Tetsuri stopped when he sensed a strong power erupt a little further ahead of him. He looked to the left then to the right. A wind blew in dragging along the smell of fire and burning wood. Tetsuri looked ahead of him and glared "It seems that the person we're looking for has shown up" He took off in the direction of the power in which he felt, as well as following his high sense of smell. He dashed passed trees and rubble then came to a halt. He looked around and found trees burning, dead soldiers and animals scurrying away.
The fire flared higher, but for some unknown reason, did not spread. Tetsuri continued to scan the area until a wounded soldier caught his attention. He kneeled down on one knee and picked the soldier up by the shoulders to support him. "What happened here? Who did this to you?"
"T-the o-oni i-is...is..." Before the soldier could finish, he coughed up blood as he raised a shakey hand. Tetsuri grabbed the soldier's hand and lowered his eyes. The soldier tied to speak but his attempt failed as his hand slowly slipped from Tetsuri's.
"Damn it....who ever did this....is without a doubt, the one my father wishes for me to bring back to the base" He laid the solder down gently then, placed his hand on the soldiers chest. After a few moments, he stood up slowly and looked at the burning trees once more. His bangs fell over his eyes and he yelled out as his aura flared. The ground began to shake momentarily, but settled down. He had felt the power that caught his attention earlier fading off deeper into the forest. With out another thought, he dashed towards the direction with a glare only to be stopped by one of the soldiers running towards him.
"Sir, We seem to have found the one your father wants!" The soldier yelled as he saluted. Tetsuri nodded. "Good, now return to the ship, i'll handle things from here on out, It seems that our soldiers won't be able to handle this one"
"B-but s-"
"Thats an order! I'll make sure the others follow you shortly"
"S-sir yes sir!" The soldier saluted then made his way back to the ship.
Tetsuri looked back at the soldier then continued to make his way deeper into the forest. He had now had the idea of killing whoever did this to his men,rather than bringing the person in.
(I'll make you pay!) His cloak flowed behind him, as he vanished into the deep depths of the forest.
One by one, soldiers began dropping to their knees in defeat and death as Iliana's sword slashed through them. Though they fell easily. the sword was quite difficult to handle. Another soldier, dressed in full Order armor, let out a battle cry as he ran towards her. Iliana's large orange eyes lowered and she duck low just before the soldier's sword came in contact with her neck. The soldier dropped backwards as his feet fell from under him by a swift kick from Iliana. She slashed downwards once and the result was a guttering sound from the man's throat as he slowly slipped from his life and plunged into death. She had to avert her eyes momentarily, for death was something she wasn't used to yet. To protect her life, she had to take another...
Soldiers continued to pile in while her mind whirled with thoughts of death, Ritesa, and a strange power...The thoughts caught her off guard, allowing soldiers to ambush her. A arm tugged at her hair and she let out a cry of pain and annoyance. Two more soldiers threw all of their mass on her, toppling them and her to the ground. Once suppressed by the arms and legs of soldiers, Iliana felt a boot press to her back. She struggled against the force of the boot, but to no avail.
"Still yourself!" the soldier shouted and Iliana's eyes lowered.
"Let me go! What did I do? What crime did I commit?!"she yelled, still squirming under the boot. The shoe applied more pressure and Iliana felt her chest slam hard into the ground.
"We know you are the O--"
"Sir! He's coming!" came the call of another soldier. Iliana's eyes couldn't reach high enough to see the main soldier's expression, but she felt the boot loosen on her back. That signified that whoever "he" was must be the real leader.
"Perfect."he drawled as Iliana continued to thrash on the ground.
The power source got stronger as Tetsuri got closer. He growled in anger and disgust as the thoughts of what happened to him men played over and over in his head with each step. As the sight of people came into the clearing he stopped, hearing a soldier yelling at someone. There were a group of soldiers standing around in a circle holding swords pointed at something. He made his way in between them to See a girl held down under one of the soldiers boots, chin to the ground. He ordered the solders to leave then kneeled down and grabbed the girl by the shirt and lifted her up to face him as he spoke in a cold, dark voice.
"So you're one who took out my men huh?!" Tetsuri scolded as he lifted her up closer, staring at the girl with cold eyes, glaring. He stood up and gripped the girl's shirt tighter in his palm as he stood up with her.
The soldiers all started to back down when a boy walked up to her with a solid, cold glare in his eyes. Iliana's eyes locked onto his the moment he step foot into the vicinity. He was the one they obeyed so as of that moment, he was her biggest threat. Her orange eyes never left his, no matter how cold the gaze was. He was clearly angry. It even got bad enough to where she heard him growl when he stepped close to her.
