One-Shots of My O.C.'s Lives

Woven Like a Spider's Web

Seto was tired. He had been working all night on a healing potion, and it had exhausted him. His body was naturally craving to just lie down and succumb to rest, but it was already morning. He sighed with effort, massaging his temples with both of his hands as he stared out the window. The birds were chirping, which almost irritated him, but he knew better than to be angry with Nature.
     He sighed again and rested his chin on a thick book that lay on his desk, closing his eyes and tempted to allow himself to rest. He then shook himself out of his thoughts and got up. 'Sitting won't help.' He went into his bathroom and turned on the sink, splashing water over his face. He shivered slightly at the crisp temperature, but ignored it and repeated the attempt of waking up. It had an effect, but not very much.
     "... Maybe walking will help." He sighed out loud, grabbing his jacket that lay beside his cloak and put it on. It was getting chilly outside, especially since the sun was hardly up, so he grabbed his scarf as well, wrapping the thick, long and wide fabric around his neck, which went up to his chin. He decided against gloves as he opened the door, instead simply putting his hands in his pockets after shutting the door behind him with a slam. "Hope it's cold 'nough." He murmured to himself, glancing back at his house before following a dirt path into a nearby forest. He always loved walking through the cluster of trees, the fir trees always staying green and providing life for some of the small animals. It always soothed him to be here, seeing the familiar views as he sauntered down the all-too-familiar path, sighing peacefully.
     He found a lake he always went to, and he sat down in the cold but soft grass, peering into the glistening waters with a smile forming over his lips. This was always the one place he could definitely relax, and never be disturbed.
     At about this time, Seto was unaware of being watched. Not by a person, exactly, but a Borrower. She was pretty young, but smart, and she had lovely deep brown yet lustrous eyes, as well as brown hair. She clung to a small twig, standing on a tree limb and leaning forward as she wordlessly watched the curious human. He came here almost everyday, which fascinated her. Most humans usually disrespected nature.
     As she leaned forward to get a better look, her grip slipped, and she fell with a shriek of surprise. She managed to see the human jerk his head up at her cry of alarm before her vision got too blurry, and she suddenly stopped falling, landing on something that seemed invisible. The wind was knocked out of her, and she gasped, staring down at the forest floor. Then she tried to sit up. For some reason, she couldn't move, as if her arms and legs were pinned. She lifted her head up and looked around, seeing that she had fallen onto a spider's web. Her eyes widened, and her breathing grew quicker as she started struggling to try to break free.
     Then she froze when she heard a chittering sound. She slowly looked over to see a tan spider with black spots over it, and long legs. She whimpered and struggled harder as it made its way to her, and she flinched as it prodded her with its forelegs, then crawled closer, then suddenly jerked down and bit her. She screamed again and jolted in response, feeling like her skin was on fire. Then a numbing sense came over, and her muscles went limp, her vision growing hazy. She dimly heard the spider chitter again, poking her again when she heard a muffled deafening sound, seeing a huge figure take up most of her vision.
     "Get outta here, shoo!" She managed to tease out a voice saying so, despite the distortedness. The spider was suddenly gone, but she didn't feel any relief. She felt really hot all over, and she was still scared. She had a feeling that she had been condemned to die. Then she felt something warm and soft tease itself under her, and she was gently pulled off of the sticky web. She couldn't tell what was going on, but she could make out two large caramel colored eyes.
     It was the human's, she could tell. She tried to gasp, but she could barely breathe, only take in ragged shallow breaths. She noticed the slight glint of surprise, but there was also concern. Her eyelids grew heavy, then her vision grew dark, and she passed out.
     As soon as Seto had heard the scream, he had looked around in confusion until he had seen something moving, and his sharp eyes had made out the spider's web. He had edged closer when the scream had sounded again, and he realized that they were caused by a Borrower, which had come from the small figure on the web. At first, he had been flabbergasted, but he detected the spider instantly. It was a Spitting Spider, and its bite (or spit) was poisonous, intended to immobilize the prey, and poison it.
     He had immediately flicked it away with a verbal exclamation, then turned to the tiny Borrower. It was a girl, who looked about fifteen or sixteen... Perhaps even seventeen. She lay unmoving, but her eyes were open as she partially blinked, obviously trying to move. He had then gently pried her off of the web with two fingers, peering at her with worry. Her chest was moving ever so faintly, but she was still alive. But her breaths were too faint for comfort.
     He now held her against his chest and immediately turned around, breaking into a run to return to his house, knowing only his potions could help her now. He burst out of the forest and opened his door, springing inside and shutting it with a slam.
     "Healing potion." He muttered to himself, setting the tiny girl on his cloak before twirling on his heel and rummaging through the varied shelves of bottles filled with various liquids. "Where is it?" He found the pink-vermillion mixed potion, and he quickly grabbed it, throwing the cork off before kneeling down beside where the girl lay. He eased her head forward with one finger, then allowed a drop of the brew to spill into her mouth. She didn't react to it, since she was limp and unconscious, so he poured a few more drops before withdrawing, sealing the bottle once more.
     He sighed and placed the healing potion where it had once been, then brought up a chair and gathered his cloak carefully in his arms, carrying the girl over to him and resting her and the silky cloak in his lap. He gazed intently on the young Borrower, still mystified at the tiny life form on his thigh. He had heard of them before, which was one thing, but to see one, let alone contact one... He shook his head in disbelief, still trying to wrap it around what had happened. He was just glad he had been able to save her life...
     Hopefully.
