Part 4
*****************
It had reached the darkest part of the night, yet the dark-haired woman still refused to give up. She would find what she was looking for, no matter what got in her way. Perhaps with the exception of exhaustion, that is.
Having been out walking for the entire day, the woman located a nearby bench and placed herself there, promising herself that she would stay no longer than five minutes. However, it is amazing what thoughts can run through a person's mind in that short of a time, and especially late at night. She tilted her head upwards, resting it on the head of the bench, and she smiled as the twinkling of the night sky caught her vision. Her smile was sad, though, and her voice mournful as she spoke.
"Hello…" she said, her voice going quiet and emotionless as she spoke. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Since I've spoken to any of you…"
To the passerby, it might have been difficult, at first, to notice how extremely bright the stars had become at the sound of the woman's voice.
"I haven't really spoken to any of you since he passed away, have I?"
Though no reply came, she knew they heard her. They always did. He, her only love, had taught her that… he had been one of them. A star in the night sky…
"How long ago was it since he fell to earth? Since I met him and fell in love?" She spoke a bit louder, now, though almost to herself, rather than her friends in the sky. She shook her head. "Since we married and had a daughter…?"
The woman squinted her eyes as she spoke to herself, trying to hold back the tears that longed to be free. She refused to let them go, reminding herself that she was stronger than that. Tears, she always told herself, were meaningless, as they solved nothing. They only increased one's sadness…
"It's been more than eleven years since he died, that much I know…" The woman went on, her voice quivering, now. Her sadness was apparent, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "It's my fault, too… If I hadn't tried to keep him on earth so long—if we hadn't had a daughter, then… he'd still be alive…"
She turned her gaze back to the sky, smiling ironically. "I wouldn't see him anymore, but at least he'd be with all of you, again. Right where he should have been in the first place. Where he should have stayed." Her eyes twinkled sadly, as did the stars. Her smile faded, but only slightly.
"Do you miss him as much as I do?" she asked the sky. No reply came. She hadn't been expecting one. "I wonder if she misses him… my daughter. I wonder if she even remembers her father… he was always so kind and gentle with her… so loving. So different from me."
The woman's smile faded completely.
"I'm so afraid to lose her… I can't get close to her because I might lose her like I lost him. The sadness might be too much to handle…" the woman's voice trailed off as she tried to hold back her emotions. She never thought her past would come back to haunt her, yet it was. The death of her husband, that had happened nearly ten years ago, was almost happening again, this time with her daughter, in place of the man.
"What can I do, though?" the woman questioned the silent sky, her voice almost too hushed to hear. "I knew that she had her father's blood in her, more than mine, but I hadn't expected it to affect her like this… I'm going to lose her because Fallen Stars can't live on earth. That's why he died—because he was a star, like all of you. And my daughter has his blood, which makes her one of you. She can't stay here unless I find something to help her."
The woman's eyes, no matter how hard she had tried to stop it, had begun to shimmer with tears. She was so afraid to lose her daughter. She was all that she had left, and she couldn't let her go. She stood, resolutely, before her sadness overtook her. Wiping her eyes, she turned her head one last time to the sky.
"Somehow, you have to help me," she murmured. She watched the sky shimmer, once more, before shaking her head sorrowfully and forcing her feet to press on. She knew something had to be out there to help her daughter… She just had to find it. Or, for that matter, find out what it was she was even looking for. Her feet carried her away before she could put anymore thought into it.
As the woman left the stars' gaze underneath the cover of a tree, they sparkled for her, one last time. The woman was always so sad, they knew. They remembered the man she spoke of. They had never blamed the woman for his death, for he had chosen to stay on the earth. He'd abandoned the mission he'd been sent to earth for—to study humans—and fallen in love, gotten married to, and eventually had a child with the dark-haired woman. They understood. They did not blame the woman for their brother's death. So they had to help her. They had to help save the woman's daughter. Their brother had loved her so much, they were sure that he wouldn't want the woman to suffer anymore than she had. They owed him—and the woman—that.
