Warning: Insanely long 8D But will contain review replies so if you reviewed you might want to read on. If not… well, just skip to the story!
The Very Exciting Author's Note!
Cha-Cha: Hi! If you're reading this, I'm seriously considering whether you took your medication today 8D Because you'd have to be crazy to read all of this bullshit!
Mugi: You can't say that! People will stop reading it if you keep putting us down like that!
Cha-Cha: Relax, Mugi! Okay, the results of the Who's POV Should We Write For Next? Contest! (if it could be counted as a contest?)
The most popular member of Silence turned out to be Momoka Murakami, created by Trying Too Hard To Be Cool, with a grand total of *DRUMROLL*… 2 votes! :D
Momoka: Oh my god, guys, thank you. This gives me another chance to bitch about Hotaru without killing the plot of the chapter 'cause it'll be inside my head!
Kazue: *sniff* I didn't *sniff* get a single vote… I haven't even had a chapter to myself yet!
Cha-Cha: Oh, come on, Kazue! You made a big impression in the last chapter. Your younger self appeared to be more popular than you are now! *bursts out laughing*
Kazue: *sob* It's not funny!
Itsuki: Aww, come here, my little Kazu-Kazu! *gives hug*
Rikuto: *shielding eyes* EWWW!
Cha-Cha: Anyway! Time to answer the reviews!
Brendan Rizzo, Chapter 5: Thanks! Yeah, Rikuto was just a little fluff-ball of angst, wasn't he? XD Mugi wrote the bit with Asami, but all will be revealed in later chapters! *taps nose knowingly*. And I agree, we've kind of neglected Momoka =( Well, keep reading! ^-^
Drake Nolsa, Chapter 5: XD Don't worry! We've already got a good idea where and when Jack/Snake's going to fit in. Sadly, it won't be for a few more chapters, because he's going to appear after this big ambush has slowed down a bit. Probably about chapter eight or ten. Chapter twelve at the latest. Anyway! Keep reading/supporting Silence ^-^ I'm really looking forward to your super-nice reviews every time!
SonoAsahina, chapter 5: Erm… thanks? I guess?
The Layman, chapter 5: LMAO. XD Thanks for pointing that out! But I wuv those little bundles of creep~
Mai Sachiyuki, chapter 5: Thanks! We love your OC, by the way. She's so cool! And her eyes are different colours! Ehehe~ 8D
Superstarultra, chapter 5: Oh, don't worry about it! O: Just reviewing at all is good enough for me! And I'm glad you like Asami's appearance. She's more fun than I expected to work with xD And we have a special place for Takeo all planned out. Don't worry, he's very important. 8D
Yeah, I was trying hard to get the feeling across that this fanfic isn't all humour, or completely dramatic war either. I like small, calm, sad parts of stories, which is why there will be QUITE A FEW! 8DDDD I'm so glad that we always get a positive review from you, Super. X3 It feels really nice reading your reviews because they're always so nice! So THANK YOU!
Mr Wang 330, chapter 5: Ah, I was wondering when you were going to review XD And I'm glad you find the chapters interesting.
Now. Asami. XD I'm SUPER glad that you thought we portrayed her right, because I was a little anxious to how you would react to her appearance *sweats* And the little personality trait we fitted in really seemed to appeal to you, it seems. WHICH IS GOOD! 8D And I'm thinking that Asami has a significant reason that Rikuto can't know about, a bit like Big Mikuru and Kyon's encounters? Hmm… It'll be resolved in later chapters!
Rikuto: And now, it's time for the next chapter of Silence! Here is your cue to grab your popcorn.
Mugi: And remember to submit a review and an OC to become a part of Silence! Please? :3
XXX
Silence
I sat down on the steps, sighing. This was ridiculous. Hotaru had sent me to walk down this route in the dark to take to some chick called Dango Yowaki, and now I was sat in the darkness on doorsteps to a small front door, waiting for someone to open up. I'd been pounding my fist (the one that wasn't practically broken) against the door for the last fifteen minutes, but no one had bothered coming down to open the door for me.
This was just so… unfair. I'd wanted to come and fight, not be a stupid messenger pigeon for Hotaru, flitting back and forth between bases to pass on messages to people who weren't even polite enough to open the door. I was a warrior. A short, young warrior, but a warrior nonetheless. So she shouldn't have treated me like a child! I was only a year younger than them! So annoying!
I kicked the wall angrily, even though I knew it wouldn't do anything except stub my toes. Did that make me childish? Not even having the decency to think constructively for a few hours without kicking the wall and throwing a tantrum?
I blew a raspberry. If I was as childish as I felt right now, I'd need a lot more training before having the nerve to ignore Hotaru and run onto the battlefield with a samurai sword.
I sighed. This would take a while.
