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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 3:20:13 GMT -5
Wolgang landed and jumped off of Buskin, who immediatley laid down. "Im not sure..." he shrugged and hoped it wasn't something he had said. He scratched his neck with a sigh. "I'll go talk to her, you can set up camp without me, right?" before waiting for an answer, he turned and left. Inori watched him until he disapeared into the woods with a suspicious frown.
"Sahara, are you here? You can't just walk into the woods by yourself." Wolfgang stopped, the forest reminded him of home, though the trees were so small in comparison. Home.. He remembered the large wooden gates leading in, and no matter how many times he had seen it, a feeling of releif and security would wash over him. He was far from 'home' now. "Sahara?"
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 3:29:31 GMT -5
Sahara came out from behind a tree and held her long sword up infront of Wolfgang. "Why can't I? Too dangerous? Oh please. I'm a warrior trained by Shifuto Hiru. I can defend myself from a few rabid squirrels alright?" She resheathed her sword and continued to walk away until she found a larger tree and layed her blanket down under it. She sat down and gazed into the distance... or rather, as far as she could see through the trees.
"I'm sorry... I don't mean to have a bitchy attitude. Its just been a long trip... and a few things have gotten on my nerves. Thats all." she came up with more excuses. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. " she took off her sword and set it next to the tree. The dagger hung from her belt, and really wasn't in her way, so she left it attached. "I just havn't slept much... so don't worry about it, I don't have some long sad story to annoy you with. Just go help Patrick. I'm fine here."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 3:36:56 GMT -5
Wolfgang cocked his head, "I didn't say you could take care of yourself, I've just seen strong soldiers, stronger than you get lost. And why are you sleeping out here, in the middle of no where then? ..is it Patrick and Inori?" Wolfgang knew he was playing with fire, he braced himself for loud, unpleasant words.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 3:41:59 GMT -5
Sahara looked over at Wolfgang, quite puzzled. "Patrick and Inor- No! What you think I'm jealous or something?" She laughed. Actually, she was glad he said it, because it brightened her mood up just a bit. "Patrick is just my friend. One of my best friends. I'm happy for him and Inori! I couldn't be happier for them!" She shook her head in disbelief. "I guess it would like that way, couldn't it? We're like brother and sister. Always have been. He's the only family I've ever known. I could never like him like that... that'd just be... yuck!" She felt like a child using that word, but it made her smile.
She wanted to come up with some excuse as to why she was out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she was really tired from not sleeping and needed a nap where it was quiet... but, she thought maybe it wouldn't work on Wolfgang. "I just have a lot of things on my mind. Memories from Shifuto Aisu... from my family...fears." She hated to admit it, but atleast she was saying this to Wolfgang and not any weirdo.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 3:55:20 GMT -5
Frankly, Wolfgang was releived that Sahara seemed to brighten a bit. He knew Sahara and Patrick were good friends, but he really could never tell what girls thought much. Especially about romance and relationships and all that. He was also surprised to see her open up.. Slightly. "your family? Oh... She had told him more than once they were on bad terms. "it must be difficult. Your family in Shifuto Hiru is dead, the only family you do have is on... Different terms." wow, he was making things sound better, he reminded himself never attemp to comfort a female again. "...I don't know what happened with your family.. But you can't live in fear. It will eat you alive." Stop talking while your ahead. He thought.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 4:06:20 GMT -5
Sahara rubbed her temples. She should have never opened her big mouth. Now he thinks she lives on fear! "Wolfgang, I am a Nickshaw. We don't show fear. It's not like Im consumed by the damn thing!" She froze... Maybe he was right. Maybe she WAS living in fear after all. She sighed. "I mean... its not like I mean to. I was taught my whole life to act tough. To never cry..." She bit her lip.
'shut up shut up!' she told herself. She didn't want to let out too much. Sometimes, secrets were meant to be kept secret. Secrets.... A memory popped back into her head, one she hadn't thought about in years. One she had trained herself to forget...
"Sahara... what ever you do, stay out of the way!" A man told the young Sahara. "but daddy! I can fight! I know I can!" Her father shook his head. "You are too young! And I love you. Your my baby girl. I will do anything to protect me. Don't let me fail!" Seven year old Sahara began to cry. She turned and ran into an alley, clear from any of the fights.
