Fakir's POV

"Wow! This place is just…amazing!" You wouldn't find somebody say that about Kinkan Town. Modern technology didn't exactly…exist here; wood was our usual building materials.

But this was Ahiru.

"Only you, Ahiru. Only you." I muttered.

She ran in front of me, nearly tripping over her own feet. She faced me and ran backward. "What do you mean; you don't like living in this town?"

I stared at her so intently that she had to avert her eyes elsewhere and twirl her hair around her finger nervously. I closed my eyes, already tired. "No, what I meant to say was that, Kinkan Town isn't very…contemporary. In a sort of way, we are kind of Amish."

She cocked her head to her side, confused. "Amish?" Apparently, Ahiru still had a lot to learn.

"Amish people are those who don't use enhanced tools and materials that some people in other places do." I struggled for words. It was hard explaining probably every single thing to Ahiru.

She made a face. "So does that mean we're deprived?"

"Not exactly. I mean, we still get by things right." I sighed. "It's just too hard working like this each day."

"Eh? But how can you not love this place? It's full of peace and serenity! And if you don't like living in this place, why haven't you considered leaving already?" She demanded.

Looking her straight in the eye, I answered thoughtfully, "I think there's something special attracting me here." Oh, Ahiru, what you don't know…

That response stumped her. But before she found an appropriate reaction for that, we already arrived at the shop and her mind was turned elsewhere. We went inside, skimming over the merchandise. Well, Ahiru was tripping over the products while I, on the other hand, helped her up, not even bothering to make use of my time and get something suitable to buy for my needs. I picked a few packets of paper and quills to pay at the register.

While I did that, Ahiru looked around curiously. I wondered how she remembered how to talk, how to walk while she had no memory of anything that happened before. Perhaps it was instinct. If a baby didn't know anything when it was still newborn, why did he stand up?

Ahiru snapped me back to reality. "Fakir-san? FAKIR-SAN?"

I breathed in deeply and asked sharply, "What, Ahiru?"

She glared daggers at me. "You weren't answering me. What is that big building over there?" Ahiru pointed to Kinkan Town Academy. "So far, it's the biggest place here, so it must be important."

Tensing up, I led her past the gates, using my spare key. I really didn't want to, but who could refuse a face like that?

Today was a weekend so you couldn't see many people walking the cemented sidewalks even though the students lived in dorms. Ahiru ran in front of me again, walking backwards.

I sighed heavily. "You'll fall if you keep doing that. Also, you should look around if you wanted to come in here. If you're just facing me, it's a waste then…"

She cocked her head to the side, ignoring my statement. "Why do you have a spare key, Fakir-san?" I swear, I heard a vein pop in my head because of my frustration with this girl. I winced.

"Fakir-san?"

"Ahiru, please just stop calling me that. It makes me feel so old." Usually, women in the forties complained about petty things like this. Was I becoming moody and whatnot? Maybe it was this popped vein.

Her blue eyes brightened. "Okay, Fakir-kun!" She respired deeply as I sat down at the rendezvoused water fountain. She whirled around adorably and bent down to pluck one of the many flowers growing in the garden.

I don't know what it was about her that made me fall madly in love with her. I was sure that I haven't felt this same way about anyone else before. There was so many pretty girl out there; fan girls obsessed over Mytho and me. But I felt that she was different. She didn't squeal at every touch or widen her eyes in response when I merely looked at her. She was real, I guess.

Sighing for what seemed like the millionth time today, I glanced into the water, for some way to wash away all my troubles. An ancient man who was supposed to be dead by this time stared back at me. I examined the things around me with a curious eye. It appeared like time had stopped again.

"Will you leave me alone for once?! You've already taken away Ahiru. What do you want from me now?" I yelled angrily.

"Oh, I don't think I've done just that. Just put in some action." He grinned haughtily.

I grimaced. "You wizened old man! Why I—"

He interrupted with a palm face up. "Respect your elders, son, especially those who are related to you. Now why did you lie to her? That wasn't necessary."

"Uh…"

Within a blink of an eye, he appeared before me and slapped the back of my head. I flailed my arms, almost falling into the water.

"Are you a true writer? 'Uh' is not in the dictionary!"

"I was protecting her from the truth." I answered firmly, changing the subject. I surprised myself by not losing my sanity over him. "Do you really expect me to relive that life over again?" He smiled smugly and left me on that note. I relished the moment; I didn't have to deal with the sinister old man and the unceasing questions of Ahiru.

Time started again.

Ahiru fell face first on the ground; she was standing on one leg when time stopped. She remained there and I wondered if she thought it was worth getting up. She must be so embarrassed.

But I positioned myself in front of her and supported my arms on my knees. I shook her gently. "Ahiru."

She lay still. I picked her up to see that she was sleeping soundly. That was so typical of her but she wasn't used to this new body of hers and she was previously fatigued in her old one.

I walked back home, grumbling. She wasn't heavy, but I had all these groceries and materials to carry along with her.

My body was exhausted by the time we returned home. The fact that I stayed up late the day before worrying whether or not Ahiru was conscious didn't help.

I didn't want to venture up the stairs so I set the groceries in the refrigerator, one of the few things that were close to modern technology. I put the materials in their rightful places, only to see that the things Charon took was put back. I was too tired to be furious.

I lay on the couch and pulled Ahiru close. I didn't care how this would look like to Charon in the morning…much.