‘scars’
"Sakura!" Julian’s embrace almost crushed her when she alighted from Li’s glider, and she had to gasp for breath. Despite his lean and lanky appearance, Julian was terrifically strong. "Oh, Sakura, thank goodness you’re all right. I was so worried."
She couldn’t help leaking a few tears onto his shirt, even though she hated to cry in front of him. She was glad to be back too. It was such a relief to be in familiar surroundings again. Had it only been one night she was gone? So much had happened since then.
"What happened?" Julian directed his question to Li over Sakura’s head. "Why were you gone all night, was there trouble?" He thought he felt Sakura stiffen slightly in his arms, although he wasn’t sure. Li hesitated just a little before speaking.
"They found her by the riverbed and outnumbered her, took her back to their camp for questioning."
Several of the group gathered around gave a collective gasp, and there were murmurs of sympathy. Sakura couldn’t believe what she was hearing and twisted slightly in Julian’s arms so she could see Li’s face. He met her gaze steadfastly.
"The moon was overhead before I found them and her, but I pulled her out before anything happened. There were pursuers, and I thought it would be safer to hide out in the canyons rather than coming directly home."
"Oh, Sakura," Julian said again, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "How awful. Were you hurt?"
"Hmm?"
She was still looking at Li, completely nonplussed as to why he was covering for her like this. It was the one thing she’d never expected of him.
"I said, were you hurt?" He pulled back slightly to examine her face. She was dusty and grimy, but he couldn’t see any bruises. "Did anybody touch you?" Her eyes got a distant look to them, and she blushed slightly.
"Er, no. I’m all right."
"Are you sure?" There was something not quite right about her tone, and he reached up to brush a strand of hair back from her face. She jerked away as though she expected him to hit her, then flushed again when she saw his expression.
"Sorry. I – I’m just a little jumpy. It was scary."
"Of course." She was pushing herself away now, putting some space between them.
"I feel dirty. I think I’d like to wash up, maybe find something to eat."
"Sure, sure. Let me know if you need anything, all right? I’ll be upstairs." She nodded, then turned away before he could reach out for another hug. She did seem to be acting a little oddly. It wasn’t like her to avoid physical contact; she’d always seemed to enjoy it. He watched her hug Tomoyo and greet Kero before retreating to the area where the few women of the Resistance slept.
Don’t be ridiculous, Julian. So what if she’s acting a little strange? She was a prisoner of the enemy and who knows what happened to her. She’s probably just in shock.
He frowned, then backed away and began to climb the stairs. He didn’t see Sakura look back over her shoulder for another look at Li.
He was still standing there with his arms crossed, watching her as she walked away. His intense stare bored through her as always, but it didn’t seem so much disapproving this time as it was curious. There was a funny prickle in her mind as she watched him, which she attributed to her surprise.
Why had Li covered for her? It was so unexpected, so…nice.
Just one more strange thing to add to the list. I don’t know what to expect anymore.
*****
At midmorning, the heat of the badlands was already approaching unbearable. The sun beat down mercilessly on the squad of black-clothed soldiers as they stood at attention with their helmets under one arm. No one dared move even a muscle, and Lieutenant Kosk felt the sweat trickle down his back as he watched his commanding officer.
Captain Tory Avalon was standing before his men but facing to the side, his feet apart and his arms locked behind his back. He had to force himself to breathe lightly and evenly, and he kept his eyes fixed on the patch of ground in front of him. It was a struggle not to reveal his fear.
"And ssso, this rebel scout that you captured was then allowed to essscape after no more than one man invaded and attacked the campsite."
"Yes sir."
"And the two fled on one sssmall glider, and your men failed to keep up."
"Yes sir."
"And she revealed nothing during the interrogation."
"No sir."
There was a pause, and Tory risked a glance up. His superior was pacing in a slow circle around him, his rough green skin twitching occasionally with displeasure. Blade was a Reptil, a rare but hardy species known for their blindingly fast attack speed and lethal tempers. It was extremely unwise to make one cross, and Blade had a nastier disposition than most. He paused by Tory’s left shoulder and flicked his long forked tongue out, almost tickling Tory’s ear. It took every bit of willpower he had, but Tory didn’t flinch.
"How interesssting. You disssplease me, captain. I have come to expect greater thingsss from you."
"Yes, Commander."
Again Tory raised his eyes, to meet the stare of his superior, now directly in front of him. Reptils were taller than most men, and Tory was one of the few that stood high enough to look Blade directly in the eye. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing; most times it was quite unnerving. A Reptil didn’t have to blink his yellow, slit-pupil eyes unless he felt like it, and Blade did so then in a deliberate motion. Then he reached behind him and drew his sword from the scabbard across his back. Blade was perfectly capable of maiming or killing a human with his sharp claws, but he enjoyed handling a sword. His skill with it was unparalleled, and it had earned him his name.
