A gentle breeze blew through the village as its usual activities began. The sweet smell of fresh baked bread was already coming from the bakers shop. The black smith was heating his furnace to begin work on a new head for one of the villager’s hoes. All together it was the typical mourning in the village. But something wasn’t right. The village elder had been acting strangely ever since that man in black from the Claymore organization showed up, and though people pretended not to everyone in the village got this strange feeling something bad was about to happen and it made many nervous.

Celina was seventeen and felt it more than anyone else. She couldn’t place what it was but she felt like something was changing and lately her head had been hurting and she had strange craving and her whole body had ached. She of course told no one knowing they would call her a yoma and kill her. She didn’t feel like a yoma but then again what would that feel like? She wondered as she swept at the inn her adopted father owned. That was another problem with all this. She has been found by her adopted father Brone when she was still a child about six years old. She couldn’t remember anything from before but he had found her soaked in blood and wondering aimlessly with teary eyes through the burning remains of a nearby village that he had gone to meet an old friend. This story of her child hood along with these strange feelings made her even more nervous. “Celina! Hurry and help this man with his luggage” Her father ordered from behind the bar stand where he was cleaning a glass with an old cloth that looked dirtier than the glass itself. Celina obediently hurried over to where the old blind man stood in his brown cloak with a tall statue by his side. “I only have the statue but I would appreciate it if you helped me get it up the stairs to my room. I have traveled long and could use a good rest.” The blind man said in a weak old voice. Celina smiled at him then felt silly realizing he couldn’t see her so she grabbed the statue and grunted as she tried to lift it. It was kind of heavy and awkwardly shaped making holding it difficult. “Right this way” she said in a strained voice struggling to carry the statue up the stair case leading to the second floor and the rooms. The old man followed with little to no trouble up the stairs which surprised Celina who half expected to have to hold his hand the way up and lead him so he didn’t fall. Once up the stairs Celina set down the statue and wiped the sweat from her brow. This was hard work and she wondered how this little old blind man carried this with him everywhere and why. She opened the door leading into the room and carried the statue in. The blind man watched her from behind his cloak not as blind as he led them to believe. Could she be a yoma? He wondered she had a powerful yoki about her though it was well hidden. Why would a yoma live in a village like this and as far as he knew there had been no unexplained deaths. He watched the girl with long black hair and beautiful purple eyes struggle with the statue. Physically she is not that strong but she looks tone. He thought as he continued playing the role of the old blind man as he entered the room and faked a stumble over a loose floor bored. Celina seeing the old man trip quickly grabbed him in mid fall holding him up. The not so blind man was amazed. She moved much faster than she should be able to and was able to catch me and hold me up like he was weightless. Maybe she was stronger and faster then he had first believed. She must be a yoma but why does she act so strangely? He wondered as the girl helped him sit on the bed. “Want me to bring you up something to eat?” she asked in a kind and gentle voice. The old blind man shook his head “no thank you but I would appreciate a warm drink, tea perhaps? “ Celina nodded “I will get it right away” and she hurried off.

