Summary:
(MillisarxReiha) Reiha finds herself taking care of an injured but cranky and annoying Summon Beast.

Disclaimer: Summon Night is not mine! I just wanna mess around with its characters for a bit.

Author's Notes:

Gah... I hope I can finish the next chapters much, much faster... =( There are too many distractions, darn it! Anyway, please do enjoy! XD I really can't thank you enough for all the encouragement!

To Tame a Summon Beast
by fascifemina

Chapter Six

Barracks soaked in oil surrounded the path towards the village, burning vigorously and scaring off the weaker monsters from attempting to invade. Beyond the traps were the bigger monsters and were fighting the villagers who were armed with rakes, torches, and wooden bats. Archers were positioned at the far back and their arrows continued to assault the monsters overhead.

As much as Reiha wanted to pretend that the villagers could fend off for themselves, she couldn't ignore the glaring fact that these people were anything but warriors. Some of the men fighting at the front lines were either too young or too old and were even having trouble swinging their bats or rakes around to actually contribute to the fight. The archers were no better since most of them were young and were now having difficulty aiming their arrows at their supposed targets. Fear was etched into their faces as the monsters continued their onslaught.

Reiha and Millisar were behind the safety of the bushes and both could only watch with bated breaths as the heat of the battle intensified. She could feel herself trembling, but her eyes refused to leave the gruesome scene before her as more and more villagers fell under the mercy of the beasts.

Reiha was too shaken at what was happening that it took her sometime before she could finally find her voice. "Millisar! We have to help those people!" Screams were pounding in her ears and each one made her heart constrict painfully in her chest. She turned to her companion only to be startled at what she saw.

An eerie calmness was spread over his features as he gazed intently at the battle, causing the hair at the back of her neck to rise uncomfortably. However, before Reiha could make out whatever it was that particular expression had meant, the Summon Beast directed her attention at her with his usual scowl. "What?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard a word she just said.

She bit her lip, repeatedly convincing herself that she was just imagining things and that disturbing look he wore was just a result of her growing panic. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. The villagers were more important right now! This was not the time to strangle Millisar and demand what in the world the jerk had been thinking. Grabbing hold of her companion's arm, she stepped out of their hiding place and started to pull him towards the cluster of monsters that surrounded the village.

Before she could take another step, however, Millisar shrugged her off. "Are you out of your mind?" The Summon Beast yelled at her. "If you think we can take on those monsters by ourselves then you really are an idiot!"

"But they need help!" Her overwhelming concern was the only thing that prevented her from being angry at him at a time like this. The villagers could die at any minute! There must be something they could do to help!

Millisar was staring at her with a frown and she must have looked desperate enough that he let out a resigned sigh. "Tch." He then muttered something unintelligible under his breath. She watched him look around, as if analyzing their predicament. "Look, can you even summon one of your strongest spells? I can probably slow them down, but you know as well as I do that we're not fit to fight a hoard of those creatures."

Reiha didn't want to admit it, but Millisar was right. Her current condition prevented her from summoning her whirlwind again. If she forced herself to the limit, she might end up being unconscious for a few days and time was a luxury they didn't have. But could she really abandon these people?

Just when she was about to tell him that she would at least try, some of the beasts turned around and spotted them. "Damn it. That attitude of yours is gonna be the death of us someday, I swear." Millisar snorted before quickly unsheathing his Dao. He held a hand in front of him and Reiha's hair whipped in front of her face as the familiar tug of the Spirits engulfed his palm.

The fury of his Dark Fire Spell rushed toward the creatures, the dark flames consuming them as they screeched in pain. With precise and determined steps, Millisar swung his Dao in a wide arc and black blood spurted across the grass as one of the creatures' head came rolling down the ground. Reiha watched as he did the same with the others that were still trapped in his flames.

She was about to lift her staff to hurl Spirit orbs against the creature that focused its attention on her when her breath was knocked out of her lungs and she was tackled to the ground by a roly. She screamed and kicked like mad when she felt its numerous legs crawl all over her skin. The weight of the insect on top of her felt like she was being squished flat by a large rock. Her hands were clutching its mouth to keep it from biting off her face as thick, disgusting slime dripped from its gaping mouth and onto her neck.

