Is this what it means to be a father?

[Zerith]

(Closed)

The Serenti was over, so the lack of things to do brought Zerith to Radasanth. Sure his time in the tournament came too an end my sooner than he had hoped, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Whatever the reason was Asuka was declared the one who would move on. Perhaps it was a good thing though, seeing as how after the match Zerith looked over all the matches in the first round. It was to his disappointment that he saw no entrant that looked anything close to his father would have. Yet, perhaps being out of the Serenti was a good thing. That way he wouldn’t have had to get his hopes up for nothing.

Although that didn’t change the fact that he was still a little angry for being kicked out so soon. To remedy that, the halberdier decided to take a break and spend a few days in Corone’s capital. Hopefully he’d just be able to relax for a bit and calm down. Or even better, he could just forget all about his personal quest for a while and get back on in later.

First, he’d have to find the inn so he could get a room for the next few days. Although it was nearly noon, it didn’t change the fact that the center of the city was busy as hell. No matter how hard he tried though, Zerith couldn’t get a single person to stop and give him directions. Did people seriously only care about themselves? Fine then, let them run around and do whatever was so important to them. If they ever needed help with anything, they would be the ones to have a tough time finding it.

Eventually as Zerith continued to walk, the crowd grew small, the commotion died until there were only a small number except for the group of people up ahead. It took a while before he could see how many they were exactly and what was going on. But then, it didn’t like what he saw either.

A pregnant woman, with the large swell in her belly clearly showing was due in a very short time was holding a bag of groceries. However there was a group of people in front of her, preventing her from moving on to the next shop or from going home. Before Zerith could get close enough to ask what was going on, he found out. All thanks to the voice of one man that stood at the front of the pack.

“Well look at this,” he exclaimed. “It’s not everyday you find a whore shopping around for groceries. Where’d you get the money for all of that, eh? How many men did it take to please last night to give all of that?” Afterward he spit in her face and laughed, sure enough everyone that followed laughed with him.

Everyone but the woman of course, whose lip began to quiver. She tried to keep her composure but she failed at it. Instead she hid her face behind the bag she carried in both her arms as her began to cry as quietly as she could. However the man heard this and continued with his cruelty.

“Oh come on now, can you believe this. The bitch is crying again, no surprise at all. Maybe we should help her get all of that off her hands eh?” He laughed again. Immediately he reached for the top of the brown paper bag and pulled it down, tearing it. Then everything she had but so much work into fell out onto the ground at their feet and she screamed and continued to cry while the man just continued laughing. Before she could go to her knees to start picking everything up he push her backward to the ground, probably bruising her tailbone in the process as she cried louder.

“Suck it up bitch!” he yelled. “You’re nothing by a dirty whore, you should be used to being treated like this. You think the fact that you got knocked up changes anything? If anything, it only gives you a smaller group of customers,” He said laughing. “What do are you thinking guys? You think she could use a good slap or two?”

“That’s enough!” Zerith yelled as he rushed forward and between the pregnant woman and the others. “She’s pregnant, why the hell would you treat her like this?”

“That’s none of your damn business,” the man replied. “Now get the fuck out of the way before I decided to slap you around like a bitch as wel-.”

Before the asshole could finsih that last word, the shaft of Zerith’s halberd struck him in the side of the jaw. “Well then…” the young fighter began. “If that’s the case then I’m afraid I’m just going to have to slap you and your friends around until you get the point. Not to mention of you ever do anything to the woman behind me ever again, I’ll seriously kill all of you.”

Holding his jaw, the young man stood up straight and answered. “Is that what you think? Fine then, I’m going to enjoy every moment of this. I’ll teach you for fucking with us, then I’ll finish off with that there lady behind you.”

“Go ahead,” Zerith said as he gripped his pole-arm tightly. “I’m telling you now though, it’s really going to hurt to try.”

[AsukaStrikes]

"uWAA~..."

Oh, man... what a night...

Soft beams of light shone through the pale-colored curtains, casting its warm glow across the stretching young girl's lithe figure as she lazily opened her eyes to a new day. Rubbing her dreary eyes, she threw the feathery blanket off and drowsily trudged to a small wooden bin where she proceeded with her morning rituals of throwing water into her face and running fingers through her fiery hair.

It's been several weeks since the end of the Serenti and the LCC where the brazen redhead had made her deput, dodging and slicing her way through the legends of Althanas until she was defeated at the hands of the best they came. But no bout was as unforgettable or as traumatizing as the battle against the rather laconic Letho Ravenheart.

And not even a beautiful morning such as today was even going to make her forget the eternal scar the dark knight had inflicted upon her.

Just you wait, Letho... I'll make you pay...

Of course, the lass had tried her best to let the distasteful defeat get washed away by an exciting battle of wit and luck. A battle of minds with weapons that many could wield yet few had mastered.

Things could've been better overall had she not been greedy and bet all of her recently-won stack of gold on that one last hand. She should've stopped after winning 45 gold pieces, but the Akashiman felt lucky with the Straight unfolding within her palms. How was she to know that grey-beareded bastard had a four-of-a-kind in his hand?

