[SO2] Unnatural (Dias + Ashton, PG)

[wallwalker]

Title: Unnatural
Author: wallwalker
Fandom: Star Ocean: The Second Story
Characters: Dias, Ashton
Warnings: Blood
Summary: A momentary lull on the Lacour Front Lines
Notes: Originally written for fic_promptly.

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Blood shouldn't be such a fiery shade of red, Dias thought as he wiped his blade clean. It was unnatural, sickening. He refused to touch it with his hands, afraid that it would burn him.

Those demons could not die soon enough, he thought as he finally sheathed his sword. He was glad that he would be with Rena and Claude as they wiped the scourge out. He only hoped that the weapon that the scientists of Lacour were developing would do the job. He hated to admit it, but he didn't think that his sword alone would be enough.

He turned around and looked at the others, who were all exhausted from the battle and trying to gather themselves. Ashton was staggering in his general direction, his cape sagging in the dirt and stiff with the creatures' blood, his swords red with it. He seemed unaffected, exhausted.

"Clean your swords," Dias said shortly, tossing him a fresh cloth. "You wouldn't want them to rust."

"Oh?" Ashton shook himself. "Hm. Right. I know." He picked the cloth up from where it had landed and started to slowly, quietly wipe the swords clean. His eyes were elsewhere, somewhere miles away.

Dias shook his head. He had seen Ashton fighting out there. He moved with precision, his blades cutting through their skin like butter. It was hard to believe that this distracted, confused young man, who seemed to be struggling to keep the dragons on his back from snapping at the cloth, was the same man.

Ashton finished at last, started to hand the cloth back to Dias, then shrugged and put it aside when Dias shook his head. He didn't want to touch it, frankly. "You all right? There are a lot more of those coming soon," he asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Ashton said. "I know. I'll be fine."