Chapter 1

The first chapter, where many important characters are introduced.

1

“A skull with three cavities. I win again.”

“Yeah…I’m bored.”

Sakoshi Kuba grabbed his worn �" out bag of skulls and hesitantly stood up. The bag had a rustic red colour �" from the blood that some of the skulls were smothered in �" that seemed to match the barren, dry, windy wasteland. There was emptiness as far as the eye could see. A breeze came by, and he narrowed his red eyes in an effort to avoid the pain of having a stinkflickr that happened to be riding the wind, only stopping after finding a juicy eye to suck dry.

Sakoshi had navy blue hair that fell over his eyes and went down to his collar bone, those already �" mentioned red eyes, pale skin, and exceptionally long, skinny arms. He was wearing a tattered white robe and straw sandals. A pink lighterfly was perched on his shoulder.

“I’ll be seeing you, Shinitami,” Sakoshi said to his friend after the wind died down, “Don’t forget that Carvite you owe me; I want it by tomorrow.”

Shinitami Haro stared at Sakoshi with wide, blue eyes. “We weren’t really betting. I never agreed to that.”

Sakoshi laughed. It was the sort of laugh that would give a human �" and maybe even a hylen �" nightmares. “I was just kidding. Man, you are so gullible.”

Shinitami had jet black hair that was just a bit shorter than Sakoshi’s. His blue eyes glinted, and his upside down banana frown showed extreme boredom. He wore an oversized black robe, and matching gloves and sandals.

Shinitami sighed as Sakoshi began receding. “Sakoshi,” he began, “I’m tired. I wish I could just die...”

“But you can’t,” Sakoshi finished, not turning to look at his friend as he spoke, “No matter how you feel, you can’t die.”

Shinitami slumped, feeling even worse now. “I want to do something...interesting,” he whispered.

Sakoshi spun around. “Well then,” he began, “Let’s have some fun, now shall we?”

“What’re you talking about?”

Sakoshi walked towards a large sphere. It had large holes in it, and areas of it were crumbling to the earth.

“We, the living dead creatures, will go to the living world and have some fun,” Sakoshi explained to his friend.

“Fun? You mean like girls and hot tubs and...”

“No, no, no. Not that sort of living fun. First of all, we have to gather everyone and bring them here. I’ll explain it to everyone then.”

Shinitami laughed quietly, “You know, even if you hadn’t come up with this...thing, our shift was already almost over.”

Sakoshi’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, yeah...it’s almost time for that.”

 

...

 

“Get UUUUPPPPP!! Get up, get up, get up, and wake up! It’s time for school! A DAY OF BENEFICIAL LEARNING AWAITS YOU!!!”

“OW! Damn it!”

Gera jumped onto her brother’s stomach. He choked and started to scream.

“Takahashi!” his mother called from the kitchen, “No language in front of your sister!”

“What did I say that was so bad?!” He yelled as he tried to get his sister, who was bouncing up and down on his stomach, off.

“Ha ha!” Gera laughed, her blond hair going up and down in sync with her head, “Come on, Takky! You’ll be LAAATTE!”

Takky, as Takahashi was known by his sister, sighed. “Could you maybe get off first? I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Gera stopped bouncing and looked at her brother with wide blue eyes. “Okay, Takky. Gera is sorry.”

Gera got off her brother and ran out of his room. Suddenly she stopped and came back to tell him something.

                “We’re having Rainz Sweet Flour Bread for breakfast!” She exclaimed.

                “Really?” Takahashi said as he headed towards the bathroom, “Okay, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

                “Okay, Takky!”

                Takahashi yawned as he entered the bathroom. He looked at his half �" asleep face and turned on the tap to a nice, freezing, wake �" me �" up �" ‘cause �" I �" spent �" half �" the �" night �" on �" my �" cell �" talking �" to �" this �" girl �" I �" like �" and �" I �" think �" we’re �" finally �" getting �" somewhere temperature. He splashed the icy water onto his face and shivered. Now his dark blue eyes were wide open.

                He pulled his nightwear off and, daring not to look at him in the mirror because he was so attractive that he just might fall in love with himself, grabbed his uniform off the bathroom counter and put it on quickly.

                He grabbed a blue comb off of the counter and combed his pitch black hair. His hair was unnatural. It was just plain weird. It looked like a bird spreading its wings. His parents tried to give him a new look numerous times, but it never works. No matter how you cut it, it’s still a bird.

After some private bathroom business, he walked out of the washroom and into the living room.

                Takahashi’s mother, Lola Reishi, was an architect. She designed many buildings in Kitanaa, the city her family lived in, including their house. She had wavy, light brown hair that nearly reached halfway down her back. She was slim, just enough to be called healthy, and had sea green eyes.

