ハ-モニクス (Harmonics) - Discontinued

CHAPTER THREE

"So what do I call you?"

Celes looked up from the most splendid breakfast she was having. "Just call me Celes. I have a feeling if you kept calling me goddess that would lead to trouble."

Haru nodded. "So... do you have a last name?"

"Last name?"

"It's like the name of your family."

She shook her head then looked up at him. "You sure accepted everything I told faster than I imagined you would."

Haru made a weird motion with his lips. "Dogs with literal fire in their eyes can really change someone's views, you know."

Celes chuckled. "I still don't get why you'd do all this just for me. As far as I know, gods and humans never really got along well."

He shrugged. "Before yesterday, I hated to think gods existed. Ironic now that I'm having breakfast with one."

"Why would you hate the gods?"

Haru looked away from her, his expression suddenly stern. "It's sort of personal."

Celes popped another grape in her mouth. "You can tell me. Once I get my powers back I could try my best to--"

"It's nothing."

She started to look worried. "I can't travel with you knowing full well you hate me, Mr. Otonashi."

Haru turned his glass of orange juice to his head and got up from the table without replying.

"Hey, where are you going?" She got up from the table and chased after him. "Did I say something wrong just now?"

He didn't answer.

"Mr. Otonashi--"

"Just shut up!" Haru's voice reverberated through the entire lobby, causing most, if not all the other guests there to look in their direction. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

For a moment she stood there stunned. Never before had someone spoken to her like that and she never had thought it would be a human. She didn't have time to think as she saw him enter the nearest elevator and head back up to the room they were staying in. Her shoulders slumped.

"Why is acting like a goddess so hard?"

She soon reached the floor they were staying on and stopped at the door when she heard a loud crash coming from the inside. She swallowed and took a step back. Had the paladins found them already? Her first instincts were to run but fairly feminine grunt stopped her and she barged inside.

Celes managed to duck right in time before an ivory staff could smack her right in the face. The perpetrator's attention suddenly went from Haru to her. "Lady Celes?" The staff clanged to the floor as Haru quickly apprehended her and pinned her to the floor. A loud scream was expelled from her lungs the moment she hit the floor.

"Mr. Otonashi, let her go!"

Haru looked at her confused then back at the night-blue haired girl he was holding. "She isn't one of those goons?"

Celes bodied him off her and bent down to check on her. "Chitoge!"

The girl grabbed her bandaged left hand, the same one Celes remembered the arrow passing through. "Lady Celes? You're... alright?" She tried reaching out to her but Celes pinned her arms to her side.

"Don't move." The bandages on her arm slowly started becoming red and soaked with blood. "Mr. Otonashi, you have to help me treat her."

Haru stood there puzzled for a moment but ran off to the bathroom to get a first aid kit. He returned shortly after and started undoing the thick linen that covered the entirety of Chitoge's arm. He opened a small bottle with clear liquid and hovered it over her arm. "This is gonna hurt." He let the contents spill onto her arm, Chitoge's face cringed in pain as the liquid passed over it but soon calmed.

Celes looked at a now peaceful expression on the girl's face. "Is that water?"

Haru shook his head. "No, it's rubbing alcohol. It'll kill the germs around it so it doesn't get affected."

She nodded. "Will she be alright?"

"Yeah. She looks like she's lost a lot of blood just from that but other than that, she'll be fine."

Celes managed a smile through the tears that had started to run down her face as the blood flowing from Chitoge's arm slowly came to a stop. "I had no idea humans knew about healing magic."

Haru tilted his head. "It wasn't magic. I was studying to become a medical student so I know a thing or two about first aid."

"Thank you."

                                                                                     *****

"Lady Celes!" Chitoge sprang out of slumber and on seeing Haru, dived to get her staff. She had the item in hand before quickly losing out to the pain in her arm and dropped it.

"Chitoge, calm down. He's not our enemy."

The girl dropped herself to her knees and tried to  wring the pain. "But..."

Celes wrapped her in an embrace and turned towards the boy. "No need to worry, he's been taking care of me ever since I got here."

The girl looked between the two of them then her head dropped. "I apologize for my impulsiveness. You can reprimand me however you see fit."

Haru kneeled and took another look at her arm which he had taken the time to bandage properly. "You might want to take it easy with that thing. Push yourself too hard and some pretty bad things could happen." He looked at Celes. "So this was that friend you mentioned?"

She nodded. "Chitoge is the high priestess of Matradona. She's essentially my equivalent of a bodyguard."

Chitoge chuckled weakly. "I guess I have some explaining to do when we get back, huh?"

Celes shook her head. "I'll take all fault for it. If Lord Order were to find out you used cosmic power he'd have you executed immediately."

"I'm sorry, m'lady. But I can't let you take blame for a mistake I made."

"I don't mind. The other gods think I'm a failure anyway so it won't be that bad for me."

Chitoge shakily got on her feet and turned to Haru. "You're an archangel, right?"

"Chitoge!" Celes made it sound as if she just said something terribly offensive. "Don't say things like that."

Haru tried laughing it off. "Actually, I'm human."

The girl looked confused but her head tilted. "No you're not."

"Eh?"

Chitoge pointed at him. "The aura around you says differently."

Celes furrowed her brow. "His aura?"

The girl nodded. "It's faint. Maybe a descendant  but it's there. Can't you see it?"

Celes shook her head. "My powers won't work here."

Chitoge nodded solemnly. "I can't access all of mine but at least a few are working."

"So does that mean you can take us back?"

There was no answer.

Celes put on a pained smile. "It seems I have to ask further for Mr. Otonashi's help."

Haru sighed. "Clothing and feeding all three of us at the same time is going to run me broke but I guess I'm too involved to back out now."

Chitoge bowed. "By Lady Celes' gospel, Mr. Otonashi, I swear I'll compensate you someday."

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, you two are helping me a lot so I could hardly expect any kind of payment."

The two looked at each other. "We are?"

He nodded. "And could you please stop calling me Mr. Otonashi? Haru is just fine."