Title: Penjara Emosi (Prison of Emotions)
From: Pretear
Disclaimer: Pretear doesn't belong to me etc., etc….. All lyrics used are also copyrighted to their respective owners. All cameo characters (Saiyuki) are also copyrighted to their respective owners. Only the story and my original character belong to me.
Author's note: I love this anime and I am surprised that not many people know about it. This story is AU but with few original elements from the series in it. This takes place before Tokako became a Pretear, but please forgive the very modern references. It just made the story flow easier. I am also aware that there are 7 knights, but the story just focuses on the eldest 4 (since by rights, the other 3 in the anime hadn't been born at that point in time). For the story sake, I am just assuming the other 3 went off on holiday ^_~. The title is in Malay and just sprung to mind for some reason. Reviews would be VERY appreciated; flames will just be read and sent out into cyber space. Take care and thanks for reading ^_^
It has been decreed…
Why? She is my only daughter..
She is the last child to be born here, thus that makes he special…
What if I refuse..
She will be taken from you anyway…
In the beginning
'Why do I have to go to earth mother?'
'You just have to my dear, its so you can learn.'
'But…but why? I don't understand. Why can't I stay here with you?'
'You'll be safer there.'
'I don't want to be safe. I want to be with you.'
'I want to be with you to my darling…'
Present
'Oh cr…'
The librarian's stern glare behind wire framed glasses instantly reminded Celena Maxwell of where they were. She gave her a sickly smile.
'Oh crumbs,' she modified in a much lower tone of voice. The librarian just sniffed, and continued pushing a trolley full of books towards the counter. Celena let go a sigh and glared at the back of the retreating figure.
'Why is it she makes me feel 16 when I am closer 21,' she thought darkly. An itching pain in her index finger caused her to look down and reminded her why she had been inclined to curse in the first place. She had been in such a hurry to stuff a textbook into her backpack that she had cut her finger on its pages. She glared at it. Paper cuts didn't hurt that much, they just stung and itched, which of course made it worse because you couldn't scratch it without hurting yourself further.
Lacking any tissue, Celena just popped the injured finger in her mouth and hoisted her backpack over one shoulder. She had a paper due next week and although she was by nature a procrastinator, she made sure she had everything she needed first. Even so that usually meant she often stayed up late finishing projects.
Breezing out the library's glass doors, she gave a passing wave to a classmate of hers. A rather shy, but handsome looking boy who she had gone out with a couple of times. She quickly gave herself a once over in the glass and then skipped down the steps. She wasn't vain, but she always did like to look presentable. Usually her style ranged from funky to classic dependent on her mood, but today she opted for 'university student' i.e. normal wardrobe. An oversized tailored man's shirt knotted at the waist over a black, strappy top paired with a snug denim miniskirt. It showed of her slender 5'10 figure while emphasizing her straight, heavily layered deep red hair (she was a natural redhead thank you very much) and her odd colored eyes. One blue, one green.
Since the weather was behaving itself today, she decided to take the path through the park. She preferred that way anyway, it was a pleasant walk and it shaved 10 minutes of her journey time. It also made her feel less …lonely.
She toyed with the end of her ponytail. It seemed that no matter what she did, or how many friends she had; she was still dogged by this feeling of loneliness.
'Its probably because I cant tell anyone,' she thought to herself, her bouncy pace reduced to a sedate walk. 'But what can I tell them? Hi my name is Celena. I was born in heaven, my mother is a phoenix, my dad's a white tiger and I am living down her because..'
She sighed, 'yes, because…' it had angered her in the beginning, that she was denied the upbringing that the other children born in heaven enjoyed. That she was denied her mother by her side all throughout her younger years. All because of the whims of a few men in power. It still made her angry, but now the anger mingled with a sense of acceptance that it hadn't been all that bad. That she still enjoyed her life here, but at times always felt that something was missing.
You're mine..
The words flashed through her mind and made a shiver course through her body. She hugged herself trying to make it go away, but it still lingered. She glanced sharply up at the trees, but she could hear nothing save the rustling of the leaves. Off all the things that sucked about her life, she was at least grateful that she was allowed to keep her powers, one of which was psychic ability. An extremely heightened sixth sense, so much so that she had to learn to keep mental barriers up from an early age so that she wouldn't be assaulted by the cacophony of other peoples thoughts and feelings. With them down nothing could get past her. She could even hear the individual sounds of the gravel as it crunched under her feet.
