Chapter 18: They Wandered Over Yonder

Next Morning

Takeshiro woke up to the sound of his roommate returning from his latest mission. Ryouichi was always quiet coming home, even though the telepath almost always woke up anyway. That was one of the perks of being a light sleeper.

He followed the Beast Soul demon's train of thought through his next baking project, some small side quests for Porlysca, Mina, and other townspeople, and finally the slightly altered state of his room.

Ryouichi was confused to find Reiji's clothes folded neatly atop his dresser. Another strange detail—a note on top of the clothes—caught his eye. Takeshiro raised a thin brow, equally curious. He must have slept through Reiji's last passing through.

"BLUE!"

The Beast Soul demon suddenly burst into Takeshiro's bedroom with what sounded like that same sheet of the note. Ryouichi practically shoved it in the blind telepath's face as he sat up in his bed. Takeshiro snatched the paper, having felt fine bumps of Kanaji-Braille on his face.

I've gone to train my curse with Michele. I'll be back soon.

"Gone training with... Michele...?"

He gasped in shock. Did they finally make peace?

"She's gone completely rogue!" Ryouichi panicked, grabbing the collar of his roommate's tank top. "This wasn't discussed at all! What're we gonna do, Blue? She can't join a guild if she flakes on everyone on some bullshit side quest!" he wailed as he frantically shook the telepath.

"Sto-o-o-op!" Blue groaned audibly. Ryouichi practically shoved him back into his bed, racing out of the room.

"We have to find them! Get off your ass!" Ryouichi barked. Takeshiro covered his head with a pillow.

Do it yourself; she is an adult!

Yeah, well, she's OUR adult, you runt!

Dog breath.

I fight the disabled, Blue!

You shouldn't beat yourself up, it is not healthy to—

Takeshiro screamed when large paws grabbed his ankles, dragging him out of bed. His voice nearly cracked as he shouted, "What the hell, Ryo!"

"GET! UP! NOW!"

Reluctantly, the blind telepath grabbed the nearest clothing he wore yesterday, getting dressed in a bit of a hurry.

Ryouichi was just about to usher him out the door until Shugo and Ushizumo approached the porch.

The ginger female wore a brown teddy bear onesie, with shoes shaped like big paws and a little backpack shaped like a bear cub. Shugo also looked like he was dragged out of bed, still recovering from an obvious high. His arms were crossed and he tapped the heel of his foot impatiently.

Ryouichi nearly ran into Zumi first. The petite ginger sidestepped the tumbling Beast Soul, giggling when he landed on the irritable Shugo instead.

"Get off, dumbass!" Shugo snarled, throwing Ryouichi on the ground.

"Don't! Throw me!" Ryo barked back, immediately tackling his friend. Takeshiro facepalmed as the two males tussled in the grass. Zumi laughed hysterically.

"I assume you two received a note," Takeshiro said to Ushizumo. She nodded with a big smile, knowing he easily read it in their minds.

"Yeah! Rei-tara said "Training with Michele. I'm safe" Isn't that cool? So much fun in the wild!"

"Probably not fun, but I think she will be fine," the telepath replied. "Breakfast?"

"Ooo, pancakes!" the bubbly ginger chirped, skipping to the cabin door.

Shugo was about to punch the hair-pulling Ryouichi in the face when Takeshiro promptly slammed the front door behind him. Ushizumo had also gone with him.

"W-wait for me!" Shugo shouted, scrambling off the ground.

"Blue! Zumi! Neither of you can even cook!" Ryouichi exclaimed as he hurried inside behind the Jade Dragon slayer.

Sometime Later

Somewhere in Scarlet Desert

With less than two weeks remaining in the month of September, the season was transitioning from Crimson Bellow to Grey Kichi at a somewhat faster rate. Soon, the world would be overcome with soft greyness and only a few spots of red sunshine.

Miraculously, it was Chief Pruzo himself who granted them an exit out of the village's invisible forcefield.

Considering his past experience with Michele, it came as no surprise to Reiji that the chief still supported the blacksmith in secret. Michele might have damaged the Loner Village reputation, but it was for a good cause several years ago. Besides, according to Michele, whatever she had planned for Reiji was not suitable for a location so close to civilization.

