Author's Note:
Hey everyone! I've been lurking on FF.N for a while now, and decided to finally make my own account and start writing. I haven't written very many fanfics before, and though I've roleplayed, most of it has been entirely OC/non-canon. This is just an intro, to hopefully the start of something long-term, or at least worth reading. It follows my newly-created OC, Serin, in her adventures on Astraea Hill. Bear with me, I'm trying my best! Thanks for reading! xo
The trek uphill wasn't going to be an easy one.
Hues of emerald wove through the irises that scanned the landscape that lay before them. The surrounding wooded area was thick with foliage: beautiful plants and flowers, and trees that loomed larger than life, stretching upwards, reaching towards the sun. Nature closed in on every side, untouched by man's hand, freely occupying space and land. Luckily, a road was cleared, making for easier transportation to the top of the remote Astraea Hill. Was it not for the road, reaching the top of the hill would be a trip of madness.
The ride coming here had been pleasant, though a bit too quiet. Though the atmosphere within the vehicle was calm, the nerves inside fourth-year Oshiro Serin made her hands shiver in her lap. She'd attempted to make small talk with her driver, but only after five minutes did she realize her attempts were in vain, and she was left to her own thoughts. Although the outside surroundings were a blurry mess of colors, she discovered that the landscape grew more beautiful as they became closer to their destination. Questions richocheted off the inside of her skull, bouncing every which way. Transferring to a new school during her fourth year wasn't the wisest decision, but it wasn't necessarily her choice: it just had to be. She had exhaled quietly, numerous times, shifting in the backseat due to the uncomfort that her nervousness entailed.
As if nerves wracking her body weren't enough, Serin discovered (to her definite dismay) that, instead of being dropped off at the gates at the top of Astraea Hill as she'd originally expected, she was to be left at the foot of the hill. This caused her great distress, and her emerald eyes widened and were pooled with great confusion as the driver stopped where he did, and explained to her that men weren't allowed foot (nor any other bodily part, for that matter) on Astraea Hill. She'd thrown a bit of a fit, mostly because she was already lost enough without having to find her way all the way up the hill to the school she'd now be attending, and the day was a bit warm - what would people think if she arrived sweating and disheveled? The possible embarassment brought horror to her eyes. But, it wasn't in her control, and the driver wasn't about to be arrested for trespassing on forbidden land. Not for a little girl, no matter how indebted he was to her family. So, with a voice of hopeless surrender, she'd thanked him and exited the car, slinging her bag on her shoulder and watching the last ties to her home disappear down the road. Then, apprehensively, she'd turned around the face the hill, and her spirits had fallen with the sight of how far a walk it was going to be.
Now, she hiked up the road, the girl's small frame silhouetted by the light of a beaming, promising sun. Various shades of chestnut brown to light honey blonde reflected on the medium-length, fairly straight locks of the miserable girl. Though her hair still fell neatly about her shoulders, she swore she could feel her it becoming limp with the weight of the heat that the sun pressed down upon her. Her light blue sundress did well in keeping her cool, as it flowed loosely about her figure, but she still felt as though she was stifling within her own peachy, cream-coloured skin. "It's too warm..." She whined, but the sun didn't seem to be listening, and if it was, it didn't care. Though it was the end of September, the cold autumn weather had yet to roll in, leaving the lingering warmth of summer to stay until taken over. Serin stopped for a moment, raising her head slightly to gather how far she'd come, or how far she still needed. Her spirits fell as she saw the top of a church peeking over the treetops, still very far away. "So far to go..." She thought, her head falling back down, eyes directed to the pavement below her. She exhaled deeply: it was already 5 P.M., at this rate, she'd never make it before dark. Serin cursed several things under her breath: her gutless driver and the large proximity of Astraea Hill among them. She had no choice, though, so she trudged on, her heels clacking silently against the cement underneath her feet.
