The winds of battle had finally died down; the smell of blood and the rotten stench of pure evil had all but vanished upon Cervantes de Leon's death. The man who had claimed Soul Edge for himself, who had used its awesome, terrifying power to wreak havoc on the land, was no more... and it was thanks to the power of righteousness that peace was finally upon the world. Righteousness... and a skilled demon hunter.
Taki had been on the trail of Soul Edge for a while now, as she felt it was her duty as a vanquisher of darkness to locate and silence the evil sword before it got into the wrong hands. Little did she know, someone else was also seeking to destroy the sword, and had beaten her to it: a young girl, blessed by the god Hephaestus himself, armed with a sword, shield, and the power of right on her side. The girl had endured a long and fierce battle against the dread pirate Cervantes, even succeeding in destroying one of the two Soul Edge swords in his possession. However, the evil sword exploded upon impact and the shards riddled her body, rendering her unable to continue. Before Cervantes could strike the final blow, Taki swooped in and finished the job against the mad pirate. He was severely weakened by the previous battle, so vanquishing him and the remaining Soul Edge was no difficult task for the powerful kunoichi. Now the battle was over, and the last step was to get the brave girl home to her family. Taki normally didn't get involved in such matters, but there was something about this girl that made her think differently...
"OWWWW! Miss Taki, you mustn't run so fast with me on your back!" Sophitia whined, pain engulfing her body as her wounds flared up. Taki had been carrying her for at least an hour now, and she had made her pain and discomfort quite apparent the entire trip. Taki was a patient woman, but she was slowly considering immoral thoughts as Sophitia continued to whine in her ear.
"It really hurts! Miss Taki! M-Miss Taki are you listening? Please, we have to stop! I can't take it anymooooore!"
With a sigh, Taki dropped Sophitia on her butt and turned around.
"First of all, you don't have to keep calling me that! I'm only a few years older than you. Secondly, we have no other means of transportation! Thirdly, I can get you home faster than any horse could anyway. Fourthly, I REALIZE YOU ARE IN PAIN! You don't have to keep reminding me every second!"
Sophitia looked down at the dirt, a tear forming in her eye. "I...I...I'm s-sorry... M-miss... uhh I mean Taki. I didn't mean to irritate you. I just... I'm in so much pain..."
Taki's anger slowly turned to a look of concern and empathy. With her eyes closed she let out a sigh and plopped down on the ground, right beside the poor wounded girl. She reopened her eyes and looked at Sophitia, a solemn expression on her face.
"...No, you're fine. It's just me. I'm just tired and grumpy and... I really just want to sleep."
"W-well, why don't we find a place to bed for the night? I'm sure someone will be kind enough to take us in since I'm injured." Sophitia suggested with a smile.
"No... I don't want to owe some stranger. Let's just set up camp in the woods tonight."
Sophitia's mouth turned upside down when she heard that one. "Th-the woods? B-but... I've never... slept outside before!"
"Oh come on, nothing will happen to you." Taki reassured her, scooping her up on her back once again. "Now come on, let's find a spot with a pond."
As night fell and darkness enshrouded them, Taki and Sophitia trudged through the woods until they found a nice, suitable place to set up their lone sleeping bag. Luckily, Taki found a place with water so they could wash away the blood and grime of their intense battle with Soul Edge. Thankfully, Sophitia's complaints finally fell silent upon realizing she could get a bath.
"There, see? Maybe a nice cool bath will help relieve some of your pain." Taki reassured, pointing to the nearby pond as she set Sophitia down.
"Hah...hah...hah... uhhh... th-thank you, M-Miss Taki... ohh... my wounds are on fire..." Sophitia moaned as she rolled over on her side. She didn't care that her face was in the dirt; she just needed to lay down.
"Oh brother..." Taki mumbled, putting a hand on her brow. She honestly didn't know if Sophitia was being serious or if she was being a drama queen. Taki herself had been hurt many times in the past and never complained like Sophitia was right now. Then again, Taki never had several shards of Soul Edge penetrate her flesh and have to be forcefully removed. Keeping this in mind, Taki kept her mouth shut and just tried to be understanding and supportive. After all, Sophitia for all intents and purposes may have saved HER life by weakening Cervantes.
