Finally, it's up. I've had a week from hell so don't be surprised if you find this chapter boreing and suckish. I have a lot going on so it'll be a mirical if I get the next chapter up here by next week. Anyways, enjoy!!
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Teresa was far ahead of the others. She sensed the yoki of other Claymores. She moved faster, eager to get closer to them. Six warriors maybe? No, more than that. They had to be rebels; Claymores normally didn't travel in groups this large. "Teresa!" Noel called out to her, but she didn't listen.
Finally, she could see it now. Upon a steep grassy hill the town of Rabona was visible, a few hours away maybe. She could count the number of warriors clearly now, and she was sure one of them had to be Clare.
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Galatea sensed it before anyone else. This was the first time anyone as seen her go into panic mode. She ran down the halls like a mad man. Bumping into walls and closed doors at random. She could sense Uma nearby and clung to her gasping.
"G-Galatea, w-what's w-wrong?" asked Uma, even more terrified than Galatea was. "That idiot! Telling that warrior about us! Damn it!" Galatea swore threw gritted teeth. "Galatea, tell me what's wrong! Should I get the others?"
"We have to get out of here, now!"
"Just tell me what's wrong!"
"Three Claymores are coming! Not two, three! Clare was tricked!" Uma trembled like a cornered rabbit. "Th-th-three?" she said with wide eyes. "Yes three! They're powerful too! Numbers won't help us at this point."
They ran around the chapel together, searching for the others. They found Cynthia and Helen first. They were standing next to a suit of armor chatting casually. Cynthia gave a cry and ran in the opposite direction at the sight of a very angry Galatea. Helen just stood there with a very confused look on her face. "Idiot!" hissed Galatea and soon got hold of Cynthia. "Where's Miria!" she demanded.
"She left town with Clare." said Helen with a smirk. "Miria said it was time they fought each other. In my opinion right about now they should be-" Helen was cut off when Galatea struck her cheek. "Now isn't the time you air head!" she barked. "Get the others and tell them to meet us where we have dinner. Go, now!" Taken aback, Cynthia and Helen gave each other looks that shared their confusion but then soon stumbled off to obey orders.
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"This spot should be good enough." Miria stopped at a grassy field. They never used just one stop for sparring matches for safety reasons so they often had to take time to scout for one. Clare nodded and pulled back the hood of her cloak then drew her sword. Miria did the same. "Clare."
"Yes Miria?"
"Don't you… sense something strange?" Clare took a moment to search for the presence of a youma or maybe even another warrior. "No, sorry I don't feel anything."
"Alright, probably just nerves then." Miria moved into defensive position. "Whenever you're ready Clare."
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It wasn't long before the word of a raving Galatea got out and the nervous warriors had gathered in the small room they used for meetings and meals. "Still no sign of Clare or Miria?" The warriors shook their heads. "Right, I'm sure you're all strong enough to at least sense something different."
Miata was shaking slightly and looking even more nervous than the others. She clung to Clarice a little tighter and kept looking around the room. If anything little Miata sensed the three warriors the same moment, if not before Galatea did.
"Three of the organizations members are heading toward us as we speak." They all looked taken aback by this. "Three? Could this mean that perhaps Teresa isn't among them?" asked Deneve who looked unusually calm. "I'm not sure." said Galatea. "There's no way I can give an answer to that now, but one does excel the other two to the point where it's immeasurable. I've never felt anything like it before."
Everyone looked troubled. "Well there are only three of em' we could take them on, no problem!" said Helen looking over confident. They all glared at her. "If Galatea is worried about it Helen, it's serious. You saw how she was running around in the halls." said Cynthia.
"Alright, alright, what the hell should we do then." sighed Helen. "Get out butts out of here, what else?" said Deneve. "Umm… I don't think that would be a good idea." said Tabatha.
"Oh that's right we have to get Clare and Miria first. Finally, Tabby's lesbo fantasies actually pay off."
Tabatha flushed and clenched her fists. "No, what I mean is Teresa can't go anywhere without Chelsea for awhile."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, Chelsea must have some other connections with reincarnated warriors."
"Again, SO!"
