His body felt stiff and numb. His breathing pattern was off, as if it was a chore to simply breath. The ground below him felt cold and rough. The forest that surrounded him was odd, as the trees seem to twist and turn as if they were alive. Wherever he was, it was somewhere he needed to get out of quickly; for the temperature was slowly cooling, and that could be deadly.
Daisuke Niwa, age fourteen, laid on the dirt ground in an opening of a forest. The sky was pitch black, with only the moonlight offering comfort to him. He was dressed in his pajamas that he swore he put on before sleeping.
Suddenly, a hand touched Daisuke's neck. He gasped upon the sudden touch and turned his attention to a figure. It was a young woman, around the age of 16 he figured. Her eyes and long curly hair, that hung down to her waist, were green like a meadow, her white dress covered most of her body, leaving her chest partially exposed due to the v neck of the dress. She didn't wear shoes he noted; and her feet were cut and stained with grass stains. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that vines wrapped around her arms and a flower crown, consisting of wild flowers, was adorned upon her head.
The strange woman sighed with relief, and muttered the words, "Thank goodness he's alive", as if she had been through this routine before. Daisuke stared at her for a bit, confused as to where he was and what he was doing here.
"M-Miss?" Daisuke managed to speak. His voice was hoarse from the cold air and from being dehydrated. She gasped, not knowing he was awake. She showed signs of nervousness in her eyes, and shaking hands. Daisuke could feel her shake, with the hand that still touched his neck, assuming she was looking for his pulse before.
"Where am I...? What are you doing here alone?" Daisuke tried to push himself up with his hands, but failed as his arms gave away and he crashed back to the ground. The woman assisted him by helping him up onto his bum so he could sit.
"You're in a dream..." The female spoke quietly. Her voice was soft and gentle, like a mother talking to her child. "I..." She stuttered. "I brought you here to ask you to help me." She spoke louder, but not too loud to scare him off.
"Why did you bring me here, miss? Are you in trouble?" Daisuke asked with a soft tone in his voice to assure the strange female he was a friend and not a foe. As he thought she was being hunted in the dark forest.
"I'm being held captive here, in this forest..." She gestured to the large forest. "I am bound to this world, crafted by the hands of the Hikari family..." Daisuke's red eyed widened upon realization that a piece of art by the Hikari family was trying to contact him for help. But why was she so fearful of being in this world? She looked bright and beautiful, like a deity, but she was trapped in this dark and gloomy world. Perhaps she wished for freedom...
"I don't wish to be here anymore. It's always dark and depressing...the outside world calls out to me in plea. It wants me to help it. The outside world is being destroyed and poisoned..." She clasped her hands on top of another and shook. Her eyes were slowly brimming with tears, and the teardrops ran down her pale ivory skin.
"Miss..." Daisuke felt sadness for the poor creation. She wanted freedom and to help the world from being poisoned, from what he didn't know. She obviously look tortured by being captive in this world she was, what he assumed, painted into.
"Can you tell me your name? Well not your name...but your art name?" Daisuke placed his hand on top of her clasped ones, which in response she gasped from the friendly touch.
"My name is...Mother Nature..."
Daisuke's eyes fluttered open to see the ceiling of his room above him. His white floppy haired bunny, With, was snugged up against him and let out soft snores. Daisuke had to recollect what happened in his dream. It wasn't a dream per say, but rather an illusion that took place in his head.
The strange female, named Mother Nature, was in a dark world. She pleaded to Daisuke to rescue her, as she wanted freedom and to help the world from being poisoned.
"But poisoned from what...?" Daisuke muttered and rolled in his bed to face his room. He was confused as to what she was talking about. But he hopped he could gather more information from her.
'Having strange dreams about art girls, eh Daisuke?' Dark chuckled aloud in his head, taunting the poor red head's record of being connected by females that were connected by the Hikari artworks.
"Hey it's not my fault Dark!" He protested aloud, causing With to wake up and groan with his cute red eyes looking at Daisuke with confusion. "Besides how do you know about that?! You weren't even in the dream at all!"
'Daisuke I saw it all. Don't forget that I am connected to you, and I can see your experiences through your own eyes.' Dark said in a taunting voice. Daisuke could just see the phantom thief stick his tongue out at him.
"Well..." Daisuke got up from his bed and crawled over to the ladder that was connected to the bed, since it was quite high up. "What do you make out of it? Obviously this needs some attention. A Hikari artwork is in the mixture!" Daisuke spoke while stepping down the ladder and sorting through his drawers for his school attire and underwear.
'This isn't as simple as stealing then sealing the artwork. Well not unless you want it to be. But this artwork, "Mother Nature", knows something quite big. Or perhaps she is lying? Either way, we need to talk to her about this "poisoning".' Dark stated.
"I don't think she's lying, Dark. She seemed very distressed about it."
'Either way, we need to steal her and get questions. Besides...it'd be a shame to let a pretty girl down.' Daisuke could feel his mischievous grin.
"Dark I can't believe you!"
Walking downstairs, Daisuke saw his grandfather reading his newspaper in the family room, his mother and Towa were cleaning the house like mad men and Daisuke's father was watching the news, obviously distort on what was on.
"Morning!" Daisuke spoke up to get their attention, which was easily grabbed.
"Good morning Dai!" Emiko smiled, but soon went straight back to work.
"Oh? Good morning Daisuke." Daisuke's grandpa responded after Emiko, obviously lost in his newspaper.
"Anything new today?" Daisuke asked, hoping to open conversation of the dream last night and perhaps current events that maybe connected to the artwork, "Mother Nature".
"The weather has been crazy lately. This morning is was sun, then five minutes later it was a blizzard! Then it went to hard rain, and then a wind storm!" Towa said aloud, stopping her work to look outside. The weather currently was hail.
"School is cancelled today for the erratic weather too," Daisuke's father added in.
"It must be the work of a Hikari artwork. This weather is too strange to be unnoticed," Daisuke's grandpa stated. Daisuke blinked. Was this all because of "Mother Nature"? It had to be. Things were too connected to be "coincidences".
"Well actually...I had a strange dream last night. I was in a painting called, "Mother Nature". There was a woman that asked me to save her, and that the world is being poisoned and that it was calling for her to help." Daisuke stated.
"That has to be it!" Emiko said. "Daisuke, and Dark, be ready to go steal tonight. I'll send out the warning letter right away. This "Mother Nature" is to be dealt with, and questioned."