05—Isekai
In the morning sky, the sun continues its gradual ascent, still half-hidden by the wall which runs the boundary of the yard in which two people sit. Taiasu, oblivious to his circumstances and situation, and Sakura, fighting to suppress her full-body tremor, stunned into complete silence by what she believes she has just discovered. It's taken time, and never in her life has she doubted something more than she does right now. But every piece of the picture seems to point to one thing. This person, this small, child-like man who, until recently, had a sword strapped to his waist nearly as long as he is tall (which, given his stature, isn't saying much), is not a Servant.
No, but if the evidence leads to where it seems, and her conclusion is correct, this person would have to be something else.
From someplace else.
Another world? That's ridiculous. Come on, Sakura. Magic and Servants are one thing, but another world? That's—!
Against her will, seeds that his comments and remarks have planted through the course of their conversation spring up in her mind, blossoming into plants and trees from which hang bitter fruit. Each piece of fruit an idea, a thought, a notion, coming together to form the unappetizing salad that is this ridiculous possibility. That which she now has to face as a potential reality. The words he's spoken, the race he claims to be, which she's neither heard of nor seen. His off-handed, casual mentioning of places she's never even heard of. Even the strangeness of their names only seems to confirm this ludicrous idea.
More fruit springs forth. How he'd spoken a completely alien language when they met.
And then, from that one, she finds a sudden sweetness, and her mind sinks its teeth in firmly. A small piece of evidence that could disprove the absurd idea that had been working to root itself deep within her mind. With her desperate desire for the person in front of her to be nothing more than a lost, confused Servant serving as a potent fertilizer of sorts, she nurtures this one thought, quickly pushing the rest to one side.
That's it! He can't be from another world because he speaks perfect Japanese! How could he speak this language if he's from another world? It's impossible!
She breathes a relieved sigh, smiling from ear to ear and shaking her head, having successfully convinced herself for the moment the absurdity of such a notion.
He's just a weird Servant saying weird things. That I can wrap my head around.
Taiasu tilts his head as she lets out another quiet, relieved laugh.
Something from another world, though? I don't think I'd ever be able to sleep again.
Finally, she returns her attention to the immediate, and recalls the question she'd been meaning to ask. For her, the most important question.
"Sorry, I was just trying to understand. So you said you're one of these… Lalafell, right?"
Taiasu straightens his head, then nods, giving no further reply. Sakura holds her chin and supports her elbow with her other hand as she ponders.
I need to know what he's done here, why he's here, but how do I go about it? Do I just come right out and ask? I mean, I suppose. It's that, or I'll be here all morning.
"Okay, Taruko-kun. Then can I ask what you're doing here?"
She tries to keep her tone even. As polite as possible. Not out of fear, which has passed for the moment. It's simply out of decency, but the task is made arduous by the tree of thought that still grows within her mind, despite her best efforts to uproot it.
That damned tree, bearing those pieces of fruit that all seem to indicate this person may hale from worlds unknown.
"Right, that. Um…"
Taiasu's voice trails, his small mouth wrinkling down into a light frown as he racks his brain.
That's a hard question to answer. But I think we're—
Despite his pressed frown, he lets out a small laugh.
—well beyond simple answers. So I guess I'll just say it.
"Okay. Well, I'm an adventurer."
He stops there, like it should answer everything, but coughs uncomfortably under the weight of Sakura's questioning stare.
"You… know what an adventurer is, yes?" he asks, trying to maintain a polite smile.
Sakura blinks a few times, almost shaking her head, then thinks on it. After all, who doesn't know what an adventurer is? People who go on adventures, right? Though only spoken of in history books and works of fiction, high and low fantasy, and, though unfamiliar to her, characters in games, both of the electronic and the tabletop variety.
But certainly not a thing in real life.
Right?
"Ah… yes, I've heard the word, but just so I'm clear, could you elaborate?"
She tries to maintain her own polite smile, which continues to prove difficult. For each question she asks, the answer he gives springs two more which take its place, weighing against her mind, finding fault with her conclusions, causing her to doubt her own reasonings.
Taiasu's smile wavers for an instant.
The way she says that isn't very convincing. Do they not have adventurers on this Earth continent? That's hard to believe. Maybe she's just been sheltered?
He draws in a breath.
"Okay, well, it's different for each of us," he says, folding his arms and staring at the ground. "Some get into it because they like fighting. I…" He hesitates. "I don't hate fighting, but I prefer it only as a last resort. You know, like when all other options have failed? Or if I have someone or something I need to protect."
