A/N: Hey everyone, ornamentelle here! This is an updated rewrite of a story that I've been working on for ages but has been on the backburner for a while. It's been such a long time and some overarching chapter structure has changed since the previous version, so I thought it would be better to upload it as a separate story.
This first chapter is where we get to meet some key original characters in the story. Next chapter will have our foray into more familiar grounds; but I hope you enjoy this peek into the world and characters that have been bouncing around in my head for the past ten years. :D
So... without further ado, let's jump into the story!
Enjoy!
The sky lit up and began to fall, a thousand shooting stars plummeting through the night.
Two friends sitting atop a hill watched one star hurtle through the darkness and disappear beyond the ridge, until a concussive boom shook the snow from the pine trees. The star had fallen not a hundred meters away.
"Let's have a look," one friend said, a gleam in his muddy blue eyes.
The two young men rushed towards the smoldering crater with reckless abandon, unconcerned for their safety, powered by adrenaline and excitement and perhaps one too many drinks. They were thinking of the story they would tell the town, that they had found a shooting star.
They came to a stop at the edge of the crater, coughing as they waved away the smoke. One of the men shined an electric torch into the darkness, expecting nothing but rubble and perhaps a hunk of space rock. But then his eyes widened, the light nearly slipped from his fingers as his gaze landed on the crumpled shape within.
The thing that had fallen wasn't a star.
It was a person.
22 years later…
Re-sketch
Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home
The airdocks were quiet that night. Only the ticking of the station clock and the clinking of the custodian scraping ice from the cobblestone rang out in the stillness. Few people milled around in the cold, but the ones who did huddled under heavy coats and thick winter sweaters just outside the arrival gate.
No one was waiting for Hikaru's family when they stepped from the Lindblum. As the other passengers descended down the ramp, Hikaru hesitated in the airship's doorway, staring at the quaint little station. The sharp chill stinging at her tawny cheeks, the echo of shoes against metal and stone under an aurora-painted sky—the familiarity of it all began to sink in.
"Back here again," she breathed, her shoulders slumping.
Her brothers were already waiting at the bottom of the ramp. Akihiko was sitting on his suitcase, his foot bobbing restlessly as he glanced around the docks. Beside him was Tatsuya, plopped down in the snow with his face buried in his tablet screen to tune out the world. Hikaru took a step forward to join them.
"Hikaru," came a voice behind her.
"Yes, Mam?" she said, turning around. Luna Kannazuki stood straight and tall, a grimace on her face that pulled at the ragged scars on her left cheek. Her red hair stuck out in the sort of disarray that only happened after a long flight in a cramped chair with no recline.
"Grab this too." Her mother gestured with her cane towards the bag on the floor behind her. Akihiko's fencing gear.
"What?" Hikaru made a face. "But that's Aki's stuff. He can carry his own…"
Her mother's eyes narrowed, and Hikaru fell quiet. "The least you can do is lend a hand since yours are apparently free right now," her mam said coolly.
Hoisting her brother's bag over her shoulder, Hikaru hurried down the ramp, cheeks puffing up as she grumbled a few choice curses in her head until she joined the boys on the airdocks. "Where's Uncle James?" she asked.
"Mam said he's working. He left his truck in the lot, though," Akihiko replied. He was doing his best to be as casual and unnoticed as possible, his jacket hood pulled up to conceal most of his face and his messy brown hair—though he kept fidgeting with his pocket watch, swinging it around his finger by its silver chain.
"Oh…" Hikaru couldn't help the pout that tugged at her lips. She crossed her arms, trying to turn her attention somewhere other than the disappointment sinking in her stomach. "Still playing around with that thing, Tats?" she asked, walking closer to get a better look at his tablet screen.
Tatsuya, however, very pointedly angled his body away from her. Hikaru gave an only mildly annoyed huff in response.
"Are you gonna be on that thing the whole time we're here?" she asked. "Are you not even a little excited to be back on Polaris?"
Tatsuya kept his eyes glued to his tablet, looking for all the world wholly disinterested. "Will we be going to the candy shop?"
"Sweets?" Hikaru quirked a carroty eyebrow. "Didn't you have enough sugar on the flight?"
"Yeah," Akihiko piped up, realization dawning on his face as he stopped playing with his watch. "I remember someone swiping my apple tart."
"It wasn't that good," Tatsuya said.
"Then why'd you keep eating it? Huh? You little shite." Akihiko gave him a cuff up the back of the head, knocking his snowcap off. Tatsuya smacked his hand away, but Akihiko hoisted Tatsuya to his feet, trapping him in a headlock and ruffling his shaggy teal hair with a vigorous shake. Tatsuya lowered his tablet and scowled.
"Hikaru," he said flatly as he tried in vain to kick the older boy in the knee, "Aki's being an ass."
Hikaru snorted. "Don't worry, Tats. He's just making up fer the one he hasn't got."
"Is that the best you can come up with, runt?" Akihiko sneered at her.
"Well, I was also thinking of 'I'd rather he be an ass. That way he can carry his own shite for once.'" With that, she unceremoniously dropped Akihiko's bag into the snow.
"Oi! Careful with the gear!" Akihiko promptly released Tatsuya from his chokehold and scrambled for his bag.
"Aw, come on, Tats," Hikaru said as she gestured to Akihiko, who was busy kneeling in the snow and checking on his fencing equipment. "I gave you the opening. He had his guard down! You were supposed to punch him in the stomach or something."
"I'm not getting yelled at," Tatsuya replied as he picked his cap up off of the ground.
Hikaru heaved out an exaggerated sigh. "Guess I have to do everything then." She scooped up a handful of snow, patting together a sloppily shaped snowball and lobbing it directly at Akihiko's head.
"Agh!" Akihiko recoiled as the snowball exploded on impact, falling on his butt on the ground. "Son of a…! Hikaru, there was ice in there!"
Hikaru cackled, a cheeky grin plastered across her face. But her laughter cut short abruptly when she saw her brother spring to his feet, his hazel eyes flashing dangerously. "Uh-oh."
"You little runt!"
Hikaru bolted, and half a second later, Akihiko was sprinting after her across the airdocks. The two teenagers charged past the other travelers, heedless of the commotion they were making with their shouts and curses. A yelp of warning came from one of the luggage runners as Hikaru vaulted herself over a trolley packed with suitcases, but she paid them no mind—not when she was busy trying to outrun her brother's longer legs.
