Botched Rescue

"Well, considering we don't know where exactly the Demon got to," Prier remarked, "I'd say our best bet is to split up. Croix, you go to the right and I'll go to the left. If either of us finds the Demon, let out a loud scream. That way we might be able to get back together sometime during the fight." She promptly brushed her magenta bangs out from the front of her deep brown eyes.

"Got it Prier! And if we can't find anything, then meet back at this spot in an hour. Then we'll devise another plan of action," Croix added. Reaching into his pocket, the freelance Demon Hunter pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a match, and stuck the stick right into his mouth.

He fiddled with his dark shades and for a split second, Prier caught a glimpse of his pale blue eyes. She mentally decided that the combination of those eyes and his rust colored hair looked incredibly attractive. The girl immediately shook her head; refusing to believe she was thinking like that about any man. Then with a wave and a nod, Prier took off down the left-hand path; leaving Croix to take the right.

The young man held up his precious gun; its cross shaped ivory-colored casing gleaming in the sunlight. With a swish of his blue overcoat, he started off down the second path. But even though he knew she was perfectly safe on her own, Croix couldn't help but worry about Prier with every step he took.

He thought, 'Sometimes, I swear I'm more than just amnesiac; I'm crazy as well…'

S...S

Meanwhile, Prier was scouring the forest; her eyes scanning every nook and cranny with every step she took. The girl didn't want to be ambushed; with all the covering it would be easy for a Demon to sneak up on anybody. Not that she didn't have any confidence in her own abilities, it was that she didn't want to look like a total idiot. After all, no matter what might happen to her in the future, Prier could definitely not handle having her image tarnished in any way.

"Especially since it's Croix and me on this mission. I'd just die of embarrassment if he caught me being ambushed. It would be bad enough having a total stranger, one of the other girls in La Pucelle, or my brother find me in trouble, but if it were Croix then I wouldn't know what to do…"

But just as the girl registered that she was talking, extremely loudly, to herself, she heard a low growl. Then, from out of the bushes in front of her came a huge, snarling beast. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a fox; having the former's bushy coat and long snout and the latter's cone like tail and thin legs. Its fur was blacker than midnight and the eyes were redder than blood.

"You want to fight me beastie boy," taunted Prier, "Then you're going to be feeling the pain for the next thousand years! Repent!" With that, she sped towards the Demon with all the strength in her thick, muscular legs. Just before reaching her target, the girl grasped her white baton and reeled her arm backwards like she was casting a fishing line. After gaining the momentum, she thrust it forwards with incredible speeds; hitting its wolfish head with the small golden cross that capped off the similarly ornamented head of her baton.

Instantly, the beast was tossed backwards into a tree. But it ran at Prier again and she thrust her fist right into the nape of its neck. Pained, the creature let out a tortured howl. The noise rose up throughout the entire forest; sounding like a scream of pure agony.

S...S

"Was that Prier just now? She must have found the beast. From the sounds of that scream, it has to be a killer; she's not one to cry out like that. I've got to go help her," said Croix. Instantly, the young man shoved his gun into the holster and took off in a run. He was panting, not used to running this fast for this long. However, thinking his friend was in danger, the young man knew he couldn't goof off. What was his own comfort and health in comparison to that of the young woman's?

Croix suddenly stopped short when he saw the Demonic being standing before him. Because he was at its back side, however, he could not see the fact that the enemy was on the defensive from Prier's kicks and punches. Instead, he thought she was the one being attacked by this thing.

The young man pulled out a gun, and muttered, "Playtime's over furrball! You're going to leave the lady alone right now, or face my wrath." Then, he grabbed the second gun, and fired them both at the exact same moment; hitting the creature point blank in its back.

Instantly, the beast turned to see who'd shot it. But it never managed to figure it out. For Croix was so close to the enemy that he was tossed aside by the swinging of its arms. He was thrown towards the side of a high crevice and nearly slipped down to the bottom. Only a quick grab for the edge saved his life. Croix could only hope that Prier would be able to see him when she turned around; else he'd be waiting around for a long time.

While the Demon was trying to find the attacker, Prier rushed it again. This time, she knocked the creature square in the head with her baton and went instantly into a kick of her legs. It too was thrown towards the side. Only in this case, the enemy lost its footing and tumbled down to its death.

Prier walked over to the side and looked down to check if her enemy was really dead. "Well, that's that. Didn't catch a side or anything; not like such a beast is smart enough to do so. And I didn't even need Croix's help to deal with it. Looks like there's nothing more to do here; just find Croix and go back to town to…HOLY GODDESS! Croix! What are you doing down there?" For as she'd continued to scan the crevice, she eventually caught site of her partner dangling.

"I came to help you," he admitted, "Heard a scream and thought you were in trouble. But I guess shooting that beast point blank wasn't the smartest thing; it turned around and knocked me over. I was lucky that I had time to get a handhold."

"Lucky is right! You could have been killed you moron. Well, at least I know now why that monster turned around while I was fighting; and what that loud sound was. Oh, and for your information, I never let out a scream; I didn't get hurt at all. That sound was probably the creature's howl after the initial baton-smacking. Just give me your hand and I'll pull you up," she said.

Croix waited until the girl was holding out her right hand before letting go with his left one; reaching out to her in the same movement. Once she had his left hand, he gave her his right as well. Then, Prier took her left hand to grab onto the side, and placed both her feet apart to dig in and maintain her ground. With that, she pulled Croix up from the crevice.

Once safely on the ground, the young man let out a few heavy breaths; his heart had been pounding with fear ever since he'd heard the scream. It puzzled him as to his overreaction on the situation. Usually, Croix thought ahead when he fought while Prier was used to jumping in without regard for her own safety. Why was he suddenly acting so stupid? He knew Prier could take care of herself until he arrived; even if he took a little time.

But when he looked at Prier's face, he didn't see anger. Instead, he saw worry and concern for a friend who had almost died. Croix knew that Prier's one sensitivity was death, due to her parents dying when she was only nine. This mindset made her overprotective of her little brother and he understood that; she didn't want to lose the last of her family. However, why were her reactions for him so similar? They'd only just met a few weeks ago.

The thoughts continued moving around in his head. He wanted to say something, to try and get her to help make sense of his emotions. But the young man's pride helped him to stay silent. Instead, he wordlessly walked towards the entrance to the forest; wanting to go home and put it all behind him.

S...S

That night, in the safety of his own room, he thought, 'I really have to stop this. Something about me has been changing ever since I met Prier. Before then, I was able to use my own discretion when going about a rescue mission. But when the person who I thought needed rescuing was Prier, I panicked. Something made me think I was never going to see her again if I didn't hurry.'

Quietly, Croix snuck out of his room and into hers. He found the fiery 16-year-old lying in her own bed; dead to the world and breathing peacefully. There was nothing on her face to indicate worry or pain. All he could see was her beautiful smile; a smile that always captivated his eyes.

Just looking at her gave Croix a sense of peace. There was just something about Prier that appealed to him, calling his very soul towards hers. 'I don't know what this feeling is; why the very sight of your sleeping body has made me happy. But I can't deny that I like that feeling. Maybe, just maybe, I'm falling in love with you.'

Before leaving, Croix pulled her covers up higher on her body so that they touched her chin. Immediately afterwards, he heard a low murmur that sounded like, "I'm ok; thanks for your concern though." Smiling, Croix brushed a few strands of hair from her face; then left for his own room again.

Teefa's Last Words...

I had a lot of fun with this one. Mix panic and fear in with humor and I get my jollies. Plus a minor dose of fluff cuz that's always nice.