[PP-F8/F5] The Shadows Bonding (ValexHik) <<Dragon Hunter Anthology V]

[Vale 1]

As the Neko Girl began to wake up, her internal alarm clock going off long before the sun were to even rise was enough to bother Hikoru but not enough to wake him completely. He put his arms around her waist grabbing onto her and pulling her close, his hands touching up against her body normally where fur would reside. She held the blanket up to cover herself giggling as he pulled her to him to snuggle. Hikoru didn't have her work ethic, then again there were only probably a select few people that were able to push their bodies a full twenty hours with only a need of a few hours to recover. This was a special time and the message she got from the cardinal was of major importance, but it could wait to talk about to allow the man to sleep.

She shimmied back down under the covers, trying her best to keep him snuggled up against her. After she had finally gotten to a position of comfort, she turned around so Hikoru's bicep would be under her head, and his chest against her back. Vale entwined her fingers with his other hand and took this moment as the last time she would get to sleep in this house with Hikoru, "I'll tell you later love." She whispered, closing her eyes to return to sleep.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru heard Vale shuffle and felt her move lower, his hand tracing her spine accidentally as she got into comfort next to him. He gave a mumble as he felt her close to him,his heartbeat against her resting head. She said she would tell him later and he only nodded, leaning down and kissing her forehead, pulling her body right against his her smooth skin being a second blanket to him and soon he fell asleep. 

----------------------

A few hours later Hikoru awoke from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and looked around to see a bedroom, but not his. He started to freak out a little bit, then he felt Vale against him and everything from the previous night came flooding back to his mind. He felt a large blush envelop his entire face as he got out of the bed and opened his HUD, getting dressed with everything except his cloak. His face could be seen beet red against his raven-black hair. He took a moment and gave a sigh, then leaned over to Vale and kissed her forehead. "Good morning... Ready to hunt another dragon?..." He said with a small. Smile, kissing her nose and backing away so she could get up and stretch. He smiled and made sure all his armor was in check before giving a yawn and looking around at the room in the daylight. 

[Vale 1]

All of Hikoru's fingers could be traced, the feeling was a symphony of nature's beauty. She could feel passion and heat where ever his hand had chosen. The Shadowed Path's prey was all but hs, yet the man seemed so slightly unaware as to how. The woman couldn't help but bite down on her lip practically purring at this point, yet able to stifle all the sounds that she yearned to make. It was difficult to find her way back to sleep, she awoke often throughout the night. Although she normally did not like being the one that was consoled while she slept, there was something magical about the way Hikoru held her throughout the night. It was a fleeting feeling that the passionate woman did not want to stop embracing, she didn't want to lose a chance at true happiness and bliss while she rested.

These moments brought a smile upon her face, until she closed her eyes to her last Nightmare of a Dream.

During the moments of Vale's final dream of the twilight night, her mind was plagued with thoughts of the one woman that she trusted so much. The one, that had abandoned her. But they were no longer of the times when she was re-enacting that fateful day. No, they were of moments from the times that she was fighting with Hikoru. A phantom in the distance of her peripheral eyesight when she looked at her new love. The Ghost, down on her knee's crying as though she had realized what had become from her decisions. A Conflicting emotion from the wonderful night of happiness, that would ultimately cause the woman to awake when Hikoru kissed her upon the head.

A cold sweat covered her body as she awoke in a shocked manner, a shiver down her spine instantly struck her causing her to squirm obviously. Vale struggled to get her breath for a moment as she kept the blanket over her curling into the fetal position after she realized what she had witnessed. She gritted her teeth as her actions were finally processing through her brain.

A conversation, a deep one would have to happen. Before the man could speak after his sentence she spoke, "I know what you just saw, leaves questions." She paused for but a brief breath as she continued to struggle with under the blanket. 

"I will let you ask them at a later time when I can properly explain this to you. But please, don't think about it right now. Let's finish this hunt, and talk afterwards. I really need to think about this, okay... my love?" Pausing in between words to catch a quick breath, before finally revealing her face to finish with her last two spoken words. staring in the direction of his face underneath his hood. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru... was a bit confused at first. Although she seemed okay within the first few moments of them together, now she seemed all the more scared... And he was worried he had caused it for a few moments. Did he do something to cross a line? He immediately got rid of that thought after what had just occurred the other night. Was it that he did something that brought a bad memory to her? Did he do something that triggered a memory. All these were blown away by what she said. His eyes listened in to her words, and his shoulders relaxed a little. He gave her a nod, then came down and hugged her, giving her a tight and close embrace.

