The sun peered down overhead. The bright and hot rays kissed their skin, laying over the neighborhood with a thick cloud of heat. Clouds moved slowly overhead, and a gentle breeze brushed past the two as they watched the construction crew rebuild their childhood home, along with the rest of the city, from a safe distance under a growing oak.
WaterSlum had seen many days better than its last, but the sudden breath of life that rushed through the ruins of the city to fix it back up and make it better than previously left a satisfaction in Kairas' soul. He hadn't allowed his mind to think of it, nor did he want to bring Shine back to see what remained, but it was for the best.
It allowed them both a type of closure and growth.
"It… It looks so different from what I remember," She said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Her eyes sparkled with the sunlight. "I missed it. Can't believe I forgot."
"We all did," He told her, sitting down under the tree's shadow. "Being blown up from point blank range would do that. I got lucky with my memories coming back. Took a lot for you and Takabi to get yours." He glanced at his sister, green eyes holding a small glint.
"Yeah," She replied. "Takabi… took so many lives at such a young age."
"It only got worse for the two of us. He lived a relatively normal life, but still had blood on his hands. Me. I live for revenge, that's no secret. The idea of killing that bastard that drove us apart is what keeps me going." His tone went dark for a moment. "I didn't care who got hurt along the way."
"You changed though. Realized the way you were doing things was wrong, right?"
Kairas shrugged, resting his forearm on his knee. "Who knows anymore?"
Shine went quiet for a moment, sitting down next to him and hugging her legs close to her chest. Her mind pondered over thought after thought, and question after question about Kairas and Takabi. Despite recovering her memory, her mind still felt foggy about them both. She wanted to know more about them, but felt prying too much into the past could trigger bad memories.
One memory, in her mind, remained fresh. No matter how badly she washed her body, tried to scrap away his scent, his touch, she couldn't forget. Shine looked at her palms, hands shaking faintly. In the back of her mind, she could still see the image clearly. See Frannie's assault, and feel her own.
"Frannie's still not talking to you," Kairas asked suddenly.
Shine shook her head. "I tried everything I could think of. She won't even look in my direction anymore."
"I can understand. You are partly to blame for what happened."
Shine punched him in the arm, and he laughed weakly at her reaction. "Aren't you supposed to make me feel better? Give me ideas of what I can do to apologize?"
"You can't. She lost her innocence, something she can never get back, by force. You did drag her out of safety, and both went through a lot in that week. She needs time. A lot of it away from you so she can get her head together." Kairas, while his words were blunt, held a faint sense of sincerity in them.
He cared, generally, but spoke the truth, something Shine knew too painfully well.
The girl stood, looking at her brother. "Take me to eat."
"Who's paying?"
Shine raised a black wallet. Kairas' eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet, trying to snatch his wallet back. Shine moved away, running down the road, with Kairas playfully chasing after her.
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Heavy wails filled the Bunker nursery. Rose lifted her child, cradling her little girl cozily in her arms, whistling a gentle tune as Jewel came inside. She watched her mother, leaning against the doorway with a bottle in her grip. Once Rose spotted her, she reached out and took the bottle, placing the rubber end in Jamie's lips, allowing the child to suckle softly.
"There, there. Hungry, aren't you?"
Jewel smiled softly, crossing her arms. "She's starting to look a bit like Dad."
"Please, don't say that. I'd rather not think about that man right now."
Jewel moved towards the table by the door, leaning against it. "Another piece of home you don't want to leave?"
"I… Truthfully, I don't even know if he's alive." She looked Jewel in the eye. "We've been wrapped into this life so suddenly, and he hasn't so much as called to see if we're okay. I'm worried he decided to find a new woman."
"He wouldn't though. Dad loves you, you know that."
She shrugged. "He was right about Takabi being… Well, inhumane. Probably wasn't prepared for his wife and daughter to share the blood of ancient Priestesses." She placed Jamie down in the crib behind her, taking the bottle and watching the little creature fall asleep quickly.
"Right," Jewel began. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I want to step up training."
"There's not much more I can really teach you, honey. You know how to hone your power, now you just need to develop it and grow as much as you can." Rose smiled at Jamie's sleeping face.
Jewel crossed her arms, taking a deep breath. Biting her lip, she avoided her mother's glance and said, "I just… I want to be stronger than I am now. Better, so I'm not dead weight."
It took a moment, but Rose came around to what was bothering Jewel. "Oh. I see. Is that fight still bothering you?"
