Forlorn Words
A/N: Yes…it has been long. I sincerely apologize; I'm just extremely busy and stressed. (An advice to all still not at a post-secondary institution, enjoy life while you still can! Not kidding, I'm crying over here…) I'm going to keep this short; I'm planning to take a break next weekend and update two chapters! Look forward to it! ;)
And thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and supported me. I love reading them, and it's nice to know you still haven't given up on me. I'll try my best not to take so long to update for the rest of the story (at least not as long as I did just now…)
Disclaimer: I do not own the fantastic game of Tales of the Abyss. :(
Chapter Ten: Confusion
He stared.
I stared back.
"…" The both of us didn't speak for the longest time.
"You really like staring contests, don't you?" That was, until I broke it.
"What are you even talking about? You know what, forget it. Now, answer me, what connection do you have with Van?" He faced me, his hands on the hilt of his sword.
Instead of answering, I turned my head away, disregarding his feeble attempts to look intimidating. "Give it up; I'm not going to answer you since I have nothing to say," I lied.
"That's a lie! Then what were you and Van talking about back at Choral Castle?"
That caught my attention. I didn't think there was anyone watching the whole ordeal. I looked up at Asch, who was waiting for an answer. I bit my lips, not sure how to explain myself.
"Um…" I paused.
"Well?"
"…" Shit, what do I say? Change the subject, change the subject! My inner-self screamed. "I'm hungry! Get me some food," I accidentally blurted out, momentarily questioning my sanity for shouting something so obscure in this situation. No doubt, that further aggravated the red-head God-General.
It didn't take long for him to explode once again. I sighed, leaning my head on my left hand, which was resting on a table in one of Tartarus' meeting rooms, but in this case, Asch's interrogation room.
He slammed his hands on the table supporting my arm. "You will get your food when you answer my questions!"
I winced upon the aftershock of the impact and looked up with a slight pout. "Couldn't you be a little gentler? I'm much more fragile than you think."
I suppressed the smirk that threatened to arose seeing him twitch. He bent down to my level, attempting to—and failing to—calm himself. "If you're fragile than the Fon Master must have been long gone by now," he said.
Well, technically you're not wrong about that… the real Ion anyways… I thought, looking up to see Asch's face near my personal space. I pulled my hand out and pushed his face away. "Get your face out of my bubble! I told you not to get too close, didn't I?"
"Gah!" He smacked it away, scowling. "I'm not going to kiss you again! I'm not that desperate!"
"Said the one who kissed me for like what? Ten whole seconds?" I stood on my tippy toes, trying to match his height, but sadly, to no avail.
"I told you that's—"
"Well, aren't you two awfully close?"
Both Asch and I stopped our feud and turned towards the intruder. Sync frowned from the doorway, hands crossed over his chest. Asch snorted and pushed me back into my seat. I glared but shut up, seeing as Asch didn't seem like he was in the mood.
"I told you not to interrupt, didn't I?" he growled.
"Well, we have a mission, remember? We've supposed to be meeting with Largo to go over the details," Sync shot back, then turned to yours truly. I instantly looked away.
"Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me," I begged very quietly under my breath.
"And you!" Dammit!
I looked up slowly to find the little guy strolling over and grabbed me by the arm, rudely pulling me forward.
"Ah!" I squealed. That little rant!
"What a worthless prisoner," Sync grumbled, pulling me to the door.
Excuse me?! I glared, unconsciously bring my fist up to wrack him on the head, but I guess even Asch has some pity for him as he hastily rushed over and seized my fist. I turned back with a murderous glare, but unfortunately, it didn't faze him.
I saw Sync turned back when I didn't follow after him. I could feel the heavy vibes between the two, each holding one of my arms. I grimaced; why did I have to be stuck in the middle of those two?
"She's my prisoner, I'll take her back!" Asch hissed, pulling me towards him. To both our surprise, Sync let go, and my body knocked into Asch's. Thankfully, he has a good sense of balance, catching me before either of us could fall.
Sync scowled. "Then hurry it up! Because you were so late, the Fon Master got a fever from the rain."
"What?!" I exclaimed, pushing Asch away.
"What a pain. If he dies on us, I'm blaming you!" he continued before turning back to me. "Don't just stand there! Your only worth is to aid the Fon Master. So, go!"
My right eye twitched. Oh, how I would love to knock out a tooth or twenty. However, Sync should be very thankful as Asch grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the room and away from the Ion replica.
"Can I strangle him in his sleep?" I asked when we were far away enough.
"No."
"How about—"
"No. You are not to injure, mutilate or murder anyone on board this vessel."
"H—"
"Physically and mentally," he added.
"…"
I shut up for once, letting him lead the way. We passed by numerous hallways and doors, and I noticed there were still quite a bit of bloodstains painted all over the place from the massacre beforehand. I shuddered. I wonder what they did with all the corpses. I highly doubt they would give anyone a proper burial.
I made a face and shook the thought out of my head. Mentally picturing a dump full of human and monster corpses, yes Milee, you are still downright sane. I rolled my eyes.
Asch finally stopped at a door; I assumed it to be Ion's room. But when he reached for the doorknob, something grumbled. Blushing, I quickly pulled my hand from Asch's grip and covered my stomach, hoping it would hush up. Looking up, my eyes made contact with Asch's, although he held a strange look. I looked away, the heat rose more and more.
"What the hell?" he finally asked.
"I," I turned my flushed face away. "I said I was hungry, didn't I?"
"You were serious?"
