Prologue ; Dive into the Heart


" As I look into this mirror, and what I may have become I wonder... Is this truly what I want? Do I truly want to become just a reflection, or do I have a will of my own? "

Weightlessness ; suspended in nothingness, yet being pulled all the same. A chill bit into her bone ; darkness obscured her vision from across the board. Straining herself, attempting to expand her awareness, told her nothing that would've been considered helpful to her sensory feedback. She continued to get this feeling of 'falling', nothingness replaced with the tepid warmth of water coasting across her flesh akin to a gentle breeze. Contemplation tugged at her consciousness, even as her eyes slid shut ignore the Dark

'Coldcoldcold why did it have to be so cold?' she couldn't help but notice . . .

' Falling . . . '

Her eyes are greeted by the abyss once more, an all encroaching darkness gnawing at her sense of safety, her sense of security -her sense of self.

'I'm . . . falling . . . ?'

Keen of her to observe, mn? She extended her hand instinctually, a moment of weakness in the hopes of doing so would allow her to grasp onto something, anything so she didn't have to endure falling endlessly. Light caught her attention near immediately, and for just a moment, she thought that she had been deceived. There was no way a place this dark could have even a drop of Light, right?

Cool stone scraped against her legs as her inquisitive gaze glanced across a horizon painted in vivid oranges ; a perpetual dusk. Home. How unusual, for had she not been falling moments before? The thoughts were cast away as irrelevant, once she had time to take in the view from her vantage.

Shielding her eyes with her free hand, the brunette can't help but be mildly annoyed, yet relieved at the near silent contemplation on her end being broken by someone sitting next to her - right at the periphery of her vision. Taking her gaze over brought her around to bright brown eyes. Sharp features - short-cropped hair. Shorts and a tanktop. Defined musculature, but that was because he did heavy lifting.

Two more people settled next to him. A blond girl with somewhat messy curls and an artist smock to her left, and a younger looking brunette next to the lone male of the small group. Had she agreed to meet them today? She couldn't recall. Sometimes everything seemed so forced-

Reaching over to pat her friend on his shoulder, she was shocked when, instead of landing on the corporeal, she went through him, as if he were a ghost. The sudden motion knocked her off her balance, sending her into a freefall. Air distorting around her, almost as if a heatwave had struck, had set the world on pause, as gravity once again snagged her into his embrace.

She wasn't going to die, this wasn't going to hurt - it wasn't dangerous - she wasn't sure how she knew, but know she did. Several motes of light peppered the air around her in flourish, coalescing beneath her with a comfortable warmth.

Cheering brought her back into awareness to the world around her, When had she closed her eyes, was it really that peaceful? A familiar weight had settled in her hand, and she lifted the item up to glance it over. Blue? Foamy? Ah, right, a struggle club.

Shoes toyed at her vision, as did the legs that were quite obviously attached to them.

" You'd better be on your guard, Suihei . . . "

Biting purple eyes met her own, expressive hazel in annoyance. Snide, that was the best way to describe his voice. As if he had already won when she hadn't even tried anything quite yet. He dashed forward, meeting her in a deadlock that forced the weight of his club against her own. It proved enough to bring a competitive grin to her lips.

Leaping apart from one another, each competitor eyed the other for any sign of movement.

She wouldn't lose, she couldn't lose, not to him of all people, for pride was at stake and she wasn't quite willing to lose that just yet. They clashed again, exchanging blows rapidly while the cheers of the crowd grew louder and louder, raising into a crescendo that roared in her ears.

Amidst the friendly spar, the storm that were the cheers of spectators ceased to be. As if she were in the eye, it was as silent as a graveyard. Curious as to what caused the sudden silence, Suihei lifted her eyes to the heavens, as everyone else had in shock.

Shooting stars? No, that wasn't what caused the reaction, there was more fear than awe, and nobody feared a meteor shower. Celestial bodies continued to wreathe across the skies in a blaze, light /shading/, but never once /obscuring/ a sight that bordered the bizarre. It took a few moments for her to make out the object, but once she did her eyes widened in shock, disbelief! It shouldn't have been possible, but -

Those shooting stars . . . were her.

