Carried Off

Is it fine to believe in fetish?

Is it alright to wish something from the deepest abyss of your hearts, even you doubt the existence of its grantor?

Is it alright?

Is it fine if someday, you'll get tired of believing and just give up the faith you put in such belief?

It's okay.

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Things don't always go the way we wanted it.

Yohioloid Kagamine. An icon of strength and wealth in the island of Yesso. He established a good reputation of his name and ready to set forth to prove people that the existence of legendary crane is true. His clan was known to have a strong faith on the crane, no need to wonder why the symbol of the head of the family is a crane.

Once upon a time - because that's how good tales always begin, the great grandfathers entrusted their fortune on a bird that grants wishes. They held the belief that the bird fulfills the will of the gods, and guides them through their cold days in the island of Yesso. However, after many centuries of retelling the splendor of such magical bird, people began to doubt that the gods are still with them.

The townspeople felt the wrath of the blizzard, almost burying Kushiro in cold. Yet, in the clan of Kagamine, its preeminent chief, Yohioloid, commenced his journey to prove the existence of the legendary crane.

The pewter-headed ancestor battled against the cold winds as he paved his way behind the mountains - descrying the place where the said crane appeared centuries ago. To think, the brave chieftain was just pushing his luck. He began doubting his great grandfathers about the tale of the crane. Maybe, he thought, the tale is nothing - nothing but a humbug. His feet was numbed deep in the snow, he couldn't feel anymore. He tried to tug his kimono tighter around him, in hopes that it could give him heat against the freezing climate. The rivers were solidified by the blizzard. And hugging himself, was no help.

The forests of Kushiro was dead white. Tall, lean spiky trees were the only dark thing against the flawless white vicinity. Yohioloid sees no hut around, let alone any possible thing that can shelter him against such mad weather. Praying that his family would still believe that the crane was true, even his own people doubt his family, he wished that the tradition shall be preserved. It took Yohioloid several hours of strength to bring himself in a river that he didn't know that was there. Surprisingly, the water wasn't bone-chilling and right there, Yohioloid smiled and dropped on the wintry ground.

Tsuru no Ongaeshi.

A sandy haired boy stumbled on his way to his grandmother while carrying a basket full of colored folded papers. He ran across the green pastures; the cold air made his cheeks redden. The weather was fair, but even the sun shone brightly up in the sky, it never dismissed the cold air enveloping Sapporo on summer season. The goats ran aside as the boy dashed pass by them - his pants were audible and considerably marked with excitement, wanting to reach his grandmother resting on her chair, under a large tree.

"Granny! Granny!" He called and jumped over the last kid obstructing his way to his grandmother. The moment he collapsed on the ground beside his grandmother, theboy raised his basket - some folded papers almost dropped out of its container.

"Mom helped me to make this crane origami! We finished ten. Will the legendary crane come now?" The boy perked his head to his aging grandmother. Her stack of gray hair was obvious than it used to be. Her wrinkled face showed more lines when she smiled at her grandson and patted his head.

"No." The old woman answered, her hand leaving his head. The wind blew the cold breeze against them, the rustling of the grasses and trees nearby filled their ears with music. Silence wasn't the perfect word to name the quietness between them when the whispering wind kept on making such, impossible. "The 'crane' won't show up just like that."

Her voice was announcing the boy's disappointment. He gawked at her, rising from his serene seat and gripped on her armrest. "What are you saying granny? You just told me that the crane grants wishes? Why can't I make one? It is fine if the crane asks something in exchange! I can give my favorite toy car, or maybe the remote controlled helicopter I received last Christmas!"

"You shouldn't listen to your teacher sometimes. They told you that, didn't they?" The old woman asked wearily, a long sigh departed from her lips. Once again, the wind ran to them before she resumed. "The 'crane' grants wishes but asks you to do something sacrificial. But what people fail to include in the legend is that... The 'crane' chooses who to listen to; to whose wish should she grant." The grey-crowned woman leaned against the tree's trunk and spoke again, "they forgot the untold latter part of the tale."

Curiosity flickered in his eyes as leaned forward his grandmother, wishing her to continue. The old woman laughed at his action. Her mouth opened only to sigh as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the fair weather. Albeit the boy pouted in dismay, he decided to sit back on the grasses, his back against his grandmother's chair. He watched the peaceful field, and he, too, succumbed to the beckoning slumber present on how the air blows.

