Escaflowne: One Sky, One Destiny…
Disclaimer: Throughout the entire story, I do not own the characters or any of the contents that I used in the story. It rightfully belongs to the creators. So please do not sue me!!
Summary: Hitomi Kanzaki never quite lived a happy life during her years in high school. She was always alone, thinking about a dreadful past that never disappeared from her mind. The only thing she can do now is to hope for the past to come back. All she wanted was someone to understand, to actually be accepted for who she is, and to be free from every problem she has endured. One day, on Christmas Eve, a simple present have granted her wish. What did she get herself into? She woke up to find herself in a different world, only to be caught by pirates?! What is going on? Now, Hitomi must find a way to know who she is in a world that is far beyond the imagination. Will she be able to find the answers? Will Hitomi ever learn to adapt? Or will the young raven haired rebel help guide her to the right direction?
Author's Note: Okay, okay. I know everyone is going to yell at me, once again, but, I can't help it. I just got this idea out of my head and well, before I knew it, I am developing a plot for the story and starting to write it. I apologize sincerely for being out for almost 2-3 months. My computer broke down on me since it had a load of unknown viruses. So, I was not able be go online for a while. Also, I busy with school. Since graduation is coming pretty soon, I am busy with studying and getting my grades up that I had no time to even write. Besides, I have senior events like Prom (which I enjoyed very much because it was at the House of Blues down at Downtown Disney and went with a charming date to Prom ), senior meetings, senior trip, Finals, etc. etc. So, for that reason, I apologize once more. But now, I am back!!! I am right now using a new computer that we bought recently and it is certainly working well than my old own (besides we had the old one for at least 5 years, no wonder it couldn't compete with the newly formed viruses). Okay, enough with the talking. Here is a freshly, new fanfic! Enjoy!
By the way, I apologize for the summary and title. I suck at summaries. And the title is just temporary. I am still thinking about if I should leave it there or not. I am such a bad title namer, here. So, it might change.
"Thinking of you wherever you are…
We pray for sorrows to end…
And hope that our hearts will blend
Now I will step forward to realize that wish
And who knows…
Starting a new a journey may not be so hard
Or maybe it already had begun…"
There are many worlds,
But they share the same sky
One Sky, One Destiny…
Kingdom Hearts Square Enix…
It is a beautiful, snowy day down in Tokyo, where most of the magic is taken place. It is Christmas season and every single district was decorated with lovely decorations that bring out the happiness that each and everyone should feel on this special season. In school, it was a heated subject to talk about amongst their comrades, waiting in anticipation for Christmas break to come.
In Ichidou High School, it was a grueling, hard month that the students worked in their classes, trying their best to obtain a good grade and become the number one representative in their class. All of that hard work paid off as students excitedly waited until school ended for the winter season. It is the last day and people are waiting for it. No homework, no class work, and no competitions for a while. No wonder the hardworking students sighed with relief.
"Say, what are you are planning to do on Christmas break?" asked one female student to her fellow companion during their break period.
"Well…I'm going to go Christmas shopping!" said her friend, with an excited smile on her lips. "I'm going to buy presents for everyone in my family, but of course I'll give a present to you too."
The two girls both giggled as they passed through the halls to their classroom with the little sign above that says "2-A." As the girls entered the classroom, 30 people were in there, talking in their groups about their own Christmas break plans. The two girls put their heavy coats neatly on the coat rack and headed for their seats. They passed by two guys who were laughing loudly across the classroom.
"Are you kidding me?" said one male, trying to sustain his laugh. "You are such a rebel!"
"I am rebel, baka," said the other, laughing. "I was bored on that day, so my pals and I decided to throw some coins at the junior high students."
Again, the guys laughed. It was lively in this classroom with the students smiling about the holiday. Almost everyone was smiling. It seems that everyone is happy about Christmas day, with their bright smiles and talks about their plans, all except for one.
Chapter One- Dilemma
Isolated from the group, near the back corner of the room, a young woman sat there, drawing intently in her sketch book. There was not a single smile on her pale lips as her green eyes and slender hands were busy drawing. When the laughs came in, she did not look up and smile. Her eyes are just glued to her drawings.
A group of girls started giggling away after hearing how one of their male classmates met his one true love in Shibuya, in a funny, awkward way. One girl slowly ended her laugh when she spotted the girl in the corner. Her smile vanished when she looked at the girl who was drawing. "Don't tell me she is drawing again?" asked the girl to her group of friends.
Her friends also looked at the girl. "Yeah, she's always there, drawing. I think she must be in denial…"
"What do you think made her the way she is?" asked one girl, who showed a sympathetic look towards her.
"Heh, I bet she went to a shrink," said a man with long blonde hair with a cocky smile upon his lips. "Hello ladies."
"That's mean of you to say that," said one girl with long blonde hair, her amethyst eyes showing great anger, "Especially since you don't know her that well. I mean, we only know her name since the beginning of high school year."
"All I gotta say about that girl is that she has no sense of style. Look at her. Her hair is always in that low ponytail, she never talks, and she's always drawing all the time," he said, sitting on top of a desk. "Besides, I wouldn't date even if it means giving up 1 million yen."
The blond girl eyed the boy icily. "Well, to me, she seems like a nice person. All she need is a friend to talk to."
"Trust me, she is someone you don't want to be friends with. From what I can see from sophomore year, I never heard her talk once. She is the antisocial type."
"Kanzaki is her name right?" said one girl, looking at her. "Hitomi Kanzaki?"
Once the name was heard, everyone's eyes looked towards the blonde man who was eyeing Hitomi Kanzaki icily. "Yeah, it's true," said one student. "She never once talked. She never talked to anyone…"
"I heard that she is from a different planet and that she is secretly observing our world. That's probably why she isn't talking," said one male, putting his glasses back up.
"Hiroshi, that's just your theory since you watch too much of those space-style anime on television."
"But, she is weird though. Heck, I don't want to be friends with that girl. She is not worth talking to, especially with that hair…come on, doesn't she ever go to a beauty salon?"
"Besides, I heard she is not so friendly…"
People started talking all at once until the bell suddenly rang. It is the signal that school is about to begin, and Hitomi closed her sketch book and put it in her messenger bag. At the same time, she took out her spiral notebook and pencil case, ready for today's lecture. Slowly, the teacher came in and everyone at once stood up.
