The library
This world, so soft and yet so dangerous at the same time. I stood there watching the sakura petals raining down all around me and I smiled. It was not a sweet or happy smile, one would very rarely see a smile like that upon my face, no, it was more of a bitter smirk, and even that soon faded from my face, and turned to a scowl. I looked up toward the sky. Stars were still visible beyond the buildings, the clouds that had been threatening to completely cover the sky had not yet made good upon that threat. I narrowed my eyes at them and then looked toward my three companions.
They each held nearly the same expression as myself, one of annoyance. My pest of a cousin was late again, she had probably seen some cute guy and decided that oogling over him was better than our gig. I checked the time again, we had a half an hour before we had to go on. Just then Jeni arrived. We all threw her a simultanious glare, she just smiled and hugged us, then we all went inside to wait for the band which was on to finish playing.
Megura was looking rather ill I noticed as the final song begain, then she suddenly ran out to the hallway and out of sight. I could sense that something was wrong. Then again, something was always wrong around Club Apocalypse. I shook my head, the others were looking worried. Kazeko was the one to suggest we go look for her, so we did. We found her in the restroom, lying there upon the floor, looking rather dead save for her breathing. She was out of her body, I had never seen it done before, but this was unmistakably what it was. Then suddenly her body jolted, and her blank eyes cleared. We all asked if she was ok. When she confirmed that she was I glanced at my watch again. I asked her if she was still up to going on. She said that she was. We were cutting it close, but we got out there in time. We played our songs, maybe better than we ever had before, but then, there was something in the air on this night. Something somewhat dark, but somewhat comforting at the same time.
I was running, there was someone after me, or something. I was eight at the time, and it was still not the first time i had felt something like that. I had a terrible feeling, a hunted feeling. The way a rabbit feels when it is circled by hounds, or at the wrong end of a gun. I closed my eyes for a moment trying to wash the voice out of my mind, but it was roaring like a wildfire. I reopened them, just in time to veer my body away from a wall. "Ryuuko," the thing behind me called in its sickeningly sweet voice, "you should come when your elders call you." I turned around for the briefest of instants, and instantly knew that I should not have, She was there, the evil woman, with the scary face. I squenched my eyes closed and continued running, I could feel the tears flowing freely from my eyes, then suddenly I was safe, and nothing could hurt me. I felt the warmth surround me, and the flashing colours calmed me.
The next morning the police found me curled up in the remains of the old burned building, my clothing slightly singed, they said it was a miricle that I survived a fire like that. I was sent back to the orphanage a week later.
I came bak to my self as our fourth song ended. We announced that it was time to take a break, and exited the stage.
I made my way through the crowded club, eyes narrowed. I could feel that same feeling still, the one that I got whenever She was about. I pushed past the chattering bodies, through the hot muggy room and then I saw her. She was standing there in what was nearly the only empty area in the room. People danced around her but no one saw her, nearly no one that is. Perhaps a few did, those who's eyes had been opened to the darkness that crawled and oozed about this world. I felt a cool wind upon my face, and the faint smell of cherry blossoms as I made my way toward her. The kimono that she wore had a very intricate design upon it, and was a pale, pale, cherry blossom pink in colour. Her hair was done up like a court lady of the old days and her face was obscured completely by shadow. Even so, I could tell that there was something seriously wrong about it. I finally broke through the crowd, and the wind hit me full blast, blowing my black-red hair straight back. I had to close my eyes to protect them from the air, when I opened them again, the woman was gone. I cursed softly under my breath, and then I saw something else of interest, at one of the tables, behind where She had been, three boys sat, staring. They had been staring at Her.
I looked at them a tiny bit more carefully. All three were very good looking, each in his own way. The one on the left had the palest blonde hair that I had ever seen aside from white. His eyes, (one of which was obscured by a lock of hair) were a pale violet colour. His gaze was intense and brought to mind a noble samurai. The one in the middle had black hair, a bit longer than that of the other two, he looked somewhat depressed, and I could tell by the look in his blue-grey eyes that he had seen too much for his liking. The third had hair of a deep blue-black colour, and he looked as if he were in terrible pain, he was the only one who was not looking at me, for his head rested on the table as if he were attempting to hold something inside of himself. I took all of this in very quicky, in a matter of seconds, before casting my ruby-red gaze elsewhere. I could feel the first two stand up, and could tell that the third looked up from the table to ask where they were going, I felt them point at me, and they said something, I strained my ears to hear it, but the crowd drowned it out. I should have gone back into the darkness, into the writhing crowd, anywhere but here. I could not move however, then I could hear laughter all around me, Her voice. I felt my vision blur, and fade, and then nothing.
When I awoke i was backstage, in a bed, with people all around me, I could still almost hear the laughter ringing in my ears, Mayonaka was there, and so were two of the boys who had been at that table. It must have been they who carried me back here after I blacked out. I frowned up at everyone.
"Ryuu-chan, are you ok?" Jeni asked looking worried as hell.
"I'm fine," I said vaguely annoyed. She just frowned down at me disbelieving.
"What happened?" she asked rather quietly, I gaver the "I'll tell you later" look, and she nodded.
Things are never easy in this world, anyone who thinks they are is shallow. Even so, a little lonliness is normal. Maybe someday I will be able to truely let people into my heart, it may take a very long time. I have always been different, my mother died when I was young, and my father left before I was born. I was lucky that my aunt actually wanted to take care of me once she found me, but now even she is gone. I hope that someday there will be somewhere for people like us, people who can see things others can't, people who are different. My name is Yamanouchi Ryuuko, sometimes called the child of flames. "Loneliness I beckon you to me."