Memories of the Past +Part 2+

~*~Part 2~*~
Aberius

  "Damn those jerks..." Aberius shuttered in a sharp breath as a huge bruise on his left side throbbed. He came to the entrance of the caves. At the very least, I can relax here. he thought warmly No one ventures much farther than the large rock formation so I can always have this place to myself...

Aberius came to the pool of water he always sat by to dwell on his thoughts. He kneeled down and gathered some in his hands and took a sip. The cool liquid trickled down his throat and soothed the stinging thirst. All that heavy breathing had dried out his throat. Aberius sighed and started to feel down.

I wonder if I can ever beat those guys? His eye closed and opened again halfway. Is there any way for me to get stronger? What is it I should be doing? What should I look for? No one's ever taught me how to fight. I'm the only one in the village who can't sense disaster coming... If I had a sign, I...

Suddenly, Aberius heard a stirring from the opposite end of the cave. He tensed and smelled the air. His senses were slightly dulled after the beating, but he could sense the prescence of someone... it didn't smell like another gijinka... From around the corner stepped a girl. She was human.

  "Ah, geez..." the girl said, "I'm just too lost for my own good... Hm? I smell water..."

The girl looked over and noticed a pool of water and began to walk toward it, but stopped noticing Aberius there.

  "Oh... hello" she studied him, "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone would be here..." The girl stepped closer and gasped noticing the young male's cuts and bruises. "Oh my god, are you alright?" She rushed over and looked concerned over him.

  "... Sol..." Aberius stared back warily, but didn't move. Did this girl not know personal space issues? But it felt good to have someone who didn't make fun of him or ignore him. It felt good to have someone be concerned for once. Aberius didn't answer her, but continued to let her inspect the wounds.

  "Can you speak? Who did this to you? Does this hurt?" the girl pressed a spot on his arm.

  "OUCH! God Dammit!! What's wrong with you?!" Aberius swore, forgetting his wariness for a moment.

The girl smiled, "So you can speak. Are you well enough to remove your jacket?"

Aberius blushed "Wh-what...?"

  "You need to take off your jacket and shirt so I can clean your wounds" She said, a determined look in her eye.

  "I-I was gonna do it myself anyway!" Aberius pulled away defiantly, only to wince at more pain. "Don't you know anything about personal space?! Are you always so presumptuous?"

The girl bopped Aberius on the head. "Don't be ridiculous. It's only natural to help someone who's injured. Don't they teach you that in gijinka school or whatever?"

  "Ouch..." Aberius looked down, "That's not the way it works around here... The strong are the only valued ones..."

The girl paused. "Well, that's not what I was taught, so excuse me for being differently educated, but I'm going to clean your wounds even if I have to tie you up."

Aberius' faced flushed. T... tie me up? Just what is this girl into...?

The girl carefully peeled the jacket from Aberius' shoulders. Being that close, Aberius could tell that she smelled like foreign fruit. His breath hitched in his throat. The girl set the jacket to the side and proceeded to removed his shirt as well.

Aberius had to be the color of a tomato at this point. "I-I c-can d-do it m-myself!!!" He pushed her away and turned the opposite direction. Still blushing, he removed his shirt and set it with his jacket. Just what kind of situation have I wound up in...? he exhaled through his nose. It... it couldn't be like those situations that I read about in those graphic novels, could it?! Aberius' eyes grew wide as he panicked and felt his face heat up.

The girl took a handkercheif our of her bag and soaked it with cool water. "Turn towards me..." she said. Hesitantly, he did as she said, avoiding eye contact. She gently wiped away some blood and dirt from his cheek, taking care not to aggravate any pain. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Kitty. What's yours?" Kitty smiled.

  "A... Aberius..." he replied looking up meekly.

  "Aberius? Too long. I'll call you Abbie!" she smiled goofily.

  "Wh-what?! Stop joking around...! That a girl's name!" Abbie stirred and felt more pain from his side.

  "I'm not joking. It's cute. And you need to stop moving or you might open your wounds. They're still not deep at the moment..."

  "Guys don't want to be cute... It's not manly."

Kitty laughed, "But you are cute... and cute guys are very likeable. Your name doesn't suit you. Maybe if you were taller..."

Aberius got up. He was upset now as she had struck a nerve. He didn't care if it caused him pain, he wasn't going to take that from a stranger. "You don't know anything..." He started to walk away, but Kitty grabbed his pant leg. He looked back at her with a frown. "Let me go..."

  "No, I won't. You're right, I don't know anything about you or your situation, but what I do know is no one else is going to help you right now. If they were, they would have been here already."

Aberius felt a stab. It hurt to hear, but she was right. He sat back down and let her continue cleaning him up.

  "You know you're not cute, right?" Aberius said, pouting.

  "Maybe I'm not, but I'm doing what needs to be done. You can call me a big ugly monster, but I'm going to help you. After all, I don't want to see someone I just met die in front of me..." Kitty's expression saddened.

Aberius' eyes widened. "I-I'm not gonna die..." He looked at her and wondered what she was doing there in the first place. "So... what were you doing in these caves...?"

  "I was looking for wild mushrooms!" Kitty grinned her goofy grin, again. Aberius facepalmed.

  "Are you the type of person who gets lost over something like that?"

  "Hehe... Seems that way," she soaked the cloth in water again and layed the cool rag against Aberius' bruise on his side.

  "Well things can be dangerous here, y'know? Shouldn't you go back to your parents or your husband or something?"

  "I don't have a husband and I'm traveling," she stated matter of factly. "Since I'm out on my own, it's do or die, so I'd rather do."

No husband? Er... I mean, she's a traveler? Aberius sighed, "Must be nice to not have anyone to answer to and go on an adventure..."

  "It is. Sometimes it's lonely, though," she began to bandage his wounds.

  "You don't have any gijinka with you?" Aberius knew that many people on the outside world usually had gijinka for companions and fought battles as well asked for their aid as guardians.

  "Nope. You're actually the first I've had a conversation with up close."

  "Really...? ... I can understand the lonely thing, though. I really don't like it here, but I don't have anywhere else to go... I'm too weak to travel alone..."

Kitty finished bandaging Aberius' side and arms. "Then... Why don't you travel with me?"

~*~To Be Continued~*~