Stormy Skies (open)

[Aryan Farr]

The sky was slightly overcast today and dark clouds hung in the heavens, blocking out the sunlight. A strong wind blew, sending ripples through the murky water, causing the sand to fly up in the air. Autumn was slowly coming to an end, winter approaching, and the weather was becoming rougher, stormier. The shores of the beach were empty, and there was not a person in sight. Even the fishermen that could usually be found sitting on the rocks were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that everyone had decided to stay indoors and wait out the poor weather.

Well, almost everyone.

While most of the villagers were probably huddled up inside, curled up in front of a warm fire, there was one man who was not. Despite the rough weather conditions, he had decided to pay a visit to the beach. It was where he came when he needed to be alone, needed to think. The only proof of his presence was a set of footprints he had left behind him. They led down the beach, ending at a pile of large boulders. Some of them were beginning to fade, having been washed away by the waves of the ocean water as it lapped aggressively at the shore.

The man was sat atop the pile of boulders. He was perched dangerously close to the edge, feet hanging off the side, dangling above the dark water. He had pale skin, which was made to look even most ghostly from the cold wind, and even whiter hair. In his hands, he held an unsheathed sword. He seemed to examine the weapon, dark blue eyes locking with the steel blade. He held it in his hands for a moment, and it was unclear what was going through his mind. His eyes narrowed, and then with a sigh, he slowly lowered it, letting it fall onto the rock. He stared down at the weapon, snow white hair being whipped around in the wind, and then he reached down and grabbed it once more. This time he used it to make random etchings in the rock, chiseling lightly at the granite with the steel blade in a bored way.

The water was rough today, and it slapped against the rocks he sat atop heavily, angrily. His feet remained just out of the water’s reach, though the tide was beginning to rise, and it would probably be wise to return to the village soon. He paid no heed to the slowly rising water though, lost deep in thought, still mindlessly scraping marks into the rock. They were nothing special, just little lines and sloppy kanji, meaningless scribbles. If anyone were to see him out here, they would probably think he was crazy. After all, who would be out on the beach in this weather? How foolish that would be. The man didn’t mind the cold though, as his old homeland had been quite chilly. Besides, he loved the smell of the ocean. It helped relax him and calm his nerves. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the crisp salty air fill his lungs.

The white-haired man sat there for minutes, which slowly turned to hours, unaware of what was going on around him, blind to the passage of time. He just continued to scratch at the rock with the tip of his sword, continued to stare off into the distance, out across the ocean, an ocean that he had once traveled, with a melancholy look in his sapphire eyes.

[Madoka Ogawa]

The beach area was almost entirely abandoned by the time Madoka made her way down there from the village. All the sensible people sat inside, not one of them foolish enough to wander outside in this weather.
It didn’t rain, but then rain wasn’t usually a problem. If you’d grown up in this region, you were so used to it that you barely even noticed it any more.

Today was different. Today it was actually storming. Sand was flying everywhere and the wind mercilessly roared in the ears of all those who dared leave their house this day, as though the Gods themselves were warning you – telling you to get the hell back inside because what the heck do you think you’re doing outside at such a time?

”Finding my dog…” Well, not really her dog, not anyone’s dog really... she had no reason to feel responsible because she had never actually adopted it. She’d gotten quite attached to the small white ball of fur however, and she hadn’t seen him yet today. She prayed he wasn’t stupid enough to walk along the beach today… if this storm got any worse, the tide would likely rise and drag anything in it’s path down with it.
“Shiroki!” the young girl yelled, barely even hearing herself over the wind. “Come on boy, where are you? Shiro!!”
Madoka softly chewed on her lip as she hugged her coat tighter around her in a useless effort to keep warm.
She wasn’t seeing anything white around here… not by the road, not along the beach… And he had to be here, because she’d looked everywhere else.
Oh Gods, could the sea have already gotten to him?
“Shiro!” she started trembling slightly, more out of fear and concern than cold right now. “Come on…”

After turning a few more times, her eye finally caught something white. It wasn’t white fur though, it was hair. Human hair to boot. Madoka slowly arched one of her brows, trying to think of any reason whatsoever why anyone would be out here during a storm. Well… aside from people looking for their dog of course… But this guy – or girl, she couldn’t see it clearly from this distance – seemed to be doing absolutely nothing. Did they have a death wish or something? Did they not know how treacherous the ocean could be?

“Hey!” she called at the white-haired person while simultaneously looking around for any sign of Shiroki. They didn’t seem to hear her, before calling again, Madoka hesitated a bit. What if this person was some kind of psycho, merely waiting for someone stupid enough to approach them? It was a paranoid thought, but any sane person would be inside right now, wouldn’t they?

On the other hand, what if this person was just an innocent traveler who simply didn’t know of this area’s dangers? How awful would she feel if they got dragged into the ocean because she hadn’t warned them? Her mother did always speak of karma, would karma come back to bite her if she didn’t say anything?
“Dammit…” she whispered at herself as she paced around for a few seconds thinking of the possible outcomes of this scenario. Having a coin right now would’ve made this so much easier, simply flip it and do whatever you decided for that side.
Seeing as she didn’t have a coin, and a small part of her did worry about the other person’s safety, she decided to just go for it. If it turned out to be a psycho, she could always just try to run or… something.

“Excuse me! Hello? Are you okay? I don’t think it’s wise to be outside at this time, you should find shelter before the weather gets any worse!” she grabbed a fistful of hair that had been bothering her ever since she stepped outside, and held it into a ponytail. “Trust me, I’ve lived here all my life. The sky isn’t going to clear up any time soon.”

[Aryan Farr]

“Hey!”

The sound of a voice startled the white-haired man out of his daze, and he lurched forward, nearly falling off the rock and into the dark water below. Luckily, he was able to catch himself and the last minute, quickly forcing his body back. With a quick jerk, he raised his head, pausing in his rock-carving. He glanced around, eyes sweeping over his surroundings. He didn’t see anyone. His face scrunched up in confusion. Had he heard right? Perhaps it was only the sound of the wind playing tricks on him? After all, why would anyone be out in such horrible weather? Aryan considered this for a moment, and then lowered his gaze and began to move his sword back and forth again, grinding the steel surface against the boulder beneath him.

“Excuse me! Hello? Are you okay? I don’t think it’s wise to be outside at this time, you should find shelter before the weather gets any worse!”

Again, Aryan lifted his head. This time he was certain that he had heard the voice of another. His eyes traveled around the beach, searching. The wind whipped his white hair around furiously, and he had to raise a hand up and hold it out of his face in order to see properly. He squinted into the icy wind, doing another take of his surroundings. This time, however, he noticed a person standing nearby. By the sound of the voice, or the bits he caught of it over the wind, it belonged to a female. His eyes widened in alarm, wondering how he had missed her before. How long had she been standing there? Had she been right in front of him this whole time?