His words, his tone, are heavily weighted by his inner conflict. Finding enjoyment, satisfaction in the throes of battle, would always be something he hated about himself.
Fighting for the sake of it is one thing. It's loathsome, but…
A small, uneasy smile works itself across his tense expression.
Fighting for what's right, for what's important… I'm okay with that. I don't hate that.
He shakes his head.
"Ah, sorry. I got distracted. Just remembering things," he says, meeting Sakura's almost shocked stare.
Unsurprising. Though her knowledge of Servants is limited, what had been drilled into her is their tendency to revel in the thrill of battle. So hearing him say such things should be quite surprising, and it springs another piece of fruit from the tree in her mind, aptly named the 'Not-a-Servant' tree.
He gives another feigned cough, trying to ease any tension before going on.
"But love of battle isn't why I became an adventurer."
Smiling warmly, fondly, his eyes slip closed, and he indulges in a moment of reverie, recalling pleasant memories of times and places where he'd approached, or been approached by someone in distress. Sometimes apparent, other times not. Each person requiring, requesting, something different, yet often similar, and the satisfaction that came from lending his aid, and from seeing their appreciation of his efforts on their behalf.
His eyes reopen.
"I did it because I enjoy helping people. So in answer to your question, I'm here for that reason."
Sakura can feel her eyes almost sink into her skull as the fruit from the tree in her mind continues to fall from it to the ground, forming into an enormous pile at its trunk. In stark contrast, the 'Servant' tree remains woefully bare. Just a single piece about some linguistic quirk, which by this point feels much like reaching.
Okay. Take a breath. Just because he's saying things like… It's nothing conclusive, one way or the other. Let's just make sure we understand, right?
"So, you're saying you became an… adventurer… to help people?"
Slow and steady, she articulates her thought, and in sharp contrast, he gives a simple, quick and enthusiastic nod.
"And that you're here for that reason? To help people?"
Again, her words and tone are laden with doubt and uncertainty, and he only nods in reply, causing her to palm her entire face, massaging her temples with her thumb and forefinger. He watches in silence for another moment before speaking up again.
"Sure! I mean, I've been to cities, countries and continents all over Hydaelyn!" He grins eagerly. "I had my doubts when the old man asked me to come here, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like he was right. I like this sort of thing, meeting people, helping, so I figured, why not? This Earth continent could be—"
Beneath her hand, her eyes snap completely open, her ears ringing with his words.
Earth continent. Earth… continent… Did he really just called our planet a continent?
She can almost feel the ground shake as the tree sheds that piece of fruit, and it slams into the ground in her mind.
Oh, no… Oh… no…
Her mind swims, spins and thrashes, desperately searching the pile for some rational explanation, some way to tear the tree down, to wake up from this ridiculous situation. For it to not be true. Life is complicated enough for a student, for anyone, without having to cope with the thought of beings from other worlds traipsing around yours.
"—the next step on my journey as an adventurer…?"
Finally, he notes her leaning forward, shoulders hunched, and pressing her head, her face deep into her palms. She gives a light shudder.
"So let me make sure…" Her voice comes slow and muffled from behind her hands. "that I'm understanding this. You just said Earth… continent?"
The word comes out with a shudder.
"Uh, yeah? That's where the guy said he was sending me. Some place called Earth. I hadn't heard of it before, so I figured it was just some newly discovered continent or something. Why are you asking me that?"
Every muscle fiber in her body draws tight as she sucks in a sharp breath, fighting against her strong desire to curl into a ball on the ground and disappear.
Another world? Another world?! And he doesn't even know?
"Um… Is everything okay? You're acting kind of… strange."
Sakura lets her hands drop and looks up, drawing in another quick breath as they lock eyes again. She sits bolt upright, rubbing her eyes and feigning a thoroughly unconvincing laugh.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine! Everything's fine!"
"Um… okay, if you're sure. So why were you asking me about Earth?"
Taiasu repeats his question, and Sakura's mind simultaneously freezes and flails, desperately railing against the now all-too-obvious situation before her. She holds her head in her hands, as if trying to keep it from flying apart. All the pieces are there, and the one piece of contradictory evidence she could find just can't stand up to the mountain of evidence piled against it.
It's plain, it's clear, it's obvious.
The person in front of her, this diminutive, child-like, self-proclaimed 'adventurer' is a person from another world. The most difficult things with which she's had to contend in the past two years of her life were her 'home life' and her feelings for the young man in whose yard she currently sits.
