Dagger to My Heart
-Mystik Surreality-
AN// A little more action here? Maybe I can even get Leon to be civil... *gasp*
Summary// She was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?
*********************************
Chapter Three // Sunlight Scarcity
A few days passed and Dagger fell quickly into the working of things. Traverse Town was a quiet enough little town, and she found herself appreciating that very simplicity more than anything else.
Oh, Yuffie and Aerith were friendly enough souls. Dagger was starting to trust them, to like them. Friends... that was a tough word to use, but that's what they were becoming to her.
She'd spoken little about her past, about her world. She figured that she could grieve as each hurdle came to her. She could not just hole up in her room and cry for days. She had too much to repay to these kind people.
And that was exactly what brought her and Aerith to the farthest quarter of Traverse Town that afternoon. There had been spotted some strange little creatures, and the two figured they could see to it without taking Yuffie or Leon off patrol.
Wrong doesn't begin to describe it.
Aerith and Dagger were abushed by dozens of the little black creatures. Aerith called them 'heartless', but Dagger wasn't concerned with anymore than surviving.
Defenseless, she couldn't bring herself to touch his daggers so easily sheathed at her waist. So it seemed her doom was upon as they swarmed up her legs. Aerith wasn't going to allow that, though, and took her rod to the creatures with a vengeance.
"Dagger, run!" she yelled. Dagger shook her head and grabbed one off Aerith's back before it could do damage.
"No way. Not unless you're coming." she returned. Aerith stood back to back with her companion and looked around.
"Shoot... it's like they were waiting for us." she mumbled in response. She shifted, blocking another's attack. "We should never have come alone."
Dagger nodded. She heartily agreed, right now. "Is there any way to get word to Yuffie?" she asked.
Aerith sighed. "I wish.... we're alone."
Dagger cracked her knuckles and closed her eyes. She was a summoner and a healer... could she still summon here? She opened her mouth to breath deep. "I may be able... to..." she began, not sure how to phrase her words.
She focused, felt the pull of the summon... but nothing happened. 'No...' she thought in despair. Her hand tensed just out of reach of the daggers at her waist. 'Zidane... I... can't..' And she didn't draw them.
Aerith's scream cut through her reverie, and Dagger whipped her head around to see that Aerith had taken a bad hit to the shoulder and back. Her rod went flying.
Dagger swallowed hard and grabbed the rod, driving away the heartless enough to her to see the extent of her friend's injuries.
'I'm not going to lose another friend so soon.' she thought desperately. She stood over Aerith, guarding her, and using the rod like a club.
It seemed hopeless. She could probably escape on her own, but not with an injured body as well. She swallowed her despair, but the aftertaste of fear was still strong.
"Get down!"
Dagger obeyed out of instinct. She threw herself over Aerith as a blade embedded in the ground a few feet away from her, killing two heartless with it's landing. She looked up and spotted Leon just as he scooped his weapon back up and went to slaughtering the heartless.
Dagger looked down at Aerith and touched the girl's wounds. Her hands glowed faintly as she summoned healing strength and light to encase the wounds. They weren't healed completely, but they wouldn't get worse now.
She stood and watched as Leon mopped up the last of the heartless. He didn't spare her so much as a glance as he looked over Aerith.
"You're a healer?" he mumbled. She nodded. He picked up Aerith and started towards the inn, Dagger trotting behind him with her head down and her eyes filled with tears.
*****************************
Dagger slipped out of the room and noted that Leon still sat on the bench across the hall, arms crossed and head down as if she was sleeping.
"She'll be alright... she just needs to sleep off the effects of my healing potion." Dagger breathed quietly. Leon didn't react and her throat constricted. She wasn't quite sure, but for some reason being around him made her feel like an utter failure.
She closed her eyes and turned around to return into Aerith's room. His voice stopped her.
"You protected her."
She hesitated. "I did as best I could." she returned.
"But you never drew your best weapon." he nodded at her daggers, still sheathed at her waist. She tensed. She feared he would ask her why, but he didn't. He stood and stared at her, finally shrugging, he walked down the hall.
