Some Things Need Time

The clouds inched by, taking with it the feeling of despair that riddled her nearly emotionless. What was it that I was just remembering? She struggled with her wayward memories. It had been happening for a while ever since she showed up to the pasture. Only when she looked up towards the sky did things feel normal for once.

The presence of a person slowly making his way in her direction didn’t shake her trance. Admiring her solitude as she sat beneath a shimmering urumar crystal tree, he stopped himself just a few feet away, reluctant to disturb her tranquility.

Eventually tilting her head towards his direction. She was met by a man whose skin was the color of brown sugar. His attire, well pressed, echoed that of a priest’s vestment. Its embroidery dancing in the glow of the Sun’s rays. He had a relaxed posture and a pleasant air to his face. His ears were pointed at the lobes, and the glimmering substance-like purple that flowed within his irises were striking, if not surreal.

“Are you ready to depart, Akari?” the man spoke.

Akari had been traveling throughout the village with him for quite some time now. She’d made the decision to leave the pasture in hopes of learning more about the strange world she now found herself trapped in, and if possibly, whether or not her friends were there as well.

Although still strangers to one another, she’d grown to enjoy their time together. His calm demeanor allowing for Akari to abandon the need to overexert herself. Back when they’d first met, Akari could barely find the strength to smile. That day when old man Norin at the pasture called out to her, she barely turned towards his direction.

“An Ayur has arrived from Iama, he should be able to help with that wound on your chest. If you’d let him, of course.”

Akari looked upon the old man with a solemn face, quietly nodding her head. Although she hadn’t the energy to engage with anyone, she felt that she couldn’t deny the villagers’ kindness.

When the man arrived, he introduced himself as Azu, his voice just as warm as the expression on his face. Something about his aura made Akari feel destressed. As if she could finally let her guard down for once. Bowing her head slightly, she too returned her greeting, “I’m Akari Asakara.”

That was nearly a month ago, and she’d since learned a lot about Azu, often walking away from his stories with whatever that means running circles in her head. That inner reaction had become a common theme whenever Azu introduced her to something about the world. Bit by bit, however, she was beginning to get a grasp on things.

The past few days saw Akari and Azu spending their time deep in the southern end of the village as Azu traveled from place-to-place tending to villagers who were suffering from numerous injuries and ailments. Azu had a number of ways he would heal a person. Some seemed more practical, like applying medicine directly to the wound, while others were like conducting an exorcism. Akari was oddly intrigued by the unknowns that appeared before her daily, yet she couldn’t fight the detachment and anxiety that filled her heart with every waking moment. She was convinced that she was likely already dead but couldn’t deny how real everything felt.

And although she was both mesmerized and terrified by the things the world had to show, the more she spoke with the villagers, the more familiar everything around her grew to become.

A young boy, after losing his brother in a vicious animal attack, had been suffering from constant panic attacks. The mother begged Azu to place a block on his memory of the incident, despite the personality side effects such manipulative scripts could cause. Azu was torn on what approach he should pursue, later asking that Akari speak with the boy to form an opinion. She was reluctant at first, unwilling to place such a heavy burden on her shoulders. “I’m not asking you to be his doctor, just to talk to him. His mother has kept him locked up in his room for fear of prying eyes. The people in this village can be single-minded at times. It’ll be nice for him to be exposed to someone who’s not from around here for once. Someone other than me of course, ha ha ha!”

As well presented as Azu often was, Akari couldn’t help but draw a connection between him and Kuro whenever that overexerted laugh of his would make an entrance. Nonetheless she gave in to his plea. Agreeing to stay by the boy’s side for the evening and would speak with him only if he chose to speak to her first. Azu then departed the home, setting off to tend to another house call.

About ten minutes had passed since she’d entered the boy’s room. The shallow wooden bed frame creaked as he turned his head to meet her gaze. His eyes wavered like the open sea. “Am I not able to be cured?” the boy questioned, his voice timid and frail. “Why do you think so?” Akari replied.

“Well… the Ayur left after only seeing me for a few minutes.”

Akari leaned towards the boy, a smile crawling across her lips. “Not everything needs medicine or a magic spell to fix.” She then sat up in her seat, further engaging the young boy. “You know, one of my friends also has this problem he’s struggling to get over. It’s an obsession of the mind.”

The young boy listened to Akari diligently. As if a switch had flicked in her mind, Akari suddenly found herself more talkative than ever before. “He gets really obsessed with gambling for pixelated girls on this stupid game of his,” she howled, her face painted with irritation.

