Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ KoKo ❯ Flight 1: The Life-Changing Wish ( Chapter 1 )

XxXxXxXx

KoKo

By: Melissa Norvell

Flight 1: The Life-Changing Wish

XxXxXxXx

Large, swinging double windows opened slowly as they were pushed apart by large, strong hands. The milky sunlight poured into the small apartment room and bathed the form of the spiky-haired man who stood in front of it, clad in a blue robe.

Sounds filled the room of outside noises, like traffic, the free moving air and the sounds of the local birds. Himitsu glanced over to the broad, thick tree branch that hung outside of his window. The leaves fluttered in the breeze as a small, brown and black bird that resembled a wren landed on the rough bark of the branch and hopped a few times, flicking its tail. The bird cocked its head and looked at the man with large, dark eyes.

"Just like clockwork. You never seem to be late," the man wore a peaceful look on his face, despite the fact that he never seemed to smile. Seeing the bird and listening to her song had always calmed his spirit. Her sound, while small, was soothing.

After he listened to the bird's song, he glanced towards the location of his shower and spoke. "Well, I'm going to get ready to go out and find a job. I can't afford the rent if I don't work," Himitsu seemed to be talking to the bird, who hopped a few more times before she fluttered her wings and flew away.

The blue-eyed man watched the bird with his usual expression- a frown plastered on his face but forlorn eyes. He gazed at the lone bird until she was far from his sights before he turned and retreated to the shower to start his day job hunting.

'He looks at me with such lonely eyes…I wonder what he's thinking as he watches me fly away?' The bird thought to herself as she flew through the open skies above the busy suburbs. 'He seems so lonely. I wished I could help him in some way…Even to see him smile would make me feel as if he has some joy in his life.' The bird's thoughts continued as she flew over the roof of a house and neared the man taller apartment complexes nearby. 'Maybe he needs a friend, someone who would understand him, someone who would light up his face with a smile. Yes, I believe that's what he needs- a true friend.'

XxXxXx

Long, lavender curtains were pulled away from two large sliding doors as the white sunlight flooded the equally white room. In front of the doors stood a woman clad in a silk red, gothic style dress with wizard sleeves and black lace accents around the plunging bust line, and along the bottom of the sleeves and dress itself.

This woman was a very tall, sensual looking individual with painted red lips, thick, long lashes and a burnt red eye shadow that stuck out against her nearly white skin. Her hair was long, onyx black and was held back by extravagant, jewel encrusted Japanese hairpins on either side. In the middle of the back of her head, two large loops of hair hung loosely and were pinned in the middle with a hair clip that resembled autumn leaves.

Her red eyes were drawn to the little wren that flew up to her balcony. "Today is the day that fate will be changed," the woman stated in a wise, deep toned voice as she walked casually out onto her balcony and sprinkled seed along the railing as her watchful eye followed the little wren.

When the bird neared her, she held out her elegant hand with long, painted nails as the bird landed lightly on her fingertips. The small bird cocked her head as she stared at the red-clad female.

"Hello, little one," the dark-haired woman greeted the avian as if she were human and brought her hand near her face to see the bird closer. The small animal cocked her head and chirped at her. "You seem as though you have something on your mind," she glanced at the other birds, which happily bounced around and ate the seed from her ledge.

It was a normal morning activity for her to go out and spread seed for the birds to eat but this bird seemed different. Opposed to the others, the small wren simply flew up to her and landed on her finger. She took no interest in the food that was laid before her.

The woman's eyes shifted back towards the bird observantly. "You're not like the others, are you?"

With that question being asked, the strange woman placed her finger in front of the bird and drew a small series of intricate magical symbols that expanded and flowed around the bird, bathing her in a pink hue before it faded into oblivion. "It would be better if we spoke the same language," the woman noted the effects of her spell.

The wren glanced around, afraid to speak her mind. For a moment, she felt strange and warm but as the feeling slowly drifted away, she dared to open her beak to talk, only to find that something wonderful and strange came out.

"Huh? I…I can talk?" She spoke in the voice of a young, teen aged girl. It had nearly shocked her senseless. She was a bird - an animal that had no grasp on the human language, nor the proper organs to communicate by use of words and yet, here she was- talking simply as if she'd known the language all of her life.

"It's only temporary and you can only speak to me," the human female noted with a smile.

