10.
"That's better, but I still saw that last strike coming a mile off, never become predictable." Siera picked herself off of the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time this afternoon; she had a few unpredictable words for him while she was at it. Kurama struck her again with his whip making her roll on the ground in pain.
"That was just enough to stun you; you also have to be quicker; any real enemy wouldn't simply wait for you to get to your feet."
"If you're trying to make me mad, you're well on your way."
"Then while I have you riled up let us change the pace." He let loose a whirlwind of rose petals that swirled and danced around the pair. Damn not these again! She knew each of these were sharper than razor blades, if she wanted to deflect them she had to use her mind but she knew him, he was going to attack her simultaneously. She had to keep her body and mind in control, and that was hardest to do when she was angry. She steadied her breathing and opened her senses waving and whirling the petals using Tai Chi, Kurama leapt upward o strike her from above and she used his own petals against him, blinding him with the cloud just before punching him in the kidney. He landed nearly falling backward but then darting to the side to strike her with the whip again only for her to dodge by hurling her body toward the ground.
"That was a lot better, you have gotten better control than last time, you nearly deflected them all."
"Yeah, nearly but not all." She did experience a decent cut on her back, but it was nothing compared to last week when she had to be bandaged head to toe.
"Let me look at it," He gently pushed her hair aside to look at her back, his touch sending goose bumps all over. She started getting butterflies which confused her, she had never felt these things before especially with him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah…I guess I'm just…excited."
"You should be, you've improved greatly and in such a short amount of time; I'm proud of you."
"Aw geez K, you're going to make me blush."
"That's high praise coming from you, I hear no one can make you blush."
"Ugh, stupid boys trying to see what the weird girl is all about. They try to flex and act all tough when I know I can beat every one of them to a pulp. It's annoying really, they get intimidated by me and stop talking to me soon as they find out I'm not going to swoon over them."
"Can you blame them; you are like a flame full of so much light and beautiful in the way you dance but dangerous, the moths come over and want to know more, but once they feel the heat they fall away. They do not fly too close in fear of being consumed by the fire but they cannot help but try." There was an intensely awkward silence between them and he laughed nervously.
"Tell me what you were like."
"When?"
"What do you mean when, back then; before you were human? Tell me what you were like."
"You don't need to know about that; it's the past, it has nothing to do with now."
"Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it; I heard what you told Yusuke at that night. What I gather is that you did things you weren't proud of." He finished patching her and she turned to face him. From the glare in his eye he obviously didn't want to stay on the subject.
"I hurt you?!" She noticed the blood coming from his side and nearly panicked.
"It's nothing."
"Still let me look." He lifted his shirt and she assessed his cut, she had also bruised his ribs from striking him. She gently cleaned it and patched him up, all the while refusing to make eye contact with him. She also noticed so many other scars on his body, how many battles has he been in?
"I've seen worse, I think you'll live." She laughed as she smacked him in the shoulder. Silence fell again and she found herself looking at him as he looked downward. What was on his mind, what was he hiding from me?
"I had done some things I'm not proud of, but every day I try to be different from the person I was; I try to be someone I can look in the mirror and be proud of." She was touched by his openness and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulders as he sighed.
"Let's go, we have school in the morning."
"Oh yeah, I have an algebra test tomorrow, and I think I'm going to ace it."
"Oh? That's bold of you, why the change?"
"It isn't that I stopped caring, but maybe it's time I stood out and acted more like myself. I mean why cant I tell them that they are simply on business? It works everywhere else, so why not?"
"And what will happen if it doesn't?"
"Then they will simply forget it."
"Siera! You cannot be wiping memories from the teachers!"
"Just details like my home life, it's nothing really. Don't worry, I just want to be me for once."
"And you should, you have that right." She smiled at him and hugged him again before leaving for home. Zoie watched from afar looking smug.
"Oh what?"
"Nothing, I just…is something different about K?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, something is different, the things he speaks to me…it's odd."
"Really, what did he say?"
