The town was a small one, with one road in, and one road out. Three sides of the town bordered the forest, and the other lay up against a large rock face. "Wow." Raki said when they approached the town. "That's a huge cliff."

Riful glanced up at Raki. "It's called 'Bleeding Rain Peak.'

"Why is it called that?"

"I don't know. Some tragedy that no one remembers probably gave the peak its name." Riful shrugged carelessly. She didn't really care what the cliff was called or why. The young man beside her, on the other hand, continued to stare up at the sheer face in silent contemplation.

Riful looked at it too, but her mind wandered. As the silence grew Riful's thoughts turned to her deceased companion. Dauf… Despite any attitude she had taken towards him, she had really loved the big oaf. He had been a big baby at times, and yes, he wasn't very bright. But he had been hers. He had accepted her for who she was, and she had accepted him. Do you know how much I miss you? Silently, Riful scorned her selfishness. It had been Dauf's sacrifice that had allowed her to live, and she would never forget that.

"Riful!"

"Huh?" Riful suddenly realized that Raki had been talking to her.

"Were you even listening?"

"Ah, no sorry, I was thinking about something."

"That's alright; we're almost to the town anyway." Raki looked down at her, his face a mask of confusion and fear. "If I… do anything… you will stop me, right?" Forcing lingering thoughts about her former lover away, Riful smiled reassuringly and said,

"Of course Raki, don't worry about a thing." He nodded, and his face smoothed over, but his aura still held a nervous energy. Upon sensing this, Riful instinctively reached to take his hand, but quickly withdrew. If Raki noticed, he didn't show it. His eyes were fixed intently on the town ahead of them. Why did I do that? It must be because I was just thinking of Dauf.

Riful had no more time to ponder her actions as the odd pair soon entered the town. Despite its small size, the town bustled with activity. To the right, a small group of children carried water from a well. To their left, a shopkeeper organized his display rack for the day.

Raki began to relax slightly. The familiar sight of a busy town eased his nerves, and he wasn't feeling the least bit weird or out of the ordinary. Stretching his arms behind his head, a slow smile formed on his face and he watched the happy scene contentedly.

"Hey Riful," he said after several moments, "I think I'm going to be okay. I mean, I don't feel like attacking people or anything."

"… That's good. Although we should be careful just in-" Riful was suddenly cut off by a loud shriek to their right. Raki spun around quickly, his hand already grasping for a sword that was not there. His single brown-eye zeroed in on the source of the scream. Upon finding it, the imposing man's face suddenly contorted, and he let out an embarrassed laugh.

Two children, a boy and a girl, had abandoned their water-carrying duties and were chasing each other around the well. The girl was soaked in water, and the boy ran away from her snatching hands, laughing hysterically. Raki grinned at the spectacle and laughed when the girl finally caught the boy and rung her wet hair out over his giggling form. Beside him, Riful stared on with annoyance. What's so funny about that anyway? Looking up at her companion, the brunette wondered at how he could get such joy from watching human children mess around.

"Hmph. Come on Raki, I think there's a bit of a market place this way."

"Alright." He said, still smiling. They moved further into the town, and Riful sensed Raki's aura soothing over. When they reached the small market, Raki happily chatted away with a merchant while buying some bread and vegetables.

"Say," the chubby merchant said as Raki peered at a bunch of carrots. "Are you two new to the area? I don't recall seeing you around."

"We're just passing through." Raki replied smoothly.

The merchant examined the two carefully. "Well!" he said to Riful, "Aren't you a pretty lass! How old are you miss?"

"Fifteen." She replied immediately. It was, of course, a lie. But that was the age Riful had awakened at, and although her body was small for that age she found she could easily pass it off.

Turning to Raki the merchant asked, "Is she the missus?"

Amused, Riful opened her mouth to deny the statement but stopped short. Beside her, Raki turned bright red and his aura glowed with embarrassment. "N-n-no!" He stammered, "It-it's not like that. W-we- we just…" Raki turned to Riful for help, panic on his face.

For a moment Riful didn't move. No way… don't tell me… he's still… Smiling mischievously, Riful looped her small arm through his muscular one and leaned into his frame.

"We're engaged." She said matter-of-factly.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then with a sudden yelp, Raki leapt away from her, his hands outstretched from his body, as if to keep her at bay. His face was as red as the radishes in the merchants chart, and his mouth hung open in shock and denial.

