Title: Fire, Wind and Death
Chapter Three: Evolution Up for Offer
Author: middnites0ul
Summary: The one thing Clare has never done in the story yet? Kick Priscilla's ass. And she's going to, right here and right now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Claymore, just the plot of this story.
"Would you like to be my next test subject, Miria?"
"You're already positive that it'll work?"
"Yeah it's not one of those things that it'll take years and years to develop."
"Why do you have to inject both elements? Why not only one?" Clare asked.
Lloyd turned to face Clare and gave her a smirk, saying, "Don't they say, the more the merrier?"
Lloyd tried to lessen the tension around them but had failed. She went over to wind and fire yoma's remaints and placed Yuma's sword in the middle. The dark haired warrior came back and added,
"I'll need about three weeks to make this version of elements," she pointed to her book, "in the mean time, I'll need to immediately train one of you properly so that I won't fail."
Miria and Clare looked at each other. Miria was positive that Lloyd would not fail a second time and so as she was about to offer herself as the second test subject Clare had beaten her to it.
"Please use me as needed Lloyd. I want to beat Priscilla with this power of yours."
"Miria?" Lloyd had asked. Miria nodded her head allowing another one of Lloyd's experiments to occur. "Miria we'll be separating from your group. We'll be back within a month."
Lloyd ran off with Clare within a split second and left Miria alone. She ran as far away as she could so that Tabitha would not be able to sense them. Miria decided not to chase after them and let them be. She headed back to where the others were and stayed up the night. She wondered about how she would announce the death of Yuma.
-Meanwhile-
"What are you doing? Why are we separating from the others?"
Lloyd had decided this was far enough and put Clare down. She pointed her sword at Clare and told her,
"The next four weeks will be the living hell for you. We'll need to inject daily doses of a medicine that is 1/25 the power of the elements and you'll need to adjust to it quickly."
Lloyd injected both wind and fire elements into Clare and handed her sword to her. She removed her glasses and took her stance. Clare didn't bother asking why she had removed her glasses and instead rose her arm and begun to use her Quick Sword technique. Lloyd had dodged all attacks but after a few minutes Clare went down to her knees and gripped onto her right arm tightly. The power was going berserk inside of her. It was only a small portion of the power and she already had trouble controlling it.
"It's because you're focusing all your yōki into your right arm that you can't control it. It's also because your mind is very weak and easily wavered. We'll need to take some training time off and calm your mind down. Try using Flora's Wind Cutter technique."
Clare looked up and asked, "H-how do you know about that?"
"I have my ways."
Lloyd signaled Clare to get up as she sheathed her sword and began using Wind Cutter. It was easier to control as Clare did not have to use continuously using her yōki. Lloyd saw an opening and aimed for an attack. Clare took long enough to notice as she moved as fast as she could and only escaped part of the attack, opening a small wound on her left arm.
"The fire is disrupting your ability to read yōki. I'll need to make a proper training routine for you to follow as I also make another mixture for the weakened version of the elements," Lloyd said she stuck her sword into the ground and began mixing ingredients and setting up tubes.
"Weakened?" Clare asked.
"Oh- sorry weakened was the wrong word. Uh, let's see… just not over powering."
Clare felt uneasy but decided to leave it at that. She began swinging her sword, not releasing any yōki and focusing on her brute strength and technique. With each swing she felt her right arm growing heavier and heavier. The elements were just too hard to control for her. They easily took over her body. The fire made her sweat and the wind felt like it was slicing the inside of her. It was if it had its own mind. Clare had absolutely no clue how she was going to survive the next four weeks like this. It was just as Lloyd had said it. From now it would be the living hell for herself.
Days passed as injection after injection had happened. Training had become longer and longer as Clare and Lloyd had begun to learn each other's fighting styles. Clare began to adapt to how much yōki she should release as well as her elements. Each day her ability to use the Quick Sword grew longer and she could feel the power inside her grow. Not only her stamina went up, but her precision as well. The two had also meditated every now and then to calm themselves on the inside. They had also yelled at each other to lengthen their ability to 'keep their cool'. Weird as they thought it was, Clare had benefitted from it. On the twenty-sixth day, Clare had not taken her injection and was set up, same as Yuma, prepared to take in the power of the elements. Once Lloyd had brought them out, the colors were a tad off from before but still bold. Truthfully, it was weaker than the original mixture but Clare had been taking small portions of it everyday. Her strength without the elements was already stronger than before so Lloyd did not worry.