Until this very morning.
Gh… kh…
Internally, she wants nothing more than to unleash a scream of vexation, but even in her mind, she can't form the sounds. The only thing left to her is to accept the reality of her circumstances, regardless of how unreal and surreal that reality has just become. Externally, all she can do is let her hands lay in her lap as she slumps forward. She draws in a long breath, trying to calm her emotions, to find the words.
"I asked because you were talking about Earth… like it's a continent."
Even as the words come from her own mouth, the absurdity of them causes her to wince viscerally. Taiasu tilts his head, half his brow arching upward.
"Well… Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"
An incredulous, insuppressible laugh escapes her at the way he responds. Like a child asking why a joke is funny, or why cold water tastes best when you're thirsty. Things that lack a simple answer and are just accepted as 'because that's how it is'.
Except in this case, it's not so simple.
Sakura swallows hard, her mouth dry, and a hard lump forming in her throat.
"Because, Taruko-kun…" she says, locking their eyes with a hard stare.
This is it. If I tell him, there's no going back. It means I've definitely accepted this… ridiculous idea. The best I can hope for is that I'm completely wrong.
Silently, she begs, pleading.
Please let me be wrong.
"Earth isn't a continent. It's the name of our world."
She holds his stare as the air between them freezes solid. Not literally, of course. But something heavy hangs in the air with her words as his eyes gradually expand, eventually reaching their full size, the light of the early morning sun reflecting their green hue from over the wall. Unblinking, he continues to hold her gaze, searching for some sign, some tell, some indication, something, anything that might reveal she's not being serious.
That she's joking, or at worst, lying.
Unbreathing, she waits for his response. The statement or reaction that will prove or refute what has been building in her mind. The verdict. The truth. Is he some strange, maybe poorly summoned or broken Servant? Or is he something else?
Finally, he blinks, snapping their linked gaze.
"C-come on… You're… You're not serious."
It's all the confirmation she needs. She breaks off his stare, letting hers fall to the ground as she slumps backward.
There it is. It's that, or he only thinks he's from another world. I suppose that's possible, too, but at this point it seems less than likely.
She shakes her head slowly from side to side. It's a simple gesture, but it puts a large crack in his doubts. His mouth slides shut and his eyes narrow. Before she's aware, he's sprung to his feet, causing her to nearly fall backward.
"Sorry," he says sharply. "I just… I need… Just give me a minute."
She blinks a few times as she watches him leaning forward, his stare focused on the ground, holding his chin with one hand, the other behind his back, and pacing back and forth, quickly wearing a trail into the already barren yard.
"Okay, so I first showed up and then I felt like I was gonna pass out," he mutters, but loud enough for her to hear. "But when I was pulled into the First, I didn't have that problem, right? So let's just set that aside for now. Then there was how I got here. That was unusual, too. It's nothing like how I got pulled into the First. That was traumatic, but this was closer to a standard teleport to an aetheryte crystal, except there wasn't one at the receiving end. It's not unprecedented—"
Sakura continues to watch, wide-eyed and in stunned silence as he paces back and forth, muttering to himself.
What? What's going on? What's he doing…?
"—that someone could do that, right? No, it's not. I mean, Y'shtola did it. Twice. I know that, and the first time, at the cost of her sight. Poor Y'shtola—no, focus stupid!" He continues to pace, wearing a firm frown that cuts deeper into his expression by the second. "But she still directed their escape when that happened the first time…" He pauses, looking up. "Or did she? I know she started it… Whatever, that doesn't matter. It wasn't me directing the teleport. All I remember is the light, and then I was here. It felt the same as any other teleport until then. The only difference was that it wasn't me guiding the transference, at least not that I could tell. So what's going on? It's not impossible she's telling the truth. I don't want to doubt her, that's just rude—"
She blinks a few times, picking up on his words here and there, and especially that last bit.
He's trying to decide if I'm telling the truth?
Her mouth wrinkles into a light sort of almost-grin.
But out loud? Doesn't he have a door to keep those sorts of things inside?
"—and why would she lie? That doesn't make sense! Okay, let's just say for now she's telling the truth. What did that old man say? He asked me to come here, but what did he say about this—" He stops mid-thought, mid-step, and mid-sentence, his eyes snapping wide and his brow arching upward. His mouth hangs open, a thought a moment away from passing between his drying lips. Whatever it was he'd been searching for in his mind, he seems to have found it.
