Amazon Rainforest
498 BCE

"Vena! You can't hide from me forever! Your thoughts are way too loud!"

I bit my fist trying to stifle a laughter and hid behind a tree.

"Vena... you know I'll find you." Druig called out in a sing song voice and I immediately tried to climb up the tree without him seeing me. "I swear if I'd known you'd be this slippery, I wouldn't have even thought of this place. Where are you, my starlight?"

"You called?" I smirked hanging upside down in front of Druig and he jumped back in fear. "Ha! I scared you!"

"So that's where you've been this entire time? Hiding in the trees?"

"Not at all. I've been one step ahead the entire time." I said and reached up to pinch his cheeks. Druig swatted my hand away rolling his eyes and stifled a smile. "I win again. That's how many in a row?"

"Ten." He grumbled helping me off the branch. "So that's your plan for this evening? Make me go insane every time you disappear?"

"Well no... but it sure is fun!" I shrugged racing back to the hut. "Last one has to get firewood!"

"Dammit!" Druig yelled chasing after me but I beat him. "How are you so damn fast!? You're shorter!"

"By like two inches! And I fight Deviants left and right. After a few thousand years, you learn to pick up the pace." I smirked sitting on the steps of the hit and handed him an axe. "Well go on then! Amuse me."

"You're lucky I-" Druig was cut off by the ground shaking and he raised his eyebrows.

"That's not me." I said alarmed and leant down to touch the ground with glowing eyes. "Deviants... I'm sensing three."

"Ten years without a damn Deviant and here we go again." He sighed gripping the axe tighter as I held two flames. We both stood back to back keeping our senses heightened. "You have a plan?"

"Ikaris always gives the plans. Just... don't die, please." I whispered feeling the steps get closer.

"Same goes to you." He whispered back just as a Deviant emerged from the trees and stared me down. "You feel it too?"

"If you can keep them still, I can manipulate its blood." I said and charged at the Deviant jumping on top of it and placed my hands on what I assumed were its temples and tried to force the blood to boil. "Dammit! Why do you have such a thick skin!? And Druig you better not come up with a sarcastic remark or so help me God!"

"Kinda busy over here." Druig huffed slicing the legs of the Deviant and its antlers before sticking the axe in its head but it didn't die. "Bollocks!"

I grew frustrated with the Deviant I was currently holding on to so I stood up and threw a ball of fire straight to its heart before jumping to the one that was currently charging at Druig.

"Get that bloody tool away from me!"

"Believe me, I'm trying." I hissed as the Deviant stopped in his tracks right in front of Druig making me sigh in relief. I gripped the tail of the other Deviant and it stopped his attack on him. "Well... what are you bloody waiting for!? Kill them!"

Druig swung the axe decapitating both Deviants and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Are you okay?" Druig asked and winced. I looked down to see a large gash on his abdomen. I raised my eyebrow and he smiled sheepishly. "Oops?"

"I think I should be asking you that." I said helping Druig limp to the hut and set him down on the bed. I leant down to remove the tunic when he started laughing.

"If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask, darling."

"Not the time, Adonis!" I hissed lowering the garment to his waist and inspected the wound. "These are the moments where I miss Ajak."

"You practiced blood healing before, my beautiful Vena. It'll be okay." He spoke in a soft tone and I nodded placing my hands on the wound and ceased the blood. "See? You did so well."

"You were bleeding out and yet you're still singing praises." I chuckled dryly ripping a piece of the tunic and wrapped it around his torso as a tourniquet.

I stood up grabbing an empty bowl and filled it with water using it to clean the blood and dirt off my hands.

"So that's what you look like when fighting Deviants." Druig smirked sitting up and winced.

"You never saw me?"

"A few times... Every time I saw you climb on top of one of them, I immediately would start to think the worse. So I just focus on the task at hand for the moment. You can handle yourself pretty well." He shrugged and I scoffed.

"Nice to see I don't worry you." I teased.

