Book 1: Jaedite

Prologue

The Crash

August third, ten years ago:

Mamoru sat in the back seat of his parents' blue station wagon, his forehead against the window glass. Numbly, he watched the blurry texture of the passing concrete while his parents yelled at each other in the front seats. He wondered if they even remembered that he was in the car with them.

They argued all the time now. Ever since they moved to Tokyo.

Before, they lived with Grandpa in a small town in the mountains. He was the only grandparent Mamoru knew. Grandmother died before he was born, and Father was an orphan. But earlier that spring, Grandpa died and everything started to change. Mamoru didn't know what an estate was or why it meant they had to sell everything and move, but he was beginning to think that it meant everything was going to be bad forever.

Father went to the city before them to get a new job. There was a long, confusing time where Mother cried a lot and they had to pick out the stuff they got to keep. In the end it all fit into the car, but Mamoru had to ride in the front seat.

Only two weeks ago, Mamoru and Mother arrived in the city. Mamoru was excited at first. It was so huge and so different from the country. Instead of a house, they got to live in an apartment. It was like a hundred houses all stuck together. They got to ride an elevator to go in and out and the balcony was like a porch way up in the air. Mother didn't like the apartment though. She and Father fought about it half the night when they got there. It was the first time Mamoru heard them yell at each other.

The very next day, Mother started looking for a job. She said, once school started, she would go to work like father. Mamoru wasn't sure what all that meant, except that she and Father would fight about it a lot so it couldn't be a good thing. It seemed to Mamoru that every new thing that happened was bad somehow. It made him afraid to go to school.

Just last night, Father came home and told him that they would go out to dinner for his birthday. When asked what they should eat, Mamoru answered with his favorite food, spaghetti. But Mother seemed worried about it. She kept asking if they could afford it. She was still asking that now, but at the top of her lungs while father yelled back that she should let him make that decision.

Then Mother screamed.

Father screamed.

The car's tires screamed and a loud horn blared.

Mamoru's head hit the glass and everything went black.

Fiore

He woke in a strange place.

He was confused and in pain and there were strange sounds all around. He couldn't sit up. His left arm was numb and he couldn't move it.

He lifted his head and looked around. He couldn't remember anything. Not even his own name. He didn't know where he was, and he didn't know where he was supposed to be. Thinking hurt. Holding his head up was hurting him more so he laid it back down. Alone, but too afraid to call out, he closed his eyes and cried.

A small voice asked, "Why are you crying?"

Timidly, he opened his eyes and looked to see a boy his age with long blonde hair standing in the doorway. He looked sickly pale, and had a lollipop in his hand.

He answered, "I'm scared."

The pale boy asked, "Are you all by yourself?"

He tried not to cry again and answered, "Yes..."

The boy came over and extended the lolli. "I'll be your friend." He said gently. "My name is Fiore."

He took the proffered candy with his good hand and replied, "I don't know my name."

Fiore said, "Okay. I'll call you Momo. Like Momo Taro!" Fiore had a sweet smile to match his lavender eyes.

"Thank you." Momo said with a little smile of his own, not wanting to admit he didn't know who Fiore was talking about. Then he asked, "Where are we?"

Fiore climbed up onto the chair beside the bed. "In the hospital." He answered, kicking his legs. Momo noticed that they were spotted with bruises.

"Are you sick?" Momo asked of Fiore.

Fiore nodded. "All the time. No one knows why. They're always taking my blood. Then they give me a sucker."

"I'm sorry." Momo murmured and tried to hand the candy back. Fiore refused to take it with a shake of his head.

"Hm-mm. You can keep it," He said with a grin, "I have something better."

"What?" Momo asked, all confused.

Fiore took Momo's hand in his own. "I have a friend."

The Rose

Momo was in the hospital for more than a week.

The doctors and nurses who cared for him called him Mamoru. They said that he had broken bones and a concussion. They also told him that he and his parents were in an accident and this is how he got hurt.

