Chapter 135A Name that Rings

Faith lifted the boy in her arms and waited for Nuru to open the gate and let her through. I had to wait patiently, my curiosity burning inside so brightly it felt as if the rain, landing my skin, evaporated instantly. Unfortunately, this was only an illusion. I stood there, soaking wet and blind, waiting for Nuru to guide me further.

The rain really made 'seeing' impossible for me. It was raining so hard that the noise even covered the footsteps of Faith and Nuru. I felt very lost for a moment, left here with nothing but myself. Yet... Most of my thoughts went out to the boy we found. Who was he?

"I'm back, Miss Amy." Nuru almost appeared next to me.

Thankful I got her arm. "Thank you, did Faith bring him in?"

"Yes, Miss Amy. She'll put him in the living room. We'll go there now."

I nodded, letting her lead me, close the gate behind me and help me through the castle.

Inside the castle I reveled in the sounds that made their way to my ears again. Nuru's footsteps and my own rang loudly into my ears, with the rain outside banging against the windows in a soft continuous rhythm and the wind rushing past little hidden cracks between the windows and the wall. It was a lovely sound, granting me some calm again. We were still quite drenched, however.

She led me to the living room where I heard Faith walking around, dripping on the floor due to her equally wet clothes. She must have noticed us coming in.

"He's completely unconscious, it looks like he hasn't eaten for days." Faith sounded worried.

"Can we keep him here tonight? Is it safe?" It felt as if he had been looking for me, saying my name. I wasn't sure if it was with good or bad intent.

"We should be, only the housekeeper has the key. You really don't know who this is, Amy?" She asked worriedly.

"I couldn't hear his voice very well outside, the rain was too loud. And I don't know any other way to recognize people now. He doesn't smell like anything but rain and mud."

Nuru poked my side. "You could ask her to describe him?"

Why hadn't I thought of that? It was so simple. There weren't many people who would look for me. In fact, I could only think of one or two. Unless other people had suddenly found out about me or started looking for me.

"Please do, maybe I'll know."

Faith paused for a moment. "He's taller than you are, black hair, soft features. In fact, it looks like he has some Asiatic blood."

Wait... Asiatic? I think I knew.

"He is slightly skinny in his build?"

"Yes. Something else too, even unconscious he looks kind of intelligent, if it wasn't for being underfed and dirty." Faith replied thoughtfully.

"And not a vampire, right?" I was almost certain. It couldn't be...

"No, he's human."

It was him. I had missed him so much that only now, when possibly faced with his return, did I feel all the pain. He meant so much to me, but I simply could not believe he had found me in this castle. Did he care so much about me? Or had he seen something?

Paintings...

It was an odd thought, but maybe he had painted something important, something that had made him look for me. That sounded about right. But I couldn't see him. I wasn't sure, there was no way for me to be sure about any of this. All that escaped from my lips was that name, that simple name I longed to hear again.

My surprised voice rang through the room. "Hitori...?"

The boy gasped, he must have woken up. For a moment, caught in my own thoughts, I heard Faith struggling with him. Her voice trying to calm him. "Careful, you're very weak." I was facing him, hoping the living room was light enough for him to see me.

"Amy, I've finally found you..." He collapsed again with a sigh, this time it sounded happier.

His voice had been much clearer. Perhaps his name had woken him enough to truly speak, or it had helped to be out of the rain. But it was a voice I recognized immediately. All doubt had been erased from my thoughts, nothing left but the circling surprise of his presence and reasons.

It was him.

It was Hitori.