Chapter Five
The Scholar
Rei ran across the branches, refusing to look down. The only way to get the necessary pieces for his house. Rei grinned, with Garr's help it was going much faster. Rei stopped suddenly, losing all the wood. He paled, remembering the day almost an exact year ago when he smelled a strange scent. This time it was recognizable as human but…different. Strangers were in HIS forest.
Rei shook his head with a sense of apprehension. This was beginning to be a bit too close to the time he met Garr for his comfort. He began trailing the scent through the forest. Shortly before noon, he found what he was looking for…
~~~~*~~~~
Momo sighed and looked into the forest, making sure her constant companion, a small chrysm powered mechanical soldier named Honey, didn't stray to far from them. Momo turned a page in her notebook and began another entry. She stopped and looked at her father's back. Ever since her mother had died, he took her along when he went traveling, searching for the origin of machines. One day, he had said, he would even let her help him with his experiments. But for now, she was too young.
Momo stuck out her tongue, remembering what her father had said. Already she was better than him at fixing Honey.
"Daddy, when are we going to stop for lunch?" She asked.
"Not yet Momo. I want to get out of the forest before then. The villagers warned me there were vicious animals here. They even said a tiger lived here."
'I'm not a tiger…' Momo blinked… "Daddy……did…you hear that?"
"Hear what sweetie?"
"Guess not…" Momo looked around the once friendly forest and moved closer to her dad.
Suddenly, there was a low growling noise. Momo ran to her father and pulled out a sling shot. "Don't you hurt my daddy!"
'I'm not vicious either…it's not my fault they decided to come into my territory…' Momo blinked again. Quickly she looked for a rock to shoot. She grabbed one and fit in her sling shot.
"I'm warning you! Come out or I shoot!" she shouted into the forest. "And I mean it!"
'how loud can she get…what a great pair of lungs she must have…' Honey wandered out and randomly shot into the forest. Several cracking noises were heard. "uh…oh…" 'I think I'm in trouble…wait a second…I know I'm in trouble…' Even more creaking was heard, along a scrambling noise "AAAHHH!" a tannish yellow ball fell down along with several branches. "AAAAAHHHH…" the yell was broken off as it hit the forest floor.
Momo ran forward and began throwing the branches off of the……boy. Momo's father rushed to help her. "Daddy! He's hurt!" Momo's father brought out his Med. Kit.
"Well Momo. What do you do first?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I just want you to heal him!" She said, looking like she's about to burst into tears. Momo's father handed her a handkerchief.
"Calm down. Yelling won't help." he said placing his hands on the boy's cracked and bleeding skull.
"yes it will…it'll make me feel better…" Momo muttered to herself. She contented herself to watching her father heal the boy. A glow gathered around her father's hands and passed into the gaping wound on the boy's head. Slowly, the wound closed, new skin covering the area where there had been none. Her father pulled back his hands and sat back to catch his breath.
Momo grabbed the bandages and some sterile water. Without bothering to tell her father, Momo just took over. She cleaned the blood off and covered the new and still tender skin with a bandage. Suddenly, Momo found herself looking into a wide pair of blue eyes.
~~~~*~~~~
Rei opened his eyes slowly and managed to overcome the impulse to flee. That girl was putting something on his head. He still couldn't tell what she looked like, but this time it wasn't the distance. Everything was spinning and there were double of everything.
He stopped and thought about that for a while. Two…of…her! Again, he managed not to move. This time, however, he wanted to scream in horror.
"Sit still. The skin's still new and easy to rip." The girl ordered in a bossy tone. Rei, of course, didn't do anything, but that was more to the dizziness than her command.
"Get out of my forest…" he managed to growl. The girl glared at him.
"NO! and you might show a little gratitude! My father wasted his energy healing your cracked skull." She stuck out her tongue at him. Apparently, she had a temper to match the hair.
"…so that's why there's two of you…" Rei mused sitting up.
"HEY!! You're not supposed to be sitting up!" She reached over and tried pushing him back down. Only excellent reflexes prevented her fingers from being removed permanently. She glared at him and he glared back, growling softly.
