Rua was at the table, sitting between Cha Cha and Seravi, eating silently and slowly. Riiya was, naturally, the absolute opposite of that, shovelling food into his mouth like the end of the world was in the next minute. Shiine could only watch disdainly at him. Seravi was pretty much eating normally, except he had to get up and go back and forth to the kitchen and back to get more fried rice for Riiya. Cha Cha was happily preoccupied with asking their new guest about herself.
"Where do you come from and what were you doing in that tree?" asked Cha Cha curiously.
For a while, Rua did not say anything, trying to formulate a good response.
"I'm an orphan," she finally said,"A travelling orphan. I've been travelling since I was very young and I can't remember where I am originally from. Only my name."
"Oh." said Cha Cha sadly, a bit guilty that she had brought up what she thought was a touchy subject for her guest.
"I learned to live in the wild when they wasn't any towns nearby," Rua continued,"That's why I stay up in trees."
Cha Cha thought for a moment and said brightly,"I know! You can stay with us!"
Just then, Seravi returned from the kitchen with a huge, steaming bowl of fresh-cooked fried rice in his hands, Riiya was quick to grab it. He had heard what Cha Cha had said and told her,"But Cha Cha, I'm afraid we don't have enough room for one more person."
"Hmmm...I know!" shouted Cha Cha and she rushed out of the cottage.
The rest subsequently followed and walked to the side of the cottage where Cha Cha was already trying to do some magic which did not seem to be working.
"Cat Tent, APPEAR!"
The Cat Tent appeared, but with the pattern inside out.
"Oops!" said Cha Cha sheepishly and tried again.
3 more times.
"Cat Tent, APPEAR!" she said for the third time and finally, the Cat Tent appeared perfectly.
"You can stay in there instead!" she announced happily.
For the first time, in very long time, Rua gave a smile.
*Cute. Silly, but still cute.*
Seravi was having second thoughts about this. He wasn't too keen on having a third ward to care for, especially one that they hardly knew or, in his case, trusted. He just did not get a good feeling from the person and even, he would venture to say, a feeling of a threat from her.
Suddenly, Seravi's thoughts were shattered by the sound of three very high pitched yet familiar voices, all of which were, unfortunately, screaming a variation of his name.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Oh my Prince Seravi, I will show you my undying love for you, on this blessed day that you were born!" swooned Yakko, turning blurry-eyed with a pink background of floating flowers and such.
"Oh Seravi!" said Shironeko, covering half her face with her hand.
"You'll love this wonderful Birthday cake I made with only the best, most expensive and freshest fish!" she continued, blushing a bright red over her pale face.
"Finally, my sister came through for once!" said Doris, handling both a cakebox and a present in her arms as she walked incredibly fast towards Seravi's cottage.
"Oh Seravi!" she(he) started to daydream about Seravi's reaction, which involved a lot things Seravi would never do if his life depended on it, of course.
All three love-struck ladies (Doris the exception) "dust cloud" walked towards Seravi's cottage from different directions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- High above in the air..."Ha ha!" laughed Dorothy evilly, hovering on her broomstick, not far from Seravi's cottage.
"Seravi is going to have hell when those three reach him, all wanting to give him their birthday presents to him! Ha ha!" she continued with glee, rocking on her broomstick in her excitement.
"Telling them it was Seravi's birthday was such a simple yet brilliant plan!"
She flew a bit lower to get a better view of Seravi's imminent suffering.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Seravi!"
"Seravi!"
"Seravi!"
The three ladies (yet again, Doris being the exception), converged and as one, charged at Seravi, eager hands outstretched to present their gifts.
"Rua! Watch out!" shouted Cha Cha, seeing that Rua did not notice the incoming females and was directly in their path.
Rua turned but was too late.
"ARG-*!"
"Oh Rua!" shouted Cha Cha in concern, running to the near flattened guest.
"Is she okay?" asked Shiine, kneeling beside Cha Cha.
