Fan Fiction ❯ Project M.I.S.T.: Chikyuu ❯ What Are All These Visions? Mizuiro's First Senkyouden Encounter! ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: As I stated before, this story is totally original. If you have any questions, email me at souzou_ketsuna@hotmail.com, or leave a review with the question and your email and I'll write back. Please do not write to the email given in the previous chapter.

"Mama! I'm back from the store!"

Mizuiro let out a loud sigh as she placed the grocery bag down onto the floor. After saying good-bye to Seiei who had made sure she managed to climb the balconies with no problem, she closed the door behind her and kicked her shoes off her feet. She then pulled on her slippers and walked into the living room slowly, hoping to drop off the groceries and make it back to her bedroom before her mother saw her face. The effort was shot down in failure however, when she suddenly heard the shocked gasp of Akiraka as she ran over to her in a panic.

"Oh my god!" she cried out, "Your lip is bleeding! And you're bruised up badly! Were you attacked on the street?"

Giving a slow nod after a few moments of hesitation and realizing she would not be able to go to her room until the foster parent was well informed of what caused her injuries. Mizuiro walked over and sat down on the couch, lowering her gaze to the floor as she held her left elbow with her right hand. Akiraka then left the room, but came back just as quickly with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a small first aid kit and a wet face cloth, discouraging the blue haired teen's thoughts of escaping to her room.

"Tell me everything that happened."

Hesitant at first, Mizuiro looked at her mother and saw the concern in her eyes as she sat down. She had no choice but to nod and cave in. After all, she knew the two of them had a close bond, one where they could talk about anything, and one where no secrets could be kept for long between them. Somehow it seemed from Mizuiro's past experience, each had been able to discover hidden aspects about them after not too long.

"Alright, Mama, I'll tell you everything."

"Thank you sweetie." She smiled as she sat down beside the young daughter of hers. "You can explain while I clean up this wound on your lip."

Giving a smile, Akiraka then poured a small amount of the rubbing alcohol into her cloth, then slowly dabbed against the side of Mizuiro`s mouth as she began to relay the recent events demanded of her. She quickly hissed from pain, almost pulling back to make distance between herself and the liquid substance, but she knew that what didn't kill her would only make her stronger. Shoving down all the negative aspects, she attempted to ignore as much of the pain as she could as she began her explanation.

"Okay . . .I was coming home from the store, and I took my usual route to get back here. Then these three creeps, who totally despise me, attacked me. I passed out from fear, but the next thing I know this strange man wearing a cloak and black clothes was kneeling in front of me, saying it would all be okay soon or something.

"Then what?"

"I then seemed to fall asleep, and then I wake up to Seiei, worried if I was okay or not. I then found this strange diamond in my closed fist. I don't know where it came from, but I think the stranger might have given it to me on purpose."

As she finished, Mizuiro suddenly winced from another sudden burning sting brought about by the rubbing alcohol as it continued to take effect. Frowning, Akiraka removed the cloth a few moments later, thus proving she had done as much as she could to help the wounds heal. She then placed a small pad of gauze onto the lip wound before using a piece of gauze tape across it to keep it in place.

"There, it will heal just fine." she stated calmly. "By the way, can I see the object that the stranger dropped? Especially if it is a diamond."

"Okay."

Mizuiro nodded again, then dug around in one of the pockets of her overalls until she discovered the strange diamond shaped object. After pulling it out, she placed it into Akiraka`s hand, who studied it carefully before standing up from the couch.

"I'll return it before you go to bed sweetie. I just want to study its mineral makeup very quickly. Curiosity has grabbed my mind once again it seems." The young woman laughed quietly to herself before realizing what was most important at the time. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure. "You make sure not to do anything that will disturb that wound. You want it to heal quickly."

"Okay Mama." said Mizuiro, not being able to help but smile at her mother's attention.

"So this stranger just saved you from Kyo, Haruka, and Tama, and you show your gratitude by falling asleep?"

Sitting on her bed at her house, Moroi wore a pair of yellow pajamas as she held a silver colored phone to her ear, shaped perfectly to resemble a crescent moon. Her hair was completely and uncharacteristically down and out of her hair accessories, except for one of her braid in the front, which hung from the left side. She reached her free hand up to it and pulled out the red elastic as she listened to the person on the other end.

"Yeah, but I couldn't help it Moroi. This strange sensation came over me and it lulled me to sleep," replied the speaker, who in reality was Mizuiro. "It was very strange indeed . . ."

