*****7*****
Do any of us truly exist?
A question like that can be terrifying to some; not being able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. We all know the feeling - we've all had those inescapable dreams - so we know how it feels to be powerless even if we are stronger than all those around us.
So, if we can exist in a dream, or nightmare as the case may be, and not realize that we are in fact asleep, how can anyone be sure their own life isn't merely a bit of unconscious thought wrapped up in someone else's slumbering head?
We can't.
Not really. At least, not with unwavering conviction. There is always doubt, even the smallest shadow of a doubt, to taunt us. I suppose that is where faith comes in. Faith, Hope, and Love. Out of the ultimate three, faith has the most undefinable foundation. Everyone has experienced love in some form at some point in their life, and no matter who you are, you've felt hope, even if only for a fleeting moment.
So what of faith? To believe in something without proof - no - to believe in something without the need for proof. You can't get more difficult than that. We are logical creatures. Humankind demands solid fact, not implications. Not dreams.
Ah, how powerful dreams are, though. How monumental. We should all bow down before those who believe in dreams and fairy-tales, and we should grovel on our hands and knees before anyone rooted in faith, for such people are hard to come by these dark days. One might even say they are extinct.
Well, I wouldn't go that far...
*****
Fog. Everywhere a mist of rainbows and dizzying flashes of forgotten memory. The air is bitter and cold, tasteless though seemingly rich with life. Wrapped in a familiar yet lost atmosphere, the very ground is nothing but billows of smoke, and a sense of self is so very indistinct - though far more real than it was the last time he was here.
Blinking futilely past the blur of color and his own faded form, Brad Crawford recognizes where he is. Not long ago he had been in this very same state, catching only a momentary glimpse of something...someone...and the echo of distant laughter, before being brutally brought back to his sweat-soaked bed.
This time the landscape is clearer, however, though still very vague. Staring intently down, he confirms that the ground does indeed exist despite his weightless bearings. He is in fact standing on a hill, or rather hovering above it, and a few formless blobs - trees, he imagines - litter the area around him. The sky is nothing but a bright mass of misted air that burns his eyes to look at for too long, and there is something so tormenting about this place, yet he can't remember ever feeling he belonged anywhere as much as he feels he belongs here.
(This isn't our future...as I thought before...this is the past...) he concludes, hearing his thoughts bouncing about inside his head as if speaking into a megaphone beside his ears. (...I know this place...but from where...when...?)
He attempts to walk forward and investigate, but without proper footing or contact with the ground, he only sways in the breeze. Oh, how he longs to move furthur up the hill! For just ahead of him is that same clearing of color and fog as he had experienced in this place before, revealing a figure he longs to reach. There is more than curls to this person now; there is shape and movement. Brad feels an instant panic to run forward and swing them around to see who it is. Who could it possibly be? This...this...
(...girl.) the dark-haired, young man believes, knowing beyond a doubt that he is right. (...I know her...her voice...I can hear it...)
Floating around him in the very particles of air, a song-like laughter is indeed swelling and falling with the wind, causing a dull ache in his chest which he seldom allows himself to feel. The pang of loneliness, and the hope of escaping it once and for all.
"Hello?!" Brad's distant voice calls out, reaching with ghostly hands towards this vision of a young girl with ringlet strands. "Can you hear me?! Please, I must know who you are! Where are we!?! What's happening to me...?"
Curiously, Brad realizes he has spoken in English, something he hasn't done for years, even when alone. Though American, there has always been a fear in him to connect himself in anyway with that identity; with the memories of a world he can't quite remember. And somehow...somehow...he believes this girl knows the answers he has never been allowed to pursue.
As he is about to yell once more, Brad suddenly finds he has lost his voice. The girl is turning around. Perhaps she has heard him after all. Yes. Her curls bounce against slender shoulders as her head slowly begins to turn towards him. He is going to see her, see her face and...and instantly be wrapped up in a flood of memories that will explain everything he could never quite remember. Soon...so soon...he can almost see the outline of her delicate profile as her lovely laughter rings high and joyfully up into the clouds...
Black. Cut off from his misty world with a fierce and sudden shock of darkness, Brad knows he has lost the vision, and that what he now sees is merely the inside of his own eyelids. There is no more cold or fog or weightless sensation; he is once again in his bed, burning with an unbearable sweat, and all too aware of his heavy, exhausted body.
(Damnit! No...I was so close...so close. Why is this happening!! I-)
(Something wrong, Honey?) Someone else's voice breaks into his mind. (You've been screaming in your sleep again. Not out loud, of course, but *I* can always hear you...)
Sitting up roughly, Brad opens his bronze eyes like a flash, scowling murderously within the safe darkness of his room. There is no one inside with him, invading his space, but a familiar figure is most definitely nearby, invading something much more intimate: his mind.
(Schuldrich!!!) He yells within, using a resonance that would shatter glass if spoken aloud. (How many times do I have to warn you about prying into my head when I'm off guard?! You have no right to -)
(Oh, pull the stick out of your ass, Brad. It's a bit hard to ignore someone's private thoughts when they're broadcasting them out for all to hear, you know? All - meaning me - of course, but that's beside the point.)
Furious beyond words, Brad shuts Schuldrich out of his mind like a steel vault. There is the distinctive sound of something slamming hard against the wall outside his room, and he is vaguely aware that his act must have been forceful enough to throw the unsuspecting German against it, more than likely knocking him out. However, the American gives the matter little thought. There is far too many unknowns swimming about inside his throbbing head to occupy him.
What do these dreams of his mean? Who is the figure just out of reach whom he can't catch a proper glimpse of? What does she want? And why does he long so desperately to see her again as if her presence is a narcotic he has just become addicted to?
Hopefully, that isn't the case. Such desperate obsession with a possibly dangerous experience almost always ends one of two ways:
In regret...or...destruction...
*****
Self-destruction.
It is true that mankind has an innate sense of self-preservation, but imagine how many millions of ways we willingly destroy ourselves everyday. Cigarettes and alcohol alone can do wonders for the body, after all.
A chill, Spring breeze blows in like silk through the window, spiraling the thin stream of smoke from the newly lit cancer stick held limply in Kudo Youji's right hand. He has just recently woken up, rather early - for anyone, especially him - as he sits casually beside the windowsill, puffing out grey smoke to greet the bright light of morning.
It had been a rather quiet night for the noted playboy. For some reason, deciding to make a complete lifestyle change had tapped out his hormonal urges for the time being. A mass of difficult thoughts are crammed inside his head, all raging to be the first one addressed.
It isn't easy becoming someone else...
(Is this really gonna work?) the blonde wonders, flicking the tip of his cigarette out the window. (I can't believe we're really gonna just pick up and stop being who we've been for...years. Goddamn. I've been nothin' but a piece of murderer shit for *years*, and I haven't even hit a quarter of a century yet. Heh. There's a story to tell your grandchildren...)
Something hidden crosses Youji's face as he takes in another long breath of nicotine air, allowing those bitter thoughts to sink in with a pang of...regret...he has never been able to share with anyone.
Only when we are alone are we truly ourselves.
No matter how open and real someone thinks they are in front of others, no one could possibly be who they really are when filled with the foolish pretense of fear at what others might think of them. And as if that wasn't bad enough, most people don't even realize when they have changed faces.
(I guess if all hope really was lost, *they* would've turned out just like us.) Youji reasons with a slight shift of heart, pushing his sunglasses up and away from the bridge of his nose to block out some of the sharp rays of sunlight shining in through the open window. (I mean, how different are we? Their pasts have to be at least as...complicated as ours, so how come they ended up so righteous, and we just ended up...what? What the hell am I doing? Beating myself up again...when angels straight from Heaven have landed on our doorstep. Hehe. I must be out of my mind. Just remembering when we first saw them...when we *really* saw them for who they are...how could I not see this as a positive situation?)