Momo's father came over. "Now stop it both of you. Momo, that's no way to act to a stranger. And you. It's not polite to bite someone's hand off when they just tried to help you." Momo sighed and turned away going to the other side of the clearing to mutter some more about ungrateful people who try to bite your hand off.
"I heard that…" Rei said glaring in her general direction, his vision still spinning. "GOOD!" was the shouted reply. Momo turned back to her father. "I'm going to look for chrysm. I'll find my own way back." With that, she disappeared into the forest.
Rei stared after her and then dismissed the problem of her from his mind. He stared at the person who they said had healed him. Said person was currently mixing something up.
"Here, It will get rid of the dizziness." Momo's dad said.
Rei shook his head. "No way. For all I know it might be poison." Rei leaned over and sniffed the cup. It didn't smell like poison…in fact it smelled like that girl that just left. However considering her temper maybe it was poison.
"All it is, is a few common herbs. Tokon, Garana, Pinco-pinco, Chamomile, and some powdered cloves to give it taste." Again nothing was poisonous. All of them were just used to heal and get rid of pain. Rei warily accepted the cup. Once more he sniffed it.
Taking a wild chance, he drank the whole thing. If he was going to drink poison, than he might as well drink all of it and skip the suffering. Soon all the pain left and his vision had solidified. Taking another wild chance, he stood up.
"NO PAIN!" Rei grinned. "uh……sorry for being so suspicious…"He shuffled his feet feeling uncomfortable. At least the red-headed terror wasn't around to see this.
"No problem…" Momo's dad began cleaning up. And doing other odd chores that didn't need to be done. And standing looking into the forest. And sitting looking into the forest. And pacing around the clearing. Rei just stood there, watching him while the day started turning into evening. "Where could Momo be…"
Rei sulked. Now they would never leave. "Fine. I'll look for her. AS long as you leave once she's found." He set off after the infuriating little red headed she-demon.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo stormed off into the forest. She kicked a rock that happened to be lying in her path. That stupid weretiger…who was he to yell at her. She absently rubbed her hand where she had touched him. Sighing, she bent down to study the rock she had just kicked. Normal granite.
The only remotely interesting thing today was that tiger-boy and she was NOT going to think about him. Too infuriating. Again, now that her anger cooled, she felt sad. Kind of an emotional depletion like she lacked the energy to feel anything but down.
Again, she kicked a rock. Thinking like that got her angry again. This time at herself. Momo wandered through the forest looking at the occasional rock. It was starting to get a little dark when she found the most interesting rock.
It was a dark shiny blue. When she touched it, it hummed in her hands. Not a loud humming, but one that was more felt then heard. She stared at it for a long time before noticing that it had begun to glow faintly. As it got darker, the stone glowed brighter.
Momo turned to go back before she realized she was hopelessly lost…and in trouble. Standing in front of her were two of the largest monsters she had ever seen. She had heard about them but…she didn't realize they were this big. Currs.
"ehh …...DADDY!" she screamed hoping he would be able to hear her. No response…
~~~~*~~~~
"DADDY!" Rei covered his ears. "ooooowwwww…" He glared in the general direction of the scream. "So that's where you wandered off to…" Suddenly, he caught another scent. This was far more familiar. Currs. Rei cursed in his native tongue. "Now they'll never leave." He set off towards the racket. Suddenly, he stopped struck by an idea "I wonder… no…they wouldn't understand her." He started off again.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo screamed again as she felt the hot breathe of the curr hit her face. She was trying her best to keep the currs away, but a sling shot can only do so much. Her breath was coming faster and faster. She backed up against a tree. "God help me…" she prayed. She closed her eyes and pressed as small as possible against the tree's roots. Momo's eyes flew open and she heard yet another scream…a scream of rage.
"STUPID DOGS!" a small blur of color bounced all over the place. The tiger- boy. She watched wide eyed as he managed to kill, not one, but both of the Currs. Her savior turned and glared at her.
"You can't leave if you're dead."