"Hikaru, Akihiko!"
Hikaru and Akihiko both immediately skidded to a stop, nearly colliding with each other in the process. "Yes?" they said, looking nervously towards the airship.
Their mother marched down the ramp with all the bearing of a soldier, the limp in her step hardly slowing her. "Knock it off," she snapped as she approached them. "Need I remind you to respect the worlds we visit, instead of making asses of yourselves? Not even ten minutes on the ground…"
"Yes, Mam," the two of them chorused sheepishly.
"Good." Their mother paused, her bright green eyes scanning the airdocks. "… Where's your sister?"
"Ehm…" Hikaru looked towards Akihiko, earning an uneasy shrug in response.
They found Yui inside the station's empty coffee shop with her headphones clamped over her ears. She sat at the service bar, her back to the door so that all Hikaru glimpsed of her at first was her dark hair and winter coat. A moogle fluttered to her side with a mug of coffee.
"Yui," their mam said, the stiffness in her voice setting Hikaru's nerves on edge.
"Welcome, kupo!" the moogle chirped, turning to greet them. Mam ignored him.
"Yui," Mam said again, louder this time. She and Akihiko stood in the doorway while Tatsuya stood behind them, still engrossed with his tablet.
Yui hardly bothered to turn her head. A ring-ting-ting filled the air as she stirred cream into her mug with a metal spoon. If Hikaru hadn't known any better, she almost would've thought her sister hadn't heard them.
"What are you doing?" A scarcely concealed heat bubbled up under their mother's words. "We're taking the bags to the car."
"It's cold," Yui muttered. She set her spoon on the counter and took a sip of coffee.
"Yui…!" Mam started forward.
It was Akihiko who stopped her. "Coffee sounds grand right about now," he cut in, making a big show of stretching his arms. "You grabbin' anything, Hikaru?"
"Ehm… Sure," she said after a moment's hesitance.
Mam turned her head, her bright green eyes focusing on them instead. Akihiko maintained an unflinching calm, but Hikaru glanced away, her shoulders tensing under the force of her mother's gaze.
"Fine," Mam finally said, turning away once an eternity had passed. "Hurry up."
Hikaru released a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing.
"I want hot chocolate," Tatsuya said, going for the register. Mam moved to follow, but she paused behind Yui for just a moment, yanking her headphones from her ears and letting them drop to the floor with a clatter.
"Don't wander off again," she growled.
Yui said nothing in response, but Hikaru still glimpsed the twisted scowl on her sister's face as she swiped her headphones off the ground.
While her brothers placed their orders, Hikaru decided on a place to sit in the shop. A row of seats stood empty next to Yui, but the older girl unsurprisingly seemed in no mood to talk, her head buried in her arms against the table; so Hikaru instead settled down in silence one table over by a window that offered a view of the starry night sky.
It was a few minutes of fidgeting with the sugar packets later that a paper coffee cup was unceremoniously dropped on the table in front of her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Akihiko plopped down next to her with his own drink in hand, while Tatsuya silently took the chair on her other side. "You owe me, H," Akihiko said.
"Thanks, boyo," Hikaru said, leaning back and propping her boots against the edge of the table. "Just put it on my tab." She raised her cup in a silent toast before bringing it to her lips.
"Hikaru. Feet, off," Yui's grumbling voice came behind them. She'd lifted her head to look at her younger siblings, mouth twisted in a disapproving frown. Hikaru stuck her tongue out at her, but she dropped her boots from the table anyway.
"So that's more munny I won't be getting back, then." Akihiko sighed. "Well, I'll let it slide this time. It's good to be back, and I'm feeling the holiday spirit."
"Bit late for the holidays though, isn't it?" Hikaru said. "Not that you'll hear me complaining. I'll gladly take another Christmas present."
"Sure. I'll see if Uncle James has any charcoal when we get to the house." Akihiko looked rather proud of himself for that one before he took a swig of his coffee. "So, what should we do first once we get to Hart's Haven? The deer park? The pub? Glacian Castle? Or we could drive up to Shiva's Saddle, ring up Hope Estheim and see if he's up to come along."
"Ooh, let's go to the castle!" Hikaru said. "It's been ages since we've gone last. Plus we still haven't taken Tats there yet."
"I'll just stay at the house," Tatsuya replied as he stirred a third packet of sugar into his cup.
"No way." Hikaru all but bolted upright in her seat at the thought. "If you're to be part of this family Tats, you have to come along for family bonding time. Just as we have to." She slapped Akihiko on the shoulder to make her point, much to the older boy's annoyance.
Tatsuya made a face. "Then why does she not come along for anything?" He nodded over to Yui, who was very pointedly not looking in their direction anymore.
"That's called the privilege of the eldest," Akihiko said.
"She's too cool for us," Hikaru elaborated, feigning hurt and pretending to sniffle. Yui just flipped her the bird without bothering to turn around, prompting Hikaru to grin in response. "But, really, Tats," she continued on. "There's plenty to do in Hart's Haven. Just stick with me and Aki. You'll see."
Despite her words of reassurance, Tatsuya still seemed skeptical by the crinkle of his brows. But before Hikaru or Akihiko could try to convince him further or pull out the whole Polaris tourism advertisement spiel, their mother's voice made them look up and turn.
"If you want to go exploring, fine," Mam said as she walked over, "but you'll save it for later. First thing tomorrow, we visit your father."
Right… Hikaru lowered her gaze as silence lapsed over the shop once more.
She'd almost forgotten that part.
Hikaru didn't remember arriving at her uncle's house when she awoke the next morning, having fallen asleep somewhere along the winding drive through the valley before they'd reached Hart's Haven. She groaned as she sat up on the floor, eyes bleary and mouth dry, as she combed her fingers through her tangled mess of red hair. Looking around, she saw Yui occupying the bed on the opposite side of the room, still asleep with her back turned under their father's faded old star chart of Ursa Minor. Hikaru frowned and reached into her pocket to fish out her silver watch and glance over the time.
It was already almost noon. They had a few short hours left of daylight, and she was surprised their mother hadn't woken them up yet.
Hikaru flipped her watch shut, stashing it away in her back pocket again before rising up out of her futon. She didn't bother waking her sister, unwilling to incite her bad mood without some food in her stomach; instead she tip-toed to the door and peered out into the hallway where she caught the faint murmur of voices downstairs.
