Chapter 6 - Sincerity

Sincerity

Ruby slowly opened her eyes and picked up her head. She looked around the room. Her eyes stopped when they reached Sayuri. She was sleeping soundly with a content look on her face. She desperately wished she could find the words to comfort her friend and apologize for what happened for her family. If nothing else, her inability to describe what she really felt was the most painful part about her relationship. Her regret stabbed at her like a dull knife. The pain was all but tangible.

She gazed out the window. "It's night. I wonder how long I have been out." She said quietly to herself. She quietly flew out the door. She could hear the sounds of children mumbling in their sleep. ‘I hope Ronfar is still here.' She thought as she flew aimlessly through the halls.

She heard voices coming from the entrance room and flew in to see who it was. Ronfar and Nall were sharing stories at a table. The boy who had tortured Sayuri was nowhere in sight. 

Ronfar noticed Ruby floating in the doorway. "Hey Red, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

Ruby knew what she needed to say, but she didn't know how to say it. "Ronfar, can I have a word with you?" She motioned for him to follow her out of the room. 

Ronfar got up and followed Ruby. "What is it?" He asked when he stepped into the hallway.

Ruby said the first thing that came to her mind. "Did you get a good look at who was in Nall's room?"

Ronfar scratched his head. "Don't suppose I did. The critter ran away pretty quickly."

"And do you remember when hero said we should prepare for what we cannot expect?" She asked.

Ronfar thought for a second. "Yes, he said that right before we- wait, what are you getting at?"

Ruby dropped her head. "The animal in that room is a chiro mongrel."

"So, what is your-" he broke off, a regretful silence filled the room for a brief moment.
"Oh, no. Please don't tell me..."

Ruby only nodded.

"Oh, no." His face fell into his hand. "You mean we..."

"I'm afraid so." Ruby replied, a tear falling from her eye. 

Ronfar sighed. "I need some air." He turned and headed towards a door on the opposite side of the entrance room.

Ruby followed him. He slumped down into a chair and looked at the sky. "Everything I thought I knew about the monsters that inhabited this world, everything I have been taught, all of it, thrown into doubt because of one animal. I'm not sure if I can ever forgive myself."

Ruby landed on the table and sat down, facing him. "You are being too hard on yourself. You didn't know."

He looked at her. "That doesn't change anything. Do you think my knowledge of anything matters to someone whose family I helped slaughter?"

Ruby didn't say anything. She couldn't. She just averted her gaze to her side, wishing that the whole mess had never happened. 

"On top of that, Nall said she was injured. I don't think she'll let me near her." Ronfar looked back up at the sky. The bright stars shined with a happy ignorance of what was taking place. The sight was almost enough to relax his now-troubled mind.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow morning. I just hope she will listen." Ruby suggested.

"Nall may be able to help. He's the only one of us who wasn't involved in the slaughter of her family." Ronfar added. He stroked Ruby's head and back.

Ruby didn't particularly care for this, but she sensed he wanted some sort of comfort and chose not to comment or react.

After a long night, morning finally came. Sayuri opened her eyes.

"Good morning Sayuri." Ruby said kindly.

Sayuri yawned while letting out a groggy whimper.

"I brought you breakfast. I hope you don't mind fish again." Ruby dragged a plate in front of her. 

Ruby could tell that Sayuri was still wary around her. After what had happened the day before, she wasn't surprised. "I'm sorry for bringing this up, but it needs to be done."

Sayuri listened, although she was apprehensive about what Ruby had to say.

"That man from yesterday..." She continued "the one Nall brought in, he wants to help you."

Sayuri growled.

Ruby stepped closer to her friend. "I know you hate humans, and I know what he did. But he's a priest. He will be able to heal you in no time."

Sayuri gave a mournful bark.

"At least hear me out." Ruby begged. "I have spoken with him about the incident. He feels worse than I did. He is a good person deep down, and he would never hurt anyone if he knew-"

Sayuri barked angrily, interrupting her.

"These are not excuses." Ruby replied.

Sayuri growled and barked several times. 

Each bark caused Ruby to wince, fold her ears back, and shut her eyes. "For generations, people have had certain views of monsters. And for as long as they have been forced to coexist, these views have appeared to hold true. But your story has turned all these views upside down. This will not be an easy thing to adjust to, please, be patient with us."

Sayuri calmed down, but still looked upset.

"Nall will be coming by later to speak with you. He was not involved with us when we attacked your family. Please listen to him. You can trust him." Ruby turned to leave. 

Sayuri's mixed feelings continued to haunt her. The overwhelming emotions made her sick to her stomach. She curled up and tried to relax.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She rolled over and opened her eyes. Nall's paw hung in her face. She brushed it aside. 

Nall put his paw back on the ground. "I hope I didn't wake you."

Sayuri sat up. She shook her head and yawned.

"I know you probably don't want help, but you need to let us help you."

Sayuri defiantly turned her back to him.

Nall walked around to her front. "I know you're upset. I would be myself. But you can't turn away everyone who tries to help you."

