I would like to thank Umashido, Lithium-Flower567, greyrocks, timisnotmyname, StormyMonday, MAGNUM777, and Seigetsu Ren for looking over this story. I'm not getting much feedback for this story, but that's okay. Thank you for all who have reviewed -all fourteen of you- and please enjoy the next chapter. We've got two more to go before the climax so hold on, grab a drink, and enjoy the latest update.
Part II: Stranger in a Stranger World
Saito had to get up early the next morning to catch the girl. When he opened his eyes, as the morning light shown through the window, the girl was already getting ready for her duties. He didn't want to be a bother to her but he needed to get back to civilization. So when she was reaching for the door, getting ready to go out, he called out to her in a firm voice. "Wait!"
The girl slowly turned to him, while looking at the floor, and shook her head. She seemed to be saying no, though what she was saying no to could be anyone's guess. No matter. Saito needed an answer to a very important question, and by kami he would get his information, even if he had to step on a few toes to do it.
"I need to get back to people." Seeing he was getting no reaction from this he sighed. "I need to call someone."
The girl for a brief moment froze. Saito saw her hands, feet, and shoulders swiftly turn to ice, then she moved slightly. Her body didn't sway but he could see her tremble when he said he would call people. Saito was no genius but he was pretty sure the girl was trying to hide away from others. Well, if that were the case he would reassure her he would not tell anyone.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you are here." He looked at her pointedly. "Besides, I might need to come back if things don't go okay. " If this really was a foreign land he wasn't sure if he would be able to communicate with the natives. That idea did not rest well with him, but what else could he do? The longer he didn't contact his parents, the more trouble he would be in later. He didn't want to worry his family, and if that meant begging some foreigner for help then so be it.
The girl seemed to take her time answering his question because she was looking around the room in a panic. It was like she was searching for an exit, even if the exit was right behind her. Would she tell him how to get to town? Would she just lock the door and make him live in this cottage? Or, and this was the scary part, would she just kill him? She was faster, stronger, and certainly more agile than he was.
But that didn't happen. Instead she just sighed, looked slightly defeated, and pointed her finger past the window.
Saito looked at where she was pointing and nodded to himself. He had a feeling civilization was that way because he had seen a sort of path traced there, and possibly even horse cart tracks. He wasn't sure about this, since he had never seen horse cart tracks before, but there were hooves next to the tracks and there weren't many animals that pulled thin wheeled constructs like that.
"Thank you."
The girl politely nodded and left him.
"I'll keep my promise!" He shouted. "You won't have to worry about anyone following me back! I swear!"
The girl stopped before she escaped his view completely and looked at him. He didn't know but maybe, just maybe she was happy? That would make sense, she sure looked the part of the fugitive. Though why on earth would she save him if that were the case? If she didn't want to be found wouldn't leaving him to die hungry and injured be a better idea? He would have to figure out the mystery behind the girl later.
Right now he had to get back to people with phones, computers, and complicated machinery. Of course he would need to scale the forests between here and the next town or city. So preparing everything he needed, which consisted of the clothes on his back, he made his way to the direction the cloaked girl directed him to and made sure not to slow down. Who know how long he would have to travel, so it was best not to dawdle.
The only problem with NOT taking a brake was keeping conscious. He was so tired, and his hands kept itching. The food he ate yesterday wasn't very filling and he hadn't had clean water since he had lost consciousness. He wondered if there was a lake nearby where he would be able to get some, but figured that if that were the case the girl would have done so.
This place, wherever it was, was so isolated that many people probably avoided it. It made sense then that it wouldn't have the kind of resources that attracted trackers, hunters, and the like. He wondered if he would even find fish and realized that he was assuming too much about the landscape.
Of course he couldn't help it. It just look too much like a video game and those two moons... what was up with those two moons? When did the moon split in half and become two? Why hadn't anyone told him?
He didn't think he was that naïve, but anything was possible when you were Hiraga Saito, so maybe the moon really did turn into two different orbs and he just didn't notice it.
"Yeah right. Something fishy is going on."
That thought kept resurfacing the longer he kept walking down the forest. When the girl directed him to the nearest human habitat she didn't mention just how long he would have to walk. He started the journey during the morning and now it was late afternoon. Maybe for her it was a short, brisk walk, but Saito was a normal human being; walking long distance hurt.
