Chapter 5 - Forgiveness

Forgiveness



"Let's keep that a secret from Nall" rung in Nall's ears. He had been sitting just outside the door in his dragon form listening to the whole event. He slowly turned and walked away. His small paws made little noise when they hit the floor, but he was careful that Ruby's sensitive hearing didn't pick up his footsteps. 


He sat down on the edge of the railing of the playground and stared off into the distance. The cool night air and light summer breeze were a comfort to him. A tear fell from his eye as the entire scene replayed in his head. 



"Am I that insensitive?" He said, gazing at the Blue Star, as if expecting a reply. 



The only reply was a slight gust of wind, causing leaves and other light debris to seem to dance in the sky, heightening his sense of loneliness. 



His thoughts shifted to the events that took place as he entered the room. "What's gotten into that thing?" echoed through his mind. He sighed and flew off into the night.



_______________



Sayuri slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Ruby, peering into her eyes.



"Morning, sunshine." Ruby said jokingly.



Sayuri playfully swiped at her head. Ruby evaded it, and they both chuckled. Sayuri rolled onto her paws and stood up. A sharp pain forced her to lie back down again. 



"That reminds me, we need to change your bandages." Ruby Looked around. "I don't see Nall here; I'll have to do it myself. I hope I can."



Ruby pulled off the old bandages. Sayuri felt like a cold soaking wet cloth had just been removed from her body. The wound appeared to be healing, despite all Sayuri had unintentionally done to prevent it.



Ruby looked sad. "I'm not sure how well this will work, Sayuri. Last time I did this, Nall was with me." 



Sayuri whimpered. 



A surprised look swept over Ruby's face. "What? My name? I must have forgotten to tell you. My name is Ruby." Her expression shifted to that of curiosity. "Would you mind telling me how you managed to get here in such a condition? I'm amazed anyone could even live, let alone move with these wounds."



Sayuri told her story as Ruby carefully wrapped the wounds. Ruby had a tough time. Her attention was divided, and her claws and teeth were not the best tools to use when trying to work with the cloth bandages. She tried her best not to hurt Sayuri in the process. 



Each firm tug on the bandages brought a painful wince from Sayuri. She did her best to remain still and continue her story, in spite of the pain. The soft bandages felt good on her body. She was glad Ruby was helping her, and grateful that she was doing her best to keep the pain to a minimum. She finished her story at about the same time Ruby finished with the bandages.



Ruby gave one final tug on the bandages. "That should do it. I hope they aren't too tight." 



Sayuri shook her head.



Ruby smiled. "I hope they aren't too loose either."



Sayuri stood up. The bandages stayed in place, bringing a smile to both their faces.



"So, let me get this straight, your family was killed by adventurers, you were found, tortured, and nearly killed by some evil boy?" Ruby asked.



Sayuri nodded sadly, and dropped her head.



Ruby walked up and placed her head next to Sayuri's. "I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love."



They heard crashing and screaming outside the room. Sayuri immediately recognized the voice and darted to the back of the room. 



Ruby followed after her. "Is that the boy?"



Sayuri nodded in a panic.



Ruby glanced toward the door quickly. "Hide! I'll get rid of him."



Sayuri crawled behind the large chair and ruby laid down in front of it on the floor. As she pretended to be asleep, she could hear a storming toward the door. 



"Where is it?" The boy demanded. 



Ruby opened her eyes, revealing a boy about Hiro's age standing in the doorway, looking furious. She pretended to yawn and stretch out. 



"Where is it!?" The boy demanded louder.



Ruby didn't care for his tone, or his attitude. She decided to play with him for a bit. "Perhaps if you specified what you were looking for, you might have more luck finding it."



The boy was visibly angered by this comment, but, for the moment, held his temper. "That stupid, ugly, flea-bitten beast. The lousy rodent got away from me."



‘You'll find what you're looking for if you look in a mirror,' Ruby thought to herself smiling.



The boy grew impatient. "I tracked it here, I can smell it. Tell me where it is."



Ruby flew up to about his eye level, still maintaining her distance. "The only thing I smell here is you. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. Please leave."



He wasn't convinced. He charged Ruby, grabbing her by the back of the neck and shaking her violently. He pulled out his knife and held it to her neck, smiling evilly. "Well then, I'll just have to take you instead."



Ruby gulped. She didn't like where this was going. 



"Yes, I think you'll do nicely. But first, I don't want you flying away, so I'm going to have to do something about those wings of yours." He said coldly.



Sayuri darted out from behind the chair and sank her fangs into his leg. 



"Argh!" He shouted in pain. He threw Ruby to the ground. 



Ruby hit the floor hard. She rolled in midair and slid into the wall.



