Faces, unrecognizable, breezed by the breaking ripples, flowing dangerously into each other, melding into blindness. The water seemed to shake and throb with unkempt energy, shattering the images, breaking them again and again, only to reform into a half vision, that of a world of decay and that of a crystallized world.
The girl shifted, staring at the puddle, entranced. She had pulled back instinctively, the fear beginning at the heels of her feet and she stared down before her eyes slowly widened. The images reflected back at her before she blinked rapidly, revealing that of a simple puddle.
"Bara!" A voice rang out loudly, carrying across the winds. The girl looked up, lightning striking the air, engulfing her in highlight. Despite the storm brewing, rain had yet to fall as she followed the other person to safety.
Bara studied the world from the kitchen window, her mother rummaging around for candles and matches. "Bara, get away from the window!" Her mother was older than most, having Bara when she was in her mid-thirties and it showed in her graying hair. What was once a brilliant light blue was dulled out and thinning, the creases around her eyes and lips worn out. She had dark blue eyes and was overweight by a good twenty pounds and she moved with difficulty. The woman was born in Japan but her heritage was that of African, giving her a chocolate-like skin color. Her daughter was a bit paler than that, as her father's heritage was Asian and together, produced a child with almond blue eyes, cool light chocolate skin, and the same brilliant light blue hair that had won her father over to her mother.
She was taller than most girls her age were and womanlier then she desired. Her mother called it early blooming; she called it a twist in fate. She was born as Tenyo Aounabara but everyone usually called her Bara. Not because she was a beautiful flower but rather related well to the sharp claws of the thorny flower.
She wore her light blue hair down constantly, evenly for the most part for a few scattered flips of hair for bangs, the rest twirling down to just past her shoulder blades, turning out unwillingly. She also wore black rimmed glasses, having worn them since she was around seven and the doctor deemed she needed them, badly.
She existed purely for herself, lost in her own thoughts. She was distracted once more to the world outside, lightning striking close to home.
"Bara?" Her mother broke into her thoughts, worry written over her face. "Where did your father say he was?"
"I don't know, he didn't say anything to me," Bara answered carefully, feeling sick. She felt an almost instant relief, seeing the car drive up the long driveway. "Oh! Here he is!"
Her mother moved toward the door and nearly ran out in happiness. Bara watched them, hypnotized. She tried to think of something, anything but she was pulled tighter to the window, her eyes glazed. She was whispering, her voice rising in a panic she could not explain. And when she finally screamed for her parents to come in, it happened.
They had turned, hearing her and had meant to return. Only the lightning struck the still running car and it erupted into a flaming pit of metal, swallowing the two instanteously.
"GET IN! GET IN!" She couldn't stop screaming, her nails digging into the painted wall as she fell to her knees. She dragged outside, her eyes wide in despair. She thought vainly that they would be all right, they would always be all right.
And the rain began, falling harder by the second as she looked out, her skin a sickly color. There was nothing to remind her of her parents but she knew if she looked harder, she'd find them, in bits and pieces. She retched and threw her head back into a howl as she dragged herself out.
She stood in the rain, the weather rapidly worsening until it was beating into her skin unmercifully. Her eyes stared, once more blinded. She only shifted when she heard the resonance of a beep and a car drove up, wheezing.
"Bara?" A voice called out. Her uncle looked out of the car. "What the hell are you doing out here? Where's your father? There's a bad storm coming and he was supposed..."
The man exited his car, fuming over his brother's apparent lack of care when he heard the soft crunch under his foot. His face blanched and he forced himself to Bara. "What... what...happened?" His teeth were chattering. "Bara?"
And Bara just stared at him, her eyes glazing over as pain burst through her heart.
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The visions never stopped. She felt pain tear each time she saw some face, some unknown identity washing over her. The feeling of suffering was refreshed as she saw soldiers among women, among normal and royal, fighting and living in peace. No matter what water surface she as at, even in her tears, she caught glimpses, tormenting her. One was especially strong, a woman aging rapidly, golden locks flitting in the winds, a beam of light that spread like a wildfire, causing the storms around her to still and Bara would suddenly be engulfed in something akin to peace.
She thought these people looked familiar so she began to research. It didn't take long to find articles written several years back of since forgotten soldiers. They were deemed either fools or people working for the government. She read testimonies from the scores of papers, of the powers that were inhumane, that were powerful and stunningly beautiful. She wondered who they truly were, these people. She learned their names with ease, neatly memorizing the brief glimpses of description.
She never could figure out why. She thought perhaps she was just looking for another excuse or something to draw her mind away from the past or away from her own thoughts of pain and guilt.
It took several days for the rain to have cleared and longer to gather what had been left. There was a proper burial but Bara now refused to speak. Her eyes were haunted, her mouth dry at most times. She didn't, and wouldn't, bath or shower, not wanting to touch water whatsoever.
But after a few long months, she began to break out of her handmade shell and found summer calling to her. Her uncle was relieved and only hoped to be able to be as providing as her parents. Despite their age, they had done quite well for her, leaving her an eventual account of money for college and several life lessons under her belt.
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Bara stared at the ocean water, unnerved. "Uncle?" She began tentatively, pulling on her bikini top. Her uncle tried to not point out that if she fiddled any more, it would fall off. "Why are we here?"
"Hoshi was wanting to go to the beach," he said lightly. Hoshi was her cousin, older by three years at the age of nineteen.
"But she could've gone out on her own," Bara began weakly, her eyes watching the tide pull in and out lazily.
