Flashback
Chapter 1: Tears That Fall Like Rain
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"Kouji!" the woman called. She immediately heard quick, light footsteps descend the stairs, answering her.
"Yes?" a boy about 10 years old stood before the woman. His long, dark blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was secured with a piece of leather. Some strands of his hair hung in his face, over his midnight blue eyes. He wore a loose blue shirt and baggy gray pants.
"Kouji," the woman smiled down at the boy. "We need some more fire wood. Could you go out to the shed and bring some?"
The boy grinned playfully. "Sure!" He dashed to the door and began slipping on his sandals.
"Don't take too long," the woman said. "It's going to get dark soon."
"I won't!" the boy smiled again. "I'll be back soon!" He quickly shut the door behind him and ran down the pathway that led through the forest of bamboo to the shed. He opened the door to the small wooden building and picked up three or four logs and balanced them in his arms. He raced back to his home, but carefully enough as to not drop the wood. As he was about to open the door, he thought he heard something coming from behind the house. Perhaps someone exiting the back door. Not hearing anything more, the boy shrugged it off and continued opening the door.
"I'm ba-" the boy was cut off at the sight in front of him.
The inside of his home was a mess. A vase had been smashed to the floor, and the curtains were torn. But the worst of all . . .
. . . the scene was drenched in pools of blood.
The boy dropped the logs as he saw the corpse of his mother lying on the floor, having been stabbed to death with one stroke of a sword.
The boy's vision was blurred due to the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He sank down to his knees and hugged himself, sobbing. His mother was the only family he had left.
Now he was all alone . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A boy sat on the edge of a large boulder on the warm sands of a beach. He inhaled the salty scent of the air a breeze brought to him as it whipped his dark blue hair about his face. Another gust of wind blew the white cloak around his shoulders away from his body, revealing his slender form that was clothed in a black sleeveless shirt and pants and shoes the same hue.
He sighed as the sun slowly rose above the calm sea, casting a light that made the sky red and the clouds a pale yellow. Even though the sight was beautiful, the lone boy still wasn't happy. He sighed again and slid down the side of the rock to the sand. He pulled his cloak back around his body and walked into the forest neighboring the beach.
As he walked deeper into the forest, the area where he had set up camp soon came into view. He stomped on the fire he had made earlier, smothering the remaining embers of the flames. He gathered up a medium-sized bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then he traveled further into the tropical forest. Soon, he came upon a secluded dirt path that led to the nearest town. Where that was, the boy didn't care. As he walked on the edge of the road, he smiled to himself.
"Well, Kouji Minamoto," he said to himself. "Today's your 13th birthday. And as usual, you have no one to celebrate it with."
Then for no apparant reason, he began to laugh. He was alone. It had been that way for now three years. Somehow, he knew he would be alone for the rest of his life. He was cold to everyone he had met. Even to people who tried to get close to him, especially them. He knew that they would just leave.
Now the sun had risen fully, and Kouji found the town that he had been traveling to. The citizens were going about their morning chores, opening up stands in the town square and feeding their livestock.
Kouji glared at the townspeople. They all looked so happy, just being there. But then his expression softened when he saw a little boy and his mother, taking an early morning stroll. They were laughing and smiling, just as a happy family should. He stopped walking and just stared at them as they walked away from him and turned a corner. He shook his head. He shouldn't do that. He shouldn't long for what he could never have again. He resumed walking, this time at a more brisk pace. He was running low on food, and he would need to stop for a short time here. Then he would continue his journey.
He figured he'd better shop now, before the crowds built up. He stopped at a food stand in the town square and eyed the fresh baked breads. Suddenly, a person appeared behind the stand and grinned.
"Good morning!" the person said to Kouji.
Kouji didn't answer the greeting and ignored the person.
The shop keeper narrowed his eyes for a moment, but smiled again and said cheerfully, "Tell me when you make your decision Buuuh-ddy!"
Kouji finally raised his eyes to look at the male in front of him. He was a bit surprised to see that the shop keeper was about the same age as he was, but he concealed his emotions expertly. He gave the breads one more glance and pointed to one. "How much for 7?" he asked coolly.
The brunette shop keeper looked to see which item Kouji was pointing at and answered, "Oh that, that will be . . . 70 barls (this worlds currency)."