"Maybe we should try pulling her out of the ground." suggested Riiya.
"Of course we'll going to pull her out of the ground! What else would we do, you moronic dog!" shouted Shiine angrily.
"I bet you would not have had that idea if I had said it first, Shiine! And I'm not a dog!" shouted back Riiya, standing up.
The two fixed eyes for just one extremely short moment and started fighting again.
For once, Cha Cha did not notice and was more preoccupied trying to help her guest.
"Rua, can you get up?" she asked timidly.
Rua made a muffled sound and raised her head just a bit so that her eyes were above the ground.
Rua's gaze transfixed onto the three ladies who were busily chasing Seravi as he tried in vain to walk away from them. Her eyes started to dilate in fury and she pulled herself out of the ground.
"Oh good, you're okay!"
Rua did not say anything but stood up and dust herself a bit and started walking up to the three who had hit her. Her teeth were locked together and her only eye that was seen was furrowed up in anger.
She cracked her fists and her neck and stalked closer towards them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Oh Seravi, look what I got for you!"
"No! See mine first, Prince Seravi!"
"Nonsense! Mine is much better and more expensive than both of yours combined!"
"Please, get...away...from..." stuttered Seravi, backing away from the crazed ladies and the horrible advances of Doris.
'What is going on?' he thought to himself,'Today isn't my birthday and even if it was, I would never tell them!'
"All of you, go away! Seravi doesn't want you here!" 'spoke' Elizabeth, speaking up for Seravi.
However, advice from the doll didn't work as well on the three as on others.
They continued to argue and shoving presents up at Seravi, with Seravi hopelessly surrounded and helpless.
"Excuse me." said Rua softly, tapping the shoulder of Yakko.
"Huh? Who are you?" asked Yakko roughly, irritated that someone was interrupting her when she was doing such an important task.
The other two turned too, facing Rua. Though their attention was away from Seravi, Seravi was still too tightly surrounded to get away (he also had the frightful feeling that Doris was grabbing onto his arm).
"I believe you, ran, over me just now." Rua spoke quietly and passively though her head was bent down.
"Really? I didn't notice anyone in front of my darling Prince Seravi."
"Neither did I." added Shironeko.
"Nor I!" perked Doris, holding on tighter onto Seravi's arm.
'Gods, please help me!' prayed Seravi, mentally, desperately shaking his arm to get Doris off.
"I thought so." said Rua evenly.
She lifted her head a bit and a glint shone in her eye.
A puff of smoke appeared, concealing Rua.
"What is happening now?" wondered Yakko aloud, peering into the cloud.
A broad and large, black panther head with velvet-like fur, poked out of the cloud right in front of Yakko, it's snout right in front of her eyes.
"Er...er..." stuttered Yakko, her eyes followed up and down the beast's large head, finally transfixing on the extremely sharp looking teeth poking out of its maul, her lip twitched at the upper right corner and she started to sweat.
"Grrr...!" growled Rua, the smoke cleared away, revealing the stream-lined yet muscular feline body of the panther, with glossy jet-black fur and glinting claws poking in and out menancingly from her massive paws. Her tail whisked in the air wildly and her hair stood straight on end along her back, making her look fearfully gigantic! Her lips were drawn back to reveal her pure white fangs and red gums. Her lips trembled to the rhythm of her growling.
"ARGH!" screamed all the girls (Doris -_-0), skittering behind Seravi all at once.
"Oh, Seravi! Please get rid of this horrible monster for us!" pleaded Doris, still clinging onto Seravi's arm tightly.
"Yes, Prince Seravi! This beast is no match for your powers!" cooed Yakko.
"If you don't let me go, Doris," Seravi said with a slight hiss of annoyance,"I won't be able to do any magic at all!"
Doris obediantly, if reluctantly, let go and Seravi saw his escape. He was free from their grasp and all he had to do was teleport to Rua's side, or somewhere extremely far away, and he would be free!
Just then, Rua crept forward a little.