"Of course, i'll be willing to listen once you are ready..." He kissed her cheek "As long as you need to, just don't forget about me within your training." He said, then picked her up and set her in the bathroom, he knew that she would want to feel refreshed, and he smiled. "Go ahead and clean up, i'll go and cook up a quick snack before we go. It won't take long and they'll be to go, but I know I need an energy boost." He said with a teasing wink and a sly smile, then continued his way towards the kitchen.

[Vale 1]

Tears began to stream down her face as Hikoru responded in kind. The Panther woman was certain that the man she slept the night through with, would pull away from her. Everything she knew about the Hikoru suggested he might turn to her. But, at the same time there was so much she didn’t quite understand about the mysterious man who had slowly been captivating her heart.

A loving embrace enveloped Vale, she brought the blanket over her head to hide the tears as best she could. There was nothing more that she wanted than a blissful comfort provided by the person she wanted in her life the most.

That person was no longer Yukino, but the man whom was now carrying the girl to the bathroom like a princess. Something only her Father had done a long time from her past. Just before Hikoru could place her down, Vale gripped onto his clenching his shirt tightly.

“Thank you Hikki…” She whispered under her breath.

Hikoru left the bathroom to get the two of them a bite to eat. During that time, Vale composed herself in the bathroom readying herself for the day. After a few deep breaths. The cat woman adorned her iconic attire and exited the bathroom. Ready to tackle the day, the target, and her mind at the same time along side him.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoeu appeared in the kitchen, and heard the bathroom door shut as he started looking for ingredients. He took a few minutes to find what he needed, but once he found them, he got to cooking a quick breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese and a few spices and peppers to add a splash of flavor. Once he was done, he set them in some wrappings, and started to eat his. He set Vale's on a plate and brought it over to the woman.

"I did my best. It's a bit burnt, but not horribly so. The mechanics in this game are nowhere near the same as real life." He said with a laugh. He gave her the plate, then he went to the table and opened his HUD with his spare hand, checking what he had equipped. Most of his equipment was as he remembered, and he was as prepared for the fighting that ensued. He finished his wrap as he nodded to Vale. "I think it's time to get moving, we have to find the dragon so we can both continue training tomorrow..." He said, with a bit of a small sigh. "Break days are good, but too much can really cause a hassle..."

[Vale 1]

As the woman stepped forward, Hikoru walked into the room with a piping hot burrito wrap on a plate. The fragrance in the air, the taste of the food on her tip of her tongue without having yet taken a bite. The well fit martial artist took the plate into the claws of her gauntlets.

Vale didn’t wait much longer to get to the table. She began eating the meal that her new love had made her. She couldn’t even make a hint of the char, despite it clearly being there due to Cooking not being Hikoru’s main profession. But, instead Vale could taste the passion and heart that was behind each and every bite.

Moving a chair with her nimble paws upon her feet, shifting the inanimate object to be directly next to the Master of Shadows. Daintily placing her posterior upon the seat, “Hikki… It doesn’t matter that you didn’t make the best meal in your mind. It doesn’t matter if it is slightly burned...” Vale leaned in to give a sensual soft and slow kiss upon Hikoru’s cheek, “What matters is that you made it for me, and that is what ultimately matters for me.”

Although that wasn’t exactly where Vale wanted to end in her sentence, and it was obvious by the way she stopped her sentence. But a smile stretched across her face, her eyes closed and gave one more kiss, “I’ll tell you after the Dragon meets his end.” She finished saying.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt a blush form as the woman complimented his cooking, and he felt a small kiss on his cheek, and a smile formed on his lips as she spoke. He let out a small sigh and stood, embracing the young woman and giving her a kiss on the lips. He pulled away slowly, and smiled. "I can't wait to hear." He said with a small chuckle. He then went to the door, and with a kind gesture held it open for the miss, then closed it behind them and made his way to the teleporter on the floor. Holding Vale's hand, he gave a small smile.

"Teleport, Floor 5." He said, then he was soon pixelated and appeared onto the fifth floor. He looked around, and everything looked about the same as it did once before. Nothing had really changed, and he knew that nothing really would until the end of this game. Unless somehow the creators made a way to where players could change the course of a floor by their actions, there was no way to change how a floor was in its making and how it's NPC's reacted.

[Vale 1]

Vale turned her head away when Hikoru exclaimed that he couldn’t wait to hear. There were a lot of things that fluttered through the Martial Artists’ mind. The fact that she had a secret she hadn’t yet shared with Hikoru, the plethora of memories from her dreams, and her honest feelings that she wished to share with the Shadow Stalker.

