Hello. My name is Luka. Presumably, if you're reading this book, you already know who I am and roughtly know my story.That story was published in video game format some time ago, and while the big picture is the truth, a lot of details were changed to make the story more compatible with what the designers were looking to accomplish with the game. So since people keep asking me questions, I thought I'd set the record straight on what really happened.
Let me start by saying that at the time our story begins, I actually didn't know who I was or where I came from. My life as far as I knew had begun just two years previous. I was told I'd been found wandering naked around the forest near Ilias Village, barely responsive. When asked, I could give my name and… not much else. The people of Ilias Village took me in and cared for me until I had enough wits about me to repay them with good honest work, which fortunately didn't take long because I didn't seem to be suffering from any serious physical damage aside from some hunger and dehydration. I must have been wandering aimlessly for a couple of days when I was found.
You already know this part, so I'll skip ahead to the important stuff. After my battle with the slime girl, I found a beautiful lamia in a crater. I checked her vital signs. She was clearly alive. Her eyes opened and she sprang up.
"Who are you?!" she demanded to know. "Where am I?"
"I'm Luka," I said. "And you're just outside of Ilias Village."
"She threw me that far? The strength of that girl!"
"Who?" I asked.
"Never mind that. Why didn't you try to kill me? I was just lying there. You could have been a hero."
"Kill you? Why would I do that?" I asked.
"So you don't hate monsters?"
"No, why would I? I figure there are good monsters and bad monsters, just like there are good and bad humans."
"Hmmm…" the lamia said, peering at me closely. "Do I know you?"
"I'm pretty sure we've never met," I said. "I would definitely remember someone like you."
"And I've never met a human before, and yet…. So strange. There's something familiar about you. So what are you doing out here?"
"Oh, you see, I was about to go on a journey, but just as I was about to leave, a slime girl got near the village.I had to drive her off."
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Alice asked pointedly.
"No, I don't think I did. Slime girls are pretty difficult to hurt."
"True enough. So this journey. What's it for?"
"I'm going to journey to the Monster Lord's castle and convince her to stop attacking humans," I said. "I think that monsters and humans can live in peace together. Plus I kinda lost my memory. I was hoping that new experiences might jog my memory. There's not much stimulus in Ilias Village."
"Like… amnesia or something?" Alice asked. "This story seems really familiar. Are you sure we haven't met? No, that's impossible. You're the first human I've ever seen. It must have been in a book I read or something."
"Well, it was nice to meet you," I said. "By the way, you're really beautiful. Are all monsters are lovely as you?"
"We vary, just like humans do. And thank you. You're mighty tasty looking yourself."
She licked her lips and I grew very uncomfortable. "Welp, I've gotta go. Got a journey to start."
Her tail lashed out and grabbed me, holding me in place. "Wait," she said. "This journey. Do you really believe monsters and humans can live in peace? And you think you're going to make that happen?"
"Well, not by myself of course. I just wanted to observe and learn. Maybe I'll notice things others haven't. Someone once told me that a lot of difficult problems can be solved just by putting a new pair of eyes on them."
"That's…. actually pretty smart," she said. "Someone I knew once said that as well. How about if I go on this journey with you?"
"That would be fantastic!" I said excitedly. "What better way to promote coexistence than for a human and a powerful monster to travel together? And besides, the journey will be dangerous! I could use an ally!"
"Now hold your horses there," Alice said. "I'm not-"
She paused, uncertain of herself.
"You're not… what?" I prompted.
"I'm not-" she started to say again.
"Not…."
"You know what?" Alice said finally. "You're right. The journey will be dangerous. But you have to learn to fight for yourself, understand? You can't just rely on me. But I'll make sure no monsters pick on you that you can't handle."
"I appreciate that. Does that mean you'll let me go now?"
"Oh yeah… sure," Alice said, and loosened her tail to set me free.
"I'm just going to go back and get some things for the journey, okay?" I said. "wait right here and I'll meet you in about.. fifteen minutes?"
"Be quick," Alice admonished. "My time is valuable. And bring food!"
I dashed off, towards Ilias Village, to recover my travel supplies. For some reason I was eager to travel with her, and scared to death that she might change her mind while I was gone. She was beautiful, sure, but why did it matter to me so much that she be there when I returned?