The next day, everyone woke up to a calm wintery morning. The freezing air was no longer the same harsh wind that tried to kill them for the past days. Everyone rejoiced, and celebrated. They lit a bonfire in front the town's prominent clan, the Kagamine. They danced and drunk and thanked their gods for their security. The smiles and laughter warmed the cold season, making the peaceful town joyous again.

Midst of such celebration, the doors of the Kagamine clan was shut. The wife of the chieftain was said mourning. A brave commoner knocked on the closed wooden gates, and invited their chieftain and his woman to join them. However, the personnel told them that the chieftain left yesterday, in the middle of the snowstorm, to find the crane and make a wish. Immediately, the commoner asked the villagers to create a party of well-built and keen men to accompany him in searching for Yohioloid.

When everyone was losing hope because they felt like they were cursed in such eternal whiteness before them, a yell from the vanguard who emerged from the direction towards the river rejuvenated the search party.

There lies the cold, stiff, body of the chieftain. His pewter hair mimicked the snow. His face was blue and lifeless, as he laid facing the sky. Half covered with frost, his hand was loosely holding an origami of a crane from a paper dyed with the color of sky and forest during spring, combined.

Len rushed out of his classroom. His mom promised to bring him to his grandmother this summer break after three consecutive years that his parents passed summer vacations due to financial instability. The sweat dropped as he pushed his way towards the pedestrian lane.

"Why are you so excited with the summer vacation, Len?" His classmate, Nero, asked. He watched Len fidgeted, impatient for the train to pass so they could cross the road.

"Nero, we'll be going to Hokkaido today! It's been three years since the last time I've been there!" Len chirped, eyes gleaming with excitement. However, Nero just shrugged and dismissed the childish Len. He's twelve, and Nero expected Len to act manly, at least.

"That means you're going to Seikkan tunnel?"

"Yes." Len nodded. "That's an undersea train tunnel right?" Len asked the other blond who seemed unamused at all.

"You've been in Hokkaido for countless times and you didn't know that such passage is under-"

Nero's next words were unheard when the train passed by them. The two felt the earth clatteredbeneath their feet as the train continuously ran. After thirty or more seconds, the yellow and black striped bars lifted and the lights turned green. Nero jogged with Len as they ran along the alleys.

"Won't you stay here in Honshu? It's cold there."

"I miss granny and I like Sapporo."

"You're still into the legend, huh?"

"What? The crane? Yes."

"If you made a hundred or a thousand of origami, you'll have your wish granted. Stop believing such fetish bird legend or what."

Len glared at Nero as he stopped on the intersection where they will depart. "No, Nero. It's granny's story telling that will make you believe, I swear." But Nero cared not and just left Len without a good-bye. Still high spirited, Len dashed towards their home so his most anticipated journey will begin.

Yohioloid's grandson, Rinto Kagamine was the one who believed his grandmother. His father, refused to believe the tale of the crane after his father's death. When Rinto was born, Aria, his grandmother told him the entranced tale of the crane, as what Yohioloid told his wife in her dreams. Aria was saddened when her own son was so stern that he insisted that such tale is a tale, and his father was a fool to sacrifice his life for a paper bird.

The found paper crane was kept in Aria's room, kept under a glass globe. The color of the spring and forest mixed together was seemingly glowing against the sun's illumination. Rinto stared with bewilderment, and summoned his father to see what he witnessed. Yuuma, however, saw nothing but a normal paper folded like a crane.

When Rinto grew into a young man with a perfect family, he watched his son become a young adult. He told him the tales from his grandmother and fed him with the magic behind the clan's belief. He brought his son, Leon, on his grandmother's room when he was fifteen. Together with his wife, Lily, they let his life be filled with the magic of the Crane's existence, despite unseen - although not felt. Leon believed. Rinto was relieved.

Rinto reached his peak of life, he wanted to do something that would justify his existence. He told his wife the words of his grandfather from his grandmother, Aria, and entrusted her to keep the belief alive. At the age of sixty, still strong, he set forth to search for the crane, despite unseen; although not felt. Like the crane, many years had passed, Rinto was unseen and not felt.

"Granny!"

