The sun wasn't up yet when Alice woke up the next morning. The sky in the east was already lightening up a little but she could still see the faint light of the stars in the navy blue night sky overhead. She had soon noticed that this digital world was more like the real world. For example the sun didn't come up suddenly and the whole world wasn't divided into different layers like their Digi-World was. She hadn't seen much of this new world but she was slowly beginning to enjoy there visit here.
She kept looking at the stars a little longer before she finally got up. It took her a moment to take in her surroundings. Obviously she had fallen asleep under the tree where she had been sitting with the blond guy, Yamato. As her brain slowly began to work normal again she also remembered more of what had happened the other day.
After Ryo had run off with that girl she had felt so left alone like she hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe she was getting too attached to Ryo. It had been a long time since she had had a real friend and it was probably only reasonable for her to act that way but she still didn't like the thought of being dependent and vulnerable again.
She knew that she must have been looking rather lost back then. She had expected the blond boy to pity her in some way or another. But to her surprise, and relief, he had done nothing like that. He had talked to her as if nothing had happened and she was thankful for that. The idea had come to her mind that he maybe just hadn't noticed how she had felt but she had also dismissed that thought soon again. He was too attentive and too intelligent as to miss something like that.
They had sat down together under a tall tree, the one he had been leaning against earlier, and after some time of comfortable silence he had eventually started a conversation.
She closed her eyes as she tried to remembered everything more clearly. It had been the most pleasant talk she had had in a very long time.
Flashback
She had been looking up at the constantly darkening sky for quite a while. The stars had also become more visible and were now glowing brightly against the dark sky. The night was bright and the sky was clear save for the outlines of a few drifting clouds.
Alice closed her eyes and was already falling asleep when Yamato's gentle voice shook her awake again.
"So, what are you going to do tomorrow? You said you are searching somebody but do you have any idea where to find this person? I know Ryo has been here before but he has been gone for so long and a lot of things may have change during that time."
Alice chose this short moment as he stopped to catch his breath to interrupt him.
"You are babbling. If you want to say something say it please."
"Oh! I'm sorry."
If she could have seen him in the darkness she would have noticed the faint blush spreading on the pale boys cheeks.
"Well, we are looking for one of our friends as well and I thought maybe you want to join us. I'm sure Hikari wouldn't mind."
"Of that I'm sure," the blond girl whispered more to herself while watching the two figures talking near the campfire.
"Did you say something?" the boy inquired, noticing the slight change in her mood.
"No, nothing at all," she answered gloomily. But quickly snapping out of it again she tried to change the topic.
"I guess I'll have to ask Ryo about that. He's the one who decides where we are going.
But why would you want us to come along anyway?"
"Good question. First of all we are in Ryo's debt. He saved us and the whole Digi-World a few years ago but we never got the chance to do anything for him in return since he disappeared after that."
"But that's not all. There is something else, right?"
"No, that's not all. I would also like to use this chance to get to know you better," the boy stated in a serious voice.
This startled her greatly. Every thought about just falling asleep again had been immediately wiped away. Her eyes were wide open but she didn't dare to look at Yamato. Different thoughts were racing through her head and her heartbeat had quickened a little while she just kept staring straight into the dark wood.
"What? You must be joking, right?"
"Not at all. Why should I? I don't know much about you yet but you seem to be a pretty interesting person and you are really cute. I want to find out who you really are," he explained still serious but a little more playful now.
She was glad that he couldn't see much of her face in the darkness. She was sure she must have resembled a ripe tomato at that moment. Her cheeks were burning as if they were on fire. But she didn't understand why she reacted this way. After all this was not the first time that somebody had tried to befriend her. What was it that made him so different from all those people who had tried to gain her trust before? Normally she would just brush such simple compliments aside. But his words had an undeniable effect on her.
She shook her head a little from side to side, trying to regain her composure. He couldn't be serious about that! Nobody had called her cute since she was a little girl! He was probably just playing with her. Someone like him could get everything he wanted. Why would he want to get to know her? There was no way that he could be serious.
"Stop mocking me!" she tried to get up and away from him but he quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her from getting any further.
"Wait! I'm not mocking you! Why don't you believe me? If you don't want to talk to me I'll respect that but I have been honest with you. I really want to get to know you better because I think you are a rather amazing person. I have been an outsider myself since I was a little kid and I know how hard it can be at times. I'm not saying that I know what you feel and think but I know that it can be a nice thing sometimes to have people to whom you can talk to. Just give me a chance, please."
He slowly let go of her hand but he kept watching her face expectantly. Alice just stood there for a while thinking about what she had just heard. The moon was now shining down on them and bathing them in it's cold light. If somebody had been watching them he could have easily mistaken their slender frames for elves, with their pale skin and blond hair glowing softly in the moonlight.
While Yamato was patiently waiting for her to answer, Alice was fighting a hard battle with herself in her mind. The only person she had trusted at all those past years had been her grandfather and even him she only trusted to a certain extent. But she somehow knew that Yamato wouldn't betray her trust in him. She couldn't put the finger on what it was that made her sure about that but she had felt comfortable in his company very soon and that was highly unusual. Normally she would avoid other people's company as good as possible but now she didn't mind having him around.
First she was becoming friends with Ryo and now him. What was happening to her? She had trusted on her own strength for so long and now she suddenly began relying on others. Maybe she should stop this whole thing as long as she still could. It would probably be the easiest way. But this was also a challenge to her. Maybe she could become friends with him and still stay strong and independent. It seemed to work for Ryo after all. He had friends everywhere but he was just as strong without them.
Feeling the emptiness inside of her and the longing for somebody who would understand she made her decision. What was there to lose after all? It couldn't get worse anymore.
"Okay, but if I feel that you are abusing my trust you will regret it."
She slowly turned around and sat down again with her back press against the tree. Yamato who had all the while been waiting patiently smiled satisfied and also leaned back against the tree again.
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you."
After that he said nothing else and Alice was a little surprised by that. She had expected him to shower her with questions but he did nothing at all. After a few more minutes of silence she was sure he had fallen asleep but right when she wasn't expecting to hear anything from the blond boy anymore he spoke up again.
"The moon is really beautiful tonight. You rarely see such a bright night in the real world, don't you think?"
"Yes, it's beautiful. Most people think about a sunny summer day when they speak about nice weather. But they totally forget how amazing a cold winter night or a rainy day in autumn can be. That's truly ignorant."
"True, but would it change anything if more people were conscious of that?"
"Probably not, but it could mean that some people are starting to use their brains. As long as they just swim with the stream without giving their actions a second thought nothing will ever change."
"Who says that things would get better if they started using their brains? It could very well make things even worse."
"I know but I want to believe that things could change. There is not much I believe in anymore."
End Flashback
They had kept talking for quite a while until she had finally fallen asleep. It had felt good to have somebody who would not only listen but also think about what he had just been told. Most people will listen to your problems but only a few of them will really think about what they learned.
Alice stretched a little and finally got up. The sky was already quite bright and it was only a question of minutes until the sun would come up. Ryo and the brunette girl where still fast asleep near the burned-down campfire and Yamato was nowhere to be seen.
Today they would decide what they were going to do next. Maybe it wasn't that bad that they had met after all.
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Hm, I haven't been getting much reviews lately. I hope this changes again. ^__^
Well, this story is slowly coming to an end. There are a few more chapters to come but most likely not more than four. This is already the longest story I have ever written. I just hope it's not too boring.
Now be kind and review, please! I would appreciate your opinions on it.
Thank you everybody who reviewed so far!