This Is A Time For Running (TC fanfic)

Mitch

I glance down at the pale Seto in my arms as we run. I had grabbed him just in time, his eyes were rolled back and his breath was shallow.

The awe and shock was still coursing through me, mixing with the adrenaline. We run through the gates at the end of the city, and out into a field. Trees hide us and I follow Jerome, Ty and Sky behind me. My arms are starting to ache but I grit my teeth and pull through. Soon, the sound and smell and sight of the city is gone. Jerome stops and I stop as well, carefully placing down the unconscious mage. Ty and Sky stop and immediately start conversing. I look at Jerome and he shrugs. I shrug back.

I look down at Seto again and kneel, pushing back his hair and feeling his forehead. It's cool, and he's breathing normally, I think.

Which I surprising, considering what he did. I've never seen anything like it. The entire square was cracking. The statue was shaking. The torches were purple, and when my arm had been slashed by a sword, it had healed. Instantly. Even now, as I inspect it, the skin is smooth and clean, no cut to be found. It doesn't even hurt. And the guards, how one had been thrown, what, 20 blocks? 30? He hadn't gotten up, from what I saw. I sigh and lean back on my heels, taking another look at the sleeping boy. His breath is long and slow, and his eyes are closed now. I could finally feel the toll this whole thing has had on me and I rub my head.

"You good biggums?" Jerome asks softly, sitting by my side. I nod, then yawn. He chuckles and I laugh along.

"Tired. It's not even night yet." He glances at the sky.

"Almost though. We need to shelter or something." I nod again, and look at Seto. Jerome follows my gaze.

"That kid is somethin, eh?" He asks and I smile.

"Yea. But I think he's older than you." He shoves me, lightly.

"Yea, yea. Whatever." I laugh and he joins me. It's quiet for a moment, the only sound is of Ty and Sky setting up beds and a fire. I stand up and Jerome follows suit.

"So where to now?" Sky turns at my voice and shrugs. Ty stands after a minute, and glances towards Seto.

"He'll know." He says, and then walks over to a bed and plops down, touching his finger to his nose.

"Not it." Sky and I quickly follow his actions calling out,

"Not it!" Jerome moans, being a few seconds later.

"Fine." He shuffles towards a tree and scampers up. Sky picks up Seto places him on a bed, then lies down next to him. I crawl into one a bit more towards the fire, and night falls.

"Night." I call and they echo back to me in various tones.

The night draws on and I find myself in a half dream like state. Whispers surround me and dark shapes flit through the edges of my vision. I can feel someone touching me, turning over my hand but I'm powerless as a faint burn courses through my veins.

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The next morning I'm not surprised to see an x shaped mark on my wrist. I show Sky, and breath a sigh of relief while he breathes on of confusion.

"I don't get it. Who's doing it? Why?" I glance down at the red mark, already half healed, another strange thing. It's definitely gonna leave a scar.

"I don't know." My relief is strange. I'm glad I'm not the only one without the weird mark anymore.

We sit, all of us still exhausted. The previous day seems like it was a lifetime ago, and the forest before that.

"I hope he's ok." Ty mutters, glancing down at Seto.

"Yea.....he saved our lives." Jerome says with a smile.

"And he's pretty powerful." Sky adds, and we laugh a minute.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Sky." I say, voicing my thoughts. We all look at Seto again, lost in our thoughts. I study Seto, his clothes, his cloak, which had been neatly bundled and folded by Ty and now lay by his side. His hands are bandaged, weird. What if....no way. I stand up and walkover, getting weird looks from Sky and the rest. I kneel by his side, and start unbandaging his hands. Jerome joins me.

"What are you doing?" He asks quietly.

"Look." I've found what I was looking for. A small x on his left hand, on the skin under his thumb.

"Woah..." Ty says, leaning over to see.

"I got it four nights ago." Seto says quietly, startling us. I drop his hand and he sits up, carefully re-wrapping his hand as he talks.

"I thought I was dreaming, there were two glowing people standing over me. They didn't talk, they just took my hand and pressed something to it. I screamed, it hurt. My family woke up and I pretended it was a nightmare, hiding....the brand." He finishes.

"A brand? You think someone's branding us?" Sky asks, and Jerome scowls, muttering,

"Like cows." Seto sighs, looking around.

"I-I'm sorry for yesterday. I feel that I went a bit overboard." I shake my head.

"Nether no, Seto you saved us!" He sighs again.

"We should go. Soon, people will be searching." We all stand, Seto somewhat shakily. The camp is already packed up, so we just roll up Seto's mat and pull on cloaks.

The road we get on, unlike from when we entered the city, is a bit crowded. Carts are rolling along, so we walk alongside the road.

"What are we gonna do now?" I ask, jumping over a weird smelling pothole.

"Head to the next city, I guess..." Sky says, scratching his head. Seto keeps glancing back, and the grabs Jerome's arm.

"Get off the road." He hisses, as we all hop into the brush beside it. He keeps pulling, until we can't hear the road.

"Seto, what the heck, we're gonna get lost." Jerome hisses, pulling his arm out of his grasp. Seto sighs, his back turned to us. He doesn't respond.

"Seto?" Ty asks, taking a step forward. Seto spins around, eyes squeezed shut.

"They're in my head, get out get out...." He says, dropping the bag he carries and sinking to his knees. He grabs at his head.

"Get them out oh god there are so many...." We all stare at him in horror as he goes stiff, and puts his arms down. He stands, again rather stiffly.

He opens his eyes.

They're pure white.

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;)