Preparations

"Kiyu?" As if from far away, Kiyu could hear her name, but everything remained dark before her eyes.

"Come on Kiyu, wake up you sleepyhead!"

"Let me sleep some more." the young Spiritformer nagged and was about to turn over when she felt an increasing strong tickling sensation.

"No, don't do that!" she laughed more than shouted as Laki tickled her without mercy.

"Only if you stand up." retorted Laki with a nasty grin. "Otherwise, I could do this for what feels like an eternity!"

"Please, I'm already getting up," she laughed as she pulled her legs to her body to protect her belly.

All at once the feeling disappeared, and she came up for a proper breath. "That was mean, Laki!" she exclaimed with mock anger. She couldn't be angry with her.

"Well, you would have slept through half the day otherwise," her foster sister countered her and just shrugged. "Is everything all right, by the way? Your body was a bit... cold," she asked with caution.

"Yes, don't worry. It's aa...aaa...achoo!" Kiyu blew her nose and pretended everything was fine. "It's nothing."

"Hmph! Nothing, my ass! You have a cold!" complained Laki.

But before she was to launch into a sermon, they heard the grumbling of their stomachs interjecting into the discussion.

"Let's find some food first," Kiyu reassured her, "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Laki sighed, easing away from her speech.

"Do you think we'll find anything else down in the village?"

Kiyu shrugged. The village looked pretty battered, but at least some buildings were still standing. Well, at least some pieces. "I guess the only way we'll know is to look."

The campfire had burned down, so she didn't see the need to put it out. She was sure that the fire wouldn't spread to the surrounding meadow, anymore. So, together with Laki, she set off for the burned-down village, the remains of which stretched out before them.

On the way, she had warmed herself with the help of her powers. She could not do much against the cold itself, but since sweating should help, she had brought her body to a warmer temperature to get rid of the fever as fast as possible.

Together they reached the entrance gate and Kiyu had to think about the past day. Not even a whole day before, everything was still in order and this was a peaceful village. Charred beams and some somewhat intact beams were all that survived, and again her body felt sluggish.

Only Laki's hand, which grabbed hers, gave her back the feeling of strength. They avoided the destroyed houses on purpose, because they could imagine what it must look like inside. People who were their friends, now nothing more than burned bodies.

The buildings on the jetty had survived the fire best of all. The rest they had passed quite fast, so as not to have to look at more than necessary.

"There are apples over there," Kiyu said in a depressed voice, pointing with half raised arm to two apples lying on the ground by the side pier.

She couldn't help but think of the previous day. Here they had exchanged their two apples, which Laki had stolen, for cotton candy at old Mert's place.

*Has Laki stolen her mother's apples again?*

In normal circumstances, old Mert would come out of his store with this statement when he noticed that Laki and Kiyu were around. But everything remained silent. Only the light wind and the murmur of the water gave the appearance of a peaceful day.

Kiyu walked up to the half-charred apples wordless and took them in his hand for closer inspection.

'At least half of them seem to be okay'

Kiyu bit into the charred part, only to spit it out right after.

She ran her free hand over her tongue to wipe off the charcoal residue that didn't go away by spitting it out.

"Here," she said, handing Laki one apple with a puckered smile.

"Now then. Thank you for the food." she replied, biting into the uncharred rest of the apple with relish.

Kiyu did the same before they sat down on the dock for a quick break, dangling their feet over the water.

Had a boat survived the fire, they could have traveled in it, but the boats burned down thanks to the fire spirit, leaving nothing behind but debris. He did not want anyone to think about escaping, as it seemed.

"Do you know how long it takes to get to the next village?" asked Kiyu as she let her eyes wander over the water.

Although she had lived here for six years now, she had never been interested in the outside world.

"A day or maybe two days?" stated Laki, albeit with a touch of uncertainty.

Not pleasant conditions, if Kiyu had her way. Even if she could somehow, with the help of her powers, get by for that long, Laki was not so lucky.

"Let's keep looking, Laki. Maybe we will still find something of use."

"I'll look over here." she replied, in a much better mood than Kiyu was in at the moment.

After all, if they split up, they'd get through the search for food faster. And so they split up and entered the remaining houses alone, if they could call the remaining parts that. Only one, maybe two walls were still standing.

But no matter how hard Kiyu tried, it seemed hopeless. Nothing useful had survived this catastrophe.

"Ky-mpfh!" The squeak Kiyu heard sounded quite like Laki, but something was wrong. Why did it break off in an instant?

Without wasting time, Kiyu ran outside and spotted Laki there, but also two older men.

"Look, Jorgas. I told you there was someone else here!" laughed the man who grappled Laki in his tight grip.

"LAKI!" cried Kiyu in shock.

Where did these men come from? Had the strangers already discovered them while searching the village and sneaked up on them?

"Take it easy, kid." grinned the stranger who was holding Laki. "You want nothing to happen to the cutie here, do you?"

"If you're an obedient child and let me capture you without resistance, my brother Durgo won't harm a hair on her head either." said the second man, who went by the name Jorgas, as he approached Kiyu one step after another.

Gritting her teeth, Kiyu stretched out her arms and did not move any further.

'Just you wait.'

Anger arouse in her, waiting for Jorgas to reach her.

'Nobody touches Laki with impunity!'

In secrecy, she prepared to bring her body to a boiling temperature. So that she wouldn't burn herself, she made her skin more resistant, but she wouldn't stand the heat itself for long either.

"There you go, little girl," Jorgas said with derision, grabbing Kiyu's arm.

'Now!' In one fell swoop, she let her arm rise to a temperature that made Jorgas cry out in pain. Kiyu could see burn blisters forming on his palms. She cooled down the temperature back down so she wouldn't feel dizzy.

"Jorgas!" yelled Durgo, confused and unaware of what was going on.

But Kiyu wasn't about to give him the opportunity to adjust to the situation. She hardened the muscles and bone of her right hand, as well as her legs at once, and ran at full speed toward the second man.

Faster than he could react she had overcome the few meters between them and without hesitation she let her fist crash into his face.

Despite Kiyu's frail appearance, Durgo rolled over several times and landed several feet away.

"Mo.. monster!" they both screamed, staring at Kiyu with open mouths and wide eyes.

"Laki! Are you okay?" On the spot, Kiyu hugged her and ignored them both for the moment.

"I'm okay," Laki assured her, "Don't worry."

After those reassuring words, Kiyu turned back to stare at the man she had been burning in the palms of just seconds before. Her tense lips and pinched eyebrows alone were enough to express what she was feeling at that moment.

"W... Wait a minute," Jorgas pleaded, able to interpret Kiyu's gaze. "I beg you, spare us."

Whether the tears in his eyes were from fear or from his injury, Kiyu didn't care. The two of them had dared to touch the person who meant the most to her. The only one who was still with her. She would not let them get away like that!

< The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that, little Kiyu >

Kiyu knew that voice well.

'They threatened Laki' Kiyu insisted, still angry.

< They did, and you can't undo it. > As always, Cheryu was calm and at no loss for wisdom. Kiyu concluded that the spirit might be incapable of emotion at all.

< Hurting them will leave you with the deeper scar. >

'What do you mean?' How could it hurt Kiyu if she taught them both a lesson? However, Cheryu would leave her alone with that wisdom as well.

'Damn that spirit!'

More or less forced, she took a deep breath in and out as she took her training position. If it were up to her, she would have given them both a beating. But her body didn't belong to her alone, and the last thing she wanted was to get into a long-term discussion with the spirit.