Another man came to see him who said he was a counselor, not a doctor. He said Momo's parents died and he asked him if that made him sad. He told the man, "I am sad they died," but he didn't know how to say it was like telling him two strangers had died. He believed that the counselor was telling the truth, but he didn't know the people that the man was talking about.

The only good thing about that time was Fiore. He came to see Momo every day. Momo couldn't get up to play, but Fiore told him the best stories. He made up fantastic tales about far away worlds filled with talking animals and dancing daisies.

By the ninth day that Momo was in the hospital, he was able to sit up and play games with Fiore. All they had were checkers and chess, but when the games got boring, Fiore made up stories about the chess pieces to make Momo laugh.

"I like your eyes." Fiore told Momo at random.

Momo stopped giggling and became shy. "Why?" he asked.

Fiore smiled his sweet smile and said, "They're blue, like the sky here. I like it."

Momo's cheeks turned pink and he said, "Thank you." Not knowing what else to say, he went with, "Is blue your favorite color? It is mine."

Fiore giggled lightly and said, "It is now."

Later that day, the counselor came back. He told Momo that it would be time to go home soon.

Momo could not hide his horror at the announcement. "Why?" was all he said.

The counselor was flustered. "What do you mean, why? You don't want to stay here forever, do you?"

Momo looked away. "My friend is here," He said.

The counselor laughed. "Well, your friend can come see you in your new home."

Still looking away, Momo started to cry.

"What is the matter, Mamoru?" the counselor asked, sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"My name is MOMO!" he yelled back. Then he flopped down and closed his eyes. "Leave me alone," he sobbed.

The counselor quietly left the room.

Outside the room, a man and a little girl were passing by. The little girl peeked into the room and asked the counselor, "Why is he crying?"

The counselor replied, "Because he is sad."

Her father tugged on her hand and said, "Come now, Usagi..."

The little girl hesitated, then snatched a bright red rose from the bouquet her father was holding. She ran into the room and hopped right up into the chair. "Here!" she said, offering the flower. "Don't be sad, okay!"

Momo opened his eyes and looked at the little girl. He couldn't help but smile. He took the flower and said, "Thank you."

She just giggled and hopped out of the chair, running back to her father. "Okay, Bye-bye!" She called, waving, as her father led her away.

Momo could hear her father telling her, "That was very nice of you, Usagi..."

The counselor quietly closed the door.

Departure

By evening on that same day, Fiore still had not come to see Momo.

Worried, Momo asked the nurse who brought him dinner about Fiore.

"Fiore?" she said, "I don't think I know him," she replied. "But I'm sure he'll come to see you as soon as he can." She followed with a smile.

Momo smiled back, but continued to worry.

As he slowly ate his dinner, the door opened and Fiore came in. He looked very tired.

"Fiore!" Momo cheered, "I'm so glad to see you!"

Fiore smiled at his friend, but it was a sad smile. "I have to go," he said.

Fear struck Momo's heart. "Go? Go where?"

"Home," said Fiore. "I can't get better until I do."

Momo didn't know what to say to that. He wanted his friend to get better, but he didn't want him to go away. He squeezed his eyes shut while his hands made fists in his lap.

I have to go...

Fiore's soft hands touched his. He opened his eyes and looked into those of his treasured friend who said, "Don't be sad," with such a gentle smile. "Look, I have a present for you."

"Another sucker?" Momo guessed.

Fiore giggled, "Yep! How'd you know?" He said as he handed over the glossy red candy.

Momo smiled. He couldn't help it, but his lips and hands trembled. He didn't have anything to give back. His eyes went to the rose from earlier.

Don't be sad...

Momo grabbed the rose from the bedside table and thrust it at Fiore. "Here!" It was all he could manage to get out without sobbing. He didn't know what else to say anyway.

Fiore's sweet smile bloomed ever wider. "What a pretty flower! Thank you, Momo. One day, when I come back, I'll bring you a whole bunch of flowers. I promise."

Goodbye.