Walking Delusions

Greetings to everyone! Sorry about the delay in updating! I nearly forgot to update, I've been so busy with work and other fics and such.

Special thanks to everyone who's still reading! I'd love to hear from you!

And now I bring you the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Pride's Loss

They were forgotten, abandoned, dry,
The remnants of a city fresh in my mind.
My hope had dwindled, my pride now crushed.
And yet I kept treading,
There’s naught left, even less trust.
Snapping viciously at the hand that feeds,
Grasping tenaciously at sins grief,
The rising moon watches me now,
As curiosity dwindles from twilight's reign.

I continued to stare at nothing until a hand grasped me by the arm, pulling me gently to my feet. I didn't resist, but I didn't really offer up any aid either, simply going along with the motion. I no longer had it in me to decide to do anything. It was as if every part of my will had died, shriveling up like an old prune and fading like dust in the wind. Blood on my hands, cowardice in my heart, disdain by those surrounding me. I began to hate myself, even more so than I did before. How painful the truth can be, when you realize how others perceive you.

It was Ryou who had pulled me to my feet; not bothering to release his hold on my arm as he somewhat dragged my unresponsive body after Ivory and Melath. He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but I had nothing to offer him but a blank stare, eyes probably looking very much like a zombies. I just didn't care about anything more.

Ahead of us, Melath and Ivory walked in silence as well, not speaking to each other. The silver-haired mas seemed deep in thought while Ivory appeared completely unaffected by everything that had happened. She ignored me wholly and despite her scathing words of earlier, she now had a slight grin on her face, as if looking forward to the new adventure. It appeared that she truly only did care for money or battle. Truly different than any of the females I have ever read about in a fantasy novel.

Ryou must have caught me staring dejectedly after her because his puppy eyes shifted between us, frown marring his face. "She didn't mean it," he attempted to soothe quietly. "Most likely, Ivory's probably already forgotten about what she said." He looked to me, waiting for a response.

But, I had none to give. His words were a white lie at best. I knew for certain, there was no mistaking the emotion I had caught in Ivory's gaze. She despised my kind, the weak ones without the courage to face up to their actions and continue to live. I dimly registered that Ryou was carrying the gifts from the 'Great One' and that our course seemed to follow the length of the forest, continuing to keep it to our right.

Ahead of us, I could make out the tops of another golden-green forest, this one situated to our left. If my dream was accurate, then somewhere nestled between the two old growths was a wide rushing river, curving towards a mountain and a large bridge built between the two banks. If so, then we would probably be near to the river soon enough. And I would be closer to some kind of explanation, but I wondered if I was even bothered to care.

"She's a different sort," he continued. "Ivory was raised in an orphanage, and in an attempt to make some profit from a band of rapscallions and snot-nosed brats, the local militia took the kids before they were even old enough to kill and trained them. Those that couldn't cut it... well, needless to say that they didn't survive. Before long, that orphanage had its own brand of high-class killers."

'That's horrible,' I couldn't help but think. But then again, this wasn't my world, my era. Such things as that were common place. Fighting to survive, begging for food, begging for a job, growing up with the necessities of knowing how to care for yourself... those were all aspects of Tears that I knew nothing about. I was even more certain, that if I were in a dream or even really here, that I certainly didn't belong either way.

Ivory's pain was not something I could ever understand, and her irritation suddenly made sense. She had to be strong, even in her fear; she had to be strong, even in her weakness. She had never had any choice in the matter, kill or be killed. Learn to fight, learn to win, but never learn to die. That was one lesson that had only to be taught once. After that, it was on to better, stronger, candidates, those more worthy of living.

I bit back a sigh and lowered my gaze to the ground, listening to Ryou continue to babble in my ear. I think he just abhorred the uneasy silence between all of us and sought to fill it with his voice, that being better than nothing. I could understand that, but I didn't really listen to what he was saying. Nor did he seem to mind that my attention had wandered. Ryou was a strange sort of man, and I couldn't help but wonder his story. Or Melath's and Vincent's for that matter.

As if summoned, that was when Vincent returned, slipping into the group like some demon cloaked in darkness. I didn't hear him approach, didn't even see him. It was like, one moment Melath was only walking next to Ivory, the next Vincent had appeared at his other side, speaking in low tones to the elfin man. Melath listened, nodding his head occasionally and frowning thoughtfully.