She leaned against the door for support.
-Mystik Surreality-
AN// A little more action here? Maybe I can even get Leon to be civil... *gasp*
Summary// She was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?
*********************************
Chapter Three // Sunlight Scarcity
A few days passed and Dagger fell quickly into the working of things. Traverse Town was a quiet enough little town, and she found herself appreciating that very simplicity more than anything else.
Oh, Yuffie and Aerith were friendly enough souls. Dagger was starting to trust them, to like them. Friends... that was a tough word to use, but that's what they were becoming to her.
She'd spoken little about her past, about her world. She figured that she could grieve as each hurdle came to her. She could not just hole up in her room and cry for days. She had too much to repay to these kind people.
And that was exactly what brought her and Aerith to the farthest quarter of Traverse Town that afternoon. There had been spotted some strange little creatures, and the two figured they could see to it without taking Yuffie or Leon off patrol.
Wrong doesn't begin to describe it.
Aerith and Dagger were abushed by dozens of the little black creatures. Aerith called them 'heartless', but Dagger wasn't concerned with anymore than surviving.
Defenseless, she couldn't bring herself to touch his daggers so easily sheathed at her waist. So it seemed her doom was upon as they swarmed up her legs. Aerith wasn't going to allow that, though, and took her rod to the creatures with a vengeance.
"Dagger, run!" she yelled. Dagger shook her head and grabbed one off Aerith's back before it could do damage.
"No way. Not unless you're coming." she returned. Aerith stood back to back with her companion and looked around.
"Shoot... it's like they were waiting for us." she mumbled in response. She shifted, blocking another's attack. "We should never have come alone."
Dagger nodded. She heartily agreed, right now. "Is there any way to get word to Yuffie?" she asked.
Aerith sighed. "I wish.... we're alone."
Dagger cracked her knuckles and closed her eyes. She was a summoner and a healer... could she still summon here? She opened her mouth to breath deep. "I may be able... to..." she began, not sure how to phrase her words.
She focused, felt the pull of the summon... but nothing happened. 'No...' she thought in despair. Her hand tensed just out of reach of the daggers at her waist. 'Zidane... I... can't..' And she didn't draw them.
Aerith's scream cut through her reverie, and Dagger whipped her head around to see that Aerith had taken a bad hit to the shoulder and back. Her rod went flying.
Dagger swallowed hard and grabbed the rod, driving away the heartless enough to her to see the extent of her friend's injuries.
'I'm not going to lose another friend so soon.' she thought desperately. She stood over Aerith, guarding her, and using the rod like a club.
It seemed hopeless. She could probably escape on her own, but not with an injured body as well. She swallowed her despair, but the aftertaste of fear was still strong.
"Get down!"
Dagger obeyed out of instinct. She threw herself over Aerith as a blade embedded in the ground a few feet away from her, killing two heartless with it's landing. She looked up and spotted Leon just as he scooped his weapon back up and went to slaughtering the heartless.
Dagger looked down at Aerith and touched the girl's wounds. Her hands glowed faintly as she summoned healing strength and light to encase the wounds. They weren't healed completely, but they wouldn't get worse now.
She stood and watched as Leon mopped up the last of the heartless. He didn't spare her so much as a glance as he looked over Aerith.
"You're a healer?" he mumbled. She nodded. He picked up Aerith and started towards the inn, Dagger trotting behind him with her head down and her eyes filled with tears.
*****************************
Dagger slipped out of the room and noted that Leon still sat on the bench across the hall, arms crossed and head down as if she was sleeping.
"She'll be alright... she just needs to sleep off the effects of my healing potion." Dagger breathed quietly. Leon didn't react and her throat constricted. She wasn't quite sure, but for some reason being around him made her feel like an utter failure.
She closed her eyes and turned around to return into Aerith's room. His voice stopped her.
"You protected her."
She hesitated. "I did as best I could." she returned.
"But you never drew your best weapon." he nodded at her daggers, still sheathed at her waist. She tensed. She feared he would ask her why, but he didn't. He stood and stared at her, finally shrugging, he walked down the hall.
She leaned against the door for support.