This chapter was originally named "As We all Fly Away", but as I
skimmed over it, I changed it to dedicate it to my first and most loved
puppy-dog which I had for a few months. (I tell ya about his story if you
e-mail or IM me). I put my puppy in the story and, Dutch, run free
wherever you are and stay out of trouble!
Infamous Half-breed
Riis entered the airport in Tokyo at an ungodly hour. She had lost all sense of time since her "nap" on the plane. After the stewardess had showed her where to pick up her baggage, she had then proceeded in showing her to where she was to meet Hitomi. As soon as she walked through the doors, her ears pressed flat against her head. The noise that bombarded her ears almost made tears come to her eyes.
Riis looked around. She had only seen a picture of Hitomi once, and only briefly at that. She didn't think that Hitomi had ever seen a picture of her. Upon looking through the crowd, a woman with bright emerald eyes, honey-brown bobbed hair, and an odd scent about her caught her attention. She dragged her bag towards her and looked in her eyes. They had a far away look to them. Riis tapped the woman's shoulder hoping it was Hitomi.
!)%^*!$#)%!)#%^*!)#$%*!#)$
Hitomi was brought out of her conversation with Van by a tap on her shoulder. She looked down to meet the most unique eyes she had ever seen.
"Are you Zannen Riis?" she asked, already knowing the answer to her question.
"I am," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, Hitomi."
Hitomi smiled. She definitely had that secretive air about her that Ceciline had, but her hair, and eye colour were completely different.
"You're lucky you arrived this week," Hitomi said. Her eyes shone bright when Riis looked confused. "The schools all over Tokyo are out for spring break." Hitomi watched as sudden recognition dawned on her.
"Oh yeah!" Riis exclaimed. She was overjoyed. Hitomi laughed. Then an idea came to her.
"Hey Riis, how about we do this: we go home and eat a huge breakfast." This proposition from Hitomi was agreed upon by all and they slowly made their way out of the airport.
@!^(!*$)%*!)#(%!)#*%#($
Hours later, Hitomi and Riis were doing the dishes: Hitomi with a faraway look in her eyes and Riis with a thoughtful expression. When the dishes where done, Riis explored the house Hitomi lived in. Living room. Kitchen/Dining room. Bedroom. Bedroom. Bathroom. Bathroom. The last room she came to had a piano. A piano! And it was a grand piano too. Riis propped the lid open. Sitting carefully down, she slid the cover off of the keys. She was amazed at the condition of the piano. She hadn't seen a Grand in such a beautiful condition anywhere other than the music stores. Sure they had had one at their school, but it was scratched and dented. The sound was still beautiful, but its appearance wasn't.
Riis, after her gawking was done, uncovered the keys and started to play. The first song she played was Minuet in G, then Swan Lake. The weather changed for the worse when she played The Happy Farmer. Lightning cracked and thunder rolled as she started The Tarantella.
!$#%!^#$%!#$!^$%
Hitomi was conversing with Van, having a lovely conversation about Merle's newfound fort. They laughed, but Van trailed off.
What is it? She asked.
Don't you hear the music? He stated dreamily. With his statement, Hitomi noticed a piano melody. She started to follow it as she felt Van lose himself to the music. The strange melodies danced this way and that with the breezes leading the dance. She checked in on Van. He was completely lost. With her conscious mind on Van, her subconscious immediately took her to the door of the piano room. She watched as Riis' fingers flew across the keys as she played The Water is Wide.
Thunder crashed at the start of Fur Elise and the rain came down in torrents when she repeated Swan Lake. At the end of that song she stopped, out of songs. She sat there contemplating what song that she could play next when a thud and click startled her. She peered on the other side of the hood to see Hitomi closing a window. After gazing out of the window for a moment, she spoke.
"Where did you learn to play like that?"
"My mother taught me," Riis replied. "She was a very good pianist."
"Ceciline played a few times when she was over here," Hitomi smiled in her reverie. "Yukari, Amano, Van and I always loved to listen to her play. We would sit out on the balcony while she would sit here and play away."
Riis listened to Hitomi's story with intrigue. She had never heard of this "Van". By the way Hitomi spoke of him it was as if they were lovers or something. She sighed. She hardly had her figured out. After closing the covering, she put the hood back down. She went and stood next to Hitomi. The two watched the sun go down in silence, Riis with a calculating look in her eyes while Hitomi's were focused on something not of this world.
