And so it began. Destiny's Reasons
Segment 02 - Cryptic Waves
by Runic Knight (October 6th 2003)
Tohru tried to bring her shivering body to a standstill, but it was no use. She pulled her blanket to cover herself more fully, only leaving a place to see from. She peered through the branches to the ground, and saw two forms come into view.
Overhead, a soaring black bird screeched in the apathetic night sky. It didn't worry her, for all she could think of was the fate that was in store for her. She held her breath; no, she would not be defeated so easily, she decided. She still had to live in order to keep her mother happy! 'I have to face the conflict head on!' Of course, this is easier said than done.
She released her stored breath slowly as she realized that they were not gargantuan monsters, but two young girls like herself.
The taller, sturdier looking girl of the two had bent down towards the ground. She examined the fallen message Tohru had dropped in her distress, her smooth, blonde hair falling in front of her face. She wore a dark brown tunic and a loose pair of pants. Her outfit was adorned with large, decorative beads down the sides of the arms and legs.
"Hey Saki, what a strange leaf, I've never seen one so...rectangular before!" The blonde stared at the white piece of paper which she crumpled slightly between her fingers. "Did the frost come yesterday morn'? I've never seen one so smooth and lifeless, or with these strange markings!" She could not recognize the letters written, so she stood up and held it out toward the other girl.
Tohru listened closely, ignoring the subdued sounds of the prowling forest animals. They spoke English just as she did, but it was different. Emphasises were placed on different syllables, and some words sounded distorted, but they were still recognisable. 'How do they know English?' she couldn't help but wonder, but pushed the thought away as the other girl made her speaking debut.
"Arisa." A second girl, shorter and with a thinner build joined her friend. She wore a simple hanging black dress, nothing too complex, covered by a large fur skin draped around her shoulders. It was trimmed with shining white beads. The overall darkness of her clothes intermingled with her midnight black hair, but greatly contrasted her pale skin. "I recall hearing about these letters - the alphabet - from the elders," Saki explained, taking the 'leaf' from her friend. "Remember my - and your - people's history. Only those who had power granted to them by the monarch could read and write." With two fingers she took the leaflet of paper from Arisa and closed her eyes. "It surely isn't natural to this forest...someone else brought it here...I sense...feelings of emotion in this?"
Arisa rolled her eyes. "Those waves again, right? Sure, sure. But whatever the case is, someone's here with foreign goods. So that means that whoever is up there," she pointed up toward the top of the tree, "is a rich blooded noble? How did they manage to find us after two hundred years of being secluded from them?"
"It has been said that we escaped from oppression so long ago by fleeing the Upper Continent during the Horrid King's reign...we were supposed to be free forever. The winds of change are starting to spin. The ancestors said this time would come, and now it will - beyond the shadow of a doubt - begin."
"Do you have to be so cryptic?"
Saki shrugged her shoulders, ending Arisa's questioning period. They exchanged glances, then looked up into tree branches. Tohru shrank back against the main stalk of the tree, trying to stay out of view. "Most definitely, someone is up there."
"Hey, you up there! Get down here right now! I'm prepared to use force!" The blonde called fiercely, weaving her head to and fro to get a better look at the hidden person in the tree.
"No, you're not," Saki chastised in a whisper. "What if he's armed? You don't even have a stick to hit him with."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that we don't," Arisa said with a grin.
Saki sighed and paced in a circle around the base of the trunk, waiting as the fugitive made her way down the tree, her backpack on her back. Her blanket lay forgotten, caught in one of the branches; Tohru was much too worried to go back up to get it.
She climbed down, facing away from the two girls awaiting her. Finally, reaching the bottom, she spun around slowly to face them.
"Okay, that cannot be what a noble is!" Arisa whispered loudly, surprised at the girl standing before her. Tohru's normally beige pants were stained with mud, her shoes were caked with grime and her nose had a smudge of dirt smeared across it. Her hair, which she hadn't really worried in her time in the forest tumbled down her back in tangles. She did not look the part of what they expected.
The noble who was fated to come back to this far-off land, the one that would forcibly take them back to work as lowly peasants for the age-old sovereign, was not quite as well off as they had been foretold.
Tohru couldn't say a word, she merely looked back and forth between her captors, so scared about what they might to do a trespasser on their land. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together at her chest. 'Please don't hurt me, I didn't know, I didn't choose to come here. Mother, what should I do?'
Saki stared at Tohru, studying her for a moment. "No, she does not carry the air of those righteous nobles. Besides, they must have died by now like our ancestors who revolted against the monarchy in the Old World."
Tohru gaped at them, still confused, but an ounce of understanding starting to sink in. What they were talking about, it was just like what she had learned in school when she was younger.
The Upper Continent had not always been the economical marketplace it was that day. No, only two hundred years before, Kings and Queens had ruled over the land with full jurisdiction - with no elected council, so there was no public voice. They had the power which was passed down to them through their ancestors' bloodlines. Some of the rulers cared about the lives of every single person living in the Upper Continent, but others ruled only to gain financial power.