Riful giggled and stepped forward to appease her companion… only to nearly crumple to her knees. Raki's aura of embarrassment surged to one of a dazzling gold; the air around him shimmered with youki power, and Riful fought to regain control of herself.

In the central city of Rabona, a blind nun suddenly started. Her sightless eyes darted to the west and she stood frozen. Did I… really just feel that? But there was no mistaking it, for just a moment, a familiar and dangerous aura suddenly spiked to an awesome power before quieting back down. That was Riful of the west… but it felt… strange. Stronger. Has something happened the western abyssal one? The nun shivered. The pure force of it left an unpleasant,metallic taste in her mouth. Shakily, she left to inform her companion of the aura.

Riful rose shakily. Raki stood in the center of the street, a confused look on his face. The small girl's body tingled with lingering power, and she knew with stark certainty what had just occurred.

"Umm… Riful? Are you okay? You suddenly just-"

"I'm fine." She interrupted. Turning around, she quickly grabbed the groceries Raki picked out and threw some money at the merchant, who stood there, dazed. Even the humans were affected! Facing Raki she said, "Hurry. We need to leave."

"Wha-? Riful, wait! What just happened? You suddenly collapsed! Are you hurt?"

"I'll explain in a moment!" Riful snapped. "Now just shut up and come with me!" Raki followed her uncertainly through the town, looking crossways at the townspeople. The first several they passed had the same dazed look as the merchant; but as they moved forward, the villagers began to come alive. They blinked as if startled from a daydream and shook themselves uncertainly before continuing with their day.

"Riful." Raki begged once they were out of the town, "please tell me what's going on. Are we in danger? Why were the villagers acting so weird?" Riful sighed and slowed her pace down a bit.

"Raki. They were acting that way because of you.

"Me?" Raki said dubiously.

"Yes." Reaching up, Riful removed the cloth that covered his left eye. It was silver, but there was no doubt in her mind that it had changed to gold moments before. "Just now, when you got upset, you let out a huge burst of yoma energy."

"I did?" Raki asked incredulously.

"And that's not the strangest part either. You didn't just let out the youki energy. You gave it out. Mostly to me, although some latched on to the villagers, which was why they were acting so strange."

"…"

"Raki, just now, you practically forced your yoma energy on me and the townspeople. You gave me a lot of power. I almost accidentally entered my awakened form"

"Oh." Was all Raki could say.

As the two walked silently back to the castle ruins, Riful contemplated her tall companion. He transfers power? That's amazing, I've never heard of such a thing. There have been warriors and awakened beings that could manipulate others through their yoma power, but give it away? And that's not even half of it- his youki aura is completely unchanged compared to before. He should be somewhat depleted after something like that, but he's fine… Is he producing his own yoma energy now?

Beside her, Raki fidgeted uncomfortably. What did Riful mean when she said that I gave her my energy? Did I sort of – channel it to her? And the townspeople… Raki glanced behind them uncertainly, but the town was already out of view. "What will happen to the humans in the town?"

"Who knows? Perhaps it will wear off." Riful sensed a dark energy of uncertainty and guilt from within her tall companion. Well, there is one thing I can be certain of, and that's that he is a powerful ally. But he's easily influenced by outside forces. So no matter what… I must make him completely loyal to me!

With a small smile, Riful reached up and patted his arm. "Don't worry Raki, they'll be okay. The energy only got them a little." That was a lie. All the same, it had the desired effect on the man.

Raki rubbed his eyes with his hands, lingering over his left eye before slowly lowering his hands. "Thanks, Riful. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here. I really appreciate it."

"Of course."

Raki looked down at Riful and immense gratitude rose up through his chest. If it wasn't for her…I really would be lost. I was suspicious of her intentions in the beginning, but I'm starting to think that maybe… she just wants a friend.

They walked the rest of the way to the ruins in silence.

When they arrived back at the castle, Raki looked around the room silently before sitting awkwardly on the mesh of blankets. After something like that, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he leave? Should he beg Riful for help? And what was he now anyway? He wasn't a human, he wasn't a yoma, he wasn't a Claymore… was he a monster…? There was only one thing he could really be certain of, and that was that everything had changed. For better or worse, who knew? But more importantly, would his goal be affected if things were like this? Riful lingered in the doorway.

"Are you hungry Raki?" She finally asked, "The food you bought is right here."

"Yeah, thanks." Raki munched on the bread. After a moment of distracted hesitation, he asked, "Would you like some food Riful?"

