9,016 years after the world's creation
It was still dark on a floating city. The sun would be rising soon, but for now, not a soul was awake-except a lone figure standing at the edge.
Axel Nightblazer, 15 years old, stood alone. He was dressed in a long, flowing dark blue coat with silver edges, a shirt and pants underneath-both even darker blue, and black boots which all had high-class curly patterns decorating them. The air he possessed around himself let all know that he was a powerful man. And yet, at this moment he felt like the most powerless being on earth.
There was no one to speak to, no one he could ask for consolation about the problems on his mind. The black buildings behind him were tall, cold and foreboding, and the dew-covered grass beneath his feet was freezing. And so, he only could think to himself about what had happened last night.
A single light flashed on behind him. A civilian who had turned on the light looked out the door, and the feeling one got when looking at Axel was so frightening they had to duck away. Axel heard the door slam behind him, but didn't react. Shortly afterward, behind the boy, a moth drifted towards the light of the person who looked out the door, drawn towards its radiance. It brushed against the luminous lamp-and the discharge of energy that resulted sent it falling to the ground, dead.
Axel watched it for several seconds, wondering why fate had a way of doing that to people-drawing them along, then tearing them to pieces. Reminds me of that song...He lifted his hands up to a pair of silver headphones on his ears which his adoptive parents had had fashioned for him, and pressed buttons on them, playing a song which humankind would never know until many years later, when a band from Japan displayed it to the public.
*chapter:ask (vistlip)*
Keikoutou ni ga gajareteiru…
Kandenshi ni kare ochi teiku.
Boku wa sorewo damari komi mitsu meteiru,
Nande mata mune ga itai nokana?
A moth draws near the fluorescent light…
And gets electrocuted.
As I silently watch,
Why does my heart ache again?
Music playing, Axel turned back to the edge of the city and held a sword up in front of him, and it dissolved into black mist, which swirled around him. When it peeled off, his coat had acquired several more ornate, curly patterns. Black feathers extended from his back in two great wings. A single wingbeat propelled him off the island and into the clouds below. And only one thought echoed through his mind as he tumbled around until he finally stabilized on the winds. Pterra…
Isshun dake fubuki ga are ru asayake noseidesu.
Kono heya aoku soma reba.
Uttou shii sonzai hitotsu….Shou kori mo nai ne?
Jikan genshu de araware te kita.
It snows violently for a moment.
The morning glow dyes my room blue.
Only one depressing existence…I still haven't learned my lesson, have I?
She arrived perfectly on time.
Axel flew through a cloud, and he was so high up that when he flew out, his black wings were covered in sparkling ice crystals. The glow of the sun which had not yet risen dyed these crystals a shade of soft blue as he dispelled them from his feathers with several powerful wingbeats. All by himself, he felt extremely depressed, with no one to comfort him. And then he thought once again about the events that led up to last night…and how she had stopped by his room, he treated her poorly-the worst way to treat someone the last time they enter your room.
Sakki kara doa no sukima kara mite iru;
Kami no nagai shoujo wa shiroi wanpisu ga niau.
Batabata Wa shiri mawari mimizawari;
Gokigen naname na, boku wa kami wo tsukan de yokusou ni toza su.
A girl with long hair has been watching the doorway for a while;
Her white dress suits her.
She runs around wildly; it hurts my ears;
In a foul mood, I grab her by the hair and lock her in the bathroom.
Yesterday afternoon, he had received an order from the Government of Laputa, the great City in the Sky which he lived on. It was to lead a secret search-and-destroy mission on a government project from Laruina, the warlike City of Earth. Laputa found out about this project, which was to make a "stealth ship" which could secretly fly above the ozone layer and pass through Laputan sensors without triggering them. So Axel had to eliminate this great threat to Laputa.
