"Great, so I'll see you tomorrow then, Ayane-chan?" Aiko pinned the phone between her shoulder and cheek as she made the final corrections on her math homework.
"Yup! We're meeting in front of the school, right?" Ayane asked on the other end.
"Yeah. You can't miss us!"
"All right. I'll see you guys then! Bye!"
"Bye!" Aiko hung up the phone, then leaned back in her chair and sighed. Hanging out with Ayane had been fun. Kaiya and Sayuri, two of Aiko's other friends, had taken an instant liking to her. Contrary to her first impression, Ayane was a very outgoing and lively person.
Maybe a little too lively, thought Aiko as she lifted the hem of her nightshirt to gingerly touch the bruises on her knees. Ayane had jumped on her back, knocking both of them to the ground.
Oh well, at least the girls liked her!
Aiko crawled into bed and shut off her bedside lamp. She was exhausted. A little sleep, and she'd feel as good as new in the morning!
Nestled safely in her bed, Aiko began to dream.
Aiko gasped for breath. She couldn't breathe. Something was terribly wrong. Clutching her chest, she felt something wet and slimy. Bringing her hand up, she saw it was covered with blood. Whose blood was it?
Glancing down, Aiko saw the gaping hole in her chest. Oh my God, she thought. What's happened? Who did this to me? Aiko glanced up and saw a dark figure with long hair flowing in the wind. The figure glided forward silently and embraced Aiko.
If I can't have you, no one can, whispered the figure and shoved Aiko backward.
There was no way to stop. She could feel herself falling. Aiko reached out, trying to grab hold of something, anything, to stop herself. But there was only air. From far away, she heard someone call her name.
A gasp of shock escaped Aiko as she hit freezing water. She felt the water close in overhead and everthing went black.
Aiko awoke with her hands to her throat as she coughed and gagged for breath.
That was too real, thought Aiko. I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep.
Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she slipped on her house slippers. Aiko cracked her bedroom door open, and peeked out into the dark hallway. Her father's loud snoring signaled that he was fast asleep. Always careful, she chose to tip-toe past his door towards the stairs.
Gripping the cold banister tightly, Aiko slowly made her way downstairs. Through the glass doors that led onto the patio, Aiko could see a full moon peeking out from behind the clouds that hovered in the sky. The moonlight spilled across the floor as she made her way towards the doors. Carefully unlatching them, she slipped outside.
The cold night air washed over Aiko's skin, causing her to shiver and wish she had thought to put on a sweater. She loved being outside at night. There was just something about it that made her feel exhilirated.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Warily, Aiko got to her feet.
"Who's there?" Aiko glanced around nervously. There was someone here. She just knew it. Slowly, she began backing up towards the glass doors.
She had just taken a few steps back when she bumped into something. Aiko opened her mouth to scream, and found a hand firmly clamped over her mouth and nostrils. Her eyes widened with terror as she felt the person pull her closer.
"Misaki," said a surprisingly feminine voice. "I shall never let another have you."
Aiko struggled for a few moments, but soon began to feel dizzy and went limp. Tucked in the hand of the dark figure was a cloth doused with chloroform. As Aiko went unconscious, she felt herself being gathered up into the arms of her attacker and the sensation of the wind blowing through her hair.
What she failed to see, as the wind blew past them, was the ground so very far below, and the moon shining brilliantly on Ayane-chan's face.
Aiko struggled out of the darkness. She could hear birds chirping brightly all around. For a moment, she thought that she was at home in her bed. But when she opened her eyes, she saw not the comforting walls of her bedroom, but the swaying tops of trees.
Immediately alert, Aiko sat up. Where the hell was she??
"Ahh. I see you've awakened."
Aiko looked up to see a woman with dark hair sitting in the branches of a tree. She wore a long elegant robe, and her hair shone in the morning sun.
"Who are you?" Aiko asked while getting to her feet. "Why have you brought me here?"
The woman pushed herself off the tree branch and Aiko stifled a shout as she watched the woman gently float to the ground.
"Do you not recognize me, Misaki?" A smile laced with venom crept onto the woman's face as she walked toward Aiko. "I am Ayane."
Ayane? No, this isn't that Ayane... though Aiko. Whoever this person is, she's crazy...