"Ah… alright…" Riful took the offered bread hesitantly. Human food didn't taste all that good, and it wasn't as beneficial for her as human flesh, but her body could use it as nutrition… And seeming more human can't hurt when it comes to him either.

Riful took a small bite of bread. The unfamiliar dry, soft, and grainy taste almost made her gag at first, but she grew used to it rather quickly.

Raki, who had been watching her, said "You don't have to force yourself Riful. It probably doesn't taste very good to you, right?" Riful started in surprise. Could it be that he's aware of our eating habits? ….Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. That girl saved his life after all.

"It's okay, actually. The taste is surprisingly easy to get used to. But… Raki, how did you know about all this?" Riful gestured to herself and the food, genuinely curious.

Raki was silent for a while before answering. I suppose it's okay to tell her. "The… arm that was in my back, I was friends with its owner." Riful nodded slowly, she had expected as much, but it still came as a bit of a shock. "I traveled with her, as well as someone else, for close to seven years. And she restrained herself the entire time. She never ate anything. The other person with us did eat, although sparingly. I was disgusted and a little scared when I found out, but at that time I was already very close to him. I couldn't hate him, so for a long time I more or less turned a blind eye."

"…I see."

"It took me a long time to accept who my companions were, but when I did, I felt better. Because really, they weren't so different from humans. They laughed, and cried, they were kind and showed mercy and compassion. They can't help it, it's just the way they are. " Riful's breath caught in her throat. This man…

"So that's why…" Raki reached up and softly touched his silver eye. "I don't understand why Pri-, my companion, did this to me. I accepted her for what she was, so why… why couldn't she accept me?" Raki covered both his eyes with his hand and leaned up against the stone wall. Riful knelt carefully next to Raki.

"She saved your life, Raki."

"…"

"Those rods would have taken you over had it not been for that arm." Riful placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on his arm.

"I… I know… I'm sorry Riful. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I just-"

"I know. It's okay."

That night Raki slept surprisingly well. Isley had always teased Raki about how quickly he could fall asleep. Of course, Raki had gone through seven years of extremely vigorous training, and at the end of the day, he had often been too tired to even eat dinner. So sleep came easily to him now. And he certainly needs it. Riful sat next to Raki as he slept, keeping a sort of watch over his dangerous aura. How did this boy, this human, accept his companions? … Has he- can he, accept me? Beside her, Raki mumbled something in his sleep.

"Hmm?" Breaking from her thoughts, Riful leaned in closer.

"Nh…Better che- … Mmm… Clare? No…"

Riful sat back. Who's Clare? His 'companions' were Isley and that woman right? Her name wasn't Clare… I think. Oh, well. It's not important anyway. Rather suddenly, Raki's aura grew warm and bright, full of happiness. Riful blinked. Just what is he dreaming about? Without really realizing it, she found herself smiling in return. It must be a pretty good dream… the small girl thought, almost jealously. Wait. Why am I so happy? Scowling, the brunette moved away from the sleeping man.

…Well, I'm tired anyway, so I'll go to sleep too.

Raki woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and optimistic. Today will be better than yesterday, he thought stubbornly. Off to the side, Riful was sleeping on some course blankets. She lay curled up in a tiny ball; with her knees brought up to her chest and her head tucked into her body.

The corners of Raki's mouth lifted upward in a smile. So cute…

Looking away, the silver-eyed man locatedhis groceries from the previous day. Now, how about some breakfast? Sometime later, Riful woke to the unfamiliar aroma of human food. Rising from her hard bed, she stretched and wandered up to Raki, who was sitting on the floor with a bowl full of… salad? Scrunching her nose in a very Riful-ish way she said,

"What the heck are you eating."

Raki laughed through a mouthful of leafy greens. "What?" he joked, "Doesn't it look good?"

"Ugh. It looks like you're eating grass or something." Riful turned away in disgust. Raki laughed again and shrugged. "I dunno… they taste pretty good to me." Seriously, he said, "I didn't get a chance to buy much except bread and produce yesterday anyhow."

Riful didn't reply. She was too busy trying to get the gross image of eating plants out of her head.

"…Say, Riful?" Raki set aside his bowl nervously.

"What is it?" She asked sweetly. From his tone, Riful knew that he was either about to say something important, or ask a favor.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Bingo. Riful thought. "…That depends on the favor." She smiled, sitting down in front of him.

