Chapter One: Silent Lullaby

A small girl, no older than the age of five, laid up against a tree in a forest full of mist. Slowly, carefully, bright amethyst eyes opened and focused, looking around with a dazed glance. With a small groan, the girl sat up and looked at her hands and her bloodied clothes. After she seemed satisfied with studying herself, she slowly shifted her gaze to her surroundings, all trees and endless mist.

"Where am I?" she asked to no in particular. Then, another question formed in her still numb and agonized mind. "Who…am I?"

Blood seeped down from a cut on her chest, staining clothes that were familiar yet unfamiliar to her. Every step she took hurt like a thousand needles being pierced into her body, but she needed to keep going. She needed to find out where she was…who she was…As she tried to remember anything, anything that might help her in her quest, a stabbing pain exploded into her skull and she stumbled.

With a short-lived yell, the small girl fell to the ground and lay there, trembling from the cold, although she was burning up. Her cheeks and forehead presented a slight pinkish hue and her breathing was labored, signaling that she a fever. However, she forced herself not to cry because of both the physical and mental anguish…crying wouldn't do anything for her right now.

Standing back up, despite the pain, the girl was about to continue her trudge through the mist covered forest before she heard a low growl. Stopping in mid-step, the girl froze and her heartbeat and breathing hitched. Turning her head slowly, her worst fears were confirmed. Directly behind her, not even ten meters away, stood a pack of ravenous beasts. They appeared wolfish, but huge and jarring spikes jutted out of their necks, elbows and hindquarters, and their lower jaws.

Turning around to face them, the girl suppressed her urge to scream, so that she wouldn't startle the beasts, and she held up her arms in a defensive stance. The least she could do was go down fighting, though she was pretty sure that she wouldn't even last a minute against even one of the wolf-like creatures. Crouching, one of the beasts prepared to pounce and the girl braced herself for the attack by placing her hands in front of her face and closing her eyes.

She expected to hear her own bones crunch and feel a searing pain before being devoured, but none of that came. Instead, a yelp from one of the beasts filled the air, followed by more of the same tone. Reopening her eyes, the small girl blinked in surprise when she saw five people standing in front of her, fighting the wolfish creatures. More fell as snarls and howls filled the air, hurting the girl's ears and forcing her to place her hands over them. The small battle was brief, since most of the wolves started to retreat after seeing their comrades fall.

"Hey, kid?" one of her rescuers asked, turning to her while the other shinobi dashed off to make sure that the wolves didn't come back. The girl looked up at the female who had spoken to her, wiping all emotion from her face. She didn't want to appear weak in front of these strangers. "Are you okay? You look pretty beaten up there…you shouldn't tangle with Desirek like that."

"……" The girl didn't make a sound, just watched the shinobi carefully and warily. Something inside of her said that this person was alright, but another was wary of anything that moved in this place. The older female blinked as she studied the girl and crossed her arms, not sure what to think. The smaller girl's odd stare seemed to unnerve her somehow.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here," the older female stated, thinking. "Who are you?" Yet again, no words or sound came from the smaller girl. "I'm Streak, leader of the Shadow Bandits. Nice to meet you." The smaller girl just looked at the hand that was held out to her before looking up at Streak.

"Hey, Streak!" a yell interrupted, breaking the tension that was forming from between the two. "Is the kid alright? Do you know who she is?"

"Nadda," Streak sighed, placing her hand behind her head and looking down at the small girl. "She won't say a word, Hayate. Maybe she's a mute…"

"Maybe she's one of those weird forest nymphs that can't talk," one of the other shinobis suggested as all five of them gathered around to study the weird enigma in front of them.

"And maybe chocobos can fly, Kyo" Hayate retorted, whapping his comrade on the head before leaning down to look at the smaller girl. Hayate was tall, muscular, and scary in the small girl's opinion. However, she refused to show that she was very afraid of these people. Kyo was smaller and built more for speed, and quite young. Probably early teens. The other two shinobi didn't make a sound, just looked down at the girl. "We're not gonna hurt you," Hayate stated as he stared into the girl's eyes.

"Well, we can't hang around here or else those Desirek will come back with more of their band," Streak stated, looking at the others. Hayate, realizing that the girl wasn't going to talk to him, straightened and nodded. "Fall out and return to Benith. Looks like today's mission will be postponed until tomorrow." The other four all nodded in agreement and disappeared in a cloud of dust, moving at a rate that the little girl couldn't even track.

"Well, I can't just leave you here…" Streak sighed in exasperation, looking down at the girl. "And I have to call you something…" The female leader seemed to think deeply on this matter before smiling brightly. "I know! How about Rei…Rei Tamashii. It fits you in an uncanny way, and it is a pretty name. Fits those pretty eyes of yours." For the first time, Rei nodded to acknowledge that she had heard the other female and Streak smiled.

"Good, now let's get you some medical attention! You look half starved!" Rei almost squeaked in surprise when Streak picked her up and dashed away, leaving the sight in a blur.

