Childhood Memories || Kariline and Naraca

Another day, another move. This time it was to be in a cheap motel. Were they going to live like this forever? However there was some joy in seeing the world, yet at the age which the boy currently was, he was in a rebellious phase where he just wanted a normal life.

Naraca Breaker, a boy much bigger then most children at the age of 12, stood tall with a long walk as a frown was practically plastered on his face. Although he didn't show it very often, he was greatly for his parents letting him go on these walks so long as they said it would be safe first because of this "Pursuer" that was the dark guild, Abyss Scion. he had never even seen them before and yet he was told to be so afraid of them. The concept was hard to grasp for him at this age. It felt like they were running from a ghost. His parents only told him that the reason he had never seen this guild was because they were doing a good job in running from them.
Naraca just wanted it over though, were they really so strong that standing up to them wouldn't do anything to stop them? Couldn't they just find some place to hide forever? Anything that would let them just stop moving around.
Naraca didn't have any friends, he could make any, being told they could be spies or just that because traveled so much they simply could not get attached. This was just stupid to him though, he hated not being able to get to know anyone. It was just his mom, dad and his little brother.
If he couldn't make any friends though, then at the very least he was gonna be away from them as much as he could, no way he was gonna be stuck with them for any longer then he had to.
Deep down he understood, and he was strong enough to always keep moving with them and while he'd protest sometimes, he'd always support his parents decisions in the end.

Walking through the village where it was day, he spotted a large oak tree on a peak. This place was full of these things, but this one seemed somehow grander, more...Showy. At 12 the boy didn't have a big vocabulary to describe these things.
As the chilling wind lightly hit his face and made his shoulder length black hair dance, he zipped up his coat and walked up to the tree. He wanted to climb it, see how high he could get. His shoes dug into the grass with each step as he made his way up to the tree. Once close he began to scrutinize it for anything he could grip on and pull himself up.
Ah! There was something, a rather large protruding crack he could dig his fingers into. He got close to it and placed his hand on it, about ready to pull himself up followed by placed his feet on the tree's bark before shooting his momentum up. However, just as he did that he stopped as he heard a little...Sniff? He stopped and got off the tree, listening he could slightly erratic breathing from the other side of the tree.

Should he just keep climbing and ignore it? No he wanted to take a look at least. If it was someone just there doing there own thing he'd quickly turn away and get back to the tree. He took a few steps to get around the tree and found a girl, she must have been 6 or 7.

She was crying...

Naraca remembered when his little brother would cry, and he was told he always should be there for him. Seeing this girl doing the same thing, he felt his big brotherly instincts take over. He was used to being a support for someone, his little brother cried all the time.

"Hey, what are doing here by yourself?" Was his childish way of asking "Why are you here?" he wasn't sure how else to word it, although thinking about it he knew he could have worded it better.

Her head snapped up and she tried to frantically wipe her face off. She stood up but lowered her head, Why was he here? Was he listening to her cry? Kari just shook her head, she didn't know how to answer. The truth was, she was always alone. She was lost. But she couldn't tell him any of that. She looked up at the boy, Tall, he had to be way older than she was. He had gentle eyes, and dark shoulder length hair. Was he growing it out?

Kariline just put on a brave face and bucked up, " Im big enough to be on my own, " She said crossing her arms with a Hmph. Yes she had a attitude about her, but she had to show not only herself, but everyone else that she could do this. She looked at the boy, and then sat back down in her spot. She couldn't hide behind things forever. Looking at her hands, she realized her sleeves were all wet. An Annoying feeling really.

" What are you doing here?" She asked, did he see her from down the hill? No impossible, she positioned herself away from everyone so they couldn't see. Was he in the tree the whole time. Her faced turned a red color as she thought that he might have known she was crying the whole time. How embarrassing.

Once Naraca had called his little brother a baby for crying when he tripped and scraped his knee. His small, frail little brother. Naraca, the big, strong brother to look up to. It was once how he saw himself until his parents told him that no matter the reason, everyone cries because it's what they feel is right to cry for and crying is a symbol of strength. Not only does it mean your body is dealing with the stress, but it also means you're unafraid to show your tears. He was told that in a way, his little brother was stronger than he was. Yet regardless, you never treat the tears of another lightly, you always so respect, and compassion for those in sadness or grief.

Naraca although still in the process of understanding big concepts like sympathy, turned his mind to what his parents always told him when he would see someone cry.
The girl tried to hide it from him, something he would do himself probably if someone found him in that kind of state.

