A beast with bloody fangs, it's frightening yet beautiful.

Chapter 10

Okami headed to the meeting place at the Sunken Grid, so close to her home yet so far. Soma was there talking to some strange male in red clothes. The other male seemed so egocentric to Okami the way he continuously flipped his hair out of the way and the way he talked when he approached.

"Hey, are you the new Rookie we've been hearing so much about?" Okami wondered why Soma wouldn't look at her; did she do something to upset him? "I'm Eric, Eric der Vogelweid. I'd suggest you take your ques from me and learn to battle gloriously for humankind."

Okami tensed, she felt danger approaching. Apparently she wasn't the only one. "Eric above you!" Soma ran toward them as an Ogretail jumped down from the building next to them.

"Huh? Ah!" Eric reacted as the Ogretail landed on him. The Ogretail took a bite out of Eric's arm before Okami punched it hard in the face knocking it off Eric. She then jumped on top of it, unsheathing her knife from her thigh she stabbed it repeatedly in a wild frenzy until she was sure it was dead. Poor Eric looked on in pain along with Soma at her berserker style. By the time she was done, she was covered in its blood panting for air. Her fingers turned white from her grip on her knife. She didn't turn toward Eric and Soma until her breathing calmed down, she had blood splashed all over her.

"I'm sorry, my kills are usually cleaner. But I was desperate; I had to protect my pact."

"Thank you mademoiselle, I must you have a magnificent punch."

Okami smiled at this. "Thanks, I think Lindow said the same thing too."

Eric chuckled at this but soon gasped gripping his arm as he went into shock, the seriousness of the wound finally hitting Okami and Soma as they tried to stop the bleeding. The Medic team had to take him off the field. He may not be able to go into battle for a long time, but at least he was still alive. But that revelation was not enough to stop Okami from feeling guilty for not reacting faster. She knew she said she wouldn't let her emotions get in the way but the sight of that Ogretail caused her to freeze. It was still the same kind as her kin, how could she strike it. It wasn't until she heard Eric's scream that she reacted. The Ogretail may have been the same as her kin, but Eric was a part of her pact. She was disgusted she didn't act sooner.

"Welcome to this God-awful workplace." This startled her back to reality; finally Soma was talking to her. "Sorry to break it to you but this sort of thing happens on a daily basis here."

Soma didn't mean to come off mean; he just wasn't pleased at her becoming a Gods Eater. For the month that he had spent with her she sort of grew on him, perhaps he would go as far as to say he was rather fond of her. He knew that by the end of the month that she would be a Gods Eater, but he dreaded the moment. In the Den she would be safe from the Aragami, she wouldn't fall in battle. Now that she was a Gods Eater she too laid her life on the line every day. She was now trapped like him, a lap dog for that 'bastard' of a Director. He didn't want that for her, she was beautiful wild and free.

But even chained down she still remained free. As he saw her take down that Ogretail he found her lovely and he froze in time. She made him hungry, for what he did not know. She nearly brought him to his knees and he disliked it. This wasn't like him; he was falling to pieces, so he took it out on her.

Taking his buster blade and pointed it at her trying to intimidate her, "What kind of place did you think it was going to be?" But she didn't flinch or move away from her spot. She didn't fear him and most likely never will, this knowledge put a grin on him. But the moment only lasted a second as he withdrew his blade from her to turn around, placing the blade on his shoulder. "Times up, let's go Rookie." Then he said softly. "If you don't want to die, then stay out of my way as much as possible."

She said nothing about this; she just wiped her knife on her already blooded clothes. Placing it back on her thigh sheath then proceeded to put on her mask. "Let's begin."

Okami went after the Cocoon Maiden on the platform, but got tired of dodging the attacks of the Maiden on the higher platform. So she jumped after that one instead while Soma went after the Ogretail. After taking care of that Maiden the battle went more smoothly tile she was helping Soma take care of the last Ogretail. When the battle was over they rested for a while as they waited for the Chopper to arrive.

"Well that was easy." Okami said basking in her victory.

"Hmph, I'll take them out as any times as it takes." Then Okami slowly approached Soma. "What are you doing?"

He backed up a step, but she still approached. Invading his space, she touched the cut on his cheek he got from the fight when the Ogretail got a lucky hit.

"Here," she then proceeded to put a Restore Ball over it, making the wound disappear. To say Soma was shocked would be an understatement, never before as anyone approached him this close after he's been cold to them, not even Lindow and Sakuya.

"Hey… thanks." She nodded her head then proceeded to walk away. "Hey, don't wonder around now."

"I'm bored," she looked at him with a tired expression as she pushed her mask off her face. "I'm just going to savage around a little bit."

She didn't go too far away from the Starting Point, always staying within his sight.

"Ah!" She shouted.

Soma readied himself for an attack and stormed toward her. "What?!"

"These herbs are good for healing!"

"What?"

"I use to use these herbs to heal my wounds in the forest along with my brothers." She then looked at the herb with a sad expression. "I hope Kage remembered how to use them."

"Sorry."

"What?"

"Nothing"

"No, you said something." She insisted with excitement. "Come on, say it again."

"No!"

"Well even if I was hearing things." She embraced him like she would her brothers. "Thanks."

His face heated up, but for the life of him he couldn't push her away only stiffened. He was saved when the beeper on his armlet went off.

"The Chopper's here, let's head back."

"Very well."