The pink and indigo colored cloud danced in the dusk sky as I and my brother walked by the park. We were watching the swans and ducks swimming in the calm cool lake, making our way home after school. Odaiba is a unique town, it's the only place where you can see nature and metropolis stood side by side. I sighed as I crossed the road leaving the beautiful park behind me and heads towards the busy part of Odaiba where my house is located.
I have a heavy dark feeling in my heart, like something is going to happen soon. Something sinister, something dire and unpleasant. I pushed the feelings away and continued to walk with my brother who was fooling around beside me. The boy definitely has attitude problem. Probably the case of living with my father for so long. My father was always away, I barely get to have a word with him. Come to think of it I don't even know what he does for a living! I've tried many times before trying to ask my mom about it, but she wouldn't let me in on it.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Takenouchi Resident
2000 hours
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Sora, I'm leaving!" Her mom yelled from the door.
I rushed down the stairs as fast as my feet could drag me. I reached the last two and skipped over them and dashed towards the door.
"Ok mom, drive carefully." Sora reminded said as she gave her a hug.
"Bye WITCH!" My brother shouted before closing the car door close.
I gritted my and clenched my hand in a ball as I put my tongue out at him.
My mother altered my attention to her.
"Okay Sora, your father and I are going to be there for a week, remember to fetch your brother at school two days after. That's when the fire camp over." Her mother reminded.
"Can't I just leave him to rotten at that forest?" Sora question teasingly.
"No Sora, he's your brother." Her mother said with a sigh, "Now promise me you're going to pick him up." Mrs. Takenouchi said holding up her little finger at her.
Sora gradually picks up her little finger and circled it between her mom's own.
"Okay… I promise," She said annoyingly but replaced it with a smile.
"Bye honey!" Her father yelled from the car.
Sora watched as her mom walks towards the car, then she felt the same darkness she felt before. She whirled around as she heard a sound coming from the stairs. There she saw an old lady coming down the stairs. She wore a shawl on her head and a brown leather bag on her shoulder. Silently she walked pass me and stood at the door frame. I wanted to close the entrance but she wouldn't move so I pushed her softly and closed the metal gate. I reached out my hand to lock the door, that's when the old lady turned around and looked at me.
"Why did you drive me out? I've took care of you for four years,"
She said sadly, then her face turned dark. I felt a sharp cold metal thrust against my skin. She smiled an evil grin and held up a blade in her hand. I slammed the wooden door shut and locked it. I leaned against the door and breathed heavily. My eyes glared wildly across the room I quickly ran to the back door to lock it. 'Who was that old lady?! And why is she… what does she mean She took care of me for four years? I never even saw her before in my life!' She thought as she closed the window and all the entrance to the house. The whole house turned dark.
Sora slowly slide down to the floor, her whole body trembled in fear. She remembered the feeling of the blade on the skin of her feet. Shaking her head she tried to push the feeling away. Suddenly a cold gust of wind rage into the house, piercing shrieks and screams filled the house the furniture started flying everywhere. Sora shut her eyes and closed her ears with her hands and scrambled to the floor crying.
"Stop!!" She yelled, "What do you want with me!!?"
The wind continued to blow hard and the screech became clearer by the second.
"Please… Stop!!"
…………………….
Odaiba State Stadium
2130 hours
…………………….
"Jané!" Yamato said to his band mates as he walked through the stadium exit. A concert is going to be held there, it was their biggest venue yet! The stadium was the largest and most advance stadium in Japan. Although it looked like an oyster with its mouth open, the 3-dimensional holographic screen on top of it was clearly the sight to be seen. His eyes beamed in pleasure to see the ad for his bands concert being played on the holographic screen.
He resumed walking through the dark exit, the sound of water dripping from the washroom echoed through the long passageway. Then in the dark he saw something prompt moving.
His eyes followed the object. A surge of wind blew on his neck. He turned around to see a little girl behind him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked the little girl, kneeling down on his knees.
The little girl smiled sweetly.
"Mister, can I have your autograph?" She asked holding out a piece of paper.
"Sure," He said taking the piece of paper from the girl's hand, "What's your name?" He asked the girl, he heard the little girl giggled. Looking up, he saw nobody there. He shifted his head and observed his surrounding.
"Funny… where'd the girl go?" He said to himself.
He looked at the piece of paper in his hand. A drop of dark red liquid dripped onto the paper and emerged into a writing.
