Pain

Ryner awoke to small droplets dripping onto his face. The cold water seemed to be spitting onto his skin as his eyes fluttered from the lethargy washing away. "It's raining." he mumbled. As he slowly lifted himself up, a sharp pain went through to his shoulder causing him to wince in pain. He looked at the cloth that wrapped the feeling around his injury. It was the cape he had wrapped Ferris in when she was ill. "Where am I?" He pondered as he looked up at what seemed to be a structure made of stone.

He felt a weight on his chest. "Ferris..." he murmured when he saw blonde locks of hair. She was asleep soundly with her head resting on top of his upper body. She didn't have any facial expression on her pale face as she rested peacefully. He didn't feel right waking her up from her slumber. He could feel her warm breathing touch his chest softly and retreat soon after continuously. She was most definitely a beauty if there were no other words to describe her, and most definitely the one who had addressed his wounds. "Thank you..." he said quietly, almost sure that only he could hear it. Better start healing now before Ferris adds on to the pile with her sword. This is gonna suck.

Once he placed his right hand onto his left shoulder, he activated his healing spell. Ryner felt large quantities of pain devouring his shoulder. He winced at the throbbing but it wasn't going to kill him, and that was all that mattered. He chuckled a little when he thought about how he got the injury; it was a lot less painful than the healing process itself. But nonetheless, he couldn't continue. He didn't have the power to in his current state.

"Hmm...?" Ryner heard from a tired but familiar voice. Ferris opened her eyes slowly to see what the movement was that woke her up.

"Well uh, good morning." Ryner tried saying as he saw the blond beauty's eyes fixated onto him.

A small blush escaped Ferris's cheeks as she noticed that she had fallen asleep on Ryner's chest. She let out a gasp and quickly lifted her head off of his upper body and sat down beside the male.

"Sorry…" Ferris said quietly while looking at the ground. She didn't feel comfortable showing any eye contact to the alpha stigma bearer now that her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

"Are you alright, Ferris? Your cheeks are red." When he said that, her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. She nodded her head in response to his question.

"You sure? You're doing that thing Keifer does with her cheeks. Do you need a doctor?" Ryner smirked as he said that. He found it amusing to see a new side to Ferris even though he knew that he would end up dead if he continued.

"I should be asking you that, idiot. Why are you injured so badly?" The blond asked, finally lifting her head up. Ryner could see worry developing in his partner's blue eyes.

"Just protecting my partner." he chuckled.

"You're an idiot." she replied back.

"Hey! Is that what you say to a person who just risked his life to save you?!"

"But… thank you." Ryner felt the gratitude in Ferris's words. She sincerely meant it.

"Oi, Ferris?"

"Hmm?"

"We should get going. Miron Froaude is persecuting us." He stated straightforwardly.

Something hot lit up deep down inside Ferris when she heard the name. Why did it have to be him? She tried to hide her expression like she always did so Ryner wouldn't worry about her.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no."

"It's not like you to hide things from me, Ferris. Especially since you do such a bad job at hiding it." Ryner chuckled.

"Are you asking to be killed?" Ferris asked strictly as she punched into Ryner's lower chest. He winced at the pain.

"OW WHAT THE HELL?! I could've died ya know!" Ryner stated overdramatically.

"Died..." Ferris murmured as she fell into a deep thought.

Ryner looked at the blond beauty subtly. Something was clearly wrong with her. This wasn't how she normally acted. Yes, Ferris was the violent type but she was never one to reflect into a trance. It wasn't like her to analyse anything he would say to her.

He knew first-hand how she dealt with situations like these. When the world called him a monster and shunned him away, when even he referred to himself as a monster and denied living, Ferris flatly rejected the entire death idea. He idolized her for being straightforward, accepting and honest.

"Oi, Ferris!" Ryner called loudly to get her attention. It worked as she jumped when she heard her name.

"Y-yeah?" she responded back nervously.

He placed a hand on Ferris's head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Don't lie to me. I know you too well. Something is clearly bothering you," He looked into her eyes. "We're partners and I hate to see my partner troubled."

No response.

"Please..." he added on as he wrapped his arms around her. His wounds pounded against Ferris's torso as pain filled his lower chest. They weren't completely healed and still needed some tending to.

