"Wait, what? She never worked here before?"
"Yes, sir. We don't have anyone working here that fits your description." A rob-wearing receptionist said, a bit distress and confused about their ongoing conversation.
As Fie slept peacefully after having their fun last night, Rean couldn't sleep; his mind lingered on the information that was given to him by the black-haired woman and Crow. After waking up, he sent an orbal mail to Crow, asking if he had more information about his master. Unfortunately, the slacker informed the man that the Golden Rakshasa's acquaintance had not seen Ka-Fai since their last encounter with him.
The only usable information he could go by is that he was last seen in the mountains in Longlai. Rean hoped that he could get some information from the receptionist from last night. Only to find out that there was no such receptionist at all!
"I see. Sorry for troubling you." Rean apologized as he bowed his head.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help." Apologizing as well, the woman bowed.
Walking away from the front desk, Rean headed back to his room. He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of a changing Fie, covering herself with her clothes from yesterday. He turned his head as fast as he could; an intense blush covered his face. The black-haired man was so focused on his master's safety he forgot to knock at the door! Embarrassment filled him as he picks up Fie's snickering.
"Why are you looking away? You've already seen everything." Her tone was filled with mirth as a smug grin crossed her face.
"Th-that's not the point! Ah! I'm sorry, I should have knocked." Rean was still facing the door, not having the desire to see his lover naked, well, not having the desire right now to see his lover completely naked. Knowing Fie, Rean knew she would never let him live it down.
Fie finished getting dressed, placing her beret on top of her head. She tapped Rean's shoulders, signaling him she was done changing. "I don't mind if it's you, y'know."
The instructor groaned, turning around to see his partner. "I take it you won't stop teasing like that?"
"Nope~"
He chuckled. Rean doesn't mind the teasing, even if her teasing could borderline make him faint with some of the things she says when they were alone together. But he wasn't letting that stop him from teasing her back. Just like how Fie affected him to such a degree, he knows he can make her flustered, just like how she does it to him. Most of the time, though, it was all unintentional since there was no cure for his denseness.
The silver-haired bracer grabbed her bag and slid it around her shoulder. With a smile, she faced her partner. "Let's get going, Rean."
"Yeah." He said, returning her smile.
The two held each other's hand as they walked through the shopping district. Multiple stalls were out in the open: food, accessories, clothes, and even weapon stalls were included in the area. You name a stall, and they probably have one. Without wasting time, the pair already bought their respective souvenirs for their friends and family.
Rean purchased an Eastern confectionary and tea for his family. Not forgetting to buy something for his students and his fellow faculty members, he bought a kimono-wearing rabbit for Altina, new combat gloves for Kurt, new hair gel for Ash, authentic Eastern alcohol for Aurelia, and accessories for Juna, Musse, and Towa. While Fie bought several non-lethal weapons (which Rean hoped doesn't get taken away once they return to Erebonia) for her Zephyr family, she also bought gifts for everyone in Class VII. Though it took some convincing on Rean's part to make her buy a souvenir for Crow, even though she forgave him, she had this urge not to buy him anything.
"So, did you find out anything about your master? Fie finally asked.
"Unfortunately not." Rean sighed in disappointment. "The receptionist this morning was different; it wasn't the one I saw yesterday. And she told me that there was no one working at the inn that matched the description I gave them."
"I'm sorry, Rean." She frowned at the news and because she could not help him with his search for his master. "I wish I could do something to help. Anything."
Rean tightened his grip around her hand gently. "It's not your fault, Fie. And you are doing a lot already just by being with me." He reassured her with a smile.
"Thanks, Rean..." A weak smiled was present on her; despite her lover's words, she wished that she could do more to assist him in his search for his master. An idea popped into her head as she saw an interesting stall. Even if she couldn't help him the way she wanted to, she could still cheer him up. "Wanna get something to eat?"
"Hmm? What did you have in mind?"
The petite girl pointed at the stall to the right. They were selling what looked like sweets in a stick. Little balls of something covered in a gold-colored syrup. Since Rean didn't eat much at the inn, Fie wanted him to at least have a snack as they explore the shopping district. And she could easily tell that he was interested in the Eastern sweets.
"What do you say?" She asked with a grin attached to her face.
"Sounds good." He chuckled as the two walked over to the stall.
Though it looked like a small stall outside, it had an area for eating. Taking advantage of the tables and chairs, they took their seats and placed their bags below the table as Rean left to check what the stall was selling. Letting Fie stay behind and guard their belongings.
The stall displayed various sweets on a stick: there was one that was covered with the gold-colored syrup he saw earlier, along with other variants of the sweet. There was one with pink, green, and white-colored balls in a stick; and one that was white-colored balls with a paste spread on the sweet. On the side of the stall, Rean assumed that it was the menu. The sweet was called a dango.
The young instructor called to the stallholder who was making dangos at the back. The man turned and almost did a double take when he saw Rean. Noticing his surprise, Rean prepared himself mentally. To his surprise, the man asked with a smile if he was the Ashen Chevalier, to which Rean hesitantly said yes. The man smiled widen and took a piece of paper and pen as he politely asked if he could have an autograph. If he wasn't surprised earlier, then he was definitely surprised now. He expected to be treated a bit coldly, but it seems that was not the case. Instead, he was being treated like a celebrity, not like it was better considering how he never thought of himself as one.
"Um, so what do you recommend?" Rean asked as he started to write on the paper.
"Oh! I recommend our mitarashi dango and anko dango! The mitarashi one has a syrup made of soy sauce, sugar, and starch." The Schwarzer was visibly taken aback by the mention of soy sauce as a syrup. Luckily, the man elucidated for him. "You don't have to be afraid of the soy sauce flavor, Mr. Schwarzer. It actually goes well with the dango!"
"I-I see. By the way, what is a dango?" He asked a follow-up question.
"It is a dumpling made from rice flour mixed with special types of flour. By itself, it has a very bland flavor, but that's why we have different variations to make it a wonderful treat. It is very popular here in Calvard." The stall owner answered enthusiastically.
"I can see that now. I think I saw a few people eating them while walking in the shopping district." Rean chuckled as he gave his autograph to the owner. "What was your other recommendation?"
"That would be the anko dango! It is a dango covered with our special red bean paste. It's our top seller." The man gushed about their product for a good minute as Rean listened attentively to this information. He recalls his master eating something like a dango a few years back.
"That's really nice to know," Rean said as he placed a hand in his chin. "I think I'll take one mitarashi and anko then."
The man grabbed one of each and placed them in a paper tray. "Pleasure doing business with you." He bowed before he straightened himself, almost as if he remembered something. "Oh, thank you for the autograph! I really appreciate it!" He bowed.
"Ahaha. It's no problem, and thank you too." Performing a bow as well, he bid the man a farewell as he returned to his Fie with their food on hand.
Rean laid the paper trays on top of the table as he took his seat.
"So," Fie started as he looked at the intriguing snack on the table. "What did you buy?"
"Dango." Rean simply said.
"Dango?"
The instructor then shared the information he got from the owner with his partner. As Fie digested the information, she grabbed the dango covered with the red bean paste and examined it before switching it over to the one with the soy sauce syrup. After examining both dangos, she returned them to their paper trays.
"Never heard of a sweet like this before." The bracer admitted. Even though she would occasionally indulge herself in sweets whenever she traveled outside of Erebonia for a request, she has yet to encounter this particular sweet before. "I think the closest thing I can think of would be the Ymir Manjuu you gave me."
"Haha. I remember that." He chuckled as he recalled the memory.
It was during the civil war, back when the two were still students. Rean assisted Camilla, the store owner, in making the sweet by helping her find azuki beans, it was not easy, but the boy managed to find some. Because of his help, the woman was able to give Rean "Ymir's specialty" and asked him to share them with his friends. The boy did just that and shared the manjuu with everyone in Class VII and their supporters. The way Fie's face lighted up made his heart warm; it was safe to say she enjoyed it.