As Hitomi stood in front of her seat, she slowly lifted her green eyes to view the teacher for a while. Then, she once more lowered them to look at her feet. In those green eyes of hers, a sad expression etched her usual calm, emotionless features, and respectfully bowed to her teacher along with the class.
A few hours have passed on as the bell rang and everyone was cheering happily. School is over and Christmas Break has come! People quickly packed their stuff and began to walk with their friends out of the classroom into the winter wonderland.
Hitomi stood up and began packing her things slowly.
"Yeah! Christmas Break!!! I can't wait to go and have some fun for a change!" said the blonde male as he began to run to the entrance. Hitomi was about to put her things in her bag when the blonde male knocked them down as he passed by.
Hitomi just watched her stuff fall to the ground, with no reaction to it whatsoever. The male turned to see what fell and saw the honey-brown top of Hitomi. A cringe crossed his face. "S-s-sorry," he abruptly said.
Slowly, Hitomi sank to the floor and started to pick up her stuff without saying a word. It was like he never existed. "Hey, I said I was sorry!" said the blonde rudely. "Can you at least say something?!?!"
Hitomi did not say a word and continued to pick her stuff up.
Angrily, the boy turned around. "Humph! Weirdo…" With that said, he ran out of the classroom to meet up with his pals.
It did not occur to Hitomi that her classmate insulted her, yet, she did not mind at all. She just picked up her stuff and she tried her best to organize them. After a minute passed by, Hitomi was all alone in the classroom, picking her stuff up. It was quiet and Hitomi could even hear her breath. Somehow, it felt comfortable for Hitomi to be by herself instead of being surrounded by her own classmates. She did not like them one bit.
"Hey, do you need any help?" a voice said to her suddenly.
Hitomi stopped when she heard the voice and slowly, she looked up. A young, handsome man looked down at her, with his tussled hair covering his eyes. Hitomi abruptly looked away and nodded. With a widening smile, he slowly knelt down and helped her pick up her stuff.
For the past few minutes, they were silent as they picked up every single item. The young boy slowly stood, finished with his task. He began to neatly organize them in his arms. Hitomi stood up as well as she held her items close to her chest tightly. The man smiled once more and handed her stuff. "Here you go," he said.
Hitomi hesitated for a minute as she gazed at her stuff and at the man before her. Finally, she shyly took her stuff gently from him and smiled. She quickly turned to her desk and started to pack her things, with a little tint of pink on her cheeks.
"Well, I'll see you around, Hitomi-chan," he said, patting her shoulder. "Have a good break. And have a Merry Christmas." With that, he walked away, holding his bag above his shoulder. He waved to her as he was about to exit the room. Hitomi abruptly stopped what she was doing when she heard his words. Lifting her head, Hitomi watched his figure exit the room, his hand still waving to her until he disappeared. A small smile appeared on her face and she looked down at her stuff.
"That was the first time he ever talked to me…"
It was almost 6 when Hitomi reached her little home. Hitomi opened the door to her house. "Okaasan, I'm home!" she called as she closed the door in the process.
"Oh Hitomi-chan, you're home!" From the kitchen, a young 32 year old woman came out, wearing a simple pink apron around her casual clothes. "How was school today for you?"
Hitomi put her shoes neatly against the wall. She put her slippers on and started to walk towards her mother, Yuri. As Hitomi passed by Yuri, a smile did not appear on her face. As a mother, Yuri knows exactly what had transpired on her daughter's day. "Oh, another bad day for you, honey?" her mother asked with a sympathetic expression on her face.
Hitomi nodded and sank into the couch in the living room. "Well, why won't I wipe up your favorite dessert?" she suggested, patting her daughter on her shoulder.
"That would be great," Hitomi said.
"Okay, then," Yuri said with a smile. Quickly, she went into the kitchen without wasting any time.
For the pass several minutes, Hitomi sat there, watching the roasting fire moving rhythmically in the fireplace. She averted her eyes to the simple Christmas tree that was placed several feet away from the fireplace. The tree was filled with beautiful, intricate Christmas ornaments that Hitomi helped her mother picked out earlier. Their theme for the Christmas holiday is light blue and white, the colors of the soft snow. Under the beautiful Christmas tree, there were at least 9 presents for her mom, herself, and…
"Hitomi!" said a voice from upstairs.
A small smile appeared in her lips as her little brother came down. "You're home!" he said and hugged her.
"Yes, I'm home, Hiro," she said sweetly. "You miss me already?"
Hiro nodded his head lividly. "It's been so long since I last seen you! Otousan dropped me off here to see you guys."
The smile that was once on Hitomi's face disappeared vanished when the "father" came in. "W-why…why isn't he here? It is almost Christmas time…"
Hiro had a curious look on his face. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure why. I asked him if he wants to come and stay, but he'd said that he will come on Christmas Day. He said he has a lot of work to do."
Hitomi lowered her head. "I…see…"
Hiro glanced at his older sister's face. He cocked his head and noticed the sad look on her face. "Don't worry, Hitomi, he promised that he would come on Christmas Day!"
Hitomi's eyes lowered even more. "Sure…but why would he come in the first place? Besides…he never keeps his promises…"
"…and you know, he promised us that he would take us to Tokyo Disneyland to see the parade there. And Oniichan would be coming over too from college!"
"Mamoru?" she said thoughtfully.
"Yeah! He said he will be coming on Christmas Eve! He will be coming with us to Tokyo Disneyland! Aren't you excited?" Hiro asked happily.
Slowly, Hitomi lifted her eyes to view her brother's own green-blue eyes. She could see no sadness in his eyes. He is enjoying every minutes of his life, Hitomi could very well tell. Although he does not know what their father is really going to do, Hiro has high hopes and Hiro believes he will come. He was just a child with pure innocence, like a typical child, yet, he did not care. Just as long as everyone is here is something he would wish that would happen. Hitomi feels as if she has no life compared to him. "Yes, I am," she lied. She didn't want to belittle him right on the spot.
Hiro smiled and sat by the tree, glancing at the presents under the tree. "Hitomi, didn't you get presents from your friends?"
Hitomi was about stand up when he spoke. She froze and slowly looked her brother once more, with a hidden fear mentally striking her. A chill ran up her spine when he said that word. Friends. "Well…not exactly…"
"Why not?? Shouldn't friends exchange gifts? Especially this is Christmas?"
