Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh, this is purely fan-made.

(Chapter Updated 5/2/2019)

Chapter 3: Language Barrier

(Chapter inspired by I Belong To You by Superchick)

Elest's POV

I could see it in his eyes, Saralegui totally knew figured out his secret and he kept his gaze fixed on me as I sat down in front of him and sighed deeply. "I guess there's no point in beating around the bush at this point, but how can I make you understand when I don't even know what language you use? Hmm, maybe there's an app I could try out that can translate it for me..."

Taking out my cell phone, I flipped it open and started typing away while Saralegui watched me curiously. It was almost like he'd never even seen a cell phone before. And for all I knew, maybe he hadn't. Still, Saralegui was watching me so intently that I was starting to feel a bit self-conscious while the app I found was installing.

As soon as it was done, I turned to Saralegui and said, "Well, let's give this a try shall we." Then, pointing at my phone I said, "Can you say something for me?"

Clearly, Saralegui had no idea what I actually said to him, but I was surprised that somehow he understood what I was asking him to do and finally spoke in his native language for the first time since we met. "So you figured it out have you?"

Registering his voice, my phone beeped and informed us in a monotone: "We're sorry, the language you are currently trying to translate is not in our system. Please make sure that you are speaking clearly directly into the microphone and try again."

I frowned, "Well that was pointless..."

Glaring at my phone, I searched for another translation app, but none of the translators I tried seemed to know what language Saralegui spoke. I was starting to feel really irritated about it when the doorbell suddenly rang. Getting up, I gestured at Saralegui to stay put and rushed to the door, hoping it wasn't anyone important since I was still trying to deal with this other problem.

"Yeah? Who is it?" I asked upon opening the door, seeing to my relief that it was only the mailman.

"Could you sign here please?"

I nodded, "Oh, sure."

After quickly signing my name, I took the package from him and waved goodbye with my free hand before closing the door behind me and examining the small box in my hands. Who could have sent it? I hadn't ordered anything online in a while since I was low on extra spending money but the package felt slightly heavy so I set it down on the small dining table on the other side of the kitchen and finally looked at the address to see who it was from.

I didn't even realize that Saralegui was watching me the whole time as I sat there staring dumbstruck at the box in front of me. It was from my dad. But he had never sent me anything like this before without a good reason so I was shocked. Usually he only sent me money hidden inside my birthday cards since he was way too busy with his work to pick out something for me himself, and the only thing ever written on the card itself was usually something to the effect of 'study hard and have a happy birthday' but never so much as an 'I love you' or 'I miss you.' So getting an actual package from him out of the blue was kind of strange.

After a while I shrugged it off and figured that I might as well open it and see what in the world he could have sent me. And when I opened the box, I found a comfy looking set of headphones and several discs hidden underneath and a note that read: I heard a rumor from your friend Tessa that you've been struggling a bit in your language courses so I thought this might help you. Once I started to work internationally and it became necessary to learn several languages, this was a huge help to me and I managed to learn at least two seemingly overnight. It's a NASA brand product of course which is top of the line so I assure you that it's quite reliable. Hope it helps you with your language problem.

"Sure dad, just what I need..." I groaned, holding the headphones in my lap and staring down at them with a fake smile plastered to my lips, "...more study material."

I sat there for a long time feeling very dissatisfied with my dad's 'gift' when my eyes widened and I suddenly thought of a great idea! If I couldn't learn Saralegui's language, then maybe he could learn mine! Rejuvenated, I set the headphones down on the table and started digging through the box with renewed energy while searching for the instructions.

Smiling, I turned to Saralegui and beamed, pointing at the picture inside the small booklet I found, "Finally, our luck's turning around! This ought to do the trick!"

Looking over my shoulder, Saralegui followed my gaze to where I was pointing at the picture of a person lying on a bed with the headphones on. Then I told him, not that he could understand me yet, that this was a sleep-learning system and that he would have to wear the headphones while he slept to start the learning process. I was so excited that we finally figured out a way to breach this barrier between us that before I stopped to think about what I was doing, I found myself hugging him before eagerly taking the rest of the stuff out of the box and brought it to my room for him to use.