The woman knew she should get a lot of the core things off her chest first before taking to the path she wanted in her head. With a decision made in her heart, there was a lot that needed to be talked about between the two of them. And if anything, it should start long before they ever come into contact with the beast they were hunting.

After completing her meal, she followed Hikoru out the door. Holding hands with him the entire way to the Teleportation Shrine in the nearby Floor Main Town. They spoke simultaneously teleporting to the fifth floor of Aincrad.

The scene of the town came into view, one she had visited numerous amounts of times. But the first time did she step foot on this floor officially with Hikoru. Vale awaited Hikoru to take the reins and lead them to their destination while she mentally prepared herself for the conversation that was to start outside of the confines of the main settlement of the fifth floor.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru took a moment to take in everything around them. Although there wasn't anything that really peaked his interest, he knew that things could change, or people muttering about people. He listened in, and saw a few sideways glances towards him and Vale, but other than that things were ordinary. He opened his HUD and made sure his map marker was activated on the quest area. After that, he took her hand and started to make his way through the sands of the desert. He had been here many times, for a few quests that he had gone on, and it was the floor where he earned his Orange cursor so long ago. He gave a small shudder at the thought. Even though it was a spawning NPC, it was still somewhat of a person in this world, to him at least. He let out a small sigh and looked around, seeing that nothing but dunes and rocks could be seen.

"Just as I remember it, barren with little to no reason of coming out here, other than quests." He said with a good laugh. He tried to make light of the situation, although all he wanted to do was go back to the house and rest. He was still a bit weary from last night and wanted to sleep some more, but he knew he needed to get the quest done, and get a move back into his schedule.

[Vale 1]

Flickers of light periodically occurred in Vale’s eyesight due to the wind carrying sand about, reflecting the light of the sun in all possible directions. Nothing too major to cause blindness, but enough to be noticed. It was difficult for the woman to keep her attention on anything physical though as her mind endlessly raced at exasperating speeds. Her breathing was slightly off than usual, though it could be attributed to the dark-skin and dark colored clothing increasing the heat on her.

As they walked through the town, Hikoru lightly pulling her along with her willingness. The stares that used to be effortless for Vale to deal felt somewhat overwhelming. Her psyche applying as much pressure on the girl, until Hikoru spoke as they exited the town.

A snapback to reality. And the timing felt right to start from the beginning.

“L-Look…” She struggled to start, “I’ve got good news, bad news, and news I am unsure about how you’ll respond.” She managed to say as she pulled her hand away from his, “I’ll leave the good news until after the Dragon… And we’ll talk about the bad news shortly…”

Vale gripped her right arm, “But first we need to start with the news I’m uncertain of how you’ll respond.” She bit her lip saying. Worried about how this is conversation’s river was to flow.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru walked quietly, until Vale spoke up. He turned to the young woman with curiosity. He noticed her body posture was wrong, and it make him curious as to what was wrong. He hadn't noticed it before, probably due to his weariness or his happiness, either way he knew he needed to pay attention. There was good news to be told later, but she wanted to tell the bad news. He nodded and looked over to see a rock for them to sit on. He motioned towards it, then took a seat himself. He sat down and mentally prepared himself. His mind was full of many curiosities, and many things that he didn't want to repeat. He shook his head mentally, and focused back onto Vale.

"Alright, take it slow and find your words before you speak. It's better to make sure your fluent with your words and not sputtering word after word with no way to understand." He said with a chuckle. He held her hand firmly and patted the top of it, a small but warm smile on his lips. "I'll take whatever you have to say, and while I may be blunt, my thoughts wont change on you..." He chuckled again, and his eyes softened when he looked into hers.

[Vale 1]

Hikoru took a seat upon a flat top rock, there was another one slightly shorter and next to it making it a nice seat for couples. She took the seat beside the man, he took her hand and shared sweet words that cause Vale to smile sweetly.

It was for only a brief moment, afterwards her face took a more serious approach. Pulling her hand away, she patted the Shadow Stalkers’ hand then brought her menu up. Vale took a deep breath, then selected the item that she wanted to show to Hikoru.

After pressing the button that would be the Greatsword, Gram. The weapon began materializing in front of the both of them. The Iconic massive heap of metal plunged itself into the ground to hold itself up, there a familiar essence of bloodlust was emitted. Only a mere moment had passed, and the feeling of being watched was immediately upon them. It was as if a Supernatural Being was staring on the two of them. The shiver that traced its way creepily down Vale’s spine gave her awareness of exactly the thing that had been watching her for months.

