Chapter 1: Rings

It isn't too late yet! I can escape!

The girl with a white wedding dress thought as she ran far away for the place she once called home, the wedding was going to be tomorrow and even if the groom was kind to her, she didn't love him enough to marry him.

So what better way to evade a wedding she didn't want but the one that her adoptive parents were forcing her to marry because he was quite prominent economically?

Elope Alone, of course!

The plan was simple, at midnight she was going to go right away, the only thing that she didn't thought was that she will have to escape with her wedding dress, the last inconvenient moment came when her adoptive mother decided to do the wedding dress test so late at night and as much as she wanted to take it off at first, she couldn't help feeling happy with it.

She always believed that she could marry with someone she loved, she had dreams of being happy, wearing a beautiful dress like this one at her wedding, it has been her dream since she was a little girl and she won't let it be tainted by her adoptive parents pressure, or the thought of being promised to a boy she didn't love, she at least will have this small happiness with her, the wedding dress will be her good luck charm for a new beginning.

They called her selfish once when she brought the theme to them, she was immediately shut down; they explained that she should be thankful for them to pick her off the orphanage, that they felt horrified when she told them that she didn't want to marry the rich young man, they told her the same thing over and over.

You're so blessed, you need to show gratitude for all the years we wasted with you, the only good thing about you is your good looks, you're already an alien ogre that should be less in this town, but you're not because of us.

That was the mantra they used to manipulate her for most of her life and at the age of Twenty-two she had enough, she will be happy in her own way, she only cursed that it took her too long to decide it.

And now here she was, running to the woods while wearing her wedding dress at midnight, the night was cold and the moon gave her the light she needed to see, it was only when she couldn't run more that she stopped to take air.

She looked around, she never was this far from home and for the first time she experimented freedom, she laughed and smiled while twirling around, feeling like the princess in her books.

The woods looked mysterious but she didn't feel scared, the big impotent tree was an interesting sight for her, she wasn't intimidated by anything in the woods.

Until she heard a branch being broken behind her.

"I finally found you, my dear muse" a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, covered in a big black hat and a black cloak, the voice was the one of a young man.

She tensed as she hears his steps, turning around to see him, feeling suddenly scared as the man approached to her, it was the same sensation that has been happening in recent weeks, the one of being watched.

So I was right, someone was really following me these days.

"Please, talk" The man said " I want to keep hearing your voice"

She keeps quiet, this wasn't good, something about this man and the way he talked to her make her have goosebumps, she needed to flee.

"Still don't want to talk, don't worry I will make you talk" His tone was low "But first, let's begin with our love, my muse"

Ataru wasn't new to superstitions, he was a human representation of one, since he was born in the day universally known as the one with bad luck, his name literally means a falling star to get hit, he was also used of being called the walking chaos.

However, he was also a famous for being a flirty young man among the ladies and his actions increased recently but the truth that no one knew besides him was that he was doing it to treasure the freedom of doing what he wants before marrying his best friend.

He liked Shinobu and there was a time in their childhoods when he really liked her in a romantic way but now it was different, they were good friends and nothing more, sadly his family needed money to get out of the bankruptcy, so the best option for them was to marry Shinobu and he didn't like that, Shinobu didn't deserve that, no one deserved to marry someone just for money, she also loved someone else and sure he was flirty but he wanted to fall in love with the person he gets married to, he didn't like to be chained with someone he didn't love romantically.

But life never let him be completely happy for his dismay.

He practiced his vows now and then, he at least wanted to do it right, after his mistakes in the practice last night, when he once again screw up and now there was only one week and three days left until his wedding.

Damn it all

"You look troubled, Ataru" an old woman voice said and he looked at her, it was Kaede, an old nurse of the small hospital that was in town, she was one of the few people who liked to talk to him.

"Yeah, it's because of what you saw last night" he said with a false smile.

"You should practice your vows in the woods, I been told that there is a big tree that gives the blessing of good luck to the young couples in love that are going to get married"

We're not in love though

"Really?" Ataru began" why is this the first time I heard about it?"

