A Few Seasons Past

By: biacebaolck

Backlash stared gloomily at the waters below. And then, at the slaughtered fox carcass, that was rotting, next to her. Nocturne had come out, during her battle with the fox, to aid her. That fox…was the same one that had slaughtered Master Kagroo…she had been sure of it. The two scents were equally alike, disgusting and lacked refinement.

And now, because of the horrible smell of rotting, the fox lacked even more refinement and personal hygiene.

"Backlash…" she looked up at the speaker, her eyes emotionless.

"What is it…Honour?"

The haremaid fidgeted under her gaze. "It's just…you haven't moved from that spot in three seasons…after you placed those 'orbs' back where they belonged and you just came back here… You haven't eaten nor drank…and you haven't engaged in any conversation unless spoken to…Backlash…I'm worried about you…is something wrong?"

"No…nothing…"

"It's Bucko isn't it?"

Backlash's heart thumped rapidly at the sound of his name, but…her face still showed no emotion. "What about him? The bastard chose Roseflower. That's that."

Honour flinched at her tone, but stayed silent and didn't prod further. She knew it had been hard, when Backlash had to fall out of her childish crush on the mountain hare and continue on with her life, when he chose Roseflower.

When Backlash had just found out about Bucko and Roseflower, Nocturne had tried comforting her, saying that the Roseflower she knew before used to be a jerk and not to worry- But, Backlash could see that the Roseflower here in her time was as equally beautiful as the Roseflower back in Nocturne's time.

Besides…she could sense Nocturne's anger at BOTH Roseflowers, so her ancestor's attempted comforting did no good because she could still sense fiery hatred emitting from her.

"Backlash…ever since…you joined…you were happy and yourself…well, not exactly but you know what I mean…and…" Honour said, as she looked up at the night sky. "You weren't all moody like you were right now…"

"Hn…" Backlash looked away.

"Are you even listening to me!" Honour said angrily.

"Whatever. I don't really care." The black-furred hare stood up and left Honour.

"What the heck is wrong with that girl!" Honour muttered. "And you…" she growled at the carcass. "Stink." She heaved him off the cliff and watched him sink deeper and deeper into the raging waters below. She brushed back some messy fur and sighed. "If only you HADN'T killed Backlash's master, and if only Backlash's master HADN'T killed her parents…everything would've been fine…"

'How do you know for certain?' her consciousness asked. Honour didn't reply.

Backlash wandered around aimlessly, her footpaws just bringing her whereever they pleased, her consciousness not really doing anything except think. What? She felt the orbs from a distant. She took out her sword and stared at it, stopping. "What is wrong with you?" she grumbled at it. "You STILL want me to use you to summon one of the elements." She just swore she could've seen the sword nodding. "Well, I don't want to. Besides, it takes away too much energy." She slammed the sword back into its scabbard and let her footpaws carry her somewhere…

Rhianna couldn't believe it. She was thrilled and she let out a squeal of delight to show the world howthrilled she was.

"Huh, if you want them vermin to come in from all th' four corners of the forest, keep on squealin'. Young 'uns these days…" Emrys muttered. She whapped him at the side of his head, angrily. He only just smirked.

"Who in bloody blazes are YOU calling a 'young 'un'?" she huffed.

"You."

She whapped over the side of his head again and he grinned sheepishly. "I hate you when you do that…you know that?" she glowered at him.

"Yep."

"Now hold still!"

"What?"

"Come on, stop squirming!"

"But this feels really uncomfortable!"

"Oh come on! Some frilly parts aren't going to kill you, Emyrs! For Earth's sake! Please?"

"No."

"Fine." She used a pair of scissors and trimmed the frill off. "Happy now?"

"Very." And he kissed her on the lips. She gasped in surprise and he pulled back, grinning. "You happy now?" He shrugged off the jacket and folded it and left it on the table. He straightened his tunic that he had worn under the jacket and looked (er, maybe uh...blind-looked:P) at her for her response to his quesiton.

She sighed dreamily. "Very…"

"OH NO! RUN FOR THE HILLS! SHE'S GOT THAT DREAMY LOOK AGAIN!" he roared in laughter, running out of the room like a babe that had just gotten in trouble.

"HEY!" she yelled, chasing after him like a trouble-making babe's mother. "TAKE THAT BACK!"

He turned his blind gaze towards her and stuck out his tongue childishly and very un-Emrys-ishly. "Make me!"

"Oh, I'll make you alright!" A mischievous glint came into her eyes and she pounced onto his back, making both of them land on the floor.

"Ugh, get offa me, young 'un…" Emrys groaned. "Youse squishin' my already breakin' back."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear…" Rhia immediately came off and Emrys stood up, groaning, paw on his back.