Tory felt the cold metal slide down the side of his neck, then come to rest with the tip pricking underneath his chin.
"Do you know the difference between an error and a missstake, captain?"
Tory didn’t answer; he knew he wasn’t supposed to. He simply waited.
"A error becomes a missstake when it isss not corrected."
Kosk didn’t even have time to scream, and Tory averted his eyes as the body slumped to the ground. The blood of his sentry had spattered across his boots, and he stared at it with frustration rising in his throat. The lieutenant had been one of his men; he had been responsible to him. This was his fault.
"Don’t let it become a missstake," Blade hissed, loud enough for all to hear. "Then you will ssseee me truly," he paused and searched for the right word, "annoyed. Go. Go and ressssume your search for the rebelsss."
He waved a scaly hand and the men scattered, relieved. No one even remained to take care of Kosk’s body, afraid of attracting attention to themselves.
"Captain." Tory looked up from his sentry to see Blade sheathing his sword. Then he turned and strode up the ramp into his transport. It was a summoning, he knew, and felt his heart beat a little faster as he followed his commander into the relative darkness of the ship. What had happened out there in front of the men was nothing. Now came the dangerous part.
In the cool shade of the transport, Tory’s adjusting eyes saw Blade reclining in his console chair. The Reptil waited patiently until Tory had knelt before him on one knee.
"Mossst disssapointing, boy."
"I beg your forgiveness, master."
Addressing one another as Commander and Captain in front of the men was one thing, but in private the rules changed. Tory was Blade’s slave and had been for as long as he could remember. As a young boy, he had often borne the scars of Blade’s quick temper, and had trained himself to duck and scramble out of the way of an impatient swipe. Just to keep clear of the Reptil, he had developed reflexes and speed that were abnormally fast for a human, though the new gashes on his arm for Sakura’s first escape was proof that he was not always successful. His arms and back were covered with them.
"Thisss girl," his master murmured thoughtfully. Tory looked up, then down at the floor again. "Your dessscription of her interrogation is curiously sssparse."
"I hardly had the chance to begin, master. I never even learned her name before her friend arrived. Under the collapsed tent, she managed to wriggle free and escape."
"How?" Tory swallowed a little.
"Her wrists were unbound. I had thought, within the confines of the camp and so many soldiers, that it was safe to unlock her. I was wrong. It won’t happen again."
"I should hope not. I would hate to ssseee ssscertain privileges of yoursss revoked, Avalon. Sssuch a shame for a promising sssoldier."
Tory flinched and nodded, not trusting himself to speak at this point. His struggle to rise from Blade’s errand boy up through the ranks of the army had been hard-fought, and his status was precious to him. He knew Blade allowed it primarily for his amusement, and had risen as high as captain only because of his excellent battle instincts and superb leadership qualities. He didn’t know why or how, but authority came easily to him. Which made it all the more frustrating that he was kneeling on the ground like this before a vile creature that he loathed with every scrap of his being. Blade was his tormentor, his abuser. But he was also the only father that Tory had ever known.
"I do hope you have not forgotten your obligationsss."
"The army is my home. My master took me in when there was no place for me to go, fed me, clothed me. I owe everything to my master and his; I live only to fight in the name of our lord Lothar."
Tory forced the familiar speech through his lips, hating every word and the truth it rang with. He was helpless and homeless without the soldiers. Like the invisible leash that chained an animal to its cruel master, Tory had no choice but to serve Blade. The soldiers were the only thing that gave him a sense of belonging in his anonymous life.
So why am I risking it all? If he knew the truth of what happened in that tent, Blade would tie me to a post and lash me until there was no skin left. I’m a fool to hold anything back; he can smell deceit.
That reminded him to concentrate on his breathing, and try to control his nervousness.
A twitch gave him his only warning, and he leaned aside barely in time. What would have been a serious wound was only a light scratch on his shoulder. Blood beaded up in four neat parallel wounds between the tears in his shirt. Blade made a choking, rasping noise, which Tory had long since learned was Reptilian laughter.
"Still asss quick asss ever, boy. Impresssive." He uncoiled himself from his chair and walked around Tory once. "I will allow you a chance to redeem yourssself. You may remain at this post in the sssearch for the rebel bassse."
Tory almost sagged with relief. He was going to get another chance. He might be able to find Sakura again, after all.
"I trussst you will not disssapoint me a third time, Avalon."
"No, master."
"Disssmisssed."