But while he was sleeping before the mission began, there was suddenly lots of noise of someone running around. Cracking an eye open, he noticed a girl in a white dress with long, messy golden blonde hair. She was running around frantically, trying to sort out the things he'd need while glancing at the clock and the doorway all the time. "Oh my, Axel, can't you be organized for once? This is your first time leading a mission, I thought you'd be a bit more prepared…"
"Pterra," Axel muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with annoyance. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be fussing about your own stuff right now?"
"Axel, don't you want to do well on this mission?" Pterra protested. She worried way too much about stuff. "Can't you prepare a bit bet-augh! What are you doing?"
"Just stop," Axel grumbled, pushing her out of his room and closing the door. He heard several loud screams of rage and shock from Pterra, who was pounding the door. "I'm not worried…" Axel quietly declared to no one in particular. "Not one bit…" At that time, he wouldn't have admitted that he was outright stepping on Pterra's feelings.
Konna tsukuri wanashi ga….nanno tameni aru noka?
Kitto imi sura rikai dekizu ni tantan to utau kimi ga iru.
Konna tsukuri wanashi wo shinu made tsuki touse ba,
Kitto uso mo uso dewa naku natte. Yuurei ni ae ru kiga shiteta…
This fake story…why does it exist?
You sing in a detached tone without even understanding the reason.
If this fake story keeps running until my death,
Even lies will stop being lies, and I'll be able to see ghosts. That's what I thought…
And then, the mission. That was where everything went wrong. Axel, Pterra, and their team were dropped off above the laboratory. The entrance was surrounded with several boulders, and the hatchway was open. "So this is the place?" Axel asked, looking around. Ignoring Pterra telling the team to watch out and scan for defenses, Axel recklessly walked into the laboratory without noticing any of the hidden sensors. The alarm sounded, and guards were upon them in seconds. "Oh crap!" Axel shouted. "Look out, guys!" He didn't seem at that time to think about who caused this.
The special team had to fight hard to survive, unleashing their powers of Wind again and again. However, the guards fought back with the power of earth. And so the powers of Earth and Wind clashed in a wild frenzy which Pterra and Axel were caught in the middle of, panicked and desperate. The team caused a sandstorm to spiral up while deflecting some dust, however, and in the confusion Axel found himself coughing and stumbling, until suddenly there was darkness. "Is anyone here?" he asked.
Silence. And then he heard a faint, fearful whisper: "Axel? Is that you?" he heard. Pterra was there. But they were alone, with a ship to take down.
Isshun dake enjou shite iku yuuyake nosei desu;
Kono heya akaku soma reba.
Everything bursts into flames for a second;
The sunset dyes my room red.
Still caught in the memories, Axel didn't realize the sun was setting until the bright crimson light caught his feathers, dazzling him until he had to look away. Now his thoughts changed again for some seconds to the first time he met the girl whose death he had caused.Sakki kara tenjou ni mie kakure shiteiru;
Kami no nagai shoujo no kuroi kage ga mitsu karanai.
Anmari kanashi souni shite iru kara;
Gokigen naname na boku wa "shikatanai ... " to hana wo soe mashita.
A girl with long hair has been appearing and disappearing for a while;
I can't find her black shadow.
She looks incredibly sad;
In a foul mood, I mutter "It can't be helped…" as icing on the cake.
Three years before, he always went out to play with his friends in the streets of the floating city. And he noted the little girl with the golden blonde hair hovering in the background, gazing at them with shy admiration. "Hey!" Axel shouted, running over. "You want to play with us?" But when Axel neared, she would look startled and disappear to the point where Axel couldn't even catch a glimpse of her shadow.
Events like this followed, time after time. Curiosity turned to annoyance as time passed, and eventually when Axel saw her again, he just muttered "It can't be helped," and ignored her. Once again, he didn't consider that he might have crushed a heart.
Konna tsukuri wanashi ga…nanno tameni aru noka?
Kitto ima demo rikai dekizu ni tantan to utau kimi ga iru.
Konna tsukuri wanashi wo shinu made tsuki touse ba,
Kitto uso mo uso dewa naku natte…Nee?
This fake story…why does it exist?
