To those people follow the story: Me love you long time. I am sorry if I shocked you with the first chapter of this new story, but I had little choice. The plot required it, and I did my best to keep it short. Additionally, the last chapter was revised the same day this chapter came out. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Where Her Soul Is "The world is in constant balance, and when by chance it goes out of balance, it corrects itself. It is a balance of good and evil, and it will always be there." excerpt from the Chronicles of Ninbyayu .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Three Days Ago The dark hand reached forward, softly, calling for Misaki. Pushing forward, not stopping, persistently requesting of Misaki one of her most valuable possessions. And Misaki could do nothing, her body was limp, her mind in a state of perpetual daze, and tears running down her eyes, dropping off into the surrounding darkness only to disappear forever. "No, please... Don't..." Misaki's mind called weakly to the black hand, but it did not yield. "Your happiness does not make me well," a sinister voice called from the distance, "You are too much for this world." "I haven't done anything!" pleaded Misaki, but the thought caught in the chilly air surrounding her, and faded into a hopeless music. "It is your fault," the voice answered. The hand was mere inches from Misaki now, and a silver blade began to protrude from the wispy appendage. "Your love will bring the tide of destruction to the world. That is why it must be severed." The blade was lowered to Misaki's chest, and it hovered in front of her heart. "Wake up! Wake up!" Misaki called to herself, but to no avail. "Foolish child. This is no dream, it is something much more." The hand plunged the dagger deep into Misaki's chest, and a shooting pain ran through Misaki's body, but it was not physical pain. It was emotional pain, and it tore at her very soul, as if all her feelings of love and dedication were being dashed away, like ashes into the ocean. "There will be no more of that wretched black being for you." The hand hand withdrew and plunged the mental blade once more, only to invoke the same pain. Misaki cried in agony, but her mouth would not open, and she cried inside to the point where it felt like her very spirit was falling apart. She wanted it to stop, to go away. She wanted to wake up, next to Hatako, and kiss her, hold her... "No, child. There is no end. Only pain. Welcome to hell." ... "Misaki-chan! Misaki!" Hatako called, casting Misaki around like a rag doll in an attempt to wake her. But Hatako couldn't wake her, and Hatako found herself starring at the dark expression on Misaki's face, a wordless expression of pain and suffering. "Misaki..." Hatako whispered. "Come back to me..." Shimmering tears formed and Hatako didn't bother to wipe them away as she leaned down to kiss and hold Misaki. "I am here Misaki-chan... I will always be here..." Hatako confided, and as if by a magic switch, Misaki awoke. Misaki choked on her shallow breath, but did not bother to stop whispering. "It has happened. It has happened again." .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Hatako had heard the barking. She had heard that call of death, and yet she was too numb to believe it until it was to late. The dark figure was gone, the dog was gone, and the world was faded. The sea swelled and crashed great waves on the shore, and the clouds overhead poured great rain now, and flashes of lightning and booms of thunder filled the sky as if on cue. Hatako was sitting at Misaki's side, her pale skin showing through the wet clothing, which was already torn in some places, and her hair was in complete disarray, dripping water down her back. What seemed like hours passed, and Hatako remained kneeling at Misaki's side. Even as it did, Hatako had no words. Nothing would come from her lips. No sound came from her throat. She barely managed to breathe. Comprehension was both complete and totally absent from her mind, and more time passed. No one came, and Hatako didn't want anyone to come. "Misaki..." Hatako stammered at last, only to break into sobbing tears as she heaved Misaki's limp body into an embrace. She couldn't let go. She just couldn't. It was to painful, and yet, she had no choice. A force greater then anything Hatako had ever known forced her back to the soggy ground, and Misaki's form began to slide down the hill as if on air. Hatako, so incredibly stunned, couldn't move a single muscle, save for an arm and hand, which she extended as if to grasp Misaki. The body slowed as it neared the ferocious waves, and Hatako screamed. How could these evil spirits take away the body of her greatest friend, her greatest love? Hatako blinked