A coy little smile plays at the corner of Youji's lips, while his cigarette dangles between them.
(Those cute, little outfits they wore...just like us...fit perfectly to match each one's personality on a mission. That edgy chic, Nori, in a grey, native-style dress with high collar and long sleeves. Stiff and elegant. Then there's that fairy-child, wearing a deep green, zip-up shirt to show of her belly-button ring, and those adorable shorts. Amaya...she's spunky, a real pistol of spirit. Omi better watch himself.)
A low, humored laugh is released into the shivering air as Youji imagines Omi's usual encounters with women. The poor boy is far from experienced, and when such unique girls are involved in the equation, things can get pretty dangerous.
(Of course, I can't forget about my favorite...) the blonde continues, leaning back contentedly against the window pane. (Hiromi. God, is she gorgeous. Curves like I've never seen, and in that long, leather coat, short skirt, low-cut top, and all of it black with navy crosses on the arms. Heh...kinda like me, isn't she? No wonder. I always fall for the difficult ones.)
Wrapped up in his photographic memory, Youji lets his head fall to the side, gazing out his window upon the street below. As he does, a lone figure catches his eye and breaks into his reminiscing for a moment. Rosuto Aiko, long, red hair flowing freely in waves against the wind, has emerged from "Kitten's Cafe," making her way around the block and out of sight.
(...and then there's the leader...) Youji grins. (Where could she be off to this early on a Sunday? And wearing the same getup she had on that night...a dark purple dress, halter straps, and a low riding belt, with slits up the long skirt on both sides right up to her hips. Too bad she's got those tight, little shorts on underneath. Either way, it's certainly aces in my little, black book. I bet the other boys aren't even up yet to catch this glimpse of her. I guess I'm just the lucky one...)
*****
(I'm never the lucky one.)
Downstairs, beneath the apartment above "Kitty in the House," Ken is sitting alone behind the front counter, surrounded by darkness save the growing light filtering in from outside. Naturally, the humble flower shop is closed on a Sunday, but somehow the restless brunette was up and about even before his older teammate above him was awake, and he, too, catches the sight of Aiko leaving the shop across the street.
This vision stirs a very different array of thoughts, however. (Why did I have to be the one to meet Somali first?) Ken thinks scornfully, dismissing what significance Aiko's presence might have. (Nori...damn her! If one of the others had come across her first, maybe she wouldn't have so much desire to tear me down everytime we see each other. What's her problem, anyway!? I didn't do anything!)
An angered fist slams down on the countertop, reddening the skin in an area that always seems to take the blunt of its owner's aggressions. Absentmindedly, Ken tugs at the collar of his blue, button-down shirt to protect himself from the slight cold of morning. At this instinctive act, he instantly longs for the cozy comfort of "Kitten's Cafe" and all its charm, drifting his thoughts back to the first moment he had seen the woman who is so intently plaguing his mind.
(She looked so...radiant then...gentle...) he sighs, chocolate hair becoming mused as he swiftly shakes his head to clear out those treacherous thoughts. (And then she had to open her big, fat mouth and demean me for existing! Urrg, why can't I stop thinking about her?! We're going to be working together for the same goals. Everything will change after this...and all I can think about is how much I want to -!)
Like all buildings do with a shift in temperature, the shop chooses to breathe at just that moment, creaking slightly as the warmth of the sun begins to penetrate the cold from the night before. Startled, Ken's mind is unexpectedly cleared by this trifling jolt, and he feels so foolish for carrying on and acting like a child when deep down he knows what he must do.
(Listen to me...I'm such an idiot!) he reprimands himself. (I just have to go over there and talk this out with her...)
*****
(...just talk this out with her...no big deal...) Ken's flustered thoughts ramble on as he reaches "Kitten's" door, his hand trembling during the small trek from his side to the handle. (They're closed today, too, and she's the type of person to be up this early...right? Maybe this is a mistake...no! If I don't do this, we'll end up ripping each others' heads off, and I kinda like mine where it is, thank you. I *have* to do this.)
With difficult resolution, the young brunette grabs the handle tightly, carefully turning it as he pushes on the wooden door.
An instant rush of warm air greets him, tingling over his skin. There is a savory scent of cinnamon as he steps inside, closing the door behind him as quietly as he can, and it reminds him that in his haste he had neglected to eat breakfast.
(I suppose asking for something from the cafe stand on their day off wouldn't be the best way to start a conversation, would it?) Ken questions, hoping to humor his dreading mood.
No such luck.
It doesn't appear he'll have anyone to start up a conversation with anyway; the lights are dim and eerie, much like the atmosphere of "Kitty in the House" when everyone is asleep. But, if that is the case, and everyone is still in bed, why had the door been unlocked...?
"Do you have a reason for being here, or should I add breaking and entering to your long list of faults?"
Ken tenses, recognizing the voice all too well as a very awake and angry Kei Nori steps out from behind a bookshelf to his right. Though quite alert, it does appear the blue-haired, young woman has just recently woken up, for her tight curls are tousled in every which way, there are no glasses upon her face to narrow her gaze any more than it already is - as if it needed such a thing - and she is wearing nothing but a shimmery, navy robe.
"I...I just came by...to talk to you..." Ken stammers, feeling an awkward urge *not* to stare at her in fear of what she might infer next.
"Lucky me." Nori replies sarcastically, hands impatiently on her slender hips. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
All conviction lost, Ken fumbles for an answer, feeling more foolish than he has in a very long time. "The door...it was unlocked...I swear it was..."
"Wonderful. Aiko forgets to lock the door behind her, and I get stuck with *you*."
Ken remains immobile as the irate girl sweeps past him, turning the lock with an annoyed clang as she reaches it. Holding in a deep sigh, he can't help being thankful that she didn't throw him out of it first. He certainly wouldn't have put it past her.
"Well?" she prompts, after glaring at him for quite some time. "You said you came to talk to me, didn't you? So talk!"
The cozy feel of the room feels suddenly unbearably hot and uncomfortable. On the way over, Ken had worked this all out in his mind; just calmly talk to her and figure out why she is so set against him. That way they can get through this mission without ripping each other apart. Simple...right?
"I...well, I..."
"Spill it already, you simpering idiot!"
That is the final insult. "Damnit! Why the hell do you hate me so much!?!" Ken bellows, caught up in the moment of electricity between them. "All I ever did was ask for a book, and ever since then you've treated me like...like...like I don't have a right to exist! Believe me, you're no ray of sunshine with the others, but why do I get the shitty treatment? We're on the same side, you -"
"I never wanted you to be on our side!" Nori cuts in, stepping close enough for their noses to be within inches of each others. "I have one reason for being apart of this mission, and it has nothing to do with you!"
Ken is beside himself in disbelief. Once again she has boiled his temper way beyond the breaking point. "What reason? You think it's any more important than ours? You think you're better than us, that you've suffered more and experienced more pain than we have? Is that it!?"
"Yes!!" she answers firmly, with a scream powerful enough to knock a grown man off his feet, and nearly does exactly that to Ken.
How anyone could be filled with so much bitter, angry emotion, and seemingly nothing else, is more than a mystery, it's a horror. Life was never meant to be easy - something Ken has known for quite some time - but it certainly wasn't meant to be...Hell. No, most definitely not.
So, why does it almost always feel like it is?
Though Ken's determination is wavering in the face of this infuriated beauty, Nori is livid with animation that would frighten anyone to the point of running the other direction. "Do you know what it's like to loose everything and everyone you have ever cared about, and to be powerless to stop it?" she speaks in a fierce whisper, believing beyond a doubt that whatever answers Ken might give her, they couldn't possibly be yes. "Do you know what it feels like to have your family ripped away? To be abandoned and alone for no reason? To have your...to have someone you love slip away...without ever getting the chance to say goodbye...?"
Could those sparkles of light in Nori's haunting, silver eyes be the beginning of tears? Ken is certain he heard her breathy voice break several times while she berated him once again, so it is possible, though a very unexpected development indeed. As he looks back at her, the weary flame of rage within him is quickly turning to...understanding. Perhaps he and this young woman have something in common after all.
Realizing this epiphany of truth, Ken answers her softly, with deep remorse. "Yes." comes his tender voice, though he barely hears it himself. "I do know. I know exactly how that feels."
Clearly, Nori did not expect this heartfelt, honest reply, as her features soften, allowing one of those struggling tears to roll down her pale cheek without resistance.
"Surprised?" Ken questions, giving her a small smile. "I thought you were supposed to know everything about us? But...even the guys don't know...I had a family once, too. I had...a brother once...a life...outside of soccer and all the crap that messed it up for me."
"A brother...?" prompts a kindly voice, so the opposite of its previous malice, Ken is in slight disbelief that it came from the woman in front of him.
"Yeah..." Ken replies vaguely, unfocusing his eyes with the memory of it. "...I had a brother. My parents didn't live to see my J-League days, but...Toshiro...he was with me through everything. We grew up in a missionary after our parents died, and he took care of me. I wouldn't have even known what a soccer ball was if it hadn't been for him. He had so much faith in my skill, my dreams, and he was the only person in the world who believed me when I swore I hadn't thrown that game."
Nori seems confused, her normal countenance completely disrupted as she voices her inability to comprehend this. "But you joined Weiss almost immediately after that incident. There would have been something about your brother in the files."
"I know...I know very little time passed before I joined Weiss after being charged with gambling on the games..." he answers, looking intently into Nori's metallic eyes. "...but it was enough...enough for there to be nothing left of Toshiro to report *on* when I did."
The look on the navy-haired, young woman's face as Ken traces the details of her features with his eyes, makes him wonder how he ever found her infuriating. There is something so...motherly, so much the caretaker in her expression. It reminds him of how beautiful he found her that first time he saw her amongst the stacks.
"I had a brother once, too..." Nori reveals suddenly, a gentleness remaining in her voice far more fitting for such a graceful creature. "That's why I...why I've been singling you out. Granted, you're right that I seldom am...kind...to anyone, but with you I..." she pauses, furrowing her brow as she traces the lines of his face, just as he continues to trace hers. "...you remind me so much of him...I...I can't...it's not that you look like him, or sound like him, but...you feel like him somehow, and...when I'm around you...it brings back all the fear and anger I felt when he left me..."
"Left you...?" Ken repeats thoughtfully, on the brim of true understanding. "Your brother didn't die...did he?"
This question, more a statement than anything, sends a ripple of darkness over Nori's features, forcing her to avert her eyes and look purposefully at the floor. "He is alive...somewhere...and I am going to find him. I am going to grab him by the throat and demand to know why he abandoned me! Why...why I had to be alone...for so long...never knowing why...never having told him....goodbye...or...or that I loved him..."
There is no question this time whether tears are filling Nori's eyes, and slowly they begin falling like gentle rain down her face. Honestly, Ken couldn't think more highly of her for releasing them.
Knowing that more words is not what is needed right now, Ken crosses the slight gap between them in a step, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders and pulling her close in a single, fluid motion. Nori does not resist this brave act of comfort, but gives in willingly, leaning her head on his shoulder as she frees the emotions held bottled up inside for far longer than any ever should be.
Within this strange, new intimacy, Ken takes a small moment to ponder the humor in how this incredible creature before him is nearly an inch taller than he is. About the same height as Ran and his twin figure Aiko, he imagines.
Brushing off these thoughts, however, Ken holds Nori all the more tightly and tenderly, overjoyed that this encounter has not turned to blows as he thought it might, and contented even more in finally having someone know such a prescious secret.
This day does indeed spark with new beginnings. New choices, new chances, and...new fears...
*****
"No fear, Nanami. Do you understand?"
Misleading rays of golden sunlight illuminate the clearing of a secret flower field, surrounded by thickly branched trees. Despite the cloudless, brilliant sky, the day is chilly, brisk, and much more like the remnants of winter than the hope of summer heat. Uncaring of the weather, nevertheless, a young girl with hair and eyes the color of a Caribbean sea sits comfortably upon a blanket in the very center of thriving flowers, with a delicate shawl wrapped tightly around her. Beside the girl is another young woman, slightly older, with bare shoulders, though she seems quite impartial to the cold.
"I...I understand, Aiko-chan." Toto answers the red-head next to her. "I'm not afraid...just nervous."
Rosuto Aiko smiles warmly back at her companion, compassionately taking the timid girl's hands in her own. "It's alright to be apprehensive about this, Nanami. I'm only asking that you not allow yourself to *fear* this change. Be tentative - a very intelligent trait in new situations - but don't let that emotion stop you from accomplishing what you want."
Since the very break of day, Aiko has been in deep conversation with this child-like figure she has come to know in so short a time. Their previous meeting had lasted hours, talking of past pain, recent fears, and hope for a new start in life which Toto had long ago been robbed of.
It is a tragedy to imagine such a sweet, caring girl going through what she went through, and at such a young age. Losing her mother to be left in the care of a disturbed and abusive father, Toto had had to grow up far too quickly. So, naturally, she chose to revert - step back in time - and become the child she had never been allowed to be. All of this, completely subconsciously done, will be a great challenge to break through if Toto is ever going to become the woman she is meant to be.
Luckily for her, there is someone quite eager to take up that challenge.
"You're too nice to me. I don't deserve this." Toto whimpers, tugging the corners of her shawl more firmly around her.
"No, Nanami, that's not true at all." Aiko rebukes, purely glowing with inner warmth. "How can you think you don't deserve the chance at a real life? A happy life...with Nagi by your side?"
Teal eyes clench shut in shame. "Because...I listened to Papa Masafumi, and...hurt all those people..."
"It's not your fault you were blinded by your gratitude. He did save you from further scars, after all."
"But...I...I-"
"You are an extraordinary person, Nanami." Aiko cuts in intently, yet still with such gentleness. "Everyone does things in their lives they regret, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have a chance at making up for those mistakes. This isn't about pity, or...my wanting to alter someone who is beyond help, because you're not." she pauses slightly, allowing a sly smirk to enter her expression. "Do you know what the most powerful force in this world is, Nanami? Something that within itself makes a person worth redemption?"
Liquid eyes stare back at the confident, red-haired woman as Toto tilts her head questioningly, not sure how to answer.
"It's really quite simple, you know?" Aiko grins, standing suddenly, and skipping a few feet away with a peculiar spring in her step. "It's love!" she cries out, giggling like a child herself. "Love, Nanami. Just love. And you love Nagi, don't you? You want to be with him - live back in the bustle of life with him - both surrounded by friends who love you as well. Don't you?"
Toto nods furiously, the corners of her mouth beginning to twitch, mirroring Aiko's grin, as she slowly rises to join her exuberant and dauntless new friend.
"Then there is hope." Aiko states, taking Toto's hands again as the two meet. "And hope is all anyone needs."
The cold has faded away as the sun rises higher overhead, and two young women find joy in simplicity, chasing each other around the edges of the flower field like little girls without a care in the world.
It doesn't matter how old or wise we get as years pass. What matters is that we remember when it is perfectly glorious to be a child again, and...when it would be most wise to hold on to our adult senses of perception...
As Aiko dances past Toto once again, twirling freely with the will of the wind, she doesn't notice the small, misplaced stone about to disrupt her step...nor does she notice the figure coming through the trees...until landing softly at his feet after tripping over it.
