It was well after midnight when Raki rose from his crouch and slunk stiffly into the clearing. The Yoma was gone. I'm… I'm safe for now. The Yoma… it smelled Clare… I… smell like Clare. Suddenly, Raki let out a heart-wrenching sob. She's still protecting me… even now. Up until now Raki had gone through the motions of surviving. Running away, finding water, bathing and cleaning his wounds, hiding from the yoma, it had all been automatic. Simple, even. But now… It was night, and the day's events came rushing at him. It had begun easy enough, Raki had accompanied Clare on a Yoma hunt, and then it had all gone wrong.
The other warrior whom was supposed to be Clare's ally, had attacked her for no apparent reason, slicing her legs off at the knees. Then she attacked Raki, saying if she killed him before Clare reattached her legs then Clare would lose the "game". Raki had fought the warrior, Ophelia, with the very sword he held now, and was badly injured in the process. Raki endured a lot of pain, but kept quiet because he knew the only possible way for them to get out alive was if Clare focused and reattached her legs. Then the monster showed up. It attacked Ophelia and gave Clare, who reattached her legs in a burst of furious energy, a chance to escape with Raki. It had not lasted however, and Ophelia killed the monster and came back for them.
That was when Clare told Raki to leave. He had protested, of course. Clare was Raki's entire world. The sun rose and set with her, and the happiest time of his life happened when they traveled together. Clare saved his life, took him in when his village threw him out, and gave him purpose. He would gladly give his life to save hers, and would die sooner than leave her side. He had left, however, because she made a promise to survive and find him and he had promised the same in turn. That was not the only reason Raki had left, however, Raki knew he was nothing but a burden to Clare, and would only get in the way if Clare had to fight Ophelia again. That's why… he thought between sobs, I must get stronger, so I won't be a burden to Clare… so I can… help.
Slowly, his tears receded and he leaned against a strong oak and closed his eyes. As he drifted off into a confused sleep, his thought turned lazily to an event he wasn't sure had actually happened. In the midst of his protests, Clare had leaned forward and… she kissed him. Why? He wondered slowly. I'm nothing but a burden… then he fell asleep. Raki would not know the answer to that question for a long time. She took him in, forced him to leave, and then kissed him for all the same reason. She loved him.
Despite his late night, Raki forced himself to rise at dawn. To survive, he needed food. (A fact that his rumbling stomach was all too pleased to point out) He also needed to find a village. There, he could get provisions, and other essentials. If he found a town… but first food. Raki walked briskly and carefully to the river bank. Once he was sure nothing and no one was there, he drank as much as he could, because he could not take any with him. He had nothing but a sword after all. Heading away from the river, Raki faced northwest and started walking. It might have been smarter to follow the river to a town, but Clare had told Raki to go northwest so that's where he went.
As he walked, Raki searched for something to ease his hunger, which had grown to an almost unbearable point. Every couple seconds or so, his stomach rumbled, a constant reminder that he hadn't eaten since… well actually, he couldn't remember when he'd last eaten. Stepping carefully through a particularly dense thicket, a sharp movement caught his eye. Slowly, Raki turned his head and spotted a particularly fat rabbit. Perfect, he thought. Slowly, he brought his sword forward and then in a wild leap, plunged his sword down into the rabbit. At least, that's what he hoped would happen. What actually happened is the rabbit saw him raise his sword and jumped down its hole, so Raki plunged his sword into hard dirt. Glaring at the hole the rabbit disappeared into, Raki was about to turn away when he took notice of what the rabbit had been eating. The thicket Raki had been trying to maneuver around was actually a blackberry bush.
Grinning, Raki plucked a berry out of the tangle of thorns and eagerly ate it. The berries were not quite ripe and there weren't many, but they certainly took the edge off his hunger. Leaving the lower berries for the fat bunny, Raki headed off again. Now that he knew what to look for, Raki came across several more blackberry bushes. Soon the terrible hunger of the morning was gone and Raki could relax and focus on finding a town. For the rest of the day Raki walked, only stopping to drink from the occasional stream and eat from the blackberry bushes.
