Of the Fate: Demons Unleashed

Previous: Of the Skill: Training Kie

Third Day
It was a few moments later.

Sachi held her arms across her chest, as she sank down to the wall. She was shivering, both in pain and in chills, as she attempted to hold her tattered shirt together. Her head was hung down, and her hair was messy. Tears continued to spill from her eyes, as she attempted not to break down completely.

"Oh, God...." She continued to repeat in her head, as if in a broken mantra. "O-oh my G-god...."

Ean's body staggered back, the demon was spent, as was Ean's own spirit. He fell to the ground, unconscious once again, but not after saying "I... win..."

At the sound of Ean's voice, Sachi almost flinched. Then, with shaky hands, she flicked the tears off, determined to retain what diginity she had left. Slowly, she turned towards him, the dead look in her eyes clear.

"Ean....did you turn away?" Was the only thing she could think of.

But he lay there, on the ground, the ice melting away as the demon of his mind was sealed away by force, his own spirit taking over. Somewhere, inside the realm of his mind, Ean was regretting what happened, even though he did not see it. He did not want this to affect Sachi in any way, but he knew it would.

As soon as he could, he would apologize. As soon as he could.

Why....

She shook her head, forcing the tears back into her head.

''Was this some sort of punishment? A sick joke from the Heaven? Why did this happen?!''

The pain was welling in her chest once again, but she didn't cry.

Instead, she shut her eyes, and let out a raw scream, straight from her heavy heart to her torn throat. It was one of a tortured soul, a lost hope, and a woman forever shamed.

Aftershock
She cried for what seemed like hours. If not that, then eternity.

She wailed and screamed until her throat hurt and her eyes were red, until she had seemingly run out of tears.

''Is Sachi... Crying?''

The thoughts of the ice swordsman were vague, muffled.

''I should... See if she's okay... After all... It is my fault...''

He moved his arms, slowly and shakily, he was tired for reasons he did not create, yet he felt he deserved it. He could just barely lift his body off of the ground, his legs felt like they were dead, just there and unable to move.

Sachi opened her eyes suddenly in a horrified manner, then turned to look at the now-standing form of Ean. "E-ean...? I-is that y-you....?" She said, her voice violently shaky.

He took steps toward the terrified and shaking figure of the Urami, standing over her, looking down at her sad, robbed form. He did not reply, except for the knitting of his eyebrows and the sadness of his eyes.

She lowered her head. "T-tell me one thing...." She said in a quiet voice. "D-did you look away?"

She was suddenly brought into an embrace, the large, strong form of the man holding the sad, small one of the woman, bringing her into his arms, trying to reassure her. "...Yes."

"I'm sorry."

He didn't need to say anything more.

She wrapped his arms around his back, sobbing heavily in his chest. Her shoulders heaved with grief. "Oh, Thank Kami...." She managed to say between hiccups. "I-It was so awful...I c-c-can't even remember what happened....! I-if you had to see it..."

She said nothing after that, continuing to drown her sorrow into his chest.

"I have to ask you something..." said Ean, his voice deep and heavy, filled with regret.

"Are you afraid of me?"

Upon her ears picking up the question, she willed herself to stop sobbing, in order to make her voice clear. She rested her head against Ean's chest from the side, and managed a weak smile.

"Why would I be afraid of you, for something you can't control?" She asked quietly, her voice still a bit shaky, but much clearer now.

"It... It was my fault... I could've been stronger... I could've done more to stop it..." he said, small tears forming at the edges of his eyes, gritting his teeth, bringing Sachi into a warmer, stronger, sadder, embrace.

"It's all my fault..."

"What happened, happened." She said softly, her voice having a more grateful tone. "Don't blame yourself." She smiled again, but this time it was more genuine.

"It's over now...I'm just glad....thank God that you're here now...."

"I'm just glad you don't have to go through that again..." he said, the tears finally falling. He realized something at that moment, and it made that moment even more grateful to him. He looked up, into the seeming infinite darkness of the "sky" they were under.

"Sachi, I think I've figured something out..."

"Huh?" Sachi followed his gaze, a confused one.

"That... It takes a lot not to feel lonely..." he said, resting his head on top of Sachi's, keeping the embrace.

"Yeah...no shit." Was her depressed, but grateful reply.

Kie
They were out of the cave, both fully unscathed and relatively well.

They didn't speak on the way out of the cavern, and they had not spoken when they got to the mouth either.

It was Ean who broke the silence, "I think it'd be better to take the God road, we need to get back to Kie."

We sure can't run, any physical effects from last night would certainly take their toll on her... thought Ean, feeling guilty all the while.

Sachi simply nodded, holding her arm. "All right, then let's go..." She said simply, taking a few steps forward....before she staggered and fell on her face like a drunk.

"God DAMN it!" She growled in her head.

Ean was immediately at her side, an intense and worried look on his face, "What's the matter? Can you walk without me or was that serious?"

"I-I don't think I can...." She said wearily. "I must be more screwed up than I thought..." She even managed a grim chuckle.

"Well then I have to carry you," said Ean, lifting Sachi off of the ground and holding her bridal-style, "Please don't be angry with me for what I'm about to do, by the way." he said.

"Mmm..." Sachi sucked in air slightly through her nose. "Can't be any worse off..."

They were flaking away again, into snow, floating up to the realm of Jaque de Glaciation once again.

It was as cold as ever, blinding still, and the wind could possibly have been worse.

Ean looked out into the white, calling "Jack! Jack, where are you?"

"Who's Jack?" Sachi muttered, squinting her eyes as the snow blinded her.

Giant feet came out of nowhere in front of The two, causing both of thier hearing to be shot for a second, and suddenly the wind stopped, revealing a giant whose skin was white, a frown plastered on his face and a beard on him, comepletely white from the ammounts of ice and snow he had endured over the millennia.

"That is Jack, aka Jaque de Glaciataion."

That prompted the blonde to give Ean a "look". "You better start explaining when we get back." She said.

Ean was more focused on the large man in front of them when he bent down to get a better look at them.

"Well, if it isn't an Eromalc, one of my children, and a female human. Oh, and you two seem to be emotionally distressed! She pregnant boy?!" he said as he gave a loud, hearty laugh at his own words.

"...." Sachi fell deathly silent, a comically darkened look on her features.

Ean sweat-dropped. "Uh... No, sir... Actually, she's injured, and I was wondering if you could give us a free pass to our destination..." said Ean, the nervousness apparent in his voice.