Chapter 25: The First Battle
~Planet Cray, Open Field Somewhere off Royal Paladin Territory~
"Yeah, let's get going guys!" Misaki urged and everyone started running.
Then Ren stopped, looked to Aichi and wondered, "Which way is the 'Royal Beacon' again?"
Aichi then stopped in his tracks and scratched his chin, with Misaki and Ren both looking at him expecting an answer. Images rushed through Aichi's mind as Psyqualia welled up through his body.
"Argh!" Aichi shouted as Psyqualia backlashed and left him with a new set of abilities. The first, he is now discovering, is the ability to locate people he is connected to.
"Aichi are you okay?" Misaki gushed as Aichi stumbled a few steps back.
"Yeah, I'm fine. We need to keep moving till we reach the border for the Royal Paladins territory. Then from there, we'll make it back easily to the Royal Beacon." Aichi explained and started ahead.
Ren and Misaki followed wordlessly. After one 'Earth' hour had past, they still could not see the border in the horizon.
"Are you sure we're going the right way Aichi?" Ren asked as he took a seat on a nearby rock and caught his breath.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Shouldn't be more then another hour's walk from here. But we should take a break for now." Aichi explained and sat down on the soft breezy grass.
Misaki sat down close to Aichi and Ren stretched his sore legs from the rock.
"Aichi, how are we going back home?" Misaki asked, fear and uncertainty creeping into her voice. Ren sat straight up as it also occurred to him they had no idea how they were going back home.
"Well, I don't know guys. But I believe we'll get home somehow." Aichi reassured them. not sound too convincing.
"Then we'll have to stick together until we get home then." Ren said, stretching out his sore legs again.
"Well, well, well. I nearly couldn't recognise you with that silly costume!" A dark and sinister voice came from all around.
Aichi jumped to his feet and drew his blades. It didn't occur to him he had never wielded blades before, but it just felt natural wielding them now. Misaki got up and readied her staff, unsure of what she was going to do if they went into battle. Or if she could cast spells or something to help. Ren held his daggers tightly as he turned all around, trying to find the owner of the voice.
"Hahaha! You think with those wimpy weapons you have a chance of beating us?" The sinister voice continued, as a few shadowy figures appeared from thin air. One looked like a dragon, another looked like, well, a human wielding a spear or javelin and the last one with a blade over his shoulder.
"So we meet again Aichi Sendou." Michael greeted with a smug grin and readied his blade.
"Isn't that Blaster Dark?" Ren asked, worry creeping on to his face.
"Yeah, I mean no. I mean his name is Michael and 'Blaster Dark' is sorta like his 'title'. Why am I doing an introduction before battle?" Aichi blabbered and lowered his blades for a second.
In that split second, Michael charged forward and swung his blade fiercely at Aichi, signaling the other two to attack as well. Jackson, also known as 'Blaster Javelin, and Dracul, also known as Phantom Blaster Dragon, charged forward with their weapons. Jackson drove his Javelin into Ren's chest but Ren instinctively ducked and swung his dagger in a wide arc towards Jackson's mid-section.
"Good dodge and nice try!" Jackson taunted as he backstopped and avoided the dagger.
Dracul charged at Misaki with his double-sided spear and lunged his spear forward. Misaki held out her staff hoping something would happen, and then, a force field blossomed from the staff and covered Misaki fully. The spear jabbed at the force field and the force field held for a moment, before deflecting the spear backward.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Dracul roared angrily and swung the spear to the right and the force field, with Misaki still inside, skidded to the side, tossing Misaki inside the force field. As soon as the force field came to a stop, it disintegrated and Misaki collapsed on the floor.
Just as that was happening, Aichi was exchanging blows with Michael.
"You aren't too bad with blades!" Michael commented as he thrusted his blade, only to be parried by Aichi crossing his twin blades.
"Hmph! I'm not a pushover you know!" And just as Aichi said that, he heard a 'Thump!' coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Misaki on laying on the ground, unconscious.
"No!" Aichi screamed as he pushed Michael's blade back and ran towards Misaki. Dracul saw him coming and readied his spear. He swung it fiercely at Aichi, expecting to knock Aichi out as well. But at the very last instant, just as the spear was about to swipe Aichi in the mid-section, Aichi jumped up and ran along the length of the spear.
"Arr?" Dracul grumbled in confusion as Aichi finally leaped off the other end of the spear and drove both his blades into Dracul's head. Of course, Aichi didn't know that Dracul had really tough and hard scales, so it came as surprised to Aichi when his blades cracked the scales of Dracul instead of piercing straight through them. Although the cracked scale was not devastating, it still hurt and Dracul reared back.
"Misaki!" Aichi called as he kneeled beside her. She was breathing, but it was weak.
"Please Misaki! Wake up!" Aichi screamed as tears rolled down his face. "I'll make you pay! I'll make all of you pay!" Aichi growled through gritted teeth.
Aichi got up and faced Dracul. Michael stood to the side to watch this battle, "This might be interesting."
Ren finally knocked out Jackson just as Aichi charged towards Dracul. He saw Misaki lying on the ground and rushed over to her, hoping he could be of some help to either her or Aichi.