In the early afternoon Raki found a particularly sturdy oak tree and climbed it. Propping himself up with his elbows on the lowest branch, he struggled to pull himself up while still keeping a grip on his sole possession. Finally, he managed to pull himself up, but by then he had realized that this wasn't going to work. He secured the sword between two branches and pulled himself up the tree much faster. Raki climbed as far and high as he could, until the youngest branches bent under his slight weight. Raki carefully leaned out and examined the landscape. From the direction he had come, loomed the tall and imposing mountains where Clare had left him.
Forcing his gaze elsewhere, Raki focused on the land in front of him. All he could see were trees, everywhere. Except… there. That didn't look like a tree; it looked like… a church steeple. Raki squinted and leaned forward even more. Suddenly there was a large SNAP! And the branch he had been standing on gave way beneath him. He fell for about 3 feet before he hit another branch. The falling boy somehow managed to wrap his arms around the tree and hung on for dear life. After a moment, Raki calmed down enough to let loosen his tight grip on the trunk of the tree. If that branch hadn't been there… Raki gulped as he eyed the long drop down, he would have broken his leg, or even died, from a fall like that. Just from his short fall Raki could tell he was going to gain a fat bruise on his leg where he hit the branch. Taking a shaky breath, Raki peered once more out across the landscape until he found the church steeple. Glancing at the sun, Raki nervously calculated the steeple to be due north of him.
More cautious than before, Raki climbed down the tree until he reached his sword. Picking it up, Raki was surprised to find that its weight was comforting. He hadn't realized before, because he'd been focused on the tree, but the moment he'd set it down, he'd been on edge. Now that he was again holding the sword, he felt calmer, more in control. Lowering himself down from the tree, Raki landed softly in a crouched position. For the rest of the day, Raki walked north, toward the village, and hopefully, people.
It was nearing nightfall and Raki thought he must be close to the village, but eventually he was forced to stop. Soon he wouldn't be able to see enough to build a camp. Unlike the previous night, Raki was able to make a fire and keep himself warm, although he kept it low, not wanting to attract unwanted visitors into his camp. He lay down next to the fire and looked up through the trees at the stars. Although he knew it was cheesy, Raki couldn't help but hope Clare was looking at the stars and thinking of him too. Needless to say, at that very moment Clare was not looking at the stars. She was passed out in Irene's cabin, where she would stay for over a week recovering from her injuries. Raki didn't know this of course, so he was free to dream.
The next day Raki woke at the crack of dawn and gathered his things, or really, picked up his sword. Stretching his stiff muscles, he began north again. Raki hadn't walked for 20 minutes when he found the town. Massaging his sore neck, Raki couldn't help but resent that he had slept on the cold ground when a bustling city had been so close. All the same, Raki was grateful to have found it. As he entered the town Raki suddenly became aware of all the strange looks people were giving him. And no wonder, he was a young boy carrying a large, bare sword, with numerous cuts and wounds all over his body wandering around the city. Now that he'd found the town, Raki suddenly realized he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't have any money, so he couldn't stay at an inn or buy any food or new clothes to replace his ruined ones.
Suddenly unsure, he stuck his sword in the ground and leaned against the flat part of the blade, his back to a stone wall. All at once Raki laughed. A few people around him gave him frightened looks and hurried away, but Raki didn't care. The first time he had met Clare, she had done exactly what just did: rest against the flat side of her blade. Smiling, Raki leaned against the blade and relaxed his tense muscles. He would rest here for a while before moving on to find Clare. He would find her and then they'd be able to travel together again. Raki stayed like this for the rest of the morning, resting against his sword, eyes closed and smiling softly.
Villagers walking by were very startled to see a beaten up boy leaning on a sword, and apparently sleeping while smiling. They thought this was very creepy. By late morning, virtually the entire village had heard about this strange and unsettling boy. By early afternoon the village council was discussing what to do about him. The sun had barely made it to the western portion of the sky when Raki was approached by a small group of men. When they looked at him closely, they were surprised to see that the sleeping boy was not smiling like everyone had said. In fact, he wasn't sleeping at all, and never had been. But the men didn't know that. So they whispered among themselves uncertainly so as not to wake and provoke the boy.
