Title:Faerie Confrontations
Part: chapter1 Author: Nanako
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya
Rating:PG
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc
Disclaimer: Salm Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land, Afuna, you know why already ^^, And to Yen, thanks for everything
CHAPTER 1
The World of Faerie
"Tadaima," said Akagi, as he closed the front door. It was a tiring day and all he wanted was a rest from work once he got home. But, as expected, once Akagi caught sight of Haruko dining with the other boys on their dining table, he exclaimed, "Who is this girl?!"
"Takenori, we..." Kogure started.
But Haruko had already began, "My, my, you should learn to control that loud voice and brash temper of yours Akagi." She smiled sweetly at him and said, "My name is Haruko, pleased to meet you. Your three friends here already told me about you."
Akagi was about to say something but Haruko raised her right hand to silence him as she still had something else to say. "Now before anything else, I must inform you that it was your friend, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who saved my life. And the reason why I am here now is because I am waiting for my big brother - Mitsui Hisashi - to come here for me."
"You saved her life?" Akagi asked Sakuragi once Haruko was done talking. He set his things down on the couch near the table as the redhead answered his question.
"Yeah... I guess I did," replied the redhead a bit sheepishly.
Akagi was about to sit in his position in the dining table when a bright light flashed. The bright light was coming from the chair beside Miyagi and when it was gone, Mitsui stood in its place, comfortably seated down on the chair in a rather lazy and casual manner.
"Who is this?!" Akagi bellowed again, oblivious to the presence of other people in the room who were already cringing from the volume and force of his bellows.
But Mitsui just looked at him, unaffected by his shouting and said in a clear and charming manner, "My name is Mitsui Hisashi, Haruko's elder brother. Your temper is really something of a bother, isn't it?" Then, completely ignoring the steaming Akagi, who was now beginning to resemble a very angry gorilla, he turned to his expectant sister and flashed her a big smile.
"Well?"
"Sorry if it took me such a long time to get back here," Mitsui apologized. "Ayako had to call everyone together and since our dear brother Akira was having a fishing party in the Lake of Sheream, we still had to wait for him to arrive. And knowing this, all of our other dear cousins took their jolly good time in going to Eilandar as well. So it wasn't until a few minutes ago that everyone actually arrived. The meeting was short and in that short while, everyone agreed that it would be alright to take them with us. Although Ayako has a strong reason to believe that they might actually be faeries as well but just grew up in this world because, according to her, no matter how powerful human psychics are, they will never be powerful enough to hear our mind voice."
"So they can come?" asked Haruko excitedly.
"Since everyone thought it was okay, then we have leave to bring them with us sister," Mitsui said with a smile. Then he turned to the other four occupants of the room and asked, "Will it be alright if we explain everything to you guys right here right now?"
"Fire away," Akagi said as he tiredly sat on his chair, propped his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. He obviously had had too much of this Faerie thing already and this was already causing him a much hated headache.
Mitsui took a deep breath and began, "I don't think I have to say this, because I think it is quite obvious and you guys have already probably guessed, but just so that you would know, Haruko and I aren't human beings. We, both of us, came from the royal line of our world - Faerie."
"How does that explain your appearing and disappearing in brilliant flashes of light?" Sakuragi asked.
Haruko replied, "As Hisashi said, we aren't humans. So we, faeries, have capabilities to cast spells and to control magic."
"And what does any of this have to do with us?" Sakuragi pressed on.
"Oh do be patient Hanamichi, I am getting there," Haruko said. "Now, like I said, we are capable of casting magical spells. And one of these spells just happens to be called Stealth. Stealth gives the caster the ability to become invisible to the eyes of others, unless the caster allows himself to be seen. My brother and I both had this spell cast on ourselves upon our arrival here. And all four of you are able to see us, which means that you guys must be from our world as well, although we have no idea how you guys could have come to this far a world such as this. And you, Sakuragi, you were able to hear my mind voice, while my own brother did not. It's so extraordinary, because you haven't even been trained yet, because normally, faeries need to be trained in order to hear or send one's thoughts to another!"
"I was quite busy at that time Haruko," Mitsui defended. "Anyway, that was the reason why I went back to Faerie. I had to ask permission from our cousins if it would be alright if we brought you guys with us to our world.'
"For what?" Kogure inquired. "For training of course," replied Mitsui. "You guys are too powerful. It would be such a waste to leave your powers dormant here in this world where powers aren't needed or appreciated."
"So you're telling us that we should go to Faerie?" Miyagi asked.
"Yes," Haruko replied.
"And leave everything we have behind?"
"Oh not everything Sakuragi," said Mitsui. "You can bring to Faerie whatever belongings you wish to bring with you."
Kogure, Miyagi and Sakuragi all turned expectant eyes to Akagi.
"What do you think Takenori?" Kogure asked him after a moment of silence. "Should we go and leave everything we have or should we do otherwise?"
Akagi sighed and only then did he remove his fingers from his temples. "They do have a point. As much as this house means a lot to us, we can't ignore these "powers". If we don't know how to use them, they might endanger us or the people around us or those whom we work with. Go and pack your things."
Sakuragi jumped off his seat, not minding whether his friends thought of him as an idiot for doing so, because all he wanted was to make sure that he brought all the things he considered dear with him.
He ran to his room and picked up his gym bag, which was the biggest one he had. He placed it on his bed and grabbed his favorite clothing, his basketball team jersey, his disc man, cd's, his beloved basketball and his other personal things.