No one was here, but she still felt something. Uneasy all of a sudden, she picked up the pace, walking back first to make sure that no one was following here. The air suddenly became choking and she couldn't breathe. She was running now, fear coursing through her. So intent was she on getting away that as she rounded the corner she ran straight into someone.
The force of the collision was powerful enough to knock her off her feet and land, rather hardly, on her ass. Her backpack fell off her shoulders and her books and papers spilled out onto the grass as her strap broke.
'Itte,' she grimaced rubbing her sore backside.
'Are you ok?' a soft, melodic, concerned voice asked. Celena did a quick evaluation, nope, nothing was broken, she was more winded than anything else.
'I guess,' she looked up and felt her breath catch her throat. The voice belonged to a rather tall, and rather handsome guy who hovered over her. A pair of deep blue eyes, the exact shade of the night sky, looked at her with concern behind a pair of frame-less glasses. His longish platinum blond hair, which was actually closer to metallic silver, just brushed the tips of his ears. Dressed in a white, casual suit and purple shirt, he was a vision of snow.
'My stuff,' Celena exclaimed, glad to have a reason to stop her staring at the stranger. He stopped her outstretched hand with is. She instantly registered the slightly cool temperature of his skin.
'Let me,' he said and gathered up all her things with one quick gesture. Celena, deciding that just sitting there made her look like a right baka, picked up the backpack and started fiddling with the strap.
'Oh crap,' she grumbled in a low voice, her favorite word lately. Her stranger gave her a quizzical look.
'Did you say something miss?' he asked handing her back some of her things. She quickly shook her head.
'Iie,' she took the things from him. Her brow suddenly furrowed.
'I'm sorry, I forgot to ask if your alright,' this time it was her turn to be concerned. He smiled and shook his head.
'Nothing to life threatening,' his eyes sparkled as he teased her. On closer inspection she noticed an assortment of necklaces mounted on leather thongs around his neck and an ornate silver earclasp on his left ear. Those eyes darkened though when he saw her broken strap. She followed his glance and quickly put a reassuring hand on his forearm.
'Don't worry about that, it's my fault for running around corners like a bat out of hell,' she stretched out her hand for her remaining books, but he hesitated briefly and then shook his head. She frowned lightly.
'Um..sir..'
'My name is Sasame,' he interjected, 'and I am not giving these back till you agree to let me treat you to an ice cream. To make up for snapping your clasp.'
How could she resist such an invitation? She gave a resigned smile and nodded.
***
He took her to one of her favorite café's (although she knew he couldn't have known) that dotted the street that ran alongside the park.
'So you work recording books on tape,' she daintily gave a final lick to her spoon and placed it in her dish. 'If you don't mind me saying, you have a lovely voice.'
He smiled, 'I get that a lot.' He pushed his glasses up his nose, 'and you're in University.'
Celena made a face that he laughed at.
'Its fun sometimes, a pain the rest,' she glanced at her watch, 'oh great, I've got to be heading back.'
To her surprise he rose with her still clutching her library books.
'Your strap is broken, they would fall out. I'll walk back you.'
'Sasame,' Celena started but stopped, 'thank you.'
It was a good 15 minute walk to her house but for Celena it wasn't long enough. She couldn't remember what they had talked about, but the next thing she realized she was staring at her own wrought iron gate.
'This is my stop,' she reached out her hand and playfully tilted her head to the side, 'NOW can I have my books.'
Sasame took in her teasing tone and gave them back to her. She inwardly flinched under their weight.
'Damn what was I thinking bringing all these back,' she thought to herself. She suddenly became aware of the silence that stretched out between them. She scuffed her feet like a schoolgirl would.
'Anou,' she broke the silence first, 'thanks again for everything and sorry about earlier.'
When he didn't say anything, she breathed a sigh of …relief?? Disappointment??? She wasn't really sure.
'Matte..'
His voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned around.
'Would you like to have lunch tomorrow Celena?' Sasame asked. It sounded to Celena that he himself sounded surprised at his own question. She gave him a disarming smile.
'I'd like that Sasame.'
'1 o'clock sound all right? Shall we meet at the same café?'
'That sounds great see you tomorrow,' she reached out to clasp his hand but jumped back when something seemed to spark between them.
'Strange, static electricity,' she looked down at her hand in puzzlement, missing the flicker of amazement that crossed Sasame's face.
'Anyway, ja ne,' Celena said closing the gate behind her.
'Ja,' Sasame echoed. He watched her enter the house, but even then he found it hard to leave. He finally did, his hands deep in his pockets, his mind filled with thoughts.
