Chapter 36
The former warrior and handler stared intently into each other's eyes, flooding the area in between them with such enormous tension, it felt as if the very stone beneath their feet would crumble against it. It had been seven years since Clare had seen Rubel, but this was not a happy reunion in the slightest. If Rubel knew where to find her, then there was no doubt in her mind that the Organization knew as well. Upon this realization, a sudden rush of panic flooded through her mind, causing her body to loose the almost perfect composure she had maintained for the duration of their short conversation.
"A little bit nervous are we?" Rubel said with an ugly smug on his face.
"I was serious when I said that I would kill you."
"Very well, I won't keep you for much longer," He replied as he casually removed his hat from his head and took a step backwards, ignoring the fact that he had a blade directed at his throat.
"How did you know we were here?"
"The Organization knows more than you may believe."
"Enough games Rubel!" Clare ordered out of frustration.
Taking some time to clear his throat, dust off his hat and return it back on his head, Rubel answered with a sly smile on his lips:
"You think Teresa escaped from the Organization?"
"Where are you going with this?" Clare replied with an intrigued, yet disturbed look on her face.
"Everything went according to plan for the organization...well...not everything, but most of it."
"What are you talking about? What plan?"
Releasing a sigh, Rubel continued: "Did you really think that the organization resurrected Teresa to try and win her back? Someone who clearly would never return willingly?"
Noticing that Clare was too bewildered by his words to continue pointing her claymore towards him, Rubel began to gradually make his way closer towards her while keeping his eyes sealed on to her own silvery ones.
"You're...trying to trick me." Clare said rather unconvincingly, lowering her blade further and further as she watched the man approaching her slowly.
"No, you have it all wrong Clare, I am telling you this so I can help you."
"No... I've had enough of this..." Clare said angrily as she coldly turned her back on Rubel and set her sight on a confused looking Priscilla: "Come Priscilla, we're leaving."
"Clare...The organization is sending its forces to dispatch all of you."
Hearing those harsh words from Rubel immediately sent a chill of fear down her spine. There was no say she could ignore something like that, even if it was from someone as sly as Rubel. Slowly but surely, Clare turned around until she once again faced her ex handler, wide eyed with anticipation.
"I'm listening."
"Alicia and Beth are making their way here as we speak."
"Let them come..." Clare said confidently, not looking alarmed in the slightest.
"Of course... Alicia and Beth are ordered to destroy you 'ghosts', but the Organization has other plans for Teresa."
"And what is that exactly?"
"It's quite marvelous actually, they have created creatures that will hunt an individual relentlessly and will not stop until they are destroyed."
"You're talking about Abyssal feeders?"
With a surprised look on his ugly face, Rubel replied: "I'm astounded that you know so much Clare. But you're only half correct. Abyssal feeders were designed to hunt abyssal ones, but these feeders only hunt a certain yoki signature."
"Certain yoki signature?"
Noticing the anxious look on Clare's face, Rubel added: "The warrior they are hunting is Teresa, and even though her blood flows through your veins, you should be relatively unnoticed by them, since they only go after the strongest yoki."
"You think a few of these creatures are enough to kill Teresa? I thought that you would know better than me just how powerful Teresa is."
"I know that Teresa is powerful, and yes I probably know even better than you, but that doesn't change the fact that she doesn't stand a chance."
"Not if I have something to do about it." Clare said defiantly.
"No, I really don't think you will be much help at all..." Rubel said with his sinister sounding voice before turning his attention to the thin brown haired figure standing among them: "But Priscilla is a different story altogether. Even I didn't see this one coming."
"But..." Clare said before pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts: "Why would the Organization bring Teresa back to life, only to hunt her when she escaped? ...unless..."
"I can see that you're starting to get it." Rubel grinned.
"Unless they did so to find me...to find the rest of us..."
"Bravo Clare." Rubel said in a surprisingly cheery voice, even adding a little clap.
"But...why resurrect Teresa, why her? Why not someone else?" asked a bewildered Clare who began to succumb to inescapable fear at the thought of loosing Teresa again.
"Because there was no one else. The organization wanted to get rid of you guys so badly; they were willing to go to drastic measures to make sure it's done. Someone from within the organization had this crazy idea of reviving someone who was closely linked to one of you and they decided to go with it. It turns out that the only corpse in their possession was none other than Teresa of the Faint Smile. They knew that her highness would immediately try to escape and go looking for that little girl she saved all those years ago. As you can see, the plan turned out quite well…minus a few hiccups of course." Rubel said as he fixed his eyes on Priscilla.
