Mercenary Work

Chapter 6 A Lover

Jackson woke up from his night sleep due to sunlight seeping into his room because of the window across his bed. He soon remembered the nights activities when he realized he was holding a small body in one arm and using his other as a pillow for her. Ida Dragos. She had come by to "catch up" with Jackson due to his absence for three months. Jackson, being a man, and that he enjoyed the time he had with her, allowed this to happen. They were currently both lying next to each other, naked. Jackson had his right arm curled around Ida's curvy hips, and his left was being used by her as a pillow. He moved his pillow arm by the elbow to play with her silky hair. Upon doing so she moaned in protest of her pillow moving, she nuzzled into her disobedient pillow, her tiny chest pushed up against his. To this he chuckled softly stopping his play obediently and pushed her head to his chest. He could now put his chin on her head like this. He enjoyed his time with her, it made him feel human again, not the heartless beast he is away from her. But he knew he couldn't stay, he knew he couldn't say "no" to her when she would eventually ask if he could stay for more than one day. But he couldn't. Especially when he now has to do an X-class job or else he would cease to be a mercenary. The penalty for breaking one of the sacred laws was to be out casted from the mercenaries. If you can't follow the rules you might as well not be one. So he slowly retracted his arm and switched it for a real pillow, then got up making sure not to stir her anymore than he already had. Getting his clothes, buckling his belt, moving his arms through the sleeves of his jacket and finally moving his head through his necklace chain and tucking it under his shirt. Reaching for the door handle he stopped halfway hearing a light voice.

"You could at least say goodbye." It rang out from behind him in a sleepy, sad tone.

"Yeah." He started breathing in. "Bye." And he left, leaving her. "Damn." He moved down the hall passing a few doors, until making it to the one rented by his father. He pounded on the door without mercy, wanting an answer. It came in the form of a low grumbly voice.
"Stop knocking I'm coming." In a second the door opened revealing a tired Sora in nothing but boxers and a shirt.
"So you sleep like that too." Jackson said looking his father up and down. "We're leaving, you know where we're going right?"

"Yeah, Lorenzo briefed me on what's happening there, why their rebelling, and where it is from here." He walked back into his room leaving the door open for Jackson, as he grabbed his pants. "But, why are we leaving so soon? I was hoping to catch up with Giant, and don't you have a lover to embrace?"

"I did that already, just because you're getting slow old man doesn't mean I am."
Sora stopped pulling his coat on for a moment taking in what his son said, before finishing. He grabbed the chair that was in his room and pulled it out facing it towards Jackson. "Sit." He motioned to the chair.

"Why?"

"I wanna talk before we leave and get distracted hoping trains. Now sit." He gestured again, and spoke with a stricter voice. So Jackson sat. "Why are you running away from her?" Sora sat in the end of the bed looking at his son.
"What."
"You've clearly been gone for a long time we all live on the road except the council who stay here. So why are you running after only one day?"
"I'm not running."
"Oh, then enlighten me as to why you're leaving so early in the morning, and wanting to leave the town."
"Fine! I'm running from her."

"Why?"

Jackson took in a deep breath then let it out in a sigh. "Pain, suffering, and death is all that follows me. I don't don't want to see her cry. I don't want her to die. Especially if she dies because of me. You felt the pain that I'm avoiding, when." Jackson stopped. Remembering how terrible it was. "When mom died. I don't want that to happen to me or her, so I'm only going to be with her for a day at a time. Then I leave. I don't want to get too close. I'm a walking corpse, I'm going to die one of these days. I don't want her to go through something like that."
"You're being selfish."