General Art Wig-Or-Log

[kokirion]

So there's a possibility that Commander Cham had a love partner or should i say love team.

why do you call it love-team

 

[figthersword]

why do you call it love-team

I don't know, what did i call that a love team. Maybe i'm just a broken hearted right now or should i say.... I over analyze Chapter 27.

 

[kokirion]

RP, I finally managed to read the chapters

 

[figthersword]

RP, I finally managed to read the chapters

What did you analyze? isn't it they had a love team?

 

[kokirion]

no, I mean I started reading when chapter 25 was allready written, so now I'm fimally at the same point

 

[figthersword]

no, I mean I started reading when chapter 25 was allready written, so now I'm fimally at the same point

Okie.. but after you read the chapter 27 make sure you analyze ok, im sure you will be agree with my statement "Love team".

 

[kokirion]

I know what you're talking about, I've also read your post.. but to say it this way, that's just.. :xd:

 

[Random Person]

Chapter 28 Two of A Kind
​

Sheina and Baas walked up the trail that led through the mountainous range. Baas had a huge grin on his face. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was excited to see the second base or if he was just happy to be rid of Koroko and the dreaded bag. He now only carried his shield and sword on his back. Sheina too had a pleasant look on her face. She was just as curious as Baas was in exploring the area. She had heard stories about this place from the other fighters and wanted to see certain sights.

The two came to an area with a lot of flat ground. It stuck out from the rest as though there was something special about it.
"This is it!" Sheina said excitedly.

Baas stopped suddenly. He looked at the strange place. In the front, there was a large wooden structure that was obviously some kind of building. It was similar to that of Baas’ house only four times as big. Behind it, there was a large area closed off by a wooden fence which was about 4 feet high.

Baas sighed. Sheina hadn’t specified where it was exactly that she wanted to go but he had been hoping it would be a training ground.

Sheina excitedly went into the large opening of the building while Baas followed.

Though it seemed familiar on the outside, inside was nothing like the two had ever seen. On both sides, there were stalls, going in about 15 feet and being 6 feet wide. The area left was an isle that Sheina and Baas could walk down. It was 12 feet wide and stretched all the way to the opposite side of the wooden structure where a similar exit was that led to the closed of field.

Busy marveling at the site, Sheina and Baas had not noticed Eltin and Altea walking toward them. Eltin, still shirtless, was holding a u-shaped rather thick piece of metal in his hand. When the two got close enough, Sheina and Baas could begin to understand what they were saying.

"I don’t get it sis." Eltin said shaking his head. "How in the Wig did people ever get this to work?"

Altea continued to look at Eltin.

"I mean, it’s not like we can measure him or ask him. But I know they used to do it so there's got to be a way."

Altea took the metal piece from Eltin. They both stopped walking. Altea stared deeply into the piece in her hand. Eltin watched her. She often held the answer he sought when he was in trouble. He was sure this time would be no different.

After about five seconds of staring at the device, Sheina and Baas reached the two.
"Hey..." Baas started.

"Shush." Eltin told him.
"Altea’s thinking."

Baas and Sheina turned toward Altea. Indeed she was deep in thought about the metal device. She stared deeply into it, as though challenging it with her eyes. Finally, after what seemed like the end of an intense battle, she closed her eyes. The three could see she was done thinking. They eagerly awaited the result.

Altea, keeping her eyes closed, suddenly threw the metal piece aside.

"Aw come on sis." Eltin said going to pick up the metal piece. "Don’t give up."

He then presented it to her as though it were a gift.
"If you can’t do it, I don’t know who can. Pleeeeaaaase."

Altea let out a sigh. She then took the metal from Eltin and walked toward the exit where Sheina and Baas had come from.

"That’s the spirit." Eltin said with a smile.

After she had left, Baas asked the question he had in his mind since he first entered the building.

"What was that thing?"

"It was a shoe." Eltin said wiping sweat from his head. "It’s for Serho. I’m trying to make it so he can run without hurting his feet so much. The only thing is, those types of shoes haven’t been made in a long time, so I have no idea how to make one. But if anyone can do it it’s… ah Atsuma."

The two turned to see Atsuma walking toward them.
"Hey Eltin," he said eagerly, "I need to talk to you..." Atsuma then looked at Sheina and Baas. "Outside."

Eltin understood and followed Atsuma outside. Baas was curious. What were they going to talk about? He began to follow them when he felt a tug on his collar. Before he could get far, Sheina yanked him back to have fall on his rear. She put her hand on her hips and began to talk in authority.

"That means they want to talk alone. As in without you."