Ivory shrugged and pretended that she didn't care what they were saying. Not even the recent battle was enough to slake her bored nature. She was already itching for another. And with Vincent's return, she moved a few paces away from Melath, as if offering them some privacy. Another occurrence that sent me into deep thought. The true relationship between two men who were always at odds.

Every one of my new and reluctant companions had a story, had a life before I tumbled into theirs. Now they were stuck with me, heavy useless baggage. I couldn't fight, couldn't kill, so why was I even here? Did they even wonder that? Or did they still believe that I was from this place; that I actually belonged here?

"Ryou," I questioned softly, interrupting his idle babbling. It was the first I had spoken since Ivory berated me and instantly his attention was drawn my way. "Why do you think I am here?" I looked up, trying to see into his eyes. I wasn't sure what I was searching for. The truth, perhaps.

He frowned, confusion evident in his features. "I'm not sure what you're asking, Miss Anne."

I sighed and shook my head. I wouldn't find my answers with those of Tears, that was for sure. "Never mind. It's probably something I have to figure out for myself," I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Wasn't that how it always was in the stories? The main character was never told exactly what to do. Instead, he or she was forced to miraculously stumble upon it in a strange twist of fate, forever saving the world. Humph. Right.

"Are you... all right?" Ryou questioned quietly.

I ignored him. I didn't have an answer to that nor was I in the mood to come up with a good lie. That numb apathy still made most of my decisions. It probably hurt his feelings for me to do that, but somehow, I couldn't find it in me to care. Why should I have bothered? I doubted my existence, my sanity.

Everyday I faced blood and terror, dreams with enigmatic meanings and the hatred of one man whose golden gaze burned like the sun. I felt like I was trapped in some horrible nightmare, locked within a personal struggle to keep my life and a sound mind. And still, there was a part of me that thought I had already lost the battle. I was weary, too weary to keep even trying anymore.

My life on Earth seemed far away now. What I once did, what I once dreamed, faded like shattered remnants of a mirror. It was almost as if I were becoming someone else, no longer Anne Jones, but 'Miss Anne', a persona adapted to surviving in a world of life and death. But I didn't want to adapt! I didn't want to learn. I wanted to continue being me, innocent and unknowing.

I looked around me, at the glimmering of the golden-green trees, the seemingly pure blue of the sky above, shining with the grace of the sun. I took in Ryou, walking beside me with the slightest of smiles on his ugly face. Ivory whistling a fierce battle tune as she strolled along, hand twitching near the handle of her axe. Melath and Vincent walking close, talking, almost discussing as the elfin one seemed to be berating him. Then there was me, a ghost of Earth, of a faraway technological nightmare where we poison ourselves, poison the land and merely exist as former shadows of what we were intended to stand for, to become.

I hated myself. Who I was. What I was turning into. And that scared me. I instantly longed to wake up from this nightmare. I desired with such ferocity that a cold shiver ran through my body and caused my shoulders to tighten. My hands curled into fists at my side and my teeth clenched as I nearly chewed on my bottom lip, forcing my heart to crave home.

If I have power, let me use it now! Send me home! Take me from this place!

You are home...

The words whispered all around me and without realizing it, I stopped walking, face upturned to the sky with my eyes squeezed shut and body trembling. I dimly felt the wind tugging at my gifted robes, but I ignored the feeling, concentrating all my thought and emotion on that one desire, that one hope. I blocked off sight, smell, hearing, everything, I closed it off. My fingernails dug into the flesh of my palm, slicing easily with my meager strength but I ignored the pain, as my teeth dug into the flesh of my bottom lip.

I couldn't take it anymore! The words, the feelings pounded in my skull and my heart physically clenched, causing a moan of pain to escape my lips. I couldn't hear it but I felt it, like a deep rumble as sharp stabs attacked my body. I had stopped breathing, stopped even thinking, so deep was my desire to just leave.

But you wanted this...

No! No, I didn't! No, I don't! No.... I won't!

Blood dribbled down my chin, dripping onto the brown robes and staining the fabric further. My chest ached, heart beating a terrible rhythm against my ribs, almost a desperate attempt to break free from its cage. My head pulsed and pounded, sparks lighting behind my closed lids, streaking in a myriad of colors, too many to count. The heat of the sun warmed my face-- no, not the sun. Tears... wet salty trails of sorrow streamed down my face.

Yes. I will show you. We... will let you see.