Hikaru's eyes widened. Uncle James! Her footsteps thumped against the carpet as she bounded down the steps. In the sitting room, the television played black and white pictures for the empty chairs, and the fireplace had yet to be lit, leaving that corner of the house cold. The warmth instead came from the other direction beyond the kitchen door, accompanied by a delicious smell.
Opening the door, she was greeted by explosive laughter. Akihiko and Tatsuya had their hands full at the table with steaming bread rolls and skewered breakfast meats, though Akihiko dropped his utensils as he buckled over coughing. Standing at the stove was their Uncle James, his blond hair pulled into a messy ponytail and his glasses set ever so slightly askew. "An' there she is! Look who's finally decided to join us," he said as Hikaru peeked into the room, all while Akihiko continued hacking away.
Tatsuya whapped Akihiko on the back a few times with a closed fist. "Morning," he said without so much as glancing over his shoulder.
"G-good… Good timing," Akihiko managed to wheeze out between a few gulps of orange juice. "We were… just about to get you."
"Suuuure you were," Hikaru drawled. "I see you… stuffing yer gob and hoarding all the food to yerself like." She took up a seat next to Akihiko, earning herself a shove in the head. Hikaru shoved him back.
"Since yer here, help yerself now," Uncle James said, waving his spatula at the spread before them. Most of the meat had already been cleared off the greasy plates, but the skillet-fried vegetables remained largely untouched. "There's plenty more to be made. Yui still in bed?"
"Didn't want to wake her."
"Well, she'll be up soon enough. Who'd miss a meal like this?" Uncle James reached over to the carton next to the stove and grabbed a few eggs. "How d'you want yer eggs, Hikaru? Scrambled?"
"Of course," she said, helping herself to some potato hash and black pudding from the platter. "Extra pepper and butter, please."
"Feelin' fancy today, are ya?" Uncle James laughed. "Just don't tell yer ma—she'd wring my neck if she saw all this cholesterol."
Hikaru giggled. It had been months since they'd seen Uncle James—not since their visit back during summer. Even though Uncle James looked a little thinner than before, and the bags under his eyes were darker, his light-hearted mood was a welcomed relief from everything Hikaru had worried about in coming back to Hart's Haven.
"Where is our mam?" she asked.
"She went out early this morning." Uncle James turned back to the stove. "Getting everything ready fer today, I suppose."
Hikaru's smile slipped.
She finished her breakfast in relative silence while Akihiko and Uncle James chatted in a mood that seemed less jovial than before. Once her plate was cleared, Hikaru headed upstairs to take a shower. By the time she returned to the sitting room with a fresh sweater and jeans, Akihiko and Tatsuya had gathered by the unlit fireplace.
"Just focus, right?" Akihiko said. "You sort of just… bring up the fire…"
"Unscheduled magic lessons? Indoors, no less?" Hikaru raised a carroty eyebrow, still toweling off her hair as she plopped down on the piano bench next to the fireplace. "Mam wouldn't be very pleased about that."
"Shh…" Akihiko glanced towards the front door. Their mother didn't like them practicing unsupervised—not after Hikaru and Akihiko had accidentally incinerated their neighbor's rubbish bin back when they were living on Kochab. "A bit of Fire magic won't hurt anyone, and what Mam doesn't know won't hurt us. Now, Tats, where were we?"
"You suck at explaining things," Tatsuya said, lowering his outstretched hands. Akihiko's jaw dropped, and Hikaru exploded with laughter.
"Talk about a lack of faith," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Akihiko shot her a dirty look.
"Well, it looks like I need a new student then." He clapped a hand against her back. "Hikaru, you're up!"
She blinked. "What—? You… No, I'm fine."
"Aww, you sure?" Akihiko said, the tone in his voice making a muscle jump in her cheek. "Been so long since you've practiced that yer scared of a little fire?" With a snap of his fingers, he ignited an orange flame in the palm of his hand.
"No." Hikaru eyed the fire with only a small amount of trepidation. "If Mam saw us—"
"Mam isn't here," Akihiko said firmly, closing his hand and extinguishing the flame. "Don't be such a baby, Hikaru."
Her eyes narrowed. "A baby?" she repeated. "I'll show you, son of a…"
"Careful what you call our ma."
Hikaru hiked up her sleeves to her elbows, crouching down in front of the fireplace and aiming her hands. The tips of her fingers tingled as she dredged up a current of magical energy, a smoldering fire fueled by indignation.
A spark jumped from her fingertips, igniting the wood and tinder—followed by a jolt of pain. Hikaru hissed, flinching back and shaking out her hands, but nodding a moment later in satisfaction when she saw the tiny flame crackling in the fireplace. "Would a baby be able to do that?" she asked, pointing with a blistering finger.
"On this world? Yes," Akihiko replied.
"Arse." Hikaru stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, let's make this a challenge then? Where's the radio?"
"Radio?" Akihiko tipped his head to the side.
Hikaru shot him a cheeky smile. "If we're gonna be breaking some rules, we'd might as well have some fun."
"Got it!" Hikaru cried. Across the room, the smoldering tin can hit the floor with a clatter that was only partially muffled by the music blaring from the radio. The other six cans remained lined up on the coffee table, completely untouched.
"Took you long enough," Akihiko said, perfectly unfazed as Hikaru mouthed the upbeat song right in his face. He was crouched down next to her, peering over the back of the sofa as they took turns flinging Fire spells at their makeshift targets. "What are we at now, Tats?"
"4 to 12," Tatsuya said, not even bothering to look up from his tablet screen. "Aki is winning."
"Oh, what don't we already know?" Hikaru rolled her eyes. "Right, if you're such a professional, Aki, it'll be easy to score a double."
"O' course." Akihiko shook out his wrists, aiming out his hand. "What's the bet for this one?"
"Loser has to clean the bathtub."
"Hah, you would say that. It's yer hair always cloggin' up the drain."
"Oi, how d'you know it's me?"
"If it isn't Yui, and it isn't Mam, there's only one person left, Carrot Top."
Hikaru gave him a shove. "Jerk!"
"Hey, no cheatin'!" Akihiko readjusted his arm, flexing his fingers and taking a deep breath. "Fire!"
The fireball that shot out from his palm hit the corner of the empty can, sending it skidding across the dark wood table and knocking over two more cans in the process.
"Hell yeah!" Akihiko whooped. "Triple bonus!"
"Damn it!" Hikaru slumped over with a groan. "Best of three?"
