Chapter 1
I don't own Reborn! It belongs to Akira Amano.
If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree.
She blinks back tears as she runs past the crowds of Takami.
Winter has arrived and the town is covered in a blanket of snow, making it look even more breathtaking. The trees are frosted over and glisten in the evening light like stars. A few mothers call out for their children to get inside the house. The sky is dyed in hues of pink and orange, merging together in graceful strokes. Dark blue creeps upwards from the edges of the horizon. But none of this registers as her previous conversation echoes in her mind.
"B-but it's my dream to become a teacher!"
"This engagement will tighten the alliance between the Akisora and Fujisawa clans."
"I don't care about this stupid clan and it's stupid rules! All our 'great' clan contains is a bunch of tyrannical assholes and their bootlickers, such as yourself!"
Heavy breathing. Shock from the outburst.
A sharp sting on the cheek.
"H-how dare you!"
Head held high.
"And about that engagement, I refuse."
A calmer, more controlled voice.
A big audience.
"Sadashi of the Flaming Touch, you are hereby disowned from the Akisora clan."
She reaches the infamous Takami forest, the biggest inspiration for ghost stories in the small town. Ignoring the small scratches caused by thorns and branches, Sadashi stops when she is deep enough. A moment passes and she crumbles down onto the ground, sobs wracking her body.
Why did you leave, Aneki?
The snow under her melts a little and she sinks in, craving the sharp sting of the cold.
As hours pass, the tears on her face freeze. Something cold lands on her nose and she looks up to see that it is snowing. Her face lights up as she looks at the intricate pattern of the snowflake.
Her excitement dampens slightly as she shivers. She begins to regret not wearing something warmer when she catches sight of two glowing yellow eyes. She scrambles backward, mind drawing ridiculous conclusions about what it could be (she blames the horror movies).
Her eyes suddenly snap open as an idea pops into her brain.
This should work. It worked in all those movies, right?
She holds up a hand to the... thing. "THE POWER OF CHRIST COmpels... you..."
A furry white cat jumps out of the bushes. She slowly lowers her hand, feeling extremely dumb.
She starts to thank her lucky stars that no one is there to witness her actions when she hears a laugh. Sadashi covers her face with her hand.
I just jinxed myself, didn't I?
"Pfft... hahaha! I'm pretty sure you're the first one to react like that, kid!" The unknown red-haired woman falls onto the ground, holding her stomach.
Her cheeks turn an unhealthy shade of red and she sputters, waving her arms around in vain as the woman laughs harder.
The stranger finally stops, wiping away tears. "I'm sorry about that," she apologizes insincerely, "you're just too cute."
Sadashi's face flames and the redhead bursts into another round of laughter.
"So what are you doing out in this cold? It's dangerous to be out at this time of the night." The stranger, Hikari, asks her, voice still tinged with amusement.
She looks away, trying to formulate a proper excuse but Hikari assesses her actions immediately. Her eyes fill with sympathy. "Don't have a place to stay, huh? Ran away from home?" She asks, leaning forward.
Sadashi leans away. "Yes," she admits meekly, cheeks still pink. Technically, she did run away.
To avoid more questions, she stands up, shrugging off the layers of comforters cocooning her. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I don't want to intrude any longer."
She opens the door to leave but a strong grip on her arm stops her. She turns back, flustered.
Hikari lets go of her and leans against the wall. Her grey eyes darken slightly and Sadashi ignores the whispers in her head(curious, calculating, about to offer something).
"I just opened a cafe," she says nonchalantly, "and I may or may not need a few helpers. The pay is good too."
Sadashi slowly turns towards her, mind piecing together what Hikari actually means. She brightens and sends her best smile to the redhead, who clears her throat and looks away, cheeks flushed.
"I'm very grateful, Hikari-san!" She bows deeply.
Said person claps her on the back and almost sends her tumbling.
How does she have that much strength for such a lean person!?
"It's okay," the other woman laughs, "it's just that, we girls need to stick together, ya know?"
Liar, her instincts whisper.
"Say," Hikari tilts her head, "how old are you?"
"Nineteen," She blurts out.
The redhead snorts. "Please, you look like you should still be in high school. Tell me your real age."
"Sixteen," she says, defeated.
"I was homeschooled," she adds before Hikari can ask anything.
Hikari sighs. "I'm gonna enroll you in Takami High and there is nothing you can do about it."
Sadashi doesn't say anything, mind immersed in memories of crowds, friends from another life and-and-
Death.
She snaps to attention, heart thudding loudly and merely nods to whatever Hikari asks.
The redhead leaves the room and Sadashi curls into a ball on the couch.
"I thought it had stopped," she whispers.
Akisora literally means bright(Aki) sky(sora). And no, it is not a reference to sky flames. Not at all...or is it? ;)
Takami is a fictional town I created for plot convenience. I will explain more about it as the story goes on.
And about my other ongoing stories, 'Battaglione' and 'Assistant Sensei?', I'll never abandon them! Heck, I didn't even reach the main plot in either of those!
I don't really know where I'm going with this, so forgive me if I take really long to update.