I woke up to sunlight blinding me. I lifted my arm to place my elbow over my eyes.
"Mph…Tesla, you left the window open…"
"Well, considering we're not in a house, I think it's safe to say the window's not open." My eyes snapped open and I immediately reached for myk atana, rolling into a crouch.
"Akumu!" I looked over to see Akumu crouched over the dead fire, poking at it with a stick. Her gaze snapped over to me at the alertness in my voice, then froze when she saw my hand gripping the handle of my sword.
"…Yeeees?" I dropped my hand, taking a deep breath. We both relaxed.
"Sorry…old habit…"
"I understand. How do you think I felt waking up to see you sleeping near me?"
"I…" My eyes widened in shock, memories of last night came flooding back. Me breaking her out of jail. Getting off of Berk and coming here. Akumu realizing what she had done, and me silently consoling her.
"Ew! I knew you were a pervert! No! I didn't touch you, ya freak! Why would I ever…" She rambled on for a second, before stopping to watch me crack up laughing. Her eyes narrowed to slits and the venom in her voice was unmistakable. "…What's so funny…?"
"I-haha, I'm sorry, but you-! Hahaha, assuming that's what I was thinking about! I'm dying! Help me!" I was literally rolling on the ground. She huffed, which turned into a weak laugh.
"Yeah…I guess it was pretty ridiculous…" Her face went red and she clenched her jaw. I sat up, trying to choke down my laughter.
"I'm sorry Akumu. I shouldn't have laughed."
"No, no. It's fine, I'm used to it anyway…" I sobered up pretty quickly at that.
'Crap, now she's in a bad mood…' I stood up and stretched out my sore muscles from sleeping on the ground.
"I'm going to go get us food, be right back." I started to walk out of the clearing.
"Wait, what?" I stopped and turned.
"I'm going hunting."
"You can't just leave me here!"
"You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Also, I don't want to be around whenever you take your bath."
"…Bath…?" Her face went redder than it had before, understandably. But I tried to ignore it, gesturing to the pond in the center of the clearing.
"Yes, neither of us have had good showers in a long time, a bath's the next best thing. Get to it, I'll be back in half an hour."
"How am I supposed to know how long that is?!" I stopped, turned, quirked an eyebrow, then dug something out of my pocket and underhand tossed it to her. She caught it, and looked to see a pocket watch. She popped it open to see the hands reading 6:02. I gave her a quick look, then a smile.
"Don't loose that, have fun!" I walked off, disappearing into the brush. I turned my head slightly to catch her voice yelling at me through the trees.
"If I catch you peeking, and I will know! You're dead meat Taiki!" I chuckled and mumbled to myself.
"Now…where are those rabbits I heard last night…?"
««{{¤}}»»
I arrived back at camp holding two chickens by their feet. I walked right up to Akumu and dropped them at her feet.
"EEEEEEEEE!"
"Great Scott woman! I've got ears you know!" I said, reeling from the volume.
*SLAP*
"OW!" She grabbed the front of my shirt.
"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?! Dropping dead creatures right at my feet?! I outta skin you with your own sword!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd freak like that!"
*SLAP*
"Woman! Stop! Hitting me!"
"I'll stop when you stop being an idiot! Which to me, looks very far off!"
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! Just, put the hands down. Those things are like loaded weapons…" She backed off, letting go of my shirt.
"You should be sorry…" She muttered. I reached up and placed my hand on her shoulder.
"That was stupid of me."
"Yeah it was…"
"D-Hey!" She simply hmmph'd and turned her head away, a still slightly damp lock of hair slapping me in the face. I huffed and scooped up the two chickens. I sat down to pluck and skin them.
««{{¤}}»»
"This is…actually really good…"
"That's because these chicken weren't raised by humans, and they don't have to deal with our pollution contaminating their food."
"I didn't know you knew so much." She said after a quiet moment.
"I studied under a Veterinarian for about a year. I thought it was what I wanted to do, then Law Enforcement found me."
"…Same with me…" I set my chicken down on the log that substituted for a table, and gently snapped my fingers to get her to look at me.
"Hey…it's all in the past. Let it go."
"But I hunted you down for months! I sent every goon I had at you, trying to make you slip up! I almost shot your mother! Without remorse! How can you just forget about that?!" For a second, my mind went back to that day, and I felt a rush of anger.
"I haven't!" I snapped, only to immediately regret it seeing her flinch at the harsh tone. I took a calming breath. "I haven't. The memories of that day will forever haunt me. But my parents raised me to forgive and forget. I may not always remember that, ironically, but I do my best to do so, because I know what happens to those who don't." I picked up my chicken again.
"It eats them from the inside out, tearing at their heart and mind till their nothing but a living corpse. I would know. I lived that life." She tilted her head. She was curious.
"What do you…mean?"
"After I killed you, I went after every single criminal in the books. I hunted them, then broke their minds and spirits. I made them shells of their former selves. I made them admit to everything they'd done. And for a while? Even though I was the youngest, I was the best man on the force. I was the one everyone cheered for when I walked into the room. I was a prodigy in the station…But I was empty, I didn't care."
