It had been a long night. Lenina had carried Hayate on her back for hours. When Hitomi left her, she jumped readily into the soft bed. She closed her eyes and remembered what had happened that night. Her legs felt like they were just about ready to collapse right out from under her but knew she had to keep running. Hayate was not oblivious to this and asked to rest a bit, to which she whole-heartedly complied. She sat him down under a large plastic tree and sat there herself - trying to catch her breath. She could see her heavy breathing on the cold air as she looked up and sighed to the stained moon, who was smiling serenely.
"Do you even know where we are?" She had asked tearfully. She was not certain who she asked that question to - Hayate or the moon. But Hayate thankfully answered it.
"Germany…" He said softly.
Lenina looked at him - her face lined with fatigue. "How do you know?"
"I've been here before." Hayate smiled to the slight wind.
She brought her hands to her arms and folded them across her body at the feel of the cold. Hayate noticed this and slowly wrapped his weakened arms over her.
"We'll generate more body heat if we move closer together."
As she felt his weight over her, she could not protest; she didn't want to. She just wanted comfort - any kind of comfort.
Hayate stroked her hair as she balled herself in his arms. "I know a safe place where we can stay and hide for a while. It'll be alright Kasumi."
If she heard him, she didn't say anything; she was too tired. Dream clouds floated above them. Giant toys were searching the forest - building fires. Lenina looked lazily into the stream that flowed downwards. She thought: it must taste so sweet; little mice were sailing on it on boats constructed from blocks of sugar cubes - with pink and blue leaves and sails.
She looked at Hayate's hand. She wondered if it tasted like sugar too, so she decided to taste it. It was made of salt. She looked further down the stream; there was a fountain there - like a cake sprouting icing.
The wind and the moon were talking above. Their voices boomed so loud, she couldn't really hear what they were saying at all. She looked up and saw the moon smiling at her. Then little moon men jumped off from his nose in parachutes. They landed near the fountain, where cupid was micturating punch around the whipped cream roses. They looked like they were made of Swiss cheese, which Lenina became puzzled by. Didn't Hayate say they were in Germany?
She didn't have time to answer her own questions because she and Hayate had to run from the evil cheese men carrying kitchen utensils. They ran and ran as bicycles with dove wings flew over them. They fired newspapers at them. She didn't like it one bit cause' the newspapers didn't have any funny pages in them. And she desperately wanted to do a crossword puzzle. Dew drops caressed them as they ran.
They came across a table under a giant mushroom. It invited them for some tea and biscuits, and the chairs were only too happy to have them sit on them. She took one of the sugar boats in the stream and placed it on the tea. The mice that were in it became very angry and exploded and became frogs. One of the cheese men was catching up to them so she killed it and broke of its arm to go with the biscuits.
After tea time with lawn gnomes, who later came by, they finally arrived on a small German town where Hayate took her to one of the houses.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
The sun beamed through the window into the sleeping figure of Lenina. Bright light filled the room and cast soft shadows wherever an object got in the way of its path. Soft as the white quilts she slept in was the feather-light magnification of the sun's rays through the glass, which played on the tender skin of the young woman sleeping on the comfortable bed. She opened her eyes slowly and took in the light allowed by her bright-brown irises. Her soft orange locks spilled its contents into the white that was everywhere. Lenina sat up and stretched her upper body as a sign of greeting to the afternoon sun.
"I hope you slept well." She heard a voice say. Her mind wanted it to be Marie, hoping that everything that had happened was all just a dream. But as she turned her eyes, she was greeted by site of the German girl she had met earlier, walking into the room.
Her heart dropped, but she attempted a small smile as she got up to her feet. "Yes, I feel a lot better."
She began straightening out the bed. "Please let me do it." She heard Hitomi say as the German girl handed her a small stack of clothes. Lenina placed them down and continued with the mattress. "You're about my size, right? I think those clothes will fit you."
After they were finished, Lenina picked the clothes up again. "Thank you."
"If you want to take a shower, the bathroom's across the hall. There are clean extra towels in there so feel free to use them."
Lenina smiled politely. "Thank you, a shower sounds nice about now."
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
After she had taken a shower, she got out of the bathroom - a white towel wrapped around her figure. Lenina carefully closed the door and was headed towards her room, when she ran into Hayate. She looked up to his taller form and gradually came to his eyes. She could see that he too was staring at her - at the towel that hugged her body tightly. Then realizing she was looking into his eyes, he averted her gaze and looked down towards the wooden floor.
