Not Unlike You

Chapter 2

Other than the injuries he sustained, Adam was told he was perfectly healthy, but would have to stay overnight so his body could rest and heal faster.

After waking up, Yukino and Gregory doted on him for a while before heading home, making a promise to cook something nice once he was on his feet. This left Agent Smith, Adam, and Centorea in the room, and Smith looked like she had something important to discuss.

"Well kid, you sure know how to get mixed up in trouble, but you're not out of the woods yet." With that open statement, Smith put two things on the bedside table: A stack of official-looking documents, and a thick booklet which read 'Interspecies Cultural Exchange: Laws and Regulations'.

"As the current head of the house and your guardian, your sister already signed everything, but I still need your signature in a few places to make sure that you know about your responsibilities as a host."

Silently, Adam gestured for a pen and was guided through the documentation, page by page. Taking another look over every paper, Smith nodded in confirmation. "Alright! Everything seems to be in order now, so I'll just take my leave so you two can get to know each other better." She walked out the door, but immediately popped her head in for one more comment. "And I'd give that rule book a thorough read, if I were you. Wouldn't want you to go breaking any rules and causing any more trouble for your sister, now would you?" With that last jab, Smith took her leave.

Adam looked to the booklet, then to Centorea before addressing his conundrum. "Would you consider it rude if I just did a little reading before we start talking?"

Centorea shook her head. "Of course not, Master. If we are to be living under one roof, we should try and be aware of more than just 'house rules'."

He nodded in affirmation. Figures that Yukino would give her the rundown on basic home etiquette.

15 minutes later, Adam closed the booklet with a loud clap, startling Centorea out of a trance she had put herself in while inspecting her sword.

"Well that was pretty 'cut and dry'. Most of these rules are just common sense, but I can see the need to write them down for the long term." Adam sighed, looking to his new companion. "I'll start. My name is Adam Lavender Belmont. I like learning things, practicing Tai Chi, and I hate large crowds and staying out in public places for long periods of time."

He snapped his fingers and pointed in her direction. "Your turn."

Centorea immediately straightened her posture. "Of course! My name is Centorea Shianus. My friends call me Cerea. Swordsmanship is my passion, my dislikes are little to mention, and I shall devote myself to you until my final breath, as you are my Noble Master!"

"Very well." Adam rolled his neck around to work out the stiffness. "Now before we continue, did the Physician in charge of my case say how deep the wounds on my back were?"

Caught off guard, she hesitated at first before answering him. "He said that they were no more than one centimeter deep before sewing them up. But pray tell, why?"

A small smile graced his lips. "Because I think it's almost time for us to head home."

(1 Hour Later)

Centorea came rushing out of the hospital room. "Doctor! Lord Belmont has disappeared from his room!" A passing nurse was surprised by her outburst and came to investigate. Seeing the room empty, the nurse immediately paged for the doctor in charge of Adam's recovery. While all this was going on, Centorea slowly began to head towards the front entrance. Before she could make it through the automatic doors, a nurse approached her. "Excuse me ma'am, but you wouldn't happen to have any idea where the patient may have gone, would you?"

With rosy cheeks, Centorea shook her head negatively. "I'm afraid not. We only just met, and his personal habits are unknown to me." The nurse sighed in frustration, thanked the centaur, and then left to continue searching.

After walking for quite some time, Centorea cast an embarrassed gaze downward, toward the underside of her lengthy skirt. "Master, we've made...quite a fair bit of distance from the hospital. Could you please come out now?" She whispered as the black fabric shuffled in disturbance.

Slowly, a fully redressed Adam crawled out from underneath the blushing knight. Carefully stretching his back, he stood with that same smile from earlier on his face. "For a moment, I almost thought you didn't have it in you to deceive others. Well done, Cerea. Looks like I have quite the capable knight at my side." While all this was being said, the poor girl couldn't get her cheeks to stop flaring up in embarrassment.

'But why did it have to be under my skirt?' She thought as Adam tried to hoist himself up on her back, failing to get his legs up and just lying with his arms hanging over her opposite side, his stomach on the middle of her equine back. To Centorea, he reminded her of a cat, lazily lying on a tree branch the wrong way.

Just as Centorea began to walk, Adam slid off her back. Looking behind in confusion, she jumped slightly when he walked up and grabbed her hand. "I'm not sure how long you've been around town, but I am positive that you don't know the way to my house. I'll guide you, so don't let go until we get there. You don't want to get lost around here." Adam said with a straight face.

