Chapter One - The Beginning
It was the last class of the day before school ended for the second trimester, and of course, everyone was excited, students and teachers alike. But with the excitement buzzing in the air, the teachers had a hard time controlling their classes, and when it came to the last class of the day, they had given up.
"Sakura. Sakura! Ne, Sakura!"
Kyouko Sakura, age 17, sat in her usual seat, her chin propped up on her hand as she stared dreamily out the window. Throughout the entire day, she had found it hard to pay attention, and it was very unlike her as she was always the most attentive in class. No one could blame her, really, since it was the last day and all, but Sainoji Maaya was less forgiving than everyone else, especially when her best friend was involved.
"Kyouko Sakura!" Maaya yelled, reaching out and smacking her friend upside the head.
"Itai!" yelped Sakura as her head lashed forward, nearly hitting the desk. Muttering something or other, she reached up to rub the back of her head where she had been hit, her long blue hair falling over her shoulders.
"What's up with you? You've been staring out the window all day." The brunette reached up to brush her bangs out of her eyes as she kept her gaze focused on Sakura.
"Gomen. I just can't seem to concentrate today," Sakura smiled sheepishly, looking towards Maaya as she pushed her hair back behind her shoulder.
"Busy thinking about your invisible boyfriend, Kyouko?" a high-pitched voice called from across the room, immediately followed by a bunch of snickering.
Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned around in her seat and started before Maaya could open her mouth. "Really, Kimiko, why don't you think about what you're going to say before opening your mouth? Maybe that way you wouldn't sound so immature." A few of Sakura's friends were sitting near her and "oooo'ed" at the retort.
Kimiko threw her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder as she rolled her eyes. "Face it, Sakura, you can't get yourself a boyfriend so you just sit there all day daydreaming about one! It's a shame you can't get one like us," she replied, looking around to her little clique, all of them nodding and smirking.
Blinking a few times, Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Like you? Now why would I want to be like one of you little Howard Beach Bimbos?" With a shake of her head, she turned around in her chair back to her friends, giving Maaya a high-five and leaving the 'Snob Squad' to blink dumbfoundedly at the remark.
Maaya quickly turned around towards Kimiko and held her hand to her mouth as if she were holding a microphone. "Just to let our viewers at home know the current score in the exciting match of Sakura vs. the Snob Squad, it's Sakura one, Snob Squad zero! Back to you, Johnny!" she grinned, turning back around towards her friends, leaving the airheads to roll their eyes.
"They really need to take the sticks outta' their asses," Sikoro commented, casting a glare at the group of girls.
"I know! What do they even have against you, Sakura? Bet they're just jealous!" Sora, another of Sakura's friends, muttered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over chest.
Sakura shrugged, trying to push the thought from her mind, but those girls had always gotten on her nerves, and lately, she had trouble trying to ignore them. "I don't know, really, but it's starting to get to me. They never bothered me that much before." she trailed off.
Maaya, seeing a look of distant confusion cross Sakura's face, frowned and lightly punched her friend on the shoulder. "Come on! Don't let them get to you now! The bell's gonna' ring in just a few minutes, and then we're home free!"
"You're right," Sakura grinned, catching Maaya's enthusiasm and lightly punched her friend on the shoulder in return. But deep down, she was still unable to completely shrug off the strange feeling that was bothering her.
The bell rang a few minutes later, and all the classrooms were emptied in a new record. Sakura and friends were very anxious to get out of school, but they still took their time getting their things from their lockers before leaving the building, chatting all the while. For the most part, everyone had gone home, but a few kids hung out around the school grounds, most either talking or saying goodbyes, and some playing sports.
"Here!" called one of the guys playing soccer as he ran forward, his foot whipping out to kick the ball towards the goal, but it went slightly off course and headed for the group of girls.
"Abudai!"
Maaya didn't notice the ball heading straight for the back of her head, but luckily Sakura did. Turning around quickly, she dropped her bag and leapt into the air, body pivoting as her right leg snapped out to kick the soccer ball right back to the guy, her skirt flapping upwards as she landed and quickly turned to make sure the boy had caught the ball.
The boy fell back a couple of steps as he caught the ball, his arms aching from the force of the ball. He blinked a few times before looking up at Sakura, "S-sugoi!"
"Wow!"
"Did you see that?!"
The whole schoolyard had seen the entire thing, and everyone was cheering and clapping, a few of the younger boys blushing from catching a glimpse of the unexpected panty shot.
Amidst the yelling, Sakura quickly picked up her bag and put her hand to the back of her head, chuckling nervously. She wasn't the kind of person who loved being in the spotlight, and as soon as she could, she pushed the rest of her group out the gates
Once they were out on the street walking home, Sikoro jumped out front, turning around and laughing. "Did you see that?! The Snob Squad looked as though they were going to burst!" She continued laughing, walking backwards for a bit.
"I know!" Sora joined in. "Their faces were so red, I thought steam was gonna' come out of their ears!"
As the two whooped and hollered, Maaya grinned from ear to ear, but stopped as she noticed the strange look on Sakura's face. "Sakura?" she asked, waving a hand in front of Sakura's face. "Daijoubu?"
Blinking once or twice, Sakura looked up. "Nani?"
Maaya adjusted her bag and held it over her shoulder, stopping as she placed a hand on her hip. "What's up?"
"N-nothing!" Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I'm fine, really!"
Making a face, Maaya shook her head and reached forward, placing the back of her hand to Sakura's forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever. Is it your time of the month?" she snickered.
"Maaya-chan!" Sakura scowled looking towards her best friend. "Honestly... I'm okay. I just-"
Sakura.