!$#%^!#)(!#)$(!_#@$)!%(^$#
By Wednesday of that week, Hitomi and Riis could pick up Riis' puppy. When they got to the deportation center and found her puppy, Hitomi eyes were huge.
She had never seen a dog quite like this one. He had a black patch on his back that resembled a saddle. The black continued up his neck and tail. At the end of his curly tail the black gave way to a white tuft of fur. His mane had silver streaks through it. The black was on a sandy-tan colour, and that was on white. The top of his forelegs were a darker, almost a rusty colour. The black of his neck came around to the front in two stripes on either side. His ears stood straight up, a shade darker than his body colour. His face what white with a sand colour on the sides. The white came up in two sharp points. His amber eyes were lined black. She had never seen such a beautiful dog.
"Dutch!" Riis exclaimed joyfully. The dog wagged his tail profusely in his carrying case.
"That dog there caused us some trouble," a worker said to Hitomi. "He would bark until we came and gave him a treat, or fed him. I'm so grateful you came to take him. We were almost gonna get rid of him."
Hitomi looked down at Riis and her dog, or, puppy. She had somehow gotten a leash on the faded blue collar around his neck and was playing tug-of-war with him with it. She filled out a couple of forms then called to Riis who took off after her with Dutch in tow.
In the car, Hitomi glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Dutch looking out the window at all the new stuff. She looked back at the road trying to figure out what kind of dog he was. When she got a headache from her puzzling, she asked Riis.
"He's what I like to call a German-Huskie," Riis stated matter-of-factly.
"A German-Huskie?" Hitomi inquired totally confused.
"Half German Shepard, half Alaskan Huskie," Riis replied.
"Oooh!" Hitomi exclaimed in sudden comprehension. She peeked in the rear- view mirror again. "He's a beautiful dog."
"Thank you, but he's still a puppy," Riis replied.
"No way. He can't be!"
"Yep. He just turned one last month," Riis told her proudly. Hitomi took all this in as she drove home.
When the trio arrived home, Riis immediately took Dutch out around the block. Hitomi sighed as she plopped in a chair, closed her eyes, and leaned it against the back of it.
What's on your mind?
Hitomi was startled out of whatever she was thinking when she heard Van.
We picked Riis' "puppy" up today, Hitomi replied.
That's nice. When are you going to come and visit? Van asked her. Koyo wants to see you again.
Hitomi's heart ached at the mention of her son. She missed him greatly. I'll come in two days, Hitomi told him. I have to explain some things to Riis. They bid each other good night as the door closed and Riis entered with Dutch.
"So, how does Dutch like his new home?" Hitomi asked as they started to get ready for bed.
!$%!*#)$!*(#)%!*!^)_$)%#_!%*
Hitomi woke up and as she got dressed she put together how she would tell Riis about her real life. She padded softly down the hall and rapped on Riis' door. She repeated the knock when she got no response. When she still got no response, she softly opened the door.
On the bed she saw Riis fast asleep tangled in the blankets. Next to her slept her puppy. He was sprawled along side her. Hitomi smiled and stepped into the room, turned, and softly shut the door behind her. She turned back around to meet the amber eyes of Dutch and the tri-coloured eyes of Riis.
"Good morning, Hitomi," Riis said with a smile. Dutch smiled in turn and wagged his tail.
"Good morning, Riis, Dutch," Hitomi said in kind. She gave the pair a long look before she started to look for a place to sit down.
"Dutch, on the floor."
Hitomi looked up to see Riis point to the floor after her command, see Dutch slightly lower his ears, and hop off the bed onto the floor. Riis patted the now clear area of her bed inviting Hitomi to sit next to her. Hitomi obliged.
"Do you want to talk about something?" Riis asked.
Hitomi looked at the girl and almost forgot what she was going to say, so she started with an obvious question. "Riis, did your mother tell you about Gaia?" Hitomi looked into her eyes and saw them come to life with a light she didn't know existed.
"Yeah! She told me that you went to Gaia in a bright blue column of light," Riis started. "On Gaia, in Fanelia, there one can find the best forests. Dangerous, but they are so old and have to much to them."
As Riis continued, Hitomi wondered just how much Ceciline had told her. As she listened to Riis it was clear she told her almost everything. As Riis finished her recollection she turned to Hitomi expectantly. A look into her odd eyes told her it was her turn to either tell her the stories she believed to be true were false, or tell her of her own adventures.