Iliana tried to push herself off of the ground only to be pushed back down by the boot of the soldier who stood above her. The boy suddenly dispatched the soldiers who were circled around them, leaving the two of them alone. Iliana tried to make a run for it as soon as the boot left her back but the boy had grabbed hold of her shirt, yanking her to his face. Iliana began kicking and thrashing wildly but his grip was as solid as his glare.
"So you're one who took out my men huh?!" Iliana's orange eyes burned into his as he lifted himself and her off of the ground, tightening his grip on her shirt. She stopped struggling, glaring back at him. She thought twice about saying something to him, for fear that he may strike her. Instead, she held eye contact for as long as possible.
He held her closer, growling and trying to fight back his murderous intent. His grip only tightened more as she glared back at him. He growled fiercely and his eyes burned with anger. The last of the soldiers dispatched and it was only him and her. All the while as he held his grip tightly and glared into the girls eyes, only stirred something in his head. Something kind and gentle was manifesting, but he tried to ignore it, as he growled once more. His growl began to die down due to the feeling that washed over him. (This feeling...is...so...gentle...and...kind...)
He shook his head and lowered his eyes, glaring even harder now. But something unexpected happened. As he glared into the girls eyes, he could see his reflection. Through her eyes he saw a boy, but he was smiling as well as laughing. Tetsuri's eyes softened and his growl faded completely. He felt something special within this girl, something peaceful. Tetsuri's eyes shut close momentarily as he shook his head once more, then opened them and looked into the girl's eyes once again. Suddenly, he found himself blushing as he released his grip on the girl.
"Y-your eyes....they're-" He stoped in mid-sentence as he released the girl and grabbed his head, yelling out as his head thrusted upward towards the sky. A few moments later he fell to his knees with his eyes closed, still holding his head.
Iliana looked at the boy as she noticed that every growl was beginning to grow softer and softer. He shook his head and growled more. Iliana glared when the growl returned, prepared to attack in anyway that she can, before the growl became softer once more. The confusion was settling in more than the anger. The boy's eyes were glowing lighter and lighter by the second. What...is he doing? Her nose wrinkled ever so slightly as the two of them stared at one another before his face turned a small color red and he released her. Iliana blinked once, staring into his eyes as she tried to formulate a plan. He's obviously going through some mental things which is exactly what I need. I can take him by surprise by kicking him in the leg, that way, he'd fall on the ground and I'd have enough time to preform another atta--
"Y-your eyes....they're-"
Iliana's orange eyes slid back over to his in puzzlement before he grabbed at his head and screamed loudly into the air, falling to his knees. Iliana hesitated. That was the last thing she expected at that moment. Her head was being thrown conflicting thoughts as she watched the boy tremble in pain on the ground. What...should I do? He tried to kill me! But he's in pain...he's still human. It...it could be a trap! What do I do? The boy screamed out again. At the same time, Iliana grabbed out at her heart when a sharp pain ran through it. Orange eyes widened in shock and pain, Iliana returned her gaze to the boy. He's... Iliana shook the thought away and made her way over to him slowly as the pain subsided.
"Hey...is everything okay...?"she asked, knowing that she would probably regret it. The sooner I help this boy, the better. I don't want anything to do with the Order.
"Hey is everything okay?" The girl's voice was so calming and soothing. His yell began to die down slowly and his hands lowered. He had not understood why he had reacted to her the way he did, but he was grateful . He had been finally freed of his father's mind control after struggling to break it himself. He let out a gently sigh as his eyess lowered to a gaze and looked up into the girl's eyes with a slightly bigger blush. He placed his left hand over his heart as he continued to look into the girls eyes. There was something unique about her, something special. ~What is this strange feeling?~He asked himself, before speaking softly to the girl.
"T-thank you, you saved me" He said shakily, his eyes never leaving hers. He tilted his head to the left a little. How was this girl able to break the spell? Was it magic? Or just coincidence that she released him? Whatever the case was, he was thankful to her for saving him. Tetsuri straightened his head and restrained from speaking anymore and only gave her a gently smile.
Iliana was caught off guard at the thanks he gave to her. Her nose wrinkled at the smile on this face. When she saw the gesture, she was all too sure that it was a trap. With one foot behind her, she stepped back with a confused look on her face. She was going to ask him why he was thanking her but she didn't want to be any closer to him than she already was. She gave him a puzzled glare before turning and walking away slowly so as not to show any fear.
