Disclaimer: I do not own Claymore; I suppose I would be a great deal wealthier if I did!
Author's Note: I have edited chapter one to better suit the rest of the story, sorry for the inconvenience!

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Their Time Together
 Chapter One: Paths Intertwined

I would hate to see myself right now.

I am lying in a murky brown puddle that swirls with the deep red of my blood; I can feel the rough cobblestones of the alleyway against my back. With every sharp intake of breath I feel more blood trickle down the side of my face. Rain pelts my damaged armour and beaten body as the villagers pass me by with fear in their eyes. The humans here make me sick; I wonder what it would be like to constantly live in fear of the Yoma.

Yes, I have slain the Yoma in their town much like I have done many times, but when I took its sorry excuse for a life it nearly took my own. I suppose I underestimated the beast and in the end I was careless. Dying is not as bad as I had imagined – I feel exhausted as my energy drains from my wounds and fills the cracks in the cobblestones. The town would not remember me, nor would the organization. I would die and be forgotten, but the thought doesn't bother me. I am already a lost soul. As the frightened villagers dart around the entrance to the alleyway in an attempt to avoid me, I can feel a tear slide down my face and mix with the rain that falls on me. The fact that I can still tell I am crying at least grants me the comfort that I am dying as a human being, but all the villagers can see is a dying beast.

I can hear them whispering the usual rumours about our kind, the half-Yoma monsters with pale skin and silver eyes, the silver eyed witches... I feel ashamed of myself as I lay dying as the ungrateful townspeople gaze at me spitefully, and soon a few of them gather to inspect me from what they assume to be a safe distance.

A tinge of anger floods through me but I am no danger to them now, though I wish I could stand and frighten them off for their insolence. I am sworn to indirectly protect these people, though they cannot accept us and fear us nearly as much as they do the Yoma. I wonder if they see us any different - a battle between us must be like watching animals fight. They care not which one kills the other so long as they themselves can run to safety. If only that accursed Yoma had reached a little higher it would have taken my head and saved me this embarrassment. The reasons I had for becoming a warrior all but disintegrate as I discover I have not been able to keep a single vow of vengeance. It is becoming increasingly difficult to breathe as the rain nearly doubles in its persistent attempt to drown me before I die of blood loss.

"I... don't want to die" The voice in my head whines pathetically. I do not heed it, as I learned to ignore that voice long ago. It was like tuning out the voice of an innocent child who had nothing useful to say and only complained and cried.

Suddenly, a sound behind me marks the opening of a wooden door, and from that door a dark shape emerges. His presence feels distinctly male and as he quickly makes his way over to me I shoot him a glance that may have caused him to tremble had I been standing in good health. I tense up with shock as his arms move around me, lifting me effortlessly from the cold, wet, blood-soaked stones. I fail at an attempt to hold in a painful gasp and my body becomes completely limp in the man's arms.

What is this guy doing?

I finally see his face; it is gentle, what appears to be light hair already drenched from the rain is almost covering his dark green eyes. In the cold haze gray of the night the warmth from his body becomes a feeling I crave, something to cling to in my final moments as I inhale in jagged bursts of discriminating pain. A soft and relaxing voice both low and clear echoes in my mind.

"It's alright." And with that I soon stop caring about my fate. Out of all the townspeople one man shows me respect and kindness. I had tried to run away from the scrutiny to die alone but in the end was found by this man – an unfortunate event about which I would normally feel angry, but in this moment I am grateful. I feel the rain stop pressing down on me as the colors around me change drastically from gray and blue to gold and amber whirling around my diminishing field of vision. If I had tears to cry, at this moment I would use them to cry tears of gratitude, to show this man I am still human. I am relieved the last thing I feel in this world is the kindness of another, and with that my vision turns to black and all becomes nothing.