Not only that but he didn't see a hint of human construction in any place. He didn't see any signs, he didn't see road maps, nor did he see any built trails. This didn't make any sense, but perhaps this was some kind of wild life preserve, though that didn't explain why the horses were able to stroll through here…and why would anyone use horses? Not only was that unreasonable but weren't cars easier to use?
In any case, that thought flew out from his mind because the next instant he saw what he had been searching for: a town.
"Finally!"
A wide smile fell upon his face and he looked ahead. There were people there, dressed in strange clothes, but they were people one and the same. As he got closer he saw many different hair colors and hair styles. Some were down right strange like a beard that fell down to one's leg, while others seemed a bit too hard to maintain, like long braided hair which trailed the floor. What kind of place was he in?
Of course that didn't compare to the clothing they wore, since it looked like something out of one of those RPG or Dungeon and Dragon type anime he watched back when he was a kid. Heck, he was pretty sure he saw a knight in black armor riding nearby. It reminded him of that knight in Record of Lodoss War almost. Though that didn't make much sense since THAT knight always had an elf-girl companion nearby and this one clearly didn't look like he wanted anything to do with the place.
No matter. Saito needed to talk to someone and that's what he was here for. "Excuse me!" He called out to anyone.
Someone looked at him, an old man, but then the old man just tilted his head and went back to what he was doing. Saito frowned and walked up to him. "Sir? Can you tell me where I am?"
The old man looked at him with annoyance and said something in a foreign language.
"What?"
The old man said something again.
"I'm sorry but I don't understand you."
The old man pointed to some place and Saito walked there.
"Darn. Looks like I'm going to need a translator."
Saito walked into what looked like a police station, though it looked like one from the Legend of Zelda, as the police seemed to be wearing armor? "Can someone help me?"
The armored knights looked at him suspiciously. "I'm Japanese." Saito waved his hands in the air. "Banzai! Banzai!"
The knights looked at each other again.
"C'mon you don't know Japan?"
The knights didn't seem to know a word he was saying. Not even the name of his country. This wasn't good. He decided to walk toward the station and the knights started to let him pass. They watched him critically as he entered and Saito got a look at the place. Nothing technological was here. Not a computer, not a phone, or even a GPS system..wait was that a map on the wall?
"Finally I can get a better look at where I…what the hell is this?"
…
…
Saito couldn't stop running. Before he knew what he was doing he had rushed out of the station, past the butcher, past the mason, and all the odd trades that took place in times gone and past. His mind was going a thousand miles per minute trying to make sense of the map. The map looked kind of like Europe, only it didn't have any of the European countries he remembered. Germania, Albion, Tristain, those names didn't exist in his world.
Then there was the fact that one of those lands seemed to be floating, according to the map, and there were bodies of water on the map that were certainly not listed in his maps back home. The police, or at least he thought they were police, had tried to catch him as he ran out of there originally, but they had given up. Probably because they didn't care. He was some strange foreigner who just went crazy after seeing the map.
When he got his breath back, it was when he stopped. He turned around and looked at the town more carefully. Every house, every shop, and every statue seemed to radiate a feudal era vibe. There didn't seem to be any skyscrapers, modern buildings, hospitals, or even schools. He looked another direction and saw farms in the distance as well as flocks of sheep. Okay, so he was in some backwater place. But what kind of backwater place had such a ludicrous map?
He shook his head, trying to clear all the idiocy, or fantasy, he had just witnessed. He needed to keep calm, he needed to think things through, and he knew that he wouldn't survive out here if he made a mistake. He took a few steps back in the village area, when he noticed that there were men gathering in it. It was the armored knights he had ran past. They seemed to be setting up a patrol of some sort, but for what reason?
Then, his mind stopped, "They can't be looking for me…can they?"
He didn't know for sure, but he didn't want to take that chance. If they thought he was some kind of lunatic, a danger to their town, or just plain trouble he knew they would lock him up. The fact that he couldn't speak their language just made it worse. And what language was this? Did Earth even have a language like this? He wasn't well versed in the languages of the world but…this tongue felt so alien.
"I should get back," Yes, back to the cottage where they wouldn't find him, "Better hurry."