"Trust me, you do worry me. But if I spend the entire time running after you making sure you don't get hurt, more humans will die and you'll be extremely mad at me. Besides, I know you're more than capable of defending yourself. And it was a thrill watching you handle those Deviants." He smirked grabbing my waist but I removed his hands making him whine.

"You're injured."

"When has that ever stopped us before?"

"When I have to go scout the area for more Deviants and/or Ajak's minion." I said grabbing the axe and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back before you even know I'm gone, I promise."

"You're not back by nightfall and I'm searching for you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

...

"You can come out. I won't bite."

"I come in peace, Vena."

"Knowing you... that's debatable." I shrugged climbing down the tree and held the axe defensively. "Why are you here, Ikaris?"

"Ajak sent me to find you." He sighed.

"Figured."

"And I just want to talk."

"Last time we talked... I drove you through a wall, you choked me half to death and I almost made your blood boil and not in a figurative way."

"Why'd you leave? We needed you and you left." Ikaris asked and I sighed lowering the axe.

"Do you really want an answer to that? My memories were going to be wiped, I wasn't going to remember my family. I had to leave. I spent years in the Domo fearing for my life, afraid to go to sleep every night. I was afraid that when I woke up, all of you would become strangers to me... especially you and Druig."

"Me?"

"Ikaris... I never hated you, not one bit. I always saw you as my older brother who I had to tease constantly, just like I do to Kingo. Only exception is that you took it to heart and here we are thousands of years later. I admired you for years. Hell, I even studied your fighting style just so I could imitate it with the illusion that one day you might be proud of me and hop off my ass for five minutes. But then you had to go and screw it up by targeting me every chance you got." I sighed leaning on a tree.

"Vena... I only pushed you to your limits because I knew you had more to offer. You never knew how powerful you were until I pushed you past your breaking point." Ikaris mumbled and I shook my head.

"Then why don't I believe you?"

"I'm hard on you, I'm hard on everybody. Look... After you left, Ajak sat us all down and explained the situation and why Arishem wanted your memories wiped. I never knew your powers could allow you to feel what they felt."

"You never asked. Not everything revolving my powers has to involve seduction, that's just the easiest one." I shrugged picking at my nails. "Every time a war breaks out, I feel their pain, their anguish. They have families, people to provide for! And yet will all of those emotions messing with my mind, you and Ajak still expect me to sit by and watch. No matter how much it'll physically hurt me. That's what you never understood."

"I never knew... I'm so sorry, Vena." Ikaris choked out and I nodded. "I won't tell her where you are. You have my word."

"Right now... your word is no good for me. You want my trust and respect? Earn it." I said and he nodded pulling me into a light hug. I smiled softly and hugged him back. "Tell the others Druig and I said hello and that we miss them. I'll be back soon."

"How soon can we expect you back?"

"Soon."

...

"I was just about to go search for you."

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine." I smirked finishing the fireplace and walked towards Druig to inspect the wound. "It opened. Why can't you stay still!?"

"Ikaris was here, wasn't he?" Druig asked ignoring my question and I tensed. "His thoughts are way too loud."

"He was... But it's okay, I took care of it."

"How bloodied is he?" I shook my head and Druig widened his eyes. "You didn't beat him up!?"

"Didn't have to. I'd rather not talk about it." I shrugged changing the makeshift bandage. "Let's just say that the air is cleared... at least for now."

"You told him?"

"I did. But like I said, I'd rather not talk about it." I sighed and kissed his cheek grabbing the axe again. "You should rest, I'll watch out for the Deviants just in case."

"You know I don't sleep well without you." He whined grabbing my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. "Please?"

"You lost a lot of blood and someone needs to watch out for Deviants. You know they like to come at night."

"You're a light sleeper, you can sense them easily." Druig tried to reason and I sighed rolling my eyes joining him on the bed. "Now was that so hard, my starlight?"

"If Deviants kill us, I'm kill you twice."

"I'll take my chances, thanks."

"Shut up."

MEMES: