I Have not Seen as Others Saw
As Shigeru felt the girl - girl? Yes, girl. She was a girl. Calling her an entity or a god would be accurate, but she was perhaps now foremost a girl - As Shigeru felt the girl collapse into his arms, he wrapped her in a secure embrace. Making sure not to let her fall further and hurt herself, he kept her there, close to his chest. Having her there, it felt right. It felt like what he was meant to do. He had been commanded to care for this one, and so he would. It wouldn't hurt if he also happened to find some joy in the task along the way, right?
And so, he did. Shigeru let the impromptu hug draw on – far longer than he would have in any other situation. As his mind began to clear from the bliss his new charge's presence brought him, he began to realize the oddity of the situation he had so suddenly found himself in. That is not to say that he was perplexed by the perhaps more obvious oddity – the girl in his arms.
No, Shigeru was rather confused with himself. The mystery of the sudden appearance of a girl that seemed to resonate with his very being could wait. Shigeru's first thoughts instead turned to why it was that he felt so at peace with another being in his arms. He had never before found hugs to be pleasant, so why…
'No, don't ruin the moment,' he thought to himself. 'Let yourself have this, for once. Investigate it later.' And so once again Shigeru let himself drift in the comfort this being seemed to bring him. It was quite a pleasant feeling; like he was somehow now complete in a way he had never been before. Shigeru let himself indulge until he finally realized something critical.
The girl was asleep. Her breathing was even, and her eyes were closed. She had made herself vulnerable to him. She trusted him to fulfill his commitment. Finally breaking himself fully from his immersion, Shigeru decided to make good on his promise to the girl. He would care for her, starting now. Shifting his arms, in a move surprising even himself, Shigeru managed to lift the girl in what one might have called a princess carry – one arm under her legs, another supporting her back, careful not to jostle her awake.
The girl was light he realized – very light. Shigeru was not a physically strong person. He did not work out regularly. The most he regularly lifted were the bags of salt for the water softening system he was assigned to maintain at school, roughly forty pounds or twenty kilos each. That wasn't the absolute most he could lift, but it was on the upper end of what he could comfortably lift with one arm. The girl seemed to weigh significantly less than two of those bags put together.
Her small stature fully realized; Shigeru took the opportunity to examine the rest of the girl's features. The first thing to catch his attention was her flowing black hair, which nearly reached the floor with her being held as she was. If he recalled correctly from the brief moments he had seen her standing before her collapse, it had reached past her thighs while she was on her own two feet.
Again, thinking back to the image he had of the girl while conscious, when she had looked into his soul as she spoke her command, he could see sharp grey eyes looking back into his own. 'Well, isn't that something,' he thought to himself, resolving to confirm his suspicions in the morning. It would be quite the coincidence if what he had seen was indeed the truth.
Shigeru also noted how short she seemed to be, shifting the girl slightly in his arms, eyes still locked on her face. Maybe 140 centimeters, or four foot six inches as the Americans would say. Yes, she was quite short. Compared to his own 175 centimeters or five foot nine inches, the top of her head only came up to about the middle of his chest while both were standing. It gave her the appearance of vulnerability and childlike innocence Shigeru thought.
That was not to say though that Shigeru had any illusions that the girl in his arms was actually in any way vulnerable to him. He had feltthe girl, to the very core of his being as she spoke her command. There was something much, much bigger behind her small frame than Shigeru could or quite frankly wanted to comprehend at that moment. It would all resolve itself in time, one way or the other. He was safe, that much his instincts told him, and for now he would accept them and carry out his newfound duty.
Finally bringing himself to gaze beyond the sleeping girls' face, to capture the state of the rest of her form, he immediately averted his eyes. Someone was going to have hell to pay. The girl was indeed childlike, not having developed any particular assets. Still, though, that did not justify her walking around with nothing but nipple tape of all things covering her chest!
Stewing in his indignation, Shigeru was getting a bit worked up, angry at the state the girl had been left in. Where had she been that she would be wearing what she was wearing now? 'What happened… what… what… who?'
Shigeru let himself fall back into the comfort of the presence of the girl in his arms. She was here now. He could protect her now. He could ask questions later, or perhaps never at all. All that mattered was that she was here, with him. Again, minutes passed by as Shigeru calmed himself down. 'I don't normally get myself worked up like this' he chided himself. 'Though it has been a pretty eventful evening, all things considered, maybe I should call it an early night,' he concluded brushing a strand of hair from the girl's resting face. 'Yes, I should rest. But first, I must take care of her.'