"Didn't you think I was?" I humoured him.
"I'm not even going to answer that," he mumbled, opening the door and pushing me in. "I'll tell someone to bring you something. So, be good and shut up."
I stuck my tongue out as he closed the door, not positive that he saw that or not, but either way, it made me feel much better.
"Milee…?"
I whipped my head over to the direction of the weary voice. A pair of greens eyes stared at me, although looking haggard. Ion was tucked in the bed with a few layers of blanket covering his tiny body. His face was sweaty and red as he looked at me, obviously worried.
"Fon Master!" I cried, running over to his side. "Are you okay?" I asked, putting the back of my hand on his forehead. He was burning up.
"I'm fine, but what about you? I was worried when Asch took you away," he said, panting a little.
"Oh, you poor thing," I muttered, smoothing his hair out of his face. "Don't worry about me. I'm tougher than I look," I tried to convince him. At least against Asch, I am. "Right now, you need to worry about your own health."
I wonder… does the Tartarus have any medicines for colds? I paused, thinking and then looked over at Ion. Well, if they did, I would assume they would have already given him some. With a sigh, I got up and searched the drawers. Finding what I was looking for, I pulled out a couple of small towels and grabbed a basin. Walking over to a sink nearby, I filled it with cold water and threw one of the towels in. I took the other and started wiping of some of the sweat from Ion's face.
He opened his mouth, probably to apologize, but I shook my head, taking the wet towel and after squeezing the water out of it, I laid it on his forehead.
"You must be hungry," I said, standing. "I'll be back."
I headed out the door, although I stood there for a few minutes, pondering. Now, just where is the kitchen? I started walking in a random direction and hopefully, to find someone who can assist me around of this maze-like ship.
Clicking and clacking sounded in front of me, and a soldier walked by. Taking this as a chance, I ran up to him and spoke, "Excuse me. Could you please tell me where the kitchen is?"
"Huh?" The Oracle Knight looked over his shoulders, confused. "Aren't you one of the prisoners? What the hell are you doing roaming around freely?!" he barked.
"Looking for the kitchen," I replied bluntly, wondering why I had to find an idiot. "Now, if you could please just give me the general directions, I'll be on me way. Thank you."
"Get back to your room!" he shouted, grabbing my arm.
"But I need to look for the kitchen," I protested.
"Shut up, Shortie!"
Excuse me?! Screw playing nice! That was when I snapped. "Listen here, Bub!" I roughly pulled my arm away and pointed angrily, ignoring the throbbing. "I've been drenched in the rain, carried through a city like a sack of potatoes, half-heartedly interrogated by a hot-headed idiot, and the flipping Fon Master is sick! Not to mention I haven't eaten since yesterday morning! So either you tell me where the kitchen is, or the Fon Master will be left to suffer and starve, and then he'll die, and it'll be your entire fault! In addition, when the God Generals find out, you'll have to deal with Asch the damn Bloody, and you'll find out first-hand why he's called the god fucking damn bloody in the first place!"
Wow, that had to be the most I'd ever shouted in one breathe. Nice.
"Let's see what we have here," I said to myself, rummaging through the cupboards and behind whatever doors I could find.
After the dimwit of a soldier finally escorted me to the kitchen, he fearfully fled the minute it was in sight, not that I minded. I was delighted to find that there were no one inside but at the same time, pissed that no one was cooking me and Ion a meal.
I frowned; these Oracle Knights obviously didn't understand the meaning of restocking. There were hardly any food left on this ship, some looked as if those soldiers just came and grabbed whatever they could get their hands on without a care. The only thing useful they left was a bit of raw chicken breast—not to mention a lot of bones—as well as some pasta, a small piece of white radish, a third of a corn on the cob, some baby carrots, onions, a half-eaten lettuce and some rotting fruits.
"This is disgusting," I muttered, noting my disgust towards the half-eaten pieces of vegetables and the mold that was starting to grow on some of the food items. After scanning some of the stuff left over, I murmured, "I guess we're having chicken soup."
Finding a medium sized pot, I poured water inside and turned on the fire though, not before deciding to make some for myself as well. Briefly pausing, I wondered. Maybe I should make some for the soldiers as well, since they evidently can't take care of themselves… I looked back at the state of the leftover foods before grimacing. Nah, they haven't died from lack of nutrition… yet.
After finishing preparation, I let my soup boil for a bit. I grabbed some lemons from the refrigerator and a cup, and I squeezed the lemon juice out. I went through the cabinets again, searching for some honey. But alas, none could be found.
"Oh… this is bad…" I giggled half-heartedly to myself before placing some warm water in the cup and stirred the two liquids together. Once I was done boiling the pasta, I chopped the chicken breast that I cooked earlier into smaller pieces and place them into two separate bowls. Grabbing a tray, I set two on it plus the cup of sugarless, warm lemonade and poured the soup into the two bowls.
I carefully headed out the door and back to the room where Ion slept. Somehow managing to find the room by myself without getting lost, I opened the door to find him wide awake and sitting up.
"Fon Master! You should be resting!" I scolded, setting the tray on the floor and rushing to his side.
"I'm fine, Milee. I feel much better," he replied, though his voice sounded raw.
I sighed. He could be so stubborn sometimes. Nonetheless, I grabbed my tray and set it on Ion's lap. "If you're fine, then eat some food," I said in a strict tone, and he obeyed. I took the other one and set it on the floor beside me. Looking back I replied, "Oh, by the way. You should drink that as well. It's lemon juice. Citric foods are good for fighting against colds."
