Suddenly on a Leash (1)

Chapter twenty three

I sat out there in the cold, trapped in my own head. It's already become dusk, but I'd hardly noticed. I reran the whole scene through my head over and over again.

"I want someone to kiss me and feel something...!"

"And if I did? If I did... There wouldn't be a problem, correct?"

Why had he said that? My brain felt numb from the strain of trying to comprehend it all, and my blood felt like it was running backwards. Everything was all jumbled up...
But it seemed that the shambles of my thoughts weren't the worst of my problems.
I snapped back as I heard the muffled, but distinct sound of a twig snapping.
My heart skipped a beat and I raised my head, scanning the area of forest out in front of me a ways. "... Hello?"
There wasn't an answer. "... Is someone there?"
Only silence followed. I held my hands over my chest, deciding to creep towards it to scope the scene. Perhaps it was just a rabbit... Some forest creature skulking around... It was a forest, after all...
I moved slowly towards the trees, my gaze thoroughly tracing the area. I started to approach a bush, eyeing the region the sound had seemed to come from. "... Hello...?" I had expected a forest creature to sense my presence and take refuge back into the trees; a sign that I was just being dramatic.
But sadly, I wasn't that fortunate.

"... Who are you...? W-What're you doingー hey...! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

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When I opened my eyes again, my body felt too heavy to move and my head was spinning. I barely even had the strength to groan, unstably shiftingー though it required much energy that I had so little ofー to try and look around. Where was I...?
My vision was vague and unclear, and I looked around the way someone would've squinted to see in the dark.
I could only make out that I seemed to be in a room lit by dawn sunlight. The more I strained my eyes, the more my vision seemed to gradually clear, and I did my best to distinguish my surroundings. I was in... Some kind of bedroom...? It looked a lot like the kind of structure back at the shrine...
Was this a shrine...?
A forced my weighed down body to sit up with a low grunt, trying to look around. The bed that I was laying in was the only furniture in the room. To my right, the wooden structured wall was half wall, half an entry way without a door, where the morning sun was illuminating the room from. Other than the huge door entrance, there were no other doors or windows, other than what seemed to be a hallway on the left side of the wall in front of me. I looked outside, and saw that beyond the door seemed to be a long, wooden porch stretching in front of it. As I squinted, there seemed to be a silhouette of a person sitting there.
I swallowed, deciding that rather than try to piece it all together, the best thing to do was try and get out.
I knew that this wasn't my shrine, and I knew that that figure was not Sora.
That was all I needed to know.
Biting my lip, I watched the silhouette cautiously as I started to try and slide out of the bed.
My body felt heavy as lead, but regardless,  I held my breath and shakily let my feet rest against the wooden floor.
Ever so carefully, never taking my eyes off of him, I slowly edged towards the hallway.
I had managed to get halfway there, turning to tiptoe down the hall when a voice stopped me.
"So you're awake."
I flinched and turned back to see that the figure had turned to look at me. Shoot...
I swallowed as he stood from his seat on the porch, walking towards me. "I hadn't intended for you to be out so long, I suppose I have you too much..."
I squinted at him. "What do you mean...? Where am I...? How long have I been here...?"

"You were out for nearly two days."

"Two days?? Who are you?? Why am I here...??"

He raised a hand to stop me. "I promise I'll answer all your questions. But one at a time."
He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his dull, maroon colored eyes.
I swallowed and eyed him skeptically. "... Who are you?"
He grinned broader, then laid a hand over his heart to bow curtly. "My name is Tarou. Pleased to make your acquaintance... Miss Ayano."
I narrowed my eyes. "How do you...?"

"I know many things about you..." He started to circle around me. "Your age... Your blood type... Your sign..."
That was so creepy... Why did he...?
"... And I also know exactly what you're capable of.."
What I'm...?
He stopped in front of me, bending down to my height to smirk in my face, raising a hand to lift my chin up with a finger. I glared at him. Something wasn't right here... I was positive this guy was up to no good...
"Which brings me to why you're here," he mused, letting me go to stand up to his full height again.
"... What do you want from me..?"

"Oh," he mocked a pouting tone. "Please don't look at me that way. I promise it's a good deal."

He didn't lose my scowl. He seemed amused by this, and went on. "Your power, together with me... There's no way they won't let me back..." Towards the end, he seemed to be talking more to himself than to me. What was he saying...?
"... Take you back?"
He looked back towards me and exhaled. "Yes... I was once a god."
I looked at him in surprise. "... You were a god...?"
I didn't know that it could work like that... A fallen God...?
His hands clenched into fists. "With no power and no familiar, I couldn't claw my way back..."
He turned to me, a wild look gleaming in his eyes. "But with you as my familiar... With your power, surely I'll...!"
I couldn't understand why he kept saying that. My power, my power... But I didn't have...
"But... I don't have any power...!" I told him. The moment my words rang out his face grew angry, and he grabbed my shoulders. "You're lying!"
My heart was hammering in my chest. He was crazy...!! What was I going to do...?!