When Two Worlds Collide (Zenshin, Legacy and Matabei)

It had been around a week now since Marick had joined Sabertooth. He'd settled in fairly well to his new environment, although he probably wouldn't ever be 100% comfortable with him being so far out of his comfort zone. Still, the guildhall had a nice bar with good beer, so that certainly helped him to cope. However, throughout this entire week he had been somewhat on edge; he had a promise to keep to Matabei, one that he fully intended to fulfill. Thus, a few days after he'd first joined the guild, he finally spoke up to Zenshin and requested he meet with Matabei. Surprisingly it seemed his guildmaster was happy to do so, seemingly embracing Marick's now former life with open arms - okay, perhaps that was an exaggeration but nonetheless he'd agreed.

He had written a letter to Matabei immediately upon receiving an answer, and the two of them set up a time and a location for the meeting to take place. Things seemed to be flowing well. Too well. Now as he and Zenshin were heading to the Spooky Forest, Marick was feeling progressively more tense. How would Matabei react to seeing Zenshin? She'd nearly hit Marick twice when he revealed his decision to join Sabertooth. What would stop her from letting rip on his guildmaster? And if she did, how badly would Zenshin retaliate? He'd seen the Wizard Saint's strength first hand on their first job, and that was with him holding back. God knows what kind of damage he could do if he put his mind to it.

"Zenshin...I can't guarantee that Matabei will be in a particularly rational state. If she snaps...please leave her to me. As much as I respect you and trust you already, she is a close friend. I won't let her harm you if I can help it. I trust you not to retaliate if she does...because if I have to choose between you or her..." He fell silent for a moment, hoping he wouldn't upset his guildmaster. "...you know that I would choose her."

Matabei was nervous as she went through the spooky forest, ready to meet the guild master of Sabertooth. She had made an excuse to her master in order to keep her suspicions away from any traitorous thoughts Matabei might have had. Sure, she might have been meeting with two legal mages; one of whom happened to be a wizard saint. And the other was her friend. But Matabei had only one goal, meet Zenshin and figure his intentions with her good friend. If it was something she didn't like, she would heavily voice that opinion. She knew that Marick would never listen to her fully, but she had to at least voice her worries. Matabei sighed while she adjusted her skirt, continuing to walk towards the clearing where she would meet the two Sabertooth mages, unaware of how everything would go down.

Matabei eventually walked into the clearing and saw Marick standing with a white haired man. They were talking quietly amongst themselves. She sighed as her heart pounded in her chest and she made the first step into the clearing.........

.........Where she promptly fell onto her face.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL!" The ink maid screeched as she shot up, rubbing her face where she had landed. She looked around for whatever had made her fall; not finding anything she grunts in anger and throws a rock somewhere into the forest. She then turns to the two men, and sheepishly rubs the back of her head.

"Well.......That didn't go as planned. Um.......Hi?" Matabei spoke nervously, obviously kicking herself for her earlier stunt.

"Of course Marick, of course. No offense to either of you though, but I doubt she could really hurt me if she tried, that's the honest truth when it comes to that." Marick let out a nervous chuckle and nodded. Zenshin wasn't wrong there, but nonetheless he'd wanted to be certain now rather than go ahead with the meeting and simply risking it. That could just be catastrophic.

The pair didn't have to wait around too long before Matabei showed up in spectacular fashion as ever. She walked towards the two Sabertooth mages before...falling flat on her face. ...why am I getting a sense of deja vu here...? he thought to himself, before it suddenly hit him.

~FLASHBACK!~


Matabei's eyes widened as she started to fall comically after the sonic boom coming from Acnologia. Matabei flailed as she attempted to keep herself up, however that proved futile as she still ended up flat on her face with her butt sticking up in the air and her arms spread out to her sides. Matabei mumbled something even she couldn't understand before she picked herself up and dusted herself off. Matabei shook her head clean of any dirt in her hair and then looked back at Marick once again. For the first time in a long time, Matabei had a goofy looking smile on her face as she looked at her opponent.

"Well that was odd, wasn't it Marick? I did not expect that at all."

Matabei's smile quickly turned back into one filled with malice. Matabei placed herself quickly back into her stance. Matabei placed both her arms outwards again, and spoke with a bit of bloodlust seeping into her voice.

"So Marick, are you ready to begin our dance?"

~END FLASHBACK!~

Marick fought hard not to burst out laughing, but he couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face.

"Well.......That didn't go as planned. Um.......Hi?"

"I dunno, looked like a pretty well-rehearsed landing to me." His nerves were still sky-rocketed, but her entrance had certainly helped him to ease up a little. "This is Zenshin, Sabertooth's guildmaster. Zenshin, this is Matabei Goto...a great friend and reliable ally." He was careful not to call Zenshin his 'Master'. He didn't want to risk upsetting Matabei right at the start of the conversation.

Matabei sighed as Marick introduced her to Zenshin. At this point, she already knew who he was, Marick was just doing this for formal purposes. That kind of pissed her off somewhat, she hated being formally introduced to someone when she already knew who they were. She ignored that for the moment, as she got a good look at Zenshin. He didn't seem too imposing, but looks could always be deceiving. Matabei had been fooled before when she met her master, and she was not going to be fooled again.