A riddle
A challenge
Thou must unravel
Of a house
From rubbles
Held a maiden in trouble
For on the stroke of midnight
Love shall fall
And the riddle
Shall remain unravel…
Matt eyes stared at the paper. Then a current of air surged through the passageway and the paper dissolved into dust and disappeared into the wind.
Matt laughed, "What just happened?" He asked himself. He continued to walk and choose to ignore the weird warning. He step out of the exit door to be greeted by the warmth of the sun, he looked up at the sky and saw the cheerful sun slowly being blanketed by the thick dark clouds.
Lost in his thoughts he felt a drop of rain fall on his face. He adjusted the guitars case in his hand and lifts his hand signaling the bus to stop.
I know being famous meant you can't go out in public and all but in my case, fans here are more friendly and besides, they get to see me to see me everyday. Coz as a superstar I am… I still have to do chores my mom asks me to do for her like take out the thrash do grocery, go to the laundry shop and school! Although the girls are extra wild around me… I think I still can get my privacy.
I tried to look at the scenery of the ride to get my mind of that weird incident at the stadium and the message on that paper. I felt a cold sweat running down my face, It can't be a ghost… could it? I tried to shake the thought out of my head. Maybe a crazed fan did it for a joke, well it said something about a maiden… and love shall fall, it would be a good lyric for some 14th century song that's for sure! I laughed at my own joke. Thinking how foolish I am.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2400 hours
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After a while of thinking his stomach grumbled indicating that it wants food now! Then he remembered the Mars™ bar that he hadn't finish eating from breakfast, he rummaged through his bag pack searching the bar. After rummaging for a few while he found the Mars™ bar under a foreign note book in his bag. He took the book out and chewed onto the almost melted and half squashed chocolate bar. He opened it and checks the notes, 'Hmm… nice hand writing,' He thought, flipping through the pages.
He closed the note book and looked at its cover and reads the name of the owner.
Name: Sora Takenouchi
Class: 408
'Oh it's Sora's.' He thought, he glanced outside the window to see that he was nearing Sora's housing area. He crumpled the chocolate wrapper and slam dunked it into the waste basket. Picking up his bag pack and his guitar he hit the stop button and the bus stopped. He jumped off the bus and landed firmly on the ground, 'Ha, I hope Sora doesn't mind me visiting her at this hour.' He thought. The rain started to pour more heavily. Matt ran across the street and took shelter under a phone booth before racing towards Sora's house. The gate was left hanging open, so he hurried in and proceed toward the porch of her house. He puts down his guitar and bag pack on the marble floor and wipes his face dry. His hand traveled up to the door bell pushed it while his other hand runs gently through his hair trying desperately to dry himself. His golden blond hair shimmered through the dark night and the cold water droplet hangs at its end. He wobbled his head around to get the water out of his ear.
"Hello, Is anyone home?" He said wandering around and looking through a hazed window.
"Sora… Are you in? It's me Yamato! I'm here to return your notebook." He said.
"Sora…" he said melodiously, "Open the door." He curled his eyebrows puzzled, 'Maybe the door is unlocked,' He lift his hand and reached for the knob. Then suddenly the door burst open. Startled, he focused his blue eyes and peeked inside. In the darkness he saw a shadow moving on the floor. A pair of carnelian red eyes glittered in the dark.
"Sora… is that you?" He said stepping inside.
Then he heard a whimper. He stared at the shadow trying to make out the person face.
Sora curled up and held her stomach, a sharp pain surged inside it. Then she looked up to see a trace of shadow in front of her door.
"Sora? Is that you?" Yamato ask again.
"Matt?" She said slowly recalling the sound of Matt's voice. Then a voice whispered from behind her back.
"Call him… invite him in, my child."
A lightning strikes, the light from it shine through the house Matt looked at the floor to see Sora curled up next to a wooden chair her lip cut and her face covered with blood.
"Matt get OUT!!!" Sora ordered.
But Matt stubbornly ignored it and rushed into the house. Then the door slammed and locked itself.
Sora punched her fist to the floor.
"What have I got you into?!" She cursed herself, "Why did you come in!" She yelled.
"You're hurt Sora, don't move" Matt said ripping a part of his wet sweater and cleaning her gash with it, "Who did this to you?" Matt asked her.
"That's not important anymore." She cried, "She'll come after me…" She sobbed, "And now you too…"
A deafening screech roared trough the house. Sora ran up to the window and smashed it with her elbow. She winced as the sharp glass pierced through her skin.
"Sora!? What are you doing!" Matt said. He rushed beside her looking at her scarred elbow.