He bent down to check that his shoes were tied, and he also tucked in the bottom of his jeans into his socks. Satisfied that everything was in order he made a dash toward the cottage and didn't look back. He ran and ran until he was sure they wouldn't catch him and took some time to rest on a boulder when his breath hitched. He was so tired, so weary, and he knew that if he didn't take a rest now he would likely collapse. Saito hadn't had a decent meal in a long while, and if he didn't get something in him soon he didn't know what he would do.
Fortunately he hadn't lost his way back to the cottage since he could…sense where the place was? No. That wasn't right. He couldn't sense where the cottage was exactly but he just knew where the girl was. He knew where to find her, how to find her, and knew the general direction where she may be in.
Deciding to trust his instincts, Saito stood up and walked through the creepy trees, the vast darkness, and the fireflies that started appearing around him. Under normal circumstances, they would have been beautiful but he was afraid for his life.
Not only was he in a strange place, that looked a lot like a Fantasy videogame, but he couldn't speak their language either. And then something worse hit him. He just realized that the girl seemed to understand what he said, and yet he didn't speak their language? What? How? Why? Why didn't she tell him he was talking different from f the rest? Why did she make him believe he could communicate with them.
"Unless it wasn't my voice she was hearing…" That thought stopped. He didn't want to dwell on telepathy, or things o thatf nature. He was over thinking things. Things like telepathy didn't exist. But then a floating island (according to the map) shouldn't exist either, "Hah! I know it's a joke right…a practical joke."
He looked for the cameras, looked up at the sky, through the woods, and on the ground. "Maybe they're in my clothes."
Saito started removing his clothes, first his shirt, then his pants, then, when he got to his boxers, he stopped, "If there really are cameras here…I better not."
He didn't want people streaming his nudity online –if this was some reality game show- and he preferred to stay warm. The night was bringing in cold and the fireflies around him didn't make him feel any warmer. However there was one thing strange about the fireflies. They seemed to be gathering around something and Saito had a feeling that he should follow what they were gathering around.
But before he could follow those insects he had to take a look back, check if anyone was following him, and then look around for traps. If this was a game show then there might be booby traps to make the viewers more entertained.
He frowned at that idea and turned back to the flying glow lights. "Where are they going?" Saito rubbed his eyes as he got closer and closer to the mass of glowing insects. "And why are there so many…what's that?"
He stopped walking to take a look at the sight in front of him and then his ears caught sound. It was the sound of something playing, the sound of music, of some kind of string instrument. Saito had never heard something so melodious in his life and immediately stopped to listen. Even though he was tired he felt himself slowly healing from the sound of music.
It was almost like magic.
…
…
Saito had never played an instrument in his life. His parents didn't have the money to send him to lessons, and he didn't have the motivation to do well in the arts. He liked to think he was a good judge at music though, because he watched plenty of anime. The openings and endings of many shows carried many rhythmic sounds, but they all lacked something the song he was hearing lacked.
Mystery.
The song he was hearing was in a language he couldn't understand. But no matter how he looked at he understood the intent behind it. He could feel the soul of the singer, and feel himself drawing closer and closer to the voice. The Demon Moons in the night sky, one blue, one red, smiled down at him with their glow and he could see the fireflies around him spinning in some intricate dance. He didn't dance like this but he felt like he should.
His steps however couldn't go past a large bark because his feel were numb from running earlier. So he did the next best thing and looked up at the sound, no, you can't actually look up at sound, but you can look at the mouth, the instrument, and object that is making it. That's what he tried to do at least, but the lights in the night sky were blocking his vision, first the moon light then the floating insects.
That was sad because he really did want to see who was singing. Because the sound made him feel energized, made him feel alive, and made him want to dance, be carried out with the tide of her fortune. Though her fortune was sad, as he could tell from the song, and lonely as well.
"Wait.." he whispered. "Don't go…" Saito took a few more steps and the song kept growing loader. The string instrument, something that looked like a harp, glowed gold in the moon light and he could almost see the outline of the glowing figure sitting on top of the tree. His eyes danced around the body, the body that was distinctly female but he still couldn't get a good look at her. Because of the shadow that was cast in an odd angle around her, along with the glowing insects that surrounded him, forcing him to close his eyes on numerous occasions.
