A/N- Twenty-first story goes to... +Anima. Why? Because I feel like it. Also, I'm sorry for doing yet ANOTHER freaking oneshot. I'M BORED OF JUST DRAWING AND I'M STUCK ON PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE!!
Disclaimer- dsafhfakjshafdhjkladhfeiwfnfcdgdjfhyaefjd;kfhsdaklfjdkfhds;akjfhdkaf;lk fhdjhyafjkas; ffadhkldsykeahlfsieo75odihfjkfhdf = I don't own it.
I guess I took it all for granted after a while. Having friends... traveling... everything, I guess... I took pretty much everything for granted.
That is, until that one time when those guys took everything away from me. I was just walking along, looking at pretty ribbons and such, when they grabbed me by the arms and told me that I had to come with them, and if I struggled then all of my friends would be killed. And I would have to watch.
I saw Cooro, Husky, and Senri. But we weren't allowed to talk to each other. I think that Cooro was scared because he held onto my hand and whispered something to me that I couldn't understand.
Those men put us in shackles. I was really, really scared. I was only eleven. I couldn't deal with being some sort of prisoner.
Senri looked like he wanted to rip those men's heads off, but, for some reason, he wouldn't. He could have easily broken those shackles and freed us from this place, but he just sort of... didn't. I don't know why, but he didn't.
For one hour, after we were forced to march all day, we were allowed to talk. However, if we started planning a revolt against those men, then we would be killed upon the spot.
Husky was silent during that hour, staring into the flames of the fire that we were all around. I tried to talk to some of the other +Anima that were there, but nobody would answer. In a sort of way, it was like Cooro, Senri and I were the only people that were there.
One day, about a week after we were captured, we were split up into two groups: girls and boys. They almost put Husky with me, which nearly made me smile. He was pretty.
He told me that day, just before we parted that he liked me. Husky told me that he liked me a lot. And that... and that if he had a choice, I would be his princess. He would do anything for me. And if we would ever meet again, that he would ask me to marry him when we were older. Then he walked away.
I wanted to chase after him and tell him how I felt, but we were split up. Tears poured down my cheeks. I wanted him to come back.
We were put in camps. There were four. Girls. Boys. Men. Women. If you were an infant or elderly, you were automatically "put into a better place" that no one wanted to go to. A place for death.
Admitting to oneself that one was doomed is hard enough. But knowing that you would be alone and, eventually, condemned to death was nearly impossible to accept. But I managed to, somehow, accept this fact.
After coming to one of these concentration camps, I knew that we +Anima weren't just being looked down upon in society. They were getting rid of us because they hated us. Now, the +Anima that had once saved us from death brought us to death.
In the whole camp, there was only one girl who spoke. Ever. She was about fourteen and had a rabbit +Anima. She said she didn't care if they killed her. She would speak her mind.
Even I, soon, grew silent. The only two sounds that were heard were heavy breathing and the sound of shovels breaking through earth. I guess that I didn't even notice the silence after a while. Even my numb mind became silent.
One day, I found blood on my sheet. I hoped that it meant that I was finally going to die. But that girl who spoke told me that, no, I wasn't going to die.
I had become a woman, but I couldn't tell. Because if we did, then I would be sent away. Then I wouldn't be able to stay here with the familiar ways of my life. It would be different and everything would be harder. It would still be hurtful, though.
I asked her if the work was the same.
She told me that it was nearly the same, but not quite.
Then she told me that her name was Pyon. And she asked me what mine was. I told her it was Nana. She asked me if we could be friends.
The word sounded familiar. Friends... like... people I knew. I wasn't sure who, exactly, it was that I knew that was a friend, but I knew it wouldn't hurt. It would be a good thing. It felt sort of familiar, that feeling of kinship.
I said yes.
She told me that she was fifteen years old. Then she asked me how old I was.
I told her that I was pretty sure that I was twelve. I told her I had friends. Three. But they were gone.
She told me that I was lucky. She said she only had one friend. And that friend was gone, now. She told me that the friend had to meet up with the Angel of Death.