"Sensation? That's weird."

"Yeah, but at the same time I felt safe, like I knew he wouldn't do anything to me. But do you want to know the strangest part?"

Moroi suddenly seemed very intrigued. What more was there to claim that was stranger than what had already been revealed? "What's that Mizuiro?" she asked.

"I felt like I knew that man. He seemed so familiar to me that it was scary."

On the other side of the conversation, Mizuiro seemed nearly ready for bed as well. Her pink ribbon was on her dresser, letting her hair hang down behind her as she sat at her desk. She wore a black tank top and tan colored shorts for her pajamas as she sat cross-legged on her bed, holding a phone shaped like a dolphin. Completely let down, her hair was revealed to truly be waist length.

"Like you knew him?" Moroi asked.

"Yeah. Say, do you think there's a small possibility that he could have been a relative?" Mizuiro asked, lost in her own thoughts as she continued to talk.

"I don't know Mizuiro, but I seriously doubt it. And I hate to sound negative," There was a quick pause in her words before she decided to continue once more. "But I'm seriously starting to doubt we'll all find out whom our real families are. If you want my opinion, I think we should just enjoy our lives the way they are." she explained.

"But Moroi, it's the dream of all of us to track down our real families when we get out of high school! Are you abandoning it?" Mizuiro demanded, gripping her phone tightly.

"I'm not abandoning the dream, I'm just returning to reality. The odds are slim, and do you really want to know what your real family is? They could be murderous thugs for all we know, and you were placed in the orphanage for protection!"

She knew it was the complete truth of the situation, yet Mizuiro couldn't bring herself to accept such a thing right away. She remembered that the two, plus Seiei, Enrai and Yama, had all vowed to locate and reunite with their real families. Through that plan, they also hoped to find out exactly why their circumstances caused them to be taken to the orphanages. A moment passed, and deep breath exhaled from Mizuiro. She knew Moroi was right. Maybe it was time to let go of the past, but not entirely.

"I guess you have a point Moroi . . .but yet I still need to know. I'm going to search for them in the future, but for now I'm going to try and locate the man who saved me, see who he is."

"Fine . . .I won't stop you. It would be like stopping the rivers from flowing," Moroi sighed, "But now I need to get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow at school."

"Okay, good-night Moroi."

Mizuiro sighed, staring at her phone for a few seconds before placing it back into a receiver that was shaped to resemble a blue wave of water. She then got up from the desk and walked over to her bed in the corner. As she pulled away the covers, Akiraka suddenly appeared in the doorframe and quietly knocked.

"Ready for bed?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Giving a nod, Mizuiro pulled back her covers further then climbed into bed. She pulled the sheets back toward her; Akiraka walked over to the nightstand and placed the small blue crystal onto it. A perplexed expression suddenly engulfed her face as the young geologist pondered about her results from earlier.

"Strange . . ."

"What's wrong Mama?" Mizuiro asked.

"It's this crystal. I didn't recognize any of its mineral structure at all. But it seems to be kind of strange sapphire."

"Hmm . . .I don't know then Mama. You more about this stuff than I ever will."

Smiling toward her foster mother in hopes that it would help her forget her troubles, Mizuiro was content to see Akiraka changing her facial expression to that of a smile as well. Sitting down on the bed, she looked around for a brief moment before coming to the conclusion that it wasn't that great a deal. She could look it over more another time.

"It's okay sweetie. You should get some sleep now. Tomorrow's another school day before the weekend right? And don't forget that I'm leaving tomorrow morning before you wake up, on an assignment for a week or so. I'll leave money for groceries, and Enrai isn't allowed to come over while I'm gone okay? Same rules as always."

"Okay Mama. Good night."

Smiling, Mizuiro then hugged her mother and lied down. Akiraka then headed out of the room and turned off the light, then closed the door behind her. Mizuiro then started at the ceiling for a couple of minutes before rolling over onto her side. She then fell asleep, leaving only the sounds of her clock's ticking to fill the room. Outside the room, the light in the hallway disappeared, causing the entire apartment to become engulfed in darkness.

As the seconds ticked away, there was suddenly a blue light that appeared within the room. Rising from the nightstand, the small sapphire was engulfed in a lighter shade of sapphire colored light as it slowly spun. It then emitted a singular beam of light that swept across the room, over every single object and centimeter of the walls, ceiling, and floor. After traveling over Mizuiro's bed, the light then disappeared and the crystal dropped down to land on the nightstand. However, a glittering light continued to surround it as the night slowly pressed on.