A pair of small, grey shoes stare back at Aiko as she clears her slightly blurred vision from tumbling, and as she raises her head to see who these still feet belong to, she is met by the twisted and enraged face of a young boy with unruly, brown hair and cold, blue eyes.
(Nagi...)
Before Aiko can even think of what she might say, a sudden rush of air and weightlessness overcomes her body, and she very distinctly feels herself leaving the safety of the soft grass as she is raised up into the air.
"YOU!!" Naoe Nagi howls, throwing his arms up towards Aiko like a shot, which sends her flying backwards, yards through the air, until slamming up again the trunk of a rather large tree, where she remains painfully pinned a few feet above the ground. "You're the one from the warehouse! The one Crawford says will destroy us!"
"Nagi-kun, no!!" comes Toto's panicked scream as she rushes towards him. "She's my friend! Don't hurt her! It's that evil Crawford-san who's the bad one, not Aiko-chan!"
These deeply felt words prove only to infuriate Nagi more, and he stalks slowly across the field towards Aiko's contorted form with murder in his eyes. "Is that what you're doing here? Trying to turn Toto against me!!"
"...no...you don't understand...Crawford is...lying to you..." Aiko chokes out through grimaces of pain. "...Nanami...tell him..."
Aghast - feeling truly betrayed - Nagi looks to Toto, still unflinching as he keeps Aiko pinned against the tree.
"Listen, Nagi-kun." Toto whispers, in answer to those pleading eyes. "She wants to help us. Crawford-san is making you do things you don't have to. I...I want to be with you, but he keeps you away. Don't you want to be with me...?"
This is a sharp, wrenching blow, and Nagi visibly flinches from the force of it. "Of course I want to be with you, Toto." he replies, struggling to clear his throbbing mind. "But...how can you trust her? You have to understand, Crawford has seen her and those who follow her destroying Schwartz. His visions never fail."
"I do understand, Nagi-kun. Aiko-chan told me herself she wants to destroy Schwartz, and I hope she does!"
Nagi is taken aback by this, withdrawing away from Toto as she had from him only a few days before. "You would...let her kill me...?"
An eerie silence knifes through the flower field as an electric pulse of energy begins to wrap around them, emanating from Nagi's breaking heart. Still untrained in fully controlling his power, it flows out of him like a current to crush anyone in its wake when his emotions are beyond his control.
"No...Nagi-kun...please, listen..."
But he cannot hear her. All he hears is the memories of words he has heard for years on end, thrashing at his remaining humanity.
'...remember Hate...you were abandoned...unloved...the world never wanted you...you are a freak in the eyes of others...no one will ever accept you...everyone will turn against you in the end...only *we* are connected...those of us who know the world's chill...remember...remember Hate...'
Crawford's voice continues to echo in Nagi's mind, deafening out all sound, just as his tears blind him from seeing the truth right before his eyes.
Aiko has fallen to the ground beside the tree now - Nagi's attention having been drawn away - and she gasps for breath on hands and knees, unable to speak up in defense one way or another. Toto is left to face Nagi alone, vainly trying to make him understand what seems so clear and easy to her.
(What did I tell ya, kid? Should've fucked her when you had the chance.)
Pounding into Nagi's already pulsing mind, Schuldrich's nasal voice pushes the misguided boy over the edge completely with those crude words. He clutches the sides of his head, falling to his knees as the flowers and grass at his feet explode away with a forcefulness he rarely is powerful enough to produce.
Backpedaling swiftly, Toto lets out a fearful scream as she watches Nagi struggle with this sudden loss of control, but her fear quickly builds into something much more than concern as two more figures appear from within the surrounding trees.
As always, Schuldrich and Farfarello have followed Nagi on his visit, sent specifically by Crawford to keep an eye out for someone unexpected who might show up at the flower field. That's right, the only reason poor Nagi was allowed to come and see Toto today, though he had thought it would be weeks until he could again, was because Crawford predicted a new playmate would make an appearance.
"Just like I told you, Farfie." Schu purrs as he walks into the clearing, heading straight for Aiko at the base of that large tree. "And you thought we'd leave empty handed."
Farfarello tosses a slightly intrigued glance at Nagi as the two of them pass the pain-stricken boy, but his feet do not falter as they close in near the fallen red-head.
Only a few feet from Aiko herself, Toto tenses, realizing what is about to happen. Schwartz is going to take someone away from her again...
"No!" she cries. "Aiko-chan, you have to get up! Please get up! I...I don't want to lose everyone again! Please!"
"Now, now, little girl." Schu reprimands, advancing all the more with his slow, purposeful steps. "I won't hurt you for the kid's sake, but you better stay out our way if you don't want me to change my mind."
Aiko has cleared her head as best she can by now, and looks up from her hunched over position on the ground, taking note of the two members of Schwartz only a few yards away.
(...I'm such a fool...) she curses herself, struggling to get to her feet. (...the other night it would have been eight against four...but now I'm on my own...no weapon...nothing but myself and my powers. But how can I use them...? No, I can't! I'll run! I have to run!)
With one final glance at Toto, Aiko turns on her heals, sprinting into the thick of trees as fast as her aching muscles can carry her. A haunting sound of laughter and the echo of a frightening, almost inhuman howl, call after her as she dodges branches and tree stumps, not bothering to follow the well cleared path in hopes she might lose her hunters and somehow escape. The weary red-head knows there is little chance of that, however. She is exhausted from Nagi's attack, and the men who follow her are not only alert, but incredibly fast.
So fast, in fact, that Schuldrich suddenly jumps out from behind a tree a few feet in front of Aiko, after she had made her way almost halfway through the forest, and now blocks her path with a devastating smirk.
"Is that any way to begin a proper introduction?" he teases, jade eyes ready to follow her every movement as Aiko comes to a rough stop in front of him. "We just wanna have a little fun, after all. Ya see, you...you're gonna help us change the world." he pauses, grinning into her stricken features, and then suddenly looks past her, addressing someone unseen at her back. "Isn't that right...Farfie?"
Before Aiko can turn to face the figure she knows is just behind her, pale, scarred arms wrap around her body with shocking strength, forcing the air from her already winded lungs. Almost instantly, the lack of oxygen causes her vision to blur. She is already beaten, and she knows it. The one thing that might have saved her before things got this far, she had not been able to bring herself to use. And so, Rosuto Aiko slips off into unconsciousness, becoming the prized possession of the very people she has sworn to save.
*****
The world is suddenly turned upside down, because there is someone who needs to be saved.
"Kitty in the House" had proven to be quite peaceful for the remainder of the day. The shop itself was closed, of course, and the inhabitants of the apartment above had something to look forward to for the first time in longer than any of them could remember.
A future.
Everyone - except for Ken, who has been mysteriously missing since morning - is seated around the living room, absorbed in various activities. Omi is playing around on his laptop, surfing the Internet, though not for porn as Youji suggested; Yotan, after being refused the chance to surf himself, is sitting in his favorite armchair enjoying a movie; and Ran and Aya are surprisingly enjoying it with him, despite the surrealness of such an event.
Knowing that Ken is more than likely over at "Kitten's Cafe," no one is really worried about what the ex-J-leaguer is doing. At least, they hadn't given it too much thought...until he - along with three very panicked members of Fluesternd - came bursting into the room.
All eyes train in on the out of breath group as they stumble through the doorway, everyone anxiously waiting for someone to give an explanation as to what has caused such a disruption in their peaceful day. Finally, Hiromi steps forward, a very serious look on her usually cheerful features.
"We have a problem."
*****A/N***** Ooo, now it is really getting interesting! I love cliff-hangers. :-) Anyhoo, thanks for the reviews - constructive critisism and praise - and please keep reading. I am so glad you guys aren't letting the OC stuff drive you away, because they just belonged in the story, even if I usually don't like them either. Ja!!
