Other Fan Fiction ❯ The Lost Ones ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

He looked up at her and nodded. Following her down the stairs to her car, he looked around. People walked by and didn't give him a second glance. It seemed the clothes she had bought him made him fit in well enough. So far so good.

Mai drove them to a local hot spot for breakfast. She went there a lot and the food reminded her a lot of home. Walking in she took him to a booth and showed him the menu. "Anything you want."

He looked at the menu. He had no idea what was on it, but at least he had picture to guide him. He pointed at a simple image of pancakes and sausage. "This looks good," he told her with a smile. Looking around at all the people, he was surprised at just how many people there were. They were everywhere! They were in cars, in shops, walking down the street, in the eating area.

"Tell me, Mia. What is it that you do?" They had talked about the world, and he realized most of the jobs he knew were no longer in existence. "You had mentioned something about college. What is that exactly?"

She smiled at him and gave the waiter their order. "It's school. But it's school for those who wish to future their lives with a greater career, like a doctor or a lawyer."

"Ah." A girl was staring at him and smiling so he looked over and smiled at her. "People are certainly more friendly in this era," he said more to himself than anything. "So what do you wish to do? Are you one who wants to be a doctor or a lawyer?"

"Right now I'm just taking my basic courses. I don't really know what I want to be yet...I have time though," she said as she turned around to look at the girl he smiled at. "She's flirting with you."

He frowned as she said this. "You mean she's trying to court me? That is...odd for a female to do such." Running a hand through his hair, he held up his hand with their mark. "Can she not see that I am taken?"

Mia chocked on her milk and coughed for a while before looking at him. "What!"

He pointed to his mark once more. "You are my master. She cannot be it."

Mia put his hand down. "You can't just go around and say that. And I may be your master, but you and I are not 'together' in the sense that she wants you."

"Yes, of course. I will keep our bond secret as you wish," he told her. When the food came, he smiled brightly at the smell of it. Their food was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. He quickly took the knife and fork to the pancakes and sausage with exuberant gusto.

Grabbing the syrup, she poured it over his pancakes and smiled. "Try it now."

He did as she commanded. Taking his first bite of pancakes and syrup his eyes lit up. "This...is amazing!" He took another bite and moaned softly. "This food.... Surely you live in a blessed age."

Cutting some of her omelet, she blew on it and held it on her fork for him. "Now this."

He leaned forward and took the piece of omelet into his mouth. Once more he was overwhelmed at the taste. He smiled at her as he licked his lips. "Maybe my stay in this world will not be so bad. This is much better that cooked scarab beetle or fried pig's intestines. A century or three would not be bad at all."

She laughed. "There is so much I must show you."

"I can't wait to see it," he laughed. "I'm still fascinated with your...television." He looked to make certain that he had used the correct words. "This world is so fascinating. It will be a shame when it gets torn apart by our fight."

For a moment, she had forgotten about the battle. For a moment...she was just enjoying his company. Finishing their food, she took him to a movie to watch an action film. She watched his face with a smile as he watched the large screen. She got them popcorn and soda and of course, some candy.

He was very much like a little kid as he watched the movie. It was a truly engaging film, at least to him. The story was untold, at the end he was left smiling and staring at the screen even as the credits rolled. "Do things such as that happen in your world often?" He looked at her while popping pieces of popcorn into his mouth. "The worst thing we had to worry about was raiders trying to carry our women and animals off. Never a...terrorist trying to blow up a building. That John McClain truly is a great hero!"

Mia only smiled bigger. "No, it's just a movie, Neron. It's not real. All fake, just for fun," she said and stood. "I'm glad you like it."

He chuckled and nodded as if he had heard that many times before. "Enjoy the calm, Mia. I am afraid that it will not last." He moved his hand to her cheek to caress. "That pull you feel is our blood bond. My heart is your heart. My soul is your soul. We are bound together until the end."

"And...if you win? Will we still be bound?" she said in a shaky voice as he touched her.

He shook his head. "If I win, I will be granted my own heart and soul. I will be free." He motioned to the bands which still encompassed his body. "I will truly be mortal once more."

