AN: Hello and welcome back everyone! I can't believe that this story has received over 50 reviews! Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to type up a review, I love reading them!
The armored man leapt gracefully into the air, and in a single swift movement, unsheathed the broadsword strapped to his back. Faster than the eye could follow, he swung his sword in a direct path towards the skull of his opponent.
A hair breadth from her head, the sword was suddenly deflected. The man didn't pause in his attack, and gave a mighty roar before driving his sword forward into the girl's stomach. Again, the attack was deflected from the lithe figure, whose hair gained a life of its own and sprang towards the body of her attacker.
Forced onto the defense, the man held his sword in a two-handed grip and expertly parried the blade-like hair away. Both parties picked up speed, and the weapons blurred, even to their superhuman eyes.
The ground beneath the two trembled, trees were torn apart from wayward strikes. The exchange lasted several more seconds longer before the man suddenly threw himself backwards and out of the way. The girl stepped forward to continue the onslaught, but a raised hand stopped her.
"From now on," The man shouted "I'll fight completely blind! What's your handicap?!"
Without missing a beat, the girl shouted, "I won't enter my awakened form!"
The man, who was in the process of pulling a piece of cloth over both his eyes, stopped long enough to glower at his smaller opponent. "Seriously, Riful? That's not a handicap. Pick something else!"
"Fine! Then I'll… er… I won't use the blades in my arms or anything. Just in my hair."
He would have rolled his eyes, but the blindfold prevented it. "That's what you've been doing the whole time, Ri. Well, whatever. I suppose that's good enough. Let's go again."
Upon hearing this, Riful darted forward and swung her hair around, intending to decapitate the young man.
The man, Raki, stood unmoving for a moment, tracing Riful's hidden aura with his mind. He ducked out of the way of her blades at the very last second, having memorized her pattern.
Everything she does is fluid and graceful. There's no wasted movement anywhere, and virtually no openings… Well, I suppose I'll just have to make one then! Sword in hand, he dashed forward towards the Abyssal's aura. Dozens of blade-like tendrils shot towards him as he charged the girl, but he expertly dodged and blocked them all.
Riful hissed through her teeth as the blindfolded man ducked and weaved through her attacks. His aura perception in battle is improving… but it's not perfect! An opening…! Moving forward, Riful lunged around the strong swing of her companions sword. She used her small size to her advantage and ducked under the larger mans guard. He took a clumsy step backward, but Riful had him trapped. With a high girlish giggle she extended her hair and playfully prodded Raki in the stomach, piercing him ever so slightly.
"You're dead!" She cried happily. "Dead dead dead! I win!"
Raki gasped, eyes wide, and clutched his stomach. He swayed on his feet for a moment before collapsing to the ground. "R-Riful?" He croaked weakly, "why'd you do that…?" And then he stopped moving completely, looking for all the world to be dead.
Riful stopped in her antics long enough to look confused. Oh, crap. She thought, rushing to her friends side. Did I seriously hurt him?! I only stabbed him a little… his body can't be that fragile! Can it?
"Raki!" She slapped his face lightly. "Wake up!" His head lolled to one side limply. "Dammit Raki, this isn't funny. Wake up! Hey! Raki?"
A sudden tensing of muscles was Riful's only warning before her companion's eyes shot open (looking dreadfully mischievous) and he launched himself at the small girl, tackling her to the ground.
"Now I win!" He gloated happily, using his greater weight and about even strength to keep her pinned to the ground.
"That's cheating!" Riful shrieked, all concern for her injured friend forgotten.
"Cheating…? Or clever?" Raki chided.
"Both!" Riful growled, throwing Raki off her in a furious burst of strength. Deciding to extract her revenge at a later date, Riful shortened her hair to its usual length. Upon seeing this, Raki hummed slightly and re-sheathed his sword.
"This one goes to you." Riful pouted. "But let the records show it was the result of cheating."
Raki beamed. "Wow! I can't believe I finally won! What's the score now, Ri?"
Scowling, the bare-footed girl kicked at a rock (a boulder really) and sent it flying. "…I have 49. And now you have 1. Agh! I really wanted a perfect 50 and 0!"
Walking towards his friend happily, he was about to suggest going to get their horses, when he suddenly stopped walking, one foot raised in the air in preparation to take another step. His eyes glazed over and he remained completely still.
