A Stranger In The Grasslands

He nodded as she spoke and walked over to a large nearby boulder, there were a set of rocks that started off small but gradually got bigger as they went up; forming the perfect steps up to the largest one. He walked up them carefully carrying her and once he had made it to the top he slowly lowered her down so she could sit upon it. He then sat beside her his legs either side of hers and his arms wrapping around her waist as they faced the waterfall.

"It is very beautiful indeed, but not in comparison to you Reiki" He said softly as he gave her a soft squeeze. "I thought we could sit here for a bit and enjoy the view, let you get some of your strength back"

She smiled and nodded, leaning against him, her head nuzzled against him as she dipped her feet in the water, exhaling slightly in relief, her eyes closed slightly and she shifted for a moment, still uncomfortable

His arms tightened around her waist a little more, pulling her closer up against his body, he wanted her to be as close as possible, enjoying and becoming soothed by the soft and warm sensation she gave. He smiled softly as he watched her dip her feet in the water and exhaled but as she shifted around he could tell she wasn't very comfortable. He too felt a little uncomfortable as he was sitting on a raised edge of the rock, he simply shifted them both over to the flat portion of the rock; which had a nice smooth surface. Once he had it was easy to tell he was more relaxed, his legs spread a little wider and his body became less rigid from where the raised edge had caused him discomfort. He slowly slipped his hands into hers, his fingers playing with her own as he looked up at the waterfall; which seemed to glow in the light, he was slightly surprised when it began to glow different shades of blue and green, finding the sight very pleasant and soothing to watch.

"This place certainly is unique, I've never seen a waterfall glow different colours and these plants and trees, so dense and lush, their colours are very vivid. I can't quite put my finger on how it's all came to be in somewhere that usually is dark and damp."

"I have in my dreams..." she muttered, sounding slightly heart broken at it. She doubled over slightly, panting, her hand moved over to her stomach, "Damn it..." she panted heavily.

As she doubled over in pain in his arms he looked at her in a concerned manner, he moved his right hand to rest on her back gently rubbing it; trying his best to comfort her.

"Would you like to eat a few more leaves? They at least bring you some pain relief, even if it is proving to only have a minor effect? Perhaps up the dosage to three maybe four, they are completely natural so they won't leave you with any side effects."

She shook her head, "I-I will be fine... its just the w-wound playing up..." she muttered as she tried to straighten up, "I don't think I will be moving anytime soon... You should g-go... get the Artifact..." she looked at the water.

"I cannot leave you on your own in this condition Reiki, if the wounds were to worsen and the pain increases, I wouldn't be here to provide you comfort or a solution to soothing your pain. Besides I personally would prefer to wait until you are fit and able, the artifact isn't going to go anywhere, it's probably been here for hundreds of years."

He kisses the back of her head gently as he held her still. "We're in this together remember, why don't you try and rest again, I could use the time to plan out a few things in my head."

She nodded and turned in his lap very slowly, now sitting on her side and leaning into his chest, "I understand... If that is how you feel then I will respect that..." she closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder, her head bowed slightly, touching his neck, her forehead was warm to the touch as she started drifting into a deep sleep.

As she turned he supported her upper back with his left arm, is opposite arm and hand now free of any supporting. He watched her lean against his shoulder and close her eyes. "Sleep well Reiki" He whispered as he felt his smile grow a little and as he head touched his neck he let out a soft sigh. Her warm forehead against the skin of his neck was quite soothing and he found his own eyes slowly closing. He brought his right hand up to her hair, gently stroking it as she slept in his arms. He began to plot his next course of action, of course as he did he noticed that the strange glowing of the waterfall seemed to be coming from somewhere within it. He used his telescopic device to look into the water and it was clear to see something was refracting light to make the water glow.

She stirred slightly, snuggling up to him, "Don't leave me..." she whispered in her sleep. She put her flat palm on his chest, slowly folding her fingers inwards to loosely grip onto his shirt. "Your the most important in my life now..."

He held her closer as she began snuggling into him, sighing softly enjoying the feeling of her being so close. Her whisper made him smile and he very gently whispered back as he softly played with her hair. "I wouldn't dream of it, I'll always be with you" He then opened his eyes and looked down at her grip on his shirt, his heart rate picking up as she spoke again in her sleep. He felt happier than he had ever been with her, he kissed her forehead as she slept and proceeded to whisper softly against her skin. "As you are in my life Reiki, as you are in mine"

She stirred slightly, shaking her head, slipping into a nightmare, "No... don't do this to me.... please..." she tightened her grip on his shirt, tears rolled down her face as she curled up to him, almost in complete fear.

He pulled his head back a little and blinked every so slightly before he began to rock her gently back and forth trying to settle her down, his hand softly stroking and combing her hair as he did so."Shh Shh Shh" It's ok Reiki, I've got you" He said softly as he moved his hand down to her tear and gently wiped it away, caressing her cheek as he looked at her. He then held her closer and pressed his own head against hers gently as he continued to rock her back and forth in his arms.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, "Phoenix..." she burst into tears, curling up to him.

He looked down at her and frowned softly as he held her closer with his arm around her shoulders, gently wiping her tears away before he kissed her forehead gently. "Reiki what has upset you? Did you have a bad dream" He said softly as he began to cradle her again.

She nodded and curled up in his arms and cried, "I'm scared..."

"What are you scared of?" He asked as he continued to cradle her, keeping up the rocking back and forth motion, trying to calm and soothe her down a little.

"I believe she is scared of fire...." a very young girl appeared behind them, she had blue eyes and blue hair, but her hair was much longer than Reiki's. She walked towards them slightly.

Reiki kept on crying in his arms, not noticing the girl behind them.

He heard the voice coming from behind them and he raised his eyebrow, slowly turning his head around to see who was there. His eye came across the young girl and the sight of her just bemused him more; causing his eyebrow to raise even higher. He held Reiki close and tried to comfort her the best he could, as he kept his eye trained on the girl, watching her to make sure she wouldn't try anything.

"Do you mean to say she is dreaming of fire? Is this some sort of ability that the leader of that group used on her? She seemed to hallucinate flames all around her earlier, but I believed that was a mix of pain and fight from what had happened to her....That aside, who exactly are you?"

She smiled and giggled, "Wouldn't you like to know.... Phoenix..."

His eyebrow was now completely raised up in bemusement as to how this girl knew his name.

"How do you know my name exactly? We have never met before."

She smiled, "I may not have... but my future self has..." she nodded towards Reiki.

"You mean to say that you're the past Reiki? You're her younger self? How is that possible? Have you manipulated time? Or are you some sort of safety mechanism for Reiki?" He said slightly lost by the fact that Reiki past self was standing in front of him, it intrigued him very much but it just as much bewildered him.

"That man... he manipulated time...." she looked at him, her face went serious.