When Alice and Ryo reached the bottom of the grassy slopes they could make out a little more details. There seemed to be somebody standing in the shade of the tall trees. They could barely see the second person who was carefully hiding in the shadows but the other one didn't seem to mind showing his face.
It was a tall boy, about their age or maybe a little older. Strands of his long dark blond hair were hanging into his face and partly hiding his eyes. But when he looked up and his face became visible they were almost stunned by his shining blue eyes. The last rays of sun light were reflecting in his azure orbs and the fading light seemed to give his pale skin and golden hair a light glow. He was leaning casually against the trunk of the tall tree with his arms crossed over his chest and a self-confident smirk plastered on his face.
"Well, who are you and what do you want from us?" the blond-haired boy inquired as the pair stopped a few meters before him.
"We are new around here and we were just looking for a place to spend the night. We saw your fire from the distance and thought maybe you could help us out," Ryo answered trying to sound diplomatically yet keeping his guard up.
The blond didn't seem to be satisfied with Ryo's answer. He looked more serious with the smirk now gone and his voice had also lost its playful tone form before.
"How did you end up here anyway? Only a few people can come to this place and I think I know most of them. So, who are you and how did you do it?"
Ryo could feel the hostility in the blonde's voice and the cold stare he was receiving warned him not to fool around with the taller boy. There had to be a reason for him to be so confident and he didn't know who else was hiding in the undergrowth behind his adversary. He would have to choose his words wisely if he didn't want to risk getting into a battle already.
"Who do you think you are?" Alice's angered growl cut through his train of thought like a sharp knife.
"We have as much of a right to be here as you. I don't see a reason why we should give you our names when your friend back there doesn't even show his face to us. We did nothing to deserve your anger but you treat us like we are not worth breathing the same air as you. You have no right to treat us like that."
She regarded him coldly for a moment before she finished with a smirk.
"Or are you afraid that we could see how weak and insecure you really are?"
Ryo hung his head in defeat. He had wanted to get away without a fight but now the blonde boy was surely mad at them and every hope of getting some help was gone. He gripped his D-arc tightly in his hand and readied himself for the unavoidable fight but again he was interrupted by a totally unexpected sound. He raised his eyes to see the boy with the piercing blue eyes laughing lightly.
"Not too long ago your little insults would have left me boiling with rage. But you are too late. I've learned to deal with my emotions, I'm sorry. But now, after your little outburst, I have to wonder if you can say the same about yourself," the boy asked while smiling challenging at them.
At first the girl seemed to falter but she quickly recovered and was about to answer to his obvious challenge but was cut of by the blonde's friend stepping out between the bushes.
The others watched her silently as she walked out of the shadows of the trees into the shine of the small fire. The flickering light revealed the frame of a slender a young girl with short brown hair which was pulled into a pony tail. She put a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder and gave him a quick glance before she turned her attention to the two others.
"Please, stop this. There is no need for fighting."
"We didn't mean to get into a quarrel with you. As I said we are just looking for a place to spend the night. I'm sorry if our words sounded a little harsh."
At this point Alice tried to interrupt her companion but he didn't give her the chance as he went on.
"It's just that your friend over there wasn't too hospitable either. We really weren't out to cause trouble."
"I understand, but you have to forgive Yamato for being a bit rough. He just wanted to make sure you were no threat."
"Wait a minute! Did you just say his name is Yamato? As in Ishida Yamato?" Ryo asked excitedly.
"Yeah, that's me." The taller boy replied, eyeing him skeptically. "Should I know you?"
"Of course, you don't recognize me but that's understandable. It's me, Ryo. The guy who saved your sorry ass. This beautiful young lady would be Hikari, I assume."
"Ryo?" both of them asked in unison.
Ryo just nodded giving them a warm smile. After the initial shock and a few seconds of silence Hikari began to shower him with questions.
