Chapter 5-

The following is written by Blue Rose in Heza’s POV.

Kurai and Kumo were back at camp, but I needed to be alone. I traced our steps back to a meadow I had seen earlier. It was a beautiful meadow, carpeted with the most beautiful flowers, surrounded by the most elegant trees, full to the brim with feelings of mystery, fun, beauty, and enchantment. I had fallen in love with that spot the moment I laid eyes on it. It was one of those places made just for me.

            When I reached the center of the meadow I turned around once and then again to take everything in and feel the mood of the meadow. Then, I started to dance. I stepped and leaped, turned and bent. Every move graceful, soft. Every move attuned to the rhythm that was coursing through my body. The rhythm I had heard and seen and felt and tasted when I had taken in everything that was the meadow. The river flowed through me like a river that runs to the sea. It continued to move me as it had done since my birth. And I danced alone as fate had decreed. I was the Lone One, the Alone One, the Lonely One; forever and always alone even when I was with my friends. I truly liked Kurai, but I didn't know if she would ever fully understand me. I felt that I would find this out during the journey we were now on. And Kumo I could get along with. He was definitely interesting enough. You can always find something interesting about a person if you get to know them. I could get along with almost anyone. I would like to say I get along with everyone, but there are some people who just annoy me so much that I can't stand to be around them or I would lose my temper. Normally I am a very calm person. Only three things are so strongly annoying as to make me lose my temper. Those three are: people who act stupidly, people who act foolishly, and people who are unashamedly selfish. People who act superior to everyone else annoy me slightly less (but only slightly less) because I understand, a little, why they do.

            Despite my ability to get along with almost everyone, I sometimes felt the need to be alone. It's not that I wanted to be alone; it's just... sometimes I felt the need to express myself (which I usually do by dancing) and I have learned that people do not always see my dancing the right way. I do not want that to happen... so I dance alone. I sometimes wished I did not have to be alone but I did not complain. I love to dance. Soon I let my wandering mind rest as I abandoned myself to the pure pleasure of movement and feeling.

            After dancing for an hour I fell to the ground exhausted, and I slept.

            "Are you alright?" I faintly heard. I groaned and turned over on my back. I was just about to fall asleep again when I felt the hair gently brushed away from my face.

            "What a beautiful face," the voice murmured to itself. "Are you awake," it came, louder, but still gentle and quiet.

            "I am now." I barely got the words out (with a hint of annoyance). "Please let me sleep."

            "But someone might find you here and they might hurt you." This boy sounded like a very nice person. I opened my eyes and looked into the deepest, greenest eyes I had ever seen. They were so deep I almost drowned in them.

            I slowly surfaced from that stare and said, "Meadow will protect me. Don't worry."

            "A meadow? Protect you?" he said with a hint of sarcasm and disbelief.

            "Yes. It will," I told him, annoyed that he hadn't believed me.

            "Are you traveling with anyone?"

            "Yes. Two people. A girl and boy younger than myself. They are a mile in that direction." I pointed down the road. It was hard to raise my hand so I let it fall back to my side. The boy watched this with concern. He thought for a moment.

"You could at least wait to sleep till you reached your camp."

            "I can't make it that far."

            "Can you stand?"

            "No."

            "Can you sit up?"

            "No."

            "Then how could you move your hand?"

            "I used up what little energy I had gained from sleep when you had woke me up."

            "Well excuse me. How was I to know if you were OK or not after I just saw you fall down like that."

            Oh no, I thought, Had he seen me dance? Oh, this is just terrible. If he saw me I'll have to go into hiding again. But what if he didn't? I'll have to ask, somehow. Oh, this is just terrible. I don't want to hide again. I'll ask.

            "Did you see anything before I fell?" I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice. "Did you see anything?" I was becoming frantic. "Did you?

He frowned for a moment then said, "I was looking around and when I saw you raised your arms to the sky, then fell to the ground. And since you can't move I'm going to carry you to your friends." As he said this he picked me up and started in the direction I had pointed in. I was so relieved that he hadn't seen me dance that I didn't protest to his carrying me and I was so tired that I soon fell asleep.

 

Back to Kurai’s POV, written by Sora:

"I’m gonna go look for Heza. She’s been gone a while. Wanna come?" I asked Kumo.

Before he could reply, a blue-haired boy, about 19, walked out of the woods carrying Heza.

