That shrill voice was starting to irritate you more and more.
«Aaaah! Can we stop for a moment, my feet hurt so much!!»
Lily had leaned against a tree and was trying to give herself a quick massage on her feet, now swollen and dirty...anyway, what the hell was thinking when she decided to walk through the forest with a pair of thin shoes like that?
Judging from the position of the sun, you were sure it hadn't been that long since you, the brat, and that strange guy in black left the village. But now, you were walking on a different street; well, that was useful to avoid unpleasant encounters like earlier and the silence of the forest wasn't so bad...unfortunately, someone had managed to destroy its quietness, of course.
The imposing man, whose name was Guts, turned to see the girl was left behind. Eventually, you did too, just a few steps ahead of him, and you did nothing but snort.
As you thought, that girl was going to be a problem from the start...
Then, you cast a glance at the black warrior. He hadn't said anything all the way, but it was evident that he was annoyed by the sudden change of events and you were about to laugh at how ridiculous that was.
But you stopped when you heard him say something.
«Let's stop here now.»
The other girl let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground, obviously happy to hear that.
«We shouldn't do that, or we'll be forced to travel at night.» You added not approving his decision.
Oddly, you thought you heard a chuckle, as he looked at you with his left eye and your expression frowned, unable to understand what he was thinking, but it seemed something funny apparently...
«If he thinks I'm afraid of the dark I'll blow his other eye out too...» You thought threateningly.
In the end, you camped a little farther on. Lily put down the bag carelessly she was carrying, while Guts just sat on a broken tree trunk.
There, a tiny winged creature emerged from his cloak.
«Finally some fresh air!» He began to exclaim crunching his arms and legs.
He didn't look dangerous, but you had never seen one of them before.
«Hi~ I'm Puck!» He screamed flying in your direction; because of that, your hand sipped on the hilt of your sword.
«Oh, don't be afraid of me, I'm not that bad!» Well, you didn't know whether to take that little thing seriously...anyway, it seemed very strange he was with that swordsman.
«Mpf, I'm not.» You answered «And I didn't think he could have a mascot like you...»
The little one pouted. Even when he got angry he was still too cute...maybe, you were distracted with the fairy being, that you didn't notice the black swordsman was staring at you intently.
With the giant sword implanted in the muddy ground, he held his bicep contracted to lean against it.
Earlier, he had seen you moving from one opponent to another, wielding that bastard sword nimbly. If the cloak hadn't fallen off you, he would never have imagined that you could be a woman...and also very skilled.
Judging by his first impression, you had enough experience of the world around you not to be afraid of it and that explained your lack of trust.
Well, you were just similar to him in that.
But the more he looked at you, the more he thought you weren't like that person. He knew nothing about you and probably never would have done that; your paths would have parted, as soon as you arrived at the next town.
Just like two strangers.
«—where did that girl go?»
In that instant, Guts went out from his thoughts when he heard your voice.
You were on the verge of losing patience. Lily had disappeared suddenly and no one had seen where she had gone. You thought the foot thing was just bullshit to get you to stop...
«We have to look for her, what if she is in danger!?» The little elf said in a high-pitched, worried tone, unlike you.
«Tsk, it wouldn't surprise me if she was.» In any case, you certainly couldn't let her die there, not after she forced you to take her with you.
So, you decided to go look for her alone and, as you disappeared into the dense forest, Puck sighed heavily.
«Eeeeh~ sure she has a nice temper...» Then, he flew back to his "friend" and sat on his shoulder.
«Ehy, what do you think about it?» With his arms folded behind his blue head, he stared at the warrior's stiff profile with his big eyes.
His silence had made the elf understand that he would rather be alone, but Puck didn't want that; moreover, he was sure the presence of two women would have benefitted him, somehow...in particular, the nameless girl was too much like him and believed you two could get along well.
«It's like a beast that has just come out of its cage.» Guts said almost holding back a chuckle.
When he spoke to you, Puck clearly saw a scar in your soul, since the Empath was one of his particular abilities...being a magical creature, he could feel people's emotions, whether they were good or bad.