"Don't you wish…" he winced as he straigtened his back up. "That we were still young? I would have easily evaded that pounce…if only I had my sight back…"

"There you go again, still murmuring, 'if only I had my sight back'." She glared at him. "Why, just a few seasons ago, you were like yourself, when Backlash was around! Oh, I do miss her…"

"And you think I don't?" He plopped himself down on a chair. "Wonder where she's gone…"

"Don't you remember? She went to-"

"No, no, Rhianna. I don't mean that." Emyrs' blind gaze was distant. "It's been too long for that. Three seasons… Based on her strength, skills and pretty much secretively, she should've come back at least one season after she left. But…if the Torquoi and Ragnarok war is still going on…"

"Ahem…" Rhia coughed nervously, busying herself with making Emrys some painkiller medicine for his back.

"Rhia…you know something, don't you…"

"W- What are you talking about?" Rhia looked away, trying not to look into his blind eyes.

"Rhia…" he said warningly.

"Fine, fine." She sighed. "The war IS still going on…and I have a friend there, so I know," she noticed Emrys tense up. "A trustworthy friend, Emrys. Stop worrying. Anyways, she doubts the war will end anytime soon. Hm…Emrys…how did the Torquoi and Ragnarok war START exactly?"

"What do you mean?" Emrys took a sip of the painkiller medicine and shuddered. Horrible tasting.

"How…did it start? What began the war between Torquoi and Ragnarok?" Emrys sighed.

"That, Rhianna, I don't know."

She wandered past the guards guarding Death's Gate. They didn't protest. She looked like a MALE, after all. Besides…she didn't speak to them, just stayed silent and mysterious, no emotions clouding about her face. This was pretty scary for the guards, who didn't think such a beast with this existed.

She wandered aimlessly onward, not knowing where she was going, just walking. The wind brushed violently past her, she didn't act like she had even felt it. The icy wet puddles under her footpaws didn't even faze her. The fiery heat from the sun in the morning sky was burning, but she didn't feel it. The tangled bushes and underbrush, vines and other such littered the ground, but as she walked through the forest, she just walked over or around them, not paying attention at all.

All day and night, the elements tried to stop her, from continuing onward, but she took no notice. She was just an empty shell, with almost NO control over her actions…

Just wandering…just…searching…for a meaning…for her to continue on living…

Was there…

Was there even a point in living?

Yuki looked dully at around the room. Everything was coated in dust. He grimaced, as he swiped a paw over a glass ball and the dust stuck. "Why is everything so dirty? Shouldn't you have cleaned it?" He was addressing a white furred hare, with only one ear, kneeling before him. The other ear, had been torn off in battle, and the remaining one had been slashed into ribbons by his liege's foul temper. His white fur had been matted with dirt and dust from all these years, and he had never truly bothered to clean it.

"I am sorry, my liege, but I have found what you have been searching for, all these seasons."

"You've found her?" Yuki was anxious to find her. He had been…for over nearly all his blessed long life...trying to find her…and make her his mate. He had managed to outlive even the oldest of beasts around. He was, after all a Ragnarok…who had survived from the olden days. And…only the strongest of female Ragnaroks could be his mate…to bear his babes and continue his bloodline.

"Yes. My contact at Death's Gate's entrance reported to me that there was a male, black-furred and blue eyed. Of course, he knew she was female, for what male will carry around a haversack the way females do?"

"Blue eyed…" He rubbed his temples with his paws. "You dunce! She should be gray-eyed!"

"My liege…" The one-eared hare trembled as the pure white furred hare took a menacing step forward, withdrawing a sword from its scabbard, from his belt. "Please, listen to me! My clan has served you for many generations, trying to help you find her…please…would you show some consideration? I am the last of my clan…and if you kill me now, you will never get her to have her at full strength…when you start the test…"

The pure white hare paused, and snapped the sword back into its place in its scabbard. "Very well old man. You have earned a few more seasons of life. But fail me, and you will wish you had died by my paw, this day, at this time…"

"Yes, of course, anything you say…" He whimpered, bowing low. "Thank you, my liege. Thank you-"

"Now get out of my sight. Do not return until you bring me that female! Now OUT!" Yuki roared.

The one-eared hare ran out of the room, gratefully leaving a fuming, angry Ragnarok behind. He was grateful to escape with his life…and he left the whole place…towards the entrance of Death's Gate, hoping to gain more information on the whereabouts of the female.

'Yuki, you have killed my ancestors, my relatives and even my family and kin… You will die by my paw, once I slaughter the female first… She is the reason my clan has been suffering. Because of her, we have all died out. She will die, as painfully as my kin died by your paw… She and you will die…by my paw alone…and then my revenge will be complete and I may rejoin with my clan…' An evil smile appeared on his lips and a glint of pure evilness appeared in his eyes.