Part Two:
The sun was starting to set. As its beams shined onto the park, the two stopped at the old swing set, its frame barely there and covered in rust and dirt. Hilary looked down.
"My name's, Hilary Tachibana. Who are you?" she asked. Takao, hearing this, looked in the same area but he saw nothing, just the ground where feet once were and the fragile chains he knew once held up long gone swings.
"Okay," he heard Hilary say.
With wide eyes, the young man watched as a ball of light began to appear and form into something. The glow vanished, revealing a man who appeared to be in his thirties. He had blonde hair styled in a small mullet and bright, baby blue eyes with pale skin. Freckles covered the apples of his cheeks and he had a big grin on his face like he was happy to see them, and he was.
"Thank you for making yourself known to him. I guess you knew, didn't you?" Hilary said.
"Of course I knew. I've met enough Clairvoyants in my time here to learn how they are in front of others. I also figured he wouldn't believe you if he didn't see for himself,"
"So, that's why I was drawn to her. She's a Clairvoyant. She can communicate with the dead, see spirits, sense shifts in the energies around her," Takao thought.
"And just how do they react around others?" he snarled, scowling again and baring his usual indifference. The blonde smirked at him as if saying, "hello" to a longtime friend and that caught Takao off guard. It confused him, as well as freaked him out. The smirk faded and Takao could feel the atmosphere grow thicker, heavier. He could sense shifts in the energies around him too, but he couldn't see spirits.
"She's nervous around others and in a way, frightened of her abilities. They're not new to her, she just doesn't like them. She hates herself. That's why she needs support, someone to tell her, show her that she's not alone," Out of nowhere the blonde was in Takao's face and with every screamed word, wounds slowly surfaced. "Not a young punk who tries to cram his beliefs down her throat!"
Unbeknownst to the high school students, a neon blue glow emanated from the emblem on Takao's sword. With a howling of the wind, clouds obscured the sun, signaling night to come and it did. The man staggered backward but he didn't falter.
Both looked on in horror as the lights of the blondes' eyes went away, leaving them completely white and hollow, lifeless. Underneath his angry and slowly blackening eyes, lay bruises, and welts. Blood ran from the gashes on his cheeks, head, and busted lips. He coughed up blood. Hilary could tell that it burned his throat because the cough was rather violent. Blood saturated his lower lip and jaw now. As he convulsively raised his head back up to face them, it was seen that his throat had been slit from ear-to-ear. Large holes ripped themselves open as they appeared to burst from underneath his skin, onto the surface of his chest and abdomen. Copious amounts of crimson ran in ribbons and dripped from the wounds, all down his ever-paling body. His once tidy hair was now a mess and looked dirty like he'd been lying in the dirt for days or even longer. His purple plaid shirt and brown Khaki pants appeared torn and tugged on, ripped up by something or someone. Neither knew. Blood was soaking into his clothes like water into a dry rag. Hilary's shaky eyes looked down and saw that the fingers of the man were dripping with the crimson fluid too. Was it his or someone else's? She didn't know and couldn't tell. All of the wounds and blood he was covered in looked fresh, but she knew they weren't. They couldn't be. The wind stopped blowing and the area became still, silent, and the man vanished into thin air.
Takao watched stoically as Hilary, now pale as a sheet, fell to her knees; her hands over her mouth and eyes still wide. Sobs or a scream threatened to erupt from her at any moment. He wasn't sure which she'd do. He slowly took steps forward and knelt down beside her quivering form. From the small, dark red pouch that was tied around one of his belt loops, Takao picked out four gemstones. He placed the pieces of Agate, Amber, Amethyst, and Bloodstone in front of her scuffed up knees. A voice reached his ears, but his eyes remained on the stones, which appeared to glow but he knew otherwise. He knew that it was just the moon's light cascading down on them.
"I call for healing. I call for the restoration of the energies. I call for happiness and health. I call for the love of oneself to be brought forth. I call for protection. I call for calmness of anger and inner bitterness. I call for renewal and courage, and for the flow of energies that are in us to be balanced." Takao looked at Hilary. He let out a stuttered breath.
