Reborn 1-5

by D. W. Jackson

  Seeing Yuki run around slightly panicked, Ash couldn’t help but to obey. Not to mention that he didn’t really feel like doing much else since every inch of his body was in pain. His HP hadn’t been reduced much, but that had nothing to do with pain. The bruises would decrease faster than they would in his previous world, but it would still be days before they were completely gone.

  4-6

  The next morning Ash could barely move. Everything hurt as he sat up, but it was not the sharp pain of the night before, but more of a dull aching. Looking at himself in the mirror, he found that most of the bruises had already disappeared but a large portion of his body was still covered in light purple marks.

  Ash wished that he could spend the day recovering, but today was a very important one as it was Yuki’s coming of age party. He could miss a lot, but this was one thing that he had to attend no matter what.

  As he descended the stairs, Ash noticed that the whole place was abuzz. The maids were rushing around hanging a number of banners. After looking around for a bit, Ash found Emelia in her study talking with the head maid.

  “Ash,” Emelia said jumping up from her seat when Ash entered the room. “I think I have everything planned out well, but will you come here and check it with me to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”

  “I am surprised that you are taking this so far.”

  “What are you saying,” Emelia said with a hint of ire in her voice. “My father always said you only become an adult once and no matter your station, it should be celebrated. When I was growing up, a few of the maids that worked here came of age and my father always made sure their birthdays were properly celebrated. While we have never owned any slaves, I am sure that he would have done the same for them if we did.”

  “Ok…I get it, so what do you have planned,” Ash said raising his hands in defeat.

  The next four hours Ash was subjected to what he believed was the definition true torture. Emelia had planned a great deal and into even greater detail. Emelia had even went through the effort to have letters sent to each of Yuki’s classmates parents to invite them. Ash asked if it could cause trouble due to the fact she was showing such treatment to a slave, but she had waved off his concern telling him that she had done it all under his name.

  Emelia asked his opinion on one thing after another. “What color do you think the tablecloths should be? Do you think one troubadour will be enough? Should we serve duck or fish?” At first Ash tried to answer seriously, but he quickly learned that what she wanted was not really his opinion. What she wanted was him to pick the one that she wanted. If he picked right, she would quickly agree and move on to the next one. If he picked wrong, she would ask follow up questions.

  Ash wasn’t sure, but he was starting to think that it was due to his increase in intelligence that allowed him to see through what Emelia wanted. It seemed to be like cheating, but seeing the smile on Emelia’s face, Ash ignored the nagging voice of his heart.

  After all the decisions were made and confirmed three times, Emelia started issuing orders. There was not a person within the whole manor that was not hard at work and that included Ash and Zelan. Ash was sent on an errand to the adventurer school to pick up Yuki to make sure that she didn’t come straight home so that the other students would have time to arrive. Zelan on the other hand had been tasked with using his strength and speed to hang decorations.

  As Ash headed toward the other end of the city, he felt that he had gotten off easy compared to his master. When he reached the adventurer’s school, Ash found Yuki and the other students still doing outside practice though unlike last time they were practicing in groups of six. When Yuki noticed him, Ash waved and took a seat on a long bench that sat against the wall of the building.

  After about an hour, the instructor called the students together and started talking to them. When he was finished, the students started to disperse and Yuki ran straight toward him with Tina following behind. “Master,” Yuki yelled jumping toward him.

  Ash caught Yuki and lifted her from the ground. “Hehe…What is master doing here?” Yuki asked while laughing.

  “I thought that I would take Yuki out to buy a new dress for her birthday,” Ash said using the excuse that Emelia had provided. Sitting Yuki on the ground, Ash tried his best to give a warm smile. “Is that ok?”

  “Yep,” Yuki said happily. After saying her farewells to Tina, Yuki pulled Ash toward the market district. While leaving, Ash scanned the area and found the young boy from before glaring at him from the entrance of the building. Ash gave the boy a smile and a half-hearted wave before turning his attention back to Yuki.

