A New Friend | Hika & Seitenshi Ayato | Private

Ayato wandered through Capital Crocus today, prepared to purchase a lot of items from the market. He heard that delivery was available with any item purchased in the market, so the opportunity was perfect. The temperature was warm as all Ayato needed to wear was thin white long-sleeved shirt, and thick blue shorts. Ayato watched as businessmen were in the market, auctioning photos of past Grand Game Winners, along with other memorable objects. While he heard the prices of these objects, however, Ayato realized that his jewel count couldn't even compare to how much the items costed, and so Ayato simply continued to do his ordinary shopping. He picked various items, one-by-one, before he saw a man rushing through the aisles at an even faster pace than the auctioner's voice. The man had bumped into a young, white-haired female, causing the girl to drop some of the groceries she held. This gave Ayato an opportunity to help out.

While the man acted carelessly and left the scene, Ayato approached the girl and knelt down, picking up the apples with her. "Are you okay?" Ayato asked Hikari curiously, still assisting her in retrieving her apples. He smiled warmly as he examined Hikari had unintentionally dropped. "Here." Ayato offered, handing Hikari some fresh, limited edition golden apples, "I have plenty of them in Clover Town, so feel free to take those home with you. You shouldn't eat the apples you dropped, anyway." Ayato didn't do this for attention, but rather to cheer the woman up.

"My name is Seitenshi Ayato, but you can just call me Ayato." Ayato greeted, "I am a member of Blue Pegasus, coming here today to run some errands and do some sightseeing. Oh, and nice to meet you, by the way!" Ayato offered Hikari a hand while she was down, and he stood upright. There was something Ayato sensed from the woman that made him act so kindly. His book, the Sixth Sense- something that could identify anyone -was away today along with the Elucidator (Ayato's sword), though for some reason, Ayato felt the potential of a possible friendship while he assisted the female, though he had no idea who she was, during this time. It was clear he was beginning to adapt more to the abilities of his magic.

Ayato's smile became warmer when Hikari took it to help herself up. She introduced herself as a Sabertooth mage, which really surprised Ayato. "I heard that guild is really nice!" Ayato commented, "Oh, and my pleasure. It was mean of that man to bump into you and leave like that." Ayato was glad he had finally met a Sabertooth mage. Most of the people he hung out with were from Blue Pegasus, after all. It seemed the two were going to have a good day after the kindness they were showing each other, already. Ayato wanted to know what kind of magic Hikari used, though the it seemed too early to ask at this time. Instead, Ayato just cooperated with Hikari, and hoped that something good could come out of this meeting.

Ayato continued to stand by Hikari's side until she asked him a question he seemed to like. "Of course! I had nothing planned to do after this, anyway." Ayato replied, "Where would you like to go first? We can walk until it gets dark, as you said." So far, the two seemed like acquaintances trying to be friends. It had only been a matter of minutes, and the two already wanted to do something together. Ayato grinned just hoping he could make another friend. Ayato wanted to learn more about Capital Crocus, seeing as it was the most historical landmark in all of Fiore. There were also rumours that wonderful places surrounded the capital, and that it was the most worthwhile place to see. Ayato felt excited. He wanted to see all of the Capital and its surroundings, if possible- all before sundown. He looked over to Hikari, who still seemed to be quite happy, and gave her a cheerful expression. It was always good to meet a new face, no matter where you went.

Ayato laughed while Hikari described her guild to him: Sabertooth. It was obviously he couldn't acknowledge any of the benefits Sabertooth provided, especially since he had never been part of the guild, himself. "I'm glad everything is going well for you there!" Ayato replied cheerfully. He took a quick glimpse of what surrounded him and his new friend, and saw that everyone had a smile on their face. Everyone in the Capital seemed so happy and lively; it was glorious to see. While Hikari seemed proud to partaken in her guild, Sabertooth, Ayato was honoured to be a part of his own guild, Blue Pegasus. Blue Pegasus meant a lot to him, and just as Hikari said, more than she could know. When it came to meeting people, however, Ayato felt homebound. Most of his meetings were with his fellow members. Rarely did he ever see anyone from other guilds, and if he did, it was all by sheer coincidence- even now with Hikari.

