Rangers Endgame

Chapter 110: Babysitter

Fuyumi wandered through the dim tunnels with Ella, still clutching her flower-shaped pendant, stuck at her side. After several minutes, the passage of time seemed to have lost its meaning as they navigated the labyrinthine halls. Nonetheless, the talisman had never failed Fuyumi so it was easy to place her trust in the route it took her on.

They were still deep in enemy territory, however. Unlike monsters that acted more on instinct, these were people they were up against. Though the elixir hampered rational thought, they were still smarter than the average beast. If kobolds were smart enough to use explosives as a deterrent, it wouldn't be crazy to think Second Grades booby trapped their own tunnels.

And the two were traversing through them blind.

In the beginning, Fuyumi kept the girl in her sights at all times, but after realizing Ella was still too frightened to leave her side, she began to focus most of her attention on scouting. Strangely enough, they hadn't come across any traps like she'd expected, but she still kept a cautious eye out. She hadn't seen any Second Grades either, but reasoned they were all on the surface clashing with the perimeter team.

Quietly approaching a corner against the wall, she hid the glow of the talisman in her satchel as not to give away their position. As routine, Ella followed her lead, making herself small against the wall as Fuyumi carefully peered out to scan the next hallway. Just like the ones before, it was devoid of life.

"It's clear. Come on." Fuyumi tapped her arm gently but with urgency.

"Is that thing you have really going to help us?" Ella asked as she followed her out into the next hall.

Fuyumi took out the talisman again, allowing its fluctuating glow to guide her. "It'll give us a general idea of where to go."

"How?" Ella asked curiously.

"It's a talisman tracker."

The girl scampered to her side to inspect the talisman more closely, its glow sparkling in her brown eyes. "What does it track?"

Fuyumi stopped suddenly and held a hand out to keep Ella from walking ahead. She noticed a thin seam that separated their side of the hallway from the other. She only noticed because of the talisman's light.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she kicked a rock across the seam, but it rolled harmlessly past it. Staying cautious, she carefully tapped her foot on the seam without it triggering anything, then stepped over it before instructing Ella to do the same.

"Someone who can help us." She answered her question as Ella hurried to her side again.

"Oh, like a friend?" Ella followed up, still looking between her and the talisman.

Fuyumi looked distantly down the hall as she considered. 'Friend...' She rolled around the word in her head, trying to gauge how accurate the term was.

Her mind replayed their interactions, each of his smiles, each shared hardship, each moment of understanding that sparked a glimmer of something unfamiliar in her.

'Is that what this is?' She questioned.

She never considered reflecting on their relationship, and she suddenly found herself wondering what he saw them as.

She shook her head to dislodge the growing sense of melancholy. 'This isn't the place or the time.'

She felt a light tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Ella. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Fuyumi replied curtly. "Let's keep moving." Her pace quickened slightly, leaving Ella's initial question unanswered.

Ella's bow bobbed as she sped up, threatening to fall off. She quickly went to fix it, but like her previous attempts, it would stay upright before going lopsided again. "Do you have other stuff that glows?" She asked, her childlike curiosity returning. "Are they just as pretty?"

Fuyumi glanced back at her. "You sure ask a lot of questions."

Ella twiddled her thumbs sheepishly. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Fuyumi let out a soft breath. "It's fine. My brother has a mouth on him too, so I suppose I'm used to it."

"You have a brother?"

Fuyumi regretted the topic she'd handed Ella to springboard off of, but decided to answer anyway. "Yes. Actually, he's about your age, maybe a bit older." She regarded her thoughtfully. "I think you two would've gotten along."

They arrived at another corner and Ella quietly came behind her as she tried fixing her bow again. "Where is he?"

Fuyumi gestured an all clear and waved her to follow. "Probably back at my village annoying my dad with his boundless energy."

She was expecting the girl to spout another trivial question, but to her surprise, Ella responded with delighted laughter. The light sound of her lifted mood carried softly through the dim, musty hall, only adding to the creepy atmosphere, and for a moment, Fuyumi thought she was going to attract unwanted attention.