For a moment, Sakura's eyes went wide, a flash of white clouding her vision before she fell to her knees. Leaves made of ice began falling from the sky and landing all around her. She couldn't hear the calls of her friends, but she could feel the icy touch of one of the leaves brushing up against her cheek. Her body shuddered in response and her hands tightly gripped her arms.
"Sakura!"
With a gasp, Sakura snapped her head back, realizing she hadn't been breathing. As she felt warm arms shake her shoulders, she breathed heavily, looking around but not seeing the leaves anywhere. "G-gomen." she rasped, slowly getting a hold of her senses once more. "I just felt a little dizzy, is all." With the support of her concerned friends, she got back to her feet and brushed herself off, already feeling a lot better. "I'm okay, really," she said, looking into the concerned eyes of her friends.
With a click of her tongue, Maaya handed Sakura back her bag. "Maybe you should take a nap when you get home."
Sakura nodded in response, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I will. I didn't sleep well last night, so that's probably what's been bugging me all day." She smiled softly, looking towards Maaya. The shorter girl muttered something or other before nodding.
"All right, but if you're lying, so help me." she threatened, rolling up an imaginary sleeve as she grinned, a devious glint in her eye.
"Hai, hai! Wakateru!" After a few moments, the girls continued on, talking about what they were going to do during the break. Every now and then, Maaya cast a worried glance towards Sakura, but sighed thankfully when she saw her friend seemed like her old self. When they neared Sakura's house, Sora piped up. "Ne, Sakura! We're all going shopping at the mall tomorrow. You wanna' come with us?"
Sakura nodded, taking a step away from the girls and turning back to them. "Sure!" she smiled. "Just stop by my house and pick me up whenever you guys are ready. Ja ne!" She waved before turning around and walking towards her house.
Maaya cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Sakura! Make sure you lock up! We wouldn't want you getting stolen, what with all the recent burglaries!"
Sora and Sikoro chuckled as Sakura raised her hand to wave at them without turning around. "Yeah, yeah!"
---
Within five minutes, Sakura was walking up the front steps of her house. Closing the door behind her, she kicked off her shoes and placed her bag down. "Tou-san! I'm home!" she called out, slipping on her slippers and padding into the living room. "Tou-san?" There was no reply. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she made her way into the kitchen and glanced at the board above the phone. "Baka, Sakura!" she scolded herself.
Dad gone for 2 weeks on business trip in the United States read the board.
"I really must be tired," she shook her head, grabbing her school bag before climbing the stairs to her room, the rubber bottoms of her slippers gently smacking against the wooden steps. Placing her bag down on her bed, she glanced out the window, wondering if she would have enough time to practice before making dinner. "It would do you good." she murmured to herself as she remembered everything that happened within the last half hour. For now, she would put those thoughts aside and calm her body like she did every night.
Grabbing a change of clothes, she scooted into her bathroom and changed out of her light blue school uniform and into the simpler practice outfit, which consisted of a plain white shirt and oversized green pants, a very traditional outfit for people back in Ancient Japan, especially shrine priestesses. Sakura pulled her long blue hair into a tight ponytail, grabbed her bokken, and made her way back downstairs and out into the backyard.
The backyard was her favorite place on their property, for many reasons. For one, it was very large and spacious, and since her father was such a flower freak, there were plenty of flowers growing year round, permeating the yard with sweet fragrances. She was also thankful that the backyard was covered on all sides, leaving her to her privacy whenever she decided to focus herself. She wouldn't trade the yard for anything in the world since it was one of the few places left on earth that was always quiet and peaceful.
Making her way out to the farther part of the lawn, Sakura knelt down beneath a large sakura tree, already feeling her muscles calm from the scent of the pink petals. She placed the bokken at her side and placed her hands in her lap, her eyes closing as she slowly relaxed into a trance-like state, her muscles loose and relaxed, all tensions leaving her body as she focused herself. After a moment or two, she eased the beating of her heart until it was at a slower rhythm, beating gently in her chest.
Sakura.
With a gasp, Sakura opened her eyes and looked around the yard, her right hand gripping the wooden sword at her side. There was no one there. No one.
Sakura shook her head and chuckled softly, quietly scolding herself for being so uptight and imagining things. Easing her hand off the bokken, she placed her hand back in her lap and closed her eyes again, calming the beating of her heart once more.
Sakura.
"Dare?!" It was the same voice as before. Her right hand curled around the shaft of the bokken and she stood upright, bringing her left hand forward and getting a firm grip on the weapon with both hands. But again, there was no one around. The only noises she could hear were the chirps of the birds and the rustling of the leaves above her. Swallowing hard, she shook her head and lowered the sword, closing her eyes and trying to control the beating of her heart again. "You're imagining things." she sighed inwardly, holding the tip of the bokken to the ground and straightening her arms, her feet sliding together.
Raising the bokken into the air slowly, Sakura stared off in front of her and slashed the wood downwards in a quick, fluid motion. 'You can't let yourself get so worked up,' she thought to herself, repeating the action, raising the bokken and slashing it down in front of her. 'Just calm down.' She raised the bokken once more and again brought it downwards, but before she could complete the action, a flash of white covered her vision like earlier. Body shaking, Sakura stabbed the tip of the bokken into the ground and leaned against it, trying to keep her body from falling. 'So.. cold..' Unable to keep herself up, she fell to her knees, hands still tightly gripping the bokken, her body feeling as though it were being forced into the ground. 'It hurts.' Every part of her body felt as though it were covered in ice, like little pins stabbing into her skin. She wanted to cry out for help, but she couldn't speak, she couldn't even breathe. And then she saw them again, the leaves made of ice, falling gently from the sky and settling around her body. 'Iie.!' She tightly closed her eyes and forced herself to breath. With a loud gasp, she let go of the hilt, her hands pressing into the ground as she wildly gasped for air.
