Well, here's another chapter. Sorry, guys. The inspiration has been going about as fast as molasses in january, and Phen, the little lesbian left handed ninja monkey of doom, has been doing nothing but pestering me... anyone wanna give him muse lessons?

In the Summoner's Shadow

Part II Chapter VI

Slay

Function: Verb

Etymology: Middle English slen, from Old English slEan to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken
transitive senses
1 to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; broadly to strike down

"D…daddy…" she whispered breathlessly. The dark-skinned guardian made a grunt-like sound and turned towards her.

"Who are you?" he asked rudely. She glared and stared at him. Braska blinked and looked over at her.

"Well, hello, there!" she smiled and walked over. He knelt down infront of her, his blue eyes gleaming with kindness. "Are you lost or something?"

Sonja could not speak for the life of her. She wanted to scream out to him, call him "daddy" and cry in his arms… but she couldn't. No. She had already gotten herself into trouble for that… she had already gotten herself practically killed for that… for him… was it worth it?

"Are you okay, little one?" Braska's kind voice asked, worriedly. She blinked and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Y… yes…" she stuttered. "I'm fine…"

"I asked you if you were lost," he restated. She blinked, then shook her head.

"No, my lord. I'm waiting for my Summoner to return…" she explained, feeling it extremely out of character for herself to be calling him- of all people- "my lord."

"You're a guardian?" the dark skinned man scoffed.

"Yes, I am!" she glared at him, her pride wounded.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Auron asked.

Sonja shivered at the sound of his voice- the voice that kept her alive through the darkest of nights during her sicknesses when it would have been the end of her if she fell asleep. The voice that sternly guided her on right from wrong, good from bad. The voice that never snitched on her, but always warned her father of harm that would befall her, and the voice that she loved almost more than her own father.

"I… I'm five and a half, going on six, sir…" she told him, feeling that awkward misplaced feeling again. He blinked. Oh, no! He recognizes me! He turned his sight away. Maybe not…

"Are you? You're nothing more than a child who should be at home, learning from mommy how to cook and clean and please a man! What a crybaby I bet you are!"

"Jecht! That's quite enough out of you!" Braska barked… or… what from him could be considered a bark. That was all it took, though for Sonja to completely lose her temper at the man.

"Listen here, you!" she growled and jumped up, grabbing him by the hair while wagging her finger in his face.

"I will have you know, sir, that I never knew my mother! My father died a few years ago! I haven't any idea what has become of my siblings! Lord Lucientio is kind enough to take care of me while my body slowly dies of some sort of malignant… thing!" she screamed at him, surprised she remembered to keep her act up in the heat of her rage.

"Sit down, little girl," Jecht pushed on her forehead. Sonja glared and kicked at him. Her foot hit his shin and he crumbled to the ground, grabbing his leg and yelling.

"Wow… kid's got a good kick!" Auron chuckled to himself. Braska sighed and shook his head.

"You said you were here with Lucientio?" he asked. Sonja turned to him.

"Yeah! I mean… yes, my lord…" she nodded. Braska laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about manners! I have a seven year old at home! I'm used to it!" he told her.

"Yes, but daddy and granddad taught me to always be polite…" she explained. Braska nodded understandingly.

"Let's see… Xiv is his guardian, right?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord… like me!" she jumped up and down. He smiled and chuckled.

"Of course! Can't forget you!" he laughed. "What's your name?"

"You're only allowed to call me Cricket! Call me anything else and I'll do this!" she smiled evilly then ran over and jumped on Jecht, just as he was rolling over. He let out a loud yelp of pain when her knee landed right smack dab in his crotch.

"Uh… Cricket it is then!" Braska laughed nervously.

"Well, I did that only because he was mean to me…" she shrugged and stood up. "That, and I don't like him!"

"And you thought I was the only one!" Auron smiled at Braska. The Summoner laughed slightly.

"Well, Cricket, you must be excusing us now… we have to get through the Trials…" He told her, then stood up.

"Yes…" she nodded, then sighed sadly. She looked down at her feet as they passed. Braska's hand ruffled her long black hair a bit. Auron punched her shoulder gently and stopped beside her. She blinked and held her arm.

"Um, owe!" she glared up at him. He smiled down and held his fist out.

"Good luck, right?" he asked. She blinked, then smiled and punched her fist into his.

"Yeah! Good luck!" she giggled as he squeezed her hand gently and walked past.

"Come on, Jecht! You're slowing us down!" Auron shouted. The last guardian shambled by, his hands between his legs. He stopped slightly to glare and growl at Sonja, but started running when she jumped towards him. She laughed slightly to herself, then let her mouth turn upside down and tears well up in her eyes.

"Daddy…" she groaned and sat down against the wall. She looked up at the statues lining the room. "I don't want to have to see you as one of these…"

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. The tears were warm on her lashes and freely ran down her soft skin.

Her father, the Summoner. Wow, she should be proud, she thought. Yet, she was anything but proud. She was sad, lonely, grievous, heavy-hearted and discouraged to take on life. Before, as a child who didn't know the fate of her father, she was happy and cheerful, knowing Braska was out there somewhere, and if she was diligent enough, and didn't give up, she would find him one day.

That was what he taught both girls. Everyday, Braska would drill into Yuna's and Sonja's heads the idea that to give up was stupid, and silly, as the girls would say.

His words soared through her mind as she thought back that far.

Never give in… keep at it… nothing is impossible if you put your mind, soul, and heart to it… nothing… you want to fly, little Sonja? Keep trying, you will one day…

"Daddy…" she sighed. "I… I have to give up… for you…"

Her tears trickled as freely as a creek down her face and splashed on the stone floor, making small puddles. Her cries of despair echoed in the room until slowly, little by little, she faded into the darkness of sleep.

However, she wasn't asleep very long, or so she thought. Soon, she felt arms around her. She sleepily opened her eyes and looked around. She saw the ground moving and trees and other things going by.

"Well, the dead rises!" Lucientio's voice laughed as she pushed herself up on a shoulder. She looked down at the shoulder and saw who it was she was laying on. Xiv smiled at her.

"Hey, there! Did the move wake you?" he asked.

"Move? What move?" she blinked, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, when we left the temple, you were still sleeping, so we took you with us in our arms since we couldn't wake you up. Eventually, after trading every now and then, I summoned Ifrit and he carried you for a while, until he suddenly was needed elsewhere, and thus left… actually just a few moments ago…"

Lucientio pointed back to a foot print a few feet away where the grass was burned and charred and, well, dead. She blinked.

"Oh… sorry… didn't know I was so tired…" she yawned. Xiv smiled.

"Oh, that's okay! You are a healing, growing young girl who needs her rest!"

"Yes, indeed… was told by Lord Braska that he came upon the most polite guardian he'd ever met who happened to be named Cricket," Lucientio smiled. Sonja laughed slightly.

"Oh… yeah…" She stretched, then jumped down from Xiv's shoulder and walked in between them. "So… where are we going now?" she asked.

Lucientio put a hand to his chin. "I don't know… well, I do know… but I think I want to make a stop before I get there… you know, visit a friend first…"

"I see…" she nodded. With a sigh, she stared forward and walked with them, Xiv's hand placing itself on her shoulder.

I think I can call my self evil, now... anyhow... since it's late at night and Phen is sleeping (thank god/allah/buddha/yevon/ra/whatothergodsyouhave!) I'm gonna go to sleep myself! BTW, Kym! You need to get online!Summer is coming, and I will probably be out of school by the time I put the next chappie up. Updating may decline, or incline... I don't know. I plan to have a very busy summer, so it may be the first... love ya'll! REVIEW, YA LITTLE TURKEYS!