(A note: Scene description in the first paragraph provided with help by Umiyuri.

The rest of this is a collaborative effort between Gregzilla, Adri [aiding the writing process], and Sorin.)

[b]Scene Title: Far From Our Worlds

Characters: Naito Zivaku and Jasmine

Context (Situation): After a nightmare in the Hundred Acre Wood following "Miraculous Spring", Naito speaks with Jasmine about each other to get to know one another.[/b]


They had decided to rest on a small ridge just across the bridge over the stream in this page. Around them was a very small, enclosed field, upon which a large green oak tree grew at the top of the ridge. A felled log served as a bench to look out onto the eternal night sky, and the huge golden, full moon remained high to stare at as long as the viewer wished. All was quiet on the grassy hill, as the stars twinkled in the sky. Peace.

There had been so much horror, pain, suffering... all he wanted to do was rest. Lie down, maybe talk...

Naito tossed and turned in his sleep near the log, mumbling to himself fitfully. "Saiyo... oh gods... Zefiro.... Forgive... please... I didn't want to..."

Another night, another nightmare. He'd wanted to just lie down with Jasmine, but it was hard. He had never slept well in a long time.

Thankfully for the quarter-god, the Butterfreemorph had already been up and about. In truth, Jasmine, too, couldn't find herself to sleep very well lately. With all the struggles they've been through, and the thoughts that she's had, it was just as hard for her. With this, she had caught Naito in his tossing and turning and, with a concerned look, moved to gently shake him out of his nightmare.

"Naito...Naito, wake up..."

Eyes snapped open, the young man going rigid for a moment as he was awakened. He gasped, shivering slightly, muttering to himself, squeezing his eyes shut, scared, curling his legs in to half of a fetal position. Scared of what, he did not know if he could tell. "I'm sorry.... I'm so, so sorry.... I..."

Jasmine frowned at this reaction. She had seen Naito in fear and panic before, but never like this. It was like he didn't even acknowledge her upon awakening. The Butterfreemorph edged closer to the frightened young man, now placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

"Naito, it's okay..." she said soothingly, to help calm him. "It was only a nightmare. It's over now; I'm here."

Finally, he understood where he was, slowly calming down again. He sat up, his eyes opening slightly, forcing tears back, not wanting to be weak in front of her. Arms wrapped around her without even asking, too scared of the nightmare to be conscious of what had happened, how close they were. There was a brief sob, and he rested a shoulder on her. "It's my fault... It's all my fault, Jasmine..."

Jasmine was slightly surprised by the sudden hug. However, she understood why, how bad it might have been. As such, she returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around him, placing a hand behind his head as he rested on her shoulder. She then whispered soothingly, "It's okay, Naito...I'm here if you want to talk about it..."

It took a few minutes for him to calm down. Finally, he managed to speak, having not throughout that time. His voice was stuttering, nervous, but not for the usual reasons. "J-Jasmine.... if I... if I did something really bad.... would you still give me a chance? Would you still...? I mean... you're still deciding, but...."

Jasmine just smiled at the young man. She might have been still deciding, but she trusted Naito as much as anyone else in the worlds. Knowing how he acted, besides under the influence of the Bunnymoon claymore, it can't have been too bad...right?

"Of course I will," she said, gently stroking the back of his head. "You're a good person, Naito. If you did something wrong, I know you'd regret it a second later."

Naito sighed, just holding her...and his wings were summoned. With them, he hovered, holding her...and sat them both on the log, just somewhere more comfortable for both of them. He looked into her eyes. "I... I don't know... Gods, I'm so scared...." He looked down...then blushed, looking back up again. Even this scared, this vulnerable, he still was Naito. With that, he started to speak.

"It... it was a few years ago... My friend.... Zefiro. We decided... decided to see if I could get a god form like my mom. Knew a good place...." He took a deep breath. "He had a sister... Saiyo... She was... she was six... Cute, nice..." He sighed. "My dad and some others came with us... and....and we decided to try giving a mana infusion. A way to... to increase my power capacity..." The angel sobbed, having a hard time. "There was this bright light..."

He hugged her again, crying finally. "Oh, Jasmine.... She...."

Jasmine just held Naito as he hugged her again. Normally, she would have joked and flirted with him as he blushed, but not in a serious matter like this. She dreaded to ask what had happened, Naito trailing off not leaving a good impression...but she did, wanted to know, "...what happened to her...?"

He took several gulps before he could answer. It was so painful, so secretive... he hadn't told a single soul yet. "I... I saw her, and.... and...." He broke down again. "She was dead. Dead, blood all over the ground, my swords in my hands....." He sobbed, wept completely openly. "He's right... I'm just a quarter-breed freak... I'm horrible, I don't deserve anyone...."

"...." Jasmine was completely silent, shocked, almost horrified. What he just said...what he just revealed...did he...did he really just...?

