Title: It Would Do For Now
By: Bridget McKennitt
Character: Clare
Rating: G
Word Count: 394
Summary: Whatever she did, wherever she went, thoughts of Teresa were never too far behind.
Contains: No warnings in as far I know that can't be extrapolated from the header itself.
Disclaimer: Claymore (anime) is owned by other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.
Clare thrust her claymore into the ground and pressed her back against it as she sat down. The sun was setting and the nearest village was at least another day away.
She brought her knees up and rested her arms on them as she leaned her head back. Her body was tired, but she was not ready to sleep just yet. Thoughts of Teresa swirled in her mind. It had been years since Teresa had been alive and she had been a relatively happy child following her.
Clare touched her chest. It was Teresa's blood that made her who she was today. All of her special abilities as a warrior derived from Teresa and each time she used them against a Yoma, she felt the presence of Teresa with her.
"I would rather you alive than almost anything else, Teresa." She looked at her dominant hand and clenched it into a fist. "I would have loved to seen your faint smile just one more time."
She sighed and closed her eyes. "Teresa..." she whispered.
***
There was a Yoma present in the village and Clare could sense it hiding among the humans. She brandished her claymore and walked among the nervous humans in their marketplace.
There. Clare launched herself in the air, and in that moment, she felt Teresa's presence right beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could almost see Teresa's long flowing blonde hair and her faint smile. Strengthened by her friend, Clare tightened her grip on her claymore and just before landing, sliced her claymore through the Yoma disguised as a human male.
The body split in two as purple blood gushed out. Humans gasped and yelped, but Clare ignored the noises. She turned around and hooked her claymore on her back. "Your Yoma problem has been solved. A man in black will visit your village shortly after I depart. You will give him the payment that was meant for me."
She spun on her heel and began walking out of the village. Though she could no longer see Teresa, she could still feel her at her side. With every battle against a Yoma, Teresa was with her, guiding her movement and action. Clare touched her chest while she walked, as if she could touch Teresa herself. It was not nearly enough, but it would do for now.