The boy grabbed Sayuri by the throat and shook her far more violently than he had Ruby. "Thought you could get away from me, did you? Next time I will have to rip off your leg before I let you run around."



Ruby shook off the damage and gazed in horror at Sayuri, who was being strangled. "Stop it, she can't breathe!" Ruby shouted at him.



He turned around and glared at her. "You seem to be close to it. This changes things." His face let out an evil smile that made both Sayuri and Ruby uncomfortable.





He wwitched the hand he was holding Sayuri in, grabbing her by the back of the neck, while also trading his knife hand. He placed the knife at Sayuri's neck. "So, am I correct in assuming that you are both friends?"



Sayuri nodded. 



He laughed. "I'm feeling particularly generous today. I'm going to let you both live."



They both looked shocked.



"...if..." He started, dashing both of their hopes. He shook Sayuri again; blood began to soak her bandages. "If you tell your friend to come with me instead."



Sayuri whimpered. 



"She won't turn on her friend like that, we both know what will happen to me, and that isn't a fate either of us would wish on our worst enemy." Ruby retorted.



He laughed. "Well then, I'll just gut this thing like a fish right here in front of you." He lowered his knife to her already bleeding stomach.



"Wait!" Ruby shouted. "...I'll go with you," she continued sadly.



He chuckled. "Good, I'll just carry this thing back as insurance that you don't run away."



He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. "Huh?"



He turned around to see a fist collide with his face. He dropped both Sayuri and his knife and fell to the floor, revealing his attacker to Ruby. 



Ruby's face lit up. "Nall!"



Nall lowered his fist and relaxed his body. "That's for threatening my friend."



Ruby flew into Nall's chest. Nall wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. He slammed his foot down on the boy's chest, causing him to let out a sharp grunt. "And that is for hurting Ruby."



Sayuri rolled onto her feet and looked up at him. Ruby buried her face in his chest. She suddenly pulled it back. "Does this mean...?"



Nall glanced down at her before kneeling down to Sayuri. "I hope you can forgive me Sayuri. I was rude and pigheaded. I'm sorry."



Sayuri stepped backward slowly, growling. 



Ruby leapt to the floor, stepping toward her. "What's wrong? He saved our lives."



Sayuri made a barking noise and continued growling.



Ruby turned to Nall. "She says that humans are evil."



Nall looked puzzled.



Sayuri barked again. 



Ruby translated. "They are the cause of all her pain and suffering, the death of her family, and the reason she is here in the first place."



Nall chuckled. "So, that's it." He stood up. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you Sayuri, but I'm not a human." He changed into his dragon form again. "See? I'm a dragon, like Ruby."



Sayuri stopped growling and cautiously approached Nall. She sniffed him a little before licking his cheek. She whimpered softly.



"Sorry for biting you." Ruby translated.



Nall's eyes shot open. "That reminds me; I brought a friend to help with your wounds."



Ronfar stepped into the doorway. Sayuri let out a sharp whine and ran behind the chair in the back of the room.



"What's gotten into her?" Nall asked.



Ruby bit her lip. She walked back to the chair and circled around behind it. Sayuri was lying low, facing away from her. "Sayuri?" Ruby started.



Sayuri looked over her shoulder.



"How many adventurers did you say were in that group that attacked your family?" She asked cautiously.



Sayuri let out a short, quiet yip.



Ruby slowly turned away from the chair. A tear ran down her cheek. She flew to Ronfar. "I need to speak with her alone. Would you please wait in the hall?"



He and Nall nodded. Nall reverted to his human form, and they dragged the unconscious boy out behind them.



"Sayuri, I asked them to leave. Nobody is going to enter the room without you permitting it." Ruby walked around the chair. Sayuri backed up out of the narrow space and faced her.



"Sayuri, I have something I should tell you..." She led her friend to the center of the room. "Those people who killed your family..."



Sayuri looked at her, afraid of what she might hear next. She could see the tears in Ruby's eyes and knew it wasn't something she would like.



Ruby continued. "They were friends of mine. I was traveling with them."



Sayuri would have given anything not to be hearing what she was. She flattened her ears, trying to stop the horrible news from reaching her.



"If I had known then what I know now..." Ruby burst into tears. "I'm sorry Sayuri; I didn't know." She said, sobbing.



Sayuri's feelings went from sadness and fear to anger. She felt an empty feeling inside her body. She barked at Ruby angrily.



"I know that's no excuse." Ruby replied, sobbing heavier than ever. "I know I can never do enough to make up for what I've taken from you. I would understand if you hate me."



Sayuri suddenly stopped feeling angry. She quickly turned away. She sat down with her back to Ruby, sobbing heavily. 