She looked over at Hikoru to discern what kind of emotions he had looking at the sword, “I’m sorry I’ve kept a huge secret from you. The only people who know about this are Jomei and Lessa.” She twiddled her thumbs together, “C-comments.” Weariness now audible in her voice.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru was unsure of what to expect, but when she pulled out the sword that Ssendom had used so long ago, and it materialized before him, everything froze. The memories flooding back to him in a large wave, and he sat, transfixed at the sword as all the memories came flooding back. Had it been that long? Had he forgotten the man who inspired him to new heights? How the Berserker was one of the people who helped him become the Master of Shadows? He just sat back, in awe with a million questions forming in his mind. He breathed in deeply, and out, to snap himself back to reality.

"How.... did, you get this?..." He asked wearily, small tears forming. He wiped them away, as the pang of Dom's death was still heavy on his heart. He found himself thinking of the armor design he had been working on weeks prior, and wished he could have somehow put a symbol for Dom, but he couldn't in the small space that he had planned. He let out a shuddering sigh, and awaited the answer. "Also... What's this feeling?" He said, noticing the atmosphere had changed dramatically.

[Vale 1]

Time slowly ticked it’s way forward. It was just a brief moment, but Vale could almost feel the intense change in atmosphere around Hikoru. She witnessed as a single tear began to form on the corner of Hikoru’s only visible eye to her.

The Shadow Stalker gazed upon the blade, for nearly an eternity or so it felt. The longer the silence the more pained Vale felt. Was this the wrong idea? Was it a terrible decision to show Hikoru the blade? Just who was this magnanimous person, for so many emotionally battle-tested frontliners to come to a freezing halt? This man was beyond influential at this point, if even the Master of Shadow’s, Hikoru… would sit practically stunned looking at it.

Vale slightly jumped in her seat, partially startled when Hikoru took a sudden deep breath to return himself to reality from his mindscape. And the first question was exactly as she suspected.

“I-It started as a usual training segment on the 7^th floor. I took a different route than my usual one. And I came across a home, carved out of the tree it was set in.” Vale took a slight breath, “That’s where I met Lessa… And where I obtained the blade.” After she finished with that sentence Hikoru asked about the feeling of being watched.

Despite Vale’s dark skin, it was painstakingly obvious when her face went pale at the second question. She bit her lip, noticeably trembling in her seat, “That… That is….” She took a deep breath, “The Essence… of Rage itself……. Likely the progenitor of the power that Dom was said to have. A sentient energy… That does…” She covered her mouth as tears began to form thinking of the monsters that were consumed by it, “Unspeakable things…”

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened quietly, he scratched his chin for a moment, the small stubble scratching his hand as he listened to the explanations. Lessa had this? He had met the girl at least once before, but he never knew she had his weapon. Why would she never tell anyone about it? His mind kept asking questions, but those he would look into at another time, once he found some time between training and talking to Info Brokers. Her second answer brought her to tears, and he was... scared. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was something he feared more than death. To bring Vale, someone whom he had known as strong, courageous, to be brought to tears by just speaking of something... He did his best for it to not show on his face, but he held her hand, squeezing it for assurance.

"Okay, that's all I need... We don't need to talk about it anymore..." He said, then he looked at the item, and picked it up. The sword was heavy, and the dreary feeling fell on his shoulders. Is this what Vale felt when she had this in her inventory? He knew that this could be too much for someone. He let out a shudder, and held it up to his face to examine it. Just as he remembered, the knicks and dents could be seen from use, but the enchantments, and everything he remembered was still the same. He set it down. "Do.. you need me, to hold onto this?"

[Vale 1]

There was an understanding between the two of them, that transcended words. Hikoru could blatantly tell that this had been gnawing at her deeply, and why the difficulty of sharing this information was so drastic. As if torn asunder from the chinks in her armor, she wanted to explain just how vile this essence was. And if what she thought was to be right, the reality of exactly what it could do we irrelevant of whom possessed the weapon.

A lack of details caused Vale to hesitate when the Shadow Stalker asked if he should keep it in his possession. But the Martial artist shook her head, "No, I don't think the essence would like that... Not that I am sure exactly what it wants. It's not possible to discern the motives of the entity, it just has a goal in mind and it's pursuing it." Vale stood up, using the menu system to return the weapon in its bag so the feeling of being watched would be centralized on Vale. She wondered if this feeling passed for Hikoru now that the blade wasn't in open eyesight like before.

Vale began to walk instinctively toward the dragon's nesting location. The Panther Woman knew that the two of them were still embarking on a quest, and had something to accomplish, "I think it's best we drop that topic for another time. I'm at least certain you want to collect your thoughts before tackling that issue." She lifted her eyes from the ground to stare directly forward, "Next thing I guess I want to be open with you about is the dream I had last night..." She paused.

