"I want to go on the trip, Professor Andou!" Saya told him, standing before his desk as he sorted through piles of research papers. His slightly-wrinkled face lit up.
"Wonderful! It really will be a fantastic experience, Ikeda-san! Now, here are some forms you'll need to fill out. If you need a passport, fill this one out and the school will see to it. There is a fee you'll have to pay; will that be a problem? If it is, I can see about having it waved."
Checking how much the fee was, Saya wasn't too concerned. It was a little steep, but with what she had saved up from her part-time job and the money Aoi chose to send to her monthly, it wouldn't bite into her budget too badly.
"It's fine. It shouldn't be a problem."
"Wonderful! Well then, have these turned in to me by the end of the week. There's also a list of supplies you'll need, so pack wisely." As she slipped out of the classroom, Saya heard a shrill complaint from the adjacent door, which was slightly ajar. Recognizing both Professor Imai and Gora's voices, she sped down the long hallway, trying not to intrude, but she couldn't keep from paying attention when her name popped up.
"But why can't I go on the trip when Ikeda-san gets to?! I at least research real civilizations; she's obsessed with a fairytale!"
"As I've told you, each of the archeology program's teachers get to pick three students to take on the trip. Professor Andou chose Ikeda-san, and while her topics are unorthodox, I can see why; she shows initiative. You, Yottsu-san, don't make any real hypotheses of your own; you merely comment on the hypotheses of others. A professional archeologist needs to be able to have their own independent thoughts."
"But-"
Saya whipped around the corner and out of earshot.
...
When Aoi heard she had decided to go on the trip, he had wanted to pay for the entire thing, but Saya insisted on covering her own travel expenses. Aoi did come over to help her fill out the paperwork. When her friends heard, Katsuro and Yui took her shopping for clothes for the trip, and then the trio met up with Tetsuya to go drinking. Although she would never remember the whole thing, she apparently won some drinking challenge and received a purple t-shirt with a laughing pink elephant on the front as a prize. She also gave her two-week notice at the cafe she waitressed at. The old woman who owned it, understanding the circumstances, assured her she'd have a job when she returned.
Everyone wished her well on her trip.
It was perhaps the worst choice she had ever made. Firstly, her entire body ached from the moment her plane left Japan until she got back, the entire three months. Secondly, the week her group was supposed to stay in Germany, one of the main reasons she'd decided to go, was scrapped because of some change in German security the teachers weren't prepared to handle. And thirdly, on the second day of the trip, as she looked through several plant fossils in her Brazilian hostel room, one of the symbols, the one with natural light, began to burn so intensely and painfully, it was as if real fire was burning under her skin. It was all she could do to bite her lip, curl into a ball on the floor, and wait for it to pass, which it did after several minutes.
The symbols had burned like that only a few times since she'd had them. The one time the green mark had lit up had burned like that. The blue and red ones had done it once each as well. This was the second time the symbol with the plain light had been so painful.
The trip had been rewarding, though. She'd learned a lot and been allowed to take several fossils as souvenirs. Also, finding out about other cultures had been a wonderful experience.
When she got home, Aoi had taken her out to eat and listened with rapt attention to every detail. Afterwards, her friends took her out to drink yet again.
It was at her favorite bar, when she was tipsy but not quite drunk, that Katsuro, red-faced and slurring, brought up Gora.
"Man, I can't believe- hiccup- that Yottsu-san blew his top over one freaking trip!"
Saya lifted an eyebrow at him.
"What d'ya mean?"
"You haven't heard?! After you guys left, the kid just disappeared! They say he was so mad he just quit!"
"Really? That's stupid."
Yui had her lips pouted in thought, her pink hair twisted up and around a paintbrush.
"But what if something bad happened to him?"
"Like what?" asked Tetsuya, the only one of them entirely sober.
"Like, what if he bumped into a yakuza and was beaten up, or worse, and thrown into the sea?!"
"Yui, honey," Saya sighed, sliding the fruity cocktail away from her friend. "I think you've had a few too many. Or you've been reading a little too much manga. Or both."
A half hour later, they scurried out of the bar, Katsuro and Yui, who lived only a few houses apart, heading in one direction, and Tetsuya, guiding a wobbling Saya, in another.
"Thanks for walking me home," she told him as they reached her door. She paused before reaching the handle. "Wait, did you hear that?"
"What?"
"It sounded like a gunshot. Never mind, it was probably an old car backfiring. Hey, do you want to come in? We could watch a movie on my computer."
"Sure."