But she hadn't lost anything beyond the 45 pieces acquired in that game. Asuka still had her travelling money intact and unharmed, plus just enough to cover the overnight stay at the Queen of Spades. Perhaps that was enough for her to be thankful about for the day.

The streets of Radasanth was as busy as always - humans, dwarves and elvenkind going about their daily business of maintaining the fair capital of Corone. Some heading out to the market to stock up on the daily catch while others browsing the numerous stores looking for that one piece of ornament to give their homes that "homely" feel. Asuka was, however, just wanderig aimlessly. She still had to find that elusive Akashiman noble and the task seemed more frustrating with each passing day.

"Bah. I need a break..." She muttered grumpily to herself, strolling towards the less-travelled side of the Coronian capital. However, a break from things was the last thing she was going to get.

Right in front of her, a large group of rough-looking men crowded around wha appeared to be a pregnant women, but by the derisive tone each of the lugheads spewed it was evident she was a rather well-known prostitute, or perhaps use to be one. Asuka didn't want to cause any trouble with the populace of the city, especially since the city was under the protection of the Coronian Assembly itself and thought about just turning a deaf ear and walk away like nothing happened. It was a logical route, but not for a hot-head swordsmaiden like her.

These kind of men was the kind Asuka hated the most: ignorant, thick-headed bunch of ingrates who seemed to relish in the pain of others. It was these kinds of men Asuka would like most to knock some senses into them.

Especially for terrorizing one of her own kind.

Even as Asuka rushed over to the six hardy men harassing the defenseless lady, someone else had already stepped in and started some commotion of his own. Obviously, this man wasn't like the others here. Nor was he a local, judging from his outfit and the mean-looking halberd he wielded with great alacrity.

"Hey, there." The redhead lass swaggered over to the group of trouble-makers, wearing a mean grin across her pretty face. "You hardy folks should be ashamed of yourselves, picking on a defenseless lady like her. Why not try your hands one someone who actually stands a chance of giving you guys the boot." She paused about five feet away from one of the rabble-rousers, standing with he rhands resting firmly on her ample hips. "Like me."

C'mon, you bunhc of ingrateful hogs. Asuka glared at them with her piercing emerald eyes, causing a few of the bearded men to glance at each other warily. It wasn't often a gang of hardy men get picked on by a traveller and a redhead girl, both looking a bit too young to be out doing any kind of risk-taking on their own. Then again, this was no ordinary day.

While the swordsmaiden casted her sights about the gang, noting each burly arms and stone-hard knuckles each capable of making her see stars with only a few glancing blows, the lass came to rest at the young traveller attempting to protect the harassed pregnant lady. The familiar-looking halberd, his homely sapphire eyes and familiar face struck a name through her mind.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Zerith, my old foe." The young man was indeed Zerith Dracosius, the halberdier with whom she duelled against in the very first Serenti Invitational bout at the steaming Serenti beach front. In fact, it was also him who the lass had to thank for saving her from becoming fish food. By the look of things, she was going to repay his honorable actions on this very day. "Save some of these buffoons for me and Kazeryu, will you? I need a good work-out since the last time we met."

"Don't stick your nose into other people's business, bitch." One of the men snapped at her, swaggering up to her in almost the same fashion she had done earlier. Except he had wide, muscular chest and muscles the size of her waist while she didn't even had enough plumage on her to be considered "sexy." "Or we'll have to slap you silly like your pal over there. Get it?"

Asuka merely scoffed at the remark and turned her right side to him, crossing her slim arms in front of her. The swordsmaiden had more than enough reason to stick her nose into this "business" of theirs. "Well, mister, I never liked the kind of men who, despite having such a thick body, appeared to have their brains crowded out their ears by their own muscles." The fiery-hair young girl flashed a cold glare back at him, inducing a surprised jump from the mountain of a man. "And if you think trying to pick a fight with someone as helpless as that lady over there was going to make you anymore "manly," I'd like to really see if you're all you though you are."

"Why, you..." Another man stepped forward, shaking his hairy fist in her face. "If you weren't just a wee lass, I'd kick you into the next season!"

The offensive brute was dealt a deft punch to his broad bridge, producing a stream of crimson from the unlucky man's nose as he yelped and staggered back in surprise. Asuka retracted her quivering fist and shook the numbing rattle from her arm, never taking her eyes off the other two men who looked both shocked and angry.

"Heh. You brutes are weak. Let's see you try to take on both of us and live to tell the tale."

Oh, how Asuka was going to have a hell of a time a re-educating these numbskulls the meaning of the word "humiliation."

Bring on the pain...

[Zerith]

One thing the halberdier didn’t expect was the arrival of another person to help him out. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t think someone would help, it was the just the person in particular. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as they fell upon red hair, familiar clothing and an even more familiar looking sword.