He was about to zip his bag shut when he caught a glimpse of the picture album he was looking at earlier on his bed. So he picked it up and carefully, almost reverently, placed it inside his gym bag.
After checking that all his most prized possessions were all in the bag, he zipped it and left his room.
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
When Sakuragi reached their dining room, only a few minutes after eh left it, he found the others already waiting for him.
"Takenori," he started, once he entered the room. "I was just wondering, you know, about our jobs...?"
"I already called up the company," Replied Akagi. "I told our boss that we were quitting the job."
"Now," interrupted Mitsui. "I believe everyone's ready?" He looked around, and seeing that no one intended to speak, continued, "I shall now open the portal which connects this world to ours, then."
Mitsui was about to do what he intended to do, but Haruko interrupted him before he even had the chance to even begin what he intended to do. "Big brother, can I try the Teleportation spell?"
Mitsui let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, Haruko. You can try it. The Teleportation spell is one of the easiest and simplest spells, so that even you won't be able to mess it up."
Haruko smiled sweetly at her brother and began what she had tasked herself to do.
She closed her eyes and placed both of her palms before her and they began to glow as she chanted the incantations for the Teleportation spell inaudibly.
At the moment that Haruko started the spell, Sakuragi's head began to throb. And the more Haruko's palms glowed, the more pain his head received.
But Sakuragi, being the self proclaimed genius that he is, didn't want anyone to get worried for him. So he endured the throbbing, and growing pain in his head, believing that he will last through this Teleportation. But he was wrong, terribly wrong.
Because at the moment Haruko put her palms together, to signal the end of the incantation, Sakuragi's vision blurred for a few seconds before he blacked out completely and slipped into unconsciousness. [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
Sakuragi opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did, because it seemed as though he was in a void of nothingness, a seemingly endless abyss of blackness surrounding him. There was nothing to see, nothing to touch, smell or even hear for it was so silent that the silence was deafening.
And now 11 years after his mother passed away, Sakuragi once again felt the same fear from long ago grip his heart. He may be a genius or at least claim to be, and for 11 long years he had hidden himself behind a mask of false vigor and enthusiasm. He was afraid, he had been afraid ever since he was a child, and this false mask was what sheltered him since his childhood. But now, an experience such as this has awakened in him the fear which he always keeps hidden within the very depths of his heart and soul.
"What's going on?!" he yelled. But his voice was only consumed by the endless darkness around him. Then, as if to answer his unheeded question, a series of images flashed before his very eyes.
They were images of a little girl with long, curly, black hair and big brown eyes and a little boy with short brown hair and big innocent, blue eyes. They were clothed in robes that Sakuragi has never seen before.
"Who are these children?" Sakuragi whispered as the images of the children playing and running around in a garden filled with floating fountains and blossoming cherry blossoms were shown before his very eyes.
Then, all of a sudden, they stopped playing and from the image, looked directly at Sakuragi. And the little girl stretched her small arms to him and said in an excited tone, "Hana - kun! Come play with us!"
Sakuragi could not understand why but the girl's hands passed through the image and extended over for Sakuragi to hold on to. He slowly inched his hand forward to accept the girl's invitation, when suddenly, the children in the image looked to their right, fear very evident in their young and expressive eyes.
Sakuragi looked towards the direction they were looking, but he saw nothing.
Then, without any warning at all, the image of the two children vanished and Sakuragi found himself back in the abyss of plain blackness.
Fear gripped his heart once again and he felt his blood freeze in his veins as he heard a loud and sinister laugh, then... "Welcome back Hanamichi, welcome back." [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
Sakuragi opened his heavy lidded eyes and saw a big pair of big brown eyes peering into his own.
"Are you alright Hanamichi?"
"Oh, Ms. Haruko!" Sakuragi exclaimed ad he was immediately snapped awake. He was on a couch of some kind, made from the softest cottons and the finest of velvets, and when he saw Haruko, he bolted straight up to a sitting position from his previous position of lying down. He forced a big grin on his face even though the voice he last heard before wking up kept on repeating itself over and over at the back of his brain. "Yes, I'm fine Ms. Haruko."
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes I'm sure Ms. Haruko. See? I am up and ready!" Sakuragi replied with great fervor. He made no mention of the vision he had seen earlier, knowing that it would only make the Faerie princess more worried for his sake. Then the door behind Haruko opened and in stepped Mitsui, now dressed up in the same fashion as the little boy in Sakuragi's vision. He wore a deep brown robe, and underneath the robe was a white turtleneck and brown pants. He looked more regal than before, and his shoulder - length hair was loose, unlike the way it had been tied in a ponytail a while ago. Haruko herself, was dressed up in a long flowery gown, with bits of jewelry around her neck, arms and ears.
"Is he up yet Haruko?" He looked at the now fully awake Sakuragi and smiled. "At least you've only been unconscious for an thirty minutes." You should be okay, nothing to be worried about." He looked at Haruko and said sternly, "The next time you volunteer to cast a spell, simple or complicated, make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."
"I already told you big brother!" Haruko argued, standing up and stomping her foot stubbornly. "I made sure that the spell was cast correctly!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Mitsui said, waving his hand absent - mindedly. He smiled at Sakuragi and said, "Come on, our cousin - the high queen Ayako and our other cousins await your presence in the banquet."
"What about the others?"
"They are already waiting for you as well. Come, I will teleport us there."
Sakuragi closed his eyes and prepared himself for the pain when the Faerie prince closed his eyes and began to chant the spell inaudibly.