“What does pixelated mean?” the boy then asked, his mouth lopsided and his eyebrows sloping like a hill. Akari laughed at herself, the realization of who exactly was laying before her finally settling in.

“The point is, no medicine would ever fix a problem like that.”

“I don’t understand. Is he still suffering?”

“Well, it’s not like he’s gotten over the issue… Maybe that’s not the best example, but the idea I’m getting at is that there are some things that can be confusing to deal with, and that’s kind of okay.”

Akari then leaned in closely, cupping her hand over the boy’s ear as she spoke in a whisper, “I even allow him to hang around me sometimes.”

As the boy’s face began to twirl, Akari burst out in laughter, her burst of energy then slowly fading off as she leaned back into her seat. If Kuro were here, he’d have a field day. “This world is just like those stupid games he’s always playing.”

“What about if you were to go away? Then he wouldn’t have anyone to be around.”

It was clear to Akari what it was that haunted the young boy so. It wasn’t the attack, but what was left of it. He feared the world that he now had to live in without his brother. He feared being left alone.

Akari slipped her shoulder out from under her garment, revealing the scar that pierced through her left chest. “You know, I’ve lost people in my life too.” She almost choked on her words, emotions rifling through her. “But I’m getting better with dealing with it each day. No magic spells.”

Looking the young boy in the eye, Akari was unpleasantly surprised to find that all he seemed to be focused on was trying to get a peak at her breasts. Dragging her clothes back over her shoulder, she scowled at the boy before pointedly claiming, “You seem a lot better now!”

The conversation she had that evening reminded her of the first time she was treated by Azu. They were in the cabin Akari was staying in back at the pasture. Azu dressed her wound with a concoction of ingredients that infiltrated the room with an herbal smell. Albeit none of the items he used were anything that Akari had ever seen before. One flower like ingredient had petals with a hue that literally swayed like flowing water. Its red stem was as rich in color as a fresh paprika. Another item resembled a soap bar, but when peeled gave off the aroma of a poignant spice.

Seated on the opposite end of the room was Steia, the woman that had first tended to Akari before old man Norin managed to get a hold of Azu. She’d been hanging around Akari ever since, seemingly reluctant to leave her side.

“Whatever blade pierced you was sharp. And whoever did it knew how to handle it,” Azu was busy explaining to a mentally vacant Akari. “It went straight through the back and out the front, barely missing your heart. It’s amazing that you’re as functional as you are, considering.” Azu then peeked over at Akari, noting her faint reaction before continuing, “It doesn’t seem related to the incident in the Village of Plastos. But I assume you already knew that?”

Akari then faced him with a diffident look in her eyes, still unable to form a reply. But even then, it was as if a somewhat quiet conversation took place between them.

He began wrapping a bandage around the left side of her upper torso, when Akari finally found the confidence to let herself speak.

“I don’t know what’s going on.”

As the words escaped her lips her posture began to collapse into itself. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about what had happened to her as it would always lead to one conclusion. That she’d died that day and all she was envisioning was an illusion that was the product of her confused spirit unwilling to accept its fate.

She gazed up at Azu with her words firm, “I don’t know anything about this world, or how I got here.”

Azu cast a brief glance over at Steia, before turning to Akari, “Well, I’m certain that more answers will come to light in due time,” he said, his tone calm and direct.

He then placed his hand in a serum, and while pressing his palm against her bandaged wound he began to say a mantra. Akari was shocked as she witnessed the script happening before her eyes. The energy passing from his hand and through her body feeling like a gust of tingling heat. Lifting his palm up, a strange symbol was left branded into the bandage.

“For now, just focus on staying healthy and try not to overthink things too much.”

With his job done, Azu then grabbed his bag, placing any left-over ingredients neatly inside. After informing Akari and Steia on how to care for Akari’s wound, he left them promising that he’d be back within a weeks’ time. By the time he returned, however, the situation had changed, and Akari found herself eager to leave the pasture.

Her experience since that day hadn’t been quite what she’d expected, but looking at the young boy beside her made her feel somewhat grateful for the time spent.

The boy leaned towards Akari, asking if she had any stories from her travels with Azu. With her eyes glistening, Akari’s mouth began to water at all the potential conspiracy stories and treasure hunts she’d been on with Toyo and the others that she could dive into. None of which had anything to do with what the young boy had actually asked for.

Overcome with self-awareness, however, Akari simply turned to the boy and asked him to get some rest, claiming that she’d tell him all the stories he’d like to hear whenever she came back in the future. A promise that she had no reason to be sure she could keep.