Hi again! Time for the next chapter!

The boy named Kshtsi slowly returned to consciousness. What had happened? His head was killing him. Let's see . . . Kshtsi had been drowning . . . then he had started . . . dreaming? Well . . . yeah, he must have went unconscious at some point. That was such a strange dream though. He had dreamt that, somehow, he could breathe underwater . . . but by that point, he had practically passed out already . . .

Okay, so . . . where was he now? He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could feel sand underneath him. When Kshtsi heard the hoot of an owl, he guessed it must have been night. He could also hear the crackling of a fire . . . so he had been saved?

But as Kshtsi continued to wake up, he was surprised to hear the sound of someone whimpering. That sound was followed by the voice of a pre-teen boy. "So Tachine, what did we learn today?"

Kshtsi again heard the whimper, which was soon followed by the voice of a teenage girl. The voice was strained, as if the speaker was in a great deal of pain. "J-jellyfish stings are-OW! W-worse than b-bee stings."

A jellyfish? So they had swam into the water to save him? The two voices weren't talking right now, although Kshtsi could hear a few whimpers from the girl every now and then. Eventually Kshtsi felt strong enough to open his eyes, and he almost immediately found something to look at.

He could see the girl now. She wore a large, loose-fitting pair of heavy, pure-white robes that was held shut by a pure-white obi tied around the girl's waist. But even those robes couldn't hide the girl's slender form, or the liveliness of the girl herself. At the moment the girl was facing away from Kshtsi, so all he could see of her head was her long red hair.

When the boy spoke, Kshtsi tried to turn his head to look. Unfortunately, his head didn't want to move, and as he tried to cope with the resulting headache he heard the boy speak to the girl. "How is it now?"

"B-better. H-how much longer did you say it will hurt?"

"Let's see . . . you got yourself stung - I mean, got stung about four hours ago. It should have finished running its course by morning."

Kshtsi saw the girl turn her head to face someone on the other side of Kshtsi. She was clearly angry at what the boy had said, probably the 'you got yourself stung' part of the sentence, but as Kshtsi finally found the strength to move he saw the girl's brilliant blue eyes immediately focus on him. "Hey, he's waking up! Hi there!"

Kshtsi gave a weak groan in response. The pretty girl almost immediately got to her feet and turned herself around, finally letting Kshtsi see the girl's face.

It was really pretty. Her face had a very delicate look about it, so much that she almost looked vulnerable. She clearly took good care of her hair, and let most of it hang behind her. A bit of it though hung down in front of her shoulders, and came to an end about halfway down her torso. When the girl winced and grabbed her hand, Kshtsi's attention was brought to that hand.

It was her left hand. She had clearly been stung on her palm and a little bit around her wrist, because that was where the bandages were. The bandages started between her thumb and pointer finger, went down to her wrist diagonally, and then were wrapped around her wrist tightly. She must have tried to grab one of the jellyfish's tentacles, and when it stung her she had whipped her hand back, the momentum causing the end of the tentacle to fly up and wrap around her wrist.

The girl tried to rush over to Kshtsi, clearly intending to help him up, but to Kshtsi's shock a large grey blur passed over him and intercepted the girl. Once it stopped moving, Kshtsi realized the blur was actually a young boy wearing a huge grey shirt, far larger than it needed to be for him. The boy was deliberately blocking the girl's path to Kshtsi, and as Kshtsi watched the girl's eyes narrowed in clear anger. "What are you doing now?"

The boy didn't seem intimidated at all, calmly motioning towards Kshtsi as he gave his response. "Do you want to get stung again? They may be hard to see, considering its dark out, but the tentacles are there."

Wait, what? What did the boy mean by that? Kshtsi shifted his position, and was surprised to feel something strange around his legs. When Kshtsi looked down at his waist, what he saw took a few seconds to register. He could only stare at the tentacles coming from his waist in shock, trying to figure out what was going on.

He shifted his position again, which caused his shirt to roll up slightly, causing just a little bit of Kshtsi's upper-waist to become visible. On the left side of his waist, there was a strange black pattern on his skin, looking almost like a tattoo. But . . . Kshtsi had never gotten a tattoo before.

Wait. He had the traits of a jellyfish, being the tentacles, and he had a strange tattoo on his thigh. Did that mean . . . was Kshtsi a +Anima now? The idea of that possibility seemed absurd, but the proof was there. Was that how he had suddenly begun breathing underwater?

