Fandom: Weiss Kreuz
Timeline : AU
Disclaimer : Belong to WK Project, never ever minePrologue
The cool wind of the mid autumn evening did not hinder him from enjoying the waterscape sceneries presented in front of him. He merely stood there in awe, breathing the fresh crispy air in and out in satisfaction, smiling at the swirling gold and russets and lavenders and crimsons leaves as the wind blew and the rustling leaves sounded like a music symphony in his ears.
He loved autumn. He loved everything about this particular season. The changing colors, the landscapes, the air, the ambience and the tranquility of this time of the year.
Ran eyes wandered to the lake. He could see the sun almost set and an evening fog began to roll across the water. The reflection of the colorful mid autumn leaves of the calm water was fascinating. On the other side, at the bank of the lake, stood a few old momiji trees that leaned wearily against the lake, a few branches almost falling over so that their leaves touched the calm water.
Ran was sitting near the edge of the water and he could see the reflection of himself. Ran studied his face. He was not a handsome and gallant guy but more towards elegantly pretty. People never mistook him for a woman. They knew he was one hundred per cent male, well, the Adam's apple gave it away but some men were perverted enough that he never escaped the chance of being groped whenever he was in a congested and crowded public place.
Ran didn't like to be called pretty, it made him sound girlish but he could not deny that he had that look of elegance. He laughed and felt like a narcissist. With his rich blood-red hair and deep violet eyes and porcelain-like skin, he knew he looked almost like a doll when he was standing still. Ran clicked his tongue in annoyance. That's what always happened when he and his sister went to Department Store for shopping. He would stand motionless in a corner and some female departmental store worker would try to carry him thinking that he was a mannequin or naughty children would poke at him. Worse, some men would stand right in front of him, admiring his, what they liked to call exotic, looks.
He was seventeen, and was in his third year at St Agnes. He was active in most of the clubs, but his favorites were his book-club and his kendo. He had even made it as a Captain for both clubs and though he looked frail, adversaries from other clubs knew his abilities in kendo, because once he swung his shinai, his strength deceived his frail looking body. He was even nicknamed 'Demon Orchid' among his kendo opponents.
Ran sighed and rested his head on one of the rocks listening to nothing, closing his eyes.
Sometimes he enjoyed his parents impromptu plans. It was not a school holiday but since Ran's grades were good, his father had asked if he could take at least a week off from school to be with his family. It was not often that his parents could bring him and his sister together to meet their grandparents who had decided to stay in Minamiyamashiro. It was a very peaceful village, surrounded by mountains and lakes. And in autumn, the splurging colors of the momiji leaves turned the village into a breathtaking view, like a painting that he once saw in his father's office. He took out his digital camera, the one that his parents had bought for him as last year's birthday gift, searching for the right angle to snap.
Ran loved to come here, it was a quiet place, where nothing happened that gave him a peace of mind that the hustle-bustle of people shouting, tires screeching, honking in the city never could.
There was a tiny cave that he remembered from when he was three years old. His grandfather showed it to him. They never went near the cave but the old man told him that when the water rose, half of the cave would be drowned under the water leaving the other half of the entrance surfaced. His grandfather will told him that the cave looked like an old man's head, except that the hair was green.
Ran loved watching the cave and listening to the 'slosh' sound made by the tiny waves whenever the tide of lake was high. He wondered if the cave was still there, or if the fifteen years had eroded it.
He smiled to himself again, tucking the unruly eartails behind his ears as he walked along the small trail towards the cave. He loved stepping on the dried leaves on the ground, and it somehow gave him a sense of pure happiness listening to the crunching sounds underneath his feet.
He looked up at the sky; it was going to be dark soon so he quickened his pace. When he almost reached to where the cave was located, his steps halted when he heard voices, almost like whispers. Curious, he moved quietly among the trees trying to find the source of the voices and saw three suspicious looking men wearing cheap versions of the raincoat that the killer wore in the movie Urban Legends, that he had seen three weeks earlier.
He watched them, arguing over something and his eyes lingered at the feet of where the men were standing. In his life, he had never before seen what was being done that day. It was something that he read in the newspapers, something that happened far away in another place, in another world, maybe, but not here, in this peaceful village.
He saw another figure squatting down, holding something that looked like a knife but Ran knew it was not an ordinary kitchen knife, like those that his mother had at home. It was a knife that was made to cut to the bones… It's not hunting season. Ran thought. And what could they be hunting at the moment? But what he did not expect to see was that the squatting figure was slicing another figure that was lying still on the ground. A human. No! He shook his head. There were two figures on the ground.
Ran quickly pulled his hands towards his mouth to prevent himself from gasping out loud. He felt drowsy and almost as if he would vomit, he was desperately trying not to panic and scream, because he knew if he did, they would know that he was there and if they knew…. He began to panic and automatically took few steps backwards when he heard a snap. The familiar sound of a small branch being broken in two.
"Ah!" He cursed silently. When he looked up again he saw that the men were looking in his direction. Six pair of eyes were looking his way. It was too late too hide and he saw their faces and he was sure that they saw his too. He stood there, stunned for a moment when he realized the men were moving towards him. Snapping out of the trance, and with adrenaline charging in his veins, Ran turned and sprinted towards his grandparent's house without even a single glance back.
AN: This is my very first entry for a weissnovella challenge in LJ and also my very first entry in any writing challenge. (The very reason why I got stuck with Borderline grin since I used up all my energy to finish this one. I promised this one is truly finished, though I wonder if its good enough to post. Anyway, I do hope everyone enjoys it though a little.)
I would like to express my very thanks to minimorr as my beta! hugs