'Hm?' strange, Seravi suddenly felt a little queasy.
'Doris, all that *hugging*,' Seravi thought with extreme disgust,'must be making me sick.'
Nonetheless, Seravi lifted his hands in a dramatic manner and prepared to teleport away.
Rua paced forward some more and more rapidly.
"Erg." groaned Seravi suddenly as he genuinely felt extremely sick in the stomach and lurched backwards, his hands on his stomach.
Rua snarled louder and pounced a great step forward.
"Rua is nearly right next to them, why doesn't Teacher Seravi move away?" asked Shiine aloud.
"Hey look!" shouted Riiya, pointing to a worse looking Seravi.
After Rua had pounced forward, he had sunk to his knees and was on the ground shaking a bit, groaning as if in extreme pain.
"ARGH! TEACHER SERAVI!" screamed Cha Cha, blasting the two surprised boys silly from her out burst.
"Oh no! Seravi, what's wrong?" shouted Shironeko, similarly as concerned as Cha Cha, kneeling beside him.
"Ah! Seravi!" shouted Doris, pushing Shironeko into oblivion to take her place beside Seravi.
Seravi, no matter how deep and extremely sicker he was to have Doris near him, felt too weak to cast a simple Force Bolt spell to push him away.
"Don't worry, my Prince Seravi! I shall get rid of this monster for you!" yelled Yakko, jumping in front of Seravi protectively, holding a black bottle high in her hand with a large picture of a skull and crossbones on it.
"Now have a taste of my "Double XR Monster Destroyer"!"
With that, Yakko hurled the bottle at Rua. Rua stopped her advancements and trailed the path through the air by the bottle. With great precision, she jumped and grabbed the bottle in midair and crushes it in her jaws. Harmless plain water dribble between her teeth as Rua spat out the remains of the bottle.
"WHAT?! No no no no! That can't be right! Where is it?! Where is it?!" shrieked Yakko, desperately rummaging in her cloak for the right potion.
Unbeknownst to her, Rua had crept as quietly as a, well, cat, and was patiently sitting right behind her.
"Ah ha! My "XXXR Monster Destroyer"! This should work!" shouted Yakko with an air of relief, lifting her hand up high, clutching yet another bottle, identical to the first except for an extra X.
"Now, where's that monster?" Yakko wondered, realising her target was not in front of her her anymore.
Rua used her tail and poked Yakko on the shoulder.
"Huh? YAH!" screamed Yakko in horror at the feline behind her with the Cheshire grin.
"RWAAARRRR!"
With a mighty sweep of her right paw, Rua sends Yakko flying over the horizon.
YYAAARRGGGGHHHHH!" Yakko's cries got softer as she got further from Earth.
"Right, now is my turn! Take this!" saying so, Shironeko hurled several mini cat rockets, each a different colour (and, strangely enough, featuring one of each of her family) at Rua.
Rua saw the rockets coming and made an incredible leap straight up. The rockets passed harmlessly under her and Rua landed silently back on the ground. However, the rockets made a turn-about and head back at Rua from behind.
"Rrrrrr..." growled Rua annoyedly and at the last moment, does a back flip.
"ARGH!"
BOOOM!
"AAHHHH!" shrieked Shironeko as she hurtled into space alongside Yakko, slightly charred and in tears.
"TEACHER!" shouted Cha Cha, running to her beloved Teacher's side.
"Get away you!" shouted Doris, roughly pushing Cha Cha away so much so that Cha Cha fell to the ground with a thud.
"HEY! DON'T YOU DARE HURT CHA CHA!" Riiya yelled angrily and ran right up to Doris with arms outstretched.
BONG!
"ARGH!" Doris screamed, tear waterfalls streaming out of her eyes and hands up to her face.
Doris eventually flew alongside both Yakko and Shironeko and the three of them both flew continously.
"Wow! Look at them go!" commented Cha Cha, amazed by the three ladies flight across the sky.
