Our Adventure Will Never End

Source https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/95457811

Entry 3 The Roar of Hate

I keep my eyes trained forward, staring in disbelief. It worked…It actually worked! I sigh, as the spell ends. Ah…I glance around the hall we've arrived in. I guess this is our base of operations. It’ll be pretty hard for Kronii track us down here. Unless...My eyes shift towards IRyS, I keep my guard up.

“What do you think Ame? Aren’t you glad I showed up when I did?” IRyS says beamingly, quite proud of getting me out of that situation.

“IRyS! I honestly think I’m in shock. I’m grateful of course but…I…I think you showing up there was a bit too convenient!” I tell her from the heart, I’m not sure what happened there, it was so sudden. I have to consider Kronii is trying to trick me and make me fall prey to her them. I was just in her…reality marble thing. Who’s to say this isn’t an elaborate set up. A perfect recreation by a perfect stage master.

“Quick IRyS! Prove to me you’re not actually an elaborate illusion designed by Kronii!” I spurt out my words, finger pointed at her. If she’s not an illusion I’ve made the largest moron out of myself.

“Uhm… well I…Ahem…Despite my consistent descending from high places, I actually hate heights!” She spurts out in return; this information is correct…but Kronii would probably know that too.

“Not good enough! More proof! Better proof!” I shout out, if I’m making a fool of myself, I’d sure like to be proven wrong sooner rather than later IRyS!

“Uh uh uhhhh…I like spaghetti with meatballs and tofu!” She cries out. Alright I think I’m weirding her out. I don’t think Kronii would tolerate my shenanigans for this long but…just to be sure!

“How many times have you and Bae divorced then remarried!” I fire out another question, eager to hear the answer. I don’t know the answer myself…but neither should Kronii!

“Divorced and remarried? I mean it’s…who's even recording the attempts anymore! I…”

“Bzzzzzzzzzz! Wrong Answer! You’re a fake aren’t you. AREN’T YOU?!” I Can’t risk it! Kronii is too cunning a foe to let my guard down around!

“Ame, please stop harassing your savior. She might not accept the job next time.” A soft voice enters the room and oddly gets me to stop questioning IRyS. I look around for the speaker and find her walking up the hall to us. Just as she is and always was!

“Ina! It’s you. Oh my god! It’s so good to see you! I missed you so much! ImissedeveryonesomuchIwassoscaredItwashorribleInaYouhavenoideahowcloseIwastodyingitwasseriouslytheworstthingI’veeverfeltinmylife.” My words pouring out of my mouth faster than the tears from my eyes. Sigh I’m finally safe.

“Ame. Ame. Ame! AME! Please! Talk, slower. You’re with friends now.” Ina says, I sense a slight air of annoyance in her voice, but it’s her! Being around her again…ahhh she’s got such a calming aura.

“IRyS, thank you for bringing her back. Would you mind finding Gura and Kiara and letting them know that Ame has returned to us?” Ina confidently says to IRyS. I guess there’s quite a bit she has discovered on her own to have orchestrated my rescue.

“Of course. I’ll head out and look for them. But before that…” IRyS motions over to Ina and they both approach me! They open their arms and squish me ina big comfy hug.

“It’s good to have you back Ame.” IRyS says.

“It is Ame, we missed you lots.” Ina says after IRyS. I smile and return their hugs as best I can.

“It’s good to be back guys.” I say gently, tears roll down my face once more.

We all pull away after a few tender moments and smile at each other. IRyS nods her head then excuses herself, magically floating away and out of the hall.

“I’m sure you have many questions Ame, but you should rest first. We’ll discuss things after you get some warm food in your tummy and a good night’s sleep!” She expresses her concern, I’m really grateful for whatever had happened here. They must’ve known there was some sort of risk to assisting me.

“Do you remember the way to your room Ame?” She asks me, I sort of recall. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Atlantis.

“Uh…I…kinda?” I say very weakly, I don’t know why. I guess I don’t want to look foolish in front of Ina.

