Ch. 1 - Thirty-Second Destination
"The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started."
- Norman Cousins
"Attention: Flight 382 to Cairo, Egypt will now begin boarding. Passengers, please report to gate 17…" the overhead voice instructed plainly through the crowded airport, most occupants already having let it go in one ear and out the other as it repeated the message twice more – third time being slightly buffered by the sound of a pleasant stretch after a seven hour journey.
"Finally! I thought that flight would never end," a sour remark grumbled from the lips of a young teen, his dark, almost black navy hair ruffled unceremoniously as if just waking up from a sleepless night.
"Come now, it wasn't that bad. I actually thought it was a marvelous journey. How many people can say they've seen the sunrise from 10,000 feet in the air?" a much cheerier reply came from his older yet still young companion, his caramel eyes sparkling with fresh delight in the memory.
"At least 300 people on our flight alone. Bet it was grand, sure hope they didn't go blind," the first muttered sullenly.
The second frowned as their final traveling companion, a young woman, spoke up, nudging the first, "Oh lighten up Jay. You're just sulking because you started crying when we landed."
"I was not!" Jay snapped back furiously, swatting away her hand, "That idiot pilot was going to kill us all. He's lucky that last gust of wind knocked us back on course or there'd be one less flight to Cairo."
"Oh? And you think you could've landed the plane better? That's rich. I can see the headlines now: Moody Teen Lands 747 at Narita International Airport Saving Novice Pilot from Ten-Mile Winds. Such a legendary feat indeed," she rolled her eyes.
"Piss off Ari," Jay growled, while their fellow traveler mused, "That'd be quite the story. I'd enjoy reading it."
"It would be something – much better than those lousy magazines," Ari agreed, nodding her head with the man, actions only serving to anger their companion more so.
"You can both go to hell," Jay said irately, picking up his pace so they had to adjust theirs as well or risk losing the smaller teen in the crowd.
"Ah, wait Jay! You have our tickets too," the man called after him, jogging slightly to catch up.
"Don't worry Tuck, he won't make it past security without us," Ari reassured, having to go a little faster to keep up with his longer legs.
"That's what you think," Jay called back in annoyance, "I'd like to see them try and stop me."
"Sure, you'd just hand them my ticket and explain how you're a 21 year old female instead of a hormonal teenager. Perfect plan," she replied evenly, finally catching up as he grumbled.
"You're the worst."
"I know. Now how about we get a move on? Train isn't gonna wait forever, you know?"
…
Scenery blurred past them without form, Ari's sea-green gaze taking it all in wearily from where she sat beside Jay who had passed out soon after boarding the high-speed rail. Across, Tuck perched like a young child on top of his seat, gazing out in wonder at the seemingly identical fields as if each one was a different planet entirely. The young woman smiled softly, what an odd bunch they were – the youngest acting as if he knew it all while the eldest was practically a child most of the time in his wondering of every sight they came across since beginning their nomadic lifestyle seven years ago.
Ari exhaled. Seven years, huh? Had it really been that long ago since they left Rothenberg? Since Jay… She let the memories drift away. After almost a full day of nothing but travel, the last thing she wanted clogging her head was that. Not just for herself, but for the others as well. Both were just as exhausted – well, maybe not Tuck – and didn't need a reminder of something they obviously didn't forget anyways.
Indeed, they didn't need to dwell on such things especially after managing to board a plane rather than a boat this time around. Crossing the Pacific to Australia was hellish even for her and Tuck on the small freightliner that graciously allowed the trio passage in exchange for lackey work. Jay, on the other hand, nearly broke the railings on the rare occasion he ventured out on deck yet was fortunately taken pity on – something he seldom allowed in situations apart from those – and allowed to spend most of his time in the kitchen above deck.
Nevertheless, with a little work and vows never to experience that again, Ari managed to scramble up enough money and luck to purchase three economy class tickets. Jay still complained, saying it was only a step above the boat, but fared much better on their route to the thirty-second destination on their list, especially now that they were on solid ground. Tuck, on the other hand, took everything in fully and couldn't wait for the next flight. She hoped it'd come sooner than later seeing as most of their seven year trek occurred on foot or less modern forms of transportation, turning her and Jay's skin almost the same shade as his at some points.
Still, she smiled at Tuck's excitement as he pointed out a city on the horizon; every step was well worth it. They'd come a long way since Rothenberg, and had much more to see before coming full circle. A part of her hoped all this would last forever, and yet she knew such couldn't come to pass even if they marked every tree, blade of grass, and snowflake as a new destination. Time, however ironically it may be, was not on their side. And even with their abnormal skills, they could do nothing to stop the end from drawing ever closer.
