Residual Hate 2
I've been finding it very hard to get back into this universe. I mean, I finished the manga story two years ago so the characters have grown in my mind. I'm not planning to abandon it yet but my sense of honesty forced me to mention it. Anyhoo, here's the second chapter of Residual Hate.
Chapter 2
It took Hitori a couple of days to notice that something was wrong with Adeliva. The first day had been devoted to getting as far away from Farmshead as they could, finally stopping near a stream as the sun was setting. Hitori had taken the oppurtunity to show Adeliva how to wash up without contaminating the water supply, and she was still in shock over how different the girl looked without a solid layer of grime on her person.
Dressed in Hitori’s hastily refitted spare clothes, the young girl’s skin was extremely pale, a sharp contrast to the raven black hair that gleamed in the sun. Wide gray eyes took in her surroundings, enthralled by the scent of dense woodland and all the small creatures that lived along the trail. Hitori spent a good amount of time telling her about plants that caught her charge’s eyes, their names, their uses, and whether they had poisonous bits.
By the second day, Adeliva could recite their uses from memory, and her strained smile became more and more comfortable. But as time went on, it became strained again and she grew quieter. By the third day, Hitori had had enough.
“What’s wrong?” She asked finally, cupping the girl’s sharp chin with her hand to make her look at her.
Adeliva eyes slid to the side guiltily, unable to maintain eye contact with Hitori. Those golden-brown eyes were too kind. “Nothing, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“If you can’t even look me in the eye when you talk, I know you’re lying.” Hitori said flatly. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“You won’t get mad?”
“Of course not. Now spit it out.”
“My feet hurt.” Adeliva murmured as she studied the ground, barely audible to even Hitori’s sharp ears.
The weaver mage looked around for a small boulder and found one to her left. She lifted Adeliva off her feet and set her down on its rough surface. Once the strings holding the girl’s sandals were removed, she tried to gently remove the leather strips but encountered some resistance. Her charge hissed as the leather finally came off.
‘Shit.’ Was her first thought when she saw the oozing blisters on the underside of Adeliva’s feet. Biting her lip, she gently felt the irritated skin where the strings had bitten into Adeliva’s flesh, feeling their depth before examining the blisters more closely. “Why didn’t you say anything?” She whispered, making a list of the herbs she needed for a poultice.
“I didn’t wanna slow you down.” The girl replied meekly.
“You foolish girl.” Hitori shook her head, her golden earrings jingling. “I’ll never be in so much a hurry that I’d knowingly let someone hurt like this. I don’t know how you could stand the pain for so long.”
“I’m used to it.” Adeliva tried to smile reassuringly but the painful buzz in her mind seemed to grow the more she listened to Hitori. “This place is so alive, it’s easy to absorb the happy from it and ignore small things like that.”
Hitori’s eyes widened slightly. She knew that Adeliva was trying to be comforting but her words were horrifying. Taking a deep breathe, she kept that thought firmly to herself. “I’m going to go get a few things for your feet. You are not to move from this rock except for an emergancy, okay? No getting firewood or starting to set up camp. I can do that easilly when I get back.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me you’ll do as I say, Ryu.” Hitori pleaded. “I don’t like seeing people hurting, especially when I care about them.”
“I will.” Adeliva promised, slightly confused by all the fuss. When Hitori gave her an impulsive hug, it felt like she was standing next to a sun, the warmth of Hitori’s body and soul encasing her like a comforting cocoon. She forgot her own pain for a moment, just basking in that feeling of peace.
Then Hitori went into the woods and Adeliva felt her body’s pain all the more strongly. She sat silently, holding on to Hitori’s awareness to simply remember that there was something other than pain and cold in the world.
***
“She’s late.”
“In my father’s realm, repeating yourself is a sign of senility.” Faylin answered calmly, not looking away from his book. The Fall Of The Arconic Empire had always been one of his favorite ballads and he knew exactly what the other man was doing anyway. Kamatari had spent the entire journey to Meiron looking over his shoulder, not because of his usual paranoia -but because of Hitori. Since their arrival at the inn two days ago, he had spent most of his free time pacing in front of the window, exercising on the Northern wall that overlooked the vast field and the forest beyond it, and ignoring everybody around him. Faylin was not happy about leaving Hitori behind either, he and Kamatari had not gotten off to a good start and they had a tendancy to ignore each other’s existance when Hitori wasn’t around to shove civility down their throats.
