The girl looked at him then straight down, as if she was awaiting criticism. When she realized it wasn't coming, she looked back up and asked "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Saito replied, an unnoticable blush appearing on his cheeks. "Did you resurrect me? I felt pretty dead…"
"Yes, I used my mother's ring on you and your life returned."
"Why?" Saito asked.
"Don't you like being alive?" The girl asked innocently, without sarcasm, answering a question with another.
"Of course I do, I meant why did you use the ring on me of all people?" Saito asked, adding another question to the list.
"My mother said to help those in need… and you looked like you needed help. What were you doing before you came here?" The girl asked, not yet comfortable with her new company.
Saito knew he had to tell the truth, but it was going to sound like a huge lie. "Uh… I was fighting 70,000 men and my magical sword teleported me to these woods…"
The girl blinked twice as if to realize what the boy said "Umm... why would you fight 70,000 men?"
"To protect someone I cared for." He said blatantly, leaving nothing to ponder.
"One person can't fight an army, how were you not destroyed?" The girl asked, wanting to believe but unable to.
"I am… Gandalfr." The boy declared with direct eye contact.
"Please…" The girl whispered in disbelief. "I don't believe you, Gandalfr was said to have the legendary Derflinger, and your sword looks nothing like it."
"You've never seen me in person, or should I say you've never seen me in sword? Never could figure out which one to say. Well anyways… you've never seen what I actually look like, just depictions." The sword flared, knowing that everyone knew about him.
"Sorry, I never did take you from out under the bed." Saito said apologetically, lifting Derf out and holding him to his side.
"I'll be seeing you soon mother." Thought the girl. Getting down on her knees she preceded to look down and declare with a shaky voice, "Gandalfr, Left Hand of the Devil: I cannot outfight you, outsmart you, or outrun you. If you must strike me down, do it swiftly." Tears began to form in the scared female's bright blue eyes.
Saito looked to his right, at his legendary sword. He kneeled down to the girl's level and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not sure what Gandalfr you're thinking of, but I, would never do that. You brought me back to life, healed me, and gave me strength when I had none. I could literally trust you with my life, so, could you trust me?" Saito didn't plan to say these things, but they seemed to flow effortlessly when they came out.
As the tears in her eyes dropped, she stood up, "I think so…" Her mother told her that the 4 halves of the devil all deceived and lied, but this felt real. She felt as if she could trust him.
She felt li-
"So, what's your name?" he asked "I'm Saito Hiraga."
"My name? It's Tiffania, Tiffania Westwood. You can call me Tiffa, if you want… you don't have to." Tiffa exclaimed, looking down yet again.
"Nice to meet you Tiffa, I feel like we could become good friends." Saito said with a slight chuckle.
"Friends?" Tiffa expected him to leave already, but she enjoyed having someone around.
"Of course." Saito said with a grin. "You saved my life, plus, you seem lonely, here by yourself."
He was right, she had been lonely for awhile now, but she felt safer that way. If anyone found out her secret, she would surely be dead.
"How long have you been alone?" Saito felt bad due to her silence to his comment.
"Well, since my mother, I never really had anyone else. I've lost count of the time." Tiffa replied.
"Where's your mother?" Saito asked, then instantly regretting his words. "Nevermind, I don't need to know."
"If you didn't want to know, you wouldn't have asked." Tiffa said with a fake smile. "She was killed while protecting me." Her eyes began to water, but she blinked out the pain.
"I'm so sorry. You must be strong to be able to go on with that over your head." Saito felt pity, but he couldn't relate. When he was at the Academy, he had girls and friends always around, and on rare occasions when that wasn't true, he had his closest pal, Derflinger by his side, well, on his back. He also had never lost a loved one, except maybe his grandfather which he barely knew. If he had lost someone like Derf, he wouldn't know what to do anymore.
"If it's not too hard, can you tell me who and why they did it?" Saito asked
Tiffa didn't want to lie to the boy, but she had only known him for ten minutes and couldn't fully trust he wouldn't kill her. Others of his species obviously didn't hold back on her mother. "Umm, it was a mob… and it's because they didn't like us."
"Well, I guessed that much, but, what's not to like? You're probably the nicest person I've met." Saito said, remembering back to a certain pinkette who was definitely the opposite of nice.
Although his kind words flattered her, she still couldn't spill her secret. "You said if it wasn't too hard, but I-… I just can't tell you."
"It's okay." Saito declared.
"Those were my mother's last words to me." Tiffa said as she thought back to that terrible day, the day that left her traumatized, the day she could never forget. "She said to be me, not someone who you aren't. She said not to care what others think, unless they are trying to help." Tiffa thought over her decision again and made a conclusion, she could trust him. "I will show you why everyone hates us, as long as you promise on your heart, that you won't try to hurt me if you hate what I am."
"I promise." Saito knew he was prejudice against no one.
Tiffa closed her eyes, and took off the hat she was searching for in the kitchen, revealing her long, pointy, elven ears. After she realized there was no yelling and she wasn't dead, she decided to open up her eyes, to find that Saito was only slightly surprised.
