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Aki-Shinko paced around her room staring at the floor, She found herself deep in though, trying to answer the ultimate question. She sank to her knees. She clenched her fists, shaking them as she looked to the sky
"Why do I own nothing? WHY? I'M NOT CRAZY, OH NO DON'T YOU CALL ME CRAZY. Look who's talking CRAZY PERSON!"?
She stood up and smiled
"Oh well, I'm gonna go to the super market and terrorize senior citizens by letting rabid squirrels run loose. MUAHAHAH MUAH AHAHHA!" pause "Maybe the squirrels are why I own nothing..."
Chapter 8 Truth and Promises
Aki still lay asleep underneath the willow tree. Shugo is down at the water's edge splashing cool water on his face. He let out a small shout
"COLD! Cold water, cold water" he shook his head letting the water droplets fly like a wet dog does. He turned around and starred up at where Aki was still asleep. His blue jacket was draped over her. He sat dipping his feet in the water and watched content as tiny fish nibbled at his toes
"Hey you fish those are my toes not olives!" he laughed and kicked his feet in the water like a little boy in a wade pool. He looked back to Aki again, sighing, worried.
Aki's breathing was hard and rapid and somewhere near midnight she had broken on into a hard sweat. She had broken out into a fever, and he felt so helpless. No healing items in the town could heal something like this. You only got sick like this in the real world, this isn't the real world its' a game! He just couldn't understand.
Aki turned in her sleep as she continued dreaming
-Dream Sequence-
"Awaken.... time to awaken..." A soft young voice called out to her. Aki tried hard to open her eyes, but they remained unfocused. She shut them once more, and reopened them, seeing a young girl.
"Are you Aura...?" She asked weakly... the white girl could only laugh.
'No, I am her granddaughter, Aurora."
"Aurora...what a pleasant name...reminds me of the morning when the moon is still setting and thick fog lurks at the bottom of our skies. Tell me Aurora, why could I not vanquish the monster, when Shugo could?"
"Shugo was not the one to defeat the monster. Here in lies the power of your sword"
With the wave of Aurora's hand Aki's sword appeared floating midair.
"My sword?"
"Yes deary your sword. Your sword if you could notice, does not follow the normal Heavy Blade style, and has this dragon embedded in its hilt. Your sword has great powers, ones that must be used responsibly."
"Great powers?"
"Yes. You are an "Isochild" correct? Do you know why you were hand picked to try this product out?"
"No, not really...I saw other kids be picked out as well"
"We selected you, and those other children to see if you fit the prophecy. You know as well as I, that things in the world are never free from glitches and bugs, and it seems that evils followers are growing in size."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"It was said in legend, that the one who holds the blade at might, will make the dragon's eyes glow, revealing to us our destines, and one shall crumble, the other will awaken, revealing to us finally, destiny itself. Under the stars in a the hands of fate, can only the serpent slither free and may the spell only be broken by this worlds ultimate strength. We believe, that you are that one who holds the blade"
"So I am nothing more than a guinea pig? It is not I then, Shugo made the sword work"
"Shugo only made the sword work because he was worried about you! You Aki- Shinko was all that was in that boy's mind! The sword calls to you, and only when you bring forth the ultimate strength will our world be safe..."
"Thinking only of me..."
"Yes, but no I must depart. Aki you are so frail, and he is waiting for you. Be strong, and I know you will save us all. Trust the sword, and trust your heart, together hand in hand, you can show us destiny, and all the future has to offer"
Aurora reached over placing her hand on Aki's head. Aki closed her eyes and sighed and she could feel her fever fading. Aurora smiled and with that she faded away within the depths of her white mist.
For a moment, Aki-Shinko was alone. She could hear only her silence as she slept there peacefully. Only faintly in the back of her ear did she hear someone calling.
"Aki.... Aki...Aki?"
Slowly Aki's eyes fluttered open, and she opened them to see Shugo looking down at her worried. She felt her fingers twitch as she tried to regain control of her body. She slowly started to sit up but Shugo stopped her gently, placing his hand behind her back.
"Whoa Aki. You have to relax now. You're still in really bad shape." He slowly lowered her back down and he rested her head on his legs.
"Shugo? Shugo where am I?"
"You're at the lake. I'm sorry. I could not think of anywhere else to bring you."
"I can't remember.... what happened...." She rested her hand on her head trying to recall what originally had happened. Her mind only sauntered back to Aurora and all she said. "Aurora...."
"Aurora? What's an Aurora?" Shugo asked questioning
"Shugo...I have to find my...." She sat up slowly, but only fell back landing on his chest. "I'm sorry Shugo.... I.... everything feels all jumbled up..."
"Aki, don't worry," He wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned against the trunk of the willow tree. She rested her head upon him helplessly, like she was a weary lifeless vessel.
