Paired With Neutrality

Paired With Neutrality

By: Angelwarrior1

Chapter 1: A Beauty, But of What Kind?

There was a sound of cracking all around me. It was the first thing I remember. Then I felt myself fall to the hard

floor, and sharp pain ran throw my limbs. I felt heavy, my blood cold. Every nerve in my body started to tingle and

felt as if it were on fire.

Perhaps I truly was aflame, that would explain all the pain. My thought process was slow, every thought came one at

a time instead of all at once. What happened? Where am I? How did I get here? All these questions didn’t come

immediately, but after. Then I finally opened my eyes for the first time in who knows how long.

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He opened his eyes, he had one of the most peaceful nights rest after returning home. It was odd really. He’s

always been a notorious insomniac, but one trip to the woods where a strange statue sits and he sleeps for more

than four hours. If that wasn’t a miracle then he didn’t know what was.

Rising from his bed, Eiri headed for the bathroom and showered. He had a meeting with his editor at one that

afternoon and it was already twelve. Walking through his home, he grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone and finally

made it out of the apartment.

His meeting was uneventful, nothing out of the ordinary. Before heading home, he remembered his shortage of beer

and turned the car around to go to the store. You know how when you’re hungry and you go to the grocery store, you

want to eat everything you see inside? Well that’s what happened to Eiri.

Now normally his meetings with his editor entailed food. Whether it was morning, afternoon or evening meetings,

there was always food involved. His meeting that afternoon however had been brief, only fifteen minutes top, so now

here he was with a growling stomach in a store with delicious emanating smells all around him.

Let’s just say he ended up buying a lot. So, with his many bags of groceries in both hands, Eiri ventured to his

car. Pink caught his eye and he was reminded of the previous night for a moment. Then he was really reminded of the

previous night when he saw the source of pink.

He froze, stunned into silence. Someone walking behind him bumped into his shoulder while walking around him. Eiri

didn’t seem to notice. All he could see was the person from the crystal statue. Except now said person wasn’t

trapped inside any crystal now.

No this person was free, but it all seemed so impossible to his mind to even comprehend that the person he was

staring at was leaving his vision. Only when he couldn’t see pink any longer did he panic.

“Shit.”

He began to cross the street in his panicking haze and was almost hit by a car. The horn from the car woke him from

his daze and he regained his composure. Walking faster to cross the street he began looking about him on the side

walk for any pink, but there was none.

“This is ridiculous. I bet it was just some punk with dyed hair.”

Only it didn’t feel that way to him. Something was telling him that the person he just saw was the same one from

the crystal.

‘That’s it. I’ve been writing way too much fantasy and it’s finally gotten to me. I’ll just head to the woods

tonight and look at a crystal slab of stone with a statue inside.’

Eiri crossed the street back to his car and drove home. He tried to write to pass the time, but his mind just could

not seem to dive into that realm where all of his stories laid. So he went and watched television for a while and

ate some of the food he’d bought earlier. When he looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight at night, he

decided that was late enough and drove to the woods.

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It was the same as he remembered from the night before. He didn’t know why, but for some reason he expected things

to look a little different. Maybe slightly more ominous or something, but figured that was just his imagination

running away with him again.

With a flashlight in hand, he walked in the general direction that he had walked in the night previous. He felt

lost as he seemed to walk on and on with nothing in sight. He’d give anything for that infuriating glint to blind

his damn eyes at this point, if only to act as a beacon.

Maybe, the glint liked annoying him, but he was never more glad when he caught a glint of light once again.

Speeding up his walking pace, he made his way to where he saw the light. When he found his glint source this time

however, he almost wished he’d just gotten lost in the woods.

Crystal was shattered everywhere on the ground. Only the base of the crystal stone remained… with a hole in the

place where the statue should be sitting.

“Well, it’s official. Time to start seeing my psychiatrist again.”

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I’ve never felt more lost before. I have no idea where I am and I am truly grateful for the fact that I had clothes

on when I awakened. The people around me keep staring at me and it makes me very uncomfortable.