But he did know one thing about the singer's looks. She, for it certainly was a she, was absolutely beautiful. And she wore a dress that hugged her body. Saito couldn't get a good look at the body, but the proportions were beyond imagination, in fact it would have to be one of imagination, because the outline of the body said that her chest made up half her mass. That couldn't be right, and so he deduced this must be another delusion.
But did delusions have sound? Did delusions have taste and did it have smell as well? For he could smell her too. She smelt like the forest, like the trees, like the life that gathered here and grew. She felt like the wind, free, ever moving, always trying to find her way home. Saito was no poet, but Saito was a boy of instinct.
"Hey! Can you hear me?" he called out.
Of course sometimes his instincts got him into trouble.
The figure in the moon light, with her golden hair, for now he could see the reflection of the moon, looked at him for a second and then Saito blinked. And when he opened his eyes she was gone. The flies around him were still there, ever glowing, but she was gone. Her song left him, her scent left him, and he felt alone again.
Yet he wasn't alone as that singer.
For at least he had someone.
"I'd better get back to the cabin," he said to himself. "Better ask that girl if there are others around."
He noticed then how close he was to the cottage and sighed. Good. So he hadn't been distracted by that song of sadness. That would have been bad, and in more ways than one. He doubted losing himself to some magical girl, for what else could she be?, would earn him any survival points. Saito prided himself on being a survivor –whether it was living off rations, ramen, or just plain games- and he would be damned if he was going to get lost in a forest due to a siren's song.
"I'm back!" he called out.
He didn't get an answer.
"Are you there?"
He didn't get an answer, until the door of the cabin opened. The figure wore the customary cloak and hat and nodded to him. Saito smiled at that and walked past the bushes and toward the cottage. It seemed the girl was in better spirits than she was before. Something must have happened while he was gone, and maybe she was worried he would never come back?
Nah. Who would want him? He was a nobody, a nothing, and he wasn't much of a student or person. Saito managed to get to the door without tripping on the numerous roots on the ground and looked down to see mould. "There's a lot of green stuff growing on this cottage," he said. "Maybe I should clean that up?"
The girl nodded. She must have given up trying to make him NOT do any work. That was something he appreciated because he needed to earn his keep around her, and she was the best way to do it. Plus, he didn't have anywhere to go, and he knew he would be in huge trouble if someone found him. After what happened to the police –wait a minute.
"Uh, I have a question."
The girl stopped cooking their meal and looked at him.
"This is going to be strange."
The girl didn't make any comment on that. She put her hands together and looked down.
"But…can you understand me?"
The hooded figure nodded her head twice.
Saito sighed. "Good. Now this is going to be even stranger."
The girl waited.
"When I talk…do you understand my words?"
The girl didn't say anything for a minute, then two, then three. "Hello?"
She swayed from side to side, fidgeting every time he eyed her critically.
"…I thought as much." Saito said, putting his hands on his face. "I…you can hear my thoughts?"
The girl shook her head
"But you know what I'm saying?"
She nodded.
"And I'm guessing you don't know my language?"
The girl shook her head.
"Ahh, that's going to be a problem." Saito grabbed a mug from a desk and walked to the sink.
The two didn't talk to each other until Saito decided to break the awkward silence. "Do you know that I can talk to you but not anyone else?"
The girl didn't respond.
"I thought you'd say that." Saito put the cup down and stared at her. "But I wished you didn't."
Saito was not sure more than ever that the girl had an ulterior motive for bringing him to this cabin. Out of all the people in this area only she understood what he was saying, and she didn't understand his words? What was left then? Could she read his body language? Could she read his mind? Was she reading his mind right now? He tried not to show any fear, but he knew it wasn't working.
The girl took a step back. "Hold on, don't go." He took a step forward. "I won't force the issue but I'm wondering why you can sorta understand what I'm saying, but no one else can…"
It was a good question. It wasn't hard, or tricky, or even something very important. Why wouldn't she give him the answer? There had to be a reason and the more he eyed her, the more he realized she knew more than what she was letting on. What was her secret? And why was she so afraid of him?
"Do I scare you?"
She nodded.
"Would it help if I promised you I won't hurt you."
She shook her head.
"Then why do this to me? You know I don't belong here-"
He stopped. He didn't belong here. This place, this realm, this forest, this world even.
"It's all like .hack/signs...it's all a video game..."