When she was far enough from him, her steps started to speed up. The Order was looking for her and she had just encountered one of the high members! She was terrified and her walk turned into a jog. What happened to me? Where is Ritesa? Where did my brother go? What is with this guy?! Why does the Order want me!?Iliana bit her lip as her jog turned into a run. Iliana coughed as the smoke from the trees filled her lungs. The sky began to darken all of a sudden as Iliana sprinted through the forest. She looked behind her to see a cloud like darkness looming over her head.
He opened his eyes and looked at the girl. But, before he could speak, she backed away. Tetsuri reached out to her "Wait a sec I wont hurt you!" The girl was already to far away from him to hear and got further away as she jogged then picked up speed. He stood up then ran behind her in hopes he could explain what happen but was stumped when he felt his heart ache in pain.
He grabbed his chest with his right hand and began to breathe heavy. It was as if he was being stabbed multiple times in the chest and each stab seemed to intensify. Suddenly, the skies had blacken and he looked up. At first, he couldn't tell what it was, but when he looked for a bit longer he realized that it was the Order who had called out an attack.
What are they thinking?!?! His eyes widen in shock as he remembered that the girl was in that direction. He ignored the pain and dashed forward. With each step, he picked up speed until finally the girl came into the clearing. She stood stunned and unable to move as the arrows fell down towards the girl. Without a second thought, he dashed forward and jumped in front of the girl, then spun his sword in a circle and created a barrier.
Iliana looked into the air and squinted so that she could get a better view of the dark cloud. Here eyes doubled in size when she pin pointed hundreds, maybe thousands, of arrows all zooming down towards her. She gasped and at the same time, all movement in her body came to a sudden halt. She couldn't even flex her pink! Her eyes widened as the dark rain of arrows loomed closer and closer. Oh...my...
Iliana's mouth had dropped open to scream out into the deep edges of the forest before she saw a wisp of blue and purple streak in front of her. The blur of colors stopped only to let Iliana gaze at the back of the Order Leader that she encountered before. He spun the sword he held in his hand rapidly. The speed of the sword combined with an unknown power coursing from the boy created a barrier that shimmered in front of the rotating sword. The course of time slowed gradually as Iliana's heart beat gained momentum and her eyes doubled in size, all the while, a light blush tickling her cheeks.
The force of the arrows falling were far greater than he could imagine. But from that height, as well as combined with the gravity itself, the arrows felt more like hail hitting sword. Tetsuri focused his aura around his Aurioth Blade, while the arrows pounded against his blade, causing him to slide back slightly. He groaned and fought to push back forward, as his his sword glowed blue.
"I WON'T LET THEM HURT HER!!!!!" Tetsuri yelled out, arrows beginning to cut his face, arms and legs. He closed his right eye and continued to spin his blade, fighting through the burning pain that filled his body like wildfire. The blood from his wounds began to trail down slightly and uniform began to tear slightly. He fell to one knee, breathing heavy and the pain began to intensify in his arms, as the weight of the arrows fell down on top his sword. Tetsuri closed his left eye as well and fell to one knee. He was reaching his limit.
His breathing began to get heavy, sword sllowly and gradually decreasing speed. Eventually, his strenght would leave him and the arrows would take both their lives. The thought of the girl saving him moments ago began to play in his head. He saw himself looking into the girls eyes and the feeling she gave him. The arrows began to gradually slow down with time as his mind trailed off. It seemed as though time itself stopped, as well as the arrows.
~I can't let this girl die, she has a kindness in her heart that I have never felt before. But, its strange that I can feel this girl's emotions.~ Tetsuri said, mentally. His aura began to build up slowly, then spiked as time sped up again. He opened his eyes and they flashed from purple to blue all the while his hair grew and flowed down. The momentum of his sword picked up as the arrows continued to fall beside him and the girl. He yelled out, as his aura swam across his blade.
Iliana continued to watch on, all the while, a strange feeling in her head resonated. Seeing the arrows pelted down on her from the Order was enough to make her fearful. However, that fear was only capped by confusion when a leader of the Order jumped in front of her and took on the full frontal rush of arrows. Iliana continued to stare wide eyed at the spectacle and saw the struggle in the boy's eyes. Iliana lifted a hand and was about to say something when he shouted out into the forest air.
"I WON'T LET THEM HURT HER!!!!!"
Iliana's eyes doubled in size if at all possible and her face took on an auburn color. Before her brain can analyze the words she had just heard, an arrow slipped through his barrier, piercing her leg. She let out a yelp of pain and instantly crumpled to the ground. Her leg began burning with a searing white fire as the arrow passed through her skin, tearing through tendons and muscle. Adrenaline caused her to grab a hold of the arrow and yank it out seconds after it entered her leg. That pain was almost as worse as the first. Whimpers passed her mouth but she still managed to look at the boy and noticed that a deep purple and blue aura resonated from his body and his hair started to grow out.