Do any of us truly exist?
A question like that can be terrifying to some; not being able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. We all know the feeling - we've all had those inescapable dreams - so we know how it feels to be powerless even if we are stronger than all those around us.
So, if we can exist in a dream, or nightmare as the case may be, and not realize that we are in fact asleep, how can anyone be sure their own life isn't merely a bit of unconscious thought wrapped up in someone else's slumbering head?
We can't.
Not really. At least, not with unwavering conviction. There is always doubt, even the smallest shadow of a doubt, to taunt us. I suppose that is where faith comes in. Faith, Hope, and Love. Out of the ultimate three, faith has the most undefinable foundation. Everyone has experienced love in some form at some point in their life, and no matter who you are, you've felt hope, even if only for a fleeting moment.
So what of faith? To believe in something without proof - no - to believe in something without the need for proof. You can't get more difficult than that. We are logical creatures. Humankind demands solid fact, not implications. Not dreams.
Ah, how powerful dreams are, though. How monumental. We should all bow down before those who believe in dreams and fairy-tales, and we should grovel on our hands and knees before anyone rooted in faith, for such people are hard to come by these dark days. One might even say they are extinct.
Well, I wouldn't go that far...
*****
Fog. Everywhere a mist of rainbows and dizzying flashes of forgotten memory. The air is bitter and cold, tasteless though seemingly rich with life. Wrapped in a familiar yet lost atmosphere, the very ground is nothing but billows of smoke, and a sense of self is so very indistinct - though far more real than it was the last time he was here.
Blinking futilely past the blur of color and his own faded form, Brad Crawford recognizes where he is. Not long ago he had been in this very same state, catching only a momentary glimpse of something...someone...and the echo of distant laughter, before being brutally brought back to his sweat-soaked bed.
This time the landscape is clearer, however, though still very vague. Staring intently down, he confirms that the ground does indeed exist despite his weightless bearings. He is in fact standing on a hill, or rather hovering above it, and a few formless blobs - trees, he imagines - litter the area around him. The sky is nothing but a bright mass of misted air that burns his eyes to look at for too long, and there is something so tormenting about this place, yet he can't remember ever feeling he belonged anywhere as much as he feels he belongs here.
(This isn't our future...as I thought before...this is the past...) he concludes, hearing his thoughts bouncing about inside his head as if speaking into a megaphone beside his ears. (...I know this place...but from where...when...?)
He attempts to walk forward and investigate, but without proper footing or contact with the ground, he only sways in the breeze. Oh, how he longs to move furthur up the hill! For just ahead of him is that same clearing of color and fog as he had experienced in this place before, revealing a figure he longs to reach. There is more than curls to this person now; there is shape and movement. Brad feels an instant panic to run forward and swing them around to see who it is. Who could it possibly be? This...this...
(...girl.) the dark-haired, young man believes, knowing beyond a doubt that he is right. (...I know her...her voice...I can hear it...)
Floating around him in the very particles of air, a song-like laughter is indeed swelling and falling with the wind, causing a dull ache in his chest which he seldom allows himself to feel. The pang of loneliness, and the hope of escaping it once and for all.
"Hello?!" Brad's distant voice calls out, reaching with ghostly hands towards this vision of a young girl with ringlet strands. "Can you hear me?! Please, I must know who you are! Where are we!?! What's happening to me...?"
Curiously, Brad realizes he has spoken in English, something he hasn't done for years, even when alone. Though American, there has always been a fear in him to connect himself in anyway with that identity; with the memories of a world he can't quite remember. And somehow...somehow...he believes this girl knows the answers he has never been allowed to pursue.
As he is about to yell once more, Brad suddenly finds he has lost his voice. The girl is turning around. Perhaps she has heard him after all. Yes. Her curls bounce against slender shoulders as her head slowly begins to turn towards him. He is going to see her, see her face and...and instantly be wrapped up in a flood of memories that will explain everything he could never quite remember. Soon...so soon...he can almost see the outline of her delicate profile as her lovely laughter rings high and joyfully up into the clouds...
Black. Cut off from his misty world with a fierce and sudden shock of darkness, Brad knows he has lost the vision, and that what he now sees is merely the inside of his own eyelids. There is no more cold or fog or weightless sensation; he is once again in his bed, burning with an unbearable sweat, and all too aware of his heavy, exhausted body.
(Damnit! No...I was so close...so close. Why is this happening!! I-)
(Something wrong, Honey?) Someone else's voice breaks into his mind. (You've been screaming in your sleep again. Not out loud, of course, but *I* can always hear you...)
Sitting up roughly, Brad opens his bronze eyes like a flash, scowling murderously within the safe darkness of his room. There is no one inside with him, invading his space, but a familiar figure is most definitely nearby, invading something much more intimate: his mind.
(Schuldrich!!!) He yells within, using a resonance that would shatter glass if spoken aloud. (How many times do I have to warn you about prying into my head when I'm off guard?! You have no right to -)
(Oh, pull the stick out of your ass, Brad. It's a bit hard to ignore someone's private thoughts when they're broadcasting them out for all to hear, you know? All - meaning me - of course, but that's beside the point.)
Furious beyond words, Brad shuts Schuldrich out of his mind like a steel vault. There is the distinctive sound of something slamming hard against the wall outside his room, and he is vaguely aware that his act must have been forceful enough to throw the unsuspecting German against it, more than likely knocking him out. However, the American gives the matter little thought. There is far too many unknowns swimming about inside his throbbing head to occupy him.
What do these dreams of his mean? Who is the figure just out of reach whom he can't catch a proper glimpse of? What does she want? And why does he long so desperately to see her again as if her presence is a narcotic he has just become addicted to?
Hopefully, that isn't the case. Such desperate obsession with a possibly dangerous experience almost always ends one of two ways:
In regret...or...destruction...
*****
Self-destruction.
It is true that mankind has an innate sense of self-preservation, but imagine how many millions of ways we willingly destroy ourselves everyday. Cigarettes and alcohol alone can do wonders for the body, after all.
A chill, Spring breeze blows in like silk through the window, spiraling the thin stream of smoke from the newly lit cancer stick held limply in Kudo Youji's right hand. He has just recently woken up, rather early - for anyone, especially him - as he sits casually beside the windowsill, puffing out grey smoke to greet the bright light of morning.
It had been a rather quiet night for the noted playboy. For some reason, deciding to make a complete lifestyle change had tapped out his hormonal urges for the time being. A mass of difficult thoughts are crammed inside his head, all raging to be the first one addressed.
It isn't easy becoming someone else...
(Is this really gonna work?) the blonde wonders, flicking the tip of his cigarette out the window. (I can't believe we're really gonna just pick up and stop being who we've been for...years. Goddamn. I've been nothin' but a piece of murderer shit for *years*, and I haven't even hit a quarter of a century yet. Heh. There's a story to tell your grandchildren...)
Something hidden crosses Youji's face as he takes in another long breath of nicotine air, allowing those bitter thoughts to sink in with a pang of...regret...he has never been able to share with anyone.
Only when we are alone are we truly ourselves.
No matter how open and real someone thinks they are in front of others, no one could possibly be who they really are when filled with the foolish pretense of fear at what others might think of them. And as if that wasn't bad enough, most people don't even realize when they have changed faces.
(I guess if all hope really was lost, *they* would've turned out just like us.) Youji reasons with a slight shift of heart, pushing his sunglasses up and away from the bridge of his nose to block out some of the sharp rays of sunlight shining in through the open window. (I mean, how different are we? Their pasts have to be at least as...complicated as ours, so how come they ended up so righteous, and we just ended up...what? What the hell am I doing? Beating myself up again...when angels straight from Heaven have landed on our doorstep. Hehe. I must be out of my mind. Just remembering when we first saw them...when we *really* saw them for who they are...how could I not see this as a positive situation?)