N-no. That old man…
"He didn't. He said nothing about this place except that it was 'far away'. He never said it was…" His hands fall to his sides. "He never said it was a continent. I said that, but he… He never said it. I… said it, but he didn't. He just…"
His teeth grind, and his gloves quickly begin protesting as his hands, twitching and shaking, clench like tiny vices.
He just let me think it. That deceptive, duplicitous, double-dealing, miserable, wretched, ornery old… gods damned… thrice cursed… gray-haired—
"—senile old CODGER!"
Taiasu yells as he stomps his foot, and Sakura scrabbles backward a short distance, hiding behind her hands, her eyes quite wide.
Ah, w-what's he going to do?! What do I do?
Face flushed, Taiasu catches her sudden movement and turns toward her. His eyes widen as he watches her wince and tremble under his glare, and he remembers himself.
"Ah, um… Sorry." He takes in a few quick breaths, forcing his face to relax. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just trying to figure something out."
It doesn't take as long for Sakura to settle this time, though she draws in and releases a deep and relieved breath. For her, the entire experience is new, and filled with unknowns, and though he's been doing his best to keep her at ease, any suddent shift in his disposition is enough to set her on edge.
"N-no, I mean, I was, but it's fine. Are you alright, though?"
"Alright? No, I'm not alright!" He stomps his foot again. "I'm actually quite upset right now! I have to go back. I need to have a sit-down with that old man and get a few things straight!"
Sakura's lips part, and her eyes widen as she tilts her head.
Wait… Did he say go back?
"You mean, to your world?"
Taiasu nods, grinding his teeth and cracking his knuckles.
"I'm not gonna do anything untoward, but I may have to drop this contract. At the very least, I want a gods damned apology from the old coot. Don't worry, though. I'll be… back?"
His voice trails, and he pauses, letting his hands fall.
I'll be back…? Why would I say that?
He knows the answer. It's the call of adventure, the reason he started doing this. New places, new people, new friends, and new experiences. All the things that drew him to this lifestyle, and a new and unknown world's just been opened up to him.
Unknowingly, his mouth forms into a soft smile.
Of course. I'm still irritated at that old jerk for tricking me like this, but I'm the idiot here. I love this sort of thing. And I met someone nice as soon as I arrived. Of course I'd want to come back—!
His eyes snap wide, and he sucks in a sharp breath, realizing. Or rather, remembering what he'd forgotten over the past short while. His arrival was unplanned, and he'd appeared in the yard of a perfect stranger. One who'd been quite upset, yet hadn't had him hauled off in shackles regardless of her reasonings.
And he'd just said he'd be back.
Damn it. I shouldn't have just said that.
His smile wavers as he looks over toward Sakura, who sits regarding him with a curious expression similar to the one she'd been wearing when they first met about an hour ago.
"I mean, if it's okay for me to be here…"
Of course, he desires to return, but not to impose his presence if it would prove problematic. Still, time cannot be spared for such considerations.
The old man… I need to ask him about this, and he might already be gone.
Frowning, Taiasu shakes his head vigorously.
"Sorry, I know it's impolite to ask this, but can we discuss it after I get back?"
Sakura extends her hand, raising a finger as she forms her reply, but Taiasu is no longer looking in her direction. Instead, his gaze is fixed firmly against the undersides of his closed eyelids as he searches with his mind.
Okay, he got me here somehow, so it should be a simple enough matter. Just need to find the stream. Should be…
The trail should be obvious and easy to find. Knowing this causes an uncertain anxiety to well up deep within as he searches for the stream that brought him here.
… Somewhere… Somewhere? Where is it? It should be right here. What's going on?
Tight wrinkles crease into his forehead. Under his eyelids, squeezing tighter and tighter, his eyes move rapidly in the dark as he continues to search. A light drop of perspiration runs down his face.
It's just Limsa, right? Why can't I find it? Okay, fine. I'll just… Wait.
His entire form shudders. His hands clench and twitch.
No. Not just Limsa. Summerford, Moraby, Wineport! None of them! Nothing on La Noscea! What about—!
Tighter and tighter, his brows furrow inward, his complexion shedding color like a chameleon hiding among camellia flowers. His chest grows tight, his breaths coming strained and shallow, his heart racing, hammering, trying to facilitate his desperate search.
A search quickly proving fruitless.
It's not just La Noscea! The Shroud, Thanalan, Coerthas! Nothing! Maybe—!
