Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ although it would be interesting if I did.
Note: I will be adding some lingual translations so you can understand what the heck I am saying and maybe where I'm going with this. Problem is, if I spill the beans now... then later won't be a surprise. Enjoy! ^_^
Ch 1 Cast Out
He's been like this for almost a week now, she thought as she propped herself up on her left elbow. She held out her right hand and gazed at its contents. I shouldn't be doing this for a Kai. Her fingers brushed over the bright yellow orbs and rolled them around inside her palm.
"I wondered what had happened to those," he said with his eyes still closed. "Again I express my gratitude sir."
She giggled and his eyes flew open. "Don't worry," she said smiling as he opened his mouth to correct himself. "You couldn't have known. Besides, I'm just glad to see you awake and further on the mend." She sat up and scooted over to his side then began examining the bloody gauze pad secured tightly over the hole where his arm should be. "Now I can tend to this."
"Why did you not simply seal the flesh?"
"How old are you?" He didn't answer. "You don't look to be that much older than myself. I personally would prefer to live out my life with all my limbs accounted for." She stopped and looked down at him sternly. "I can give you back your arm if you can handle the pain of it being regrown." His eyebrows bent in in disbelief. "The process is rather simple, all I need is your approval and your new arm should equal your right in oh say... a month."
"Regrown?" She nodded. "Very well then, what must I do?"
Her face suddenly brightened as she retrieved a basket of fruit from the corner. "Eat something first and I'll tend to that later."
He struggled to pull himself to a sitting position, pushing against the wooden wall. The blankets that had once reached his chin fell into his lap. He looked down in the darkness realizing that he had been striped of his uniform down to his tight black shorts. "Mm...?" he whispered softly.
"Don't worry I didn't peek."
He reached for a piece of fruit and spoke before taking a bite, "how long have I been asleep?"
"For about a week now I assume. I haven't kept track of sun cycles so I honestly don't know."
"Have you been with me the entire time... milady?"
"That I have."
He waited until he finished two pieces before continuing, "and in a week's time milady, I have not yet acquired your name."
She genuflected, "milord, my name is Zari." She lifted her head. "Am I to receive your name?"
He held her hand lightly in his fingers and brought it to his lips. "I am called Shin, this is the greatest honor I've had in my long years. This is a pleasure."
"Likewise," was all she felt she could say in response to his poetic tongue. She had never encountered someone so polite and old fashioned. On top of that, no matter who she had tended to, be it Agi herself, they were always skeptical. She didn't feel any nervousness or forgery in his actions or speech. He was so open to her, it was like she could see into his very soul through his eyes. He didn't attempt to hide anything, she knew his crucial secret, what was left to conceal? He's so trusting of me, she thought. Does he realize what I represent, what peril he's drawn to himself in trusting me, or does he even comprehend it or care at all? He dropped her hand suddenly and she looked away. He heard me.
"Yes, I heard your thoughts, forgive me." She looked up just as his eyes darted to start at his lap. "A woman is sacred, her thoughts are meant for her alone, unless she should choose to speak them of her own free will. No man ever has the right to enter a woman's thoughts, or do anything to shame her in anyway, shape, or form. As I have always believed, is that it is the same as committing a higher crime of dishonor."
"I see," she said softly. "Forgive my saying so milord, though I never believed this to be true in the slightest way, I had been told by my master that the Kai's had always been and shall always be murderous backstabbing beasts who only give a damn about their own survival."
He sighed, "there was such a Kai seventeen generations ago. I'm afraid it was he who forced the alliance between Kai and Terthri to crumble. I am relieved to say he did not serve after that. As I have been informed, his enemies found him once he was cast out. He took his own life shortly thereafter."
"I should think so," she said coming into the conversation a little late.
"Yes, I almost regret my saying so but I am glad he passed." He clenched his fists as pictures of the legends he had been told became fresh in his mind once more.