The blond boy run to his weak grandmother lying on her bed. The old woman smiled weakly and held back her grandson's hand on hers. Her hair was long and gray, the wrinkles on her face were as many as the lines on her palms. Regardless of all open and shut signs of her old age, her smile never aged.

"Len," she called his name as he took care of her that morning. Len slightly pushed aside the curtains to let the sun in his grandmother's room. The boy looked down on his weak grandmother with a genuine smile, and quickly occupied a seat beside her bed. The old woman stared at him for some long minutes and once again, smiled. "Do you know how the crane will grant your wish?"

Len winced.

"You have to take away the Crane's heart." His grandmother said as her trembling hand folded her four fingers to her palms, and her pointing finger directed to her table from the far corner of the room, where the sunlight fell. There shines the glass globe sheltering a teal blue crane origami with a drop of red on its head. That was the first time Len saw the origami. Wide-eyed, he looked to the glass globe, to his granny and to the glass globe again and ran towards the kept origami.

"That was the origami your great grand father was holding when he died." Lily said, her old husky voice commenced her finished business. "Remember, take her heart, she'll grant your wish. Tsuru no Ongaeshi."

After his grandmother's funeral, Len went back to Honshu the opposite of their departure. They were grieving because his grandmother died, and she had such a bad way of saying good-bye. As soon as they arrived in their house, the lights flicked to open and lit the humble house. They were so sad that they felt that such place wasn't home at all. Leon unpacked their things and handed the glass globe to Len carefully. He smiled to his son, but Len just turned around and locked up in his room.

It's been three months and Len never changed his attitude. He was cold and uncaring. Leon and Lenka always caught their son staring blankly at the glass globe, his face hairbreadth away. He wanted to touch the paper, and only the glass hindered such desire.

"He was just so close with his grandmother. Don't worry, Leon." Lenka, Len's mother patted her husband's shoulder. "He'll be fine, I'm sure." Leon smiled at her and squeezed her hand on his shoulder. She told him that she'll cook dinner instead but as she spun around, her world came to a different angle - twisted, tangled, distorted. Before she could crash on the ground, Leon caught her while calling out his son's name to get the keys.

Once upon a time - because everyone has forgotten when did it exactly began, old folks from the northern part of Japan (Hokkaido or formerly called Yesso) believed that there is a legendary animal, a crane, which wanders in Kushiro, particularly. They believed that once you catch the crane and take its heart, you will be able have your wishes - the good fortune, happiness, eternal youth, longevity and freedom. Cranes are said to grant favors in return for acts of sacrifice - Tsuru no Ongaeshi. But there's this certain crane in Kushiro that grants wishes without something in return, because its consequences are unbearable. If the wish is from a pure heart, it will be granted.

... But there's one wish the crane couldn't grant without any bargain.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kagamine." That's what the doctor told Leon as the father and son goggled the confused woman lying on the hospital bed. "Your wife is 14 weeks pregnant." Len was so happy, Leon and Lenka as well. They never thought that Lenka would still bear a child when Len was already 12. They were so happy. Len was so happy that he told them, "...maybe she was granny's reincarnation!? Why not name the baby after granny!?"

And so, the forseen happy ending began. Lenka gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl. She was named after Leon's father, thus she was called Rin. Len protested that she should be named after his grandmother but Leon told that Len and Leon himself, was named after Lily already. They lived happily for years. Len graduated in middle school and soon in high school, recognized as one of the best students. Rin began schooling as well, and she, just like her brother, excelled in her own way. It was Len who repeated all his grandmother's tales to Rin and told her all what Lily told him - except the latter part. The siblings had a close bond, and Len felt the same affection he felt to his granny, towards Rin. Despite such wonderful life they lived, one happenstance changed their happy-ending tale.

Len was 20 that time, Rin was eight. The older child was staying in his flat when he received a call from his father. Leon was crying, that was the first thing Len noticed. Even without speaking, Len traveled back to his hometown in Honshu because he already knew the bad news. Lenka and Rin was involved in a car crash. The bus they're riding lost control on the slippery road. It was winter, then. Lenka was severely injured, critical in fact. Rin had her head bleeding after the impact. It was so soon that Lenka was taken away, she only lived for 24 hours. Len's father helplessly cried and Len just watched him. He was crying too. But it's over. His mother was gone. Now, Len was worried for his sister, he couldn't afford to lose her as well.

