Chapter one- A interesting story
"So you have never been there in your entire life?"
"No Mai for the tenth time today I have never set foot in that room before" I said as we were walking up the stairs.
"But you grew up in this house! Weren't you curious?"
I groaned "Yes I was Mai, but the door was always locked and the my mom always said it was haunted…"
I saw Mai grin "And you believed her?" She laughed
"Yeah I did" I realized how stupid that sounded "I was like six years old then okay, and after that I never gave it much thought anymore… It was just the room that never opened"
"Ahw how cute, I can almost picture a young Natsuki being terrified of a locked door"
"MAI!" She was laughing.
We had reached the attic now and I pulled a old dusty key out off my pocket. I almost felt a little nervous as I put the key in the lock of the big wooden door. It was a weird idea to finally enter the attic. I turned the key and heard a click. The door was open.
"Well here it goes" I said and pushed it open and stepped inside with Mai following close behind.
"WHOA! This is amazing! Look at all the stuff in here" Mai exclaimed excitingly " it looks so old… look it's so dusty. Natsuki do you think we can sell the dust to some museum? It must be ancient"
I smiled at her and walked further inside. I kneeled in front of a drawer and started looking at what it contained. Mai did the same on the opposite side of the dusty room.
"Natsuki, this is so exiting, everything in here is probably not touched and seen in years. Who knows what secrets may lay hidden inhere"
"Old cups" I said and showed her a few cups I had found in the drawer. They where torn by the process of aging.
She chuckled "There must be something more interesting in here Natsuki, maybe a old treasure map or a diary of a old man with his deepest secrets. Come on use your imagination for once Natsuki"
"Fine fine, so treasure hunting it is. Understood" I mumbled and continued digging in the old mess.
This was me. Natsuki Kuga, twenty-one years old. I live in a small town in England that wasn't listed on most maps. I have a deceased father and a mother who travels over the world because of her job as a scientist. Forcing me to spend most my childhood with nannies. And after I turned twenty-one two months ago my mom had finally decided to let me live alone. First I had been overwhelmed with joy of having this home completely for myself, but after a while I figured that being alone also meant cleaning the house alone and cooking alone. Which I wasn't really good at and lacked the time to do it since I was still attending college. And when Mai visited me a while ago she was shocked to find the mess I created. She immediately decided I wasn't allowed to live alone and moved in. She turned out to be extraordinary good at cooking and cleaning and was looking for a place to stay anyway.
We had cleaned the whole house together and that was when we found the key to this room. I still didn't really understand why no one bothered to chance this room for such a long time. There was all kinds of furniture that would probably break if I would sit on it. There where books that where so old that some of them where hand written and some would fall apart if you tried to open them.
I switched position and opened another drawer. This one was completely empty except for a small box made of wood. It was beautiful, or at least it had been when it was new. Now it was torn, cracked and full of holes. But still I could see the decorations that where on it clearly. There was a picture of a woman, probably slightly older than me, with long curly hair, cut out on it. And she was surrounded by plants, leaves, birds and butterflies. She had been beautiful.
Curiosity got the best of me and I carefully opened the wooden box. I was disappointed to see it only contained a letter, folded up. I picked it up. It seemed like time hadn't touched it at all. it was looking like it had been written yesterday. I unfolded it and began reading.
Friday 13 September 1852,
Today will be the day I shall bid farewell to my loved ones. It seems there is no place for me in this world anymore. I pray that my daughter will not be affected by my early departure and live on happily with her life. It is the least she deserves. She never had it easy with a emotional depressed widow as only parent. I hope now she will get the love I was unable to give her.
I wish there was a other solution for me but I am afraid there is not. I cannot continue this any longer. Even hell would be a better fate. The loneliness and saddens I feel on a daily base is enough to kill anyone. I hope my mind will finally be in peace now. This will be my last attempt to end my endless torture. If my daughter had not existed I would have done this sooner. I tried to make the best of it for her sake. But my limit has been reached here.
Today will be the day I shall end my life.
I hope that the village will accept and raise my daughter as their own child.