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The sound of steel on wood causes my eyes to open. I am alive, though I instantly feel the limitations of my body. I barely have the strength to hold my eyelids up as I see the shape of the man whom I assume to be my rescuer attempting to balance my great sword up against the post of the bed he had laid me in. He is a man of average stature and that is all I can see at the moment with my eyes still trying to focus. I move my gaze down to my resting body to see clean bandages covering my upper body and am surprised to see them so pristine. Had I already lost all the blood I could in that alleyway? My thoughts are interrupted when I see what I assume to be a garbage sac filled with bloody bandages and tourniquets. Whoever has taken me into his home has been looking after me like the stray animal that I am. I do not bother to question why the man feels I deserve sympathy and kindness; I merely close my eyes again longing to hear the soothing voice I heard in the alleyway. I am glad to be alive.

As I wake again a strong herbal scent fills the air and wafts to my nostrils. The man is standing over me, holding a small cup. I try to move into an upright position but a gentle hand on my shoulder sets me down again. I feel his kind arms move my body so that I am not feeling pain into a position where I can drink whatever it is he has prepared.

"Can you speak? Are you alright?"

"I am feeling better" I say, though I know it is obvious I am not fully recovered. I take the cup he offers me and slowly sip the warm tea. "Are you the one who carried me in?"

"You're a bad liar" He replies, "And yes, I am. You Claymores are really something, it's only been three days and you've already healed up well."

"It has been three days?" I ask, nearly astounded. The organization must be looking for me, unless they have already considered me dead.

"Yes, by the way, a freaky man in black came for you, but I told him there was no way I was letting you leave in your condition" The man looks at me with apologetic eyes. That look suits him; he is an attractive young man with a charming presence. "I hope I made the right decision, I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"Not at all" I reply, "I cannot thank you enough for saving me, though I do not understand why" I feel puzzled as to why he has gone out of his way to accommodate me in such a burdened state. "I do not have much to offer in terms of payment, I apologize."

"What?" the man asks, as if I have said something strange. "What are you thanking me for? You're the one who killed the Yoma that was causing so much trouble here. I should be the one to thank you. And to be honest I would feel guilty if I asked you for some form of payment. This is what good people do, right?"

"You do not need to thank me, killing the Yoma is my job." I reply, "Why aren't you afraid of me?" I feel exposed the moment I ask him the question as he must have seen my marred body.

"Afraid of you? The women in this town are much scarier than you. But I think you've got the Yoma shaking in their greaves" He laughs. What kind of a man laughs at his own jokes? At least he is comfortable around me. A human who does something kind for another is kind, but why waste kindness on me? My kind is not accustomed to friendly interactions with normal people.

"I don't understand why you're doing this." I can feel myself becoming defensive. My main priority is to heal as fast as I can and get out of this town and this man's openness reminds me of the simple traps the Yoma try to use on us.

"Look, I'm just glad I can help out." He replies with a smile, "Don't worry, you're safe right now, I need you to relax if you want to get better." I must look completely taken aback, I notice my mouth has been hanging open with what I assume to be disbelief. This is the first time another has shown me such kindness and relief.

"Please allow me to thank you for saving me."

"If you're really set on it, I won't try to stop you... may I ask your name?"

"Flora" I reply professionally, "And yours?"

"Nicholas" He chirps - a surprisingly cold sounding name for such a kind hearted man. "It suits you, I was trying to guess it earlier and all I could come up with were the names of flowers, so I'm glad to see I am not too far off the mark." He is so unusually friendly it almost worries me, although I know he is not a Yoma I cannot help but wonder if he is trying to trick me somehow.

"Pleased to meet you" I lie. This is another obstacle to this mission, the sooner I can stand the better. "I apologize if I am making you uncomfortable, I am not accustomed to discussion. Most people are intimidated by my kind."

"Intimidated? Well Claymore's aren't usually very approachable." Nicholas sighed before taking the empty cup and setting it aside. "I've personally always thought Claymores were beautiful, but when I saw you I knew you were beyond that, so I think a name like Flora is perfect for you. A pretty name for a pretty girl, you know?" I lose the will to speak, and feel a rare flush in my cheeks. He has called me beautiful.Though there are so many human girls in the village to dote upon Nicholas wastes time adorning me with flattery. There is nothing beautiful about me, especially now that I have been sleeping for three days. "I'm sorry; I seem to have upset you. That was not my intention."

