The Burden of You (YamiXCharlotte)

12 Year Olds

(Warning: Descriptions of blood and death)

Charlotte had a grim look on her face as they made haste along the bloody path. As much as she didn't want to go deeper into the cavern-like forest it was her job as a Magic Knight to risk her life to save people. This was the job she wanted to do so there was no room to complain.

She focused her thoughts on sensing any type of human like or abnormal amounts of mana in the forest. She couldn't find any traces of magic besides the natural resources that occupied the forests habitat.

However, the deeper they got she could sense bolder, yet still small, traces of magic. The closer they got towards the faint traces of mana Charlotte could feel a wave of depressing aura reach them. Yami's teeth clenched together with a stern look on his face, he could also feel the miserable and dreary aura that matched the Ki of some child.

They approached an end to the dark dirt path, the atmosphere of the forest was unsettling for both of them to say the least. However the scene that appeared before them as they were introduced to a small clearing in the woods was much more disturbing.

Blood smeared the green-heavy trees, the once pine smell of the forest was now a metallic smell of blood. Trees were snapped in half with two bodies that slumped up against the trees. Red fluid was smeared above their bodies and on the snapped trees.

A small boy on his hands and knees was plotted in the middle of the field. Towering over the boy was a ghostly human figure that had an all too familiar smile for Charlotte.

"Damnit," Yami growled as his hand flew to the handle of his katana, getting ready to attack the phantom like figure.

He didn't expect there to be a bloodbath ready for them when they found the very thing that could've killed the reported man Julius informed them about. He didn't also expect the body count to increase and he wasn't going to allow anyone else to die either.

What he did expect was Charlottes ability to safely retrieve the young boy who was covered in blood with her briars and be ready to back him up, but to his surprise she didn't. Looking at her he saw her eyes wide and pinned on the faint figure with fear.

"Hey, Prickly Princess. What are you doing? I need you to get the scrawny kid out of the way," Yami loudly whispered at Charlotte, it didn't seem like the translucent body had noticed their presence yet which was the only thing that bought them time.

His words were muddled and Charlotte couldn't make out what he was saying, she knew they had to do something about the injured child in front of them. She couldn't bring herself to summon her thorny briars.

Not in the presence of the figure that closely resembled him, Damen.

The presence the body gave off seemed the same, but she could tell that the intent of it was not the same to her friend's happy mindset. Everything about the body resembled him which scared Charlotte. She didn't want to face the past yet, she didn't deserve to see her old friend again.

Not now, not ever. Not until she was able to forgive herself.

Her mind started to reminisce again. His black shoulder length hair matched his kind eyes that stared into her soul. But these eyes couldn't mimic Damens eyes, these eyes were more dull like plain old buttons. She was creeped out with this version of Damen, she remembered the warm feeling she could feel whenever they talked to each other but this was not the warm feeling. It was cold.

" I love you, Charlotte!," Damen popped up in front of Charlotte who was reading a book. She jumped back in her seat in surprise when she heard his words, an opaque pink blush covered her cheeks as she stared into his eyes searching for his joke.