Desperately, he extends his search beyond the streams that he should be able to sense on Hydaelyn. To those that run between there and the First, to where he'd been pulled and from where he'd returned not so long ago. He raises his arm up, extending his hand, his fingers, as if trying to grasp them might somehow help.
It doesn't.
Even the First! This is impossible! This is… ridiculous!
His eyes snap open, and he finally draws in a heaving gasp, stumbling back as his hand drops to his side.
Nothing! Not a single one! I can't find a single aether stream! But that means—!
It's not the same as the first time he'd been pulled into another world, one literally called the First. He had no choice then. He'd been called, summoned there to find and return with his friends, and it had turned into an entire ordeal that culminated in the conclusion of the unnatural day that would not end, bringing about the return of the night. And even then, shortly after his arrival, he'd been able to move back and forth freely between there and Hydaelyn.
No, this time it was vastly different. His arrival here was more natural, or as natural as travel along the network of aethereal streams after having your body broken down into an aethereal mist could be. The situations were as different as a normal day on Hydaelyn and the endless, unnatural days that used to plague the citizens of the First.
Grim realizations compound within his mind. That this isn't the First, that he can't find the streams to return, that he didn't come here to save his friends, but to take the next step on his journey. An adventurer's journey. That there's no one (aside from that old shyster) who even knows he's here.
He shudders as faces of friends and places quickly flit around, through, and across his mind. People he's known and loved as friends, places he's seen and others he's only heard of.
People and places there now exists a very serious chance he may never see again.
Is this real? Is this really happening right now?
Palpitations threaten, and he sucks in a breath to steady his heart. Dragging the back of his hand across his forehead, he pulls it back and observes the damp streak across the red leather, which quickly fades. His eyes shake, but he forces them steady, and takes in another breath.
Calm down, stupid. Freaking out won't solve anything, and I don't want to upset Sakura. Again. Just stay calm. Maybe…
He shuts his eyes and gives another attempt, though half-hearted this time, to find the elusive aether streams. Unsurprised, he sighs as nothing comes of it, and he opens his eyes again and turns toward Sakura, forcing an awkward, fractured smile.
"Or we could discuss it now. Since it seems I can't get back."
Not quite a minute had passed since he'd declared his intent to leave, and Sakura's hand yet remains outstretched, her finger still extended. Quietly, she'd watched him turn his head, close his eyes, and then…
Nothing.
His face grew tense. He'd even held his hand out, but nothing had happened. She shows a small, confused frown, lowering her finger as she withdraws her hand, pulling her arm to her side.
I don't understand what's happening right now. He said he was leaving, but that he'd be back. Then he just stood there. And what's he talking about? Discuss? Discuss what? And what else did he—!
Her eyes snap wide in sudden realization.
"Did you just say you can't get back?"
Taiasu sighs as he flops down. He nods sheepishly, running his palm across his neck.
"Yeah. Sorry." He quickly looks up again, locking eyes. "But it's fine! I'm sure it's just temporary!"
Though he shows a forced, awkward grin, he can't keep his gaze from diverting to one side.
At least, I hope it is…
He shakes his head. "Whatever the problem is, I'll get it figured out!"
"R-right…" she says, giving a slow head-nod.
Things trickle through her mind. Occurrences over the past few minutes she'd not yet been able to process, begin settling. Her surprised concern at his initial reaction to discovering he's on another world (He was grumbling about some old man? Did he get tricked into coming here?), his quickly calming down, and subsequent apology for upsetting her (I mean, I was upset, but he's been really polite and decent through this entire thing.).
More things. His saying he'd leave, but come back (That was surprising! Why would he want to come back, though?), if it was something she was comfortable with (Just him being polite again, I guess?), then not waiting for an answer before he just stood there, not moving, looking tense, unnerved, and then saying he couldn't leave.
And what's that about? He can't go back? So he's stuck here? What does that mean?
Taiasu hops up again. "But for now, I think I've caused you enough trouble. I'll… um…"
Again, he glances around the yard, scratching his head. His eyes trace the wall, running around the boundary.
"Sorry. I know I asked this before, but how do I get out of here?"
With every word, Taiasu deepens Sakura's surprise, concern and confusion. Confusion over why he's talking about leaving. Surprise that he'd say something like that, after having said he'd planned to come back. And of course, concern. Heavy, anxious concern. After all, a person from another world wandering around would certainly be trouble.
Her brows knit tightly as she wears a light frown, struggling for a moment, trying to find her words.
