The love that Teresa felt for the girl was difficult for her to comprehend, even now. She had left Clare at the last village she had visited, knowing that it was better for the girl that way. The work of a Claymore was nothing that a child should see. That, and Teresa knew that she could never provide for the girl while she still had her duties to attend to.
Despite knowing all this, some overwhelming emotion still compelled the warrior to speed off towards the village as soon as she caught sight of the bandits.
Teresa silently cursed herself for not realizing sooner. Of course the bandits were waiting for an opportunity to raid the village. Why else would she have found them so deep in the woods? It's not like nature was of any value to scum like them. They would plunder the village, kill the men and rape the women.
It was the worst possible place that Teresa could have decided to leave Clare.
Even with Teresa moving at top speed, the town was still drowned in fire by the time she reached it. "Kill the men!" she heard the leader of the thieves scream. "But take the women!"
Teresa saw her within minutes. Dragged out from an alleyway by the very man whose arm Teresa had taken. The very man who had tried to violate Teresa. Blood flowed freely from a wound on Clare's head, and her clothes and legs were soaked with crimson. He had beaten Clare, her Clare. Possibly even raped her, as he had wanted to do with Teresa.
The man's head turned slowly. "Hey, so nice to see you. Did you forget something the last time you were here?" he said, pointing at Clare. "Finders keepers. But don't worry, I promise to take real good care of her. I mean we're already such good friends aren't we, my new pet?"
Teresa could feel something unfurling in her stomach. Hot and vengeful and primal. Something that she had never felt before. She had felt anger in the past, but nothing like this. Not even close.
"I love watching the veins in her neck when she's screaming," the man continued, a deranged smile worming its way onto his face. "She kept crying, 'Teresa! Teresa!'"
Teresa snapped. With incredible speed, she moved toward the man, snatching Clare away from him and running him through with her sword at the same time. His eyes widened in shock as his other hand fell away from his arm, hitting the blood soaked ground with a sickening squelch. Teresa hugged Clare tight to her body as the man said, "You hurt me witch. Now how am I going to caress your filthy body? I'm tired—," his body split in half before he could finish.
Teresa turned towards the remaining bandits with Clare still held flush against her. "Teresa of the Faint Smile", she was called. But there was no hint of a smile on her face, not even the shadow of one. "Damn you, you rotten bastards," she growled at them. Her eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth in a feral sneer. "You're worse than the Yoma and you all deserve to die for what you've done. There will be no survivors. Each of you dies tonight."
Their boss tried to put up a fight, but Teresa disposed of him quickly. "She murdered the boss!" the other bandits yelled, their eyes widening in terror. "What were we thinking, taking on a monster like her? She's gonna kill us all! Run!"
None of them made it five steps.
When the deed was done, Teresa sat kneeling on the ground with Clare in her arms. As the child began to open her eyes, Teresa said, "Clare, wake up. You're safe."
The girl smiled up at her savior. "Thank you," she said.
She was so focused on Teresa's face that she failed to notice the countless dead bodies that lay strewn around them.
And so time passed. Days turned into weeks, and the more time Teresa spent with her young companion, the more her love for her grew. She had no interest in killing Yoma anymore. Every day, Teresa was content to merely travel and bask in Clare's company.
It was particularly cold night, and Teresa was lying down by the fire to get some sleep. As had become their nightly routine, Clare would "attempt" to fall asleep on her own, but would eventually come to snuggle with Teresa. And that's just what she did tonight. "Teresa, can I sleep with you?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle.
Teresa smiled and patted the ground next to her. Clare laid down and moved as close to Teresa as she could get, resting her head on the older woman's chest and tucking her hands in between her and Teresa's bodies. Teresa wrapped her arms around the girl. Although she would never admit it, Teresa enjoyed cuddling with Clare just as much as Clare enjoyed cuddling with Teresa.
That night though, something different happened to Teresa. She dreamed. She hadn't had a dream in years, too many years to count. But tonight, she had one. Perhaps it couldn't even be referred to as a dream. Perhaps it should be referred to as a nightmare.
Teresa was trapped inside a cage made of glass, with transparent walls and no door. Clare was outside of the cage, lying strapped to an operating table. She turned her head and made eye contact with Teresa. Teresa could hear the girl mutter her name, although her voice was muffled.
A man emerged from a door to the right and approached Clare. From his pocket he pulled a long, blood-splattered knife and said, "Let's see how far we can push you, Teresa of the Faint Smile." He smiled sadistically and embedded the knife in Clare's thigh.
Clare screamed, high-pitched and full of terror. "Clare!" Teresa yelled, but the girl seemed to be beyond the point where her savior's words could reach her. The man brought back his arm once more and slashed his knife across the little girl's stomach, leaving a deep gash were there was once perfectly smooth skin. Teresa's ears were filled with the sound of Clare's screams.
The horror continued. Tears streamed down Teresa's cheeks as she watched Clare thrash on the operating table. Screams echoed in her ears and shook the very core of her being. "Stop please!" Teresa yelled. "I'll do anything!"
The man stopped. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now then," he smiled, and Teresa's eyes widened in horror as he began to bring the knife down once more, this time towards Clare's heart. "There's no need for her anymore, is there?"
Teresa gasped and sat up sharply. She was drenched in sweat and her chest heaved as she continued to take ragged breaths. Clare was no longer beside her.
Teresa stood up and looked around sharply. "Clare?" she said. Her voice rose in volume. "Clare!" She got up quickly. "CLARE!" she shouted.
"Teresa?" came a reply. Teresa turned around sharply and saw a very surprised Clare staring at her. She let out a sigh of relief as she ran toward the girl and gathered her up in her arms, lifting her off her feet as she squeezed her tight. "Teresa, what's wrong?" Clare asked. She loved the attention she was getting, but Teresa's sudden burst of affection puzzled her.
"Nothing," Teresa answered, still not breaking their hug. "I couldn't see you, so I got nervous. That's all."
"You were sweating and crying out in your sleep," Clare said. "So I tried to find a stream so I could wet a cloth and wipe your forehead with it. I thought you might have a fever."
Teresa chuckled. "No, it was nothing like that. Just a silly nightmare." She finally released her hold on Clare and sat down.
Clare sat beside her. "What was your dream about?" she asked.
Teresa hesitated. "Nothing important. Something silly."
"Oh," Clare responded. She sat down next to Teresa and leaned against her. "Well I'm glad it's over. I love you, Teresa."
Teresa kissed the top of Clare's head and then leaned her cheek against it. "And I love you, Clare. Very, very much."