Chapter 20
OMG its chapter 20! No way! Dun…dun…dun…
Sorry this one took a little longer to update than most but I'm finally back in the zone to write. This is gunna be a tough chapter to write but hopefully it'll turn out okay.
Random blurb….
Okay, so I just found out not too long ago that 'Anyways' isn't a word X.X Its 'anyway' lol. I always wrote anyway's' in everything I wrote…even this story so now when I go back and see it I'm like 'Oh dear God no!' Because I pretty much wrote it in every chapter XD lmao, thanks to my friend for correcting this mistake for me all the time :P
On that note, supposably isn't a word either XD The real word is supposedly. Hehe, I learned this on Friends but I never really thought about it until they mentioned it not being a word lmao.
Another one…Funner isn't a word either :P Its 'more fun' or nothing at all hehe.
Well, now enjoy!
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Asch's P.o.v.
"Hey! No playing in the garden you damn dog!" Asch's favorite replica shouted at his side as they both watched the now not-so-small lyger as it happily rolled through the blindingly white layer of snow covering the dormant garden.
"Hey I know you can hear me!" she shouted still as she removed herself from his side and headed towards the tumbling mess of white fur, now wagging its tail at her approach.
Asch watched, bemused, as Sin got a hold of one of the lygers now much larger legs and began to drag the beast out of the garden, across the white courtyard.
This feat took much longer than it normally would have if the dog hadn't been growing to such enormous proportions. Sin's physical size didn't help her much either.
Asch approached the duo as she finally let go of Kotone's foot and allowed the great beast to stand up. It did so and wagged its tail playfully, much as a normal dog would.
"Yeah you know you feel guilty deep down…" the replica told it, seemingly trying to convince herself.
"I told you he'd get bigger…" the God-General finally decided to cut in, though even with his reluctance at first, now found himself staring at the lyger in almost a fond way.
Sin turned her head to him and smiled, her orange eyes closing in a happy manner. "Aw, but he's such a good boy! Yes you are!" she continued to chatter, scratching the lyger behind the ears in the rough, playful way that had the wolf-beast lolling its tongue.
"He…wont be able to come inside anymore soon. He's growing too big." Asch decided to remind her slowly, not wanting to make the splitting from her new found companion seem too harsh.
"Thank you…I know." She replied as she stroked the silver chin of her friend.
Asch nodded and turned his eyes upward, searching for any sign in the sky that might tell him it was time to head back into the palace. However he saw nothing but the blank grey sky stretching around their heads, so he swallowed his worry and let his gaze fall back to her. He was always worrying lately, much to his disgust.
The replica's probing gaze was already upon him. He kept his expression perfectly emotionless, hoping that she wouldn't decide to comment on his rising anxiety as each of the days passed.
'It's getting closer…' he thought as her eyes flicked away again. Her hands patted the lyger with a little less motive this time.
When she spoke next, her tone was careful. "Hoping for a storm?"
"No actually, but I'm sure we'll be getting one soon…regardless." He answered pointedly. It was becoming harder and harder not to let this issue come out somehow in his words. And she noticed this too he realized.
Sin stood up from scratching the lyger, her eyes almost shutting themselves. She looked tired now.
The God-General clenched his teeth together in restraint. This needed to stay a secret for as long as possible. Weeks had passed with few questions from her, but her mounting curiosity seemed to be winning over the desire to let him solve his issues alone. Just as his guilty conscience was starting to come to the forefront of his mind, rather than stay way in the back, where he preferred it to be.
He didn't want her to get hurt, but ultimately, he was going to cause her the most pain of all. He knew this. He hated himself for it.
Her tone was pleading as she came towards him. "Asch don't you think it's time to-"
Her words cut themselves off however, as a splash of snow splattered on the back of her head.
Both of their eyebrows came together in confusion. He watched her blink and then reach up gingerly and feel the back of her head with her hand. The next time she raised her eyes to him, they clearly stated 'snowball?'
