Chapter One
"Masaki, Tenchi?"
I glanced up, shooting a weary glance at my greasy haired, overweight teacher. And even as I looked straight at him, it did not register in my mind that he had just called out my name. I think I was probably still thawing out from the freezing shower I had unwillingly taken while waiting for the bus that morning.
Or maybe the gruesome bruises I had acquired on my way down the stairs where getting to me. Either way, I continued to stare blankly at the wall as I wallowed in my own little world of self pity while he called out my name a second time… then a third. It was the voice of my spouse that brought me back to reality. "Tenchi… sweetie?"
My weary (now tinted with annoyance) glance shifted from my teacher to my purple haired spouse. Purple hair? How the hell did she end up with purple hair? Why can't she just have normal hair like every other person? Why can't I just have a normal life and - "Tenchi? Are you alright?" She cut me off like she always did. Always interrupting everything. How did I end up with her as a wife?
"Er, yeah, I'm fine…" I said off handedly. Watching her golden eyes study my features, I knew she could tell otherwise. She was so freaking nosy. And how did she end up in my class, sitting next to me? You'd almost think I was in some freakish story or something.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She demanded with a poke at my arm. What gave her the right to poke me? It's a free country- that annoying voice in my head was talking to me again. Not it isn't! I live in Japan! I bit my lip in frustration with myself. Not America! She poked me again, awaiting an answer. Yes, of course. I feel down the stairs, hit my head, was nearly blinded, froze to death, and was reminded I had you for a future wife; of course I'm fine.
"Yes, I'm great." I told her. I was not so much as reluctant to say what I was actually thinking; rather I did not want her to start bawling in the middle of class. What else was I supposed to say?
"Well," She said, not really looking as though it actually concerned her and twirling a finger nonchalantly in her hair. "The teacher just called your name five times to go up to the front office and you didn't do so much as blink."
"Front office?" I repeated.
She nodded. "The teacher left to tell them tha-"
"That will be all, Sakuya."
Surprised, we both glanced up towards the doorway. There stood the farmiliar figure of our teacher, but he was accompanied by the secretary…
"Tenchi." She said sweetly smiling - one of those I-Know-Something-You-Don't-Want-To-Know-But-I'm-Going-To-Tell-You-Anyway smiles - "Please come to the front office, we have something we would like to show you."
"Hn." I heard Sakuya say thoughtfully. "I wonder who died." I did not bother turning around to glare at her. I knew she was too dumb to realize what she had just said could have possibly been offending, and she most certainly did not know (or need to know) that her commentary was making my bad day no better.
"Sure." I muttered, pushing myself up out of my seat. Had I know this would be the last time I would see the farmiliar high school classroom, I would have taken I good look around, said goodbye, let Sakuya cry her eyes out on my shoulder, then leave reluctantly, forever stained by the people I had to leave behind. But I did not know… so I did not bother.
As I padded over to the doorway where the strange woman stood, I studied her features, wondering why I had never seen the secretary before. But if you've never seen her, how do you know who that is, you idiot? She had skin so pale it almost seemed whited, long arms and bony fingers… one of those people you would expect to have long flowing black hair down to their ankles, sunken features, and be some demonic zombie from hell come to get you from the grave. Though she was not. Her features where not all sunken in and she had the normal gray hair most bony old ladies had. Glancing up at her my eyes met hers and her glance seemed to meet mine for a split second in which I no longer felt alive. I Immeaditly diverted my stare.
I waited for her to speak, expecting to hear something like 'Why hello there, Tenchi. I know whom you are, where you live, and your darkest secret. Did you know you where supposed to rule the under world with me? Well… now you know. And I'm going to have to stab the living crap out of you with this here pen so you can come and join me. Does that make your day any better?' But instead I got a normal response, mentioning nothing of dieng or joining her in hell. "Masaki Tenchi?" She asked.
I nodded. I could hear the murmur of my classmates talking about who knows what behind me and I knew I was not stuck in some weird horror movie. If I was, a weird hush would have fallen over the room and disgustingly composed organ music would be playing. Of course, it was not. And unlike what I had expected, the woman's voice did not sound like that of a blue-white rotting corpse with holes in it, come to avenge the life it did not get to live.