Aryan remained silent, unsure of what to say. He just stared down at the girl from his pile of rocks, eyes narrowed, trying to see her better. Did he know her? Was she from his village? He realized this was probably a stupid question. She must be, otherwise she wouldn’t be way out here. He didn’t think that he had seen her around before. Then again, he tended to keep to himself, leading a rather isolated life, so he supposed it was only natural they hadn’t met. He didn’t know half of the people who lived in his village, let alone his own neighbors, the men and women who resided in the huts right beside his.

He tried to focus on the girl. It was hard though, as the wind was blowing sand around, the small grains stinging his face and eyes, blurring his vision. He had been out here for much too long now… What was it that the girl had inquired of him? He couldn’t remember. Something about it not being wise to be outside in this weather, he thought. Of course she was right. Aryan bit his lip, which was slightly chapped from the cold air, and winced. Should he say something to her? He hesitated, but then figured that was probably a good idea, otherwise he would appear rude, and that was not something he wanted. While Aryan was not a very social man, he would never ignore someone who addressed him directly. He had been raised to be respectful, polite, and time had not changed that.

“Trust me, I’ve lived here all my life. The sky isn’t going to clear up any time soon.”

The girl spoke again, and Aryan knew he needed to say something fast. He grabbed his sword, sliding it back into its scabbard, and quickly rose to his feet. He stood a little too quickly though, and his feet slid against the wet rock beneath him. He stumbled a few steps, sliding forward, but somehow managed to straighten up again, avoiding any further embarrassment. He gripped his sword tightly, fingers curling around it, and used it to prop himself up, jabbing it into one of the crevices in the rock.

Now firmly on his feet, Aryan looked down at the girl again, still rather surprised that someone else was wandering the shores during this storm. He had thought that he was the only insane one, but apparently he had been mistaken. “What is it that brings you out here in the middle of a storm, miss?” he asked, shouting over the wind, which had grown remarkably stronger since he had first arrived at the beach. It took effort to make his voice heard, as it was usually very soft, and it hurt his throat to shout so loudly, probably because he had been out in the icy wind for too long. “Should you not be inside where it is warm?”

[Madoka Ogawa]

At first she wasn't sure if he’d heard her or not. He simply seemed to stare at her, perhaps hoping she’d get the hint and leave him alone. If that’s what he wanted, so be it. At least she’d given him a proper warning.
Then she noticed the sword, and that theory of the brilliant psycho seemed to be making more and more sense. Only this man didn’t really look dangerous, he could probably fight pretty well, but he didn’t have the face of a mindless killer.

Perhaps that’s why her first reaction wasn’t to flee when he got up and reached for his sword again during his slip. Of course laughing wasn’t nice either, so she put some serious effort into keeping a serious face. It wasn’t that she liked seeing people fall, but the image of the dangerous murderer entered her mind again and thinking of such a person tripping while chasing his victim seemed rather funny. A murderer with balance issues was unlikely to be very good at his “job”.
“Are you alright?” She asked sincerely after he managed to stable himself. Feeling that he might be a bit embarrassed, she spoke up again, “Don’t worry, I tripped on my own feet once.”

She knew he was saying something, for his lips were moving. But she couldn’t exactly make out what. She took a few steps closer to hear him more clearly. “Should you not be inside where it is warm?”
“Oh… haha, yes I… well…” People would probably call her crazy for coming all the way out here for an animal, and an animal that didn’t even belong to her as well. Who did that? But this particular dog had comforted her when she was feeling sad, had kept her company when she wanted someone by her side just for the sake of being there rather than asking questions and trying to cheer her up.
This dog was like a friend.

She was starting to worry again. She still hadn’t found him, and the only reasonable explanation for that was that he was either hiding somewhere from the storm, or he had already been dragged into the ocean. The thought that he was in serious danger terrified her.
“I’m looking for someone, have you seen a white dog about this size?” She’d planned to keep it at that. If he’d seen him, great! If not, she’d continue to look. But her nerves were getting the best of her, and she started rambling.
“I’ve been looking for almost two hours now, but I couldn’t find him anywhere, so I figured he might be here but… the wind’s really strong isn’t it? And the water’s really wild as well… and he’s old and small and… I’m not sure if he can swim that well…” not knowing where he was was the worst part of it all. If he had been dragged out into the ocean and she'd seen it happen, at least she’d know. She’d be able to go home and know for certain he wasn’t out here somewhere waiting for her.

The thought of Shiroki sitting under a tree or behind a large boulder or something while shivering and waiting for somewhere to rescue him was almost too much, and she hung her head slightly, trying her best not to panic and cry in front of a stranger. A stranger who was still far too close to the ocean for her liking.

“B-But anyway…” she could clearly hear the fear and sadness in her voice, but she hoped the wind had sort of censored it out. She didn’t make a habit of letting everyone know how she felt exactly, let alone someone she’d just met.
“You should go to the village and come back here later, when it’s safer.” She didn’t make a habit of minding other people’s business either, so she had no idea why she was doing that with this man, “I mean… it’s really your choice if you want to stay but… I’d feel a lot better knowing you’re safe somewhere. I’d feel really terrible if something were to happen to you.”

[Aryan Farr]

“Are you alright? Don’t worry, I tripped on my own feet once.”

Aryan caught most of what she said this time, and he gave the girl an awkward nod. He felt rather embarrassed that someone had seen him nearly fall flat on his face, and he was quite grateful that he had managed to catch himself in time. He was usually very agile, very graceful on his feet. The surface of the rock had been slippery, and that had been something Aryan had not accounted for. “Worry not,” he called after a few moments, “I am fine.” He held onto his sword tightly as he spoke, feet planted firmly to the ground, bracing himself against the wind. He did, however, feel slightly better when the girl admitted to being a klutz herself.

The girl moved closer, mumbling something, but Aryan didn’t hear it. With a sigh, he decided that it would probably be a good idea to close the distance between them, so they did not have to shout at each other. Yelling over the roaring wind was not the proper way to have a conversation. Aryan, very carefully, began to make his descent down the pile of boulders. He placed his feet cautiously in front of him, using his sword as a cane to help him down the rocks. He had nearly made it to the bottom when he slipped again. He stumbled a few steps, sliding the rest of the way down. To his relief, when he hit the sand, he was able to stay on his feet. He tried to cover it up, quickly straightening, acting as if he had meant to do it, and then proceeded toward the girl. He stopped when he was a few steps away. He was closer now, at her level, but there was still distance between them.

“I’m looking for someone, have you seen a white dog about this size?”