She noted his attention was elsewhere, and disappeared only to reappear on his other side. Before his mind had returned to the present, she tore the gauze pad from his skin and plunged her fingers into the slow bleeding flesh. Blood sprayed as she pulled. He cried out but her free hand clamped down over his mouth while her other hand held him steady. He clenched his teeth and leaned back against the wall.
"Sorry," she said. "You handled it well." She looked at the thin sickly limb drenched in blood. "We'll have to treat this like a broken arm," she said as she turned her back and striped herself of her tube top. His head snapped in the opposite direction.
Her fingers groped for a broach of some sort, once she'd put her vest back on, they found a green five leaf broach which she immediately fastened beneath her breast. "Now," she said as she looped her tube top under his forearm and behind his neck. She noticed he still wasn't looking at her so she added cheerfully, "don't worry I'm decent." Still his head didn't turn. "Very well, do as you wish. However, do you feel you could travel? Short distance of course."
His head slightly turned then darted back, "if I may count on your assistance."
"Of course, first though, I shall return with fresh water so I may clean the rest of your wounds, and cleanse your arm."
She snatched a bag from the corner and began whispering to the wall. He listened to her speech, unaware of what she said or even the identity of the language, but it held him in a trance regardless.
The structure groaned like a steel sea liner out at sea. Massive cracks followed as a jagged doorway opened like a dull blade forced through the flesh. Light poured in through the opening in the wall. His arm moved on impulse to shield his eyes as the light blinded them. His vision adjusted quickly, then what little ground he gained was torn away as his trial attempt to remove his hand left giant sunspots in his vision. She too struggled to see clearly. A week's time in darkness for her however, faded away until she was down to squinting. She turned and slung the bag over her shoulder then opened her lips to whisper the incantation once more. "Milady!" he cried. "I wonder..." he paused to rub his eyes. "Would it be possible for me to await you outside?"
"No," she sighed. "But perhaps, I shall leave this open for you. The vines will be enough to block most of the sun's rays, but you will not be in the dark."
"Thank you."
She answered in a soft two hot hum just before the snap. An entangled web of ivy vines fell like a green cascade. The sun made their leaves glow like sunlit pieces of a stain glass panel, with her silhouette standing in the middle.
His curiosity rose and so he panned his gaze around the contents to what appeared to be a hollow in the base of a tree. What was left of his uniform hung on upraised roots to his left, among other articles of Zari's clothing. The basket of fruit had once been by other woven baskets containing dried wood, healing herbs and cooking spices with a fishing net draped over them, and long wood spears lie hidden behind them. Above the baskets was a hole, only big enough for a small person (such as himself) to pass through. A melted candle was waxed into place on the right side of the entrance. The ceiling was low and slanted, nearly touching the floor in some areas. Quiet charming if one pauses to consider, he thought. "Would be a nice place to-"
A sudden sensation ceased his sentence. Fear struck him through his heart and froze all thoughts. The presence faded but did not disappear. Perhaps she decided to hunt and merely needed to raise her power to finish quickly, he thought. Then why does it linger? No! No milady's somewhere west, this being searches in this general path. Searches? Who or for what? He looked down at his hand, turning in the air as if it were examining some unseen object.
The light was suddenly blocked. He looked up to see a silhouette rimmed in deep green. The vines suddenly fell in a pile. Juices dripped from the severed ends.
The shadow loomed over him. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What business have you with me?"
"Oh.... business of the upmost importance," she growled.
"You?!"
Zari cast the bag into the stream and waited for it to fill. "Hm?" she said as she lifted her head. "Why is he raising his power level?" She glanced back at the bag, now nearly full. "Strange, his energy signature is nearly identical to...." Her hand relaxed and the bag was carried away. Agi...
Shin cried out as he was thrown from his sanctuary and landed on his left arm. "Tell me," she said coldly as she pressed her spear head to the soft flesh under his jaw. "Where is that backstabbing bitch?" He stared at her and didn't respond. She wrenched her spear back and wrapped her fingers around his throat. "Where is she!" she screamed.
He had no choice but to speak with his mind. Who are you referring to, may I ask? He smiled then grimaced as she bore down harder.