The first couple of days were spent in a blur, thanks to Riki interfering in violent confrontations with feral creatures. This was unfortunately a daily occurrence, sometimes every few hours a day. To Reiji's shock, Michele rarely stepped in to rescue her.

At first, the green-haired demon let the entity fight and win. But as the long days went on, Reiji grew increasingly exhausted, freezing, overheated, dehydrated, and hungry. So, so very hungry.

And then, Reiji grounded herself just as she narrowly missed a massive scorpion's claw snapping her head like a flower stem. She skidded backwards from whatever jump she made, landing clumsily against a boulder. She panted heavily, realizing she bled from a gash in her arm. Groaning in pain and tiredness, she struggled to swing her axe with her good but non-dominant arm. The scorpion feral's claws flew down to grab her.

Reiji fought through the burning in the gash anyway. She gripped the axe handle in both hands and swung the blade to sever the scorpion's claw from the arm. She let out a war cry, bringing three jagged blades of her axe down on its head. Dark green blood splattered everywhere, painting the scarlet in warm slime.

Michele sat on top of the boulder, giving Reiji a slow clap. In solidarity with Reiji's struggle to stay grounded, Michele chose to only eat, drink water, or rest when Reiji did (rarely). The cursed battle axe vanished in a whitish-red light, returning to the shape of a rosary around Reiji's neck. The green-haired female fell to her knees, much too exhausted to yell at Michele for not helping her once again.

"Try the blood; it's edible," the blacksmith suggested. She carefully slid down the boulder, staggering due to the lack of nourishment or sleep. Reiji immediately scrambled toward the feral corpse, making a bowl in her palms to drink from the bludgeoned scorpion head. Oddly enough, it tasted like cooked egg yolk of a bird. She drank handful after handful of that green blood, gasping for air in between. She lost track of how much blood she consumed before her aching belly was too full. Michele joined her in the small feast, careful to drink slower to prevent sickness.

"You killed... f-forty-three since we got here. Good job," the blacksmith smiled briefly, then hungrily consumed more blood. Reiji lied in the sandy dirt, sprawled out like a starfish, breathing heavily. Michele's praise was appreciated in silence. She did not care how much or how little she had bathed.

Several days in the desert were essentially the same as the previous days. Reiji and Michele hunted for food, meditated, and shared anecdotes or a few spells they bothered to memorize. This time, the days became more separate and memorable as the nourishment and rest replenished their bodies.

One evening, the red sun happened to shine through Grey Kichi clouds. Reiji had since lost track of how far they had traveled on foot. They eventually came across a small lake connected to a river. In the far off distance were faintly visible structures in the opposite direction of the lake, most likely a village or town.

Reiji wasted no time undressing from her shirt, shorts, and undergarments before splashing into the water. It was like submerging herself in a pool of lukewarm blood bathed red by the setting sun. Michele joined her, but only after properly stripping her clothing to be washed. The green-haired demon covered her chest out of habit, suddenly very aware of Michele's watchful, droopy eyes. The blacksmith did not actually stare at her, but Reiji felt eyes on her anytime she was self-conscious.

The blacksmith had removed the rings from her soaked, thick locs, slicking them back. She drank water from the lake, then washed away dirt and blood. Reiji turned her back to Michele, burning hot from her nerves. Her mind still wandered back to that heartbreaking rejection, even though they had already resolved things. She attempted to distract herself by diving underwater to wash up.

She gasped for air upon resurfacing a short time later. Unbeknownst to Reiji, she had concealed most of her nudity in hair as a makeshift cover.

"You're wrappin' yourself like a mummy," Michele chuckled. Reiji yelped in surprise, nearly collapsing into her own cocoon.

"S-sorry, I didn't notice!"

"Yer always sorry. It's fine," Michele reassured her. Reiji dipped underwater again, swimming farther out into the lake. She resurfaced every couple of feet for short breaths. Eventually, the lake floor was barely reachable with her tiptoes. The water was a satisfying balance between cold and lukewarm.

Much better.

Reiji squinted her eyes, looking in the direction from which she swam. A tiny Michele waved her arms, shouting a greeting across the water. Reiji had not realized the lake was so wide. The blacksmith then disappeared beneath the red surface. The green-haired demon covered her breasts in another layer of hair wraps to keep them from floating.