When the girl spoke, Aryan could hear her much better this time. She was looking for a dog? Understanding slowly dawned on his face. “I am sorry, miss,” he said, making sure to raise his voice above the wind so it was audible, “But I have seen no dogs.” Now that he was closer to her and it was easier to hear him, his accent could be made out, and if his white hair didn’t made it obvious that he was a foreigner, his voice sure did. He was about to say something more to the girl, wish her luck on her search, but she started to speak again, catching him by surprise.

“I’ve been looking for almost two hours now, but I couldn’t find him anywhere, so.. I figured he might be here but…”

The dog must have been very important to the girl. She had been searching for such a long time, probably almost as long as he had been sitting out here on the beach. Aryan watched her expression carefully, and he could tell that she was upset. It seemed as though she was trying not to show it, trying to hide it from her voice, but the worry was visible in her eyes. He felt a rush of sympathy for her. He knew very well that if the dog had wandered out onto the beach it was probably gone by now, swept away by the ocean. Of course, he did not say this. It would only upset her more. Besides, it was possible the dog was somewhere else… It was probably hiding somewhere, taking shelter from the rain. After all, animals were smart creatures. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but the girl interrupted again.

“B-But anyway… You should go to the village and come back here later, when it’s safer. I mean… it’s really your choice if you want to stay but… I’d feel a lot better knowing you’re safe somewhere. I’d feel really terrible if something were to happen to you.”

Aryan tilted his head to the side at this, looking rather confused. Why would she care what happened to him? Would it really matter that much if he got swept away by the dark water? He didn’t see how it would, as they were complete strangers, but nevertheless he offered the girl a smile. “Again, miss, there is no need to worry about me. Perhaps it is yourself you should be worrying about.” He was silent for a few moments, and then drew his gaze up to meet hers. “Would you like help in your search?” he asked her suddenly. “In this weather if is not safe for you to be wandering around alone.” His voice was sincere, and he meant what he said. He would gladly help the girl search for her dog. It would not be right to leave a woman out here alone.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Madoka felt slightly defeated when the man mentioned he hadn’t seen Shiroki, but it wasn’t a complete surprise. He seemed rather distracted back on that boulder, he probably hadn’t been paying too much attention to his surroundings.
On the other hand… perhaps it was a good sign. If he’d been here for a while and hadn’t seen anything, maybe that meant the dog hadn’t passed through here. Perhaps he really was just hiding.

Now that he stood closer, it wasn’t hard to see and hear that this man was a foreigner. Not that white hair was all that common around here. Sure, some people didn’t have pitch-black hair, but no one seemed to have anything lighter than brown.

“Again, miss, there is no need to worry about me. Perhaps it is yourself you should be worrying about.”

“Right… sorry.” She awkwardly played with her ponytail. ”Mind your own business, got it.”
“I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but my mom taught me to look after people’s wellbeing… I always thought she needed to butt out, but I guess I’m not much different from her after all. Sorry.”
He’d been silent for a while, but when he spoke up, it sounded like an angel was singing to her. Did she need help finding her dog? “Yes!” she exclaimed before all but slapping her hand to her mouth for her outburst. “I mean no! No, don’t worry yourself. It’s cold and nasty outside and you probably have better things to do than help find a dog who…” she trailed off when she thought of all the possible situations. None of them sounded too good in her head.

She sighed softly and bowed again, now was really not the time to be overly polite and confident. If Shiroki was still out there, she needed to find him before he got into trouble. And two heads were better than one.
“I… would greatly appreciate your help sir. Thank you.”

As she described all the places she’d already looked, she caught herself staring up at his hair every now and then.
The way it flowed through the wind was quite enthralling. Perhaps because she’d never seen anything like it.
“You have really pretty hair.” She blurted out. Her eyes widened slightly at her own words. What happened? She’d planned to ask about whether he thought they should split up or not, instead she was acting like an airhead who couldn’t concentrate on one thing at a time.

“Ah… sorry.” She bowed her head in apology, realizing full well how rude and silly she sounded “It’s just that… I’ve never seen white hair before.”
She awkwardly looked around a bit to pretend her outburst wasn’t that odd, and that she really didn’t care if he found her weird. Which she wouldn’t be able to blame him for. What did she think just now about psychopaths? Maybe he was starting to think she was one.

“But uh… anyway. It’s really just the beach I haven’t looked yet… so if he’s still… he has to be here.”
She turned around and was about to start looking again when she remembered her manners and turned back to the strange man with a smile, “Oh sorry, where are my manners? My name’s Madoka Ogawa. A pleasure to meet you sir.”

[Aryan Farr]

“Right… sorry. I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but my mom taught me to look after people’s wellbeing…"

Aryan held up a hand as the girl finished speaking. “There is no need for you to apologize,” he said to her, voice light. “I appreciate your concern.” It was strange, having someone worried for his welfare, especially someone he had only just met. He, himself, wasn’t very concerned for his well being. If the ocean had come and swept him away, then so be it. Maybe it would take him back to the land he left long ago, and his dead body would wash up on the foreign shores. No, he did not worry for himself. For others, yes, but not himself.

“I… would greatly appreciate your help sir. Thank you.”

Aryan chuckled quietly, watching as the girl finally made up her mind. “There is no need to thank me,” he told her with a slight smile. “I am happy to help.” And he was. He enjoyed assisting those in need. It made him feel like he wasn’t completely useless. Yes, it was terribly cold, and it would probably be raining soon, but this didn’t seem to matter to him. Besides, it made him feel like a better person. People thought he was a saint, but he wasn’t. He may have been a good person now, but there were things he had done in his past that he would never be able to make up for.

Aryan listened intently as the girl described the places she had already looked for her lost dog. She really must have been searching for a while… He bit his lip, trying to think of where else the dog could be hiding. There was an old hut somewhere along the beach, one that had been abandoned long ago. Perhaps the animal was taking shelter there? There were also the caves. The dog might have ran into the holes in the rocks, as there were many of those along the beach. Because he had been so deep in thought, he had failed to notice the way the girl in front of him was staring at his hair, so her next comment surprised him.

“You have really pretty hair.”

Aryan blinked, and his eyes widened. He stared at the girl for a moments, caught slightly off guard by her sudden comment. It had seemed to come out of nowhere. “Um…” Aryan self-consciously reached up a hand and touched his white locks. “Thank you, miss.” No one had ever said anything about his hair before. Usually people found it strange, weird. Aryan had never really liked it, as it was part of the reason he struggled to fit in. It labeled him an outsider, before he even had a chance. This girl liked it? He smiled ever so slightly, and then pushed a few strands of his snow-colored hair away from his face, tucking them behind his ear. Of course, the wind just blew them out of place again. “It is not often that I recieve compliments on my hair.”