"Well… you see… I made a promise to someone a long time ago, and I haven't yet fulfilled that promise." Raki looked at her seriously and when she didn't reply kept talking. "We promised to each other that no matter what, we would stay alive to see each other again. That was over seven years ago. A lot of things have happened since then, but I still intend to keep that promise. And I don't think it's a good idea for me to be on my own right now, so I guess what I'm asking is, will you accompany me while I search for that person? At least until I'm stable, that is." Raki looked at his small and dangerous companion hopefully.

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"I'll help you look." Riful rested her chin on her folded hands and smiled. "We have to leave this place anyway, so it's not like it'll make much of a difference."

"Seriously? Wow- thank you so much Riful! I-"

"But on several conditions!" she yelled, suddenly serious. Raki was silent. "Condition number one: you have to stick with me at all times unless I say that you're okay. Condition number two! You must let me teach you how to control your youki so we don't have another episode like yesterday." Raki nodded quickly. "Oh, and obviously you're going to have to tell me who we're looking for and what kind of a connection you have to that person." Riful thought for a moment, tapping a long finger against her cheek. "If I think of anything else, I'll tell you. Can you agree with everything I just said?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I think we should get going as soon as possible then. Can you be ready in an hour?"

"Yes, but Riful, why do you want to leave so soon? Not that I'm opposed to leaving now or anything."

"Hmm. Good question," Riful said. "There are several reasons, actually. Mainly, it would be convenient if for the time being if the organization continued believing I was dead."

"They think you're dead?" Raki asked quizzically.

"It's rather complicated, so I'm not going to explain it now. But… with that little incident yesterday, it is highly unlikely we have gone unnoticed. So it may be pointless anyway."

"I see…I'll prepare to leave then."

Riful was getting impatient. It had been three days since she and Raki left the castle ruins, in search of this 'Clare' person. Shortly after they left, Raki explained that Clare was a Claymore who saved him when he was a child. Banished from his village, Clare allowed Raki to travel with him. They traveled together for a while, before being forcefully separated. Apparently, he had been searching for her ever since. Although poetically tragic, the story bothered the abyssal one somewhat. For whatever reason, the name 'Clare' sounded familiar, and Riful wondered uneasily if she had tortured or killed such a warrior. But that wasn't the problem she was now presented with.

"Raki." She said, her voice dripping with impatience. "I need you to focus. This is important!"

"Sorry, Riful." The tall man said sheepishly.

"Try to remember how to expel that energy again. You were embarrassed right?"

Raki rubbed his chin. "I guess so."

"Okay. You were embarrassed. And then what? How did you feel when you let out the burst of yoma energy?"

"Really embarrassed?"

Riful rolled her eyes. "Can you replicate that feeling again?"

Raki sighed. It had been like this for almost the whole day. "I'll give it a try." With fierce concentration, he tried to resurrect every single time he had ever been embarrassed in his life. There were plenty of times, but he couldn't make himself feel all that bad. After a few moments of discouraging concentration, Raki released a burst of youki. It shimmered in the air a moment, and then immediately transferred to Riful. She suddenly drew in a breath, startled at the sudden increase of her energy.

"Did I do it?" Raki asked uncertainly.

"Yes, nice job." Riful breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's take a break for a little while. We should be approaching a town soon."

"Really?" Raki asked, surprised. Looking around, all he could see was endless forest in front of them. "How do you know?"

"I can sense the human's auras. If you try, I'm sure you can too."

"Hmm." Raki's face screwed over momentarily, and he blinked. "Oh, yeah!" I can sense them… that way!" Raki pointed in the direction they were heading, only to the leftish a bit.

"Uh-huh. Good job. Now try to spread your sensing abilities a bit and try to see how many towns you can sense."

With a jesting smile, her tall companion asked "I thought we were taking a break?" Riful shrugged.

"…I can sense… five other towns, besides this one." Raki said, his visible eye closed.

So that's his ability, huh. Riful could sense nine other towns.

"And also something else." Raki continued. "It's much… brighter than the towns. Wait! There's another one!"

"Those are the auras of Warriors. Don't forget what they feel like, for they are a danger to you."

"Why are they a danger? They're not allowed to attack no-"With a start, Raki looked a little downcast and whispered "oh, yeah." So quiet that Riful almost didn't hear it. After a moment however, he visibly shook it off.

"…Riful, I've been thinking. I need to get a sword."

