You Seem To Be Lost...

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Aimi just nodded in agreement. She hadn't thought about the outing as a date at all. However, it probably could have been called that. She grinned softly at him. It must be hard not being able to remember much about your past. As angel it must be even more difficult assuming you've been around for a while. With that thought in mind, Aimi agreed to take him to the forest. Since it was still early in the morning, it was probably better that the two of them do that now. It was weird to be hanging out in the forest during the day since Aimi only visited it at night. It would probably look more alive in the day time.

"Well, we should probably go to the forest while it's still early. Otherwise it's just going to get very crowded very soon," Aimi explained.

She walked to the front of the lobby and grabbed her shoes (and an extra pair for Hashi) from a back room. She carried to them to the front end of the lobby not daring to let one shoe touch the shiny wooden floor. Aimi didn't think she could stand the looks of disapproval if she did that. She was dressed in regular clothes instead of her uniform of the inn. Aimi was wearing sneakers and tight fitting pants. Her shirt fit around her small form and was a soft cherry blossom pink with a cherry blossom tree on it. She waited patiently by the door for Hashi and set his shoes on the floor next to her.
 
Hashi was happy that Aimi so easily agreed. He had a sort of tense feeling about going to a 'festival', but even still, the girl would be there and they should be fine. What could go wrong at a city gathering and celebration? He chuckled softly to himself and listened to the girl who now spoke, expounding upon why they had a better chance at his being alone if they were to leave for the park immediately. Hashi simply nodded in return and followed after the girl, lost in his thoughts.

If they went there, what did he hope to find? Well, nothing much, but maybe he could remember why he was here in the first place, or maybe who he is. He had more than just a feeling that he was different than every other person he passed, he practically knew it as a fact, as if the answer was in his very being in itself. The only problem with that, was that he didnt read bodies, much less his own. He didnt know what this truth was, or, at least not consciously.

A sigh escaped him at that concluding thought as he looked down to see a pair of shoes to have been placed at his feet. He then remembered how he was only wearing socks at the time and blushed slightly in embarrasment. He was litteraly about to walk out the door as he was, and he would've if he didnt notice Aimi stop. He tried to hide the faint rosy tinge to his cheeks as he bent down to put on the shoes brought for him, happy that they fit well. One of the worst things of life is having to walk around all day in a hair of ill fitted shoes. But... How did he know that? All of this was confusing to say the least, but he dismissed it, assuming that bits and pieces of memory would come when they wanted to.
 
Aimi didn't notice Hashi's blush which was probably for the better. She might have found herself blushing as sort of chain reaction. She went ahead of him, but just enough so that he could follow her. The sun was just beginning to rise and the birds were starting to sing. Aimi could still see the the drops of dew on the grass. She smiled. She really did like mornings that were calming in this way. There weren't a lot of people outside yet except for the occasional jogger. Aimi was sure to go slow enough so that Hashi could look around if he wanted. Perhaps something would be familiar to him, but she was unsure.

After a few minutes of walking, the forest path was in sight. It was very dense at the entrance, but when you looked farther into it. You could see how thick it was with old trees. Old streams flowed freely inside it. There was a cave by a waterfall somewhere near the edge of the forest. A lot of odd rumors hung around it like a curse, so Aimi tended to stray away from it whenever she did find herself wandering near the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, that was quite often.

"Do you think you'll find something that will help you remember why you're here?" Aimi asked him.

He wasn't a fallen angel was he? Well it was possible, but it wouldn't match her dreams at all if that was the case.
 
The crisp, fresh morning air seemed to breathe a new life into Hashi as he looked about, he feeling lighter, like he actually belonged out here. The glistening of the sun across the blades of grass that were still wet with the morning dew. He slowed down a bit till he had just stopped, looking off at the rising sun, the stretch of the park and the city beyond making the horizon. There was something very familiar about it all, but he couldn't place it, like something had changed and made it harder to recall. He sighed and walked a bit faster, easily catching up to Aimi as they approached the forest, the sparse trees around them seeming to almost suddenly thicken into something more akin to a wall, blocking off any intruders to the wonders inside their world. A strange sort of dark haze entered his vision and he grew a little dizzy, but he wouldn't let Aimi see. He wanted to be able to find out who he was, and this, he felt, was the only place to do so. If she saw him grow weak like that at just being near the forest, surely she would never let him in. The girl spoke to him, a hint of curiosity, or maybe worry accenting in her voice, but whatever it was, Hashi didn't have to, nor want to lie.