"I'm sorry, but you must have me mistaken with someone else. My name is Aiko, Aiko Hinagata. Not Misaki," stated Aiko firmly.
The woman's eyes lit with flames as she gripped Aiko by the throat and lifted her high into the air.
"YOU ARE MISAKI!" shouted Ayane. "I'd know the scent of your blood anywhere."
Aiko dug her nails into Ayane's hand and sent a kick to the side of her face. Ayane dropped Aiko to the ground and held her reeling head.
Aiko hit the ground hard, but got up and started running. She had to get out of here and find help. Whoever this Ayane was, she was insane.
Insanely strong... thought Aiko as she gingerly touched her throat.
A whooshing sound came from behind her. Aiko turned and saw a ball of light speeding through the forest in her direction. She threw herself face-first on the ground and felt the ball of light fly over her.
Aiko looked back and saw the ball of light crash into the trunk of a tree. The tree trunk splintered and groaned loudly as it fell forward.
Aiko scrambled just out of reach of the tree as it crashed to the ground. Gasping for breath, she looked up. Ayane's eyes burned an angry red as she flew swiftly towards Aiko.
"MISAKI!" screamed Ayane. The sound of her cry bounced off the trees.
Deep within her, Aiko felt her own anger rising and overpowering the fear she felt. She had done nothing. She didn't know who this Misaki was, but whoever she was, Aiko Hinagata was NOT going to pay for something someone else had done.
"I'M NOT MISAKI!" Aiko screamed back. She raised both her hands towards the charging Ayane. "I'M NOT HER!"
Aiko's hands grew warm and she felt a strange electricity run through her body. The feeling both frightened and intoxicated her. When a ball of sparking and hissing electricity formed in front of her hands, she felt all-powerful. Aiko focused all her anger and fear into that ball and felt it grow.
Finally, Aiko couldn't hold it any longer and let it fly. The force of the release pushed Aiko back a step and left her breathless.
Ayane saw the ball coming and raised a hand to deflect it. As it got closer, Ayane began to feel the power emanating from the ball. It was too much for her to deflect it, her only choice was to dodge. She leaned to the right, but was a split second to slow. The electrical ball smashed into Ayane's shoulder.
Ayane let out a pain-filled screamed. From head to toe, electricity crawled over her skin. It coursed through Ayane's body, causing her to convulse uncontrollably. Through it all, Aiko watched spellbound until Ayane fell motionless and silent to the ground.
Aiko briefly thought about seeing if Ayane was alive or not, but had her answer when Ayane let out an agonized groan. Aiko immediately turned and ran as far and fast as she could through the forest. There was no way she was sticking around. She had to get to the highway and flag down a car or something. She needed to get back home. She needed to get away. Her dad would be worried about her.
A few moments later, a bruised and dirty Aiko burst out onto the shoulder of the highway. Glancing up and down the road, she spotted a car headed towards her. Forgetting everything she had learned in elementary about safety, she jumped in the middle of the road, frantically waving her arms.
"Hey! What's the matter with you? Are you crazy?" asked the driver. Aiko ran to the driver's side and stuck her head through the window.
"Please...you've got to help me...this woman...she's crazy..." stammered a breathless Aiko.
"Aiko?" said a voice from the passenger seat. Aiko looked over and saw Yasuo sitting in the passenger's seat.
"Yasuo..." breathed Aiko and took a tentative step back.
Yasuo stepped out of the car and walked over towards Aiko. He noted that there were bruises around her neck, and her nightshirt was dirty and ripped in several places.
As he made his way towards her, he wondered what could have happened to her. Yasuo found himself silently seething at the thought of someone hurting Aiko.
Aiko swayed backwards and would've fallen to the ground if Yasuo had not reached out and caught her.
"Aiko...what happened? Are you okay?" he asked as he gripped her tightly.
"Yasuo...help me..." pleaded Aiko. "Please..." She felt her legs give as the exhaustion from running so hard and long caught up with her. Yasuo pulled Aiko against him, using his body to support hers. Aiko buried her face against him and began crying with a mixture of relief and frustration.
"Sure, Aiko. I'll help you," murmured Yasuo as he gathered the whimpering Aiko against him. "I'll help you."