Tory stood slowly and backed toward the open doorway. Blade was no longer paying any attention to him, but had drawn his sword again in preparation for a few drills. Tory was almost standing in the daylight when he jerked to a halt. Here in the dusky interior of the ship, there was something odd about his commander’s weapon. It – it looked almost as if it were glowing. He shook his head and looked again, but the faint red haze was gone.
"Ssstill you linger, boy? Isss it more punishment you wish?"
"No master." Tory hastily backed out of the doorway. "I’m going."
It must have been his imagination. He stumbled down the ramp and took a moment to take a few deep breaths, savoring the hot dry air of the badlands. He’d made it through, and Blade was going to give him another chance. He would have another chance to find Sakura. And next time, he wasn’t going to let her go so easily.
Sakura…
Reluctantly Tory approached the body of his sentry and prepared to move it afield. In the dessicating heat, it would be mummified rapidly. Carnivores would find it eventually.
Sakura. Who are you? Who am I? Will I ever discover how I know you?
*****
Sakura watched Julian pull aside the curtain that concealed where he slept. He’d resisted sleeping in the top cave at first, when the rebels lost their former leader and began to turn to him. He really didn’t feel as though he was important enough to merit a separate sleeping place. But he spent so much time up here planning and analyzing, it was just easier.
She’d been watching her hero almost all day, sitting by the railing of the walkway outside with her knees pulled up to her chest. But when she saw him yawn and prepare to remove his shirt, she decided it was time.
"Julian?"
"Hmm?" He glanced up, surprised as always to see her by his side. She hadn’t even back for a day and he had already forgotten all about her. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"
"I’m all right." She twisted her hands nervously.
"Are you sure?"
"I’m fine, really." But she still had a strange look in her eyes as she lingered near his desk.
"Did you want something?"
"No – well, yes. Tell me the story, please. I want you to tell me about how I came to the Resistance."
Julian raised his eyebrows.
"I think you already know that story."
She looked at him hopefully, and he melted.
"C’mere." She smiled and curled up next to him as he reclined against the cushions piled by the wall.
"It was our fault," he began. "Heavy fighting in the area only attracted Lothar’s cruelty more, and without anyone else to target, he latched onto the settlement of harmless subjects. His soldiers began to tear it apart, murdering anyone they could catch. I suppose he wanted to set an example to others who would shelter rebels in their midst."
He paused a moment to collect himself. The atrocities he had seen at the time were not pleasant to recall.
"The head of the Resistance back then didn’t want to confront the soldiers there. He said we’d be outnumbered and hard-pressed to escape the village intact, and he was right, but I persuaded him to let me lead a small team in anyway. The thought that helpless people were being slaughtered because of us was killing me. We spread out and started picking off soldiers from vantage points. Some of them figured out where I was and pinned me down with blaster fire. I couldn’t move, but I had good cover and I was keeping them back. When we all paused to take a breath, and it got relatively quiet, I heard something else. It sounded like someone crying."
Tenderly he combed his fingers through her hair and she laid her head against his shoulder.
"Even though I was only cornering myself, I decided to scoot back into the back room of the half-destroyed house. There wasn’t much left intact in the room, but there was an old wooden chest in the corner. When I lifted the lid, I found a little girl curled up inside, sobbing."
Her memory of the attack was hazy, but Sakura would never forget that moment. She had been frantically pushed into the small dark space by the woman, and then left alone to cry in misery and fear. Shouts and screams of agony outside had pushed her closer to terror, until she was unable to move for sheer fright. And then the lid had been lifted and light spilled in, and the first thing she saw was Julian’s face. She could still remember how he smiled at her, and how the air around him seemed to glow with warmth. He had taken away the terror and the darkness and replaced it with hope and kindness. The thought of it made her sigh.
"I suppose you must have been about eight or nine then, though it was hard to tell. You were so little and thin. I don’t think you’d eaten for a day, at least."
It occurred to Sakura that Julian couldn’t have been much older than she was now, yet he had been allowed to lead a force against the enemy in battle.
"The soldiers were closing in, and I was sure I was doomed. I knew the most sensible thing to do was close the lid and hide you again, for fear they would discover you, but somehow I just couldn’t do it. It was like there was a little voice deep down inside that was telling me that I shouldn’t leave you there, that I should take you with me. I’m still not sure why, but I listened to the voice and picked you up. You’d stopped crying when you looked up and saw me, but you were still shaking with terror. I remember how a ray of light fell across your green eyes, surprising me. I’d never seen eyes like yours before. That’s when I realized that there shouldn’t be any light that bright and I looked up. The upper walls near the back corner had crumbled and been knocked away in the initial attack. I hadn’t noticed because of the sagging roof. But a little chink of light came through, and that’s what saved us. Somehow, I managed to break down an opening big enough to crawl through, and I hoisted you right up and over. I don’t know how long you were in that chest, but the scare must have pushed you to exhaustion. You fell asleep on my back as I carried you back to the rendevouz point."