Yamato chuckled slightly as he watched Ryo being dragged towards their small campsite by the brunette girl who was babbling excitedly. Then he turned his attention back to the unknown girl who was still watching the spectacle unfold before her silently. She was carefully hiding her emotions behind a blank face but Yamato couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Maybe it was just his imagination but to him she looked utterly lost and alone.
"So, what's your name?"
His sudden question took her by surprise and she had troubles finding the right words at first. But as she looked him in the eyes she calmed down immediately. It was strange to her but his eyes which had been so cold and menacing only a few moments ago were now gentle and showed no trace of aggression. They reminded her of the sea, one moment they were wild and stormy and in the next they turned out to be gentle and peaceful.
It took her a few seconds before she noticed that she had been staring at him. She quickly averted her eyes and tried hard not to blush. When she finally looked back at him he was still standing there with a small smile on his lips patiently waiting for her to answer. Finally she had regained her composure and was able to answer.
"Alice."
"A beautiful name but rather unusual in Japan. You aren't Japanese, right?"
"No, but I spent most of my life there."
She found it hard not to blush at his compliment. There was something special about this boy which made her feel secure. It was as if he was melting through all her defenses with nothing but a smile and a few kind words. It wasn't as if he was the first one who had tried to get to know her but until now she had always managed to successfully hold up her walls of defense.
"I want to apologize for my earlier rude behavior. I didn't know you and I found your answers rather cheeky. I don't like it when people don't treat me with the necessary respect. It is one of my countless flaws."
Alice only nodded her acceptance to his apology. Feeling that she wasn't about to speak Yamato continued.
"You never answered my earlier question, you know." Alice looked up at his face trying hard to hide the rising panic she felt. She had only met him and wasn't sure if she could trust him already. Ryo seemed to be friends with both of them but then again that didn't mean much. As he had said himself before, he had been traveling around a lot and so he constantly ran into people he knew.
But despite of her distrust she wanted to tell him all about her quest, about how she had met Dobermon and how she had lost him again. She wanted to trust him but felt she couldn't. Yet. So she decided to tell him only as much as he wanted and needed to know.
"I'm searching for somebody and Ryo offered to help me. I don't know much about the 'how' we got here but I guess Ryo could explain it. Is there something else you need to know?"
"No, I guess that will be enough for now."
He smiled at her before he turned his head in the direction of the small fire and saw the other two sprawled out next to it. Hikari was still throwing question after question at Ryo who had barely enough time to finish answering one before she asked the next one. Yamato was relieved to see her forgetting her worries for once even if it was just for a few moments.
"Do you want to join them?" he asked the pale girl without turning around.
"No, I guess they have a lot to catch up on and I would only be in the way."
She didn't let it show but the mere tone of her voice alone was enough to tell him how she felt.
"Jealous?"
"No, certainly not! We are friends but that's all. I don't care what he does or says. I only need his help to finish this. After that we'll go our own ways again."
Yamato couldn't help but laugh at the girl's forceful denial and the small blush on her cheeks.
"Whatever. Do you mind then if I keep you company? I don't want to bother them either."
"Do what you want." She answered as she let herself drop into the soft grass.
Yamato sat down a few steps away from the young girl who was lying on her back gazing up at the slowly darkening night sky.
She was special of that he was sure. He had felt it immediately when he had first seen her. He didn't know what it was but something drew him to her.
Was it something about her looks? She was unique. He always felt sympathy for those who where different, maybe because he was one of them. But right now he couldn't put the finger on what it was that made her so special to him.
Seeing that he wouldn't find an answer to his question right away he decided to take a different approach to the problem. Maybe it would help if he got to know her better first.
* * *
This is turning out to be the longest story I have ever written and I'm not even close to the end yet! I guess there will be at least three more chapters but I can't promise anything at the moment. I have a vague idea of how this is going to end but, honestly, the plot just develops while I'm writing.
I have no idea when I'll be able to update this but I'll give it my best. It may take some time since I'll have a lot of tests during the next two months but I'll bring this to an end eventually.
Now, please go and REVIEW! I need reviews to see what you guys think about this piece of sh... *cough* "literature".