"Just walking..." He replied to her question as he turned his gaze away from her and looked at his feet, black hair just barely touching his shoulders and it hung from his head and curtained both sides of his face. Unkempt and wild it was.
He reached in his back pockets with his mouth watering slightly, grabbing a plastic bag filled with gummy bears he pulled one out with his fingers and popped it in his mouth. Letting the cherry flavor surround his tongue and he savoured the taste.

"Getting away from my parents for a while, they always want me around" He commented in a childish tone with a somewhat deepened voice that was only taken over by the higher pitched tones of a growing boy.

He was about to put the bag away when he remembered how often he was always told to share.
He took a few steps closer to her and knelt down in front of her. Seeing the wet stains on her sleeves and redness on her face. Yet he offered the open bag to her for her to pick one out.
"Want one?" He asked her with an undertone of hesitation. He only had 2 red ones left...If she took a red gummy bear then there'd just be one left.

Her nose was running a little, and rather annoying at that. Wiping her sleeve across her nose she propped her legs up and folded her arms across her knees. It was a perfect cradle from her head, and it hid the world away form her. If she couldn't see it, then it couldn't see her right? Wrong.... He was still there. She listened to his reasoning and she nearly burst into tears, so he was there enough to hear her cry, but he didn't come over here just for her? Did she really not exist anymore, no one knew about Kariline Kaido.

She wanted to slip away from it all, nothing made sense anymore. He wanted to be away from his parents, while she wanted nothing more than to have her family back. She rolled her head to the side to face him. She raised an eyebrow, curious of what he was doing. He was digging in his pocket, but for what? Candy... Her mouth watered and she got excited. She hadn't really had anything like treats in a long time.

Her eyes got big as he offered one to her. Kari reached out, her hand shaking a little, but she realized that, her favorite color, Red, there were only two left. Unsure of what to do, she bit her lip and pulled her hand back, she couldn't take it. Cause then there would only be one left. And that would not be fair. " No, thank you..." She said quietly before placing her head, back in it's cradle.

" Your Parents, Are prob-bably worried. " She said with a sniff, " They could disappear..." She said real quiet. Her head down like that muffled some of her voice, but she knew that he still heard her. It was quiet for a moment, till her loud stomach interrupted. She popped her head up, and all embarrassed, she looked at the boy. " Uhhhh, I am sorry. " She said quickly.

Naraca's young eye's grew curious as she pulled back after reaching for the bag. Did she not want any? A small feeling of relief washed over him, however he just felt bad now. Maybe...It'd be okay if she had a red one? He could always get more at home anyway right? It didn't feel right for him to all of these by himself, he was almost used to sharing with his younger brother.
Looking up at the tree for a second he could see it's large, lush leaves that blanketed them in shade from the sun and a few clouds lightly spun with the earths rotation around the blue sky.

This tree did provide great shade, and while it wasn't hot, the small chill the shadow created was nice. Seeing this made him realize he'd been walking a while, and he could do with a rest.
Holding the bag of gummy bears in his hand he took a step closer to the girl before sitting down across from her and placing the bag in between them.
"Don't worry" He replied confidently with a smile.
"I'm 12 you know, pretty much a man and my parents don't need to be worried and they're also really strong too. I don't think they could ever disappear." He told her as he puffed his chest out showing he was strong and he came from strong parents.
Back in these days Naraca was still learning what it meant to be humble about his gifts.

"My name is Naraca, what's yours?" he asked her curiously.

Was this an attempt to cheer her up? Changing the subject to get her mind off of what was making her cry? Yes and no. Naraca had the gift of compassion, however he wasn't sure how to use it. This just came naturally, often making his brother laugh when he would cry or cheering him up in some way. Also Naraca at this time just simply was slightly cocky about himself and his family.

He set the bag in between them, why? Was he really wanting her to have one? Kari looked up at him, her eyes still a bit red from crying. She sniffed and let out a chuckle as he tried to reassure her that he would be alright without them. Kariline thought like that to, at least that is what she told herself inside; but really, she was scared lonely and didn't know what to do. Her parents were gone, her friends were gone, everyone was gone. Kariline thought it was interesting that this boy, and Alakai were the same age. It seemed to her that this boy would be a better friend than Alakai ever was. He killed 13 people that night. Everyone that had ever cared about him, and everyone that had ever mocked him. Alakai; her brother, was always picked on when they were growing up, because he wasn't maturing fast enough. So he took it out on everyone. Now she was left alone. Why couldn't he have killed her?

