The Mistress Of The Forest

My name is Ichiru Yagatami, I'm a junior from High Ends Academy. I like video games, anime and manga that's all there is about me. I don't have much friends to tell about because most of them don't matter to me. I live with my mother and her husband or my step-father and my two little step-sisters Hikari and Saki who keep irritating me. My mother Sakura Yagatami Nekona was widowed by my father before I was born and married Azumu Nekona, a wealthy business man who likes to call me his "Ichi" meaning first.

That Thursday was just like any other, that scent of fresh bread came from downstairs, the soft noise of the wind rustling the dead leaves of the fall, Hikari and Saki eating breakfast and feeding the cat and mother yelling at me to come downstairs for breakfast. As I walk in my room I notice from my window a blonde girl wearing a white dress running through my Mothers garden of flowers, easily picking out three Tsubaki flowers and running back into the woods, I never liked those flowers but I do remember picking three of them every day for some girl when I was very young… and she somewhat reminded me of her but in another way she didn't …

After my uneasy breakfast and Azumu yelling at me to try and make friends I head out to school on my bicycle, I remembered every detail on my way to school, the frog croaks by the lake, the cotton fields, old Mr. Chong the Chinese immigrant who says he one slayed a dragon with an ancient sword, but that ride was about to change my life… right when I got to the crossroads I noticed the mysterious girl from the morning… instead of taking a right I left my bike and ran after her without looking back ,only later did I realize it'll be the last time I would have seen my family and hometown…

Part 2

When the mysterious girl had stopped I saw the three flowers in her hand.

"Why did you take the flowers from my mother's garden" I asked

"They are beautiful flowers… the Tsubaki flowers are scentless, blooming when no one sees and die out when no one cares… I am like these flowers but they hold a meaning to me… and old friend of mine used to pick them for me when I was young… but he died a long time ago" she replied and kept walking to the forest

"Wait" I shouted "What's your name?"

"My name is irrelevant, but a couple of years ago I went by the name Yuki Myoboku"

"Nice to meet you Yuki-Chan my name is Ichiru Yagatami" I said with a ridiculous smile on my face

"I know your name Ichi-kun"

Suddenly I had a flash back of me and a girl who looked like Yuki but different…happier… and more exited rather than self-controlled…

"How do you know my name? Or my nickname…?"

"I just know it, now since you have walked so deep in the woods with me then you have to follow me to the way out or die here" she said with a serious look on her face.

"I think I'll follow you…" I said nervously

We walked through a stone path for what felt like hours… at around noon there was a giant explosion sound coming from the south and a strong wind was blowing but then it stopped… after that sound Yuki said we have to hurry and we kept walking. After and eventually I had the courage to speak up.

"Yuki-Chan"

"Just call me Yuki"

"Ok… Yuki, where are we going and why?"

She replied with a "you'll see soon enough"

And we kept walking for a couple of more hours until we reached the edge of the forest. It was night and I could barely see a thing… but the things I could see were bodies of people I knew everywhere, destroyed houses and fires burning houses and the school… all the people from the school, all the teachers, students…

"Yuki, what the hell is all this?!" I screamed with tears rolling down on my face

"It's the Americans… they did this… we need to go to Nagasaki… We'll be safe there"

"Where will I go now?! Why Nagasaki?"

"It's safe there"

"Fine, but you owe me explanations about this… and why Nagasaki… it's most likely that Hiroshima is destroyed… what makes Nagasaki so special…?"

She didn't reply she just waked away

That was the last time I saw my home town…

Part 3

It was a cold night over the beautiful japan forest… Yuki built a little fire to keep us warm, we also took some supplies from the nearby towns who were also destroyed by the American bomb, I had so many questions for her, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. At around midnight we began to talk about more serious matters at hand…

"Hey…Yuki… how was your family before they all…you know" I said

"I don't have a family when I was you my parents moved to the U.S but I ran away and the Mistress of the Forest raised me and taught me all I know now" She replied

"Wait…what?! Nobody lives here Yuki… you must be referring to someone else"

"Its and expression dummy… it means the forest was my home for many years. Where did you grow up and where is your family? "

"My family is dead, the house you saw me visit was my home the one you picked the flowers from"

"Oh that house... I did like its exterior and the Tsubaki flowers have a special meaning to me…"

"I've been meaning to ask you who is your old friend that you mentioned?"

"I have forgotten his name… but every morning he used to pick me three Tsubaki flowers and give them to me…" She said with a tear rolling down on her left cheek

I went to sit next to her and wiped the tear of her cheek and offered her to go for a walk. She immediately cheered up and said

"I know a perfect place to go to!"

We continued to talk and laugh in the middle of the forest while holding hands and walking through the forest with her leading me deeper into the forest to a point where I could not see our camp anymore…

Her beautiful golden hair shined in the moon light and when she stopped aggressively pulling my hand we were standing on a river bank… the moon was huge and bright… the silent flowing water made a very nice sound when softly crashing against the rocks laid in the middle…after a couple of minutes of silence we looked at each other when both of us blushing we slightly leaned forward and kissed…her lips were soft and her breath smelled like soft mint. We kissed for about 10 minutes until we heard some strange sound most likely made by wolves. We ran back to the camp and fell asleep on the cotton beds that we made by harvesting some cotton that survived the bomb stuffing it in some torn sleeping bags and one blanket…the last thing I remember was the night sky and Yuki cuddled up to my left and a warm small fire to my right…then I fell asleep…

Part 4

Sunday Morning 10:34 AM

The small radio we found in an abounded car reported over 90 thousand dead in Hiroshima by the deadly atomic bomb… on these three days we forged up a great plan… we would go to Nagasaki and try to flee to one of the neighboring countries to avoid the more attacks by the Americans.

"Uggh…Yuki do you even know where we are?"

"Yes, just up ahead there's a train station that should take us to Nagasaki"

"Really?!" I yelled with joy

"Yes, but in 32 miles"

My joy immediately died and along with it a sudden burst of laughter from Yuki

"Are you kidding me?! 32 Miles?"

Still laughing she said "No not really it'll take us around four more hours to get there"

"Oh ok at least not 32 miles…"

We kept on walking but eventually we got to Nagasaki. It was a big city with huge buildings and a lot of people. Once we finally found our way to the docks with help from fifteen different people we got on a ship. Unfortunately we stayed at the ship for another hour or so because a man lost his luggage. The boat was not that crowded because at the time nobody wanted to go to china to escape japan…

The next morning before breakfast a loud alarm rings. Everyone on the ship wakes up and starts to panic. People jump overboard others grasping their children except me and Yuki… we didn't know what it meant… this old man shouted at us to brace ourselves…

"For what?" I shouted

"Gods save us they're returning" He said with tears on his face

At that moment I heard it loud and clear the sound of planes coming near I looked at them and say that they dropped something round that had little lights on it…and when it touched the ground… my ears went numb… a giant mushroom like tunnel of fire and bodies filled the sky and more of it coming towards the ship

"YUKIIIIII" I shouted while grabbing her and crying

Instead of grabbing me back she shoved me off the deck and into the water the last thing I saw was her beautiful face crying and making out the words

I love you

When I was trying to get back to the surface I saw the three flowers drowning in the sea I decided to do the same…

That's when I believed that she was the mistress of the forest…

After that everything turned black…

The End