Chapter Four: What's to Come
It was raining, just a slight drizzle, nothing too bad. Days like this Mikan always reminisced about her parents. She walked by her grandpa serving food in the food hall, tip-toeing so he wouldn't hear her. He would ask her to help but she was feeling like doing something else.
She made her way to the door and carefully pushed it open. It creaked slightly but the hustle of everyone eating masked her sneaking out. She put up her hood and left the temple.
The cemetery where her parents were buried was only a fifteen minute walk away. She hadn't been in a couple months and she was felt like a visit was in order.
She hardly knew her parents. She wished she did, but they were gone before she was even two, both of them. Her dad passed first before she was even born, then her mom, stricken with grief and despair shortly after. Everything she knew about them came from stories her grandpa told her. How they met. How they loved her. How they laughed. What they did. How they were kind.
Mikan strived to be like them. She wanted to be kind to others, always seeing the best in them, and lending a hand when others needed it. It typically worked out for her, until the afternoon in the courtyard with the black angel. She was still trying to work that event out in her head.
She reached the cemetery and stood briefly, paying her respects to everyone that was fallen and buried there. She walked slowly to where her parents were buried, their grave was slightly weathered.
She crouched down in front of their grave and traced their names with her finger, IZUMI & YUKA, as she had done so many times before.
She reached into her bag and retrieved the flowers she brought to place on their grave. The pink carnations were bright compared to the drizzly rainy backdrop.
"Hi Mom, Dad," she whispered.
She knelt now on the ground, not caring that it was wet and that her clothes would get wet too.
"How are you? It's been quiet lately."
The wind picked and the trees swayed around her.
"I miss you."
The rain pelted against her hood, and she pulled it tighter.
"I've been selfish lately," she said closing her eyes. "I wished for wings again."
To anyone else it wouldn't have seemed like a selfish wish. To fly when everyone else could. To belong. Her grandpa taught her to think of others first though.
Her eyes flew open when she heard the sound of footprints on wet ground.
"Mind if I join you?" her best friend asked.
"You are always welcome," Mikan said.
Hotaru knelt down beside her and placed some purple colored flowers next to Mikan's carnations.
"They're lovely," Mikan smiled. "Thank you."
"I had a feeling you would be here, in the rain. You'll catch a cold, stupid."
"I know. I just wanted to say hi."
"Does your grandpa know you're here?"
"Ah. Not exactly."
Hotaru stood up. "Oh well. Might as well enjoy this beautiful weather."
Hotaru always was a little different, always preferring the opposite of the norm. Mikan was quite familiar her preference for the different.
"I wonder if the market has anything discounted today?" Hotaru went on. "Maybe I can sell your smiles."
This got Mikan to laugh. "Hey now."
"Come on, silly, let's go get something to eat."
They left the cemetery arm in arm and headed toward the market. The flowers they left behind, now weighed down with droplets of rain.
The rain had picked up on the way to the market so the two took shelter on the nearest hill under a large tree. They leaned against the trunk and watched in the distance as the crowd hurried across the marketplace, trying to avoid the downpour.
"This stinks!" Mikan exclaimed, "Go away rain!" She shooed it with her arms.
"It hasn't rained in a while," Hotaru simply said.
"Yeah but at this rate Grandpa will know I snuck out."
"Oh yeah. He knows, he sent me to come get you."
"Wait. What?"
Hotaru turned and placed her hand on Mikan's shoulder.
"He treats me like I'm going to shatter at any moment!"
"I mean you are pretty fragile."
"Am not!"
The raven haired girl only stared back as if proving her point.
Mikan threw her hands up in the air. "I am not fragile. I am very tough. I took on those bullies the other day you know. I had it completely under control." That was a lie but she wasn't going to tell her best friend that. "I can handle anyth—ahh!"
Lightning struck and the ground cracked. Startled Mikan, lost her footing. Hotaru, stoic as ever, remained standing and snapped her attention to the source of the crack. She watched as the crack widened. It was dangerously close to a lot of residential homes.
Mikan finally stood and looked in the direction of the crack. "That was crazy!"
She looked at her best friend and watched as her expression went from concentration to one of shock or was it fear? She looked back at the crack herself, then gasped. Tens of shadow creatures were creeping up from the crack and slithering across the ground in every direction.
