Ushio
I woke up extra early today. It was pitch-black and cold outside. I reassured that Nagisa was here, took a final look, and left our tent. Shivering in coldness, I let my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. If not for the little playful lights floating around, I would have tripped over numerous times. I reached the junkyard - my hands were stiff as board. I kept rubbing my hands together, puffing on them and using other means of warming them up. Nothing seems to work. Slowly, I navigated my way to the heart of the junkyard. I scanned around for anything useful. My search was fruitless at first, finding useless things like, plastic toys, rusted metal pieces,... Then the useful things came pouring in to my hands - cotton wool, torchlight, cloths, sewing needle, treads,... I left the junkyard with my hands full and walked slowly back. Carefully, gently, I put the things at the other end of our makeshift tent. I tiptoed silently toward my 'bed' and sink into my 'bed' - I wouldn't classified them under the same category as bed, but they still comfortable enough for me, since I have been sleeping in them for years. However, I knew Nagisa wasn't as close to comfortable as she have been tossing and turning away.
Nagisa
I heard the sound of numerous items put down, gently, almost soundlessly, as if to not wake one up. I knew it was Ushio, as I her snuggling back in her bed. I stay awake, waiting for Ushio to fall back asleep. I do not want her to feel bad about waking me up. After all, she took one for the team, and went out so early to collect some materials. After making sure she was safe asleep, with her usual soft humming, I silently sat up. Her dreamy face told me that she was safe fast asleep. Carefully, without waking her up, I went towards the other end of our small makeshift. Accidentally, I tripped and tumbled over something sonorous. I fell on to the ground, hard. The object jingled, making an obvious, high-pitch, confirm-wake-someone-up sound. I stayed flat at my position, like a statue.
Ushio
"Cling..."
I shoot my eyelids up a metre.
I looked at the surrounding, scanning for anything that might have disturb my beauty sleep.
Nothing. Nothing in sight.
Nagisa?
I turned my body around, so I could have a look at her.
She was still there - fast asleep.
So... if it was not her, then who?
I swear I heard something dropped.
Nah, probably just the wind or something.
Nagisa
I have cleverly climb back in to the blanket and drop asleep. I lie on the blanket, wide awake, facing the opposite side so that Ushio would not see me wide awake. Soon, Ushio's soft humming resumed. I decided to play safe and wait for a minute or so. More carefully, this time round, I carefully avoided the box of needles. After examined those things that she brought back, I started to work. I took the smallest needle I found in that box and started sewing the cloths together. I kept sewing on and on...
By the time I was down to the last piece, I had sew two winter coat, two futons, two pillows, two haversacks. Almost done. I 'm only left with one tent cover - to shied us from the morning sun. I roll the futon with the pillow. I reminded me of a sushi. Oishii! I stuffed the 'sushi' into the haversack each. Then, I covered the haversack with the winter coats that I made. I planned to give Ushio a surprise. I looked at the empty spaces which was just occupied by the objects that Ushio brought in, now gone and reduced to almost nothing. I stretched myself, continued to work on the final piece. I was half finished... Now touching up the final bits...Done! I fold it into tiny squares and fitted it into my haversack along with the strings and nails she found. Then, I put the torchlight and hammer into hers.
Ushio
Yawn... Today is going to be a busy day... I stretched myself to the max. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and gave another big yawn. I sat on the blanket, only to be great by a wide-awaken Nagisa.
"Let's go!"
"Not now, we have not..."
My eyes opened as big as saucer pans/watermelons/whatever you imagine that is ginormous.
The collection I brought in earlier today was gone...gone...GONE!
Nagisa
One look at Ushio's face, almost made me split from laughter. Nevertheless, I somehow managed to contain my laughter. That expression was priceless.
"Nagisa...!"
"What?" I tried to keep a straight face. Tried as I might, I failed - with flying colours. I show her what I've turned the materials into.
"Hehehe... April's fool!"
"It's not even April yet..."
"How do you know? Not like you have a calendar or something?"
We burst out laughing. Stopping only after a few minutes to catch our breath. We witnessed the lights appearing out of nowhere, floating away. I could only stared in amazement.
"Say, Ushio, do you know anything about the lights?"
"Yes..."
"...they are the hope and joy of people in the real world"
"Oh, anyway, can we go now?"
"Okay, I guess."
Ushio
Together, we packed our makeshift tent into her bag. I have told her to pack it into mine, but she strongly insisted on hers. Zipping the bag, we continued on our long journey. Somehow, I could heard a familiar tune in my head:
Dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
yancha na yaki dango yasashii an dango
sukoshi yumemigachi na tsukimi dango
osumashi goma dango yotsugo kushi dango
minna minna awasete hyaku nin kazoku
Nagisa
Something seems to be drawing me toward somewhere.