From: Pretear
Disclaimer: Pretear doesn't belong to me etc., etc….. All lyrics used are also copyrighted to their respective owners. All cameo characters (Saiyuki) are also copyrighted to their respective owners. Only the story and my original character belong to me.
Author's note: I love this anime and I am surprised that not many people know about it. This story is AU but with few original elements from the series in it. This takes place before Tokako became a Pretear, but please forgive the very modern references. It just made the story flow easier. I am also aware that there are 7 knights, but the story just focuses on the eldest 4 (since by rights, the other 3 in the anime hadn't been born at that point in time). For the story sake, I am just assuming the other 3 went off on holiday ^_~. The title is in Malay and just sprung to mind for some reason. Reviews would be VERY appreciated; flames will just be read and sent out into cyber space. Take care and thanks for reading ^_^
It has been decreed…
Why? She is my only daughter..
She is the last child to be born here, thus that makes he special…
What if I refuse..
She will be taken from you anyway…
In the beginning
'Why do I have to go to earth mother?'
'You just have to my dear, its so you can learn.'
'But…but why? I don't understand. Why can't I stay here with you?'
'You'll be safer there.'
'I don't want to be safe. I want to be with you.'
'I want to be with you to my darling…'
Present
'Oh cr…'
The librarian's stern glare behind wire framed glasses instantly reminded Celena Maxwell of where they were. She gave her a sickly smile.
'Oh crumbs,' she modified in a much lower tone of voice. The librarian just sniffed, and continued pushing a trolley full of books towards the counter. Celena let go a sigh and glared at the back of the retreating figure.
'Why is it she makes me feel 16 when I am closer 21,' she thought darkly. An itching pain in her index finger caused her to look down and reminded her why she had been inclined to curse in the first place. She had been in such a hurry to stuff a textbook into her backpack that she had cut her finger on its pages. She glared at it. Paper cuts didn't hurt that much, they just stung and itched, which of course made it worse because you couldn't scratch it without hurting yourself further.
Lacking any tissue, Celena just popped the injured finger in her mouth and hoisted her backpack over one shoulder. She had a paper due next week and although she was by nature a procrastinator, she made sure she had everything she needed first. Even so that usually meant she often stayed up late finishing projects.
Breezing out the library's glass doors, she gave a passing wave to a classmate of hers. A rather shy, but handsome looking boy who she had gone out with a couple of times. She quickly gave herself a once over in the glass and then skipped down the steps. She wasn't vain, but she always did like to look presentable. Usually her style ranged from funky to classic dependent on her mood, but today she opted for 'university student' i.e. normal wardrobe. An oversized tailored man's shirt knotted at the waist over a black, strappy top paired with a snug denim miniskirt. It showed of her slender 5'10 figure while emphasizing her straight, heavily layered deep red hair (she was a natural redhead thank you very much) and her odd colored eyes. One blue, one green.
Since the weather was behaving itself today, she decided to take the path through the park. She preferred that way anyway, it was a pleasant walk and it shaved 10 minutes of her journey time. It also made her feel less …lonely.
She toyed with the end of her ponytail. It seemed that no matter what she did, or how many friends she had; she was still dogged by this feeling of loneliness.
'Its probably because I cant tell anyone,' she thought to herself, her bouncy pace reduced to a sedate walk. 'But what can I tell them? Hi my name is Celena. I was born in heaven, my mother is a phoenix, my dad's a white tiger and I am living down her because..'
She sighed, 'yes, because…' it had angered her in the beginning, that she was denied the upbringing that the other children born in heaven enjoyed. That she was denied her mother by her side all throughout her younger years. All because of the whims of a few men in power. It still made her angry, but now the anger mingled with a sense of acceptance that it hadn't been all that bad. That she still enjoyed her life here, but at times always felt that something was missing.
You're mine..
The words flashed through her mind and made a shiver course through her body. She hugged herself trying to make it go away, but it still lingered. She glanced sharply up at the trees, but she could hear nothing save the rustling of the leaves. Off all the things that sucked about her life, she was at least grateful that she was allowed to keep her powers, one of which was psychic ability. An extremely heightened sixth sense, so much so that she had to learn to keep mental barriers up from an early age so that she wouldn't be assaulted by the cacophony of other peoples thoughts and feelings. With them down nothing could get past her. She could even hear the individual sounds of the gravel as it crunched under her feet.