Riful looked at him in surprise. Although she was by now used to the silly behavior of her companion, this was a new one. All the same, she stayed quiet, not wanted to distract him. After a few moments, he suddenly blinked, his eyes refocused, and he slowly put his foot down.
"Riful," he said, his voice troubled. "I think there might be an awakened being in the next town over."
Riful blinked in surprise, "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. But then again…" Riful didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to. But then again you're better at close-range sensing than me.
In the past two weeks Raki had trained vigorously to improve his aura sensing. He didn't want to handicap himself or Riful in battle if he couldn't fight properly because of his one eye. And as a result, his aura sensing had either greatly improved, or he had simply learned to use it properly, Riful couldn't tell which. Either way, his aura sensing in close distances had improved immensely.
When in a human town, Raki sometimes became overwhelmed and had to leave for a few minutes before coming back. This was because he was able to tell a human's emotions just from their aura. It seriously messed with his head, but he was working on tuning it all out. The Abyssal had been relieved to hear that Raki couldn't judge her emotions, although sometimes she had a distinct feeling he'd be able to if he tried.
So, in light of all this, Riful had been forced to admit that her companion was better at sensing auras in a close range than she was. (Although she was still vastly superior in terms of distance).
"I think," Raki began, "That it's an awakened one with a hidden aura, much like ours. Actually, it might be a Warrior. Wait, no. Maybe…? Also, I can't tell for sure, but the human aura's seem agitated. Scared."
"Wanna check it out?" Riful giggled, bouncing in place. This is perfect! I've been waiting for an opportunity to test out my new toy! The 'toy' of course meaning Raki.
"Ah, I dunno, Ri. The aura seems really strong…"
"Stronger than mine?"
"Well, no."
"Is it even close?"
"No…"
"Then what are you worried about? Come on, it'll be fun."
Raki nodded, and, without another word, the two shot off through the woods to collect their horses, Raki clumsily tying the cloth over his silver eye as they ran.
xxxxx
Galatea sighed and rubbed her scarred eyes in exasperation. Although she was eternally grateful to the seven ghosts who'd saved her city, they certainly were proving to be a fair bit of trouble. With Miria gone and Tabitha recovering from her captains harsh treatment, things were looking grim. The chances of Miria surviving were slim. The chances of her actually succeeding were zero to none. And when Tabitha's injuries healed, as they soon would be, Galatea would have her hands full keeping the young Warrior from rushing east on some deluded path of revenge. A fact made even more difficult because the braided Warrior still had her aura repressed.
Galatea sighed again, biting her lip in annoyance. She wanted the remaining five Warriors to hurry up and return from gallivanting across the continent already. They'd no doubt be able to talk some sense into their grief-stricken comrade.
And then of course there was the dark-hair and her rather… unstable… companion. She sort of appreciated having them around, since they could further protect the city, but in the end they were both ticking time bombs; a constant reminder that the Organization would be sending more trouble to the city the moment their patience ran out.
"Really," the ex-warrior spoke aloud to herself, "It would have all been so much simpler if I'd just found some cave to hole up in for the rest of my life. But noooo! I had to go and get attached to this place!"
A sudden spark of youki power in the west reminded the blind nun of yet another problem she was now faced with. There were some weird things stirring in the western lands. First of all, she had sensed a terrible surge of destructive energy, that had apparently materialized from thin air. It's power was easily on par with the Abyssal Riful's, but seemed more chaotic and perilous somehow. Then its power had slowly diminished for a little more than a day, before the thing seemingly collapsed in on itself, disappearing from her 'sight' completely.
And now, there were these odd little flashes of energy unlike any she had sensed before. It's not that the energy itself seemed all that dangerous or anything, what worried her was that it was from an unknown being. Even more nerve-racking was that she was 98% positive the thing was in the company of Riful of the west. Often when the blue energy spiked, so did the Abyssal's. It was a rather strange phenomenon, Galatea didn't know what to make of it.
She'd informed Tabitha of the weird energy, but the Warrior was too busy fretting over her captain to be of any help. And as for the other two Warriors, well, Miata was too young/unstable to be of any help, and Clarice was frankly too weak for Galatea to take seriously.
So she was on her own.
