Title: Love bound

Rating: T

Summary:
Teiru has been used as an experimental subject for all her life, but is freed by Yuu. Now that she is free she's willing to discover the world of the Immortals, the humans and the Athans, together with Yuu, who is reluctant to agree. What will come of the combination of these two? Warning: girlXgirl.

Warning!: This will contain girlXgirl love in future chapters, and it will be the main focus of the story. So if you have a strong dislike for that kind of stuff, I won't stop you from looking for something else.
A/N

Hehe, I'm so proud I'm writing the very first fic for Jade dynasty! Man I love that game, feel free to add me: XDemonixaX…Yeah, ignore the name, I started when I was 15 or something (and I'm still only lvl 135. Unascended…I'm so sad!XD). Anyhow, the first chapter may seem like it's going really fast, but it will get better, I promise. I tried to keep my OC's from turning into Mary-sues, but if you still feel like they are after a few chapters feel free to tell me so and I'll work on it.

Now, Enjoy!

-.^

Footsteps.

tha-dump

Screams.

Tha-dump

The sound of blades.

Tha-dump

That's all Teiru seems to remember, even though her name wasn't Teiru yet back then, along with the sound of her racing heartbeat. For about 13 years she had lived in that basement. For about 13 years she had suffered from the experiments. Until Yuu came crashing into her life, quite literally. One minute she was trashing because of the needle in her arm, cursing the people around her to hell, the next minute she was huddled in a corner with her hands covering her ears and her tail wrapped around her lithe frame, trying desperately to ban out the sounds. The screams, the falling objects, breaking bottles and the sound of blood splattering against the wall or floor. After what seemed like hours she looked up, into the eyes of a dark figure, the dim light giving Teiru the perfect view of the scythes that she had mistaken for blades, covered in blood. The blood of the people lying around her. The woman took a step forward, resulting in Teiru scooting backwards against a wall. The woman in front of her stopped and sighed, slowly putting her scythes away. The woman's body moved almost gracefully as she did so, but it didn't give Teiru any idea that she was safe. In fact, it did the opposite.

''It's okay now.'' Teiru cringed at the voice, even though it didn't sound harsh or curt. It sounded calm, as if the woman hadn't just killed several people in cold blood. The woman took another step forward and held out her hand. But Teiru didn't accept it. She was confused and, though she hated to admit it, afraid. She had never been afraid of the people and the things they did, but things she had no knowledge of, that were new, those were the things that would scare her. She clutched her tail, flinching as her fingers came in contact with something cold and watery. The dim light gave her just enough sight to saw it was blood and she quickly let go of her tail, staring at it as if it was cursed.

''Get up.''

Teiru's mind didn't really process the words, only that the woman was speaking to her. When she didn't move the woman sighed.

''Very well, find your own way out then.'' Teiru's ears perked up, but flattened when the woman's piercing eyes met hers again. The woman smirked.

''Heh, got your attention there huh? Come, I'll lead you out.''

She turned around and walked to the door, not waiting for an answer. Teiru carefully stood up, taking a small step forward. The woman sighed again and moved the books and broken bottles lying in front of the door out of the way, shoving them to the side with her foot.

''Are you the only one in this corridor?''

Teiru shook her head, but realized the woman couldn't see her nod. Licking her lips she opened her mouth.

''No, there are others in the next room.'' It sounded hoarse and it hurt to speak, but the woman didn't pay attention to it. She nodded and opened the door, walking up the stairs and gesturing Teiru to follow her. Teiru followed, keeping a safe distance.

''Well we already got the others out.''

We. Teiru wearily eyed the woman's back, finally taking notice of the dark material around the woman's frame. From the glimmer the dim lights gave she could make out it was some sort of leather, combined with a few steel plates and white fur. The woman turned her head as she noticed the eyes locked on her, allowing Teiru to notice the veil around her face, keeping her nose and mouth from being seen.

''OI!''

