Chapter 2

"Raki?"

"Clare?"

Without a second thought (hell, there wasn't even a first) Clare launched herself at him. He just stood there as she cried in his arms, repeating what sounded like 'I found you…. I finally found you'.

Raki could go months without food or water. Hell, he could even fight the fiercest creatures on earth! But, like most men, when it came to women, he was completely clueless.

Helen was smiling at hi discomfort. When Clare slowly pulled away from Raki, another thing came to her mind.

"HOW COULD YOU BECOME A HALF-YOMA WARRIOR?"

Raki was VARY confused at the moment. One minute Clare is crying, and the next, she's yelling…

"It's not my fault." Raki replied weakly.

"Who did this to you? Was it the Organization?" Demanded Clare.

"No," he replied looking at the ground. "It was Isley."

The women closest to him moved back near Miria in fear.

"Of course! It was Isley!" Clare's thought's continued, but got more insulting as time went by. She was ripped from her thoughts several minutes later when Raki spoke again.

" I will explain it all later. Or at least, all that I remember. But first, can I get something to eat? It's been about a week since I had anything, and I'm getting a little hungry."

At Miria's curt nod, the small group of warriors followed Raki silently through the forest, to the base of a small mountain.

About an hour later the small group was sitting inside a hand-made cave, that would be hard to find unless someone was actively searching for it. (well it wasn't a cave as much as a hidden house carved out of stone, under a mountain.)

Helen finally gave into the silence.

"So why are you here Raki?"

"I'm hiding from the Organization and Priscilla."

"I can understand why your hiding from the Organization, but why Priscilla?" Asked Miria for the first time in awhile.

"Well Miria, I kind of pissed her off, BIG TIME."

As he said that Helen broke out a huge grin.

"So wat'ca do to piss her off so bad, hot shot?" Asked Helen.

Raki raised a brow at Helen's nickname for him, but didn't say any thing.

"Do you want the long version or the short?"

"Long."

"Well, about five years ago, Isley, Priscilla, and I were on our way south. Priscilla had gotten hungry, so we stopped to take a break. After Priscilla left, Isley and I had gotten into an argument. Since Priscilla wasn't there to keep us in line, it quickly turned into a fight. And when Isley get's into fights, it's a fight for your life."

Raki stopped talking and looked up at the ceiling, as if recalling event's, before continuing.

"The reason why Priscilla is pissed and trying to kill me is, when she came back after feeding, she saw the dead body of Isley."

Helen jumped to her feet and started yelling.

'WHAT!?! HOW COULD YOU KILL ISLEY OF THE NORTH!?! HE'S THE STRONGEST ABYSSAL ONE THERE IS!"

"Actually, Isley is the second strongest Abyssal one, though only to Priscilla." Stated Raki. "That's why I got the hell away from there as fast as I could."

Silence reigned through the cave for nearly an hour, while the facts sunk into the women's heads. When Clare spoke, Raki was thankful that her question didn't have to do with Isley's death.

"How did you become a warrior Raki?"

"Once more do you want the long or the short version?"

"Long."

So Raki lunched into another story about how he became a warrior.

"Well… seven years ago when Clare and I parted," he paused to spare a glance at Clare. "I was captured by slavers and shipped to the north. I was in the prison for three or four days after the place was attacked and destroyed."

Raki once again looked up at the ceiling, as if recalling event's, before continuing.

"That's where I meet Priscilla. She had some weird attraction to me, for some reason. She took me to a cabin awhile away from the destroyed village, where I meet Isley. Several day's after I meet the two I found out what they were. When Isley and Priscilla went out to feed, I was left at the cabin alone. That's when Rigard came. He figured I would be better dead. Luckily, Isley and Priscilla got back in time to save me. When they got back and could see blood everywhere, they started looking for me. If Isley hadn't stopped Priscilla, she would have killed Rigard. Isley through him out of the cabin and told him to take the force and invade Pieta."

There were several looks of horror throughout the group. But Raki continued after another pause.

"I was suffering from fatal wounds and blood loss. If Priscilla wouldn't have told Isley to save me I would be dead right now. He immediately started peeling flesh off of his and Priscilla's body to fill in my missing flesh. Then he cut the palm of both hands and covered my remaining wounds with his own blood. It hurt like hell, but my body immediately healed."

There was once more silence in the cave. Until Miria spoke.

"But how have you not awakened? It's common knowledge that male warriors awaken almost immediately."

"And that is what happed. I have already awakened." stated Raki.

There were several looks of horror in the group, and Helen grabbed her sword.

"I guess I need to explain that too?"

Miria nodded.

"Well, after Isley's death, I ran south. That's where I meet Galatea. She somehow managed to suppress the power and turn me back to a warrior."

"You know where Galatea is?" asked Clare.

"Yes. If you want her, I hear that she is hiding in one of the places we went to on our travels."

"Where is she?" Clare asked flatly.

"I'm sorry Clare, I promised her that I would not let anyone know where she is unless I am with them."

"Then your coming with us." Stated Clare with a tone of finality.

Helen broke out an evil grin, while Uma, Tabitha, and Cynthia started blushing. Miria and Deneve didn't really seam to care. Miria spoke up before they could get anymore off track.

"You may have turned back from being an awakened, but don't you run the chance of awakening again?"

"Of course. I have the same chance as you, well maybe a little less." Raki shrugged when he thought about that.

"What do you mean?" Asked Miria. "Don't you feel sexual pleasure by releasing your yoki?"

"No. I did. But not now. Whatever Galatea did to turn me back, it made it painful to release yoki. So I try not to use my yoki. That's why if you judge me by the amount of yoki you sense from me I seem like a weak warrior." Raki replied with one of his infamous shrugs.

Miria was nodding her head in understanding.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm tired. There are about ten empty rooms that you can use down that hallway. Good-night."

With all said and done, Raki walked to the first door on the right, shutting it behind him. The small group of women sat around the fire for an hour, deep in thought, before they dispersed to individual rooms.

To be continued…..

Author's notes: Ok this is a longer chapter than the last. I have the next three chapters written down; I just need to type them up. Please R&R.