~~~~~
"I'm home!"
Little Holly turned happily to the door as her mother rocked calmly in her rocking chair.
"Mommy! Daddy's home!"
She turned happily to her smiling mother. "Then why don't you go open the door?"
Holly nodded eagerly and ran to the door. She opened it, revealing a monster in golden armor. Moo. He roared angrily and stretched his arms at her. She screamed...
And screamed.
And screamed.
~~~~~
"HOLLY!"
Holly's eyes snapped open in an instant. Why was she having these nightmares all of a sudden? She looked up, breathing hard as a pair of human hands pushed her shoulders down roughly.
"Gen...ki...," Holly murmured. "You're hurting me.."
Genki instantly let go as Holly got up sleepily. She looked around at her friends with tired, sad eyes.
"Holly, chi?" Mocchi asked concernly, holding her hands.
Holly weakly smiled, "I'm fine, Mocchi."
"Holly..looks..sad," Golem said. "Why?"
Holly shook her head, "No reason, I'll make breakfast."
She got up, brushing past her concerned friends. Suddenly, a blur whizzed pass the boys.
"HOLLY!" Tiger screamed. "LOOK OUT!"
Holly turned just in time for the blur to hit her hard in the stomache, the metal fist of the Kokushi Muso [Durahan / ???] ripping into her flesh. Tears sprang from her eyes as the world dimmed.
This was it.
No more sadness.
She was so excited to greet the eternal darkness.
~~~~~
The darkness was blinded by a orange glow. "Holly."
The stern male voice forced Holly to open her eyes into the orange light.
"Who are you?" she murmured weakly.
The Phoenix appeared before her, raising its head to let out shriek while it's body faded in. He landed on his talons, then lied down, looking at the girl.
"Are you...?" she asked.
"I am the Phoenix," he replied. "Come to me. Lay on my feathers to see your destiny. Trust me."
Holly was suddenly filled with a rage, "WHY?! WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?!"
The Phoenix remained oddly calmn, silent. "I understand your pain."
"NO! NO YOU DON'T!!" Holly screamed, voice cracking. "I CAN'T TRUST YOU!! WHY SHOULD TRUST ANYONE ANYMORE?!"
The Phoenix lifted his head, green eyes looking surprised. "Why do you speak such words for a lovely, bright girl?"
Holly fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her words became weak sobs, "B_because! My father..I loved him more than anything in the world. He was so kind..so warm..."
"I am warm too, come and lay into my feathers. Trust me, I am the eternal light that will revive this world," the Phoenix cooed.
Holly stumbled onto his feathers clumsily. She closed her eyes as the Phoenix spoke, nuzzling his head againt her. "I know. Then he turned against his good and became Moo. After that, it was hard to trust another being. And as for monsters, I think Moo fits in too. And that Niton, who lied to you twice in your face. He made you cry for the second time in your life."
Holly opened her eyes halfway indolently, "Why have you come to me now?"
The Phoenix sighed through his beak. "I cannot tell you where I am right now. But I think you'll know one day. But like you, my spirit is between heaven and Earth."
Holly looked into his green eyes, "Like me?"
The Phoenix nodded sadly, "Don't die yet. Everyone really needs you now.."
He started to fade away as Holly suddenly whirled into another darkness.
*****
"..o...y?"
"..h...uiet! ..he's...omi...o!"
Her lips parted just enough to release a quiet whimper. Genki leaned over the pale Holly in the hospital. His eyes wondered momentarily at her pale face, hair messily spread out on the blue pillow, face twisted somewhere between extreme pain and deep sleep. Her body was outlined in the thin blanket that they had provided her.
"She's in deep pain, looks like it," Hare sighed. "Who can blame her, though?"
Genki flinched at the memory of Holly falling to a motionless heap on the ground. "Holly..."
"G..e..n...k..k...ii..," Holly whimpered weakly.
Genki and the others quickly gathered around her. She breathed another sort of whimper and woke up weakly, eyes squinty in pain.
"Holly!" Suezo laughed happily.
Holly blinked wearily as she flinched painfully, hand weakly resting on her smashed stomache. "I---"
"Sssh! Quiet, Holly!" Genki begged. "You may hurt yourself more..."
Holly breathed a sort of sigh. "...'kay..."
"How's your stomach?" Tiger asked concernly.
Holly flinched painfully in repsonse.
"She's not doing so good, Tiger," Genki noted. "Look how pale she is."
Holly's eyes blankly stared at Genki's face. He smiled and then brushed a wisp of hair away from her eyes. Her eyes opened a little more, wavering a large in warmth. After another second, she closed her eyes.
~~~~~
"I'm home!"
Little Holly turned happily to the door as her mother rocked calmly in her rocking chair.
"Mommy! Daddy's home!"
She turned happily to her smiling mother. "Then why don't you go open the door?"
Holly nodded eagerly and ran to the door. She opened it, revealing her happy father.
"DADDY!!" Holly exclaimed, leaping into his outstretched arms.
He laughed as he hugged her, lifting her onto his shoulders. He walked over to his wife and kissed her. Then, they all settled down infront of the warmth of the fire.
"Come to me. Lay on my feathers to see your destiny. Trust me," the Phoenix's voice echoed in her head.
*****
Genki, late that night, looked around at his sleeping friends, all content in the belief Holly was going to be OK. He sighed heavily and walked over to Holly, dimly seeing her in the moonlight. A small smile was on her face, despite how everything else was pale. Genki smile warmly, eyes wavering in happiness. He loved her smile.
"Father...," she whispered hoarsely in her slumber.
Genki's smile turned into a slight frown. He lied his head on the hard area under her neck, her curved chest bone pushing slightly into his cheek.
"She's so warm..," Genki sighed contently before falling asleep.
