Thanks to my two reviewers, animecouples33 and EllieBloodStain! I am so sorry, I completely forgot to do a formal PM reply so I'm doing it here: Thanks so much! I'm really happy you like this story.
In other news, this story has started to get a bit confusing so I'm going to start doing a recap. It's at the end of the chapter. From now on, recaps will probably be here, not the end. It's just that this summary is really long since it's the first. I'm going to change the chapters so they don't end in "me, it's becoming a pain.
I stood, wincing as pain shot through the gash on my back. Every eye was on me as I drew my sword. The shining blade, still unstained by blood, illuminated my face in silvery light.
"I...haven't told you as much as I could have. I learned, both from the demons and from my own experience, some magic."
"Your own experience?" Utau's voice had sharpened.
"That explosion was me." I said quietly. Silence filled the clearing for a few brief seconds. But Yaya bounded up to me and gave me a wide smile.
"What are you waiting for, Amu-chi?! Show us the magic!"
I nodded. "As far as I know, there are three types of magic: Battle Magic, Command Magic and Prayer Magic." The lessons I had learned years past flowed from my mouth, though I was careful not to seem too knowledgeable.
"Battle Magic is simply attacks and defenses, like light shooting from your weapon or a magic shield appearing. Everyone has a special magic ability. I'm pretty sure mine is this thing called Amulet."
"One minute." Kukai stopped me. "So we're just supposed to know our ability?"
"I don't know…" I answered, though I knew very well. "I think you have to experiment a bit, and the magic will come." I wasn't even completely lying. I was just pretending that I didn't know as much as I really did. So why did I feel so guilty?
"As for Command Magic, you command a material or object to obey you. It's a bit more difficult than Battle Magic. And Prayer Magic, the hardest, involves seeking the blessings of a divine object or element, like the stars, fire, or light. I'm not sure what counts as an object or what counts as a divine being." That wasn't true-I had the list memorized.
"Thanks, Amu-chan." Tadase-kun said. "Now, we can probably fight more against the Guardians who apparently want to capture us." They all seemed unfazed, as if this was another dumb bunch of demons. But I knew better. The Guardians may be my kin, but that didn't mean that I respected them.
I watched idly as they used their Earth attacks, that came purely from the weapon they held, and found that the attack had risen to a whole new level with the aid of magic. The sun was setting, and I dimly realized that we had stayed up since we arrived here in the wee hours of the morning. I was exhausted, but at the same time, did not want to sleep. My home planet no longer felt like home. I felt insecure, wary.
The others had all paused to watch the sapphire moon rise into the sky, and they gazed in awe at the bright aquamarine light as it illuminated their skin in countless shades of blue.
"Why is the moon blue?" Yaya asked, unable to take her eyes off it.
I shrugged. "Beats me." The blue moon sent waves of emotion roiling through me - homesickness, guilt, fear. I snuggled up on the bare ground, curling up into a ball and wishing for sleep.
Sleep, that would let my mind rest, let the endless questions drift away. Questions like,
How are we going to survive, in a world aimed to capture us?
I was up first in the morning, as the sun slowly ascended in the sky. I nearly groaned as I stood. The cut on my back was hurting more than ever, and I decided that magic was the only solution.
"Hailem." As soon as I spoke the Tiraldae word the gash faded. It was actually Battle Magic, though it's purpose was for anything but fighting. As the pain subsided I took a moment to take stock of my surroundings.
We were in a forest of tall evergreens whose branches seemed to reach for the sky. We had set camp in a clearing that let the sunlight filter through, creating golden patterns of light dappled upon the ground. Pine needles littered the ground. I could hear the faint sound of rushing water nearby. There was no path that I could see.
No one else was awake yet, so I stole away into the woods, leaving a note carved in the dirt: "I'm out. Be back soon. -Amu." I trod lightly, sneakers not making a sound on the pine needles. I glanced down at my tattered clothing that clearly defined me as Earthen. An Aeropostale sweater and jeggings were not something a Guardian would wear. Heck, I didn't even know if I'd seen a brand name on them before. I had to alter my clothing.
"Cloth, dance to my command. Repair." The various holes sewed back together without a single seam out of place. The grime lying over it disappeared, and soon the (very Earthen) clothes were good as new.
"Change. Guardian clothing." At my whisper the clothes shimmered and shifted into Guardian clothing. My sweatshirt was now a cashmere sweater. As I pulled it off, I found my shirt to be replaced by a silk dress, no less. My sneakers were now elaborate white sandals.
The magic replaced clothing by that of equal quality. My old clothing, lent by Utau, must have been really fancy. This was a rich woman's clothing!
"Quality: Downgrade." My clothes shifted once more. The sweater was a cotton sweater, rather than cashmere. The dress was now a light blue cotton shirt and black pants, with black hiker's boots.
I stretched, pleased with myself, and jogged through the forest in search of my original objective-water.
The sound of water I heard at sunrise belonged to a small stream that rushed in a frothy haste to wherever it may be. It would probably be good for drinking with a magical filter, but I didn't just want drinking water.
Clear water, a pond perhaps, could let me use Sight magic to find out who wanted me, and why they wanted me now. In fact, if I could see for long enough, it might even tell me how to get home besides using a Guardian House Portal. Or...if Nadeshiko was truly alive.
I followed the stream downstream, searching for a pond. After about fifteen minutes I found a small pond that broke away from the stream. I was deep into the forest now, with little sunlight.
"Light, Water, give me the power to see reflected my greatest need." Despite the lack of sunlight a beam of light shone down for the purpose of my magic. I lifted my right palm to catch the light and as it did, my hand began to glow with white light. I lowered my palm to the water, letting it lay gently on the water's cool surface. The light spread across the pond swiftly until the whole pond shone with blinding white light. I waited until it faded.