She pulled from his touch. Her heart fell slightly. Was it because she had grown so lovingly accustom to the pull? Maybe because it was like a sweet piece of candy that you never wanted to finish off because you would never find anything that would taste so sweet again. "I see," she said lowly as she started to her car. Had all his masters felt this way? Were they all able to let go of that warm pull so easily? If it weren't for the fact that this was like a small war, she would pray to find another master and ask him questions, however, if she found a master, surely he or she would have a fighter and they would try to kill her...or Neron.

Neron frowned and placed a hand over his chest. It began to hurt all of a sudden. Watching as Mia began to walk to the car, he had a myriad of questions float through his head. Pushing them aside, he followed after her. He had once thought long and hard about what he would do if he ever managed to win one of these forsaken wars. So far he had yet to come up with an answer other than to simply live. To live. Find love. To have a life. That was his dream. Though there would be much bloodshed before he was finally able to achieve that dream.

As Mia drove back home, she thought of all the things that were now going to change. Though she was immortal now, she didn't want it. What would she do with a lifetime of endlessness? Her family would die, and she would live on. Her friends would grow old and she would stay young. She wouldn't be able to love without having to watch them die and as her grip tightened on the steering wheel...she realized that there was no way she could allow herself to get close to Neron. Even if he did win, the bond would no longer be there and she wouldn't feel the same. And if he were to die...while she still felt the pull...how would she be able to move on knowing that she would never feel that pull again? The easiest thing for her to do was treat him just as he was...another person, walking in and walking out. Parking the car, she got out and started up the stairs to her apartment.

As they walked up the stairs to her apartment, Neron froze. He felt a cold chill run down his spine. He quickly turned to look around, but he didn't see anyone. There were no people walking past them. There were no parked cars. There was nothing. He shook lightly, suddenly feeling really cold. Someone knew. He didn't know how, and he didn't know who...but someone knew.

A smile spread to her lips as she watched him. He didn't remember her. That much was obvious when he sat so close to her in the movie and didn't even bat an eye. She could have killed him then, but where was the fun in that? Slinking off to find her master, she knew that it was only a matter of time before the others learned of his presence. Already they were amassing their armies and preparing for war. What was he doing? Eating at restaurants and watching cheesy action films. The god's curse on his mind had indeed stolen his memory. Otherwise he would not be so cheerful.

Mia threw her keys on the bar and sat down. "Now what?"

"What do you mean?" He knew what she was implying, but he didn't think that she was honestly ready to hear the full details of what was to come.

"Well, it's not like this little calm is going to last long. Someone will find me...or you...or we will find them. I should know what I should do."

"Right." Neron closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Holding out his arm he hissed as the bone blade thrust out of his flesh. Blood spattered the ground, and he made a mental note to clean it up. Taking another deep breath, he took hold of the blade with his left hand and began to pull it out more. There was an obvious look of agony as a cracking sound echoed through the apartment. More blood fell as he ripped the bone blade out of his arm.

Walking toward the kitchen, his right arm hung limply at his side as he turned on the sink and washed off the dagger. After he was through he grabbed some paper towels, but not before he held out the handle of the blade to her. "This is my gift to you. It is a weapon capable of killing both warrior and guardian."

She stared at him in disbelief. Her face went sickly pale as she looked at the blade and his arm. A gift? That...was a gift? Part of him? With shaky hands she took the blade and cradled it to her chest while staring at his arm. Suddenly, all of this became very real. It wasn't a joke. Her heart pounded against her and her breathing nearly came to a stop. What was she suppose to say? To do?

With the same calm expression on his face he knelt down and used his left hand to clean up the blood. He then proceeded to take the remaining paper towels and press them against his right arm. That was going to take some time to heal. "Since you do not know any combat techniques, I will try to train you the best I can so that you can defend yourself. Hopefully, you will not have to...but many warriors die because their guardians die."

Watching him she stood and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his arm and stopping the blood. "I...will not fail you," she promised in a whisper.

He smiled and moved some hair behind her ears. "I know you will not. This is my time," he told her. "To finally escape this accursed existence, and to finally gain my own heart and soul."