His course of action set, Shigeru slowly, gently walked himself and the girl to his guest bedroom, pausing on the way to grab one of his spare shirts for the underdressed girl. Shigeru was quite lucky that his apartment was as spacious as it was. One of the few indulgences he had given himself was to spring on a two-bedroom apartment with a separate kitchen, living area, full bathroom, and a walk-in closet. Much more convenient than having to put his relatives up in a hotel when they visited once in a blue moon. The extra room also served as a nice storage space separate from the closet.
Sure, it was more expensive than the lower-tier options, which may have worked just as well for one, but he made sure to keep the budget trimmed down in other areas to make up for it. Softly opening the door to the spare room, Shigeru laid his charge down on the bed. Backing off, he now had to decide how to get the shirt onto her. 'Do I wake her and let her do it herself or should I do it for her?' he questioned himself. Weighing his options, he eventually decided to let the girl rest. 'She is so peaceful now, and she collapsed in an instant earlier. She needs her sleep' he concluded. If she woke up, so be it, he would explain himself then.
Lifting her torso from the bed into a semi-upright position with one arm, Shigeru worked the shirt over her arms and head with the other and prayed that she wouldn't awaken, both that she might get the rest she so obviously needed and to avoid what he assumed would be the awkward conversation of why exactly it was that he was dressing her in her sleep.
He needn't have worried though, as the shirt came down, covering the girl's chest and torso, and even extending well down her legs without the girl stirring from her slumber. 'Looks like my shirts are just a bit over her size' Shigeru joked to himself as he finished his task. 'She really is out like a light though' he noted somewhat in relief that his operation had been successful. 'Might be time for me to do the same.'
Shigeru nodded to himself and set to work tucking the girl into bed, again taking care not to rouse her from her rest, even though he was quite sure she wouldn't be getting up before morning. As he pulled up the last blanket, thoughts of his own preparations for the night came to his mind. 'Eat leftovers, take a shower, sleep'. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.
Shigeru brushed a stray strand of hair from the girl's face, and with some effort turned to carry out his plan for the night. As he took his first step away from her though, something pulled on him, on his heart, on his soul. Turning back around once more, looking at her peaceful face… 'It would be so nice,' he thought, 'so easy to get in bed with her, and stay with her tonight…'
Shaking his head at the inappropriate thought, Shigeru with a force of will he didn't know he had denied himself. 'No, not now. That's not right… even if I really want to…' It was hard, very very hard for Shigeru to back out of that room, softly closing the door on his way out. Much harder than he would have expected, and still he felt that he should have been there with her. But something told him that he should wait, and he had been following his instincts so far, he may as well not stop now. Even if he really, really wanted to march back in there and hold the girl for the rest of eternity.
Disappointed and feeling just a bit less whole than he was in the girl's presence, Shigeru got to work getting his dinner ready. He had planned to make some noodles that night, but he was tired. He'd have the leftovers he had been saving for the next day instead. Besides, he'd have another mouth to feed now, wouldn't he? 'She's small, she probably won't eat too much' he reasoned with himself. 'Eh, better get extra just to be sure though.'
Shigeru prepared his weekly shopping list as he ate - making sure to include a plus one in his calculations - though his thoughts kept drifting to the girl sleeping in his guest bedroom. It took him a while longer than usual to finish eating that night.
Returning to the kitchen now thoroughly beat, Shigeru busied himself with making sure he tidied it up before retiring for the night. He may have been tired, but that was no excuse to leave the house a mess. Shigeru Placed the last dish in its respective cupboard and made to return to his room and to prepare for bed.
Picking up a pair of boxers and a T-Shirt, Shigeru made his way to his bathroom. He preferred to clean himself in the evenings rather than the mornings, as a simple matter of preference. 'How anyone could fall asleep with the day's dirt and grime all over themselves, I'll never know' he thought shaking his head as the water from the shower flowed over his shoulders. He was just taking a shower tonight, there was no need for the more extensive bath process.