He introduced him self as Naraca, a interesting name. Unique, like it didn't belong to anyone else. She liked those names, cause they usually had a meaning. " My name is Kariline." she said softly, she had to return it, you can't introduce yourself and not get an introduction back. That is what her parents taught her anyways. Respect.

"Hmm..." He mumbled as he heard the name. He had never heard anyone with it before. Maybe she was the only one who had it? Interestingly enough Kariline's age wasn't that different from Arashi, Naraca's little brother.
"That's a cool name...Hey watch this!"
Reaching into the bag between them he pulled out a green one before tipping his head back and throwing the small gummy of sugar up into the air with his mouth wide open. His eye's twitched slightly from the fear of getting hit in the eye yet he made constant small adjustments of his head as the bear flew up into the air before coming back down.

He was close, yes it was going to work, he had it for sure.

With a small slapping sound the gummy bear landing square on his eyeball.
"Ow!" He said with a smile as he jerked his head away, the gummy bear landing on the grass.
"Hold on I did it once before" He said as he rubbed his eye with one hand and picked the gummy bear off the ground with the other.
"Take one, you should try" He suggested before throwing his back into the air and trying to catch it again. Only to have it graze his cheek.
"Dang it, almost"

She lifted her head as he commented on her name. She just figured it was a normal everyday name, though it was spelled different that didn't mean anything. Kari watched as he threw up a gummy bear, she knew it wasn't going to go the way he planned. The trajectory was all off. It got lower, and just as predicted, it landed straight in his eye. She bit her lip, she wasn't going to laugh, as it hurt him and that was rude.

He offered to let her try and she smiled, it seemed fun. So she took one just as his gummy bounced off of his cheek. He was getting closer. Kari snickered a little before tossing it up and trying to catch it too. It bounced off of her nose and landed in her lap. Giggling she just took it and popped it into her mouth. She knew she wouldn't be able to get it, and so the girl just watched him try again.

After a moment though, her expression changed, her stomach started to growl and she thought about her home. She stood up, " I am hungry, i think i need to go home." though she knew it was a bad idea she wanted to invite him, since he let her eat one of his candies. " You hungry?" she asked, she knew there was box lunches waiting on her front door, freshly made. She was beginning to get over the fact that she needed help.

Naraca's head perked up and he turned his eye's to her as she mentioned food. A growing boy of his age was always hungry. He had been eating too many of these gummy bears to compensate for his hunger yet he didn't realize he was hungry until she mentioned lunch.
This girl was quite mature for her age, not once finding Naraca, a boy icky in anyway as girls her age might think. Maybe it's because she was crying that was why she didn't think like that? He didn't doubt it, but either way he wasn't complaining. He felt comfortable being around her so far.

"Yeah I'm starving" He replied as he stood up with her.
Looking up at the sky he did notice the clouds were a lot bigger.
"I bet it's gonna rain soon anyway. Where to?" He asked her while looking back down at her.

A part of him couldn't help but feel his ego get a small boost. He didn't know anybody other then his parents and his brother, so getting to walk little girl home kinda made him feel like some superhero despite how regular this act actually was. He was rather excited by the idea actually, even though his parents told him not to make any friends since it would just be harder when they would have to move again, being nomads and all. Yet he didn't care, he wanted to do this anyway. How could he grow up without having any friends at all? At this age, he would take what he could get. Even if he had to end up leaving and never seeing this girl again, he wanted to make at least one new friend. Even if it was with a kid.

Perking right up she cupped her hands together behind her, Kariline started to walk off, she could smell rain in the air, and the wind began to pick up. She never did like Thunder and Lightning, especially after that night...But she couldn't show him that, he probably already thought she was weak. " My house in on that hill, the big one!" She said pointing to the house the peeked through the trees. It was a rather big house, her parents made decent money... when they were alive. The house is payed off, so Kariline doesn't have to worry about that. Technically it is her's now as it was passed down in a will.

Kari hummed as she walked up the path to her house. There they were, four large lunch boxes a foot long and 6 inches wide. They held enough for the next day or so, however Kariline could never eat them all herself. The lady next door was so generous. Kari picked them up carefully, but at her size it was a bit hard to do so, she carried them inside, slipping off her shoes at the front door, her home was clean, but seemed... empty.

Kariline flipped on the Lacrima lights to brighten the rooms, just as it began to rain softly outside. " Welcome to my house!" She said with a bright expression.

Walking with her, Naraca took a look around at what was around him. This place was quite beautiful, it's name of "Oak Town" he understood with all of it's trees. He could feel very light rain drops against his face as he walked beside Kariline. He looked down at her as they walked for a moment. He hadn't picked up why she was sad, yet he wanted to know why. Yet he didn't wanna push her, he figured having lunch would be nice and might settle things down a little bit. Not many better things in this world then the feeling of a full stomach. At least for a kid his age it was awesome.