...
...
Saito cleaned up the house while the girl chopped wood. Once she was done the two got ready to make dinner. Saito had never cooked food like this before, but he was more than willing to learn. The girl wasn't a good instructor, but she was patient. The boy made sure to follow her movements and tried not to make a single mistake.
He didn't know how his meal turned out but when it was done the two were able to eat it. He guessed that was a good thing. The other alternative was throwing the food out, and they didn't want to do that. Food was scarce enough in this place without having to get rid of it, and the less they wasted, the more they gained. He looked at the girl's portion and frowned.
She had taken a small portion once again.
Why? Because she was just like that. She was kind, honest, thoughtful, and didn't ask him for anything. Saito was starting to feel more and more like a mooch the longer he stayed here, so he decided to take the next course of action in his plan. Assuming this place worked like a video game, he would need to make a quest, and there was no time like the present to start one.
"I wanted to ask you about where we are."
The girl looked up from her meal.
"So I was looking at the map and I realized this continent is divided into large land masses."
She nodded again.
"And I've noticed we are in…where?"
The girl didn't answer and he didn't expect her to.
"Are we in Albion?"
The girl titled her head.
"Yes. Albion, the floating island, Is that were we are?"
The girl seemed to be thinking because it took a while to shake her head. Saito sighed at that. He was pretty sure they were in Albion. Unless the girl was consciously trying to make herself forget there was just no way they could NOT be in Albion.
"Well it seems like I learned a lot about this place today."
The girl looked up from her meal.
"There are mages, dragons, knights, and strange monsters here…" He let the rest hang.
So far the girl didn't seem surprised by this answer so this was the norm of the place. This wasn't going to trigger any event, and he needed an event to finish this game. He thought about how to approach the question he was going for and came up with nothing. In fact the question he wanted to ask would cause a lot of trouble -if she took it the wrong way.
No. Better to ask when the time is right.
"This is a pretty good meal, isn't it?" he asked.
The girl nodded.
Saito smiled. He knew his cooking was terrible but she was willing to overlook that. "Sorry. I'll try to do better tomorrow."
He really would.
…
…
Saito's theory of whether this was really like .hack/sign was starting to bear fruit the next day, when he visited the shops in town. It seemed that he had gotten himself on a wanted list, not as a criminal, but as some kind of crazy person or an illegal alien. Honestly, he couldn't tell which, and didn't particularly care. What he did care about was getting supplies for their house, or rather the house he was currently living in.
The girl had been reluctant to talk to him about this world; only squeaking and scurrying away, looking afraid when he wanted to know the history of the place. Without being able to talk to anyone he wasn't able to do much so far, but knew one thing: they needed new pots and pans.
The cottage was in excellent shape, the girl took care of that, but never went out to get anything she really needed. She could have traded all that wood for something like new gardening wear, brooms, or even a mop, but she didn't. Instead she lived like a recluse and depended on absolutely no one.
Part of Saito liked that about her, but another part felt sorry for her. That's why he was out here today getting things that she needed. The problem was, he couldn't speak their language so he had to get her to write a note on a piece of paper of things he could trade for. Sure, he may not be able to understand a word of what the man in front of him was saying, but he got the general idea.
...
...
The iron smith wanted all the wood he brought with him for a few pans.
That didn't sit well with Saito, but what else could he do? The armored knights were looking for him, some of the people in the bazaar looked at him suspiciously, and the girl was counting on him. How was he going to explain to her that he had caused such a fuss with the law around here?
"Damn, this is so complicated."
Stopping at a shop where they solved shovels and gardening wear, Saito dropped the remaining wood he had brought with him. He glanced at the logs and sighed. They were of excellent quality. The girl knew where to find the best dried wood, and the fact that it was of this quality was astounding. She didn't even need to cut down an old tree. In fact, he suspected that she didn't want to.
One of those nature type people she was, the youngest Hiraga figured.
"I just wish we'd get more for what I'm trading." He hated that they were being ripped off. Like a lot of young males, Saito liked a good deal. He liked to bargain where he could, and loved to save money. Just giving away their supplies wasn't good enough for him, but what could he do? They both needed to escape the law, or at least he suspected, and until things cleared up he was stuck here.