"He said…I don't know. It's silly really, he would never like someone like me."
"You've been saying that for years when you thought he was human, now things are different."
"How are they different? You said yourself that it makes no different whether he's a demon or not."
"I did, but I meant about you feeling alone in your life, you were never alone. But now you know about a chapter in his life no one else did, that makes a difference. Look I'm no expert, but you two have been close since you were toddlers, you know each other in and out but at the same time you feel things that seem strange because you are attached to him."
"So you're saying it isn't real."
"You aren't even saying what it is." She stopped and looked toward the sunset, her heart racing.
"I don't dare say it."
"You have love for him; you have for a very long time I knew that all along. The question is do you know that."
"I don't want to talk about this Zoie period."
"Alright fine, don't tell me. I only wiped your nose and licked your wounds and—"
"Zoie please! We are best friends, nothing more, nothing needs to get in the way of that. I can't tell him the truth; it would be disastrous if he didn't feel the same. Then our friendship would be ruined and I cannot have that. So just leave it be please."
"You were the one who raised the subject." She sighed and walked faster. Damn that boy…she has stuffed away these feelings years ago why would they bubble back up now? Was it hormones, or was it something else?
It was raining and she was running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her dress was ripped and her face dirty, she had lots of cuts and bruises on her little body but in this moment she wasn't thinking of that. She was thinking about him, she had to get to him; he was the only one who could understand what happened, and the only one who would know what to do. The apartment building that was once her home had collapsed, luckily not many people were injured; the earthquake had caused an unintentional evacuation that saved their lives. But then, they were not the lives she was thinking about.
Mother had sent Zoie off on some errand and during a confrontation between them her parents were now dead; as she ran the rescue team searched for their bodies but she knew they wouldn't find them. She was soaked to the bone by the time she reached his block, she was in a lot of pain but she ignored it. She had to keep going; she needed someone to help her. She had always been amazed when he knew she was coming, he would always be seen coming out to greet her before she even got to his house, this time was no different except there was concern and dread in his eyes. She leapt into his arms, causing them both to fall into a nearby puddle. It was in that moment when she felt his embrace did she finally cry; hard choking sobs erupted from her like a volcano, he said nothing as they stood but just held her there in his arm.
"They're gone, they had a fight…the building…I called for them and no one answered…" She could hardly breathe let alone speak through her cries.
"I'm all alone…"
"No, you are not alone. You have me, you will always have me." She would never forget those words that came with the comfort of his embrace. It was at that moment she fell in love with him; only a few weeks into seven and orphaned, he swore to be her family and that her tragedy would not take over her life. She held that moment in her heart ever since, but never spoke a word of her feelings to him. If this feeling was one sided then she risks damaging their friendship, nothing would be the same and that would be like losing her family all over again.
"Come back down."
"What?"
"I get it, you don't want things to change between you, you decided that eight years ago, but why bring this up now?" Why was this coming up now? The words he said, his gentle touch or was it the look in his eyes when he did both? Could she be imagining it, or did he feel something too?
"Maybe it's nothing, just a teenage girls foolish dream. It doesn't need to go any further than that; he could never love someone like me. I can be mean, hateful, petty and sometimes…I want to hurt people, like that guy that hurt Yukina."
"Well he was a bastard, there was a literal line of people who wanted to hurt him."
"This was different, there is something scary inside of me, and I don't want him to know about that. If he did he wouldn't want to be friends let alone…"
"Just say it."
"I will not speak words that cannot be true."
"Alright fine, for the millionth time, your secret is still safe with me."
"Thank you Zoie."
"But it is funny, it used to be that a human could never love a demon, but your own parents proved that point to be moot. Even so you find that he himself is a demon as well, yet you still feel there is something that is supposed to scare him away? I don't think it's your genes but your own insecurities." She didn't answer him, she knew her mind was made up on the matter, she would never tell not ever. She would rather have her best friend forever than risk ruining it by attempting something deeper. She was happy with the way things were, and as far as she knew so was he