away her new tears, only to find that Misaki had disappeared into a great plume of water spewed forth from the sea. Hatako fell into the depressed grass where Misaki once lay, clawing at the sand and dirt in vain, but she could not dig a hole and hide. Numb with cold, and exhausted in every imaginable way, she let her body fall onto the ground. The wind tore at her loose clothing, enlarging several tears she had just acquired, but she did not care. The rain pelted her back like the waves on the rocks, but she did not care. Thunder rocked the heavens, but Hatako remained motionless. "Let me die," Hatako wished to herself silently, "This is not life." Her numb hands cast listlessly in the soil, only to chance upon a chain. It was Misaki's. Hatako turned to inspect it further, only to find that the clasp was not broken. "How..." Hatako mumbled, "Why is this still here?" She inspected it further, and after opening the locket at the end, found yet another surprise. It was a message from Misaki, written on a small piece of paper in ink. "One must love to live. One must live to love. One is whole, unbreakable. Two equals One. One is One." Hatako reread the message several times, but the message did not change, nor did her lack of understanding. However, she knew one thing now at least: Misaki had known something was wrong. The warning she received earlier that night was proof enough, but this? Once again, Hatako found herself doubting her own sanity, and she sighed heavily as she clasped the chain around her neck. "Misaki, I will be strong like..." Hatako started, but she found herself unable to finish. Her mind was a mess, and her heart was burning with longing for Misaki's voice, her warmth, her loving embraces and soft kisses. An empty passion filled her conscious, an overpowering lust, and it consumed her soul. "I will be with you Misaki, there is nothing that will stop me." Hatako sang into the storm, and in a mad dash she ran to the tide, pieces of clothing falling from her, dropping into the shallow waters. Hatako waded deeper as fast as she could. "I will be with you, Misaki-chan." A wave slammed into Hatako with a force greater then any she had ever felt, throwing Hatako into the water. Hatako struggled to get her feet on the sand, and as soon as she had traction, raced deeper into the blue oblivion. Her mind was dazed, her heart was afire. "Soon, Misaki, soon." She chanted, now underwater, and her lungs filled with several mouthfuls salty seawater. Hatako didn't stop walking. "Soon, Misaki, soon." Another gush of water fell into her chest as the last of her clothing dropped away. The ribbon that Misaki had tied into her hair just before bed held steadfast, however. The march continued, Hatako having no sense of time, nor place, nor personal empathy. "Soon, Misaki, soon." Hatako's chest heaved, and Hatako spit out water as she took more in. Waves could be seen crashing overhead, and the sand could be faintly seen below, and Hatako continued. "Hatako-chan," whispered the sea, "Love. Hatako-chan." The child stopped abruptly, but she did not hear the sound again. But she did find her sense of mind. "Misaki?" Hatako asked, and while no bubbles came from her mouth nor nose, she heard herself. Her eyes were wide open now, and her ears, however water-logged, were attentive. Her body was rigid, and not even the current was moving her now, several feet under the waves. Hatako held her breath, only to let it go moments later. "Why haven't I drowned?" Hatako found herself thinking quite suddenly. Temporarily forgetting about the whole incident, Hatako breathed in and out several times. No choking, no loss of concentration, no dizziness. She held up her hand to find that, as far as she could tell under the lighting conditions, it was a perfectly normal shade. "Have I died?" Hatako wondered. Grabbing a seashell from the sand below, she scrapped the sharpest edge along her arm a small ways without hesitation. A red liquid appeared at the surface. "No, I haven't. The dead don't bleed," Hatako dropped the shell and placed her hand over her heart, "My heart is still alive." Hatako paused slightly, "No, both of them are alive. And Misaki's, she has lost one, but the other..." "Forever..." the voice whispered silently, and Hatako looked desperately for the source, but found none. "Misaki!" No answer, only the sound of the water and the crashing waves above. But she was there, Hatako knew it, Misaki was under the waves. Somewhere. Hatako could feel the slightest amount of confidence building in her, it was weak, but it was there. Even in the near black water, and the depth at which Hatako was, she knew Misaki was with her. She was safe from all harm right now. And what better way to show your defiance of all known