Sasuri tossed in her sleep, her dreams haunted by blood and death. She'd been tormented by these dreams ever since her county had been attacked, but being with Diablo had put them on hold for a while. Now, they were back and worse then ever.
Ryu stared down at her, watching as she broke out into a cold sweat, and felt guilt wash through him. *It's all my fault. I'm the one who ordered the men to clear the forest she was living in. Now, she's here, without Diablo, and I'm to blame.* He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers over her damp forehead. At this movement, she calmed down slightly, her breathing slowing.
Sasuri woke up then and bolted upright, instantly wrapping her arms around the nearest thing, which in this case was a very statled Ryu. Sasuri finally broke down and cried into his chest. Ryu didn't say anything ; He just wrapped his arms around her and rocked back and forth slightly. After a moment, she finally calmed down.
"Sasuri? Are you alright? Will you tell me what you were dreaming about?" She sighed.
"You wouldn't understand it." He was a little hurt by this statment, but he tried to hide it.
"Anything I can do to help?" Ryu asked gently. He pulled away and looked down at her. She must have been embarassed about the way she was acting, because she wouldn't look him in the eye. "Will you be okay for now, or would you like me to stay a little longer?" She shook her head.
"No, I'll be okay by myself. Go get some rest." Ryu turned away and left, leaving her to her thoughts.
~The~next~week~
Sasuri was sitting in a private part of the library, going over her English lessons, one hand pressed to her forehead in concentration. Her english was improving, but she was still having some trouble having a conversation without stumbling over a lot of the words. So she'd been assigned to some extra studying.
She heard the door open, but ignored it. She had grown used to people coming in and out. Yet, she wasn't able to ignore the two arms that were encircling her neck. And she could tell by the dragon hide gloves that it wasn't Ryu. "Murdoc, let go of me." He smirked, then trailed his mouth along her collarbone. She closed the book she was holding, gripped his wrists, and tried to pry them off. "Murdoc, let go."
"But why? I do so enjoy this." She sighed, and then, before he had time to comprehende what happened, had him pinned down on the floor, face first with his hand pinned behind his back, and gripping his hair so his head was pulled back far enough that he could see her.
"Newsflash: I DON'T like it, and you had d*mn well better stop, because I can have you down like this with a broken arm faster then you can breathe. Am I clear on that?"
"Your english has improved greatly." He snapped. "Too bad your manners haven't!!" He managed to roll over and break her grip on him, then tackled her, holding her down by her wrists. She couldn't move her upper half, so she took the other option and brought her knee up hard. Her aim was off, but she got the reaction she wanted. Sasuri had hit him in the gut, causing him to gasp and groan for a moment. She pushed him off of her and glared at him as he gripped his waist, breathing hard. She got up and started to walk out of the room, but he grabbed her by the calf, causing her to fall on her stomach. He pulled her towards him, not pleased in the least.
Murdoc rolled her over and pinned her hands down with his knees so he was sitting on her waist. He then proceeded to strike her in the ribs and across the face.
Sasuri struggled to gain some control, but failed. He stopped to catch his breath, and looked her over. She had blood running out of her lip, a bad cut above her eye and was groaning. He stared down at her, an evil glint in his eye. He gripped her by the chin, and pressed his lips against hers, shocking her. She struggled to pull away, but she couldn't move. He pulled away after a moment, a broad smirk on his face. She layed still, panting, swearing at him between gasps. "Quite a vocabulary you have." He leaned in closer. "I love it." He was about to kiss her again, but froze when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Murdoc got up and walked out onto the balcony, climbing over the side and disappearing.
She sat up, getting to her knees and holding her hand to her lip. Her ribs were aching; she'd be shocked if none of them were broken. Sasuri looked up as the door opened, and sighed when Ryu walked in.
"Oh, no. Murdoc again?" He asked. She nodded, wiping the blood off of her chin. "I'm so sorry Sasuri. I should have known he'd do this again. Come on." He helped her up and took her to her room.
Sasuri watched as Ryu soaked a cloth in alcohol and ran it over her wounds. she flinched, not at the stinging sensation, but at his touch as his fingers gently brushed her face. He noticed, and wished that he could prove to her that she could trust him. Regardless of all that had happened, she still destested humans.