"It's not stupid to be undecided." Ayato commented on Hikari's remark, regarding where the two could walk together, "However, I did pass by this amazing spot before I reached the market. Let's go see it!" Ayato gently put his hand on Hikari's shoulder to grab her attention, then pointed towards a rainbow to the west that hovered over a beautiful piece of land in the outskirts of the Capital. "There is a small walkway down there that is colourful beyond anyone's imagination." Ayato added, "I didn't get to see much of it while I walked here, but from what I've seen so far, it looks like a park." Ayato lifted his hand off of Hikari's shoulder, and raised his hand in the air. For a moment, Ayato's hand looked like the colours of the rainbow, itself, which made Ayato look at it in awe. On the contrary, while he was deep in thought, a question popped up in his head; a question that Hikari had given him.

"Blue Pegasus means everything to me." Ayato replied, "When I first entered the guild, it felt like I was given a whole new life to embrace. Blue Pegasus is my family, and there are no words to describe the adventures I have been through thanks to them; Blue Pegasus is just that great, in my mind." Ayato looked over to Hikari with a warm smile on his face. It seemed the two had a bit in common. They both loved their guilds very much, and held a lot of what their guilds provided dearly. They were pretty thankful for their lives, and what their lives had led up to. Ayato hoped that the guild would stay the same for as long as he lived, and that these times would never change; that fate would remain by his side, and that only great memories would be left to remember.

"It seems like so." Ayato replied, "Though I am not entirely sure." Ayato really hoped that it was something of the sort, specifically somewhere peaceful. The last thing he wanted was to enter a beautiful land full of noises. Ayato looked over to Hikari, who seemed deep in thought. He laughed softly, curious as to what Hikari must've been thinking about while the two seemed prepared to enter this new area. It was then he noticed her eyes become dark, which almost made Ayato worry. Maybe it was not such a good idea to see Hikari get deep into thoughts, especially if her eyes became dark, like this. To him, it seemed like Hikari was thinking of something dark, herself, which Ayato definitely didn't want.

Ayato sighed in relief when a smile was released, and Hikari seemed positive-minded again. "Of course it is!" Ayato replied to Hikari's perception of his guild, "Though I'm sure Sabertooth is just as fun to you as Blue Pegasus is to me." Ayato, ironically, went into deep thought after this, still coursing through the memories he had during and before his introduction to the guild. In comparison, Blue Pegasus had truly began a new life for him. He didn't want to admit it- even to himself- but before his life in Blue Pegasus, Ayato's life seemed miserable. He missed out on a lot of great things even an ordinary human could endure, and never had any real companionship involved in his life. This was until he met Blue Pegasus, where people were not just friends, but family, as well. Luckily, Ayato was patted and pulled out of these deep thoughts when Hikari seemed desperate to see this supposed-park. He was motioned to lead the way, which he did, precisely. He walked slowly so Hikari could catch up to him whenever she needed to, and headed towards this park he thought about visiting even before he met Hikari.

When the two arrived, Ayato sighed as it seemed this really was a park. Nobody was around in this park, surprisingly, and while the two were here, they were the first to experience the abnormal, yet beautifully coloured trees, grass, plants and rainbow hovering over the land. Ayato wondered if the presence of the panda did this to the park, though even if the panda was responsible, Ayato held no arguments. The park seemed more than impressive to visit, and was definitely something to enjoy. Suddenly, however, the soothing wind passed through the beautifully designed park, and washed away all of the extravagant colours. In exchange, Ayato saw a fountain, pool, walkway and flowers that he never imagined would exist in a park. These few additions were coloured the same way as the old scenery was, which left Ayato curious. "So the scenery of this park changes based on time or the presence of other people." Ayato figured, thinking aloud, "Well, while we're here, I suppose we could explore this park. What should we see first." Ayato expected more scenery to appear, though thoughts like this also made him seem greedy. This park greatly surpassed any other park he had ever seen, though its constant changes left Ayato curious, as well. It was such a difficult park to explain, and so it seemed the only way to get an idea was to proceed down the walkway ahead of them. Hopefully it led somewhere close; somewhere miraculous or especial compared to what the two had seen already.

