Chapter Text
Mafuyu watched closely as Kanade hummed a gentle melody, as she laid her hand over it, the scrape on a child’s knee quickly mended itself and vanished altogether. The corners of the witch’s mouth lifting into a soft smile as the child thanked her and ran back to their parents. Kanade then turned back to meet her indigo eyes, and reaching for her hand, the two continued. As soon as their hands met Mafuyu felt that familiar warmth.
Kanade always wanted to take walks around town to help as many people as possible, and Mafuyu was never opposed to it. The townspeople were always glad to see Kanade, after all, her magic was seen as a gift from above. Part of Mafuyu wished the two of them were able to linger in these towns forever, but they always had something else to attend to. They were far too connected to the rest of the kingdom to spend the day in a small town. They never stayed for long. They bid farewell to the citizens watching them pass, Kanade even receiving small gifts from families, her powers often had more use than Mafuyu’s in situations like this.
Once they reached the outskirts of town, the two slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. Kanade released the hold on Mafuyu’s hand– though she seemed somewhat disappointed that she did– to look through the bag she carried. While she searched, Mafuyu dropped the illusion hiding her wings and finally could fully spread them. She deeply and carefully stretched her shoulders before fluttering the transparent wings blooming from her shoulderblades.
It wasn't like she wanted to hide them, but they were what made her “The Butterfly Mage,” and she did not want to be recognized.
Finally Kanade retrieved a letter from her bag, her eyes lingering on the seal before she spoke.
“There’s a message from Tenma.”
“Oh,” Mafuyu asked, “which one of us do they need?”
“It says the king would like to speak with both of us,” she summarized, “I… am not sure why just yet, from the looks of it this relates to us possibly helping citizens in their kingdom.”
Mafuyu wasn't surprised, though she knew it would likely be a challenge explaining this to her mother. Tenma had been an ally to the Phoenix kingdom since long before she was born, the only surprising fact was how long it took for them to reach out to the spellcasters.
“Well, we would have to prepare for quite the journey.” she added. “Tenma is a bit north from here… I will likely have to return home.”
Kanade frowned slightly, “alright, what time would we be able to meet?”
Mafuyu contemplated, noting the sun’s position in the sky. It was getting late. Not the ideal time for travel. Mafuyu wanted to leave as soon as they reasonably could.
“Meet me in front of the gates in the capitol at dawn.” she offered. Kanade gave a confident nod.
**********
Before long, Mafuyu was able to reach home. She glided over the gate and touched down as gently as possible. Though she could fly fast, she still could barely reach the gate by the time the sun had set. She sighed before opening the door, taking a deep breath and settling into a practiced smile. The warmth from being near Kanade almost entirely vanishing.
“If I remember correctly, I said to be home before the sun set.” Her mother stood in front of the staircase, her face unreadable.
“I’m sorry, we just had to discuss an important request.” Mafuyu explained in a polite tone, revealing the letter with the Tenma royal family seal. “The king wants to meet with us.”
She sighed and took the letter from Mafuyu’s hand. She watched as her mother read through the request before folding it back into the envelope.
“I do agree this would be great for not only our countries, but also for your own experience and abilities,” the older woman began, “however, I do wish you would stop associating with this ‘K’ girl.”
“What do you mean?” Mafuyu’s smile faltered, “I don't think she’s done anything wrong.”
“Oh Mafuyu,” her mother frowned, slightly shaking her head, “I’ve seen her use that magic. It’s nothing impressive. A simple healing spell a seven year old could achieve, not to mention she has to come up with an obnoxious little melody first. I know you could heal wounds over five times more effectively.”
Mafuyu wanted to fight back, she wanted to yell at her, tell her she’s wrong about everything. But she just stood and listened as her mother rested her hands on her shoulders. Nothing is ever bad enough for power like the two of them could be capable of. It wasn't used because it wasn't needed. Mafuyu couldn’t heal nearly as well as Kanade, she wasn't a healer and never would be.
“Plus I heard she was related to the man who drove himself crazy from his failed magic.” her mother lamented. “I believe he disappeared a few years back trying to find mystical secrets that likely never existed in the first place.”
She had nothing to say, She had assumed her mother would agree with the journey to Tenma, though she never expected her to focus solely on Kanade. After a pause, she collected her thoughts.
“Speaking with the Tenma royal family will be a valuable opportunity, I hope you let me go.” she pleaded, “I will be careful I promise.”
“Very well then,” her mother finally said, hands folded carefully in front of her. “Make sure you are well packed. If you fly be sure to take breaks. You know I care about your wellbeing. Just remember, you never have to go out of your way or inconvenience yourself for someone like her. It's likely that she will waste her time on little songs until she ends up just like that man. Now go get some sleep and get ready for your trip, I love you.”
