A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry about the long wait; I've had writer's block for the longest time and then my stupid school kept piling up the homework and projects. :( Hopefully, this will make up for my long absence. It has some interesting stuff...Hehe. ;)
~Miko's P.O.V.~
Despite my protests, Nobu carried me to the head of the ship. Man, I hate looking weak in front of people I don't know well…Okay; I hate looking weak in front of anybody really.
"Nobu~! I'm fine! I can walk on my own!" I whined quietly to my assistant.
Nobu ignored me and continued to walk, following Jr.
"Nobu, if you don't let me down, I will make you clean all of my guns, including the heavy-duty guns. And I'll double your paper work!"
I was now annoyed to no end. Nobu retaliated by saying,
"Remember when I tried to clean your guns last time Ma'am? That didn't turn out too well. And I don't mind more paper work-I usually have to do your paper work anyways."
Nobu smiled (a bit evilly if you ask me) at me and continued walking. Dang it! I just had to have a smart assistant! I pouted and gave her the silent treatment all the way to our destination.
We finally reached the front of the ship and Nobu set me down. She stretched some and so did I. I started to walk away, ignoring the exhaustion and dizziness, when Nobu scooped me up in her arms, bridal style. I glared at her and she grinned in return. Darn her.
"Mary, how many rooms do we have left?"
Jr.'s voice shook me out of my mean thoughts and I directed my attention towards this 'Mary' person. She was blonde and rather tall. She reminds me of Nobu…
"Sorry Little Master, but we don't have any left. Your friends took up the last ones. Our new guests are gonna have to share with someone."
Mary looked over to where Nobu and I were. I was currently arguing with Nobu about how I could/couldn't walk on my own, and had managed to get out of her grasp. Mary seemed to realize who I was, because she looked over at Jr. and said,
"Why didn't you tell me Miko Komatsu was our new guest?"
She seemed to think about something for a bit before smiling and announcing what she thought.
" Hmmm, I think because she is the owner of her own company, that she should get your room Little Master!"
What?! I can't share a room with a guy, even if he is just a kid! That'd be awkward! Noticing his expression and mine, she quickly added, "It's just a suggestion!" I wouldn't mind sharing a room with Jr., if it wasn't for the fact that he was a guy and it was his room. Of course, he is just a kid. But I would feel like I was intruding if I did. I looked over to Jr. who seemed deep in thought. He let out a sigh and finally said something.
"I guess she can stay in my room. It's up to Miko if she wants to though."
Everyone looked to me and I started to think. Well, I would feel bad if I did…wait! He fights with and probably collects guns! Which means, there should be some in his room! I suddenly grinned, thinking of all the guns to look at and how I would be able to make good conversation since we both liked guns. Everyone noticed my dreamy expression, and before they got the wrong idea, I put on a silly serious face.
"I suppose I could share his room…But do you have any guns in your room, Jr.?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, heh heh…"
I grinned, embarrassed. I mean, I'm not trigger-happy or anything, I just really love guns! They're really fascinating to me. But most people would probably think I'm trigger-happy. He looked confused for a second before realizing why I asked, and grinned broadly.
"I see. Well, when you're feeling better, you can check them out, okay?"
"Thanks! Whoa…"
My head hurt for a moment and suddenly, I was seeing…a memory?
I looked around at where I was, to see I was in some sort of room. It looked like a bedroom. There was a bed in one corner of the room, and a desk in another. There was a window, so I looked out of it to see a small garden area below the room I was in. Where was I? This place seems so familiar…
I heard the door open, and my head snapped toward it. Four people walked into the room. Three of them were boys, while the last one was a girl. My eyes widened in surprise to see that the girl was me! But instead of long black hair with silver bangs that framed my face, I had short black hair that stopped right above my shoulders, and normal black bangs that hung slightly over my eyes. I realized this must be a memory from my past, from when I was still known as Yuki Kenichi.
"Sorry guys, but I just don't feel all that great. I think I must've caught something from being out in the rain last night."
