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All he'd wanted was a simple walk in the park.

It wasn't too much to ask, right? With all the stress of schoolwork and the constant dodging of magical creatures and people in this messed up city of his - a walk in the park wasn't asking for much at all. Just a few minutes of peace and quiet as he collected his thoughts and enjoyed the unusual warmth that the end of February had provided them. How else was one to spend a beautiful day if not by cherishing the nature around them?

His hand had barely touched the wooden railing of the simple bridge that crossed over the small creek that ran in the middle of the park when he'd heard the noise. It had been a rustle in the distance, an angry, violent rustle followed by a series of yells and terrified hollers.

Soon, people were running towards him, enough sheer panic painted on their faces that he almost didn't make it out of the way in time for them to rush across the bridge, their footsteps echoing against the wood as they trampled their way out of the park.

Sigh.

Brown eyes searched the area for enough cover to provide him a hiding spout to transform in. There was a brush to the distance, maybe fifty or so feet away, and his loafers hastened their way towards the shade.

All he'd wanted was a walk, he mourned silently to himself as he wondered what sort of monster it was this time, invading something as innocent and defenseless as a park.

Just a simple walk.

Approach the shrouded picnic area from where the people had come racing out of, pointed ears perked up as he saw an illumination of sparks fill the area. And, as he heard a young voice call out an attack, Seal's Eye felt a small sense of relief. Someone else had already appeared on the scene and was going to take care of the situation - he could retreat back to the shadows and everyone would be none-the-wiser of his presence.

Eyes followed the girl who was far younger than most senshi he'd ever seen, wincing at both the sight of her being tossed like a ragdoll against the tree and the knowledge that, if he didn't step in and interfere, she might have her young life snuffed out by the looks of this Chaos beast.

Sigh.

Straightening up, he stared down the backside of the monstrous, half-tree looking creature. Its large limbs put it towering up at a good seven or eight feet in total. The empty chasms that replaced eye sockets were still trained on the little girl, until the Guardian cleared his throat and caught the monster's attention.

"You shouldn't pick on children, you know."

Not the most clever of comments to make, but it was enough to tear the monster away from the girl as it began to amble towards his direction. This way, the little girl could have another attempt at striking the youma from behind... if she caught on to the opportunity he was presenting her with.

Just in case, however, one hand moved up to remove the gloves from his tanned skin as icy blue eyes remained on the horrific monster in front of him. He wasn't in the mood to fight, but he also wasn't satisfied with watching an unfair one either.

He watched as the small child was tossed aside, a pained wince crossing his face as her body hit the ground with a sickening thwack. The beast was injured and in pain, its rage clearly amplified by the chibi senshi's attack. All focus had been returned to her and Seal's Eye knew it was only a matter of moments before the youma would seize the opportunity and finish off the youngster.

Mind racing, he darted forward. His bare hand moved down towards the monster's lumbering foot and slender fingers grasped around the dark ankle. In a flash, ice had formed within his grip and moved down towards the ground. Another moment and his hand moved towards the other foot, successfully sealing the creature to the ground.

The Guardian knew that it was only a temporary solution, so he kept his sandy head low as he snuck around the confused, screaming monster and made his way towards the fallen child. One hand moved to pull under her legs while the other gently lifted her head. Rising up, he cradled her body against his chest and turned to give the monster one last, brief glance before the two disappeared into thin air.


They were on a roof - he wasn't even sure of what roof, he'd just concentrated on a nearby building and they'd managed to make it on top of it. The biggest concern was getting away from the monster and he'd managed that - he'd worry about determining their whereabouts later.

Setting the little girl down to the ground, one hand remained cupped on the back of her head while the other moved to brush tangled strands of hair from out of her face.

"Are you alright, my lady?"

Ah, children. The most innocent and blunt of all the creatures that roamed the surface of the Earth.

He couldn't help but smile at her straightforwardness, the young man rising from his knees to take a step back and allow the girl both some space and fresh air. The rooftop had provided them some quiet distraction from the youma that was probably still rampaging across the park.

Well, what the little girl didn't know wouldn't hurt her - surely another senshi would come along and finish up the job the chibi had attempted to begin.

"You are correct, my lady. I am not a senshi."