"HYAAH!" Aichi roared as he slashed his blades at Dracul's spear continuously. Dracul could only parry the slashes and back pedal as Aichi drove him further and further. As Dracul was about to retaliate, he raised his spear just as he parried Aichi's slash. Seeing the opportunity arise, Aichi dashed forward with surprising speed and drove his blades into Dracul's right foot.
"WROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAR !" Dracul roared in anguish and pain as the blades pierced his scales and punctured raw flesh.
"That's it for now then. I don't think I can take two people on at once." Michael muttered to himself and summoned a dark spell that engulfed each of the Shadow Paladin units. Before Aichi could realise that they were retreating, thee dark veils that engulfed each unit disappeared and Michael's voice echoed all around, "This was just a test run, Aichi. Just a show. Next time, Next time you will not be this lucky."
Aichi growled at nothing and turned back to Misaki. Ren was checking her pulse and breathing, which were still rather weak. Aichi rushed to Misaki's side and Ren shook his head solemnly.
"Her breathing is really shallow, short breaths Aichi. Her pulse and heartbeat aren't really strong either. I'm no doctor but we may have to be prepared for the worst." Ren's voice a bare whisper, with fear of losing a friend on Cray with no way to get back.
"No. No! Misaki's stronger than this! She'll make it! W-w-w-we need to get her to a hospital or some medical attention! We need to get to Jonathan!" Aichi tried to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure Ren.
Tears formed a steady stream down Aichi's cheeks as he knelt down beside Misaki. "Please Misaki. Please don't go. I can't afford to lose you. Not here, not now. Wake up Misaki, wake up." Aichi pleaded and cried as he held on tightly to Misaki's hands
~Misaki's Subconscious~
Where am I? Misaki thought as she saw nothing but darkness around. She tried to speak but made no sound. Then, she heard a voice. A very familiar voice. That voice was laden with devastation and it was pleading. Pleading or Misaki to wake up. That is Aichi's voice! Misaki realised. but why can't I respond to him? Misaki felt helpless and lost, unable to speak or respond to that voice. Where can I be? Misaki asked herself, forcing her mind to focus. We were attacked, and then that dragon attacked… And… The dragon! It knocked me unconscious! So, am I in my own head now? So how do I get out of here, or wake up? Think Misaki, think! Misaki thought and thought as that devastated voice pleaded and pleaded.
~Planet Cray, Open Field Somewhere off Royal Paladin Territory~
"Misaki! You have to be alright! Please wake up Misaki!" Aichi cried. Over and over with words and phrases to this effect, he pleaded. Ren turned away, unable to bear seeing Aichi so devastated and seeing Misaki unconscious, possibly dying.
~Misaki's Subconscious~
Aichi! Misaki tried shouting. No sound was heard. What's all this darkness? Misaki wondered quizzically as she looked all around only to see an abyss of nothing. I need to get out of this darkness! Misaki thought determinedly as she guessed the only way out was if she got out of the darkness. She started walking, hoping that she'll be able to escape the darkness in the head.
~Planet Cray, Open Field Somewhere off Royal Paladin Territory~
Aichi sobbed uncontrollably as Misaki's pulse became even weaker with each passing minute, her breathing more ragged with each breath. Aichi hugged Misaki tightly in his arms as his tears flowed off his face on to her's and whispered so softly so that Ren won't hear him, "Please Misaki, I love you. I need you. Don't leave me please."
~Misaki's Subconscious~
As Aichi said those words, Misaki froze in her spot. He loves me? Misaki was overjoyed to hear that. It wasn't a one-way thing as she had thought. But how was she going t wake up and tell Aichi she loved him too? I love you aichi! I love you too! Misaki tried screaming, but no sound was heard. Misaki crumpled to the ground and cried. As the tears hit the ground, they immediately seeped into the ground. As the tears seeped into the ground, bits of darkness were being filled with light.
~Planet Cray, Open Field Somewhere off Royal Paladin Territory~
Misaki's eyes flickered open once. Aichi saw the movement and gripped her hand tighter. "Misaki wake up! Please!" Aichi pleaded and prayed.
Her eyes flickered open again, this time with tears flowing out before they closed again. "Misaki." Aichi said the name like a prayer, hoping she would wake up.
Misaki's eyes opened a third time and stayed open as tears poured out of her eyes.
"Misaki! You're awake!" Aichi gushed and pulled Misaki into an embrace. Ren turned around to see, rather hear, Misaki's soft sniffling.
"Aichi, your voice, it brought me back. Thank you Aichi! Misaki whispered into Aichi's embrace and then added, "Thank you for not giving at on me."
"I'll never give up on you Misaki. You mean too much to me for me to give up. And I… I… I…" Aichi started but stammered to a stop.
Misaki pushed herself out of Aichi's embrace and pecked his cheek, "You love me don't you? I heard you Aichi, I love you too."
Aichi blushed red as Misaki kissed his cheek and then blushed even brighter red when she said those three words. Ren sat there, dumbfounded.
A/N: And that concludes another (exciting) chapter! I know I haven't been talking about the 'romance' thing for some time already so now it's finally out in the open. Will anything be able to tear them apart? Are they going to keep it a secret from everyone else (including Kourin)? If they want to keep it a secret, will Ren be able to keep this secrets? And will Ren be against their relationship for whatever reason? Answers to these question and more in the next chapter! See you guys then and thanks once again for all your support! XD