Sayuri's eyes began to water. She didn't look at him.

"And you know, deep down, that I am right," he continued.

Sayuri nodded her head slowly, still not looking at him.

When Nall looked at Sayuri, he couldn't help but see a beauty in her that he hadn't noticed before. He suddenly found himself attracted to her. He shook the thought from his mind quickly. "If you'll excuse me, I have tome things to do. I'll tell Ruby and Ronfar that you will allow them to help." With that, he turned and left.

Sayuri sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up with a determined face. Her head fell and she began sobbing softly. Her tears pooled in front of her. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around to see whose they were.

Ronfar entered the room slowly. "So, you're Sayuri."

Sayuri spun around and growled at him.

"That won't do you any good, he doesn't understand you." Ruby said, flying into the room.

Sayuri whimpered.

"That's why I'm here. Don't worry, he won't hurt you." She reassured her friend.

"What was that all about?" Ronfar asked.

Ruby landed next to Sayuri and sat down. "She wants me to translate. You wouldn't listen to her family's suffering; you are at least going to listen to hers."

Ronfar crouched down. "Before we start, I want to say I apologize."

Sayuri barked.

"She says she's heard it before. You didn't know." Ruby translated.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to get started." Ronfar waited for some sort of confirmation.

Sayuri nodded. She still looked incredibly upset. Despite her discomfort, she sat down and allowed Ronfar to remove her bandages.

Ronfar gently flipped Sayuri onto his hand, exposing the wound to his eyes. "Ruby, could you get me a wet cloth?"

Ruby nodded and flew out of the room.

Ronfar allowed Sayuri to return to her sitting position and sat down. "Since you probably aren't comfortable with me doing anything without your friend around, I'll just wait for her to get back. Not like I can do anything anyway. I need to clean that wound before I bandage it."

Ruby returned shortly carrying a mouthful of wet rags. She dropped them on the floor.

Ronfar picked one of the rags up. "Thank you Red. Sayuri, could you roll onto your back?"

Sayuri rolled onto her back, her front paws rested on her fur.

Ronfar grabbed her left front paw. She quickly pulled it back, but upon looking at the concerned look on his face, she slowly gave it back to him.

Ronfar examined the paw thoroughly. "I didn't see this before. That boy cut off your toe? It needs to be cleaned immediately. Ruby, can you ask Nall to get me a pan full of water?"

Ruby flew out of the room again. Ronfar looked over the wound on Sayuri's stomach. "That boy must have had one sick sense of fun. I'm amazed you survived with a wound like that."

Ronfar's speech brought back the painful memories of Sayuri's torture at the boy's hands. She began crying again.

Ronfar stroked her head gently. "I know my apologies aren't enough, but that is all I have to offer. Please accept them." He began meticulously cleaning the fur around Sayuri's wound. 

The dried blood didn't come out easily, and she winced every time Ronfar pulled the blood off, but didn't struggle, for fear of the injury becoming worse.

He finished just after Nall put a small pan full of water next to him and left again. Ruby sat down beside Sayuri. Ronfar grabbed the pan and held it above Ruby's head. She quickly got the idea and used her flame breath to heat up the water. He pulled the pan away after a few seconds and placed it in front of Sayuri. "Please put your paw in the water."

Sayuri did as she was told. The hot water hurt her paw, but she didn't move it. Compared to what she had been through, this was nothing to her.

Ronfar pulled her paw out after several minutes. He examined it thoroughly. "It doesn't appear to be infected. You should be thankful."

He released her paw, and Sayuri put it back on the ground. He then pulled some clean bandages from under his clothing and wrapped Sayuri's wound with them. Once he finished, he rubbed Sayuri's head, stood up and left without saying a word.

"I told you he'd help." Ruby commented.

Sayuri's stomach growled. 

Ruby looked at her and smiled. "I'll ask Nall to get you something to eat."

She flew out of the room. 

Sayuri wondered how long she would be feeling sorry for herself. She wanted to feel better, but her losses and confusion were making any sort of determined answer impossible.

She looked up as Nall entered the room with a plate carrying a large fish. Nall looked around the room. "Where's Ruby? I figured you'd be hungry, so I brought a fish big enough for the both of you." He set the plate down and transformed back into his dragon state. "Well, if she isn't here, would you mind if I joined you?"

Sayuri shook her head and they both began eating. Nall wasn't a very graceful eater, but Sayuri enjoyed his company. She was desperate not to feel alone. 

**************

They finished eating, and Nall sat and stared at Sayuri, making her feel uncomfortable. She whimpered, breaking Nall out of his trance. 

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sayuri. I don't know what happened to you before we met you, but I'm glad we met. From what Ruby has told me, it wasn't a good experience."

Sayuri lowered her head slightly in agreement.

Nall's imagined what it was like to be her during the experience. He wanted to feel closer to her, but he wasn't sure if he could even imagine the emotions, let alone find words for them.

