A/N: I was a little confused as to how to start this chapter. Oh and thanx Chibikawa I did re-read my last chapter and did see the many errors. I guess I wasn't really pay attention. He-he silly me. Xp Now I'm not very good at writing complains in fanfics, I don't know why though. I think because of me because I don't like complaining to others very much, so uh yeah. O.o;
Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE KLONOA CHARACTERS!! I ONLY OWN HOLLIS AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs
Chapter 8: Butterfly
"I'm sorry Hollis but I have to go now. You see I'm a priestess, and I study at the sacred shrine to the goddess Clair." Lolo explained to Hollis. Hollis nodded understandably. "I'll be back later today though," Lolo said pausing to think of what else to say. "And maybe you and I can go shopping together." She beamed with a wide smile.
Shopping? Hollis had never gone shopping before. It was usually her mother who had done the shopping. Hollis had seen other people went shopping and talked about shopping and it seemed kind of fun. Well that's what she heard anyway.
"Oh, before I go are there any questions you want to ask me?" Lolo asked. Hollis thought, did she have any questions? Well duh of course she did! She had over a million that had not been answered. The main question that lingered in her mind was 'how will she ever get home?'
She felt a sudden sadness bloom in her heart. Why was she feeling this way? Wasn't getting away from that wretched hell hole her reason? Yes she did escape but now she has a new problem she has to escape from and this time it was going to be a lot tougher then getting out of her family's house. Plus she didn't belong here. Why was she here in the first place? 'All I'm going to do is bring trouble to these innocent people and cause death. After all it's my fault for the-!'
"Hollis are you ok?" Lolo's voice had cut into Hollis' thoughts. Hollis blinked twice realizing she still hadn't answered Lolo's questions. "Oh-uh! No I'm fine and I don't have any questions for you at the moment." Hollis replied shakily. Lolo looked at Hollis with concern but didn't push her about it any more.
"Well I best better be going then, bye Hollis." Lolo said waving a good-bye to her new friend. She watched Lolo head in the other direction and soon Hollis herself turned and began her search for the others.
As she walked she felt the watchful eyes of the town's people. She then began to feel uncomfortable and started to pick up the pace. 'I know they probably think I'm a weird looking girl, even though I'm a furry just like them. I don't understand though, why am I so different in their eyes?' She thought running at a break neck speed.
She finally stopped, kneeling, with her hands on her knees panting hard. She swallowed some of her spit to try and clear her throat of the soar ness.
"What are you doin', stupid?" She whirled her head to the sound of the familiar gruff voice of the boy who annoyed the living crap out of her. But most importantly did he just call her 'stupid'? No one had ever called her stupid! Not even her family (now that she remembered).
She stood straight up this time, her back facing Guntz. She had finally had it with him! Hell fire burned into Hollis' eyes as she gave the ugliest glare she could muster. If only looks could kill.
She took a threatening step toward him, but this didn't seem to intimidate him one bit. Instead he smirked smugly at her which made her even more pissed.
She wanted to say things to him, things that would make him just as mad as her. Things that would hurt his feelings, for a while anyway, and so she just blurted everything she had on her mind at that moment. She didn't even think before she said this,
"What is wrong with you?! Do you enjoy annoying me half to death?! What gives you the right to call me stupid!?" She panted taking several deep breathes, waiting for his answer. Her only answer was a growl and a glare. She took another breath again and began to rant some more, "What? Do you think you're better then me!? Is that it, huh? What makes you so different from me-?!"
A white gloved hand (A/N: paw, hand whatever!) clasped over her muzzle. Her eyes grew wide as Guntz' stared dangerously at the shaken vixen. Both his icy blue eyes seem to have blue fire dancing in them and the nasty snarl crossing his facial expressions. "Do you ever shut up?" He said huskily.
Hollis suddenly became a little frighten at him. She didn't know why, she knew he wasn't going to hurt her. But something in the deepest part of her mind said he would, if he was given a very good reason to, anyway.
She shifted her eyes to side to side. Searching, trying to see if anybody was out and unfortunately and very suspiciously there was no trace of anyone on the street.
Soon she felt Guntz' hand let go. She rubbed her muzzle not really thinking about it. Hollis realized why he had let go. There stood a short chubby hairy man with a dark brown bushy mustache under his nose, one of his long ears hung limply on the left side and the one on his right stood straight up. His tan fur bristled out under his greasy overalls which they had holes on the knees. On his overalls had his name tag which read: BOB.
Bob held a bored and tired expression and he jabbed his thumb in the right side of him, "Your bike is on the side of the shed with a white blanket covering it. Pay for the repairs in the front once you bring it around." Bob had said.
