Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: Born in Darkness
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Nanoha characters, the mangakas own them, except for my current 2 Original characters.
Author's note: Don't expect fast updates out of me, because I write when I can.
*Please read and review. All comments and criticisms are allowed.
Prologue
My name is Amatsuchi Hikaru. I'm 18 and under the training of Commander Vita. I first found out about the TSAB when I was 11 years old, so I'll start my story from there. I used to live in America during my childhood. I list my father at the age of 5. My mother and aunt worked a lot to keep the house, my father bought after their marriage, from foreclosure, so I was often alone in the house. After my father's death, I learned to live on my own so I wouldn't cause my family any trouble. One day when I was walking home from school, I decided to take a shortcut home, which involved several alleyways. When I walked through the last alley, I heard a shuffling noise behind me. Being the curious kid that I was, I turned around and looked for the source of the sound.
I saw a small bundle of dirty black blankets shifting around. I smiled at the thought that there would be a litter of kittens or puppies that I can convince my mother to take care of. Instead, I found a girl around my age. She had long black hair with dirt and leaves, pale skin with some cuts and bruises, torn black dress, some that was as bandages, and feet with cuts and blisters that was wrapped with the dress' torn pieces. What caught my attention were her eyes. Heterochromatic eyes. One gold and one silver. We both stared at each other for a while. There were many questions going through my mind. 'Why are you here?', 'Where's your family?' instead what came out of my mouth was, "Will you be my friend?" I smiled honestly. She stared at me and nodded silently. Grinning, I took her hand, "Then let's go to my place and play."
I lead her to my house before she can answer. For a second, I swore that I saw tears in her eyes. When we got to my house, I kicked off my shoes and lined them up by the door. "You should take a bath. Take your time and I'll bring some of my clothes. The bathroom is up the stairs, first door on the left." I watched her walk to the bathroom with a limp. I felt bad so I helped her up the stairs. 'I wonder how bad she hurt her feet.' I left her in the bathroom while I left to get my clothes.
I got a shirt and a basketball shorts I use as PJs, I knocked on the door, "Is it ok for me to come in?" I remembered that she didn't talk to me so I added, "Splash once for yes, two for no." I listened quietly and heard two soft splashes then one a few seconds later. Our father had the bathroom made Japanese style so there was another door that lead to the tub. I placed the clothes next to the hamper and noticed that her clothes were tossed into the trash bin. I didn't ask her anything about it. "I'm going to make something to eat. Come down when you're ready."
I learned to cook from my mother when I was 7. When she started to work more, I had taught myself so I wouldn't burden her and I can have some food ready for when my mother and aunt came home late. I didn't know what kind of food she liked, so I made some veggie omurice (fried rice inside a layer of egg that makes it look like an omelet). My mother always emphasized eating vegetables for nutrition. I hated them, so I found a way to make the taste bearable. I set the food down and began washing dishes as I waited for the girl to come down. When I finished, I heard a loud but cute growling. I turned and saw her standing by the door, sniffing the air with her stomach growling. Gyurururururu.
I smiled and walked to her. "Ready to eat?" She nodded quickly and walked with me to the table. We sat down and clapped, "Itadakimasu!" I said. Since she followed the suite, figured that she was raised in a Japanese home or at least in the mannerism. I watched her eat her food happily or at least that's what it looked like. I haven't seen her make any type or facial expression at all except for that poker face of hers. I ate slowly and watched as she sighed and rubbed her stomach. She clapped her hands and I'm pretty sure that was "Goushou sama deshita", I thought. She looked around the room as she waited for me to finish. When I finished I took both plates and left them on the sink. "Wait in the living room." I told her. I ran to my room and took out a small whiteboard that I used when I was learning to write Japanese. I came back with the board and dry-erase marker. "Here. This way we can talk if you don't want to talk." She nodded, took it and wrote ", "What is that?"
She pointed to the altar in the room. I smiled a bit, "That's my dad. My mom told me he died when I was 5. I wanted to introduce to you to him as my first friend." She wrote, "First friend?" I nodded. "You seemed like we shared something, so I called you a friend, I didn't have time to play with others," I smiled happily, "So you're my first friend." She just looked at me, put the white board and marker down and paid respects to my dad. I did the same until I felt a tugging on my sleeve. I looked at the white-board, "I feel sleepy." I got up, "Yea, let's go to sleep. I made my mom's and aunt's ~~~." I yawned. I rubbed my eyes and helped her up. "I remembered. We haven't given each other our names yet. I'm Amatsuchi Hikaru." I held out my hand. She wrote, "Kurokami Yoko" and bowed.
I bowed as well, took her hand and lead her to my room. That was when I gained a "younger sister". A month later, (she stayed at home with my mother's consent) her parents came to our home with angry faces and a threatening aura. I talked it out with them, with Yoko-chan hiding behind me, and almost convinced them to let her stay. They kept yelling at me, wanted to force Yoko to come home and they mentioned something I didn't know about. "If your useless brother were here, you would be more obedient to him than you are with us!" her mother yelled. It was that comment that shut me up. However, what convinced them wasn't me, but Yoko. It was the first time I heard her voice.
"No….." she said quietly. "What did you say?" both her parents said with the same shocked tone in their voices. She looked at me, the person who became her friend and on the verge of tears, and glared with her stony face at her parents. "I am not going home… I want to stay… with Nii-sama…" she said. "Sora-nii-sama wasn't….useless." Tears started to form. "Sora-nii-sama was kind…he was always nice to me. Just like Hikaru-nii-sama. *sniff* so I'm not going back!" They both looked at me then her. "Fine, we'll pay for her living expenses, but you'll regret not coming home." Both of them left, seeming relieved like they got rid of a pest. She, then gained an "older brother." When the school year started, she had been transferred to my class. She didn't feel comfortable unless she was with me or at least if I'm around. She gained a few friends that had defended her when a swarm of classmates pestered her with questions. I smiled at the fact that she's opening up a little; however who knew that our lives will be disturbed by something else and be changed forever.