Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... }

ºº

He was not happy, not by any means….but that was nothing new to him. The fiery hearth growing inside his chest that spoke of the still dormant, yet constantly quelled pulses of violence pulsating inside his veins breed out through the passing of the ages was reminder enough when the scars below carved into his flesh were merely known to their wearer.

But this time it had nothing to do the aching influence of wayward seething pain sunk into his brain the same way a drill carving into his brain would, or the lingering taste of ashes and dried blood that pour up through his lips as the acid continued to eat away at him, tearing through blood vessels like popcorn.

One would have thought that by now he would have gotten used to it, but he had never felt comfort in any presence than his own. Especially after the war...

But this was something worse.., so much worse albeit more rudimentary. A brief look to his right revealed what was vexing him.

….

The small blond elf that had set her life mission to follow after his footsteps without his consent was walking upright at a steady pace as she tried to keep up with his large strides, holding her balance as she tried to hold over her head a sword by its handle. The thing shuddering and threatening to fall down with each second.

Something to keep her occupied as they made their way up the slop towards the location burnt in his mind. Towards the nearest bearer of Auroras own blood.

She had lost her balance and dropped the damn thing to the ground a dozen or more times, but she did not seem to care or grunt in annoyance at that.

They were a lot less than he had expected too...

She gleamed a broad, genuine smile at his direction when she took notice of his gaunt glare...a pretty little thing that was wasted on him. It would abruptly end as she almost tripped over herself with a root not properly hidden underground. He did no need eyes or the following grunt that escaped through her lips to know that the sword had fallen down again.

Ignoring the small girl, he switched his attention a little more upwards. Behind her, were the sometimes blinking and in other moments less ethereal looking woman was floating in the air. Where the purple haired woman allowed the soft breezes of the wind to push her forward like a bird, while in other times she chose to walk at a clear unnatural speed even for someone with high heels.

Even though she was no longer in his mind as a target to eliminate and he had decided to spare her. No matter what he did Aurora seemed fated to follow him wherever he went...

Speaking of which, the purple haired woman was no longer stricken by grief, or the turmoil that those bottled up emotions had ravaged her so thoroughly before and after her emotion outburst…

She was tired though.

The creases in her face and the still lingering forlorn glimpses to a past that was to fresh to forget and a present that was even more confusing were still there. It would probably continue to be with her for a long...long time.

But she was...better now, though that too would not be the word he would use nor something that she had communicated with him. But the signals were there to see if one bothered to do so, now...more than ever. For her fragment of her soul was still exposed,

No…, he was wrong, she was exposing it.

A way to show fealty or appeasement to what she had considered a slight to himself before so that he could peer and understand each pore of her ethereal body minutes before she even had the time to speak up. Which she had found out she could use to annoy him by sending vivid images of what she was thinking towards him..

The amount of garbage that could circulate around that connection had surprised him…, making consider finding ways to block or filter the more...provocative thoughts the woman was sending.

Still, that was not what annoyed him.

What it did was the fact that the purple haired fiend was only visible to him. Each act, word and desire she made known was only to be witnessed by him while the blond elf remained unaware of the presence of the witch.

Something that Aurora had found rather interesting before her more childish desires had come forth to push in earnest her more….undesirable traits. Like a child whose parents had let loose in a park, now she was free to pursue her own endeavours to bemuse and entertain herself at the chaos she unleashed and at his reactions while he was busy having to either answer at the elf's constant, though timed questioning

And for a fragment of a dead woman...she had a rather creative imagination. Perhaps too much...

With a side glance he caught a small glimpse of what the purple haired witch was doing now, floating in the air as if she was emulating to swim over a stream of water, winking an amethyst eye at him when she realized that he was looking at her direction

He really should have picked a rock and bind her there like a dog when its owner was about to enter a shop to buy groceries, but the last attempt had proven rather poorly..and he was not in the mood to act as counsellor again.

So here they were now, the three of them treading through the dirt paths as they made their way through the forest

An elf child…

A chatter box of a ghost…

And a revenant…

…

No matter where he slice it…., it really sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

"So...where are we going? I like surprises like the next gal..but surely it would not kill you to share a little hint, you know that right?"

Ah..there she was going again. What little silence he had been able to gather for himself in this few minutes of respite now gone as another round of obnoxious questions began.

He sighed, then answered..never veering his direction or halting to reply a message he had already state time and time before. Almost mechanical in nature as he waved a hand and made the bushes and woods to part ways before them where they were thickest.

More so for the little elf than anyone else, since his other companion was a mere ghost.

