07—Enter the Taiga
Taiasu waits as Sakura steps into the long, dead-end hall, walking in after and sliding the glass door closed behind her. It latches shut with a soft click. Sakura switches on the hall light, adding to the natural sunlight which pours in through the sliding glass doors that line the hall. She draws in a deep and satisfied breath, lingering in her appreciation of the familiar smell.
Something simple that can only be described as 'home'. Not having taken the chance to enjoy it earlier, she finds it enhanced by the pleasant, warm, down scent coming from the feather she cradles in her grasp. Taiasu looks up, noting the warm smile she wears, and can only reflect it with his own.
A simply contagious smile.
"Stay close, Taruko-kun. This place is enormous, and it can be like a maze."
He nods at her words, following her lead as she moves through the halls. The silence between them is brief. She glances at him from the side, a shine of curiosity reflecting in her eyes.
"So what were those?"
"Huh? What were what?"
"Those things you picked up." She slows her pace. "I get you couldn't say anything around Senpai, but I'm still curious about them."
Taiasu frowns, letting his gaze fall.
How can I even answer that? I'm not even sure myself…
Before they'd met in the yard, he'd seen nothing like what had happened. Those shards losing their light, the aether housed in them flowing into him, energizing him, fending off the unnatural fatigue he'd felt moments after arriving.
On noting his perplexed expression, Sakura shakes her head.
"I mean, if you can't tell me, it's fine."
"No, it's nothing like that," he says, shaking his head as well. "It's just that I'm not sure myself." Reaching into his pouch, he pulls from it a fiery-looking shard that glows and flickers dimly. "They used to look like these. This is crystalized aether."
Sakura's eyes grow wide as they fall onto the crystal, taking in its soft glow which contrasts with the light of the halls through which they walk, her leading the way to the living room. As Taiasu stares at the crystal, his own eyes also widen with surprise. Everything about this is new, but something about what is currently happening, or rather, currently not happening, is the newest new yet.
Something's off. Before, the aether poured into me by itself, but it seems stable again. Why is that? Was it just a fluke?
Again, he shakes his head.
I hope not. If it was, I'm screwed the next time that weird, tired feeling hits. If it hits. Maybe it was just a one-time thing? Whatever the case, I need to figure this out, and the sooner the—
"Crystalized aether?"
Sakura's question pulls him from his thoughts, and he nods.
"Yeah. Aether that's been crystalized. Wait…"
Something in her tone causes him to stop mid-step. Her inflection, as if she'd never heard the word before.
"You don't know what aether is?" Looking at her from the side, and seeing her shaking her head, he palms his face. "How? How is that even possible?"
Every slight difference, every new word that comes from their mouths, proves the divide between their worlds. For Taiasu, each time, her lack of knowing comes as a surprise, and for Sakura, each of his surprised utterances leaves her utterly perplexed. How similar had he actually expected their worlds to be? Why would he be so shocked to learn she'd not heard of this 'aether' he speaks of so freely?
"Sorry. It's not a word I've heard before."
All she can offer is a contrite reply, and Taiasu kneads his forehead, casting his gaze to the floor, and waving off her apology with his free hand.
"No, I should be the one to apologize. I'm just surprised, is all. When I was on the First, everything was so similar. Practically the same, so I guess I was just—"
"The First?"
Softly, she interjects. For him, her not knowing what he's talking about in this case makes perfect sense.
"Right, the First," he says, raising his head and laughing to himself. "You wouldn't know of that. Of course you wouldn't, we hardly know anything about each other." He chuckles at his obvious observation, then takes a moment to gather his thoughts, figuring out where to begin. "This isn't my first time on another world. I've been to some others, but the First is the only place where I've spent any considerable amount of time."
Sakura's pace slows to a halt, and she stands, speechless, her eyes widening and mouth falling open. That he was from another world is one thing, but that this wasn't his first time being on another world, and that he speaks so casually about it, causes her mind to reel. Reflexively, he stops walking as he continues talking.
"Anyroad, because the First was so similar, I guess I just expected this world to be like that. I mean, after I learned this was another world, I expected that. So hearing you say you've never heard of aether is just…" Awkwardly, he rubs his neck. "It was just surprising."
