Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet angel ❯ A long way ahead ( Chapter 1 )

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It was early autumn, golden leaves of ginkgo falling over two lonely figures of mother and son. The woman was clad light green kimono and was holding the tiny arm of her child as they approached the school through the alley. The angelic features of the boy expressed amazement and anticipation, his wide, silver eyes shone, it was his first school day. They approached the vast yard, full of chattering children of different ages. The boy tugged on mother's sleeve.

-”Mother, I don't think this is the right place.”

She knelt by his side one last time, to straighten his uniform, while he was clutching a delicate porcelain doll as if it was his only friend. She smiled at him softly, caressing his cheek.

-”Now Kazutaka, I want you to know this, kids can be cruel, be aware of that and promise me you won't let anyone offend you.” The little boy drew a breath and nodded bravely. “Good boy.” she patted his crown and touched the tip of his button-like nose.”Now off you go.”She beamed at him, he couldn't help but smile back, but his little face turned thoughtful again, turning to look at his mother he said.

-”Mother, promise me you won't leave me here forever.” The woman only laughed and bent to him.

-”Don't be silly Kazu, of course not, I'll come for you in some two hours.” She watched her little boy enter the big crowd of people.

First he ventured to find his peers, he didn't know why really, but that was where he should belong, at least he was told he should, so he hoped it would prove true. However after some 15 minutes of nervous wandering all he wanted was to run away, the mob was suffocating, faceless, loud and weakly organized, he hated that.

The boy looked around lost. Where have I landed? They look so tall I wonder how it is to see everything from their height. Some are staring at me, I wonder what they're staring at, stupid pupils and this whole place is nauseating, I want to go home. He turned to look around, but found himself strangled in a maze of legs. Nice, now I don't know where the exit is. He huffed. Coming to a crowd of chattering tall girls he asked politely as he was taught.

-”Excuse me, ladies, but how can I get out of this place?” The girls stood silent for a few seconds and stared at him, then it was like an avalanche, the first one squealed, screaming how cute he was, the other pointed at his friend, saying she was cute too, the third one said he should play an angel in the Christmas play.

They were unbearable, so he decided to back off, they were giving him a headache. His first encounter with older girls ended up with him sprinting away from them for his dear life. He maneuvered between the tall grownups when he finally bumped into a plump woman of short stature, clad in a saffron suit and large glasses, she smiled at him.

-”You must be little Kazutaka, I've been looking all over for you, come, your classmates have been waiting for you.” The boy looked her up with a pained expression. I'vehad enough of children already, let me go. The woman resembled a giant chunk of cheese and this chunk of cheese was dragging him somewhere, most likely filled with more chattering, screaming and annoying children.

-”Please, I want to go home.”

-”Now, now, don't be like this, children don't bite.” Yeah, they most probably can't open their mouths wide enough to get a bite of you. He thought annoyed.

She led him to a bunch of smaller children, some of them were fighting, some pestered girls who also chattered, squealing from time to time and discussing some celebrity, all strangers, but how could they get on so well?

-”Children, meet your new classmate Kazutaka Muraki.” The little boy actually blushed as everyone turned to stare at him. Some girls started giggling and waving at him to show his doll, what he wasn't intending to do, he heard a remark “Sissy”from the bunch of boys who regarded playing with soldier action figures more. One girl came to him.

-”Why are you playing with a doll?”

-”I'm not playing with it, it's my friend.” She only giggled at him.

-”Dolls can't be friends, only real people can, and boys don't play with dolls, girls do, or perhaps you're a girl?” The bunch of girls laughed, accompanied with boys.

I'm not a girl, screw you all. He thought angrily, however he never voiced his thoughts, he was taught better than that.

-”I never asked your opinion.” He raised his chin proudly.

-”OOo, careful everyone, he bites!” Some boys, obviously self proclaimed class leaders taunted. Seeing that they couldn't get him they backed off, and Aiko sama, his form mistress, aka big squid, like Kazutaka called her in his mind, lead them into their classroom.

The room was big and bright, it had many separate tables in it. Kazutaka chose the one nearest to exit. He had his reasons. He left his friend on the table and sat in the chair orderly. Aiko sama told them about the “long road” they had before them, that they will really never ease to learn all their life and other blah Kazutaka didn't feel interest for.

