The Chronicles Of Rival; The Lost Ones.

Chapter Five; The Behavior

I stayed quiet, thinking for an excuse that he would accept.   "Someone broke in,  I disposed of him," I finally replied.  Cold and simple sounded reasonable to me.  Not to him though.  He immediately stood up and pulled the blankets from me.   The sudden rush of cold air sent a shiver down my spine as I glared at him.   He couldn't have cared less if I was angry with him, he simply began checking the exposed parts of my arms and legs.   He scanned my nightgown, most likely for cuts or signs of contact.   I pushed him away and pulled my blanket back over me.  "Damion, I am perfectly fine," I muttered, in annoyance.   

For a slight second I saw a look of confusion cross his face, as he sat on the edge of the bed.   "You are lying straight to my face," He finally stated.  As he pulled the hood back from his head,  his curly mass of black hair practically exploded.   I stared at the streaks of silver and brown, that were woven throughout his head.  And the feather earrings that dangled from his ears always had me curious.   "Did you hear what I said, Miyuki?" He added, after I had silently observed him.   "I'm not lying,  It only took a handful of magic to send him to the Underworld," I replied, before I laid back down, on my side.   

Without warning he reached for my forehead, and held his palm to it gently.   As he pulled it away his eyes looked panicked, and his expression was abnormally soft.   "You had another Nightmare, didn't you?" He asked, as concern flooded his voice.   I had only seen this side of him whenever it came to my well being.  And something about it made me feel, warm inside?  I didn't like it at all.  "So what if I did?" I answered, before turning away from him.  He placed his hand on my arm.  It felt warm against the cold air, but I shrugged away from his touch.   "I told you that I should stay here while you sleep to watch over you," he reminded me, quietly.

"And I told you that is ridiculous, you are an assassin.  Staying anywhere for too long will compromise you.   Plus you can't do anything for me while I'm having a nightmare.  It's pointless," I explained, for the seventeenth time this month.  He leaned down close to me and I froze at the feel of his breath against my pointed ear.    He pushed a dark red lock behind it.  "I think I'll come back later tonight and watch over you anyway," his tone was dull and bland again.  I turned around to protest, but he was already gone.  "Damn it, he is so stubborn," I mumbled into the blankets.  

~~~~~~Five Years Ago~~~~~~ 

Dad did not care one bit that I came back bloodied and bruised.   I think he didn't expect me to come back at all.  His expressions and sarcastic responses made me want to stab him, repetitively.  I walked to the River of Soul to wash up.   I was hoping that I might find some  Revival lotus, as my dark magic never was good for healing myself.   With every step that I took my eyelids felt heavier, and my legs felt weaker.  I was a few steps away from the river bank, when I knew I had to sit down.   I collapsed against a fallen tree and focused on my labored breathing.   Suddenly I was scooped up by someone.  Someone tall and strong.   They smelled familiar, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes.

I rested my head against their shoulder and they stopped walking.   I hoped that it wasn't a Mizakate, but quite frankly it was getting harder and harder to breathe.  I wasn't very valuable as a hostage anymore.  The person set me down, and I felt them put something small and spherical into my mouth.   As hit my tongue, realized it was a Revival lotus bud.   My breathing gradually picked up, and my heart returned to its regular rhythm.    I slowly opened my eyes to see that assassin staring at me intently.  I rolled on my side, to face away from him.  I was still covered with blood, but my wounds were already healed.  I stood up and walked to the river.  My dress was torn and stained red, which made me slightly disappointed.  

I touched my toes to the water's surface and smiled at the warmth of it.   I stepped onto a smooth rock and slipped.  But as I almost hit the water, I felt two hands steady me.  "Be careful, you were practically dead a few seconds ago," He stated.   I nodded and continued walking carefully.   I tried scrubbing the dried blood off my dress, but it wasn't salvageable.  I wanted to take it off and clean my body, but my unexpected savior was right beside me.   I held my breath and sat beneath the surface.  I rubbed the water against my face and stood up again.  I pushed my long crimson hair back and ran my fingers through it.  He was watching me the whole time. 

"What is your name?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.   He looked shocked, to be honest I was surprised myself.  "Damion," he replied, and again I saw a slight smirk.   I nodded, and then hesitated.   I had a question that I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure how he might respond.   "You're Miyuki, right?" He asked.   And I was stunned that he knew my name.  Again I nodded.  "I hear him yelling at you a lot," Damion explained quickly.   I already knew that he was talking about dad.  "I've thought about kidnapping you before,  or killing him," he admitted.   I restrained my laughter, because I knew I was supposed to defend my dad.   I was getting tired of it though.