"What's... happening to me..?" she choked, slowly opening her eyes, droplets of sweat falling from her face and into the ground. Again, the leaves were gone. Sakura closed her eyes, her breathing coming out in heavy pants, body still shaking, but no longer cold.
A few minutes had passed, and once she had calmed herself down, she slowly stood up and pulled the bokken out of the ground. Dismissing the feelings as effects of not getting enough sleep, the girl brushed her sweaty hair away from her face and made her way back inside to take a shower.
Even as she stepped into her room and placed the bokken back in it's place upon her bureau, she still couldn't stop her body from shaking every so often. Once more, she entered her bathroom and locked the door behind her, reaching into the shower and turning the water on to a warm temperature. She moved slowly, peeling her clothes from her body and stepping into the soothing water, eyes closing as the liquid streamed down her face and soaked her body. Almost immediately, her mind forgot about the strange things that had been happening to her and instead concentrated on the warm and comforting feel of the water running down her body. Carefully she washed herself, not wanting to push her body too far for the time being, and once she felt clean enough, she stepped from the shower and began to dry herself off.
A growl ripped through the silence and echoed in the linoleum room. With a sheepish chuckle, Sakura reached up and rubbed her hair with a towel, figuring that now she should get something to eat. Tossing the towel into the hamper along with her practice outfit, she stepped from the bathroom clad in a gray, strapless sports bra and matching spandex, her usual night outfit for the springtime. Instead of drying her hair with a hair dryer, she let the three-foot strands hang behind her back to air dry since using the hair dryer would take forever and her arms would hurt by the time she was done.
Sakura stepped from her room and slowly began descending the steps, feeling a lot stronger than before, and almost positive that she'd be back to normal with something to eat and then a nice long nap. Passing the door to her father's library, she wondered what she would make for herself, but stopped suddenly with a quiet gasp.
Leaves. Hundreds of leaves, again made of ice, fell all around her, but this time they weren't cold, this time, she could breathe. With a cautious hand, she reached out to touch one of the ice leaves and found that they were warm to the touch. "What's going on." Closing her eyes, she shook her head and took a deep breath before opening them again. They were gone.
"You're hallucinating Sakura," she mumbled to herself, reaching up and running a hand through her wet hair. Pausing, she looked down at the door to her father's library only to see a flash of green light. "What the?" She reached out to grab the knob, but stopped and shook her head. The library was her father's private room, where he went to study and research things, and she knew that he hated it when she went in there. So, out of respect for her father, she shook her head again and continued to the kitchen, dismissing the light as another hallucination.
---
Dinner had been light and filling enough as she made her specialty: stir fried vegetables. After cleaning everything up, she yawned and figured now would be the time to take that nap. Her strength was back physically, so with a rest, she would be as good as new. Reaching upwards, she stretched, her back cracking, a grunt of satisfaction passing her lips at how good it felt to stretch her muscles.
The thought of sleep eased her mind, and she drowsily climbed the steps back up to her room, almost unable to wait for the soft covers and pillows awaiting her. Entering her room, she grinned down at her bed and made a beeline for it, reaching out and pulling the covers down. But before she could ease into the cotton sheets, a loud thump from downstairs startled her. With a jump, she turned around and stared out the door.
"Make sure you lock up! We wouldn't want you getting stolen, what with all the recent burglaries!"
'Well, crap.' Sakura thought, remembering Maaya's words. Did she lock the door when she came home? Now she wasn't certain. Slightly annoyed at the worst timing someone could have, Sakura grit her teeth and grabbed her bokken. All her years of training would pay off now, or so she hoped. She was confident in her abilities, but she had never actually attacked a person with them. It seemed now would be the time.
Hands clenching the wooden shaft, she kicked her slippers off and silently crept from her room, glancing left and right. The noise, as she thought, came from downstairs. Padding as quietly as she could in her socks, she moved down the stairs, straining her ears for any other noises. Everything seemed quiet, except for her heart. She could swear whoever was in the house could hear it a mile away, what with it beating so loudly. Trying to keep her breathing quiet, she swallowed the lump in her throat, realizing that the noise came from the library. A few more steps, and she was outside the door, one hand tightly gripping the bokken, the other reaching out for the doorknob. Nodding to herself, she flung the door open and whipped the wooden sword out in front of her.
"Iiya!"
There was no one there. Blinking, she took a quick look around and found that indeed, there was no one in the house but her. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and noticed a book on the floor, face up. "So that's what made the noise," she muttered, bending down and picking up the old text. Brushing it off, she stood up and raised the book up to put it back in its place. Before she could, the images of ice leaves flashed in her mind again and she stumbled backwards, quickly closing her eyes, her grip tightening on both the book and the bokken.
Opening her eyes once more, she looked down at the book in her hand and read the title. "Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho." she murmured aloud. Not knowing what she was doing, Sakura sat down on the floor of the library and placed her bokken in her lap before opening the book. Settling back, she began reading.
"And thus, the girl of legend opened the door to another world..."
Sakura raised her eyebrow, finding the beginning of the book quite strange, wondering if there was a page or two missing. Lifting the book up, she shook it, but no loose pages came out. With a quizzical look on her face, she placed the book in her lap and skimmed through the pages, only to find that the first few were the only ones filled in. Shrugging, she read on.
"This is the story of a young girl who single-handedly gathered the seven stars of Genbu and gained the power to make all her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation, and whoever reads it gains the main character's power to have their wishes granted. This is because, once they turn the first page the story will become real and begin."