Mikan stood transfixed. She had never seen the shadows before. That's all they were as far as she could tell. Just shadows. How could something so lifeless and empty have caused so much devastation?
"We need to go," Hotaru said, grabbing her hand. "Now."
She started to run, Mikan tripped over her feet trying to get in sync with her.
Hotaru ran so fast that Mikan had a hard time keeping up with her, she was constantly being pulled.
"Wait Hotaru! Please, it hurts a little." She had been squeezing her hand. "They're so far away. We'll be fine."
Hotaru ignored her protests and kept up the pace. They ran. Others were running and flying away too, frantically. Everyone was trying to get away. They had reached the market and Mikan had never seen it so empty before. Everyone was locking themselves up. The doors were closing, and people were shouting. The first attack in months. Her grandpa would never let her out ever again.
Mikan's breathing was quick and hard now. She suddenly felt like a burden to Hotaru who could have easily flown home or to somewhere safe. Their feet sloshed on the wet ground and they hastened up the path to the temple.
Hotaru threw open the door when they reached it. The two were soaked, Mikan exhausted. Hotaru rested for only a moment before she took off again.
"Mikan, stay here."
"Wha—wait," she stuttered as her friend rushed out the door. Mikan watched as Hotaru materialized her wings. They glistened in the rain, sparkling dimly. They really were beautiful, an off white. Hotaru took flight and vanished from her sight.
"Mikan!"
She turned to be engulfed in her grandpa's arms.
"Heavens child. Where have you been?" He kept one arm around her and shut the door Hotaru just departed from tightly.
"Sorry Grandpa," she looked to the ground, "I visited my parents."
"Come, come. We're going to care for these people until things clear up."
Mikan looked up and finally took in her surroundings. There were people everywhere in the main room. They were huddled in groups, some crying, some nervous, others quietly staring off.
"This attack has startled so many people. We will do our best to make them comfortable."
And so they did. Mikan and her grandfather along with others that worked in the temple helped as much as they could, handing out blankets, warm food, comforting words. It was nearly midnight by the time she got a break. This had been the typical response to a shadow attack. The temple would open its doors and help those that needed it.
She wandered the temple absentmindedly, it had so many hallways, so many turns, and so many secret rooms. Her hand grazed the wall next to her as she wandered.
She rounded a corner when she came upon her friend Misaki, who also worked in the temple.
"Oh Misaki."
"Shh. Shh!" She hushed her, waving her over.
Misaki was crouched in front of a door, her ear pressed against it. Mikan quietly walked over to her and stuck her ear to the door too. A lot of people were talking at once.
"—People were attacked."
"Not sure."
"Why now?"
"It was so close to the residential area!"
"Hush! Keep your voice down."
"What do we do?"
"There were so many, I've never seen that many before."
More panicking, now. It was hard to pick out voices.
"What do they even want?"
"How many were taken?" Mikan gasped. Misaki hushed her. This voice belonged to her grandpa.
"That we know of? Eleven."
The voices quieted. Mikan and Misaki's eyes widened. Eleven taken? In all the attacks ever never had eleven been taken. Always one at a time if any. The two girls looked at each other.
"Yo Misaki!"
The girls jumped at the new voice. There was now movement from the other side of the door, and the two ran towards the new voice, and rounded the corner.
"Tsubasa!" Misaki hit the boy across his head and covered his mouth. "You idiot!"
They heard the door open and furthered themselves from the area, snaking their way through the temple. They sat in an empty stairwell.
Tsubasa, now free spoke up. "What the hell was that for?"
"We were trying to listen!" Misaki answered.
Tsubasa also worked in the temple. The two were older than Mikan by a couple years but they still hung out with her at times and kept her company. They treated her as their equal and not like a fragile piece of glass.
"You mean you were eavesdropping?"
Misaki shrugged. "Same thing."
"Anything good?" he asked her. "Yo Squirt," he directed towards Mikan.
"Eleven people." Misaki looked crestfallen.
They sat in silence letting the day's events sink in. Months without an attack and now finally a large and devastating one. This was going to change things. It was the start of something. No one knew what, but it was definitely the start to something big.