"W-wait, what? You're just going to walk out of here?"
Still seated, she remains at eye level with him, so he doesn't have to look up to meet her eyes with his confused stare before answering.
"Well… Yeah. I'd planned on it. I mean, I've done nothing but trouble you since I got here, right? And I'm still really sorry for that—"
He just apologized again! How many times is he going to apologize?
"—Besides that, I need to figure out what's wrong. Why I can't get home. And as nice as it's been meeting and talking with you, I can't figure that out standing around in this yard."
She sits watching him as he continues looking around. Over the course of their time together, the stress and tension pounding throughout her body had been gradually easing away. His simple, polite words have now caused what remained to fade, and she smiles a relaxed smile.
He did frighten me. I mean, the sword and all. But he seems really nice, if strange. I could see us being on friendly terms. But the more important thing is that I can't let him go wandering around. For just… so many reasons.
She breathes a relaxed sigh, and Taiasu again looks over at her, prodding his chin and tilting his head.
"Taruko-kun, I'm sorry, but I can't just let you leave."
"Huh?" He chuckles. "Were you going to stop me?"
The thought comes across as silly to him. He can tell she's no fighter, so he knows she didn't mean it in that way, but wearing a friendly smile, he laughs all the same.
"No. I don't think I could if I wanted to."
"Ah, I know! I was—it was just a joke! I was joking!" he says, waving his hands about. "I know what you meant! I still don't understand, though."
"Right. I could tell you weren't serious. But I'll try to explain." She takes in a deep breath, trying to sort her thoughts. "This world… There's a lot you don't understand. I can tell. After all, you had a sword when we first met. People don't carry weapons like that here—"
She holds up a finger as he opens his mouth, ready to ask a question or interject. Whichever it is, she doesn't wait to find out.
"—please wait until I've finished trying to explain."
His mouth clips closed, and he nods, turning a soft red.
"And it's not just that. Um…" She fidgets uncomfortably.
I guess it's fine to tell him. He's not from this world, so whether he knows doesn't matter. And I'd wager anything he already knows about it, anyway.
"Taruko-kun, I'm guessing you know what magic is?"
Taiasu nods, but remains quiet, the embarrassed red fading from his complexion.
"Right. I thought so. Well, we have it here, too, but it's kept secret. And if you were to expose it, it could be dangerous to anyone who discovered it. People could get hurt, or killed."
The Mage's Association took great care in keeping the secret, well, secret, and anyone 'mundane' who learned of it would at best have their memories tampered with or, at worst, be 'taken care of' most permanently. It's this very thing that weighs most heavily on Sakura's mind as she speaks so seriously.
But for Taiasu, who was born and raised in a world where magic is as commonplace as breathing, the idea of it being secret is a completely alien concept. Still, he does his best to grasp the finer points as he nods along with what she says.
Magic is a secret here? That…
"That sounds pretty inconvenient," he says, letting his thought slip out.
"I'm guessing it's not the same on your world?"
"No… But, I mean, I don't know any myself."
She blinks heavily at his words.
He doesn't? That can't be true!
"But what was that before? When you had your sword out, and it disappeared?"
"Huh? That?"
He folds his arms and rubs his chin, wrinkling his face.
That was just me attuning to my Monk soul crystal. I do it all the time.
He shrugs and looks up from the ground. "Sorry, I don't understand. That wasn't magic. I was just… um…" His brow tightens inward as he thinks of a way to help her understand, but only for a short time before giving up. "It's hard to explain. But what was wrong with it?"
Mundane for him, mystical for her and everyone from her world. Realizing this, Sakura breathes a sigh filled half with wonder and half with surprise.
"Taruko-kun, whatever you did was bright and flashy. If you did that anyplace else, it would draw a lot of attention, and that could cause problems for anyone who noticed."
Taiasu frowns, looking down again. "Guess I'll have to be careful then. I should probably keep my pack closed, too. Gods only know what sort of things in there might draw people's stares…" He looks up, meeting her eyes again. "Thanks for explaining. I'd feel pretty lousy if I'd caused trouble doing that."
His hand comes to rest on the unremarkable leather pack at his side. The pack he'd ransacked just a short time ago as he desperately clung to his fading consciousness. A pack filled with things from his world. Mundane things, but here, fantastical. Plants he'd collected, minerals and metals, armor, weapons, crystals, shards and clusters, curatives in the form of potions, potions and more potions, and prepared foodstuffs, fresh as the moment they'd been cooked.