He smiled at the memory of the little strange girl, who already trusted him so much that she fell asleep in his arms.
"The others who had made it out alive were pretty surprised, and they advised me to take you to one of the other settlements and find you a home. But I just couldn’t do it. I had a feeling that I needed to keep you near. And so I did."
Sakura smiled, though briefly. She was glad Julian had had that ‘feeling’ but she had to wonder why he bothered. He seemed content that she was in his camp and safe, but he never deigned to notice her. Sometimes she daydreamed that Julian had felt that way because he was destined to fall in love with her, but it was a dream that seemed less and less likely to materialize over time. So why had he brought her back with him? And did he ever regret it?
"Do you remember anything from before?"
"Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. It’s such a blur now. I remember the woman more. She was chubby, and motherly, and had a kind smile. I don’t remember her name, but she called me Sakura. I know she wasn’t my mother. I have no memories of my parents; I know nothing about how or when I was separated from them. I don’t even know if they gave me my name, or the woman did."
It never really bothered her before, the Resistance had always been her family, but Tory’s angst over his origins had unburied an acute longing. Who was she? Where did she come from? Did she know him after all, somehow? He seemed so sure, yet when could she have ever known someone in Lothar’s army?
"I’ll probably never know." Julian squeezed her shoulders encouragingly.
"You have us now, Sakura, don’t forget that. Think towards the future, and the mission. Whoever your parents were, I’m sure they were good people, and they wouldn’t want you to dwell on them. They would want you to keep fighting for our future. Don’t you think?"
"Yes," she said drowsily. Fatigue was beginning to close in on her again; she still hadn’t completely recovered from the events of the night before. "Yes, I suppose they would."
Well said, thought Li, as he leaned his head back against the stone wall. I’m sure they would want that.
He’d heard the entire story, sitting just outside the cave’s entrance like he was. After watching Sakura watch Julian for most of the day, his curiosity had been too great to not come up and listen when she finally went inside. At least now he could partially understand why Julian seemed to favor Sakura’s presence in the base, if not why he’d picked her up in the first place. Li himself didn’t understand why he was so interested, or why he’d been watching Sakura and listening to her conversations. Like Julian so many cycles ago, he simply had a nagging feeling. Something in Sakura demanded closer scrutiny, though just why eluded him.
*****
All around there was shouting, harsh and barking orders, and screams of terror. The smell of blood and burning ozone filled her nostrils, pushing her into panic. Frantically she pushed against the sides of the wooden chest, trapped. She couldn’t push the lid up; she was too scared. Julian had to come do it. Where was Julian?
And then even the meager protection of the chest was gone, and she was all alone, whimpering in the thick of the battle. There was no one who cared, no one coming to save her. Sobbing helplessly, she clutched at the tree, but someone’s strong arms pulled her away and then wrapped around from her from behind. He dragged her down to the dirt, covering her small body with his.
Panicked, she cried harder, and he covered her mouth with a hand. "Quiet," he ordered. Overwhelmed with terror, she started to shake, and she could feel his body shaking too. That nameless horror was coming closer…
Sakura jerked awake, panting hard, too scared to even scream.
I’m trapped, I’m trapped! Julian never came to save me, the Resistance was all a dream. I’m still trapped inside the wooden chest and I’m going to die here. No one is coming to save me.
She was rigid with fear and her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but after a moment her breathing began to slow and her mind returned to reality. It was so dark she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face, but she heard someone breathing beside her, deeply and evenly. Her adjusting vision revealed Julian, his expression relaxed and peaceful in his sleep. She must have dozed off by his side and he had decided not to move her. Sakura couldn’t believe that she was actually sleeping with him, and she couldn’t even appreciate it. The effects of her nightmare were still lingering, and she was overcome by such a surge of claustrophobia that she almost bolted to the small cave’s entrance. Once outside in the relative open space of the huge cavern, she leaned against the railing and took several deep breaths. The Honeycomb was dark and quiet; most were asleep in the many caves pocketing the walls. Even so, she had the strangest feeling someone was watching her. A glance around revealed nothing; Li was motionless and indistinguishable from the shadows against the wall. He watched her as she gave her surroundings a searching look, then gave up and began to stumble back to the cave where she normally slept.
