Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.
Only in Dreams
By: Chibi Nataku
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.
Chapter 3 - From Nightmares back to Dreams
Yuber looked around the burning village and suddenly fell to one knee, his strength and energy leaving him. He struggled to resist the pull of the Rune which was attempting to drag him into his own mind where he knew that it would have more control. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his vision slowly darkened, and he felt himself falling forward to the ground. He was vaguely aware that it had started to rain, but he had no energy to pull himself up and under some shelter, eventually surrendering to the new Rune.
In the darkness he came aware once more, but he knew that he was not alone in his mind. As he sat up, his gaze moved to a web nearby, and the huge black spider that was watching him. It was strange that the web was designed in an Eightfold flower and a symbol much the same was on the back on the spider which was slowly moving towards him. He felt eight eyes on him and scrambled back when he found the spider too close for comfort, eventually being forced to stop when webbing shot up from what could have been considered the ground and grabbed his wrists, legs, and neck. He glared at the eight eyes that were watching him and struggled to break the hold of the webbing.
'I have been searching for you, boy. You have managed to escape me more times than you are even aware of, but luckily, I had a good past puppet who resolved herself to tracking you down for me. Now, you are mine for awhile.' The giant spider chuckled to itself and gestured in the air with a leg, an image of his burning village conjuring itself inbetween them. The spider watched his memory of the event before chuckling again, this time a sly, silky laugh. 'Nevermind them, boy. The sweet smell of their blood must have excited you to continue...I am slightly impressed. Even at such a young age, you were more dangerous than they gave you credit for. Truly a piece of work. I can't wait to try you out for myself.'
Yuber pulled hard on the webbing, glaring at the spider in front of him. 'What the hell are you? I've heard of no Rune that can do these things!'
The spider took a few steps closer, now within easy reach of the blonde's legs. 'I am your teacher from now on, boy. You may know me as the Eightfold Rune, but I am very much in control here so don't try anything stupid. Besides, I have all the answers to your questions, even those that you are not yet aware of. It would be best if you found out who you really are. You are more than what you think you have become.'
Yuber growled angrily and wished he could get free, grunting as the webbing began to cut into his flesh at his struggles. 'I don't care what you think you can accomplish, but I want nothing to do with the atrocities that you made that woman commit! I only need one person in my life, and that is Mia! I won't commit murder for you!'
'You already have, boy. You bathed in the blood of the innocent even before I came along so you are just as blood-thirsty as Miku was.' The spider chuckled and grabbed the blonde's left ankle while gesturing in the air with another arm, forming an image between it and Yuber. 'I shall show you what you have hidden from yourself, boy.'
'I don't want to see your lies!' Yuber screamed, forcing distance between him and the spider with sheer mental stubbornness, smirking when he seemed far away and the webbing that covered him fell away. He stood and dusted off his clothes, proud of his accomplishment. He knew little of the True Runes aside from their existance, but he wanted to be rid of the one that had tried to snare him.
He could suddenly hear screaming, vague and distant, however, it became increasingly loud as the seconds passed by until it sounded like it was right beside him. Looking down, he took a step away as a younger form of himself knelt screaming in anguish, blood covering his clothing, just like on that day so long ago. It became clear that he was back to the end of his innocence, the smell of recent death as clear as it had been those years back, but something seemed so different, like he was suddenly remembering something new about his surroundings.
His family still lay in their various forms of death and the soldiers that attacked had only recently left, and he had only now managed to crawl from his coverings beneath the barn. He was suddenly the boy again, suddenly filled with the past, the pain, the cold, the utter terror of being alone.
He climbed to his feet and began running, this time into town, to find comfort in the people that had watched him grow up and would certainly offer some aid. The rock path seemed so long beneath his short legs, but as he approached, he could see that most of the villagers had gathered on the edge of town, now watching him struggle towards them. He stopped a few yards away, wiping some of his tears, unsure of what he was supposed to say to them. He was confused when they started to whisper amoungst themselves, odd thoughts of why he should have died along with his family or figures that he comes covered in mud. He found no comfort in their stares and rude glances.
When the village elder told him to be on his way out of the village and to never return because this would not be the first time that he would find himself hunted, he felt betrayed. These people were the only one's that he knew; they should feel for him as he had lost everything. The more that they gestured in the direction that he should go, the more he started to shake and not from the cool breeze of the evening. He looked at his mud-soaked shoes, swallowed the lump in his throat and suddenly wished that his village was as dead as his family.