And that would be just scratching the surface. He, and no one else, really, ever even stopped to consider how it worked. How it was possible for all of that stuff to fit into such a small, unassuming satchel.
She nods and smiles. "It's fine. As long as you understand…"
Her eyes slip closed.
So there's that, but what do I do with him? I can't just let him go wandering around Fuyuki. That's much too big of a—
A scratching noise cuts into her thoughts. Her eyes snap open, and she looks around, quickly finding the source. Taiasu, halfway up the wall, clinging to it, his boots scraping to find a foothold. Her eyes expand further, her breath coming in short, quick, almost panicked gasps. All at once, her mind flashes with every worst-case scenario possible.
Taiasu almost getting mugged, and having to defend himself, accidentally killing someone. Some stranger stumbling upon him doing something blatantly supernatural, and his face being on the front page of every newspaper in the country, and possibly beyond. Someone surreptitiously recording him doing something unbelievable, then posting it to that MySpace thing that people have started talking about.
"T-Taruko-kun, what are you doing!?" she almost yells as she runs toward the wall.
A wall extending over her head (and twice as tall as he is), the foundation composed of shaped stones, fit tightly against one another, the middle made of wood paneling, upon which rests smooth, white plaster crowned with a fancy decorative roof. There's a slight gap between the decorative crown and the white plaster, and it's here that Taiasu currently clings firmly, his his feet scraping against the smooth wall as he tries to lift himself the rest of the way up.
"I'm trying to get over this wall!" he says, trying and failing to find purchase with his feet.
He'd managed an impressive hop and secured his fingers into the gap, but now struggles to make any further progress. Sakura reaches up, seizing a foot in each hand.
"I can see that, but I said you can't leave!"
"Why not? You explained it all! I just have to be careful, right?"
She shakes her head. "It's not as simple as that—!"
"But I can't stay here…! I mean…!" He firms his grip as she tugs against his boots. "I already caused you enough trouble, right? I scared you witless when I arrived! I can't just stick around, knowing that!"
"Are you still going on about that?"
Sakura's eyes scrunch closed as she leans backward, pressing her feet into the wall's rough stone foundation, trying to peel him back.
He's… stronger than he looks!
"I was startled, but it's fine now! You're not causing me any trouble! Really—!"
In contrast with her words, she currently finds him causing her trouble as she struggles to keep his ascent over the wall from progressing. But only for a few moments. Hearing what she says causes him some surprise, and he loses his grip. They both fall backward, and he can predict what comes next. He winces viscerally, imagining her slamming hard to the ground.
From his perspective, time slows to a near stop as his mind works feverishly to process everything he sees, feels, and hears. He looks toward the wall and finds he's still close enough. He looks to his feet and sees Sakura's released her grip.
In quick succession, he lifts his feet toward the wall and flips himself around, facing her. Just barely, he's close enough to the wall to make contact, and he pushes off, down and toward her. Extending his hands, he secures them around her waist, catching her and spinning the both of them around. When everything is finished, she's facing the ground, steady on her feet, leaning forward, with Taiasu still holding her waist and serving as a make-shift kick stand, keeping her from falling the rest of the way.
For her, it all happens faster than she can perceive. In the first instant, she's falling backward. In the next, there's a flash of red, and she's facing the ground, blinking, confused, and feeling almost dizzy.
What just happened…?
"Are you sure…?"
His voice comes out, his face hidden as he stares at the ground. Sakura blinks a few more times, trying to process. Looking down, she finds him still holding her up, and she straightens herself, getting her balance.
He was on the wall. Then we were falling… and… How did he do that? Wait, what did he just say?
"Am I sure? About what?"
He takes a few steps backward and looks up, just enough to see her with his eyes, while keeping the rest of his face hidden toward the ground.
"That I'm not causing you any trouble," he says contritely. "Because between this being the second time you almost fell, my frightening you with my sword, and every other thing, it doesn't feel that way."
Sakura blinks a few times, then smiles and laughs.
"Well, I can't say it's been the smoothest time I've spent getting to know someone, but all things considered, I'd say it could have been a lot worse, so yes. I'm sure."
Taiasu tilts his head back fully, showing his entire face as he looks up. Seeing her simple, sincere smile, combined with her honest words, he sighs, scratching the back of his head. Finally, he can do little more than smile himself. At the moment, currently displaced on another world, cut off from everyone and everything he's ever known, this is the best outcome for him. Having someone who could help him avoid any serious blunders would be more than he could ask.