Only after she was gone did he stand to stretch and yawn. He was stiff after falling asleep on the walkway, but he had been awakened abruptly by the rustlings of magic in his mind. Who could have caused it? It felt quite near, but unfocused, almost accidental. Who among the rebels would be working magic this late into the night?
He scanned the cavern, but nothing moved, and now the feeling was gone. Disappeared without a trace, as if it had never been there. Perhaps it had only been his imagination.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life continued apace in the base of the rebel hideout. The others rapidly forgot about Sakura’s ordeal; after all, she had not been badly hurt, or even in custody for very long. It was a minor event in the eyes of her battle-weary compatriots, and she faded from Julian’s attention once more as he became involved in studying the schedules of their enemy’s camp. For once it didn’t bother Sakura. She was too occupied with her own troubles.
It became impossible to concentrate on anything. Her mind was always wandering, always going back to that scene in the tent. She couldn’t help herself, now that she was back home and safe again, she felt drawn to the mysterious Captain Avalon. Those dark, yearning eyes fascinated her as much as they frightened her – she could see them clearly if she closed her eyes. Never before had anyone looked at her in that way, and the memory left her with a warm glow. And the way that his arms had felt when he held her close and pinned her to the floor – it had felt so inexplicably right, more than anything else in her life.
But the way he touched her had been terrifying, and the thought of completing that interrupted kiss made her stomach turn. It was a strange inconsistency that left her feeling ambivalent about her handsome captor.
He is my enemy, and I am scared of him, but I’m falling in love with him. At least, I think I am. That reaction I had when he almost kissed me shook me to the core. Not even Julian ever made me feel like that. And I’m still feeling the effects.
Indeed, she was. Ever since her return to the base a day and a half earlier, Sakura had been experiencing the most peculiar feelings. It was as though Tory had somehow changed her. Her heart would start beating fast, for no particular reason, and she could hear it so clearly that she could almost see the blood flowing through the valves. Her hands would start shaking if she sat still too long, and her skin felt hot to the touch sometimes. Tomoyo worried that she had a fever, but she could feel no sickness in Sakura, and Sakura had never felt stronger in her life. She felt tinged by a preternatural awareness, and when the hairs on the back of her neck started to rise, she knew she would turn around and catch Li staring at her. He never made an attempt to hide it, he would just keep gazing until she flushed and dropped her eyes. It had been happening a lot, since her return.
"He’s hovering," she complained to Tomoyo that evening. "Like a kitsch bird. Just waiting for me to make a mistake, I’m sure of it. He wants me to fall on my face and prove him right before Julian and everyone else. He must think his constant stare is going to intimidate me. Well, it’s not."
She crossed her arms and gave her friend a defiant look, who giggled.
"Don’t you think you’re being a little paranoid, Sakura? Li doesn’t want you to fail. Perhaps he’s worried about you."
"Yeah, right."
"He did go out and look for you after you ran out," Tomoyo reminded her, which only made Sakura blush. Even though nobody else knew the truth of what happened by the river, the memory of her actions and how much she owed Li still embarrassed her. She still didn’t know why Li had chosen discretion, but it made her feel obligated to him. And she didn’t like that at all.
*****
Tory poured the wine carefully into a goblet, then placed the glass on the desk before his master. He took a step back before kneeling.
"There has been no success."
"I know."
"My men are searching as thoroughly as they can, master. But there are so many places for the rebels to hide in this land."
Blade closed his clawed hand around the tempered steel stem of his goblet and threw back most of the wine. He preferred the earthier, thicker red wines. The taste was akin to blood.
"Do you admit defeat?"
"No!" Tory looked up quickly and fixed the Reptil with pleading eyes before lowering his gaze again. "No, master. I beg for your patience as I continue the hunt. I want to find them."
He did, though not for the reasons that his superior imagined. Tory was desperate to find Sakura again; he was obsessed with the thought of her. Alone and in the dark, he could feel her skin beneath his fingertips again, could feel the pressure of her body under his. It was driving him crazy with desire. He’d even started seeing things, in his distraction.
"If my master would choose to tell, I would like to understand the sudden urgency. Why is the capture of the little flying creature so vital?"
He tensed slightly in preparation. He’d been struck before for the temerity of asking questions. But Blade merely snarled.
"Yoursss is not to reassson why, yoursss is but to do or die," he hissed, reciting a favorite saying of his. Tory kept his eyes carefully on the floor, but the knew the inflections of his master’s voice well enough to pick up a hint of resentment. Perhaps Blade didn’t know any more than he did. Interesting.