Okay, he had to calm down. Alright, so he was a +Anima. He could live with that. Now, how could he get the tentacles to disappear? Kshtsi was shocked when the tentacles almost immediately disappeared. While he didn't really understand how that had happened, he quickly decided he could wonder about it later. The boy and the girl were still looking at him, and they already knew he was a +Anima. Kshtsi didn't know much about +Anima, but he knew enough to know that most people didn't like them. Still, the fact that they had helped him out of the water even when it was clearly obvious that he was a +Anima . . . it meant that they either didn't care that he was a +Anima or it meant that they knew who he really was.

With a grunt Kshtsi forced himself to stand. He still felt dizzy, and his body didn't want to move much, but he was able to stay standing. As he waited for the dizziness to pass away Kshtsi looked around to try to get his bearings.

They were on a small beach that was connected to a large body of water, with the large body of water going out for farther than Kshtsi could see. It had to be the ocean. That was the only possible way Kshtsi could have gotten here. From where the water met the sand, the beach continued for about a meter onto land. There, the sand began to vanish and trees appeared, quickly turning into a thick forest about twenty meters in.

Over by the forest was a small fireplace, where the boy and the girl must have been waiting before. It wasn't anything fancy, just a circular rocky area containing some wood that was, of course, on fire. It looked like the spot where the fire was now was specifically chosen because there was more than enough distance between it and the nearest tree, or even grass. But what really surprised Kshtsi was the bizarre contraption that was above the fire.

It looked like it was made from some strange white fabric. As for what it looked like, well . . . it was similar to a large bag filled with . . . well, Kshtsi couldn't see what was inside of it, but there was definitely something holding it down from the inside. The bag appeared to be made out of a large square sheet of fabric. From how the bottom of the bag sagged and stretched, Kshtsi guessed whatever was inside of the bag was a liquid.

Another sheet of the strange white fabric was being used as a cover for the bag. The contraption itself was held up by four large wooden sticks which had been firmly wedged into the ground. Each corner of the 'bag' was firmly tied to one of the sticks, allowing the sticks to hold the bag above the fire. While it certainly was an interesting contraption to look at, it's only purpose seemed to be to heat up water.

Speaking of which . . . now that Kshtsi thought about it, why had they left him lying on the sand anyways? He must have been only a few feet away from the ocean when he woke up, why did they put someone who was unconscious next to the water like that? While at first he thought that was rather rude, he suddenly realized that it was high-tide at the moment. The boy and the girl probably pulled him out of the water during low-tide and dragged Kshtsi onto the beach to what they thought was a good distance from the ocean. Yeah, and when the tide started coming in, well . . . how could they have moved him farther away? He had still had the tentacles out, so it would have been too dangerous for them to move him from the spot.

Kshtsi was taken out of his thoughts when he suddenly realized the girl had walked up to him while he had been getting his bearings. While the boy was clearly giving Kshtsi a bit of space, the girl was anythingbut shy. She now stood about a foot away from Kshtsi with a smile on her face. "Hi! My name is Tachine. I'm a +Anima too!"

Kshtsi smiled at Tachine. She seemed to be an excitable person. "Hi. That's a pretty name."

He didn't expect the way Tachine blushed at his compliment, and it got his face to flush with color. He knew next to nothing about girls, so this was a new experience for him. While he tried to figure out how to continue the conversation, he was surprised as the girl's face began to change. As he soon found himself face-to-face with a fox-human hybrid, Kshtsi let himself smile. "Ah, a fox +Anima."

This was good, actually. Tachine looked like she was experienced with her +Anima form. Maybe Kshtsi could learn the ropes of being a +Anima through her. Alright, so what about the other person? Kshtsi turned his attention to the boy. During the time that Tachine had been introducing herself the boy had begun walking over to the fire. Kshtsi spoke to the boy, trying to be polite. "Hi. What's your name?"

The boy spoke without even turning to face Kshtsi. "Acyr."

While the voice was gruff, Kshtsi didn't let it get to him. He didn't know anything about their situation. Acyr probably had a reason to be frustrated. He seemed focused on the contraption above the fire, and as he removed the cover for the bag Kshtsi was shocked to see a second, smaller bag was in the middle of the larger one. Acyr almost lazily grabbed a strange pouch from somewhere underneath his shirt and put it inside of the smaller bag.

The instant he did Kshtsi heard a slight splash from inside of the bag. So it held some type of liquid? After a few more seconds Acyr grabbed the now-full pouch out from the bag. Kshtsi was surprised to see water dripping from the pouch, but it suddenly allowed him to figure out the object's purpose. It was a water purifier!

