Chapter 10 - Her New Life

Key:

'Thoughts'

'Italic with apostrophe is telepathic thoughts'

The scarlet haired and raven finally arrived at Fairy Hills and is now sitting under a big cherry blossom tree.
"Now, tell me about yourself, Hotaru Ozachi," Erza smiled motherly at the younger.
The maiden in black let out a sigh and started talking, "As you know, my name is, Hotaru Ozachi. I am currently 19. I don't have parents nor any siblings - at least not that I've know of, or remember." She dully stared at the older woman and the other just raised her brow, expecting a bit more information.
"That's all?" the S-Class mage asked, receiving a nod from her comrade, "What about you home town?"
"I don't know," replied the maiden.
"Who are your parents?" Titania tried again.
"I don't know," the raven replying the same answer, making the scarlet giving her a disapprove look.
"I thought you're going to tell me basic information about yourself," Erza slightly snapped, getting a little impatient with the younger, "saying I don't know is very much lazy and proves you genuinely don't want to become friends and shows you're not even trying."
"Look, I lost my memory about a year ago," the maiden in black snapped, "are you satisfied, Scarlet?"

The scarlet haired eyes widen and guilt flushed over her. She shouldn't had been so snappy and rude. She just wanted to prove to the younger girl that there is at least someone who truly cares about her want wants to get to know her, since the raven reminds so much about herself. She never really expected the mysterious mage had lost her memory or maybe the fact she lost her parents, which was quite stupid of the usually smart and understanding Erza Scarlet.

"Hotaru, I'm-"
"Forget it," the maiden in black cut the older woman off, "I don't want to talk about it." She then pointed at the empty field behind them, not even looking at the Knight. She had her usual poker-face on, but it seemed darker than usual and her eyes were covered by her bangs, hiding what lays in those scarlet eyes of her. "That field over there seems a good place to set up the stage for the fight," the raven suggested, "I shall go now."
With that, the mage in black flew off, tightly gripping her rag doll. She felt frustrated and slightly angry. She doesn't understand why Erza Scarlet wants to get know her. She's a no body and just because of her infamous reputation of a beast hunter, doesn't mean jack sh!t. Out of all people, she thought the scarlet haired will not bother her and in a way understand. When she woke up from her deep slumber, she was alone and close to death. She had no one, but this doll she held closely. She had bonds with no one, but this doll she's holding. The connection those two have are inseparable. The dirty rag doll might seem to be an old, used up doll, but the two has a telepathic connection. A bond that even death can't separate them. No, that is not one ordinary doll, but who could tell?

In a dark corner in of the forest, a mysterious girl sat on her orange carpet with gold embroidery. She stared dully at her dirty doll, not saying or thought a single word.
"She's digging into information about me," the raven stated dully, "it made me snap." The girl sighed and looked away from her doll, but then snapped her eyes back to the rag doll and her face quickly went dark. "You're right, I am," the girl admitted lowly, "but I'm perfectly fine with you, Aki-chan." The maiden in black blinked and without a word, she made her carpet fly a bit off the ground, soaring through the woods and back to the cave she sleeps.

Hotaru's P.O.V
I snapped and I said too much. She wasn't suppose to know I lost my memory, but luckily, she could never find out my identity - even though I don't know who I am, myself. No one knows my name and not much people recognise my face or even seen it. No one knows about me, but Akira. Akira is my guardian, she was with me from the very beginning, the very beginning of my new life.

About a year
I felt the chilly breeze nipped on my wet body. Wait, why am I wet? Why does my clothes feel damp and heavy?
I groaned as my head started to throb, my throat felt dry and the freezing wind crashed through my body. I squinted my eyed and took hollow breaths. I feel weak and tired.
I groaned again and tried getting up, but I felt grave pain on my abdominal. I let out a gasp of pain, immediately falling back to the hard rocky ground and growling at my unknown injury and the throbbing of my head and body. I paced my hand on my abdominal and I felt warm wetness kissing the cold palm of mine. I figured what is happening to me. I'm bleeding and it won't stop unless I treat it, but who would or even could help me. No one is around. I'm all alone.
I growled, as a stinging pain, mixed with the spreading internal pain. I squinted one of my eyes and wrinkled my nose, as I slightly curled my fingers. I'm going to die if this keep up.

Suddenly, I felt my body float up in the air, making me gasp from shock. I painfully turned my head to the side and saw a dirty rag doll lying on the rocky floor. My eyes widen, not understanding what is happening, as I felt myself gently lowering down. I felt a smooth, yet lumpy touch on my arms and legs. I gasped the material under me, the best I can, to have a touch what it was and it turned out to be a rug under me.

