14 Her Last Day

Aisha swiveled around to address the silhouette behind her, going stiff. She generally didn't have the best luck with people who actively sought her out - the best of which in recent memory looking to capture and sell her as a slave.

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She was in a foul mood, so Aisha was fully prepared to try and shank whoever was behind her, nevermind if it was actually an enemy or not. Swiveling on her heel, she ripped her sword out of her pants and thrust it in the general direction of the voice, eyes dark with malice.

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"Whoa!"

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A hand picked Aisha's clean out of the air, stopping her sword from stabbing the poor soul behind her. Aisha growled as the hand squeezed, trying to get her to drop the weapon, but a mixture of anger, and pure strength, kept her going, out of a pure desire to stab something.

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"Hey!" The voice cried. "It's us!"

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Aisha took a glance upwards, and frowned, not relaxing, but also dropping her arm.

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"Both you and Lori are in such a bad mood, Maruna." Akasha scoffed. "Jeez. You were about to kill Fen!"

"I wouldn't have let that kill me." Fen mumbled, handsome features twitching.

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"...Oh." Aisha said flatly.

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"It's been a while!" Akasha said animatedly, bending down at the waist to look Aisha eye-to-eye. "I didn't think we'd run into you here!"

"Mmh."

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"What is wrong?" Fen asked softly, also stooping down a bit, but not quite attempting to touch foreheads like Akasha. "You look distressed."

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"It's nothing."

"It does not look like nothing."

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"It probably has something to do with Lorian." Akasha chimed. "...Oh."

Fen and Akasha shared a look, Akasha's playful expression turning serious, and Fen's cool expression turning apprehensive. The tallest of the three girls shot Akasha a concerned glare - but at the slightly mischievous glint in Akasha's eyes, the glare turned into a warning.

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"It's best to not pry." Fen frowned.

"Remember what happened the last time Lori got mad?"

"..."

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Aisha blinked, and suddenly, she was sitting in a booth, a pair of lithe arms wrapped firmly around her waist and squeezing tightly. Fen stared at the little fey from across the table with a mixed expression - a mix of concern, and some other stuff that Aisha didn't really care to pick out. Food of various colors and shapes sat in front of her, piled high, but for the first time in what felt like years, Aisha didn't really feel that hungry.

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"Tell big sis Akasha eeeeverything that's troubling you." Akasha cooed, bouncing Aisha slightly in her lap. "Everything."

"Nothing's wrong." Aisha mumbled dourly.

"We cannot help you if you don't wish for us to help." Fen sighed, eying the food in front of them.

"I don't want any help." Aisha muttered.

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"Are you sure?" Akasha chimed.

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"Yes."

"Re-"

"Stop." Fen grimaced.

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Akasha pouted in her seat, but nonetheless she shut her fat mouth.

"What about for Lorian?" Fen asked.

"...What about her." Aisha muttered.

"She's sad because of you. Do you not care about her?"

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Aisha bit her lip, and there was a long pause before she spoke again.

"Promise not to tell her?"

Fen opened her mouth. "I-"

"We promise!" Akasha said excitedly.

"..."

"...Ok." Aisha whispered, looking down at her hanging boots, not reaching the bottom of the booth. "I... I... I l-love mistress."

"..."

"..."

The silence in the booth was palpable, as Fen and Akasha just stared at her expectantly.

"...Is that it?" Fen said, after an eternity of silence.

"Yes!?" Aisha cried, incredulously.

"Well that's great!" Akasha said, hugging Aisha in her lap. "It's bee-"

"Hold on." Fen interrupted. "There's more, right?"

"Don't you see the problem?" Aisha said, with an anguished look. "There's no way... there's no way she'll ever love me back..."

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Akasha exploded in laughter, and although Fen didn't join in, she covered her face and shook her head in disappointment.

"T-that's what you think!??" Akasha cried, howling in laughter. "You think she doesn't like you?"

Aisha squirmed in the guffawing woman's lap in embarrassment. "W-what?"

"It's soooooo obvious!" She laughed, slapping her thigh. "It's soooooooooo obvious!" She shrieked.

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Aisha looked behind her, and saw the beginnings of tears forming at the corner of Akasha's eyes. She balled her fists in irritation, and then started to move out of Akasha's lap, putting a hand on the side of the booth.

"No, wait!" Akasha said, the vestiges of laughter leaving her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just... You really can't tell?"

Aisha looked around in desperation, wanting to know what the hell she was talking about. "Tell what? What don't I know?"

Fen shook her head. "All she speaks of is you. How cute Aisha is. How adorable she is. How toned her arms are. How fluffy her ears are."

Fen raised her hands in the air in a mocking fashion, pitching up her voice. "Aisha licked my face today, guys!"

"...It's really annoying." She muttered. Aisha raised an eyebrow.

(Did she just lose her accent?)

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"Hee hee." Akasha giggled. "You know how we recognized you so fast, even though we've only seen you one time?"

"It might be best if you don't reveal-" Fen started.

"Have you ever looked at her notebooks?" Akasha asked, leaning around to look at Aisha face to face.

"W-what? No?"

