Fan Fiction ❯ Owari Nai Yume ❯ Introductions ( Chapter 1 )

I've forgotten...

I've forgotten everything,

My emotions,

My hatred,

My love,

My fear...

Nothing is real anymore,

Nothing exists where I am,

Everything is merely a flicker,

A shadow of the past,

Just like my memories...

Just like my heart...

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Tsuurin Kin ran down the frozen streets of Tokyo as fast as she could, her frozen breath creating mist in the morning air. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her stone gray eyes were staring intently ahead. She was wearing leather gloves, and a large dark trenchcoat to try and fight off the cold, but it was serving very little effect. Even her knee-high boots barely kept the wet out as she pounded towards her school.

" Not again! Must...hurry! Can't...be...Can't be...late!" Kin cried. She pushed herself harder and could soon see the school not to far away. She had almost dropped her bookbag several times, but it remained faithfully by her side as she grew even closer to the giant high school. Kin was in her second year of high school, and the first term of this year was almost over. Like most of her other friends Kin was sixteen, yet she didn't have a driver's license, and she was forced to walk to school. For the past three days, Kin had been late due to her insane alarm clock. It would unexpectedly turn on in the middle of the night, and right when she'd move to turn it off, it would go silent. After that, it might take Kin up to an hour and a half to get back to sleep. Today, she had proceeded to simply take the alarm clock and stab it several times with a dagger. She found it oddly comforting but it had caused her to wake up forty minutes later when it was morning.

Kin found it oddly ironic that the school bell ran just as she had lept through the school's doors. Dashing to her locker, cramming her bookbag into it, and blasting into her classroom, Kin barely had any time to say hi to her friends. Once she was in her seat, Kin let her head rest on the desk. She was panting and gasping for air as the English and Reading teacher Mrs. Roberts entered the room.

" Are you alright, Kin?" Kin looked up to see her friend, Saishura Botan looked at her in concern. Botan had shoulder length brunette hair that was pulled into a ponytail like Kin's. Her eyes were a dark brown, and she had several freckles adorning her face.

" I'm...great," Kin replied, taking one final gasp of air.

" Alarm clock troubles?" Botan asked, grinning suddenly. Kin gave her a glare, before sitting up and turning her attention to the front of the room. It's not just that damned alarm clock, it's me, too. My power is seeping out through the night, Kin thought to herself. It's causing the alarm clock to go off. Damnit, I wish I could just-

" Good morning, class!" Mrs. Roberts said, interrupting Kin's thoughts.

" Good morning, Mrs. Roberts," the class replied in a dull unison.

" I'd like everyone to take out a pencil and paper. Today we'll be reviewing gerunds, present and past participles, and starting on our..."

Kin pulled out her pen and paper, and slouched down over her desk. Another jolly day at school, Kin thought.

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The rest of Kin's classes remained uneventful, but she found herself on the edge of her seat waiting for the lunch bell to ring. At the first little ding, Kin was up and out the door. She raced through the hall, down the stairs, and to the head of the lunchline. Getting her usual cheeseburger, fries, water, and cookie, Kin took her seat at the usual table. Kin had an unusual appetite for Western foods, which she bought everyday since she had entered high school. As she sat and waited patiently for her other friends to take their seats at the table she saw the tall vice principal stalking over towards the lunchline. Kin glared at the hook-nosed woman who had been dubbed the Bird Lady by the group Kin hung out with. Kin's friend Fujimiya Rei arrived at the table first and sat her tray on the table.

" There goes the Queen of the Bitches. Probably going to send someone to Hell because of an untucked or unbuttoned shirt, or maybe a uniform skirt that's too shirt," Rei muttered bitterly, seating herself across from Kin. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her eyes were an unnatural red color. Instead of wearing the uniform skirt like most other girls, she wore pants. She had a strong distaste for skirts, and said pants were much better and she'd never have to worry about people trying to peek at her underwear.

" You're right. She's going after Fuuma for having his shirt tail hanging out," Botan commented upon her arrival, sitting next to Kin. " Poor boy. He's not a bad kid, really."

" Hey, I could hook you two up, you know!" Yuukima Ruriko commented, sitting on Rei's left.

" Forget it, Sessho. I'm sure I can find someone better," Botan commented. Ruriko hated her name, and so she had made everyone call her Sessho by ignoring them if they called her Ruriko. Finally, everyone became more comfortable with the name and Sessho became her permanent nickname. She usually kept her hair in a ponytail like Kin, though her hair was only shoulder length and was a chestnut brown. Sessho had long, sharp nails and her eyes werea deep brown with golden flecks.

" Well, the offer's always on the table," Sessho said. " Why were you guys talking about Fuuma anyways? He's not that great."

" We were actually talking about how he was being victimized by Mrs. Parr. She's such a-"

" Sh! She's coming!" Kin hissed. Everyone went silent as the Bird slid past their table, glancing at them with a look of disgust. Kin felt the familiar ki of a demon with the woman, and she grew slightly cold. She was suddenly more alert and she looked around fearfully.