They would save Sora, for the dark-haired woman.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
There was something wrong. It was not in her dreams, Sora knew. Otherwise, she would have woken up. No, it was something else. Like a presence that wasn't there before was now there. It wasn't the type of presence she would expect, either. It was almost familiar, in a way. Like the presence of the stars at night…
This subconscious thought had brought her slowly back to reality. She slowly opened her tired eyes to meet the sleeping face of her blond friend. His brows her knitted in an expression of concern. It was the kind of expression that a puppy might have in its sleep as it chased a rabbit in its dreams. Sora wondered what type of things Yamato might be chasing in his sleep. That's when the light caught Sora's attention.
She was surprised that she hadn't noticed it before. The light beside her bed. It had expertly blended in with the light protruding from her window, so it wouldn't be seen unless directly looked upon. Sora managed to keep herself from letting out a squeak of surprise at the sight of the small ball of light that hovered nearly inches from her bed. She sat up, slightly, to get a better look at the thing.
Gently pushing away the arms of her protector from around her waist, Sora quietly and carefully stepped from her small bed. The ball of light moved as the first sound of feet touching the ground reached it. Sora stood completely still, afraid that she had made a deathly mistake by going any closer.
"What… are you?" she questioned softly after a few moments of silence. She had observed the ball of light carefully and had come to the conclusion that it would be all right it she spoke to it. The ball of light merely hovered for a few moments before, quite suddenly, becoming dimmer. The orange-haired girl watched intently, for it had begun to do something. The ball stretched and twisted, becoming dimmer than brighter again several times before it, stopped. Sora's jaw dropped.
The ball of light had turned into the shape of a man. Or, more precisely, one that she recognized, just barely. The form was wispy and almost hard to see, yet she knew what she saw. It was unmistakable.
The form of her father stood in front of her, smiling. The girl dropped to her knees in disbelief.
"Hello, Sora," the once-ball-of-light whispered, it's eyes lighting up mysteriously. The girl stared on, unable to blink.
"It's… you're… but, how…?" Sora was speechless. She knew her father was dead… could this have been a ghost, standing in front of her? Her skin prickled at the thought. She decided to remain silent. Although, she could feel herself becoming weaker, since she was no longer asleep or in bed. It had been unwise to venture out of bed…
The man who looked like her father smiled deeply. Reaching out a hand, his smile lessened, slightly.
"I've been sent here to take you with me," he said, his voice holding a very airy tone. The orange-haired girl stared at the hand in front of her curiously.
"But…" she said weakly, "You're dead…"
The man's smile lessened. His face became stern.
"You will be dead by the end of this season if you don't come with me," he stated matter-of-factly. Sora's eyes hardened unbelievingly. She knew she was ill, but… death? No, it was impossible.
"Why do you want me? Really?" she asked, her voice becoming cold. She was taken by surprise as the man knelt down, and placed a hand on her face. The girl was taken aback by how cold the hand was, almost as if ice were being pressed against her face. Yet, it was comforting, and she could not bring herself to move…
"I can help make you better, Sora," the man whispered, his eyes becoming soft. "You know you're not well… If you come with me, you will be well again. Your loved ones will stop worrying about you all the time. You'll all be happier."
Sora would have liked to respond, just then, but it suddenly felt as if all her will power were being sucked from her. The feel of the man's hand against her face no longer felt cold, but almost comfortingly warm… before she knew what she was doing, she was nodding to the man, agreeing. Every inch of her mind told her that this man, her father, was right. He always had been.
The man smiled at her.
"Good, then…" he said, and took his hand from her face, instead taking her hand in his. Oddly, they were now icy cold. "Come with me. The others are waiting for me to return."
The orange-haired girl nodded, once more. She stood, and deep glow surrounded her, as did the man. She watched the figure beside her form itself into a ball once more before it disappeared through the bedroom door. Breathlessly, she followed it, wishing that she could exit the same way as it had. Unfortunately, she was forced to open and close the door on her way out.
"Where are we going…?" Sora asked abruptly, after having followed the man quite a distance from her apartment. The man turned to her, giving off a bright smile. The orange-haired girl could have melted on the spot, remembering smiles just like that one. Her foggy mind began recalling deeper memories, and she was left in a daze. The man who walked in front of her, feeling a sudden pity in his lower gut stopped and walked back to the dazed girl. He hadn't expected everything to work so well on her. Taking the girl's hand in his own, larger one, he urged her further on. She obeyed, quietly, with a childish grin at the man. Pity nearly overwhelmed him.