"Not a chance," her brother said, rising to his feet. "I'll save you the embarrassment this time, H. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
Akihiko walked over to the fireplace, nudging the fallen cans out of his way as he reached for the rack of iron tools by the hearth. He grabbed a pair of fire pokers, spinning the one in his right hand around by the handle before aiming at Hikaru in a familiar challenge. "En garde."
"No," Hikaru said, her brown eyes going wide. She shook her head vigorously, crossing her arms in an X in front of her chest. "No no no, not happening. Arse," she added for good measure.
"Oh, come on." Akihiko's shoulders slumped a little as he lowered the soot-covered tool. "Just one round? Fer old time's sake?"
Hikaru made a face. She'd had a lifetime of experience to learn that the last thing she wanted was to get her rear handed to her again, especially at her brother's own game. She kept her arms crossed, turning away with her lips screwed up in a stubborn line.
"If you can disarm me one time, we'll split the chores," Akihiko added. "You'll take the tub, and I'll do the sink. Deal?"
A moment passed. Hikaru glanced back to her brother and his makeshift swords.
"… Deal," she said, holding out her hand. The two of them shook on it, a twinge of pain shooting through Hikaru's palm as they squeezed. She massaged her burned fingers as Akihiko flipped the fire poker in his left hand around to offer it to her, handle-out.
It was then that a rattling came from the front door. Hikaru and Akihiko froze as the knob shook with the jangling of keys.
"Crap!" Akihiko chucked the fire pokers back onto the rack with a clatter. Hikaru rushed to help him, scrambling on her knees across the floor as they shoved the smoldering tin cans out of sight under the couch.
The front door clicked just as they hid the last can, and their mother shouldered the door open, carrying a pair of paper bags in her free arm.
"Someone take this," she said as she shut the door with her cane. Akihiko sprang into action, hastily wiping the soot off of his hands and taking both of the bags. He dropped them on the coffee table in a way that concealed the scorch marks Hikaru had left in its dark wood finish.
Hikaru clenched her hands into fists, hiding her blistering palms. Her heart thumped nervously in her chest, but their mother hardly gave them a second glance. She's hungover, Hikaru realized when she saw the look on her face and the wobble of her gait.
"That took longer than I expected," their mother remarked, massaging her eyelids. "I hope you're all ready. We're leaving soon. Finish up whatever you're doing and then…" She looked over at the three of them, her eyes narrowing. "Where's your sister?"
"Upstairs," Hikaru said hesitantly.
Their mother started for the stairs. There was a limp in her step again, more pronounced than usual with her left leg dragging behind her right, but she pushed forward without another word. Hikaru watched her go with growing dread before she looked to Akihiko.
He just glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. Tatsuya, though, turned his attention to the paper bags. "Flowers," the teal-haired boy said, pulling out the bouquet of white gentians.
A muffled shout made them turn towards the stairs. Hikaru winced. She couldn't hear what Mam and Yui were saying exactly, but she'd heard their arguments enough to know that the reason didn't really matter.
Mam came back down a few moments later, her footsteps falling heavy and loud. Her eyes were livid, blazing an acidic green, and her cheeks flushed from tawny to dark red. "If your sister wants to lock herself in her room all day, let her," she snapped. "We're leaving. Now."
Hikaru kept her hands firmly on the wheel, shifting her fingers at the dull pain that throbbed under her skin. Uncle James sat in the passenger's seat with his usual sunny cheer, tactfully oblivious to the mood hanging over the truck. Her mother, Akihiko, and Tatsuya sat in the back, and none of them had said anything since they'd left the house.
Hikaru only managed to fully breathe once she pulled over outside the cemetery gates at the edge of the town. A wrought iron fence encircled the large stretch of land, dividing it from the cobblestone streets and faded brick buildings nearby. While her family climbed out of the truck, shaking the cabin with each slam of the doors, Hikaru remained in the driver's seat with her hands still clenched around the wheel.
I hate this place.
"Not bad, kid," Uncle James said as he opened her door. "Drove us here in one piece."
"Thanks," she said quietly. But she wasn't so sure of that.
The air outside was still, and even the sound of their footsteps faded into the top layer of fresh snow. Uncle James started down the main road past the pair of carbuncle statues that stood guard at the cemetery's entrance. Their mother matched his pace with her gaze focused forward while Hikaru and her brothers trailed behind. Hikaru stared at the passing headstones, sinking deeper into the nest of white wool around her neck, until only her brown eyes and a bone-deep coldness remained.
"So, Luna," Uncle James said. "When're you headin' fer the lake?"
"Later," Mam replied quietly. "This is more important."
The world was blinding, devoid of color other than the brown of bare tree trunks and the gray of eroded stones, but every so often Hikaru caught sight of something else—a hint of yellow, or red, or blue from the dying flowers left in the snow. Most of the headstones were weather-worn, their names lost under a tangle of decaying vines and the passage of time.
A tightness squeezed her chest, making it harder to breathe.
They walked until they came to the place where two roads intersected, and at the center of the crossroads stood the regal statue of a barefooted woman with braided hair and stony eyes. Mam and Uncle James took a turn to the left, and then so did her brothers, but Hikaru lagged further and further behind until she came to a stop before the statue, her knees shaking as she clutched her stomach.
Akihiko was the first to notice. Maybe it was the missing sound of footsteps, or maybe it was just Aki being Aki, getting ready to finally lighten the mood. He glanced over his shoulder and stopped in his tracks the moment he saw her. "Hikaru?"
It made Mam and Uncle James turn too, and even Tatsuya lifted his gaze from his tablet screen.
"I can't," Hikaru said, shaking her head. She took a step back, stumbling. Suddenly she was feeling sick. "I… I'm gonna wait by the car."
"Hikaru," Mam started to say, a sharp edge in her voice, but Hikaru didn't wait to listen. She ran as fast as her unsteady legs could bear, until the statue of Saint Shiva that watched her retreating back was nothing more than a hazy figure rising up above the graves.
Hikaru's boots crunched through the hard snow coating the lot. The sun had already begun to set behind the clouds, turning the sky dark gray and the air frigid. A restless wind shook the trees, but Hikaru remained outside in the cold, pacing in front of the truck with her arms still clutched around her stomach and her breaths coming out in ragged puffs.
Damn it all. She gritted her teeth, kicking out and sending a clump of ice hurtling across the lot as she buried her face in the confines of her scarf.