~~~~*~~~~
"You can't leave if you're dead." Rei said irritably. Stupid currs…invading his territory and trying to kill the she-demon. Momo gave a little cry and latched onto his leg. "EH?! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
He looked down at the now tear-streaked face. Her body was trembling like a leaf in the spring storms. Rei relented, somewhat. Momo buried her face in his pants and was now sobbing openly.
Rei stared down with open mouthed disbelief. She could...and…but… Rei gently disentangled himself while watching her warily. She just sat there sobbing.
"Stop that. …You're making me feel bad!" He stared at Momo uneasily. "Fine! Fine! I'll bring you back to your father! JUST STOP crying!" Momo nodded and tried to stop. She succeeded partway. She wiped her face and sniffled.
Then…Then…Momo walked over and took Rei's hand. He looked at her and realized how young she must be. He mentally berated himself. She may have acted tough, but she was what? Two?! Three?! And she didn't have the advantage of living with Guardians.
Rei muttered as he led her back to the semi-permanent camp her father had set up. He argued with himself. They were invading his territory, but then again they didn't know better. How annoying to be stuck with such a little kid. Not to mention one who doesn't even know how to protect herself. By the time they reached the camp Rei had stopped thinking of her as a she- demon and more of a little kid. An intensely annoying and brave little kid, but a little kid none the less.
"MOMO!"
"DADDY!"
Momo let go of Rei and latched on to her daddy. She started crying again, but this time it wasn't quite the same. Rei faded back into the trees and watched the scene play out. Momo was still crying, but now her dad was holding her and rocking her back and forth. Slowly Momo opened one hand and showed him something. He smiled and hugged her close. Momo got up and pointed back the way they had come. Her father also stood up. Momo started tugging on his hand. He said something to her. Her face fell and she went into the tent. Her father stood there for a while before turning and going in after her.
Rei blinked hard. He recognized how much Momo's dad loved her. He turned and disappeared into the forest thinking of his own dad…and brother.
~~~~*~~~~
The very next day, Rei went out looking for food. Instead, he found the baby she-demon. And the healer. Many, many animals stayed far, far, far away from the cursing blur of light.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE!" Rei shouted at the tent. It didn't do any good. There was no visible sign of life. Just then, a tousled red head popped out of the tent.
"YOU'RE BACK!" Once again, the small she-demon attached herself to him. This time, she looked up, smiling as bright as the sun. "Thank you for saving my life!" She hugged him one last time and let go.
Rei looked at her scared. Momo mad was impressive. Momo scared was…well…scary. Momo hyper was terrifying. She grinned up at him and took his hand. She opened it and placed the stone she found last night in it and closed it back up.
"AH!" Rei dropped it like a burning coal. "It…it…it hums!" He looked at Momo. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"
"No. I don't even know your name! So I can't yell at you properly, let alone kill you." Rei blanched. If Momo hadn't really been yelling…… "So you noticed the humming too…Daddy didn't. He thought I was just in shock….he was probably right. Shock from you saving me." Rei growled softly.
"Will you just get out of MY forest!?" Rei shouted, now officially annoyed. Momo grinned.
"Sure! Once Daddy wakes up." Momo bent down and picked the rock up. She looked at it for a while, a shadow seeming to pass over her mood. She sighed and held it out to Rei.
Warily, he took the rock again. Suddenly he blinked as the previously tuneless humming sorted itself out into notes and rhythms. He blinked again.
"I've………heard this before." Momo looked at him. She started humming along with the stone.
"That one?" Rei stared at her.
"How did you know it!?"
"Jeez, I don't know. I HEARD it!" Momo looked away with a mixture of sadness and anger on her face.
"Eh? What'd I do now…" Rei asked himself.
"NONE OF YOU'RE BUISNESS! OK!?" Momo shouted. She turned away, leaving Rei standing there holding the rock and very confused.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo turned away, not wanting the tiger boy to see how close she was to tears. That song……… She shook her head angrily and stared at a tree. Suddenly she wished she could just …BURN it or something. Out of the blue, the tiger boy spoke.
"My name's Rei."