"…"
"Hitomi…"
Hitomi didn't want to tell him. She didn't want to him her life at school. It was a subject that Hitomi wanted to skip.
She did not want him to know that she does not have any friends.
Two days have passed by after school was over. It was Christmas Eve and everyone is now at their homes, enjoying a warm, happy Christmas with their own families. In the Kanzaki's house, everything is simply an ordinary day. The Christmas lights were on of course, were everyone would think that this happy family is enjoying a family get together. Yet, deep inside, everything was quiet. No one came over for a Christmas celebration. Nothing, but the quiet darkness of the room.
Hitomi gazed out into the window from her room, watching the sun begin to set into the horizon. She gazed intently into the blue sky, as it slowly changed into a dark orange. Her clock on her nightstand read 5:00p.m. With a sad sigh, Hitomi closed the blinds of her window and stood up, straightening her ankle-long skirt. Adjusting her low pony-tailed hair, Hitomi opened the door to the hallway. She was about to exit when she found her sketch book and her art supplies on her desk. Hitomi turned around and grabbed for her supplies and headed downstairs.
It was quiet downstairs as Hitomi reached the first level of her house. Her mother and her brother are off to the mall, doing some last Christmas shopping. Her older brother Mamoru has not arrived earlier as planned. He called earlier that he would be a little late since he has some last minute work to do at his part time job in a Japanese Restaurant down in Shibuya. Her dad, of course, was obvious in her case, since he rarely comes and visits them. Another sigh escaped her mouth and she sat herself a few feet away from the lit fireplace. Lifting her legs up, she put her sketch book on her lap and opened to a new blank page. Opening her pencil case, Hitomi began to draw.
In the midst of her drawings, Hitomi closed her eyes and pictured an image in her imagination. She began to see her imagination come into play as she began to put one thing after another. "White...symbolizes purity and goodness within the heart, a person who is rounded and kind-hearted." Hitomi began to draw a curvy line. "A figure that supports this purity white who displays all the capabilities of these traits." Hitomi slowly began to draw the body of the figure, precisely drawing its features in the right places. "A person with the most beautiful face who deserves the beauty that matches the personality." She began to draw the eyes, the nose, and the mouth on the empty face. "A sword that represents the strength to protect others, known as the savior of the world." Hitomi began to draw the strap of the sword across the waist, and a single, long sword lying on the hips.
Hitomi kept on drawing for the past hour as she thought and drew what she imaged. Finally, she laid her paints on her palette and gazed at her drawing. She looked at her drawing carefully, eyeing each and every feature of the figure. To her amidst surprise, she found the drawing to be quite beautiful and magnificent that it was almost perfect. Hitomi inspect it closely to see the features of the person's expression and the appearance the person is set. Hitomi drew a lot of drawings back her in days, but never did one of her drawings come out like this. Why did her drawings suddenly become so beautiful? Every time she drew, mostly at school, nothing turned out the way she wanted it to be. Why is that? Hitomi thought for a moment. There was one time when she successfully drew a great drawing, and it was about to be completed until people started talking. Somehow, the people's conversation did not satisfy Hitomi and she was greatly influenced. By the time she finished with the painting, Hitomi threw it into the trash without another word.
The excitement of this success surged through Hitomi's mind. She smiled and turned around. She was about to say something when she saw nothing but empty air. "Oh…" she thought gloomily as she dropped her head. "I don't…have any friends…"
How long has it been since she had a friend? Hitomi could not remember. The word friendship provoked a lot of memories that sipped into Hitomi's mind. It has been a while since she ever thought about her past. After all, this was the only time she has to herself since she has a lot of business to take care from school, with clubs, schoolwork, and homework. Yet, she winced at the thought of it and shook her head to throw her thoughts about her past away from her. Yet, it could not be avoided. It remained in her. Hitomi began to scrunch herself up as tears started streak her cheeks. That past; she remembers those memories as happy moments, where everything does not seem so complicated. She remembers her life back in junior high school. She remembers every single bit of her memory just 3 years ago, when she was fresh out of elementary school, entering junior high school. She remembered her mother, her brothers, and even her father. Everything seemed in place.
Suddenly, painful memories started to strike her. It was the memories when she first entered high school, all alone. It was a painful experience and she wanted to dismiss that memory away. Hitomi does not want to even explain or even think of it.
"Why?" she said quietly to herself, trying to wipe the tears off her face. "Why did everything have to go downhill?"
It was a question that always occurs to Hitomi, a question that symbolizes her grief. Inside the depths of a calm, demure person, she is all broken into pieces. Hitomi feels completely overwhelmed by sorrow and despair. She wanted her dreams to come true, yet it never came. She wanted friends to talk and to hang out with, but never had one for a year and half now. Hitomi feels completely lost and no one is there to guide her. She is all alone.
"I really want to end this agony!" Hitomi said to herself, her hands forming fists. "Why does everything bad happen to me?" She shook her head more frantically as ever. "All I want is to be accepted for who I am. No one understands me. No one does understand me…I just…I just want to be free…from all of this…"
During her outcries of her own instable state, a sudden light blue glow emanated from under the Christmas tree. The light increased and it caught Hitomi's closed eyes. Slowly, she opened her eyes to view that majestic light. Cautiously, Hitomi crawled to that very light.
"Where is that light coming from?" Hitomi said, inching closer to the tree. "It's not coming from the Christmas lights." Reaching under the tree with her hand, Hitomi steadily aimed for the light. After a while, Hitomi felt something in her hands and she took this opportunity to grab it. Slowly, she took out an item with the same light blue glow she has seen. The item was one of the presents, wrapped in a red and green stripped gift wrap with a white bow. On the name tag, it read, "To: Hitomi, From: Okaasan."
"W-what…is this?" Hitomi asked, oblivious.
Suddenly, out of the blue, a tap on her shoulder startled Hitomi from her own thoughts. She turned around to see her mother, smiling at her. "Okaasan…you're home…" Hitomi simply said, sighing that it was not some kind of burglar or stranger in her house.
"Hitomi…I have been home for some time now," her mother said, sitting herself next to Hitomi. "I guess you didn't notice because you were so wrapped up with your drawing."
Hitomi lowered her head and muttered an "I see" for acknowledging that fact. Yuri smiled as her daughter lowered her head, knowing that she was relieved that she was not alone. Slowly, her gaze turned upon the drawing she drew, and Yuri slowly picked it up. She was astonished to see what Hitomi has done to it.
