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Puzzle & Dragons Cross-Over: Wisdom of the Ancient Runes

Chapter 10: Settling The Score

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Chilling winds whistled through the frosty trees. Crystal clear snowflakes came down from the cloudy sky. Xavier said that the sun would rarely show itself to the island, which was the reason for its cold climates all year.

“Why does it have to b-be so c-c-cold,” Rushana asked herself, the group continuing to walk down the path.

“You think this is cold?” Lance responded, “Just wait until we get to the top of the mountain. How fun that will be.”

“You know what else would be fun? Keeping your voice down so that we don’t have to deal with an avalanche,” Kaede said, shivering even through her kimono.
There were no leaves to speak of on the trees. All icicles. Even the trees were completely frozen in the diamond-like solid. Night came quickly and the group got far, but not far enough, so they had to camp for the night. Kaede and Rushana, out of curiosity, went over to Xavier and Valkyrie, who were sitting near the fire, Valkyrie’s head resting on Xavier’s shoulder as she slept.

“Hey, you two. What are you guys doing up at this time? Everyone else is already asleep,” Xavier asked quietly, as not to wake up his paramour.

“Rushana and I have wanted to ask… what happened to you and Valkyrie?” Kaede asked.

“What are you talking about? Nothing happened… we’re doing just fine,” he responded, face going slightly red.

“Come on, we all know what you’re hiding from us, lover boy,” Rushana added, winking. That wink was enough to make Xavier cringe.

“Like you’re one to talk, Rushana.” Rushana just shrugged, and Kaede chuckled slightly. Xavier sighed, “Fine. Valkyrie and I are lovers.”

Now you decide to admit it, Kaede thought. “Really? Hold on… she’s one of the tri-gods. Have you two done the ritual?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that,” Xavier responded, trying to be as serious as possible. Kaede and Rushana just looked at each other and smirked. Then looked back at him.

“At least you finally confirmed what we’ve wanted to hear, Xavier.” A rustle heard in the “trees” caught them off-guard. Apparently, that rustle, but not their conversation, was enough to wake everyone up.

“What in hell was that?” Zeke asked, drowsy, but with a frying pan in hand, as that was the closest thing he could find. The ice-covered trees caused echoes to be created among the winds. Footsteps were heard in the distance, getting faster every second, until, from the shadows, two figures slashed their blades at the group, Xavier and Kaede blocking the strikes. The two people landed on the other side of the campgrounds, charging straight at the group, and Rushana put up a shield of Wood Orbs to prevent damage. Kaede just watched as Rushana protected her, surprised, yet fascinated at the same time.

Gods… did I pick the greatest fiance, Kaede thought. The two attackers landed back where they were and stopped the onslaught.

“Hold, Arondight,” one of the two said. The one that talked went over to Xavier, bowing before him. “It is nice to see that you’re safe, milord.”

Arondight walked over, and bowed, right next to Masamune, the other person. Xavier told them that the bow was unnecessary, and they got up. “Ah, you two. Sorry if I made you worry.”

Valkyrie, slightly hiding behind her lover, whispered, “Who are these two?”

“Well, sweetheart, these are my two retainers. Masamune and Arondight. They have sworn to protect me ever since I inherited my title,” Xavier responded. “I’m sure you two have heard about her.”

“We have, Xavier. You’ve been seen with her all the time from what people have told us,” Arondight responded. “I must know. Now that you two are paramours, especially since she is one of the tri-gods, have you-”

Xavier stopped her there. “Again, I will neither confirm nor deny it, and prefer to stop talking about it now.”

The armored girl rolled her eyes. “Well, nonetheless, it’s good to see you again.”

Everyone, other than Xavier and Valkyrie were confused regarding these two, but after some explaining, they got the point.

 

Morning came around quickly, and the group kept hiking up the mountain for constant hours. They came across a house covered in snow and ice, well-suited for someone of the Water attribute. Kaede realized who the house belonged to, and requested that they ask to stay for the night.
Of all the places I could’ve found, why’d it have to be this? I know I suggested the stay, but… There was no time to think about what was about to happen, and Kaede knocked on the door.

The door opened, and out came Kaede’s sister, named Sumire, dressed in her traditional blue kimono, similar patterns as the one Kaede had.

“Ah, Kaede, what a surprise. And the Dragon Master himself?” Sumire said, in a nice, yet also suspicious tone that went unnoticed by everyone but Kaede.

“Hello there, Sumire. I’ve heard a lot about you from your sisters, Kaede and Tsubaki. Very nice to meet you,” Xavier responded. “I’d like to ask if you would allow us to stay for the night. We’ve been hiking for quite a long time now, and are in need of somewhere to rest.”

