Chapter Four
Finally, an Explination
About half an hour later, the school nurse came out of the infirmary. She was looking both surprised and displeased. She was displeased because inside was an unconscious Yuki, and outside a large crowd of people, and the crowd was still growing. She did her best to shoo them, but it didn't work. Finally, she decided to announce it to the entire group.
"Okay, since it seems impossible to get rid of you, I'll tell you all. The girl, Ichinose D. Yuki, will probably not wake up any time soon. Yes, she is okay, but her body is exhausted, so I don't think we'll get to see her soon. Now, please leave her to her sleep, she really does need it," the nurse, a young girl, named Wendy, told them all. Natsu and Gajeel saw her and looked startled.
"Wendy! What are you doing in the infirmary? You're supposed to be in the local 'special' middle school!" Natsu asked her. She smiled at him, apparently happy to see him.
"Well, they asked me to heal the people here, because they were getting a lot of troublesome first years. When they told me that, I didn't expect you to be here," Wendy answered. "I guess they will be having a lot of trouble. Besides, I'm not the only nurse here."
"Really? Who else is there?" a familiar voice said. Luffy walked up, scratching his head and eating a piece of meat. He noticed Ace and Ed at the last minute, and ran up to them quickly. "What happened?! Why're people saying there's an injured girl here?"
"Um... Luffy, Yuki was extremely hurt when we carried her in. By the way, nurse-chan, could we please go inside to see her? We're close friends, or at least, Ema and Mizuki are her friends," Ace explained, very quickly and all at once. It was like it hurt him to talk about the currently injured Yuki. Ema noticed, and was immediately suspicious.
"Sure, I know Natsu and Gajeel, so I trust you guys. Besides, most of you are in the same class as her, right? I got a call from Kakashi-sensei. Go right in," Wendy told them all, happily stepping out of the way. They walked in, glancing around for their slumbering friend. Ed shot a look at Ema, but she shook her head. They didn't need to worry about any rude awakenings.
"So, explain to me what happened, and why," Ace commanded. They didn't really have much of a choice to decline, because Luffy was also there, so they began telling the story again.
One they reached the end, Ace looked like he had a million questions. The rest of the group could almost see him mentally organizing those same questions, from most important to least. Once he was ready, he began asking.
"So, first, what exactly are her powers?"
"Well, give me a minute to explain, Ace-san. I have to prepare myself," Mizuki said, gaining formality and manners now that her friend wasn't in much danger. Yet.
"You can drop the 'san'. I don't need my friends to be formal," Ace told her, also at the same time directing it to everyone. "I had to learn manners a long time ago, and I know how tedious it can be. Tell your story, 'kay?" Ace was very kind to them all, totally unlike his little brother.
"Okay. Yuki's powers are three main powers, and have different minor powers because of those, like communication with animals and such. Her main powers are the ability to shapeshift, a natural-born magic, and the ability to control others' powers. The last she has only done twice, and both after accidentally using her 'magic'. The power control drains her, leaving her absolutely helpless for about three days, all of it spent asleep. Even though she used it this time, I can't tell how long she'll sleep for. Something bad happened, something didn't go the way it should," Mizuki explained.
"Something bad? Was that when she attacked the boys?" Ace asked, curious.
"No, I don't know what. If you look at her now, can't you still see cuts and scrapes? Those should completely heal up, with no marks. She even shaking still, which did not happen last time. I fear that someone was tapping into her power, some greedy leech that we don't know about. We'll have to call Mai and take turns watching over her," Ema replied, worried about her friend.
"Wait, watch over her?" Luffy asked.
"Like Ema said, we'll have to watch over her. Didn't I say she was completely and absolutely helpless?" Mizuki told them. "Even if she woke up, the most she would be able to do is move her eyes and smile or frown. She won't even be able to speak, so it really is pointless to leave her alone. She'll just suffer more."
"Whoa, for a seriously overpowered girl, she sure is weak. Is there some sort of reason she's like this?" Natsu asked. He, Gajeel and Ed had remained quiet for most of the conversation.
"We really aren't allowed to tell you that, but if you come to her house with us today, we could probably explain in more detail. Seriously, we need to get permission to tell you." Both Mizuki and Ema looked almost afraid of telling them. Natsu decided to leave it at that.
"Okay, we will. Look forward to it!" Ace said. After that comment, Gajeel glared at him, and emotions rose. It was clear the two of them found Yuki fascinating, and possibly even loved her, but that meant that they were now rivals. The war between them had begun.
An hour later, school ended for the day. Mai, with help from Ace and Gajeel, carried her sister home, followed by the rest of the group. They had managed to acquire three extra people in the last hour of class.
The group was now made up of many, including four mages from the guild Fairy Tail, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, and Wendy. Happy also followed Natsu around, and was included in lots of activities after the school day. They all liked to hang out with the twin sisters at their house.
Second, there were the people from the Alchemy Organization, the two alchemists and their mechanic, Ed, Alphonse, and Winry. Together, they tried to find new ways to fix Ed's arm and leg, which he had lost trying to transmute his mother. Winry had fixed him up with automail, but Ed still wanted to get his real limbs back. He hadn't let Alphonse take part in the transmutation, so he had been safe during the time of the "accident".
Third, there were the pirates, who were going to search for the legendary One Piece once they had trained enough. Luffy and Ace were the ones who had been with the sisters at first, but then all of Luffy's crew joined up. They called themselves the Strawhat Pirates, and were eager to help with all they could. That added another nine to the already high count of people in the large house.
Fourth, but not last, there were the shinobi, ninja from an organization called the "Hidden Leaf Village". Naruto had been eager to find out what happened to Yuki, when she didn't show up for the second day in a row. He and his friends, Hinata, Sakura, Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara, Sasuke, and others, even Kakashi-sensei, added to the group.