"An elf… man, everything is possible in these lands." Saito said with a smile.
"You mean, you don't want to kill me? You don't hate me? You aren't against elves?" Tiffa asked, one question after another.
"Hey, calm down, even if I hated elves, which I don't, I wouldn't be able to hate you." He assured the panicking girl. "I don't know why you would think humanity hates elves, but I don't. Then again, I'm not from this world."
"What do you mean?"
"I come from a world with only one moon, called Earth. Like this country… whichever one we're in"
"Albion." Said Derf, listening to the entire conversation.
"Thanks Derf, like Albion, I come from a country called Jap…" Suddenly coming to a realization.
"We're in Albion?! People are probably looking for me somewhere! They knew that I wasn't dead and now they're gonna find us and kill us!" Saito exclaimed, panicking.
"Calm down. There were fire mages flanking us, and I didn't want to terrify you more than you already were. The army probably thought that you were burned to ashes." Derf said, annoyed. "Plus, you might want to talk to the elf, she ran into the closet with a box on her head…"
Saito sighed and walked over to the closet door and opened it. She was in the corner, attempting to be as still as possible. He admired her innocence, something that he had, but you know, you kind of lose it after murdering thousands and then dying. Saito smiled at her and said "I can see you."
Tiffa gasped and then poked a small hole through the box with a needle. She looked through the hole and saw Saito. "Oh it's you."
"You act as if it's been hours. You know, you went in this closet about thirty seconds ago… First off, they wouldn't storm the house just cause I said something, and second, they won't actually come after us. I used some logic." Saito said with a smile.
"Actually, I used the logic." Said Derf in his glory hogging ways.
"Whatever." Saito extended his hand and Tiffa took it.
"Although I wasn't sure before, I'm happy I saved you. You made me happy when there was nothing to be happy about." Tiffa thanked him.
"Oh yeah, you saved my life, how could I repay you for that?" Saito asked.
"Well, I didn't expect payment when I used my ring. So, please don't worry about it."
Saito had a strange but possible idea. "So, do you know any magic?"
"Um, I wish I did, but I don't. You see, elves are born knowing a certain element, but me, I'm just a half-elf, so I didn't know magic from the start. Mother said she didn't want to teach me how to use magic until I really wanted to. I do now, but she's gone, I waited too long." Tiffa looked to the ground with a regretful look.
Saito, being the nice guy he is, gave the girl a proposition "I have friends in Tristain, I could get you in the Magic Academy. It feels like fate that we met, you save my life, and in return, I can help make you what you aspired to be. How about it, do you accept?"
Tiffa's soul was aching for her to accept, but her mind made her deny. "I'm sorry. Not everyone is as accepting as you are. If they find out that I'm an elf, they might attack me, and knowing that everyone in there is a mage, I would surely die. As much as I would love to become one with the elements, I don't think I should."
"Trust me, I will have the Queen of Tristain on my side, I assure you that it would be okay. You could wear a hat if you are scared, and show who you really are to people you could rely on and trust. Believe me, if something goes wrong, I will protect you. You have my word."
As Saito said that he would protect her, Tiffa couldn't say no. This time, her mind, body, and soul were all saying yes. "Okay, I accept. But there is one problem…"
"What's that?" Asked Saito.
"Do you even know how to get to Tristain?" She asked, half-jokingly, half-serious.
"Not a clue… I swear there is always a problem with my plans." Said Saito.
"I agree." Said Derflinger.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Saito.
"Nothing major, you're just stupid."
"You have to add input into everything don't you?"
"I call it: Constructive Criticism." The smart mouthed sword replied. I can guide you to Tristain, when I've been somewhere, I can find it as long as I know the name and location, and lucky for you guys, I do."
"Here comes the but, right?" Saito anticipated.
"You know me too well, partner. But the downside isn't so bad."
"Well, you're a sword so it's different for you."
"Precisely. The walk from here to Tristain will take… oh, not too long: 127 hours."
"Ugh, why, why is my life so terrible." Saito complained. "Oh well, let's get started then."
Tiffa couldn't help but marvel at how close the sword and his wielder were. She has high hopes that one day she could be friends like that with someone.
As Tiffa's cabin had no windows, the outside wasn't visible until you opened the door, and when Saito did just that, it was nighttime.
"Whaaaat?" Saito didn't understand how it was so late. "I woke up today in the morning and now it's night? It felt like an hour or two had passed."
"You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun." Derflinger stated, seeming happy. "I haven't been able to say that for 500 years! You two lived completely different lives, but are so compatible with eachother. You guys became friends in one day, that's pretty cool."
The group of a boy from another world, the half-elf girl, and the magical talking sword were happy. No one in the group has had a happy life, but when they share it together, they get the feeling of what one could be. In the morning, they would embark on the journey that would turn them from good friends, to almost family with an unbreakable connection.
I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Please leave an honest review whether it be telling me that you liked it, or that you couldn't stand it because of _. It's very helpful.
I don't have anything to do tomorrow so I could get another chapter or two out, but after then, it may get slow as I have school to worry about. Until then, peace!