Title: Tortured Soul
Chapter 5: The Drawing
Authors: Elf Toshiba and Sailor Eclipse
E-mail: SailorEclipse@sailormoonfan.com and ElfToshiba@yahoo.com Disclaimerz:
Eclipse: Konnichi'wa, minna-san! Sunday night and wishing that Elf-chan was here! ::yawns:: Oh well. We have Latin together so I'll steal her translation. ::giggles:: Um, well a little preview of this chapter: character development. You find out a lot about Brie-chan and Sasa-chan...then ya did in the previous chapters... ::yawnies:: So, I guess, here's Chapter 5. Ja Ne!
Chapter 5: The Drawing
Brie found herself running. She had to escape from Sasami's room. She had to escape...she had to grab Ryo and interrogate him.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!
IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE?!
WHY?! OH RYO...WHY?!
The tears Brie rarely showed flooded her eyes as she escaped from her bedroom and flew past a mystified Sasami and Mia. She flung open the door and didn't worry about shutting it.
"BRIE!!!" Sasami's familiar voice ran through the cold night air. She knew Sasami would chase her, so she ran faster. And faster. Finally she found Ryo, walking back to Mia's. Her damp, cold feet were nothing compared to the cold aura she felt coming from Ryo.
"Ryo-chan...!" Brie yelled, grabbing Ryo's arm harshly. "What is your problem?!" Ryo could see the tears brimming in her eyes, and unable to stare into them any longer, he looked away.
"Brie, just...just leave..."
"Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean?" she clutched onto his nightshirt, the goo from the previous events still there, sticking to the palms of her hands. "What did I do..?"
"It wasn't you, Brie. Brie, just get away, okay...? Just..." He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away from his nightclothes and released them. He slowly walked away, disappearing into the darkness of night. The tears overwhelmed Brie as she fell to her knees on the wet and dirty street and collapsed into a fit of tears...
"I couldn't find her," Sasami said, shutting the door, as she returned from searching for Brie. She stepped inside and plopped onto her sofa. "Maybe it's for the best. Brie likes to be alone when she's upset...But…I dunno..." Sasami shrugged. "It's too early to call at her house...and I don't want to wake her mom up this early in the morning..." Sasami swiped the candy wrappers off of her sketchpad and found a pencil lying in one of the coke cans.
Mia decided to change the subject, taking a seat on one of the chairs on either side of the sofa. She admired the drawings, sketches, and paintings on the walls. "So, you're an artist..." she said to no one in particular.
"Uh-huh..."
"Your pictures are great...they're...so realistic...."
"I started drawing after my family died."
"Oh."
"Mia, if you want, you can sleep in my room. I'm not tired and I can go to sleep on the sofa if I DO get tired.."
"That's okay..." Mia said. "I should be getting home...the boys rely on me for everything."
Sasami looked up from her sketchpad and smiled. "Well, I'll see you later today. I guess I'll stop by after I get off of work...Today's Saturday so I don't go to work until nine and I get off at one."
"Okay...see ya, Sasami..." Mia slipped on her slippers and headed to the door, softly shutting the door behind her.
'I hope Brie's okay...I don't think I have ever seen her that upset...' Sasami thought. She glanced at the framed picture of her family on the table next to the sofa and sighed wistfully. 'Brie...I...I want to be there for you...I hope you're okay...' All the while she was thinking, she was doodling. Or rather her hand was doodling-her brain didn't seem to be involved at all. Now she looked down and for the first time saw what she'd drawn.
A spiderweb.
But what was strange was what was underneath the web, so close it was almost touching.
A pair of eyes. Wide, round, heavy-lashed eyes. Bambi eyes. The eyes of a child.
As Sasami stared at it, she suddenly felt dizzy, as if she were falling. As if the picture were opening to let her in. It was a horrible sensation-and a familiar one. It happened every time she drew one of those pictures, the kind they called her a witch for behind her back...the kind of secret she kept from even Brie. The kind that came true. She pulled herself back with a jerk. There was a sick, sinking feeling inside of her.
'Oh PLEASE no, 'she thought. 'Not today. It's just doodle; it doesn't mean anything. Please let it be just a doodle.' But she could feel her body bracing, ignoring her mind, going ice-cold in order to meet what was coming.
A child.
She had drawn a child's eyes, so some child was in danger. But what child? Staring at the space under her eyes, Sasami felt a tugging, almost a twitch, in her hand. Her fingers telling her the shape that needed to go there. Little half circle, with smaller curves at the edges. A snub nose. Large circle, filled in solid. A mouth, open in surprise or pain. Big curve to indicate a rounded chin. A series of long wriggles for hair-and the itch, the urge, the need in Sasami's hand ebbed away. She let out her breath. That was all. The child in the picture must be a girl, with all that hair. Wavy hair.