Muttering to herself the whole way, Galatea walked out onto the western wall and looked out over the central lands. Or at least, that's what she would have been doing if not for being blind. What she was actually doing was extending her reach as far into the west as she could, searching for any signs of the mysterious blue aura. For several frustrating minutes she was unable to find the barest hint of anything out of the ordinary. And then, searching closer to the coast, the former number three finally thought she felt the barest hint something. Grasping onto it with as much mental force as she could muster, Galatea gained a firm hold on the mysterious energy…
"Sight seeing are we?"
The sudden voice shocked Galatea enough so that she lost her hold on the blue energy. Practically jumping out of her skin, the nun made a desperate grab for the aura, but it was long gone. Turning around angrily, Galatea recognized the person who'd spoken as one of the senior guards.
"What do you want?" She asked, furious at having her concentration broken. Galatea sensed the man lift one of his arms in defense; his other arm was secured to his chest in some sort of sling.
"Whoa. Sorry there. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you or anything…"
"Has someone sent for me?" The blind Warrior asked impatiently.
"No, I just saw you out here, and thought I'd strike up a conversation. I'm bored out of my mind, being forced to 'recover' or whatever. I'm not even allowed to work!"
Calming down somewhat, Galatea resolved to find the blue energy again the next chance she got. "I'm sorry," she began, "but I don't think we've met. Who're you?"
The man stepped forward and held out his hand. "Sorry. My name's Sid. And you're Galatea, right?"
"Yes. Did you receive that wound fighting Agatha, then?"
"Yup. She broke my arm in five places. Five! Fortunately, father Vincent was able to set it correctly. It should be all right in a month or two, but for now I'm bored as hell. I never realized how much I'd miss patrol!"
Galatea made a humming noise in the back of her throat. "Yes, well, I hope you recover quickly, soldier. Rabona needs as many strong men as it can get. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Not waiting for a reply, Galatea blurred away, leaving the injured soldier alone on the wall.
Sid blinked in surprise when the nun suddenly disappeared. Then with a dramatic sigh, he draped himself over wall and stared out across the land.
xxxxx
He shouldn't have been disappointed, but… Raki grimaced when it became apparent that the thing they were chasing was an awakened being with a suppressed aura, and not a Warrior. Scowling, he pulled on Ichabod's reins until the horse slowed from its gallop into a walk.
Riful followed in suit, and looked at her friend curiously. "It's an awakened being." He explained, unable to hide his disappointment.
"I see." Riful noted the tall mans distress in surprise. For the past few weeks they'd done nothing but train and ask around towns for Claymores, but he'd never shown a hint of sadness, until now. Naturally, her mind automatically switched gears and began looking for a way to exploit this sudden weakness.
"Don't worry about it, Raki! I'm sure we'll find her soon! And anyways, no matter what, you'll always have me, right? After all, no crazy psycho Warrior will ever be able to force me to leave you behind! I'm way too strong!" Riful shadow boxed the air for emphasis, and Raki smiled slightly before swallowing and turning away.
"But, Raki…" Riful slowed her horse to a stop and forced Raki's to as well. Taking his hand in hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze. "You do know that you'll always have me, right?" Give him assurance of your loyalty and prove that you won't leave him.
"At least, unless you ask me to leave… then… I won't bother you." Plant the idea that its all up to him and put him in a position where he feels he has to say something to reassure you.
Raki smirked slightly, returning back to his old self. "Come on, Ri. There's no way I could ever do that. I'd probably blow myself up or something without you around to make sure I don't do anything stupid."
The abyssal laughed in agreement. "I'm not sure if 'blow up' is the right phrase. Maybe… 'self-combust'?"
"Okay. I'd 'self-combust' then."
Riful stretched leisurely on her horses back. She had gotten rid of the saddle not long after obtaining the horses, deeming it unnecessary and uncomfortable. Although she did keep the reigns and bridle. "Well, even though its probably not Clare, do you wanna check it out anyway? Who knows… maybe they're friendly! Or if they're not, we can test out your new skills."
Raki considered this. Well, I do want to try out my new abilities against an actual opponent… but I don't necessarily want to go picking a fight either. Then again, they could always be nice, like Riful said. "Let's play it by ear," he said aloud.
"Okie-dokie." Riful agreed. But if we're doing that, then lets tie the horses up in the woods somewhere and go to town on foot." Riful patted her horses neck indifferently. "These two will just be in the way if it ends in a fight, and it'd be troublesome to replace them."
Raki agreed, and they found a suitable place for the horses before zooming towards the town at a pace no human or beast could hope to match.