“Asuka,” he spoke clearly. It really was her, the woman he fought against in the Serenti. Although he wasn’t declared the winner, it felt good to know a Semi-Finalist beat him. It felt even better to know that he because of him, she made it that far. The simple fact was that if he hadn’t pulled her out of the water, then there was no way she would’ve gotten so far. “I would have though that the rest of the Serenti would have given you plenty of work-out. But if you really feel like you need it, I guess this will be one for the both of us.”

Did those people ever shut up? From Zerith’s viewpoint, they were nothing but talk. They didn’t even try to throw a punch, instead the red-haired lass threw one first, and a nice one at that. The young fighter had to hold back a laugh as he watched the small stream of blood flow down the idiot’s face. The bastard was beginning to get exactly what he deserved.

However in retaliation to Asuka’s punch, another one of the six rushed forward to teach the girl a lesson. Seeing it coming, Zerith acted before the asshole could even throw the punch. Swinging the halberd horizontally, the red shaft crashed into the man’s side and forced his pathetic charge to an end. To follow up the halberdier thrusted the blunt end of his pole-arm into the man’s gut and watched as the stranger bent forward, clutching at the pain in his stomach and breathing heavily.

“So would you mind telling me one thing?” Zerith asked as he walked to the man’s left side. Taking his halberd in both hands and looked at the lovely stone path, he held the pole arm in a way that resembled a golf club. He then brought it up to his right shoulder and swung, using the man’s head as a golfball and sending him flying backwards and to the ground. “Just when were you guys planning on slapping us around?”

Two more rushed at him. One was easily taken care of with another swing of the halberd to the side of the head. The other was luckier, managed to get close enough to Zerith to throw a punch that connected to the halberdier chest, causing him to stagger backwards and lose his breath. “You’re not so tough when a fight gets up close and personal, aren’t you?” the man spat. “I’ll teach you to mess with us.”

As he threw another punch, Zerith knew he couldn’t catch in. So instead the young fighter brought his spiked bracer to stop the blow. Unfortunately for the thug, he found his fist slamming into one of the sharps, titanium spikes instead. The scream that escaped his lips as the spike drove through in-between his knuckles was one filled with shock and pain, yet the momentum carried his fist further until it hit the brace itself. Then finally he was able to quickly pulled his hand back and cradle it in his other hand, a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Taking the opportunity, Zerith thrusted his halberd between the man’s legs and tripped the thug rather easily. He didn’t see it coming, his attention was focused on the pain and the sheer amount of blood in his hands to notice. So he landed on the stones hard, staining some of the rocks crimson as he tried to push himself up. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, that was certain. Especially after Zerith slammed the wooden shaft of his pole-arm into the man’s back, forcing him to stay down for a while.

Just when he felt like he had done his share of the work, the one that was struck in the head came at the halberdier again. The youth shifted his weight to his left to avoid the punch and pushed on the man’s back so he passed right by him. Then as the third thug turned around to try again Zerith quickly thrust the spear tip of his weapon into the man’s right thigh, feeling it sink into the bone.

With a simple quick twist and pull, the halberd was yanked free. Then upon being follow by a kick to the same leg and another hit to the head, Zerith’s third was finally downed. “Alright Asuka,” he thought. “You think can handle the rest.”

[AsukaStrikes]

Thickheaded buffoons were remarkably predictable in Asuka's mind as she nearly laughed out loud as the brawler doubled over, whining like a mongrel that got kicked in the nuts. But that was what she wanted to get started.

Even as three of the bullies marched off to give Zerith a piece of their minds, the bent-nose thug and two of his cohorts angrily charged the Akashiman lass with the speed of a raging bull. The one in the middle came at her fast and furious, intent on mowing her down with the might of his sheer bulk. The brute could've done better, like throwing one of his sledgehammer fists into her head or torso. That would surely put an end to the fight sooner than his friends could say "Where'd da lil girl go?"

If he had enough brains to think that up, the fight would've already be over. Too bad Asuka saw it coming from a mile away.

The charge was lumbering and perdictable - no match for her strategic side-stepping as the burly man breezed by her without hinder. Asuka watched the broken-nose guy with a mischievious grin as the second, just a little bit shorter but no doubt wielding just as much force behind his attack as the first, ran up to her from behind with his balled fists straight up in the air, hell-bent on giving her a taste of the sledgehammer. The swordsmaiden didn't even have to look behind her to know something that sounded like a grunting ox was bearing down on her. Using similiar footwork as the first time, the lass twirled out of the attack path with ease and kicked her left foot into his shin. With a surprised yelp, the man was send sprawling into the rugged brick wall, missing the burly, brown-hair man who attacked her earlier by merely a few inches.

"Hehehe. You're mine, missy." The last of her three thugs cracked his knuckles with a menacing grin plastered across his rugged square face. Several front teeth were missing, evidence that marked him as an experienced brawler. Whether the man was successful in his engagement or not was another story to find out later.

Feh. Not even worth my time, these bums. Asuka wasn't feeling very "challenged" by the haphazard rushes by the other two fighters and she wasn't expecting anything impressive from this broken-teeth brawler either. Of course, under-estimating your foe will lead to a quick, uneventful downfall. Like how she thought Zerith was going to be no problem against her in the Serenti.

