David breathed out, standing to his feet. He moved away from Rhongomyniad and Kinzer's room, beginning to walk through the hallways.
"... Guess'll be pretty hard to find anyone with all these doors around..." David thought. He stopped briefly, considering how he could make his search more manageable.
"...Training hard or hardly training?" A voice said behind him.
David froze for a moment, before a small smile formed on his face.
"...Heh, training hard, honey." David said, chuckling slightly. He turned around, his smile growing as he saw Masayoshi standing in one of the doorways. The woman returned his smile, slowly walking into the hallway, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
"...glad to see you're still in high spirits, darling." Masayoshi said softly. Gingerly, she floated off the ground, moving eye level with David.
"...Now that you're here, there ain't any reason to be down..." David said.
Masayoshi chuckled, shaking her head.
"...You flatter me too much, David." She said quietly. Gingerly, she leaned in, as if to kiss him on the cheek…before stopping, a slight frown slowly spreading on her face.
"Is something wrong, honey?" David asked, cocking his head.
"…David. Why do you smell like...dried blood? Well…moreso than usual, anyway…" Masayoshi said.
David froze for a moment, before chuckling awkwardly.
"O-oh…well uh…me and Kiara had a bit of a…friendly spar" David said.
Masayoshi's eyes narrowed slightly, recalling how intense David and Kiara's 'sparring matches' tended to be. The memory of their tag team match with Rory was still fresh in her mind.
"Uh huh…and I trust you practiced some…moderation, when sparring with your recently pregnant friend…right?"
"Well…uh…" David muttered. He scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
Masayoshi stared at him for a moment, before shaking her head.
"Nevermind. I don't want to know…I swear, you and Kiara are two peas in a meathead pod sometimes…" Masayoshi said. She rolled her eyes, though the small smile on her face indicated that she was only partially serious.
"Heh...sorry, sorry...don't tell Gabriel or Rory, alright?" David muttered, scratching his head.
Masayoshi breathed out, shaking her head.
"...I won't, honey. But...take it from me...if you start keeping secrets like that...it could easily come back to bite you one day..." Masayoshi said, a bit of concern in her voice. Memories of her wedding crept back into her mind, the woman shivering slightly. She knew this situation wasn't nearly as extreme, but she was wary nonetheless.
"...Yeah...I know, Yoshi..." David muttered, he breathed out, leaning his back against the wall.
"...How is Kiara doing, by the way? With...the baby, I mean?" Masayoshi asked.
"... She's having a...rough time. Had another breakdown after everyone left. Me and Rory managed to calm her down a bit but...I'm still worried..." David said quietly. He folded his arms, staring at the ground.
Masayoshi sighed. She hovered next to David, pressing herself into the wall beside him.
"...Poor girl. Going through these Lostbelts is already so...traumatizing. And now she has to raise a child on top of that...?" Masayoshi said. She shook her head, breathing out softly.
"Yeah...I get what you mean, honey. I...I just hope she'll talk to someone, if she needs any help. I...I'm worried she's going to...keep her emotions bottled up...until she...explodes again.." David said quietly.
"...I'm sure she appreciates the support, David. When she feels ready...she'll open up to someone..." Masayoshi said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"...I hope so, Yoshi..." David said quietly. A moment of silence past between the couple, David and Masayoshi slowly leaning closer, pressing their shoulders together. Gradually...a small smile crept onto David's face.
"...That's enough about me, honey. What have you been up to?" David asked quietly.
Masayoshi looked up at David, gradually returning the smile.
"Nothing too exciting. Cullthane decided it was time for another one of his lessons. So I've spent most of my time reading his texts..." Masayoshi said.
"Oh yeah… how's your training with him going, honey?" David asked.
"Heh…Cullthane can be a bit…stand-offish sometimes…well...all the time...but he's a good teacher. I'm grateful he took me under his wing" Masayoshi said, chuckling.
"Heh...glad to hear you're making progress, honey. I know you've been trying to get stronger..." David said, flashing her a smile.
"Thank honey. He's certainly taught me things I...may have never picked up on my own..." Masayoshi said, a soft smile on her face.
"He taught you that uh...cool plant stuff right? Like when you summoned those big vines against the Dragon..." David asked, cocking his head.
"Yeah! He's been focusing on teaching me individual elements so far. Right now, he's given me a few texts to study for water spells. Levitating it, changing its shape, that kind of thing." Masayoshi said. Her eyes brightened as she talked, enjoying sharing her progress with someone who'd listen.
"I used to know someone with crazy strong water powers in the dream world. She could shape it in all kinds of cool ways...even form weapons out of it. If you can do stuff like that, you'll be one hell of a fighter!" David said, chuckling.
Masayoshi smiled, shaking her head.
"...I'm only working on the basics at the moment. But...who knows what I'll be able to do once I really get to the meat of it..." Masayoshi said.
"Well, if you ever need anyone to test it out on...I'm here for you, honey. I can be your test subject or something!" David said.
"Heh...I'll keep that in mind, David...thanks." She said, chuckling softly.
"No problem, honey! Anything else happen?" David asked.
"...Well...I talked to one of Belial's Shadow Soldiers. A...wish granting summoning dream named Jirachi..." Masayoshi said.
"...Eh? So...she's like a genie or something?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Heh...in a sense, honey. She can grant wishes, but...she isn't all-powerful or anything. She can't just...wish Adam away...I tried..." Masayoshi said, chuckling softly.
David hesitated for a moment. A part of him wanted to ask if Jirachi could restore the erased dimensions…but knew it was likely impossible.
"...Damn. Guess that would've made things too easy, huh..." David murmured.
"Heh...no shortcuts for us, I suppose. After talking to her...I talked to Gabriel for a bit...Jirachi had a...concerning vision about her..." Masayoshi said.
"...Is she gonna be alright, honey?" David asked quietly. He tensed slightly, a look of concern crossing his face.
"...I'm...not sure, honey. The vision was too vague. But we know we need to be careful. Just...make sure to keep an eye on her, while we're here. I...I know you two still don't have the...best relationship, but keeping her safe should be our priority." Masayoshi said.
"...Of course, of course...i'll make sure to have her back if anything happens..." David muttered, breathing out. His hands slowly clenched into fists, the concern on his face only increasing as he thought about what could happen to Gabriel.
Masayoshi nodded, gingerly wrapping David into a hug.
"...Don't worry too much, honey. With all of us protecting her...I'm sure everything will turn out fine..." She said quietly, a soft smile on her face.
David stared at her for a moment, before breathing out.
"Right...right...we...we just need to protect her..." David muttered, nodding. Slowly, he calmed down slightly, flashing Masayoshi a small smile.
"Thanks for the talk, honey. It's...always nice to hear your voice..." David said softly.
"...It was my pleasure, honey. I'll probably go back to studying soon but...you can always contact me with our telepathic bond." Masayoshi said softly.
"...Heh...sure thing, honey." David said.
"Oh and David…one last thing..." Masayoshi said. She leaned in closer, her lips pressing into his ear. She spoke quietly, her voice barely audible in the hallway.
"That perfect body of yours… is mine, and mine alone…and I'll need it in top shape for our vacation..." Masayoshi purred. She winked, gingerly running a hand along his chest.
David froze, a soft blush slowly forming on his cheeks.
"H-honey...?" David murmured.
"Remember that…next time you go off and get yourself beaten half to death." Masayoshi said, chuckling softly. Gingerly, she kissed him on the neck, before vanishing, teleporting into one of the nearby rooms. David stood there for a moment, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Yes ma'am..." David muttered. He hesitated for a moment, before walking away, moving through the hallway.