Iliana watched in surprise until something caught her eye. Gazing up towards the sky, the dark cloud of arrows grew thin until they eventually stopped. The attack by the Order was done...and their brigade was probably on their way to asset the damage. Iliana bit her bottom lip. How am I gonna get out of here when I'm practically cripple?! She tried to move the leg but nothing but a sharp sting cut through her leg as a dark drizzle of blood trickled from the small, deepened hole.
The asssault had finally ended as the last arrow dropped. Tetsuri stopped spinning his sword until it came to a complete stop, then turned and looked at the girl to see if she had been harmed. He scanned her body for any signs of injury, unaware that an arrow had slipped through his defense and ht the girl in the leg. He could hear her whimpering now as she held her hand close to the spot on her leg where the arrow struck. His eyes widened and he quickly ripped the edge of his uniform, then kneeled down in front of her.
He took a closer look at the wound and saw that it was deep, to the point where it pierced her muscle. Although it looked major, it wasn't. He raised her leg slightly, about four inches from the ground, then rested it gently on his knee for support. He began to wrapped the wound then looked up at her, into her eyes, triggering a slight blush across his cheeks. He spoke softly to her before he readied to tight the note he had mad with the edges of the cloth.
"Brace yourself." He yanked the edges tighter together, but not hard enough to hurt her wound far beyond what injury it sustained. Only give it a slight stinger.
"OW! What is your problem!? You're making it worse! You're not helping! Don't touch me! Don'ttouchmeDon'ttouchmeDon'ttouchme!" Iliana tried to send a swift kick to the boy, but the pain in her leg had negated that thought. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face she looked up to the boy again, nose wrinkling. Her face always took on that expression when something was out of the norm for her. The situation at that time was that an Order leader was helping her, when in all actuality, the Order soldiers were out to get her. Just minutes ago, the boy was going to hurt her for taking down his men, and now, he was tending to her wound. The wrinkles formed on the bridge of her nose as she looked into the boy's purple ones.
"Why are you doing this?"she asked, not hiding the anger in her voice. She didn't understand why he was doing the things he did and she wanted to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.Besides, once I get on my feet again, I'll leave this guy and find Ritesa and Xavien. They'll know what's going on. She looked away from him and out into the forest. The sound of soldiers sprinting across fallen branches grew. She had to hurry up and get out of Fairenz Forest. Fast.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked curiously. He looked at her and smiled lightly "You saved me, thats why" He looked at her and smiled once more, eyes closed, then stood up and held out his right hand to help her up. She looked into his purple eyes with her orange ones. Her nose wrinkled at him and he tilted his head still holding his hand out.
Before he had a chance to ask what was wrong, the sound of soldiers moving nearby turned his attention towards the deeper part of the forest behind them. He lowered his hand, then turned away completly, facing opposite of the girl.
He summoned his blade, which had dispersed when he aided the girl, back into his left hand. He gripped it firmly and prepared for the soldiers to come, thinking to himself They won't give up easily I see.
The boy had claimed that she saved him....but he didn't say how or from what. The wrinkle on her nose grew deeper until he turned over. He must hear the same sounds I do. The boy had summoned the sword he had earlier and gripped it firmly in his hands.So, I'm not going insane. He really is helping me defeat his own men!
"Listen, I know you may have some conflicting thoughts in your head about where you belong or not, but you shouldn't go against your own men! That's mutiny! Have some respect and have a decent conversation with a couple of soldiers! I'm sure they'd understa--"
BOW! A gun blast pelted through the air, grazing the edge of Iliana's hair. Her body turned completely white, drained of all color and motion at how dangerously close the bullet was to her. In seconds flat, her mobility returned as she crawled off the ground, towards the boy and yanked him by the arm.
"Run!" With that said, she pulled him off into the forest, away from the sound of rushing footsteps. Every step on her hurt leg was agony, but she endured it, biting the inside of her lip to keep from crying out in pain. She wasn't as fast as she wished to be, especially guiding the boy with one hand through a dense forest!, but it was fast enough. Iliana's face turned pink in frustration as she ducked another tree branch. Great, now I'm saving him! Suddenly, she was stricken with an idea, and, as a result, she made a violent left turn.
"Come on!"she coaxed, pulling him more until she saw the edges of Lake Quaze.