"I'll have some prepared if you ever visit Ymir again."
"I'd like that. Thank you, Rean." She smiled before returning her attention to their current sweets. "But enough about manjuu, we have our dango here."
"Yeah. What would you like, Fie?" He asked. "There's the red bean paste one and the other is covered with a soy sauce syrup."
"Hmmm." She placed a finger on her chin as she considered her choice. "I'll take this one." She said, taking the paper tray with the anko dango.
Rean nodded and took the mitarashi dango. Seeing Fie take a bite of her food, he took a bite of his own. It was interesting, to say the least. The flavor of the soy sauce was not as strong as he expected. The syrup-coated dango had a mix of sweetness, bitterness, and saltiness. It takes an adventurous eater or someone who's used to the flavors of the sweet to think of it as tasty. Fortunately, Rean seems to be the former.
As he was eating his food, he glanced at Fie to see her happily chewing on her dango. Her warm smile was contagious as his lips curled upwards, happy to see his lover enjoying their little snack. Her lime-green eyes met his as she held her snack in front of him with a smile, causing Rean to tilt his head in confusion.
"Wanna bite?"
"Oh, sure." His mouth was about to take a bite when Fie pulled back. "What's wrong?"
"I'll let you take a bite," She grinned with mirth in her voice. "if you let me take a bite of yours."
Rean chuckled. He should have known there was some kind of condition. "That's fine. Here, you can have mine first." At this, Fie shook her head, confusing the man further.
"We feed each other at the same time, dummy."
"Ah..." His voice died down as red painted his face, letting a chuckle escape Fie's lips. "Okay."
Fie grinned as she held the dango in front of him once again, with Rean doing the same. The pair took a bite of their partner's respective dango, pulling back to chew and enjoy the flavors.
"It's good." Rean mused.
"It's salty." Fie took out her bottle of green tea and downed it to cleanse her taste buds. The black-haired man couldn't help but laugh at his partner's disgusted expression when she ate the dango. Fie glared before joining him in the laughter.
"I can at least get the appeal of the taste."
"Yeah. It's definitely not for everyone."
Fie finished the rest of her dango, looking back at Rean to see him finish his. "Are you ready to head to our next destination?"
"Let's do it."
Fie leaned back on a nearby rock as she let her body relaxed. The girl already expected that they will travel to another hot spring the following days, not that she's complaining. It really did feel good on her skin and body; she dares say that this spring might even be more rejuvenating than the one at the inn. With all the qualities that a hot spring maniac would enjoy present here, her lover stayed silent. And this was Rean! The person whose hobbies include idle chitchat while relaxing at the hot springs!
The man was sitting beside her; his attention was towards the water. He was lost in his thoughts; even Fie could guess where his mind lingered. The relaxing environment did little to help him calm his nerves. Despite his calm exterior, Fie could tell that the disappearance of his master was eating him up inside. And with the disappearance of the receptionist from yesterday, she understood why Rean could not enjoy one of his favorite things in the world.
"You're worried about your master?" She already knew the answer.
"Yeah..." Rean leaned back on the smooth stone as he stared at the sky above them. He sighed, looking at his girlfriend's eyes. "I'm sorry, Fie. I know I should be relaxing and enjoying our time together. I probably ruined this trip because of all my senseless worrying; I know my master can handle anything that comes his way. Heck, the fact that he could predict things beyond our imagination is enough to convince me that he will be fine. But..."
"Rean..." Fie rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand, gently tightening her grip to let him know he was not alone. "You didn't ruin this trip, and you don't have to apologize for worrying about your master; it's normal. No matter how extraordinary he is, it's only natural that you'd worry."
Rean knows she's right. He definitely knows she's right. The young Schwarzer knows that his master can protect himself if he is faced with danger, but in the end, he is only human. The possibility of someone overpowering him still exists. The stories he has heard from the Radiant Blademaster, and the other Divine Blades gave the man a grasp of his master's power, but the thought of someone stronger than any of them is the main cause of his worries.
In truth, Rean only wants to know if he is safe; if he can make sure that Yun is fine, then he can have peace of mind.
Fie noticed her boyfriend's silence and laced her fingers with his, snapping Rean out of his thoughts.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's safe."
That reassurance of hers was enough to keep those awful thoughts out of his mind for now. Rean could always count on her for that, he smiled and tightened his own grip. "Thanks, Fie. I'm feeling a lot better now."
"You're welcome." She accepted his thanks. "So where do you want to go after this? We could go to another hot spring, or we could go to the forest for some sightseeing?"
"Anything works for me." He chuckled. "Wait, isn't it already past 4?"
"You just noticed that?" She looked at her lover with half-opened eyes.
"S-sorry, I didn't even realize the time. How about we go to the forest? I think we can find some plants and flowers that are only native to Calvard there."
"Look at you, choosing to go sightseeing in the forest instead of taking another dip at a hot spring. I'm so proud of you~." She cooed with a wide grin.
"Am I that big of a hot spring maniac?!"
"Yup." Fie answered without a second thought, much to Rean's dismay."
Rubbing the back of his neck, he stood up. "I'm not that bad, but point taken."
"We leaving already?"
"I thought it would be better to get some rest so we can enjoy sightseeing later. Besides, the forest looks difficult to navigate once it gets dark." He reasoned.
The bracer closed her eyes and thought about what he said as she got up from her seat. "Sure. We can play some more VM when we get back. We still haven't settled who's the best." Fie said as a smirk graced her lips.
The two were tied with five wins each, counting the three games they played last night; they played a total of five games. And with how serious the two get, each game took longer to finish than the last.
"Just know that I won't be holding back anytime soon."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
The pair shared a laugh before they headed to their respective gender's changing room.
'This is the first time I couldn't fully enjoy the hot springs.' Rean stepped out of the changing room as he walked towards the lounge to wait for his lover. He pulled out his ARCUS to check if he received any mail, only to find none. Since he didn't have anything better to do at the moment, he sent an orbal mail to Randy, asking what kind of souvenir he would like.
Even after Randy left the Branch Campus, that didn't stop the instructor from keeping in touch with his former coworker. He fondly remembers their last conversation about having a drink with Lloyd and Crow. He chuckled at how Crow bragged about holding his liquor that made Randy brag about his alcohol tolerance. They did promise to have a drink together once the four were free; it was just a matter of when.
As the man was slowly getting lost in his own thoughts, Fie returned.
"Sorry, Rean. Kinda dozed off while I was changing; the heat must have gotten to me."
"I didn't think that was even possible..." He sweatdropped.
"Me too. Usually, I doze off after changing."
"Fie, I don't see how that is any better." Again, he sweatdropped with Fie shrugging in response. "Anyways, you all set to go the forest?"
"Yup."
The instructor nodded as they exited the hot spring place.
Their attention was slowly captured by the festive music and cheers coming from the streets. A crowd formed around the center of the plaza, cheering for what Rean and Fie assumed a band of sorts. The two made their way, evading, apologizing, and trying not to bump into anyone. It was hard, but they managed to be in a spot where they did not need to be in the front, but still had a good view of the performers.
Two musicians were performing for the crowd; one had a flute while the other had a string instrument. Rean thought it was a guitar or maybe a lute, but it had a more eastern flair to it. The festive tune transitioned into a calmer and serene tune. It was soothing and gentle like a mother serenading her baby, a memory of Rean's mother cradling a young Rean in her arms as she rocked her child to sleep.
He couldn't help but smile at the memory.
Fie noticed his smile, which caused her to smile; she held his hand, causing Rean to look at the girl.
"You remembered something nice?"
"Yeah. I remembered how Mom would cradle me in her arms and sing a lullaby to me. Their music somehow reminded me of that, you know?"
"For sure. If I'm not careful, I might fall asleep because of how soothing it is." She joked as Rean lets out a chuckle.
