Sorry this took so long guys! I'm going to try and get the 3 final chapters out by the end of the year. no promises, but once I finish this, I'm moving my main focus onto Renegade, my transformers fic.

Warning for this chapter: Character death(but is it though?)

Enjoy!

~Silverleone

Well, it didn't take a few days, but it did take both of us switching out rowing, which Akumu wasn't too pleased about, to get to the island in just under one full day.

'Well, we're not there yet…probably another 10 minutes…'

"I'm surprised no one in that dump noticed us." I snapped a glare in her direction.

'She is so ungrateful.'

"Hey, if that had been any other tribe, you would've died on the spot. So be grateful."

"Yeah? Still a dump."

"Tch, whatever." I gently stood and stretched. "Alright, let's switch." Akumu almost dropped one of the oars into the water when she stood up. "Watch it!" I snagged it, almost falling on top of her at the same time. I caught myself with my free arm and immediately stood up, the boat rocking sightly.

"…Did you just try to feel me up…?" I snorted.

"Don't get your hopes up."

*SLAP*

"OW! Geez woman! What's it with you and violence?!" I brought my hand up to my cheek, which was surely turning red.

"What's with you and being a pervert?!"

"I'm not! You're the one that brought it up!"

"You idiot!"

*SLAP*

"O-WOAH!"

*SPLASH*

"HAHAHAHA!" I popped up out of the water to see Akumu laughing her butt off. I shook my head to try and rid of the water on my glasses, which didn't work. I sneakily swam to the other side of the boat. "Rai? Where are you? …Did I just drown him…? RAI?! Get up here right now!"

"If you say so!" I grabbed the side of the boat and rocked it. She, of course, wasn't ready for it, and fell in herself on the same side I had. "HAHAHA!" Then I heard a gasp and splashing. My eyes widened despite the salt water.

'She can't swim…!' I dove under the boat, and cracked my eyes slightly, trying to keep the salty water out of them. I saw Akumu and swam over, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the surface. I slapped her hand onto the edge of the boat and saw her grab it when her head broke the surface. She took one look at me.

*SLAP*

"OW! I will tie you up again!" I hauled her up into the boat and helped her sit down. "…Seriously, are you okay?" I just got a glare as she coughed a bit. Then she turned a bit green. "Oh no you don't! Over the side of the boat! Now!" I spun her so she was pointed to the side of the boat, her target now being the ocean, not me.

"…*panting*…I'm going to drown you…"

"I'm sorry, honestly. If I knew you couldn't swim, I wouldn't have done that. Are you good now?"

"I've been better…" I saw her shiver a bit. I grabbed her cloak from around her neck, while she protested, and twisted it to ring it out. "Hey! Careful with that!"

"I'm not gonna rip it. We gotta get you to that island." I gave her back her not-totally-soaked cloak and took off my katana, set it down, then took off my own coat, shaking it out. I slipped my coat back on and unsheathed my katana, dumping any water out of the sheath. I wiped off my blade, making sure there was no water that might make it rust. I slid the sword back into its sheath and dropped it back onto my shoulder.

I sat back down on the middle bench, grabbing the oars to get us moving. It was silent as Akumu tightly wrapped herself with her cloak, trying to ward off the chill setting in. Unfortunately, it wasn't working too well. I crossed the oars in my lap and held out my hand. "Give me your hand."

"What? Why?"

"Just gimme."

"Okay, now you definitely sound like a pervert…" She brought her hand out from behind the fabric and placed it in mine. Yeah, she was cold. I could feel the shivers. I cupped her hand in both of mine and closed my eyes in concentration. Eventually, I couldn't feel her shivering anymore and let go.

"Better?"

"…How'd you do that?" She looked at her hand in wonder, seeing if there was any marks or anything. I started rowing again.

"I pulled static from the surrounding air and used it to temporarily speed up the atoms in your body, creating friction, thus heat." She looked me over with a calculating eye.

"Wait…Are you an elemental?"

"No? I have no idea what that even is. I don't know what I am to be honest, but I do have an affinity for electricity… If anything…Tesla gave them to me."

"Wait…your pet?" I gave her a dead look.

"I told you. He's not a pet. He's the closest friend I've got here, along with Sting and Hiccup."

"Friend, pet, human, dragon. Whatever. But are you saying he gave you the power to control electricity?"

"Yeah. He pulls it from the clouds to create a charged beam. He's practically invincible when in a storm, and he can expand the lightning outwards like a sphere."

"I…you're pulling my leg."

"No, really." I stopped rowing again to pulled my shirt collar down below my necklace and move that to the side. There was a faded burn mark on my skin, with small red lightning like streaks expanding out from it.

"The accident we were in burned the image of a Zuni Bear into my skin." I let go of my shirt and necklace. "I don't know how I actually got my powers though. Maybe my necklace and Tesla's lightning did, or, something…like that…"

"How do I know you aren't making that up?"

"You don't. It could just be a story to catch your interest to keep you from getting cold." She looked around and noticed the sun was just about to go beneath the waves. I held off on rowing so we could get a good look.

