Chapter Two:
Once the rams had been elimiated, the two girls, breathless and blood-stained, made their way to the west gate of village. The gate itself appeared shut at first, but upon closer inspection, they noticed it was slightly ajar. They passed through the opening and closed the gate behind them, not wanting anything from the outside to come in.
The village itself was just as Yonah remembered it to be. She pointed out the old library on the hill, the courtyard near the pigsty; she lead a tour through the empty marketplace and together they ransacked taverns and butcher shops for food. As the day crept on into late afternoon, Kaine absently picking at a lyre while Yonah threw copper coins into a fountain, the duo jointly decided to go to the library. However, on their way there Yonah stopped walking and started running off towards a little house on the hill.
"Yonah, wait!" Kaine ran after the girl.
Yonah tripped and fell, then scrambled up and ran even faster. She ran to the house and went inside, banging the front door wide open. What was it that was making the girl act this way? A memory, perhaps...? Kaine slowed down her steps, tension hanging in the air like the cobwebs in the house. "Yonah...?"
In the first room was the kitchen, a daybed, and a stairway. Everything in the house was coverd in black dust. Was it toxic? Kaine put a hand over her mouth and hurried up the stairs. They shouldn't be here... "Yonah?" She entered the upstairs, finding only a bedroom- with Yonah sitting on the bed, holding a book.
"K-K...Kaine...?" Whispered Yonah, biting her lip, tears running down her face; tears which cleaned her face of the gently falling soot.
Realizing the dust was not harmful, Kaine lowered her hand, then walked over and opened a window to let in some fresh air. She then turned and sat down next to the girl. "What'd you find there...? Some kind of book?" asked Kaine kindly.
Yonah nodded. "It's...It's my diary. In the book, it mentions that I have a father... But I... I can't remember what he even looks like...!" Yonah cluched the book tightly and began to cry. "Wh-when I saw this house I thought of him, but now I can't- I don't understand... If he exists, then why isn't he here, Kaine...?"
"I can't answer that..." Kaine sighed. "Just know this; Life can be a real bitch sometimes."
Yonah stood up, wiping her eyes with an arm. "This is where I grew up; this house is my home."
Kaine stood up as well and gave the room a good look. "...It seems very home-y."
"What do you think happened to the others...?"
"You mean the people in the village?"
"Yeah..."
Kaine shook her head. "I hate to say it, but it could be that the Black Scrawl put an end to humanity- that, or this new disease which seems to effect animals and plants. Either way, I'm sick and tired of all this..." She gestured uselessly out the window. "...I just wish things would go back to normal- whatever that is..."
"Oh, Kaine! The library!"
"Yeah? What about it?"
Yonah hugged the diary to her chest. "We might be able to find answers there. Books on toxic plants, or diseases in domestic animals that make them go crazy."
This kid is smarter than she looks. Kaine smiled and nodded. "Looks like we have a plan. Good idea, Yonah."
Yonah laughed in a way that made Kaine's heart sink; living off of hopes and dreams could only last for so long: This girl was just barely surviving.
Once Kaine and Yonah stepped outside, they abscently went their own ways; Yonah wandered over to the terribly neglected garden at the side of the house, while Kaine went over to the red mailbox and checked for any letters. To her surprise, she found one.
"Yonah," she called, her voice swallowed by the silence of the town. "There's a letter for you." Kaine turned and walked over to the girl who ran to meet her.
"Who is it from?" asked Yonah.
"Beats me; open it." Kaine said, urgently. She was not the type of person who would open someone else's mail, but something about the letter screamed Important.
Yonah tore open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She started to read as followed:
Dear Yonah, If my friends were sucessful in rescueing you, then you're probably back at home, right? I am writing to you personally this time because I fear Sebsation has taken ill... I wish to warn you; There is a new danger lerking around and I don't like it. It seems to affect flowers and animals. So avoid these at all cost! I hope you and the others are safe: Kaine, Weiss... Have you met them, Yonah? I must go now. Please be careful. - Emil
"Why... This is the same boy that wrote to me three years ago..." Yonah breathed. "Why would he contact me after all this time?"
"Emil's alive...?" Kaine breathed out, having read over the girl's shoulder. "Emil..." She felt tears well into her eyes. His sacrifice had not been in vain; she had to be sure to tell him that. Kaine grabbed Yonah's hand and started back down to the marketplace.
"Ouch! Kaine- wh-where are we going?"
"Sorry-" Kaine let the girl's hand go. "If we're going to meet up with Emil, we need to be ready this time to face any threats we come across."
"You mean we're preparing for war...?" Yonah asked quietly.
Kaine laughed softly. "Nope. It means we're going shopping." She lifted a long slender leg and kicked open the door to the blacksmith's store and walked right in.