"I went to Gaia for the first time when I was fifteen," Hitomi started.
Infamous Half-breed
Riis entered the airport in Tokyo at an ungodly hour. She had lost all sense of time since her "nap" on the plane. After the stewardess had showed her where to pick up her baggage, she had then proceeded in showing her to where she was to meet Hitomi. As soon as she walked through the doors, her ears pressed flat against her head. The noise that bombarded her ears almost made tears come to her eyes.
Riis looked around. She had only seen a picture of Hitomi once, and only briefly at that. She didn't think that Hitomi had ever seen a picture of her. Upon looking through the crowd, a woman with bright emerald eyes, honey-brown bobbed hair, and an odd scent about her caught her attention. She dragged her bag towards her and looked in her eyes. They had a far away look to them. Riis tapped the woman's shoulder hoping it was Hitomi.
!)%^*!$#)%!)#%^*!)#$%*!#)$
Hitomi was brought out of her conversation with Van by a tap on her shoulder. She looked down to meet the most unique eyes she had ever seen.
"Are you Zannen Riis?" she asked, already knowing the answer to her question.
"I am," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, Hitomi."
Hitomi smiled. She definitely had that secretive air about her that Ceciline had, but her hair, and eye colour were completely different.
"You're lucky you arrived this week," Hitomi said. Her eyes shone bright when Riis looked confused. "The schools all over Tokyo are out for spring break." Hitomi watched as sudden recognition dawned on her.
"Oh yeah!" Riis exclaimed. She was overjoyed. Hitomi laughed. Then an idea came to her.
"Hey Riis, how about we do this: we go home and eat a huge breakfast." This proposition from Hitomi was agreed upon by all and they slowly made their way out of the airport.
@!^(!*$)%*!)#(%!)#*%#($
Hours later, Hitomi and Riis were doing the dishes: Hitomi with a faraway look in her eyes and Riis with a thoughtful expression. When the dishes where done, Riis explored the house Hitomi lived in. Living room. Kitchen/Dining room. Bedroom. Bedroom. Bathroom. Bathroom. The last room she came to had a piano. A piano! And it was a grand piano too. Riis propped the lid open. Sitting carefully down, she slid the cover off of the keys. She was amazed at the condition of the piano. She hadn't seen a Grand in such a beautiful condition anywhere other than the music stores. Sure they had had one at their school, but it was scratched and dented. The sound was still beautiful, but its appearance wasn't.
Riis, after her gawking was done, uncovered the keys and started to play. The first song she played was Minuet in G, then Swan Lake. The weather changed for the worse when she played The Happy Farmer. Lightning cracked and thunder rolled as she started The Tarantella.
!$#%!^#$%!#$!^$%
Hitomi was conversing with Van, having a lovely conversation about Merle's newfound fort. They laughed, but Van trailed off.
What is it? She asked.
Don't you hear the music? He stated dreamily. With his statement, Hitomi noticed a piano melody. She started to follow it as she felt Van lose himself to the music. The strange melodies danced this way and that with the breezes leading the dance. She checked in on Van. He was completely lost. With her conscious mind on Van, her subconscious immediately took her to the door of the piano room. She watched as Riis' fingers flew across the keys as she played The Water is Wide.
Thunder crashed at the start of Fur Elise and the rain came down in torrents when she repeated Swan Lake. At the end of that song she stopped, out of songs. She sat there contemplating what song that she could play next when a thud and click startled her. She peered on the other side of the hood to see Hitomi closing a window. After gazing out of the window for a moment, she spoke.
"Where did you learn to play like that?"
"My mother taught me," Riis replied. "She was a very good pianist."
"Ceciline played a few times when she was over here," Hitomi smiled in her reverie. "Yukari, Amano, Van and I always loved to listen to her play. We would sit out on the balcony while she would sit here and play away."
Riis listened to Hitomi's story with intrigue. She had never heard of this "Van". By the way Hitomi spoke of him it was as if they were lovers or something. She sighed. She hardly had her figured out. After closing the covering, she put the hood back down. She went and stood next to Hitomi. The two watched the sun go down in silence, Riis with a calculating look in her eyes while Hitomi's were focused on something not of this world.
!$#%^!#)(!#)$(!_#@$)!%(^$#
By Wednesday of that week, Hitomi and Riis could pick up Riis' puppy. When they got to the deportation center and found her puppy, Hitomi eyes were huge.