A few miles from town, they slowed down to a human paced walk, and Riful pulled her cloak from her bag. Unlike Raki's, which had lost some of its splendor from constant use, Riful's was basically brand new; she hardly ever wore it. Slightly jealous at how much better it looked than his, the armored man pulled his hood up, hiding both his armor and sword. Riful did the same, and also took it to the next level. Underneath the fragile shell of a human aura she'd made for herself, she constructed another layer of aura. One that appeared to be the aura of a low-class awakened being. And only under that layer hid her true power.
Raki didn't as of yet have the finesse to create multiple layers of auras, so instead he just coated his blue with as much white as he could manage.
The sun was in the process of setting when the two entered the town, appearing to be nothing more than two weary travelers. They were heading in the direction of the energy when someone stopped them.
"Oi!" A short, wide man blocked their path. "Ya better 'urry off and leave now. We don't 'ave any time for your sort."
"Our sort?" Raki questioned. "What do you mean?"
"Trav'lers. We don't 'ave any time for trav'lers. Now you'll leave if ya know what's good for ya. There's a yoma in this town, there is! Four dead in jus' two days!"
Raki frowned and, ignoring the man, turned to Riful. "Four?" He questioned. "That's a lot. What sort would eat that much in just two days?"
Riful shrugged. "Someone who has no self control. Or a recently awakened."
"So I guess it's a wild one?"
"Most likely."
"The type to kill first and ask questions later?"
"Probably."
"This should be fun then."
Riful smirked. "My thoughts exactly."
The chubby man looked from Raki, to Riful, and then back to Raki again. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't get the chance as the pair swept past him and headed off further into the town. He thought about chasing after them, but in the end just snorted and shook his head. "Your funeral, not mine."
The source of the meticulously hidden energy was a rather ordinary looking woman. She had longish dirty blond hair and a plain face. In fact the only noticeable feature she possessed was that she was abnormally tall; over six feet. Her aura was strong, most likely a single digit. She was dressed in the clothes of a traveler, and sat alone at the bar, nursing a cup of strong liquor. Having discussed the plan-of-action with Riful, Raki knew exactly what to do. He sat down in the stool next to the woman, and Riful sat on the other side of him. The woman barely even glanced in their direction, and her aura didn't stir, so the two were confident she hadn't sensed them.
"We'll take two of whatever you got." Raki told the tavern owner, who was looking at the newcomers expectantly. After they received their drinks, Raki turned to the woman and attempted to begin a pleasant conversation.
"So," he began, taking a sip of your drink, "Do you live here, or are you just passing through, like us?" He gestured to Riful and himself.
"Just passing through." The woman replied easily.
"Oh? Where're you headed? I'm Raki by the way. And this," he gestured to Riful and blushed slightly, "Is my wife, Ri. What's your name?"
The woman hesitated, and looked at Raki coldly. He looks rather delicious, she thought. I think I'll make him and his scrawny wife my last meal before I leave here. Smiling at the thought, she answered, "my name is Diana. Where are you two headed?"
Ignoring the question, Riful smiled broadly. "Diana? That's a pretty name. Say, you wouldn't happen to be Diana of the bruising death, would you?"
Diana was on her feet and in a defensive position immediately. A low growl entering her throat as she glared at the pair sitting comfortably on the stools.
Riful giggled at the woman's actions, and Raki suppressed his own laugh. This is fun!
Diana peeled back the layer of human aura Riful possessed to expose the second shell of a weak awakened being. Smirking, she thought, that one won't give me much trouble. Turning to Raki, she tried to remove his disguise as well.
Raki felt her probing his aura, and buried himself even deeper in the façade.
What? Diana thought, shocked. This one appears to be completely human! That can't be right… I'll be careful with this one. If he's from the male era, he might give me trouble.
Standing up straight, the woman smirked. "You're right. I am Diana of the bruising death, former number four in Luciela's era. May I ask your names and former ranks?" Diana was expecting them to shy away at her former rank, but she was thoroughly disappointed, as both remained relaxed and seemingly at ease.
"I'm Raki." Raki said. "No title and no rank." Diana's eyes narrowed.
Riful giggled. "My nickname is Ri. As for my name, title, and rank…I'm not telling!"
Ri… Why does that nag at the back of my mind? Who is she? Despite her reservations, Diana felt herself getting excited.