When he finished with her wounds, Ryu walked into the bathroom to put the blood soaked rags in the trash. He walked back out into the bedroom to find it empty. Walking out onto the balcony, he found black and dark blue feathers scattered over the floor. "Sasuri..." He sighed, looking over the edge for any signs of her.
~*~
Ryu landed and looked around, wondering where she could have went. He had an idea of where she might have gone, and headed to the cave where he first found her and Diablo.
He saw he was right when he found heron her knees by a large cave. A closer look showed she had just finished burying something and was now carving something with her dagger.
Sasuri jumped up as she saw him enter the clearing, gripping something in her hand tightly. She watched him carefully as he approached her.
He studied the object in her hand, realizing what it was made of. "Sasuri, why do you have a dragon's brestbone?" *She's making it into a staff.* He concluded when she didn't answer.
Sasuri tightened her hold on the hand-carved staff, watching him as he stepped towards her. When she felt he was close enough, she held the staff out, pointing it right at him.
"Don't come any closer." She said in a dangerous tone.
Ryu instantly came to a stop, not liking the tone in her voice.
"Sasuri, I don't know what you're doing here, but you need to come back to the airship." He said quietly, stepping closer. He instantly regretted it.
"I'm not going anywhere I don't want to!!" Her silver eyes clouded over and her hair blew back by an unseen wind as she raised the staff, glaring at him, and he just barely missed getting hit by a bolt of lightning that seemed to come out of the staff itself. "Now," she said as she calmed down, her hair and eyes returning to normal, but still holding her staff pointed at him. "Leave here, or next time, I won't miss." *Oh no. A dragon's breastbone holds powerful magic. She's tapped into it to strengthen hers! With the combined powers of the Ebony Wings and the staff, she'll be alomst unstoppable.*
"Sasuri, exactly what do you plan to accomplish?"
"If you must know, I plan on resurrecting Diablo so I don't have to live with you human filth any more!"
"Sasuri, you can't escape humans becasue you're human as well." Sasuri's eyes filled with anger, and she prepared to take another shot at Ryu, but Ryu was quicker. Before she had time to defend herself, Ryu had her pinned against a tree, the hand holding the staff pinned behind her.
"Ryu please, let me go!! Don't make me go back, I want to stay with Diablo!!'
"Sasuri!!" Ryu finally had enough. "I don't care HOW strong your magic is, even with the staff! You won't be able to bring Diablo back! you'll just end up killing yourself." Sasuri stared at him for the longest time, then Ryu heard the clatter of her staff falling to the ground. She practically went limp with defeat, and would have slipped through his arms if he hadn't changed his grip. He gently picked her up, but she instantly refused, struggling to get down.
"Let me go! Put me down right now! I told you, I don't need your help, and i told you, I don't WANT to go back!!!" Ryu completely ignored her, and started back to the airship.
A while later, Ryu boarded the air ship and walked down the hall with an unconcious Sasuri over one shoulder and gripping her staff in the other hand, completely ignoring the stares he
was getting, and the questions being asked.
Murdoc watched him walk down the hall, narrowing his eyes as Ryu passed him without even looking at him. He walked alongside Ryu, his eyes hard and accusing.
"I don't see why you keep bringing her back." He snapped. "She's more trouble then she's worth."
"She possesses powers far stronger then my own Murdoc, and she plans on using them against us. I cannot allow that to happen." Murdoc watched as Ryu entered her room and layed her down on the bed, waked over to her balcony doors and locked them. After leaving and closing the door, he locked it as well. Murdoc laughed harshly.
"What's wrong Ryu? Scared she'll kill you in your sleep?"
"Just a precaution, so certain people won't bother her." Murdoc grinned.
"I figured she'd tell you. But I don't see why you care. She doesn't care about you. Besides, didn't you get enough action from Rashika-" He was cut short as Ryu's fist smashed into the jaw, slamming him up against the wall, where Ryu glared at him, pressing his fist into Murdoc's throat.
"I don't EVER want to hear you mention her again. Not after what you did to her. And you lay a hand on Sasuri ever again, I'll follow through with the threat I made that day. Is this in any waay unclear?" At first, Murdoc just sneered, but when Ryu pressed harder, cutting off his air, he managed to nod. Ryu pulled away, letting Murdoc stumble to his balance, then stalked off.