The next morning, sun shone through the window to Mizuiro's room. Her eyes suddenly twitched as the light hit them, stirring her awake. Smiling, she pushed the covers back, looking around the room for anything her mother might have left behind before leaving. She then pushed herself up and stretched out her arms, but suddenly cried out and clenched her teeth.

"My back!" she cried out.

She fell back down quickly, hissing from the sudden, yet unusual pain as she looked up at the ceiling. The pain was fierce and overwhelming she realized, as if fire had engulfed it and started to eat her back away.

"That's odd," she thought as the pain steadily grew worse. "Why would my back suddenly be in pain first thing in then morning? It only normally happens from too much lifting, according to my doctor. This doesn't make sense at all."

She lied there for a minute, barely able to move from the pain. She decided, after a few moments of suffering however, that she needed to bear the pain because she had a day of school coming up before the weekend. As she rose, she suddenly gasped, for she felt no pain at all. She was becoming curious and worried about the unfolding situation.

"What is going on here? Why did it disappear?" she pondered.

She stared into space for a few minutes, thinking about what exactly was going on. She climbed out of bed and headed over toward her closet, pulling out her uniform and laying it out. After letting out a yawn, she turned toward the nightstand that caused her to gasp again. The sapphire was still in its previous place from the night before, but now it was attached to a pink choker necklace. She reached over and picked it up, studying it carefully as the entire situation seen to make her suspicious.

"What is happening? Wait a minute; maybe mom did it before she left. That sounds like something she would do."

She smiled, but then frowned as she walked out of her room and toward the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way when she made a stop to the hallway closet. She decided to put it out of her mind as she entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. After about ten minutes, Mizuiro reemerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body with a second wrapped around her hair. She went into her room, and then exited after changing into her school uniform with her hair tied up into her usual ponytail.

"But then again, why did I have that sudden pain shoot through my back, only to have it disappear just as quickly? It's too strange." She tightened the ribbon, and then stopped to look into the hallway mirror. "Oh well, might as well put it out of my mind for today. I'll get through school, then deal with it when I get home."

Satisfied with her look, Mizuiro smiled and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apple and her school case. Stepping into the porch, she put on her shoes and walked out the door. She tossed her bags down onto a discarded mattress below, then kicked down the trapdoor to climb down the stairs to the bottom.

"What a vast city . . .yet too crowded."

Thousands of people filled the streets it seemed, heading to places of work or school as another morning was at hand. Still dawning her blood red cloak, Yuuku casually walked down the street in search for her targets. However, because of the large population of Tokyo, and because of the amount of land it took up, she was having more difficulty than she had anticipated.

"How does Makura expect me to locate eight teenagers within a city of millions?" she thought. "I swear . . .these humans multiply quicker than chimeras."

Her heeled boots clattered against the pavement as she walked, catching people's attention quickly before they returned to their usual business. Most were caught off guard by her yellow eyes, and others by what was visible of her orange hair. She simply ignored them and kept walking while looking around for anything out of the ordinary to her. But then again due to being in a foreign environment, everything seemed out of the ordinary.

"How pitiful. These people seem to mock and fear what is different from them. I do not understand why Mugendai chose to send those children here . . ."

Suddenly, she stopped as she came to stand beside a dark alley. Smiling to herself, she walked into it and continued until she was about half way in. She then looked at both exits to make sure the coast was clear. Success was clearly seen, causing her to smile once again. She knew humans had no magic and even cam to believe over their time that it only existed in fairy tales. She smirked at the thought.

"Now then, let's see if I can locate a Senkyouden today."

Yuuku unbuttoned the first two buttons of her cloak to reveal a blue broach with a golden rim, strapped onto a two-piece choker necklace. Leaning against the wall, she brought up her hands and held them open and on both sides of the jewel as a bronze light surrounded it. She then allowed her left hand to drop as she suddenly lashed out and grabbed the jewel, causing the energy to split apart and shoot in all directions. Her eyes remained closed through the entire display, until the light completely disappeared.

"There are two nearby . . .looks like things are finally going to get a little interesting on this little planet."

Standing straight up and turning toward to face the opposite direction, Yuuku began to walk away. However, she didn't even make it five steps before a hand lashed out and grabbed her cloak, throwing her off guard to the ground from the tension. She then turned around to see an ugly man with a blue eye and blond hair. His other eye was covered with a black eye patch. He as well wore torn and soiled clothes and wielding a switchblade, suggesting he was a street thug.