Acyr would put a bit of ocean water in the larger bag before putting on the cover to the contraption and lighting the fire. The water would eventually begin to evaporate, but was stopped by the cover from leaving the contraption. As it eventually re-condensed, some of the water would fall into the smaller bag. Because the salt didn't evaporate with the water, the smaller bag would always hold pure water that Acyr could then drink at his leisure. Of course, the water purification process would obviously take some time. Kshtsi didn't know how much time in total, but it only made sense it would take a while.

Kshtsi was taken out of his thoughts when Tachine asked for Kshtsi's name. While it was a question that Kshtsi had been expecting, he was still nervous about what would happen if they recognized it. But he couldn't find a way around it. "My name is Kshtsi"

While the name certainly got a reaction from the two of them, Kshtsi was relieved when he realized they didn't recognize it. Indeed, while Tachine stated that she liked the name, Acyr raised one of his eyebrows with an amused grin on his face. "I just heard you say that yet I don't have any idea how to pronounce it."

While Kshtsi laughed at the comment, both he and Acyr were startled when Tachine gave Acyr a fierce glare. "It's not like I've ever heard your name before today, Acyr! Some parents are more creative when it comes to choosing names for their children, deal with it!"

Kshtsi found the outburst interesting for two reasons. One, it proved that Tachine had no idea who Kshtsi was. Two, Kshtsi now knew that Acyr and Tachine weren't all that well acquainted. Tachine had only learned Acyr's name today, and Acyr clearly hadn't expected the reprimanding.

Indeed, the look Acyr was giving Tachine only proved that he was irritated about being lectured. While he opened his mouth to retort, Kshtsi quickly forced his way into the conversation. "I'm not offended at all. I understand that it's difficult to pronounce my name, it's no big deal."

While Tachine didn't look all that convinced, Kshtsi didn't give her a chance to speak. Instead he addressed Acyr. "My name is two syllables. The first one, Ksh, rhymes with 'Fish' while 'tsi' sounds almost exactly like 'tie'."

Acyr immediately attempted to pronounce Kshtsi's name using this information, and Kshtsi smiled when Acyr nailed it on the first attempt. "Yeah, that's it."

Kshtsi was surprised when Acyr grinned wider. "Although I guess I can't speak. My name's not-"

"Then don't"

Kshtsi and Acyr immediately turned to face Tachine. She gave a slight glare towards Acyr, but to Kshtsi's shock Tachine then turned to face Kshtsi with a smile on her face. "So, where are you-"

As she started to speak, Kshtsi noticed that Acyr's expression almost turned murderous. Before Tachine could get past the fourth word, both she and Kshtsi flinched when Acyr cut into the conversation. "I almost regret intervening to save your life, Tachine."

Both Tachine and Kshtsi immediately turned to face Acyr. But he wasn't done yet. "Ever since we saw Kshtsi, you have practically ignored me! I haven't gotten so much as a thank you for me tending to the sting you got when you decided that a bee sting and a box jellyfish sting could actually be compared to each other in terms of pain! I even warned you and you completely ignored the warning! It's like I don't even exist! What exactly did I do that has you so pissed off at me?"

While Tachine clearly hadn't expected the outburst from Acyr, it wasn't long before she gave her response. "What does that contraption of yours do?"

Acyr was clearly put off by the question, but he soon responded that it was, as Kshtsi had already guessed, a water purifier. Tachine next pointed towards the forest. "When you went to get me water, you probably went in this direction. Isn't it a bizarre coincidence that after you're over here - where there's a perfect view of the ocean right over there - Kshtsi got caught in your trap? You took at least an hour to get the water! And what was the first thing you said when you say him? You noted that he was breathing, even though he was over fifty feet away from us and face-down in the water! How the hell could you have seen that from just glancing at his body from that far away?"

Kshtsi felt like he had been struck by lightning. While he didn't know more than what she said, it certainly sounded bizarre. It was almost impossible to make out that specific of a detail about someone from that far away. But he didn't have long to think about it.

While the accusation Tachine made was certainly harsh, Kshtsi was not prepared for Acyr's reaction. Acyr practically screamed at a clearly startled Tachine. "HOW DARE YOU!? Are you suggesting that I would just ignore a body floating in the water while I was purifying water? He wasn't there when I was purifying water! I would have pulled him out immediately if I had seen him there! I wouldn't just leave someone out there to die! In fact I'm still trying to figure out how the hell he got caught in the trap! My only plausible guess so far is that he was adrift at sea and just managed to get snared!"