'Strange..' she thought, seeing nothing else written. "Ah, well, it would have been a good book if this person ever finished it." Shrugging, she started to close the book, but the moment she tried to, the pages lit up with a green light. "Kore wa." Before she could finish her sentence, Sakura's eye went wide as she felt some sort of force pulling her forward. She let out a scream of surprise before she disappeared, and the book fell to the floor with a thump, the cover falling shut.
---
Bright green lights flashed. Leaves fell from the sky. Everything was falling, and so was she. Sakura had no idea what was going on, but all she knew was that she was falling, and falling fast. Her skin felt as though it were being stabbed, the air around her so cold. As best she could during her freefall, she tried curling her body into a ball, her arms wrapping around her knees. At that moment, she didn't care if it was a bad move because it felt as though she was never going to end. She wasn't sure when she had stopped screaming, but it was probably when she could no longer breath. The lights flashing nonstop around her made her feel dizzy and nauseous, the leaves adding to the same feeling. She could barely make out the image of anything else but the leaves. Pain coursed through her body and she just wanted to die. She couldn't take the feeling anymore. Her lungs ached as though they were going to explode. She wasn't sure which she would die from first, suffocation or frostbite. After a few more minutes, she welcomed the darkness around her and fell unconscious.
---
The first thing that she felt was the cold air. Everything around her felt as though it were permeated with ice. Shaking violently, Sakura curled up into a ball, her eyes still closed. She couldn't remember anything except for leaves. "W-why's it.. s-so cold..?" she shuddered, slowly opening her eyes, wondering if she put the air conditioner on. Instead of finding herself curled up in a ball in the middle of her bed under the blankets, she found herself lying on the ground outside. "H-how'd I get outside..?" she blinked wearily, slowly standing up. And then it dawned on her. She wasn't out in her backyard. In fact, she had no idea where she was. Eyes opening wide, she slowly stood up, her arms falling to her sides as she looked around. Everything was gray and gloomy, a few sparse trees here and there, and she could barely make out what looked like a small city in the distance.
With a sharp gasp, she quickly wrapped her arms around her shoulders and started moving towards the city, but before she could move a few feet, her foot banged into something. Wincing, she looked down and saw her bokken. Too many questions were coming to mind, so she just picked up the wooden sword and started towards the city again, her feet in agony as she walked across the ground, socks being the only things on her feet.
Where was she? How did she get there? She obviously didn't have any answers to the questions floating in her mind, but standing around in the bitter cold wasn't going to help. On top of wearing hardly anything, her hair was still wet, and at this rate, she was sure she would catch pneumonia. Shuddering from the cold, she tried to keep her eyes open, but she felt so weak, and the freezing cold winds that blew harshly against her body every so often were no help. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself on.
"N-nani.?" she rasped, catching a glimpse of a shadowed figure moving towards her. Wincing, she kept up her pace as best she could. Maybe it was someone who could help her out, but maybe it was the opposite. At that moment, she didn't care. If she didn't get help soon, she was sure she'd die.
"Haiyakku!"
Her speed had dropped increasingly, and she was barely moving at the speed of a snail, her feet dragging against the ground. A woman's voice? 'Please. please help me.!' she wanted to call out, but she couldn't find the strength to talk.
The shadow was moving quicker now, running forward followed by two more silhouettes. Sakura could no longer feel the lower parts of her body. With the last bit of her strength, she moved a few more feet before falling to her knees, her eyes shut in pain, body shaking violently. All strength left her and she fell forward, but she didn't hit the ground. The last thing she remembered before passing out was falling into warm arms that smelled like lilac.
*cue ending music XD*
Glossary: Second trimester - I'm not sure how the school system works in Japan, so just for the record, I'm probably wrong in saying second trimester. I only used that because I know they have breaks, and the American term was the only thing that came to mind. Ne - hey; right? Itai - ow! Gomen - sorry Kimiko - Not a very important character. She'll probably only show up for this chapter. She's a rich, snobby, beach-blonde who hates Sakura, and vice versa. XD Howard Beach Bimbos - Around where I live, there's a place called Howard Beach, and there's a stereotype that all the girls from there are bimbos. For the most part, it's true. . Sikoro - One of Sakura's friends, probably won't show up too often. Sora - Another of Sakura's friends that probably won't show up too often. Lockers - I have no idea what they're called in Japan, or even if their called lockers. I just used the American term. Abudai - watch out Sugoi - cool Daijoubu - You okay? Nani - what? -chan - an ending, usually for younger kids, friends, or to show affection. Hai - yes Wakateru - I know Ja ne - Later Tou-san - Dad Baka - stupid, silly United States - I added this as a note, which will probably just be for the future. Sakura is a very intelligent girl, mostly because of her father, and both of them speak English pretty well. School uniform - think of Miaka's uniform, but light blue, and much cuter. XD Practice outfit - think of Hino Rei's miko outfit, but make the red pants green Bokken - wooden sword Dare - who? Iie - no Iiya - A noise, sorta' like hai-ya! Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho - Universe of the Four Gods Genbu - god of the north Kore wa - this is Haiyakku - hurry
Author's Notes: Ahh, Chapter 1 is done.. Though I'm wondering if I should add more.. I have more ideas, that's for sure, but I can't decide whether they would fit in with this chapter or the next, so for now, I'll add them to the next chapter. One thing I'd like to point out is the frozen leaves. Firstly, you know that in Episode One of Fushigi Yuugi, Miaka sees a glimpse of Suzaku. Now, think about this: Genbu doing exactly what Suzaku did, showing up by soaring through the air, waving it's little legs! Less than elegant, no? Thought so. So, I used frozen leaves. Frozen, because Hokkan is a cold place since it's in the north, and leaves because one of the elements associated with Genbu is earth. Also, what I have Sakura reading is what my fan subbed version of Fushigi Yuugi says. So.. yeah.
