Aria VIII - Purpose

Sasha stared at the ceiling. “Aria is the oldest of us, even older than you Pixie.”

Aria’s face burned as she stuttered out a retort, but it tapered off quickly as her mind churned. After everything she had learned, was this so unlikely? She leaned back, relaxing her body and let her mind race off into the past. No longer could she ignore her lack of aging, her freakish strength, and her strange memories.

Just this past night the same dream had come again. Cycles of light and dark, an endless stream of white jacketed men and women coming in and out of her little room.

Pain. Pleasure. Fear. Ecstacy. All of these things she experienced in her dream, but as she lay there looking at the ceiling with her friends watching with concerned faces, she knew now with certainty that it wasn’t a dream. It was her reality, her past.

“It seems so obvious now.” She said as she turned to face Sasha. “It feels true, but how could I not have known before, it doesn’t seem possible?”

“Conditioning.” He said simply. “You were made genetically, but your memories were conditioned in to you over time. It would make sense that they would fade over time as well. What is surprising is how long they have lasted.”

Pixie flew over and landed on Aria’s shoulder. “We’re sisters!” She exclaimed, giving her a pint sized hug.

“What will you do now.” Asked Keesha, uncertainty plain in her eyes.

“I don’t know.” Aria said, rolling over to face her. “I really don’t know.”

They stood outside the front door of the building, exchanging long hugs and kisses. Pixie shed a little tear as she hovered in front of Sasha and kissed his nose. “Goodbye.” Aria said simply as she turned and left. Long goodbyes were too hard, and this one had a feel of finality about it. Quickly she fell into her usual brisk stride, Pixie sitting on her shoulder and waving back to their friends.

Keesha waved back to Pixie, her heart aching to think she might never see them again. Sasha took her by the arm, leading her back inside and up to their apartment. He led her to the bedroom, slowly undressing her as she stood mute and sad. His mouth found her thick dark nipple, taking it between his lips and caressing it with his tongue. As he sucked his fingers found her sex, fingers dipping between damp lips to feel the warm slipperyness of her most private place.

He guided her to the bed, laying her down gently as she closed her eyes and lay limp and open to him. Slowly his mouth drifted down her body, hundreds of little kisses covering her perfect dark skin. As he reached her soft fleshy mound his kisses turned to the little nibbles that he knew drove her wild. Soon her hand was in his hair, guiding his attentions down between her legs. Eagerly he extended his tongue in long licks along her dark lips. As she began to respond, back arching and hips pushing against him, he darted his tongue into her warm pink slit, tasting her sweet juices as he pressed in.

She moaned and threw back her head as his tongue explored, her fingers moving down to pinch her large clit. Matching her rhythm he licked her to climax, her throaty wail signalling her release as much as the wild bucking of her hips. Gently he cleaned her with his tongue, leaving her skin glistening with his saliva. As he lay down beside her, she rolled into his arms and cried herself to sleep.

His mind was too busy to let him rest. What would Aria find? If she found the truth, what would she do? The implications were staggering. Now all they could do was hope.

After they passed through the city Aria continued on for a mile or more before she stopped at the side of the cracked and uneven road. With no trace of self consciousness she stripped nude, folding up her loose travellers clothes and putting them aside. She donned her usual armor, feeling the comfort of it as she strapped it down. Her swords across her back, she packed up her bag and hiked it up onto her shoulder.

“Come Pixie.” She called out to her unseen friend. Pixie emerged from a bush, her lips pink with the juice of the berries she had found. As she landed on Aria’s shoulder she asked. “Will it be far?”

“Well if you hadn’t slept through us planning, you’d know.”

Pixie pouted. “But I was tired.”

Smiling impishly at Pixie she said. “I will be about a year.”

“What!!” Pixie jumped up into the air. “That’s like forever!”

“I”m teasing you girl, we figure it will be about four weeks if we don’t have trouble along the way.”

Somewhat mollified, Pixie landed back on her shoulder and began to sing a quiet song to herself. Aria kept her thoughts to herself. She felt different.

She had a purpose.