Awakening Anew

"I was under the age of 18. Now that I'm 18 I shouldn't be considered 'run away' any longer. I was hoping I wouldn't have to run after that. Seems like it's a foolish occupation--hoping," she said to the water, glaring at it. "They don't listen to a 'runaway' though, even if you tell them that by your birth certificate it says you are born on x day they still want to take you back to your home and 'reunite' you with your lost loved ones." Her voice was scornful as she pushed herself slowly to her feet, her hand going out to stabilize herself against the nearest thing--which just happened to be the other person in the conversation. Her hand rested against his chest as she waited for her legs to stop acting like jelly. When she looked up to see why what she felt moved, she stared at the 'familiar' and froze. Her mouth dropped to form a small 'o' and she pulled her hand away quickly.

"Sorry, I thought there was a tree there. See what happens when you get tired and don't pay attention?" She said in a laughing tone, though she knew that lesson far more than she liked to admit. "Won't happen again. Promise."
 
With a sigh, he placed his hands behind his head again. Locking his fingers together as he stared down at her. "If you've run away, they're keep chasing you undoubtedly. They won't see it as having run away, and if they do you'll be in more trouble than I need." With another deep breath, he closed his eyes. Reminding himself why he did this. It was little benefit to him, only returning him to this world. Yet he was still trapped.

Trying to relax himself, and avoid the thoughts of such long days ahead, he took a step back. Looking up at the sky out of frustration. He didn't move when he felt the girls touch, only peeking down at her. His eyes caught the gleam of the sun light, smiling softly at the girl. "You're such a baby." He mocked her, straightening his shirt as she stepped away.
 
Yumi frowned. Her? A baby? She'd been on the run since she was thirteen. Anger bubbled up in her and she lashed out. The stream behind her started to bubble as if it were boiling. Then it rose up as she threw her hand out and slapped him. Or... attempted too would be the better term for it. As if sensing her reluctance to actually touch him again the water swirled around her and picked her up off the ground. She squeaked as she looked down at herself.

"There is no reason for violence. Especially when a girl like you has no control over her elements," came a voice that sounded like a mix between a young man and a stream trickling over rocks. Yumi turned her eyes to the voice as a figure disengaged itself from the water and walked to stand off to the side between the basilisk and girl. His body formed--sea green with clothes that hid very little for they were made out of rushing water. His hair was full of rocks that had been wound in there and at the same time looked like water. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the man.

"Hello, why is such an annoying person like you trying to throw water at her familiar? Your conversation didn't seem to me to be worthy of that much violence," the water elemental asked, blinking sapphire blue eyes.

"Wh-What are you?"
 
Yawning, he took a step back, unamused by the girls little trick. Coming from a world of magic and unfamiliar things, he simply yawned, scratching the back of his head. The elemental seemed to be as un-amusing to him as all other things, as he appeared. Taking a few steps away from the two, he took a seat on the log that sent Yumi tumbling forward, leaning back a bit as he watched.

"Do you want the gig? A guy like me was never meant to play pet to anyone." He grinned, wishing it was so simple as to just pawn the job off on another.
 
"I am tied to this spot as well you should know. I would only be able to follow her as long as she stayed around this stream. You should know that as her familiar, it is your duty to make sure she doesn't piss one of our kind or any other dangerous creatures off," the water elemental said before beckoning to the water. The water holding Yumi shifted over to place her on the log next to Cero. When she was plopped down she watched as the water went to swirl around the man for a second before falling to the ground and the man was gone.

Yumi stared at where he had been for several silent moments. Then she looked over at her companion. She opened her mouth to ask a question but decided against it. Then she looked at the water again and frowned. "Who are you supposed to keep me from pissing off?" she finally asked after thinking about the list of questions she did have.
 
He waved an uncaring hand to the man, turning away boredly. "Yeah, yeah. Don't nag me, I know all of this already. Besides, if she want's to piss any of you fuckers off it's got nothing to do with me. My job is to teach and protect." Cero grinned, watching Yumi as she was placed next to him. "All and all, if she decides to pick a fight with one of you it'll give me some real entertainment." Once again, Cero shrugged out of boredom. A fight would have been rather appealing to him at the current time. A way to get his anger and frustration out.

He laid back, leaving his body to lay limp over the log. Looking much like a rag doll, he peered over at the girl. Only seeing what he could of her out of the corner of his eye. "As I said kid. I don't have to keep you from pissing anyone off. Who you chose to challenge is up to you. My job is only to make sure you're well prepared for the fight--which I could honestly care less about personally." He mumbled that last bit, pausing a bit as he rolled his eyes. "I also have to protect you from whatever. Your wish is my command," he mocked, his hands in the air mocking the motions.
 
