Well, frankly, i kept this chapter to the bare minimum. i didn't feel like wasting time writing a bunch of pointless dungeon crawling sequences. hope this chapter actually works in spite of that.

Mirai lay on top of her blanket for her bed, staring at the stone Dwemer ceiling with disgust. she had no desire to be passive in her search for her parents, but she had been told to stay in the house she had been living in for the past year by her mother, that she would return there. Of course, her mother had neglected to tell her any sort of timeframe for her return. In the months since, she had been forced to find ways to make money and survive on her own, hampering any attempt she might have made to search for her parents. Because of that, she had been relying heavily on her parent's friend to search, and it only aggravated her even more.

"Damn it all! Why did they even leave in the first place!?" she yelled out to no one in particular, slamming her fist on the wall. The lack of progress over the past few months was frustrating her beyond words. Coupled with the loneliness she felt, and that frustration was becoming almost anger for her parents. Which led to her to want to cry, as the thought of them abandoning her made her heart burn with pain. All in all, her mind was a cacophony of emotions she couldn't even think to process anymore.

I need to write in my journal… it always helps me sort out my mind. Hmph, too bad I left it at my stupid fishing camp! She closed her eyes with a groan, pressing her hands against her forehead. Almost on cue with that movement, she heard a sharp knocking at her door. Confused, she opened her eyes and glared at it, debating how to react. There's no way it's Shin, he only just left a few hours ago… and I seriously doubt that boy came back…

There was another, slightly harsher knock at the door, Mirai letting out a sigh before slipping off the bed. As she did so, she grabbed the small dagger off her cheap nightstand, slipping the blade from it's sheath as she approached the door. "Who's there!?" she shouted at the door once she was closer, being sure to remain far enough back that it wouldn't hit her if someone smashed it open.

"Uh… Mirai was it? It's Max. I'm back from your fishing camp!" she recognized the boy's voice through the door, nearly dropping the knife in shock. Her eye's dropped to the knife in her hand, quickly debating what to do. On one hand, this could be a trap. He could have simply gone and met up with friends of his to try and over power her. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried that. He also could simply be hoping to get some form of payment, from coin to something more intimate. Also, something someone had tried on her in the past. The least likely of all things was that he had come back with her stuff and intended to do as he said this morning, simply helping her before being on his way.

"Um, hello!?" he knocked again ripping her mind from her thoughts.

Damn it, whatever! She gently tucked the blade into her belt at the small of her back, aiming to retain easy access to it if she needed it before she undid the deadbolt haphazardly nailed to the door. Once unlocked, she cracked the door open, peaking out of it. The boy from this morning was standing beyond, in his chainmail vest and hide coat just like he was this morning. Well, beyond her fishing poles in one hand and her book satchel slung over his shoulder.

"hey! You didn't really specify what you wanted from your camp so I grabbed everything I thought could be important." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

She let out a long sigh, not seeing any sort of hostility in his stance. For once, he seemed like someone being truly genuine. So she cautiously opened the door for him and stepped as far back as she reasonably could, not wanting to arouse any suspicion with him that she was on her guard. "Come in."

He promptly stepped inside, unslinging her satchel and leaning her fishing poles into the front corner, before holding her satchel out to her. "Here!"

She gingerly accepted the bag, stepping away from him once more and trying to keep an eye on him as she looked through the bag. To her disappointment, her journal wasn't in the bag.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he dropped his own bag as he spoke, the steel heater shield strapped to it clanging on the stone floor. A moment later, he had one of the small pouches open, pulling her journal out and holding it out to her. "I… Kinda read it on my way back… sorry I didn't know what it was when I found it and… well, it kinda caught my attention once I started reading it and… I'm sorry…" he was nervously scratching his head again, not looking her in the eye. His face had turned bright red, his cheeks thoroughly flushed.