"The organization is willing to put the people of Rabona in danger for the sake of getting rid of us...sounds typical."
"They don't appreciate the fact that this city forbids their warriors from entering it's walls, so I imagine that they don't care much for its wellbeing."
"I've heard enough, come Priscilla." Clare coldly brushed off, turning her back to her ex handler as she began to walk towards the edge of the enormous wall.
"You don't have much time Clare," Rubel hissed from behind in a sly tone. "I would hurry myself back to the others."
Giving Priscilla a gesture to follow, Clare leapt off the edge of the giant stonewall and back into the great city that it wrapped around so defensively. As the chilly nightly winds raced past her body, she couldn't help but worry about the grave situation she, and the rest of the ghosts were apparently in. After seven years of stealth, it appears that their enemy has finally caught up to them, and has the element of surprise, which was the very advantage Miria had focused her entire plans on. Not only that, but the organization was in possession of an enemy they had little knowledge about, Alicia and Beth and the so called 'yoki feeders'.
Of course, the thought that this was just a calculated deception by Rubel also crossed her mind, but as she thought deeper on it, there was little to no reason for him to do so. If what Audrey said was true, and Rubel was indeed secretly working against the Organization, then it would certainly be in his interest in doing whatever he can to keep the rebels alive.
Perhaps, he is hoping that we eventually destroy the organization...
Rubel...I always knew there was something odd about him. Even among the creepiest of handlers, he was always in his own league in that department.
I need to find Teresa...I hope she's all right.
As Clare leapt from building to building on her way towards the cathedral in the centre of the city, she looked over her shoulder to make sure that Priscilla was hot on her trail, and indeed she was. The awakened being followed her effortlessly, gracefully taking to the air without the faintest evidence of fatigue or strife on her thin body. Clare immediately returned her attention back to the front when their eyes met for a brief moment, resulting in an unattended awkwardness between the two. Even now, she still couldn't get over the fact that Priscilla was now considered an 'ally', and no longer her mortal enemy. For her, it felt as if this was all just a dream, an illusion, something not real. Even if this were the case, she wouldn't even want to wake up. Life without Teresa had been one of misery and despair, with the only form of comfort being her meeting with Raki just over seven years ago. However, like her meeting with Teresa, that happiness was short lived when she was separated from him by events in which she had little control over. But now, as if by a miracle, both of them had returned to her only recently. Was this another one of life's cruel jokes? Bringing back the people she cares about only to take them away from her? Was she to loose them both in an upcoming battle? Was she to choose who lives and dies? She tried to filter out those negative thoughts from her mind, but doing so proved to be completely impossible.
Life's nasty habit of snatching away people who are important to her was all because she was too weak.
Too weak to save Teresa...
Too weak to save Jean...
To weak to defeat Ophelia
Too weak...
Too weak...
It drove her mad.
She took another look over her shoulder to glance at Priscilla yet again, who this time, seemed completely oblivious to the stare she was receiving for a second time. Clare couldn't explain it, but there were some very strange thoughts going through her mind at that moment, and she wasn't sure if she should be having them or not. Priscilla was the very reason why she became a hybrid in the first place, and as a result of this, she had the power to save the life of a young boy from a terrible death by the hands of a yoma. Teresa had to die for her to even meet Raki in the first place.
Was it selfish to wish that Teresa had never been killed by the hands of Priscilla, and then not being there to save Raki later on in life?
"Is there something wrong?" Priscilla asked when she finally noticed that she was being stared at as the two continued to race from building to building under the moonlight.
"N...no, nothing."
"There is something strange about the way you look at me."
"Enough talk, let's just concentrate on getting back to the cathedral." Clare coldly brushed off.
A short moment later, the two had finally arrived at their destination, landing silently on the tranquil rooftop with no trace of any potential trouble about. Clare wasted no time in opening the roof hatch that lead to their base below, and made her way down in search for Teresa. She was relieved to see everyone unharmed, scattered around in their usual positions throughout the rather large main room.
"I hope there weren't any complications with Priscilla's retrieval?" The captain asked as she walked up to greet the new arrivals.
"Where's Teresa?" Clare ordered, completely ignoring what Miria had just said.
"Is there something wrong Clare?" Helen asked from Clare's right, holding a cup of finely brewed beer.
"Did she return yet?"
"No, not yet..." Miria answered, bewildered by Clare's strange behavior.
"What happened Clare?" Deneve said, standing up from the seat she sat against in the far corner of the room.