"Well," She said, "It was certainly a mistake for you to come here." Releasing an enormous burst of youki, she prepared to enter her awakened form.
"This" She spoke, her voice twisted as she prepared to transform, "is where you die…!"
"Hold up." Riful said, completely killing the moment. "Would you mind if we take this outside? The humans are freaking out, and I don't have enough room to enter my awakened form." Diana took a moment to look around. It was true, the previously lively tavern was completely devoid of life. It seemed the humans had enough sense to know when to get lost. Not waiting for an answer, Riful hopped off of her stool and skipped out the door, followed closely by Raki. Baffled, Diana stood there for a moment, unsure of what to make of the situation.
Outside, Riful and Raki turned to look at each other seriously. Cracking a grin, both of them broke into fits of uncontrollable laughter as they recalled their opponents expression.
Clutching his stomach, Raki howled, "D-did you see her face, Ri?!"
Riful's giggles turned into full blown laughter as she replied, "I think we broke her brain!"
And then the tavern exploded. A burst of furious youki permeated the air, and the pair leapt backward and out of the way as a giant fist smashed the pavement where they stood.
The humans around screamed and ran, but the armored man and little girl remained where they had landed.
"Are you ready to die?!" She roared, "I'll pulverize you and feast on your innards, like the humans in this town!"
"Whoa-!" Raki paled at the sight of the monster. It's awakened form was simple and humanoid. She was even taller than before, somewhere around twenty feet. Her skin was a deep bronze, and plaited, like armor. More of the armor-like-plaiting adorned her head and ran down the back of her neck, so it resembled hair. Screeching, Diana yelled, "How dare you mock me! I'll crush you, you disgusting little parasites!"
Even as she spoke, her elegantly armored hands shifted and transformed into huge monstrous fists.
Mentally freaking out, Raki jumped out the way of another attack.
"Diana of the bruising death." Riful spoke calmly next to him, "I don't normally care about warriors or their reputations, but even I heard the rumors about her during her time as a Warrior."
Swallowing, Raki calmed down slightly, Riful's cool attitude helped him relax.
"She was famous for using the flat part of her blade to viciously bludgeon her opponents to death. By the time she was ready to finish them off, their whole bodies were bruised and bloated from internal bleeding."
Dodging another huge fist, Raki grimaced and, gaining some confidence, answered wryly, "That doesn't sound like a very affective technique against multiple enemies."
Riful smirked and didn't reply.
"Stand still you insects! So I can smash your disgusting bodies into the ground like the little bugs that you are!"
Riful blinked as the monster known as Diana smashed another building. "Alright, its time to get serious I guess. At this rate she'll destroy the whole town. Raki, whenever you're ready…"
Swallowing his fear, the armored man unsheathed his sword and leapt at the monster before him.
"Oh!" Diana shrieked, "You're sending me a little toy to play with huh? Well, don't blame me if I accidentally break it!"
She swung a giant fist in Raki's general direction, and, sensing it rather than seeing it, Raki came to a sudden realization. She was viciously powerful, but at the same time the Awakened was slow. Grinning, Raki used the oncoming fist to propel himself up and over, so he landed on the back of her hand.
Letting years of training and built up instinct take over, Raki attempted to cut off her hand, starting at the wrist. The sword bit into the armor and stuck. I need to put more strength into the blows! Underneath the cloth on his face, his silver eye suddenly glowed gold, and the veins in his arm bulged. With an enormous roar, the sword bit through the monsters hide, completely cutting off her hand.
Diana roared furiously, and made a flailing effort to throw Raki off of her. He jumped away, landing on the roof of some building. Inside, he thought he could feel the auras of a few humans, but it was hard to tell, Diana took up most of his focus. Just in case, he quickly leapt away again, landing on the ground.
"Raki!" Riful called, "Don't give her time to regenerate that hand! Take the other one and then I'll finish her off!"
Raki flared his youki as a way of showing he understood. Before he could do anything, Diana's remaining fist suddenly shrank back down to its original size, and she shot past Raki, on a path towards Riful.
"I'll kill you first, weakling!"
"RIFUL! NO!" Somewhere in his mind, he knew that this monster was no match for Riful, and that there was absolutely no chance that Diana could even touch his small companion, but that part of Raki's mind was pushed aside by the fear.
Unconsciously pushing his youki to his legs, Raki shot forward like a bullet. But Diana was much faster without the huge fists weighing her down, she made it to Riful moments before Raki.