"An honor to meet you mister Zenshin. It's great to meet someone who could utterly kill me in an instant." This might have been the Matabei that the card mage was used to. Her tone was sarcastic and she seemed to look at Zenshin with a bored look. However underneath that, she held fear slightly. Zenshin COULD actually kill her, and it made her submit slightly to him. She would not challenge him in a fight, and try to keep her sarcasm to a small level.

"Yes.......its nice to meet a creation mage other than myself?" Matabei asked the end confused, not knowing if he was still one or not. She still knew he was strong enough to beat her, but knowing that he used similar magic to her would absolutely put him up a spot in her book. She despised men, and would show it some, but he would have some respect from her in the future.

"Thank you Zenshin." Matabei took his hand and then lifted herself up. She dusted herself off and turned around to see if she missed anything, accidentally giving a small show of her rear to both men. She didn't notice, and sighed while turning back around to properly talk to Zenshin and Marick.

"Okay you two. Lets get down to a few things. Firstly, I am not here to fight. If I was I wouldn't have come alone." Matabei's voice lost its slight blood lusting tone. It was one she used when she spoke to someone she respected or was higher than her. She normally never used this respect near Marick, but she felt she needed to use a respectful tone while asking these questions. Otherwise, he could just snap and beat her into submission or kill her. And those were two things she did NOT need at this moment in time.

"Second, this is to you Zenshin. What are your intentions with my friend being inside your guild?" Matabei looked at him with a wary eye, wondering what his answer would be. She also wanted to know if Sabertooth was a good enough guild to hold her friend in, if not she would find a way to get him out of there as soon as possible. Matabei knew Marick wouldn't like it, but he was her friend and she protected her friends no matter what.

Matabei stared at Zenshin, her eyes not wavering. She liked his answer, it showed that he wasn't going to beat around the bush during this session and answer her honestly. It also meant that he felt he was right, which kind of upset her. She knew that the two felt the idea was good enough for both of them, but she couldn't help but worry about how things could end. Matabei shifted a bit, looking at Marick for a slight while before turning her eyes back to the man who had convinced her friend to join Sabertooth.

"Third." Matabei raised three fingers in order to make a notion of where they were. "I must ask how much you trust Marick. And Marick, I must ask how much you really trust me." Matabei stepped back in order to look at both of them, ready for whatever answer she may receive. Depending on both, she was ready to give them her offer, one that might shock even Marick what exactly it was.

Matabei kicked right into gear almost immediately as she began to make her thoughts known and find out exactly what Zenshin wanted with Marick. The Solitaire was almost surprised at how blunt she was being, but then again this was Matabei after all.

"Okay you two. Lets get down to a few things. Firstly, I am not here to fight. If I was I wouldn't have come alone. Second, this is to you Zenshin. What are your intentions with my friend being inside your guild?"

"What are my intentions? That's quite a simple question that can warrant a complex answer when you ask someone like me, but in summary, it's because I saw potential in him to become a great mage under my guidance than he would alone. The moment I saw him I asked him to join, and after a long job of... controlling the local population of lions, he accepted my offer. He's powerful, but raw power alone isn't enough to make a great mage. People need a common cause, a set of personal principles to abide by, and that's what my guild tries to accomplish. Despite popular belief, there is no real 'entrance' test for Sabertooth, simply promising to uphold the values taught by the previous guild master is enough. The catch, as there's usually one, is that if I see that you dishonor my guild, my name, my guild members, through acts that break our 'code', you're out. But, I'm rambling again, sorry. I tend to do that from time to time."

He hadn't mentioned any of this to Marick when he'd joined, but there again Marick hadn't asked, nor had he any intentions of dishonouring Sabertooth. Although he'd only worked with Zenshin for a short while, he'd quickly grown to respect the younger mage as a level-headed and decent human being. Hell, he had the feeling they could become quite good friends in time. They'd already spoken in the guild's bar on a couple of occasions and it was obvious that both of them enjoyed spending their time there.

After Zenshin's rather well thought out reply, Matabei seemed to have only one question remaining. "Third." She raised three fingers in order to make a notion of where they were. "I must ask how much you trust Marick. And Marick, I must ask how much you really trust me." Admittedly Marick hadn't expected this question. He thought he'd made his point about this when he'd spoken to her about his decision in the first place. However, he understood why she was asking. "If I'm being honest Matabei, I would trust you with my life without any hesitation." His electric blue eyes met the hazelnut pair of his unofficial teammate and he couldn't help but smile. Matabei and Hidate were the only two people he truly trusted in all his years as a guildless mage. She knew that.