But it didn't come. All Sakuragi felt was a warmth that enveloped him, it was so soothing and so comfortable, a direct contrast to the pain the same spell had caused him earlier. And when the warm presence was gone and he opened his eyes, he found himself in another room. "What..."
"I told you, you did something wrong Haruko," Mitsui reprimanded Haruko again. "You see, I did the exact same spell and nothing happened to Sakuragi."
Haruko pouted at Mitsui, but when she faced Sakuragi, she was smiling sweetly again. "Hanamichi, this is the dining hall of Faerie's capital - Eilandar," she explained, pointing at the big door they were standing directly in front of.
Sakuragi was nervous about meeting the rest of the royal family, especially the high queen, but he didn't show it.
Although he did not express his nervousness, Mitsui was able to sense it quite clearly. So he placed his hand on the nervous boy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Sakuragi, Ayako may be rather strict but she isn't as terrible as you might think she is." He gave the redhead a small wink before opening the door.
Sakuragi's eyes widened at the sight of the room. It was huge! In fact, calling it huge would have to be an understatement. It had huge stone walls with finely crafted wood and gold for its numerous pillars. Tapestries of white and gold combined lined the walls. Golden chandeliers gave flickering lights form their positions on the walls. At the far end of the room were two large windows which were adorned with white curtains trimmed with golden threads. And in the center of the ceiling was a huge chandelier which shown brightly in contrast with the smaller chandeliers in the room whose only purpose of being there was simply to decorate the room because of the faint light they gave off.
The table in the center of the room was a long rectangular one. It was made from the finest wood and the purest of gold. Its golden trimmings and design were all similar to those of the pillars and walls.
Sakuragi didn't notice that he had been staring at the room, speechless, ever since he entered it. He only realized this when he heard someone clear his throat to get the redhead's attention.
Sakuragi got his wits back and finally, the thought of other people being in the same room as he was, registered in his awe - struck brain.
Obviously it was Akagi who tried to get the redhead's attention, and this came as no surprise to Sakuragi. He quickly noticed that Akagi, Kogure and Miyagi were all wearing clothes of the same fashion as that of Mitsui's. Kogure and Miyagi, a few chairs away from where Akagi sat, gave the newcomers a small smile and a curt nod to acknowledge their presence. Sakuragi wondered why there were empty seats in between his friends and why they didn't choose to sit together.
Akagi cleared his throat again and when Sakuragi looked back, a girl with long curly black hair, neatly kept underneath a tiara of gold and diamonds, was already seated on the large seat at the end of the table right beside Akagi.
The girl had a few, but extravagant, jewelries on her ears and neck. She wore a long white gown and her hair, falling neatly back behind her, in full contrast with her gown. She carried herself with so much composure that Sakuragi felt his nervousness from before coming back at him in full force.
The queen gently touched Akagi's arm and said in a soft voice, "Be gentle on him Akagi, there is no need to be so formal and strict, I can clearly see that the poor boy is nervous."
When Akagi nodded, she smiled, satisfied, and turned to Sakuragi, eyes warm and kind. "Welcome to Faerie Sakuragi Hanamichi. This is the city of Eilandar, the capital of our harmonious land. And I am the high queen of Faerie - Ayako. I am a faerie of the Angel level and I am the only daughter of the late King Edward. Come and take a seat by my side, we shall await the arrival of the others."
'The others?' Sakuragi thought as he did as the queen had instructed.
Once her guest had already seated himself, Ayako turned to Mitsui and Haruko who were still standing up, a few feet away from the table. "Get the others."
Haruko curtsied and Mitsui bowed elegantly and disappeared in a flash of light.
When they disappeared, Ayako turned to Sakuragi and asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Um...fine..."
"Oh don't be so nervous Sakuragi!" exclaimed the queen as she gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. "When the rest of my family arrives, you will see how unroyal - like we can be. And speaking of my family, please accept my apologies."
"What for majesty?"
"I heard that you had quite a bad experience of entering our world. It was because of Haruko's..."
"It wasn't Princess Haruko's fault majesty," Sakuragi immediately cut in.
"Really?" Ayako asked. "Although she is my cousin, Haruko is such a weak spell caster sad to say. Oh and please stop calling me majesty or queen when we are in informal occasions because if feels awkward. I would truly appreciate that, and so will my cousins if you stop the formality when it is not needed. I...."
She was unable to finish what she was supposed to say because at that moment, six people appeared in the dining hall. And after giving either a curtsy or a bow to the high queen, they took their seats.
"Alright, now we can begin," Ayako said. She stretched her hand and a long staff materialized. With a small wave of the staff, a large banquet appeared on the table.
It was a delicious feast served on finely crafted plates of gold and silver. While similarly crafted goblets filled with the finest of wines appeared right beside the plates. When these appeared, the staff disappeared from the high queen's hand.
"Now Sakuragi," said Ayako after she drank from her goblet. "I will introduce you to the rest of my family. You friends have all been properly introduced to them a while ago." She shifted her gaze to the fine looking youth who was seated right beside Sakuragi and said, "Kenji, you go first. The others will follow."
The said youth wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to the still eating redhead. "My name is Fujima Kenji. I am the ruler of the country of Greendale. Similar to the high queen, I am a faerie of the angel level and my favorite weapon is the long bow. I am the only son of the late Princess Katia. I am a nature lover and I love to spend time with my people out in the fields and work with them."
