Some Fall By Virtue

Chapter Twenty-Nine: (I feel it in my-, I feel it in my-)

A satisfied grimace appeared on the elf's face. "So there is—"

"You are aware," Sakura found herself saying, "that when I ventured off into the trees that night, that I was going to... ahem... relieve myself," she said, thanking her lucky stars and cursing her dragonish, manipulative mind and lips which had so quickly come up with a response. If only she could've been half as careful and thoughtful on what she said around her soulmate. "So what makes you so sure that your brother is afraid and not merely suffering from the embarrassment of coming across me at an... inopportune time..."

Elladan blinked at that, clearly taking a few minutes to digest that information before a pink blush spread across his cheeks. So similar to Elrohir's, just without the pale face lined with terror only moments before. Sakura barely resisted the urge to laugh at the ellon who looked like he had just had his entire world flipped on its head. "But," he mumbled, voice sounding oddly far away. "But Elrohir was shaking... he was scared..."

She tilted her head, hating the part of her which had him doubting in what he had seen. He was right to think Elrohir was terrified her. But she was selfish and didn't want him to think as such. Always wanting what you don't deserve, the voice whispered. She felt sick at the reminder of such. "Are you sure that wasn't him just being ashamed at having caught sight of me with my pants down?" she asked, blinking as she felt a very familiar hand clamp down on her shoulder.

"Who might have done such a thing?" Glorfindel questioned, pulling her back a step and out from under Elladan's shadow, gaze fixed on the other ellon, and Sakura felt that thread binding them together tug at her then. She only hoped that terrible connection didn't affect him as much as she feared. She didn't want to ruin him, though she was probably doing that just by breathing. She could never forget that fact, heavy as it weigh over her.

Elladan swallowed visibly at that, and Sakura felt a mixture of relief and sadness wash over her then, heart aching viciously at the warmth of the touch on her shoulder. She was glad on one hand that he had seemingly come to her rescue, but on the other... A golden knight there to defend a dragon, the voice whispered mockingly, telling of how bizarre and unlikely such a situation was. Really, it only worked when the golden knight wasn't aware that the dragon was in fact a dragon. Her shoulders slumped forwards at that, even as Elladan hastily retreated under her soulmate's unflinching stare. Sakura wondered if he would still do the same once he knew who she truly was in those lands and under those stars. Definitely not, the voice whispered, and the coldness in her chest returned, biting and aching.

Glorfindel tilted his head, glancing between her and where Elladan had gone in his retreat. "I will have words with him," he said, looking as though he were about to hurry off in pursuit, and Sakura wasn't sure what madness had her grabbing a hold of his hand then. Grey eyes looked at her, curiosity plain in their depths, and she found herself looking away, wondering as she always did about how she could mislead such a wonderful, bright person who was the sun to her dark, starless sky. "Is there something the matter?" he asked, fingers curling around her own of their own volition.

"It's fine," she said, tightening her grasp on his larger hand, wondering why the sensation was such a balm to her miserable, battered, evil soul. "You don't need to have words with him," she added, frowning when all he did was sigh and shake his head at her like she was the one being stupid.

Stupid dragon, the voice jeered.

"He came to you and started questioning you without cause or reason," her soulmate said, and Sakura barely resisted the urge to wince at that. Because he did have cause and reason, but she wasn't about to elaborate on that because she did not want her beloved soulmate to hate her. Even though such an ending was unquestionably inevitable.