"That would be a problem; I might fall asleep too." It was his turn to joke, making her smile even wider. "I could get used to this type of music; maybe I can finally get rid of my streak of sleepless nights."
"Oh? Except for last night, you slept like a baby." She teased as she poked his chest.
"When I'm with you." He added with a chuckle. "I've been having trouble sleeping back at the Branch, probably because the graduation of the kids might be over in a blink of an eye." That was something Fie knew beforehand from their past conversation. His tone shifted to a happier one as he continued. "I'm positive they already know the path they want to walk after graduation. It makes me so happy to see them grow as a class and as individuals."
"And it's all because they have an amazing instructor to watch over them." She cooed with a grin.
He tightened his grip a bit and smiled. "And it's all thanks to Class VII, Instructor Sara, everyone who helped us... and especially you, that I could be an amazing instructor for them."
His words tugged every heartstring in her chest, intentional or not; Fie's face was painted in crimson because of her lover. She wished he would be more aware of the effects he can inflict on her: and be a little less of a dense dolt whenever they were in a perfect romantic situation.
"Well, thanks I guess..." It was all she could say as she looked away from him.
Seeing that rare shyness of hers, a good-natured laugh bubbled in his throat. Even if it isn't as rare for him since he was the only one (within his knowledge) to cause her to be flustered, he always did feel good about being the only one to cause her to blush or lose her composure.
His eyes darted to the left unintentionally, eyes widening as he saw a familiar woman with glossy black hair.
The woman turned her head just enough so she could give Rean a little smirk before walking away from the crowd.
'It's her!'
Rean strode out of the crowd, his hand still with Fie's as he tried to not lose sight of the woman. Feeling the presence of the Chevalier, she dashed past the crowd, not even hesitating to bump through the bystanders. Rean followed as best as he can, his eyes still fixed on her. The woman turned to the right with Rean hot on her trail, only for him to slow down, realizing that Fie was trying to keep up with his sudden running activity.
"W-wait! Rean, where are we going?!"
"It's that woman from the inn last night." Using his head to point at the runner. "She's hiding something if she's running away like this. We can't let her escape without giving us some answers!"
"Okay, I get it. You can pick up your pace now, I can manage."
He nodded and ran the fastest his legs could go. Maneuvering past every person on his path as he tried to keep up with the woman. And she did not make it easy for the duo; she purposely chose the path with the most people and the busiest streets to outrun and make the pair lose her. Unfortunately, the two were one of the fastest among their friends and had no issues in keeping up with her, with only the innocent civilians preventing them from catching her.
The two let go of each other's hands so that they can maximize their individual speed, Fie already showing signs of her increased pace as she sprinted after her. The black-haired woman turned and took a dagger-like weapon out of her pocket; to the shock of the pair, she threw the dagger at Fie. She would normally be able to dodge such a simple attack, but with the people around the area, she couldn't risk the innocent getting hurt.
"Fie, move!"
As she heard her lover's voice, she evaded the dagger, with it now heading towards Rean. The young man closed his eyes; he felt as if time has slowed down. The voices of the people were slowly being blocked out of his mind. Only the image of the dagger; slowly approaching him was present in his current state. He snapped his eyes open, and with a swift motion of his hand, he caught the dagger.
'Impressive. His skills are even more amazing in person.' The black-haired woman thought with a small smile.
Fie walked back to see how her boyfriend was faring. "You okay?"
"I'm good." He said as he tried to catch his breath. "Good thing I caught it in time."
"I knew it would be okay the moment you told me to move."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just got lucky." He said with his usual humble tone.
"Just take the compliment, babe." She deadpanned as she turned her attention to the black-haired woman. "Anyways, you wanted to talk to her, right?"
To his surprise, Rean turned to see that the woman has not left yet. "I got a lot of questions for you, and we won't just let you go after you tried attacking us out here in the open!"
"I can at least answer a few questions for now. Think of it as my apology for trying to attack you two."
"If I was on duty, I would have retaliated in self-defense..." Fie muttered.
"You have quite a fierce partner there, Mr. Schwarzer." She chuckled.
"I'll show you fierce." Fie stepped forward, but Rean stopped her.
"C-calm down, Fie. And Miss, could you not agitate my girlfriend?"
"I did not mean any harm in my comment. If I were to say my thoughts out here in the open, I would like to say you are quite lucky to have her as your partner. Both of you appear to be calm and collected, but if one loses their temper, the other is able to keep them in check, just like right now." The woman stated with a coy smile.
It might not be common, but Fie does lose her temper on rare occasions. It was only thanks to Rean that she can instantly get her cool back. And just like what he does for her, she also was able to keep him from losing his temper. Most of the time, though, they wouldn't really need it because of their cool-headed and gentle nature.
"Ignoring the fact that you disappeared last night and tried to get away from us. Do you know anything about Master Yun Ka-Fai?" Rean asked, getting back to the reason why he was looking for her. "You said your acquaintance was the one who told you that Master Yun was here in Longlai, is he still here?"
The woman crossed her arms and pondered before locking eyes with the man. "I can confirm the first two. Yes, I know little about Master Ka-Fai, him being the founder of the Eight Leaves One Blade school, correct?" Rean nodded, taking that as a sign for her to continue. "My information about him only consists of his disciples, nothing more than that. And yes, my acquaintance was the one who told me that he was here. Whether he is still here, though, is a different matter..."
"What do you mean by that...?"
"Right now we are not sure where he is. That is all I can really tell you."
"He might not even be in Longlai or Calvard anymore..." Fie mused to herself.
"W-wait! Do you at least know why he was here?" This was one question that he needed an answer to.
"Sorry, but three questions are enough for one confrontation. If you wish to know more, try catching me." As the words left her mouth, she turned and streaked to the nearby forest.
"Damn it!" Rean cursed as he followed after her with Fie running beside him.
"Here we go again."
The chase for answers continues.
Knowing that she couldn't outrun the duo, she used the terrain to her advantage. Disappearing into the deep forest, she managed to blend with nature itself. The pair split up and tried to find her, trying to detect her presence. Whoever she is, she was quite skilled for her not to be detected by either of them, especially Rean. Both he and Fie had a knack for sensing the presence of others, but the woman managed to make it seem like she was never present here.
Still, they didn't stop searching all over the place. Checking every nook and cranny in the area, even looking up at the trees to see if she was hiding in one. As Fie was searching everywhere, she couldn't help but feel amazed by the beauty of the forest. She could tell that the flowers and plants planted were unique to Calvard, or specifically Longlai. Now that she was taking a good look at the place, truly looking and not searching, she was positive that they were in the forest that they were supposed to go sightseeing.
"We lost her." Rean expressed his disappointment with a sigh.
"Even you can't find her presence?"
"Yeah. She's really good if I can't detect her location." He confirmed. "At least she led us to the forest we were supposed to go to today."
"You think so too?" Rean nodded as he joined her in gazing at the lushful forest. "It's beautiful."
"This place has all sorts of flowers and plants I haven't seen before. And I should know, I always take a picture and record them in my handbook." Fie walked over to a purple flower and crouched down. "Cool. This looks like a type of tulip."
"Haha. Want me to take a picture of you?"
"With the flower?" She asked, tilting her head a bit.
"We could do that, or we could take a whole bunch of pictures with the forest. I'm sure Edel and Vivi would like to see you enjoying nature." He suggested.
The petite bracer hummed as she observed the serenity and beauty of the forest. She would definitely share the pictures with her fellow gardening club members, and it would be a waste not to take photos, considering how wonderful the place looked.
"Okay, but you have to be part of the pictures, too."
"B-but it's gonna be hard to do that with just the two of us." He tried to convince her, knowing it was a losing battle.
"I won't take no for an answer, Rean. We promised each other to enjoy this trip of ours, and wouldn't your family and students like to see us in this forest?"