As he finishes speaking, Sakura quickly finds her mind wandering, trying to imagine worlds so similar to hers that someone visiting would mistakenly believe they'd never left, yet still so divergent the differences would quickly reveal the truth. That, in fact, it's not their home. Expectedly, she comes up short. He'd not spoken of his world in great detail. So how could she paint a mental image of it? Finally, she breathes a light sigh, and can only let her face relax with a casual smile, realizing there's nothing to be gained in exhausting herself trying to imagine the unimaginable. One particular word, a simple, casual expression from his lips, seeds itself in her mind. For the moment, she brushes it aside, forming her next question.
"So what is aether?"
As she asks, she resumes walking, and he trots along at her side, nodding with a smile.
"Right, I never got around to explaining that."
The old man asked that too. But he at least had some idea.
The recent past tugs at his mind, and he shakes his head, pulling himself into the present.
"Aether's something really abundant on my world. Pretty much everything relies on it. Magic, science… Even souls are made of the stuff."
His voice trails as another thought occurs to him.
This is another world. But so was the First, and there was no problem there. Even crystals were all over the place. Surely, this world should have aether? Maybe they just call it something else?
The questions burn unanswered in his mind, carrying with them a feeling of ominous uncertainty. Why should they even need to be asked? It should be a foregone conclusion. Of course, this world should be rich with that life-sustaining substance! How different could their worlds possibly be?
"What do they do?"
With another of her questsions, Sakura drags him from inside his head.
"These crystals? We use them for making stuff. Weapons, armor—" His stomach softly rumbles, and his face turns a momentary shade of red as his half-finished meal, long since having been carried away by the waitstaff of the Bismarck, flashes through his mind.
"—Food."
They're used for other, more nefarious purposes as well, but deciding there's no need to burden her with that, the knowledge of the beast tribes using them to summon Primals, the closest thing to physical gods that walk the surface of Hydaelyn, he withholds that detail.
"We can also sell them. There're markets and what not, and a thriving commercial exchange for such things."
Satisfied with his answer, Sakura smiles widely, still glimpsing the crystal from one side, as if drawn in by it.
"Aether sounds pretty similar to what we call magical energy."
"Magical energy?"
She nods. "Or mana. We use the terms interchangeably. Remember when I said magic is a thing here?"
"Yeah, but it's secret, right?"
Again, she nods. "Right. Well, it sounds similar, only less vital. Sounds like on your world, you'd die without it. Here, most people go through their lives oblivious to its existence."
"Hmm…"
Those smoldering questions in his mind flare up, stoked by her words, turning the corners of his mouth down in a small yet heavy frown which weighs against his expression.
They call it magical energy here. Maybe they're the same thing? That must be it. How could this world not have aether?
For him, the notion of a world without aether is as absurd as a world without air, but no more time is afforded him to consider such things, their brief trip coming to an end. Before the both of them stands a translucent, paper-covered sliding door. Diffused light pours through, along with a distorted voice Sakura recognizes as coming from the TV.
Fujimura-sensei must be here already.
She reaches for the door, but stops her hand short just before grabbing it, her expression bearing a light frown. The woman on the other side of the door, though nearly nine years her senior, can be unpredictable, and how she may react to the small man at her side is a cause for concern.
Sensing something in her hesitancy, though not what precisely, Taiasu looks up and toward her from the side.
"Sakura? Something wrong?"
She jerks, startled from her deep considerations, and pulls her hand back from the door to her chest, taking in a quick breath. She then looks down, contemplating.
I should probably get him ready. She can be…
Words elude her. There doesn't seem to be one that effectively conveys the sort of manic energy the woman can bring to a room, a conversation, or even the most menial of social interactions.
"No, nothing's wrong. Taruko-kun, there's a friend of mine in here. I'll introduce you, but please remember—"
"Right, no magic stuff," he says, grinning with his entire face, and slipping the glowing red crystal back into his side pack. "I remember."
Though his broad smile helps, she still wrestles with her concerns. The unknowns are uncountable, and any of them could prove to be a waiting land mine. The coming task is especially concerning, not just because this person could be unpredictable, but she was also important to Sakura.
But what are my options right now? Leave him out here? To his own devices? I can't do that. He seemed to handle things with Senpai pretty well. Hopefully, he'll be fine here, too. Honestly, my bigger concern is Fujimura-sensei.