"Disssmisssed," the Reptil snapped. Tory scrambled to his feet and backed out of the doorway, returning to the warm evening of the badlands. The sunset that evening had decided to be like burnished copper, with wispy clouds turning platinum in the dying light. The young captain took a moment to savor the unearthly beauty before heading to a tent for a ration bar. He was hungry, but he would just have a bite before heading out to search again. He would search all night if he had to. He had to find Sakura.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Li dipped a twig in the bowl of ground ochre. He’d made a paste of the rosy mineral by grinding it up and mashing it with rendered fat. Sakura watched as he made a tiny mark on the chest of the dummy, and fidgeted.
"I’d really hoped that I would get a chance to work out alone."
"Tough."
He didn’t even look her way, and she had to force down her vexation. Why did it seem as though she could do nothing these days without him somewhere near? Things were bad enough with her body acting so mysteriously and her constant dwelling on Tory, without him around to dish out more criticism. All she wanted was a chance to work out her frustration, but he wouldn’t even let her have that. Her thoughts were interrupted by him taking one of her hands.
"Hey! Don’t - "
"Stand still." He examined her fist in a clinical and detached manner, then began to unwrap her bandages.
"Hey, what do you think you’re - "
"You’ll never learn to aim properly unless you do this with bare fists."
"Aim? What - " Li dropped the last of the cloth wrappings on the floor and began to shape her fist, tucking her thumb under her fingers.
"Hit the red spot."
"Excuse me?" Sakura gave him a bewildered look and tried to pull her hand away. It was bad enough that he was constantly hovering and watching for a mistake, but now he’d appointed himself as her instructor as well. He was too patronizing to be real.
"Don’t tell me what to do. Leave me alone."
"Can’t do it?" His tone was flat and emotionless, but there was a spark of challenge in his eyes as he stared at her. She couldn’t help herself, and she lifted her chin a little.
"Of course I can do it. Let go." This time he complied, and she struck the spot with a vicious thump. The dummy rocked back a little with the force of it, and she smirked in his direction. He wasn’t looking at her face, however, but reaching for her hand again.
"See this?"
"What?"
He held up her hand so she could see the back. The ochre had left a tiny smear on her third knuckle.
"This should be here," he lectured, tapping the knuckle of her index finger lightly. "This is the strongest point of your fist, this is what you aim with. This should be stained red."
She felt a flicker of curiosity as she looked at her hand, but her irritation wasn’t going to fade so easily.
"I really hate unwanted criticism of my technique."
"That’s why you don’t get better." She yanked her hand out of his grasp.
"Why are persecuting me like this? I didn’t ask you to keep following me around, glaring at me. I didn’t ask for your opinion on my punch. I didn’t ask for any of it! Go away!"
She might as well have been screaming at the dummy for all he was affected. He crossed his arms and waited for her to finish yelling, then nodded his head at the red mark.
"Hit it again."
"No."
"Do it."
"I don’t want to."
"Do it anyway."
"You can’t make me."
"That’s right."
That took her by surprise, and she paused for a heartbeat. That was correct, he couldn’t force her to do anything. He had no more ranking than she did, though in his case it was voluntary. He wasn’t ordering her, he was challenging her.
She pulled back her fist and punched. She had to slow her speed considerably to aim, but was rewarded with a red smear on her first knuckle.
"Ha!"
"Aim was right, strength was off. Start with the fist facing up, then rotate just before contact to amplify power."
"I never heard of that."
"That’s because you didn’t have me as a teacher."
His arrogance was unbelievable, but she tried his suggestion anyway. She was loathe to admit it, but she did feel a difference in strength.
"Feel good?"
"Maybe."
"Do it again." She did. "Again. Again. Spread your legs apart more. Balance your weight between them. Pull the other fist back when you’re striking; it creates balance. No, not like that. Do it again. Again. No, not stiff like that. Loosen up, bend your knees a little before impact. No, not during. I said just before. Your legs should be straight by the time you hit. The strength travels all the way up your heel to your fist. Again. No, not like that. Are you even listening?"
Sakura gritted her teeth as she hit the dummy over and over again, resisting his authority even as she tried to obey his instructions. Her knuckles, unused to hitting a target without some padding, began to redden and ache. And Li’s clipped and impatient directions were driving her to distraction.
"That’s pathetic. He’ll never feel that. Hit harder!"
"I can’t hit harder without losing my accuracy."
"Do it anyway."
"I can’t!"
"You have to. This is how you’re supposed to hit. This is what works in the field. It’s high time someone showed you!"