A pretty little girl with wavy hair and a spiderweb on top of her face.
Something was going to happen, involving a child and a spider. But where- and to what child? And when? Today? Next week? Next year? It wasn't enough. It never was. That was the most terrible part of Sasami's terrible gift. Her drawings were always accurate-they always, always came true. She always ended up seeing in real life what she'd drawn on paper.
But not in time.
Right now, what could she do? Run through town with a megaphone telling all kids to beware of spiders? Search for girls with wavy hair? The lines of the picture were getting crooked. Sasami blinked to straighten them.
The one thing she wouldn't do was cry-because Sasami never cried. Never. Not once, not since her family- her brother- had died when Sasami was eight. Since then, Sasami had learned to make her tears go inside.
Somehow, Brie had managed to find herself home. Thankfully, her mom still wasn't up. She dragged herself upstairs to her bedroom and plopped on her bed, staring at the ceiling between teardrops. She wished she could make this feeling go away- the emotion of feeling totally hopeless. She closed her eyes shut tight, hoping that somehow sleep would make everything go away- that everything would be just a dream...
'I wish it were just a regular drawing...' Sasami thought to herself, letting Miyuki, her husky, out of the bedroom. He had been restless in the last couple of minutes, scratching at the door and barking. 'But it seems more often than not that my drawings aren't NORMAL drawings...'
Wistfully, Sasami plopped on the sofa, unable to sleep. Miyuki hopped up on the sofa, looking up at Sasami with his expressive gray eyes. If dogs could talk, Sasami predicted, this dog would comfort her. He smiled his doggish grin and lay his head on his master's legs.
Sasami sighed, letting her head fall back onto the top of the sofa. Restless, she turned on television, watching late-night informotials, trying to get her mind off of the drawing by listening to "valuable information" about the "all-new systematic Picker-Upper Cleaner Broom [(c)2000 Innovative Inventions]. As soon as morning broke, she had to find Brie.
Back at the mansion, Ryo slowly walked in the door, seconds after Mia. At the sound of the door closing softly, Mia turned around to see the look on Ryo's face.
"Ryo, are you okay?" she asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Ryo simply shrugged it off and continued up the stairs to his room. "Stupid question, Mia." He replied softly, fighting with the tears that threaten to break his barrier that he had so carefully step up around his heart.
'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do…?' he kept hearing Brie's self-accusations repeated in his head. 'What did I do..?' It wasn't you...it was just that I couldn't stand it if you died and I couldn't protect you. If I truly loved you and then you were taken away from me. I wouldn't be able to stand it...You will understand someday...how much of a sacrifice I made...for the both of us...
~~Brie's Room
Brie had finally stopped crying. She blearily turned her face towards the clock. 'A little past seven. Mom shouldn't be up yet. I can still get out.' Brie silently crept out of her room, grabbing a change of clothes and her army green satchel.
She walked to the bathroom, stripped and took a shower. Letting the warm water run over her body, she tried to forget about the feelings Ryo had awakened in her.
She kept hearing her voice pleading with him to tell her what was wrong. 'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do..?' "Stop torturing yourself, Brie…" she told herself aloud, "Maybe it's someone else..maybe he was just using you...maybe..." she couldn't take it anymore. Bursting into tears, she collapsed into a heap on the tiled shower floor.
Sobbing softly, she hurriedly turned off the water. Stifling her quiet sobs, she dried off and got dressed. Scribbling her mom a note about where she would be, she ran out the door and into the empty streets of Tokyo.
When she came to the place of her destination, she plopped down and opened her satchel. Pulling out her notebook, she began to write.
*10/1
Dear minna-chan,
Hey, listen. I'm sorry for what ever I did that pushed you guys away. And this is for anyone out there who cares. I really am sorry. If y'all hate me, I understand. I forgive all of you.
For Sasami, I love you, girl! I always will. You're my soul sister. How could I ever stop? You did try to help me all you could, but it was out of your hands for a long time before you could ever help me.
Ryo, this is for you. I will always love you no matter what you do. No matter what you do or become. I love you with all my heart and soul. Aishitaru.
For the gang: I love you guys! Y'all are some of the best people in this world. Don't ever forget that or give up. The world depends on you. Well, that's all. I have to go now… Aishitaru forever.