"I honestly don't know. But at least its a good place to start... Its the only real place that I remember, but my memory is waning... Last I remember was falling out of a tree and then you coming to bring me to the hotel. So I felt that if I retraced my steps, I would maybe find something I may have left behind. Items spark memories, right..? Or at least I would think so.. I don't know, its all a rather confusing situation, as im sure you can tell..."
 
"Yes, I understand entirely," Aimi said to him.

This was a confusing situation indeed. She didn't know how someone could lose their memory just like that. That wasn't something that just happened every day. Then again, maybe there was a reason he had lost his memory. Aimi led them to the place where they had met. It wasn't too far deep, but it wasn't too close either. It was more like the center of the forest. The last part before people stopped setting up signs after they passed the stream. Signs had a habit of disappearing after being placed in front of the river. No one knew why and people assumed that it was the work of demons.

She wanted to be able to help him, but she didn't think she could do much. She sat on a nearby rock and stared as she still saw that his feathers from last night were still present. That wasn't much of a shock to her seeing as most people might mistake them for bird feathers.

"A lot of eerie rumors are attached to the end of the forest. They say something evil lives in a cave beyond a waterfall, but I'm too scared to do it by myself," Aimi said nonchalantly.
 
Hashi slowly walked about in the area, not paying any mind to the silence between him and Aimi. The feathers on the ground were definitely an interest as the amount was far too much to just be there by happenstance or because a bird left them. He knelt down, examining them, finding a bit of blood upon a few of the feathers and descreetly taking those ones to put in his pocket. He then got up and looked back to the river as Aimi began to speak to him once more of strange evils that lurked in the forest. He quickly turned back to her, a glint of excitement and urgency in his eyes that he had no clue was there as he spoke in reply.
"Would you mind it if we headed in that direction? I mean, if you aren't comfortable going all the way over there, I wont force you, but maybe at least a little closer to that spot? I have a feeling that there will be more for me to learn there than there is to learn here. I has a bit of a hazy memory of something to do with passing over a good amount of water, far more than just this small river."
 
Aimi jumped at the idea! Hashi wanted to actually go near the place with the creepy rumors swirling around it!? Well it wouldn't be that big of a deal she supposed. On the plus side she wouldn't be by herself doing this type of thing. She would never consider going at it alone. She could die and no one would know where to find her. Aimi shivered at the thought and then returned herself to the present where things seemed to be a little more pleasant for the time being.

"You want to go the cave beyond the waterfall?" Aimi asked him, "Well sure I suppose that's alright. Since I have you with me it shouldn't be too frightening."

Aimi led the way deeper into the forest. It steadily grew more thick with wildlife and the sound of animals also seemed to get louder. There was no longer a set path to follow except move in the direction that the waterfall that didn't seem to be too far off. Aimi nearly fell a few times as she tripped on overgrown roots or slid on mossy rocks. The forest was a dangerous place for her in the morning.

The closer she got to the sound of the waterfall, the more she started to get flashbacks of her dreams with Hashi. She was starting to have trouble differentiating between what was real and what was fake. Aimi leaned up against a tree for a break. She looked as though she might actually fall asleep.
 
Hashi flinched as Aimi jumped, thinking he may have said something wrong. Was the place really all that frightening?
"I really do want to go off to the cave, but if you don't want to, then that is perfectly fine, I can go on my own some time after the festival." he said in reply to the question, not looking up to meet her gaze.
He was happy that she did agree, but how she described it as frightening her made him a bit uneasy. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable at all. He could, however, help as they now trekked through the thickening forest, giving her an arm of support whenever she lost balance and keeping a lookout for her whenever she would get too nervous about the surroundings. Hashi did grow a bit more worried though as Aimi had to brace against a tree, looking half asleep and tired from the rough terrain. He gently rested a hand on her arm.
"If you cant go any further, I wont blame you. I can go forward on my own, you can go back to the hotel and rest a bit. I wouldn't want to wear you out too much just because I had a hunch..."
 