"Bwahahahaha!" Ilias laughed as she gazed down at the surface. "All is proceeding according to plan!"
"What is the plan, exactly?" Eden asked. "I thought the whole point of creating your own world was that you wouldn't be bound by the correct history. But here I see that you're reenacting it?"
"Oh, no," Ilias said. "This time… we're going to do things a little differently. Those two deserve their happily ever after and I'm going to see that they get it. Without the trauma of having to fight against a crazy goddess waging a genocidal war."
"While that would probably be the worst of it," Eden acknowledged. "There are many more ways this can end badly for them. Luka could get eaten by a monster. He could make a bad decision that alienates Alice. Or she could alienate him. Clearly their memories aren't completely wiped. There is a preexisting affinity there. But there are many inflection points on this adventure. Any one of them could break them apart."
"And so I'll just rewind time," Ilias said. "And I'll keep on rewinding it until they get their fucking happily ever after! I can do that now! This is my universe! My rules!"
"I'm pretty sure there are still consequences," Eden pointed out. "Even in a universe you created, there has to be causality."
"Causality shmausality," Ilias scoffed. "There's no Black Alice here to mess things up. I copied Alicetroemeria's timeline. She lived happily ever after with Heinrich and they ushered in a golden age of human/monster coexistence. Now five hundred years have passed and things are starting to revert back to the way they were. So a new monster lord and a new hero are needed to set things right again. It's the perfect scenario. And I've made it as easy as I can while still providing enough stress and stakes to bring them together. They can't possibly fail! And if they do… voila! Rewind! What could possibly go wrong?"
"Well, if you're on top of it, I guess it will all work out, goddess," Eden conceded grudgingly.
"You know, I liked the Eden that trusted me unconditionally a lot better."
"I was on my own for thirty years. My perspective changed somewhat. I still follow you unconditionally, my goddess. But experience has shown that you should be… questioned now and then."
"I'll allow it," Ilias replied. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I'm officiating the wedding, by the way. Shit! That'll be in only a few weeks! We have to plan! Eden, get on it! I want it to be the most magical wedding of all time!"
"I exist to serve you," Eden said. "But if I may ask a few more questions…."
"Go ahead," Ilias said irritably. "I'm trying to be a better person. I guess that means tolerating questions."
"I understand why Luka doesn't remember anything. You possessed only a tiny part of his soul. But why wipe Alice's mind? If you wanted them to be together, I can think of no better way than for Alice to guide him through the experience. Let her decide for herself how much to reveal to him and when."
"Alice's brain was too fragmented," Ilias answered. "She was holding it together as best she could, but she was on a path to a mental breakdown again. She'd lived too many lives, and they weren't similar enough to make her sense of self cohesive. Wiping her memory was the only cure for that."
"So they will live this live as if it is their only life," Eden concluded. "While I recognize that it might make them happier, it still denies them agency. I don't feel right about it."
"Well then it's a good thing I have this," Ilias said, slapping a large tome into Eden's hands. Eden looked at the cover. It read, "Luka's Story."
"He wrote a book?" Eden asked. "When did he have time to do this?"
"About half of it was written during his long life before he died and merged with his other self on the Paradox world," Ilias said. "The other half I compiled from his journal. I was able to write it from his perspective since I could read minds and all. I think I did well. It helps that I can now relate to the things he was going through."
"So you'll give this to him at some point?" Eden asked.
"I was thinking that would be their wedding gift. You're right. They deserve to know everything. Since it's not possible for me to give Luka his memory back, and I can't give back Alice's without doing more harm than good, this is the best way to let them find out who they used to be."
"It seems you've thought of everything, goddess. Congratulations. I already like this new world you've created."
"Of course I thought of everything!" Ilias replied. "It sure feels good to have my full capacities back! This Is what real power is, Eden. The power to create. The power to destroy. The power to make people happy. And now that I understand what makes people happy, I'm going to make them be happy! Yes, yes, I'll give them everything they want and I'll give it to them good and hard!"
"Ilias…" Eden cautioned.
"I know, you don't have to say it! I need to stop being a control freak! I'm trying, okay!? I can't change eons of habits in a day! Just… keep on questioning me, okay? I really do appreciate you, Eden. Don't let me get full of my own glory again, okay?"
"If that is how you wish to be served, my goddess, I would be delighted to serve you in that way," Eden said with a smile.