“I’m going to go find her.” Kamatari growled, finally turning away from the inn’s window and walking purpousfully towards the door. The throwing knife Faylin had been playing with soared through the air, passing inches from Kamatari’s head, and hit the door with a loud thunk. The wooden latch that kept the door secure was immobilized in the process, making it impossible for Kamatari to open the door without breaking it or the latch. The man spun around quickly, hand going to the sword sheathed at his waist. He then slid a finger between the grip and the sheathe, lifting the blade a couple of inches with a click and a hiss of steel.
Faylin finally looked up from his book, his sky blue eyes meeting Kamatari’s furious black ones without flinching. Many people underestimated Faylin because he wore an easy-going smile and possessed exquisite manners, but travelling with Hitori and Kamatari for the past year had awakened an iron will. Kalen, his primary bodyguard in his father’s duchy and best friend, was always stunned by the change in his charge. Though he would never admit it, the man was eternally grateful to Hitori and Kamatari for beating the outright arrogance out of Faylin’s manner.
“No spoiled brat will keep me locked up.” Kamatari snarled, his black eyes narrowing further as Faylin refused to give up. “I can tie you up with that ridiculous scarf in seconds and you can’t stop me from pulling that dagger out.”
“Why, Kamatari, I did not know you leaned that way.” Faylin purred, stroking the silken scarf around his shoulders soothingly. He tilted his head back a little, a sly smile teasing his lips as he gave the man in front of him a contemplative look. “I’m sure Hitori would love to learn of the reason behind your fascination of phallic objects.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about, you peacock.” The swordsman demanded, face flushing as a possiblility occurred to him. “You’re the one who acts like a woman, flaunting your clothes and playing with your hair constantly.”
“Is that the best you can do?” Faylin asked politely, putting a feather between the pages of his book so he wouldn’t lose his spot. He glided past Kamatari, prudently keeping out of reach of the man’s sword as he explored the more colourful side of his vocabulary. Faylin then coaxed the door open and shut it quickly behind him. He quickly chanted a sealing spell on the door, reinforcing the oak planks with magic that made the grains remember their time as a tree. If he possessed plant magic, he could have made the door grow into its frame and sprout green buds; but he did not, and so the best he could do was encourage the door to be resistant.
He only noticed Kalen standing behind him when the man spoke. “Was that really a good idea milord?”
“Probably not. Kamatari can degrade the spell in half an hour, less if he calms down properly.” Faylin conceded with an impish smile. “But it was so very satisfying to ruffle his featheers.”
Kalen watched the smaller man flounce gleefully down the hallway and groaned. He was six feet of pure muscle, with a handsome face and sandy hair that tended to curl when it was humid; but he would never dare to anger Kamatari like his slight lord did. The swordsman was very short, but he was a quick bugger and Kalen had no desire to have his throat cut by his sometimes-teacher. He had learned the hard way that Kamatari’s bite was fiercer than it appeared to be.
‘I really hope that woman gets back soon.’ Kalen thought as he followed his liege-lord. ‘I really don’t want to die protecting Faylin from a furious ally.’
***
It had been a very boring day for Kelik, defender of the the southern wall of Meiron. Nobody bothered leaving the city during the summer festival because all the entertainement was in the streets: brightly coloured singers and dancers performed amidst the street vendors, children dressed in their most comfortable clothes raced around, begging their parents for sweets. It wouldn’t have been as bad if he could actually see the scantly clad women who danced in the streets, but there were many banners and clothes anchored to the stone houses of Meiron and despite their shade and additionnal cheer; they completely blocked his view.
Even his partner had deserted him, not showing up for his shift two hours ago. Knowing Kaiden, he would join the festivities with his current ladyfriend and somehow convince the captain that his absence was fully justified tomorrow.
Either way, he was quite surprised to see two women emerge from the forest, one almost hiding behind the other. “Whotcher doin’ over yonder me lassies?” He called out, leaning over the edge of the wall to get a better look. “Don’tcher know the party started days ago?”
“We got distracted!” The taller one answered cheerfully. “Mind lettin’ us in there?”
“If ya tell me yer names, lassie.” He grinned charmingly, though some of the effect was lost by the fact that he was ten feet above ground level. “This gent is good at tours don’tcher know?”
“The name’s Hitori.” The woman answered sweetly. “We’re already meetin’ a couple of friends. I’m sure you noticed a fellow with a mean temper and a couple swords wandering about.”
“Right on through then, wot?” He gave in with a wince, giving the signal to open the doors. “I’ll tell the Head Honcho yer in town. He likes ta talk to wanderin’ folk.”
“You have my thanks, kind sir.” The two women walked into Meiron and out of his sight.
