Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Eyes of Sapphire ❯ Mysterious Fog and the Disappearing Act ( Chapter 8 )

Yo! Sorry for the delay…I've been grounded from the internet!!! Haha! That sux! Oh well, I've been writing lots. I shall continue now, before you guys kill me… Please R&R!!!!! okay…here we goes:

 

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“I new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

John 13:34-35

 

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Aoi blinked her eyes open into darkness. The light coming the small window was weak. “Is it still that early?” she thought. But a quick look at the clock changed her mind. It was two o' clock in the afternoon! She jumped out of bed and changed her clothes. She had slept nearly fourteen hours last night, and had hardly left the room the past few days. That night at the dance had made her very reserved, and she was sure that Hitomi must be wondering how she is.

 

Five days had passed since the night of the dance. Midori and her had spoken very little, and she spent as much time as she could with Hitomi and Ryoku, since Midori seemed to back off when she was with friends. Hitomi and her had been talking and becoming very close friends. Aoi had told her all about her life and her relationship with Midori. Hitomi was beginning to come to a better understanding of Aoi's desire to change him because as wild as it seemed, his salvation seemed possible. As it was going thus far, however, all did seem hopeless.

 

After changing and fixing up a bit, Aoi headed for the door, only to find a note stuck to the door handle.

 

“What's this?” she asked, picking up the slip of paper.

 

Afternoon, sleepy head. Get up and

put a jacket on, it's kind of cold out

here. Don't fall down the stairs on

your way up.

~Midori

 

“Don't fall down the stairs!?! Jerk,” she mumbled, pulling a jacket out of the closet. She put it on and headed down the hall to the deck. Everything sure seemed quiet. She looked down every hall she passed, and even glanced around before heading up the stairs. Under her feet, she could hear the wooden stairs creak. As she neared the door to the deck, she could feel the cold from the outside penetrating through the wood. She was suddenly overcome with dizziness. She reached out and grabbed the stair rail, and closed her eyes. She could feel the ship swaying, and suddenly the declivity of the stairs was too much for her to handle and she fell down a few steps to her butt on the floor below.

 

“Ow!” she exclaimed, “That jerk…he jinxed me!” She stood up and gathered her bearings, then started up the stairs once more. Once at the top, she lifted up the door and popped her head up onto the deck. To her surprise, she was met by a wall of moist whiteness. Her glasses quickly fogged up so that seeing through them was impossible, had there been anything to see. Aoi walked onto the deck a little father. She realized that she was walking through an incredibly dense fog. Around her, she could hear sailors talking and shouting.

 

“How are they steering the boat, I wonder?”

 

Just then, she bumped into a person.

 

“Oops!! I'm so sorry!” she exclaimed, a bit startled.

 

“Good morning, sleepy head!” a friendly voice replied. She closed in a bit on the face of the person she was talking to.

 

“Hitomi!” Aoi said, relieved.

 

“It's so late in the day now, are you okay? You slept for so long! That's not like you.”

 

“No, I'm fine.” She paused. “What's going on?”

 

“They think we've neared the island. We may be able to get off the ship soon. That means you and Midori will be able to continue your search for the Time Crystal.”

 

Aoi nodded a bit sadly. True, she wanted to get home, and they did need the Time Crystal to make that happen, but she would have to leave Hitomi and even Ryoku and be with Midori for the remainder of their excursion. Entertaining that thought made her somewhat nauseous.

 

“What's wrong, Aoi? Isn't that what you and Midori are doing?”

 

“Yes,” she replied quietly.

 

There was a short pause between the friends. Suddenly, a loud horn sounded from over them. They ducked, unsure of what exactly was ensuing.

 

“LAND HO!!!” a voice rang over the whole of the ship.

 

And there was much rejoicing.

 

“You hear that, Aoi!! Land! We've made it!”

 

“I'm mute, not deaf. Everyone this side of the galaxy heard that!” she shouted, unplugging her ears. People and abadoos alike came running up from the inside of the ship onto the deck. They all ran around like blind men, screaming and laughing. The long journey across the ocean had come to an end.