It had been less than a year since her father's funeral. Hikaru had been preparing for this moment for months, ever since the summer, a time that she remembered as lifeless and wet and achingly, numbingly gray. It had been cold then, too—a different type of cold, one that had soaked through her clothes and washed over her clammy skin while her words had fallen away into nothing but a choked sob.
What a baby, she thought bitterly, kicking another chunk of ice and watching it explode into crystals when it hit the iron fence.
She hadn't been prepared. That much was obvious now.
Blowing out a heavy sigh, she leaned back against the bonnet of the truck, her arms crossed tight over her chest and her eyes glaring at the ground. She didn't know how long she stood there, cursing herself and shivering as the temperature continued to drop in the swiftly falling 3 o'clock evening.
The sound of footsteps drifted on the wind, and out of the corner of her eye she saw someone come up to the side of the truck. A pair of heavy boots stopped beside her.
"What're you doing out here?" Yui asked, her voice a low rasp. She was wearing her good coat—the purple one with the mismatched replacement buttons—over a collared shirt and tie.
"What're you doing here?" Hikaru retorted, glaring up at her. "Thought you were bailing."
Yui's face remained impassive. Her lips pressed into a tight line and her eyes were like shards of green bottle glass. "Looks like you're the one who's bailing," she said coolly.
Hikaru flinched. "I just… needed a break, is all." She couldn't help retreating further into her scarf as she spoke.
"Hmp…" Yui glanced over to the cemetery's entrance gates. "… Are they still inside?"
"Where else would they be?" Hikaru asked. "You headin' in?"
"Not now." Yui turned around, trudging away from the truck back down the road. Hikaru blinked, watching her walk a few more steps before finding her voice again.
"Where are you going?"
"Away from here," Yui replied without looking back. "Are you coming? Or are you going to just sulk out here by yerself?"
Hikaru hesitated. She cast one look towards the cemetery, seeing no sign of her family on the other side of the fence. The wind began to blow harder, scaring the birds from the trees and making her shiver as she stood there alone in the middle of the deserted lot.
"Wait," she called out as she ran after her sister.
Off to the pub. Message me when you're done. Sorry.
Hikaru finished throwing together the message by the time they reached Windhill Pub, after spending the entire walk agonizing over what she should say. Nothing would be satisfactory, she'd finally concluded—so she sent the message to Akihiko and shut her phone, pushing her worries to the back of her mind while Yui shouldered open the door.
A bell chimed overhead as Hikaru followed her sister into the busy pub. Warm air and the smell of stew and liquor greeted them, chasing away the reek of cigarette smoke that wafted over from the men loitering near the door. "Welcome," a familiar voice called out from behind the bar, only to be followed by a surprised laugh. "Well, well, look who's back in town!"
"Hey Snow," Hikaru said as she pulled the door shut against the gale. The barman looked just as she remembered, his blond hair covered with a black bandana and his face a few days past a clean shave. He offered a lopsided smile as he continued wiping down his glass with a rag.
"Yui, Hikaru, long time no see! Where's the rest of the Stonewall clan?"
"They're… out," Hikaru said carefully, following Yui to an empty booth next to the frosty grid windows. "Just us fer now."
Snow nodded with solemn understanding. For a moment, Hikaru worried that he would pry—but instead he just set his rag and glass down on the bar countertop. "Well, kick back, relax," he said. "I'll get the usual started for you two."
"Extra crispy," Hikaru called out as he headed towards the kitchen. "With real vinegar. None of that fake non-brewed shite."
Snow just laughed as he disappeared beyond the swinging doors, leaving the girls to settle in on their own. Hikaru sat down opposite her sister, leaning back against the green hole-poked cushions and letting the familiarity sink in.
Windhill Pub had always been one of her favorite places. Her father and Uncle James had often taken her and her siblings there in their childhood, and Hikaru had fond memories of falling asleep to the sound of fiddlers and accordionists playing folk tunes while tipsy bar patrons cheered and danced. She looked around at the various newspaper clippings and photographs framed against the walls, pausing when she spotted one picture in particular—the one of her father garbed in fencing uniform with his mask tucked under his arm, taken long before she or her siblings had been born.
Hikaru turned away, but she caught her sister's reproachful stare from across the table. "… What?"
"This all it takes to put you in a good mood?" Yui asked. Hikaru didn't like the judgment in her voice.
"It's good to be back." Hikaru huffed, plucking the drink menu from its stand and glancing over the assortment of cocktails and spirits with silly names. She had a hunch Snow's fiance was the one who'd named them. "It's not a real visit to Hart's Haven until you visit Windhill Pub. And, since we're here… Yui, d'you think you can get me one of these—"
"No. I'm buying you food, not indulging yer bad behavior."
"Aw… Fine, whatever." Hikaru tossed the drink menu onto the table. She didn't even know why she tried; Yui was always such a craic killer. Maybe Uncle James would let them celebrate at dinner later that night—if they weren't upset with Hikaru for leaving…
Her sister watched her in careful silence. "What happened at the cemetery?" Yui asked after a moment.
"Nothin'." Hikaru crossed her arms, holding Yui's probing gaze with a defiant glare of her own. "Just needed some time on my own."
"Hmp. Sure." Yui rested her cheek against her knuckles as she leaned against the table. "And that's why you were throwing a tantrum in the lot."
"I was not throwing a tantrum." Hikaru puffed up her cheeks in an indignant, tight-lipped pout. "I was brooding. Big difference."
"Sure now." Yui quirked a carroty eyebrow. "And what difference is that, exactly?"
"Only kids throw tantrums," Hikaru said. "Brooding requires a refined palate—bonus points for a picturesque backdrop that really encompasses the soul-crushing gloom. Reserved for mature adults only."
At that, a sharp buzz came at Hikaru's back pocket, followed by the boisterous "kweh!" of her chocobo ringtone.
"Ah, right," Yui said dryly. "Mature."
"Shut it," Hikaru said as her cheeks heated up. Her phone buzzed again, but she silenced it with well-practiced skill. It wasn't like she'd hear anything that she didn't already know. On her good days, her mother had little patience for nonsense, and today she had already been in a foul mood—No thanks to Yui, Hikaru thought sourly as she glanced at her sister—so she could only imagine what judgment awaited her. Now wasn't the time to worry her head over whatever the future had in store.
They didn't have to wait much longer for the food to come out. Another brief silence lapsed over the table before Snow emerged from the kitchen with their orders. "Fish and chips fresh out of the fryer, and veggie herb dumpling stew," he announced, setting the plates in front of them and brushing his hands off with satisfaction. "Did I get it right this time?"