"Hmph. First eaves dropping, now reading my journal without permission!? Do you have any idea what personal space means!?" she snapped at him, striding forward and snatching her journal from him, trying to hide her embarrassment with anger, though she was also quite angry. Though this particular journal was only a couple of years old, it had plenty of very personal entries in it, none of which was she particularly keen on someone else knowing.

"Look, I'm sorry okay! Curiosity got the best of me and… well for what it's worth… I really wish I could help you more!"

"I don't need your stupid pity! I'm doing just fine on my own thank you! No get out of my house!" she stamped her feet as she pointed for the door, just wanting him to leave.

"Um… okay. Again, I'm sorry. And I wish you luck in finding your parents again. I'm sure there's a reason why they left you here, nor do I think it was a negative one." He spoke as he scooped up his bag once more, walking toward the door.

Wait… he's not even trying to get a reward from me!? Did he… did he really just help me for absolutely nothing!? Her mind felt like it had been slammed into a stone wall, leaving her in an almost dazed trance as he slipped through the door way, politely grabbing the door to close it behind him.

"W-wait…" she gently bit her lip as she called to him, every single one of her instincts screaming at her to stop what she was doing, but she had to ask. Interacting with him felt so… different than every other person she had talked to since her mother left.

"Did you need something else?" his response only intensified her desire to know more about him, completely overpowering her fear for a moment.

"You don't want any kind of reward? You just took hours out your day just to run me an errand for what? Nothing?!" her voice slowly increased in volume and force, not really intending to sound angry with him, but that's what she felt she came off as.

"No, I didn't do it for nothing. I got to help someone who needed some help. That's all I need from it." He smiled to her, but it was different than any smile she had seen before. It was sad, remorseful, yet hopeful and caring. It was as though he was remembering something excruciatingly painful, yet somehow happy about it.

How do I react to that… i… I really don't think he's been lying to me anymore… but that can't be! No one just helps people for the sake of helping people! This is real life, not a fairytale! She clenched her jaw for a moment, her heart starting to feel almost in pain from trepidation and oddly, excitement. "I… um… do you? Or… um would you…" she stopped herself for a moment, realizing she was about to directly ask him for his help. And though she wanted to, it felt so wrong of her. She didn't know this boy, nor did she have any right to ask for his help. "Thank you. And I wish you luck in… what ever it is you're doing." She settled on saying that, doing her best to look him in the eye.

His smile from a moment broadened just slightly, some of the pained aspects slipping away. "Of course. And if you need anything, let me know okay? Take care!" he waved goodbye before he slipped the door closed, leaving Mirai in a sudden silence. It was a deep, foreboding silence that she hated with everything she was.

Damn it, this is so freaking stupid! She rushed back to her nightstand, grabbing the sheath to her knife before she rushed back to the door, throwing it open and searching the street with her eyes. She spotted him a few dozen yards upstream from her, walking further away. "Max!" she shouted after him, waiting a moment to see if he heard her or not.

He stopped with her voice, spinning around with mirthful smirk on his face. "Ya know, generally speaking, when someone says to get out of their home, they don't go shouting after them to stop! He coyily shouted back, his hands gripping the straps for his bag.

"Well… um… I'd like your help! And… I want to repay you for helping me!" she walked toward him as she spoke, biting her lip again as she hoped against all her instincts that he would not only agree to help her, but that this wasn't a massive mistake she was making.

"Sure! But you don't owe me a thing! And I just need to speak to someone up in the Jarl's court."

"Well, come drop your bags at least, and I'll come with you." She felt much more sure of her rushed decision, almost feeling like a massive weight had begun to lift from her chest. This is such a stupid idea… but… I really hope it works out…

"Wait, you're the Dragon Born everyone's been talking about!?" the girl's mouth fell open as they stepped out of the Jarl's keep, wide eyed. They had just finished talking to the Calcemo fellow Jarl Balgruf told Max of, to near no avail. After dropping to the museum curator that he was the Dragonborn, Calcemo had told him of another archeologist in Morthal that could actually help him. Of course, that also meant Mirai heard that portion to the exchange.