It took all her fortitude to not gape like a fish, to be taken aback further than what she had already, but by the time she collected herself, the old feeling of weightlessness returned. Similar to a movie being put in pause, everything around her remained static, unchanging, unmoving.

'Maybe . . . Maybe I'm dreaming . . . '

Like brittle glass, the world began to break apart ; desperation fell upon her near immediately no no no she couldn't keep falling like this. Begging was never her forte, she was too stubborn. But here, she stretched her hand out for help, extending it towards the purple hair boy she'd been sparring with mere moments before. He didn't bother returning the courtesy, instead, he opted to stare at her, as if he were amused at her panic like the bastard that he was.

Only her safety passed through her mind, feeting as it could be. The probability of her actually landing somewhere secure though? Neigh impossible.

Despite the panic that had seized her - and she was panicking - letting go was easier, if nobody else would help. It wouldn't hurt her to let go, wouldn't pain her to continue drifting a bit longer, right? Suihei sighed to herself, eyes drifting shut. If there were a time to be resigned, this had to be it, right?

Numbness embraced her all the same ; there was no need to fret, to stress, to tug on the already tenuous connection she had to the world lest it broke. Streaking down from the heavens, just as her eyes had seen mere moments before.

'But if this is all a dream . . . '

Tepid waters splashed against her face, sending her drifting into the abyss once more. Quite the surprise it caused, when the rest of the world shattered with such an impact.

'Then why . . . '

How long had she been drifting? Minutes, hours? Spinning with the current, it was only with a sudden shift in her weight that she went right-side up. Suihei's feet touched the ground gently, the feeling of weightlessness leaving her, as if she hadn't careened from the heavens in the first place.

She opened her eyes, then ; the Darkness, while all encompassing as it was before, wasn't as scary. A cursory glance around her revealed not a single soul in sight. Not Barret, or Relm, or Marlene, or Caius (the jerk that he was) - she was completely and devoid of company. Without guidance, without safety, without the security that she sought so desperately now. Apprehension crashed down on her in an instant, though it wasn't without merit.

A single step forward lit the ground beneath her with a blinding light. Darkness fragmented, lifting itself from a mosaic enraptured her near immediately - for they weren't shards of darkness as she thought, but birds leaving behind a flurry of feathers as they flew away.

' Then why am I alone . . . ? '


Suihei stood in silence as she contemplated this, chocolate eyes drifting down to the mosaic beneath her feet once the feelings of awe subsided. Certainly it was amazing, and not by any means was the feeling minimal ; the craftsmanship was something right out of a church, but . . . that boy. Suihei squinted to get a closer look.

His features were something right out of a story book - spiky brown locks that seemed untamable, and peculiar clothes. Though the shorts were accentuated by the yellow stripes and sharp red pouches tied to them. Within his hand was a giant key, almost oversized to the point of being comical. And though interested, she was unable to see the colour of his eyes, for they were slid shut, as if he were sleeping. Certainly an interesting figure, but . . . she had never seen him a day in her life.

' Who is he? '

'Focus.' Once the thought was in her head, she'd be able to figure out where 'here' was ; truly, there was nobody else here. Merely her, the agonizing silence of darkness, and a spotlight illuminating her immediate area. A circular platform was the only thing keeping her from falling into the Darkness completely, she noticed ; though it was with some distaste that she took stock of her surroundings, Suihei was at least glad that she hadn't been forsaken entirely. Familiar faces would've been a comfort though- Barrett. Relm. Marlene. Even that jerk, Caius, was preferential to being completely and utterly by herself.

"What am I supposed to do . . . " she rubbed the small of her neck in contemplation, completely unexpectant of the voice that responded to her near immediately thereafter.

' So much to do, so little time . . . Take your time. Don't be afraid, the door is still shut. Now step forward. Can you do it? '

Well, yeah, she had figured that much out. She refrained from saying anything, however, instead opting to fold her arms over her chest while trying to catch a feel for the tone. It was . . . odd. Light, yet biting. Gentle, yet harsh - an androgynous tone at best that made it a mite bit more difficult to discern the gender of whoever, or whatever, had been speaking to her. All she had t'do was get over her worries, right?