"Zari!" she screamed. The hunch in her shoulders was gone as her transformation began. The string holding her hair snapped and her hair swirled around her face in a soft black mass. The ivory thorns lengthened as the red scales on the sides of her face and everywhere else spread to cover her otherwise normal skin. Then her eyes darkened as a veil of blackness fell over them. Her voice deepened to a tone that can only be described as a rumble, deep within a dragon's throat when fire is seeping through its teeth. "Last time, where is she?"
"Agi!" Zari shrieked from the sky. "Put him down and calm yourself."
"I told you I can handle the transformation. And I warned you! I tried to discourage you from aiding willingly, especially his kind."
She didn't know. Honestly she didn't. Please! If anyone is to blame it's me.
"Well... at least that's one thing you and I see eye to eye on." She gripped her spear as she lifted him higher in the air then growled in a sinister tone. "Now you will pay the penalty for these circumstances." Her arm tensed like a rubber band, ready to snap Shin's neck.
"Agi that's enough!"
"I'll deal with you later!"
"You'll deal with me now!" Zari snapped. She turned her body sideways and pulled both hands back to the side of her waist. Blue light escaped from between her fingers in hot beams. "Don't make me do this Agi," she pleaded as tears collected in the corners of her eyes. "You remember what happened last time."
"You won't do it. I haven't taught you how to kill. I'll only come back stronger. But tell me, does this fool mean that much to you?"
"I've only known him for less than an hour."
"Yes-or-no?"
Milady, I beg of you! Do not sacrifice for me!
"Yes-or-no!"
She dropped her stance and sighed, "no. Forgive me milord."
I understand. He looked at her and smiled to the best of his ability. It's... alright. Already his eyes were beginning to close as his airway was blocked. His smile was weak and infuriated Agi.
"Is it?" Zari whispered.
Agi raised him higher in the air. "Wise choice young one," she said as she glared at Shin. "You shall not regret it." Her spear fell to the ground as an energy wave took form in her crooked
fingers. "Don't worry, this will be a death worthy of a Kai."
Zari suddenly dropped to the ground, fists clenched, head bowed. "No," she growled. "No more deaths. Not while I'm still breathing." Her hair lashed out like a whip and wrapped around Agi's wrist and pulled it down. Shin fell to the ground as Agi released him, he remained on the soil, coughing an gasping for breath.
Agi hissed, "you'll regret tha-"
"How many more Agi?!" Zari snapped. "When will it be when you have taken enough lives and spilt enough blood?!"
"Kai blood is meaningless!"
"His blood is the same as mine! He and I are of the same race. Being a Kai does not change one's blood, merely the name."
"And yet you call him 'Milord'."
Zari threw her head back and her hair released Agi's arm. "It's a mere word, nothing more than air carrying vibrations. He himself has referred to me as 'Milady', does that change who I am?"
"So now they show courtesy. Where was it seventeen generations past?! I lost everyone I held dear, my entire race blown into extinction! And for what?! Just so that ass could stay afloat?"
"Seems that is another thing we agree on," Shin said as he struggled to his feet.
"One would think you'd have the mind to stay down," Agi snapped as she turned her head sharply and glared at him. Her hand receded behind her back, palm up, an energy wave hovered in the center of her palm. "Although I must commend you for regaining your feet, you shall stand no longer."
He had merely blinked before Agi's arm sped forth and the energy wave shot forth like a massive cannon. "MOVE!!" a voice screamed. He didn't hear or react until a shadow blocked the wave's path.
"Milady no!"
It's alright. She'll soon realize and she'll stop.
What if she doesn't?
She will. Not even one tenth of a second had passed when she felt the hot rays burn her face. "Why?" The blast exploded in her face. Shin was sent flying through trees until he landed in the side of the bluffs. Before he could get free, two words drifted to his ears, "Damn Agi!"
Zari was still waving her hands in from of her face to clear the smoke by the time Shin returned. "What the hell is the matter with you?!" Zari demanded. Agi stood with her mouth open.
