**I thought my poem in the last chapter was pretty good, I hope it was to everyone's liking.
Now I'm on chapter 21, so I hope you all enjoy it! :)**
Chapter 21: Linn's trainer
Kahn and I had been sealed off from our imbalanced powers, and I was grateful to Zeniba. I was also right about stabbing pains... They aren't slight. Kahn seemed to have relaxed a little when the sealing was done. He had been acting pretty strange lately...
...Oh well, Kahn was always strange anyway. No need to question it now.
Haku was sitting under a tree, reading a large text book. I sat next to him.
"What are you reading?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Just an old book on river magic, I'm trying to see if I can sharpen my skills..."
I smiled. "That will sharpen your mind, but I think actual practice would sharpen your skills."
He grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, but I can't effectively practice if I don't learn new spells."
"I guess that's true..." I said, thoughtful.
He smiled. "You know, you should probably get back to your training too."
I sighed. "You know I would, but Zeniba fell asleep right in the middle of explaining the importance of concentration..."
He stifled a laugh. "Okay, that is pretty funny, but don't you think you should wake her up?"
I gave an over dramatic sigh. "Fair enough... if you really want to get rid of me so badly... for a wizard book..."
He rolled his eyes. "It's a book on river magic, and it has some very useful spells."
I grabbed the wizard book from him, and held it above my head.
He laughed mischievously. "So we're doing this now?"
I smiled. "Yep, and if you want your wizard book back, you'll have to go through me!"
I evaded his attempts to grab the book, and I was doing pretty well. There was just one detail I forgot about...
...Haku was taller than me.
He went above my reach and reached for the book, and I pulled back, which sent us both falling. We tumbled a little, and rolled down a nearby hill.
Haku safely rolled to the bottom. I, however, shot off the side of the hill.
Haku was who I landed on.
I sat up. "Haku, are you okay!?"
He coughed a little, having had the wind knocked out of him. Then he smiled, and we both started laughing.
"Wow, sorry I landed on you." I said, still smiling.
He smiled warmly. "No, it's fine. Apparently I make a nice pillow."
I laughed again. Just being around Haku made me smile, I felt really happy.
He held a hand to my face. "You're beautiful Chihiro..."
He said it softly, and with such reverence.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, giving me soft kisses...
Trailing my jaw and neck with his lips...
It was as if I melted into him, feeling warmer with every touch.
"You're blushing..." He whispered. "I can feel your heart pounding in your chest..."
He kissed my neck, biting it softly...
I let out a small blissful moan...
...I just wish it could have lasted longer.
No one was around to disturb us, but with where we were living, we couldn't take things farther than this for now.
Almost unwillingly, we parted.
He let out a deep sigh, and I'm pretty sure he felt the same way I did.
He smiled. "I'm going to have to take cold showers daily, if I can hope to accomplish any training."
"Well, then I would suggest you get on that Haku."
I looked up, and we both jumped at the sight of Zeniba looking down at us.
...So much for being undisturbed.
Well, back to training.
I wonder how the others are doing?
...
Linn was wandering, but not too far from Zeniba's cabin. She was afraid that she would run into a tainted vessel again, and this time Kuhn wasn't here to fight them off...
She stopped herself.
Wait, why does he have to protect me?
In fact, why would I trust him with my life? Why would I trust anyone with MY LIFE!? He just wants to use me for his own personal gains!
...But Kuhn...? He would never...
She pushed aside that thought. No, all of them were the same.
All cheaters and liars...
All gamblers and users.
All phonies and fakes!
ALL PORCELAIN!
Linn turned around and slammed her fist hard into a nearby tree. It left cuts on her hands.
"Dammit all to HELL! Damn you! Damn you Junichi!"
Linn sat on the shaded side of the tree, sobbing bitterly. She cursed herself for ever reading that poem. Cursed the poem for ever existing. Cursed the fact that all of it was true... and it wasn't only talking about Junichi. There was more truth to those words then she was willing to have anyone know. It was even more than Linn wanted to know, but deep down, she had always known. She wanted to escape into her charms and tough bravado, but there was no running away from this right now.
...All she could think about, all that was running through her head...
It was Junichi, her older brother. The only man she had ever looked up to, sold her life, and all on her father's orders. That was the day Linn realized, that everything he'd told her was a lie.
All of the promises he had made... worthless.
A man sat next to her, mumbling to himself.
"Hey, what do you want? And why the hell are you talking to yourself?"
He looked at her, and spoke.
"A cage within a cage, my soul, my mind, a cage within a house. The walls close, closing in, my mind, my cage, my maze with metal walls..."
Linn stared at this man, he was obviously a lunatic.
"Look guy, I've had enough poetry for one lifetime, so please don't do that.
He looked up at the sky, and he continued.
"Scrawling, clawing... crows at the mind, they scream the most melodic death notes. Poems rhyme, rhyme in time. Rhyming limes? Hmmmm... lemon lime..."
What in the hell was this guy even talking about? Linn didn't really know, nor did she feel like bantering with a madman.
She spoke aloud to herself. Even if the lunatic was listening, she doubted he could breathe a word of this, even if he tried.
She sighed. "I can't even throw a good punch, for all of the big talk I do. I can't even defend myself, so what good am I? I'm no good to anyone else if can't even manage that, You know what I mean?"
He nodded slowly, then stood.
His stance changed, and he seemed to thrust all of his force into one palm. It blew a hole through the middle of the tree.
She stood. "How did you that!?" She exclaimed.
He looked at her with a knowing smile.
"Words, words, moving trains they train the tracks. A woman, clinging words, training, words moving..."
He breathed in and out.
"You were sorrowful..."
Linn was starting to realize that there was more to this madman than meets the eye. No doubt he was completely insane, but apparently he was listening.
When she thought about it, everything he had been saying was like some kind of response. A response that had been chewed up and thrown into a malfunctioning blender...
But still, at least he was trying.
"You... You've been listening the whole time?"
He nodded. "Ears hearing, bleeding... bleeding heart's... did you know they grow nicest in spring? Springing up, up, up! Stand up! ...Try again, but not on trees."
It was strange, but Linn could somewhat decipher him.
Ears hearing... so he's definitely listening. I don't know if bleeding heart's had anything to do with anything. That must be the whatever the drugs are that he's taking!
...No, hold on. It lead to spring, springing... then that lead to stand! Then he told me to stand up, and try again... but not on trees...?
Oh! I get it!
"Wait, so are you going train me!?"
He nodded. "Trains tracking, tracks moving... moving back, back tracks training words. Words and worth, worth saving? Who knows the reason? A hunch, were it to defend. ...You have the heart of a vanguard, my lady."
So sometimes what he says makes sense, but so far, it was only to tie his riddle speak together. He said he wants to train me, but what did he mean by 'moving back, back tracks training words'?
...moving back words...?
That must be it, he was wanting to go back to something I said...
Words and worth, worth saving? ...hmmm... let's come back to that one.
Who knows the reason? A hunch, were it to defend...
Defend! That's it! He's training me so I can protect my friends.
He said I had the heart of a vanguard, then he referred to me as, 'My lady'.
No one's done that since I was a child...
Linn brushed that last part off. This guy was willing to train her, and seeing that hole he blasted through the tree? Well, how could she refuse?