Her body, having had enough of her meddlesome indecisiveness, took action by its own accord. Red and white sneakers hit the ground - one step, then another. And another. The soft jostling her necklace brought her back to attention, so caught up in her thoughts she was that she hardly noticed that she had settled right into the middle of the platform until she'd cleared out her head.

Now all she had to do was wait for her next command, right? '

' Power sleeps within you . . . '

A beam of light flared at the edge of her vision, though she took no note of it immediately. Almost prepared to protest the statement, the brunette was nearly cut off immediately by her eyes glancing over to give the risen tablet in the utmost curiosity. A shield, black in colour with a peculiar design of three circles set in the middle, in the middle, greeted her. This didn't stop the voice from speaking, but on the contrary, it didn't seem to be quite finished yet.

' If you give it form . . .'

Suihei pivoted on her feet, just in time to see another beam of light rise from the surface to her left. Yet another tablet had risen from the ground, this time bearing a stave with that odd 'tri-circled' tip of blue. It vaguely reminded her of one of the cartoons she frequently watched on Saturday mornings, though such thoughts were immediately tucked away. After all, there was something about it that was captivating in of itself for her.

'It will give you strength . . .'

Another beam of light had appeared, and with it came another stone tablet from the depths of the floor. Suihei's brows knitted together in confusion. This one had appeared right in front of her - and on it was a broadsword with a gold and blue hilt. Much like the staff, it radiated power in a way that captivated her, enthralled her.

' Choose well. '

She stepped forward to give the sword a closer look. She was familiar enough with swords, at least, due to all of those extracurricular activities after school. Kendo was something that she'd been practicing for a while, so she felt her choice was fairly obvious from the start.

' The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek? '

She couldn't help but smile when she nodded her assent, fingers extending to wrap around the hilt of the blade so she could test the weight of it in her hand. Despite the large size of it, it appeared to be far lighter than what she initially thought it'd be. Almost like it was made for her. "Yes." She was breathless - amazed by the sight to the point where she couldn't veil the disappointment that crossed her face once the weapon disappeared in wisps of light.

' Now what will you give up in exchange? '

Give up, huh? Her gaze lingered on the remaining two items ; the shield, and the wand. In order to gain, sacrifices had to be made. So what would she throw away for the power of a warrior? For courage to face all? Her choice was made almost immediately, bounding over to the staff to take it into her hands. Almost apprehensively, she stared at it - it held such power, such untapped strength, that she was almost hesitant to throw it away.

' The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power? '

She had to wonder if magic was legitimate or not, but . . . well, courage and inner strength were pretty much the same thing anyways, right? Nodding to herself, she responded with a soft "Yes." Similar to the sword, the wand evaporated into wisps of light, though it didn't appear to retain the warmth that she had felt when she had chosen the sword. Almost like a little burble, really - there, but not like the fire of what she recognized as strength flowing throughout her body.

' You have chosen the power of the warrior. . .

You have given up the power of the mystic. . .

Is this the form you choose? '

Musing on the stream of questions would probably get her nowhere in the long run - she could either answer them and continue on with her path, or remain stagnant and be swallowed by her apprehension.

She nodded a final time. "Yes."

The fear that had seized her before had fortunately left her now, which meant that the youth was free to continue carving her path. Suihei nodded her approval, figuring that it sounded rather decent all things considered. Yet, as she waited for the voice to return there was a tremor beneath her feet that almost knocked her off course. Seemed the platforms had disappeared once she had made her choice then, mn?

Quick to gather her bearings, another tremor caused the youth to lose her footing this time around. Glass shattered around her, which caused her to instinctually cover her head with her hands in the hopes of avoiding being cut. Oh, she didn't get cut, but unfortunately she was right back to plummeting further into the dark. There was no light, no warmth, no comforting voice to tell her that she wasn't alone - merely the void blanketing her vision once more.

She was falling, this time faster than before and with no type of solace from the Dark. It may have been childish to think of it in such a manner, but there was something about it that had always put her off. Evil things lurked in the Darkness, her mother had told her time and again. And everyone had a bit of that darkness in them, as history had taught. Her hair fluttered wildly around her in the breeze that followed her plummet, and her worries of being abandoned to some purgatory of endless falling was ended soon enough.