"No wonder!" Akasha giggled. "You might see her drawings! They're all of you! The only thing she does anymore in class is just draw you! And they're really lew-"

"That's enough." Fen muttered.

Aisha felt her cheeks burn up. "W-what does that mean?"

Fen sighed in irritation. "You two are truly meant for each other. You're both equally as dense and lovestruck."

"L=lovestruck?"

"She loooovess you..." Akasha teased, drawing out the love. "She loves you so much, it's obvious. And you do too! You two are so cute together already. It's going to be sooo much cuter..."

"S-she loves me?" Aisha whispered, rubbing her thighs together shyly.. "But then... why didn't she have sex with me?"

"She's just as silly as you." Akasha giggled. "She probably doesn't know."

"...Oh." Aisha said, feeling really stupid.

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"Hey mistress?" Aisha said apprehensively. It was probably the first word that they had said to each other for a while.

"W-wha?" Lorian said groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Aisha?"

"I... I wanted to tell you something." Aisha mumbled.

Even though she was still waking up, Lorian froze as she heard those words. They could mean a variety of things. She wanted to leave. She hated Lorian. She wanted to get a tattoo.

Lorian bit her lip. "Yes?"

"...I love you." Aisha whispered.

"Mmmmm..." Lorian mumbled, letting out a sigh of relief, that her adorable pet wasn't getting a tattoo. "Love you too."

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Wait, what?

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Lorian's eyes shot wide open, and wakefulness surged through her veins.

"W-what did you say?" She said, hope cracking into her voice.

"D-don't make me say it again..." Aisha whined. "I-I... I love you mistress."

"R-really? You d-don't... hate me?" She whispered.

"Why would I hate you?" Aisha mumbled. "You take such good care of me, and you love me, and you rub my tummy, fluff my ears, and pet my head, and make me feel so good."

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Now that Aisha really thought about it, she realized how stupid she was. There was no way mistress didn't love her.

"I'm just... wai-mistress ahhh!!"

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Aisha squealed in embarrassment and surprise as Lorian began to slobber all over her face, licking and kissing all over her face and ears.

"You've got no idea." Lorian growled. "How long I've... waited."

"I've been waiting a long time too." Aisha said shyly, nuzzling her nose into her mistress's soft, welcoming shoulder. She shuddered in pleasure. It had been so long...

"H-hey, mistress! Ah!" She squeaked.

"Hm? Lorian said with a mouthful of Aisha's cheek. "I'm just-mmmmph- I'm just enjoying... you. I wanna- I wanna- Do something. But I wanna do it for the rest of my life!"

"Mistress..."

"RRRgh." Lorian growled. "That's right. You're still doing that stupid training..."

Her face sank, as a little bit of her excitement turned into apprehension.

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"Just... I don't know! I'll write notes for you! You know, every morning when I wake up, I can still feel your heat, and the spots where you hugged me."

Aisha blushed. "Really?"

"Y-yeah."

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The next day, Aisha strolled into her training with a new bounce in her step. She tried hard, but despite all her efforts, she couldn't help the corners of her mouth from curling up into a dopey smile. She couldn't help it!

She clutched the note that mistress gave her close to her chest, rocking side to side. All it said was "I love you!" with a little heart, but it still sent little fluttery feeling into her heart.

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Xelos took one look at her, and even though his face didn't move a single twitch, Aisha could practically see the frown on his face.

"You look stupid."

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Aisha swung her blade at Xelos's chest, the blade missing by a single centimeter. The right side of his body tensed, and Aisha ducked to dodge the long blade of the cleaver that came for her head, and stepped back to dodge the kick that came instantaneously after.

The weight of the cleaver was encumbering his movements. She dodged the golden bolt that came from his hand. It curved and twisted, aiming for her head, but she twisted and rolled in turn.

Xelos reached back and gripped the blade of the cleaver, and slammed it down on the ground full force, rocks flying in all direction, and leaving a deep gash on the floor. Aisha dodged easily, the yellow bolt finally reaching the end of it's lifespan and disappearing.

She reached out to slash his leg.

Damn it! So close! She could feel the fabric of his pants catching on her blade. It didn't rip, but she could feel it!

She stepped back, her breath coming out evenly. It was only about an hour since they had started. A long time ago, she had stopped needing to be healed, as she had stopped taking minor injuries.

She would cut open his skin today. It was cert-

"Go home."

...

What?

"What?" She blurted.

"The next 10 hours will not make a difference in who dies tomorrow. Besides..."

He stared at Aisha, who was positively radiating with excitement, almost physically bouncing around. It was so cute it was disgusting. Ever since the girl had gotten back together with her girlfriend, she had...

"Nevermind."

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Aisha's heart filled with dread. She had known that the day was coming, but she had no access to a calendar, so she did not know exactly which day.

His words were ominous. She was so close to cutting him! The 10 hours wouldn't make the difference?

Either she was far too weak, or... She could think of no other possibility.

No. There was no way. She would kill him. He was bluffing.

But still... She had spent an entire year with him at this point. He had never lied to her. Almost every word out of his mouth was some half truth, but he had never lied to her before.