Love always, Gabriella Stoker
Brie folded up the note and slipped it into her satchel. She looked up into the bright blue sky, wishing that she were miles away, back in Kansas. But a sudden flashback made her take her wish back...
~~Flashback
"You are nothing but a little screwed up slut. I HATE YOU!!" Brie's father screamed in a rage, slamming Brie against the wall.
"NOOOO!!! Daddy!! I didn't do it!" a seven year old Brie sobbed as she grabbed her head trying to stop the blood flow…
~~End Flashback
Grasping at the chain around her neck, she attempted to rip it off. The chain wouldn't break, no matter how hard she tried. She finally figured that she might as well undo the clasp-but she couldn't find it. She spun the chain around but she still couldn't see where the clasp was. "Crap…" she muttered, cursing about the chain. Giving it one final tug, she stood and collapsed on to her hands and knees from lack of sleep. Through half opened eyes, she saw somebody running to help her. Finally, giving way to unconsciousness, she slipped away into the blackness.
~~Yumeko's House
"Yume-chan, is she gonna be okay?" Keyra asked for the thousandth time as Lako softly sponged off the unconscious girl's forehead. Yumeko sighed as she felt her anger getting the better of her. Taking a few deep breaths, she answered her worried friend's questions.
"Key...I have absolutely no clue. I mean, the girl just passed out in the park. The PARK of all places!!" Yumeko tried to get her raging emotions under control. As Yumeko did that, the girl let out a small groan. All six eyes were on her immediately. The girl's eyes fluttered open and looked around. Beginning to panic, she attempted to get off the couch. Lako realized this and started to talk calmly to the girl, reassuring her that they were only here to help her, not hurt her.
"Where am I?! What's going on?!" Brie struggled to remember what had happened after she passed out. Nothing came to mind. She looked at the blue haired girl, and was hit with a shock of energy. 'Is she one of us?' Brie wondered. "Who are you..?" she asked, settling back down. The three girl girls looked at each other before answering.
"I'm Keyra Himawari. Sophomore at Han'a High."
The blue haired girl replied. "I'm Yumeko Shino, also sophomore at Han'a High. You're at my house. We found you in the park...we think you passed out."
The girl with light brown hair said. "And I'm Lako Kino, I'm in the same grade as them." The cotton candy pink haired girl said. "What's your name?"
"I'm Gabriella Stoker, but my friends call me Brie. I also go to Han'a High." Brie's eyes filled with tears as she remembered what had happened to her to last night to make her pass out this morning. She kept hearing her own self-accusations, 'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do..?'
The sobs came in big gulps this time. She didn't bother stopping them, what good did it do? Lako immediately reached down and embraced the sobbing girl. Brie leaned her head down on Lako's shoulder and cried away all of her problems.
Keyra remembered the tutoring date they had set with Kento-san last Friday. A big sweatdrop formed on her head as she heard the doorbell ring. Brie looked up, curiously, at the sound. Lako, Keyra, and Yumeko exchanged a glance as Yumeko walked to the door and opened it. A bouncy Kento greeted her.
"Hey, hey! You girls ready for me?" Kento bowed politely as he walked into the house. Three girls greeted his eyes as he walked into the den. "Brie…?" Brie lifted her head as she heard her name called.
"Kento...?" The tears came with more force now. Burying her head in Lako's shoulder again, she continued to cry. Kento's shocked look prompted Yumeko to begin an explanation.
"You see, Kento-san, we, uh, found Brie passed out this morning at the park. We, uh, brought her back here to take care of her. I, uh, I take it you two know each other?"
"Brie-chan? What the hell is going on? Ryo's acting like a crazy person and now you…?" Kento's speech was cut short as Brie's wails increased. "Is it Ryo?" he asked softly.
Brie nodded her head softly. "Yea, it is. Kento, is-is there someone else?" she asked, with an amazing amount of calmness, while tears streamed down her face. "I need to know.."
"Okay!! I would really like to know what the hell's going on here!" Keyra shouted. This sounded like a soap opera to her and she wanted to figure out the plot and maybe get Brie back with who ever this Ryo guy was. That is, if she still wanted him.
"Ok, do you girls want me to start from the beginning?" Kento asked, taking a seat next to Brie and Lako. Gently playing with Brie's hair, he began to tell them what happened - the abridged version of course.
1 hour later~~
"...and the next thing we knew, Rowen is on the floor, Sage is being a spazz, I'm in shock, and Sai is trying to help Rowen off the floor. Thanks to Sasami-baka, we don't know if Rowen can have kids, if you know what I mean. Then, a little less than an hour later, Ryo comes home looking like someone died and acts all depressed, AGAIN. I mean, I love Ryo like a brother, but he is too depressed too often. And that's all I know." Kento finished his story, much to the dissapointment of the girls. "I have no clue what happened between Brie-chan and Ryo-chan in Sasami-baka's bedroom, but it didn't sound like a fight as far as I know."