I sunk down further, chin on my knees.
How had I even gotten here, anyway? Why were kids like me, Rikuto, Dango and even that meanie Hotaru having to go through all this? All the wars in the books that I used to read when I was a kid were only for grown-ups. The kids stayed home and helped out with the housework and shit, while the grown-ups were off fighting and defending us all.
I shivered. It was plain now that whoever was in charge of this base wouldn't stop by any time soon to open up the door for me. So, without anything better to do, I prepared for a looooong nap.
XXX
I was orphaned when I was only small due to a train crash that took my parents lives, and caused my older brother to lose an arm, and spend months in a special hospital up north. I can't remember my parents faces, but that's okay. I had my Master to look up to. Before I met him I was sad and lonely, and pretty much living on the streets and watching the world go by, envying each person who walked past me holding onto their mom or dad's hands and laughing.
Then Master found me. He was just passing by, like everyone else, but instead of carrying on he stopped, and turned to look at me. I gave him my fiercest stare to show him that he was in deep shit if he was willing to mess with me, but he knelt down next to me and gazed right into my eyes.
"What's your name?" He asked seriously. I shied away from him, trying to show him that he wasn't fooling me with his caring eyes.
"Momoka," I snapped. "What's it to you?" He just laughed.
"Momoka's a cute name, for a cute girl like you. My name's Yasu, but not many people call me that. I'm more well-known as… Master."
"Why are you talking to me?" I asked, clenching my fists. "Don't you have somewhere else to go?" He nodded.
"I do." I was about ready to boil over.
"W-Well, just go there right now, why don't you? Leave me alone!"
"I have somewhere to go, Momoka," he said softly. "But I want to return home with a cute, lonely little girl who needs someone to take care of her. I didn't set out just to go back home, you know." I stared.
"You… You want to take care of… me?" He reached over to gently touch my grimy face and smiled.
"Uh huh."
"B-But… I'm… dirty!" I said, shocked.
"I don't care," he replied. "Momoka, no matter how dirty or poor someone is, no one deserves to be alone and uncared for. If you don't realise that now, I, at least, want to teach you those things." I slowly stood up, flexing my grubby toes.
"…Master…" He grinned and took my hand in his.
"Come on, Momo honey. Lets go home."
I loved Master, as if he was my own Father. He trained me in the martial arts, and took care of me as if I was his own. Since he'd taken me home, everything that I had hoped for seemed possible.
"Master! Master!" I called, racing up to greet him. He grinned at me and ruffled my hair.
"Momo honey, how are you today?" He asked me. I hopped on my feet, feeling bubbly and excited.
"I'm ecstatic!" I exclaimed, waving my arms around wildly. I quivered with joy. "My brother's coming home tomorrow! He's going to take a look at my pictures I've painted and he's coming to the park with me and we're going to eat ice-cream and have a picnic and we're going to see the monkeys at the zoo and fall asleep watching ninja films!" He laughed.
"Wow, you sure have a lot of things planned. But have you remembered to work on your training too?" I nodded fiercely.
"Of course I have! I beat up a big boy in the 6th grade yesterday cause he took my money! I got it back though," I added.
"A little girl shouldn't fight people unless it's necessary, you know," he grinned. "Especially if you're fighting a guy who's bigger than you. Ever tried negotiating once in a while?"
"I can't help the way I am," I said, pouting. "The boys are all so big and mean anyway. I haven't done anything to them, but they just take my money off me before I've even had the chance to run away. I don't even talk to them normally. But that's okay. Cause I whipped their butts!" He cracked a smile.
"Ah, Momo honey. You're a card." He clapped his hands together. "Momo honey, don't ever change the way you are now, you got that?" I looked up, as he patted my head. "Because when you're as perky as you are today, I'm plenty happy just seeing your face. It's a cute face at that, too. So don't change a bit, okay?"
Those words Master spoke really broke into my heart. I wanted to be that way forever. I truly did. It's hard to stay the same, though, when the whole world's changing around you. Especially after that day.
"Hey, Master! Where are you?" I cried, running through the hallways. I knew that after this latest attack the Aliens were probably after any survivor, but I couldn't care less at that moment. I just had to find Master. I had to.
"Maste- …eh…? M… Master…?" I felt all the colour drain from my face as I pushed open the door of the old gym. The roof had completely caved in, leaving debris scattered over the floor. I knew all too well that if anywhere, Sensei would be here.
"Hey… Master… Hey, come on… Master…?" I fell to my knees and began searching through the rubble, clawing at it with my hands, which were already cut and beginning to bleed. My heart was too numb to even notice at first. I just needed to find Sensei.
"Please, Master! Come on, please, don't hide! Just… Just come out…" It was then that I felt something which gave me a glimmer of hope.
A hand.
