Chapter three

I woke up, feeling weird. It seemed that during the night I… shrank.

There was something on me, like a cover. I opened my eyes and looked around. Curiously everything was…bigger

I got on my knees and got the surprise of my life when my clothes fell off, living me naked.

By reflex I covered myself with my arms as best as I could, looking around frantically for anyone peeping.

No one was there so I got up and spread my shirt wide in front of me at arm length. Now it was more a dress than a shirt.

I put it on myself and tied my scarf around my waist.

'I must look like a fashion plate.' I dryly joked with myself.

My eyes went for the egg and what happened yesterday came in.

'Okay, resuming the situation' I thought 'I fell into a well and woke up in this weird world. I met a dragon who apparently merged her soul with mine, creating a voice in my head and transforming me into a sort of dragon demoness. Now I have to take care of an egg who is the dragon's child…. That's it I totally lost it.'

'Of course not sweetie. And I'm not a voice, I'm your inner demon.'

'I need to order things before walking forward. First of all, where am I?'

'Sweetie, I'm not a clairvoyant, I'm as lost as you.'

I sighed for what seemed the umpteenth time that day (and it barely had begun) and got up, lifting the egg with difficulty in my now little arms (I just noticed I didn't make a heart attack upon seeing I was probably the size o a dwarf, which was weird. But then again it could be because of the overload of informations), I began walking toward the well.

'Where are you going?'

'I came here through this well' I though 'So it's logical to think I could go back also with it.'

The inner demon said nothing and I soon reached the well's clearing, totally exhausted.

I put the egg against it and peered inside.

I decided to try without the egg first, though the inner demon protested. I was afraid to damage it in the fall.

But unfortunately the weird light wasn't here and I seriously hurt my bum, almost twisting my ankle landing at the bottom.

I swore in my mind before climbing up, careful of my sore ankle, resting against the well to regain my breath.

'Okay, the well isn't an option anymore. I really don't know what to do."

I sighed (again) and looked at the egg. How was I going to raise a child when I had virtually nothing?

'Don't be pessimistic child. We will go step by step. First you have to achieve your transformation.'

'My…transformation?'

'Even though you might not know child, you're a powerful witch. And the dragon was very powerful too. Sometimes I wonder how you didn't simply die because the two souls were too different, powerful and couldn't merge together.'

'Whoopee!' I though in sarcasm.

'Getting back on track. Your soul and the dragon's soul are still merging. Slowly but surely you will transform into a dragon demoness, though I don't know how much you will change.'

A thousands questions entered my mind but I focused on a more important thing: what will happen next.

'And…after my transformation is completed?'

'It will be vital to master your new powers, though I don't think they will be any different than a witch power. Dragon demons are, like witches, connected deeply to the elements. The only difference is that they have more power over them and can be affiliated with more than one.'

I decided to stop asking questions about what would happen next and focused on immediate problem.

'We can't stay out in the open. One day it will rain or worse. And I need to eat, to feed the hatchling when she's born and to provide enough heat.'

I decided to explore my surrounding and got up deciding to go opposite of where I went last time. I left the egg here, the thing being too heavy to carry around aimlessly and began walking.

I don't know how long I walked, but when I found a little dirt path the sun was high in the sky, leaving almost no shade under trees and bushes.

I hesitated a moment, having left for very long now, but in the end took the path, which was very short.

It was ending with the forest, leading to vast fields and pastures.

Nestled in the hollow of the valley before me was a little village. Weirdly it looked like a medieval village, not a modern one. The houses were simple wooden hut and the people working on the fields were doing it by hand, no technology whatsoever.

But I was happy to see the civilisation and ran back to the egg quickly before walking down the little path leading toward the village.

I got shy nearing the first building but built up my courage to walk forward.

I got into the centre of the village (which was very small) and stopped, people beginning to gather around me in curiosity and wary.

I put the egg down, tired and cramped, before looking one by one at all the faces scanning me like lasers.

By looking more closely at their faces, I noticed differences.

Some were purely normal faces, but some had marks on their cheeks, foreheads, and pointed ears. But most of the children I was seeing had animals' ears.

I had enough of the silence after some long minutes and took a sharp intake of breath before asking:

"Could someone help me? I don't know where I am. Do you know where Tokyo is?"

Nobody answered me, but a moment later the crowd split in half to let a man and a woman pass.

The man was a bull, literally: enormous muscles, a thick neck, arms like trees and very tall with that. He had wavy short black hairs with white highlights and deep black little eyes. He was wearing a short deep blue cotton tunic with a black slash. His particularities were two deep brown streaks, one on each cheekbones and slightly pointed ears.

The woman was of average height, but beside the man she was tiny. She had soft chestnut hairs falling down to her waist in thick curls and vivid dark brown, almost black eyes. She was wearing the traditional shrine maiden uniform in Japan, a white haori and red hakamas.

What attracted me the most was the woman, and more particularly the woman's stomach. There was there a sort of energy accumulation, though I could make (for some weird reason) two different sources, swirling and clashing against each other, fighting. Then there was this feeling of pain I was getting from her, like an aura.

The two stopped in front of me, stopping my daydreaming and the man bent down, sniffing me like a dog.

"I think she's not dangerous." He finally said, straightening, looking at the woman "And you?"

She looked at me a bit more before replying:

"I don't sense anything evil coming from her, even though I don't know what she is exactly."

The man nodded to her before addressing the crowd:

"Return to your activities! She's of no danger, we're safe!"

Soon the crown dissipated and the woman motioned to me to follow her. I didn't know what else to do so I gathered up the egg and complied. The man tried to get the egg, perhaps to help me but I denied him, holding the egg tighter.