I feel so light, she smiled to herself. She floated on her back, gently kicking her legs whenever she began to sink. Suddenly, a long, scaly object slipped past her legs. The slimy sensation sent shivers down her spine.

"Wh-what was that?"

She looked around frantically, lashing out locks of hair in search of the unknown creature. Could there be larger fish in the lake?

Just as she got to thinking about food, something rose out of the water. Reiji froze, her gold-bronze eyes full of shock at the looming shadow. The beast's little grey eyes peered down at her from over ten feet in the air. Its lips were drawn back in a low snarl. Reiji whimpered in fear, attempting to swim away carefully. Perhaps it would remain docile as long as nobody panicked, right?

The water creature roared loudly, nearly snapping its jaws near Reiji's head.

"AAHHH!" She splashed frantically towards the nearest shore. The feral was faster. A large mouth swooped the female demon out of the water, throwing her high into the air. Reiji screamed, flailing her arms helplessly. Despite the stomach backflips, she just knew exactly what to do.

Her rosary glowed a whitish red light. Time seemed to slow down as the axe materialized at a much faster rate than before. The crimson jewel shined with all its ten black marks, six sharp blades, and the long staff. Reiji descended toward the water creature's hungry jaws. She had the axe ready above her head, aiming to slice it up.

To her surprise, the water creature dived backwards and shrank into the water with a great splash. Reiji's graceful fall turned into a hard belly splash into the lake. The axe also vanished just as quickly as the pain from the impact.

Reiji managed to drag herself to shallow water, crawling on her hands and knees. Her hair also dragged across the dirt-sand, clinging to her body uncomfortably. She did not care that her hair dragged; it was freezing now.

She collapsed on her back, breathing heavily from exhaustion. The water creature was gone in a flash. How could such a large beast hide in this limited body of water?

Michele waded through the water a minute later, eventually stepping onto the shore beside Reiji. Reiji looked up through half-closed eyes, mumbling a greeting.

Unlike the identical clone, Michelle Imitatia created before, the real one still surpassed that twin in beauty. She did not care to glance between her thighs or her chest. It was the calmness in her eyes that Reiji admired the most. The blacksmith stretched her arms over her head. She carried a long stick. At one sharp end were six limp blue fish.

"How, how did...?" Reiji trailed off, closing her eyes. It was hard to talk while tired.

"I caught 'em myself," Michele grinned. "Also, yer girls there look comically huge in the sky."

Reiji blushed, glaring at the blacksmith. Not her too!

"You could've helped me."

"Ah, I was too busy throwing ya to help ya."

"Throwing me? Wait..." Reiji shot upright, pointing accusingly. "You're a water creature? And you ambushed me?!"

Michele burst with laughter, walking away. "Get up! Yer gonna make us some fire!"

"I can't make fire! Hey, get back here, you jerk!"

"WATCH OUT!"

Reiji listened to Michele too late as a feral dove down, threatening to close its large talons on her body. Once again, the axe glowed to life before the dark green-haired demon flung it right at the massive bird. The blades bludgeoned its torso. The creature let out a gurgling shriek that cut short upon its crash landing to the ground. Michele sighed in relief, slouching. She then grinned, giving two thumbs up. Reiji blushed lightly, turning away. She had completely forgotten they were both naked.

"My eyes are over here, Rei," the blacksmith said. Reiji jumped in surprise at the sight of fire suddenly coming to life in Michele's palms.

"Ye probably won't get it right away, Touch of Ignis," she shrugged.

"It kind of sounds like Touch of Chiron," Reiji said. "Do you want me to gather wood? Or maybe our clothes?"

"Both are good."

.

Reiji used her axe as a substitute knife for the feral bird she killed, while Michele roasted the fish whole over their bonfire. The flames crackled and spat tiny napalm that quickly turned to miniature dust.

The green-haired demon had eventually used her hair as temporary clothing again. Although the weather was warmer than usual, it was still not warm enough to sleep in her birthday suit in the open desert. She was also very full from all the bird and fish they both ate. Michele, on the other hand, was busy snapping a bone open to suck out marrow. For such a slim, average-height female, her appetite rivaled a beast's.