The Butterfreemorph shook her head. No, it couldn't have been. It could have been an accident...but even if it weren't, the quarter-god had been here, sobbing, knowing that what he had done, if it was truly him, was wrong. She tightened her hold on Naito, doing all she could to help comfort him.

"No Naito, that's not true..." she said. "You...you couldn't have known what would happen...that doesn't mean you don't deserve anyone, or that you're a freak..." Saying this reminded her of her own issues, of being a lab experiment that nobody would understand. She held this back; this wasn't on her right now. Naito needed more help than her.

Naito again was silent, weeping into her shoulder for some time before he managed to speak. "Z-Zefiro...he and...he had a gang later...I've been...they beat me up a lot... Nótt stepped in, but... Gods..." He looked to her. "Do...do you really think I'm a good person? I.... I didn't want her to die, I... I never..."

Jasmine smiled again as Naito looked at her. What she heard might have shocked her...but that didn't change who Naito was one bit. "Of course I do. What you did before was wrong...but you know it was. That's all that matters..."

It was then that her smile turned sad. "At least you had someone to step in for you..."

The angel looked to her, noticing the expression, the look in her eye. "Jasmine... I... I don't know anything about you... Is... is there anything you want to tell me, too?" He looked down again, his head to the side this time. "...and can we keep this a secret, just between us, please? I... I never told anyone in this time but you..."

Jasmine nodded, both in promise to keep this a secret, and to tell more about herself. It was true that he knew nothing about her; those who did were either told, or went with her to her world when things went wrong. But Naito, one of the people she trusts the most in the worlds, knew absolutely nothing. She pulled back, looking away from the quarter-god. It wasn't going to be easy for her...but she trusted Naito enough to tell him...

"I...I was an experiment by Team Galactic...scientists from my world..." she began, quiet. "You see...I'm a Pokemorph, a human infused with a Butterfree. They...I was considered a failure, because I was more human, and they wanted a balance..." A deep breath now; it was too hard for her to look back on it all...but she let it out. "They still kept me around for samples. They...they put me through so many tests...so many sedations to experiment on me...they had me fight against the other Pokemorphs, but I was too weak against them all. I...I nearly died once..." Her eyes were shut, to prevent the tears from falling. It was almost too much for her to bare...

"...there was one scientist who understood me, though. He...he was forced to work on the project, so I think that helped." A shaky breath this time. "He helped me escape when the government attacked the facility. We lived together for a while...I guess you can say he was like a father to me. Until...until he died of a heart attack..." Now she wrapped her arms around herself, tight, as though trying to comfort herself. "I was able to get by around other humans, thanks to me being mostly human...all I do is flirt and joke around, just to cope with my past..."

And finally, she looked to Naito once again. For her, the tears were clear in her own eyes. "That's all there is to tell. You're no more a freak than I am, Naito...you at least have a biological family. I...I was just created for scientific purposes...that's all I am: an experiment..."

Naito's eyes widened slightly at the admission... but he turned to pity, sadness within seconds. He didn't think that her being like that was a bad thing, like any of it was any bad. What was how you were born, anyway? It was just how you started out. Maybe... maybe it was time for him to help her in turn.

Arms wrapped around the Butterfreemorph, and he pulled her close, rubbing her back now, whispering to her, trying to soothe her as she had him. He had to leave his own pain for now, when she had told him so much... Finally he spoke, his voice soothing, soft. "I'm sorry... I didn't know..." he whispered in her ear, massaging her softly. "You're not just an experiment... Never that..." He gulped, unsure of how to say it. "You're so much more... you're not an experiment to me..." He would have said more, but he still had trouble garnering the courage. Maybe he just needed time for it. "Never just a freak... You're b-b....."

For a while, Jasmine was completely unresponsive, even as Naito hugged her, tried to comfort her like she did with him. She was always scared of telling anyone about her past, that all they would see is a science experiment...and here he was, telling her that she was more than that. She wanted to argue that she was, like she did in Traverse Town, that she was nothing more than a freak...but held back on it, couldn't find it in herself to do so. She was too vulnerable to fight back...to argue...

It happened. She finally broke, wrapping her arms around him, crying into his shoulder. All the pain she had gone through, all her struggles...now she wanted to let it all out. "I...I'm just...I'm...I can't..."

Naito stroked her hair, very careful [i]not[/i] to touch between her wings. He'd learned his lesson. "You aren't... you're not.... I... You're more... so much more... I... please, Jasmine.... you're so good to me... Please let me help you... any way I can...."

Jasmine said nothing, just continued to cry into him. She just needed to let it out...she couldn't do it alone, but with him here to comfort her, everything would be okay. She trusted him...now more than anything else...

It only took several minutes, but the Butterfreemorph finally stopped in her tears, now just resting against the quarter-god. She wanted...needed him to be with her right now, in her moment of weakness. "I...I don't want to be alone again, Naito...I know I try to cope, but it's hard for me to handle sometimes..."