Ash And His Pet, Myst, Sat Under A Tree On The Outskirts Of The Army Campsite, Along With Momiji And Aya, Enjoying A Watermelon Together. It Was Hard For Them To Enjoy Themselves Like This With The Constant Fighting The State Of War Brought To Them, But It'd Been A While Before They'd Had To Fight Any Kind Of Battle With Enemy Troops. Sparring With Eachother Had Kept Them All At Their Best, And Kept Them From Getting Depressed By Taking The Lives Of Others, While Keeping Their Bonds Close. The Group Laughed And Enjoyed Their Time Together, Until Lethe Walked Up To Them, And When She Did So, Ash's Face Sobered When He Looked Up At Her. "Can I Help You?" He Asked, His Silver Eye Glowing From Behind His Blindfold. "You Have Your Heart Now, So You Can Take Off That Stupid Blindfold." She Replied, With A Sneer On Her Face. He Glared At Her From Behind His Blindfold, "My Eye Is Still Unnatural, And Even Your Lords Cannot Look At My Eye With Curling Their Lips In Disgust." He Sneered Back At Her. She Looked Away From Him, "F-Fine…" She Said As She Turned Away From Him. "Why So Hesitant, Lethe?" He Asked Her, His Sneer Fading Away. "You're Different Now, And I Know The Truth About What Happened, But I Don't Feel Like You Deserve My Trust Yet." She Said As She Walked Away. Ash Looked Conflicted While He Lost Himself In Thought, She Was Right Though, He Was Different. He Was No Longer That Subservient Wolven Soldier They Used To Know, He Was The Archdemon Of Judgment, And Nobody Could Be Prouder, Yet Still Have The Sense Of Justice And Judgment He Bore With Every Step He Took. Momiji Sneezed Quietly, But It Was Still Enough To Bring Him Back To Reality.
"Sorry About That," Ash Whispered As A False Smile Slowly Formed On His Face. Aya Smiled Back, "No Problem," She Said, Then She Took A Bite Out Of Her Slice Of Watermelon. "It's Not Your Fault, She Just Refuses To Understand." Myst Said Before She, Too, Took A Sample Of Her Slice Of Watermelon. But Momiji Stared At Ash With An Empathy And Compassion, And She Blushed And Looked Away When Ash Looked At Her, But There Was Still A Foreign Feeling Of Kindness Towards Him. When Ash Met Momiji's Stare For Just A Second, And Read Her Look Of Sympathy, He Was Still Left Puzzled. Once They'd Finished They're Small Break, They Each Retired To They're Tents, Ash And Myst Retired To They're Tent, Aya And Momiji Retired To They're Tent As Well. Not Too Long After, Ash Reached For His Sword To Begin Sharpening It While Myst Went Out To Gather Medicinal Herbs, But Stopped Short When He Heard Another Person Enter His Tent, And Expecting It To Be Lethe, He Turned With An Angry Expression On His Face, But That Expression Faded When He Saw Momiji Standing There. They Didn't Breath A Single Word, But Stared At Eachother, And Their Looks Spoke For Them; Momiji Slowly Walked Over To Acheron And Gave Him A Soft Hug. Ash Reluctantly Let His Arms Slowly Wrap Around Her Waist, After A Minute Of Holding Eachother, They Pulled Away From Eachother, And She Gave Him A Soft Kiss On His Lips. She Pulled Away, Blushing, "S-Sorry, Ash." She Said As She Turned To Leave. Ash Grabbed Her By Her Shoulder And Spun Her Around So He Could Capture Her Lips With His. She Moaned In Protest, But Soon Surrendered Herself To The Kiss And Slowly Brought Her Arms Up To Rest Behind His Head While His Arms Found Their Way Back Around Her Waist.