Brie looked up, as though in a daze, and said, "No, Kento-chan, it wasn't a fight. He just told me he couldn't love me anymore, and-and..." Brie tried to get her tears under control, "And then he left. I chased after him and tried to get him to tell me what was wrong and he wouldn't and he brushed me off and turned around and walked away. I still don't know what the hell is his problem. One minute, we're perfectly fine and then the next, we're acting like three year olds. I hate it. I just wanna know what made him hate me." Brie's voice tapered off as she finished her story. Suddenly, Kento's watch alarm went off. He shot Brie a 'look'.
"Brie, listen. I'll...uh...
give you a ride home, okay? Your mom must be worried." Brie understood immediately. The alarm was a signal that they were needed at a fight. "Okay, thanks. Yumeko-san, Lako-san, and Keyra-san. Thank you so much for helping me out. I'll see y'all soon!" Brie ran out of the house, grabbing her satchel and following Kento into the car.
As Kento started up the car, he handed Brie the watch and showed her how to use it. Pressing the correct buttons, a picture of Sai suddenly appeared on the watch face. Seeing who it was he was talking to, he shook off the surprise and gave the directions to where the fight was. Not knowing the Dynasty was ready to pounce on their unsuspecting friends, they drove off to find the fight.
Ginshui Park~~
"Armor of Torrent! Supa Wave Smasha!!" Sai yelled out, sending his sure kill out on Lady Tenchi. She dodged it easily, but not her forest green cape. As Brie and Kento pulled up, she spotted them.
Speeding towards them with a banshee wail, she narrowly missed them as Kento swerved the car to the left. "Damn! I missed them." Lady Tenchi shouted, nearly missing a tree. She came to a stop as Brie and Kento hopped out of the Jeep to join in the fight.
"Armor of Hardrock! DOU CHI!!"
"Armor of Earthfire! DOU CHIN!!" The magical, hypnotic scent of cherry blossoms filled the air around Brie and Kento. 'What's my attack? What's my attack?!' Brie asked herself as she saw Lady Tenchi fly towards her. 'Oh man!! I need an attack!!' "I…uh…AAIIIIEEE!!!" she flew to the ground as Lady Tenchi threw a few razor sharp daggers at her head. Rolling out of the way, she jumped back up. Seeing Lady Tenchi still in front of her, she dropped down into a fighting stance.
"Armor of Hardrock! IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!" Kento shouted as Lady Tenchi was in range. He hadn't counted on the fact that Brie would still be there too. "WHAT?! BRIE! LOOK OUT!!" Brie's head jerked up.
"Oh shit...I'm going to die..." she said, aloud. But before she knew it, a flash of blue and black picked her up and ran with her to safety. "Rain Blaze? What…?" Brie managed before she passed out for a second time that day. As the blessed blackness consumed her, the tiger, Rain Blaze, stood guard over her as the fight progressed to the climax.
"Armor of Halo! Thunderbolt Cut!!" Sage screamed as he sliced the air in Lady Tenchi's direction, sending his attack, fast and furious, at her. As she attempted to dodge it, it caught the back edge of her cape, burning, not to mention huge, a long hole in it.
"Armor of Wildfire! Flare Up NOW!!" Ryo shouted his attack, sending it in the direction of Lady Tenchi. "YEA!!"
"Damn you, you Ronin bastards!" Lady Tenchi screamed as she felt the fire cut through her protective clothing it her skin beneath. "I'll be back." She disappeared in a swirl of golden rose petals.
"Brie!" Kento suddenly remembered about her. "Oh, god, if she's dead it'll be my fault…" he came to a stop right next to where Brie was laying by Rain Blaze.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 6:
Elf: Thank you, thank you. I finally finished. *cheers* Well, I guess Eclipse isn't around, soo…here are the thank you's:
Eclipse: For actually trusting me to get this done. *sticks out tongue* I told you I would do it!! NYA NYA NYA NYA NYA!!
Kame-Sama: for giving me the patience to do this! THANKS!!
My crack-head dreams: they gave me inspiration!!
My friends: for being there for me. Thanks a ton!!
For Nini: I just wanna dedicate this chapter to her. For…uh…our fans (do we even have any?) Thanks for the Emails!!
