Chapter 2: New Friends, Old Problems
“You’ve only known her for two days. How much do you even know about her?”
Haruka didn’t seem bothered in the least. “Enough.”
IXH
Morning; morning was Isabella’s favorite time of day. It was so full of expectation, of promise, of hope. Okay, she admitted to herself that she hadn’t always felt that way; there was a time (most of her life) when the morning was something to dread (always), the start to a day full of negative emotions and dead experiences.
Today was different, though. Today, though she was sore from sleeping in a chair the entire night, she actually had plans with someone for the first time in… ever? Was that right? That couldn’t be right. No, it was right. Well, that was rather pathetic. She’d really never had plans with anyone?
Thinking back she realized it was partially true. She’d made plans, sure, but it was always business or an arrangement. She’d never actually had a friend, and today was the first time she had plans with one.
Think about ‘plans’ more. You aren’t doing it enough.
Shush! Bella told the darker voice in her mind. She’d named her ‘Bale’ a long time ago. Did naming a disjointed aspect of your personality associated with your Demon side make you even more insane? Possibly. Probably. Almost Certainly.
Absolutely Certainly.
In any case, it was true. Isabella didn’t really have control over her other two “personalities” or “influences” or “aspects” or whatever they were; they were simply other voices that spoke to her and sometimes tried to exert control. Bale was a harsher voice, slightly sultry with a sardonic edge that made it sound like she was constantly amused by your inferiority. A nice person, really.
Leave the girl alone, she deserves a bit of happiness for once.
Bai was more kind, more caring, as could be expected by her Angel side. That could be misleading, however; she could be just as cruel as Bale when she felt it justified. She was merciless and cold when it came to anything she considered ‘sinful’ or ‘wicked’. Still, her voice was usually softer and gentler when it didn’t carry that hard edge.
Sometimes life could be hard as a second-generation fallen, as they were an odd race. Demons and Angels, they had a choice; they could give up their position in Hell or Heaven, respectively, give up their immortality, and become mortal. When they did this they would become a member of the race known as ‘fallen’. Their children would then be fallen as well, and that’s what Isabella was. Her father was a Fallen Demon, her mother a Fallen Angel.
An odd pairing, perhaps, but history and romantic novels both were full of lovers coming together from opposite sides of a conflict. The two had, in truth, given up their places to be with each other, to avoid fighting one another. It was all very romantic but it had left their daughter with a very odd infliction, and it had only gotten worse as she’d gotten older. For some reason she got a huge portion of her father’s Demonic side and a huge portion of her mother’s Angelic side.
It wasn’t too hard to understand why this was a bad thing. Angels and Demons tended to hate each other, and Isabella’s two inner sides were no different. She had herself; normal Isabella, the girl people got to meet, the one who spoke and acted and lived. But in her mind, unshared with anyone in her life, two voices fought and argued for the three centuries she’d lived so far, and she was willing to bet they’d continue to do so for however long she had left.
Isabella wasn’t sure how long that would be. In the world of Sanctum, everyone remembered their age as two numbers: their literal age in years, and their Common Age, a number relating to their state of maturity in terms of a human’s lifespan (since humans were the most populous and common race). Therefore, while Isabella was three-hundred thirty-one years old, her CA was twenty-nine. This was important because she didn’t believe she’d hit thirty.
Now you’ve got her thinking about mortality and the tragedy of her existence. Well done, Bale.
I do try.
The voices in my head are right, Isabella thought before choosing not to mull over just what that statement meant for her sanity (it didn’t look good). Today is good. I should make the most of it.
She finally focused on the bed, taking in Haruka’s appearance. The woman really was beautiful, and not in a traditional way; while her waist-length brown hair (how did she keep it so nice when it was so long?) was silky, soft, and reflected the light in a way that made it look almost amber, and while her skin was surprisingly markless (apart from the new scarring on her left cheek of course), both attributes that were rather feminine… her body was tough, fit, a testament to a life devoted to training and exertion.
That, to Isabella, was an even more attractive trait, one she could admire and respect at the same time. She never liked people who sat around; never liked people who never worked towards anything. Haruka was definitely a woman who always aspired to be better, to be stronger, to get farther. It really made her wonder why she’d chosen to give up what she’d worked for just to spend time with her, Isabella, the girl with no friends, no prospects, a life of hate and two crazy voices in her head.