That sounded familiar, and, oddly enough, a little bit funny. It shouldn't have been, but it was. Like something in my memory that I couldn't quite grasp was funny. Something about one of my friends. But... I don't think it was funny at the time.
I told her.
Pyon told me that if you don't hold onto kibou or we couldn't hold onto anything. I didn't know kibou. It felt foreign.
And I didn't know what it really had to do with the rest.
A new group of people came. There was a girl there who looked to be about nine years old. Something about her seemed different. I told Pyon this.
She told me that she had kibou in her heart. We could help her. We could make sure that she was happy. Just like me. And her. We could start making the kibou spread.
I talked to the girl. Her name was Haruka. She was a mouse +Anima. She was scared.
I asked her if she had any friends.
She said no. She was alone. She didn't have anyone. They had all gone to see the Angel of Death.
Pyon said that she had us now.
Haruka was surprised. She asked us if we were lying.
I said no.
Pyon told her that we were going to spread the kibou so that +Anima could be free again.
The girl smiled. It reminded me of one of my friends. Co... Co... Coorai? Maybe that was it. No, it wasn't. Close, yet far.
She had his smile, though. That made me happy.
A man came to me today and slapped me. I started to bleed after he did that. He told me not to say anything, then began taking me by my hair somewhere.
Men asked me questions.
Do you know Prince Myrrah?
I don't know someone that's named Myrrah.
Do you know any Kim-un-Kur?
I don't remember. Maybe.
Are you a woman yet?
No. I'm still a girl.
How old are you?
I'm not sure.
Do you hate us for this?
No. I met Pyon and Haruka.
Do you know what kibou is?
Um... not really.
Are you afraid to wake up every day?
No.
Do you wish to be free?
A little. I miss my other friends.
Who are your other friends?
Cooro. And another boy. There's someone else, but I don't think he's really a friend.
You aren't shackled. Why haven't you tried to escape?
Because I'm waiting for a good moment to leave.
Do you want to die?
... almost.
You're free to leave.
I remembered another boy's name. It's Senri. He's much older than me. And he's quiet. He's a... a... a Kim-un-Kur.
Cooro is only a little older. He's funny, but not smart. He likes apples.
I still don't remember the other boy. I'm close, though.
He was really nice. I really liked that boy. But sometimes he was mean. But he was still nice. I really liked him. More than the other boys.
He was pretty.
I was cutting grass when they grabbed Pyon. They told her she was going to die now. In front of everyone. For trying to spread the kibou with other +Anima. For being a woman and not telling.
For being a sort of Mistukai o ato mure oni.
Just before the stabbed her, Haruka jumped in front of Pyon. Haruka was small, so it sliced through her head instead of through Pyon's heart.
Blood was spilt. Haruka died. The Angel of Death almost took Pyon. She was a hair's breadth from death.
I liked Haruka. She was the first person I'd met that had kibou inside of her. She told me that she really wanted to help. She wanted to make sure that everyone was always happy. She wanted to make sure that nobody was alone, like her.
But then she left.
I sat on my bed and sobbed for hours.
Pyon told me that she wished Haruka life wasn't gone. But her spirit of kibou was still there, making people realize for the first time that not everything was as great as their dulled minds had thought it was. That it was terrible.
Pyon told me that Haruka had wanted to help. And now, she was... just in a much more sad way than we would have liked.
Haruka... I wished she wasn't gone.
But she did help. I heard two girls that were about her age talking. Only a little bit, and it was a hoarse whisper, but they did talk to each other. I was proud of my little Haruka. She was like my little sister. And I was very proud of her.
I wished she was back all the same.
Her spirit of kibou is starting to leak into everyone. And I still don't know what kibou is, but it makes me think of that boy. That boy I don't remember.
I'm going to call him my kibou until I remember his name.
I started to doze off while working, and a man began to beat me with a whip. I was bleeding for hours.
Pyon started singing to me to make me feel better, and it almost made me feel truly happy. But not quite. I hadn't felt true happiness in such a long time...
In front of me, you start emitting lights
and I can't see.