Kouji slid his pack off his shoulder and fished around inside it and found the the money he owed. He gave the barls to the boy and recieved his bread and carefully hid it in his pack. Kouji started walking away from the food stand when the brunette boy called out to him. "Hey!"
Kouji turned and looked over his shoulder at the boy, waiting for him to go on. The brunette narrowed his eyes at him, then opened them fully and said, "Have we met before? You seem so familiar . . ."
Kouji frowned and replied coldly, "No." Then he returned his gaze to in front of him and continued walking through the town square. He saw more people wandering the stone streets than before and was thankful that he had already bought what he needed.
Kouji looked toward the sky and noticed dark clouds in the distance. Despite the nice weather now, it would rain later. Kouji sighed as he usually did. He would have to stay in this village longer than he had planned. But at least he wouldn't have to sleep in the rain. He wandered the streets, trying to locate an inn he could stay at until the rain had passed.
Even though the clouds had been far away earlier, the rain came sooner than Kouji had expected. Instead of running for shelter like the villagers, Kouji just looked upward, letting the drops splatter his face and blur his vision. He stood there as still as a statue even after the streets were deserted. His clothes were soaked and his hair clung to his face. Hot tears cascaded down his face, mixing with the rain. His mother had died 3 years ago on this very day.
His birthday.
Kouji lowered his head and sobbed, not caring if anybody saw him. There was no one in the streets, so it wasn't likely that anyone would see him anyway. His pack had slipped from his shoulder and fallen to the ground beside his feet. He too collapsed to the street, weak from crying. His tears had stopped flowing and he just lay there with his eyes closed.
He didn't know how long he had been lying there. In a state of semi-conscienceness, he could vaguely feel someone pick him up and carry him away out of the rain.
Kouji shifted slightly as he awoke from his sleep. He opened his eyes halfway wearily, trying to get his eyes to focus on his surroundings. He rubbed the sleepinees from his eyes and sat up. He was in a bedroom and on a comfortable, warm bed. He looked to his side and saw the brunette shopkeeper slumped in a chair next to the bed. He seemed to be sleeping.
'Did he . . . bring me here? . . .' Kouji thought to himself.
The boy's eyes fluttered open suddenly, and he yawned. He looked up at Kouji and smiled. Kouji just sat there, staring at the boy who was beside him. The brunette stood and stretched his arms and said, "I'm Takuya Kanbara!" Takyua grinned and pointed to the foot of the bed. "There's some clothes you can change into while the ones you have on dry. I'll make something to eat!" Having said that, Takuya left the room and closed the door behind him.
Kouji looked at the clothes that rested at his feet. He might as well put them on. He took off his own clothes and put on the shirt and pants that Takuya let him borrow. They were a bit baggy on him. The red shirt was designed to be short sleeved, but they reached Kouji's elbows. Kouji saw near the door that Takuya had also left a pair of slippers for him to wear.
'So strange,' Kouji thought. 'He doesn't even know my name, yet he's so kind to me.'
Kouji opened the door of the bedroom slowly and peeked out into the hallway. The smell of whatever Takuya was cooking reached Kouji and he inhaled the scent. He must have been making maybe, chicken perhaps. Kouji left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. He made his way down the hall silently, and found that it led to a room with a small table in it. Takuya apparently lived by himself. Maybe that was why the brunette was so nice to him. He just wanted some company.
A moment later, Takuya emerged from the next room with a bowl of soup in his hands. When he saw Kouji, he grinned yet again. "Here's some chicken soup for you. It's always nice to eat something warm when you've been out in the rain." The boy carefully placed the bowl on the table in front of Kouji.
"Are," Kouji studdered slightly. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
Takuya's eyes widened a little bit. "Me? I'm not hungry. You just enjoy."
Kouji hesitated momentarily, buy sat at the table and picked up a spoon to stir the soup. He put the spoon in his mouth and tasted the warm chicken. It was a little bland, but still good. Kouji looked up at Takuya who had been standing on the opposite side of the table, just watching him.
"You're not from around here are you?" he asked the raven haired boy.
"No," Kouji answered him calmly, stirring his soup and taking another bite.