"I don't think you like people very much, miss." Ella finally said behind her hand.

"You figured me out. Now keep quiet." She lightly, but firmly scolded.

As they were about to continue down the tunnel, Ella's brows shot up as if she'd just realized something. "Oh, I forgot. What is your name, miss?"

"Is that really necessary? I doubt you'll see me again after this." She responded while inspecting a patch of wall that was unusually smooth.

"Of course it is," Ella raised a finger as if she was about to teach Fuyumi about something valuable. "My mama always says you should address someone by their name as it’s the polite thing to do.”

Figuring the wall wasn't going to be any cause for concern after testing it with a thrown pebble, she again gestured for Ella to keep moving. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is," Ella skipped to her side. "We have a garden so we meet a lot of people." Her arms swept wide to give a sense of grand scale. "That's how I met my friends. My mama lets me play outside with them every morning until the garden is ready."

Fuyumi didn't bother nipping her tangent in the bud. Instead, she passively listened while her main focus remained on the talisman and their surroundings.

"Everyone is really nice and would come to the garden. We grow stuff like amber blooms and violet dancers. But my favorite are the twilight buds because they're cute in the day and really pretty at night."

"Violet dancers?" Fuyumi echoed after her subconscious snagged on the name.

"Yes. They're very pretty too. Do you know them?" Ella asked, fiddling with her bow, her expression somewhat focused.

"I do," she replied wistfully. "They were a favorite of someone I knew, and...I agree, they are pretty."

Ella gravitated closer to Fuyumi, her fright seemingly dissolving to reveal a more passionate side of her.

"My mama's garden has all kinds of plants and I even help take care of them," she exclaimed as Fuyumi's finger shot to her lips to quiet her. In a more hushed voice, she continued. "Even though I'm not good at it, my mama always helps me. She's really kind and the villagers always come to visit. Even today, the garden was packed before...my village was..." She trailed off, a seemingly haunting memory creeping into her mind as her pace slowed.

Annoyed, Fuyumi stopped to turn back to her. "What?"

Ella stood silent, her shoulders now trembling again as tears slid down her cheeks. "I miss her..."

Fuyumi's features softened ever so slightly. She knew that feeling all too well, but communicating emotions was never in her field of expertise. She stood there and contemplated what to do. One moment, the girl was laughing, then the next, she was sobbing. She knew the kid would be a handful, but she didn't expect it to this extent. She took hesitant steps toward her and knelt down.

Ella's eyes glistened with loneliness. Fuyumi froze, unsure of how to proceed as she awkwardly glanced away. Her hand went to pat her arm to comfort her, but stopped halfway when Ella began wiping her face, only for more tears to fall. Fuyumi's eyes went to her bow, still askew atop her head.

"For goodness sake." Fuyumi breathed as she reached for her bow.

Ella's weeping paused as Fuyumi fixed it so it wouldn't fall. When she pulled her hands back, they accidentally brushed gently through her hair, but the twitch in Ella's lips told her she'd mistaken it as a consoling gesture.

"Fuyumi." She said after pulling back. Confusion clashed with the lingering sadness on Ella's face, so she specified. "You wanted to know my name. I'm Fuyumi."

She didn't fully understand why, but fixing Ella's bow and sharing her name seemed to have stopped her tears completely, though she was still reduced to a state of hiccups. Fuyumi stood to her feet, and without thinking, her hand extended to her in an invitation to hold it. Ella stared at it for a moment as if debating.

"Come on," Fuyumi urged softly. "You want to see your mother again, don't you?"

After a few seconds, Ella nodded slowly and slipped her tiny, delicate hand into hers. Though embarrassed she had to resort to coddling a child to keep her from sobbing, Fuyumi convinced herself it was better than attracting unwanted attention. So, wasting no more time, she held out the talisman and continued down the hall.