She Pulled Away From Their Kiss So She Could Take In A Deep Breath, And Stare At Him In Amazement, He Wasn't Angry Or Shocked With Her, But He Wanted Her Company. "I Have No Problem With You, Momiji. You Are One Of The Few Females In My Pack," He Whispered To Her, Then Kissed Her Again. "And You Have Power Over Me." He Whispered To Her, Then Held Her Closer With His Head Next To Hers. Her Eyes Became Slightly Hooded, And A Small Smile Formed On Her Lips, "Okay, Ash, I Did Come To See You For A Reason…" When She Pulled Away, Her Face Was Entirely Serious, "I Was Passing By The War Tent Where They Were Having A Conference About Recent Events. I Eavesdropped On The Conversation, And I Can Tell You That Azul Is Being Held Along With Members Of A Broken Wolven Pack In Terijo Temple." Momiji Was Careful Not To Let Too Much Emotion Fall Into Her Voice, But Acheron Knew She Cared, And The Seriousness Of His Expression Faded Into Appreciation As He Brought His Lips To Hers In A Kiss Of Love And Gratitude. "Thank You, Momiji." He Whispered As He Slowly Pulled Away From Their Kiss, Yet Not Far From Her Face, "I Truly Can't Thank You Enough," He Kissed Her One Last Time, And Pulled Away From Her, Stepping Back. Her Face Had Lit Red From Blushing, "I-It's Nothing, Ash." She Said, Smiling At Him, "The Temple Is North Of Here, But I Didn't Tell You That, Did I?" She Asked, Then Offered Her Hand Out To Him. "I Found Out On My Own By Talking With The Townspeople." Ash Answered, But He Was Incredulous When He Looked At Her Outstretched Hand Before He Took Her Hand Into His.
They Both Made Sure They Knew The Story Of The Other, Because Eavesdropping On A War Meeting Or On Information Shared Among Generals Was Considered Treason, Which Was Usually Punished By Death. "Since You're Going To Save Azul, And Nothing I Could Say Will Stop You," She Said Softly, And Ash Was Surprised By Her Understanding, "I Have Thought Of A Way You Could Thank Me." She Said With A Smirk. Ash Gave Her A Half-Grin, "So Have I…" He Whispered As He Reached To Take Hold Of Her Breast And Gave It A Squeeze, Then He Slid Her Breast Out Of The Side Of Her Kimono Top And Nibbled Her Nipple While He Gently Squeezed It. Her Responses To Each Of His Touches Were Moans And Gasps, Followed By Her Placing A Hand On The Back Of His Head To Hold Him To Her. He Used His Other Hand To Reach Under Her Skirt And Gently Press His Fingers Against The Tender Folds Of Her Body, Which Made Her Give A High-Pitched Sharp Whine In Reaction To His Touch. His Lips Moved To Hers One Last Time Before He Kneeled In Front Of Her, He Lifted Her Skirt Up And Moved Her Underwear So He Could Bring His Tongue And Lips To The Most Private Part Of Her. She Reached Down And Buried Her Hand In His Hair While She Bit Down On The Knuckle On Her Other Hand, And Groaned Out Loud While He Pleased Her. He Moved One Of Her Legs Up Over His Shoulder, And Used His Hand To Spread Her Folds Open So He Could Delve His Tongue Deeper Into Her And Explore Her Body All The More. It Wasn't Much Longer Before Her Grip In His Hair Tightened, And Her Fluids Began Leaking Out Of Her Body As He Teased Her Most Private Part Of Her.
Her Moans Grew Louder As He Pushed His Tongue Into Her And It Didn't Take Much Longer Before She Cried His As She Came. Yet, Still He Teased And Licked Her Insides Until Her Legs Gave Out And She Fell, And Ash Caught Her For The Most Part. She Lay On The Ground, Panting And Gasping As Her Body's Spasms Slowly Subsided. Part Of Ash Wanted To Stay Here And Lick Her Thighs Clean Of Her Fluids, But The Alpha Male Part Of Him Demanded He Save His Friend, And As He Looked Down At Her And Saw The Satisfied Smile On Her, He Took His Sword And Flashed His Armor On To Save Time Before He Left For The General's Tent. "I Request An Audience With The Lords." He Told The Guard Standing Outside The Tent. "I'll Look Into It, Commander Acheron." The Guard Said Before Entering The Tent. But Instead Of The Guard Emerging From The Tent, It Was Lethe, Glaring At Him, "They Can't Be Bothered To Waste They're Time With You." She Spat In Anger Towards Him. "I Need Them To Know That…", "They Can't Be Bothered By You, Especially Now, They're Discussing The Attack Planned For Talmai Castle." She Interrupted Him, And Pushed Him Away From The Tent. "Fine!" He Snarled At Her, "I'll Leave To Take Care Of It On My Own." He Said As He Turned Away From Her And Walked Away, Leaving The Camp Without Saying A Word To Anyone Else. In The Days That Passed, The Battle At Talmai Castle Came To Pass, As Well As Azul And The Broken Wolven Pack Entering The Campsite. "What On Earth Happened To You?" Myst Said As She Caught Sight Of An Injured Azul Arriving With The Broken Pack. "A-Acheron Came To Save Us…" Azul Said Before He Fell Onto His Side And Myst Began Healing Him. Momiji Tried To Get As Much Information Out Of Azul Before The Generals Arrived As Possible, But She Didn't Get Much Out Of Him Besides That He Was Captured And Was Still Alive. Azul Shared The Same Information With The Generals As Well As His Location, Terijo Temple.
When They Arrived At The Temple, They Saw A Priest, With A Silver Stake In Hand, Standing Beside Acheron, Who Had Been Crucified. There Were Small Trails Of Blood That Fell From The Corners Of His Eyes From Under The Blindfold, From His Nose, And The Corners Of His Mouth, As Well As Trails Coming From Where They'd Nailed His Hands, Feet, And Even Wings To The Crucifix. "Look! The False Angel Has Brought His Followers To Take Him Back! Show Them No Quarter!" The Priest Yelled, But The Rescue Squad Sent To Save Acheron Stood Dumbfounded. Acheron Hadn't Ever Showed His Wings To Another, Not Even Myst, So Everyone Would Treat Him Normally, But Here He Was Exposed To Them And Unable To Protect Himself. The Rescue Squad, Which Consisted Of Momiji, Lance, Lethe, Lyre, Mordecai, Ranulf, Ike, Myst, Shinon, Gatrie, Titania, Soren, Saya, Eruruw, Aruruw, Benawi And A Full Garrison Of Troops, Readied Their Weapons And Charged On The Troops In Their Way. And In The Center Of The Fight, The Priest's Voice Rang Out, "Here And Now, Bear Your Witness! As Your False Idol Receives His Punishment!" The Priest Yelled As He Buried The Stake Directly In Acheron's Gut Before Shinon Fired An Arrow That Caught The Priest Directly Through His Hand, And The Next Caught Him Perfectly Between The Eyes. Acheron Cried Out Not Only From The Pain Of The Impalement, But From The Burning Of His Flesh From The Wolf-Demon-Half Of Him Along With The Pain The Silver Caused His Angel Half Of Him As Well. Members Of The Broken Wolf Pack Made Their Way To Acheron And Tackled The Crucifix To Bring Him The Ground, And Their Alpha Female, Aria, Had Begun Trying To Gnaw One Of The Nails Out Of His Left Hand. Once Mordecai Had Pulled The Nail That Pinned His Feet To The Crucifix, Ranulf Dashed Over And Changed To His Demi-Human Form To Pull The Nail Out From Ash's Right Hand. Lethe Looked Behind Her, Still In Her Cat Form, To Where A Few Of Them Had Gathered To Help Ash, And Part Of Her Wanted Her To Help As Well, But Her Pride Prevented Her From Doing So As She Returned To The Battle At Hand. After They'd Freed His Hands, Myst Used The Gentlest Of Touches To Remove The Nails From Acheron's Wings, While Aria Gently Licked The Trails Of Blood From Acheron's Face, And Both Myst And Aria Checked His Vital Signs While The Other Returned To Fighting.
When All Of The Fighting Was Over, Mordecai Bound Over To Acheron And Changed Forms To Carry Acheron, Since He Was Strong Enough To Carry Acheron Without Much Of A Problem. "What On Earth Was He Thinking Going Out On Something Like This On His Own?" Myst Said While She Followed Mordecai And Momiji To His Tent, And Just As Lance Brought Azul From The Medics To His Tent. By Sunset, Myst Knew Acheron Would Pull Through, But The Generals Were Discussing What He Is And What They'd Do About Him. "He's A Monster!" The Apostle Said Loudly. "There's A Reason He Hid His Angel Half From Us." Reyson Responded With, "He Wanted All Of You To Treat Him Like Any Normal Laguz, And He Wanted Only To Hide The Fact That He's The Archdemon." Myst Said, Entering The Tent. One Of The Guards Walked In And Grabbed Myst's Arm, "This Is The War Tent, It Doesn't Matter Who You Are, You Must Be Announced Before You Enter." The Guard Said Before Tugging Myst Towards The Exit. "Stand Down," Elincia Told The Guard, "Myst, What Did You Mean By The Archdemon?" She Asked. "My Master Is The Archdemon, The Offspring Born From A Demon, And An Archangel; He's The Person You've Been Looking For." Myst Said, Then Left The Tent And Returned To Acheron's Tent. When Acheron Awoke, Elincia, Ike, Lethe, And The Apostle Were Waiting There. "Can I Help You?" He Asked, With A Certain Amount Of Irritation In His Voice. "We've Been Looking For The Archdemon For Two Seasons Now, Why Didn't You Tell Us You Were Him?" Elincia Asked, Staring Down At Him. He Was Shirtless And Had Some Bandages Covering His Torso, But Anyone Could See The Near Perfection Of His Features. "Because…" Acheron Said As He Stood From The Medical Bed And Grabbed His Shirt Before Standing At The Exit Of The Tent, "I Never Wanted To Be…" He Said As He Left For His Tent To Begin Preparing For The Next Clash Of Arms. "I Hope You're Not Planning On Fighting In The Next Battle," Momiji Said With Myst Close Behind Her. "Because You've Been Put On Leave Until You're Completely Better, And The Leaders Test Just How Strong You Can Be." Lethe Said As She Joined Them, "I'm Supposed To Make Sure Of That." Acheron Looked Back At Her, Not With Anger, But With A Blank Face. Momiji And Myst Came Up To His Left Side, While Lethe Was A Little Reluctant, But Eventually Joined Acheron's Right Side.