"Are you ready?" Lloyd asked.
Clare took a deep breath in and answered, "Yes."
"I'm going to inject both of them in you simultaneously."
Clare nodded as the needle of the syringes touched Clare's hands. The needle then broke through Clare's skin as the fluids began rushing into her. It was calmer scene then when it had happened to Yuma. After a few minutes Clare said,
"There seems nothing wrong. I'm guessing it worked."
Lloyd agreed as she opened up the belt buckles and let Clare free.
"Try your Quick Sword now," Lloyd commanded.
Clare went over to a tree and used her quick sword. The tree split into several uneven pieces then burned up into ash. It first shocked Lloyd until she realized she had placed the fire element into Clare's right hand. At first Lloyd had thought that fire was a much stronger element and it would be hard for Clare to control but it didn't seem to have any affect to her. Lloyd had thought wrong. She let it be as she said,
"Let's go meet up with Miria now."
It had been almost a month. No Yuma, no Clare and no Lloyd. Miria and the others had been sitting all that morning as they waited another day for Clare and the others. Miria felt Clare's -now- overwhelming yōki as she rose from her seat just in time to meet the two warriors that had parted a month ago.
"It's done Miria," Lloyd said with a smile on her face.
"Where's Yuma?" Cynthia asked.
Both Clare and Lloyd looked over to Miria and saw that she had not told them the truth yet. Lloyd lied trying to make the best of the situation,
"We ran into an awakened one a while ago. We were in the middle of training and Clare couldn't fight since her right arm kept acting up. I overestimated Yuma and allowed her to fight herself and as I was taking notes the yoma just cut her in half so suddenly after releasing its hidden yōki. Neither Clare nor I were able to save her at that time. She was in critical condition."
Miria and Clare looked the other way as Lloyd was telling the lie with such a straight face, as Cynthia, Tabitha, Helen and Deneve did not believe that.
"Is that the truth?" Deneve asked boldly.
"Yes," Miria regretted saying.
They all gave a moment of silence to Yuma for her death. Miria cut off the silence by saying,
"Clare. Lloyd. May I have a word with you?"
The two of them walked over to Miria as they walked away from the group.
"Che, that can't be the truth. I mean why the hell did Clare go away from us for a month then suddenly come back?" Helen asked.
"Well if Miria had to lie about it then it's probably something she wanted to protect us from knowing," Deneve answered.
"That's just messed up I thought we were friends."
"We are Helen but some things aren't worth mentioning. Get your mind off it this instant," she told.
"Would you mind demonstrating your power with a fight, Clare?"
Clare unsheathed her sword, ready for battle. Miria did the same as she ran towards Clare, using her new Phantom. Clare switched to her left arm as she "sharpened" her sword by using the wind element, surrounding the sword with a whirling tornado shaping the Claymore as a lance. She imitated Yuma with what she saw. The wind blew Clare's and Miria's hairs back. The first swing was Miria's sword as it clashed with Clare's. She then pulled back and swifted to her backside. Clare jumped up, sensing her attack and switched the hand she held her Claymore in. She held her sword out using her Quick Sword technique as flames bursted from her sword. As Miria used her sword to block the attacks she could feel the heat from the collision of the attack down to her hand and through her body. At first she was surprised that the fire could be that strong but soon she got used to it. Miria interrupted and said,
"I think that was enough. You'll be one scary monster if you awaken Clare."
Clare took that as a compliment as Lloyd laughed at the joke.
"Do you think we'll be able to go after Priscilla now?"
"Clare," Miria changed her tone to a more serious one, "just because you've gotten stronger doesn't mean the others have this past month. It's too dangerous. We would-"
"What if I went alone-"
"No," Miria quickly said.
"I was thinking about resurrecting the former number one warriors in the previous generations. Good idea don't you think? I mean if we had Teresa Priscilla would die easy as a toothpick, no?" Lloyd interrupted.
"Teresa… she-" Clare tried saying.
"The dead should stay dead Lloyd," Miria had remembered about Hilda and did not want to bring back the deceased.
She tightened the grip on her sword and asked,
"We just need more training. In time we'll grow stronger."
"Miria it's been seven years since after the war in the North. We're still having trouble with fighting awakened beings one after the other."
Clare had a point there. Miria thought about it for a while. If they were going to remain like this for the rest of their lives what good what it do, their deaths was just waiting to come closer.