His shower complete, Shigeru stepped out, dressed, and brushed his teeth. Dental hygiene was as important as any other form of hygiene after all. 'A lot more expensive if you screw it up too… at least if you're an American' he thought smugly. America may have been great, but it certainly had its… interesting aspects surrounding the costs of a few services, healthcare among them.
Returning to his room, Shigeru was ready for bed. It was a bit earlier than his normal time, but he had had an eventful evening. It was normal that he was tired. Settling in under his covers, he felt the longing to be with the girl once again… but once again he pushed it down. 'She's here now. She's with me… She's home…' he thought, 'And that's enough.'
Shigeru's thoughts were consumed with images of b̷͖̿ě̴̬ĩ̷͕n̴̟̋g̴͕̾s beyond his reckoning as he drifted to sleep. He would not recall them in the morning.
I Have not Seen as Others Saw
When a being like Ophis comes out of rest, there is no drowsy period, senses fumbling around to make sense of the world. No, rather consciousness is not one moment, and simply is the next, relaying the world to its full capacity. That is not to say though that what the senses have to report necessarily has to make sense.
So, when Ophis' conscious came back into being, she found herself once again confused – an increasingly common phenomenon she idly noted. Many things about her current situation did not add up in her august mind, impelling her confused state.
For one, she was covered in multiple layers of what seemed to be cloth, cloth of mortal manufacture. That was certainly strange. She would have remembered wrapping herself in such things. The next strange contraption to catch her attention was the series of metal coils on which she lay. They seemed to be used to distribute her weight, but for what purpose, she could not say.
'…lay?' Ophis questioned herself in increasing shock, her head tilting to the side in an extreme show of emotion. Hadn't she been wandering the earth after her betrayal? Why was she in an enclosed space? Why wasn't she moving? Why…
The events of the previous night came back to her in a crash. Wandering through Kuoh. Discovering her void. Falling into his embrace. Yes, her void's embrace… snuggling closer to her void - She was no longer in her voids embrace.
'No no no no
no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Ń̴̨̥̂O̴̡̓ ̴͚͑Ñ̸̟̐O̷̡͊͘ ̴̳̄N̶̨͊͝O̷̙͆̋ ̷͖̎N̸̡̛͕͗O̸̟̓Ǹ̷̠̕Ö̵̡́ ̵̝͐͆Ǹ̸͉̜Ó̶͙̃͜ ̴̼͑Ń̸̳̖͝O̴̢̐ ̵̩͔͐͛'
As Ophis considered the possibility that he may have gone, that it may have been a lie, that he may be dead, she bolted upright in the collection of cloth and slammed her senses out into her surroundings, hoping, praying that she would find him.
She found him resting peacefully less than a meter away, separated only by a thin layer of wood, drywall, insulation, and paint. He was still there. He hadn't abandoned her. It hurt that he had elected to separate himself from her, but 'that could be corrected' she reassured herself. No thought was paid to the fact that she had been a hair's breadth away from annihilating not only the mortal hut in which she and her void rested but the entirety of the surrounding area had she not found her void. No point in considering what hadn't happened after all.
Warping herself into the space in which her void rested, Ophis had every intention of reintroducing herself to his arms, even if that meant burrowing through the cloth he had covered himself with. As she made to do so, however, something extraordinary happened. You see, Ophis was not a creature to be denied what she desired, either by others or by her own self. So, when some deeply buried part of her being called out to her conscious mind, telling her to wait, to not do what she most deeply desired in all the world at that moment, and when she listened to and obeyed that guidance…
Ophis' world froze. Her mouth gaped at her self-denial. "Why?" she audibly croaked, for the moment shocked and not caring for her void's rest – uttering her first spoken words since her betrayal. 'Why can't I have this?' she furiously questioned herself. Her home was right there, in his arms was where she belonged… so why wasn't she allowed to put herself there?
She made another effort, making to join him a second time, but once again she was stymied by some force of will she did not know she possessed telling her it was not yet the time. 'Stupid self-control' she pouted sadly. It seemed she would have to make do with simply being in her void's presence, for now, the maddening direction didn't seem to have anything against that at least.
