"Is it true?"
...
"Is it??"
"Is what true?"
"You know..."
"What?"
"The rumors..."
"THE WHAT??"
Umi slammed her hands down the dining table as she rose up in anger. Arisa could only put up a smile to obfuscate her fear for what might become of her for provoking the swordswoman.
"Megumi-sama~ dont kill mee~", pleaded the acolyte.
Silence surrounded Umi's rented cabin. Only distant chirping pickies could be heard it echoed from the nearby woods.
Umi closed her eyes, regained her composure with one deep breath and sat down just as quickly. "Ok, Arisa. What rumors are you talking about?"
Arisa came out of the defending position that she was balled up in. "Err... it's about the drifter."
Umi put a sharp stare at Arisa. If she could remember it correctly, she took in the unconscious drifter two days ago out of fear of breaking the strict sparring laws of Izlude. Although it was Arisa who did most of the care taking (Author's pesky note: Why is care taking no different from care giving?), it was her house and at her expense. In fact, he was sleeping right behind the room that they were in at that moment. What are the odds of him waking up? For, Umi, figures looked bleak. Very bleak. Maybe he was dead after all.
"Mmm? The drifter, you say?"
"Yeah, many people are starting to ask me. Are you having an affair with him? Is that why you two are sleeping under one roof?" sheepishly replied the young girl.
A sudden rush of blood reddened the ivory-hued face of Umi. Her blood pressure shot up to astronomical levels. She clenched her fists and approached the shaking Acolyte.
"Grr...Arisa..."
"Pwease don't keel me. I'm too young to die!" squealed the young cleric.
"WHY SHOULD I NOT? HELLO?! You were the one who asked me to take him in! I was bound by law to do it! Why the hell would you even ask me about an issue that you yourself started??"
Arisa put on an indifferently astonished look. She her clenched right hand against her opened left palm - a sign of enlightenment as she stared blankly into space.
"OOooh! That's right! My mind must have slipped," said the young acolyte.
/swt
Sweat formed along the contours of the swordswoman's forehead. How could she have forgotten?
Umi imbibed in huge amounts her grape juice (a childhood favorite). Now everybody thinks she's gonna settle down with a man. And a stupid-oaf-of-a-drifter at that! When will the nightmare ever end??
Just then loud knocking came from outside the cabin.
Arisa took the opportunity to distance her self from the raging volcano. She raised her hands excitedly and said, "I'll get it!"
The acolyte opened the door and in came a soot-black haired young swordsman, swift as the spreading news.
"Is it true?" sounded the visitor as he room-to-roomed the place.
Umi closed again her eyes and raised her shakingly-urging-to-kill fists.
The acolyte cheerfully greeted the swordie. "Hiya, Eron!"
The young man took no notice and went on searching. He then saw the drifter lying on a mat on the next room. Tears started welling in his eyes.
"So it's true then??"
Wham! (err… insert Industrial Light and Magic sound effects here)
A loud cracking sound echoed outside the cabin.
Inside, the swordsman lay near-unconscious beside the robed man, with a developing bump on his head. Behind him was a furious Umi, still polishing her right fist from the blow.
"That's for barging in here without my permission..."
The swordie got up and sat in Indian-fashion. He was almost crying like a baby while saying to himself: "Umi... my Umi..."
As usual, the acolyte came in running. She quickly put some blessed solvent on the head bump, which made the swordsman writhe in pain.
"Serves you right, Eron von Irongate," muttered the emerald-haired girl.
Eron von Irongate. If Umi would ever be considered to be capable of making friends with the opposite sex, Eron would be equivalent to her best boy friend. But with that kind of friendship, I doubt that he'd live long enough to make the whole friendship last.
He is the son of Aleck von Irongate, incumbent head of the swordsmanship academy in Izlude. He first met Umi during her first day in school. He challenged her, thinking that she would be a pushover. The result was quite the opposite: He got a good ass-whoopin in front of his class.
After the defeat, he realized that if one cannot beat a good enemy, then it would be just as good to make her an ally. His motives however, are obviously more than that.
Enough background checking. Back to the story.
Just then, a loud explosion emanated from the room that everyone was in. Smoke filled the entire place.
Umi shut her eyes and covered her mouth. She quickly ran towards the bed. The drifter was gone.
The swordswoman quickly reached for her sword. She tried to grasp its hilt. Once. Twice. She looked at her sheath only to find the blade... GONE??
Familiarly odd, loud laughing came from outside the blown wall of the room. Umi quickly dashed out to investigate.
"Mwahahaha! Let us resume battle!" said the Drifter. His sakkat was apparently not with him anymore. His sharp, Caucasian features and snow-white hair was so full of life as he laughed. On his right hand was something of value to Umi.
Her sword.
"Get back here and I'll finish you off, you overgrown yoyo! You can't even jump from a tree without getting yourself killed!" shouted Umi.
The robed man stopped laughing and fumbled with his words. "Uhh... err... that was an... uhh..."
Umi realized that it was her chance and ran towards her family heirloom.
The drifter saw her coming for it so he ran off. Umi pursued the man with haste. "Come back here, thief!"
Meanwhile, Eron and Arisa finally got their composure back. Smoke was slowly making its way outside through the newly formed sunroof.
Arisa rubbed both her eyes. "What happened?"
The teary-eyed swordsman looked somewhat lethargic to what had happened. His thoughts seemed to wander into the nothingness of the smoke-filled air that filled the forest.
"My... Umi..."
(Author's final note: Har har. Loser.)
Next Episode: The fateful trade in the desert!
(Author: Dangit. The episode's too darn long again. *snip* *snip* There!)
(Voices from background: Dont cut us off the story boss! NYUUUuUuUuuuuu~)
To be con-hieloed. Hasa la juego, damas y caballeros.