Chosen One
By: Kin'iro Hi-Torii
Chapter Five
"Here put this on!" Dilandau tossed her a set of armor. Chi held it up.
"You're joking right?" Chi arched a brow. Dilandau shrugged.
"Women who wear bulky armor like ours draw a lot of attention. We're going to Turoshina and you can't attract too much attention."
"LIKE THIS WON'T ATTRACT ATTENTION?!" Chi screamed as she waved the skimpy armor around. "All the men in Turoshina will be staring at my ass including YOU!"
Dilandau shrugged again. "Just put it on!"
Chi grumbled and pulled a curtain back to block her from view. Dilandau started to laugh as he heard her undo her zipper. "SHUT UP!!" a shoe appeared out of nowhere and hit him in the face.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
"Gee I wonder…" came Chi's sarcastic voice. She started throwing her clothes over the top of the curtain. "I can't believe this… this is total bull…" she grumbled.
"What was that?" Dilandau asked.
"Never mind!" Chi pulled back the curtain, adorned in her new armor. Her face was beet red. Dilandau started to giggle. "Come here so I can smack you!" Chi threatened. The armor she was wearing consisted of a pair of black short shorts, with a wide belt. She had knee-high black leather combat boots on. She had a small dark silver chest plate and a shoulder plate that came down to her elbow. Her shirt was a belly-shirt that was red. "I demand a sword!" she barked.
"Why?" Dilandau asked, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"So I can smack you with it!"
Dilandau just started laughing even harder.
"You're so rotten to me!" Chi buried her face in her hands and started to pretend cry. Dilandau thought she really was crying and started to feel bad. He frowned.
"Oh come on… it's not THAT bad!" he tried to comfort her. Chi looked up, with no tears on her face and grinned.
"Did you really think I was crying, you loser?"
A huge sweatdrop dripped down Dilandau's forehead. "Damn you Chi…" Dilandau gripped her forearm and started to drag her out of the tent.
"I can walk, Monkey Boy!" Two horses were waiting for them outside the tent, held by Raffe.
"I thought I told you we only needed one!" Dilandau barked. Chi forcefully pulled away from him.
"I don't want to ride on the same horse as YOU! You scare me…"
"Fine, fine… Hurry up and mount!"
Chi easily got up onto the horse. Dilandau mimicked. "We will be back in two days… until then Gatty is in charge…"
"Yessir!" said Raffe. Dilandau kicked his horse and started riding toward the rising sun.
"Cue the western music… I hate getting up so early…" Chi mumbled. Her horse caught up to Dilandau's. "So why exactly are we going to Turoshina anyway?"
"Because this is a date…"
"NANI?!"
"I'm kidding… take a joke…" Dilandau rolled his eyes.
"Screw you…"
"We're going because there's a tavern there-" Chi interrupted him.
"We're going just so you can get drunk aren't we?" A sweatdrop dripped down Dilandau's forehead.
"Will you let me finish?!" he barked.
"Yes oh oneness…" Chi rolled her eyes.
"There's a lot of gossip that goes on there… we can listen in on people's conversations and see what's happening… I want to know if anyone else knows that the Messiah of the Phoenix has arrived…"
"That would be me right?"
"No!" he said sarcastically. "It's someone… else…"
"Shaddup!"
Van sat beside Hitomi's bed. He was fast asleep because he had stayed up all night, waiting for her to wake up. Hitomi stirred slightly and opened her eyes. She smiled softly at Van, and began to shake his shoulder gently. "Van…"
Van slowly opened his red eyes. "…" The blurred image of a woman was in front of him and he had to blink a couple times to see clearly. "Hitomi!" He flung his arms around her in a welcoming embrace. "I missed you! How have you been? Where did you go when you left?"
Hitomi frowned slightly. "… Not so well. Van, when I left… I got lost in the forest. I was living off the land for quite some time. And now I finally found civilization."
Van smiled gratefully. "Well it's good that you're back, then. We can get you all washed up and well again. Merle can't wait to see you."
Hitomi nodded and together they left the room.
Dilandau opened his eyes just to see the back of Chi's head. His eyes widened.
"We'll camp here for tonight!" Dilandau had said to Chi as the stars sparkled in the night sky.
"Ok…" Chi dismounted her horse and pulled off her two blankets. The full Gaean moon shone overhead, with the Mystic Moon behind it. The eerie light cast by the moon gave the surrounding trees and almost creepy glow. Chi spread out her blankets on the ground as Dilandau started a fire. She took off her chest plate and boots and set them neatly on the ground next to her blankets. Dilandau had gotten the fire started and Chi scooted closer to try and warm herself. She rubbed her arms and rocked back and forth, she was so cold. Dilandau came up behind her and draped a blanket over her shoulders.
"Thank you." She muttered and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Dilandau tossed her a large yellow fruit. She caught it with both hands and turned it over, examining it. "What's this?"
"Dinner, it's called star fruit…" Dilandau sat on the other side of the fire and sunk his teeth into the fruit.
