How to spend your afternoon...

About ten minutes later, Vik was standing outside, waiting to board the bus. Due to certain events, the class's field trip had been cut short. Vik and Kili had barely made it to the entrance before the bus left. Between them stood the raven haired girl, recently dubbed Saria by result of Vik's subconscious imagination. "We're not going to get away with this, kupo." Mumbled Kili as they inched towards the door.

"Of course we are! Ms. Matteya is so clueless, we could have smuggled half of the monsters in that building onto the bus without her noticing."

"Oh, she'll notice, all right. A half-naked girl is pretty hard to miss." The last of the students boarded the bus. It was their turn now. Gulping loudly, they casually approached the door.

"Hold it you two!" Shouted the teacher, her voice unusually stern. She lowered herself Vik in the eye. "Where are your uniforms?"

A wave of relief washed over Vik. This was only temporary, however. "They um..."

"Got dirty, kupo!" Finished the moogle. "So we took them down to the airport laundromat and washed them. They gave us these jogging suits and said they'd mail our uniforms to us when they're done." Vik gave the moogle a hard look; his friend was no better at lying than he was. Luckily, Ms. Matteya seemed to buy it. With their alibis cleared, the teacher then turned to Saria. "And what's your story, missy?" She asked, looking at her distastefully from the oversized jacket to her shoe-less feet.

"She was with us, kupo!"

"Yeah. They didn't carry her size so they gave her the jacket." Yes, they were horrible lies, but what else could they have said? At least they were more believable than the truth.

"Just get on the bus." The teacher said, waving her hand in defeat. "And sit in the back. I don't want anyone to see her in this state." She nodded her head at Saria. "I do hope you three didn't do anything funny. Our school's reputation was at stake." And without a single comment, the group quickly climbed into the bus.

"See. That wasn't so hard." Vik said as they hurried to the back of the bus. As they were the last ones on the bus, a few people turned and offered a few half-hearted glances, relieved that the bus could finally get going. Not one of them, however, noticed a new addition to their class. Only two seats were available in the back so Kili volunteered to sit in the front. "She's your responsibility." he said when Vik started to protest. "You shouldn't have volunteered to do a job if you couldn't commit." And with that, Kili turned around and walked back to the front while Vik flopped down in silent defeat in the back. "You might want to sit down." He said to the girl, motioning at the seat next to him.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine where I..." The bus suddenly backfired, throwing Saria flat on her face.

"That's why!" muttered Vik through gritted teeth, helping her up before anyone could see any-thing (remember, she's bottomless). She did attract a few stares, but since they weren't sure what they were looking for, they only saw what made the noise before turning back to whatever business they had. Saria quickly brushed herself off and stomped to her chair, blushing furiously. "I tried to warn her." Vik said to himself as he took the aisle seat.

---

The class had become rather irritated when they found out their trip had been cut short by over an hour. The Vieras sitting in front of Vik filled him in on the story. The class was just finishing up with the Goblin exhibit when the lights started flashing blue. Their tour guide then led them to a room with an iron door and told us to wait in there until it was safe to come out. "And did you guys see any monsters?" Vik asked when they finished their story without mentioning a rabid horde of Flans and Lamias.

The Vieras seemed rather annoyed with his question. "Of course we did. Where do you think we went? A post office?"

"I meant live monsters." It was at this time that the Vieras decided that Vik was just trying to annoy them. They gave him a look like he was crazy before returning to their gossiping. Vik fell back into his seat. "They didn't see them." He thought. "They don't even know what was going on." After experiencing the most common reaction, as displayed by the two Vieras, Vik decided to keep his mouth shut about the events of today.

As for him and his charge, the two of them didn't talk much for most of the bus ride. The girl seemed caught up in something, staring intently out the window as if something unexpected was going to happen. Saria was obviously still mad about the incident in the hanger and Vik was still embarrassed about said event. After what seemed like eternity, Vik finally broke the silence. "Look," He began, "I'm really...really sorry."

Without even turning arond, the girl lucidly replied, "For what?"

"About the whole...naked thing." He mumbled, turning his head to conceal his blush.

Saria turned around and snorted at Vik's pathetic reaction. "Don't worry. I'm over that."