"You did...you're thinking."
"What?" Shugo asked once again lost.
"You said you'd find me, when you were done thinking...I didn't think, you'd find me in time..."
Shugo's face softened remembering what she had said that night at the party. He cuddled his face against her neck closing his eyes.
"Aki-Shinko, I have been so worried about you. I couldn't help myself but think about you; my mind was constantly worrying and falling back to you no matter how many times I tried to think of something else. Hikaru, she came and found me, then I found my way to you. I just...started running and my feet knew where they were going"
Aki closed her eyes whispering
"I was so scared...everything was so frigid and numb...I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe...so scared," She buried her face into his chest pulling on his jacket with her hands as she cried.
"It's alright Aki. I'm here now. I promise I will protect you. As long as we walk together, I will protect you"
She cried harder as she felt him rubs the back of her hair with his hand.
"I could feel the pain...I felt every blow...I felt the blood, I felt the weakening and the feeling of slowly dying." Shugo looked at her surprised. The World was just a game; you couldn't feel or touch things, no matter how far technology had advanced. This troubled him, but he only tried to soothe Aki. "Shugo?"
He looked down at her, her tears finally taking a small break.
"Yeah Aki?"
"Don't ever let me go. Promise you won't leave me alone again. Don't let Aurora take me away."
"Aurora? Who is Aurora?"
"I don't want to be the hero in the prophet. I don't want to save the world. I'm too weak I'm afraid. I don't want to come close to dying like I did. I don't even know what the ultimate strength is!"
"Whoa Aki calm down calm down. Don't worry about being a hero. Let's just take one step at a time. Just try and relax now. I'm here for you."
"Promise me...please Shugo...don't leave me ever again"
Shugo brought her close and she rested her head on his chest once more. She was completely his and no one else's. They rested together hugging each other tighter then he had hugged anyone in his entire life. The passion for her burned his lungs and his heart raced with intensity so great. He loved this girl so much, and he could never fully understand why. Shugo only rocked her gently back and forth whispering into her ear.
"I promise Aki. Never again will I go. I promise..."
Author's Note
Well there is the end of Chapter 8. It looks as if a new level of friendship has been struck. But are Shugo and Aki truly now a lover's pair or is Aki only too vulnerable and weak that she is sending Shugo the wrong message? Find out next time in Chapter 9!
Aki-Shinko paced around her room staring at the floor, She found herself deep in though, trying to answer the ultimate question. She sank to her knees. She clenched her fists, shaking them as she looked to the sky
"Why do I own nothing? WHY? I'M NOT CRAZY, OH NO DON'T YOU CALL ME CRAZY. Look who's talking CRAZY PERSON!"?
She stood up and smiled
"Oh well, I'm gonna go to the super market and terrorize senior citizens by letting rabid squirrels run loose. MUAHAHAH MUAH AHAHHA!" pause "Maybe the squirrels are why I own nothing..."
Chapter 8 Truth and Promises
Aki still lay asleep underneath the willow tree. Shugo is down at the water's edge splashing cool water on his face. He let out a small shout
"COLD! Cold water, cold water" he shook his head letting the water droplets fly like a wet dog does. He turned around and starred up at where Aki was still asleep. His blue jacket was draped over her. He sat dipping his feet in the water and watched content as tiny fish nibbled at his toes
"Hey you fish those are my toes not olives!" he laughed and kicked his feet in the water like a little boy in a wade pool. He looked back to Aki again, sighing, worried.
Aki's breathing was hard and rapid and somewhere near midnight she had broken on into a hard sweat. She had broken out into a fever, and he felt so helpless. No healing items in the town could heal something like this. You only got sick like this in the real world, this isn't the real world its' a game! He just couldn't understand.
Aki turned in her sleep as she continued dreaming
-Dream Sequence-
"Awaken.... time to awaken..." A soft young voice called out to her. Aki tried hard to open her eyes, but they remained unfocused. She shut them once more, and reopened them, seeing a young girl.
"Are you Aura...?" She asked weakly... the white girl could only laugh.
'No, I am her granddaughter, Aurora."
"Aurora...what a pleasant name...reminds me of the morning when the moon is still setting and thick fog lurks at the bottom of our skies. Tell me Aurora, why could I not vanquish the monster, when Shugo could?"
"Shugo was not the one to defeat the monster. Here in lies the power of your sword"
With the wave of Aurora's hand Aki's sword appeared floating midair.
"My sword?"
"Yes deary your sword. Your sword if you could notice, does not follow the normal Heavy Blade style, and has this dragon embedded in its hilt. Your sword has great powers, ones that must be used responsibly."
"Great powers?"
