Stunned, Lyra blinked, gazing up now at the man who addressed her. His voice was direct but soothing too; He sounded entirely collected and composed. Hearing this her shoulders drooped a bit, and for a moment she forgot all her worries.

"I..." She began, her body inclining upwards. As her vision had now adjusted to the bright outdoors, Lyra focused more on the man standing above her. He certainly had an element to him that made him intimidating, perhaps, but not nearly to the extent of that redhead.

All at once before she could reflect on him further, the reality of her situation set back in. Fortunately by this point, the blonde man had already decided his own course of action.

He had to consider his reputation...

And yet, he couldn't put it before the well being of this young lady, a dirty mess before him, whom he had never seen once before in his life. Had he?

There wasn't time to think.

"Miss." His words struck through the air, prompting a flinch from Lyra. "I need you to do one thing. And that is..."

In an instant, he swooped down to her, taking her in his arms bridal style and rising once again. A collective gasp sounded off from the crowd behind them, but Lyra took no notice. Her eyes were fixated only on the man's that now held her to his chest.

"Don't say a word."

As soon as the words left his lips, he began to move forward. He walked on the cobblestone road, briefly looking back at the group that watched on once to reassure them. His pace was even, even amidst the chatter amongst the civilians. They watched on, and the two of them continued forth, Lyra's gaze still stuck on this man.

Watching him, she seemed to ingrain his details in her mind. He certainly was memorable; He could turn his look from piercing to soft and cheerful in a moment. No doubt, he could PART a crowd. Though he may have seemed stagnant in his emotion from afar, she could see this was not the case. He would give an occasional smile in his stride-whether it was for his sake or for comforting her was unclear-and kept a certain gentleness in his eyes the entirety.

Shifting his head to the side once to adjust his platinum hair, he gave a soft chuckle. She felt it reverberate through his chest, and almost spoke in turn.

Before she could do so however, the man shifted his hold on her, forcing her face to bury in his chest. She gave a small gasp, but quickly sunk in his hold, closing her eyes. He walked on, looking past any on watchers as he went. The thought of where he could be going should terrify her, she thought. Remembering her Togepi presumably being crushed in debris due to her recklessness, should make her throat swell.

But in this moment, she felt only a strange peace, and trust. She allowed her hand to slightly grasp at his shirt which creased in her hold, absentmindedly, his own hold on her unchanging as they approached the other side of town, crossing the bridge towards the Bell Tower. Nestled beside it, was a quaint living quarters. Nearly hidden, past the trees, it bordered the edge of the pond and was hardly noticeable in the daylight.

Lyra however, was oblivious to this of course. Oddly soothed even still as she heard his feet maneuver through wet sand, she kept drifting. Drifting in and out of a shallow sleep, and fleeting dreams. The man felt her weight sink further into him, and sighed softly.

It wasn't long before he reached the living space, unlatching the lock and pushing the door, the inside already dimly lit... and the girl still restful in his arms.

As her eyes opened, her sense of caution had even still escaped her. Even after recalling her strange encounter with a man she'd never met, never seen. Even after the realization that she was in a new and uncertain environment. All Lyra could do was observe her new surroundings.

She sat up slowly, turning to find the light source. It was a small set of candles, and she suddenly realized she could smell them. Apples and cinnamon seemed to waft just under her nose, just out of her reach. Her mouth watered. Mustering her will she disregarded her temptation, and sighed. "I still haven't eaten..." Lyra muttered, focusing her attention on something, anything else.

It seemed to be a nice enough place she found herself in. Or rather home, she should say. A low table stood in one side of the room, cute and comfy looking cushions beside it. A large rug covered much of the remaining room, and there seemed to be a kitchen, though it was hard to make out the rest...

As she thought she might lose consciousness again, due to exhaustion and being famished, a sudden CREAK! went through the room. Whipping her head to the side she saw the door open, and a figure walk through. It only took her a moment to recognize her as him, the man who had brought her here, she could only assume he had.

"You're awake? After your stunt, I thought you might be out day and night..." He closed the door behind him, a smile breaking his face as he met her surprised look. She exhaled, relieved it was a fairly familiar face. Fairly. If she was still alive and well, he had to be familiar to her, right?...

"I just woke..." Hardly knowing what to say, she sat up once more, wincing at the aches that seemed to suddenly surface all through her body.

The man took notice of this. With a newfound sense of urgency, he started towards her. "Are you feeling alright?"

Before she could stifle an answer, he was in front of her. He took her hand, supporting her with his opposing arm, and guided her to the nearby table, helping her onto a floor cushion. It was as comfy as it looked, but she didn't notice anything more than the warmth of his hand and his words. "I'm fine, don't worry for me, I should just thank you... right?" She uttered.

Smiling softly at her words, he looked down at her palm he continued to hold. He seemed to draw circles and doodles on it with his own fingers... until she realized he was feeling her skin for more cuts, and her wrist tendon for swelling, she surmised. "This is impossible to see..." The man remarked with a soft sigh.

He looked to the table and, as if on cue, another candle placed on the far end of the table suddenly seemed to be lit.

Lyra blinked, looking to and from him and the new candle, but soon forgot the peculiarity as the man seemed to touch a sore spot on her arm. She winced, noticeably, and he instantly stopped. "I was afraid of that... but it could be much worse." He smiled dryly now.

As the pain subsided, Lyra looked up at him. "Afraid of what?" She questioned.

"You haven't noticed? You have quite a bruise here... likely to the bone." He gestured to her. "You'll be in quite a bit of pain here, for some time."