"Resurrect Teresa only. After that I forbid you to use your science on humans Lloyd."
Miria had stated it loud and clear as Lloyd pushed her glasses up ran her fingers through her ponytail once.
"Of course Miria."
"Wait, you can't," Clare said.
"I can't what?"
"You can't resurrect Teresa."
"And why not?"
"T-teresa… she's…" Clare gulped as she had finally told the truth, "Teresa is inside of me."
Miria and Lloyd stopped thinking all together for one moment realizing that Clare was only ¼ yoma.
"What the hell is the organization thinking putting a former number one inside of you?" Miria asked.
"It was upon my own will," Clare answered.
"Allow me to see your stomach Clare," Lloyd asked.
She was going to refuse at first but then Miria gave her the 'look'. Clare loosened her skirt a little and lifted her shirt just enough to show a cross engraved on her stomach with veins popping out and surrounding all over it. It surprised and amused both Miria and Lloyd. Without permission, Lloyd lifted her arm to feel the bumps and uplifts of each vein coming out of Clare's stomach. She then fixed her outfit and jumped back a little.
"Sorry about that. Well, that is amazing. I'm sure I could get Teresa's power to awaken inside of you and-"
"No Lloyd. Enough of your experiments. You'll put so much power into Clare and then she'll awaken. What are you supposed to do then?"
"Kill her of course."
"Lloyd!"
Miria's face angered at the scientist who thought so little of people's lives. Clare placed her hand on Miria's right shoulder and said, "It's alright Miria." She then calmed down as the scientist once again pushed her glasses up. They began to walk to the others since they had already kept them waiting long enough.
"Welcome back!" Cynthia had greeted.
The others however, were silent; angered from the secret Miria had been keeping from them. With just one look Miria could tell that they were curious what exact had been going on in the past month. Sooner or later they had to find out about Clare and also about trying to kill Priscilla.
"Listen up everybody. I'll only say this once. We'll be going for Priscilla's head as of now. Clare, Tabitha and I will be looking for Priscilla. The rest of you are to stay with Lloyd and toughen up. The battle will be far harsher than the one in the north. You are under no circumstances to interfere with anyone from the organization."
"Hold up, why so sudden? Lloyd and Clare are gone for a month, they come back and boom we go after Priscilla?" Helen shouted.
"I assure you, the quieter you are the stronger you'll get Helen," Lloyd said, intimidating her. "Before you go Miria, I'd like you to hold onto this at any cost," Lloyd said as she handed Miria a sakura petal inside a clear, transparent, spherical stone, "I'll be able to find you anywhere with this. It holds the scent of which my nose knows the best."
Miria accepted it as she left with Clare and Tabitha on their search for Priscilla.
"Now then. Fight each other. No teams or anything just fight as if you had turned into yomas."
Lloyd sat down on the grass and opened up her notebook. As she wrote the subject of the notes she looked up and saw no fighting.
"Go on already. Please don't say that your each other friends and that you can't do it. That will just ruin everything."
The three looked at each other as Deneve took the first move, attacking Helen. She was always the first to understand the situation.
"D-deneve? What are you doing?"
"Look it's for our training right? Let's just get this over with."
Cynthia made the tip of her blade touch the left side of Deneve's neck as she said,
"Please don't forget about me Deneve-san."
With Deneve's other Claymore she pushed away Cynthia's sword and jumped back to safety.
"And so it begins." Lloyd grinned as she began to take notes at their fighting styles.
Cynthia slashed by Helen's stomach but she dodged.
"Hey, hey! Why is everyone aiming for me?" she asked as she extended her arm by Deneve's shoulder. Knowing Deneve, Helen knew she could dodge it but she didn't. At that moment the defensive type warrior put both her Claymores in one of her hands as she allowed her arm to be sliced off.
"Deneve! What'd you do that for?" Helen asked but the one questioned did not answer.
Instead she regenerated her arm while simultaneously jumping up to dodge Cynthia's attack and transfer one of the Claymores to her regenerated arm. She launched another attack at Helen. After that Deneve looked back at Lloyd. She couldn't help but feel feared from the scientist. She knew, deep inside, something more had to be told.
A/N: Wow, that chapter came out longer then I thought it would. Of course I was hoping to write something longer. Whenever I write and then reread it, the story seems rushed :|. Hope you enjoyed the update. Sorry for it being a month later. But better some update then nothing right? Please review!