"I couldn't do anything," She replied, confirming Rose's question. "Kairas lost control, and I couldn't so much as lift a finger without getting tossed around like a damn ragdoll."
"Language," Rose warned her.
"Sorry. I want to at least be able to keep up. I know you can give me that much, Mom." She looked at her mother, drinking in her features and how similar they looked. "You're not a fighter, we're not supposed to be, but I'm not the same. I want to be able to save him when he needs me to."
"That goes beyond simple violence, ya know." She closed her eyes. "I understand though, wanting to protect someone you love I mean. I was that way with your father. It's why I gave up this lifestyle and left the church years ago." She walked over, placing her hands on Jewel's shoulders. "Fine. We'll bump up your physical courses later. Go eat lunch."
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Nana flipped through the old text.
Dragons. Her mind itched and ached, prying at her to learn more about their culture and the type of people they are. From Garuga's words, she said they were just like humans in most aspects, but she had to be sure. Sticking out in public was something she hated, and she did not want to risk it.
A knock came to her room door. "Come in." She said loudly.
The door slid open, Takabi stepping inside slowly. She didn't need to look to tell it was him. She could smell him, feel him. Her body ached for him, longed for him, but she had too much anger and pride in herself at the moment to care.
She knew he was completely innocent in the situation, but a child with someone who isn't her, whether they're a clone of her or not, didn't settle well in her stomach.
"Hey, I need a little help with the data sheets," He said casually.
She scoffed and held her hand out. She expected the papers to plop in her palm. Instead, his hand took hers and he pulled her from her chair, getting close to her face and looked into her eyes. "Enough of the silent treatment."
"Takabi. Can we not do this now? We have important stuff to finish."
"You're important."
"Not as important as Dreulara or what the Kult is up to."
He held a stern face, which soon cracked as he sighed and handed her the papers. "Here."
She took them, hesitant, the tension in the air nearly snapping her heart in two. "I'm sorry. I just need some more time before I can get past it."
"I know," He said softly. "For what it's worth. I'm sorry."
"Yeah. I am too." Then she faced away from him, sitting at her desk and looking over the sheets. He watched her back, before turning and leaving her room. The door shut behind him, and he strolled down the hall. Once he passed Raia's door, the metal slid open slightly, her voice creeping out from inside. "Takabi?"
Shocked, he snapped his eyes to her. "Holy shit, you're actually talking to someone."
"Screw you," She muttered. It was dark beyond the door, so he couldn't see her face. Her voice sounded healthy, which was a good sign to him. "Can you bring me a meal…"
"S-sure," He said. He left, hurrying into the cafe and cutting through the line.
Aside from some protests from Jewel and a couple others, none stopped him. He grabbed a simple tray, piling gravy covered meatloaf, mashed potatoes and fresh bread. His feet carried him back up to the second floor, and he stopped in front of Raia's room, knocking softly on the door. It opened wider than before, Takabi slowly slipping into the dark room as the metal shut.
The lights cut on, and the first thing he noticed was how messy it was inside. No food or trash, but clothes and books lay scattered about, pages opened wide with resurrection spells for all to see.
Takabi's shoulders dropped visibly, and he spoke softly, worryingly. "This isn't good for you, Raia."
"Stow it." She said, snatching the tray from his hold. She was dressed in no more than a loose grey T-tank, that did very little for imagination of her breasts, and pink panties.
Takabi looked away as her tail sprouted out, fangs practically ripping from her gums as she bit deep into the large meatloaf. She spoke through her chewing, perfectly. "I've been in here for months trying to get this to work, and I'm super close."
"Resurrecting the dead though? Look, I know you miss him but he-"
"No. You of all people don't get to say anything," She snapped, cutting him off. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. "What if something happened to Nana?"
"I'd fight through heaven and hell to bring her back, but that's different."
"How?"
"Shink, while he was your adoptive father, he was working for the Kult. He was an enemy."
She was quiet for a moment, before her tail whipped Takabi's hand. "I know you mean well, but please, get out."
"Raia, I didn't mean-"
"Get. Out." She said more firmly. Heeding the venom in her voice, he turned and left her room, listening to the metal slam behind him.
"What's with my luck lately?"
Footsteps echoed in his ears. A quick inhale of her scent, and he glanced over to his right. It never registered who he was looking at until he noticed the ears on her head. Her wolf ears twitched, and she smiled at him proudly.
"Good to see you're in decent health, Master." She bowed to him. "You're serevent has come home."