"I'd like to thank you for saving my life last night." He smiled sheepishly. He looked up into her eyes with a sincere look. "And I'm sorry."
This startled Lenina for a bit. "For what…?"
"…For getting you into this mess. It was my fault."
"Umm okay…" She didn't know how to respond. "It would help if I properly understood what was going on."
"Don't let it trouble you. The important thing is that you're safe and we'll be going back to Hong Kong soon. I won't let anything else happen to you."
With that he immediately started to walk past her. She turned to see him reaching for the bathroom door and called his name out. She didn't know what to say when she saw him turn to her. She just blurted it out of impulse.
She tentatively reached out to caress the side of his face and moved closer. When Hayate made no attempt at objecting she became more daring and kissed him softly. He showed no response at all though, causing her to break away.
She felt hurt and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I…"
He cast his eyes down, away from hers. "I have to go…to the bathroom." Hayate felt stupid but he didn't know what else to say.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
Lenina looked down at the small gravel path-way that she walked on. She could see the tight fitting blue jeans Hitomi had given her striding to and fro. She had also worn a white tank-top with a small red phoenix design on it. The German girl seemed to have a fondness for it. The mythical bird graced the yellow tank-top she was wearing too, along with a blue denim jacket.
She looked at the girl and Hayate walking in front of her. They seemed very playful with each other - laughing and making jokes. It made her feel slightly envious and left-out. Hayate had been trying his best to avoid her since that last encounter.
Hitomi wanted them to take a walk around the town as to not waste the perfect day. The sun was still high up when they reached the park. There were other people there too out to enjoy the afternoon sun. Some just walking, while others, mostly little kids, were running around playing along the grass.
Hitomi was just talking to Hayate about past memories that Lenina knew nothing about. The German girl addressed her from time to time out of politeness, but Lenina didn't really pay attention. Her thought were occupied. By what, she didn't know. She supposed she was just occupied with trying not to think. Or maybe a thousand thoughts meshing into one incomprehensible blur.
From time to time though, a thought would surface - distinguishing itself from the others. It was mostly about what had happened in the past few days. But then it would be drowned out. She couldn't even remember some things about it anymore; she didn't want to. And with what little memory she had all together, there was far too few left indeed.
The trio ran into some of Hitomi's school friends while walking around. And they joined the small group of German teens socializing on the open but slightly crowded fields. Lenina felt a bit of an outcast as she subtley began to break away from the group.
No one seemed to notice except for Hayate, who slowly walked up to where she was sitting. She looked up when he began to sit next to her. His face was looking forwards though, towards the playing children nearby. She felt that he finally wanted to talk to her, but she didn't how to begin it. So she just said whatever popped-up first in her mind. "Why does she call you Ein?"
His body was bent down slightly, shoulders hunched. He locked his hands together nervously and he looked like he was thinking of what to say, or rather contemplating if he should answer it - not the just that one question but all the questions that he knew would inevitably follow it. "It was my name for a while."
She smiled bitterly at that. "How many names do you have? Does it change from place to place?"
"No, just the two…Hayate is my real name though." He paused a bit - thinking. "Ein was the name given to me when I had amnesia…"
Lenina turned to him a bit startled. "Amnesia…?"
"Yeah…" He smiled, still not facing her. "Those people that imprisoned us - they're called DOATEC…"
"I've heard of them." She interrupted.
"Anyway, they were conducting some experiments on me. I guess it must have failed cause they dumped me and left me for dead in the woods, without any memory at all."
"What kind of experiments?" Impulse again - not knowing what else to say.
"God only knows. For all I know they were trying to make a clone of me too…" He stopped after realizing what he had just said, but he knew it was too late. Memories already came flooding to her.
Hayate waited in the brief seconds of silence. "Who's Kasumi…?"
"My sister…" He whispered.
"What's she like?"
He looked at her, but it was her turn to face away. "She's the sweetest person I know - and the most beautiful. She has long red hair and the face that would put most angels to shame."
Lenina smiled a bit. "Hmm…you must really love her."
"More than anything…"
They both looked up when they heard their names being called out. Hitomi was running towards them.
"Guys, my friends and I gonna hang out at the mall for a while. Maybe get something to eat and catch a movie. You wanna come along?"
"Sure, sounds nice." Hayate beamed, though he usually hated doing such things. He just wanted to go along with anything to lie low for a while. He stood and turned back to motion towards Lenina. "You coming?"
