Chapter 2: In the Silence of my Thoughts
Eagle waited quietly for Geo to come out of his shock; they had seen the Mashin leave a few minutes ago. What had made Geo stop cold was that the road had opened to let her leave instead of bouncing her back and keeping her from leaving.
What he had told Umi and Fuu was the truth, Eagle had had no intentions of keeping Hikaru from going back to Cephiro once she had recovered. Until the incident with the gentince he had harbored no delusions that they could keep her from leaving if she really tried hard enough. In the small girl he had encountered a will as strong as his own, if not stronger.
Geo looked like he was coming out of his daze, and coming out mad as a hornet with twice as many stings. Rounding on Eagle, who held up his hands defensively, it looked like all Hell was about to break loose for a few moments.
"You know we couldn't keep her for very long after she got her memories back," he pointed out, stopping Geo before he could even begin his tirade.
"That doesn't mean you should have just let her go," Geo growled, knowing that he couldn't win with Eagle once his mind was made up.
"Oh, and I suppose just letting her find a way to break out on her own and possibly injure someone was a better idea?" Eagle exercised his sarcasm, something that he hadn't done in a while.
"No, but still." he cut Geo off before he could finish his argument.
"Enough, what's done is done. And all the complaints and suggestions anyone might have aren't going to change it." Geo lapsed into sullen silence, but continued glaring for a long time.
* * * *
Hikaru found herself wandering the castle halls, exploring the huge structure while she thought about what she should do. Slightly at a loss after the conversation after dinner she had just started to wander, and she hadn't stopped yet.
The evening had started out innocently enough; she had changed out of her torn clothes into some spare, simple clothes. Although simple clothes were hard to come by in Cephiro, she had managed to find some, with a little help from Clef.
Wearing the plain crimson dress underneath her armor she had gone down into the main hall for some dinner. After greeting, and being nearly suffocated by Caldina, she had run into Lafarga, Ascot and Lantis. Getting her some food, finally, as she hadn't eaten anything for several hours people left her in relative peace while she ate.
But, as Hikaru discovered, conversations during dinner, when mostly all you were asking was if someone could pass you the fruit, and conversations after dinner were two different things. Because she had hoped for more time in which to answer their questions without getting into her time spent inside the road, Hikaru had been reluctant to talk about it.
Helplessly trying to give answers to questions about things she really just didn't want to even think about, Hikaru had eventually begun to find her fragile grip on her temper fraying.
Although she was used to people asking her all sorts of questions, considering her brothers' attitudes, she wasn't exactly pleased with people invading her personal space. Her brothers were family, and although she was fast coming to think of these people as almost family, there was a difference between them asking her questions about her personal life and her brothers asking questions to make sure that she was all right.
Her growing distress had apparently become plain to the ever observant Fuu, who eventually also became slightly distressed. Fuu finally showed a more protective side to her personality and ordered everyone away from Hikaru so she could at least enjoy her first night back in peace.
"Hikaru-chan is tired, I suggest that you wait for her to fully recover before you continue asking her questions." Her exact words, the closest to rudeness Fuu had ever gotten that Hikaru could recall. Apparently it was the closest any of them had ever seen her to being rude and everyone had promptly beaten a hasty retreat, leaving the two of them in peace. Umi had already gone to bed by the time this happened as it was late.
Once they were alone Fuu had turned back to Hikaru.
"I do not know why you are so distressed over all the questions, Hikaru- chan. But if it makes you feel any better I can tell them that you don't want to talk about it," Fuu smiled kindly at her friend.
"Thank you, Fuu, but its all right, really." Hikaru smiled back, relaxing from her tense posture.
"Your welcome, Hikaru-chan. Now, I am going to bed, you should too."
"I will in a little while, I just need to think." Fuu nodded and left, leaving her alone. Soon after Hikaru also left, heading in the opposite direction as Fuu had.
And that was how she found herself wandering around the castle completely lost in her thoughts.
Pulling out Eagle's device, she again searched for some way to work it, though what it did she had no idea. Coming up to a large glass door she opened it, curious, it was another garden. Different from the one near their room, this one had no fountain or pathway, just trees and the occasional expanse of grass.
Hikaru walked quietly among the trees, still holding onto her gift from Eagle. Finding a bench in the center of a small clearing Hikaru sat down. As she did so she noticed a flower much like a rose growing up the sides of her chosen seat. Reaching out to touch the fragile seeming white petals she found out that even roses in another world had thorns. And that, perhaps, the thorns of another world were sharper than those found on earth.
"Oh!" She gasped, keeping as quiet as she could even while she bled. As she grasped at the finger that had been cut she accidentally dropped the sphere on the ground.
With a clicking noise it opened, one half springing off the other as some hidden catch was triggered. Startled Hikaru stared at it, forgetting her cut and all her other concerns.