"You're from up north aren't you? The city of Jenkara?"
"Almost," Kouji was surprised at the boy's accuracy. "I'm from Ahkura. A little south of Jenkara. How could you tell?"
Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "Just figured."
Kouji had finished the soup and Takuya picked up the bowl and spoon and carried them into the next room and put them in a bucket of water. Kouji remained seated at the table. He wondered wether or not to let the boy know him better. Takuya might not leave if they did become friends, because he was lonely as well. It didn't look like he had any family members.
Takuya returned quickly and smiled. Kouji quietly spoke.
"Why . . . are you being so kind to me?" he said. "You don't even know me."
Takuya seemed to be surprised that the boy had asked him that. "Well," he answered. "I like being nice. Plus . . ." Takuya trailed off and looked like he was thinking about something.
Kouji tilted his head slightly. "Plus what?"
Takuya turned his gaze to Kouji and their eyes met. "It sounds weird but . . ." he said. "But I feel like I've met you before. Or maybe not you or just someone who looks like you or something. I dunno . . ."
Kouji suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. His hand automatically flew to the source of the feeling and he winced. He thought he heard Takuya say something to him, but he couldn't understand what he was told.
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"Hahaha! Kouichi you're all muddy!"
Two small boys were playing in the puddles after a rain shower. They looked almost exactly alike, except one's hair was longer than the others. One of them had tripped and fallen into a puddle.
"Hey!" the messy boy cried. "It's not funny!"
Despite what the boy said, the other kept laughing. The laughing ceased when the boy was pulled down into the puddle next to the other.
"Now you two!" a woman called from the porch of their house. "Play nice!" The woman left the porch and went inside to go about her chores. The two little boys continued to splash mud and water at eachother, not caring about how dirty their clothes had become.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in black emerged from the forest of bamboo and picked up one of the boys. He screamed and the one with long hair, who was standing on the ground, threw a rock at the kidnapper, hitting him on his arm.
The criminal picked up the rock that had fallen, and hit the long haired boy over the head with it. The boy collapsed and the man dressed in black fled back into the bamboo, taking one of the boys with him. The woman who had gone inside ran back out, having heard the screams of her child. She saw one of her little boys lying face down in the mud and ran to him. She picked him up in her arms and saw the blood that trickled slowly from his head where he had been hit.
"KOUJI!" she screamed. "KOUJI WAKE UP!"
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Kouji's eyes flicked open when he heard Takuya talking to him.
"Wake up!"
Kouji saw that he was on the floor next to the table. He had fallen from his chair. He rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "I-I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Takuya said. It was obvious that he was very worried.
Takuya helped Kouji back into the chair and sat in another one next to him. "What happened?"
Kouji's eyes became wet, but he didn't let the tears fall. He was silent, not ready to answer the boy's question. His voice wouldn't seem to work.
'Was that . . . real?' Kouji thought to himself.
When his voice came back to him, Kouji turned to look at Takuya. "I . . . My name . . ." Kouji began. "Is Kouji Minamoto."
Takuya smiled at him. "Nice to meet you. Please, tell me what's wrong."
Kouji turned away from him and closed his eyes.
"A-About seven years ago . . ." Kouji said. "I lost my memory."
Kouji heard the boy beside him gasp quietly.
"And every now and then," Kouji continued. "I get these sharp pains in the back of my head. And then pieces of my memory play before my eyes."
Kouji's muscles tensed as he remembered the scene that his mind had unlocked just a few moments ago. Takuya rested his hand on the raven haired boy's shoulder. "Are you looking for your past?"
Kouji looked at Takuya. "I . . . I don't know anymore," he answered. "Sometimes it seems that . . . I'm running away from it. But somehow, it always seems to catch up with me."
Kouji became silent then. 'Why am I telling him all of this? I barely know him. But still . . .'
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering broke the silence between the two and they looked up at the wall. Takuya lept from his seat when he saw who, or what, had broken his window. He shouted to Kouji, "Take cover! It's a water demon!" Kouji rose from his chair quickly and fled to the hallway. He peeked around the corner to see what Takuya would do.
