I claim no ownership over the Shamanic Princess characters.

Chapter 10 – The Seed

After our reconciliation, completing our task and capturing the rouge Guardian creature was simple. We both escaped with only the most minor bumps and scraps, and were granted a small period of rest back home before being given out next assignment.

That time was hardly wasted. Graham and I used it to fully get to know each other, understand each other's tendencies, likes, dislikes, and what made us both laugh.

Somehow, he could make me laugh at the slightest thing. I was never very good and telling jokes or being funny, and it was a source of great entertainment for me to be set giggling hysterically at some trivial question from Graham. He, on the other hand, usually has no idea what he has said to cause me merriment, but after a few minutes it doesn't matter. Soon we are both holding our sides and straining our faces with laughter, and when we finish we soon start again, because by then I can never remember what made me laugh in the first place.

I like hearing him laugh. It is a full, rich sound that is deep and heartfelt, with a freeness that possesses a charming, childish quality. Despite his knowledge and physical appearance, he is really barely half my age, even if the years from his previous life are added to the short time he has lived now. His personality is based on that age, and it is like being washed in a fountain of purity.

He is such a joy to be with…

"Riya?"

"Hm?" I blink, and return from my journey through oblivion.

"You are doing that again."

"Mm?… oh, sorry!"

He smiles knowingly, and nods to the vertical game board between us. "It is your move."

After studying the black and white marbles suspended on either side of the playing field, I protest, "But… you didn't make a move!" Shaking his head, he reaches out and points to one of my white marbles on the far left. "This, here. I moved it to your side." Blushing sheepishly, I mutter, "Oh. Sorry… I guess the sun has been getting to me…" This is obviously not the case, as we are sitting in the large expanse of shade provided by a giant oak tree.

Graham's brow seems to furrow, and he watches me curiously. "Is something wrong?" Shifting to sit on my side, I drop my gaze to the ground and run my fingers through the grass. "No…" I hear his clothing rustle as he moves, and I look up to meet his eyes. He is no longer there, and I jump in mild surprise when his arms encircle my shoulders from behind. Goosebumps form on my skin as his soothing voice speaks into my ear. "But something is wrong… you are distracted, Riya, forgetting things, watching the world through blank and unseeing eyes."

I am amazed at his perception. "I… Graham, it's nothing important."

When he responds, I hear the smile in his voice. "Importance doesn't matter… I don't want you to be troubled by anything. Tell me."

I am suddenly VERY glad he cannot see my face… I believe my blush has just invented a new shade of red…

"Tell me, Riya…"

Sighing, I lean back into him, resting the back of my head on his shoulder. "It's… about you, actually."

"Me?"

"Yes… I like thinking about you…" Turning my face slightly, I see his cheeks become tinged with pink.

Ha. Now we are even.

"Graham… do you mind just being a … partner, or do you want to be something else?"

Continuing to watch the landscape, he cocks he head. "Something else?"

"Like me. Human. I mean, you are but… do you ever wish you weren't a partner? That you were a complete and free being?"

"Yes."

I am momentarily taken aback by the firmness of his answer. How long ago was it that he whispered and hesitated with his every word?

"You… do? Often?"

He nods, his feather-soft hair tickling my neck. "Yes… very much. I enjoy being in your company, but…" he struggles for the right words.

"You want to be free and stand on your own two feet… not have the only thing keeping you here being my power."

The arms at my shoulders tighten, and he rests his head against mine. "Your strength has nothing to do with my wish… I trust your power to keep me in this world. I want to possess my own form that I power with my own strength. To be a separate being…"

His legs stretch out at my sides, and his body curls around me in a warm cocoon. His speech finishes in a breathy whisper at my ear.

"…a being who stays at your side of his own free will."

Moments pass, during which I stare wide-eyed at the grass waving in the slowly lengthening shadows. Both of us are silent, processing what he has just said.

Even if he were to have his freedom, he would stay with me. Not out of obligation, but by choice.

This decision, if he were to follow through with it, would be the accumulation of all that we had done together. I am still, though unfoundedly, apprehensive of feeling deserving of his affection, and more importantly, his trust. I still find it hard to believe that he would have such strong emotions towards me after all I have put him through.

It is, as my mother would say, the 'power of love'.

It is then, nestled in the arms of my protector (and love?), listening to the tree whisper it's summer song in the wind, watching my home cast shadows in the sinking sun, shivering at the warm breath brushing by my ear, that I decide.

"Mother, is it possible for a partner to change into one of us?" I ask later that night at dinner.

My mother drops her spoon in surprise, and my father looks up at me with an expression that makes me a little uncomfortable.

"Why?" he asks. His tone of voice tells me he knows whom I am talking about, despite my attempts at being vague.

"I just wanted to know. They are changed into what they are now when we bring them here, right? Is there a way for us to change them back without sending them away?"

Mother's eyes widen slightly, and her lips move, but she says nothing. The subject of Graham had always been tense for her, and now she almost acts as though he had never come back.

"Yes…" Father says slowly. "It takes a great deal of power and energy, and requires precise concentration. You would have to request permission from the Guardian to perform it." He studies me. "Riya, is there something you need to tell us?"

I glance between the two of them, who seem to be holding their breath.

"No." My eyes lower to my hands in my lap, and I fidget with my napkin the rest of the meal.

I make an excuse to leave dinner early. I can feel my parents' eyes on me, and if I hadn't left when I did, I might have screamed. After preparing a plate of food for Graham, I head for my room. Both my parents and Graham are in silent agreement that each other's presence is not something they would like to go through. Due to this, Graham skips dinner and eats in my room.

I turn the knob slowly and open the door a crack. "Graham? I brought dinner for you…" I trail off, and smile as I enter fully and close the door behind me. Graham lies sleeping on the small sofa, added to my room recently to accommodate him, in the corner. Tiptoeing to his side, I set the plate on my bedside table and kneel next to him.

I can never get over the adorable picture he makes when he is sleeping. It is the only time his eyes look normal, as they are both peacefully closed. Brushing aside a strand of hair that has fallen in his face, I fold my arms on the cushion and lay my head on them.

'How can you make me want to take care of you so much? What is it about you that makes me think I have been empty and lost up until now?' I ask him silently. Of course, he doesn't answer, but I doubt he would say anything I don't already know.

I love you.

Before leaving the room, I press a soft kiss to his forehead.

Leaving my home, I fly through the night sky, traveling to where I may seek an audience with the Guardian, and ask for permission to make Graham free.