"I have to find Teresa, I have to..."
"Clare you're not making any sense!" Miria yelled out of frustration.
Committed to finding Teresa before it was too late, Clare stubbornly raced back towards the door she arrived from, passing by a baffled looking Priscilla in the process. As she was about to make her way back up the staircase that lead to the rooftop, she was stunned to see none other than Teresa making her way down at the same time.
"Teresa!" Clare yelled out of relief.
At a loss as to why Clare was acting so strange, Teresa replied with one of her brows raised: "I can see that you found Priscilla, is there something wrong?"
Now that Teresa had been found and accounted for, Clare came to the realization that it was now Raki who was not among them. She shot past Teresa and made her way to the rooftop, hoping that he would be there, but was disappointed when there was no sight of him anywhere. She desperately scanned the entire view of the city from the tall vantage point of the cathedrals rooftop, but was unsuccessful in spotting him.
Noticing that the others had followed her up the rooftop, and with her back turned to all of them, Clare asked: "Has anybody heard from Raki?"
"No, but Audrey just sort of left without saying a thing to us, we figured that she left to help Raki find Priscilla." Cynthia said.
"Clare tell us what's on your mind." Miria said in a worried tone.
Making her way towards her favorite spot on the edge of the rooftop, Clare took a large breath of the icy air that raced past her face as she calmly spoke:
"We are compromised. The Organization knows that we are here."
Gliding through the winds of Rabona, Raki was rapidly approaching the far western end of the city, towards the giant stone wall that separated civilization from the harshness of nature. He had searched every nook and cranny of every tower and tall building he had come across but with no success. He had wondered if either Clare or Teresa had already found her, but there was always that chance that they hadn't. Between the three of them, he had the best chance of finding Priscilla since he knew her even better than she knew herself, and that there was enough reason for him to continue his search for her. This wasn't the first time he had to go look for her, and he figured it probably won't be his last either. There was just one last place he didn't look, and that place was the enormous stone wall just ahead of him. Assuming she hadn't been found yet, that was where he would find her.
Leapfrogging the last few buildings that separated him from his destination, Raki's boots finally touched down on the cold stone walkway of the enormous wall where an amazing view of the great Western lands was there to greet him. Looking both ways, he saw no sign of any pesky guards, or Priscilla for that matter. He proceeded to follow the long, lonely walkway leading towards the northern end of the city, hoping that he would eventually be close enough to sense her distinct yoki signature.
Where are you Priscilla?
Even after all these years, I still don't understand why you do this. Is it to reflect on your past life? The life you had before you awakened?
Why did you kiss me?
And Audrey...why did 'you' kiss me?...and...why did I kiss you back?
It's Clare I like...
Or is it?
Maybe my feelings towards Clare are just my childhood memories of her as a big sister-figure, and not actually love.
Well not that kind of love.
...
...
...Why can't I stop thinking about Audrey?
That smile she first gave me.
Those tears that fell from her eyes.
...The taste of her lips.
Raki almost fell over the edge of the wall from sheer surprise when he heard the unmistakable voice of Audrey calling his name from behind. He nervously turned around to see her standing before him as clear as day, with that gentle smile she always wore when their eyes happened to meet. He tried his best to calm down and regain his composure, but it was no use. He hoped that his nervousness wasn't too obvious, but he was afraid that his face was already a bright flush of red.
"Did I surprise you?" she asked while giving him an odd look, not entirely sure what was on his mind.
"Yeah, a little."
"Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine"
"No sign of Priscilla I see." she said, breaking eye contact as she walked towards the edge of the wall in view of the city.
"Audrey...can I ask you something?" Raki said rather nervously.
Not sure where he was going with this, she turned her body around to once again face him as she replied: "Of course."
"Why did you...you know...kiss me at the lake?"
He could see Audrey's face turn sour when he asked her that question, but he wasn't sure whether he went out of line or not. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable around him, and judging by her reaction, he feared that he already has. He was beginning to regret ever asking the question until he heard her response:
"I'm sorry about that, it was quite rude,"
"No it wasn't." Raki countered.
"I was clearly out of place," she continued, increasing the pace of her voice and sounding more and more nervous as she carried on: "I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking."
"Don't say sorry..."
"I know that you have feelings for Clare..." she said so quickly that it was difficult to even understand due of her obvious nervousness, wildly flickering her gaze between the environment around her and Raki.
"Audrey..."
"It was selfish of me to do that."
"Audrey..." he repeated for a second time.