"This is very nice Hitomi," complemented her mother as she returned Hitomi's sketch to her. "You have great talent, Hitomi."
"No I don't," said Hitomi pessimistically as she scrunched herself again, putting her face just above her knees.
"Now don't say that, Hitomi. You know as well as I know you have talent to do this kind of thing."
"I am good, but I am not good enough..." Hitomi said plainly.
"Not good enough? What do you call this?" her mother said, turning the page to show her array of sketches. "Although they are incomplete, each and every single line, figure, shape, and color are all precise. You might be the reincarnation of Leonardo De Vinci or something. Yet, why is it incomplete?"
Hitomi fell silent and looked away from her drawings, abhorring her drawings mentally in her mind. "Hitomi, I know you hate your drawings. It's obvious by the way you scorn at them…"
"…"
"Tell me, why Hitomi?"
"…"
"Come on, Hitomi, you used to tell me everything…"
Hitomi began to think. She looked up into her mother's eyes and down to the ground again. "…Those drawings that you see…the reason I hate them so…is because…that it does not represent me in there…"
"Hitomi…? What do you mean?" her mother asked.
"It means what it means, Okaasan."
"It doesn't mean a thing if you don't go fully on depth on that."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Hitomi stop avoiding this conversation. I can't just let you bottle your feelings up."
"Just leave me alone…"
"Hitomi..."
"Please…just leave it, I don't want to talk about it," Hitomi quivered, feeling the tears begin to rim her eyes. "It will only make me feel weaker…"
Her mother was surprised to hear negative things about her own daughter. She never saw this side of her before. She's beginning to worry. Yuri was about to say something, yet she closed it before making any more moves. If Yuri was to say something again, Hitomi would crack down. "Hitomi…why are acting like this?" Yuri thought, gazing at her beloved daughter. "Hitomi…what has happened to you? You are not the happy girl I used to know who was full of life…"
Tears started to spill from her cheek. Hitomi wanted to scream. Hitomi wanted to scream out at the top of her lungs. All the things that is happening to her; everything led to her downfall. The problems that she faced, the feelings that she endured, and the isolation from the students in her class began to impact her. She feels great rage coming into her. These feelings can no longer be oppressed. She gripped her skirt tightly with her hands and looked at her mother, her eyes red and puffy with a look of desperation. "I can't stand living here anymore!" Hitomi thought. "I can't stand living here…with all these people belittling me…ever since I started high school, no one really liked me, no one ever talked to me. No one knows that I even exist. I am just a lone wolf that people think that I am not worthy to be their friends…I feel so alone…"
"What?" her mother asked, hearing the last sentence of her thoughts out loud.
Hitomi buried her face into her knees again. "I'm alone…"
"Hitomi…you are not…"
"I just want everything to be the way it was, Okaasan, where no one has to feel so much sorrow…"
Everything fell silent. Her mother looked at her with such worry and sympathy. She wanted to cry herself, yet, she must stand strong for her daughter's sake.
"I'm going to make Christmas dinner right now," Yuri said. Just when she was about to get up to deal with dinner, Yuri saw the present on top of Hitomi's lap. Curiosity struck Hitomi's mother's mind and the only thing she can come up is only one thing. Yuri shock her head with a smile and sat right back down. "I see you have found your present, Hitomi," said Yuri.
"Huh?"
"Are you really that anxious to open your presents?"
"Well…umm…you…see...umm…"
"Say no more Hitomi," her mother said, silencing her. "I know it is kind of unfair, but, I can make an exception. But, I will only allow you to open one. So, go ahead and open it."
"A-are you serious?"
"Hmm," her mother smiled. "Go ahead and open it."
Hitomi gaze momentarily at her mother's eyes. Her mother nodded with a small smile that reassured her to open it. With a small smile, Hitomi began to open it.
After ripping the wrapping off the box, Hitomi slowly opened it to reveal a little figurine inside. "Okaasan, this is…"
Yuri's smile widened to see the surprised look on her face. "Hitomi, I want you to have this," Yuri said.
"But…this is yours. Grandma gave this to you," Hitomi said, shaking her head. "It is nice of you to give me this, but, this belongs to you."
"Hitomi, I don't need this anymore," said Yuri. "This figurine gave me all the luck I needed in order to find the path I needed to go. Besides, I have you three for my luck now."
"Okaasan…"
"Hitomi, there is a story behind this figurine that you have in your hands right now, but, I won't go into full detail about that yet until Christmas Eve," said Yuri as she stood up. "But, what I can say to you is to keep this with you, Hitomi. If you have a pure heart and a pure determination, then your wishes may come true."
"If I have a pure heart and determination…Okaasan…did your wish came true?" Hitomi asked, looking into her mother's eyes.
"Hitomi…my wish came true when all of you are born and brought a meaning to my life," she simply said. Yuri kissed Hitomi's forehead. "I love you sweetheart. Remember, Hitomi, don't lose the daughter I am always proud of."
With that said, Yuri went into the kitchen to prepare for Christmas dinner.
As Yuri left Hitomi to deal with her own thoughts, Hitomi gazed at the little figurine in her hands. Slowly, she let her hands feel the surface of the little object. She was surprised to feel that it was smooth and well textured for an old heirloom that was passed down from generation to generation. With her keen emerald eyes, she gazed upon it carefully.
The figurine was a figure of a man, standing straight as a board. Around his waist is a long katana, with strands hanging on the ends of the hilt. The figure is wearing a man's kimono, with Hakama pants that fits smugly on his waist and cascades down to his ankles.
Hitomi observed the figure more to find that he is not just a human figurine. "An angel…a figure of an angel…" Hitomi said thoughtfully. "Why does he look so familiar?" Slowly, she ran her fingers along its wing. She inspected her present again only to be surprised that something is missing. "Wait…why does he only have one wing?"
It was a thought that Hitomi came to think about, yet set aside. "It must be old, that's probably why he is missing a wing."
Carefully, Hitomi put the figurine onto the glass end table, sitting herself on the couch next to the table. She looked at the angel figure carefully once more. "If you have a pure heart and a pure determination, your dreams may come true."
Hitomi thought carefully of her mother's words as she looked at the face of the angel. He was wearing a peaceful expression, with no sadness or anger. Hitomi has always thought that is how angels are. Because they are angels, they bring luck to people. They would come to anyone who is in need of assistants. Maybe that is why some angels are known as Guardian Angels.