"Fine..." He conceded with a sigh. "I hope I don't mess up."
"You'll be fine. Any pictures with you in it will turn out great." Fie reassured him with an infectious smile before she looked down; a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "...besides, I want to have copies so I can put them in my apartment..."
She really was cute when she acted like that, and Rean was more or less a pushover when it comes to Fie. Either he was too soft, or he had a hard time saying no to her, at least when it came to her harmless favors. He does know when to act sternly when the situation calls for it; or if Fie was somehow getting involved with Crow's shenanigans.
"Alright, alright, you win. I'll try my best to take our pictures." A smile of his own plastered his face as he hugged the girl.
"Hehe, victory."
They hugged in silence before walking and exploring the different parts of the forest to take pictures. Unknown to them, the woman watched the entire thing unfold. For one reason or another, she had a smile of her own. It could be that she enjoyed watching how those two acted; or that she was successful in hiding. Whatever the case was, she didn't stay for too long as she went deeper into the forest.
"Aaaand Bolt." Playing her final card, their score was now 22-15, in favor of Fie. Though they weren't playing Vantage Masters anymore.
"I was so close too..." Rean laid out his 5 card and sighed.
After the two finished taking pictures in the forest and doing one last survey around the area, they returned to their inn to have their dinner and play a few games of VM. Four grueling matches took place, and both of them won twice, putting their score into a tie once again. As the silver-haired girl was getting ready for their fifth (and another long match), Rean suggested playing a different game. Fie's confusion quickly disappeared as her lover pulled out a deck of an old game they used to play. A game created by Crow Armbrust himself, Blade.
"Two wins in a row, not bad, Fie."
"You mean 'amazing job, Master Fie', right?" She corrected him with a smirk.
"Ha. Ha. I won't end up losing next time." Rean said with a confident tone. "I have to say, though, you really did well even though the last time we played Blade was back when we were students."
"What can I say; I'm a natural." She puffed out her chest that made her so adorable that Rean had to stop himself from patting her head.
Am I watching a game of Blade or am I watching a rom-com that airs on the weekends?
Hehe, don't be like that, Crow. They're just being affectionate towards each other.
The voice of Crow Armbrust and Towa Herschel came from Rean's ARCUS.
For old time's sake, the instructor suggested in video calling his fellow Chevalier to be the judge and spectator of their bout. When he called his friend, Towa just so happens to be with the slacker, the couple invited her in their activity, making her the second spectator. Except for the occasional flirting from Fie, and Rean's somewhat clueless style of flirting, the two did play seriously and didn't hold back despite the fact they haven't played the game in a long time.
Fine. I gotta agree with Rean though, your skills were the real deal, Fie. How about you play a match with me once your back?
"Sure. Just don't complain when you lose." She shot him a confident smirk.
Ugh... even though I'm getting used to Ash's cheeky tongue, I don't like it when you do it... The slacker groaned as he placed a hand in his head.
Rean sweatdropped, wondering to himself what's going on at the Branch. "Should I even ask?"
Well... Towa started. Crow and Ash were having a hard time getting along during Crow's first day at being Class VII's instructor, but it's better now. The two surprisingly have a lot of things in common. She stated with a smile. Though they still throw a few insults at each other.
In my defense, he was the one who would throw an insult first!
The couple, alongside Towa, sweatdropped at Crow's outburst.
"I-is he doing alright at least?" Rean was scared to know.
Oh! Don't worry, Rean! I know Crow might not seem like it, but he's doing a fantastic job at teaching Juna and the others. All of them are getting along, minus the rough start with Ash; they haven't gotten to any trouble. The black-haired instructor's face brightened up after hearing the news.
Told ya you can count on me~. And as usual, Crow took the opportunity to be smug about it.
"Well, it's not really reassuring when you're the one in charge," Fie said with her usual deadpan expression.
Youch! You guys have so little faith in me! The Chevalier placed a hand in his chest, feigning pain as he dramatically acted being insulted.
All four of them laughed before Crow cut it short.
As much as I want you guys to continue making fun of me. The duo rolled their eyes at his sarcastic statement. Did you find out anything about your master, Rean?
"About that..."
Rean told the two about what had happened earlier. Their run-in with the mysterious woman who knew that Ka-Fai was in Longlai, and telling them that she was skilled enough to hide her presence from the pair, to the shock of Crow and Towa. The petite instructor had a worried expression while Crow pondered on the identity of the black-haired woman.
Is she Calvardian, Rean? Crow asked.
"I think so, why?"
I just thought I might have seen her or something. Do you mind if I report this to Le Guin? As much as I would prefer not to talk about this with her, she probably has more connections in Calvard compared to me.
"Sure. Could you tell me what you find out later?" A nod was Crow's response.
Fie, please watch over Rean. I'm sure he's going to do something reckless and get himself hurt again. Towa requested, fully knowing her fellow instructor's tendency to do things without thinking.
"He's in good hands, Towa." Fie gave her senior a salute before looking at her lover with a knowing smile, and Rean knew what it meant.
He made a promise with her last night after all, and he has no intention to break it.
I'll go tell Le Guin about what you told me just now. You gonna stay and chat with them for a bit, Towa?
I really would like to keep talking with you, guys. But I have to prepare an activity for Military Finance tomorrow morning.
"We understand." Fie understood her senior's responsibilities. "We can catch up another time, I'm sure it's gonna be hard with only Crow and Aurelia there."
Hey!
"Oops, sorry, what I meant to say is that it's gonna be hard with Crow as the only other instructor there." She corrected herself as she looked to the Azure Chevalier with a smug smirk.
Gah... I haven't been causing any trouble! Well, there was that time where I smashed a pie into Ash's face and the time where we almost destroyed the field while training...
"Are you sure I don't need to come back...?" Rean asked as he sweatdropped from hearing Crow mumbled the chaotic events that he (probably) caused.
Of course! You should enjoy your break while you can, Rean. I'm sure Fie would like to keep you all to herself for this week. Towa's statement caused Rean to blush a little, and Crow to cackle like a madman. Why are you laughing?! Did I say something wrong?
Oh, Towa. Sweet and innocent Towa, I can't believe you didn't realize what you just said.
"Who knew Towa could tease you like that." Fie playfully nudged Rean's elbow with a grin.
"Ye-yeah... today has been full of surprises."
Not you guys too!
After Crow calmed down from his laughing, the two said their goodnights before hanging the call. Rean returned his ARCUS to his pocket before getting up from his seat.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Just going for a walk." He said as he put on his jacket. "I could really use some fresh air."
"Want me to come with you?" Rean would normally accept her offer, but he shook his head.
"Thanks, Fie, but it's fine. After all that chasing we did, I'm sure you could use a break, and I kind of dragged you while you were enjoying the music earlier; the least I could do is give a break after having such a hectic day."
Fie was about to open her mouth to retort but stopped herself. Knowing he must want some time for himself after losing sight of the mysterious woman back in the forest. Rean may not express it, but she knows that he is frustrated with himself. He can be so hard with himself, even though it was beyond his control. Fie understood it all, and she doesn't like when her lover belittled himself. But all she could do is to remind him that she will always be by his side.
Forever.
"Okay. Be back before it gets too dark, alright?"
"Of course, Fie." Rean gave the girl a quick hug before she left to go to the bathroom.
The black-haired swordsman facepalmed as he bolted to their room to search for his belongings. Trying his best not to cause a mess so Fie wouldn't suspect a thing, but knowing her, she would probably notice that something was off. He sighed as he grabbed a sticklike object wrapped in fabric from his bag before exiting the room. He left the inn, taking in the fresh air of Longlai as his eyes laid on the full moon.
His gaze fell on the clothed object, removing the fabric to reveal his tachi. The possibility of being attack might not be that high, but considering his encounter with a woman with throwing knives, he can't be too careful. He knows he promised Fie to not put himself in danger, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little something to protect himself, just in case if something happens.