"Yes?" she said, putting an end to her mad fumbling of words while finally being able to maintain eye contact with him. It was clear by the look on her face that she was eagerly awaiting his next words with eyes of adoration.
Giving some thought to what he would say next, Raki continued:
"I don't think I have any feelings of that kind for Clare."
"What do you mean?" Audrey asked, looking completely gob smacked, and somewhat relieved by what she had just heard. A glimmer of hope could be seen in her eyes as she continued to stare deeply into his own, once again eagerly awaiting his next words.
"It's not Clare who I have feelings for."
"Not Clare? But didn't you tell me..."
"I know what I said," Raki interrupted while lowering his head towards the ground and bringing it back up shortly later: "But I was confused... I will always care about Clare, she saved my life a long time ago and I will never forget that, but I guess my feelings towards her were always platonic."
Raki could see that Audrey's lips were frozen solid from astonishment, looking as if she couldn't find the right words to respond to him or even having the ability to do so in he first place. That look of nervousness evident on her face from earlier was gone, and was replaced by a deeply intrigued stare instead.
"What are you trying to say?" She managed to say after a prolonged silence.
Caressing Audrey's hands in between his own, Raki took a step forward, forcing a blush from her as their faces came dangerously close to each other.
"I'm saying that the girl I like has long, loose blonde hair…is very well mannered…the prettiest ex warrior of the bunch and has the cutest little smile I have ever seen in my life."
He could see the sheer disbelief in her eyes as he edged his face ever closer to her own, with their lips eventually making contact as they shared their second kiss under the stars from on top of the giant stone wall. Her lips were no longer drowned in tears like last time, which allowed him to experience the full taste of that wonderful part of her body. He wanted the moment to last forever, for their bodies to melt into one another, but that fantasy of a thought ended as soon as their lips had parted.
He was surprised to not see a pleased look on her face, but a face of deep confusion instead. Before his eyes, she turned her back against him as she proceeded to make her way towards the edge of the wall until she stopped to a halt at the very end to gaze upon the green lands before her.
"What's wrong?" Raki asked in a bewildered tone, puzzled by Audrey's unexpected behavior.
"It's just that..." she answered after an awkward moment of prolonged silence: "I don't think I'm good enough for anyone. My only purpose in life was to slay yoma, but now that I've left the Organization, there is nothing left for me. The only reason why I continued on living was to help you find Clare, and now even that has been fulfilled."
"Then why didn't you just run away? Why chase me all the way here?" Raki replied cheekily.
"I'm not sure..."
"You know...if you did run away...I would have come looking for you."
"Really?" she said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Yes, really."
"Raki...Nobody's ever made me feel this way...I'm not sure why, but I like being around you."
To Audey's surprise, Raki gently grabbed her right hand and placed it flat against her chest until she could feel the beat of her own heart.
"That's why'" He replied while staring into her eyes: "The rapid beat of your heart is due to the love you feel for another person."
"You think I can love?" she asked with her eyes widened in anticipation for his answer.
"Of course you can, you're only human after all."
Wrapping their arms around each other, the two held in a tight embrace, enjoying the warmness of the other's body and the calming silence of the night that surrounded them. Neither had experienced anything like this before, nor had they realized just how much they craved the affection of the other. This was the one moment where they temporarily forgot all about the chaos in their lives, and finally had a chance succumb to their emotions, which was a great relief to them both.
"Raki... Do you feel that?" Audrey said in alarm, breaking off the embrace as she frantically shook her head from side to side in search for something.
"No, what do you feel?"
Audrey directed her silver eyes towards the west, looking out into the distance with a look of concern evident on her usually calm face. He could see her eyes widen from sheer terror as she fixed her gaze on something out there, pronging him to do the same. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what looked like a horde of humanoid creatures creeping their way towards the city's walls. There were too many to count, and it was far too dark even for hybrid eyes to have a good look at them. Even with all this, the both of them immediately realized that these were no ordinary yoma, or awakened beings for that matter.
But far worse than either one.
"We need to go warn the others now!" Raki yelled, trying to knock Audrey out of her trance of curiosity.
"What are those things?" she muttered under her own breath.
"Who cares? We got to go warn Clare and the others!"
i'm not too sure if some guys will like this chapter, because of all the romance and all. I'm a guy, and i have to admit i am a bit of a sucker when it comes to love, so i didnt think it was that bad. I wanted to develop Audrey and Raki's relationship from a while back, and well, this is finally it.
Your reviews will only give me more motivation to write, which ultimately means faster updates.