The magic had worked. A scene was playing out on the pool's surface.
I squinted at the dim image. It was a musty, dank prison cell, with a teenage girl pressed against the wall, as if listening intently. She tugged closer towards the door, despite the chains that that kept her from reaching the door.
It was Nadeshiko.
She was disheveled, hair overgrown and long since fallen out of its normal flower ribbon, which now lay discarded on the floor. The golden sheen of her eyes was gone, now dull and deadened. Her clothes were worn and tattered, as well as several sizes too small. Her skin clung to her bony frame. Dried blood caked her in several places and her lips were cracked. Her wrists were scarred, from the chains, most likely. Her knees and bare feet were scraped brutally. She glanced up as she heard a deep, though muffled voice, echo through the door.
"They says they gots her. Amu...Himamori? No, Hinamori, that one."
Nadeshiko stifled a sob.
Another voice, high-pitched and whiny, spoke. "For real?"
"Yeah, they gots them demons to do it. But she gots away."
Nadeshiko sighed, obviously relieved.
"What?! But a criminal like her, on the loose…"
"Withou' the human, she can' do nuthin'."
"So will the Majesty capture her and kill them?"
"Wha' else to do?"
"But wasn't Hinamori just banished until now?
"Seems like they decided to…" The voices faded as the two began to walk off. Nadeshiko strained against the chains.
"No...tell me more…" She sank down to the floor. "Amu-chan...I can no longer talk with you through our minds. Please, be safe, Amu-chan...I'm sorry...I never meant to do this to you..A-Amu-chan…" The scene began to fade.
"Nadeshiko…" I reached out to the pond, as if I could snatch her out of the pond and hug her, tell her that I was sorry too.
She had been trapped in a prison cell for three years, and all she had tried to do was talk to me through my mind, comfort me. And though I had shunned her, she persisted. Even now, all she did was think of me. Whereas I, the pitiful person I was, I had blamed her, hated her, rejected her offer of forgiveness. And now we were going to die before I could apologize.
Two weeks passed since I saw that fateful scene in the pond. We had made our way through the forest, and we could see the exit.
In the face of this crisis, we had been forced to come together. All of us put aside our differences and simply fought to survive. We had been reduced to hunting with magic and letting our instincts guide us. But at least I wasn't alone anymore.
"What'll we do, after we get out of the forest?" Kukai questioned, tying his sweatshirt around his waist. We had all gotten Guardian travel clothing now, and were fully equipped for forest adventures.
"Well, we have to get home." Kairi commented. "We're missing so much school."
"No to mention they want to kill us here." Rima deadpanned.
"Guys." Ikuto, who had been scouting ahead, raced towards us. Sweat beaded his forehead. He had been sprinting.
"It was a trap. The Guardians have blocked the exit." For the first time since I had known Ikuto, fear glimmered in his eyes. "They're coming for us."
Utau suddenly shrieked a cry of warning. An arrow soared through the air toward Ikuto, who had no time to dodge. He fell to the ground with a thud as the attacking Guardians came into view.
I glanced at Utau, who had broken down sobbing, and Ikuto, whose chest rose and fell just barely. Within seconds the air was filled with shouting of oncoming Guardians.
I bit my lip. If I attacked the Guardians now, then Ikuto would die. And if I healed Ikuto, the Guardians would get the others and I would be exposed.
Nagihiko's shove took me by surprise. "Go!" he cried. "I know you have more magic than you've admitted. Save Ikuto, we'll hold the Guardians off!" In the heat of the moment I took off.
I cast one glance back at the others. They all had drawn their weapons, and even weaponless Yaya and Rima were clutching sticks. They nodded, and I continued running.
Ikuto wasn't far away and I reached him within seconds. He glanced up at me, groaning in relief (or was it pain?) when he saw me.
"Hailem!" I shouted, and the healing light raced through the air to Ikuto. He struggled to his feet and gave me a slight smile of thanks. He readied his claws to fight but I halted him. He was too beat up. That guy's insistence would kill him someday.
"You idiot, Ikuto, get out of here!" .
"But I-" Ikuto stopped short, looking at his own bruised hands, and sighed.
"You better win this, Amu."
I tensed up and faced the Guardians. The people who were trying to capture and kill us. The ones who had destroyed my identity. Those who had caused me to blame Nadeshiko, when really, they were to blame.
"Oh, you bet I will."
Her parents were talking in low voices at the kitchen. They didn't want her to hear, she supposed, but she was too curious. She crept up behind the doorway and listened in.
"They tried to capture Amu." her mother murmured to her father. The child gasped from her hiding place behind the doorway. "Amu?!"
"But she got away, and now they're tracking her down." her father finished.
The child had only happy memories of her older sister. Laughter, games, walks in the park. She just couldn't imagine her to be so...so evil.
This child was Ami Kimura. Her older sister destroyed everything, forced her parents to move and adopt a new surname. And it had crushed her happiness.
If there was one person Ami hated, it was her big sister.
Summary So Far:
So far, Nameless, Faceless follows the story of Amu. She's a Guardian, a spirit-like human who protects people, or Characters, from the demons, who are opposites of the Guardians. She was banished to Earth three years ago because she sided with her Character, Nadeshiko, when she attempted to steal Guardian magic. (I tried to make that pretty clear in the story, but that's what happened). She has met Ikuto and the rest, who can see her because they see both demons and Guardians, and fight demons.
More recently, Amu was kidnapped by the demons and was taken to the Guardian world. The rest also showed up, and Amu decided to teach them magic without revealing that she is a Guardian.
ReachForTheSky is out.