Full Moon
Chapter One: Flowers and Fears
Even though I didn't need to, I checked to make sure I had everything I needed one last time before I sat down in my numbered seat, breathing a sigh of relief as I realized that no one was sitting next to me, since everyone else had already boarded the plane. My newest read, my iPod, and some gum smiled at me from inside my bag as I sank into the seat, relaxing and feeling thankful that it was at least somewhat comfortable, since I knew I had a very long flight ahead of me.
I had just said goodbye to my family, rushing to get through the gate and onto the airplane before it took off, my mother's horrible sense of time making me late once again (not that the time change had helped any). And though I had only seen my family moments ago, it felt like an eternity, as if I had been gone from them forever...as if I would somehow never see them again.
Though, of course, I knew that was ridiculous. I was only going to Japan for a semester, having finally gotten into my school's foreign exchange program, and before I knew it, I would be home again, in my family's arms, fighting for air as they hugged me to death. And though the separation was intimidating and even scary, and I was happy to go, knowing that I would have fun, that it was a great opportunity.
I had always wanted to travel to Japan, ever since I could remember. There was just something about the place that drew me to it like a moth to a flame, sucking me in like a tractor beam. Whenever I closed my eyes, I could feel the land calling to me, as if it were part of me, even though I knew it wasn't.
I was a home-grown, southern-raised American girl, though I hardly spoke or acted like it. I'd grown up in a small Southern city with enough people to be interesting, with enough activities to keep me sane. I'd had the same friends all through my life, had done the same things, and though nothing had ever been boring, it certainly hadn't been interesting.
I was feeling up for a change; I wanted something new to confront me.
"Please fasten your seat belts, we are about to depart," the chime of the intercom echoed above me as I did as I was told and fastened my seatbelt, securing it tightly. Though I was excited about this trip, I'd never really liked planes; I was actually afraid of heights. I took one last glance out the window to my right, seeing the surrounding airport and planes and a small glimpse of the town, before I pulled the shutter-like sleeve down over the window, blocking the view from my sight.
As the sounds of the airplane starting to rev up filled my senses, I grabbed my bag from beside me, rummaging in it to find some sleeping pills, already knowing I would need it. I pulled the sleeping pills and a bottle of water out of the bag and drank one of the pills down, nearly coughing as it passed my throat; I wasn't really one for medicine, either, preferring natural, homeopathic remedies, but when on a flight I let my urk for drugs slide.
Once the drunk-swallowing was done I put the water and pills away, glad to be rid of them, and pulled out my newest read - "A Wrinkle In Time", by Madeline L'Engle. I hadn't started reading it yet, but the cover was shiny and glossy with nice artwork, a gift from my older brother Sam, who was always pushing me towards my writing dream, knowing that the more you read, the better you became at telling a story.
The plane made whooshing sounds as I felt the G-force hit me, pushing me back in my seat. I closed my eyes as sickness invaded my sense, absolutely hating the feeling, and tried to relax. The relaxing came hard at first, but as I concentrated on slowing my heart-rate and feeling weightless, my body slowly responded and obeyed me.
How's that for mind over matter? I thought, smiling slightly.
Once the plane was in the sky, pressure leveled off and flight running smoothly, I finally opened my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. My insides clenched and unclenched for a moment, still feeling nauseated, and I quickly reached for my water bottle to take another drink.
I didn't think I'd ever get used to flying. Good thing there wouldn't be any of that in Japan - well, not until my exchange term was over, and I had to come back to the US.
I sighed as I tried to relax again, opening up my book. I felt immediately engrossed in the story.
I found myself in a field full of flowers, so many I could hardly see, all different, bright colors. They seemed to swirl as I took them in, petals gazing up towards the sun shining high above - too high, where I couldn't even see it. And in the middle of the field stood a small little girl, humming to herself playfully, dressed in a kimono with most of her hair hanging down, though a portion of it was pulled to the side. She turned when I stepped forward a step, the flowers bending underneath my feet, and stared.
I was about to tell the girl that I wasn't there to hurt her (like I could actually hurt anyone), thinking that she must be startled, but after a moment of staring, the girl's face broke out into a smile, as if she recognized me.
"You're Irazumi-san," she said cheerfully, still smiling as she ran over to me, offering me a freshly-picked, brilliantly golden flower.
