And Once More

What is it that you wish to see? What kind of world do you see yourself living in? Those were words that Yuna's father had once asked her.

Such innocent words that drove her to where she is now.

Yuna watched as Naren and Cairo drew their flimsy tiresome breath. She'd watched their fight for the past five minutes. Every swing of Cairo's blade and every kick of Naren's leg. She watched it without interjecting once.

But for some reason, their fight weighed heavy on her, heavier than she'd like to admit. But she didn't show it, she couldn't show it. It was getting long and strenuous, but she was the only one who had to persevere.

Cairo's abdomen slowly stretched open as his previous wound came back, blood trickling out. It had taken quite a few beatings from Naren, as if he was specifically aiming for that spot.

Naren stood just as battered however. Deep gashes all over his body from the broken blade. An especially deep one on his jaw that seemed to go down to the bone.

Both their breaths were heavy and draining. Even breathing was a chore at this point. Slowly the anger Naren once felt was also draining away, but Naren was dead set on beating Cairo a bit more.

Naren wiped blood off his chin, mocking the one-eyed ninja:

"You...done...already?"

Cairo's smile never wavered in contrast to his heavily bruised body. He was sure he was near his limit, but didn't let it show. He was just especially pissed that Naren was getting in between him and the woman who stole his sword.

He spat out blood to his side, never once looking away from Naren.

"I ain't...close."

Cairo grasped the glowing blade in his hands, a line of flames dancing in symphony of cinders. Naren adjusted his stance, dropping his hands lower.

They squared each other up, on the balls of their feet, they had every fiber of their body yelling and screaming to stop. To just rest but neither did. Instead they were just one muscle impulse away from being at each other throat.

Their breathing regulating for one final push.

Just then, Yuna strolled up to Cairo, who was too focused on Naren.

Flicking his head towards her, Cairo's exhaustion caught up with the sudden movement. His body was weak. Weak enough for someone like Yuna to break through.

A pitch black needle, a meter long, with a worn leather handle shot forward. Cairo barely blocked it, but that was what the woman was aiming for. The needle slid right into his forearm, skewering it, and landing on his neck.

Cairo instantly increased is body temperature, planning to burn the woman now. But nothing happened. Nothing changed. Instead his vision began to blur.

"You...got one...too..."

Normally, Cairo, even in the state he was in wouldn't fall. But the woman's blade pierced his neck into a very specific nerve. One that would render the victim completely motionless for the next couple seconds.

With his final haggard breath, Cairo fell to the floor. All of his embers wisping away into nothingness like a dandelion in the wind.

Yuna turned to face Naren, she didn't know why, but something in her heart tugged at her. Something that grew attached to these two in front of her. Her voice lingered through the hood. A soft whisper not targeted to anyone in particular.

"I wonder...if we were close at first...?"

Just then, Naren's bare feet touched down right atop the glistening black needle. Landing on the balls of his feet right in front of the woman. Naren could barely stand, wobbling in place, as the woman took a couple steps back.

He extended one arm in front of him, two fingers hung up, as he took a step forward.

"I just...needed...two seconds...I had...him..."

Then with one swift motion, Naren lunged forward, but tripped over his own leg, falling right into the woman's arms. But this was his plan, as a coy smile crept onto his face.

In the process, he extended his other arm grabbing on the hood as he fell.

Strands of dark blue almost black hair cascaded out in a rhythmic beauty. The woman was young, maybe a year older than Naren. Her face was soft and pale, pitch black eyes staring right back at him, caught by surprise as he fell into her arms.

Naren's vision waned as he watched a little boy crawl out from under a table, repeatedly shaking Yuna's cloak as he spoke. His screaming words piercing Naren's ears:

"Give her back! You promised me you'd save my sister!"

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Vera watched in horror, Cairo's flames dying out. Only the burning debris now clung tightly to life, barely illuminating the terrace. For good reason.

What Vera saw had her heart racing, from a primal sense of fear. Her voice trying to croak out, but unable to. And instead a low growl pressed through the air in a suffocating trance.

Her breathing was haggard as she clutched her chest. Expecting her heart to rip out at any moment. Her knees wobbled and her hands trembled. Her vision waning as the white buds fell out of her ears, crushed under her weight.

Before her, Naren was held in the woman's arms, completely unconscious. And both him and the woman...

...were only left on the ground with bottom halves.

Two big yellow eyes hidden behind shadows had their top halves hanging from it's teeth. Mounds of blood and innards pouring out.

Snapping of bones was the only thing audible as the mouth, split into three jaws, chewed. Crunching and crunching away at Naren.

Patches of thick grey hair coalesced the beast's body, it's limbs far too long and far too meaty. It was at least four meters tall, standing on it's hind legs. The yellow bestial eyes snapped into a permanent gaze at Vera.

It was a werewolf. An abhorrently disturbing, unnervingly hungry one.

Then everything returned to black. Again.

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Naren's eyes shot open. Sweat beading down his neck. He was breathing heavy without even realizing. His chest beating hard. It hurt. A deep blunt pain quietly pulsating in his heart.

Then, noises began flooding his ears one by one. Until it was flooded.

Naren squinted as a stray ray of sun struck him from the oceanic sky. He used his hand to cover it before looking around.

A vast city atop the plateau of a grand pale white mountain. It's side completely carved out into a half dome that hung over the city with narrow alleys jump roped between them, spiraling and curving into a maze of branches.

dozens of people pushed and shoved past Naren. All of them wearing a mask of some woodland animal.

'What am I doing here?'

Naren stumbled around, his head beating like crazy trying to figure out what was going on. Why exactly was he here? What was he doing before he came?

Then Naren's gaze caught onto something.

A hunched over figure, with six arms. Something like a human, but not quite...It was a statue.

'Oh right...'

He was here to hail Atlas...To hail...Cinder...ella.

A blistering pain pulsed through his head as he squirmed trying to keep his footing. But he powered through. There was something else. Cinderella.

Who was Cinderella?

Then a set of piercing words cut into his ears. A memory that never existed in this world: "Give her back! You promised me you'd save my sister!"

Naren stopped moving, breathing heavy as he slowly opened his eyes.

"That's right...I have a sister..."