Baas rubbed the back of his head and smiled widely at Sheina. "Aww, that’s no fun."

He began to pick himself off of the dirt ground. "Still I wonder what that thing was. Eltin said it was a shoe but I’ve never seen any shoe like that. Then again, he did say they haven’t been made in a while. I can see why they went out of style. I would hate to have to wear metal shoes. Plus, it was in the shape of an arch. That’s just poor designing. I feel sorry for this Serho guy. He’s gonna hate that gift once they finish it."

Sheina giggle at Baas’ comments. He had no idea why, but every word he said, Sheina found more and more hilarious.

Baas began to walk toward the back exit.

"So what do you think they use this for Sheina?" He asked. "Such a wide open field back there. Do you think they do laps there?"

Sheina’s giggling continued to increase.

"Well you’re offly giggly today." Baas said. He didn’t mind though. Even if it wasn’t on purpose, he never saw a friend laughing as a bad thing.

Baas got closer and closer to the back of the stable. Suddenly, something felt off. He no longer felt that he and Sheina were the only presence there. Baas turned to his left to look in one of the stalls.

"BRRR!" came the noise.
Baas fell back when he saw the creature. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. It was as tall as he was... or perhaps a little taller. He wasn’t sure. He was to scared to make and accurate decision. Plus, when it held it’s head up, it grew taller. It had a snout that face toward Baas. It’s eyes where thin and completely black. It had black hair running down it’s large neck. The creature was brown and stood on four legs. Baas could make out the rather healthy calves that it had. There was something on it’s back, but Baas didn’t care about that.

"SHEINA!" He screamed getting his sword ready. "There’s something in here!"

Sheina began laughing even harder.

Baas on the other hand was prepared to strike. This creature would not... wait a second. The thing on the creature back. It was... man made. Some sort of... seat for riding the creature.

Baas put his sword back in between his shield and back. The creature was not attacking him.

"I see." Baas said getting an idea. "Sheina, whatever this thing is, the people here have it trained." He then moved toward the seat like structure that was on the creature."“See Sheina, someone sits up here and then they... um... do something."

Sheina’s endless giggle continued. Baas was totally clueless as to what was in front of him.

"Well," Baas said, grabbing the seat. "The only way to find out is to try it."

Baas then proceed to lift himself onto the creature. It took a while to balance himself, but he finally was able to sit firmly atop of the creature.

"Okay... thing... let’s go... do stuff."

The creature began to move to the back of the building. Baas was happy. He had got it to work.

"See Sheina?" He said getting closer to the open field in the back. "I’m a natural with things like thiiiiiiiiiiissssssss!!!"

Suddenly, without warning, the creature began to act crazy. As soon as it and Baas had reached the field surrounded by the fence, the creature began bucking, jumping, and running wildly. It’s movements suggested it wanted Baas to get off it’s back. And off he flew. Within a few seconds, Baas was slammed onto the hard floor. He stared at the sky as he pondered what happened.

"Ow." He moaned rubbing the back of his head. Once he was off, the creature began to settle down.

Baas stood up an contemplated his situation. "Oh I get it. It’s training. If I can stay on that beast, I can do anything."

Meanwhile, Sheina continued to laugh.

Baas walked toward the horse to try and get back on. The creature moved away from him.

"Hey." he whined. "I can’t do the training if you won’t even let me on."

He moved toward the creature again, again the creature moved away.

"Come on, that’s not fair." Baas said getting angry.

The creature made a noise at Baas. It sounded as though it blew air from it’s lips. That made Baas even angrier.

"Oh, so you’re laughing at me huh?" He said taking out his sword.

Analysis. It’s what they had trained him to do best at the Center. The creatures strong points were it’s legs, but they were also left completely open. Baas smirked. He had found his opponent’s weakness. All he had to do was injure the legs, and the creature would be immobilized. Baas twirled his sword in his right hand ready to attack. Prepared, he charged forward to...

"Baas don’t you dare!”"
Upon hearing Sheina’s voice, Baas almost tripped. Sheina quickly walked over to the creature.
"It’s a horse Baas." She said as though Baas were stupid. "You know? Gentle creatures for riding."

As Sheina got closer to the horse, she slowed down. Approaching it calmly, a soft smile appeared on her face. She began to pet the creature she called a horse very gently on the snout. He seemed to enjoy when she did that.


"A horse?" Baas said confused. "I thought those were extinct."

"No way!" Sheina said still smiling at the creature. "They’re just incredibly rare. According to history, horses were once used by all the countries in the war. But they were used so much that many of them died in battle. Now adays, they are so rare, you could use them to buy three blue ships with just one baby horse. I used to hear people at the other base talk about this horse all the time. His name is Serho and he belongs to Eltin."

