Chapter 344

Zesshi crouched down over Layali as the fire crackled nearby, and covered her with a small blanket. The bouncing flames seemed to dance to music only they could hear, spurred on by Brain's continued poking at the embers. Sparks jumped up as if they feared his touch and died in the open air after a fraction of a second's life, and a light breeze blew at his blue hair, caressing his skin and adding comfort to the dark of night.

"She's asleep." Zesshi said after returning to him.

"I know." Brain replied to her without looking in her direction.

"How? You weren't checking her and she's not snoring." Zesshi asked, furrowing her brow at him.

"You wouldn't have come over here if she weren't." Brain replied, "Now spill it. We've been on the road for days, and galloping for half of it and you've barely said ten words. Give me whatever speech you've been comprising in your head and get it over with."

Zesshi stiffened and blinked, and then her shoulders drooped a little, "Damn it! I can kick your ass from here to Arwintar still, and yet somehow you see through me like I'm a clean glass window."

Brain shrugged off the praise, "You're an innocent, it's that simple. But I don't know exactly what you were going to say so… say it."

"I don't like the idea of leaving Layali somewhere." Zesshi spat the words out in haste, and Brain never stopped looking into the flames to address her.

"And I don't want her to end up wandering the road alone at her age, or being eaten by a monster… so, what do you suggest?" He asked pointedly. "Even if you stay with me and we can, between the two of us… mostly you," he acknowledged with a begrudging shrug, "can handle anything the world throws at us… what then? Can you teach her anything other than fighting?"

"No… I can read and write… I can do simple numbers. But I-I never had much of a head for the rest and they never bothered to teach me anything more." Zesshi clasped her hands together and rested them between her knees.

"I can read and write some, but again… just like you, fighting is all I know. Say we teach her to fight, and that's all she knows how to do. Even with that 'ability' of hers… or worse, because of it… what's going to happen to her? She could become an adventurer, or a soldier… and just bear wound after wound after wound… I've never seen a talent like hers… and it makes me scared for her. At least if I take a sword to the brain, my suffering will end. I don't know what can kill that girl… so… a safer life… get her a merchant spot, an education, a farm…" Brain insisted.

Back and forth they went, getting lost in their discussion until…

Zesshi stopped speaking, she looked past the blue haired swordsman. "Layali… why are you up… put that down, don't play with that…"

Brain turned around to look, Layali was awake and had Brain's sword in hand, she drew it from the sheath, and alarm swept over her face. "Layali… what's wrong?!" Brain shouted, "Don't!"

The firelight cast its glow over her body and made it abundantly clear something was wrong. "Brain… Zesshi… what's happening?! Help me! Please!" She asked, her hand was shaking as if she were fighting against the blade, "I'm not doing this!" She screamed as it was drawn across her throat. "No! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!" She howled as red began to run away from her throat as it pumped out.

Zesshi and Brain reached Layali at almost the same moment, the blade fell away from nerveless fingers and Brain kicked it away as he caught her fall.

"Don't worry! You'll be fine!" He shouted, he knew the truth, 'She will be fine… but we can't cover this up!' He cursed as Zesshi slapped a hand over the wound.

"Squeeze it tight!" Brain snapped, "I can fix it… but Layali," he said as he looked into her eyes, "this is going to hurt!"

Her eyes were full of fear as he rose away from her, leaving Zesshi to cradle her back and holding the little half elf against her. "It'll be fine." Zesshi promised, "Brain knows what to do, he always does, just… be okay, just know that you'll be okay." Zesshi promised as Layali spasmed and shook.

"I don't like the cold…" Layali whispered.

Then Brain was at her side with needle and sutures in hand. "A little fieldcraft… you'll be good as new with a little food… just be patient and bear the stings… Zesshi, hold her head back, I need her taut and not moving."

Zesshy grabbed Layali beneath the chin and forced the girl's head to tilt as Brain instructed, and he bit down on his tongue while he began to work. This time his fingers moved with smooth, practiced ease.

