reencarnated (book one)

What's a tsunami to a dam? (-Mr. E.)

I dragged Cryptor out of the water, he could at least be a bit grateful that I have been saving his life at least three times already.

Scratch that, I'd just love for him to stop yelling at me for a full ten minutes. Departed realm, even ten minutes feels farfetched.

I dragged Cryptor and leaned him against the tree Lloyd had put Harumi against. Cryptor might have hit his head a bit, he was unconscious for the moment. Because of course he is, why do I think things can ever get easier.

Lloyd held Harumi's blade. He looked to me as Harumi began to open her eyes. We both nodded, a mutual understanding.

Work together. We have a similar enemy now.

Harumi rubbed her eyes.

"Up." Lloyd said.

"Why should I?" She spat. Lloyd rolled his eyes and pointed the blade at her.

"Hmph. Fine." She muttered. Lloyd helped her up.

"Need any help with him?" Lloyd asked, gesturing to my unconscious counterpart.

I shook my head, I picked him up and carried him over my shoulder, he slipped off. Eventually I let Lloyd carry him, he slashed at plants that blocked out path. A load had been lifted off my shoulders, physically and emotionally. Harumi glanced at me for the first long time.

"Echo?" She whispered. I stiffened. The waves were getting bigger in my head, threatening a tsunami. Lloyd turned around.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"We're fine." Harumi answered quickly. She grabbed my wrist and brought me close enough not to be heard by Lloyd. "Echo, it's us against him, we need to-"

How dare she grab me. How dare she assume I'm going to betray anyone for her. How dare she replace me. Hate dare she call me by the name that she knows better than anyone shouldn't be used to address me. And right here in front of people.

I ripped my arm out of her grasp and punched her in the face with the same arm, leaving her to stagger back. She fell against a tree, she put her arms up in defence. 

"Lloyd! Help me!" She cried out like a damsel in distress. Her fake cried only infuriated me. 

I grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the tree. She opened her mouth, then shut it. Too stunned to speak.

Lloyd turned his head slowly, but he was alarmed to see the actual threat. He stood between me and Harumi, acting as a dam to my 'ocean of anger'. I stepped back from him.

'I am not your servant, you brat!' I signed, desperate to express myself in the bare minimum of the ways I could communicate. I knew she knew sign language. She taught me.

Her face hardened. But she didn't glare. I definitely did.

"I don't know what you said, but it can wait until she's behind bars." Lloyd said, I shrugged it off and walked ahead. Lloyd had dropped Cryptor when rushing to save Harumi. I think it would be best if I was not near Harumi for now.

We trekked on, Lloyd in the front, Harumi in the middle, and Me carrying Cryptor in the back.

Lloyd continued to cut down the bushes more easily now that he wasn't carrying a nindroid.

"That looks like hard work. Why don't you let me take a turn?" Harumi teased Lloyd. Lloyd was not having any of it.

"Ha! Fat chance." He scoffed.

"Suit yourself. You know, this reminds me of the last time we were here. Do you remember?" She sighed. "Just you and me, fighting our way through the jungle together..."

"Stop it." Lloyd muttered, slashing down at a bush.

"Stop what?"

"You know what. Stop trying to get into my head!" Lloyd replied. Harumi got up real close to Lloyd.

"Oh, am I in your head? Are you thinking about me?" Harumi asked. She looked so pathetic to me. Fortunately Lloyd felt similar.

"No." He shoved her forward. "Now, walk!"

"Well, I'm thinking about you. About how things could've been different between us..." she said.

The two continued on, Harumi flirting, and Lloyd finally getting some sense and ignoring her. Good for him, I guess.

I felt Cryptor stir. Hopefully he'd be able to actually walk now.

"Mrmph..?" He mumbled. "Where are-..? Hey! Put me down!"

I gladly put him down. He stumbled for a bit, so I acted like a crutch.

"What just-... wait." He thought to himself. "YOU THREW ME OFF A CLIFF!!"

'You landed on me.' I signed. He laughed.

"Hey, where's the green ninja and that girl?" Cryptor looked around.

We heard shouting up ahead...