I heard my past self speak apologetically to the three boys. I looked at the three boys to see that I couldn't make out their faces. Like always in my flash backs, their faces were blurred and I could only make out their hair color. One had silver hair, one had black hair, and the last one had red hair. The red-haired boy (who I realized to be Rubedo, from my other dreams) spoke to me and I listened intently to what he said, feeling as if I had heard his voice before.
"I see. Well, when you're feeling better, we'll check them out, okay?"
"Sounds good! Thanks, you guys! And sorry again for not being able to check out the books with you."
"Don't worry about it. They'll be there tomorrow."
The black-haired boy spoke (who I also realized to be Nigredo), making my younger self feel better about not accompanying them. She smiled softly at the boys before saying goodbye to them and lying down on the bed after they left. I watched as my twelve-year-old self fell asleep. Soon after, the image blurred until I was standing back with the Nobu and the others.
"…ko?"
What was that all about? And Rubedo's voice sounded so familiar…
"…iko!"
And where was I? I remember working with the government for a while before the Miltian Conflict, but I just can't remember where I was sent to, or whom I worked with!
"Miko!"
I broke out of my trance, realizing the concerned looks on everyone's faces. Jr. had been calling my name and also had a concerned look on his face. I smiled sheepishly, apologizing for not answering.
"Sorry, I was just…remembering something, I guess."
"Okay… Well, come on! I'll show ya to our room."
He grinned, grabbed my hand, and led me away from the others. Nobu was about to follow us when Mary told her to go with MOMO to look at the room they'd be sharing. Sometimes, Nobu reminded me of a mother who was overprotective of their child. Though, I'm older than her, so I guess I should be the overprotective mother, which I sometimes am. But I've learned to let Nobu do things her own way.
Jr. continued to lead me to his room until we arrived at our destination. He opened the door and I looked around. It was pretty normal. It had a bed, a bookshelf, a desk, and a bathroom. There was also a bedside table with a lamp. All in all, it looked like a typical room.
"So, what d'you think?"
"It's really nice! It kind of reminds me of the room I use to have at my grandmother's house."
"Oh, so my room reminds you of an old lady's room? That's really nice to say!"
"Oh! No, that's not what I mean! I meant, it just brings back old memories, ya know?"
I looked back to Jr. to see him grinning, which made me realize he had only been teasing me. I smiled a genuine smile, laughing a bit. I hadn't been teased like that for quite some time.
"How about you get some rest? When you're done resting, just ask one of the realians, and they'll lead you to where the others and I are."
"M'kay. Oh, and Jr.?"
He turned his head back to me as he opened the door.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me stay here, and for saving Nobu and me from U-Tic."
"No problem!"
He grinned once more, before leaving me to rest. I sighed, flopping myself on the bed, so that my legs hung off the side. Jr. actually seemed a bit familiar, like I had met him before. But when have I met him, if I have? I think this is the first time I've ever met someone part of the Foundation. After I met him, and I passed out, I had a flashback again. I thought back to the memory, concentrating really hard.
I was sitting on my bed with Rubedo beside me. We seemed to just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. I turned my head toward Rubedo, still not able to see anything but a blur for his face.
"Rubedo?"
"Yeah?"
He turned his head toward me and looked curiously at me. I seemed to look into his eyes before smiling warmly.
"Thanks for being my friend."
Feeling a bit confused, I took off my white sneakers. Before lying down again, I also slipped my white jacket off (which, when I wore it, fell to my knees when I stoop up), revealing my black tank top underneath it. I then proceeded to lie down and closed my eyes. Some sleep would definetly do me some good.
Too bad I never was able to fall asleep. I decided to just use medica on myself, and go to where the others were. I sat up and put my sneakers back on. After tieing my shoes, I stoop up and concentrated on my Ether. This would be my first time using medica, because I had never taken the time to learn support spells. That was Nobu's job. The spell seemed to work, because I felt better right away. I sighed in content before grabbing my jacket and putting it on, not bothering to zip it up this time. I felt a little warm, after all.
As I made my way down the hall, I kept a look out for a realian that could show me to where everyone else was. Where the Heck is a realian when you need one?