Straining herself to keep focus, the young woman's mind snapped back into 'the game' so to speak once she came to realize that she was on yet another platform. Similar to the previous one, it a beautiful mosaic beneath her feet - though this time there was a young woman clad in a green dress.

She had skin a few shades darker than Suihei's own nutmeg tone, and dark brown eyes that appeared to be festive as they were determined. The other figures (including a frog with remarkably similar eyes, an alligator, and a young woman with the oddest hair style) were what greeted her, though they remained a shade of green instead of being fully coloured.

After a moment, Suihei felt the rightness, the warmth of the blade she had chosen on the other platform settle its weight into her hand. How strange. She thought it'd disappeared.

' You've gained the power to fight. Take a swing. '

Now that was something she could do easily. A loose stance was taken, both hands grasping the hilt and giving a vertical swing - not enough to lift her off of the ground, but she didn't exactly stop with the motion either. Planting the balls of her feet into the ground, Suihei then gave a quick rotation, blowing back her invisible enemies with a burst of air that extended from her.

The raw power was exhilarating, but-

Had she made the right choice? This thing seemed awful dangerous.

' Alright! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others. '/i

Tch, as if she didn't know that. It was always important to play your part, do what you had to do to protect those who you cared about or somethin' like that. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Suihei's gaze focused once she pulled herself from her thoughts. Only to catch a black spot from her periphery. What was that? When did it get here anyways? Her inquiry was answered once it managed to raise from the ground - an odd thing, with ant-like antennae and beady yellow eyes.

It was . . . odd. Surprisingly cute, or, at the very least it would've been if its presence wasn't so disconcerting. Would it hurt her?

' There will be times you have to fight. '

As Suihei watched, another spot emerged, and another . . . and another. By this point, her lips drew into a thin line of apprehension, fingers clenching tighter around the hilt of her blade. These things were a bit more serious than she thought they'd be, it seemed. It would've been laughable if one of the blasted creatures hadn't jumped at her with claws outstretched, intent to impale her body, to rend it to shreds, to hurt something that was too precious for her to give up.

' Keep your light burning strong . . . '

An opening! Suihei bounced forward on the balls of her feet and angled her blade so it would pierce instead of slash, lancing through the shadow in but an instant. Almost immediately, it burst into a fine black mist, obscuring her vision to the point where, if she hadn't rolled out of the way, she would've been caught off guard by a swipe of the claws.

It was a sloppy dodge, enough for her to get her calf muscle scratched by sharp digits. Her sword created sparks, dragging across the floor from her unbalanced motion before it was rectified by her swinging horizontally. Once, twice, until her muscles ached at her, but she continued to cut down every single ant-like creature until not a one was left.

A cursory glance around her immediate area revealed that she had cleared most of them out, but for how long was the question?

' Behind you! '

The forewarning came a little too late ; stricken from the back, Suihei barely had time to acknowledge the blindingly frigid pain sprouting through her body- it hurt, it hurt a lot, but she grit her teeth and used the inner fire she had felt running through her veins to switch the sword into a backhanded grip and gave a blind swing back to dislodge the creature with a soft cry. She turned quickly, sending off a rather pitiful kick that she was sure her teacher would've been ashamed off, and another slash to disperse it, though the relief was short lived.

A rumbling tremor caught her attention.

Her eyes widened at the dark spots, now more than ever, appearing in spades. One by one, bit by bit, they began overtaking the platform that she had believed was clear with that cold, vile, repulsive darkness. Attempting to run was a moot point, for at every turn there was nothing but more Darkness waiting for her ' Why me? Why is it always me? '

Mistakenly, perhaps out of panic, she stepped into the darkness in her attempts to run, causing her to slip onto her backside. She tried, oh she tried to claw her way out of it! No way was she gonna let herself be eaten by this . . . stuff!

But to her dismay, they were everywhere!

Each motion was met with her sinking deeper and deeper, she gasped from the exertion it drew from her as the ice-cold puddle continued to drag her deeper and deeper. Its consistency was akin to tar weighing her down and sapping away the fight from her muscles near constantly. Once submerged completely, she felt her air supply become dangerously limited. Agonizing seconds ticked by, and it was only natural that she struggled as if her life depended on it.