The man got to his feet and straightened his back. He removed his cloak revealing a young man looking no older than twenty. He had short wild silver hair and matching silver eyes. He wore baggy brown pants tucked into black boots and a loose tan sleeveless shirt. Soon the girl would be back and he would have to throw the cloak back on and continue playing the part of an old blind man at least until he decided what to do with her. Something was different about this yoma and it confused him. Normally if he came across a yoma he would simply kill it and move on but this girl was different. She had a father who he sensed no yoki from but by his appearance he figured the girl was adopted. She seemed to live peacefully in this village and from what he gathered had brought no harm to the village so far. He debated just leaving her be but then she could just turn around and kill as soon as he was gone. He heard her coming up the stairs and quickly pulled the cloak back on just as she entered the room wearing her doe skin shoes and cheap tan dress with white apron. She held a small plate with a mug steaming on it as she handed it to the blind man she spoke in a somewhat shaky voice and he noticed her breathing was unsteady “here’s your tea be careful it’s hot.” She warned then turned to leave and collapsed grabbing her sides and moaning. The young man quickly set the tea aside on the nearby nightstand and grabbed the girls shaking shoulders. Her yoki was wild and unstable something was setting it off but what. “Are you ok?” he asked forgetting to sound old. The girl was in too much pain to notice his slip up “No, I don’t know what’s wrong my whole body burns and I don’t know why. She then let out a cry of pain and outside there was a scream that muffled Celina’s cry. Suddenly he picked up on a strong yoki outside. How did I not notice something this powerful earlier he asked himself and through off his cloak cracking open the statue pulling out a long black claymore then he looked back at the girl who laid shaking and crying. “I’ll be right back” he told her and opened the window before jumping out into the back alley and running into the street claymore in hand to face the source of the yoki. He skidded to a stop when he saw the source. A claymore girl was slaughtering the villagers with a bored expression on her face. As she swung at a screaming girl he got in the way and deflected the attack with his black claymore. “What are you doing? You will be killed for harming humans have you gone mad?” the claymore girl jumped back and a cruel smile cracked across her face “ah it’s you David. I was told to keep an eye out for you. You have a knack for showing up in the wrong places at the wrong time. The organization ordered me to destroy this village” she said in a happy voice. She then lunged forward swinging an in attempt to decapitate him. David rolled and brought his claymore up knocking the girls sword out of her hand and sent it flying to stab in the ground nearby. The claymore girl frowned and took a step back before jumping behind her claymore and pulling it out of the ground “you better than I expected” she said then smiled “this should be fun” her silver eyes switched to yellow gold yoma eyes. David stood up straighter bringing his claymore up in a well balanced stance so he could easily move to attack or defend “but why this village he asked? Why does the organization want it destroyed?” he asked as the girl moved at him with amazing speed. David and the girl danced in combat for several minutes’ swords clashing ringing in the alley way echoed by screams and flames. Apparently in the commotion a fire had started and now was spreading rapidly form one house to another. They separated both breathing heavy. David cursed as he realized he had several small cuts. His eyes quickly shifted to red yoma eyes a trait only he had. The claymore girl who had several deep gashes that now bled heavily grinned and a blast of yoki came from her as her face and body has slightly deformed by the yoma energy she so recklessly used. David was not liking where this was going this girl was going to pass her limits and destroy this whole village is he didn’t act fast. “Before we finish this I ask again. Why this village? What’s your mission?” the claymore girl seemed annoyed by the delay in combat but answered her voice deeper and twisted by her power. “This village has a yoma in it but it would not hire a claymore to kill it claiming no such yoma existed and that no one was dyeing so there was no need to hire a claymore to solve a problem that didn’t exist. Obviously you and I both can sense that yoma as we speak. I can feel its power going wild far beyond anything I ever expected. So by denying the organization this village angered them and sp they waited awhile for the yoma to strike but sense it didn’t we had to intervene. I was sent to destroy this village and force the yoma to come out of hiding making it seem like the yoma did this and making the village suffer for denying our organization.” After that long explanation the claymore girl sighed “now can we finish this fight” David was enraged. He hated the organization more and more as he learned what they do. He rose his claymore “yes lets finish this.” He moved with blinding speed towards the girl and again they danced around each other blades clashing. Inside the inn Celina was in unimaginable pain. She cried and moaned but managed to crawl. As she crawled inch by inch crying out for help no one came. She made it to the stair case and looked down in horror to see her father dead on the floor his throat cut open. He lay in a puddle of his own blood and the sight made Celina cry more. She was in pain and confused. What is happening to me? Why am I hurting so much? Why is father dead? Who is behind all this? Where did that strange man go? All these questions flooded her mind as she lay in pain. She crawled to the stairs as she heard the sound of metal on metal and combat outside. She rolled down the stair case moaning and crying when she hit the bottom in pain. For a moment she laid in pain unable to focus then she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move. She felt s strange strength flow through her as she began to stand. Her body felt different but stronger. She was finally able to move. Taking several steps forward she passed her father’s corpse without looking at him. She felt a strange determination and anger. She would make whoever did this pay.