To be fair, when she found out about those last two things, she might change her mind about joining her, so Isabella decided it would probably be best to keep those to herself. Enough was already being accepted by the woman, she didn’t need to pile on more and scare her off. On that hopeful note, she made sure to be careful as she woke her, not desiring a reactive punch to the face if she startled her awake. “Rukiiiiiii…”
Haruka’s eye opened. No fluttering, no tired blinking, no weary look, just open; ready. Kind of impressive to be that alert upon waking. Her green eye found Isabella’s grey ones and the blue-haired woman smiled, pulling the room’s curtains shut to block out the sunlight. “How are you feeling? Has the pain lessened?”
Haruka nodded, sitting up in the bed and showing no signs of soreness. “Gone.”
“Really? You have impressive healing abilities.”
“Chakra.”
“Oh, right. Monk. I forgot.” She moved to the last window, closing its curtains. “That seems even more useful than magic.”
Haruka shrugged. She watched Isabella’s movements with confusion, her brow furrowing a bit. “Curtains?”
Isabella smiled. She didn’t really know why she found Haruka’s manner of speech so endearing, so cute; maybe it was that the woman seemed so confident and strong-willed all the time and those one-word answers hinted at just a bit of shyness and maybe even a little innocence, even if that was a false impression. It was the same reason she found herself enjoying the woman’s blush.
Speaking of which… “The way you speak is so cute,” she said, looking back in time to see Haruka look away, cheek tinted red. She smiled and laughed softly. That was too easy, and she was going to take advantage. What? Fun was fun. She grew a bit more serious as she turned to answer though. “I’m closing the curtains so we can remove your bandages. Having been without light for two days, your eye is sure to be sensitive to it.”
Haruka’s expression darkened but she nodded her understanding. It was hard for Isabella to express how much she felt for the woman’s situation; she hoped it showed in her face, tone and actions. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry; it won’t be as bad as you think.” Haruka gave her a dubious look and Isabella responded by laying her hand on her un-bandaged cheek, holding her gaze. “I promise, you won’t even be thinking about it an hour from now.”
Haruka sighed, seeming to run over the words in her head before nodding, choosing to believe her. Isabella smiled again before reaching up, carefully beginning to undo the bandages. Haru didn’t flinch and Bella didn’t expect her to as she peeled them away. After they were removed Haruka blinked several times, slowly letting her eye adjust to the room’s dim lighting. Isabella had been right; it likely would have been painful had she stared into direct sunlight.
Isabella picked up a hand mirror from the bedside table and handed it to her, knowing it would only be worse the longer she put it off. The monk looked in the mirror and at first her jaw tightened, realization setting in that she really was scarred now. In truth, she was lucky; while the scarring extended from forehead to jawline, her eye was virtually untouched and the scarring on her left cheek didn’t even reach her nose or lips. If she just combed her hair over her left eye to the jawline it wouldn’t even be noticed. But the skin that was scarred looked bad; ashen, almost grey, and yet a deep red in spots at the same time.
It was a mix of both burn and tear scars; she must’ve been hit by some shrapnel in the explosion. A little muscle tissue was visible in some spots, and over most of the area the skin was slightly twisted and almost thinner. It definitely looked a lot worse than it felt, though now that she saw it, it began hurting again. The worst part was that, looking at it, she couldn’t seem to focus on anything else; any time she tried to look at her eyes, or her mouth, or her other cheek, her gaze would snap back to the damage. Somehow that one patch of scarring marred the entirety of her appearance; ruined it.
She finally forced herself to lower the mirror and looked at Isabella, unsure what to say. Bella had watched her face go through several emotions and at that moment she would have given all of her other abilities to be capable of healing it. Wishing for such things was pointless, though, and not the answer Haruka needed. In the end, all Isabella could do was let the other woman know it didn’t matter to her.
She leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Haruka’s scarred cheek, her fingers brushing the brown hair away from the area. She looked at it for a second before catching Haruka’s green eyes and the surprise in them. She smiled at her, willing the sincerity she felt to show through, keeping her hand comfortingly against her cheek. “You look tough,” she stated softly, “and delicate at the same time.” She looked between both eyes, making sure she was listening, understanding. “Your strength takes a scar and makes it a badge. And your beauty?” She chuckled softly, as if the notion was silly, “Your beauty isn’t marred at all.”
Haruka swallowed, holding Isabella’s gaze. She didn’t share things, personal things and feelings, with people, but Isabella certainly shared them with her, and it made it very hard to focus on depression or sorrow. Such open honesty and care was foreign to her, but just how much easier it made dealing with this… it was unbelievable, really. “Thank you,” she managed, hoping the two simple words really conveyed her gratitude.