Aimi wasn't going to let anyone walk around in this dangerous forest by themselves when such horrid rumors surrounded the place. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Hashi, but at the same time she didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She felt drowsiness wash over her as though she would fall asleep soon. Desperately she tried to keep her consciousness. She wanted to make sure that Hashi learned as much about himself as he could. She stood up slowly and rose to her feet.

"Please don't go on your own," Aimi said softly. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, "What if the rumors are true?"

She was thankful for his concern and for the many times that he had prevented her from falling down. Eventually she thought she was okay enough to walk and she took a few steps forwards. She realized that she seemed to be okay for now. So Aimi led Hashi deeper into the forest. They did come to a waterfall and through the waterfall, you could see the cave. From their perspective it looked nearly impossible to reach the cave without getting crushed by the water from the waterfall.

Aimi had not noticed the side path that actually traveled behind the waterfall and led into the mouth of the cave.
 
Hashi noticed a sort of warriness and a kind of struggle going on about the woman, but he stayed silent, sure that pointing something out would only warrant her refuting it with some misplaced logic along the lines of needing to protect him if he were going in. He sighed slightly at the thought. Deep down he just knew that he was strong enough to face anything that may come his way, but then again, there was still a small sliver of doubt that he had to push down as Aimi regained her footing. Of course, the boy was right. She promptly requested him not to travel there alone out of concern for the man that was stronger than her. But even still, he had to force a small smile and her recover for a moment before they traveled along. He stayed silent until she pushed herself up and he took her arm over his shoulder to help her along in walking, speaking only then.
"If the rumors are true, then I guess we'll just have to be strong, now wont we?" There was a bit of humor in his voice, but even so, he knew there was truth to the words, and with every step further into this forest, he had stronger and stronger senses of danger lurking just ahead. He had hazy instincts as to what to do, where to go, how to avoid the danger, and that in itself, though useful, confused him. Had he been a demon hunter in the past? Maybe a priest? No, a priest was definitely out of the question with how toned he was and the strange black clothes he wore when he woke up. But even so, clues were clues. As the sound of water filled Hashi's ears and the foliage began to pull away, a clearing emerged and in the center was a great lake, fed by a waterfall that was absolutely stunning in beauty. A strange looking path that had withered away to nothing more than a thin, one person walkway on a ledge piqued his interest as it lead behind the cave, but he had something else to distract him. Something that glinted brightly in the lake, something that didnt seem natural. Inbetween foam and ripples in the lake, he could see it, a strange sword imbedded in the lake bottom. Memories flashed back of the one he had in a tool forge, crafting that very blade, and so he knew that it had to be his own.
"Aimi, I'm going to have to dive down there, so I'll need to take off my shirt and pants, are you comfortable enough standing on your own while I undress and swim?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to get a slap to the face for crude wording.
 
Aimi nodded in agreement at Hashi's statement as she held onto him carefully. With every step that they took, Aimi felt like she was going to fall into a dream like state. It felt more like memories than dreams the more she thought about it. She was almost certain that everything in her dreams had indeed happened, but maybe just not to her. She wondered silently what Hashi was thinking. Was he certain he would find out more about his lost memory here? In fact, just what was he doing? Perhaps he could find out why he was here.

Aimi snapped out of her gaze when Hashi spoke again. Her face turned a soft pink.

"Yeah I'll be fine. I won't look..." Aimi said as she put her hands over eyes so she wouldn't be able to see. She was certain that she would never be able to handle looking at someone that gorgeous without losing herself. Aimi could only imagine the blush that would have been permanently planted on her face. She would never be able to remove a thought like that from her head.

As she covered her eyes, she saw a vision. It was very brief but it was just an old man standing at the mouth of the cave. He looked like he was laughing. In that moment, it was over and she was still standing in front of the waterfall with her hands covering her eyes. Aimi thought that she might mention that, but she felt that it wasn't too important. Or maybe it was. What would an old man be doing all the way at the edge of a forest.
 