All of a sudden, my entire body eased, the tautness stretching me thin ceased and faded as if it had never existed at all. My eyes opened and I was looking at a new sky, pale violet with streaks of gray... almost as if the fathomless stone was taking over the colored sky. There were no clouds or birds above me; it was completely empty. Not even a wind stirred.

My gaze dropped onto a view that was completely changed, nothing at all like what I had seen before the voice started speaking. Melath... Ivory... Vincent... Ryou... all were gone and I stood facing a forest whose fate was curling and filling my soul with sorrow.

It was withering, crumbling into nothingness. From the tips of the high-reaching cinnamon branches it was slowly slipping away, disintegrating into dust which fell to the ground, blanketing an already gray soil with more of the dark ash. The dirt beneath me was dry, hard-baked as if it had been burned by a fire and cracking, parched with thirst. The trees twisted and writhed, morphed by an unknown evil.

But it wasn't silent. No, far from it. All around me echoed the screams of dying, as if the trees themselves were crying for their fate. It was horrid. Screeching, wailing, sobbing... rising and swelling with each passing moment. It bombarded my ears, the noise so strong it was like a physical wave against my flesh, causing my already aching heart to pound and twist. I had to grit my teeth to resist the urge to join the tears, their sorrow so great it enveloped me. My own weeping had already dried on my face, but I could feel the press of the dam at the back of my eyes, encouraging me to release the tears once more.

Dying. Somehow I knew without being told that what I saw before me was the land dying, the very life being sucked from it, leaving behind nothing but dry and dusty ash. All this beneath a sky turning gray, the beautiful violet being consumed by nothingness. Almost as if it were a precursor to that other dream, when I awoke within a land already faded.

Hot breath washed over my right ear, a body pressed against me from behind. I stiffened in shock but said nothing. This touch didn't burn nor did the voice even sound mocking.

"For you, Tears was borne. For you, Tears will fade. My choice was mine to make. My decision Fate may Hate."

The voice was soft, full of despair and regret. And the touch was not hateful or erotic either. He kept close to me to be heard over the voices but I could not feel his hands.

My own voice cracked as I responded, throat long gone dry and thick from holding back the tears. "I don't understand," I choked slightly, turning around to see whom I was speaking to. I quickly recognized the cloaked figure as the one from a previous dream or vision, the one right before Lalil woke me whose name I had almost known.

Nothing had changed. He was still cloaked in the dark robe, only the edge of his chin and a hint of a shadowed throat visible beneath the coverings. His height well towered over mine and I knew for certain that there was strength beneath him. Yet, when I turned, he was no longer standing just behind me, but several feet away, as if he didn't want my eyes too close to his form.

"Neither do I," came the response as the wind around us screeched to a still, but raged just beyond, as if a barrier had separated us from the screams of the dying. "I didn't ask for this curse." A hand came up gesture before suddenly stopping and falling at his side, as if he reconsidered. "Tears didn't ask to be your whim."

My eyes widened on their own accord, a sudden realization striking me. It had been hinted all along, small teasing words that led me in the direction. They had believed I should have already known so nothing, no one would reveal it to me. But this was the closest I had come to some sort of knowledge and it terrified me beyond belief. Neither did I understand it.

"Are you saying... that I created this place?" Was I referring to the dream or Tears? I can't really say, but with the gut-wrenching in my soul at the raping of the land behind me, I hoped it was neither. I didn't want to be the one responsible for that sort of death, for that sort of life.

He snorted, derision beginning to appear in his voice. Still, it was nothing like that demon, Ixion. "You claim to be a deity then?"

"I don't claim to be anything!" I insisted loudly, emotions ragged and my patience running thin.

"Then maybe it's about time you did!"

Even he, now! Everyone, always accusing me, telling me what I was, what I was not. I didn’t know! They asked me, who are you? What are you? Well, by the bloody hell, I didn’t fucking know!

The wind beat and screamed at the invisible barrier, a small portion of it escaping into our small and protected area. It encircled me, almost taking me up in a friendly embrace even as it brought the thick and awful scent of blood. It clouded my senses and washed over me, igniting my guilt and my sorrows. I swallowed the emotions down, struggling to maintain my attention on the robed one.

All around us, from the corner of my vision, I saw it. Beyond the invisible veil of magic that guarded the two of us, the world was crumbling, the trees becoming nothing more than piles of ash. The screams increased, the wailing a dull throb of echoes in my ear. On the edge of the horizon, darkness descended, wrapping around what appeared to be a tiny little world, invading and consuming.

