Chapter 8

The girl was tossed carelessly into a dark cell, no windows, no light, no nothing. A mere broken mattress lay on the dirt.

The door slammed and Ai was left alone in the dark. She wiped the makeup off her face and blinked out the colored contacts she managed to sneak into a grocery list and steal. She sighed, taking a seat on the most-likely-infested-with-deathly-bugs bed.

Not much later, the door cracked open, and Ren appeared.

"That was reckless," he mused, staring at the pitiful girl.

"It was necessary..."

"Yes, necessary to get you killed. Why would you risk your life for her? Some girl Marik picked up as a souvenir?"

Ai sighed yet again, head in her hands.

"I...she didn't deserve that..."

"She escaped! She was prisoner! What, so you think you deserve this more than she does-?"

"No!" Ai near shouted, but didn't, remembering to keep her voice down,

"...I wanted her to escape, to find her men and leave, go back home where she's being worried over...
I figured that I could take her place...it's not like I have anyone worrying over me..."

Ren stared at the girl, both looking hurt, confused and angry. He finally sighed,

"Your compassion will be your downfall, Ai."

And with that, Ren left.

~~~
After another minute of Marik's ranting, all the rare hunters were promptly dismissed. Once out of the room, May headed back in the general direction of the detention cells.
Jason quickened his pace and whispered in his leaders ear,

"You're going the wrong way."

"I know," she breathed, not altering the speed of her stride,

"I need you to get out of here, try to find everyone, then leave."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Something stupid."

"Typical..."

"Just get out of here... My glorious escape will probably get delayed."

Jason nodded, turned, and looked for an escape else where. May rounded the corner searching for her new objective- solitary confinement.

"Uuuuuugh," May moaned to herself,

"Where would that be?"

Sighing, may passed a cluster of gossiping rare hunters.

"Ren seemed moody, as usual."

"He rounded that corner headin' to solitary confinement like his feet were on fire, wonder why..."

Silently, and walking like she knew where she was going, May followed the gossiping henchmen a directions and strode down a long corridor of old looking doors, marked with peeling numbers.

"Okay," the poser rare hunter thought,

"I think I'm getting warmer..."

Up ahead, she noticed a purple cloaked man walk out of a cell and begin to lock it.

"That must be her!" May mentally screamed.

She half ran over to the man,

"Hold the door!"

She said in the most manly voice she could muster. Ren turned and looked suspiciously at the hunter.

"And why should I do that?"

"Uh, Master," may nearly gaged,

"Marik wishes to interrogate the prisoner."

"Why wasn't I informed?"

May cleared her throat and took a wild guess.

"Because as soon as the meeting was over, you disappeared... What were you doing, anyway?"

"Nothing worth worrying about."

Ren opened the door and both of the rare hunters walked back into the cell. May slammed the door behind her and through the hood off of her face.

"We'll I'm glad that little masquerade is over."

"Your an imposter!"

"Eh, I guess you could call me that."

A shocked Ai picked herself off the ground and watched the two begin to hit each other with a melee like attack until the fight slowly evolved to the ninja girl defending against Ren's offense.

"She's weak from her injuries..." Ai thoughtfully whispered as she began to reach for a rock.

By this time, Ren had May pinned to the ground and was making it hard for her to breath by digging his knees into her stomach.

"Having fun?" He smugly asked.

"Time o...-f my.. life."

Ren took out a long silver knife and held above may.

"You know it's been a while since I got to stab somebody... Lets see if I'm still good at it-"

May's breathing eased when she realized that Ren was no longer on her, but in a heap on the floor with a rather terrified girl standing over him. Ai let the large rock that she had hit the hunter with slide from her fingers as she held her hand up to her face in shock.

"I can't believe I did that..."

May made the painful trip off the ground and huffed a simple reply:

"Thanks."