"Thank you," he smiled, picking up the cup.
"But before that, you should know," I began but was interrupted by fits of coughing.
"S…sour…"
"…that it might be quite sour…" I finished. "I couldn't find the honey… I'm sorry."
He made a face, one that I'd never seen before, in the game or here in Auldrant. It was kind of a mix between a pout and a frown, like one a child would make from time to time. I giggled quietly as I watched the boy drink it down with disgust.
"Milee," he said after drinking it.
"Yes?"
"Please refrain from making that ever again."
I grinned, "Of course, Fon Master."
Click-clack, click-clack.
The sounds of my footsteps echoed through the hallways. I stopped and looked up, but there was nothing but a long, dark, narrow path down the corridors of the Tartarus. It was quiet, and the windows were pitch black with only the flickering of the hallway lights remains as the lone indication that I wasn't completely swallowed up in the vast sea of darkness.
"Hello?" I called out, but the only thing that answered me back was my echo.
Frowning, I walked up to the nearest door and pulled hard.
It is locked.
After several minutes of tugging, I gave up and continued walking, but alas, I let out a loud cuss after what seemed like hours of pure walking down this seemingly endless hallway. I grabbed a lock of hair on either ends the pulled it. The pain immediately commenced, but I disregarded it and banged my head against the nearest door. Conversely to my surprise, the door clicked opened.
It slowly creaked and another hallway appeared in view. I paused to stare, unsure whether to give into my temptations of entering. My fingers gently slid along the edge of the door frame as my foot inched ever so close to the entrance of this mysterious new hallway. Goosebumps surfaced as my inner persona screamed to get away, but it was all in vain when I yelped.
"Ow!" I hastily jerked my fingers away as it snagged a splinter from the door frame.
In that moment, my back crashed against the other side of the doorway, and I stumbled forward into the passage. My eyes widened, and I quickly turned around, but to my horror, there was no door, just a long, empty corridor, just like before. I stumbled back as I stood too quickly, feeling the sharp impact as I connected with the ground once more. The place was eerie quiet, and the temperature of the room seemed to be getting colder and colder by the second, but all of this was beyond my current consciousness as I tried to grasp my present situation. My head rung and my body ached, and the harder I tried to think, the more the throbbing increased. Holding my breath, I waited.
Seconds passed then turned to minutes, but I still felt I couldn't get a grip on myself. Carefully, I crawled to the closest wall and pulled myself up. Heaving in and out, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
I waited and waited, slowly meditating.
Creak.
My eyes snapped opened at the sound of a noise. Whipping my head, I spotted white, and my eyes met green.
"I…on?" I asked, though more to myself than to the Fon Master.
He didn't reply but ran in the direction away from me.
"Wait!" I cried out, running after him. "I—Fon Master, it's me, Milee! Stop! Please!"
But he did not comply. He ran and ran until he rounded off to a corner. Evidently, I followed but hauled as I spotted a door at the end of the hall, noticing blinding, white lights radiating from the room as the door was partially opened.
Cautiously, I approached. "Fon Master…?" I whispered, gradually pushing the door open. I spotted the figure of Ion's just a few metres in front of me. His back was turned. I repeated once more. "Fon Master?"
He didn't move. Curiously, I advanced forward until I was right behind him. "Fon Master," I said his title, touching his shoulders, but the moment I did, he fell forward into the ground with thick, red liquid spewing from his body. "Ion!"
I knelled down and turned him over, repeatedly shouting his name, but he did not reply. He was dead.
Drip-drip-drip
The hairs on my neck stood at the sound of the dripping. My neck craned against my will to the sound of the dripping. The first thing I spotted was crimson red against white. It took me a few seconds to register the fact that there was someone there, covered in that same thick liquid. I watched as the blood dripped ever so diligently down those pale, slim fingers. Slowly, I traced the fingers back to its owner, and I gasped.
"You!" I exclaimed. She did nothing back stare with dead, hollow eyes. Blood was spattered all over her ashen façade as well as soak into her garment; I watched it drip down her neck, but she did nothing, like a mannequin, she did not move. I glowered and ran up to the girl, shaking her like a madman. "Hey! I'm talking to you! What the hell happened to Ion? Tell me!"
I snapped my head up to yell at her some more when she didn't respond, I abruptly stopped upon spotting a single transparent drop sliding down from her crimson eyes. Without knowing why, my body moved, and I pulled my hands away, taking small steps back. A part of me felt a sense of pity as more tears came caressing down and again, she did not move; as if she couldn't.
"Hey… are you…alright…?" I gently asked, wanting to reach out and hold her. Suddenly, Goosebumps flew all across my back, and I froze.
A strong metallic smell filled my nostrils, and without meaning to, I craned my neck over my shoulders. Caught off guard, I jumped and tripped over my two feet. I crashed to the ground with a jolt. I sharply breathed in and moved backwards as my eyes scanned the sight in front of me.
Blood, decapitated parts, a massacre.
"Wh-what happened…?" I whispered in horror, turning away at the sight but movement from behind caught my attention. I whipped my head just as hands reached out and clutched my neck. "Wha—?!"
She tightened her hands as I struggled to pry them away, but she brutally pushed me down, momentarily knocking my senses from my current consciousness. I desperately attempted to say stop, but all I could muster was a muffled sound. I looked with pleading eyes, but my eyelids became heavier and heavier, and my vision hazed.
Drip.
Wetness touched my cheeks as I noticed tears began to spawn from her eyes once more. She looked back at me.
