Author's Notes:
Well it had to happen: Someone's gone right ahead and written a fic about Misty!
But seriously, some fanfic writers don't pay much attention to Misty primarily because
a) She's too hard to write for
b) Not a lot is already established for her
So, I decided to write this. I have taken what little is known about Misty and built onto it - including establishing a past which, hopefully, sheds some light onto the way she acts. Indeed, it's a fairly ambitious task, building up a past where once there wasn't, but I can assure you that this fic wasn't easy to write.
But hey, as mentioned above, Misty isn't an easy character to write for.
Now some people may accuse me for making her past sound like Hibiki's but there is a reason for that:
a) I was referencing what I learnt in school about the Industrial Revolution whilst writing this fic and
b) It makes her attraction to Hibiki something more logical.
Please note that as of the 3rd of July 2003, this fic has undergone a rewrite. Now I that have the First DVD of Second Stage, I felt it was necessary to make some changes so that the fic is more in line with the continuity of the series. These changes are nothing major, they are only minor adjustments - thus leaving the general flow of the story intact.
Ultimatly, I have tried hard in coming up with a background for Misty and to provide some insights on her behaviour, I hope you like it.
It's funny how many directions life can go at once.
One minute you're on a road to nowhere, and the next minute you find yourself on the most incredible space ship ever built.
But even though life can head into many different directions, there's not much to say that the directions won't be hazardrous.
Indeed, the many directions of life all head towards countless possibilities of destiny. And destiny itself can be something of a mixed blessing: Sometimes bad things can happen only to swept away by a continuos chain of happiness.
Yet at the same time, good things can happen - only to be tainted by a dark shadow.
It has been several weeks since I came aboard the Nirvana. However, my arrival on this space ship was nothing short of accidental.
I had only arrived here after being locked away in a capsule. A capsule that had been sent from Earth on a mission of great importance. Unfortunately, because I had spent so much time in space and in isolation (or at least that's what Duero and Parfet told me), my brain had received a considerable amount of damage. Thus, when asked about the message, I couldn't remember....
....Much to the frustration of the Nirvana's crew.
Yet, whilst my memory may be crippled, I can still remember instances of my life back on Earth.
But what type of a life was it? It hardly was what anyone would call fun. Earth, as a planet was a nightmare. A world of steel, deserts and pollution. Mankind had drained all of the planet's resources and left nothing to utilise for the future. The inhabitants of Earth had turned their home into a barren rock - thus drastic measures had to be taken to ensue humanity's survival.
Indeed, my time on such a wasteland was anything but enjoyable. I came from a family that had been stricken by poverty. Thus, my childhood consisted of little food, minimal warmth and spending long hours begging, borrowing and stealing - all in the name of survival. Growing up in such mediocre conditions, I would be lying if I said my time spent there resulted in some memorable times.
During this time I had very few friends. There was only one I could call a friend and that was the curious entity whom I dubbed Q-chan. It came into my life as a present on my seventh birthday. Where my parents got it and how they managed to come across it I don't know. But what mattered was that it was a present for me and therefore worth holding on to. To this day, I still have no clue as to it's origins but I must admit that it's consistent shape changing has always made me laugh. Thus since then, Q-chan has been my constant companion and, despite it's unusual nature, it has been the closest I've come to having a true friend. Likewise, it took a real shine to me - even to the point of morphing itself into a certain shape depending on what I was thinking of at the time.
However, coming from such humble beginnings, it seemed inevitable that my domineering parents would eventually send me to work in a factory. But the factory itself was no better then my childhood home - it was a ghastly place of steel, steam and heat. The working conditions were appalling: Child labour was employed, and enforced, with extreme cruelty. Being a child amongst many, I got little sleep, scraps of food, thin and grubby rags for clothing, and health care of the mediocre kind. It's little wonder that many of my fellow labourers met their demise in the factory.
I guess that kind of makes me one of lucky ones.
As well as being a terrible place of work, the factory wasn't the best place for interaction. The superiors who monitored all the workers didn't approve of Q-chan and thus sent it into hiding. And as the tyrannical superiors saw talking as a way of disrupting the working process, socialisation with my co-workers was impossible. Thus, there was practically no one to talk to. Sure Q-chan didn't remain in hiding all the time - It did come out to visit before I went to sleep - But ultimatly, this was a very lonely time for me.