She nods. "Yes, but also she can be a bit… enthusiastic."
Taiasu tilts his head, blinking up at her. "Huh? Enthusiastic?"
"Yes. Just… You'll understand what I mean. Please try and bear with it."
He lets out a shrug, then nods. With a deep breath, she firms up her expression and nods toward the door, then slides it open, stepping through and into the living room. Taiasu follows closely behind, giving it a cursory inspection. The off-white walls and plain tatami mats are the first things he notices. The next would be the woman in the center of the room, sitting on a large blue floor pillow and lazing over a zataku; a table set low to the ground. A woman with brown hair, wearing a dark green dress over her black-and-yellow striped shirt, and neither shoes, nor socks. Her shirt evokes imagery of a tiger's stripes, but her eyes remain hidden for the moment, for her facing opposite them. To his right, set low to the ground, a half cabinet with two sets of sliding doors, both closed, and a vase with yellow flowers he recognizes as daisies.
Though it should, that he recognizes them does not strike him as odd, and he continues surveying the room. Built low to the ground into a simple, open closet space, past the low half-cabinet, is another cabinet with a single, closed, sliding door, and a vase filled with two types of flowers, hydrangea and lavender, which again he recognizes. To his right, an open partition dividing the living room from a kitchen, and a third vase sitting on the partition's surface, filled with yellow roses.
His eyes widen, and his mouth turns down in a soft frown as he finally realizes that he's recognized each of the flowers, the strangeness of this fact now becoming apparent to him.
How? How do I know what these are? They look similar enough to the ones on Hydaelyn, and even some on the First, but how can that be? I don't know what's more confounding—the similarities between our worlds, or the differences!
Shaking his head, he continues exploring the room with his eyes. There's little left to see, from his low-to-the-ground vantage point, but in a shallow alcove beside the open closet space he can spy five neatly stacked blue floor cushions, and beside that, a bookcase, two-thirds filled with reading material.
He spots something resting on the bookcase and sucks in a sharp breath. Sakura looks down at the noise he makes, and she almost ejects her eyes from her skull for how wide they grow. His compact form glows a faint blue, and produces a quiet humming noise as he stands, teeth grinding, hands clenched, and aiming a fierce glare at something in the room.
Shocked, startled, yet doing her best to stay calm, she follows his piercing stare and spots the thing which has drawn his ire. For whatever reason, the TV in the corner (Perhaps the man on it giving his daily morning report?), has provoked Taiasu to wrath. Her thoughts spin from concern (What's he going to do now?!) to confusion (Why is he glaring at the television?) to bemused realization (Wait, he's angry at it?), before circling back around to concern (Whatever! I have to stop him—!).
Oblivious to her worries, the only concern in his mind is the strange screen in the room's corner, with the odd man inside it. Less the man and the screen than of what the screen reminds him. Not wholly aware of himself, his reaction is almost completely instinctual. His hands clench into tiny, tightened fists, and his aether coalesces into what would soon be something devastating.
That's an Omega screen! It used those to monitor us when it had us playing its stupid game! Why would it be here!? HOW could it be here?!
The person on the screen speaks. Something about a chill in the air, and the screen changes, showing pictures and numbers, and symbols of clouds and the sun. Studying it carefully, he relaxes, and his gloves cease creaking as his hands loosen. The faint blue aura and the humming sound both fade. Though he still wears a frown, in this case it's directed more toward himself than the screen.
No. I'm wrong. It's not the same at all. It's similar, but why would it be here? That makes no sense.
He lets out a low, frustrated, grumbling sigh, and Sakura exhales heavily in relief, realizing the situation has somehow defused itself. Still, her concerns are elevated, and Taiasu can feel her tension without even glancing at her.
"Sorry," he whispers. "I thought that was something bad."
Looking between him and the TV, she blinks a few times. As she realizes his intent, that he'd obviously meant no harm, her expression relaxes from near panic into an uneasy smile.
"The TV?"
"If that's what that thing is called, yeah," he says, giving a slow, almost imperceptible head-nod. "I've seen a few things similar. Some of them were bad."
After blinking a few more times, she giggles nervously.
All that over a TV? It's just a—!
