Chapter 7

Nanako had finally managed to persuade Nezaki that if they didn’t go to, at least, the corner shop, there was no way she could scrimp together enough food out of her kitchen to cook for three people.

The atmosphere between the two boys had not gotten any better, but it didn’t matter too much to her now.  The sky was turning a red-orange and casting a soft glow over everything.  It made everything that had just happened seem insignificant, and she smiled to herself, whilst listening to the boy’s footfalls behind her.

“If something does happen,” she threw back over her shoulder, “I have two bodyguards now, what could possibly go wrong?”

“You shouldn’t have come out,” Nezaki mumbled.

“It’ll be fine,” Kenji sounded like his bright old self again now, “we’re only going to the shop.”

Nezaki refused to answer that comment, and swung his head to look in the other direction, as they turned the corner to go down the next alley.

His eyes suddenly went huge and, just as Nanako was about to ask what was the matter, he pushed her to the floor shouting, “Look out!”

A lowba had sprung from the shadows of the alley and headed straight towards her.  It struck just over her head as Nezaki pushed her, and she rolled to the side and scrambled away.

Kenji stood there wide-eyed, as if he couldn’t comprehend exactly what was going on.

Nezaki jumped to his feet and ran at the lowba.  He zipped to the top of its head and grabbed at two of the red spines protruding from its skull.  It stood upright on the end of its tail, and slammed down so hard Nezaki lost his grip, scrabbling on the side of its face and trying to find purchase on the slippery scales.  The thing used its tail to flick him away.  Slamming him into the wall so hard the world went black.

Nanako saw Nezaki get throw away and hit the wall.  She saw him slump to the ground and started towards him, his name on her lips, but the lowba wasn’t going to hurt him any further, it had turned its gaze on her.

“Shit!” she glanced around for any place to hide or run to, anywhere.

Nothing presented itself immediately and she looked back towards the lowba. Now, having sufficient time to strike as it pleased, it was circling around her, making a ring from its body that she could not escape.  Its yellow eyes flashing at her, the black slit pupils menacing.  It hissed, its red tongue protruding between black lips with startling contrast.

Then, it reared back and lunged straight towards her, its fangs flashing white in the fading light.

“No!” she cried at it just before it struck.

Its fangs came two inches from the flesh of her shoulder; there was a flash of light and a loud crack and the lowba was thrown yards in the other direction.  It hit a dumpster and then the ground, where it lay for a time before looking up and turning its attention to Kenji, who had stood back the whole time looking bemused.

 It slithered towards him, purple blood seeping from a gash in its tail, and looked as if it was about to strike, lips drawn back from its fangs and head rearing back for the power to drive those fangs.

Nanako was about to yell when it stopped.  They stared at each other for a few seconds, Kenji and the lowba, and then it slithered away and disappeared into the ever-increasing shadows.

“What did you do?” Nanako asked, “it didn’t strike.”

“N…nothing,” he looked as though he was about to faint, “it just… I don’t know, it just went away.”

He looked a little shaken, but other than that he didn’t seem to be hurt.  Nezaki, on the other hand, still hadn’t gotten up, and it was to him that she went now.  The mysterious light and the bang meaning nothing to her the mixed up world that was now her life.

“Nezaki?” she looked down into his face and noticed that there was a small trickle of purple running down his left temple.  It didn’t look too bad, but he still hadn’t regained consciousness and what did she know of his physiology anyway?  The fact that he had purple blood just told her how much different they were and for all she knew something like that could kill him.  She didn’t think so, after all he had always seemed sturdy enough, and he wouldn’t have been given the mission to protect her if he was so fragile, but it still didn’t stop her mind from thinking the worst.

“Did it kill him?” Kenji asked, he seemed to have regained his composure and now stood looking over her shoulder.

“No, no!” she blatantly refused to believe that he was dead, even if she didn’t know anything about his breed she would have known if he was dead, she was sure.

“No, you’re right,” he said, “look he’s still breathing.”

Nanako let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she was holding.  If he had died what would she have done?  No, it was more than that, as annoying as he could be he was her friend and she didn’t want him to die.

“What should we do?” she didn’t know the first thing about first aid.  It was probably something that she really should have learnt, but of course these things don’t help to know once the situation has already arisen and even if she had known would it have done her any good?