You sing in a detached tone without even understanding the reason.
If this fake story keeps running until my death,
Even lies will stop being lies, and I'll be able to see ghosts…Right?
Everything could have gone right if Axel hadn't went to turn on the lights and see where they were, rather than go back and help the special team. When he turned them on, they suddenly found saw the "stealth ship" right in front of them! "There it is! Let's get it!" Axel shouted. Immediately, again without thinking about the risks, Axel threw a grenade at the ship.
"No, Axel!" Pterra tried to stop him, but it was too late-the grenade bounced against an invisible barrier, which triggered another trap, causing laser blasts rang out. The grenade bounced back, and Axel and Pterra had to jump away to avoid the explosion. "Axel, the computer terminal over there should be able to deactivate the shield!" Pterra called, pointing. "But don't you remember we were briefed about there being a shield protecting the 'stealth ship?'"
"Frick, I forgot," Axel muttered, running over to the computer terminal. "Alright, now for the access code Laputa hacked from their systems…" He typed in the code-and then the screen turned red. ACCESS DENIED. "WHAT?" Axel shouted in dismay. "The code didn't work!"
"The code didn't-" But then, lasers rang out, and Axel whirled to see them fly at the two. As fast as he could, he jumped down towards Pterra and grabbed her, pulling them both out of the way of the attack. But then more lasers forced the two apart, and before Axel knew it, one of them skewered the much-slower Pterra right in the chest!
Two screams echoed through the room. Pterra's cry of pain, and Axel's shout of horror. Pterra fell, blood dripping from the numerous burned wounds in her body. Enraged, Axel raised his already dissolving sword, and shadows spun around him. Black feathers flew around the room, destroying the lasers and smashing a hole in the ceiling for him to fly out of with Pterra's body. "A-Axel…I-I don't think I can make it…" Pterra groaned. "But please…c-can you t-t-take care of my Chikorita for me? I-I don't have any relatives who can do it…"
"I will," Axel replied solemnly. Pterra smiled…and then her body slowly turned green and transparent, then dissolved into green dust which floated away in the wind. The last of the dust drifted away in Axel's hands…and was replaced by his own tears. He wasn't able to apologize for their-no, his failure, and her death. It felt like he should have said more, but he didn't.
Konna ni mo anata wa kirei de,
Konna ni mo anata wa soumei de,
Konna ni mo anata wa anata de,
Konna ni mo anata wo aishi teru,
Konna ni mo anata wa toumei de,
Konna ni mo anata wa utsuro de,
Konna ni mo konna ni mo anata wa ... Anata wa ... Aa ...
You are so beautiful,
You are so wise,
You are so yourself,
You are so loved by me,
You are so clear,
You are so empty,
You are so…you…aa…
Heart heavy with sorrow, Axel turned to head back to the island he took off from-and the scattering light in the night made him suddenly see Pterra in front of him! Joyously, he reached out towards it without thinking clearly about reality, only about how beautiful she looked, how wise she seemed, how she was true to herself and never imitated anyone. Just seeing these made him delighted, and he flew faster.
But something was wrong, he realized at last. Now Pterra started to look clear and transparent. All the happiness in her smiling face suddenly disappeared, and Axel started to feel that something was wrong. Then he flew straight through her, and was bathed in a cold, wispy cloud. Finally coming to his senses, he realized he had hallucinated. Clenching his fists in fury at himself, he continued back to the island.
Goran garasu mitaina karada…Shuurihi wa darega kure nnosa?
Tae kirezu ukareta hana ni sae chanto aite ga irunoni na.
Hai mamireno kisetsu ga kuroku ai koumure no machi wo some teku.
Daikirai da daikirai, Boku wa ... Boku wa ...
A body transparent like glass…who will pay the repair costs?
Even flowers that can't help but bloom have partners.
The ash-covered season dyes the city of lost love black.