"If dreams come true, why my dreams don't come true?" Hitomi asked. Slowly, she looked away from the angel figure and laid herself on the couch. "Maybe I am really useless if angels don't help me…maybe I was a mistake to be created."
As time passed on with her own pessimistic thoughts coming in and out, Hitomi began to feel herself grow quite weary. "Yeah, a guardian angel wouldn't come to me…I'm a worthless life form who does not deserve one." Her words slowly began to grow sleepy. "I just wish…that I have at least someone there for me." A tear came out of her closed eyes. "I wish…that I was free…from…everything…"
With those last words, Hitomi fell asleep in her warm home.
In the dark living room, a light blue glow started glowing radiantly once more, unaware of peering eyes within the house. It became brighter and brighter as every second elapsed from the clock wall's moving red, hand. The radiant blue light slowly enveloped the sleeping Hitomi. Slowly, she began to stir and she turned around. She did not even notice the light consuming her whole entire body. Once the light down its deed, it began to glow immensely, far more luminescent than before. It consumed the entire room.
After a minute has passed, the light died down each second passed by, the room regaining its dark atmosphere, with the single fire light in the chimney. It was quiet now, with the exception of the fire's crackling sound. The father clock in the far corner of the living started ringing its loud chime, ringing seven times to indicate that it is 7 in the evening.
No sound came from the couch where Hitomi slept. It was empty. Hitomi has disappeared.
"Oi, get him!"
A voice was heard through the sleepy mind of Hitomi as she slowly began to hear the surroundings.
"Don't let him get away! He has those secret documents!!"
Hitomi could make out the words, yet, why was she hearing this? It was as if it was some kind of cowboy movie or something. She listened further with closed eyes.
Peaceful winds started to interrupt the crude voices, making Hitomi drift more into a blissful sleep. To her, it was such a soothing sound that it began to make her feel calm. The smell of the fields started to spread its aroma towards Hitomi's nose. She sniffed in the smell and sighed happily. It made her feel like her problems have disappeared into thin air. For all the years of grieving, she never felt such a pleasant feeling in her mind.
"You idiots! He's over there!"
Hitomi simply ignored those horrifying voices. All she wants is to enjoy the peacefulness in her own sleep.
Sounds of running foot steps were heard close by as it went into the grassy plain, where now the running foot steps started to crunch the long, green grass. It did not please Hitomi one bit when she heard more and more coming her way. This is not how she wanted to enjoy her slumber.
"Look, he's over there!"
The first running footsteps stopped suddenly, just a few inches away from where Hitomi lay. "Damn it…they found me out…"
"You're cornered now, boy, now how would you get out of here?"
Suddenly, Hitomi realized something that she had not caught before. The sounds of the wind, the crunching sounds of grass, the smell of the field, and the voices she is hearing? Something is not right and Hitomi was not going to let this pass. Slowly, Hitomi opened her eyes. When her eyes started to adjust to the light, Hitomi gasped in surprise.
She was no longer on her couch. She looked around her to find herself looking up into the dark orange sky, surrounded by mountains and a plain field. "What…what is this?" Hitomi asked thoughtfully. "Where am I?" She looked down to see that her angel figure was no longer there. Frantically, she searched around her area, yet there was no figure in sight. "Where the heck am I?"
Hitomi looked around her to find anyone to tell her where she is and ask anyone if they have seen her present. Slowly, she began to stand up. Hitomi started matting her clothes and straightening her long skirt down.
"What are you going to do, boy?"
Suddenly, Hitomi froze when she heard the voice from behind.
"You have no where to run, no where to hide. You worked us up a good sweat boy, and we don't like to sweat…"
Hitomi whirled around to see a dozen men in strange uniform surrounding a young man with silver hair. He smirked angrily at them, holding some papers close to his side. "Tch, so what if you sweat, baka?" said the boy, pouting his head to his right. "But you do really need that work out to get rid of all that useless lard in your bodies, you fatty Nezu!"
All the men in strange uniform started retorting at once from the remark the young man made. He only laughed at the mere sight of them, yelling like a bunch monkeys. "God, you're so stupid! Instead of yelling…" Hitomi's eyes could not catch the young man's movement as his hands were replaced with a sword in hand. "…why don't you draw your weapons and fight me, ya bunch of retards!!"
All the men at once started to draw their swords. "We'll be glad to," said the leader with an evil smirk in his mouth.
"Well, bring it on, punks!" he said and sank into his position.
Hitomi did not know what was going on. Why would they attack him? Especially since the young man looks pretty young to commit any crimes. She watched on as the men in uniform charged forward towards the loner, with his unpredictable eyes looking onward towards his opponents.
Suddenly, as she watched on, Hitomi winced when she heard a clash. It took her out her reverie for a moment to realize that sound. One by one, just right in front of her eyes, those men in uniform began to fall to the ground. "What? I have sworn they were charging at him right now."
Slowly, the young silver headed man released the tension in his breath as he slowly straightened his posture. Hitomi could see a glimmer coming from his right. On his right hand, he held a sword. "Since when did he take that out? I didn't even know he actually has a weapon."
He laughed heartily as he sheathed his sword in its scabbard that was strapped securely on his back. "This is so boring..." he simply said and sat on the spot where he stood.
"Boring?" thought Hitomi. "He thought that was boring?!?! Look how many men he actually beaten in one round!"
The silver headed loner continued to sit there, laughing hysterically in his spot. Slowly, he crossed his arms across his chest, still hysterical with chuckles. In that moment, a group of at least 30 men in those strange uniforms came into the scene.
"Look, there he is! And look what he did to our comrades!" yelled one of the men from afar, pointing at the spot where the man sat.
He still remained in his spot when the cavalry appeared behind him. "What the hell happened here?!" retorted the leader of the second group.
"What does it look like? I beat all your men in five seconds," said the boy, his eyes glued to the ground.
"D-d-did you do this?"
"Well, what do you think?!"
"Umm…yes…"
"Good job, retarded fatso. Do you want a cookie?"
The leader growled angrily at the boy and withdrew his sword. "Don't toy with us, rebel. You know you should never talk to a high class official. I am one of the best of our nation!"
"So what? I don't follow rules," the young man said. "I don't care if you are the king himself. Titles don't mean anything to me. So just piss off, fatso!"