"What are you doing in my alley babe?" he demanded. "Maybe I should teach you a lesson in manners."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see your name anywhere . . ." Yuuku replied, smirking as she climbed to her feet. "But then again, I do not even know your name do I?"

"Don't be smart with me."

"Or else what?"

Smiling, Yuuku then reached her hand toward a part of her waist that was concealed by her cloak. The sound of metal being revealed soon followed before she suddenly jumped up and kicked the thug's hand, causing him to release her cloak. She then curled into a ball, as she seemed to be suspended in mid air, and then lashed out all body parts as bronze colored wings appeared from under the cloak. She then removed her hand from within it to reveal it was now holding a katana blade. The thug instantly panicked, then ran toward the alley's exit. However, he was suddenly stopped as Yuuku landed in his path.

"Oh dear, where do you think you're going? The fun is just beginning!"

"No it isn't! I'm out of here!"

The thug instantly climbed to his feet, and quickly ran off in the other direction until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Yuuku smirked for a few moments before releasing a loud taunting laugh that echoed throughout the entire alley. Folding her wings so the cloak could conceal them, she moved her katana so it could be placed back into its sheath, and slid it back inside.

"Human are such cowards. Makes me wonder if the Senkyouden children will be a challenge with such miserable influences . . ."

She then pulled her hood back onto her head to conceal her hair and face, and then continued down the alleyway and rejoined the crowded streets until she too disappeared from sight. Up above on the buildings, a shadow narrowed its eyes as a fist appeared. It slammed down against the brick, and then remained there as it shook with the being's anger. The fist was draped within a black fingerless glove.

"Why do we not just go down and destroy her!" shouted a female voice.

"Because we can't do it with our current abilities." said the other voice, which sounded male. "We need to find the children,"

Looking toward the woman who was draped in mauve colored clothes, the man was revealed to be the one who saved Mizuiro the night before on the streets. The purple colored eyes of the mysterious female were the only visible part of her face, while the male still only allowed his gold eyes to be seen.

"But what if Yuuku gets to them before we do? Then what will Queen Mugendai say?" she yelled.

"Trust me." he replied, keeping his calm exterior. "This is the best course of action. Besides, she sensed our auras with her power amplifier, remember? She sensed two of them, and they are us because we are the most clear."

"Okay."

"Now then, we should split up." The man scanned the city, realizing just how large the search area was really going to be. "Look for the power amplifier I dropped last night. We have to find it so we can locate the Child of Water."

"Understood." the female replied.

"Let's hurry. Time is running out, especially if the auras she sensed weren't our own . . ."

She nodded, then rose from her spot, then started walking away from the man. He then looked toward the horizon and allowed his wings to unfold. The stranger then raced toward the edge and leaped off, catching a gust of wind that allowed him to rise into the air and fly off to continue the search. Despite having an idea who it was, looking for the Child of Water was going to be like searching for a needle in a large haystack.

"Good morning Mizuiro!"

Waving to her best friend as she entered the school, Moroi ran down the hall and over to Mizuiro and flashed her well-known smile. She then frowned suddenly, as she felt something was wrong judging by Mizuiro's facial expression. The blue haired female seemed lost in thought, and her smile was missing from her face. The most obvious part of course, was the fact that she had yet to recognize the purple haired best friend.

"Hey Mizu, are you okay?" she asked.

"I guess so . . ."

Not slowing or hastening her pace, Mizuiro continued down the hallways of the school until she reached her locker. As she fiddled with the combination lock, Moroi walked over and leaned against her locker. She knew it was abnormal behavior for the best friend, and she decided on finding out exactly what was going on, and not rest until she did.

"Okay, what's wrong? The tone of your voice suggests something."

Letting out a sigh, Mizuiro leaned back and looked toward Moroi. She then closed her locker and turned to lean against the door. She was trapped, knowing she would have to talk about the night before after their argument about their real families. Taking a deep breath, she began to explain parts even she thought were confusing.

"Okay, it's basically like this. After I got off the phone, Mom brought back the crystal and said she couldn't recognize anything in its mineral structure. Then I went to sleep, but when I woke up I had a sudden stabbing pain in my back."

"Well that's nothing new. You've always had back problems, right?"

"Yeah, but this wasn't one of my normal pain surges. It lasted for a second or two, and then vanished. That and it wasn't provoked or anything."