"Ushio...?" She didn't heard me, probably she is thinking of something.
Curiosity soon got the better of me. I stray a little off track from Ushio. I knew that I promised her not to, but that something is bothersome. I just need to take a little peek of whatever it is. I walked a little distance from Ushio, but kept my eyes on her. I do not ever want to be lost again.
A tree. A dead one. Why is it doing here?
Ushio
...
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
The song finally end. Making me long for the song more.
Suddenly, I realised something. Nagisa! Where is she?
I frantically scanned the surrounding. Where is she?
I desperately retraced my footprint till the parting of our footprint. I saw Nagisa and to my extreme horror, she was heading towards the... dead tree!
I screamed for her to stop - she did not even slow down. I ran as fast as I could towards, disregarding my safety. Memories flowed back into me...
###
{? years ago before Kotomi's parents died in the plane crashed}
"Hey! Snapped out of this! You are heading to your doom! Please, I begging you two! Come on! Wake up!
Tears streams down my now soggy face. Before I knew it, I was dragged towards the dead tree. Somehow, I managed to escape from the tree's deadly grip. However, the couple was not that lucky. Before I could utter another word, it was too late. The tree lashed out its' long breathing roots and gripped around the couple. The couple screamed and kicked about, trying to get away from the tree's deadly grip. It was no use. The more they struggle, the more the tree grip. The more I felt helpless...
I couldn't bear to watch, but, yet, I couldn't looked away. I was immobilised with fear. All I could do was watch helplessly. I felt so useless.
I helplessly watched as the merciless tree squeezed them like extracting lemon juice from lemon. The tree then proceed to suck their life away, slowly. Just before they hit their graveyard, they utter their last word, together. Kotomi. A name. Probably their child's. The name sting on my ears. A name etched deep in my mind. I watched them sank to the ground, lifelessly. The cruel tree wrapped its' roots around them, pulled their lifeless body into it's hole. The tree hole expanded, like those of a snake, devouring the couple whole.
###
I winced at the awful memories. I cannot let Nagisa fall prey to the dead tree.
"Stop! Nagisa!" She must not have heard it. The tree...the tree must have gotten the better of her.
No way! I will not let Nagisa died at the hand of the dead tree. Nagisa's is my only friend. My best friend. I will not allow myself to sit and watch helplessly.
"NAGISA! SNAP OUT OF THIS!" No response. I have to come to the last resort. Here go nothing.
"NAGISA! TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE TOMOYA AGAIN!" She stopped dead in her step.
NAGISA
Tomoya...never see him again... NO!
I snapped out and found myself close to the mysterious tree. When did I come so close to the tree? The tree somehow emitted a pink powdery powder, which flew everywhere. My legs screamed for me to move forward, but I resisted it and stayed rooted to the ground. Not seeing Tomoya again was pure torture. The tree continued to shower us with the pink powder.
"Let's get out of here!" I couldn't agree more. Just that I couldn't controlled my legs
The pink powder started to rain more heavily at us. I knew we have to escape, fast, before we are buried under the pink snow. The tree kept pelting the strange powder at us. The magical powder was doing it's job. It dominated my legs. My legs have a change of master. The magic pink powder move my legs towards the tree. I refused to let it do so.
No Tomoya. No way!
Just when I think things couldn't get any worse, I was wrong. The tree's roots sprang to life. It looked like an octopus. Just that it have more roots than the octopus have arm. The roots were richly coated with thick, sticky globs of digestive juices. I watched in horror as a drip of it made a slight contact on the ground. The slightest touch of it ate the ground inside out, like acid, only much stronger and faster. GROSS! What's worse is that the thousands of roots were coming for us. We are goner. Dead meat. We are the bull eye and the roots are the arrows. My heart skipped a beat.
"Run!"
I couldn't. If I could, I would have run sooner.
Desperate, I tried to shook the pink powder off. Somehow it works. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Ushio doing the same. Finally free of the dangerous powder, we sprint out of there as our lives depend on - actually they did. The tree/monster continued sprinkling us with the powder, we continued shaking it off. We were running and shaking, like a head-less chicken. The roots were catching up on us - only a few metres behind us. They were inching closer and closer. I took one look back, they were so close! Wrong move. I stumbled on a stone and lost my balance. The roots were closing in on me.
Konnichiwa minna-san,
That's it for this chapter, I'm tired already. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter.
Oh, yeah, same as the previous chapter, I am tired of waiting for my sister to edit and decided to post this already. As I was saying, my grammar might not be as good as your, as English is not my strongest subject, in fact, it is my weakest subject. If you spot any errors/mistakes, feel free to let me know and I will edit it ASAP.
Signing off once again,
Angel Niki-chan
OXOXOX