                “Hey, mom,” Takahashi said as he entered the kitchen, which was built into the living room, separated only by a black marble counter.

                Lola hugged him, her favourite white blouse rustling against his uniform, “What? No ‘good morning’? So it’s all just ‘hey mom’ now?”

                “No. Sorry,” Takahashi said honestly as his mother squeezed him even tighter.

                After about thirty seconds of Takahashi’s fidgeting, his mother let go. “Breakfast’s ready,” she said casually as she went to attend to his father, Soko Reishi.

                Takahashi sat down on one of the silver stools that his mother had designed for the kitchen and took his plate, keeping an eye on the time as he ate the sweet and filling bread native to Rainz. His sister was sitting next to him, eating slowly and without making a mess like most children do. She was so quiet and undisturbed. It’s fun to disturb people who are like that.

                “Gera,” Takahashi began. His sister looked at him as he continued, “Did your teacher tell you about the little girl who was late for school?”

                Gera stopped eating and shook her head wildly from side to side. A big no �" no.

                Her brother continued, “Well...one day the girl was late for school. Her teacher was nice, but when she arrived late that day, her teacher told her that it was okay. The teacher let her off with one warning. The little girl didn’t care; she didn’t think that the teacher would actually do something terrible to her. The next day, she slept in and arrived at school late again. You know what the teacher did to her?”

                Takahashi’s sister shook her head again. There was a terrified expression in her eyes.

                “The teacher locked the little girl in the classroom alone, after everyone had gone home. That way, she’d never be late again, ‘cause she’s always going to be there, and every night, the ghosts of the other children who came late and faced their punishment would come and torture her,” Takahashi finished, “She’s still there, sitting in her classroom...alone.”

                Gera waited a second, then screamed, jumped off her stool and ran into her parents’ room.

                Takahashi laughed quietly. He was about to finish his breakfast when he heard a voice behind him.

                “It’s a good thing I came back. You’ll scare Gera to death, Takahashi,” the girl behind him said.

                 Takahashi spun around to see a familiar hylen. She had long, silky blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a dark blue shirt with long sleeves, over which she wore a black leather jacket. Her grey pants were loose and baggy, and she wore a bright pink belt with silver chains hanging from it. The final touches included a jade green bracelet on her right wrist, a silver anklet on her left ankle, and blue �" and �" white platforms.

                Takahashi just sat there with his mouth wide open. Finally, he stated, “You look...like a rainbow.”

                “You’re no better,” the girl said as she sat down on a vacant stool, “But enough about that. Aren’t you surprised to see me?”

                “Yeah...I mean...why aren’t you at college?”

                The girl hugged him, which was sudden and surprising for Takahashi. “I just couldn’t live that long without seeing my siblings! I missed you two sooooo much!”

                “Really, Saya?” Takahashi whispered in disbelief.

                Saya let go of her brother. “Wow, you don’t mind hugs anymore? Guess you have changed a lot during the two years I wasn’t here. I was already surprised when I saw Gera.”

                “When did you arrive? Torosem is pretty far from Kitanaa.”

                “Just last night. Mum and Dad were surprised to see me.”

                “Yeah, I mean, classes aren’t over yet. Aren’t you worried about the stuff you’re missing?”

                Saya took a peach from the fruit basket on the counter. “Nah. I was more worried about you guys and besides, on my level, it’s okay if I miss a week or two.”

                “Takahashi,” Lola called as she entered the kitchen, “What do you get from scaring your sister? She’s never done anything to you.”

                Gera, who was following her mother, saw Saya and ran into her arms. “Saya! Gera missed you!”

                “I missed you, too,” Saya replied.

                “Well, that’s a happy reunion,” Lola exclaimed.

                “Hey...,” Takahashi began, “How come she remembers your full name and not mine?”

                “’Cause you’re name’s weird,” Saya laughed.

                “You’d better get moving,” Lola said to Takahashi, “You don’t want to be late.”

                Takahashi got up and grabbed his black book bag. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see you, mom, Saya, Gera,” and with that, Takahashi left the house.

                In his uniform, Takahashi was a sight to see. He looked decent in the white shirt, grey jacket and grey pants, but the real sight to marvel at was how he attracted girls. As he walked by, they would go whoosh, and the next thing you know, they’re walking by him.

                He doesn’t like it when girls do that.

                “Hi, Takahashi!” a girl walked beside him, “How are you?”

                Girls don’t like it when the person they admire ignores them, so Takahashi simply stated, “Fine.”

                “You know how school’s almost over? Well, we’re going to this...”

                “Hey,” a voice said from behind the two, “What’s up?”

