A/N: This is the SECOND Akane story out there, this will forever annoy me. But this is written as if you have never seen My-Hime, only because my Beta hasn't watched it so she was like no, I don't get it. So I was like I'll take it from the top. And I apologize for the dodgy summary, I'm not good with them. Well…
I hope this leaves you a little emotional.
Word Count: 2,689 (it makes it look professional.)
Chapter One: The Lone Valkyrie
Stockholm syndrome
n.
A phenomenon in which a hostage begins to identify with and grow sympathetic to his or her captor.
Akane lay on her stomach, her head raised and cradled by two hands underneath her chin, so she could read her black leather bound diary. Her feet were constantly kicking her pillow, as she bit her lower lip in thought. The doors and windows of her student dorm were locked, so no one could interrupt her. She didn't know why she put herself through such trauma, pain; if she opened the golden clasp a world of memories would maul her eyes, her heart.
Her long fingers traced the cool metal circling the outside of the clasp, she pushed down on it. It was a hefty diary filled with photos and other objects from her childhood. It opened to a random page; her eyes fell onto the words of her messy scrawl. She had been twelve at the time, so young and understanding and loving of the world, so stupid. Her eyes instantly misted up, choosing a spot on the page she read:
"…was horrible, I think I'm going to stop breathing soon. Maybe I can fall down the stairs, so I don't have to go to school tomorrow... Yu was sitting near me today, he and his group were laughing and sniggering about me, I tried to ignore them like I've been taught.
Ignore the bully and he will lose interest. LIARS!!
All they do is laugh more. Diary I feel sick, my stomach is all queasy. I think I'm going to vomit; all I was doing was sitting listening to the teacher read out loud. I gained eye contact with her, asked for help, pleaded with my eyes, asking her to stop them.
But instead she broke eye contact; I think that's when my stomach lurched in pain. Diary why does everything bad happen to me?
I hate my face, I hate my face, I HATE MY FACE!! MY STUPID UGLY FACE!! WHY!! WHY AM I SO
UGLY!!?"
The brunette loudly inhaled pulling air into her lungs, forcing back tears as her face contorted with pain. Her face was shuddering, as she pulled it into a weak smile:
"I stayed quiet, hoping that they would think me dead. Just apart of the walls, the scenery. I wish I was special. Have powers to change me, or invisibility so I can hide so no one has to look at me.
They tell you to be quiet and it will go away.
They are liars! : The letters had been repetitively written over, almost tearing the page with the amount of anger she had been feeling.
Mrs Oromarki knows what's happening, but I don't want Yu to get into trouble.
Sitting outside the Principle's office I heard him being told off. Later on Yu was punished, his parents had come in a few days ago and still nothing has changed. I think I'm cursed.
Nothing stops him, he is just MEAN!!"
The page was partly smudged from tears of the past, her hand rubbed over the smudged letters. She pulled the sleeve of her jumper to her palm, wiping away the tears that were slowly running down her rosy cheeks. She continued:
"He kept saying it over and over again silly face Silly face, how can such silly simple words cause so much pain diary? How can I change myself? What can I do?!"
She didn't hate the little boy who had done this to her, long ago she had forgiven him. She had survived most of the year being strong, never crying, and only confiding in her diary.
She had never truly learnt to hate the world for its misdeeds, or to why it punished her in the form of Yu. His continuous bullying, only resulted to charity and good will from her behalf. She had never asked why it had happened to her, he had put her into a different hell and all she could do was understand and sickly love and worry for him.
She could almost defend his actions against her; he was probably/definitely in pain too. Her personality forever changed, formed her thick skin. Nothing really hurt her now, alone before; alone still, but she liked her void of solitude that surrounded around her. Every so often she had to pick at her emotional scab, just to feel a little alive-forget to take her pills once in a while, for her moments of insanity.
She hadn't the guts, if it was called that, to cut her wrist and end life. Though at the time of her naivety she did not understand the concept of suicide, if she had, she would have been winged long ago. Maybe that was where she would find her freedom, it probably wasn't that hard. There were other methods, something that a gentle lullaby, a drink, and a little lie down.
Instead she stayed invisible, smiled when smiled to and trudged through each day. She had changed herself, so her "silly face" was hidden. Her brown hair cut so it covered majority of her face, and chunky glasses removed whatever was left of her profile. She was always slouching, her face to the ground, not to make eye contact. So no one could see her, so she could see only them.