I felt confusion consume me as I took the brilliantly bright flower in my grasp, thanking her for it. What the little girl had just said didn't make any sense in my mind. I knew Japanese pretty well, and I knew what "Irazumi" meant, but her calling me that seemed odd. The word didn't suit me, and it certainly wasn't my name.
"I'm not Irazumi," I said in a soft tone, looking from the smiling girl to the flower she'd handed me, feeling like I was holding pure gold. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else," I looked back at the girl and smiled apologetically.
I had never met her, so she couldn't know me.
The girl's smile slipped for a second before she blinked, and then smiled again, laughing. "Oh," she said. "You don't know yet. That's okay," her smile was knowing, but not condemning, and I felt myself become puzzled again. "Your name is Luna-san, though, isn't it?" she asked, her accent catching on my name, making it sound more like "Runa". When I nodded, she grabbed my hand, pulling me into the field of flowers. "I've seen you when I was asleep, but you couldn't tell. And I don't think it's happened yet," she stopped for a moment when we reached the middle of the field and turned to me, smile brighter than before. "I'm Rin," she finally said, and despite my confusion, I smiled again.
"Thanks," I told her, though I wasn't quite sure why I was thanking her. Then I looked around. "Where are we, anyway, Rin-chan?" all of the bright colors invaded my senses, and suddenly a thought struck me. "Are we in a dream?"
I had to be dreaming, asleep on the plane, the medicine I'd taken kicking in. Why else would I be in a field of flowers that were this bright; why else would I be seeing a young girl wearing a kimono, who knew my name without even asking?
Rin's smile slipped a little when she nodded, bangs waving. "I think so," she said, plucking another flower from the field. "We're probably in a dream."
I sighed then, the notion calming me. For some reason, when she had said my name, had called me "Irazumi", I had felt nervous, a creeping dread filling my veins, as if something bad would come from it (not Rin, but the name). But now that I knew I was in a dream, I felt relaxed, sure my mind was just playing games.
It had to have been the book I was reading that had effected my dreams. It was a strange story - strange, just like this dream.
Once I felt relaxed, I joined Rin in picking flowers, momentarily wondering what (or who) it was she was gathering them for, though of course I knew it didn't really matter, since she was only a figment of my imagination. I picked a particularly red flower, adding it along with the gold one to my hand, and was about to give both flowers to Rin when suddenly a voice rang out through the space, deep, reverberating, calm.
"Rin," it said, calling the little girl's name, and she looked up, as if she could see where it was coming from. But me, I stayed rooted where I was, something about the voice leaving me breathless, immobile. It was both entrancing and terrifying, and when I heard it something inside of me began to move, as if resonating with the sound.
I knew in that instant that I had never heard the voice before and, though something about it was pulling me towards it, I never wanted to hear it again.
But Rin, for one, smiled at the sound of the voice - a smile even wider than the one she'd given me. She started to walk off, forgetting her flowers, before she turned back to look at me, her brown eyes meeting my gaze. "I have to leave, Luna-san. I'm sorry," she said, and then bowed quickly, her face lighting up as she straightened and waved to me. "See you again!" and then she turn on her heel and ran, vanishing into a streak of light.
I'd like to say that I followed her, but I didn't. The voice still had me rattled, this whole dream very strange, and I found myself feeling sick, the feeling so real I was almost afraid I was awake. My gaze fell to the two flowers in my hand and I noticed almost immediately that the red one had died, the golden one shining too bright.
And as soon as I saw that, the ground broke from underneath me, the soil swallowing me whole along with the flowers. I felt a scream tear at my throat as I traveled down, down, down, like Alice in the rabbit hole, hearing another, even more terrifying voice as red eyes shone out through the darkness, the cackling voice calling my name.
I woke in the airplane to find myself sweating, breathing heavily, my shirt feeling soaked and my muscles feeling tense. My heart raced in my chest as everything from the dream circled in my head - the little girl, Rin; the two flowers, golden and red; the terrifying, ugly voice, and the voice that was, though also terrifying, somehow strikingly captivating. My hands gripped the armrests of my seat, and when I looked up, I saw the flight attendant standing over me, alarm in her eyes.
"Are you alright, miss?" she asked me, worry coating her face like too much makeup. I saw she was leaning into the plane's middle isle, ready to grab medical supplies if need be, and that several of the other passengers near me had their heads turned, also looking on in worry.
And I immediately felt bad, not wanting to worry anyone. I knew I was shaken from the dream, every detail of it still feeling real, but that was all that was wrong - and it had only been a dream.
I smiled at the flight attendant as best I could, nodding as I brushed my auburn-colored bangs from my face. "I'm fine," I said, my voice cracking. "But never again am I going to take sleeping pills before a flight."
As I wandered through the airport, searching for the family I was supposed to meet, who would take care of and house me for the term I was in Japan, my mind was continuously assaulted by images and sounds from my dream, though none of them spoke louder than the distant, thrumming voice I'd heard.
"Rin."
I could still hear the voice when I closed my eyes, could still feel the echo of it thrumming through my bones, and I still felt the odd sensation that I'd felt when I first heard it - the odd sensation of fear but oneness, almost familiarity. And again, I knew I didn't want to hear it. I tried to push the sound of it aside as I lugged my suitcase behind me, but the voice stayed ringing in my ears until I found the family I was looking for...along with the smiling face of little Rin.
"You're name's Luna-san, isn't it?"
I knew it had only been a dream, but still it bothered me, worming its way into my mind and eating at my thoughts. It had all seemed so real though the colors had been too bright, everything too defined. My legs still felt shaky underneath me as I remembered falling down into the hole in the ground, the soil gobbling me up, the red eyes that belonged to the second, chilling voice piercing through me.
A shiver traveled up my spine, cold and heartless, as my eyes finally met the family I'd been trying to find, who were waiting for me off to the side of one of the luggage pickups, my name written on a sign in strangely impressive English. It was then, seeing the smiling faces of my might-as-well-be foster family, that I hurriedly shoved my dream aside,willing myself not to think of it again.
Though some parts of the dream had been pleasant, like Rin's smiling face, the rest of it bothered me more than it should have. It was best I do away with it now, forget about it, so that it wouldn't taint my time in Japan.
My eyes met the eyes of one of my new caretakers - a smiling woman with short hair, who was standing next to a young boy, the boy giving me a big grin, holding the sign with my name on it. The woman nodded at me and beckoned me over with a little wave, and, adjusting my suitcase, I made a beeline for the two of them.
"Webster-san?" the woman said in a cheery voice (maiming my last name), and I nodded, letting her know that she had the right person. Her smile widened, and she bowed, welcoming me. "I'm glad you made it here safe! It's a little past the time you were supposed to arrive, so I was getting worried…" she laughed lightly at that, and I bowed back.
"I'm sorry about that," I apologized, then reached into the pocket of my jeans to drawn out my pocket-watch, flipping it open. She was right; I was late. "I had a little trouble finding my suitcase," I sighed, looking down at the huge, purple luggage beneath me. "They sent it to the wrong station, so I had to walk halfway across the airport," I frowned at the memory, my feet aching.
I had been none too happy to have to trek so far to find my suitcase, especially since the trip had given me plenty of time to think about my dream, which hadn't been at all good for my mind.
"Well, I'm glad that you found it," the woman smiled and cocked her head at me, looking a bit dazed or confused - I couldn't tell which. "Oh, that reminds me. Do you prefer Webster-san or Luna-san?" she said my name with an accent, the L turning into an R.
The little boy beneath her, who had put the sign with my name on it down, frowned up at his mother. "It's Luna-san," he said, pronouncing it right and dragging the L sound out.
"Oh, of course. I'm sorry," his mother laughed again, and I felt calm and comfort settle over me.
These people seemed nice and welcoming. I had a feeling I would enjoying staying with them.
I looked at the mother, smiling. "You're Higurashi-san, then?" I asked, and she nodded. The little boy looked up at me, and before he could say anything about being left out - because I just knew he was going to say something - I acknowledged him. "Then you must be Souta-san, correct?" I asked, and when he laughed, hiding his chuckle behind his hand, I felt myself blush, turning red. "Or is that Souta-kun?" I knew the Japanese language pretty well, but sometimes their customs confused me.
"Either's fine!" the little boy grinned, and somehow I thought he would much rather prefer "san".