"Die, little girl!" Diana brought up a foot like she intended to step on Riful.
The Abyssal giggled slightly. She's so stupid! Really, what an ugly way of fighting. Extending her hair slightly, Riful prepared to cut the woman up into tiny pieces, but stopped when she noticed Raki out the corner of her eye. He was furious, and moving towards them at a speed that rivaled her own. Before Diana could so much as make another twitch towards Riful, Raki was there.
The Abyssal watched in surprise as Raki totally ignored the raised foot and lunged straight towards Diana's head. What surprised her even more was that at the moment before he was about to stab Diana right between the eyes, he suddenly discarded his sword, throwing it behind him like it was nothing.
Diana blinked in shock, and Riful absent mindedly moved away so she could have a better view. The Abyssal suddenly felt that something very big was about to happen and watched with wide eyes.
Faster than the eye could follow, Raki tore off the cloth covering his golden eye, and placed his hands on either side of Diana's face. Roaring incoherently, he synched himself to her youki, and took it all.
xxxxx
Galatea was with Tabitha when it happened. She was yet again trying to talk to the Warrior about the mysterious happenings in the west, and the potential danger it might mean for the other warriors over there.
Tabitha was trying to listen, she really was. And she was worried about her teammates, of course. But she also knew them better than Galatea ever would. And if they were all together, as Galatea suspected, then Tabitha had full confidence that they would return safely. Blue youki or not. No, it was her captain she was worried about. She was alone. Alone! How could Miria be so stupid?! They had trained for seven years mostly on teamwork and cooperation. So although Miria was at least a number 2 rank on her own, she was better than number 1 with her team.
Gritting her teeth, Tabitha was silently contemplating how hard it would be to take Galatea out and run for the east. If she went full out, and didn't meet any obstacles, then maybe she could make it in time to save her captain.
"Hello… Tabitha!"
Tabitha started in surprise as Galatea snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Come on, focus here, I need your help! I was thinking that if we-"
Galatea froze, and Tabitha's eyes widened. She suddenly understood why the blind Warrior was so concerned about the youki from the west.
xxxxx
Raki was sure that his head had exploded. He was sure that his brains were scattered all over the pavement. There was no other way he could be in this much pain. Every other pain he'd ever felt was a joke compared to this.
"Raki!" Riful shrieked, running towards her fallen companion. The armored man was curled into a fetal position, and was holding his head like he thought it might explode. Diana lay a little further away. She was back in her human form, and sprawled across the ground, unconscious.
"Raki!" Riful placed a tentative hand on Raki's quivering shoulder. When he didn't react, the knot in her stomach tightened. "Raki, can you hear me…?"
The swordless man groaned and curled tighter into himself. "My head…"
Relief swept through the small girl's body, but it was short lived. If she didn't act now, he would surely pass out from the pain, and then there would be no way to save him. "Raki, I know it's hard, but I need you to focus on me. Can you do that?"
He moaned, which Riful took as a yes. "Release the energy. Release it all! Everything that's not yours, do it! Let it all go!"
Forcing himself to focus past the waves of pain that hit him like a freight train, he fought through his thundering head and gathered all the foreign energy to the center of his body. Then he pushed it outward and away from himself.
The relief was slow, but it came. His head sluggishly put itself back together, until all that was left was a minor headache. His muscles began to unclench and he relaxed into a more comfortable position.
Sitting up woozily, the world swam before his eyes, and he reached out to steady himself. Riful grabbed his outstretched hand, and Raki gratefully leaned against her for support.
"D-Diana?" He finally managed.
"She's over there." Riful nodded in the direction of the unconscious woman.
Raki blinked rapidly as he tried to get his eyes to focus on the hazy shape. "Is she dead?"
"Not yet."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Riful said brusquely "How are you feeling?"
"I'll… live…" And with that, Raki finally succumbed to sleep, collapsing against Riful.
The Abyssal pursed her lips together, and gingerly picked up the larger man with her hair, carrying him out of town.
The moment they were gone, a few humans poked their heads out of their hiding places, where they had been intently watching the scene unfold. They weren't sure exactly what had happened, but they did know one thing: the woman Diana was the one who had been terrorizing the town. One woman stood out from the rest as she walked forward calmly. She strode over to Diana's naked and unconscious form and knelt down to feel her pulse. A small crowd gathered around the Awakened and the human.