Chapter 5: The Drawing
Authors: Elf Toshiba and Sailor Eclipse
E-mail: SailorEclipse@sailormoonfan.com and ElfToshiba@yahoo.com Disclaimerz:
Eclipse: Konnichi'wa, minna-san! Sunday night and wishing that Elf-chan was here! ::yawns:: Oh well. We have Latin together so I'll steal her translation. ::giggles:: Um, well a little preview of this chapter: character development. You find out a lot about Brie-chan and Sasa-chan...then ya did in the previous chapters... ::yawnies:: So, I guess, here's Chapter 5. Ja Ne!
Chapter 5: The Drawing
Brie found herself running. She had to escape from Sasami's room. She had to escape...she had to grab Ryo and interrogate him.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!
IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE?!
WHY?! OH RYO...WHY?!
The tears Brie rarely showed flooded her eyes as she escaped from her bedroom and flew past a mystified Sasami and Mia. She flung open the door and didn't worry about shutting it.
"BRIE!!!" Sasami's familiar voice ran through the cold night air. She knew Sasami would chase her, so she ran faster. And faster. Finally she found Ryo, walking back to Mia's. Her damp, cold feet were nothing compared to the cold aura she felt coming from Ryo.
"Ryo-chan...!" Brie yelled, grabbing Ryo's arm harshly. "What is your problem?!" Ryo could see the tears brimming in her eyes, and unable to stare into them any longer, he looked away.
"Brie, just...just leave..."
"Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean?" she clutched onto his nightshirt, the goo from the previous events still there, sticking to the palms of her hands. "What did I do..?"
"It wasn't you, Brie. Brie, just get away, okay...? Just..." He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away from his nightclothes and released them. He slowly walked away, disappearing into the darkness of night. The tears overwhelmed Brie as she fell to her knees on the wet and dirty street and collapsed into a fit of tears...
"I couldn't find her," Sasami said, shutting the door, as she returned from searching for Brie. She stepped inside and plopped onto her sofa. "Maybe it's for the best. Brie likes to be alone when she's upset...But…I dunno..." Sasami shrugged. "It's too early to call at her house...and I don't want to wake her mom up this early in the morning..." Sasami swiped the candy wrappers off of her sketchpad and found a pencil lying in one of the coke cans.
Mia decided to change the subject, taking a seat on one of the chairs on either side of the sofa. She admired the drawings, sketches, and paintings on the walls. "So, you're an artist..." she said to no one in particular.
"Uh-huh..."
"Your pictures are great...they're...so realistic...."
"I started drawing after my family died."
"Oh."
"Mia, if you want, you can sleep in my room. I'm not tired and I can go to sleep on the sofa if I DO get tired.."
"That's okay..." Mia said. "I should be getting home...the boys rely on me for everything."
Sasami looked up from her sketchpad and smiled. "Well, I'll see you later today. I guess I'll stop by after I get off of work...Today's Saturday so I don't go to work until nine and I get off at one."
"Okay...see ya, Sasami..." Mia slipped on her slippers and headed to the door, softly shutting the door behind her.
'I hope Brie's okay...I don't think I have ever seen her that upset...' Sasami thought. She glanced at the framed picture of her family on the table next to the sofa and sighed wistfully. 'Brie...I...I want to be there for you...I hope you're okay...' All the while she was thinking, she was doodling. Or rather her hand was doodling-her brain didn't seem to be involved at all. Now she looked down and for the first time saw what she'd drawn.
A spiderweb.
But what was strange was what was underneath the web, so close it was almost touching.
A pair of eyes. Wide, round, heavy-lashed eyes. Bambi eyes. The eyes of a child.
As Sasami stared at it, she suddenly felt dizzy, as if she were falling. As if the picture were opening to let her in. It was a horrible sensation-and a familiar one. It happened every time she drew one of those pictures, the kind they called her a witch for behind her back...the kind of secret she kept from even Brie. The kind that came true. She pulled herself back with a jerk. There was a sick, sinking feeling inside of her.
'Oh PLEASE no, 'she thought. 'Not today. It's just doodle; it doesn't mean anything. Please let it be just a doodle.' But she could feel her body bracing, ignoring her mind, going ice-cold in order to meet what was coming.
A child.
She had drawn a child's eyes, so some child was in danger. But what child? Staring at the space under her eyes, Sasami felt a tugging, almost a twitch, in her hand. Her fingers telling her the shape that needed to go there. Little half circle, with smaller curves at the edges. A snub nose. Large circle, filled in solid. A mouth, open in surprise or pain. Big curve to indicate a rounded chin. A series of long wriggles for hair-and the itch, the urge, the need in Sasami's hand ebbed away. She let out her breath. That was all. The child in the picture must be a girl, with all that hair. Wavy hair.