Guntz walked around to the shed's side with Hollis right behind him. Once he had made it to the thing that was under the white sheet, he quickly flung it off to some place else and stared at it. He crouched down inspecting the red motorcycle as if to make sure the mechanic had fixed everything correct and secure.
As Guntz was doing his usual, Hollis stared in wonder. The thing was strange like the many other things of this world but it had an odd feeling to it. Like as if the hover bike was calling her. 'That's a crazy thing to think, Hollis. What are you thinking?' She thought shaking her head. But still she thought it was a beautiful hover bike.
Its red paint glimmered in the sun light, the cannons on each side of the hover bike gleam the most and Hollis had to shield her eyes from its powerful gleam of the sun. "Wow Guntz it's amazing!" She gasped as she stared in awe.
Guntz just turned his head wearily toward Hollis, and then he just shrugged both his shoulders, "Thanks."
Hollis soon realized she wasn't angry any more at Guntz. She didn't know what it was about him. One minute he insults her and making steam come out of her ears and then the next minute she's not angry any more and she's getting along very well with him. 'This is all very confusing!' Hollis screamed in her mind, she grinded she teeth groaning out of frustration.
Hollis then notice that Guntz was looking at her strange. She looked back at him giving him a sneer of annoyance, "What're you lookin' at?" She snapped. Guntz sighed and pointed a finger at her shoulder, "There's a butterfly on your shoulder."
Hollis stared blankly at him, blinking thrice and then whipping her head around to her right shoulder. Nothing was there. She then whipped her head around to her left one and there was a butterfly with purple wings and pink spots. It sat calmly on her shoulder not flying away when she moved. The only things that moved about it was its wings which when they spread out they portray a face.
Hollis stared at the butterfly in clear shock. She never would have thought that a butterfly would actually trust someone. Especially with someone who has an anger issue.
Hollis sensing that Guntz had just walked way from her soon quickly followed after. Feeling as if something was following her as well she looked behind her shoulder to see that two more colorful butterflies were tailing behind her.
At the Shrine of the goddess Clair
"High Priestess, Klonoa and his friends have returned and they have a new member. They say she is very much new to our world. I'm also helping her around, teaching her about it," Lolo stated to the High Priestess who sat in her throne above her, nodding her head in approval.
"By any chance would you be so generous to bring that person here for me to see? I would like to meet them." The High Priestess said in a kind but commanding tone. She held her head up high showing pride in what she was and of her people. "What is their name?"
Lolo hesitated. Was it a good idea to tell Hollis' name. After all it was a very peculiar name indeed. She took a deep breath, "H-Hollis, is her name." Lolo stammered. She looked up to the High Priestess waiting to see her reaction to the name.
The High Priestess' expression hadn't faltered and instead she gave a small smile and said in a cheerful voice. "Alright then, do you think you could bring her tomorrow? I would love to meet her. You're dismissed."
Lolo breathed out a sigh of relief and turning on her heels and existing out the door.
As Lolo was at the double doors the High Priestess quickly stopped her. "Oh and priestess Lolo, did you found anything out yet as to what the strange coloring to the sky and clouds were?" She asked. "No not yet." Lolo said while shaking her head.
And once again she left the High Priestess to herself.
Lolo wandered the halls back to her studies. Thinking about the meeting she was going to have to arrange for Hollis and the High Priestess. How was she even going to teach Hollis how to act accordingly in front of someone in a higher grace then them? 'Why me?' She thought miserable.
When Lolo was around Hollis she saw something quite different about her. No not her acting like she was from another world, which was true but her personality, the way she moved and acted and how her hands moved.
Her hands moved like a worker as if they went throw great labor everyday, her hands also looked a little rough and strong. They were bigger then Lolo's but probably smaller then the guys around her age.
Hollis' personality seemed to be timid but yet strong and cautious about others. Lolo noticed that her anger was quick to respond to almost anything.
Lolo stopped to take another minute to have a quick thought, 'She may be a lot braver then me too.'
How Hollis moved was as if every step she took she watched her feet watching to see if she would make a mistake or from habit. When she heard people talking her long pointed fox ears turned in that direction and slightly moved her eyes to look at the speaker and, when people were speaking to her, she lowered her head just a tiny bit to look at them when they spoke.
Her actions were sometimes hesitant but later soon determined. She took note to how she acted around the boys of the heroic trio. She treated Pango and Klonoa with respect. Guntz it seemed to be another story with him.
From what she saw they always glared at one another sharing hateful words to each other and then once more having another glaring contest. Hollis seemed to not really give a damn if she made him angry or not. But maybe it's not always like that with those two. Maybe just maybe when they're alone they treat one another differently then again she highly doubts it because she knew Guntz, he wouldn't let his pride down. Not even for Hollis J. Grime.
Lolo finally made it back to her class and then sitting down in her set waiting for the day to end.
