Arisen Wars: Viator

Wednesday, July 4th, 2008
0945 hours

The elevator door opened allowing passage for two females carrying extremely heavy luggage. They burst out in a series laughter, startling a few students along the way and some who entered the elevator behind them. Both women were the same height and size though had distinct physical features. One had dirty-blonde, bushy hair wrapped tightly in a ponytail while the other had pure crimson hair, straight and firm, possibly just as thick as the other. She also had piercing’s, one just below her bottom lip, one above her baby blue eyes through her eye-brow, and one through her belly-button, which showed in plain view with the very short shirt that stopped approximately six inches below her breast-line.

The other had no piercing’s whatsoever. She had very sharp brown eyes and excessive amounts of eye-shadow as an attempt to gothicise herself, but failed near miserably. She spoke in a loud manner stumbling with the weight of the luggage. The pure laughter and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll. “Did you see their faces Amber!? It was pricelss!!”

“Oh my God, Tarah. Lower your voice before someone complains already.” Amber tried to hush her while she, unlike her other half, no longer laughed but tugged along the two backpacks and one extra-large luggage with trouble now. Her ankles were extremely sore and began to throb in cadence with her heart-beat. She could feel it beginning to swell up in her converse.

Tarah looked forward and glanced at Amber seeing her friends struggle with luggage beyond her capability. Without thought nor warning, Tarah grabbed Ambers two backpacks adding on to her own struggle with four backpacks now and two luggage.

“I'm so sorry Tarah…I didn’t mean for you to….”

“Just shut up and get the door open,” snapped Tarah, her face now beginning to turn red from the struggle.

Amber yelled hesitantly out loud, “Dorm 200!! Amber Riner!!”

“You mustn’t yell dear! I hear you fine.” The voice was clearer now and sounded like a British man. As they came to the dorm, the door swung open and they rushed in dropping all their items to the side. They took in deep gasps of air as they collapsed on the ground. Their exhaustion was evident in the beads of sweat falling down across their faces. Amber massaged her ankle deeply to circulate the blood more throughout her leg which began to feel more numb than it did before, but now was beginning to awaken with a heavy load of needles prickling throughout.

Within minutes they began laughing again but this time at there own exhaustion. Soon enough the tour of the dorm room began. First, they began with the first two rooms and the bathroom at it's center. Afterwards, they toured the last two rooms in the hall. First, the room to the right then, entered the bathroom. They found Ryan’s belongings there and decided it was best not to touch them. They figured they belonged to a girl because of the certain hair products, the fancy comb and two other brushes. In other words, it was not only respectful but safe. They knew well the wrath of a woman when their products were touched or taken.

They exited the bathroom into the room Ryan was sleeping in. They awed at the spectacle of the window and at first decided to take this room for themselves. Little did they know that Ryan had taken the room and slept on the opposite of the bed comfortably against it. He was hidden well. Tarah and Amber, still clueless to Ryan's very existance, merely stared out of the window, and then fell to the bed in childish glee. They giggled softly, looking down at all the students that were visible and stared in awe at the sight of the main building with the sun rising. The sun gave a spectacular show of colors both warm and cool giving it the appearance of fall.

Ryan took in a deep breath and stirred slightly. With a single giggle from atop the bed, his eyes opened softly and his lips curled to a small grin. He rolled forward towards the window and stopped, wrapping his arms around him then sat up. He now wraps his arms around his legs and pressed them against himself, pinning the blanket between his naked upper body and legs.

Amber and Tarah stopped giggling and stared in awe at the sheer innocence and perfect figure before them. The light shining through gave him an angelic glow as if he were heaven sent down in physical form. “Wow...sorry...uh...did we wake you up?”

Ryan chuckled softly taking a finger and moving a strand of hair away from his face. He looked up at them again replying in a very soft tone, “Yeah...but its okay. I hate sleeping.”. His hair was on his right side as he faced towards his left at the bed, girls, and the two doorways. It shined as well but not like him. Altogether, both women could not take their eyes off of him. His blue eyes almost seemed to call out to them. One could say there was even sexual desire almost to be held here, but none confessed to themselves of such a thing.

“So, what’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” Tarah had the curiosity of a cat as she lay flat on her belly, putting her feet up and holding her head up by her hands. At times, this same curiosity led her to situations that were avoidable had she not asked, but this time seemed safe enough. Amber joined her, nodding, and admiring Ryan for his beauty still. Her being open to dating both sexes aided her desire to continue to stare at him.

Ryan chuckled again, replying in the same soft manner as before, “Well...might as well let it all out now so you won’t have to go discovering it on your own. My name is Ryan Ca...I mean, C. Hydroman. I am eighteen years old and was born, and raised, in Virginia Beach. The way I look, act, move, and speak may seem female though...naturally a boy I am.”