Prologue ^-^-^ Chapter 1 ^-^-^ Chapter 2 ^-^-^ Chapter 3 ^-^-^ Chapter 4 ^-^-^ Chapter 5 ^-^-^ Chapter 6
Chapter 2
It took Hitori a couple of days to notice that something was wrong with Adeliva. The first day had been devoted to getting as far away from Farmshead as they could, finally stopping near a stream as the sun was setting. Hitori had taken the oppurtunity to show Adeliva how to wash up without contaminating the water supply, and she was still in shock over how different the girl looked without a solid layer of grime on her person.
Dressed in Hitori’s hastily refitted spare clothes, the young girl’s skin was extremely pale, a sharp contrast to the raven black hair that gleamed in the sun. Wide gray eyes took in her surroundings, enthralled by the scent of dense woodland and all the small creatures that lived along the trail. Hitori spent a good amount of time telling her about plants that caught her charge’s eyes, their names, their uses, and whether they had poisonous bits.
By the second day, Adeliva could recite their uses from memory, and her strained smile became more and more comfortable. But as time went on, it became strained again and she grew quieter. By the third day, Hitori had had enough.
“What’s wrong?” She asked finally, cupping the girl’s sharp chin with her hand to make her look at her.
Adeliva eyes slid to the side guiltily, unable to maintain eye contact with Hitori. Those golden-brown eyes were too kind. “Nothing, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“If you can’t even look me in the eye when you talk, I know you’re lying.” Hitori said flatly. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“You won’t get mad?”
“Of course not. Now spit it out.”
“My feet hurt.” Adeliva murmured as she studied the ground, barely audible to even Hitori’s sharp ears.
The weaver mage looked around for a small boulder and found one to her left. She lifted Adeliva off her feet and set her down on its rough surface. Once the strings holding the girl’s sandals were removed, she tried to gently remove the leather strips but encountered some resistance. Her charge hissed as the leather finally came off.
‘Shit.’ Was her first thought when she saw the oozing blisters on the underside of Adeliva’s feet. Biting her lip, she gently felt the irritated skin where the strings had bitten into Adeliva’s flesh, feeling their depth before examining the blisters more closely. “Why didn’t you say anything?” She whispered, making a list of the herbs she needed for a poultice.
“I didn’t wanna slow you down.” The girl replied meekly.
“You foolish girl.” Hitori shook her head, her golden earrings jingling. “I’ll never be in so much a hurry that I’d knowingly let someone hurt like this. I don’t know how you could stand the pain for so long.”
“I’m used to it.” Adeliva tried to smile reassuringly but the painful buzz in her mind seemed to grow the more she listened to Hitori. “This place is so alive, it’s easy to absorb the happy from it and ignore small things like that.”
Hitori’s eyes widened slightly. She knew that Adeliva was trying to be comforting but her words were horrifying. Taking a deep breathe, she kept that thought firmly to herself. “I’m going to go get a few things for your feet. You are not to move from this rock except for an emergancy, okay? No getting firewood or starting to set up camp. I can do that easilly when I get back.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me you’ll do as I say, Ryu.” Hitori pleaded. “I don’t like seeing people hurting, especially when I care about them.”
“I will.” Adeliva promised, slightly confused by all the fuss. When Hitori gave her an impulsive hug, it felt like she was standing next to a sun, the warmth of Hitori’s body and soul encasing her like a comforting cocoon. She forgot her own pain for a moment, just basking in that feeling of peace.
Then Hitori went into the woods and Adeliva felt her body’s pain all the more strongly. She sat silently, holding on to Hitori’s awareness to simply remember that there was something other than pain and cold in the world.
***
“She’s late.”
“In my father’s realm, repeating yourself is a sign of senility.” Faylin answered calmly, not looking away from his book. The Fall Of The Arconic Empire had always been one of his favorite ballads and he knew exactly what the other man was doing anyway. Kamatari had spent the entire journey to Meiron looking over his shoulder, not because of his usual paranoia -but because of Hitori. Since their arrival at the inn two days ago, he had spent most of his free time pacing in front of the window, exercising on the Northern wall that overlooked the vast field and the forest beyond it, and ignoring everybody around him. Faylin was not happy about leaving Hitori behind either, he and Kamatari had not gotten off to a good start and they had a tendancy to ignore each other’s existance when Hitori wasn’t around to shove civility down their throats.
“I’m going to go find her.” Kamatari growled, finally turning away from the inn’s window and walking purpousfully towards the door. The throwing knife Faylin had been playing with soared through the air, passing inches from Kamatari’s head, and hit the door with a loud thunk. The wooden latch that kept the door secure was immobilized in the process, making it impossible for Kamatari to open the door without breaking it or the latch. The man spun around quickly, hand going to the sword sheathed at his waist. He then slid a finger between the grip and the sheathe, lifting the blade a couple of inches with a click and a hiss of steel.
