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Digimon Keeper Chapter 1: Calling Out

On the morning of days unimportant, Toshiro would awaken to the hatred of an unwanted machine that annoyingly kept itself present to him for minutes at a time, at exactly the time he hated to hear it. But not today, because today he had outpaced his clock. Awakening to the sun this day, Toshiro could feel something new inside him. Maybe it was gradual… perhaps it was all a lie, but for the time being he enjoyed the thought that he might become human like everyone else. He climbed out of his bed, making his usual morning routine as he recalled the life-changing events of that fateful day, just last year. That was the year he made his first, and only friend.

But that one friendship meant more to him than the entire world. In a way, it brought meaning to the world, beyond the simple give-and-take justice that adults seemed to love. Being one of simple nature, Toshiro loved to be loved, because nobody ever thought much of him, or else outright disliked him. Toshio got dressed in his black school uniform, well buttoned twice at the midriff, collared and respectable. To match were the uniform pants, a plain black dress apparel that nevertheless matched the Japanese code quite smashingly. Finally he tied his plain tennis shoes, with a primarily black material only broken by the secondary and tertiary compliments of red and grey at the sides and soles respectively. Briefly he looked himself over in the mirror. His neatly shaven and stylized black hair matched the uniform splendidly, although it was the passing opinion of his surrogate father that the pineapple hairstyle he was vying for really didn't fit in.

He open the door quietly, expecting the bustle of his foster home, but was met with silence for the most part. Still, it didn't surprise him at all to find his foster father standing there in the main second floor hallway, his frame ever so slightly illuminated by the single light cascading from the room behind him, while the main lights remained untouched. The man spoke softly, minding the volume for the sake of his family. "Toshiro, what are you doing up so early?"

Toshiro stuttered, twitching nervously.

"I… I was just… I..." Kenzen Tengi waved his hand absently, yawning all the while, then scratched his poorly trimmed beard that had only recently started showing promising results fashion wise. "I'm not upset or anything, I'm just curious. Well, your reasons are your own I guess. Want to help me set breakfast?"

Toshiro cast his gaze downward again, his old habits surfacing. Ken sighed at the gesture, and turned to walk down the stairs. "Well, if you change your mind, I could really use the help.." Toshiro clenched his fists and fought the urge to growl at himself. Even though today was special to him, even though he'd come so far in a single year… some things never changed. He was still an unsociable nobody.

He made his way downstairs, faintly catching the rousing sounds of awakened family members, as they too hastened to don their daily attire. Once he had seated himself on the dining room chair, his eyes nervously dancing to and fro between uninteresting objects in his vicinity, he considered the progress he'd fought for in recent memory, and the oddity of his own status in school. At one point he'd been ignored, but as he began to interact with Erena on a more constant basis, he'd noticed a series of divergences from the expected results in his social life. It confused him, in equal parts delightful and upsetting, to find that not only had he gained the attention of more than a few classmates, mostly in the male sect of his class, but also the sympathy of several adult parties. As a result, he'd been taken aside and fawned over more than once. What exactly was the cause of this alteration? It didn't make sense to call it the consequence of a single, albeit important friendship. When exactly had the adults gotten involved?

Ken, who was preparing a rice dish, was soon joined by his wife, who affectionately kissed him on the check and embraced him in a side-hug which he eagerly returned. One by one, the two sister siblings descended the staircase, bringing them all together in familial conversation as families ought. Still, Toshiro sat silently at the table, nervously counting on his fingers the things he would do today. Today was special after all. Neither the sound of frying foods filling the air, nor following soon after the aromas of cooked meat and vegetable platters, could grab his attention in the same way that those exciting thoughts did. And his pseudo siblings were noticing. Eve and Yui sat on either side of Toshiro and began teasing, quite verbally, about the possible things he could be thinking about.

"Hey, sis, isn't Shiro-kun acting awfully strange today?"

"Yeah, no kidding. He was up before us, and now he's behaving weirder than usual." Toshiro blushed and winced at the same time. He'd never tell them, but being called weird by his family was a little hurtful to him… because to him, they were his greatest reminder of what familial affection should be. Being insulted by strangers and acquaintances was commonplace, but weren't family supposed to support each other and be uplifting? Eve poked him a little in the shoulder.

"Hey, Toshiro, are you planning on doing something fun today? You were using your fingers just now… were you counting your blessings? Cmon, tell us!"

"Well I think he finally found himself a crush."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember? Yesterday he was swinging lazily with a girl from his class. What's her name Shiro?" If Toshiro's face wasn't red before, it was now, and threatening to snd him into a fever. He stuttered, clearly embarrassed. "Er...Erena."

The elder sister squealed in delighted girly fashion, the sort only achievable when sappy romance was under way, while Eve sported an awed expression. Yui smiled wide, and gave Toshiro a huge thumbs- up and complimentary smirk. "That's awesome Shiro! You're starting to fit right in with what normal teens do. We'll make a man out of you yet!"

Kenzen must have heard that tidbit, as he shouted from across the room. "Stop teasing poor Toshiro. Let him make small strides at a time, he'll come around when he needs to. Isn't that right Shiro?" Toshiro nodded furiously, making gestures with his hands for the girls to give him some breathing space. They did so with apologetic haste, but Yui couldn't stop giggling to herself, and Eve was simply confused by the noises and actions of her hyperactive sister. Toshiro too often found himself baffled by the change in his sister's antics, which had become noticeably dominant over the past year when she'd begun spending more time away from home. He could remember it all starting once she'd spent the evening with a friend of hers, whom he supposed must have some sort of close friendship with her, with the way it made her smile. Ever since, she'd been far more curious when it came to any sort of intimate relationship, although Toshiro really had no idea what a 'crush' was supposed to be.

Breakfast was tasty that day, tastier than usual… but lunch, he was looking forward to.

When lunchtime did come about for young Toshiro, he was sitting outside on a bench beside the school park, leaning back, staring at the sky. His bento was sitting beside him on the bench, unopened as of yet, because he was waiting for someone in particular. To waste the time away, he decided to take out a book he'd begun reading in his spare time, which covered some of the things he found confusing in class. It was titled, 'Romeo and Juliet'. A classic cover, it was claimed by some to be the pinnacle of romantic relationship novels. His reason for reading it was simple: what is romance? According to the things he could make out in class it was a friendship strictly owned by a girl and boy, and according to some pop songs it was like some crazy madness that drove people to suicide. But words could never truly convince him, not without the feelings he wanted to feel, that 'romance' was a truly desirable thing. For now, he had no inkling as to the true meaning of love, nor did he have any context for him to analyze.

"Hey Shiro, what are you reading?" Startled, Toshiro quickly put down the book, and looked up to see Erena standing there, a beaming smile on her face. Immediately his heart calmed, replaced by a warm sensation he could only describe as profound, and everything happiness was supposed to be. He smiled back weakly, an improvement to his usual attempts, and offered her a seat.

"Hi, sorry, I was… just, reading stuff."

Erena sat beside him, and began unpacking her lunch beside his. Their short meal went somewhat uneventfully for awhile, as the two were content to watch the other children at the playground. Some groups were playing tag, others were throwing a ball around or playing soccer. Loners were never unfound, and they mostly stuck to the benches or swings. Looking at those stragglers, Toshiro was always reminded of his own problems. In fact, up until a year ago, that was totally commonplace for him. However, ever since Erena had befriended him, his habits had changed. No longer did he sit alone and sullen at the benches, instead he would either hang out with his only friend, or he would take walks as she often did. To his surprise on his first attempt, while it didn't necessarily score him points in the social department, it was a great way to gather his thoughts. His notebook was always beside him, reminding him of the panic attacks he'd often suffered back then, only to disappear as the months dragged on without trace. It was a huge relief to him.

As the minutes dragged on and they began to finish their lunches, Erena finally caved to curiosity, and looked over at the book Toshiro had put down. Her eyes squinted as she tried to make out the words. "Romeo… and Juliet… what's that book about?"

Taking a bite out of his rice ball, Toshiro gave a quiet, confused noise with his mouth full. He noticed what she was referring to, and swallowed quickly to answer her. Albeit timidly. "Yeah, apparently it's a pretty big book for adults. Almost all the teachers know it."

Erena looked thoughtful at this. "Oh, what's it about?"

He blushed slightly, and turned his face to his collar. "Um… well… you see, it's a book about romance."

A small look of understanding crossed her face, marred slightly by the following look of confusion. "So… why are you reading it? Romance is something we learned about in grade school, we're in middle school now."

His blush depended, a clear embarrassment showing as he revealed his own insecurities. "Yeah, I know, but… I just… it sounds so wonderful and awesome… but I have no idea what it means to love somebody. Some people say I should feel loved by my family, but romance is something strict between friends… it doesn't add up. Worst thing is, I don't know what to compare it to. My family looks like really close friends, so, do they share romantic feelings with each other? Have you ever felt love?"

Erena smiled, and laughed quietly at Toshiro's expense, causing his embarrassment to deepen even further. Noticing his discomfort, Erena reeled herself in, and quieted her chuckling. "I'm sorry Shiro, it's just, it's not as simple as that."

Her smile turned into a frown, a pitiful one at that, as she thought about what she knew of his disabilities and past. "Now that I think about it, you really don't have much experience with love… wow, sorry."

He nodded once, his head downcast. "Don't be."

Her eyes looked him over, as she chose her words carefully, even using gestures to try and punctuate her sentences. "Let me help you out. See, romance and love aren't necessarily the same thing. Or… well, let me put it this way. Love comes in two temperatures, that's how my mother described it. The mellow, softer of the two temperatures is a general love, the sort of love you can have for anything, so long as you care enough about it. In this case, a person you consider a friend might be someone you love. Families 'love' each other, because they care. Then there's the warmer temperature, the kind that Romeo and Juliet is probably talking about. This is the romantic love, that is… usually between boy and girl. I don't really know any way to describe it other than, well, warm."

Toshiro looked at her curiously. "So have you ever felt… romantic love?"

He didn't see it, but Erena turned her head slightly to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Yeah. It's sort of incredible, but it's not something you can feel naturally. It takes something very special, so you might not even feel it until you are much older."

Toshiro looked downcast at this, but nodded his head in understanding all the same. "I guess not… it just sounds great, but the class lessons never really made sense to me. I always wondered… if… it would be something I could feel. From what you've told me, I guess I sorta care about my adoptive family… and…."

He let his sentence trail off, then sighed. He discovered his lunch was finished, so he began to put it all away in his backpack, followed soon after by Erena. The two of them were silent for a while, as Erena worked over his response slowly, trying to find something to say that could help him out. The number one issue Toshiro had, in her opinion, was his inability to understand the feelings of other people. If he'd never felt it himself, and internalized it profoundly, then it would appear entirely foreign to him, and the worst part was how feverishly he worked to close that gap to no effect. It didn't help that he was incredibly timid, cowardly even. Asking an adult for help was to him what asking a girl to prom might be for a normal kid, in terms of difficulty at least. As they stood up, Erena suddenly got an idea, and asked if Toshiro would go on a walk quickly with her. He nodded his consent, and the two of them made their quiet way around the school field.

For a while, neither said a thing, until Erena spoke up softly for only Toshiro to hear. "So…" She began uncertainly, grabbing his attention away from the grass at his feet, "What things do you like a lot, Shiro?" The confusion on his face was painfully sincere.

"Like?"

"Yeah, I know a bit about you, but nothing about your hobbies or interests." Hearing those words caused a woeful frown to appear on Toshiro's face. His response was low, and self deprecating.

"…to be honest… I don't think I have any hobbies." Erena audibly sighed.

"Then how about likes? What things interest you about this cold, mortal world?" The slight humorous tone in her voice helped a bit in settling Toshiro's nerves, as he thought reflectively on the things he considered interesting. However, that eventually wore off as his conclusions started to make him feel uncertain of how to answer.

"Um… well I, I don't know if I really like anything very profoundly, I…."

"Oh for the love of god Shiro, are you trying to tell me that you've spent the last 14 years, including the one we shared as friends, being absolutely miserable? Cmon, everyone gets out of bed for a reason Shiro, what's yours?" The severity of her question somewhat scared Toshiro, as he shrunk further into his collar.

"I just want to be normal."

The sincerity of that statement was enough to shock Erena, who stood there wordless for a few seconds. "So… your only reason for living… is to be normal?"

Toshiro nodded. It was simple, honest, but so completely wrong it made Erena sick. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and turned his eyes to meet hers.

"Toshiro… being normal is a waste of time. Being normal means being somebody that isn't you. I'm serious, the word 'normal' is a load of bull."

"I'm… sorry… Erena. I just want people to like me. Because,,, maybe because, I like people."

Erena's face deflated, turning her previous displeasure into curiosity that had merits on its own, as far her hopes for her friend. "You like people? What about those bullies that are constantly trying to make you miserable?"

Toshiro blushed. "You… knew about that?"

"Of course, Shiro. I was hoping you would bring it up in conversation, but to actually tolerate it… I never dreamed it was possible." For a while, both were silent as the noses in the background faded and then grew louder, signifying that their conversation had taken them around the soccer field, and would soon end with the bell at this rate. When it finally did ring, and all of the students began rushing towards the school doors, Toshiro and Erena looked at each other before doing so themselves. At the entrance, Erena gave Toshiro one last comment.

"Shiro… you're a great person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you're very kind, and I admire that. See ya later!"

A warmth… that Toshiro didn't know existed… that he didn't think possible… was making its way to his heart, and it lingered so profoundly that he all but forgot the rest of his day at school, even when Erena passed him some worried looks from time to time. A compliment… from a friend! His giddiness began to bubble almost uncontrollably, and when the final period bell rang, he found that containing it was actually impossible. He bolted form his desk, much too fast for the usual bullies to catch him off guard, out into the school grounds where he began jumping frantically with joyous abandon. He realized he must seem silly, but he didn't care. At long last his efforts were paying off! He stopped abruptly, a fierce and unfamiliar look coming to his face: the face of courage. Despite everything, he had done the impossible, which meant… which meant, that his dreams would finally be realized. A personal dream, one that supplied the fuel he needed to continue running in this depressing world, the dream of true family. Of becoming someone loved. The smile on his face was truly an amazing sight to see.

"YES!"

He fell onto his back, content to do nothing but stare at the clouds. There was a peaceful breeze, gently carrying the growing chatter around him as students he knew would soon exit the building after him, but he didn't bother getting up. On his back, breathing deeply, he was happy.

…

Until, he heard something faint. A whisper, nothing more, but perhaps much more than it seemed. His eyes grew in confusion as he looked this way and that, suddenly shocked by the realization that there were no people, not one child or adult to be seen. They had all disappeared, the winds had stopped all together, and light seemed to drain from his surroundings. He began to panic, before the voice returned, no longer inaudible, but still very much a whisper.

'Toshiro'

He stood up swiftly, looking to see where the voice could be coming from, to ill effect. He clutched his heart, edging closer and closer to the school doors, as if they could lend him some tangible of safety from this intangible voice.

'At last, my voice has reached you'

"Who are you?" Toshiro cried out pitifully. "What do you want?" Suddenly, from behind him, Toshiro felt a warm hand grasping his shoulder, as the winds turned soft around him. He turned, ever so slowly, dreading what he might be see but equally curious. But there was no one. The sensations had disappeared, and he was left staring at a troubled Erena.

"Shiro… are you doing okay?" Sweating slightly from the encounter, Toshiro breathed heavily for a few seconds, before answering her question. "Do… don't worry. I'm… fine." Unconvinced but late for her carpool, Erena gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder, before leaving him to his troubled thoughts for the day. Even when he was drowned in strangers there, alone without Erena at the school entrance, Toshiro barely noticed them. Rather, he was too distracted to care. His head was spinning, a slight headache formed as he considered his own sanity versus the unlikely event that whatever vision he'd had was real. Yet… for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling. Not even when his pseudo family came to collect him from his daze, it never left him.

The feeling that his life was soon to become far too complicated.

"Toshiro? Toshiro? Hey, you in there bro?" The boy was snapped out of his daze by the worried cries of his adoptive sister, who drove steadily but timidly on the road as she alternated her gaze between it and her troubled brother. His stomach groaned a little though he didn't pay it any attention, which gave the other sister, sitting in the seat next to him, a conveniently false interpretation.

"He's just hungry, that's all. Still you were pretty dazed when we saw you standing there Shiro. Maybe you should have a glass of water when we get home." Toshiro stuttered a simple apology, before leaning back in his chair, finally strapped in, as their mini-van drove down the curving roads of suburban Kyoto. The town was modest in this particular area, though going downtown made things quite a bit more claustrophobic. Here, it was simple and lovely. Out of the car window, Toshiro watched families walking together, couples walking abreast, and the occasional loner or two traveling between houses. Much to the ire of his keepers, the immediate area was quite mountainous. This resulted in swerving climbs and sudden drops, around which this part of the town was erected. He personally didn't mind. Nothing in the town was unpleasant to his eyes, and seeing all of it pass by through the glass made him wonder… what would his life have been like, had his childhood been elsewhere? Erena's talk earlier had made him think. He liked people, but more than that, he liked anything he could get his hands on and come to fully understand. Perhaps he should blame his autism, for making mountains of stones, but he saw it as a blessing. Rather, it was the other things in his personality he hated, that kept him from connecting to those whom he might call friend, and kept courage from his heart. Cowardice… shyness… and now, maybe insanity should be listed among those things.

As his head rested on the back of his seat, his breath barely kept from fogging the glass, he was worried. Here he was, finally making progress, and now he was hearing voices. It was almost as confusing as the moments in years past, when his body would be wracked with pain from a mysterious hemorrhage with unknown origins. All he wanted… was to be normal.

And yet, his only friend thought otherwise.

…

He had some thinking to do, for sure.

Without noticing it, the car steadily began to slow, and Toshiro realized that their destination had already been reached, if perhaps a bit too soon. His siblings began unbuckling, encouraging him to do the same, but he was quite slow with the procedure. The sisters were far ahead of him, already inside the house in fact, before he even closed the port side door. With troubled heart, he trudged across the grass, and entered the household. Much like the others, he entered the household by first depositing his shoes to the side of the rice paper doors, and set about wasting the afternoon hours with solitude. Though the family came together sociably enough at meals and meetings, the afternoons were usually spent alone, most often for their own enjoyment.

Not today, it would seem. After Toshiro had finished unpacking his supplies, laying them orderly upon the desk in his room, he'd barely begun changing into a casual attire when Yui knocked on his door. Hastily he finished dressing, before opening the door to greet her uncharacteristically vacant smile.

"Hey Shiro, mind if I come in?"

Curious but ever shy, Toshiro took a moment before nodding and opening up for her to enter. Immediately their differences were made apparent by Yui's choice of casual attire versus his own; she wore a traditional style loose-fit black kimono with shortened sleeves, white trimming and a shortened hayori. Her look was rounded with smoothed brown hair and finished with red leggings. Being honest with himself, Toshrio found his own apparel choices considerably less traditional, with a simple black t-shirt, brown cargo pants, and nothing else notable to make it more appealing. Eve would more or less dress in a similar fashion to his own, at least in girl standards, but Yui had always been unique, with a vibrant and colorful taste for the beautiful. Her college days benefited her choices, as she spent many days of the week writing a trendy new comic series called 'Asukun', though he'd never bothered to read it. Her room was a veritable typhoon as a result of her work, so if she needed to talk to someone, she'd usually be the one to make contact.