"Thank you. Now if it's not too much trouble, can you monitor the future lovebirds? I'm going to start enjoying my little playground."
"Your playground?" Eden asked skeptically. "Shouldn't you be taking this world creating thing a little more seriously?"
"In good time, my dear Seraph, in good time," Ilias promised. "I just got here! And I've been through hell! Let me have some ME time, okay?"
"I've spent the last thirty years keeping chaosization at bay," Eden pointed out.
"And I thank you for that! I just need a little more from you! This is easy by comparison. Just watch Alice and Luka, and if anything bad happens, let me know."
"Where are you going to be?"
"Oh, just getting to know some of my creations," Ilias said. "There are some very hungry ropers in northern Ilias continent who need feeding. As their benevolent goddess, it is my duty to satisfy their hunger. Behold!"
Ilias waved her arms dramatically and transformed into the handsomest man Eden had ever seen. He was blonde, with perfect features, a fit body with rippling muscles, with eyes she just wanted to melt into.
"I am Elias, the next great hero!" the man declared. "I shall slay those evil monsters down below! Of course I won't. I'm totally getting eaten. Do I look delicious enough?"
Eden was at a loss for her words, both due to the shock of Ilias'actions and her incredibly attractive male form. "I… uh… yes, in fact you look so delectable I want to eat you myself."
"Would you?"
"If my goddess commands it."
"We are definitely going to have this conversation again," Elias promised. Eden could already see an erection bulging in his pants. Why did Ilias have to make her male form so… well endowed?
Eden nearly collapsed, so weak were her knees when Elias flashed her a dazzling smile. And then he was gone. Eden quickly cast her divine gaze out to the northern continent, seeking to find Elias. He was already making his way through the forest, sword drawn, heading straight for a particularly attractive roper girl.
Eden didn't want to see what happened next. It wasn't jealousy. Eden loved her goddess, but not that way. She'd simply beem momentarily overcome by her transformation. Ilias had chosen a form sure to attract any monster girl. Or angel for that matter.
No, the real reason Eden wasn't going to watch was that she had work to do. Eden took her assignments very seriously. Ilias was right. Watching over Alice and Luka would be easy. The real project was what came later. Much later. Eden teleported to another section of heaven. If possible Ilias had made heaven even more vast. She would need the space. Since she had actually created this world, Ilias had felt a responsibility to her creations. The first thing she had done was assign Eden the task of making a true heaven. A place where the souls of the good could know eternal happiness. Alice and Luka would live here one day, and Eden wanted it to be perfect. Now what did people like? They seemed to like a lot of things. Sports, music, food, sex… Ilias of course wanted there to be endless orgies, but Eden knew that humans' minds weren't in the gutter all the time. Yes, it was good that Ilias assigned thist task to me, Eden thought. I shall build a proper heaven, one worthy of the souls that will be admitted here. It was time to fulfill some promises that had up till now been forgotten.
Eden sensed that Ilias had returned to heaven. Already? Eden teleported back to the Ilias temple. Ilias lay there on the ground in her female form, quivering.
"My goddess!" Eden said with alarm. "Are you all right?!"
"That… was… awesome!" Ilias screamed, springing to her feet. "That completely blows away sex! And that was just a stupid roper! What will a lamia feel like?! Or a dragon girl?! Or a slime?! I'm going back! Why do I do anything else with my time?!"
"Ilias, stop!" Eden ordered.
Ilias was so taken aback by Eden's commanding tone that she obeyed.
"Ilias," Eden said. "You are a true goddess now. Not just a spirit pretending to be a goddess, but the real article. Not only do you have your full divinity back, you carry a portion of Luka's power as well. That is a tremendous responsibility."
"Yeah, y eah, I get it. I'm not evil anymore, Eden!"
"You never were evil," Eden countered. "It's easy to call what you were at one time evil in hindsight, but at the time, you thought you were just, that the lies and the brutality were all justified to fight greater evils. But if you go all the way in the other direction, indulging any perversion your mind can think up, you won't be any better. Do you truly want to be the goddess the world needs?"
"Yes," Ilias replied, sulking. "I guess you're right. While my commandments on purity were overly judgmental and stringent, I did have a point. Addiction is bad. It warps the mind, makes you justify evil in the pursuit of the addiction. At best, it will make it hard to focus on my job. Okay, I'll stop letting myself get raped and eaten by monsters."