It seemed Hikari made up her mind before Ayato could say anything, himself. He felt himself being pulled by Hikari, which left him quite surprised. He laughed slightly as he saw that while the two only knew each other for a short period of time, they were already acting like good friends, doing childish things, of course- despite being adults. Ayato tried to keep up with the rapid pace Hikari ran at while the two moved down the walkways of the park. There were many pieces of nature Ayato could not describe. There was some very abstract art drawn all over this park, and so many things that could only be predicted as magical in Ayato's mind. Albeit, Ayato pardoned himself from what he saw in the middle of the walkways, and just hoped that something special would appear by the time the two hit a dead end- and it did.

The two arrived at a body of water, where boats settled. Ayato smiled widely as this whole trail through the park seemed worthwhile. He looked over to Hikari, who seemed even more excited than he did about this whole adventure. He had seen how much she appreciated the fountain earlier, so this must have been glorious for his friend to witness. Ayato saw Hikari ask him a question, which of course was to ride one of these boats. Ayato smirked. This seemed highly beneficial for him, especially since he lived by the coast, and had a boating license. In fact, he revealed this very license to Hikari before he took her hand, and rushed over to a salesman nearby. "We'll be taking one of these speedboats!" Ayato requested cheerfully, handing the salesman a good portion of jewels before he received a grateful nod, and the keys to a speedboat. He ran over to the speedboat granted to him, and turned it on, expecting Hikari to be seated. He held the wheel firmly, and awaited Hikari's response. "Ready?" Ayato confirmed, assuring Hikari was seated properly before the two would take off.

Ayato smiled warmly towards Hikari when she managed to seat herself on the boat. However, when he felt the hem of his jacket being held onto, he looked curiously at his new friend. "Oh! I almost forgot about this!" Ayato mentioned, still leaving the boat on a standstill while he looked over the dashboard. There was a cabinet to open with a handle bar inside. Ayato opened this cabinet carefully, then slowly pulled out the handle bar from the cabinet. "Just hang onto this while I drive the boat, okay?" Ayato confirmed, "Also, let me know if we're moving too quickly."

Ayato turned on the boat, finally before he had another epiphany. "Hey, I just had another good idea!" Ayato said quite suddenly, "Once we're driving for about 10 minutes, why don't I let you try and drive the boat? Doesn't matter how off-course we go as long as we're having fun, anyway. There's also a seatbelt on the driver's seat so you can feel safe." Ayato's warm smile became a confident smile, letting Hikari know that everything would be just fine- in both scenarios, actually. He turned on the motor in addition to the boat as it took off. It was at the lowest level, though the boat still travelled at a decent pace. While Ayato drove the boat, already having a good time, he caught a great sight on his right: dolphins. "Look at those!" Ayato commented, pointing to the dolphins. They seemed so happy and peaceful. They seemed to even smile while the two ran the boat. "I heard that people have swam with dolphins before, but I suppose we should save that for a later meeting." Ayato added. By now, the boat was set on level two, which made it decently fast, skipping on the water below.

Ayato sighed happily when Hikari informed him that she wouldn't mind fast speeds. With this being said, Ayato set the boat to level six, which made it go much faster, running swiftly through the calm waters and skipping over even the smallest waves. This put the dolphins on the right in a joyful mood as it seemed they always loved some company. He looked over to Hikari quickly while the boat moved rapidly, and saw that the handle bar kept her quite secure. The two were having tons of fun already, which made Ayato really appreciative of this sudden meeting. The sun was shining gloriously, while the refreshing wind made the ride more enjoyable, though it was funny to see it all burst in both Ayato and Hikari's faces due to their incredible pace with the boat.