"Hahaha! Gotcha, lil girl!" A shout came from behind the lissome warrior as a pair of hairy arms wrapped themselves around her waist, locking the lass in place like a mouse caught in a noose. Wide-eyed with terror, Asuka feebly tried to shake loose from the bleeding man's solid hold to no effect. In fact, the grappler squeezed her body in even tighter and the swordsmaiden was starting to find that breathing was more taxing as the moment flew by.

Can't... breathe... Gah! The air was coming in too little and going out too fast. It wasn't going to be long before she literally had life squeezed out from her unless the girl did something drastic. Something to free her frail physique from the enormous bundles of muscle wrapped around her waist.

It was her best chance of beating these unruly bandits, even if it meant giving them just a bit more than broken bones and bruised lips. With most of her strength sapped by the unforgiving constriction, Asuka used what little left of her to pry the double-edged sword out from her belt sheath and slapped the broad, flat blade upside her attacker's head. The hairy thug cowered in pain and fell backwards, his hands covering a painful throb in the middle of his forehead. Well... two down... The Akashiman gasped for air the moment she became freed from the iron grasp and immediately shot a warning glance at the square-faced fighter. One to go...

And had she been released just a second too slow, the definitive haymaker would surely put her out of the fight. The fist came fast and sure, a strong right hook en route to strike the lass clean across the jaw. Taking the blow was more than enough to send Asuka flying senseless through the air, but she would rather keep her feet planted firmly on the ground with Kazeryu in her hand. But the option of just slicing clean through the fat man's clothes and flesh just seemed overkill.

But nonetheless Asuka whirled her body around the same way as nearly all her previous footwork had been, whipping her head just out of the path of the heavy-weight fighter's sledgehammer. Just getting out of the way was not the entire picture she had thought. The Wind Dragon followed in his master's wake, embedding its ringed po0mmel into the burly man's fleshy ribs and sending him sprawled on the cobblestone road like a injured dog.

Wiping away a speck of blood that had made its way onto her face, Asuka casualy strode over to the man holding his bleeding forehead and yanked the good-for-nothing thug up by his shirt collar. She smelled in his breath chewed tobacco and cheap ale. Hrmph. Obviously just a bunch of low-lives...nothing worth my time.

So, boys," Asuka pulled the man closer to her eyes, letting the emerald orbs bore deep into his unremarkable brown ones staring fearfully back to her. The swordsmaiden's clothes was just barely ruffled at all , the most glaring evidence being the light pink bruise that was beginning to form around her thin waist. "what's your angle for preying one someone as defenseless as that lady over there? Answer truthfully, too, my friend. And you'll find yourself home with all 32 pieces of your body intact."

There was no use to kill these thugs anyways. So why stain Kazeryu with unworthy blood?

[Zerith]

“Please,” a feminine voice called out softly from behind two. “Please let him go. There’s no point in asking them such questions. Everybody treats me like that.”

Turning around, Zerith’s eyes settled upon the poor, unfortunate pregnant woman. Her eyes still showed unbearable sadness as clear the waters of Valena Lake. Did she feel guilty for what just happened? Was she blaming herself for being the cause of this sudden brawl? “I’m unharmed, really. So there’s not point in hurting them anymore. Just let them go, they learned their lesson”. Her voice was almost as soft as a whisper making it seem like she was afraid to talk out loud. Shifting her position, she started to gather up everything that had fallen out the bag she was carrying. That was of course, before it was ripped.

In Zerith’s opinion, she was in no state to be doing such a thing. He even thought she shouldn’t have been carrying the bag in the first place. So to remedy the situation Zerith walked over to a nearby food stand and retrieved another brown paper bag. With it in hand he joined the woman, knelling on the street with her, and smiled warmly, “Here, let me”. Placing Amenzanil on the ground beside him, he used both hand and gathered everything into the new bag as the woman watched silently. When he was finished he climbed to his feet and helped the expectant mother up to her feet first. Then he bent over and picked the bag back up, followed by Amenzanil.

The pregnant woman finally smiled for once. It wasn’t a wide grin but it was more of a small smile of appreciation. A way to say thank you to both the Halberdier and the swordmaiden for everything. Perhaps an attempt to say sorry for the trouble she caused as well. She turned to the mercenary and held out her arms to him, her body asking to take the bag he held to his chest, which still hurt a little. “Oh no you don’t,” Zerith answered, “I don’t think you should be carrying anything while you’re in that state”. He eyes fell to the bulge in her stomach as he finished.

“You’re probably right sir. But I really don’t want to cause you and this kind woman any more trouble that what has happened already.”

“Well speaking for myself,” Zerith replied. “I’m going to say that you’re not causing me any trouble. As for my friend here,” he said as he turned to look at Asuka. “I’m fairly certain she feels the same way.”