"She's still alive," The woman growled, and, reaching into the folds of her shirt, she withdrew a long carving knife.
"This is for my son, you bitch." She plunged the knife into Diana's weakened skull, instantly killing her. "Enjoy your time in hell."
xxxxx
Riful hugged her knees to her chest and sat, watching Raki intently as he slept. She had returned to the clearing where they'd tied the horses up, and then carefully laid Raki in the softest patch of ground she could find. He was currently using both of their cloaks as blankets. She had also rolled up her pack into a sort of makeshift pillow.
She was furious with Raki for doing something so stupid, and angry at herself for sitting back and watching. If Raki died, then I really would be alone. Shaking off the terrifying thought, she returned to intermittently glaring at Raki's sleeping form and then checking to see if he was getting any better.
Raki sighed in his sleep and shifted slightly. So far, Riful thought, He's been recovering amazingly. The damage to his brain repaired itself. Riful placed a hand on his head and felt the flow underneath.
Moving her hand down to rest on his chest, she sensed the flow of youki in his body, and felt his slow, even heartbeats. The damage to his internal organs has also fixed itself. With that fast of a recovery, I suppose its no surprise that he's alive. But for a while, I was sure he was going to die.
Riful pressed her hands to her face anxiously.
Raki made a soft noise in the back of his throat, and Riful peeked between her fingers to look at her companion.
"Hmm… Yeah…?" Raki mumbled.
Riful leaned forward and placed a cool hand on his cheek. "Mmmm." Raki smiled in his sleep and tilted his head slightly, leaning into her hand. "Riful…"
Riful took her hand away quickly and blushed furiously. Finally, she managed a glare strong enough to suit her Abyssal standards. "Oh, shut up. I'm still really mad, so don't go acting all cute."
"Aw…." Raki's eyes fluttered open. "Thanks, Ri. I think you're cute too."
Riful gasped , and looked down at her companion. "You! You're awake!"
"Indeed." Propping himself up on his elbows, Raki swallowed and asked for water.
Handing it to him, Riful asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Better. I still have a bit of a headache, but I think it'll go away."
"Do you remember what happened?"
With a sigh, the silver eyed man nodded and looked away. "I took it, Ri. I took it all. All of her youki power. I matched my energy to hers and then channeled her youki into my body."
"And it nearly killed you."
"Yes." Raki looked solemn for another moment and then smiled, pulling Riful to him.
"H-hey! What are you doing?"
"Holding you." Resting his chin on her head, Raki closed his eyes and spoke again, "If you hadn't told me what to do, I would have died for sure. I'm even further in your debt. Thank you."
"Of course!" Grasping his shirt, Riful looked up and glared at her companion. "If you died, then…" The Abyssal's glare faltered, and for a moment, Raki saw true worry and fear in his small friends eyes.
"Then…?" He prompted.
"Then I'd be… I'd be…" Riful looked down and gritted her teeth. She didn't want to admit, not even to herself, how much the thought of being alone scared her.
Even so, Raki understood.
"I don't want to be alone anymore either." He pulled her closer and breathed in the metallic earthy scent of her hair. "And I especially don't want to be without you. So don't ever leave, kay?"
"Raki…" Riful pulled back and looked up.
"You won't, will you?" Raki leaned down, and Riful felt his hot breath on her face. "You won't leave me alone…"
"I won't… of course not…"
"Good…" Closing the space between them, Raki pressed his lips gently against Riful's.
"I won't leave you either." He whispered, "that's a promise."
xxxxx
AN: This idea just popped into my head, and I knew I'd have to write it, so here you go.
Omake Time!
Confusion Tactics
A thirteen year old Raki made his way slowly up the mountain. For a human, he was in great physical condition. But this slope could make even the strongest guy out of breath!
What's this place called again? Mt. Zackle? Zakol? Something like that, anyway. That girl by the statue of Clare said that there were some castle ruins around here somewhere, too. I've never seen a castle before…
"Well!" Raki said aloud, "I don't have time for that! I have to hurry and find Clare!" Ever since seeing the statue of the twin goddesses, Raki had felt a renewed sense of vigor and importance. And so, marching up the mountain happily, he almost didn't see the strange man until it was too late.