Faylin finally looked up from his book, his sky blue eyes meeting Kamatari’s furious black ones without flinching. Many people underestimated Faylin because he wore an easy-going smile and possessed exquisite manners, but travelling with Hitori and Kamatari for the past year had awakened an iron will. Kalen, his primary bodyguard in his father’s duchy and best friend, was always stunned by the change in his charge. Though he would never admit it, the man was eternally grateful to Hitori and Kamatari for beating the outright arrogance out of Faylin’s manner.
“No spoiled brat will keep me locked up.” Kamatari snarled, his black eyes narrowing further as Faylin refused to give up. “I can tie you up with that ridiculous scarf in seconds and you can’t stop me from pulling that dagger out.”
“Why, Kamatari, I did not know you leaned that way.” Faylin purred, stroking the silken scarf around his shoulders soothingly. He tilted his head back a little, a sly smile teasing his lips as he gave the man in front of him a contemplative look. “I’m sure Hitori would love to learn of the reason behind your fascination of phallic objects.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about, you peacock.” The swordsman demanded, face flushing as a possiblility occurred to him. “You’re the one who acts like a woman, flaunting your clothes and playing with your hair constantly.”
“Is that the best you can do?” Faylin asked politely, putting a feather between the pages of his book so he wouldn’t lose his spot. He glided past Kamatari, prudently keeping out of reach of the man’s sword as he explored the more colourful side of his vocabulary. Faylin then coaxed the door open and shut it quickly behind him. He quickly chanted a sealing spell on the door, reinforcing the oak planks with magic that made the grains remember their time as a tree. If he possessed plant magic, he could have made the door grow into its frame and sprout green buds; but he did not, and so the best he could do was encourage the door to be resistant.
He only noticed Kalen standing behind him when the man spoke. “Was that really a good idea milord?”
“Probably not. Kamatari can degrade the spell in half an hour, less if he calms down properly.” Faylin conceded with an impish smile. “But it was so very satisfying to ruffle his featheers.”
Kalen watched the smaller man flounce gleefully down the hallway and groaned. He was six feet of pure muscle, with a handsome face and sandy hair that tended to curl when it was humid; but he would never dare to anger Kamatari like his slight lord did. The swordsman was very short, but he was a quick bugger and Kalen had no desire to have his throat cut by his sometimes-teacher. He had learned the hard way that Kamatari’s bite was fiercer than it appeared to be.
‘I really hope that woman gets back soon.’ Kalen thought as he followed his liege-lord. ‘I really don’t want to die protecting Faylin from a furious ally.’
***
It had been a very boring day for Kelik, defender of the the southern wall of Meiron. Nobody bothered leaving the city during the summer festival because all the entertainement was in the streets: brightly coloured singers and dancers performed amidst the street vendors, children dressed in their most comfortable clothes raced around, begging their parents for sweets. It wouldn’t have been as bad if he could actually see the scantly clad women who danced in the streets, but there were many banners and clothes anchored to the stone houses of Meiron and despite their shade and additionnal cheer; they completely blocked his view.
Even his partner had deserted him, not showing up for his shift two hours ago. Knowing Kaiden, he would join the festivities with his current ladyfriend and somehow convince the captain that his absence was fully justified tomorrow.
Either way, he was quite surprised to see two women emerge from the forest, one almost hiding behind the other. “Whotcher doin’ over yonder me lassies?” He called out, leaning over the edge of the wall to get a better look. “Don’tcher know the party started days ago?”
“We got distracted!” The taller one answered cheerfully. “Mind lettin’ us in there?”
“If ya tell me yer names, lassie.” He grinned charmingly, though some of the effect was lost by the fact that he was ten feet above ground level. “This gent is good at tours don’tcher know?”
“The name’s Hitori.” The woman answered sweetly. “We’re already meetin’ a couple of friends. I’m sure you noticed a fellow with a mean temper and a couple swords wandering about.”
“Right on through then, wot?” He gave in with a wince, giving the signal to open the doors. “I’ll tell the Head Honcho yer in town. He likes ta talk to wanderin’ folk.”
“You have my thanks, kind sir.” The two women walked into Meiron and out of his sight.
Prologue ^-^-^ Chapter 1 ^-^-^ Chapter 2 ^-^-^ Chapter 3 ^-^-^ Chapter 4 ^-^-^ Chapter 5 ^-^-^ Chapter 6