He was impressed. She knew he was behind her. But he hadn't made a sound,
and he had kept his powerlevel low. But it didn't lower his anger. The girl
started to turn round. Clenching his left hand into a fist, he hit her in
the face. The force of the blow made her fly out of the bushes and into the
clearing beyond. She landed on her back. Giving her no time to react, he
grabbed her by the throat, ripped the Katana from her back and slammed her
into a tree. She immediately started to claw at his hand.
"What is the meaning of this?"
He said through cleansed teeth, holding the poster in front of her face. The girl replied, but he was holding her neck to tightly. She couldn't make a sound. He lessened his hold a bit.
"I.don't.know."
Her answer came in gasps.
"Look at it. Doesn't she look familiar to you?"
"Wait.that's.me?"
He released her. She fell to the ground and lay there for a moment. When she had her breath back she stood up.
"Tell me, what is the meaning of this."
"I, I don't know."
"Don't give me that nonsense. It is you on that poster. And you look very different. You better explain it all to me. Or else."
The threat hung in the air for a moment. Then the girl gave a great sigh.
"Alright. I'll explain."
She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest.
"Yes. It is me on that poster. Or better, that was me."
"Was? You better explain it a bit better Girl."
She let her head rest on her knees.
"I don't know how to explain it. I'm not getting it myself. I'll explain it as well as I can. I know it's going to sound farfetched, but it is the truth."
"It better is. If I find out that you are lying."
"I was a human girl once. Lived with my parents and my little brother. I didn't look this way then. My hair wasn't white, my ears weren't pointed, and I didn't have fangs. But one night, it all changed. I woke up because I was thirsty. I went to the bathroom to drink. When I looked into the mirror, I looked like this. Just like that. I don't know what happened. But I couldn't stay with my parents anymore. I had become someone else. Someone that didn't belong in that life. So I packed my bag and ran away. The day you found me, it was six days after my 'change'. I whish I knew what happened."
He didn't say a thing. He needed time to think. It was a strange story. But she was telling the truth.
"And your name? The only thing I can still make out from the poster is that it begins with a T."
"That is my old name. It belongs to a different person. A different life. A life I left behind when I 'changed'. But you can call me.Woran."
He snorted.
"Silly name. And where did you get it?"
"Look who's talking. You are called after a music instrument!"
"Hey kid, don't push it. I've only just decided not to kill you. Now tell me where you got it."
"Well, it's actually my nickname. I've had it a long time. But I've always felt that it was something a bit more than just a nickname. My guess is that it's the name of the person I've become. And don't call me kid. I've got a name now."
"I can call you whatever I damn feel like, kid. And you just ran away?"
"No. I wrote my parents a letter explaining what had happened. And before you found me, I wrote them a letter everyday to say that I was alright. But I wont do that anymore."
"Why?"
"Well, first of all, there aren't any post boxes around here. And second, I fear for them."
"You fear for them?"
"Yes. Those warriors want to kill me. If they find out that I have parents and a little brother. They aren't very honourable men. I fear that they will harm them to get to me."
"You are right. Especially the leader. He is just the kind of coward that would do such a thing."
"You mean was."
"What do you mean?"
"You said is. But you killed him. So it is was. I just hope that the rest of them isn't like that."
"I wouldn't count much on that. When they found one of the killed warriors, it left them stone cold."
She shuddered.
"I just wish I knew why they want to kill me."
"Same here. Now shut up and let me help you with that lip."
She only now seemed to notice that her lower lip had split. It was still bleeding.
"What do you want to do?"
"Well, just give me that handkerchief you always carry with you."
"How the hell did you know that?"
"Just shut up and give it to me."
With a thoughtful look on her face, she pulled it from under her sash and gave it to him. He grabbed her Gi at the back and flew to a nearby stream.
"Go and sit on that rock."
She did what he had ordered her. He held the handkerchief in the stream. The water was ice cold. He gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head. He wiped the blood from her chin. When all the blood had gone, he began to gently dab the split with the cold handkerchief. She didn't flinch, but he could see in her eyes that it hurt.
"There. Good as new."
"Thank you."
"You better get back to your cave and get some rest. Real training begins tomorrow."
He flew up.
"Oh no you don't!"
He felt the girl grab his leg.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Hey, you left me here to survive for more then five months without any shoes. So you better give me a pair now. Or I'm going to take yours." Shaking his head, he landed.
"Alright kid. You'll get your shoes."
Concentrating, he let a pair of shoes materialize on the girls feet.
"There. Now stop your whining and do as your told."