Len went back to their house and stayed over night to relieve himself from the sudden stress. University was stressful already, but their current situation was depressive. Len leaned against his study table that night, bathing with the moonlight. He cried and prayed for Rin's sake. He doesn't want to lose his dear sister. She's so young. When Len lifted his head, he saw the crane inside glass globe to glow. Or maybe, he was just fooled by his eyes. The wish, he remembered. But now? He doubt if he should really believe.

Fortunately, Rin survived the head trauma. She woke after several weeks and recovered soon. However, like what Lily told her grandson, Tsuru no Ongaeshi. Rin lost her sight. She was blinded because of her head trauma. Although Len was saddened because his sister can no longer see the beauty of the world, it was still million times better than have her dead.

Unlike Len, Leon was unable to cope with Lenka's death. He became a drunkard and lost his job. Leon has forgotten his responsibility to his family, believing that it wasn't a family without Lenka. He has forgotten that he was a father of two and has completely relied with his new found best friend, alcohol. Len finished his college still, and he taught Rin by himself. He learned how to read Braille for his sister and willingly assisted her in anything.

One day, when the drunkard passed by Len's open door, Leon barged in and overheard Len talking to his sister that he got a permanent job in Tokyo. The bottle of sake that he was drinking - emptied, rolled on the floor. Leon's attention wasn't on Len's chirping, but on the glowing thing on his son's table.

The next day, a well dressed and sober Leon came out of his room. It was too early and Len was preparing to leave. He told his father to look after Rin while he was away, only to be shushed by Leon. Leon interrupted him, saying that he would travel to Hokkaido, in Kushiro. The son noticed the keys he had and Len recognized that those were the keys of the storage room in their ancestral home in Sapporo. Len knew what the storage room was keeping - hunting guns. His father promised to be back within the week. Trusting his father's words, Len let him go.

Len asked their neighbor, Gumi, to look after Rin for the meantime. The green haired girl was his high school mate and he trusted her enough to look after his beloved sister. Just like that, Len went off to Tokyo with a bright smile, because somehow, he felt like his father will be ending his drunken life.

A week has gone, Len came home with no Leon around. Rin was sleeping in his room when he arrived and Gumi was cooking the girl's dinner. Gumi told Len that there was a reported snowstorm in Hokkaido and his father has not come back from his voyage. Worried, Len asked Gumi if he could look after Rin again, and promised her that he'll pay her when he got his salary. Even though Gumi assured him not to bother paying, Len confessed that he might be gone for a long time in searching wherever his father and he couldn't being Rin with him, therefore, he sees Gumi's volunteering a work. Len gave her his ATM card where he saved for Rin's future operation. Len told Gumi to use the money for Rin and herself as well as long as he hasn't come back. That night then, after taking his full meal, Len kissed his sister's forehead and bid his adieu.

The raging coldness crept through Len's trench coat. He lost count of how many layers of gloves he has worn and scarves wrapped around his neck as he walked towards their ancestral house. He felt like his layers of wool jackets are no use because he is still trembling with such coldness. A weird coldness he never experienced. He had to admit that approaching the old house itself was frightening already but walking through such deep snow threatened him if he could reach the house.

The whistling wind was gone as he entered the house. It was dark and warm inside so he removed few of his winter protection clothes. Nah.

The blond roamed inside the house and each places he visited, a memory was recalled. He decided not to focus on that and scolded himself to find his father as soon as possible. As expected, the shotguns were not in the storage room. The bullets were also lost, he could tell from the clean marks against the dusty shelves where such things were used to be placed. Is his father out to hunt? He asked himself. Len turned around, still pondering what his father is up to, but he stumbled on his feet and dropped on the ground. The thing before him made him scream. The glass globe.

Len hadn't noticed that such treasure was missing in his room. Against the nipping weather, Len aimlessly walked to the path where only tall, lean and spiky withered trees stain the imperishable whiteness. His feet continued to bring him somewhere he has never been into. Howbeit his body protested to succumb with the reckoned invitation of a perpetual sleep against the cold white bed laid before him, Len yelled and called out for his father. He did that how many times until he felt his voice left his throat. The wind was gone and he found himself slouching on a log nearby the unfrozen river.