Before she's even finished her thought, she realizes the parallel. How similar their circumstances are. For her, it's a TV. Simple as that. In the same way, for him, aether was aether. Yet for the both of them, each was something foreign to the other.
He's like a fish out of water. And it would be the same for me if I were in his shoes, I'm sure. Whatever similarities our worlds may share, I can't just assume he'll be familiar with everything.
She softens her smile and kneels down, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Taruko-kun, I promise that it's not dangerous. Nothing here is dangerous."
"For me, maybe, but what about you?"
"Huh?" She pulls her hand back, his words catching her off guard. "What do you mean?"
He sighs. Of course, with him being used to peril, the chance of something here being a danger to him is unlikely, but it's not his own safety that concerns him. It's also for this reason, he realizes the ridiculousness of his reaction.
Why would she have something like that? Something so dangerous in her own house? That makes even less sense than an Omega screen being here!
He shakes his head. "No, nothing. Nevermind. Thanks for—"
"Sakura-cha~~~an!"
A woman's voice, her words coming with a complaining, almost childish tone. Still stretched across the table, the woman turns her head toward the doorway, revealing her face, her shining brown eyes, full of life and zest.
"Why are you whispering?! What are you whispering about? Where's Shirou? Why isn't breakfast…?"
For being low to the ground, her eyes quickly find the small man in red standing next to her student, and she dismisses every single question she'd just asked. Her head tilts, her mouth narrows, and her eyes widen. A perfectly natural reaction to seeing something so unexpected.
Huh? Who's this?
Her gaze traces a path between them for a few moments before she finally speaks her unasked question.
"Sakura-chan? Who is this?"
Sakura draws in a deep, steadying breath, trying to quell the sudden onset of her nerves. The next few moments will be perilous, and she knows it. Taiasu, a being whose very existence in this world threatens to reveal the secret, and the woman stretched across the table representing the very thing from which that secret must be kept at all costs.
This has all the potential to be as dangerous for her as some of the more savage battles through which Taiasu has fought.
"Fujimura-sensei, this is Taiasu." She pauses, trying to think of a valid explanation, but sighs, shaking her head, and chooses instead to keep things vague. "Some things happened, and I've agreed to look after him for a while."
He takes a step forward, bowing low and extending his hand. "Taiasu Taruko. Pleased to meet you, ma'am."
Despite his polite introduction, she furrows her brow.
Ma'am? I'm not that old.
Still, she extends her own hand, gripping the glove wrapped around his, and they exchange a firm handshake. She shows a wide smile, her minor complaint about his greeting vanishing from her mind.
"Nice grip, Taruko-kun! I'm Fujimura Taiga."
As he's wont to do, he takes a moment to dwell on her name.
"Fujimura Taiga… That's a good name. Powerful… Feral, even." He lets his eyes draw open as he stands upright again. "I like it! What's your preference?"
She blinks a few times at his comment, processing it internally.
Huh? What did he say? Something about my name, but what else?
"Preference?"
He nods. "Yeah. What I should call you. Sakura explained it to me, but I thought it would be better to just ask. So how should I address you?"
Behind them, Sakura breathes in a small, relieved sigh as she observes their interaction playing out. So far, it's been a perfectly normal interaction. At least, normal for her teacher, who's known to behave childishly, and the small man, who looks very much like a child. The contrast, a child-like adult, and an adult-like child, causes her to smile, and she lets out a quiet giggle.
The teacher's eyes sparkle and widen as she bears a large, elated grin. For her, this was no casual or meaningless inquiry, and though Taiasu had meant nothing deeper in his question, it still strikes a chord. It should be strange that he'd even ask her such a question (After all, he should be familiar with all the customs and traditions of this country, right?), yet such a thought remains absent from her mind.
"That's a very polite thing to ask, Taruko-kun!" she says, full of energy and grinning widely. "Just call me Fujimura, or Fujimura-san."
Her energy is almost contagious, and Taiasu has a tough time not becoming overly excited in response. Instead, he settles for mirroring her enormous grin with his own as he gives a firm nod.
"Fujimura-san, then. And you can call me Taiasu, or the other thing. Whichever your most comfortable with."
Again, she shows a wide grin. For him, it's simply just a matter of showing good manners and wanting people to feel comfortable, but for her, who can only see a child being unusually polite, it proves to be too much.