She really thinks I'm him…the man thought, glancing sideways at the girl next to him, who seemed far more childish than she should have. At any moment, he expected her to start skipping, or singing songs that only children sang. This isn't going to be good…Maybe the power I used on her was too strong…
The man continued to stare sideways at her, unable to contain a sheepish grin as the girl noticed his eyes on her. She smiled sweetly, turned away, and began humming to herself. The tall man beside her quickly looked away, and focused himself on their destination, rather than the orange-haired girl.
He managed to ignore the girl's humming, for a moment, until the girl decided that she was not humming loud enough to please herself. Increasing her voice, the man posing as the girl's father could not help but listen. He gasped and stopped walking as he recognized the tune.
Turning to Sora, he took her by the shoulders and shook her. "How do you know that song?!" he breathlessly asked, his eyes nearly bulging from his head. The girl's eyes went watery, shocked from her father's (or who she thought was her father's) reaction. She muttered out an answer that he could not understand. He squeezed her shoulders and demanded that she speak louder. How could she have known?! How could she have known the one song that stay sacred to the stars?
The girl's lips quivered. "D-daddy…" she squeaked, "You taught it to me…" she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her pajamas. The man relaxed, and let go of her shoulders, letting them drop, instead, to his sides.
Of course… he thought, breathing in deep, attempting to calm himself. Of course he would have taught her that… it's probably all the knowledge of the stars he could pass onto her without her actually knowing… something she could remember him by…
He realized that he was still staring at the girl who, in turn, was staring watery-eyed back at him. She sniffled a few times before, instinctively, he patted the girl on the head, smiling.
"I'm sorry I did that, Sora," He said forcedly. The girl's sad faced quickly changed to a smile and she took the man's hand again, resuming her humming. The man nearly toppled over as Sora pulled him along; He had remained still. It was amazing to him how different earth children were from star children… he then reminded himself that stars didn't actually have children. Upon the whim of the Sun, they just… became. Full-grown and everything, ready to serve their master. Not many stayed long, though. Like the girl's father. He hadn't stayed because the Sun, their "father", had cast him out, displeased with him. Because he had fallen in love with a woman from earth.
Everyone knew about the it; how their brother (very few of them had names, Sora's father being one of the many who did not; there were far too many for the Sun to care about) had been cast down to earth, which was a very rare occasion. The fact that he had been exiled to live there because he had fallen in love was far more rare. That is why the story was so well known among them, and was repeated often, just not in the presence of the Sun. They knew how much something like that could anger him. And if word got to him that they'd found his daughter…
Everything was to be kept secret. They would not tell the Sun about it. Rather, they would bring her to live with them that night, and pretend that she had been there all along. She would be given her place in the sky, and all would be well.
For a fleeting moment, the man wondered why he was doing this. Why was he bringing this girl to live with them? Of course he knew that she was sick, but… what purpose would it serve? His grim thoughts wandered aimlessly through his mind. He hardly noticed as they approached their destination, until a gleeful cry met his ears.
"The park!" Sora said delightedly, tugging on the arm of the bewildered star. "Is this where you were taking me?"
The man blinked at her, then looked out. They had reached their destination.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A chill breeze passed through the open window and the blond-haired boy shivered. It struck his sleeping mind that, just moments ago, he had been warm. He shouldn't have been cold…
Slowly, his mind brought him back to reality. His eyes blinked open to a hazy awareness, as if a fog were laying over his mind. The boy absently rubbed at his eyes with a cold hand, while the other hand reached out to lift him up. His wandering hand found an oddly vacant spot on the small bed…
Then it hit him like a blow to the stomach. His eyes sprung open, and he bolted into a sitting position. His eyes searched the room frantically, and his heart pounded with an unidentifiable fear.
"Sora," he whispered into the still darkness of the room. Though he waited, there was no response.
His blood pounded through his veins as he launched into near panic. He rolled off the bed and to his feet, steadying himself as he searched about the room. She was neither in a corner nor anywhere else in the room. What was she doing out of bed?!