Her very comfortable position stolen from her for the moment, Ophis decided that she had best take the opportunity to examine the one who would be her greatest treasure and refuge from now on. Yes, it would be courteous of her to try and contextualize what she k̸̝̑n̸͙͌e̷̙̊w in his more mortal understanding after all. Yes, Ophis could tell that although her void was well… her void… he did not perhaps fully realize what he was. Yes, she could tell from the way he carried himself, the way he existed that her void was, somehow, inexplicably new to existence. That was alright though. They would have eternity together for him to learn after all.
Setting about her task, Ophis first wrapped her mind around the concept of distance. The amount of separation between two points in space, she believed. When used to measure an object, the points in question would be on the extreme ends of the physical manifestation of the object, in this case, her void's body. Lengths tended to be finite though, quite a difficult thing for a being tied so strongly to the infinite to grasp. She had though. Considering the length… height? The height was perpendicular to the length, in the direction of the force applied by gravity, the most major dimension of her void when he was standing. Considering the height of her void, Ophis compared him to the 'height' of her physical manifestation. In this manner, she determined her void to be her height, plus an additional quarter. She recalled with bliss from their embrace the night previous that her head had rested on his chest while she was in his arms.
That was quite alright with her. All the nicer to be held by a larger body than one's own. Well, even if he had been shorter, Ophis could have just shapeshifted to be smaller still, but that was beside the point. He was taller than her, and she approved.
The main body was not the only feature of her void with a length though. Ophis of course knew of hair, having elected to give herself a long flowing mantle of black to adorn her head. It seemed that perhaps voids were predisposed to the color, with the one in the bed sharing with her the color of his hair. 'A pleasant coincidence' she concluded. As far as the hair's length – and it was length this time, confusing mortal dimensional system – it was quite a bit shorter than her own, reaching only about to his neck. The same hair was quite messy as well, but he was asleep. She did not expect him to have control over his every hair in his sleep. Yet.
As far as his face was concerned, her void had what Ophis understood to be a fairly normal face for a man of 'Asian' descent. The bodies of mortals varied depending upon where in their puny world they were born, even though they all came from the same species. 'How quaint' she thought. That face was beginning to show some signs of a beard, though it was still very sparse.
Satisfied, for now, with her examinations and resolving to continue them when her void rose from his slumber, Ophis settled in. And she watched. She watched and waited as her void slept. No, it was not what she had desired, and it did not compare to his embrace, but even being in her void's presence, he exuded an aura that seemed to calm and comfort her immensely. So, there she stayed, with a singular focus on her void. Watching and observing in perfect stillness, waiting for her void to stir.
I Have not Seen as Others Saw
Shigeru awoke slowly, returning his senses to the land of the living piece by piece. His sight wasn't quite feeling like working just yet, so he busied himself with touch first. Yes, his blanket was still as soft as ever. The pillow he held in his arms… 'must have lost my pillow at some point last night' he thought to himself. Shigeru slept best on his side and sleeping on your side is done best with something to hold. Being single, that ended up being a pillow, though it wasn't uncommon that it would fall away at some point in the night.
The next sense to make itself known was sound. Shigeru could hear himself breathing, as well as the normal sounds of an apartment building. The HVAC system was humming along doing its job of keeping his room cool – it was much easier to keep putting layers on than to take off one's skin after all. It was a decently new building, and it had a pretty quiet air conditioning system to boot. It provided a nice constant undertone to daily life. He could also hear the neighbors moving about softly on the floor above. They were never too loud, and Shigeru suspected his hearing may have been a bit too acute for his own good - what with his preference for quiet and all - but he could usually hear them at a low whisper if they were having conversations or moving about. A bit annoying, but nothing to get worked up about.
Satisfied that he still had his senses of taste and smell, Shigeru finally found the resolve to open his eyes and fully commit to starting the day. There were things to be done, and he couldn't do them if he lazed about in bed after all. Cracking open his eyes and feeling a bit of eye gunk fall away – he'd need to make sure to wash his face this morning – Shigeru finally took a survey of his room. The head of his bed rested against the wall with his room's windows, placing a wall behind him and to his right when he rested on his back, as he now rolled to do. His door, painted white, rested in the wall opposite his windows and remained closed, exactly how he left it. His wooden dresser was directly in front of him.
The small girl with black hair wearing one of his shirts stood over his bed, observing him intently. Finally, his desk with his laptop and additional monitors rounded out the room's furniture. There were a few posters on the walls making the room seem at least a little lived in, though he hadn't had much of a say in putting them up. One of the relatives – his aunt he thought – put them up one day and he hadn't had much of an urge to take them down. They were alright, but not necessarily his taste.
