Curse of Compassion

Chapter 5

Rogue, Sting, and Mikal battled for a few hours until Mikal ran out of energy. Of course, the twin dragon slayers were still brimming with it. Mikal was exhausted, and it was only midday. She hadn't had the chance to brawl in a few months, so she was a little out of practice.  At some point, Yukino excused herself from the training field to meet up with a friend named Lucy.

"Alright...I think I'm done for the day," Mikal wheezed and held her hands up in surrender. 

"Aw come on, already? I was just getting serious," Sting cracked his knuckles.

"It's been awhile since I've gone all out. Thank you for giving me the opportunity."

"You don't need to be so formal," Sting interjected. "Here at Sabertooth, we're all family.  Just be yourself around us!"

"And if you're ever in a fighting mood, we're always ready for one." Rogue approached Mikal and Sting. "Your skills are amazing. If you keep at it, you'll get back to your old stamina in no time."

"Thank you."  Mikal bit the inside of her cheek as they started walking back to the town. Sting's words rung in her ears like church bells. Here at Sabertooth, we're all family.  Just be yourself around us!

Maybe they are the kind of people to remain ridiculously optimistic in dark situations, or maybe they didn't truly understand the gravity of Mikal's situation. Either way, their words ate away at her insides. I can never truly be myself until this curse is lifted. If I do that, our bonds would only deepen until they get hurt.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Rogue slowed his pace to match Mikal's when he noticed she was falling behind. His eyes shone with concern as the intense sunlight hit them.

"Yes. Just thirsty," she lied with a meek voice and refused to meet his gaze.

"I know your situation's tough and that you're worried about getting too involved with us. That's okay." Rogue faced ahead of them, where Sting was walking.  "One way or another that curse is going to break. And when it does, you can do whatever you like. Until then, don't be so hard on yourself for something that wasn't your doing to begin with. I understand that pain."

"Hm?" He spoke as if he knew exactly what was on her mind. It's not like she's hard to read, though; she did spill her heart out to them the day before. But still, something was different in Rogue's voice; she hadn't met this side of him before. I understand that pain. What had he experienced? Mikal couldn't bring herself to ask.

Rogue gasped and suddenly ran off to a street vendor. He came running back moments later with two fruit cups and bottles of water. "Here you go." He handed her one of each. 

"Oh, thank you." Perhaps it was the heat of the sun and her thick clothes and dehydration setting in, but she felt her cheeks flush. "You know...you didn't have to."

"Consider it a treat for the entertainment earlier."  His lips curled into a smile as he looked at her. He opened his water bottle and brought to his lips, almost instantly emptying the bottle.

"E-Entertainment?!" Mikal thought he had meant it as an insult, but she was too distracted by the way his adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. The way he licked his lips and wiped the excess away with the back of his hand was also at the center of her attention.

Snap out of it!  She averted her eyes that were practically the size of saucers. You don't know him! There's no reason for you to be attracted to any of that!

"For using me as a propeller to beat Sting up," he laughed, his eyes squinting as his face contorted. "It was hilarious, though I think he's gonna get you back for that."