It was the last class of the day before school ended for the second trimester, and of course, everyone was excited, students and teachers alike. But with the excitement buzzing in the air, the teachers had a hard time controlling their classes, and when it came to the last class of the day, they had given up.
"Sakura. Sakura! Ne, Sakura!"
Kyouko Sakura, age 17, sat in her usual seat, her chin propped up on her hand as she stared dreamily out the window. Throughout the entire day, she had found it hard to pay attention, and it was very unlike her as she was always the most attentive in class. No one could blame her, really, since it was the last day and all, but Sainoji Maaya was less forgiving than everyone else, especially when her best friend was involved.
"Kyouko Sakura!" Maaya yelled, reaching out and smacking her friend upside the head.
"Itai!" yelped Sakura as her head lashed forward, nearly hitting the desk. Muttering something or other, she reached up to rub the back of her head where she had been hit, her long blue hair falling over her shoulders.
"What's up with you? You've been staring out the window all day." The brunette reached up to brush her bangs out of her eyes as she kept her gaze focused on Sakura.
"Gomen. I just can't seem to concentrate today," Sakura smiled sheepishly, looking towards Maaya as she pushed her hair back behind her shoulder.
"Busy thinking about your invisible boyfriend, Kyouko?" a high-pitched voice called from across the room, immediately followed by a bunch of snickering.
Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned around in her seat and started before Maaya could open her mouth. "Really, Kimiko, why don't you think about what you're going to say before opening your mouth? Maybe that way you wouldn't sound so immature." A few of Sakura's friends were sitting near her and "oooo'ed" at the retort.
Kimiko threw her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder as she rolled her eyes. "Face it, Sakura, you can't get yourself a boyfriend so you just sit there all day daydreaming about one! It's a shame you can't get one like us," she replied, looking around to her little clique, all of them nodding and smirking.
Blinking a few times, Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Like you? Now why would I want to be like one of you little Howard Beach Bimbos?" With a shake of her head, she turned around in her chair back to her friends, giving Maaya a high-five and leaving the 'Snob Squad' to blink dumbfoundedly at the remark.
Maaya quickly turned around towards Kimiko and held her hand to her mouth as if she were holding a microphone. "Just to let our viewers at home know the current score in the exciting match of Sakura vs. the Snob Squad, it's Sakura one, Snob Squad zero! Back to you, Johnny!" she grinned, turning back around towards her friends, leaving the airheads to roll their eyes.
"They really need to take the sticks outta' their asses," Sikoro commented, casting a glare at the group of girls.
"I know! What do they even have against you, Sakura? Bet they're just jealous!" Sora, another of Sakura's friends, muttered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over chest.
Sakura shrugged, trying to push the thought from her mind, but those girls had always gotten on her nerves, and lately, she had trouble trying to ignore them. "I don't know, really, but it's starting to get to me. They never bothered me that much before." she trailed off.
Maaya, seeing a look of distant confusion cross Sakura's face, frowned and lightly punched her friend on the shoulder. "Come on! Don't let them get to you now! The bell's gonna' ring in just a few minutes, and then we're home free!"
"You're right," Sakura grinned, catching Maaya's enthusiasm and lightly punched her friend on the shoulder in return. But deep down, she was still unable to completely shrug off the strange feeling that was bothering her.
The bell rang a few minutes later, and all the classrooms were emptied in a new record. Sakura and friends were very anxious to get out of school, but they still took their time getting their things from their lockers before leaving the building, chatting all the while. For the most part, everyone had gone home, but a few kids hung out around the school grounds, most either talking or saying goodbyes, and some playing sports.
"Here!" called one of the guys playing soccer as he ran forward, his foot whipping out to kick the ball towards the goal, but it went slightly off course and headed for the group of girls.
"Abudai!"
Maaya didn't notice the ball heading straight for the back of her head, but luckily Sakura did. Turning around quickly, she dropped her bag and leapt into the air, body pivoting as her right leg snapped out to kick the soccer ball right back to the guy, her skirt flapping upwards as she landed and quickly turned to make sure the boy had caught the ball.
The boy fell back a couple of steps as he caught the ball, his arms aching from the force of the ball. He blinked a few times before looking up at Sakura, "S-sugoi!"
"Wow!"
"Did you see that?!"
The whole schoolyard had seen the entire thing, and everyone was cheering and clapping, a few of the younger boys blushing from catching a glimpse of the unexpected panty shot.
Amidst the yelling, Sakura quickly picked up her bag and put her hand to the back of her head, chuckling nervously. She wasn't the kind of person who loved being in the spotlight, and as soon as she could, she pushed the rest of her group out the gates
Once they were out on the street walking home, Sikoro jumped out front, turning around and laughing. "Did you see that?! The Snob Squad looked as though they were going to burst!" She continued laughing, walking backwards for a bit.
"I know!" Sora joined in. "Their faces were so red, I thought steam was gonna' come out of their ears!"
As the two whooped and hollered, Maaya grinned from ear to ear, but stopped as she noticed the strange look on Sakura's face. "Sakura?" she asked, waving a hand in front of Sakura's face. "Daijoubu?"
Blinking once or twice, Sakura looked up. "Nani?"
Maaya adjusted her bag and held it over her shoulder, stopping as she placed a hand on her hip. "What's up?"
"N-nothing!" Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I'm fine, really!"
Making a face, Maaya shook her head and reached forward, placing the back of her hand to Sakura's forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever. Is it your time of the month?" she snickered.
"Maaya-chan!" Sakura scowled looking towards her best friend. "Honestly... I'm okay. I just-"
Sakura.
