Chapter 1


Suzuno Oosugi loked up from her book and gazed longlingly out the window. It was just too beautiful a day to be stuck inside studying. Slowly, she got up and opened the window. A light breeze played across her face, making her bangs tickle her forehead. She slipped her leg out the window and searched for a fotting on the wood plank roof. The wood was delightfully warm under her feet.


She made her way to the terrace. She climbed down the terrance, being careful to avoid smashing the flowers. She paused and looked in the kitchen window to make sure her mother could not see her. When she was positive the kitchen was empty she jumped down to the grass and ran away from her house. When she was out of sight of the house, Suzuno flopped down on the ground. She looked up at the clouds and breathed in deeply.


She had run out of her house many times to the fields. She and her parents lived out in the country ever since Suzuno was a baby. She wasn't home schooled, hower, but traveled a half an hour to reach the local high school. Suzuno turned over and scratched her knee lazily. She looked over at the woods. It was there she met her best and only friend. She had been escaping her studies when she ran into Takiko Okudo.


A quiet, yet lovable girl, Takiko lived with her father a little whiles a way from Suzuno's family. While Suzuno attended the high school, Takiko was home schooled by her father. Suzuno picked a blade of grass and twirled it in her hand. It had been a month since she had last seen Takiko and it was about time she visited her. Suzuno got up and started walking through the grass.


***


It only took her 30 minutes to reach Takiko's house at a brisk walk. Takiko lived in a very large house. Her father was a renowned scholar and author, so there were papers and books scattered all around. Takiko had tried to keep up the house after her mother died when she was eleven, but it had turned to be too much work for her so her father had hired a maid. Mr. Okudo was a kind man, who always had something interesting to say. He often helped Suzuno with her homework when her parents were busy, as they oftentimes were. Suzuno's mother was a secretary for a law firm in the city, where her father was the top lawyer. They had become good friends with Mr. Okudo after Suzuno and Takiko had met. They respected his judgement and often when Mr. Oosugi had a tought case he asked for his advice.


Mr Okudo loved his daughter dearly but always seemed to have some sadness in his eyes that only Suzuno could see when he looked at her, especially of late. Suzuno felt guilty because she hadn't visited Takiko, being too busy with her studies, at her parents request. She reached the house, but something wasn't quite right.


There was an ambulence and several police cars in the Okudo's gravel driveway. There were other people there, including a tall woman with long black hair and a tall man with dark brown hair– Suzuno's parents. Curiosity overpowered her, and Suzuno walked towards the driveway, completely forgetting she was supposed to be studying. Her fahter saw her first, and alterted her mother, who turned to her daughter with wells of sympathy in her eyes.


Suzuno looked at her parents. "What's going on? Father, why aren't you at work?" but then she saw it. Two strechers were lying on the ground by the ambulence, their occupants covered with light blue cloths. Suzuno put a hand to her mouth. She somehow knew what her mother was going to say before she said it.


"Suzuno... honey. Takiko and Mr. Okudo... they're dead."


******


The next month passed by in a daze for Suzuno. She didn't know what to do any more. She slept mostly, but sleep couldn't hide the pain of her loss. She didn't have any other friends to comfort her, and life was unbearable. But one day, as Suzuno was trying to study a package came for her. It was a large, plain cardboard box. Suzuno opened it rapidly. Inside the box were photo albums, books, notebooks and a worn teddy bear.


"Takiko's things." Suzuno realized.


She flipped through the photos, reliving happy memories. Tear brimming in her eyes, she pulled out Takiko's diary. It only took an hour to get to that entry and instead of the usual "Dear Diary," it started "Dear Suzuno."


Suzuno read the entry, her palms sweating.


"Dear Suzuno. I know I am not here any more, and I hope my death did not cause you too much pain. You are my only and greatest friend, and the last thing I would ever want is to cause you pain. But I can't go on. It never said how much heartbreak it would bring. But I can't be with him, so I can no longer live. The book is a blessing, and a curse. Don't read it unless you are certain you wont fall in love. I made that mistake. Father realizes my pain, and he suffers for it. I think I can convince him to help my take the pain away. Remember, don't take it seriously. Farewell, Takiko.

Postscript: If you ever run into someone named Namame, tell him I'm waiting."


Suzuno was more convused than sad at this letter. "Book? Namame? Love? What is she talking about?" But at that moment, she glanced in the box and saw something. It was a book, fairly new looking. Suzuno felt compelled to open that book, so she did. It looked like just a book. "The Universe of the Four Gods. Japanese Translation by Einosuke Okuda." The book read. Suzuno looked at the name of her friends father, and didn't think into it. Mr. Okuda had translated many old stories, many of which Suzuno had read. She slowly opened the book and started to read.


"This is the tale of a girl who made her dreams come true after she gathered the Seven Stars of Byakko; and many powers were bestowed upon her. The story itself is an enchanted text. The one who reads it entirely will be granted the powers and given the wishes just as the girl was. For it begins and becomes real the moment the first page is turned..."

Takiko. Suzuno thought. I can bring back Takiko.

As she read, a bright, white light started to envelope her. She noticed it, and tried to scream, but hse couldn't, she only got the sensation of flying.

((A/N: Welp, I hope y'all like that! I enjoyed writing it. I want to make this the best serious story I have ever written. Yep. Read and Review please))