I hate it, I hate it, I…I…
Axel descended upon the "city" he had flown from: the Laputian Super Weapon, Machu Mach. As the day had progressed, black had turned to brown from the rising of the sun. Thankfully, there was no one around at the time. His wings' feathers began to melt into shadows, and then those dispelled altogether, as well as some of the fancy designs on his coat. He walked back to his apartment and collapsed into his bed, exhausted-not from using his Bankai merely for the purpose of flying around freely, but emotionally exhausted. He clearly couldn't get over that day yet.
As he gazed out the window, the sun finally set-and shadow descended upon Machu Mach, and upon him again. He had certainly loved Pterra, and they once worked together very well. And now his partner and lover was gone forever. This despair…will I ever get over it?
Now the moon was rising. The Laputian Military had decided he didn't have enough experience at leading a mission, and was going to send him to an academy in the Orre Region-a practical paradise, especially because it was neutral territory. But Axel had a feeling-and he felt this way, too-that it wasn't experience that contributed to his failure, it was his reckless and lazy personality which made him blind to the defenses which would lead to…
"A-Axel?" Axel shifted to look down at the floor, and saw a little Chikorita looking up at him with a frightened expression. "I-I had another nightmare…" Without a word, Axel reached out and picked up the Chikorita and placed her in his bed, then pulled the covers over. This Chikorita-her name was Fleur-was Pterra's originally. The last thing she had wished for was for Axel to take care of her, for her parents had died in battle, leaving her an orphan. And that's the least I can do...
The present world, July 2012 A.D.
"Axel! Oi, Axel! Wake up!"
"Urgh…wha…? More sleep, thank you…" Axel muttered, rolling over.
"We have a big day ahead of us! Onegai! (Please!) All the others are awake! Wake up, Axel!"
"Argh, Pterra, can't you stop worrying for once…?" Axel grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Seriously, it's annoying when you-no, anyone-worries too much. Just cut it out and let me sleep…" He was about to roll over and go back to sleep, and not have to see her golden hair and round, gold eyes giving him an annoyed/worried look…
SMACK
"OW!" Axel shouted, and sprang up, rubbing his cheek. Quickly, he noticed the cold air first, which shouldn't have been there. Then he looked at Pterra, ready to see her gold eyes with that look again…except they were green. Green eyes? Oh wait…was I dreaming?
Quickly, everything whipped away around him. The dark blue blanket he slept on faded away to light blue, and the corners rounded out to form a circular room. A compass rose decorated the floor, as well as several symbols which depicted various legends heard in different parts of the universe. The wardrobe melted away, and was replaced by six other beds identical to his own. His soft blue lamp and the nightstand it sat upon disappeared into the wall, but more star-shaped ones were positioned around the room. He was not in his room on Laputa; he was in the living quarters of Starship Mario.
And then he had to look at Pterra again. Her long, blonde hair shrank down to short and acquired a brown hue. The white dress she wore melted away into an emerald green T-shirt and matching miniskirt. Brown sandals covered her feet, and green bracelets gleamed from her wrists. Axel blinked, just to make sure: This was not Pterra, Lieutenant from the Laputian Military…this was Terra, the Shining Star of Earth. How did he mistake the two? You should really let go of that memory, he thought to himself.
Terra shrank a little. "A-Axel? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Ah…sorry," Axel sighed, standing up and stretching. "I think maybe it was the bracelets. They're…quite beautiful."
"Eh? Daijoubu desuka? (Are you alright?)" Terra gave him a long look of disbelief. "You've had a long time to look at them, and you notice now?"
"I don't know, maybe I've been out of it for a while," Axel muttered, grabbing Shiruba-Getsu and putting it on his back, strapping it on. But I really have been today… he thought to himself. Have I been shouldering this for too long? "Sorry about that." He went to stand on the compass rose, and blue light began to rise around him. "But enough about it. Let's do our best today, Terra."
"Ah! (Yeah!)" Terra agreed, walking over to stand next to him. The bodies of the two slowly became blue light, and then they faded away to reappear on the deck.