A/N- Yo, time to keep going because I'm really bored. By the way, not everyone is going to talk like they did in the first chapter. Thanks for the review, Shiroi-Okami-chan!
Disclaimer- I don't own Okami or Larka.
I quickly sat up, blinking. The students around me started giggling and I felt my face turn bright red. I'd done it again. I had fallen asleep in class again... this was the third time this month now! Why did I keep doing this? I blinked again as I noticed that someone was standing above me.
My teacher glared down at me. "Good morning, Mr. Sakurada." The students around me began giggling again.
"Ah... g-good morning, Mr. Jintayo..." I managed to force out. I'm easily intimidated by my teachers, especially ones that are larger than me and most other kids, like Mr. Jintayo was. He was a large, large man who could make even the bravest of hearts tremble.
"May I talk to you for a moment, out in the hall?" He asked, gesturing for me to follow him as he left the room. I followed him out dumbly, my face still afire.
Why me? Why did I always have to do such stupid things? It wasn't as though this happened to me all the time... in general, I was an okay student. But this year... the first year of high school... I started doing worse and worse. I wasn't exactly sure as to why, though.
We were only two weeks into the school and I was already failing three classes. I also had fallen asleep three times, as I had mentioned before. I guess that the number three just doesn't like me too much. I wish it did, though.
"Mr. Sakurada," Mr. Jintayo murmured, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Y-yes?" I mumbled, nervously playing with the bottom of my shirt.
"Is there anything going on at home?" He asked bluntly. I quickly shook my head, then hesitated.
My mom... she had died at the beginning of the summer. Even though it caused me a great deal of grief to think about her right now, I still couldn't wonder if that was the cause of my poor grades and oversleeping. I hoped that this was the case, anyhow. I would rather not have any mental problems and such.
"Mr. Jintayo..." I said slowly. "Early this summer... the day that summer vacation started... my mother became an angel, I suppose." I said the last part quickly, knowing it would hurt much less if I said it quickly.
Mr. Jintayo's eyes softened on me. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Sakurada. Is there anything I can do for now to help?"
I quickly shook my head. "I don't want any special treatment."
"Are you sure?" he asked again and I shook my head again. "All right, then. Let's get back to class."
I nodded, feeling slightly stupid. Why didn't I ask for no homework or something? Jeez, I could be such an idiot sometimes! No homework would be such heaven... just the thought brought shivers of happiness up and down my spine.
I glanced around the class when I walked back in and noticed that some of the kids in my class had switched spots. One of them had taken mine. Wonderful.
"All right, kids," Mr. Jintayo said, his voice once again commanding everyone in the room's attention. "Get into your own spots and I don't want to see you do that again. Let's get back to mathematics. Now, when you have a variable with-"
The bell cut him off.
"Time already?" he murmured, glancing at the clock. "All right, then... get yourselves to Physical Education."
I sighed and left the room quickly, being that I was standing next to the door. Gym. Wasn't that just wonderful as well? Just to let you know, I'm horrible at any kind of sport. I can barely kick a ball. I know that I'm pathetic, but I don't really care.
"Hey, Jin!" I blinked and turned around. Oh. It was Miuri. She's my best friend.
"What happened? You keep falling asleep. I thought that Mr. Jintayo was going to blow up and chop off your head!" She exclaimed, absently grabbing my hand.
A lot of people thought we were going out, but Miuri's just a touchy person. I've long since given up asking her to let go of my hand. And, by the way, I do not like her more than a friend and she doesn't like me more than a friend. I just thought I'd get that out real quick.
"I dunno," I mumbled, looking up at the ceiling.
"Okay, whatever! Let's hurry to the locker rooms so we can get changed and fun in P. E.!" I sighed and nodded as she pulled me along.
She might be a good friend and all, but she's a little too animated and optimistic. It actually scares me sometimes. I have never seen this girl frown. She has some serious issues, I swear. Not to mention the fact that she's a bit of a jabber-mouth.
"So, while you were sleeping, did you have any dreams?" She asked, skipping slightly.
I frowned. "I think that I might have, but I couldn't really remember. If I did have a dream, then I think I died."
"Oh, well that's not good," She said blankly. Even so, she didn't stop smiling. How do you smile while saying that?! I don't understand this girl sometimes... she's so weird. I mean, I'm Miuri's best friend and I think so. That's a little sad.