Unbeknownst to our oblivious protagonist, his knight was now blushing so hard that you could roast marshmallows on her cheeks. The trip from then on was silent, as poor Centorea couldn't think straight with such intimate contact at play. Her whole life had been about holding up an image of strength and nobility, and any fantasy of being romantically involved with someone was quelled by her ideal image of knighthood, leaving her emotionally confused and socially awkward outside of her home. All of this had been calculated to a T by Smith, knowing that the result would be both a learning experience and a chance for growth on the part of both youths.

By the time Adam had guided her to his home, Centorea's mind was adrift with strange fairy tale scenarios, completely ignorant of the fact that the house was being remodeled before both their eyes.

Adam's eyes went wide, but his voice indicated no discomfort or apprehension, as he had read in the booklet that any host household was subject to remodeling for the sake of their homestay guest.

"Let's get started with the tour, shall we?" Though he sounded level-headed, inside his head was a veritable storm brewing. He didn't like immediate change. Over a slow course of time, sure, but not this fast!

After releasing her hand, Centorea came to her senses. But before she could ask any questions about why their shared abode was being remodeled, she had to catch up to Adam as he already made his way through the front door and took his shoes off. Hearing the clip-clop of hooves, Yukino came out to see her little brother and their guest in the foyer. With a frustrated sigh and her left palm meeting her face, she just waved her other hand toward the kitchen. With her back to them, she began to prepare a salad for the side of her Baked Chicken Breasts and Loaded Baked Potatoes.

"I knew you wouldn't sit still for long, but I was hoping you'd stay away for a little longer so these guys could finish working without you freaking out. Color me impressed that you're not being passive-aggressive toward anyone." Yukino had a smug grin on her face as she noticed the slight twitch in Adam's right eyebrow. Clearing her throat, she gave the two a rundown on the state of the house.

"Unfortunately, if you wanted to tour the house, it'll have to wait. The construction won't be done for another two hours, and the chicken still needs a little longer to cook. So since there's still some daylight out, why don't you two go on a short walk around town, and then you can come home for a good meal and a...slightly better looking home."

Without a word Adam began his march back toward the door, with Centorea following shortly after.

Their jaunt had brought them both back into town. As they walked the busy sidewalks, Adam noticed people failing to hide their quiet conversations, staring at him and Centorea. This would make sense, as there weren't many extra-species out and about, so the stares were not surprising. Centorea took it all in stride, but Adam was another story. As the whispers became louder, phones were being pulled out to take pictures of the two, and having so many eyes on him was more than disturbing to him. He froze, couldn't move another step, with breath hitched and wide eyes. Only a few paces ahead of him, Centorea turned her head to see her Master standing stock still as people began to close in around them.

"Prithee Master, what is wrong?" Centorea spoke, but received no response. Facing Adam completely, she put her hands to his shoulders, hoping a light shake would rouse him from his panic induced trance. That was when she felt it. He was shaking like a massage chair on steroids, his social anxieties keeping him rooted to the spot. Not knowing what to do, Centorea did the first thing that came to her without thinking. With little effort, she picked Adam up in a bridal carry and pushed through the small crowd before running as fast as she could back home.

Yukino had finished sooner than expected with dinner, and the salad looked absolutely phenomenal, in her opinion. Just as she finished sprinkling lemon juice on the chicken, Yukino heard the new front doors slam open, followed by a cry of "Lady Hazama, please come quick!".

With haste, Yukino rushed to the foyer. What greeted her was her little brother held in the arms of their house guest. Adam's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and his arms were tightly locked around the humanoid half of Centorea, refusing to let go, and his shaking had subsided only barely.

"Oh no. Quick get him to the couch in the living room, down the hallway to the left of the stairs, second door on the left!" Yukino instructed. Centorea was quick but careful in her rush.

A few minutes later, Adam was laying down, asleep on the living room couch with Yukino stroking the top of his head.

"I suppose you're wondering what happened?" Centorea didn't want to come off as too forward, but she did, and only gave a nod in response. Yukino let out a weary sigh. "Ever since I can remember, he's been strong in the face of ugly words, but having a lot of eyes on him is a different story. Until he gained some muscle, everyone looked at him like he was...unnatural. Dark hair, perpetual dark circles under his eyes, pale skin. One old woman screamed about the Grim Reaper before throwing rocks at him once." Removing her hand from his head, Yukino turned to look Centorea straight in the eyes. "This was one of the reasons I signed us up for the exchange program. He grew up being seen as different, and he needed a friend who could relate to that. So can I count on you to not only be his knight, but his friend too? Please?"

Ever since their existence had been made public, most extra-species who weren't "vanilla" in appearance were looked at with eyes full of fear and loathing. Even centaurs weren't immune to these stares. So this was a situation that Centorea could relate to. Taking Yukino's hands in her own, the blonde knight gave her a solemn vow.

"As long as I shall be by his side, Lord Belmont will never know a day without companionship. On my name, I swear."