After hearing Hikari's unexpected response to Ayato's suggestion, Ayato figured it would be best to let her start early. He slowly lowered the gears to make the boat gently decrease in speed until it made a graceful stop. "Since you really want to ride this boat, I'll let you try and drive it early." Ayato remarked, "For now, just take the wheel, secure yourself with the seatbelt while sitting on the seat, and press on the pedal. As you've seen already, the boat starts off slow, though you can always make it go faster by lifting this gear here. It has ten switches." Ayato pointed to the gears that were right next to the wheel for Hikari to lift. "They are not heavy." Ayato added, "Therefore, this whole experience should be easy for you. However, if you do feel uncomfortable, I'm right here to support you with the wheel. By the end of this lesson, you should feel even more confident with riding on boats." Ayato gave a pleasing smile by the end of his speech, and patted Hikari on the shoulder. He took off his seatbelt, and stood up so the two could switch seats. "You can do this!" Ayato cheered. He really hoped Hikari was having a good time, and would have a great time after driving this boat, herself. Today was a beautiful day, and so it would definitely be memorable if somebody could learn such a thing under a glorious weather setting.

Ayato smiled at his finest when he saw how eager Hikari was to drive the boat. He had never met someone so cheerful in his life; someone so enjoyable to be around. After Ayato had given her the instructions, Ayato saw that Hikari was quite cooperative, and went on with her new adventure with ease. The boat moved at a slow pace while Ayato saw that Hikari was doing completely fine, driving this boat. "Way to go!" Ayato commented, watching as the boat sped up more. The two seemed to operate well together, and were having a fantastic time. Ayato couldn't ask for anything more. In fact, even while he had a first-time-driver in his original seat, Ayato felt so at ease that, for a minute, he stared at the dolphins. "I wish I could swim with them." Ayato muttered, glad to be aboard this boat, and have this sort of view. It was then he heard lots of enthusiasm from Hikari, which made him turn to her, immediately.

Hikari had full control of the boat, and while Ayato once thought there would be a few mistakes, there weren't, at all. "You're the best learner I've ever seen!" Ayato remarked happily, listening further to his new friend while she had something important to say. He looked around, trying to find somewhere else to go. Sure, Hikari was driving recklessly, but frankly, that just made things a lot more fun. "There's a beach, nearby. Why don't we head over there, buy a swimsuit, then come back to swim with the dolphins?" Ayato suggested, "I've seen the way you look at them, as I look at the dolphins the same way! Let's go!" Ayato was overly excited to be with the dolphins he had driven by on this boat. They had smiled towards him, and were extremely friendly, harmless creatures. Ayato just wanted to know what it would feel like to be in the water with them.

Ayato gave Hikari a thumbs-up when she signalled the two to head towards the beach. Ayato always held a glorious grin on his face, seeing as this moment was definitely not one to forget. The two figured out just how fun life could be by making the best out of this single meeting, driving towards a beach with dolphins from afar. Once the two hit the shore, Ayato became really excited. He had never been to a beach before, and this one seemed like a big deal. It was gigantic, refreshing, calm and beautiful to see. Ayato looked over to Hikari and see that she was having an amazing time. He could see the eagerness in her eyes until she actually pointed out, herself. He did not mind Hikari when she said she was going into the water with her clothes on. Ayato did not mind either. After all, at this time, he was wearing a V-neck black T-shirt and light grey shorts. He also removed his socks and shoes before following Hikari into the water. "Here I come!" Ayato shouted back while he was far enough to dive into the crystal-clear water with his new good friend.