     A few hours later, the young Sorcerer had gradually let his head hang, and he eventually fell asleep, the girl cradled in the palm of his hand and his slightly curled fingers. About another hour after that, the Borrower tilted her head a little, slowly flexing her hand as she began to stirr. She felt really nauseated, and woozy, but she was surprised to be alive. As her vision began to clear, she realized how dark it was, and slowly looked up to realize that she was in the young human's shadow, and he was leaned over her partially, his forehead against the wall and his eyes closed. He was asleep.
     He... Saved her? She hadn't expect that, at all. She had thought that... Actually she didn't know what to think. She had been taught that humans were something to fear, to shudder at the very mentioning of them. She shivered as she realized she was splayed across his hand, propped up against his relaxed fingers. Hands that could easily crush her, yet had rescued her. He had saved her life.
     She glanced back up as he stirred, shifting a little before stilling, and she slowly sat up. Her vision swayed, and she laid back with a weak gasp, then a tired cough. She closed her eyes again to stop the nausea from starting up again, and as it faded, she felt the male human stir again, this time staying awake. She opened her eyes and looked up as he blinked his eyes open, looking exhausted. Despite the tiredness in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel drawn to his golden-brown and soft like irises, as he stifled a yawn and sat up. She tensed as she was lifted up a little, then she heard a soft male voice ask, "... Are you alright?" She snapped her gaze back up at the young male, seeing the care in his eyes. She hesitated for a few moments before nodding her head in a shaky manner, suddenly realizing just how big he was compared to her.
     "Y... Y-yes." She rasped, stifling another cough. "Th... Thanks to you..." He smiled in relief, which for some reason sent a pleasant and relieved shiver through her.
     "That's good." He sighed, cupping his hand a little before standing up slowly. She cringed as he did so, and he assured her, "Don't worry, I won't drop you." She gave him a small nod, and he carefully carried her over to a desk, setting some type of jacket-ish-thing down over a book and folding it into a neat square, then eased her onto it. She couldn't help but utter a small grunt, feeling sore all over from the poison. "Sorry." He murmured apologetically before withdrawing a little from her, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of the Borrower.
     They stared at each other in an awkward silence for a moment before Seto murmured, "... So what's your name, may I ask?" Perking up a little with hope, the young girl sat up a little.
     "A-Aurora." She stammered. The corners of his mouth quirked up in a grin.
     "Nice, it's pretty and goes with nature." He complimented. Aurora blushed in adulation as he added, "I'm Seto." She dipped her head a little in acknowledgment before starting to get up. "Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you-" after she had made it on her feet, her legs gave out and she fell forward, landing on something soft and warm. She looked up to see that her acquaintance had lunged forward and curled his finger around her waist, preventing her from hitting the ground. The contact from him was sending shivers down her spine as she stared dumbly at him, not knowing what to make of the scene. Seto was gazing at her for a few seconds before shaking his head a little and helping her stand up once more, his fingers lightly laced around her to keep her from falling again.
     "You alright?" He asked quietly. She nodded slightly, staying silent when he continued to say, "Uh... While that healing potion worked, I still need to check that bite. Spiders' venom can be dangerous on someone your height." She hesitated, then lifted her shirt up just enough to reveal her midriff, as well as two ragged punctures in her side. She noticed his eyes immediately soften in pity and sympathy as he leaned forward, carefully prodding the wound to inspect it. Finally, he got up and left the room for a few seconds, rummaging through something in another room before returning with medicine and bandaging cloth. He ripped off a small narrow strip and gently applied some of the medicine, and she stifled a grunt of uncomfort.
     "Hang on, almost... Done." He murmured before withdrawing a little. He wrapped the bandaging cloth over her wound and around her waist before gently tying it. "There." He sat back with the spare materials in hand as Aurora let her shot cover the tough white cloth, then stifled a yawn. Seto smiled at her. "Tired?" He asked as he got up. She nodded mutely, and he left for a minute before returning. He sat down in the chair once more, and reached over to her with considerable caution. She blinked up at him as he lay his hand flat on the desk, an inch away from her. "Hop on will ya?" He asked quietly. She blinked a few more times before complying, hesitantly stumbling over to his hand and climbing on.
     She swallowed nervously as the ground seemed to shrink back, and she was once again letting her life be in the hands of this human... She always had thought that it was the worst thing possible, but Seto was considerate, kind, gentle.
     The Sorcerer gently cradled Aurora in his hands, holding her against his chest. He felt her shiver immediately, before relaxing a few seconds later and even leaning against him. She obviously trusted him, which made him content. But exhaustion was already catching up with him again, and he yawned. Turns out that walk only tired him. He murmured to the small creature in his embrace, "Is it alright if I move?" And felt her nod. He slowly got up and sauntered over to the small bed, sitting down on it before easing himself on it in a laying down position.
     When gravity altered on Aurora, she glanced up to see that he had laid down, which surprised her. Her weak and tired state forced out another sleepy yawn, and she lay back down on the comfortable surface. He grabbed something before she was suddenly partially covered by a soft fabric, and she glanced up to see him resting a blanket over himself, including her. She smiled a little and shifted a slightly, getting in a more comfortable resting position. As she closed her eyes and laid her head against Seto, she became aware of a faint reiterated, "Th-thump, th-thump..." It was his heartbeat. The sound was oddly soothing, and she rubbed her cheek against him in gratefulness.
     After a few moments, Seto felt the tiny heartbeat that pattered against his chest slow, and he sat up a little to look down and see that the Borrower had fallen asleep. She looked so innocent, the appearance made him smile softly. Then he sighed quietly before leaning back again, looking up at the ceiling for a few seconds before closing his eyes, and he felt his consciousness begin to slip away from him.