His words raged the leader of the second cavalry. He quivered with anger as his hand shook, making his drawn sword rattle crazily. "Grr…EVERYRONE! Take out your swords and begin to attack!" he retorted, pointing his finger at his soldiers. Without any words of protest, his group at once withdrew their swords, ready to attack at their leader's command. "Prepare to die, scum."
The young man started yawning, trying to cover his mouth with his hand. The leader twitched at the boy's rude behavior. "And what was that suppose to mean?"
"It means nothing…sleepy…" the young boy suddenly fell flat on the ground, pulling his bandana on to his eyes.
"Nani?!?!"
"Goin' to sleep. Oyasumi." With that, he fell fast asleep.
The leader was twitching violently. He could not take any more of this and turned to his men, his sword lifting high in the air. "Attack!!!" he screamed.
Hitomi watched the reactions of each of the soldiers. They were all wore a face of excitement and anticipation in their eyes. They were happy about this command. With one mighty yell from them, the leader and his cavalry charged forward to the sleeping boy. He did not wake up from the fighting yell. He was still snoring.
Hitomi could not watch the horror of it. She had gone pale by the thought of his own flesh being ripped apart by these crude soldiers. She did not like sight of blood and she quickly covered her eyes with her hands.
"Die! You stupid boy!" screamed the leader as he swooped his sword down to the sleeping boy.
Nothing stopped the leader of his second cavalry from attacking the poor, sleeping boy and he laughed victoriously, beginning to feel the winning streak coming to his side. Just when the sword was within a centimeter away, a huge flash glowed directly on the captain's eyes, making him blind as a mouse. In that moment, the sword was suddenly knocked from the sleepy boy's position. The leader stumbled a bit from the surprisingly hard impact. Another strong blow was hit after the first hit on his sword and another after the second until the sword cracked into pieces. The leader yelled and sat right on his behind. "What the hell was that?!"
When Hitomi heard the sound of something cracking, she reopened her eyes to see the view before her. To her surprise, the boy was not harmed at all. He was still alive, snoring away in sleepy land. She looked at the leader to see him on his behind, looking up with surprised eyes. She looked down at his hand to see he was holding his broken sword. "What…what just happened?"
It was silent for a moment after the man fearfully spoke up in the silent night. The winds were the only sound that came into the calm plain, with each of the men's heads turn in all directions to find that source of that sudden attack. The leader was looking around as well. He looked at his sword to see it completely broken into nothing but pieces. His face began to pale when he notices how the pieces where shaped.
"Attacking when he is sleeping…? That' pretty low of you," said a voice from above.
The leader of the second group began to pale even more from that very menacing voice. "Oh no…it can't be…"
"Although he and I may be rebels, we all play fair and square…my friend was right on the mark…you are a bunch of sneaky Nezus I must say."
"Who are you calling rats?!" cried one of the men defensively. "Who are you?! Identify yourself?!?! Come out, and show yourself you big chicken!!"
"Agh!?! Don't say that!!" cried the leader. His face by now must have turned white as a white radish.
Hitomi looked around to find the source of that voice. She looked around, from the plain to the sky. "Could he be invisible?"
She turned away from the sky and she quickly viewed the group men, then to the leader, to the sleeping boy, and then to the sky once more. Nothing seemed to make sense to her. There was nothing but thin air all around. A person could be seen in this plain meadow. When her eyes looked away from the sky, a moving shadow caught the corners of her eyes. Shaking her head, she intently looked on to that shadow. That very shadow was situated on a huge tree near the sleeping man. She could see a dim glimmer of the weapon the shadow was wielding. "Who is that?"
The shadow soon dropped down to the ground, doing as the man had instructed. Slowly, it sheathed its weapon into the scabbard, and looked at its opponents. To Hitomi's relief, it was not an evil, carnivorous creature. It was a shadow that belonged to another young man who was dressed differently from the men in uniform. This man had hair that matched the dark night, his messy strands flowing with the gentle wind. Around his waist, there were two swords, one long and one short, strapped securely with a simple brown belt. On the surface of the belt, it had at least five tiny daggers neatly tucked into the thickness of the belt. Just under his belt, he wore beige pants with a small navy blue package tied securely around his right thigh. The ends of his pants were bunched inside a pair of brown boots that lengthen about half an inch below his knees, with two buckles holding the boots up. Around his upper body, a long, blue cape draped his entire left arm and left shoulder. The cape was tied with a simple amulet on his right shoulder. On his face, a simple white bandana covered most of his left side of his face with the other half tied up just enough to see his right burgundy eye.
At the sight of his right eye, Hitomi's heart began to beat. It was a feeling inside Hitomi that she never felt before. She felt fear consuming her when felt something dangerous about those eyes. She started to shiver uncontrollably when the eyes showed such great anger and determination within them. It was so scary that Hitomi could feel her whole entire feel like jello. With that feeling, she fell to her knees. Yet, that did not stop her from looking at scene in front of her, watching the young man glower at his opponents, his blue cape swaying with the gentle breeze.
"W-who is he, sir?" the man have spoken up asked.
"Don't you know, you dimwit?!" said the leader angrily. "He is the man that his Majesty is looking for! He is the rebel that is wanted from all over the country!"
The young rebel smirked. "Well, I guess you guys do have a brain."
"What did you say?!"
The young man ignored their angry replies and averted his attention to his sleeping boy. "God, sleeping on the job again, my friend?" he asked, peering into the closed eyes of his silver headed companion. No answer came from his friend. He smacked his head. "God, I forgot, he sleeps like a stone. He wouldn't hear me even if I have to amplify my voice to 100%. Yosh…" Slowly, he started stretching his legs. "There is one way to wake this idiot up…"
With one swift movement, the young man kicked his companion up into the air.
"?!?!"
The leader and his men all yelled. It was a huge surprise to see a person hitting his own comrade. That did not please the men in uniform one bit. They were uneasy and very unstable as they quivered in fear, their swords rattling like the tail of rattlesnake. Quickly, the sleeping man fell to the ground with a huge thud.
"Agh! Alright who did that?!?!" yelled the silver headed man.
"WAAH!!" screamed the men in uniform.
"Who dares to disturb my nappy time?!?!"
Hitomi was shocked to the bone, her eyes wide as saucers. "H-h-ow… can he survive that horrible kick??"
"Umm, it's me," said the raven headed man, raising his hand.