While the woman simply turned her head, Teiru jumped at the sudden voice, taking several steps back as someone came running at them from the distance.

''There you are,'' A man stopped in front of the woman, somewhat panting. Teiru's eyes widened. He was huge, at least 3 heads bigger than the other woman. As far as Teiru could see, his armor consisted of gold and green plated steel that protected most of his body, only revealing his face, upper arms and muscled abdomen. The man held a giant axe in his hand, the colors and markings matching his armor. Teiru took another step back as the guy took notice of her. He raised his eyebrows.

''There was another one eh?''

The woman nodded. ''She's the last one.''

''Alright then let's get out of here, it won't take long for monsters to notice this smell.''

''Hmpf. Very well,'' The woman turned towards Teiru. ''Let's go.''

Teiru didn't move and flattened her ears, intimidated.

The woman sighed again, irritation seeping into her voice. ''If you're just gonna whimper then-''

''Oi, don't be so harsh to her.'' The man interrupted, obviously not approving her actions.

''Nani?'' The woman turned to the man and reached up to pull the veil down, her voice no longer sounding muffled as she glared at him. She lifted one arm and poked a finger at his chest.

''You know how hard it is to get all that blood of my scythes? I killed those people so she could get out of there, now if that brat-''

''I'm not a brat!''

Both people turned to her, their eyebrows raised. Teiru's voice wasn't as strong as it should be, but that didn't seem to matter. She did not like to be insulted, especially not by a stranger, even if the stranger didn't seem an enemy. At least for now. She regained a bit of her confidence as she spoke, even though she felt intimidated by the looks both people gave her.

''I'm not a brat.'' She spoke again, crossing her arms.

The woman chuckled. ''Heh, she's got a spine. Come, I'm getting nauseous of this smell.'' She didn't wait for an answer and walked to where the man had come from.

Teiru blinked. What's with the mood changes?

''Don't worry about Yuu,'' Teiru jumped again when the man spoke. She turned her head to look at him, tilting it up to be able to look at his face.
''She's got a temper but her heart is in the right place.'' The man spoke gesturing her to follow him. Teiru hesitantly followed him, not sure whether to trust these people. But she wasn't eager to stay here, not when monsters would surely show up. If she got outside, maybe she could make a run for it and-

''Here.'' The woman, apparently named Yuu, had stopped in her tracks and held out a bottle, her back still turned to Teiru, who blinked.

''It's water.''

Teiru hesitantly looked at the bottle, until the man took it and handed it over for her. She took it from him and eyed him carefully as she took a sip. Her eyes widened at the relieving feeling of the water sliding down her dry throat and she eagerly gulped half of it down.

''Better?'' The man smiled and she nodded. ''Yes, thank you.''

''Balo-Kun''

The man sighed. ''Stop calling me that, I have a name.''

Yuu let out a uninterested grunt and waved a hand at him. '' Hai,Hai. I'm only interested in what's next. Do I have to get back to the Dragon palace to get my reward?''

''Yes. After that our ways will part again.''

''Not for long I assume.'' She huffed, and the man snickered. ''I guess not.''

''Care to explain?'' Teiru crossed her arms and pouted a bit. Yuu turned her head and raised her eyebrows.

''Do I have to?'' The woman crossed her arms, earning a glare from Teiru. Was it that much to ask?

''Yuu and I tend to go after the same reward, so we end up teaming up sometimes.'' The man explained, a stupid grin on his face.

''Too many times if you ask me.''

The man sighed and scratched the back of his head. ''Ouch, you're cruel Yuu.'' Yuu huffed and continued on her way. Teiru's gaze switched from Yuu to the man over and over again. What was it exactly that made the man think her heart was in the right place? She didn't seem all that nice. At all.

''Finally, the exit. It's way too dark in there.'' The woman complained as she crossed her arms behind her head.

