Susanne raised a hand to shade her eyes as she looked up at the sun blazing brightly overhead. The group had been on the move after deciding to leave Konan Country. The forest region was getting sparser as it reached the edge of the wastelands between Konan and Sailo. It was afternoon now, and it was almost time for the group to stop for lunch. Up ahead, Roger and Zeke were talking animatedly about something, and a bit in front of her Meredith was taking in the beautiful scenery. Susanne took a brief look behind her, where Dionysus was trailing behind the group. After he had... snapped last night, he seemed to be in a much better mood. Well, he wasn't moping around anymore at least. His mind was preoccupied with heavy thoughts, but Susanne couldn't tell what had shaken up the Guardian so badly.

As Susanne walked along, she tripped over an exposed tree root and fell forward onto her knees. As she fell, a sharp sound like the crack of thunder rippled through the woods. Birds took to flight.

The tree behind Susanne literally exploded, sending slivers of wood everywhere.

Dionysus, shaken out of his thoughts, looked up and ran to the tree. He stared at the damaged wood, totally ignoring the fallen Susanne and her allies around her. He pressed a hand against the bark and looked at the hole in the tree. Only one thing could make a mark like this, he thought silently. His head snapped around as he pinpointed the point of origin.

"Ce-ko!!!" he roared.

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Celly cursed as her shot missed. She had sighted perfectly. Only Susanne's clumsiness had kept her from having her head taken off her shoulders. Celly adjusted herself on the tree branch she was perched on (she had left Remy on the ground for safety) and was about to aim for Susanne again when she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Ce-ko!!!"

Celly looked up from her scope and towards the sound of the voice. She snarled as she saw the silver-haired Guardian... the man who had betrayed her. She lifted her sniper rifle again and sighted Dionysus, firing off her second, third and fourth rounds. But Dionysus knew what to expect and dove for cover in some thick bushes.

"Hide!" he yelled to the others as another spray of bullets rained down. "Ce-ko's got her hardware out on us!" Dionysus cursed silently to himself as he made his way through the undergrowth to where he *knew* his Ce-ko was firing from. The point of entry on the tree and the resounding shots made it all too clear. Dionysus looked up and saw Celly from her vantage point in the tree. Unfortunately, Celly looked down and saw him. He froze.

Celly was pissed that she wasn't able to pick off any of her targets, as they had taken cover deeper in the woods. A slight rustle beneath her made her look down and she saw Dionysus staring up at her. She brought her rifle to bear with out a second thought and aimed at Dionysus.

She pulled the trigger.

There was a distressing *click*.

No more bullets.

Celly cursed. In this moment, Dionysus had leapt up and tackled Celly, knocking them both to the ground. They grappled with each other for a few moments and Dionysus managed to wrestle the rifle away from her. They rolled away from each other and Dionysus tossed the empty rifle aside.

Celly grimaced and brought out her BBBoD. She brandished her weapon. "Betrayer!" she screamed at Dionysus. "I warned you once. I told you I would kill you if I saw you again. You're a foolish man!" Kami-sama, she thought. I gave you the warning, Dion. Why didn't you stay out of my way and live?

Dionysus reached out and a shining silver blade appeared in his hand. "You never wait for answers, but always charge ahead first. That will be your undoing, Ce-ko." Gods... do I really have to fight her?

"Don't you dare call me that! You have no right to call me that!" Celly morphed her weapon to her sword and lunged at Dionysus. He parried quickly and forced her back. She took a breath and attacked again, throwing out precise strokes and thrusts made to wear her opponent down.

Dionysus was able to block all of her moves. "I trained you, Ce-ko," he said as he moved to the offensive and thrust his sword out. Celly barely twisted out of the way of the blade and blocked his punch with a counter. "You can't hope to win against me, Ce-ko."

"Stop calling me that!!!" Celly cried out as she struggled to counter Dionysus' moves. Dammit, she thought. He's started a pattern in his moves already. One wrong step and I'm gone. "Why didn't you live, Dionysus? I gave you that chance."

Dionysus faltered when he heard his whole name spoken with such bitterness by his beloved. Celly spied the weakness and pressed once again into an offensive strategy. She feinted right and when Dionysus took it, she kicked him in his unprotected side. To his credit, Dionysus did not fall, but stepped away from the fighting.

"Would you listen to me for once!?!" he exclaimed, then rolled away as Celly's sword came for his head.

"I've listened to you enough!" Celly replied, dodging a thrust. "You've done nothing but lie to me!" I don't want to fight you... Celly thought desperately. I don't want to fight you! Why won't you leave me alone! I just want to get away! I don't want to be here anymore! Somebody! Anybody! Take me away from this place!

Dionysus attacks with a cut to the head, followed up with a feint to the stomach. Celly blocks the first and deflects the second and lunges straight in for quick hit at Dionysus' heart. Celly deflects Dionysus' blade around and using both hands attempts to force Dionysus' blade up and away, giving Dionysus an open target.

Dionysus slashes his sword at Celly's head, Celly blocks it, then goes to her legs to block the slash going there. Suddenly, Dionysus changes the slash to a thrust and Celly finds Dionysus' sword at her throat.

"Will you listen to me now?" Dionysus asks, panting heavily.

TBC...