"Better make the most of today." Saito walked past the stalls and into a library. "Let's see now…" He was about to look for books, even if he couldn't read a single one of them, when someone stopped him. It was an old matron of about fifty. She was wearing a deep purple dress that covered her entire body.
Saito tried to move around her, but she wouldn't budge. He tried to back away, then come another time, but she was guarding her domain like it were her own brood.
"Yes. This is looking more and more like a video game." So far he could trade wood for supplies, and there were people who guarded regions of access from the main character. Then there was the whole fantasy element he was starting to discover.
"Oi, the dragons are going to fly!" a boy shouted.
Saito turned to see a very common show in these parts. Sometimes a local soldier would come by to show off their dragons. The dragons would fly around and not give a single person a ride, no matter how much they begged. The riders themselves seemed to wear better clothes than most of the people here and carried what looked like magic wands.
Saito was no genius, but even he could tell that they were likely magicians, that's what usually occurred in video games such as this. Didn't Tsukasa from .hack/sign carry some kind of staff? Didn't that wizard from some other television show carry one like that too? Magic in this place revolved around waving those wands and creating elements, or so it seemed.
"Show us another fireball!" The kids were trying to get the soldier to show off their tricks. "Pleasseeee!"
Saito watched the disdain on the soldier's face. He was more than willing to take the money, but was unwilling to give them a good show. Saito didn't know anything about the currency of this area but he could tell people here were poor, and the man was getting a lot of currency from these gawkers.
Saito shook his head at that and turned away. He should probably go back to the forge to see if the man had his supplies ready. On the way, he found his wanted poster had been replaced with another. Apparently the police, or what equated to them, had actually discovered a real criminal and was after him. Saito wondered if this was the part where he got super powers and started on a quest.
Of course that couldn't be, could it? For a game to give him a quest he needed something amazing to happen, either a very tragic event or some kind of magician telling him he must complete a certain task. Protect a Princess? Maybe even save an Elf Princess like in Zelda? That would be awesome, but he doubted that was going to happen. For one thing there didn't seem to be any elves around here.
"Hey, watch where you are going!" someone shouted. As usual, Saito didn't know what they said but had almost run the guy over so he understood the intent.
"Sorry," he said, bowing several times. If the man got nasty and reported him to the police, the day would be a bust.
The man looked at Saito carefully, then at the wanted poster, then at Saito again, and sneered.
The man walked away and Saito gave a sigh of relief. For a second he thought he was going to have to fight someone off,and not be sure he would be able to win. That man seemed powerful, too powerful for his own good. In fact, most of the people in this area seemed perfectly fit, like they had been used to hard labor.
The only ones who didn't look fit were the rich looking magicians that carried staffs and wands. Saito guessed that they worked outside of manual labor, perhaps something in the realm of academics. In any case, this wasn't his problem, and it would stay that way until he found out for certain what he was doing here. And how he was going to get out of this virtual reality video game.
"Thanks, sir," Saito said. "Here is the rest of what I owe you." He put the blocks of wood down trying not to trip. He had allowed a nearby stall to keep his goods until he made the negotiations ,but carrying the blocks of wood was no easy task. The girl in the cloak helped him with transport all the way to the edge of town, but she refused to enter.
Saito didn't ask her why, even if it was a good time to, but instead went about his work. As soon as negotiations were finished, he packed all his supplies in a bag the girl had handed him earlier. It seemed to be made of leather. Not just any leather, but leather from a wild predator. Saito shivered at the idea of the girl killing and tanning something to make the leather bag. Then again, her cloak seemed to have brown leather strapping and that didn't scare him, but having to hold this material was a bit uncomfortable, knowing where it could have come from.
…
…
That night there was a storm and Saito shivered uncontrollably as the winds battered at the cabin. He didn't know how the girl could live like this, all alone in the forest, with the elements the way they were. He wondered if the windows would shatter any second now because they creaked, but figured the girl had done something to stop that. If not they could do some repairs tomorrow, and the both of them could get it done as soon as the night was through.
Then Saito figured out something he had been dreading since the rain started. Up until this night he hadn't complained one bit about the storm, or about the cold, or that he had to sleep on the floor, but more and more the floor was turning colder. He looked down and pulled off the carpet from his body to find why that was the case. Every inch of the floor where his feet were was wet with icy water. He looked up and saw a leak on the roof.