Finally, they had the misfits. Rin and Yukio Okumura from an exorcists' order, the Blue Exorcist, and a mysterious group of girls led by the even more mysterious Azu, and she prefered to be called "Azu-chan". Those were the last of them, and they had gathered over the first few days Yuki slept.
It was turning into more of an organization, led by the feared leader who was never there, always giving orders through her two most trusted subordinates. People saw her, but she was asleep, people talked to her, but she didn't hear them.
After a week, Yuki finally woke up. At that time, Luffy was on guard, and he got all excited, so some of the others went to see what had happened. They were all joyful to see that their beloved friend had finally woken up.
"Yuki! Try to say something," Ema prodded, trying to see if she could speak, or was still too tired to do so. She tried, and failed to open her mouth, only able to make the tiniest frown after.
"Nope, still too early, Ema. Keep her on the I.V.s we set up, she'll be able to talk to us later," she told Ema. "The rest of you, can you come up with ways to entertain her until she can move her arms and mouth? Book would be great, if you're good at reading aloud. If you want to put up posters or drawings, talk to me first."
"Yeah, Mizuki is right. Go away, figure something out. We'll stay with her for the first hour, and then we can talk shifts," Ema added. With that, they all went away, staying only long enough to catch a glimpse of her frown.
Mai, who could use telepathy, and was particularly good at interpreting her sister's thoughts, was called into the room. She, seeing her sister was awake, began lecturing her furiously about the overuse of her power. Yuki merely rolled her eyes, wishing for it to be over.
Yuki then communicated with Mai telepathically, and said her desires. She had not wished to be the center of such a large group of people, and feared the promise was going to come true soon.
"Yuki says that she doesn't want to be surrounded by people. She doesn't want it because that might happen. She has told you, right? What that is?" Mai said, becoming Yuki's speech. The friends nodded, they knew what it was the sisters were talking about.
"Yeah, something about an old prophecy. So, what's the deal with it coming true? I thought prophecies were good things," Mizuki asked. She and Ema were both curious for details about the various things.
"Okay, we sisters have no real parents. Unlike others, who were born of the relatively mortal races on this planet, we were born of things, not living beings. I was born of thoughts, giving me access to all psychic powers, and the like. The only powers I've used up to this point are the ones listed in the school files, but I can use much, much more," Mai replied.
To give them an example of her power, she made the room's gravity dissipate, the people and things floating around. They were sailing through the air with the slightest touch. This almost scared the two friends.
"Second, we have Yuki. She was born of Mother Nature, a non-existent parent who loved all living and dead things. She can control all living things, but this power brings her closer to death than should even be possible. That's why she doesn't use it on purpose. All she does is try and prevent it from happening. Her true form is unknown, even to me, the only other person who is similar to her. My true form isn't really a form at all, it's just a mere thought. I can visit anyone, any time, any place I wish. These are wonderful powers, but not worth it. All the greedy people in the world chasing after you, and a disastrous prophecy on our heads, we wouldn't want anything to do with it if we had a choice," Mai continued to explain, doing her best to get the message across.
"So, what're the details of this 'prophecy', anyways?" Ema asked.
"The prophecy's words are magical, by themselves. After I explain, we can sing them to you. First, the part of the prophecy that concerns our lifespans. At the end of a twenty-one year period, our bodies forcefully convert into our true forms, leaving a 'shell' of us behind. It looks as if we've died, but we haven't. We take over the shells of twin babies, who will be born to a woman with a magical talent, so we don't seem too unusual. We are doomed to never die, living a different life each time." Ema looked fine, while Mizuki was listening in horror.
"The second part of the prophecy came as a surprise to us. Our current parents had heard of the two twin babies, one with brown or blonde hair, the other with an unusual color, not one you'd find as a natural hair color. They had researched it when they heard they were having twins, and they found the prophecy. It mentioned a great danger that would happen if the one with bright hair ever gained a large circle of beings following her. Yuki had always been the one with unusual hair, and her personality just happened to draw people near, so she traveled a lot. Our parents took a big risk making her stay here," Mai explained.
"So, we should do our best to get rid of the others?" Mizuki asked.
"No, it's too late for that. Whatever is coming will come, even if we manage to get rid of the people. Besides, they can help us. With them, we might just save the world." Mai was clearly happy about that last part. The other two looked terrified, though.
"S-s-save the world!? That's not something a bunch of teenagers can do!" Ema and Mizuki were very unhappy at the thought.
"Haven't you ever read manga? Or watched anime? Well, what you see in those stories comes closer to the truth than you think. Now, we'll sing the prophecy and you can decide for yourself what you think." A light airy tune on a piccolo filled the room, then more instruments joined in. It was a beautiful sound, but there was an underlying sadness in it.
"One day there were two beautiful maidens, born of thought and life. A new life came to them, and the people sang praise of the maidens. This life, though, would not last, they were wasting precious time, for even though one's life would go on, the other maiden's life would end. Left in a deep sleep for eternity, never again would she speak a word. All through the other's life, she'd visit her sister, sitting by her side. The dark would take them, ruling the world, unless she truly dies. Though impossible it may be, one will find a way, or risk the world's death. The many people who flock to the bright one's side should protect her, rest in peace."
The song ended and the instruments slowly stopped playing one by one. Mai was on the floor, gasping for breath. Mizuki looked over at Yuki to find that she was asleep again. The prophecy was sad, and it carried great meaning. A large group of people had already found the two maidens, and they were already protecting them. How long would the peace last, until the "dark" would come after Yuki and Mai?
The four of them were there for the rest of the hour, shaking. Yuki woke up near the end of the hour, and seemed to be a little more exhausted than before. Finally, they got up to tell the prophecy to the rest of the group, dreading their reaction.