"I'll do whatever the h*ll I want, Ryu." He muttered, glancing at Sasuri's door before leaving.
Ryu stared down at her, watching as she broke out into a cold sweat, and felt guilt wash through him. *It's all my fault. I'm the one who ordered the men to clear the forest she was living in. Now, she's here, without Diablo, and I'm to blame.* He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers over her damp forehead. At this movement, she calmed down slightly, her breathing slowing.
Sasuri woke up then and bolted upright, instantly wrapping her arms around the nearest thing, which in this case was a very statled Ryu. Sasuri finally broke down and cried into his chest. Ryu didn't say anything ; He just wrapped his arms around her and rocked back and forth slightly. After a moment, she finally calmed down.
"Sasuri? Are you alright? Will you tell me what you were dreaming about?" She sighed.
"You wouldn't understand it." He was a little hurt by this statment, but he tried to hide it.
"Anything I can do to help?" Ryu asked gently. He pulled away and looked down at her. She must have been embarassed about the way she was acting, because she wouldn't look him in the eye. "Will you be okay for now, or would you like me to stay a little longer?" She shook her head.
"No, I'll be okay by myself. Go get some rest." Ryu turned away and left, leaving her to her thoughts.
~The~next~week~
Sasuri was sitting in a private part of the library, going over her English lessons, one hand pressed to her forehead in concentration. Her english was improving, but she was still having some trouble having a conversation without stumbling over a lot of the words. So she'd been assigned to some extra studying.
She heard the door open, but ignored it. She had grown used to people coming in and out. Yet, she wasn't able to ignore the two arms that were encircling her neck. And she could tell by the dragon hide gloves that it wasn't Ryu. "Murdoc, let go of me." He smirked, then trailed his mouth along her collarbone. She closed the book she was holding, gripped his wrists, and tried to pry them off. "Murdoc, let go."
"But why? I do so enjoy this." She sighed, and then, before he had time to comprehende what happened, had him pinned down on the floor, face first with his hand pinned behind his back, and gripping his hair so his head was pulled back far enough that he could see her.
"Newsflash: I DON'T like it, and you had d*mn well better stop, because I can have you down like this with a broken arm faster then you can breathe. Am I clear on that?"
"Your english has improved greatly." He snapped. "Too bad your manners haven't!!" He managed to roll over and break her grip on him, then tackled her, holding her down by her wrists. She couldn't move her upper half, so she took the other option and brought her knee up hard. Her aim was off, but she got the reaction she wanted. Sasuri had hit him in the gut, causing him to gasp and groan for a moment. She pushed him off of her and glared at him as he gripped his waist, breathing hard. She got up and started to walk out of the room, but he grabbed her by the calf, causing her to fall on her stomach. He pulled her towards him, not pleased in the least.
Murdoc rolled her over and pinned her hands down with his knees so he was sitting on her waist. He then proceeded to strike her in the ribs and across the face.
Sasuri struggled to gain some control, but failed. He stopped to catch his breath, and looked her over. She had blood running out of her lip, a bad cut above her eye and was groaning. He stared down at her, an evil glint in his eye. He gripped her by the chin, and pressed his lips against hers, shocking her. She struggled to pull away, but she couldn't move. He pulled away after a moment, a broad smirk on his face. She layed still, panting, swearing at him between gasps. "Quite a vocabulary you have." He leaned in closer. "I love it." He was about to kiss her again, but froze when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Murdoc got up and walked out onto the balcony, climbing over the side and disappearing.
She sat up, getting to her knees and holding her hand to her lip. Her ribs were aching; she'd be shocked if none of them were broken. Sasuri looked up as the door opened, and sighed when Ryu walked in.
"Oh, no. Murdoc again?" He asked. She nodded, wiping the blood off of her chin. "I'm so sorry Sasuri. I should have known he'd do this again. Come on." He helped her up and took her to her room.
Sasuri watched as Ryu soaked a cloth in alcohol and ran it over her wounds. she flinched, not at the stinging sensation, but at his touch as his fingers gently brushed her face. He noticed, and wished that he could prove to her that she could trust him. Regardless of all that had happened, she still destested humans.