He really regarded the woman as rather too emotional and too self-proclaimed-genius-like to take seriously, and the fact she acted motherly around them, he really couldn't stand that mother hen. His mother on other hand was completely different - she was smart, educated and held herself with dignity, even around him, he had learnt a lot from her, she was his first and favourite teacher, and he felt she'd keep the authority.

As the annoying lesson was over, the children ran out of the room to head home and prepare to their next Big day. However one boy pushed his table so that his friend swayed and fell down. The little boy saw it like a slow motion film - the doll landed on the ground and her placid face shattered, chips of china flying to the sides and her curly hair bouncing and finally resting over her misshapen features.

-”Jumeau!” Kazutaka`s eyes filled with tears as his only friend's face was all cracked. It looked like an accident, but the evil laugh he heard proved that was intended. The boy knelt to his only friend and picked her up. “I promise that bastard will pay for this.” He swore to the empty classroom. When he turned, however, he saw a girl on the threshold, looking at him curiously. Her honey brown eyes were examining what had happened in a shrewd and rather practical kind of the way, yep, the doll was broken allright.. He didn't remember her from the giggling crowd, but she, most likely was no better than others.

Kazutaka only glared at her, angry as he was and she ran off, her brown hair swaying behind her. I wonder if she heard that and if she'll tell anyone. He sighed and picked the bits of his friend's face up. I'llmend you, I'll be your doctor and I'll mend you so you're whole, but you'll have to stay at home until you're well again. He'd witnessed how his grandfather took care of his patients, when he was still alive, a doctor `till the end. He continued talking to his friend, carrying her carefully in his hands, not to cause her more pain than she'd already experienced. He forgot his mother was to pick him up and simply walked ahead of him, being angry at the world and the one who dared doing this to his poor Jumeau.

Talking to his doll and thinking of ways how to mend her and how to hide those unsightly cracks on her face, he hid into his own world and didn't notice that he was crossing the car road. He even didn't notice a car speeding up towards him and beeping all the way. He was in his thoughts when he finally heard a loud noise of tyres roaring against the asphalt and the car bumper so very very close, he started, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his friend in a protective manner.

He felt a gush of wind and then he hit the ground, however the blow didn't hurt that much. Perhaps it is shock? I'veheard grandfather talking about it, it is when people have suffered severe damages, but they don't feel all the amount of pain in the beginning, it had something to do with the vegetative nervous system. However he felt being shook.

-”Kid, hey kid, you allright?” He opened his fearful silver eyes only to see purple. He blinked several times and his vision came to focus. Purple eyes. He has purple eyes. The man however continued scolding him on the way how he crossed the road and that he should be more careful next time. But it is an unnatural colour, however they suit him so nicely . . .Who is he?

-”Helloo, kid, you hear me?” The man shook him slightly, he thought the child had some kind of shock, then he looked at the shattered doll in the boy's hands.

-”Oh, sorry, kid, I must have broken it when I pushed you out of the way.” Tsuzuki felt very bothered, the weird kid was just staring at him with his large, naive, silver eyes, perhaps he was silently blaming him for the broken toy?

-”Hey, I said I was sorry already, better that doll than you, kid.”

-”It was broken before you saved me, Sir.”

-”Oh.”

Silence lingered between them as they stared at each other. The kid's sight was unbearable, it was like he was boring into Tsuzuki`s soul with that gaze and none of his masks or barriers could hold that off.

-”Who are you, Sir?” He had to think of something fast, because he had a feeling, he'd tell this kid everything.

-”Oh, look, your knee is bruised. We should get it clean, let's go, your mom must be worried sick about you.” To his relief he saw a woman hurrying to their side.

Kazutaka`s mother came by his side, kneeling by him.

-”Kazu, what happened to you?” She looked him in the eye.”I thought I told you I'd come after you. Let's go, now, don't bother the kind man.” The purple eye man just smiled and waved at them, he didn't mention the boy was silly enough to almost get into a car accident, he didn't ask anything for it as well. The boy followed his mother obediently, but when he turned to look back at the stranger, he was gone.

Who was he?

-”Sorry, Tatsumi, but I couldn't let that kid get hit.”

-”I only hope you won't regret this later, Tsuzuki san.”