"Do you do this to animals often?" The small bird questioned. This woman had told her that she was unlike other birds that she knew. Perhaps she did this to every bird that came to her balcony. After all, this woman was strange for a human.

Most humans and animals lived in separate worlds for the most part and had few interactions. Both species of animal were on very different levels and the only humans that the wren had thought taken the time to notice her were Himitsu and this lady.

In that right, they were different then the other humans.

"I am a sorceress. My powers are not limited to a specific race or entity," the woman explained. "I've granted favors to the living and the dead, the human and the non-human. My magic is not specific and applies to many."

"Do you always talk to birds?" The winged creature continued to question. This woman was very interesting.

"I talk to too many animals. Just a couple of days ago, a dog came here looking for her master. She was alone and afraid and she didn't know where to go or what to do," the sorceress spoke of her last encounter with an animal.

"Did she find her master?" The concerned bird asked about the dog's condition.

"Yes, that very same day. I helped her go back to him. They were happy to be reunited," the sorceress smiled. She had remembered the look on the man's face when he found his beloved companion and how happy they had been to see each other. She was fond of good endings and was happy to help the dog.

"You must be a very special person…Um…" The bird looked thoughtful for a moment. She had not even asked this mysterious woman her name.

"Tsubame is my name, Matsumoto Tsubame."

"You might be just the person I need to talk to," her concern about the man who always glanced at her when he woke up would be a prime subject for someone magical like Tsubame to help her with. Perhaps the sorceress knew a solution to her problem.

"Perhaps," Tsubame replied. "What's troubling you, little one? I may be of some assistance."

"There is a man who watched me outside of his window every morning. He likes to listen to me sing. I've noticed that he seems sad more than anything. I'd like to see him smile. I don't know why or what even drives me to do so, but I know that I really want to do this….I just don't know how," the wren voiced her concerns. After all, she was but a small bird and had no real impact on the human world.

"All things that are together feel drawn together," Tsubame explained. "If you meet someone, then it is fated to happen and if you feel a certain way, this is also fate. People, as well as living things in general tend to have feelings that they don't understand, but everything comes together and is made apparent in the end."

"Can you help me, Tsubame?" The bird asked.

"I can help you; however…Everything comes with a consequence. In order to help you, you must also do a favor for me," the sorceress couldn't disrupt the balance and needed something in turn to make sure that it was maintained.

"I'll do anything to repay you for your kindness," she was adamant about helping the man. The bird didn't know why or what drove her to such a decision but she wanted nothing more than to see this man smile.

"Your goal will be simple," Tsubame held out her free hand and in a puff of smoke, a large bottle made from thick glass with a handle on the side and wooden cork adorned with a bird figurine at the top appeared. "I'll give you an object called a Brasco Flask," the sorceress held the object close to the bird. "This flask is used to collect shattered and sorrow-filled souls. It will also heal those residing in this world who have a great deal of sorrow so use it wisely. Like any magical item, this will pull energy from Zameln, the magical city in which magic users like me have trained many years to perfect my skills. When you use magic, you must be very careful. Just as it can do something good, when used wrongly or unskillfully, can have devastating results."

"Yes, I'll use it wisely," the wren nodded.

"You will become a magical servant of mine so you can pay off your debt. I will be checking in on you now and again to see what your progress is," Tsubame instructed her position. "However, let me make it clear that there are limitations to this magic."

"Limitations?" What could those limitations be? Tsubame made them sound ominous with the tone of voice that she took and the bird wasn't too sure on whether to take the sorceress' offer after that was said.

"You are to wear a set of wings at all times to signify that you are not a human. You can pass it off as a strange fad or whatever you wish and you can take them off when you bathe or sleep, of course." It would be ridiculous to have her keep them on no matter what. "The other rule is that you cannot call in love with whomever you heal or help."

"What?" Somehow, those words sent a set of cold chills throughout the bird's small body. Something about them made her feel a great deal of unease.

"If you chose to accept the terms and conditions of this pact, those will be the rules that you chose to abide by. You must choose which is more important to you."

"What if I fall in love with them?" Before anything, the creature wished to know of her consequences.

"All of your memories of them will be erased. It will be as if they never existed, and you will turn back into a bird," Tsubame informed simply but to the bird, her words were quite grim.