Amazing! Not so much as a scratch. That blast should have killed her!
Zari stopped her hands in mid stroke and shot an icy glare at Agi that made her freeze. "Kill me? Was that what you intended? Hah!"
"How did you survive?! Tell me!"
"You won't be around long enough to hear even the shortest explanation." She shook her head, "you'll just keep killing won't you? Are you going to add my name to that memorial? Then how many more after me? How many?!" Agi's breathing soon became labored and ragged. Her legs grew weak and she began to sink to the ground. "Don't force me to destroy you Agi. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life. You of all people should remember that you were not my only teacher. As my mother once taught me, the lives of the many always outweigh one."
Agi clamped her hands over her ears and wailed. Her voice split in two, one her normal tone, the other belonged to the bloodthirsty demon, also known only as Agi. Her scales slowly resumed their former places and her hands fell limp to her sides. Zari sighed and let down her guard. Her skin suddenly looked dull, the slight shine faded as the force field residing beneath her skin was dispersed. Agi's head shot up, "there's your mistake."
"Milady watch out!"
Too late. A vortex resembling swirling water shot forth from Agi's hand and ran Zari through. Shin sprinted forward and caught her then slowly lowered her to the ground; her head resting on his knee. "I was the one you wanted," he said still looking at Zari. "That should have been-"
"Oh shut up!" she snapped. "She's not dead, merely in suspended animation for a few minutes." She collected her spear and turned her back to him. "You make sure you give her a message when she wakes. You tell her that she has two days to do as she pleases before I order Armageddon. Then neither of you will be safe, not from me. Especially you," she said as she turned so she could see him out of the corner of her left eye. "You'll be first on my blood list." She flicked her spearhead backward at Zari. "And she'll be next."
He gently laid her head on the ground, then sprang to his feet and growled through clenched teeth, "you won't touch her!"
"Oh? Who's prepared to defend her?" Agi mused. "You?"
"Aye."
She sneered and turned to face him. "Know this," she said sternly. "No matter how hard you try, who you have on your side, or what sacrifices you make, you will never be capable of defending her. She will save you and herself from me, but that is where her luck shall end. If she is fortunate, only life will be stolen from her body. But break her, drain her strength, or anything of the like," she paused and tapped the side of her brow. "I will know, and all forces from the depths of hell will rise to devour your soul in flame!"
Her aura blazed in red flame seconds before she rocketed into the air.
Shin watched as she became a twinkling red star in the afternoon sky. "Belashi dongue lahk," he growled then spat in the direction she had flown.
Zari stirred and groaned as she woke. She rushed to her side and held her up in his arm. "Za-... milady," he whispered as he shook her gently. "Milady? Milady wake, I beg of you wake." Her eyes fluttered, as if trying to shut tight, then fell still as her mouth relaxed, opening slightly. He looked at her for what must have been six minutes. His eyes noted every line and curve about her face, memorized the way the shadows rested on her skin, and how the breeze blew her bangs ver her forehead. "Milady," he whispered.
"Mm...?" Her eyes opened partially. "What?" she asked as if speaking to a child who had just woke her in the pit of night. "Oh!" she said as she realized to whom she was speaking. "Milord? What happened?"
"Agi rendered you unconscious then left. She left a message with me intended for you. I'm afraid you have been cast into exile."
"That figures," she said as she pulled herself from his grasp. "How long?"
"Indefinitely."
"No, I mean how long until she orders-"
"Oh! I believe she said two days."
"Believe? You mean you're not for sure."
"Two days."
"Means we only have one." She jumped to her feet and offered her hand to Shin. "Come quickly," she said as she hoisted him to his feet. "This day is nearly spent."
"These few hours are all we have?!"
"Relax," she said calmly. "I have but one major errand to run, them we may leave."
"What is that?"
"You needn't concern yourself." She looked him up and down. "I suppose you will be wanting something to wear huh?" she said casually.
"Huh?" He looked down at himself, still only in his tight black shorts. He looked up at her and smiled. "Yes please."