"Perfect!" Hikaru was all but vibrating in her seat as she grabbed her fork and knife. The thick smell of the golden beer batter and flaky white fish meat wafted up to her nose and filled her with a giddy sense of warmth. "I've been waiting all week fer this!"
Snow grinned as he leaned against Hikaru's bench. "Only the best for my favorite customers, right?"
"I'm sure you say that to everyone who comes through the door, Villiers," Yui remarked.
"Can't get anything past you, Stonewall." Snow chuckled. "How's your brother doing, by the way? Saw his match on TV the other week."
"Oh, Aki's grand," Hikaru said, holding back a giggle. "He was a little salty about losing at first, but he's mostly over it."
"Salty, huh?" Snow rubbed his chin. "Kid's got nothin' to be salty about. Placing bronze ain't bad at all, especially for the Akhfa magic circuit."
"It's gold or nothing for him," Yui said. It also hadn't helped that it had been the last tournament of the season, and of all the people he could've lost to, it had been his rival from Anwar.
"Hah! Well, can't fault him for aiming high if he's got a fire burning inside." Snow raised a fist of encouragement in the air. "He's a damn good fencer, and you'd better make sure he knows that—otherwise Snow Villiers will have to knock some sense into him. At this rate, he'll be the spitting image of your old man…" He broke off, his smile faltering.
And there it was—the part of their visit to Hart's Haven that Hikaru really wasn't looking forward to: awkward sympathies and polite condolences from a small town where everyone knew everyone. Despite how much time they'd spent away from Hart's Haven over the years, her father had been no exception to that rule—his renown in the Ursa Minor sword-fighting circuits had assured that—so she supposed it was foolish to hope that Snow wouldn't bring it up at all. She sunk down into her seat as she braced herself for the incoming niceties.
"How're you folks… holding out?" Snow asked, his voice tinged with a note of unease. "Your mom doing okay? And that Tats kid…?"
Hikaru hesitated. "We're…"
"We're fine," Yui said tersely. She turned her attention to her bowl, stirring the thick broth but making no move to eat yet. "How's Serah?"
Snow seemed relieved at the chance to change the subject. "Busy," he said with a laugh. "No rest for a bride-to-be, I guess. She'll be excited to see you guys again, though—think she wanted to ask you about playing for the wedding," he added, looking at Yui. "Some classic Polarian folk tunes, maybe?"
Hikaru tipped her head to the side. "Wedding's in spring, right?" she asked, popping a greasy chip into her mouth. "I think we're supposed to be on Anwar for another one of Aki's tournaments then. But if we can get our mam to let us visit…"
Something flickered in Yui's expression, her grasp tightening on her silverware. Snow didn't seem to notice. "I'll let you know the details," he said with a nod. "Well, in the meantime I'll get out of your hair and let you guys eat in peace. Just give me a shout if you need anything, all right?"
"Got it," Hikaru said. "Thanks, Snow."
Hikaru and Yui were left to themselves once more as Snow retreated back to the bar. Hikaru didn't hesitate to dig in, mowing through her food with a gusto and savoring the taste of the tender, flaky fish meat. Yui, though, hardly took more than a sip of her stew before she lowered her gaze and rested her cheek against her hand again.
"Not eating?" Hikaru asked after a while as she set her fork and knife down.
"Not hungry," Yui muttered without looking up. She pushed the bowl of stew across the table with one hand. Hikaru moved to take a spoonful, but she paused as she stared at her sister.
It was the first time she noticed how exhausted Yui seemed under her perpetual bad mood. The bags under her eyes were dark, fatigue sunken into every corner of her face, and her carroty roots were beginning to show in her usually meticulously dyed hair.
"What's wrong?" Hikaru said as she scooped a herb dumpling into her mouth. "Was it Mam?"
Yui said nothing, just exhaling through her nose.
"She was raging this morning," Hikaru went on, chewing slowly. "What were you two fighting about this time?"
"Nothing you need to know," Yui said.
"Fine, be like that." Hikaru huffed, pouting as she set her spoon down. "It's yer fault she's always in a bad mood, anyway…"
She expected Yui to roll her eyes, maybe make a snide comment about Hikaru being a child or some insult like that. But instead, Yui's hand slammed against the table, making the silverware clatter and Hikaru jolt. A shaky sigh escaped her mouth as she massaged her temples. "Hikaru, not now."
"I'm only saying," Hikaru pushed on, hesitating for just a moment. "We're on holiday. Is it really the best time to make her mad?"
"Is that what this is to you?" Yui glared at her, her green eyes flashing. "A bleedin' vacation?"
"What else would it be?" Hikaru asked quietly. She kept her head high, but she couldn't help the way she shifted in her seat under her sister's burning stare.
For a moment, Yui looked like she wanted to say something. A muscle jumped in her cheek as she clenched her jaw. But she shook her head. "Forget it," she muttered. "Gods, Hikaru, you're such a…"
Yui didn't get a chance to finish her words. A ground-shaking rumble silenced her, jostling the seats and table as the dim lights overhead flickered. The rest of the pub fell silent, aside from the murmur of the music and the rattling of the wine glasses hanging on the wall behind the bar. Hikaru and Yui looked at each other before turning to the window.
"What was that?" Hikaru asked. Out in the street, people had stopped walking to look around in confusion. She rose from her seat, craning her neck to get a better look at the sky, but the clouds were so thick that she couldn't even see the stars. "Was that thunder? Or… an earthquake?"
"That wasn't the weather," Yui said. "That was magic."
"Magic?" Hikaru repeated. "How could you tell?"
Yui just shook her head, bright eyes still trained on the window. The conversation began to slowly return around them, the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses—but maybe it was just Hikaru's imagination that the atmosphere felt a little more uneasy than before.
It was all interrupted by the shattering of glass and the crash of chairs hitting the floor.
Hikaru turned around. A group of men had sprung up from the seats on the other side of the pub, all of them facing something writhing on their table. An animal? Hikaru thought at first, her brows furrowed in bewilderment as she tried to catch a glimpse of the dark moving shape. But something made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. No… That's not an animal.
"What the hell is going on?" Snow called out. He approached the commotion with his chest puffed out in the tough guy attitude he usually used when dealing with rowdy drunks. But as he neared the table, he came to a sudden stop. "What the…?"