Where are we?
Among the noisy landscape,
don't disappear yet.
I can't hear anymore.
But I can feel your breath
Due to this surprising outcome,
oh oh I still hope.
I wanna be here eternally
Like this, I want to stare.
I can feel you close to me
I can't be without forever.
Make this moment eternity.
A break before this battle.
I want to spend my time with you.
The promise is next time we meet.
Can you hear me breath?
Even the unsurprising outcome,
oh oh everyone sometimes will be touched.
I wanna be here eternally
At the place where no one can see us.
I can see you are all I need
Until tomorrow, I don't need help
maybe, this moment is just a fantasy
I can feel you close to me
Even if I can't go back to that place,
this feeling is eternity
I wanna be here eternally
I can see you are all I need
At least this feeling is eternity
That song reminded me, for some reason, of my kibou, although I'm not sure why. I asked Pyon what that feeling was.
She called it ai.
I asked her what ai was.
She told me it was a feeling of absolute happiness. And that of eternity. A feeling no one could touch. That everyone wanted to feel, but only a select few could feel with all of their might. She said that it was junsui ai.
I asked her if she felt ai towards anything.
She told me that she felt ai towards me. She said I was the little sister she never had.
I told her that I felt ai towards her, too. Like she were my big sister.
Some more men came to us. They injected something in everyone. It made me feel dizzy and sick and horrible.
Pyon said it would make us feel numb.
I asked her why we would feel numb.
She just shook her head.
I kind of wanted to die. It all really... really hurt.
I just lay on my bed, clawing furiously at my bed. I cried a lot. I felt horrible. Worse than I ever had before.
I screamed.
Pyon told me it wouldn't last long.
I almost didn't believe her.
I felt numb for ten days after the pain went away. I didn't move.
Pyon asked me if I was in junsui ai with someone.
I said yes.
She asked who.
I told her I forgot his name, but he was my kibou. And I missed him.
She said that we would meet again.
I hoped that she was right.
She asked me how old I was.
I said I wasn't sure by now.
Pyon said that I looked about thirteen.
I asked her how old she was.
She said she was seventeen.
I asked if she was a woman.
She said yes. She would have to leave in a year. She didn't want to, but she had no real choice.
I hugged her.
She said she would miss me.
I said I would miss her.
Pyon said that when she found out, she nearly gave up on kibou. But now she would never give up on it.
I asked her why.
She didn't answer.
I missed Cooro and Senri. My friends.
Three new girls came in today. All of the girls greeted them and welcomed them in. Haruka's spirit of kibou lives on.
We're planning a revolt. We'll destroy anyone who comes in our way.
And we'll save our friends. Our ai. Our kibou. Our, as Pyon put it, isshiki.
She said they would, with our plan, almost defeat us. But not quite.
Missing by a hair.
The day we revolted, Pyon told me I looked like I was fourteen. She said I was pretty. She said I would survive and be with my junsui ai. Forever and ever.
I couldn't say anything. That speechless feeling seemed familiar. I wasn't sure how.
Just before we attacked, men and boys came. I knew them. Some of them. Cooro. Senri. And... and...
Husky. My Husky.
I cried. They hugged me. They said they missed me.
Just before we joined the fray of fighting, I grabbed Husky's arm. I told him he was my kibou and my junsui ai.
He asked me to be with him forever.
I said yes.
Then it was time to fight.
I turned around and saw Pyon. She was laying upon the ground.
I cried.
She said that she missed me. She would miss me. But she would be with Haruka now.
I asked her to tell Haruka how special she was to me.
Pyon said she already knew.
Pyon was my only friend. My only friend through this entire thing. This entire world. The world of girl's camp. The only one...
She told me that she would miss me.
She told Husky he was lucky. Lucky to have someone as beautiful and wonderful as me to be his junsui ai... to be his true love.
He said that I was his isshiki. That I was his everything. And that he would take care of me.
Pyon smiled serenely.
We buried her well.
Five years later, I had my first child. I named her Kibou. She was my Hope.
A/N- THE END!! Please review. And. Enjoy.