Note: I will be adding some lingual translations so you can understand what the heck I am saying and maybe where I'm going with this. Problem is, if I spill the beans now... then later won't be a surprise. Enjoy! ^_^
Ch 1 Cast Out
He's been like this for almost a week now, she thought as she propped herself up on her left elbow. She held out her right hand and gazed at its contents. I shouldn't be doing this for a Kai. Her fingers brushed over the bright yellow orbs and rolled them around inside her palm.
"I wondered what had happened to those," he said with his eyes still closed. "Again I express my gratitude sir."
She giggled and his eyes flew open. "Don't worry," she said smiling as he opened his mouth to correct himself. "You couldn't have known. Besides, I'm just glad to see you awake and further on the mend." She sat up and scooted over to his side then began examining the bloody gauze pad secured tightly over the hole where his arm should be. "Now I can tend to this."
"Why did you not simply seal the flesh?"
"How old are you?" He didn't answer. "You don't look to be that much older than myself. I personally would prefer to live out my life with all my limbs accounted for." She stopped and looked down at him sternly. "I can give you back your arm if you can handle the pain of it being regrown." His eyebrows bent in in disbelief. "The process is rather simple, all I need is your approval and your new arm should equal your right in oh say... a month."
"Regrown?" She nodded. "Very well then, what must I do?"
Her face suddenly brightened as she retrieved a basket of fruit from the corner. "Eat something first and I'll tend to that later."
He struggled to pull himself to a sitting position, pushing against the wooden wall. The blankets that had once reached his chin fell into his lap. He looked down in the darkness realizing that he had been striped of his uniform down to his tight black shorts. "Mm...?" he whispered softly.
"Don't worry I didn't peek."
He reached for a piece of fruit and spoke before taking a bite, "how long have I been asleep?"
"For about a week now I assume. I haven't kept track of sun cycles so I honestly don't know."
"Have you been with me the entire time... milady?"
"That I have."
He waited until he finished two pieces before continuing, "and in a week's time milady, I have not yet acquired your name."
She genuflected, "milord, my name is Zari." She lifted her head. "Am I to receive your name?"
He held her hand lightly in his fingers and brought it to his lips. "I am called Shin, this is the greatest honor I've had in my long years. This is a pleasure."
"Likewise," was all she felt she could say in response to his poetic tongue. She had never encountered someone so polite and old fashioned. On top of that, no matter who she had tended to, be it Agi herself, they were always skeptical. She didn't feel any nervousness or forgery in his actions or speech. He was so open to her, it was like she could see into his very soul through his eyes. He didn't attempt to hide anything, she knew his crucial secret, what was left to conceal? He's so trusting of me, she thought. Does he realize what I represent, what peril he's drawn to himself in trusting me, or does he even comprehend it or care at all? He dropped her hand suddenly and she looked away. He heard me.
"Yes, I heard your thoughts, forgive me." She looked up just as his eyes darted to start at his lap. "A woman is sacred, her thoughts are meant for her alone, unless she should choose to speak them of her own free will. No man ever has the right to enter a woman's thoughts, or do anything to shame her in anyway, shape, or form. As I have always believed, is that it is the same as committing a higher crime of dishonor."
"I see," she said softly. "Forgive my saying so milord, though I never believed this to be true in the slightest way, I had been told by my master that the Kai's had always been and shall always be murderous backstabbing beasts who only give a damn about their own survival."
He sighed, "there was such a Kai seventeen generations ago. I'm afraid it was he who forced the alliance between Kai and Terthri to crumble. I am relieved to say he did not serve after that. As I have been informed, his enemies found him once he was cast out. He took his own life shortly thereafter."
"I should think so," she said coming into the conversation a little late.
"Yes, I almost regret my saying so but I am glad he passed." He clenched his fists as pictures of the legends he had been told became fresh in his mind once more.