It took a great deal amount of effort to kick the roly off her and she wasted no time to crawl to where she had dropped her staff. The insect was faster than she had anticipated and it latched on her back as if determined to keep her down. She could hear her backpack being torn to shreds as she tried all her might to reach her staff. As soon as she felt the cold handle under her fingertips, she raised her arm and swung the rod as hard as she could against the roly. A loud crack was heard as it connected against its skull.

The insect squealed and dropped to the ground, but its small pincer-like mouth got caught in one of the holes of her bag and ripped her backpack completely. She didn't have time to lament over her favorite bag as her belongings spilled all at once. One particular flask was sent flying and landed just an arm's reach in front of her.

She stared at it for a few seconds, her slightly addled brain taking a few more seconds than normal to recognize what she looking at.

"What are you doing? Get up! You're a sitting duck there!" Millisar's frustrated shouts interrupted her thoughts as his rapid footsteps drew closer to her. She looked up at him just as an idea was forming inside her head. She grabbed hold of the flask and held it up for a confused Millisar to see.

"A... flask?"

Smiling weakly to herself despite the urgent situation happening all around them, Reiha motioned for Millisar to follow her to a safer part of the forest. She knew he was getting annoyed at her strange behavior, but she didn't have time to explain to him everything as she ran the processes over and over in her mind.

Gently, she placed the small flask on the ground between her and Millisar. There was a high chance that this wouldn't work, but she realized she didn't have a choice on the matter. "I don't have time to explain, but long story short this will let us conjure beasts. And I'm going to need your help to make this work."

"What?" Millisar eyed the flask on the ground and scowled. "Why couldn't you do it yourself?"

"I can't! It takes a large amount of Spiritual power to conjure beasts! It needs to be done by at least two people..." He was giving her skeptic looks so she desperately searched her brain for something to convince him to do this with her.

Unfortunately, she found none. She would have to plead.

"Please, Millisar!" She didn't care that she was genuinely pleading with him this time around. The screams were getting louder and the smoke from the fire was getting thicker as it hovered over their heads. Lives were at stake and her irritation at her companion was thrown aside and temporarily buried at the back of her mind. "All you need to do is ask the Spirits to help me summon!"

She could see the mental struggle going on inside his head as he glared daggers at the flask sitting almost innocently on the ground. A few more seconds passed and her patience was already wearing thin. People's lives depended on them, didn't he realize that? Didn't he care about what would happen to these people?

Suddenly, the disturbing expression she had seen on him a while ago flashed before her eyes. She gasped at the sudden realization and she inadvertently stepped back. "Don't tell me..." Her words died in her throat. She didn't need to continue as she saw an unreadable expression that took hold of his features.

He hated humans that much? He was willing to see them... die?

Rage coursed and thrummed wildly in her veins and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to shake some sense into his twisted personality. "Millisar!" Her voice shook and her whole body trembled. "Those villagers are innocent! If you want to direct your hatred towards anyone then pour them all out on me instead!" She stopped, her throat was becoming hoarse. "Please... Don't become like Ghardib."

That did it apparently. He gaped at her words, his red eyes widening. He looked paler than usual as if all the blood had been driven out of his body.

Their eyes met, sealing a silent agreement. Reiha let out the breath she didn't know she was holding as she saw him finally close his eyes to concentrate on summoning the Spirits.

Relief washed over her like a wave. No! This isn't the time for this! I have to focus! She recited the chant of the summoning ritual and she could feel the Spirits surrounding her, forming a blaze of power that encircled the two of them. She focused on conjuring the most powerful creature they had ever faced and asked the Spirits to lend her their aid for a short while. When Millisar's energy mixed with her own, she was surprised at the darkness that filled her heart, distorting and almost breaking her concentration.

This was what she had been dreading from the very start. How could they even attempt to do this when they didn't even consider each other as friends?