"I DON'T……oh…hi Rei…" She turned back around and curtsied like she was supposed to.
"My name's Momo. I'm an engineer!" she announced proudly. Rei just watched kind, of confused. It didn't help that he didn't know what an engineer did. Rei sighed. At least she wasn't acting funny.
"……….hi………uh….don't get mad…but…what's an engineer?" This time, Momo sighed.
"We fix things! And make them better and find out where all the machines come from." Rei thought about this for a moment. Finally ,he pointed at Honey, whom he hadn't noticed before.
"And that's a machine?" Momo nodded proudly and began to go into all this technical jargon. Rei just turned his ears off giving appropriate comments every now and then.
"…and she's run on chrysm. It gets vaporized and turns into energy and…"
"When are you leaving?" Momo turned to glare at him. Before she could start off, however, her father came out.
"Now." Momo turned to protest, but he just looked at her and she fell silent.
"…I wish I could do that…" Rei mumbled to himself. Momo turned and gave him a dirty look before going to help with the tent. In a surprisingly short time they had gotten the tent down and packed away. "I am going to show you the quickest way out!" Rei said, glaring at Momo who was starting to protest. She fell silent and returned his glare evenly. "…then I can finally get some peace around here…" he muttered, setting off.
The sun had just reached noon when they finally got to edge of the forest. Despite the many arguments that had sprung up along the way no one was killed or even harmed severely. Momo had gotten bitten a few times and Rei now had a lump on his head from her sling shot. At the edge of the forest, they both refused to acknowledge the other one.
"Well Rei, it was nice meeting you. We won't go in your forest again unless it's absolutely necessary." Momo's father said. "Now Momo we'll never see him again so you might as well say good bye."
"Fine.. Good bye. …and good riddance…" She said, sulking still.
"Same here. I won't save your butt next time so stay out!" Rei said, just as happy to be rid of her.
Rei stood watching the two figures walk off into the distance. When they were out of sight he turned and walked back to the now peaceful forest. Back to his…in comparison…calm life with Garr and Ganlon.
The Scholar
Rei ran across the branches, refusing to look down. The only way to get the necessary pieces for his house. Rei grinned, with Garr's help it was going much faster. Rei stopped suddenly, losing all the wood. He paled, remembering the day almost an exact year ago when he smelled a strange scent. This time it was recognizable as human but…different. Strangers were in HIS forest.
Rei shook his head with a sense of apprehension. This was beginning to be a bit too close to the time he met Garr for his comfort. He began trailing the scent through the forest. Shortly before noon, he found what he was looking for…
~~~~*~~~~
Momo sighed and looked into the forest, making sure her constant companion, a small chrysm powered mechanical soldier named Honey, didn't stray to far from them. Momo turned a page in her notebook and began another entry. She stopped and looked at her father's back. Ever since her mother had died, he took her along when he went traveling, searching for the origin of machines. One day, he had said, he would even let her help him with his experiments. But for now, she was too young.
Momo stuck out her tongue, remembering what her father had said. Already she was better than him at fixing Honey.
"Daddy, when are we going to stop for lunch?" She asked.
"Not yet Momo. I want to get out of the forest before then. The villagers warned me there were vicious animals here. They even said a tiger lived here."
'I'm not a tiger…' Momo blinked… "Daddy……did…you hear that?"
"Hear what sweetie?"
"Guess not…" Momo looked around the once friendly forest and moved closer to her dad.
Suddenly, there was a low growling noise. Momo ran to her father and pulled out a sling shot. "Don't you hurt my daddy!"
'I'm not vicious either…it's not my fault they decided to come into my territory…' Momo blinked again. Quickly she looked for a rock to shoot. She grabbed one and fit in her sling shot.
"I'm warning you! Come out or I shoot!" she shouted into the forest. "And I mean it!"
'how loud can she get…what a great pair of lungs she must have…' Honey wandered out and randomly shot into the forest. Several cracking noises were heard. "uh…oh…" 'I think I'm in trouble…wait a second…I know I'm in trouble…' Even more creaking was heard, along a scrambling noise "AAAHHH!" a tannish yellow ball fell down along with several branches. "AAAAAHHHH…" the yell was broken off as it hit the forest floor.