“Really? Are you sure?” the woman asked. “Cause if that’s the case then. Would you mind carrying that bag to my house for me? I was awfully heavy for me, even with two arms,” She said with a small laugh. Her eyes then moved to look at Asuka. “I would also really like it if you could join me miss. Just in case someone else decides to try and do something like that to me along the way home. In return I can cook something up for you two to eat. Does that sound good enough to you two?”

“Good enough?” Zerith responded with a smile. “If you ask me, that sounds great! Although you really don’t have to cook for me or anything, but if you insist, I will. Again, I’m not too sure what my friend has to say”. He turned to look at Asuka, who was currently occupied with one of the pathetic thugs. “Why don’t we just let these six off the hook for now with a warning? I think we wasted enough time with them already but if they try to pull another stunt like this with this lady, they won’t have the chance to regret it if you know what I mean. Does that sound good enough to you?”

[AsukaStrikes]

I didn't quite matter how much trouble she was going to cause herself now that the fight was put to rest. The thugs had been neutralized, sprawled across the cobblestone road rubbing their bruised faces, and she had one by the collar. It was just a matter of choice whether she was going to let them off the hook or not. Maybe it wasn't her choice to make decisions on behalf of the pregnant lady in the first place, the lass was more than obliged to do so in her place.

Apparently, that rather younf mother had other things in mind and asked that no more harm be done. It was a shame for Asuka, really, because she still needed to vent out the anger of being defeated by a fruity mage who lost in the first round of the Serenti. She was a semifinalist, after all. Having been taken down by someone who apparently was supposed to be weaker than her was a thorn in her ego, but that wasn't enough for the maiden to relax her clutch and sent the six thugs scurrying away like sewer rats.

"Pfft. You apologize too much." The red-hair maiden scoffed, grumpily joining the comapny of two young people going about collecting fruits and bread scattered on the dusty street. Still, the surprisingly submissive stance in the face of her assailants was a hint Asuka wanted to crack. There was definitely something amiss with this entire ordeal.

Zerith and the young mother continued to converse, exchanging thanks and apologies while Asuka kept quietly off to the side. She didn't like to talk, whether with close friends or strangers. She wouldn't know if she even had close friends, or friends in general. She was always by herself - a loner, wandering on the strength of her own two legs. She didn't need anyone to stand up for her like the pregnant women Zerith and herself had just saved. Asuka didn't want saving.

At the mention of food, however, caused the redhead to pause in transcient realization. She hadn't eaten anything since that night at the Queen of Spades, absent-mindedly leaving the tavern without a proper breakfast to fill her stomach.

"Well~..." The Akashiman had to play things nonchalant. Giving away her true disposition was not entirely something she wanted to do, especially if it was going to end up as owing this nice lady a favor. "I could use a decent meal. And seeing that you might need protection, we'll act as escorts on your way home."

It was a rather good deal in the swordmaiden's mind, now that she thought about it. Things would turn out as merely a "hiring price" than having to outright thank the woman. Having owed Zerith her life already was more humility than she wanted to admit.

"I believe that's settled, then." The woman smiled warmly, an expression Asuka found unsettling for some odd reason. Maybe it was from the long, hard road the Akashiman had taken through life genuine appreciation came to her as a bit of surprise. But the strange feeling was enough to cause the battle-hardened swordsmaiden to turn away shyly. "I supposed we should be going now. The sky is darkening rather quickly."

"You know, what? I think you talk too much." Asuka cleared her throat uneasily. "So, are you going to lead or do I have to find my way there myself?" The redhead stood with arms crossed, her boots tapping impatiently against the rugged street. As rude as it may seem, the lass was secretly worried that the baby might be harmed if nightfall approached and enveloped them in its unperceiveable veil. Besides, a mother is most dangerous when her child is threatened and Asuka hoped that such a time would never come to pass for the mother and child. It served as a reminder - or rather, an example - of a life Asuka would never have. Not ever since the fateful encounter with Letho in the battlefield.

The sky deepened with the passing of the Sun as it relinquished its throne for the silver moon to rule in its absence. The small band of humans strolled down the quiet streets of Radasanth with eyes and ears in constant alert. At the least, Asuka never allowed a single moving shadow escape unchecked in their short journey.

The escort duty was all but uneventful - saved for a few awkward stares projected towards the three from curious on-lookers and housewives taking their laundry out to dry in the midday sunlight. At long last, a small hut near the outskirt of Radasanth appeared around the endless street corners and the weary travellers entered into its welcoming embrace.

[Zerith]

“Mother!” the expectant mother called out as she entered the small hut. “I’m home!”

“Elizabeth!” a voice yelled. “Why on earth are you home at this hour, did you get lost?”

“I know the way to the market, mother. It’s a long story,” Elizabeth answered and began to tell her mother everything that happened. She talked about the walk, the good prices she found and how she ending up buying things that weren’t on the list she made. The young woman went on about how the men showed up made her task difficult but she smiled as they mentioned how Asuka and Zerith stepped in and dealt with the thugs.

