Shizuru Fujino stared out the window of the large Continental A- 300, exhausted beyond belief but strangely content as she watched the rugged and beautiful desert terrain below. Even the last minute seating change on the flight from LAX to Moab, Utah that landed her in the center seat of the middle section in the next to last row couldn't put a damper on her excitement. Now, only an hour until descent, Shizuru shrugged her shoulder out from under the large man next to her (who had slumped over onto her as he snored) to check her watch. The local time was 12:15. The tawny haired woman's thoughts returned to her fiancé, whom, thankfully, hadn't come along with her on this trip. Though, he might as well have been in the seat next to her considering the amount of time she spent thinking about his parting words.
"I still can't believe you're leaving and going on this trip right before the wedding."
"Reito," Shizuru was exasperated, "This is important to me. You know I won't have time for this trip once we're married and Otou-san hands over the company to the both of us. I'll be too busy and I need to do this one thing for myself before-" She trailed off abruptly. She was going to say, 'before I have to spend the rest of my life doing what everyone else bids.'
Reito Kanzaki sighed. "I understand. I really do. But when you get back, we should talk about how we're going to start making decisions from now on. I don't want this surprise trip to be a reoccurring event."
"It won't. I promise."
Shizuru knew that her parents could have done a lot worse than Reito Kanzaki when they arranged them to marry. Reito was heir to a large corporation that was sitting on millions of dollars in profit. As a way to better the family business, her Otou-san met with Reito's father and agreed that combining their companies would be a brilliant business move, and what better way to do that than setting up their children together? Still, they'd been officially dating almost two years now and every time she tried to imagine them married, it left her feeling deflated, even depressed. Even as a child, Shizuru had always known that her life wasn't her own. She had few things she could really call her own. All her life she was shuffled from learning the fine art of tea making to becoming the perfect housewife to taking proper etiquette classes and so on, and so on. She carefully hid all the unhappiness and hardships from dealing with everybody and their expectations behind a carefully concealed mask. No one knew the true Shizuru besides a select few individuals. Though, she did have one thing for herself. This one thing was the reason she was on this trip to Moab, Utah in America.
Mountain biking.
It had become an unlikely hobby that she had literally stumbled upon one day as a teenager. It was the only thing she was ever really passionate enough about that she had confronted her Otou-san. After the initial shock of his daughter wanting to do something so 'unlady-like' and the many refusals, he finally gave in to her wish and purchased her a 2Stage AM8. She practiced on many of Japan's local trails and slowly improved her stamina and strength. It wasn't long before she could tackle even the toughest trails and the roughest terrain. She never felt quite so alive as she did when she was riding her bike, pushing to overcome a large mountain or leaning into the handlebars as she steadily increased her speed on a downward slope.
And she was content with the familiar trails all across Japan until that faithful day some four months ago.
"That's amazing! Look at the terrain and those cliffs!" Shizuru exclaimed to the empty room. She had been glued to the television in her apartment as images of Moab, Utah flashed across the screen. She watched in amazement as people biked along the desert terrain with red rock cliffs that peered over the Colorado River. As she continued to sit mesmerized right in front of the TV, the heavily accented voice of the PBS documentary narrator was slowly tuned out and disappeared under the sudden jumble of sweet musical notes and chimes. Shizuru went into a daze of sorts. The chimes grew louder and more frequent as the images continued to pop up onto the screen. An insistent buzz appeared in the undercurrent of all the lilting music. It drowned out everything and continued to grow louder until it abruptly stopped and she came out of her trance as the front door slammed closed and Reito entered.
Shizuru wasn't sure what had happened in that moment but she did know one thing for sure. She needed to go to America.
Unable to rid herself of the images of the rusty cliffs, Shizuru went online to learn more. Two weeks after the program had aired on television, she had purchased the plane ticket to Utah and reserved a hotel and rental car.
It took another two weeks after that to convince her best friend and fellow biker, Haruka Suzushiro, to accompany her. Being the underpaid, unappreciated employ that she is, Haruka didn't refuse the offer for a "much-needed vaccination." Her words exactly.
The two women had been friends since grade school. They were inseparable all throughout high school until the two meet the third member to their everlasting friendship; Yukino Kikukawa. The same offer for a vacation was extended to Yukino as well but, unfortunately, she couldn't get away from a very important business meeting.
