"I’ll take care of it." Katt murmured, stepping forward to clear the path into the Rebel Camp. It was easy work, taking only a solid blow to each of the three rocks that made up the barricade. Simple work was ideal, as it left her mind free to work on other problems. Her strange combination of friendship and rivalry with Nina, or the even stranger fact that there didn’t appear to be a Shaman alive that could bond with her. But even more than those, she wondered what was so special about Ryu. Why did she feel so... incomplete... when he was gone?

"All clear!" She called. As Ryu drew near, she walked alongside him and spoke softly. "Why do I feel nervous about this?"

"Probably because we couldn’t find their sponsor, and... I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of reporting failure to Tiga."

"It’s more than that. It’s..." She cut herself off as they entered Tiga’s hut.

"Good! You’re back!" Tiga said. "Our sponsor returned a few days ago. If I may introduce you..."

"We’ve met." An amused voice interrupted as Patty stepped out of the shadows.

"So we have..." Ryu said.

"Then," Tiga said. "There is, I think, one more thing which needs addressing before we retire for the night."

"What would that be?" Katt asked.

Stepping forward, he grasped Katt’s hand. "I would like Katt to accompany me during the attack tomorrow. Is that a problem for you, Ryu?"

Stiffly, Ryu shook his head, ignoring her pleading look. "If that’s what you want, Katt, it won’t be a problem.

It was a good decision, from a coldly logical point of view... But how could she be logical, let alone cold and uncaring, when she was being forced to leave Ryu?

Because, she told herself, her feelings in this situation didn’t matter. This situation or any other, for that matter.

"Well?" Tiga asked, jarring her back to reality.

"It sounds fine to me." She lied.

"Good! And when the battle is over, we can see about arranging the details of something more... permanent. Unless you had intended that for someone else? Ryu, perhaps?"

"Tiga! Stop that!" Patty said.

"Well?" He pressed, ignoring her.

"No! Ryu is just a... a friend." Katt stammered. Seeing Ryu immediately hide a look of pain behind a mask of stony indifference, she immediately wished she could unsay it... but it was too late.

"Is that true, Ryu? Tiga asked, turning to him. "Or will you fight me to prove it otherwise?"

With a sigh, Ryu shook his head. "If that’s what you want... I won’t deny you."

"Well, not to seem bloodthirsty... but I must admit, I do love a good fight. Shall we get to it, then?’ Tiga said, mistaking the reply as having been meant for him.

Only a minute later, he was fighting for his life.

* * * * *

When they squared off, Ryu seemed confident enough. He seemed to have set his emotions aside, for a time, as he held his sword with an ease that verged on being inattentive. He was faster than Tiga, and more agile, and he knew it. When the signal was given, and the fight began, though, all semblance of laziness disappeared. The moment the signal was given, he stepped forward and swung his sword in a one-handed arc that landed, with the flat, on Tiga’s forehead. His left fist flew out immediately afterward, striking Tiga’s chest and knocking him to the ground.

"Not bad..." Tiga said, rising to his feet. "But it won’t happen again. Just try it..."

"As you wish..." Ryu shrugged. Stepping forward again, he brought his sword about in the same arc. Leaping back as Tiga leapt forward, he grabbed his sword with his left hand as his right snaked out and caught Tiga on the jaw.

"Will you give up now?" Ryu asked as he switched hands to hold his sword in his right hand again.

"No... I’m just getting warmed up. You’re lucky, that’s all." Tiga stepped forward, dropping under flashing steel, and grabbed Ryu’s ankle. With a heave, he lifted Ryu, spinning him over his head once and throwing him off to the side for good measure.

Silently, Ryu picked himself up, wiping dust from his face with his free hand. Charging back with fire in his eyes, he swung his sword in a vicious arc intended to decapitate his opponent. Tiga ducked, then leaped forward to avoid a shower of splinters as a tent pole exploded with the force of the blow dealt to it. Lashing out, he sent Ryu flying with a harsh blow to the jaw.

"What was that about?" He demanded.

"Ryu’s never been fond of flying!" Bow called from the side. "A demon attacked him once as a child and did something similar to that... The last man to do that to him during his training was cleaned off the walls with a rag. Don’t bother trying to snap him out of it... He’s beyond reason!"

It appeared that he was right. Ryu walked back into the action with his sword held at the ready with a cold, frightening calm. With lightning quick blows, he began to slowly tear Tiga apart. Finally, he drew his blade back, pointing it toward Tiga’s heart.

"Ryu!" Katt cried. "Wake up!"

Blinking, he came back to himself in time to find Tiga’s fist planted firmly in his gut. As his knees buckled under him, he gritted his teeth.

"I concede." He gasped.

* * * * *

Katt lay, torn between the intense desire to curl up into a ball and disappear, and the urge to stretch out and soak up the heat of the fire nearby. Trying desperately to ignore Tiga as he approached, she compromised by rolling over, and turning her back to both him and the fire.

"You know you couldn’t have had him, don’t you?" Tiga said. "You’re a full-blooded Woren, and he’s... well... not."

"That’s what this is all about? Species?" She turned to him. "Are you at all aware how hunted the Woren are right now? A member of the Hunter’s guild tried to buy me from Ryu once. A half-blood wouldn’t have so much to worry about."

"You should know me better than that by now. That’s only a part of it. I just feel that I can do my best work if you’re there to support me."

"I know how you feel." But Ryu wouldn’t be there for her. She sighed, and turned her back to Tiga once again.

"Can you promise me, then, that you’ll be there for me tomorrow?" He asked, almost hesitant.

"I will. But for now I’m going to try to sleep."

* * * * *

Sleep was slow in coming, though. Her closed eyes saw only the blue haired man she had loved, and then left. How she wished she could recall those words... And when sleep came, it was filled with dreams of the fight between Ryu and Tiga, dreams of telling Ryu that he had won, and dreams of living with him afterwards.

* * * * *

When she awoke, she reached into her bag, and drew out a small, spiked leather strip.

"It’s absolutely unnatural for a Woren to wear a collar." She said to herself. "And just as unnatural for one to love a Human. So why...?" She trailed off as Tiga woke up and she tied the small strings behind her neck. It was because she was raised among humans. It was because she was not, and never had been free. It was because she was, once again, a captive.

And it was because she deserved no better.