He resumed eating and Ayako turned expectant eyes to Mitsui who was seated between Miyagi and Kogure. "Hisashi?"
Mitsui stopped eating and began, "You already know me, but for formalities' sake, I am Mitsui Hisashi, eldest son among the three children of the late Princess Eira. I am the ruler of the country of Isendre. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the crossbow."
Ayako shifted her gaze to the man, with standing hair, sitting beside Fujima. "Akira?"
They waited for a few more seconds before the prince could reply because he was still trying to swallow his food. "I am Sendoh Akira, second among the late Princess Eira's children. I am the ruler of the country of Sarafel. Like my brother, I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the whip. I love swimming and fishing just for fun." He flashed Sakuragi a grin which sent shivers down the poor boy's spine.
Luckilly, the shorter man beside the prince nudged him in the ribs and the prince managed an "Oh don't be so jealous Hiroaki" before he proceeded to gobble down his food again.
Ayako heaved a deep sigh and shook her head. "Go on Hiroaki."
The man beside Sendoh looked at him and flashed him a friendly smile. "My name is Koshino Hiroaki. I am a citizen of Agua Vendita - the capital of Sarafel. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the saber. Akira and I are scheduled to be engaged on this year's Lunamir Day."
"Lunamir day?"
"It's approximately 6 months from today if we follow the calendar from your world Sakuragi," Ayako answered. "Haruko?"
"I am Haruko, youngest daughter of Princess Eira and the ruler of the country of Markiel."
It was too short an introduction and Sakuragi wanted to ask more. But before he could even open his mouth, he heard Ayako's voice in his head, 'Don't bother to ask about other details Sakuragi, she's too shy to tell.'
So he shut himself up.
"Rukawa?"
The pale and lithe man sitting beside Haruko looked at the redhead with a leveled gaze and said, "I am Rukawa Kaede. And my weapon of choice is the ice sword." Rukawa didn't seem like a man of many words so Sakuragi thought better than to press on.
"Ayako?"
"Yes Sakuragi?"
"I was wondering about..."
"Oh yes!" the queen exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you about this. We faeries are classified into different levels, and these levels of power are clearly seen through our wings. The highest classification is the Fire level, followed by the Angel, Water and Demon. There are two unclassified power levels. These are Black and Polka dot, they are unclassified because barely anyone has these levels. It is said that a faerie of the Black level is as powerful as a faerie with Fire level and Water level combined. The polka dot is presumably weaker than the Demon level. As I said, our wings clearly show these levels. If a faerie is of the Angel level, he exhibits Angel wings, although the colors of the wings may vary depending on each individual; and this applies to the Water, Fire and Demon levels as well. The only exceptions to this are the Polka dot and the Black levels because they only exhibit one color. Do you understand?"
Sakuragi nodded dumbly as his brain tried to register this new information.
"Good," said the queen. "With that done, we can discuss about more important matters."
"Like, where should they stay," continued Fujima. "I doubt Ayako will be able to handle all four of them and their training with all the work she has here in Eilandar."
"So do we split them up?" Sendoh asked.
"Yes," replied Fujima. "But the question is, who takes who home?"
"Miyagi and Kogure will be coming with me to Isendre's capital - Triendia," Mitsui volunteered at once.
"Why two of them?"
"Because Kenji, I know Akira wants to take one of those two home, but I doubt if he'll be able to take care of them. And I am also worried about Koshino's blood pressure."
Koshino was fuming, observed Sakuragi, so much that if it weren't for Ayako's presence, he would have beaten the prince to a bloody pulp.
Fujima seemed to consider this. "I guess you do have a point. How about Akagi?" "He stays here."
"Ayako?"
"Yes Kenji, I do deserve a companion here in this lonely place and Akagi here is perfect. We seem to be agreeing on almost everything we talk about."
"Alright," said the prince. "And lastly..."
"Sakuragi comes with us."
Everyone turned surprised faces to look at the speaker.
"Rukawa?"
"Yes Fujima," replied Rukawa as he turned to look at the prince. "He saved my fiancé's life, so both of us would like to show him our appreciation by letting him stay in Markiel's capital - Flores."
"Alright," Fujima said. "It's settled then. Miyagi and Kogure will stay in Triendia with Hisashi, Akagi will stay here in Eilandar and Sakuragi will stay in Flores."
Sakuragi thought for a while. He would be staying in Flores so that would mean that he would be able to see Princess Haruko everyday. He felt his lips curve into a smile at the thought. But it disappeared immediately when he saw that Rukawa's steady gaze was settled on him.
'Sakuragi? It's me Fujima. What's wrong? Don't be so stiff. Don't tell me you're still nervous.'
Sakuragi looked at the prince beside him and smiled. "I'm fine Fujima."
'Alright. But remember that if you ever feel something, don't hesitate to tell us okay?'
Sakuragi nodded.
The banquet soon ended and they prepared to part ways.
Ayako stood up and led everyone to the hangar outside the castle walls, where they were to depart.
There were six ships docked in the hangar. Two of these were pure white with a few golden shades, one was blue, the other green, another brown and yet another one of rainbow colors.
"Take care of them you guys," Ayako reminded them as they all entered their respective ships.
"And don't cause any trouble!" Akagi added over the noise of the starting engines.
Sakuragi barely heard Akagi's voice as he, along with Haruko and Rukawa entered their ship - the one with rainbow colors.
