Sorry again for being so late on this. I really should try to push myself to continue my stories now and then. Anyway, here's the next chapter and it took a while for me to pull it all together so hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 2: Dreams and Reality
There was nothing her eye could see in this place. Everywhere she looked was pitch-black. Even the area where she was standing on is the exact same shade as everywhere else. Chii looked all around in confusion as the dark feelings of loneliness crept up inside of her. She wanted to leave to find her own sanctum of peace, but in every direction it was the same sight. She was trapped in a big, unlit, empty, seemingly endless space with no sign of an exit in sight.
She shivered to herself; her breaths grew rapid and she held her slightly trembling hands to her breast. The thought of staying in this dismal place sent chills down her back. As she aimlessly walked, her legs gave away and she found herself squatted with her forehead on her knees.
Then a strange sound entered in her ears.
Her head shot up and immediately surveyed the surroundings to pinpoint the location, desperate to find anything different nearby. It was difficult to describe this wondrous sound she was hearing, but it reminded her of a hand running through a row of hanging bell chimes. She continued to spin around until she spotted something behind her. A different splotch of black that she had never seen before was moving on its own. It kept hovering from one point to another, occasionally stopping for a moment now and then. Her eyes focused on this new phenomenon and slowly little nuances unfolded in front of her until she could tell without question that it was in a shape of a man. He did not seem to notice her at all as he casually walked around with his hands in his pockets. Once in a while, he would squat down and pull his hands out and wave it around in front of himself and then put then back where they were. Then he would stand up and continue his stroll. Chii was rather puzzled at this behavior but watched him as he wandered about.
After a while, his head suddenly turned to her. He paused for a second, and methodically made his way to her. He squatted in front of Chii and she could make out that his arms lay across on top of his knees, one on top of the other. She could see the outline of his face and for a second, she could've sworn his eyes twinkled.
They both stared at each other. Once again, Chii was unsure of what was happening but did not break away from his gaze. The man shifted his head down and his hands reached out to her knees. He rubbed them in small circles and welcoming warmth spread through her body. Chii let out a small sigh of relief, but before she became comfortable with this new sensation he already drew himself from her and was already walking away.
"Wait!" Chii called softly, finally finding the strength to stand up, and gasping in amazement as she realized that she could stand fully upright again.
The man hesitated, but kept walking. He was quickly melting back into the bleak surroundings. Chii ran after him in pursuit, desperate to stop this stranger. Her arms stretched out, but before they could embrace him he was gone. They grabbed at nothing but air.
She was alone again. The cold, dark abyss enveloped her and the sense of loss was crushing her heart. She lost him. The one ting that came to her had slipped through her fingers. "What is your name?" Chii finally uttered sadly under her breath.
"Wow….that's so…sad," Yumi said as she dabbed under her eyes with a napkin given by Chii. "And you have this dream often?"
Chii nodded and handed another one to her. Yumi grabbed it and blew her nose loudly, similar to a foghorn.
"But do you know who that person is?" Yumi asked again. The question strongly reminded Chii of the hidden character from the corner at the bakery that she saw in brief instances, but recently he was not there anymore. Chii shook her head and replied softly, "No, Chii does not know."
"It's just a dream. I'm sure it will go away in time," Yumi said encouragingly. Chii nodded back in acknowledgement.
"Hello?" Ueda popped his head into the room. "Can someone help me with these sale figures? I need someone to double check the total orders," he said sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment.
"I'll help!" Yumi piped up brightly and was immediately at his side, clarifying his calculations.
Chii watched the both of them interact with interest. Ueda was a kindhearted man and she liked working under him. He chuckled nervously as Yumi found out that he mistakenly misplaced the decimal points so instead of fifteen boxes of assorted cookies there were one-hundred and fifty. But Yumi smiled good-naturedly as he stammered his thanks. It seemed to Chii that the manager was more prone to make mistakes. She wasn't sure it was a good thing, but he tended to smile more in her presence. Chii looked over to see Yumi pulling out bags of flower from the cupboard. Over the last couple of days, the two girls got along very well. Yumi was always skipping around with a smile on her face whenever she came to work. Sometimes she could be too animated and get carried away with whatever chore she was doing. Manager Ueda was probably the only human being has the ability to handle her seemingly boundless amount of energy.
"Yumi-chan, are you sure you can hold those up? Maybe I should help," Ueda spoke with concern.