We entered a hut and I sat on a flat cushion, the egg securely near me before looking somewhat warily at the two who were sitting across me. I was under the impression of being in martial court.

The woman's expression lightened a bit and she asked kindly:

"What's your name little one?"

I frowned a bit at the 'little one' term but answered nonetheless.

"My name is Haruko Daishi. And you?"

They seemed surprised by my answer but the woman replied:

"My name is Aisu and this is Hiro, my mate."

When she said that, Aisu's face lightened considerably, almost looking at peace and happy. I saw in her eyes the love she held for the man before her, though I shortly wondered what 'mate' was exactly.

Having no answer, I only smiled to them a little, still shy about the whole situation.

"How did you end up here?" asked Aisu "And where are your parents?"

I knew instinctively that these were not the questions she really wished to ask, but answered them nonetheless:

"I was visiting a shrine with my mother and brother and I fell into a well. I woke up in the forest and I don't know where my mother is."

Sure the answer was weird but it was true, so the couple let it pass, even if they seemed dumbfounded.

"Are you of nobility?" asked Aisu again.

"No." I answered "Why?"

"Because you have two names calf." Said the man.

It was the first time I heard him speak. His voice was deep, very deep, like stones scratching against each other. It was going well with his imposing stature.

'Calf?' I though, somewhat insulted.

"Why are you calling me a calf?" I asked him, a hint of reproach in my tone "And why having two names make me a noble?"

It was Aisu who answered.

"Don't mind him." She said "As a bull demon, he calls the children 'calves', as a dog demon say pups and a kitsune kits. As for your two names, only those of nobility have a last name. The name of their clan most of the time. Common people only have one name."

I nodded, understanding, and explained:

"Where I am from, everyone had a last name, even common people. But if you're bothered, you can simply call me Haruko, I don't mind."

"And where do you come from?" asked Hiro.

"Tokyo." I answered shortly, earning curious glances from the two.

"And where is this Tokyo you speak off?" asked curiously Aisu.

I was totally put out by this question.

"B-But." I said, stuttering a little "You must know the capital of Japan, no?"

"The only important central town is Kamakura with the Bafuku in the East." Said Aisu somewhat apologetically.

The name Bafuku ringed some memories in distant history classes. From what I could remember, the Bafuku was a base of power settled in Kamakura by the Seii Tai Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1192. But the simple idea that I could be in the past was ridiculous so I cast it aside immediately. Perhaps those people were so secluded that the only important town they knew was Kamakura.

Ignoring the little voice in my head telling me that the time travelling theory could be true, I asked:

"I need to go home. My mother and brother are probably worried about me. Can you help me?"

"First of all." Said Aisu, her tone commanding "You need a bath, badly, and new clothes too. You will eat something and then we will investigate where you woke up."

She got up quickly and headed out, leaving me with her mate.

There was an awkward silence before he said casually:

"Doesn't a dragon egg need constant heat?"

I blinked and looked at the egg, panicking immediately when it felt somewhat cold against my hand. I immediately put it just beside the fire, surprised when the man threw it directly in the blazing flames.

"But…!" I began protesting, worried for the egg.

"A dragon's belly is much more heated than a fire, though it's the nearest thing of it. I will get some firewood."

He got out and a moment later Aisu entered, a bucked of water that she hung over the fire before beckoning me to follow her.

I tried, like her, to ignore the stares I was getting and stopped with in front of a well.

Aisu holed up two bucked of waters and gave the half empty one to me to carry.

When we entered the hut again Hiro was already here, adding some wood in the fire.

Aisu got the bucked from the water and added the one she was carrying. She told me to wait for her and disappeared to reappear with a large bowl that she put down before adding the hot water. She also poured the two other buckets and told me to disrobe and enter the water.

I looked at Hiro, unsure but he had already turned his back on us and was heading slowly outside.

Aisu disappeared again to get some soap and I told her I could perfectly bath on my own. She nodded and told me she was going to find me some clothes and food.

She let me all by myself for half an hour, enough for me to bath and dry myself (with the exception of my hairs).

Aisu got back with clothes and a bowl of rice with some fish's bits.

To my surprise the clothes weren't normal one, but a traditional kimono. I could see that one layer was faded white and the other dark blue and vermilion, the two colours alternating in large bands. And I could see, embroidered with a pale yellow yarn a fruit that could be a cherry, surrendered by two leaves and repeated over and over on the red bands on the tissue. There was also a pale yellow, almost white slash.

"But this is too expensive!" I gasped, embarrassed "You can give me normal clothes, I don't want to damage something so precious."

Aisu looked genuinely surprised and looked at the clothes she was holding before answering in a dumbfounded voice:

"But these are normal clothes. If I might add it's what you were wearing which were weird."

I blushed and 'blanked' my mind, the clues I was getting too far stretched and the theory constantly in my mind too improbable.

I accepted Aisu's help to wear and tie the clothes around my little body and ate the rice and fish quickly.

Hiro promised to look after the egg while we were gone and got me a pair of wooden sandals.

I led Aisu to the well's clearing and she examined it longly before answering me.

"I can feel in the air the strong magic at work in this place. Time magic. You probably travelled through time to come here. But unfortunately the well has no power left. I think it used its last strength to send you here. Though I don't know why."

'B-But." I found myself stuttering in desperation "And my family?"

"I'm sorry." Said gently Aisu, putting a hand on my head "But I'm afraid you're stuck here."

All came down crashing onto me. I was stuck in a little child's form in what seemed like the Kamakura period in approximately 1192. I would never again see my family and was away of any modern technology.

I showed Aisu where I met the dragon in a sort of second state and only erupted in sobs and cries when I was put in bed.