Hashi noticed as he seemed to have woken Aimi from a trance with his words, and caught on to the delicate blush that livened her cheeks before she his her face. He smiled, unable to hold it back, before offering a quiet thank you, taking off his shirt and pants, shoes and socks, folding them neatly at his feet before heading off to the river's edge. It was quite shocking to him as he lightly dipped a foot into the water that he expected to be chilly, but this far down the river, for whatever reason, was warm, as if infused with a warmth from the very earth itself. Hashi would stumble over such a fact if he thought about it too long, so he just dived into the crystal clear waters, surfacing for a deep breath, before going down all the way to the bottom. He had his eyes open, so he could tell when he had reached the sword which he expected to just grab and leave, but it was imbedded muh more firmly than he thought, it not even budging from the gentle tug he gave. Frustrated, he pulled harder, but had to go up for another breath, noticing how much warmer it was so deep down. It was rather perplexing, but still, he needed that sword, and so down he went again, doing this a total of three times before he managed to free it. When he had, it was light in his hands, almost as if not there. He was able to swim with it in ease till he was able to sit up on a rock on the shore, crossing his legs and laying the sword over top of them, closing his eyes. He focused on the sword and where he woke up, trying to see just a little more into what had happened, but, instead, he went back much further, to the conditions by which he made the blade. There was another one, broke, sitting on a sturdy counter as he worked tirlessly upon the weapon, taking no time for hesitation. Another memory flashed by, one of being high over an empty, rolling plain, moving with speed and purpose, and... Flying? There was a strange ache in Hashi's back and shoulders as he had the memory, but he didnt pay it any mind, letting himself focus on the new development. Only seconds later the memory was interupted by a loud crack, as if a rock had forcefully hit another rock, or maybe bone breaking. He knew these sounds well without ever knowing them, and he was growing more and more uneasy about the situation at hand.
 
Aimi looked only when she heard the splash in the water. She saw Hashi beneath the water's surface. He appeared to be struggling with the removal of an object from down below. After a few tugs he seemed to have wrestled it free. When he got to the surface, Hashi seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Aimi waved her hand in front of him to see if he'd react at all. She wondered if he had indeed lost his senses. It was unlikely, but it was weird having him zone out like that. She looked back at the entrance of the cave and wondered what could be on the other side of it. There couldn't really be something back there that would make Hashi remember the reason he was here.

There was a laughter that echoed from the mouth of the cave. Aimi had not been imagining it this time and when she heard it she became paralyzed in fear. She was desperately hoping that it wasn't the old man she saw in her dreams. Her heart beat so rapidly in her chest that she was sure it would come out of her throat. Unknowingly, she had taken a step closer to Hashi for protection and continued to stare at the mouth of the cave, white as a sheet. She couldn't even form the words to describe the way she was feeling at that exact moment.
 
Hashi could instinctively sense the displacement of air in front of him. Small.. Fragile... Yes, Aimi's hand. He lightly reached out and took her hand, opening his eyes and looking up to her as she took a step closer. He slowly stood, light echoing in his eyes as if possessed with a great cause, he lightly kissing Aimi's forhead before sitting her down and making forwards, toward the cave. He stayed on this side of the lake, peering into the darkness, seeing a figure rise up, a wicked pair of glinting eyes and a dark smile being the only clear things to be seen, but even so, it provoked him further. His shoulders and back ached again, he looking over his shoulder and finding something he desperately wished missing. What? What was it he needed? No, he needed to get out of here and get Aimi to safety. And so he quickly went back to where he left the girl, lightly taking hold of her arm, his eyes back to normal and he looking just as he had before they had come.
"Aimi, come on, we have to get you out of here. I don't know what it is in there.... But I don't trust our chances of staying here." He spoke with an urgency that didnt seem to be his own, but he didnt question it.
 
Aimi swallowed hard and as her hand was suddenly grabbed by Hashi's. She was thankful for it, but she couldn't find the words to voice her gratitude and they didn't have the time for it. Aimi's arm was grabbed by Hashi's hand in a sudden urgency. Aimi didn't see the pair of wicked eyes, but she assumed there was a reason that he wanted to leave right this second. A small okay left her lips and she stood up preparing to walk away from the mouth of the cave. She turned around abruptly and delicately picked up Hashi's clothes from the river side before proceeding to move away. Hashi was going to have to put the clothes back on before they arrived into town and he would have to find a way to conceal his sword. There was no way it was socially acceptable to be seen carrying a sword of that making so freely.