David was surprised how fast this girl was moving and how strong she was he knew she has passed her limit by now and he struggled to restrain himself yet keep up with her so he didn’t get killed. The girl was laughing hysterically as she slashed at him repetitively. Celina who now standing in the door way of her father inn watched wide eyed as the two fought. She felt this strange power from them similar to her own and she noticed her senses where much stronger than they had ever been before. She could hear every foot step of the retreating villagers, every crack of the flames that burned her village, every clash of the swords held by the strange girl and the man from earlier. She turned and gasped seeing her reflection in a puddle of water. Her eyes were still purple but now lighter and cat like. Her teeth looked pointed a bit and around her was a purple energy lashing off of her. She looked at her hand seeing her fingernails longer and pointed. What have I become she asked herself. Physically she looked the same other than her eyes, fingernails, and teeth, but she felt completely different. She felt a strange power flow though her veins and she felt like she could take on anything. She looked up as the man got smashed through a burning building and the twisted girl laughed a dark deep laugh before chasing after him swinging her sword wildly in a mad blood lust. She must be the one behind all this. Celina realized clenching her fists. She began walking towards the girl completely oblivious to any danger. David was in a bad spot. He had a large gash across his left shoulder making it hard to hold up his sword as the girl continued he attack. He knew he was going to have to give much more power than he wanted to stop her or he would die. As he was about to release more yoki and push her back he sensed a power beyond that of his attacker. He turned and he didn’t believe his eyes. “I will make you pay for what you did to my village!” Celina yelled holding the sword her father kept over the fireplace of her inn now in flames. The claymore girl turned just in time to see Celina move in a flash at her “Die!!!” she screams lunging the sword clean through the claymore girls chest puncturing her twisted heart causing her to fall back blood spewing out of her fresh wounds and out of her mouth. She took several steps back and fell to her knees “Impossible” she muttered and fell on her side blood running out of her mouth and wounds soaking the earth around her. David got to his feet leaning on his sword and looked in disbelief at the panting teenage girl who stood with clenched fists her purple eyes slit like yoma eyes glaring at the dead claymore girl. She then fell to her knees and the purple yoki that lashed around her subsided and the girl began to cry. Her eyes returned to normal and her teeth and nails did the same. Now she stood with the claymores blood sprayed across her face tears running down her eyes. “I killed her! I’m no better than her! I’m a murderer” David felt sorry for the girl yet unsure what to do. She was a yoma but at the same time she saved his life and felt guilt for killing even though the girl she killed had killed her father. This was a strange yoma indeed David thought yet he felt compassion for her and sympathy. He walked over to her and rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. “You did what had to be done. She would have killed you if you would have given her the chance. “Celina looked up at the strange mans attempts to comfort her and only felt worse. “Who and what are you? What am I?” she asked in a shaky voice. David’s eyes turned silver again. “My name is David and we are the only ones protecting humanity from the organization and the monsters they have created.” Celina stood up only long enough to fall in David’s arms crying. He winced as she pressed against fresh wounds but did not push her away. He knew she needed him and he owed her his life. After a while he wondered why she was leaning so much into him then he realized she was unconscious. He stuck his sword into the ground and carried her outside of the village into the nearby woods and leaned her against a tree before returning for his sword. When he came back he found Celina looking up at him with teary eyes “where am I?” David knelt beside her “you are away from danger. Were safe now don’t worry. Just rest you need it.” Celina looked up at David for a moment “I’m scared” she said in a weak voice. David sat beside her. “Don’t be I’m here with you” she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him “Thank you” she said and soon drifted off to sleep. The night passed and it was an ugly one. David stayed up and all through the night Celina would cry and moan in her sleep haunted by nightmares of the day. Often David would wake her when it got bad and reminded her he was there for her and everything would be ok. That would get her to fall back to sleep and sleep without nightmares for about an hour before they came back.

Finally mourning came and Celina woke up lying across David’s lap. The sun was out and the fires were out now. She sat up and stretched letting out a long yawn. “Where do we go now?” Celina asked resting again against David. He got up helping her up with him “well we will have to get new cloths and cleaned up. If we follow the trail that leads through these woods we should come up on a stream where we can wash up. On the other end of the woods is a small village where we can stock up on supplies like cloths.” Celina nodded and started walking down the trail. David quickly caught up and walked along side Celina. He couldn’t help but admire how well Celina was handling her loss. Then again maybe she is just pushing it in the back of her mind and ignoring it he thought as Celina smile up at him.