"This is just for self-defense." Rean consoled himself before heading to the forest of Longlai.
The path to the forest wasn't like it was earlier. It was eerie, dense, and almost Rean could swear that there were eyes watching him. It did not help that the only source of light was the moon and the night sky. If there were ghosts living in the forest, he wouldn't be surprised, dealing with numerous supernatural beings and even a being of malice and hate. Fighting specters would not even faze him, but he would prefer that than dealing with that woman again.
"Huh. I must be near the mountains now." He said to himself, noticing the rocky structures around him. It became clear to him when he saw a mountain trail up ahead. Taking a look at his ARCUS, he decided to not venture any further, not only to prevent Fie from worrying; but to also keep himself from getting lost. If he did get lost in this dense forest at night, he would surely return in the morning.
Rean resumed his walk, only strolling around the forest area without going deeper.
"Looks like someone has walked into the forest." A voice said.
"You are right, and it seems he is no mere civilian. I can sense his power from here, he must be well-trained if he could suppress it to this degree." Another voice in darkness observed. "Kurogane and Hime are on the other side of the mountain right now, we can deal with this one ourselves."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, we may only be ordered to observe anyone who comes to this area, but if that person holds special interest..."
"We can take action." The first voice finished. "I understand. Very well, let's test him out to see if his power is only for show."
Two figures emerged from the darkness, standing in the branches of the trees. They were cloaked in all black with an eastern style; their eyes fell into the Schwarzer as they began to survey the area. In an instance, they maneuvered the forest by leaping across the tree branches. Despite how fast they were jumping from branch to branch, the two masked figures did not make any sound.
"Maybe I can find flowers for...?!" Rean felt killing intent from behind, and it was coming at him fast! Not wasting any movement, he unsheathed his tachi and turned for his blade to meet another. "What the...!?"
"So we were right, you weren't an ordinary tourist."
The instructor launched the cloaked attacker back by pushing him back with his weapon. His senses kicked in and warned him of the presence of another from behind. Several kunai were sent flying towards him, but he was able to reflect the weapons with ease.
'Two of them?! Those weapons they wield; must be an Eastern organization. And they're wearing all black, just like the shinobis from East Zemuria.' Rean noted as he observed his opponents, the two cloaked figures were using an eastern type of longsword, similar to his tachi. 'If they're able to conceal their presence, this won't be an easy fight.'
"A tachi, huh? Are you a practitioner of an eastern school of martial arts?" One of the shinobi asked.
"Who's asking? Or better yet, who are you people?!"
"We are not inclined to tell. If you want us to talk, make us!" The other cloak shinobi rushed in, his intent to kill oozing from his person.
"GET BACK!" Sheathing back his blade, he focused his energy on one point before it drawing back, releasing a burning shockwave.
The masked shinobi was startled by the attack, forcing himself to sidestep to avoid getting hit. Avoiding the attack, he sprinted to the young swordsman as he performed several slashes. Rean parried each attack before making his move. Using the speed of Gale, he went past the ninja as he cut his backside. The enabler winced in pain; he counterattacked by throwing shurikens at him as his comrade leaped up with kunai in hand to attack the Schwarzer.
Rean grimaced as he lit his tachi on fire, slamming it to the ground.
"What the?!"
"He coated his sword with fire and caused a smokescreen by hitting the ground!" One of the shinobis growled as he searched for their target, looking up to the night sky, his eyes widened underneath his mask to see the swordsman up high. "There!"
"You think gaining a height advantage will help you!?" The other shinobi released a storm of ninja stars and kunai at Rean.
'It's been a while since I've used this technique; I hope this works!' Rean lifted his tachi above his head, flames slowly coating the steel, and as if the fire was alive, the flames slowly formed a flaming dragon around his blade. "Burn to ash!" Rean slashed downward through all the weapons of the shinobi as he fell to the ground, smashing the ground with his blade that caused a small shockwave that made the two shinobis fall to the ground.
As the two quickly recovered, Rean was prepared to finish this battle.
"Arcane!" In a flash, he disappeared as he cut through the two of them, tearing the armor they were wearing apart. He sheathed his blade again before releasing another blazing shockwave. "Gale!" The flames burned through them, but not fatally injuring the two.
"So strong..."
"His techniques... he must be an Eight Leaves practitioner just like Lady Hime." The shinobi whose mask was beginning to break muttered. "Seeing what you are capable of, we can't let you live."
"I don't mind fighting you, but you better tell where Master Yun Ka-fai is!"
The two wounded shinobis chuckled maniacally at the man.
"Our apologies, but we are merely scouts assigned to this area of the forest. Even if we did know where your master is, why should we tell you?"
Rean gritted his teeth as he returned to his fighting stance. "Then I'll just make you two tell me who you are."
"You won't live to find out." The injured ninja ran full speed, creating several afterimages. The afterimages themselves were a blur, changing positions each second, making his position hard to identify. As the masked attacker was about to close the last bit of distance, a massive man of muscular build suddenly appeared, stopping him. "Master Kurogane!"
The buff man was wearing the same all-black clothing and armor, but much bigger than the other two. His whole face was concealed with armor akin to a mask. His height and presence alone made him stand out compared to his comrades, and Rean could tell that he was a threat, which forced him to formulate a plan fast.
"You did quite a number on these two." His voice was deep and held authority. "I am impressed, even though they were mere scouts, their skills are not to be taken lightly. To see them in this state, you must be quite skilled to inflict this much damage to them."
"So you're one of them?" Rean pointed his blade as he glared at the taller shinobi. "Just who are you people and what do you want from me?!"
"We don't need to tell you—" The injured ninja was stopped as Kurogane held his hand up. "M-Master...?"
"As a reward for defeating these two," The two shinobis winced at their superior's phrasing, they wouldn't accept defeat even with their condition, but they knew it would be unwise to talk back. "I will tell you a little bit about ourselves."
Still pointing his blade at the man, but his face softened. "Alright. What I want to know most of all right now is... who the hell are you people?!"
"We are the Ikaruga; we are a group of ninjas in Calvard. We are practitioners of the Black God One Blade school, the Hazy Moon school," Kurogane explained his group as he listed the schools they were practitioners of; Rean was somewhat familiar with those schools from his conversations with the Divine Blade of Wind and Cassius Bright. but he didn't know what to make of them. "and the Eight Leaves One Blade school."
The young instructor's eyes widened in shock, he lowered his blade, trying to process what he just heard. "Y-you guys use the Eight Leaves One Blade style, too?"
"Some of us, yes." The masked man simply answered.
"Then you should know Yun Ka-Fai! The founder of the Eight Leaves One Blade school!"
"We do know him." Rean gasped, surprised that he would tell him that fact so easily. "He has some... relations to the Ikaruga. We are not permitted to tell outsiders what they are, however."
Rean couldn't help a scowl from forming. "Alright then... why did you attack me?"
"Our contract stated that we are to merely observe anyone who comes to this area, but if that person is of special interest, we are permitted to take some form of action. I can see now why my men attacked you, you are a skilled swordsman, but that's not all, right?" Rean felt that Kurogane was smiling underneath his mask.
He was more observant than he thought. "Fine, since you were kind enough to tell me a little about your group. It's only right if I introduce myself."
"It's up to you if wish to do so."
The young Schwarzer lifted back his tachi again and pointed at the Ikaruga. "I am Rean Schwarzer, a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade school, rank of Divine Blade." He wasn't one for boasting his title, but he had to test if they knew him.
"He's a Divine Blade?!"
"That explains it! But wait, has he been holding back during our fight...?"
The two other shinobis began talking among themselves about Rean's declaration, yet Kurogane looked like he wasn't even surprised by it.
"I take it you have heard of me?" Rean stated as he took notice of his lack of reaction.