After only minutes of her journey had passed, the brunette girl heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. The hair on the back of Serin's neck rose, and she felt her body tensing apprehensively: if years of living in a city had taught anyone anything, it was to be weary of cars approaching you - especially if they slowed down as they approached. Serin continued walking, keeping her pace steady, though her left hand clenched the strap of her bag tightly. It was an entirely different matter if the car meant to continue on its way, but she easily heard it slowing in speed as it came closer. Her emerald eyes flickered to the right, eyeing the foliage that filled the space on both sides of the wide, empty asphalt road. Thoughts began to run wildly through her head, as Serin's mind considered the options of things she could do, lest she be attacked. They jumped on and hounded one another like hungry dogs to a feast, making chaos of the young girl's thought processes. "You've done a wonderful job, Serin." She thought, "You're going to die here, and no one will be none the wiser. No, no one will ever know. The school will think you've just rejected your transfer: they'll void your transcripts, and you will have never been a student here. Mother and Father will think you're safely on Astraea, studying, but in reality, you'll be dead. No one will know..." She eyed the foliage again, catching brilliant hues of green in the leaves of the bushes and trees that thrived lusciously from the undisturbed soil. Her mind now opted to admire how beautiful the hill really was. The nature here was wonderful: maybe it wouldn't be so bad to rot amongst the beauty of the nature that adorned this place. "Would that make me as wonderful...?"
Serin's mind had ran to such a faraway place, that she now had to snap her attention back, remembering the car that was now, she inhaled sharply, driving slowly beside her. Her eyes blinked in surprise - why wasn't she dead yet? She froze in her tracks. The sleek, black car also stopped, a moment after the apprehensive fourth-year. Her jaw clenched, and she turned to face the car, only to realize the tinted rear window had been rolled down about halfway, to reveal the vehicle's dark interior - and the occupant of the backseat. Serin stepped forward, though nervously, to get a better look at the person inside. Her eyes caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting on long, lavish locks of silver, which extended down the stranger's torso, and fell well past the person's shoulders. The backseat occupant was obviously a girl: if it couldn't be told from the thick, luscious strands of hair, it was easily seen by the stranger's physique. Serin's cheeks flushed with a blushing color at her informal observation, though she justified it with the fact that, in the dim interior of the car, she couldn't quite make sense of the stranger's facial features.
"Hello." A voice, as soft as velvet, as smooth as silk, wound its way from the occupant's lips, to Serin's ears. It flowed about her mind, seeming to blend with the warmth of the September evening and pulse through Serin's body, relaxing her and putting her nerves to rest. But, it also seemed to spike her nerves even higher, and she clenched the strap of her bag even tighter, her knuckles becoming white with the pressure. It took a moment for Serin to realize that she'd lingered on the stranger's spoken word for so long, that she hadn't responded in return. How long had she just stood there, staring?
"H-hello!" She sputtered, after moments of silent stupor on her part. "You're really out-doing yourself today, Serin. You don't even know this person, yet you're staring at her so rudely, like a brute." Serin cursed herself on her impression, so informally and rudely gluing her eyes on the stranger, and disgustingly spewing out a stuttered response. She bit her bottom lip, her anxiety getting the better of her. Her mind began running again, on what an embarassing image she was making of herself. Her thoughts were interrupted a second later.
"Are you a student?" The voice flowed from the confines of the vehicle again, sending warmth and anxiety simultaneously surging through the green-eyed girl's veins. It was so smooth, and without flaw, that Serin found herself leaning over considerably trying to see if the clarity of the voice matched the appearance of it's owner. She blinked, realizing what she was doing, but before she could correct herself, she found that by leaning as she did, she now had a view of the stranger she was speaking to. Or, rather, the stranger that was speaking to her. And, as her green eyes met with those of a matching color, yet darker, Serin found she couldn't step away. Or, rather, she didn't want to. The stranger's skin was pale, though without flaw, as her voice; and her face was framed delicately by the locks of shining silver Serin had caught at first glance. Their eyes were of the same color, Serin noticed: yet this girl's wear a forest green, and Serin's own were of a richer, more leafy looking shade. A basic green, whilst this girl's seemed to have a hint of topaz. Serin seemed mesmerized, and it was only when the stranger moved back slightly that she inhaled sharply, and moved back as well, her face showing she was clearly ashamed.