[You may ask, or you may not..the answer will be still the same…]

Aurora shook her head, her thin lips wrapped with a mildly pang of annoyance as she started to float to his left.

"But you said that the time before, and the time before that.."

[If you know that, why don't you give up on pestering me?]

She stuck her tongue out, making a few funny noises like an infant before a gush of wind pushed her upwards, making her to hover above him.

"That is not fun, come on.. is there gonna be a fight? Treasure? I would not mind either of those"

For someone that was considered an apocalyptic walking monster, such easy going nature…., it was a mystery to him.

Yet again, he was reminded that the true Aurora was a lot more different...

[Still, perhaps...in the loose sense of the word..you could say that we are searching for a type of... treasure]

That seemed to spark some sense of attention and interest from her.

"Oh..? Now this is getting interesting..."

[Indeed, what a joy...]

"Come on, you are enjoying it too….I can feel it.."

[I in fact...am not]

He wasn't wrong, this endless probing was getting on his nerves. He had dealt with the voices in his head for too long, having her as a replacement for them was not something he took kindly. Aurora however smiled at him, humming a song as she playfully hovered around him.

"Sure, sure…but you can not trick little old me. We are like two peas in a pond. Clad in black, filled with mystery and creating our own paths as we see fit...it does seem like fate that we were to meet"

[So similar that someone has to speak for the both of us…several times over]

"Well someone has to carry this conversation…, and to be honest I don't mind. To have someone to listen, to even banter a little bit here and there…, to have someone that can understand...I like that."

[And we are all so grateful for it...]

He decided to ignore the following playful jabs and words of encouragement that came from her lips, nor the way she tried to rub her fingers against his shoulders or chest from time to time when she realized that if she concentrated enough she could become a little more corporeal, or at least...make her touch be felt. Which unbeknownst to her were numbed to the extreme thanks to the overlaying layers of steel he carried with him.

That did not dissuade her from trying though. Still, he had more pressing matters to attend, and even if he had told her to stop, he knew that she would not follow through such request without a heavy incentive for it.

But not everything was bad, small or as non important as it was he now knew why she was here again. And why did she seem unable or unwilling to leave his side.

And it seemed he hand on it, or two..

Why..? It all went back to the moment he had taken the arm form that pedestal and store deep within that void he carried with him. A harmless act and one that was for the better given that the cult was actually making use of that limb for their plans.

Only that since it lacked any measures to contain her she was free to move all around the world, she only choose not to and tag alongside him because everything else was boring and only he could see her. Which by itself was rather explanatory.

And since it was connected to him, or at least in a way...she was now anchored to it for as long as he held the arm inside.

…

It seemed he had miscalculated, but having an annoying ghost to chat with though such events were mostly one sided was not the worst of things that could happen. Yet…

With his luck..that thing could still happen.

[There is also something that you should know…]

"Yes, what is it my dear, dear friend..?"

[Ghost or not…, you should not be picky with your cloth…]

She looked at him rather bewilder, raising a brow before she hung herself over his shoulders. Holding herself tightly against him.

"Eh? What is that suppose to mean..?"

[You should be careful where you decide to hover around..for modesty sake if nothing else]

Her expression remained stuck with one of confusion as he felt her purple eyes stuck at the back of his head. But not for long when the sound of her breathing ending in a sharp gasp reached him. Knowing full well that her eyes had widened and her face had grown crimson like blood freshly spilled over a field.

That made him smile. For some reason it felt nice for once to get back at her this way.

"W-wh-at? H-how did y-dont you care for a maidens honour? How shameless of you!"

[Look who is talking..]

``Master Reaper…?´´

The sound of his more living, albeit younger companion drew him away from his thoughts and whatever Aurora was about to say. Regarding those ponds of fresh blue that stared back with worry. A gesture that would not have been as appreciated as it was had Aurora not started to sent him dirty looks, some of which were….too suggestive.

He once more hoped not all of the other Auroras would be the same.

…

Or that they would not share the same desire for suicide as-well...

``Yes..? what is it..?´´

``Pardon my intrusion master, but I could not help but notice that you were staring at the distance again, is there a problem? Do you feel ok..?´´

``If I feel…. ok?´´

He could not help but parrot at the question as to what had led her to believe there was a problem with him to begin with.

Or which of the many he had she was referring anyway….

She nodded at him nonetheless, placing her hands behind her back, clearly trying to act more like an adult would in a situation like this…

"She is adorable, but if she thinks cuteness is her weapon I would let her know that two can play that game.."