"What happened…?"
"I was pulled into the Chief Mandor's office one day. And you know what he said? He said, 'Officer Taiki, you've done more work for the force in the past three months than some of my best men have in a year, combined.' I barely acknowledged what he said, a picture pinned to the wall detracted me." My voice started to shake, and I clenched my fists.
"…What was it?"
"…You."
"What?" She pulled back in confusion and disgust.
"He kept your picture on the wall, like a trophy." I spat in disgust.
««{{Flashback}}»»
"Chief…what is that…?" I asked, staring at the photo. Half the photo was red from the blood that had covered the hard wood flooring, framing the crumpled form of my nightmares. The memories of that evening ran through my head, leaving me void of the lightheartedness that I had to build over the past few weeks. I had only just started to fix myself. That photo undid all of that progress.
"Oh that? I keep that up there as a reminder to the men. If you can use a gun when the time comes, so can they." I stood there shocked. I didn't know what to say. The emotions that I'd kept bottled up since that day came back full force. Fear turned to anger, and I felt something snap. I walked over to the wall without saying anything, ripping the photo off the wall, tearing it to pieces. Of course the Chief protested at this action.
"Taiki! What's the matter with you?!" I snapped over my shoulder.
"Do you think this is a joke?!" Mandor pulled back at this. I had always been the quiet one, never really raising my voice unless needed, so the fact that I pretty much shouted at him was a new feeling.
"Of course I don't! But it's a reminder that people can make the right calls in the toughest situations!" I slowly turned around, lifting my head. He froze when he saw my eyes, aged gray meeting electric blue.
"…So you think I'm weak…That's it, isn't it…?"
"I never said that."
"But you implied it." He stood up, slamming his hand on the desk.
"I did not! You are the strongest man on my force, I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"…You disgust me Mandor." I said, a scowl pulling at my lips.
"What?! You have no right to talk to me that way! I am the Chief of this station!"
"And a man who thinks murder means strength!" I actually shouted this time. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and saw a few officers watching through the glass. I turned my head away, and shut my eyes to keep the wild look in them contained.
When I spoke next, my voice was a harsh whisper, but it carried through the open door, allowing the others within hearing to understand what I was saying.
"So, you think I'm weak…? Too weak to use a gun…? Too weak to do what I need to…? Think on this, Chief," I snarled, the jeer obvious, "The next time someone is holding a gun to your parents' heads, and you freeze up, then you can tell me who is weak!" I yanked my badge off my belt, having given up my gun after the event, and slammed it on the table with enough force to crack the glass. I walked out of the precinct, never looking back.
««{{Flashback}}»»
I looked at the ground, my body numb as I remembered the thoughts running through my head back then. "Then I went home, explained what happened to my parents, and went on to continue training, mastering my skills in Martial Arts." I looked up at the sky, eyes clouded with past memories. I felt two arms wrap around me, and I looked down to see Akumu hugging me. She looked up and her eyes were misted. When she spoke, her voice cracked.
"I'm s-so sorry, I put you through that. It's my fault…If I hadn't…If I'd only…" I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close.
"Shh, it's all in the past now…Just forget about it." My voice dropped down to a whisper. "It's all in the past."
One moment I was asleep, the next Akumu was screaming, and I was standing over her with my katana in my hands.
"RAI?!" I froze for a second to register our attacker.
"ASTRID?!"
"What are you doing here?!" We both stopped and stared, then we lowered our weapons, myself sheathing mine. I saw Stormfly behind her, twisting her head to get a clear look with one eye.
"I was searching for you. *Beat* And her. Rai, what's going on? Why are you here, why is she here? How is she here?" I stepped back, not having a good enough explanation for her.
"I…" Astrid narrowed her eyes.
"…Did you…break her out…?"
"Yes, he did." Akumu stood up and placed herself on my right. I could tell she was nervous. When it came to fighting me, I had been trained to fight with honor, I wouldn't metaphorically kick her below the belt. Vikings in general? …Yeah… Plus? I had only been training for a few years, meaning I wasn't as fully capable as the masters of the Arts. Vikings, on the other hand? They generally train all of their lives. Since she was never able to beat me, hence the both of us standing here now, she figured that she would have trouble fighting against an angry, axe wielding, female viking.
"Akumu, not right now…"
"Yes right now. I'm not going to put up with this random girl walking in on us."
"Wait…what?!" Astrid's eyes were huge.
'Aaaaand there's the axe again…'
"Astrid no! She worded that badly! Very, badly… Didn't you, Akumu…?" I quietly growled that last part. Akumu's eyes shot open and she took a step back, weakly chuckling at her mistake.
"Ahhh…Oops…?" I turned my attention back to the sharp object ready to lob my head off.
"Astrid, drop the axe."