Matabei grimaced when Zenshin offered her a place in Sabertooth. She was in the middle of a moral crisis, and the wizard saint was not helping with his offer. It seemed so tempting to just say she would, but then she would be leaving her master. Of everyone in Savage Skull, her master was the only one to actually give a damn about her in any way or form. Aedre was the only reason she was still in Savage, and she was sure that she wasn't going to leave anytime soon. Her loyalty to Aedre was second to no one, not even Marick or Kara, and she would never raise a hand against her master. But was that worth staying in Savage Skull? Was it worth possibly having to fight Marick? Or even Zenshin, as kind as he seemed to be. Matabei looked down in deep thought. Both are equally bad situations in the future if I screw them up. Although I can still serve Aedre, it would be more difficult. But would Aedre-sama mind? Matabei shook her head and looked up at Zenshin and Marick again.

"I would give my life for Marick. I hold nothing but respect for him, and he is one of the most loyal people I know. I would fight for him against almost anyone." Matabei spoke truthfully, her respect for Marick was high. It surprised her somewhat as he was a male, and she usually had a certain bar for them. She felt like he could be someone she trusted like her own family, and that gave her a warm feeling inside her that she felt uncomfortable with.

"As for your offer Zenshin, I have a counter." Matabei was nervous, her counter offer could get her killed if she screwed up in any way, shape or form. Aedre would definitely kill her if she knew she was betraying the guild like this, but Savage Skull was not where her loyalties lied. It was with Aedre, and if she successfully pulled this off, soon to be Marick and Sabertooth. "How about I join Sabertooth, but stay as a spy for you in Savage Skull for now? It is risky, but I can get some vital information on almost everyone. I can not give information about my master, but anyone else in the guild is fair game." Matabei was honest, not anyone there cared for her except her master. She would protect her master Aedre, but everyone else could die for all she cared. Being a spy wasn't hard, all she had to do was report to Marick or Zenshin during a meet up. No one would question her, they barely asked where she went anyways.

Matabei gritted her teeth. She was sure she could get more useful information than what Zenshin was talking about, but had to concede that he made a good point. Also, she wouldn't be able to keep the straying eyes off her for too long. Her master would ask questions, and Matabei could never lie to one she gave her loyalties too. Zenshin would be included if she did join Sabertooth. It was a tough choice, Sabertooth seemed so much safer. So much nicer. So much more of a home than Savage ever was. It was true, her hatred for legal mages had vanished. Kara had changed that about her, and she was grateful to the young noblewoman for that. She also knew she would get protection from Zenshin, he seemed to be the type to respect loyal followers who upheld his guild's honor code. Her mind was racing, and she came up with her final response to Zenshin. This was one she was mostly sure of. I'm sorry......you may not like this answer........master.

"You drive a hard bargain Zenshin. Or should I say, Guild Master?" Matabei smirked, sticking her hand out to Zenshin. "I accept your offer. Sticking around Savage isn't going to be beneficial to my future at all." Matabei grimaced slightly after looking down at her own attire. "Although I may need a switch of clothing. I don't feel like being seen in this clothing with a Sabertooth tattoo would do wonders for me. Maybe a more, knightly appearance?" Matabei mused quietly, mulling over the thought as she kept her hand extended.

Well this had been one hell of a revelation. Marick simply looked at Matabei, dumbstruck that she'd admitted to trusting him, but perhaps more dumbstruck at the fact that, after having seen her reaction to him joining Sabertooth, the ink-mage had then decided to join the guild as well. He simply stood there blinking for a moment or two before finally grinning from ear to ear.

"Well then...you do realise there's no safe place from me now right?" he joked, before putting one hand on the hilt of his sword. "Bet you're regretting saying all that now as well aren't you?" he added, referring to her admitting how much she trusted Marick.

It seemed that nothing was really certain when it came to Matabei. She was as full of surprises as ever. There was one certainty though; life at the Sabertooth guildhall would never be the same again.

"Who ever said I'd be the one doing the hiding? Now you can't escape me." Matabei turned to face her friend, and now future guild mate. Marick had done so much for her in order to get her onto the right path in life, and to think that they're entire friendship started after wanting to kill him in Era. Matabei had changed, and she hoped for the better.

"Imagine what Kara's going to say. This shall be an interesting turn of events." Matabei stroked her hair, and looked back at Marick. Her good friend, one she could call a brother figure. He had listened when no one else would, and helped when no one else cared. Now she would return the favor, whenever it was necessary.

"Now Marick. Shall you escort me to a store? A big strong man like yourse-AHHH" In the middle of Matabei's sentence, she started to walk away. Only to fall flat on her face again, her rear sticking up into the sky. She stayed there for a moment, before getting up and throwing another rock into the forest. "DAMN IT! WHY DOES THAT KEEP HAPPENING?"

Marick groaned at the mention of Kara. She was going to have a field day with Matabei having joined Sabertooth as well. She was bad enough at the best of times, let alone with ammunition like this. "Don't remind me." he grumbled. She'd been bad enough when the two mages had been in different guilds. God only knew how much terror she would bring now.

"Now Marick. Shall you escort me to a store? A big strong man like yourse-AHHH" And there it was. In extravagant fashion Matabei tripped and faceplanted the floor, revealing her rear end to Marick. "Nice ass." he jokingly commented as Matabei threw the rock she'd tripped over into the woods.