"Weird." Moroi placed a hand to her chin as she thought about what was said. "What else?"

"Well, then I found the sapphire attached to a pink choker. I figured mom did it."

Nodding, Moroi crossed her arms and tilted her expression toward the ground. Mizuiro watched, but after a few minutes, she realized Moroi was spacing out again. The blue haired female could tell just by the expression on the purple haired girl's face. She grabbed her best friend's shoulders and shook them until Moroi snapped out of her trance and returned to reality.

"Woah, sorry about that." Moroi said, laughing nervously.

"How do you even do that?" Mizuiro asked.

"I don't really know. Just seems I can go visit the moon anytime, so to speak." Laughing, Moroi then gasped as she noticed the choker around Mizuiro's neck. She pointed to it and at her best friend. "Say, is that the crystal you found?" she asked.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"I think it looks totally awesome!"

Just then, the bell rang and everyone in the halls began scrambling, whether it was grabbing the last of the books, or running down toward their first classes of the morning. Both Mizuiro and Moroi released groans of annoyance and frustration, for the morning classes weren't really the top favorites on their lists. Mizuiro kneeled down to pick up her case and place the last couple of books into it.

"Man, I wish I didn't have to go to Chemistry. It's bad enough to have it, but first thing in the morning is really bad!" Mizuiro complained, standing back up from the ground.

"Well, I have Oceanology, but I'll talk to you in gym this afternoon, okay?" she asked.

"No problem. Later Moroi."

"Later!"

Waving, the two friends then parted and went in their separate directions. Mizuiro hummed to herself in content, hoping Sensei Dobashi wouldn't make the class do any labs. Suddenly, she stopped when she heard a strange noise. Looking around, she started to get nervous, especially since she suddenly realized that she was the only one standing in the hallway. Just then, she heard a crash from the second floor, which made herself jump off the ground in fright.

"What's that? It sounds like . . .rumbling?" she thought.

Just then, she suddenly froze as she heard another crash coming from behind her. She shook a little from fear, and then slowly turned around to see what could possibly be creating all of the commotion. Her eyes suddenly widened as a giant tidal wave appeared from the stairs and crashed into the wall. It then disbursed to continue down both directions in the hallway, but most of it seemed to head straight for Mizuiro. She cried out, then stepped back and watched as the wave continued toward her.

"Why is there a tidal wave in the hallway?"

Knowing she couldn't outrun the water, and seeing no other alternative, she quickly raised her arms to shield herself, waiting for the moment of impact. After a few moments, curiosity stuck Mizuiro, as she wondered why she wasn't being swept away yet. She then removed her arms, and gasped from fright and bewilderment, as she saw no trace of the tidal wave. It had vanished into thin air. She could feel her knees weakening, so she dropped her case and fell to the floor, just staring down the hall out of pure confusion.

"What just happened?" Her eyes widened beyond the point of comfort, but she didn't seem to notice. "I could have sworn that there was a tidal wave heading for me!"

Mizuiro was in a world of disbelief and bewilderment. Not able to believe what she saw, she began questioning the cause of the phenomenon before she questioned her own sanity. She continued to stare into space for a few more minutes with wide eyes, before the tardy bell started to ring. She panicked, then jumped up onto her feet and grabbed her case as she sped down the hall.

"OH NO! I'M LATE!"

The day passed slowly for Mizuiro it seemed, with herself being a nervous wreck, as she feared that she would see another tidal wave. As the day came to a close, Mizuiro had stayed behind because of a detention given to her by Sensei Dobashi for her tardiness. During the entire session she continued to sort out within her mind, the mysterious images of water and ice attributes she had witnessed earlier that day, including one she had seen during gym class when her entire body started to freeze over before the teacher regained her attention.

"This day has just been messed up at every turn," she said.

After a couple of hours, Mizuiro grabbed her books and started home. The sun was nearly ready to begin setting, so there was still a fair amount of light outside as she walked down the street alone. She passed by the masses without looking at their faces or giving a signal to those she may have possibly known from school or the museum where Akiraka worked.

"Why is my life starting to change so quickly? First that stranger saves me, then Moroi abandons our life long goal, and now I'm seeing these strange images of water and ice related images."

Stopping at a street corner, she sighed to herself as she remained still, watching people crossing the street as they were getting off work or coming from extra-curricular activities. She then joined the crowds and arrived to the other side of the street and looked toward the end of the road, and looked around. Suddenly, she laid her gaze upon a family across the street. She watched as the two children argued with each other, while the parents smiled and attempted to break them up.

"Now you two, stop arguing okay? We're nearly to the bus stop," the mother said, picking up the little girl.

"Yeah Yuka, stop arguing!" the boy teased.

"Make me Takato!" the girl yelled.

Memories flooded her mind as she watched the family before her. After a few minutes, Mizuiro realized that she was beginning to recall her memories of the orphanage and all of the other children like her. It was a time where even simplicity was the root of happiness there, especially through the eyes of who she and the others called their den mother, Chinsei Kiryuu.

"Chinsei, where did Kado go?"

There was a large group of children gathered around a woman with shoulder length black hair and green eyes as she tried to calm down all of them. She wore a pale yellow dress and wore a yellow headband in her hair. A warm smile was on her calm face as she kneeled down and one by one, patted or brushed the hair of each child.

"Kado was adopted this morning. The Nakamura Family came and adopted her." she explained.

"Do you think she will forget us?" a little girl asked.

"Of course not!" Chinsei replied.

As she continued to speak with then, three children left the group, one with long purple hair and maroon eyes, the second with short blond hair and blue eyes, and a third with short green hair and aqua colored eyes, and began walking over to Mizuiro's younger as she sat at a table next to the window, staring at the falling snow. Her hair was let down as she wore a green shirt and black pants. The other two then sat down and looked out the window with her.

"The snow is pretty," the girl said.

"Yeah . . ." Mizuiro replied absentmindedly.

"You look lonely. Do you want a friend?" the blond haired boy asked.

"Because we'll be your friends if you want." the girl said, flashing a big grin.

Looking away from the window, Mizuiro's eyes were slightly larger from the surprise that the other orphans actually wanted to be friends with her. She had only been at the orphanage for a couple weeks and in the whole time none of the other children had bothered to approach her in an attempt to befriend her. She smiled, hiding the shock she felt from the situation, and nodded to all three of them.

"Okay, let's be friends. I'm Mizuiro."

"Nice name. I'm Moroi."

"I'm Yama."

"And I'm Seiei."

Smiling, Mizuiro then pulled away from the window and turned to the others. Three smiles could be seen on their faces and it caused Mizuiro's smile to widen even further. She was happy, kids her age were finally talking to her and asking to be her friend! They then began talking about their similar dream, which was to find a family.

"Why?" she thought to herself. "Why do I let the past take over my life?"

Mizuiro's heart felt as if it was being pierced, sad that she couldn't remember hers at all. Tears filled her eyes, and not wanting to witness what she never had any longer, she turned and ran off in the opposite direction. He didn't care where she ran, just so long as she was running away, hoping she could escape all of her problems and her lonely past without her blood parents. She finally came to a stop when her legs could not run any further, where she looked around and laid her eyes upon an empty playground. Her eyes widened slightly as they began filling with tears once more.

"That playground . . ."

Waking up and completely soaked, a little girl with waist length blue hair and mauve colored eyes looked around to find herself under a large slide. Rain was pouring down and it was dark and cold. She sat up, and hugged her legs close to herself as she wore a white dress and a white headband.

"Where am I? Why can't I remember anything?"

Getting up, she wiped her tears with her sleeve as she wandered out into the rain. She then sat down on a swing and slowly went back and forth, wondering to herself if she was ever going to find someone to call a friend . . .

Mizuiro stood there silently as she reminisced, seeing the very swing she had sat on eleven years before. She could feel pain in her heart from knowing that whoever her parents were, they just abandoned her in the rain, leaving her to defend herself at such a young age. She then walked over and placed her school case on the ground, then sat down on the swing. She grasped both chain then started swinging back and forth very slowly as she stared at her shoes.

"Maybe Moroi's right . . ." she though. "Do I really want to meet the family who left me in the cold rain with no means of survival? I should just get on with my life and forget about them . . .I should forget everything from the past . . ."

Continuing to swing, Mizuiro failed to notice a shadow standing in the distant bushes of the playground, watching her with golden eyes. Suddenly, she looked up from the ground and toward the sunset, realizing something very important to her.

"But then," she thought, "I won't remember that one memory that makes me happy to have my current life . . .the day I was adopted . . ."