The water demon looked like a small blue dragon, and slithered into the room through the window. It seemed to be hissing words through its teeth. But Kouji couldn't make out what it was saying. Takuya kept his eyes on the demon, and backed up a few steps whenever it came near him. He outstretched his hand and a fireball appeared in it. Takuya grinned impishly when he saw the look of fear in the water demon's eyes at the sight of the flame. It tried scurrying back out the window, but Takuya got to him first. He pelted the fireball at the dragon-like thing, and it turned into steam when the fire made contact with its body.
Takuya turned to the hallway and looked at Kouji. Kouji stared back. Takuya took a few quick strides and was soon standing in front of Kouji. The brunette placed his hands on the other boy's shoulders and said, "We need to get you out of here. There'll be more where that came from."
Takuya removed his hands from where they rested and walked down the hallyway to the bedroom where Kouji had slept. Kouji quickly walked behind him and asked, "What was that thing saying? I heard it, but I couldn't understand it."
Takuya opened a closet and looked through a few piles of random items. "It said," he answered. "something like, 'Get the light! Must get the light! Koujiiiii . . .' you've stayed here too long. Now they've tracked you down and they're coming after you. We need to leave right now. Your pack is by the front door."
Kouji and Takuya ran to the front door, Takuya now had a backpack slung over his shoulders and a light yellow cloak hid it from view. Kouji, still wearing the clothes Takuya loaned him, Had his other clothes in his bag and now secured his own white cloak around him.
It was still raining, but despite that, they ran down the street anyways. Taking a road out of the town.
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Ritina: WOOT WOOT!!!! *does the cabbage patch* I rock! I rock! I rock!
Allison: . . .
Ritina: Come on Allison! Admit it! You're impressed!
Allison: . . . Um, yeah, I gue-
Ritina: *hugs Allison* YAY!!!!!! =^_^=
Allison: ¬_¬
Ritina: Awwww! Kouji needs a hug!
Kouji: No I don't.
Ritina: Yes you do!
Kouji: No I don't!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Takuya: . . . SHUT UP YOU TWO!!! *hugs Kouji*
Kouji: O_O . . .
Ritina: Awwwww! Cute!!! Group hug! *hugs Takuya and Kouji*
Chapter 1: Tears That Fall Like Rain
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"Kouji!" the woman called. She immediately heard quick, light footsteps descend the stairs, answering her.
"Yes?" a boy about 10 years old stood before the woman. His long, dark blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was secured with a piece of leather. Some strands of his hair hung in his face, over his midnight blue eyes. He wore a loose blue shirt and baggy gray pants.
"Kouji," the woman smiled down at the boy. "We need some more fire wood. Could you go out to the shed and bring some?"
The boy grinned playfully. "Sure!" He dashed to the door and began slipping on his sandals.
"Don't take too long," the woman said. "It's going to get dark soon."
"I won't!" the boy smiled again. "I'll be back soon!" He quickly shut the door behind him and ran down the pathway that led through the forest of bamboo to the shed. He opened the door to the small wooden building and picked up three or four logs and balanced them in his arms. He raced back to his home, but carefully enough as to not drop the wood. As he was about to open the door, he thought he heard something coming from behind the house. Perhaps someone exiting the back door. Not hearing anything more, the boy shrugged it off and continued opening the door.
"I'm ba-" the boy was cut off at the sight in front of him.
The inside of his home was a mess. A vase had been smashed to the floor, and the curtains were torn. But the worst of all . . .
. . . the scene was drenched in pools of blood.
The boy dropped the logs as he saw the corpse of his mother lying on the floor, having been stabbed to death with one stroke of a sword.
The boy's vision was blurred due to the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He sank down to his knees and hugged himself, sobbing. His mother was the only family he had left.
Now he was all alone . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A boy sat on the edge of a large boulder on the warm sands of a beach. He inhaled the salty scent of the air a breeze brought to him as it whipped his dark blue hair about his face. Another gust of wind blew the white cloak around his shoulders away from his body, revealing his slender form that was clothed in a black sleeveless shirt and pants and shoes the same hue.
He sighed as the sun slowly rose above the calm sea, casting a light that made the sky red and the clouds a pale yellow. Even though the sight was beautiful, the lone boy still wasn't happy. He sighed again and slid down the side of the rock to the sand. He pulled his cloak back around his body and walked into the forest neighboring the beach.