They were no longer empty.
They look…pained…?
She opened her colour-faded lips and mouthed words I couldn't understand. I shook my head as much as I could while still in her grasps.
I don't understand. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. She mouthed them again and like before, I couldn't make out the words from my blackened vision. What are you trying to say?! I mentally cried.
"S-st…op…" I mumbled. Nonetheless, she continued mouthing words like a broken record player; her grip closing more and more now. "S—"
My eyes closed; however this time I heard a soft whisper.
"Help me…"
"Stop!"
My head shot up as I frantically regarded my surroundings. The first thing I saw was Ion, in a deep slumber in front of me. I pulled my upper-body off the bed and back onto the chair I was presently half-sitting on. Sitting back, I turned towards the windows, where the morning sun was breaking through the horizon.
"A dream… Of course," I muttered to myself, swiping the sweat that has accumulated on my forehead with the hem of my sleeve.
A sat there for a moment, still in somewhat a kind of daze, while visions of that dream, or rather nightmare, reappeared in my mind. It had dawn onto me that it was the first time in ages since that white-haired girl appeared in my dreams. Although, it was different this time for she did not have a consciousness to arouse my anger.
I clutched my chest area, feeling the throb; did I feel sentiment towards her? She tried to kill me, yet her saddened face engraved itself into my consciousness.
"Also…" I whispered aloud. Why did she keep repeating that word? "Help me…huh?"
I touched my fingertips to my cheeks; the warm sensation burning as my face continued to flush, then slowly, traced them to my neck, the same place where she held me. I couldn't understand; the longer I stay in this world, the more this unfamiliar sensation called perplexity enveloped me.
I stood; the chair scraping backwards. I hurriedly looked towards the sleeping Ion. I breathed out, seeing that he was still fast asleep. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Thankfully, unlike in my dream, morning light shown through the glass windows, brightening the corridors that were almost empty with the exception of a few Oracle Knights roaming about, probably on morning duty.
I heaved a breath, feeling my heart slowed, relaxed now that the outcome wouldn't be proportional to that of my nightmare. Without another thought, I let my feet guide me along. The twist and turns, I only been here a few days, but it was as if I'd lived here all my life. The stench of pine mixed with dried blood became a familiar air; no longer smelt upon with disgust. Should I be worried about my sanity?
I shook my head. There was no point in worrying about it now; I'd long forgotten what it was like to be in a normal environment.
My feet finally stopped as I approached the end of a hallway, with only a set of stairs in front of me, leading to the outside. Seeing as I had nowhere else to go, I climbed one step after the other until I reached out and gradually pushed the door opened.
I flinched upon the blinding rays of the morning sun. My hands covered them like blinds, shielding them from the intensity. As I waited for my orbs to adjust, out of my peripherals, a shadow stood from afar. Curiously, I climbed those last few steps, pushing the door completely open.
Freckled strands of red shimmered, and I instantly knew who it was.
I stood and waited for him to notice me, but if he did, he didn't acknowledge my presence. Closing the door behind me, I sat down beside the door, curling my knees up to my chin and waited.
It seemed apparent after a few long minutes that he was either ignoring me or completely obvious to his surrounds, though it was probably the former. Minutes after minutes, boredom stuck, and with a sigh, I pulled out a piece of paper and pencil and let my hand flow.
I wasn't completely sure how much time has passed like this: Asch staring off into space and me doodling, but when I saw my paper being snatched from my hands, my head whipped up to glare at emerald eyes.
"Do you mind?" I inquired, a little annoyed.
"In fact, I do. What the hell is this?" he asked, holding my drawing in front of me.
My eyes shifted back to the page, finally grasping for the first time what I was really drawing. It was Asch at the far end of the deck, drawn from behind, not with sharp pencilling, but with soft grey tones, almost romantic-like. My cheeks tinted, faintly embarrassed, but I didn't want to be discovered.
"Are you blinded? That's obviously you, Dumbass," I snorted. "I was bored, and there was nothing else to draw, and I didn't want to draw your ugly mug, so I drew your back."
"You—"
"And feel free to keep it or else I'll have the resist the urge to play darts with it."
I smirked, and he glared. With a sigh, he shook his head. "You shouldn't be roaming about so freely, in case you forgotten your position here," Asch reminded me, but I rolled my eyes.
"But it's hot!" I half lied. I didn't want to tell him about my unexpected nightmare.
"And it's not hot out here?" he raised an eyebrow. "We're in a desert, in case you've forgotten as well."
"At least there's a breeze from the Tartartus travelling at such a speed…" I mumbled quietly, giving a slight pout. I gathered my dark hair up and pulled it up to fan the back of my neck. "I should really cut this… I don't know how your hair's not bothering you."
Asch rolled his eyes. "How I like my hair is none of your concern. Also there's an oasis up ahead, get a drink and stop complaining, got it? So for now, get back to your room!"
"Yes sir!" I mock saluted. Although it seemed like he gave up trying to tame me and left. Scrambling to pack everything up, I rushed through the door, catching up to him.
He stopped for a second, slightly looking back. "Long hair…"
"Hm?" I looked up, not catching his words.
"It suits you," he mumbled quietly, probably so I couldn't hear him, but I did, and my face instantly reddened. Although, Asch hurried away before I could aggravate him into telling me what he meant.
It was about an hour before we reached the Desert Oasis. Soldiers disembarked from the ship for much needed supplies, and I finally returned to Ion's room to find him wide awake.
"Good morning!" he chirped.