Sumire smiled, moving out of the way to let everyone in, but grabbing Kaede secretly and whispering, “I’ll deal with you later.”

The gesture went unnoticed and the group settled into the spare rooms that Sumire had. Valkyrie looked around and saw how unique Sumire’s house was, bits of culture on almost every wall, whether it was paint or other items. Despite that, however, she sensed some sort of ill intent within Sumire, and how Kaede tensed up when Sumire was near her. She decided to pay it no mind for now, but to keep her guard up, just in case. Xavier went over to her, and Valkyrie told him what she was suspicious about. Her boyfriend then said to keep her eyes open, and make sure to help Kaede if necessary.

In the meantime, Rushana was also admiring how the house looked, eyes roaming across every item, each seeming more valuable than the previous. “It’s nice of you to invite us in so kindly.”

“Of course,” Sumire responded, successfully pulling off a kind act to hide the grudge against her sister. “It’s usually very lonely around here, considering I live on this mountain. While I do prefer the quiet time, it’s nice to have visitors every once in a while, y’know?”

Rushana nodded. Dinner was served almost minutes later, and everyone came down to eat. Sumire was an incredible cook, the flavors of her food bringing delicious tastes to everyone’s mouths. Kaede stole glances at Sumire, staring angrily at her for seconds at a time. Nobody except Valkyrie and Rushana noticed, and when Kaede didn’t show up in Rushana’s room to get some rest, Rushana and Valkyrie secretly went downstairs to find out what was going on. To their surprise, although maybe it shouldn’t have been, Xavier and his two retainers followed. Kaede and Sumire were walking outside, the plains in the back of the house covered in beautiful snow.

“So… you went through with your love for Rushana, didn’t you?” Sumire questioned.

“I did,” Kaede responded, looking at Sumire. “Let me make something clear. I don’t care what you think and if you try to hurt Rushana, I won’t hesitate to protect her, even if I must use force to do it.”

“Just what I’d expect a bitch like you to say. You never were deserving of Mother and Father’s respect. You’re just another weakling, one that doesn’t deserve to wield a sword, or carry down our family’s name.”

Kaede shook her head, taking her sword out. “I never did think that you’d be so against the fact that I’m a lesbian. Hell, I’ve seen you do so many idiotic, stupid things towards people like me.”

“It’s all for the family, Kaede. Mother and Father didn’t want to ruin the bloodline, and guess which one of us did that?” Sumire told her angrily. “You never were a fighter, always tripping and focusing more on friends. How do you think that’d even-”

“It’s not my fault that you were always alone. Being so cold to everyone you met, even towards Rushana. You’re lucky she can’t remember that now.”

“Oh really? I’m sure you’re aware of the many magical scrolls I possess. Maybe one of them can reveal those awful memories, bringing her into utter despair from which she can never recover! Maybe then you’d learn something about protecting the bloodline of this family!” Sumire yelled, getting out one of those scrolls, unleashing a cold blast that struck Kaede right in the arm. The wind dragon caller was knocked back, struggling to get up due to the cold slowing her movement.
“If you really want to… you’ll have to kill me. I’ll protect Rushana until death; it’s the least I can do after she helped me to free myself from my past. I won’t let you lay a finger on her, no matter what!”

“In that case…” Sumire used the scroll to prevent Kaede’s movement by encasing her arms and legs in ice that stuck to the ground. Despite struggling, Kaede couldn’t escape, frigid crystals keeping her in check, and not even her sword could move. Icicles formed around the blue haired girl, her sinister smile being seen through the blizzards that were being created. “Farewell… Caller of the Mountain God.”

At full force, she sent the sharp, cold spears flying towards the sister she once loved. Kaede closed her eyes, and readied herself for the worst.

*Flashback - 17 years ago*

The tree leaves shimmered in the bright sunlight as the rain stopped. Sumire and Kaede were told to run along by their parents, and they went out to the flower fields. The different warm colors of the petals on each individual plant brought a very content vibe throughout.
The two sisters fell into the flowers together, laughing and holding hands as they did. They usually didn’t get much time to themselves due to their training to become Dragon Callers, but this was a chance for the young kids to truly bond as siblings. The jewels on their necklaces glowed as the two enjoyed their time together.

“I’m gonna get you!” Kaede told Sumire, running after her in their game of tag.

“Good luck, haha!” Sumire laughed, sprinting away as fast as she could, but it ended up being futile, as the smaller wind girl was surprisingly fast for her age. The two fell forward, their constant laughter couldn’t be stopped.