“Heh…well it’s been some time since we’ve visited. I suppose it might be dangerous to go alone so… take this with you.” Ina turns around and starts whispering something. A dark black mass starts forming on the floor in front of her. It starts to morph into some sort of…ball looking thing and some purple fumes start floating up to the top of the hall. Oh! That’s a!

“Here…a takodachi! He’ll lead you to your room and keep guard at your door to keep you safe tonight.” She says with her adorable smile stretching across her face. The takodachi pops out of the side of Ina’s legs. “WAH”

“Fufu, there are other takodachi around who are taking care of various things here, if you need something from them or from me, just let any of them know. They should have dropped off some food in your study by now.” I take a moment to think about what Ina had said. A good nights rest...does that mean it's currently night time?

“Hey Ina, do you know what time it is by any chance?” I inquire of her.

“Hmm, I think it’s time to get a watch Ame! Ufufufu.” She teasingly remarks

“Hey! I have one already!” I quickly snap back.

“Then consider checking it!” Ina says, keeping her smile but turning away from me and walking down the hall, the takodachi makes its way towards me. “WAH” A charismatic response, it looks like it's ready to lead me back to my room. I realize I’m still holding my watch in my right hand; I finally start to relax my grip around it. Ina must’ve thought I was messing with her…Sigh I stare at the face of it, the arms aren’t moving. I guess it’s frozen in time now. Kronii did say she had removed the time crystal from it. This is bad…Ugh No! No negativity now! We’re back, safe and sound! Focus on the positive! Let’s go to my room.

I follow the takodachi and gaze out of the windows in the hall. Atlantis… this definitely is the ultimate hiding spot. An area outside of time and space, it can’t be tracked down by any normal means. Fortunately for us, Gura has a trick to finding it, benefit of being a former Atlantean citizen. The takodachi makes some cute noises in place, trying to jump up and open the door. What did Ina say it sounded like, a Poring? I still haven’t found out what that was... but before I knew it I, we had arrived at our destination.

“Let me get the door little buddy!” I say enthusiastically. Finally, a time to rest and relax. I gently open the door…

And everything is where it’s supposed to be. My home away from home, or I guess, my office away from the office. It’s spotless, the takodachi must have come in earlier and tidied it up. Man, if the takodachi were my personal assistants, I’d be a super good detective. The best there ever was! Ahh to dream…I look at my desk and see a few plates covered by domes. Let’s see what Head Chef Takodachi created today.

I lift the stainless-steel dome off of the plates and look at the foods. Spaghetti…with meatballs and tofu…Hehehe I guess IRyS was the one who requested tonight's meal. Let’s see…a salad and, of course for dessert, some cookies. I seat myself and motion to the takodachi. “Alright little buddy, for being my valiant guide and protector. Here is your reward!” I pass the cookie down to the takodachi, it lets out an excited “WAH.” It takes the cookie and starts on its own dinner. Alright... tonight's plans, dinner then a shower, then bed, lets relax Ame.

It might appear unladylike, but who cares! I’m scarfing this down! Noodle, meatball, tofu, salad, all of it. I devour it all like gremlin. I get up to stretch, honestly I'm a little shocked at how things ended up. Kronii…What do I even know about you. Were you truly faking it the whole time? Did you hate living that much? Did you… “WAH!” My train of thought is thoroughly destroyed by my little guide.

“Ah…ehehehe. Hey buddy! Did you finish your cookie?”

“WAH!”

“Aha…I’ll take that as a yes! Hmm…how about this. I’ll give you the rest of the cookies if you keep guard while I shower, ok?” I shoot the takodachi a wink and smile.

“WAH! WAH!”

“Alright, here!” I take the plate of cookies and set it down next to the takodachi, it nods repeatedly at me…and... I think it’s trying to salute me. Safe to say we have a deal. I wander over to my closet and open it up. Various articles and styles of clothing are inside, but I just need my pajamas for now. How did I end up with so many coats? Man that’s a lot of coats. I guess I was sort of obsessed with looking like Kronii, while having a style of my own…My coats would flow behind me just like her cloak flew behind her… I gather some pajamas and underwear; my mind being weighed down once again by my thoughts of Kronii.