A pretty little girl with wavy hair and a spiderweb on top of her face.
Something was going to happen, involving a child and a spider. But where- and to what child? And when? Today? Next week? Next year? It wasn't enough. It never was. That was the most terrible part of Sasami's terrible gift. Her drawings were always accurate-they always, always came true. She always ended up seeing in real life what she'd drawn on paper.
But not in time.
Right now, what could she do? Run through town with a megaphone telling all kids to beware of spiders? Search for girls with wavy hair? The lines of the picture were getting crooked. Sasami blinked to straighten them.
The one thing she wouldn't do was cry-because Sasami never cried. Never. Not once, not since her family- her brother- had died when Sasami was eight. Since then, Sasami had learned to make her tears go inside.
Somehow, Brie had managed to find herself home. Thankfully, her mom still wasn't up. She dragged herself upstairs to her bedroom and plopped on her bed, staring at the ceiling between teardrops. She wished she could make this feeling go away- the emotion of feeling totally hopeless. She closed her eyes shut tight, hoping that somehow sleep would make everything go away- that everything would be just a dream...
'I wish it were just a regular drawing...' Sasami thought to herself, letting Miyuki, her husky, out of the bedroom. He had been restless in the last couple of minutes, scratching at the door and barking. 'But it seems more often than not that my drawings aren't NORMAL drawings...'
Wistfully, Sasami plopped on the sofa, unable to sleep. Miyuki hopped up on the sofa, looking up at Sasami with his expressive gray eyes. If dogs could talk, Sasami predicted, this dog would comfort her. He smiled his doggish grin and lay his head on his master's legs.
Sasami sighed, letting her head fall back onto the top of the sofa. Restless, she turned on television, watching late-night informotials, trying to get her mind off of the drawing by listening to "valuable information" about the "all-new systematic Picker-Upper Cleaner Broom [(c)2000 Innovative Inventions]. As soon as morning broke, she had to find Brie.
Back at the mansion, Ryo slowly walked in the door, seconds after Mia. At the sound of the door closing softly, Mia turned around to see the look on Ryo's face.
"Ryo, are you okay?" she asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Ryo simply shrugged it off and continued up the stairs to his room. "Stupid question, Mia." He replied softly, fighting with the tears that threaten to break his barrier that he had so carefully step up around his heart.
'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do…?' he kept hearing Brie's self-accusations repeated in his head. 'What did I do..?' It wasn't you...it was just that I couldn't stand it if you died and I couldn't protect you. If I truly loved you and then you were taken away from me. I wouldn't be able to stand it...You will understand someday...how much of a sacrifice I made...for the both of us...
~~Brie's Room
Brie had finally stopped crying. She blearily turned her face towards the clock. 'A little past seven. Mom shouldn't be up yet. I can still get out.' Brie silently crept out of her room, grabbing a change of clothes and her army green satchel.
She walked to the bathroom, stripped and took a shower. Letting the warm water run over her body, she tried to forget about the feelings Ryo had awakened in her.
She kept hearing her voice pleading with him to tell her what was wrong. 'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do..?' "Stop torturing yourself, Brie…" she told herself aloud, "Maybe it's someone else..maybe he was just using you...maybe..." she couldn't take it anymore. Bursting into tears, she collapsed into a heap on the tiled shower floor.
Sobbing softly, she hurriedly turned off the water. Stifling her quiet sobs, she dried off and got dressed. Scribbling her mom a note about where she would be, she ran out the door and into the empty streets of Tokyo.
When she came to the place of her destination, she plopped down and opened her satchel. Pulling out her notebook, she began to write.
*10/1
Dear minna-chan,
Hey, listen. I'm sorry for what ever I did that pushed you guys away. And this is for anyone out there who cares. I really am sorry. If y'all hate me, I understand. I forgive all of you.
For Sasami, I love you, girl! I always will. You're my soul sister. How could I ever stop? You did try to help me all you could, but it was out of your hands for a long time before you could ever help me.
Ryo, this is for you. I will always love you no matter what you do. No matter what you do or become. I love you with all my heart and soul. Aishitaru.
For the gang: I love you guys! Y'all are some of the best people in this world. Don't ever forget that or give up. The world depends on you. Well, that's all. I have to go now… Aishitaru forever.
Love always, Gabriella Stoker
Brie folded up the note and slipped it into her satchel. She looked up into the bright blue sky, wishing that she were miles away, back in Kansas. But a sudden flashback made her take her wish back...