While in the water, Ayato looked out towards the dolphins. He waved over to one and watched it travel towards him. The dolphin nudged Ayato while he gently pet it on the head. The dolphin was so affectionate towards him that it made him blush, attempting to hug him with its fins. "Come on! Pet her too!" Ayato invited, taking Hikari's hand before placing it over the dolphin's hand. When Ayato had pet the dolphin's head, himself, it was as smooth as a baby's bottom, so he assumed Hikari would feel the same way. The dolphin was highly intelligent, and able to understand everything the two were doing while it hung out with them. "You can tell she's a girl by looking over there." Ayato remarked, "What should we name her."

"That sounds like a great name!" Ayato commented, "Let's see if she likes it." Ayato continued to pet the dolphin that rested in front of the two, and looked at it directly in its calm, beautiful eyes. "Can we call you Lizzy?" Ayato asked. This question may have seemed dumb, though dolphins were actually quite smart, and could understand human beings quite well. The dolphin even nodded in response to Ayato's question, which made him sigh in relief. He was glad Lizzy understood him. "Lizzy, it is!" Ayato cheered. He hugged Lizzy gently, and watched as her fins touched the back of his arms. "Looks like we made a new friend, Hikari." Ayato remarked, "Now let's call the rest of the family over."

Ayato waved to the dolphins that were once gathered with Lizzy further away from his current location, and saw them all approach him quickly. The other dolphins seemed much more affectionate and youthful as they all nuzzled him and Hikari. This was probably under Lizzy's command, though Ayato did not mind at all. These dolphins were very smooth, and were like pillows when they touched against his body. It was until Ayato got a more thorough look at these dolphins that he realized they were more youthful than Lizzy, meaning Lizzy must have been the mother. "They're her kids!" Ayato announced, "Look! They're all smaller, younger, and have the same markings as Lizzy!" Statistically, this was a way to identify dolphin families. Each family was obviously born differently, and separated by a certain feature of their body. Lizzy had a mark that looked a lot like a lightning bolt on her tail, while the rest of the dolphins surrounding the two Mages had the same thing. There were six younger dolphins surrounding Ayato and Hikari. "I'll name three, and you name the rest." Ayato suggested, "After we're done naming them, we shall swim with them." Ayato looked at the three nuzzling him, specifically. If he could recall, Ayato saw that one of these three dolphins reacted well to the wind, which reminded Ayato well of the season of Autumn; the name Ayato gave to this dolphin, in particular. "I will call you Autumn." Ayato commented on the dolphin directly in front of him. Another dolphin was especially blue, in colour, and so Ayato gave him that name. Finally, Ayato named the last dolphin after someone he found her most friendly with when Ayato passed her on the boat: Hikari. "You're named after my friend here, Hikari." Ayato mentioned. These were the names Ayato gave to the three dolphins surrounding him. He hoped Hikari knew what to do with her dolphins before the two would swim off with all seven. He looked at Lizzy, who seemed to join in the hugging while all of this went on. All of these dolphins were as happy as ever.

Ayato looked over to Hikari and laughed softly when he saw her hug the dolphins tightly. It seemed like this was a very emotional, friendly moment that the two probably wouldn't have expected when this whole meeting started. Ayato looked down at the dolphins he had named and hugged them passionately, as well. "I'll come back here every once and a while and see you all again, okay?" Ayato promised to his new friends. The dolphins nodded and began to show even more affection than they did before. Ayato laughed even harder when Hikari commented on a dolphin being named after her. "Well, you're both new friends." Ayato remarked, "It's only fitting that one is named after you, right?" Ayato really liked the idea of naming one of these dolphins after his new friend so the moment could be memorable.

When Ayato was done naming his three dolphins, he and his respective dolphins began to watch Hikari naming hers. It was funny to see how Hikari gave a typical name to the more paler dolphin at the very start, seeing as Casper was the name of a ghost in a cartoon. Albeit, it was still a cool name. The other was even more interesting as it was a name Ayato had never heard of before. "I like that name!" Ayato mentioned cheerfully when Hikari gave the name "Pandora" to the second dolphin. Once Hikari named the final dolphin in her group, however, Ayato blushed a bit, but only briefly. "Hello there, other Ayato!" Ayato joked, "We're gonna swim with you now, okay?"