                Takahashi and the other girl �" whose name was Sunata �" turned their heads to see Valkro, a friend of Takky.

                “Oh, hey, Vak,” Takahashi said subtly, “Did you do the Donnacalcul essay? It’s due today.”

                “Yeah...you want to see it?”

                “Sure.”

                Valkro reached into his book bag. “That’s funny...I...”    

                “What happened?” Takahashi asked his friend.

                “I think I forgot it!” Valkro called out as he ran back home.

                “Wow. You should be able to remember your assignments by the age of fifteen,” Sunata said.

                “It’s not entirely his fault. He undergoes a lot of stress,” Takahashi replied.

                Soon after, the two walked into the school. “I’ll be going my way now,” Takahashi said in an attempt to escape the clutches of Sunata.

                “Oh, okay,” Sunata said and walked to her class.

...

 

“Wow...this Valkro guy’s Donnacalcul is pretty good...,” Shinitami said to Sakoshi.

The two �" along with the rest of their kind �" were in an alley near Takahashi’s school.

“You know...taking a teenager’s homework is unacceptable...but what the heck?” Sakoshi replied.

Another one of the dead creatures �" this one named Lealena �" put a hand through her long blond hair. “What’s your big plan, Sakoshi? You said we were going to have some fun.”

Sakoshi took a deep breath and began, “Lealena...have I ever told you how pretty you are?”

“Yeah, you did, just last night. You can be pretty vexing, you know, Sakoshi?” Lealena said sadly, “You said we were going to have some fun…”

“And we will have fun!” Sakoshi assured his friend, “How about just the two of us?” he hinted quietly.

“Well…”

“Shut up!” Shinitami yelled at Sakoshi, “We all want to have some fun, so think of something we can do together!”

“How ‘bout a contest?” Sora, another living dead creature, began, “Something like, ‘Come one, come all! Fly through the skies and hear all things from heaven and hell!’ and with that sort of thing, we could enjoy ourselves and find potential hylens to replace us.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, their eyes staring at Saro’s bandaged face. Only his red left eye was visible, and his right hand had been replaced with a blade.

“I like it,” Sakoshi said, a crafty smile on his face, “Except maybe for the ‘Come one, come all’ part.”

“Me too,” Sobana, another creature, added, his sharp teeth glinting as the words came out of his mouth, “This sounds like it could turn out to be a big fight.”

“And killing two birds with one stone,” Lealena began, “Sakoshi, you’re so smart!”

“Actually,” Sakoshi began, “It was Sora’s idea.”

“You’re honest, too!” Lealena exclaimed, “I picked the right man!”

 

...

 

“Oh man...I’m so freaking late!”

The boy ran through the narrow alleyways, taking constant sharp turns.  His head bobbed up and down, and his light brown hair seemed to dance, providing entertainment for anyone who chose to watch a boy rushing to school.

His name was Kori Katori, a normal fifteen �" year old with serious issues. He was a smart student and all, but wasn’t very punctual. On top of that, the other kids his age would poke fun at his size and intelligence.

“People bully others for foolish reasons,” Kori’s mother had told him one day, “They can bully you because you’re tall, or maybe if you’re short. They’ll bug those who aren’t as smart as them, and they will also hurt those who are smarter than them.”

This lecture wasn’t particularly unusual; every time Kori came home bearing a black eye, bruises, or the like, his mother would sit him down and explain to him why bullies do what they do, and how he could stand up to them.

                Nowadays, Kori would simply zone out during the lecture and daydream. Unfortunately, daydreaming has no direct benefit other than enjoyment.

                So when Kori reached the school, panting and limping, it was no surprise that the regulars were there, waiting for him.

                “Yo, Katori, where’s my daily money?” Chad, the big boss began.

                Kori had been attempting to stand up for himself for quite a while now. He wasn’t sure if he should try again. All it ever got him were bruises and a black eye.

                “I’m broke,” Kori lied. His money was in his locker, so even if they frisked him, he’d be clean.

                “You couldn’t say a bigger lie even if you tried,” Chad smirked, his big, bad friends gathering around him and snickering at the boy.    

                “Well, I don’t have any money on me,” Kori replied firmly, holding his ground.

                Suddenly, Chad grabbed him by the collar. “You lying little piece of...”

                “S**t,” someone swore, interrupting, and perhaps completing, Chad’s sentence.

                A figure in a black suit and red tie stood about ten metres away from the group. He wore a jet black fedora on his head, and his blond hair stuck out in all directions from underneath the hat.

                “Who �" who the he...”

                “Who am I?” the person cut Chad off again, “I guess you could call me...Sefiroth,” and then he thought about his nickname for a moment, putting a hand on his pale chin, “Yeah...I like that,” and then turned to Chad, Kori, and the rest of the group and announced, “Call me Sefiroth!”