~~Flashback
"You are nothing but a little screwed up slut. I HATE YOU!!" Brie's father screamed in a rage, slamming Brie against the wall.
"NOOOO!!! Daddy!! I didn't do it!" a seven year old Brie sobbed as she grabbed her head trying to stop the blood flow…
~~End Flashback
Grasping at the chain around her neck, she attempted to rip it off. The chain wouldn't break, no matter how hard she tried. She finally figured that she might as well undo the clasp-but she couldn't find it. She spun the chain around but she still couldn't see where the clasp was. "Crap…" she muttered, cursing about the chain. Giving it one final tug, she stood and collapsed on to her hands and knees from lack of sleep. Through half opened eyes, she saw somebody running to help her. Finally, giving way to unconsciousness, she slipped away into the blackness.
~~Yumeko's House
"Yume-chan, is she gonna be okay?" Keyra asked for the thousandth time as Lako softly sponged off the unconscious girl's forehead. Yumeko sighed as she felt her anger getting the better of her. Taking a few deep breaths, she answered her worried friend's questions.
"Key...I have absolutely no clue. I mean, the girl just passed out in the park. The PARK of all places!!" Yumeko tried to get her raging emotions under control. As Yumeko did that, the girl let out a small groan. All six eyes were on her immediately. The girl's eyes fluttered open and looked around. Beginning to panic, she attempted to get off the couch. Lako realized this and started to talk calmly to the girl, reassuring her that they were only here to help her, not hurt her.
"Where am I?! What's going on?!" Brie struggled to remember what had happened after she passed out. Nothing came to mind. She looked at the blue haired girl, and was hit with a shock of energy. 'Is she one of us?' Brie wondered. "Who are you..?" she asked, settling back down. The three girl girls looked at each other before answering.
"I'm Keyra Himawari. Sophomore at Han'a High."
The blue haired girl replied. "I'm Yumeko Shino, also sophomore at Han'a High. You're at my house. We found you in the park...we think you passed out."
The girl with light brown hair said. "And I'm Lako Kino, I'm in the same grade as them." The cotton candy pink haired girl said. "What's your name?"
"I'm Gabriella Stoker, but my friends call me Brie. I also go to Han'a High." Brie's eyes filled with tears as she remembered what had happened to her to last night to make her pass out this morning. She kept hearing her own self-accusations, 'Is it anything that I did?! What could I have done to make you want to break up with me?! Is there someone else? What do you mean, Ryo? What do you mean? What did I do..?'
The sobs came in big gulps this time. She didn't bother stopping them, what good did it do? Lako immediately reached down and embraced the sobbing girl. Brie leaned her head down on Lako's shoulder and cried away all of her problems.
Keyra remembered the tutoring date they had set with Kento-san last Friday. A big sweatdrop formed on her head as she heard the doorbell ring. Brie looked up, curiously, at the sound. Lako, Keyra, and Yumeko exchanged a glance as Yumeko walked to the door and opened it. A bouncy Kento greeted her.
"Hey, hey! You girls ready for me?" Kento bowed politely as he walked into the house. Three girls greeted his eyes as he walked into the den. "Brie…?" Brie lifted her head as she heard her name called.
"Kento...?" The tears came with more force now. Burying her head in Lako's shoulder again, she continued to cry. Kento's shocked look prompted Yumeko to begin an explanation.
"You see, Kento-san, we, uh, found Brie passed out this morning at the park. We, uh, brought her back here to take care of her. I, uh, I take it you two know each other?"
"Brie-chan? What the hell is going on? Ryo's acting like a crazy person and now you…?" Kento's speech was cut short as Brie's wails increased. "Is it Ryo?" he asked softly.
Brie nodded her head softly. "Yea, it is. Kento, is-is there someone else?" she asked, with an amazing amount of calmness, while tears streamed down her face. "I need to know.."
"Okay!! I would really like to know what the hell's going on here!" Keyra shouted. This sounded like a soap opera to her and she wanted to figure out the plot and maybe get Brie back with who ever this Ryo guy was. That is, if she still wanted him.
"Ok, do you girls want me to start from the beginning?" Kento asked, taking a seat next to Brie and Lako. Gently playing with Brie's hair, he began to tell them what happened - the abridged version of course.
