Elemental Genesis

Chapter Eleven: Finally Home But After Shopping

Nuitari greeted the outside with a wide smile, but suppressed the urge to just run off blindly. Dr. Annie said he had to take it easy. Though he had more or less completely healed, the doctor was not taking any chances. Zylle was told that his weight was still low and to make sure that he put on some pounds. Also, she was ordered not to start on anything too difficult when she started to train him. She assured him that she wouldn't start training in at least four days. "Besides," she had said. "He needs to get used to everything first."

He had to admit that she was right; all this would take a while to absorb. Five days ago, he had just awoken out of a coma without any memory of his identity or past in a world that was hidden from wizarding society and relatively from the muggles. Mirabelle had told him that they had more of a connection to the muggle world since many elementals married muggles and they used their technology quite often. Nuitari didn't feel all that apprehensive at the moment. Probably because I know the Lady is watching over me. True, he was slightly concerned about his memory loss, but that was in the back of his mind right now. All that mattered right now was the open blue sky, the summer birds singing their joyful melodies, the sunshine pouring down on his face, and the feeling of standing on his own two legs. Hedwig was clearly enjoying this freedom as well. As soon as they had stepped outside, the owl left his shoulder to soar in the wide blue expanse. He laughed at her happiness.

Zylle walked out of the hospital after him, detained for a few words with Dr. Annie. Looking up at what he was amused at, she joined in his laughter. Contrary to what he had seen her wearing on previous occasions, she wore fitted blue jeans and a bright green tank top, a white loose peasant top thrown over it. She also sported plain white sneakers. He guessed this was what she wore when she wasn't working: she had taken the day off to pick him up from the hospital. She looked down at him, "I guess you're both happy to be out of there, aren't you?"

"Don't get me wrong or anything," he stammered, thinking she thought he disliked being at Grey Tower Sanctuary. "The hospital was nice and everything-"

"Don't worry about it! I'm pretty sure you were bored out of your mind. Speaking from the voice of experience here, I once spent a full month here."

Zylle and Nuitari started to walk down the hill the hospital was situated on. Hedwig flying in the sky, doing her appointed job as protector by keeping close by. She really takes this job as my spirit guardian seriously. Wispy elm trees that lined the path blocked out the sun. How he loved to be outside. He asked the adult, "How did you get stuck in the hospital for a month?"

"An upstart clan from the south of here began causing trouble. When they dared to attempt to go into the Eastern Starlands, we had to do something. We beat them, but I got badly hit by an earthquake. To make matters worse, I was right next to a house with a very unstable foundation. You can imagine what happened."

"Ouch."

"It did hurt a lot, but I got over it. What I couldn't stand was my mother. Even now she says to me 'be careful of earthquakes!' But my mother's completely mad, so I'm used to it."

"What are the Eastern Starlands?" What was this place that the elemental clans had to stop these people from entering them? How were they special?

"You know that there are five elemental clans around here, right?" She had stiffened in what seemed to be anxiety.

"Yeah, Mirabelle told me. We're from the Arashi-Tenku Dragons."

Zylle visibly relaxed. "Good, I won't have to explain as much then. Fifty years ago, there was a huge war and it involved both the elemental communities and the wizarding world. We still kept ourselves secret from them, though. Elementals that sided with the Dark Lord Adlar Grindelwald were called 'Phantom Elementals'. The 'Shining Elementals' fought against them. There were many more clans around here, but only six went against Grindelwald. At the end of the war, only five clans remained."

"Only six?" He couldn't believe only six would stand to such an evil power. Do people want power so much that they would become evil just to attain it?

"Many believed that Grindelwald would help them bypass the sentient side of the elements. We aren't in full control of the power, you know. Part of it is tied to nature, the other to us. You'll learn more about it soon. Anyway, the 'Shining' side won the war, but as I said before, only five clans remained out of the six."

"What happened to the sixth?" This had him interested.