"Only bits and pieces. The higher-ups are the only ones who have access to that kind of information. Besides, I have my suspicions when I saw you when I arrived. I have seen my fair share of swordsman and swordswoman from your school, and I only know one person who fits the description of being another Divine Blade." Kurogane elucidated.
"And it's me?"
"Correct." The large shinobi took out two double sabers, surprising and causing Rean to return in keeping his guard up. "I'm afraid you have to deal with me now, you did hurt my scouts."
"I was just protecting myself." Rean bitterly defended himself. "You guys were the ones who attacked first."
"That is true, and I won't blame you for what you did. But maybe I am just making an excuse to fight you."
The swordsman looked at his weapons, two double sabers just like Crow's but slightly shorter in size. Remembering how deadly a double saber was, Rean knew Kurogane would prove to be a challenge. "I'm surprised to see another person use a double saber, considering they're from the Dark Ages and are difficult to use."
"So you know another double saber user? You are correct that these weapons are difficult to wield, but I think that just proves that my skills are enough to use them effectively."
"Yeah, and since you have two, you're more dangerous than my friend." Rean assumed his fighting stance once more.
Kurogane chuckled as he crossed his two weapons together. With a swift motion, he combined the two double sabers into one, forming it into a large cross-bladed throwing sword.
"So those weren't normal double sabers?!"
"These might be shorter than a normal double saber, but I implemented a special mechanism that lets me combine the two to form a rather deadly weapon." The masked shinobi asserted, his aura beginning to rage like a storm. "Let's see how strong the new Divine Blade really is!" Despite his large build, he was able to quickly closed the distance between him and the swordsman as he bashed his weapon in his abdomen.
"Gah!" Rean spat out his saliva as he got knocked back, stumbling across the ground. "What raw power..."
"I forgot to formally introduce myself; I am Kurogane of the Ikaruga. I am a practitioner of the Hazy Moon school." His statement was accompanied by an imposing aura of authority. Rean felt like gravity was his enemy as he struggled to get back on his feet. "Now that you had a little taste of what I am capable of, I suggest you don't hold back!"
The shinobi walked towards the swordsman slowly, giving him time to recover himself. As Rean got up, he ran forward and slashed to the left, only for Kurogane to block the attack with his weapon. He knocked the tachi out of the young man's hand as he kicked his side. The Schwarzer blocked the attack just in time; the force of his kick was like being hit by an orbal truck.
Wasting no time, the shinobi threw his giant throwing sword at a sound-shattering speed. Rean picked back his blade as he crouched down and sheathed his sword, drawing back his sword as he fired a flaming shockwave.
"Crimson Slash!"
The flames changed the course of where the double saber was heading, sticking it into a nearby tree. As Rean prepared to rush in, he felt a sharp pain on his left side. 'Damn it! Even without his weapon, he could still do this much damage to me.' He took a deep breath, a technique he acquired after training for so long, the ability to numb the pain by breathing a certain way. With the aching slowly cooling down, he Galed through the forest, finally landing a blow to his armored foe.
Rean continued to attack, slashing right and left, slowly damaging the assassin's armor. He performed a vertical slash but was useless as the shinobi blocked it with his armored right arm. Grabbing the blade, he catapulted both the sword and Rean across the forest, colliding into a tree, causing him to spit out blood.
Kurogane picked back his weapon as he began to spin around before throwing it like a shuriken. Rean snapped his eyes open as he barely avoided the deadly attack. If he reacted a second later, he would undoubtedly have had his head cut off.
'I can't let him get a hit on me anymore!' His lungs were on fire and his body ached. The shinobi's blows were unforgiving as Rean's body cried out in pain. If it weren't for his breathing technique, he would have passed out by now. Rean took a small bottle and began drinking it.
"You prepared a Tearal Balm?" The bulky shinobi asked curiously. "Did you anticipate that someone would attack you?"
"Just happen to take some with me. I never really expected to find someone attacking me in the middle of the night."
"Since you brought your tachi with you," Kurogane figured that because Rean brought a weapon along with him for his night walk, he wasn't telling him something. "I suspect you were expecting to find someone else besides us in the forest?"
"You're sharp." Rean complimented his deduction. "I brought along my tachi just in case I run into the person I've been looking for since this morning."
"I see." Kurogane began running at him, ready to attack him again.
With the help of the Tearal Balm and the talking they did, Rean managed to recover most of his stamina. Rean began running at his foe with increasing speed.
Kurogane swung his blade for Rean to parry the attack as he sidestepped to his right and slashed the shinobi in his side. For the first time in their fight, Rean was able to draw blood against his foe, a horizontal cut appeared on the left side of Kurogane's body; the area with the armor on was completely destroyed.
The ninja groaned in pain, but it wasn't enough to hinder his movements as he slashed Rean's back.
"Ahhhhhhh!" A scream of agony escaped Rean's throat before a fist was buried in his back that knocked him out of his feet. "I'm not done yet...!"
He quickly got up, his blade was ablaze as he burst forth towards the masked man.
"Too slow!" Kurogane met his blade with Rean's as the two began trading blows. Their injuries were practically non-existent with the way they were moving. Going at a ridiculous speed that the two injured shinobis from before could barely see. The masked ninja saw an opening on the Schwarzer's attacks and exploited it. "Hazy Moon Arts: Wind Razor!" His cross-bladed throwing sword was wrapped in wind, performing a downward slash on the man.
The force was enough to create a dusk cloud, but Kurogane knew he didn't meet flesh. The resistance from his blade was the only indication he needed; he pushed Rean back with his weapon, knocking him back to the ground. A violet aura was leaking throughout his body; his piercing eyes darted to Rean, who was struggling to get up.
"Is this all the new Divine Blade is capable of? I'm disappointed." He expressed his disappointment, the ninja expected that the young swordsman would give him a challenge. He may have displayed amazing techniques, but for Kurogane, he expected so much more of someone who has achieved Divine Blade Status. "But you have fought well to keep up with me; I'll end your suffering with this technique!"
The instructor barely heard what Kurogane just said; he panted as his previous wounds began aching up again, along with his new injuries; he had to finish this fight quickly. Rean closed his eyes; he sensed that the shinobi would finish him with his strongest attack, so he needed to concentrate and focus on predicting where he would launch his assault. The blood in his mouth and the pain in his back and abdomen didn't help, but he knew he could defeat Kurogane with his counterattack.
"It seems you have accepted your fate... very well." The ninja mistook Rean's lack of movement as a sign of defeat.
"Hazy Moon Arts: Steel Tempest!"
Kurogane vanished from where he stood; the shinobi circled the swordsman at full-speed, only being a blur and being invisible to the untrained eye. The speed he was going was causing the winds to swirl around him; a heavy gale consumed the forest as the winds howled at the night. Multiple figures leaped to the sky, resembling the Ikaruga shinobi.
"Here it is! One of Master Kurogane's killer techniques!"
"Being able to create that many clones is an achievement in itself, but in the hands of someone like Master Kurogane... it's the end for the Eight Leaves practitioner!"
The scouts declared Rean's demise, Kurogane felt a slight disgust from his fellow ninjas. However, even he could not help see that he has given up on the fight. The clones of the ninja began spinning around in the air, the wind wrapping itself around his body like armor as the clones dived into the young swordsman with their razor wind defense. "Goodbye, Rean Schwarzer!"
The impact of the craft caused a storm to brew in the forest; the trees began to violently sway while the two scouts resisted the pushing force of the wind.
"Sorry, but I can't let myself die here. I have a promise to keep."
"What?!"
As the storm settled: the figure of Rean Schwarzer, an aura of flames and lightning wrapped around his body was seen. The clones of his foe were destroyed with slash marks visible in their chest; while the instructor's tachi was pushing back the real Kurogane's double saber.
'This increase in power... is this his rumored Spirit Unification?!' Before Kurogane could process Rean's power boost, he was disarmed by the Divine Blade as he began his counterattack.