"But she tried to kill you! How, and why are you sleeping in the middle of the woods with her?!" She hefted the axe, and I stepped in between the two women, slightly spreading my arms out to the side.
"Just! Stop. Astrid, this situation is far beyond what you could understand right now-"
"So. Make. It. Clear." I sighed in frustration.
"Fine! Just, put the axe away…" Astrid's gaze was flicking back and forth between us. She sighed, and dug one blade into the ground, leaning on the handle.
"Explain…" So I did. I told her most of what happened last night. (You! Yes you! Get yo mind outta the freakin' gutter! I meant I didn't say anything about Akumu crying. *muttering quietly* Ya sick pervert…)I was trying to ignore the fact that Astrid looked ready to kill me at any point.
"…And that's when I woke up to an axe in my face."
"…So, you broke her out of jail…so you could go home…?"
"That's about it, yes."
"But why? I thought we were going to figure this whole thing out together. You were just going to leave? What about Hiccup? What about me? The other riders or the rest of Berk?! What about Sting and Tesla-!"
"Enough!" My words echoed across the clearing as I shouted at the ground. The small birds that had been nearby went silent. Akumu put her hand on my shoulder.
"Rai…?" I gently shrugged her off. There was a pained look on my face as I met Astrid's eyes. It took me a moment to gather myself so I could speak.
"…You want to know why, Astrid…? You want to know why, I'm just leaving everything? Because I couldn't make myself leave if I had to say goodbye. They were always too painful for me," I stated matter-of-factly, My throat started to tighten up, "I'd stay here because I wouldn't be able to stand seeing everyone else's crushed faces. I can already see them now! But actually seeing them? It would tear me apart Astrid!" I tore my eyes away, glaring at the ground. We were all silent for a few minutes.
"…I. I didn't know you felt that way…" I weakly scoffed, not wanting to meet her gaze.
"That's because you don't know me…"
"What are you talking about? Of course I know you!"
"Stop it. Eret already tried that with me. It won't work."
"What won't work?"
"You're trying to make me out to be some great guy, well I'm not."
"I never said that." Astrid folded her arms. "I'm only saying I know you."
"Which, to be blunt, isn't very much."
"Rai! Stop being stubborn!"
"I'm not. I'm being honest."
"How is tearing into yourself being honest?!" The exasperation in her voice would have made me cringe normally, but right now it only made me frown deeper.
"Because it's what I've needed to hear for a long time!" I snapped my vision up to meet hers for a split second, then jerked away again.
"How-WHAT?! How does that make any sense?!" Akumu stepped forward, interjecting. I turned and walked away by a few steps, not quite out of hearing range. Akumu talked in a calm voice while Astrid silently seethed at the both of us.
"Astrid right? I don't know about you, but I've known Rai for years now. He's always putting on a mask, keeping himself in check. He's never really let anyone get too close to him, afraid he's going to hurt them, or vise versa. Now that he's met all of you, his heart has opened to outsiders for the first time in a long time, and it's made it all the more painful, knowing he has to leave…and never see you again."
"…He doesn't have any friends…?" Her shock was very evident, but not unexpected.
"Only a select few. Because he was afraid for and of them. Afraid of the heart break they could accomplish if they got too close to each other…"
"So he cut himself off from the world…to protect his loved ones…" Akumu solemnly nodded.
"He hid everyone he cared about. Not interacting with them unless needed. That's how he lived for the past two years." I noticed Astrid lift her head as a thought crossed her mind.
"…Wait…He said you've been trying to kill him for two years." My eyes widened.
'No…Astrid, stop. You're only going to make things worse!'
"…It was you…" My head snapped over, not caring if she knew I'd heard. "You're the one who did this to him…aren't you?" The fire in her eyes was burning hot enough that I could practically feel it from here. Akumu almost flinched, but held back. Her head dropped down slightly, and her face pinched in a harsh grimace.
"Yes. It was me. I'm the one who made Rai bury his emotions…I'm the one who made him cower anytime someone tried to talk to him. It's my fault." No one moved for a solid minute. Then Astrid kicked her axe up out of the ground and swung with a shout.
"NO!" I didn't remember even moving, but next thing I knew my sword deflected the axe.
"What are you doing?! She ruined your life Rai!" She spun to do a back-hand sweep, trying to get around me.
"Stop it!" I maneuvered over and knocked her axe into the ground, sinking the blade into the dirt. Astrid took a step away from her currently useless weapon, the fire still burning hot in her eyes.
"She made you miserable! She made you lifeless! How can you just stand there and protect her?!"
"Because I've had my revenge!" I stood tall between the two women.
"How is protecting her revenge?! Are you hearing yourself right now?!" I stood there staring at her, "Answer me!"
"You want to know why?! Why I'm doing any of this?!"
"Yes! Now TELL me!"
"…" I was seething.
"ANSWER ME!" Something snapped, and the flood gates opened. Everything came out in four very loud words. I stabbed my sword into the ground, shouting out.
"BECAUSE I KILLED HER!"