Angels

Mystel looked around, the trees dark and empty, like the hallow space in his heart. He tried hard to hide everything. His loneliness, his depression. Everything. Nothing seemed to work, though. The only time that empty space in his heart was actually filled was a week ago when he wandered down these same woods and met that mysterious woman. She was beautiful, at least the way he remembered her. Long black hair, gray, endless eyes, a full figure. He even remembered how warm her touch was and how sweet her kiss was. He still didn't understand why he kissed her. He had only just met her, and she called him a pervert, made him sprain his ankle, and then, once all bandaged up, he goes and kisses her. Why did he kiss her?

He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. He was never charmed on or turned on by any other girl. Ming-Ming tried her hardest, yet to no success. All other girls just merely were shrug offs to him. So what was it about that girl, that one girl, that totally got him going? Her looks? Her personality? Her voice? Her charm? What?

He had been wandering that very question for a week now, and he wanted so badly to meet her, to get to know her better, to find out more about her. What was she like? What was her favorite color? Where did she grow up? The basics. He wanted to see those gorgeous silver eyes again. He wanted to glimpse that perfect smile, to feel that strong warmth on her. To smell that sweet scent of roses from her hair. He guessed the emotion he had been hiding for so long had now blossomed deep inside him and spreading its roots in his heart.

Mystel looked over the treetops, expecting to spot the warm hot springs in which he met her in, and hoping to find her there, bathing in the warm water that fell from the springs. He touched his lips, remembering the soft kiss, the gentle breathing, the soft voice, the warm flesh. What was her name? FD. He didn't know why she was called that. It must have stood for something.

He also remembered when he told her his name, she was smiling. She had told him that she liked his name. She thought it was cute. Was she being sarcastic? Or did she really like his name? He wanted to find out more, but he was too shy. He jumped from that branch, and landed on another just three trees off. So close. Soon he would see the springs, and then the winter blushing goddess.

The heat grew stronger in the woods the farther he went in. A small shiver ran down his spine. It had been a weird winter. It sometimes looked like autumn, and sometimes it looked like summer. The cold breezes and cool weather had been replaced with warm breezes and weather. And the woods were the worst places to be during now.

A few rumors had spread across the neighborhood surrounding here that the woods were haunted by the previous owner of the hot springs. He couldn't pay his taxes, so he took the coward's way out and committed suicide. But something told the blond boy that it was just a rumor started by the family who owned it to keep people from going into the springs. After all, they did own it. And even if someone were to approach the springs, the only way to get in was by jumping the fence surrounding one of the springs. But you had to be careful when doing that, because the boy once did. And that's when he met FD, who accused him being a pervert. Turns out she goes there every afternoon, so it would be hard getting into the springs with her there. And she was violent, and strong. Too damn strong, even for Mystel. But, she was hot, so he couldn't say he didn't get a good thing out of it.

A light red appearing beneath his azure blue eyes. He had finally found the warm hot springs, a tall Chinese building with red tile roofs. The windows, the doors, everything was all barricaded by wooden planks. Stones and a wooden fence surrounded the outside of the springs. He looked over the fence to try to see the girl. She wasn't there. Then she must have been on her way there. He landed on the grass and darted toward the large stones surrounding the fence. He heard a soft voice humming and singing gently. The voice grew louder, and he poked his head out from the sides. He saw a girl approach the fence. Tall, slender legs, perfect curves over a slender waist. Was that her?

It had to be her. He jumped from the rocks and startled the girl. She fell back, staring up at him, fear in her eyes. Then he noticed this wasn't her. She wasn't as beautiful, not as tall. Short brown hair framed her shoulders and face, hazel green eyes staring at him with fear and anger. Her small, delicate hands were reached out, as if she was pushing something away.

"Please, please, don't hurt me!" she cried. The blond looked at her, taking in exact detail. This wasn't her. This girl wasn't as tall, her voice was completely different, and she was much skinnier. Her nails were decorated in a weird design of pink paint and white flowers. Her face was lighter, and her cheeks weren't rosy, like a winter blush.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," the boy pronounced. "I thought you were somebody else."

"Well, who else could I be? No one else goes here!" the girl yelled angrily, standing up. She definitely wasn't as tall. The other girl was just as tall as Mystel. This girl was shorter by like three to four inches, not counting his spiky hair.

The girl looked at him angrily, but she couldn't help but stare at him. He was carrying a gold mask with four bird-like ruby red eyes. Beneath the mask were golden blond bangs and crystal azure eyes that sparkled in the winter sun. His dark skin was framed perfectly by his long gold hair, the braid swung over his shoulder. His clothes were unique, and thoughts ran a mile a minute in the girl's mind.

Wow, he's hot, she thought. But shook the thought out of her mind when reality came back to her. "What are you doing here! Do you come here every day, trying to peep!" she accused.

"WHAT!" Déjà vu. The blond boy shook that off, and then wanted to explain to the girl, but she didn't give him the chance.

"Then what the hell are you doing here!" she demanded. "These springs belong to my family! This land belongs to us! You're trespassing!"

"Wait, your family owns these springs?" the boy asked. "I'm sorry. There was this girl I met a week ago here, and she told me the exact same thing."

"Oh?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, she said her name was FD," the boy explained. "Do you know her?"

"Know her? Oh, my God, do I!" the girl laughed. "That's my older stepsister!"

"Really?" Mystel asked.

"Yeah. FD is her abbreviation for her nickname, Forbidden Dystopia. Her real name is Rika. You met her last week?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. I can't get her out of my head."

"Then neither can she for you. What's your name?"

"Mystel."

The girl giggled slightly, and then turned before she broke out into a fit of a laugh. The blond glared at her angrily. What the hell was so funny?