“Ah… sorry. It’s just that… I’ve never seen white hair before.”

“That would be because I am not from around here,” Aryan explained to her. “I…came from overseas a few years ago.” Not liking the direction this was going, he quickly changed the topic back to the girl’s dog. He didn’t mind telling people he was a foreigner, as he knew it was quite obvious. It was when the question started that he became uncomfortable. “I am sure your dog is okay. He is probably hiding. There are still many places left to look.” He tried to make his voice sound reassuring as he spoke, attempting to soothe the girl’s worries. He knew his words probably meant nothing though. The only thing that would make her feel better would be to find the dog.

“Oh sorry, where are my manners? My name’s Madoka Ogawa. A pleasure to meet you sir.”

The girl said something and then turned away, seeming to be ready to resume her hunt, but then she stopped to introduce herself. “You may call me Aryan,” he told her, bowing his head slightly. “And, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ogawa.” He paused, giving her another one of his smiles, and then added, “Now, what do you say to beginning our search? There are some caves farther down the shore. Perhaps your friend could be hiding there.”

[Madoka Ogawa]

Madoka couldn’t help but smile as they finally started their search. She knew he was an outsider, but she didn’t really care all that much. Everyone was different, and Aryan was the living proof of it. Some of the local villagers were terribly mean and degrading to anything and anyone that wasn’t exactly like them. Aryan seemed like a real gentleman. If right now she’d have to judge people by their land of origin, her own country wasn’t doing well. At all.

Because he didn’t seem very willing to speak of his past or his home, she decided to respect his wishes and drop the subject. Everyone was entitled to their privacy, after all. She herself didn’t enjoy speaking about every aspect of her life either. Plus the fact that she’d already wasted enough time talking and needed to get to searching, and antagonizing the one person who wanted help you wasn't the brightest idea either.

“So… hmm…” she tapped her lip as she walked, surprisingly enough she felt a little better now that she had help with her. “I guess we should go to the caves then...”

The thought of going into a dark, damp cave wasn’t the most pleasant. She hated the dark, always had and probably always would.
Ever since that angry cat had chased her all the way home after playing on the beach a little too long, she was worried about things jumping her when she wasn’t looking. It was an irrational fear, of course, the chances of something lurking about in the dark waiting for her specifically were extremely low. But still, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push the memory of a wild cat hissing and growling at her as it tried to claw at her ankles away. It wasn’t so much the cat that scared her, more the knowledge that she couldn’t properly see where she was going, it was too dark for other people to see her and she couldn’t see her attacker.
Maybe one day she’d stop being such a child and get over it… maybe.

Today seemed to be turning out as a giant trial of courage for her. After a short walk they’d arrived at what seemed like an entrance into the caves. As expected, she could only see a few steps into it before it turned into a black abyss full of lovely surprises!
“Shiroki! Are you in there boy?” she called as she placed a single hand on one of the rocks, as though something was going to grab her and she needed something to hold onto. “Come on boy… you can have my food tonight if you come out! All of it, I swear!”
No sign of life. If he was in there he had to have ventured farther in. Fantastic! There was no choice though, as much as she hated the dark, she wasn’t about to let her fear stop her from finding one of her most precious friends.
“A-Alright…” she stuttered at herself, momentarily forgetting that she wasn’t alone, “Now you go in there and f-find that dog, yeah… yeah…” she nodded at herself and took a deep breath, taking her first steps into the dark.

“Okaaay… nothing to be scared of. It’s only a cave… an empty cave… a very empty cave with nothing dangerous in it and AAAH-“ she screeched at the top of her lungs as she apparently woke a bat up and it flew over her head, the poor thing didn’t know how fast to flee from the screaming banshee. The banshee herself sat on her knees and covered her head with her hands, making pathetic little noises that sounded more like gibberish than an actual language.
“Ahh… Shiro, please come out…” she whined pathetically before her mind seemed to come to a rather ridiculous conclusion, she whipped her head around to look at Aryan “Do bats eat dogs?! I mean, he’s small and that bat was monster-sized!” well… to her it seemed large, anyway. And maybe there were more in there!
Before she could say any more, she heard a soft sound echoing from inside the cave. It almost sounded like a bark. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but she could swear she heard barking. And then a howl. Damn those bats! She would smack the daylights out of them if they dared hurt her little furry friend.

For a moment, adrenaline took over and all her fear seemed to instantly ebb away. Within less than two seconds she’d grabbed a rock, jumped to her feet and rushed into the cave. “Don’t worry sweetie, I’ll save you!!”

[Aryan Farr]

Aryan looked up to see Madoka already walking away. He hesitated, but then quickly jogged after her, catching up in a few steps. She must be anxious to find her companion. Aryan supposed he could understand this though, as every second they spent talking the dog’s life was at stake. He prayed that for the girl’s sake the animal was okay. He hoped he was right, and that the dog was somewhere in the caves. If so, they would need to hurry. The tide was already high, and if it rose any farther, the caves would become flooded. If the dog was there, they needed to act fast. Plus, Aryan didn’t exactly want to be inside the dark passageways when the sea water poured inside.

“A-Alright…Now you go in there and f-find that dog, yeah… yeah…”

Aryan lifted an eyebrow as he listened to Madoka talk. The words were not directed at him, and it seemed as if she was talking to herself, trying to give herself courage. “There is nothing to be scared of,” Aryan told her gently, following her into the dark tunnel. He was just glad she hadn’t done anything stupid like run in there without him. The caves were dark and it was important not to become separated. If that happened, more than just the girl’s dog might be lost. A long time ago, Aryan had ventured into the caves, curious as to what was inside. He remembered becoming lost. It was not a pleasant experience. Luckily, he had managed to find his way out.

“Okaaay… nothing to be scared of. It’s only a cave… an empty cave… a very empty cave with nothing dangerous in it and AAAH-”

His heart jumped in his chest as Madoka screamed. The shrill sound echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls, slowly fading. Aryan took a deep breath, calming his nerves, and then glanced down at the girl who had fallen to her knees, hands covering her head. The lighting was very dim, especially because the sky was dark outside, but he could see enough to know she was now crouched over. He could also see something flying frantically around, zooming in circles near the roof of the cave. A bat probably, a scared one. He watched it for a moment and then looked back to the girl. “It was only a bat,” Aryan assured her calmly, kneeling down next to her. He rested a hand lightly on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “It will not hurt you. Or your dog for that matter. Bats only eat —”

“Don’t worry sweetie, I’ll save you!!”