                The bullies looked at Chad, who in turn put Kori down and looked at “Sefiroth”.

                “What do you want?” Chad asked the man.

                Sefiroth looked at Chad with wide blue eyes, as though he hadn’t been expecting the question.

                “Well, I said ‘s**t’ because I saw a little kid...”

                Kori immediately realized who the man was addressing as a “little kid”. Reflexively, he replied with a scowl, “I am not a little kid!”

                “...being harassed by a bunch of big, smelly oafs,” Sefiroth continued, ignoring Kori’s comment.

                Kori watched the man as he slowly walked up to the group. He was dragging his feet and moaning, looking down at the pavement as he walked.

                Chad grew impatient. “Enough, old man,” he growled at Sefiroth, “Just go home already. I...”

                “My, my,” Sefiroth smiled, his eyes glowing as he put his palms against the tarmac. Suddenly, he launched a leg at Chad’s face, knocking him backwards.

                “I don’t enjoy interrupting people,” Sefiroth continued, somersaulting through the air, “But this boy is forcing me to do so.”

                With a quiet thud of his black shoes hitting the ground, the mysterious man stood, looking at the other members of Chad’s group.

                Crossing his arms, he said, “If you punks don’t want your asses kicked, I suggest you leave.”

                The bullies cowered in fear, spellbound by Sefiroth’s gloomy expression. Screaming and stuttering, they disappeared.

                Sefiroth didn’t change his expression. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Kori, who, in return, turned away. He couldn’t fight for himself. This man had to save him.

                Kori got up and began to walk away.

                “H-Hey! A thank �" you would be nice!” Sefiroth called.

                Kori walked towards the school. “Thanks.”

                Sefiroth took the fedora off and put a hand through his golden hair. Why did everyone think he was an old man? It was true that he had a tired and dull expression on his face most of the time, something that he wouldn’t dare show his younger sister �" she always got angry at him when he stepped into the house bearing such a face. She was an attractive young girl, though; it wouldn’t be hard for her to find someone who liked her. But that person would have to be checked through and through by Sefiroth before he let her continue the relationship.

                “Maaaaaaaaaaaka!!” A voice exclaimed suddenly, startling Sefiroth. He whipped around to see a young girl, slightly shorter than him yelling.

                She looked at him with big blue eyes. “What’re you doing there, Maka?” she was calling him.

                Sefiroth sighed and walked up to her. “Hey,” he began pulling at her brown hair playfully.

                “’Hey’ yourself!” she exclaimed, pulling his hand out of her tresses. She hugged him tightly, and he reacted with a tired groan.

                She looked up at him. “Are you sick?” she began.

                “Aya, Aya, Aya, you know I’m always like this,” Maka scolded her �" once again, playfully.

                “But why?” Aya groaned, and then began laughing, “I’m kidding. You’re cool the way you are.”

                Maka smiled and tried freeing himself of Aya’s grip, only failing miserably, “You mean someone who’s smart when he feels like it, and at all other times a douchebag?”

                Aya thought about his words for a few moments, “Yeah,” she replied.

                “You have a pretty unique idea of what makes a brother cool.”

                “Yeah, maybe I do,” she admitted, “But that’s just a part of me.”

                “A part that I’m glad you have. If that Sunata girl or someone else were my younger sibling, they’d try to pretend that they didn’t know me,” and then Maka laughed weakly.

                Laughing wasn’t something he did in the public, which is where he was eighty percent of the time.

 

…

 

                “Where…the hell…is it?!” Valkro gasped as he ran back to his school. It wasn’t at home, and he knew his teacher would kill him if he didn’t have it.

                Gasping and moaning onto school grounds, he saw Maka being suffocated by his sister in a tight hug, and his eye twitched. People these days. You don’t do this kind of stuff in public.

                Maka watched Valkro as he turned away and ran. “Aya, please,” he begged, and she finally let him go, only to watch him rocket towards Valkro, nearly tripping.

                “Hey!” he called after Valkro, “You’re that kid, aren’t you? The one the old shopkeeper mentioned?”

                Valkro turned his head slowly. “If you’re talking about Mr. Srell, the old keeper of the Treasure Trove, then yeah, I am,” he replied, obviously in a hurry.

                “I need to ask you something, Valkro,” Maka continued, “Did the old...”

                “Sorry,” Valkro interrupted, “I have to get going.”

                “Damn...”

                “Maka...,” Aya began softly as her brother returned with his head hung low.

                “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

 

Author's Note

Thought I should mention that this story doesn't take place in our world. The rest will explain itself as the story moves along.