'Wait, small girl with black hair?' Shigeru's head snapped back to the girl standing over his bed, wondering how he had missed the oddity of her presence in his sweep of the room. 'I must be really out of it' he concluded. Then the events of the previous night flooded back into his mind.
G̷̝̩̉o̶̡͍̊́̈d̵͓̳̒
Girl
"Care for me"
Home.
Locking his eyes to hers, the first thing that came to mind was the confirmation of the color he had hypothesized the night before. 'Huh, so she does have grey eyes' he mused, his eyes fixed on those of the girl opposite him. She didn't make any move to do well, much of anything, seemingly content to simply stare into his eyes. He was a bit off-put by just how still the girl seemed to be. The only discernable movement he could make out was the steady, shallow rise and fall of her chest as she drew breath. He caught this through his peripheral vision as his focus remained locked on his counterpart's irises.
As off-putting as her stillness may have been, Shigeru saw no reason to break their impromptu staring contest. A part of him that had become surprisingly vocal since the last evening told him that it was simply right that the two viewed each other, and he wasn't about to disagree. The presence behind the slight frame was something beautiful to behold, even if he did not know why that was the case.
The contest of will, or perhaps eyelids, lasted a few minutes beyond that, with both Shigeru and the girl basking in the comfortable silence and the simple presence of the other. Eventually, though, even good things must come to an end. As Shigeru's eyes involuntarily closed in a blink, having been trained on the girl far longer than typically possible for a human eye, Shigeru knew it was time to start his day in earnest.
Finally breaking eye contact, Shigeru began the process of extricating himself from his very comfortable bed. As his legs came over the side, he picked up the pillow that had fallen off during the night, returning it to its place with its brother at the head of the bed. Standing up, he placed his one blanket back over the mattress, effectively making the bed for the day. Though perhaps another would have considered it rude, Shigeru did not speak to the girl still watching his every move. Their eye contact may have been broken, but the silence was still comfortable, and he knew it was not yet the time to break it.
Crossing the room, still under the girl's watchful gaze, Shigeru arrived at his dresser and extracted a pair of black denim jeans and a pair of socks. Quickly sliding on the pants after retrieving a belt from his closet, Shigeru returned to his bed to work the socks onto his feet. Considering whether or not now was the time to break the silence, 'Not yet' was the answer that came to mind. The silence remained.
Shigeru stood from his bed and walking over to the door gestured with his head in a way he hoped the girl would understand to mean 'follow me' as he opened the portal to the rest of his apartment. As he stepped into the hallway and began making his way towards the bathroom Shigeru took a look over his shoulder and saw the girl following attentively a few feet behind him. Her eyes were still fixed firmly on his back, but something told him the girl was also analyzing her surroundings.
Reaching the bathroom, Shigeru left the door open for the girl to follow him in if she so wished. He was only planning on brushing his teeth after all. 'I wouldn't let her follow me in if I was going to use the toilet – that would be inappropriate' he tried to assure himself. Imagining the girl with the pout common sense told him she would wear at the prospect of being separated from his presence, Shigeru would admit that perhaps his resolve wasn't all that strong in that regard after all.
No matter though, Shigeru had no intention of letting anything untoward happen between himself and the girl. Stepping into the interior room housing his shower, he heard the soft fall of the girl's feet enter behind him. Opening his drawer, he extracted his toothbrush and toothpaste, again taking care of his teeth. Looking up into his mirror, two things struck him.
For one, the girl was making eye contact with him through the mirror. It seemed like she quite liked looking him in the eyes, not that he minded one bit. Shigeru decided that he would let the staring contest commence once again. The second thing that had caught his mind before it was once again absorbed in looking at the girl was that he had the beginning of scruff on his chin. Not nearly enough to be called a beard. Quite honestly, it looked atrocious, and he would need to shave.
Spitting out the toothpaste-foam in his mouth, finished brushing for the morning, Shigeru deftly returned the tube of paste and his brush to the drawer without breaking eye contact with his charge. He had followed the same routine so often – every morning for the last year and a half to be exact – that he was quite sure he could have completed the whole thing with his eyes closed. In place of the dental implements out came his electric shaver. Not necessarily the highest quality tool for the job, but disposable razors were stupidly expensive, and Shigeru did not feel comfortable enough with a straight razor that close to his face to learn the older method.