Baas was beginning to understand. "Oh so you’re Serho." He looked down and noticed the creatures u-shaped hoofs. That explained everything to Baas. Soon enough though, Baas anger began to return. "That still doesn’t explain why it won’t let me ride it."

Sheina grabbed the saddle of the horse. Doing it as gracefully as possible, as though the horse helped her, Sheina lifted herself onto it‘s back. After petting the horse and painlessly tugging on it’s hair, the horse began to move in the direction she pulled.
"It’s because you weren’t gentle enough Baas. You’re too wild and you frightened it."

Baas watched in amazement while Sheina rode as though she had been doing it her entire life.

She circled the area a few times and then came to a stop.

"I get it." Baas said with a happy smile. "Let me try now."

Sheina carefully pulled herself down from the horse. Baas approached the horse very calmly. He reached up to pet it’s snout like Sheina had done.

"There." he said gently "That’s it boy."

The Serho held still while Baas was petting it’s snout. Baas then proceeded to pull himself on the back of the horse. When he was on, Serho did not move.

Baas’ body grew tense as it expected the horse to throw him off. Slowly, it relaxed.

"Well," he said in triumph, "That wasn’t so bad."

Baas began to pet the horse.

"This guy’s so nice. I can’t believe I thought he was meeeeeeaaaaaaannnnn..."

Suddenly, the horse began bucking again trying to force Baas off it’s back. Within seconds, Baas was once again lying on the ground. When he did, the horse neighed in joy.

"You are laughing at me aren’t you?" Baas said annoyed.

"Don’t worry, you’re not the only who he does that to." Came a voice. Sheina and Baas turned to see Acol leaning on the side of the fence. A nice big smile was on her face.

"That horse is very picky about who rides it. I think it has something to do with the personality. So far only Eltin, Panda... and now this one, can ride it calmly."

Baas stood up and rubbed the back of his head. "Well that’s not fair."

Sheina giggled. "I thought you were a natural with things like this Baas."

"I can’t believe it lets you ride it and not me." Baas brushed himself off. A big smile came across his face. "Then again, I’d choose a pretty girl over myself any day."

At that moment, the Serho made a loud neighing sound.

"Oh." Baas said talking to the horse. "You think that’s funny?"

Serho’s head went up and down.

Baas smiled. This was gonna be fun.

"Serho, I think me and you are gonna get along fine. As soon as I can ride you..."

Baas then began to charge at the horse in an attempt to jump on it. Seeing Baas come, the horse began to run away from him. The game was on. Sheina moved to where Acol was to let Baas enjoy his fun.

Back at the front of the stable, Atsuma and Eltin were concluding their business.

"Three days!? That‘s a little long isn‘t it?" Eltin said.

"I know, but Cham won’t budge. He says for a decision like this, he wants as many experienced Leaders as possible. The ones that are here now won’t leave and he’s giving the rest until then to come."

"You okay with that?"

"Of course not! We’ve already lost a week coming here and searching for her will take up a good amount of time. We need to move now!" Atsuma punched his fist into his other hand.

"Calm down Atsuma." Eltin comforted. "Listen, I’m sure we’ll get Commander Vanessa."

"The longer she’s away from us Eltin, the better chance she has at being in danger."

"Listen, whoever captured Commander Vanessa did so for a reason. If they wanted to kill her, they would have done so in the woods. Torture is against the rules of Wig, so the chances are that she’s alive and okay."

"We all know that not everyone follows the rules of Wig." Atsuma mood was getting grave.

"If they don’t, the Discretes will find out, they’ll tell the Officials, and they’ll decide a just punishment." Eltin said with a light attitude.

"Meanwhile, Vee still suffers."

Eltin sighed. "I can’t make you stay optimistic Ats. You usually do so well with that yourself. But I know that staying angry won’t fix the problem. Everyone knows you think best when your calm and we’re gonna need you to be at your best. Commander Vanessa needs you."

Atsuma took a deep breath. "You’re right Eltin. As usual. You really will make a good Official one day."

Eltin laughed and then turned to make sure no one around could hear him. "I still can’t believe Acol told you that."

"I still can’t believe you told Acol. I understand telling Altea, but that big mouth can’t keep a secret, especially when she’s talking to me."

"Yeah, well, just make sure it stays that way. You know how rare Officials are. If anyone finds out..."

"You and everyone who knows you will be in danger. I know. Don‘t worry."

Eltin gave a smile to show that he trusted Atsuma. Atsuma decided now to change the subject.

