Forty-Five

Rose furrowed her brows. Her friend was injured and she had no idea how to go about helping her. How does one fix a pulse hole in a leg? A cracked nose? Or a trace of ripped skin at the torso? Better yet. . .

She fumbled as her voice jumped.

"The bleeding—" She took a breath. "The bleeding isn't stopping!"

"Calm down," Erza spoke and looked into the eyes of the girl.

"Use your flames to sear the wounds shut."

". . .what?"

"Sear. The wounds shut."

Her mouth gaped open at the insistence of the girl. Emerald eyes looked over her body: A hole in the leg, a slashed torso, and a more-than-likely broken nose.

"I'm sorry. . ." The homunculus said, "For dragging you here."

It was the first time she had ever felt doubt. It was the first time she questioned her choice. If she hadn't insisted they came here for her mana orbs, if she hadn't been so selfish, only thinking of herself, this wouldn't have occurred. Her friend wasn't inhuman like her, she was fragile.

"Stop apologizing, dumbass, I decided to follow you. Now, fucking sear the wounds before I bleed out, would'ya?"

She glared at that face covered in sweat and blood and nodded.

"Alright."

<Igris> disappeared from the distance and appeared in Rose's grasp. A thin layer of heat surrounded the blade and she brought it down.

"Mothershxjdk-!"

Elsa screamed, incoherently as painful wails fell more easily than clear words. When all was said and done, and the girl laid collapsed as the rush of everything overtook her. . .

"How brave."

. . .a voice came behind Rose and her weapon moved on instinct as she leapt from the ground.

—clank

"You're alive?"

She glared, emerald eyes meeting crimson. There was a soft glow of blue stopping her heated blade from slicing through the neck of the individual.

"Calm down," The dragonian scoffed, "I'm not fighting you. The storm is about to tear through this place."

It was at that moment that she noticed the blaring of metal and wood mixing together and the distanced sight of a massive sandstorm tearing and ripping through the outer layer of the slums. She frowned, realizing why the streets had suddenly quieted.

"I've got your mana orbs here," The girl shook a bag, causing Rose to narrow her eyes.

She spent her time picking those things up?

"What do you want?" Rose asked, wary.

"Why don't we work together?"

"Me? Work together with you? Ridiculous."

The very notion made her question the intelligence of the girl. They had attacked her, tried to capture her, and caused the current state of Elsa, and she wanted the two of them to work together?

The dragonian merely stared at her, expression unchanging, and spoke, "As much as I hate to admit it, doll, you and I are similar."

"Don't compare me to you."

"I know how to heal your friend there."

Rose's sword shuddered at that.

"How?"

"By finding Lucy Chaz, she has a Gear that allows her the ability to heal."

'The sister of the Lucky Lord?' Rose thought, remembering the words Mare had told her, 'She would know. . .wouldn't she.'

"That information doesn't require we work together," She voiced.

And, she couldn't confirm nor deny it as of yet. As much as she would like to grasp that strand, she even more so did not want to be swindled again.

A bag flew her way and she caught it.

"I'm very aware of that fact," Lilias replied, "But I'm also here to recruit you to join the war. . .and to help us find and capture the 'Rat.'"

'There it is,' Rose thought.

Paul Walker came to mind right away. One way or the other, he had figured out that she knew Mare. And, one way or the other, he had already recruited the girl in front of her.

"Ah, Lilias, interesting to see you here," A voice piqued to her side and a foot shifted, "And. . .Rose?"

She turned around.

"Samuel?"

The first thing she noticed was three swords strapped to her instructor's waist. They were sleek, each a small katana in a black sheath.

"You caused the commotion over here?" He stroked his chin, looking over the burned ground and the charred bodies around him then back at her with his collected golden gaze.

There was blood covering his person and he didn't seem to care. His clothing was mangled, his chest and foot bare as his blue hair flapped behind him, and there were holes along his torso that slowly healed at a visible rate. Rose found the contrast between such a calm, gender-questioning face and the aura he wielded a strange one.

In short time, Rose also noticed the sight of sand dancing in the air around them.

"So you did join the war," She stated, matter-of-factly.

He paused on her face for a moment. Their eyes crossed and he smiled. He turned and pointed to the end of the battered street. Following his finger, there was a dome of faint, blue light covering a segment of the slums.

"It did no use." He turned, shrugging as he faced the two girls again. "They have a City Dome, or, an extremely minimized version of it."

"Connections, then?" Lilias asked.

"Most likely," Samuel nodded and turned a different direction.

A sandstorm rolled over the area, brown dust reaching high into the sky, throwing the place into chaos with its winds. Shacks tore from the ground, flaring around as the three figures stood next to a collapsed body.

"We are retreating for now," He said.

At that point, Rose noticed the black vehicle behind him.

"Come with me, would you, Rose?" He eyed her. "Walker wants to speak with you."

His gaze didn't leave her as she debated his words. He seemed different. . .somehow. When she looked back into his eyes, she recognized it immediately.

'He won't let me leave here alive if I refuse.'

She looked to her left to see the image of the dragonian, tail steady above the ground, and two blades to her back.

She bent and hefted Elsa into her arms, carrying her unconscious friend like a princess, and stepped forward.

"I'd like to speak with him, as well," She said.