Chapter 3: Seperation

Blade stood still, his sharpened pipe holding a right arm skewered in it. He looked at it and then to the kneeling body in front of him, tears, snot, and pained cries were all that was left of John.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Blade knew exactly what he did, he crippled the guy, he made him unable to fight any more or well, less effective as before. He didn't give it any mind, he nearly died as well and this was all fair for him, you shouldn't go and use strikes that cause several inch deep wounds and cry like that when it comes back to bite you.

"Why're ya' cryin' like a lil' bitch?"

John gained a semblance of his calmness and spoke with hatred that sent shivers to the 2 onwatchers who were still recovering from the demon.

"YOU CRIPPLED ME YOU FUCK!"

"Thaz whatcha' get for bein' an asshole"

"WE JUST WANTED TO HELP THE GIRL! WE JUST WANTED TO PLAY KNIGHTS AND HELP HER FROM A- A DEMON LIKE YOU!"

Blade snorted, he leaned closer to John and gave him a maniacal grin.

"I might'a be a demon, but ya' don't have the right to take 'er from me, ya' lost, ya' lost real bad"

Blade observed as John slowly lost consciousness and he looked towards Jhon who was kneeling and gasping.

"Take da' wannabe knight' outta' my face, stay outta' my radar or yer' fuckin' perverted ass' next, ya' hear me?"

"YES SIR!"

Jhon did as he was told and liften John in a fireman's carry and bolted out of the alleyway, Blade didn't trust the guy to actually stay out of the radar, heck, he even thinks he might twist the story and get the whole dojo of theirs to hunt them.

But all of that was a story for tomorrow him. He dropped to the floor, his blood spilling everywhere, both from coughs and just the overall amount of holes he has in his body. His vision was fading slightly but one glance at Hime made him gather the energy and mind to move to somewhere safe.

"Sis, lezgo, this place ain't safe"

Hime however, had another thought. She tried to remember why exactly she was with her brother, he was caring, he was nice to her, he protected her and he was the one thing that never left her when she didn't want to be alone.

So why did she feel fear from him? It puzzled her, why was she afraid of him? No, she wasn't afraid of Blade she realized, not at all.

She was afraid of the demon. The demon that wasn't her brother, the demon that came only when her brother as fighting, the demon that came only when she was in trouble.

Hime looked as Blade stood over her, bleeding and all with a hand offered to her. She realized that he did all this for her, there was no reason he had to fight like that, none at all, she realized that Blade was nearly always hurt because of her, she wished she could do something to help him but everytime Blade was injured it was gone the next day. She gave the hand a hard long look, but in the end, she took it.

She'd stay beside him until he decides to give her up.

Their walk wasn't all that far, they settled down at their own private alleyway a few blocks away, in the slums your home was the alleyways, some like to cover one side with large things to provide a sense of homeliness, some left it all open because of paranoia, Blade was none of those. The alleyway he chose was one where a natural barrier resides on both sides, one was a built wall that seperated the alleyway from the market place but Blade added a small hole that allows him and Hime to fit through, covered on their side by a abandoned closet. The other had a huge drop, it was where the alleyway was cut off and went to the forest, it was made safe by stacking boxes, dumpsters, and makeshift plank fences, the entrance was through the hole in the wall.

Overall the place was complete, they had a basket filled with many stolen foods, a stolen portable pee pot, and 3 sets of different blankets and pillows. They wash clothes at a nearby public restroom.

After Blade got to the place, he dropped hard to the ground and gave in to tiredness, eyes drifting off, he wondered if he was going to die from all the blood loss but one look at Hime who started crawling to him made him scratch the idea. He slept and allowed the little girl to snuggle up to him, she didn't mind the blood everywhere and made sure to keep the cold Blade to warm up. As she slowly drifted to sleep as well, she didn't realize as a golden light was released from her, it was small but it healed Blade, unnoticeable but it works perfectly.

The night went on, Hime thinking Blade would heal by himself and Blade thinking about what he should do for the future. Or rather, what he should do for her future.

BGC

Blade was the one who woke up first, seeing all the blood dried that was not his, some of it were stuck on Hime's hair and face so he resolved to wake her up.