He lifted an eyebrow. "Hey don't look at me. I didn't do it." He made sure to explain so that she didn't feel the need to pelt him in exchange.
The replica shook her head in confusion, obviously decided to believe him and then turned around, he guessed to look for the lyger.
The lyger was by the frozen fountain, sniffing at some new discovery and apparently oblivious to the whole incident.
Following her gaze to the beast he replied, "They're smart, but they're not that smart."
Sin scowled lightly. "Well it was either him or you because there is no one else here who could have-"
Then for the first time at that moment, they both heard the quiet sound of voices not so far off. Sin immediately turned around and stared at the wall, zeroing in on the third subject that lay beyond.
"Are there people over there?" the replica wondered as she walked over to the grey stone wall that bordered the courtyard. Asch followed closely behind, vaguely interested himself.
"I hope so." He replied with a slightly sarcastic tone. Sin glanced over her shoulder with a sheepish smile. "Oh sorry, I know it wasn't you."
Asch nodded silently, feeling the tension between them begin to die away for now. Any little thing the past few days seemed to get to them. She was feeling the strain of his continued silence.
"Wanna take a look?" Sin suggested to him, her eyes brightening playfully once more.
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
"Give me a boost, then I'll help you up from above."
The God-General nodded his agreement before moving closer to her, his heartbeat instantly becoming calm with the closeness.
Deciding this was as good a time as any, he used the small space between them and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
For a moment she was confused, turning her eyes to his face. He tightened his embrace as gently as he could, hoping to diffuse the ever growing tension between them, just a little.
She breathed out softly and hugged him back, resting her head against his chest.
"Will this…be over soon?" she mumbled quietly, "I…have a bad feeling…"
He was silent for a moment.
'Damn it…'
"Yes…soon it will be all gone."
The replica let out a small, relieved breath as they pulled away from each other. He did his best to keep a guilty expression off his face. His words were not all they were cut out to be.
Sin's finger was pointing over the wall now. He leaned down and grasped his hands together, letting himself become another step for her.
She placed her booted foot into his hands with a nod and adjusted. When she was ready, she nodded again to him.
The God-General lowered his hands just a little for some spring before pushing upward, putting a lot of extra height into her jump.
Too much, he realized a fraction of a second later when he watched her hand fumble on the slick surface of the top of the wall. Her legs went over, as did her body but apparently there wasn't enough for her to grasp and she kept going, not landing on the top like they had planned out.
He heard her yelp as she went over and descended on the other side.
He winced a little as he heard the thump of the landing, followed by an 'ow' that she hissed out, sounding like it was aimed at him.
"Sin?" he called, staring through the wall.
"Ugh…plan half successful I suppose." She replied back. He imagined a scowl on her face.
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Sin's P.o.v.
She picked her disoriented self off the snowy ground and pushed herself up while looking around.
Immediately she located a large group, all guys, staring at her. This was a training yard she realized soon after.
Bewildered, she stared blankly back at them, not knowing what to do next.
They began to approach her curiously and she didn't feel nervous…until she realized that Asch was still on the other side of the wall.
"Uh…uhm…" she fumbled with her words as they continued across the yard, directly towards her.
"What's over there?" The God-General called from somewhere behind.
"Uh…w-well…lots of people…" she replied as they formed a smiling semi-circle around her. Some leaned on their weapons as they smiled cheerfully, some winked and some eyed her judgmentally. Most of them had wet hair. They had been working hard.
"…H-hello…" she said shyly to them. Most of them called back greetings in return and she relaxed. They all seemed very polite and disciplined.
"What brings you to our training field on this fine day?" a young, blond haired man leaning on his weapon soon asked a few seconds later. They all bobbed their heads in wonderment.
Sin mentally quirked an eyebrow. Where was the person in charge here? Who was going to tell them to get back to work?