"Come this way." She said simply, turning and walking from the doorway, into the hallway. My teacher moved from beside her where he was blocking the doorway and towards his desk at the back of the room. 'No, Sir, that's fine. You stand right here while I run for my life because I sure don't want to see whatever I'm about to see,' I was tempted to say, but I decided against it. I had better self-control than that.
I heard Sakuya squeal a goodbye at me as I left the doorway and followed the hallway, my feet softly thumping on the hard padding of the floor. Oh well… there's one good side to this. I thought as I followed the strange old woman in the business suit. If she is a demon, come to take me down to hell with her… at least I won't have to see Sakuya anymore. That was when it hit me that if I were going to hell, I would probably have a million Sakuya's down there with me. What a wonderful addition to my wonderful day.
I followed Ms.Demon-come-to-take-me-to-hell down the remaining length of the short hallway and into the main office, which just happened to be right down the hallway from my classroom. Which may or may not have been a lucky thing, because had it been any longer, I would have probably decided I'd had enough of this crap and run off in the opposite direction; I doubt Ms.Demon-come-to-take-me-to-hell had good enough hearing to have noticed it if I did. And of course I did not.
The woman took a seat in a chair on the opposite side of a dark wooden desk and spun a quarter turn so she could look me in the eye. 'Hey, Ms.Demon, it really bothers me when you look me in the eye. It makes me think your old corpse like excuse for a body is trying to suck out my soul and make me your special little doll… for who knows what. Could you stop?' It occurred to me that I had been watching more than way too much television.
"Tenchi Masaki." She began; bringing her hands up to rest her chin in her palms. Her thumbs ran across the sides of her mouth again and again as she spoke. I decided to watch the movement of her thumbs rather than look into her eyes. That way you won't be subjected to her horrible hypnotic powers and she can't make you one of her disgusting minions in the bowels of hell. It took all my self-control to keep from laughing. Even that annoying voice in my head can lift my spirit a little sometimes. "Do you know a female by the name of Ryoko?"
Ryoko… The name rung a bell somewhere deep within the depths of my not-currently working mind, but I could not place exactly where I had heard it from. So I decided to do what seemed most appropriate at the time. "No." I answered, not exactly truthfully. But could I really tell this creepy old woman that I thought I had vague memories of someone I was sure to have never met in my life? "I don't think I do."
"Hn." Ms.Demon-Come-To-Take-Me-To-Hell responded thoughtfully. "You know, Tenchi. That's very strange." She gave a slight, stiff nod and let her hands drop from her face. "Because Ms.Ryoko has been quite hysterical. She came into my office early this morning before school started in a fit of tears. Why did she come to me and not to you? I don't know." The woman finally stopped staring right at me and looked away slightly. "Are you sure you don't know her?"
Sure, tell her you don't know. But you know good and well it's just because you think she's going to be able to hunt you down due to the people you know and- I cut the voice off, not particularly wanting to hear anymore. Whatever Ms.Demon-come-to-take-me-to-hell wanted, it sure did not have to do with ruining my already bad enough life. Or did it? "What do you mean… asking for me?" I demanded of her. "And do you know exactly WHY she was in a fit of tears?"
The woman shrugged. She apparently had not really cared enough for my well being to ask the woman if she was some child molester that ended up at the High School instead of the Elementary school or something along those lines. Of course it all fits together. She didn't ask because she was too busy planning your demise. "She was asking for you specifically by name. I think you should go see her, Tenchi. She seemed a lot like she had her heart set on getting to you. Whoever she is, she was very determined."
"Well then…" I started, asking the only thing I could really think of to ask. "Where is she?"
The woman pointed a pale, bony finger past my head outside the windows of her office. Standing in the hallway where I had been, about an inch from pressing her face against the mesh-covered window, was a strange looking young woman. Once I thought about it though, she was actually beautiful. She had and well shaped faced and even through the turtleneck sweater and darkened jeans she wore, I could tell she had a good figure. Her skin was full and vibrant, unlike Ms.Demon's, her cyan hair tied in a bun atop her head. When her golden eyes (which reminded me of Sakura's) met mine, the only world I could associate with her was… mother?
- End of Chapter One -
Authors Notes: Gaahh! I got purple sparkles
all over my hand while I was writing this!
Look what I've had to do for you so I could
write this during school… gr… oh well. At
least I got it done. I was going to make this
chapter longer, but… e.e; I was too lazy So
enjoy what's here and hopefully I'll have more
of it out later. ^^;