"…We don't get sunsets like this back home…"

"No, we don't. That's one reason I'm going to miss this place…"

"…Did you at least say bye to them…?" I could tell she felt extremely awkward asking that question, and I looked at the floor of the boat.

"No…But maybe it's for the best. I've always hated goodbyes…Especially when they're, permanent…" I shook myself out of the stupor and started rowing. Eventually, I was able to hop off of the boat and pull it to shore, then help Akumu off.

"Come on, let's see if we can't find you a fire." I said.

"That sounds…oddly nice right now…"

"That's because you're shivering up a storm." She looked at her hands again and saw her skin was turning blue.

"Why aren't you shivering? You're being selfish and keeping all the static for yourself, aren't you?"

"Only because it will do neither of us good if we're both dying of hypothermia."

"So why not use it on just me?! Why just you?!"

"Because you have no wilderness survival skills, and you'd pick up the greenest wood around here. Plus, it takes a lot of concentration to just keep myself warm. Just enough as to where it's hard for me to walk, talk, and concentrate."

"I-You…fine. Be that way." I rolled my eyes while looking away from her.

"It's only to keep both of us alive Akumu."

"Yeah…sure it is."

««{{¤}}»»

Eventually, we found a decent little grove in the trees, dipping down to end in a small pond. I helped Akumu sit down and used my recently revealed powers to warm her up, "You'd better not leave me shivering here!" and went to get firewood. I had a decent amount, hopefully enough to stave off any cold we'd meet the rest of the night. I couldn't keep myself warm for very long, as the amount of concentration I had was waning. I made it back to our makeshift camp and dropped the wood on the ground. I was panting slightly from the exertion.

"Are you okay? You're sweating."

"Just, give me a minute…I had to break down a few times and let the air chill me." I sat there catching my breath. I piled the wood in a classic tepee shape and pulled out my sharpening stone. I reached back and pulled out my sword, bringing it around to rest in my lap.

"…What are you doing?"

"Getting a spark." I stated shortly as I sat still for a minute, once again concentrating. I could feel the static in the air, it made the hair on my arms stand on end. I concentrated the gathered energy into the hand holding my sword, then ran the sharpening stone along my blade once, creating a shower of sparks. Most of them landed on the wood, and soon it ignited. I leaned forward, gently blowing on the embers. Soon, there was a decent fire going, burning nice and warm. I motioned Akumu over. "Come on, it's no good if you freeze tonight."

"Finally." She grumbled as she scooted closer.

"You know, people will like you more if you were more grateful."

*Whack* I rubbed my now sore shoulder.

"Jerk." I silently sighed at her lack of manners. We stayed like that for a while. Me occasionally moving the fire around or adding fuel, while Akumu sat there, wrapped up completely in her cloak. She was still shivering.

"Akumu, try opening your cloak to the fire. It'll let more heat in and dry you out faster." She hesitated, then did as I suggested. We both noticed a difference with her shivering.

"Th…thank you…"

"You're welcome."

"…Why are you so nice to me…?" I kept my eyes on the fire, gently stirring hot coals. "I've tried to kill you for years now, and here you are, saving me from vikings and from freezing to death. Why?" I could tell it has been nagging her since I rescued her.

"To be honest…I felt bad." I said as I poked a branch deeper into the coals.

"…What?" I set down my makeshift poker and set my hands in my lap.

"I felt bad for thinking about just leaving you. I guess…I felt like I owed it to you to save your life." She didn't say anything for a while.

"Why?"

"You've asked that already. You're going to have to be more specific." I brushed my hair back from my eye and swatted at a random ember that was trying to sting me.

"Why did you feel like you owed it to me…?"

"I felt like I owed it to the person that introduced me to my best friend." I looked over to see her staring at me.

"So all of the times I tried to kill you, whether directly or not, is pointless because you met a dragon…?" I nodded and looked up at the stars as embers danced in the sky.

"I already got my revenge when I killed you Akumu. But revenge is a dish best served cold, and when I had realized what I'd just done…It nearly drove me insane…" I smiled without feeling, staring at the small fire that was our source of heat.

"But I…I deserved it! I almost killed your parents!" She was scrambling for a good reason for me to still be mad at her.

"Yes, but you didn't."

"Because you stopped me!"

"Yes. And I've regretted the way I did every day since."

««{{Flashback}}»»

"Come on…faster…faster…" I was booking it through the streets of my home town. I was jumping over people and objects, shoving my way through crowds. I gritted my teeth and pulled out my badge, holding it above my head. "POLICE! MAKE A HOLE!" Everyone scurried to move out of the way. I ran at my top speed as the crowd parted. I kept calling out every once in a while, making sure everyone ahead moved. There were a few people who wouldn't/couldn't move in time, and I leaped over or danced around them.

"Grr, come on! Why did I have to be so far away! POLICE! MOVE!" I vaulted over a trash can in the middle of the sidewalk. "POLICE OUT OF THE WAY!" Crowds of people moved to make a path for me. I crossed the street and turned down an alley way. I could hear sirens in the distance.