One hand moved to his chest and he tilted forward, offering her a brief bow as he introduced himself. "I am Seal's Eye of Elysion. Protector of Dreams and maidens such as yourself."

Okay, so maybe that was a little hammy, but the showman in him couldn't resist adding a little bit of a dramatic flare to his own introduction. One hand extended itself out in offering to her. "And you would be...?"

Blue eyes widened slightly at the number of questions he found himself barraged with. Seal's Eye knew he was unnatural in the eyes of both the Order and of Chaos. He expected questions - there were always questions - but without the filter of an adult, a child was nothing but questions.

Glancing down at the small girl hugging his waist, both of his hands rose to symbolize the universal gesture of wait, please as he did his best to sift through her variety of questions in an attempt to clarify a few things. "I...I-Okay, we'll take things one at a time. Sound good?"

First thing first: "Seal as in the creature."

He didn't think to bother mentioning that the animal in question had been practically thrust upon him as an inconvenient curse - that would remain another secret, personal tidbit. Had he been given a choice, he'd have surely picked a more sleek, magnificent creature than a blubbery seal but... well, he wasn't given a choice in the matter.

"Elysion is..." He hesitated. Memories of invaders storming their land came to mind; despite this girl being nothing but a small child, there was always the chance that she would tell the others, who in turn would speak to others. Seal's Eye had no intentions of allowing Elysion to be available for their crude battle, no. It was a sanctuary and would remain so. In other words... it was time for a little, tiny, petite white lie. "...yes, my world. Without the dead heroes, I'm afraid."

What a morbid thought. Lonely sometimes, yes, but he'd take loneliness over the souls of the recently departed!

Finally: her latest question. Which brought a particularly puzzled expression on his face as she mentioned Morpheus.

"Aren't you a little young to be watching those movies?" Weren't they R-rated, after all? And what did the shady character have to do with dreams? Didn't the Matrix have to do with waking up and not dreaming?

Seal's Eye human counterpart clearly did not excel in mythological studies as the small, quizzical young lady did.

Regardless, he bent down to pick up the girl, returning the hug with a sincere embrace before setting her back down on the rooftop. "You are certainly most welcome, my lady. Now... do you have any other questions before I return us to somewhere a little more safe?"

He smiled, a little sadly.

"It's a beautiful planet. Unfortunately, it was tainted when some unwelcomed visitors decided to wage war upon it, but it has slowly regained back some of its former beauty over time."

Leaving out the tidbit that part of the responsible party had been her faction, he squeezed her hand gently. Little ones didn't know any better - they'd barely been tainted with the history of war. It was a shame that they had to be awakened at such a young age, as opposed to being allowed to remain a child and innocent for the few years they had left before the responsibilities and troubles of adulthood took over.

He paused, glancing down at her. "Would you like to see it?"

"Then far be it for me to keep a young maiden waiting."

In a blink, they were gone from the rooftop, leaving nothing but footprints in the dust behind. A second later and their feet were gently crunching against grains of sand, the sound of water rushing across the surface nearby. He'd taken them to the beach portion, where the land met the sea. Off in the distance, icebergs and rocky cliffs swelled atop the water's surface, but those were no places to take a young lady.

No birds were chirping - simply the calm sound of waves breaking as the foam receded back into the waters of his sea. The color was emerald, contrasting the bright blue cloudless sky up above.

This was his home and he cherished it deeply.

Squeezing her hand gently, he took a step forward and led her onto the sand. "Lady Ara, may I present to you: Elysion."

He smiled as he watched her enjoy the water lapping at her ankles. Children were once a nuisance to the young man but with time and maturity, Seal's Eye couldn't help but appreciate the innocence that all of them bore as they sought to learn all the answers of the world.

"No, I'm afraid no one lives here - though mermaids would liven the place up a bit, don't you think?"

Truth be told, he wasn't sure what he'd have thought about a cluster of merfolk taking residence in his water. He kept enough company from the fish and creatures of the sea, but none of them were able to vocalize back, none could hold a conversation with the lonely Guardian.

"It's quiet and peaceful. Good place to escape to for thinking, at least."

Turning the question around back to her, he walked calmly alongside her on the beach. "And what of you? Have you visited your homeworld yet?"