HOPE AND LOVE
by Shelly

CHAPTER TWO


	Sasuna sat there, all her emotion drained out of her which left her 
with nothing to be happy about although it was good to see her old friend 
again. She only wished it could’ve been under better circumstances.
	
	Slowly she rose to her feet, a stray breeze fanning her hair out 
behind her as she looked around her with dead eyes. She couldn’t cry; she 
had not the tears to shed anymore as they had all dried from her eyes and 
left her empty inside. Everyone and everything she had ever known had 
been destroyed by the unexpected attack, and it was by sheer luck that 
she had been out hunting for food and had been spared the destruction. 
But now she cursed the winds of fate that would spare her life when all 
else she had loved had been destroyed and had left her with nothing.
	
	Mushra watched her silently, grieving for her loss as he knew she 
could not for he had come to her all those years ago in the same condition. 
She had brought him back from the depths of his hatred and sorrow, and 
now he knew that it was his turn to do the same for her if she would 
let him. “’Suna,” he said, using her nickname he had given her. “What 
happened here?”
	
	She sighed as she brought her eyes back to his. “I know little of what 
happened,” she replied in a flat voice hoarse from the many hours she 
had spent crying over the deaths of her family and friends. “I left to 
go hunting for food and was gone for some time. When I returned, most of 
the attackers had already left, but a few were left behind and I fought 
with them until they were destroyed.”
	
	He fought down on the familiar anger that threatened to consume him at 
the thought of so many lives destroyed for no reason. It was times like 
these that made Yakumo’s goal of peace seem so hopeless and 
unreachable, and he wanted nothing more than to destroy all those who had took 
away the soul of his beloved friend. But he knew that it would do no good 
to follow his gut instincts as it would never bring back the Sasuna he 
had once loved, nor would Yakumo approve of it. Glancing over at the 
human woman, he saw the silent plea in her eyes and calmed down to ease 
her mind.
	
	“Do you know who it was that did this?” Sago asked.
	
	Sasuna shook her head. “No, I don’t. But I will find them. And I will 
not rest until every one of them are destroyed.”
	
	Yakumo, deeply sorrowed by what had happened, stepped towards her. “I 
am sorry for your loss for I know what it is you’re going through. I am 
all that is left of humankind, except for those I might find in a place 
called Shinzo. I also grieve for their loss, but there are no answers 
to be found in violence, only more pain.”
	
	Sasuna stared at the human woman in disbelief. “You expect me to just 
let them go after what they have done? My whole entire village was 
wiped out, and for no reason except that they could do it! If I let them 
live, then the same thing could happen to another village or town, 
leaving even more homeless and alone. No, I do not intend to just let this 
matter lie!”
	
	Mushra quickly interposed himself in front of Yakumo. “That’s not what 
she’s suggesting at all!” he hurriedly assured her. “We’re keeping 
their Encards in case we need them. That way they’re not totally destroyed, 
but neither are they causing any more harm to others.”
	
	“Mushra, you have gone soft,” she commented wryly. “There was a time 
when you would’ve gladly fought someone to the death and thought nothing 
of it.”
	
	“I know,” he replied. “But that was before I met Yakumo. She’s changed 
me somehow, and Kutal and Sago as well. We’re helping her find Shinzo, 
and there she might find what’s left of the human race.”
	
	Sasuna looked Yakumo over with a critical eye, amazed that this 
fragile human could have tamed one of the fiercest warriors she had ever 
known...and at one time loved. And she suddenly hated her for doing that to 
him. If Mushra was still the same person she had known before, then she 
could’ve had a formidable partner that could’ve helped her avenge the 
deaths of the villagers.
	
	“Then I wish you all the best of luck,” she said as she turned away 
from him and started walking away, seeing no need for them to even speak 
to each other anymore.
	
	He watched her walk away, wondering if he should go after her and beg 
her to join them, although he knew that she and Yakumo would not get 
along well. But he couldn’t just stand there and let her go so easily, 
and he ran past her to stop in front of her. “Wait, ‘Suna, please...don’t 
go.”
	
	Sago and Kutal glanced at each other with shocked expressions. Neither 
of them had ever known Mushra to beg for anything, and this was a first 
for them to see. Yakumo was thinking the same thing, and tears welled 
in her eyes as she suddenly realized what Sasuna meant to him.
	
