Book 2: Urges

Its Her.

Ariel begins bouncing up and down. "Sooo... totally contacted my best lady-bro here once I heard you talk about her. I asked her to just come to Hoctin for my sister's whole Emissary thang, but then you guys went and got kidnapped! So... early suprise!"

His bombastic words fall on deaf ears. We stand apart, shocked at the sight of each other; then the next thing I know, the tip of her sword is pressed to my throat.

"Who are you!? What are you!?" Says Tomoko, her expression shifted suddenly to one of anger, and confusion.

"Woah woah woah!" Says Ariel, quickly grabbing Tomoko's arm. "He's not an enemy, or a spy, or a mega-super-duper-evil thingy of any kind! Just calm down, Tomo..."

I blurt out. "Damian Walker! My name is Damian..."

The sword presses harder. "I've had Mindstealers say that name before, creature. It means nothing to me."

Names won't help?! Well maybe...

"Your sigil! The ring! It was the engagement ring I gave you!"

I feel blood begin to trickle from the center of my neck as the blade passes between scaled flesh. Tomoko stands there, unable to speak; its as though... she's lost in her own mind.

Like me, when memories start flooding back...

"Get off of him!"

Cilla shoves the Heroine of Ruyanei back, allowing me to breathe easy.

Tomoko however, collapses to the floor, sword still in hand, muttering to herself. "Dad, stop... no... happily ever after..."

"Oh not again." Says Ariel, kneeling down to hold his friend. "Oh man, I thought we got over this..."

Suddenly, the Chosen of Maiyo comes to her sense, and scrambles to her hands and knees.

Ignoring the worried calls from Ariel to 'Lay down' and 'chill out', she gives me a frantic, flustered look. "Where... where did you propose."

I freeze. No memories of the act itself had come to me; they may have even been lost to the flames.

Wait...

"During a picnic, on a hill with a single tree... it was beautiful."

...

A sword clatters to the ground, and a pair of arms wrap around me. "You're Him... the man in my dreams."

Slowly, I begin to hold Tomoko at the waist. "You don't remember me?"

I hear her voice, spoken into my ear. "No. Whoever I was before, she asked my Lady Maiyo to take her memories. To lock the pain away."

"Do you wish to know your name? I can tell you..."

"I'm not sure." She says, pulling away from our embrace. "I... I wish to know who I was. Who we were... but I fear the damage such a sudden change could bring. If I'm not ready to face the Dark, then all may be lost in a moments notice."

"Then, how about we just... talk. About our lives here, and now. Ease into things."

"... I'd like that."

Gabriella's healing Utterance for my throat is uttered as she begins walking towards the door. "I think it would be best to leave these two be for now."

"Oh, of course!" Says Scott, who whispers to me with a cheeky wink as he passes. "If she killed you, I'd have warned you in my next loop."

Ariel leaves with his sisters. "You're welcome, lovebirds!"

I look for Cilla, but it seems she's already left; silent as a mouse.

Tomoko takes a seat over near the cleared plates of my companions.

"So... where do you want to start?"