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(Five Years Earlier)
There was a delighted giggled that came from the shadows.
A young girl with sandy brown hair and emerald green eyes stood in the center of an old path in the forest. The light cascaded upon her as if it were a spot light, there only for her. The rest of the forest was shadowed, and the girl seemed to be searching for something.
She wore a long white, very puffy and ruffled dress with lots of ribbons. She looked like a princess.
There was another giggle, and the young girl spun around. It had come from behind her. She could hear feet shuffling along the ground but she couldn't tell from where. It seemed to be coming from everywhere all at once.
"Eh," she whined. "Miko! Stop it! I don't want to play games!"
"Lady Tomi!" a voice screeched.
The girl gasped, turning just in time to see a mass of black fur bounding towards her. She grit her teeth and braced for impact.
"I got you!" the mass of fur declared.
It passed through the young girl, and she smiled satisfactorily. She turned to face the black creature, and flashed it a thumbs up.
"Once again, I don't like being tackled. I'm tired of having to tell you that."
"You know, for someone so young you act really old," Miko complained.
Miko pouted and sat up, wiping the dirt off of itself. It's features were clearer now. It was a beast man, a young cat-girl no more than the age of ten. She had black fur, solid black, with only one hand (or maybe it's a paw) that was white, as if she were wearing only one mitten. She wore a completely black outfit, or she might not have. No one could tell because of the color of her fur.
"I have to act old. If I don't, then what'll happen if my mom and dad die?" the girl, 'Tomi' asked.
Miko blinked once, twice, then tilted her head to the side.
"That's... such a sad thing to think about, Lady Tomi. Why would you think of something like that? I don't like things that are sad like that. They're bad!" Miko declared as she rose to her feet. "And besides, your brother is looking for you... kind of. He sent me out here to find you."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Miko!" she cried with a smile, preparing to run off. "I'll see you later!"
"Wait!"
Tomi stopped in place, then turned back to Miko.
"What is it, Miko?"
"I was just wondering, why are you out here? That's not like you. Especially when you're all dressed up and looking so nice." Miko, down on all fours, ran up to her. "So why would you go out all this way when you're dressed up and looking so pretty?"
"I'm..." She looked herself over with a confused expression. "Oh... I'm still in these clothes?"
"What?!"
Tomi looked at her with a wide smile. "I didn't even notice! I'm so silly!"
She scratched the back of her head with an embarassed expression. Miko yawned, and then headed back towards the city with Tomi close behind. Both girls walked slowly, simply enjoying the scenery.
Tomi ran up to the older teen. He knelt down upon hearing her voice, laughing happily, and wrapped his arms around her as she ran into him.
"Onii-sama, Miko said you wanted to speak with me. What's it about?" she questioned with wide eyes.
He laughed again, pushing himself to his feet and placing his hand atop her head.
"Ahiru, you're a strange child. You try to hide your childish innocence with adult speech," he commented, turning to face the fountain.
They were in the castle gardens. In the center of the garden there was a large fountain, which had been surrounded by plots of assorted species of flowers and bushes. Beyond that, there were trees and assorted statues. It looked like a beautiful paradise.
"Onii-sama, why did you call me out here?"
"I've always wondered... Why does Miko call you "Lady Tomi?" he asked, poking her cheek.
She looked at him blankly, then walked past him silently.
"Ahiru."
She sighed heavily, then turned back to face him. Her young features were suddenly etched with lines of old age. What once was a young, lively girl was now an old woman.
"Your soul..."
"Onii-sama, that's too long a story to tell now. So let's talk about something else!"
He let out a quick chuckle, then pat her head with his metalic arm this time.
"So, how did it go?" he asked.
"He..." She looked down, tears swelling in her eyes. "He said no... kind of."
"Kind of?" He knelt down to look in her face and rested his hands on her shoulder. "What happened, exactly?"
"He took off."
"Oh..." He looked away, and then back at her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Come now, he'll come around. You won't be on your own, at any rate. All of us will be here for you."
"I know." She said with a half-hearted smile.
A young, ten year old Hitomi sat up in bed slowly. She drew her knees close to her chest and hugged them tightly.
'It seems so real, my dreams. Why... why is it...?' She looked to her window, then got out of bed and walked towards it. "Who are you? Who are you out there, all alone like that?"
She stared at the moon silently, feeling something tugging at her. Calling out to her. She couldn't tell the difference. Which was reality, and which was fantasy. Were her dreams real? They sure felt more real than what she had come to know reality as.
"Where do I belong...?"
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Nice way of messing with everyone? Hm? I know, this probably doesn't make too much more sense, and I'm hoping that it's making you all want to know more about Ahiru(Tomi)... and what her connection to Hitomi is (I'm hoping!).
Well, that's the first part. And "Onii-sama" is how someone should address their older brother (Can you guess who he might be? ~.^) Is Hitomi completely insane... or is she sane and just has a very odd past? Keep reading, and please review!
- Kurasu