As he walked deeper into the forest, the area where he had set up camp soon came into view. He stomped on the fire he had made earlier, smothering the remaining embers of the flames. He gathered up a medium-sized bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then he traveled further into the tropical forest. Soon, he came upon a secluded dirt path that led to the nearest town. Where that was, the boy didn't care. As he walked on the edge of the road, he smiled to himself.
"Well, Kouji Minamoto," he said to himself. "Today's your 13th birthday. And as usual, you have no one to celebrate it with."
Then for no apparant reason, he began to laugh. He was alone. It had been that way for now three years. Somehow, he knew he would be alone for the rest of his life. He was cold to everyone he had met. Even to people who tried to get close to him, especially them. He knew that they would just leave.
Now the sun had risen fully, and Kouji found the town that he had been traveling to. The citizens were going about their morning chores, opening up stands in the town square and feeding their livestock.
Kouji glared at the townspeople. They all looked so happy, just being there. But then his expression softened when he saw a little boy and his mother, taking an early morning stroll. They were laughing and smiling, just as a happy family should. He stopped walking and just stared at them as they walked away from him and turned a corner. He shook his head. He shouldn't do that. He shouldn't long for what he could never have again. He resumed walking, this time at a more brisk pace. He was running low on food, and he would need to stop for a short time here. Then he would continue his journey.
He figured he'd better shop now, before the crowds built up. He stopped at a food stand in the town square and eyed the fresh baked breads. Suddenly, a person appeared behind the stand and grinned.
"Good morning!" the person said to Kouji.
Kouji didn't answer the greeting and ignored the person.
The shop keeper narrowed his eyes for a moment, but smiled again and said cheerfully, "Tell me when you make your decision Buuuh-ddy!"
Kouji finally raised his eyes to look at the male in front of him. He was a bit surprised to see that the shop keeper was about the same age as he was, but he concealed his emotions expertly. He gave the breads one more glance and pointed to one. "How much for 7?" he asked coolly.
The brunette shop keeper looked to see which item Kouji was pointing at and answered, "Oh that, that will be . . . 70 barls (this worlds currency)."
Kouji slid his pack off his shoulder and fished around inside it and found the the money he owed. He gave the barls to the boy and recieved his bread and carefully hid it in his pack. Kouji started walking away from the food stand when the brunette boy called out to him. "Hey!"
Kouji turned and looked over his shoulder at the boy, waiting for him to go on. The brunette narrowed his eyes at him, then opened them fully and said, "Have we met before? You seem so familiar . . ."
Kouji frowned and replied coldly, "No." Then he returned his gaze to in front of him and continued walking through the town square. He saw more people wandering the stone streets than before and was thankful that he had already bought what he needed.
Kouji looked toward the sky and noticed dark clouds in the distance. Despite the nice weather now, it would rain later. Kouji sighed as he usually did. He would have to stay in this village longer than he had planned. But at least he wouldn't have to sleep in the rain. He wandered the streets, trying to locate an inn he could stay at until the rain had passed.
Even though the clouds had been far away earlier, the rain came sooner than Kouji had expected. Instead of running for shelter like the villagers, Kouji just looked upward, letting the drops splatter his face and blur his vision. He stood there as still as a statue even after the streets were deserted. His clothes were soaked and his hair clung to his face. Hot tears cascaded down his face, mixing with the rain. His mother had died 3 years ago on this very day.
His birthday.
Kouji lowered his head and sobbed, not caring if anybody saw him. There was no one in the streets, so it wasn't likely that anyone would see him anyway. His pack had slipped from his shoulder and fallen to the ground beside his feet. He too collapsed to the street, weak from crying. His tears had stopped flowing and he just lay there with his eyes closed.
He didn't know how long he had been lying there. In a state of semi-conscienceness, he could vaguely feel someone pick him up and carry him away out of the rain.
Kouji shifted slightly as he awoke from his sleep. He opened his eyes halfway wearily, trying to get his eyes to focus on his surroundings. He rubbed the sleepinees from his eyes and sat up. He was in a bedroom and on a comfortable, warm bed. He looked to his side and saw the brunette shopkeeper slumped in a chair next to the bed. He seemed to be sleeping.
