Chapter CCXLII: A Rainy Day in Hell ~Rainstorm

There was a huge field in the middle of what was seemingly nowhere. The breeze blew from the northwest across the landscape, making the blades of grass sway in the wind like tiny dancers. The clouds raced by as the wind gently pushed them farther and farther away; shapes in the sky slowly disappearing off of the horizon. There was much blue in this area. The sky was blue, the flowers were blue, even the trees’ blossoms were blue. And then there was another speck of blue, a small figure, a lizard named Rainstorm.

Rainy awoke in the field just as the sun was setting, blazing bright yellow, orange, red and purple into the slowly fading sky. The clouds were all gone, and all that was left was this burning inferno of color casting the whole field in a soft hue.

Rainy couldn't remember a darned thing. All he knew was he was in the middle of a field that seemed to whistle in the wind, and he was all alone.

Alone.

That was a word that was common in Rainy's history. Throughout his life, people came and went. He unconsciously lifted his hand to his right shoulder and began stroking the air. Then he realized that the little ball of fluff he had named Crux wasn't there. He truly was alone. So he decided to stand up and walk, thinking maybe he would find someone, or at least something that would be familiar. Then he heard the noise again; the whistling of the wind through the trees and grass, and he fell to his knees clutching his ears and screaming. Single frames of his fight in the casino flashed across his vision and he lost sight of the field, only remembering the shudder his soul had felt right before…

That's right! He had passed out in the casino. But then…that didn't explain how he got here. The flashback ended, and Rainy wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around again. He saw nothing but fields for miles around, so he decided to take flight and observe from above. So he floated on the cool breeze up and up until he reached a height he considered being suitable. And again, he looked around seeing nothing. It was then that he remembered his Farsight spell, and began to mutter under his breath. Then, drawing arcane designs with his right hand, he summoned enhanced vision. He blinked, and realized he was staring at a small house, so he decided to head for it. Several hours later, he arrived on the doorstep, weary and sore. He knocked on the door, hearing no response at first, but then there was the scraping of feet against the wood floor from the other side. Slowly the sturdy oak door slid open to reveal the face of an elderly woman.

"And you would be?" she asked, confused as to why some fool in a large costume was standing in her doorway.

"My name is Rainstorm Yoshi, and I humbly ask you to help me. I seem to have been separated from my travelling companions and have tried for hours and hours to find shelter."

The old woman gave him the once over, raising an eyebrow or two as she decided whether or not to believe him.

"Yoshi, eh? Never heard of that before....sounds fishy."

"Actually ma'am I'm not a fish, but rather a form of…lizard," he said, choking out the last word (as he hated to be referred to as such).

"Well, come on in then. I just put some soup on, and I'll get to making some spiced cider in a moment."

He came inside, happy that someone would actually trust him. The inside of the humble dwelling was relatively bare. Compared to the roominess and shininess of the Spectrum, this house was rather plain. Containing a bed and a small table with chairs, there was little else but a fireplace and stove. Rainy kind of liked it though, reminded him of home.

"So uh....what's your name if you don't mind me askin'?"

"My name is.....uh.....well.....to be quite honest after livin' out here by myself for so long I don't quite remember. I used to have a name, but I don't really know what it was because it's been so long since I've actually spoken to someone."

Rainy thought for a moment. He didn't think it was possible to forget one's own name, but then again, what did he know? He'd only been around a few hundred years anyway. He smiled at this thought sadly; "Only a few hundred years huh?"

The old woman and Rainy sat down to eat and she asked without surprising him much what his story was. So Rainy answered with all he could tell her without going into too much detail (because he still didn't know who this woman was, and also because it would've taken too long). After he had finished, the sun began to rise. It seemed like only a short while ago, he had been watching it set in the field he had awoken in.

"Well, maybe we should both get some sleep huh?" said Rainy, yawning and stretching as he stood up.

The woman nodded and set down a mat for him to sleep on as she headed to her own bed. Right before he lay down he remembered to ask where he was. The woman answered that he was on a planet named Recca on the continent of Aris. He then lay down thinking the whole time of where he had heard that name before, but he was too tired now to ponder it out and was asleep almost before his had touched the soft mat on the floor.