The breeze immediately brought to his attention the fact that the bedroom door was open by a shrill creaking given off by the hinges. He stared at the door stupidly before stepping through it. He had begun to calm himself; sure that his orange-haired friend had merely gone to get a glass of water or something of the sort.
The kitchen was empty. Yamato, after a thorough investigation, had also proven the other bedrooms and the bathroom in the tiny apartment to be devoid of human presence, also. He grasped the doorframe of Sora's bedroom to steady himself, a sudden feeling of disbelief sweeping over him. Then, faintly, a small breeze whipped about his neck. He turned and his eyes widened as he let out a helpless gasp.
He slowly entered the front room, and realized that the front door had been left open.
With a fresh wave of panic spreading through his bones, he ran to the door and burst through it, catching the rail of the front balcony and nearly toppling over it. Had he done so, it would have been fatal, as the apartment he was on was nearly three stories up. He slowly backed away from it and, without further thought, fled down the steps of the apartment building, ignoring the oddly inviting look of the elevator.
The blond boy risked toppling down the cement stairway as he ran faster and faster down the steps in his state of urgency. In his mind, a dozen thoughts raced by relentlessly, leaving all rationalism behind. All he knew, at that moment, was his concern for his sick friend, who, for all he knew then, was roaming the streets of Odaiba in a delirious state.
He stopped, abruptly as he reached the sidewalk in front of the expansive building that he had just fled from in panic. He decided, in his haste, that a bit of sense might not be too bad at that point. He slowed his breathing and searched his surroundings.
As he had expected, Sora was nowhere in sight. Almost unconciously, Yamato had slipped to the ground, his back supported by a roughly uncomfortable lamppost. He hid his head in his knees and forced back a flood of sudden tears. Where was she, and why did she leave…? An itching at the back of the blond-boy's mind accused him of the situation; that the whole thing was entirely his fault. He ignored the nagging as best as he could, almost to no avail. The threatening tears stung his eyes as he buried his face helplessly into his crossed arms.
Something very lightly touched his quivering shoulder, and Yamato sprang to his feet in surprise. However, he nearly collapsed again as a familiar face entered his tear-blurred vision.
"Yamato," Mrs. Takenouchi said with furrowed brows, "What're you doing out here?"
The wall behind Yamato's eyes broke, and a flood poured out. He looked down to his feet helplessly. Mrs. Takenouchi, taken aback by the boy's show of grief, persisted with her last question, until the boy looked up at her with watery eyes.
"Sora's gone!" he sputtered.
The dark-haired woman stepped back in shock. Did he just say…? She had no time to collect her thoughts, for Yamato had gone into an unexpected kind of fury. His azure eyes pierced through Sora's mother, and he trembled violently.
"Where were you when she needed you?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice low. The dark-haired woman could see that apparent anger on the boy's face, and she looked on at him in confusion. What could possibly have caused this?
"Where were you?" Yamato persisted, "She needed you, and you were gone! You never came back!"
The woman's nature remained gentle, and she laid a hand on the blond boy's trembling shoulder. All anger immediately drained from his pale face, and he suddenly looked stricken. His hands fell helplessly to his sides, and Mrs. Takenouchi, acting upon instinct, brought the boy into a motherly embrace.
"I'm so sorry," she apologized gently, allowing the boy's tears to fall onto her shoulder. "I was only trying to help my daughter…"
"How could leaving help her?" Yamato asked hotly, not raising his head to meet the woman's gaze.
The orange-haired girl's mother thought for a moment before responding. "I spoke to someone," she explained quietly, slowly stepping away from Yamato. He watched her curiously with a tear-stained face as she reached into a pocket and pulled out something that glimmered oddly in the shallow light of a street lamp. He let out a breath of astonishment. In her hand she held a necklace exactly like the one he had given Sora nearly two weeks ago.
"Where… where did you get that?" Yamato asked, his voice barely reaching above a whisper. His hand absently reached out to touch the necklace in Mrs. Takenouchi's outstretched hand, but he drew back at the last minute. His azure eyes flashed up toward the woman, pleading. She knew something about Sora… He swallowed and, with a look in his eyes, urged the dark-haired woman to speak.