Isabella smiled in relief, removing her hand, which Haruka – oddly – found herself missing as soon as it was gone. “You still want to use the mask?”
Haruka nodded, motioning to the scars. “Personal.”
“I understand. Well when you go out it will cover that no problem, and you’ll look mysterious and sexy. Well, sexy in a different way than you already are,” Isabella added with a grin, watching a new blush creep up on her companion. “There it is… Anyway,” she said as she picked up the half-mask, “If you’re going to travel with me, I have a rule.”
Haruka blinked, tilting her head. “Rule?”
“Yes,” Isabella replied, withholding the mask. “You can wear this in public, in crowds, whatever. But no wearing it when it’s just us. Deal?”
Haruka smiled. “Deal,” she softly agreed.
Isabella gave a happy smile. “Good! Now try it out. If you don’t like it we’ll come up with something else.”
Haruka slipped the mask onto her face. The cool porcelain felt good against the burned skin, a nice bonus. The mask was minimal and curved so that it didn’t touch her nose or lips, but covered everything left of them, from forehead to jawline. The hole for her eye was made so that it didn’t obscure her vision in any direction. Idly she wondered how Isabella had managed to make it fit so perfectly, so comfortably, to her face. She remembered her saying she had ‘done something like this before’, though; she would have to ask what that was at some point.
She examined herself in the mirror and smirked to see that Isabella was, again, right; with the artful white mask over the left side of her face, covered in its intricate and beautiful designs and patterns, she really did look somewhat mysterious, sort of like a guest at a masquerade party. “Perfect,” she admitted, eliciting happy clapping from the blue-haired woman.
“Great! I’m so glad you like it! People will be all, ‘ooh, look at that woman! She’s so mysterious and seductive! I bet she has so many exciting secrets and lives the most unusual life!”
Haruka chuckled, giving Isabella an amused look. “Reaching.”
“I’m not reaching! That’s totally what they’ll think! And if you do that glare you do with that on, you’ll look even fiercer and more impressive.”
“Fierce?” Haruka shook her head. “Hiding.”
“Yes, but you look like you are hiding things, not in hiding. And secrets are alluring. You look like someone with a lot of secrets and-“
“Mystery?” Haruka finished with a raised eyebrow.
Isabella huffed; the action made her seem much younger, childish even, which just amused Haruka. “Okay, maybe I’ve overused that word a bit, but it’s true.”
“Thesaurus.”
“I can’t believe you just used a rare three syllables just to insult my vocabulary.”
“Deserved.”
“Now you’re just being cruel.”
“Honest.”
“Just for that, I’m not going with you to the festival today.”
“Liar.”
“And how do you know I’m lying?”
Haruka gave her a smug, self-satisfied smirk. “You like me.”
“I… Well…” Isabella frowned, defeated. “That is so not fair. How did you win using only seven words?”
“Skill.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going with ‘cheating’.”
“Skillfully.”
“I guess I can’t deny that.” Isabella leapt up from the bed. Her mood could easily be described as ‘elated’ as she held out hand out with a large smile. “Enough losing to your cheating ways. Let’s get going!”
Haruka accepted the help getting up but, thankfully, found she had no problem standing under her own power. Another bit of good news she found as she got dressed was that her dark green longcoat had only sustained a small tear from a piece of shrapnel in the explosion, one that was easily fixed. If it wasn’t resistant to fire it probably would have been a lost cause.
After they left the room Isabella watched Haruka squint against the outside sunlight, her left eye clamped shut. “Riiiiight, I think I forgot about the whole ‘haven’t seen light in two days’ thing. I’m sorry!”
Haruka smirked. “Fine.” She moved some of her hair over her left eye to cut down the glare until it adjusted.
“If you say so.” Isabella clasped her hands behind her back, walking calmly down the street. “So, Haruka Saito, we’re going to be travelling together?”
“Yes.”
“Can I learn some basic information, then? I only really know your name. Like, how about your race? I’m pretty sure you’re elven.”
“Elf,” Haruka nodded, looking to Isabella. “Yours?”
“Well, while blue hair is a possible elven feature, I think you’ve noticed my grey eyes ruin that,” she replied, receiving a nod from Haruka, who knew elven eyes were almost always bright and vivid in color, like her green ones. “I’m a second-generation fallen.” She smiled at Haruka. “Both parents.”
Haruka tilted her head, her curiosity rising. “Type…?” she said, as if unsure if it was okay to ask. But then, Isabella had been nothing but honest with her so far, and if she didn’t want to answer she’d simply say so.