'They won't make it in time!' I pushed my body to the max, trying to reach my house. 'Mom! Dad! I'm coming! Just hold on!' I burst out of the alley, only to run into a full trash can. A shop owner started yelling at me. I wanted to throw a "SORRY!" over my shoulder, but I couldn't stop for anything. I saw my house in the distance, a simple two story that didn't stand out from the others, at least not to anyone else. I skidded when I reached my walkway and vaulted the gate; I leaped up all four of the steps. I slammed the door open, only to freeze.

"So nice of you to join us Rai. Isn't it, Mrs. Taiki?" Akumu was standing next to my parents, who were sitting in two chairs tied back to back in the living room.

"LET THEM GO!" I started to run forward, only for Akumu to point a gun at them. "No! What do you want?! I'll do anything! Just leave them out of this!" I swung my arm to the side, my eyes wide with desperation.

"Rai! Who is this?!" My mom was understandably freaking out, and my dad appeared to be unconscious, his head leaning to one side. That was bad. My father had been in two branches of the US military before they moved to Japan, and was very well trained in combat, both distance and close combat. Out of the both of us, I'd figured myself to fall first in a fight.

"Oh? You didn't tell them about us? I'm disappointed Rai, I thought we were close…" She petted the barrel of her gun with a finger. She acted like she was pouting. I gritted my teeth, trying not to do something I'd regret.

"Shut up and let. Them. Go."

"But Rai! We have to tell them about us! They'll be so excited!" She bounced up onto her toes a bit, making me internally gag.

"You're not telling them squat! Now leave!" I threw my arm back to the door.

"Ah-ah-ah, I'm not leaving until they know e~ver~y~thing…! Oh this'll be so fun!"

"You have ten seconds to leave…" I was shaking now, the adrenaline from the running, and now seeing my parents threatened, was throwing me off kilter.

"Hmm…too bad…'cause you have five!" She whipped the gun back around to point at my mom's head. "There's no way you can reach me in time Rai. I guess you'll just have to tell them everything."

"No…"

"Five…"

"Please! Don't do this!"

"Four…"

"Stop it!"

"Three!" She was getting a sickening amount of glee from this, looking like a kid who'd found the candy stash. Sweat was running down my neck, and I could only plead for their lives.

"Akumu! Don't!"

"Two! Wow, you're really pushing it Rai, you sure you don't want to tell them?" She brought the barrel of the gun up to poke her cheek, thinking she was cute or something.

"FINE! I'll tell them, just stop! Just, stop…" My arms were up, hands gesturing in a stop motion.

"Hmm…Too late! One." The gun barrel slowly fell back down to point at my mother's head. She gave me one last sickeningly sweet smile, then twitched her finger. My eyes bugged out of my head.

"NO!"

*BANG* I heard my mom scream, and I looked down to see my last resort in my hands. I looked back up to see a shocked look on Akumu's face.

"…I thought you didn't used a gun…" Rage blinded me.

"I don't."

*BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG* Her arm slumped to her side, her gun dropping to the floor. She looked down at the six bullet holes bleeding through her clothes. She looked back up at me, a shocked and hollow look on her face, then dropped to the floor. I shakily looked at the gun in my hands, tossing it away in mute disgust, our last words echoing in my head.

I ran over and quickly untied my parents, the three of us, my dad having woken up because of the gun shots, holding each other in our arms. I couldn't focus, and I just had a stone cold look in my eyes. Officers flooded into the house from the front and back, searching the rooms. My Chief walked up to us, and knelt in front of me, trying to get my attention.

"Officer Taiki? You and your family need to come with us for questioning…"

««{{Flashback}}»»

"Not even counseling helped. I went cold to the world after that day. It didn't matter how loving or kind someone was. I closed myself off." Akumu's eyes widened as realization set in.

"You…I…You regretted it…?" I nodded, not looking up.

"I never wanted to Akumu. I cherish life, the moments it gives, whether good or bad. The fact that I took that away from you…" A strange look slowly grew on her face, I could see it out of the corner of my eye. Something shifted in her eyes.

'Am…Am I getting through to her…? Did it finally click, that what she was doing was wrong…?'

"I forced you to do something. I made you kill. All those men I sent after you, and you never killed one of them. You only disarmed them and sent them to jail. You've never killed anyone else…" Her head dropped into her hands. "I made you kill me…I…I made you take my life. I didn't give you a choice. It was me or your family, why wouldn't you kill me? I would have done it without a second thought…I…I…"

"…Akum-!"

"I'M SORRY!" She shouted, her eyes closed as a tear fell. I froze as those words came out of her mouth, and numbly stared at the fire, listening to her cry.

'She's…sorry…?' I slowly looked over at her, to see her legs tucked in with her arms around them. She had her head pressed to her knees, and her body was racked with sobs. 'She looks so weak so…fragile…compared to normal. She actually regrets what she did. What she made me do…' Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself wrapping my arms around Akumu, gently rocking her as she repeatedly whispered "I'm sorry" out loud.

We stayed like that for who knows how long.