Higher Studies 11

After having lunch, An began to dress up, make up and all these things. She felt quite stupid when she found herself asking to the mirror "what should I wear?" with three or four clothes in each hand, An wasn't that kind of girl. But she actually was nervous, she was going to meet her giant partner and he said he was going to introduce her other giants. What kind of people could they be? She finally decided to wear steel boots, black kneesocks, shorts, a warm sweater and her cat hoodie, a one with ears on the hood and paws-like sleeves. She also undid the braids she had made this morning to let her hair loose and wavy.

At five o'clock she went out the residence, making sure she had all her questions on her head. She called her uncle to make him know she was going out with Ildun, it seemed that it didn't amuse Albert very much, but she was old enough to choose who to meet. An walked all stright long until geto out of the residence walls. All was empty, she was in front of the road that heads to the highschool.

"Up here…" Ilun's voice called her attention.

She turned arround in surprise, he was behind her, backed on the wall, waving. An took a good look to his outfit: black booties with a little heel, tight black trousers, dark leather jacket and a light scarf. He wasn't wearing glasses. An thought he was like took out from a fashion magazine, she didn't spect him to wear like this, so formal.

"Hello…" An waved back and walked towards him. "How are things up there?"
"Same as down there, tough" he chuckled, crouching.
"Oh, I don't think so, down here everything seems enormus!"
"Well, then let's change that"

Ildun reached out a hand to grab her, but this time An steped back and stopped his hand with hers. His face changed instantly, worrying she was still fearing him.

"Stop! Stop it, please…" she claimed.
"What's wrong? I always grab you like that"
"Uh…" An bited her lower lip before answer, her hands still over his "T-that's the point, you always grab me l-like this, without asking, I-I mean…" but he interrupted her laughing.
"Hold it, hold it! Dou you think we are like the giants of the stories that people write on deviantArt?" she stiffed at that "Haha! Busted!" he laughted "I do my homework, you know?" he said with an evil grin "Heh, now I'm supossed to go like oh, I'm so sorry, little one… Don't worry, I won't harm you, you'll be safe with me, am I wrong?" and after the theatre he laughed loudly again.

Now An felt stupid. She crossed her arms and lowered her head to hide her totally red face. It was a really awkward situation because, yes, one of her hobbies was to read giant's stories and draw them, and she always used to hide it to people, but now a real giant has just busted her. It was really embarrassing. Ildun brought his intex finger to lift up An's chin, for her surprise.

"Hey… It's ok, I know what you mean" he said gently, offering his palm up to allow her to climb on it. "Is just… Why didn't you say it before?"
"Well I didn't think that argue with you for this at school was a good idea…" she said, climbing to his hand.
"So you did good" he agreed. Ildun stood up and started walking.
"I know. Cause you have to wear your mask of rude boy, so I thought if I let myself be handled by you without argueing, you'll look more manly to the others"
"Ouch, right on the feels…" now his smile turned on a sad one and his look had loost away.
"Your face is like an open book, Nereildun" An said, petting his thumb.
"Only when I'm with the people I like, Anjana"

This response took her by surprise, she blushed instantly. And she realized too that they were walking inside a forest, a giant sized forest. Now more questions came to An's mind.

"And… Where are we going?" she asked.
"To a quiet place" he answered.
"But you said you had to work…"
"Yes, later, later…"

Ildun ventured into the forest, up the mountainside, until he arrived to a place where there was a large overhanging rock and a pine looming over it like a roof. He lay on the rock backing on the tree and placed An on his knee. He tought she looked cute there.