Something seemed to click. He felt something within himself and took a step back, watching his body as it exploded with deafening energy, the villagers all so horrified. He could only watch in slight bewilderment and follow along with his body as he flew into action with such intensity that he was left speechless. He remained in silent wonder as he grabbed a machete and charged into the village, his body illuminated with a strange light. Every attack that fell on his body bounced away, but his attacks were with such animalistic ferocity and full of anger and hate that no one lived pasted his first attack. The villagers screamed and ran from him, but everytime he caught them, and he killed each and everyone of them until nothing was left but the light from his own body.
He stood silent, watching his own body as it heaved with exertion. He walked around and looked into his own face that was covered with the blood of the villagers, but the eyes were intense. Where blue eyes once were, now golden eyes with red rims stared out into the night, and he listened as it began to rain. He became aware of his own laughter, haunting and heavy, much to deep to be the voice of a child. A strange symbol appeared on his forehead, one that was mostly covered with soaked golden bangs and abstructed from view aside from the glow.
Then, just as suddenly as the symbol appeared, the light faded along with his laughter. The hateful golden eyes shifted briefly from blue back to gold then returned to the cobalt blue that he was used to seeing on himself. His eyes seemed very empty, the light leaving them as he collasped to the ground, face down in the mud. He felt himself being dragged back to his body and idly wondered why he was not drowning in the puddle of mud that he was lying in. And so blissful darkness took him...
Yuber jerked and let out a straggled cry, falling back, his eyes refocusing ahead of him into the darkness of his own mind. He shook his head and noted the sweat that covered his skin, somewhat out of breath. He could not remember taking any action against his village, but, he remembered little of how he had gotten to lying in the mud before returning home. Something about those images felt disturbingly right, but he shook his head again, not willing to believe that he could do such things.
Another cry, this one more surprised, left his throat as four legs wrapped around his body, one around his neck, two around his waist, and another still grabbing his right arm. He struggled to break the hold of the spider, but it had a very good strong hold on him. Eventually, he gave up and sat quietly in the clutches of the Rune.
'Don't fight me, boy.' The spider whispered in his right ear.
'I have a name, you know!' Yuber shot back, angered with his capture once more.
The spider chuckled and stroked his right arm almost lovingly. 'I am very aware of your name and its meaning.' It used one of its free legs to gesture around at the shadows. 'You were named for the shadow that you were brought screaming into the world from. Too bad none of your adoptive parents knew just what they were getting themselves into when they placed such a fitting name upon your head.' It tightened its hold on the blonde until Yuber let out a small cry of protest. 'Born from the ground, from the shadows of the planet were you knew nothing of your own existance aside from the fact that you were not a true child. You have questioned your existance ever since that day where you burned their bodies.'
Yuber closed his eyes, letting out a breath very slowly. 'If you know so much, tell me why my family was tortured and murdered?'
'How adorable. When you have questions, you are a very talkative boy.' The spider chuckled when an angered glance was shot back at it from Yuber. 'Very well, if only to get you to trust me a little more, I will tell you. She knew you were in the area, in that family to be exact. She wanted to see what you could do so she arranged their death, but she left in frustration when you did not appear before her. Too bad, she missed the show.' It let the blonde go when Yuber shifted to turn fully, now staring at each other. 'She wants you, boy. She has been hunting you for a very long time, and she is very close now so be prepared. You must be in control when she arrives.'
Yuber cocked his head the side, allowing blonde bangs to partially obstruct his face, shadow covering the other half. He was quite confused now. 'Who is this she?'
'Another bearer of a True Rune. She is coming for you.' The spider replied and turned away, setting to make a web for itself, working quickly to weave the strands to its liking. 'She is part of the reason that you exist, boy.'
Yuber watched silently as the essence of the Rune built a web, entraced with the moving silken fibers together. He waited until the spider turned back to regard him. 'What of Mia? I don't want her dragged into this mess.'
It was the spider's turn to cock its head as much as possible to one side before somewhat nodding and moving back to the safety of its web. 'Such things have already been determined. Her fate is entwined in yours, and her death shall bring about the greatest changes of all.'
Before he could stop himself, Yuber lept forward and grabbed the spider roughly, dragging it from the web with strength he was only becoming aware of. 'No! I won't let her die! She...'