Their jaws dropped in one swift movement that was followed by a loud question asked in sync, “WHAT!?” It seemed amusing to Ryan as he began to laugh at their surprised expressions. It wasn't anything new to him to see people react this way, but it was always funny nonetheless. He stood, letting the blanket fall to the ground. They sat up and stared at him in awe. This man with the perfect body and features seemed so utterly female that even females themselves could not tell him apart. The shock would surely stay with them. He bent over and grabbed his hat, dusting it off a bit then putting it on, crossing his arms so he could grab his elbows.

He allowed several minutes of pure curiosity about how he became so feminine and how he was able to fool even women to thinking he was a female. After indulging their curiosity, they left his room saying things to themselves and entered the first room in the hall. They claimed it as their own without thinking, but they were satisfied to say the least considering the current events.

Ryan fixed his own room a bit, and then left to the living room to see if he could connect the entertainment center. He wanted to get the electronics all plugged in as quickly as possible, so as to not hear any kinds of complaints from any of his roommates, if anymore were to come. Either way, it was a good idea.

Amber peeked through the doorway seeing a small glimpse of his hair bobbing back and forth
from the living room. In her mind, questions arose instantaneously. She wanted so badly to go out there and ask them all, but she knew better than to intrude in the lives of others. Her foot jittered in the doorway causing an annoying creaky sound to fill the silence of the dorm. Ryan smiled to himself figuring it was one of the girls looking at him.

Tarah popped up behind Amber poking her delightfully in the ribs and stomach, making Amber jump and almost slam the door on herself in surprise and laughter. “What the hell was that for, Tarah?!”

Tarah merely laughed and sat on her bed. After a few moments of Amber yelling at her, she finally said, “Come on Amber...we all know you’re bi-sexual...you like him don’t you?”

Without thought, Amber gave out a small yelp as Ryan poked her shoulder. She turned on her heels and noticedas her face turned a bright red she had the door wide open. Her face reddened even more at the sight of him standing there with the look of "I heard everything" with his hand on his hip. Oh God. I hope he didn’t hear Tarah. Tarah I am so going to kill you one of these days! Once again, without thought, she slammed the door and ran to the other side of the bed where Tarah now stood.

Ryan stood awestruck at this reaction, truly not knowing what to think of it although he knew exactly the cause. He did hear everything, little to no surprise, and decided that he would give dating a try this time around, but was seriously thinking against it now. “This is why I try not to understand women so much but…I unfortunately, know exactly why she did it.”

“NO YOU DON’T!!” Tarah yelled through the door in a playful tone. Ryan was slightly surprised she heard him. Struggle could be heard within the room. The sound of a bed being jumped on or someone trying to pull them over to the other side of it resonated through the door to Ryans ears, making them move without him notice.

“Come on Amber! You’re gonna ask. You’re gonna talk...now get your ass up!”

“Tarah let go! No! I can’t!! No!!” The door swung open showing Amber and Tarah with hair that looked as if they had gone through an exercise course. It was mangled, out in the frits as their faces were red and they were breathing rather hard.

“Listen...if this is about liking people then please try to keep it less noticeable if you don’t want someone to know. Don’t think that because I’m a guy that it means I’m oblivious to these kinds of things.” He poked each of them on the forehead before turning away, chuckling.

The rest of the day seemed very much simple to them as they talked more and got used to Ryan a bit. He told them bit’s and pieces of his history, as well as habits he had. They knew a few they would easily get used to, such as his early morning risings on an every day basis. Some they would have a problem with such as his yelling at night if he hadn’t taken his medicine, but he kept to himself the reason behind those screams. He believed the less people who knew the better chance he had of keeping it secret and forgetting. Forgetting the awful happenings four years ago that caused him to lay awake at night with a heart-ache and fear that could not be forgotten or subdued.

The girls remained in their room fixing it to their liking and Ryan sat within his own thinking of his memory. He was awake so he felt it safe to think of it. The memory haunted him so much. He tried his best to forget. He used different methods of persuading himself and also medicines. Though, none worked. Every time he looked in the mirror, he would see the cause of the memory. His small dimples and gentle skin, baby blue eyes that stuck out and could almost shine within the dark, blonde hair that seemed to reflect the sun above him each day. The slight curves of his body and the smooth movements of his walk and hand gestures. All of it reminded him of this memory, the memory of his father, all of it. Even the innocence of his actions that continue to appear child-like to this day made him remember the memory, sometimes on accident.

A tear leaked through his eyes unexpectedly. With a slight sniff he could remember the soft whisper his father made, his soft touch atop his cheeks. He can even remember the moist lips that were planted atop his own. More tears came as if he were a faucet leaking faster and faster by the second. The fear began to grow within him as his voice, soft and sweet, rang clear within his mind.

