It couldn't be. After so long... Had he been mistaken?
Mousse followed the fight as well as his sight allowed, squinting from behind his glasses. Red hair with long forelocks, the same fluidity and natural grace. Was it her? Could he have been wrong for so long? Finally, the red head entered the clearing and took the place of her injured companion. Mousse leaned forward, almost leaving his hiding place in the bushes, to get a better look. He'd know by the way she fought. Know for sure if she was the one so many years ago...
A fierce shout echoed throughout the forest and seized Mousse's heart in a vise grip. It was her!
"Rose Whip!"
*~*~*
Seven years ago...
*~*~*
It was gaining.
Frantic, Mousse shot through the forest at his top speed. Whatever the thing behind him was, it was large, fast and hungry. It attacked one of the other boys gathering nuts with him, less than half a mile from the outlying fields, and he'd done what he knew to be right.
He distracted it while the others got away before running in the opposite direction, luring it away.
Something like that couldn't be allowed near any part of the village.
A sharp pain lanced through Mousse's side and he fell, rolling to one side just in time to avoid the creature's sharp hooves. Grimacing, the young amazon rolled into a crouch with a protective hand around his side. Not a physical injury, just too much exertion. A stupid mistake.
Snuffling and snorting to itself, the creature turned toward the crouched boy and started to advance slowly. The thing's cloven hooves led up to short legs attached to what appeared to be a giant toad with a rooster's tail. Then again, Mousse knew his eyes were fond of playing tricks on him.
With a rumbling groan, the frog's mouth opened to reveal several rows of dagger sharp teeth as it rushed forward.
Only to stop in it's tracks when a shaft of bamboo came crashing down on it's nose. A short figure with red hair rushed to Mousse's side as the creature stumbled back, squealing in pain.
"Are you all right?"
The voice was as cold as the green eyes that filled Mousse's sight. Wordlessly, he nodded and the other turned back toward the creature without a backward glance. "You should leave now."
"But..."
"Go!"
Surprised at the strength of the shout, Mousse backed away quickly but didn't leave. He didn't know what the other kid was planning but there was no way either of them could defeat that thing, together or separately. He'd have to wait and possibly get it running again. It was still too close to the village.
The redhead stood calmly at the edge of the clearing while the beast rubbed it's sore snout against the ground. Without warning, the creature lifted it's head, hurling a large hunk of dirt into the air, and charged. The left arm was raised to protect vulnerable eyes from the dirt and...
"Rose Whip!"
The right hand shot up to the red hair before lashing out and a whip of thorns came crashing down on the beast. With a final squeal of pain and surprise, the creature collapsed and died. The fight was over.
"I thought I told you to leave."
Wincing slightly, Mousse crept out from behind the tree he was hiding behind and walked toward the other kid who still stood facing away from him. "I couldn't. I had to make sure it would stay away from the village."
"And you?" Mousse blinked at the unexpected question but didn't answer and his savior sighed in exasperation. "What were you expecting to do about yourself once it was far enough away from your village?"
Smiling sadly, Mousse shrugged. "I would've died protecting the village. It would have been a good death at least, more than I can hope for otherwise."
The other child finally turned and looked back at him. "Because of your eyes?" Self-consciously, Mousse raised a hand to his glasses and flushed with embarrassment, nodding faintly. "That's nothing you can't overcome if you'd bother trying."
Mousse opened his mouth to ask another question when a shrill, animalistic scream shook the bushes near the corpse. A twin to the dead creature shot out of the undergrowth and at the two boys. In a blur of motion, the red head pushed him back toward the tree he'd hid behind before and turned to face the new threat. Mousse's head hit the trunk and then, there was darkness.
"Here!"
Mousse's eyes opened slowly as a blurry figure loomed over him. The other kid from before? Where were his glasses?
"Are you all right?"
"I...yeah. What..?"
"The other boys said you led the beast away so they could warn the village. Did you kill it?"
"Kill..? No, som..."
The figure stood and walked away without looking back, yelling something at the group of taller women who had just entered the clearing. Mousse finally located his glasses and pulled them on, squinting after...Shampoo?
*~*~*
A sly grin settled over Mousse's face as he watched the whip of thorns tear through it's opponent with little resistance. He'd thought he'd been mistaken originally, that it was Shampoo who saved him in the clearing. Now he knew better and he didn't intend on letting his true savior get away without at least an exchange of names.
After all, he owed the her something for their first meeting. He would never have studied the mysteries of the hidden weapons masters if it weren't from the girl who could pull weapons from her hair.
owari