"Yeah..." I mumbled as I walked into the locker room.
As I began to get changed, I tried to remember my dream. I could remember that everything had ended in black and red. What had happened before that, though? I think there was someone in my dream... a woman, perhaps?
I sighed and shook my head. I just couldn't remember. I should have thought about this before I forgot. But then again, a couple of things had happened...
I walked out to the gym and I absently flicked my bangs out of my eyes. My hair was starting to get long again. Ugh. Another thing to had to my "wonderful" list. Why did this list seem to be getting longer and longer by the moment? Why couldn't it just stay short?
"Sakurada!" A girl cried, waving to me. "Hello!" I flushed slightly and gave a small wave.
Girls sometimes did that. I don't want to sound like I think that I'm all that, but I'm kind of good-looking. Because of this, and the fact that I"m single, girls sometimes go after me. It's slightly frightening. Why you may ask?
Another problem with girls and me is the fact that I'm terrified of them. The only girls that I'm okay with is my little sister, my big sister, and Miuri. Otherwise, I'm completely lost on every little thing. I wish it wasn't like that, but it's true.
"All right, everyone!" Coach Yurim exclaimed. "Gather around and let's get ready to do soccer!"
I sighed. Gym was so not one of my strong points. I may be slightly good-looking, but I was weak. I could barely do five push-ups, let alone be good at soccer. Once I was foolish enough to try out for soccer, but I easily failed. Ever since then, I haven't even tried.
Miuri, however, is another story. She got onto the soccer team after destroying everyone else. At first she was just on the girl's team. Then she was so great that she got onto the boy's team. After that, she got onto the second year's girl team. Now she's being transferred to the second year's boy team.
Yeah, Mirui loves soccer way too much in my opinion.
"Mr. Sakurada, why aren't you warming up?" Coach Yurim asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I flushed slightly at this.
"I-I'm sorry..." I mumbled and began streetching. Coach Yurim nodded his approval and walked away.
For some reason, the stretching and such seemed to be easier than usual. I ran faster and my breath didn't feel as heavy. It felt more fun to do all this than it did yesterday. However, I couldn't help but wonder what had made me so much better all of the sudden.
"Wow!" Miuri exclaimed as we began walking down the hall to the field. "You did really good, Jin! Have you been practicing?"
I shook my head. "No. I was surprised, too." At this, she merely flashed a grin at me before skipping ahead to talk to some friends of hers. I hated it when she did that. It made me feel so left out. I wished that she would just hang out with me sometimes. I know that's selfish, but...
To be honest, I haven't got too many friends. There's Miuri and Riku, and that's pretty much it.
Riku is in another class, but he's constantly skipping out so he can see Miuri. That's the problem with having all three of us hang out together. Riku has a HUGE crush on Miuri. It makes things a little bit awkward for me when he's drooling all over her.
I blinked in the sudden light as I exited the building. It was so hot outside... I don't really mind the heat, but sometimes it's maddening.
"All right kids, pick your teams. Miuri, Lee, you'll be in field one. Hurry and pick your teams." Miuri beamed at this. She was team captain, again.
My eyes rolled over to Lee. He had transferred here from China and had made the boy's soccer team. He had a cruel look about him that seemed to frighten most people away. For some reason, to me, it felt as though his glare usually fell on me. Maybe it was just me.
I blinked as he started glaring at me. Jeez, maybe he did hate me more than the other kids at this school. I quickly averted my eyes from his glare.
"I pick Jin!" Miuri exclaimed. Even though I was a horrible, player, she always picked me first because we were best friends. My face, as usual, turned bright red at this. Sometimes I wish that she wouldn't choose me first, though.
"I pick Aoi," Lee said flatly and so it went on. Miuri then Lee, Miuri then Lee, Miuri then Lee...
After five minutes or so, all the players were picked and so were their positions. I was, as usual, goalie, which meant I didn't do anything because Miuri constantly kept the ball near the other goal, far away from me.
While I stood in front of the goal, bored, I allowed my mind to wander. What had that dream been about? I still couldn't remember. Why couldn't I remember? It seemed slightly unfair for some odd reason.
I sighed and kicked the grass. Why was I worrying so much about a stupid dream, anyway? It was just a dream. Nothing more.
"It was not just a dream," A voice said flatly. I blinked and turned around to see a girl.