She had never seen a dog quite like this one. He had a black patch on his back that resembled a saddle. The black continued up his neck and tail. At the end of his curly tail the black gave way to a white tuft of fur. His mane had silver streaks through it. The black was on a sandy-tan colour, and that was on white. The top of his forelegs were a darker, almost a rusty colour. The black of his neck came around to the front in two stripes on either side. His ears stood straight up, a shade darker than his body colour. His face what white with a sand colour on the sides. The white came up in two sharp points. His amber eyes were lined black. She had never seen such a beautiful dog.
"Dutch!" Riis exclaimed joyfully. The dog wagged his tail profusely in his carrying case.
"That dog there caused us some trouble," a worker said to Hitomi. "He would bark until we came and gave him a treat, or fed him. I'm so grateful you came to take him. We were almost gonna get rid of him."
Hitomi looked down at Riis and her dog, or, puppy. She had somehow gotten a leash on the faded blue collar around his neck and was playing tug-of-war with him with it. She filled out a couple of forms then called to Riis who took off after her with Dutch in tow.
In the car, Hitomi glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Dutch looking out the window at all the new stuff. She looked back at the road trying to figure out what kind of dog he was. When she got a headache from her puzzling, she asked Riis.
"He's what I like to call a German-Huskie," Riis stated matter-of-factly.
"A German-Huskie?" Hitomi inquired totally confused.
"Half German Shepard, half Alaskan Huskie," Riis replied.
"Oooh!" Hitomi exclaimed in sudden comprehension. She peeked in the rear- view mirror again. "He's a beautiful dog."
"Thank you, but he's still a puppy," Riis replied.
"No way. He can't be!"
"Yep. He just turned one last month," Riis told her proudly. Hitomi took all this in as she drove home.
When the trio arrived home, Riis immediately took Dutch out around the block. Hitomi sighed as she plopped in a chair, closed her eyes, and leaned it against the back of it.
What's on your mind?
Hitomi was startled out of whatever she was thinking when she heard Van.
We picked Riis' "puppy" up today, Hitomi replied.
That's nice. When are you going to come and visit? Van asked her. Koyo wants to see you again.
Hitomi's heart ached at the mention of her son. She missed him greatly. I'll come in two days, Hitomi told him. I have to explain some things to Riis. They bid each other good night as the door closed and Riis entered with Dutch.
"So, how does Dutch like his new home?" Hitomi asked as they started to get ready for bed.
!$%!*#)$!*(#)%!*!^)_$)%#_!%*
Hitomi woke up and as she got dressed she put together how she would tell Riis about her real life. She padded softly down the hall and rapped on Riis' door. She repeated the knock when she got no response. When she still got no response, she softly opened the door.
On the bed she saw Riis fast asleep tangled in the blankets. Next to her slept her puppy. He was sprawled along side her. Hitomi smiled and stepped into the room, turned, and softly shut the door behind her. She turned back around to meet the amber eyes of Dutch and the tri-coloured eyes of Riis.
"Good morning, Hitomi," Riis said with a smile. Dutch smiled in turn and wagged his tail.
"Good morning, Riis, Dutch," Hitomi said in kind. She gave the pair a long look before she started to look for a place to sit down.
"Dutch, on the floor."
Hitomi looked up to see Riis point to the floor after her command, see Dutch slightly lower his ears, and hop off the bed onto the floor. Riis patted the now clear area of her bed inviting Hitomi to sit next to her. Hitomi obliged.
"Do you want to talk about something?" Riis asked.
Hitomi looked at the girl and almost forgot what she was going to say, so she started with an obvious question. "Riis, did your mother tell you about Gaia?" Hitomi looked into her eyes and saw them come to life with a light she didn't know existed.
"Yeah! She told me that you went to Gaia in a bright blue column of light," Riis started. "On Gaia, in Fanelia, there one can find the best forests. Dangerous, but they are so old and have to much to them."
As Riis continued, Hitomi wondered just how much Ceciline had told her. As she listened to Riis it was clear she told her almost everything. As Riis finished her recollection she turned to Hitomi expectantly. A look into her odd eyes told her it was her turn to either tell her the stories she believed to be true were false, or tell her of her own adventures.
"I went to Gaia for the first time when I was fifteen," Hitomi started.