"Wait! There's...someone up there. I...can't see who it is but the three of them are heading towards..." said Shiine, squinting at the sky.
"Wait! Wait! That's, that's..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"What's going on down there?" wondered Dorothy, peering over her broom.
"And WHAT is that horrible shrieking noise?"
"AARRRGGHHHH!!" screamed the three frightened ladies (Dddooorriiisss -_-0) as they hurtled into Dorothy.
"AAARRGGHHHH!" screamed Dorothy along.
"Seravi..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"That takes care of that!" said Rua, dusting her hands off after transforming back to human form.
"Teacher Dorothy," Shiine said sadly, watching his Teacher flying off to God knows where.
"TEACHER SERAVI!" shouted Cha Cha, getting up from the ground and proceeded to shake her weak and sick Teacher in desperation.
"Ohh!" groaned Seravi, trying to get up but collasped again.
His skin had gone deathly pale, his eyes and cheeks were sunken and his eyes were very dull, not having any of his usual energy or vitality. Sweat covered him
"Riiya, help him up will you?" shouted Shiine, trying to get Seravi up to his feet with help from Cha Cha but he was just too heavy for them.
"I'm coming!"
Riiya lifted up Seravi on his shoulders with disastrous results.
"Ah! Watch out! He's going to tip over!" shouted Shiine, alerting Riiya to pick him up in the nick of time.
"I'll just summon a stretcher then!" said a frustrated Shiine, making a magic, floating stretcher behind Seravi.
They told Seravi to lean back onto the stretcher and all three of them trooped back into the cottage with the stretcher following in the middle.
Rua, at first, just stood where she had transformed, staring at Seravi as he was being helped.
'I should finished the job...' she thought, looking at the weakened Seravi.
But the image of a smiling, sunny young boy with short, blond hair appeared like a beacon in her dark, troubled mind...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"You wouldn't kill, would you?"
"Diaz...I..."
The boy walked closer to Rua and hugged her.
"Promise me you wouldn't!" he said, hugging her tighter.
A black stream-like creature hit Diaz squarely in the shoulder, knocking him backwards. A large, red-furred claw-like hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed him.
"Visiting time is over." grunted Aforse, sneering as he shook Diaz.
Aforse thromped away but Diaz looked over his shoulder at Rua, waiting.
Rua locked her teeth together and clasped her fists.
"Diaz! I promise! I won't kill!" she shouted, before Diaz disappeared into the darkness.
"Now, Rua," said a voice never heard by those possessing the mortal ear.
"It's time for your training."
The large, dark figure of the Dark Lord appeared out of the darkness and stood beside Rua.
"Yes, Master Iruliose." Rua said, her head bowed low not in respect but in loathing for the Devil monster.
"Today, we shall see how you have mastered your..."killing" techniques,",
So saying, an old man appeared in front of them, frightened beyond comprehension and having no more wish then to be safely back home.
Deadly whispers and mysterious chattering came from the darkness, the sounds that you heard in the night and cowered from under your covers. The darkness moved around Rua and the man but eminated from the Dark Lord.
The man spied the Dark Lord above all else and cowered and trembled, his mouth opened and closed like a dying fish gasping for air.
Then, he spied Rua. Whatever sliver of hope that man had, came from Rua. A fellow human being nearby gave that man solace if only a little.
Rua needed no bidding now. She disappeared into the darkness and came back out a monster of the fang and claw. She lunged at the man.
The man, seeing his last hope turn to his death, could not even scream before his life was taken.
There was silence from the moment Rua transformed and attacked to the man's death. Rua rose a top the man's carcass and broke the silence with a savage roar. The chattering started again, giving praise to the dark deed performed by Rua with Iruliose looking on.
Rua felt salty tears mixing with the blood on her fangs and lips though in her beastly form, she did not understand.
"You wouldn't kill, would you?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rua shooked her head from those memories and followed plaintatively behind the three and the injured magician into the cottage.