"Hey, why did you wake me up?!" retorted the man, trying to remove the sleep in his eyes. "You know me enough that I go cranky if someone wakes me up…"
The young man sighed and slowly sank into his fighting stance. "Well, one, you are sleeping on your mission, and two, these men were about to attack you while you were sleeping," he simply said, gazing at his opponents.
"NANI!!!" he yelled. "THAT'S LOW!!!" Slowly, he too sank into his fighting stance, his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to fight. "That…makes…me ANGRY. Hrmm….I HATE THEM!"
His companion winced and rubbed the ringing off inside his ear. "Y-yeah…so are you going to fight or what?"
"Nah, do it for me…I'm goin' back to sleep," he said and again, fell flat on the floor.
The raven headed man just looked at his friend and sweatdropped. "Then…why was he so worked up just now?" He shook his head. "God, he owes me big time for this…"
The leader slowly got up with a smirk in his lips. "Well, some friend you have, leaving you alone to fight off 30 men."
The raven headed boy did not say anything as he lowered himself more into his fighting more. "30 men are enough. I can deal with you guys even when I am alone. I guess the reason he slept is because you guys are not really worth fighting against. I've gotta say, he is precise with his opinions."
"Grr…don't underestimate us!" said one soldier, stepping beside his leader. "You dare insult the best soldiers in our world's history?!"
"Why would I care if you are the best soldiers in all the land? You are just people…"
"Humph. A demon like you would say something like that!"
A twitch on the young man's eyebrow started to move. "Even though we are only ponds of our highness' elite, we are stronger than you think. With this many men, even a demon like you cannot beat us."
"A demon, right?" said the man as he slowly grabbed for his sword. "And who says you have a right to call me a demon?"
"Heh, everyone does, because you are one!"
"What? A scrawny kid like him? A demon??" All the men laughed at once as they repeatedly called him a demon.
As the men started laughing all at once, Hitomi watched the young man simply stand there, with his head looking down to the ground. Why would they call him a demon? Hitomi shook her head. People are all like that, judging people by the outside instead of the inside. Suddenly, out of the blue, a shocking feeling started to envelop Hitomi. It was the same feeling she had when he looked into his eyes just a few minutes ago. She looked towards and gasped. He was not sad or anything about the insults. The young man was looking angrily at the people in front of him, his eyes showing great rage towards them. It shocked Hitomi and she fell to her knees again, clasping her heart with her right hand.
"You are going to regret calling me by that word," said the young man viciously.
Hitomi watched him quickly unsheathe his sword, and with one jump, he vanished into thin air. Her eyes widened from that fact and she looked around for him. "Where did he go?" she thought. "Could he have run away?" She got up on her feet and looked around for that young man. They were still laughing, so he has not made his move yet.
"AGH!"
Hitomi gasped as one of the laughing men collapsed into the ground, a gush of blood spilling everywhere. Soon after him, another one collapsed to the floor with an agonizing yell.
The group suddenly stopped laughing as they saw their comrades' fall beside them. Every single man was running frantically around. "Hey, stop running and start fighting, you bunch of wimps!" the leader yelled. "Don't be afraid of a demon like him!"
"Take those words back!" said the young man, who suddenly appeared in front of the leader. The lead soldier suddenly screamed when he surprisingly saw his opponent in front of him. "If you say that word once more, I'll kill you!"
The leader screamed frantically, trying to run away from his opponent.
"You call yourself a leader?! Why are you running away like a chicken?!"
He continued to run away, fear for his very life. "You are not getting away!" The young man started running forward and with one lift of his sword, he swiped at his opponent. The leader shrieked in pain and fell to the ground.
Hitomi observed the whole fight and it only took him five minutes to knock them down. She watched as the young man started panting. With each deep breath, his rage started to decrease. Slowly, he grew out of his fighting stance and sheathed his sword back inside his scabbard. "Don't worry," he said, looking at his fallen opponents. "I only used the back of my sword. Next time, I won't feel merciful towards you all. Think twice before calling me a demon." With that said, the young rebel turned away and walked towards his sleeping friend.
Observantly, Hitomi watched him kneel down to his friend and gently shook him. "Oi, wake up, its over," he said.
His companion slowly got up, scratching the sleep from his eyes. "Huaah…huh? Good Morning!" he said with smile. The raven headed man bunked him on his head. "OW! What was that for??"
"It's not morning, you idiot. You just took a nap."
"Really?! Aww…damn…I wish it was morning…I wanna eat breakfast…that's the best part of the day" he pouted, folding his arms across his chest.
His raven headed friend started laughing heartily and patted his shoulder. Hitomi watched him as he talked happily towards his friend. It was strange to see that man shift from one mood to the next. What is he anyways? Suddenly, Hitomi shook that thought out of her mind. Why would she be interested in a person she does not know? She began to walk since she has more important things to think about like how to get back home. Her family must be worried sick about her.
After a few steps, Hitomi suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her thoughts about home were seized when she saw something from a distance. Something bright glimmered in front of her. She drew her hand above her eyes and squinted to see more clearly. "What is that?" she asked. Slowly, she looked even closer to see a person hiding in the grass, holding something small and pointy at its ends. "Oh no!" Hitomi retorted as she finally realized what it was. That person is aiming towards that man.
Quickly, she sprinted towards them.
The person hiding in the hedges began adjusting the coordinates, aiming right at the young man's heart. With a smirk, the person pulled the bow and released it.
Hitomi could see that the arrow is coming quickly, making Hitomi run faster towards them.
The raven headed man and his companion where having a conversation when something is coming towards them. His companion was the first notice as his eyes begin to widen. "WHAT THE HELL??"
Hitomi desperately ran and with one huge leap, she went straight towards the young raven headed man. "Watch out!" she screamed.
She jumped right into the young man and pushed him towards the ground. Just when he hit the ground, the arrow struck Hitomi's arm. She cried in pain and fell to the ground next to him. "Damn it!" retorted the man as he slowly got up and checked on Hitomi. "Why that little-"
Quickly, his rage rouse once more. His right hand went to the daggers sticking out of his belt. Spinning professional in his hand, the boy was ready to throw at his target. Just when was about to throw, an arrow whizzed passed him like a bullet. He stopped his motion and watched the arrow move to his target with surprised eyes. The stranger in the hedges was about to run away, yet, the arrow got to the person before he could even sprint. With one cry, the stranger fell to the ground.