"Yes. You are an "Isochild" correct? Do you know why you were hand picked to try this product out?"
"No, not really...I saw other kids be picked out as well"
"We selected you, and those other children to see if you fit the prophecy. You know as well as I, that things in the world are never free from glitches and bugs, and it seems that evils followers are growing in size."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"It was said in legend, that the one who holds the blade at might, will make the dragon's eyes glow, revealing to us our destines, and one shall crumble, the other will awaken, revealing to us finally, destiny itself. Under the stars in a the hands of fate, can only the serpent slither free and may the spell only be broken by this worlds ultimate strength. We believe, that you are that one who holds the blade"
"So I am nothing more than a guinea pig? It is not I then, Shugo made the sword work"
"Shugo only made the sword work because he was worried about you! You Aki- Shinko was all that was in that boy's mind! The sword calls to you, and only when you bring forth the ultimate strength will our world be safe..."
"Thinking only of me..."
"Yes, but no I must depart. Aki you are so frail, and he is waiting for you. Be strong, and I know you will save us all. Trust the sword, and trust your heart, together hand in hand, you can show us destiny, and all the future has to offer"
Aurora reached over placing her hand on Aki's head. Aki closed her eyes and sighed and she could feel her fever fading. Aurora smiled and with that she faded away within the depths of her white mist.
For a moment, Aki-Shinko was alone. She could hear only her silence as she slept there peacefully. Only faintly in the back of her ear did she hear someone calling.
"Aki.... Aki...Aki?"
Slowly Aki's eyes fluttered open, and she opened them to see Shugo looking down at her worried. She felt her fingers twitch as she tried to regain control of her body. She slowly started to sit up but Shugo stopped her gently, placing his hand behind her back.
"Whoa Aki. You have to relax now. You're still in really bad shape." He slowly lowered her back down and he rested her head on his legs.
"Shugo? Shugo where am I?"
"You're at the lake. I'm sorry. I could not think of anywhere else to bring you."
"I can't remember.... what happened...." She rested her hand on her head trying to recall what originally had happened. Her mind only sauntered back to Aurora and all she said. "Aurora...."
"Aurora? What's an Aurora?" Shugo asked questioning
"Shugo...I have to find my...." She sat up slowly, but only fell back landing on his chest. "I'm sorry Shugo.... I.... everything feels all jumbled up..."
"Aki, don't worry," He wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned against the trunk of the willow tree. She rested her head upon him helplessly, like she was a weary lifeless vessel.
"You did...you're thinking."
"What?" Shugo asked once again lost.
"You said you'd find me, when you were done thinking...I didn't think, you'd find me in time..."
Shugo's face softened remembering what she had said that night at the party. He cuddled his face against her neck closing his eyes.
"Aki-Shinko, I have been so worried about you. I couldn't help myself but think about you; my mind was constantly worrying and falling back to you no matter how many times I tried to think of something else. Hikaru, she came and found me, then I found my way to you. I just...started running and my feet knew where they were going"
Aki closed her eyes whispering
"I was so scared...everything was so frigid and numb...I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe...so scared," She buried her face into his chest pulling on his jacket with her hands as she cried.
"It's alright Aki. I'm here now. I promise I will protect you. As long as we walk together, I will protect you"
She cried harder as she felt him rubs the back of her hair with his hand.
"I could feel the pain...I felt every blow...I felt the blood, I felt the weakening and the feeling of slowly dying." Shugo looked at her surprised. The World was just a game; you couldn't feel or touch things, no matter how far technology had advanced. This troubled him, but he only tried to soothe Aki. "Shugo?"
He looked down at her, her tears finally taking a small break.
"Yeah Aki?"
"Don't ever let me go. Promise you won't leave me alone again. Don't let Aurora take me away."
"Aurora? Who is Aurora?"
"I don't want to be the hero in the prophet. I don't want to save the world. I'm too weak I'm afraid. I don't want to come close to dying like I did. I don't even know what the ultimate strength is!"
"Whoa Aki calm down calm down. Don't worry about being a hero. Let's just take one step at a time. Just try and relax now. I'm here for you."
"Promise me...please Shugo...don't leave me ever again"
Shugo brought her close and she rested her head on his chest once more. She was completely his and no one else's. They rested together hugging each other tighter then he had hugged anyone in his entire life. The passion for her burned his lungs and his heart raced with intensity so great. He loved this girl so much, and he could never fully understand why. Shugo only rocked her gently back and forth whispering into her ear.
"I promise Aki. Never again will I go. I promise..."
Author's Note
Well there is the end of Chapter 8. It looks as if a new level of friendship has been struck. But are Shugo and Aki truly now a lover's pair or is Aki only too vulnerable and weak that she is sending Shugo the wrong message? Find out next time in Chapter 9!