"I know I can fight!" she cried with tears in her eyes. "I can!" She peeked her head outside. Her father was fighting a rather large jintori. "Daddy! Wait! Daddy I can help!" She picked up a fallen sword and ran after the jintori. Her father turned around. "No! Sahara! GET OUT OF HERE!"
And then...
Sahara snapped back into reality. "I'm sorry. I..." Sweat was dripping from her pores, though it was very cold out. She didn't know what to say next. Leave? Sorry to bother you? "I... I just need to rest..."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 4:40:01 GMT -5
Wolfgang nodded and turned to leave. He only got a few steps before stopping short. "You call yourself a warrior. I know you can fight, but there are other attributes a warrior must have. Self respect, loyalty, courage, belevolance, humility... Honesty." he turned around. "I know you posses some of these qualities, but can you call yourself a warrior when you aren't honest to yourself? To others?"
he wasn't sure why he was saying such things to her, but he hoped she would understand.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 4:46:08 GMT -5
Sahara quickly stood to her feet. "What the hell are you talking about?! I'm plenty of honest! I'm not the one whose been holding something back this whole time!" she gave him a small shove. "Do you think I am stupid? The way you've been acting? You've been hiding something. Something huge." She turned away, about ready to walk off, when she realized how stupid she was being. Just like a Nickshaw... full of rage.
"I'm sorry Wolfgang... please don't go." She turned back around to look at him. "I'm really... really sorry. Your right. I havn't been honest. I've just been a jerk. Hatred blinds people... and I couldn't be blinder... I'm so sorry." Her stomach churned. She really did feel terrible. How could she let herself blurt out such hateful things?
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 4:58:00 GMT -5
Wolfgang bit back the words he would bark out, she had apologized. He sighed to himself, "Its fine. You can say what you think. That's what honesty is... I may not be an honest person, in fact, I'm selfish for being so dishonest. Don't apologize." he felt terrible, and slightly caught off guard, even if it haddnt been the first time she'd shoved him. "it's not my buisness to know, but I wish you would tell me what your hiding. At least so I could try and comfort you. Actually... That may be an awful idea. But we're friends, right?"
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 5:05:46 GMT -5
Sahara looked down as he talked, almost ashamed. "But we're friends, right?" Sahara looked up. She smiled very faintly. "Yeah... friends..." It was odd, how she had gone from hating him, to being friends with him. "You are my friend Wolfgang. And like Patrick, I see you as... as ... well, sort of.. a best friend." She hoped it wasn't too much of a childish thing to say. She looked away, staring off into the brush.
"There is a lot I've been keeping from people. At first... I thought it was just so that I could forget it... but now... Now I think I keep it secret to protect people." She turned back around to face Wolfgang. "Wolfgang, I trust you." She didn't know why she had to say it, but she felt like she just had to.
Sahara let out a long sigh. "I don't want to bore you with anything. But if it is ok, I would like to talk... a little bit."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 5:14:48 GMT -5
"Well, that's why I'm here." he smirked. It really meant a lot she had said she trusted him. Inori's earlier words made him doubt he could be trusted by anyone. He looked at Sahara, but this time really looked at her. She seemed childish at times, but he could really see she was a beautiful woman. Strong and independant, something he never had seen back at Taikai Ueki. He snapped out ofhis thoughts, he pushed them far, far away.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 5:26:10 GMT -5
Sahara nodded. "Thank.. thank you." She sat down on the ground and patted the spot next to her, incase he wanted to sit too. For now, she would keep her deepest secrets just that, a secret. But some day, she would tell somebody. For now, she locked them away, and decided to start on something easier.
