Chapter thirty

         "What do you mean she's missing?!?" Ja'far demanded, gawking at Yamuraiha and Sharrkan in disbelief.

         "After Sharrkan left, It was my turn to watch her, but she wasn't there..." Yamuraiha explained. They were all very worried.

         "I was gone for a second! Nishi couldn't've escaped!" Sharrkan exclaimed.

         "You should've been watching her!" Yamuraiha yelled at him.

         "You should've gotten there on time!" Sharrkan argued back.

         "Yamuraiha, Sharrkan, save your arguing for later." Sinbad raised his hand to quiet them. Once they were quiet, he sighed and rested his head in his hands. This girl's going to be the death of me...

 ~

        "Judar?"

         The dark magi looked up at the familiar voice calling his name, "Nishi?" He watched the blonde magi enter the clearing, covered head to toe in bandages. Judar inspected her closer and his eyes widened slightly at her rukh.

       "You wanted to meet? Hopefully not to fight though, I'm not exactly at full power yet." Nishi walked closer to where the other magi stood leaning against a tree.

         "I can see that. It's been two weeks, what have you been doing all this time?" Judar continued to look her over. How'd her rukh get like that? He didn't like it.

         "Uhm...Sleeping? I just got up yesterday. Why are you staring at me?"

         "What's up with your rukh?"

         "Oh, uh..." Nishi looked around herself. "That last fight was kinda hard..."

         That idiot metal vessel user did this? How? Did she remember something? "I...don't like it." The words were simple, but hard for Judar to say.

         "What? I figured you'd be ecstatic." Nishi scoffed.

         "Why would you think that?" Judar frowned.

        "Al-Thamen's plan, remember?" The female magi mocked, her tone bitter. "You know, the whole faking your feelings and leading me on all this time, when really you're a heartless douchebag?"

         Judar's brow furrowed, "What? Oh..." He was quiet for a while, trying to think of something to say.

         "So, this another trap or what?"

        "No. And I'm not listening to Al-Thamen. Me and Hakuryuu have other plans." Judar wasn't sure how to tell her he still cared.

       "What have you been doing to Prince Hakuryuu anyway?" Nishi's tone was still cold and hateful.

         "Doesn't matter right now. I..." Judar sighed. Nishi raised an eyebrow at him, clearly annoyed. What's up with her? She's like a completely different person than she was a minute ago. "What's wrong with you?"

         "Nothing's wrong with me. What's wrong with you? If you have something to say, say it already. I should be in Sindria right now." Why am I being so mean...? Nishi's head began to ache slightly.

         He deserves it, he's a dick.

         But I... I still love him. He's not evil.

         How the hell is he not evil? He's just as bad as me.

         He's not...Sure he's twisted, but he's not really evil.

         Oh, shut up. What happened to Rin will happen to him anyway, whether it be by our hand or someone else's.

         Our? Nishi's head pounded. She couldn't even hear Judar's voice, although she could see his mouth moving. "Shut up already!"

         "Nishi!" Judar shook her shoulders.

         "Judar?"

         "Idiot, you're going to reopen your wounds." Judar scolded. "What's happening to you?"

         "I don't know..." Nishi could still feel 'Kana' yelling in her head. "W-What did you want to tell me?" She tried to change the subject.

         "Oh, uhm." Judar awkwardly removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back. "I wanted to tell you that...I wasn't lying the entire time...At first, yeah, but now..."

         Nishi's eyes widened slightly, "Really?"

         Lying~ He's lying~ Kill him, won't you?  Nishi silently tried to push her dark thoughts away.

         "Yeah..." Judar muttered. He looked at her, trying to figure out what she'd say, but her thoughts seemed to be going elsewhere again. "Hey! Nishi!" He clapped his hands in front of her face.

         "S-Sorry..." Nishi apologized. "So, you weren't lying? Why didn't you tell me instead of nearly killing me?"

         "I don't know...I'm not exactly good with these things..." Nishi chuckled and Judar spoke again, "So...Are we, okay? I really do love you."

         "Yeah, I forgive you." Nishi nodded.

         Idiot. You're just asking for more pain. Haven't we suffered enough? Now's our chance for revenge! Nishi winced as her head ached more, it felt like someone was splitting it open with a hammer.

         "Are you sure you're alright?" Judar asked, there seemed to be more black rukh around her now than at the beginning of their conversation.

         "I don't know, really..." Nishi admitted. "I think I need help..."

 ~