Okay! I suddenly found inspiration for my next chapter. I didn't think it would be so soon…. Well anyway, I should explain what happened in the last chapter. The last part where A.B.A was engulfed in light, that was reference to the Burst attack. I doubt anyone but me would have even known that…. Oh well, on to the next chapter!

Enjoy!

Gold Tinted Freedom

"Hey, you alright?"

Sure, A.B.A had escaped, but the trials weren't over. For one, she hadn't realized how entirely different the planet outside her metal walls was. There were colors she had never been given a name for. There were sounds unaccounted for in her mind. The smell of fresh air made her slightly dizzy. She wasn't used to anything.

Of course, that's acceptable.

But now was something new. The sky was bright when she left that little building of origin. Now, everything was dark. And some new pink creature had appeared above her.

"Well? What's wrong with you?"

A.B.A stared above her at the face of this man with a black mustache. It seemed that in all of the excitement, she had neglected to remember one thing: you must rest when you're tired. Fortunately, her body remembered, and once she reached her limit, she collapsed violently. As luck would have it, someone saw her on his way home. Well, that was about 3 hours ago. By now, a crowd of people had surrounded her. Mystified by the morbid sight, many thought she was dead. But someone was convinced he could see her breathing. Of course, no one dared to touch her. She was bleeding profusely, and she would randomly twitch on occasion. No, no one would even think of touching her, let alone carrying her to a better place.

But now, she was awake. And still the people would do nothing.

"Mommy, why are her bandages all red?"

"Who knows, honey. Maybe she hurt herself."

A.B.A sat up and struggled to stand up. No one tried to help her. Her sunken eyes, her grayish skin, her vivacious red hair. She was a demon, sent to Earth to create chaos. Or so the rumors said. All of this only fascinated her more. She walked towards the little pink one. The little girl backed away while her mother stood there, horrified. She wanted to snatch her baby away, but fear froze her in place. A.B.A didn't do anything though. She simply looked at her in wonderment. She had never seen a pink creature wear such a strange color. Brown as we know it. She looked around even more. Then she took a step. It looked strained as if she weren't used to it. The crowd shifted to avoid her trek. Many of them started conversations in whispers.

"What kind of person is she?"

"Well, she certainly looks strange, doesn't she?"

"I've never seen hair or skin like that."

"What does she want from this place? Do you think she's even from around here?"

Anyone A.B.A would look at would cower in fear. Stories had already spread in the short time she was awake. Stories that the blood on her bandages wasn't hers. Stories that she was a human brought back from the dead. Stories that claimed she was Lucifer. Stories that didn't faze A.B.A in the least. She only noticed the way ahead of her. She arbitrarily just started walking in silence, forgetting that her body still needed rest. But her body was glad to remind her. In a simultaneous shut down she found herself doing that thing again. You know, the thing where the floor attacks you suddenly. Falling, that is. And she would have fallen.

If not for the strong hands that grabbed her.

The silent conversations stopped abruptly. No one would take their eyes off of this man who held this so-called person. A.B.A lifted her head gingerly. He was completely different in every aspect. Even she knew this man wasn't like the pink creatures at all. Dressed in all navy blue, including his eyes, he wore small glasses and had the blackest hair ever. A.B.A was overcome by a new feeling—a feeling of security. This one wouldn't try to hurt her. The man looked up with a serious expression.

"You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves."

His voice was smooth like cream, but cut into everyone's skin nonetheless. The man said no more. Instead, he swept the exhausted girl in his arms and walked away. It was only when the man and A.B.A were out of sight that the villagers began their bantering again.

"It's only natural that they meet," one villager gossip said. "Every doctor needs a patient."

A.B.A stared at the man in awe as he traveled back and forth carrying knickknacks and arbitrary things to other ends of the house.

"I'm so sorry about the mess," he said. "I'm the only one who lives here, so I don't usually clean up too much." He looked up with a charming smile aimed towards A.B.A. She was fascinated even by that simple act. She began imitating it using her fingers. "I wish I could take you to my office, but it's just too far for the wounds you have," he continued. "I'm surprised you made it here still intact." Suddenly, he dropped the box he held in his arms. A thought had struck him. "What is your name?" he asked. A.B.A blinked. He stood there in silence while she looked around, completely unaffected by what he asked. She was, after all, unused to talking back.

He walked to her. "Do you have something I can call you?" he asked. A.B.A felt uneasy. He was getting closer, and usually when the pink creatures got close to her, they would poke her with those sharp things. But there wasn't anything in his hands! No, he was going to hit her like the pink creatures would do when they were upset that she wouldn't eat her food. She cringed and whimpered. The man stopped abruptly. It took a second for A.B.A to realize that he hadn't touched her. She looked up at him. She was surprised to see a different look on his face than the others. He didn't look serious or angry. He looked… sad. "You've been through some bad things, haven't you?" He pulled away and continued shuffling things around. A.B.A was amazed. He really was different. It wasn't just a hunch.

"A.B.A," she said quietly.

The man turned to her. She didn't look as scared as before now. Actually, she didn't look scared at all.

"A.B.A…. Do the letters stand for anything?"

"I don't think so. I don't know."

"Then I'll pronounce it Abba. Is that okay?"

A.B.A nodded excessively. It looked as if her head would fly off at any minute. The man chuckled.

"My name is Julius, and I'm the doctor of this small town." Upon reminding himself that he was indeed a doctor, he suddenly went into a rush to search for supplies. It was in this search that something large fell to the floor. A.B.A couldn't take her eyes off of it. It was a key. The biggest key she had ever laid eyes on. Bigger than the one in her head that controlled her powers. Bigger than the ones the pink creatures used to keep her inside. Keys. They drove her crazy with excitement. Just seeing one—just imagining seeing one sent her in a frenzy. Regardless of what her body fought to tell her, there she was, suddenly crouched beside it. Using all of the strength she had she lifted it up and rested it back on the wall.

It had a face. Two big eyes that stared right at her. A mouth that was apparently sewn shut. Golden "skin" where A.B.A could see herself; gold-tinted, of course. This key was the most magnificent key ever. A.B.A couldn't tear herself away from it, even if she wanted to. Of course, she didn't. Keys were her obsession. She was, after all, a key herself. To what, no one knows.

Julius walked out from his closet. He immediately noticed A.B.A fawning over this huge thing.

"Oh, I see you've noticed that interesting trinket of mine," he said, placing bandage wraps onto a desk.

"It is big…." A.B.A said in a broken up speech.

"Ah yes, it's an axe called Flament Nagel. I received it as payment since the man had no money."

A.B.A didn't respond. It was almost as if she had fallen in love with this key.

Mizuchi: So how was that? A.B.A spoke this time! Hooray! It's not as dark as the first chapter, but I suppose that's because in this chapter there's hope for the little heroine.

Okay, next chapter, A.B.A names her new toy, but what happens to Julius? And I doubt those people in Fresco are going to let her get away so easily. Well, we'll just see what goes on next time. Because… even I don't know.