Raising his tachi to his head, blade facing to the left. The sword was lit ablaze with lightning surrounding the weapon. This startled the ninja as Rean slashed him down to the left, then to the right causing Kurogane's blood to spill out, even destroying his armor with ease.
"So this is your power as a Divine Blade..." He muttered, but Rean wasn't finished.
Spinning around three hundred sixty degrees, the Schwarzer created a flaming vortex of lightning. "Helix, strike!"
The swirling vortex of fire consumed the muscular ninja as pieces of his armor began to turn to ash before being sent flying across the forest.
Kurogane struggled on keeping himself from falling. The slash wounds and burn wounds he accumulated were starting to take their toll on his body. And with the amount of blood he lost during the instructor's last attack, he was feeling lightheaded.
But his pride as a shinobi of the Ikaruga wouldn't allow him to surrender. Taking out his kunai, he charged at the swordsman.
"I guess the only way to settle this is by beating you..."
Without any more room to talk, Rean decided to end this with his final move. The Divine Blade closed his eyes and sheathed his blade, concentrating as he began to recite one of his signature S-Crafts. "My mind is clear. My blade empty." As the charging shinobi prepared to attack him, he snapped his eyes open. "Now!" Two afterimages of Rean appeared by his side as they dashed through Kurogane, repeatedly cutting through him with his afterimages.
Several slash marks caused blood to burst out of his bulky body as Rean was prepared to land the finishing blow. The other two shinobis could only watch, fear close to their throats as they were forced to watch their superior being overpowered by the young swordsman.
"To-too strong..."
"Master Kurogane's going to be d-defeated..." The ninja's voice was shaking as he fell to the ground.
The thought of helping their superior did cross their mind, but they couldn't interfere because, one, Kurogane is a man who fights honorably and dislikes having unfair advantages or cheating. And two, in Rean's current state, they wouldn't be able to even lay a finger on the man.
"I take back what I said, you are worthy of being called a Divine Blade..." Kurogane commended the Schwarzer.
"And you were a worthy opponent. If circumstances were different, I would love to fight you again." He could hear the ninja chuckling. Ready to finish this battle, Rean raised his blade while his afterimages turned theirs to the left and right as they brought their tachi down for a downward slash.
...
...
...SNAP...
Before Rean could land his attack, the blade of his tachi snapped in half. He then felt a foot being buried in his chest that threw him off the ground. He raised his head while trying to get up; a figure of a woman with long silver hair stood in front of Kurogane. Rean assumed that this woman was also part of the Ikaruga; unlike the bulky shinobi, she wasn't wearing the black armor that the three shinobis were using; instead, she was wearing a type of combat suit with an Eastern style mixed with cutting edge technology.
"Lady Hime!" The three shinobis shouted.
Rean moved his tachi in front to defend, but his eyes widened in shock. Only now realizing that it snapped in half. 'Did she do this?' His orbs looked at the female shinobi; he could feel her power from this distance; she was not even suppressing her power. His attention was drawn by her weapon, another type of longsword that was completely black, decorated with red and silver.
"Who is this?" She demanded to know. "Considering Kurogane was put into such a state, we can't let you go that easily."
The first to speak up was the bulky ninja. "He is the newest Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves One Blade school."
Her face immediately softened, but her guard was far from down. "Oh? What's your name?"
"Rean. Rean Schwarzer from Ymir, and I'm looking for my master, Yun Ka-Fai."
"You're a student of Master Ka-Fai, too?" Her sudden question caused the injured swordsman to be taken aback, emotions began welling up inside him.
"You know him?! I need to know where he is!"
"I am sorry, but you won't find the master here."
"Then tell me where is. At least tell me if he's safe!"
The silver-haired swordswoman remained silenced. Rean clenched his fists so hard; they turned white. Exhausted and frustrated, he couldn't keep his cool any longer. The encounter with the mysterious woman, on top of his encounter with the Ikaruga, his patience was disappearing. "I am done with you people not answering my questions!"
Despite his injuries and unusable weapon, Rean charged forward.
"Zeroth Form, Twin Shadows..."
Hime disappeared before reappearing behind Rean, sheathing her blade, several slashes took form as blood coated Rean's body.
Rean lets out a painful cry as he hugged himself and tightened his muscles, trying to ease the pain. The way she used her sword, even with his Lucid Spirit Unification, he was not able to see her. Looks can be deceiving, and he should have known not to underestimate her; he now knows that she was on par with a Divine Blade, or even stronger than one.
The silver-haired shinobi took a step forward and was instantly there with Kurogane.
She pointed her blade at the Schwarzer as she began to ready another attack.
'If only I could still use my tachi!' Rean closed his eyes as he accepted his fate.
At that moment, a gust of wind arrived, along with a silver figure that came rushing in full-speed. A pair of gunswords clashed with Hime's longsword before she pushed the sudden attacker away.
The sound of another blade clashing made Rean open his eyes. His heart almost dropped at the sight before him; a silver-haired girl stood there, twin gunswords in hand as her hair flowed with the wind. The moonlight above them made her silver locks shine and twinkle like stars. It was almost as if she was an ethereal fairy that appeared from above to rescue.
"Fie..." He breathed his beloved's name, the only thing he could say as he was trying to understand what just happened.
The girl looked at him with a warm smile; her smile caused him to blush, despite the pain he was feeling throughout his body. With only one look from his lover, he understood without any need for words. Don't worry; I got you. She turned her attention to the cause of Rean's current state as she glared at her. A glare that even he did not know she was capable of producing.
Her former jaeger aura was beginning to resurface from her body as she tightened the grip on her weapons. Her killing intent apparent in her eyes; seeing her lover wounded and a bloody mess did not help either.
She pointed her gunswords at Hime as she scowled. "Lay another finger on my man and you're good as dead."
"How dare you speak like that to Lady Hime— eep!" The scout earned a death glare from the bracer that froze him in place.
"And who do I owe the pleasure of meeting?" Hime queried, not feeling threatened by Fie.
"I'm Rean Schwarzer's girlfriend."
Again, the silver-haired swordswoman's expression softened at this new piece of information. "I didn't know my 'little brother' had a mate before."
"L-little brother? What does she mean by that, Rean?" Fie turned to her lover, who was equally confused as she was.
"I-I don't know! I don't even know who she is!"
"Very well, I will introduce myself."
"Lady Hime, are you sure?" Kurogane was uncertain if it was wise to disclose her identity to them.
"I am." She answered. "You may call me Hime; I am one of the shinobis of the Ikaruga and also an apprentice of Master Yun." That last part made Rean gasped in surprise. "So you could see why I called you my 'little brother'. Unlike our older seniors, who I find dull. You are quite cute."
Rean was taken off guard by her compliment while Fie's icy glare returned. "Do not worry about me stealing him from you. I only think of him as a brother and a skilled swordsman, though he could use a little more training when it comes to controlling his emotions." She addressed the bracer as Rean winced at the harsh truth she laid forth.
"So Master Yun really isn't here..."
"Yes, you won't be finding him here in Calvard, that's for sure." Hime returned her sword to its scabbard. "Since your girlfriend is here to rescue you, we will be taking our leave now."
Fie looked to her boyfriend with a look if she should let them go. Rean tried to stand up, Fie assisting him so he wouldn't fall. "Fine... but I need to know one more thing before you leave. Was that technique you used on me an Eight Leaves technique?"
The Ikaruga swordswoman hesitantly nodded. "It's known as the Zeroth Form, Twin Shadows."
Zeroth Form, Twin Shadows? A form that Rean hasn't heard of before; was it a form that Master Yun was keeping a secret from him, and maybe all his other students?! The young Divine Blade was lost in his thoughts as this new information became known to him.
"Now that I've told you, we will be going now. Kurogane! You two, let's go!"