My hollow breaths grew a bit more quicker as my vision started to get fuzzy and my head throbbing more and more. I felt my mind swirl and I tried my best to keep my consciousness. I squint my eyes to blink my dizziness away, but it just got worst. My vision became more blurry and the swirling of my head became worst.

I'm going to pass out, I can feel it, but before I did, I felt something light land on my chest. That was the last thing I felt before everything became black once again.

I didn't know how long I was unconscious, but when my I woke up again, I was somewhere else and the once bright blue sky was engulfed with a dim pink and purple. I wasn't at the river bank, where I found myself, I was somewhere else - somewhere cool, but with a hint of warmth. Somewhere hollow, with a rocky surface, but the ground is smooth.

I groaned and squinted my eyes. I lifted my right arm and placed it over my forehead, feeling a bandage over it, as I slowly fluttered my eyes open. I stared at the dark ceiling above me as the wind whistled through the hollows of where ever I am.
Mustering all my strength I pushed my self up, grunting from the pain of my abdominal.

'No, lay down and rest,' I head a sweet girlish voice echo through my head.
I snapped my head to the right and darted my eyes around the area, but there was no one. "Who's there? Come out, whoever you are?" I demanded, with a hint of fright in my voice.
'Please do not be afraid,' the voice assured me, 'look down next to you.'
I did as the voice told me, but all I saw was the same doll from the lake. My eyes widen from fright and shock. Am I crazy? There is no one here by a doll. Is this doll going to hurt me? Yet, even though I am frightened, why do I feel slight security with the doll.
'We have a telepathic connection, Master,' the voice, who is the doll, stated, 'you and I are bonded by blood. That is why you could here me. You are the only one I could communicate with.'
"M-master?" I breathed out, getting quite confused, but I never had a doll? Did I? Wait, what happened to me? Why am I hurt? How did I get here? Who bandaged me up? Where is my family? Who is my family? Who am I?
My eyes started to dart all around the place as anxiety started to build up. I tried to remember who I was, where I came from and how I got into this mess, but I couldn't. I can't remember anything. I started to panic, from the thought that I can't grasp one single memory about myself and my head started to hurt. I felt agonising pain, like a hammer was banging onto my head mercilessly. I screamed in agony as clutched the sides of my heads. My head flew back as I screamed in pain, clutching it, trying to make the pain go away, but it got worst. The anxiety, panic and fright drove me to the edge. I screamed as I banged my head to the wall, trying to neutralise the pain of my throbbing head.

'Master! Master! Calm down!' I heard the girlish voice from the doll, getting very worried.

Calm down? How could I calm down? I can't remember anything! I don't even know who I am! My own identity! To top it all off, I have a blood bond relationship with a doll! A doll, which most defiantly be coursed.

I screamed in agonising pain. My head pulsed in shocks of pain as I clutched my head tighter. I felt my vision started to fade and my mind blanking. I'm scared, I'm in pain, I'm all alone and with all those negative thinking storming in my mind, I blanked out, but before I did, I heard the sweet girlish voice, telling me, 'Sleep, Master. I will always be here for you.'

The next day, I woke up feeling my head throb, but not worst as yesterday. I grunted and clutched my head, squinting my eyes shut and pushed myself up, even though my body was aching and begging me not to move.

'Master, don't move!' I head the doll told me in worry.
I groaned, ignoring the doll, but then I felt soft sockets on my bandaged forehead. I peeked my eyes open, seeing a dirty chocolate brown dress and dirty peach coloured doll legs. My eyes widen in shock and fright. The doll is flying and could move!

"G-get away from me!" I screeched and a very unique feeling flowed through my body. Next thing I knew, the rag doll flew away from me, like it was flung away, but it stopped itself midway and slowly flew back towards the cave.
'Master, please calm down,' the freak doll pleaded me as it flew towards me, 'I won't hurt you.'

I took hollow breaths, my eyes showed fright and confusion. 'What did I just do? What was that' I thought.
'Master, you're a mage, you know magic,' the doll replied my unspoken question.
"How did you know what I thought?" I asked, slightly calmed down.
'I told you, Master, we are bonded by blood,' it explained and flew to the opposite side of the cave, 'we are the only ones who can communicate with each other telepathically.'

This is absurd! A mage? What the hell? I'm like a magician or something? I don't understand! This is so frustrating! I-I-

'Master, please calm down,' I heard the doll tell me, 'I'll explain what is a mage.'
For some reason, it made me calm down a bit. I have a feeling I could trust this freaky doll, but I'm still cautious. It might had not done anything bad to me now, it doesn't mean it won't later.