" What is it, Kin?" Sessho asked in worry.

" Katone and Mihara! Where are they!?" Kin asked. Sensing the alarm in Kin's voice they all scanned the cafeteria for their friends.

" We're right here!" Kin quickly turned to see her friends Hajisawa Mihara and Sasaki Katone standing with their trays in their hands, lookign at her in concern.

" What's up with you?" Katone asked.

" Er...Nothing! Nothing at all! Just worried you...got crushed by the line! That's...that's all...N-now sit on down so you can eat!" Kin said, her voice a little shakey. Both girls nodded and sat down, Katone on the other side of Botan and Mihara next to Sessho. Mihara had dark brown hair that reached the center of her back and her eyes were a gentle purple. Katone, on the other hand, had deep blue eyes and dark hair that reached the center of her neck. She commonly wore glasses, but on very rare occasions she wore contacts. Kin internally let loose a sigh of relief once her friends were safely seated at the table. That woman...she's...she's a demon? Or mayeb she's just a shell... Kin wondered. Even as she immersed in conversation with her friends, the though nagged at the back of her mind. Once lunch was over, the girls seperated and returned to their classes. On the way back, Kin reached a conclusion regarding the girls' safety. Until they know their powers, I can't let any harm come to them. I'll just have to keep a closer eye on them, especially with Parr around. I'll have to ask Zima if he knows anything about her once I get home.

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At the end of the day, Kin met her entire group downstairs and they all walked to the gates of the school together. They stood there for almost two hours, chatting and playing around until they were ushered from the grounds by the principal. Mihara and Sessho turned right, and then Katone, Rei, and Botan took the left, all waving goodbye to one another. Kin, now alone, crossed the street and headed towards her hoem as quickly as possible. She was glad she had brought her coat, for the weather had gorwn even colder than this morning. After entering her house from the nine minute walk, Kin was practically frozen. She slid her shoes and jacket off, placing them in the appropriate places, after shutting the door and walked down the hall and into the living room. She seated herself in a red velvet chair that sat right in front of the tv, which had been turned on and was on the news channel. An image of a burned building flashed onto the screen and Kin watched it with interest, leaving her off guard as someone slipped into the room. He moved quickly and quietly, and before she knew what had happened he had his arms wrapped around her shoulders in a hug. Reflexively, Kin grabbed one of the arms, pulled the man over the back of chair, and slammed him onto the ground in front of her.

" Zima, you jackass!" Kin shrieked, pulling her legs to her chest.

" I didn't mean to frighten you..." the boy apologized, looking up at her from the ground. "...but you didn't have to toss me to the ground!"

" Well, you deserved it! You should be lucky I didn't decide to unleash my real power. You'd be dead for sure if that happened," Kin commented. Zima gracefully flipped back up, and stood over Kin. He had dark gray hair, and his eyes were an immense gold. He had one thin red mark on each cheek that looked like a small cut, and he had sharp, pointed teeth. His ears were pointed and looked Elven, and he had a long dark gray tail that swished about every few seconds. He was dressed in a black sweater and black pants, and around his neck was a rosary made of chain links and small red beads.

" Maybe, but I don't think you have enough control over your power to have done that," Zima said, grinning. " You probably would've shattered the tv if you'd tried!"

" Shut up!" Kin hissed through clenched teeth. " Why are you in that form, anyways? Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if anyone saw you!?"

" Yes, but I've had the curtains closed all day so no one would see!" Zima replied.

" I don't care if the curtains are closed! It's still a bad idea, so change back!" Kin ordered.

" Well...I suppose if I must I must-"

" You must! So change!" Kin said. Zima closed his eyes and moved his hands in a circular fashion once before he began to form a chain of signals with his hands. Suddenly, the rosary around his neck glowed brightly, engulfing him in a blinding light. When the light died his gray hair had turned black, but stayed the same length, and was in a loose ponytail. His eyes were now a dull brown and the marks on his face had diappeared, along with his tail.

" Better?" Zima asked, his hands returning to his sides.

" Yes," Kin answered. " Just don't change again unless I say you can."

" You look a little flushed. Are you feeling ill?" Zima asked, leaning towards her face.

" Could it possibly be that I'm cold!? No, that couldn't be it," Kin replied sarcastically. Zima left the room and quickly returned with a blanket. He wordlessly wrapped the blanket around her and turned to leave again.

" Zima...! I'm...I'm sorry I was like that...I didn't mean to be mean," Kin apologized softly. Zima turned around and gave Kin a reassuring smile.

" It's alright. I shouldn't worry so much, anyways," Zima said, walking over to rub Kin's head.

" Zima..."

" Yes?"

" Could you...stop petting me?"

" Oh yeah...sorry," Zima pulled his hand away quickly. There was an awkward silence and the two averted one another's eyes.

" Erm...I have something I want to ask you," Kin said suddenly, looking up at him.

" What about?" Zima asked.