She pointed to where her house was and he quickly turned his head towards it.
"Wow, that place looks really cool" He admired, finding any house amazing since he's never lived in one himself. The idea of having one place you could always go to, a place called 'home' was fascinating to him. He knew what it was like to stay somewhere for a while, yet he never felt what it was like to have a home.

Upon arriving at the house Naraca's eye darted to the lunch's that were waiting for them. Kariline walked ahead and up the stairs. She attempted to pick them up.
"Oh! No let me" He offered, jumping up the stairs and taking all four bags in his hands and lifting them up with little effort.
"I got them" he told her with a smile looking down at her.

Letting her open the door he walked inside and used his feet to pull his shoes off before placing the bags down he looked around at the house.

"This place is really big, it's so cool" He commented as his head turned all around trying to take in the house as much as he could.
Yet something was missing in the house, something that made him feel slightly uncomfortable as he was so used to the presence of what he was about ask.

"Are your parents home?" He asked her curiously, having no idea of the horror that question came with for Kariline, and what the answer truly was.

The girl was surprised as he offered to take the lunch bags for her, a nice gesture, seeing as how there were many and together they could be quite heavy. She just nodded and watched as the determined young man opted to take them inside. She smiled sweetly as turned the lights on to the kitchen, where she had to grab a stool to reach the top cupboards.

" Thank you, my father built it himself, well he drew it, and some big guys built it. " Kari said. Her father was an architect, but she could never pronounce the word, so she always described it as he drew buildings, Neglecting the fact that there was alot more work in it. The girl reached up high to grab a couple of plates and rice bowls from the cupboard, but in shock, one of them fell and broke all over the floor. His question, Sure he didn't know what happened, but the girl panicked silently, a battle over her own thoughts.

Kariline hung her head, " No... and they are never coming back. " She looked behind her, at the broken glass on the floor, she knew that stepping on it would cause cuts, so it would be a good idea to clean it up. She didn't want to think about this any more, the pain, she had just got done crying, she couldn't cry in front of him anymore.

The girl tiptoed off of her stool and around the glass to get a small handled broom and a dustpan. She scooped up the glass to dump it into the sink. " They are dead. " Kari looked down the dark hallway, that was her parent's room, and she was still scared to go in there. She couldn't push herself to go in and clean up the mess. Sure the bodies were taken out and buried a long time ago, but the blood, there was so much blood. On the walls, on the bed. On her.... Images flashed through her mind, her eyes got wide ans she just stopped moving, all she could see was that night. It had only been a few weeks since then.

The response Kariline had given was about to cause an emotion Naraca had never experienced before. He was used to comforting his little brother when he tripped and hurt himself, or was after he was bullied. The biggest one being when they would have to move from place to place, and Arashi, Naraca's little brother, was unable to cope with the trauma of always having his home taken away from him.
The boy knew how to deal with things like that, yet when Kariline dropped the glass, Naraca jumped slightly from the sudden loud crash. He looked down at the broken glass and walked over to go and help clean it up, however he stopped as he looked up at Kariline who seemed to be frozen on the stool.

"No...They are never coming home" She said in a very dark tone.

An image of Arashi being in trouble with there parents and saying things like "Mom and Dad will never let us play again!" flashed in his mind. Was that what she meant? Maybe they were just angry with her the boy thought. Of course they would come back, they couldn't be gone forever.

Right...?

He watched her as she stepped down the stool to walk carefully around the ice.

"Oh don't worry" Naraca said with a smile. At the time thinking she just meant they were mad at her.
"Mom's and Dad's are just like that sometimes I mean mine also-"

"They are dead"

Naraca froze in place as those words entered his ears. He was frozen for 4 seconds before he was able to word something.

"Wha..." He barely muttered as a look of confusion washed over him.
What did she mean? He couldn't comprehend that.

"I...Ahh...I mean..." He mumbled as a variety of facial expressions played like a tape on his face. First it was nothing, then confused, followed by shocked, then trying to wrap his head around it.

Dead parents? Was that even possible? His parents never even talked to him about death, sure he knew about it, but he was told about how parents, human beings could die. The tragedy of it all was so new and fresh to him.
Finally though he actually managed to look up at her, her eye's glued to a hallway just ahead. He turned his head to it, and while he only saw a closed door, he felt a deep sense of dread and sorrow behind that door.


