Normal No More "Change is inevitable, as is fate. It is what you do after the fact, however, that determines your destiny." excerpt from 'The Last Words of Hashin', circa 10,000 BC. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. The day had continued on, if not unusually. Hatako had finished her bath some time ago, but had only managed to throw on a pair of shorts before her mind went off on another tangent. "Misaki-chan," started Hatako, noticing the ribbon. It was pulled very tightly against her chest, fraying slightly. "The ribbon, it's being torn, see?" Hatako pointed at the knot. "Not... Last long..." came a whisper over the air, and Hatako nodded. The strain from Misaki being constantly tugged back toward the sea was beginning to have an effect on the ribbon, which certainly wasn't meant for keeping people from being sucked into the ocean because they were dead, or something along that sorts. Hatako moaned quietly, then remembered tomorrow afternoon they would be heading back to the city, and moaned again. "Misaki-chan, how are you going to come back home with me? And, we certainly don't want the ribbon to break... It's the only way I can feel your touch..." Hatako asked, desperation edging in her voice. "There must be a way," thought Misaki to herself. "The seawater is like a magnet... To bad I can't bring it with..." Hatako suddenly felt a happy emotion wash over her heart, and she knew Misaki had chanced upon a good idea. She waited for Misaki to compose her thoughts into a message. "Seawater... Bring... Home..." "That might work, Misaki-chan! Hmm... Like a little bottle of water?" Hatako asked. "Small..." "Hmm..." Hatako looked around the room. She looked under the kitchen sink, but found nothing useful. She looked in her backpack. "How about a miniature toothpaste container?" Hatako soon received a negative response from Misaki as she choked on her giggles. "Silly... Hatako-chan... Silly..." Misaki called, and Hatako smiled cutely. "...And here we have the grand entrance to your new home, wrapped around by a lovely swirly design. And the exterior paint will match your eyes just perfectly!" Hatako rambled as if she was a salesperson, before dropping the tube back among her other things. "Unfortunately, it's prohibitively expensive for someone without pockets." Hatako began to search for another container, and soon found herself opening an old medicine cabinet. Her eyes lit up. Inside were rows of small glass vials and flasks, with corks protruding from the top. Many were empty. "Ooo... Look Misaki-chan! An apartment complex for ghosties!" Hatako took down a few of the empty ones and inspected them for cracks. No cracks in any of them, but the corks had been destroyed on most. "Hmm... How about this one?" She held up a small, light blue vial, no wider then a pencil, and no taller then a couple inches. It was notched at the top, so a thread could be tied around it, not to mention the small cork was still good. "Let's try this one... Shall we?" Hatako began to head for the door. "Shirt..." Hatako blushed. She was mere moments from going outside with a bow tied around her chest, complimented by a pair of shorts. "Right... shirt... Good idea Misaki-chan..." Hatako shuffled through her clothes for a clean shirt, and slipped it over the ribbon. "Now we go." The sun was drifting lazily on the horizon, and the people from earlier had gone, perhaps for dinner. Hatako raced down the sand to the cool water, walking in until it was just deep enough to run past her knees each time a wave splashed in or receded. Carefully removing the cork, she dipped the vial into the water, only to re-cork it moments later. "Okay then Misaki-chan, I'll move away from the water and onto the sand, and then I will release the ribbon. Sound okay?" Hatako asked. "Wonderful... Hatako-chan," came Misaki's voice. Hatako began to dash out of the water, only to unconsciously bring the vial mere inches under the ribbon, and it immediately fell loose. Hatako stopped, opening the top of her shirt to see that the ribbon had slid down to her waist. "Misaki-chan... Where have you gone to now?" Hatako started, only to be followed by a response. "Vial... Close... Pulled..." Misaki replied, and Hatako glanced at the small glass object in her right hand. It was glowing brightly, pulsing with each incoming wave. Hatako looked at it, dazed slightly by the beautiful soul within it. "Your spirit, Misaki... chan..." Hatako began, "It is glowing beautifully." "I... Small... Visible... It Be..." "Your idea worked then, now didn't it? I'm so happy," smiled Hatako, and she raced up to the two cottages. "Your Mother would like to see, I'm sure." She reached the worn wooden