Shirahime-Syo

Grey Wolf

Chapter: 7

Stage Fright: Zakuro Fujiwara

Images of the Past

The purple haired girl walked down the deserted street. She looked at the run down buildings and homes, one of which had once been hers. She stopped at a doorstep. The building might have once looked beautiful, but now remained the charcoal ruins. Zakuro sat on the steps and a memory hit her.

A young girl ran down the marble halls of a large mansion. She ran into the arms of affectionate parents. They smiled and embraced her. This was young Zakuro, earlier in life. This was the morning of her 13th birthday. It had possibly been the best day in her life thus far. Then he appeared. It was he who had ruined the day.

Zakuro shook her head. The only thing she could remember about the man was his glowing gold eyes. Zakuro cleare dthe image from her head and walked on. She thought about going to her apartment, but her feet took her in the opposiste direction. They took her down to the beach shore. A thick mist had rolled in during the morning and hadn't left yet. Dark waves with grey froth lapped thes shores. The chilling air wrapped around Zakuro and she pulled her black jacket tighter around her. It was here that she had recieved the news. It was here that she ahad been informed of her parents' death and of the burnt house. A shiver ran down her spine. The last man seen around the house had been a man with purple hair, a shade lighter than Zakuro's own. Zakuro had assumed he was the pyro.

Zakuro passed on from the beach and found herself walking along the shores, then up into an alley she had forgotten about. Zakuro shivered in the lack of light and the earlyevening air. She almost forgot what happened here. The memories were faded, she did not want to remember. But they flooded through her mind's eye anyway.

The day had started bad and it hadn't gotten any better by the time Zakuro was headed home. She stopped in an alley, hiding from a group of "fan boys". They ran past and Zakuro sighed. She turned to leave, but a strong hand gripped her shoulder. She saw a masked man with glowing gold eyes. Her heart pounded and she kicked the man and ran. The man did not dare to follow.

Zakuro turned away from the beach and walked up to the concrete. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk. She strode down the walkway and the chilling wind ruffled her hair. She closed her eyes and imagined the man with the golen eyes. Zakuro opened her eyes and, for an instant, saw the man. She shook her head free of the image and looked again. A purple haired man, not too much older than herself was standing there. "Hello, Zakuro," He said. Zakuro nodded. "Hello, Pai." He slipped his hand around her waist and the mist turned orangey pink. "The sun is setting," Zakuro observed. The couple watched the sun sink below the horizon. Light flashed across a medallion on Pai's chest. Zakuro took little notice of it.

The sun set in all its brilliant colors and Zakuro leaned her head against Pai's shoulder. She thought about the pyro, the man in the alley, and the golden eyed mystery man. "There will be no moon tonight," Pai commented. Zakuro didn't move. "I must leave you now," Pai said. Hekissed her cheekand slipped away. Zakuro stood on the boardwalk, looking after him. Where he went she did not know. What he did she did not kow. Zakuro only knew that he left when the moon disappeared. The purple girl gazed up at the sky and watched the blinking lights of anairplaneslowly cut through the starless sky.

Zakuro walked toward her apartment as the first star twinkled into the sky. She walked away from the shoreline and past the ruins of her house. She walked by the dark and foreboding alley and continued on back to civilization. She walked by the park and stopped.A shadowmoved irregularly in the dark mist. Street lights flickered on and cast an eerie glow, making it impossible to tell who or what the shadow was. Zakuro stepped out of the light and into the depths of the darkened park. She made her way around various benches and signs telling little children not to feed the ducks. She stood in the shadow of a tall tree and found that the shadow was not one but two. She turned away but a flash of gold caught her eye. Could it be? No, it wasn't. He wouldn't. . . . Would he? Zakuro's brow furrowed and she peered closer.

One was a lankey boy, strong. The other was a girl, long hair pulled into a single braid. Zakuro squinted an peered closer. Suddenly the lamppost above the couple flickered on. Zakuro stood in shock. The girl had long emerald green hair and pale skin. She wore a white and green sailor top and a matching mini skirt. The girlprobably went to a private school. Zakuro squinted and made out the embroidered name on the girl's fallen bookbag. Midorikawa Retasu. Zakuro's heart pounded as she turned her gaze to the boy sheclutchedin her arms. The couple's lips met again and Zakuro swiftly dropped her gaze quickly and ran away. Twigs crackled beneath her feet and her heels clicked loudly on the cement.

Zakuro heard heavy footsteps behind her and knew Pai was coming. She ran down the street, back the way she had come to the park. Tears threatened to fall, but she couldn't let them, not until she was safe. Zakuro stumbled, but kept moving. She felt the vibration of Pai's steps on the cement, but couldn't see him through the dark mist. Chances were he couldn't see her either. Zakuro slipped into the dark alley and hid behind a dumpster. She peeked through the space between the dumpster and the wall. The steps neared and golden eyes turned down the alley. Zakuro bit her tongue and held back a gasp. Pai was the golden eyed man. Pai was the purple haired pyro who had set her house a flame. A chill ran down her back and Zakuro looked up, only to see the golden eyes peering down at her.Pai was that man in the alley. Zakuro closed her eyes and stood. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she brushed past her terror. A strong hand settled on her shoulder and she shook it off. Zakuro ran down the street.

She saw the girl Retasu on the sidewalk and ran past the girl. A burst of wind followed Zakuro and Retasu's hair blew in the wind. The green haired girl glared at Zakuro's vanishing figure. Not long after, Retasu saw Pai slowly walking along the street. She touched his shoulder and he brushed her hand away.