"You...died…" She trailed off slowly. "I killed you." he could feel the blond shaking as she said that.

"Is that why you called out my name when you first woke up at the teahouse?"

No response.

"Miron Froaude..." She said slowly. Ferris didn't look well. Her face was still paler than normal and her breathing was shallow. "Get away from me. He'll find us and kill you in front of my very eyes." She stated as nervousness began to slowly appear onto her face.

"I'm not going to leave you, Fer-" He tried saying but the blond pushed him away from her.

"You have to! He can find you when you're with me. He needs me to get to you, Ryner. I won't be able to stop him now that I'm his puppet..." Her voice was choking up. "He found and almost killed you."

"Let him find me! I'm not running away anymore. If he thinks that he can just manipulate you to get to me, he's in for a rude awakening." He replied sternly.

"Fine, see if I care! You're obviously too stupid to listen to reason. Just go die and be done with it already." She said. Ferris got up to grab her sword which was leaning on the wall of the bridge. Just as she was about to hold onto it, her left knee fell to the ground and broke into a fit of coughing. She put her hand in front of her mouth.

Ryner ran to her side immediately. "Are you alright?" he asked as he patted her back as a sign of support.

Ferris continued coughing however and Ryner continued to pat her back gently. By the time she stopped, her chest was exhausted and her lungs were in pain. Ryner found his blue shirt and opened the breast pocket. He pulled out the medicine that the old man had given him back at his house.

"Here, mix some of this with cold water. It'll help you." he claimed as he offered the small bottle with powder to her.

As Ferris reached out to take the medicine, she noticed a red substance in her hand. "No I'm fine." she said as she withdrew her hand. She looked into her palm discretely to see a thick, crimson coloured liquid. Blood.

"It'll help you. The old man told me to give it to you. Don't be so stub-"

"I said I'm fine." The blond wiped her hand against the dirt ground to try and get the blood off subtly. Thankfully Ryner didn't notice the action.

"Fine then. We should get back to Iris and Keifer. They're probably worried about us and wondering if I've found you yet." he said.

"You just won't leave me alone, will you?" She sighed.

"On you, never." he replied. "C'mon."

They stepped out of their hiding spot to see that the town was a mess. Buildings were crumbling down while doors were smashed to pieces. Ryner stared at the destruction. What have you done... Sion?

Ferris turned to Ryner. She knew he was thinking of Roland.

"I'm going to look for some clothes. I need to get out of this stupid robe thing. It's covered in blood. If you're lucky, I might pick up something for you too. Let's hope they have clothes for sex crazed maniacs." She said as she started walking.

"Yeah..." he trailed off slowly as he followed the blond.

"You stay here. In your current state, you won't be able to do much. I'll come back once I get everything, promise." Ryner looked up when the blond said this. "The last thing we need is you chasing the poor women of this town."

"You're the worst." Ryner sighed. In a flash, Ferris made her way behind him and put her sword by his neck.

"Care to repeat that?" she asked with a death-defying tone in her voice.

"I-I said you're the best! Yup y-you're the best!" he stammered.

She put her sword back into its sheath. "I know." She smirked and went back to walking. "See you in a bit. Go back to our hiding place. Your wounds are going to start bleeding again if you move too much."

She worries about others more than herself. Honestly Ferris, you're too selfless. Ryner smiled a saddened smile.

As Ferris made her way through the town, she noticed the damage done had been severe. Sion had outdone himself this time. The king who didn't let a flea die without blaming himself for it was destroying homes and killing everyone who went against him. This was not the Sion that was their friend. He had grown into a murdering monster. How Ferris longed for everything to go back to the way things were. She remembered how Ryner and she worked their butts off for the slave driving king and when he'd assign them a mission, they would have conniving thoughts about him.