"Alright. If you're sure."
Yet despite this positive development, something still feels off.
She's been pretty understanding, but almost insistent about me sticking around. Why is that?
Sakura breathes a relieved sigh, then looks down, tilting her head as Taiasu scuffs his foot.
"Hey, Sakura… Mind if I ask you something? Er, I mean, two somethings?"
"Hm? Two somethings?"
He nods. "Well, yeah. Since I have to ask if I can ask, that's one something. So the actual something I want to ask is two somethings."
She blinks again, her expression falling flat.
Is he joking?
As she takes a moment to consider, she finds nothing in his words or expression suggesting it, and she shakes her head.
No, I guess he's—
Her mouth wrinkles into an amused grin, and she chuckles.
—serious about it. Strange…
"Okay. I don't have a problem with it. What's up?"
"Well…" He kicks the ground again, wringing his hands. "I don't want to presume your intentions, but it feels like you've been pretty insistent on my sticking around here. I mean besides me being a stranger in your world. I get that, but it just feels like there's more to it than that."
Her wrinkly, amused smirk quickly flattens.
Sh-shoot. He's pretty perceptive.
And correct. Doubtlessly, curiosity was a factor in driving humanity to examine and explore the mystical and arcane. And it's been a decisive factor in Sakura's considerations and motivations since she'd discovered, understood and accepted the little man in front of her was not several things. Not a Servant, not a danger, and not from her world. Though she remains hesitant to admit, but finally finding no shame in doing so, she heaves a deep sigh and brings her smile back to the fore.
"Well, you're not wrong, Taruko-kun. Though you wandering around would be a tremendous problem, there is more." Her smile intensifies and her eyes shine as she finally yields to her less practical, yet still very human, inclinations. "I mean, you're from another world! Another WORLD, Taruko-kun! I'm very interested to know more about that!"
Surprised at her enthusiasm, he nearly startles backward.
"Ah… I see." he says, scratching his head. "I can understand that."
After all, it's part of the reason I wanted to come back, if I'd been able to go yell at that old jerk for tricking me here.
For whatever reason, shame, embarrassment, or something else, he holds this thought to himself.
"Well, I'm okay with sharing. It's like I said, I enjoy meeting new people. And I love talking about my time as an adventurer!"
His words contradict his interaction with the old man, who seemed to know all about him. Perhaps some part of him knew of the man's duplicitous nature, yet he disregarded it in the face of what was being offered?
Who can know…
Sakura nods, smiling wider and wider, her heart lighter for finally admitting her silly desire to herself and to her new… acquaintance. The light of the sun finally cresting completely over the wall catches her eyes, which expand as she sucks in a sudden gasp.
Oh, no! I haven't even woken up Senpai yet!
She palms her face, groaning inwardly.
I mean, it's understandable, but still. I need to take care of that! First, though…
After letting her hand drop, she again focuses her attention on Taiasu.
"My friend, he's still asleep. I've got to wake him up. It's the reason I came here. But I need to think about what I'm going to tell him about you."
"Okay? I mean, as long as we're not lying to anyone.—" Sakura winces. "—What were you thinking?"
"T-Taruko-kun. That would make it pretty hard…"
Taiasu shakes his head. "I don't think so. I mean, telling the truth is always easier, right? Then you don't have to remember or keep your story straight. Of course…" He smiles slyly. "We don't have to tell everything, right? And as long as it's nothing magic related, or that I'm not from this world, it should be fine."
Her eyes widen at his words.
"That's true enough," she says, sighing and smiling lightly. "Okay. As long as we keep those things to ourselves, I think I can smooth over whatever details there are. So for now, we'll just say I'm looking after you. You know, helping you out, showing you around. How does that sound?"
Taiasu nods his approval. "Sounds fine. And it's accurate enough. I mean, it's just like you said. I don't know a thing about this world."
Sakura breathes another relieved sigh and makes her way toward the shed, noting a subtly sweet smelling residue, a small dark stain running down the side of the building.
I wonder what that is?
Taiasu trots along after her, at her side, relaxed, smiling, almost grinning, despite the disconcerting thoughts hanging just at the edge of his mind.
It's not his first time on another world, but it still feels vastly different. The First was quite similar to Hydaelyn. Fantastical (though for him, mundane) flora and fauna and they seemed to share similar intelligent humanoid races. But this world, this Earth, about which he knows nothing, at least for the moment, feels nothing like that.
It feels completely different.