Power of Death (Agathario)

Chapter Eleven

 "I don't want your flower," Agatha said. "I want out of the deal."

"I told you thirty years ago," Rio shot back, "deals can't be broken."

"Regular people break them all the time," Agatha replied, shrugging. She felt like her body was being weighed down more and more as they spoke, and in an effort to stop it she stood.

"Why did you leave after only four days?" Rio asked, her voice finally showing emotion.

Agatha didn't answer. After all this time, she still didn't know. The question has been easier to ignore when studying, so maybe that was why Agatha studied so much.

Rio suddenly let out a yell and green magic lashed out at Agatha. She dove out of the way as the magic blew out the wall behind her.

"You know, I've read a lot about you, Death," Agatha said, smiling crookedly as she stood up. Anger and competitiveness flickered awake inside her. Rio had just tried to blast her!

"Oh yeah?" Rio yelled back, holding up her hands, green magic writhing in her palms. Her dark lips moved painfully deliberately as she shouted, "SHOW ME!"

Agatha let out her own magic as Rio shot at her again, this time lifting herself in the air to avoid the blast. Her own purple magic formed in tendrils as she welded it in her hands. She let out a cackle as Rio lifted herself up to match Agatha.

She'd forgotten how fun it was to use her purple. The feeling of magic rushing through her veins, and not only when sucking away peoples' life.

She'd also almost forgotten about how beautiful Rio looked. Actually, she hadn't, but she liked to tell herself she had.

Rio's dark hair blew around her face as she yelled. Her cloak fell off and Agatha could see that she now wore something close to a suit. "Don't make me do this dance, Agatha!"

Agatha returned with a wide smile, her only other response a yell as she hurled a blast of magic toward Rio. Damn it, the suit looked so good on her, it was distracting.

Rio knocked Agatha's magic away and muttered something under her breath. Agatha suddenly felt sick to her stomach, warning her of what Rio had done. Rio had tried to curse her. Agatha whispered the counter spell to herself and Rio raised her eyebrows when Agatha looked back at her, perfectly fine.

"You've been studying," Rio remarked.

"I've done a lot more than study!" Agatha yelled in return, then shot a rune towards Rio. Rio cackled as she fell, landing on the grass just as Agatha shot her with another blast of magic. Agatha lowered herself down, walking closer.

"You know you can't kill me," Rio said, grinning as she pulled herself back up, though she was covered in leafy remains.

"I know," Agatha said, smiling. She lunged at Rio, who tried to block her with magic. Instead of stopping Agatha, she was pinned down. Agatha grinned at Rio's helplessness as she struggled to free herself from Agatha's limbs. She wasn't successful.

Rio let out an impressed laugh. "Those witches never should have taught you those magic-canceling runes."

"Why?" Agatha asked, tossing her tangled hair out of her eyes as she looked down at Rio. "Are you bothered now that I know more witchcraft?" She lowered her voice, leaning closer. "Are you scared?"

"Of you? Never," Rio barred her teeth. She tugged Agatha's arm down and rolled on top of it, making Agatha yelp and lurch over to the side to avoid breaking it. Now Rio was pinning Agatha down. She smiled coolly, teasingly wiggling her eyebrows. Agatha gritted her teeth, determined not to let the butterflies in her stomach win.