Sora's mother also swallowed hard, her dark eyes flashing peculiarly. "They've taken her back," she said finally, the strong tone in her voice surprising the blond-haired boy. What did she mean? Who had taken her back? His eyes again pleaded the woman onward.
"You bought a necklace just like this for my daughter," the dark-haired woman said. It was not a question. She held out the necklace again for Yamato to inspect, though he needn't have. He knew what the necklace looked like; he had memorized all its features before he had bought it for Sora. However, he nodded to Mrs. Takenouchi, who smiled at him gently.
"You didn't know that it may have saved her life, did you?" she said softly, and, almost instinctively, a lump formed in Yamato's throat. Again, the woman smiled at him, her expression almost unreadable. Softly, she continued. "The old man you bought this from told me about it. There were two of its kind in his shop; the necklace I hold is the twin of the one you gave to my daughter. He told me… about himself, mostly…" she swallowed hard, suddenly finding it difficult to continue. Her eyes wandered, almost automatically, toward the azure-eyed boy before her. The look of pure worry and care in his blue, blue eyes was almost too much to bear, and her eyes trailed down to the hand which still held the necklace. Her fingers clenched around it.
"What did he tell you…?" Yamato's voice said almost shakily. Sora's dark-haired mother sighed, then, and, resolutely, continued her tale.
"He was a Fallen Star," she murmured, not surprised by the look of confusion on Yamato's face. She thought for a moment, digging up something in her mind to explain. "You've read the Legend about the stars, haven't you?" she asked the blond boy. Brows furrowed curiously, he nodded, though slowly. The woman smiled wanly at him.
"You might find this unbelievable," she continued, "But that legend was real."
A startled gasp escaped the blond boy's throat, though not so much out of disbelief as out of habit. In actuality, he found that he wasn't really all that surprised. That legend had drawn him in so intently; how could it have not been real? He focused on the woman as she continued to explain.
"Well, that old, old man that sold you the necklace," she said simply, "was the prince. The one from the legend."
"But that's impossible!" Yamato burst suddenly, "The legend is over a thousand years old! He'd be almost—"
"One thousand years old," she finished for him, any traces of a smile faded from her face. "Yes, that happened over a thousand years ago. But, that's what these necklaces are for. Do you recall the part of the legend where the prince finds the necklace?"
The blond-haired musician thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Well," Mrs. Takenouchi continued, "The girl also had a necklace like this." Once again, she held out the necklace for him to see, making sure that he got a close look at the heart-shaped jewel connected to the chain. "When I asked the old man about these, he called them the Pure Love pendants. He wouldn't tell me much about them, except that he had been wearing it when he had met up with the princess. Through these, he had shared his life energy with the girl."
"I don't think I understand how that works," Yamato admitted, holding his head in confusion. "What is it, exactly, that makes the necklaces so special?"
The dark-haired woman smiled wanly. "Do you know what that jewel in the center of the pendent is?" she asked, pointing to the sparkling jewel. Yamato glanced at it, then shrugged. He wanted an explanation, not more questions!
"It's what we call star dust," she answered, "A small piece of a real falling star. The old man at the shop said that the Sun himself took these pieces and forged the necklaces himself. They had his blessing, and anything with the Sun's blessing is very special."
"But why did he make them?"
"It's said that the Sun can reach into the far depths of the future. He could see this day, and he made the necklaces to prepare for it. He lives by prophecy, you see."
Yamato became suddenly curious. "What prophecy do the stars live by?"
Mrs. Takenouchi explained. "The Sun is very wise," she said, almost seeming to ignore Yamato's question. "Although, much like the children on Earth, his own children tend to be very foolish. In the prophecy that was made during the creation of the Universe, it says that the Stars, in their worst years, will lose one of their number in the Sun's anger, and that One will be sent to Earth. On Earth, that One will have a daughter, who will be half Star, and half Human. The prophecy states that this daughter of the One will come to them, and lead them out of their disarray to become Queen of the Universe. It's said that the night sky will glow as bright as if the Sun itself were sitting upon the Earth during the Queen's coronation. However, we can plainly see that this has not yet happened, although we do know that at least half has come to pass."
Yamato found it hard to think straight. What could any of this possibly mean to him?
What could this mean to Sora…?