"What will happen when I accomplish this mission?" Speaking of turning back into a bird, even when she accomplishes her mission, she still wished to know what her fate would be.

"I'll give you the option of keeping your human form. It's your choice or not whether you choose to change your destiny. Do you wish to go on with your current goal?" The black-haired sorceress asked as the small creature in her hand nodded. "Then fly out and sit on the ground in front of me."

The bird did as she was instructed and landed on the floor on the balcony a few feet in front of the sorceress. As her little feet touched the ground, she was engulfed in darkness. She glanced around frantically, the ground glowed below her. The bird's gaze hit the ground and she wondered where the strange glow that bathed her body came from and much to her surprise a magic circle burst forth and spread out as streams of golden energy swirled around her tiny form and began to do something wonderful.

She began to transform and grow in size. Her feathers disappeared as the small creature assumed the form of a teenage girl who looked to be about the age of sixteen. She was slender and petite with shoulder length hair that was cut straight across. In front, two longer pieces of breast length brown hair hung over her shoulders and soft, round, innocent eyes opened slightly as she felt the warmth of the spell overtake her.

As far as she could see, everything was a golden light. Not even the form of the sorceress could be seen but she could hear her voice as she spoke to her.

"Your name will be Koko, it means stork in Japanese. I am well aware that you are not a stork but it's the closest name I can think of at the moment," Tsubame didn't care about the minor details but she wanted a name that was still fitting of the girl and Koko fit her all too well as far as her appearance went. She had long, slender legs, much like a stork.

"Ko…Ko…Huh?" The nude girl now lay on the floor as she glanced up at the dark-haired woman and placed a finger to her pink lips. "I…I can talk?" The young girl was amazed at her ability to speak on her own without the aid of magic. It was strange to her.

"Of course you can, child," Tsubame smiled gently as she snapped her fingers and clothes appeared on the brown-haired girl. She was clad in a simple white dress that resembled a sun dress. She also had a sun hat with a white sash around it, white sandals and on her back were a pair of white pristine wings.

Koko held her hands out in front of her face and looked at them as if it were the first time she'd ever seen human hands. She had been completely amazed by them. "I'm…I'm a human…" Her words were soft as the Brasco Flask was sat in her hands gently. The girl blinked and looked at the flask with inquisitive eyes.

"This is the Brasco Flask, the souls you collect will go in here," Tsubame reminded her of the flask's purpose once more before she handed her a large, stuffed yellow duck with a tuft of white hair on the top of its head. "This is Gakushi. He will help you out if you have any questions and he is to serve as a guide as you carry out your duties."

"Gakushi…" The girl said unsurely as she held the duck out and looked into its beady eyes.

"You are all set for the task at hand. Do you have any questions before you make your departure?" Tsubame asked.

The girl shook her head. She had remembered her words well and knew what the consequences of her actions would be if she screwed up anything or fell in love with the one that she had healed. While the girl was uncertain and she knew it would take getting used to in order to act completely human, she was willing to be sent out into the world.

"Then I bid you farewell. Be on your way and I wish you luck," Tsubame smiled.

"Okay!" Koko smiled as she shakily got up and ran to the railing of the balcony and jumped over it. For that moment in time, Koko had completely forgotten that she was no longer a bird but the harsh reality of the situation soon hit her as she free fell towards the ground.

"I forgot that I don't have wings!" The girl shrieked as the fast moving air rustled her dress. Koko struggled to keep her hat down as she clenched the flask and Gakushi close to her.

A single bead of sweat ran down the back of Tsubame's head as she remained calm, yet unamused at what had just taken place.

"She's just like a fish out of water, or in this case, a bird on land," the sorceress remarked as she drew a symbol with golden magic and winds began to blow around the girl, slowing her fall as she landed in some trees nearby.

As Koko landed a tall, solemn looking girl with cream colored hair walked down the sidewalk. She was all for her sex and wore a Chinese inspired long skirt and long sleeved shirt that were white with large, black clouds sparsely spread on the fabric.

Over each shoulder, her locks were held in golden cuffs and stopped at mid-breast, while the rest of her thick, silken hair flowed behind her. Her bangs were long and cut low and her eyes were large, half-opened and dark orange in coloration.

Suddenly, the winds burst from the grove of trees and nearly knocked her off of her feet as the girl blocked her face with her forearms, trying to keep the leaves and twigs from injuring her face as her skirt flapped in the wind.