"Cmon, let's get you to the pond. A bath will make you feel better." Taki urged, attempting to lift Sophitia. But as soon as Taki put her hands on her, Sophitia let out a howl of pain as the multiple wounds all over her body flared up.
"OWWWWWW! MISS TAKI, DON'T TOUCH MEEEE!"
With a tiny yelp, Taki quickly let go of Sophitia as the poor girl fell back on the ground. She rolled over and sobbed silently, making Taki feel a bit guilty for doubting her pain.
"I...*sniff*...can't... *sniff*...move... on my own..." she sobbed.
"S-sophitia... cmon... you're being pathetic..." Taki said softly, her voice almost a whisper.
"I... *sniff*... can't... *sniff* help it! Ahhh... I've never felt such pain..."
"Oh boy..."
Taki turned around and scratched her head, wondering what she should do. She had already bandaged her wounds the best she could; if Sophitia couldn't move on her own, then Taki was pretty much responsible for taking care of her until she made it home. It was an unfamiliar burden for her... but one that she was willing to accept. Independent as she was, Taki couldn't let the girl die; she had shown such bravery in leaving her family to seek and destroy Soul Edge. She DESERVED to return home alive and well. Taki was going to care for her, like it or not.
"Hey..." Taki said softly, leaning down. "...I'm going to take you to the pond, okay?"
Sophitia just nodded and allowed Taki to grab her and lift. Sophitia immediately winced in pain upon being lifted, but she kept her composure as Taki carried her to her pond and set her down at the edge.
"I'll help you get your clothes off. Once you're nice and clean, I'll change those bandages, okay?"
"Th-thank you..."
Sophitia relaxed and lifted her arms, allowing Taki to take off her dress. She then stripped off her underwear and tossed it all into a neat little pile. Once Sophitia was ready, Taki scooped her up and gently laid her down in the water. The icy chill of the cool water immediately sent a jolt of relief all over her stinging body. She immediately felt her nipples harden, as well as a torrent of goosebumps sprouting all over.
"Ooooooooh that's cold!" she wailed. Taki put her hand to her mouth and chuckled softly, trying to hide it from the wounded girl.
Once Sophitia was in the water, Taki decided to go ahead and join her. Dropping her weapons and armor on the ground in a neat pile, she removed her boots and then commenced stripping off her skintight red bodysuit. Sophitia shot a few glances her way, a tiny blush forming when she saw Taki's buxom figure spring out of confinement and jiggle upon freedom. She looked down at her own modest curves and felt a tinge of jealousy; Taki probably had the biggest chest she had ever seen.
Taki tiptoed into the water and submerged herself alongside Sophitia, resurfacing and letting her beautiful dark hair down. She flicked it a few times, getting it out of her face. Her giant boobs were like buoys, bobbing up and down in the water with a mind of their own. Sophitia noticed that her nipples had gotten erect almost as fast as hers did.
"M-Miss Taki, I hate to ask anymore of you but... c-could you help me...?" Sophitia asked softly, her face red and her voice almost a squeak.
Taki looked at her with a pitiful smile. "Very well. Just hold still."
Sophitia felt herself getting a little warmer as Taki swam up to her and got VERY close, so close their chests were touching. With a tiny smile, Taki scooped up some water and splashed it on her torso. She then placed her hands on Sophitia's wet skin and began gently rubbing up and down, working the water deep into her pores and washing off her blood and dirt. Sophitia tensed up at the feeling, but she couldn't deny that Taki's hands on her nude body had quite a relaxing feeling for her. She leaned back and sighed, poking her chest out a bit as Taki splashed water on her breasts and rubbed them all over. Once Taki got her chest and arms, she went down lower and washed her abdomen. She worked very gently, as to avoid putting pressure on the wounds and causing additional pain.
"Sit on the edge so I can get your legs." Taki ordered.