Be that as it may, they kept their heads high and continued forward just as Tuck urged them when they first met. So long as they put one foot in front of the other, they could relish in every moment in between. And with each step, maybe, just maybe, the final destination would be easier to accept. As for now, though, their thirty-second destination arrived at the sound of the announcement above, ringing similarly to its counterpart in the airport.
Taking a breath, Ari nudged the sleeping teen, saying softly, "Come on, time to get up. We'll be arriving in a bit."
The young teen stretched his stiff form that hadn't moved at all in the two hour journey, even when Tuck toted him in between switching lines in Tokyo. Tokyo. Ari suppressed a sigh. Why couldn't that have been their thirty-second destination? It was the perfect place to sightsee like any normal tourist. Why'd they have to go here instead? She cast a frown out at the now towering skyscrapers, tensing slightly as if they were caving in on them like bear claws.
Nothing good could come of going to this place. She knew that and vehemently argued against even passing through – not because of its higher than normal crime rate, but for a much deadlier rumor. Yet despite her misgivings, Jay and Tuck insisted on visiting the city; the former arguing that it showcased the true side of Japanese urban life as opposed to the falsehood of Tokyo and held some higher meaning or whatnot that she honestly tuned out by that point. In the end, she could only hope and pray she was wrong or, at the very least, their stay would be short.
After all, nothing good could come of going to a place as infamous as Yokohama – a city not just known for its shipping ports but for mysterious groups supposedly wielding the powers of the supernatural.
Beside her, Jay nudged her, "Lighten up Ari. If you freak out anymore you'll have a heart attack and cause a scene."
"Shut up, I'm not stressing out," she muttered, turning away from his light blue gaze as he replied, "Liar, you're two seconds away from a panic attack."
Before she could defend herself, Tuck swung back around and said excitedly, "Hey, do you think we'll be able to try real ramen and sushi? I wonder if it'll taste the same as the ones we had in America. Ah, but we have to remember manners too. They're super important here, after all. I just hope I'll remember everything," he brushed a calloused hand through his short, wiry black hair and blushed lightly.
"Don't worry, I know enough to correct you when you make a mistake," Jay stated plainly, his seatmate elbowing him and adding, "What he means is that we'll help each other out so we won't make those mistakes. Besides, after watching and listening to over twenty hours of Japanese language lessons, I think we've gathered at least the basics. See?" she gestured to the ticket gatherer who smiled back at them, "She even said a while back that your Japanese was excellent. So no worries Tuck."
"Yes," the man smiled warmly at the pair, "I suppose there is nothing to be concerned about after all." Turning to peer out at the station that slowed down outside the windows, he continued, "I'm certain Yokohama will be unforgettable."
Jay nodded in agreement while Ari found the action a bit harder to replicate, previous wariness unable to disperse even from the man's words. Unforgettable? She wondered as they grabbed their meager belongings and started off the train, scowling slightly as a young man with light orange hair shoved past them – nearly sending her toppling into the seat face-first. Let's just hope it's the good kind of unforgettable.
Nevertheless, she didn't get her hopes up too high.
After all, nothing good could come from a place called Yokohama – a city known for mysterious people possessing supernatural powers.
People like them.
People who may cause their thirty-second destination to become their final destination.
Once again I defy all sanity by staring another endless fic series, but a dang good one at that c;
Yes, I have fallen into BSD hell and am currently, and happily, drowning in this wonderful series that highlights authors I adored in the past while introducing new ones of whom I can't wait to read their works
As for the chapter, it's a little dry for an introduction - especially considering none of those wonderful characters make an appearance. I know, how dare I even call this a BSD fic? Well don't fret, they'll show up. That and we all generally know those characters as opposed to the three here in the first chapter - all brokenly created OCs that will probably spark some rage but hey if you don't like you don't have to read. That's the simple and beautiful truth of free will, which, ironically enough, is a big theme in this series as you'll soon find out.
Anyways here's some brief visual help for the wayward trio:
Aria Harris
Age: 21
Hair: Mahogany red (Think a slightly redder Odasaku); Long & wavy
Eyes: Teal
Ethnicity: English
Nathan Tuck
Age: 35?
Hair: Dark brown; Wind-tossed and short (A little longer than Ranpos)
Eyes: Golden brown
Ethnicity: African American
Jay Hunter
Age: 17
Hair: Blue-black; Long, usually tied back
Eyes: Very light blue
Ethnicity: English
And there you have it. I aim to update weekly but with the hectic schedule I have it's a tentative one so please bear with me.
Thank you, and as always feel free to review or message me with any questions!
Have a lovely day~