''Funny, I thought you'd prefer it.'' Teiru murmured, a small smirk escaping her lips. Unfortunately, Yuu had pretty good ears. The woman had stopped in her tracks and swirled around to place her palm on Teiru's head, pushing her down as a growl escaped the woman's throat.

''What was that?''

Teiru growled in response and lifted her arms, scrunching her eyes shut as the woman harshly rubbed her hair into disarray. She waved her arms as if the woman was an annoying fly, growling once more.

''Ow! Hey cut it out!''

''Why would I now? You little-''

''Will you two stop it?''

''Eh? The brat started it!'' The woman looked up at the man and used her free hand to point at Teiru, still painfully pushing the girl's head down.

''Did not!''

''Are you stupid? You-''

''Enough.'' Teiru yelped as an arm snaked around her waist and lifted her up, before she was thrown over a shoulder. She panicked and started hitting the man's back and kicking her legs, desperate to escape.

''Let me go! Let me go!''

''Not if it results in Yuu and you bickering. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.'' Her panic slowly disappeared as she realized the reason she was taken a hold of, and she focused on glaring at Yuu, who she blamed for this situation.

Yuu simply grinned.

''Why don't you carry her then?''

''Tried that once, and it did not end well.''

Yuu grinned even wider, her eyes glimmering at the apparently good memory. To her at least.
Teiru huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the ground. It remained silent for a while, the sound of footsteps on the cold bricks and rustling clothes the only thing breaking it.

''Your armor is stinging in my hip.''

''Want him to carry you like a princess?'' Yuu snarled.

Teiru cocked her head to the side and remained silent for a while. A grin spread on her face.

''Yes.'' Oh yeah, she was definitely getting her confidence back.

The woman's eyes widened. ''You really are a cocky little brat!''

''Shut up! You suggested it!''

''I was being sarcastic!''

The Balo disciple groaned, placing his free hand on his face as the two started bickering again. He deserved a bigger reward for this. Luckily for him, the light was no longer a dot in the distance, they reached the exit and walked outside the lair. Teiru immediately fell silent and crossed her hands in front of her face at the harsh light, her eyes not used to it. She groaned, but the sound remained unnoticed by the other two.

''Did the others leave without us?'' Yuu asked, looking around.

''Well you can't expect them to wait. With all those people in those horrible conditions it's only natural they brought them away as soon as possible.''

''Point given.''

''Lemme down!''

''You'd better listen to her, Balo-kun. It looks like she has fangs.''

The man turned his head. ''You're doing it all on purpose, aren't you?''

Yuu grinned as an answer, earning another sigh as the man put Teiru down. The girl wobbled on her legs and took a few shaky steps before she scanned the area, her eyes still squinted against the bright lighting. She looked at the ground and poked a dirt-covered toe at the sand, blinking at the feeling of the heated ground being so soft underneath her feet. She wiggled her toes, savaging the feeling of the grass tickling her feet. She let out a giggle.

''You really are just a kid.''

''And you're just an nagging old woman.'' She smirked, her gaze still fixed at the ground.

''You-''

''Yuu.''

Yuu swirled around to snarl at the man but stopped as he gestured at the girl, who was smiling at the surroundings. She glared at him but remained silent. Her gaze shifted back to the girl, whose blood stained tail twitched in delight. Despite her somewhat torn and dirty clothes, and her lithe frame, the girl's eyes glimmered as she pressed her feet down more firmly, eventually burying a few toes in the soft sand. A few birds chirped, causing the soft brown ears to perk up. The girl's head followed as the tracked down the source, her smile growing wider as a few blue feathered birds hopped on a branch a few feet away from her. Yuu frowned.

''How long has it been since you've been outside?''

The girl turned around and frowned as well. ''How long? Uhm, not sure. We've been outside once or twice, I think.''

Yuu arched a slender eyebrow. ''You think?''

The girl nodded.

''I see. Well that's over know. Let's get you to the Dragon palace.''