Momo ran forward and began throwing the branches off of the……boy. Momo's father rushed to help her. "Daddy! He's hurt!" Momo's father brought out his Med. Kit.
"Well Momo. What do you do first?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I just want you to heal him!" She said, looking like she's about to burst into tears. Momo's father handed her a handkerchief.
"Calm down. Yelling won't help." he said placing his hands on the boy's cracked and bleeding skull.
"yes it will…it'll make me feel better…" Momo muttered to herself. She contented herself to watching her father heal the boy. A glow gathered around her father's hands and passed into the gaping wound on the boy's head. Slowly, the wound closed, new skin covering the area where there had been none. Her father pulled back his hands and sat back to catch his breath.
Momo grabbed the bandages and some sterile water. Without bothering to tell her father, Momo just took over. She cleaned the blood off and covered the new and still tender skin with a bandage. Suddenly, Momo found herself looking into a wide pair of blue eyes.
~~~~*~~~~
Rei opened his eyes slowly and managed to overcome the impulse to flee. That girl was putting something on his head. He still couldn't tell what she looked like, but this time it wasn't the distance. Everything was spinning and there were double of everything.
He stopped and thought about that for a while. Two…of…her! Again, he managed not to move. This time, however, he wanted to scream in horror.
"Sit still. The skin's still new and easy to rip." The girl ordered in a bossy tone. Rei, of course, didn't do anything, but that was more to the dizziness than her command.
"Get out of my forest…" he managed to growl. The girl glared at him.
"NO! and you might show a little gratitude! My father wasted his energy healing your cracked skull." She stuck out her tongue at him. Apparently, she had a temper to match the hair.
"…so that's why there's two of you…" Rei mused sitting up.
"HEY!! You're not supposed to be sitting up!" She reached over and tried pushing him back down. Only excellent reflexes prevented her fingers from being removed permanently. She glared at him and he glared back, growling softly.
Momo's father came over. "Now stop it both of you. Momo, that's no way to act to a stranger. And you. It's not polite to bite someone's hand off when they just tried to help you." Momo sighed and turned away going to the other side of the clearing to mutter some more about ungrateful people who try to bite your hand off.
"I heard that…" Rei said glaring in her general direction, his vision still spinning. "GOOD!" was the shouted reply. Momo turned back to her father. "I'm going to look for chrysm. I'll find my own way back." With that, she disappeared into the forest.
Rei stared after her and then dismissed the problem of her from his mind. He stared at the person who they said had healed him. Said person was currently mixing something up.
"Here, It will get rid of the dizziness." Momo's dad said.
Rei shook his head. "No way. For all I know it might be poison." Rei leaned over and sniffed the cup. It didn't smell like poison…in fact it smelled like that girl that just left. However considering her temper maybe it was poison.
"All it is, is a few common herbs. Tokon, Garana, Pinco-pinco, Chamomile, and some powdered cloves to give it taste." Again nothing was poisonous. All of them were just used to heal and get rid of pain. Rei warily accepted the cup. Once more he sniffed it.
Taking a wild chance, he drank the whole thing. If he was going to drink poison, than he might as well drink all of it and skip the suffering. Soon all the pain left and his vision had solidified. Taking another wild chance, he stood up.
"NO PAIN!" Rei grinned. "uh……sorry for being so suspicious…"He shuffled his feet feeling uncomfortable. At least the red-headed terror wasn't around to see this.
"No problem…" Momo's dad began cleaning up. And doing other odd chores that didn't need to be done. And standing looking into the forest. And sitting looking into the forest. And pacing around the clearing. Rei just stood there, watching him while the day started turning into evening. "Where could Momo be…"
Rei sulked. Now they would never leave. "Fine. I'll look for her. AS long as you leave once she's found." He set off after the infuriating little red headed she-demon.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo stormed off into the forest. She kicked a rock that happened to be lying in her path. That stupid weretiger…who was he to yell at her. She absently rubbed her hand where she had touched him. Sighing, she bent down to study the rock she had just kicked. Normal granite.