'She what?' The spider ripped itself from the blonde's grasp, rubbing the wounded appendages with two of its other legs, glaring at Yuber. 'You are still just a human right now so you fail to understand the strings of fate. There are elements that are beyond your perceptions.'
'Who will kill her? I'll track them down first and make sure that it doesn't happen. Tell me who will end her life!' Yuber reached for the spider again when it just stared at him silently, growling when it moved out of range. 'Tell me!'
'I will not endanger you just yet. Right now, you should be concerned with travelling down the path set out for you, which is why I'm here. Go back to the world of the living, boy. You will hear my whispers every now and then, I guarentee that. We will do great things, you and I.' The spider moved back to its web and settled in, all eight eyes set on the blonde across from it. 'You shall be trained from now on.'
Yuber was about to question what kind of training he would endure, but was unable to as he was repelled back into the darkness, only a small surprised cry echoing in his place. Yet, quickly the darkness released its hold on him and he was back in the village, except now soaking wet thanks to the rain that was still coming down.
Slowly, he climbed back to shaky feet and looked around. Most of the flames had died down, but the bodies were no less dead. He took his leave of the village, determined to get to Mia as quickly as possible. He found himself more swift, stronger, more aware of the atmosphere around him, and it felt strangely good. Things he would not have noticed before were suddenly as clear as the sun on a cloudless afternoon. Even the feel of the rain on his skin felt so much more alive since the Eightfold Rune...
He stopped running and looked down at his right hand, examining the symbol on his palm. He wondered what powers the Rune carried as a stray thought. More predominant in his mind was what he was supposed to tell Mia. Perhaps he would keep the True Rune to himself for a little while until he fully figured things out. He needed time to think, but little was given to him as he senses picked up the familar presense of Mia.
"Yuber! Oh, thank the Runes! You are alright! I was so worried about you!" Mia stopped just before she was about to embrace her friend, noting the mud that caked onto his clothing, skin, and hair. She looked up into his eyes and nearly fell to the ground at the strange light that was behind his normal essence. Something was different about him, but the only words that she could come with was completely off the topic. "What the hell happened to you? You're a mess!"
Yuber chuckled as innocently as possible, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah...I dirtied that shirt that you made me wear. I...fell while I was running away. It's really slippery in all this mud." He dared not wrap his friend in a hug because of the dirt that covered him. He merely smiled down at her, hoping to ease her worry.
Mia reached up and aided the rain in washing away some of the mud on Yuber's face, smiling warmly. "Might I suggest we get you somewhere to dry off."
Yuber nodded silently and glanced back over his shoulder at the tops of the houses, one of the only features that could still be seen of the village. Slowly, he turned back and started walking after Mia, picking his way through the mud to walk alongside her. 'Hmm, we are not the only ones hunting this night, boy. Be on your toes for she must not find you yet. You are not ready for her plans.' He nearly fell over when the voice whispered in the back of his mind, and he was certain that Mia knew that something was up as he stumbled. 'Don't talk to me when Mia's around!' He scolded back, pushing back the voice before it could reply to him.
"Yuber...are you alright?" Mia grabbed the blonde's arm, one of the only parts of him that wasn't covered in mud, hugging the appendage tightly. "Please don't be hurt. I don't know what I'd do if you went away."
"Mia..." Yuber smiled and let a finger trail down the dark-haired girls cheek, leaving a smeer of blood and mud. He was unprepared for the Rune serging in his mind. 'For whatever God's sake, tell the woman you love her, you stupid boy!' Before he could think about it, the words shot from his mouth. "I love you!" He practically shouted them out and was more shocked when he suddenly bent and kissed Mia before she could reply.
Mia was shocked. The blonde had never been the type to blurt things out suddenly, and his lack of knowledge in the love department was quite obvious. Still, she had to smile at his courageous effort and readily gave in to his embrace. Yuber was the reason she never settled down; he had always wanted to travel, and she had just wanted to be with him. She completely ignored the rain and moved closer to his body, slipping in against him.
If this were another dream, Yuber never wanted to wake up ever again. He wanted the moment to last for as long as possible. It felt so right to be with Mia, despite the rain. Still, he knew that it would have to end as he was quickly running out of breath, reluctantly pulling away, now panting softly. "Sorry...I shouldn't have...now you're all dirty too..."