"I..." She tried to think of some truth to tell. Some stupid little fear she has. Something small, just to get her started. "I'm afraid of the ocean." She informed him, then chuckled a little. "As a little girl... my parents took me to the freezing sea... in the middle of summer. The water was still cold, but not nearly as bad near the shore as it was out in the middle. They wanted to give me a chance to get used to the ocean. Incase I had to cross it sometime to get to Shifuto Aisu... My father was from Shifuto Aisu. And he always had ideas that our family would one day break the fued between Shifuto Hiru and Shifuto AIsu. "
She laughed. That idea seemed impossible now. "I took one step into the ocean, and got pinch by a frost crab." She laughed. "And I've been afraid of the ocean ever since." She knew it was a stupid fear. She had always known it was stupid, but it was still a fear. She frowned. "I was six then... almost seven. But even so, the idea that our family helping bring our two villages back together was so believable. I wanted to be that hero! But then... a few months after the trip to the ocean... jintori raiders attacked my village. They took my family from me... That was when my dreams died..."
She froze. She was figuring out so much about herself, just by talking to somebody else. She fell silent, then looked back up at Wolfgang. "That was when I became afraid... to love." she sighed. "I guess I am just full of stupid, idiotic fears."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 5:41:31 GMT -5
Wolfgang couldn't help but laugh at the crab story. "I-Im sorry.." he gasped through his laughter. It settled after a moment. "everyone has fears. I'm afraid of dogs... Bees too, terrible beasts." he knew that wasn't the point. He sat down beside her and crossed his legs. "Sahara, to fear is to live. We face our fears to live."
What she had said about her family and love made him bite his tongue, was that what she meant when she had asked him earlier? "Sahara, what I said before... It shouldn't affect your feelings. Shuting out love because your afraid to lose it... That's a fools act." he wasn't sure when he had become so insightful, but he was sure he had heard a few of his fathers words when he spoke. Him and his hypocratic words.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 18:36:30 GMT -5
Sahara chuckled, but only slightly, when he mentioned bees. But after that, she got much more serious. She glanced down, staring at the grass, which moved ever slightly in the gentle sea breeze. She could hear the crash of the waves off in the distance. She didn't understand how the ocean can be both so beautiful, and so violent at the same time.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway." Sahara finally spoke up. "I can't see anyone liking ME. Ofcourse... I mean, there was Bonzo..." she shook her head, still not believing that one. "But it was different. He.. he was wrong. And I didn't like him." She grunted to herself. It was so idiotic, talking about this like some high school girl. What did love matter to her anyway? She was a warrior... Feelings weren't allowed.
She glanced back into the distance. Her memories came rushing back to her. She tried to block them, but in such a quiet place, it was hard....
..."Daddy! I can fight!" Young Sahara continued to run after her father. All she thought she was doing was aiding her father in fighting the jintori. Her father had put so many dreams of becoming a hero into her head that she just knew she could beat the jintori. She picked up a fallen blade and charged as fast as a seven year old girl could.
Sahara's father loved her very much. He had told her so. And he said he would do anything to keep her safe. When Sahara came running up to the jintori, he had no choice but to stop her. She was quite too young to be a hero just yet.
As soon as he heard the shuffling of tiny feet, he turned around and shouted. "SAHARA NO!" And then...
The jintori found an opertunity, and he took it. Sahara was coated in the blood of her father. Sahara dropped the sword in shock. She ran to her father's body, now a bloody corpse, and dropped to her knees. "Daddy! Daddy!" But he did not awake...
Seven is much too young to witness battle. Much too young to witness death. Much too young to lose a father. She was in such shock that she did not even notice when the jintori grabbed her by her leg and hoisted her into the air. She just dreamt... dreamt that she was being cradled in her father's arms.
And then she remembered pain, and her vision went blank. When she awoke in the hospital, the first thing that they told her was that she was going to live. Funny how people always think giving the good news first is best, when you know that fact is, that there is no good news. She kept asking about her father, if he was alright, but nobody answered her. She tried to stand up... but there was something missing...
Finally, it was her brother that told her the news. Her brother was nine, only two years older than herself. He was slower than the rest of the children, they always told them, but Sahara saw no difference. She loved her little brother. He was the one to break the ice.
"Mommy and daddy are in heaven now Sahara. They are walking on streets of gold. They are living in a big, big mansion! But don't worry, they are saving us a room when we get there." Sahara's eyes widened, but she could not cry. No tears came. Instead, darkness whelled up inside her heart. Then they told her how she would never be able to walk again. When she saw that her leg was gone, it broke her heart. And everytime she looked at the people around her, she could only see half of their face, because one of her eyes was blinded.