“Father was a demon, mother was an angel.”
“Rare?”
“Not as much as you’d think, actually. So I hear, anyway. I’ve never actually been to the fallen capitol, Haldar, or really seen other fallen at all; my parents met before they became so.”
That part actually was rare. Due to some racism in certain parts of the world, fallen almost always lived in The Floating City. “From?”
“Where am I from?” Isabella looked at her as if deciding if she could be trusted. “Areya,” she said softly.
Haruka blinked in surprise. Areya was far, far to the west; she’d never even known anyone who had been there. There was no point; even where they were now, outside Imperial lands, felt like far enough away from the ‘center of the world’ as people seemed to think of it. Areya was just some distant land beyond the distant lands, beyond the rocky plains of Mithlain, the forest beyond that, and even the mountains beyond that. “Far,” Haruka said, summing up what she thought about it in one word.
Isabella smiled sadly. “Yes, it is.”
“Left?”
“For good? Yes.”
“Return?”
“No…” Isabella sighed. “I don’t plan on ever going back. There’s…” She looked at Haruka. “It’s the past. And I can’t go back to that past. I can’t… go back to that place.” She looked away. “I know I’m a coward…”
Haruka caught her hand, causing her to look back at her. “Not,” she denied, shaking her head. “Difference,” she continued, moving her free hand to one spot to illustrate, “Running,” she moved her hand to a different spot, “Moving on.”
Isabella smiled at her. “I do like your explanation better. I’ve been running until now, though.” She tilted her head, studying Haruka. “Maybe you’ll help me switch to moving on,” she said in a soft voice as if to herself.
Haruka nodded. “Focus on future.”
Isabella nodded as well, beginning to walk again. “You’re right, the future is what’s important. One can’t forget the past, though.”
“Remember,” Haruka cautioned as she followed her, “not focus.”
“Yes… I suppose I have a tendency to focus on the past sometimes. I can get dreadfully depressed and depressing. I apologize in advance for that, but you’re sweet enough not to mind, aren’t you?” She smiled at Haruka’s blush. “And you thought you were all hard. So tell me, Ruki, what age are you that has given you all this wisdom?”
“Common?” Haruka asked. Receiving a nod in response she held up two fingers, then nine.
“Twenty-nine? Me, too!” Isabella grinned. “Do you believe in fate, Haru?”
Haruka coughed, unsure what to say. She decided on a shrug and a smirk, saying, “Maybe.”
“You’re a good argument for fate, you know. What are the chances of my randomly meeting you here, in this town where neither of us lives, where neither of us often visits?” She paused, looking back at Haruka. “You don’t visit here often, right?”
Haruka smiled a bit, shaking her head.
“Then it’s FATE!” Isabella cried out, raising a hand victoriously. “Finally working in my favor for once!”
Haruka chucked. How could you not feel good when someone was so happy about having met you? She was still getting used to this, being around someone who was just glad that she was there. She didn’t have to do anything or say anything; her presence seemed to be enough to make Isabella happy. Haruka didn’t claim to understand why; she was just grateful.
This put her in a mood that helped as they entered a heavily crowded market area of the town. So far they’d only passed one or two people, but now they were in the thick of it. Dozens, even hundreds of people milled about in this area, hundreds of eyes that could focus on and judge her. This was the test, she felt, but for what, exactly, she didn’t know. She didn’t get long to think about it, either, because Isabella grabbed her hand, flashed her a smile and pulled her through the crowd, weaving between moving bodies.
Isabella’s grip was reassuring, her smile moreso, and her excitement soon cancelled out Haruka’s anxiety. The monk didn’t need to be an expert on people to figure out that Bella was doing this on purpose. It put the facts of her new life in front of her, really; made them reality. She realized her chosen devotion to the cobalt-haired woman gained her not only devotion in return but support, a partner that would be at her side through everything.
Haruka found herself embracing such ideas more quickly and fully than she would have thought herself capable of. She felt that, having been so solitary, removed and hard for most of her life, she should be more resistant to such a strong friendship so quickly. Perhaps she’d never been lonely out of choice. Perhaps she’d just never had someone she wanted such a bond with and, now that she did, she was eager to see just how far it would go.
Isabella pulled her up to a stand, grinning like a child at the man behind it. Haruka examined the man’s stand and noticed all manner of food, mostly sweets and candy. For some reason, the fact that Bella chose this as the first place to stop didn’t surprise her. “Two of the least healthy things you have, please!” she exclaimed, causing Haruka to roll her eyes.