“How do you treat an edomot?” Kenji asked, “I have no idea.”

“Ademot,” she corrected him, “and I wouldn’t know.”

“You don’t,” Nezaki whispered, his eyes still closed and his voice sounding frail and thin, “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Nanako asked anxiously, he sounded anything but fine, but still she couldn’t help a slight smile.  If he could talk she was sure he would be all right.

“Yeah,” he hoisted himself up against the wall and then groaned and fell backwards against it, “oh, my heads spinning.”

“Poor baby,” Nanako placed her hand on his forehead to hold his head steady, “shall we stay until you get your bearings a little more?”

“Did you kill it?” a thought suddenly occurred to him, “how exactly did you get out of that one?”

“We didn’t kill it,” Nanako explained what had happened as best she could but she didn’t understand it herself and so was rather surprised when Nezaki, even though he had been unconscious at the time, came up with an answer.

“You used a barrier?” Nezaki exclaimed, “wow, you are powerful!”

“Thanks, I think, is that what it was?”
“You didn’t do it on purpose?” Nanako shook her head, “wow.”

“What about Kenji?” Nezaki eyed him suspiciously.

“Don’t know, it’s beyond me,” he closed his eyes as his head spun again and breathed deeply, “we should go it might come back.”

Nezaki clambered to his feet using the wall as support until he thought he was secure enough to stand but his head spun again and he stumbled.  Nanako caught him round the waist, but he was too heavy for her to support and they both crashed to the floor in a heap.

Kenji sighed and reluctantly offered his hand to Nezaki.  He then hauled him to his feet and wrapped his arm around his waist to support most of his weight so he could just concentrate on going in the right direction.

“Come on,” he said staunchly, “lets go.”

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Once they had gotten home and helped Nezaki to the sofa – he had refused to go upstairs to bed – she had started to wonder what would happen if something did happen to Nezaki.  She had little idea of what was going on still, and she was sure Kenji had even less of a clue.  She had presumed originally that Nezaki was invincible, a stupid presumption as she well knew but nothing had arisen to prove otherwise, but now it seemed he was as vulnerable as the rest of them, and under twice as much pressure.  She hadn’t really thought of this before, he had been a nuisance to bare until all this was over, the conscience sat on her shoulder, an over protective guardian even, but never had see thought that he might actually get hurt in all this him self.

She made three cups of honey and lemon and, giving one to Kenji, who was headed upstairs, she went into the living room and over to where Nezaki still lay.  He was curled up on his side, his breathing even, his right arm cradling his head.  His tail hung over the edge of the sofa; flicking ever now and then.  Nanako wondered if he was dreaming, did his tail twitch when he dreamt just like a dogs might?  One bang of blond hair had fallen down to one of his cheeks.  She brushed it back gently and watched for a while, wondering whether or not to wake him.  If she didn’t the drink would go cold, but he did look rather happy and cute like that and he could probably do with the rest.

Eventually she decided to just leave him to sleep, but as she turned to walk away he opened his eyes and looked up at her with a weak smile.

“Is that for me?” he asked, indicating the drink.

“Erm… yeah, you were… I mean I thought it might do you good because… well you know,” why was she so nervous, she had only brought him a drink, or was it because he had just caught her watching him sleep?  Well he hadn’t really, after all she had been walking away when he looked up, perhaps he didn’t know.

“Thanks,” either he was oblivious to her discomfort or chose to ignore it.

He picked up he drink and took a sip and then sat up.

“So tell me,” she put to him, “what exactly was it I did before, because you seemed rather impressed,” not only did she want to know she wanted something else to think about before her thoughts drove her insane.

“It was a barrier, like I said, and that is exactly what it sounds like,” he smiled again, “it’s a barrier made of magic, quite strong, uses a lot of power, and I am impressed.”

“Okay, so what do we do now?”

“We do what we’ve been doing for a long time now, we wait, we can’t do anything else until you are called, get it?”

“Yeah I guess,” he sounded annoyed again slightly and she didn’t want him to be right now, “but how do you feel now?”

“Fine, I heal fast, but you should worry about yourself, there are no guardians but no more vessels.”

“I thought you said there are no more ademots on Earth?”

“I know that, but there are more.”