<em>"Wait wait wait, who are you? What the? How did you? When did? What? How?"</em><br/><br/>The girl...blinked, her soft brown eyes wide with wonder, taking in the room around her; Her knees folded beneath her, too-short kimono ending just before them, she shivered at the feel of the air, raising a hand- Then letting it drop.<br/><br/>"Outside," she murmured, wonderingly. "This is the *Outside*..."<br/><br/>Then her gaze fell on the boy before her, who'd scrambled back against the wall!<em>"Who are you?"</em>she answered, a perfect mimicry of his voice- Startlingly accurate, down to the slight hitch of surprise. "You opened the *book*?"<br/><br/>Gently, she raised those pale hands to Kenji's face, cupping it as she brought hers in close, giving him a good, long look at her elegant features...A moment before the slightest smile twitched at her lips, a mischievous glint in her eyes at his flustered expression?<br/><br/><em><strong>"Echo,"<strong></strong></strong></em>the girl ventured- Then, in his voice,<em>"Um, 'Kodama'?"</em>Quite suddenly, she bowed before him, low and deep, her frilly butterfly sash fluttering behind her, pitch-black hair falling over her face like a curtain.<br/><br/>"Thank you very, very much!" Kodama announced, sounding giddily happy- Almost entirely relieved to be out! "Thank you for letting me *Outside*...Master!"