 

It turned out that the Hayo Tachikotsu had been on the water for over two weeks. Hitomi said that it was nothing compared to some of the voyages she had been on, but for such a huge ship with so many passengers, it was a relief to hit land. Many of the crew and passengers went onto the island as soon as they could. The island lacked a dock, so leaving the ship afar and riding in lifeboats was the only option. There did not seem to be anyone else on the island besides them, either, since there were no buildings or houses, not even any other boats around. The island seemed to be completely empty. The only sign that life had ever existed there was an old wooden sign that was sticking out of the sand on the beach that read “Toki no Sawa.”

 

“Alright! Let's get onto the island! The crystal is bound to be there somewhere!” Midori exclaimed, climbing into a boat. He looked back up and Aoi, waiting for her to jump into the boat with him. “What is it, Jajauma? Are you scared of jumping or something? Come on! Let's go!”

 

Aoi stared at him for just a moment. “I don't want to go onto that island…it creeps me out. If the Time Crystal is there, then come back and get me when you find it. He'd do that, at least…Wouldn't he?” Then she turned and walked back onto the deck.

 

“You idiot!” Midori shouted, “You gotta come if you want to go home!”

 

“Midori!” Ryoku yelled back, suddenly standing against the rail looking down over Midori, “If Aoi wants to stay on the boat, then let her! She doesn't have to go with you and your stupid ass face onto that island if don't want to.”

 

“You wanna come down here and say that again, pal?”

 

“Like I'd waste my time talkin' to you.”

 

“Are you guys getting' in the boat or what?”

 

“Screw off!” Ryoku shouted back.

 

“Whatever, but if I find the Time Crystal…”

 

“If you leave without her, then I swear to God that I'll come after you a personally kill…”

 

Aoi reached out and grabbed Ryoku's arm, giving him a look that told him to shut up. He stepped backwards, not giving Midori another thought.

 

“Don't worry,” said Hitomi, coming up from behind them and throwing a bag down into the lifeboat, “I'll keep an eye on him.” She jumped down into the boat and gave Midori a smirk. “He won't go anywhere.”

 

Midori steamed angrily over the girl sitting next to him. “Yeah right…”

 

“Don't waste my time talkin' to me!” she snapped.

 

“You're the one who got in the boat with me! If don't like it then go somewhere else, you sure as hell ain't wanted here!”

 

“You better shut your face and start rowin' if you ever wanna get to that island with any male dignity. Cuz I can take it away from ya, all ya gotta do is run your stupid mouth then I swear, you're gonna be wishin' it was someone else in the boat. You'll be scared `a' me, boy.”

 

Midori sighed and rolled his eyes.

 

Then, with a complete change of character, Hitomi smiled up at Ryoku and Aoi. “Mata ne! Take care! We'll be back before long!”

 

Aoi leaned over the rail and waved at her friend, and watched as the boat was lowered toward the water. Before they got to far down, however, they left Aoi's view because of the thick fog. Aoi smiled at them one last time before turning around.

 

“I'm glad Midori's got someone there to shut him up.” There a was a silence. Aoi waited for Ryoku to speak as the stood there, looking out into the vast whiteness. Finally, she gave up and spoke herself, “So, Ryoku…” she began. “Ryoku?” She was alone. She looked around through the mist, but saw no one but the few sailors that had yet to leave the ship. She wandered around blindly for a few minutes, having nowhere to go and no one to talk to. She listened as the last of the sailors left the ship and headed for the island. Soon, she was practically alone on the deck of the huge pirate ship. She wandered up to the bow of the ship where she could hear the people talking from the shore. She stayed in the cold, not wanting to go back inside because, though warm and clear, it was also dark, lonely, and quiet. She found a large crate and sat down, listening to the chatter of the people.

 

She sighed, “I wonder where Ryoku got to? He didn't go on shore, did he? I thought he stayed here with me…oh well, no sense wastin' time thinking about it. I wonder wha…”

 

All of a sudden, there was a loud crash. Aoi stood up and walked in the direction of the noise. “I hope no one's hurt!” “Hello!” she called, “Is everything okay??”

 

She waited, but there was no reply.

