Kerrianne - : tackles with hugs : Glad you like it, girl! I'm going to try to update as much as I can for ya!

Chapter One: The Awakening

"He's coming to! Quick, someone get a glass of water!"

A pair of amethyst eyes opened to see blurs of color about him. When his vision finally cleared, he noticed many unfamiliar faces around him. He gingerly propped himself up to a sitting position.

"Take it easy, kid", a person in a white uniform said. "Judging from the situation we found you in, it was pretty obvious you were trying to kill yourself. Smart move to perform a suicide in some abandoned ruins, but we came here to investigate a disappearance".

"Wait", Itsuki Tachibana whispered, his throat parched. "I don't understand anything you're saying. What do you mean by 'ruins', sir? I'm extremely confused".

"Don't tell me something's gone wrong with your head, kiddo", the paramedic shook his head. "Just look around you. These are the ruins of Minakami Village. It was destroyed in some kind of plague or something like that. But hell, it's as barren as any other ruin would be".

Itsuki felt a chill travel down his spine. He stood up and looked around. People in white uniforms were all over the place with a lot of strange, machine-like things he could not identify. And even from where he was, he could see that the village was empty. The Tsuchihara House was reduced to ruins and the Osaka House looked ancient and abandoned. He was confused. What the hell was happening?

"Sir, what year is it?" he turned to the paramedic, his voice catching in his throat.

"Something's really wrong with you, kid", the paramedic eyed him. "But anyway, it's 1956".

1956? But that's way into the future!

Itsuki paled. Judging from his surroundings, what the man said was true. But why was he still alive? And what happened to the village that caused it to deteriorate so rapidly? Even in the future, he assumed that people would still be living here. But just by looking at the ruins, one could tell that something had befallen it.

"We gotta get you home, kid", the paramedic said. "Give me your address and we'll drive you home".

"I…don't have a home", Itsuki looked at the ground sadly.

"Must be an orphan, then", the paramedic assumed. "Any relative I can take you to, kid?"

"I'll be fine", Itsuki said shakily. "I know the way out of here, sir. I can manage myself".

He nodded his thanks to the paramedic, then headed off into the village. All around him were remnants of what he used to call home. Some structures were even damaged beyond recognition. He felt ill and lonely just looking at them.

I want to get out of here. There's nothing left for me here any longer…

He went over to the Old Tree to see if the mechanism would still work. To his surprise, the mechanism looked as if it had recently been used. All of the crests were even fastened properly, meaning that the seal on the door had been opened.

"Who could have done this?" he asked out loud. "I don't think any of these modern people know about the sealed dorr that leads out of the village".

He rushed to the staircase and took them two at a time. He just wanted to leave this place because he felt sick already. It was as if something had plagued the village, causing the extinction of its entire population. He pushed open the door to Kureha Shrine and stared in wonder at how dilapidated it had become. The fences had been broken, wooden beams lying around and talismans scattered everywhere. He shivered, and then made his way to the hidden door behind the shrine. Cold air seeped through the open passage.

"Someone did go through here", he observed. "Had one of the villagers managed to escape somehow?"

Ignoring his doubts, he set foot into the passage and began the long walk to the end of the passage, which would lead to the outside world. With a last glance back, he continued on his way.

Farewell again, my old home. For some reason, I am still here in this world. I don't know how this became possible, but I can no longer stay behind.

As he approached the exit, streams of sunlight came into view. He shielded his eyes from the light, and walked out into the world he had never seen before. But there was no joy in him this time. Just remorse and guilt. He approached a riverbank, sat there…and wept bitterly.