Aryan was not able to finish what he was saying, as the next moment Madoka was jumping to her feet. He watched with wide eyes as she grabbed a rock and then charged off into the cave. “Wait, Miss Ogawa!” he called after her, but it was too late, and she had already disappeared into the darkness. “It’s…not safe,” he finished, knowing that he was talking to no one. The snow-haired boy let out a long sigh, tilting his head back in defeat. Now not only did he have a dog to try and track down, but a girl too. He just hoped that she would keep shouting. If she was loud, at least he would be able to know what direction she was in. He also hoped bats were the only creature occupying this cave.

Slowly, Aryan climbed to his feet. He cast an anxious glance at the entrance, desperately hoping the tide didn’t rise any farther, and then started off in the direction he thought that Madoka had gone in. As he walked, he thought he heard something, a whimpering sound. He came to a halt, listening. For a few moments, all he heard was silence and the echo of the ocean waves. Then, the sound came again, more desperate this time. Aryan took a few steps forward, turning around a corner, squinting into the darkness. For a moment, he thought he saw a glimpse of fur dart in front of him, but it was gone too quick for him to really tell. “Here boy?” he called quietly, voice hesitant.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Shiroki was whining and whimpering like a baby. Not because he was hurt or scared, but because he was cold. During his journey through the caves, he’d accidentally fallen into a puddle of water and gotten himself soaked.
As he walked, he suddenly picked up a familiar scent. Hey! Wasn’t that Madoka? It sounded like her! And that pathetic yell confirmed it, she was such a wuss. But she came for him anyway, and so he let out a few happy barks as he trotted through the cave, and the way back to the entrance. As fate would have it, his way was blocked by a large boulder, and he’d have to climb.

If he just acted sad enough, Madoka would probably overcome her fear and get him. No climbing for him, nope! And so he let out the most heart-wrenching howl he could produce. Who said dogs weren’t smart?
“Don’t worry sweetie, I’ll save you!!”
Ah good. The small Spitz plopped down onto the ground and waited. What was taken her so long? Hurry your ass up already!
His patience was wearing thin, and so he decided to let out a few more sounds in case Madoka simply couldn’t find him. Humans were pathetic at tracking things down after all.
”Here boy?”
Shiroki tilted his head and rose his ears when he heard a man call for him. He put his front paws onto the boulder and tried to see over is, “Arf?”
Upon seeing the man, the dog tilted his head farther to the side. Was this a good human or a bad human? He seemed nice enough, and his dog’s intuition hadn’t failed him before. Well… not often anyway. He carefully began to wag it’s tail and whined curiously at the man.

--

That wasn’t smart. No, that was outright dumb. After running for a few minutes, the adrenaline in her blood thinned out and Madoka was back to being terrified. Only this time she wasn’t anywhere near an entrance, nor a calm and capable swordsman to get her out of this mess. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she still hadn’t found Shiroki.
“Why do you have to be such a dumbass?” she whispered at herself in a desperate attempt to quiet her fearful mind.
At least she was sensible enough to stop moving and instead sat down as she tried to remember how many turns she’d made. Once left, twice right… left again… or was it right? And then straight ahead? No wait, that was the way in, she needed to find the way out.
“So then… straight back until I get to a crossing… turn ri- no left… right… and then… right again?” at least thinking kept her distracted for a bit.
After messing up three time, she grew frustrated. “Shiro! If you’re in here, you’d better get over here real quickly because you’re in trouble mister! This is all your fault for being so damned cute!”

She took a deep sigh and tried to find her way back. From what she could see, nothing really seemed familiar. Then again, the whole cave was made out of rock, and rocks generally looked the same – or at least similar.
Her body almost froze instantly when she heard something unnerving. It sounded like large, heavy footsteps. And they sounded like they were coming her way.
“Aryan…?” she called softly as she instinctively took a step back, “Is… is that you?”
No response. That was odd, he didn’t seem like someone who would play games with an obviously scared person.

Or maybe it wasn’t him.

Her heart started to race and her hands began to tremble. She could just barely hold onto the rock. If it wasn’t Aryan, who was it? Who was in here with her? Who – or what – ever it was, it was large enough to make a sound with each step it took.
Though she wasn’t a 100% sure where the exit to this cave was, she knew that whatever this thing was, it was between herself and freedom.
Maybe the creature would take another turn and she’d be able to sneak past it. Her mind wasn’t numb enough to realize that fighting something with just a rock wasn’t going to end favorably for her. Especially if this was some sort of creepy, large animal.

If she wasn’t terrified of the dark already, she sure was now. The footsteps continued, and they only grew louder the longer she waited. It wasn’t going to turn in another direction, was it?
Forget it. She wasn’t going to sit here and wait until whatever made that noise saw her and decided to have dinner early today. As softly as she could, she began walking in the other direction, deeper into the cave. She stopped around a corner – she didn’t want to wander too far in and run into more trouble, after all, and bent down to make herself as small as possible.

An eternity went by, and her gut had been right; It hadn’t turned into another direction. The harsh stomps on the ground were accompanied by a loud, gurgling breath. What the hell was this thing?
When it finally came into view, Madoka had to viciously bite her own tongue to stop her from screaming and alerting the beast to her presence.

The creature was enormous, if she had to guess, she’d say it was nearly twice her size. Not that she was all that tall, but still... It had a narrow head with long arms and even longer nails. It looked a little like a wolf, a horrendously mutilated wolf that was.
It didn’t seem to notice her at first, and Madoka silently thanked whatever God was out there for letting this creature be dumb. But then it stopped far too suddenly and made a sniffing noise before sharply turning it’s head towards her, almost staring her straight in the eye.
It was like her body and her mind became two separate things; her mind froze instantly, but her body seemed to have other plans. As though it was driven by an invisible force, she began to run as fast as her legs could take her. The creature roared loud enough to make the ground shake ever so slightly beneath her feet, and the noise was deafening. Nevertheless, her legs kept going.

The next few moments appeared in her mind as snap-shots of a kind, she was running – the beast following, she was squeezing herself in-between two walls and the beast tried to reach for her with it’s claws and managed to scratch up her arm pretty badly, the next she was ramming her rock into the beast’s eyes and pushed past him, back to running, this time – she prayed – into the right direction.
She was still getting pursued by the sound of it, although the creature seemed slowed down, as though it was slightly disorientated. Rocks to the eye tended to do that.
Sadly, Madoka herself wasn’t doing much better. Fear, exhaustion and the darkness around her made it difficult to focus. Her own vision began to cloud somewhat and she began to slow down, nearly tripping over her own feet and bumping into walls every now and then.

By now, it had caught up to her and Madoka could merely rest her back against the wall as she stared at it rushing towards her.
She could faintly hear a barking noise and let out a soft laugh, “Come to pick me up boy?” she whispered as she imagined Shiro’s spirit leading her to some sort of after-life. There was no way she was going to survive next attack, after all. Not with how weak she was feeling.