"You find my name amusing?" he asked, annoyed.

"Yeah. I mean, it's kind of a weird name. Come on, you can tell me your name," the girl teased.

"That is my name. I don't see how you and FD are related," the boy glared.

"She's my stepsister. By marriage, duh," the girl laughed. "I'm Alexis."

Alexis, huh? Obviously, she was nothing like her sister.

"If you're so anxious to see her, then follow me. She didn't go to swim class today because she wasn't feeling all well, so she stayed home. Seeing as how Alex and mom were all caring for her, they wouldn't notice me going out," she told him, taking the lead into the woods. Mystel just ignored what she said, but she kept talking in that annoying voice. "I'm not supposed to get to the hot springs. Just because I'm thirteen doesn't mean I can't withstand the heat like Rika, but noooo, they don't want me to…."

Mystel hadn't been that deep in the woods. It was so much darker, so much scarier. Yet a strange, familiar scent aroused from the trees. A scent he recognized. The girl was in front of him, talking endlessly about her personal life, and Mystel just let her talked, not really caring about it.

Then they came to an enormous place. It was quite light, a tall mansion with five balconies on all sides, windows, doors, and a gray tiled roof. A porch stretched out in front of the double oak doors, a porch swing on it, along with a pool table, and bar stand. Long, maroon curtains were stretched out in front of the windows, billowing in the wind.

"Come on," Alexis insisted, hoping the steps to the porch and approaching the oak doors. She pushed them open and called into the enormous inside of the mansion. The blond only gasped at what he saw. An enormous hall, two flights of stairs curved from the center into the balcony hanging over his head. On the other side of the room was a wall with two more oak doors that lead into the next room.

"RIKA! MOM! CHUCKY! DUSTIN! NATHAN! COME HERE!" Alexis called into up the stairs.

"What?" came a sweet, strong, soft voice. Mystel recognized that voice easily.

"FD!" he called up the stairs. A girl approached the railing of the balcony and looked down. The blond smiled at what he saw. Tall, slender, perfect curves, clothing that stretched over the chest, long, silky, luscious hair, silver, sparkling eyes, mocha-tanned flesh. It was her. The girl of his dreams, the girl he met last week. FD. And from the look in her eyes, and the smile that crossed her face, it looked like she recognized him.

"Wow. It's you. Mystel." Her voice was as sweet as ever, calming, strong, yet sincere. He smiled up at her, lowering his mask to hide his azure blue eyes. He saw the winter red color surround along her eyes, and a flattered smile spread across his lips.

Suddenly, though, two adults followed her. A woman who was shorter than her, curly black hair that stretched down her back, solid brown eyes, ruby red lips, and a light, Mexican-tan face that smiled at him. The man was taller than FD, his mouth surrounded by a light blond goatee and blue eyes that were cold and serious. His head held no hair besides the goatee, but he had this calming aura around him. Following them were two younger boys. One taller than the other with dirty blond hair and matching blue eyes to the man, while the other had short black hair and green eyes, his face paler than the rest, and he was even skinnier than Alexis.

"Alexis, who's your friend?" the man asked in a curious, yet stern voice. The blond gulped at the way the man looked at him suspiciously.

"His name's Mystel, Chucky. He met Rika last week at the springs, and I found him there," Alexis explained with a pleased smile. The blond kept looking at FD. She was as beautiful as ever, and apparently she couldn't look away from him either. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, the winter blush fading slightly.

"And what were you doing at the springs, Alexis?" the woman asked sternly, her smiling brown eyes leaving the blond and turning to her daughter.

"I, um…well, you see…"

"She was going there to Beybattle some of my friends who were meeting her," FD suddenly spoke out, walking down the stairs elegantly. "I completely forgot about the battle, and when I told Alexis that earlier, she told me she would go and battle them for me, and deliver the message that I wasn't well. But now I'm better."

Alexis and FD made eye contact, and a smile crossed Alexis face. Nice bail, the blond thought. Only he knew the truth, but he wouldn't tell.

"Well, okay. So, you must have been one of Rika's friends, wishing to battle her?" the man asked, suspicious. The blond couldn't lie like that.

"No, I was training in the woods for a Beyblade tournament coming. I'm a member of the BEGA occossiation," Mystel explained. "I fell last week and got hurt, and FD was out there and bandaged my leg for me. Today I was training, and hoping to see FD there, when I found her sister."

The man nodded, his serious eyes still on him. The blond smiled nervously. But then the man smiled, buying his bluff. The woman only smiled, while the two little boys rushed down the stairs and crowded the blond.

"Hey, Mystel, will you play with us!"

"Yeah! Come play Playstation with us!"

"Yeah! Play Army!"

"No, basketball!"

"No, Playstation!"

"Jacks!"

"Racecars!"

"Alright, you two, enough. I kind of need to talk to Mystel."

FD pulled the two boys away gently, reached into the pockets of her navy blue jeans, and pulled out two lollipops, which she gave to them, and then smiled cheerfully at her parents before dragging Mystel outside of the mansion. Alexis stared after them, but didn't follow.

"What were you thinking!" FD asked him. "Were you trying to peep on my sister!"

"No, I was looking for you!" Mystel cried. "I….Ever since what happened last week, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I need answers. Why did I kiss you? Why did you bandage my leg? Why…."

He found himself holding her by the shoulders. The same way he did last week when he kissed her. He pulled away, and a little flush formed around his eyes. She smiled sweetly at him.

They stood in silence for a while, just staring out into the woods. The blond noticed that the girl had taken a seat on the porch swing, and he joined her there. He didn't know why, and he still didn't know, but every time he looked at her, he felt something inside him stop and he sometimes found himself holding his breath. What was it about this girl that he liked? He needed to know.