She hefts him into her arms, squeezing him in an unrestrained bear-hug.
"Sakura-chan, he's adorable! You said you're looking after him for a while?"
Sakura stands there, stunned, and wondering why she was even worried as Taiasu struggles to turn his head from her teacher's chest. In part because decency, and in part because breathing.
All Sakura can do is show a reserved smile.
"That's correct, Fujimura-sensei."
Taiasu continues wriggling and squirming, and finally gets himself flipped around, only to have the back of his head forcefully pressed into her striped shirt as she enthusiastically cuddles him like a stuffed animal.
"So, how did that happen? Is he a relative?"
"Not a… relative…!" Taiasu says, still squirming and turning red as two soft mounds press into his head from both sides. "We only met this morning!"
Sakura stiffens, and Fujimura loosens her grip, letting him slip to the ground, where he draws in a heaving breath.
J-jeez! Is this what Sakura meant when she asked me to bear with it? I thought I was gonna die—! And why was she pressing me into her b-b… Her b—!
Unable to complete the thought, even in his head, which now almost steams, glowing as red as his leathers, he keeps his gaze fixed firmly on the floor, trying to regain some measure of composure.
"I only arrived here recently. I got lost pretty much immediately, so I wasn't sure where I was. Then I met Sakura, and she's been kind enough to show me around while I'm here. So I'm genuinely in her debt."
The stiffness in Sakura's shoulders lessens as Taiasu explains enough to satisfy her teacher's curiosity without revealing too much.
"Really?" Fujimura arches an eyebrow in a way that, for anyone else, would seem exaggerated. Wearing a small, thoughtful frown, and folding her arms, she taps one of her fingers a few times before giving a single, firm nod. "Well, that sounds like Sakura-chan. After all, she did something similar for Shirou."
"It does?" Taiasu looks between Sakura and Fujimura, leaning his head. "She did?"
Fujimura nods. "It was about two years ago when he'd been injured. She practically forced us to let her help around here."
"Fujimura-sensei, you're saying too much." In her practiced demure fashion, Sakura casts her gaze to the floor, turning a few shades of red.
Aware of her student's feelings toward Shirou, Fujimura grins impishly. For the moment, she lets her inclination to tease slide as she looks down toward Taiasu, taking a second to give his appearance closer consideration.
Those are some clothes he's wearing. And a mantle and cape?
The observation saps some of her zest, and she narrows her eyes, her thinking frown reforming into a straight line. A child appearing suddenly in her student's life, dressed so outlandishly?
Who wouldn't be a little suspicious?
"You said your name was Taruko-kun?"
Her tone loses some of its manic energy, becoming more stern, and it doesn't escape his notice. Or Sakura's, who stiffens again, keeping her gaze locked on the floor. Under the sudden weight of her question, Taiasu has a troublesome time holding a natural smile.
"Y-yeah. That or, Taiasu. Either is fine with me."
He shifts his feet awkwardly, her tone making him anxious.
"Right, but for now I was just wondering about what you're wearing." She kneels down, running a finger across the dark red mantle adorning his shoulders. "It's quite an unusual set of clothing for anyone to be wearing. I've actually seen nothing like it."
He breathes a short, relieved sigh.
I thought she was angry or upset, but it's just my clothes again? What's with people and clothes in this world? First Shirou, and now her? Has no one ever seen a cape before?
Though the conclusion he draws, mistaking her suspicion for curiosity, is completely erroneous, he relaxes some, his anxious smile shifting into something relieved, more natural. Instead of letting it bother him, he answers her question plainly.
"Shirou asked about it, too. The cape, the mantle, this entire outfit. It was a gift. And I like capes. Capes are cool, and since this outfit was a gift, I really like wearing it."
His words lack the matter-of-fact tone they'd carried when he'd answered the question before. When Shirou had asked. This time, they come naturally and more relaxed.
"Hmm. I see." She looks over his attire one more time, holding her chin in the crook of her hand, between her thumb and forefinger. "A gift, hmm? So are you cosplaying as something?"
Sakura re-stiffens, her anxiety heightening as Fujimura continues her inquiry. Every question she asks could end with Taiasu saying something he shouldn't.