1 hour later~~
"...and the next thing we knew, Rowen is on the floor, Sage is being a spazz, I'm in shock, and Sai is trying to help Rowen off the floor. Thanks to Sasami-baka, we don't know if Rowen can have kids, if you know what I mean. Then, a little less than an hour later, Ryo comes home looking like someone died and acts all depressed, AGAIN. I mean, I love Ryo like a brother, but he is too depressed too often. And that's all I know." Kento finished his story, much to the dissapointment of the girls. "I have no clue what happened between Brie-chan and Ryo-chan in Sasami-baka's bedroom, but it didn't sound like a fight as far as I know."
Brie looked up, as though in a daze, and said, "No, Kento-chan, it wasn't a fight. He just told me he couldn't love me anymore, and-and..." Brie tried to get her tears under control, "And then he left. I chased after him and tried to get him to tell me what was wrong and he wouldn't and he brushed me off and turned around and walked away. I still don't know what the hell is his problem. One minute, we're perfectly fine and then the next, we're acting like three year olds. I hate it. I just wanna know what made him hate me." Brie's voice tapered off as she finished her story. Suddenly, Kento's watch alarm went off. He shot Brie a 'look'.
"Brie, listen. I'll...uh...
give you a ride home, okay? Your mom must be worried." Brie understood immediately. The alarm was a signal that they were needed at a fight. "Okay, thanks. Yumeko-san, Lako-san, and Keyra-san. Thank you so much for helping me out. I'll see y'all soon!" Brie ran out of the house, grabbing her satchel and following Kento into the car.
As Kento started up the car, he handed Brie the watch and showed her how to use it. Pressing the correct buttons, a picture of Sai suddenly appeared on the watch face. Seeing who it was he was talking to, he shook off the surprise and gave the directions to where the fight was. Not knowing the Dynasty was ready to pounce on their unsuspecting friends, they drove off to find the fight.
Ginshui Park~~
"Armor of Torrent! Supa Wave Smasha!!" Sai yelled out, sending his sure kill out on Lady Tenchi. She dodged it easily, but not her forest green cape. As Brie and Kento pulled up, she spotted them.
Speeding towards them with a banshee wail, she narrowly missed them as Kento swerved the car to the left. "Damn! I missed them." Lady Tenchi shouted, nearly missing a tree. She came to a stop as Brie and Kento hopped out of the Jeep to join in the fight.
"Armor of Hardrock! DOU CHI!!"
"Armor of Earthfire! DOU CHIN!!" The magical, hypnotic scent of cherry blossoms filled the air around Brie and Kento. 'What's my attack? What's my attack?!' Brie asked herself as she saw Lady Tenchi fly towards her. 'Oh man!! I need an attack!!' "I…uh…AAIIIIEEE!!!" she flew to the ground as Lady Tenchi threw a few razor sharp daggers at her head. Rolling out of the way, she jumped back up. Seeing Lady Tenchi still in front of her, she dropped down into a fighting stance.
"Armor of Hardrock! IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!" Kento shouted as Lady Tenchi was in range. He hadn't counted on the fact that Brie would still be there too. "WHAT?! BRIE! LOOK OUT!!" Brie's head jerked up.
"Oh shit...I'm going to die..." she said, aloud. But before she knew it, a flash of blue and black picked her up and ran with her to safety. "Rain Blaze? What…?" Brie managed before she passed out for a second time that day. As the blessed blackness consumed her, the tiger, Rain Blaze, stood guard over her as the fight progressed to the climax.
"Armor of Halo! Thunderbolt Cut!!" Sage screamed as he sliced the air in Lady Tenchi's direction, sending his attack, fast and furious, at her. As she attempted to dodge it, it caught the back edge of her cape, burning, not to mention huge, a long hole in it.
"Armor of Wildfire! Flare Up NOW!!" Ryo shouted his attack, sending it in the direction of Lady Tenchi. "YEA!!"
"Damn you, you Ronin bastards!" Lady Tenchi screamed as she felt the fire cut through her protective clothing it her skin beneath. "I'll be back." She disappeared in a swirl of golden rose petals.
"Brie!" Kento suddenly remembered about her. "Oh, god, if she's dead it'll be my fault…" he came to a stop right next to where Brie was laying by Rain Blaze.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 6:
Elf: Thank you, thank you. I finally finished. *cheers* Well, I guess Eclipse isn't around, soo…here are the thank you's:
Eclipse: For actually trusting me to get this done. *sticks out tongue* I told you I would do it!! NYA NYA NYA NYA NYA!!
Kame-Sama: for giving me the patience to do this! THANKS!!
My crack-head dreams: they gave me inspiration!!
My friends: for being there for me. Thanks a ton!!
For Nini: I just wanna dedicate this chapter to her. For…uh…our fans (do we even have any?) Thanks for the Emails!!