"Yes, Lady Hime!" With a leap, the four shinobis disappeared into the night, leaving the two lovers alone.
Fie released her breath as she laid Rean on the ground.
The instructor then looked at his sorry state as his face turned pale. Now realizing what he has done, being in such an injured state, and breaking his promise to her. Fear took hold in Rean's heart as his lover looked him in the eye with a very blank expression, making it hard for him to tell if she was upset or not. Who was he fooling? He already knew that he made Fie upset because of his actions tonight.
Rean closed his eyes as he could feel a scolding incoming.
But it never came.
Instead, he felt her arms wrapped around him as her tears began to fall.
"Fie...?"
"You always try to do things on your own, even when you know I'm always there for you!" She cried; her tears refused to stop flowing. "I thought we were partners? You're not alone anymore; you don't have to do things on your own!" Clenching his bloody jacket, Fie delivered the scolding he expected. Each word was like an arrow piercing his heart, the guilt getting heavier. "Is it because you don't trust me...?"
Rean immediately pulled back, her reddened eyes caused his heart to feel heavy. "That's not true! You're the person I trust the most!"
Fie's eyes remained downcast, not looking into her partner's eyes.
The young man leaned his head over to connect their foreheads. "I am sorry for breaking my promise; and for being reckless again. I was being selfish and obsessed about searching for my master that I completely overlooked your feelings; I'm... so sorry, Fie..." He wrapped his arms around her as he gave her a tight embrace, wincing a bit.
"Don't force yourself! You're badly wounded..." She chastised him, but she responded in kind. "You made me worried sick, you idiot..." Even though she called him an idiot, her lips curled upward as she tightened her embrace.
"I know, I know." He reassured her. "I promise to be a better man for you."
'You already are...' She happily thought. "I'm glad I was able to get here in time."
"Wait, how did you know that I was here?" It only registered in his mind that Fie somehow knew he was in the forest.
"That's because—"
"I'll take it from here, Sylphid." A voice interjected as a woman came out of the shadows of the forest.
"You?! You're the woman we've been chasing back at the shopping district!" As Rean was about to get up, he was pulled down by Fie.
"Wait, Rean! She's on our side."
"You can calm down, Mr. Schwarzer. I was the one who told Sylphid your location." The black-haired woman disclosed, and before Rean would ask her himself, she decided to finally introduce herself. "I am Kilika Rouran; I work as an office manager at Rocksmith Agency and an aide for President Rocksmith himself."
The young woman, now known as Kilika Rouran, revealed her identity that made Rean almost do a double-take. Not ignoring her affiliation with the president and Calvard's intelligence agency, but what stood out to Rean was her name, Kilika Rouran; he felt like he has heard of her before.
"About an hour after you left, Kilika came by the inn and told me that you would be in danger. At first, I didn't believe her, but after realizing who she was, I went straight to the forest to see if I could make it in time. Good thing I did, too."
"Who she was? You're not just an office manager and aide?"
The Calvardian nodded. "Correct, I was also the former receptionist at the Zeiss branch of the Bracer Guild in Liberl."
"She and Zin are also colleagues, he's probably the associate she talked about with you during our first night." Fie added.
The swordsman was finally starting to piece everything together. Her association with Zin, a Calvardian bracer which Fie has worked with before, and her name being so familiar to him was the last piece to the puzzle. "You wouldn't happen to be the one who taught Angelica Rogner taito, right?"
Her eyes widen slightly by his deduction before nodding. "You're very perceptive, you are correct."
"That's not all, you also go by the Crimson Swallow if I am not mistaken."
"Correct again, is this one of your abilities as a Divine Blade?"
"Not exactly, after what you just told me, everything sorta clicked." Rean shrugged. "Besides, if it weren't for Fie telling me her stories about Zin the Immovable, I wouldn't have figured it all out."
"You're amazing, Rean." She smiled, causing her boyfriend to blush.
"Let's get back to something I have been meaning to ask, what do you know about the Ikaruga?"
Kilika then began telling the two all of the things she knows about the shinobi group. To Rean's disappointment, she too doesn't know much about them except for the things he was already told.
"So you already know that Yun Ka-Fai has some sort of relation to the Ikaruga?" Kilika asked as she placed a hand on her chin as she began processing the new info Rean has shared.
"Yeah, and a woman named Hime was a student of his. And she knows a form that I haven't heard before..." His gaze fell as he clutched his lap, Fie's hand was the only cure for his distress.
"I see. Thank you for that bit of info." She turned her back, looking like she was about to leave.
"Wait a minute! Why did you disguise yourself as a receptionist back at the inn before?" Rean still didn't understand why she did that.
"It is simple really. I had information that the Ashen Chevalier and his lover would go to that inn in Longlai, and I wanted to see them personally." She answered honestly.
"Geez, Zin was right when he said you were a tough one to read." Fie stated, Kilika chuckled at her remark.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Rean was the one to chuckle next. "Well, I should get going now, too. My apologies for attacking you two during our chase."
Rean sighed as he remembered that she threw a dagger at the two of them. "It's fine. You didn't have any ill intentions, so water under the bridge."
"Thank you, Mr. Schwarzer." She bowed with a smile. "I pray for you to have a swift recovery. May we see each other again."
"Yeah, same."
"Say hi to Zin for me when you see him, Kilika!"
She responded with a grin before leaving the forest completely.
A moment of silence passed before Rean spoke up.
"So," Rean started as he admired the full moon. "It's just the two of us now."
"Yeah..." Fie sat down right next to him as she took out a first-aid kit. Gently applying disinfectants to some cotton balls before applying them to his various cuts. Rean breathed through his teeth as tried his best not to wince from the pain; after everything he has put Fie through, it's only right he endures the pain. "Tell me if it hurts, okay?"
"I-I'm fine, Fie." He weakly smiled, only for her to stare at him blankly.
"You promised to be a better man, Rean. That also means telling your girlfriend the truth even when it's just first-aid." She stated with a half-lidded expression. "Or do you plan on breaking your promise again?"
"No, no, no! It hurts a bit, okay?" The instructor quickly confessed as he rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..."
"I know, Rean. I was just messing with you." She finished wrapping his left arm with bandages before hugging her lover as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm just scared of losing you again..."
"Fie..." He wrapped his arms around her as he began stroking her hair. "I'll try to not break anymore of my promises; to tell you everything, and I mean everything from now on. I don't want to keep worrying the most important person in my life."
"You know I'll always worry about you, Rean." She could feel the tears escaping from her eyes again. "But thanks for telling me that. Remember that I'm always here for you, okay?"
"Okay. You're the love of my life, after all." Fie looked up to see one of Rean's rare cheeky smile that was so infectious that she couldn't help grinning all over.
"And you're the love of my life."
The two enjoyed the night together, bathing in the moonlight for a few more minutes before heading to a nearby clinic so Rean could get some proper treatment. After most of his injuries were healed, the two returned to their inn and enjoyed each other's company as they focused on making the most of their vacation before they have to go back to their respective responsibilities.
That was a lot of promising breaking, huh? Oh, Rean, will you finally keep your promise of not getting killed... probably not. You guys probably didn't expect Kilika? Maybe? Or you knew? I give up. You could see that I brought back an old craft Rean used during CS1-2, I can't say that will happen often but look forward to future chapters. Since the Ikaruga never really showed any moves during the Calvard episode, I had to come up with my own, so sorry for the bad names. :P
The Trip to Longlai has finally come to an end, and we will be starting an original story to Rean's return to the Branch Campus to see what has happened while Crow was the instructor and to finally fulfilling one of Rean's promises, I won't say what though, hehe. And will Kilika make another appearance... maybe.
Please tell us your thoughts through the comments, they're great motivational boosters for us and makes us feel more motivated to write and upload chapters earlier! We are already writing Chapter 5 when this comes out, and spoiler warning, it will probably be not as long as the last two. Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter!