+ Category: Fantastic Children
+ Rate: T
+ Genre: Romance / Drama / Angst
Author's notes: This story is co-written. Readers are advised to firmly grasp every FC character's personality before proceeding with our fic. Anyway, FC is not ours!! (Because if it were, the hero would end up with his love in a family full of laughter; together they would have a bunch of fantastic children, both teach them his secret Papan Kenpo or her artistic skills, or so the list goes endless...) ^-^
Character information
Helga (22yrs): Height - 165cm, Weight - 51kg.
Thomas (22yrs): Height - 179cm, Weight - 68kg.
Kailan [Soran] (23yrs): Height - 181cm, Weight - 69kg.
Chitto (19yrs): Height - 166cm, Weight - 54kg.
Ian [Aghi] (22yrs): Height - 176cm, Weight - 63kg.
Flo [Soreto] (22yrs): Height - 168cm, Weight - 52kg.
Kalie [Tarlant] (22yrs): Height - 170cm, Weight - 56kg.
Teo [Hasmodye] (22yrs): Height - 175cm, Weight - 61kg.
Dumas (28yrs): Height - 178cm, Weight - 65kg.
~ AS RAIN FALLS ALONG THE ROAD ~
Chapter 1
/Why?
Why did you always have to protect me?
Why couldn't I help you?
Why leave me.../
It had all finally come to an end.
His warm loving gaze which assured me he would always be there for me.
That emptiness in my heart...
I still needed him to be there, to protect me and tell me everything would be all right...
Now... those three words I had forever lost the chance to say...
It's too late.....
########
1 year earlier...
"Helga! Breakfast is ready!"
"Ya! And you'd better get down here before Teo an' I eat it all!"
Chitto's voice seemed to ring in my ears, until I forced my eyelids open. The bed next to mine was empty, though tantalizing smells coming from the kitchen told me very quickly where its occupant had gone. Flo had always been an early bird; no wonder she excelled in every subject at school.
I rummaged through my drawers to find something to wear. The forgotten clock on my night stand flashed 7:00. I had an hour before the our class opened, and judging by the yelling going on downstairs, even less to get a decent meal. After a minute or so, I found something clean and not too badly wrinkled, and got into the shower.
Our hot water had never been something to rely on, and this morning, as I surrendered myself to their spray, it made perfectly clear that it had decided to take a very long vacation. Still, I was in and out in under five minutes, and managed to grab a few strips of bacon and a slice of toast.
"Hello Helga, did ya sleep well?" Chitto grinned broadly with his mouth full. "Thomas received a call from his club this morning so he said not to wait for him."
"I see... You know, at the rate you two eat, it'll be lucky if we make it to our next paycheck." I chuckled as I handed my plate to Flo at the sink.
"Don't mind them, boys are like that." Flo just smiled, closing her eyes.
"Don't worry Helga," Teo said cheerfully. "We graduate in a month, and then we'll have more money coming in. I'll support you in the meantime of course."
"Rich boy is boasting." Kalie teased.
"I really meant that!!" Teo cried.
"Don't you know she is the sister of a multibillion dollar company manager?"
"Yes, but..."
It's true that since his return to stay on earth with me, my brother Dumas offered to help out frequently, but I always insisted that I was fine. I wanted to stand on my own.
"I have something to do so I'm going first, don't be late guys." I winked to them and ran out of the dormitory...
...to Kailan's place.
Now that I remember, our first encounter was like a dream.
In my 3rd year at college, I volunteered my help for an orphanage located in the Southern sea. It was a sunny day; the sun was shining brightly and the sky blue. As I was airing the clothes, my little pupils came running in and asked me out. There I saw a tall good-looking man in his twenties, wearing a white T-shirt and trousers. He probably was one of the back-packers on his summer holiday. He asked me for a cup of water; then, we began our small talk. I was taken by surprised as he knew the picture, a mysterious painting of a crescent moon hung on the wall was mine. Then I did something I couldn't forget: I actually touched his arm on seeing some weird kinds of writing on it - "Just a birthmark." according to him, but they all seemed familiar to me somehow.
When I read those words aloud, a strange feeling swayed my heart. Suddenly as if having realized my action, I promptly retreated my hand, blushing and apologizing to him. He just smiled saying it was ok. His smile, a smile I couldn't forget ever since.
My wish was granted soon afterwards: He went to our university as a transferred student and was a class above me. One sunny day, we crossed paths again.
To be continued... ***