A Kiss Explains Everything
Dark clouds hovered over the mountains unleashing the heavy rain it so promisingly have to the land below. In the holy city of Rabona parents usher their children in the houses. An occasional person may ran across the streets to some important detail they forgot to do. Above the tall walls, soldiers in armor grumble about their bad luck being caught in the rain while it is their shift. On the cathedral, the solemn prayer of priests and nuns continued not bothered by the weather as they continue their daily routine of prayer.
But on the hill between the forests lightning struck the sky lighting the blue-eyes of a shocked woman. Her ears and eyes can't accept what they heard, the rain drenched her giving her body shivers as she stood there staring in the middle of the field clutching her sword. Blood dripped slowly from the handle mixing on the rain to the ground as the fingers holding it grasped the metal so forcefully. In front of her was the kneeling form of Galatea who is bowed crying waiting for her decision.
"Please! This is so cruel! Why her?! Why?! What must I do?!" her thoughts fumbled like they are drunk. Duty demands of her to kill the beautiful woman in front of her who became her friend with the possibilities of becoming something more if handled properly. On the other hand her heart calls that it is cruel, that it is not her fault as who she is, that she will regret it all her life if she behead her now. She had never faced a dilemma like this before in her entire life. She preferred fighting a host of demonic minions than be forced to make a choice like this.
"Please make it fast," whimpered Galatea as she clutched her knees waiting for the inevitable to come.
As Hara raised her sword over her head, she closed her eyes feeling her heart hammer against her ribs so forcefully that she was surprised it did not break. Tears welling in her the sides of her eyelids came about as she brought her sword down in front of her with a yell echoing in the mountains.
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Memories of their discussion flitted in and out Hara's brain as she remembered a couple of hours before. She had not been surprised as Galatea told her about the "Yoma" as people here called them. She was surprised though that these Yoma eat humans to survive, in her world demons merely kill for fun and spite. Sure some of them may try to eat humans, dwarves and orks at times but only for curiosity not for obvious need. The real problem was detecting them when they hide as humans….. she wondered how.
The answer came as she listened more to Galatea's explanation as she described how hectic the island was. Villages are always attacked by camouflaging yoma, hiding in the populace while taking and eating people in random. Even travelling alone is not safe anymore. Then was told about The Organization, a group who made warriors generally known to the public as "Claymores". Hara noticed the slight venom in Galatea's voice as she mentioned the Organization, but decided not to push it.
"She will tell me if she wants to,"
She was informed of these "Claymores" as the ultimate weapons against these yoma having the power to find them even when they are playing hide and seek on the populace. When Hara asked what the "Claymores" really are she felt Galatea stiffen a bit as if not wanting to share the information. Disgust fleet through her face then as Galatea described how the Organization kidnap young girls infusing them with yoma flesh and blood making them half-breed warriors to fight for the Organization and are hated by both the populace and the masters they serve who looked at them as tools being discarded when no longer needed.
"Abomination!" thought Hara silently. She can't fathom why human and monster have to be mixed, it goes against the natural order of things.
The nun's next words brought pure hate at the crusader as she described how the Organization demanded hefty fees from the cities and villages that require the aid of one of their warriors. And for those of the villages that failed to pay was left to the clutches of the yoma invading their territories.
"I wish I could meet the leaders of this so-called Organization and I'll show them how hefty my blade really was, when I wack them in their asses," she thought angrily. As a crusader it is their job to make strong the weak, to protect the innocent and to ensure peace. Hearing people who demanded money for their help are worse than scum in her view. That was when things get bad to worse at Galatea's next words.
"I am one of those warriors Hara," she whispered as she let go of the woman's hands walking outside.
"What do you mean you are one of those warriors," demanded Hara in shock as she ran after the nun outside. She is still in a rage at the Organization and her mind was confused by the nun's words.
"When I was thirteen, the Organization took me," narrated Galatea as she looked at the stormy clouds above her. "I lived a happy life Hara, my village was a small one, we farm the lands feeding the towns around us. I have a father and two elder brothers, my mother died giving birth to me. I was a human then, free from the clutches of the Organization until a yoma invaded our home," she smiled sadly as she recalled memories as the rain began to pour.