"No, Nicholas." I reply quietly, "I am not upset, I just don't understand your attitude. I had a monster's flesh put into me to make me this way, I am half Yoma, and you've seen the scars on my body..."

"So what?" He says, blushing slightly. "And for the record I never saw your body, I tried my best to bandage you without looking."

"... You did that?" Maybe I was too disgusting to look at, or he really was only trying to be respectful? What an odd man!

"Ogling an unconscious woman isn't really my style" Nicholas says, smiling at me. I do not want him to stop talking; oddly enough I want him to call me beautiful again. "Now this will sound a bit weird, but you've been sleeping for a long time, so would you like to bathe? I can get a basin ready for you. I need to step out anyways for a short while, so it's not a trouble."

"You've already done too much for me"

"You haven't been a trouble, I really have not done that much. I'll fill the basin for you with some warm water, see if you can move but don't strain yourself, okay?" I agree and move slowly to a more comfortable sitting position.

Moments later Nicholas' large wash basin is filled with hot water and steam rises enticingly from its surface. I make sure to get in while he leaves so he does not see my body as my compact muscles and lack of pigment are sure to repulse him, not to mention the scars he so carefully overlooked before. I take some time to relax under the hot water and wonder what the room I am in will tell me about Nicholas. There is not much furniture, one bed and several small cupboards.

Wait, if I have been sleeping for three days in his only bed, where has he been sleeping?

It is obvious he lives alone but is well accustomed to having company which I gather from seeing his large dining table and kitchen. Perhaps he works in a tavern of sorts, or in the marketplace? As I wash myself I sink lower into the large wooden basin, looking at my reflection in the water. Cold, silver eyes glare back at me through wet strands of platinum wavy hair that adheres closely to my head. Below are a set of pale shoulders just above the waterline and I automatically feel disgusted. I am a half monster, one who had the flesh of the man-eating Yoma integrated into my body – nothing fit for a young man with many choices to dote upon. Since when do I need a man to dote on me anyways? Warriors of our organization are supposed to be independent, but the longer I stay in the bath the more I want to be taken care of.

"What's happening to me?" I mutter under my breath as the door behind me opens. Nicholas nearly drops the food he has brought home upon seeing my body and hides his face: The obvious reaction to the nude body of a disfigured fiend like me. I wonder what part of me he has become too disgusted to look – the garish scars from the procedure all those years ago, or the pale and discoloured shades of my skin.

"My apologies, Flora – I didn't mean to look" Nicholas' stuttered words show me he is embarrassed and not disgusted. "I've been gone for nearly an hour and I thought you'd be done by now." I don't know if I am more surprised to see he has not spurned me or that I have been in the bath for a whole hour. Setting the food on the table he comes around to me and without looking places a dry towel around my shoulders as I stand. "There, you can dry yourself now."

"Thank you" I reply, "My body must be a monstrosity compared to the girls here; I apologize for not being more careful with covering myself."

"No, don't apologize. It's not that there's anything wrong with you or anything like that, I just did not mean to barge in on you." Nicholas said; his face flushed with red. As I step out of the basin and onto his wooden floor I see him drag the heavy wash basin out to dump into the alleyway where I lay dying three days ago. I could have easily done it for him but I know he would attempt to be a gentleman and not ask me.

"Why are you so kind to me?" I ask after moments of seemingly awkward silence. "I have nothing to offer you."

"It's not about what you have to offer" Nicholas answers as he drags the basin back inside. I look at the muscles of his arms tensing and flexing and lose my focus for a moment and draw the bed sheets around my nude body. "There are people who are afraid of you, aren't there?"

"Yes, because they know I'm half Yoma."