The man in question was very tall, and very thick. He had the sort of shape that made you wonder if he was fat or muscular. He was wearing a loose over shirt and drawstring pants, but no shoes. Which was made all the weirder because he had just walked out of the forest. Raki wasn't one to judge based upon looks, but… the man had a face that strongly suggested he was very stupid.
Raki blinked and made a face, feeling both guilty and pleased with his assessment. Casting the man one last furtive glance, Raki thought, creepy hobo… and hurried up the path, hoping to avoid catching the dirty man's attention.
Unfortunately for him, that's just what happened.
The man grinned, and before Raki could so much as twitch toward his sword, he had Raki's arm in a death grip.
"Riful's hungry. Scrawny, but you're okay." The man dragged Raki forward effortlessly, like all the struggling he was doing wasn't even a concern.
"HELP!" Raki screamed, pounding at the man's beefy hand with his fist. "HEY! LET ME GO!" The man ignored Raki and dragged him closer to the forest.
"RAPE! RAAAAAPE!" Raki had no idea what rape meant, but Clare had told him to yell it if someone was touching him in a way he didn't like. "RAPE! RAPE! RAPE! RAPE! DAMMIT LET GO OF ME!"
The man finally turned to face Raki. "Sto' squirmin'. I can't kill ya yet, 'cause Riful likes 'em alive, so be quiet."
Raki did stop squirming. He's a yoma…! Holy crap, he's totally gonna eat me! Clearing his throat, Raki did the first thing he could think of. Stall for time.
"Excuse me, ,"
"Dauf"
"Huh?"
"Name is… Dauf."
"Oh. Okay then, Dauf. Well, you don't want to eat me. I'll definitely give you indigestion."
Dauf stopped walking. "I ain't gonna eat yeh. Riful's gonna eat yeh."
"Um… Is that your… yoma wife?" (Can yoma get married?)
The man beamed proudly. "She's my woman!"
An idea was forming. It wasn't a very good one, and anyone with two brain cells would be able to see past it, but fortunately this man didn't have two brain cells.
"Oh!" Raki said. "Nice. But you know, it would suck if you made her mad."
"Mad?" Dauf shuddered. "Scary when mad! Very scary! Why mad?"
"If you bring me to get eaten, then she'll be mad, because of, uh… indigestion. And the intermolecular workings of the… butterfly chrysalis."
Dauf latched onto the only word that made sense. "Butterfly?"
Gaining confidence, Raki nodded seriously. "Yup. Butterflies. You see, indigestion all has to do with the food chain and Father Vincent's theory of relativity. If the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, then how fast will it reach the ground? And if I have twelve carrots and eat seven peaches, how many miles is it to the ocean? These are the great questions of the universe, brought to us by the omnipotent philosopher and ninja, Theodore Washington!"
Dauf unconsciously let go of Raki's wrist as the boy waved his hands crazily in the air. After that, Raki went on an extremely long and complicated tirade fueled completely by raw fear and temporary insanity. It wouldn't have made any sense to a normal person, and Dauf looked like he was seriously considering bashing his head a against a rock.
"So," Raki finally began to bring his speech to a close. "You can't eat me because the poison will make your wife have laryngitis and a serious case of chicken pox! Remember! The werebunny family said "i before e except after c! Also because it's a full moon and the flatulent flock of furious foodlewumps will carry you away by your ears if you don't sing your ABC's and do the hokey pokey!" Raki finished his long speech by spinning in a circle and panting heavily.
Hoping that he'd said enough to confuse the man, the young boy took off running as fast as he could up the mountain. He supposed that his "delay and confuse" tactics must have worked because the brutish man didn't follow him. He just stood there staring at the ground and muttering to himself.
xxxxx
AN: I honestly have no idea where my brain was when I wrote the Omake, but I do know that I had a lot of fun. So what do you guys think?
As far as the main chapter goes, how do you think the fight scene worked out? Also, this is obviously a Raki x Riful pairing, but I wouldn't mind doing some side pairings. Thoughts?
*Ahem* A lot of you have been requesting lemons, and though I'm not completely against the idea, it's not really what I set out to do here. So while there will be heavy implications and probably a few minor scenes, there will most likely be no lemons.
Oh, and for the record, Raki's new ability does not make him some invincible, godlike being. I tried to make it very clear that taking Diana's energy nearly killed him. It won't always be like that, and yes, he will be able to use this ability to his advantage. Just not on anyone above a certain strength. That's all I'm saying for now!
Review please!