I was so excited that I didn't notice at first that Saralegui was totally bewildered by my behavior, there was even a slight hint of a blush on his cheeks after seeing me smile like that at him. That, and I didn't know he wasn't used to being embraced like that so for what might have also been the first time in his life, Saralegui felt like someone really cared about him because of who, not what, he was.

Sara's POV

Her spirited, cheerful, and carefree personality astounded me. While the meaning of her words was still unknown to me, Elest's actions helped me figure out what sort of girl she was beneath it all. And when she embraced me I couldn't help but feel surprisingly cozy in her arms; it was a warm feeling that I've never known before. No one has ever hugged me like this before. Not even Yuri. So to have Elest be the first to do so puzzled me at first and I didn't know how to react so I just stood there and felt a subtle heat spread to my cheeks from either embarrassment or an odd feeling of contentment.

Returning to the matter at hand though, judging by the picture she just showed me that strange device was supposed to be worn while I slept which would allow me to learn her language allegedly. Although...it was strangely convenient that Elest would acquire such a device now of all times so I was feeling a bit skeptical about the ulterior motives of whoever sent it to her. Of course, Elest seemed sincere enough for the time being I trusted her. At least until I found a way to get a message to Berias or at the very least get my bearings and decide where to go from there.

Smiling at me as I followed her back to the bedroom, Elest beamed, "We're so lucky my dad sent this to me even if it was just on a whim! Now we're getting somewhere! Anyway, you should get some more rest anyway to help reduce your fever and I have a few errands to run so let's get you settled in before I head out..."

Again, being just as forward as before Elest took my hand and led me to the bed, helping me under the covers like I could imagine a caring mother doing. Then after making sure I was ready she carefully placed the device over my ears and turned it on for me. The first thing I heard was a voice coming from the device speaking to me in what I assumed was her language. Every other sound was drowned out by it and in the background I could faintly make out a soft humming that made my head tingle and at first I resisted it, but soon found that I didn't have the strength to...

As I drifted off to sleep listening to the voice, I sensed more than noticed Elest actually try to leave and the knowledge of her impending absence made me uneasy. So, unconsciously, I reached out for Elest and grabbed the hem of her shirt. It was childish I know, but I must admit that in all honesty, I was more than a little nervous about being left alone in what was in all likeliness another world from my own, especially in such a vulnerable state. Because unlike back home where Berias was always by my side and I had my soldiers there to stand guard over me, here I had no one so I was reluctant to let her simply leave me here alone.

Sensing my discomfort Elest sighed and sat down in the chair next to me and stayed until I was completely under whatever spell this device was casting. It was a strange sensation having my mind filled with so much information without needing to study any of it myself; almost like having it implanted in my mind the same way my powers over others minds did much the same in order to for these impressions to dictate their actions. But this wasn't about controlling me, it was about informing me which was the only reason I allowed it to happen, and once the process was complete I was astonished by the result...

Upon waking up, I glanced around the room at found the same silver machine from before sitting on Elest's desk. Only now I knew it was called a 'laptop' or 'computer' that allows her to access information by using a vast invisible storage of knowledge known as the 'internet.' I also knew what all the symbols on the 'keyboard' meant: they were the letters A through Z and so on that were used to type commands or dictate whatever she was searching for. And now I also knew that the object that almost ran me over was called a 'car' or 'automobile' that used a gas-fueled engine to run. Honestly, I was shocked that I learned so much in only the short space of a few hours. But maybe that was because I was a quick learner by nature, I wasn't entirely sure.

Before long I started to grow more curious about Elest herself so I wandered over to the desk and flipped through the notebook on her desk. She appeared to be a student at a higher learning center called a 'university' or 'college' and she was currently working on her general studies before moving onto more difficult classes to further her career. From the looks of it, Elest was working very hard, but she was indeed struggling when it came to choosing a foreign language to master.

With a smile on my face, I amused myself with the notion of teaching her my language as a small token of my gratitude if it turned out my stay in this world would last longer than anticipated. Not knowing then that this fleeting thought would foreshadow something that would befall us later on.