After taking off their shoes, Tetsuya flopped onto the bed and fished the laptop out of the drawer of the nightstand while Saya rummaged through the cardboard box of DVDs she kept beside the wardrobe.
"What do you feel like watching?"
Tetsuya hummed in contemplation.
"A horror movie, probably."
Saya grinned evilly and held up a case.
"What about this? It has vampires and werewolves."
Tetsuya clutched his chest in mock fear.
"Oh, God, not 'Twilight!' I'm gay, not a tween girl!"
Saya snickered. Tetsuya smirked.
"Wait, why do you have 'Twilight?'"
"... Shut up."
They ended up watching 'The Conjuring,' with Saya punching her friend's arm after every jump-scare, even though, having watched the film several times, she usually knew they were happening and wasn't actually scared. Tetsuya went home as soon as the credits appeared on the screen, not wanting to be out too late.
Not bothering to change into pajamas, she flopped back onto her bed and was asleep in less than a minute.
...
A few days later, she had her job back, she was back in classes, and the pain she'd felt after leaving had finally faded away completely. The only real difference she could feel was the absence of Yottsu Gora's slimy voice awkwardly flirting with her in the most condescending manner possible. Saya thought this would be a relief, but the circumstances behind the creep's disappearance was an itch at the back of her mind.
She hurried down a city street, flipping through her notes on one of Professor Imai's lectures. Her burgundy jacket flapped in the breeze over her gold t-shirt and skinny-jeans. Her shift started soon, so she needed to get to the subway station within the next few minutes or she'd be late. The nice person her boss was, she highly doubted she'd be scolded, but she hated to take advantage of an old woman's kindness.
Her wrist began to tingle, and Saya absentmindedly tugged up her bracelet to see red light streaming from one of the black symbols. The sudden mumble of the crowd around her caught her attention, and she followed the gazes of others to see something that sent ice through her veins.
A massive sword, flickering with red energy, hovering in the air. Like the one that had appeared just before the Kagutsu Crater Incident. A Sword of Damocles, as she had learned in her father's notebook. Saya thought she might throw up, but then a voice, or more accurately voices, echoed in her mind.
Do not be afraid. The Red Sword of Damocles shall not fall this day.
"Who are you?" Saya asked aloud, and several people standing around her backed away, eyeing her with wary concern.
You have known us, child, for a long time now. And we have known you.
Her wrist began to tingle even more, and a quick glance showed a symbol winking into life with blue light. Not a moment later, another Sword of Damocles, this one radiating a soft blue, appeared beside the first.
"Wait, are these swords the reason why my wrist...?"
You are connected to us, as the Kings are. Thus, you are connected to the Kings.
"Connected to what?"
Us, child. What you call the Dresden Slate.
"But, wait, I don't-"
Hush, child. In time your questions shall be resolved. Now, look at the Red Sword of Damocles.
Eyes wide in confusion, Saya whipped her gaze towards the first sword. As she observed, she had the strange feeling of seeing two images; one of what the sword looked like, and another of what it should have looked like.
"It's... broken. The pieces are all there, but they're not together like they need to be."
Yes. Now, if the pieces were together, how would the Sword of Damocles appear?
Saya brought the image of the whole sword to mind, and, as she watched, the real pieces moved to match the image, cracks pressing back together. A minute or so later, the sword was still a little rough, but in a much better condition.
"What did I just do?"
You have shown we made the correct choice in you, child. We began to doubt when you left the land under our control, but you have returned.
"What choice? I don't understand!"
We shall speak later, child.
And just like that, Saya felt the presence in her head vanish. Shell-shocked, she watched, alongside other bystanders who were still giving her odd looks, as the two swords remained in the sky for a few more minutes, and then swirled into nonexistence, the light coming off her wrist vanishing with them. She might have stood there for hours if not for her watch's furious beeping, alerting her that if she did not leave right then, she would be horrendously late. Staggering towards the station, her only clear thought was that she would definitely discuss this with Aoi.
I've finally gone completely crazy.
Author's Note:
So... I've written a couple chapters ahead, and I'm kind of disappointed in myself because 1) I feel like Saya is too much of a reactionary character, and 2) I can't decide how I'm going to introduce her to the main characters! I have several ways planned out, but they all feel horribly forced! Thus, I'm going to start trying for Saya to do more voluntary action, including meeting the K characters in a setting that feels more natural, or as natural as a setting can feel in a supernatural story. Until then, have fun, make friends, don't talk to strangers, and spay and neuter your pets! Peace!