"I see you have finally met back up with Rubedo, ma neige."
I came to an abrupt halt. Confused, I looked around at my surroundings. No one is here, so who said that? And that voice…it kind of scared me.
"Why, it was me who spoke. Do you not remember the mental link you share with Rubedo, Nigredo, and I?"
Wait, Rubedo, Nigredo? The boys from my memories? And what mental link? Is that how this guy is speaking to me? What the Hell is going on?!
"Why so surprised, ma neige? Is it really that shocking to hear from me after so many years?"
"Who are you? How do you know Rubedo and Nigredo?"
I was careful not to portray my feelings in my words. I had no idea who this guy was, so I had to be careful about what I say, and how I say it.
"It seems that what I was told is true, you really can't remember much about your past with the U.R.T.V.s."
U.R.T.V.s? That sounds so familiar…
"It sounds familiar because you use to work with us, ma neige."
"Stop doing that!"
"Doing what, ma neige?"
"Reading my mind!"
The voice let out a laugh that sent shivers down my back. It sounded a bit insane.
"I'm not reading your mind, I'm hearing your thoughts. You must try to be careful if you don't want me to hear your thoughts, ma neige."
"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you and how do you know Rubedo and Nigredo?"
"I'm afraid I can't reveal myself just yet, ma neige. But don't worry, I'll be seeing you soon."
"Wait!"
I waited for an answer from the mysterious man, but received none. I sighed in frustration, and began making my way down the hall again. Who was that? And what did he mean by, "I'll be seeing you soon?" Feeling very creeped out, I finally came upon a realian that kindly escorted me to where Jr. and the others were waiting.
"Wow! Is that the Foundation?"
I rushed excitedly to the big window when I came into the room. I heard someone chuckle at me as they came to stand next to me. I looked up to see Shion. She smiled at me and I smiled back before looking at the Foundation again. It was really amazing! It looked like they had a beach too! Just as I was about to call Nobu over (who I noticed speaking with MOMO), I heard the door I had previously come through open. I turned towards the noise to see a man around his early to mid twenties, I'm guessing, with black hair and emerald green eyes. Our eyes locked for a moment before he walked over to MOMO. He talked to her about something, which seemed to disapoint her. Taking this as my que to step in and cheer her up by being my wacky self, I ran to Nobu, tackling her in a hug from behind that almost knocked her over.
"Hey Nobu~! Hey MOMO, how are you guys doing?"
"Ma'am, what are you doing up already? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
She gave me that stern look that she only gave me when I got hurt. I hated that look! It made me feel like I was twelve again and was being scolded by my mother.
"I'm fine! Besides, I couldn't sleep. Hey MOMO, why the long face?"
"Oh, I'm okay. Mommy is just busy again…"
She trailed off, and I realized why she had looked so disappointed. She had wanted to speak to Juli Mizrahi, but couldn't because the doctor was 'busy.' I gave her a sympathetic look before giving her a noogie.
"What did I tell you about getting all sad? I said, 'you're not allowed to be sad, 'cause than I'll get sad too,' right? Besides, you don't look cute when you're sad! How do you expect to impress boys with a sad face?"
"Sorry, I won't be sad anymore! And I'm not trying to impress any boys…"
MOMO lightly blushed at my words, smiling at me. I grinned back, knowing my plan had worked. I stopped giving her a noogie and fixed her hair so it didn't look so messy. I noticed I was being watched; so I turned around to find emerald eyes staring at my water blue ones. They had a fond look in them. I grinned before bowing.
"Nice to meet you sir! I'm Miko Komatsu."
"So I've heard. It's nice to meet you as well. I'm Gaignun Kukai."
"Wow! Really? I must say, I'm really impressed with the Foundation; I haven't seen something so beautiful in years!"
I grinned at the man that towered over me (which, I suppose, isn't too hard to do…), who also looked a bit familiar. What is it with people seeming familiar lately? I feel like I've seen that black hair before…
"Thank you, but I'm sure you've seen better. You travel a lot, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, but they never seem to be able to pull off a beautiful scene that feels comfortable, like home. It might be too early to say, but I can tell it'll feel like home. You've done a good job, Mr. Kukai."