"Yes, we'll see if we can get you one in the next town or so."

For the rest of the day, Riful taught Raki about his own aura and how to tell the difference between Yoma, Warrior and Awakened Being auras.

"Yoma and humans are the base of all auras." She explained. "See how the Yoma's aura is yellow-tinted?" She gestured in the direction where a sickly yellow aura hid in the foliage. "And how the humans are white?"

Raki nodded. "The human auras are very faint. They almost meld together. "

"That's right. For the most part, the stronger an aura, the stronger the being. Although there are ways to trick people into thinking your aura is weaker than it actually is. Most Warriors cannot even sense human auras. Either because they do not have the ability, or can't be bothered to learn, due to the lack of a threat humans pose."

"So how come you can sense them, then?"

"It's just because of my superior sensing ability." Riful lied swiftly. It wasn't like she could tell Raki she had learned the skill to locate her prey easier…

The tall man scratched his chin. "I can sense them pretty easily though."

"Yes. It seems that your aura sensing ability is very detailed. So in other words, you cannot sense things far away, but what you do sense is rather acute." Riful shrugged as she walked, swinging her arms casually. "Yoma and humans possess the weakest auras. From there you get Warriors, their auras are either silver or gold, depending on which part of their minds they are leaning towards at the moment. Furthermore, Warriors have significantly varying aura strengths. The weakest among them are barely above humans, and the strongest are akin to Awakened Beings."

Raki frowned, committing everything she said to memory.

"Which brings us to the fourth and final species. Awakened Beings are Warriors who reached their limits and failed to die. I am an Awakened Being, and so were your former companions."

"I see. That makes sense."

"Awakened Beings are generally the strongest, although some Warriors can boast killing us single handedly. If you try and sense me, you'll find that my aura is white, like a human's."

Raki nodded and frowned. "Why is that?"

"It's the disguise that I told you about. A skilled aura reader could sense the true power underneath. Go ahead and try."

Raki tried to do as she said, but all he could see was white. Scowling, Raki reached with his mind and imagined pealing back her innocent human façade. To his surprise, the tactic worked; beneath the surface of her disguise, an enormous pool of dark purple youki swirled endlessly. Sweating slightly, Raki pulled away.

"Did you feel it?" Riful asked quizzically.

"Y-yes."

"Oh, good!" Riful clapped her hands together and gave a little bounce.

Raki relaxed slightly. She may be crazy strong and scary, Raki thought. But she's nice… and kind of adorable.

Riful looked up at Raki from the corner of her eye. He doesn't seem too shaken after sensing my true power… actually, I've noticed that he's become increasingly comfortable around me as we've traveled.

"So, what about my aura?" Raki asked. "What is it like?"

"Your aura is sort of an anomaly. I'd say it's kind of a silvery blue, and about the size of a medium to high class Awakened Being."

"Cool." Raki smiled. Despite any feelings he may have had about his sudden turn from humanity, the benefits certainly seemed to be out-weighing the detriments at this point. Humming slightly, the tall man turned to adjust his armor. The left arm plates were still missing, and until he found a decent smith shop, he would have to deal with the constant unbalance. Raki didn't mind at the moment however, he was simply enjoying the feeling of a silent peace. Beside him, Riful walked gracefully along the edge of the road, her small hands clasped behind her back, a cheerful smile gifting her face.

Up ahead, Raki could sense a large mingling of human auras, a town. Hmm. It's a pretty big one, maybe I'll find a smith shop there… As the two crested a hill to view the town that lay before them, Raki let out an excited, "Hey!"

"What?" Riful asked.

"I know this place! I passed through here years ago. There's a really good market here, it has all sorts of shops and stuff. I'm sure I can find a sword and replacement armor here!" Raki grinned excitedly, and swung his sword arm out in front of his body; already envisioning the weapon he would soon hold.

"Actually…" Riful looked at the town a bit closer, "now that you mention it, this place is remarkably close to a castle where I used to live. It's just beyond that mountain." The small girl pointed to the mountain closest to village, a happy expression on her face as she remembered her times spent in those castle ruins.

"You mean there are other castle ruins around here?" Raki laughed.

Riful grinned in turn. "You'd be surprised! They're all over the place! If you know where to look…"

The pair wandered into town a short while later and Raki excitedly ran around the main square looking for a sword smith. Riful watched him interact with the humans; a permanently amused look on her face. From the way he acted, it was obvious to Riful that despite being no longer human, he still considered himself one at heart. For reasons she couldn't explain, that made Riful very, very sad.