  Ash took Yuki to a tailor shop that Emelia had recommended. More than a week before she had sent over Yuki’s measurements so that he could make three dresses so that Yuki would have a choice between them. Today was Yuki’s day and thanks to Emelia there would be more than a few guests and while she had a number of clothes they were all causal clothes.

  As soon as they entered the shop, Ash whispered something to the shopkeeper and the man nodded back. Ash had to keep Yuki busy for at least a few hours but he wasn’t sure if he could do that in just the tailor shop but he didn’t have a choice. If they ate before the banquet Emelia would have him roasted for the next meal. No matter what, he had to make it last as long as possible.

  The shop was mostly visited by commoners or adventurers so it had a large deal of ready to wear clothes. They were made of a few different sizes and were made so that they could be altered easily to fit their new owner. Yuki moved from rack to rack of clothing, pulling it down and looking at it before replacing it.

  “Yuki, why don’t you try some of them on?” Ash asked after Yuki had replaced the sixth one.

  “I couldn’t do that master,” Yuki said looking down. “I am sweaty and dirty.”

  “Young miss that doesn’t matter,” the shopkeeper said in a hurry. “If the clothing gets dirty it can always be washed and I am sure the young master would like to see the young miss in the clothing before it is purchased.”

  “Does master want to see?” Yuki asked as her face turned a light shade of pink.

  “Ummm…Yes, I would really like to see Yuki wearing cute clothes,” Ash replied.

  Suddenly Yuki’s face turned serious as she looked at the clothes. After a few moments she picked out a light blue dress and followed the shopkeeper to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were located.

  “How do I look?” Yuki asked appearing a few moments later.

  Yuki was wearing a long blue dress that was about three sizes too big for her. The shoulder straps hung loos and threatened to slip off at any moment. The neck line was low, almost exposing some very dangerous areas. Looking at her, it reminded Ash of some of the girls in the group homes he had lived in who were forced to wear hand me downs. “You look lovely, but it is a bit big,” Ash said with a straight face by invoking the poker face skill.

  Yuki bit her bottom lip then picked out another dress and returned to the changing room quickly. This time she had picked out a pale purple dress. When she exited the changing room, Ash had to fight not to look away. The dress was a little too small and Yuki looked as if she was having trouble breathing and the fabric was visibly stretching. The hem of the dress was so high it almost exposed Yuki’s underclothes. “What does master think?” Yuki asked her face showing how uncomfortable the dress was.

  “It looks ok, but I think a different color would look better on Yuki,” Ash said thankful for the poker face skill.

  Time after time Yuki picked out dresses and tried them on, but none of them fit her correctly, but that was to be expected. Ash’s worry about not being able to spend enough time at the tailor shop quickly disappeared. In fact, he was starting to worry that he wouldn’t be able to get Yuki to leave.

  Seeing that the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, Ash mentioned to the shopkeeper that it was time. At that time, the man stepped out and walked to where Yuki was looking throug
h a number of clothes. “Little miss, we have a few dresses that were just made the other day that I think would fit you nicely and I am sure they would make your master happy,” he said in a practiced tone.

  “Really…Can I see them?” Yuki asked with expectant eyes.

  The tailor brought out three well made dresses. Yuki looked through them as if she were making a life or death choice and picked a pale blue dress and quickly went to change into it.

  When Yuki came out of the dressing room, Ash was stunned. Though she had a childish body the dress accented her charm nicely. The straps were thin, showing off her tanned skin and the hem of the dress was just high enough to show her slim legs without showing too much. The dress also hugged tightly to her body where it should making her seem like a little princess. “How do I look?” Yuki asked as she spun around.

  “You look dazzling,” Ash admitted without hesitation. “Like a princess.”

  “Hehe…Can I have it master?” She asked with a beaming smile and large upturned eyes.

  “Of course,” Ash said and Yuki jumped and gave him a tight hum with a light giggle. “Why don’t you wear it so you can show Shina and Emelia when we get home,” Ash suggested. “Speaking of home, it is getting late so we should hurry back otherwise master will get in trouble by Miss Emelia.”