 

“I think this one will look nice on you. The color fits with your kimono,” Sumire happily said, weaving the yellow sunflower into Kaede’s hair, while Kaede did the same to Sumire with an indigo daisy. The sisters then layed in the field, watching as the clouds went by and saying what they thought each cloud looked like. They went into the lake behind their house and splashed around for a bit, prior to going home and allowing their parents to press the flowers between the pages of their photo albums, letting them dry so that they could be preserved. But all good days come to an end as the night came quickly. Sumire was already asleep, but saw the door open to her room, Kaede entering with a small stuffed dragon.

“I can’t sleep, sister,” she said, running into her older sibling’s arms.

“Here, come with me,” Sumire responded, placing her younger sister right next to her, still holding her. “I’m so glad that you’re my sister, Kaede. I want us to stay together, always!”

“Me too, Sumire. Me… too,” Kaede fell asleep in her sister’s arms, Sumire’s eyes lightly tearing up after she heard her sister say she wanted to stay with her.

“I’ll never leave you, Kaede. I promise,” Sumire pecked Kaede’s forehead, eventually dozing off.

*4 years later - still in flashback*

Kaede was lying in her bed, crying after her parents physically abused her. Sumire could hear it from her room, annoyed by the sound.

“Can you please be quiet, Kaede?” Sumire asked.

“B-but… Mommy and Daddy hurt me,” Kaede responded, the waterworks seeming to have died down a bit.

“What did you do this time?”

“I… I-I just told them how I feel about Rushana, y’know, my best friend, or I guess I should say-” Kaede wasn’t done, but was interrupted by Sumire anyways.
“Lover?” Sumire asked, and Kaede nodded, the water dragon caller having to take in what her sister just said. After a few moments, she snapped, saying, “What the hell is wrong with you? You shouldn’t be falling for someone at this young of an age, let alone a girl. Why do you have so many problems, and why do I even have a sister like you?”

“Sumire… I thought you loved me. I thought you didn’t want us to ever be separated; that we’d always be together.”
“I wish I never did! I absolutely despise you now. I never want to do anything with you again. Consider our bond as siblings to be broken!” Sumire got up and left, slamming the door to Kaede’s room. Kaede cried more than she ever had before, and it didn’t seem like things were going to get better.

*End of flashback*

Life flashed before Kaede’s eyes as she saw the icicles coming straight at her. She couldn’t shield herself, couldn’t move, nothing.

Suddenly, Valkyrie, Xavier, and Rushana all got in front of her, putting up an Orb Shield. Xavier, with his other hand, managed to melt the ice that immobilized his apprentice.

“What?” Sumire was in shock, seeing the shield be put up and Kaede out of the ice. “Where did you guys come from?”

“How dare you try to hurt my fiance, Sumire… who is also your sister?” Rushana yelled angrily.

“This is for the sake of my family’s blood. Everything went fine, until you had to show your dumb face, you bastard!”

Masamune just wasn’t having it. “Trying to hurt my lord’s apprentice whom he trained for years. Something so vile can only be punishable by death itself!” The samurai-like retainer readied himself to charge straight at Sumire, only to be stopped by Kaede.

“This is my fight, not yours!” Kaede said, running straight towards Sumire.

Rushana looked worried, and Masamune attempted to follow Kaede, but Xavier stopped him. “Milord, if I may be blunt. This wretch has tried to kill your apprentice, and she should be-”

“Masamune. As much as I know that something like this is extremely terrible, Kaede’s right; this is not our fight. Sheathe your sword for now,” Xavier told him, and Masamune was reluctant to obey, but he knew that he shouldn’t do something that his master didn’t want him to do, so he yielded, but kept a grip on his sword, which Xavier saw and allowed.

Sumire, angered by how Kaede was protected, unleashed a harsh, cold blizzard, the chilling winds, while slowing Kaede down, didn’t prevent Kaede from dishing out powerful strikes with her arms. Kaede also struck Sumire’s leg with her sword, causing her to fall on her knees and hold her leg. More cold blasts and a few icicles were unleashed towards Kaede, causing minor wounds and bleeding. But at close range, it was Kaede who had the upper hand, and it came to the point where Sumire could no longer even struggle, and Kaede noticed her giving up.

Sumire was breathing heavily and incredibly intimidated by Kaede. She never expected her to have as much strength as she did, even if Kaede had trained under Xavier, the Dragon Master himself. “Let’s… stop this… Sumire. You’ve had… enough.”

“Never. You need… to realize… that you should never have ruined… our bloodline,” Sumire said as she tried to hide her fear.

“You can’t hide how you really feel now from me. I can tell that you’re scared, you coward,” Kaede responded, her sword close to Sumire’s cheek.