"M… Master…? Master!" I grabbed his hand and pulled, hard. What I found next, I could never forget.
His face, covered in blood. A panicked look on his face, his eyes haunted when I prised them open. I began to shake, panic and fear overtaking my body.
"… Master…?" I felt tears run down my face. "No, no, no, no, no…" One look, just one more look, was all it took. I brought my hands up to my head and began to scream. I felt like I would never stop, like an evil spirit had yanked my heart off it's chains and was toying with it, making my heart ache and my soul cry out for help.
I could never forget it.
I wasn't cut out for blood, gore and violence. The old me wasn't, at least. But I realised at some point that I needed to be awakened to this new world as a new person. So it started with cutting my hair.
I woke up one morning, when I was twelve. I decided that training was needed, and to do that long hair pinned back with prissy little hair clips wouldn't be an option. So I rummaged around in my cupboards for a pair of scissors and chopped it all off.
I don't consider it to be a great loss. Hair barely weighs a thing, and it grows back easily after a while, anyway. But the fact that I was twelve, flat-chested and had a scruffy page-boy cut made me look like a boy, which I was NOT impressed with. At all.
But everyone has to make sacrifices, right? It's how we get to where we are today. So I brushed the thought aside and simply decided, Okay, I just won't look in a mirror until it's grown a bit. And I carried on.
I trained in the mountains, away from all the harem-scarem of the war. I'd seen enough blood to last a life-time. I worked hard, didn't give myself nearly enough breaks as Sensei would've, ate good foods filled with iron and protein, and trained so hard my legs could've fallen off. But it was all worth it. Because they found me, and they saved me.
"Hey there." I looked up. A beautiful lady with glossy dark hair and a gentle smile gazed down at me.
"Um… Hi." I replied, taking a bite out of an apple. Since the Sky Canopy Domain had made an attack on the city, I'd been currently left homeless, so I was sitting around on the streets before finding shelter for the night. "Er… How can I help you?"
"Oh, well, I heard that the famous Momoka Murakami lived in this town, so I travelled up north just to see you!" I stared.
"Hold on… you knew I was here? Who spilled?" I demanded. "I mean, I haven't travelled all that much, so…!"
"Aha! Well, I have my resources." She winked, then crouched down so that she was level with me. "In fact, a man came to see me a while ago. He was slowly regaining the ability to walk." I tensed. "We talked a bit, and he happened to mention his adorable little sister who was training in the next town."
"My brother talked to you?" I cried. "Well, where is he now? I have to see him again!"
"Now, now," the woman said, smiling gently. "So, Miss Momoka… I heard that you lost someone dear to you a few years ago." I dropped my gaze to my shoes.
"Yeah… I lost my Master."
"Well… Would you be interested in joining a force to stop this war from happening?"
"Eh?"
"Well… I'm a part of this group. We joined to try and bring peace to this world. Because I have a son, just like you, who I've dreamt about a lot. About what I want him to be when he grows up, how handsome he'll be, how adorable he'll look with a wife and family by his side, how many grandchildren he'll give me… But while this war is happening, it's hard to see a future at all for anyone. So we're fighting for the sake of you all, and the future of our planet."
"… Well. I guess that, well, I guess that makes sense."
"Uh-huh. We could really use with your help, sweetie. How about it? A group of people, of any race or appearance, personality or interests, that'll be in the same situation as you. A warm roof over your head every night. Three meals a day, and comfortable quarters to stay in when we're not plotting an attack or go on missions. People of all ages to communicate with. We'll become one big, happy family one day." I couldn't help but smile at that.
"That's something short of remarkable, your hopes and dreams for a brighter future. Admirable, too." I nodded slowly. "I… I guess I will. Join you, that is." I squeezed my arm, feeling foolish. "And… I'm allowed to be myself, in this place, aren't I?"
"Yourself…?" She then smiled. "Of course, Momoka. Now… My name's Kazue. Shall we return home? Tomorrow morning is when you'll be recruited."
"…Hey! Hey, there's a girl down here!" My head jerked as I was nudged by someone's grubby trainer. I picked my head up from my knees groggily and turned my head to face the attacker, grouchy. I blinked.
"Hey… Huh? You're… Dango?"
XXX
Cha-Cha: Ooooooh! DRAMA!
We talked things over with TTHTBC (Momoka's master, Ruby-chan) when this chapter was discussed. She came up with the ideas for Momoka's master, big brother and, in fact, most of her past. So THANK YOU for your help, Ruby-chan! ^^
Now, once this ambush is over (about two more chapters, I think), we'll really start heading towards a new point in the story. Should be fun! X3
Momoka: See you then. I'll be waiting for your sympathy reviews… Oh, yeah. Don't forget to submit an OC to Silence, too.
Cha-Cha and Mugi: We'll see ya then!