She noted his attention was elsewhere, and disappeared only to reappear on his other side. Before his mind had returned to the present, she tore the gauze pad from his skin and plunged her fingers into the slow bleeding flesh. Blood sprayed as she pulled. He cried out but her free hand clamped down over his mouth while her other hand held him steady. He clenched his teeth and leaned back against the wall.
"Sorry," she said. "You handled it well." She looked at the thin sickly limb drenched in blood. "We'll have to treat this like a broken arm," she said as she turned her back and striped herself of her tube top. His head snapped in the opposite direction.
Her fingers groped for a broach of some sort, once she'd put her vest back on, they found a green five leaf broach which she immediately fastened beneath her breast. "Now," she said as she looped her tube top under his forearm and behind his neck. She noticed he still wasn't looking at her so she added cheerfully, "don't worry I'm decent." Still his head didn't turn. "Very well, do as you wish. However, do you feel you could travel? Short distance of course."
His head slightly turned then darted back, "if I may count on your assistance."
"Of course, first though, I shall return with fresh water so I may clean the rest of your wounds, and cleanse your arm."
She snatched a bag from the corner and began whispering to the wall. He listened to her speech, unaware of what she said or even the identity of the language, but it held him in a trance regardless.
The structure groaned like a steel sea liner out at sea. Massive cracks followed as a jagged doorway opened like a dull blade forced through the flesh. Light poured in through the opening in the wall. His arm moved on impulse to shield his eyes as the light blinded them. His vision adjusted quickly, then what little ground he gained was torn away as his trial attempt to remove his hand left giant sunspots in his vision. She too struggled to see clearly. A week's time in darkness for her however, faded away until she was down to squinting. She turned and slung the bag over her shoulder then opened her lips to whisper the incantation once more. "Milady!" he cried. "I wonder..." he paused to rub his eyes. "Would it be possible for me to await you outside?"
"No," she sighed. "But perhaps, I shall leave this open for you. The vines will be enough to block most of the sun's rays, but you will not be in the dark."
"Thank you."
She answered in a soft two hot hum just before the snap. An entangled web of ivy vines fell like a green cascade. The sun made their leaves glow like sunlit pieces of a stain glass panel, with her silhouette standing in the middle.
His curiosity rose and so he panned his gaze around the contents to what appeared to be a hollow in the base of a tree. What was left of his uniform hung on upraised roots to his left, among other articles of Zari's clothing. The basket of fruit had once been by other woven baskets containing dried wood, healing herbs and cooking spices with a fishing net draped over them, and long wood spears lie hidden behind them. Above the baskets was a hole, only big enough for a small person (such as himself) to pass through. A melted candle was waxed into place on the right side of the entrance. The ceiling was low and slanted, nearly touching the floor in some areas. Quiet charming if one pauses to consider, he thought. "Would be a nice place to-"
A sudden sensation ceased his sentence. Fear struck him through his heart and froze all thoughts. The presence faded but did not disappear. Perhaps she decided to hunt and merely needed to raise her power to finish quickly, he thought. Then why does it linger? No! No milady's somewhere west, this being searches in this general path. Searches? Who or for what? He looked down at his hand, turning in the air as if it were examining some unseen object.
The light was suddenly blocked. He looked up to see a silhouette rimmed in deep green. The vines suddenly fell in a pile. Juices dripped from the severed ends.
The shadow loomed over him. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What business have you with me?"
"Oh.... business of the upmost importance," she growled.
"You?!"
Zari cast the bag into the stream and waited for it to fill. "Hm?" she said as she lifted her head. "Why is he raising his power level?" She glanced back at the bag, now nearly full. "Strange, his energy signature is nearly identical to...." Her hand relaxed and the bag was carried away. Agi...
Shin cried out as he was thrown from his sanctuary and landed on his left arm. "Tell me," she said coldly as she pressed her spear head to the soft flesh under his jaw. "Where is that backstabbing bitch?" He stared at her and didn't respond. She wrenched her spear back and wrapped her fingers around his throat. "Where is she!" she screamed.
He had no choice but to speak with his mind. Who are you referring to, may I ask? He smiled then grimaced as she bore down harder.