She placed her hand on her bleeding arm and in a last attempt at survival, tried to splash it into the creature’s eyes.
What happened next was the stuff of legends. It stopped. Apparently lady luck was on her side and decided to actually hit the bastard in the eyes. Or maybe it was her boss was some superman who saved her only so she could work for him longer. He would if he could, that was sure.
Now that she had borrowed some time, she tried her best to get up and run again, but she failed to go faster than an old granny. One misstep and she was sent tumbling to the ground. Again she heard a bark.

“No Shiro, don’t come over here… run! Get out now!” she yelled as she struggled to get back up, she gave up the struggle when she heard the creature’s footsteps behind her again. He – or it – was moving slowly, it probably couldn’t see well, but still… there was no use in trying to run. He’d just smell her or hear her and catch her anyway. She simply laid down and hoped her imitation of a corpse would work, if not, at least it would be a quick death.

((OOC Note: It's supposed to be a pretty pathetic demon who can't even kill one mortal without getting itself injured))

[Aryan Farr]

“Arf?”

A questioning bark came from his left, and Aryan quickly turned his head. In the darkness, he could just make out the shape of the dog. His eyes widened at this, and he took a step forward. Then he stopped, not wanting to scare the animal away. “Here boy,” Aryan called quietly, slowly reaching out a hand. He rubbed his fingers together, making a quiet snapping sound. When that didn’t work, he tried whistling. The dog didn’t budge. It just looked at him curiously, tail wagging. Aryan inched forward, taking slow steps. Then he reached out to try and grab the white ball of fur.

On his first try, the dog dashed away, and he had to chase it through a few tunnels. He eventually caught up though, and managed to scoop it into his arms. He held its small body tightly, lifting it up to his face and staring into its small eyes. “So, you are the one who has caused all this trouble, are you not?” he asked, as if expecting some kind of response. Then he sighed, hands still gripping the animal’s body, and he began walking again. “Now it seems it is your mistress who is lost…” he said, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. Just as he was thinking that he might never find her, a loud roar echoed through the cave, vibrating off the walls. Aryan very nearly dropped the dog, jumping slightly at the sudden sound.

The white pup in his arms began to squirm, clearly unsettled by the noise, but he held onto it firmly. Aryan was gripped with fear, unsure of what had made such a sound. One word echoed through his mind though, and that was demon. Following the sound, he took off running down one of the passageways. It was hard to see where he was going, and he ran into a few walls on his way, but following the sounds of Madoka’s screams, he was eventually able to locate what he was looking for.

Aryan arrived just in time to see the monster crouching down, leaning in over something. It was a rather frightening site, wolf-like and scrawny. It was a fair sized demon, but he could tell by looking at it that it wasn’t very strong, or smart for that matter. Aryan quickly dropped the dog he was holding and unsheathed his sword, turning to face the beast. As he did so, he suddenly noticed Madoka on the ground a few feet behind the demon. His chest tightened, and he hoped that he had not come too late. If she was dead it would be his fault, his fault for mentioning the caves, for letting her wander off on her own. He should have kept a closer eye on her.

Aryan brought the sword down, slamming it against the beast’s back, cutting open its flesh in one swift movement. Before it could make a sound, he moved the sword again, this time swinging it at the neck, aiming for the most vital areas. It hit with precision, again cutting through the flesh. The beast might have been big, but it was slow and stupid, not a very threatening demon. It was probably capable of killing, but only if its opponent was unarmed. Aryan was lucky. He had been able to sneak up behind the demon, getting the first blow in, catching it off guard, and because of this it didn’t have time to put up much of a fight. It swung a clawed arm at him, thrashing as it fell, but he managed to dodge this. The claws caught his side, but luckily it only managed to rip a bit of the fabric off, not puncturing his skin.

With the beast taken care of, Aryan looked around for Madoka. To his relief, he saw that she had struggled to her feet and was now trying to flee again. She didn’t make it far though, collapsing back to the ground only a few steps later. He let out a long sigh, suddenly weak with relief. At least she wasn’t dead. Thank the gods. Aryan sheathed his blood stained sword, putting it back in its scabbard, and then approached her slowly, stepping over the bloody carcass of the demon as he moved. His own clothes were stained in blood, however, it was not his own. It was only blood that had sprayed on him as he had slain the demon.

Aryan slowly kneeled down next to the fallen girl, reaching out a hand and touching it lightly to her arm. It was as he did this that he noticed her injury. It was dark and he could not see very well, but he could feel that her arm was wet. He quickly jerked his hand back, raising his fingers up to his eyes, and he cringed. Just as he had feared, the sticky substance on his fingers smelled of blood, and in the dim light he could even make out its scarlet red hue. He closed his eyes, swiftly wiping his hand on his shirt, trying to get rid of the crimson liquid. He hated blood, and seeing so much of it made him feel a little sick. The smell didn’t help either, and he had to take a breath to calm himself.

“Miss Ogawa?” he spoke her name quietly, not wanting to startle her. “Are you alright?” He knew that she was not dead, but he was still fearful for her. She was bleeding, and he was not sure how bad the wound was or how much blood she had lost. To make things worse, they were lost in the cave, and who knows how they were going to escape. “How badly are you injured?” As he spoke, he was already tearing off some of the cloth from the side of his shirt, preparing a makeshift bandage, something to stop the bleeding until they could get real medical assistance.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Seemingly out of nowhere, something touched her arm. In a reflex she gasped and jerked it back slightly, her eyes still wide with fear. Then she realized the touch had been gentle, and that demon was most definitely not going to touch her gently. Someone must’ve heard her scream and come to her aid.

“Miss Ogawa? Are you alright?”
The fear drained from her eyes and turned to confusion almost instantly upon hearing a familiar voice.
She slowly turned around to face her rescuer, and could faintly make out a pale face and white hair.
“Aryan…? What are you… doing here?” she mumbled as she pushed herself up in a sitting position, but quickly regretting it when she felt more blood flow from her arm, she quickly reached down to stop it, but let out a slightly alarmed gasp when she felt just how deep the wound was. That thing really got her good.
“Oh God… what was that thing? Is it gone? We need to get out of here before it retu-” another shot of pain coursed through her arm and she softly bit down on her lip to keep herself from making too much noise.