Rei sat quietly in a room that had been nominated as hers. She still hadn't said a word to the bandits, but they somehow managed to figure out that she didn't have any place to go. So, the bandits decided to 'adopt' her. It had been about two weeks since the Crimson Bandits had found her in the forest and she was getting used to their abnormal way of life. Actually, for all she knew, this was normal.

As bandits, they pillaged, plundered, stole, and so on, but somehow, they managed to keep a sense of honor. Streak's rule was that they never killed their quarry unless in self defense, especially if the victims had children children. Some bandits growled at the rule, but as Rei figured out, most of these shinobi bandits were actually quite nice and gentle…for bandits. She quickly became friends with the resident trainer, Jerok, a skilled but gentle man whom had been ordered to train her to become a shinobi bandit.

Also, every other day, she went to study with a philosopher named Wiseman, who taught her many sciences and such. Most of the people were amazed about how intelligent she was for someone her age, but no one more so than her herself. She didn't have a clue as to how she knew these things, but she concluded that she must've been very studious in her previous life.

"Oi, Angel Eyes!" Pulled from her thoughts, Rei turned to look at the only person who dubbed that name to her. "I brought you something to eat since I noticed that you tried to skip meals with everyone again." Streak crossed the room to set the food on the desk besides Rei and take a seat on the bed. "So, ready to talk yet? I know you're not a mute…you've still got your tongue and I've heard you humming that weird melody when doing your chores."

Rei's face flushed slightly and she looked away from Streak stubbornly, not willing to admit that she had indeed been humming when cleaning the rooms and buying groceries. She didn't even know where the melody came from. Probably another part of her past that she couldn't remember.

"What are you afraid of?" Streak murmured, almost inaudibly. Rei slowly looked at her, crystalline eyes shimmering softly in the dim light of the room. "What happened?"

flashback

"They're crying for you child…" a voice said above all of them, clear and sinuous. "Crying for what you are…what you will become. You have to save them from their tears…"

end of flashback

Rei winced and covered her head with her hands, crying out. Streak rushed forward, surprised and concerned about the outburst. Whatever had happened to the child in the past, it couldn't have been good. "Please, let me help you," Streak murmured, cradling the trembling small girl in her arms. "Who are you?"

"I don't know…" Rei whimpered, shaking her head furiously. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, leaking through clenched eyes. No matter how hard Rei tried to stop them from flowing, they continued to come as her emotions came down in a torrent. Streak held her closely, rocking her back and forth. The smaller girl tried half-heartedly to push the shinobi away, but Streak held onto Rei tightly.

"It's okay," Streak comforted, running her hand through Rei's silky locks. "You don't have to know everything in order to be happy. You can stay here with us if you like." Rei nodded faintly as she closed her eyes and her crying faded into a soft sobbing until her breathing leveled out altogether. After a few minutes, Streak realized that the smaller girl was sleeping soundly.

Carefully lifting Rei up, Streak placed the small girl onto the bed that she had been sitting on and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, the shinobi leader looked back at the peaceful girl and smiled softly. "I'll return your favor, Reign. I promise."

"I win…again," Rei announced as she glanced at Jerok. They had raced through the trees for what seemed to be the tenth time that day and she had won everytime…it was almost getting repetitive. "Are you even trying anymore, Jerok-sensei?"

"You're quite the little smart-aleck, aren't you?" Jerok chuckled, ruffling Rei's silvery-white hair. "Not even a couple months and you're already surpassing your teacher and peers. I'm quite impressed, but don't let it go to your heard. I can still beat you at cards."

"That's only because I don't cheat," Rei countered, pushing Jerok's hand away from her head. She took pride in her hair, being that the color and overall quality of it was quite rare. Jerok chuckled as he looked down at his watch and then behind him. Rei did the same, knowing that she wouldn't see anything. Her peers, the others Jerok trained, would be far behind them, as usual.

"Heh, seems we'll be able to stay here and rest for a while before we can make camp," the big shinobi sighed and sat down. Rei was about to follow suit before her keen eyes caught something moving below them, on the ground. Peering down from her perch on a tree branch, she studied the black figure moving slowly. Jerok noticed her looking at something and followed her gaze, catching sight of the black beast also. "Oh, a chocobo! And it seems like a black one too. Don't see too many of them."

"I bet I could get it," Rei stated, grinning as she prepared to jump down. Her feet had just left the branch when she realized that she was hanging in midair. Someone had grabbed the back of her black tunic and was holding her just above the branch. "Hey! What are you doing, Jerok-sensei?!"

"You must be kidding," Jerok snorted, setting her back onto the branch. "You can't catch a black chocobo. It's impossible."

"Who said I was going to catch it?" Rei muttered, slapping his hand away and gazing down at the black beast eagerly. She did her best to ignore the weird stare she was getting from Jerok before jumping onto the branch below the one that they had previously been on. "I'm going to befriend it."

Before the teacher could stop her, Rei leapt from branch to branch, getting lower and lower to the ground. Finally, she landed on the ground and the black chocobo jumped slightly, its feathers ruffling. Rei stood motionless as the two stared at each other. I've felt like I've done this before…Rei thought as she put out her hand. Jerok watched cautiously, ready to snatch her away if the chocobo tried anything.

