Author's Note: Well, I was really supposed to be concentrating on midterms, but what's a girl supposed to do when she is spontaneously inspired to write? Wait for it to go away? There was no possible way for me to keep ignoring this storyline and continue focusing on my studies, so I had to write this out or at least parts of it before peacefully staring at millions of facts on biology. So, do you think my time spent on this was worth it? ^_^ I'm actually quite happy with the way this turned out so if you are not, please do not say anything that will disturb my state of mind. I'm already nervous enough about exams.
Also, this will be my small break from writing "For Honor," which really is challenging for me to write.
Summary: Lighthearted at a glance, this story delves into the depths of a girl's heart. When a girl's greatest wish is for that fairy tale ending and she's sprinkled with fairy dust, will it come true?
Disclaimer: *laughs nervously* I almost forgot to write one! Rurouni Kenshin is not mine at the moment… maybe one day when I no longer need to write fan fics?
The Seller of Dreams
Chapter 1: A Bedtime Story
By CrismHeart
January 31, 2004
I looked over at the two hyperactive young girls and began contemplating how to persuade them to sleep. I had been forced by my dear neighbor to watch his granddaughters. After having been subjected to five hours of entertaining a six-year old and her four-year old sister, I was tired. It wasn't difficult to amuse them, but that was the reason why I was having such a dilemma in the first place. They just wouldn't stop bouncing around! "Perhaps I shouldn't have allowed them to have all that soda. Why would someone be dumb enough to invent such a drink, knowing that it would appeal to children? Sugar and caffeine should definitely be on the list of what not to give them." I mused.
It was ten o'clock, at least two hours past their bedtimes. Gensai-sensei was sure to be home by eleven, but I couldn't just ruin their spirits. I have always loved children and I knew that telling them that they were not allowed to stay up would injure their pride, even more so because I had told them how much more grown-up they were since the last time I had seen them.
"Kaoru-neesan! Kaoru-oneesan! Can you play with us?" Ayame and Suzume asked in unison.
I sighed. It was so difficult to say "no" to the adorable little girls, "Ano, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, I think that you will have to go to sleep. Maybe we can play some other time."
"Demo Kaoru-neesan! You're our favorite babysitter!"
"Yeah, our favorite!" chimed Suzume.
Observing the identical puppy-dog expressions on their faces, I almost relented. Bottom lips trembled and tears welled up in their eyes threatening to spill in the event of a refusal. "Mou, Kaoru, don't let them do this to you!" I scolded myself, "Ever since when did you become such a pushover? …And when had the two of them learned to become so manipulative? No wonder Gensai-sensei wanted me to baby sit. He always did end up spoiling his granddaughters."
"Okay, okay, how about I tell you a story?" I asked Ayame and Suzume, hoping that they would agree.
"A story?" Their eyes lit up and the melancholy features on their faces instantly vanished. Sometimes I think that the innocence had just been a pretense to cover up their mischievous schemes.
"Hai!" I smiled cheerfully. It was such a relief that they had approved of my suggestion, "Demo, we have to first get you two into bed."
Ayame and Suzume nodded. In mere seconds they had scampered off to the bedroom they shared and jumped underneath their covers.
"Chotto matte! Did you girls brush your teeth yet?" I asked.
Reluctantly, Ayame and Suzume both shook their heads. "Do we have to?" Suzume complained as a pout formed on her face.
"Hai, Gensai-sensei wouldn't be very happy to hear that you didn't."
After ushering them into the bathroom across the hall, I waited for them to finish up. The change of events had taken a load off of my mind. Now all I had to do was come up with a story to tell Ayame and Suzume and if they fell asleep early enough, I would be able to do the last of my homework! The devious teachers must have planned it out that way. Why must there be so much work to do during my last and final year of high school?
A couple minutes later, Ayame and Suzume marched into the hallway. "Done!" Suzume announced happily. I led them back to their bedroom and I tucked them into each of their beds. "What kind of story would you girls like to hear?" I inquired.
"A fairy tale!" Ayame exclaimed.
"Yeah, but not one of the ones that we've already heard." Suzume stated.
"Hmm… then have you ever heard the legend of The Seller of Dreams?"