His chest began to hurt, and a ball formed in his stomach, he began to feel for her...And it was pain he didn't understand how to grasp. This was...Unbelievable. Yet somehow, he managed to take a breath and regain his focus, he saw her face, the shock that was plastered on it. His protective and caring nature was somehow able to overcome this unbearable pain he felt for her.

"Hey...Hey come on" He spoke softly, walking towards her until he was able to reach out and place his hand on her back.
"It's okay...Lets just sit down" He added as he gently tried to guide her towards him so they could sit on the couch that was close to them.
"Come on, don't worry about a thing" He stood close to her as he would attempt to guide to to the couch until they could sit down.

Empty, her eyes just stared ahead. That was the expression she had, Empty. While her head filled with so many things. It took alot to suppress those feelings, but now the flood gates opened and she couldn't keep it all contained. Feeling his hand on her back, her eyes darted to his face. His touch was warm and brought her back to reality. Kariline gently placed one foot in front of the other as they were led into a family room with a cushioned couch. He was so easy with her, and she appreciated it deep down but there was just a nagging feeling in her head. What was tugging at her? Her memories?

Looking down at her hands, they were shaking, but that is not what she was staring at; it was the blood she pictured on her hands. The same blood that belonged to her parents from when she tried to waken them. " Alakai... He was so mad..." She still to this day didn't understand why he did it, why kill everyone yet let her live? Truly she wasn't living now, but suffering; Suffering in her loneliness. Kariline let her face fall into her hands as she sobbed, his smiling wretched face scared her, and she never slept anymore as the nightmares always wrecked over her. She was going to die here, she knew he was going to come back for her. her own brother, murdered her family, and was going to finish her, but only after letting her feel the pain he did of being alone.

For years to come Naraca forever could say this was a moment his support was tested, and his maturity. Looking back, most 12 year old boys couldn't say they handled situation like this with such resolve.
He wasn't sure what to do, or how he could really help, he just knew that she needed somebody right now.
Once they sat down he remained close to her, just barely an inch away from there hips touching. He kept one arm around her back and his look of concern towards her.

Alakai...He suspected this was the name of someone that might have killed her parents. He couldn't imagine what that might have been like. He wasn't really able to grasp it, but he knew that he felt protective when the thought came to mind.

When she placed her hands on her face he wrapped both his arms around her and embraced her. Letting her head remain close to his chest. As just a boy he wasn't sure what level of physical contact was appropriate or not, yet nevertheless he wanted to show her that she was not alone, and she'd have some contact to focus on and not just her pain.

"Hey, hey it's okay...No one's gonna hurt you" He spoke softly as he held onto her.

"You're safe Kariline, I can protect you" He said trying to reassure her. He of course didn't actually know her parents were murdered, but by the long look she gave that room, and this Alakai...He suspected this was someone that killed them.
The thought of it kind of scared him, he didn't who this Alakai was. Was he a grown up? Or someone more their age? He knew he could protect her from anyone there age, but a grown up would be tough...
It didn't matter though, for this was the day Naraca truly discovered how much a guardian he really was. As he felt that even though he didn't know this girl, he'd be willing to protect her. Which this one day would extend to be much greater. Yet here was where it all started.

His warm embrace soothed her, and she slowly quit crying. He reminded her so much of her own family, and it was good to have that comfort again. Kariline just pressed her head against his chest. It was strong and warm, and she didn't feel so afraid anymore. He had a nice scent, and took it in as she nuzzled up to him. How nice it would be if she was her big brother.

Kariline had not slept well in days, and this feeling of comfort soon washed over her and she felt drowsy. She let out a yawn and closed her eyes. With a smile she coon drifted off into sleep, and instead of the nightmares, she would dream about candy and fun things. She would dream about her family, and it would feel like they were here with her still.

It didn't take long before she fell into a deep sleep right there in his arms, the sound of her breathing fell back into her throat and she snored quietly. It wasn't an annoying sound, just a raspy breath sound, but was still barely noticeable.

(OCC: Sorry its so short )

He held onto her firmly as to help her bear through her crying, once that passed, his hold was gentle as she fell asleep. He felt kinda like a bird protecting her eggs, giving them warmth, comfort and protection. Kariline soon fell asleep in his arms, leaving him unsure of what to do for a moment.
He looked outside, it was still the afternoon but he knew he had been out way longer then he should be. His parents would be worried...

She was so scared though...If her parents were murdered, what would stop the murderer from coming back? He knew he had to be back, yet it felt so wrong to leave her as he'd likely just keep himself up all night with anxiety over this anyway.
Also if the killer did come back and he left her...