But her brother always kept her safe, kept her company. He would stay with her and never leave. He always found time to smile and laugh. He told her stories to keep the darkness in her heart from spreading. The pain never left Sahara, but her brother always tried to keep her mind off of it. Many people said that he would never be able to learn, but Sahara knew that he had learned things that most people would never be able to learn.
And then a few months later, somebody had told her that she would be able to get a fake leg. Somebody had seen potential in her, and wanted to make sure she would be a warrior like her father. They created a robotic extension that would enable her to walk. The news could have made her very happy, if it wasn't for one thing; her brother had fallen ill.
The people in the village had guessed that Sahara was used to pain, so they just bluntly told her. "I'm sorry Sahara, but your brother is going to die." Nobody comforted her, nobody loved her. She stayed by her brother's side like he had done for her, but he was not the same little boy. He no longer spoke, no longer smiled. He no longer had hope.
Then he died, two days after his tenth birthday.
Sahara was alone. But she shed no tears. She couldn't. The day after his funeral, the continued training Sahara. They gave her no time to cry, no time to grieve. Any time she would stop and sniffle, they would tell her to stop crying. Crying wasn't something a warrior did. And so she never cried...
Until now. Sahara leaned her back against the tree and cried. She didn't care that Wolfgang was right there, and that she would look more pathetic than anything. She hid her eyes from him, hoping that by some miracle, she was crazy and just imagined him there. If he dared tell her to suck it up, why she would break her nose. She trembled and shook, and the tears just kept pouring. When you have not cried in over twelve years, it was hard to stop.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 20:17:48 GMT -5
“Sahara?” The young man turned his head, surprised to see she had hidden hers. Was she crying? He frowned deeply from his nerves, crying girls were worse than any bee sting. The ocean called out in the background, crying with her. His expression softened, such misery…
Wolfgang couldn’t gather the words to comfort her. He was silent. Her sobs punched at his stomach, they sounded like a broken child’s. He couldn’t do anything but sit, though he told himself to say something. Anything.
He was out of words though. Instead, he sat in the moss, watching the grass dance to the gentle breeze. Finally, he decided he had to do something, the cries were too awkward for him to listen to any longer. He knelt beside her, and grabbed her face so she wasn’t hiding it any more. His hands against her cheeks, his expression was as sympathetic and gentle as he could muster, though it wasn‘t saying much. “There’s nothing wrong with crying Sahara, hiding it is going to cause you more pain. Don't be embarressed to cry. Ever.” And make it even harder for me to stay. He really did hate tears.
Wolfgang let go of her, and wiped a tear from her cheek. He knew being so tender to her wasn’t like him at all. They both knew it. It wasn’t his intention to make her feel uncomfortable. He just wanted to see her face again; the one that wasn’t hidden behind a mask, the one he had seen only a few times since he had met her.
He stood up, the sun must have been setting, because the sky that had once been baby blue was now a darker hue. “I suppose you want to rest… Maybe I should go.”
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 20:29:56 GMT -5
Sahara stared into his expression. Her eyes were redened, and her face puffy. The tears left temporary stains on her cheeks. But she wasn't afraid to hide that anymore. She let out a few last sniffles before he stood up. Somehow, she was no longer tired. She took a deep breath and wiped the last of her tears on her sleeve. It was so unlike her, to cry. To feel so vulnerable. But somehow, she felt like she was finding herself.
Before he left, she wanted to say a few words to him. "Wolfgang... I can't believe I am saying this... but thank you." She gave a weak smile, her face still flushed and her eyes still blood shot. "You remind me of somebody..." She glanced down. It was odd. She felt so much... lighter. Like she had been carrying a heavy load for years, and it was all of a sudden gone.
She stood up herself. "After that, do you really think I'm still tired?" She rolled up her blanket. "I'm going to go for a walk. If that is ok. Let Patrick know. I'll be fine, I promise. I just need to... face a few more of my fears."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 21:55:36 GMT -5
Wolfgang nodded, "ofcourse." he walked off back to camp, he didn't look back.