The man – an elderly gentleman dressed nicely for the crowds today – did glance at Haruka’s mask a bit long, as she expected, but encouragingly, he seemed interested rather than repulsed or cautious. Haruka supposed Isabella’s repeated assurance that she would ‘look mysterious’ had been correct all along. Maybe this whole thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.
The old man chuckled at Isabella’s energy and her order, looking at her in amusement. “I can appreciate the sentiment, young one,” he said as he worked on two items.
Isabella smiled. “Young one, huh? I don’t get that very often.”
“Oh, you may be well beyond your childhood, but still in your earlier years. I’m over eighty so, to me, you’re young.”
Isabella grinned at him. “You’re a human, right? I’m over three hundred, so I’m well older than you.”
The man chuckled again. “You may think that at first, but reaching the end of your life is more significant in matters of age than years are. The two of you are young to me no matter what you say.”
Isabella smiled respectfully at him. “I bow to your superior wisdom,” she stated, physically bowing. “I hope that means you won’t judge me for the extremely childish manner in which I intend to experience today.”
Both the man and Haruka laughed at that. He then handed them each a shishkebob covered with candied fruit that dripped syrup, grinning as Isabella’s face lit up. “Everyone needs to act like a kid every so often. Keeps you sane.”
Bella gave him a smile as she paid him. “You, sir, understand.” She handed one of them to Haruka, bidding the man good-bye as they started walking again, biting into the fruit and making the exact sounds one would expect from a child eating sweets.
Haruka smirked, overtly taking a bite like a normal person, an act that didn’t go past Bella’s notice. The blue-haired woman stuck her tongue out at her and Haru snickered. She looked back over her shoulder. “Speak well,” she said, referencing Bella’s conversation with the old man. “Get along.”
“I guess I’m something of a people person,” Bella agreed, sucking on a piece of apple, her favorite. “Mmm, apples…” She looked back over her shoulder as well before smiling at Haruka. “It’s really not that hard. Most people respond to the way you act. If you act standoffish, they’ll probably do the same. On the other hand, if you come to them with a smile, a good attitude and a bit of kindness, you’d be surprised how many people will treat you with the same.”
Haruka nodded; it was good advice, for most people. “Harder,” she stated, “for me.”
“I suppose it is…” Isabella looked at her. She opened her mouth as if to ask, but closed it again without saying anything.
Haruka understood, though, so she pointed to her chest just below her throat, indicating her voice. “Born weak,” she explained. It wasn’t something she liked admitting but it wasn’t like she could hide it. And besides, if she was going to spend a long time with Isabella, the woman deserved to know why her travelling companion only said one or two words at a time. “Too much,” she continued, “hurts; stops.”
“Oh, I see,” Isabella responded, looking at her sadly. That disappeared in a second, though, replaced with an affectionate smile. “I still think it’s cute.”
Haruka blushed again but answered with a smile, “Good.”
“I can imagine it must be frustrating. Being unable to do something can be the worst feeling.” Isabella watched her companion’s eyes as they walked. “Little unique things like that are good, though. It’s just another special part of you. And besides… It may be selfish, but…” Isabella herself actually blushed this time as she looked away, causing Haruka to raise an eyebrow. “Well, it is selfish, but I kind of like the idea that, eventually, I’ll understand what you say more than anyone else does. I’ve never had any sort of personal connection like that.”
Haruka gave an understanding smile. “Selfish,” she started, “about me…” She allowed herself to take a pause in between before continuing with another smile, “is good.”
“Just remember you said that when I start acting smug around other people because I’m closer to you.”
Haruka chuckled. “They’d care?”
Isabella shrugged. “I dunno, it doesn’t really matter if they’d care. I just think I’ll get smug about it because I care.”
Haruka smirked, but her reply died on her lips as she noticed two figures in the crowd. More importantly they were two figures she recognized. She grabbed Isabella’s wrist, beginning to push her way through the crowd. “Ow! Haruka, what are you… Is something wrong?” Isabella looked around and soon spotted the two – in similar dress to Haruka – heading towards them.
It was really something, Haruka thought, as she watched all traces of childishness vanish from Isabella’s face to be replaced by a much harder, even intimidating look. One minute you wouldn’t think she could hurt a fly; the next minute you wouldn’t be surprised if she was a danger to the entire city. She wasn’t wearing her armor at the moment so Haruka was worried (she would be anyway), but at least she had her sword on her hip.