"Oh, you sound a lot better," I noticed, reaching out and putting the back of my hand to his forehead.
"Yes, I'm much better now. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."
I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. I was bored on this ship anyways. Besides, I would feel guilty if I left you alone like that!" I gently pulled Ion's hand. "Anyways, we're stopping for now. Let's go explore!"
"But I don't think they'll—"
"What they don't know won't hurt us," I smiled sweetly. "Moreover, you need some fresh air. Come."
The Fon Master didn't argue, for which I was thankful for. I grabbed a sheet and wrapped it over Ion's head for a disguise and then proceed to the outdoors. As we made our way outside, none of the soldiers seemed to notice us one bit. A part of me was a bit offended, but after retelling myself that it was a good thing, we quickly made our way to the lake.
The first thing I saw was a giant rock in the middle of the lake. Apparently, I didn't hide my confusion very well as Ion spoke.
"That's a fon stone from Yulia's score that fell to Auldrant."
"So… it's just sitting there? No one bothered to move it to a more convenient location maybe?" I spoke without thinking.
"Of course not. The Yulia's fon stones are sacred. It would be a sin to move it from its original place," he replied, looking at me. "Oh, but I guess you don't remember that, do you? I'm sorry."
"Oh no… don't apologize… it's fine," I muttered quickly, the guilt of lying seeming to pull harder and harder each time. "Ion, I—"
"What the hell?!"
I cringed at the voice and turned ever so slowly to its owner. "Hey…" I waved sheepishly to the now furious red-head.
"Why is the Fon Master with you?" Asch demanded, crossing his arms.
"Don't be mad at Milee, I wanted to come out," Ion tried to defend me, but I knew it'd be pointless, and I didn't want Ion to take the fault, so I gently pushed him aside.
"No, I forced him to come with me."
"Well, that much was obvious," he snorted.
I wanted to kick him in the shins but having a witness really sucked.
"You said I could come out, but you never said I couldn't bring Ion with me. After all, he's my responsibility, so I shouldn't be leaving him alone onboard while everyone is out. What if something happens?"
"We'll deal with it when the time comes," the noble hissed, grabbing Ion by the arm and ordering some random Oracle Knight to escort him back to the ship.
"You're such a party pooper."
"A what?"
"Never mind…" I shook my head; he wouldn't understand this term anyways.
"Whatever, just get back to the ship. You've stayed here long enough."
"What? No escorts? What if I get mugged?" I joked, but Asch pushed me towards the ship.
"Oh well, as long as the Fon Master is safe."
"Hey!"
"I'm kidding," he quickly inserted, probably knowing I was going to spaz out at him. "Come on, I'll take you."
After following the grouchy God-General, he reached out and threw something at me, smacking me in the face. I frowned, ready to shout until I noticed the item shining. It was red, silky and long: a ribbon. I looked up to see Asch turned, but I definitely noticed the tint of red on his ears.
"You said it was hot, so tie it back," Asch said without facing me.
I blinked, surprised at his sudden generosity. "Y-You got this…for me?" I felt heat rise to my face, though unsure whether it was from the radiant, hot sun or maybe something else.
"Of course not!" he snapped, turning further away. His sudden outburst surprised me. "It's just something I found on the ground, may as well put it to use."
I looked at him for a few seconds then back to the clean, spotless ribbon in my hand. A grin curled up upon my lips. "You found it on the ground? Maybe someone accidentally dropped it! I should return it to the storekeeper. Possibly he'll remember who brought this—"
"No! Don't!" Asch turned sharply and grabbed my arm as I headed for the direction of the store.
"Hm?" I resisted the urge to laugh at this point. "Something wrong?"
I noticed his cheeks getting redder and redder but somehow managed to ignore it and look at him innocently in the eyes.
"W-We have to leave… yeah… there's no time to return it."
"But they're still loading supplies." I pointed to the soldiers going back and forth, carrying crates after crates.
"No they're not!" he snapped, and then turned to the soldiers. "Hey! We're leaving so hurry it up!" His abrupt outburst caused several soldiers to scramble. A tiny giggle escaped from my lips, but I felt Asch grab my arm and pulled me towards the ship.
A light smile pressed onto my lips as I pulled myself up to my tippy-toes and whispered into his ears. "Thank you."
He turned to me with an unexpected look of shock, but I instantly raced towards the Tartarus before he noticed that I, too, unexpectedly brushed without a moment's notice.
"Come with us!" Sync ordered, slamming the door to Ion's room open. Ion and I both turned to young God-General with an awkward stare as Sync probably gave one back to us in return. We were currently in the middle of a game of go-fish with badly made cards. "What are you two doing?"
"We're playing something called Go-fish, do you want to join?" Ion asked.
"No! We've arrived, so we need you to come with us," he snapped.
"Oh, okay…" As he got up, I followed suit, but Sync seemed to have other plans.
"Not you, just the Fon Master."
"But—"
"You're in no position to argue," he stated before turning to Ion. "Now hurry it up."
I frowned; not liking the situation at all. If I can't get out, I can't regroup with Luke and the others, although, thankfully Ion came to my rescue.
"I won't go without Milee," he declared, giving me a reassuring smile.
Sync paused, possibly glaring behind the mask, but Ion stood firm, not taking his eyes off Sync until he finally gave in.
"Fine, but I won't be responsible for whatever happens to her." He turned around and walked out, leaving a couple of soldiers to escort us.
"Love you, too," I muttered sarcastically under my breath as I followed the Fon Master out the door.