"The Sekai-Kage Wolves were completely decimated," she paused and closed her eyes in a reverent way here. "Their expertise was spying, infiltration, and assassination. Many were killed by the Phantoms for being double-agents."

"Oh." Now he understood why Zylle seemed so respectful of them. They were willing to put their lives at risk to serve justice. "There's no one left of them?"

"Only one person survived and that was their leader. Mirage Searle, the Black Wolf, had disappeared to who knows where when it was all over. Mum is a better source on this since she lived through the times. The Eastern Starlands were the Wolves' territory. No one lives there and charms have been set up to prevent other people from buying the houses. It's the least we could have done, they didn't give up their lives for nothing."

"Will I ever see the Starlands?"

"Sure," she said. "Actually, you will most likely see them anyway if you wander around town. People who are lost invariably end up there." She grinned at him. "A person can't call themselves an elemental without once visiting the Starlands. They say it's haunted there."

"Do you believe that?"

"Yes." They turned onto an avenue to what appeared to Nuitari, filled with people. Those people had seemed happy enough, but they all stopped when they saw them. Nuitari distinctly heard Zylle mutter scornfully, "I hate passing through Rekka-Ki territory."

So, these are the Rekka-Ki Chimeras. Mirabelle did say that there was a rivalry between them and the Arashi-Tenku. I guess that's why they're reacting this way towards Zylle and me. Zylle just took a deep breath and motioned for him to follow her. Thus, they walked down the silent lane. He tried to ignore the many eyes following the, but he couldn't help being conscious of their stares. As soon as the left the street, activity resumed again. Confused, he asked, "What was that about? I know there's a rivalry between them and us, but it didn't look like it."

"That? Oh, don't think much about it," Zylle said while scowling. "Yes, there is a rivalry, but we tend not to show it like that. We get along most of the time. Many of those people back there were Crowleys, a prominent family in that clan. That was just against me. I'll just say that David Crowley is a huge git and leave it at that." Nuitari knew he wasn't going to get anything more out of her. He was distracted when he realized where they were.

"We're out of Grey Tower?"

"Yep. And I think it's about time I introduce you to the most difficult of all sports." He waited excitedly. Good, we start training! She finished with a smirk, "Shopping."

"What?!"

"We're going shopping. You do need some clothes, you can't possibly wear those everyday." She was right, he had no clothing to call his own. Callie Diamante, Dr. Annie's wife, had generously donated the t-shirt, shoes, and jeans he was wearing. They were old castoffs of Markus Diamante, Mirabelle's second eldest brother and future doctor. Nuitari was grateful, but Zylle had a point: he couldn't wear them forever.

"So we're going to London."

"Right, but first we need to get one of my good friends. She's a lot better at this sort of thing than I am."

<><><>

Nuitari busied himself by looking at the pictures on the wall of the lobby. They were of upcoming designs that the company was going to be making. He was no expert on fashion. But what are these people thinking? He and Zylle had walked into this large building to find that said friend who would help them. Zylle had obviously been here before since the plentiful security guards let them through. This company - Zenith Fashions - seemed pretty big. While now looking out the large plate-glass window, he heard a pleasant female voice exclaim, "Why, Zylle! I certainly didn't expect you to be here!" Turning around, he saw an amazingly beautiful woman walk into the room. Wow. Is she a model or something? The mystery woman had wavy blood-red hair and welcoming light blue eyes. Her clothing, lavender capris and a tight pale green t-shirt, left nothing to the imagination. After embracing Zylle like a sister, she noticed him. "And who is this handsome young man?"

Nuitari was struck momentarily speechless. Zylle saved him the trouble. "This is the boy I was telling you about. Nuitari, this is Mirai Alucard. She's the Red Dragon leader of our clan."

Then she's the third most powerful in the clan. She smiled widely. "Nice to finally meet you. You must be something to make Zylle adopt you. My old friend here rarely does anything impulsive. You have an odd name, though."