May God forgive me for my sins,
Shizuru Fujino
I was speechless. Poor woman, I felt really sorry for her. This had been her final goodbye. It was a very desperate letter, the woman probably was out of options. And in a last desperate attempt to stop her pain she ended had her life. Wait! Fujino? That was my mother's maiden name. She changed her name into Kuga when she married my dad. That meant this woman was a ancestor of me! And her daughter was probably some great great great great grandmother of me.
I looked up and saw that Mai's her was buried in a pile of books, probably trying to find the most interesting, or a treasure map. I turned my attention to the box and letter again. I gasped. In the box was a small golden locket with a photo of a young woman on it. I was sure it hadn't been there the last time I checked. I looked closer, the woman was beautiful. It was a old worn black and white photo but still I could make out most of her features. She had long light colored hair and dark intense looking eyes. She looked like she had been through a lot. She was smiling but her eyes seemed like she just witnessed the death of a loved one. They where full of saddens and pain. And I realized it was the same woman as on the wooden box.
I picked up the necklace the locket was attached to. And held it up so the locket was hanging in front of my eyes. I carefully moved my index finger closer and stroked the picture.
It lightened up.
I blinked. I didn't believe my eyes. But there it was. Shining like a star. I wanted to throw it away but I couldn't move a muscle. Then everything went to quickly for me. The light got brighter and I was suddenly enveloped in a intense white light. "Mai!" I yelled and turned around. But there was no Mai. And no room. I looked at my hand, the locket was also gone. Then the white light chanced into all sorts of colors and shapes I couldn't identify. And the next moment I felt some hard object hit me in the back. My eyes closed in pain.
Everything stopped moving.
I didn't know how long I was lying against the object. Seconds, minutes maybe hours. I decided I had to do something. Slowly I opened my eyes a little, terrified at what I would see. But I only saw something blue. The sky. I moved my head a little so I could see what had hit me in the back. It was stone, ground, tiles. I was lying on a stone floor. I moved my body a little and discovered I wasn't in pain. Slowly I sat up and looked around. I was on a… train station? It was a rather odd one. It looked like the set of a old English roman. The only thing that was lacking where two people embracing after their reunion. My god, what happened, what did I do?
I stood up. And took a few steps. Everything here looked so old. There were no clocks, glowing signs, elevators or escalators. And it was completely empty as far I could see. The only thing that made this place a train station was the rails that I was standing in front of.
"Excuse me?"
I turned around and saw a woman my age sitting on a bench a just a few meters away. She was wearing a long brown coat and a old fashioned hat. She had long chestnut colored hair and deep, intense, crimson colored eyes.
The woman from the locket, it was her! Flashed through my head.
"May I be so rude to ask what you are doing? I saw you suddenly lie on the ground. Are you okay?"
"Uh… yeah" I stuttered, this was too confusing. "I'm fine I was just… I tripped, yes I tripped!"
Smooth Natsuki, real smooth
"Ara, that's odd, I didn't see you walk or trip. Where did you came from? There was no train and there are no exits from the direction you just came from. Did you came flying perhaps?"
Crap, she's on to me… I probably wouldn't believe me either…
"Well you see… I came from…" Yeah how was I going to explain I somehow just transported here from my attic.
She chuckled and put a hand to her mouth. "Excuse me, that is none of my business. I am afraid my curiosity got the best of me. Can you forgive me miss… uh…"
"Kuga… Uh Natsuki Kuga is my name"
She smiled and held out her hand. "Can you forgive me miss Kuga? Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Shizuru Fujino"
Fujino! The woman who wrote the letter! My ancestor. But… didn't she kill herself? ... WAY in the past!?
"Something wrong miss Kuga?" Shizuru tilted her head to the left.
"No! I… I was just wondering… what is today's date?"
Someone had to be fucking with my mind.
"It's Friday the thirteenth today. Friday thirteen September 1852 to be precise… why?
That was the date of the letter she had written. She was going to kill herself today.
"Oh, I had forgotten it" It was the best reply I could think off.
She smiled again. "Your one curious woman you know that miss Kuga. Quite extraordinary if I may say so"
"Please just call me Natsuki, calling me miss Kuga makes me sound so old don't you think?"
She laughed a little. "Yes it does, okay then Natsuki it is. But in return you must call me Shizuru"
Now it was my turn to smile "Of course Shizuru. May I ask what you are doing here so alone without any luggage.. are you waiting for someone?