"It killed father first, he told us to run but we were trapped in the house. My Elder brother fought it off with a carving knife but the yoma just toyed with him before it killed him too," she brought her hands on her eyes as if she could still see the scene. "My next brother threw me off the window, told me to run but I can't. I watched him get killed…..there is blood everywhere. I could still see it leaking on the windows drenching my face," she laughed hysterically causing the hairs on Hara's arms to stand.
"I was pathetic, I could only watch and do nothing while my family is slaughtered. I was sold then by my own village to the Organization. Those greedy fools trained me to be a warrior a rampaging killing machine," she looked at Hara with a face that bordered near madness. "To be a monster among the land. I killed yoma, again and again, fighting for those who are lost and dear to me. I cared nothing for my life until I learned the terrible truth about the Organization,"
Sudden venom entered her tone as she continued. "I was known as God-Eye Galatea in my time. I was the Organization's Number three highest ranking warrior. I was their pretty little doll!" she clenched her hands over her hair as if she wanted to pull it out.
"I obeyed them like a good little stooge at that time. Hell I even executed other warriors they ordered me to kill because of their unwillingness to be the Organizton's pet. I never looked farther than the orders I was given until Pieta," she looked at the crusader behind her who had her hands clamped over her mouth.
"Pieta is a large town in the North. Multiple Awakened Beings started invading, the Organization sent nearly half of its warriors to a slugfest of massacre up there to buy themselves some time, none survived. That was when I was opened to the truth of those bastards and I escaped blinding myself from the world,"
"Awakened Beings?" Hara finally got the courage to ask the emotional nun.
"Yes….Claymore's who overused their yoki power making them complete yoma, only very powerful," Galatea looked sadly at the other woman who remained silent.
"You don't believe me do you?"
Hara remained silent. The honest answer was "No" she didn't believe any of what she said other than the part of the presence of yoma. She had a good memory of the things she fought back then at the forest. But the wild thingy about Awakened Beings and yoki aura, she still isn't convinced enough.
"You need evidence I see," said Galatea as she faced the crusader pure regret in her composure. "I didn't want you to find out, but you will one day so I wanted you to know sooner rather than later,"
"Hey, I didn't say anything!" protested Hara as she was knocked suddenly by a powerful shockwave sending her flat on her back. When she regained her senses her eyes widened as she saw the muscles of Galatea contract and grow to abnormal shape. She could see the veins stretching on her face, the wild wind making her hair stand. She nearly whimpered in shock as saw the woman's teeth elongate to fangs as she release more and more of her so-called yoki.
The crusader shivered as she felt the aura surrounding Galatea. It was pure monstrous and in Hara's point of view demonic. Grabbing her sword from the porch she readied it just in case. Any other crusader other than her would have rushed to decapitate Galatea already or worse use the "Grand Cross" skills all crusaders have learned in their late training, they usually reserved that particular expertise for demon slaying only. Now she watched as Galatea finished her "show-off"
"Really is that all I thought it is?" Hara grimaced as she thought of the word. When the smoke cleared and the nun returned to her previous slim figure the crusader nearly dropped her sword as a pair of silver eyes met hers.
"Now you see the monster I truly am," said Galatea as she gazed at the blue-ones of the other giving her a faint smile.
"H-how did she…W-What's goin on!?"
"I never wanted any of these. I want to grow old, have a family, be human," she rambled her silver eyes brimming with tears.
"If you wanted to, you can behead me now Hara," she whimpered as she closed the gap with slow steps between her and the still-shocked woman.
"When you arrive I've never felt so happy," she choked another sob. "I never met anyone who made me smile again, but you have done so many times than I ever have in my entire life. I never had a friend before. I know I'm a monster and I have no right to live, but you have taught me how to feel what it meant to be happy again, to be reminded of what it means to be human,"
Stopping a few steps in front of the stunned crusader, she bowed her head as she clasped the woman's feet with her hands.