Tabatha looked annoyed. "Don't you get it? If Chelsea is Teresa's "guardian" then maybe she watching over another Claymore as well."
"Oh I see." said Uma. "Maybe she's forced to take the other one along with them."
"That was quick thinking Tabatha, but we still can't be sure that it's Teresa." said Galatea.
"Perhaps we should send someone out to check?" suggested Deneve.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
"Yeah but that's the only way we'll know for certain."
"Unless…"
They all turned to Tabatha. She blinked a few times, and then suddenly got the idea. "W-what? Just because I know Chelsea's yoki doesn't mean-"
"Come on Tabby, don't you want to save you precious Miria-san." said Helen beaming. Tabatha glared at Helen. "Well what am I suppose to do if it isn't them?"
"Then Tabatha, pulse out your yoki so I can sense your distress signal, then you run for your life."
Tabatha gulped and nodded. Boy, do I have a bad feeling about this.
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Clare gasped and stumbled to the left just missing an attack. She was drenched in sweat and covered in numerous grazes. She tried to blink away a few droplets of blood that was rolling down onto her eyelid. Miria phantomed again and Clare barely had enough time to doge.
They stood across from each other panting like dogs on a hot summer day; Miria was just as tired as Clare was. If there was going to be a victor in this fight they wouldn't find who it is anytime soon. Clare charged at Miria and delivered a swift set of blows, all of which were blocked. Their blades met again and again, both of them were getting frustrated and fatigued, but they wouldn't give up. Not with their pride on the line.
Clare jumped back and used the wind cutter. Flecks of dirt went up with her attack and yet again Miria phantomed out of sight. Clare swerved around and held up her blade in attempt to block and attack from above. The force of the blow knocked her onto her back. Clare struggled to push away Miria's sword.
She succeeded and scrambled to her feet and at the same time dodging another attack. They paused for a few moments to regain their strength, and then flew at each other once again.
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Tabatha drew her cloak around herself tighter. According to Galatea the warriors had put themselves on yoki suppressants by now, but by the time they arrived in town there would still be just a little bit of their youma power left. Just enough to read. She forced her way threw the crowd impatiently. Couldn't they see she was in a hurry? She pushed past waves of bustling people, most of them just as irritated as she was.
She could see the gate by now. Tabatha looked around franticly for a place to hide. She spotted one, crates stacked atop one another next to an empty merchants stand. She casually walked past it, and then when she was sure no one was looking she dashed behind it. She tried to make herself comfortable knowing she would be there awhile. And know I wait.
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"There's one not to far away from the gate, can you tell if it's Clare or not?" asked Teresa. Chelsea struggled to read the aura with the suppressants she was on. She shook her head. "It's not her; it's one of her comrades. Teresa's hopes sagged a little. "You can feel the two fighting outside the gates on the other side of town, right?" asked Chelsea. Teresa nodded. "I think one of those two is Clare, I can't be sure at this point though."
Teresa bit her lip. The thought of Clare fighting gave her the chills. It was hard to imagine the sweet little girl she had watched over become one of the warriors humans feared so much. Noel hadn't said anything in awhile. It was obvious she was a little envious of Teresa. Teresa would get to see the one that had been a dear friend to her within days of being brought to life. Noel might never get that chance.
The large city was becoming clearer to see on the horizon. Excitement gripped Teresa along with a feeling of… dread? Yes, she feared the fact that Clare might not remember her. Clare wouldn't act or look like she did when she was a little girl. She could very well find herself face to face with another version of herself.
It wasn't long before they reached the chaotic streets of the town. Another cloaked figure shuffled over to meet them. "Long time no see Tabatha." said Chelsea. It wasn't visible in the shadow of her hood but she beamed anyway out of habit. "I'm sorry but we had to bring Noel along. Don't worry she isn't going to telling on you guys either." Noel glared at Chelsea but said nothing. "Right, follow me." said Tabatha in a hush voice that was almost a whisper.
Teresa wasn't an expert on reading emotions but she could tell Tabatha was trying to hide her nervousness because of her keen senses. She could smell the sweat on the back of her neck and hear her teeth chatter. Tabatha seemed like a good warrior, obeying the rule to keep their emotions at low profile around people that could be a threat. That never worked against Teresa though. It was easy to pry open the cage people tried to keep around their emotions threw common sense and bringing on fear and pressure.
