Disclaimer: Bleh – been there, done that.
Chap. 8 – Mysteries
He opened his eyes to darkness. Attempting to sit up to scout this unfamiliar setting as he was taught, the boy found himself overwhelmed with pain before falling back to rest upon soft linen sheets. He felt around him, the smooth bedding, the fluffy pillow propped behind his head, the bandages on his body. Where ever he was, and who ever took him there obviously didn't mean him too much harm. He struggled to slow his beating heart and clear his muffled head, but somehow lethargy seemed to overtake him and soon, cradled in the arms of Morpheus, the boy fell back to sleep.
The second time he woke, it was to a steady babble of voices speaking in a tongue he was familiar with but could not understand. And still the blanket of darkness persevered, allowing him no glimpse of his surroundings. He stilled suddenly as he felt gentle hands probe his face. A soft voice exclaimed, footsteps, and then more exchanging of words before he felt cool liquid placed at his lips.
Suddenly he came to realise just how parched he was and greedily he gulped down the water while the same pair of gentle hands traced soothing circles along his back. When he finished, the boy uttered an exhausted 'thank you' before loosing consciousness once again.
Xian Pu was spending yet another afternoon at the recovery bay observing the sleeping boy when he woke. Blank green eyes blinked awake staring off into nothing, Xian held her breath and cautiously, as if approaching an injured animal, she reached out, gently running her fingers down a bandaged cheek.
The boy stilled, body frozen and muscles tense looking for the world as if he was going to bolt. Xian Pu glanced desperately back at her great grandmother who was at the moment conversing with Lan about the boy's progress, willing them to turn their attention to her and her charge. It seemed to work as Lan glanced their way and with a soft gasp, hurried over, professional eyes checking the boy up and down taking in his condition.
"He's awake." The healer stated dryly. "About time too."
"Water would probably be a good bet right now." She mused to herself before turning abruptly to fetch a bowl.
Xian Pu blinked and shook her head. Lan was brilliant no doubt about it, but sometimes she can sure be strange. She quickly leapt to her feet and moved out of the way as the healer came racing back a full bowl of sloshing water sitting between her hands. As Lan placed the water next to the boy's mouth, Xian bit down on her lips, willing the boy to drink, willing him to get better.
The gods must have been looking down favourably on her that day as the boy latched on to the bowl with shaky hands and began downing the water like a man lost for too long in the desert. Xian Pu reached out and rubbed his back in a gentle and soothing way for fear he would choke in his rushed manner, she remember a time in the distant past when her mother had done the same, bringing a sense of comfort and warmth. Finishing all too quickly, his small figure unsteady the boy swayed and fell back to bed and closing his jade coloured eyes went back to dreamland. But before completely slipping out of awareness, a small whisper left his lips.
"Arigato."
Kuh Long watched the commotion and gracefully approached, hopping along on her splendid staff. She reached the bed just in time to catch the boy's sigh, frowning she furrowed her brow, a thoughtful look etched on her face.
"Tell me Lan," she queried. "If you were lost and hurt and quite possible delusional with fever, in attempting to thank your saviour what tongue would you resort to?"
Lan blinked at the suddenness of the question.
"My mother tongue? The language with which I am most familiar, that which comes most naturally to me so that I do not have to expend energy to think of the words."
"That is what I would have thought." The elder added after hearing the healer's reply. A pensive look upon her face she observed the pale boy upon the bed, moments later and without a word to either of the other two occupants of the room she turned and left the room. Xian Pu and Lan snuck a look at one another.
"What was that about?" The healer raised an eyebrow.
Xian Pu proceeded to chew on her lower lip, drawing her knees to her chest the girl cocked her head and frowned.
"I don't know…" She answered. "But great-grandmother looked troubled."
"Did you catch what he said?"
"I think it was aligrato, or was it arikahta?"
The healer looked jolted.
"Arigato! Japanese for thank you!" She exclaimed, eyes bright. Putting two and two to come up five she continued.
"This boy is the supposed 'Boy-who-lived' right? The boy called Harry Potter – a foreigner, a British. Now logically speaking he should have grown up speaking English, it should have been his mother tongue, a language he should have resorted to in situations such as this. Yet he thanked us in Japanese, does this not strike you as strange?"
Xian Pu bobbed her head up and down in agreement.
"That must be what great grand-mother picked up on as well."
"Yes well, our dear Matriarch is one of the brightest sparklers around so no surprise there really." Lan commented tapping the bouncing girl on the nose.
"So now comes the question why our dear boy here speaks Japanese. As an important figure in his homeland, assumably, he would have received a good education which may have included several languages. Perhaps Japanese was one such language that he had a particular affinity for. But then again judging by the state in which you found him…Why would anyone bother putting such effort into the child's education only to treat him so? Why teach him things that may one day be used against oneself? This isn't making any sense at all! Or maybe the boy was not raised in England? But why Japan? As far as I know there is no existing political alliance between the two countries. Oh a mystery, how exciting…" The healer babbled, more to herself than to an audience, with eyes glazed over in concentration she wondered out of the room leaving a confused looking heiress behind her.
Xian Pu tugged in frustration at a lock of violet hair. Adults were so…so frustrating! Especially when they were as strange as the local healer who always seemed to be a step ahead and constantly thinking and thinking and smiling that knowing smile like she knew something you didn't, which she probably did mind you. With a sigh, the girl settled herself into a more comfortable position before resuming her vigil. Brushing a lock of dark hair from the boy's forehead, she whispered fiercely.
"You're safe now. I'll look after you."
The most respected elder and matriarch of the village of Joketsuzoku paced the length of the practice dojo. Or perhaps hopped would have been a better word as she pogo-ed from one end of the long hall to another. Similar thoughts that had occurred to the healer ran wildly through her ancient head. Along with the mystery of the boy's supposed cultural background came a needling suspicion that all was not what it seemed. She almost had the urge to summon Heiye to contact Dumbledore, an urge she quickly dispelled with a violent shake of the head. The man could not be trusted, not for the moment at least, not until she got the whole story out of the boy.
It has been almost six weeks since that fateful night when the night sky burned with green fire, the night she discovered one near dead Harry Potter on the out skirts of the village. The dedicated healer, Lan, had worked around the clock, doing all that she could for the boy. Hope had risen when the healer had announced that the boy was observed to undergo dreaming. This proved that he was not brain dead, his mind was still active and he had a fighting chance of waking up from this extended coma.
It was with great anticipation that they had waited around the recovery bay these few days, when the boy had suddenly developed a fever Lan had mused that it couldn't be long now that he was steamed awake. Xian Pu had become particularly attached to 'her find' as she had stated, Kuh Long could barely drag the girl away to eat as her heir refused to leave the boy's side, claiming permanent residence on an old wicker chair she had dragged next to the bed.
Kuh Long herself had been excited by the prospect of the boy's potential recovery, why imagine the power he would develop if he were to awake and become fully trained! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain a pupil of such potential and Kuh Long's palms itched at the prospect.
Now, however, her palms were raw from running them irately along the length of her wooden staff as she pondered this new mystery the boy presented. After an afternoon's contemplation she finally ceased her activity to head out to her place of residence.
Yet another unsolved mystery to be added to the ever-growing list concerning the Potter boy, she will just have to exercise her patience for a while longer. After all, it would not be too far from now that the boy was in a more coherent and acknowledgeable state so questions can be asked and hopefully answered.
In the meantime, Kuh Long straightened, it was perhaps time to brush up on some Japanese.
A/N: Please make me happy by pressing that little button on the bottom left corner! (i.e. Review!) Just so I know I'm not writing this for nothing. Thank you!