Teiru frowned, hesitant to go. She only knew these people for about half an hour, and as far as she understood they were some sort of assassins. She jumped when a shadow was cast over her, and when she looked up she met eyes with the large man. He crouched down on his knees, but his head was still not level with hers. He gave her a smile and placed a large hand on her head.

''I understand you don't trust us but-''

''If we wished to kill you we would have done so earlier.''

''…''

''…''

A silence followed, before Teiru looked up at the woman. ''You're awful at comforting people.''

The woman just shrugged. ''I merely stated a fact.''

The man sighed. ''Listen,'' Teiru turned her head back to him.'' I won't force you to come along, I can only advise you. Monsters will surely come after this smell, and I guarantee you that you'd be safer with us. Once we've reached the Dragon palace and got you taken care of, you are free to do as you please.''

Tieru looked away. ''But…''

''Like I said, I won't force you but-''

''Balo-kun.''

The man grunted in annoyance. ''I told you to-''

''Not now.'' Yuu hissed, pointing at her right. ''There are monsters coming this way, I assume they've taken notice of the blood. Remaining here any longer will surely result in them taking notice of us.''

The man cursed under his breath and picked Teiru up, who let out a yelp, before quick-pacing away.

''Hey! What about not forcing me!'' Teiru spoke as she struggled, looking at the direction the woman pointed at, trying to make out the forms of these monsters.

''Changed my mind.'' The man murmured, focused on making his way through the forest.

The woman had pulled out her scythes and followed them, continuously scanning the area. She remained in a slightly crouched position, ready to strike at any time. Her gaze crossed Teiru's for a moment and after a few seconds of starting, she dashed at her. Teiru's eyes widened as she started to struggle again, not knowing what to expect as the woman charged at her.

''What-'' The woman skillfully held both scythes in one hand as she reached up and took a hold of the garment around Teiru's waist before tugging it down.

''Hey!''

''I could see up your skirt.''

Teiru blushed furiously and placed a hand on her bottom to prevent the skirt from sliding up again.

''You could have just said so!''

Yuu chuckled but got back to scanning the area again, her body back to its crouched and tensed position. Teiru decided to stop paying attention to the woman and turned her head, focusing on the area in front of her, all while still keeping a hand on her butt. She made a sound of discomfort.

''Why is your armor so hard?''

''It's originally designed to prevent monsters from cutting my skin, not to carry persons.''

Teiru huffed and scanned the area as well. ''I don't see any monsters…''

''Don't worry about it, if there's any monster coming at us Yuu will take care of it.''

''Lazy bastard.'' Yuu spoke, her eyes still fixed on the surroundings even as they jogged away.

The man ignored the insult and kept jogging, his armor rattling with each step. Teiru had to duck down her head when an occasional branch would threaten to hit her, but she managed. Eventually the forest became less thick and they slowed down to a walking pace, giving Teiru a better chance to look around now that she was in the open. She breathed in through her nose, sneezing as some dust made its way in. The man chuckled and put her down on her own two feet. She wobbled on her feet but quickly regained her balance. She looked around again, but instead of her surroundings, her eyes caught sight of something entirely different. It was still a few hundred feet away, but she could make out walls and stairs leading to what she assumed was the Dragon Palace. As they walked closer her head titled more and more, her gaze fixed on the highest part of the palace. Her eyes slowly widened.

''It's big.''

The man chuckled. ''It is.''

It was. The walls surrounded the entire area, reaching far above any tree, allowing no one to climb them. There was only one entrance; two pair of stairs leading to a gate of some sort. She halted in front of the first pair of stairs, even as the pair kept walking. Yuu was the first to notice she didn't follow and walked back to her. She placed a hand on Teiru's back and gave her a little push.

''Come.'' She bent forward, her soft voice now reaching Teiru's ears. But Teiru didn't notice as she took a step forward. She kept her hand on Teiru's back, slowly urging the girl forward as they moved. They halted when they reached the gate of some sort, and Teiru's mouth dropped.

