Breath of Fire Chained

This fic is set around the time when Tiga had fought with Ryu over Katt. It's my own take on what happened on that night after the battle.

Chained

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Katt absentmindedly poked the fire with a stick. The hungry thing snapped and crackled as she pulled the wooden morsel out of its greedy reach. She let out a melancholy sigh, dropping the stick into the fire. The twirling flames caught her attention completely which momentarily burned away the memory of the day's events. She jumped as two strong hands fell on her shoulders.

"Why is such a pretty girl as you sad on a night like this?" Tiga asked her. Her future husband.

"I'm just thinking…" she answered quietly.

Tiga nodded knowingly, "You're worried about tomorrow. I'll be there to protect you, so don't worry yourself."

Katt's eyes hardened as she stared into the fire. Would she really have to share her life with this man? This man, who couldn't even understand what he had ruined for her? Why couldn't Ryu have won the fight? He hadn't even given the appearance that he had tried. He was the most powerful man she had ever met and he had fallen to this thick-skulled animal.

"Maybe you weren't the man I thought." she muttered to herself.

"What do you mean by that?" Tiga responded harshly.

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The Woren had better hearing than she had given him credit for, she thought as her face flushed.

He grabbed her roughly on the arm, "Are you questioning my manhood?"

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Great, he's abusive to boot.

She just looked down at his hand before returning a heated look directly to his face, "What do you think you're doing?"

Her look paled in comparison to the thundercloud his face had become. She didn't back down. She had never, would never, back down from anyone.

"Are you going to hit me like you hit Ryu?" she hissed with a hint of a challenge in her voice.

The comment seemed to throw the other Woren off balance.

"I could never hurt you! I love you!"

Katt sneered in his face. "You don't even know me!"

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, stars dancing in her eyes. She felt a red sting growing on her right cheek and didn't need to be told what had happened. She pushed herself up and wiped the dirt off her knees, calmly.

"So that's the kind of man you a.." she started before she was on the ground again. Her left cheek now had an accompanying mark.

As she looked up she saw that the rage had fallen from Tiga's face as he realized what he had done. He helped her to her feet, although his hand was still iron on the arm he held.

"I didn't mean to do that!" he apologized.

Shrugging off his hand, she went and sat back down by the fire.

"Just leave me alone, Tiga."

Once more he circled around to her, bending down. Katt ignored him until his arm circled around her waist and lifted her up.

"What are you doing!?" She demanded as he held her tight.

Before she could say anything else he had locked her in a ferocious kiss. Her eyes widened in shock, but he didn't notice. Katt tried to move her arms but he had them too tight against him to be of any use. When he had satisfied himself he let her go and she dropped numbly to the ground. Shooting her a smile, Tiga walked out of the light.

"We've got an early morning tomorrow. You should get to sleep soon." his voice called back to her.

As her shock left her she slammed an angry fist into the ground.

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That bastard! How dare he!?!

She could feel tears of outrage building, but blinked them back. He would never make her shed tears! She swore it!

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Look what you've done, Ryu? Why didn't you win?

Growling to herself she went over to the far side of the fire and drew out her blankets. It would be a cold day in Hell before she'd share a bed with Tiga, regardless of his wishes. She draped the blanket over her shoulders and laid back against a log the men had been using as a bench earlier. As she felt herself starting to drift back to sleep, two strong hands rested on her shoulders. With a growl she grabbed an arm and flung the man over her shoulder to roll in the dirt.

She blinked in surprise at the visitor, "Ryu?"

He stood up with a smile, shaking his head to clear it.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that." he apologized.

Katt patted the ground beside her and Ryu walked over and flopped down on the ground. He was built like a man, and yet sometimes he just seemed so boyish. The firelight was a little warmer with his presence.

"I thought you'd want some company tonight." he started.

"Ryu… why did you lose that fight today?"

Ryu's grin faded and he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Hehe, you noticed that?"

Her heart sank, she had at least expected him to deny it. Ryu didn't miss it, for he saw the injured look in her eyes.

"I had to do it. I couldn't let him take you, but I knew his men would help him win. This was the only way I could think of to avoid having you or any of the others getting hurt."

But you did hurt me…

She pushed down the thought and continued her questioning, "But why? Why did you have to do it?"

"It was like that time when we fought in the coliseum." he began, "His men are loyal to him. He hadn't asked them to do it, but when I was warming up for the fight I was warned that the only option for me was to lose."

No! I don't believe it! He's just trying to… to…

She felt his finger on her cheek and realized he was wiping away a tear.

"I didn't do it to hurt you." he said soothingly, "I'm torn up about not being able to be with you at the church tomorrow."

She smiled a little at the comment, which brought a smile to his face too.

"I promise that I won't leave you here, Katt. I won't let you be alone again."

Katt thought back to her years at the coliseum. Training, eating, and living in absolute solitude. She had never felt more alive than the short months she had spent with Ryu and her new friends. She had seen so much of the world and had many more adventures than most people would have in ten lifetimes.

"I don't want our journey to end either." Katt whispered, leaning on his shoulder.

They didn't say anything else after that as Katt leaned against him, looking deep into the fire. He had broken her bonds once before and he would do so again.

As Ryu stared into the flames he felt comfort that he hadn't enjoyed in years. The beautiful girl on his shoulder warmed him and reminded him of the adventures the two of them had since they had first met in that fateful fight. His memories of the demon from his childhood felt detached as he sat there, soaking in the warmth. An hour passed and Katt fell sound asleep on his shoulder. He sat there trying to savor the moment before he gently laid her down, wrapping her tightly in thick, wool blankets.

"Sleep tightly, Katt." he whispered, tussling her hair and leaving a faint kiss on her cheek.

He stood and slowly walked back to where Bow and Rand had set up their camp. Unnoticed, the Dragon's Tear glowed with joy.

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So, how'd you all like it? Did you think it was sappy? Bad? Corny? Hehe, I actually had fun writing it, and that's what really matters since that's the reason I write to begin with.


End file.

Breath of Fire, Romance