"Okay, If You Won't Let Me Fight…" He Said As He Shrugged His Robe Shirt Over His Shoulders, Then He Offered His Hand Over To Momiji And Myst, But Thought Better Than To Offer It To Lethe. "At The Very Least, Let Me Relax." He Said, Looking Over At The Other Two. Lethe Was A Little Hurt That He Didn't Offer To Have Her Join Them, But So It Was, And He Had Every Right To Be Angry With Her. But Still…"Acheron…" She Said, Looking Over At Him, "Might I Join You As Well?" She Asked, Looking Toward His Face. Ash Looked At Her, With No Anger In His Face, But Rather A Little Understanding, And Let His Angel Wings Become Visible, Then He Wrapped One Around Her, Slowly Pulling Her Towards Him. She Had To Hide Her Smile, And Put On The Facade She Was Only Joining Them Out Of Obligation Only, But Inside She Was A Little Glad She Could Join Them. It Was Undeniable That They Were Having A Pleasant Time With Lethe Resting Her Head On Acheron's Shoulder, While Myst Lay Across His Lap And Momiji Leaned Against His Wing. "Acheron." Lethe Whispered, "Can I Talk To You In Private When We Have The Chance?" She Asked, To Which Acheron Turned To Her And Replied With A Subtle Nod. Lethe Smiled Before She Rested Her Head On His Shoulder Again, And Slowly Fell Asleep. Her Dream Was So Much More Vivid Than Normal, Though, When In Her Dream, She Awoke Amidst A Flower Field, Under A Tree Which Stood Under A Blue Sky Broken By Sparse Clouds. "What In The World…?" She Said, Then Heard A Rustle In The Tree Above Her. "You Said You Wanted To Talk Privately Whenever We Had The Chance, It Doesn't Get More Private Than Your Dreams." He Said, With His Voice Echoing Here In Her Dreams. "Now It's Starting To Feel Like A Nightmare…" She Said Sarcastically, With A Small Smile Forming On Her Face. "Now Now, Don't Say That, Meeting You Here In Your Dreams Was Much Harder Than It Would Sound."
"I Know, Ash. Nothing With You Is Ever Easy." She Jested At Him. "Hey, I Think I Take That Personally." Ash Replied. "No You Don't, And We Both Know It." She Said, Without Missing A Beat. "You're Right, But Regardless, What Did You Want To Talk About?" He Asked, Looking Down At Her From The Branch He Was On, His Tail Hanging Over The Branch. "I-I Wanted To Apologize About The Way I Acted A Few Days Ago…" She Said Skittishly, Her Face Flushing Slightly As She Said So. "Don't Worry About It, I'm Still Alive, Aren't I?" He Said With A Smile On His Face, "I Can Now Show My Wings Without Much Surprise Anymore, Too. That's Not A Bad Thing Either." He Said As He Leaned Over To Look Down At Her, Then She Looked Up At Him With Her Lips Slightly Parted In Amazement. She Didn't Know How He Could Dismiss What'd Happened Back There, Considering How Any Normal Person Would've Died Long Before The Stake, Yet She Didn't Help Him Because Of Her Pride. "I Just Want To Say That With That, A Lot Of Things Were Put Into Perspective For Me. But One Thing Hasn't Changed…" He Said As He Let Himself Fall From The Branch And Land Next To Her. She Watched As He Fell, "I Still Wish For You To Forgive Me With What Happened To Your Sister." He Said, Offering Her His Hand From Where He Stood Beside Her. She Took His Hand, And Stood Up With His Support, And When He Brought Up Her Sister, She Felt Angry Enough To Taste It, Yet When She Hit Him With The Bottoms Of Her Fists On His Chest, She Stopped The Second She Felt His Chest, And Something Inside Her Broke As She Leaned Into Him, Releasing Her Fists And Balling Up Her Hands In His Robe Shirt, Then She Rested Her Head On His Chest, "It's Fine, Acheron…I'll Forgive You." She Said Softly, And She Sighed When His Arms Wrapped Themselves Around Her Hips Loosely, Then She Felt A Wet Trail Fall Down Her Forehead. When She Looked Up, She Was Amazed To See The Tears Falling From Behind Acheron's Blindfold.