But he was almost relieved to feel a sudden change in the swordsman, although he appeared to be the same as usual. Of course, the elf didn't say anything about it and began to smile without getting too noticed from the other.
• • •
Sweat began to roll off your forehead. That morning, you had foreseen another hot day, but not that you would have been cutting down countless brambles!
There were too many, it was impossible that she had passed this way, you thought with some frustration as you cut off a couple more of those with the sword...
Until something stopped you.
Your cloak got tangled in the shrubs. To avoid tearing it completely, you untied the lace under your neck freeing yourself from it. Now, you were forced to buy a cloak too...
Soon after, the forest ended and a plain with an immense body of water opened up in front of you. It was a wonderful sight that could never be enjoyed from the outside.
«Heh, it was worth to cut all that stuff back then...» You said catching your breath.
But then you heard a voice calling you from afar.
«This waaay~» Undoubtedly, it was the voice of the young harlot.
You took back your grim look and headed in her direction. Then, you saw her dress thrown on the lawn along with the shoes.
«Aaaah, the water is fabulous!!» You saw her swimming in the clear waters «Why don't you come in too? I can help you take off your armor if you like.»
With long blonde hair and white bare skin under the surface of the water, she urged you to keep her company in the middle of that lost paradise.
There was a moment of silence after that, as your fingers still held the sword tightly.
«...is it really necessary to do this?» You thought doubtfully, you didn't want to turn your back on the forest for a stupid bath.
Anyway, you stood there, waiting for the blonde to get out of the water and get dressed.
«Remember, you're the one with nothing, you can't do as you please.» You said without turning in her direction; for some strange reason, you smelled an unexpected flower scent coming from behind you.
«B-but the lake is practically close! ...well, sorry if I didn't say anything.» Lily replied in a dejected tone, convinced that she hadn't done anything wrong.
«W-what is this stink?? Don't tell me that–» But she stopped when turned to you «You definitely need to wash! You're still a woman, you should take better care of yourself!!»
You stared at her screaming and for a moment Lily regretted doing it; you were already terribly serious, and making you angry was the last thing she wanted.
«I'm sorry, I didn't want to talk like that...»
You sighed deeply, moments before you had talked to some kind of miniature fairy man and now you were there, getting insulted by a little whore...it all seemed like a joke to you.
And there was that black swordsman, who had agreed to be followed by two strangers. Anyway, it wouldn't last much longer and you would have been gone as soon as you had the chance.
«Oh, you haven't told me your name yet!» Lily walked over to you ignoring the bad smell from earlier.
«You don't need to know that.» You said as you put the sword in the scabbard, now that you had cut down all those brambles, you no longer needed it.
«That's stupid, how can I call you if I'm in danger!?» The girl waved her arms, of course tired of your hostile attitude.
«Don't be then...but doubt you can do it.» You just chuckled and the girl sulked all the time; in the end, you discovered that little troublemaker had traveled another pathway to reach the lake...and without brambles.
When you found out, you grumbled for ruining your cloak for no reason.
«You are finally back!» Puck flew towards you two with his little wings and Lily stood staring at him in amazement. That girl was really naive and you wondered how she had managed to survive up to this point...
But then, you stretched your gaze to the man, who was sitting in the same spot where you left him. You thought he was asleep, but he turned in your direction, as if he sensed you were looking at him.
He stared at you, as you walked towards him inexplicably.
«I bet you haven't slept in days. You look very tired, warrior.» You said as soon as you were in front of him. The guy didn't answer you, of course, although he hadn't stopped staring.
You knew he wasn't much of a talker, not that you wanted to talk to him, but it was annoying when someone ignored you purposely.
Then, he smirked.
«...what the fuck is wrong with him!?» You thought as you flinched and turned to the other side.
You would never have spoken to that again even if he was dying in front of you, but with that strange sword and the dark aura that enveloped him, it was definitely impossible.
Anyway, you stationed yourself not far away and finally sat down; you had to admit that you needed it.