"Hey, Riful!" Raki called when he found someone willing to make him a sword. "Over here!" Riful approached the shop quietly, lost in thought. The sword smith in question was a hugely muscular man with thick blond hair and a beard to match. He didn't look tasty at all. After a loud discussion which Riful didn't bother to follow, Raki followed the man into his shop. While her companion shopped inside, Riful loitered in the doorway, staring up at Mt. Zakol. "Ahh." Riful breathed out quietly. So many memories. I wonder… what would have happened if we had never left this place? Would Dauf and I still be here, wasting our days away peacefully? No. Isley would have come eventually. He and that woman would have no doubt demolished us. Still, would we have been happier if we stayed…?

After a while, Raki once again emerged, this time brandishing a large broadsword which he held with practiced ease. "Take a look at this, Riful." He said, showing her the expertly honed weapon. The polished surface gleamed in the sunlight, and Riful admired it as well. The blade was slightly shorter than a claymore, but it was also broader. The handle was ridged, for a better grip, and wrapped in tanned leather. It was a plain weapon, but well-made nonetheless.

"That's the one you're getting?" Riful asked.

"Not quite. Brendel's going to make some modifications on it for me. He says it won't take too long." (Riful assumed Brendel was the name of the smith.) Raki swung the sword around expertly, and his companion couldn't help but be a bit impressed. He was very good. Raki began moving through a complex series of movements, and Riful smiled at the adorable look of total focus on his face.

"Alright!" Raki announced. "This is a very good sword, although it is a bit too wide for my liking. I'll ask him to make it a bit longer… and maybe shorten the grip? Half-a-hand? Yeah, that'll work better." realizing that he was more or less talking to himself, Riful stayed quiet. "Hmm. I wonder if he makes armor… Does he have the right materials to replicate my shoulder plates? It's rather complicated…" Raki walked back into the shop, rambling to himself the whole way. Riful let loose a series of giggles as he disappeared. Really, he is just too much!

Sometime later, Raki once again emerged. Though this time swordless. And also armorless, Riful noted.

"Brendel says he should be done with the sword in a couple of hours, if he hurries." Raki told Riful, "I asked him about my armor, and he said he can make replacement pieces, but it'll take several days." Raki looked down towards Riful. "What do you think? Would you mind waiting in this town for that long?

"Raki." Riful said, blinking in surprise. "You know you don't actually need the armor anymore, right?"

"Oh. Yeah… but I'd rather have it anyway. I learned to fight with it; so much of my technique is armor-based. Besides, I feel sort of naked without it." Raki scratched the back of his neck, smiling in a self-conscious way.

"Alright," Riful finally sighed. It's not like there's anything around here that could pose a threat to the two of us anyways. "Let's find an inn then."

"Yes!" Raki fist pumped the air, and Riful smirked at his childish antics. She was about to turn away when Raki leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thank you Riful!" he yelled, jumping away.

"Wha-?" To her utter horror, Riful found herself holding the cheek he kissed and blushing furiously. Suddenly angry at the young man, Riful stomped toward the nearest inn, dragging an exalted Raki by the wrist.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow! Riful that hurts! Let go! You're breaking my wrist!" It was true, His newly reinforced bones creaked under her enormous strength; if he had still been human, his wrist would have long since shattered.

"Shut up!" Riful yelled, pulling him through the door.

…

AN: Alright, this chapter was a bit longer than I originally planned, but I don't think you guys will mind too much. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far; I never expected to receive so much feedback from just the first chapter!

And since I know someone is bound to ask, I'm going to explain why Riful only vaguely recognizes Clare's name. During "the witches' maw" chapters, Galatea constantly refers to Clare merely as "47." And then later, after the time-skip, Riful recognizes Clare, but does not call her name. In fact, she refers to Galatea as "the long-haired one." (Apparently the characters in Claymore aren't big on introductions) Also, this is an extremely useful plot device for me to use as Raki and Riful grow closer together.

If you happen to notice any inconsistencies, please go ahead and write a review or PM me. I looked over everything as best as I could, but hey, nobody's perfect. The same thing goes if you have any ideas/suggestions or questions.

Well, that's about it for now, except for one thing. If Riful and Raki are romantically involved, does that make Riful a cougar, or Raki a lolicon?

Remember to review!