Aimi walked a little bit faster seeing as she felt it would be best to move quickly. Aimi was beginning to feel better now that they were moving away. Something about getting that close to the edge of the forest made her so uneasy. The rumors were beginning to feel a little less like rumors now. Aimi shook her head. She shouldn't think like that but with the chain of events, she was almost willing to believe anything about the forest at this point.

"Hashi... Where did that laughter come from?" Aimi finally asked him. She had the slight feeling that she wouldn't want to know the answer, but curiosity had gotten the better of her at this moment. She had too many questions and not enough answers.
 
Hashi sighed a little anxiously as Aimi stopped to pick up his clothes, a stop he would have preferred going on without, but he humored her for the moment before quickly walking off, wishing that they could run. He was getting chills, despite being a little feverish, and he was gripping his sword so hard his knuckles had turned white. It didnt feel natural having to escape like this. He wanted to be above ground, maybe in the trees, but even something like that was impossible at the moment.

Nearing the entrance to the forest, Hashi let himself be stopped to put on his clothes, turning the sword over in his hand before sighing. Though he was completely dry by now, he felt as if he was drowning in darkness, even though the shade here was minimal. He slowly forced himself to let to of the sword and lay it on the ground, looking away. He shouldn't be leaving the sword, he knew that, and if anyone else caught a hold of it..? No, he couldn't let that happen.
"Aimi, I will have to come back late tonight to retrieve my sword. You do not have to accompany me. I fear what may lie in the darkness, waiting for you." He said as gently as he could before picking up his sword and hiding it within the center of a rotting tree that was still standing.
 
He hadn't answered her question, but she supposed that it could wait. Aimi looked at where Hashi had placed his sword and she didn't feel right about him leaving it there. Quickly she thought of something she could do to conceal at least until they got back to the inn. Aimi took the ribbon from her hair and then handed it to Hashi.

"At least this way, it will look like a memento and people won't question it," Aimi said with a small smile.

Her bangs now fell freely onto her face and blew carelessly in the wind. She blinked a few times before waiting for Hashi to grab his sword. She didn't exactly want him traveling back to the forest late at night either. It looked very important to him to say the least. Besides, there was the possibility of somebody stealing it. She would feel awful if that had happened.

The sun was beginning to rise a little higher in the sky now. People were just starting to trickle into the park around the forest. There was the occasional jogger or person who was walking their dog. It was not a huge commotion. It was just a sign that the day was going to start very soon and that Aimi was going to be late for work... again.
 
Hashi hesitantly took the ribbon, tying it around the hilt and the unsharpened inch of the base of the blade before making a bow out of it, figuring it would do for the time being. He didnt want to be seen like this in front of too many people, though the only difference in how he looked was that he had a sword.
"I-I'm sorry if i seem to loose focus, I'm... I'm a little shaken i guess is all..." He tried to say so light heartedly and put a bit of a laugh at the end, but the laugh sounded very fake, and his words betrayed how truly offset he was by the discovery at the waterfall.
"But either way, do you not have work tonight? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for being late and then wanting to go off to the festival at night." He actually did sound concerned for her well being, even if it was such a small concern over her working.
 
Aimi watched him tie the ribbon around his sword. She had to admit he looked rather awkward when he did it, but at least now people would question him less if he carried it around. Aimi realized that she would be rather late for work today, but a part of her didn't even feel like going to work. She would much rather be spending the day with Hashi. She was well aware of how bad that would look to her parents, but what if she didn't care? Aimi laughed to herself. Here she was with the angel from her dreams and now she couldn't focus on anything else. How could she.

"I don't think I'm going to go in for work today," Aimi said with a small sigh, "You've never been here before right? And even though that place gave quite the scare, I kind of want to go back there. What if the very thing you've been looking for really is back there?"
 
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Hashi looked back to Aimi in confusion. He could understand not wanting to work, but not wanting to work and wanting to go back? And after he just managed to pull her out none the less... He sighed, flipping the sword a couple of times as he thought over the options.
"I don't want to have to take you back that far in, but I'll take you a little ways in, and you have to promise to stay where I leave you. I'll make sure I don't stray too far away, that way you can still hear me. Is it a deal..?" He asked, concern in his voice and eyes and his heart aching to not even make deals about such a dangerous matter.
 
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