"O-okay..." Sophitia complied. She managed to lift herself just enough to plop onto the grass and extend her legs. She felt a little weird about exposing her privates to Taki, but Taki didn't seem to mind as she scooped up more water and rubbed her legs up and down. She rubbed all the way up to her thighs before going back down to the toes. Sophitia felt her body tense up every time Taki's hand came in close vicinity to her pelvic area. Her hands felt like pure velvet, and Sophitia could definitely feel her pain fading away and being replaced with a relaxed, pleasurable feeling.
"M-may I ask a question?" Sophitia asked.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Why did you rescue me?"
Taki stopped washing her and looked at her, her face turning back to its usual serious expression.
"Well... I was intrigued by your strength."
"My strength? But... you're so much stronger than me, Miss Taki. I couldn't even finish the job..."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean... your spirit. Your courage is what moved me. When I saw you, beaten and bruised, locked in bloody combat with the fearsome Soul Edge itself, I knew you were special. I couldn't just leave you there to die. You have people to go back to, right? I want to make sure you return home a hero, and get the praise you deserve."
Sophitia's lips formed a warm smile when she heard those words. "Thank you so much. But the truth is... you're the one worthy of praise. Before I lost consciousness, I witnessed you leap into battle against Cervantes and... you looked so strong... like it was your purpose. YOU are the real hero, Miss Taki... I'm just an 18 year old girl who was in over her head."
"Hey now, don't be like that." Taki replied, splashing and rubbing her own body down as she talked. "If you hadn't destroyed one of the Soul Edges and softened Cervantes up for me, there's a good chance he may have destroyed me. Look, let's just agree that we're BOTH heroes. Is that okay?"
"Hee hee, that's good to me." Sophitia giggled.
After their bath, Sophitia didn't bother to get dressed as Taki laid her down on the sleeping bag and removed her bandages. She took some more of the salve she had prepared in the woods and rubbed it on every last one of Sophitia's lacerations.
"Ahhh... that's better..." Sophitia sighed.
"Just let me know if it starts hurting, okay?"
"Okay..."
Once Taki had applied some to all of her injuries, she wrapped them all up with fresh bandages. Sophitia felt as good as new; she was hurting less, and she no longer smelled like crusty old blood and sweat.
"There, all done. Feeling better?" Taki asked with a smile.
"Yes! I feel great! Oh thank you Miss Taki, thank you!" Sophitia shouted.
Taki admittedly felt pretty good about herself right now, knowing that she had brought Sophitia back from the brink of the afterlife and now had made her happy again. Helping someone out made a person feel pretty damn good inside. This whole experience had definitely helped her grow as a person.
"I'm glad you feel better. Now, just sleep there tonight and I'll make my own shelter."
"Wait! But... this is your sleeping bag..." Sophitia replied softly.
"Aw, don't worry. You need it more than I do."
"Okay, just...wait! Before you go... could you help me up one more time?" Sophitia asked.
"O...kay." Taki shrugged. None the wiser, she approached Sophitia and leaned down, putting her arms around her and preparing to lift. But to her surprise, Sophitia had other plans.
"Whooooaaaaah!" Taki yelped as she felt herself being pulled down. She fell facefirst on top of Sophitia, who smiled and rolled over on top of her. Taki was pinned to the sleeping bag, Sophitia's full weight on top of her.
"S-Sophitia..." Taki uttered, her face getting hot.
"Miss Taki... hold me tight." Sophitia whispered softly. She laid her head down on Taki's bosom and strengthened her embrace around the buxom ninja. Her gratitude and admiration towards Taki had evolved into affection. Taki felt a little strange at first, especially since both of them were still naked from their bath, but seeing Sophitia resting so peacefully on top of her gave her a warm, peaceful feeling inside. It was a beautiful sight.
With a smile, Taki put her arms around the petite girl and squeezed gently, blanketing her with warmth. The two of them fell asleep like that, Sophitia having the best slumber of her life that night. The comfort of Taki made her forget all about her wounds.
THE END