[What are you talking about?]

He scoffed loudly enough that even his thoughts reverberated all through to the other end of the link. Making the witch flinch back, albeit for a moment. That look of smugness and pride was still there.

"Nothing that you need to know...not now any ways, but when you do..I wonder what your reaction will be"

The playful glint that appeared in her eyes was all that he needed to know, that he would rather not have her explain that.

[If you wont say, then keep it to yourself…]

He growled before he looked back at the elf. She had been patiently waiting for him..her eyes darted for a moment to his side, looking at something before switching back to him

It almost felt as if she had been staring at Aurora, but given that her eyes had not reacted in anyway...it did not appear to be the case.

``I know that it may have come out rather from nowhere, but I had to ask...´´

``It was…, why did you´´

`Well, when I was back in my village I used to realize that those who tended to became lost in thought were either worried about something or were about to fall ill...´´

Ah, so it was that…

He did not know what he had been expecting, but that...was not as surprising or worrisome from what could have been. Sparing it a moment of thought, perhaps there was some truth to the girls. albeit wrong assessment of the situation.

And he only had himself and Aurora to blame for it...

With her endless rants, her petty squabbles...and the playfulness she exuded with each time her lips opened softly he had found himself sweep away by its sheer annoyance and..the desire to partake on it if only to shut the witch incessant noise. He had thought himself careful.

He had thought wrong…

Hearing the sound of Aurora starting to chuckle as if she had realized what he was thinking was not helping matters.

But.., such failure as galling as it was...it was a bitter learning experience. And there was thing to be learn from this

He was rusty…

Not in the killing department, but rather in the social one.

Having spent so long in the Abyss would do that to someone, there was not really a place to...converse. Not that he would have spared them the time and mental effort to even do that. And now, here.., he had been too focused on dealing with the invisible pest that he had forgotten that he was not necessary alone with Aurora.

He would not make that mistake again.

And with that final oath at the back of his head he decided to finally push away Aurora from his attention. Shaking his head as he addressed the golden child as he should have a while ago. fixating her in place with a glare. Neither too soft, nor too hard…

Interesting little thing, wasn't she..?

``You are a rather observant one, aren't you…?´´

He grumbled out, harshly, yet with no shred of animosity in his tone. Even though he did not have any desire to do so, he would give credit where it was due.

She had been spot on…, just.., not in what she may have been thinking.

He felt the way her body straightened out at the sound of his voice before it relaxed into the praise. Smiling at him as pride flared at the corner of her lips, then the soft, steady beating of her heart before it ended in the delicate twitching of her ears.

``To hear you say that, it feels me with joy. But I was merely doing what you taught me….´´

He tilted his head to the side.

``Did I now..?´´

She nodded fervently.

``Yes, you told me that I should be wary of my surroundings, that I should watch and search, leaving no rock left untouched if necessary when I feel something is off. One never knows when danger may strike, or from where..´´

She wasn't wrong…, though he had said quite a few things. Surprising that she had memorize each and every of them.

He would have to be careful with which words he picked in the future...

``I see…, I did say that. You did good..´´

``Thanks, still, I am sure I have a long way to go...´´

True…, she had just had a mere day and half to start. Who knew what she would do with a little more..time.

``Leaving that aside, I am not going to fall ill if that is what are you so fear stricken about...´´

Even if he wanted, he couldn't...

How lucky of him.

At the sound of his words relief did not make itself wait long as it washed over those eyes, the tip of her ears reddened a bit, but it would not last long much to his chagrin as he sensed the changes taking place within, like the gears of a clock that had promptly stopped its workings, only to start rotating backwards..

She shook her head. Brushing those thoughts away from her head, replacing them with a sense of certainty, albeit tainted with a mild sense of dread around the corner.

Her lips grew a little more stiff, her slender, doll like fingers clasped together into diminutive fist while her golden brows furrowed first into a quizzical expression before resolution came forth.

Now it was his time to narrow his eyes with a pang of frustration, though one that felt raw and rotten from the past rather than the present situation at hand. For better or for worse.., he had seen that look before.

Oh..all too many times before, in eyes of azure blue and hair of glinting starlight. And like that time before, she clearly thought he was merely acting tough for her own sake...

He almost wanted to scoff at it, history may have changed, but it surely liked to rhyme. And now a child... was questioning him.

He would have to see if the Abyss had frozen over in his absence. Doubtful…, but nothing now ever stayed the same.