"Wow. That is way cool. Hey, they are just the same as yours. You really have to teach me how to do this!"
"In your dreams kid."
He flew of. It was when he was beginning to meditate that he noticed that he was still holding the handkerchief.
"What is the meaning of this?"
He said through cleansed teeth, holding the poster in front of her face. The girl replied, but he was holding her neck to tightly. She couldn't make a sound. He lessened his hold a bit.
"I.don't.know."
Her answer came in gasps.
"Look at it. Doesn't she look familiar to you?"
"Wait.that's.me?"
He released her. She fell to the ground and lay there for a moment. When she had her breath back she stood up.
"Tell me, what is the meaning of this."
"I, I don't know."
"Don't give me that nonsense. It is you on that poster. And you look very different. You better explain it all to me. Or else."
The threat hung in the air for a moment. Then the girl gave a great sigh.
"Alright. I'll explain."
She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest.
"Yes. It is me on that poster. Or better, that was me."
"Was? You better explain it a bit better Girl."
She let her head rest on her knees.
"I don't know how to explain it. I'm not getting it myself. I'll explain it as well as I can. I know it's going to sound farfetched, but it is the truth."
"It better is. If I find out that you are lying."
"I was a human girl once. Lived with my parents and my little brother. I didn't look this way then. My hair wasn't white, my ears weren't pointed, and I didn't have fangs. But one night, it all changed. I woke up because I was thirsty. I went to the bathroom to drink. When I looked into the mirror, I looked like this. Just like that. I don't know what happened. But I couldn't stay with my parents anymore. I had become someone else. Someone that didn't belong in that life. So I packed my bag and ran away. The day you found me, it was six days after my 'change'. I whish I knew what happened."
He didn't say a thing. He needed time to think. It was a strange story. But she was telling the truth.
"And your name? The only thing I can still make out from the poster is that it begins with a T."
"That is my old name. It belongs to a different person. A different life. A life I left behind when I 'changed'. But you can call me.Woran."
He snorted.
"Silly name. And where did you get it?"
"Look who's talking. You are called after a music instrument!"
"Hey kid, don't push it. I've only just decided not to kill you. Now tell me where you got it."
"Well, it's actually my nickname. I've had it a long time. But I've always felt that it was something a bit more than just a nickname. My guess is that it's the name of the person I've become. And don't call me kid. I've got a name now."
"I can call you whatever I damn feel like, kid. And you just ran away?"
"No. I wrote my parents a letter explaining what had happened. And before you found me, I wrote them a letter everyday to say that I was alright. But I wont do that anymore."
"Why?"
"Well, first of all, there aren't any post boxes around here. And second, I fear for them."
"You fear for them?"
"Yes. Those warriors want to kill me. If they find out that I have parents and a little brother. They aren't very honourable men. I fear that they will harm them to get to me."
"You are right. Especially the leader. He is just the kind of coward that would do such a thing."
"You mean was."
"What do you mean?"
"You said is. But you killed him. So it is was. I just hope that the rest of them isn't like that."
"I wouldn't count much on that. When they found one of the killed warriors, it left them stone cold."
She shuddered.
"I just wish I knew why they want to kill me."
"Same here. Now shut up and let me help you with that lip."
She only now seemed to notice that her lower lip had split. It was still bleeding.
"What do you want to do?"
"Well, just give me that handkerchief you always carry with you."
"How the hell did you know that?"
"Just shut up and give it to me."
With a thoughtful look on her face, she pulled it from under her sash and gave it to him. He grabbed her Gi at the back and flew to a nearby stream.
"Go and sit on that rock."
She did what he had ordered her. He held the handkerchief in the stream. The water was ice cold. He gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head. He wiped the blood from her chin. When all the blood had gone, he began to gently dab the split with the cold handkerchief. She didn't flinch, but he could see in her eyes that it hurt.
"There. Good as new."
"Thank you."
"You better get back to your cave and get some rest. Real training begins tomorrow."
He flew up.
"Oh no you don't!"
He felt the girl grab his leg.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Hey, you left me here to survive for more then five months without any shoes. So you better give me a pair now. Or I'm going to take yours." Shaking his head, he landed.
"Alright kid. You'll get your shoes."
Concentrating, he let a pair of shoes materialize on the girls feet.
"There. Now stop your whining and do as your told."
"Wow. That is way cool. Hey, they are just the same as yours. You really have to teach me how to do this!"
"In your dreams kid."
He flew of. It was when he was beginning to meditate that he noticed that he was still holding the handkerchief.