 

“Hello?” She stood perfectly still, squinting to try and see if she could see anyone walking around. “That's strange.”

 

Aoi made her way back to the crates that she had been resting on. She sat down and listened again, this time much more ardent than before, as if she was listening with a purpose. Was she alone on this ship or not? The silence was deafening, and it was beginning to cause her ears to ring. Every so often, she would hear the creaks that the massive wooden ship would make, but that was all she heard. There were no more sounds.

 

“Guess I was just imagining things,” she thought.

 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

 

What was that? Footsteps?

 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

 

The noise continued.

 

“It's getting closer…” she thought, “Oh my gosh! Someone's coming toward me!!”

 

Suddenly the footsteps died away into the distance until Aoi was no longer able to hear them. “What am I getting freaked out for?” she said, reassuring herself, “So there's someone else on the boat! It's not like everybody left to go to the island…hahaha, right! So I'm okay!”

 

THUMP!

 

“AHHH!” she screamed.

 

A loud thud right next to her sent her incoherently into a ball on the floor. She shivered from utter shock and fear as she opened one eye to try and see what it was that had happened. She could not see a thing because of the fact that it was foggy and she was holding her glasses, not wearing them. She took the sleeve of her jacket and rubbed the condensation from her glasses and put them back on her face. She blinked and looked around. All she could make out was the shadow of the crates she had been sitting on. She pulled herself to her feet and leaned on the crates as she looked around.

 

Behind her, she heard the sound of small feet scurrying across the floor. She jerked her head around to look, jumping back to sit on the crate so that her feet would not touch the floor. Through the fog, she saw the shadow of something dart quickly through the air. She gasped silently, closed her eyes, and leaned back into the crate behind her as if it would protect her from what ever it was that was on deck with her. All seemed peaceful as it was, and so Aoi opened her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

 

“Get a hold of yourself, Aoi!” she thought, “It's probably just a rat or something…yeah. A really big, fast rat that walks on two feet…yeah right. But whatever it is…it's okay! Maybe someone's just playing a trick on me to freak me out. That's it!!! If that little…” Aoi seethed with anger for a moment, then stood up and walked away from the crates into the fog. “If that's you Midori, I'm going to SO kill you when I find you!” Aoi paused and realized that she had started talking. “Oh well, to late now…what's he gonna do anyway? I have Hitomi and Ryoku now…I don't have to depend on…”

 

Suddenly Aoi heard a sound behind her. She turned around to see the faint shadow of another person standing no more than ten feet away. Aoi stood in fear for just a moment. “Wha…Who is that?”

 

For just a moment, both Aoi and the stranger stood perfectly still. Aoi was too scared to even breathe, let alone speak. Her trepidation captivated her, and her wild imagination was rummaging through all the things that could possibly happen. Who is this guy? Does he want to kill me? Is it a friendly stranger? What if… But Aoi's thoughts were cut off as the dark shadow slowly drifted toward her. Aoi took half a step back, and made a small vocalization just out of pure fear, it was just enough, however, to spook whatever it was that was there with her as it flew toward with unparallel speed. Aoi screamed and took another step back, as if it would save her, tripping over her feet and falling flat on her front side. Her glasses fell off her face in the process, and Aoi could no longer see, even what little she had been able to in the dense fog. She lay with her hands over her head, quivering on the ground for just a moment.

 

When all was once again silent, Aoi sat up and looked around. She realized that her glasses were gone and felt around on the ground to find them.

 

“If I can't see anything, then I'm certainly in trouble…” The fog made searching for them even more difficult. “Well at least that THING--whatever it was--is gone.”

 

But Aoi had spoken too soon. She jumped as she heard more footsteps around her. She listened, but could not for the life of her tell where they were coming from. She sped up her hand, out of panic, that was quietly searching the deck. After a minute, she gave up and rose to her feet. She could find them later after the fog had lifted, anyhow.

 

Then Aoi gasped and jumped. She heard something; a voice maybe? A sound that was deep and ominous. It was so distant, and Aoi swore she could hear it echoing over the waters.

 

“He…Hello?” Aoi stuttered, “Is-is anyone th-there?”

 

The deep voice grew just a bit louder.

