Come Fly With Me [Closed]

"Hikari. Come on. Now." Lucinda looked back to the tired young girl. Hikari was bent over, hands on her knees, and taking in a few deep breaths. "I'm trying, I promise! I just... can't. T-Too tired..." Hikari replied between breaths. Lucinda smiled and walked over to the girl's side before picking her up and placed Hikari on her back, almost too easily. "There. Now that the sun's going down, by the time we exit the forest it'll be pitch black..." "That's what's better for you, right?" "Haha... Yep." Lucinda carried Hikari through the forest and stopped when a strange scent hit her. Her nose twitched and she looked around. A moment later, she heard the voice of someone yelling. "Hikari." "Okay..." Hikari sadly jumped down off of Lucinda's back. Lucinda hid the girl behind a tree and a few bushes. "You know what to do." Hikari nodded and watched Lucinda run off to help another person they didn't know.

Lucinda hurried through the trees, following a the scents she picked up. When she caught them in her sights, they were on a lower path running from wolves while she was running through the trees to their left. She ran with them for a moment, thinking on what to do. Reaching back, she grabbed onto the the small red colored pole that was hooked to her waist and waited for the right moment...

As long as  Hikari was safe, Lucinda would not stop helping these people. They were doing well while running, but a rogue leaf decided the young one needed a major disadvantage. The young man fell and as the older one turned to yell, the following wolves went in for the kill. Three of them jumped in and with that opening, Lucinda darted forward and expanded her lance at the same time. With a loud click of metal snapping into metal, Lucinda ended up over the young man and with a whirling maneuver as both ends of her lance slammed into the three wolves and send them flying back. Sliding to a stop, Lucinda looked back to Setsuna and gave a quick smile before turning back to battle.

"You're alright. I won't let them harm you guys. I can promise you that." Lucinda readied herself and watched the wolves as they began their growling. A moment later, they charged only to be knocked right back. Through the battle, Lucinda never seemed to truly strike to harm the animals. She kept knocking them back, waiting for them to be worn out. Finally, with a final growl, the four wolves ran off with minor injuries and whining in pain. Lucinda held out her lance and it shortened with another loud click of metal. "Alright. You guys okay?" Lucinda looked back to them. Although beautiful, she had a rather intimidating factor about her, especially with those red eyes.

Lucinda nodded and turned to take her leave, but stopped when they actually talked to her. This was sort of new. She watched the two interact before they introduced themselves and then chuckled. "Lucinda Blackbourne." she introduced herself as well. She "shared" the name of a rather well-known villian of old times. That is what she would tell you at least. She would not admit to being the actual Lucinda Blackbourne for multiple reasons, but would also not lie about her name. It is her burden and would not let it go lightly. The old Lucinda must be wiped from existence.

"This weapon? It's the Crimson Lance. It's possible you've heard of it, but I wouldn't be shocked if you haven't." Lucinda held it out in front of her, "It grants it's user extra power, making them faster, stronger, and harder to damage. It's the perfect way to protect people you care abou-..." Lucinda's eyes widened and she looked backwards. "I left something in the woods and I must retrieve it. If you prefer an escort to the next town, I will be happy to oblige. A little extra company never hurt anyone." Lucinda smiled and motioned for them to follow as she went on walking. "Don't forget your things." she said, pointing to their boards, "So what are the two of you doing out here in the woods?"

"You should not be embarrassed about wanting to better yourself. It's a wonderful thing and shows great character and determination." Lucinda replied to Setsuna as they walked along. "No... I have not heard of such a sport, nor have I seen one of those boards you hold before. I don't keep up with a lot of the current technology." Lucinda explained as she took in a deep breath through her nose. She suddenly changed direction and stepped into the forest on a small path. "Just traveling all over. I'm doing my best to help anyone I come across." Lucinda took in another deep breath and changed directions again. Soon the three were on a larger path and Lucinda walked up to a tree. She knocked on it three times in a little pattern and soon a young girl appeared.

"Lucy!" a sweet voice echoed out from the shadows of the forest. "There you are." Lucinda smiled lightly and pulled Hikari up from her spot sitting behind the tree. She set the girld own on the path and walked her over to the two men. Hikari saw them and immediately hid behind Lucinda. "Who are they?" she whispered. "This is Setsuna and Shinobu." Lucinda introduced them and then pointed to Hikari, "This little shy one is Hikari." Hikari waved from behind Lucinda but kept her body hidden.

Hikari kept her head low and covered herself as much as possible. She wanted to stay hidden; She didn't want to see those stares again. Why did Lucinda have to bring these people along?! When Shinobu came close enough to be at eye level, Lucinda watched very closely to see how Hikari would react. Hikari froze. Her eyes were fixated on Shinobu, watching every move he made. She was hidden behind Lucinda, clothing, and thick hair, so her scars weren't visible. If they were, she'd be running away at this point, or he would be. She wasn't sure which kind of reaction she was going to get.