Sighing openly, Yui sat herself onto Toshiro's chair while the boy took his bed for a seat, and for a while neither spoke. Eventually, the elder sister took the lead.

"So… how are you holding up, Toshiro?"

"Umm… what do you mean?"

"I mean about life in general. I know things are hard for you, its difficult for you to talk to people, so I thought it would be better if I did the talking. The truth is… I was happy to see you connecting to that girl the other day, I thought maybe you were finally coming out of your shell, except… you still won't talk to us. Can you tell me why?"

Toshiro didn't know how to explain it to her. He really didn't. His mouth was agape for some time, before making a shaky response. "Sorry, it's not that I don't want to…"

"No, it's fine, I just worry for you sometimes. In any case, I wanted you and Eve to help me practice some martial arts, if only to help us get along a little more. Families need to spend time together, that's how we grow to care for each other." With those words, Yui stood up quickly to exit the room, her hair flowing behind her in a neat billowing fashion. Confounded and intrigued by her words, Toshiro rushed to follow after. The two of them walked quickly in the sunlit hallway, down the stairs, and out the back door. Standing idly in the sun betwixt the concrete walls of the neighboring households was a traditional-style dojo, mostly unused in its longevity, but recently repurposed by Yui for some ridiculous and altogether sudden interest in harmful sport. She placed her hands on the heavy wooden door, and slid it to the side with some grunting. Sunlight filtered through the opening, revealing Eve, standing some ways in at the center of the wooden floors, a Bokken in hand. She too wore a traditional Japanese Haori, and was in the middle of a few practice swings against a straw dummy.

Yui smiled broadly at seeing her sister practicing. "So, taking an interest in Kendo?"

Masking her surprise, Eve wiped her brow of the accumulated sweat, and placed her Bokken tip first into the floor. "Pheww, didn't think you would be practicing today, and… Toshiro?"

The boy raised his hand in greeting. "Uh… hi Eve."

The girl returned a beaming smile, dropping her Bokken altogether to rush over and hastily pull him forward. "It's about time you showed up! What a wonderful surprise Shiro. Want to see my katas? I've only just started learning, but it's so much fun!"

Yui watched with humorous interest as Eve sat Toshiro down at a safe distance on a slightly elevated portion of the dojo floor, and moved to pick her Bokken up once again. Before she could continue though, Yui brought a crucial fact to her sister's attention. "Hey, shouldn't you be wearing your practice armor, whatever it's called?"

"Nah, it'll be fine sis, really! Just watch Shiro."

With eager abandon, Eve let loose with various sloppy forms on the poor straw dummy, which produced many straw fletchings as the beatdown continued. For two minutes she continued her forms, repeating certain favorites that were certainly useful, but in her hands might be easily countered. Toshiro watched all of this in fascination. Each strike, though perhaps underwhelming to a professional, seemed absolutely fraught with power and energy. And she was barely moving! He looked at his own hands, wondering what it would be like to wield that kind of strength. The thought lasted a fleeting moment, before his mind began dissecting every movement. A slip of the hand there, a misstep here, and throughout the entire demonstration he could sense something lacking in the energy of her attacks. A lack of… conviction.

These observations vanished just as quickly as they surfaced, when Toshiro saw Eve strike a wooden portion of the dummy a bit too hard, causing the Bokken to bounce swiftly back into her forehead. Without even thinking, Toshiro rushed from his seated position, arriving moments before the elder sister had even recovered from her shock, and braced Eve so she wouldn't fall over. Dazed, and pained, Eve's eyes winced as she fought back a curse, her hands slapped against her forehead in an effort to dull the pain. Eventually, she gave in.

"…Damnit! God that hurts!"