"Oh well…" she smiled, figuring she'd just tell the truth, "I got hit with a snowball so I figured I'd see who was over here."
Another young man off to the left with shaggy dark hair raised his hand with a sheepish smile. "My bad. That was me. I missed."
The replica smiled at him gently. Then she reached down, scooped up a handful of snow, packed it down, and then threw the revenge-snowball at the guilty man. They all laughed and dodged surprisingly swiftly out of the way. The dark haired man was not so lucky though and he got covered in more snow than he already had on him.
Everyone laughed along with Sin and the man gave a shrug and smile, obviously accepting that he deserved it.
"Why are you outside all alone? It could be dangerous!" one somewhere in the back asked.
'Dangerous?' That was a new one.
Sin shook her head. "I'm not alo-"
There was a quiet wooshing sound that cut her off and she watched as Asch landed lightly in front of her, his new black cloak swirling around him from the impact. The men raised their eyebrow's, impressed.
Sin was about to open her mouth and speak again but something with the crowd stopped her. She watched carefully.
They all straightened themselves, fixing their posture and no longer leaning on their swords. They were all watching the God-General carefully, assessing him, she realized only a moment later. Asch seemed a little stiff too, looking like he suddenly preferred the wall to be between them once again.
"Master Asch? We weren't expecting you. Have you come to train us?"
'What? 'Master?' Sin wondered quietly. Since when was Asch anyone else's master?
"No. I have other things to do and that's not my job." Asch replied icily, making Sin turn her gaze onto him suspiciously.
The man with the blond hair from before stepped forward bravely and Sin was unsure how he could remain rooted to the spot when the God-General fixed his hard green gaze on him.
His tone was deeply respectful. "General Asch…I think I speak for all of us here when I say that we need your assistance…" he looked around then, getting reassuring nods from his comrades. "We need to understand your battle capabilities in order to trust you…whole heartedly. We don't have much time…"
The replica took in every word as the young man spoke and was unbearably confused. Her mouth was open before she could wonder which question she was asking first.
"Wait, what's going on?" she asked quickly but not cutting Asch off because he hadn't even opened his mouth to answer.
"What's all this 'master' and 'battle plans' stuff?"
The replica swept her gaze over the silenced crowd and landed on the blond haired man, who seemed oddly taken aback with her questions. He refused to speak and Sin followed his gaze back to the crimson haired God-General beside her. His glare at the blond was menacing.
'Is he afraid to answer?' she wondered while still trying to sort this bizarre assortment of words out.
"Hey! Why are you all just standing around!?"
The crowd was split apart roughly as a very tall man with purplish blue hair strode through. Sin immediately withdrew herself and slipped behind Asch a little, though this man seemed to tower over even the God-General easily. Asch held his ground though, his eyes raised and guarded.
"You!" the man almost barked, looking like he was ready to lunge at Asch. Sin flinched, feeling so exceptionally confused with it all.
"Couldn't leave the training to me after all, could you, General Asch?" The man sneered, "Thought I wouldn't get them to meet your skill requirements? Oh, I'm sure you would like to replace me again, wouldn't you?"
'Replace him again…?' she wondered, furrowing her eyebrows in Asch's shadow.
"I have no intention of staying here with the likes of you," Asch stated just as harshly, "and I'm sure seeing you is enough to make any one of these guys run their own face into the ground."
The large man's face boiled, his eyes becoming bloodshot as he stared the God-General down. Asch glared back, his green eyes perfectly steady. For some strange reason, it seemed like he new all the strings to pull with this guy.
"You got a lot of nerve, ingrate." The huge man spat down at them.
"You've got a lot of nothing."
The huge man bellowed something she couldn't distinguish as he charged the few feet to Asch's position. Sin gasped, shocked at how quickly this man had become so angry. How come she had never met this person before and yet Asch seemed to know all about him? Why was this stranger so enraged at the sight of him? Why was Asch avoiding all the questions?