“How badly are you injured?” he asked seriously as he helped her sit back down.
“I… um… I’m not sure…” she admitted, “I’m not even sure what just happened…” she felt her arm again and started to get a little scared, “I-I think it’s pretty bad…”
As Aryan bandaged up her arm, she could hear a soft whine come from his side. “Shiro? Is that you? It is you! You stupid little mongrel!” despite the insult, Shiroki was happily wagging it’s tail, and licked her hand. “You’ll be the death of me someday…” she mumbled before turning back to Aryan, “Why didn’t you just run? I wouldn’t have blamed you, you know… it was really dangerous, you could’ve gotten hurt… you’re not hurt, are you?” her voice was getting softer with each word.

As soon as he’d finished his work, Madoka stubbornly tried to stand up again. It went surprisingly well for the first few steps, maybe now that she’d rested a little, she was up for the trip outside.

Shiroki merely sat by watching those silly humans being silly. When both of them had stood up, Shiroki also got up on his feet and walked up to Aryan, happily wagging it’s tail at the man.
“Hey you, stop that! I’m supposed to be your favorite!” she laughed back at him as she used the wall to steady herself, after a few more steps she stopped and pressed both her hands against the wall and hung her head slightly. She’d been overconfident in her own skills again, there was a surprise.
Maybe she’d lost more blood than she thought.

“You don’t happen to know the way out, do you?” she tried her best to sound optimistic and cheerful, but fear had a firm grip on her heart. If they didn’t find an exit and that wound kept bleeding, her situation looked dire indeed.
“Listen I… think it’s best if you try and find your way out by yourself. The water is probably rising… and it might flood this cave, you’ll be faster without me.” She smiled at him, “You’ve already done more than enough… I’ll just sit down and rest, and then I’ll find my way out too. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

She sat down on her knees and started going through her pockets, “I’d really appreciate it if you could get Shiroki out of here.” Finally she found what she was looking for and she grasped Aryan’s hand, placing her money in it. “For your trouble sir.” Aryan was polite, probably too polite to ask her for money. But everyone wanted to be paid for their services, and she couldn’t imagine him to be any different.

She truly wasn’t sure if she was going to make it out on her own or not. She didn’t feel that bad, just tired. She just needed to rest, and she’d be fine. Still, in case she was wrong she wanted to be sure she didn’t drag anyone down with her. If this cave was going to be flooded, it was better that one of them drowned rather than all three, right? And she was a pretty amazing swimmer, who knew, maybe she’d swim her way out of here?

“Thank you very much for all your help. Now help yourself.” She reached out and gently patted the dog’s head, “You be nice to the friendly man, you hear?”
She really didn’t want to die, but asking anyone to endanger themselves by helping you while they had a much better chance of surviving on their own was too much. Madoka wasn’t even sure if she’d be kind enough to stay. She wanted to say yes, but it was easy to say when you weren’t in such a position.

[Aryan Farr]

“Aryan…? What are you… doing here?”

“I am saving you. What does it look like?” he asked lightly. He sighed and shook his head, wondering why this girl sounded so surprised at his presence. Had she thought that he was just going to abandon her in the tunnels? Aryan bandaged her arm with the cloth of his shirt as he knelt there, taking care to be gentle, tying the knot of the fabric firmly, but not too tight. Then he moved back a bit to give her some space, some air. It was just a wound to the arm, and that alone would not kill her. He was, however, slightly concerned about the amount of blood she had lost. It was dark, and he was unable to see how bad the wound was.

“Oh God… what was that thing? Is it gone? We need to get out of here before it retu-”

Madoka winced in pain, unable to finish her sentence, and Aryan looked away. He did not like seeing others suffer. It always bothered him, especially when there was nothing he could do to help. “It…was a demon,” Aryan explained after a slight hesitation. He paused and then added quickly, “But it is gone now, so there is no need to worry. I assure you, it will not be coming back.” As he said this, he took a glance over his shoulder, as if checking to make sure the beast’s corpse was still there. To his relief, it was, as dead as it could be. He let out a faint sigh of relief and then returned his attention to Madoka.

Her dog barked, and as Aryan watched, the white pup gave her hand a lick. This made him smile slightly. At least he had been able to help her find her dog… It was worth it to see the happy look on her face. “I found your dog…” he told her, forcing a small laugh, although that much was probably obvious by now.

“Why didn’t you just run? I wouldn’t have blamed you, you know… it was really dangerous, you could’ve gotten hurt… you’re not hurt, are you?”

Aryan just shook his head. “I am fine,” he told her reassuringly. “The monster was slow.” Madoka tried to stand, slowly rising to her feet, and Aryan did the same, standing close to her. His hands were slightly raised, ready to support her, as if he expected her to collapse at any moment. “And asking me why I saved you is a rather ridiculous question. I am not one to simply abandon a person in need. Besides, it is my fault you came here in the first place...”

Then Madoka asked if he knew the way out. Aryan bit his lip, unsure how to answer her question. “I…um, no, I do not,” he finally admitted, glancing off to the side. “But I –” Aryan started to say something, but he was cut off as Madoka told him to find his own way out, to leave her. Aryan’s eyes widened at this and he stared down at her in disbelief. Did she honestly think that he was just going to leave her here like this? Foolish girl. If that is what she thought, then she was gravely mistaken. If he left her here, she would die. If the rising tide didn’t kill her, then infection or starvation definitely would. “Miss Ogawa, I do not think that –”

Again he was interrupted. Madoka lowered herself to the ground, seeming unable to go any farther, and then told him to get Shiroki, who he assumed was her dog, out of the caverns. And then, with a simple, “For your trouble sir” Aryan felt a wad of money being shoved into his hands. His eyes shot wide at this and he stared at Madoka in disbelief. “I-I cannot take this!” he exclaimed. What kind of person did she think he was? Aryan crouched down next to where she had collapsed on the ground and shoved the money back at her. “I do not want your money.” he told her calmly, expression shocked and slightly offended. “I need no reward for my actions.” And this was true. He did not want her money. In fact, such a silly thing as a reward had never occurred to him.

“Now, stop being ridiculous. If I leave you here, you will die. I will not have that happening, do you understand me?” His voice was firm now, but it still held a gentle note to it. “Besides, your dog would be lonely without you.” With this, he slid his hands around the girl’s waist and hoisted her up into his arms. “No one is dying,” he told her. “There is no need for that.” Aryan got a better grip on her, adjusting her small body so that he was holding her against his chest, and then he began to walk down one of the tunnels. She was quite light, and carrying her was hardly any trouble. “If we are to get out of these caverns, which I assure you we will, it will be together.”

[Madoka Ogawa]

“I do not want your money.” he told her calmly as he shoved it back into her hands. Was he offended?
“Why not?” this baffled her more than his earlier statements about how it was only natural that he came back for her. Maybe it wasn’t rare where he was from, but she sincerely doubted any of the men in her village would’ve done the same. No one really expected you to risk your life for anyone other than your family, and she was most definitely not his family.