"Well you been only living here for six months and it hasn't been a wedding since then, it not surprising for the tradition to not being brought it up, after all this town is filled by adult people now, the only young ones are you and Shinobu, since we are excluding the children in this"

"Oh, that explains the silence about it" He was curious now, not even Shinobu told him about that tradition" Kaede, can you tell me about that tree tradition, please?"

"Sure, It all happened two years ago, when a young woman one year younger than you called Lum, eloped with her true love before her wedding, wearing her wedding dress, at first the people said that she dismissed the family that treated her like their own daughter but people who knew better talked that they were only using her, the tradition says that they promised each other in the big old tree and the moon sealed their pact before going to another country, since then people who go there had amazing results with their love life"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that story?" It was the first time Ataru heard something so romantic besides his literature books" I been missing out an interesting thing about this town"

"Because I wanted to tell you in the preparations for your marriage, after all, you deserve the best luck my boy" She smiled.

"Thanks, I will really need that" Ataru smiled, he wanted to tell her the truth, that he didn't love her future wife to be but he couldn't, he didn't want her to trouble her good intentions.

Ataru was sure that this had to be a lie created by the town, but here he was at night practicing his vows at the moon with the company of the big tree and the woods, the cold of the place make him feel alive.

"I ask you to be …What?" Ataru face palmed himself as he committed for the six-time the same mistake, he needed to do this right, but it was so hard for him to say the last few words.

Maybe is because I don't want her to be mine

He left his thoughts as he saw the ring he put on the finger that connected his heart so he couldn't lose it and began again with a clearer voice.

With this hand, I will lift your sorrows

Your cup will never be empty,

for I will be your wine.

With this candle,

I will light your way into the darkness

It was going all smoothly and it was coming the hard part and he needed to say it right, so he decided to imagine that he really meant those words, that those were for the one who will love him forever, the one he decided to marry.

It´s ok to lie to myself sometimes

He heard the sound of the church bell, he needed to finish it fast before the last bell rings, the one that announced the curfew.

He felt the inspiration fill him and saw a branch, he knew what to do.

The second bell rang-

With this ring,

I ask you to be mine

He put the ring in the branch.

The last bell rang.

"Crap, I need to go!" He said in a loud voice before running to the town, forgetting the ring in the branch.

You're incredible Ataru, you lost the ring while practicing in the woods, when will be the day when you will stop being an idiot?

He was thankful that the other practice day was tomorrow, still, that didn't help him for not being terrified when he found out that he didn't have the other ring.

The anxious feelings only increased when he couldn't take out the ring he had on his finger, no matter how many methods he tried, it was stuck in it.

"Can wait to wear it until your wedding?" one of the fishermen said when he saw him" damn Moroboshi, you're so eager!"

"Yeah, yeah" he said ignoring the man, the rest of the day he finished all his tasks, even the groom suit test and he didn't have time to take it off so he went in the night to the woods like a groom, because he didn't have time.

He began walking towards the place he practiced before and stopped when he saw someone looking at the tree, the veil and the white color of the dress, told him that it was a bride but…

What is a bride doing here at night?

He walked slowly and the ring in his finger began to feel warm.

"Miss?"

And then she turned around and looked at him, the moonlight made it easier to see her; her right hand was normal like his but the other one was only bone, her right ribs were showing due to the hole in her wedding dress, once white, now it looked more gray and was a bit tore up in her right side showing that her right was completely bone except for the skin that still covered her foot and her ankle, he came closer to her to have a better look and saw that her hair was long and dark blue, her sunken eyes matched the color of her hair, the skin was a soft blue.

She was beautiful in his eyes, the moonlight was a short comparison of her mystic beauty.

"Who are you?" The young girl said still looking at him, intrigued" And what are you doing here?"

Ataru knew that something wasn't right, that she wasn't normal, that she looked like a corpse but there was something about her, that he couldn't feel scared about it.

