Chapter 2: Hidden in the shadows
Frog rolled over drowsily the next morning, rubbing his side as he sat up. Glancing at the bed, he was suprised to see that his guest had already gotten up and gone outside. Smoothing his rumpled clothing from the rough night's sleep, Frog climbed the ladder and looked around. Reiketsu stood, stretching, eyeing the weather. It was still rainy. "Looks like it'll be a cloudy visit..." She mused. Frog tilted his head to one side and walked over. "Didst thou sleep well, m'lady?" Frog asked. Reiketsu spun in suprise, one hand grabbing her sword, but she calmed down seeing it was Frog. "Yeah, thanks. I gotta get going soon, I've got a date to keep today in the woods." Rei shrugged, picking her bag up from the ground next to her. Strapped to it was her camp supplies. "These woods?" Frog blinked. Rei nodded. "It doth be dangerious to traverse these woods alone. May I accompany thee?" Frog asked. Reiketsu shrugged again. "If you want. But I don't know how far you'll be able to follow. But your very welcome to try..." Rei shrugged. Frog blinked again. "M'lady?" Frog tilted his head to one side with as baffled a look as he could manage. Rei grinned. "Just grab your sword, Froggie." Rei said, grinning. Frog blinked and went to retreive Masamune, although upon his arrival, Rei had her sword drawn. Frog eyed the pale blue glowing runes, now that they were clearer. "M'lady? Why doth thine sword behave as thus? I have not seen a blade whose hilt glows as such before." Frog said, blinking. Rei held it up. "What, Rune here? Rune has magical properties. It's able to identify a person's magical alignment." Rei said, as if it were the most commonplace thing since sliced bread. "It's glowing this color probably because I don't know my element.. I really don't know. It's not mine." "Then who doth Rune belong to? How didst thee aquire it?" Frog asked. Rei shrugged again. "Rune belongs to my father. I just use it... I didn't steal it." Rei shrugged again. Frog blinked. "Doth thine father know that thou has Rune?" Frog asked. "I hope so. I couldn't tell you. He's... Kinda... Oh, nevermind." Rei shook her head and sheathed Rune as she started walking. Frog followed, half running to keep up with Rei's brisk pace. "Is something on thy mind, m'lady?" Frog asked. Rei shook her head. "Don't.. Don't worry about it." Rei said quietly. Frog opened his mouth to try another topic, but quickly closed it when he saw the look on Rei's face.
By mid day, Reiketsu finally stopped at a mudhole, confusing Frog. Suddenly she started to ribbit softly, almost exactly like a frog would. A bunch of small eyes peeped from the mud hole, and suddenly a rush of six or seven frogs hopped over to Reiketsu. Frog started to draw Masamune, but stopped when he saw Rei kneel down and allow the animals to hop on her head and shoulders. She gently addressed each by name, and stroked their heads, suprising the swordsman. She finally rose and turned to Frog. "They were scared because they heard you coming, but their OK now." Reiketsu said calmly. Frog blinked. "How didst thou...?" Frog started. "Get them to climb on me? I raised them from tadpoles. They know my voice, scent, sounds, they know how to identify me. They know my moods and I know theirs. There used to be 8, but..." "But?" Frog tilted his head to one side. "He.. Left. A long time ago." Rei said quietly. "His name was Kaeru." "I.. See.." Frog said. Before he could speak further, Rei already put her frog friends back in their mud hole, turned, and walked. "If you want to keep following, stay close. If not, you can stay with the frogs." Rei said. Frog crept closer to Rei, who shrugged her shoulders at him and resumed walking. Frog followed, and was suddenly blinded by a white flash, yet, when his vision cleared, he was greeted with snowflakes and not rain falling from the sky on blackened remains of buildings; buildings that barely stood, and as far as Frog could see, skeletons were spread far and wide; men, women, and children alike, as well as a few Mystic skeletons. "M'lady, what art thou doing in such a place?" Frog asked. Reiketsu looked away and started for the center of it all. "This.. Was my home, the village of Zale." Rei said, walking. Frog looked down sadly. "I am sorry, M'lady... Didst.. Anyone.. Aside from thee survive?" "No...If you can call this kind of existance survival." "What doth thou mean?" "Just because the body can survive doesn't mean the spirit can. I watched my own father get killed, let alone the rest of the village. I even saw my own mother's body. Fire, smoke, death, and destruction. What can survive that? No, just because my body is alive doesn't mean I am. It's pointless to try to think I'm alive when my spirit feels dead. I should've been killed with the rest of the village, cause there's nothing for me to live for." "Then why art thou here?" "What do you mean?" "If thou doth beleive thine own spirit dead, why doth thee continue to live?" "I don't know. Maybe I'm an idiot or something. Have you ever lost anyone?" "....." Frog was silent a minute before answering. "Aye, a long time ago." "Then why do you go on? I don't get it." "Because it would pain my friend if I just sat and mourned for the rest of mine existance." "I gotta admit... Your probably stronger then I am." Reiketsu finally said, looking away. She walked into the middle of the carnage, and fell to her knees in a silent prayer. Frog watched quietly, turning over his thoughts when he felt something cold brush by him.
