The Forgotten One

Decisions Have to Be Made

That night I couldn't sleep. What happened with Jasik was still fresh in my mind and tormented me, not allowing me peace. So instead, I laid on my bed, listening to the night's sounds and the soft breathing coming from Val. It was cute and almost intriguing to see the rise and fall of her shoulders as she sleeps without any worries. I almost envy her, being able to sleep as if nothing happened.

Oh, riiiiiiight. She didn't know...

Okay, so scratch that whole 'I envy her' thing.

Before I left Jasik's, now vacant, house, I thought it would be proper to bury him and his butler in the yard farthest away from the house. I had the house cleared out and ready for the next sad soul who'd have to deal with the smell of smoky blood and charred skin. Hope they don't have a weak stomach.

The morning sun was just peaking over horizon, faint rays shining through the window. Yawning, I stretched my limbs and got out of bed, cautious not to wake up Val. She's so innocent-looking in her sleep.

I grabbed a clean set of clothes: a grey sleeveless shirt, black cargo pants, and an extra pack of bandage wrap for my arms. I slipped a new white bandana from my dresser and placed it on top of my clothes. As I sat down my clothes in the bathroom, I couldn't help but wonder about the marks. Not that I mentioned it, they seemed to actually dig into my skin. At first, they looked as if they were tattooed into my skin. But now, they looked like they were burnt, branded even.

Ignoring the thought, I hopped into the shower, enjoying the hot water rain down on my skin. After I stepped out, I quickly dried myself, slipping on my boxers, pants, and socks. I stepped out of the bathroom to see Val sitting up, rubbing her eyes groggily.

I sat on the bed and kissed her forehead. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Morning, Ly." She replied sleepily.

Moving to the side of the bed, I grabbed my boots and slipped them on, one at a time. I tied each one and stood up, shaking my damp hair.

"Why is it that you amaze me every time?" Val wondered dreamily.

I smirked and turned, glancing at her sideways. "Don't you mean turned on instead?"

"Haha," she rolled her eyes, sarcastically. "Very funny."

Grinning, I put my grey sleeveless shirt on. "Oh please, you love me."

Val crawled towards me and stood on her knees, the bed putting her at eye level with me. "Of course, and I always will."

I chuckled as I placed my left hand on her cheek. She leaned forward and I stopped her with one finger on her nose. "Not yet, we have to get to the guild."

Val pouted, crossing her arms and plopping down on the bed. "No fair, you tricked me."

"Come on, we need to start doing some job requests." I said.

Val soon got dressed and I wrapped the bandages around my arms, covering the Demon's Mark. I thought it needed a title and I technically got it when I first created Demon Sage Magic, so it fit the technique perfectly.

I laced my fingers with hers and lead her out of the apartment. Heading down the road I looked at the sky, noting how nice it was. Man, my mind seemed to be off track way too much lately. When we rounded the corner and went into the guild, Master Makarov was right there, as if he was waiting for us.