Forgiveness of himself would be impossible.

He let her rest on him for a few more minutes until she began a light snore. He smiled slightly at the sound, his little brother snored like that as well.
He then slowly turned her a little so her back would be in the direction of his lap, and her upper back on his arm.
He other arm snuck underneath her knee's and he carefully stood up, holding her in his arms and leaning back slightly so her head could rest on his chest.
He had no idea where her room might be, however he knew it definitely wouldn't be the one she was staring at. He figured maybe upstairs? He hoped so.
Walking upstairs he made sure to walk as gently as he could to not disturb her. Once up the stairs he found himself in a hall way with a few doors, one open one was a bathroom. So that left two doors that were there.
Walking up to them, he was relived to see an paper cut out "Kariline" in a variety of colors. Yet the door was closed, a frown on his face as he contemplated how to open it. He used his fairly good balance and lifted up his foot and wrapped his toes around the door knob, turning it, and pushing it open, staggering in the process yet keeping Kariline steady.

The room looked girly enough, so he walked in and towards the bed, gently laying her down on the warm sheets with her head on the pillow. He lightly pulled the blankets from under her and lifted them up and over her body, letting them glide down onto her. He felt somewhat awkward about touching her too much but he tucked her into the blankets a bit to let her get settled in.
Afterwards he looked around and realized that it was a little dark in here. Giving the room a quick scan he saw a nightlight attached to an outlet close to her bed. He walked over to it and clicked it on.
Looking back at her for a moment he had to sorta register it in his mind that he was doing this. He felt for just moment, that he was taking care of his little sister. Even though he didn't have one, he thought that this must be what it was like.

Walking out the door he made sure to leave it open a crack, giving one more look at her before going back down stairs.

Downstairs, he looked out the front door and considered leaving, yet...The lunchs! Yes they were gonna go bad if they weren't in an ice box...No wait, a fridge? Yeah that's what it was called. Naraca never living in a home of his home had not known what it was like to have a place to consistently store food. He hefted all the bags like before and opened the fridge. It was quite filled surprisingly. Yet when he thought about it made sense. She was very young...How much could she know about cooking without parents to teach her?

Putting the bags in the fridge he walked out.

A chill running up his spine as he passed the hallway where 'That Door' was...

"Come on..." He mumbled to himself...

Very slowly, he raised his foot up in the air, moved it forward a little, then set down on the floor.

"Don't do it" He said to himself, taking another slow step forward.
His feet felt heavy, like someone just jumped on his back. His heart slowly began to beat a few more times then it should.
"Just leave...."

Another step...

"Mom and Dad are worried"

Another step...

"It could be really scary"

Another step...

His words to himself were like they weren't his own, his brain talking to his emotion that was moving him. Telling him to just leave. She was safe now wasn't she? What were the odds of that Alakai coming back? Besides, even if he did, even if she wasn't safe. Why the hell would he want to see what was in that room?

Yet curiosity...Was a powerful thing.

Before he knew it, Naraca was looking up at what seemed to be a towering door. Making him feel rather small. He looked down at the door knob, only imagining what could be inside. Could it be monsters? Maybe a vampire or a troll? He shivered at the thought. What if it was a big pit and he'd just fall straight down? He had no idea...
He wanted to know what was behind the door. So he'd just open it a crack and check right? If he saw anything he'd just close it and run.
What if it was something fast though...?
He raised his hand up to the door knob but hesitated. He was afraid, yet if anyone was looking at him, he'd likely open it right away to show off his bravery.

His fingers touched the doorknob, the cool metal giving him a chilling welcome. This door hadn't been touched in a while.
He gripped the doorknob, turning it slowly, the mechanism inside very silently turning to remove the metal piece within the door frame. He prayed nothing was behind this door. Once fully turned, he gently pushed the door open like behind it was a bloodthirsty sleeping dragon.
The door opened a crack, and he saw some red stuff on the floor. His eye's narrowed at the sight. Did someone spill some jam? Or soup?
His curiosity on what the stuff was caused him to open the door more. Seeing the small stretched out along the floor.
Opening the door more, he saw it wasn't just on the floor.

His eye's had never grown so wide, goosebumps caused the hairs on his arms to stand up. A powerful chill ran up his spine.

Blood! It was blood, it was everywhere! On the floor, the walls, even the damn ceiling!

"Ahhh!" He cried out as he slammed the door shut and immediately bolted down the hallway and towards the front door. Almost ramming the door open with his shoulder he took one step on and was about to follow with a flurry of more, before a quick flash of Kariline entered his mind like a photograph being shoved in his face.