Nodding to the girl through the mirror, the power switch was flipped, and the shaver began to vibrate. Watching the girl for a reaction, Shigeru thought he could see a small twitch on the girl's face when he started the small machine. 'I hope I didn't startle her too much' Shigeru grimaced as he began the process of removing the pesky hairs that littered his chin and jaw. He would like to have a beard someday, but as it was, it simply wasn't going to happen.
His fuzz eradicated and shaver returned to its rightful place in his drawer, Shigeru turned to leave the bathroom. On his way out, he placed his hand on the girl's back, guiding her out with him as she had stopped to observe him between himself and the door. Shigeru did not see the small uptick of the girl's lip that appeared when he placed his hand and receded when the hand was taken away.
Leaving the bathroom behind, Shigeru led the girl to his dining area, intent on making the two breakfast. 'Can't have a good day without starting it with a good meal' were words that Shigeru lived by. Opening the fridge, he scanned for something to make a filling meal for two. He had originally planned to eat the leftovers he ate for dinner the night previous for breakfast that morning but given that he had not suddenly gained the ability to operate in non-linear time, that was not exactly an option. There had only been one serving of leftovers anyway.
Eyes eventually landing on the carton of eggs, Shigeru decided that omelets would be their meal for the morning. The girl watched from her spot along the wall – close by and with a clear line of sight, but not underfoot – as Shigeru placed down the eggs and returned to the fridge to retrieve the cheese and vegetables.
Plucking a non-stick pan from his rack, Shigeru cracked four eggs into a bowl and whisked, adding salt and pepper when appropriate. Although he never actually asked the girl if eggs were alright for her, he assumed she would speak up if she was allergic or anything like that. 'Remember, not actually vulnerable' passed through Shigeru's mind, recalling once again the massive presence the girl's diminutive frame partially obscured. 'Yeah, eggs probably aren't going to be an issue' he concluded.
Pouring half of the eggs into the pan, Shigeru watched and waited, and when the moment came added the cheese and light vegetables he had selected. Folding the omelet over he waited one more minute before sliding the meal onto one of the plates he had prepared while he waited. He repeated the process with the rest of the mixture and in the end, he was holding two rather well-made omelets if he said so himself.
With the plated food placed upon the table, Shigeru pulled out one of the chairs, and gesturing towards the seat the girl seemed to understand what he was offering. She took the offered seat and returned to her new favorite pastime – Shigeru watching. That was of course until Shigeru offered her the portion of their breakfast which he had designated for her. She looked at the chopsticks Shigeru had also set with slight confusion for a moment, prompting Shigeru to wonder 'Does she need a fork?' for a moment before the look passed and the girl took what appeared to be a well-practiced grip on the eating instruments. A bit odd, sure, but nothing compared to what happened next.
Shigeru saw the girl take the first bite of her omelet, moving even a bit sluggishly compared to normal standards. The next moment though, she moved. One second the mostly whole omelet was sitting there on the plate. The next it was nowhere to be seen, save maybe a crumb on the girl's lip. The lip of the same girl now looking between her very much empty plate and Shigeru, almost begging for more. Acquiescing to the girl's unspoken demand, Shigeru split his breakfast in half and resigned to see it too disappear in a heartbeat as he passed it to the girl's plate.
So as Shigeru began eating his now half a breakfast it came with no great shock to see the girl rapidly devouring her second helping, though properly visible to the naked eye this time as she did so. 'Take it as a compliment to the chef.' Shigeru commiserated with himself. It felt good to see someone enjoy his cooking.
Finally, though, when the last crumbs had been cleaned from both of their plates by searching chopsticks – and in the girl's case her tongue – it was time. Time for the two very sudden roommates to introduce themselves. Knowing that it would be him that made the first move as waiting for the girl to do it would leave them there all day, Shigeru finally broke the silence.
"I'm glad you liked the Omelets…" Shigeru began, awkwardly fumbling over his words. He hadn't introduced himself in a while, cut him some slack. "My name is Nobu Shigeru, it is very nice to meet you. I will be in your care." Not knowing what else to do, he resorted to the old formulaic introduction every Japanese citizen-student learned, hoping that it would good impression on the girl. Anticipation for her reply quickly built in the young man.