"Zari!" she screamed. The hunch in her shoulders was gone as her transformation began. The string holding her hair snapped and her hair swirled around her face in a soft black mass. The ivory thorns lengthened as the red scales on the sides of her face and everywhere else spread to cover her otherwise normal skin. Then her eyes darkened as a veil of blackness fell over them. Her voice deepened to a tone that can only be described as a rumble, deep within a dragon's throat when fire is seeping through its teeth. "Last time, where is she?"
"Agi!" Zari shrieked from the sky. "Put him down and calm yourself."
"I told you I can handle the transformation. And I warned you! I tried to discourage you from aiding willingly, especially his kind."
She didn't know. Honestly she didn't. Please! If anyone is to blame it's me.
"Well... at least that's one thing you and I see eye to eye on." She gripped her spear as she lifted him higher in the air then growled in a sinister tone. "Now you will pay the penalty for these circumstances." Her arm tensed like a rubber band, ready to snap Shin's neck.
"Agi that's enough!"
"I'll deal with you later!"
"You'll deal with me now!" Zari snapped. She turned her body sideways and pulled both hands back to the side of her waist. Blue light escaped from between her fingers in hot beams. "Don't make me do this Agi," she pleaded as tears collected in the corners of her eyes. "You remember what happened last time."
"You won't do it. I haven't taught you how to kill. I'll only come back stronger. But tell me, does this fool mean that much to you?"
"I've only known him for less than an hour."
"Yes-or-no?"
Milady, I beg of you! Do not sacrifice for me!
"Yes-or-no!"
She dropped her stance and sighed, "no. Forgive me milord."
I understand. He looked at her and smiled to the best of his ability. It's... alright. Already his eyes were beginning to close as his airway was blocked. His smile was weak and infuriated Agi.
"Is it?" Zari whispered.
Agi raised him higher in the air. "Wise choice young one," she said as she glared at Shin. "You shall not regret it." Her spear fell to the ground as an energy wave took form in her crooked
fingers. "Don't worry, this will be a death worthy of a Kai."
Zari suddenly dropped to the ground, fists clenched, head bowed. "No," she growled. "No more deaths. Not while I'm still breathing." Her hair lashed out like a whip and wrapped around Agi's wrist and pulled it down. Shin fell to the ground as Agi released him, he remained on the soil, coughing an gasping for breath.
Agi hissed, "you'll regret tha-"
"How many more Agi?!" Zari snapped. "When will it be when you have taken enough lives and spilt enough blood?!"
"Kai blood is meaningless!"
"His blood is the same as mine! He and I are of the same race. Being a Kai does not change one's blood, merely the name."
"And yet you call him 'Milord'."
Zari threw her head back and her hair released Agi's arm. "It's a mere word, nothing more than air carrying vibrations. He himself has referred to me as 'Milady', does that change who I am?"
"So now they show courtesy. Where was it seventeen generations past?! I lost everyone I held dear, my entire race blown into extinction! And for what?! Just so that ass could stay afloat?"
"Seems that is another thing we agree on," Shin said as he struggled to his feet.
"One would think you'd have the mind to stay down," Agi snapped as she turned her head sharply and glared at him. Her hand receded behind her back, palm up, an energy wave hovered in the center of her palm. "Although I must commend you for regaining your feet, you shall stand no longer."
He had merely blinked before Agi's arm sped forth and the energy wave shot forth like a massive cannon. "MOVE!!" a voice screamed. He didn't hear or react until a shadow blocked the wave's path.
"Milady no!"
It's alright. She'll soon realize and she'll stop.
What if she doesn't?
She will. Not even one tenth of a second had passed when she felt the hot rays burn her face. "Why?" The blast exploded in her face. Shin was sent flying through trees until he landed in the side of the bluffs. Before he could get free, two words drifted to his ears, "Damn Agi!"
Zari was still waving her hands in from of her face to clear the smoke by the time Shin returned. "What the hell is the matter with you?!" Zari demanded. Agi stood with her mouth open.