Taking a moment to bite her lip, knowing the Hikoru was behind her just slightly enough that she couldn't tell if he would notice or not.

Still shook by the unnerving and vivid images she had while sleeping, a visibly notice shiver ran it's way down her spine. "The entire night I was in a blissful place secured peacefully in your arms... But the last dream I had was a nightmare." Another slight pause as she stopped to turn around, "I dreamt of Yukino last night... My Fiancee that hurled herself over the edge of Aincrad... Except it wasn't like the usual dream I have come to terms with..." Her focus shifted from Hikoru's eyes to the ground quickly after she said the name her late betrothed. The first in a long while she had done so.

There was still pain in the very word, that was the woman's name for Vale. It was still to this point, a heartwrenching experience that she didn't know if she'll ever truly be able to recover from.

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a nod. It made sense that Ssendom, or the "Essence" as she called it, would want to hunt someone. He didn't understand why it targeted Vale, but that he was something else he would look into. He sighed and nodded to move, following Vale before she spoke about her Fiancee, who fell off Aincrad when this had all started. As far as he remembered, this was the first she ever spoke of her, and how she died... Chills went down his spine. The feeling of being watched faded, but the dark feeling still fell on his shoulders. He took a step closer, then he breathed in and out deeply, calming his nerves.

"Alright... What, happened?..." He asked quietly. He was unsure of what to do at this point. Dreams of people who died... He had never had those. He faced his heartache head on, and tried to fight it... But when it comes to mental and emotional things, he was never good... He knew how to get into someone's head, but not how to fix something. This was in a realm that he had no knowledge of, and he felt useless at this point, a feeling he had long forgotten in his time of SAO.

[Vale 1]

The low rumble of the wind, and the sound of the sand that was carried along with it. Gave the feeling that this desert was far colder than it seemed. Albeit the heat was sweltering, the vibes that surrounded the two of them felt colder than the snowy plains of the 4^th floor.

If Vale was to truly be with Hikoru, he needed to know about everything that was hidden in her metaphorical closet. All the demons on the past, and the overwhelming grief attached. This was a monumental rollercoaster of emotions for the young woman, but she was determined to make the man apart of her life in earnest.

The Shadow Stalker asked his question quietly and this was as good a chance as any to begin, “When this game first started, I had a fiancé, her name was Yukino… She was someone who I had been the closest of friends with, since we were classmates in Elementary School.” She smiled thinking about it, for but a brief moment before her smile vanished, “But when we got trapped in this game, her originally intended to be gift lead her to…” She paused as it pained her to say… “Jump off the side of Aincrad.”

She looked up at Hikoru to look at his eyes, “I experienced that Nightmare every night for the first few months… Then you helped me get through the pain and burden of it at first. Something that could distract me.” Her feet moving in a swift and consistent manner toward their target location despite being lost deep within explaining this story to the man, shifting her face from his face back to the path they traversed. She had a feeling they were getting near the whelpling.

“Ever since then I’ve had that dream less and less…” Another pause for her to catch her breath, “But last night’s Nightmare was something unique completely.” Vale stopped in her tracks, something in her gut telling her that they were close to their prey, “Instead of dreaming of that fateful day… I had a dream of every single moment the two of us has spent together…” Shifting her gaze from the ground back to Hikoru’s face one last time, “I noticed somewhere in the background of the scenes that had you in it… She was there…. Down upon her knee’s… Crying into her hands.” Finishing her story, “It was… disturbing and heart wrenching at the same time…”

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened quietly, seeing the pain in Vale's face as she spoke. It pained him, and when she talked about how she cried as he was there, the pang in his heart grew only larger. He grit his teeth as he swore his heart had dropped below his stomach. He had never felt so... Bad, for doing something he thought was good, and it left him a bit confused. He took a hesitant step forward towards Vale, reaching for her, but then, he retracted his arm, standing awkwardly with his arms at his sides. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and his words came out slowly.

"If.... If i'm a problem, I can... Just, go, after this quest..." He said, choked up a bit by his own words. "Wouldn't, be the first time..." He said, a small but painful, and completely sarchastic chuckle. He had many crushes at his school when he was younger, and a few times, he actually tried to reach out to get to know them. He knew he could be clingy, but the girls eventually told him to leave, or they told him to leave right off. It was a normal thing for him to expect, and it had been one of his fears when he told his emotions to Vale, and now he felt those feelings were coming back, and he had been right.