He sighed. He had the distinct feeling that was going to happen quite a lot. "Yeah. Mirabelle gave it to me."

"Humph. You're lucky. She's nicknamed people far worse things. She calls her brother Markus everyday by the title of 'Emperor Marcus Aurelius'. It really annoys him."

"Marcus Aurelius?" And I thought I had it bad. Wait, there's also that poor guy, Bubba.

"Yep. I'll call you 'Night', I suppose. 'Nuit' is French for that."

Zylle interjected with, "You're right that is easier. I didn't know about that."

"You didn't take French in school."

Smiling at Nuitari, she explained, "My mother mostly speaks Spanish when she talks in a different language, which is why I learned it. This vampire thought that French was classier."

He looked at Mirai with new fear. "You're a vampire?!"

"Keep it down!" She looked around hastily. "I don't want people knowing. People can be so prejudiced against us dark creatures." Ignoring Nuitari's stunned look, she next asked Zylle, "What did you want to see me for? I'm kind of busy."

"Do you feel like going shopping?"

"Let me get my purse."

<><><>

He collapsed into the outdoor café's plastic chair in exhaustion. She wasn't kidding about this being hard. Zylle sat down in a similar fashion. Mirai, however, was as perky as if she had just drunk twenty coffees. Already she was discussing the next store they should hit. He was amazed she had that much energy. And even more incredible about that was the fact that she was in full sunlight. When he inquired about this earlier, she credited it to her elemental ability. "I'm a fire elemental. The sun is a star and a star is a flaming sphere of gas. Therefore it doesn't hurt me. I'm happy about that. Unlike other vampires, I don't have to be nocturnal." In his opinion, they had been all over London. But Mirai still wasn't done. Neither was Zylle, but she had entirely different reasons.

The first place they went to was the optometrist. He has stopped wearing his old glasses completely since every time he put them on, a pain throbbed just behind his eyes. Dr. Annie said that the potions they used to heal me fixed my eyes slightly and that the glasses were far too strong now. They had tried on several frames before settling for thin silver wire ones. Good, I didn't think I could wear those awful huge red ones. Thank the winds they were joking. Zylle had even let him buy some contact lenses. "Trust me, we have a lot to spend, so it's nothing," she had told him flippantly. Apparently, the London Broadcasting Network paid her a lot and there were riches saved in the bank. He opted for a different color than his natural green: a warm gray similar to Zylle's own. At four o'clock, they would pick up both the lenses and the glasses. Nuitari was thankful of that; he didn't like everything being blurred at the edges.

Then they hit the clothing stores. I've learned more about sales and 'accessorizing' than I ever wanted to know. According to Mirai - who must have good fashion sense since she was an administrator to as major a line as Zenith Fashions Incorporated - he looked best in colors that were dark and bold. Zylle had sarcastically replied, "That's good, he matches my décor." They had bought several sets of button-up shirts in deep reds, dark greens, royal blues, black, as well as a few white. The color scheme lightened when they got to t-shirts, mainly either light or bright. Zylle insisted on a few tank tops ("Why?! They're not in style, Zylle!" "Your point? He'll need them and that's that.") He was also encouraged to purchase some fighting gloves, being told that they would come in useful. For what, I guess I'll know soon. Within moments, Nuitari possessed quite a few jeans in black and varying shades of blue. Also, at Mirai's prodding, they had bought some slacks and a few khakis.

They had spent a while in the shoe store. It wasn't his fault. Out of the ten pairs of shoes that came out of there, only three pairs belonged to him: sneakers, boots, and dress shoes. Of the remaining seven, five went to Mirai and two for Zylle. The fact that they had to be extremely picky about which ones they chose didn't help.