"Owie… it hurts… it hurts a lot… I don't like this…" Layali said and kicked her little legs about while she clung to Zesshi's arm as tightly as she could.

Blessedly, it did not have to be endured for long, "I'd rather not burn there, so… Layali, lie down on your back and look up at the sky and don't move till morning.

"What… happened?" Zesshi asked, "Why did you do that… what were you thinking?!" Zesshi demanded of the girl, and Layali's eyes pooled over, blurring the young girl's view of her elder companion.

"I-I wasn't, I didn't… I heard you all talking, and I thought… I can fight, I… I wanted to pick up the sword, try some poses like you and Brain do… and then the sword… the sword made me do it!" She sniffled and reached up to wipe her nose, only for Zesshi to bat the girl's hand away with a slap and then wipe it for her.

"No, no moving." Zesshi insisted, and Layali lowered her arm to her side on the cool grass.

She then reached for the dropped blade, "Stop!" Brain snapped and kicked it away, allowing it to tumble off into the darkness.

"What was that?!" Zesshi snapped.

"She just told you. The sword made her do it." Brain quipped and pointed after it, "That was a cursed item."

"Bullshit! You didn't die, you didn't injure yourself!" Zesshi glared, "And I don't own any cursed items!"

"You should know as well as I do, Zesshi, that the more focused you make a spell, the more powerful it becomes. The same goes for curses. I'm not a half elf, or any kind of elf, so I'm guessing it wasn't going to work on me at all. But maybe they made it cursed only to half-elves. Or maybe they made it cursed only to the descendants of the elf King, to make it even more potent. You definitely qualify, and she might too." Brain pointed down at the limp Layali. "Either way… that was meant for you." Brain insisted, and Zesshi felt her fading pulse roar back again.

"But I… I got this from Cenna! He's my friend! He wouldn't try to have me killed like this! He wouldn't! I know him!" Zesshi yelled at Brain, but he could see the way her body shook, it was just denial, the ugly truth was clear in her eyes, she just couldn't face it.

"I'm sorry. But this is why I told you not to do this, don't reach out to old friends, old contacts, former comrades… what you did looks a lot like treason… and I'd say they decided they had to get rid of you. And if they didn't have anyone strong enough to kill you in person… your own hands would be good enough." Brain said, and crouching down, he took a little herbal water and held it to Layali's lips.

"Have some of this, the sleep will help you heal." He promised, her eyes were still bright as the stars above, and she gave a quiet little nod to him and allowed it to carry her to sleep.

"He's my friend… he's my closest friend in the Black Scripture except maybe Raymond… We fought together, drank together, and other than Raymond, he was the only one who would come see me in the treasury. Raymond lies to me… my country steals my mother away from me… my friends… my friend tries to kill me…what do I have left…?" She asked him point blank as the weight of it all hit her.

"I'm here… Layali is here." Brain said and led her back to the flames, he rubbed her shaking hand and, placing the other on her back, he gently sat her down.

"If Layali didn't have that talent… she'd already be dead, and I… I nearly got her killed, just because I didn't listen… because I just… fuck… I screwed everything up… I screw everything up… Why can't I do a damn thing right?!" She looked at him through glistening eyes. "Why're you even still with a screw up like me…"

"Being around people I like is pretty rare, so… I figured I should enjoy it while it lasts." Brain tried to smile at her, "Layali, she's not your fault, they tried to kill you, she got caught in the middle…"

Zesshi accepted the words he offered, then added, "You've been… a wonderful companion… thank you. You have more patience than… than I could bear… I'm sorry I've been such a burden."

"You haven't been, and don't forget you did save Layali's life before. Don't be so hard on yourself." Brain said and put a hand on her shoulder, he gave it a squeeze and for a few seconds she said nothing.

"Brain." She finally spoke.

"Yes." He replied to her.

"Don't say anything, I just… I don't want to think right now… just to feel something else." She said, and before he could say anything, her lips were locked on his and he felt her pressing him into the grass, her fingers flying faster than the eye could follow over his clothing and hers alike.