"Well, that's what people keep telling me at least… I still can barely believe it myself." He shrugged, having found it a lot easier to process to simply not think about it.

"Prove it! I want to see you shout!" she stopped mid-step, facing him with hands on hips, her icey blue eyes bouncing between his.

"Alright…" he focused up in the sky, not wanting to harm anyone or cause any damage to the city just before taking a deep breath to help him focus. "FUS!" he kept the shout to it's weakest single word form, still creating fairly powerful shockwave from his mouth, only visible as it was swathed in wispy blue energy.

"Wow…" she barely whispered as the air settled back down, the shout having reverberated across the area like the crack of lightning. "That's incredible!"

"I guess… I'm still not really sure how I do it." He rubbed the back of his head for what felt like the millionth time since meeting this girl. Having read her journal, it was hard to keep her out of his head.

She had spent most of her young years trapped in her own home. Albeit a lavish life, it was also a lonely one. Her father was usually a little distant from her, which always frustrated her. Her only real friend growing up was her mother, never getting to interact with people outside of her home. Even when they traveled, being originally from Highrock, she wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. Likely her parents being a little overprotective, but it made her have an exceptionally lonely childhood. One thing that really caught his eye was an entry about being yelled at for practicing how to fight. She had even kept detailed entries on how her skills were developing. Though she really didn't have any formal blade instruction, she spoke of some aspects to blade work with a familiarity belying at least a little skill. For one, she actually understood blade angles and how to ensure they were perfect. To add to it, she knew several ways of using ice magic. All in all, she seemed very capable of holding her own.

Anyway, with all of that said, the past year and half for her had been almost like she had stepped through an oblivion gate. Her father had left almost as soon as they set foot in skyrim, her mother disappearing only a month or so later. After nearly sixteen years of having her every need and want taken care of, she was suddenly thrust into Markarth with nothing but her own two feet to stand on. She spent months struggling to survive, being double crossed and cheated, even being physically assaulted on several occasions. But she had persevered, continuing to try to find her parents through it all.

"Well, do you want to go to Morthal now?"

"No, I figured we could go help Shin out. You said he was going to Rorikstead to try and find an old friend of your father, right?"

"Jeez, you eavesdropped on that much of our conversation!?"

"Still on me for eavesdropping I see." Max rolled his eyes as he began walking down the path once more.

"Well, it is rather rude, don't you think!?"

"I mean, sure, but you didn't answer my question." Max shrugged, only agreeing with her to buy some credit with her. He was someone that naturally eavesdropped on conversations, weather he meant to or not. So it wasn't something he blamed anyone for.

"I mean, sure, I guess." She shrugged as well, her excitement over him being the dragonborn finally gone. "So, I feel I have a total right to demand this, given your eavesdropping and journal reading, but who are you, really?"

"Um… Max?"

"No, no, not your name you dunce, where are you from, how did you end up in skyrim? That sort of thing!"

"Ohhhh right…" Max let out a small sigh, not really sure where to begin. He was never one to be overtly open about himself with others, namely as he spent very little time in any one place. "There's really not much to tell… I was born in Burma, on a small farm. Got razed when I was fourteen, just…" he shuddered as the memories of that night sparked in his mind, having to take a moment to shake those from his head once more. "Just barely survived to be honest. Grabbed my father's sword and ran. Been on the road ever since. Still hate walking though!"

"So your father was a swordsmen?"

"Well, I don't know to be honest. I guess his sword was pretty valuable as a few people tried to steal it over the years…"

"The one you're carrying now?"

"This? No, this was a gift from the Jarl of Whiterun for besting a dragon. I… sorta lost father's when I tried to steal a horse… from the local legion… I may have had my head on the headsmen's block in Helgan right before a dragon decided it didn't like the scenery…"

"Oh… that... doesn't sound very hero like?" she raised an eyebrow at him, her expression tightening ever so slightly.