'Did he . . . bring me here? . . .' Kouji thought to himself.
The boy's eyes fluttered open suddenly, and he yawned. He looked up at Kouji and smiled. Kouji just sat there, staring at the boy who was beside him. The brunette stood and stretched his arms and said, "I'm Takuya Kanbara!" Takyua grinned and pointed to the foot of the bed. "There's some clothes you can change into while the ones you have on dry. I'll make something to eat!" Having said that, Takuya left the room and closed the door behind him.
Kouji looked at the clothes that rested at his feet. He might as well put them on. He took off his own clothes and put on the shirt and pants that Takuya let him borrow. They were a bit baggy on him. The red shirt was designed to be short sleeved, but they reached Kouji's elbows. Kouji saw near the door that Takuya had also left a pair of slippers for him to wear.
'So strange,' Kouji thought. 'He doesn't even know my name, yet he's so kind to me.'
Kouji opened the door of the bedroom slowly and peeked out into the hallway. The smell of whatever Takuya was cooking reached Kouji and he inhaled the scent. He must have been making maybe, chicken perhaps. Kouji left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. He made his way down the hall silently, and found that it led to a room with a small table in it. Takuya apparently lived by himself. Maybe that was why the brunette was so nice to him. He just wanted some company.
A moment later, Takuya emerged from the next room with a bowl of soup in his hands. When he saw Kouji, he grinned yet again. "Here's some chicken soup for you. It's always nice to eat something warm when you've been out in the rain." The boy carefully placed the bowl on the table in front of Kouji.
"Are," Kouji studdered slightly. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
Takuya's eyes widened a little bit. "Me? I'm not hungry. You just enjoy."
Kouji hesitated momentarily, buy sat at the table and picked up a spoon to stir the soup. He put the spoon in his mouth and tasted the warm chicken. It was a little bland, but still good. Kouji looked up at Takuya who had been standing on the opposite side of the table, just watching him.
"You're not from around here are you?" he asked the raven haired boy.
"No," Kouji answered him calmly, stirring his soup and taking another bite.
"You're from up north aren't you? The city of Jenkara?"
"Almost," Kouji was surprised at the boy's accuracy. "I'm from Ahkura. A little south of Jenkara. How could you tell?"
Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "Just figured."
Kouji had finished the soup and Takuya picked up the bowl and spoon and carried them into the next room and put them in a bucket of water. Kouji remained seated at the table. He wondered wether or not to let the boy know him better. Takuya might not leave if they did become friends, because he was lonely as well. It didn't look like he had any family members.
Takuya returned quickly and smiled. Kouji quietly spoke.
"Why . . . are you being so kind to me?" he said. "You don't even know me."
Takuya seemed to be surprised that the boy had asked him that. "Well," he answered. "I like being nice. Plus . . ." Takuya trailed off and looked like he was thinking about something.
Kouji tilted his head slightly. "Plus what?"
Takuya turned his gaze to Kouji and their eyes met. "It sounds weird but . . ." he said. "But I feel like I've met you before. Or maybe not you or just someone who looks like you or something. I dunno . . ."
Kouji suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. His hand automatically flew to the source of the feeling and he winced. He thought he heard Takuya say something to him, but he couldn't understand what he was told.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hahaha! Kouichi you're all muddy!"
Two small boys were playing in the puddles after a rain shower. They looked almost exactly alike, except one's hair was longer than the others. One of them had tripped and fallen into a puddle.
"Hey!" the messy boy cried. "It's not funny!"
Despite what the boy said, the other kept laughing. The laughing ceased when the boy was pulled down into the puddle next to the other.
"Now you two!" a woman called from the porch of their house. "Play nice!" The woman left the porch and went inside to go about her chores. The two little boys continued to splash mud and water at eachother, not caring about how dirty their clothes had become.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in black emerged from the forest of bamboo and picked up one of the boys. He screamed and the one with long hair, who was standing on the ground, threw a rock at the kidnapper, hitting him on his arm.
The criminal picked up the rock that had fallen, and hit the long haired boy over the head with it. The boy collapsed and the man dressed in black fled back into the bamboo, taking one of the boys with him. The woman who had gone inside ran back out, having heard the screams of her child. She saw one of her little boys lying face down in the mud and ran to him. She picked him up in her arms and saw the blood that trickled slowly from his head where he had been hit.