“I need no reward for my actions.” She opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her short, “Now, stop being ridiculous. If I leave you here, you will die. I will not have that happening, do you understand me?”
“I-I will not die! What do you take me for? Some damsel in distress?” it was a good thing he probably couldn’t see her expression well, or he’d be able to see her shaking her head and smiling slightly. If she were really so capable, why didn’t she kill the demon herself? Much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t much better than a damsel in distress right now.
“Besides, your dog would be lonely without you.” she guessed that was right… not a whole lot of people seemed to concerned with the dog’s safety. Children would feed him now and then, but otherwise, he was mostly alone.

“I guess you’re ri- what are you doing?!” she gasped when she felt his hands circle around her waist and pulling her up into his arms, “Why… you… that’s…” she blabbered on as he lifted her up with the greatest ease, as though she were light as a feather.
“No one is dying, there is no need for that.” he told her calmly as adjusted his grip slightly, balancing her weight better. “If we are to get out of these caverns, which I assure you we will, it will be together.”

She slowly lowered her head, letting her hair fall down and covering her face slightly. This was awkward, there was absolutely no reason to blush, and she wasn’t exactly sure why she was even blushing in the first place. Part of the reason was embarrassment for having to be carried like a child, that was for sure. But the other part didn’t make much sense to her.
She really wasn’t used to men like Aryan, who seemed like perfect gentlemen. She was used to the fisherman’s sons, whose only reason for picking you up was to carry you into their bedroom, or their boat, or wherever the hell they slept. Of course, as soon as she’d figured out what their intention was, she’d kick them in the groin and make it dead clear that they’d have to keep looking, because it wasn’t going to happen.

Maybe she shouldn’t have done that, maybe she should’ve interacted with boys more while growing up, maybe it would’ve made her less awkward around them.

For a while, she just remained silent and unmoving. Occasionally she’d glance down at Shiroki as he casually walked beside Aryan and whenever he looked back, she imagined him to be giving her a mocking smile.
She had to admit being carried was a lot better than walking, and it didn’t seem like he was struggling either. After a while, her awkwardness faded slightly and she began to look around for any sign of daylight. She was still feeling rather tired, but there was no way she was going to fall asleep. Not now anyway, they first needed to get out of this cave, then she’d have to find a doctor before bleeding to death, and then perhaps, she could sleep.

“Sorry,” She said suddenly without looking Aryan in the eye yet, “I didn’t mean to offend you by offering you money. I guess I’m too used to greedy people to recognize good people.” She turned to look at him now, “And uh… sorry for acting so pathetic back there too.” A smirk crossed her features for a moment, “I can’t help it, I do so love drama.” She joked.
She still wondered about the money and his reluctance to take it. There had to be something behind that, there had to be a catch. No one was that nice.
“So… you never take a reward? Not ever? You just run in, save the day, and then vanish or something? Like some mysterious super-hero?” a soft laugh escaped her but she quickly turned serious again, “But why not? Surely you have a use for money as well? You need to eat, you need a place to live, all these things cost money.”
She sighed and looked around again, “My mother would love you for sure. You’re both far too nice for your own good.”

[Aryan Farr]

“I-I will not die! What do you take me for? Some damsel in distress?”

Aryan laughed softly at this. “Are you not?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly. “If I remember rightly, just a few moments ago you were lying on the ground about to be devoured by a demon.” In his eyes, she was indeed a damsel in distress. The amount she had been babbling about how he should just leave her there, leave her there and save himself… If that did not make her a damsel in distress, he wasn’t sure what would. He felt slightly relieved though, because judging by the volume of her voice, she must not be too close to death, not if she was able to muster up those comments.

“I guess you’re ri- what are you doing?! Why… you… that’s…”

Madoka had stuttered a few words as Aryan hoisted her up into his arms, and he rolled his eyes. “What? Would you rather I just left you here?” he asked her. Not that he would have done that. Even if he had wanted to, he doubted he would have been able to do something so cruel. In his past, he had watched many people die, and he had always wished he could have done something, something to save them. He hadn’t been able to though. No matter how badly he wanted to help, he was always unable to do a single thing, caged behind the doors of the castle, where all he could do was watch.

For a while, Aryan walked in silence. Madoka, who had seemed rather tense at first, had now relaxed. Aryan really had no idea where he was walking. He had no real logic to finding their way out of the cave. He just thought that if he walked far enough, eventually he would come to the entrance. He had no idea how long it would take, but he knew they would find it. It didn’t matter if it took minutes, hours, days even, he would find it. He would make sure of that much.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you by offering you money. I guess I’m too used to greedy people to recognize good people.”

Aryan was caught by surprised at her sudden apology. He glanced down at her as he walked. “There is no need for you to apologize,” he told her. “I understand.” And, in a way, he did. He knew that majority of the population would demand a reward, something in return, probably gold coins. He could not blame her for misunderstanding. After all, they had just met. How would she know what kind of a person he was? If all she had ever known were greedy bastards, than it was only natural for her to group him in with them. “I suppose it is lucky it is me you ran into?”

Then Madoka apologized again, this time for being so dramatic about her injuries. For some reason, this comment relaxed Aryan a bit. If she was able to joke like this, maybe she wasn’t as badly hurt as he had thought. “Again, there is no need for any apologies. Your fear probably made you irrational...” He couldn’t blame her though, as she had just been attacked by a demon, even if it was a rather pathetic one. It wasn’t as if she could have fought it off by herself. If not for his sword, he wouldn’t have been able to either. It was impossible to defeat a demon with your bare hands alone.

“So… you never take a reward? Not ever? You just run in, save the day, and then vanish or something? Like some mysterious super-hero?”

Aryan smiled slightly at this. “Something like that,” he said quietly. “I can earn my money other ways. The feeling of aiding another is enough of a reward for me.” His words were true. Whenever he was able to help someone, he felt useful, needed, if only for a small moment in time. The girl proceeded to compare him to her mother, saying that they were both too nice for their own good. He frowned at this. Another person who thought he was nice… Was he really that good of a person? “Is that so?” he inquired, voice soft.

Aryan walked for a while longer, not saying anything. The only sound was the sound of their footsteps echoing through the cave. Eventually, however, the caverns seemed to grow a little lighter, and as he kept walking. “It seems as though the entrance might be near,” he announced, breathing a sigh of relief. Just as he said this, Aryan suddenly felt something cold sting his legs. He clamped his mouth shut, holding in a gasp, and he looked down in alarm, seeing water pooling at his feet. He bit his lip slightly, though he did not mention this to Madoka. He just hoped she wouldn’t notice it. If she did, she might start to freak out again, and right now it would be better if she just rested.