She struggled to see through the harsh winds as they soon died down the moment they passed. The only thing that was seen was the rustle of the leaves from the foliage. The cream-haired maiden took her forearms from her face as she gazed into the green with an inquisitive look. Why would such winds come so suddenly and leave without anything more? It was only in her location too. It was all too strange.

Something was wrong.

"Huh? What was that?" The calm-voiced girl took a few steps towards the bushes and trees and attempted to peer into them without touching anything. 'It was very strange that the winds all of a sudden pick up like that. They nearly blew me away.'

"I wonder what that was," the girl then glanced to the direction of the bushes once more. "I think I'll go and check it out," the cream-haired girl finally decided as she walked through the bushes, occasionally moving the stray branch out of her way as she made her way toward Koko. "Hello?" She called out unsurely. "Is anyone here?"

The girl stopped and glanced around again but saw no sight of anyone. 'I don't see anyone but I could have sworn that I saw something fall down in here.' She pushed past a few more tree branches as she made her way through.

Soon, she came upon an odd sight. There, in front of her, curled up in a ball as she clenched the flask and Gakushi, was Koko, passed out in the middle of a soft patch of grass. She looked as if she were peacefully sleeping as the girl's orange eyes widened. 'It's a girl.'

The stoic maiden approached Koko cautiously. 'What's a girl doing laying in here?' She wondered as she carefully knelt down and shook Koko's shoulder's lightly, trying to stir her. "Um…Excuse me. Are you alright? Hey, answer me."

Soft brown eyes slowly opened as Koko felt herself being shaken by the other girl. "Huh?" The small girl replied sleepily.

"Good," the older girl stopped shaking her and wore a look of relief on her face, “you're awake."

Koko sat up slowly as she wiped the sleep from her eyes as she slowly looked over to the strange girl who had found her, then to her surroundings. The smaller girl was very confused. "Wh-where am I?"

"You mean, you don't know where you are?" The other girl was bewildered by her. It was very peculiar that this girl didn't seem to know where she was. She wondered what happened to her.

Koko shook her head in response.

"What about remembering? Do you remember anything?" The blonde wondered if this girl could possibly have amnesia of some kind.

"My name is Koko and I fell from up there," the girl pointed high above them to the tall apartment buildings and many balconies above.

"You mean from those apartments?" The serious girl glanced through the treetops to the white buildings above. If the girl fell from one of those balconies, she wondered if she was alright and if she should tell someone in the apartments about what happened. Maybe the girl had amnesia from her fall.

The cream-haired girl was worried for Koko a great deal.

Koko nodded to her question.

'How in the hell did she live from a fall like that. I mean, she looks perfectly fine, minus a few scratches.' The taller girl was confused beyond all recognition. She couldn't even fathom how lucky the girl must have been to be alright from a fall like that, much less alive. "Are you alright? I mean, if you fell from there then you should be hurt, shouldn't you?" She wasn't too sure of what to make of any of this.

"I feel fine," Koko replied with a gentle smile. It seemed like this mysterious stranger was worried for her, but she didn't want her to be worried.

"Are you sure that you don't need to go to the doctor?" The girl asked again.

"I'm sure."

"If you start feeling bad, then tell me and I'll get you there as soon as I can," the girl still seemed concerned for Koko's safety.

"I certainly will," the brown-haired girl was all too happy to comply.

"My name is Odaiji Soma, by the way," the maiden introduced herself. "May I ask what yours is?" Soma was still a little confused at everything that was going on. The girl's story seemed unbelievable, not to mention the fact that she was alright from a fall like that was amazing in itself.

"I'm Koko!" The brown-haired girl stood and smiled brightly at Soma. She seemed so full of energy and happiness radiated from her form. It was something that Soma had not been used to.

"It's nice to meet you, Koko. Do you mind telling me which of these apartments that you live in, so I can walk you back home?” Soma still wasn't too sure that this happy girl was alright and she didn't want anything to happen to her on the way back to her home.

"But, I don't live here," Koko blinked as she placed a finger to her chin.

"Then, where do you live?" Soma asked.

"I live outside," the happy girl smiled.

"Outside?" Soma arched an eyebrow as she looked at the girl's pristine clothes. "But, you hardly look homeless. You're clothes look very expensive," she referred to the dress Koko wore. Even though it was simple, it was made of fine silk, something that was hardly affordable by someone like herself.