So here Shizuru was, thousands of miles away from home with her best friend somewhere near the front of the plane in their original seats. Finally, the plane began its decent into the small airport in Moab. When the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off, she reached into the overhead bin to collect her backpack.
Her weariness forgotten, the excited woman exited the large plane and walked down the runway. She spotted Haruka through the crowded terminal and made a beeline for her. She was greeted with a contagious grin from the blonde before Haruka started chatting animatedly.
"Finally we're here! That was by far the longest plane ride in my entire life! And to think, we couldn't even sit by one another because of that whole mix up with the seats."
"Ara! Haruka-chan missed me?" Shizuru teased with a smile.
"NO!" was Haruka's booming answer. "It was just baking having to sit by myself with no one to talk to for hours on end."
"I think you mean 'boring' Haruka-chan." Shizuru was quick to correct. Usually it was Yukino's job but without the mousy woman here, she'd have to take over the task.
"...That's what I said."
Finally clearing passport control, the two Japanese women proceeded to baggage claim finding their suitcases and duffle bags with ease. Then receiving the keys to their newly acquired Jeep Cherokee from the Rental Car Center, they loaded up all their bags before driving the short distance to the back of the airport where they talked to the clerk in broken English to receive their All-Mountain Bikes. After sitting in the reception room with many anxious dog owners, Shizuru's Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon and Haruka's Scott Genius LT 10 was rolled out by a helpful employee and placed on the bike rack atop the jeep.
Pulling out onto the highway, it was a relatively short drive before reaching their hotel. It was a small, quaint place that sat a little far back from the main strip in town. They rented out a room with two beds just for the night since the rest of their trip would be spent biking trails and camping. After having an early dinner with Haruka at the hotel's restaurant, Shizuru took a hot shower and dressed in comfortable wear before unceremoniously flopping backwards onto the bed and falling asleep on top of the covers.
Moab, population 8,800, was the only Utah town located on the Colorado River and in the heart of the infamous Colorado Plateau. The area is a geologist's wet dream. Meadows, lakes, and forests provide striking contrast to the deserts and canyons. The sky so blue against the ruddy red of the landscape. Wrap all this up in one place and it's not hard to realize why it's one of the most popular mountain biking destinations in the world. A walk down Main Street reveals more bikes than cars, and it seems as though everybody has bike short tans, scabbed skin and strong calf muscles. There was just a certain magic about the place that seeps into your bloodstream and gets your heart pumping.
Which was probably why Shizuru found herself awake before the sun was up. She vaguely remembered that she had dreamed. She didn't really remember any details except it involved the soft sound of chimes. There wasn't much to do since all of their equipment was already carefully packed except to wait for Haruka to wake. The tawny-haired woman laid in bed, excitement building in her chest. She was more than ready to feel the pedals of her bike under her feet. To feel the wind that smelled of pine and fir beat against her face and tease her hair. The sound of gravel shifting beneath her tires as she changed gears. The sun hot and kissing her shoulders. She really wished Haruka would wake up but from the sound of soft snoring coming from the other bed, she knew that wouldn't happen for some time. With nothing to do, she pulled a pillow close to her body and continued to day dream about what she'd be doing in a few hours. She closed her eyes to picture it.
"Mou, Shizuru! Wake up already!"
The young woman woke with a start at the sound of Haruka's voice. "Ara. I must have fallen asleep again."
"Again? You were up before?" Her friend questioned as she crossed the room and entered the bathroom. Shizuru didn't bother to answer since the shower started up. "We'll eat breakfast then hit the trails!" Haruka called just before the door closed.
Shizuru rechecked her equipment. A light weight tent and sleeping bag (which would stay in the jeep until needed), trail bars for snack, camelback filled with water, clothes, and more water. After confirming that she did indeed have everything she'd need, she changed into cutoff pants and a moisture-wicking polyester t-shirt. Haruka followed suit soon after her shower. They had a light breakfast before driving and parking as close to the Poison Spider Mesa Trail as they could get. With shared smiles, the two Japanese women were mounted on their bikes with packs on their backs, helmets snug and sporting sunshades and sunblock. Then the two began the first stretch of the 14 mile bike trail at a brisk pace. With excited whoops from Haruka, they took the small rises and sharp drops at high speeds. They traveled smoothly over the large slickrock and cut tight corners near five-hundred foot cliffs. Shizuru's adrenaline was pumping. This was everything she had hoped for and more. They finally slowed down near a massive rock span to take a much-needed break to refuel their bodies.
