11 Chapter 10

The rain poured soundly and it must have disturbed her restless slumber. Because her eyes fluttered slightly before she could completely open them. Her eyes dried up and hurted worse than it should be. A clear indication of how long she probably have slept or out cold. Her calculated mind at least could pick up that much. The problem is, the said calculated mind is still coming back to senses. Only the pain of her eyes gave away the fact that she haven't woke up for a while now.

But still, her ears could pick up the sounds rain making, reminding her of the events unfolded the day her time machine crash landed. Cyclops failed. A best thing happened to her in her whole career of being a rouge. She's a survivor. Survived calamities that almost bring the humanity to a near end. But she never was invincible. She felt pain but endured them as best her being let her.

But now there's another concern. She could hear the rain. Feel it's cold atmosphere. But no droplets hit her body. The realisation hit her like a train and she did ignored her pain when she opened her eyes wide. The room was dark, but it did not blocked her view.yhe room wasn't a big one. However that's a reason why it produced such a warm and comfortable homie feel, which almost soothed her aching body.

Luna sat up in swift motion ignoring the pain all over her body. Her mind is troubled as she looks around and she could not see anyone. This cannot be happening. Somebody helped him. That's bad. Why on earth they help her? If only Gen is aware of her whereabouts, then the poor souls who's kind enough would also perish. And that's gonna be her fault.

"Where am I?" She grumbled in a strained voice. Luna didn't know if the exact location. But she's aware of the timeline. Centuries before the time she or the time machine ever existed. If one time traveler loses their ride, then they'll be forever stuck here, never to go back. Those are just some scenarios. Unless you have a backup, it's game over.

She then looks around for something. Her communicator. Her clothes. Well, the clothes are her last concern. But her search was in vain. Nothing can be spotted that belongs to her. However, her search short lived and she heard the door creak open. Her eyes immediately travelled that way, only to see two small kids peeking inside. One of them is a small boy and the other one is a slightly old girl. Both of them had messy black hair and innocent eyes. Their clothing was way different than her culture. She only used to wearing spandex.

Seeing her awake, both kids immediately ran off. Luna sat there confused. Some minutes passed and soon the door opened more wide. There stood a woman around her forties. Her black hair neatly tied up into a bun and she wore a purple kimono. The woman had a gentle smile and it was pure. And the both children she saw few minutes ago stood behind the woman and peeked at her. "Hey there young lady. Remain calm. Everything is alright." The woman said reassuring her.

"Wha.?" Luna said confused. How did the woman knows that she's freaking out inside. Well it's obvious, but Luna is sure her face didn't gave away anything.

"I know what you're wondering. I'm a herbalist practicing cultural ways of healing. To assure you, I've have experience with modern day medications. And next of your worries, is your wondering where are you, huh?" The woman explained and this time Luna could only sat there mouth wide open and blink.

The woman chuckled. "Don't worry. I've found you up at hill few days ago. I assume you're a foreigner. I've never seen those types of clothes you had on." The woman added.

Luna snapped out of her trance immediately. "Okay. But why do you know all that? How?"

The woman shrugged. "The body languages. I've guessed those obvious lines."

Luna nodded. "Look I'm sorry for sounding rude with my next words. I'm grateful for your efforts of healing me and I cannot have words to describe how thankful I am. I've probably wouldn't have made it out without you. But the thing is, I should stay off if your life. I don't want things go bad for you guys." Luna explained. She tried to slowly move her body and move herself. But it was so hard. The pain restrained her almost. But before she moves any further, two gentle yet strong hands got a hold of her shoulders and didn't let her move.

"My, my. I was right to think that something else bothering you young lady. If you're afraid of bringing any bad luck to this household, I'm confidently saying this. We don't believe in those terms. Our family went through worse. Just I only ask you to lay back down." The woman said calmly.

"But, you don't know half of it. I have a lots of eyes on me. I cannot risk endangering, kind people like you. So I have to ignore my wellbeing and move on. With me around, nothing is optional. Just ignore me." Luna said desperately.

The woman sighed and nodded. "I'll let you leave. But only when I feel like the currect time. I don't know what danger is pursuing you young lady, but if I could push you away like you said, I wouldn't have brought you here. Just see it as a motherly concern. Rest up. I'm sure you'll be fine in no time." The woman insisted.

Motherly concern? If only Luna knew the true meaning of it. If it has that comforting and calming aura, then it is so beautiful. But how could she lay there knowing the destruction she could bring upon this people. "But I'm just a stranger. Why do you risking your safety, only to aid me? For you I'm a nobody. Shouldn't you have ignored me back in those hill?" Luna said confused.

The woman looks down at her shook her head. "I can only answer half of it. We help people without wanting anything in return. Like I said see it as motherly concern. I would've done same for my kids too." The woman said and before Luna utter a single word, the woman shushed her with a finger on her lips. "Just rest for now. The last thing I want you to do is hurt yourself again." She said and slowly forced Luna to lay back.

