Disclaimer: I take no credit or ownership of the anime I am using to write this story. All of the characters belong to the creator of the anime. As for the plot of this story, it's all mine. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: A Voiceless Acapella
The sky was barely lit as the sun had yet to wake and rise itself from the sleep comfort of night's curtain. (Well, at least where I lived this was true.) As the somewhat pale-blue sky was beginning to become warmer in color, a bird chirped its song outside peacefully. Soon, it was joined by its brethren, them too, humming along with the original tune. Even though I was unconscious to the sounds of their songs, they protruded into my dreams making them soundly serene as well. During the night, the noise of rain did not wake me either, thus, this morning, leaving a light dew on the plants outside with no shelter. I still lie in my bed as the gentle winds wisp through the air. My room, except for the light that was shining through the windows, was dim. Almost no light was permitted to enter, of course the reason being that I did not wish to be disturb by the heavenly flashes of light from the sky's most innocent entity. This room, this was a sanctuary where nothing would disturb you, should you choose to rest here. It is a far off place where even the most unrealistic and fantasy-like dreams dwell. It is where my dreams exist, are kept and stored as well. This was a safe haven for me... my world, my realm, my special place where even reality could not penetrate its dreamy defensive walls. A place, just something that belonged to ONLY me...
The dew on the leaf of the tree that stood just outside the open window of my room, dripped so that the cold and murky water hit my face with a drop. This intimate event sent a stream of consciousness through my body. Then, my oceanic eyes fluttered open, fully obtaining the level of consciousness desired. It was a step by step process, waking up; My body began to slowly moved from the stoic position it was lying in and I began to shake out my limbs a bit, dissipating the fatigue that had plague them the prior night. A yawn suddenly came upon me, my brain needing oxygen to wake itself up as well. Finally, awake and conscious enough to complete a simple task, I decided to shut my window. This small sound in turn caused my mother to dash for my room, she was already awake. It made me question why she was able to hear things close in my room from a whole hallway away. It was as if she had bat hearing or something. But, nonetheless, she dashed for my room and showed up right on cue, as if we had previously rehearsed this. When her form appeared in the door frame of the door that never existed, she smiled at me softly. There was brief moment of silence between us, our eyes never dropping contact. She was going to say something, I knew it. And it was something I wasn't going to like much. A few minutes later it turns out my guess was correct, as her voice broke the silence between us. Her voice, a lone sound, a solo song.
"Good morning." She smiled once more and decided to "grace me with her beauty." I could only smile back and nod as my answer. Realistically, my mother was beautiful. Externally, mostly. However, she could be beautiful internally as well, but, stress had recently changed that.
"So we have an appointment with the doctor today. Get dressed and prepare. We're going soon." And with that she left my room almost as fast as she had come in. Her footfalls faintly echoed in the hallway as she walked. We lived in a palace. It was fortunate for me, I suppose. My family and I were treated with the utmost respect. As a human being, all one can really ask for is respect. But, one of my many thoughts: When is it that the respect becomes a hailing? A mandatory respect? Where does the fine line exist between humane respect and required respect? But, I digress.
As the sun's altitude was now escalated in the cotton candy blue sky, its heat I could feel over the top of my head. My mother and I walked the streets, my ears catching sounds of low murmurs amongst all the small crowds in the marketplace. Some watched me with a careful eye, some smiled and waved to me gleefully, some looked at me with deep and utter disgust. I was not asking for their emotional comfort or approval but, it was understandable, I suppose.
"Good morning princess." A kind woman selling fruit called out to me. I nodded in reply with a soft smile. As a princess, my subjects were important to me, even if I didn't know their names. As a child, your parents are supposed to speak for you. They always make announcements on your behalf or answer questions they think are "too mature" for you to answer for yourself. Since I had no voice my parents continued to constantly answer for me. Truthfully why they did this was to conceal the fact of my voicelessness, but, to others it appeared as though I was still a child that could not hold her own. While I didn't much mind this treatment or take any offense to it, I did find a bit of malice to use in retrospect. I did hold myself as an adult, they just didn't want the people to see me as one.
"Alright, we're here. Remember, act casual." My mother, always trying to put on the show. Maybe she should be in theater. Anyway to her comment, if I could talk, I would have said, 'How could I do anything but?'.
"Hello there Mrs. Himemiya, or shall I say my queen?" The doctor kissed her hand as he greeted her lovingly. What's bad, he was such a kiss up. What's worse, my mother loved the attention and getting showered in compliments every time we went to see him. The flattery really went to her head.
"And, Chikane, you're looking beautiful today. You're becoming such a fine, young woman, my princess." I would have much preferred honesty in words rather than flattery because I am royal. A sigh escaped from my lungs to my mouth.
"Alright. Let us discuss the surgery. Chikane, you may come in if you like. It is your throat after all." The doctor asked kindly and perhaps there were some redeeming traits about him, despite his "wanting to be loved by all" attitude. He motioned towards the door. As he did, I got up and was about to take a step towards the door when my mother shot me a glare, which stopped me in my tracks. I made eye contact with her and then immediately sat back down. Her gaze only softened a bit when I did that, but, the look held the same hardness to it than the original look did. Her voice, however, only rang with a sweet tone to it.
"Chikane, sweetie, you stay right there." I only could nod in response. I couldn't protest or heaven knows what might happen to me by my mother's hands. Their voices faded significantly as they walked further and further away from me, then pulling down a curtain/shade to give them some privacy to discuss some things. I couldn't hear their muffled voices or make out what they were saying, but, I could see two silhouettes speaking to one another. I left the scene at that. But, boredom soon struck and I decided to look out the window, which was really just an opening in the building's wall. Out of it, my eyes caught sight of the most beautiful thing I have ever scene.
[END CHAPTER 1.