TBC
Author's notes: I finished chap 1 in one sitting. Yay! *throws confetti*. I hope the characters here aren't ooc. And I hope you enjoyed reading this ^^
Part: chapter1 Author: Nanako
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya
Rating:PG
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc
Disclaimer: Salm Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land, Afuna, you know why already ^^, And to Yen, thanks for everything
CHAPTER 1
The World of Faerie
"Tadaima," said Akagi, as he closed the front door. It was a tiring day and all he wanted was a rest from work once he got home. But, as expected, once Akagi caught sight of Haruko dining with the other boys on their dining table, he exclaimed, "Who is this girl?!"
"Takenori, we..." Kogure started.
But Haruko had already began, "My, my, you should learn to control that loud voice and brash temper of yours Akagi." She smiled sweetly at him and said, "My name is Haruko, pleased to meet you. Your three friends here already told me about you."
Akagi was about to say something but Haruko raised her right hand to silence him as she still had something else to say. "Now before anything else, I must inform you that it was your friend, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who saved my life. And the reason why I am here now is because I am waiting for my big brother - Mitsui Hisashi - to come here for me."
"You saved her life?" Akagi asked Sakuragi once Haruko was done talking. He set his things down on the couch near the table as the redhead answered his question.
"Yeah... I guess I did," replied the redhead a bit sheepishly.
Akagi was about to sit in his position in the dining table when a bright light flashed. The bright light was coming from the chair beside Miyagi and when it was gone, Mitsui stood in its place, comfortably seated down on the chair in a rather lazy and casual manner.
"Who is this?!" Akagi bellowed again, oblivious to the presence of other people in the room who were already cringing from the volume and force of his bellows.
But Mitsui just looked at him, unaffected by his shouting and said in a clear and charming manner, "My name is Mitsui Hisashi, Haruko's elder brother. Your temper is really something of a bother, isn't it?" Then, completely ignoring the steaming Akagi, who was now beginning to resemble a very angry gorilla, he turned to his expectant sister and flashed her a big smile.
"Well?"
"Sorry if it took me such a long time to get back here," Mitsui apologized. "Ayako had to call everyone together and since our dear brother Akira was having a fishing party in the Lake of Sheream, we still had to wait for him to arrive. And knowing this, all of our other dear cousins took their jolly good time in going to Eilandar as well. So it wasn't until a few minutes ago that everyone actually arrived. The meeting was short and in that short while, everyone agreed that it would be alright to take them with us. Although Ayako has a strong reason to believe that they might actually be faeries as well but just grew up in this world because, according to her, no matter how powerful human psychics are, they will never be powerful enough to hear our mind voice."
"So they can come?" asked Haruko excitedly.
"Since everyone thought it was okay, then we have leave to bring them with us sister," Mitsui said with a smile. Then he turned to the other four occupants of the room and asked, "Will it be alright if we explain everything to you guys right here right now?"
"Fire away," Akagi said as he tiredly sat on his chair, propped his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. He obviously had had too much of this Faerie thing already and this was already causing him a much hated headache.
Mitsui took a deep breath and began, "I don't think I have to say this, because I think it is quite obvious and you guys have already probably guessed, but just so that you would know, Haruko and I aren't human beings. We, both of us, came from the royal line of our world - Faerie."
"How does that explain your appearing and disappearing in brilliant flashes of light?" Sakuragi asked.
Haruko replied, "As Hisashi said, we aren't humans. So we, faeries, have capabilities to cast spells and to control magic."
"And what does any of this have to do with us?" Sakuragi pressed on.
"Oh do be patient Hanamichi, I am getting there," Haruko said. "Now, like I said, we are capable of casting magical spells. And one of these spells just happens to be called Stealth. Stealth gives the caster the ability to become invisible to the eyes of others, unless the caster allows himself to be seen. My brother and I both had this spell cast on ourselves upon our arrival here. And all four of you are able to see us, which means that you guys must be from our world as well, although we have no idea how you guys could have come to this far a world such as this. And you, Sakuragi, you were able to hear my mind voice, while my own brother did not. It's so extraordinary, because you haven't even been trained yet, because normally, faeries need to be trained in order to hear or send one's thoughts to another!"
"I was quite busy at that time Haruko," Mitsui defended. "Anyway, that was the reason why I went back to Faerie. I had to ask permission from our cousins if it would be alright if we brought you guys with us to our world.'
"For what?" Kogure inquired. "For training of course," replied Mitsui. "You guys are too powerful. It would be such a waste to leave your powers dormant here in this world where powers aren't needed or appreciated."
"So you're telling us that we should go to Faerie?" Miyagi asked.
"Yes," Haruko replied.
"And leave everything we have behind?"
"Oh not everything Sakuragi," said Mitsui. "You can bring to Faerie whatever belongings you wish to bring with you."
Kogure, Miyagi and Sakuragi all turned expectant eyes to Akagi.
"What do you think Takenori?" Kogure asked him after a moment of silence. "Should we go and leave everything we have or should we do otherwise?"
Akagi sighed and only then did he remove his fingers from his temples. "They do have a point. As much as this house means a lot to us, we can't ignore these "powers". If we don't know how to use them, they might endanger us or the people around us or those whom we work with. Go and pack your things."
Sakuragi jumped off his seat, not minding whether his friends thought of him as an idiot for doing so, because all he wanted was to make sure that he brought all the things he considered dear with him.
He ran to his room and picked up his gym bag, which was the biggest one he had. He placed it on his bed and grabbed his favorite clothing, his basketball team jersey, his disc man, cd's, his beloved basketball and his other personal things.