Tabatha was leading them to the heart of the city now. She pulsed out her yoki aura in a rhythm that seemed to be some kind of code between her and her allies. Teresa felt another Claymore reply deeper into the city.
They arrived at the main chapel. This seemed to surprise all three of them that Tabatha would lead them hear of all places. The guards demanded to see their faces. They pulled back the hoods on their cloaks. The guards seemed to recognize Tabatha but had to study the other three for awhile before letting them pass. "Are you sure it's okay to be in here?" asked Noel who looked very uneasy. "It's alright for Claymore's to be in here, just make sure the humans that know you're a Claymore are on your side."
Chelsea and Noel got a little nervous at that. It didn't faze Teresa at all. "They're just humans. You either have to be desperate for death or be just plain stupid to let one kill you."
"True, but they have strength in numbers." said Tabatha who was now leading them up the spiral stairs. There was a door at the top. Tabatha paused and turned towards them before opening it. "Our captain is outside the city with Clare. They should be back by now but they should turn up any moment, in the mean time just wait in here." Tabatha pushed the door open revealing the room full of Claymores. Teresa and the other two stepped inside. She let her gaze travel around the different faces. It was a strange group indeed. One was blind, one still had her natural hair color and one appeared to still be a child and was clinging to the brown haired one. Each one of them seemed to cower just a little at her gaze. All accept the blind one.
To Teresa's surprise the blind one looked right back at her and smiled. Her senses must be sharp if she can tell I'm looking at her. "Since no one else is going to welcome them I will." said one with hair just past chin length. She had a stray stand of hair over her face and one side of her hair was tucked back behind her ear. She had a fearless smug on her face that annoyed Teresa slightly.
"Welcome to our not so secret hide out. That's Deneve, Cynthia, Galatea, Uma, Clarice, and Miatia." she said. "I'm Helen, the best you'll ever meet." she said pointing to herself looking proud. "Lovely." said Teresa with a blank look on her face. What an idiot. I think I've met someone worse than Noel.
Chelsea cleared her throat and stepped foreword. "I'm Chelsea. That's Teresa and Noel." There was a long awkward silence after that. Teresa crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to the table. She picked the seat next to Clarice and Miatia. Teresa wasn't surprised to see Miatia jump up and point her sword at her. "You leave mama alone." the little warrior hissed. "Miatia, no! She's on our side, so please put your sword away!" Clarice begged. Miatia didn't listen, she got ready to attack but Teresa was quicker. Teresa appeared behind the little warrior and kicked her in the small of her back sending her stumbling across the room.
Teresa glared at the little girl, her silver eyes glowing ominously. "Listen up little Claymore, I have no intention in fighting you or anyone else here. If you insist on fighting me I know you won't be happy with the outcome." she announced. Miatia glared at Teresa. With her sword still drawn she walked back over to Clarice and stood between her and Teresa. Teresa smirked but said nothing and sat back down in her chair.
Chelsea and Noel had chosen seats nearby and were unusually quiet. Minutes passed by and they all sat in silence. None of them were sure about what they wanted to say. Helen was getting bored, and as most of them knew that was a dangerous thing. She tapped her finger on the table, changing the beat every so often. The simple beats changes into melodies as she rapped her finger against the oak table, bobbing her head.
"Will you cut that out!" growled Deneve. "What!? I wasn't bothering anyone."
"Oh yes your mini orchestra performance was oh so entertaining." Deneve said rolling her eyes. Helen snorted but said nothing. Deneve was very tense but she was glad Helen was still usual annoying self. She knew if Helen felt like she could pull another one of her stupid pranks on Teresa and not be worried about getting decapitated.
Helen had begun to do the same thing with the heel of her boot now. Deneve knew if she stopped her she would keep finding ways to break the silence.
Teresa was getting more and more impatient. Soon it got to the point where she wanted to kill everyone in the room. Make them squirm in agony and beg for mercy. She whished Miatia had decided to fight, that would give something to do. Teresa missed killing, it was a Claymores natural instinct. Some enjoyed it more than others. Teresa had never met another Claymore that didn't enjoy killing youma.