"But it looks like what they don't see is that you're also half human." Nicholas said, "And so what if you're Yoma? Last I checked Claymores didn't eat people. We all have the potential to be monsters, but I like to think it's which side we listen to at the end of the day that counts." I am taken aback as Nicholas continues to shock me. Some time passes as he cooks a meal for us. He is thoroughly amazed at the portion I request as it is considerably smaller than his own.

He remembers to hand me the new jumpsuit a messenger from the organization has left with him. Soon we are eating the food he has prepared by candle light and I am listening to him as he talks about life and I learn he envies our organization for being able to journey across the land with no real destination.

Yeah, it's the greatest.

I am not inclined to speak of my own past as I hardly remember being anything but terrified and alone in the organization's compound.

"It is not necessarily adventure." I reply, "I would give anything to have a place I could call home, where I could live and grow old and not worry about killing Yoma or the organization." I am not lying, the short time I have spent in Nicholas' care has made me dread having to leave and continue alone, and I get the feeling he can sense that I do not wish to leave.

"I suppose it is only natural we want what the other has." Nicholas says quietly, "So feel free to stay with me as long as you like, alright?" I freeze, he is offering me a place to stay and I am inclined to accept his kindness, though there is no place the organization will not find me. A life away from my duties is another impossible and unattainable form of happiness.

"I... don't believe I could do that." He adds a piece of wood to the crackling fire place and I stand with him to take in its warmth.

"That's alright, I suppose it is asking a bit much of a nomad like yourself" He says light heartedly, "But I mean it when I say that if you ever pass by here or need a place to stay, I'd be more than happy to provide for you here." As a sign of gratitude I gingerly take his hand in mine and take the opportunity to analyze it. It is considerably heavier than mine, and slightly larger in size. The palm is rough from physical labour but with his gentle demeanour I never would have known.

"Thank you" I can see the nervousness in his eyes and know I feel just as anxious.

"It must be hard to be a Claymore, you're expected to fight and kill, to be injured and live alone..." He caresses my hand in his, and I am compelled to look at him. I want more; I am not satisfied with our hands simply being clasped together. I am a selfish girl, for the kindness he has shown me is not enough. I want the heat of his body to surround me as he calls me beautiful again.

"I..." I find I cannot answer him; I cannot speak or even move as his dark green eyes invade mine. I listen intently for his next words as if I need them to survive.

"You're brave." Whether the sensual orange glow of the candles have finally gotten the better of me or I simply cannot control myself any longer I do not know, as at that moment all matters seem to fade away. I walk into his arms and melt against his chest as they slowly curve around me. The feeling of being held nearly forces me to tears. Is this what I gave up for the power of a Yoma? I know it is dangerous to stay in his arms for too long – to grow attached to a man I will never see again would be unforgivable.

"Only for a little while" I say quietly as I rest my cheek on his collar.

"That's fine" Nicholas replies. We share no words after that, we simply stand in each other's arms as two people -two humans- comforting one another. The night moves on, it feels as if we have been standing like this for forever. His hands slide gently up the curve of my back and hold my shoulders as I reluctantly pull away.

"We should both go to sleep."

"Agreed, I'll make the bed for you."

"Don't be a fool. I know you have been sleeping on the floor." Does he honestly think he's kidding me? What a total charade. "Make the bed for yourself."

"And what would my courtesy be worth then?" Nicholas asks, "That doesn't sit well with me."

"Do you value your floor?"

"What?"

SLAM

With my blade sheathed sturdily between some wooden planks, I sit down and rest my head against its shiny metal surface. "I will be fine like this, I find it comfortable."

"Well then." Nicholas huffs sourly, "At least take a blanket." I feel his back press up against the reverse side of my blade and I sigh in defeat.

"You're being a child."

"If this is actually more comfortable than my bed let me know who sold you this thing." Soon, my eyelids close and all is silent. The morning would come early.

I know it is morning, for the sun shines irritably all around me but I refuse to get up. I am comfortable, lying in Nicholas' bed where he must have placed me after I fell asleep. He, no surprise, is sitting against the flat of my blade still wedged in his floor where I had expected to be. How had he moved me without waking me up? Was I that heavy of a sleeper?