"It's all right. I can handle it," Yumi replied positively. She was balancing herself on the stool, one large bag of flour slung over each shoulder. Just then, her foot slipped off the edge and she let out a gasp.
"Ah!" Yumi cried out in surprise.
"Yumi-chan!" Ueda immediately shot his hands out and placed them firmly around her waist, preventing her fall. Chii saw the two bags of flour flying toward her and bluntly caught them in her already open arms.
"Yumi, are you all right?" Ueda asked, checking to make sure she was not hurt.
"Um…uh, I'm fine," Yumi said breathlessly. Her face was flushed, but she didn't think it was just from the as she lowered her head down to his hands still holding her. The manager followed her gaze and immediately pulled them away in embarrassment. A tint of red appeared on his cheeks.
"Chi?" Chii's head was cocked to one side as she watched Ueda and Yumi completely flustered. She lifted the two flour bags up in question.
"Oh, Chii! Um, bring the flour back over here," Ueda said sheepishly, gesturing to the counter behind him. Yumi stepped down from the stool, still not having complete eye contact with Ueda. Chii looked at Yumi confusingly, but she bowed her head to the manager and made her way to the backroom.
Before Chii knew it, the sun was beginning to set, turning the streets to a faint glow of golden brown. It was finally closing time.
"Okay Chii, here is your first pay for this week. You did a fascinating job." Chii held out her hands with her palms open and received a white envelope with her name on it.
"Thank you manager," Chii spoke happily in reply.
"Tommor is Saturday so you don't have to come and work," Ueda said kindly, "Just relax and enjoy yourself."
"Will Yumi go home too?" Chii questioned as she turned around and spotted her still wiping up the tables.
"Ah, not right now. I haven't finished yet," she replied, her arm shifting up and down attempting to scrub off a particularly stubborn spot of dirt. "Go on without me. You know how to reach back to the apartment now right?" Yumi had shown Chii how to walk back from the bakery before. Chii nodded.
"You know, I could clean up instead. You don't need to stay longer than you have to," Ueda spoke up.
"Oh, but it's my job! It's not a big deal! I don't mind staying here…," Yumi trailed off.
Chii looked at the both of them again and she had a slight idea that it was best to depart.
"Chii will leave now," she bowed once more and waved goodbye.
"Goodbye Chii!" Yumi waved back.
"Stay safe!" Ueda called, and with a final wave, Chii left the bakery.
She walked down the sidewalk, passing the town's main plaza and made a left turn in an alley. Chii did not have a definite route, but she knew the general location of where the apartment she housed in was. Her feet carried Chii to the end of the alleyway and reached a crossroad.
"Chi?" She looked around in confusion. She placed a hand to her cheek, trying to remember which direction to take at this point. Her gaze moved from left to right and back again.
"Are you lost?"
Chii whirled around and saw a man standing in the middle of a grassy field. He was wearing a white coat and blue jeans. His dark-brown hair was a bit long, the tip reaching to his collar and he had circle glasses. A large, strange looking contraption sat next to him. She could not imagine what it could do but it looked complicated to her.
"Who are you?" Chii asked curiously.
"Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself," He made a short bow. "My name is Yoshiyuki Kojima. I'm currently a resident here. What is yours?"
"Chii," she bowed back to him respectively. "Does Yoshiyuki know where to go to the inn?" Chii asked with a worried tone.
"Take a right from here and you will pass through a small park. After that, you should be able to see where it is," he replied, his eyes examining her interestingly. Chii felt like she was being x-rayed. Her gaze moved over to the machine next to him which was softly making clicking sounds. "What is that?" she asked, her finger pointing to it.
"Oh, that is a piece of equipment that allows me to detect certain patterns around this area. I'm gathering data for my research," he answered amusingly.
"Why does Yoshiyuki need to gather data?" she questioned, her head cocked to one side.
"Oh, I would love to explain all the fascinating details of my research, but I'm almost done and I should return to my residence." He glanced at his watch. "It is getting late, and don't you need to go back home too?"
"Oh, Chii will go now. It is nice to see you. Chii hopes to see Yoshiyuki again." Chii waved to him and hurriedly went on her way.
Yoshiyuki chuckled to himself and looked back to the machine. A red light appeared on the screen, but it vanished as soon as he saw it.
"Oh yes, I hope we meet again," he said to himself in the same amused tone.