Finally, Raki could no longer take their useless mutterings. Eyes still closed, Raki asked "What do you want?" Startled, several of the men jumped at his voice. Even Raki was surprised, when he had spoken his voice had been soft and guttural, the sound of a voice that has not been used in a while. Indeed, Raki realized he had not spoken out loud since he said his goodbyes to Clare. Standing up, he cleared his throat and yanked his sword out of the ground. None of the men answered. Frowning, Raki repeated his question. After a long silence one of the larger men stepped forward and cleared his throat just as Raki had done moments ago. "Excuse me son, for interrupting your sleep but… ah…" The man lapsed into an awkward silence. Raki was slightly perplexed. The man had woken him up to apologize for waking him up? "Umm." Raki said "that's okay. I wasn't actually sleeping anyway." The burly man cleared his throat again and said "well, alright then. I wouldn't want to disturb ye… but still sorry abou-" Suddenly, another one of the men stepped forward and pushed the big man aside. "You're getting nowhere with this Lax!" The second man hissed at the first. Raki decided immediately that he did not like this man.
Tall and wiry, with a fast smirk and cruel eyes, he reminded Raki of a boy from his village that had tormented the younger children and tortured small animals for kicks. The man stepped forward and greeted Raki with a disgusting smile that reminded him of curdled milk. "Young man," he said (his wide mouth reminded Raki of a snake eating a rat whole) "why are you out here all on your own? Where are your parents?" Raki didn't answer immediately, he was too preoccupied with the image of this man eating a rat whole. Forcing a smile away from his face, Raki focused on the man's question. When he had processed what the man said, Raki spoke matter-of-factly. "My parents are dead." For a moment, Raki thought he saw the man smile, and then it was gone. "What's your name boy?" The way he said "boy" was cruel and undignified, like giving Raki a number instead of a name. Rebellion Rose through Raki, and he narrowed his eyes and said nothing. When the man realized the Raki wasn't going to answer him, his face contorted with rage. "Now you listen here boy, you better answer me quick or I'll- "Aw now, there's no need to get so uptight Kero…" One of the other men drawled "Shut up!" Kero snarled furiously.
Turning once more to Raki, 'Kero' forced a smile on his face. He just made it worst. Now he looked like a pedophile instead of just a regular jerk. "So you won't tell me your name, fine. Whatever. Tell me this one thing then. How did you get so injured?" Looking away, Raki suddenly wished that he had not come to this village with this man. Something about this Kero guy is just not right. Raki decided to stick with his instincts. They'd never failed him before.
"We were attacked." Raki finally conceded. "We? Who attacked you?" It seemed Kero also had that annoying habit of asking more than one question at once. "Clare and I were attacked by a Yoma," He lied. "The man narrowed his eyes "who is 'Clare'? Is she dead as well?" Struggling to remain calm, Raki growled "No, she's alive." Gesturing impatiently, Kero asked in an exasperated tone "Well then where is she?"
Glaring the group of men, Raki clenched his jaw and spoke between his teeth. "Clare and I were separated. I've been waiting for her to find me." Raki struggled to remain calm, Kero's unsettling gaze was making him tense. Acouple of the men glanced at each other. One of them nodded. By far the oldest man in the group stepped forward "Actually, young sir, Kero, this isn't what we came here to discuss. To be frank, young man, you've been giving some of the people here a bit of a fright. So as the village council, we came to investigate." The man paused as if waiting for Raki's reply. When none came, the man opened his mouth to speak again, but Kero suddenly reached forward to grab Raki by his shirt. Raki had seen it coming, but allowed it to happen because he thought that allowing himself to get caught would ease the men's obvious fears that he was a yoma. Kero brought his face really close to Raki "You're a suspicious character, boy and we won't let someone who scares the children stay in the village." He pulled away and Raki was left with the unpleasant knowledge of what the man had eaten for lunch. Raki decided to go with a diplomatic approach. Sticking his sword in the ground, he gestured to the men, palms up. "Look, I'm sorry for scaring your village but I couldn't help it. I've been wandering about the forest for days. I don't have any money, and all I want to do is wait here until Clare comes to get me. That's all."