She nodded and slowly got up to follow the two who were walking towards the rest of their group.
author's note: please read and review. You know the usual, flames, criticisms, just say hi, whatever. If this chapter offended you in anyway (suggested themes, bad writing, limited grasp of human emotion, limited grasp of youth social activities, cultural ignorance, or whatever) please say so.
"Do you even know where we are?" She had asked tearfully. She was not certain who she asked that question to - Hayate or the moon. But Hayate thankfully answered it.
"Germany…" He said softly.
Lenina looked at him - her face lined with fatigue. "How do you know?"
"I've been here before." Hayate smiled to the slight wind.
She brought her hands to her arms and folded them across her body at the feel of the cold. Hayate noticed this and slowly wrapped his weakened arms over her.
"We'll generate more body heat if we move closer together."
As she felt his weight over her, she could not protest; she didn't want to. She just wanted comfort - any kind of comfort.
Hayate stroked her hair as she balled herself in his arms. "I know a safe place where we can stay and hide for a while. It'll be alright Kasumi."
If she heard him, she didn't say anything; she was too tired. Dream clouds floated above them. Giant toys were searching the forest - building fires. Lenina looked lazily into the stream that flowed downwards. She thought: it must taste so sweet; little mice were sailing on it on boats constructed from blocks of sugar cubes - with pink and blue leaves and sails.
She looked at Hayate's hand. She wondered if it tasted like sugar too, so she decided to taste it. It was made of salt. She looked further down the stream; there was a fountain there - like a cake sprouting icing.
The wind and the moon were talking above. Their voices boomed so loud, she couldn't really hear what they were saying at all. She looked up and saw the moon smiling at her. Then little moon men jumped off from his nose in parachutes. They landed near the fountain, where cupid was micturating punch around the whipped cream roses. They looked like they were made of Swiss cheese, which Lenina became puzzled by. Didn't Hayate say they were in Germany?
She didn't have time to answer her own questions because she and Hayate had to run from the evil cheese men carrying kitchen utensils. They ran and ran as bicycles with dove wings flew over them. They fired newspapers at them. She didn't like it one bit cause' the newspapers didn't have any funny pages in them. And she desperately wanted to do a crossword puzzle. Dew drops caressed them as they ran.
They came across a table under a giant mushroom. It invited them for some tea and biscuits, and the chairs were only too happy to have them sit on them. She took one of the sugar boats in the stream and placed it on the tea. The mice that were in it became very angry and exploded and became frogs. One of the cheese men was catching up to them so she killed it and broke of its arm to go with the biscuits.
After tea time with lawn gnomes, who later came by, they finally arrived on a small German town where Hayate took her to one of the houses.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
The sun beamed through the window into the sleeping figure of Lenina. Bright light filled the room and cast soft shadows wherever an object got in the way of its path. Soft as the white quilts she slept in was the feather-light magnification of the sun's rays through the glass, which played on the tender skin of the young woman sleeping on the comfortable bed. She opened her eyes slowly and took in the light allowed by her bright-brown irises. Her soft orange locks spilled its contents into the white that was everywhere. Lenina sat up and stretched her upper body as a sign of greeting to the afternoon sun.
"I hope you slept well." She heard a voice say. Her mind wanted it to be Marie, hoping that everything that had happened was all just a dream. But as she turned her eyes, she was greeted by site of the German girl she had met earlier, walking into the room.
Her heart dropped, but she attempted a small smile as she got up to her feet. "Yes, I feel a lot better."
She began straightening out the bed. "Please let me do it." She heard Hitomi say as the German girl handed her a small stack of clothes. Lenina placed them down and continued with the mattress. "You're about my size, right? I think those clothes will fit you."
After they were finished, Lenina picked the clothes up again. "Thank you."
"If you want to take a shower, the bathroom's across the hall. There are clean extra towels in there so feel free to use them."
Lenina smiled politely. "Thank you, a shower sounds nice about now."
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
After she had taken a shower, she got out of the bathroom - a white towel wrapped around her figure. Lenina carefully closed the door and was headed towards her room, when she ran into Hayate. She looked up to his taller form and gradually came to his eyes. She could see that he too was staring at her - at the towel that hugged her body tightly. Then realizing she was looking into his eyes, he averted her gaze and looked down towards the wooden floor.
"I'd like to thank you for saving my life last night." He smiled sheepishly. He looked up into her eyes with a sincere look. "And I'm sorry."
This startled Lenina for a bit. "For what…?"
"…For getting you into this mess. It was my fault."