"Ah, that's..." She replied nonchalantly, the whole while gazing at him as his gaze had returned downward. "It's alright, I... expected that much, you know..." Her speech almost came out in stutters, observing him. There was something fascinating about this man who sat so close to her, now.

In the flickering low light, she could make out even more features distinctive to him. His hair was no longer held in a headband, and hung loosely above his shoulders, poorly swept back now. His jaw was defined but not square, his eyes soft and lidded with a violet glint of color. Skin pale, but not as pale as previously thought, there was a healthy color as if he saw enough of the daylight. Defined yet lean muscle along his arms and chest practically confirmed this, revealed more so now by his missing sweater. And even as he sat down, it was obvious he was taller than the average man- he certainly must be older than her, and the redhead.

"You're awfully calm, about this."

His voice in response suddenly brought her other senses back.

"Of course I mean, it was my fault after all... How are you able to tell?"

"That is because... I have had many, many injuries such as these myself." He let out a soft laugh, returning her hand to her. She rubbed it in thought, surprised at his answer. The man was now reaching into a bag beside him, one she assumed he must have just brought back with him while he was out. He was strange, yet soothingly so, and she found herself unable to resist asking him any longer.

He reached for her hand again, and she let him take it, finally speaking again with purpose. "Who are you?"

He stopped, suddenly taken by surprise, as if it was a unusual question for him. And, it was. Who didn't know who he was? She truly must be different... And not from his town.

"I'm, you can call me Matsuba." His smile returned, and he looked utterly humored now. Lyra frowned, paying little attention as he applied some type of sweetly herbal smelling salve to her arm. It felt very good, however, and she looked down, hiding her flustered face. "That hardly explains anything..."

He frowned now too for a moment, then laughed again. "All you need to know is that I live peacefully in this town you've stumbled through."

She blinked, leaning to him in surprise. "What? That's it? You've not reported me?"

"Reported you? Why would I." He raised one of his brows, and she cringed. She wasn't a criminal but she surely must look it now.

However, it seemed he must have known this, as he laughed once again. Lyra blinked, dumbfounded, as Matsuba began to bandage her arm, now. "I have better things to do, than give a lass more moot things to worry about."

"Like... bandaging her arm?" She suddenly blushed at this realization. Of all things, he was actually helping her with nothing to gain. Seemingly. He would have told the world by now, if he knew who she was, surely. But then again, he was strange... Who was to say what he would do? He was uniquely fascinating, to her, and the only man she'd ever seen who could truly make her think, or stop her mind dead in its tracks.

"What does that mean? I'm enjoying myself, aren't you?" His smile stuck, and then so did hers. She laughed for the first time that day, realizing how stupid she must have looked. Her heart felt like it swam in her stomach, as she suddenly felt so cheered and pleasant. Sitting in a dim room across from this stranger, on a comfy cushion, the air sweetened with wafts of herbs and apples, her aches melting off.

"Ah, I see why..." Matsuba grinned, eyeing her. "You were wanting this too, hm?" He reached into the same bag as he spoke, pulling out a cardboard box. Lyra watched confusedly as he presented it to her, and she took it from him, opening it to reveal a modest yet satisfying portion of takeout. A mixture of noodles and rice, topped with sliced nearly rare steak and mushrooms. To the side was pickled ginger, and some type of brightly colored sushi rolls. Lyra's eyes widened.

Wasting no time she snapped the included chopsticks apart and began to eat, quickly taking bite after bite of sweetly spicy takeout. "Is this really okay for me to take?" She managed to ask between mouthfuls.

Watching her with another humored look, he turned away with a smile. "Hey, ask that before you start eating next time, yeah? You're eating my portion too... I bought the large size..." Lyra blushed fiercely, looking at the massive dent she had already made in the rice. Matsuba only smiled even still though, taking the second pair of the chopsticks from the bag.

Despite mentioning the portion size himself, Matsuba hardly ate half of his, leaving most of it and all the rolls to her. Through gulps of food, she couldn't help but notice him seeming to be thinking intently on something, but every time she met his gaze, he returned it either with a smile or another forced mouthful of rice.

Once Lyra had finished, she placed her chopsticks in the empty box and thanked him, more than once. Though still seeming a bit distant, he warmed up again after hearing her words, insisting it was okay. Lyra could no longer ignore his intent looks however, and decided to inquire. "Is everything okay?"

"Hm? Of course. I should be asking you that. Are you?" Matsuba returned, closing the empty bento box.

Lyra wanted to reply but pursed her lips. How was she supposed to reply to this? Today she had gone from near rejection, to sleeping in rubble, to being rescued by the most... charmingly interesting man. But worries still lingered in her. Namely, of the one whom she killed due to her idiocy, due to her recent unsafe lifestyle and irresponsibility.

She looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. Despite everything that happened, she knew at least two things.

Firstly, that she was disgusted with herself, for even as she was posed with this question she was tempted to ask about the redhead. About Silver. That some of her tears shed, if they were, would be for him.

And secondly. This was a different and compassionate man... and she wanted to trust him.

"I'm guessing then, that you didn't find her..."

"What?" He asked, seeming completely lost. "Find her? Who?"

Lyra swallowed, fighting to keep her calm.

"Togepi... My Togepi."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story. It has been ages since I've updated, I lost my login info but I found it! I have many chapters coming. I love this story already, expect many pairings and choices. I promise to update very soon most likely in a few hours or tomorrow. Please leave a review if you liked or have suggestions, they are very appreciated!