"Kariline..." He whispered quietly.

So this was what happened to her parents...They were brutally murdered. Yet here she was, still in this house, having to live with that image every time she was in the house, or looked at that door.
He felt his heart settle, yet a feeling of determination and desire began to build within his stomach. With it, he looked outside for a moment, thinking that he knew the way home. Yet he took a step backwards, and closed the door quietly. He hoped Kariline hadn't heard him...

It took him a few minutes to prepare himself, but he opened the door to her parents house again, looking upon the blood with a more observant eye rather then a frightened one. He knelt down and swiped his finger across the bloodstained floor. It was dry, it must have been here a while now. It was everywhere as well.
He walked back out of the room, and sat down on the couch.

Kariline...

If she was his little sister...What would he do? What could he do to protect her? Well...What would he do for his little brother? He couldn't protect her from an unseen enemy, but maybe he could...
Out of curiosity, he walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards underneath the sink. It was filled all sorts of bottles of different colors and different liquids. He was always told never to touch these kind of things.
He took one in his hands and looked at it.
"W-Window Cleaner" He read out loud as he observed the bottle.

Should he...? Could he really...?
Naraca wasn't sure, but it just seemed to...Cruel, to leave that room like that.
His lips curling close together, he nodded his head to himself.
"Alright!"
He didn't which one's to take, so he just grabbed every single bottle under the sink, even the oven cleaner and the bug spray. He took them all the bloody room and placed them on an end table by the bed in the room. He walked back out, remembering where she grabbed that broom and found the same broom, as well and a mop, several towels and cloths. He once again, took everything and brought it into the room, not forgetting the bucket that was where the soapy water was supposed to go. He filled the bucket with water and one of the cleaning bottles contents, then took everything into the room and began scrubbing the floor. Yet the stains barely came out with a few swipes.

"Oh come on" He said with a grumble, starting to scrub with more furious swipes. It took quite a few scrubs, but he was able to see what color the floor used to be. He smiled at his miniscule progress, took heart, and began scrubbing more and more.

He had no idea, but on several occasions he was using wrong cleaning supplies, not swiping hard enough or too much. Through all of his mistakes, the amount of blood all over the place, and the fact blood was nearly impossible to get out. He ended up working throughout the night until he collapsed on the floor from exhaustion when the sun came up.

However...

After all of his hard work, and with the suns welcome, the room was practically shining. Not a single drop of blood anywhere. Just a mess of bottles, clothes, brooms, mops, water and snoring boy on the floor.

It had been week's since she had slept soundly, most of the time she was afraid to leave her room, afraid of the dark hallway where her parent's room was. She was even afraid to enter her brother's room, which was right across from her own. His room was clean and simple though, he was not an unorganized child like she was. Kari was too taken up by dolls and other toys than to clean her room.

Waking up with a large yawn, she rubbed her eyes. She was in her bed? The last thing she remembered was Naraca... she fell asleep in his arms. Did he carry me up here? She thought to herself. She pushed away the covers and slipped off her bed, she was still in the clothes she wore yesterday so she decided to change into a white summery dress. It was cute and flared out at the ends, right below her knees. " I suppose he went home." Then suddenly her stomach began rumbling loudly and she decided to find something to eat. In her back yard, she had chickens and a garden that she and her brother's raised, they were still alive, and produced fresh eggs every dawn. With breakfast on her mind, she skipped down the stairs and turned to find her parent's room was opened.

Her heart skipped a beat, oh no. He was back, he was here... Kariline stepped back, but then her eyes fell to a lying figure, face down on the floor. Curious, she walked up to the door frame and gasped. The room was clean, almost like it never happened, the sheets where stripped and every stain removed. Cleaners and rags littered the floor, and he was sleeping there. Naraca. With a smile, she tiptoed around him and kneeled next to him. She messed with his hair slightly, pushing it out of his face, and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek softly. She was thankful for her new big brother.

Not wanting to disturb him further, she left and went outside where the hens had laid three fresh eggs. She picked them up and held them in her dress for a moment while she also picked fresh peaches from her tree's. Her parents were all about nature and wanted a better environment for their kids. They introduced Tree's and a garden to their home where they could gather fresh herbs and produce.

She went back to the kitchen and began making breakfast. She scrambled the eggs, and made toast from homemade bread that Old Lady Hiriko had made for her, along with sliced ham pieces. The smell that it all put off was mouth watering. She had to use a stool to stand over the stove, as she was a small child, being only 3 and a 1/2 feet tall.

The smell of food cooking...

