Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ BEING OF FIRE ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chikita opened her eyes. The sun shone in through the leaves. Chikita sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
‘Heyy! Chikita! Get up, lazy!’ a voice called from the bottom of the tree that Chikita had slept in. Chikita groaned and smiled.
‘Oh shut up, Kiya!’ Chikita yelled back. Chikita would have liked to tease her longtime friend more, but she knew she had a job to do.
Chikita had lived in Sintia’s Hell all her life, along with the rest of her clan, the Demon Archers. The Demon Archers were immortal. Their skills with the bow and arrow were extremely good and their main objective was to eliminate any Demons that came into the forest.
No one knew but Chikita Yuki had a dark secret. Unlike everyone else in the clan, Chikita was the only one who fused tiny Demons into her arrows, causing them to become very powerful. That’s not to say she was a poor archer. No. She was a superb archer and the youngest. In age, she looked to be around 12 or 13, but in reality, she was hundreds of years old.
Demon Archers, although they know magic, only use it for training, special occasions, or if they are facing a powerful Demon.
The first thing on Chikita’s agenda was training. She jumped out of the tree and walked over to a small nest on the ground. She reached inside and pulled out a short-sleeved dark green tunic, a bow, a sheath holding her katana, her quiver, and a pair of dark green hand-guards. Chikita pulled the tunic over her head and smoothed the wrinkles out of it. She bent down and picked up her hand-guards. She put them on and then picked her katana up, and strapped it to her waist. And finally, she picked her quiver up and strapped it on her back.
“Uhm…what was I gonna do again today? Ah. Yes, now I remember. Training. Just have to make sure no one sees me.”
Chikita stood up and looked around, cracking her knuckles. No one was in sight and the young Demon Archer walked past the tree and into a clearing. She didn’t have to worry about accidentally straying into Sintia because her clan lived in a deep part of Sintia’s Hell. Once in the clearing, Chikita walked over to a tree stump that was in the center of the clearing and put her hands on it. She closed her silver eyes and chanted something in her common tongue. She backed off and observed as a brown glow surrounded the stump and it began to move.
Unsheathing her katana, Chikita advanced towards the now alive stump.
‘Hey, Kiya.’ Kiya turned and looked at the chief of the clan. He was the most important person in the clan. Kiya turned his attention towards the chief to show he was listening. ‘Do you know where Chikita is? I need to speak with her.’
‘She’s at the training grounds, no doubt.’ Kiya replied. ‘I’ll go and fetch her.’
The chief nodded and Kiya turned to leave. ‘Oh and Kiya?’
‘Yes?’
‘Don’t do anything with her, alright?’ the chief smiled, his eyes dancing. Kiya blushed furiously.
‘I-I don’t know what you mean, sir.’ Kiya replied a blush still on his cheeks. He turned and started to walk to the training grounds, leaving the chief standing there, smiling.
Yes, Kiya did have a crush on Chikita, and vice-versa. Kiya knew the chief was just kidding him, but he felt foolish for blushing anyway.
Chikita pulled the string of her bow back and said something in her common tongue. A yellow light surrounded the arrow.
Kiya came to the clearing and saw the yellow light, and instantly knew.
“Sh-she couldn’t have. Not Chikita. She knows the rules of the clan! We are forbidden to use our magic on weapons. There has to be some kind of mistake!”
Demon Archers are also known for their stealth, but in Kiya’s shock, he stepped on a twig. It snapped with a loud ‘crack’ and Chikita felt her stomach clench in fear.
“Oh-no!” she thought in fear.
Chikita slowly turned around, her grip on her bow was loose. Her silver eyes widened when she saw Kiya standing there looking at her. Chikita shook her head as if Kiya could understand. Kiya’s eyes were widened in shock, but most of all, betrayal. Chikita couldn’t speak. It was as if someone had cemented her mouth shut.
‘How could you, Chikita?’ Kiya yelled. ‘How could you? You can’t use your magic on weapons! Why?’
‘I-I…Kiya. I didn’t mean… It was… Pl-please don’t tell the chief?’ Chikita pleaded with Kiya, but Kiya only shook his head. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Kiya backed up and turned and started to run back to tell the chief.
Chikita gasped and started after him. She could not let Kiya get to the chief. With renewed energy, she put on a burst of speed and in no time, caught up to Kiya.
With her mind clouded in panic, she didn’t think twice about pulling her katana out. She now ran beside Kiya and she raised her katana. He looked at her in fear, and without thinking and with her mind clouded in panic, she swiped her katana and it sliced off his arm. He screamed in pain and clutched at the stump.
‘Ch-Chikita… Wh-why? I-I thought… th-that…urgh…’ he closed his eyes and fell down onto the grass. Chikita didn’t even look to see if he was dead, she was looking around. She was in the center of the camp. Right in front of the chief. The chief stared at Chikita with shock and horror.
‘It. I…I can explain. It–“
‘No.’
‘What?’