"Tsubame gave them to me," Koko stated.

"You mean the witch that lives on the third floor?" Soma had known of Tsubame but she had never met her in person.

"Yes! She's very kind," the happy girl smiled brightly as she thought of the sorceress who had given her the power to become human. Tsubame, to her, was a very kind and wonderful person who had been given a special gift to help people like her obtain their goals and she owed her a whole lot.

"Did she take you in or something?" Soma questioned on why she would be in that apartment complex with the sorceress. To her, it was very strange that she was affiliated with someone as dark as Tsubame.

Koko shook her head.

"This is troublesome," the confused female muttered to herself as a serious and perplexed expression crossed her face. `What should I do now? I can take her home with me. I'm sure the other tenants wouldn't mind, or at least, I hope.'

XxXxXx

After Soma had offered to take Koko back home with her, the girl kindly agreed and was thankful that someone wanted her tagging along with them. Koko didn't like being lonely and she wanted to find her way to the Sakaraku Apartments soon. She couldn't wait to see Himitsu and she wondered what he was doing at this very moment.

Soon, the little bird in a human's body's wishes had come true as they walked up the cement driveway of the large apartment complex. It was a single building that resembled an old, Japanese boarding house. It was a light pink with brown trim and accents and sakura trees lined the concrete drive. For being near the road, the building gave off an air of peace and tranquility and it seemed that very few people even lived there.

Brown eyes glanced around at everything around her in happiness. Koko couldn't believe that she had made it to the apartments this soon. It was even better that Soma lived in such a wonderful place.

'This is it! Sakaraku Apartments…' Koko thought before she decided to speak. "It's beautiful…" She trailed in awe. 'And the view is so much different from a human's perspective then a bird's.' The girl was in amazement as she took in the sights before her.

It was as if Koko had seen everything for the first time and wanted to absorb all that she could before she went inside.

They walked up the concrete stairs and soon entered the building. The two girls walked down the long hall, adorned with mahogany doors as Koko's eyes were drawn every which way to each new thing she'd seen.

Being a bird, she had not gotten to see the inside of the apartment. She had barely seen the inside of Himitsu's room. Koko had wondered which of the rooms belonged to the melancholy man.

"Wow…It's so big…" Her voice sounded just as amazed as it was when she had just gotten to the building.

"The Sakaraku has seven tenants and is managed Tsuchiya Rin," Soma explained some brief facts about the building. "You know, I'm sure that Rin would let you stay here if you work for the stay."

"Really? She will?" Koko's brown eyes lit up with hope. To her, there would be nothing better than staying in the same apartment as Himitsu. It was like a dream come true.

"I'm pretty sure that she will but we will have to hold a meeting with the other tenants," Soma informed the young girl. Whenever they had a new tenant or important matter to discuss, they had always held a meeting to see if everyone was alright with the new change. Rin prized the Sakaraku on peace and wanted all of her tenants to be happy.

"Meeting?" Koko blinked in confusion.

"Yes, the tenants of Sakaraku always have a meeting when someone new comes in. This way we can make sure that everyone will get along well. Plus we need to discuss your living arrangements," Soma informed.

This worried Koko a little. What if someone didn't like her? Would she not be able to live at the Sakaraku if one person said that they didn't like her?

"Don't worry," Soma chided. "Everyone here is pretty nice. I don't see why they wouldn't like you."

"Will everyone be there?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"Yes, why? Does that intimidate you?" Soma wasn't sure if she asked that in wonder and happiness or unsure doubt with the tone of her voice. Perhaps this girl was just shy in front of crowds.

"Not at all!" Koko smiled brightly, happy to know that she would get a chance at seeing Himitsu as well. Since he lived in the Sakaraku Apartments, she would finally get to meet him for the first time. "I'd love to meet everyone!"

The happy girl seemed overjoyed with the idea as she beamed to herself happily. 'I definitely hope that he'll be there!'

'This girl certainly is strange. I don't know why but I feel compelled to help her. She has an aura about her that's so peaceful to be around.' Soma looked at the beaming girl as she giggled in delight at the thought of meeting the other tenants. 'I don't know who she is or where she came from but it's kind of nice to feel like you're not alone. She would be just what this place needs after all.'

To Be Continued…