“S-Stop… Wait. Please don’t hurt me… anymore than you already have. You win… I’m sorry, I…” Kaede took her sword and held it over her head with both arms, then going down to strike Sumire’s head, the latter closing her eyes. Kaede, however, ended up stopping the blade mere inches away from its target.

Sumire then looked up, seeing the blade. Kaede exhaled and put her sword away. She told Xavier to heal both of them, and due to his concern that Sumire might try something funny, he had Masamune and Arondight go right next to Sumire, each retainer on one side. “Why? Why did you…?”

“I stopped my blade only because of how much I loved you back when we were kids. You were always someone I felt like I could come to when it was necessary. Someone who I thought would always have my back and support me. Someone who would help me though my dark times. Someone in my family that actually loved me. But I guess that you’re not who I thought you were. You’re just another bastard who never cares about the people who want to be close to her, and just pushes everyone away because of how she was raised. I wish I could’ve been a sister to you, but that will never happen. Tomorrow, you are considered dead to me. After leaving in the morning, I never want to see you face ever again. Not now, not after I’m married, not ever!” Kaede yelled, tears flowing from her eyes as she ran back into her house. Rushana ran after her, and so did the others in the group, leaving Sumire out there to just think.

Kaede hid in the corner of her and Rushana’s room. Once she heard her lover come in, she didn’t even try to look like she was hiding, and just kept her hands held in her knees, covering her head.

“Kaede. Please come out,” Rushana said. Kaede took a bit, but eventually stopped crying for some time. The two went to sit on the bed, Rushana holding Kaede as she started to cry again.

“Sumire… s-she said that I…” Kaede stuttered as her tears flowed from her eyes.

“Shh. It’s okay… it’s okay. I’m right here, Kaede,” Rushana responded. After some time, the crying stopped. “What happened?"

“Sumire and I started arguing over how I ruined the family bloodline, she called me a bitch, said I should never wield a sword, how I never deserved my parents’ respect. She brought back old memories that I wish I never had, and even threatened to hurt you, and I just…” Kaede took deep breaths as Rushana continued to hold her.

“Don’t listen to her, Kaede. None of that is true. She’s just making you think that.”

Kaede shook her head. “Everything I’ve done has made me such a screw up. I’ve only been miserable ever since I was eight, and I’ve just-”

“Never recovered, right?” Rushana knew what Kaede was going to say, and Kaede could only nod in response. “If I may be honest, I didn’t really think that you had recovered even after attempting to kill yourself. You still feel that hurt, sadness, anger, and you feel the negativity still within your soul. You have let your past influence how you see everything, even after opening up a bit about it.”

Kaede didn’t even have words at that point, only knowing that everything Rushana said was right, and tears started flowing again.

“Kaede. I don’t need to be someone experienced to know that you’re depressed. You need help from people who care about you, yet you never want to open up. Why is that?” Rushana asked.

“Because… I don’t want to look weak,” Kaede whispered, somewhat loudly.

“It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, Kaede. You have people who care about you. You have your friends. You have me, honey,” Rushana told her. “I’ve told you this before, and I will say it a thousand times if I need to. You’re strong, Kaede. You’ve been through so much, yet I know you can stand back on your feet if you really try. Don’t keep everything inside… you don’t have to look brave around me. If something is bothering you… just talk to me or our friends, and I promise you that we’ll do the best we can to help. I know I’m asking for a lot, but… I really care about you. I want you to be happy. I want-mmmph?!” Kaede couldn’t hold it back any longer, and just kissed Rushana, placing one hand on her fiance’s cheek. Rushana did the same after coming back to reality.

Once disconnected, Kaede hugged her and said. “Rushana… thank you. Thank you for always being there to help me and support me. I’m not good at opening up to people at all, and I’m sure you’re aware of that but… I’ll try to, for you.”

“No problem, Kaede. I only want the best for you. Thanks for at least giving this a try. I love you so much, dear.”

“I love you too, my beloved,” Kaede responded. The two fell into each other’s arms, enjoying a peaceful rest together.

 

Morning arrived once again for the adventurers, and after breakfast, the group was about to leave. Kaede threw something Sumire’s way that looked like some sort of book. “It’s your album that you never cared to pick up from home. That’s the last thing I’ll ever give you.”

The door closed behind them and the group ventured out, trying to put what happened the night before behind them.

Notes:

From this point forward, I will be updating the story less probably until school is over. Thanks for reading, as always, and leave constructive criticism in the comments!

Implied sexual content will be in the next chapter. You have been warned :).

Notes:

Leave constructive criticism only! Thank you for reading and I hope to most more soon, especially once school is out.