Mia looked down at her dress to find it now sharing some of the mud that Yuber had been wearing and smiled at him. "It doesn't matter. I have other clothing." She knew that she was blushing and made an attempt to fix her hair back into some sort of semblance from what it had been. She walked after the blonde when he started moving again, smiling when his left hand shot out and grabbed her hand, a quick glance from his blue eyes to make sure that she was not angry with his assumptions. She followed him in silence, content with the world.
Yuber had no idea what he was doing, but seemed to follow along after his instincts. He found the pine that they had slept under a few nights before, along with their packs. He managed to release his hold on Mia and set to making a small fire, if only to dry off their clothing. 'Not here, boy. Go east.' He stopped and stood, looking to the east. Sighing, he nodded to himself and picked up the packs, looking back at Mia. "It's not safe so close to town. Follow me."
Without waiting for a reply, he started walking at a brisk pace, certain that Mia would follow him. He picked his way through the brush and trees quickly, wanting to get out of the rain as it had started to come down harder than before. He moved almost silently, his footfalls not making any sound on the forest floor, and he eventually spied a cave closeby, motioning to Mia the new destination. She nodded silently at him and wandered at her own pace towards it.
Mia stepped into the blessed dry space of the cave a few minutes after Yuber, smiling as he had already removed his jerkin and silk shirt. She watched as he worked on making a fire, moving towards the packs to pull out their blankets which had thankfully stayed more dry than some of their clothing. She took to laying out their wet clothing near the small fire and their blankets into the driest spots of the small cave, where only touches of the fire's light danced over the thick wool. She removed her shoes and dress, sitting down near the fire to work on removing as much of the mud as possible. Without looking up, she was aware of the blonde's gaze on her, but she remained steady at the task she was performing.
Yuber forced himself to sit on the stone floor and removed his boots, noting the water tha poured from them and shook his head. Much like Mia, he took to removing the mud that caked his clothing and boots. He became so engrossed in the activity that he nearly jumped to his feet when a cold wet cloth pressed against his cheek, his gaze shooting to where Mia was kneeling. He smiled and went back to cleaning his equipment as she cleaned his appearance, cleaning away mud and blood from his face and even taking to removing the tangles from his blonde hair. He was about as clean as most of his equipment without a proper wash, but it was good enough to make him more comfortable.
He felt his gaze travel back to Mia as she set to work on her own locks of ebony hair. "Mia...I want to apologize for back on the road. I wasn't thinking, but I just want you to know that what I said, as undignified as it was at the time, is how I feel. I hope that I haven't put you into a bad spot."
Mia looked at Yuber as she worked out the knots in her hair, his gaze back with the light she was familiar with. "Yuber, you haven't done anything wrong. You told me how you felt, and I can't hold such things against you." She smiled warmly when he nodded and went back to prodding the small fire. "Did you ever wonder why I never married?"
"Always." Yuber leafed through his pack for the rest of the wood that he kept stored in case of heavy rainfall. "I thought for sure that you and Grim were together for the longest time, well, until he died."
Mia laughed softly and shook her head. "No, Grim and I were only friends. I liked someone else entirely."
Yuber glanced back at Mia, puzzled. "You did? How come you never told me who he was? I'd have to harass him before you started anything."
"I doubt you would do a good job harassing yourself, Yuber." Mia kept her eyes on the offending knot in her hair even after the wood hit the cave floor with a small thud. She bearly held in a laugh when Yuber just stared at her, completely dumbfounded. She released her hold on her long hair and brushed it over her shoulders before beckoning the blonde closer. "Come here, Yuber. Still as blind as ever. I suppose I didn't do a very good job teaching you the ways of love."
Yuber slowly climbed to his feet and padded over to Mia, looking down at her before glancing around the cave. He eventually looked back at her as she climbed to her feet. He looked down as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to their blankets, glancing down at her in slight confusion, yet she said nothing to him. He knew almost nothing about the manners of love-making, never thought that he would ever fall in love.
Mia smiled and stroked Yuber's cheek. She wrapped him in a loving embrace, resting her cheek against his strong chest, listening to his heart beat; it was beginning to race. She smiled and ran gentle fingers up his sides, causing a small shiver from him. Looking up at him, she met his warm lips equally, falling back to the blankets with him...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
wipes sweat from her brow Wow, that chapter is finally done. It took four tries to get it right, but now I will move on! Forward, I must! Well, now that Mia and Yuber are a couple, things will get a bit easier...I hope. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm hoping the next one will be up sooner than this one, but I fear to make promises on that.