With a gasp, her bare hands touched the cool surface of yet another mosaic.


A few minutes for recovery, that's all she needed. Panting reached her ears, but she didn't take notice of it until her eyes cracked open. She had panicked, let her fear get the best of her. Suihei pushed herself onto her feet shakily, glancing around with a wariness that was only befitting for being put into such a precarious situation. Another platform, great. The most she could hope for was that things didn't get shot straight to hell and back . . . again.

There was nothing waiting for her this time. No voice. No ink-creatures. Nothing.

Well, nothing except a beam of light that caught her attention. Once she righted herself, Suihei brushed her hair behind the shell of her ear towards it- or, rather, towards what it was pointing at. A door - ornate as it was beautiful, was beneath her scrutiny near immediately. Transparent enough to her eyes, and yet, once her hands came to rest on the handles, she proved incapable of pushing it open.

'What a pain. . .'

Attempting to push it open did nothing, and it only seemed to lead to . . . itself. Folding her arms over her chest and cupping her chin, the brunette continued to stare for a few moments, almost curious to what this door was for if only to be pretty. She was distracted from her musings by a brilliant light catching her attention. Suihei turned to face it, only to find a treasure chest waiting for her.

Huh, that hadn't been there a few moments ago. Kinda odd if ya asked her. In curiosity, she opened it, believing that there was a possibility of some sort of treasure waiting for her, or perhaps even instructions on further direction. Whatever had been inside was obviously gone now, but the few twinkles of light brushed past her face, heading towards the area that the door had been.

Curious, she glanced towards the door once again, brows creasing in annoyance once she had noticed that, yes, it was solid instead of opaque as it had been before. Suihei walked over to it, giving it a slow tap to see if it'd cause any sudden gestures. She took a step back in apprehension, though it was all for naught, for the door opened on its own seconds later.

Slowly, the double doors began to part, a disconcerting creaking noise enrapturing her attention, completely. It would've been kept, if not for the radiance slipping between the seams. The warmth it emitted was comforting, painting the veil of her surroundings in golden beams that invoked warm, pleasant feelings within her. As her interest had yet to fade, Suhei took a step forward into the light, only to come into the familiar pale orange of twilight reflecting from the Clock Tower.

Had she finally made it home? Wait- no, she definitely wasn't anywhere near the Tower when she had tucked herself in earlier, so that wasn't it. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in brightness, Suihei glanced for a quick investigation of her immediate surroundings.

' Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself. '

Suihei sighed in vexation. Though, she really didn't have a choice did she? Such a stupid, overly complex dream if she'd ever had one. Suihei looked into the building, and across the tracks that would frequently take passengers to the other side of town, she noticed one of the boys she talked to after school was waiting for her.

With short-cropped blonde hair, he leaned against the wall as if he was contemplating something. A vest and somewhat baggy black pants worked with his boots to complete his ensemble. ' Finally, someone to talk to. ' She hummed and dashed his way, only to be completely taken aback by the agelessness she caught in his otherwise even-humoured eyes.

"What's most important to you?"

Suihei, not expecting the question, sputtered indignantly at the otherwise free spirited boy looking so . . . so serious. It was unsettling in the wrongest of ways, though it did serve in giving her some room for thought. What was most important to her? Stupid thing, she didn't even have t think for longer than a few moments. "Friendship I guess?"

A mirthless chuckle rolled from his mouth, chilling her to the core. "Is friendship really such a big deal?"

Unsettled, Suihei began to edge away from him, walking outside if only to come face to face with a young redhead in school clothing - somewhat disheveled, yet hardly anything worth of note. His sharp jade eyes met her own hazel, and for a second she nearly thought about turning around and going right back into the building.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked, hands tucked into his pockets almost lazily as he gave her a once-over. A lot of things, was the sarcastic response that would've rolled from her tongue if she hadn't given it serious though. But, once more, the answer rolled from between her lips before she could even think about stopping herself.

"Being different." She hated the thought of remaining isolated from her peers, abhorred it, even. Yet there he was with a half-smile, as if her fears meant nothing to him and were, at best, a childish little thing to make note of in his eyes.

"Is being different really so bad?"

