He was a terrorist. She was a girl on her way home from vacation. He was going to blow up her plane, and everyone inside it. But sometimes strange things happen in the direst situations. A story of love, loss, and kindness in the most unusual circumstances.
I was going home. It had seemed like years since I last saw the islands of Japan. It was no more than two weeks ago. My time in Australia had made me miss home more than I thought I could.
The vacation had been fun. We'd gone to see the Great Barrier Reef, and attended the Sydney Opera House. I got pictures of giant rocks rising from the landscape like lost mountains, and kangaroos jumping along the side of the road, keeping pace with the car. It had been an extraordinary trip. The rough beauty of Down Under was simply breath-taking.
I looked at the pictures and smiled. Australia was only the first stop of many. One day, I was going to travel the world. I was going to live the cultures and breathe in the history. I would keep a scrapbook full of pictures, and write a book on my adventures. No place on the planet would be left behind. No stone left unturned, no blade of grass unfelt between my toes. The world would be mine. I could hardly wait to see it all.
"Attention passengers," I voice said over the intercom, "We are sorry for the delay. There has been a mix-up at customs. We thank you for being patient and if there is anything you need, our staff are more than willing to help. Have a good day, and enjoy the flight." The intercom buzzed off as the pilot finished his speech.
"We're finally going home, Kagome," Mom whispered excitedly in the seat beside me. She was leafing through one of the novels she picked up in Australia. The words were all in English, but she enjoyed trying to decipher them. It was a hobby of hers.
"I bet Grandpa's burned down the shrine by now," Souta said from the set of seats in front of us.
"Souta," Mom scolded, "Your Grandfather is just fine. He's been running that shrine for over forty years. He would rather give his life than let the shrine burn down."
"Good thing Hojo's watching over him then. I'm not sure which is worse: Coming home to a pile of ash, or a windbag with a backache who is too stubborn to die in a house fire."
"Souta!" Mom shouted, clearly not amused. I giggled though. It was so true. Grandpa could be shot five times in the chest and still get up to chase the 'demon spawn' that shot him.
"If anyone started the fire, it would be Hojo. Two weeks of Grandpa's stories could make an arsonist out of anyone," I said.
"Naw. It's the other way around. Hojo would brew some concoction that raises the dead, and Grandpa would try to rid him of evil with a 'sacred' sultra. Then he would trip over a sacred candle and set the sacred dining room curtains on fire."
Souta and I laughed, but Mom just sighed and went back to her reading. There was obviously no winning with us at the moment.
I wiped away tears, but they kept coming. Sometimes, I loved my little brother. Most of the time, we were at each other's throats. This vacation had definitely brought us closer together.
"Attention passengers." The intercom flickered back to life. "Thank you for your patience. I am pleased to announce that the issue has been resolved and we are now ready for take-off." There was a small cheer in the cabin.
"We ask that you fasten your seatbelts and make sure all personal belongings are tucked away in the overhead storage compartment. In case of emergency, assume the safety position as your stewardess demonstrates. We'll be back in Japan by five o'clock. We wish for you to stay in your seats during take-off. I assure you that all is well. Thank you."
As the intercom buzzed off again, I got a slightly nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something about the pilot's announcement didn't sound right. It was off, somehow… shaky.
I peered over at Mom. She was still engrossed in her book, the seatbelt strung tightly across her lap. By the sounds of it, everyone else was acting perfectly normal. They were chatting away like the pilot hadn't spoken a word.
I fingered my red and green scarf. I always did this when I was nervous. The scarf was a swirl of the two colours, weaving them in and out of each other. At a glance, it appeared like some festive Christmas scarf. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that the scarf had nothing to do with Christmas. The swirls were too chaotic, and yet, perfect in their own odd way. The scarf was fraying at the ends. I'd been wearing the same scarf everyday for eight years. The fact that it still held together was amazing.
I heard a collective gasp. I looked up, expecting to see the monster from Black Lagoon, or maybe Elvis Presley. What I saw was nothing close to either.
Three young guys walked into the economy part of the cabin. They couldn't have been that much older than me; a few years at most. One of them wore a faded purple shirt and had his hair tied in a rat's tail at the back of his neck. He wore a cheery smile that hinted at perverted thoughts. Another boy, taller than the last, had his hair tied up in a high ponytail. He wore a coat of faux fur, at least, I hoped it was faux fur. He had striking blue eyes clearer than the skies above the clouds. The third guy was the most unique of all. His glittering silver hair ran all the way down his back. He was dressed in jeans and a plain red T-shirt. His eyes were the colour of liquid gold, and on top of his head, two absolutely adorable dog ears twitched. The three boys were beautiful, yes beautiful enough to be supermodels. They were breath-taking.
And the most breath-taking part of all was the heavily armed guns resting in their hands.
You'll have to forgive me if I made and/or will make errors. I've never actually been on a plane before. This is all guess work. It's actually kind of sad that I've never been on a plane. I need to get out more.
I don't know when or if I'll update this. I'm still working on the early stages of 'Demon Prince' and that's my top priority. I've hit quite a snag with the writer's block, so I thought I'd post something so you didn't think I died. If anyone wants me to continue this, just let me know.