 

“Ca-can I he-help you? Uh-maybe? Hello?”

 

The low mumbling voice grew louder and it sounded as if it were drawing nearer. It finally reached a volume that Aoi could make out what it was. It was a voice, a deep daunting laughter. Aoi shrank back down to her knees as the laughter grew louder and more threatening.

 

“My dear child…” the voice boomed.

 

“Who-who are you?”

 

For a moment, the voice did not reply.

 

“Hello?” Aoi softly spoke.

 

“Come,” it boomed finally. “Come and follow me.”

 

“Who are you?” Aoi asked, raising her voice a bit.

 

“Follow me…”

 

Aoi stood back, seeing that the voice did not seem like much of a threat to her physical health. “Tell me who you are! And what's going on! Why should I follow you?”

 

“Motohashi-sama—come with me.”

 

“I don't know who you are…” Aoi said quieter than before.

 

“Turn around,” voice seemed to whisper, though it was still an almost deafening sound.

 

Aoi filled with an overwhelming panic. She slowly turned her head to reveal the dark shadow standing only inches over her. She stood frozen for a split second before letting out a blood-curdling scream. She took off running with her eyes closed, no that they did her any good under the circumstances. She could hear the thing coming after her.

 

“Oh God!!! God, help me! I'm going to die! This Thing's going to eat me! Help me! Ryoku! Hitomi! Midori!” “Somebody! Please help me!!!”

 

Suddenly, Aoi forgot she was running blindly and found that the flat ground did not continue forever. She tripped over something and flew back onto the deck several yards away. She looked back, the shadow still not far behind her. However, it stopped in the place it was, watching her as she lay on the ground. She took a runner's stance before sprinting off again, the creature not far behind her.

 

She covered her eyes with one hand and held the other out in front of her, just so she would not run into a rail, pole, or wall face-first. She could still hear the shadow only a little ways behind her.

 

“I wonder if it is able to see me,” she thought, “because of the fog…”

 

She kept running, looking around for maybe a hint of something she could hide behind. Her eyes filled with tears as she felt the strange creature closing in.

 

“Come with me!” it called.

 

“I don't want to! I'm scared! Leave me alone!”

 

“Leave here! Come away with us!!”

 

“Why does everyone want me to leave…Ryoku, this guy…” “I don't want to leave!” Aoi shouted back. Unfortunately, her outstretched hand was not enough to keep her from tripping. She found more crates with her legs, and tumbled over the top of them on the ground below. She sat, stunned in silence and watched as the shadow creature leaped of the crates and kept running. He, no doubt, had not heard her fall. Aoi didn't move for a few minutes. And, as it seemed, the deep voice and the creature had both disappeared for the moment, so she took advantage of the down time, and caught her breath. She weakly stood up and reached out her hand, once again, to find a solid structure to lean on.

 

After taking a few steps, Aoi turned her head at the sound of something approaching. She looked left, in the direction of the sound, and saw nothing, then realized that it was coming from both directions. Oh no! I'm surrounded! She turned and looked right, seeing the shadow creature impending her once again. She closed her eyes and reached out further, trying to find something—anything! Suddenly, someone (or something…) grabbed her hand and yanked her forward. She screamed as she fell. A hand covered her mouth and she tried to scream louder, as what ever it was pulled her into itself. Then she felt something run past her, and opened her eyes to find the Shadow Creature gone.

 

“Shut up, will ya…it's gonna hear you!”

 

Aoi closed her eyes, almost in tears. Her heart rate was going at an ungodly speed. She was scared; terrified. She buried her face into the side of her savior, crying. She was still holding tightly to the hand that had reached out and saved her, and had the other arm wrapped around the person. After she had slowed her heart and caught her breath, she raised her eyes to see who it was that had saved her; pulled her into a doorway and saved her from the Shadow Creature. She opened her mouth to say thank you, but immediately shut it again and let go of the hand, slowly backing away.

 

It was Midori.

 

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A/N: This chapter was kinda short. Oh well. R&R!!!! Till next time, Jaa!

 

Next Chapter: Into the Heart of the Forest; Secrets Revealed!