He was about to zip his bag shut when he caught a glimpse of the picture album he was looking at earlier on his bed. So he picked it up and carefully, almost reverently, placed it inside his gym bag.
After checking that all his most prized possessions were all in the bag, he zipped it and left his room.
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
When Sakuragi reached their dining room, only a few minutes after eh left it, he found the others already waiting for him.
"Takenori," he started, once he entered the room. "I was just wondering, you know, about our jobs...?"
"I already called up the company," Replied Akagi. "I told our boss that we were quitting the job."
"Now," interrupted Mitsui. "I believe everyone's ready?" He looked around, and seeing that no one intended to speak, continued, "I shall now open the portal which connects this world to ours, then."
Mitsui was about to do what he intended to do, but Haruko interrupted him before he even had the chance to even begin what he intended to do. "Big brother, can I try the Teleportation spell?"
Mitsui let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, Haruko. You can try it. The Teleportation spell is one of the easiest and simplest spells, so that even you won't be able to mess it up."
Haruko smiled sweetly at her brother and began what she had tasked herself to do.
She closed her eyes and placed both of her palms before her and they began to glow as she chanted the incantations for the Teleportation spell inaudibly.
At the moment that Haruko started the spell, Sakuragi's head began to throb. And the more Haruko's palms glowed, the more pain his head received.
But Sakuragi, being the self proclaimed genius that he is, didn't want anyone to get worried for him. So he endured the throbbing, and growing pain in his head, believing that he will last through this Teleportation. But he was wrong, terribly wrong.
Because at the moment Haruko put her palms together, to signal the end of the incantation, Sakuragi's vision blurred for a few seconds before he blacked out completely and slipped into unconsciousness. [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
Sakuragi opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did, because it seemed as though he was in a void of nothingness, a seemingly endless abyss of blackness surrounding him. There was nothing to see, nothing to touch, smell or even hear for it was so silent that the silence was deafening.
And now 11 years after his mother passed away, Sakuragi once again felt the same fear from long ago grip his heart. He may be a genius or at least claim to be, and for 11 long years he had hidden himself behind a mask of false vigor and enthusiasm. He was afraid, he had been afraid ever since he was a child, and this false mask was what sheltered him since his childhood. But now, an experience such as this has awakened in him the fear which he always keeps hidden within the very depths of his heart and soul.
"What's going on?!" he yelled. But his voice was only consumed by the endless darkness around him. Then, as if to answer his unheeded question, a series of images flashed before his very eyes.
They were images of a little girl with long, curly, black hair and big brown eyes and a little boy with short brown hair and big innocent, blue eyes. They were clothed in robes that Sakuragi has never seen before.
"Who are these children?" Sakuragi whispered as the images of the children playing and running around in a garden filled with floating fountains and blossoming cherry blossoms were shown before his very eyes.
Then, all of a sudden, they stopped playing and from the image, looked directly at Sakuragi. And the little girl stretched her small arms to him and said in an excited tone, "Hana - kun! Come play with us!"
Sakuragi could not understand why but the girl's hands passed through the image and extended over for Sakuragi to hold on to. He slowly inched his hand forward to accept the girl's invitation, when suddenly, the children in the image looked to their right, fear very evident in their young and expressive eyes.
Sakuragi looked towards the direction they were looking, but he saw nothing.
Then, without any warning at all, the image of the two children vanished and Sakuragi found himself back in the abyss of plain blackness.
Fear gripped his heart once again and he felt his blood freeze in his veins as he heard a loud and sinister laugh, then... "Welcome back Hanamichi, welcome back." [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]
Sakuragi opened his heavy lidded eyes and saw a big pair of big brown eyes peering into his own.
"Are you alright Hanamichi?"
"Oh, Ms. Haruko!" Sakuragi exclaimed ad he was immediately snapped awake. He was on a couch of some kind, made from the softest cottons and the finest of velvets, and when he saw Haruko, he bolted straight up to a sitting position from his previous position of lying down. He forced a big grin on his face even though the voice he last heard before wking up kept on repeating itself over and over at the back of his brain. "Yes, I'm fine Ms. Haruko."
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes I'm sure Ms. Haruko. See? I am up and ready!" Sakuragi replied with great fervor. He made no mention of the vision he had seen earlier, knowing that it would only make the Faerie princess more worried for his sake. Then the door behind Haruko opened and in stepped Mitsui, now dressed up in the same fashion as the little boy in Sakuragi's vision. He wore a deep brown robe, and underneath the robe was a white turtleneck and brown pants. He looked more regal than before, and his shoulder - length hair was loose, unlike the way it had been tied in a ponytail a while ago. Haruko herself, was dressed up in a long flowery gown, with bits of jewelry around her neck, arms and ears.
"Is he up yet Haruko?" He looked at the now fully awake Sakuragi and smiled. "At least you've only been unconscious for an thirty minutes." You should be okay, nothing to be worried about." He looked at Haruko and said sternly, "The next time you volunteer to cast a spell, simple or complicated, make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."
"I already told you big brother!" Haruko argued, standing up and stomping her foot stubbornly. "I made sure that the spell was cast correctly!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Mitsui said, waving his hand absent - mindedly. He smiled at Sakuragi and said, "Come on, our cousin - the high queen Ayako and our other cousins await your presence in the banquet."
"What about the others?"
"They are already waiting for you as well. Come, I will teleport us there."
Sakuragi closed his eyes and prepared himself for the pain when the Faerie prince closed his eyes and began to chant the spell inaudibly.