"Oh my gosh! Is she okay?" asked Kumo.

"I dunno...I found her in the woods. She collapsed so I carried her back." He said, then added, "She fell asleep along the way."

The boy laid her down by the fire where we were cooking breakfast.

"My name is Kei." Said the boy.

"Oh. I’m Kurai and this is Kumo"

"Wow. Three names starting with ‘K’. You know, Kurai’s an unusual name. Do you know why you’re named that?"

"No. I never thought to ask. Now my parents are dead." Ack! Why did I just tell a total stranger that my parents are dead?

Then I got a strange feeling that he knew already. No. He must just have an air of wisdom about him or something like that.

"Are we forgetting someone?" said Kumo looking down at Heza.

"Ah! Heza!" I sat down beside her. "Do ya think she’s okay?"

"Yeah. She was just tired," said Kei. "Um…Do you mind if I stay until she wakes up?"

"Sure! You can stay with us as long as you want! You can come with us!" I said

"Okay." Kei smiled.

Kumo’s mouth opened and choking sounds could be heard from him in the background.

"Why are you asking him to come with us?" he asked.

"Because he brought Heza back to us." I said.

"But we don’t know anything about him!"

"Doesn‘t this sound familiar?" I said.

"I want him to come." Said Heza. She was sitting up now but was still a little sick looking.

Kei kneeled down next to her. "Are you alright?"

Heza blushed slightly and replied, "I’m okay. I just needed the rest really bad. In a little while I’ll be back to normal."

"Well, that’s a relief. I was really afraid you might be ill. May I ask where you’re headed to then?" said Kei.

"That’s what we’d all like to know, actually." Said Kumo

"You see, we don’t really have a place to go so we’re just traveling. Seeing new sights, meeting new people." Said Kurai.

"Do you plan do that forever or settle down eventually when you find the right place?" asked Kei.

"Well, I don’t know. We’ll just see what happens I guess. We only just started traveling. We’re nowhere near ready to stop yet."

"That sound very interesting. I’d be happy to join you. I hope I can be of use to you. I’ve been training at sword fighting, though I haven’t been in a real battle yet. The thought of killing some one, seeing their blood on my blade, on my hands…it really bothers me. But anyway, if the situation arouse I could protect you." He went silent for a moment.

"Anyway. I can also cook a little. Sort of a hobby of mine. I can only cook a few things though. Blueberry muffins are my specialty."

Kumo’s hand tightened into a shaking fist. His face clearly expressed something like ‘I make the muffins around here, pal’. Has his status as Blueberry Muffin Master been challenged? I thought and giggled to myself. Tomorrow’s breakfast should be fun.

"Should we just stay at this camp for the night? I’m still too tired to really do anything and it’s getting late." said Heza.

Dinner was soup made of things from both Kumo and Kei’s supplies. Kei had a surprising amount of food in his pack. It seemed as though he was planning on going on a very long journey. I had to ask him why he was out here all alone with that much food. He looked like he was fairly well off. Dressed in nice clothes, with clean, nicely brushed, longish hair in a ponytail. He couldn’t possibly be looking for work and that was one of the few reasons any one wondered around alone like that.

I waited until Kumo was asleep to ask him about it. Kumo would probably get too accusing.

By the time Kumo was asleep Heza had also fallen asleep. Not surprising after today. She shouldn’t wonder off on her own like that. She could very well be kidnapped. That was another type of person who would wonder the woods. Kidnappers and thieves. This couldn’t be the case with Kei. No thief should be so well dressed and polite. It was time to find out.

"Kei?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you out in the woods today? Are you traveling some where? You seem to have a lot of supplies."

"I was going to my brother’s home. When I got there he suggested I meet with and get to know some one, so I’m on my way to see her."

"Are you sure it’s wise to join us then? How will you get to see her?"

"I’m confident I’ll meet her along the way." Kei smiled, yawned, then laid down on his sleeping bag (it was a rather nice one. Thicker and better sewn than the ones Kumo and got from a closet in his house.) facing away from me and immediately acted like he was sleeping. He even got an impressively good fake snore going too. Was it just me or was his sleeping bag a bit close to Heza’s? Ah, well. I was tired and also tried to sleep. I didn’t get to sleep for a long time though. The ground seemed especially lumpy. I kept moving my bag, but it didn’t help.