Kshtsi almost felt bad for Tachine. She even blushed as she tried to apologize, but Acyr didn't give her a chance to speak. "And by the way, I find it very ironic that you would think I was a heartless bastard. After all, I SAVED YOUR LIFE! I gave you water when you were thirsty, and I even tended to your injury when you got hurt! Indeed, I've been doing so much to help you out that I haven't even managed to find the time to start taking down my traps yet and just look at the sky! It's night time! I have less than twelve hours to take down the traps before morning! As we agreed on, we're leaving in the morning! Even if I somehow take down all of my traps in that time then I am going to be exhausted! And now, on top of everything I have to do, I learn that the person I have saved, given water, and even given medical treatment to actually thinks I'm heartless? How DARE you!?"

Acyr finally stopped his rant there, and Kshtsi almost worried for Tachine's safety. The rage etched into Acyr's face showed that he may have been angry enough to get physical. Tachine was blushing furiously as she tried to stammer out an apology. However, Kshtsi almost sighed in relief when Acyr abruptly turned around and started walking towards the trees. "Either way, I need to start dismantling my traps. I'll be back in the morning."

Kshtsi was surprised when Tachine almost immediately spoke up. "If you want help with that, I'm feeling alright enough."

Acyr abruptly froze in place for a few seconds. However, he soon spoke up again, this time with a much calmer and controlled voice. "No. I appreciate the offer, but no. I uh . . . you should talk to Kshtsi. If he wants to be a traveling partner, well . . . it's your choice."

Without another word Acyr walked into the forest and out of sight. At first Kshtsi could only stare at where Acyr had gone in shock. He couldn't believe the drastic change in personality Acyr had shown with the last comment.

But eventually Tachine spoke to Kshtsi. She herself seemed a bit unsettled, but she was able to keep her voice steady as she asked Kshtsi if he wanted to go with them. While Kshtsi said he would, he also asked a question of his own. "Was it just me, or is Acyr a bit . . . you know, unstable?"

Tachine cocked her head, which Kshtsi guessed meant that she hadn't really noticed. As such he decided to elaborate. "His mood changed very abruptly a few times. While I can understand that he doesn't like being accused of something, it almost seemed . . . the argument he gave was a bit harsh to you. But when you offered to help, he immediately calmed down. I don't mean to be suspicious, but there's something off with what he was saying. If he's so pissed off, why does he still want to travel with you? I . . . did Acyr mention having to go and undo his 'traps' while he was tending to the sting you got?"

Kshtsi was only more confused when Tachine nodded. "Well, he kept complaining about it, but . . . every time I told him I was fine and that he didn't have to worry, he'd mention a reason why he had to stay. I just . . . sorry, I didn't expect him to snap like that. When I first met him a few hours ago, he was so calm and unshakable. I didn't know it was possible to get him that mad. But I . . . I guess I shouldn't have accused him of deliberately catching you in the trap. After all, he had been so horrified when we found you caught in his fishing trap."

Ah, was that it? Maybe Acyr's temper was caused because he was still shaken about that. Kshtsi would have been a bit unsettled too if he thought someone had died because of his actions. While Tachine was clearly blaming herself for Acyr's anger, Kshtsi assured her that Acyr had just been trying to vent out some of his own frustration that he could have gotten someone killed.

Eventually Kshtsi got to ask why Acyr was undoing his traps. Tachine soon explained how she and Acyr had been planning on leaving the forest in the morning, although Tachine also admitted that she'd be lenient with what time they left, because Acyr apparently had a lot of traps he had set up. Kshtsi thought that was a good idea, and soon he asked where the two of them were planning on traveling to. He couldn't have been happier with the answer that they didn't have a specific spot they wanted to go. This would be an excellent opportunity for him to learn the ropes of being a +Anima.

He was surprised when Tachine again asked if Kshtsi wanted to come with, but he accepted none the less. While the two of them spoke a bit more, it was mainly about provisions they would need. The only real thing Kshtsi learned was that the next village wasn't far from the forest, so they'd probably reach it in just a few hours. But eventually they put out the fire (Tachine explaining that Acyr had already filled up enough pouches with water, so they didn't need to purify any more water) and went to sleep.

Update:9/25/2012

Alright, this is the new and improved (hopefully) chapter two! Any comments made before this date are referring to the old chapter two.