Irritated, she opened her eyes and glared at her companion. His eyes were still closed and he was bathed in dark energy, his face devoid of any emotion as if he had been drugged. Even so, she could still feel his distrust through his energy and it was making her so uncomfortable that she was tempted to end the ritual and just forget about the whole thing.

What could she do? There was no way she could convince him to trust her! She needed to let his summoned Spirits to flow through her naturally or else their summoning would be all for nothing!

Is there really no other way...? The Spirits surrounding them were admirably strong, but she wouldn't be able to put them into good use if their energies didn't mingle together to form the creatures. They had to form a connection!

She channeled Ingiell's lectures in her mind, searching for anything that she could use as an alternative for the connection of Spirits. She only needed to create a path for their energies to flow together as one. What could she do? She wasn't Ayn so she wouldn't know the detailed processes of the summoning besides the basic concepts and the chants. How in the world was she going to create a pathway?

Just then, a ridiculous thought formed inside her brain that she had to balk at the idea. Panic seemed to be getting into her head that she was now being haunted by stupid thoughts! Really! What was she thinking?

She stared at her companion, narrowing her eyes at him as millions of thoughts surged through her head at the possibility that the unbelievably stupid idea might just work. She didn't want to think about it anymore, but the rational part of her brain was telling her that it wasn't as stupid as she was making it out to be.

Screams, roars, and cries pounded and rang continuously in Reiha's ears as she watched horrified when the numbers of the villagers fighting against the monsters dwindled rapidly. Morale was decreasing so fast that some of them had no choice but to abandon their posts and run away for their lives.

Reiha wanted to cry. She really did, but she swallowed every ounce of pride left within her chest and approached Millisar. Her legs felt strangely like lead and it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe. Only three steps closer and she would be able to close the distance between the two of them.

She studied him for a moment, noticing that he was still under the spell of the Spirits to be aware of what was happening. She silently thanked the Spirits for that because she really didn't want to see how violent his reaction would be once he realized what she was going to do next.

An ear-splitting scream was what prevented Reiha from chickening out at the last minute. Feeling her cheeks burning to the point that it made her dizzy, Reiha swallowed the lump in her throat.

She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his.

Millisar's eyes instantly snapped open at the sudden pressure on his lips. He tried to know what happening, but he couldn't see anything as he was blinded by a surge of light that seemed to surround him continuously in waves. He struggled to get away from the unknown contact, but the pressure still insisted.

The energy around him was so intense he felt as if he was floating in space. What was happening to him? What was he doing? Yet, he couldn't feel the familiar panic forming in his gut. He didn't even feel afraid or the least bit alarmed. There was warmth everywhere and it soothed every fiber of his being that he had no choice but to feel contented.

He assumed that it must have been the work of the Spirits. Since the ritual started, he had sensed a foreign energy attempting to invade his thoughts and it made him uneasy as hell. He had retaliated by instinct, of course, and whatever it was that wanted to open his mind had receded without a fight.

He couldn't explain what happened afterward, though. He had opened his mouth to cry out in frustration, but this action had led a strong energy to send ripples of electricity on every part of his body. He didn't feel any pain at all. In fact, his body had welcomed the unknown warmth for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

It just... exploded, as if he had been engulfed by that sudden warmth without him realizing it.

His body was now relaxed than ever before. In fact, he had never felt this at peace for such a long time and he couldn't help but ask for more of that warmth.

Drunk by the strange lull of the swirl of energies around him and the pleasant feeling, Millisar didn't bother fighting the strange sensations and completely gave in.

Reiha, on the other hand, was almost at her wits end. Who would have thought that her plan would eventually come to this? She wasn't even sure it would work, but as soon as glyphs began to form on the ground and golems of all shapes and sizes materialized one by one, she was sure she had done the ritual right.

The summoning was indeed working, but there was a huge part of her that was wishing she hadn't thought of the stupid idea in the first place!

When Millisar had opened his mouth, she had broken the contact and had pulled herself off him. But because of that, the connection had waned and the golems had started to disappear before they finished materializing fully. Not wanting to let their efforts go to waste, Reiha had forced herself for another kiss.