When I stepped out the door of the Tartarus, a large gust of sand slapped me across the face. I coughed, feeling sand go up my nose and mouth. My eyes squinted, rubbing them with my sleeve. I heard footsteps came up from behind, but my attention span was currently focusing on nature's brutal way of saying hello to me. Hands reached out and grabbed me by the wrist, guiding me along to what I think was the insides of the Zao Ruins.
As I entered the ruins, darkness engulfed me. It wasn't like I was scared of the dark or anything but something about this place unsettled me. My free arm wrapped itself around my guide's arms, pulling my body closer until I felt body heat radiating from beside me. Although, it wasn't long before tiny flames lit up the ruins like tiny fireflies. It was then I was able to see everything clearly.
There was at least a dozen Oracle Knight around, half of them holding a lit torch. My troubled mind spawned once more, asking myself why they were here, but of course, a video game is just a complete three-sixty of reality. A part of me now worried what will happen to Luke and the rest. I mean, sure they're strong. However, against Largo, Sync and a dozen well-trained Oracle Knights? If they die, what will happen now? More specially, what will happen to me?
"Hey, you can let go now." The voice beside me sighed.
I faltered slightly, pleading that it wasn't his voice I heard but alas, nothing ever turns out the way I'd like.
I hastily released my hand, jumping back slightly as heat rose to my cheeks once more. "Sorry…" I apologized, lowering my head, thankful it was still slightly dark.
I watched Asch's retreating figure as he walked away from me, returning to the front of the pack. My hand slowly reached over and grabbed the hand which Asch held, still feeling the warmth radiating from it and then proceeded to reach behind my head until I felt the silky, red ribbon. A part of me wanted to pull the ends right now and let the strands cover my blushful face, but with an inner cry of no, I released my hands from it and slapped myself as hard as I could. Echoes sounded.
"Did you just slap yourself?" Ion turned around and eyed me with a strange look, as well as everyone else.
"Um… I thought I felt a bug buzzing around," I laughed slightly, finally feeling the sting. "Sorry…"
I heard a bunch of sighs and grumbles, but no one said anything beyond that, and we proceeded without further delays.
The ruins were basically nothing like in the game; it was much more complicated and more dangerous since the ruins were, in essence, ruined. I constantly have to watch my step as I approached any bridges or narrow paths, not liking how bits and pieces crumble away as we passed. Besides that, there were also the monsters to contend with, but for once, I was glad the Oracle Knights were strong and—more importantly—not against me.
Ion and I stayed in the back while the knights cleared the path of any approaching monsters. At times, one or more of the God-Generals would need to step in, noting that some of their so-called knights were utterly weak and useless. Although, about an hour later, it seemed that a majority of the monsters had heard about us, humans who have decided to venture into their land after presumably many centuries, and decided to team up to rid get rid of us.
"I knew you were bad luck…" I heard Asch grumble from behind.
"Excuse me? How is this my fault?!" I demanded, hands on my hips.
"I wasn't talking to you."
Though, it was completely obvious he was with that tone of voice. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, so now you have an imaginary friend—"
"Move it," he ordered but didn't wait before he pushed me aside and charged at the horde of monsters standing in the distance.
Not long after that, Largo and Sync followed suit. Honestly, if I wasn't impressed by their battle strength before, then I was clearly blind. It took everything I had to keep my jaw from dropping. The flow of their movements, their clean cut precision and the way they seem to be able to sense where their enemies were at all times; Goosebumps dispersed itself throughout my body.
"They can't beat them…" I choked out into barely a whisper; my arms folding into my chest. I saw Ion turn his head in my direction, promptly showing a baffled expression, but I pretended not to notice. After all, I had more pressing matters right now.
The God-Generals were too strong.
Too strong for Luke; too strong for Guy, Tear, Jade or any of them combined; the future seemed glum.
"Shit…" I cursed, "We're screwed…"
"Hey, you could at least make yourself useful and heal me," a certain red-hair hissed in my direction.
I turned my head slowly, giving him a bored look. "Oh? Is the almighty, powerful Asch the Bloody asking for my help?"
He sneered, pulling sharply on the bandages around his torso. "And whose fault is it that I'm covered in my own blood?"
"No one asked you to be the knight in shining armour. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself," I replied, turning away. Although a part of me looked back at the topless God-General as he applies bandages to himself. A tint of guilt crept up. It wasn't like I was being ungrateful; after all, he did save me during the latest attack by monsters. In all honesty, I felt like a bitch for snubbing him, but as we approach the Daathic seals, I seriously needed as many of the soldiers, especially the God-Generals, injured as possible. After that, I was desperately asking for a miracle here, as in, Luke and the party wins, God-Generals lose, and the game is played out exactly as it should.
"Ah! He's still bleeding," Ion interrupted my train of thought. I turned over and spotted red seeping through the bandages.
"Well, he did get stabbed…" I muttered quietly to myself.
"Milee," Ion faced me with a puppy-dog look. "Please help him. At this rate he'll die."
I looked from Ion to Asch and back to the Fon Master once more. "I think you're overreacting," I stated. And I don't see how Asch dying is a bad thing—
A part of my conscience stopping processing that thought, mentally slapping myself as it did so. My cheeks flushed, and my chest unexpectedly got heavy.
What was this feeling? Guilt? No, it was more than that.
My orbs trailed over to the sight of the red patch on his stomach, and the tiny red drop slowly cascading down his skin. The feeling got heavier.