And this very comment commenced what he and Hikari had been waiting for. Ayato began to swim farther and farther away from the sands of the beach while the dolphins became excited, and followed along with him and Hikari. Before he knew it, however, Autumn had snuck underneath him, and adjusted herself so she was like Ayato's boat. Ayato blushed just as he did before, and patted the dolphin gently on her side. "Let's go, Autumn!" Ayato cheered, watching Autumn rapidly take him away towards where other something special settled. The other two dolphins Ayato had named followed at the same pace while Autumn didn't really give Ayato much of a choice to stop until the female dolphin reached her destination. "No way!" Ayato shouted in full surprise. Out of the middle of nowhere, where Ayato never thought a place like this could settle near a town like this, was an island miles away from the sands of the beach- many miles, in fact. "I still wanna swim with you guys, so why don't you just give us a tour?" Ayato suggested.

The three dolphins that surrounded Ayato nodded after his suggestion. He looked over to Hikari, who seemed to be getting a tour in a different fashion. The dolphins were underwater, which made Ayato assume his new friend was going to be taken beneath, as well. However, his sight was averted back to the island before he realized the island was kind of underwhelming. The island was almost nothing but trees set a ground afloat the sea, yet there was an open gap in the center. The dolphins spoke in their own manner when they noticed this after Ayato pointed it out. Autumn took Ayato around the island, and used its fin to try and point out the areas it enjoyed most. When Ayato thought about it, he realized that much could be made out of this island, yet it would require several visits after this first encounter.

"I have an idea!" Ayato cheered, "My own residence is a log house, so I suppose we can use the resources here to make our own home. It would require a lot of jewels to get artitects over to build the house, though once it is finished, we would have a place to settle everyday few days." Ayato imagined it while he gracefully sat upon one of his new dolphin pals. He patted Autumn gently on the back, and noticed it look up towards him, in response. She was so adorable, despite being from another species. "What would you think about a house here?" Ayato asked Autumn, "You have your own home in the sea, don't you?" Hikari, the dolphin, joined up on the negotiation and noticed things for herself. It attempted to speak to Ayato, yet the boy had no idea what it was saying. This was until his book began to speak to him. "I understand its body language, at least." The book spoke, "She is saying that it would be beneficial to her if we made a small shelter for the dolphins to watch over us while we're here; to feel like they live here, as well." Ayato sighed happily towards this idea, and had Autumn swim closer to Hikari so Ayato could pat her, as well- the dolphin, of course. "That's brilliant!" Ayato commented, "However, it'll take us a long time before we can do all of this, alright? I think it would be best for us to hangout a few more times before the artitects establish this new house." It was nice to see this new family, honestly. While Ayato got to experience it for himself, he felt like these dolphins were truly his friends, as well, though while they spoke, he could not understand a thing. Albeit, they were like family to him, as well.

Ayato enjoyed the commentary Hikari the Mage gave while this all went on. His smile became warmer and warmer while this whole visit continued. However, he frowned eventually when he realized that he would have to leave these six alone sooner or later. He needed to nurture himself, after all, which would require human shelter, food and water; all the necessities properly established for all of humanity. He wished the best of luck to these dolphiins while they were here, and looked back to the boat from afar; the transportation responsible for Ayato meeting these new friends. This was definitely a moment to remember, and to never forget, too. This was when Lizzy came over, who seemed to understand Ayato the best. She used her fin to try and re-adjust Ayato's lips so he would smile again. "Thanks Lizzy!" Ayato remarked. Together, his crew of dolphins swam over to Hikari's, thinking of what to do next. They had done so much already, yet time was of the essence, unfortunately. It could not freeze while the two were here.