Sakura stayed in bed most of that day, first to recover her strength from her long convalescence, then at Grant's insistence.
Not really much I can do when he ties me to the bed and straddles me. She thought, working the knots loose that had formed during her evenings escape attempts. Though that does sound a bit kinky.
"Going somewhere?" Grant rumbled from the door.
"Yes. I'm going to find Tenchi, and if there's any justice in the multiverse, he'll be with the assholes who decided to leave me for dead."
"And you think I'm just gonna stand by and let you waltz to your death?" Grant said, stepping out of the shadows.
"I don't care what you think. I'm going to do this and if you try to stop me I will kill you." Sakura glared up at the taller man.
Grant stared down his teammate. "Yeah, I guess you would." The former Dinobot ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply.
"Well?" Sakura snapped testily.
"I'm coming with you." Grant said, turning for the door.
"The hell you are!" Sakura shouted.
"This isn't up for discussion. I'm going to go buy us some provisions, and you're going to the tavern down the street to get something to eat. We'll meet back here and go find Tenchi."
"And what's to stop me from heading out now?"
"I'll hunt you down, tie you up and pin you until the others arrive, in robot form." He glared at the young sorceress.
"Fine," Sakura spat, pushing past Grant into the cool night air. "I'll go get some eats and then I'll come back here, but I'm only waiting a half hour."
"Then I guess I won't be late." Grant rumbled, strolling off into the growing dusk.
Sakura rolled her eyes before storming into the tavern, and grabbing the nearest serving girl. "What do you have good to drink?"
"H-honey mead for you, I should think, ma'am." She stammered.
Sakura nodded, and released the girl's arm. "Wonderful. You take gold, yes?" The girl nodded, and the planar sorceress grinned. "Excellent. Why don't you pick out a suitable meal, to fit my mead?"
"Of course, ma'am." The server girl smiled as Sakura took a seat and closed her eyes letting the noise of the crowd wash over her.
"I don't like it, Demona," A young brunette growled from the nearby table. "We're a scant three day journey from Spectra's Chasm and still we're lacking our fifth party member."
"I know Sephira, and I don't like it anymore than you do. But if we don't find the fifth by sunrise, we'll have to go without her and hope." The blonde haired Demona replied
"Excuse me," Sakura murmured as she joined the others at their table. "but I couldn't help hearing. What is Spectra's Chasm?"
A girl with flaming red hair reminiscent of Rikku raised her unseeing eyes from her tankard. "We don't have to tell you anything, outworlder."
"Sister, that was uncalled for!" A slender wisp of a girl with brilliant sapphire hair exclaimed.
"Kalshira, you're too tied up in what other people think." The redhead spat angrily. "She doesn't belong to this world."
"Look missy-" Sakura snarled.
"Rakana." The redhead said by way of introduction.
"Rakana, then," Sakura snarled. "You're right. I'm not from this world and I could really care less about how you know that. You all may think that none of this affects me but someone kidnapped a friend of mine and left me for dead. So until I find him, your world's problems are my problems. Now, could someone please tell me what the deal is with Spectra's Chasm?" The serving girl from earlier gasped as she stopped at the table, nearly spilling the mead and flame roasted ham into Sakura's lap before setting it down and scurrying away.
Demona looked squarely at Sakura as her blonde bangs fell into her eyes. Perhaps Fate has delivered our fifth, after all. She thought. "Two thousand years ago, a malevolent demon called Paaxaileet, The Monster of Blind Temptation tried to enter our world."
"Enter... you mean this thing was an outworlder too?" Sakura had dealt with plenty of planar travelers, both good and evil. One particular evil traveler stood out in her mind, even now. If I'm dealing with a demonic traveler, maybe I should get the whole group.
"Unfortunately," Demona said. "Paaxaileet intended to have us ravage and destroy our own world before moving on, by turning our own greed and desires against us."
"Obviously he failed. What happened?" Sakura asked, tucking into her meal as she listened.
"A sacrifice was made." Sephira broke in. "Five girls, social outcasts who slipped below Paax's notice, tracked him to his lair in Spectra's Chasm. They fought, really good or so the legend says, but then..."
"Paaxaileet killed the youngest member, a mages apprentice," Rakana said dryly. "When the others defeated him, the child mage used the last of her life to seal him into the Chasm."
"And the seal needs to be renewed," Sakura mused. "But why would those goof balls take Tenchi unless... The seal is renewed by killing someone, right? Spilling the blood of a pure hearted woman or something like that, right?"
"Yes, every 500 years." Demona confirmed.
"The seal is charged with female energy... so if the blood of a pure hearted man was spilled instead..." Sakura paled in horror. "We can reach the Chasm in three days.?"
"We will be getting there in three days," Rakana snarled. "You will be staying here. I already made it clear that we don't need you, outsider."
The young sorceress flushed crimson with rage as she stood and slammed her fist into the oaken table hard enough to leave a deep split in the wood. "AND I MADE IT CLEAR THIS IS MY PROBLEM NOW TOO!" She shouted slamming some gold on the table to pay for her meal and damages. "I'll see you at the top."
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(Posted Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:14)
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