As if it were my own family conceding before me, I wanted to plead with the gods to save it. My heart bled and cried and I very nearly thrust myself beyond the safety of the wall, as if my sacrifice would suffice. Instead, I turned my fear and pain back onto the unnamed voice.

"Look!" I demanded, gesturing violently towards the consuming nothingness around us. "I didn't ask for this to happen either! I... I wouldn't destroy! I can't even kill!"

He tipped his head back slightly, hood sliding back to reveal his lips, gleaming white teeth and the arch of his cheekbones along with his nose. Something about him seemed strangely familiar but also achingly strange. I couldn't understand the feeling that coursed through me. But he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, you did." His voice was firm, serving no argument as if he were merely stating a well-known fact. "Only you are too blind to see it. If you would open your eyes and forget your fear, I might just get to live."

His words made very little sense. Coupled with what I vaguely remembered from our first encounter, I was hopelessly lost. "Who are you?" I asked, peering at him. I thought that if I knew his identity, than I could perhaps do something.

Maybe it was too late for the collapsing world around us. But in terms of my own sanity, and the prevention of something much worse, understanding would be necessary. Just what I planned to do; however, I was not certain.

"My name means little. My purpose...” He trailed off with a snort. “Well, that is up to you. For now, it will suffice if you call me Nename, if having a name for me makes you more comfortable." His gaze shifted, turning his head to the side to look at the encroaching darkness.

It was then that I noticed it. Like before, he was crying, crystalline tears trailing down his face. Only this time, they were stained with thin rivulets of blood as if he cried both tears and the sanguine fluid at once. I couldn't help the question that escaped from my lips, even though I felt the urge to have the same response as him.

"Why do you weep?"

He didn't turn to look at me, or even attempt to wipe away the proof. "Because my heart is torn between my lover and my home." One hand came up, gesturing towards the dying land around him before falling limply at his side.

It seemed I could never get any straight answers and it angered me. My grief quickly became my irritation and then my anger. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why can't you plainly answer my questions!" I demanded before gasping and gripping my head.

A sharp stabbing pain assailed me, a headache ripping through my mind. The world swirled and my eyes throbbed, as if I was losing hold on the vision. I struggled to maintain my grip, wanting... no... needing to know!

"Perhaps it is because you are not asking the right ones," he responded, voice fading to obscurity as my eyes abruptly sealed themselves shut, trying to block out the invading pain that assailed my head and body.

I gasped out loud as that heavy feeling attacked me again, pressuring my heart and threatening to choke the life out of me from within. There was a vague feeling of disorientation, as if everything was swirling around me... swirling... twisting... fading...

And then my eyes opened and I was once again looking up at blue sky, nearly stumbling as I walked, inevitably tripping over a rock. I sucked in a huge breath of air still feeling as if I were choking as I quickly lowered my gaze, finding that I was continuously moving my feet and that my companions were before me once again. My hands were folded across my chest and the sun was a lot lower in the sky than it had been before. In fact, it was nearly dusk now, a whole day having passed in the brief moments that I had been within my mind, if indeed that was what had occurred. And yet, no one seemed to have noticed anything.

We now walked alongside a river, the blue water gleaming prettily in the fading light of the suns. It caused me to suddenly pant at the idea of bathing. Imagine, being clean! But I pushed those thoughts aside in favor of more pressing matters. The golden green forest was to our right and on the opposite bank of the rapidly widening river; more trees of the same hue flourished and grew. Shifting my gaze a bit further upstream, I saw the faint outline of what appeared to a bridge, easily spanning the two banks. That was our destination.

I cast my eyes over the group. Ryou was staring at the ground, seemingly contemplating something and being unnaturally silent. Ivory was looking over a map as she walked, still whistling. Melath and Vincent were standing close, abnormally close as they conversed in low tones, no trace of their usual distaste for each other evident. I frowned without realizing it, the question tumbling from my lips before I could even stop myself. I never was real good at thinking before speaking.

"Ryou, are Vincent and Melath... together?" I questioned, the odd thought suddenly striking a ring of truth in my mind. It would definitely explain all the strange coincidences and occurrences though it was difficult for me to see them as being... for lack of a better term... gay.

Not that I had a problem with that, but I faced much the same problems as other my age. The media and pre-conceived notions had me unconsciously wanting to believe that gay men were shop-indulgent, prissy... well, women. If anything, Vincent and Melath, were nothing like what the media had made them out to be. They could definitely take care of themselves.