A wave of relief washed over Vik as the words were spoken. Now free from his shame, he turned around to face her. The first thing he noticed were her eyes. He wasn't able to see them earlier because they were either closed or he was concentrating on something else. Now that there were no distractions, he saw his reflection in a pair of dull gray eyes. "So what's bothering you?" He said when he realized he was staring again; Saria either didn't notice or didn't care.

Breaking the trance, Saria shifted her gaze first back to the window and then to her feet. "Have you ever had a dream where everyone except you knew exactly what was going on? The kind where you're running around helplessly while they fail to see the madness around them?"

"Yeah." Vik replied, twitching slightly as repressed memories emerged from the subconscious abyss. To him, the eerie description was all too familiar; everyone has had one of those dreams at least once. "So that's how you're feeling right now?"

The girl nodded. Another round of silence followed, allowing Saria to gather up her thoughts. "Vik?"

"What?"

"Do I...know you from somewhere?"

"No. I'm sure this was our first meeting."

"So you don't know who I am?"

"Nope."

"Then how did you know my name?"

"What? I thought you didn't have one!" He said rather loudly. A few people gave him a few annoyed stares. After retuning his volume, he returned to the conversation. "I was only suggesting it. I don't know where it came from."

"Then why does it feel so...right?" She said, staring at her bare feet.

"Who knows. Maybe you heard it somewhere." Vik patted her comfortingly on the back. He could only imagine how hard it was to exist without a name or memories. "But don't worry. This will all make sense sooner or later."

Saria looked up at him, a weak smile was present on her lips. "Thank you."

---

The remainder of the bus ride was spent with Vik teaching Saria everything he could remember about modern life. Most of the things he told her she already knew. Other things created even more questions. They were only a few miles from the station when Vik realized he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Since they left so early, most of the class decided to go home for lunch as soon as the bus let them out. Vik was among the few who came prepared. He reached into his bag and removed a very messy turkey sandwich which he threw together at the last minute that morning. Remembering that he had company, he tore the sandwich in half and gave a piece to Saria. She accepted the concoction of bread and meat and stared at it curiously. "What's this for." She asked.

Vik slumped in frustration. This girl was really clueless. "It's a sandwich." He said, "You're supposed to eat it."

"...eat?" Saria said, tilting her head to the side. At this time, she was starting to attract a lot of attention from the students sitting in front and across from them.

"You know...eat..." He said in a soft whisper, trying to ignore the neighbor's confused glances. "Here. Let me show you." He took a large bite out of his own sandwich, chewed it, and swallowed. "Try it."

Cautiously, Saria took a small bite out of the corner of the sandwich and chewed slowly. Her eyes lit up and a cat-like smile spread across her lips. She quickly swallowed and took another, this time larger, bite. Within seconds, she had finished off her share and was licking the crumbs from her fingers. "Do you have any more?"

Having already finished his own sandwich, Vik shook his head. "But I think I have something else you might like." He reached back into his bag and pulled out two cans of Cola. He popped one open and handed it to her. "It's called soda." He said, popping open his own can and taking a small gulp. "Just swallow it. And be careful not to drink it too fast."

Despite Vik's horrible instructions, Saria got the idea. She took a small sip from the rim and swallowed it. Then, she did something for the first time that was completely unexpected. She started giggling. "The bubbles!" She managed to choke out, trying the best to keep her body from shaking. "They tickled my tongue!" If the bus plunged off a cliff that very moment, Vik would have died happy. Up until now, the girl had either been fuming or confused but had shown only a little of each. Her smile, however, was different. It seemed to fill the whole world with light. And he couldn't help but smile back.

---

After two hours of driving, though it seemed like much more longer, the bus finally pulled into the cemented driveway of the bus station. After doing a quick item check to make sure nothing was left on the bus, the students shoved their way through the center aisle to win a non-existent contest of not being the last off the bus. Having more important things to worry about, Vik decided to wait through the main rush and walked off when the aisle was clear. "Have a nice weekend!" Called Ms. Matteya as Vik and Saria stepped off the bus.

"You too..." He answered mindlessly. His brain was way too busy formulating an explanation for his parents. He was sure they wouldn't mind a little company for a few months but they definitely needed to hear a reason first. As the bus pulled away, Vik noticed Kili standing by the vending machines. "Wow...you sure took your sweet ol' time, kupo." Said the moogle as the two of them approached.

"Getting off first is pointless." Vik retaliated, "What's a few seconds of wait worth? A lot less then the risk of bruises and broken bones."

"Whatever, Kupo. So what are you going to do with her?" Kili nodded in Saria, who was admiring the size and shape of the central station.

"Well...I was kinda hoping you'd take her. At least until I can convince my parents to let her stay with us."

"Sorry, Kupo. No can do. I'm staying with at my dad's place tonight. And there's barely enough room there as it is, kupo." Kili's parents were divorced. His mom lived with his grandma in a two-story house while his dad lived in a small one-bedroomed apartment a few miles from town. When fighting over the right of childcare, they decided to split it. During weekdays, Kili would stay at his Mom's house so he'd be closer to school. On weekdays, he had to catch a bus to Newport Village to stay with his dad. It was a difficult lifestyle but Kili had gotten used to it. "Besides, your parents won't mind. Didn't you used to have a sister that shared a room with you?"

"You mean Jeanne? She moved out about a month ago."

"So you have room to spare." Kili plainly pointed out.

"Fine. I guess I'll take her to my house then." Vik said as his final attempt to worm his way out failed. "I'll work on an explanation on the way there."

"Wait! You weren't planning on taking her home like that were you, kupo?" Vik gave him a curious look. "I meant her clothes, kupo! Look at her!"

Vik finally took the time to look Saria over. The only article of clothing she wore, the pilot jacket, was worn and dusty and her feet were black after walking around barefoot. Vik agreed that his parents would more likely agree to house a clean, well-dressed girl than a girl that looked like she was brought in from the streets. "Okay. So what do you propose we do?"

A tiny smile surfaced on Kili's face. "How much money do you have with you, kupo?"

---

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Vik said with an expression of pure horror. He and Kili were standing outside the dressing room in Madame Magnifique, a middle-class clothing store for women. Hundreds of racks were filled with shirts, blouses, tank-tops, pants, jeans, and one-pieces. There was a small section in the back for hats and shoes and a glass counter in the middle was filled with jewelry and perfume. Vik hated clothes shopping, but the fact that they came during a 30 off sale only added to his loathing. Swarms of women had passed through, quickly grabbing the article of clothing they have been watching all week and dashed into the line that could have encircled the whole store. Twice!

"Hey, don't think it isn't hard on me, kupo!" Kili replied, narrowly avoiding a stampede of female Bangaas. "Thank god I have to leave soon. I am NOT looking forward to standing in that line."

"What? You're leaving me alone in a store full of raving customers?"

"Sorry, Kupo. My bus will be here at 4. I can only stay for 15 more minutes, kupo. Hope you get out alive."

A loud cough was heard behind them. Initially, the two of them turned around to see who it was. Behind them stood Saria, now fully dressed in last year's fashions. "So...what do you think?" She said, twirling around so they could see her back. She was wearing a blue denim jacket over a white T-shirt and designer jeans. The clothes weren't as flashy as the ones displayed in the store windows, but tit was a step up from what she was originally wearing.

"You look great, Kupo!" said Kili truthfully. "It's definitely an improvement."

Vik nodded in agreement. She looked almost normal now. After checking the price tags and pooling their money together, they had just enough money left to buy a pair of sandals. As they stood in line to make there purchase, Kili announced he had to leave. "I'll pay you back on Monday!" Vik called after him.

"Don't bother!" Shouted Kili to him from the door. "Consider it a gift." And before he knew it, the moogle was gone, leaving him to fend off bargain crazy customers by himself.

---

It was nearly nightfall when Vik and Saria finally got out of the line. Vik usually came home this late on Fridays so his parents probably weren't worried. As they walked homeward, Vik filled her in on a few house rules. "You do know how to use a bathroom, right?" He asked timidly. The last thing he was looking forward to was potty training.

Saria gave him an annoyed look. "Of course I do. I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"No, you were born today." Mumbled Vik.

After about 10 minutes of walking, they found themselves outside the Fellcrest residence, a spacey, two-story house with a n attic and basement. Most of the first floor had been transformed into a medical clinic and office, with the exception of the kitchen way in the back. It was here where his parents did their daily work. Vik's mom was a pediatrician and acupuncturist and his dad was an amateur surgeon and physician. Each day they opened the doors and treated patients with injuries and illnesses. The bedrooms, living room, and library were all upstairs and the basement was used mostly for storage. "Wait out here." Vik commanded, "I'll tell you when it's okay to come in."