"It's nice to finally have a reason," he finally said.
"A reason, for what?" she asked. Her voice was hypnotic. Forget music to his ears; she was casting her spell on him. Whether she knew it, or not.
"I've been drawn to you for years. Since you moved in next door all those years ago and now I know why. I'm from a magical lineage too. I can control the wind and cast spells, plus do other things. But I swear, I'm not evil,"
"I know," she said calmly and with a soft nod. "I can sense how good you are. You carry a kind aura despite that jerky facade you put on. Just because you do magic or have what the world deems a 'strange ability' doesn't make you evil. Really, it's what's on the inside that matters. You're still you, you just have a little something extra that makes you all the more unique, wonderful, and interesting." That made Takao smile and upon seeing it Hilary did too. She felt like she'd finally found someone who understood her and what she was. Maybe, accepting her heritage and that she had this ability, would do her some good. Her heart told her it would and she couldn't deny that.
"That was pretty scary," he said as he helped the brunette to her feet. "Come on, I'll take you home,"
"No,"
"Huh?" She smirked at him.
"My curiosity is peaked, and I want to find out what's going on around here." Hilary walked confidently passed him. As he watched her go, he smirked back. Takao Kinomiya was impressed and such a thing didn't happen very often. He followed close behind her.
"I've heard this park had something to do with it," he said.
"It? You mean the stories our teachers tell?"
"Yeah, I wanted you to see it. Thought you'd like to as well. Also thought it'd sway you into believing said stories. Guess I got more than I bargained for. We both did," he said.
"Guess you did. Finding out I'm a Clairvoyant and all. Not to mention seeing that ghost," Takao chuckled at that.
They walked deeper into the park, side by side, to where the moon's light no longer fell. Trees surrounded them and getting closer revealed that they were in the forest again. The forest around this park basically went in one massive circle, beyond that were some bushes and a 7ft wire fence. Takao knew this, but he wasn't sure if Hilary did. He glanced at her a time or two as they walked.
"Watch your step," came a male voice, but it was too late, Takao had tripped, skidding through the dirt face first. Hilary ran to his side and helped him up.
"Takao, are you okay?" she said.
"Yeah, just a little dirty," he told her. She kept her hands on his shoulders a little longer. She wanted to be sure. Takao figured this so he didn't protest. After a bit Hilary let him stand on his own.
The ruby-eyed beauty looked up, and in a tree, sitting on a long tree branch, was a young man around the same age as the blond haired man, maybe a year or two older. He had long black hair that was messily tied back into a low ponytail. His golden cat-like eyes gleamed despite there being no light source, and the glow coming off of them revealed the lightness of his skin. His ears were slightly pointed, making them appear cat-like as well. He smiled at the two, showing them his rather pointy, cat-like teeth in the process.
"I said to watch your step, didn't I?" the man said. "That tree root trips almost everybody when they try and walk through here," he added.
"Quit scolding us like we're kids and tell us who you are, or are you just gonna run away like that blonde man did?" Takao said. The cat-like man blinked. A glow emanated from Takao's sword. Once again, the two teens didn't notice.
"Blonde man? You mean, Maxie? Well, Max,"
"Max?!" the two said in unison. The man's face became stoic and he jumped down, landing smoothly on his feet. The two watched in amazement.
"Yeah, Max Tate. There's no other blonde around here but him,"
"No, no, that's not what we meant," Hilary defended, her hands waving nervously. She cleared her throat and then calmly added, "What we mean is, Max Tate. We can't believe that someone like him is here."
"I was just assuming. I wonder what else I'll find out?" she thought.
"Ah, I see," Ray told her.
"I knew it was him before you even said anything," Upon hearing that Hilary angrily elbowed Takao in his side. Oh, how she hated liars.
"Ow," he grumbled. At that, the man laughed.
"What's so funny?" Takao nearly shouted.