"Who in the hell did that?!" he said.
"Well, we just made it in time," said a voice from behind. The young rebel looked up to see a tall man wearing a long, dark blue trench coat that ran from his shoulders to just above his ankles. His coat was half zipped, showing a white shirt inside his thick coat. Around his waistband, two huge black belts were strapped around him, with a sword strapped securely on his left hip. Around his head is a simple, thin bandana and his long blonde hair was tied in a low ponytail. A smile emerged from his mouth as he slowly approached the young man, with his hand slowly returning to his sides. In his hands, he held a well-made maghoney bow.
"Made it in time?" retorted the young man. "You mean you made it too late! Someone got hurt!"
Slowly, Hitomi got up to her feet, holding the wound in her arm. Quickly, the young rebel looked around to see her standing up. Carefully, Hitomi pulled the arrow out of her arm and threw it to the ground. The young rebel looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Ah, what a pretty, young woman," said the blonde man, his tone suddenly shifted from a firm, serious tone to a lively, flattery tone when he caught sight of Hitomi's face. He started to smile seductively. "And whom may I ask your name, my fair lady, who has come from the beautiful stars beyond?"
Hitomi grudging looked away from him with a blush on her cheeks, without a word to say to that man. "My, what a feisty feline she is," he said, grinning pleasantly. "But, I love feisty women you know…"
"Hey, stop with that act, Captain," said another voice. Hitomi looked behind the blonde man to see a young woman with long blonde hair that was tied up on a high ponytail. "You know as well as I know she would not put up with your flattery. She is injured, can't you see that?!"
"Well, I'm sorry, princess, I simply didn't know."
"God, I swear that you are inconsiderate sometimes, you big womanizer," she said. With a smile, she gently looked at Hitomi. "Hey are you okay?" Hitomi looked into the eyes of the young maiden as she looked on with worry. Hitomi did not say a word because she was too astonished that more people are suddenly appearing, wearing the clothes that was worn during the Japan medieval times.
"Hey, Captain, where is that kiddo?"
"Yeah, he said he would meet us up right here…"
From behind, a group of men came hurdling towards their captain, with all smiles on their faces. Hitomi did not like this one bit and she began to feel uneasy. So, instead of looking at the strangers, she looked away once more. Hopefully, no one would notice her presence. "Yeah, we've been waiting on the pier for hours, what's the hold up here?"
The blonde captain just shrugged his shoulders, and pointed directly at Hitomi's downcast face. "Wow, what a cutie!" said one of the man as they came running towards. "You picked up a lovely lady!"
"Yeah, if she just her hair down, then she would like pretty hot!"
"And her clothes too…they're a bite strange, but that doesn't matter right?"
"Yeah, I wonder where she came from!" said another.
"Hey, what is your name?"
Every man came all at once towards Hitomi, asking the same question over and over again. With such attention, Hitomi nervously began to back away, trying to get rid of the men who were hovering around her. Her vision started to grow fuzzy and she couldn't keep her composure any longer. She stopped just a few feet away from the raven headed young man, grasping her head. "Who…?" she began wearily, as her vision began to diminish. "Who…are you…?"
The blonde man smirked and slowly walked to her. "Hehe, I'm glad you asked that…"
The blonde hair woman looked incredulously at the captain. "Captain, don't…didn't I tell you she won't-"
"Be quiet! I'm trying…to make her feel…more comfortable…yeah…more comfortable around us," interrupted the captain.
"Yeah, like, you can make everything comfortable…" said the girl, crossing her arms. "Big, inconsiderate womanizer…"
He smiled at Hitomi. "Hehe, you are lucky to come upon us, little lady. We--"
The young raven hair man came up to her, signaling his captain to stop whatever he is doing. An angry look appeared on the captain's handsome features. Without putting up a fight, he shrugged and crossed his arms above his chest and backed away. Slowly, the young man came up to her with a smirk on his face. "Don't you know?" he asked. "We are known as the toughest, coldest, and unsophisticated group amongst the seven seas…"
Hitomi was still clueless of what he is saying, yet she was surprised to hear the cockiness within the young man's voice. She never expect that from him. Then again, he is unpredictable. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you shouldn't get involved with us…if you don't want to get caught that is…"
It sounded more like a warning instead of threat, but Hitomi ignored it, shaking her head with a slight, confused expression on her face. "I-I…don't understand…"
The man hesitated for a moment, looking into Hitomi's confused eyes. Shaking his head, he gave another smile. "I'm surprised you are not even scared of us…I gotta say, I have to give you points for that." He looked into Hitomi's eyes. "We are known as the Abrahaki, the famous Kaizokus of the seven seas…"
"Kaizoku?!" Hitomi yelled surprisingly at his words. The young man smiled and nodded his head.
Slowly, Hitomi backed away from him as far as she can, the fear rising up into her stomach. "What have I got myself into?" she thought, gazing at each person. Now, she is beginning to regret that she ever saved that boy's life. She looked at the boy in front of her, then to the older man smiling at her, then the crew who had a curious look on their faces, the girl with a worried look on her face, and then the raven haired boy's friend looking at her unpredictably. It was obvious now. They were all dressed, as pirates.
Everything in this situation began to affect Hitomi. She was utterly overwhelmed that she is beginning to feel dizzy. It was a moment like this when Hitomi wanted to run away. She wanted to go back home. Hitomi wanted to see her family again. She even wanted to be back in that wretched school of hers. Slowly, she looked into the eyes of the young man with the bandana across his left eye. She could feel her world begin to fade. She wanted to run away right in that moment as he gazed into his eyes.
Her hearing became impaired when the dizziness have become too much for her to handle. She slowly sank to her knees, feeling the sweat pouring from her glands. Soon, everything went black and Hitomi could no longer hear northing nor see anything.
Right then, Hitomi fainted.
To Be Continued
Author's note (part 2): Yes, what did Hitomi got herself into? Who is this group of pirates and what is there intention? What will they do to Hitomi? And who is this guy? To find out, please look out for Chapter 2, coming soon.
Hope you guys like it! It is not all that great, but oh well. I really enjoyed writing this. I just can't believe I have time to write this. Be sure to tell me what you think if you want. Oh yeah, and I am looking for a beta reader(s) right now. So email me if you want to be my beta reader for this story or any of my other stories. Until then, bye!