"Oi, wake up sis'"

"Hngu..."

Blade resisted with all his might the temptation to kiss her, he never did, he did not find the need to and he won't entertain the thought of wanting to. He gently pushed the hair covering her face away and placed his rough dirty palm to her soft pale face.

And he squeezed.

"HOUCH!"

He stared unimpressed at the girl who was nearly in tears at the sudden pain. She pointed her index at him and shook it ferociously.

"B-Blade Bro, you shouldn't pinch people's faces like that! It's bad! Bad! BAD!"

He snorted at the pitiful attempt at stopping his best alarm clock for her. He stood up from the floor and stretched his back, neck and arms, he then did a few warm up punches and kicks and marvelled at the new power he learned.

Martial Energy. Not once in his short 12 years of life did he think he would be able to learn Martial Energy, not a single moment did he even believe he'd be able to beat a trainee. In fact, he didn't show it but he really didn't thought he'd have a fighting chance there until he was kicked in the jaw.

Blade silently gazed at Hime who was eating her breakfast, in which case it was just a bunch of fruits and some bread. Blade might be academically dumb, illiterate and plain stupid but he wasn't retarded, he knew she was the one healing her and he knew what a healing property is worth for, just like there was some Energy that could burn and freeze, there were some like hers that could heal, the church metaphorically ate those who have healing abilities to bolster their worth amongst the 4 territories, Blade could see the church getting her and shaping her out to be some nun or something, Blade did not want that.

"They'd go over my dead body and a thousand of theirs before they even touch her"

He stared at his sharpened pipe and pumped Martial Energy to it, the wind swirled around him as the yellow aura appeared and coalesced towards his arm and finally to the pipe, he could feel the power it emanated and a grin just can't help but form from the corner of his lips.

Blade now had the power. He can protect her even better, he'd just have to get used to it like he did when he first fought, he just has to find stronger enemies and fight them, he just has to keep fighting and become even stronger to protect her.

Yes, Blade could do that, but how about Hime?

Blade's grin disappeared, yes, he could continue fighting but for how long can he really protect her doing only that? It wasn't really just people he'd be fighting, he'd have to fight monsters, criminals, other Martial Energy and Magic Energy users, he can't forever just stay in the alleyway, she's a growing girl and with that comes attention, there will come the day where she is too much for him, there might even be a day where she decides to betray him.

"Hey, Hime"

Hime looked towards Blade, he never almost called her with her given name but whenever he did, it was something like a big decision.

"How'd ya' like goin' The West?"

Hime dropped the bread she was eating, Hime was a simple girl, she liked 3 things, 1st was her brother, 2nd was nature and the 3rd was travelling, although recently they couldn't move around and was stuck temporarily at the city of Jhapan, going to The West was going to be amazing, her yes sparkled and she nodded fast.

"Ya' still remember what the muscle granpa's name was?"

Hime silently placed a finger at her chin and tapped it, she tried remembering someone else that wasn't Blade, it was rare but she could do it if she tried. Blade couldn't memorize anything for the world, her mind slowly went through a flashback.

BGC

*Unknown time in the past*

"Blade! Blade Bro! Help me!"

Blade who was lying on his blanket peacefully heard the troubled voice of his sister from a few meters away, the word 'help' echoed to his ears and without even saying a word, he grabbed his sharpened pipe and ran towards her, face in absolute anger and rage. Never, no one, not a single soul survived with making her call for 'help' he ran and ran and when he finally reached her, he could see and shape of a head form, he growled and was about to charge at it when he saw Hime stopping him.

"Staph! Staph!"

He did as he was told, after a few seconds of checking her for anything, he then decided to look at the figure. It was a very tall old man if being in seating position made him already far taller than 6 feet, he had ripped clothes and was breathing faintly, he looked like a Western, the chiseled chin and blonde hair gave it away, along with a sword strapped to his side that wasn't anything similar to the falchions or katanas The East uses.

"Who's the old western? Ya' beat 'em up?"

"Nyo! Old fyall! Roof!"

"Ya' really gotta' learn how ta' speak like how ya' call my name"

Blade scratched his head and observed the old man more, he then glanced at Hime, back to the old man, to Hime and finally sighed.