A sudden cough escaped her mouth as she covered it with her hand. More blood. She didn't want Ryner to know about her deteriorating health. He had enough on his plate to worry about. Not only did he find her lying in the middle of nowhere, but he took her for medical attention and escaped death only to be covered with deadly injuries. And now, he refused to get away from her even though she had become an instrument to their enemy's success. If there was one word to describe Ryner, it would be kindhearted. A small smile formed with her lips. It made her happy to know that there was someone that cared about her. Her brother used to take care of her before and after her parents died, but he was always so distant and fearful. With Ryner, she didn't have to worry about that. In fact, she knew that if she started distancing herself from him, he'd drown himself with guilt.

He craves being around others even though he's afraid of hurting them. When push comes to shove, his first instinct is to protect people. That's why he hates being alone. He's no monster. No monster harbours such feelings for others.

"Are you okay?" the blond heard from behind. It was the voice of a young male.

"I'll be fine." Ferris responded as she turned around. A fair man stood behind her. He was tall with short, black hair. He seemed to be around her age. His eyes were a mysterious green colour.

"You're coughing up blood. I doubt that it's fine." He said.

"Thanks for your concern. I'll keep that in mind." Ferris said as she got up and started walking. "Goodbye."

"Hey wait up! You're covered in blood." He tried saying.

Ferris stopped in her tracks. "If you wish to help me, tell me where I can buy clothes."

"Heh, do you even have money on you?"

"Why does that concern you? She countered.

"Touché. Follow me." he said as he pointed the way. He led her to a small house that was luckily untouched by the Roland soldiers. "Yo sis, I'm home." Ferris stared at him as she pulled her sword out.

"Why have you brought me here?" She asked sternly.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed." He claimed smiling.

"Oh don't worry about him. Elliott helps everyone." A lady with brown hair came down the stairs.

"Big brother Elliott is home!" a little girl ran from behind and grabbed onto his leg. "Look guys, big brother Elliott made a girlfriend!" when she said this, about a dozen children came running from inside the small house.

"It's nothing of that sort. She's just someone that needs help." He replied as he patted the little girl's head. "Do we have anything that fits her, sis?"

"Let's see." She said as she thought. "We might have something upstairs for her."

"You can go upstairs and look to see what suits you." Elliott smiled. Ferris put her sword back into its sheath but kept it by her waist.

"Thank you." she replied as she followed the woman upstairs.

"Where are you from?" the woman asked as Ferris followed her.

"Nowhere anymore." the blond replied. She didn't lie to her but Ferris also knew that by mentioning the Roland Empire, she'd have a lot of shtick to deal with.

"It's like that, huh? Then you're just like all the children." What was this lady thinking about me? "Must've been hard with your parents leaving you like that." That's what she was thinking about me.

"Overcoming it was the best thing I could do." Ferris said bluntly.

"Do you have any siblings?" the lady asked.

"One elder brother and a younger sister."

"What a sad story..." She doesn't know the half of it…

When they got upstairs, the lady called 'Sis' took out a large pile of clothing from a closet and placed it on a bed.

"Wear whatever fits you." She said smiling. "I'll leave you in here so you can change in peace."

Ferris nodded her head in agreement. These people are kind. I need to tell Ryner about them when I get back.

As the blond went through the pile, she could only find clothes that were either too large, or too small. She found a pair of black tights that looked like they would fit her comfortably however. Everything looked second-hand but was clean nonetheless and she felt grateful for Elliott's help. Without him, she would've struggled through the rubble looking for a small shop that was more than likely broken and caved in. Something red caught the corner of her eye's attention as she dug through the large pile. When she pulled it out, a sweater appeared. It was quite large compared to her size but ever so pretty.

"That'd look good on you." Ferris heard. It was Elliott.

"Care to explain why you are spying on me?" she asked as she turned around to face him. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

"Oh please, I just wanted to check if you needed any help. But it looks like you're doing fine." He said.

"As a matter of fact, I do need some assistance." This piqued Elliott's attention. "My partner is about the same age as you and he's injured. He was attacked by Roland and is covered in too many wounds to move much. I know I am in no place to ask since my sword rested against your neck…" she lowered her head.

"I can get you some clothes for him from my room," he replied. Ferris looked up in surprise. She had never expected that kind of response. "But on three conditions, and one is a personal one." He said with an expressionless face.

"Yes…?" she asked worriedly.

"First condition: I want to know your name." That was a weird condition. Ferris thought

"I'm Ferris." She said.