"So how’s the old horse? Is he doing okay."

"Oh he’s fine. I was trying to make him a present but I can’t get it down. Metal shoes? They just don’t make any sense. Even Altea can’t figure it out."

"Yeah I saw her walking back to the weapons place. Is that where you make them?"

"That’s where we try. But unless I’m holding Serho’s feet up to melting metal, I don’t have the proper measurements."

Atsuma began to ponder. “I was wondering, could you apply that to human shoes."

Eltin thought to himself. "I don’t think I could but Altea’s a freaking genius. With the proper shoe size, I’d bet she could do it in her sleep."

"That give’s me an idea." Atsuma said with a smirk. The two began to walk down the path that to get Altea.

Back in the back, Baas was having a blast trying to get on Serho’s saddle. Constantly running around and laughing, Baas would never give up trying to grab the saddle and get onto it. Sometimes he would miss it. Sometimes he would grab it and be dragged by Serho. Sometimes Serho even let him get onto the sattle. But the result was always the same. Baas ended up on the floor. Sometimes his face was serious, but often he was laughing.

Sheina marveled at the experience. Baas really was good with Serho. Even though it appeared that they were disagreeing, she could see that they were just two jokesters playing around. And... being with the horse made him stand out more. Sheina realized that Baas was really a gentle creature, just like a horse. He was made to do work, but at the same time he enjoyed playing. Once again, the light that showed on Baas made him stand out more so than usual. It may have been just the golden setting of the sunset, but Sheina felt that it actually made him look...

"So cute!"

Sheina was stunned by the statement Acol had made.

"In this light, he looks cuter than I first though when we first met!"

Sheina scoffed. "Yeah. If you like that kind of thing."

"Oh, come now miss too grown up. I can tell, you like him more than you let on."

Sheina began to blush. The comment made her fluster.
"Well... I do respect..."

"Don’t even try that. As a Leader, I’m a master at analyzing and I can tell you love being with him."

Sheina blushed harder. What was she to say? Denying or accepting it could make the situation worse.

"It’s okay." Acol reassured. "At your age it’s hard to admit, but when you get to the point where you stop caring about what others think, you’ll accept it. It‘s not like it‘s a bad thing. What‘s not to love about him. He‘s sweet, appreciates a good joke and is good in a fight."

There was a moment of pause. Then Acol spoke again. "You two belong together. You should officially claim him. I can tell he likes to be with you just as much as you like to be with him."

Sheina looked at Acol anxiously. She then looked at Baas. Was it true what Acol said? Did they really belong together? Baas was always complimenting her. And with her people skills, she could keep him under control. It’s why she would make a good Official...

Sheina did not let her thoughts go past that. Whenever she thought about things like this, that thought always stopped her. Eventually, she would have to leave whoever she wound up with. She was still waiting for the day when a Discrete would tell her it was her time.

"It wouldn’t work." She said simply. Her eyes began to get gloomy. "Eventually, we’d leave each other. If you‘re going to wind up saying goodbye, it‘s best just not to say hello."

"Is that the best excuse you have? Look at Eltin. The day Atsuma finally declares his love for me is the day I claim him as mine. But until that time, Eltin still believes he has hope. He still believes that until I actually do leave him, that I won’t leave him. And so far, he’s right. I haven’t left him."

Acol stopped starring at the two playing and gave Sheina a polite smile. "You can’t be afraid to say hello because you don’t want to say goodbye, even if you wind up saying it, goodbye is a long ways away."

Sheina had never thought of it like that. Perhaps one day, she could have that kind of life. She looked at Baas. Perhaps one day she could find that person that she’d want to be with. The person who she made better. Who made her better. The person who would seem like was made for her. Perhaps...

But that person couldn’t be Baas. No matter how she felt, she had made a promise.

Sheina smiled gently and spoke softly to Acol. "I can’t be with him. He’s already got somebody." She then looked at Acol. "And... despite my feelings... I’d be a terrible person to separate two friends who obviously belong to each other."

Acol was sought a back. This young woman had some wisdom of her own.

"I guess your right." She said. "Oh well, I thought I could convince you to take Serho."

"Serho?" Sheina asked confused.

"Yeah." Acol said lightheartedly "I saw you two really connected. I thought maybe I could convince Commander Cham to let him go with you. But I didn’t take into account Eltin’s feelings. Now that I think about it, he would be devastated"

Sheina took some time to figure out what Acol was saying. Then she blushed. She and Acol were talking about two different things the whole time. How could she have been so foolish. She almost admitted to something that would’ve been completely embarrassing.