``Is..is that so? Are you sure..? If you would allow me I know a few herbs that can help.., I may don't know much about fruits that can be edible, but some people of my town taught me which things could help when one started feeling odd´´

``….´´

``They should help..I think´´

She muttered, this time albeit more slowly as she found herself having to fill in the silence.

Well, there it went the rest of her confidence. At least...she was trying.

He shook his head. ``I assure you..,girl. I am fine..´´

``But you have been taking watch duty and standing still all through the night outside our home. What if you got a fever and is merely brewing inside?´´

Why was she looking at him as if he were about to fall over his face..? When had they reversed the roles of adult and helpless child?

"She really is adorable…, if she wasn't trying to do that move I would have loved to dote on her. Truly, she is a devious child"

She shook his head, he really didn't want to wonder what Aurora was poking about.

``Yes, you wont have to worry about such meaningless thing...worry about yourself instead´´

[For your sake rather than anything else…] The thought was left unsaid.

``But I cant do that if there is something troubling you!

Why?

``I mean...I made a promise that I would help you with everything I could. Who I would be if I were to shy away from that oath?´´

``A sensible person..? Still, what kind of...protector I would be if I were to allow a mere sickness to come in my way?´´

``I-Well..´´

A moment of doubt warped around her features, clearly not having considered that in her haste. He understood, still, even with her heart may have been in the right place she needed to get a hold of it.

Sometimes offering an open hand could do more damage than a clenched fist.

He allowed himself to knelt down a little. The red haze of his eyes bare down on her.

Still, Just this once...he would not have it against her. She was young..

His eyes squinted into two narrow slits. She would learn. She had to..., and he would see it through, but until that time came, he would do what he could.

``Your intentions are noble, but unneeded. As I said, worry about yourself...not many would do that for you´´

He hoped that with this she would finally understand. His advise may be selfish in nature, but it would help her more than empty altruism...

``So.. you are not sick´´

It was not a question, but rather a statement…one that she was coming to terms.

``No..´´

She rose a hand to her chin, covering her thin lips while her eyes looked away, slowly darting from left to right, thinking, questioning. After a few seconds she took a step forward, placing a hand over her chest.

``I see, still...if there is something troubling you I know that I have no right to ask you this, but I heard that is good to talk things out, to share the burden from ones own shoulders..´´

As if to convene her answer she stretched a hand forward. The soft, polished skin of her palm directed upwards as she held her hand towards him.

Waiting.

Wanting for him to grab it.

To accept her help...

``You would do that?´´

He questioned, the words already coming out through the hideous metal gaps. Unbeknownst to the girl in question with one eyebrow rose with a bit of scepticism as he ignored the offered hand. He did not know how they had reached this moment, but it was completely ridiculous.

The little girl did not seem to abate at the tone of his words, let alone at the glare from his eyes, but she did lower her arm in the end.

``Yes…, without a shadow of a doubt. Anything to aid you and allow you the respite that you sorely deserve and need.´´

Respite…?

Deserved respite...him?

He would have laughed to his hearts content if he knew how to…, instead he merely cocked his head to the side, staring firmly at the blond elf who stared back at him kindly, though expectantly..

Waiting…

If she had known what he had done...she would have ran as far away as her legs could take her. Those eyes with that longing and silent adulation...they were wasted on who she had decided to target with such emotions.

``Isn't that a bit dangerous..?´´

``What do you mean?´´

``To do all that.. for a complete stranger..?´´

He asked, and yet she did not took a single second to think about as she was already answering him. She shook her head, chuckling a bit as if she had already expected such question for a long time.

``Please, there is no need to be modest master Reaper. You are no stranger to me for you are the person that saved me from such a terrible fate…´´

The sound of her voice was soft, timid even...yet no shedding away any of its conviction.

``You are my friend, my teacher, my dearest companion..´´

As far as he was concerned, she was genuine.

He didn't know whether to be grateful for it..., or not.

When was the last time someone had actually said something like that to him..? Too long…, way too long. In fact, he was not really sure if that had ever come to pass, not in this way. Not so...openly.

Strange…, It was rather strange indeed. And yet..awfully familiar.

A stream of gold in the air, a scent of fresh blood and burning silver around him...and the warmth of her body pressed against him. Fingers clasping around his arm..uncaring of the blood and mud drenching the blacken shards of metal that covered him.

Stars of blue and scarlet…

Burned ashes and fresh roses…

[It was this what you felt back then.., my dear?]

ºº

A/N

The chapter was a lot bigger, but I decided to cut it here. To be honest I am not really sure if I liked it much, so it would not be a surprise if I change it in the future.