Then revelation struck him like a bullet to the brain. It was Sora… Sora was this supposed Queen! It made sense, now that he thought about it. His situation was almost like a repetition of that fateful legend he had once read in school. Sora was like the princess who fell from the heavens, and he the prince, fatefully by her side. Absently, he remembered those nights he had spent with the orange-haired girl watching the clear, night skies, and how she would occasionally lapse into odd silences, as if conversing with some unknown being. That, he was assured, was true. She had always been in contact with the stars, the part of her that actually was part of the stars. Something else suddenly occurred to him, and he was rendered into a state of helplessness.
"I'm going to lose Sora…" he murmured, more to himself than to the dark-haired woman in front of him. She caught his downcast comment, however, and smiled to him reassuringly.
"Not if you go after her," she told him surely, and he stared at her. How could he possibly do that? A prophecy was something that one could not sway, Yamato had always thought… Noticing his forlorn expression, Mrs. Takenouchi smiled seriously.
"When the Universe was created, a Prophecy was made. In the same instant this Prophecy was made, however, it was unmade by the forces of the Universe, and split into two, thus creating two separate Prophecies. One of these two Prophecies claims that the half-star from Earth will become Queen of all and lead the Universe into absolute peace and prosperity, while the other claims that another being will rise above all and become the Center of the Universe. In the instant that one of the two instances happen, both Prophecies will cease to exist."
Yamato's eyes lit up in near jubilation. "So, it can go one of two ways," he breathed, "And both ways are good…"
"Not necessarily," Mrs. Takenouchi said warily, looking at the blond boy seriously. "I mentioned, earlier, that the Sun's children can be very foolish, at times. So, foolishly, they've taken steps to insure that she is made Queen very soon… that's why she's gone. But, because of their haste in the matter, she will not be ready, and all will go amiss…"
Only then did Yamato become aware of how formally Mrs. Takenouchi had been speaking that entire time. This began to raise suspicions in the blond-haired musician, and he looked the dark-haired woman over closely. There was something strange about the glint in her eyes, and the placid look adorned upon her face…
As if reading his thoughts, the woman shook her head, and smiled wryly. "I've been discovered, haven't I?" she asked the blond boy, and his unsure suspicions were confirmed, in that one statement. He grinned to himself, pleased at his sudden genius.
"Mrs. Takenouchi never talks like that," he explained gently to the dark-eyed woman. "Could you tell me who you are?"
The woman nodded. "I am still the woman you know, I'm just using her for a short time."
"Using her?"
"Yes. Although I have no true identity, I am referred to as the 'Tool of Prophecy'. My job was set for me at the beginning of time; I am here as a mediator between the two Prophecies. It becomes convenient, sometimes, to step in personally by using the bodies of humans who directly involve themselves in the Prophecies. Mrs. Takenouchi was one of them. She seemed most convenient, so I decided to occupy her."
Though this was a little hard for Yamato to take in, he none-the-less accepted this strange turn of events. "Will Mrs. Takenouchi be harmed?" he asked, concern painting his face for this mother-like figure, currently occupied by some being he could not rightly identify. Using the dark-haired woman's lips, the Tool within her smiled.
"She will be fine," the being within the woman reassured him, then the woman's face became serious. "However, if the Queen is named during this time when she is not ready, I'm not sure that she will remain fine. The results of that Event could be disastrous. Instead of both Prophecies ceasing their existence, only one of them shall cease to remain, and there will be an imbalance in the Universe."
"That's bad…" Yamato muttered simply, a sudden feeling of foreboding welling inside him, turning the pit of his stomach cold. Mrs. Takenouchi nodded mutely in response, saying nothing more. A thought suddenly occurred to Yamato as he watched the woman for a moment.
"You said that that old man is over a thousand years old," he said, and the dark-haired woman nodded at him. "Well, how is it that he managed to live that long?"
Using Mrs. Takenouchi's hands, the Tool held out the necklace once more, and it emitted that curious sparkle of the star dust. "You're aware of how long a star can live, aren't you?"
The blond boy nodded. "Millions of years, I think."
"Or more," Mrs. Takenouchi explained, "You recall in the legend where the prince shared his life energy with the star?"
Yamato nodded mutely, and she continued.