"Can you tell it to us?" Ayame requested excitedly.
I pursed my lips in thought before deciding to tell them the tale I wished were the life I was living, "Once upon a time, there was a girl seventeen years of age and in her last year of high school. Her name was Kaoru…"
"Kaoru-neechan, she had the same name as you?" Suzume interrupted.
"Hai." I responded.
"Suzume, let Kaoru-neechan tell the story." Ayame scolded her younger sibling.
"Oh, gomen nasai, Kaoru-neechan." Suzume apologized.
I smiled at them before continuing…
My greatest wish has always been for someone to love me as I am. I've been waiting for that one special person since forever, to fall in love, to live happily ever after. You know who I'm wishing for, the knight in shining armor, the prince on a gallant white horse. I want it all. I know I sound like a little girl with my silly notions, but I just want to know what it's like to be in love... I may be a foolish dreamer, but what I wish for most is that fairy tale ending that I'll never have...
The discussion in her Literature class caused Kaoru to daydream. Her thoughts usually did drift as the monotonous voice of the teacher droned on. Anji-sensei had mentioned a project of some sort. The students were to write about themselves- their fears, their sorrows, their own dreams and ambitions for the future- little facts that weren't widely known. This assignment was actually interesting for a change. Still, Kaoru had no idea what she wanted to do in the future, so she thought to her fears.
Outwardly, everyone knew her as a tomboy, but inside, Kaoru knew that there was more to her than that. "If only others knew who I really am…" Kaoru thought to herself, "They'd probably end up laughing even more." An image of her friends ran through her mind. Even if they were close, they never failed to tease her about being a "tanuki."
It was true that she enjoyed kendo when not many girls liked martial arts. She also had other traits that differed from the stereotypical girl. Kaoru wasn't especially talented in the culinary department, and she sometimes was prone to becoming violent when she was upset, but without her faults, she knew that she would not be herself. She knew she would never change for someone else; they would just have to accept her, the good with the bad. There was one thing that Kaoru dreaded above all else and no one knew of, the fear of losing childhood. Losing childhood would mean having to face reality. Kaoru remembered how she secretly pretended to be the heroine in fairy tales that would always end in living happily ever after. Time had not changed her dreams. Why couldn't her life be a fairy tale?
RING!
The bell to end class suddenly rang and Kaoru, startled by the sound, jumped in her seat. The students were dismissed from school at last.
Hurriedly grabbing her books, Kaoru tried to beat the mob of students that were pushing their way out of the classroom.
"Kaoru-chan!"
Upon hearing her best friend call her name, Kaoru waited so that she could catch up. "Misao-chan, what's up?" she greeted her friend.
"Have you seen the new shop that opened? It looks really mysterious. We should go check it out!"
"Iie, I haven't, demo, it sounds cool!"
"Yeah, let's go!" Misao pulled at her friend's backpack. It was surprising how she could have the smallest stature of all the girls in their grade and still be capable of dragging her friend for four blocks without becoming exhausted. On the contrary, Kaoru was the one who had to pause for breath when Misao finally came to a complete stop.
The store really did have a strange aura surrounding it, almost as if there were something supernatural at work. The building itself was quaint and charming, but it was the long slanted letters on the wooden sign beside it that caught their attention. It proclaimed the place as The Seller of Dreams.
"Misao-chan, I don't know if we should go in," Kaoru said, "I have a weird feeling about this."
When her companion did not respond, she turned to where Misao was supposed to have been, on her right. "Mi-Misao?" No one was standing there so she assumed that Misao had already gone into the store.
"Mou! Kaoru, you've been watching way too many horror movies." She mumbled to herself as she entered the shop in search of her friend.
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Author's Note: Um… how was it? *winces* I hope it wasn't too boring. It will eventually be romance and humor. lol, if you found this lame, it's kind of me writing through Kaoru, so you're basically insulting me. Actually, I was kind of bored too, one of reasons why this might not have been edited too well. ^_^ Anyway, I've wasted so much time writing that I'm going to be studying now! Please review! I would really love it if you do, and even more so if you're not here to offend me! And if no one enjoys reading this story, I will still finish the fic, but not on this site. Click that button down there so I know. ^_~