It all started with a blood red rose. Everything; the deaths, the arranged marriages, the bond we shared until the end of time, all of it, started with that bloody rose. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll start at the beginning, where a single flower will change the lives of 4 young girls forever…
It was the most beautiful thing 8-year-old Fujita Miho had ever seen. It was perfectly formed; the petals were all the same brilliant shade of red that reminded the 8-year-old of blood. The steam was straight and the leaves were all rolled out, catching the beams of sunlight necessary for it to survive. A light mist of water covered it, making the flower sparkle as if it were made of precious gems.
The rose was far too beautiful, she decided, too perfect, to be alive. It didn't deserve to be in a world where terrible, horrible things happened to the unsuspecting.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Miho turned to the source of the voice. A young girl, about her age maybe older, stood hardly two feet from her. This girl wore an emerald green dress with a pattern about an inch thick around the collar (which dipped down to form a point at the base of her neck), cuffs of her sleeves (which hung on her thin wrists), and the bottom edge of the dress (which only reached her mid calves). She wore light green cloth sandals with little fake flowers sewed onto them. A white apron with a pocket off to the left side of it held a young eastern lily and a common gardening trowel. It tied in the back to form a big white bow. This girl had soft, sky blue hair that was tied in the back with a white ribbon and had light blue-violet eyes.
"Yes, it is."
The girl came close to Miho and stood right next to her, her hands folded behind her back.
"It's my grandmother's best work. She calls it the 'Forever Rose'."
Miho looked at her, "Why does she call it that?"
The girl gave her a smile that could only be described as 'devilish' and said, "She hasn't told me yet, but she says that when I'm about to wed she'll tell me why."
Miho returned her gaze to the rose, her mouth opened slightly.
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Mizunashi Hari."
"I'm Fujita Miho. Do you live here?" As soon as the question left her mouth Miho knew it was stupid.
Hari laughed, "Actually, I live in the apartment above the store with my grandparents. You're new around these parts, right?"
Miho nodded, "My parents and I just moved here a couple days ago. We use to live closer to the Imperial Palace. Father owns a large car industry and Mother is a co-owner of a very popular bank."
"So, why'd you come out here? Nerima must be pretty boring compared to the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo."
"Father and Mother decided that maybe we should find a quieter place to stay for a bit. They said that such a fast-pace environment is no place to raise a child."
Hari blinked, "Well, Nerima is real dull compared to central Tokyo. Your mom in the shop?"
Miho nodded, "Wait, there she is!"
Hari turned to see a woman, in her late 20s/early 30s, walk out the door. She had black hair pulled back into a neat bun and was dressed in a dressy tan skirt and a light blue blouse. Her eyes were dark gray and gave Hari the chills.
"Miho, dear, come along."
Miho ran up to her mother and took her hand. As they walked off, Hari could hear Mrs. Fujita mumbling something about 'foolish old women' and 'stupid little flower shop girls' and fought hard to keep her blood from boiling.
Hari stomped into the flower shop and past the granite counter top. An elderly woman who appeared to be in her late 60s/early 70s was sitting on a tall wooden stool. The woman wore a brilliant red dress and a white apron. A pair of small, oval-shaped glasses were perched on her pointy nose and her thinning silver hair curled around her head in thin wisps. The blue-haired girl hopped up onto an empty stool next to the old woman and learn her head on her hands, elbows resting on the tables.
"What seems to be the matter, sweetheart?"
"That woman who was just in here. She has a sweet enough daughter, but Fujita-san herself was rather mean. Walked off saying bad things about us, Grandma! I even heard her say that it wasn't right for a senile old fool to be taking care of an impressionable child. Whatever that means."
Old Ueda Kumiko-san laughed at her granddaughter's frustration.
"Never you mind her, sweetie. People like her are what's holding this world back from truly being at peace. She can't stand differences; might even be scared to death of them. Now, no more talk of such cloudy subjects on such a nice day. Why don't you go play with Nodoka and Midoriko?"
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Never you mind me, sweetheart. Your uncle Kenta and aunt Arisu will be over momentarily to help out with the shop. It is a beautiful day, and you are still a child. Go out and play with your friends. You have been working so hard, Sora-chan."
Hari smiled at the nickname and took off her apron, setting it on the counter. She hopped off her stool and ran outside. Kumiko smiled at the retreating form of her young granddaughter and picked up the small lily.
"It's almost like having Sakiko home again," she said as she began to re-pot the little plant.
"Ichigo-chan, Midori-chan!" Hari called out as she ran towards two girls about her age.
One girl had dark red hair, almost raspberry in color, and brown eyes. She wore a dark blue blouse and a bright blue skirt that reached to just above her knees. Light blue socks, a denim blue headband and light blue, custom-made loafers completed the look.
The other girl had dark purple hair that appeared almost black and startling electric blue eyes. This girl wore a black long-sleeved shirt with the phrase 'He who laughs last…Thinks the slowest' written on it in blocky white type. She wore blue jeans (the latest craze amongst the male population recently) and a pair of black shoes. Her hair was put into a ponytail so it wouldn't get into her face.
The two girls turned to see Hari running towards them.
"Hey, Hari," the redhead said as she stood up. The purple-haired girl went from leaning against a tree to standing on her own and the two soon joined Hari.
Mizunashi Hari, Taga Nodoka, and Tendo Midoriko had been best friends since they were in diapers. Hari had been promised to the eldest Tendo son, so when she was only a few months old, Hari's grandparents had taken her to meet him. Midoriko, so named for an ancient priestess who was revered as the one who created the legendary sacred Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls, was a couple weeks younger than Hari. The two girls had bonded instantly and were inseparable. Then they met Nodoka.
Taga Nodoka was the youngest of 7 children, herself being the only girl. Considering this, it was no wonder Nodoka was slightly tomboyish. However, she couldn't compare to the extreme tomboy-ism of Midoriko. Midoriko, who had sworn at an early age that she would never wear a dress or skirt, had a long history of detentions due to the teachers who felt that by punishing her, the tomboy would consent to wear the girls' uniform. No such luck as of yet.
Hari did feel a little left out in the fact that both of her friends studied fighting styles: Midoriko was a highly skilled practitioner of Indiscriminate Grappling, or, as she was more prone to call it, Anything-Goes Martial Arts, and Nodoka was a rather impressive swordswoman. As for herself, Hari had a very predominate 'green thumb' and preferred gardening to fighting. Not that it mattered any; both Nodoka and Midoriko understood that Hari would probably never be a skilled martial artist and accepted that. (Although that never did stop the three from dragging each other to tournaments, classes, workshops, seminars, etc.)
"Something wrong, Hari?"
Hari looked at her concerned friends. Nodoka, always the observant one, had noticed something was bothering her. The blunette merely smiled.
"No, I was just thinking."
"Careful, Hari, don't wanna break your brain!" Midoriko teased with a grin on her face.
"Oh, ha, ha, very funny Midori-chan!" Hari countered as she stuck out her tongue.
Nodoka shook her head and, seeing only one way to end this, said, "Last one to the playground has to eat dirt!" Both Hari and Midoriko shut up and together, the three girls bolted towards the play area.
That day was perfectly normal. At times, I wish that things could be like that again, but then I remember all the good things that came out of losing that normalcy. When I look back at life before Miho arrived…it was boring.
-Saotome Nodoka, April 13, 1997