"What?" "You're being adopted Mizuiro. A woman named Akiraka Kashi came in and decided she wanted to adopt you out of all the others." As her eyes widened, Mizuiro displayed all signs of shock as Chinsei told her the news that had just come up. She kneeled down to be able to look in Mizuiro's face, but frowned as she saw tears within her eyes. The older woman frowned; despite seeing this scenario every time a child had to leave the others, she could not grow to be used to the emotion.

"What's wrong Mizuiro?"

"I don't want to leave! I don't want to leave Moroi, and Seiei, and Yama! I don't want to leave and be alone again!"

"It's okay sweetie. You will see Moroi, Yama, and Seiei again. Trust me, good things happen to good people," she said calmly. "Do you want to meet your new mother? She's waiting in the dining hall."

Shedding the tears, Mizuiro suddenly wrapped her arms around Chinsei's neck and began crying. Chinsei frowned, and then closed her eyes before hugging the little girl. Remaining silent, Mizuiro spoke not a word to reply to Chinsei's request. After a few moments, she leaned back and nodded in agreement, wiping her red eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay Chinsei."

After a few minutes, the doors to the dining hall opened and the two walked in, with Mizuiro walking behind Chinsei. Suddenly, the two stopped as they ran into Moroi, Yama, and Seiei, all wearing their best clothes while Yama held a box. They all smiled as she stepped out to stand in front of them.

"Chinsei says I have to leave. Someone's taking me away from here." she said, allowing her emotions to be heard clearly.

"We know. We all heard just now." Moroi said.

"We'll miss you Mizuiro." Seiei added.

"But cause you're our friend, we bought you a present." Yama said, holding out the tiny box. "We don't have a lot of money though, so we couldn't get you anything really pretty."

Holding out the box, Mizuiro's eyes slightly widened at the kind offer. She wasn't sure whether she should take whatever object they spent all of their money on, or simply refuse and thank then for their kindness otherwise. She then decided to take it, for she was scared of the possibility of not seeing her three best friends again. She slowly opened the box, and then gasped as she saw a pink hair ribbon inside. It looked new, as if it was never worn before. She removed it, and stared at it for the longest time before smiling. Tears flowed from her eyes as she hugged all three of them at once.

"Thank you! I won't forget any of you!" she said, still crying from the happiness she now possessed. The others smiled, then hugged back and started to cry too.

"I'm glad they cared so much for me . . .even that teinousha," she said to herself, allowing her speed to slow down as she looked up at the sky. "All three of them gave me hope . . .the hope that showed me we would meet again. And we did the following month at the elementary school . . ."

Smiling to herself, she wiped her eyes dry as she sighed from the warm feeling of her special memory. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound that emitted from the sky. Mizuiro heeded no attention toward it, for she was able to handle rain. However, a large surge of dark colored electricity appeared and crashed down near by. The force was so great that it flung her off of the swing and onto the ground, causing her to lose her senses for a second. She lied on the ground, eyes widened with fear as she refused to move.

"What was that?" she cried out. Suddenly, she heard a soft chuckling echoing all around her. She felt goose bumps as the voice suddenly began to speak.

"This will be too easy . . ."

Mizuiro quickly reacted; scrambling to her feet and grabbed her school case, but what she saw next out weighed all of her troubles and worries. Standing on a lamppost with her katana in hand was Yuuku with her bronze colored wings totally unfolded. Her cloak had been discarded beforehand, revealing her outfit to be a gray fighter gi decorated with green stripes and a red sash tied around her upper chest. On her arms were elbow length green gloves, and on her feet were long, knee high brown boots. Around her neck was her broach necklace, but she as well sported a belt with an identical piece of jewelry. Her yellow eyes were narrowed as her waist length orange hair blew in the breeze.

"I sense something from you . . ." Smirking, Yuuku closed her eyes and allowed her laughter to come out, causing Mizuiro's skin to acquire goose bumps. "Something very familiar indeed."

"What?" Mizuiro cried out, taking a step back from the assassin. "What do you want with me? What are you?" she asked.

This girl asks questions, so I shall give her the answers she desires. My name is Yuuku and I am an assassin who belongs to Kuroi-Sakaime. I am 18 years old, 172 cm tall, 48 kg, and my birthday is Era 4538, 90th year, 56th day. I currently don't have a specific food preference, but I do despise chocolate. My favorite flower is poison ivy, which makes a great deal of sense. Like all Senkyoudens, I have special abilities. Mine is to be able to use the eight elements. However, my personal preference is Lightning because of its speed. I will complete my mission for Kuroi-Sakaime and destroy all eight of the Senkyouden children brought here.