Only in Dreams
By: Chibi Nataku
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.
Chapter 3 - From Nightmares back to Dreams
Yuber looked around the burning village and suddenly fell to one knee, his strength and energy leaving him. He struggled to resist the pull of the Rune which was attempting to drag him into his own mind where he knew that it would have more control. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his vision slowly darkened, and he felt himself falling forward to the ground. He was vaguely aware that it had started to rain, but he had no energy to pull himself up and under some shelter, eventually surrendering to the new Rune.
In the darkness he came aware once more, but he knew that he was not alone in his mind. As he sat up, his gaze moved to a web nearby, and the huge black spider that was watching him. It was strange that the web was designed in an Eightfold flower and a symbol much the same was on the back on the spider which was slowly moving towards him. He felt eight eyes on him and scrambled back when he found the spider too close for comfort, eventually being forced to stop when webbing shot up from what could have been considered the ground and grabbed his wrists, legs, and neck. He glared at the eight eyes that were watching him and struggled to break the hold of the webbing.
'I have been searching for you, boy. You have managed to escape me more times than you are even aware of, but luckily, I had a good past puppet who resolved herself to tracking you down for me. Now, you are mine for awhile.' The giant spider chuckled to itself and gestured in the air with a leg, an image of his burning village conjuring itself inbetween them. The spider watched his memory of the event before chuckling again, this time a sly, silky laugh. 'Nevermind them, boy. The sweet smell of their blood must have excited you to continue...I am slightly impressed. Even at such a young age, you were more dangerous than they gave you credit for. Truly a piece of work. I can't wait to try you out for myself.'
Yuber pulled hard on the webbing, glaring at the spider in front of him. 'What the hell are you? I've heard of no Rune that can do these things!'
The spider took a few steps closer, now within easy reach of the blonde's legs. 'I am your teacher from now on, boy. You may know me as the Eightfold Rune, but I am very much in control here so don't try anything stupid. Besides, I have all the answers to your questions, even those that you are not yet aware of. It would be best if you found out who you really are. You are more than what you think you have become.'
Yuber growled angrily and wished he could get free, grunting as the webbing began to cut into his flesh at his struggles. 'I don't care what you think you can accomplish, but I want nothing to do with the atrocities that you made that woman commit! I only need one person in my life, and that is Mia! I won't commit murder for you!'
'You already have, boy. You bathed in the blood of the innocent even before I came along so you are just as blood-thirsty as Miku was.' The spider chuckled and grabbed the blonde's left ankle while gesturing in the air with another arm, forming an image between it and Yuber. 'I shall show you what you have hidden from yourself, boy.'
'I don't want to see your lies!' Yuber screamed, forcing distance between him and the spider with sheer mental stubbornness, smirking when he seemed far away and the webbing that covered him fell away. He stood and dusted off his clothes, proud of his accomplishment. He knew little of the True Runes aside from their existance, but he wanted to be rid of the one that had tried to snare him.
He could suddenly hear screaming, vague and distant, however, it became increasingly loud as the seconds passed by until it sounded like it was right beside him. Looking down, he took a step away as a younger form of himself knelt screaming in anguish, blood covering his clothing, just like on that day so long ago. It became clear that he was back to the end of his innocence, the smell of recent death as clear as it had been those years back, but something seemed so different, like he was suddenly remembering something new about his surroundings.
His family still lay in their various forms of death and the soldiers that attacked had only recently left, and he had only now managed to crawl from his coverings beneath the barn. He was suddenly the boy again, suddenly filled with the past, the pain, the cold, the utter terror of being alone.
He climbed to his feet and began running, this time into town, to find comfort in the people that had watched him grow up and would certainly offer some aid. The rock path seemed so long beneath his short legs, but as he approached, he could see that most of the villagers had gathered on the edge of town, now watching him struggle towards them. He stopped a few yards away, wiping some of his tears, unsure of what he was supposed to say to them. He was confused when they started to whisper amoungst themselves, odd thoughts of why he should have died along with his family or figures that he comes covered in mud. He found no comfort in their stares and rude glances.
When the village elder told him to be on his way out of the village and to never return because this would not be the first time that he would find himself hunted, he felt betrayed. These people were the only one's that he knew; they should feel for him as he had lost everything. The more that they gestured in the direction that he should go, the more he started to shake and not from the cool breeze of the evening. He looked at his mud-soaked shoes, swallowed the lump in his throat and suddenly wished that his village was as dead as his family.