Her hair was of a golden color which was rather uncommon in Japan. Her eyes were even stranger, however, in the way that they were a violet-blue color. It was obvious that she did not go to this school for she was wearing a T-shirt with a skull on it and jeans. She also seemed to be about fourteen, just a year younger than I.
The weirdest thing about her: the fact that she had wolf ears. That's right. Wolf ears. Just sitting there, on top of her head. For some reason, at the moment, I didn't make too much of it. It was just something that was there. Don't ask why I took it so lightly, but I did.
As she took a step closer, I noticed the fact that she had blue streaks in her hair. "It was not just a dream, Jin," she repeated. "Everything happens for a reason."
"Huh?" I answered blankly. What was this girl talking about?
She gave a slight smile before saying, "Jin, the ball's coming this way." After saying that, she disappeared. I mean it. She just vanished in front of my face.
Where she stood the ball suddenly was. It seemed to be going very fast, then stopped. It was as though time itself had stopped. I glanced over at the other players and my jaw dropped. I felt shock come over bewilderment.
"As though this day wasn't weird enough," I said, still shocked. Just as the ball was, they were frozen in place. A bird that had been flying overhead was stuck in the middle of the sky. Nothing whatsoever was moving. What was going on?
Even though I wanted to do nothing more than punch Lee in the face for no reason, I chose to kick the ball instead. The instant that my foot made impact, time seemed to start working as it was supposed to again. Even so, the other players stopped short. Once again, my mouth dropped.
The ball soared between a couple of players, past the defenders on the other team, and past the goalie into the goal.
Silence reined.
No one cheered. No one moved. Even when the bell rang, no one spoke.
I could tell what was going through their minds by the expression on their faces. Jin? Jin Sakurada just did that? What other hidden talents might he have? And, for once, Miuri was silent.
"Then he kicked it and it went all the way across the field and into the other goal!" Miuri exclaimed. "I was shocked because I thought I was the best player in our grade, but I guess I was wrong! It was totally amazing!"
"Wow, Jin," Riku said, sounding slightly impressed and slightly amused. "I thought that you were just some little wimpy kid."
I nodded dumbly. My thoughts were elsewhere. My mind kept returning to that wolf-girl in the soccer field. Who and what was she? What did she mean by It wasn't just a dream? How the heck did she manage to do that vanishing act with me standing right there?!
"Hello? Jin? Anyone home?" Riku asked, waving his hand in front of my face. I blinked.
"Oh, uh, sorry," I mumbled. "What is it?"
"You look sick," Miuri said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Is everything okay? Want my mom to give you a ride home?"
At the word mom, I felt even sicker. I missed my own mother. I also wanted to explain everything to them. But when I asked Miuri about the girl on the soccer field, she said that she didn't see anyone. She thought I was talking to myself.
"N-no," I managed weakly. "I'm okay; don't worry about it."
She nodded but didn't seem very convinced by it. I wasn't sure whether this was a good idea or not to refuse this offer. Should I just let her take me home? No... no.
"Don't worry about it, Miuri!" Riku exclaimed. "I'll protect him from any craziness that he might be suffering from!"
I told Riku what had happened, too. Stupid me.
"Thanks, Riku!" She cried, giving him a quick hug then stepping away, face red. His face was slightly red as well, but had a pleased look about it as well. As you can see, Miuri also has a crush on Riku. It bothers me sometimes that I'm here, interfering with their feelings and such. It's kind of my fault that they're still just friends.
"I rode my bike over here." Riku was saying. "So you'll just have to run to keep up! Just kidding, don't worry; I'll walk it."
I nodded absently. Riku was a simple kind of person, very predictable. His favorite food was either pancakes or strawberries. He was almost as in love with his bike as he was with Miuri. The only thing that ever really bothered me about him was how sarcastic he was sometimes. It was so annoying.
"Bye, you guys. See ya tomorrow!" Miuri gave me a quick wave and I waved back. Riku grinned and gave her a quick hug before following me. Her face was bright red as I glanced back and she looked like she was about to faint.
"You have her wrapped around your pinkie," I noted.
"Well, duh! How can you not resist my devilish charms?!"
I sighed, but did not answer. I didn't want to be rude or anything, but I didn't really think that he had devilish charms. Annoying charms, maybe, but not devilish. I know that I didn't either. I might have charm in being quiet and such, but that's pretty much it.
A fancy car pulled up next to us, and I blinked. It was Lee.