Yumi looked at him and considered his attitude for a moment. It was obvious to anyone that he wasn't happy about being here. Yumi frowned up at the sky then and relaxed much like he did, staring up at the sky. "Your name is Cero, right?" she asked after a few moments, watching as a bird flew by overhead. "Cero, it is obvious that you don't want to be here. You don't seem, at least to me, to like teaching at all. Why would you put yourself through teaching any of us 'witches'? It doesn't really seem beneficial to you at all from my stand point. You have to deal with our relative lack of knowledge on the subject and our lives. For all you knew I was living a perfectly comfortable life before this. Finding out that I'm a runaway can't possibly make your life any easier."
 
He put his thumb into the air as a response to her question. "Yup." He added the last word, just in case the girl wasn't paying attention toward him. His eyes were closed as he relaxed limply over the log. Deciding he would try to make the best of his permanent situation, he sat up once more. Reaching his hands into the air, grunting softly as he stretched.

"It's not that I don't like teaching, I just don't know enough to teach. I'm here because I wanted out of the hell hole full of other souls. I was given the choice to be a familiar, which I only thought to be protecting your...person." He stretched again, this time locking his hands behind his back as pushed back. "Besides, you're speaking as if they're all as unacknowledgeable as you."
 
Yumi continued to watch him with skepticism plain on her face. "Well I suppose it could be worse. Us being partnered together. I could be a horrible criminal that every agencies in the world after me. Imagine trying to protect that person. With me all you have to do I suppose is help me elude the police every now and then. So what do I need to know, lovely little Cero?" She asked softly as she pushed herself up and looked over at him. The words were light-hearted and relaxed.
 
Cero laughed at the girls statement. Finding the thought to be far more interesting than the boring life he was bond to lead with her. Or so it seemed boring at it's current rate. "You make it seem like that would be such a bad thing. It would be far more interesting than it sounds." Grinning, he locked his fingers behind his head. "Being hunted by a bunch of pathetic humans. With a basilisk by your side, and the use of magic." His excitement seemed to slowly die down as he looked Yumi over.

"But I suppose running away like a coward and teaching a child how to use magic could be...somewhat interesting to me." Standing to his feet, his tail slowly appeared. Wrapping around him slowly before he took a wif of the lingering scents in the air. "Don't call me little twerp." He grunted out as he began walking upstream beside the river.
 
Yumi opened her mouth and then scowled. "Did you just call me a coward and a twerp in the same breath?" she asked, mock angry. Her gaze however was stuck on his tail as he walked away. She got up and jogged after him. Before she could help herself she was poking the tail with interest near the base. "If you want excitement I could always throw you to the lions so to speak. That would be entertaining, you glaring at them and stunning them or some such thing." She wasn't sure what was so interesting about this tail. She couldn't help poking it and then running her fingers over the skin, blinking as the texture surprised her. l
 
Glancing over his shoulder at her, he grinned. "Nah, I took a breath in between." Chuckling, he continued on, his tail swaying behind him out of boredom. As he felt the girl approaching him, he looked over at her. Pulling his tail closer for a moment, then letting it flick back out. He felt as if he was playing with a cat, seeing how concentrated on his tail Yumi seemed to be. Rolling his eyes, and returning his attention to where he was going, he continued to flick his tail back and forth.

"Do you think that thought scares me. I doubt there's anything I can't handle. Twerp." He chuckled, shaking his hair out of his face once more. A few strands remained, seeming to like being in his way of sight. "I need a haircut," he grunted out. Speaking more to himself than anything.
 
Yumi giggled as she watched the tail before looking up at him and giving up on annoying the tail. It would do no good to annoy him now. She might actually need him later. Closing her eyes she stepped away from him but continued to lead the way until he muttered something about a haircut. "If you want I could give you a haircut. It wouldn't be a professional, but I do a pretty good job. I do it when I need money. You'd be surprised how much someone will pay for a simple haircut these days. Enough to get me a simple meal and the like." She linked her hands behind her back as she walked, focusing on the way they seemed to be headed.
 
"Alright, whatever." Cero sighed, coming to a holt. Brushing his hair out of his face once more, he looked down at her. "I didn't need the extra crap. So long as you can cut hair I don't care." Taking a few steps away from the girl, he looked her over once more. Curious of how much strain could be put on her body before she would break. Shaking his head. He figured it best to leave the examination for when they reach their destination. "So?" He gave a questioning look.
 