"Head’s up!" came a voice. The two moved out of the way to see Baas’ feet jump past them. Baas was skipping across the posts of the fence while next to him, Serho was galloping.

When Baas got to the opposite side of Sheina, he stopped. His smile was wide on his face. Serho stopped in front of Baas. He shook his head as though daring him to try something.

"Don’t even try that." Baas thought to himself. "You want me to think I’m in range so I’ll jump. Then you’ll move out the way and laugh at my face. Well I got a trick for you."

Baas then began to speak out loud. "Hey look Serho! There’s Sheina!"

The horse turned around to look at his new friend.

"Got ya!" Baas said jumping from the fence. He had made it. Serho was distracted. One he was on, Baas would never let go. There was nothing Serho could do now...

*POW*

Upon hearing Baas shout, the horse did not want to lose. It lifted it’s hind legs and bucked it’s feet in Baas face. Baas fell backwards onto the floor.

Sheina and Acol both gasped. The incident did not look like it was gentle. Baas looked seriously hurt. Sheina quickly ran to see if he was okay.

Before she could reach him, Baas began to sit up.

Sheina wasn’t sure what to expect. The hit was extremely hard. He would need serious medical treatment.

Upon sitting up, Baas was… smiling. That wasn’t the only thing noticeable about him though. His left eye was purple and swollen.

By now, Acol had reached to where Serho was.
"Serho, what did I tell you about playing so roughly?"

The horse put its head down in shame.

"You think you feel bad?" Acol went on. "Think how poor Baas must feel."

"Hey, it’s okay." Baas said. "It was an accident. He just reacted because he didn’t want to lose. Besides I feel fiiiiiinnneeee!!!!"

Baas began to feel the sting in his eye. He quickly placed his hands on it as the burning feeling increased.

"Don’t irritate it!" Sheina said slapping his hand away.

"I don’t think hitting me will help either Sheina."

"Aw, you poor thing." Acol said. She opened her arms wide. "Here, a little hug will make it all better."

"NO!" Baas and Sheina said simultaneously.

"It’s starting to feel better, really." Baas stuttered.

"Well, you should be thankful if all you got was a black eye." Acol said "A kick from a horse is never that casual. It can even kill a man. At the very least, you get a broken nose. I‘m really amazed."

"See? It was an accident. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have." Baas assured. "Now then, Serho, I want a rematch."

The horse neighed loud and nodded it’s head.

"A rematch my foot." Sheina said affirmatively. "You’re getting that thing treated."

"Hmm, no thanks." Baas said. "I can't let him think he won."

"I'm not asking." Sheina said stamping her foot. "Let's go."

Baas stuck his tongue out at Sheina. Sheina used that opportunity to grab Baas by the ear.

"Ow ow ow, Sheina. I’m sorry. Please let go."

"Are you going to come with me to get that looked at?"

"Yes. Okay. Please. Just let go."

"Good." Sheina said nodding her head. She took Baas’ right arm and wrapped it around her neck. The two began to walk back the way they had entered

"Sheina." Baas began to wonder. "Why are you holding my arm? I can walk fine."

Sheina blushed. "We don’t know what happened to your body during that fall. If you suddenly fall apart from a sudden... I don’t know... delayed reaction, I want to be ready."

Baas thought to himself for a sec. That made sense.

Back on the field, Acol was left petting Serho. As she watched the two walk away, she couldn’t help but think something was missing.

She began to speak low to Serho. "I know you didn’t mean to Serho, but you really hurt that boy."

Serho put his head down.

"I know, I know, you’re sorry. But why don’t you go show him that? Put away any doubt that’s in his mind."

Serho lifted his head and blew some air from his mouth. He then began to walk toward Baas and Sheina. When he reached them, he put his head under Baas’ other arm and raised it with his head.

"It looks like he really is sorry." Sheina said with a smile.

"I know you are." Baas said with a soft smile. "And now maybe you’ll let me..." he reached his left arm toward the saddle. Serho neighed loud and shook his head.

"Alright. Don’t push it. I get it." Baas said with a smile.

"Honestly Baas, even animals fuss at you. What would you do if someone wasn’t yelling at you all the time?"

Baas let out a small chuckle. It grew and grew until finally it was a loud laugh.

"What was so funny?" Sheina asked confused.

"Nothing." Baas said calming down. "It’s just, that was one of the last things Vatti said to me. It‘s amazing that she seems to still be following me. It's like we belong together."

Sheina’s expression changed from her smile. First it went to disappointed. Then, a softer smile appeared on her face.