"I came here to find something"

"Oh, what is it?" she said smiling" It's been a long while since I been outside why don't I help you search for it?"

"Sure" he couldn't find any words, she sounded like any other girl"It's shiny"

"Ok! I will help you find it!" She said with a beautiful smile, bumped up of the idea to help and began to look around.

"So, are you a ghost who is going to kill me or…?" he began slowly as he looked around, trying to calm his beating heart.

"Of course I won't kill you, silly!" She said looking in the bushes" I am a corpse, not a ghost or a murderer!"

"Wait, you're really dead?!" Ataru said putting on hold his search and he saw her, she nodded, this was so strange but he didn't want to finish the conversation "But why are you wondering in the woods, did you walk here from the cemetery?"

Why are we even having a conversation? How can she even talk or walk? I am probably hallucinating, maybe I am the one going crazy? Well I probably must be since I am not terrified by her right now

She stopped searching and walked towards him, she had a look of confusion and….sadness?

"I think I was buried here, down the tree" She said slowly, she looked conflicted" I don't remember much of what happened, it's been so long"

"It's ok, you don't have to answer me but I can't believe you were buried here and with that wedding dress!" He came closer to her, wanting to know more" After all a friend of mine told me that this place gives people good luck in their love life, thanks to the true love feelings of the couple who eloped together two years ago, it's almost like a sacred place"

"Two persons?" She said, something didn't fit with what he said but she didn't know why.

"Yes, two and that's the reason why I decided to practice my vows here, it was all going okay until I noticed that I forgot the ring"

Her right hand held her skeletal one after he said that.

"I think I ha-"

"But now that I think about it, the woman who eloped had a name, it was Lum"

She looked at him with a surprised expression.

"What?" Something began to shine in one of her skeletal fingers, he looked down, it was-

"That's the ring!" She hold her skeletal hand" Why do you have it?"

However, she didn't respond, she still looked at him with the same expression.

"Are you oka-"

"That's my name" She said with a worried tone" I'm Lum!"

"Wait, that means that.." Ataru began feeling scared for the first time.

"I didn't elope, I was killed here" She managed to say, momentary in shock" Did all of them thought that I was alive?"

"Lum calm down!" He said holding both of her hands, trying to calm her down after their realization, he ignored how shiny and warm was becoming the ring on his finger.

But she noticed it and that broke temporally the shock, she then looked down at her hand and saw how hers was becoming shinier as well.

"Something is happening with our rings, you have to take off your ring right now!" She said with a nervous tone as she let her hands-free again from his grasp and tried to take hers off, but it didn't work.

"I already tried to do that all day but it seems like it has been glued to my finger!"

"But why is it like this?" She began and then, they heard the sound of a crow, they looked around them and saw a large group of crows in the trees.

"Were they here before?" Ataru said, something didn't felt right.

"No, I was alone"

Let the vows

unchain me

of this faith

Her head began to hurt a lot suddenly and the strength left her legs, making her almost collapse if it wasn't for the young man, who caught her in time with his arms.

"Hey" His tone showed his worry" You okay?!"

"I am sorry, my head began to hurt and.." he was still holding her, he was warm, she felt weak.

The crows crowed began to sound louder.

Let the words

Of true love

be the key for

my freedom

She began to close her eyes, she felt suddenly tired.

"Lum?!" The boy with brown hair and a worried expression was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes, leaving her in the darkness.

Let the rings

In our hands

Be the string

That unites us

In life or death

She wasn't responding and the crows began to fly towards them, the boy cursed and held the girl close to him, dead or alive, she was still a girl and he will never let something happened to her.

Let me fall in love

One last time

The crows twirled around them, still crowing, it only took them an instant to transform into a black tornado and when the crows later on dispersed from it, there wasn't anyone in the place the two persons once where.

Let me stood up

One more time

A/N: I will begin with this Au because it kinda grew on me, also as you noticed already, this will be a crossover fic, with a few characters you will later recognize!

See you all soon!