The entire day moves very fast, and despite my nature I feel comfortable in Nicholas' care. If my comrades could see me now, I would never hear the end of it. I know I have to leave in the morning and spending any more time with the man would be bad, but as he unexpectedly kisses me after supper, something strange in me wants more.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it..." Nicholas says, "To be honest, I don't really know why I-" I kiss him, startling him as much as he startled me.

"More..." I can feel myself craving and savouring each tender kiss he grants me, and feel his hands pull me closer into him, tightening the already inexistent distance between our bodies. I glance playfully to the bed behind Nicholas and wonder if he will take me to it. He seems to notice my wandering eyes and gently lifts me into his arms again and kisses my lips. Softly parting my lower lip from my upper I feel him mimic me, my lips wetting with a small amount of saliva. Holding a kiss he places me down underneath him on the soft mattress as I eagerly and obediently await his next voiceless command. My novice hands move about his chest, clinging to his shirt and pulling him down over me while he kisses me and tells me I am beautiful. A small, satisfied moan escapes my lips as I blush at the failed attempt I had to contain it. It would seem he is accustomed to saying that word, though it leaves his mouth as if it were only meant for my ears.

He unzips the front of the tight suit I wear as my embarrassed hand rushes to halt him. His kissing ceases briefly as he notices my discomfort in shedding the only layer protecting him from gazing upon my pale and scarred body.

"You'll regret it." I whisper as he silences me with his lips.

"I won't." What has come over me? I have never felt so blissfully helpless in my life!

He gives me a glance filled with trust, and like the anxious student I am I release his hand, allowing him to expose a thin line of my bare skin snaking down the space between my breasts and just past my navel. I let him distract me with kisses as his hands move under the fabric near my shoulders and fold it down, all but removing it from my upper body. "I'm sorry" I breathe as his accepting; gentle eyes glance over the massive scar and discoloured flesh of my body. I sigh expecting to see disappointment in his face, but when all I see is the same warm, kind expression he has shown me all day and night I feel my eyes grow heavy with tears. He is not disgusted with me; I am still beautiful to him. Nevertheless, I remove his shirt and quickly press my pale chest into his, kissing whatever my mouth can reach tenderly. A bed sheet is quickly draw around us to hold us together as our lips brush against one another, every few seconds opening to allow the other full access for our tongues to meet. I gasp for air before diving back into the passion between our bodies and await his next move.

I soon feel his free hand caressing my back, all the way down to my now nude waist and left hip. The feeling of his skin pressing and rubbing softly on mine creates a rhythmic pattern and steady pace where our bodies can stroke against each other. The friction between us causes my body to tense in ways I have never felt, and as my lips caress his ear I exhale a decrescendo of a moan as my mind goes blank. I feel myself losing control as I collapse into Nicholas' careful arms. Soon, all is black.

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I awaken, oddly enough, to the absence of the crackling sound the fireplace made so relentlessly before. However, I feel as warm as I had last night when it was burning in the arms of Nicholas as he glances down at my opened eyes and flushed face. The memories of the previous night come back to me and I can barely manage a thank you to Nicholas.

I consider myself very lucky to have met him, not only did he save my life but he made me feel things I had never felt.

"Thank you as well." Nicholas said with a sheepish grin, "You're pretty good at that kind of thing, Flora" I nearly melt into him again as he says my name, it isn't fair he can use it against me like that.

"Its beginner's luck" I smile. Am I joking with him? I do not understand my own emotions as I wonder what we will do that day. It is not until I see our reflection in my sword across the room that I remember why I should never become close with anyone. Nicholas sees my face change and understands, remarkably, what my expression means. I have to leave. I feel as if my heart as been run through by a blade, the sting of duty overcomes me and I shed several tears in Nicholas' arms before he and I rise from the mattress.

I cannot even cry as I say goodbye to the only man who has ever cared for me.