While Elizabeth told her story, Zerith took the time to look around the home. A small home, but cozy. It wasn’t like the stereotypical hut that you’d expect to find on the outskirts of town. This one was different, this one was in good condition and wasn’t falling apart. The floorboards were done nicely and the walls were still in wonderful condition. The kitchen, although a little small still looked clean and well kept. There was a nice controlled fire in the fireplace, making the house feel much more comfortable. The walls were decorated with old family pictures, depicting the past years as children grew older and the family not only started, but grew bigger as well. It was like more like a small cottage than a hut. A nice, comfortable place to settle down.

“So I hear you two are responsible for bringing my dear daughter back in one piece?” The mother said as she looked to the two strangers in her house.

“I already told you they were the ones I talked about, Mother. Also I hope you don’t mind but I invited them over for dinner.” Elizabeth responded.

“Not at all dear!” the mother exclaimed. “Why, it’s the least we could do to repay them for the trouble we’ve caused them. Why don’t we invite them to spend the night here? We do have that extra room afterall.”

Zerith cleared his throat, “I don’t want you to feel like you’re doing this to repay us. But I’m more than willing to accept a meal if it’s offered.”

“Good!” Elizabeth answered. “Then I’ll go get started on dinner and then I’ll prepare the room for the two of you.”

“Yeah, about the room,” Zerith continued. “I don’t know what you’re thinking. But Asuka and I aren’t ‘together’ if that’s what you’re assuming. If you have only one room, Asuka can sleep there while I sleep by the fireplace. But we can sort out that issue after dinner, I’m getting hungry from all this talk about dinner,” he said smiling.

[AsukaStrikes]

The moment they entered inside, Asuka was surprised by how roomy and cozy the interior was compared to the outside appearance. Although the place was not what she would consider "lavish" it was far from spartan. There was a table near the far wall of the room and a few sturdy chairs in front of the fireplace. The Akashiman proceeded to wander about in what appeared to be the main living room, glancing at sketched pictures of the family. In many of them was a cute little girl smiling happily with her parents.

Elizabeth, as Asuka later found out overhearing the other speak, was the only daughter in the family and loved by many of her friends and neighbors. Asuka could see why as she looked at the lively young lady relating her "adventure" to her dear mother. Still, something nagged at Asuka like an irresistable itch. But that would have to be another time, a nother opportunity. Timing is everything, after all.

"Well, I'm fine with the dinner idea..." Asuka sighed half-heartedly, still a little irritated at herself for leaving the Queen of Spades without breakfast. But a free meal was nonetheless better than none. "...and about that room thing. Well, what Zerith here said. We'll sort that out after dinner."

Like hell I'm getting in the same bed as that guy. Asuka heaved another sigh and walked nonchalantly over to the fireplace before sitting down and taking off her jacket.

"Say, Elizabeth..." The lass finally remembered what that nagging feeling was and turned around in her chair, throwing the fraying brown jacket on the back of the chair. "I know I might be prying into your personal life, but I just couldn't help but wonder..." Asuka could almost feel the air inside the room growing heavy at the mention of her question. Despite the sinking feeling she had in her gut, the lass went on. "I can tell you're, what? Seven, eight months now? So, where's the man of the house?"

Everyone seemed to have frozen to their spot at the word, even Asuka who was beginning to feel extremely awkward for uttering such a preposterous sentence. A few seconds later the silence was broken by a wooden spoon against the kitchen floor, to which all heads seemed to promptly turn to look.

"Oh, oh, oh! I'm sorry, I'll, umm, get dinner ready." Elizabeth's mother apologized and quickly disappeared behind the kitchen door, muttering incoherently to herself.

"Tristan..."

The room fell eerily silent once again, all eyes turning towards the blonde-hair lady standing in the kitchen doorway. Asuka shifted in her seat, brushing a strand of hair out from in front of her eye.

"He... was a good man. Tristan was always a gentleman around me, escorting me to the market... buying me flowers..." Elizabeth slowly trudged from the kitchen and sat down wearily on a chair near the small table with the pictures of her family. She picked one up from behind a large family picture and stared at it intently, a tiny drop of tear running down her rosy cheek. "Until he... took advantage of me... forced himself on me... then called me a cheap one-night-stand..."

Asuka merely stared blankly at the sobbing figure caressing the picture frame like a longing wife and silently glanced away towards the fire. The swordmaiden then proceeded to unsheath Kazeryu from the sheath behind her and started wiping the chipped blade with the edge of her fraying jacket.

Asuka was the daughter of a swordsmith, after all. Cleaning her weapon was about the only thing that could keep herself quiet. A fail-safe plan for stopping the lass from blurting out anything else untimely for the time being.

[Zerith]

As the halberdier listened to Elizabeth explained how she had gotten pregnant, he felt the beginnings of hatred stir inside him. He had never really understood why some men would take advantage of a woman or what they could have possibly hoped to gain from doing such a thing. In Zerith’s opinion, those were the men that gave the others like him a bad image. The typical assumptions that men were pigs and couldn’t be trusted. It was those opinions that made it frustration for a kind man to do something nice simply because they wanted to help a lady. Instead, the woman would claim that the man was just looking for another piece of ass.

