Chapter Four

Moonlight

The wind began to blow harder and an uneasy feeling swept over me. Protecting the Chosen might be a difficult job, but it was something that I could handle and something I must do. I sat near the door of the room and stared out the window for a long time. It was cloudy earlier in the evening and into the night but now it was beginning to clear up. The moon was full and shown through the window. It's light began to shine and it allowed me to clearly see the Chosen's face. She was so beautiful and seemed so peaceful and so young to be bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. All of us working to save the world are merely kids. No matter what, though, I'm going to do my best to keep her safe to keep everyone safe. I only hope I can do this. I can't afford to mess up...again.

Close to an hour passed and nothing changed. I noticed that the moon disappeared behind a cloud. The moonlight left the room and all was dark once more. "Why haven't I found anything on that assassin? It's as though they haven't even been to Sylvarant yet. Grr, this is so confusing! There are too many questions that haven't been answered." I heard a yawn come from the other side of the room. "...(Oh...crap...)..." I thought. "(No, you can't wake up now! This isn't good.)"

"Is someone there?" The Chosen asked.

"...(I can't say anything. I can't let her know I'm here. I'm sorry, Chosen.)"

"...Uh...I know someone's there!" She panicked. The moon emerged from the clouds and light entered the room. I did my best to keep out of the moonlight, but I failed. The light had revealed my presence and the Chosen saw my face. "Who are you?" She asked while inching towards the wall near her bed.

"Please, don't be afraid. I'm here to protect you."

"You...what?"

"I'm here to keep you safe. That is my duty, and it's somewhat of a long story."

"Please tell me. I would like to know, and I'm confused at the moment."

"I would expect that much. Allow me to explain." I explained the entire thing to her the best I could. "So, someone is trying to kill me?" She asked.

"Yes, it would seem so."

"But, why?"

"I wish I knew. I've searched for the assassin and any information on them, but I have found nothing."

"And you know all of our names?"

"Yes. Please forgive me for not coming to meet you earlier. Ninjas usually work in secret. We try to get as few people involved as possible."

"Um...Takeshi, right?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you protecting me? I know you said it was your duty, but I want to know if there is any other reason you have for taking you time to protect me."

"Well, the world needs to be regenerated. It needs to be saved. And there is no reason for you to have to die. I don't want you to die."

"Takeshi...?"

"Do you mind if I tell you something?"

"No, I don't mind. Please go ahead."

"Thank you. Well, I only have one friend outside of my village. And I haven't seen her for seven years. My village is called Tsuki, which means moon. Mountains surround my village on one side and forest on another side. The village is at the edge of a continent as well, so it is also surrounded by ocean beyond the forest. There is no way around the mountains due to the ocean. We must go over the mountains to get beyond them. My village is rather small but prosperous for it's size. It is a nice place that I am proud to call home. There is a place in my village that changes when the moon shines upon it. The moonlight causes fireflies to gather around one certain tree that grows there. The place feels so serene when this happens. It is a secret meadow that few people in the village know about, if any. I found it while exploring. When I was young I would go there and lie in the moonlight while staring off into the night sky. While I lied there, I would wonder about the future. I wondered if I would ever have a life outside of my village. I wondered what my true purpose was. I thought about the many questions that hadn't been answered and the many mysteries that had yet to be solved. I felt like there was something I needed. I thought it might have been a friend that I needed. I had many friends, all of whom lived with me in the village. I longed for friends friends that didn't live in my village. When I was told I would be the one to help you on your journey, I started thinking if I would be able to make some new friends. It would be a chance for me to see the world and to solve some of these mysteries that haunt my mind. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time."

"No, you aren't wasting my time at all. If anything, it has helped me to understand who you are and why you're doing this."

"Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to what I have to say."

"You're welcome. Takeshi, I hope we can be very close friends!" She smiled as she said this.

"You'd really want me as a friend?"

"Of course I would!"

"I don't deserve such kindness. I'm only being selfish."

"No, we all need friends. No one deserves to be alone."

"...! Looks like the sun will rise soon. It's time for me to go." I readied myself to leave.

"Wait, please wait! Why are you going to leave?"

"It is best that I do. It is not yet time for me to join you. I will always be protecting you. Whether you see me or not. Thank you very much for your kindness. You are a very nice person, and you are strong-hearted. Don't try to do too much on your own. Don't forget that you aren't alone in this. Your friends are here to help you. Take care and goodbye." I left her as the sun began to rise.

"Goodbye, Takeshi. Please be careful." She closed the shutters on her windows and lied back down. "I hope to see you again."