"Now your turn, ask" he said.
"Ok, uh… What happened between Sindy and you?"
"Stright to the piont, eh?"
"Well, it was the first question I had about you"
"Yes, yes, you're on you'r right, I promissed to answer you…"
"But… You don't have to if you don't…"
"No, it's ok, I think I need to… Open myself… I just need you not to be scared, deal?"
"Deal" she answered, this was getting more and more interesting.
"Well…" he sighed, messing his hair "All began three years ago, when we were on the second year of secondary school. Sindy, my best friend, Samo, and I were a kind of… Popular gang at school, you know? We are quite good looking. Everybody loved us cause we were nice people too, everybody was our friend. Gordon was one of them, for example. And, the current thing, childs grow up and want to have boyfriend or girlfriend. I wasn't interested, I rather study and go ahead with my life. Almost everyday some girl declared me her love, something quite embarrassing, and if it wasn't to me, it was to Samo. And the same with Sindy. What happens is that she liked it and the fame soon shot her head, she went over there flirting, with or without using his powers, and one day she decided she wanted me to be her boyfriend. But as I said, I wasn't interested, so I refused her as gently as I could, when we were on third year. She didn't gave up, by the way, she tried it with everything, with the power that is natural on her… And it really disaponted me. It seems that the fact that I wouldn't succumb to her powers made her grow very angry…"
"And why is that?" An interrupted.
"It's because of the mix of two facts: first, I always been strong and second, I think always with the head that I have over my shoulders, if you know what I mean" he said gesturing in a funny way that made An chuckle.
"Haha! Ok, so I guess you are kind a nerd?"
"Pff, if you want to call it like that…" he srugged "As I was saying… She wanted me. And when I refused her I-don't-know-how-many-times, she went and told Samo horrible things about me, she said I've been such an asshole, that I've shouted to her and almost slaped her…"
"What a bitch…" An couldn't help to jerk.
"Yes" he nodded "The best part was when Samo grew jealous about that, cause he always liked Sindy. And she knew it… She used all her… Spech… To convince him that I was the bad guy in all that. I'd never expect that he would react like he did. That was just… Agh! I can't" he sighed hard.

Before An could even say nothing, Ildun cuped his hands arround her frame and brought her to the rock floor. Then he folded his legs and sat as far from her as he could. An was staring at him in confussion.

"What are…?" she began to ask.
"I just want you to be sure that you have all the space you need to run away. If you want." Ildun said in a very serious tone.
"Ugh… I'm not going anywhere, I promissed"
"Oh, sure…" he chuckled before keep talking "Well, s-she thought she was needing more power to be able to have me and… And after rant vilely about me to Samo, she told  them she'd never be happy with no other than me. All that was a lie, of course, I was just a whim for her, but he was under her spell yet… She dared to use her filthy power, not just over me, also with her friend, the one who loved her!" he finally exploded, making An jump on her feet "A-and she told them that she needed a human to increase her power and make me her own!"

An's eyes widened, now she felt a bit of fear, she didn't know why. But tryed to keep calm, she didn't know the end of the story yet. Too bad, Ildun noticed it and smiled sadly.

"I told you... Want me to continue telling the story?" An nodded "Ok... Ahm... Well, in the end my friend kidnapped a man from a nearby village and brought him to Sindy. And she made a deal with him, cause that's the way that mouros get their power. They trick humans and suck their-their whole life and money and jewels and mouros let them alive in return." he suddenly focused on An "That's why I always told you not to answer Sindy! When she says 'and what do you give me in return?' she is making a deal, Anjana, words are powerful, in the same moment that you answer that, you're bounded..."

She could see the desesperation in his eyes under the angry of  his face, and in the motions of his hands, he was not lying. Now An felt a little dumb for wanting to be always the brave girl no matter what Ildun could say. He took a deep breath before losing his gaze into the nothingness.