"Star fruit huh?" Chi took a bite, it was very sweet. "They have a fruit just like this on the Mystic Moon, in a country called the Philippines."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah… I have a friend who is Filipina. I've never tried one though, before now of course…" Chi lowered her gaze. "I miss her… my friends are the only thing I miss…" she added bitterly and threw the remnants of the fruit into the fire.
She keeps pushing him away
As he tries to be friendly
Her heart is cold, like ice
But winter always ends…
"How many friends did you have on the Mystic Moon?" Dilandau asked, slowly chewing his fruit.
"Not many, I was always too paranoid to really trust anyone, so I didn't have many friends. My best friend whom I had known since we were infants moved away recently."
Dilandau chewed thoughtfully. "Well maybe if you weren't so paranoid you could have more friends…"
"I don't need to have a lecture from you of all people!" Chi said angrily. "You are in no position to condescend to me!" Dilandau's eyes widened.
'That sounds like something I would say…' he thought. "No need to be bitchy about it!" he said.
"In case you're forgetting you need me after all… I don't have to help you! So you better watch it!"
Dilandau threw his fruit remnants into the fire in anger. "I don't have to put up with your shit!" He stood up and stomped over to his horse, and pulled off his two blankets. "I just try to have a nice conversation with you and you bite my damned head off!"
"Well EXCUSE ME!! You're not necessarily one to have a 'nice' conversation!"
"Whatever…" Dilandau muttered as he pulled off his armor and shirt. Chi blushed and turned away.
'Damn he is built!' she thought. Dilandau turned back to her and noticed her face was red and a sweatdrop on her forehead.
"You ok?" he asked.
"I'm fine!" Chi squeaked.
"You're blushing!" Dilandau said, and he smirked.
"It's just the fire Bakayarou (idiot)!" Chi snapped.
"Ok whatever you say!" Dilandau knew perfectly well why she was blushing, but decided it wasn't wise to press the matter. He walked back over to the fire and sat down on his blankets. Chi was staring absentmindedly into the fire as she pulled the blanket tighter around her. "You still cold?" he asked.
"Yeah…" Chi said in a nonchalant manner. Dilandau stood up and took his blankets with him. He walked around to Chi's side of the fire and laid his blankets down next to her. He sat down beside her and she immediately felt warmer.
"Better?" He asked.
"Yeah, actually…" Chi said in a surprised tone.
"My mystical vibes saved your life!" Dilandau said cockily.
"I wasn't going to freeze to death you idiot! Stop being so egotistical! You bug me!"
"Well gee… your welcome! By the way…" Dilandau lay down. Chi immediately felt bad.
"Oh jeese… I'm sorry… Thank you!" Chi lay down as well.
Now Dilandau was awake and Chi had somehow made her way next to him. He gasped and pulled his hand away when he realized his arm was draped over her waist. Chi just moaned and rolled over, so now she was facing him. Dilandau jumped up, blushing furiously, and quickly folded up his blankets. He strapped them to his horse and went back to Chi. He kneeled down behind her and gently took her shoulders and tried to wake her up.
"Chi… come on… wake up!"
"NO!" Chi cried out in her sleep and her hand flew out of nowhere and smacked Dilandau right in the nose. Dilandau whimpered and fell back, holding his nose.
"DAMN YOU CHI!" He yelled. Chi bolted upright at the sound of him shouting.
"What did I do now?" Chi said innocently. Then she noticed Dilandau clutching his nose. "Oh… my bad… sorry about that Dilly!" She smiled brightly.
"Dilly?" said Dilandau, uncovering his nose and staring dumbfounded at her.
"Would you prefer 'Monkey Boy'?"
"I would prefer you call me Dilandau-sama!"
"Ah, no! I refuse!" Chi stuck up her nose. "You can't make me!"
Dilandau's face filled with anger and he advanced on her. Chi held her ground. He took hold of her arms and lifted her a few inches off the ground. Chi didn't seem to care. "You aren't scared of me, are you?" Dilandau asked.
"No." Chi said flatly. Dilandau shoved her against a tree.
"How about now?"
"Nope."
Dilandau smirked slightly and started to lean closer to her.
"Ok now you're scaring me!" Chi said frantically as she tried to get away. Dilandau kept leaning closer, a little too close for Chi's comfort. "Dilandau! STOP IT!" She screeched desperately. Dilandau finally stopped when he was about ¼ inch away from her lips. He smiled and dropped her to the ground.
"Ha. I scared you!" He chuckled and turned away.
"I hate you." Chi mumbled flatly. "Don't ever do that to me again! I could have a heart attack!" Dilandau spun around and Chi bumped into him.
"One of these days Chi…" he said softly. "I will kiss you… I promise!"
"Yeah you try it asshole, and my foot will connect with your balls!" Said Chi, waving a fist in his face. Dilandau just laughed and walked away. "I promise! You will not have children if you kiss me!"
To be continued…