Sayuri suddenly whimpered in terror and ran to the corner of the room with her tail and ears lowered. She curled up in the corner with her tail wrapped around in front of her, her eyes wide. She was shaking.

"Why are you so suddenly afraid of me? I haven't done anything." Nall noticed it wasn't him, specifically, that she was looking at. He looked down to notice that his thoughts had had a bit of a side effect. He pulled his legs together in an attempt to hide it. "Whoa Sayuri, I wasn't thinking of anything. I was trying to imagine-"

Sayuri interrupted him with a bark. 

Nall tilted his head. "Sayuri, you know I don't understand you. Please come out of the corner. I won't hurt you."

Sayuri whimpered nervously, but didn't move.

Nall stood up, but maintained his distance. "He must really have hurt you. I assure you; it isn't supposed to be that way."

Sayuri crawled out of the corner slowly, but maintained her distance. She tilted her head and whined.

Nall chuckled slightly. "Not at all. In fact, it should feel more like how you felt with Ruby the night you came here."

Sayuri lowered her head and ears and backed up nervously.

Nall laughed. "Not to worry. I'm not upset. After the way I had treated you, I understand. I am not angry at either of you. Besides, in your situation, I doubt I would have been much different."

Sayuri sat down and smiled at him. 

Nall's face began to heat up. "I...I could...show you...that is, if you want..."

Sayuri approached him and laid down on her stomach. She moved her tail to the side, exposing her sensitive area.

Nall mounted her slowly, trying not to startle her.

Sayuri pulled forward suddenly and whimpered softly.

Nall put his head by hers. "Are you nervous?"

Sayuri nodded timidly.

Nall stretched his wing gently around her. "Here, if I hurt you, bite on my wing. I will stop any time you don't feel comfortable. Don't worry about anything. I'll do the work."

Sayuri grabbed the bone on the top of his wing in her mouth. She held it gently, not wanting to cause undue pain.

Nall pulled back. "Are you ready?" He said gently.

Sayuri nodded her head, still holding on to his wing.

He slid himself into her as gently as he could. He proceeded slowly so as not to frighten Sayuri or rip his wing from her mouth.

Sayuri was unsure about this experience. Her trauma at the hands of that boy was enough to rob her of any pleasing sensation Nall was trying to give her. Now it just felt strange. She was happy however that she wasn't in any pain. This in itself brought her great comfort. She began to relax and enjoy herself.

Nall was panting. "There...you go. It feels...better...when you...relax."

The sensation that Nall had described had come. The mating ceased to feel strange, and began to feel wonderful. This was different from, although not any worse than when she was with Ruby. 

Nall's movements grew slower and deeper. Sayuri sensed something was about to happen. Her suspicions were confirmed when Nall pushed in farther than usual, and she felt something being injected into her. She liked this feeling. It wasn't like with the boy. She felt comfortable around Nall.

Nall pulled himself out of her. "See, that wasn't so bad."

Sayuri released Nall's wing, rolled over and whimpered.

"Oh, I'm not finished yet?" Nall replied.

Sayuri nodded.

Nall chuckled. "Well, I guess I had my turn. Would you mind if I tried something different?"

Sayuri shook her head.

Nall turned around and raised his tail to her opening. "I've never done this before, so I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work..." He slowly pushed his tail into her.

Sayuri gasped heavily as his tail penetrated her body. The fur sticking up on it brushed against sensitive areas, causing an unimaginably wonderful feeling. It took a moment for her to adjust to this sensation, and she was able to breathe normally.

Nall was focusing as he moved his tail in and out of her. "Sounds like you're enjoying this."

Sayuri yipped, causing Nall to laugh.

Nall wiggled his tail inside of her. This caused her to both laugh and gasp at the same time. Her slippery walls made his tail feel strange, but he enjoyed the sensation. 

The feeling Sayuri had, to her surprise, began building. It grew so strong her vision became blurred. She suddenly felt an uncontrollable muscle spasm throughout her body. Then she felt like all of her muscles suddenly relaxed, causing her to lie perfectly still, completely exhausted, but happy.

Nall walked next to her and sat down. "I don't suppose you would mind helping me clean my tail.

Sayuri managed to muster the strength to roll onto her side and began to lick his tail clean. She finished quickly.

Nall stood up. "I need to check on the children. I'll join you again later." He walked out the door, leaving Sayuri alone. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Nall saw Ruby sitting outside of the door. "How long were you sitting there?" He asked nervously.

Ruby did a mocking impression of him. "I...I could...show you...that is, if you want..." She nearly rolled onto her back in laughter.

Nall gave a nervous face.

Ruby managed to stop laughing for a moment. "That's what you get for listening to us."


Nall looked surprised. "You knew I was there?"

Ruby suppressed her laughter, with some difficulty. "No, but I do now!" She fell over as she wrapped her paws around her stomach, trying to stop the pain from laughing so hard. It took a minute for her to regain her composure.

Nall chuckled. "Well, that makes us about even."

"You don't know the half of it." Ruby countered as they walked down the darkened hallway together.