"Thank. You, Shi. You will care for me." The girl spoke in response. Hearing her voice, Shigeru did not know what to think. He hadn't known what to expect out of hearing her voice for the first, well, second time. She had spoken her command – the same one she had just reiterated– the night previous, but something told him that that interaction had been a bit special, in more ways than one.
Relieved though that the girl had responded positively Shigeru had just one small correction for the girl. "Yes, I will care for you, happily… but my name is Shigeru. Shi-ge-ru, not Shi." Of course, he would care for her, that was all he wanted in the world at that moment, but he would prefer to be called his name while doing it.
"Shi." Was the girl's only response to Shigeru's attempt at correction.
"Shigeru." He tried again.
"…Shi" she retorted.
"Shigeru."
"Shi."
"Shigeru."
"Shi."
They went back and forth like that for a few minutes. By the end of it, Shigeru had warmed up to the nickname a bit and was enjoying the byplay, a small smile stretching across his face. There had been no obvious change in the girl's expression, but he could tell that she was also having a bit of fun with him. "Alright, I guess I am Shi." He relented, "At least as far as you're concerned. You're the only one allowed to call me that though" he warned with a joking wave of his finger and a slight chuckle. Now all he would need to do is get the girl's name out of her…
"You know who I am now, so I'm afraid you have me at a slight disadvantage…" Shigeru, or perhaps 'Shi' trailed off, hoping to lead the girl to the same conclusion, that he wanted her name. When she just continued looking at him with her captivatingly adorable eyes, Shigeru came to a bit of a stop. "Do you even have a name?" He muttered, unaware that the girl could hear him flawlessly. He wouldn't want to be rude if she somehow didn't…
"Ah, Ophis." The girl replied quickly to the unintentionally asked question. Shigeru's focus darted back down to the girl as she nodded her head and repeated herself, "I am called Ophis."
"Ophis." Shigeru rolled the word around in his mouth. Yes, it was a fitting name for the girl in front of him, it was simply right. It was as if no other name could possibly encapsulate the being in front of him as well as that one. Overjoyed, Shigeru welcomed the girl further, "I am so glad you're here Ophis… I, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like… I… I… Welcome Home".
He didn't know where the words came from, but like everything else he had been doing that day, it had been a product of his instincts, they simply felt right. Judging by the upward twitch of the girl's, no Ophis' lips, he couldn't imagine Ophis disagreed. This was home. They were home, together, just the two of them. It was crazy, it was insane. He had just spoken his first words with the girl less than five minutes beforehand, but he knew that this was meant to be.
With a massive grin on his face, Shigeru looked Ophis, his new companion up and down… and realized she was still wearing his shirt, under which was a rather… less than appropriate attire. 'Did she have other clothes? Did she even have belongings?' he wondered. He hadn't seen any on her when she appeared… but he didn't need to wonder anymore, not when he could just ask the girl herself.
"Say Ophis… do you have any spare clothes?" Shigeru asked conversationally after a, as funny as it sounded, lull in their companionable silence. He had a feeling they would be sharing those a lot from now on, and the prospect made him more pleased than he ever thought possible.
"No." came the short response from his short little conversation partner across the table. It seemed she liked to be brief, but that was alright. All the better to get back to the quiet. Shigeru always preferred the quiet anyway. The answer was a bit concerning though.
"Do you have any belongings?" He questioned further, "a bag or a suitcase somewhere… or…" he trailed off the end of his question, once again returning to the thought that someone may have hurt Ophis… it made him angry, but he needed to listen to the same girl's response.
"I have Shi," Ophis responded with what sounded like a note of adoration in her voice.
Asking one more time for confirmation, "so you don't have anything else with you?" Shigeru was still on edge.
Her repeated response of "I have Shi" was the affirmation he dreaded. While that confession made Shigeru's heart melt, he also had to consider the implications of what it meant. He had a woman in his home, without a thing to her name – discounting himself, part of his mind noted with glee – besides the arguably 'clothes' on her back. A woman that liked to eat, a lot if breakfast that day had been any indication. Those two things coupled together; Shigeru came to a quite ordinary conclusion.