"Thanks, and you can call me Gaignun."
"Oh, okay. Then you can call me Miko!"
I smiled again at Gaignun and I got the same familiar feeling from him as he smiled back. I swear; I just know I've met him and Jr. before! This is kind of confusing though, trying to figure out where I've seen people and where I've met them. And Gaignun had a look in his eyes. A look that said he knew something about me, or at least he knew more than he let on. He had a look in his eyes that showed he knew we had met before. And that confused me the most.
As I stared out the window, deep in thought, Gaignun bid his farewells. I didn't notice he had left until I saw a hand waving in front of my face and heard my name being called.
"Hey, Miko, you okay? You didn't answer my question."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about some stuff, no biggie. What's your question?"
I looked to Jr. to have my blue orbs meet with his, dead on. And as I looked into those orbs, I couldn't help but feel I had stared into them before. That's how we stayed for a few seconds before I looked away, finding the floor quite interesting now.
"I was asking if you felt alright? It doesn't seem like you were resting all that long."
"I feel pretty good. I used medica on myself before coming to join you guys."
I reassuringly smiled at the red head who grinned in return.
"Didn't want to miss anything, huh?"
"You bet!"
I felt arms scoop me up for the hundreth time that day, causing me to squirm and complain. Of course, it was Nobu who had picked me up and she looked amused as I wiggled like a worm in her arms, trying to get her to let go.
"You're resting whether you like it or not!"
"But I feel fine!"
I pouted as Nobu asked Jr. where his room was. Why does she always do that? When I say I'm fine, I'm fine! Jr. laughed at my sour expression and had one of the realians escort us to his room, since he had to go talk to Gaignun. I gave Nobu the silent treatment the whole way, giving her a scowl or two, though she just smiled back. As soon as the realian left and we were in Jr.'s room, Nobu's expression changed to a serious one. I thought she was going to scold me, but what she said really surprised me.
"You remembered something, didn't you?"
I stared at the honey-haired woman in surprise as I tried to gather words. I knew she was observant, but never this observant!
"Yeah, a bunch actually. I had some flashbacks."
"Did they involve those boys again?"
"Yeah."
Nobu smiled at me. "Well, that's really good, right? I mean, the more you remember, the more likely you can find them and ask them about your past, right?"
I smiled and nodded at her. Though, I'm still puzzled as to why Jr. and Gaignun seem so familiar. And who was that voice? He talked about Rubedo and Nigredo, and how I had a mental link with them and him. A thought suddenly popped into my head; what if the voice was Albedo? It might be, since the voice never mentioned Albedo. The again, there could have been another member to our little group and Albedo was excluded from the mental link. The voice could be anyone.
"Thinking hard about me, ma neige?"
My eyes widened and I looked to Nobu who had occupied herself with the books on the bookshelf. She was probably trying to find a good book to read. Placing a pouty face on, I told Nobu that if she really wanted me to rest more, I would. She smiled thankfully to me and left me to rest. My expression became serious as soon as she left the room, scowling in concentration.
"You bet. After that mysterious conversation, my mind has been going haywire. And if I can use my mental link with you, why can't I use it with Rubedo and Nigredo?"
"I never said you couldn't. Though, it may be hard for you to use the link, since both Rubedo and Nigredo believe you to be dead, therefore weakening the link."
I stopped breathing as he spoke those words. They believed me to be dead? Why? Why would they…
"Yuki! Come on!"
Rubedo yelled to me as I fought off another corrupt realian, panting. My left arm was bleeding badly, and I was struggling to resist corruption by the Song of Nephilim, but I wouldn't give up. Not now.
"Go on, Rubedo. I'll be fine."
I shot down the last realian before turning around to look at Rubedo, and was shocked to see blue orbs staring into my own. The rest of his face was blurred, but I could clearly see his blue eyes that were full of worry and guilt.
"I can't just leave you behind! You're injured badly and-"
"Yeah, but Nigredo is injured even worse. You're going to have to leave me behind because I'd only slow you down more. And if I stay behind, I can hold off the realians for a while."