It wasn't as difficult at first, but when the seconds ticked by, Millisar had suddenly engulfed her with an almost desperate embrace and was hanging onto her like a lifeline, kissing her so deeply that she swore her head was going to explode!

Oh Kami... Help me...! Reiha cried in a mantra as she felt Millisar probe her mouth that her cheeks heated up so bad she really wanted to cry. She glanced at the golems and wanted nothing more than to scream in frustration when their bodies were still halfway from being formed. What in the world was taking them so darn long? She pleaded with the golems to hurry up. Please, hurry up!

She nearly shrieked when Millisar's grip around her waist tightened even more. Why was he even kissing her like this in the first place? His tongue was doing such... things in her mouth that she swore she was going to pass out any second now! Her hand was itching to slap him so hard that her palm would be imprinted on his cheek!

Despite her growing embarrassment and the unbridled rage coiling in her gut at the thought that she was being taken advantage of, she forced her thoughts to focus on their situation. Millisar's eyes were still closed and the Spirits surrounding them were so bright it was almost blinding. Her nails were digging so hard into the skin of his shoulders that they would probably leave a bruise. Even so, his calm expression didn't change at all. She made a wild guess that since he was a Summon Beast, it was easier for him to be influenced by the Spirits and she doubted he was even aware of what he was doing. The Spirits were too overwhelming for his mind.

She panicked then. What if after this was all over and he found them in such a compromising position?

She was dead, that much was sure.

Terrified of what may happen afterward, she did the very first thing that came to her mind. She kicked him on a place a man wasn't supposed to be kicked on.

This effectively loosened his hold on her and she took advantage of the situation by backing away from him as far as possible. Millisar was in serious pain as he coiled inwardly on the ground and Reiha felt the raw guilt eating her up inside as she watched him open his eyes, her heart thumping so wildly against her chest that she was afraid she was going to have a heart attack.

"Shit... That hurt." He muttered after a few long and agonizing seconds. He was still wheezing when he glared at her with all his might. "What... happened, you-"

He wasn't able to continue yelling at her when both of them realized what was happening around them. The golems had come to life and as soon as they detected the monsters in the vicinity, they wasted no time at all and headed for battle. Millisar watched them go and despite his pain in the lower regions, couldn't hide how impressed he was.

The massive golems had taken both the monsters and villagers by surprise. Screams and hopeless wails of the villagers reverberated throughout the forest, but as soon as they realized that the golems were attacking the monsters instead of them, they stood frozen in place, not believing their eyes. The other monsters were no match for the creatures they conjured. The golems showed no mercy in their hunt as they lumbered towards their enemies like an unstoppable force. Tension grew thicker as they watched the golems make short work of the beasts, hoping and praying that the fight would finally come to an end.

A few minutes of chaos passed until the forest was blanketed with a chilly silence, the smoke from the fire wrapping like a thick veil all over the village. The stench of death still hung over their heads, but there were no more beasts left. Only the clunking of stones as the golems moved to secure the perimeter of the village resounded in their ears.

They were saved. The villagers were saved.

"I guess your plan worked after all…" Millisar mumbled, feeling a bit better now but was still having a hard time believing that they were able to summon the massive golems. He stared at her then and he narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Reiha let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the blush creeping on her cheeks before she realized it. It worked, all right. But that would be the last time she'd attempt to conjure beasts with him ever, ever, ever again!

Before she could scream at him to leave her alone, her eyes visibly widened as she took notice of the shadow lingering behind Millisar. He noticed her sudden change of expression, but before he could turn around to swing his sword at his unknown attacker, there was a glint of light and he froze.

A large man was pointing a spear at Millisar's head, its sharp end pressing against his nape that a trickle of blood dripped down to one side of his tense shoulders. The man finally spoke, his voice cold and raspy. "Don't move, you filthy summon beast."

Authors Notes:

Gosh... I really can't seem to get enough of these cliffhangers... Hehe! XD Did anyone see the kiss coming? =P It was hardly romantic, but at least they kissed, didn't they? Hahahaha!

Thank you again for taking the time to read this story of mine! I really can't thank you guys enough! See you again next chapter?