He needed his pill. Though, he did not know where he had put it. He wanted it. He urged for it. He put his hands over his head, shutting his eyes in a desperate attempt to stop the tears. Fear paralyzed him where he sat. He began to sob quietly, trying his hardest to hold it in. He felt that no one could help him. The girls had their door closed with music blasting. His own door was closed, as well. He no longer could hear the loud thumping of the music as it seemed to shake the ground. All sound no longer could be heard. The soft, sweet whisper of his father’s voice was clear and even sweeter now that it was the only thing that could be heard other than the soft whoosh of the November breeze.

“My dear child…please…don’t try to fight me…I love you.” The voice rang too clearly. Without thinking Ryan let go a high-pitched cry for help. He repeated it several more times before the ever so clear memory of that kiss that was planted on him came to him. His eyes shot open and the pupils within his eyes seemed to practically diminish. He was frozen; not a sign of life seemed to stir within him as his pale face was still with fear. In that second, he dropped to his side and his eyes closed as the tears still leaked through.

Amber and Tarah jumped in joy atop there giant bed listening to their rock music loud enough for them not to hear their own thoughts. A feeling came to Amber, a gut wrenching feeling that seemed to tug at her chest, pulling her down causing pain in a supernatural state.

Her head began to ache. It started small; the kind one would get from too much television, but it grew in enormous proportions. One minute she was jumping, the next, she found herself holding her head between her hands in pain as she tossed and turned atop the floor. Tarah ran out the door screaming for Ryan. Her desperate attempt failed as she found him paralyzed, still, with fear.

She felt helpless as Amber crawled out of the room crying deeply. Tarah ran over to her and knelt down holding her, cradling her. Fear and helplessness was all she felt. It all changed as a tall man came running through the door, a dog close at his heels. With one swift movement, he’d dropped his baggage and ran into Ryan’s room. Tarah did not know what to do, so she improvised. She picked up Amber with a bit of difficulty and set her as gently as she could muster atop Ryan’s bed.

“Come on, Rye. You know you need your pills.” The man muttered beneath his breath as he tilted Ryan’s head back and closed his eyes. Tarah took a closer look at this man without missing any details. He was flat yet muscular. He had soft blue eyes that, at this moment, seemed worried. His voice was very much like a teenager with a slight country accent. His skin was very pale and his short brown hair was covered by a western-style Texan hat that had a feather and several various sizes of bullets strung together.

She spoke out, slightly stuttering, “W-Who are you?”

He paid no attention to her and merely held Ryan’s head close to his face and kissed him lightly atop his forehead. Then he laid his own forehead atop Ryan’s. “It’s okay Aniel...Uncle Toto’s here…he won’t go bye-bye. It’s okay...Uncle Toto’s here.” He continued and soon Ryan’s body relaxed. Tears leaked through his eye-lids as he cuddled into a small ball of perfect innocence. It was heartwarming, almost, for Tarah to see a man cuddle into another’s arms just like so, for comfort and protection.

The color came back to Ryan’s face. The man pushed aside some of Ryan’s hair with a finger, revealing the right side of his face. His cream skin so smooth, his neck was shorter as he held it in. The man chuckled lightly, wiping the tears away. He shushed him softly, and then kissed his temple lightly. Ryan now slept soundly, a small piece of his tongue sticking out between his teeth that lightly clamped down on it.

The man picked Ryan up with the utmost of ease and set him atop the bed next to Amber who had unnoticeably fallen asleep as well. The pain no longer lingered within her head, though the memory remained. They lay facing each other in perfect harmony, too adorable to break up.

Tarah and the man walked out slowly and closed the door behind them, not making a sound. Both let out a small sigh of relief. “Oh God…I’ve always hated doing that.”

Tarah looked at him curiously as both enter the kitchen and pour themselves a glass of water. “You know Ryan?”

The man chuckled as he downed his glass of water and politely beckoned for more. “Yeah, I know him. I’ve known him since we were 14. Not really too long ago, though, it felt like a lifetime ago. I’m sorry. I almost forgot to properly introduce myself. The names Tobias Aaron Kotke. Most people call me Toby.”

“Well, I do reckon that’s a mighty fine name,” Tarah replied, trying to imitate his now much stronger country accent.

Tobias couldn’t help but laugh at this pathetic attempt to sound country. He decided to just laugh, instead of laugh and taunt her. “Nice try, hun but, ya can’t mimic.” Unfortunately for him, he never listened to his conscious and did the opposite of his own decisions.

“Thanks. At least I tried right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, at least you tried. I’ll give ya that much credit. Hey, Copper! Come ‘ere boy. That’s a good boy. Yeah. Stay away from that room, alright boy?” Tarah merely watched in astonishment at his actions to his dog. She was amazed at how well trained he was and how finely ripped his muscles were. Even the tail muscles seemed highly toned and strong enough to make a whip lash effect stronger.