Actually, that wasn't true. He had answered all her questions about magic directly, during all those times she had ate in his house. Although she had no way to actually confirm that he was correct.

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She stared at the rift that Xelos had left behind. She knew how she was going to spend this day.

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"AISHA!"

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This time, Aisha was the one to be leapt at with hugs. She smiled into Lorian's chest, hugging her back. A pang of grief, like always, nipped at her heart, seeing the dark circles under her eyes that were ever-present. At some point, Lorian could no longer stay awake to see Aisha, and one day, she had simply returned home to see Lorian collapsed on the couch. She could no longer wake up for the mornings, either...

They had spent every night together, but it had been months since they had last spoke, months since the last time Lorian had actually seen her, or pet her. It had felt like an eternity...

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"Aisha... Aisha... Aisha oh Aisha... Oh my gods... it's been such a long time... I haven't looked at your cute face for months..."

"Hi, mistress..." She offered weakly.

"I llllovvee you..." Lorian crooned.

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For what seemed like an eternity, she held Aisha in her arms, rocking back and forth, just enjoying her firm body and grassy scent.

"I want to feed you."

"Hm?"

"I want to do all the things that we couldn't do these past months."

"Ok mistress... whatever you want!" Aisha replied happily.

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Lorian practically dragged Aisha outside, excitedly drawing the magical circle. It fizzled and cracked multiple times, Lorian drawing it wrong in her excitement, multiple times. Eventually she gave up, and ran down the forest path to the town.

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"Hi Lushien! Hi Varis!"

"Hey Lorian! We haven't seen you in a while..."

They looked at the back of the girl zooming towards town, a Aisha dragged behind her.

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Many people in the restaurant stared at the two girls, as Lorian slowly fed food to the girl in her lap, aggressively petting her and spooning soup into her mouth. She squeezed Aisha so tightly, she thought she might pop. She looked at the 9 plates in front of her...

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"Uwahhhh... mistress... I can't eat anymore... please."

"No! You're a growing girl, and look at all these muscles! You need to eat!"

"I'm older than you..."

"Well you're still shorter! So that means you can still grow!"

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Aisha smiled weakly at her mistress. Many eyes still stared at the two girls.

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"Hey!"

Aisha held up her arms as a shield to block the water that Lorian splashed onto her. Said girl had taken off her boots and had waded into the water of the lake, and was now playfully splashing Aisha with water.

"Come in with me! As your mistress I order you!"

"Oh I will!"

Aisha also took off her shoes and began to chase Lorian around the lake, splashing her back. They laughed and smiled as they ran around the shallow lake, getting their clothing drenched in water.

"Hey, you look strong... can you carry me?"

Aisha response was to pick Lorian up in her muscled arms in a princess carry. She gasped and giggled softly, as Aisha began to spin her around. Lorian clutched Aisha's shoulders, as the sun began to set...

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Lorian pressed her nose against Aisha's, rubbing her hands over Aisha's muscled back. They had spent the full day together, and after a long day of enjoyment they had returned home to cuddle early and relax. They had been to the restaurant... the dress shop, the fountain, the lake, the general store... haah! What a full day!

They now laid together, cuddled in bed, in similar states of undress. Aisha wished this day could last forever...

.

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Her heart sank, filling with dread.

Lorian didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow.

This moment... might be her last with her beloved mistress.

Tears began to well up in her eyes... The thought of not being able to spend time with her...

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"What's wrong?"

Aisha bit her lip, willing herself not to break down into tears.

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"Tomorrow... I might die. I might never."

Her voice caught in her throat.

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"I might never... see you again."

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Lorian's smile instantly turned into a despaired look.

"D-die? What? No! I just got you again! You can't die! What's happening!"

Aisha explained the Xelos's omen, and her training with him... how strong he was.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to beat him."

"N-no! Let me come with you! Run away with me!"

"I can't let you die. This is something I have to do myself. And running's... not an option. I don't want to run."

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"N-no... please... I don't want to lose you..."

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"I have something to tell you. I know this is selfish of me... but I need to tell you. Before I die. "

"I-I want spend my life with you. I want to hold you, and have no one else ever touch you, even though I know I'll never be good enough to be your lover, but I-I want to to pet me forever, and-"

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Lorian interrupted the girl by pressing her lips against hers. For what seemed like an eternity, they kissed, their bodies embracing each other. For a moment, Aisha forgot about Xelos, and death, her weakness, and the world. All she could think about was Lorian, and the feeling of her soft lips...

Slowly, Lorian pulled away, looking shyly at Aisha. She had wanted to do that for so long. She had dreamed about it fantisized about it - for so long it seemed like such an unattainable ecstasy, and now? It was better than she had ever imagined.

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One was not enough. She had to have more...

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Aisha left the bed, looking down at her mistress's beautiful face for what could be her last time. She put on her uniform, picked up her sword, and set out.

The morning wind had never felt so cold before. She made her way to the empty lot, snow sticking to her boots before melting into little droplets of water.

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It was strange weather for summer, but Aisha didn't really pay it any mind. She wasn't really paying anything that much attention.

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She stepped into that lot and teleported away, for the last time in her lif