"The way you two interact, it reminded me of someone. Someone I haven't seen in years. She was a very bright woman and didn't take anyone's crap. Especially Tyson's,"
"Years? Ha! Keep counting you're on the low side," Takao retorted.
"Can you stop being rude for five minutes!" Hilary yelled, wanting to punch him upside the head. Takao put a hand over her mouth.
"Lower it will ya," he said. "Sound carries out here."
"Okay okay," She said through his hand.
"My name is, Ray Kon. It's nice to meet you," the man said.
"Ray Kon?!" Hilary bellowed. Her voice echoed, making birds fly out of the trees.
"Ugh, I said hush will you," Takao barked at her. He scowled at the man in front of him.
"What's going on? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be lying in a hole somewhere in China?" Takao asked, badgering and insulting Ray in the process. He just sighed and shrugged it off.
"Teenagers," he thought. Yeah, Ray was annoyed but it wasn't too bad.
"I heard Hilary say that she wanted to know what happened from the source, so I stayed where I was until you tripped by," he said, pointing to his ears. Takao glared daggers at him and Ray just laughed.
"You have good hearing," Hilary said with the kind smile she'd been wearing.
"Yeah I know," he said, smiling and pointing at them two more times.
A bit later, the two followed the gentleman deeper into the woods. When they approached a tall, old tree, Ray stopped and, upon reaching up with his right arm to one of the rather high branches, tightly gripped a tattered noose and yanked hard on it. It was now clenched in the fist at his side. It looked like it had been there for many, many years but the teens knew better. It had been much, much longer. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do or what to say if anything.
"No one has ever gone passed the tree root. They get the feeling of being watched and run. Really it's just me being curious, wondering what they're going to do next. Be proud of yourselves, okay," Ray spoke up.
As the two looked on, they noticed four round holes suddenly tear open on the upper half of Ray's back. The back of his head slowly began to crack, rip apart. A good-sized chunk fell off, crushing the dried grass and dead leaves as it landed on the ground. Blood poured from the gaping wounds, and with a loud thump, Ray slammed onto the floor. The blood was hungrily soaked up by his traditional martial arts garb as it flowed. Blood rivered from Ray's mouth, saturating the soil. His open-eyed expression looked vacant and the golden orbs he owned had rolled back into his head, showing the whites of his eyes. He looked dead, was dead, there was no doubt about it. Unlike Max, Ray didn't disappear. He just laid there.
The two gulped and took a couple of steps back. Their eyes were wide just like before, and they could feel their bodies shaking. Hilary's knees threatened to give way again, but Takao, sensing this didn't allow her to fall. He held her up. He put one arm around his shoulders and made her stand there.
"You move, you'll regret it," he said. She nodded. Hilary knew this wasn't a threat. She knew he meant well and that he cared whether he'd admit it or not.
"Um, wh-what do we do now?" Hilary stammered out through trembling lips. The two looked at each other. They watched as an orb made its way into the air and, with a streak of light that resembled a shooting star, disappeared. That body below, the man known as Ray, was gone. After gathering up their courage, Takao and Hilary made their way further into the woods.
While making their way through the rest of the forest, they found the bushes and the wire fence. It separated the park from a field and more trees.
"What's that?" Hilary asked, noticing some shadowy things in the field.
"I'm not sure," Takao said. Curious, the two hopped the fence and ran toward the trees.
As they briskly walked, the two looked around.
"I can't see a thing," Hilary said.
"Seriyu, Shine," Takao commanded. A light erupted and spread from the emblem of the sword again. Hilary watched as the entire field was lit up. She was shocked to see tombstones.
"There's just four of them here, but something tells me there are more bodies throughout the area. They're meticulously placed. A good amount of space, maybe five Feet, is in between each one, and they're unmarked. Why?" Hilary spoke up.
"Unmarked?" Takao said, looking at her. Question radiated from his sparkling midnight orbs. "As in, no names are written on them?" Hilary nodded.
"No names, no death dates. Nothing," she said, her tone dripping with seriousness.
"She's becoming more comfortable with her abilities. That's a relief," Takao thought. Then he said,
"I get it now." Hilary looked at him.