laws of nature and proclaim absolute faith in love but sit on that sand? "I'm not leaving you Misaki, not now. I'm going to stay here with you, I will keep you company." Hatako announced to the great water, and sat down on the sand with ease, no longer buoyant enough to drift to the top. "If I can breathe seawater, then surely you can walk once more on this world. That is my thoughts, Misaki-chan." A great warm feeling washed over Hatako, however it was unlike the waves and the water, it was whole and filling. So wonderful it felt, so familiar. Hatako found herself drifting off to sleep, as it was still very early in the morning. "Good night, Misaki-chan," Hatako whispered as she curled up on the sandy floor, "I will not leave you." .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. It was several hours later, after the tide had receded, when Hatako woke up. The bright sun shone down on her small nude form, and the gulls picked at the small sand creatures left behind on the beach. Bubbles mingled with Hatako's feet with each wave, and occasionally a larger swell would move them slightly. The water in her chest has already gone, Hatako had been been breathing air for some time. Her body was warm, but it was the Sun now, not Misaki's spirit watching over her. She moved to sit up, and found her stomach was grumbling at her. Voices floated over the wind, and Hatako knew people were coming along the beach now, it was day time. The beach would be full of people soon enough. She picked herself up and dashed to the cottage she was staying in. Once she was safe inside, she closed the door behind her, locking it. She moved to the bathroom mirror to look at herself, only to see a child with seaweed interwoven among her hair, somewhat tanned and burned skin, and a necklace hanging around her neck. It was Misaki's necklace that she had found last night. The ribbon Misaki had tied into her hair remained steadfast, and Hatako looked down in a sudden moment of sorrow. "I miss your touch, Misaki-chan. I must return to the sea for you." Hatako dashed to grab whatever piece of food she could find, and as soon as she had found enough sustenance, she proceeded to put her dark blue bathing suit on. "Misaki's mother doesn't know yet..." Hatako whispered to herself, taking a bite out of her find. "Today... must figure out what to do today... If Misaki is recorded as dead, and we find a way to bring her back, then for what?" Hatako finished her meal and raced back out the door and down the beach to the seaside. She wanted to be with Misaki again, but she also wanted to prove to herself that it wasn't just a dream. People watched her pass with interest, knowing full well who she was. Her hair blew in the wind, and pieces of seaweed fell out, which only helped to pique the watchers interest more. But Hatako didn't care, they could not follow her once she was deep enough, under the greater waves. The tide was preparing to come back in, in any case. The water rushed around Hatako's feet once more, but it did not feel cold. A wave crashed into her, but she did not fall over this time, Hatako plunged right into it. The people on the beach started calling out for Hatako to stop, she was to young to go that far in, but she didn't. The water covered her head, and again Hatako breathed it in like air... She did not choke. It was not a dream. The night before, it was not a dream. Whatever magic the sea held, it had blessed her with it, and Hatako's confidence grew once again. She managed to find a nice place under the swells where no mortal person could safely come, and where seaweed lived, growing from the sand. "Misaki-chan," called Hatako, "I am here for you Misaki-chan." Hatako waited. "Can't... heart... clothing..." came a reply several minutes later. "Hmm? Can't heart? Clothing?" Hatako wondered out loud. She looked down at herself. Her bathing suit was over her heart, perhaps it was somehow blocking? "I must remove my bathing suit for you to be with me? Is it a barrier?" Hatako asked the sea. She received an almost immediate response, as if the spirit was needy. Hatako sensed it right away, and removed her one-piece suit, tying it to a piece of seaweed. Once again, a warm feeling enveloped Hatako. But this time, it was accompanied by visions. Visions from the night before. Visions of pain, sorrow, but most of all, of longing. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Author's Notes: Please review when you have finished reading, lets me know many things that I could only guess otherwise. This story is growing quickly as I am able to devote about four hours a day to it. Next chapter up soon, me promise. Chapter revised July 28th, before publication. .o. Munkii
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