But it didn't come. All Sakuragi felt was a warmth that enveloped him, it was so soothing and so comfortable, a direct contrast to the pain the same spell had caused him earlier. And when the warm presence was gone and he opened his eyes, he found himself in another room. "What..."
"I told you, you did something wrong Haruko," Mitsui reprimanded Haruko again. "You see, I did the exact same spell and nothing happened to Sakuragi."
Haruko pouted at Mitsui, but when she faced Sakuragi, she was smiling sweetly again. "Hanamichi, this is the dining hall of Faerie's capital - Eilandar," she explained, pointing at the big door they were standing directly in front of.
Sakuragi was nervous about meeting the rest of the royal family, especially the high queen, but he didn't show it.
Although he did not express his nervousness, Mitsui was able to sense it quite clearly. So he placed his hand on the nervous boy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Sakuragi, Ayako may be rather strict but she isn't as terrible as you might think she is." He gave the redhead a small wink before opening the door.
Sakuragi's eyes widened at the sight of the room. It was huge! In fact, calling it huge would have to be an understatement. It had huge stone walls with finely crafted wood and gold for its numerous pillars. Tapestries of white and gold combined lined the walls. Golden chandeliers gave flickering lights form their positions on the walls. At the far end of the room were two large windows which were adorned with white curtains trimmed with golden threads. And in the center of the ceiling was a huge chandelier which shown brightly in contrast with the smaller chandeliers in the room whose only purpose of being there was simply to decorate the room because of the faint light they gave off.
The table in the center of the room was a long rectangular one. It was made from the finest wood and the purest of gold. Its golden trimmings and design were all similar to those of the pillars and walls.
Sakuragi didn't notice that he had been staring at the room, speechless, ever since he entered it. He only realized this when he heard someone clear his throat to get the redhead's attention.
Sakuragi got his wits back and finally, the thought of other people being in the same room as he was, registered in his awe - struck brain.
Obviously it was Akagi who tried to get the redhead's attention, and this came as no surprise to Sakuragi. He quickly noticed that Akagi, Kogure and Miyagi were all wearing clothes of the same fashion as that of Mitsui's. Kogure and Miyagi, a few chairs away from where Akagi sat, gave the newcomers a small smile and a curt nod to acknowledge their presence. Sakuragi wondered why there were empty seats in between his friends and why they didn't choose to sit together.
Akagi cleared his throat again and when Sakuragi looked back, a girl with long curly black hair, neatly kept underneath a tiara of gold and diamonds, was already seated on the large seat at the end of the table right beside Akagi.
The girl had a few, but extravagant, jewelries on her ears and neck. She wore a long white gown and her hair, falling neatly back behind her, in full contrast with her gown. She carried herself with so much composure that Sakuragi felt his nervousness from before coming back at him in full force.
The queen gently touched Akagi's arm and said in a soft voice, "Be gentle on him Akagi, there is no need to be so formal and strict, I can clearly see that the poor boy is nervous."
When Akagi nodded, she smiled, satisfied, and turned to Sakuragi, eyes warm and kind. "Welcome to Faerie Sakuragi Hanamichi. This is the city of Eilandar, the capital of our harmonious land. And I am the high queen of Faerie - Ayako. I am a faerie of the Angel level and I am the only daughter of the late King Edward. Come and take a seat by my side, we shall await the arrival of the others."
'The others?' Sakuragi thought as he did as the queen had instructed.
Once her guest had already seated himself, Ayako turned to Mitsui and Haruko who were still standing up, a few feet away from the table. "Get the others."
Haruko curtsied and Mitsui bowed elegantly and disappeared in a flash of light.
When they disappeared, Ayako turned to Sakuragi and asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Um...fine..."
"Oh don't be so nervous Sakuragi!" exclaimed the queen as she gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. "When the rest of my family arrives, you will see how unroyal - like we can be. And speaking of my family, please accept my apologies."
"What for majesty?"
"I heard that you had quite a bad experience of entering our world. It was because of Haruko's..."
"It wasn't Princess Haruko's fault majesty," Sakuragi immediately cut in.
"Really?" Ayako asked. "Although she is my cousin, Haruko is such a weak spell caster sad to say. Oh and please stop calling me majesty or queen when we are in informal occasions because if feels awkward. I would truly appreciate that, and so will my cousins if you stop the formality when it is not needed. I...."
She was unable to finish what she was supposed to say because at that moment, six people appeared in the dining hall. And after giving either a curtsy or a bow to the high queen, they took their seats.
"Alright, now we can begin," Ayako said. She stretched her hand and a long staff materialized. With a small wave of the staff, a large banquet appeared on the table.
It was a delicious feast served on finely crafted plates of gold and silver. While similarly crafted goblets filled with the finest of wines appeared right beside the plates. When these appeared, the staff disappeared from the high queen's hand.
"Now Sakuragi," said Ayako after she drank from her goblet. "I will introduce you to the rest of my family. You friends have all been properly introduced to them a while ago." She shifted her gaze to the fine looking youth who was seated right beside Sakuragi and said, "Kenji, you go first. The others will follow."
The said youth wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to the still eating redhead. "My name is Fujima Kenji. I am the ruler of the country of Greendale. Similar to the high queen, I am a faerie of the angel level and my favorite weapon is the long bow. I am the only son of the late Princess Katia. I am a nature lover and I love to spend time with my people out in the fields and work with them."
He resumed eating and Ayako turned expectant eyes to Mitsui who was seated between Miyagi and Kogure. "Hisashi?"