Frog rolled over drowsily the next morning, rubbing his side as he sat up. Glancing at the bed, he was suprised to see that his guest had already gotten up and gone outside. Smoothing his rumpled clothing from the rough night's sleep, Frog climbed the ladder and looked around. Reiketsu stood, stretching, eyeing the weather. It was still rainy. "Looks like it'll be a cloudy visit..." She mused. Frog tilted his head to one side and walked over. "Didst thou sleep well, m'lady?" Frog asked. Reiketsu spun in suprise, one hand grabbing her sword, but she calmed down seeing it was Frog. "Yeah, thanks. I gotta get going soon, I've got a date to keep today in the woods." Rei shrugged, picking her bag up from the ground next to her. Strapped to it was her camp supplies. "These woods?" Frog blinked. Rei nodded. "It doth be dangerious to traverse these woods alone. May I accompany thee?" Frog asked. Reiketsu shrugged again. "If you want. But I don't know how far you'll be able to follow. But your very welcome to try..." Rei shrugged. Frog blinked again. "M'lady?" Frog tilted his head to one side with as baffled a look as he could manage. Rei grinned. "Just grab your sword, Froggie." Rei said, grinning. Frog blinked and went to retreive Masamune, although upon his arrival, Rei had her sword drawn. Frog eyed the pale blue glowing runes, now that they were clearer. "M'lady? Why doth thine sword behave as thus? I have not seen a blade whose hilt glows as such before." Frog said, blinking. Rei held it up. "What, Rune here? Rune has magical properties. It's able to identify a person's magical alignment." Rei said, as if it were the most commonplace thing since sliced bread. "It's glowing this color probably because I don't know my element.. I really don't know. It's not mine." "Then who doth Rune belong to? How didst thee aquire it?" Frog asked. Rei shrugged again. "Rune belongs to my father. I just use it... I didn't steal it." Rei shrugged again. Frog blinked. "Doth thine father know that thou has Rune?" Frog asked. "I hope so. I couldn't tell you. He's... Kinda... Oh, nevermind." Rei shook her head and sheathed Rune as she started walking. Frog followed, half running to keep up with Rei's brisk pace. "Is something on thy mind, m'lady?" Frog asked. Rei shook her head. "Don't.. Don't worry about it." Rei said quietly. Frog opened his mouth to try another topic, but quickly closed it when he saw the look on Rei's face.
By mid day, Reiketsu finally stopped at a mudhole, confusing Frog. Suddenly she started to ribbit softly, almost exactly like a frog would. A bunch of small eyes peeped from the mud hole, and suddenly a rush of six or seven frogs hopped over to Reiketsu. Frog started to draw Masamune, but stopped when he saw Rei kneel down and allow the animals to hop on her head and shoulders. She gently addressed each by name, and stroked their heads, suprising the swordsman. She finally rose and turned to Frog. "They were scared because they heard you coming, but their OK now." Reiketsu said calmly. Frog blinked. "How didst thou...?" Frog started. "Get them to climb on me? I raised them from tadpoles. They know my voice, scent, sounds, they know how to identify me. They know my moods and I know theirs. There used to be 8, but..." "But?" Frog tilted his head to one side. "He.. Left. A long time ago." Rei said quietly. "His name was Kaeru." "I.. See.." Frog said. Before he could speak further, Rei already put her frog friends back in their mud hole, turned, and walked. "If you want to keep following, stay close. If not, you can stay with the frogs." Rei said. Frog crept closer to Rei, who shrugged her shoulders at him and resumed walking. Frog followed, and was suddenly blinded by a white flash, yet, when his vision cleared, he was greeted with snowflakes and not rain falling from the sky on blackened remains of buildings; buildings that barely stood, and as far as Frog could see, skeletons were spread far and wide; men, women, and children alike, as well as a few Mystic skeletons. "M'lady, what art thou doing in such a place?" Frog asked. Reiketsu looked away and started for the center of it all. "This.. Was my home, the village of Zale." Rei said, walking. Frog looked down sadly. "I am sorry, M'lady... Didst.. Anyone.. Aside from thee survive?" "No...If you can call this kind of existance survival." "What doth thou mean?" "Just because the body can survive doesn't mean the spirit can. I watched my own father get killed, let alone the rest of the village. I even saw my own mother's body. Fire, smoke, death, and destruction. What can survive that? No, just because my body is alive doesn't mean I am. It's pointless to try to think I'm alive when my spirit feels dead. I should've been killed with the rest of the village, cause there's nothing for me to live for." "Then why art thou here?" "What do you mean?" "If thou doth beleive thine own spirit dead, why doth thee continue to live?" "I don't know. Maybe I'm an idiot or something. Have you ever lost anyone?" "....." Frog was silent a minute before answering. "Aye, a long time ago." "Then why do you go on? I don't get it." "Because it would pain my friend if I just sat and mourned for the rest of mine existance." "I gotta admit... Your probably stronger then I am." Reiketsu finally said, looking away. She walked into the middle of the carnage, and fell to her knees in a silent prayer. Frog watched quietly, turning over his thoughts when he felt something cold brush by him.