Naraca couldn't recall a time when he wasn't hungry or at least willing to eat more. He was a growing boy so it was to be expected. His eye's slowly opened, enticed by the food he rose to sitting to look around. The sun was up, he must of fallen asleep...
The room he was in was clean of blood, yet it was now a mess of cleaning products. Yet at least the cleaning products were easier to remove.

He lifted both his hands up and rubbed his eye's, his hands trailed down his cheeks. He felt a very faint moisture on his cheek. He passed it off as something he must have gotten during his little mission.
He got up to his feet with a yawn and out stretched his arms before walking out of the room to find out where the smell was coming from.
Walking down the hall he heard sizzling, and sounds of cutlery touching dishes. Once he got to the kitchen he saw Kariline looking as bright as the sun. Wearing a little dress and with a far more happier look on her face then last time. He hadn't seen her face look happy until now, it really was a relief to see.

"Morning..." He greeted with a bit of a yawn.

His eye's diverted to what she was cooking.

"What'cha making?" He asked polity.

Humming her favorite tune, she wiped up the eggs in a metal bowl with the correct seasonings. It was her mother's lullaby, the one she was singing. She would always sing it in Latin, so Kari could never understand the words, or even speak them, but she loved the melody. Naraca had come in with a large yawn and greeted her nicely.

" Breakfast!" She said with a smile and then laid the eggs in the pan to fry them, " Wanna set the table?" She asked pointing to the gathered dishes on the counter. She was no expert cook, but her mother did teach her to make essentials, like rice, fried ice, stews, curry and breakfast, this was all she had time for though.

The smell was unbelievable, she was so young and could cook that good? Naraca had to learn about cooking himself, yet he learned all about surviving in the wild and living off the land. He knew how to make that could keep him going, not fine food like she was preparing. He was more used to a fire then a stove. Although he could use one, he still was amazed by how much she knew about cooking at her age.
She turned his attention to the dishes, asking him to set the table. He recalled his family would have dinners like this, trying to be a family and enjoy there time together, he knew how to do this.

"Yeah sure" He replied, walking over to the dishes, grabbing two plates, two forks, two knives and two glasses. He set them down on the table properly enough.
He acted calm, yet when he realized that his parents were probably having a heart attack right about now, he kept his own anxiety about the whole thing inside. He was going let this girl do something normal for a change. He'd leave after breakfast. After setting the table he walked over to her.
"You need any help with that stuff?" He asked her polity.

With a bright smile on her face, she flipped out the eggs and put them onto a serving dish. The ham steaks were just about done as well and the bread was already on the table. He was setting the dishes when he came around and asked if she needed anything. With a cute little thinking face, where she put her hand to her chin and closed her eyes she hopped off her stool and took the serving plate of food. " You can put the ham on this plate and ill take it to the table",she said nicely.

Afterwards she went to the Ice box and pulled out a couple of different juices for drinks. Her favorite was grape. The sun started to brighten up the room as it was more around late morning. Kariline braided her hair real fast before sitting down ready to eat. She smiled and beckoned Naraca to sit with her. " Hungry?"

He nodded his head in reply to putting the ham on the plates. Once she set the tray down and he got a good look at the food he practically wanted to eat the entire thing right then and there. He knew his stomach could handle it. Yet he took the slices and laid them down on the plates properly. Once finished he sat down, not digging into anything until she'd be ready.

"Yeah I'm starving" He replied to her question with a smile once she sat.

"This all looks amazing, thank you!" He complemented before looking down at the food and taking hold of the knife and fork starting to dig into everything. He ate as polity as he could, but he was an animal on the inside after all, he was raised to be quick with his meals sometimes as well since he was always on the move. This was his life as a nomad.

"So" he said with a half mouth full of food.

"I'm gonna have to go back to my parents after this, but could I come back maybe tonight or tomorrow. Would that be okay?" He asked her in between stuffing his face.

As they sat down and ate, Kariline was so happy for the moment. It was like she had a family again. She would never half to be alone again. The girl swung her legs and chewed with a smile on her face and her eyes closed. The food was good but it was nothing like her mom's.

As she was taking a drink of her juice, she had a deep horrible feeling. He was going to leave. What if he never came back? She suddenly had a sick lonely feeling again and he never even left yet. Of course she couldn't be selfish, he had his own family and his life.

" Yeah, i understand. " Kariline lost her appetite and placed the fork on her plate, she still had to eat her meat and half of her eggs. However as she could think about is him. She looked up to him, and he took the pain away. " You promise to come back?" She said quietly, looking up at him with bright questioning eyes.