The Beyondard Wars: The Cook and the Soldier

Chapter one

Phakchi stood overlooking the crowd of villagers, watching them eat the food she had prepared for them. She had violet eyes and purple hair that was held off her face with a folded red bandana that had three short knives in it. She was wearing a green shirt with gold trim and a baggy pair of black pants. She had a white two-piece apron that was tied around her waist with a white cloth belt. A wide knife that looked like a butcher's knife was slipped through the belt so Phakchi could easily access it when she was cooking.

Getting down from the picnic table, Phakchi started to head towards a large building in the village until she felt someone tug on her shirt. Sitting next to her was a young boy with violent red hair, green eyes with his right ear pierced with a silver stud. He was wearing a worn leather apron around his chest that fell to his knees and fingerless gloves. His belt was fitted with many knives for various cooking styles. He wore a pair of blue jeans and grey t-shirt with a red trim. He also wore his headband in the same style as Phakchi, with the three short knives. The only difference was that his was blue.

"Where are you going?" His very calm voice reminded Phakchi of someone she knew.

"To check on him and to see if he woke up yet." Phakchi tousled the boy's red locks.

"Oh, Him." The boy's calm face turned into one of rage as he looked away.

"What do you mean by 'Him'?" Phakchi said annoyed by the boy's emphasis on the word.

"You always spend your spare time looking after him. Who is he anyway?"

Phakchi closed her eyes and smiled. "A good friend of mine."

"That doesn't mean anything!" He shouted after her as she walked away.

Phakchi grinned. Her apprentice didn't understand but she couldn't blame him, he hadn't been around when He first arrived. She looked up and saw something hanging out of a window of the school compound building. She entered and went up the numerous stairs past the classrooms, hearing giggling from some of them. The kids of today knew more then she had at their age. Phakchi shook her head laughing under her breath, laughing at her stupidity at her first kiss. She walked past the kitchen and up to the medical ward and opened the door. Someone was standing at the window while leaning against the wall. It was apparent that they were either cold or weak as they were shaking pretty hard. Phakchi closed the door and watched as they turned their head slowly.

"What are you doing here?" A masculine voice called out to her.

"I'm here to look after you. You're hurt remember?" Phakchi responded.

"Humph! I can look after myself." He turned back to the window.

"I beg to differ." Phakchi strode up to him. "If it hadn't been for me and the others, you would have been dead."

"That's not the point." He began shaking harder.

Phakchi snorted and grabbed him. "Come back to bed. You're not strong enough to stand on your own yet."

She pulled him towards his bed and convinced him to lie down before she turned on a bedside lamp. He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the light while Phakchi grinned and shifted to the side to shade his eyes. He opened his eyes slowly, and watched her. She leaned over and brushed some stay hair off his forehead so she could change his bandages.

"You okay Barrel? You look like you're in pain." Phakchi reached for come clean bandages.

"I don't like anyone playing with my hair." Barrel growled.

Phakchi watched him. He had dark eyes, black hair and had stubble on his face. His tan skin added some character to his features while his high cheek bones added a mysterious look to him.

"Too bad." She grinned forcing him to sit up. She undid the bandage around his forehead and began to clean the small gash on his forehead. "You know, he doesn't like you at all."

Barrel winced ever so slightly as the gash stung. "Who?"

"My apprentice." Phakchi said tying a clean bandage around his head.

"Hacoom?" Barrel asked making Phakchi stop.

"Yeah."

Barrel looked away from her and snorted. "How come?"

"Well, he doesn't know you and he probably doesn't trust you either." Phakchi said moving onto his right cheek

"Teenage pre-pubescent boys." Barrel muttered making Phakchi look up at him.

"I bet you were at his age."

Barrel snorted. "At fourteen? Hell no. I was having respect, loyalty and obedience pounded into me."

Phakchi looked at him. "He's fifteen going on sixteen soon.

Barrel closed his eyes. "So?"

"He's a bit more cautious." Phakchi put three small pieces of medical tape over the cut on his cheek.

"Sure fooled me." Barrel looked towards the window.

"Oh come on!" Phakchi laughed. "He's growing up. Immaturity is normal in his life."

Barrel grinned. "Are you sure you don't mean rash stupidity?"

"Now really." Phakchi was in stitches.

"I'm serious. Soon he'll get the rash teenage stupidity and do a lot of really crazy stuff."

"Oh? Like you've ever done anything like that?"

"Plenty of times. I swear, no one knows how I managed to keep my bad boy personality with all the solitary confinement I've ever done."

Phakchi tried to calm herself down. "He's not the kind of kid that will do crazy stuff."

Barrel face broke into a big grin. "Save that line for when he starts going out on beer raids with his friends. Who knows he might bring a keg back."

Phakchi gave him a serious look. "Don't go giving him ideas."

Barrel looked deeply into her eyes. "I don't plan to."

Phakchi shook her head and went to work on his shoulder. "Can you tell me something?"

Barrel turned and looked at her. "Sure"

"Why did you go after the pack of Spiky viruses?" Phakchi began to dab at six long scratches on his left shoulder. The were actually marks from the Spiky's dangerous teeth.

"They were coming after the village so I knew that I had to stop them." Barrel looked back at her. "It's what I do. I save people."

Phakchi smiled and threw the used bandages in the garbage bin. "That's going to end up being your downfall someday."

"Heh! Yeah right!" Barrel smiled broadly.

Phakchi sat down on the edge of his bed and cupped one hand to his cheek. "It will if you keep putting your life in danger."

Barrel rolled his eyes. "Like that has ever stopped me. I was born into danger Phakchi, so this is minor. When the world became dangerous, I was ready for it. That's who I am."

Phakchi sighed. He had her there. "But still, you could have called upon Colonel-"

"You're forgetting that he's been deleted." Barrel snapped. He suddenly fell silent for a few moments.

"Barrel? Are you okay?" Phakchi looked at the man.

Barrel sighed. "Have you ever lost a childhood friend?"

Phakchi nodded. "I had only one true childhood friend before the big change."

Barrel held his head in his hands muffling his words a bit. "I had him since I was a kid. He meant everything to me."

Phakchi pated his shoulder. "It will all work out. Now rest you need it."

Phak switched the light off and left the room. She flopped down on her bed ans sighed into her pillow. There was something strangely familiar about Barrel. Something that Phakchi had seen before.