They and the two other Black Sun Monks broke into a run at the same instant. Fortunately they had reached the edge of the crowd so they darted into an alleyway and kept running. Haruka found that she was faster than Isabella, but the other woman had a natural grace that helped her keep up. It wasn’t like she was slow; she was far faster than the average person. But Haruka got the feeling that Bella paced her running due to her condition. Long-term, all-out sprinting probably wasn’t good for her.
Several streets down Isabella stopped, turning around as she pulled her sword from her belt (still tied into its scabbard, always tied into its scabbard). “We’ll never outrun them at this pace. You could do it yourself…” She looked at Haruka, smiling at the look she received. “I figured you wouldn’t. Looks like we’re making a stand, then.”
Haruka moved up beside her. The two monks came running out to the street in front of them, stopping upon seeing them waiting. One of the monks was the blonde Sarya, Haruka’s former partner. Neither of the two women was surprised by this. The other monk was a man with crimson hair swept to one side of his face and a sharp appearance. Unlike the other two he wore black; Haruka was a bit nervous about him.
Sarya’s blue eyes narrowed at Haruka. “So you’re siding with her now? Against your own people? Your home?”
Isabella looked at Haruka, who just shrugged. “Choice,” she stated. “Right one.”
The crimson-haired man sighed. “I still believe you are jumping to conclusions, Sarya.” He brought one arm across his stomach, resting the other elbow on it and curling his hand before his mouth in thought as his brown eyes focused on the brunette monk. “This is very disappointing, if true, Haruka. You had a lot of promise. The Masters will not like this.”
Haruka shook her head. “Tough.”
Sarya was getting angrier by the moment and directed it at the man now. “Why are you just talking, Kyne? Can’t you see she’s a traitor?”
“Until this point it didn’t seem like she had a choice,” Kyne responded. “She was injured – by your careless aim, I might add –“
“She could’ve dodged it if she didn’t save that-“
“By YOUR careless aim,” he continued, “and you just left her. This woman…” He looked at Isabella as if awaiting an introduction.
“Oh! Isabella,” she said, a little friendlier than Haruka thought was appropriate in this situation, but whatever.
“Isabella,” he continued with a smile, “took her and healed her. So of course Haruka has been with her for this time. That is not a crime. As for the lovely knight here, she got in the way of the job, but we have no personal quarrel with her. Neither deserves death.” He looked at Haruka. “You can still come back with us. Leave with us now, and you will have no further trouble. Isabella shall be left alone.”
Alone. When describing Isabella, that word was a lot more negative than Kyne had meant it. Haruka didn’t plan to leave the woman alone at all. She looked Kyne in the eyes, shaking her head apologetically. “Sorry.”
“So you truly are choosing a stranger over the Black Sun?”
“Not stranger,” Haruka corrected with a smirk. “Bella.” Isabella smiled in amusement at that.
“You’ve only known her for two days. How much do you even know about her?”
Haruka didn’t seem bothered in the least. “Enough.”
“Enough for a decision like this? This is extremely rash and irresponsible. I had more faith in you.”
“Be silent,” Isabella interrupted, directing a hard gaze at the man. “She doesn’t have to suffer your judgment. She made a decision to change her life, to live a new one. What makes you think it’s even about me? Maybe she just wants more freedom.”
Kyne smirked, looking from her to Haruka. “Oh, it’s about you.” He lowered his hands. “It looks like we really only have one choice, then.”
“Fight?” Haruka asked. Upon seeing his nod she scoffed, cracking her knuckles against her palm and tilting her head to crack her neck. “Unfair.”
Isabella smiled. “You think they should get some help?”
“Some? Much.”
Kyne narrowed his eyes. “Your overconfidence is surprising as well as disappointing. You know you can’t take someone on my level.”
Haruka smirked. “Six.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Six what?”
“Five,” Isabella added with a smile at her.
Sarya frowned. “Is this some sort of code?”
“Four,” Haruka continued, rolling her shoulders.
“How could they have a code already?”
“Three,” said Isabella, shifting one foot.
“Two,” responded Haruka, clenching her hands into fists.
“Honestly,” Kyne said in irritation, “What are you-“
“One,” Isabella finished, exploding into movement so fast that Kyne barely managed to jerk his head to the side, avoiding the thrusting sword that shot past his face. Isabella redirected her movement, spinning clockwise and bringing her sword around, forcing him to duck. He then leapt back and she leapt after him.
Sarya wasn’t so lucky. The speed of Bella’s sudden movement had put her off-guard for just a moment. Unfortunately for her, Haruka had moved at the same time as Isabella, so the brunette’s fist collided with the blonde’s face and sent her spinning. Haruka went after her but she caught her balance, managing to parry the other monk’s attack. She deflected three more punches before skipping backwards, attempting to gain a little distance.