"Get what?"
"This wasn't an accident. They were-" Something solid whooshed by, knocking Takao to the ground as it hit him in the face. He landed on the grass with a painful thud.
"Ahh," he bellowed as he fell and landed. While holding the now wet side of his face Takao got up and the two watched as the shadowy object tumbled and rolled among the stones.
"There's something moving with whatever it was that struck you," Hilary said, pointing.
"Probably leaves. Well, whatever is it," Takao started running. "it's going to apologize for biting me!" He wiped his cheek as he ran.
"Wait, what?" she yelled as she ran after him. "Man he's light on his feet," she thought.
The object kept rolling and rolling until it finally came to a rather bouncy stop at the base of a small hill that stood just beyond the field. Baby trees were sporadically scattered about as they were beginning to sprout, and the moon cascaded down on them from above. It was definitely brighter here.
"Seriyu, Retract," Takao whispered. The light from his sword dissipated. Hilary stopped and stood next to him. They noticed the hill and ran toward it.
As they skipped over the old, long roots of gone trees they approached the base of the hill.
"There you are," Takao spat out breathlessly. He picked it up. Immediately he felt something sharp clamp down and dig into his fingers, immediately dropped it. "Oh, dragon's breath! Ow," he said as he did so. It hit the ground again.
"What? Is it a bug?" Hilary said, mocking him. She knew he had a fear of huge bugs.
"No. It's slimy feeling," he retorted, wiping his hand on his shirt. He knew what she was doing.
"Slimy feeling?" she thought. Now she was curious. Hilary said, "Oh don't be such a baby," as she bent over and picked it up. She roughly picked it up by the soft stuff that was on it. "Ew, it's furry feeling too," she added. Now it was her turn to be grossed out. She hated big, furry bugs.
"Would you mind, putting me down," spoke a baritone voice. Hilary reluctantly took a closer look at what she was holding, and two bright red-amethyst eyes stared back at her. She just stared at it.
"Is she okay?" Takao thought.
"Sweetie, please put me down, now," Hilary vigorously shook her head. Then, she blinked again, mouth slightly agape.
"You- you can- you're talking," she squeaked out. It nodded stoically at her.
"Aaah!" Hilary screamed. It hit the ground again. Hilary trotted backward and ducked behind Takao, who just scowled. Slowly, a pair of pale, calloused hands came down and picked the thing up, putting it back in its proper place.
"Hey," the man paused. "It's been awhile."
The two looked on, eyes beaming with surprise and astonishment. Well, Hilary's were. Takao's, on the other hand, were as stoic as ever. Did they really just watch a man put his own head back on, and the skin fuse together?
"Hey, delinquents," the man shouted. That got their attention.
"We're not delinquents," Takao hissed out.
"Who do you think you are calling us something like that?" Hilary barked back. She was standing next to Takao again, her hands raised up and balled into fists.
"Oh, you twigs don't scare me. And FYI, I can call you that," he said, in a fairly calm tone. So coolly in fact that it gave Takao the shivers. Hilary took a step back, her hands lowering.
"Ch, why's that?" Takao said with a snort. Yes, he was challenging him.
The man's scowl deepened, and with his hands pressing into his thighs, he pushed himself up from his spot on the hill. Hilary watched him as he moved.
"Wow, you're really tall," she commented.
"Yeah," he breathed out, coming to his full height.
"What are you, like 20ft?" Takao asked, but he said it rather sharply. The gentleman glared at him. He wasn't having any of this kid's sass.
"Hn," he growled out and stormed passed them as he added, "Follow me." The teens looked at each other and nodded. They followed him up the hill.
"So, you must be Kai Hiwatari," Hilary said, walking briskly next to the man. For some reason, she found herself feeling comfortable around him. She wasn't sure why though. The man looked at her. He nodded and the girl's smile widened. He looked at Takao, who was walking on the other side of him.
"You're trespassing. That's why I called you delinquents," Takao ran in front of him, stopping the two.