Reiji's eyes drifted away from the warm fire and to her companion. In truth, she still had feelings for her, despite the rejection and her hooking up with Ryouichi. Michele tossed the two broken bone pieces, reaching for a much meatier portion of a leg. She paused, noticing Reiji's stare.

"You alright, Rei?"

"Huh? I-I'm fine!" she blushed, looking away. Her hair tightened around her chest, imitating her hugging herself. "Sorry, I'm just spaced out."

"Is it because of me? Wouldn't blame ya," the blacksmith murmured with a halfhearted smile. Reiji groaned with embarrassment, covering her face. She dragged her hands down her face, sighing.

"I was unsure females were not of interest to you. I'll be alright, just a little glum. But I'm okay, I swear."

"Well, I am a lesbian."

Reiji's mouth gaped in shock. All this time, she assumed Michele did not like anyone that way, not just Reiji. She could not believe it. The blacksmith snickered.

"I always knew, in a way. I just don't mention it," she said, leaning back with her arm as support. "The village is so open, I didn't need ta say anything before I had girlfriends. Ye know Angelica?"

Reiji scooted a little closer, curious about Michele's association with the vampire witch.

"From Snowblood, right?"

"Yup. We used to date."

"Wow," she whispered in awe. "Were you in love?"

"I loved all my exes," the blacksmith replied, gazing at the fire. "She was my first true love. Definitely not my first girlfriend, though."

"Did you date a mage called Sen too?"

"That was my third."

"Oh, wow. I never would have guessed. Do you recall how many you dated?"

"No idea," the blacksmith chuckled. "Whomever I liked, I gave her a try."

"I don't count them either. As long as I take care of my health and heart, everything is good," the green-haired female said.

"You've had a recent date, right?" Michele asked.

"Uh... no," Reiji murmured. No one needed to know; at least that was what Ryouichi said. He wasn't really a date, anyway.

"Liar, liar, ya always hesitate before ya lie! Who's the lucky one?" Michele smirked.

Crap, she exposed me! Sorry, Ryo...

"Th-that is private!" Reiji huffed stubbornly, her cheeks burning red. She looked around, remembering that they were still alone. She exhaled, forcing herself to calm down.

"I... it's Ryo," she mumbled.

"Yer datin' yer friend? Eh, that ain't too surprising," the blacksmith replied. She lay on her side, propping herself up on one elbow. Reiji lay in the same position as well. She, between cooking and eating, eventually put her sports bra and underwear back on for more comfort.

"Have you considered a reduction surgery?"

"A what?" Reiji questioned.

"A surgery to make yer chest a little smaller," Michele answered. "So ya don't have ta keep binding 'em and stuff."

Reiji frowned, looking away. A surgery to shrink her chest? That was unheard of in the village. She doubted any doctor was capable of such a procedure. Besides, she was used to the size, having dealt with it her whole life.

Boob Breast!

She squinted her eyes shut as if to squash the flash of that memory. That was not important.

"No, I hadn't thought of that," she replied flatly.

"Hey, Rei, I didn't mean to upset ye," the blacksmith lowered her voice to nearly a whisper. Reiji shook her head, hiding her face from view. Michele sat up and got closer to her. Reiji did not cry, to her surprise. I was just an innocent suggestion from someone who meant well. Don't cry over it.

Don't cry.

Don't.

She let out a quiet sob, laying her head on her folded arms.

"Sorry," Michele whispered. She wanted to place a hand on Reiji's shoulder or back for comfort, but it seemed way too awkward and too soon after that stuff the other day.

"L-let's train."

"Huh?"

Reiji stood up. She quickly wiped her tearful eyes, glaring with a determined look in her eyes. Crying and self-pity were useless right now. She just had to take action, any action, to distance herself from those feelings.

"I said let's train!"

"Whoa there, you should slow down and relax a little..."

Michele trailed off at the sight of three axe blades near her face. She immediately climbed to her feet and got into her own defensive stance. Her matching bracelets shifted into their mallet forms as well.

"Aren'tcha tired, Rei?" Michele asked, taking a step toward the taller demon. She stepped back.

"I'll worry about that later," she replied. "For now, I think I need to fight you." Reiji would rather train herself into oblivion than think of anything else in that moment.

To be continued after I recollect more energy to brainstorm! :D

—ML