Yumi came to a stop as he did. She looked at him and then put down her bag and rummaged through it for a few seconds before pulling out a sharp pair of scissors and a comb. "Please don't move all right?" She said and walked behind him and rolled a rock with a relatively flat top over so that she could see his hair. Staring at the lengths for a few seconds she began to snip away. "Please, whatever you do, don't move," she mumbled as she started in around his ears. That would be the least she would need. Hair fell away from his shoulders and onto the ground as she worked her way around the back first before coming around to the front and peered meticulously up at the bangs that seemed to be giving him so much troubles. "Close your eyes," she ordered gently before reaching up and starting to comb his hair flat. Then she took the comb in her mouth and made a few adjusting snips of her scissors and then went to the circle him twice, making small adjustments here or there before stepping back and putting her scissors away. "All done," she said with a bright smile before slinging her bag back on her shoulder. She had cut it so that it was out of his eyes but not so different from what he had had before, in case he liked having his hair in the at style.
 
After watching her rummage through her bag and do whatever else she was up to, he yawned. He assumed it to be because he was so bored. Thinking it all over, he looked out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the girl move about behind him. Seeing as his looks didn't concern him far to much, he didn't comment as he watch his hair fall onto his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah." He listened to her repeat the same orders, crossing his arms. As she moved around, he watched her cut his bangs, blowing at the few strays that landed onto his nose.

Once she stepped away he brushed himself off, running his hand through his hair.. "Cool, lets go. It's a bit of a walk." He turned and paced off once more, his tail still trailing behind him. Swaying this way and that as he tried to concentrate on their current location.
 
Yumi blinked and looked after him. So he did know where they were going? Rolling her eyes she walked after him. "So where are we going? A place where there aren't any police and just a bunch of people like you?" she asked with a tilt of her head. As they walked she looked around where they were going. She had never been this far into the park before and it was starting to look less and less like a park and more and more like a forest. Her mind called up a map of the park and she started to worry a little bit. This person, whom she had trusted openly it seemed, was leading her into the forest and she had no idea which way was out. She knew she should have stayed back in the cave and just let them take her away. Now for all she knew she was being led to a crazy man's dungeon or some such thing. She was not ready to end her life. She tensed a little, ready to run away the moment she sensed something of that nature.
 
For a moment he questioned whether or not he should answer the girl. Only wishing for a bit of silence for the time being. With a sigh, he decided it would be best to give her some sort of information. "Well I have to train you. I prefer more physical attacks rather than magic. Either way, that elemental reminded me. You need to learn the elements. It's best you start with the element of your familiar. So we'll be starting with Earth." Bringing his tail to the front, he paused for a moment. Sniffing at the air again, he made a sudden turn. Walking through the flowing stream to it's other side.

"Hurry up so we can get this over with." He turned and headed off again, showing little to no sign of waiting for her. He stepped into the thick brush, maneuvering through the tree's and branches.
 
Yumi didn't like it at all. It reminded her of too many horror movies that she'd seen as a kid. However she didn't question him. She didn't turn around and run back tot he police. She set her jaw and followed him across the stream and then through the tree's and the bushes. She had to agree with his last statement. 'get this over with'. That's all she wanted to think about. Getting this nightmare over with so she could return to her lovely home in the next town--whatever home that was going to be. At the same time as fearing for her own life she didn't want this to end. It was too exciting, too new. She almost wanted him to be right about all this magic stuff. "So what are we going to be doing with the Earth?" she asked after several moments of silence. She didn't like going into situations unknowing. The more the information the better.
 
The thick of trees only got worse as they walked on. Cero getting more and more irritated at having to move between them all. Sneering, he ran his claws through the bark of a few tree's. Leaving marks that would more than likely last forever. He had no wish to cut them down, at least not one he'd ever voice. He thought it best to always leave the plants to grow as they please, and just simply live around them. Looking over his shoulder for the girl, he soon heard her voice. "Eh, you need to learn to control it pretty much. Learn to talk with the rocks, and the plants around you. Naturally we'll start with rock, since it's much more difficult and so stubborn." The suns rays seemed to disappear now, so deep in the tree's. The leaves shielded them from the light above, giving the forest a more unnatural look. "Earth magic is pretty basic. I can do a bit of it myself. Not counting my shape shifting."