Eagle waited quietly for Geo to come out of his shock; they had seen the Mashin leave a few minutes ago. What had made Geo stop cold was that the road had opened to let her leave instead of bouncing her back and keeping her from leaving.
What he had told Umi and Fuu was the truth, Eagle had had no intentions of keeping Hikaru from going back to Cephiro once she had recovered. Until the incident with the gentince he had harbored no delusions that they could keep her from leaving if she really tried hard enough. In the small girl he had encountered a will as strong as his own, if not stronger.
Geo looked like he was coming out of his daze, and coming out mad as a hornet with twice as many stings. Rounding on Eagle, who held up his hands defensively, it looked like all Hell was about to break loose for a few moments.
"You know we couldn't keep her for very long after she got her memories back," he pointed out, stopping Geo before he could even begin his tirade.
"That doesn't mean you should have just let her go," Geo growled, knowing that he couldn't win with Eagle once his mind was made up.
"Oh, and I suppose just letting her find a way to break out on her own and possibly injure someone was a better idea?" Eagle exercised his sarcasm, something that he hadn't done in a while.
"No, but still." he cut Geo off before he could finish his argument.
"Enough, what's done is done. And all the complaints and suggestions anyone might have aren't going to change it." Geo lapsed into sullen silence, but continued glaring for a long time.
* * * *
Hikaru found herself wandering the castle halls, exploring the huge structure while she thought about what she should do. Slightly at a loss after the conversation after dinner she had just started to wander, and she hadn't stopped yet.
The evening had started out innocently enough; she had changed out of her torn clothes into some spare, simple clothes. Although simple clothes were hard to come by in Cephiro, she had managed to find some, with a little help from Clef.
Wearing the plain crimson dress underneath her armor she had gone down into the main hall for some dinner. After greeting, and being nearly suffocated by Caldina, she had run into Lafarga, Ascot and Lantis. Getting her some food, finally, as she hadn't eaten anything for several hours people left her in relative peace while she ate.
But, as Hikaru discovered, conversations during dinner, when mostly all you were asking was if someone could pass you the fruit, and conversations after dinner were two different things. Because she had hoped for more time in which to answer their questions without getting into her time spent inside the road, Hikaru had been reluctant to talk about it.
Helplessly trying to give answers to questions about things she really just didn't want to even think about, Hikaru had eventually begun to find her fragile grip on her temper fraying.
Although she was used to people asking her all sorts of questions, considering her brothers' attitudes, she wasn't exactly pleased with people invading her personal space. Her brothers were family, and although she was fast coming to think of these people as almost family, there was a difference between them asking her questions about her personal life and her brothers asking questions to make sure that she was all right.
Her growing distress had apparently become plain to the ever observant Fuu, who eventually also became slightly distressed. Fuu finally showed a more protective side to her personality and ordered everyone away from Hikaru so she could at least enjoy her first night back in peace.
"Hikaru-chan is tired, I suggest that you wait for her to fully recover before you continue asking her questions." Her exact words, the closest to rudeness Fuu had ever gotten that Hikaru could recall. Apparently it was the closest any of them had ever seen her to being rude and everyone had promptly beaten a hasty retreat, leaving the two of them in peace. Umi had already gone to bed by the time this happened as it was late.
Once they were alone Fuu had turned back to Hikaru.
"I do not know why you are so distressed over all the questions, Hikaru- chan. But if it makes you feel any better I can tell them that you don't want to talk about it," Fuu smiled kindly at her friend.
"Thank you, Fuu, but its all right, really." Hikaru smiled back, relaxing from her tense posture.
"Your welcome, Hikaru-chan. Now, I am going to bed, you should too."
"I will in a little while, I just need to think." Fuu nodded and left, leaving her alone. Soon after Hikaru also left, heading in the opposite direction as Fuu had.
And that was how she found herself wandering around the castle completely lost in her thoughts.
Pulling out Eagle's device, she again searched for some way to work it, though what it did she had no idea. Coming up to a large glass door she opened it, curious, it was another garden. Different from the one near their room, this one had no fountain or pathway, just trees and the occasional expanse of grass.
Hikaru walked quietly among the trees, still holding onto her gift from Eagle. Finding a bench in the center of a small clearing Hikaru sat down. As she did so she noticed a flower much like a rose growing up the sides of her chosen seat. Reaching out to touch the fragile seeming white petals she found out that even roses in another world had thorns. And that, perhaps, the thorns of another world were sharper than those found on earth.
"Oh!" She gasped, keeping as quiet as she could even while she bled. As she grasped at the finger that had been cut she accidentally dropped the sphere on the ground.
With a clicking noise it opened, one half springing off the other as some hidden catch was triggered. Startled Hikaru stared at it, forgetting her cut and all her other concerns.