Copper was a bronze colored boxer with a bit of pit in him, which was noticeable in his slight size difference to a normal boxer. His face was scarred, just on his nose. Curiosity got the best of her as she asked, “What happened to your dog? His nose it’s...scarred.”

Tobias opened his eyes, slightly surprised from her question and finally replied when the question clicked in. “Oh yeah well…he was bleedin’ when Ryan and me found him. Reckon he was about a year old or so. That’s why we just estimate he’s just as old as our friendship. We felt bad for Copper at the time, so it was natural for us to bring him in. We couldn’t let good ol’ Copper go so I kept him. Ryan visited everyday and played with him as much as I did. We both trained him, ya know. It was fun times...mm-hmm...fun times.” He seemed to trail off into happy memories as he pet Copper softly.

Wednesday, July 4th, 2008
1800 hours

The day drew to a close very quickly. Tarah and Tobias grew to like each other a bit as they talked more about their pasts. Amber and Ryan remained in the same position they were left in when they fell asleep, their breath mixing as they faced each other in pure innocence. Their dreams intertwining in a black void they had floated in until they finally found each other.

The darkness enveloping both as they floated endlessly, aimlessly without clothing. Ryan spoke out to Amber as she became clearer to him. “Amber!!”

Amber did not move. She remained in a position that seemed to trouble Ryan. Her arms wrapped around her legs, pushing them against her bare chest. He heard sobs coming from her. Then she spoke in a sort of whisper, “Aniel...please...where’d you go?”

Ryan couldn’t help but reach out to her and say, “My dear child, come to me.” He felt compelled to say this by some unknown force, almost as if he had done this before and it was an unbreakable habit from his heart.

Amber looked up with reddened eyes letting out a small yelp and reached out for him. “Aniel!” She exposed herself as she let her legs go and extended her body and arms out, though Ryan did not care. He wanted to hold her, comfort her. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted to love her as a mother would her daughter. He felt he needed to, for her, because of a fact that nagged at the back of his head but did not reveal it’s self.

Ryan curved his body forward a bit and caught her gently. She tilted herself to her right and
buried her face into his shoulder as he held her beneath her legs and behind her back. “Aniel…I was so worried.”

“Sh-sh-sh…’tis alright my dear…’tis alright.” He let his hand holding her legs drop and brought it up to her hair and stroked it. She cried as if she had gone through a traumatizing moment. “Tell me my dear child…what is wrong that makes you cry so?” Ryan let his poetic heart speak freely so as to hide his speaking patterns from her. He wanted to be there not just as Ryan, but as Aniel the one she called for.

“It was so painful Aniel. I felt like someone was trying to pull out my head. I-I don’t know…Ryan was on the floor and very, very pale. I…I want you back…please Aniel…I want to see you more often.”

Ryan saw that Amber never glimpsed at his face. He had an idea that struck him as the best possible solution to help her easily, so as to stop her from becoming what he was-a person that recollects the worst memories and almost dies from fear. “My dear child…I will be there for you,” he hesitated for a moment and spoke the words he wished to say, “I will be there when you awaken…the one you see first. The one you see now before you.”

Amber did not look at him at all. She merely spoke out, “But…I thought angels weren’t allowed to let there faces be seen by humans.”

“My dear,” he put his finger beneath her chin and lifted her head and faced her to Ryan, “I will break all laws just to make sure you are happy.” Ryan smiled softly as Amber gasped lightly and smiled brightly hugging him.

She whispered to him within his ear, “You sly devil you…thank you Aniel.”

Ryan wrapped his arms around her whispering back, “You’re welcome…Amber…my dear Amber.”

He could feel the tears fall to his shoulder as they floated aimlessly still holding each other tightly without thinking of their nude predicament.

They stirred slightly, but enough for Copper to hear them. Copper nudged the door open and sniffed the bed. Ryan felt the cold nose moving lightly across his foot. He chuckled softly as his eyes opened very slowly to see a face so relaxed and innocent. Gently, he reached over and stroked her cheek with his thumb then removed some red hair from her face. She was still in a deep sleep yet with a more tranquil state of mind.

Slowly, Ryan stood petting Copper and speaking non-sensible words as if he were a baby. He ran out of the room with Ryan following close behind like a toddler would to a puppy. As he turned the corner, he gasped seeing Tobias sitting next to Tarah talking calmly and yet very unusually comfortable.

Tobias looked up, smiling as he stood. He had a sort of jump to his steps as he walked over to Ryan hugging him. Without warning Ryan jumped up as Tobias spun him around a bit as if they were a couple finally reunited after months of departure. Tobias set him down and hugged him once more, laughing and asking him question after question as Ryan did the same. Letting each other go, they sat with Copper and Tarah inserting their own comments or little nudges that interrupted the long days talk.