"Alright, you're grandfather's waiting at home," Mrs. Higurashi smiled at Souta, who nodded with a grin, and then looked at me. "Do you need any help with your bags, Luna-san?" she asked, and I could tell she was trying very hard to say my name right - and she almost managed it, though not quite. "Would you like Souta-kun or I to take your suitcase?"
I shook my head as I looked down at my monster purple suitcase, adjusting my purse-like bag on my shoulder so it fit more comfortably. "No, thank you," I told her. "I'm alright, I think."
"Well, if you're sure," Mrs. Higurashi took Souta's hand then, and we started out of the airport towards her car, the first leg of what I would come to realize was going to be a very long, very strange trip.
We arrived at Higurashi shrine about an hour after that, my eyes still wide as Mrs. Higurashi parked the car and Souta opened the door to let me out. I'd been wide-eyed since we'd stepped out of the crowded, loud airport, taking in everything that passed by my window, seeing how different this world was from my own. It was just now starting to become autumn here, and it was chillier than it had been back home, so I shivered as I stepped out of the car, my feet hitting the ground.
The air around the shrine seemed pure somehow, untainted by the city nearby, in which I was sure it smelled a bit more like smog. I felt a smile grace my face as I took in the surroundings of the place, seeing a large, wide tree sitting off to the side, standing majestically, and a separate building out back. When my eyes landed on the smaller building, old and shack-like, something in me pulled back from the image, almost afraid.
"That's where our well is," Souta said as he caught my gaze, saw where I was looking. "It's really old, and kind of dusty in there, and the well has been dried up for…" he scrunched his young face, thinking. "…well, for forever, I guess."
My eyes were still glued to the small little building where the well Souta described sat, my insides still squirming, so I didn't notice him take my hand until I felt his fingers wrap around mine, breaking me from my trance. I blinked when I felt his touch and looked down, seeing him grinning brightly, and felt glad that he had broken me from the trance, his smile much more comforting than the sight of the little building.
"Come on, I'll introduce you to ojii-san," he said as he tugged on my hand, pointing towards the main house of the shrine, a simple yet somehow ornate building. "He'll be real excited to meet you. He loves to have people to talk to," he laughed lightly at that, as if it were a joke, and pulled me forward towards the house.
I followed Souta into the safety of the building, but not before I cast one last glance back to where the well was. And, in that moment, I knew that, just like the first voice I'd heard in my dream (the voice I just couldn't seem to get rid of), I never wanted to be near it again.
Dinner at the Higurashi house lasted for what seemed like hours, mostly due to Souta's "ojii-san", who I met just as I entered.
He talked all through the dinner and even afterwards, telling me all about his shrine, his heritage, and anything I would listen to him say. At first I was very interested, asking questions every now and then, but after a while I began to question the validity of what he was saying, since ninety-nine percent of it sounded like it was probably BS. That, and when he offered me a steaming cup of strange-smelling tea, saying it would help me get over my jet-lag, I took a sip and felt the world spin as sickness overcame me.
Souta dragged me away from his grandfather as quickly as he dared, taking me on a tour of the house, showing where my room would be - my home for as long as I was in Japan. I was both surprised and happy to find that the room looked more Western than Japanese, the bed a real bed, a bookcase stacked against one wall, the bathroom down the hall. I was also surprised to see how big it was, at least the size of my room back home (if not bigger), the walls painted a nice creme color.
The only thing I hated about it was that when I looked out the room's window, I saw the building out back, behind which lurked the well…
Not that I told this to Souta when he asked me what I thought of my new space.
"So, how's your room?" he asked as he followed me around, watching as I took in my new home, my huge purple suitcase already lying on the floor by my bed. "I helped mom pick out the bed set," he said proudly as he motioned towards the bed, atop which was a pink-colored comforter with cheery blossoms on it (sakura, if you wanted to be technical).
I smiled smally at the gesture, trying not to look out the window again, feeling glad that said window had curtains hanging from it, which I could easily close as soon as Souta left. "It's wonderful, Souta-san," I said, and the little boy grinned.
"I knew you'd like it," Souta said as he ran a hand along the comforter, and then grinned again, sitting atop my bed. "Kagome-onee-san is going to be jealous when she sees it. She's been wanting a new one, but you got one instead," his mention of Kagome made me blink, and then I realized who he was talking about.