  “Okay,” Yuki said still smiling.

  Most the time when Yuki walked with Ash she would cling to him or run around, but now that she was wearing a new dress she was careful not to wrinkle it or dirty it in any way. Whenever a horse would pass by, Yuki would hide behind Ash to keep any of the dust from touching her. Seeing Yuki, Ash had to suppress a laugh.

  When Ash and Yuki approached the manor, the gate guards gave Ash a small wink to let him know that everything was ready. Activating his poker face skill so that he wouldn’t give the surprise away, Ash ushered Yuki inside the manor.

  “Happy birthday!” A large number of voices yelled out as soon as Yuki and Ash entered the foyer. Yuki was so surprised that she jumped up and was clinging to Ash’s side with a death grip. “Fuhhhh.”

  “Did we scare you?” Tina asked running up to Yuki and dragging her away before she could regain her composure.

  “Do you think it was too much?” Emelia asked, coming up to Ash’s side.

  “No, I am sure that this will become a great memory for her,” Ash said with a warm smile as he watched the two girls.

  First was the banquet where they were served a number of dishes, though most of them were sweets that Yuki liked. After the meal a troupe of troubadours played a few tunes and everyone began to dance. The first dance was Yuki’s and she pulled Ash out into the middle of the floor.

  Having never danced before, Ash was at a loss at what to do so he tried to follow Yuki’s lead. The downside was that Yuki had no experience dancing either and it turned into the two merely shuffling around stepping on each other’s toes.

  After his dance with Yuki, Ash was harassed by both Emelia and Shina for dances and found himself looking for any reason he could to leave the dancefloor but the second he escaped from one woman’s grasp another would quickly find him. When the songs finally came to an end, Ash began to thank god.

  By the time the dancing ended it was already late so Yuki started opening presents and thanking people for attending while Emelia stood beside her, whispering in her ear. After delivering their gift, the guests began to leave.

  Ash stood in the back, holding his own gift as he watched Yuki’s beaming face as she opened one present after another. The kids from her class gave her cheap gifts, but ones that she could use such a potions and arrows while the maids gave her clothes or handmade crafts. After everyone was gone it was time for Shina’s, Emelia’s, and Ash’s gifts.

  Shina went first and handed Yuki a small box. When it was opened two small earring with shining purple stones glittered. Yuki looked at them with captivated eyes and thanked her mother as tears started to gather in her eyes.

  After Shina was Emelia who had gotten Yuki a new short sword. The hilt was designed to look like a bunch of vines had been braided together and had a large green gem on the hilt. The blade itself was a light silver and had a number of roses engaged on it.

  Beautiful,” Yuki said holding it up and examining it.

  Seeing the other two gifts, Ash felt like his was poor in comparison and the expecting look Yuki was giving him made him feel even worse. “You said you prefer the bow…So I thought this might be useful,” Ash said as he handed over the box.

  Yuki nearly ripped the box from his hands and squealed gleefully as she opened it. Inside was the elven bow along with a leather quiver that had been etched with small designs and trimmed in silver. “I love it,” Yuki said holding the bow like a baby. “I will treasure it forever master.”

  “Why do I feel like there is a big difference in treatment,” Emelia said slightly pouting.

  “Fuuu…I will treasure all of them…But,” Yuki said stumbling over her words.

  “It’s ok Yuki I think we understand,” Emelia said with a heartfelt smile.

  Yuki blushed a deep red and lowered her head. After a few seconds she stood up and started to put on her new gifts. The sword and quiver were easy enough but Yuki had never had her ears pierced before. Using the earring Shina pushed the pin though Yuki’s earlobe. Yuki let out a small “ufum,” as the small trickle of blood flowed from the wound. Once both were in place she twirled around a few times. “How do I look?” Yukie asked while striking a pose with her bow in hand.