'Mages are wielders of Magic, using their Magic Power to cast spells and employ Magical objects,' the rag doll informed as I listened intensely.
'So I can use magic? What kind?' I questioned to myself.
'Magic is the physical embodiment of the spirit. When the physical spirit of an organism connects with the spiritual flow of nature, the spirit forms Magic as a product of the connection,' the doll explained, 'Master, you just used Reflector Magic. Reflector is a form of Magic which enables its user to twist and distort almost anything. It can affect both material things, such as metal, and intangible entities, such as air and light. By twisting anything entering the immediate area surrounding them, the user becomes virtually immune to any attack, be it physical or Magical in nature, with every incoming spell or melee assault having its trajectory moved in order to avoid striking the user, who can even reflect these attempts back at their originators.'

"You know I have amnesia, don't you?" I stated frankly. If it didn't, it would be asking me what's wrong, not straight away tell me my abilities. This doll has something to do with my injuries and it is extremely questionable.

'Yes, I do know, it's quite obvious. You were never really a person who freaks out like that,' the doll sighed 'I can also sense you don't trust me and I'm afraid I can't tell you what had happen to you.'
"How could you know my personality, but not know what had happen to me?" I asked and stared down at the doll.
'I, myself, also lost my memory, but I remember who you are,' it stated, 'I am a course doll. We course object always remember our masters and pledge our loyalty.'
"You are?" I questioned and dully looked at the coursed object. What I sprout out happened in a flash, even I didn't expect it, myself, even though I was the one who said it. "Then kill yourself to prove your loyalty," I bluntly ordered.

What happen next, I didn't expect at all. Well, it's not what happened, more what I felt. I felt shock, disbelief, guilt, pain and great sadness. Then I realised, it was not my emotions, it was the course doll's. I blankly stared down at the doll and in away, I could see the pain and sadness in those black button eyes.

'I understand,' the coursed object quivered, almost like it was about to cry, 'I will follow the orders of my master.'
The doll lift itself from the ground and flew out the cave. I head whimpers and surprised weeps through my mind. I tried to block those soft cries from the course doll by sleeping, but it didn't work. Not long after, I started to feel guilty, regret and pain. I always had a feeling I know and is quite close with the doll, but I still send it off. Who wouldn't? I was scared. I had no one. I had no one and I still ordered the only thing that stood by me and help me, but telling it to die? To kill itself? What kind of her son am I? I'm horrible! The guilt really hit me and I sat up straight, even with the hammering pain in my abdominal. Using my magic, I manipulated the air under the carpet to float up in the air.
Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought, but now, I have no time to think about that. I need to find that doll of mine.

I was about to telepathically for the doll to come back, but I could not hear the doll's voice anymore. It cut off the telepathic communication.
I growled in annoyance as I whizzed through the forest.

Suddenly, the ground shook and and the trees waved. A loud roar was heard, sounding like an abnormally large beast. I heard a stomp and the ground and trees shook violently again, but more violent.
'The thing is close,' I thought as another stomp was heard and vigorous shaking followed.

I then heard a faint ripping of stitching and a release of dark and frightening magical energy running through the area.

"I call upon thee, Lord Zeref, give me your power and course this being! I course thee in eternal paralysed rest. You shall lay here and wait for your death," I heard the familiar girlish voice chant loudly, "I put this course upon thee, me!"

My eyes widen and bolted to the sight, seeing the doll lifelessly falling onto the dirt floor. My eyes then darted to the monster, having its foot high up the ground, ready to take another step, which was directly on the doll.
I gasped and stared to panic. What should I do, the doll is going to be stepped on.

'Master, your wish is my command,' I heard the dolls sweet girlish voice and the beast's foot is inches away to step on the coursed doll.

I then suddenly felt a some magic energy flowing through me. It wasn't much, but it was getting a bit too overwhelming for me and suddenly, my mind went blank. It went completely white and my eyes rolled back of my head. I saw a faint image of the doll and I called out its name. I can't believe I told my closest thing to die. I then felt light headed and my breath started to fly out of my lungs.

I'm going to pass out and Akira is going to die. It's all my fault.

Author's Note: Yay! New chapter! I apologise the slight OCC-ness of Erza and Hotaru, but who wouldn't freak out when a cause doll calls you 'Master' and you can't remember a thing.

Again, I know the chapters a getting a wee bit boring lately, but I really need to have some character development and it's about time to get to know out main-ish character here. That is why I left a cliff hanger! Hohoho.

I hope you guys enjoyed this and I would like to thank shinigamigumnast13 for following this story!

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