"…Anxiety…?" I asked myself quietly. Am I concerned for Asch's well-being? It was then that I felt a huge slap to the cheeks, with some inner part of my conscience screaming, "Duh!"
"Milee?! Are you alright?" Ion grabbed my wrist as I realized that I did, in fact, slapped myself again. "You've been doing that a lot lately, are you feeling okay?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry; bug… again…" I mumbled the last part sheepishly. I slowly pulled my hand away and advanced towards the injured. "I am not worried about Asch… I'm not," I kept repeating it over and over to myself silently. "If he died… then the whole plot would be messed! Yeah, that's it!"
The three God-Generals looked up upon the sounds of my footsteps echoing. Asch's glare sent me shivers, but I brushed them off with a smile. He hastily turned away and grabbed his clothes.
"What are you doing, Asch?" Largo demanded as Asch began redressing.
"What do you think? We've wasted enough time here, let's get a move on."
"Do you honestly think you could maneuver well in your condition?" Sync commented. "You would be about as useless as that one over there," he said, pointing in my direction.
"Hey! I resent that comment!" I frowned but sweeping it aside to stand next to the red-head. "Asch, let me heal you," I tried to give a sincere smile, but Asch rolled his eyes.
"I don't need your help, you fake. If you wanted to help me, you should have done so at the beginning. Now let's go, it should only be a little bit further." He picked up his sword and brushed everyone aside as he walked towards the seal.
We all stood there for a few seconds, unsure of whether to proceed or not, but as Sync and Largo followed after the man. Therefore, Ion and I were ushered along with the rest of the Oracle Knights.
Promptly ten minutes later, we crossed the bridge that led up to the Daathic Seal. I couldn't help but stare at the seal. To be honest, it looked like a stain glass, one that can easily be shattered if you throw something at it.
I advanced forward wanting to touch it, but Largo reached out and grabbed a hold of my arm.
"You stay here," he ordered as Ion and Asch climbed up the stairs. A part of me wanted to open my mouth to protest but quickly snapped it shut with a single scowl from the large man.
I watched the two proceed up the stairs. Asch started pointing at the Daathic seal, barking some kind of order. I panicked when Ion raised his arms to undo the seal. Whipping my head back to the direction we came from, no signs of the Luke and the others could be seen from afar.
Shit! What was supposed to have happened? Did Ion undo the seal in the game or not? Where was Luke for crying out loud?! I mentally cried, watching the seal slowly come undone. Whatever the case is, I can't let Ion undo the seal! Think, Milee! Distraction: I need a distraction! Scanning the area, I noticed a monster some several dozen meters away.
In the spur of the moment, I picked up a rock beside me, holding the rock between my hands in a prayer position. "I know I've never been a good athlete ever in my life, and I know that I have extremely sad upper body strength, but please," I begged to whatever's up there, ignoring the strange looks I'm getting from Largo, Sync and the rest of the Oracle Knights, "God of long distance throwing, just this once!"
"Hey," Sync began. "Just what are you mumbling abo—"
I quickly launched the rock as hard of I could, directed as close of an angle of forty-five degrees as I could make it in that instant. (1) I watched in a mix of horror and delight as the rock when in a perfect parabola, hitting the monster square in the head.
There was an awkward silence as both Asch and Ion stopped what they were doing and stared at me like I was crazy. Out of the corner of my eyes, the monster slowly turned around and stared in the general direction; it wasn't long after that that the monster bolted over to our current site.
"God I fucking love you!" I screamed in glee but was abruptly pulled out from my inner celebration as Asch violently grabbed my wrist, pulling me in his general direction.
"What the hell was that?! Are you crazy, Woman?!" Asch roared angrily as I laughed.
"Yes, yes I am!" I answered, still laughing. Just when I saw the glint of killer intent from him, I nudged in the direction of a storming monster, who seemed to have brought friends, smiling. "Hey, Aschie, I think I'm the least of your problems right now."
"Shit," he cursed to himself. "Unit 1, hold it off, Unit 2, prepare to back them up. Sync, Largo, take care you this," Asch ordered, before yanking on my wrist once more. "And you, I take my eye off you for a single moment…"
He did not finish his sentence, probably to leave an intimidating afterthought. But of course, that only made me stretch my grin even more. The God-General grunted as he dragged me along before roughly shoving me towards Ion.
"Ah!" I yelped while falling by Ion's feet.
"Milee, are you okay?" I heard the Fon Master's kind voice as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Asch, that was uncalled for."
"She should learn her place."
I glared at his retreating back, secretly hoping the monsters get a nice snack out of him. Although watching the way his clean cuts made its way through the body of the monsters, my hope for Asch's corpse diminished rather quickly. It didn't take long until they finished off the enemies. The rotten stench of already decomposing corpses filled the area, but I turned my head away. Even though I was used to seeing and smelling the gruesomeness, it doesn't change the fact that it was completely disturbing.
"She's nothing but a nuisance, Asch!" I looked over when the shouting began, with Asch and Sync in a heated argument. "We don't need her. She may as well rot alongside these corpses!"
"We are not killing her! She's my prisoner, so I'll decide what to do with her, and I think she still has some use!" Asch retorted, and I couldn't help but feel—strangely enough—slightly flatter.
"Asch, are you blind? Did you not see what she just did?!"
"Well, you should have been watching her more carefully!"
"But she's your responsibility, in case you forgotten what you said a few seconds ago."
"But that doesn't mean—"
"Crimson fury burn! Eruption!"