"A monotone of life, lacking in colour." This was written above the page, with a drawing of a girl holding a doll tight to her chest. The drawing was all shaded and dark, but the rag dolls hair was coloured orange like hers. Like the one from home…
Her head dropped into the pages of the diary, hitting her head on the hard pages of the book repeatedly, she groaned and pushed the diary away. Pressing her nails into her palms she lay quietly, listening to her shallow breaths. She felt weak, body and mind, like always after draining herself emotionally.
Akane screamed in her head to stop, just stop, her nails piercing her skin the pain pulling her back to her dorm. Her dorm in Fuuka College, hundreds of kilometres over Japan far away from home. Yet it felt so close, breathing down her neck. Her bleeding hands weakly stretching across to the draw, she felt for the tablets that made her immune to her sufferings.
Her artificial happiness.
"Ah, Akane-e!" A voice spoke from the corner of the room breaking her from her hell, Akane looked up with a start. She dropped the container of pills onto the floor, unwilling to move from her bed she watched as the container rolled underneath the bed. Nagi and Akane were in silence, listening to the griding sound of the pills until it stopped.
Nagi blinked twice looking slightly amused then smiled and added, "There is a little problem I need you to take care of."
Alert, Akane stared at Nagi. He had an ability to appear at anytime; she was forever caught off guard. The he would be there one minute the next gone, he could be something she has made up. He could just be an imaginary friend, which she did not want.
Looking at him, he looked real.
She had locked that window earlier, he caused the unexplainable to happened.
It scared her.
Nagi's body was leaned against the open window frame, one foot on the sill, the other on the window frame. A view from the window allowed her the view of the castle like structure of Fuuka Acadamy, her eyes then drifted to the mountain side emersed in vegetation and wild animals. Her bleared teary gaze returned to Nagi, wiping her eyes again with her peach school blazer, so she could see him clearer.
There was blood welling from her scarred palms. She wiped the red liquid onto the already stained shirt, which was on the floor below her. Many times she had used her nails to cut her skin, freeing the pain.
Timidly she looked up and forced eye contact, her head was lowered touching the bed's blanket so her hair covered her face.
Nagi looked like a mischievous little boy; with blue hair he was definitely not from this world. He acted like an idiot around her, but she could easily see through his fake mask. His red eyes were like a book to her, telling her more than he wanted her to know.
A smile quirked from the corner of his lip, holding a book in his hand he put it on his head. Turning on his heels, he faced her with a growing smile. His red eyes gleamed at her with a certain amount of interest, he gazed at her puffy eyes and tear stained face. "Akane-e I see you are all red and puffy…making yourself stronger, eh? Well…" He said cryptically pausing for a moment his head quirked to the side analysing her, his eyes flashing with mystery and something else more sinister.
"The orphan?" she said meekly, blushing from interrupting the arrogant boy. Strength returned to her body, she pushed herself to stand on her bed. Her feet sank into the bed, she wiped her eyes again and sniffed loudly.
Orphan's were hybrid creatures, things of a child's nightmare, intent of attacking the Academy to kill her and people like her, people who were different.
The only reason why she was allowed at this school was because of her ability, another abnormality. Her ability to fight the supernatural, the orphans. The orphan were creatures that stalked around the expansive school grounds and forests, many times she would have to fight these monsters. Having to avoid acids, fangs and other types of freakish attacks intent on killing her.
She was a freak.
"The tennis courts," he replied tongue poking out, his concentration on the book on his head. Shifting back and forward, trying to keep the book on the crown of his head. He put his arms out, quickly losing his balance on the sill. As if on a surf board, his body shifted back and forward, his arms flapping in the air. The book slid of the back of his head, he fell backwards, twisting, and he grabbed the book as he fell towards the ground.
Standing on her bed, she rolled her head back as she closed her brown eyes. Fanning her fingers out, she inhauled deeply and felt warmth coming from beneath her palms. Static filled the air, hairs on her arm raised as the static warmth solidified in her hands. Her hands clenched down holding onto the familiar feeling of wood.
Her weapons. Her two hybrid tonfas.
Unlike most traditional tonfa's that consisted of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. Her's had an extra sharft that were on an axis, allowing them to rotate and create powerful winds. Winds that she used, to distroy the orphans.