A door in my room leads to the bathroom. I head inside, giving the little takodachi a wave goodbye before heading in. I start the shower up and begin undressing. Sand falls onto the floor…ehhhh…I hope nobody minds the mess… Well...we ARE in Atlantis, sand around here wouldn't be too unusual. I unbutton my jacket and toss it to a corner of the room and then loosen my tie. Unbuttoning my skirt, I lift my blouse up from underneath it. I grip my skirt and my underwear and pull them down together. If Kronii were here she’d be going on about how beautiful she is and how lucky I should consider myself to have the privilege of bathing with her. God she’d get so annoying sometimes… I unbutton my blouse next, pulling it back behind my arms, I toss it over to my jacket with the tie still around the neck. I gaze at myself in the mirror. Scars are scattered across my chest and back. A testament to the work I had done while investigating. Battle scars! They’re cool! Kronii never thought they were. Tch...She’d always have her hands on me, turning back time to make the wounds never happen. She’d say that she didn’t want me ruining my flawless skin. God…that’s just... so like her. I was so glad when I told her I didn’t want to hide my flaws. She got so mad at me. She went off on me for like 20 minutes. That’s a time I never want to travel back to. Heh…

I remove my bra, stacking it together with my skirt and undies, throwing them all together at my jacket. I send my gaze back on the mirror, looking at myself. I walk towards the vanity and stare into my eyes. Those deep sapphire eyes. This haircut. I’m more like Kronii than I had thought…I mean…I look good too, don’t I? I’m cute! CUTE! I mean…maybe she beats me a bit in the chest department…but those aren’t everything a gal has! I wiggle my bottom and giggle under my breath. Heh…what am I doing… I enter the shower and slide the door closed. Washing myself, I feel an overwhelming number of emotions run through me. I can't get her out of my head. I rise the shampoo out of my hair and place the conditioner in while washing my body. After getting head to tippy toes clean, I let the water rinse me off. I lay my head against the wall underneath the shower head and begin to cry.

Kronii…you…you were so much to me… My mentor, my teacher, my…I slide down, sitting inside the shower, wrapping my arms around my legs and begin crying into my thighs. Ahhhhhh! I hate this! I hate it! I hate it so much! What was all that time we spent together Kronii? Why did things end up like this? Why? Why? WHY? I squeeze my legs tighter, hoping it will make the aching in my chest lessen. I pull myself up after a moment of silence, rinsing my face directly under the water to hide the streaks my tears had formed down my face. I take a deep breath to relax. Ok Ame, let’s get some rest.

I creek the bathroom door open, scanning the room for the takodachi, doesn’t seem like it’s in the room at the moment. The plate is empty…maybe it went outside to patrol the area. On my bed are a couple of towels…kind of embarrassed to see that… It knew I didn’t have any, so it brought me some. I skip over to my bed and pick up the towels. Ah...is this is...a note? There's a note on the towel. I reach for it and flip it over to the side with writing on it. "You might need these STINKY!" Heh...that girl... I swear. Guess at least Gura is back. I dry my body up with one towel and my hair with the other. I take a seat at my desk, stacking all of the plates up and set them to the side. Sighing, I spin the chair around, looking at my room. Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I’m pretty grateful it was cleaned up, I’m really not in the mood to sit in a musky old study. I skim over various books and notes I had on my desk. So many adventures, so many mysteries! I pick myself up, jump into my pajamas and then into my bed.

Sneaking my way underneath the covers, I’m reminded of how comfortable a bed feels. It's grip robs me of my freedom, but I don't mind. God…what a day. This honestly…isn’t too much different from normal days. The only difference is that this time…the perpetrator is my best friend… My eyes feel heavy, I’m not going to fight this feeling. When you’re tired you sleep! I close my eyes and drift off into dream land.

The Burden of Knowledge:
Entry 2 Reflections Ten Thousand Meters Deep:
Entry 4