"Hikar-..." Lucinda turned to Setsuna, "Yes?" She blinked at his question, slightly surprised. It wasn't a hard question to answer, but it was one that hit home for Lucinda. Instead of answering with her personal details, she did what she always did. "Why wouldn't I want to?" She raised an eyebrow at him and then smiled. "There is too much evil in this world. It's better to fight against it and show that hope and goodness is still around and just as powerful, if not more so, than evil. Don't you think?"

"Now where to?"

Lucinda's answer was satisfactory in her mind, though she didn't know she had hit a personal nerve with Shinobu. Hikari kept nudging her back, but Lucinda was trying to ignore it. "Well, I've recently eaten, but this little lady could use a good meal." Lucinda said, patting Hikari's head. "Um... Interview?" Lucinda looked completely confused as she listened to this explanation. "I... guess? Hikari..." Lucinda looked back to the small girl, "What the hell is a magazine?" "It's one of those book things that I read some times... You said it was like a newspaper-book combination." "Oh, right. Those things with different articles about people... What's the point?" Lucinda looked back to Shinobu. "What kind of article is it? I mean, I have no problem with you doing the interview thing, but I'd like to know what my words will be featured in." Lucinda shrugged and turned toward Hikari, "Maybe we'll pick up a copy, huh?" "Yep!" Hikari nodded. "Lead the way." Lucinda said and would then follow.

"It sounds like you need to do an article on the fear of the unknown and lack of self-confidence." Lucinda spoke up and looked directly to Hikari as she said that. Hikari knew that was a shot toward her and looked shyly from Lucinda. Lucinda placed a comforting hand on Hikari's head and looked to the two men again. "That's something that Lucy knows lots about..." Hikari said and wrapped her little arms around Lucinda's waist. Lucinda stiffened, wondering where Hikari was going with this, but said nothing as they walked along, allowing the smaller woman to explain herself. "She helps me not be scared all the time and is teaching me to have more confidence in myself too." Hikari continued and Lucinda smiled, patting Hikari's head. Hikari looked up and smiled back up at her.

They arrived at the two's 'home' and were utterly confused. "Silver... Streamer..." Lucinda and Hikari repeated the name in unison with disbelief at this. Their expressions dulled and the two looked to each other. Lucinda leaned down to Hikari and whispered to her. "Zakatian tech?" Lucinda asked. Hikari could be seen shrugging. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. Could be new?" Hikari replied and giggled. She always found it funny to see the confused looks on Lucinda's face when they encountered something new, especially if it was something out of Zakat. Lucinda stood up again and put a hand on her hip. "Well then. It certainly is a nice... silver... streaker." Lucinda said and Hikari laughed. "Streamer! He said Streamer!" Embarrassed, Lucinda nodded. "R-Right... So, the interview?"

Hikari:

She sat in the first seat she could find and stared at Setsuna the entire time. She was wary of him. The guy acted like he was scared of things, but Hikari doubted it. He was probably pretending to lure her and Lucinda into a trap, but they would feel stupid when they realize how powerful she really is. Hikari was quiet and kept her head slightly lowered. Her face was still covered mostly by the thick bangs she intentionally had hanging down. She didn't want him noticing her scars. She just blinked at the weather comments until he asked another question. "Um... A long time now." she glanced around and then glared at him, "You better not try anything. Lucinda will destroy you and Shinobu quicker than you could scream 'help me' if you dared hurt me. She would! I mean it!" Hikari puffed out her cheeks and pointed at Setsuna's face with a rather confident declaration about Lucinda.

Lucinda:

"You can use my name. That's fine. No reason not to. Most people are scared of it anyway..." Lucinda whispered the last bit and glanced away out of annoyance before sighing and looked back to Shinobu. "What kind of darkness..." she repeated, "Well a lot of 'kinds', I guess. Darkness isn't just the depths of a forest or cave. It's the evil intentions within everyone. You can fight off darkness by sticking up for a friend being bullied. You can fight darkness by saving the life of a hurt animal or defeating a dragon that's about to destroy a town." Lucinda thought for a moment, "The most difficult enemy that anyone will face is themselves. That's the darkness I fight. I help people realize what they're doing is wrong. Little Hikari was scared of everything, sometimes still is... Her darkness came from haunting memories and pain. She's finally getting the confidence to conquer them, to get rid of her own darkness..." It was then that Lucinda could hear what Hikari was saying to Setsuna and she had to fight a laugh. She doubted Shinobu would be able to hear it since her senses came from what she was. With a deep breath and sigh, Lucinda looked back to him, "What other questions do you have? I doubt an interview only has one." She crossed one leg over the other and began relaxing a bit.

Inside...

