Chapter Nine
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"Hey, wake up," Cross said as he gave Makina a hard tap in the forehead. She batted his hand away frantically in response, her blue eyes flickering open.

"How dare you strike me! Do it again and I shall smite you where you stand," Makina said, her fists balling up.

"Sure you will. Come on. We have to switch trains." Cross gave her another thump on the head for good measure before departing. Fuming, Makina followed him.

"I thought you told me you were taking the train home when you first gazed upon my brilliance," she said, catching up to his longer stride with effort. "Are you too stupid to remember your way home? Even a dog can find it's way back to its master."

"The train I was on does take me directly home. The train we got back on after I saved you does not," Cross said, glancing up at the scheduled departures. "So now we get to wait again."

"It's been almost an entire day!" Makina whined. "How far out of our way did you take me?"

"Far," Cross said, his voice tired.

"Well then, it is obvious I am better off on my own," Makina said, stopping in her tracks. Cross slowly came to a stop and looked at her over his shoulder.

"You sure about that?"

"Quite. I would thank your for you assistance but you've only been a burden. Though I suppose that isn't entirely your fault, you being only a simple mortal."

"Right, then." Cross pointed across the concourse and at a small cafe. "If you change your mind, I'll be over there eating. You're welcome to join me."

Cross patted her on the head and headed across the concourse alone. He was seated quickly and was already perusing the menu when he heard a huff, followed by the scraping of a chair.

"You're back.” Cross looked up from the menu. "I thought you would have flown off by now or whatever it is a Goddess does."

Makina glared at him. "Careful mortal. I shall go as I please. I am a Goddess after all."

"Sure you are," Cross said, looking back at the menu. There was silence for a few minutes before Makina tapped on the back of his menu. He ignored her. She did it again. He continued to ignore her. With a small huff she slapped the menu out of his hands. His mouth twisted into a frown and retrieved the menu from the floor. "Was that really necessary?"

"You were ignoring me and I had a question."

"I'm sure it can wait."

She lifted her head haughtily. "I do not have to wait on you, you should be waiting on me! On bended knee no less. So far you have been nothing but rude and I nothing but kind.”

Cross gave her a blank stare. "What did you want to ask?"

"This book." She tapped on the menu. "What does it say?"

"You can't read?"

"Of course I can read." She grabbed the menu from his hands and squinting at the words. "Just… Just not these symbols." She thrust the menu back into his hands.

"This is not a book," Cross said. "It is a menu. It says what this restaurant will serve."

"Ah. Service! Finally." Makina brightened up. "In that case, I shall require a temple, a high priestess, and-"

"No." Cross shook his head. "Just... They serve food here."

"Oh." Her brow furrowed for a moment. "In that case, I will have the finest meal available. Perhaps a feast in my honor? It's not every day we grace you simple creatures with our divine presence."

"Do you know what a burger is?" Cross said, ignoring her tirade and putting the menu down with a sigh. She shook her head. "Good, you're having a burger."

"That doesn't sound like a meal fit for a Goddess," she said, tilting her head slightly.

"You'd be surprised." Cross mumbled, reaching forward and picking up his glass of water. He lifted it up to his lips and hesitated. He waited heartbeat before asking, "Are you thirsty?"

She looked away. "Yes, slightly. I have traveled far, you know. Even further actually, no thanks to you."

He put the glass down and slid it over to her. She stared at the glass for a moment before mumbling something and quickly taking a sip.

"I didn't catch that."

"I said you are lucky I have not smote you," she said, trying her best to glare intimidatingly at him.

Cross raised an eyebrow, running an eye over the petite girl in front of him. "Somehow, I'm not particularly worried about that."

Makina’s cheeks puffed out slightly and her lower lip jutted out. "Really, I can smite. I swear I can. I'm just not in the mood, and besides, I have decided that you amuse me. You're like a mouse and I am the cat. I shall play with you as I wish before killing you."

Cross ran a hand over his face and signaling for the waitress. After giving their orders he turned back to Makina and leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "Why were you out in the plains?"

"That is none of your business," Makina said, taking a large gulp of water and pulling an ice cube into her mouth. She crunched on it happily.

"Would you please tell me, I did fall off a moving train, you know,” Cross said. Makina stopped her chewing to regard him for a moment.

"I am not sure," she said before returning to her crunching.

"What?"

"I said I am not sure why I was out there. I am having trouble… remembering things. That is all. I'm sure it will come back to me."

"But you remember that you are a Goddess?"

"Yes."

"You said a Spirit Goddess."

"Y-yes," Makina said, her face falling slightly.

"But you don't know what of?" Cross pressed.

Makina reached into the glass and grabbed an ice cube. She flicked it towards Cross, catching him hard on the nose. He recoiled back and she let out a small giggle, wiggling her hand towards him and showering him with droplets of water

"You little brat," Cross muttered, wiping his face off.

"I do not wish to discuss this anymore," Makina said as though that settled the manner. In a way it did. Cross went silent and did not speak again until the food was brought. Still annoyed he bit into his burger, not noticing until he was halfway done that Makina had yet to begin eating.

"What?" He asked, exasperated.

"This does not seem dignified," she said, pushing the plate towards him. "Cut it into smaller pieces and feed them to me."

Cross pushed the plate back. "Either you eat it, or you go hungry."

"Then I shall go hungry and I will let the consequence of that rest on your head." She pushed the plate back towards him.

Cross stared at her for a long time before grabbing his knife and stabbing it into her burger. Dragging the knife back he split it in half. Makina glared at him as he pushed the plate back. "Eat."

"No."

"Then starve," Cross said as he leaned back and continued to eat his own food. After a few minutes Makina reached forward and took one of the halves. Glaring at Cross she nibbled on edge.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh wow."

That was the last thing Cross heard her say as she finally began to eat, with much more gusto than Cross had anticipated. Despite starting before her, he managed to finish quite a time after her.

"Time to go," Cross said, pulling out payment and leaving it on the table as their train arrived. Considerably more compliant, he managed to get Makina on that train with little snark. Falling into a seat across from her, he prepared for another round of annoyance, but almost as soon as the girl touched the chair she was asleep, her head resting lightly against the window. Cross rubbed at his temple, somewhere between amused and exhausted. Signaling a car attendant, he paid for a blanket and draped it over the sleeping girl before settling himself in for the final leg of their travel.

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