" I feel the presence of a demon whenever my assistant principal, Mrs. Parr, comes anywhere near me," Kin answered. " I fear she's being possessed by a demon that could pose a threat to my friends."

" A demon you say?" Zima's face darkened. " This is disturbing. We haven't recieved any reports of a demon in the area, so this means it has managed to get past our defences. How troublesome."

" Does that mean they really are in danger?!" Kin cried, her eyes widening. " They're almost completely defenseless! I mean, their powers haven't even been awakened and no normal human can match a demon! We have to kill it before-"

" Kin!" Zima bellowed. Kin went silent and stared down at the carpet. Zima sighed and crouched down so he could look her in the eyes, and began in a much softer voice. " We can't just go rushing into things like that. First, we'll have to provide suitable evidence that Parr is a demon or is being controlled by one before we can make our move. Do you understand?"

Kin nodded silently, and one tear made its way down her cheek. Zima wiped it away with one of his fingers, causing Kin to blush slightly.

" Zima...am I a bad person...?" Kin questioned.

" What do you mean?" Zima asked in surpise.

" You know...for not telling them about...about what's inside of them...?" Kin asked, standing up. Zima chuckled and hugged Kin briefly.

" No, Kin. You're a little brash at times, but you're not bad," Zima said reassuringly. " Besides, you're protecting them from something potentially harmful at this point in time. If they were to discover their powers now it could be disasterous. They've had no prior training and so they'd have no idea how to control their power."

" Oh...I see," Kin replied. " How about we watch a movie?"

" Sure!" Zima said, seating himself on the couch by the chair's right side. " How about we watch...the 'Princess Blade'?"

" Sure. What's it about?" Kin asked.

" It's an action/drama movie, I think. It's about this girl who's an assassin and is trying to escape her past, but her old comrades are hunting her down," Zima replied. Kin glared at him. " What!? Why are you looking at me like that!? I swear, I'm not trying to create a comparison, here!"

" Just play the damn movie," Kin muttered, turning her attention back to the tv. Zima did as he was told and used the clicker to change the tv to the right channel.

At least forty minutes into the movie Kin felt like she was back outside again, even though she was still tightly wrapped in the blanket. She looked up and saw she was sitting directly under an airconditioning vent. She bared her teeth at it and softly snarled at it. Zima, noticing her discomfort, interjected quickly.

" I'm sorry for not warning you, but the heater's been broken since this morning I'm afraid, and the AC wont turn off," Zima said. " Would you like to come sit over here? It's warmer and farther away from the vent."

" I'm fine where I am," muttered Kin.

Barely eight minutes later, Kin had complied with Zima's request and was now seated rather closely to him on the couch. While grumbling about how she had to share a couch with a baka demon, Kin had to agree that Zima was right. It was warmer over here. Neither one knew when it happened exactly, but Kin winded up with her head on Zima's chest, and Zima's arm was wrapped around Kin's shoulder. During this time Zima was blushing, but it went unnoticed due to Kin having fallen asleep. The movie's ending was a truly wonderful one. The main character, Yuki or Yukihime, finally managed to get revenge upon the assassin who killed her mother, and was finally freed from her past. Zima smiled and looked down at the dozing Kin.

" Two of a kind," he whispered softly. He checked the clock on the wall and saw that it was nine o'clock. Time for bed. He gently lifted Kin up from the couch and took her to her bedroom. Once there he gently laid

Kin down on her futon, and pulled her covers onto her.

" Good night," Zima whispered. He flipped the lights out and was about to leave when Kin's voice sounded in his ears.

" Zima...thank you," Kin said, her eyes remaining closed. " I'm glad you're here with me."

" I am, too," Zima replied, blushing a little. " Now, go to sleep."

" Mmm..." Kin drifted back into sleep as Zima closed her bedroom door. Once out in the hall Zima stood in front of the door for a few minutes, listening to Kin's breathing through the door.

" To escape the past is to sacrifice the future," Zima whispered. It had been a phrase used in a preview for the Princess Blade he'd seen earlier, and he was also quite sure it had been used in the movie also. The words had so much symbolism towards Kin it was almost disturbing. Yukihime: the girl trying to forget her past, and Kin: the girl trying to flee her past, Zima said to himself. He smiled and whispered a few more words before going to his own room.

" Good night...Yukihime."

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Sooooooooooooo...did ya like it!? 'Tis my firsy story to post! Is it good!? I'll accept all comments, good or bad, and also suggestions! The people in my story are based on my real friends and will eventually come to revolve on real events that have occurred. And yes, Mrs. Parr is our real assistant principal, and damnit does she look like a bird! If you saw her you'd probably be freaking out, going, "Agh! A bird in the school! A bloody bird! Look at it fly!" *ahem* Anyways...excuse my insanity...well...this had a tad of fluff in it, but expect it in future chapters, because this is partially a Romance fic, and there will be developing relationships throughout the course of this story. But never fear, there will also be more action, too! Well, thanks for reading! Bye bye!