"Where's Clare? You said she would be here soon." They all turned toward her looking nervous. Helen folded her arms behind her head and leaned back in her chair. "You really wanna know? Well alright I'll tell you. I must warn you what I'm about to say may be- OWW!! What was that for?" Deneve smacked Helen on the back of her head in the middle of her sentence. "You're so immature." she said shaking her head.
Teresa didn't ask what she was about to say. In fact she knew Helen was going to say something that would be an old inside joke that no one cared about anymore. "I'm serious, why are they taking so long?"
"Clare and Miria are two of our best fighters. A simple friendly sparring match may turn into a bloodbath very quickly." said Galatea with a clouded look on her face. Teresa's eyes widened and stood up. "And you're all doing nothing about this! What if they kill each other?"
"Calm down Teresa. As Galatea said, they are two of their best warriors. I'm sure they could control themselves and not hit any vital areas or chop off any limbs." said Chelsea, looking at Teresa with her good eye. Teresa gritted her teeth. "Are you all out of your minds? Even Claymores can die of blood loss and." At that moment the door swung open with a loud bang.
A Claymore stood in the doorway. She had shoulder length hair that was probably once neatly parted at the scalp but now it was a damp mess. She was covered in small cuts from head to toe, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Her face was twisted in agony and she held up her left leg slightly. It was cut deeply on the side from knee to ankle. She was panting like mad. Her eyes were wide and had a shocked look on them.
This defiantly wasn't Clare but her condition brought hot anger into her veins. Pulsing threw her body slowly engulfing her. If her condition was this bad she hated to think what Clare's was like. "Miria!" cried Tabatha.
"What the hell happened?"
"Miria what did you do with Clare?"
"Are you two out of your freaking minds!"
A chorus of worried and angry shouts came from the rebels. Chelsea and Noel had leapt to their feet and were standing there in confusion. Teresa let her hair cover her face as she struggled to remain sane. "Where the hell is Clare?" she forced threw gritted teeth. They all stopped and turned to her. Miria looked from Teresa to Chelsea to Noel then back to Teresa. "Father Vincent is tending to her. I insisted to come up here when I found out about the arrival of three other Claymores."
Tabatha had slipped Miria's arm over her shoulders and helped her over to a chair. Miria winced in pain as she sat down. The anger had died a little bit but most of it still remained in Teresa. She wasn't going to sit here like a fool any longer. She had to get to Clare, she had waited to long. Teresa ran out the open door and sprinted down the hall. "Teresa!" Noel and Chelsea called out to her in unison but strangely didn't follow her.
Teresa ran blindly. She could feel it, one small yoki aura she could barely feel. It was obvious the Claymore was wounded and seemed to be pushing away the person that was tending to her wounds. It had to be Clare.
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"I said I was fine." growled Clare. She had given in and wasn't struggling to keep the medicine soaked gauze away from her. She let the Father wrap up a deep wound on her sword arm and he had now moved to the smaller cuts on her left arm. He had told her and Miria-san three Claymores had arrived. Miria had ran off (well more like limped) to the meeting room and insisted that Clare stay and have her wounds treated too.
"Honestly how did you two manage to scratch each other up so badly?" asked Father Vincint. Clare shrugged but winced afterwards seeing as it hurt her arms. "We realized neither one of us could win without killing so we gave up." said Clare. The Father had stopped rubbing medicine on all her cuts after awhile. "There. Now lie down and get some rest and I'll go get Miria."
"Good luck with that." said Clare, knowing Miria was twice as stubborn as she was. The Father chuckled and left the room. Clare sighed and closed her eyes and lay down, nuzzling the warm pillow. She knew very well that Teresa was in the chapel. Every inch of her body screamed to get up and look for her.
Clare had to remind herself that Teresa wouldn't go anywhere without her. Just then to door burst open. Clare slowly opened her eyes. There was no way that could have been Miria. Clare struggled to sit up.
As if by magic there she was. The same as she remembered, tall and beautiful with shoulder length wavy hair. Her silver eyes were unlike any other Claymore she has met. They shown with power and beauty. "Tere…sa?"