"I don't know where you got this hero impression in the first place… I've… been in a lot of low spots and stolen a lot of things in my time. Food, money, three horses at least, including that last one."

"Okaaay… why help me then?"

"I'm not exactly hurting for money anymore ya know!" He stuck his tongue out at her before continuing. "But I never said I stole from those who needed it… and to be honest, I was usually out of food or money cause I gave it to someone else."

"Oh…" her voice quieted a little, looking away from him. "that didn't really answer my question though…"

Max let out a small sigh, not even really sure how to answer her himself. "I'm no hero, I'm not even a decent person. But dad always said, if you have the power to help someone else, it becomes your responsibility to do so. Simple as that." Max shrugged, hoping it worked as an explanation for her.

"So you want to help me… just because you can?"

"Yeah, I guess that sums it up nicely."

"Huh…" she still hadn't looked to him again, crossing her arms with one hand rubbing her chin in thought. This was as they were finally arriving at her home, where Max left his bag earlier. "You… really are rather different aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that?" Max sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he responded, smiling. "But what's the fun in life if you live it just like everyone else?"

"That's… fair I guess. Here." She opened the door for him, allowing him to slip inside and grab his bag.

"Well… after thinking about it a little… we should go to Morthal for you first. Give Shin some time. I'll leave him a note to let him know that we'll be back. I trust he can handle it." she plopped her hands on her hips as Max was shouldering his bag once more, her expression blank.

"Are you sure? I'm not in any kind of rush."

"Neither am I. besides, you already helped me once, I'll help you now. And if we run if this doesn't work out by the time Shin gets back, oh well." She shrugged.

"Alright."

Mirai took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. So far, they had fought their way through several draugr, the archaeologist in Morthal pointing them to this particular Nordic ruin. But now, they were in what she felt had to be the final stretch, but the fineries now decorating much of the walls, intricate carvings of dragons and battles from long ago.

"Ready?" Max gave her a weary smirk, his blade and shield both at the ready.

"Enough." She nodded to him, just before he shoved the door before them open. Beyond was a long hall, lined with carved dragon statues all facing a central walkway. At the end of the walkway was a single ornate sarcophagus, likely their goal if she had a guess. The pair cautiously inched their way down the hall, scanning for any signs of a threat of movement. They had defeated several traps here as well, Max making use of both his shouts and magic to help them through. Not that her own magic had been useless, using it on several traps as well.

Their caution seemed unwarranted though, as nothing stirred. When they reached the coffin, they calmly split around it, making sure they saw no traps or threats before actually paying the coffin any heed. When she finally looked at it, she could easily see a mount for a horn, but the mount was empty. Or seemed so, Max walking up and picking up a small piece of parchment from the stone.

"No horn?"

Max was silent for several moments, a grimace crossing his face as he read the clearly fresh parchment. "No horn. Some one is looking for me, and knew I would be coming for it somehow. Took it."

"Really?"

"Here, read it for yourself." He shrugged, handing her the parchment. A quick glance of her own confirmed what he said, the note simply stating that if he was the dragonborn, to meet the author in riverwood's in, and that the horn would be there waiting for him.

"Riverwood is halfway across Skyrim from here…"

"Yeah, I'm not asking you to go there for me. I guess we head back to Markarth." Max's shoulders slumped as he began to move back the way they came, being the only way out of the tomb.

"Hey, I'm not saying I'm unwilling to go with you…" if she was being honest with herself, he had been a pleasure to work with. She had been in a few fights over the past year, every one being nothing but a terror filled nightmare until it ended. With him, she felt almost safe. It certainly wasn't something she had been expecting from him. "I just…"

"You have your own stuff to worry about. So don't worry about this. I'll get you back home, then worry about this myself."

She let out a small sigh, shrugging, resigning herself to just follow him for now. "Alright. I guess."