"You'll be fine! Now let's see how those swimming lessons took!" Uncle said brightly. Bara was no so willing as he to enter the waters. She had taken lessons over just over ten years and that had proved itself to be a disaster. She could still remember floundering in the pool water, up to her knees as she panicked.
She walked away from him and toward the edge, pacing back and forth. She knew how to swim, she had learned at an early age. But something about the water, any water, gave her a feeling of deep routed and irrational fear. She neared the water's edge, feeling it lick at her feet as if tasting her.
She swallowed and moved closer, tiptoeing.
"God, you are a big, fat chicken!" Hoshi taunted ruthlessly. "Bwawk! Bwawk!" She was a short woman that was rather rounded. She was not pretty in much sense but rather plain if best. She wore her black hair long and tightly braided, her green eyes often full of either anger or happiness. She flapped her arms with gusto, her friends behind her snickering. "Poor little Bara can't swim! Oh, poor baby!"
"I can swim," Bara mumbled to her feet.
"Whazat? You say you need some help?" She snapped her fingers and two of the boys took over, picking Bara up like she was a garbage can and got in a few feet before tossing her as she kicked at them. She didn't yell nor protest but her eyes were glaring as she felt the water close in on her.
And she sunk, despite being in about four feet. If she stood, she'd be fine, if she just waded in but she opened her mouth, her eyes widening as she attempted to gasp.
And visions played above her, glittering like a movie on a television set above her, showing her things she couldn't grasp, couldn't understand. It was always that dual land, of life and death and she gurgled, bubbles flittering to the top as she felt herself get hefted up, someone shouting angrily. Her cousin took off with her friends as a brunette, about as tall as she was, shouted obscenities that made Bara's ears turn red but at the moment, she felt more blue than red.
She felt a whack on her back, a man's voice echoing in her ears. Her vision was still in two levels and she saw a man in wet swimming trunks, the other vision struggling to make itself known of the same man in velvet, the cape flowing out and the blue eyes shining with wisdom.
"Oh.." She was placed down gently, voices echoing around her as she bent her head down between her knees.
"Are you all right?" A woman's voice this time as she looked up to see a dark skinned woman, her emerald green hair, normally black but lit up brightly by the summer sun, smiled at her. She wore a simple summer dress, pale green and sparsely dotted with tiny swirls, mistaking themselves as itty flowers.
"I'm sorry. My cousin was just being mean," Bara began.
"You just lay in the water!" The woman shouting obscenities lumbered over. She was tanning a healthy color, her green eyes narrowed. "Are you crazy?"
"'Scept I'm suicidal," she whispered thickly to the sand. "I don't like water. Especially this big."
"If you know how to swim," A blue haired woman began. She was paler than the others and had on sunglasses, placed evenly over her head to reveal blue eyes. She apparently hadn't heard what Bara had said in the first line.
"Here, why don't we get away for a while from the water?" The darker skinned woman offered gently.
Bara looked up, her eyes glazed. "Do I know you?" She asked suddenly. "You're familiar..."
"Bara?" Her uncle had come over. "What happened?" His wife was behind him, toting the picnic basket. "Come on, we're setting up to eat."
"Coming, Uncle," as if suddenly remembering her manners, she bowed stiffly to the woman and then even lower to the man, hoping to get her thanks cleared to him. He smiled warmly and nodded as if to say 'you're welcome'.
She helped her aunt set up, her cousin coming up and making faces at her from behind. Hoshi had always been number one to her parents and she fancied her niece to be competition. It didn't matter to her that Bara's parents were dead, she still had to make her cousin's life miserable. They were literally at the opposite ends of the spectrum with each other. However, Bara never paid any attention to Hoshi, choosing the silent treatment over anything.
"Hoshi? Do you have something caught in your nose?" Uncle asked suddenly as Hoshi was in the middle of scrunching her face up uglier. Bara suppressed a giggle as Hoshi's face turned to a beet.
"Something's going on down there," Aunt said quietly, pointing carefully. There was commotion down the beach, a good deal away where the group she had seen were rushing away from the water's edge like drunken fools.
"Oh my.. GOD!" Hoshi screamed, pointing to the waters. "The TIDE! It's ..."
The tidal wave loomed, growing bigger by the minute. Bara suddenly knew why they were rushing; they were running to get away from the imminent danger.
"RUN!" Uncle shouted, taking Hoshi's arm and his wife, nodding to Bara. "Come on! We need to get out of here!"
Bara stood, transfixed at the water, the wave growing. She could feel it, throbbing through her. It was calling to her.
"BARA!" Her uncle had no choice but to leave her as Bara turned and ran to the water as if by instinct. She stared at it in awe, despite the familiar form of fear laying in her belly.
It was too fast approaching, many of the people still running. The beach looked deserted as cars fled, not caring that one human soul was still behind. She stood and offered her arms open, as if welcoming the tide to her.
"What are you doing?" She turned and saw her, a strange being dressed in a fuku. The same skin, the same eyes and hair as Bara studied her. A brief description, a sketchy photo clicked together and she spoke.
"You're Sailor Pluto, aren't you?" Bara asked absently, turning away.
"Bara? You must leave now," Sailor Pluto offered her hand carefully.
"Why?"
"We need you."
"No one needs me. Not anymore," The wave was nearly over them as Pluto stared at her.
"Please, Bara, you must take my hand," her voice came out slowly, almost lovingly. "It's all right..."
Bara turned to study her. Despite the calm posture, the eyes were what gave Pluto away, fear lurking in the far reaches as she offered a steady hand.
"All right," Bara agreed, taking the hand. And Pluto twisted her hand, the Garnet staff glittering as they dissipated into nothingness.