"You don't have to stop entirely. Just…. Not every day. But it's okay to treat yourself for a job well done now and then."
"But I just have to know what every monster that consumes humans feels like! Hmmm… maybe if I used a proxy…."
Alicetroemeria stared at the inn. Fear was not a familiar emotion to her. She was the Monster Lord. The most powerful Monster Lord in generations. She had utterly dominated the world. She was popular with her people, at least the ones she hadn't exiled or had executed. Everything had seemed so perfect. Things had gotten boring in recent years, however. So when she'd received word of a great hero that might be strong enough to challenge her reign, she was so amused she had to come see for herself.
She could have murdered him on the spot. He was strong for a human, no question, but laughably weak compared to her, or even a queen level monster. But she found him intriguing. He was boyishly handsome and rather than the stereotype of a brutal, monster-hating hero, he had a kind heart, never attacking a monster who didn't attack him first and always using the minimum force necessary to deal with the ones who did attack humans.
That being said, he'd been a religious fanatic. That amused her. She resolved that instead of slaying him, she would corrupt him. That would be a great deal more fun and she hadn't enjoyed a true challenge in decades. But instead of corrupting him, she found that she enjoyed running around towns and villages doing good for people. Although she had her fans, she had never been liked. She had tried to tell herself that disguising herself as an ordinary human mage had made humans more friendly to her, but she had come to realize that it was more than that. Far from her belief that humans were despicable, hateful, perverted creatures worthy only as livestock, they had real lives, real hopes. She had begun to question her beliefs. She had begun to question her methods.
She hadn't let it show. She still treated her adventure with Heinrich as a game to be won. She would think about what she had learned from Heinrich after corrupting him and making him hers. Just before the offworlders had appeared, she'd shared a kiss with Heinrich. He was falling for her. She had laughed at the time, knowing that the moment was close. Once she experienced her power, her body, he would be hers, mind, body, and soul. But remembering the kiss now…. She realized that he had won her, not the other way around.
She assumed that up until the offworlders had come, her counterparts must have had experiences much like hers. So why did it all go so wrong? What had happened between that kiss outside of Succubus Village and her castle? That was still a mystery. It scared her. She knew how it ended: with her death, and shortly after, Heinrich's. And then her life had gotten even worse. She had gone completely mad. Alicetroemeria's madness had always been partly an act, to keep her enemies guessing. Had she been driven insane by death? By her lost love? Or was that just a road she had always been headed down, regardless of whether she had met Heinrich?
Steeling herself, she entered the inn and went to the pub near the entrance. Sure enough, Heinrich was still there, nursing a very light drink. She saw him with new eyes. He was perfect: kind, handsome, and yet with a little bit of darkness that she could relate to, unlike that goody two shoes Luka. With trepidation, she sat across from Heinrich.
"Oh, you're back," he said happily.
"How long have you been waiting here,exactly?" Alicetroemeria asked.
"A few weeks. Not at this table. I do need to sleep, of course. But you told me you'd return, so I waited."
"All this time, for me? You didn't think something had happened to me?"
"You're the most gifted and smartest mage I've ever seen," Heinrich said proudly. "I guess at some point I would have had to give up and continue on alone. But I knew that no matter what you were facing in that other world, that you'd defeat it. After all, you're the heroine of this story, as you always remind me."
In that moment, Alicetroemeria knew how her counterpart had felt. She loved this man more than power, more than life itself. If he told her to give up her throne, she would abdicate for her sister without even thinking about it. Heinrich truly believed in her. No one had believed in her so innocently, with so much certainty. She felt a pang of guilt at how she'd deceived him and strung him along for the past several months. She felt even more guilty that before she won him over, she would first have to break his heart. Would he forgive her? Could he accept her for who she truly was? What would happen to her if he didn't? Oh well, she hadn't gotten to her place of power by being afraid to take chances. It was time to take the ultimate risk.
"Heinrich?" she said. "There's something I need to tell you…."
The wedding was extravagant. No expense had been spared. These were two heroes who had saved the world from annihilation. The wedding was so big that the pope officiated.
"Do you, Sonya, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the pope intoned. "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until the day you rejoin your goddess in heaven?"
"I do," Sonya said excitedly, a single tear falling.