"We're going to need to go shopping."
I Have not Seen as Others Saw
"I… I… Welcome Home." Hearing her void – her Shi as he spoke those words to her for the first time, Ophis felt a great peace settle over her. Yes, that was right, she was home, where she belonged. Shi was everything she had searched for across eternity. He was her home. She let her lip tilt upwards in what she knew to be a mortal expression of contentment or enjoyment, emulating the grin her Shi wore.
Ophis was quite a fan of her void's name, even if she understood that she was shortening the full version he had given her. Shigeru was itself a perfect name for him, but 'too long' she had concluded, and so she gifted him with Shi. Having him accept her gift had felt warm, and she wanted to preserve that feeling. For that reason, as her void issued her his first command, that she be the only one allowed to refer to Nobu Shigeru as Shi, she dedicated herself to her new task wholeheartedly. Yes, protecting the sanctity of the name Shi fell right behind basking in said Shi's glorious presence and eating his wonderful food on her order of priorities. She may not have much time to dedicate to her newest mission between her other tasks, but she would try.
Speaking of Shi's cooking, it truly was the most delicious thing Ophis had ever consumed. While her betrayers had been trying to court her power, they had often attempted to bribe her with expensive foods and mortal delicacies. She was aware that one of the various groups loosely confederated as the Khaos Brigade had on multiple occasions kidnapped or faked the deaths of supposedly master chefs for the sole purpose of having them make food for her.
All of that paled in comparison to what her Shi had prepared for her that morning. It was simple, yes. The unfertilized offspring of the birds – eggs she recalled – and vegetables were far from the most complicated thing someone had tried to serve her. Beyond that, the taste was pleasing and the aroma pleasant. Nothing special, but pleasant. Nothing a mortal could sense would have told them the meal was special. For Ophis though, the meal was beyond divine. 'Perhaps only a void can properly cook for a void' she theorized idly; eyes still focused on Shi's.
They had fallen into a pleasant silence once again, the excitement of finally being together having ebbed for the moment. As the silence drew on, Ophis allowed her consciousness to dull slightly, focusing her mind solely on the presence across the table from her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and she could tell Shi was similarly immersed in her presence.
Eventually, though, he spoke. He had questions about clothes, the mortal coverings, and belongings. She of course had neither, why would she need them when she had her Shi? Speaking her thoughts, "No, I have Shi" twice for his benefit, she could tell that Shi was a bit perplexed.
As he further stated that they were "going to need to go shopping" Ophis began to share in his confusion. Ophis had never been shopping before. She had been far too high in the hierarchy of the Khaos Brigade – at the very top – to have been involved in procuring the materials necessary to run the group, so she knew next to nothing of what shopping actually entailed.
Not knowing any better, and the thought of hugging Shi the night previous flitting through her mind, Ophis' only response was "Can you hug shopping?"
I Have not Seen as Others Saw
o-AN-o
Well, that's a word count. And here I was thinking I was going to have trouble filling a chapter one sized chapter in terms of word count with what I had planned for Ch.2. Truth be told, I still have two more fairly lengthy scenes sitting on the outline. That being said, this was dragging on a bit, and I wanted to get it out for you all to hopefully enjoy, so I've elected to split the chapter in two. Consider it a late Christmas gift.
What that means is that the next chapter will be a continuation of this one, using the same scene break text and with the same name with the counter incremented. It will be out when I get it written. Also, bonus points to anyone who can figure out where I am taking the scene break text from.
As far as the content goes, we have the immediate aftermath of chapter one and the next morning from both Shigeru's and Ophis' perspectives. Please let me know if the perspective shifts are annoying, unclear, or otherwise detracting from the story. We also see the first proper conversation between Ophis and Shigeru in this chapter, which brings with it dialogue.
As you can probably tell, I am not a master dialogue writer. I feel like it's not very well integrated with the rest of my prose and kind of breaks the pace of the paragraphs I put it in. It's something I hope will improve with practice, but any tips you have would be appreciated. That goes for any part of my writing, of course, feel free to leave a review critiquing, praising, or otherwise discussing the work. I read them all and they are a joy to read.
So, thanks for reading, I hope you found Ophis as cute as I did, and I hope you had a merry Christmas. I look forward to giving you more to read next time but until then,
Best,
-PDes.