But during my time on Earth, I was involved in an incident. An incident that would change my life forever.
It all began in another tedious session working hard in the factory. Suddenly, the whole building was rocked by a mammoth explosion. And, much to my astonishment, the wall nearest to me vanished in a huge cloud of smoke.
My recollection of what happened next is sketchy to say at least but following the explosion, there was lots of shouting, alarm bells, smoke and lights. The next thing I knew, I was scooped up by two strong arms and carried off.
Although bewildered by this recent chain of events, and somewhat dazed from being so close to the explosion, I still managed speech:
"Who are you?"
A reply came, but in my dazed state, I couldn't quite make out any words. But I did pick out one word: Resistance.
Then I passed out.
When I woke up, everything had changed. I wasn't in the world of heat and steel that was the factory: I was in a comfortable capsule as smoke billowed in fornt of me - thus blocking any sight from the real world. What's more, I wasn't in my grubby factory rags any more: I was dressed in a smart gold outfit with a pink tie. My once dirty, unkempt hair had been fashioned into a gorgeous ponytail. And any trace of steel, dirt and dust on my skin had been eradicated completely. Q-chan was at my side, now emerged from hiding, looking just as baffled as I was.
Needless to say, these recent change of events had left me confused. In a desperate attempt to find answers, I squinted my gaze through the smoke.
Thankfully I did find something: A human-shaped object appeared through the smoke - But who was it?
"What's going on?" I demanded, my voice radiating with alarm.
"Listen to me very carefully" the human replied, with a male voice full of strong urgency.
"You are going to be sent from this planet into outer space. When you meet someone, you have to tell them about Operation Harvest. You have to tell them, that the people of this Earth are combing the galaxy, searching for organs in the name of their survival. And such an act of cruelty must be stopped at once."
"Wait!" I screamed.
But it was too late - The next thing I knew, the lid of the capsule came crashing down upon me. And then everything went black.
And then I was discovered by the Nirvana.....
Being confined within a capsule for so long, and with my memories of Earth still resonating, I had no idea what to expect from the cards that destiny dealt for me. I must admit that I had never been inside a space ship before. Henceforth my new environment was, at first, strange...
... but so beautiful compared to my recollections of Earth. Indeed, inside the Nirvana, there were some amazing sights - the like I had never seen before on Earth and was already fascinated.
Best of all, my loyal Q-chan was also still at my side! Already then, things were beginning to look up.....
But when I came to the realisation that I had arrived on board a Pirate ship, I was eager to make the Nirvana my home. Hey, the life of a pirate is certainly much more exciting then living out a miserable existence back on Earth! Thus I became determined to hang onto this new world. Furthermore, the pirates all carried a sense of responsibility: They were heading back to their home worlds to raise the alarm over a drastic evil that was threatening the life of the galaxy - the VERY evil which I had been dispatched to warn all about. Thus, it seemed natural that I would end up accompanying the pirates on their mission.
I have also been informed that I've been confined in the capsule for over sixty years. Sadly, this leaves me with no idea who my rescuers were. For all I know, they could already be dead - thus leaving me unable to thank them for saving me.
However, when BC played the message, that apparently was in the capsule as well, I achieved an awareness on the true horror of the Harvester operations. Until then, I had no idea that the Harvester operations were so horrendous. Thus it was there and then that I reached the conclusion that those people gave up their lives to save me and to send me one a journey to spread word of the cruelty of Earth's intentions. And such an ideal is worth fighting for. This, in turn, gave me all the more reason to join the crew of the Nirvana.
Such a move has proven to be one which I have not looked back on. In my time I have seen many faces of evil. I have seen planets that were beautiful to behold when compared to my memories of Earth. And I have seen friends make the ultimate sacrifice, new lives being born into existence, and children grow into men and woman.
Yet, even though this new life is certainly a breed apart from my life back on Earth, it doesn't come to me without it's fair share of obstacles.