Many people suffered from their rulers' greed. They were the peasants of the colony, who could no longer stand to be living in such an oppressive environment. It was then when an unexplained phenomenon had occurred - half of the peasants had mysteriously disappeared, and were never seen again.
And now Tohru knew. The lesson she had learned was not some strange folktale that turned into a believed historical story. It was the truth. They had not disappeared, they had fled by boat, and they arrived here miraculously.
Even in the technological age Tohru lived in, they still had a King in power, King Akito Sohma. He was a dying man, suffering from a disease which no one could understand. He was merely a figurative power. He had no real jurisdiction to create laws. But that was besides the point, Tohru was in trouble! She couldn't believe that she had zoned out of such an important conversation, one that might mean life or death.
"So what should we do?" Arisa asked Saki, keeping one watchful eye on Tohru.
"I suppose we'll do just what we did for you, Arisa." Saki said with a smile.
"Do what? Take me from my home, teach me your ways, and try to make me believe in your intuition-based beliefs? It didn't really work for me, I wouldn't expect it to work on someone like her," Arisa scoffed.
'So Arisa is not part of Saki's family - had she been kidnapped?' Tohru suddenly realized. 'Maybe I will be kidnapped too? Oh no! But wait, Arisa doesn't look like she's been treated badly, in fact, she looks very healthy! Mother, I'm so confused!'
Arisa seemed to sense Tohru's confusion. "Ah, so you are not used to this custom? I thought it was weird too." Arisa nodded, ignoring a subtle look shot at her from Saki's eyes. "It is the nature of this village. They are supposed to be accepting of other people in times of need in hopes of their reciprocity. I think it is foolish."
"Ah," Tohru said, not knowing how she was supposed to react.
Arisa never had been a traditionalist, and it showed. "Not everyone is a good person." Tohru looked downcast.
"Arisa! You don't feel it radiating from her? Surely, this girl cannot be bad," Saki countered, then turned to Tohru. "What is your name, girl of the trees?"
"Tohru Honda," she immediately replied, not thinking clearly.
"A foreign sounding name," Saki smiled. "I like it. I am Saki Hanajima. And that is - "
"Arisa Uotani," Arisa finished, wanting to declare her own name, not having it said for her.
"All right, so let's go home," Saki said, after introductions were done.
"Ehh?" Tohru gasped. "Home? Me?"
"Yes, of course you," Saki blinked. "Who else?"
"I don't know...maybe that owl," Tohru looked down to her feet again, feeling sheepish.
Arisa cracked a grin. It was the first time Tohru had seen her without a disgruntled look on her face. "You're a strange one. I think you'll fit in here with the Southern Tribe."
"Southern Tribe?" Tohru repeated.
"Yes, that is what our clan is called," Saki explained shortly as she started walking. "And as long as you promise to never fight against our tribe, you can live among us as one of us."
Was it really so easy to be accepted into a tribe? Tohru couldn't believe her wonderful luck. "Thank the heavens!" Tohru cried out in happiness, walking in step behind Saki. 'Oh mother! I will still be able to make sure you remain well-taken care of in Paradise! I will make sure that I can do the best that I can for Arisa and Saki! It'll be my new duty. I'll find my place, and then I will be able to find out what makes this such a wonderful place, just like father asked of me!' She realized she must have been rude, for Saki had raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Thank you, Madam Saki Hanajima, thank you, Madam Arisa Uotani, for taking me in!"
"The heavens?" Saki finally questioned.
"Yes, my mother is up there in Paradise right now. She passed away a long time ago." Tohru looked upwards as she walked, staring into the pitch-black night sky which was framed by foliage, probably dreaming of her mother's smile.
"She does not walk among the spirits of the forest at night?"
"Ah," Tohru wasn't sure of what she should say, she didn't want to impose on their beliefs, so she said halfheartedly, "well, I suppose she might be."
Arisa had remained quiet, but she spoke up. "As you can tell, Saki's intrigued by spiritual energy."
"Of course. Energy is everywhere. The force of all those who have passed on before us linger within the forests. That's why you are never lost as long as you open yourself up to their waves."
"Yeah, yeah," Arisa said carelessly.
"You still do not believe that this is the truth? Even after all these years living among us?"
"I'm not saying that!" Arisa looked around, as if sensing the spirits watching her from the treetops as she spoke. "It's just that I'm not going to let it overtake my life."
"Hm, is that so?" Saki faced forward. "Well, I can't stop you from believing what you believe," she turned to Tohru, "nor can I stop you from believing in your Paradise. I will not force it."
"I agree, we shouldn't argue, because all of our answers to the explanations of life are right in their own way, right?" Tohru beamed, walking alongside the two young girls toward her new home.
Author Note: I tried to deliver a lot of information in this chapter, because I really want the world this is taking place in to be understood. We have our first mention of the Sohmas, with King Akito. Cursed Sohma members will be making their appearances in the story soon. ^_~ Until next time!