Rei didn't know how long she stood there, but the other students had already met up with Jerok and set up camp not too far away. Neither she nor the chocobo had moved an inch and her legs were beginning to ache. "Want to be my friend?" Rei asked, extending her hand a bit further. She made sure not to show her fear, staring into its wary black eyes. After no response for about ten more minutes, Rei sighed inwardly. This is going to take longer than I thought.

Jerok sighed as he rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out of them. Although the mist prevented the sunlight from coming directly to the forest floor, it was clear that it was dawn. The rest of his students were asleep still, all rolled in their survival blankets. The teacher glanced around, searching for his most troublesome pupil, but all he saw was her survival pack still rolled up and set where it had been last night. "Damnit…" he swore, scrambling to his feet and looking around frantically.

She was still trying to catch that damned chocobo when I last saw her…if it laid a feather on her, I'll hunt it down and shoot it. Leaping up into a tree, Jerok looked around the spot where the chocobo and Rei had been the day before, but all he saw was a mass of torn up plants that had been obviously trampled by the big beast's feet. Spotting no body, Jerok leapt to another branch to continue his search, but found nothing.

"Rei!" he shouted, becoming desperate now. It would be just peachy that he had lost Streak's favorite little partner and his best pupil to some stupid bird. Suddenly, a glint of white amongst the green foliage on the forest floor caught his eye and he stopped, looking down. Just below him, Rei was sleeping in a mass of black feathers. After a second look, Jerok realized that she and the black chocobo were both sleeping soundly together.

The black beast stirred and raised its head, looking around and then finally up at Jerok. Almost immediately, its feathers puffed up defensively, almost like a mother chocobo would when protecting its fledglings. "What's wrong, Kage?" Rei murmured, groggily opening her eyes and yawning. She noticed that the black chocobo was looking at something and looked up also, smiling as she saw Jerok. "Ohayou, Jerok-sensei!"

"What are you doing?!" Jerok hissed, careful not to startle the bird any further.

"This is Kage," Rei smiled, standing up and patting the bird on the head. "It's okay, Kage. This is my sensei, Jerok. He's really nice and won't hurt me, promise. And if he does, you can tear him apart if you want."

"Ha. Ha." Jerok muttered, watching as Kage finally calmed and its feathers smoothed down. "Get your butt up here so we can get going. I've spent enough time looking for you already."

"Okay, sensei!" Rei smiled, climbing on Kage's back. The small girl was hardly big enough to even sit on its back, but she somehow managed. "Let's go. I can't wait till Streak sees you. She'll flip!" Kage chirped in excitement and started trotting through the forest, leaving Jerok to just shake his head and sigh.

Rei walked through a stone hallway, her sandals clicking softly on the hard floor. She glanced around curiously, feeling that she had seen this place before. Royal decorations lined the walls and there were tons of doors and statues lining the walls. Occasionally she would come upon a fountain with lights highlighting the water to make different colors.

"Get back here you little brat!" Rei nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the sudden shout echoing through the hallway. Glancing around, she tried to find the source of the voice, but the hallway was too dark. The sound of something rolling against the stone reached her ears and she squinted, trying to locate the source again. Without warning, a transparent person appeared right in front of her, skating right through her.

Rei covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from screaming as she fell back on her behind. Her crystalline eyes were wide and she trembled very visibly. That person…looked just like her. Was it a ghost or a hologram? She was almost afraid to look behind her to see the answer, but when she finally did, the image was already gone. She was sitting all alone in the dark hallway again.

"Anyone…?" she asked, trying to look into the darkness again, though more tentatively than last time. The darkness seemed to be creeping closer, as if trying to suck her into an endless voice of inky black. Rei shivered and covered her eyes with her hands, as if that would stop the darkness from coming closer.

"You're a freak!" Rei looked up instinctively and saw the same girl, the one that looked like her, standing in front of several kids. "I bet you cheat on all those tests to get those grades and use items for the other stuff."

"Maybe she's not even human," another kid added, sending murmurs through the small crowd.

"I am too human!" the girl shouted back at them, clenching her fists. Tears started to well up in the isolated girl's eyes and Rei started to reach out to her. However, Rei's hand went directly through the girl and the image disappeared in a wisp of smoke. She sat frozen like that for a while, her hand still in the air until she finally pulled it back to her and looked at it. Crimson liquid dripped off of her hand, falling to the floor and splashing in a puddle.

"You aren't human! You're a monster!" Rei looked up and now saw that the same group of kids were looking at her. Her eyes widened as she looked from the boy, who was holding a bleeding nose, to her hand, which was covered in blood. "Monster. Monster. Monster." Rei covered her ears as the children began to chant.

"No…no I'm not!" Rei shouted, trying to drown out the sound of their voices. "I'm not a monster! I didn't do anything! At least…I don't think I did…" Tears started dripping down to the ground from her cheeks. I…can't. I can't remember. What if I am a monster? No…I'm Rei Tamashii. I'm NOT a monster! "Just leave me alone!!" Rei shouted, getting up and screaming.