"The sun will sink, Jin," He said simply and rolled up his window, then pulled away.
"What the heck?" Riku said.
"What the crap does he mean by that?" I said blankly. Riku shrugged.
"Maybe he means your awesome new soccer skills. Who knows? Those crazy Chinese aren't like anyone that I know." I stared at him and sighed.
"Don't be racist."
"I don't even like racing."
"Shut up, Ukir."
"Why don't you shut up, Nij?"
Ukir and Nij are our nicknames for each other. It's our names backwards. Smart, no?
For the rest of the time that we walked home, Riku blabbed on about girls and bikes and girls and his new cell phone and girls and how his family is and girls and school and girls and a new video game that he got and girls and did I mention girls?
The moment that I got into my own yard, he drove his bike away, shouting a good-bye over his shoulder. I sighed and walked into my house. I was immediately attacked by my little sister, Ai, who was wanting to know about everything.
"Hiya, Jin! How's everything going? Do you have lots of homework? Are you tired? How is Miuri? How is Riku? Did you stink in gym? Did you fall asleep again? Is your favorite red, or something else? Am I good at guessing? Who's your favorite teacher? Was lunch good today? Did you pray before you ate?"
Ai has some serious issues when it comes to my life. She loves me to pieces, but can get kind of annoying. And when I say kind of, I mean REALLY annoying. She won't leave me alone or anything. It bothers me to my death and she won't quit it!
Ai is the youngest in my family, being just eleven years old. Next up is me, and I'm fifteen. Then comes my next eldest sister, Yume. She's in her second year of high school, being just a year and a half older than me. Then, lastly, comes my big brother, Michiru. He's attending a college in Tokyo for literature and stuff. He's only in his first year of it, though.
"Welcome home, little brother." Yume murmured from a book that she was reading. Yume is okay as an older sister, but sometimes she can be a real brat. She's usually in charge now because our mom died and Dad is constantly at work. Every time I get home, I am reminded of this.
"Hey, Jin! Why aren't you saying anything? Why do you look so green? Are you sick? Do you want to go to bed? Is-"
"Yes, I'd like to go to bed," I murmured, walking up to my room and shutting the door quickly behind myself. I then locked it. I didn't want Ai pestering me with any more questions. It was so annoying. Yes, I know I've said that before, but it's true.
I got out of my school uniform and sighed. It felt so hot. Why did it feel so hot? I quickly slipped on my pajama pants, and lied down on the bed. I felt so hot. It was like somebody had stuck me in the oven or something.
I closed my eyes, not even bothering to pull my blankets over me. It felt hot and I... was so... tired...
"Jin."
The name seemed so loud. Why couldn't the person just leave me alone?
"Jin."
All right... I would open my eyes...
A woman of great beauty stood in front of me. She had golden eyes, like those of a wolf. Her hair was long, white and went all the way down to her waist. She had some sorts of markings upon her face, arms, and entire body. She seemed calm, but firm at the same time.
My jaw dropped.
"I am the goddess Amaterasu."
That didn't really surprise me too much. She was very beautiful with a powerful aura about her that suggested she was someone very powerful. Obviously.
"Jin, ye have been calmed to be mine servant. To save the past is to save the future. Ye must do so."
"Huh?" I finally said blankly.
"Look for mine daughter and the priestess. These, along with others, shall be thine holy guidance."
"Wait-"
"I shalt come to thee in dreams to give thee guidance. Feel at ease."
"Ama-"
It went black and red.
I could smell... fresh air. How odd. I was unused to fresh air. Usually it was more... oily. I wondered what the difference was.
I was obviously outside. The air was colder than regular temperature, indicating that it was night. Wait a minute. What was I doing outside? Shouldn't I be asleep in my bed? I was on the ground. I shouldn't be on the ground. What was I doing on the freaking ground?!
"Oh, wake up!" It was that girl... her voice. "I'm sick of waiting for you! Get the freaking heck up, you dork!"
I suddenly sat up, my eyes wide. I seemed to be in the middle of some sort of field.
"What the crap!?" I shouted. "Where the heck am I!?"
A/N- I hope you peoples enjoyed that. R&R, no flames, but I'll accept people giving me advice on my stories.
EDIT: I have edited the story, making it better. Hence, the giant EDIT at the beginning of this paragraph. Please tell me if you find any more errors.