Her smile disappeared and I saw pain flicker in her eyes.
"No, I just… I was waiting for something yes…"
Suddenly there was a loud roaring, I turned around. There was a train coming. It was a steam locomotive. The picture was complete. It was clear now. By some unexplainable way I had ended up in the past. I hoped this was all just a bad dream. That I had hit my head against the drawer when I had tried to call Mai and that I was now lying unconscious on the floor of my attic.
The train stopped and the doors were opened. Shizuru slowly took a step forward.
"Is that your train Shizuru?" I asked carefully. She had been staring at the train and upon hearing her name she looked at me. Her eyes were filled with doubt.
"Natsuki I have to- " Her voice wavered and she looked desperate. "I am going to-"
Tears formed in her eyes, in embarrassment she covered them with her hands. I was shocked and without thinking I moved forward and embraced her. She cried out on my shoulder.
Now the scene was complete. Two people on a train station embracing in front of a train that was about to departure. There was even steam. How cliché. I stroked her back gently. The doors where closed again and a loud horn woke us up from our embrace.
I looked at Shizuru and she looked back at me with watery eyes. "What is wrong Shizuru? Is this your train? Are you afraid to go?"
She shook her head and tried to smile. "No, I was just waiting for… something, but it seems that it won't happen today"
"Oh" I mumbled confused. The train began to ride again. Shizuru looked at it intensely and sighed. "I missed my chance, this was the last train today" I heard her whisper.
"Huh?"
The train left the station and continued its journey. Shizuru suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "It's nothing, come on let's leave this station, or are you planning to spend the night here?" I noticed it was already dusk, within a hour it would be dark.
"No, I hope I can find something better than this" I joked and started to walk away, still holding Shizuru's hand.
"You haven't found a place to sleep yet?" She sounded surprised as she walked next to me.
Shit, I hadn't even thought off that…
"No I haven't… I just stumbled on this train station remember"
"Oh right, my my you are clouded in mystery aren't you?"
" Yeah I suppose I am.. but do you know a place to sleep, I don't feel much for sleeping on a bench"
She chuckled "No, I don't think that is very save for a young and beautiful lady like you" I blushed. "You could try the local inn… But I heard they aren't very friendly towards woman, so if you aren't planning to sleep with the bartender I wouldn't go there if I was you" She grinned.
"NO, that won't happen" I refused to let my first time be like that.
"Then I'm afraid there aren't much options left for you, this is a small village after all"
It was quite for a while.
"You could sleep at my house if you want…"
"Your house?"
"Yes, it's is big enough for five Natsuki's and its better than sleeping on a bench or with the bartender. And I think my child would love it if we had some company. We don't get that very often"
"Oh yeah… you have a daughter right?"
She gasped and stopped walking "How did you know that?"
Crap! That was true. She didn't tell me, it was written in her letter.
"Uh… I…" Oh how was I going to save myself from this. "I … Just forget that okay?" I looked at her. "Please?" She looked back and smiled. "Forget what?"
I grinned. And we continued out trip "So what's her name?"
"Her name is Kiyonia, but we usually call her Kiyo. Short and simple, It's not a common name I know but I just love it so much" She laughed.
"It's a beautiful name Shizuru" She looked at me. "Yes it is" She whispered. "Just like her"
"You care a lot about her" It wasn't a question just a statement.
"Yes I do, she is my world. I would do anything for her and she deserves a better mother and life"
"What why? You seem to care a lot about her!"
She smiled but in a sad way "I'm sorry I shouldn't have bothered you with that. Look Natsuki we have arrived"
I hadn't even looked around to see where we where once since we were talking so intense. We stopped walking in front of a big house… MY HOUSE! It looked way newer and some parts weren't there yet or had changed over the years… but is was obviously my house!
"Something wrong Natsuki? Your mouth is so wide open your chin almost touches the ground"
I recovered quickly from the shock. "No no, it's nothing. It just looks a little eh-… familiar… that's all"
"Oh, well I hope that is a good sign" She let my hand go, had I been holding hers the whole time?, an walked towards the door and opened it. I followed her a little uncertain.
"Kiyo I'm home!" She yelled and the sound of her voice was immediately followed by loud stumbling and footsteps.