Unfrozen river? Len quickly ducked to assure that the river isn't frozen at all. He couldn't believe himself that it wasn't unfrozen when even his own bottle of water was almost hardened.

"Who are you?"

Len looked around to where the voice came from. A girl dressed in a faded red kimono was hiding behind the tree across the river. "How on earth she withstand the coldness?" Len would ask himself with that. Instead of answering her query, Len rose from his knees and shouted, "Are you okay? Aren't you cold?"

The girl just moved a little to shield herself from his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you! Wait for me!" Len said and tried searching for a rock and tossed it in the middle of the river. The sound wasn't a plop, meaning, the river was shallow. The blond did not hesitate crossing the river - which is surprisingly not cold - and kept his eyes on the girl behind the tree. He saw her hair, it's reaching her waist. It's color was so peaceful when joined with the snow, because it was the color of the spring sky and forest.

"Are you fine? Are you lost too? Here. Take my coat." Len removed his coat and placed it on her shoulders. She didn't move away from him but she didn't remove her suspicious eyeing on him as well.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" She asked again, holding his jacket around her. "Are you here...to hurt me?"

"No." Len replied quietly. "My father was missing and I'm out to search for him. My sister and I are worried, he's been a week missing. I guess,"

The girl nodded. Len examined her face, porcelain white skin and beautiful eyes caught him in deep mesmerizing. Her pallid-pink lips looked like they were inhibited by frost.

"Is he...carrying...a - a...gun? A long wooden gun...? This long?" She asked, raising her arms as if describing a shotgun.

"If he's this tall," Len raised his hand around the same height with him, "and had a pale blonde hair that's gray around this area, he is."

"I saw him." The girl said and moved away from him, fear overwhelmed her beautiful eyes. "He killed my family. I heard him asking for my life!" The enigmatic girl ran away from Len, fumbling along the process. She scampered down and took a misstep that made her fall from that stiff part of the snow covered heath.

Len caught her arm and pulled her up, however his force pulling her up - pushed him down. To save her, he let himself fall instead. Tsuru no Ongaeshi. For his wish to be granted - to keep the girl safe and alive, he offered his life. As he was falling, Len saw the fright overpowering the fair maiden's face as she tried to reach him...

The bed of white. The white sky. His pure heart.

Len wished one thing.

His dad's happiness.

Rin's happiness.

He fell.

Len opened his eyes, blinking momentarily to adjust from the blinding light. His head was resting on something soft...but when you're dead, are you supposed to feel what's soft or hard? Cold or not?

A warm hand touched his forehead as his blurry sight was dimmed. Someone leaned down and kissed him right beside his eye. He looked up to the speaker - it was the fair maiden with teal blue hair, smiling down at him. His heart was pounding seeing her smile. He never felt so warm when coldness was numbing him to the bones.

"I am Miku. And I grant your wish. When your sister wake up, her sight will be restor

ed. Your father was sent back to your home, getting over your deceased mother." Her melodious voice told him, as he rose to sit.

"Are you...the Crane?"

"But I'm asking for something unbearable," Miku answered instead. "Can you give it in return?"

Once, there was a boy like a sunflower in a meadow. He believed what the worms had told him about the crane, albeit he knew that he wouldn't be able to see the bird.

Because cranes aren't found in grasslands.

He believed even other sunflowers lost faith.

He believed, because he knew it all along.

Len heard her quid pro quo, and he kept quiet. Contemplating whether or not he should gave in. He stared at her again, she was smiling, but he could see right through those smiles. He saw the sadness in that smile. Longing and dejection.

Len leaned forward, his thumb tilted her head up to him as he captured her lips with a chaste kiss. She knew the answer.

The next day, Rin woke up in surprise. She saw how the world looked like! On her table, there lies the two origami folded like a cranes, a teal blue and a flaxen one. But, who owned that? Who made that?

"Dad?" Rin called.

"Do I have a sibling?"

"Rin? You're asking that again? You're my only child."

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Once upon in the undying string of time, the crane had carried off someone.

Someone who had a pure heart.

Someone who believed when everyone else reproached her existence.

Finis.

A/N: This is a product of pure imagination. Some descriptions about the legend of crane has been modified, as well as the climate in Hokkaido (I'm not sure if there are snowstorms there, but it's cold there even summer). A mortal carried off by a crane becomes immortal too.