To have her fears brushed off like that left Suihei with a rather bitter taste in her mouth, though she said nothing that would allude to it. Instead, she turned on her heel, intent on finding a way out - it was better than dealing with that smug smile - before she found herself plopped right on the edge of the clock tower. Oddly enough, someone who she would've considered a close friend if not for their radical differences and pushing her to the side, was waiting for her. Feathery blonde hair framed soft features, while sharp silver eyes pierced her in a manner that had her recoil in shock. She knew she didn't really like her, but this?

Christ, talk about a buzzkill.

"What do you want out of life?" Her voice was smooth, almost mockingly cheerful, as Suihei fiddled with her hair. Either from apprehension or annoyance, she couldn't quite decipher at the moment.

"To . . . " What did she want out of life? A part of her had always dreamed, of course, that there was something out there waiting for her, something beyond the commons of Twilight Town, or the rather shoddy apartment that her mother and she shared. Not that her life was bad by any means, but . . . "To broaden my horizons." That's what her name meant, right? It was an interesting choice for her mother to make and all, if she had to be completely frank.

"To broaden your horizons, huh Princess?" And almost as if she were amused by this, the blonde took a bite of her ice-cream and glanced away from Suihei, as if she hadn't been there at all. She was about ready to storm off again, though she couldn't this time around - her body wasn't responding like she thought it would. One twitch only led to another, but never led to actual movement. It was almost as if she'd been tethered down to the spot by an unreal amount of weight.

'Your adventure begins at midday. . . Keep a steady pace, and you'll come through fine.'

' How weird. ' Suihei thought to herself as the world around her began to wash away in muted colors. Suihei was suddenly right back on the platform that she had began everything on, where that odd boy with the spiked brown locks awaited her. This time, she noticed, his outfit was different. He looked a bit younger, with a red undershirt and white hoodie that was unzipped. In his hand, he held a peculiar star shaped fruit. Like the first mosaic that she had seen, his eyes remained shut, leaving his eye colour an annoying mystery.

Pausing for a few seconds, Suihei tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. Waiting never seemed to work now that she'd thought about it. So maybe it was for the best if she just kept pressing forward.

She was confident in her ability anyways.

Suihei took a few steps forward to investigate her immediate area. In the center of the platform there was a ray of light, or, a pillar rather, with small motes of energy circulating it. Mn? Maybe it was another lead. That'd be a lot better than, well, standing around and doing nothing for sure.

So, without much preamble, she leapt into it, only to grimace once it slid right from beneath her feet to go darting across the surface of the glass. She was right behind it of course, so keen on seeing where she had to go, what she had to do. Gratification lit her eyes once she managed to catch up to it near right near a stairway that she was quite certain led to another platform.

She was getting rather tired of doing these things, but beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

Muted red lit this area this time around, and though there wasn't any discernable features on the work of art. Oddly enough, there was only a silhouette of a young woman, or at least she figured it to be a young woman with the physique and all. Suihei pushed the thought of whatever it could've been out of her mind, instead opting to cease the jog she had began in her little hunt to find the light. Her arms swayed by her sides limply, eyes glancing up to the ray of light that illuminated her features in contemplation, yet doing nothing beyond basking in it's warmth.

' The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes . . . '

Suihei turned on her heel suddenly, in order to investigate, only for her heart to crawl into her throat and stop. That wasn't her shadow, she decided. Because her shadow wouldn't be pulling itself out of the ground, wouldn't be growing to horrifying sizes. She stepped back in alarm, attempting for all but a few moments to call forward the warmth of the blade that felt so right in her hands.

Another step back sent her falling onto her rear, so she did the most logical thing she could think of. Run.

Catching a glance of it from over her shoulder, she was able to discern that it's face was covered in a 'mask' of black tendrils that appeared to start at it's head. Hair? That definitely couldn't have been it. Elongated arms ended in claws that she was sure would rend her in half if she so much as got glanced by them, and those eyes.

' But don't be afraid. . . You hold the mightiest weapon of all. . . '

Those piercing yellow eyes are what really got Suihei back onto her feet and running to the other end of the platform as fast as she could. The gaping chasm that awaited her was the only reason she'd stopped.

How could she forget that nothing was there? Was she really so stupid as to panic like that?!