"And do you, Luka, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To cherish and treasure all the years of your life, until the day you rejoin your goddess in heaven?"
"I do," Luka said solemnly.
"Then… you're married!" the pope declared. "May it be so forever!"
The young couple took each other's hands and tore through the crowd. The reception began. Iliasville had never seen such a party. Ancestors were there. Archangels were there. Kings and queens, the queens being both human and monster.
"Sonya, this is making me pretty uncomfortable," Luka said. "After all, what did I do?"
"You saved me," Sonya answered. "And by saving me, you saved the world at a point where all would have been lost. Isn't that enough?"
"I don't know. I just feel like…. Wasn't I supposed to do all this? I feel like a slacker."
"It all worked out for the best," Sonya replied. "I got my Luka. Alice got hers. At least… I think that's what happened. Promestein seems pretty sure of it."
"I sure hope it worked out for him. He was a good guy. We experienced a lot together."
"Oh? And what kinds of things did you experience with him? Were they experiences that you should have been burying yourself during?"
Sonya raised an eyebrow. Luka quailed under her glare. He'd hidden for most of those naughty encounters, but there had been some… he'd just been too intrigued. All had taken place after Sonya had made love to him. Before then, he'd hidden, saving himself. For someone special. That someone special had turned out to be Sonya.
"You were my first, Sonya," Luka said truthfully. "And from now on, my only."
"Good answer," she laughed. "Now if you'll excuseme, I have some dances to get to. You too, Luka, there's a lot of pretty ladies that want to dance with the groom. Remember to stay at least six inches apart."
With monsters? Luka thought in disbelief. He'd be lucky to not get stripped right on the dance floor! He decided to play it safe and ask Raphaela to dance. She was pure, after all. She would never take advantage of him.
"So how are things going with Ilias having disappeared?" Luka asked Raphaela as they slow danced.
"Micaela has been elected our leader," Raphaela answered.
"Really? You had an election?"
"We did," Raphaela confirmed. "There were many candidates. I vied for the position myself. We could have fought it out, as the monsters do, but we decided to take a more civilized approach. We voted."
"Do you think it'll be okay, with the Dark God the most powerful being in the universe?"
"I think it will be. And if it does not, we have a hero to fight on our side. We know now that you have the potential. You are one of us. Your power is different from the other Luka's, but potent enough in its own right. Should the need arise, you wil be called upon. Remember that there are more potential threats in the cosmos than the Dark God. For now, she seems… optimistic that there can be coexistence."
"That's a lot of pressure," Luka said. "But you know…. With friends like you, and the Ancestors, and especially Sonya… I think I can do it!"
"That's the spirit, young Luka!" Raphaela said. Luka jumped as she gripped his buns in both hands.
"Um…. I think I need to pee."
"So darln'," Lazarus said, "Still made at me?"
"Livid," Sonya replied. "And don't think that big mansion in Iliasburg that you bought with your ill gotten gains makes things better."
"What if I told you I'm gettin' out of the organized crime business? Going straight."
"If you throw getting sober in there as well, I might think about forgiving you."
"Deal!" Lazarus laughed. "You know, seeing how my counterparts all come to a bad end…. I think I'm going to just relax. Get a hobby. Apparently I'm rebellious by nature. Who knew?"
Sonya laughed as they danced.
"My, but you are tasty," the Monster Lord said as she held Luka's tiny hands.
"Guh," Luka replied.
"I'm sorry, my dear. I'm flirting to distract myself. Losing my daughter, even if she is happy and well…. Ah, destiny can be so cruel! But apparently I do not have to watch my back anymore. Death no longer seeks me out. The true history doesn't matter anymore. With any luck, I have a long life in front of me. Perhaps my daughter will find a way to visit me one day."
"I'm sure she will," Luka replied. "If Ilias can take them to another world, I'm sure she can bring them back."
"Eventually. I'm reading their story. Promestein said that Ilias left her a book. Alice must learn about her past lives in her own good time. And then, when she is ready, we can be reunited."
"I'd like to meet Luka again, myself," Luka said. "It would be nice to shake hands with him, rather than be on the inside."
"Speaking of being on the inside," the Monster Lord said, leering at Luka. "How would you like to-"
"Oh, I think my dad is calling me! Gotta go!"
The Monster Lord smiled as Luka ran to his new father.