Where am I supposed to go now? There has to be some mistake, why else would I be here? Was this how it always

happened? I am confused and alone, with no one to trust and help me. This has to be wrong.

My train of thought is halted when I’m suddenly grabbed from behind. I’m so scared I can’t even scream.

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Eiri pulled his car over at his apartment and got out. He needed another walk, they seemed to be the only thing

keeping him sane these days. He would walk for twenty minutes or so.

The streets were quiet, just as he liked it. He normally wouldn’t walk the streets at night, but since there were

plenty of streetlights on, he figured he’d be alright just this once. As he was walking toward an alleyway,

something flew out from around the corner and smashed into his chest.

In his startled surprise he looked down, only to see the face that has haunted him since the previous night. It

truly was the person from the crystal and said person had the most gorgeous pair of amethyst eyes he’d ever seen.

The eyes looked up in fear at him, then back towards the ally where several men came out from.

“Huh, guess you didn’t get very far did you little bitch?” One man states as he takes a step forward.

Eiri only quirks an eyebrow at the men as the small pink beauty in front of him slides around him to stand behind

him. He found it interesting how he wasn’t bothered by having this person standing behind him. He usually didn’t

appreciate anyone being behind him where he couldn’t see them.

“Are you sure that’s a chick Ryu? Looks kinda boyish ta me.” Another man questioned behind the leader.

“Does it matter? We only want one thing from that beauty anyways.”

For some reason this pissed Eiri off and made him feel a strange protectiveness over the tiny person behind his

back.

“Leave my girlfriend alone.” Eiri stepped closer to the three males and made sure he was covering the person behind

him from view.

“Girlfriend huh? Well I hate ta break it to ya pretty boy, but we’re borrowing her for a little while. If you’re

lucky there might something of her left to get home.” The leader barked out a harsh laugh at his own sentence.

If there was one thing Eiri hated, it was being called pretty boy. Now it was personal. He was kicking this

bastard’s ass first, then he’d beat the shit out of the other two morons with him.

“Let me make one thing clear. Do not mess with my girlfriend and especially don’t mess with me!” Eiri growled out

as he slammed his right fist into the leader’s face.

The others rushed him, but he was expecting this and ducked. He swung his fist into one’s stomach while dodging a

fist to his face. He then slammed his knee into the other’s stomach.

The three being preoccupied with their pain, he grabbed the small hand of the pink haired person who had been very

quiet through it all and ran. He felt undignified about fleeing, but since it wasn’t just himself he had to worry

about, he figured it was the best choice.

Once sure they weren’t being followed he stopped under a streetlight and leaned on the wall while he caught his

breath. The other was holding a hand to their chest and breathing hard.

“You alright?” He studied the smaller person before him.

“Yes, thank you for helping me.” The person finally answered after having caught their breath.

“It was no trouble miss…or is it mister…. I’m sorry but what gender are you exactly? It’s very hard to tell.” Eiri

wanted to kick himself for having to ask that question.

He should have already figured it out, but it really was quite impossible to tell just by looking at this person.

Such an androgynous face and figure.

“Oh no, it is alright. I am not one or the other on their own but both at once. I am what my family refers to as

intersexual."

“I see so you won’t mind if I refer to you as male or female?”

“Of course not. I refer to myself as both because I am. It does not matter which you label me as.”

“Well then miss and mister, I’m Uesugi Eiri. You are?” He looks down at the small intersexual being and almost

smiles at her.

He’d decided to refer to this delicate little creature as a she, because she’s far too feminine in appearance and

mannerisms to refer to as male. Perhaps he’ll switch later if she starts acting more masculine around him.

“Shuichi Shindou. Thank you once again for your help.” She gives a small smile to Eiri.

“Shindou sounds like a last name, why did you say your first name first and your last name last?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was your custom. I assumed Uesugi was your first name.” She gasped and clasped a

hand over her mouth .

“No need for apologies. I take it you’re not from Japan though since you don’t know the proper way to introduce

yourself. Eiri is my first name and Uesugi is my last.” He offered, he could see how lost she felt by her

expression.

“Oh! I understand now. Thank you-” She was cut off by the small flute sounding noise that came from the pale purple

tear drop on her necklace.