	Sasuna gazed down at him in surprise, his whispered words breaking 
through her grief and touching something deep within her that she had long 
buried away within her. “Mushra,” she breathed then looked up just in 
time to dodge a spear thrown her way. Mushra turned and faced their 
attackers just as Sago and Kutal joined them to see a small force of what 
appeared to be Enterrans that favored flies, their heads like flies but 
their bodies humanoid in shape.
	
	Mushra twirled his staff in his hands. “You guys lookin’ for a fight? 
Well, you’ve come to the right place then. Let’s go!”
	
	Sasuna readied herself for battle as she removed the rest of her black 
clothing to reveal an ice blue colored body suit with sheaths of ice 
covering her lower arms and legs as well as her torso. Even her blade had 
become frosty, and when she breathed little wisps of vapor could be 
seen escaping from between her lips as her power was that of winter, and 
as a result her blood often ran cold throughout her veins. And it was no 
surprise that Mushra had been the only one so far to break through her 
cold exterior since he commanded the power of fire, and next to that 
ice stood no chance of survival.
	
	They all rushed their attackers, dealing with them easy enough as they 
were weak fighters, and many of them died from freezing at the bite of 
her blade. But then a larger opponent appeared to take them on in the 
form of a giant lizard man, by far the most common enemy to be found on 
Enterra and the toughest to defeat. Sago and Kutal’s attacks seemed to 
have no effect on him as did Mushra’s, who eventually went into hyper 
mode to see if that did any good. Sasuna held back to see if he still 
had his fearless fighting ability, and he was still more than capable 
although his flame attacks only made the lizard stronger, and as a result 
he took a few hits. 
	
	Sasuna became irritated at Yakumo as she constantly cried Mushra’s 
name every time he took a beating, and she held herself back from freezing 
her mouth shut as she knew Mushra would never forgive her, but she 
enjoyed a smile at the thought at least.
	
	Finally she stepped in the fight, and Mushra protested as he didn’t 
want her to take all the fun from him. Now this was the Mushra she 
remembered! 
	
	“Mushra, your attacks are only making him stronger,” she reasoned. 
“Lizards thrive on heat as their blood is cold and it helps them move 
faster and see better. Now on the other hand, if you cool them down a 
little...” Rubbing her hands together for a moment, she held out her hand 
and blew gently on it, sending a shower of sparkling dust towards the 
lizard which began to slow his movements down as the air around him grew 
colder. Then she snapped her fingers and the dust suddenly covered him 
in a fine coating of frost which stopped him altogether. Smiling 
wickedly, she hurled her sword at him and when it struck him he burst into a 
thousand tiny pieces of ice.
	
	After retrieving her sword, she stepped up to Mushra and touched her 
finger to his armor-covered chest. To others, it was dangerous to be on 
the receiving end of one of her caresses as it had the ability to 
freeze them instantly. But not Mushra as he had fire running through his 
veins, and even she felt the heat emanating from him that reached out to 
engulf her as well and caused a different heat to burn within her. “Now 
you know why I can’t come with you, Mushra,” she purred. “I don’t think 
your Yakumo would approve of my methods as there’s no turning back from 
my attacks.” Then she touched his face as she brought her lips close to 
his, just enough for him to feel her frosty breath. “Although I would 
come along if you would wish it, my brave warrior,” she whispered.
	
	He didn’t know how much longer he could control himself as he was in 
danger of losing total control, and she wasn’t helping matters any by 
doing what she was doing. He burned inside for her like he did for 
nothing else, something he knew was dangerous as he liked to be in total 
control of himself at all times. But when she was around it was a different 
matter. “I would like you to come with us, Sasuna,” he replied. “But 
the choice is ultimately yours, whether you want to or not.”
	
	She pulled back, amused that he had remained in control of himself 
although she had felt him wavering. It had been a game for her after they 
had realized they had feelings for one another, to see how much he 
could take, but it had ultimately driven him away from her as he didn’t 
want to complicate things any further between them. “I see you still wish 
to keep your distance from me. Perhaps you prefer your little human 
girl instead, so I will leave you to her. Perhaps our paths will cross 
again,” she said as she turned and walked away.
	
	He watched with an aching heart as she disappeared into the forest, 
wanting to go after her and bring her back but knowing it was for the 
best that they stay separated. He had never felt what Yakumo called love 
before, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to if it made him feel so torn 
inside, which is why he had let her go. But if it was for the best, then 
why did it hurt so much?

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Thanks for reading!