He turned to face the sleeping girl, who he suspected never slept at night, an called out, "We have a leak."
The girl only moved around in her bed, and then she came out. Saito turned away so that she could put her hat on her head,and wrap the cloak around her body. Once that was done she moved to where he was currently sleeping and looked up. Saito couldn't see the expression she made, but he was pretty sure she wasn't happy about this. This was her house, and the elements were tearing it apart.
"I guess I'm gonna have a hard rest tonight, ain't I?" he said sheepishly.
The girl looked a bit nervous.
"Don't worry about it. I'll just sleep over there." He pointed to a place far away from the fire place.
The girl made no reply.
"Well. Nothing to do but get up and go." He made to stand up when the girl did something that surprised him.
She touched his shoulder. This was something she had never done before -well not when he was awake. She kept her distance and looked downright scared whenever he came near. He turned his face away, aware that his face was burning up. Girls had never touched him back in his old World. Back in Tokyo whenever he tried to ask someone out, he would choke up and fail miserably. Now in this dark, dank cabin he was with a possible deformed girl, and he felt the same way.
"I'm…err..do you want something?"
The girl slowly pointed her hand to her bed.
"No, you can't mean…."
She nodded
"You want me to sleep there?"
She nodded.
"But where are you going to sleep?"
She pointed to her bed again.
Saito stopped himself from gasping. The girl was offering to sleep with him? Well, not in THAT way but the idea was the same. Wasn't she aware he could take advantage of her? Then again her strength might tear him in half if he tried so maybe, just maybe he would give it a shot. He looked at her to confirm this and she nodded. Carefully Saito went to a place nearby the door and started putting on a shirt. When he slept he only wore his undershirt and boxers. Now he had to sleep with the girl, so getting a hard-on in the middle of the night was NOT a good thing. If anything it was likely to get him murdered in his sleep, even if the girl seemed too meek for her own good.
"Okay. I'm going to ask again. This is okay isn't it?" he laughed a little bit.
The girl just brought her sheets up to cover herself –as if she wasn't covered enough – and looked at him.
"Fine. I'll just be going in." He moved into the bed, slowly took a share of the sheets and turned away from her. His face was so red you could cook eggs on it, and his heartbeat was off the charts. He wondered if the girl was feeling the same, but he somehow doubted it. Who would ever feel like THAT when he was the one sharing a bed.
'Kami,' he thought, 'wish I was a bit manlier.'
He closed his eyes as these thoughts went through his mind and missed the head that turned to look at his back.
…
…
The girl made sure not to make a sound. If he knew she was watching him, he might wake up. She didn't want that. Not when he was shivering like this. She could tell he wasn't used to the cold and if this kept up he was going to catch a horrible disease. A disease was not something he could afford to catch because they had no doctor in these parts, and she couldn't pay them in money if there was.
So what could she do?
He was quickly going into deep sleep –something that surprised her- so she had some time to think about her next action. Her hands reached out to touch the muscles on his shoulder, and she felt his body temperature. It was burning up and if she didn't get it warmed up he could be in serious trouble.
"Mother, what should I do?" she whispered into the dark.
A bolt of lightning flashed, and a storm of water splashed onto her roof.
…
…
The girl made her decision the moment he started coughing, she knew what she had to do and thus put her blanket aside and dragged herself toward the shivering boy. Outside the thunderstorm was getting worse and inside was getting colder. She could hear the wind pummel through the cracks in the cabin wall and hear water drip from the ceiling. If she didn't warm him up now, she didn't want to think what would happen later.
Carefully she pressed her body against his own and felt him start to calm down. No. That wasn't accurate. His body temperature was rising, but so was his heartbeat. Maybe he sensed what she was doing? Maybe, but she doubted that, since he was in such a deep sleep. His breathing was still high, he was still sweating, and the groans escaping his mouth did not sound pleasant. What was she supposed to do now? Slowly she wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him to her. She allowed her body temperature to heat his.
This was something she had never done before. In the past her mother had done this to her, but the girl didn't think she would do this to anyone ever in her life. She was supposed to stay way from humans, yet at the same time her mother told her to always help people when they were in trouble. This boy, this boy who could be a tool of destruction, needed her help now and she would give it. But there was one problem with helping him.