They were finally taking a break. It was 3:45, so they had a few minutes before picking up his glasses and contacts. Mirai ordered a fruit salad and a glass of water. Zylle evidently didn't share Mirai's taste in snacks and like Nuitari, had a huge banana split complete with toppings and essential cherry. Mirai looked disapprovingly at the both of them. "Honestly, how can you eat that junk food?! Especially you, Zylle! You're being a bad influence of Night."

Zylle made a face, but Nuitari beamed at the vampire. "Dr. Annie says I need to put on weight."

"I doubt he meant through ice cream."

Waving her spoon in the air, Zylle teased, "Don't bother, Night. She's just jealous because as a fashion icon, she can't eat this stuff."

"I swear I should see you more often. You sounded so much like Vinny."

"Really?" Zylle seemed amused by this.

"Well, not exactly. You didn't have the icy tone."

"Ah," Zylle concluded. "Can't be like Vinny without the icy, condescending tone." The two laughed at this. Obviously, it was a well-known joke between them. He wanted to be let in on it. No one likes to be left out of a good joke.

"Who's 'Vinny'?"

Mirai made a dismissing gesture with her hands, glossy long purple fingernails catching some light. "It's our nickname for our good friend, Lavinia Coulter. She's the Blue Dragon and is a water elemental, mostly specializing in ice attacks."

"Yeah and she's tough alright," Zylle added. "Nearly beat me in our tournament years ago."

With a sly grin, Mirai said to him, "You wouldn't believe how much they hated each other before that! Now, though, they're friends. Vinny is relatively more social now. As much as she could be anyway."

Zylle chuckled here. "You're kidding, ask her students." Turning to him, she said, "Vinny is one of the chemistry teachers at Grey Tower High. It's said that the students scream at the slightest mention of 'Professor Coulter'. I find it rather funny."

Nuitari laughed along with the two women, though at the same time he was wondering whether he should be afraid this Lavinia Coulter.

<><><>

"I can see! Yes! Finally," exclaimed Nuitari as they meandered down Storm Alleyway. It was a quaint street of Tudor-style houses in the Arashi-Tenku territory of Grey Tower Town. Mirai had left them to return to her office at Zenith, while Zylle used a whirlwind to transport them both back to town. She wanted to get home fast. Her reasons: it was getting late, they had a lot of bags to carry, and she didn't trust her mother Sarah on her own too long. He had wondered at this. "Why? Is she sick or something?"

"Hardly," she replied. "She maybe seventy-two, but she far from acts it. I'd be careful if I were you."

Two girls, probably around eight and ten, with dark red hair played a game of tag in the middle of the street. They did stop, though, to say hello to Zylle before returning to their pastime. Making a left onto Zephyrus Court. Zylle answered his unspoken question, "They are Phyllis and Caroline Ravencroft. Their family has been a part of our clan for centuries."

"Like the Diamantes of the Kiri-Kaminari?"
"Exactly. In our clan, the main old families are: the Hawkings, the Ravencrofts, the Smythes, the Rowans, and the Bradleys. You might meet a few of the kids, they are a few around your age. And here we are: Number 14 Zephyrus Court."

Nuitari looked up at the large house and said weakly, "It's gigantic!" Indeed the great house did look enormous with its three-story height and large yard. He liked its comforting dignified look because it was far from normal and it looked nothing like the other houses on the block. He didn't know why this mattered to him. The garden, even with its imperfections, seemed beautiful. This is home. As they approached, the door opened for them.

They stepped inside the house. Mimicking Zylle, he dropped the shopping bags on the floor. He looked around the hallway and took it in: the honey-colored timbers that made up the floor, the light blue flowered wallpaper, the dark hardwood stairs in front of him, and the side table with the Tiffany lamp. Zylle smiled at him. "Look around," she reassured. "It's going to be your home anyway. Besides, I can hear my mother. She's planning something, I know it!" She proceeded to run down the hallway to the back of the house. Nuitari assumed that was where the kitchen was. The aroma of savory pasta come from that direction and now slightly raised voices. The voices seemed to have a humorous edge to them, though. He smirked when he distinctly heard Zylle scream in frustration, "Mum!"

