it seems like it's been a long time since i updated this. sorry for the wait.
disclaimer: don't own +anima
Husky POV
When I woke up the next morning, it took a second to remember where I was. Then Cooro came bounding in, followed by Nana and Senri.
"Morning, Husky!" Cooro said, smiling his usual goofy smile. I sat up and he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Eya says she's going into town," Nana said. "We were all going to go with her."
"Do you wanna come, Husky?" Cooro asked. I nodded.
"We should try and find some way to make money," I said. "Once we get to town we'll split up."
As the others agreed I briefly wondered how Eya made her money.
I didn't have to wonder long.
The four of us followed Eya down the path and towards the road a little after we'd eaten. She'd put on a short-sleeved, hooded white shirt over her black one, but other than that, she looked the same as last night. She answered all of Cooro's questions about why she lived in the mansion, why she was alone, how she'd found it, if she had any friends, if she had a job in town. . .
It turned out that she used to live in the east, but had run away from home after her parents died. She'd been a drifter, kinda like us, before she'd stumbled onto this town and found the mansion. The man who'd lived in it had just died, so she kind of took it over without the townspeople knowing. She didn't have many friends--more like acquaintances, she said--and helped the carpenter in his workshop every other day.
We made it into town before the sun was really high in the sky. We paused in the town square by a big fountain and I asked Eya if anybody would let us work for some money.
She thought for a second. "You could probably just come with me to my job," she said. "Mr. Reese usually hires temporary workers if they need it." She nodded. "Yeah, just follow me."
She turned and started heading down a street. About halfway down, she turned suddenly into one of the smaller buildings, calling, "Hi, Mr. Reese!"
The man at the counter--Mr. Reese---looked middle-aged with his graying hair and few wrinkles. But his bright green eyes were young as ever, sparking with curiosity as Cooro, Senri, Nana and I filed in behind Eya.
"Who're these kids?" Reese asked. He had one of those rough voices that always sounded a little angry and frustrated.
"Um, travelers," Eya said, dropping her pack to the floor. She rolled her shoulders and I glanced down at the wood-filled bag, suddenly wondering how heavy it was. "They're passing through and they need money. I was wondering if they could do anything here to help. This is Husky, Cooro, Nana, and Senri." She pointed to each of us as she said our names, and Reese's bright eyes darted back and forth.
He scratched at his stubbly chin. Looking at Senri, he said, "Tall one can cut wood. Other two can help you in finishin', an' I'll send the girl back with Missy t' see if Danica needs help 'round the house."
"Thanks, Mr. Reese."
Eya POV
Senri followed Reese out back, where they'd be chopping wood all day. Missy, Reese's nine-year-old daughter, took Nana back to her house, and I led Cooro and Husky into the back, where I'd been working on the finishing of a huge table meant to stand in the town hall.
A big bucket of wood polish was sitting on top of the table, a clean rag beside it.
"So I guess we'll just polish it today," I said. "I'll, um, get some more rags."
"With all three of us, we'll get done pretty fast, right?" Cooro asked. I shrugged as I walked toward a back cabinet, where more rags were kept.
"Depends on Reese's definition of done." I tossed rags at Cooro and Husky, dipped mine in the bucket of polish, and started to work.
Okay, I'm just gonna say it: sometimes, working for Reese is just plain boring. I mean, when I was by myself, it was like, kill me now! And now, with Cooro and Husky there too, it was like, awkward silence!
Well, it was boring until we heard the sudden outburst of screaming from outside.
We all kinda looked at each other, then dropped the rags and ran, nearly crashing into Reese and Senri on the way out.
The inn had caught fire. The bucket brigade was already up and running, but the innkeeper was freaking out, screaming that there were more people inside, trapped.
"You kids stay here!" Reese shouted, running to join the bucket brigade.
"Like hell!" I yelled, but he didn't hear me. I started running too.
I'd been trapped in a burning building before, but I'd escaped. I'd been able to squeeze through narrow places, leap over a caved-in floor, and run to safety before a burning beam could crash down on me. If I could just get in there, I'd be able to help those other people get out.
Suddenly a shadow fell over me and I looked up. Cooro was flying, heading for the inn.
"Cooro!" I shouted. "You can't fly here!"
"But I wanna help!" he called back. I shook my head in frustration and watched as he landed on the roof of the inn, jumping inside one of the holes and just barely escaping setting his wings on fire.
I put on a burst of speed, not noticing how my strides were longer, smoother, faster. I dodged the men that tried to block my way to the burning building and crashed through the door.