Before anyone knew what was happening, the ground underneath the Oracle Knights glowed red in a matter of seconds before a lava-like substance started spewing up out of nowhere and burned the Oracles Knights before us. Unfortunately, the three God-Generals were slightly faster than the rest of the Oracles Knights and avoided being hit directly. Most of the common soldiers were dead, unconscious or severely injured, whereas the God-Generals just attain minor damage.
"Whoa…" I gaped. "Show off," I muttered the last part seeing the sadistic grin on Jade's face.
"Ion!" Anise cried, running up to us, but Largo and Sync were much faster, blocking her path to us. "Sync! Largo! Give Ion back!"
"I think not. We still have work for him," Sync commented, getting into a battle stance.
"You may have taken us by surprised but don't underestimate us," Largo announced, walking up to Sync's side. "Prepare."
In a single blur, before I could even blink, the two opposing sides rushed into each other. Luke, Anise and Guy advanced forward, fighting the two head on while everyone stayed in the rear for support. Guy took Sync on alone whereas Anise and Luke tried to hold off Largo, and it's fairly obvious that they were struggling over his large physique. Not only that, but the remaining soldiers who were still able to stand, got up and started attacking the healers, i.e. Tear and Natalia.
As the battle dragged on longer and longer, it seemed that the injuries Largo and Sync had sustained early had no effect on their current performance, as they were overpowering the party. I watched as Luke was knocked back, scraping his arm against the rough sand, drawing blood.
I gasped and rushed forward, getting ready to heal him, but his original grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to Ion's side.
"Oh no, you don't! I'm not letting you interfere." Asch's grip got tighter the more I struggled.
"They're going to get killed, you heartless moron!" I cried, but Asch sneered back.
"Then good riddance."
"You're just upset your replica replaced you!"
"Milee?!" I froze, hearing Ion's surprised and confused voice. I slowly turned to see the shocked face of Ion's. "How do you know about replicas?"
"I…I…" I shook my head, unsure of how to explain myself, but I heard a cry from Anise and turned the other way.
Anise had been knocked off Tokunaga with Largo standing before her, with his scythe raised above her head. In that moment, it was like everything froze. We all turn to the two, tension on both sides. I heard Ion gasped and cry out, but when I saw his arm twitch, signaling his intent to bring it down. I tossed out all reasons and reacted.
I grabbed Asch by the shoulder with my free hand and kneed him exactly where he was injured and refused to let me treat it. His cry rung throughout the area, causing Largo to stop right above Anise's head; in the split second, I twisted Asch's arm behind his back and kicked his legs, causing him to fall over beforehand then proceeding to take my sword before his neck.
There was a large pause as everyone stopped what they were doing. Asch grunted, but when he tried to move, I pressed the sword harder into his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Drop your weapons," I ordered, glaring at Largo, but directing my demand to all of the Oracle Knights. When no one responded, I yelled out once more, "Drop it!"
The minor soldiers looked at one another then to their superior, questioning their decisions, but Sync stepped forward wearing a frown. "And why should we? We could easily kill you all; Asch is but one mere sacrifice if we must."
I snorted, "I'm not dumb. You can act like you don't care on the outside, but I bet you're sweating like crazy on the inside. Don't kid me; I know you can't have Asch die. He's important to your plans," I said, before whispering the last part, "to his plans."
Sure enough, Sync heard me, but so did Asch as he gave me a questioning look. He hesitated and looked at Largo, but when I further pressed on Asch's neck, the two dropped their weapons. "Fine, we'll set you and the Fon Master free in exchange for Asch. Now leave before we change our minds."
"Oh, what's with the change in heart all of a sudden?" Luke sneered. "Come on, we can take them!"
"Don't be an idiot," Tear scolded as Anise ran over and grabbed Ion.
When I was sure Ion was safely to the other side, I released Asch with a violent kick and ran for my life, but in that second, I felt a sharp cut on my left shoulder. Turning, I saw a bloodied knife landed in front of me, and turning, I spotted a frowning Sync.
"This isn't over," he threatened.
Great, Milee; just fabulous. You made enemies with Sync the Cold-hearted Tempest. However, I ignored my inner and ran towards the others, and together we ran for our lives. Everything happened so fast. No one talked; we just ran until we saw the entrance to the ruins before we—or most of us rather—collapsed onto the sand.
After several minutes of deep panting, Ion spoke up. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you all. If I hadn't been so careless..."
"Yeah, no kidding, Ion! That was rough!" Anise cried, then focusing on me. "You too, didn't think you would do something so reckless."
"Sorry…" I muttered, lowering my head.
"We'll talk later," Jade interrupted. "Who knows when they'll arrive."
We all nodded and proceed towards Chesedonia, but a cry from a foreign voice stopped me.
"Oh! You're hurt!" I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the golden hair of Natalia's as she started healing the wound inflicted from Sync's knife. Quickly, it faded to just a faint scar that would probably heal within a few days.
I gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks Natalia!"
She smiled back. "It's no problem at all."
"Hey, hurry up you two, or we've leaving you behind!" I heard Luke's annoying voice from afar.
I had to hold back the need to roll my eyes as Natalia replied for us, and we hurried off to Chesedonia. Though, I couldn't help but feel like someone was eyeing me.
A/N: So how did you like Milee hanging out with the enemies? Please review! And like I said at the beginning, I will update two chapters next weekend, complete promise, or else feel free to flame me and drop this story (okay, maybe not like that but feel free to show your disappointment)
(1) For those of you who haven't taken physics, throwing/launching something at forty-five degrees will ensure the longest distance possible.