Mitsui stopped eating and began, "You already know me, but for formalities' sake, I am Mitsui Hisashi, eldest son among the three children of the late Princess Eira. I am the ruler of the country of Isendre. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the crossbow."
Ayako shifted her gaze to the man, with standing hair, sitting beside Fujima. "Akira?"
They waited for a few more seconds before the prince could reply because he was still trying to swallow his food. "I am Sendoh Akira, second among the late Princess Eira's children. I am the ruler of the country of Sarafel. Like my brother, I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the whip. I love swimming and fishing just for fun." He flashed Sakuragi a grin which sent shivers down the poor boy's spine.
Luckilly, the shorter man beside the prince nudged him in the ribs and the prince managed an "Oh don't be so jealous Hiroaki" before he proceeded to gobble down his food again.
Ayako heaved a deep sigh and shook her head. "Go on Hiroaki."
The man beside Sendoh looked at him and flashed him a friendly smile. "My name is Koshino Hiroaki. I am a citizen of Agua Vendita - the capital of Sarafel. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the saber. Akira and I are scheduled to be engaged on this year's Lunamir Day."
"Lunamir day?"
"It's approximately 6 months from today if we follow the calendar from your world Sakuragi," Ayako answered. "Haruko?"
"I am Haruko, youngest daughter of Princess Eira and the ruler of the country of Markiel."
It was too short an introduction and Sakuragi wanted to ask more. But before he could even open his mouth, he heard Ayako's voice in his head, 'Don't bother to ask about other details Sakuragi, she's too shy to tell.'
So he shut himself up.
"Rukawa?"
The pale and lithe man sitting beside Haruko looked at the redhead with a leveled gaze and said, "I am Rukawa Kaede. And my weapon of choice is the ice sword." Rukawa didn't seem like a man of many words so Sakuragi thought better than to press on.
"Ayako?"
"Yes Sakuragi?"
"I was wondering about..."
"Oh yes!" the queen exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you about this. We faeries are classified into different levels, and these levels of power are clearly seen through our wings. The highest classification is the Fire level, followed by the Angel, Water and Demon. There are two unclassified power levels. These are Black and Polka dot, they are unclassified because barely anyone has these levels. It is said that a faerie of the Black level is as powerful as a faerie with Fire level and Water level combined. The polka dot is presumably weaker than the Demon level. As I said, our wings clearly show these levels. If a faerie is of the Angel level, he exhibits Angel wings, although the colors of the wings may vary depending on each individual; and this applies to the Water, Fire and Demon levels as well. The only exceptions to this are the Polka dot and the Black levels because they only exhibit one color. Do you understand?"
Sakuragi nodded dumbly as his brain tried to register this new information.
"Good," said the queen. "With that done, we can discuss about more important matters."
"Like, where should they stay," continued Fujima. "I doubt Ayako will be able to handle all four of them and their training with all the work she has here in Eilandar."
"So do we split them up?" Sendoh asked.
"Yes," replied Fujima. "But the question is, who takes who home?"
"Miyagi and Kogure will be coming with me to Isendre's capital - Triendia," Mitsui volunteered at once.
"Why two of them?"
"Because Kenji, I know Akira wants to take one of those two home, but I doubt if he'll be able to take care of them. And I am also worried about Koshino's blood pressure."
Koshino was fuming, observed Sakuragi, so much that if it weren't for Ayako's presence, he would have beaten the prince to a bloody pulp.
Fujima seemed to consider this. "I guess you do have a point. How about Akagi?" "He stays here."
"Ayako?"
"Yes Kenji, I do deserve a companion here in this lonely place and Akagi here is perfect. We seem to be agreeing on almost everything we talk about."
"Alright," said the prince. "And lastly..."
"Sakuragi comes with us."
Everyone turned surprised faces to look at the speaker.
"Rukawa?"
"Yes Fujima," replied Rukawa as he turned to look at the prince. "He saved my fiancé's life, so both of us would like to show him our appreciation by letting him stay in Markiel's capital - Flores."
"Alright," Fujima said. "It's settled then. Miyagi and Kogure will stay in Triendia with Hisashi, Akagi will stay here in Eilandar and Sakuragi will stay in Flores."
Sakuragi thought for a while. He would be staying in Flores so that would mean that he would be able to see Princess Haruko everyday. He felt his lips curve into a smile at the thought. But it disappeared immediately when he saw that Rukawa's steady gaze was settled on him.
'Sakuragi? It's me Fujima. What's wrong? Don't be so stiff. Don't tell me you're still nervous.'
Sakuragi looked at the prince beside him and smiled. "I'm fine Fujima."
'Alright. But remember that if you ever feel something, don't hesitate to tell us okay?'
Sakuragi nodded.
The banquet soon ended and they prepared to part ways.
Ayako stood up and led everyone to the hangar outside the castle walls, where they were to depart.
There were six ships docked in the hangar. Two of these were pure white with a few golden shades, one was blue, the other green, another brown and yet another one of rainbow colors.
"Take care of them you guys," Ayako reminded them as they all entered their respective ships.
"And don't cause any trouble!" Akagi added over the noise of the starting engines.
Sakuragi barely heard Akagi's voice as he, along with Haruko and Rukawa entered their ship - the one with rainbow colors.
TBC
Author's notes: I finished chap 1 in one sitting. Yay! *throws confetti*. I hope the characters here aren't ooc. And I hope you enjoyed reading this ^^