Chii was walking faster now and crossed a bridge leading to a thin, dirt pathway. Trees towered above her like giants, branches reaching over her forming a tunnel of leaves and flowers. Even the grass here seemed more vibrant and alive as they danced with the gentle breeze. She looked all around her with amazement at the splendor of this new location. Never in her life had she been to such a mysterious yet wondrous place.
However, as time went on, Chii became more tired and her body felt heavier with each step. She felt that she had wandered for hours and was growing weary of fatigue and exhaustion. There seemed to be no end in sight and she wondered if Yoshiyuki had given her the wrong directions or that she took the wrong turn somewhere. It became hard for her to keep her eyes open as she continued to limp along. Finally her knees gave away and landed hard on the dense ground.
"Ow," she muttered, looking down at her knees now scraped red. Chii had no idea where she was going and what she would do. She might even have to sleep here, but there was always the danger of wild animals and this place that she came to certainly looked like a home for many beasts. Her body shivered from the cold air so Chii pulled her legs close and sat on the path. Her head was nodding off and sooner or later, sleep would overtake her.
Then she sensed movement between two large oaks. Chii looked at the spot, wide-eyed with fear. She prayed that it was not wolves and desperately wished to be back to her familiar apartment with the landlady, Ms. Hibiya. She clenched her eyes tightly and hid her face behind her legs. Then she heard a rustling, closer this time. It became too hard for her to breathe properly and she held her breath, waiting for it to come closer and closer until she could bear it no longer.
Chii finally looked up with dread and to her surprise there was a person a short distance away. Yet, the outline of his body was blurred and she could not tell if he was truly there or not. The man was wearing a dull grey mantle with a ragged cloak. He had chocolate-brown hair that fell over his face, shielding his eyes. His feet slowly carried him near a withering flower at the side of the dirt road. He bent down and brought his hands out. They glowed with a faint, blue light and its wrinkled brown petals began to unfurl and turn back to its original, healthy blue color. His hand shifted higher and the flower seemed to grow at a quick rate, following it in a twisting pattern with its leaves spread out wide.
Chii had never seen anything like this before. She was rendered speechless and she could do nothing but stare at this incredible phenomenon. The man pulled himself back up and looked around and saw a butterfly fluttering feebly with a broken wing. He gently caught it in his hands and it glowed with the same faint glow, and in an instant it soared away without a trace of an injury.
Then his eyes turned to Chii.
Chii's body froze from the piercing gaze he gave her. Her mind was wiped blank and she could do nothing but stare helplessly with her breath caught in her throat as the man walked toward her with great hesitation. She did not feel terrified but she felt as if she was struck dumb and that none of her body parts would move a single inch.
Chii felt as if time became agonizingly slow as he walked to her and finally he stopped right in front of her and squatted to her eye level. Chii could not tear her amber eyes away from his ink-black ones. After a long silence, he glanced down to her bruised knees and placed his hands on top of them. The familiar blue light glowed again and before her mind had registered what was happening she was overcome with warmth and a deep feeling of comfort. It was a truly unique and welcoming experience that she had never known before. But just as she had begun to enjoy it, he dragged his warm hands away from her knees and she was astonished to see them completely healed.
Chii received her voice back and was about to say something when he looked back at the man he was already walking away.
"Wait!" She cried out, immediately standing up and could not help but be amazed at how much vitality her body had attained. The man stopped for a brief moment, but he did not look back and went on his way. Chii stared at him and was shocked to see him slowly fading away. He was quickly disappearing right in front of her eyes.
Chii ran with every ounce of strength she possessed in her body. Tears were running down her cheeks and she blinked them away as she ran with all her might. How could he just do such a deed without a word of thanks? She wanted this mysterious stranger to know how grateful she felt from this small act of kindness. She wanted to know how he was able to do all these amazing things. And above all, somewhere deep inside of her, she did not want him to disappear from her life. There was something about him made her feel so warm and secure and she did not want that feeling robbed away, never to be experienced again.
Chii's limbs stretched out in despair to the man now almost gone from her sight. She wrapped them around expecting to feel the same emptiness she had always felt in her dreams, expecting for the same result that happened every time she tried to hold him. She will feel nothing and he would be gone, and she would never see him again.
But for the first time it was different.
Her arms caught his body and held unto it as tight as she could. His warmth seeped into her and she trembled with happiness. He had an earthy scent with a hint of pine and it made her relax, but she still did not relinquish her tight grasp. The man was rooted to the ground, completely still from her sudden embrace.
In a muffled voice she softly asked him, "What is your name?"