"Sayuri-" Ruby said, stepping towards her friend.



Sayuri's only response was a fierce growl. She didn't turn around.



Ruby stopped. "Okay. If you want to talk, I will be outside." She turned away and left the room, still sobbing. She signaled to Ronfar and Nall to leave her alone. They left the hallway and disappeared around a corner, dragging the unconscious boy behind them.



Ruby flew onto the playground. Sitting on the railing, she gazed upon the Blue Star.



Sayuri laid down. Her mixed emotions were making her feel sick. Her memories flashed through her mind too quickly to single out just one. The voices overlapped, making her feel dizzy. She put her paws over her ears and shut her eyes tightly to stop the growing noise. 



She slowly opened one eye. Seeing she was alone in an empty room, she sat up and tried to focus her mind.



Ruby suddenly appeared in her mind. "I don't want to hurt you. You need help, that wound looks bad. Please, let me help."



Sayuri shook her head clear again. Ruby's image popped up again. "It's alright, I'm a friend."



Tears flew from her face as she shook her head. Once again, Ruby popped into her mind, except this time, she was crying. "I know I can never do enough to make up for what I've taken from you. I would understand if you hate me."



She heard the scraping of something across the ground behind her. She turned around to see Ruby pushing a plate of fish into the room.



Ruby looked up to see Sayuri looking at her. "I know you wanted to be alone, but I thought you might be hungry. I'm not asking you to forgive me, but please eat something. You look thin enough as it is." She pushed the plate in front of Sayuri and turned around to leave.



Sayuri looked at the fish. Her paws and teeth clenched in anger. She shook slightly before turning around and barking.



Ruby stopped and turned around. She sat down and waited to see what Sayuri did next.



Sayuri barked again, and then whimpered softly. 



"Of course I'd love to join you Sayuri." Ruby replied happily.



***********



The two animals shared a silent meal. They quickly finished the fish and sat staring at each other.



Sayuri whined softly.



Ruby averted her gaze downward. "Not as bad as it feels to be the friend who betrayed you."



Sayuri gave a short whimper.



"I told you because you deserved to know. Even at the cost of our friendship, friends don't keep secrets. Whether you wanted to hear it or not, I'm glad I said it. I didn't want our friendship under false pretenses." Ruby said, tears returning to her eyes.



Sayuri sniffled as tears fell to the ground from her face. She let out a mournful yip.



Ruby stood up and placed her head on Sayuri's shoulder. Sayuri did the same.



Ruby whispered into Sayuri's ear, "I'm here for you. And no matter what, I'll still consider you a friend." 



Sayuri stepped backwards. She looked at Ruby with a confused face. She gave an unsure whine.



Ruby chuckled. She carefully pushed Sayuri onto her back and placed herself on top of her. Her face was inches away from Sayuri's. "Just tell me we can be friends still." She spun around and licked between Sayuri's legs.



Sayuri wasn't sure of anything right then. She wanted to stay Ruby's friend, but fought with herself over what happened to her family. She felt as if she was being torn in two. She felt Ruby's tongue between her legs. The sensation that flooded her body put her mind at ease, and gave her a sense of comfort. She licked Ruby's hindquarters in response.



Ruby took this reply as encouragement to continue. She tried to be extra careful not to accidentally fall on Sayuri every time she felt the relaxing sensation of her tongue. She suddenly felt something enter her body. 



Sayuri stuck her paw into her friend. It was a snug fit, but she enjoyed the feeling of Ruby's insides against her fur. Sayuri was careful to ensure she had retracted her claws, and paid extra attention to make sure they stayed retracted when Ruby licked her. The waves of pleasure rippled past her wounds, making them sting slightly, but she took little notice of the pain. She suddenly saw a pair of eyes peering through the small space between them. She looked back at them.



Ruby chuckled. "So that's they way you want to play, is it?" She retracted her claws. "I think I can match that." She slowly slipped her paw into Sayuri. The sensation of Sayuri's paw was almost too much to handle, and she constantly struggled to keep standing, despite losing her balance several times.



They continued for several minutes. Ruby began to feel weak in her legs, but she found the strength to keep standing. The sensations were getting stronger. They felt like they were going to burst. The sensation peaked, as an explosion of good feeling racked their bodies. 



Ruby's fluids leaked around Sayuri's paw and onto her fur. Ruby used the last of her strength to get off of Sayuri before collapsing at her side. A pool of Sayuri's juices began collecting in front of her.



Finding the strength to move, Ruby licked Sayuri's juices off of the floor before cleaning hers from Sayuri's fur. 



"I hope this means you can forgive me." She said to her friend. 



Sayuri just licked her face. They both chuckled and laid down next to each other regaining their energy
 