A coy little smile plays at the corner of Youji's lips, while his cigarette dangles between them.
(Those cute, little outfits they wore...just like us...fit perfectly to match each one's personality on a mission. That edgy chic, Nori, in a grey, native-style dress with high collar and long sleeves. Stiff and elegant. Then there's that fairy-child, wearing a deep green, zip-up shirt to show of her belly-button ring, and those adorable shorts. Amaya...she's spunky, a real pistol of spirit. Omi better watch himself.)
A low, humored laugh is released into the shivering air as Youji imagines Omi's usual encounters with women. The poor boy is far from experienced, and when such unique girls are involved in the equation, things can get pretty dangerous.
(Of course, I can't forget about my favorite...) the blonde continues, leaning back contentedly against the window pane. (Hiromi. God, is she gorgeous. Curves like I've never seen, and in that long, leather coat, short skirt, low-cut top, and all of it black with navy crosses on the arms. Heh...kinda like me, isn't she? No wonder. I always fall for the difficult ones.)
Wrapped up in his photographic memory, Youji lets his head fall to the side, gazing out his window upon the street below. As he does, a lone figure catches his eye and breaks into his reminiscing for a moment. Rosuto Aiko, long, red hair flowing freely in waves against the wind, has emerged from "Kitten's Cafe," making her way around the block and out of sight.
(...and then there's the leader...) Youji grins. (Where could she be off to this early on a Sunday? And wearing the same getup she had on that night...a dark purple dress, halter straps, and a low riding belt, with slits up the long skirt on both sides right up to her hips. Too bad she's got those tight, little shorts on underneath. Either way, it's certainly aces in my little, black book. I bet the other boys aren't even up yet to catch this glimpse of her. I guess I'm just the lucky one...)
*****
(I'm never the lucky one.)
Downstairs, beneath the apartment above "Kitty in the House," Ken is sitting alone behind the front counter, surrounded by darkness save the growing light filtering in from outside. Naturally, the humble flower shop is closed on a Sunday, but somehow the restless brunette was up and about even before his older teammate above him was awake, and he, too, catches the sight of Aiko leaving the shop across the street.
This vision stirs a very different array of thoughts, however. (Why did I have to be the one to meet Somali first?) Ken thinks scornfully, dismissing what significance Aiko's presence might have. (Nori...damn her! If one of the others had come across her first, maybe she wouldn't have so much desire to tear me down everytime we see each other. What's her problem, anyway!? I didn't do anything!)
An angered fist slams down on the countertop, reddening the skin in an area that always seems to take the blunt of its owner's aggressions. Absentmindedly, Ken tugs at the collar of his blue, button-down shirt to protect himself from the slight cold of morning. At this instinctive act, he instantly longs for the cozy comfort of "Kitten's Cafe" and all its charm, drifting his thoughts back to the first moment he had seen the woman who is so intently plaguing his mind.
(She looked so...radiant then...gentle...) he sighs, chocolate hair becoming mused as he swiftly shakes his head to clear out those treacherous thoughts. (And then she had to open her big, fat mouth and demean me for existing! Urrg, why can't I stop thinking about her?! We're going to be working together for the same goals. Everything will change after this...and all I can think about is how much I want to -!)
Like all buildings do with a shift in temperature, the shop chooses to breathe at just that moment, creaking slightly as the warmth of the sun begins to penetrate the cold from the night before. Startled, Ken's mind is unexpectedly cleared by this trifling jolt, and he feels so foolish for carrying on and acting like a child when deep down he knows what he must do.
(Listen to me...I'm such an idiot!) he reprimands himself. (I just have to go over there and talk this out with her...)
*****
(...just talk this out with her...no big deal...) Ken's flustered thoughts ramble on as he reaches "Kitten's" door, his hand trembling during the small trek from his side to the handle. (They're closed today, too, and she's the type of person to be up this early...right? Maybe this is a mistake...no! If I don't do this, we'll end up ripping each others' heads off, and I kinda like mine where it is, thank you. I *have* to do this.)
With difficult resolution, the young brunette grabs the handle tightly, carefully turning it as he pushes on the wooden door.
An instant rush of warm air greets him, tingling over his skin. There is a savory scent of cinnamon as he steps inside, closing the door behind him as quietly as he can, and it reminds him that in his haste he had neglected to eat breakfast.
(I suppose asking for something from the cafe stand on their day off wouldn't be the best way to start a conversation, would it?) Ken questions, hoping to humor his dreading mood.
No such luck.
It doesn't appear he'll have anyone to start up a conversation with anyway; the lights are dim and eerie, much like the atmosphere of "Kitty in the House" when everyone is asleep. But, if that is the case, and everyone is still in bed, why had the door been unlocked...?
"Do you have a reason for being here, or should I add breaking and entering to your long list of faults?"
Ken tenses, recognizing the voice all too well as a very awake and angry Kei Nori steps out from behind a bookshelf to his right. Though quite alert, it does appear the blue-haired, young woman has just recently woken up, for her tight curls are tousled in every which way, there are no glasses upon her face to narrow her gaze any more than it already is - as if it needed such a thing - and she is wearing nothing but a shimmery, navy robe.
"I...I just came by...to talk to you..." Ken stammers, feeling an awkward urge *not* to stare at her in fear of what she might infer next.
"Lucky me." Nori replies sarcastically, hands impatiently on her slender hips. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
All conviction lost, Ken fumbles for an answer, feeling more foolish than he has in a very long time. "The door...it was unlocked...I swear it was..."
"Wonderful. Aiko forgets to lock the door behind her, and I get stuck with *you*."
Ken remains immobile as the irate girl sweeps past him, turning the lock with an annoyed clang as she reaches it. Holding in a deep sigh, he can't help being thankful that she didn't throw him out of it first. He certainly wouldn't have put it past her.
"Well?" she prompts, after glaring at him for quite some time. "You said you came to talk to me, didn't you? So talk!"
The cozy feel of the room feels suddenly unbearably hot and uncomfortable. On the way over, Ken had worked this all out in his mind; just calmly talk to her and figure out why she is so set against him. That way they can get through this mission without ripping each other apart. Simple...right?
"I...well, I..."
"Spill it already, you simpering idiot!"
That is the final insult. "Damnit! Why the hell do you hate me so much!?!" Ken bellows, caught up in the moment of electricity between them. "All I ever did was ask for a book, and ever since then you've treated me like...like...like I don't have a right to exist! Believe me, you're no ray of sunshine with the others, but why do I get the shitty treatment? We're on the same side, you -"
"I never wanted you to be on our side!" Nori cuts in, stepping close enough for their noses to be within inches of each others. "I have one reason for being apart of this mission, and it has nothing to do with you!"
Ken is beside himself in disbelief. Once again she has boiled his temper way beyond the breaking point. "What reason? You think it's any more important than ours? You think you're better than us, that you've suffered more and experienced more pain than we have? Is that it!?"
"Yes!!" she answers firmly, with a scream powerful enough to knock a grown man off his feet, and nearly does exactly that to Ken.
How anyone could be filled with so much bitter, angry emotion, and seemingly nothing else, is more than a mystery, it's a horror. Life was never meant to be easy - something Ken has known for quite some time - but it certainly wasn't meant to be...Hell. No, most definitely not.
So, why does it almost always feel like it is?
Though Ken's determination is wavering in the face of this infuriated beauty, Nori is livid with animation that would frighten anyone to the point of running the other direction. "Do you know what it's like to loose everything and everyone you have ever cared about, and to be powerless to stop it?" she speaks in a fierce whisper, believing beyond a doubt that whatever answers Ken might give her, they couldn't possibly be yes. "Do you know what it feels like to have your family ripped away? To be abandoned and alone for no reason? To have your...to have someone you love slip away...without ever getting the chance to say goodbye...?"