His reactions were kind of funny to Hikari. When Lucinda was around, Hikari was confident and felt safe. If Lucinda wasn't around, she'd be crying and huddled in a corner, but Lucinda was just outside, so nothing could happen to her. When he calmed down, Hikari smiled a bit. "You're funny." she said with a mousey tone, "I bet you're stronger than that... You have to be, right? You're a man, aren't you?" Hikari tilted her head, asking that question with such innocence behind it. "And I'm not that good at talking to new people I've met either, but it's okay. We'll learn together, okay?" Hikari smiled widely and tilted her head without thinking. Her bangs fell off to the side and revealed every scar her clothes weren't covering. She realized this a moment later and her eyes widened. Tears immediately formed and she curled up in her chair, wrapping her arms around her head. "DON'T LOOK AT ME!!"

Outside...

"Huh... I wasn't expecting questions about early history... I don't think I could tell you where I was from even if I remembered it... It's a village gone now, so unless people have rebuilt , you wouldn't have heard of it..." Lucinda crossed her arms and looked to the sky while explaining this. It was casual when she was as well, so it wasn't like she was hiding anything. "And I don't have a home to belong to anymore, so I make it on the road. If I find a place, I might settle down there, but that will likely be a long way off from now... if ever." And then that final question came. If she had been drinking, there would have been a spit take, but that didn't happen because there was no drink. "Dinner?" she blinked in surprise at his question, "Well I-..." And then Hikari yelled and Lucinda's eyes just closed. "One moment..." she said and stood up, walking over to the Streamer and opening it up.

The first thing Lucinda saw was Hikari curled up and then looked to Setsuna, who was backing away. She couldn't help it when a smile twitched it's way onto her face. Hikari looked over to Lucinda, uncovering her face when she did so. She had tears in her eyes. Lucinda just sighed and raised an eyebrow at Hikari. She used her head to motion Hikari over to Setsuna. Hikari looked over to the man behind the cereal box and Lucinda closed the door. "Let them deal with it." Lucinda said and sat down in front of the door. A moment later, you could see Hikari's little eye through a window looking at Lucinda, who intentionally looked away from her. "She knows what she needs to do and she's not coming out until she's done it." Lucinda added and crossed her arms sternly along her chest.

Hikari sighed when she saw what was going on. Lucinda wasn't going to let her out of here until she apologized for scaring Setsuna. She looked over to him while he hid behind the cereal box and slowly moved over. "S-Setsuna?" she sat down next to him and pat at his knee, "You can look at me now... I'm sorry I yelled at you." Hikari lowered her head sadly. She kept her eyes looking toward him to see if he lowered the cereal box. He peeked out from behind it, so she moved forward, sort of crawling toward him and placed her hand on the cereal box, pushing it down a bit. "See... It's okay. I'm not scared anymore." she forced up a smile and sat back normally, pulling her bangs back with a shaky hand, "I don't usually let people see my face... It's ugly now, so I hide it behind my hair..."

"You don't have to worry. The two of them seem rather similar."

"Um... Wait, really?" Hikari was stunned. She smiled a little more and pointed at herself. "Does that mean I scared you? I never scare anyone..." She giggled a litte and pat his knee again. "You don't have to be scared of me, silly Setsuna. I won't do anything to hurt you. Even if I wanted to, I'm too little and not strong at all, I promise! And Lucinda says I'm too nice for my own good." And then it fell silent. The two shared a quiet moment. Hikari began feeling awkward, unsure of what to say until he spoke up. "It is...?" Hikari grabbed her hair and tugged lightly on it. Her cheeks turned a little red and she used her hair to cover her face and giggle. "Yeah, she's my best friend! Sometimes she's more like a Mom to me over anything else... Is Shinobu like a Dad to you? You seem really fond of him." Hikari leaned her back against a wall and crossed her legs. She looked like she was ready to have a long conversation.

Hikari stared at him even after he finished. She blinked once after a bit of silence and then spoke up. "You're lucky." she said, staring seriously and directly at his eyes, "Your parents were good, you said. I wish mine were like that. My Mom and Dad were the most horriblest of people. I hate them. It's why I ran away to be with Lucinda. If it wasn't for her, they would have killed me." Hikari looked away from him and closed her eyes, placing her hand over her scars. "They're the ones who did this to me... Poured hot stuff all over me for some demon ritual thing... I woke up in the hospital... I think Lucinda saved me from them. I don't know. I'm kind of too scared to ask because the memories are kind of bad... Very bad." Hikari didn't realize she had just let slip the most horrid part of her past. If Lucinda heard that, she'd get scolded for being so open with someone she just met. That was the easiest way to get people to blackmail you for their own good. A moment later she did realize what she did and her eyes widened. "Please don't say anything... I'm not supposed to tell people I just met things that are so important and personal about me... Lucinda will get mad if someone blackmails me again." Hikari grabbed onto Setsuna's shirt in a panic, begging him with tears in her eyes, not to say anything.