"Fine! We'll help 'em"

He took the old man by the armpit and was slightly disoriented with how heavy he was.

But he was Blade so he took him anyways. Or dragged, is what is would be more like.

The meters he ran seemed like miles with how heavy the old man was, but after bringing him in to their temporary tree hut, he wondered if the old man was going to die or Hime was going to eventually heal him, he shrugged, it wasn't his problem apart from burying the old man if he died, the sword was good loot though.

Not that he would take it now, he'd do it if the old man died. He went back to his side of the floor and laid back down, back to sleep, and back to his dreams.

...

When he woke up, he nearly punched the face that was looking at him, sea blue eyes that were full of misplaced youth and energy.

"Why, good morning, scary boy!"

'Oh, it was the old man'

Blade rolled his eyes at the poor nickname and pushed the face away before sitting up and stretching, he looked around and saw Hime riding in the old man's back, he let them be, he really didn't care, he felt no malice or anything evil within the man, nor was the man sending of signals or anything that denotes so.

"If I may so boldly ask, scary boy, why are you observing me like a wild beast?"

Blade narrowed his eyes, the old man noticed him but he wasn't really trying to be subtle. He checked if the man felt threatened by them but he was purely curious, either the old man did not know that wild beasts were dangerous or he was strong enough to kill Blade, Blade took the latter as the more probable reason. He could tell from the man's muscles that he was strong.

" Maybe 'cause ya' look tasty, heh"

"OH NO! Scary boy! This old muscles taste not only tasty but splendidly nutritious as well! Hoho!"

"'Kay, whatever"

The old man smiled and took Hime from his shoulders, and placed her down.

"Excuse me beautiful girl, but I have to thank you for your help, you have a great potentia-"

Bloodlust.

The old man looked towards Blade who had an index finger at his lips, asking him to be quiet about something, the old man then looked towards Hime who was tilting her head in confusion.

'I see, it's a secret kept from the source of the secret herself, very well scary boy! I'll take it to the grave!'

He gave a thumbs up. His blonde moustache moving along with it. Blade then continued to do what he was trying to do, but, probably a semblance of politeness lit inside him, he faced the old man again and asked.

"Whaz yer' name ol' man?"

The old man perked up and flexed his muscles before making several poses and stared at him.

"Sir Archiflex of house Neilstrong! The strongest! Most handsome! Most talented knight of all Western! But, that was in the past, nowadays I'm just a retired knight with the position of an Earl for all that I have done, and I also own an orphanage... that said I-"

"No thanks muscle grandpa, an orphanage won't accept me"

Blade then glanced at Hime and pointed a thumb at her.

"Her though? If you could convince her then sure, I'm responsible for her as long as she's my little sister"

Archiflex raised an eyebrow at that particular detail, although he already knew they weren't related by the first second he looked at the 2, confirmation is still the better proof. He knelt towards Hime and asked her with no force but pure sincerity.

"Would you be willing to join my orphanage then beautiful girl?"

Hime looked at the Archiflex, then towards Blade, then back to the Archiflex.

"Blade twoo?"

"No"

"Nyope!"

Archiflex twitched a little at the girl's seemingly no brainer answer, but he nodded and smiled anyways, respecting the decision.

"Then, if I can't get you to join my orphange YET, may I at the very least know the names of my saviours?"

"Oooh! Oooh! My knyow name! Hime! Hime!"

"Blade"

BGC

Hime was done flashbacking and with that came the embarassed blushes of remembering her child speech.

"H-His name was Archiflex Neilstrong"

Blade looked away and up to the sky.

"Huh, isn't this called a journey to the west then?"

"Will we get a pet monkey?"

Blade made a deadpan face at Hime and ignored her pretending to be a monkey.

"No"

"Aww, that's sad, when will we go together?! Today? Tomorrow? I can't help but be excited! We're finally moving out of The East! We'll walk the world together! Yey!~"

Blade continued to ignore Hime, musing himself with depressing thoughts and many other things that he'd keep to himself.

'Together, huh?'

Touching where his previous injuries were, he sighed and took a fruit from their basket. Munching himself to a brief respite.