"It is so weird seeing her alive," Marcellus said.
"it's even weirder dancing with her," Luka replied. "She's so huge!"
"Large women are the best women," Marcellus chuckled. "I think I'm going to dance with her. She looks lonely."
"Behave yourself, dad!"
"Don't I always?" Marcelllus chuckled.
Marcellus approached Alipheese the Fifteenth and offered his hand. Alipheese smiled and accepted his invitation.
"Still as elegant as ever, Marcellus," the Monster Lord said.
"I learned from the best."
"You mean Tamamo?" she joked.
"Exactly," he said, performing a dip with the Monster Lord that was only possible due to his enhanced strength.
"Oh my," the Monster Lord exclaimed. "It is so good to do this with you once again. It's been a long time since we went on a journey together. Perhaps we could recreate it?"
"With a better ending, I hope?"
"The ending was my daughter. What better ending could there be?"
"Shhh…. Luka would be very weirded out if he knew. No one must ever know but us."
"I know," the Monster Lord laughed. "I'm discreet, you know that. Thank you for not killing me like you did in literally every other tlmeline, by the way."
"DIdn't you want me to?"
"In all but this one."
"Well, I'm glad Luka stopped me. Maybe I will take you up on that offer to travel."
"I do need a new heir, after all," she said flirtatiously.
Sonya sat at the hotel desk, thinking. Luka lay asleep in the huge heart-shaped bed of their honeymoon suite. Her wedding night had been everything she'd ever dreamed of. She'd set her sights on Luka since she'd hit puberty. Now he was hers. She'd once feared that this naïve, inexperienced Luka would no longer hold any interest for her, but that had been far from the case. Although his memory was still spotty, he'd experienced much of what the other Luka had experienced. That meant he'd experienced it with Sonya as well. And it had matured him, just as it had matured her.
"Kyuu!!!" Nuruko said in her heart.
"Yes, Nuruko," Sonya laughed. "I know he's dreamy.
"Kyuu!!"
"No, Nuruko, you can't have sex with him outside my body. If you want a piece of Luka, it has to be with me. And I don't mean a threesome!"
Sonya had been surprised to find Nuruko still inside her after Luka's power had swept away all chaos. All except the chaos spirit. Since chaos was a natural force, and impossible to destroy without grave consequences for the universe, Luka's power had spared the chaos spirit. But that had not been all.
Sonya concentrated. Her arm transformed into a laser rifle. It was the only thing she could still do, but it meant that the apoptosis was not completely gone. She'd have to tell Luka at some point. But not now. This was their honeymoon.
"Kyuu!"
"Thanks, Nuruko, that makes me feel better. As long as I'm in control, it's not a bad thing, right? The world needs heroes. Human heroes. Luka can't take that burden all upon himself. If trouble comes to us again, Sonya Chaos will be there by his side."
"So where are we going first?" Alice asked.
"I thought we'd hit Iliasburg," I said. "There's a lot of good food there."
"Ama Ama Dangos!" Alice said happily. "I can't wait!"
"They've got a lot more than that!" I said enthusiastically. 'But we'll see everything on this journey! And eat everything!"
"Oh, I am really starting to like you," Alice said, her mouth watering. Which made me hot and also nervous.
"Hey, watch it!" Alice cautioned, stopping me with her hand on my chest. "You almost disturbed a mandragora! They can paralyze you!"
I looked down. There was a small plant on the ground, in the middle of the road.
"Wow, thanks for the warning, Alice!" I said appreciatively. "I don't know if I could have handled that on my own!"
"No problem," Alice said with a smirk. "Shall we continue? It's a bit of a walk and I'm already hungry."
"Since you saved my life, how about we walk for a couple of hours and break for lunch? You haven't tasted my cooking yet. I've been told I'm an excellent cook."
"A couple of hours? All right, it's a deal. I'll have to save your life more often. Lead the way, fake hero."
"I'm not a hero, so how can I be a fake hero?" I asked, annoyed.
"You've still got a hero complex even if you're not baptized. But that can be a good thing. In moderation."
We began walking again, Alice close by my side. Without warning, she reached out her arm and gave me a slight hug from the side.
"What was that for?" I asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "Something just tells me that we're going to be great friends."
Smiling, holding hands, we resumed walking, heading towards our future.