She brought the weapon above her head. Swinging them down in front of her, the hybrid second shaft rotated around in circles. With slight finger movements, the second shaft increased speed. A wind gathered around her in her small room, the wind raised her from the ground. Her feet were limp dangling as the air started sparking golden feathers in the vortex surrounding her. In her mind she only pictured the tennis courts, the winds then pulled out in every direction. She knew her feet were standing on the firm tennis courts, Akane fell instantly into her fighting stance.
Opening her eyes, she looked at the orphan directly in front of her. The beast's seven green eyes blinked at once, snake like body instantly alert to danger. The winds had hit it hard, the monster hissed in its disapproval.
Quickly lowering her tonfa's to the ground, the hybrid second shaft span releasing a rush of air pushing
her back. Where she had been standing seconds before, was now sizzling from the beam release from the canine like jaw. The orphan's eyes stared at her, sizing up it competition.
Akane stared at the orphan; welts along its sides emitted an orange gas. Its seven eyes were in the centre of its face. Blinking at separate times, the eyes followed her as she slowly moved. Its grey snake scale skin reflected light from the moon and the red star in the sky. Raising her element above her head, she stared at the orphan's dog like head and snake like body-the hybrid tonfa starting to quickly rotate in the air.
Raising its dog head readying to strike, the orphan swayed left to right, its throat glowing with energy. The orphan looked down at the tiny girl below; she looked nothing like a threat. Watching the spinning pieces of wood, the orphan realized the danger it was in.
It was what it had been looking for.
Its head bowing down, it slithered towards her, its mouth releasing another red beam.
The tennis courts were ploughed as the beam coursed towards the girl, the orphan's eyes dilated from the brightness of the red beam. The beam then struck into the metal fence causing it to explode, the orphan then closed its eyes from the assaulting light. Opening one eye, its gazed at the cindered ground and the fire now burning away at the grass.
Slithering to where the girl once was, its dog face twisted into a smile as it looked for any trace of the girl. Raising its head, it looked for blue specks in the school. There were girls with the power to make it stronger inside, seeing blue dots it slowly moved towards the buildings
Suddenly coming to a halt, its head slowly slid off its body. Seconds later red blood burst from the snake's body. Akane floated above it, silhouetted by the moon. Her element was spinning quickly, allowing her the ability to fly. Blades of air cut through its body, ensuring its death. The snake skin was shredded, as the wind cut through the orphan. Green bubbles streamed into the air from its destruction or massacre, the bubbles ran over her body disappearing into oblivion.
The green bubbles, were the sign of its death. She didn't understand why the bubbles occurred, but it was a safe guard to know she had done the job.
Slipping into the vortex of her mind, she swung her tonfa down in front of her, the hybrid second shaft rotated around in circles. Tipping her head back she closed her eyes, she felt herself disappear.
Nagi leaned back against a large pine tree, his feet on the top branch. Biting his thumb nail, he watched his wild card as wind cut into her removing her in pieces. It was like watching a kid flick cards away from the deck, she was always full of surprises. Finding new ways to use her ever growing powers, she was resourceful.
When did she learn to teleport around the school? : He thought curiously to himself: She was always filled with surprises, always the first to get power, and the first to catch onto his game. She was a sly and sneaky one.
"Ah-Akane-e, you are one of my favourite dancers." He giggled to himself.
Closing his eyes he coughed into his fist, spreading his arms he sang,
"Who are those little girls in pain,
Just trapped in castle of dark side of moon.
Twelve of them shining bright in vain,
Like flower that blossom just once in year.
They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love,
Just dreaming a place where they are free as dove.
They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage,
It' s only the fairy tale they believe.
They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love,
Just dreaming a place where they are free as dove."
One eye opened as birds started flying away, they were jealous, he thought to himself. "They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage." Dogs from the town started barking, flicking his hand dismissively he vanished from the branch.
A/N: Wow. That took me a long time to actually finish, wrote this ages ago, my beta hated it. Rewrote it, beta got lazy and never responded so I was like POST!! If you have ever bothered with "Army Of Me"—(I think its called that, gosh such a long time I forgot the actual name of the story.) You should know I will update in like a year. So relax. But if you have issues with characterization, or spelling, grammar, etc. TELL ME! And the psychological side, if you can be like no that's not how that would happen her etc.
Next Chapter: Puppet Strings.