The Essences Saga

Chapter 2

The Shadow of a Heart

Moon awoke in the Banning Village Infirmary. She looked around. She saw her sister in the bed next to her. Pearl was still passed out. She looked practically dead. Moon looked around some more and saw Ninjisu sitting in a chair by the window. Moon thought he was staring at Pearl; it was hard to tell with his mask on.

Without moving his head Ninjisu said, "How are you feeling?"

Moon took a second to take her situation in. Then she responded with a moan. She thought she had the strength to speak but all she could muster was a moan. Ninjisu continued to stare in the same direction. He finally turned his head after Moon moaned a few more times.

"You should save your strength. You've already been in this place for a couple of weeks. You two were fighting with everything you have, which is brave but foolish. I did nothing to make myself one of your targets. I was just another job, but once you saw my power first hand, you should've realized I am much more. You should've moved on to your next job. I won't end another innocent child's life. I will stay to make sure you to make it out of this place alive. After that, you two will travel with me instead of going off to get yourselves killed on your next bounty job. I won' tolerate any objections," said Ninjisu as he turned his head back to Pearl.

"So he does care about us. I thought he would've just left us there to die. This guy isn't nearly as evil as they make him to be in the bounty report," though Moon.

She went back to sleep and slept what felt like forever. When she awoke and started to move about, she asked Ninjisu how long they had been in the infirmary now. Ninjisu pointed at the calendar as he continued to stare at Pearl. Pearl still looked as nearly dead as she did when Moon woke up the first time. Moon looked at the calendar. Ninjisu had circled the day the two of them were admitted into the infirmary, and each day afterwards that they were still there was marked off with a single line through the middle of the box.

"Wow! Four weeks! I can't believe you beat us that badly," said Moon as she turned around and grinned.

Ninjisu was no longer staring at Pearl. Instead, he was staring at Moon with incredibly frightening fury. Moon shivered in fear as she realized that she shouldn't have mentioned that fight. She could tell that was an event that Ninjisu wished to forget. Ninjisu turned his stare back to Pearl.

"So... um... how-how's she doin?" asked Moon as she kneeled by her side.

Ninjisu just continued to stare. Ninjisu's lack of conversation skills began to really irritate Moon. She just glared at him and went back to her bed. She sat there for a moment and then started to look around.

"Where's my stuff?" she asked.

Ninjisu just pointed to the nurse's desk. Moon glared at the anti-social Ninjisu as she went and got her stuff from the nurse. She went into the changing room next to the room that they were staying. She told Ninjisu that he better not peak. Ninjisu just ignored her and that annoying grin she always had on her face. Moon got changed and came back up. She gave her outfit a quick pat down and then asked Ninjisu how she looked. Ninjisu ignored her. Moon got very irritated. She reached for he assassin spikes. Ninjisu turned his head to her and glared. Moon shivered with fear and scrambled back to her bed. She stuck her tongue out at Ninjisu, but Ninjisu continued to ignore her and just kept staring at Pearl.

Another four weeks went by and Pearl still hadn't awakened. Moon was very worried and began to lose hope that her sister would ever wake up. Ninjisu just stayed in his same position, never eating, sleeping, or even getting up to use the restroom. Moon was baffled to how he could just sit there and stare at her sister for two months straight without getting hungry, sleepy, bored, or something for goodness sake.

In the middle of the ninth week, Pearl finally awoke. She shot straight up in bed and was covered in sweat. She was breathing very harshly.

"What's the matter?" asked Moon.

"Ninjisu! Ninjisu! He saved me!" yelled Pearl.

The nurse came running in with the doctor right behind her. They were both very frightened.

"What's the matter?" asked the doctor.

"That's what I asked and all-," said Moon as Pearl interrupted her.

"Ninjisu came looking for me in Soul World. He found me as a captive of those monstrous Soul Reavers. He broke right into their stronghold without hesitation. He saved me and helped me get back to my body!" yelled Pearl as she looked at Moon with tears in her eyes.

"You lost your soul!?" yelled Moon puzzled.

"During the fight with Ninjisu, I put my Soul Energy into my Tri-Element Beam. He knocked me out before my soul was completely lost to the After World, but I got caught between this world and the After World. I was trapped in a world known as the Soul World, the world fighters travel to when they meditate. Ninjisu must've meditated and came in after me!" yelled Pearl as she began to cry on Moon's shoulder.

Moon was totally confused. The doctor and nurse left the room, not to give the girls some space, but because they had no idea to what in the world was going on. Pearl let go of her sister and scrambled over to Ninjisu. She shook him around. Ninjisu fell from his chair, but not until his body jerked back and forth at frightening sporadic speed. Moon was so shocked she stopped breathing. Pearl desperately struggled to get Ninjisu onto the bed. She began to cry frantically on his chest.

"Is he..." said Moon as she still wasn't breathing.

"He can't be! I love him!" yelled Pearl.

"You..." said Moon as she was about to lose consciousness.

"Get it together Moon! We have to meditate! We have to save him!" yelled Pearl.

Moon couldn't respond. She was starting to pass out.

"Don't you dare Moon! I need you! Help Me! I love him!" yelled Pearl as she grabbed Moon and gave her a big shake.

Moon snapped out of her disbelief and looked into the eyes of her sister. She nodded. Pearl nodded back. The two of them were about to meditate, but just then Ninjisu sprang up. He was breathing harshly.

"You did it!" yelled Pearl as she hugged him and began crying again.

Ninjisu caught his breath and then pulled Pearl away from him. He looked at her. She looked back with affection filling her eyes quicker than her tears. Ninjisu pulled him back against her chest and hugged her. Then he grabbed a hold of Moon and pulled her in. He held onto them both for hours.