The more time she spent with him, the more contact she made with him, and the more her memories came back. She felt like someone had pulled out trash she had been burying under mounds of dirt and bringing it to the surface. She could see the teachings of her mother more clearly, she could hear the lessons her mother drilled into her, and she could feel the presence of the Void she had tried desperately to escape.
Magic, to the girl, was rather scary as the last time she had seen it was when her mother used it. That day the villagers found them, that day when she heard the villagers scream in absolute and utter terror when her mother used her magic, and came back into the cabin covered in blood. Her body shivered and she pulled herself closer to the boy. What was he doing here? What purpose did the Left Hand of God come here for?
She was lonely, very true, but she didn't want to hurt no one. She didn't want to conquer nations, change destinies, or shape the world. The Left Hand of God, the Gundulf, the Gandalfr, the Slayer of a Thousand was an ancient familiar that hadn't been summoned since the Founder's Time. Darn. This wasn't good. Her mind was becoming sharper, more focused, and something else was coming out. She felt the need to call out to this familiar. She felt the need to make a contract with this familiar. With those feelings, she felt herself tug at him even closer to her body.
Of course what she didn't know was how close she was to making a contract with the boy. She couldn't possibly know that all the spellwork needed to make the contract had already been set up. She couldn't know that all she needed to do was reach out and kiss him and the runes on the boy's hand would appear. Had she known this she may not have gone so close to him, but she did and that's why the runes glowed.
"No…It can't be. I didn't make a contract with you…" But she didn't let go of him even as the runes on his hand glowed.
She watched in fascination as the runes showed the ancient language of the Founder, of the Elves, of creatures that lived thousands of years ago. She couldn't read what it said, but the distinct rune set was there. There were only a handful of runes that looked like that, and only two of them could belong to a human being.
His body seemed to be going back to normal as the runes glowed. But why would it glow? Could it be the effect of the contract? Was just being near her activating some part of it? No. That couldn't be. There had to be another reason why the runes glowed while she was near. She just couldn't figure out what. As far as she knew the only reason for it to glow was if she kissed him….
Her face blushed at the thought and she buried it on his back. He smelled nice. He didn't smell like the people of this country. She couldn't explain it, but it seemed like he was the type to keep himself clean. His hair carried an odd scent, like he spent his whole life cleaning it with perfume. Wherever he came from, he must have had access to lots of soaps and the like. She wished briefly that she had things like that, and then chided herself for wanting something so foolish.
Now was the time to help him. Now was the time to make sure he didn't hurt himself in his sleep, and that's what she would do, even if the runes on his hands glowed.
…
…
Saito's heart started racing when he felt a pair of melons press onto his back. His breathing became faster, more embarrassed, and he could feel himself change…down there. This was not good. The girl was probably trying to warm him up, and he was feeling this way. He knew he was a pervert, but getting off while he was direly cold? Only him, he thought. Only he could get horny in such horrible conditions.
Still, he had to admit the girl was taking a big step forward. He would never have expected her to do this for him, but now that she was he wouldn't take advantage of this. She had been nothing but kind to him, and turning around and burying his face into her cleavage would be a horrible way to say 'thank you' at a time like this.
Especially when his hand started to glow.
He didn't want to move his hand to check what the glow was all about, mostly because that would give away that he was awake, and he feared the girl would let him go. And he didn't really want to see what was happening either. The glow was not natural that was sure, and the glow just intensified the closer the girl got to him. Maybe she was doing this to him? Maybe this was her spell? But then what did it do?
The only thing the runes did was glow and make his body feel…good? When the runes glowed he felt himself healing, felt himself become stronger, and even felt a presence in his mind. What was that presence? He couldn't know. All he knew was the presence in his mind felt female. So maybe it was the girl? He had suspected that he had a telepathic link, of sorts, with the girl, but up to what level?
Could she tell what he was thinking? Could she tell how he was feeling?
"Gandalfrrrrr….."
He heard her whisper into his ear, purring almost like a kitten. Saito felt a bit afraid.
"The Left Hand of God, Gandalfr…."
Her voice had an echo, and Saito wasn't sure if the girl even knew what she was saying. Something was off about the way she pronounced…wait.
He could understand what she said.
"Rise Left Hand of God…"
...And still couldn't grasp the meaning behind it.