They were on their way again. Where to, Alice didn't know but it didn't matter anyway. It would have changed nothing even if they had explained it again. She was new to this world and she knew nothing about it. Every tree and every rock they passed by looked like the other so there was no way she could tell where they were heading. She had to trust them this time.
But trusting someone to such an extent was a new thing to her. Well, it wasn't exactly new all together but it had been so long since she had done such a thing for the last time that it felt like she had never done it before.
The whole situation was so alien to her that she had to wonder why it did come so easy to her at the same time. She had barely known those people but she had willingly agreed to join them. Why were they special? She had known Ryo for quite some time now and he had slowly gained her trust by doing all those little things, like supporting her all the time, for her. He was one of the few people who she considered the next closest thing to friends. She was sure that he wouldn't betray her trust. But what about the other two?
She had barely spoken to the girl, Hikari, and she was still unsure of what to think of her but Ryo seemed to know her rather well. She had seen them talking about the past and what they had gone through in the meantime ever since they had met the other day. Alice didn't know which common past the two of them shared but even she had to admit that she was a nice girl as far as she could tell. There was something about her that made her special. It was not that special sensation she had felt whenever she had met one of the Tamers. It was entirely new to her and Alice couldn't put the finger on it but she felt comfortable in her company nevertheless. As if she could tell her everything without having to worry about the consequences.
If she had only been in company with those two she would have been able to let go of her constant worries and to just let herself drift to wherever destiny would take her but unfortunately there was also Yamato. She didn't actually mind his company, not at all! It was just that now his presence made her slightly uncomfortable. She had often been annoyed by certain people before but this time it was different. He didn't really annoy her and that's what disturbed her the most. If it had been just that she could have understood those feelings she got whenever he was close to her.
It was really strange. Last night she had felt totally at ease spending time with him and talking. But now it seemed as if last night had been nothing but a dream. Had all those things really happened? She wasn't so sure anymore. Yamato hadn't lost a word about last night and tired as she had been she could very well just have imagined everything.
But what worried her even more was her own behavior. Last night she had blushed more than she ever had during all those last few years all together. Even now she was afraid of looking at him since there was no longer the darkness of the night to hide her face. That and the strange feelings she got in her stomach every time she glanced at him were troubling her greatly.
Of course she wasn't stupid and knew very well what these 'symptoms' obviously meant but she was also known to be a rather stubborn person and especially in that case she wouldn't accept such feelings and what came with them that easily. No, this couldn't be really happening. Maybe it was just some kind of flu or another kind of disease. But who was she kidding? That didn't sound convincing at all, not even to her, no matter how much she wanted to believe it.
Maybe she should just talk to him about it outright. After all she had nothing to loose. The chance of making a fool of herself was rather big but what did that matter? They were only traveling together for a few days at best and after that she wouldn't see him or Hikari ever again. Even if it wasn't going to end like that it still wouldn't matter. She had never given much about what other people thought about her. Her life was her own problem and nobody else had the right to interfere with that.
Alice, who had not paid much attention to her surroundings for the better part of the day, noted that Ryo and Hikari were somewhat ahead of them and probably already out of earshot. She could see them chatting casually, while they followed the narrow path through the undergrowth, but she couldn't make out what they were actually talking about. The distance and the constant whispering of the wind brushing through the leaves made it hard to hear anything specific. Maybe this was the best chance she would get for a while to talk to him in private.
She turned her head slightly to regard Yamato who had been walking silently beside her ever since they had left their campsite this morning. If he knew she was watching him he didn't let it show. He just kept trailing beside her with his hands buried deep in his pockets and an indifferent expression on his face. He had been like that all morning and it began to worry her. Was it really a good idea to confront him now?
All of a sudden the possibility of talking to him didn't look as tempting as it had done only a few seconds ago. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it didn't matter to her what his reaction would be like she was still afraid. Such a thing didn't happen too often but, yes, she felt an unsettling wave of fear washing over her. Unconsciously she hugged herself a little as she closed her eyes for a moment.
Why was she really afraid? At first she found no answer to that question but after pondering the thought a little longer she got a vague idea. The answer surprised her, yet she had seen it coming at the same time. But was it even possible to be afraid of losing something that hadn't even been yours?
Alice had suddenly stopped walking as she kept musing over that question. Her vacant eyes were fixed on some spot right in front of her black leather boots as she stood there completely lost in thoughts.
Yamato had noticed her abrupt stop immediately and turned towards her. He hadn't been worried before about her being quiet and withdrawn most of the time since he knew to appreciate this kind of solitude as well but her sudden halt had alarmed him. He hadn't known her for very long but it was quite obvious that something was wrong with her. Her hands were clenched into fists and she was biting her lip while staring blankly into the forest ground with narrowed eyes. She looked so fragile and lost like he had never seen her before but he wasn't quite sure if he should try to talk to her or if he should just wait for her to recover. What would he want him to do if he was in her situation?
Carefully he tried to reach for her shoulder and to shake her a little but before he could touch her she took a sudden step back. She stared at him with wide, confused eyes but remained silent. He slowly withdrew his hand and waited for her to react in some way.
After a few moments spent in silence she suddenly pushed him out of her way and ran in the direction Ryo and Hikari were walking. Yamato however, after finding his balance again, didn't follow her. Instead he just kept watching her as she had fallen into a walking pace again a short distance behind the other two with her head down.
He really wanted to help her but without knowing what was plaguing her he saw no way to do that. The way she had reacted towards his attempt of comforting her didn't help him either to understand what was going on. When she had jumped away from his hand as if it were a poisonous snake it had almost seemed as if she was afraid of him.
Had he done something wrong? He couldn't recall any situation between them which could have caused such a reaction. No, he was quite certain that he was not the cause, or at least not the direct one, for her reaction. Maybe it had something to do with her past. He knew very well how a lot of people had serious troubles dealing with their past.
But that also reminded him again why they had even come back to the Digi-World in the first place. Apparently some people never get over what they had to go through in their past. Maybe Alice was one of them as well.
But it didn't really matter that much what her problem was. He had already decided to help her getting over it. No matter if she wanted him to or not. Somehow he would find a way to be there for her. She had found a way into his heart and he was determined not to let her go down alone. He would be at her side if she only wanted him to be.
With a small but confident smile on his face Yamato started following the small group again.
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A.N.: Finally another chapter. I really wanted to update sooner but it seemed as if I had somehow written myself into a dead-end without thinking about a way out again before. But now it's done. It's short. It's simple. But at least I wrote something! ^___^
Again I want to thank all my reviewers! Without you guys it would probably take even longer for me to update. ^_^; Thank you!
I still don't know where I'll be going from here and I probably won't have much time to write but I'll eventually update again. Just wait and see! Until then: Review!