"Here, take it and eat it." Guntz ordered when he handed her one of the two onigiri (A/N: I don't even know if they have those in their world. But oh well) she hesitated but gladly took it in her hands. She took little bites of her's as she watched Guntz eat his. Guntz twitched his ears a little bit as he felt her gaze on him. Instead of him snapping at her like he always did he just felt the sudden feeling he didn't care. Then again if he didn't care then why was he blushing?
The butterflies still hadn't left Hollis alone and more soon joined the pack and sometimes sitting on her shoulders, ears or head. Right now the butterflies all sat around or on her. Hollis didn't seem to mind as long as they didn't bother her or get in the way of her food. When the butterflies walked across her arms or when their wings flapped against her fur tickling her.
Guntz had ridden Hollis to a meadow while having her hold very tightly on to him. The fast moving blurs frighten her but yet excited her at the same time. He stopped awhile and made her get off, "Don't move from this place and don't even speak to strangers while I'm gone, ok? I'll be back sooner then you know it." He explained to her like a parent would to a child. Hollis did obey though. She sat with her legs cross and her hands in the middle of her lap. Staring into space, waiting for Guntz to return and he did except with something in his hands. It was a box of squared shapes made out of rice with something colorful sticking out of the middle. She soon found out it was called an onigiri.
It felt all very strange for Hollis especially eating an onigiri and sitting on Guntz' hover bike which she soon found out was named Red Clan. He sat on it too and it didn't help with trying to keep a gap between them. It felt very awkward for both the canines.
"Do you want some more?" Guntz said handing the box over to her. She took another and again and this time eating it slowly to try and saver the sweet taste, ate it with satisfaction.
"These are very good, you know." She said in between bites.
"Haven't you ever eaten these before?" Guntz questioned. She looked at him, shaking her head side to side in the answer 'no'. Hollis' cheeks puffed out every time she ate the onigiri and the deflated whenever she swallowed. She had several pieces of rice stuck to her fur. Guntz just cocked an eyebrow at her. "You got something on your face." He pointed out. Hollis thanked her lucky stars that he couldn't see her blush underneath her orange fur. She hastily whipped off the remaining rice and then sitting quietly, looking at anything but Guntz.
She then began to play with the butterflies on her shoulder, letting one climb on her pointer finger and the dipping it slightly every now and again. She brought it up close to her face to examine it more closely.
Soon Hollis quickly yawned and replied after it ended, "I think we need to head back. Lolo said she was going to take me shopping. You know I have never gone shopping before." She said getting off of the hover bike to stretch.
"Why are you telling me this?" Guntz questioned.
Hollis froze. 'Did I just open up to Guntz!?' she screamed in her mind. She searched throw her mind, trying to find out what she should say. But all she could find was nothing other then the truth.
"Because it's the truth," She replied simple. "Come on we really need to go now." She climbed on behind him and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist. "I guess you're right." He mumbled softly. The loud muffling sound evaded her ears and the sudden jerk identifying that the hover bike was moving and very abruptly fast.
Her grip tightened and so did her eyes as she shut them closed. 'I don't think I'll ever get use to this.' She thought.
They had finally made it back to Breezegale. Hollis wasn't in the best condition at the moment. Half way through the ride she opened her eyes and to what she saw was just a bunch of whirling colors past by. It made her feel dizzy and several times Guntz had to stop for her to throw up her lunch just in time.
"Ok get off," Guntz commanded to her when they found Pango in the market. She got off and walked over to Pango. Once she was over there she looked behind her left shoulder to see that the butterflies once again found her but she saw that Guntz was gone. She looked back at Pango and seen the weird looking yellow dog-boy-thing Popka there with him.
"Hey look it's that weird girl that you guys brought with you!" Popka exclaimed. Hollis looked down at him trying to find the words to say to him. So far she found nothing.
"I've been called worse," She mumbled to herself and walked away from him to Pango. Popka looked after her, watching her make her way toward the armadillo-man. He quickly followed her.
"What did you mean by that?" Popka questioned. Hollis froze. She did it again! 'What is wrong with me?! Since when have I been so open? Wait, that's it! It's these people. Something about them seems to change others they interact with. And the scariest part about it is that they actually care about me.'
"Popka it's none of your business about another's past." Pango answered for Hollis. Popka sighed and then looked at Hollis once more.
Then all of a sudden the ground began to shake. It split in half in random places knocking down market tables, products and a few people. Some of them even fell in the cracked ground. Hollis was about to be one of them when Pango caught her.
And that's when the gruesome, large monster emerged out of the huge cracks.
A/N: Haha! Cliff-hanger! XD Oh and sorry for the author notes in the middle of the story those just seem to be nessicary at the moment.