"Umm okay…" She didn't know how to respond. "It would help if I properly understood what was going on."
"Don't let it trouble you. The important thing is that you're safe and we'll be going back to Hong Kong soon. I won't let anything else happen to you."
With that he immediately started to walk past her. She turned to see him reaching for the bathroom door and called his name out. She didn't know what to say when she saw him turn to her. She just blurted it out of impulse.
She tentatively reached out to caress the side of his face and moved closer. When Hayate made no attempt at objecting she became more daring and kissed him softly. He showed no response at all though, causing her to break away.
She felt hurt and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I…"
He cast his eyes down, away from hers. "I have to go…to the bathroom." Hayate felt stupid but he didn't know what else to say.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~
Lenina looked down at the small gravel path-way that she walked on. She could see the tight fitting blue jeans Hitomi had given her striding to and fro. She had also worn a white tank-top with a small red phoenix design on it. The German girl seemed to have a fondness for it. The mythical bird graced the yellow tank-top she was wearing too, along with a blue denim jacket.
She looked at the girl and Hayate walking in front of her. They seemed very playful with each other - laughing and making jokes. It made her feel slightly envious and left-out. Hayate had been trying his best to avoid her since that last encounter.
Hitomi wanted them to take a walk around the town as to not waste the perfect day. The sun was still high up when they reached the park. There were other people there too out to enjoy the afternoon sun. Some just walking, while others, mostly little kids, were running around playing along the grass.
Hitomi was just talking to Hayate about past memories that Lenina knew nothing about. The German girl addressed her from time to time out of politeness, but Lenina didn't really pay attention. Her thought were occupied. By what, she didn't know. She supposed she was just occupied with trying not to think. Or maybe a thousand thoughts meshing into one incomprehensible blur.
From time to time though, a thought would surface - distinguishing itself from the others. It was mostly about what had happened in the past few days. But then it would be drowned out. She couldn't even remember some things about it anymore; she didn't want to. And with what little memory she had all together, there was far too few left indeed.
The trio ran into some of Hitomi's school friends while walking around. And they joined the small group of German teens socializing on the open but slightly crowded fields. Lenina felt a bit of an outcast as she subtley began to break away from the group.
No one seemed to notice except for Hayate, who slowly walked up to where she was sitting. She looked up when he began to sit next to her. His face was looking forwards though, towards the playing children nearby. She felt that he finally wanted to talk to her, but she didn't how to begin it. So she just said whatever popped-up first in her mind. "Why does she call you Ein?"
His body was bent down slightly, shoulders hunched. He locked his hands together nervously and he looked like he was thinking of what to say, or rather contemplating if he should answer it - not the just that one question but all the questions that he knew would inevitably follow it. "It was my name for a while."
She smiled bitterly at that. "How many names do you have? Does it change from place to place?"
"No, just the two…Hayate is my real name though." He paused a bit - thinking. "Ein was the name given to me when I had amnesia…"
Lenina turned to him a bit startled. "Amnesia…?"
"Yeah…" He smiled, still not facing her. "Those people that imprisoned us - they're called DOATEC…"
"I've heard of them." She interrupted.
"Anyway, they were conducting some experiments on me. I guess it must have failed cause they dumped me and left me for dead in the woods, without any memory at all."
"What kind of experiments?" Impulse again - not knowing what else to say.
"God only knows. For all I know they were trying to make a clone of me too…" He stopped after realizing what he had just said, but he knew it was too late. Memories already came flooding to her.
Hayate waited in the brief seconds of silence. "Who's Kasumi…?"
"My sister…" He whispered.
"What's she like?"
He looked at her, but it was her turn to face away. "She's the sweetest person I know - and the most beautiful. She has long red hair and the face that would put most angels to shame."
Lenina smiled a bit. "Hmm…you must really love her."
"More than anything…"
They both looked up when they heard their names being called out. Hitomi was running towards them.
"Guys, my friends and I gonna hang out at the mall for a while. Maybe get something to eat and catch a movie. You wanna come along?"
"Sure, sounds nice." Hayate beamed, though he usually hated doing such things. He just wanted to go along with anything to lie low for a while. He stood and turned back to motion towards Lenina. "You coming?"
She nodded and slowly got up to follow the two who were walking towards the rest of their group.
author's note: please read and review. You know the usual, flames, criticisms, just say hi, whatever. If this chapter offended you in anyway (suggested themes, bad writing, limited grasp of human emotion, limited grasp of youth social activities, cultural ignorance, or whatever) please say so.