Author Note: The main character of this story is Elani Melbari. Since she is in Japan, her name will be pronounced by others as Eruani Merubari. Her friend's name is Hikari (meaning Light, you'll see why later), and Elani abbreviates it as Kari (Car-E). Kari, in turn abbreviates Elani's name as Ni (meaning red or two in Japanese). I hope this helps avoid any confusion. On another note, this is my first time using this site, so if it uploads funny, just let me know. I'm having a bit of trouble figuring it out, but it's all good. I don't know why I'm working on this story during finals week, but I hope you enjoy it. You should also know that I like making stories long. I will, however, need a bit of prodding (I'm working on other stories outside of this site) so I'd appreciate it if you review. I LOVE comments. Feel free to "bother" me whenever you want. Enjoy!...
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Elani walked down the crowded school hall. Next to her, her friend Hikari walked. She was tall, blonde, tan, blue-eyed, well liked by everyone... everything Elani wasn't. They were two people so unlike that it didn't seem possible they could even be found in the same room together. Elani was short, with hair the color of dark cherries, pale skin, deep chocolate-brown eyes, and, most importantly of all, she was an outsider.
People said Elani was strange – a loner, more or less – and antisocial; she supposed it was true. But at the heart of these things, it was apparent that she simply had her own opinions and ideals that she stood by. These opinions were so different from theirs that they just couldn't possibly get along. An iron will, a stubborn mentality, and a resistance to change... that was Elani in a nutshell.
Compared to Kari's bright colors that she wore (she was like a ray of sunshine, and no one could deny it), Elani preferred the simple and comforting darkness of black. There was a reason, which was hers and hers alone, though she couldn't say if she was proud of it.
Every day she heard the whispers following her. Her schoolmates were frightened, claiming that she was a demon. A demon who had cunningly made her way into Kari's companionship, and the reason why Kari didn't care to be with anyone else, no matter how well liked she was. Elani felt the need to laugh at these assumptions, but decided not to waste her laughter on idiots. Besides, she knew that they thought these things because they were scared of her differences; to them she was strange.
Elani stepped outside to be greeted by the wind, with Kari following close behind as always As they rounded the corner Kari was commenting on the weather: "It's really so cold today... I just hate this kind of weather. How can you like it? The wind and the cold just rips through you and pulls your hair and clothes every which way..." she trailed off as Elani stopped, staring at the scene in front of them. Elani supposed she was glad for the silence; she loved Kari dearly – being inseparable friends – but sometimes she was a bit much. She knew Elani well enough to comment on her every feeling, and Elani didn't need her feeding that dialogue to strangers. Really, sometimes she felt like Kari was handing them The Complete Psychoanalysis of Elani Melbari. For some reason Kari was always right in reading her though; it was unnerving.
In the silence Elani examined the group of four that stood in front of her, not overly-concerned. She immediately wrote the tallest, a carrot-top with beady black eyes, off as a nuisance.
Her eyes moved to the next: a boy with slicked-back black hair and brown eyes. He seemed a bit more capable than the first. She could sense the large amounts of energy coming from him. He could cause trouble, Elani thought absently; she would have to keep an eye on him.
She then examined the boy standing next to him; he had striking red hair and green eyes, but that wasn't what held her attention. He had the most unusual energy signature of anyone she had ever met. Was he a demon, or just someone with a high level of spirit energy? Whatever he was, he was dangerous. The energy seemed beautiful and unassuming at first, but Elani could feel the threat behind it. Like the thorns of a rose she thought as the image came unbidden into her mind.
She brushed it away, moving onto the last member of the group. He seemed to be about her height, making him rather short, but he seemed to be one of the most dangerous as well. Warning bells went off in her mind screaming "demon". His hair made an impressive effort to defy gravity, and his crimson eyes seemed to be digging through dim corners of her mind. Elani repressed a shudder. After all, it must have been her imagination; she had never before heard of a demon that could read minds, so if there were any, they must have been few and far between. Elani looked away quickly.
Her analysis of the group had only taken a few seconds, for she had a sharp mind and could analyze things quickly and efficiently. Elani glanced at Kari, noting that she seemed to be a bit more on edge than usual. She squeezed Kari's arm gently to comfort her, and Kari flashed a brief glance in her direction, biting her lip. Elani didn't think she had missed anything important in her brief analysis, and when their eyes met, Elani's expressed the true calm that Kari's seriously lacked. The group didn't seem to be intent on hostilities, Elani conveyed with a look. Kari got the message and calmed visibly, looking back to the group. They didn't seem to be openly hostile, but Elani had no doubt they would resort to violence if they had to. She would have to be more cautious than usual.
The boy with the slicked-back hair stepped forward; he seemed to be their leader. "So," he began, "We heard there've been some pretty strange things going on around here. Have you heard anything?"
Damn. Someone found out about that fight a few days ago Elani thought, but didn't answer. She gave Kari's arm one last reassuring squeeze before letting go. Neither of them would answer that particular question, but she knew that Kari would let her do the talking when the time came. Elani was always able to come up with more sharp responses, being more cunning than Kari was in general. Kari was too kind to come up with the biting retorts and sarcastic remarks that Elani could and did. Besides, Elani knew how to get out of just about any situation.
Their leader spoke up again: "Fine, let's cut the crap. We think you're a demon," he pointed at Elani, "and demons aren't allowed to be in the ningenkai without a special permit from Koenma, Jr. ruler of Reikai, yadda yadda yadda... basically, we've been sent to retrieve you."
Elani must have looked a bit surprised – she hadn't known about this rule before, seeing as it really was nothing that concerned her – because the red-head cut in smoothly, saying, "We didn't come here for a fight, so if you could just answer this one question: are you a demon, or not? If you can't prove that you aren't, then I'm afraid you will have to come back with us-"
"Guilty until proven innocent, huh?" Elani interrupted.
He ignored her and continued where he left off, "Perhaps if you don't cause trouble, we'll be able to get you a permit for your residence."
There was a moments silence in which Elani looked at them with deliberate calm before answering: "That you should think I'm a demon is really quite amusing. However, as you can see I'm not, I won't be going with you." She started to turn away.
"I'm afraid we can't let you do that," Red said, right as the carrot-top shouted "Wait!"
Elani saw out of the corner of her eye a blur of black; the short boy had disappeared. Her eyes suddenly adjusted as a pressure was lifted from her, and she saw the swinging blade coming at her. The boy in black was about to stop her by pinning her down. She glanced at her friend.
Suddenly, Kari was in front of her, blocking his swing. Don't get the wrong idea: she wasn't as fast as the boy with the katana. As far as Elani could tell, no one could be, but Kari was closer to her to begin with. The four boys looked confused – rather shocked even – as Kari blocked his swing.
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Yes, I'm evil. Cliffhanger! Hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon, so I hope you look forward to that...
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I'm adding this note because I've recently been told that I was a bit confusing in my opening note. Sorry. Colonel Bastard was helpful in pointing out that if the main character's name is Elani (pronounced El-lawn-nee in English), in Japanese it would be Erani (since their Ls are Rs). I just decided that I liked Eruani better, so I used that instead. (Also, I kind of figured that Elani would be a strange name in Japan, so people probably wouldn't pronounce it right anyway. I know I have trouble with foreign names. Therefore, it didn't matter whether I made her Erani or Eruani). Now that you've had a look into my (strange) mind, I hope you understand why I chose Eruani. If you don't, then just ignore it. She's a fictional character anyway and I can make her whatever I want to. Why? Because I'm just evil like that... :D
And I'm done with school... :D so the next chapter should be up soon.
Later.
...MK...