Awakening of the Rose Princess

Today.

It was finally here.

Anis gathered all of her materials she needed and quickly shoved them into her bag. To anyone else, this was just a normal school day, but to Anis, this was the day her father was coming home.

How long has it been?

Anis rarely ever got to see her father. He was always away and would never go into details about where he was going or what he was doing. Though, she did receive a postcard from time to time. Even rarer still was when her father actually came home to visit.

"I wonder if I should message him…"

Anis glanced at the clock on her bedroom wall. It read 6:30 a.m. It was still really early and she didn't want to disturb her father if he had been travelling all night. Besides, by supper time tonight he would be finally be home and she could ask him all the questions that she had saved. He may even stay home for longer than a weekend this time. And maybe, just maybe, he might stay home for good.

After breakfast, Anis tidied up the house a little to make sure it was perfect for her father's arrival. Just as she was sure everything was perfect, she headed out the door and towards school.

~~ X ~~

It was warm for the middle of autumn. Anis didn't bother to take a jacket, her school sweater was fine. With her bag slung over her left shoulder, she walked the familiar route to school.

As Anis neared the school, she felt off.

"Oh no" she thought, "not again".

Ever sense Anis was small, she remembered having these attacks. She couldn't really explain it and no doctor could ever diagnose her symptoms. It had gotten to the point where people believed she was lying and seeking attention because of her lack of family life at home. But that wasn't it. Sure, Anis was lonely sometimes but she was never one to seek attention of strangers.

But still, this pressure persisted. The older she got, the stronger these attacks seemed to have gotten. Though, she would never let anyone know that now. The scrutiny she received from her childhood had all but turned her away from asking for help. No, she would trudge through it like every other time she experienced it.

After sitting down on the curb for a few minutes, the pressure seemed to have cease. She got up and ran the rest of the way, hoping that that would be the last of it for a very long time.

~~ X ~~

"Hey Anis! Over here!"

Anis turned her attention to her classmate and best friend, Miyo, call her from her seat in the front of the class. Anis signed.

It's not that she didn't like Miyo, but her friend was way too bubbly and always gossiped about others to Anis. And of course, boys. Miyo loved talking about boys including her fellow classmate Kaede Higa.

Anis didn't get what the big deal was about Kaede. Sure, he was good looking and one of the top students in their grade, but he was always alone and didn't seem to socialize with anyone. It was never a problem that he wouldn't be able to make friends, it was because he chose not to. A lot of people tried to get close to him, but he would always push them away saying he didn't need friends nor a girlfriend. In fact, he spent most of his time sleeping during lectures and getting away with it. She also found out from Miyo that he spent a lot of time working at his family's shrine. In fact, he spent most of his time sleeping during lectures and getting away with it. She also found out from Miyo that he spent a lot of time working at his family's shrine.

"Did you hear?" Miyo exclaimed. "Kaede was seen yesterday flirting with a group of girls from Class 2-B! Of course, he turned them all down or so they say."

Typical.

"That's great." Anis answered sarcastically. "But that doesn't have anything to do with –"

"Why would she have any interest in that boy when she has me?" A familiar voice interrupted. Anis and Miyo turned around to see Haruto staying a foot away with a cheery smile on his face.

"Oh. It's you" Miyo said dryly. Haruto and Miyo never did get along but they were both friends of Anis and would put up with each other to be with her. "I figured you would have left by now."

Haruto just smiled. "Now now, I still have three days left you know. And I want to spend them all with my good friend Anis. Who, might I add, has no interest in the boys that you talk about."

Anis signed and walked slowly back to her seat. She didn't feel like being in the middle of their bickering. They could come talk to her when they cooled down and stopped trying to put words in her mouth.

Before lectures started, she noticed the boy Kaede walk into the classroom with, almost instantly, all her female classmates giggling and staring at him. Well, she certainly wasn't envious of him for that. Anis grabbed her phone from her bag and noticed she had one new message.

Her heart raced.

Maybe it was her father.

Anis quickly opened up her messages to find that, it was indeed her father that messaged her. She opened it up barely able to contain her excitement.

Anis, I am so sorry. It seems something has come up. I won't be able to come home today afterall. Hope all is well.

Dad.

Anis could feel her heart drop. Not again. Not after all the hype and all the preparing she did for his arrival. Her father was supposed to be home with her! What was so darn important that he had to bail on her…again!

She closed her phone and shoved it into her bag. It didn't matter. Whatever it was, he meant he wasn't going to come home.

~~ X ~~

Anis began the slow walk back to her house. School was now over which meant Anis could finish doing the last few things she had planned for the day.

Or had planned.

Anis felt tightness in her chest that she knew wasn't related to her attacks. She wanted to cry, but she refused to. She had to be stronger than that.

She placed her arms to her sides and balled her tiny hands into fists waiting for the urge to cry to pass.

"What's ze matter?" came a voice that Anis didn't recognize.

She turned around to see who it was talking to her but no one was there. Confused, Anis looked around to see if she could spot the owner of the voice. Nothing.

"Did I dream that?" she thought to herself.

"I didn't expect the Princess to be zuch a zofty!" the voice said again. Anis frantically started looking around, swearing that this time she definitely heard a voice.

"Where are you?" She asked. "If you're so concerned for my welfare, then why hide?" She expected the owner of the voice to pop out of a bush or from one of the many fences bordering the streets of houses.

Just then, this black something dropped from above to her eye level and only inches away from her face. Anis screamed as she swung her bag at this thing that had suddenly appeared.

"Woah!" cried out the little black monster. "Watch out! You almost hit me!"

"That's the point!" Anis cried out, standing her ground with her bag held tightly with two hands. Whatever this thing was, she wasn't going down without a fight.

"I won't hurt you! Promize! I just wantz to talk! Talk! Zat is all!" Now that she had time to calm down a little, she began to examine what exactly she was looking at. It appeared to be the size of a cat, black, with little wings and pointy ears. Its eyes were gleaming red and kind of reminded her of a deformed bat. As it smiled down at her, she noticed the sharp teeth this thing had. Certainly, it could rip her apart with just one bite.

"Do ze feel better now? Are ze not afraid of me anymore?" the little black thing said calmly.

"I'm fine," Anis answered, "but what the heck are you suppose to be? And what do you want with me?" The little black creature just smiled showing all of it's teeth again.

"I'm Ninufu!" he chimed. "And I am here to help ze awaken to become ze princess again!" Anis stared blankly at Ninufu expecting it to laugh saying that this was some kind of joke or that he was just teasing her. She waited, yet he just continued to fly there staring at her with this goofy smile.

"Ok." She replied, rubbing her temple. Clearly, she was crazy. The stress from school had finally gotten to her. Or maybe it was caused from her depression as of late. Whatever the reason, she decided that the best course of action was to ignore this…thing… and continue with her daily life.

Anis slowly slung her bag over her should and walked passed the creature without so much as a glance. Once Ninufu realized that she was walking away from him, he began flying after her.

"Wait! Ze is the princess! I am sure!" he called out. Anis continued to walk.

"Uh huh, and I am suppose to believe this because?"

"You haz to believe me! I tellz ze truth!"

"Oh really. So I am just suppose to believe some flying bat like creature that I am supposedly this princess that you speak of and do what? Save the world? What proof do you even have that I am who you are looking for?"

"Zat's easy. Just look in your-"

Just then, Anis felt the ground start to shake and an ominous growl come from close by. It sent chills up her spine.

"What was that?"

"Ah!", Ninufu, all but too calmy, chimed in. "Look's like you'll be getting all ze proof ze'll need!"