Tel Me More

Right. Okay. Next thing. What the heck am I thinking? I have no idea. Yes, there is a plot!

Um, recap. There's a figure stepping out of the bushes.

I stand still, not moving from my position protecting the girl. The figure comes closer; I can see it's a woman, dressed similarly to the girl.

"Hai?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She stops in front of me when I growl. Growl? Since when do I do that? Must be all the talk of me being a demon. "I see you have found my daughter."

"Your daughter?" I can feel from the girl's aura that this woman lies. "Then what's her name?"

The woman pauses, hesitates. "Nanashi."

I remember I don't know her name either. "Eh, girl," I whisper over my shoulder, "is she right?" 

"No," I hear her say, "she's wrong."

Straightening, I place my hands on my hips in a Superman pose. "I think you're wrong, woman."

"What?" She hisses, drawing nearer.

I hold out a hand. "Stop. Come no closer." Surprisingly enough, she did. I try to laugh evilly, tossing my head. I gag for a moment as the helmet falls off and the strap chokes me. Clearing my throat, feeling a little embarrassed, I place it back on and tighten the strap.

"Why should I listen to you?" The woman asks, yet keeps her distance.

"Because," I say nonchalantly, looking at my nails, "I…well, okay, I don't really have any way to convince you, except that I won't let you take…uh…"

"Minako!" The voice comes from behind me. I look the woman in the eyes, noticing something not quite right with them. "Yeah. I won't let you take Minako." I stand like Superman again.

"Well," the woman hisses, tossing off her shawl, "I can't let you keep her."

I can't help my expression of disgust as she reveals her angular face, pointed ears, pointed teeth, and nearly naked body. All together not very human looking, and a little nasty considering that I didn't want to be flashed.

"Demon!" Minako shrieks from behind me. Ah.

I look sharply to something behind her. She spins to see what it is, tongue flicking rapidly. Grabbing the girl, I toss her over my shoulder and take a random direction in the bushes. I hear the crashing of bushes behind me, so I increase my pace. I see the trees clearing, so I try to go faster, but I feel the stress of running getting to me. Minako yells something, but I focus instead on the ground. Then, the lack of it.

I pull myself around the girl, allowing myself to take most of the fall, down the steeply sloped hill. I am so glad for the helmet right now. I wince as we hit another rock, rolling a few times before stopping at the bottom. Getting up immediately, I set Minako on her feet. "Are you all right?"

"Hai," she says, rubbing her head. "I think so."

I smile. She has moxie, this girl does. "Good. Come on, I don't want to wait for the naked chick to show up again."

We turn, and I stop again, protecting Minako behind me. My shoulders slump as I recognize the two guys from the bar, as well as the hungry boy. Patting my pockets nervously, I search for anything that might serve as a weapon. Reaching in the right pocket, I pull out something triumphantly.

"Ha ha!" I brandish it with pride, then realize it's only my BMW lighter. "Awww…" I stare at its tiny flame.

"Um…" I feel Minako tugging at my sleeve. Kneeling down to her level, she asks, "what's that supposed to do?"

I crack a smile. "I'm hoping it will strike terror into their hearts."

"I don't think it's working." Minako says, and I glance over at the three men. I smile ruefully. "I don't either."

They turn from their conversation amongst themselves to look at us much like we are staring at them. With a start, I realize that the two are from the bar, Red and Smiles.

"Hey, long time no see," I hold up a hand that could go either way—a wave or half a high five. It stays a wave, since I don't believe that they were familiar with high fives.

"You!" The redhead scowls. It makes me wonder exactly how my reappearances worked here. Obviously time didn't freeze for the me in this place, so what did happened in the meantime?

"Me! Hi." I wait for some other reaction, Minako standing just in front of me. I set my hands on her shoulders protectively.

"You, yes?" Smiles frowns in concentration, but I didn't know why. The sentence wasn't all that terribly complicated. Fragmentary, perhaps, but…

"Um, okay," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

Red raises his staff, brandishing the end in my face. No, not quite correct, it really wasn't a staff, what with the thingy attached to a chain attached to the staff. He might look scary, if I wasn't too incredibly stupid to be scared. The girl in front of me was, shaking beneath my hands. "Are you afraid now?"

 "Well, this just may be overkill, since I don't know whether I can actually die." I shrug casually.

"What?" He doesn't lower the weapon, but is confused just the same.

"I. Might. Not. Die."

He grins menacingly. "We'll have to see if that's true, then, won't we?"

Not good. I pretend to see something behind him. "Why, look you there! Look, how it steals away! My father, in his habit as he lived! Look, where he goes, even now, out at the portal!"

Startled, the three of them turn in the direction I was focusing. "Yoink!" I pick up Minako while they are distracted, toss her under my arm and run back in the opposite direction.