Could those sparkles of light in Nori's haunting, silver eyes be the beginning of tears? Ken is certain he heard her breathy voice break several times while she berated him once again, so it is possible, though a very unexpected development indeed. As he looks back at her, the weary flame of rage within him is quickly turning to...understanding. Perhaps he and this young woman have something in common after all.
Realizing this epiphany of truth, Ken answers her softly, with deep remorse. "Yes." comes his tender voice, though he barely hears it himself. "I do know. I know exactly how that feels."
Clearly, Nori did not expect this heartfelt, honest reply, as her features soften, allowing one of those struggling tears to roll down her pale cheek without resistance.
"Surprised?" Ken questions, giving her a small smile. "I thought you were supposed to know everything about us? But...even the guys don't know...I had a family once, too. I had...a brother once...a life...outside of soccer and all the crap that messed it up for me."
"A brother...?" prompts a kindly voice, so the opposite of its previous malice, Ken is in slight disbelief that it came from the woman in front of him.
"Yeah..." Ken replies vaguely, unfocusing his eyes with the memory of it. "...I had a brother. My parents didn't live to see my J-League days, but...Toshiro...he was with me through everything. We grew up in a missionary after our parents died, and he took care of me. I wouldn't have even known what a soccer ball was if it hadn't been for him. He had so much faith in my skill, my dreams, and he was the only person in the world who believed me when I swore I hadn't thrown that game."
Nori seems confused, her normal countenance completely disrupted as she voices her inability to comprehend this. "But you joined Weiss almost immediately after that incident. There would have been something about your brother in the files."
"I know...I know very little time passed before I joined Weiss after being charged with gambling on the games..." he answers, looking intently into Nori's metallic eyes. "...but it was enough...enough for there to be nothing left of Toshiro to report *on* when I did."
The look on the navy-haired, young woman's face as Ken traces the details of her features with his eyes, makes him wonder how he ever found her infuriating. There is something so...motherly, so much the caretaker in her expression. It reminds him of how beautiful he found her that first time he saw her amongst the stacks.
"I had a brother once, too..." Nori reveals suddenly, a gentleness remaining in her voice far more fitting for such a graceful creature. "That's why I...why I've been singling you out. Granted, you're right that I seldom am...kind...to anyone, but with you I..." she pauses, furrowing her brow as she traces the lines of his face, just as he continues to trace hers. "...you remind me so much of him...I...I can't...it's not that you look like him, or sound like him, but...you feel like him somehow, and...when I'm around you...it brings back all the fear and anger I felt when he left me..."
"Left you...?" Ken repeats thoughtfully, on the brim of true understanding. "Your brother didn't die...did he?"
This question, more a statement than anything, sends a ripple of darkness over Nori's features, forcing her to avert her eyes and look purposefully at the floor. "He is alive...somewhere...and I am going to find him. I am going to grab him by the throat and demand to know why he abandoned me! Why...why I had to be alone...for so long...never knowing why...never having told him....goodbye...or...or that I loved him..."
There is no question this time whether tears are filling Nori's eyes, and slowly they begin falling like gentle rain down her face. Honestly, Ken couldn't think more highly of her for releasing them.
Knowing that more words is not what is needed right now, Ken crosses the slight gap between them in a step, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders and pulling her close in a single, fluid motion. Nori does not resist this brave act of comfort, but gives in willingly, leaning her head on his shoulder as she frees the emotions held bottled up inside for far longer than any ever should be.
Within this strange, new intimacy, Ken takes a small moment to ponder the humor in how this incredible creature before him is nearly an inch taller than he is. About the same height as Ran and his twin figure Aiko, he imagines.
Brushing off these thoughts, however, Ken holds Nori all the more tightly and tenderly, overjoyed that this encounter has not turned to blows as he thought it might, and contented even more in finally having someone know such a prescious secret.
This day does indeed spark with new beginnings. New choices, new chances, and...new fears...
*****
"No fear, Nanami. Do you understand?"
Misleading rays of golden sunlight illuminate the clearing of a secret flower field, surrounded by thickly branched trees. Despite the cloudless, brilliant sky, the day is chilly, brisk, and much more like the remnants of winter than the hope of summer heat. Uncaring of the weather, nevertheless, a young girl with hair and eyes the color of a Caribbean sea sits comfortably upon a blanket in the very center of thriving flowers, with a delicate shawl wrapped tightly around her. Beside the girl is another young woman, slightly older, with bare shoulders, though she seems quite impartial to the cold.
"I...I understand, Aiko-chan." Toto answers the red-head next to her. "I'm not afraid...just nervous."
Rosuto Aiko smiles warmly back at her companion, compassionately taking the timid girl's hands in her own. "It's alright to be apprehensive about this, Nanami. I'm only asking that you not allow yourself to *fear* this change. Be tentative - a very intelligent trait in new situations - but don't let that emotion stop you from accomplishing what you want."
Since the very break of day, Aiko has been in deep conversation with this child-like figure she has come to know in so short a time. Their previous meeting had lasted hours, talking of past pain, recent fears, and hope for a new start in life which Toto had long ago been robbed of.
It is a tragedy to imagine such a sweet, caring girl going through what she went through, and at such a young age. Losing her mother to be left in the care of a disturbed and abusive father, Toto had had to grow up far too quickly. So, naturally, she chose to revert - step back in time - and become the child she had never been allowed to be. All of this, completely subconsciously done, will be a great challenge to break through if Toto is ever going to become the woman she is meant to be.
Luckily for her, there is someone quite eager to take up that challenge.
"You're too nice to me. I don't deserve this." Toto whimpers, tugging the corners of her shawl more firmly around her.
"No, Nanami, that's not true at all." Aiko rebukes, purely glowing with inner warmth. "How can you think you don't deserve the chance at a real life? A happy life...with Nagi by your side?"
Teal eyes clench shut in shame. "Because...I listened to Papa Masafumi, and...hurt all those people..."
"It's not your fault you were blinded by your gratitude. He did save you from further scars, after all."
"But...I...I-"
"You are an extraordinary person, Nanami." Aiko cuts in intently, yet still with such gentleness. "Everyone does things in their lives they regret, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have a chance at making up for those mistakes. This isn't about pity, or...my wanting to alter someone who is beyond help, because you're not." she pauses slightly, allowing a sly smirk to enter her expression. "Do you know what the most powerful force in this world is, Nanami? Something that within itself makes a person worth redemption?"
Liquid eyes stare back at the confident, red-haired woman as Toto tilts her head questioningly, not sure how to answer.
"It's really quite simple, you know?" Aiko grins, standing suddenly, and skipping a few feet away with a peculiar spring in her step. "It's love!" she cries out, giggling like a child herself. "Love, Nanami. Just love. And you love Nagi, don't you? You want to be with him - live back in the bustle of life with him - both surrounded by friends who love you as well. Don't you?"
Toto nods furiously, the corners of her mouth beginning to twitch, mirroring Aiko's grin, as she slowly rises to join her exuberant and dauntless new friend.
"Then there is hope." Aiko states, taking Toto's hands again as the two meet. "And hope is all anyone needs."
The cold has faded away as the sun rises higher overhead, and two young women find joy in simplicity, chasing each other around the edges of the flower field like little girls without a care in the world.
It doesn't matter how old or wise we get as years pass. What matters is that we remember when it is perfectly glorious to be a child again, and...when it would be most wise to hold on to our adult senses of perception...
As Aiko dances past Toto once again, twirling freely with the will of the wind, she doesn't notice the small, misplaced stone about to disrupt her step...nor does she notice the figure coming through the trees...until landing softly at his feet after tripping over it.