When he finished with her wounds, Ryu walked into the bathroom to put the blood soaked rags in the trash. He walked back out into the bedroom to find it empty. Walking out onto the balcony, he found black and dark blue feathers scattered over the floor. "Sasuri..." He sighed, looking over the edge for any signs of her.
~*~
Ryu landed and looked around, wondering where she could have went. He had an idea of where she might have gone, and headed to the cave where he first found her and Diablo.
He saw he was right when he found heron her knees by a large cave. A closer look showed she had just finished burying something and was now carving something with her dagger.
Sasuri jumped up as she saw him enter the clearing, gripping something in her hand tightly. She watched him carefully as he approached her.
He studied the object in her hand, realizing what it was made of. "Sasuri, why do you have a dragon's brestbone?" *She's making it into a staff.* He concluded when she didn't answer.
Sasuri tightened her hold on the hand-carved staff, watching him as he stepped towards her. When she felt he was close enough, she held the staff out, pointing it right at him.
"Don't come any closer." She said in a dangerous tone.
Ryu instantly came to a stop, not liking the tone in her voice.
"Sasuri, I don't know what you're doing here, but you need to come back to the airship." He said quietly, stepping closer. He instantly regretted it.
"I'm not going anywhere I don't want to!!" Her silver eyes clouded over and her hair blew back by an unseen wind as she raised the staff, glaring at him, and he just barely missed getting hit by a bolt of lightning that seemed to come out of the staff itself. "Now," she said as she calmed down, her hair and eyes returning to normal, but still holding her staff pointed at him. "Leave here, or next time, I won't miss." *Oh no. A dragon's breastbone holds powerful magic. She's tapped into it to strengthen hers! With the combined powers of the Ebony Wings and the staff, she'll be alomst unstoppable.*
"Sasuri, exactly what do you plan to accomplish?"
"If you must know, I plan on resurrecting Diablo so I don't have to live with you human filth any more!"
"Sasuri, you can't escape humans becasue you're human as well." Sasuri's eyes filled with anger, and she prepared to take another shot at Ryu, but Ryu was quicker. Before she had time to defend herself, Ryu had her pinned against a tree, the hand holding the staff pinned behind her.
"Ryu please, let me go!! Don't make me go back, I want to stay with Diablo!!'
"Sasuri!!" Ryu finally had enough. "I don't care HOW strong your magic is, even with the staff! You won't be able to bring Diablo back! you'll just end up killing yourself." Sasuri stared at him for the longest time, then Ryu heard the clatter of her staff falling to the ground. She practically went limp with defeat, and would have slipped through his arms if he hadn't changed his grip. He gently picked her up, but she instantly refused, struggling to get down.
"Let me go! Put me down right now! I told you, I don't need your help, and i told you, I don't WANT to go back!!!" Ryu completely ignored her, and started back to the airship.
A while later, Ryu boarded the air ship and walked down the hall with an unconcious Sasuri over one shoulder and gripping her staff in the other hand, completely ignoring the stares he
was getting, and the questions being asked.
Murdoc watched him walk down the hall, narrowing his eyes as Ryu passed him without even looking at him. He walked alongside Ryu, his eyes hard and accusing.
"I don't see why you keep bringing her back." He snapped. "She's more trouble then she's worth."
"She possesses powers far stronger then my own Murdoc, and she plans on using them against us. I cannot allow that to happen." Murdoc watched as Ryu entered her room and layed her down on the bed, waked over to her balcony doors and locked them. After leaving and closing the door, he locked it as well. Murdoc laughed harshly.
"What's wrong Ryu? Scared she'll kill you in your sleep?"
"Just a precaution, so certain people won't bother her." Murdoc grinned.
"I figured she'd tell you. But I don't see why you care. She doesn't care about you. Besides, didn't you get enough action from Rashika-" He was cut short as Ryu's fist smashed into the jaw, slamming him up against the wall, where Ryu glared at him, pressing his fist into Murdoc's throat.
"I don't EVER want to hear you mention her again. Not after what you did to her. And you lay a hand on Sasuri ever again, I'll follow through with the threat I made that day. Is this in any waay unclear?" At first, Murdoc just sneered, but when Ryu pressed harder, cutting off his air, he managed to nod. Ryu pulled away, letting Murdoc stumble to his balance, then stalked off.
"I'll do whatever the h*ll I want, Ryu." He muttered, glancing at Sasuri's door before leaving.