"Enough!" She stamped her foot on the ground. On the other side of the cavern, in the quartermaster’s cave, a heating plate exploded. Li winced at a sudden wave of pain and put a hand to his head. "Enough sniping, enough criticizing, enough! I know you’re only doing it to remind me how much better you are than me. It’s sad that you get your kicks by nagging at a girl like me. Maybe I couldn’t train in whatever wonderful school you went to, but I did the best I could with what I had." She glared at him, not even noticing how he rubbed his temple, or how he was looking at her warily. "So get off my case." She whirled around and stomped away to go bathe, and he set off in the other direction, hoping to calm the throbbing in his mind. He was stepping gingerly past the quartermaster’s cave when he saw the mess inside. Confused and surprised techs were scrambling to clean up the remains of the equipment.
"…it just went kabluey," one man was explaining to Benedin, throwing his arms up helplessly. "There was nothing wrong with it that I know of. Lucky that nobody got hurt."
Yes, thought Li. Very lucky.
*****
What was that?
The old mage stopped short in the hallway, then wandered to the open window. Outside, the sunlight was fading from the sky and the night stars were beginning to appear. Nietzsche opened his palm outwards toward the hot and still air, seeking, scanning.
No. It was gone again. It was as if it were never there at all, yet the powerful wizard had surely sensed it. A flicker of perfect power, somewhere out there, waiting to be found by him.
"Where are you?" he sang lightly to the evening, then closed his four fingers back into a fist. Nietzsche may not have been the One after all, but his power was still great. He alone Lothar trusted to locate and collect the One, bringing him back to the palace for Lothar’s purposes. It was his mission, his task, his calling. He would fulfill his master’s needs, or he would perish.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As large as the Honeycomb was, it felt confining that afternoon. Sakura paced in the little cave where she slept with Tomoyo. It was a bad day. Her heart was thumping in her chest so fast that it sounded like a buzz. It was impossible to stand still; the moment she tried her legs started trembling.
"What’s wrong with me?" she moaned out loud, then buried her face in her hands.
I can’t sit here one click longer. I have to get out.
Sakura crept around the edge of the large cavern. She couldn’t see Li anywhere, and she slipped through the shadows until she was near the gliders.
Freedom, at last.
She was preparing to mount one when Li dropped down from the walkway above, landing neatly on the glider. She yelped and jumped backwards.
"Going somewhere?"
"You scared the hell out of me!" He crossed his arms as the now-activated glider floated up from the floor.
"Did I really?" Somehow he doubted it. She returned his hard stare without flinching.
"I’m going out. You can’t stop me." She stomped toward another glider and leapt onto it.
"I know that." To her dismay, his glider followed hers as she zoomed toward the exit.
"What makes you think you’re coming?"
"The fact that you can’t stop me."
He was right, and Sakura had to hold back tears of frustration as they zipped through the tunnel. All she wanted was some time to herself. Why did he keep doing this?
They burst out into the hot sunlight, and Li flinched. Even after an entire cycle of seasons, he still wasn’t used to the baking midday heat of the badlands. Sakura blossomed out in the warmth, however, and bent her knees to go faster. Li hurried to catch up.
"Leave me alone!"
"No."
"I know what you’re doing." She whipped around a stately pillar of stone, but Li threw his feet up, flipping right over its tip, and falling in beside Sakura still facing backward.
"Do you now?"
They were going at a fantastic speed, but he seemed perfectly relaxed as he glided backwards and fixed her with a searching look.
"And what is that?"
"You think I’m going to run off and do something stupid again. Well, I’m not. I’m just out for a glide. I couldn’t stand looking at those walls for another day. I haven’t been outside since I got back."
"I know."
"You would, wouldn’t you? You’ve certainly been watching enough. I don’t have any privacy anymore! Why are you following me? Why can’t you leave me alone?"
She spied a narrow canyon and made an abrupt turn. Li had to screech to a halt before turning, but he caught up quickly enough. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t have to. She knew why he was following.
How humiliating. He’d appointed himself her personal baby-nurse. Well, she’d show him.
Aiming for a low arch, she sped up and darted through the opening. He followed with little trouble. Okay. She gritted her teeth, then dropped again. Over and over she zoomed under, around, and over obstacles in the rugged landscape. She was feeling much better, some of that extra energy was starting to drain off. But Li was matching her move for move.
Damn him. Why does he have to be so good at everything? He’s such a show-off. So arrogant, so egotistical, so condescending. Why did he even have to come to us? It’s not like he’s that much of a help. But he did save me.
Ready to show that she was up for anything he could do, she twisted her glider until she was flying backwards and just slightly ahead of him.
"Why did you lie?" she asked straight out. It had been bothering her ever since her return. "Why did you cover for me?"