How is he even supposed to know what's okay for him to say or not?
This thought weighs most heavily on her mind, causing her concerns to swell. To this point, he hasn't hesitated in giving a single answer. Surely it can only be a matter of time before he says something he shouldn't?
Taiasu's relaxed smile falls into a small frown at her question.
"I don't know what cosplay—" Sakura sucks in a sharp breath. "—is. It's like I said, it's a gift. I received it from a good friend, and I enjoy wearing it."
With his genuine feelings, he repeats his answer to her question. Fujimura only tilts her head in surprise. Even if a person has never partaken in the recreation that is cosplay, surely they must have at least heard of it? It's this very thought that crosses both hers and Sakura's minds, and it's what causes Sakura to grow even more tense. How would her teacher react on hearing there exists a person who's never heard of cosplay? Something so popular some might consider it a national pastime?
Finally, she, the teacher, shrugs.
"Well, I was just curious. It's so unique…" She reaches down, fiddling with the red leather flaps that hang from his pants above his knees, and poking at the metal knee and shin plates on his boots. "It seems very well made."
Sakura's legs wobble, forcing her to lean against the partition to the kitchen, nearly collapsing under the weight of her relief.
F-Fujimura-sensei. At least be a little more suspicious. Otherwise, what's the point in me getting so worked up?
"But it's pretty stylish, Taruko-kun. You'll have to make sure you thank your friend for it every time you see them."
She sighs and sits back on her floor cushion. Smiling, grinning actually, he nods in reply, and Sakura breathes another relieved sigh.
I think this is going to cost years off my life.
"Sakura-chan? Were you going to be starting breakfast soon?" Oblivious to her anxieties, Fujimura teases, flashing another impish grin. "Or were we planning on failing to show the wonderful hospitality for which we're so well known?"
Flustered at her teasing, Sakura tints a shade of red.
"R-Right, I'd come in for that."
"I'll help, too!" Taiasu says, looking around and prodding his chin. "Um… Where's the kitchen?"
"Huh? You're going to help, Taruko-kun?" Fujimura asks, her head tilted, his offer sparking her curiosity. How could a child be of any help in the kitchen? Especially one so lacking in stature?
"I'd planned to try," he says, turning his gaze toward her. "Unless it was a problem."
"No, I don't think it's a problem, but you can cook?"
He nods again.
"At your age?"
Sakura goes rigid, feeling another year vanish from her life.
Fujimura-sensei, please stop asking so many questions—!
Taiasu only shrugs. "Sure. I mean, the sooner you learn something like that, the better off you'll be in life, right?"
With her finger, she taps her chin a few times, considering his words, then smiles and nods.
"That's very true. You seem pretty mature for your age, Taruko-kun."
This time, her words catch in his ears and he turns away. You could measure the angle of his brow, slanting downward, and his mouth, pressed in a straight line, with a protractor.
My age? What about my age? How old does she think I am?
Sighing, he shrugs and turns toward Sakura, who breathes another relieved sigh. Muscle fatigue has almost set in for how quickly and frequently she's gone from relaxed to rigid and back again.
"Sakura? So is it alright?"
"H-huh?" She shakes her head, bringing herself around. "What now?"
He tilts his head, blinking. "Um… Breakfast? Did you forget?"
"Sakura-chan? Are you feeling alright?"
Fujimura looks over at her from the table. Sakura nods, forcing an awkward smile.
"Y-yeah, just tired I guess."
Nodding, she turns back toward the TV, but looks back as something in Sakura's hand catches her eye. With the small man in red, she'd failed to notice it. But now, for the moment, it draws her full attention.
"Sakura… That's a really pretty feather."
The feather, still in her hands, warm at the end for how tightly she's been gripping it, catches some of the sunlight pouring in from the window in the kitchen over the sink. Sakura looks down at it, nodding and smiling, then turns toward the closet space.
Shoes first.
Walking toward it, she slips her shoes off. As he watches, Taiasu divests himself of his red leather boots, placing them in beside hers, on top of the half-cabinet. She can't help but look down, and breathes a small, relieved sigh, smiling as she notes his feet. Bare, and not much different from those of a child.
It's hard to believe he's not a child.
"The kitchen is this way, Taruko-kun."
He nods and follows her through the open partition.