Personal Conflicts
Twin World Crossover
Chapter twelve: Personal Conflicts
"FAAAAUGGHHH!" Rykuu howled in frustration. With a flick of his wrists, he retracted his razor cables.
Deeply gouged lines ran across the cliff face in front of him. His handiwork. Rykuu sent his cables out again to savage the surface, reducing more of the rock into dust.
'I just can't take my mind off of her! Dammit!"
Spring had come quickly to Amorphis. The snow had melted already. In the week that followed meeting with Nephilla, she had become the center of his attention. And yet, she avoided him, despite all the affection he showed her.
There was a loud crack as a small landslide developed. Rykuu raised an energy shield and deflected it away from him. Figuring it wasn't a good idea to do that anymore, he headed down to the lake to swim.
On his way down, he spied Nephilla walking down to the lake as well. He hurried over to her.
***
Nephilla sighed. She could sense Rykuu coming.
She really wanted to tell him how she felt. But she was only half dragon. A half breed, so to say.
"NEPHILLA!"
She turned and avoided his eyes. "Yeah."
"I'm going swimming. You wanna come?"
"No. Not really. At least...."
Above, Lacyus and Sunset darted through the air, laughing. They seemed to be completely in tune with one another. She wanted to be like that, her and Rykuu.
"I just wanna throw some rocks, that's all."
Today was the day her dragon form was supposed to wear off. She would miss the cool confidence and comfort of the dragoness in her. To Nephilla, it felt like she was losing herself again. After spending a week as Nephilla the dragoness, becoming Hannah again seemed unthinkable.
"You can come swimming. I don't mind."
Nephilla smiled weakly. "No, I'm fine. I just need time to think."
The two got to the shore of the lake. It was almost picture perfect. Undisturbed, crystal clear water. Fine sand with rocks scattered throughout. The perfect amount of shade and light areas. It would be paridise without her own thoughts.
Lacyus and Sunset landed in the lake, holding hands. Switching to the thermal spectrum, Nephilla could see them kissing underwater. Lacyus flicked his tail a few times and the two were gone into the depths of the lake.
Rykuu had already stripped down to his bathing suit and dove in. He floated on his back, eyes closed. His thoughts echoed through Nephilla's mind.
*Why won't she pay attention to me? I'm too scared to ask her myself.*
She smiled futilely. At least he cared about her.
"Come in for at least a couple of minutes."
"Fine." Nephilla sighed and stripped down to her bikini and waded in.
*God, she looks hot in that.*
Nephilla giggled at the telepathic communication. With a few flicks of her tail, she was out in the middle of the lake. Rykuu floated up beside her.
"So, what's Earth like?"
"Ummmm.... Cities. Lots of them. The technology is much more advanced there than it is here. And more wars. " Nephilla said sadly. "Humans are extremely petty. Not excluding me as well. I've done some pretty bad things too. We have wars over religion, land and even abstracts like 'terrorism.' I don't see the point of it all."
"Ironic." Rykuu chuckled. "I'm a freelance assasasin. I go where the money goes. One day, I'm your best friend, the next, I'm your murderer. A perfect two faced backstabber. That's me in a nutshell."
Nephilla's aprehension dissapeared. She laughed. "Sounds like George Bush."
"Who's he?"
"Leader of the Earth's most poweful nation. Personally, I think he's an idiot."
Nephilla suddenly realized what she was doing. She felt blood rush to her face. Blushing, she quickly made for the shore.
"I'm gonna take a nap."
"Oh com'on. Swim some more."
"No, I'm fine."
Nephilla hoisted herself out of the water. She laid her cloak out and sat on it.
'What the hell did I just do.'
Lying back, she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
***
Nephilla awoke in the cave. Rykuu stood over her.
"Sorry. Did I wake you up?"
She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. A look of concern crossed Rykuu's face. He knelt down beside her.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly.
"It's just that I..." She stopped herself and wiped away the tears. "I miss my mom and dad." She lied.
Rykuu stroked her head affectionately. "I'm an orphan. I never knew my parents, so I can't really tell what you're going through. Sorry.
Nephilla's mind suddenly relaxed at the physical contact. "It's okay. I understand."
"Ummm, Rykuu. I'd like to talk to Nephilla in private." It was Lacyus.
Water dripped off of his scales. Obviously he had just come from the lake. Sunset stood naked, drying herself off in another corner of the cave. Mira was nowhere to be seen. Rykuu nodded and walked off.
"Nephilla. I really need you to listen to what I have to say."
Nephilla sat up. "What is it?"
"I lied about the DNA infusion."
That baffled her. "What do you mean?"
"I never put any DNA into you. This is your own form."
Nephilla frowned. "Just spit it out.
Lacyus took a deep breath. "You're not human."
"WHAT!??!?!"
Everyone looked up in the cave.
Lacyus waved his hands to calm everyone. "I already told you guys this." The rest turned back to their tasks.
"What do you mean I'm not human!?!?! I've been a human since I was born!"
"You think you have, but you're really a dragoness."
"Shut up. I'm human. Nothing more. Nothing less."
Lacyus grabbed her hand. "Hold still." He closed his eyes.
A flash of light engulfed Nephila. When it faded, her body felt like it fit even more with her mind.
"What was that for!!?!?! Did you change me back into a human?"
Sunset walked up wearing just a towel wrapped around her body. She handed her a mirror.
Nephilla took it and gasped. She was still a dragoness, but several things had changed. Green scales slashed through her blue scales creating tribal patterns all over her body. And she had wings.
"Oh my...."
She opened them. They spanned over four meters from tip to tip. Green scale patterns were laid on them. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"They're so beautiful."
It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders. It finally felt like she fit in. That she was meant to be that way.
"So this is what I am? What I should look like?"
Lacyus nodded, smiling estaticly.
"Thank you."
She got up and looked for Rykuu.
***
'She'll never go for me. A lost cause. That's what it is.'
Ryku kicked a pebble along the shore of the lake. The moonlight danced across the surface if the water. Gone was his happy outlook on the world. The dragoness he had a crush on was probably no longer a dragoness.
'She was good while she was still-'
"RYKUU!"
A blue and green dragoness tackled him into the water. Coming up for air, he sputtered angrilly.
"What the hell was that for Neph-"
He never got the chance to finish. Nephilla grabbed him and kissed him.
"I love you!"
Rykuu stared, baffled.
"Don't just stare! I know you feel the same way!"
Rykuu suddenly could feel Nephilla's emotions directly through his mind. A telepathic link. She was elated. He took her and kissed her back.
"What took you so long Nephilla? Couldn't you tell I liked you?"
She snorted, smoke wafting out of her nostrills. "I was being an idiot." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I never thought you'd accept me as a half dragoness."
The two walked out of the lake. Nephilla lied down with Rykuu. The two fell asleep embracing each other.
***
"They're like we were when we were six, eh Sunset." Lacyus said smiling.
A small sob came from Sunset. Lacyus turned around and saw that that she was crying. He smiled.
"Don't tell me you're gonna get all mushy on me."
Sunset shook her head weakly. "I miss her. My sister."
"You mean Nephilla, your sister, right?"
Sunset grabbed Lacyus, crying on his shoulder. "I can't take it! Hannnah looks so much like her!"
Lacyus hugged her, stroking her neck. "I'm so sorry."
Lacyus gently sat down with Sunset on his lap. He crossed his wings over her. Sunset howled with sorrow.
Her and Nephilla, her sister had been really close. They spent all their time together as children. And when the hunters came to kill Sunset, her mother erased Nephilla's memory and sent her through a portal to earth.
Sunset's howls gradually faded as she fell asleep. But her tears didn't.