Ryou's gaze snapped up at my voice and he looked over at me, a strange expression on his face. His gaze darted towards the two men before shortening his stride, as if trying to put distance between them and us as he effectively lowered his tone to nearly a whisper.

"You see those earrings on Vincent's ear, right?" he questioned, as if that were a strange occurrence. I nodded so he continued. "They mean that he is owned, and that owner would be none other than Melath."

My mouth dropped open before I could stop it. Someone as strong-willed as Vincent? Owned? Did he mean... "Owned? You mean, like a slave?"

It also seemed that the dream had the strange effect of momentarily distracting me from my apathy. Strange. Yet, no one had heard of slavery since ole Abe Lincoln and the war of 1865. Well, you know what I mean. Yeah, people have heard of it. Yeah, it was still done. But to little ole me, slavery was a thing of the past.

He cast another anxious glance at the two, as if he were afraid of their wrath before nodding and continuing. "Yes, though there are many facets of their relationship that I prefer not to fathom. Nor are they exactly up-front about it either. You wouldn't know it from looking at Vincent that he was a slave, but he is sure enough. As long as I've known them, it has always been so."

"And how long is that?"

Ryou shrugged, putting a hand to his chin as he idly tapped his staff on the ground. "I would say about three years now. Ivory is our most recent addition."

"Three? That's all?"

He eyed me, raising a brow. "In Tears, three is almost a lifetime. Especially when you consider the personalities of both of them."

I was eager now, latching onto this new information like a cat on a mouse. I was determined to milk out of Ryou the entire story, greedily lapping up the details like chocolate syrup.

"How did that happen?"

He sighed, dropping his gaze to the ground, obviously slightly gauche with the topic. "It was the same day I denounced the Order and left the temple. I suppose you could say I was lucky that I latched onto them, otherwise my own ignorance would have been my downfall." I could tell by the tone in his voice it was not something he was comfortable talking about, but I pressed anyways, too curious to not ask. I never said I was a nice person, did I?

"But if you were of an order dedicated to learn all the languages of the world, wouldn't it be safe to say you would know their cultures? And why did you denounce it anyways?"

Ryou frowned, accenting the deep set of his features. "We did learn culture... but it is nothing compared to actually experiencing it. You can't learn human emotion and nature from a book. You can't predict the unpredictable. I very nearly learned that lesson with my life, if not for Melath and Vincent." He stared down at the ground, head lowered as he fidgeted with the ties of his dark brown robes. "To be honest, I came dangerously close to becoming a slave like Vincent, though of a decidedly worst nature."

That was a topic I didn't want to touch, not wanting to know what my fate would have been if I had never been rescued from the Ectows. I didn't think my nightmares could take it. "You left the temple," I repeated in an attempt to prompt him. "Why?"

He sighed. "Miss Anne, I would hate for you to think less of me. I prefer not to answer that question."

"Think less of you?" My brow furrowed.

I was surrounded by murderers, and arsonists. I had been beaten, bloodied, and yelled at. The only one who had treated me with any kindness was Ryou. To be honest, he could have killed the president and I probably wouldn't have thought less of him.

The former monk nodded and I shook my head. "Ryou, that's ridiculous." He said nothing and I sighed, this time with aggravation. "Look at me, Ryou," I insisted, inputting all my fear and worries into my gaze. He obliged, seemingly unable to deny a request or order. I wondered why, but didn't question, for the moment.

"I have something inside of me that wants blood. I have nearly killed every member of this group at least twice. I pass out every day for unknown reasons and I cry at the drop of a hat. I have no courage and killing sickens me." It was amazing how easy the words flowed from me, how I could say such things with a matter of fact tone. "I don't think anything you could tell me could make your pride fall any lower than mine has already sunk."

Puppy brown eyes searched mine, looking for something but I couldn’t say what. It wasn’t an ability of mine to read minds. "Alright," he acquiesced finally. "But only that you will somehow regain your pride. It doesn't suit you to be so glum and lost."

His words struck me, encouraging my heart and nearly causing my eyes to tear up again. But I swallowed down the emotion and nodded my head.

He inclined his head in understanding and took a deep breath, shifting his gaze to concentrate on the road ahead of us, and the approaching bridge. I could still see the myriad of emotion in his eyes however, and was startled by their swirling confusion.