The only remotely interesting thing today was that tiger-boy and she was NOT going to think about him. Too infuriating. Again, now that her anger cooled, she felt sad. Kind of an emotional depletion like she lacked the energy to feel anything but down.
Again, she kicked a rock. Thinking like that got her angry again. This time at herself. Momo wandered through the forest looking at the occasional rock. It was starting to get a little dark when she found the most interesting rock.
It was a dark shiny blue. When she touched it, it hummed in her hands. Not a loud humming, but one that was more felt then heard. She stared at it for a long time before noticing that it had begun to glow faintly. As it got darker, the stone glowed brighter.
Momo turned to go back before she realized she was hopelessly lost…and in trouble. Standing in front of her were two of the largest monsters she had ever seen. She had heard about them but…she didn't realize they were this big. Currs.
"ehh …...DADDY!" she screamed hoping he would be able to hear her. No response…
~~~~*~~~~
"DADDY!" Rei covered his ears. "ooooowwwww…" He glared in the general direction of the scream. "So that's where you wandered off to…" Suddenly, he caught another scent. This was far more familiar. Currs. Rei cursed in his native tongue. "Now they'll never leave." He set off towards the racket. Suddenly, he stopped struck by an idea "I wonder… no…they wouldn't understand her." He started off again.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo screamed again as she felt the hot breathe of the curr hit her face. She was trying her best to keep the currs away, but a sling shot can only do so much. Her breath was coming faster and faster. She backed up against a tree. "God help me…" she prayed. She closed her eyes and pressed as small as possible against the tree's roots. Momo's eyes flew open and she heard yet another scream…a scream of rage.
"STUPID DOGS!" a small blur of color bounced all over the place. The tiger- boy. She watched wide eyed as he managed to kill, not one, but both of the Currs. Her savior turned and glared at her.
"You can't leave if you're dead."
~~~~*~~~~
"You can't leave if you're dead." Rei said irritably. Stupid currs…invading his territory and trying to kill the she-demon. Momo gave a little cry and latched onto his leg. "EH?! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
He looked down at the now tear-streaked face. Her body was trembling like a leaf in the spring storms. Rei relented, somewhat. Momo buried her face in his pants and was now sobbing openly.
Rei stared down with open mouthed disbelief. She could...and…but… Rei gently disentangled himself while watching her warily. She just sat there sobbing.
"Stop that. …You're making me feel bad!" He stared at Momo uneasily. "Fine! Fine! I'll bring you back to your father! JUST STOP crying!" Momo nodded and tried to stop. She succeeded partway. She wiped her face and sniffled.
Then…Then…Momo walked over and took Rei's hand. He looked at her and realized how young she must be. He mentally berated himself. She may have acted tough, but she was what? Two?! Three?! And she didn't have the advantage of living with Guardians.
Rei muttered as he led her back to the semi-permanent camp her father had set up. He argued with himself. They were invading his territory, but then again they didn't know better. How annoying to be stuck with such a little kid. Not to mention one who doesn't even know how to protect herself. By the time they reached the camp Rei had stopped thinking of her as a she- demon and more of a little kid. An intensely annoying and brave little kid, but a little kid none the less.
"MOMO!"
"DADDY!"
Momo let go of Rei and latched on to her daddy. She started crying again, but this time it wasn't quite the same. Rei faded back into the trees and watched the scene play out. Momo was still crying, but now her dad was holding her and rocking her back and forth. Slowly Momo opened one hand and showed him something. He smiled and hugged her close. Momo got up and pointed back the way they had come. Her father also stood up. Momo started tugging on his hand. He said something to her. Her face fell and she went into the tent. Her father stood there for a while before turning and going in after her.
Rei blinked hard. He recognized how much Momo's dad loved her. He turned and disappeared into the forest thinking of his own dad…and brother.