"Matt, get out now!" She ordered.
"I'm not leaving you." He stated firmly.
"Please, I beg you… just leave this house!" Sora said in razed.
Yamato looked at the smashed window to see it rebuilding itself, closing the hole Sora made. The glass shards from her elbow discard themselves from her skin. Sora cringed in pain as fresh blood started to drip from her wound.
"If I'm leaving you're coming with me!" Matt said determine. He wrapped Sora with his jacket and dive to the window. As they were making their escape, a shadow moved behind them and grabs Sora by her leg. Still airborne Matt looked in horror as he saw Sora's spirit being pulled back in by the shadow into the house. Two bodies landed hard on the marble floor of Sora's house porch. Matt diverted his attention to the cold body wrapped in his jacket. He touched Sora's cheek to feel the coldness of it.
"No!" Matt yelled shaking her body wildly, "Sora! Wake up!"
Then a painful scream was heard, Matt recognize it. It was Sora's.
Matt stammered up to his feet and carried Sora body on his back, piggy-back style and ran to the road.
"Please! STOP!" He said waving his hand like a mad man. A car stopped.
Matt peered into the window.
"Please she needs to get to a hospital."
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Odaiba State Hospital
2315 hours
# # # # # # # # # # # #
"Is she alright?" Matt asks his voice filled with concern.
"No," The doctor shrugged, "I believe she had fallen into a deep coma."
Placing a hand on Yamato shoulder the doctor asks, "Do you know where her family is? Because we need to confirm with her family whether we should let her on the life support or shut her down."
"No, I don't. But I've tried calling them." He answered.
"Well… Thank you for your co-operation." The doctor said before walking away.
Matt looked at Sora through the tiny window on the door. He knew what happened, she's still in the house. He saw her being pulled in. But what can he do to help? He punched the wall. He is mad at himself for being so hopeless. He hated it. Then there in Sora's bedside he saw the little girl. It was the little girl he met earlier at the stadium. She was standing beside Sora's bed. For the first time did he noticed the little girl's features. The girl had short red hazelnut hair, her large gleaming carnelian eyes peering at Sora. And on her head was a strangely familiar blue helmet. He searched inside his head, he'd seen that helmet before… but where?
Back inside the room the little girl slowly looked up at Matt. She clasped her hand together in front of her chest. Her tiny red lips moved slowly, she's mouthing something but he couldn't make it out.
"The house… go back to the house. She'll be waiting for you... For only you can unravel the riddle."
Then a strong current went through the hospital. Matt shielded his eyes with his hand, his wet hair whipped wildly around his face. Matt looked into the room to see the girl gone from Sora's bedside. Matt rushed inside the room and examined the area beside Sora's bedside.
'Where'd she go?' He asks himself, a mystery. Then his eyes landed on Sora's stone cold body. He slides his large hands into her slender soft hands and held it next to his face.
'What do you want me to do, Sora?' He asks rubbing his face against Sora's hand, gently creating warmth to her icy skin. A single tear slides down her pale skin, and fell on Matt's eye, Matt blinked for a couple of seconds trying to adjust to the salty material that entered his eye. Then on the wall, a writing appeared.
A DizZle
A DaZzle
A RiDdle yOu MuSt unRavel
So fIrst The riDdle
For toLd tO see
Of A hoUse
That BeloNg to nEither Thou or Thee
Sky is tHe AnsWer
YoU'll hAve tO fiNd
FOr twiNKled in iT
Is a Star
FrOm up fAr
"Sky?" He thought, "Does that means Sora?" He murmured slowly.
+ = + = + = + = + = + = +
Takenouchi Residence
0200 hours
+ = + = + = + = + = + = +
Matt glowered upon the house. The rain poured slightly weaker than before, but thunder and lightning united with it for a lethal combination. He stepped onto the porch and the entrance creaked open as if welcoming his arrival. He entered the house carefully and the door closed shut just as he entered the dark house.
"I've got the answer for your stupid riddle!" Matt shouted to the house.
"Really?" a voice said, "Then what is it may the answer be?" The voice asks sounding delighted.
"Sky! You mean Sora, right?" Matt yelled.
The voiced laughed loudly.
"What a pity, Maybe you should try harder…"
"What?" Matt looked to the corner to see a chair flying at him, He tried to duck but a closet flew from another corner. The impact sends him flying toward the stair case and the heavy closet fell on top of him and trapped his leg. He grabbed his leg by his knee and pulled it out. Matt got up and ducked a glass mirror that was heading towards him. He ran up the stair case and dropped on the wooden floor for cover.