‘No. I don’t want an explanation. I’m sorry I have to say this, but you are no longer a part of the Demon Archer clan.’
Chikita gaped. ‘Wh-What?! I…’ Fury clouded the young archer’s mind, and she drew her bow and a yellow glow surrounded the arrow.
‘Die.’ Chikita murmured. Inside her head, she was screaming at herself to stop, her body wouldn’t listen. She shot the arrow and it hit a tree. A flash of yellow light erupted from the arrow and engulfed the camp. Screams were heard and she snapped back to reality. What she saw horrified her.
The bodies of her clan were spread out all over the camp. Chikita gasped in shock.
‘No…I couldn’t have. No, no, no, no!’ she yelled, tears now leaking out of her silver eyes. She turned tail and ran out of the camp. It was then when she felt the energy of a Demon. She knew she had to do her job, but something told her not to do it.
Undecided, Chikita sped through the forest, closing on the Demon. She appeared through the trees and saw a girl Demon. By it’s red-hot energy, it was a Fire Demon. Sucking up her pride, Chikita walked over to the Demon and shook its shoulder.
‘Hey.’ When it didn’t stir, Chikita began to panic for unknown reasons. ‘Hey! Uh.’ Chikita then noticed the deep gash on the Demon’s arm. She winced. Speaking in her common tongue, she gently placed her hands on the Demon’s arm and the gash closed. The Demon stirred and opened its eyes. Chikita gasped softly.
“Dark crimson? I’ve never seen eyes of this color!”
‘Wh-Who are you?’ the Demon asked slowly.
‘I’m Chikita Yuki. Protector of Sintia’s Hell.’
‘It was you! You killed that man who came in here didn’t you?!’
‘Hm? No. That was another of my clan. Whoever it was, they are dead. I had to kill them to protect my secret. Now, if you do not wish to be killed, you will tell me who you are and what you are doing here.’ Chikita sat down on the wet grass opposite the Demon.
‘Guess I have no choice do I?’ she sighed, ‘I’m Kura, a famous thief. I’m in here because I had nowhere else to go. If I had stayed in Sintia, I would have been killed.’
Chikita sighed. ‘Luckily for you, I am no longer bound to the rules of my clan… I don’t have to kill you.’
Kura laughed. ‘Well, I guess that’s good.’
‘Yes. Seeing as that’s the case, want to be friends?’
Kura was a little shocked but agreed anyway. Chikita stood and helped Kura up.
‘So, where to now?’
----------------------
“So that’s it?” Kira asked. Chikita and Kura nodded.
Their tale was long and dawn was now breaking. Dew was on the grass and Kira rubbed her eyes.
“Well, Kura, I really wish you had seen that cave.”
Chikita looked up in interest. “A cave? I think I know what you are talking about.”
“Really?” Kira asked, excited. Kura crossed her arms.
“Huh? Disappointed in something, Kura?” Chikita teased. “Oh, the cave. Follow me.”
Chikita stood up and readjusted her katana and quiver. Krua and Kira followed suit. So Chikita led the identical duo through Sintia’s Hell. A light and soft breeze moved through the trees. After what felt like hours – or so to Kira – they came upon a cave.
“Ta-da! A cave.”
“How’d you--?”
“Heh. I can conceal the cave at will. But lately, I’ve felt an unknown aura surrounding it. I’ve been really wary of going inside for awhile myself. Do you still wish to go inside?”
Kira and Kura nodded. “We can handle whatever this cave can throw at us!” Kura said with confidence. Chikita sighed.
“Very well then, off we go.”
Chikita, Kura, and Kira ventured into the cave, unknowingly setting an invisible alarm off. From deep inside the cave, two sapphire eyes opened.
“Uhh…Chikita, do you know where you’re going?” Kira asked with a tremor in her voice.
“Yes. I’m just on the look out.”
The cave was dank and dark. The only light was the Flare that Kura had graciously lit. In the distance, all three of them clearly heard drops of water. Kira was scared, and Kura and Chikita both felt uneasy in the cave. It was as if another presence was in the cave with them. They threw each other glances and Kura drew her katana and Chikita notched an arrow.
“On the look out for what?” Kira asked. She didn’t see very well and so she ran into Kura’s back. “Ouch! What was that for?!” she demanded of the Fire Demon.
“That!” Kura and Chikita whirled around and they came face-to-face with a Water Demon.
In the dim light of the Flare, the trio couldn’t clearly see what the new Demon looked like. They could see that it was a female.
“Hehe, prey has wandered into my cave. Poor, poor little critters.” She cooed. She raised her left hand and a blue light surrounded her hand. Kura’s eyes widened in shock.
“Dammit! A Water Demon! I can’t fight this one!” Kura said between clenched teeth.
“You intruded! I’ll–Huh?!”
An intense blue light erupted around the Demon and she cursed.
“Why now?! Dammit!” she yelled. Her form faded into nothing, leaving Kira, Kura, and Chikita staring at each other.