**********
Mafuyu was awake long before dawn. All she needed to do now was take her bags and meet Kanade at the gate. While she waited, she made sure to stretch her shoulders and wings. Long flights could take a lot out of her and she wanted to prove she could do it. She looked herself over in the mirror, tying her violet hair into the high ponytail she did countless times, she had to look perfect every step of the way.
Once she reached the gate, she noticed Kanade engaged in conversation with the knight on guard at the time. Mafuyu had never met her, though Kanade seemed familiar with the sage green haired girl. Kanade talked while absentmindedly petting Samsa, the black and white horse that would be taking their things as well as carrying the silver haired girl.
“Is everything ready?” Mafuyu asked, playing up a cheerful tone.
It seemed she accidentally scared the both of them, judging by Kanade’s squeak and the other girl playing off the fact that she likely jumped.
“Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to sneak up on you two.”
Kanade smiled at her, “It’s alright, Yuki, you have everything ready, right?”
Mafuyu stacked her supplies for the trip in the small cart attached to the horse. She was glad Samsa was rather large, she would be worried about him carrying supplies for a week’s journey otherwise. Kanade wanted Mafuyu to bring Marionette as well, but she insisted she could fly just as well. The all black horse was often more nervous, plus she wanted to fly as often as she could.
The quiet knight said her goodbyes to the two. She wished them safe travels as the gate leading outside the kingdom slowly drew open before closing behind them. The Phoenix kingdom was considered very safe, though it never hurt to be careful.
After the gates closed, Kanade nodded toward the path, urging Samsa to assume a quick but steady pace. Mafuyu took it as her sign to take off.
Any chance she got, Mafuyu wanted to fly. The steady motion of her wings, the wind in her hair, the heights she could reach, it cleared her mind. In a way, it was freeing. She heard Kanade urge Samsa to speed up, as she was passing the two easily. The road ahead was a well worn path, a fairly easy road to the Tenma kingdom, according to the maps she studied the journey would take about one week at their current pace.
Mafuyu told Kanade that the best stopping point would be across the bridge between kingdoms. They had mostly been camping along the way but it would not be a bad idea to find somewhere to stay once they reached the halfway point. It was a well known landmark when visiting another country, so there would likely be a stop for travellers, though Mafuyu would likely hide her wings to avoid attention. Having wings in this area was not common, and the patterns on them were as unique as fingerprints. It wasn't always a good thing to be recognized, that was part of why they hid their names. Targeting a mage with connections to a nation’s government was often seen as a threat. Usually Kanade either put her hair up or tucked it into a hood.
It was mainly their epithets that gave Mafuyu trouble. With a description you could spot either of them, but only one could be immediately noticed by the descriptors people gave them. Anyone could be the “Witch Of Music” but if someone pointed out a “Butterfly Mage,” statistically the likelihood of it being Mafuyu was much higher. It didn't help her case that both her name and alias related to the cold. Picking out a mage with wings in a crowd of people would not be hard, assuming which one was skilled in ice magic would be easier. Her type of wings could often reflect natural talents.
Mafuyu gracefully touched down when the bridge came into view, Samsa and Kanade slowing beside her.
“You studied the maps and everything right?” Kanade asked.
“Yeah,” she confirmed, finally relaxing her wings, “it will likely take another three or four days to reach Tenma, we’re closer to other borders and there's a fork in the road further ahead. We want to keep right.”
“Do you have any inns or other places marked?”
“A couple, the nearest is roughly… half an hour north I believe, right after the path splits.”
“Perfect,” Kanade smiled, “We can continue tomorrow.”
Kanade dismounted Samsa, taking his reins over his head, and approached Mafuyu. She felt the smaller girl’s gentle fingers interlock with her own. Her heart filled with warmth despite Kanade’s hands being slightly colder. She looked her in the eye and watched a shy smile creep onto her lips. She then pulled Mafuyu forward and they crossed, Samsa walking patiently alongside the two. It was almost comical seeing her next to him as he was tall and stoic and she was small and gentle. They continued on.
The two walked side by side, making conversation. It was small things, the melodies Kanade thought of, a new topic Mafuyu had seen in a book, the slight difference in the way they styled their hair as opposed to any other day, no topic was boring by Kanade’s side. Mafuyu believed she may have been smiling.
They had finally reached the crossroads, it was no further than twenty feet ahead. The two stayed to the right path. But Mafuyu’s careful planning did not account for the flash of blinding magenta light, nor the powerful force that hit them. She felt herself get knocked off her feet.
To say Mafuyu was disoriented would be putting it lightly.
Her vision was a dark blur and her ears would not stop ringing. A dull ache spread across her body. She thought she saw the black and white horse begin to run away. That’s strange… she thought, He doesn't usually spook that easily. She heard something, it sounded like Kanade but Mafuyu couldn't make out what she was saying. In the growing darkness she thought she heard her singing. An unsteady hand weakly taking hers.