Arisa, Part 1:Dusk

-Chapter V: Her Haunting Past-

Keith decided he would have a drink before heading to his room for some rest. He usually didn't drink, but he figured after today he'd make an exception. Demons, light creatures, vessels and the possible threat of his house being burned down was a bit too much to take in all at once. His head was feeling heavy with questions and he needed a moment alone to think of a way to deal with the problems at hand. There had to be something he could do? He had to do something. He thought of Arisa, who had gone to sleep some time ago. Keith noticed she had seemed more tired than usual. Well... more tired than he had seen her in the three days he now knew her. This was no time to think about Arisa though, Keith reminded himself. There were other things he had to consider, such as his next move. He rubbed the glass with cold skotch against his temple. He sure was glad now his father had invested some of the harvest into distilling something a bit more potent than bread. Keith summerised his situation out loud; He was home alone with a refugee who was wanted by the intire system, not to mention she didn't want his help in the first place. Keith sighed. To top that all off once Arisa would be dicsovered, Akuma's soldiers would burn his house down, probably leaving him inside to die. Keith thought about this for a while. The whole problem shouldn't be too difficult as long as Akuma didn't find Arisa. He sighed again. Somehow his thoughts landed with Arisa again. He just couldn't help it. He found it difficult to watch Arisa carry this burden alone. It was like he could see her suffering, but just couldn't reach out to her. If only she'd let him in, he might be able to do something for her. He let out another frustrated sigh. This was not the time for these kind of thoughts. His first priorety was to make sure Akuma's soldiers wouldn't find her again, all other problems were secondary for now. Keith could feel the alcohol soothing his mind. He hadn't realised he had been so tired as well. He went to find his own bed. He needed all the strength he could get to figure out what to do tomorrow.

Arisa dwelled in the darkness once again. Another night, another bad dream, although ‘bad’ was quite an understatement. As the world around her merged and shifted she could see her enviroment. This time she hung at the cross again. Puck gazed at the sky as she cried for Arisa to leave. Arisa heard herself say that she would not abandon her here in such a place. Then Puck again, that she should survive. How often did she have to hear this conversation? Arisa already knew those lines as good as by heart and felt sick every time she thought about that unforgivable day such a long time ago. Suddenly the cross Puck was hanging on caught fire and the flames slowly engulfed her. A tormented scream came from… Who? Who did it came from? Who was screaming? Was it Puck, who was being burned alive, or was it Arisa who screamed? Tormented by the images of her best friend dying? After the very last horrible image, the crosses disappeared and Arisa found herself once more in the dark.

Arisa awoke. She suppressed a scream and tried to calm herself. If she had screamed, she might have alarmed Keith, who was worrying too much about a stranger like herself. Arisa tried to return to sleep, but was unable to. Every time she colsed her eyes she could see fragments of the nightmares that awaited her in her sleep. It ensured her she would stay wide awake now. She peered out of the window. It was still dark outside. The sounds of Westhollow in the distance had faded as well. Every one was sound asleep at this time. Arisa took this moment to think about how she would continue her travels tomorrow. She had to leave Keith and his farm as soon as possible. Every second she was here, was another second she risked his life for hers. It was something she couldn't allow. Her thought wandered off to something else, Keith. Why would Keith even take her in? Why was he so kind to her? It amazed Arisa how kind and friendly he was. It was like he would do almost anything if only she asked him to. This thought scared her. She didn't like people being reckless over her. She had seen that happen more than enough after all. Arisa realised Keith looked a lot like Jack, but they were nothing alike in personality. In a flash Puck’s face shot through Arisa’s memory. If she had not awoken after that, she probably would have seen Jack’s horrible fate too. She got up. She should not allow herself to think like this. It would only bring up bad memories. Arisa felt her stomach turn. She had never been able to bear the sight of blood or suffering, it always made her sick, still she was haunted every night by the things she had seen in her past. Why always her? Why was it always she, who survived?! What did she do to deserve such a cruel fate? She had never asked for her survival, but that was a prayer left unheard. She got out of bed. She didn’t need sleep. The nightmares woke her so often she could manage a night or two without rest. She pulled her long worn coat over her shoulders. Every time she put it on, she could feel the warmth of the last owner, how often had he comforted her? How often had she laid in his arms and felt safe? It did not matter anymore. Even he died and left her. She took the little silver bottle out of the coat pocket and drank the pain away.