"So... She finally get that power?" An said shyly.
"A-ha." Ildun responsed, his look still lost "I had to protect me. I learned to improove my skills on magic by reading books and practicing. And I became really powerful..." he looked at An by the corner of his eye to see her reaction, she was still calm "And finally the last year, one day, at one of the most hidden corners of  the highschool playground, after spread bad rumors about me and put everybody against me... My best friend Samo came to give me a thrash comanded by Sindy" he rested his forhead on his hand "I started to defend myself, then I began to hit back, and then he started to use the magic to fight. He was so blind by Sindy's spell... I didn't want to, but... Samo finally ended in a coma." Ildun shook his head, still resting on his hand "And then Sindy realized that that was her oportunity to ruin my life completely, she denounced me and the case went into an uproar. Months and months of judgments. My grades plunged, the young basketball team had to banish me, my employment was in danger, my reputation... I went to finis the secondary on America, I improoved my skills at my job in summer, I received a letter from the professional basketball team of here wanting me to join them, I decided to come back and... I just found that Sindy keeps her rol and she's still decided to ruin my life"

He messed up his hair with both hands, now An understood why he gestured like that, because of all the bad memories.

"Uh, a-and... What happened to the kidnapped man? ..." An asked carefuly.

Ildun looked right at her eyes with the most dark expression she've ever sen, her heart began to race a bit.

"Sindy always carried him with her, he was the source of her power. When I was done with Samo... I tryed to save the man, Sindy threw him to me tike if it was a simple stone before runing out. I caught him in the air as gently as I could, but he was so weak... His heart couldn't take it anymore, he died in my hands, with his terrified eyes staring on mines"

Then there was a silence that seemed to during ages, the bodies of both were stiff, An was frozen about the end of the story. Even in this situations, she used to try some funny joke to raise the spirits, but with Ildun... She didn't know how to do, she couldn't hug him.

"So, tell me... What do you think?" asked Ildun in a tone more like angry.
"Uhm... Want me to lend you my shoulder to mourn?" she finally dared to joke with a nervious giggle, opening her arms waiting for his answer.
"DAMN, YES!" he cryed out.

And he loomed over An so fast that she could even gasp, he traped her between his shoulder and his neck and started to cry with pain, loudly. The "rude boy" mask had been broken and he was a bit more free now. He cryed and cried like the men that hold all the pain inside for a long time and need to let it out. An let him cry arround her, literaly, what else she could do? She was prisioner of his warm embrace and decided to try to hug his and pet his soft hair, realized he would have been so lonely... All he was needing was someone confident, and she felt very proud to be that someone. But, what about his family? Does he has one? Did they trusted him? "I'll ask some other day..." An thought.

He gradually calmed down untill he reached back from her as fast as he loomed a moment ago, that puzzeled An.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Ildun said cleaning his last tears. "I'm sorry I've been such a brute, I hope I didn't hurt you..."
"Don't worry, I'm ok!" An hastened to say "And... Thank you for trust in me and tell me your story"
"No, thank you for listening…"
"Let me say that you have a formidable flexibility to crouch all your upper body down there" this comment made Ildun laugh "Seriously…" An added, laughing too.
"Yeah, I'm quite flexible…" he took a deep breath, landing his back on the tree again. Cry that hard is exhausting, you know? "Now answer my question, what do you think?"
"Ahmm…" An was carefuly choosing her words "I believe you and I trust you… More than yesterday… And I think we shout beat that Sindy out, but how? How ended the judgements?"
"The case was failed for lack of proofs, I was not guilty, but…"  he shook his head.
"You're afraid she could re-open the case now that there's another human…" An ended his phrase, turning her voice in a sad tone "That's why you don't want to be my friend. Now I understand it, I'll try not to be a burden."

Ildun's eyes widened and he started to wave his hands in a funny way.