His sister!
I'd almost forgotten about her. When I'd received information about where I would be staying during my exchange program, they had mentioned Kagome, who I would be going to school with, who would be one of my classmates. I thought back and found it strange that I hadn't seen her, not even at dinner.
"Where is your sister, Souta-san?" I asked as I walked over to the window and drew the curtains, not able to stand the sight of the well's building any longer; I felt like it was watching me. "Is she over at a friend's for the night?"
Souta shook his head, and I frowned, finding this even stranger. "No. She's not at a friend's house. She's - " he stopped himself then, eyes wide as he were about to say something, and then he finished in a small voice: "...she's, uh, in her room. Next door. She gets sick a lot, so she misses most school days, and this time she's stuck in bed."
I felt my heart sink at the mention of this, feeling both sorry for Kagome, and worried at the prospect of going to a foreign school all by myself the next day. I had been counting on having at least someone I knew there with me, so I wouldn't feel like a complete stranger, but if Kagome was sick…
Oh well. I sighed, deciding there was nothing I could do about it. I guess I'll just have to brave things on my own. I wanted an adventure, and here it is.
Things would be different than they were back home, I was sure, but I also knew I could handle it...or, at least I hoped I could handle it, since I'd never really had a problem like this before. My whole life I had lived in the same town, the same house, had had the same friends. I wasn't really sure how good I was at adapting, though I knew I wanted to learn to adapt and be able to take care of myself.
I was getting older, after all. I couldn't have people do things for me forever, and, deep down, I was the type of person who wanted to discover life on my own.
"Oh, you should probably get your school uniform," Souta's voice broke me from my thoughts, and I looked up, finding him standing in front of me, thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the living-room-like area of the house. "It's on the table. Mom brought it in earlier," he yawned then, eyes growing tired and sleepy. "I think I'm off to bed…"
I smiled at him, reaching forward to ruffle his hair as Mrs. Higurashi appeared in the doorway. She beamed at the two of us, and Souta grinned from ear to ear as he looked at me.
"Goodnight, you two," Mrs. Higurashi said, yawning as well as she leaned against the doorframe. Then she gasped, looking at me. "Oh, Luna-san, I almost forgot! Kagome-chan won't be going to school with you. You see, she's actually - "
"Ill," I finished for her as I took my hand away from Souta's head, and the tired boy blinked sleepily before wandering past his mother and out the door. "Yes, Souta-san told me. I'm sorry to hear that," the fear of being the new girl in a whole new country bubbled its way up through my veins when I said this, but I pushed it away and offered Mrs. Higurashi a smile, not wanting her to see my fear.
I knew I had to be brave. It was my goal in all of this.
"Oh...well, then…" Mrs. Higurashi seemed surprised, but then she sighed, as if Souta had relieved her of a burden. "I hope you aren't too disappointed. I was thinking it would be better to have you stay with another family, but Kagome-chan insisted you come here. She's so excited to meet you," she smiled then, clasping her hands, though I could see an edge of worry on her face. "As soon as she gets better, you can meet her. I'm sure you'll be great friends."
I nodded to Mrs. Higurashi as she straightened from the doorway, yawning again. "I would like that," I said as she nodded, and then bid me goodnight, vanishing to get some sleep.
Once she was gone I stood and headed out to the table to get my uniform for the next day, which was sitting there waiting for me, all wrapped up and neat. I wasn't really looking forward to wearing it, knowing that with Japanese uniforms came ridiculously short skirts, something I definitely wasn't used to, and the inability to wear whatever I pleased, which kind of annoyed me.
The uniform's wrapping crinkled as I picked it up and turned back towards my room, carrying it along with me. I felt myself yawn as I turned away from the table, feeling tired from the plane ride, from the airport, from everything. Despite the fact that I'd slept on the plane, it hadn't felt like sleep...not with that strange dream.
"See you again!"
Rin's cheery voice echoed in my head as I passed Kagome's room, wishing I could confide in the sick, sleeping girl on the other side.
Hello again! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Please send me some feedback to fuel the story along and let me know what you think of it! Thoughts are greatly appreciated!
~Ray