"I'm, uhm, sorry." Serin averted her eyes, knowing fully well she wasn't doing any better to improve her impression upon this girl. Moving her head to look at the girl once more, she nodded, still as nervous as ever. "Yeah- uh, yes, I mean..." Serin stopped, holding her breath for a second, pulling a face as though she was very frustrated with herself - and she was - before exhaling deeply to calm herself. "Yes, if you mean on Astraea Hill, I'm a student." She nodded, and beckoned towards the top of the hill. "I've only just transferred today." She added, but her voice trailed off towards the end, figuring that whoever this was, they didn't need to know.
Serin thought she caught a glimpse of a smirk across the girl's face, but she couldn't be completely sure, for she couldn't see her as well, now that she had stepped back. "Get in," She heard the girl say, and her eyes widened considerably. Serin raised her hands in front of her, palms forward, as if in surrender.
"No, no," She began, "I really have to get to my school at the top, I can't..." Serin trailed off once more, without much idea of what to say. Where would this person take her?
The silver-haired beauty inside of the car was facing forward now, and she smiled, yet it seemed to be mocking. "This road only leads to the top of Astraea." She spoke, stating the fact simply, without elaboration. She had no need to elaborate.
Serin could have slapped herself on the spot, but she figured that would have made her look more ridiculous than she already appeared. She looked to her right, down the road: it looked as though her new acquaintance was speaking the truth - where else would this road lead? Looking back to the girl inside the car, Serin jumped a bit as the girl's eyes moved to meet hers, still smiling with a mocking smirk. Sighing, Serin's face fell, knowing she'd been defeated. "You're never to get in cars with strangers... That's the first thing anyone teaches you, Serin." She thought to herself as she walked around the back of the car, entering on the left side, opposite to where she'd been. Stepping inside, she seated herself, forcing her attention forward, so as to keep herself from staring at the person she'd just met. The car began moving, smoothly driving uphill. A few moments passed, in silence. Serin fiddled with a charm on her bag, which she had placed in her lap.
"So, what is your name?" The silky, smooth voice. She was looking forward, her attention as unattached as Serin's.
The fourth year swallowed as quietly as she could manage, and peered out of the corner of her line of vision at the girl sitting in the backseat beside her. This girl, this woman, was nothing short of beautiful. "You better not stare." Serin inhaled slowly. "Tsuki-" She stopped, cutting herself off abruptly, eyes widening slightly. "You are killing it, Serin. Lovely. Just lovely." She cursed under her breath, snapping her head forward and staring intently at the back of the driver's seat.
"Hm?" The silver-haired girl raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Serin.
"... Oshiro Serin." The chestnut-brown haired girl corrected herself, exhaling, as if exasperated. "My name is Oshiro Serin." She repeated.
"Serin." The stranger repeated, and this time it was Serin who raised an eyebrow, and glanced sideways at the girl.
"All formalities, out the window... And yet, she seems so proper..." Serin found herself scanning the girl, up and down. The girl was wearing what had to be a school uniform. "Do she and I attend the same school?" She wondered, observing the girl's uniform. Serin blushed noticeably when the object of her sight caught her looking, and returned to looking down at her bag and fiddling with a charm a little too intently. After a moment, she sighed. "And yourself?" She asked, in a tone of voice that seemed to convey that she'd become tired of herself.
"Hanazono Shizuma." The girl replied, as she watched her surroundings pass by through the car door window, her elbow resting on an armest on the interior of the car door.
Serin nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Hanazono-san."
Shizuma's dark, forest green eyes moved to look at the brown-haired girl, without movement of her head. A moment later, she returned to watching the trees and flowers pass by her line of sight through the window, as they drove on towards the top of Astraea Hill.
Author's Note:
So... That was that! I was in the midst of typing this, and at about 1,400 words my internet crashed, and I had to go back and start again at 800. That's what I get for not saving or at least copying down the edited text and putting it somewhere...
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this. It's not exactly exciting yet, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? Serin's just transferring to St. Miator, and she meets the enthralling Hanazono Shizuma, shoving her foot in her mouth a good amount of times along the way. If you weren't already aware, this is going to be a ShizumaxOC pairing... Other canon characters will be introduced, of course. Thanks for reading, there will be more to come! xo