Amazing! Not so much as a scratch. That blast should have killed her!
Zari stopped her hands in mid stroke and shot an icy glare at Agi that made her freeze. "Kill me? Was that what you intended? Hah!"
"How did you survive?! Tell me!"
"You won't be around long enough to hear even the shortest explanation." She shook her head, "you'll just keep killing won't you? Are you going to add my name to that memorial? Then how many more after me? How many?!" Agi's breathing soon became labored and ragged. Her legs grew weak and she began to sink to the ground. "Don't force me to destroy you Agi. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life. You of all people should remember that you were not my only teacher. As my mother once taught me, the lives of the many always outweigh one."
Agi clamped her hands over her ears and wailed. Her voice split in two, one her normal tone, the other belonged to the bloodthirsty demon, also known only as Agi. Her scales slowly resumed their former places and her hands fell limp to her sides. Zari sighed and let down her guard. Her skin suddenly looked dull, the slight shine faded as the force field residing beneath her skin was dispersed. Agi's head shot up, "there's your mistake."
"Milady watch out!"
Too late. A vortex resembling swirling water shot forth from Agi's hand and ran Zari through. Shin sprinted forward and caught her then slowly lowered her to the ground; her head resting on his knee. "I was the one you wanted," he said still looking at Zari. "That should have been-"
"Oh shut up!" she snapped. "She's not dead, merely in suspended animation for a few minutes." She collected her spear and turned her back to him. "You make sure you give her a message when she wakes. You tell her that she has two days to do as she pleases before I order Armageddon. Then neither of you will be safe, not from me. Especially you," she said as she turned so she could see him out of the corner of her left eye. "You'll be first on my blood list." She flicked her spearhead backward at Zari. "And she'll be next."
He gently laid her head on the ground, then sprang to his feet and growled through clenched teeth, "you won't touch her!"
"Oh? Who's prepared to defend her?" Agi mused. "You?"
"Aye."
She sneered and turned to face him. "Know this," she said sternly. "No matter how hard you try, who you have on your side, or what sacrifices you make, you will never be capable of defending her. She will save you and herself from me, but that is where her luck shall end. If she is fortunate, only life will be stolen from her body. But break her, drain her strength, or anything of the like," she paused and tapped the side of her brow. "I will know, and all forces from the depths of hell will rise to devour your soul in flame!"
Her aura blazed in red flame seconds before she rocketed into the air.
Shin watched as she became a twinkling red star in the afternoon sky. "Belashi dongue lahk," he growled then spat in the direction she had flown.
Zari stirred and groaned as she woke. She rushed to her side and held her up in his arm. "Za-... milady," he whispered as he shook her gently. "Milady? Milady wake, I beg of you wake." Her eyes fluttered, as if trying to shut tight, then fell still as her mouth relaxed, opening slightly. He looked at her for what must have been six minutes. His eyes noted every line and curve about her face, memorized the way the shadows rested on her skin, and how the breeze blew her bangs ver her forehead. "Milady," he whispered.
"Mm...?" Her eyes opened partially. "What?" she asked as if speaking to a child who had just woke her in the pit of night. "Oh!" she said as she realized to whom she was speaking. "Milord? What happened?"
"Agi rendered you unconscious then left. She left a message with me intended for you. I'm afraid you have been cast into exile."
"That figures," she said as she pulled herself from his grasp. "How long?"
"Indefinitely."
"No, I mean how long until she orders-"
"Oh! I believe she said two days."
"Believe? You mean you're not for sure."
"Two days."
"Means we only have one." She jumped to her feet and offered her hand to Shin. "Come quickly," she said as she hoisted him to his feet. "This day is nearly spent."
"These few hours are all we have?!"
"Relax," she said calmly. "I have but one major errand to run, them we may leave."
"What is that?"
"You needn't concern yourself." She looked him up and down. "I suppose you will be wanting something to wear huh?" she said casually.
"Huh?" He looked down at himself, still only in his tight black shorts. He looked up at her and smiled. "Yes please."