"STOP! IN THE NAME OF THE ORDER!" Iliana closed her eyes, sprinting towards the Lake as fast as she could on her damaged leg. The sound of gun shots shook the air as Iliana and the boy finally neared the lake bed. Iliana, taking a deep breath, dove right in with the boy, barely avoiding the onslaught of bullets.
"Listen, I know you may have some conflicting thoughts in your head about where you belong or not, but you shouldn't go against your own men! That's mutiny! Have some respect and have a decent conversation with a couple of soldiers! I'm sure they'd understa-- the girl stopped short of what she was saying, listening to the soldiers closing in
Tetsuri readied himself for the soldiers that were approaching I won't let them get away with this! He gripped his sword tighter with both hands, then prepared to use an attack. He had began raising his sword until, the sound of a gunshot zipped passed his waist and towards the girl. His movement stopped momentarily and in unison, as he turned to see if the girl had been hit, she grabbed him and dragged him off, opposite of the soldiers"Run!"
He opened his eyes in suprised with a confused expression as to why they were retreating. He could easily take them out with a single move, but he decided not to struggle to get away instead, he followed her close by, as they ran, making sure to keep his steps in unison with her's so that they wouldn't fall on account of a mistep
The girl suddnely took a sharp left and lead them towards a river and stopped, she took one look at the soldiers, who were close behind them
"STOP! IN THE NAME OF THE ORDER!"
When the final word escaped the guards lips, they opened fire. The girl dove into the water and he was pulled with her, dodging the onslaught off bullets that headed towards them.
With one push of her leg, Iliana kicked off into the lake's vast under-surface. She could feel her damaged leg scream in pain at the salt water regardless of it being wrapped, but she pushed on. Iliana had long since released the hand of the boy. Running along with him was one thing, but now they were trying to out swim bullets! Make no mistake, the Order began raining down bullets into Quaze. The water pressure was enough to slow them down. but not immediately stop them.
Dammit. We have to travel all the way on the other side of the lake to lose them! I hope this boy can breath long. Iliana dodged a wisp of bubbles that was a bullet traveling through the water. She barely dodged it, but, with one clear kick to the right, the bullet brushed past her.
.....However, a rock was waiting to meet her to the left. Iliana's head cracked on the rock beside her and everything in the girl's mind began swirling into a black blur.
Tetsuri followed the girl close by as they began to swim. She had released his hand and swam ahead, while he stayed close. An array of bullets shot through the water and he dodged left to right, opposite of where the bullets were shot. The current was strong and he began to wonder how the girl was holding up under the pressure. His eyes locked on to the girl and scanned her body for any signs of weakness.
She was struggling slightly, but other than that she seemed fine. But, he also knew that it would be a matter of time before the pain in her leg took its toll. They had to get to shore fast. He looked back, through the water, up at the guards who had finally stopped firing. He watched as they walked away They finally gave up. That was a close one. Now to get her to- the sound of gargling snapped his head towards the girl.
His eyes widen and he swam towards the girl. The currrent had picked up now that they were further downstream and it was very difficult to swim. Tetsuri fought forward against the intense current, reaching for the girl as he sway downward, reaching for the girl. She continued to float limply below the shore and he swam harder, fighting the intense current COME ON COME ON COME ON!! MOVE FASTER LEGS MOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEE!!!!!!
With one final kick, Tetsuri surrounded his legs with his aura and shot downward at high-speed, splitting the water like a torpedo. Once he was close enough, he scooped the girl up in his arms then swam to shore. Once he stepped on shore, he laid the girl down gently on the ground, and removed the aura around his legs. Little did he know that the intense current had parted his hair and pushed his tail through the seat of his jeans revealing it. His ears flickered back and forth while tail swayed left and right, as he prepared to perform CPR.
Light began to splay behind the lids of Iliana's closed eyes. She could hear the faint rustling of wind against the leaves of trees. The sounds told it all: she was still in Fairenz Forest.
"Mmm...what...where..."she mumbled, head lolling from side to side. Her eyes squinched shut as she tried desperately to remember what she was doing before she found herself lying on the ground. In a rush of memories, she was brought back the the eye contact she held with the Order boy....the Order boy! Iliana's eyes snapped open as she looked up to see the boy she was just thinking about leaning closer to her face. Her body stiffened and, despite her restraints, a blush fired up on her cheeks.
W-what...is he...
Iliana's body began to tremor until she looked over the features of the boy's face. From the soft jaw line, water dripping off of his dark purple hair, to the small flicker of his ears and swish of his tail....
EARS?! TAIL!? Iliana blinked twice as her eyes widened in puzzlement.