Then, you took out your sword and started cleaning and polishing it carefully. Next to your feet, there was a small backpack with all your tools. The noise you made on the blade echoed inside the forest.
Lily was busy playing with Puck, until she was dazzled by the bright light reflecting off the blade; she stood staring at you for a moment, and thought about how much you could be tied to that weapon to take such good care of it. Almost more than yourself.
«More than a simple cleaning, it seems just like a ritual...» The blonde girl said suddenly, interrupting your sequence of sounds.
You felt in the mood to answer her, this time.
«Maybe, I've been doing this since I was a little child.»
«Everyday? That's amazing!» Lily slowly walked over to get a better look at your work. «And I'm sure I've never seen a sword like that.»
Sure, she was used to other type of sword, but you didn't say anything and chuckled on your own.
«I used to do this time ago, until–» But then, you stopped; you were about to say something too much and absolutely didn't want that.
«Well, until you started this journey with us, of course!» Lily finished the sentence for you and you looked down at the sword again, without adding anything else.
But that was definitely not what you meant and the only one who noticed was the black swordsman. Besides your name, there was something else you wanted to hide...
• • •
That afternoon passed quickly and even the last light of the day left; you three camped just before night fell and your patience was about to collapse. You couldn't believe you wasted a day like that without having done anything productive for you.
As you set up tents, Guts was throwing wood on the fire and Lily was making a pigtail with her long golden hair as she hummed something.
Unfortunately, you couldn't understand the words as they seemed to belong to another language, but it sounded like a lullaby to you.
But then, your gaze fell back to the man beside her...although you hadn't endured her exuberance the whole time, you couldn't ignore her full trust in him. He was a stranger, just like you were, but the difference was that you were a woman and you would never do anything wrong...but him? What reason did he have for letting two young women accompany him into a forest? You haven't stopped thinking about what his true intentions were, just as you haven't stopped keeping your guard up.
«...where are you from, Guts?» Suddenly, the little girl asked him with some curiosity as she ate her piece of bread.
«From far away.» The other answered without wasting time looking at her and he didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation.
However, you couldn't ignore the fact that he answered her, unlike you.
«Were you a king's knight or something? Otherwise, that giant sword you carry on your shoulder wouldn't be explained...» She asked again holding up one cheek with a fist.
«I've worked for many kings.» The swordsman stared at the fire blazing at his feet, as if at that moment he had begun a journey through his memories, but he said nothing more.
«Of course, this guy was a mercenary, what respectable king in Midland would want him to be his knight, anyway?» You thought as you listened to those lines of answers between the two. Such a shame that little girl couldn't get the attention she wanted from him...
But as opposed to being bored, Lily wanted to know more about that mysterious man with a terrifying appearance.
«What about Puck? Have you been together ever since?» Meanwhile, the little elf had dozed off near the fire, enjoying all the warmth it emanated.
«Fortunately no. Suddenly, it's him who decided to live in my hood.» In Lily's eyes, Guts seemed fond of that little creature, even if he didn't want to admit it.
«I see, you're not as scary as I thought, sir.» Lily said that with a smile as you let go of a chuckle...was she seriously flirting with him??
But the warrior lowered his tone.
«You shouldn't trust people so much, or you will end up being found somewhere on a road with flies around your rotten body.»
Apparently, the girl was quite frightened by that macabre scenery and fell silent instantly.
«Oh, that's how it works.» You said, referring to the fact that was enough to make her stop talking.
Finally, Guts turned in your direction and the girl looked at you sulkily.
«T-that's not funny!!» She screamed in one breath before heading to the tent, probably to try to sleep. You didn't know why, but her childish behavior made you laugh.
And when you noticed the swordsman looking at you, you stopped doing it. Well, it was the first time you really laughed about something.
«Why were you there?» His bleak voice rang in your head, it was the first time he had ever spoken to you first.
«As you can see, I didn't find what I needed in that village.» You sat down and raised your newly bandaged hands. «But this country is very different from where I come from...»
Guts said nothing, but he didn't seem to want to interrupt you either. And maybe he was curious to hear what else you had to say.