As the three reached the end of the stable, the same expression appeared on Baas’ face as he began to daydream.

"I really do miss her Sheina."

Sheina understood.

"I know you do Baas. I know."

Chapter 28 End
​

 

[kokirion]

Really good chapter, you can write them pretty fast and long You mean Eltin is like Sheina also a waiting official?

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

I can't cliffhang to this! Arrg!

But seriously, nothing comes to my mind that would be a good cliffhanger. Oh well.

Anyways, nice chapter. The part with Serho was hilarious. And I almost thought they were tossing horseshoes for a moment. Good chapter, hope to see more from ya soon.

 

[Random Person]

I can't cliffhang to this! Arrg!

But seriously, nothing comes to my mind that would be a good cliffhanger. Oh well.

Anyways, nice chapter. The part with Serho was hilarious. And I almost thought they were tossing horseshoes for a moment. Good chapter, hope to see more from ya soon.

Go back and read the part about Atsuma and Eltin.

 

[Vanessa28]

Next Chapter please I am curious!!

 

[Magatha]

I can't wait for the next chapter!

 

[Random Person]

Whoo! It's been a while as I have been practicing my drawing skills rather than my writing, but here is the next chap. Enjoy
...
or else.
​

Chapter 29 : Nothing
​

"I can go one more round."

"So can I, and this time I’ll get revenge for that move you pulled last fight."

"Baas, how many times have we fought?"

"One million."

"And how many times have I beaten you?"

"One million and one."

The two friends smiled. It wasn’t Baas best joke, but then again they never were. But there was something special about this joke. Baas and Vatti only exchanged those lines for one specific reason. When they were about to fight each other one on one. It reminded Baas to keep improving so he could be equal to Vatti. It reminded Vatti to keep improving to stay ahead of Baas. It reminded them both of how long they had been together. Something Vatti needed to be reminded of. For today was her 16th birthday, and she couldn’t think of anything she’d rather be doing then fighting Baas before she left.

The two friends were in the cave they had last seen Sheina in. Other then themselves, the only other person in the room was a Discrete overlooking them. Upon entering the room, expecting a farewell, the two were suddenly given their best wooden weapons and were ordered by the Discrete to fight. When Baas asked why, the Discrete said the matter was not of his concern. Though he did want to continue arguing, Baas ceased when he saw Vatti pick up her weapon. His excitement covered his anger and curiosity. He was always anxious to fight his best friend.

After fighting two matches, with Vatti being the victor of both, the two were getting ready to fight their third. Baas twirled the sword in his right hand. Instinctively, he checked for the strap of a shield on both of his shoulders. There was none. The Discrete had not given him one. Normally he could make do without it, but he liked to fight at his best whenever he fought Vatti. Without his shield, Baas felt he was at a major disadvantage from usual.

Vatti kept both of her hands on the weapon she had been given. Even though she had won both fights, she wouldn’t let up her guard. Not with Baas. Though they had made the million fights joke, in truth Baas, had beaten Vatti on some occasions. Generally, their fights ended as Vatti winning as she was the better fighter, however, if she did not give it her all when fighting Baas, there was no doubt in her mind that she would lose. Baas not having a shield already made things difficult for her. If Baas didn’t know his best strategy by heart, Vatti did. The fact that he didn’t have a shield meant he would have to switch up his style on the spot, which was something Baas excelled at. Without Baas having his shield, Vatti felt she was at a major disadvantage from usual.

The two stood about 20 feet across from each other. Each holding their own fighting stance. Each prepared to defend. Each deciding what attack to do first. The atmosphere was tense. Any slight movement from each other could set the other off.

Baas was having trouble planning his actions.

"Okay Baas" he thought, "last time you threw your sword. It was sneaky and she wasn’t expecting it, but it still didn’t work. Vatti’s speed allows her to follow me up even with my sneak attacks. How can I beat her? I need to do something unexpected again. But… she’s probably expecting that since I did it so many times. This may be the last time I ever get to fight Vatti. I have to make it count. Make it like no fight before."

Baas’ legs dug into the ground. He knew what he was going to do. He took his strength and then began to charge at Vatti. She would be expecting him to do something interesting. Baas was hoping a straight charge would throw her off.

Vatti responded. She took her sword and came forward as well. However, as she pushed her self forward, Baas noticed her motions. Her sword was coming down. The expression on Vatti’s face suggested she lost her balance. Baas wasn’t sure how, but he saw his chance. A straight attack would be best after all as Vatti’s sword was pointed toward the ground. Any fighter would know that meant certain disaster for the person holding the weapon. Vatti’s weapon would collide with the ground then...