The first room he looked into had to be the living room. Cream couches matched with dark blue walls, adorned with many photos and paintings. Many, he noticed, were of a younger Zylle as well as a woman who had to be her mother. Another person whose face appeared often was of a dark-haired man with striking gray eyes. Evidently, he was Zylle's father. Oddly enough, there was also a large painting of Merlin. Tearing his gaze away from these portholes into the past, he walked across to the large windows. He could see the beech tree outside that Hedwig was currently perched in. Nuitari waved at his owl, which hooted back at him. There was quite a large entertainment system. The television's screen had to be at least a 36" and combine that with the state-of-the-art VCR! The blue and red rug beneath his feet looked extremely luxurious.

Across the hall was the parlor room, which he found interesting. It had an oriental theme with dragons, phoenixes, ying-yangs, and other eastern emblems showing up in many places. Done up in reds, golds, and black, it obviously wasn't intended for daily use. Skirting the black bookcases full of large volumes, he came to the table in the center of the room and traced the gold embossed dragon on the ebony.

"Night!" He looked up. "Night!" Zylle was calling him. He left the parlor and went the way Zylle had taken earlier. Nuitari barely saw the kitchen before he was nearly tackled by someone and captured into a very large hug.

The tackler/hugger held his bewildered self away from her body, so she could get a good view of him. The small woman grinned widely at him as if he were a gift she was waiting a long time for. She was only a few inches taller than he was. "Finally! At last, I have a grandson!" The energetic lady gave him another bone-crushing hug. "Come one, give your grandmother a hug!" Man, she's strong! I thought she was seventy-two!

"He heard Zylle and someone else, a man, laughing. "Mum, let him go. He does need to breathe."

His 'grandmother' childishly stuck her tongue out at her daughter. "I've been waiting for years for a grandchild and I'm not letting this one go!" Turning back to him, "Call me 'Gran', love."

Nuitari smiled shyly back while rubbing his ribs. And Dr. Annie said to take it easy. "Alright...Gran."

This made Gran, or Sarah as he was previously told, very happy. So happy that she started dancing and doing war-whoops. "Yes! My dream has come true!"

She must have seen his startled face because Zylle said to him, "She does this a lot, Nuitari."

The man next to her asked, "Who named him that?" He wore an old t-shirt, sweats, and a bathrobe. It was a bright lime green and had matching slippers, which looked as if they were going to fall off his feet. He was also elderly, but he seemed to have the same energy and youth that Gran had. He must be the neighbor Zylle talked about.

He answered, "Mirabelle Diamante did while I was in the hospital."

The man nodded understandingly, "Ah I see. It makes sense now." Grasping his hand in a strong grip, the man said happily, "Hans Claybourne, my boy! Also known as 'that insane guy next door' and as 'Jebediah the Nutters'." Hans' voice had an underlying German accent. "Yes, I too have been a victim of Mirabelle's name-giving."

Gran snorted. "You're lucky. Look at that poor Calvin Springfield. Though it does make sense if what I've heard from his mother is true. Who shortened it to 'Night'? It certainly makes it less difficult."

"Mirai did," Nuitari responded. "She said that 'nuit' or something like that meant 'night' in French, so she thought it would be easier."

"Sensible, I assume. But I don't speak French. Yo hablo espanol! Now I see what Annie Diamante meant when he told me you needed fattening up! Thank goodness for Hans here for the extra food." Please tell me she isn't going to stuff me so full of food, I'll get sick. Betty at the hospital was more than enough!

Zylle scowled at the older man. "You own the GROCERY store. Why on Earth do you always come here for a meal?!"

"Just because I have the food doesn't mean I can cook it, girl!"

Nuitari couldn't help but widen his smile as the two began to bicker good-naturedly. It looked like they had this argument many times before. I think I'm going to like it here.

***