The group of younger men flocked, grabbing the boiling man's arms and yanking him back with as much strength as they could muster. He struggled like a maniac, snarling and bellowing insults, but Asch didn't flinch, only watched with narrowed eyes.
"How dare you come here now! You will see! You will fail miserably at the hands of the enemy!" The huge male began to shout with a sneer on his face and Sin felt Asch stiffen noticeably beside her. She listened very carefully, almost having her answer completed. The horrible answer that he had been hiding all along. She knew this was it.
"It's not a game like you treat it, you, running around with that misfit replica and snatching all the credit that should me mine!"
Sin started, not knowing what to say. Was he spending time with her when he should be training these men? For what? What was coming that was so big, so fast but so obscured that she still could not see it?
She peeked out from behind Asch, her eyes wide with curiosity and the huge man seemed to notice her for the first time. How he had managed not to step on her before was a miracle.
"Oh, speak of the devil!" the man raged quickly, "The little replica has decided to tag along for the ride!" he laughed, but no man laughed with him.
"On your way to steal a little of the glory too?" he cooed sarcastically, "Looking for a little more attention?"
Her mouth opened and closed for a second before she finally got the question out.
"A little glory from what?" she asked, extremely nervous. Asch hissed a quiet 'no' beside her but that instantly influenced her, driving her to continue on disobediently. The reason the blond had not answered was because he wasn't supposed to, Asch was making sure of it.
"Oh so you don't know yet?" the man laughed almost evilly, "How very thoughtful of our General here to keep it from you, eh? How very…life-sparing…!"
"Life-sparing…?" she repeated slowly, turning her eyes onto Asch's face, pleading for an understanding.
He stared back in an almost angry way, but it didn't phase her this time. Whatever he had been hiding was about to be revealed and no matter how much he disliked it, she would find out. She deserved to know as an apology for having to wait so long.
"What is he sparing me from?" she asked the large man with the temper. Asch looked away, cold defeat written all over his face.
The man laughed with a sneer.
"Heh……war."
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Asch's P.o.v.
She was banging every door they went though, snapping her wrist purposely so the door crashed loudly into its frame. Often this happened a mere inch or two in front of his face, obscuring her from view each time.
Again the door slammed shut angrily, blocking him from what should have been an easy task of following her. She didn't want to talk though, that was obvious, but he also knew that she wouldn't return to her old room. There was pretty much nothing left in the lonely space.
Taking another deep breath, he pushed the door open and walked through. She was striding away furiously, already at the end of the hall and in no mood to reason with him. He didn't blame her for her actions, he had defiled something that was so important to them both – trust. But still, even though he was angry at himself for choosing not to tell her, he wasn't ashamed of his decision. If only it had lasted. If only that dark haired man hadn't thrown the snowball.
Cursing to himself, he continued to follow her course, picking his pace up a little though he had no idea what he would say once they were face to face. It wasn't that she wasn't strong enough for the war that was to come, it was that he, himself, wasn't able to let her see the horror of it all. The blood, the bodies, the blank stare of duty as each soldier dueled. It was not for her. It was for him.
No, she would have to stay here where it was safest, in the palace, away from war for as long as it took. Sooner or later it would quietly turn into her duty, and she wouldn't realize it if he let her down slowly. She would wait for him, each time he went away and when he returned, his replica would be there – safe and sound – with not one disgusting scratch on her smiling face. How long would it take, he wondered. To wear her down so slowly and so discretely that she would think it had always been this way? For her to wait for him so that he'd always have something to return to?
'A long time.' He stated for himself as he rounded the next corner.
His feet came to a stop as he spotted her sitting against the wall next to his bedroom door, her knees pulled close to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her head was down, eyes away from everything.
He was struck with the tiniest bit of sadness, but still no guilt. He knew it was for her own good, she didn't know it though.
The next thought that struck him though was more than just a fleeting idea, he had already turned it into, more or less, a fact.
