Fates Redeeming Ways

II

Invisibles Uncovered

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~I hear my friends desperate cries

The rain is unyielding

I see the fire spread up to you

Then I hear your screaming~

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*Yukari*





I didn't know what was wrong with Hitomi today. I guess that whatever that creepy fortune teller told her upset her. I wonder what Hitomi's fortune was . . .

I was aimlessly staring out the window, watching the rain fall as mist when I saw Hitomi walk by. Throwing on an overcoat, I ran after her. It was after supper time, so what was she doing out? It was her mothers birthday today.

She knew I was behind her when I was, so she just barely acknowledged my presence as we walked. I knew she had to be going back to that hut. It just made perfect sense.

As we reached the area where it should've been, I saw Hitomi's eyes flare with anger.

"What the hell? Where did she go?"

The urge to ask her was growing. I wanted to know what was so horrible about her fortune. What had made her so upset.

"Hitomi . . ."

"What?" Her voice was expressionless and dull.

"What did she tell you? Was it really that bad?" As soon as the phrase escaped my mouth, she broke into a dead run.

"It's none of your business!" she screamed while running away. I remained standing in the same spot for about ten more minutes, wondering what was wrong with her and why she was so upset. I thought I was her best friend and that she could tell me anything. I thought that's what a best friend was for.

I spent that night in complete wonder. As I stepped inside my heated house, dampness set into my soaked form. My dress and overcoat clung to me like a second skin because of the drenching rains that had followed after Hitomi's departure. I stood in the doorway and rung out my dark maroon hair. Going to my room, I immediately stripped of my cold wet clothes and into the warmest nightgown and housecoat I could find.

The night hours seemed to drag on so at about midnight I went to make myself a warm drink. I was still severely chilled from earlier and I needed something to warm me up from the inside. I took it to our main livingroom and sat on a chair just by the window. The thing I loved about this particular room was that you could see the large majority of the town from the window. It was the highest room in the house with the best view. As I sipped away at my drink and stared out into the heavy dropping sheets of rain, I thought I saw something standing just outside the great city walls. The rain was blurring my view so I couldn't make out if what I was seeing was real or not. It looked like an outline of a guymelef. I figured it was only some of the city's men training for a fight that might breakout in such a situation.

I watched what I thought were our city's guymelefs for a good hour before realizing that they hadn't moved. Now there appeared to be more of them. If I had to estimate, I'd say about ten to twelve were standing in a V pattern with the point facing the main two walls of the city. Now I was beginning to get scared. I went to get my father right away.

"Father! Father wake up!" I shook his shoulder lightly, as to not wake my mother who slept peacefully beside him.

"Dear, what's wrong?"

"You have to come and see something outside the great walls. Something isn't right."

He followed me back upstairs and I pointed out the outline of the invisible-looking statues that stood in their same formation as before. My father squinted to see what I was pointing at. I guess he had gotten a clear view before he stumbled back in what looked like fear.

"Yukari, get to your room, pack as many things as you can and hurry up! Meet your mother and I at the entrance of the house as fast as you can!" He began running back downstairs, but he neglected to tell me what was wrong.

"Father, wait! What do you see that I don't?"

"Those hazy outlines- they're Zaibach giants! There's no reason for them to be here at this hour but to attack! Get out of here and hurry!"

I turned my attention back out the window and saw the wall begin to crumble. I had never seen something so large and powerful come crashing down so easily. Now I was scared.

I could feel the earth shaking under the feet of the invisible giants. Why were they attacking us in the first place? We hadn't done anything to the Zaibach empire, or given them any cause whatsoever so attack us!

I could already hear the screams of the townspeople, and smoke was beginning to rise up from houses that had been set on fire. That was about the time when my parents joined me outside in the dying rain. It was making way for a hot, dry atmosphere. Perfect conditions for nurturing a fire.

One feeling that will never leave me was when one of the invisible giants flew overtop of us, sending waves of hot air rushing by and messing up my hair. A hand extended from inside the invisible barrier and began shooting at random homes, setting their roofs and anything lingering possessions ablaze.

I saw Hitomi's roof catch fire down the street. Then I heard a scream that sounded all too much like Hitomi's.

~*~