For a moment, Sakura's eyes went wide, a flash of white clouding her vision before she fell to her knees. Leaves made of ice began falling from the sky and landing all around her. She couldn't hear the calls of her friends, but she could feel the icy touch of one of the leaves brushing up against her cheek. Her body shuddered in response and her hands tightly gripped her arms.
"Sakura!"
With a gasp, Sakura snapped her head back, realizing she hadn't been breathing. As she felt warm arms shake her shoulders, she breathed heavily, looking around but not seeing the leaves anywhere. "G-gomen." she rasped, slowly getting a hold of her senses once more. "I just felt a little dizzy, is all." With the support of her concerned friends, she got back to her feet and brushed herself off, already feeling a lot better. "I'm okay, really," she said, looking into the concerned eyes of her friends.
With a click of her tongue, Maaya handed Sakura back her bag. "Maybe you should take a nap when you get home."
Sakura nodded in response, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I will. I didn't sleep well last night, so that's probably what's been bugging me all day." She smiled softly, looking towards Maaya. The shorter girl muttered something or other before nodding.
"All right, but if you're lying, so help me." she threatened, rolling up an imaginary sleeve as she grinned, a devious glint in her eye.
"Hai, hai! Wakateru!" After a few moments, the girls continued on, talking about what they were going to do during the break. Every now and then, Maaya cast a worried glance towards Sakura, but sighed thankfully when she saw her friend seemed like her old self. When they neared Sakura's house, Sora piped up. "Ne, Sakura! We're all going shopping at the mall tomorrow. You wanna' come with us?"
Sakura nodded, taking a step away from the girls and turning back to them. "Sure!" she smiled. "Just stop by my house and pick me up whenever you guys are ready. Ja ne!" She waved before turning around and walking towards her house.
Maaya cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Sakura! Make sure you lock up! We wouldn't want you getting stolen, what with all the recent burglaries!"
Sora and Sikoro chuckled as Sakura raised her hand to wave at them without turning around. "Yeah, yeah!"
---
Within five minutes, Sakura was walking up the front steps of her house. Closing the door behind her, she kicked off her shoes and placed her bag down. "Tou-san! I'm home!" she called out, slipping on her slippers and padding into the living room. "Tou-san?" There was no reply. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she made her way into the kitchen and glanced at the board above the phone. "Baka, Sakura!" she scolded herself.
Dad gone for 2 weeks on business trip in the United States read the board.
"I really must be tired," she shook her head, grabbing her school bag before climbing the stairs to her room, the rubber bottoms of her slippers gently smacking against the wooden steps. Placing her bag down on her bed, she glanced out the window, wondering if she would have enough time to practice before making dinner. "It would do you good." she murmured to herself as she remembered everything that happened within the last half hour. For now, she would put those thoughts aside and calm her body like she did every night.
Grabbing a change of clothes, she scooted into her bathroom and changed out of her light blue school uniform and into the simpler practice outfit, which consisted of a plain white shirt and oversized green pants, a very traditional outfit for people back in Ancient Japan, especially shrine priestesses. Sakura pulled her long blue hair into a tight ponytail, grabbed her bokken, and made her way back downstairs and out into the backyard.
The backyard was her favorite place on their property, for many reasons. For one, it was very large and spacious, and since her father was such a flower freak, there were plenty of flowers growing year round, permeating the yard with sweet fragrances. She was also thankful that the backyard was covered on all sides, leaving her to her privacy whenever she decided to focus herself. She wouldn't trade the yard for anything in the world since it was one of the few places left on earth that was always quiet and peaceful.
Making her way out to the farther part of the lawn, Sakura knelt down beneath a large sakura tree, already feeling her muscles calm from the scent of the pink petals. She placed the bokken at her side and placed her hands in her lap, her eyes closing as she slowly relaxed into a trance-like state, her muscles loose and relaxed, all tensions leaving her body as she focused herself. After a moment or two, she eased the beating of her heart until it was at a slower rhythm, beating gently in her chest.
Sakura.
With a gasp, Sakura opened her eyes and looked around the yard, her right hand gripping the wooden sword at her side. There was no one there. No one.
Sakura shook her head and chuckled softly, quietly scolding herself for being so uptight and imagining things. Easing her hand off the bokken, she placed her hand back in her lap and closed her eyes again, calming the beating of her heart once more.
Sakura.
"Dare?!" It was the same voice as before. Her right hand curled around the shaft of the bokken and she stood upright, bringing her left hand forward and getting a firm grip on the weapon with both hands. But again, there was no one around. The only noises she could hear were the chirps of the birds and the rustling of the leaves above her. Swallowing hard, she shook her head and lowered the sword, closing her eyes and trying to control the beating of her heart again. "You're imagining things." she sighed inwardly, holding the tip of the bokken to the ground and straightening her arms, her feet sliding together.
Raising the bokken into the air slowly, Sakura stared off in front of her and slashed the wood downwards in a quick, fluid motion. 'You can't let yourself get so worked up,' she thought to herself, repeating the action, raising the bokken and slashing it down in front of her. 'Just calm down.' She raised the bokken once more and again brought it downwards, but before she could complete the action, a flash of white covered her vision like earlier. Body shaking, Sakura stabbed the tip of the bokken into the ground and leaned against it, trying to keep her body from falling. 'So.. cold..' Unable to keep herself up, she fell to her knees, hands still tightly gripping the bokken, her body feeling as though it were being forced into the ground. 'It hurts.' Every part of her body felt as though it were covered in ice, like little pins stabbing into her skin. She wanted to cry out for help, but she couldn't speak, she couldn't even breathe. And then she saw them again, the leaves made of ice, falling gently from the sky and settling around her body. 'Iie.!' She tightly closed her eyes and forced herself to breath. With a loud gasp, she let go of the hilt, her hands pressing into the ground as she wildly gasped for air.