The walls were aflame, as were the stairs leading up to the next floor. The ceiling was burning and chunks of it had already fallen through.
"We'll never get up those stairs!" Husky yelled as part of the stairway caved. I turned and saw he and Senri had followed me in.
I started to head for the stairs, ignoring him. As long as I jump that hole before it gets any bigger, I'll get up.
"Eya, you can't jump that!" Husky shouted, seeing me back up for a running start. "You won't make it!"
Why was he so concerned for my safety? It's not like he cared, right?
I jumped the hole, barely making it. I lost balance and almost fell but righted myself. I took a breath to slow my pounding heart and dashed up to the next floor.
Husky POV
I almost panicked when I saw her teeter backwards. I took a breath to slow my pounding heart as she ran up to the next floor.
As soon as her wolf tail was out of sight, Senri followed her. He did the same running start and landed a few stairs up of the broken stairway. He ran up to the next floor.
Leaving me down here, stuck in a burning common room and not knowing what to do.
I mean, I could try to jump, like Eya and Senri, but I probably wouldn't make it. If I went back out, people would yell at me for going in.
"Husky, what are you doing?" Eya's voice was suddenly above me. I jumped and looked up to one of the holes in the ceiling--she was watching me stand here like an idiot. Her gray wolf ears twitched and she suddenly smirked. "You're not scared to jump the stairs, are you?"
"No! I was just. . ."
"Whatever," she said. "But there's like six people up here, it's kinda hard with just me, Cooro, and Senri."
My fist tightened on my staff. She was taunting me. Daring me to go up.
I ran for the stairs.
Eya POV
I watched to make sure he made the jump before turning back to where Cooro and Senri were trying to break down the door of the room where the family was trapped. Every time they banged on the door, embers fell from the burning ceiling. A few more hits and the whole roof might come down.
"Come on, Miss Stacy, talk to me!" I shouted, adding my strength to the door. "Is something blocking the door?"
"Yes!" came the muffled reply. "One of the beams fell, it's blocking the way out!"
Dammit. "Uh, we have to go through the wall then," I said, wiping sweat from my forehead. I coughed as smoke caught in my throat.
"Senri can do that!" Cooro said. Then yelped and jumped back as part of the roof fell in front of him. We had to get out of here soon or we'd all be trapped.
Senri nodded and his arm transformed into a bear claw. He slashed through the part of the wall next to the door and we were finally in the room. I took the first step inside but was immediately yanked back to a shout of "Watch it!"
Another part of ceiling fell right where I'd been standing. I looked back and saw it was Husky who'd pulled me back. I smirked.
"Finally caught up, huh?"
He glared at me and let go of my shirt. I jumped over the flaming chunk of ceiling and into the smoke-filled room. Coughing, I yelled, "Where is everybody? We've got a way out!"
There were mixed cries of relief and a rushing of footsteps. Figures came forward out of the smoke and I counted as all six people made it out.
"Cooro, take that little kid and get him out fast!" I said as a four-year-old boy stumbled out into the hall. "If he gets anymore smoke he'll pass out!"
"Okay!" Cooro nodded and picked up the kid. Then he spread his wings and jumped out one of the holes in the ceiling.
"Everybody else follow Senri!" I yelled. Senri started down the hall and the people followed him. One woman held back, looking at me.
"Are you Eya?" she asked. I recognized her voice--Miss Stacy.
"Yeah, that's me," I said, pushing her along. "Come on, you gotta get out of here."
"You're a +Anima!" she said, pointing at my legs. I looked down and saw I was indeed transformed.
"Uh, yeah," I said. I grabbed her arm and started leading her down the hallway, 'cuz she was slowing down. "But that's not important, you have to. . ."
Husky POV
I watched the woman rip her arm out of Eya's hold. "Don't touch me!" she spat.
"Hey! She just saved your life!" I snapped. "Who cares if she's a +Anima?"
"Husky, don't. . ."
"If we weren't +Anima, we'd all be dead! And you would be too, 'cuz we wouldn't've been here to save you!"
"+Anima aren't human. They're monsters," the woman said coldly. Then she turned and ran down the hall, where Senri was helping the rest get down the stairs.
"Husky, let's just go," Eya said quietly. "I don't care about what she said. You shouldn't either."
"But we were forced to become +Anima! It's not like we had a choice!"
"Well, I don't regret it," she said firmly. She took my hand and started pulling me back toward the stairs. "Do you?"