door to Shuuko's quaint cottage, and knocked softly. The door opened a few moments later, only to reveal Shuuko. Her shoulders sagged slightly, and her hair was in disarray, but she smiled softly, hopefully. "Shuuko-san... Misaki-chan is safe with me." Hatako held up the small glowing vial for Shuuko to hold, "Her spirit is safe within there." Shuuko reached for the vial slowly, and carefully wrapped her fingers around it. Bringing it up to her eyes, she peered into the pulsing light, only to quietly give it back moments later. "Hatako-chan, you and I both know very well that Misaki-chan is yours, and only yours. Never forget that. Never forget that the only place she belongs is next to your heart." Shuuko said sincerely, only to disappear into her cottage for a few moments to return with a silver chain. "Clasp the ring hanging at the end of this chain around the notch, and wear it under your clothing. Keep it secret. A soul is not a toy, but there are many cruel people in this world who will want it should they learn about it." Hatako did as she was told, hanging the resulting necklace around her neck and tucking it beneath her shirt. The glow was still shining through, however. "Hmm..." Shuuko started softly, "You will need another layer to cancel out the light... Perhaps the top part of your other bathing suit? It is a dark shade of purple, is it not?" "Yes, it is. I'll be right back, Shuuko-san. Okay?" Hatako ran off to her own cottage and dug through her clothes once more to find what Misaki's mother had referenced. She removed her shirt, slipped the bathing top over her chest, and replaced her shirt. She tucked the vial under the nylon swim suit, running back to Shuuko. "It seems to have worked well, Hatako-chan. Don't you think?" Shuuko asked, looking down at the black-haired child that was now responsible for Misaki's soul. "Yup, sure does," Hatako smiled, feeling the vial through her clothes. "Love... Mother..." Misaki called softly, and Shuuko took a step back. "Misaki..." A tear escaped Shuuko's eye. "I am so sorry... I don't know wha..." "Mother... Tears... Not... Live... I Will... Promise..." Misaki whispered gently, "I... Promise..." Shuuko was silent a few moments, comprehending was Misaki was saying, nodding quietly. She sighed softly. "I will make plans for you two to go to Gibraltar in one week. When we go home tomorrow, you two must research what you already know. I will send the smartest person I know with you, Icchan-san." Shuuko instructed. She said goodnight, closing the door behind her softly. "Your Mother is hurting, Misaki-chan..." Hatako whispered quietly next to the vial, "I feel sorry for her." "Look... Future..." Misaki replied silently. "Yes, must always look to the future. We will make it, Misaki-chan. We will make it." .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. The sea faded behind them as they left the beach, Shuuko driving home, with one less body in the car. She was silent, but definitely not happy with the turn of events. It did not matter, however, she knew it would happen. The dream she had had not more then a week ago had told her so... "A dark hand will cast death upon that child, it has been fated by the World. The water spirit will rise from the sea and cry its torrents upon the region after the fact, and you will know: It has been done. It is the future that will determine her fate now," the voice had said, only to disappear moments later. That was the last time she had heard it. Hatako had laid down and dozed off to sleep on the back seats, one of her hands covering the glowing vial in a protective fashion. Misaki, no longer bound to sleep by her body, floated around absent-mindedly in her home. There really was nothing to see through the vial, only a patch of Hatako's skin, and a purple top on the other side. "I will not be able to leave this vial until we reach the sea again... I suppose that means I will be unable to hold the ribbon as well..." Misaki pondered to herself. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Shuuko carried Hatako's limp body to Misaki's bed, setting her down before leaving the room and closing the door. The sun was creeping behind the cityscape now, and Shuuko was off to prepare a small dinner for herself and Hatako, when she awoke. The truth was, however, that Hatako was already awake. The moment she was placed under the sheets, she could feel traces of Misaki, and it woke her quickly. "Misaki-chan's bed... So nice..." Hatako purred softly, sleep still among her eyes. "Dinner... Must eat..." "But, I want to stay in this bed some more Misaki-chan..." Hatako whimpered, only to hear her stomach growl from hunger. "Go..." Misaki coaxed, and Hatako reluctantly slid out from under the covers. "Only for you, Misaki-chan. Only for you." Hatako replied as she made her way to the door. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Hatako said goodbye to Shuuko as she made her way onto the school grounds, waving as she left. Several of her friends saw her, and dashed over to greet her. "Hi Hatako-chan!" They called. "Did you like your trip? Was it fun? Did you do anything with Misaki, like swim and build sand castles and jump in the waves? What about that..." The questions continued, and Hatako spent several minutes just answering them. The bell rang, and a groan went up from the the children. "Oh, I guess it's time for school again..." Hatako moaned as she headed to her classroom, trying to avoid several groups of screaming children dashing down the hallways in every direction. "I wish Misaki-chan was here." "You'll see her after school, won't you?" called one of her friends. Hatako looked at the floor. "Yes, of course." She replied distantly. Upon entering the room, Hatako immediately noticed the teacher was missing. A classmate leaned over to her. "Substitute. Always late. Substitutes always late." He laughed before returning to his conversation with his friends. The clock continued to tick away the minutes, and finally, after thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds, a frail looking woman popped through the door. "I tell them middle school grades, and they give me these animals." She could be heard mumbling to herself, as if she was trying to keep it to herself. But in truth, the entire class heard it, and shut their mouthes promptly. "Good morning class." She said aloud, setting a stack of folders on the table at the front of the room. "If I remember correctly, your normal teacher told me he likes to have you write a little bit about your weekend, which is a fine way to start a class. Please take out a sheet of clean paper and a pencil and start that while I call roll. Let's start from the end today, shall we? Yama Atsuko-san..." "Here," Hatako began to write about her vacation, of course leaving out the parts not appropriate for anyone else to know. She was interrupted, however, by Misaki. A vision filled her mind. ... Why?" asked Misaki quietly. Her teacher approached her. "It's disgusting. It is not meant for reading, but instead it is meant for the trash bin, or better yet, the fire." she replied coldly. Her gaze was firm, and Misaki shuttered slightly at the harsh words. Misaki gathered her courage. "How dare you insult love," countered Misaki. The teacher's face became alive with fury. "Don't you dare talk back to me. People like you are destroying our world. Pray for mercy, child, and abandon your evil ways, or the devil will take you to hell himself." The Teacher's tone rose considerably. Misaki could feel tears welling up inside, but she fought them back and stood up. The teacher, who was now only feet away, stepped back. "Don't you get near me," she exclaimed as she took another step back. Misaki stepped forward. "There was one thing I learned in Angelic Layer," she said as she took another step forward. The teacher took another step back. "To pursue your dreams," she took another step forward, but the teacher could no longer step back wards. "I'll have you expelled child," she yelled as she flattened herself against the wall, "you people are contagious." ... "Kobayashi Ha..." the teacher started, only to be interrupted. "No!" Hatako cried suddenly, "Misaki-chan... How could this be..." Hatako whispered softly to herself, however several young people around her heard it. "Warning... Hatako-chan... Unsafe..." Misaki whispered quickly, and quietly. Many in the class heard that as well, and they began to look around the room for the source, but finding none, they began whispering to each other. "Kobayashi-san, what was that about?" Demanded the teacher, glaring at Hatako, recognization in her face. The whispering in the class stopped immediately. "No-nothing, Sensei." Hatako replied oddly. The teacher stared through Hatako's heart for several tense moments. "Give me that chain around your neck. It is mine today." "No... Sensei, no..." Hatako began to resist. "Now, child." The teacher paced quickly up to Hatako, ripping the necklace from her neck in one sweep of her arm. The vial swung in the silent air haphazardly, glowing brightly, pulsing with desperation. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Author's Notes: Another round of words complete... Another one in the near future... Thank you for your interest... Chapter revised July 30th, before publication. .o. Munkii
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