Something seemed to click. He felt something within himself and took a step back, watching his body as it exploded with deafening energy, the villagers all so horrified. He could only watch in slight bewilderment and follow along with his body as he flew into action with such intensity that he was left speechless. He remained in silent wonder as he grabbed a machete and charged into the village, his body illuminated with a strange light. Every attack that fell on his body bounced away, but his attacks were with such animalistic ferocity and full of anger and hate that no one lived pasted his first attack. The villagers screamed and ran from him, but everytime he caught them, and he killed each and everyone of them until nothing was left but the light from his own body.
He stood silent, watching his own body as it heaved with exertion. He walked around and looked into his own face that was covered with the blood of the villagers, but the eyes were intense. Where blue eyes once were, now golden eyes with red rims stared out into the night, and he listened as it began to rain. He became aware of his own laughter, haunting and heavy, much to deep to be the voice of a child. A strange symbol appeared on his forehead, one that was mostly covered with soaked golden bangs and abstructed from view aside from the glow.
Then, just as suddenly as the symbol appeared, the light faded along with his laughter. The hateful golden eyes shifted briefly from blue back to gold then returned to the cobalt blue that he was used to seeing on himself. His eyes seemed very empty, the light leaving them as he collasped to the ground, face down in the mud. He felt himself being dragged back to his body and idly wondered why he was not drowning in the puddle of mud that he was lying in. And so blissful darkness took him...
Yuber jerked and let out a straggled cry, falling back, his eyes refocusing ahead of him into the darkness of his own mind. He shook his head and noted the sweat that covered his skin, somewhat out of breath. He could not remember taking any action against his village, but, he remembered little of how he had gotten to lying in the mud before returning home. Something about those images felt disturbingly right, but he shook his head again, not willing to believe that he could do such things.
Another cry, this one more surprised, left his throat as four legs wrapped around his body, one around his neck, two around his waist, and another still grabbing his right arm. He struggled to break the hold of the spider, but it had a very good strong hold on him. Eventually, he gave up and sat quietly in the clutches of the Rune.
'Don't fight me, boy.' The spider whispered in his right ear.
'I have a name, you know!' Yuber shot back, angered with his capture once more.
The spider chuckled and stroked his right arm almost lovingly. 'I am very aware of your name and its meaning.' It used one of its free legs to gesture around at the shadows. 'You were named for the shadow that you were brought screaming into the world from. Too bad none of your adoptive parents knew just what they were getting themselves into when they placed such a fitting name upon your head.' It tightened its hold on the blonde until Yuber let out a small cry of protest. 'Born from the ground, from the shadows of the planet were you knew nothing of your own existance aside from the fact that you were not a true child. You have questioned your existance ever since that day where you burned their bodies.'
Yuber closed his eyes, letting out a breath very slowly. 'If you know so much, tell me why my family was tortured and murdered?'
'How adorable. When you have questions, you are a very talkative boy.' The spider chuckled when an angered glance was shot back at it from Yuber. 'Very well, if only to get you to trust me a little more, I will tell you. She knew you were in the area, in that family to be exact. She wanted to see what you could do so she arranged their death, but she left in frustration when you did not appear before her. Too bad, she missed the show.' It let the blonde go when Yuber shifted to turn fully, now staring at each other. 'She wants you, boy. She has been hunting you for a very long time, and she is very close now so be prepared. You must be in control when she arrives.'
Yuber cocked his head the side, allowing blonde bangs to partially obstruct his face, shadow covering the other half. He was quite confused now. 'Who is this she?'
'Another bearer of a True Rune. She is coming for you.' The spider replied and turned away, setting to make a web for itself, working quickly to weave the strands to its liking. 'She is part of the reason that you exist, boy.'
Yuber watched silently as the essence of the Rune built a web, entraced with the moving silken fibers together. He waited until the spider turned back to regard him. 'What of Mia? I don't want her dragged into this mess.'
It was the spider's turn to cock its head as much as possible to one side before somewhat nodding and moving back to the safety of its web. 'Such things have already been determined. Her fate is entwined in yours, and her death shall bring about the greatest changes of all.'
Before he could stop himself, Yuber lept forward and grabbed the spider roughly, dragging it from the web with strength he was only becoming aware of. 'No! I won't let her die! She...'