The walk back seemed longer than it had to find Sahara, the trees creaked in the wind. It was colder than Taikai Ueki here, desolate and lonley. He missed the tall trees and the sweet air; the creatures that could be heard but not seen.
"I don't get it. Why can't you just give in, Wolfgang? You're already slipping away, can't you feel it?' Wolfgang let his hand rest against a sturdy but small tree. The voice haddnt spoke in awhile, but he knew it spoke the truth. He could feel thoughts that were not his own cloud his judgements. Wolfgang clung to Bonzo's words. It was his body. "Bullshit." he hissed, "you think I'm letting you stay for much longer? Think again. Now shut the hell up." The voice cursed at him, but Wolfgang for once ignored it.
He finally reached the beach. Inori rose her head, expecting to see both him and Sahara. When shenoticed Sahara wasn't in sight, she immediatley looked at Wolfgang. "Where's Sahara??" "She'll be back soon, she wanted to be left alone for awhile." Inori frowned and watched the edge of the forest. She had no choice but to take his word for it.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 22:16:55 GMT -5
Sahara had made herself to a small, secluded section of the beach. It was a long walk, but she didn't mind. She stood before the gentle waves and frowned. It was the same place she had gone as a kid. It was just as she had remembered. She walked closer to the water and knelt down. As the waves came apon the shore, she let her fingers skim the tops of them. The cool sensation tingled her fingertips. The waves continued and washed around her boots, washing away the sand around them.
There was so much pain in the ocean. She could feel just by touching the waves that many had died on this sea. And others protecting its waters. Each and every one of them, heroes. She took off her boots and took the giant leap of stepping into the water. The sand squeezed through her toes, soft as flour. She watched as tiny holes opened up in the sand and little white crabs scuddled out aroud her feet.
She nearly leapt out of the water, but instead just laughed at herself. She watched the tiny frost crabs as they danced around her feet, tickling her toes. The tide went back out, scaring the crabs back into their holes. Sahara took a step back and smiled at the site. It was odd. How different things were when she was a child. Before, those tiny crabs were like little beasts...
But that was it. She wasn't a child anymore. It was time to grow up. It was time for truth, and honour, and all that other crap Wolfgang had said makes a warrior. Not a warrior. A hero. She glanced over the many waves of the sea. She could see no land mass in sight, but she knew that somewhere out there was a village floating on a hunk of ice. She feared it, but she knew she had to return. And she knew that if she suvived this, it wouldn't be the only time she would have to return.
A few hours later, Sahara returned to the others, her blanket wrapped in hand. It was getting very dark out, and she almost expected the others to be asleep.
"There you are Sahara." Patrick greeted her. "We wondered when you would be back." He sat infront of a warm fire. "Now that you're here, we can start dinner." Sahara frowned. "It's late... you should have eaten a while ago." Patrick shrugged. "And leave none for you? Hey, I know how you hate cold food." Sahara smiled. She gazed upon the three people in front of her; Patrick, Wolfgang, and Inori. They were her friends, her true friends. With them, she knew nothing was impossible.
"Alright, as long as we aren't having fish." She joked as she joined them next to the fire.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 4, 2010 23:01:51 GMT -5
Inori watched as Sahara made her way over to the fire. The heat from the fire was so comforting, and now that everyone was around her, she could sleep peacefully. Atleast, after dinner.
Wolfgang was happy to see Sahara back aswell. He looked at the fire, then around thegroup. "Now that she's here, let's eat."
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 4, 2010 23:12:07 GMT -5
-AFTER DINNA!-
-and then... AFTER SLEEP!-
Sahara had awoken first again. She was used to it, seeing as how she was always a bit of an early bird. She looked over at the other three, fast asleep. This was the morning that their journey over water took place. They would be flying for who knows how long over the sea. They had to be very observant, or they would miss Shifuto Aisu and endanger themselves.
There were alot more dangers than tiny crabs out in the frozen sea. But Sahara wasn't afraid. She turned to untie Strawberry, but noticed something that alarmed her incredibly. "Strawberry?! Strawberry?!" She ran to the other three and shook them awake. "Guys, Strawberry is missing!"
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