Flea the Wicked

What was that�? Everything was dark around him, but there was a soft� light� wet thing gently pressing against Ran�s forehead. What on earth�? Of course. His eyes were closed. But what was happening�? Slowly, he managed to get his eyes open just a sliver. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was vague, but recognizable.

A pretty but plain face was there, feminine, obviously. Strong brown eyes were locked onto his face. That�s all he saw at first.

Gasping, and also extremely curious, Ran shot bolt upright in what appeared to be a lavish circular bed. The woman seemed surprised and dropped the pale beige sponge she�d been mopping his face with. Now he could see all of her features, as his eyes were open fully. Her magenta hair was in a tight braid set high up on her head. She wore a white blouse, red shirt, and red tights. Over her shoulders was a bulky white cape. On top of this, she had pointed ears! Ran couldn�t believe it. She looked like something out of one of Aya�s fantasy books.

He began to think again. He�d taken a fall from the Takatori building after killing Schuldich� that�s right� but after that� there was nothing. Where was he? Who was this woman? What was he wearing? Indeed, his raiment was peculiar. He had been wrapped in some kind of variation of a Japanese yukata. What was this place?

The young woman stuck her nose in the air a bit. She didn�t seem too concerned about his condition. "So you�re awake. Lovely. Now could you leave already?"

Ran was, to say the least, confused. His new curiosity was shoved away when an elderly woman pushed the door open to this rather small room and entered. Her clothing was similar to the woman who�d been caring for him. "Tsk! Flea! That�s no way to treat him." Turning to Ran, she spoke now in a warm tone. "I�m sorry, sir. My granddaughter isn�t very fond of humans. I am Powan, and this is Flea."

Bursting with questions, Ran shook his head at her insufficient answers. "Where�" he started to ask, but felt his throat dry and unwilling to let him speak.

"Where are you, is it?" Powan asked then shook her head with a smile. "You�re in the village of the Alder Elves. We try to stay hidden from the other creatures� well, as you may know, we�re an endangered race."

Alder Elves? What on earth was this?! The redhead�s brow furrowed as his frustration grew. Powan handed him a glass of water from a bedside table, and he drank it greedily. Now he could speak, though his voice was raspy. "I�m from Tokyo, Japan. Have you heard of it?"

Flea burst into laughter. "Oh come on, don�t expect us to believe that. Japan was leveled into the sea years ago!"

Ran�s eyes grew large. Where the hell was he? How long had he been unconscious? What the HELL was going on??

Powan seemed able to sense all of his questions. "Sir, if you please. Your name?"

"�." He had to think for a moment. What should he call himself? It surely wouldn�t be safe to go by his real name. "�Aya. My name is Aya. Where�s my sword?"

Flea lifted a wrapped parcel from the floor and shoved it into his arms. "Right here. Calm down, damn."

Powan smiled courteously. "Why don�t I make us some Chestnut Tea?" Bowing, she turned and exited the room.

Scoffing, Flea stood and tossed her sponge at the door. Looking over her shoulder at Ran, she spoke spitefully, "I wouldn�t be helping you if Grandma wasn�t making me. Tokyo, you said?"

He nodded, massaging his temples silently.

"Well, to tell you the truth, there�ve been a bunch of odd-balls showing up here lately. They say they�re from all over the freakin� place and from every goddamn time. I don�t think you�re the only one. For one, I�ve never heard of this �Tokyo�. Second, our Japan may be different from yours. It was a little continent not far from here. The Quartz Dwarves lived there, and we used our superior magic powers to sink there whole freakin� continent." She ended with a smirking face, her head held high.

"No, my home�s different�" Aya. That was the first thing that entered his mine after his words. Would she be okay? Was he really far from her? He worried� about the Takatoris, about Schwarz, getting to her. If he got home to find her dead� But would he ever get home�?