And whilst I have enjoyed my time on the Nirvana, I wish the same could be said for the people whom crew this mighty vessel.
Yes, they welcomed me onto their ship - But that's as far as they allowed me to go. According to them, I served no purpose to their cause - After all, what good is a messenger whom can't remember the message she was entrusted with? What good is some one who is constantly whining? And what good is someone who does nothing more then get on everyone's nerves?
Okay, so maybe I managed to obtain a trainee position on the bridge - But I was only a substitute. According to the pirates, I didn't serve any greater good to the continuos running of the ship.
Yet I had a will. A will to succeed. A will to not let my new home be taken away from me under any circumstances. Therefore, whilst I was all too eager to make the Nirvana my new home, it seemed logical that I should take steps to make sure I keep it that way.
Henceforth, I set about making some friends.
The first person whom I laid eyes upon since arriving was Hibiki Tokai. At that point in time, I had been travelling in space for an unknown amount of time. And when I was finally released, I was in another world of more comfort compared to Earth. And the first person as I saw, before anyone else, was Hibiki. Thus I came to perceive him as the one who rescued me from the ghastly capsule and brought me aboard the Nirvana. Therefore I came to see him as my saviour.
Much to the frustration of one Dita Liebely.
But as my time on the Nirvana increased, I gradually learned a lot about Hibiki. Apparently, he was a former engineer whom grew tired of his lousy life and managed to sneak aboard this ship. And since then, he has become the only person on board who could pilot the deadly Bangata. I guess what drew me closer to him, was the fact that he had a position on this of great uniqueness - something which I have longed for - and he had a background similar to mine. Thus it seemed natural that we would form a bond together, right?
Wrong.
He had no time for me. He refused to associate with me. Every time I tried to befriend him, he would knock me back and run away. Each of my efforts to establish a strong connection all wound up falling flat on their face. My relentless pursuit to bring us both closer together was but a doomed mission. What's more frustrating is whilst I saw such a bond, he didn't. He was completely blinded.
And that's without mentioning Dita. She didn't like me at all - primarily because she doesn't like me hanging around Hibiki. In fact, Dita sees me as a threat to her territory. And such a threat simply cannot be tolerated.....
And if there's one thing worse then being shunned and isolated, it's inspiring so much hatred for the simple fact of being one's self.
There was also Meia. As time went on, it seemed a friendship with Hibiki would remain eternally out of my grasp. This, as a consequence, merely left me hollow. Hollow with a hole that needed desperate filling. However, such desperation ultimately changed my perspective on life. Positioned in a house that wasn't a home and constantly ignored by it's inhabitants will be enough to make anyone emotionally crippled. Such cruel isolation would be enough to establish a grimer outlook on life.
And who would feel the same agony then the enigmatic Meia Gisborn?
Naturally, Meia was repulsed by my friendly advances. She, like everyone else, preferred to keep me at an arm's length. But as time went on, the blue-haired girl managed to develop a 'soft spot' for me. I guess Meia came the closest then anyone to taking a shine for me.
But this knowledge is tainted by the fact that she did because no one else wanted to.
Yes, my time on the Nirvana has certainly been plagued with constant obstacles. Nirvana was a ship born out of band establish by two warring factions. Henceforth there wasn't much room for an outsider - Particularly for one whom had arrived from the enemy's womb. And all the more so, when the outsider does little to the continued running of the ship.
But I CAN be useful. I CAN be a good friend. I CAN be an efficient bridge operator. I CAN be a vital cog in running the machine that is the Nirvana. But sadly, such a chance to show off my true potential has yet to arrive.
This leaves me a hollow shell within a world of the cruelest apathy.
Yet in spite of my position within an apathetic world and all the other obstacles that have befallen me, I take comfort in the fact that my time spent with these pirates has not been wasted. I am living a life of excitement, danger and exploration which is nothing like the nightmare that was the factory on Earth. I have risen from the hell of steel and fire to a position on a pirate ship.
And I take pride in calling the Nirvana my home.
It is indeed funny how many directions life can go at once.
But at least I live in comfort in the knowledge that the direction I'm heading is a bright one.
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