"Hey, let's go check it out! Our bags should be okay if we leave them here." Haruka exclaimed as she motioned toward the maze of red rock. Shizuru nodded her agreement as they got off their bikes and walked over. They coughed at the dust they stirred up as they passed under a natural arch. The tawny-haired woman reached out and let her hand glide over the warm, smooth surface of the rockface as she followed her best friend through the maze of earth. Sunlight filtered through the various openings above, caressing the stone and lighting it to an almost unnatural golden color.
"It's beautiful," Shizuru whispered in awe, overwhelmed by this force of nature.
"Isn't it?" Haruka answered as she continued to trek ahead, weaving through tight places and going deeper into the natural structure. Shizuru momentarily closed her eyes and whirls of bright colors streaked the inside of her eyelids. "Watch it. You'll have to be careful. There's a dropoff up here."
"Kay." She closed in on Haruka's position and there was indeed a sharp drop off in the rock. It was a large opening that was probably a good fifteen foot drop but it was difficult to tell. They carefully stepped around the hole and continued their hike. It was only a few more minutes before they came upon a sheer cliff with no way to get down.
"We should head back now anyway. I don't want to keep the bikes and gear out there for too much longer." They started to make their way back.
Shizuru couldn't help but giggle girlishly at the cautious blonde. "There's no one out here except for us."
"You never know," Haruka insisted. "There's plenty of people who ride these trails."
"Maybe." Shizuru shrugged before her voice took on a edge of playfulness. "But we left them in the dust miles back."
A cocky smile made its way upon Haruka's face as she agreed. "True."
They continued to make small talk as they once again carefully edged around the gaping hole in the rockface. A hawk called and Shizuru looked up into the brilliant blue sky. Time seemed to slow until it crystallized the moment. The scent of rock and pine, the faint trickle of chimes carried on the wind, the rocks pressing in and around her like something protective, then the knowledge that she misplaced her step, the slight give of the rocks, the feeling of falling. After that, everything happened too quickly. The dark crater swallowed her whole and the ground rose to meet her. She landed with a solid, hollow sound against the stone floor below.
Pain.
She cried out at the sharp stab in her lower back and the rapidly growing headache that seemed to radiate waves through her skull. She must have bit her tongue a little as well considering the tangy, metallic taste in her mouth.
"SHIZURU!" Haruka called frantically. "SHIZURU?"
She could hear urgent whispers of "ohpleaseohpleaseohplease" bouncing off the rock walls somewhere above as her best friend got down on her hands and knees, peering desperately into the dark.
Palms against the rough floor, then the rockwall behind her, she pulled herself to her feet before leaning heavily against the wall. She called out to Haruka over the crashing in her head. "I'm here!"
A gasp was heard echoing somewhere above her. "Don't worry!" Haruka called, "I'm gonna get you out of there, Shizuru!"
Small rocks clattered around her as Haruka tried to leverage herself inside. She slid around the edge nervously, scanning for anything to help her get down.
"DON'T!" Shizuru cried hurriedly. "Don't! Please!" Only then did her best friend cease any attempts to get down the sheer drop. Questioning grey eyes turned her way. "Haruka, you have to go get help-"
She was abruptly cut off. "I can't just leave you here!"
"You have to!" Was the desperate plea. "Haruka, go back to town and go get help! I'll be fine! I promise!"
"But-"
This time Shizuru was the one who cut off the sentence. "GO! Haruka, go! Go now!"
Haruka teetered on the edge for a moment longer, obviously warring with herself on what to do. Finally, after another moment of hesitation, Haruka called out, "I'll be back for you! I'll be right back Shizuru! Hold on, okay? Just hold on!"
There was the echoed sound of scrambling and more pebbles clattered to the ground as the blonde disappeared. Shizuru stared at the patch of brilliant blue above as the quiet of the desert settled around her. She held her breathe as she slowly pushed off from the wall to stand on her own. She grunted at the exertion it took. Her fierce headache finally settled down to a pulsing ache that throbbed in time with her heart. She pulled a bandanna from her shorts pocket and rubbed the sweat and grime from her face. The sound of her breathing almost covered up the drip-drip-trickle of water from somewhere deep in the cave she was in. Chimes rushing like the air in a sea shell settled on her ears and she listened curiously. Her heartbeat began to slow to normal as the soothing yet misplaced tune continued to tickle her senses.