Meanwhile, Kyne, no longer off-balance, fought fiercely with Isabella. The woman was something else, he could admit that; he had no idea how much experience she had, but it was a lot, more than even he had. It had to be because, somehow, she deflected or avoided attacks that she shouldn’t have been able to see, as if she knew what he was going to do. He performed a fake left punch towards her stomach before a lightning-fast right punch at her face.
Isabella completely ignored the first punch and already had her hand moving to intercept the second one. She caught his right wrist in her left hand, sidestepping and yanking him past her. At the same time she brought her sword up in her right hand, slamming the scabbard into his stomach. Experience was Isabella’s strongest weapon. Her life had been spent being used as a weapon, endlessly fighting. She had fought crowds, armies, barbarians, berserkers, monks, assassins, monsters, spirits, mages, blademasters, knights, and, once, even a dragon.
She may have regrets about almost all of it, but it did give her a certain advantage these days as she fought to protect what she cared for. She saw Haruka out of the corner of her eye and looked at her a moment too long. She may have had more experience and even more skill, but Kyne wasn’t one to be underestimated. His punch connected with her jaw and sent her reeling. She stumbled back several steps and refocused on the man, knowing that was going to be a bruise later.
Damn it, I’m not used to this, she thought, trying to ignore Haruka’s presence. She’d never fought alongside someone she cared about before, someone she wanted (needed) to live. Her head knew that Haruka could take care of herself quite easily; for all she knew, Haruka was better than her. But her heart refused to simply believe her head. Her heart wanted her to keep looking over at Haruka and make sure she was okay. This is not good, she thought worriedly. Not good at all. If I don’t get used to this I’ll get us both killed.
You know, I could handle this for you…
Shut up, Bale! Isabella jerked her concentration back out of her mind as something shot towards her. She leapt into the air and watched a spear of Shadow magic dart under her. Her eyes moved to Kyne’s extended hand and she grimaced. Good job, Bella, you nearly got yourself killed while talking to the voices in your head. Focus, damn it!
Haruka heard the tearing sound of Kyne’s Shadowlance attack and she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder to check. She noticed with relief that Isabella had avoided the attack, but of course, Sarya took advantage of this momentary distraction to activate her own attack, creating two shurikens made of flame in her hands. Haruka just managed to look back in time to slap aside the strike aimed at her heart, a hit she definitely wouldn’t have survived.
Haruka frowned. This would not do, not at all. She found herself worrying about Isabella, about her sickness and how long she’d be able to keep up. Even moreso she worried because she knew Bella would not draw her sword and kill Kyne. He could take a lot of damage, she knew that firsthand, so Bella’s hits would take a long time to bring him down. Too long. Surely her condition would take its toll before then, and then she would be at Kyne’s mercy, and he would simply-
The flame shuriken glanced off her porcelain mask as she jerked her head to the side. She realized Isabella must have put more enchantments on the mask than the one to make it stay on. She had to remember to ask about that, and thank her for it, considering that stab would have split her face in half without it. She really needed to get her thoughts back on the fight. She’d never had trouble focusing in combat before…
She caught one of Sarya’s strikes on one of her bracers and threw her arm aside to create an opening, striking her in the stomach with an open palm before darting a few steps back. Sarya’s widening eyes showed she understood as Haruka’s Death Mark appeared on her stomach. A second later it exploded, sending the blonde woman several feet backwards. Now Haru had the opportunity to risk a glance at Isabella.
The blue-haired woman was caught in a dance with Kyne. He was taking her seriously now, darting in different directions and striking at openings he could find. Isabella was spinning, leaning and bending gracefully, her sword flowing through the air to intercept attacks in smooth motions, a stark contrast to Kyne’s darting strikes. He managed to get inside her guard and shoved his hand up towards the underside of her chin, but her empty hand hit his and knocked the strike to the side. He instead took a step forward and brought his knee up into her stomach.
Haruka intended to dash over but a flying shuriken caught her attention instead, forcing her to dodge. Sarya then charged her but Haruka sidestepped, turning the fight so she could see Isabella. As the blue-haired woman was doubled over from the strike to her gut Kyne brought his hand over her back, intending to impale her with the Shadowlance. His eyes went wide, though, as her sword slipped between his legs and leveraged one out from under him. Isabella continued the move by rising into a standing position under him, flipping him over her shoulder.
