They walk down the steep rocky path, Elly leads the way and Taiga follow in silence. The way the leaves block the sunlight and the slight breeze make them rustle reminds him of the spring. The sunlight finds its way through the gaps in the leaves hitting Elly while she walks confidently with the ponytail swinging back and forth. He doesn't know where to look first. At the scenery— or her. Where can he possibly find something to hang from?
Taiga- "so Elly!" He goes next to her "why are you here? And helping me?!"
Elly- Once in a day I go for a walk, y'know, to take fresh air, and then I found ya.
T- ok, and what was that you did back then? With that glowing stick?
E- "you mean this!?" she lift her hand and light particles gathered around it "It's light fandon! Genius, right?— what with that face?"
T- what is that phantom?
E- "fandon! What the hell, you never hear that word? Even cavemen knew it!— Yer a weirdo" she smurfs
T- stop looking at me like that!
She starts laughing at him without the intention to stop, she even holds on to a tree to take her breath but she couldn't stop laughing as he looks at her with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Oh ya weren't jokin'?!" her face is full of suprise, looking at him in shock "hmm— you weirdo" she smirks and stares at him "any way, we're here come in"
Taiga watches in awe as he passes the entrance gate, enters in the yard surrounded by the white walls and flowerbeds with low height green trees and flowers, smelling like the awesome. The house has two floors and a hangar at the top with tiles, grass all over the yard except from a path with with dirt and rock shaped tiles and the sun light cast shadows on it.
"are you some kind of princess?" he asked and his jaw is ready to fall off.
E- haha not the last time i checked… come in already!
Taiga spin around trying to capture the whole view, the clearing that the house were, away from the forest, it felt like a fairy tale that comes to life.
T- "it's incredible, like i live in a dream" he paused a moment and immediately slap his cheeks "ouch… I'm not"
"There is a bench over there you can go and sit there, I'll go tell my uncle and…" she hears his stomach growling "and bring you something to eat as well" she says and walks inside
"brr… I'm cold, maybe she should bring me also some clothes" he takes a moment as he sitting to the bench "all that made me relax, i almost forgot about… Misaka" he jump of the bench "i need to change fast and…" at that time she come back
E- "this is my uncle, Sinbad" she throws an apple to him
Sinbad- i hear what happened, you seem wet from the head to the toes, come in to change and I'll hear your story
Taiga stuck for a moment, he seems to struggle to follow them "i can't do that…" he slowly step back "er… maybe i should go, i don't want to be a burden or anything"
E- eh?! What do you mean, yer positive a while ago
"i can't do that" he fall on his knees, his heart bounce faster and his face tears
"hey kid" sinbad kneel down touching Taiga's shoulder "it's okay you are safe her, I'm sure you would done the same to someone in the same state."
"Huh?!" His eyes sparkle with hope for a moment "i guess so"
Sinbad- come in you will catch a cold like this outside
E- is it natural for you to fall into mental breakdowns?
T- sorry, i just had a hard day
Elly punch him in the head "it's alright don't worry".
Taiga touching his head "ouch, that hurts stop it".
They go inside "alright, we will have dinner soon why don't you go take a bath to relax and you can told us everything in the dinner." Sinbad said while he wearing an apron "Elly give him whatever he needs"
"okie dokie, come I'll show you my room" she said and they go on the second floor "it's a room, aka loft, aka guest room. it ain't tidy, "So don't go fussin' 'bout the mess."
T- wow, it's big and you have three beds?
"one it's for me the others are for guests" she said while she search her closest "here take that" she throws him a towel on his face "go take a bath and I'll get ya some clothes"
T- where will you find clothes for me? I mean you are a girl
E- some old clothes of my uncle, or maybe I'll give you my sport clothes, any problem with it?
T- no… Er… thank you for saving me
E- it's nothing really, as my uncle said I'm sure you could do the same if you saw someone helpless
T- I don't know I'm not that brave
E- … hey, what was that before? Why ya freak out?
T- er… well i… it happens to go through a same scenario before
E- did someone throw you to the river before?
T- of course not! I meant the warm hospitality, the last time someone bring me to his house it was to make fun of me… they all laugh at me?
E- why?!
T- because i cry a lot i guess and I'm too close to my mother
E- i can't understand them, neither of those would ever make me laugh at you
His eyes light up "thank you Elly" he smiled "ante— go for a bath" and he goes to the bathroom. He takes a quick bath, get dressed and when he was ready they already had the table ready
E- oh you ready? They fit you just fine
The plates were already on the table "come on, sit wherever you want" everyone sit down, Sinbad and Elly start eating but Taiga seems off
E- don't be shy it's very delicious
T- i know, it smells so good but right now my sister is somewhere in that forest, alone, without food, in the wild… i have to find her.
Sinbad- i see, you split apart. If she is lucky a guard found her already and maybe let her in an Institution, but if she was unlucky… well let's say the odds are with her
T- really?!
Sinbad- the forest Elly found you is full of guards patrolling for the safety of the various villages around her, but if i had to be real I'd give her fifty fifty chance for them to find her.
He get of his chair "so you say that it's very possible that she is… she could be already…" Sinbad refused to see him in the eyes. "It can't be! I- i need a little air"
"Taiga!!! Wait…" Elly turn to her uncle and gaze him disappointed. "was it necessary to say that?"
"i just said the truth" sinbad it a piece of meat from his plate "it's the best for him"
Elly goes out to search him. She finds him sitting on the grass in a corner of the house, hugging his legs and burying his face between his knees, sobbing.
She sits next to him. "Erm… sorry for all that scene my uncle caused. He just can't hold his mouth."
T- what if he is right… what if she is actually dead a long time now?
E- "I think it's not true. As uncle said, there're plenty of guards in that area. I believe that she will be fine."
T- it's not enough for me… believe isn't enough
Elly stands up. "Come with me." She forces Taiga to stand and drags him up some stairs leading to the rooftop. As he goes up the stairs, the shade of the house slowly leaves his face, the orange afternoon sun hitting him directly in the eyes. Away at the edge of the world, beyond the forest he once stood in, a mountain acts like the base for the sun, holding it in all its glory.
Taiga can't believe his eyes at the view, and tears stream down his face once again. "It's beautiful."
E- i like the afternoon sun so much from here
T- it reminds me the view I've seen with my father under that tree on our favourite spot on the top of a hill
E- where are you from?
T- Oh, I'm from Japan.
E- ja- who?
"You kidding? And you call me a caveman…" Elly spaces out to think. "Hey, Elly, Elly… Earth calls Elly."
E- stop that I heard you… you said earth?
T- yes?!
E- wait you tell me you are from earth?
T- Yes?!
E- i thought earth was just a legend… so it's not only exist but it also has humans?! How it is like?
T- erm… wait a minute then you mean… i, right now am not to earth?
E- nope!
He gazes at the sunset and inhales deeply. "Elly, where am I then?" Taiga questions her.
E- it's called Fandonia