"I'm home!"
Little Holly turned happily to the door as her mother rocked calmly in her rocking chair.
"Mommy! Daddy's home!"
She turned happily to her smiling mother. "Then why don't you go open the door?"
Holly nodded eagerly and ran to the door. She opened it, revealing a monster in golden armor. Moo. He roared angrily and stretched his arms at her. She screamed...
And screamed.
And screamed.
~~~~~
"HOLLY!"
Holly's eyes snapped open in an instant. Why was she having these nightmares all of a sudden? She looked up, breathing hard as a pair of human hands pushed her shoulders down roughly.
"Gen...ki...," Holly murmured. "You're hurting me.."
Genki instantly let go as Holly got up sleepily. She looked around at her friends with tired, sad eyes.
"Holly, chi?" Mocchi asked concernly, holding her hands.
Holly weakly smiled, "I'm fine, Mocchi."
"Holly..looks..sad," Golem said. "Why?"
Holly shook her head, "No reason, I'll make breakfast."
She got up, brushing past her concerned friends. Suddenly, a blur whizzed pass the boys.
"HOLLY!" Tiger screamed. "LOOK OUT!"
Holly turned just in time for the blur to hit her hard in the stomache, the metal fist of the Kokushi Muso [Durahan / ???] ripping into her flesh. Tears sprang from her eyes as the world dimmed.
This was it.
No more sadness.
She was so excited to greet the eternal darkness.
~~~~~
The darkness was blinded by a orange glow. "Holly."
The stern male voice forced Holly to open her eyes into the orange light.
"Who are you?" she murmured weakly.
The Phoenix appeared before her, raising its head to let out shriek while it's body faded in. He landed on his talons, then lied down, looking at the girl.
"Are you...?" she asked.
"I am the Phoenix," he replied. "Come to me. Lay on my feathers to see your destiny. Trust me."
Holly was suddenly filled with a rage, "WHY?! WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?!"
The Phoenix remained oddly calmn, silent. "I understand your pain."
"NO! NO YOU DON'T!!" Holly screamed, voice cracking. "I CAN'T TRUST YOU!! WHY SHOULD TRUST ANYONE ANYMORE?!"
The Phoenix lifted his head, green eyes looking surprised. "Why do you speak such words for a lovely, bright girl?"
Holly fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her words became weak sobs, "B_because! My father..I loved him more than anything in the world. He was so kind..so warm..."
"I am warm too, come and lay into my feathers. Trust me, I am the eternal light that will revive this world," the Phoenix cooed.
Holly stumbled onto his feathers clumsily. She closed her eyes as the Phoenix spoke, nuzzling his head againt her. "I know. Then he turned against his good and became Moo. After that, it was hard to trust another being. And as for monsters, I think Moo fits in too. And that Niton, who lied to you twice in your face. He made you cry for the second time in your life."
Holly opened her eyes halfway indolently, "Why have you come to me now?"
The Phoenix sighed through his beak. "I cannot tell you where I am right now. But I think you'll know one day. But like you, my spirit is between heaven and Earth."
Holly looked into his green eyes, "Like me?"
The Phoenix nodded sadly, "Don't die yet. Everyone really needs you now.."
He started to fade away as Holly suddenly whirled into another darkness.
*****
"..o...y?"
"..h...uiet! ..he's...omi...o!"
Her lips parted just enough to release a quiet whimper. Genki leaned over the pale Holly in the hospital. His eyes wondered momentarily at her pale face, hair messily spread out on the blue pillow, face twisted somewhere between extreme pain and deep sleep. Her body was outlined in the thin blanket that they had provided her.
"She's in deep pain, looks like it," Hare sighed. "Who can blame her, though?"
Genki flinched at the memory of Holly falling to a motionless heap on the ground. "Holly..."
"G..e..n...k..k...ii..," Holly whimpered weakly.
Genki and the others quickly gathered around her. She breathed another sort of whimper and woke up weakly, eyes squinty in pain.
"Holly!" Suezo laughed happily.
Holly blinked wearily as she flinched painfully, hand weakly resting on her smashed stomache. "I---"
"Sssh! Quiet, Holly!" Genki begged. "You may hurt yourself more..."
Holly breathed a sort of sigh. "...'kay..."
"How's your stomach?" Tiger asked concernly.
Holly flinched painfully in repsonse.
"She's not doing so good, Tiger," Genki noted. "Look how pale she is."
Holly's eyes blankly stared at Genki's face. He smiled and then brushed a wisp of hair away from her eyes. Her eyes opened a little more, wavering a large in warmth. After another second, she closed her eyes.
~~~~~
"I'm home!"
Little Holly turned happily to the door as her mother rocked calmly in her rocking chair.
"Mommy! Daddy's home!"
She turned happily to her smiling mother. "Then why don't you go open the door?"
Holly nodded eagerly and ran to the door. She opened it, revealing her happy father.
"DADDY!!" Holly exclaimed, leaping into his outstretched arms.
He laughed as he hugged her, lifting her onto his shoulders. He walked over to his wife and kissed her. Then, they all settled down infront of the warmth of the fire.
"Come to me. Lay on my feathers to see your destiny. Trust me," the Phoenix's voice echoed in her head.
*****
Genki, late that night, looked around at his sleeping friends, all content in the belief Holly was going to be OK. He sighed heavily and walked over to Holly, dimly seeing her in the moonlight. A small smile was on her face, despite how everything else was pale. Genki smile warmly, eyes wavering in happiness. He loved her smile.
"Father...," she whispered hoarsely in her slumber.
Genki's smile turned into a slight frown. He lied his head on the hard area under her neck, her curved chest bone pushing slightly into his cheek.
"She's so warm..," Genki sighed contently before falling asleep.