"Second condition: visit us again someday." She nodded her head in agreement.

"And the personal one; smile for me." he requested.

"You want me to smile?" she repeated.

"Yup, an expressionless face doesn't suit you. Then, I'll agree to your request." He said with his hand out. Ferris looked at it and then shook hands with him. A smile formed on her face, one that very few had ever seen before. "Thanks," he smiled before he left. "I'll bring it downstairs for you."

Ferris folded all the clothes that were taken out by 'Sis' and neatly put them back to their original place. It was the least she could do after all their help. Once she made her way downstairs with the red sweater and tights in her arms, everyone gathered around her.

"Thank you for coming sword lady!" a little boy said as he looked up to Ferris.

"No, thank you for having me." Ferris corrected. "You were willing to help out a stranger that threatened to hurt your elder brother." Ferris bowed her head. "I apologize for my rude behaviour. Please forgive me." She had never felt this kind of choking sensation build up in her before as she said those words. It felt unknown to her; tight and strange.

"Don't worry about it. It was only human instinct." Elliott said. He came down the stairs with a bag that he put in front of her. "You can put your clothes in here." He said. Just as she put the sweater and black tights in the bag, Elliott moved his head close to her ear. "I put your partner's clothes in there too." He whispered softly.

"It's not good to keep secrets, big brother Elliott!" a little girl called out.

"He's probably flirting with the sword lady!" the boy said. All the children burst into laughter.

"Children, that's enough." 'Sis' said as she tried to settle down the kids. "Please do come again! You've certainly livened things up in our small home! Can you walk her back, Elliott?" she offered.

"N-no thank you. You've done too much for me already. I'll be fine. Your hospitality will not be forgotten." She looked towards Elliott. Another smile appeared on her face right before she turned around and started walking back.

"Oi sex crazed maniac, I'm back." Ferris called when she saw Ryner. He was resting under a large tree not too far from the bridge. He looked exhausted beyond comparison as he slowly opened his eyes to her voice. "Have a nice nap?"

"You can say that." he said as he let out a yawn.

"Care to explain what you're doing over here?" she asked.

"Just fell asleep while absorbing the rays and looking at the scenery." His attention grew towards the bag. "Did you get your clothes?"

"Yeah but I didn't get you any." She said bluntly.

"Seriously?" he asked. Ferris kept a straight face as she nodded her head. "UGHH this sucks." Ryner scratched his head in frustration. Then a thought popped up in his head. "Yo Ferris?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you get the clothes? No money, remember?" he inquired. A sly look formed on the blond's face as she smirked

"My beauty can buy anything." She said. "Time to go. I need to wash myself from the scent of blood; otherwise we might attract unwanted attention." As Ryner got up, Ferris took his right arm and gently put it over her shoulder. "You'll hurt yourself if you try and move on your own."

"Th-Thanks," he said as some of his weight rested onto Ferris. "You're being nice…" he said slowly.

"Don't get used to it. Any place we can wash ourselves?" she asked trying to change the topic.

"If we follow the river, we'll probably reach a small waterfall that you can sit under and clean yourself."

"Onward then!" she said as they began their trek.

Happy New Year Everyone! I know I haven't updated in so long and you're most definitely mad at me. Due to unforeseen events, this chapter was delayed. So many things have been going on these past couple of months and it just screwed everything up. If you don't care about the reason why I didn't update, you don't have to read past this sentence.

My grandmother died in August so my family and I all had to pack our bags and leave to attend her funeral. We spent about a month and a half there causing me to miss the first half month of school. I was unable to bring any electronic devices (my laptop which I use to write fanfictions) as we left two days after we got word of her passing. The entire month of August was hectic. After all that, I came back and went to school. I didn't have the spirit to write anymore with classes being rather tough and my inspiration slowly diminishing. By December, my workload started to decrease only to be bombarded with tons of projects rather than homework. Honestly, teachers just want to kill me. A few days before winter break, we received a phone call saying that my grandfather had passed away as well. We packed our bags once more and left. Now that I'm back, I promised myself that I was going to finish the chapter I owed you guys in August by this week. From the bottom of my heart, I am really really sorry that I was not able to update.