No one was here, but she still felt something. Uneasy all of a sudden, she picked up the pace, walking back first to make sure that no one was following here. The air suddenly became choking and she couldn't breathe. She was running now, fear coursing through her. So intent was she on getting away that as she rounded the corner she ran straight into someone.
The force of the collision was powerful enough to knock her off her feet and land, rather hardly, on her ass. Her backpack fell off her shoulders and her books and papers spilled out onto the grass as her strap broke.
'Itte,' she grimaced rubbing her sore backside.
'Are you ok?' a soft, melodic, concerned voice asked. Celena did a quick evaluation, nope, nothing was broken, she was more winded than anything else.
'I guess,' she looked up and felt her breath catch her throat. The voice belonged to a rather tall, and rather handsome guy who hovered over her. A pair of deep blue eyes, the exact shade of the night sky, looked at her with concern behind a pair of frame-less glasses. His longish platinum blond hair, which was actually closer to metallic silver, just brushed the tips of his ears. Dressed in a white, casual suit and purple shirt, he was a vision of snow.
'My stuff,' Celena exclaimed, glad to have a reason to stop her staring at the stranger. He stopped her outstretched hand with is. She instantly registered the slightly cool temperature of his skin.
'Let me,' he said and gathered up all her things with one quick gesture. Celena, deciding that just sitting there made her look like a right baka, picked up the backpack and started fiddling with the strap.
'Oh crap,' she grumbled in a low voice, her favorite word lately. Her stranger gave her a quizzical look.
'Did you say something miss?' he asked handing her back some of her things. She quickly shook her head.
'Iie,' she took the things from him. Her brow suddenly furrowed.
'I'm sorry, I forgot to ask if your alright,' this time it was her turn to be concerned. He smiled and shook his head.
'Nothing to life threatening,' his eyes sparkled as he teased her. On closer inspection she noticed an assortment of necklaces mounted on leather thongs around his neck and an ornate silver earclasp on his left ear. Those eyes darkened though when he saw her broken strap. She followed his glance and quickly put a reassuring hand on his forearm.
'Don't worry about that, it's my fault for running around corners like a bat out of hell,' she stretched out her hand for her remaining books, but he hesitated briefly and then shook his head. She frowned lightly.
'Um..sir..'
'My name is Sasame,' he interjected, 'and I am not giving these back till you agree to let me treat you to an ice cream. To make up for snapping your clasp.'
How could she resist such an invitation? She gave a resigned smile and nodded.
***
He took her to one of her favorite café's (although she knew he couldn't have known) that dotted the street that ran alongside the park.
'So you work recording books on tape,' she daintily gave a final lick to her spoon and placed it in her dish. 'If you don't mind me saying, you have a lovely voice.'
He smiled, 'I get that a lot.' He pushed his glasses up his nose, 'and you're in University.'
Celena made a face that he laughed at.
'Its fun sometimes, a pain the rest,' she glanced at her watch, 'oh great, I've got to be heading back.'
To her surprise he rose with her still clutching her library books.
'Your strap is broken, they would fall out. I'll walk back you.'
'Sasame,' Celena started but stopped, 'thank you.'
It was a good 15 minute walk to her house but for Celena it wasn't long enough. She couldn't remember what they had talked about, but the next thing she realized she was staring at her own wrought iron gate.
'This is my stop,' she reached out her hand and playfully tilted her head to the side, 'NOW can I have my books.'
Sasame took in her teasing tone and gave them back to her. She inwardly flinched under their weight.
'Damn what was I thinking bringing all these back,' she thought to herself. She suddenly became aware of the silence that stretched out between them. She scuffed her feet like a schoolgirl would.
'Anou,' she broke the silence first, 'thanks again for everything and sorry about earlier.'
When he didn't say anything, she breathed a sigh of …relief?? Disappointment??? She wasn't really sure.
'Matte..'
His voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned around.
'Would you like to have lunch tomorrow Celena?' Sasame asked. It sounded to Celena that he himself sounded surprised at his own question. She gave him a disarming smile.
'I'd like that Sasame.'
'1 o'clock sound all right? Shall we meet at the same café?'
'That sounds great see you tomorrow,' she reached out to clasp his hand but jumped back when something seemed to spark between them.
'Strange, static electricity,' she looked down at her hand in puzzlement, missing the flicker of amazement that crossed Sasame's face.
'Anyway, ja ne,' Celena said closing the gate behind her.
'Ja,' Sasame echoed. He watched her enter the house, but even then he found it hard to leave. He finally did, his hands deep in his pockets, his mind filled with thoughts.