"Thank you, my friend for everything. Do your duty now as a crusader,"
And as another lightning flashed, the sound of a blade landing on flesh and a piercing woman's cry of anguish are heard on the mountains attracting unwelcome eyes.
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Yuma fell on the forest floor for the twentieth time. Her arms burned, her knees hurt and her legs ache from the non-stop running. It had been four hours since her escape from the beach, she was tired, she had pushed herself farther than she ever did in her entire claymore career. Now laying on the grass, she felt ashamed that she left her comrades to die.
"I should have died with them," she thought guiltily. Tears of shame clouded her eyes as she remembered the fear that gripped her, how that Awakened Being threatened to violate her if it ever caught up with her.
Cold shivers gripped Yuma as she stood up hugging her arms for warmth and reassurance. She was still young and was practically terrified. Taking deep breaths the young Claymore forced herself up and began counting her steps as she stepped her metal boots on the dirt.
"Left, Right, Left, Right,.. keep your fear in check. Breathe in, breathe out….. I'm still alive contain the emotions in that solitary little box,"
By the time she counted to a hundred, she was practically feeling more or less almost back to normal. She is a warrior, stronger than any human, a half-breed weapon made to kill monsters, she isn't going to let her emotions get the better of her. Sure she may be Number forty in the ranks, but that doesn't excuse the fact that she had killed yoma again and again for the good and preservation of humanity.
After an hour of walking the young woman finally reached the town she had bent itself on finding. Small flickering lights came into her view as she saw the different structures of houses on the small village making it a beacon for travelers who traveled in the night. She counted thirty or more buildings haphazardly throw together, it is obviously not one of those "prosperous" places she had visited.
Practicing the cold façade that all Claymore's do when visiting human populated areas, Yuma walked confidently thinking of how she would contact the Organization about that Awakened Being that murdered her entire team. He would pay, really she had to make him pay. Yumama realized how wrong she was then later.
Pedrick was far from happy, the rain continued to pour drenching the poor man despite his best efforts of hiding himself beneath his cloak. It is his turn on guard duty tonight and he was rather pleased with it, thinking of the free food and ale that is being provided for those who are in sentry affairs. The night went on smoothly until this blasted rain came. His food did arrive but it was half wet and Pedrick didn't want to open the wine fearing that rain water would mess up the precious liquid within. So he stood here muttering darkly how unfair everything is when a strong knock on the wooden gates caught his attention.
Yuma had to try suppressing her smile as the guard made an undignified squeak of fright the moment his eyes caught the sight of a Claymore outside the gate at the middle of the night. It's not every day that warriors of the Organization visit villages like this and it certainly isn't normal for them to visit at night. Claymore's usually do their job at daylight in plain view giving the people an astounding performance as they do the Organization's bidding at slaying yoma, but Uma's situation is dire and she had no qualms breaking the old fancy tradition.
"Good evening." She greeted the terrified human who had fallen over his butt. "Who is in charge of this village?"
"That would be Fergot," stuttered the man as he trembled in fear.
"And where would I find this Fergot person?" Uma asked with a dead monotone voice.
"At the largest house on the end of this road,"
"Thank you," Yuma stepped inside without waiting a response from the panicky ground. She gritted her teeth as she heard the guard beside her whisper to himself. "Bloody Silver-Eyed Witch,"
Thirty minutes later after a lot of terrified glances from the humans and scaring half to death the village elder, Yuma finally relaxed as she trudged the road. She had successfully forced the headman to send a letter of report to the Organization. She also knew it would take some time for them to properly respond and send another sizeable force to deal with the Awakened Being that killed her team.
"I better get to an inn, it's no use sleeping outside when I have money for a warm bed and food," thought Yuma to herself. Though basically all warriors prefer to sleep with their back on their swords, Yuma was the opposite, opting a warm bed whenever she could rather than the cold chill of the heavy sword she carry around.