"Acheron?" She Asked, Worried For Him. "I'm Fine…" He Whispered To Her, But She Didn't Believe Him For A Minute. It Felt Awkward For Her While He Held Her, At Least Until She Brought Her Head Up To Kiss Him, Then She Could've Sword Their World Stopped Spinning For Them As Time Slowed. "This Is Surreal…" She Thought As She Deepened Their Kiss To Some Extent, But She Was Surprised At Herself When Her Tongue Found It's Way Into His Mouth, And When Their Tongues Mingled, She Swore That She Was Flying. But All Of Her Heaven Came Crashing Down When She Awoke To Somebody Shaking Her, "Lethe! What On Earth Are You Doing With Him Like This?" Lyre Hissed At Her. Lethe Growled Back At Her, Then Looked At Ash, Who Awoke With A Slight Gasp. "I Was Ordered To Keep Watch On Him, I Must've Passed Out While On Guard." Lethe Said, Followed By A Feral Hiss Of Her Own. Lethe Caught Acheron's Gaze With Hers As Lyre Left Them In A Pique, "Was It Real…?" She Thought, Then Acheron Nodded At Her, "The Dream Was Real, As Far As Dreams Go." He Whispered Into Her Ear. When Nightfall Came, Lethe Was Headed Into Her Tent, But She Was Grabbed And Confronted By Lyre, "You? Passing Out On Watch? That Pretty Far-Fetched, Don't You Think? He's A Half-Laguz Half-Angel Monster, And Don't You Remember The Reason Canines And Felines Don't Mix?" Lyre Told Lethe, Then Lethe Turned Away, "Of Course I Remember." Lethe Replied To Lyre. The Offspring Of Canines And Felines Were Always Exceptionally Strong, But Never Lived Longer Than Twenty Human Years, And The Same Offspring Were Always The First Used In Combat. "Then Stay Away From Him, For Your Own Safety." Lyre Said To Lethe, Then Lethe Sneered At Her. "Was That A Threat?" Lethe Asked, "No, It Was A Warning." Lyre Replied With An Equal Sneer. Feeling A Little Strange After That Exchange Of Words, Lethe Opted To Go To Acheron's Tent And Sleep On The Side Not Occupied By Myst. That Night Was Dreamless For Her, But When She Awoke, She Was Much Warmer Than When She Fell Asleep. She Looked And Found Herself Lying Across Acheron's Body While Myst Lay Against Her Still On Acheron's Torso. She Pulled Herself Away From Him And Knelt On Both Knees Before Stretching And Yawning, Then Acheron Awoke With A Similar Yawn, Followed By A Stretch And Smile.
"Good Morning…" Acheron Said Before Another Stretch, Then His Ears Twitched, "Or What's Left Of It." He Said, While Myst Remained Asleep. They Left The Tent Together While Myst Remained Asleep, Because Yesterday Was Full Of Worry And Stress For Her. "You Were Talking In Your Sleep Last Night, Are You Really That Worried About You Falling In Love With Me?" He Asked, With His Gaze Focused On Her Expression. Lethe's Worried Expression Was The Last Thing He Expected, And So Was Her Grabbing His Arm With Both Of Hers. "It's Not Fear Of Falling In Love With You…" She Whispered As She Guided Them Behind A Tent, "It's What May Happen To Us If I Fall In Love With You." She Whispered, Looking Up At Him, Her Eyes A Little Watery. Ash Lifted His Hand To Hold Her Chin, "Who Could Possibly Mind It? If It Comes Down To It, And Some Miracle Happens Where You Fall In Love With Me, I'd Take You To My Realm Of Cydonia, Where We Could Be Together." He Said To Her With A Smile On Her Face. She Was Still Worried, But His Comment Comforted Her To Some Extent. "Okay…" She Whispered, Letting Go Of His Arm, But Still Her Eyes Watered, "But Despite This, We Cannot Be Together." She Said As Her Expression Sobered To The Steely Look Of A Laguz Warrior She'd Always Carried Before, And She Walked Away. Acheron Smiled In Spite Of Himself, Her Dream Had Changed Little Between Them, But Now The Wall That Seemed To Hold Them Forever Apart Had Crumbled.