"What's... happening to me..?" she choked, slowly opening her eyes, droplets of sweat falling from her face and into the ground. Again, the leaves were gone. Sakura closed her eyes, her breathing coming out in heavy pants, body still shaking, but no longer cold.
A few minutes had passed, and once she had calmed herself down, she slowly stood up and pulled the bokken out of the ground. Dismissing the feelings as effects of not getting enough sleep, the girl brushed her sweaty hair away from her face and made her way back inside to take a shower.
Even as she stepped into her room and placed the bokken back in it's place upon her bureau, she still couldn't stop her body from shaking every so often. Once more, she entered her bathroom and locked the door behind her, reaching into the shower and turning the water on to a warm temperature. She moved slowly, peeling her clothes from her body and stepping into the soothing water, eyes closing as the liquid streamed down her face and soaked her body. Almost immediately, her mind forgot about the strange things that had been happening to her and instead concentrated on the warm and comforting feel of the water running down her body. Carefully she washed herself, not wanting to push her body too far for the time being, and once she felt clean enough, she stepped from the shower and began to dry herself off.
A growl ripped through the silence and echoed in the linoleum room. With a sheepish chuckle, Sakura reached up and rubbed her hair with a towel, figuring that now she should get something to eat. Tossing the towel into the hamper along with her practice outfit, she stepped from the bathroom clad in a gray, strapless sports bra and matching spandex, her usual night outfit for the springtime. Instead of drying her hair with a hair dryer, she let the three-foot strands hang behind her back to air dry since using the hair dryer would take forever and her arms would hurt by the time she was done.
Sakura stepped from her room and slowly began descending the steps, feeling a lot stronger than before, and almost positive that she'd be back to normal with something to eat and then a nice long nap. Passing the door to her father's library, she wondered what she would make for herself, but stopped suddenly with a quiet gasp.
Leaves. Hundreds of leaves, again made of ice, fell all around her, but this time they weren't cold, this time, she could breathe. With a cautious hand, she reached out to touch one of the ice leaves and found that they were warm to the touch. "What's going on." Closing her eyes, she shook her head and took a deep breath before opening them again. They were gone.
"You're hallucinating Sakura," she mumbled to herself, reaching up and running a hand through her wet hair. Pausing, she looked down at the door to her father's library only to see a flash of green light. "What the?" She reached out to grab the knob, but stopped and shook her head. The library was her father's private room, where he went to study and research things, and she knew that he hated it when she went in there. So, out of respect for her father, she shook her head again and continued to the kitchen, dismissing the light as another hallucination.
---
Dinner had been light and filling enough as she made her specialty: stir fried vegetables. After cleaning everything up, she yawned and figured now would be the time to take that nap. Her strength was back physically, so with a rest, she would be as good as new. Reaching upwards, she stretched, her back cracking, a grunt of satisfaction passing her lips at how good it felt to stretch her muscles.
The thought of sleep eased her mind, and she drowsily climbed the steps back up to her room, almost unable to wait for the soft covers and pillows awaiting her. Entering her room, she grinned down at her bed and made a beeline for it, reaching out and pulling the covers down. But before she could ease into the cotton sheets, a loud thump from downstairs startled her. With a jump, she turned around and stared out the door.
"Make sure you lock up! We wouldn't want you getting stolen, what with all the recent burglaries!"
'Well, crap.' Sakura thought, remembering Maaya's words. Did she lock the door when she came home? Now she wasn't certain. Slightly annoyed at the worst timing someone could have, Sakura grit her teeth and grabbed her bokken. All her years of training would pay off now, or so she hoped. She was confident in her abilities, but she had never actually attacked a person with them. It seemed now would be the time.
Hands clenching the wooden shaft, she kicked her slippers off and silently crept from her room, glancing left and right. The noise, as she thought, came from downstairs. Padding as quietly as she could in her socks, she moved down the stairs, straining her ears for any other noises. Everything seemed quiet, except for her heart. She could swear whoever was in the house could hear it a mile away, what with it beating so loudly. Trying to keep her breathing quiet, she swallowed the lump in her throat, realizing that the noise came from the library. A few more steps, and she was outside the door, one hand tightly gripping the bokken, the other reaching out for the doorknob. Nodding to herself, she flung the door open and whipped the wooden sword out in front of her.
"Iiya!"
There was no one there. Blinking, she took a quick look around and found that indeed, there was no one in the house but her. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and noticed a book on the floor, face up. "So that's what made the noise," she muttered, bending down and picking up the old text. Brushing it off, she stood up and raised the book up to put it back in its place. Before she could, the images of ice leaves flashed in her mind again and she stumbled backwards, quickly closing her eyes, her grip tightening on both the book and the bokken.
Opening her eyes once more, she looked down at the book in her hand and read the title. "Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho." she murmured aloud. Not knowing what she was doing, Sakura sat down on the floor of the library and placed her bokken in her lap before opening the book. Settling back, she began reading.
"And thus, the girl of legend opened the door to another world..."
Sakura raised her eyebrow, finding the beginning of the book quite strange, wondering if there was a page or two missing. Lifting the book up, she shook it, but no loose pages came out. With a quizzical look on her face, she placed the book in her lap and skimmed through the pages, only to find that the first few were the only ones filled in. Shrugging, she read on.
"This is the story of a young girl who single-handedly gathered the seven stars of Genbu and gained the power to make all her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation, and whoever reads it gains the main character's power to have their wishes granted. This is because, once they turn the first page the story will become real and begin."