"Delinquents and trespassing my butt. I own this place," Takao spat.
"Takao Kinomiya," Hilary scolded.
"Correction young man. Your well-off parents own this place, not you," Kai said after a bit.
"They do?" Hilary was beyond shocked.
"They, work for the mayor," Takao said rubbing the back of his head. He hated admitting that. Kai looked at Hilary.
"Since the incident, we've watched this place go from one hand to another and at the moment its care couldn't be in better hands," At that statement, Hilary rolled her eyes. Accepting her abilities was one thing, but that "story" was still another thing entirely.
"Sorry, but I don't believe in it," she told him.
"…Really," he said, walking further up the hill. A few steps in and Kai began to stagger, and his voice had gone from its clear baritone to a haunting and lingering whisper.
"Well, that was-" Seeing something fly past her, Hilary's statement was cut off. She looked to see Takao lowering his left arm. Then she heard what sounded like something being ripped open and torn apart. With wide eyes, she turned back around and saw Kai ripping a sword out of his right hand. His skin was now snow white, and bruises and pump knots were starting to form on his lips and face. Hilary also noticed pinkish red finger marks around his neck. Cuts on the knuckles of his hands were slowly busting opening and blood began to ribbon from them. His windpipe sunk in, showing signs of being stomped on.
"Takao, why did you-" He put a finger to her lips as he walked by her. She watched him go, the thin finger falling away. She could tell by his shoulders that he wasn't in the mood for anything.
"Nice to finally meet you," Hearing the voice, all three turned to see a man with long, midnight blue hair and striking auburn eyes walking toward them. Like Kai, the man was tall. He wore blue jeans with a simple white button up and a red jacket. While the two-tone haired man had on a black business suit that was looking more and more disheveled by the minute. Kai walked over and stood next to the man. Blood soaked into his clothes and ran out of his mouth. Kai handed Tyson the sword and the insignia glowed brightly. The light felt warm and inviting.
"My name is-"
"Tyson Granger, we know,"
"Takao quit interrupting people, it's rude," Hilary scolded. Tyson's lips turned blue and a pink ring formed around his neck.
"Yeah, well, I'm known for that," he told her.
"Tell me what's going on," Hilary said.
"You said you didn't believe in the legend surrounding this town. Am I right?" Tyson spoke.
"Yeah, of course you're right, I don't," Hilary said her hands on her hips.
"Well, that's a surprise," Tyson said to her. Then he looked at Kai and said, "I thought she would. It's strange." Kai nodded.
"It is," he said. He locked eyes with Hilary, folding his muscular arms. "Considering you're related to her," he added.
"What?!" Both teens said. Tyson and Kai sat down on the ground.
"I'll let Kai explain," Tyson said, and Kai looked at him. "because he was the last one alive. Hilary was the last thing he saw." Kai nodded. Out of the ground came Max and Ray. The two looked the same, bloody and messy. They were dead, just like the other two. They nudged Takao and Hilary further toward their captain and co-captain. The two sat down. Ray and Max did the same.
"Kai, go on, it'll be okay," Tyson urged.
"I don't need your sympathy Granger," Kai spat.
"Now who does that remind me of?" Hilary told Takao. He just grunted. Hilary giggled. Kai cleared his throat. The two looked at him again.
"It's been millennia, but I've never stopped thinking about that night. None of us have," Kai started. The wind blew, softly tossing the leaves, their hair, and their clothing to and fro.
"The legend tells us that the Sacred Spirits witnessed it," Takao added.
"Yes," Kai affirmed.
Hilary looked at the ground; her eyes shifting from one thing to another and back again. As she did this she asked, "And- just what did they witness?"
"You really don't pay attention do you?" Takao said.
"Hey kid," He looked at Tyson. "you pay attention, she's not feeling too well," he added. Takao looked at her again and noticed how much she was shaking.
"I'm sorry," he told her.
"Hilary?" came Max's voice.
"I'll be alright. Just continue," she said. Kai nodded.