It was lively, more lively than she had ever experienced before. She saw all sorts of Athan walking around, some as big as the man next to her, others as slender and shady as the woman. She recognized Athan like herself, their tails and ears sticking out of their bodies like extra limbs, but also long and, though she hated to admit it, the most beautiful Athan, who all seemed to levitate. The clothing of all Athan varied; from simple white garments to black, red, green or gold, with or without plates or jeweled symbols. Some carried axes, others scythes, bows or a harp like instrument. There was laughter instead of screams. Smiles instead of expressions that showed fear, no tears, no threats, beatings or anything of the sort. While she was guided along with the pair she kept looking around, bewildered by the change of surroundings. Some looked at her, at her clothing and state, but only few scrunched their noses. The blacksmith was hammering down on steel, creating the blade necessary for the part of an axe. The Tailor was busy taking measurements for a woman's clothing while the craftsman was busy selling his merchandise. It was all so new, yet it felt so right. Even when she bumped into Yuu she merely glanced at her before her attention turned back to this new world. A low rumbling chuckle got her attention however, and when she looked to the source her mouth dropped once again.

The man, or thing in question, was unlike any other Athan. Even while sitting his head still reached far above the man next to her. He held a staff, green glowing air and sparkles swirling around it, indicating the large amount of magic it could hold. The blue skin glimmered in the sunlight, though most of the man's body was prevented from seeing by its white beard, which almost reached the ground. She suppressed the urge to take a few steps back and looked at the man's face, which showed kindness. His eyes showed a calm state when he opened his mouth, and his low rumbling voice was guided to her ears.

''Welcome youngster, to the Dragon palace.''

-.^

A/N

Right, I know the game originally follows the Chinese mythology. But I love the Japanese language and traditions, besides, I know little to nothing about the Chinese traditions, language, culture and mythologies. Apart from that the Japanese phrases or words I used sound better this way than in English.

Now, let me give you a small summary of my OC's:

Teiru:
Faction: Arden
Her name isn't technically Teiru yet, it will be given to her in the next chapter. She's an energetic, 15 year old girl, but she's quite the brat. She enjoys teasing people and will not back away when giving the chance for a discussion. She stands for what she thinks is right and she's very bold. She will often speak her thoughts out loud, even if it will lead to arguments or fights. It takes some time for her to trust people, or more like admitting she trusts them. She has been held captive as an experimental subject for most of her life. While one may expect her to have become a silent little girl, she refused to break down or follow orders, which often resulted in more experiments. While her attitude may say otherwise, she highly respects and admires Yuu and wishes to become just as strong.

Yuu:
Faction: Rayan.
Yuu is around 19 years old. She appears cold-hearted and calm, but in reality she has quite the temper. While she's quite rash in normal life, she becomes extremely calm and calculating when in battle or in danger, opting for the best strategy and silent kill. She doesn't care about rules and follows her own instinct and morals to reach her goals, for which she will do anything to reach it. She usually doesn't care about other people, and only few people are really important to her. She's extremely protective of what she thinks of as hers(subtle hint), and will not hesitate to fight for it if it's threatened to be taken away from her. She strongly dislikes weaklings, feeling one can become as strong as he or she wants to, as long as they pursue it. She's the chief of her clan, and the captain of an Alliance. (Actually, my character is, I guess I mix them a bit.)

This is really just the basic personality they have, there will be much more character development , at a nice and steady pace. You'll get to know the Balo disciple's name next chapter. I'm well aware they, especially Teiru, come across as extreme sues. I mean with the dark past, lonely, without a name, but if you take her personality in accord, and the fact that even though those events, she didn't turn in some shitty weak whimpering girl…Well…I just hope that compensates it for now.
Also, I plan to take my time with this, rushing never did me any good. Feel free to point out any spelling or grammar error you've come across, and I'll fix it.