"Well, when that happened, the prince also took on part of the star. I don't know exactly how it worked, but—through the necklaces that they both wore—their life energy was shared with each other, not just the prince to the star. I have a feeling, though, that that transfer of being was not particularly the necklaces, but their hearts…" she left it hanging.
For the past few minutes in which Yamato had been conversing with Mrs. Takenouchi—or, rather, the being inside her—he had been feeling more and more confused. A cold feeling had centered itself in the pit of his stomach, and he felt slightly ill. What kind of mess had he gotten himself into? How was he supposed to get himself out of whatever this was? As if reading his thoughts once more, the being inside Mrs. Takenouchi used her lips to form a faint smile.
"Worry not, fair prince, though your task is at hand," she murmured in a strangely far-off voice. "Go find your princess, and mend the Universe. Then will you live happily."
Prince? Mend the Universe? Princess? What on Earth was this person talking about?! He opened his mouth to voice his questions. However, he blinked, and the dark-haired woman was gone. As he moved his head about to see where she might have gone, he felt a weight about his neck. Abstractedly, he pulled at it, and felt a chain tied about his neck. The chain, in turn, was tied to a heart-shaped pendent with a strange, twinkling jewel.
And then he understood. Finally! All that strange presence inside Mrs. Takenouchi was trying to explain to him—he understood it all! Though he feared the words inside his mind, he knew it to be true. His duty. It was his duty to keep the Prophecies from splitting the Universe. He was in the middle of it all, and he had not even been aware of it! Though still feeling slightly perplexed and scared about the whole matter, the blond boy none-the-less felt a great sense of excitement. Saving the Universe—what a task this was! He stood on the spot for a few moments, rejoicing in his new-found knowledge and responsibility.
But, what had that presence said to him earlier? Sora had been taken? This part of the realization hit him like a blow to the stomach, and the earlier panic that had subsided during his talk with Mrs. Takenouchi returned full force.
Yamato gave a gasp as something strange happened. The necklace, now tucked inside his shirt, had given a strange jolt forward. Yamato had worn enough necklaces in his life to know that this was not normal. The pendent on the chain jumped again, almost intentionally pulling him southward. The blond boy stood for a moment, wondering what on earth could be southward that could attract the attention of this little jewel.
The only sensible thing to do would be to go to the park.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The orange-haired girl nervously fingered the chain tied about her slender neck. She knew she should do what her father told her to, but…
"Sora, just give me the necklace, please," the girl's father-look-alike pleaded. "We can't get to where we need to go if you don't give it to me."
"Where are we going, Papa?" Sora asked, becoming irritated suddenly. Father never acted this way! He seemed so demanding right now, so cold… "Can't I just keep it on?"
The man considered this for a moment. Then he sighed, his heart giving an odd thump at the pleading look on the girl's face. Obviously, this necklace was very important to her.
"All right," he mumbled, his eyes downcast. "Just do what I tell you to with it, then we can get to where we're going this time."
Sora nodded, happy with this man's choice. Obediently, she took the pendent in her cold hands and waited for instructions.
"Okay, Sora," her father said, "Just hold pendent in your hands, and I'll say a few words. Then the sky will do something strange, but don't be scared. Are you ready?"
The orange-haired girl nodded cheerfully. "Of course I'm ready!" she chirped, "I'm with you, Papa!"
For some reason, this made the man feel sick with guilt. However, he managed a smile in reply, facing toward the sky. He briefly touched the pendent with a fingertip, and muttered a deliberate command at the night sky, as the pendent suddenly began to glow.
Without warning, the sky split open.
* * * * * * * *
Okies, here's the deal: the next chapter will be—I promise—the last chapter. I just feel I've been taking a SERIOUSLY LONG amount of time to get at least this much out, and there was quite a lot of explaining to do (as you might have noticed). If you didn't understand anything about this chapter, just e-mail me and I'll try and explain a bit o' my reasoning to you. Or you can just review with a question. Tell me, also, if you thought that whole Prophecy thing was a bit too abrupt. I'd had it in mind since the beginning, but I had next to no clue how to go about fitting it in. Think I should re-write this chapter? Think I should delete it and go straight to the last part? I'd love to hear your opinions!