"I warned you to use your equipment!" Yui scolded her younger sister as she rushed over to take a look at the bruise on her forehead. She moved Eve's hand with her own, ignoring the cries of the injured, before providing her diagnostic.

"Well, it's nothing serious, but I'm sure it smarts. Let that be a lesson; never overestimate yourself. It's the first lesson Taki taught me." Hissing a little, Eve relaxed her hands and posture, opting to let the pain subside. Her Bokken, which had fallen to the floor, lay forgotten as she turned to thank her brother.

"Thanks Shiro. Guess I should train with the sets, it's just a pain to put those things on! They're not jus uncomfortable, they weight like, a thousand pounds!" Toshiro backed off, staring at his hands in bewilderment as Yui and Eve continued to bicker about the proper measures necessary for safe practice. Whatever thoughts he might have concocted over the bizarre circumstance were pushed aside as the elder sibling snapped, getting his attention.

"Regardless, it's my turn to practice. I invited Toshiro because I thought it might be a way for us to bond properly. What do you think, Shiro?" Both sisters were pleasantly surprised to hear him respond.

"Well… I think it would be fun. What should I do?" The smiles that met his face, so full of life and intrigue, were exactly what Toshiro had wanted to experience with his family. Whoever they were, wherever they were… he imagined that if he never found out, this would be the memory he cherished in their place.

And what a memory it was. Full of bruises, laughs, and apologies, but altogether enjoyable. Toshiro was so engrossed with their wonderful attitudes, that he lost track of time, and it was a disappointment to learn that the merriment had to end in order for dinner to commence. And how it flew… with Toshiro happily engaged in conversation with his two sisters, not caring about the awe-struck expressions of Kenzen and Ame Tengi.

Before he knew it, the day had ended, the sun had sunk, and he was opening a fresh page in his journal. Except… he didn't write anything down. For the first time in his life, Toshiro put the pen down, letting his anxieties go. There was sill a lot of things to do, parts of himself to overcome, but if he wanted to be a person that could make friends, he needed to do them openly. Today was a huge step, but he wasn't going to make any more progress by confiding in a book about the past.

Toshiro did his homework as best he could, took a warm shower, dressed in a new set of cargo pants and t-shirt, and crawled into bed. The covers felt warmer tonight, as he smiled, and drifted off to sleep. The sounds of the night droned off in the distance of slumber, eventually, to nothing.

If only he had kept his eyes open that night, perhaps waited an hour before drifting… maybe then the things that happened next might not have been so difficult for him to grasp.

…

…

…

…a rush, a sound that pushed and pulled at his body, woke him sourly from his rest.

His eyes opened slightly, retching in the glow of vibrant, neon colors dancing hazardously all around him. When at last his sight cleared, the peace of sleep was instantly replaced with a lucid horror.

He was floating.

Panic consumed him. "Wh… what?! What's going on?" His breathing became hoarse, and his heart beat outpaced his thoughts as he frantically looked around him. There was nothing. Nothing but colors, spiraling this way and that with no perceivable orientation. He flailed his arms in a vain attempt to find balance, not realizing the lack of gravity. His actions caused him an uncomfortable amount of vertigo, but thankfully they died down as his momentum ceased, and he found himself staring straight at a figure that looked as if it was torn straight from a comic strip.

It was a regally dressed person, at least six feet tall at a glance, that floated several meters away from himself. His red robes were dyed crimson in some areas, while white patches and intricate oriental symbols dotted each sleeve and section of fabric. It much resembled a priest with how its cowl arced over its head, but a metal mask prevented Toshiro from seeing the face behind it.

At his side, as if resting on firm ground, was a scepter of magnificent splendor. From its golden shaft to the ring sitting atop its head, with many other rings within it, that rattled as if to proclaim the gravity of this figure. Toshiro could only stare as the being spoke, the voice from earlier that day haunting its echoes.

"I have been waiting for you many days… Toshiro, Tengi."

…

To be Continued