He was treating her like a wife.
He didn't move for the brief minute while he thought. Was that even possible? He was already taking all these precautions to stop any form of harm from coming to her. Was he preserving her for…that? For a future together?
Asch lowered his eyes, now suddenly unsure of what step to take next. Some realization hit him, his thoughts crowding in purposely.
"Why did you choose to come to this city, Asch?"
The God-general thought back in the spur of the moment and tried to remember. It just seemed like the best place for him and Sin to…
To what? What had his thoughts actually been at that moment? He tried to avoid the answer for a few seconds but he caved under its presence. To start a life. That had been it.
The emperor chuckled a little and sighed. "Always so formal Asch. Don't you have any plans for her future?"
He had never thought of that question before. It seemed so odd for the emperor to inquire about such a thing. Did he have plans for her future? Was he supposed to by now?
Still she didn't notice him, she seemed lost in her own thoughts as much as he was.
"Sin…" he finally said as he began to walk over to her, his strides quick.
Her head shot up, but her eyes were narrow. She placed her pale hand on the smooth floor beside her, ready to spring up and dart away should he make a mistake in the heat of the moment.
He strode up to her and he was sure she was about to launch to her feet.
"Don't." he warned severely, though he supposed his tone should have been apologetic.
Her tone turned into a sarcastic one. "Hah, issuing orders to people who aren't even in the war, are we?"
He closed in on the door and she flinched, but did not move away.
With his permission, the locked door gave way and swung open. His gaze was locked on hers though and she didn't look like she was ready to stay near him for much longer.
Asch watched as her lips pressed into a thin line, and her tense muscles told him she was a second away from sprinting down the hallway.
He grabbed her upper arm firmly but much more gently than he would have before, making her shout curses just like the first day they had met. He pointedly ignored them though and dragged her though into the bedroom, then he shoved her forward and kicked the door shut with his heel.
"Or I could just do that." He stated thinly, crossing his arms.
She whirled around to face him, her orange eyes furious. "Let me out." She demanded right away.
He turned his head to the right slightly, but kept eye contact. "No."
She drew back on her heels, bewildered.
"What!?" she yelled.
"You're not leaving."
"You aren't keeping me here!"
"Really, then why are you still here?"
Her mouth opened to retort but no words came out. She was struck speechless.
She came forward instead, starting to move around him vigorously but he shifted to block her. Eventually she grabbed him and began to push with all her might. He didn't even budge.
"Damn it Asch! Move!" the replica yelled, her voice breaking.
He gazed down at her as she struggled against him. She was so beautiful.
"I'm not moving… and I'm not sorry…"
Her head snapped up to look at him, now her eyes were wide. He gazed back, wondering how she would react at the truth.
"After all that waiting I did… you're not sorry?" the replica asked quietly while looking down.
Asch didn't say anything, and that confirmed her question.
He watched as her tears welled up and poured over. She wiped them away as best she could but she seemed unable to stop the flow. She slouched and covered her face, her black bangs concealing her despair.
There was nothing left to do but comfort her now, so slowly, he reached around her tiny frame and brought her close.
She instantly rejected the contact, thrashing hard and pounding against his chest even harder, but he didn't let go. This was how much he cared.
"Let go!" she pleaded, raising her glassy crying eyes to him and almost succeeding in making him look away in shame. He held on tighter.
She tried to tear away every grasp he had on her, but he just adjusted his hold each time, continuing to keep her as close as he could while handling her with love. Finally her trembling hands grasped at him, instead of pushing him away.
"Please…" she sobbed once more before falling totally into him and giving up in tortured defeat.
"Don't go…"
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Wow, that's a pretty short chapter compared to the other ones I've written but I didn't know how to continue without rushing the next chapter. I'm sorry.
Lol it took a long time too O.o
Well please read and review!
Ps: Please get me to 70 reviews or I'm so not updating, :P.
Kazink