Thankfully, her arms extended to her sides before she slipped off the slope, allowing her to regain her lost balance. Another glance behind her revealed that it hadn't stopped growing, and for a second she felt her breath leave her - apprehension etching itself on her face even as she turned to face her current company. If . . . company could be used for a giant behemoth.

It was . . . gigantic.

Easily dwarfing her, climbing a few stories into nonexistent skies. What kinda weapon could outclass that? And where in the world was she gonna get somethin' like it if she had never seen it in her life?

Maybe the voice was talking about the sword? It made a lot more sense, but it's weight hadn't settled into her hand yet, the large hand of the behemoth with a heart shaped cut in it's abdominal region sort of made things a bit too hard to focus on though. She gripped onto the hilt, surprised that it had even appeared in her hand when her thoughts had strayed that far.

Her thoughts were difficult to bring together with that cold, inky blackness slamming against the ground in a wave that threatened to engulf her, but she held her ground. Schooling her expression into one of resigned bravery, the youth brought the sword up and charged forward with a spring to her step that carried her faster than she thought humanly possible.

Eldritch features only made the behemoth more fearsome, but she steeled herself. Resolved to use whatever force necessary in order to carve her way into freedom if she had to. Looking for the nearest appendage she could find, Suihei found her eyes landing right upon what she needed - its hand. Suihei didn't care, that it swiped at her with claws that could've split her in half. She didn't care, because she didn't think. Her reaction time kicked in at record speeds, sending Suihei leaping onto the vertical appendage with little regard to her own health.

Dully, she counted the amount of time needed for her to reach the head. One. Two. Three. Four. Four seconds, with the almost leaping steps she made. In one fluid motion, Suihei drew the odd sword back. She struck forward - towards the eye, the one spot she knew without a doubt to be a weakness, in the hopes of causing some form of lasting damage. A horizontal blow - then a vertical for extra measure.

The chain caused the Monster's head to give an unstable lurch forward, sending Suihei plummeting towards the stained glass. Landing on her back with an audible thud, the brunette barely had time to recover from the sensation of dizziness before energy began to collect in the cavernous hole of the beast's chest. Dark orbs struck the ground with minor tremors, causing her to lose her footing and the back of her leg to be burned with an uncomfortably frigid chill that permeated along the entirety of her being.

Sitting there would get her hurt- she realized. Even as the tactic of the behemoth finally came into place ( those . . . ant like ones began sprouting from the pools of Darkness that remained ) she, scrambled to her feet, keeping her face as steady as possible.

Slowly but surely, she hacked her way through all of the Shadows again, not ceasing in her charge for a minute. To her credit, being able to do that despite the pain lancing up her leg was an impressive feat. Just - not impressive enough to for her to do anything lasting. Her breathing grew more erratic once the behemoth's clawed hand slammed into the mosaic, and, as she had done previously, Suihei seized advantage of the moment by attempting to run along the creature's arm.

Unlike the previous time she had run along it however, she acted as she ran.

Suihei drew her arm back and hurled the sword as hard as she could, sending it shearing through the beast's head with enough physical force to cut through it like a buzzsaw along a piece of rotten wood. At that moment, however, there was a deluge of darkness that threatened to wash her away, weighing her down with a stench that subconsciously caused her to hold her breath.

Even as a sense of smug satisfaction settled in her chest. She couldn't help but be afraid.

As the icy nails bit into her flesh, as she was dragged into the void, she ceased struggling. There was little point now, all she would do was tire herself out. Consciousness began to fade from her, though before she blacked out entirely, she heard that voice (promising, a whisper now) speak out to her-

' So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door . . . '


The sound of thickly bound paper hitting wood forced her into awareness of her surroundings. "AGH!" Hazel irises snapped open to dart around in apprehension.

' It was a dream . . . '

Suihei sighed in relief, bringing her hand up to her chest in order to calm her still pounding heart. Once she managed to do so, the brunette graced herself with the courtesy of a small smile. It would've been rather alleviating to come to that realization, if not for the understandably miffed expression of her English teacher staring her down like he'd just been told that she'd tried poisoning him.