"KOUJI!" she screamed. "KOUJI WAKE UP!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kouji's eyes flicked open when he heard Takuya talking to him.
"Wake up!"
Kouji saw that he was on the floor next to the table. He had fallen from his chair. He rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "I-I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Takuya said. It was obvious that he was very worried.
Takuya helped Kouji back into the chair and sat in another one next to him. "What happened?"
Kouji's eyes became wet, but he didn't let the tears fall. He was silent, not ready to answer the boy's question. His voice wouldn't seem to work.
'Was that . . . real?' Kouji thought to himself.
When his voice came back to him, Kouji turned to look at Takuya. "I . . . My name . . ." Kouji began. "Is Kouji Minamoto."
Takuya smiled at him. "Nice to meet you. Please, tell me what's wrong."
Kouji turned away from him and closed his eyes.
"A-About seven years ago . . ." Kouji said. "I lost my memory."
Kouji heard the boy beside him gasp quietly.
"And every now and then," Kouji continued. "I get these sharp pains in the back of my head. And then pieces of my memory play before my eyes."
Kouji's muscles tensed as he remembered the scene that his mind had unlocked just a few moments ago. Takuya rested his hand on the raven haired boy's shoulder. "Are you looking for your past?"
Kouji looked at Takuya. "I . . . I don't know anymore," he answered. "Sometimes it seems that . . . I'm running away from it. But somehow, it always seems to catch up with me."
Kouji became silent then. 'Why am I telling him all of this? I barely know him. But still . . .'
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering broke the silence between the two and they looked up at the wall. Takuya lept from his seat when he saw who, or what, had broken his window. He shouted to Kouji, "Take cover! It's a water demon!" Kouji rose from his chair quickly and fled to the hallway. He peeked around the corner to see what Takuya would do.
The water demon looked like a small blue dragon, and slithered into the room through the window. It seemed to be hissing words through its teeth. But Kouji couldn't make out what it was saying. Takuya kept his eyes on the demon, and backed up a few steps whenever it came near him. He outstretched his hand and a fireball appeared in it. Takuya grinned impishly when he saw the look of fear in the water demon's eyes at the sight of the flame. It tried scurrying back out the window, but Takuya got to him first. He pelted the fireball at the dragon-like thing, and it turned into steam when the fire made contact with its body.
Takuya turned to the hallway and looked at Kouji. Kouji stared back. Takuya took a few quick strides and was soon standing in front of Kouji. The brunette placed his hands on the other boy's shoulders and said, "We need to get you out of here. There'll be more where that came from."
Takuya removed his hands from where they rested and walked down the hallyway to the bedroom where Kouji had slept. Kouji quickly walked behind him and asked, "What was that thing saying? I heard it, but I couldn't understand it."
Takuya opened a closet and looked through a few piles of random items. "It said," he answered. "something like, 'Get the light! Must get the light! Koujiiiii . . .' you've stayed here too long. Now they've tracked you down and they're coming after you. We need to leave right now. Your pack is by the front door."
Kouji and Takuya ran to the front door, Takuya now had a backpack slung over his shoulders and a light yellow cloak hid it from view. Kouji, still wearing the clothes Takuya loaned him, Had his other clothes in his bag and now secured his own white cloak around him.
It was still raining, but despite that, they ran down the street anyways. Taking a road out of the town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ritina: WOOT WOOT!!!! *does the cabbage patch* I rock! I rock! I rock!
Allison: . . .
Ritina: Come on Allison! Admit it! You're impressed!
Allison: . . . Um, yeah, I gue-
Ritina: *hugs Allison* YAY!!!!!! =^_^=
Allison: ¬_¬
Ritina: Awwww! Kouji needs a hug!
Kouji: No I don't.
Ritina: Yes you do!
Kouji: No I don't!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Ritina: YES!
Kouji: NO!
Takuya: . . . SHUT UP YOU TWO!!! *hugs Kouji*
Kouji: O_O . . .
Ritina: Awwwww! Cute!!! Group hug! *hugs Takuya and Kouji*