Ice Obsession

Sequel to Hypothermia

By: FeatherWings

Mannen walked the streets of Awayuki Town. It was raining and he was soaking wet. The ice knight had run away from at dusk and it was getting darker and darker as he walked.

'Everything seems fine but not real or like something's missing.' he thought as he walked. 'Maybe "missing" isn't the right word. Life doesn't feel real and nothing seems tangible. As though it's all fake or maybe...I don't belong. This kind of life isn't for me... I'm not needed here.

Mannen stood in front of the park. 'It seemed real back then.' Mannen reached over his shoulder to touch his back, which was now absent of wings. 'There should be someone somewhere that needs a knight's help. But why doesn't any other knight try to find them?'

'If only someone would ask for help. If only I could hear them.'

Mannen winced as lightning struck somewhere in the distance. It was like that day when he had become sick. 'I need to get stronger. So one day when someone needs my help again I can help them better.' the ice knight turned and walked away from the park.

'First, I have to get out of this rain." He put the hood of his jacket over his head and continued walking. It wasn't long after he had started walking again that he came upon a train yard.

One of the cars of a train was open and he decided to go inside. The inside was empty except for a few boxes in the corner. There was some room between the boxes and the wall so Mannen crawled in between.

His eyes soon grew heavy. 'Today is just like that day.' It wasn't long before he dozed off. While he slept the train began to move.

Awayuki Mansion-

Everyone was asleep except for Himino. She looked at her flowers that sat on the windowsill. "I have a strange feeling, Mom. I saw Mannen leave this afternoon, I didn't stop him and he hasn't come back yet. He's been acting strange lately, sad, dazed. I thought he needed some space, that's why I didn't stop him. I hope he's ok. Please watch over him."

Train-

Mannen opened his eyes halfway as he leaned against the wall of the train car. In front of him sat a woman with long red-pink hair.

"Himino?" She smiled then Mannen blinked and opened his eyes completely. She was gone. "I must have been dreaming..." Mannen got up and walked over to the door.

His eyes widened and he gasped at the side, the train was moving and was now in country area. "Where am I?..." The wind blew his hair slightly as he looked at the scenery.

He sat down and hung his legs over the edge. He wondered if he should stay or jump off now. Option two didn't appeal to him so he decided to see where the train took him.

To his surprise, it wasn't long until the train stopped at a station. This is where Mannen got off. He wondered the town for anything interesting. This town was different from Awayuki Town. It was more open and peaceful.

It was then when someone caught his eye. A woman with short hair in a kimono and sandals was walking towards the forest near the town. He wasn't sure why this woman stood out but he decided to fallow her.

She walked on a path through the forest now. Mannen tried to hide behind trees so she didn't see him or find out he was fallowing her.

She stopped though and started giggling. "You can come out, young one." Mannen froze. "I know you've been fallowing me ever since town." Mannen decided to show himself.

The first words out of his mouth weren't the nicest way to introduce yourself. "Don't talk to me like I'm a little kid!"

This made the woman laugh more. "So, anyway, why have you been fallowing me?"

"Sorry...but you stood out for some reason. So...I decided to fallow you." he said while calming down.

"I see. Won't you come to my home?" Mannen blinked.

'I was fallowing her, she finds out, laughs and now invites me home?' Mannen was confused by the strange woman. He was curious about who she was. "O-ok..."

He now walked besides her. "What's your name?"

"Mannen."

"My name is Chiyome. You are the knight of ice, are you not?"

"Huh? How did you know that?"

"I just know. I'm impressed by you."

"Why?" Chiyome didn't answer, just smiled. 'She's weird...' "Don't avoid my questions!"

"I'm not avoiding you're questions."

"Yes you are!"

"I'm just not answering them."

"Isn't that the same?"

"Maybe."

"You're going to find out anyway."

"Eh?"

"Well, actually I'll tell you. Just not now."

"Why not?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"What?"

"You're answering a question with a question!"

"You said don't avoid questions."

"But you said you weren't avoiding them!"

"So I was right."

"Right about what?"

"Right that I wasn't avoiding the questions."

"So?"

"That was what we were arguing about."

This conversation was really confusing Mannen. How did she turn the conversation her way? Mannen decided to stop talking for a while and just kept walking. It was then when Mannen noticed a dagger tucked under Chiyome's ribbon around her kimono. Why would she have that?

Chiyome looked over at him then but he looked quickly away. He looked back when she looked ahead again. Was she holding something else in her sleeves? Maybe the dagger was an extra weapon or one to throw enemies off thinking if she discarded it they would think her defenseless. But who and why would she be fighting anyway? Maybe it was his imagination gone wild. The dagger could be an air loom or just incase someone attacked her like a thief.

"You shouldn't stare at a woman too long they might get the wrong idea!" Chiyome teased him. She knew what he was looking at.

"What? No!" she had been watching for a while.

She laughed again. "Calm down! I know you were looking at the dagger."

"So...What's it for?"

"You'll find out."

"There you go again! Can't you give me a straight answer?"

"It is a straight answer." Mannen decided not to fight, it would only confuse him more.

FeatherWings- Do you want me to continue? Yes or no in ur review, of course, comments are always welcome. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! So, who is this Chiyome? Find out next chapter!