~~~~*~~~~
The very next day, Rei went out looking for food. Instead, he found the baby she-demon. And the healer. Many, many animals stayed far, far, far away from the cursing blur of light.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE!" Rei shouted at the tent. It didn't do any good. There was no visible sign of life. Just then, a tousled red head popped out of the tent.
"YOU'RE BACK!" Once again, the small she-demon attached herself to him. This time, she looked up, smiling as bright as the sun. "Thank you for saving my life!" She hugged him one last time and let go.
Rei looked at her scared. Momo mad was impressive. Momo scared was…well…scary. Momo hyper was terrifying. She grinned up at him and took his hand. She opened it and placed the stone she found last night in it and closed it back up.
"AH!" Rei dropped it like a burning coal. "It…it…it hums!" He looked at Momo. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"
"No. I don't even know your name! So I can't yell at you properly, let alone kill you." Rei blanched. If Momo hadn't really been yelling…… "So you noticed the humming too…Daddy didn't. He thought I was just in shock….he was probably right. Shock from you saving me." Rei growled softly.
"Will you just get out of MY forest!?" Rei shouted, now officially annoyed. Momo grinned.
"Sure! Once Daddy wakes up." Momo bent down and picked the rock up. She looked at it for a while, a shadow seeming to pass over her mood. She sighed and held it out to Rei.
Warily, he took the rock again. Suddenly he blinked as the previously tuneless humming sorted itself out into notes and rhythms. He blinked again.
"I've………heard this before." Momo looked at him. She started humming along with the stone.
"That one?" Rei stared at her.
"How did you know it!?"
"Jeez, I don't know. I HEARD it!" Momo looked away with a mixture of sadness and anger on her face.
"Eh? What'd I do now…" Rei asked himself.
"NONE OF YOU'RE BUISNESS! OK!?" Momo shouted. She turned away, leaving Rei standing there holding the rock and very confused.
~~~~*~~~~
Momo turned away, not wanting the tiger boy to see how close she was to tears. That song……… She shook her head angrily and stared at a tree. Suddenly she wished she could just …BURN it or something. Out of the blue, the tiger boy spoke.
"My name's Rei."
"I DON'T……oh…hi Rei…" She turned back around and curtsied like she was supposed to.
"My name's Momo. I'm an engineer!" she announced proudly. Rei just watched kind, of confused. It didn't help that he didn't know what an engineer did. Rei sighed. At least she wasn't acting funny.
"……….hi………uh….don't get mad…but…what's an engineer?" This time, Momo sighed.
"We fix things! And make them better and find out where all the machines come from." Rei thought about this for a moment. Finally ,he pointed at Honey, whom he hadn't noticed before.
"And that's a machine?" Momo nodded proudly and began to go into all this technical jargon. Rei just turned his ears off giving appropriate comments every now and then.
"…and she's run on chrysm. It gets vaporized and turns into energy and…"
"When are you leaving?" Momo turned to glare at him. Before she could start off, however, her father came out.
"Now." Momo turned to protest, but he just looked at her and she fell silent.
"…I wish I could do that…" Rei mumbled to himself. Momo turned and gave him a dirty look before going to help with the tent. In a surprisingly short time they had gotten the tent down and packed away. "I am going to show you the quickest way out!" Rei said, glaring at Momo who was starting to protest. She fell silent and returned his glare evenly. "…then I can finally get some peace around here…" he muttered, setting off.
The sun had just reached noon when they finally got to edge of the forest. Despite the many arguments that had sprung up along the way no one was killed or even harmed severely. Momo had gotten bitten a few times and Rei now had a lump on his head from her sling shot. At the edge of the forest, they both refused to acknowledge the other one.
"Well Rei, it was nice meeting you. We won't go in your forest again unless it's absolutely necessary." Momo's father said. "Now Momo we'll never see him again so you might as well say good bye."
"Fine.. Good bye. …and good riddance…" She said, sulking still.
"Same here. I won't save your butt next time so stay out!" Rei said, just as happy to be rid of her.
Rei stood watching the two figures walk off into the distance. When they were out of sight he turned and walked back to the now peaceful forest. Back to his…in comparison…calm life with Garr and Ganlon.