It happened so quickly. The black shape sprang from the table, a blur of darkness and a flash of yellow. Sharp claws lashed out at one of the men nearby, sending him to the ground as terrified cries erupted all across the bar.
"Get down!" Snow shouted, picking up the closest barstool and swinging. The stool collided with a thud against the creature's head, knocking it into the wall. "Maqui, you okay?"
"I-I'm fine!" the young man said. "It's just a scratch."
"The hell is that thing?" Hikaru asked, her voice low as she stared at the dark heap lying on the floor, just visible past everyone's legs.
"Hikaru, wait," Yui warned, but the younger girl was already starting forward. Hikaru shoved her way through the crowd, coming to a stop only when she reached Snow's side.
"What is it?" someone asked.
"It… looks like a bug," Hikaru murmured, a strange prickling sensation running down her spine as she took in the creature's appearance. It had an almost humanoid body, black as ink and the size of a child, with sharp three-fingered claws and twitching antennas… But the thing that stood out most was its eyes—huge, bulging eyes that glowed an eerie yellow and seemed to stare through her very soul.
This… this thing, Hikaru thought as some fearful instinct deep inside of her began to stir. It's not natural.
An icy chill seemed to wash over her skin and deep into her bones, chasing away the safe warmth that had permeated the building. Hikaru felt her heart thump away in her chest, her pulse suddenly so loud in her ears. She looked back to Yui, who met her gaze from across the pub with wide eyes.
And then more of them appeared. Tendrils of darkness began to rise in all corners of the pub, like smoke from kindling, until from the billowing shadows came more of the creatures. The yellow-eyed monsters emerged from the floors and the walls, crawling across the wood as more people screamed.
"Everyone, get out!" Snow shouted. He chucked the barstool forward, clearing a way through the shadowy swarm that was forming around them.
At once, everyone began pushing for the exit, stumbling over each other in their panicked escape. Hikaru didn't have the chance to react. Frantic bodies and shoving hands knocked her off-balance, and she cried out as someone slammed into her shoulder and sent her sprawling across the dark wood floor.
"Hikaru—Oi, watch it!" Yui snarled, fighting against the crowd that flooded towards the door—people forcing past her, sending chairs and dishes crashing to the ground. "Hikaru! Hikaru!"
"Gah…" Hikaru winced, gripping at the bruises she could feel forming under her coat where someone had trampled over her with their boots. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself back up to her knees—but her eyes went wide when she saw one of the creatures leaping for her with its claws raised.
"Fire!" she shouted in panic, aiming her hands out. Pain seared through her palms as the air before her sparked with magic—and then a burst of flames threw both her and the creature back in opposite directions across the hardwood floor. Hikaru groaned, lifting her head and squinting at the creature where it lay dazed and disoriented on its back across the pub—until the monster was speared between the eyes with a knife.
"Hikaru!" Yui shouted at her, releasing her hold on the knife. The creature writhed on the ground, black smoke spewing from the wound on its head. Yui kicked it away. "Get up!"
The next thing Hikaru knew, she felt a strong hand seize her by the arm. "Move it, kid!" Snow hauled her back to her feet and all but threw her forward.
Hikaru stumbled before she broke into a sprint. She grabbed Yui's outstretched hand and the two of them ran for the door. Looking back, she glimpsed Snow as he moved to clear a way for the few stragglers left in the pub before the door closed behind her.
But she had no time to catch her breath. Another scream made her whip around to face the scene before her, to the panicked people fleeing through the street and the countless yellow-eyed creatures chasing after them. Outside was chaos, and for a moment all she could do was watch the terrified crowd.
"Saint Shiva help us," Hikaru whispered. "What's happening?"
Yui seemed at a loss for words. She looked around, her eyes locking onto one man who tripped and vanished screaming under the surge of monsters. "We have to get out of here."
A second later, an explosive boom crashed through the air, making the ground shake and the lights flicker and Hikaru flinch. She felt Yui's grip on her hand tighten, igniting a sharp pain in her blistering palm.
"What the…?" Hikaru cracked open one eye, glancing around in confusion. An explosion? A spell? It had come from way too nearby. She saw Yui staring down the street in the direction of the sound.
"That was…" Yui's eyes narrowed.
Hikaru had no time to wonder before she saw a flash of yellow across the road. Her attention snapped back towards the panic just in time to see a cluster of shadowy monsters break away from the swarm and turn their predatory eyes on them. "Yui!"
Her sister bolted, dragging Hikaru down the road. Hikaru stumbled over the icy cobblestone, struggling to keep with Yui's longer stride. Her lungs and throat burned from the cold, but she didn't dare stop—not when she glanced over her shoulder and saw the creatures at their ankles. They ducked into the nearest alley, sprinting past the dingey walls and spilt rubbish.
"Wait," Hikaru gasped when she realized what direction they were heading. Were they… going towards the sound of the explosion?
Something caught on her foot, one wrong step tangling her boots in trash. Hikaru yelped, her hand ripping free from Yui's grasp as she crashed into the ground at the mouth of the alley. Yui whipped around, her eyes going wide as she grabbed Hikaru once more by the arm to haul her back to her feet, but the crawling horde of monsters spilled through the alleyway after them like a living whirlwind of shadows.
"Get down!" bellowed a woman's voice, a single moment's warning before the air crackled with volatile energy. "Mega Flare!"
Her sister shoved her head down, splaying them both flat against the ground and covering them with her coat. Then the world around them lit up with a chain reaction of explosions, one after another through the narrow alley. Scalding wind scorched Hikaru's cheeks, and the stench of burning ether flooded her nose. She gasped, shielding her face and ears as the blast sent the monsters flying back.
When she and Yui lifted their heads, lights still blinking painfully in Hikaru's eyes and her ears still ringing from the blast, she saw that all the snow and debris in the alley had been completely incinerated. The only things left of the creatures were dark scorch marks burned into the cobblestone.
Holy shit…
"Hikaru! Yui!"
Hikaru recognized that voice immediately. "Mam!"
Her mother staggered forward, brandishing her cane like a weapon rather than a walking tool. Had it been her mother who'd casted that spell? Hikaru had never seen Mam use magic like that, but she knew that voice better than anyone. Behind her mother was Akihiko, who had his arms slung over Uncle James and Tatsuya's shoulders.
