The Byakko Chapter

Eulene

Chapter 1 – The Seeds of Destiny are Sown

There was a blinding flash of light that had swept across the room. Her entire body was lurched forward and she felt as though she was tumbling forever. The whirl of motion came to an abrupt halt as she felt herself thrown into a soft landing. She opened her eyes, but had yet to overcome the momentary blindness induced from the intensity of the light earlier. The air was still and stifling while the background was eerily silent.

The blankness before her cleared into spots of light and slowly faded away as she regained her vision.

What the heck?

There was absolutely nothing before her but what seemed like an endless stretch of sand. The skies were a clear brilliant blue and the sun was at its peak.

There could not be a logical explanation to this. She had to be dreaming.

So, she slapped herself. It stung. The grains of sand that were stuck to her palm, felt rough against her face. That aside, the blistering heat itself was all too real.

She was still dressed in her uniform. A navy blue sailor-style uniform that was typical of Japanese schoolgirls in those days. The long sleeves and full skirt length were just nice for the season back in Japan, but all too inappropriate for the climate in whatever dreamscape she was.

When it seemed like nothing would change as she sat there, she eventually picked herself up, rolled up her sleeves and walked on, hoping to find some sort of a clue or explanation. The sun was scorching and she felt an intense spread of heat under her skin. Beads of perspiration had begun forming even though she had only just begun her long hike through the desert.

An hour passed. There seemed to be no change in the landscape. It was still a wide stretch of sand. There were no landmarks, no humans, no signs of life within sight at all. The sun continued to beat upon her as she gritted her teeth, tried to distract herself from her building thirst and walked on.

The sky was now a vermillion orange. The wind had begun to pick up as the sands shifted. The setting sun threw shadows across the landscape and as the wind blew, the shadows moved. A chill went down her spine. She had been walking on for hours in this intense heat and had not come across any signs of life nor water sources. How long more could she hold out?

And in that moment of doubt, something in the distance caught her eye. Was this what they called a mirage? It was really odd but it seemed like a garden in the distance. Completely disregarding the stories she had read of lost travellers fooled by mirages and illusions, she was driven by only by desperation. Her newfound energy fuelled her sprint towards the garden.

It was easily depleted by the time she made it to the garden. It was an odd image to behold, considering that it was a desert she was in. There was a large tree which stood in the middle of the grassy patch and it was surrounded by shrubs. The branches of the tree had a wide reach and cast long shadows. Had she looked closer, she would have seen words carved into the bark of the tree. Had it been daylight, she would have noticed the charred marks at the base of the tree trunk. But night had fallen and she was beyond the point of exhaustion. She stumbled forward and fell into the corner between the tree and the shrubs. The coolness that followed the setting sun did little for the burning heat that was spreading within her. She curled up like a kitten as her consciousness slid away.

Was that a man's voice? Her eyes fluttered open as she heard a murmur in the background. She strained her eyes in the darkness but failed to properly identify the source of the voice. Despite the fever and the dull ache in her limbs, she tried to inch around the massive trunk of the tree for a better look, stumbling over a stray branch in the process.

The moonlight illuminated the face of the man who stood some metres before her. Were those tears glistening in his eyes? His features were contorted into an expression of disbelief as he held a hand out towards her.

"R-ran?" His voice cracked as he called out gently.

She backed away instinctively. The haze in her mind cleared momentarily as adrenaline pulsed through her veins. She thought quickly – perhaps she could crawl through the shrubs and escape. There was no way else around.

"Ran is that you?" There was an edge of desperation in his voice.

She panicked and crouched down as she attempted to crawl through the bushes.

Then a large hand closed in on her leg.

A piercing scream and a burst of silver light sliced through the stillness of the night.

She twisted desperately in a vain attempt to escape his grasp. The stranger's grip was tight. He pulled her out of the bushes and in one swift sudden motion, enveloped her into a tight hug. She resisted and pushed vehemently against him, screaming as loudly as she could.

"Ran!" That was the name that he had called out again.

She broke free of his grasp and laid on the ground, gasping for breath.

Out of the protective shadows of the tree and the shrubs, she was now under the silvery moonlight. It was his first proper glimpse of her.

She had waist-long blonde hair which was arranged in two braids. He could not see her face. Her head was lowered as she tried to recover her breath. Her frame was petite and it was just that silhouette of a small little girl that had misled him into thinking she was Ran.

Well, evidently she was not.

The girl before him was young. He guessed that she should be around sixteen years of age. Perhaps if Ran was given a chance at life, she might have made it to sixteen someday. "I'm sorry… It was dark… I mistook you for someone else…"

She made no response.

He tried again, "I'm really sorry… Are you alright?"

Her uniform was slightly ripped from her attempt to crawl through the thorny rose bushes. An assortment of minor cuts and blisters decorated her exposed arms.

She raised her head weakly and looked at him in a dazed manner.

"Where is this?"

His voice took on a cautious tone this time round. "We are in the outskirts of Sairou."

Her head tilted slightly, "Sairou?"

"Where are you from?"

"Is… this not Japan?"

They answered the other's question with more questions. For awhile, no one said anything.

"Are you a sorceress? A… witch?"

"What?" Her voice was feeble but the tone of astonishment was obvious.

He said nothing and gazed steadily at her. The earlier hints of disbelief and desperation that had tinged his features were gone and he was entirely unreadable. She tried to hold his gaze but found herself lacking the strength to do so. The surge of adrenaline was receding and her energy ebbed away with it. The darkness swept over her once more as she slumped into a heap upon the ground.

He was a tall man and easily closed in the distance between them with long strides. Untying the cloak that was draped across his shoulders, he gently wrapped it around her before scooping her up.

She drifted in and out of consciousness. Between the bouts of awareness, she caught glimpses of the room she was in. It was a simple room, barely furnished. She was tucked under a comforting thick blanket. The man she had met in the garden would come into the room occasionally to feed her a sweet juice, medicine and to change the damp cloth that lay across her forehead. In those brief moments, she thought she saw a mark on his hand. Was it a Mandarin character? Although the fever was fading, it was slowly being replaced by a chill that seeped through the bones. Thereon, she mostly slept.

Meanwhile, he sat on the veranda and put a leaf to his lips which were drawn into a tight line. The sweetest melody escaped and filled the still night.

"What's this, Shu? I leave you for a month and the next thing I know, you're bringing girls back in the middle of the night? An unconscious one too! You're a changed man, bro!" Another man appeared on the veranda and chuckled as he remarked. The newcomer had a crooked roguish smile. His silver hair fell messily across his face. He had flashy golden hoops strung through his ears and they flashed under the illumination of the moon.

"Shut up Ranva." Shu stopped the melody and flicked the leaf towards the Ranva in an irritated gesture. Then breaking into a smile, "and welcome back."

Ranva closed his eyes and raised his head up as he returned the smile, "Yea, it's good to be back." Then, gesturing with a slight incline of his head to the room the girl was in, he asked, "So… what's the deal with her?"

The doors behind gently swung open and Shu wordlessly regarded the girl who stood in the doorway.

"I guess… we'll find out now."

A/N: Ranva is the name of seishi Tokaki. Shu is the name I picked for Tatara.