' Just a dream . . . '

"Dozing off again, Suiheisen?" Just as swiftly as the relief came, humiliation came in to prick at her ears, causing the flesh to burn a bright red. She sat up straight, ignoring the embarrassment that came from sleeping in class in favour of trying to play it off as quickly as possible.

"No sir-" The attempt to salvage her dignity was met with a raise of the eyebrow that told her that her excuse for the day had already outlived it's short welcome.

"No? Then I'll need you to stop daydreaming in the middle of class. School may be ending soon, but that's no excuse to start slacking." There was an edge to her teacher's- , ' ' she reminded herself quickly - tone that elicited more than a fair share of snickers from her peers.

Suihei gave a terse nod, failing to hide away the agitation that had settled into her shoulders. She wouldn't have been able to, even if she knew. Class being dismissed was probably the best thing she'd experienced all day - English was normally her last course of the day anyhow. With Summer Break right around the corner, she would've thought that her teacher would've been a bit more lenient with her, but that had always been wishing for too much.

Brrrrrrng!

Like clockwork, students began filtering out of class, sectioning off into the clusters of friends. The cacophony of chatter was to be expected from the groups of teenagers. Suihei noted, with no small amount of ire, that once again she had no one to walk home with. It would've been neat if she'd managed to make a friend here, but . . .

Only two more days of this, and she'd be home free to do whatever she'd like for the next few months. Suihei couldn't wait.

Already, she could imagine the warmth of the beach on her skin ; the smell of seasalt. Or maybe even meeting up with a few of her friends without the social stigma that her ( admittedly unwanted ) peers tended to impose on her. The Social elite were a cut above everyone else, and at Balamb Garden, a private school set aside for those who could afford it, students tended to go by the pecking order their parents seemed so fond of hoisting around.

While her father had pulled a few strings and ran an enterprise of ice-cream, and thus, was one of the more wealthier denizens of the town, there had never been a day that she actually looked forward to attending school.

It hadn't always been like this, of course.

Though she had tried to convince her Dad that it'd be a better idea if she went a school where she'd fit in, the stubborn fellow just didn't listen. Accommodating to her dad's unyielding will was something that she'd simply dealt with - though, she only really did so because of her mother. Haggard as the woman was, the chance for her daughter to attend an elite school was far too good for her to pass up. Estranged husband or not.

The day had ticked on horridly slow anyways, so boredom had long since settled in as Suihei continued her walk home. Twilight Town had always been known for the perpetual balmy weather it held, with denizens of the city scattering about in the perpetual dusk with their daily lives. Even as classes of the day were dismissed, she could spot a few of her classmates heading off for after school clubs. Yearbooks, she recalled with distaste, would hopefully not be thrown about as they had been the year before.

In comparison, however, the rest of her day proved relatively uneventful. The apartment complex that she and her mother lived in was in the more affordable part of town ; far enough from her school to be considered a pleasant walk, but close enough that her mother never really minded that little fact. She climbed the stairs until she reached the second floor, digging into one of the side pockets of her backpack to retrieve the keys she'd stowed away for that very purpose.

Their home wasn't bad, not by any means. The dingy, scuffed up carpet was worn from years of her running around when she was younger. It wasn't the largest place - two bedrooms, a single bathroom and a kitchenette with a few appliances in there for some quick cooking. Scrounging the fridge produced a container of spaghetti with a note from her mother, detailing that she'd be out working a night shift again.

Suihei shook her head in an attempt to clear out the negative thoughts that had settled into it. If she was going to think, then it was for the best that she looked forward to something, instead of focusing on that moment. Reflecting on how her parent's divorce had left her mother working herself to the bone would just leave a bitter taste in her mouth, so it was for that reason that she tucked it at the back of her mind, smoothed out her plaid skirt, and headed into the living room to flop onto the couch.

Now that the day was over though, and with the knowledge that her mom wouldn't be home for a few hours at least, she did what any reasonably lazy teenager would do. Drift right on into a nap.

' I can't wait for Summer . . . '

The errant thought came as quickly as it went, but Suihei didn't care. Not very much at all. "Only two more days . . . " Suihei mumbled to herself, staring up at the ceiling with a wistful smile. She could do with a bit of a break. The year had been exhausting.

Just two days, until her life would become a little bit easier.

' I wonder . . . what was that dream about . . . '