Baas thought all of this in one second. It took him a total of two seconds to get to where Vatti was. In the last second he had, something else went through his head.

"No. Vatti never messes up like this. She’s preparing for her curve attack."

It was too late for Baas though. He could not stop his movement. As Vatti’s sword came up from the ground in a curve motion, Baas could only try to follow through and hope his attack would work.

It didn’t.

Vatti’s wooden sword met Baas in the stomach. Baas lost his breath and fell to the ground.

Vatti had won

Vatti stood upright and put her sword over her right shoulder.

"Baas, have you really gotten so bad that I can beat you in one move?"

Baas sat up to his rear. He was still trying to recover from the blow.

"Well this sucks." He said aloud. "I was hoping that one would be the match of the century. But I keep falling for that curved attack."

"Well maybe you shouldn’t run straight in for an attack. It's not exactly suited for fighting me."

Baas stood up smiling.
"I was hoping to surprise you. I know you were expecting something weird from me. I thought a straight attack would throw you."

Vatti shook her head in disappointment.
"All this time Baas and you still haven’t caught on to my secret."

Baas turned his head to the side. Her secret. His eyes then got wide...
"Don’t tell me... this whole time..." Baas said hesitantly. Vatti looked at him waiting to see if he’d guessed it.

"YOU'RE A BOY?!"

Vatti came up to Baas and punched him in the arm.
"No I’m not a boy!"

Baas laughed so hard that his stomach hurt. Vatti kept her sour face for a bit longer. Then she slowly began to lighten up. Baas wouldn’t be Baas if he hadn’t made jokes like that.

"Baas" she said smirking, "You can beat a lot of people. Once I’m gone, you’ll be the best fighter in the Center, but you’ll never beat me because you fail to see that..."

"You’re a boy."

"...I’m a boy. NO! Stop saying that. You’ve been fighting me for a long time so you’ve gotten better. The problem that you’re missing is that I get used to your strategies."

"I already know that Vatti."

"Then the next time you fight me, do something I would never expect you to do. Ever. Not just something new."

Baas blew air from his mouth. What was Vatti talking about? He always did unusual things.

At that moment, another Discrete walked in. The one who had been watching Baas and Vatti proceeded to walk toward him.

"Why are you guys making us do all this anyway?" Baas asked.

The Discrete answered as he got farther away. "It is of nothing that concerns you."

Baas, still watching the Discrete walk away, began talking to Vatti.
"Yeah right. Nothing. I hate that word. You know why? Cause every time someone says 'it’s nothing' that means they’re hiding something, which isn’t nothing."

"Did you figure that out all by yourself?"
Vatti asked sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact I did." Baas said catching the joke. "When I told a Discrete the other day, he thought it was very profound. Said it was the smartest thing he ever heard."

The two friends laughed.

Baas looked back at where the Discretes had gone. They had left the room from his and Vatti’s sights. Baas was sure he knew what that meant.

"Well." He said taking a deep breath. "They must be done observing your fighting skills."

He then turned back toward Vatti. "I guess this is where we say..."

Vatti suddenly hugged Baas. Baas had not seen her coming as he had his attention turned. The sudden shock made him drop his sword. His muscles were all tense. Then... he slowly calmed down. This was Vatti. This was his long friend. This was not a moment to be tense about. This was a moment to remember. Baas slowly raised his arms and, as best he could, wrapped them around his friend. Tears ran down both of the two friends’ eyes.

"I’ll miss you Baas."

"I’ll miss you too Vatti."

The two friends stayed that way for a while.

Just outside of the room, the two Discretes were involved in a serious conversation.

"What are your results?"

"Inconclusive. Neither of the two show proper signs. It could be because they are both young but thus far, I can only conclude that they‘re good fighters for their age."

"That just as well may be the case. But the fact that they are so good means there’s a possibility one of them could be one."

"The best prediction would be Vatti. The only reason Baas is so good is because she’s been training him her whole life. Vatti herself has become skilled through her own will and talent."

"But you must recall some of the things we have seen Baas do. And his lineage makes it more plausible to suggest it is him."

"We must also take the consideration that it could be both of them."

"Such a thing is highly unlikely. It‘s been so long since we‘ve missed even one, I doubt we missed two."

"Such a thing would also upset Discrete A far beyond what we’ve ever seen."

The two men were silent at that thought.

"Perhaps I should examine them instead."

"That is a wise choice. Two minds thinking on one subject are more likely to find results. At this age, it‘s nearly impossible to tell without the right tools. You must watch carefully."

"I am aware. Let us hope for our sake and theirs that I find nothing."