There. She’d finally asked, and Li really wished that she hadn’t. He watched her glide effortlessly backwards, skimming around obstacles that she could not have known were there. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to answer, it was that he really didn’t know the answer himself. The long trench they were traveling down split into two passages and she chose the right-hand one, again without even looking over her shoulder.
What was he supposed to say? That he didn’t know? That he wanted a chance to watch her without any distractions, even though he didn’t know why? Those green eyes of hers never left his face as she waited, but he was saved by a blaster shot that hit his glider and sent him into an uncontrollable spin.
They’d stumbled right into a hunting party of soldiers, both sides equally surprised. Sakura shrieked as she saw one aiming his blaster right at her, then crouched to speed up. She didn’t know what had happened to Li, but she couldn’t just fly away. She was too close, and there were too many. The only recourse seemed a direct assault, and this she did without thinking. With a surge of adrenaline she pushed toward the shooter, dodging his blaster fire easily and crashing into him at high velocity. He hit the ground like a lifeless rag but she landed gracefully on her feet, already moving into a series of back handsprings to avoid the blaster fire that was tracking her. As dangerous as it was here, it was safer here than in the air, where she made such an easy target. Sooner than she would have expected it she reached the closest one and kicked the blaster from his hand. Instinctively she ducked, avoiding another shot that would have hit her in the head, and spun with one foot out, knocking the man off his feet. Casually she rolled onto her hands on his chest, making him groan, and caught the approaching soldier’s arm between her legs, twisting hard and bringing him to the ground.
Wow. These guys are awfully slow. They must be fresh recruits. I bet none of them have had any battle experience before.
That fired her confidence, and she kicked a small rock up from the ground to knock the blaster from yet another’s hand. He charged in anyway, and she rolled back onto the ground as he hit, pushing up with her feet and sending him sprawling into another soldier. She flipped to her feet just in time to catch the wrist of one swinging at her, and twisted his arm behind him. He made an effective shield against the other one that was still shooting at her until she’d reached a blaster dropped on the ground. After she’d kicked it into the air and caught it, it was quick work to pick off the remaining men. They tried to duck and cover, but they were pathetically slow and their movements telegraphed. One tried to barrel in from behind, but she bent forward and let his punch fly right over her before spinning into a reverse hook kick. Her heel caught him in the back of the neck, right under his helmet.
Just like Li said, she thought exultantly. Perfect aim. There was one more remaining, yelling into his com-link as he leveled his blaster at her. It occurred to her that she really didn’t want company, so she shot the com-link out of his hand before finishing him off with a zap to the chest. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and drop the weapon. She’d done it. She’d made it, and this was definitely more than she’d ever fought before. Curious, she began to count the bodies around her.
One, two…
Her mouth fell open in disbelief. Ten? There had to be some kind of mistake. There was no way she fought ten soldiers successfully and without even so much as a scratch this time. But they were there, and there was no denying it. Even Li would –
Li! What happened to him?
Anxiously she looked up, and exhaled when she saw him leaning back against the cliffside, studying her. He’d managed to pull out of a crash landing just in time, and rolled to a safe stop. He had been about to join the battle when he realized that there was no need, and instead waited off to the side for her to finish. His gaze was inscrutable, but she was too flush with victory to care. She’d trounced ten soldiers, even if they were new, and she felt great. And for the first time that day, her body felt normal again.
"Well?" she inquired. "What do you have to say?" Li’s gaze flickered over the bodies around her, then he took a few steps toward her.
"Not bad."
Then he turned to retrieve his glider.
*****
"Not bad," she repeated in disbelief, trailing him across the floor of the Honeycomb. He wouldn’t even turn around to look at her. "You’re kidding, right? Ten, Li! I know even you couldn’t have done that without breaking at least a little sweat. I did it, all on my own, and I didn’t even get hurt. It was perfect, and you can’t even bring yourself to look me in the eye. Are you really that wonderful? That hard to impress?"
He didn’t reply as he made his way toward the cave where he slept. Tomoyo and Kero were watching the exchange with amazement as Sakura stomped after him.
"Or is it me? Am I so beneath you that it would take a miracle before you actually looked me in the eye and said - "
He slammed through the door that had been installed on his small cave, leaving her to shout at the metal.
" - ‘well done, Sakura’? ‘Nice going’? I suppose I’ll have to kill Lothar himself to get a little respect!"
He burst out of the door unexpectedly, catching her by surprise.
"No," he snarled. They were almost nose-to-nose, and his eyes were flashing with sudden fury. "No. I kill Lothar. No one else. Not you. Not anyone. Just me. Got that?"
He didn’t wait for her to agree or disagree before disappearing again, slamming the door behind him so hard that the temporary installation shook.
Whoa. Now what was that all about?
Chapter4