  Seeing Yuki standing there wearing a pale blue dress with a sword and a leather quiver while holding a bow looked absolute absurd. Ash held back his laughter, but once Emelia started to laugh, Shina quickly joined in and Ash was no longer able to control himself.

  “Mou…” Yuki looked at the three while they laughed uncontrollably and pouted.

  “I’m sorry Yuki…You look great,” Ash said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “It’s just with the dress.”

  Ash and the others continued to apologize, but Yuki refused to smile until Ash agreed to let her sleep in his room for the night. Shina and Emelia were less than pleased with the decision, but because it was Yuki’s birthday they didn’t voice their complaints, but the daggers they were shooting with their looks told Ash their feelings.

  After the party, Yuki ran to her own room and quickly changed into her night gown then rushed to catch up to Ash before he had even ascended the stairs. She had taken off her earrings, sword, and quiver but she still held her elven bow tight in her hands. Ash started to say something, but seeing the content smile on her face Ash’s words faltered before they were even formed.

  Before sleeping, Ash and Yuki went through caring for their gear. Ash applied rubbed a little oil into the leather parts of his armor while Yuki waxed the bowstring and polished the guard of her new bow.

  Ash finished first and sat his armor aside, but Yuki was still playing with her new bow. Ash let out a small chuckle as he snuffed the small candle and crawled under the covers.

  Yuki let out a muffled whine, but Ash heard her sit her bow aside and felt as she nestled up next to him under the covers.

  4-7

  The next morning when Ash opened his eyes, Yuki had already left the room. It was a little early for her to normally be up, but he shrugged off the thought. After two days of rest with little to do, Ash was ready to go back to training. “I need a hobby,” Ash said to himself as he donned his armor and strapped on his sword. Other than training, he had nothing and that didn’t speak well for an interesting life.

  Ash had thought that he would go back to his normal practice schedule, but that was not the case. Zelan was happy with his current forms and wanted Ash to continue with making his own personal skill. Hearing this didn’t make Ash happy.

  When he had first thought up the new skill, he had really wanted to learn it, but after two days of being purposely beaten, that urge had died away but Zelan wasn’t going to let that happen. Though Zelan had ch
anged the training slightly as Ash no longer simply stood there taking blows. Now while Zelan and Shina attacked him, he was supposed to dodge as if it were a real fight. Shina was fast and her attacks swift, but alone Ash could now easily dodge them. Zelan on the other hand, was slightly faster than Shina, but his movements were on a whole different level. If Zelan attacked ten times, Ash would be hit ten times.

  As the sun started to reach its apex, Ash was relieved until Zelan informed him that they wouldn’t be going to the labyrinth until he the “special,” training was finished. By the end of the first day, Ash had to be carried to his room. Emelia made a large racket about the number of wounds covering his body, but Ash insisted that it was his own idea.

  Seven days passed like this and Ash was starting to think that his skin color would turn permanently purple if it kept up any longer. Each day he was beaten for hours. The first few days Shina was reluctant to hit Ash, but when Ash collapsed and Zelan ordered her to care for him her attitude changed. Now if Ash showed the slightest opening, she would attack with full force.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that his MP would run out after seven hours of circulation, Ash didn’t think he would have lived as long as he had. As he lay in bed after a day of beatings, Ash looked up at the celling, thankful that after a night of rest most the pain would be gone, through traces of the bruises would remain. It was an odd thing about this world. Minor wounds healed quickly, but they would still leave behind marks while if you received a large wound, it would heal slowly unless you used a potion or a healer.

  “Owwww,” Ash groaned in pain as he looked out the window to notice that the sun had already set. “Shina,” Ash yelled and as soon as the words left his mouth the door to his room opened and the fox woman entered the room.

  “Did you need something master?” Shina asked happily.

  Ever since his special training had started, she would stay outside his room until he fell asleep. At first she had tried to stay in the room, but Ash had quickly put a stop to that. “Has Yuki not come home yet?” Ash asked in a worried voice. Normally as soon as she came back she would check on Ash then oil his armor and sword.