"Not to mention the sake of Wig."

"Of course."

While the two men had their private meeting, Baas and Vatti continued their farewell hug.
They had been silent for some time, but Vatti knew it was time for her to speak up.

"Baas..." she said hesitantly. "I... uh... need to tell you... something."

Baas released his hug while still keeping his hands no Vatti’s shoulders. He had a soft, gentle and understanding smile about him.

"It’s okay Vatti. I already know."

Vatti blushed. Baas knew? How could he have known? Did he tell anyone? If he did, her reputation would be...

Baas pulled Vatti back into his hug.
"It’s okay." He said still speaking softly. "You don’t have to hide it anymore."

Vatti wanted to push Baas away.
She wanted to tell him it wasn’t what he thought.
She wanted to... but, she felt safe there in his arms. And Baas understood. Was that not what she wanted?
Now that they had reached their teens, Baas was taller than her. As he hugged her, Vatti could rest her head on his chest. She could now here his heartbeat. Even though he had been fighting, it was nice and soft. She could’ve stayed there forever listening to his heart.

"But Vatti," Baas continued to speak softly. "The sooner you tell everyone you’re a boy. The better you’ll feel."

...

Baas was suddenly out of breath. His stomach was in a lot of pain. Baas bent down in pain as Vatti’s fist left his stomach.

"I’m not a boy Baas!"
Vatti said with a deathly stare.

Baas chuckled.
"Tell that to my stomach."

Vatti moved away from Baas and crossed her arms.
"Why must you always ruin moments Baas?"

"Be... because..." Baas struggled. "I wanted... to hear... you yell at me... one last time... before you left."

Vatti looked at Baas intrigued.

Baas took a deep breath so he could speak normally. "Cause that’s the kind of relationship I had with my best friend at the Center. I never want to forget that. And I never want to forget you."

Vatti raised an eyebrow. Then she smiled. "What would you do if someone wasn’t there yelling at you all the time."

"I would probably get away with a lot of stuff." Baas said smiling widely. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"

Vatti smiled softly.
"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Baas repeated getting upset. "But..."

"Nothing." Vatti said sternly. There was some anger in her voice.

"Right, nothing." Baas said nervously. There was a point where Vatti could get too angry and Baas felt he had almost reached that point.

At that moment, the other Discrete walked in.

"What happened to James?" Baas asked. Then he gasped. "Don't tell me... you killed him!"
Baas then got on his knees. "WHY, JAMES WHHHHYYYYY!!!"

Vatti laughed at the joke.

The Discrete remained emotionless.
"If you’re referring to Discrete J, I will be taking over."

The Discrete went and stood in the exact same spot as the last.

"You two will fight once more time."

That caught the two off guard.
Baas grew excited though. He thought that the previous fight would be the last time he would ever get to fight Vatti. Now he would get one more chance to prove himself. He waas always anxious to fight his best friend.

In excitement, Baas picked up his sword. He took it in his right hand and held it still. Then, he noticed something about it. Staring at it deeply, something was coming to his head. Analysis. It’s what they were training him to do best in the Center. Baas suddenly twirled the sword in his hand. He did this often, but this time, he did not stop at one twirl. He kept his arm spinning having the sword move around it. He quickly brought his arm closer to his body and, timing it just right, grabbed the sword’s handle from behind his back with his other arm and continued twirling it without stopping. Baas then kept twirling it on his left arm while moving different parts of his body. It appeared as though the sword was magnetized to his arms as he twisted them around his body. Ending the fantastic show, Baas threw the sword up into the air, let it twirl up there, and, with one hand, caught the handle. With a smile on his face, he suddenly turned to Vatti.

"Vatti did you see that? I didn't even know I could..."

*CLACK*

Vatti moved in toward Baas and attacked him with a horizontal slash. Baas saw the attacked just in time and deflected it away while jumping back.

"What, that?" Vatti said smirking. "That was nothing."

"Nothing? I’m obviously getting better. You better watch out, or I’ll win this match."

"Baas. Exactly how many times have we fought?"

"One million."

"And how many times have I beaten you?"

"One million and one."

The two friends smirked.

Though they did not see it, the Discrete standing there also let out an expression on his face. He spoke so that only he could hear.
"Nothing indeed."

Chapter 29 End
​

 

[athenian200]

Wow. I knew that there was some kind of special group that Diablo thought Baas and Atsuma belonged to, but it looks like the Discretes know about this group too, and see them as a threat of some kind.

Baas has a really weird, twisted sense of humor (though still funny). It's good that Vaati can put up with it, I don't know if a lot of people could have.