"But, but..." Luna tried to speak only to stop when a small hand touched her forehead.

"Warm." The small girl said in a cute low voice. Luna looks at the kid and didn't know why, but her innocent doe like eyes made her smile. These people are something else. Why are they so kind? It's rare in her timeline to find such humanity.

The woman chuckled hearing her daughter, and looks down at Luna. "You heard the doctor." The woman said playfully making her laugh a little.

(MEANWHILE- WITH NOBITA)

His body bruised and mud was all over him. The rain never stopped and the nighttime gave a terrifying touch to the hill. Everywhere you look, there's must darkness. Thin trees almost seem like alive, almost like a skeletal entity out of a horror novel. The cold atmosphere chilled everything to it's core. Nobita woke up few minutes ago. He still haven't got up yet. His vision was blurry because he dropped his glasses somewhere. Only thing he could see is when he squint his eyes. But he needs his glasses though. He really wants them. He cannot fall down a ledge and hope it isn't as high as the one he already fell from.

His side was the first to land, which is why those spots are sore. Mud and was all over him. Some even got washed off because of the rain. Eventually he tried to move his hand and slowly ran them all over the ground, in search of his glasses. They aren't that far from where he's laying though. He remember that he had them on until he hit the ground and slowly passed out. Which means they are there. His hand movements were limited, so Nobita rolled on to his stomach and slowly forced his own weight to sit up. Hys body pained a lot, but he just doesn't care. Aside from few grunts, he ignored hus bruised body.

He once again moved his hands and all he could feel was grass, mud and water. Soon he searched the opposite side. At first he got nothing, but then his fingers touched his glasses. Shakily he picked them up and out them on. The glasses had grime on it and the right lense was broken on the bottom and the frame was a bit bent. Nobita removed some grime off of the glasses and he had a better look at the place. He again slowly stood up shakily and stumbled few times. His left side hurts the most though.

Few minutes later, he's venturing into the uncharted part of the mountain, where probably no one has been yet. If there is someone who took the path he took, then it's a long time ago. There wasn't a sign of human interaction on the place. Usually you see a path on the road which overtime formed because of people walking on them all the time. But here? There's no such thing as a formed path. There's only woods and and steep falls.

And it's a positive sign that he could find at least something. If only there' something. Nobita' eventually reached another downhill opening in the midst of the some thick trees. He moved closer but due to the slippery ground, he fell once again, aggravating his sounds once more. The path he chose, now punishing him. However he long forgotten the concept of giving up. It's now just simply wanting something. Whether or not the backbone of the myth that attracted him is false or it was all just a coincidence, he would keep moving on until he finds at least a lead. On the way he got some inconvenience. That's a line he likes to describe his injuries. Nothing but inconvenience.

He slowly walked, supporting his balance with holding onto trees and moved further. 7 hours passed since he left cabin. His friends have probably worried sick. But in his mind none of it mattered. Answers. That's all he's up to.

Maybe his efforts have paid off. Because the next step he took, he's out in a clearing or better say a crater and the step he took made him slide into it. The crater wasn't big. Only a room width and not that deen either. But due to his injuries and exhaustion, Nobita fell right into it. But that didn't stop him from realising that it's not a natural crater. It's a recent occurance. Because the crater still looked fresh. Fresh means, the disturbed soil has not yet settled down.

His tired eyes looks around and then eventually made it to the middle. Soon his eyes opened wide. If the last time they only saw fire up in the hill, this time however it's the opposite. Probably he found what he was looking for. But it's not something he imagined it to be.

The object is there, right in middle of the crater, waiting to be picked up. And thankfully it's not something big. It can be picked up.

(TIME SKIP-6:00 AM)

Nobita never returned. They've waited in hopes of his arrival. But still he haven't returned. Nobody slept that night. Even Yumi started panicking. She obviously doesn't want him dead even though she always in an intense argument with him. Shizuka is feeling the worst. If gian hadn't stopped her, she probably would have ran out of the cabin in the heavy rain. The fear of losing Nobita again haunted her. It also happened two years ago. She never knew that after he's gone, nothing will be same again. Maybe they took his existence fir granted. But the night of the day he left Tokyo, she and her friends gone through such night. They didn't slept. They remembered all those times when Nobita was with them, helped them, caused mischief and how they used to treat him. Even after they treat him badly, he never hated them. He understood them. It's just that, the old Nobita they once knew had nothing except his kind heart, that could be seen as attracting. All those memories with him and when he's actually gone, they've realised they lost part of them that is so priceless and cannot be replaced.

And they didn't want to go through all that again. Even though he's not the same Nobita they knew, he's still Nobita. And they don't care if he's changed. They wanted him back.

That's why they ran towards the mountain early in the morning. It's now their mission to help Nobita. He helped them all those years ago. Now it's their turn.