Boku to Maoh: Blue Demon

by Syrenia


Chapter Ten - Melting The Ice


Three months later, as she went on her way to meet Stan at their usual rendezvous, Navy felt strange; it was as if someone were watching her, a prickly feeling on her neck sending her shivers.

Picking up her pace as the unusually brisk wind lashed against her, the feeling didn't cease. Instead, it grew stronger as she felt like someone was behind her, her legs almost ready to run when a noise came from behind.

Turning around quickly, she thought she saw something slip past a tree, but it didn't show itself again.

Who could be following her and why?

Once again going on her way, she still felt as though someone were watching her every move, but she tried to calm herself. Maybe she'd been mistaken and was just having an acute case of paranoia.

Almost relaxing and settling with that answer, another noise came from behind.

It didn't sound clumsy, so she rethought her supposed paranoia, suddenly feeling so frightened she simply began to run out of instinct.

With every step, her heart bounded faster, the feeling of being watched still haunting her.

Why would someone be stalking her like this?

Yet again, she heard a noise from behind, footsteps halted as she looked around.

Only stopped for a moment, she felt her fear rising and turned to run again, though she hadn't been careful about where she was going and tripped unceremoniously over a rock.

Shivering as she sat on the cold ground, she pulled up the leg of her jeans seeing a bloody shin and knee.

Lightly touching her knee, she gasped, "Augh... Dammit."

The day didn't seem to be going her way, did it?

"Ugh... Stupid rock," she said accusingly.

Unsurprisingly, the rock remained silent as she sat there, muttering curses.

Then she remembered why she fell in the first place, though, by that time, she was suddenly and gently being wrapped in black.

Gasping, she stiffened, Stan moving to look at her.

He hadn't meant to scare her so badly.

"It's only me," he said, rather quietly. "Are you alright?"

Navy nodded, looking to her leg, "My leg's just scratched up... But how--?"

Cutting her off, he answered, "I didn't mean to cause you to fall..."

Blinking, she connected the dots, looking confused.

"Why were you following me?"

Instead of answering her query, he unraveled himself from around her moving near her leg and returning to his true form.

Still leaving her question unanswered, he looked at her wounds, "Do you think you can walk?"

"I don't know; it hurts really bad."

Nodding, he moved her ankle a bit, Navy yelping.

"Ahh, gah, that hurts!"

"I think you've just sprained it a bit," he informed her as he searched his pocket for his handkerchief.

Dabbing the blood from her wounds carefully, he looked to her as she leaned her head back, hissing with pain.

"God... It burns, it burns, it burns."

Unable to contain a smirk, he lightly laughed, "You need to toughen up, woman."

"Hmph. I've always had a low tolerance for pain," she replied, "I don't think that's something that'll ever cha-- Ouch!"

He quickly looked up from his dabbing, "What is it?"

"I think there's a splinter or something in my knee..."

He gave a nod, finding the splinter and managing to remove it before once again dabbing.

So far he seemed to have forgotten her question, Navy watching him a moment before speaking up, "...You still haven't answered my question."

Stopping his motions slowly, he shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket, standing, "It doesn't matter. We need to--"

"It does matter," she insisted, staring back at him. "How often do you intend on stalking me?"

He looked away, huffing as he crossed his arms.

"Don't flatter yourself, woman," he replied.

He'd been so preoccupied with thought that he'd been clumsy while following her. Now he was paying the price for his carelessness.

Still looking away, he shrugged a bit, "I was just... making sure you didn't get into any trouble."

Throwing together that excuse, he wondered if it would be good enough, eyes returning to her.

"...Why would I even run into trouble?" she questioned, exasperated. "The only trouble I've had so far is you scaring the hell out of me and causing this whole mess."

He snorted, turning his gaze.

"And besides, I know you pretty well... Better than most, in fact," she stated, Stan stiffening. "So I know you're not exactly telling me the whole truth."

After he remained irritatingly silent, she huffed, "Why won't you just tell me what's going on? I know you're not clumsy enough to get caught, Sta--"

"I was just following you," he said abruptly. "That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

Navy watched him for a moment, and then looked down at the ground, still not believing him.

He could see the disbelief in her eyes as he watched her, though she didn't seem to notice or care, a blade of grass rolling between her fingers.

"Now, I'm taking you to Tenel," he said as he kneeled down.

She didn't protest, Stan picking her up with care and heading off towards the village...


+Stan POV+


As I walked, carrying her to Tenel, I let my thoughts wander.

I knew her well, too, and I knew she wouldn't try asking again.

However, why I had really been following her was somewhat of a mystery to even myself.

I had known she would've been at the bridge soon, and yet I still followed her. I could've seen her there, but I'd chose to stalk her instead.

Why?

The truth is, I'd been unusually impatient. For once, it wasn't to get something over with, but for something to occur. And this something was her appearance, like usual, at the same spot we'd been meeting at for quite some time.

Why had I felt such an anxiousness to see her? I meet her there every week, but lately, I have to admit, I've wanted those days to arrive faster.

But why? That was the real mystery.

Then again, it was true she had become, by nothing short of a miracle, the only one I'd tell so many things to.

I'd told her not that long ago about just how lonely I'd gotten trapped in that bottle, even telling her how I'd talk to myself so often just to hear a sound.

Instead of laughing at me, she seemed to sympathize, in turn telling me how she somewhat understood how I felt.

She told me she missed a few of the people from her world and that she would talk to them when she was alone, hoping that somehow her feelings would carry across both worlds to comfort them.

For her sake, I hoped they did.

She would often wear everything she wore that day she arrived here as well, simply hoping that just as abruptly as she appeared in this world, she would disappear.

All she could do for a time was think of her family, and the more she did the more it hurt her to be apart.

That was why she'd stopped thinking about them and tried to make some sort of life here for herself, and, for a moment, I could see the pain return in the way she looked into the waters below the bridge.

After that, I'd told her things I'd never tell anyone, such as how I'd grown accustomed to my slave, Ari, and would visit him from time to time. Even with the stupid reasons I gave for going there, I knew it was just to make sure he was doing well.

I guess, in hindsight, I shouldn't have told her these things, but I didn't want to stop telling her these things.

Having a taste of something I could call a friendship and not be ashamed of wasn't all that bad.

She was the one I felt I could tell everything, something I never knew I'd needed, much less sought out. But now I felt I couldn't do without that one being I could tell anything and everything, no matter how insignificant or embarrassing it was.

No matter what it was, I knew she would listen without treating me differently because of it. And I somehow, for reasons I cannot explain, hoped she felt the same.

So why had I followed her? I don't know.

Maybe I wanted to study her without fear of being noticed.

Maybe I just needed to see her at that very moment, as if it couldn't wait.

Maybe it was just to watch her as she walked along with a contented smile on those soft lips, her hips gently swaying with every step and her every movement so gracefully carrying her to not just anyone but me.

What am I saying?

Looking down at her I noticed she was looking right back up at me...


+End POV+