hi guys! Sorry about the long wait for the chapter! I got strangely busy... but ANYWAYS
Heres the next chapter!
Enjoy!
The icy river water ran through the forest gracefully. All was silent for what seemed like an eternity. The dark waters were then shattered as a young girl rose up from its surface. Her skin was extremely pale, practically translucent, and her hair snowy white. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which were a dull crimson color, and tried to focus on her surroundings.
Where was she..?
"...A forest..?" She wondered, her eyes focusing on the few signs of life around her.
An old cat, lazing about at the edge of the trees, a few fireflies floating around, their lights floating and flickering. It was hard to take it all in, and she could barely recall anything about herself or what she was doing before she was in the water.
Slowly, she made her way through the freezing water then attempted to make it to the trees.
She stumbled out to the trees weakly, barely able to stand on her own.
"Stumbling around won't get me anywhere if I don't know where I'm going." she thought as she brushed her bangs from her eyes.
Her legs protested from use and only worked stiffly as she continued forward. If she kept her body moving, maybe she could jog her memory as well.
It didn't take long for her to extract a single truth from her mind.
"My name is...Yuzuki." she thought.
Her name was the only thing that came easily. Everything else about her, she had no idea. There was nothing in her tattered clothes that gave her even an inkling of anything.
"Forgetting everything...it's not as scary as I thought it would be..."
And it was that thought that took her by surprise, making her loose her footing and fall to the ground.
She thought it would be scary?
When? Where? Why?
Yuzuki searched her mind for the answers, only to come up short. She remembered nothing that contributed to who she actually was.
Yuzuki slowly stood up, her legs protesting once more and her knees beginning to sting.
Blackness started to rim the edges of her vision. Even she knew this wasn't safe. She couldn't afford to pass out in the middle of a forest. It was a miracle she even managed to make it out of the river on her own.
For what seemed like forever, she stumbled straight through, using the trees to keep her balance. Finally, she could see something between the final lines of trees. Unfortunately, her body and reached its limit and she finally collapsed, the darkness starting to overtake her vision.
The last thing she heard before she fully passed out were soft steps toward her. And then, everything went dark.
Cold water rushing into her mouth, she reached up to the surface, desperate.
She could feel the iciness digging deep into her flesh.
Reach again, but instead of her hand, a paw.
Muffled sounds above her.
Why couldn't she go up?
Scream, but instead of her voice, a howl.
She reached again, only for a paw to touch cold glass.
Where that paw was, a hand was on the other side.
Attached to that hand, was a young girl, looking down at her from the water.
Her mouth moving but no words could be heard.
And once again, darkness overtook everything.
Yuzukis eyes opened slowly, feeling warmth lick her face. It took a moment for her to realize that she was staring straight up at a ceiling, and not the sky. She sat up slowly and pressed a cool hand over her eye, trying to get her bearings.
"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
Her eyes slowly traveled upwards to see a young woman holding a tray. She had kind eyes and her features suggested she smiled often, if not all the time.
Remembering the woman had asked her a question; she spoke softly, almost forgetting she had a voice.
"I'm fine…" Yuzuki murmured softly, her eyes quickly looking down at the floor.
The woman set the tray down on the coffee table close by then knelt down beside her.
"You don't look familiar… and you look too old to be from the elementary school…" She spoke worriedly. "Are you here visiting family? Do you know their number? I have a phone you can use."
The way the woman talked was a bit startling but Yuzuki figured it was a habit of hers.
"I don't remember anything… I know my name, and how old I am…but nothing other than that." Yuzuki said softly, figuring it was best for her to say everything straight out right away than to pretend otherwise.
Her eyes trailed to her own hands, taking note of how pale they looked.
The woman looked concerned for a moment before the expression was replaced with a much softer one.
"I see… then for now, why don't you stay here for the time being? When you feel up to it we could ask the villagers and around the elementary school if they know you. Or even better, you might remember something." She suggested with a kind smile.
"My daughter dorms at her high school so it'll only be us for a few more weeks."
Yuzukis eyes stayed focused on her hands as she spoke, then slowly she looked directly at the woman's face.
"How are you so accepting of this…? What if I'm lying?" she looked directly at her, curious.
The woman paused, a bit surprised but then once again, replaced her expression with a smile.
"Well, by you asking that with such a confused look on your face, I can tell that you're a good girl."
Yuzuki measured her expression warily, causing the woman to giggle.
"My name is Hana. Let's get along okay?" Hana smiled kindly at her.
After a few moments, the younger girl nodded.
"I'm Yuzuki… fifteen years old…" she introduced herself quietly, figuring she may as well tell Hana her age.
Hana's eyes showed an expression of longing for a moment before reverting back to her normal – at least, Yuzuki thought it seemed normal – cheerfulness.
"Ah… so you're a year younger than my daughter." Hana said with a smile as she turned to the tray she had set down and carefully took a mug of steaming tea.
"Here, drink this. It'll warm you up."
Yuzuki took the mug carefully and sipped the tea, admiring its minty flavor as she took bigger drinks.
"Hana-san… how did you find me? I was in the forest when I passed out… and there's no way you could have carried me, even if you were the one who found me." She asked curiously, finishing off her tea after a few quick drinks.
Hana smiled softly before answering. "I didn't. You were literally at my doorstep when I found you."
Yuzuki frowned, "So you won't tell me how I got to your house."
"I have an idea of how you got here, but I think it would be better for you to find out on your own." Hana explained, taking the empty mug and gently setting it on the tray. "Nothing good comes from assuming anything."
Yuzuki only stared. Hana's answers certainly were peculiar, and it was obvious she was keeping something from her. But then again, that shouldn't come as a surprise, especially since Yuzuki was only a guest who had appeared out of nowhere apparently.
Seeing Yuzukis expression, Hana laughed softly before getting up, taking the tray with her.
"Don't be so concerned with me Yuzuki, maybe you'll find the answers yourself eventually when we go into town." She said gently "When you're up to it of course."
Yuzuki nodded slightly before looking outside, the clouds blocking the sun from rising, yet it painted the sky with deep reds and rich purples, creating a truly unique sky. However, it wasn't the sky that had her attention, it was a figure that was by the road that did.
She stared, unable to make out it out from her perspective before it quickly turned and leaped into bushes, past the forest line. Although she wasn't entirely sure what it was, she had a feeling she had just somewhat seen her rescuer, and it had stuck around to see if she was okay.
"What could it have been?" she wondered, staring at the place where it had disappeared.
Her only answer was the rain that had begun to gently fall in the dim light of the colored clouds.
Comments, reviews, and ideas are welcome!
Well... hopefully I can keep the characters in character...
We'll see how things go...
Hope to see you next chapter!
~Tokala Wolf