"I was betrayed by he who I had the most trust in." Ryou spoke softly, diving directly into the tale. His voice held no emotion, as if he were distancing himself from his past and a smidgeon of guilt entered my heart, but it was quickly pushed away by the cackling eyes of Ms. Curiosity herself. I didn't speak, allowing him to continue without interruption.

"I'm quite young, despite how I look. Probably even more so than you, Miss Anne. I was also orphaned when I was a child, and would have died on my own. The disease I had been inflicted with... without the medicine I would have gradually crumbled away." I briefly recalled the light dusting of some sort of dirt on his arms, and at his words, I got a vague shudder of leprosy. "It was then that the head of the local temple happened to pass by me in my sad state. He knelt to offer a kind word, I don't think he ever intended to take me in, but when he touched my hand... I saw it... the vision of what was to come. I was young, barely five then, but I understood all too well the pictures that flooded my mind. I grabbed his arm, held on tightly and managed a warning before hunger overtook me and I passed out."

Ryou’s voice faltered for a moment, as he seemed to recall his vision. I could almost see the hovering of some fearful and dark aura hanging over his head. In that moment, I was more than happy to thank some deity that I wasn’t born with some type of psychic power. There were things in the future, things in people’s lives that I did not want to know. Call me a coward, but by god, I didn’t want to know.

I had a brief thought to somehow comfort him, but didn’t know what I could do that would be of aid. So instead I fidgeted in silence, letting my guilt over bringing up the past be enough sufferance.

He took a breath before managing to continue. "Turns out that there was an assassination attempt on the monk and I saved his life. The temple took me in, gave me the medicine for the disease and taught me how to make it myself, and in turn, I became a monk. But I was used... they didn't want to save me... they wanted to exploit me." His hand gripped fiercely on his staff, a motion I didn't fail to notice even as his normally calm and passive brown eyes flared with rage and sorrow.

"And I repaid their kindness with blood." He fell silent then, words clipped almost short. I could tell he was having trouble reining in his fury.

"Ryou?" I asked softly, gently, almost afraid of the sheer... well, rage that was coursing through him. The normally unflappable and compassionate monk had become something else before me, something unknown that I didn't recognize.

I reached out a hand to touch him, perhaps grasp his shoulder or run a soothing hand down his back. I faltered in midair; however, fingers twitching as I pulled back the gesture and dropped my hand back down at my side. I was the last person capable of offering useful comfort.

But apparently my voice was enough to shake him from his stupor. He blinked once, twice, and then blushed furiously, turning his gaze to me with a suddenly calm look in his eyes and an apologetic expression.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Anne. I didn't mean to-"

"No apologies, Ryou. You don't need to be sorry for being human." I reddened myself then, ashamed of my own actions. "If that were true, then I suppose I'd better start apologizing now."

He smiled lightly. "You underrate yourself, Miss Anne. You are stronger than you think." His staff continued to thump rhythmically against the ground, a soothing sound that I had grown to recognize and associate with him. Along with that familiar scent and embracing warmth.

"Somehow, I think you overrate me," I returned with a laugh. "You mentioned a vision. Didn't Melath once say something about your sight and the rescue-- of me, I mean."

He blushed again, and though his face was ugly, I found the act cute and endearing. Especially after learning he was in fact younger than me. That was a surprise. Then again, I wondered how old he actually thought I was.

"I learned that you are important to the existence of Tears, and that somehow you and we are connected by the threads of Fate. It would have been folly to ignore such a purpose."

"Connected, huh?" I questioned, even as the bridge in my dreams came fully into my view.

The other three companions were standing there waiting on the two of us, all with impatient looks to their faces. Vincent's seemed particularly annoyed. Right. Connected. I had to quell the urge to laugh sarcastically.

"If you two are quite through talking," Vincent hissed icily, glaring daggers at the both of us. "It is the princess' pleasure to go first."

I bristled at the nickname, shooting him my most venomous glare as I squared my shoulders. I cut off Ryou's chastising tone with another well-placed look. I would handle the bastard on my own, thank you very much. Ivory and Melath both seemed amused. Well, they were bastards, too.

"Fine," I snarled. "I'm not afraid."

Liar. I was quivering with fear, gulping loudly as I looked at the obviously swaying and unsteady bridge looking entirely more unstable than it had in my dream. I shot him another angry glare before taking a deep breath, placing one hand on the railing and prepared to climb aboard.

Oh, God. This was so not going to be easy.

*****

a/n: That's it for today. More to come I promise! And I'll do my best not to forget to update! Thanks for reading! Drop me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.