He continued the flip in the air and spun, landing on his feet and unleashing his Shadowlance at her anyway. Isabella threw herself to the side, but it was clear that she was tiring; her movements were no longer as fluid or quick. This renewed Haruka’s focus and her eyes centered on Sarya. The blonde fought her with increasing rage, obviously taking her ‘betrayal’ personally. “This… is… OVER, HARUKA!” She yelled as she leapt backwards into the air, flinging three explosive shurikens at her.
“Agreed,” Haruka stated as her eyes narrowed and she flickered out of sight, moving too fast for the eye to see. The shurikens embedded harmlessly in the ground and Sarya’s eyes widened as Haruka appeared in the air before her, a dark shine in her eyes.
“What…?” One word was the only reaction Sarya could manage before she felt three rapid strikes on her torso. Haruka then vanished again and Sarya landed back on the ground, looking down at the three Death Marks that appeared on her. “No…”
Haruka heard the explosions behind her but she paid them no attention, rushing towards Isabella and Kyne with all her speed. They had somehow moved further away when she wasn’t looking, but it would only take her a few seconds to cross the gap.
Isabella was stupid. She fully admitted this to herself. She had taken far more hits in this fight than she should have. Kyne was good, he was, but in truth he wasn’t on Bella’s level. The gulf between their experience, and between their skill, was just too wide. But try all she might she just couldn’t keep Haruka out of her mind and keep her thoughts on the fight. On top of that, Bale and Bai were fighting in her head, demanding she let one of them take over so she didn’t die.
It was a good argument, she admitted. And, in retrospect, she really should have taken their advice. She spotted Haruka coming towards them and smiled, happy to see the woman was fine. And then the lance of Shadow magic pierced her skin. She twisted to the side so it didn’t impale her but it still tore through her side and sent a spray of blood in a horizontal arc. Isabella cried out in pain, hitting the ground as she was unable to catch herself.
That was foolish, Bai said to her. Your stubbornness has bitten you once again.
We could have ended this ages ago, but no, you keep stubbornly refusing to kill. Refuse to kill but don’t refuse to die, that’s your motto, isn’t it?
Sure, Isabella thought to herself, might as well get in some more insults and guilt before I die. Why not?
Kyne sighed, glad he had finally beaten the woman. His hand swirled with Shadow as he charged up another one to finish it, but a yell kind of distracted him. What was that, rage? Not from the knight, then… He turned in time for Haruka’s fist to connect with his face. He stumbled back a step, gritting his teeth and intending to say something, but the hit to his stomach cut him off this time.
As Haruka landed before him he felt a third hit, then fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh… He lost count as her blurring hands struck all over his body, even seeming to speed up as it went on. Dozens of hits connected within several seconds and only ended with a final kick that sent him back into the side of a building.
He grunted from the impact, but none of the hits had been very hard. Haruka stood there panting heavily, her arms hanging limply at her sides. She’d overdone it, apparently. Kyne looked down, his expression growing darker as he watched Death Mark after Death Mark appear on his body. One, three, seven, twelve… No point in counting, really. He looked up at Haruka, managing a smirk. “Seems like I was the overconfident one,” he said, sighing in resignation. “Ah, well… At least it’s a good one.”
He looked up into the sky and Haruka crossed her arms in front of her face as he disappeared in the violent explosion. It demolished the wall of the building beside him and the force blew Haruka back, but she managed to avoid any injuries. As wood and stone shrapnel rained down she moved quickly to Isabella, kneeling beside her to check the wound. “Bella?”
“Here… I’m here.” Isabella coughed, squinting against the falling ashes. She had her arm pressed against her side with her robe bunched up against the wound, both her arm and robe now covered in blood. “It’s… not fatal,” she assured Haruka. “Just… not fun, either.” She looked at Haruka. “Are you okay…?”
Haruka gently picked her up, cradling her in her arms as she started walking. “Fine,” she answered. “Not hurt.”
“Good…” Isabella sighed, laying her head on Haruka’s shoulder. “Good.”’
Haruka stopped, looking back as a thought crossed her mind. She frowned as she realized she was right; Sarya was nowhere to be seen. No body, and that attack wasn’t enough to incinerate it like Kyne’s. She’d certainly see her again, then. And she’d no doubt report everything Haruka had done to the Black Suns. They were going to be hunted for a long time, and by people stronger than Sarya and Kyne.
Haruka made her way through the town with Isabella in her arms, away from the site of the explosion. How much joy were they really going to be able to have, having to run all the time? Still, as she looked at Isabella, she still believed it was worth it. She’d make it work. They would make it work.