"There was a battle, between us and the alliance that my grandfather had made. Something, similar to BEGA but also like the abbey. I'm sure you two know of that," They nodded.
"My family told me all about your adventures. I even know the story of how you all died. I just want her to know. I want her to know what I know. Believe in it too," Takao said.
"Alright, that is it. I've had it with beating around the bush," Tyson snapped. "Hilary, look at me," She did so, though she was reluctant. "I'll give you the shortened version. We were in our thirties and had kids of our own. When that battle was going on Hiromi Tachibana, your ancestor watched our kids and kept them safe. The battle spread all across the city, destroying places. Namely my house and the original BBA. Eventually, the kids and Hilary got involved, much to our disgruntlement. One night, after we'd put them to bed a serial killer somehow ambushed and murdered every one of us. We all died in different ways. Kai died at Hilary's feet, at the base of that hill over there. I was hung from a tall tree. If you recall Ray pulled down the noose. Kai's throat was crushed to death and he was decapitated after being tortured and beat up. Ray was shot six times, four in the back and two in the head, which made a huge chunk fall off. And Max was stabbed twenty-three times and his throat was slit from ear-to-ear. The bit beasts witnessed all of this, along with Hilary, and told us that we'd be okay. We didn't know what to think at first, but in the end, we just decided to wait. It was all we could do. We were reborn, in a way. You're mine and Hilary's descendants."
"That's why he was drawn to me. You're a part of me," Tyson nodded to Takao.
"Exactly. Dragoon said he'd keep my family safe, and he did," Tyson ruffled Takao's hair affectionately. Which he didn't like but Takao let him do it anyway.
"Hilary, you know who was found the following morning, don't you?" Kai said. Hilary just nodded.
"Yes, I- she was," Kai nodded.
"You've had dreams about it. Terrible dreams, haven't you? They scared you, that's why you got angry every time it was brought up," Ray said. Hilary looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"How do you know?"
"I didn't, it's in your eyes. Every one of us can see it,"
"You've had dreams about the events?" Takao asked. Now that he was surprised by. Hilary nodded.
"Uh-huh, ever since I was little. I've dreamt of their miserable deaths, and of me taking care of two boys and a little girl in a small cabin. They are all around the age of ten. Its hard work but I do it because it's needed. I do it because no one else can. The kids often tell me that it's okay. We're gonna be okay. You'll be okay. Then I wake up, crying my eyes out."
Sobs erupted from Hilary's throat. The pain she felt was intense and she couldn't hold it back anymore. Takao noticed this and immediately pulled her to him.
"Take care of her, protect her," Tyson said.
"Yes, sir,"
"See you soon," Kai added. The four slowly faded and turned into orbs of light and disappeared, taking a few of Hilary's tears with them.
The following Monday, Hilary walked into class, an old brown notebook in her arms. Takao had given it to her so she could read it. It was currently 7:00 am which meant that class didn't start for another hour so they had at least thirty minutes to themselves. That's right, Takao and Hilary were the first ones there. They were the only ones there besides the principal and a few teachers.
Takao was leaning back in his seat when Hilary approached him. He opened one eye to look at her.
"Did you enjoy it?" he said, moving to sit the right way in his chair.
"I did. It opened my eyes and explained a lot to me. Hiromi seemed like such a sweetheart. I'm glad to be related to her," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad you're happy. I am too. For you I mean. You can keep that by the way. After all, it is technically yours,"
"Thank you so much,"
"Yeah,"
Later, in the middle of class, the principal brought someone new into the classroom.
"Please, introduce yourself," spoke Mrs. Downton.
"Hello, my name is, Kaido Hiwatari. It's nice to meet you," The two-tone youth said with a calm expression on his face. He pushed the glasses he was wearing up onto his nose.
"Take your seat," the teacher added. The tall boy did as instructed. Takao and Hilary watched in awe as the man sat in between them. They exchanged glances and nodded. They'd tell him later, if he wasn't already aware.
The End.
Please read and review. Thank you! :) I'm so sorry it took so long. I hope you like it. :)