«There are no villages. Just hunger and death.» You looked into the darkness before you, although there was the light of the fire that secretly warmed you.
The black warrior listened as if he saw himself in your story, even if only in part, since the death you told was what he inflicted on any human being he met in his path.
And it would have happened to those two girls, sooner or later, if they weren't going away quickly...
«This is life, after all.»
For a moment, you were hoping for a different answer, since you already knew that. And you were tired of hearing it...
Suddenly, you got up without saying anything else, but instead of going to the tent, you went beyond it, until the forest completely enveloped you. You needed to clear your mind every time you thought about your past.
«...w-where is she going??» Puck had woken up just then «You should follow her Guts, you can't let her go alone!!»
You weren't gone forever, because the man noticed that your bag was left on the ground.
With the black cloak still on, Guts stood up and picked up his sword; anyway, he couldn't hold back a growl before placing the blade on his shoulder and turning his back to the fire.
«That blonde is hopeless, but this one is definitely a pain in the ass.» He thought with some hatred.
• • •
Your destination had your own image reflected in the water.
Yes, you had gone back to where that beautiful lake was and although it was pitch dark, you had decided to do what you hadn't done before. Alone.
The moonlight was enough to give the place a mystical sight and so you began to undo the belts of your armor, not as heavy as it might seem. Then, you did the same thing for your shoes.
Under it, you wore a leather shirt and trousers, which had worn out over time, but it would have been too expensive to buy another one right now.
You unfastened the laces above your chest and so removed the last layers of fabric from your skin as well.
The night breeze touched your naked body, but it had become more and more thicker with time that you no longer perceived any sensation of cold or discomfort.
You took a deep breath, before walking on the fresh grass and finally dipping your ankles in the water.
When you dived, the circles of water you made scattered over the surface, illuminated by the moon.
You slowly emerged bringing your hair back on your head; the drops fell from your face with delicacy, onto your long lashes and your rosy lips...but also on the scars you wore on your arms, hips and legs.
It was definitely not a desirable body for a man, but it was certainly perfect for dealing with the dangers you might encounter everyday, that was what you thought of yourself.
But the one who was staring at you on the shores of the lake didn't think so...
His good eye followed your sinuous movements in and out of the water, as your small figure moved under the starry sky, unaware it was being watched with so much attention.
He was a raw and violent man and wasn't interested in this kind of thing, but he couldn't deny that your silhouette under the moonlight was incredibly attractive, just like you were been in the fight that morning...
But suddenly, your gaze turned in the direction where you had placed your clothes. You had the feeling that someone was there, but it was too dark and no noise had warned you of another presence.
So, you took a couple more swims before heading to the grassy shore; however, you didn't get dressed right away and with the sword in your hands you waited for something to move in front of you; the black swordsman didn't expect that gesture from you, just as he didn't see the slightest fear in your eyes and despite your current condition...that was truly admirable for a young woman like you.
Either way, he left as soon as you started dressing again, without forgetting that intense gaze of yours.
• • •
The next morning, you were the first one to come out of the tent, but you didn't expect to find the man sitting in the same position you last saw him.
«...you should rest the other eye sometime too.» You said looking at his still profile, but clearly awake, while you were tying the iron on yourself.
Unlike you, he had slept sitting with his armor and cloak on.
Without your noticing, Guts stood abruptly to his feet and approached you, who were completely unarmed, but not like the previous night, of course.
His tall and imposing figure caught you off guard, so you looked at him suspiciously, until he walked past your side, just brushing against you with his black cloak.
In that moment, he looked at you with a different expression than usual...what if the unpleasant sensation you had felt in the lake was true?
But soon, he was forced to turn around quickly to block your attack with his right arm.
His hand was able to stop your blade inside his palm and just released when Lily and Puck came out of the tent yawning, but he stared at your furious gaze.
Yours was clearly a warning, but it would still have been a pleasure to hit that sick bastard at least once...
Maybe, that trip wouldn't be so bad from now on, Guts thought with an amused smile.