He rolled over and entered a room. Matt lifts his leg and kicked the door shut. The room was quiet. His eyes wandered across the room and then his eyes landed at the ceiling. There was something different about it than the rest of it. Then he remembered, 'Sky… could it mean the ceiling?' He thought. He jumped on the bed and knocked the boards with his hands. The ceiling fell down, debris blinded his sight for a moment. Then it cleared away. Matt reached for the sides of the hole and climbed up into it.
It was pitch black. He searched his pockets and took out a lighter and flitch it open. The dark attic lit up. And Matt crawled on his knee, his every move made dust flay everywhere. He waved his hand around him trying to get the misty dust out of his way. Then out of the blue his head slammed against something. Matt lifted his lighter higher so he could see what he bumped into. It was hard that's for sure he said rubbing his head. He examined it to see that it was only the wood holding up the attic structure. Matt cursed himself for being too tall, 'Thanks my mother French genes for that!' He said disappointedly.
(Author's Notes: For your information!! And for the diehard of the bootylicious Yamato Ishida. Matt's mom is French… well more like half French… His grandfather is French so… he is quarter French!! Now do you see where he got that magnetism charm? Smiles devilishly)
Then he continued down the dark attic. At the crook of the attic he saw something glittered, it looked like a star. 'That's it! The star in the sky! It means something in the attic… took me long enough to figure that out. No wonder I'm bad at literature.' He though dreadfully as he edged closer towards the sparkling body.
His hand spread forward and touch the object. It was made of steel… well more like a platinum box. His hand traveled around it. He lift the lighter higher to get a better look at it. Matt eyes went wide to see the box was actually a tomb.
"What's a tomb doing up here in somebody's attic?!" Matt said circling the object.
"Open it"
A voice whispered behind him.
"Open it"
It said repeatingly.
Matt hesitated for a while, then his hand gripped the handle of the covers and pulled them open. There laid a beautiful maiden dressed in a gleaming black silk dress, her glistening black hair cascade around her. Matt stood there, he was in a trance. "You're soo… beautiful." He murmured softly. His glittering crystalline blue eyes turned into a dull blue. The maiden eyes flared open, her shiny red lip curled into a smile. She raised her hand and placed it insides Matt's hand. Matt helped her up and kneeled in front of her.
"You have shown your loyalty towards me my Knight." She said her long dark hair flowed down her back. Her silk dress was cut low down her chest showing her cleavage.
Matt shakes his head, then for a moment his eyes turned into the crystalline blue it always was.
"My Queen, before that please let my friend go." He requested.
"Oh… but of course my Knight, then we can rule the world together!!" She shrieked.
The maiden opened her palm and a scarlet sphere appeared in her hand. Inside, Sora's essence glowed a bright rose. The sphere floated above them and sparked into a glistening dust. In the center of the sphere Sora's spirit appeared, Sora tried to reach for Matt but she felt herself being lift up away from him. She yelled out his name, but he just stared at her with a blank expression.
Then Matt's eyes turn the dull shade of blue it was before.
oO0OooO0OooO0Oo
Odaiba State Hospital
oO0OooO0OooO0Oo
Sora head lunged forward gasping for air. The oxygen entered her lungs and her eyes fluttered open. She clutched her chest tightly.
'Kami-sama… Yama… what have I done…' Sora said.
"Yamato, why did you have to go in…? Why didn't you just leave me there?!" She cried.
Then the door burst open, Sora's mom rushed in and hugged her.
"Sora! What happened!? I came here as soon as Yamato called." Her mom explained.
Then Sora saw her dad. She got off the bed much to her mother obliges.
"Dad… a woman attacked me when I was in the house, and she spoke to me in ancient Greek language." Sora informed him.
Mr. Arai gasped in horror. His face turned blue and he stumbled back to the wall.
"Arai? What's wrong?" Mrs. Takenouchi asks him.
"There was a tomb in the attic," Sora continued, "Why didn't you tell me Dad!" Sora yelled in anger.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier." Mrs. Takenouchi said.
"Mom? You knew?" Sora said, "Why didn't you tell me!"
"The tomb is the national treasure of our state, but story said that it would be a key to ultimate power. The only way it could be activated is when a chosen vessel approaches it." Mr. Arai explained then looked at Sora, "It's you isn't it?" Mr. Arai said
Sora nodded.