A pair of small, grey shoes stare back at Aiko as she clears her slightly blurred vision from tumbling, and as she raises her head to see who these still feet belong to, she is met by the twisted and enraged face of a young boy with unruly, brown hair and cold, blue eyes.
(Nagi...)
Before Aiko can even think of what she might say, a sudden rush of air and weightlessness overcomes her body, and she very distinctly feels herself leaving the safety of the soft grass as she is raised up into the air.
"YOU!!" Naoe Nagi howls, throwing his arms up towards Aiko like a shot, which sends her flying backwards, yards through the air, until slamming up again the trunk of a rather large tree, where she remains painfully pinned a few feet above the ground. "You're the one from the warehouse! The one Crawford says will destroy us!"
"Nagi-kun, no!!" comes Toto's panicked scream as she rushes towards him. "She's my friend! Don't hurt her! It's that evil Crawford-san who's the bad one, not Aiko-chan!"
These deeply felt words prove only to infuriate Nagi more, and he stalks slowly across the field towards Aiko's contorted form with murder in his eyes. "Is that what you're doing here? Trying to turn Toto against me!!"
"...no...you don't understand...Crawford is...lying to you..." Aiko chokes out through grimaces of pain. "...Nanami...tell him..."
Aghast - feeling truly betrayed - Nagi looks to Toto, still unflinching as he keeps Aiko pinned against the tree.
"Listen, Nagi-kun." Toto whispers, in answer to those pleading eyes. "She wants to help us. Crawford-san is making you do things you don't have to. I...I want to be with you, but he keeps you away. Don't you want to be with me...?"
This is a sharp, wrenching blow, and Nagi visibly flinches from the force of it. "Of course I want to be with you, Toto." he replies, struggling to clear his throbbing mind. "But...how can you trust her? You have to understand, Crawford has seen her and those who follow her destroying Schwartz. His visions never fail."
"I do understand, Nagi-kun. Aiko-chan told me herself she wants to destroy Schwartz, and I hope she does!"
Nagi is taken aback by this, withdrawing away from Toto as she had from him only a few days before. "You would...let her kill me...?"
An eerie silence knifes through the flower field as an electric pulse of energy begins to wrap around them, emanating from Nagi's breaking heart. Still untrained in fully controlling his power, it flows out of him like a current to crush anyone in its wake when his emotions are beyond his control.
"No...Nagi-kun...please, listen..."
But he cannot hear her. All he hears is the memories of words he has heard for years on end, thrashing at his remaining humanity.
'...remember Hate...you were abandoned...unloved...the world never wanted you...you are a freak in the eyes of others...no one will ever accept you...everyone will turn against you in the end...only *we* are connected...those of us who know the world's chill...remember...remember Hate...'
Crawford's voice continues to echo in Nagi's mind, deafening out all sound, just as his tears blind him from seeing the truth right before his eyes.
Aiko has fallen to the ground beside the tree now - Nagi's attention having been drawn away - and she gasps for breath on hands and knees, unable to speak up in defense one way or another. Toto is left to face Nagi alone, vainly trying to make him understand what seems so clear and easy to her.
(What did I tell ya, kid? Should've fucked her when you had the chance.)
Pounding into Nagi's already pulsing mind, Schuldrich's nasal voice pushes the misguided boy over the edge completely with those crude words. He clutches the sides of his head, falling to his knees as the flowers and grass at his feet explode away with a forcefulness he rarely is powerful enough to produce.
Backpedaling swiftly, Toto lets out a fearful scream as she watches Nagi struggle with this sudden loss of control, but her fear quickly builds into something much more than concern as two more figures appear from within the surrounding trees.
As always, Schuldrich and Farfarello have followed Nagi on his visit, sent specifically by Crawford to keep an eye out for someone unexpected who might show up at the flower field. That's right, the only reason poor Nagi was allowed to come and see Toto today, though he had thought it would be weeks until he could again, was because Crawford predicted a new playmate would make an appearance.
"Just like I told you, Farfie." Schu purrs as he walks into the clearing, heading straight for Aiko at the base of that large tree. "And you thought we'd leave empty handed."
Farfarello tosses a slightly intrigued glance at Nagi as the two of them pass the pain-stricken boy, but his feet do not falter as they close in near the fallen red-head.
Only a few feet from Aiko herself, Toto tenses, realizing what is about to happen. Schwartz is going to take someone away from her again...
"No!" she cries. "Aiko-chan, you have to get up! Please get up! I...I don't want to lose everyone again! Please!"
"Now, now, little girl." Schu reprimands, advancing all the more with his slow, purposeful steps. "I won't hurt you for the kid's sake, but you better stay out our way if you don't want me to change my mind."
Aiko has cleared her head as best she can by now, and looks up from her hunched over position on the ground, taking note of the two members of Schwartz only a few yards away.
(...I'm such a fool...) she curses herself, struggling to get to her feet. (...the other night it would have been eight against four...but now I'm on my own...no weapon...nothing but myself and my powers. But how can I use them...? No, I can't! I'll run! I have to run!)
With one final glance at Toto, Aiko turns on her heals, sprinting into the thick of trees as fast as her aching muscles can carry her. A haunting sound of laughter and the echo of a frightening, almost inhuman howl, call after her as she dodges branches and tree stumps, not bothering to follow the well cleared path in hopes she might lose her hunters and somehow escape. The weary red-head knows there is little chance of that, however. She is exhausted from Nagi's attack, and the men who follow her are not only alert, but incredibly fast.
So fast, in fact, that Schuldrich suddenly jumps out from behind a tree a few feet in front of Aiko, after she had made her way almost halfway through the forest, and now blocks her path with a devastating smirk.
"Is that any way to begin a proper introduction?" he teases, jade eyes ready to follow her every movement as Aiko comes to a rough stop in front of him. "We just wanna have a little fun, after all. Ya see, you...you're gonna help us change the world." he pauses, grinning into her stricken features, and then suddenly looks past her, addressing someone unseen at her back. "Isn't that right...Farfie?"
Before Aiko can turn to face the figure she knows is just behind her, pale, scarred arms wrap around her body with shocking strength, forcing the air from her already winded lungs. Almost instantly, the lack of oxygen causes her vision to blur. She is already beaten, and she knows it. The one thing that might have saved her before things got this far, she had not been able to bring herself to use. And so, Rosuto Aiko slips off into unconsciousness, becoming the prized possession of the very people she has sworn to save.
*****
The world is suddenly turned upside down, because there is someone who needs to be saved.
"Kitty in the House" had proven to be quite peaceful for the remainder of the day. The shop itself was closed, of course, and the inhabitants of the apartment above had something to look forward to for the first time in longer than any of them could remember.
A future.
Everyone - except for Ken, who has been mysteriously missing since morning - is seated around the living room, absorbed in various activities. Omi is playing around on his laptop, surfing the Internet, though not for porn as Youji suggested; Yotan, after being refused the chance to surf himself, is sitting in his favorite armchair enjoying a movie; and Ran and Aya are surprisingly enjoying it with him, despite the surrealness of such an event.
Knowing that Ken is more than likely over at "Kitten's Cafe," no one is really worried about what the ex-J-leaguer is doing. At least, they hadn't given it too much thought...until he - along with three very panicked members of Fluesternd - came bursting into the room.
All eyes train in on the out of breath group as they stumble through the doorway, everyone anxiously waiting for someone to give an explanation as to what has caused such a disruption in their peaceful day. Finally, Hiromi steps forward, a very serious look on her usually cheerful features.
"We have a problem."
*****A/N***** Ooo, now it is really getting interesting! I love cliff-hangers. :-) Anyhoo, thanks for the reviews - constructive critisism and praise - and please keep reading. I am so glad you guys aren't letting the OC stuff drive you away, because they just belonged in the story, even if I usually don't like them either. Ja!!