"I'm surprised. You truly don't know what I am, do you?"

Yuuku opened her eyes and frowned, her eyes still narrowed to show her nature. She leapt down from the post to land on the pavement, and then placed her katana back into its sheath. She then started to snicker as Mizuiro shook her head in disagreement, crossing her arms as it happened.

"Looks like Toki-Sori took great steps to attempt to ensure the safety of the eight of you, but in the end his attempts will have proven to be useless. I will find the other seven as I found you."

"I don't even know what you're talking about! Answer me!" Mizuiro shouted. Her clenched fists becoming tense at both her sides as she glared, and all Yuuku did was snicker some more.

"You really want to know what I am? Very well," Yuuku said. "I am a Senkyouden, who are the winged paladins and wizards. We use weapons and magic as people did in your world's Dark Ages. But enough talk, I must destroy you."

Smiling, Yuuku suddenly snapped her fingers and held them apart, allowing a surge of electric energy to appear between the spaces. Mizuiro's eyes widened as she witnessed the illogical sight before her, feeling fear building up inside of her. Just what was this woman . . .if she was a woman?

"How . . .how did you . . ." she stuttered.

"What? This little trick?" Yuuku asked, greatly amused at the situation. "It's my ability. Here. Sample some of it yourself."

She smiled, then opened her hand and closed it into a fist quickly, causing it to become entirely engulfed in the same electric energy. Mizuiro gasped as a sphere of energy shot forth and stuck her in the chest. She screamed, then dropped down to the ground and clutched her chest as pain shot through her body.

"How can she do that?" she quickly thought, "How can she suddenly generate an electrical current between her fingers? But then again . . . she isn't human. I have to do something!"

Looking around, she suddenly saw a few sharp rocks lying on the ground, which struck her with the only logical idea to fit the situation. Grabbing the stones, she jumped to her feet and threw them with all of her might. However, most missed Yuuku except for the sharpest one that sped by her face. However, it managed to leave a deep cut that emitted blood right away. She glared, and then snickered as she wiped the red substance away with a single finger.

"Very good, but that action will cost you dearly."

Stepping forward and beginning her advance, Yuuku continued to snicker as she walked toward her target. Mizuiro panicked, and knowing it wasn't a good idea to stick around any longer, she turned on her heel and began running away from the playground. Yuuku reacted quickly, grabbing her pendant and causing her eyes to flash a bronze energy. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck Mizuiro, forcing her to scream and incase her within an electrified dome. Unable to move, she dropped down to her knees and released her tears from the intense pain of the energy. Yuuku walked over, and then snickered as her sword slid into the electric field, with the tip just resting in front of Mizuiro's neck and below the diamond shaped sapphire.

"You're a threat to myself and my comrades. You must be exterminated."

As Yuuku removed her katana from the dome, a sudden dark gray mist appeared within the electricity and began to completely circle around Mizuiro. It then incased her within a shell like outer layer, which caused Yuuku to gasp. She instantly dropped the dome and attempted to run her katana through Mizuiro's body, but her form completely vanished before the action could be carried out. Yuuku clenched her teeth, and slammed her fist against the concrete in pure rage.

"Blast it! Toki-Sori must know as well. He's quicker than anticipated . . ."

Reappearing, Mizuiro remained stunned for a second, still under the impression that she was trapped within the electric dome. Once she realized she was free from it, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around, only to find herself in unfamiliar territory. She was in a deep forest it seemed, which wasn't allowing in much sunlight. The grass was a healthy shade of green and the trees were filled with beautiful flowers and leaves colored by the autumn season. She slowly climbed to her feet and surveyed the area, not being to believe all the events of the day so far.

"So now where am I . . .?" she whispered. "I do not remember ever seeing this place before . . ." "You're safe, don't worry." came a voice.

Spinning around, she suddenly gasped as she came face to face with the same stranger she had seen the night before, when Kyo, Haruka, and Tama had tried to attack her. She felt somewhat relieved, but still tense at the same time. He smiled, crossing his arms in front of him as he kept half of his body wrapped in shadows.

"It's been a long time," he said calmly.

Mizuiro slowly trembled with a slight fear of uncertainty, recognizing the voice, but at the same filled with a feeling of anxiety as she locked eyes with the cloaked stranger. Even thought his intentions the night before may have seemed good, she wasn't quite sure whether to calm down or fear for her life . . .