"You okay?" Akihiko's voice was shaky as they came to a stop in front of them. Hikaru nodded, her legs wobbling as struggled to stand. But then she noticed the gashes torn into his jacket, and the dark stain seeping into the tattered sleeve.
"Aki, your arm…!"
Immediately they converged. Yui stepped forward, grabbing their brother by the elbow while Hikaru crowded around to get a better look at his wounds. "What the hell happened to you?" Yui asked.
"The shadows," Tatsuya muttered.
"It was those things…" Akihiko cast a quick glance around. Panic had consumed that street as well, with people fleeing up and down the icy road from the yellow-eyed monsters. All Hikaru could hear was the echoing screams in the cold air. "They appeared outta nowhere as we were leavin' the cemetery. Gah…" Akihiko winced, squeezing his arm until the blood smeared under his fingers.
"Hikaru, your scarf," Yui said. Hikaru obeyed, unraveling the white wool fabric around her neck and helping her sister wrap it tight around Akihiko's arm.
"He needs bandages, Luna," Uncle James said, keeping a firm hold on Akihiko's otherwise limp body. "Or a doctor."
Mam shook her head. She looked distracted, her gaze distant and mind racing. "There's no time," she said. She stepped forward, leaning her weight against her cane. But the moment she did, her cane snapped, buckling her legs under the motion.
Hikaru and Akihiko jerked to attention. "Mam!" they started. But she steadied herself on her own.
"You used up yer magic, Luna," Uncle James said. "We need to get somewhere safe, get back to the house—"
"There's no time," Mam said again. "Those creatures being here in these numbers means only one thing." She staggered over to the nearest wall, leaning against it to examine her cane and the smoldering cracks that split the wood. Whatever spell she had cast, it had been too much for her instrument of focus to handle. "There's nowhere safe here anymore. It's too late."
Silence fell over them for several long seconds. "What do you mean 'too late'?" Yui asked, her voice a low and shaky rasp.
But Mam just shook her head. "Do you have your watches?"
The question caught them off-guard. Hikaru and Akihiko glanced at each other before turning to Yui, who seemed just as bewildered as they were. But the three of them reached into the pockets of their coats to pull out the silver devices—each one almost identical except for the color of the stones embedded in the center of the lids.
"Luna, what is all this?" Uncle James asked warily.
"A contingency," Mam replied. "I'm getting you off this world."
"What?" Hikaru's eyes widened. "How? What do you…?"
Her mother didn't answer. "Akihiko, you're injured. You'll have to rely on your sister for now. Don't do anything reckless. And you," she looked at Yui, green stare meeting green, "have to keep calm. It's your job to watch over them now."
Akihiko grimaced, giving a curt nod of his head, while Yui's eyes narrowed. Hikaru, though, was left confused. "Mam, what're you going on about?" she asked, dread settling into the pit of her stomach.
But again, Mam didn't answer her. "Whatever happens, stay together, and don't panic," she said instead. "Hold onto those watches, and they'll lead you to a world that's safe. When you arrive there, look for the king, and tell him I sent you. And if you're ever separated from each other, remember—"
The ground began to shake, a violent tremor that made the buildings creak and shudder around them. Hikaru gasped as she looked past her mother's shoulder. "Mam…!"
A dark shape was bubbling up from the ground, larger than any of the other creatures rampaging through the town. It rose up until it was a looming giant towering over the street, yellow eyes glaring down at them through a mass of black hair-like tendrils. It grabbed at the buildings with its massive hands, cracking the stone and brick and sending debris showering down on them.
But her mother stood with her back to the creature, her blazing green eyes focusing on Hikaru and her siblings.
"Go," she said before turning around. The giant creature lumbered towards them, but Luna remained undaunted. She stepped forward, hand raised, aiming at the massive creature as she took a deep and steady breath. "May your hearts…"
A bright flash, blinding and hot lit up the night—
—and suddenly Hikaru was falling.
The wind howled, violent and deafening in a world of darkness and light. Colors streaked past her, a hundred thousand gleaming stars in the void. She was falling, tumbling, hurtling through space, as her ears rang with her own terrified screams.
"Hikaru!"
Hikaru jerked her head up, eyes wide as she saw the others plummeting through the void above her. Akihiko. Tatsuya. Uncle James. All three of them were unconscious. But… "Yui!" she cried out when she saw the panicked and desperate glow in her sister's green eyes.
"Hold on!" Yui gritted her teeth, reaching her hand out towards her. Hikaru reached out too, straining with all her might against the brutal winds. Just… a little… more…! Her fingers hooked around Yui's sleeve for a single moment.
And then they were blasted apart by a writhing mass of yellow-eyed creatures.
"Yui!" Hikaru screamed as she tumbled uncontrollably through the air. The world was spinning around her, dizzyingly fast and blindingly bright, as the living storm of demons scattered them to all directions. Hikaru took one final gasp, her cry fading away in a rush of air.
Then she crashed into the darkness.
She began to sink, like sinking in water, drifting through the dark tides that rocked her aching body with its soothing ebb and flow. Her vision began to blur at the edges as looked up through the rippling waves.
The lights were moving further and further away.
They looked like falling stars.
… … …
It was a quiet night.
Sora folded his hands behind his head, looking out his window and watching the stars over the ocean as a fleeting thought crossed his mind. How many stars were out there? How many worlds existed just beyond the wide horizon? If Riku was right, and there really were other worlds besides these islands they called home, then Sora didn't know the answer.
Maybe I could count them, he thought, lifting a hand and pointing to the shimmering lights. One. Two. Three…
He paused, tracing his finger through a blank space in the sky. The bright star that had been there moments before at the end of the Little Dipper had twinkled out of sight. Well… Counting was going to be harder than he'd thought. He lowered his hand, holding back a yawn and turning away on his side.
If there were other worlds out there, what did it mean? Riku had been talking a lot about seeking answers and being part of something bigger. Sora didn't really get it. As far as he knew, leaving the Destiny Islands and exploring other worlds—it was all just a big adventure. A chance to see rare sights. Broaden their horizons. Become strong.
Maybe they would find Kairi's home. He remembered first seeing her with the mayor years ago—a fleeting glance of a scared girl who had no parents, who couldn't remember where she had come from. The girl who had arrived on the night of the meteor shower.
Sora yawned again and closed his eyes. Man, maybe that weird dream was getting to him. Giant shadow monsters and stained-glass platforms and "You are the one who will open the door…"
He had to admit, it had been a pretty strange day.
A/N: Thank you for reading!