"Mommy! You came back!" A small girl with chestnut hair to her shoulders and clear emerald eyes ran towards Shizuru. "I was so worried. I found your letter… but I couldn't read it. I'm sorry"
A letter? Did she meant the letter I had seen in my… her attic?
Shizuru seemed to be mentally tortured by something for a moment and quickly embraced her daughter.
"I'm so sorry I made you worry, my love. But everything is okay now, look I even brought a friend with me" She stepped aside and pointed at me. Kiyo noticed me and stared at me the same way Shizuru had.
"Uh… Hi Kiyo" I am so bad at these things "I am Natsuki. Uh, I'm sorry you where worried but I'm afraid I held up your mother a little"
"It's okay Tsuki" She mumbled in a adorable way. "I'm happy mommy is back" Shizuru smiled and grabbed the girls hand. "Well lets go inside shall we Kiyo? You to Natsuki" She walked inside and I followed. This was so weird, I was walking into my own house, and yet it wasn't. Everything except the walls and the floor where different. We entered the living room. The place where the TV had been was now a desk with toys and dolls on it, there were no couches, just four huge arm chairs, and there was a huge dining table in a corner. We always ate in front of the TV.
"Like what you see Natsuki?" I turned around and saw Shizuru grin. "Does this also look familiar to you?"
"Yes… A little.."
"Ara it almost seems like Natsuki has been here before, maybe she has been stalking me.?"
"No! This just reminds me of my mother's house…A lot"
"Ara shall I be your mommy then? I already have one daughter I think I would survive another one" she said jokingly.
"Yes!" Kiyo exclaimed "I want a big sis, then I won't be alone anymore when you are not feeling well mommy!"
"Okay that settles it then, Natsuki from today on you are officially my daughter"
"Oi, why can't I decide in this" I groaned "It is about me after all"
"You don't want to be my sis?" Kiyo asked with watery eyes.
"Oh don't cry please! Okay I'll be your sister please don't cry"
"Yeah! I have a sis now!" Kiyo ran towards me and embraced me. Though she only reached my waist. A little embarrassed I looked around and saw a piece of paper on the table I was standing next to. To hide my embarrassment I picked it up and started reading it.
Friday 13 September 1852,
Today wil- The paper was roughly ripped out of my hand before I could read on. But I recognized it. It was Shizuru's farewell letter. I looked up and saw Shizuru with a shocked and scared expression staring at me.
"I am terribly sorry Natsuki but that is something private" her voice trembled a little. She ripped the paper in pieces and picked up something from the table. The locket. I recognized the Necklace it was attached to. "Now If you would excuse me. I need to cook dinner for my daughters I wouldn't want them to die of starvation right?" She winked at me and walked into the kitchen. The same place my kitchen was. I felt my stomach growl and I realized how hungry I was.
"Come Kiyo" I grabbed her hand. " let's play with your toys while your mommy cooks"
Her eyes became huge and she ran towards the desk with toys dragging me with her.
"Come Tsuki I want to show you them, I have all sorts of dolls and animals and games"
I sat down next to her and we started to play. So this was it. I had been sent exactly 157 years into the past and met some strange girl and her daughter who where ancestors of me. And now I was sitting in their house, which would become my house in the future. Things just couldn't get any better. Even though Shizuru was a really nice woman. She seemed warm and loving and it seemed like she cared a lot about her daughter. But she had been planning to kill herself. Behind her smile was something more. She had a lot of demons to fight. And somehow I felt like I was the one who had to assist her in that mission. Suddenly I realized something, Shizuru had ripped the paper in pieces. But still I had found it in the future. And If the woman would have went through with her plan she'd probably be dead by now. That could mean only one thing.
By going back in time, I had somehow chanced the past.
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Well~ What do you think, you like the idea? I like it A LOT! I just hope I wrote it in a good way. Not boring and stuff. I thinks it is kinda long, especially for a first chapter.
I'm not really sure how to continue this… but I'll think of something. Idea's are really welcome!
Oh and for those of you who hadn't realized it…. Shizuru was going to throw herself in front of the train. But since Natsuki appeared there she unknowingly stopped the poor woman. (Yeah)
Btw…. Do you think it's legal to marry your great great great great…. Great grandmother? XD I think it is… I mean… which moron would make such a law… besides… you can marry your nieces and nephews..