She pushed his hand from her. "Please...don't make this difficult," she whispered. "You're arm will grow back, right?"

"My arm? Oh, yes, in time it will be like new." He looked down at her with a confused expression. "Do not make what difficult?"

"This..." she said gesturing to them both and creating a large space between them. "Eventually, you and I will part and already the pull...I have grown to love it so much even though I have only felt it for two days. When it is gone, when you and I separate, it will longer be there. It's just easier if that when we part, I will not try and look for you just to feel something close to the pull. It's easier if we just keep our hands to our sides, our words simple, and our emotions in check."

"Emotions?" He paused to look at her. She seemed upset and flustered. His chest felt that pain again. Just an echo of what her heart was feeling. He was wondering if she could feel his own confusion. "If that is what you want I will refrain from touching you unless the situation deems it proper." She said that she was growing to love the feel of their bond. Though he felt the need to protect her, to take care of her, and the desire to be wit her...this was nothing new to him. Undoubtedly she would be unaccustomed to these forced feelings.

"While I am not certain what happens to the bond when one of us dies or is freed, I do not think the gods would be so cruel as to allow you to remember this feeling that you now possess."

"They find it cruel enough to risk my young life in a war I knew nothing about..." she said. Turning her back to him, she placed her hand on her head. It was foggy...confused. Why?

"Yes," he said after another moments pause. "I am not certain why they would do that. From what I can remember, generally our guardians are powerful leaders of the time. It allows us access to their armies. There are a few occasions in which we have to guide our guardians toward their path to rule...but you do not seem to possess such qualities."

He moved his arm, groaning at the pain. "Though I am certain they have a reason for what they do."

"Armies? No one around here has such a thing unless you are the military." She turned to him. "And I know I'm useless! I didn't ask for this! I didn't just go into that cave thinking that I would come out with a half naked man in hopes that I could live out my life at war or completely alone! I'm so sorry I don't amount to what Tutankhamen was!" She was upsetting herself and at the moment, all she wanted to do was cry and scream. Why did she find him? Why did she listen to the stupid pull? For all she knew there could be an army general out there with a large platoon behind him just waiting for a innocent college student to show up knowing nothing.

His face contorted lightly. What was this feeling? Why was he so upset? Shaking his head he realized that their bond was indeed growing stronger. "I am sorry if I have upset you. Would you like me to leave you be for a little while so that you can have some time to yourself?" He couldn't understand why she was getting so upset over this. He had no control over who his guardian would be. It was not his fault that she had found him.

"Even I know that splitting up in times of war is like asking to be killed," she said. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself. Feeling her heart slow, she sat back down. "This...is just a lot to take in and I don't understand why I'm stuck in this. I'm just a girl...I don't know anything about war and I don't know anything about fighting."

He smiled. "I would not leave you unprotected. I would not go far." As he felt her start to calm he moved to sit beside her. "As for why you were chosen I am not certain. The gods will is a mystery to me. Maybe they grew bored of our other fights and wished for us to do something different." He stopped to chuckle. "Or perhaps they simply grew tired of the countless centuries of war our armies created."Looking at her, he nudged her gently. "Regardless of their reason, I will ensure that nothing happens to you. You will be safe with me guarding you."

"And you? Who will protect you, Neron?"

He forced himself to keep smiling. "It does not matter. If I die I will be reborn for the next battle. You do not have that luxury. If I die, I can always try for my freedom the next time I am summoned."

"I wish I could say that is comforting but it isn't. Every life, even those reborn, is precious," she said looking at the design on her hand.

"I have been killed too many times to count. Too many to remember as well." Closing his eyes, he smiled and shook his head. "So I-"

There was a knock at her door, following by a voice. "Yo! Mia! Ya in there? I brought the pizza and the movie."

Mia stood. "What is he doing here? He wasn't suppose to be back for a month!" Going to the door she opened it. "I thought you were at that beach house or something."

Keith smirked and shrugged. "I was planning on it, but plans change." He held up the pizza in one hand and the movie in the other. "So are you going to let me in or what?"

Mia looked back at Neron and his arm. Slipping out of the door she closed in and stared at Keith. "I have...company."