"No, no, no! I didn't say such a thing!" he explained himself "The friendship thing… That's other story, ok?" An looked at him with an I-don't-know-what-you-mean face "As I said, words are powerful, when someone says "friends?" and shakes another one's hand, they are making a bound. A good one, if you are wondering about Eri, it's something like a non-agression pact. And when you're bound you can call the other by his short name."
"Oh, that's why I have to call you Neraildun and ton Ildun…" he nodded "But… That's good, isn't it?" she asked, puzzled.
"Maybe… But I don't feel like estabilishing bounds with anybody right now , you know? And I still suspect you're a huntress…" he said folding his arms under his chest and arching a brow. "Humans tend to break their words"
"Ah, eh, I-I'm not a huntress, general Bodo told me!" An defended herself.
"And you believe him?" he replied, unmoved.
"Yes… I think so? He said that a giant can feel when a human is a hunter…"
"Yes, that's true" Ildun nodded.
"And he said he didn't… Hey, are you saying you feel I'm a…?"
"I didn't say that. But I just… Maybe you are not a hunter… Yet."
"Anyway, what if I am? I'm just a little bug for you all, you ca just step on me, why do you fear hunters so much?"
"Heh… I think yo don't understand…" Ildun chuckled "Hunters were humans with the power of killing giants! They almost extinct us centuries ago!"
"Uh, yes, general Bodo said something about a war. And he said that now humans and giants are in peace"
"A-ha, until the past year, with… You know, the case of Sindy and I. I think they are just trying to get things better by inserting humans in our society…"
"And… Is this bad?" An asked half shyly, half worried.
"Well, no… If all the humans were like you, but they aren't…"
"Oh, I'm flattered…" she said, blushing "But have you know much humans?"
"Yes, quite a few… Don't ask." he saw An's expression "No! Don't think that was bad, everithing ended ok, I didn't anything bad!"
"Ok, I believe you, I believe you!" An responsed smiling, and she really meant it.
"Oh, you do? Then answer my question of before, why do you fear me and then you don't fear to face two giants? Why you can't stand my star then? Why do you step back every time I reach out towards you?"

And while he was talking, he loomed over her and reached out his hand towards her, stopping rigth in front of her and specting her to step backwards. But she didn't, she just reached out her tyni hand and slightly placed it on his middle finger's tip, with her nails between his nail and the flesh, like she did with Gordon yesterday. She was looking at him with an evil smile that puzzled him.

"Because I respect you too much to hurt you when you come near" was her response "I coud easily push you back if I wanted to, but that would mean to hurt you. And I don't want to do it, I really apreciate you"
"Oooh, so cute…" Ildun joked "But what would yo do to push me back right now?"
"The same as I did with Gordon"

An tighted her hand, clawing Ildun a bit and he pushed himself back at the moment with surprise and awkwarness in his face, holding his fingertip with the other hand while she was laughing hard.

"You see? HAHAHAHA!!" An mocked.
"Agh, that's a disgusting sensation!" Ildun admited "But it doesn't hurt!"
"Oh, but that's because I didn't close my hand enough, if I did, you would be bleeding now, like Gordon!"
"I see…" he mumbled, not believing the situation "Are you sure you're not a hunter?"
"I really don't know yet, I just know where the pain points are and I use it to my benefit" she laughed.
"Clever, clever… You're a box of surprises… But why do yo dare to do that to someone who can just make you burn only thinking it?"
"I trust you, I trust you wouldn't hurt me. And I'll never hurt you" these words hit right on Ildun's feels.
"Uh, yes but… The others?"
"I think they think I'm a huntress, am I right?" he nodded "Would they dare to do anything to me?"
"Uh… Probably not…"
"They I'll use it in my benefit too" An said with a triumph smile.
"You are so clever…" he was marveled.
"Nah, I've just seen 'Batman Begins' too many times…"

He laughed at that, shooking his head. He really liked that girl, maybe, if things go right, they coul be friends some day. Suddenly a soud came from a pocket, it was an alarm from Ildun's phone.

"Oh, it's time to go" he said, keeping it again. "Are you still wanting to come with me?"
"Yes, I don't see why not…"

Then he reached his hand like he used to do, but this time stopped and reached back a bit at a little gesture from An.

"What?? Now you are scared of me?" she laughed "I was just preparing to let you hold me!"
"Oh, c'mon!" he finally said, grabbing her as always and placing her on his shoulder "of course not!"
"Yes, sure…"
"Sure!"