The men glanced at each other uneasily. Raki knew exactly what they were thinking, that he was a yoma and couldn't be trusted to stay in the village. "I'm sorry for causing you people trouble. I can't prove to you that I am not a yoma," Raki paused and several of the men looked surprised he had come and voiced their fears. "I can't leave just yet, as I have several provisions that I am in desperate need of; but if I were to obtain these things I will leave immediately." Letting this sink in, Raki sat down on the ground non-threateningly. For a moment no one spoke, and then several of the men leaned in together and started whispering. The older man stepped forward again and asked "what do you need to be on your way?" Raki pondered this for a moment and then said "a bag or pack to keep my stuff together, a canteen for water, some clothes, if you can spare them, and a bedroll." "Is that all?" The older man asked. Raki nodded. "I can find anything else I need in the woods."
Through the entire exchange, Kero had been standing behind the village elder, gritting his teeth. Apparently, he could contain himself no longer. Jumping forward, he pointed at Raki and addressed the men angrily: "Are we really going to stand by and let this insolent boy walk all over with us without a fight?!" "Kero, you fool, what the hell are you talking about?" A squat man asked. I'm telling about the fact that this boy is obviously up to no good and up to something." "No!" Raki yelled, "That's not it! I… I just want to find Clare is all… I promise I'm not-" Cutting him off, one of the men came to Raki's rescue. "This boy has done nothing wrong! Look at him! All he wants are some provisions and then he said he'll leave… good god, man, where's your compassion?" Glaring at Raki, Kero hissed "you look at him… he's obviously playing us… we should make him leave." "And then what Kero?" The old man asked, exasperated. "Do we live with ourselves knowing that we may have just sent an innocent boy to his death? No. We are not a poor village; we can afford to give the poor boy some supplies." The others murmured in agreement and Kero fell into a sulky silence.
Allowing himself to relax, Raki stepped forward and thanked the group earnestly. A few men went off to fetch the supplies, and Raki chatted happily with the ones who stayed. Kero had disappeared somewhere, much to everyone's relief. "So tell me," a tall man with a thick mustache said "Who's this Clare person anyway? She must be awful important to ya, if you're going to such lengths to find her again." "She is," Raki agreed. "She's a Claymore!" Ignoring the gasps from the other men, Raki continued his story. My parents were killed by a Yoma, and so was my brother. It would have gotten me too, but Clare saved me and then when my village kicked me out, she let me stay with her as her cook." "Eh? Really?" the man with the mustache scratched his chin. "I didn't know them Claymores had enough human in 'em to feel that sort of compassion." Raki smiled, "Oh, Clare's really gentle. She can take down yoma in two seconds flat, but she's kinder than any human I've ever met. Not all warriors are that way though." Raki said seriously. "In fact, the only reason we got separated in the first place is because another warrior attacked her." "Well isn't that somthin'. I guess there are good types and bad types, just like people." Raki nodded "just like people."
A few minutes later, the other men returned with a leather pack, a large canteen, one set of extra clothes, and fresh bedroll. The men also brought Raki a worn travelers cloak, some bread, and a large belt, "to carry that big sword of yours". Smiling, Raki buckled the belt so it wound under his left armpit, and then over his right shoulder. He slid the sword into its makeshift scabbard and slipped the travelling cloak over his head. Thanking the men again for their incredible generosity, he waved goodbye and walked north-west. Raki was just on the outskirts of town, when he spotted Kero leaning against a stone wall. The man was glaring at him with absolute loathing and his message could not have been clearer. This is not over. Shivering slightly, Raki pulled the hood over his face and kept walking.