'Strange..' she thought, seeing nothing else written. "Ah, well, it would have been a good book if this person ever finished it." Shrugging, she started to close the book, but the moment she tried to, the pages lit up with a green light. "Kore wa." Before she could finish her sentence, Sakura's eye went wide as she felt some sort of force pulling her forward. She let out a scream of surprise before she disappeared, and the book fell to the floor with a thump, the cover falling shut.
---
Bright green lights flashed. Leaves fell from the sky. Everything was falling, and so was she. Sakura had no idea what was going on, but all she knew was that she was falling, and falling fast. Her skin felt as though it were being stabbed, the air around her so cold. As best she could during her freefall, she tried curling her body into a ball, her arms wrapping around her knees. At that moment, she didn't care if it was a bad move because it felt as though she was never going to end. She wasn't sure when she had stopped screaming, but it was probably when she could no longer breath. The lights flashing nonstop around her made her feel dizzy and nauseous, the leaves adding to the same feeling. She could barely make out the image of anything else but the leaves. Pain coursed through her body and she just wanted to die. She couldn't take the feeling anymore. Her lungs ached as though they were going to explode. She wasn't sure which she would die from first, suffocation or frostbite. After a few more minutes, she welcomed the darkness around her and fell unconscious.
---
The first thing that she felt was the cold air. Everything around her felt as though it were permeated with ice. Shaking violently, Sakura curled up into a ball, her eyes still closed. She couldn't remember anything except for leaves. "W-why's it.. s-so cold..?" she shuddered, slowly opening her eyes, wondering if she put the air conditioner on. Instead of finding herself curled up in a ball in the middle of her bed under the blankets, she found herself lying on the ground outside. "H-how'd I get outside..?" she blinked wearily, slowly standing up. And then it dawned on her. She wasn't out in her backyard. In fact, she had no idea where she was. Eyes opening wide, she slowly stood up, her arms falling to her sides as she looked around. Everything was gray and gloomy, a few sparse trees here and there, and she could barely make out what looked like a small city in the distance.
With a sharp gasp, she quickly wrapped her arms around her shoulders and started moving towards the city, but before she could move a few feet, her foot banged into something. Wincing, she looked down and saw her bokken. Too many questions were coming to mind, so she just picked up the wooden sword and started towards the city again, her feet in agony as she walked across the ground, socks being the only things on her feet.
Where was she? How did she get there? She obviously didn't have any answers to the questions floating in her mind, but standing around in the bitter cold wasn't going to help. On top of wearing hardly anything, her hair was still wet, and at this rate, she was sure she would catch pneumonia. Shuddering from the cold, she tried to keep her eyes open, but she felt so weak, and the freezing cold winds that blew harshly against her body every so often were no help. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself on.
"N-nani.?" she rasped, catching a glimpse of a shadowed figure moving towards her. Wincing, she kept up her pace as best she could. Maybe it was someone who could help her out, but maybe it was the opposite. At that moment, she didn't care. If she didn't get help soon, she was sure she'd die.
"Haiyakku!"
Her speed had dropped increasingly, and she was barely moving at the speed of a snail, her feet dragging against the ground. A woman's voice? 'Please. please help me.!' she wanted to call out, but she couldn't find the strength to talk.
The shadow was moving quicker now, running forward followed by two more silhouettes. Sakura could no longer feel the lower parts of her body. With the last bit of her strength, she moved a few more feet before falling to her knees, her eyes shut in pain, body shaking violently. All strength left her and she fell forward, but she didn't hit the ground. The last thing she remembered before passing out was falling into warm arms that smelled like lilac.
*cue ending music XD*
Glossary: Second trimester - I'm not sure how the school system works in Japan, so just for the record, I'm probably wrong in saying second trimester. I only used that because I know they have breaks, and the American term was the only thing that came to mind. Ne - hey; right? Itai - ow! Gomen - sorry Kimiko - Not a very important character. She'll probably only show up for this chapter. She's a rich, snobby, beach-blonde who hates Sakura, and vice versa. XD Howard Beach Bimbos - Around where I live, there's a place called Howard Beach, and there's a stereotype that all the girls from there are bimbos. For the most part, it's true. . Sikoro - One of Sakura's friends, probably won't show up too often. Sora - Another of Sakura's friends that probably won't show up too often. Lockers - I have no idea what they're called in Japan, or even if their called lockers. I just used the American term. Abudai - watch out Sugoi - cool Daijoubu - You okay? Nani - what? -chan - an ending, usually for younger kids, friends, or to show affection. Hai - yes Wakateru - I know Ja ne - Later Tou-san - Dad Baka - stupid, silly United States - I added this as a note, which will probably just be for the future. Sakura is a very intelligent girl, mostly because of her father, and both of them speak English pretty well. School uniform - think of Miaka's uniform, but light blue, and much cuter. XD Practice outfit - think of Hino Rei's miko outfit, but make the red pants green Bokken - wooden sword Dare - who? Iie - no Iiya - A noise, sorta' like hai-ya! Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho - Universe of the Four Gods Genbu - god of the north Kore wa - this is Haiyakku - hurry
Author's Notes: Ahh, Chapter 1 is done.. Though I'm wondering if I should add more.. I have more ideas, that's for sure, but I can't decide whether they would fit in with this chapter or the next, so for now, I'll add them to the next chapter. One thing I'd like to point out is the frozen leaves. Firstly, you know that in Episode One of Fushigi Yuugi, Miaka sees a glimpse of Suzaku. Now, think about this: Genbu doing exactly what Suzaku did, showing up by soaring through the air, waving it's little legs! Less than elegant, no? Thought so. So, I used frozen leaves. Frozen, because Hokkan is a cold place since it's in the north, and leaves because one of the elements associated with Genbu is earth. Also, what I have Sakura reading is what my fan subbed version of Fushigi Yuugi says. So.. yeah.