'She what?' The spider ripped itself from the blonde's grasp, rubbing the wounded appendages with two of its other legs, glaring at Yuber. 'You are still just a human right now so you fail to understand the strings of fate. There are elements that are beyond your perceptions.'
'Who will kill her? I'll track them down first and make sure that it doesn't happen. Tell me who will end her life!' Yuber reached for the spider again when it just stared at him silently, growling when it moved out of range. 'Tell me!'
'I will not endanger you just yet. Right now, you should be concerned with travelling down the path set out for you, which is why I'm here. Go back to the world of the living, boy. You will hear my whispers every now and then, I guarentee that. We will do great things, you and I.' The spider moved back to its web and settled in, all eight eyes set on the blonde across from it. 'You shall be trained from now on.'
Yuber was about to question what kind of training he would endure, but was unable to as he was repelled back into the darkness, only a small surprised cry echoing in his place. Yet, quickly the darkness released its hold on him and he was back in the village, except now soaking wet thanks to the rain that was still coming down.
Slowly, he climbed back to shaky feet and looked around. Most of the flames had died down, but the bodies were no less dead. He took his leave of the village, determined to get to Mia as quickly as possible. He found himself more swift, stronger, more aware of the atmosphere around him, and it felt strangely good. Things he would not have noticed before were suddenly as clear as the sun on a cloudless afternoon. Even the feel of the rain on his skin felt so much more alive since the Eightfold Rune...
He stopped running and looked down at his right hand, examining the symbol on his palm. He wondered what powers the Rune carried as a stray thought. More predominant in his mind was what he was supposed to tell Mia. Perhaps he would keep the True Rune to himself for a little while until he fully figured things out. He needed time to think, but little was given to him as he senses picked up the familar presense of Mia.
"Yuber! Oh, thank the Runes! You are alright! I was so worried about you!" Mia stopped just before she was about to embrace her friend, noting the mud that caked onto his clothing, skin, and hair. She looked up into his eyes and nearly fell to the ground at the strange light that was behind his normal essence. Something was different about him, but the only words that she could come with was completely off the topic. "What the hell happened to you? You're a mess!"
Yuber chuckled as innocently as possible, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah...I dirtied that shirt that you made me wear. I...fell while I was running away. It's really slippery in all this mud." He dared not wrap his friend in a hug because of the dirt that covered him. He merely smiled down at her, hoping to ease her worry.
Mia reached up and aided the rain in washing away some of the mud on Yuber's face, smiling warmly. "Might I suggest we get you somewhere to dry off."
Yuber nodded silently and glanced back over his shoulder at the tops of the houses, one of the only features that could still be seen of the village. Slowly, he turned back and started walking after Mia, picking his way through the mud to walk alongside her. 'Hmm, we are not the only ones hunting this night, boy. Be on your toes for she must not find you yet. You are not ready for her plans.' He nearly fell over when the voice whispered in the back of his mind, and he was certain that Mia knew that something was up as he stumbled. 'Don't talk to me when Mia's around!' He scolded back, pushing back the voice before it could reply to him.
"Yuber...are you alright?" Mia grabbed the blonde's arm, one of the only parts of him that wasn't covered in mud, hugging the appendage tightly. "Please don't be hurt. I don't know what I'd do if you went away."
"Mia..." Yuber smiled and let a finger trail down the dark-haired girls cheek, leaving a smeer of blood and mud. He was unprepared for the Rune serging in his mind. 'For whatever God's sake, tell the woman you love her, you stupid boy!' Before he could think about it, the words shot from his mouth. "I love you!" He practically shouted them out and was more shocked when he suddenly bent and kissed Mia before she could reply.
Mia was shocked. The blonde had never been the type to blurt things out suddenly, and his lack of knowledge in the love department was quite obvious. Still, she had to smile at his courageous effort and readily gave in to his embrace. Yuber was the reason she never settled down; he had always wanted to travel, and she had just wanted to be with him. She completely ignored the rain and moved closer to his body, slipping in against him.
If this were another dream, Yuber never wanted to wake up ever again. He wanted the moment to last for as long as possible. It felt so right to be with Mia, despite the rain. Still, he knew that it would have to end as he was quickly running out of breath, reluctantly pulling away, now panting softly. "Sorry...I shouldn't have...now you're all dirty too..."