“Oh my! I have to go now.” Shuichi turned to leave, but Eiri grabbed her elbow lightly, to show her he meant no

harm by the gesture.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Somewhere very important. Thank you again for helping me, but I must go now.” She smiled and took her arm back

slowly to show that she was not frightened by his gesture.

“Fine. Be very careful.” He turned and started walking away.

Shuichi watched him leave with a sad expression on her face then turned and went on her way as well. She headed to

the woods to find the crystal she came out of. Apparently there was something inside of it she neglected to

retrieve when she awoken.

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Like hell he was letting someone as beautiful as she walk around in the middle of the night and in the woods no

less. He turned back immediately and watched from around a corner as she left. He then began to trail her.

“Figured she was heading to the woods. Where else is there for her to go?”

He finally found her kneeling down rooting around inside the crystal in search of something. He decided to simply

watch for now.

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Shuichi looked around until she found a very small, almost undetectable, fragment of stone that matched the stone

of the tear drop on her necklace. She glanced down at her necklace and saw that a piece of the tear drop was indeed

missing, so she place the fragment in the empty spot.

The necklace immediately melded itself together and glowed purple. Out popped a tiny flying creature, flute-like in

appearance. It zipped about her then stopped in front of her face. Shuichi smiled a true smile at the creature,

exposing her pearly whites.

“Playpen! You’re here to help me? I thought it would be a random cranela helping to give me advice and messages!”

The very tiny creature, that’s about the size of your average fairy, began expelling flute-like sounds from its

mouth. One watching would have to assume that’s its speech. Shuichi seemed to be following just fine.

“Playpen are you sure I have been sent to the right place?”

Playpen began speaking in its odd way once more and Shuichi didn’t seem pleased with what she heard.

“This can not be right Playpen! These creatures are so aggressive! I surely would have been slain tonight if it

were not for a kindly male citizen who happened upon the situation! Then where would not only I, but you be? I

would be dead and you my friend would be trapped inside a fragmented stone, that’s where we would be.” Shuichi took

a deep breath at the end of her tirade and calmed down into the picture of serenity.

The crenela spoke to Shuichi in soothing flute tones and this time Shuichi remained calm.

“Are you absolutely certain that we have not been thrown off course somewhere along the way?”

Again it spoke.

“So I must search the planet for what I seek…Fine. If you are done with your message Playpen, I think it is time

for you to get some rest.”

More speech.

“Of course, I will rest as well my friend.” She rubbed at her eyes lazily.

The tiny crenela began to glow once more and reverted back to a glowing orb that drifted slowly back into the

necklace. Shuichi yawned and tried to think of what she should do about a place to sleep.
She decided the ground would have to do for the night until she could find more permanent sleeping arrangements in

the morrow. She sat down against a tree and laid down, curling up to keep warm. She closed her eyes and was about

to drift off to sleep when-

“Are you really going to sleep on the ground?” Her eyes snapped open at that and she shot up into a sitting

position to look at the person who intruded upon her rest.

It was the male from earlier, Eiri Uesugi, she believed he introduced himself as.

Why was he here though?

“I followed you to make sure nothing happened to you. You stand out too much and that’s never a good thing here.

You don’t have anywhere to go do you?” Eiri approached slowly to show he truly meant no harm towards her.
Shuichi simply shook her head, watching warily as though he were a cobra waiting to strike.

“Then you may stay with me if you like. I have a spare guest room in my home that’s available.”
Shuichi didn’t really know what to think of this offer. Should she accept and stay with the only being who sought

to help her on this planet? What if it was a trick? No, it wasn’t. She could see the sincerity in him.

“I accept your kind offer.” Shuichi smiled at Eiri and stood to follow him.

“Thank you for helping me once again.”

“It’s no problem.” Eiri offered a half smile to her and turned to lead Shuichi to his apartment.

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Gotta say you people are so lucky. My laptop died and I thought all the story updates I had been working on had

been lost. Luckily I have all of my information still, so thanks Compaq dudes!

Recommended Song- Hey You-Pink Floyd