Yet after Elizabeth finished, Zerith’s mind refused to dwell on Tristan and instead settled upon another question. If Elizabeth’s baby wasn’t planned for, then what was she planned to do after she had given labor? After a few moments of silence passed, the halberdier expressed his concern openly. “So if the baby wasn’t planned for, are you still planning on keeping it?”

“She most certainly is not!” the mother yelled as she entered the room again. “She’s not ready to raise a child! Elizabeth and I have already discussed this and she has decided that she will give the baby up for adoption.”

As the mother’s face grew red with anger, Elizabeth lowered her head and answered, “Yes, what she said is true. Once my baby is born, I’ll give him or her up for adoption. I only hope my baby ends up being taken care of by a loving family.”

“See? She’s a smart girl, at least this way the baby will be able to live a happy life. Now if you would excuse me, I have to put the finishing touches on tonight’s meal.” The mother said before she headed into the kitchen again.

“I can’t put my finger on it,” Zerith thought. “But it feels like there’s something I’m just not seeing.” Both Elizabeth’s story and the decision were like pictures, except it felt like there was something missing in both of them that prevented the halberdier from seeing the image as a whole. Did Asuka feel the same way? She had gone silent after Elizabeth’s story. Perhaps she was just trying to make some sense out of what the two of the suddenly found themselves in.

As for Zerith, he felt the same way. Yet he was afraid to ask anymore questions or try to talk to old opponent in front of Elizabeth or her mother. For now he’d act like everything was fine and enjoy the evening. Then when the two women went to bed, he’d see what Asuka thought of the situation. Taking a seat beside Elizabeth, the halberdier began to move the night along, pretending like everything was fine. Placing his halberd beside him, he tried to soften up the tension that filled the house. “So Elizabeth, how long have you been living here?”

[AsukaStrikes]

Dinnertime went by with relatively little to speak of without hitting the wrong note. Asuka held her lips while the hostesses went about trying to start a light-hearted conversation now and then while seeing that the food was adequately served.

The air was unbearable to the Akashiman lass throughout the entire evening and she was glad it ended when all four headed for their respective rooms. Asuka felt as if she had been breathing in water the entire time - an unwelcomed flashback from the first tourney she was ever involved in. As her lithe form struck the bed sheets she let out an audible sigh, filling the silent room with her unsteady breathing.

Yet, try as she might, the maiden simply could not sleep.

Something isn't right... Something's missing...

Then, she remembered she had left her jacket out in front og the fireplace.

Of all the things I had to forget...

Asuka grumpily pushed herself up and traipsed across the worn wooden floor, carefully avoiding the creaky floorboards she had found on her way in, and eased the door open. The homely little cottage remained silent as she crept towards the living room, her emerald eyes constantly sweeping the darkness faintly lit by the glowing embers.

The fraying brown jacket rested idly where she had first hung it, warmed by the fire still glowing inside the rugged fireplace. At first, she thought only about grabbing the garment and head back to sleep for the two wanderers' eventual departure in the morning. Still, she felt there were more things to think about sleep ended up tossed aside and forgotten.

Silently, she eased herself onto the chair and stared into the dancing flames, the air radiating around her slowly warming up her skin.

"Something's not right about this..." The maiden whispered softly, as if to no one in particular. "...You've sensed it as well, haven't you? Zerith?"

[Zerith]

“I wouldn’t necessarily say something isn’t right, more like something is missing.” Zerith answered from the sofa he was lying on. He had purposely left the fireplace still ablaze, allowing the flames continue giving both warmth and light to the house. Besides, there was no reason to put out the fire yet. The halberdier couldn’t sleep just yet, he just didn’t feel tired enough. Perhaps it was a good thing his body refused to rest, otherwise the swordmaiden’s question would have been unanswered. That and he wouldn’t have been able to talk privately with his companion. After a night like the one they just had, there were bound to be some unanswered questions.

“I’m not to sure we’re hearing the entire story. I think a piece of it s being left out. I know the mother isn’t going to tell us anything even if we ask her. But we can’t ask Elizabeth either, especially if her mother is around.” Zerith continued. “As for the baby, I don’t quite understand why they would want to give it up for adoption. I mean if it isn’t the baby’s fault for what happened to the daughter then why would giving it up for adoption make it all better?”

Elizabeth didn’t seem like the type of person who would give a child up for adoption. Although quiet at times, she was kind enough to invite two strangers into her house for dinner. So why wouldn’t she keep her own baby? He knew they had the room for it, so what was the problem? “I think we should see what the real problem is and if there is anything we can do to fix it. It’s the least we could do right? They are letting us stay here for free after all.”

“If it isn’t too much to ask, Asuka. I’d like it if you could try to figure out just why Elizabeth wants to give the baby up for adoption. To me, the whole idea of doing something like that just seems unnatural for her. Out of the two of us, she’ll most likely open up to you more. Then while you’re doing that, I’m going to go find Tristan and get his side of the story. Maybe he’ll have the missing piece.”