Mia looked down at her dress to find it now sharing some of the mud that Yuber had been wearing and smiled at him. "It doesn't matter. I have other clothing." She knew that she was blushing and made an attempt to fix her hair back into some sort of semblance from what it had been. She walked after the blonde when he started moving again, smiling when his left hand shot out and grabbed her hand, a quick glance from his blue eyes to make sure that she was not angry with his assumptions. She followed him in silence, content with the world.
Yuber had no idea what he was doing, but seemed to follow along after his instincts. He found the pine that they had slept under a few nights before, along with their packs. He managed to release his hold on Mia and set to making a small fire, if only to dry off their clothing. 'Not here, boy. Go east.' He stopped and stood, looking to the east. Sighing, he nodded to himself and picked up the packs, looking back at Mia. "It's not safe so close to town. Follow me."
Without waiting for a reply, he started walking at a brisk pace, certain that Mia would follow him. He picked his way through the brush and trees quickly, wanting to get out of the rain as it had started to come down harder than before. He moved almost silently, his footfalls not making any sound on the forest floor, and he eventually spied a cave closeby, motioning to Mia the new destination. She nodded silently at him and wandered at her own pace towards it.
Mia stepped into the blessed dry space of the cave a few minutes after Yuber, smiling as he had already removed his jerkin and silk shirt. She watched as he worked on making a fire, moving towards the packs to pull out their blankets which had thankfully stayed more dry than some of their clothing. She took to laying out their wet clothing near the small fire and their blankets into the driest spots of the small cave, where only touches of the fire's light danced over the thick wool. She removed her shoes and dress, sitting down near the fire to work on removing as much of the mud as possible. Without looking up, she was aware of the blonde's gaze on her, but she remained steady at the task she was performing.
Yuber forced himself to sit on the stone floor and removed his boots, noting the water tha poured from them and shook his head. Much like Mia, he took to removing the mud that caked his clothing and boots. He became so engrossed in the activity that he nearly jumped to his feet when a cold wet cloth pressed against his cheek, his gaze shooting to where Mia was kneeling. He smiled and went back to cleaning his equipment as she cleaned his appearance, cleaning away mud and blood from his face and even taking to removing the tangles from his blonde hair. He was about as clean as most of his equipment without a proper wash, but it was good enough to make him more comfortable.
He felt his gaze travel back to Mia as she set to work on her own locks of ebony hair. "Mia...I want to apologize for back on the road. I wasn't thinking, but I just want you to know that what I said, as undignified as it was at the time, is how I feel. I hope that I haven't put you into a bad spot."
Mia looked at Yuber as she worked out the knots in her hair, his gaze back with the light she was familiar with. "Yuber, you haven't done anything wrong. You told me how you felt, and I can't hold such things against you." She smiled warmly when he nodded and went back to prodding the small fire. "Did you ever wonder why I never married?"
"Always." Yuber leafed through his pack for the rest of the wood that he kept stored in case of heavy rainfall. "I thought for sure that you and Grim were together for the longest time, well, until he died."
Mia laughed softly and shook her head. "No, Grim and I were only friends. I liked someone else entirely."
Yuber glanced back at Mia, puzzled. "You did? How come you never told me who he was? I'd have to harass him before you started anything."
"I doubt you would do a good job harassing yourself, Yuber." Mia kept her eyes on the offending knot in her hair even after the wood hit the cave floor with a small thud. She bearly held in a laugh when Yuber just stared at her, completely dumbfounded. She released her hold on her long hair and brushed it over her shoulders before beckoning the blonde closer. "Come here, Yuber. Still as blind as ever. I suppose I didn't do a very good job teaching you the ways of love."
Yuber slowly climbed to his feet and padded over to Mia, looking down at her before glancing around the cave. He eventually looked back at her as she climbed to her feet. He looked down as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to their blankets, glancing down at her in slight confusion, yet she said nothing to him. He knew almost nothing about the manners of love-making, never thought that he would ever fall in love.
Mia smiled and stroked Yuber's cheek. She wrapped him in a loving embrace, resting her cheek against his strong chest, listening to his heart beat; it was beginning to race. She smiled and ran gentle fingers up his sides, causing a small shiver from him. Looking up at him, she met his warm lips equally, falling back to the blankets with him...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
wipes sweat from her brow Wow, that chapter is finally done. It took four tries to get it right, but now I will move on! Forward, I must! Well, now that Mia and Yuber are a couple, things will get a bit easier...I hope. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm hoping the next one will be up sooner than this one, but I fear to make promises on that.