, feeling blood rush to her face
and her head explode again.

	�Maron� honestly.   It�d help you relax, and if you
relax, some of the pain might dissipate.�

	�But-� she began, then sighed.    Chiaki would argue
and argue, and in her current state, she knew she�d
lose.   �Fine.   Touch anywhere inappropriate and I
hand you your head on a platter.�

	�I won�t,� he promised, trying to get his eyes to
reflect his sincerity.   He honestly didn�t want to
set her off.   He had had magic burn before, and he
knew it felt simply miserable.   If she would let him
work on her, though, he�d be able to do some more
channeling, and hopefully get her back up on her feet
sooner.   �Roll over so I can work on your back.�  She
had regained enough strength to do so without his
help, though it was an effort.  He pulled the blanket
off and knelt besides her, moving her hair off back
and onto her shoulders.   �Let me know if I do
anything that doesn�t feel right.   A massage
shouldn�t hurt.�

	His strong fingers brushed against her back gently
and she blushed slightly, unused to anyone being so
intimate with her.   After a minute, she relaxed, and
then he began to work in earnest.   

	Chiaki hadn�t lied- he was good.   He seemed to know
just the right amount of pressure to apply, and where
to apply it.   He found knots in her muscles that she
hadn�t even been aware of having, and his long
soothing strokes soon had her ready to purr like a
kitten.   Maron was slowly de-evolving into a pile of
goo, and she had no objections.

	Unbeknown to her, Chiaki was using his admittedly
limited healing magic (his spells tended to be of a
more offensive nature) to bolster her reserves.   She
was bouncing back remarkably fast- she would have to
take tomorrow and Saturday off, but she�d be ready for
school Monday.     And probably ready to transform
into Jeanne not much longer after that.  The idea made
him nervous.   There was still the matter of Tokyo
Tower to settle.

	He would have to Checkmate before then.

END PART SIX


=====
"HOW DARE YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE MY SAFFIR-CHAN!"

http://www.homestead.com/quicksilverslabyrinth

http://www.method.org/gundam

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