There were only 1 customer left in the waiting room when Vik entered the front door. Vik knew him as Mr. Goldman. He usually came by every week to pick up his cough medicine. As soon as he left, Vik would be able to talk to his parents in private. A door in the hallway opened and Vik's mom stepped out. She was a rather short, plump woman in her mid-fifties with short brown hair curled up in two buns. She wore a regulation nursing outfit, complete with white dress and three-cornered hat, and was carrying a paper bag. She walked right up to the man in the waiting room. "Here you go, Mr. Goldman. Hope you get well soon!" The man wordlessly thanked her and walked past Vik to exit the clinic.

"Hey mom." Vik said as soon as the door closed behind him. His mom turned around and gave Vik a warm smile.

"Welcome home Vik." She said as she walked over to the front desk to retrieve a watering can. "You made it home just in time. Dinner will be ready soon."

Vik listened carefully to every word, waiting for the best moment to spring the question. "Great. Is dad home?"

"No, he got a house call. He won't be back for another hour." As she walked over to water the plants in the window, she noticed a young girl standing on their doorstep. "Is that a friend of yours?" She asked, pointing through the glass and directly at Saria.

"Um...sorta." Vik racked his brain for an explanation and selected the best one. "She's an exchange student."

"An exchange student?" Mrs. Fellcrest took a closer look at the girl. She certainly didn't look foreign. "From what country?"

Unfortunately, that was the extent of Vik's imagination. "I...um, can't pronounce it." He lied quickly.

"She's cute." She said as she returned to watering her plants, compressing her overwhelming smile. "Did the school assign her to you or did you volunteer to bring her home?"

"Um...I volunteered." Vik said, blushing a little. Hey, it was the truth at least.

"Well, we can't leave her standing out in the cold. Invite her in." Of course, 'out in the cold' was just an expression, given the fact that it was well over 70 degrees outside but it was widely known as a surefire statement of acceptance.

"So you're okay with it?" Vik asked eagerly. This was working better than he expected.

Mrs. Fellcrest set the can down by the corner. "Of course I'm okay with it. I can't turn down anyone who took the time to turn up at our doorstep. Besides, things just haven't been the same since your sister left. Having another girl in the house would be good for all of us."

---

While his mom was having a nice conversation with Saria as the two of them made dinner, Vik rushed upstairs to clean his room. For most of his life, Vik tried to keep his room as messy as possible to maintain a 'comfortable environment'. Needless to say, it was in no better condition right now. Vik used to share a room with his sister, but ever since she left, her bed became his makeshift clothes pile. All his laundry, both dirty and clean, shirts and socks alike, found their new home on the old mattress. Books, Manga, and Magazines were spread across the floor. Last month's issue of "Inside Ivalice" hung limply off an old TV set. A half-eaten chocolate bar laid next to a dented alarm clock, which he had thrown across the room when it refused to snooze. Yes, to Vik, his room was a haven. To others, it was a danger zone. And he was sure Saria would be grouped with 'the others'. But even as he cleaned, he managed to keep his reputation as the messiest person alive. He ran around the room, grabbing every bit of reading material and shoving it under his bed. He then gathered up all his clothes and threw them into his own closet, being sure not to mess up the 'order'. As he struggled to close the closet door, his eyes wantered to the left to his sister's closet. His dad had built them separate closets so Jeanne, who usually wore boys clothes, wouldn't get her things mixed with Vik's. Everything in her space was clean, well kept, and even color coded. Even dust refused to touch her side of the room while she was living here. To make a long story short, she was a neat freak and Vik was happy to have the room to himself. All he had to do now was straighten the bed covers and throw away empty wrappers and rotting banana peels.

The room was as clean as ever now and Vik stepped back to admire his work. There were still a few lumps in the blankets and the trash can was overflowing but everything else seemed neat and tidy. The ring of a tiny brass bell signaled the opening of the front door. The voice of his mother shortly followed. "Vik!" she called, "Your father's home! Time for dinner!"

Despite everything his relatives said, Vik looked nothing like his father. To start things off, Dr. Fellcrest had natural green hair, a gene passed down from his Viera mother while Vik's hair was a dark brown. Another difference were their eyes. Vik's father had green eyes, matching the color of his hair, and wore glasses. Vik on the other hand had amber eyes and needed no corrective lenses. He had a long list of things in his mind but it didn't change his opinion on his dad. He was a powerful man, though he was losing a battle against time. Streaks of gray were visible on his balding scalp and new wrinkles seemed to appear every day but even so, his dad was as energetic as ever.

By the time Vik reached the kitchen, Dr. Fellcrest had already gotten acquainted with the new foreign exchange student. He quietly took a seat at the end of the table and tried to join in on their conversation. Vik usually had no idea what his dad was saying and he was sure he could say the same for Saria. She was doing the exact same thing he was doing, smiling and nodding. They continued to do this for a few more minutes until Mrs. Fellcrest brought in the night's main course, Meat Loaf. "Now, my dears..." She said when she spied both men looking wolfishly at the dish. "The guest gets the first serving." And with that, she cut off an extra large piece and laid it on Saria's plate.

"Oh no." Vik thought when he remembered he had forgotten to talk to Saria about manners. "I haven't taught her how to use a knife and fork! If she eats it anything like the way she ate that sandwich..." Vik didn't even want to think about his parent's expressions, much less their reactions. To his surprise, Saria was holding the utensils perfectly and had already cut her portion of the loaf into tiny cubes, which she lifted gingerly to her mouth one by one. "Impressive." Said Dr. Fellcrest as he helped himself to some mashed potatoes. "Watch her closely, Vik. There might be a few things she can teach you."

Vik grumbled. And that was the most he said during the entire dinner.

---

"That was amazing." Vik said. Dinner had been over for almost an hour and he and Saria had retired to his, now their, bedroom.

"It was nothing." She said, shaking her head lightly. "I'm usually used to eating with forks of 5 different sizes."

That was a rather peculiar thing to say. As far as Vik knew, this was the first time she ate at a table. When he pointed this out, Saria only shrugged. "This is impossible." Vik said, flopping down on his bed. "How can you know how to do things like eat with forks and talk elegantly but not remember ever learning them?" Something told Vik that Saria had shrugged again, even though he didn't see it.

"Whatever, let's just go to sleep." He reached over to his bedside table and switched off the lamp. The second he did so, he heard a high pitched scream. He fumbled to find the switch again and quickly turned the lamp back on. "What is it? A spider? A rat?"

The girl was in tears, which was also new to Vik's view on Saria. Acting immediately, Vik went over to her bed and put a hand lightly on her shoulder. "There, there. Don't cry. What's wrong?"

Saria suddenly threw both her around Vik and hugged him tightly. Vik, not knowing what exactly was happening, nervously patted her on the back. "It was so dark!" She sobbed. "I couldn't breathe or see anything. I thought I had disappeared..."

Vik had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes. This girl was afraid of the dark! Then again, he couldn't blame her. There were times even he was a bit uneasy in the absence of light. Dr. Fellcrest's face appeared in the doorway. "Is everything alright? I heard screaming."

"Don't worry, dad. I've got it covered." Vik managed to gasp out--Saria's grip on him was starting to affect his breathing.

As soon as his dad left the room, Saria drew back from her hug of death. "I'm sorry!" She said immediately. "I don't know what came over me. It's just..."

"Save it." Vik interrupted. He reached under his bed and fished out an old night-light. He plugged it into the wall and snapped it on. When he reached back to switch off the lamp, the area between the beds was filled with a soft, orange light. "There. You happy now?"

Across the gap, Vik managed to catch a glimpse of another smile. "Yes. It's perfect."

A/N: The original plan was to use this chapter to give a little background on our character's families. Although this was achieved, it somehow turned into a cheesy romantic comedy. Believe me when I say I'm probably the last guy who would write a romance. But something possessed me to write this chapter and I've gotta say this isn't half bad. Besides, what's a story without a little bit of love?

Also, I would like to apologize for the way I displayed women as deal-snatching hunters. I may have exaggerated it just a little bit but things do get hectic during sales.

And please review. Just a few words mean a lot to an author.