As she expected the moment she entered the door the fat innkeeper who was dozing on his table flinched horribly at the sight of the silver-eyed witch in front of him.
"I want a room for a night. How much?" asked Uma wishing that this be over as soon as possible.
"Y..you..can have one….for free," stammered the sweaty man as he trembled non-stop avoiding the claymore's eyes.
Sighing Yuma relented, normally she would pay but at least she could humor the panicky human. "Fine! Which one?" she snapped sending more shivers to the fat man.
"R-room five you'll recognize it," he gave the key to her with trembling fingers.
"Thank you," Yuma answered as she left letting the man sigh with relief. She shook her head sadly.
The room was satisfactory as far as Yuma was concerned, she was young and she enjoyed the little comforts that life had to offer unlike her other comrades in The Organization who is always so cold and unhappy. Sometimes at times like these she wondered what her life would be if she hadn't been kidnapped by the Organization. Sighing at the thoughts that never seem to stop plaguing her, she donned her clothes letting them fall into the floor, before crashing into the soft bed that awaited her. Arranging her long hair in the bed in a comfortable way, she smiled satisfied as she slept through the night.
Above a mountain the screams of the dying echoed to the heavens. Two red eyes peered to the town below the moonlight glinting on its golden horns. A dead body of a claymore was being clutched in its right arm the silver eyes staring blankly in the darkness. Behind him was the remains of three of the dead woman's comrades partially eaten. The black towering figure sneered as he smelled the innocent prey he had stalked before.
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Galatea winced horribly as she felt the sharp blade bit her shoulder drawing blood, she gritted her teeth expecting it to continue down to cut her in half. What she didn't expect was the slaps that followed sending her head spinning and her ears ringing from the pain.
"THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!" shrieked Hara in her face that she almost covered her ears from the sheer volume of it.
"WHY WOULD YOU WANT ME TO KILL YOU!" she screamed again grabbing Galatea's front robes nearly tearing it as she slammed the nun to the mud…hard.
"Ow…that hurts Hara," groaned Galatea as her eyes saw stars from the thud that followed.
She was suddenly surprised to feel the woman's head in her shoulders. She was more surprised to hear the rocking sobs that followed.
"Hara I'm a monster-."
"No!" shouted the woman cutting her off.
"What?"
Hara looked at Galatea, blue-eyes meeting silver only a few centimeters apart that the nun could practically feel the hot breath emanating from the woman's nose on her skin.
"The woman I met on the woods was not a monster, but a human," Hara muttered as she bumped her forehead on Galatea's softly.
"I'm not a monster?" Galatea's thoughts whirred a million times like she had drank too much coffee. She can't believe the words she just had heard.
"She saw me when I released my yoki, why the hell would she think that I'm not a monster? Why isn't she running away?! She must be lying for my expense,"
"Hara please don't lie to me. I know what I am," sobbed Galatea her tears mixing with the rain falling on her face. Another slap hit her in the face leaving an angry welt on her cheek.
"What is that for?!" she asked as she felt the throbbing of her skin.
"That's for you being stupid," answered Hara angrily. "What part of "You are still human" can't you understand,"
"Haven't you seen what I really am?" Galatea protested through her tears, her eyes are now so blurry that she can barely see anything. "Aren't you disgusted? Why aren't you running away? Why didn't you lop my head off? Can't you see I'm not human? Haven't you-…"
Galatea's ranting was suddenly cut off as she felt something soft and warm press on her lips. She suddenly turned beet red putting an overripe tomato to shame as she felt blood rushing on her face in an alarming rate as she realized that the beautiful woman had kissed her. Thankfully it just ended up as a chaste kiss and not progressed to anything more weirder for the emotional nun to handle.
"So any more questions about whether you are human or not?" smirked Hara stretching her body up from the nun as she watched the ex-claymore's reaction who remained lying on the mud with a confused expression on her face.
"I-uh-uh," Galatea's mind was sluggish as her brain failed again and again to interpret just what happened.
"Thought so," smiled the crusader as she kissed her again overloading the white-haired woman's brain sending her into a dead faint.