They were upon us before we had a chance to even contemplate escape. Four aggressors, none channelling any techniques, likely in consideration of the surrounding buildings. “fight near the restaurant!” Sen’o shouted to me. I was a little pissed that he thought he needed to say it but that was just the type of person he was.
I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to stay pissed, it had been a while since fighting multiple people but at least I’d had some practice. I could definitely see why Safi and Chit couldn’t come.
The first of them approached and swung a no-nonsense haymaker. Only, it was about a metre short. His face dropped as the swing lacked the satisfying collision he was clearly hoping for. Mine wouldn’t though.
His jaw caved, I whacked it with all I had, I even threw a little bit of qi in just to make sure it was the last of my punches he’d take. He fell to the floor with the kind of thud you can only get from someone who lacks consciousness.
The second look mightily confused. Part of me wanted to wait to sort himself out so we could have a proper fight but reason won out, unfortunately. I kicked him in his ribs after a quick dash forward. He was not confused anymore, but he was having trouble breathing.
I put him to sleep and looked towards Sen’o, he did not need help. In fact, it looked to me like he was toying with the poor guy. Sen’o finally noticed I was finished and, for his part, looked a little embarrassed about his actions. A swift blow to the right side of the head finished the fight and was our cue to start running.
“Enjoy yourself?” I asked. He neglected to answer and instead sped up the pace. I smiled and matched the increase in speed.
“I heard a few things, while you were in the slammer…” I began, once we were safely out of Gutura. The dramatic chase was considerably less dramatic than I had pictured considering the lackeys we put down seemed to be the only ones after us.
“What kind of things?” he asked, suspiciously.
I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing bad! Just that you have some unfinished business in your hometown.”
He turned to face forward again, I thought he was going to ignore my prodding but he eventually replied. “Well, something like that.”
“I’ve never had any success going backwards.”
He sighed. “Going back is not the same as going backwards.”
I blew a raspberry in open protest. “That sounds like a fancy excuse.”
“If you do wrong, do you just leave it or do you try and correct it?” he asked.
“You did something wrong?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“I did, and it’s not a matter of going backwards or going forwards. It’s not a matter of responsibility or being a good person. It’s a matter of if I can do something, why wouldn’t I?”
I waved my hands in surrender. “I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive about it…”
“Sorry, I’m just asking myself the same question. Why would I go back? I keep trying to convince myself.”
“Well I like it… If you can do something, why wouldn’t you?”
“Well as long as that something is a good thing,” he began to say.
“Now now,” I chided. “You’re overcomplicating it. I for one want to do something very naughty and you’ve just given me a very good reason why I should.”
“You can’t kiss me in a jungle, El.”
“Did you just call me El?” I said, completely missing that he’d predicted my play perfectly.
“You don’t like it?”
“Try it again.”
“El.”
“In a sentence!”
“You can’t kiss me in a jungle, El.”
“Not the same sentence! Ah, whatever. If you like it, I like it.”
He snorted. “I like it,” he said.
I laughed a little too. “Then I like it too… How long till you leave Gutura then?” I asked. Remembering that I had more I wanted to ask him.
He kicked a rock along the forest path. “I’m not in any kind of hurry. If I go back right now, I’d die before I cross the city threshold.”
“That bad?” I pondered. “I’m not opposed to a bad-boy boyfriend.”
“I’m opposed to being a bad-boy boyfriend.”
I sniffed and looked away from the killjoy boy. “You’re no fun…”
We followed the line in the sky that only my bad-boy boyfriend could see. I knew the way to Lio Marie, and although the route he was taking was a little rogue, it did seem to be lining up with where I was familiar with.
“A few days? I suppose.” He mused.
I smiled at another chance to tease him. “Usually I can do it in two, unless… You don’t think you can keep up?”
“I think I could do it in one, if I didn’t have you slowing me down.” That, I was not expecting.
“Alright bad-boy. Show me how it’s done. We’ll see who gets there first.”
As it turned out, he could do the journey in one day. Although, in all fairness I was not far behind. Admittedly it was the dead of night when I found Sen’o sleeping on a bench just inside the city.
“Arsehole.” I spat between heavy breaths.
“Thirsty?” He asked, revealing a water bottle. I snatched it from his hand and drained it all in some sort of pathetic revenge.
“Oh you’re thirsty? Let’s get you another.” He said before pausing and reaching behind him yet again. “Oh wait, I’ve got another right here.”
Needless to say, I skulled that one too.
“That’s a lot of water, are you sure you aren’t leaking somewhere?” he asked as he handed me yet another bottle of water. I was simultaneously tempted to drink it all again and afraid to find out just how much fluid he had hidden behind his back.
“I think I’ve had enough thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” he shrugged as he cracked the bottle and began drinking it himself. “Lucky, that was my last one and I was thirsty.” Somehow, I doubted that was true. On both accounts.
“I got us a room,” he stated as I perched next to him, thankful for the rest. He got up as if he expected me to move immediately. As if I had not just run a two day journey in half the time.
“Carry me.” He rightfully understood that I was not asking. He crouched in front of me and relieved me of walking any further that night.
I must have fallen asleep on his back because I awoke in the room he told me he’d got. Although, I had no idea how.
Thanks for the chapter!