“In the meantime,” Zerith said as he yawned. “I think we should both get some much needed rest. But if you have anything you’d like to say or talk about, I’ll stay up for you to get them off your chest. If there isn’t anything, then I hope you sleep well tonight.”

[AsukaStrikes]

The pretty boy had a point Asuka did not want to admit. It would be natural, after all, for a lady to open up to one another. Still, the lass was not sure she would be of much help in trying to coax a soft-spirited girl like Elizabeth to speak up. Asuka was more of a rough-n-tumble sort of person, not some prissy dress-wearing flower girl. How would she know what would be appropriate to talk about or better left to rot in obscurity.

"Pfft. Whatever, Zerith. I'll do what you asked." She half-heartedly reply and heaved a sigh, retiring to her own quarters for the remaidner of the night. "Just don't come back here without a head on your shoulders. I'd hate to pick up what's left of you if you got in trouble."

She would rather be the one to beat the answers out of that lowlife Tristan than listening to some heart-breaking sob-story she expected to hear from Elizabeth. Still, he did have a point. A lady would be more comfortable opening up to another lady, even though Asuka did not think she would fit the bill.

Either way, it would be worth a try.

***

"I'm going out to buy some more flour and eggs, Mother." Elizabeth chimed happily the following morning as the young mother-to-be got ready to go outside. The meal that they had eaten last night made Elizabeth and her mother realize that they were running low on food and therefore, a trip to the local marketplace was in order.

"Hey, Elizabeth." Asuka interjected before the young mother stepped outside, who turned around in time to spot the wandering fighter casually slipping on her tattered armless jacket. "You mind if I come along? From the look of things, those thugs will be lurking about to give you another rough time for sure and I'm not about to let that happen to you again."

The swordmaiden nonchalantly glanced up from adjusting her boots to see the young Elizabeth gaze her way with strange, admiring eyes. Almost as if seeing Asuka as her guardian angel send down to help her out in the direst of times.

Asuka met eyes briefly before turning away, embarrassedly rubbing her nose in an attempt to dispel the awkward moment.

"H-Hey. It's not like that, you know. It's just... Well, I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything while I'm around. Y'know. Just that."

"Why, thank you, Asuka." Elizabeth warmly smiled back, running a hand through her fair, golden curls. "I could sure use some help carrying the bags as well. You're a lifesaver, dear."

"You talk too much." The Akashiman headed out the door with a nervous chuckle, afraid that the goody-goody lady would start to make her lose her killer edge. Not that she had much of it to begin with, but growing soft was not exactly what she had in mind as a future plan.

But the moment her head moved through the door frame...

Smack!

"What in the-!" Asuka sputtered as she tried to figure out what exactly just happened. Wiping a hand across her head, a thick yellowish blob of goop clung to her fingers and streaked down her deep auburn hair. The slimy, cold texture was something she was well familiar with, but how it ended up on her head was a matter that interested her the most.

Well, of course. It was a chicken egg and coud be nothing else.

Immediately, her vengeful emerald eyes sweeped the mostly peaceful streets just in time to see a whooping group of chidren flee from the scene, yelling and shouting as they disappeared around the corner. One of them still had an egg in his hand, a sure sign that they were the perpetrator of this sneak attack. "Why, you-!"

"I'm sorry." A soft, sorrow voice stopped the raging swordmaiden from going on a rampage. Asuka turned her eyes from the street to the sad-looking Elizabeth, the motherly maiden casting an apologetic stare on the ground. "I should have told you to be careful about that. Actually, we get this everyday and it really can't be helped."

Asuka still thought it to be more of a very rude nuisance than something that they had to get used to, but it did not look like the time to take it up with the officials. There were more important things to be said than merely who the rowdy kids were.

The two of them strolled wordlessly through the empty street towards the market, neither feeling like starting a conversation nor engage in any deep philosophical debate. Asuka was preoccupied by Zerith's request that night and Elizabeth was off in her own little world as well, not even letting a single word slip through her lips.

C'mon, Asuka. Think! You gotta ask her about that idiot Tristan! And about everything! Her mind deliberated, trying to come up with a good way to start the conversation without appearing like a nosy neighbor. Well, at least try not to come off as a nosy stranger. You should at least be able to manage that.

There was not much to lose except the trust of her charge, but some things had to be done whether anyone liked it or not. As for this job, Asuka very much did not like to talk about the touchy feely stuff. Still, what needs to be done, needs to be done.

"Say, Elizabeth..." The Akashiman muttered nonchalantly, as if trying to strike a random friendly chat. "You and your mother seemed awfully close from what I've seen. It's a nice scene to see for me, even if it's so few and far in between for me. I wonder... You have a name for the kid yet?"

The question was sure to cause a bit of resistance, that was one thing Asuka was sure about. Still, it would at least be something to get the converstation started. A little bit of information here and there was better than getting none, after all.