Shizuru strained to see into the darkness of the cave. The steady trickling sound of water and the occasional chime gave her reason enough to investigate. She felt along the cool cave wall and stepped carefully as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. Only then did she see the narrow opening between two sharply jutting rock walls. The fear of getting stuck was very real but she pushed past it. Crouching low, her neck tingled and she swiped at the dirt that shifted down into the collar of her shirt. Her slow crawl through the blackness was slowly eating at her resolve. Stopping halfway, she debated on going back. What if Haruka came back with help and she wasn't there? What if something happened to her as well? What if help wasn't coming? What if she was trapped down here for-
She abruptly cut off that particular train of thought. No way was she going down that line of questioning. She gave herself a mental pep talk before continuing forward. The chimes had picked up again, weaving around the sound of water in a soothing tune. With an outstretched hand she felt along blindly, finally her palm came into contact with...rock. Rough rock. Aggravated that her quest was fruitless, she shuffled backwards to start back towards the mouth of the cave but found it difficult to push herself back. Reality reared its ugly head as her situation set in. The rocks were too closed in on all sides for her to shuffle back out.
"Nononononono," she whispered desperately. Her breathing became heavy and alarmed. Anxiety was twisting itself around her throat and weighing down on her chest, choking a half-sob from her. Suddenly the sound of chimes was louder than before, she even thought she heard...yes, it was a sort of chanting in an unknown language. The words bled together too much to make out any one word. That's when she noticed for the first time that a little to her left there was a subtle shift in color. Not black, but the darkest shade of red-brown. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Shizuru had no choice but to move forward now. It was a tight squeeze but she managed through when she sucked in her belly and tucked in her bottom. One last turn and she came into a bright cavern. The chime and chant was loud here in this natural cathedral. After her eyes adjusted, she eyed the space, curious. Maybe the wind was singing through sandstone holes, like some sort of natural pipes? She walked to the center of the cavern and the misplaced noise all at once ceased.
Studying her surroundings, the trapped woman noticed a strange etching in the far wall. It appeared to be a poorly drawn star carved into the stone's surface. Underneath it, a naturally occurring spring bubbled up slightly from the ground. Shizuru approached quickly, only now noticing her thirst. She cupped her hands, dipping them into the cool water, and drinking deeply. After having her fill, she stood and wiped the droplets of water from her chin with the back of her hand as she stared at the symbol. It was so out of place here among the caves, something so human among this force of nature. She trailed a finger along a leg of the star, strangely drawn to it. This place was special, holy maybe. She could feel it, an ancient power that was as old as time ruled here.
Her hand slid from the star and once again rested at her side.
Chimes.
The strange chimes started up again, then the chant. Shizuru watched enraptured by the sight of the star lighting up and plunging the whole cavern into a dark green color. The jumble of chimes and chanting was deafening now and their volume still rose.
BOOOOONG!
The sound of a bong drowned out all else, the green light became blinding and Shizuru had to throw up her hand to shield her eyes from the light. Suddenly the lights and sound reached its crescendo before it abruptly disappeared as quickly as it came.
The quiet was almost deafening now. The sun slowly flickered through the holes in the roof, bathing the cathedral in soft light that slowly stretched across the stone floor as the sun rose higher in the sky. The light shone upon the spot where Shizuru Fujino once stood, but was there no longer.
Hey everyone! So, I am brand spankin' new at this thing and just wanted to introduce myself real quick.
My name is Cory, 19, I enjoy long walks on the beach and curling up with a good book on cool nights near the fireplace. My hobbies include writing (duh), surfing, drawing, and wooing the ladies. *insert sexy grin here* Soooo...yeah. Now that I'm done with my introduction that sounds strangely like it belongs on some dating site, let's talk about this lovely story of mine.
"The Marked" was something that I literally stumbled upon one day when I was chatting with a friend. After countless hours of staring at a blank word document, Monster energy drinks, and an unhealthy dose of frustration, this is what I came up with. And this is just the tip of the ice burg people. Oh, and before I forget, Yes. I did indeed make Shizuru a mountain bike fanatic. Who would've thought? I didn't see it coming either. This story literally started writing itself so don't complain to me about Shizuru participating in something so unladylike. Besides...I think it's sexy. So bleh!