Rubedo's eyes began to tear up, not wanting to leave me behind. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and walked to where I was standing. I gave him a stern look that warned him not to drag me with him, but I realized he looked defeated, and like he was going to trust me.
"You better make it out of Miltia alive!"
He whispered in my ear as he hugged me tightly, not wanting to leave me all alone. I smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek and slipped something into his pocket without his notice.
"I will, promise. Now go! More of them are coming."
Rubedo let go of me, grabbed Nigredo, and began to run. I took a deep breath and began shooting relentlessly at the realians I had once been allied with, killing most within the first couple of shots. However, I didn't notice one of them come from behind. I didn't even hear the realian. So when I felt the bullets pierce me from behind, I was shocked and fell to the ground, not reacting quickly enough. I'm guessing Rubedo had turned around to make sure I was doing okay, because the next thing I heard was him shouting my name.
"YUKI!"
I stumbled as I struggled to get up and turned my head toward Rubedo, clutching my guns tightly. His eyes showed fury and worry, and I knew what he was thinking.
"Get out of here now!"
Rubedo made a move to lay Nigredo down, but I shot my guns with perfect accuracy at his feet, despite my condition, and gave him a stern look.
"Don't even think about it! Get Nigredo out of here, now! I'll be fine!"
Rubedo didn't look convinced.
"…I promised, remember? Now please, go." I barely whispered loud enough for him to hear me before I began to shoot the realians once more. I heard Rubedo's steps growing fainter and fainter, until I could hear them no more. The realians were beginning to out number me, and I was becoming more frantic. I decided to use my last resort.
I breathed heavily as the flashback played in my mind, over and over again. The exhaustion that claimed my body after the memory was enormous, but I refused to lay down on the bed and fall asleep. Mulling over the memory, I now knew why they thought I was dead; I had them leave me in a hopeless situation that no one could have survived in. I did survive, but they had no idea. Now the question is, why don't they know I'm alive?
"Ah, ma neige, you remember that inccident? It seems as though just the small encounters you've had with Rubedo, Nigredo, and I have triggered your memory. How splendid!"
The voice laughed insanely, causing me to involuntarily shiver. I really need to learn to keep my thoughts to myself…
"Wait! What encounters? I haven't seen or heard from Rubedo and Nigredo since that day!"
"You don't recognize them? Tsk, tsk, ma neige. I can understand not recognizing Nigredo, he's grown quite a bit, but dear Rubedo looks exactly the same."
"Well, sorry, I mean, I've only lost my memory is all!"
"Still short tempered, I see."
I scowled at this comment and took off my coat and lay down on the bed.
"I'll leave you be for now, ma neige. You'll need your strength later on. I bid you adieu."
I gladly let the voice leave, thoroughly upset now. Not just about the 'short tempered' comment, but also about the fact Rubedo and Nigredo thought I was dead. To have to bear the burden of a close friend's death for so long…I don't know how they deal with it. Knowing Rubedo, he probably blames himself for the whole thing, and I can't have that! I began to concentrate really hard, thinking of no one but Rubedo, trying my hardest to remember his face. I could only remember his eyes, the beautiful pools of water I had gazed into more than once in my childhood. I hoped even without remembering his face, I could still use the mental link.
"…Rubedo? You there? …I guess not."
I sighed in dissapointment and buried my face in Jr.'s pillow, the soft fabric caressing my face. I refused to let any tears come, no matter how sad I was. I had to stay positive! I would keep trying to talk to him using the mental link until I got a response. Fatigue finally consumed me, and I drifted off into a sleep filled with memories, old and recent, happy and sad. If only I had stayed awake a little longer, I may have heard the response I had so desperately wanted to hear.
"Yuki…?"
Ma Neige- My Snow
A/N: Sorry that there isn't much action or romance in this one! I'm trying to add in some background and give more insight as to what is going on with Miko. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise I'll try to update soon. I may put my stories on hold for a bit though, at least until Christmas break.
TEAR
