The sun shone brightly overhead as the thin wisps of clouds inched slowly through the blue morning sky. The grass bended with the breeze and the trees rustled lightly.
Roiyaru had been sitting under the large cherry blossom tree in the courtyard garden for hours, the letter clutched in his fist, his other hand resolutely resting in his lap.
This wasn’t right, she was supposed to be there….to be with him…to be smiling.
Roiyaru’s grasp tightened marginally before he released the wrinkled paper. He opened the letter again, possibly the thirtieth time he had done so. He squinted from the glare of the white stationary as the sun reached its zenith.
There they were, the cruel letters, the articulate style, everything he wanted to see and read was etched there…mocking him. Roiyaru knew the letter was simply saying she would be gone for an extended period of time and be back someday. But this felt like a goodbye and goodbye was so permanent and out of reach.
Roiyaru leaned his head against the tree and shut his eyes. The Forgotten Charm. Only one has ever been able to return from it and he was incredibly powerful. Ookawa knew the risks, right? Of course she did. She had too.
Roiyaru held the paper tightly under his shaking fingers. The distracting glare had vanished and the letters shown clearly, still brilliant and delicate despite being furrowed. He smoothed the paper and began reading the letter again.
~Rio…
I am sure you are quite uncertain as to my whereabouts and have many questions regarding my sudden absence. I will tell you everything I can in this letter and hopefully you will understand, if not then please accept my apologies in advance.
First, I must state with dire importance, how much I love you. I almost did not go on with my plans because of how much I do and my heart will always ache from this very difficult decision. Sadly though, due to my choice, our planned marriage is no more. However, I am sure I will be back someday. But until then I shall eagerly await your comforting smile.
To begin with the explanation of my actions and situation, you should know that I am technically in this room. I have concealed myself and my few belongings, to initiate the process. By such words, I mean to say I have begun performing The Forgotten Charm.
You, being of royal blood and a high education, should know what this entails. I will tell you my plans in association with the charm, as well as why I was led to perform it at such a time within the current events.
The trials have been grueling and are steadily exhausting me, body and mind. Because of this deterioration, I decided, after much thought, to begin preparations for the charm. During my few peaceful weeks of freedom, I started arranging my new life and everyone else’s. This, of course, means that after the fifty year period in which the re-construction occurs, I shall awaken on Earth as someone else. That, I am sure, you know. Yet, you do not and will not know where I have gone.
While I know you will want to see me, I fear your presence may untangle the traps on my mind and cause me to remember. I can not recall anything until I am needed. So, in preparation for this, I have set up a plan a head of time. These steps will be activated once I appear on Earth and set in motion when the time comes. If you have any further questions, Myto has been instructed to answer, nonetheless, only certain ones.
Wait for me, remember me. I may have left, but I don’t want to be forgotten.
Love Forever,
Ookawa
Roiyaru ran his finger lightly over her name. How could he go on without her? Why did she think she could ask him not to find her?
He brought his hand to his head, eyes shut in frustration. How could he find her? Ookawa must have done something cunning and complicated to keep herself hidden. Roiyaru ran through dozens of possible options and ideas, anything she may have thought of.
“Wait. If she did do some type of un-breachable blockade, then surely Myto knows it.”
Roiyaru sat up straight, coming off the trunk of the tree.
“Yes. He would have helped her with the set up. Now I just have to access him…”
Roiyaru slouched, his forehead resting on his knee. He just needed to remember, back when Ookawa was designing him…what did she say?
“There was something. She used, like a new technology she had created. What was it?”
Roiyaru shut his eyes again and tried to remember.
- - - - - - - - - -------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - -
“What are you showing me?” Rio asked with a confused expression across his features.
“Remember? I have been designing myself a bodyguard for the past year.”
“Oh, right.”
Ookawa led Roiyaru over to a large bed with what appeared to be a sleeping man. He looked young, maybe 17 or 18 in human years. His hair was white and his skin a smooth tan.
Ookawa noticed the sudden change from shock to uncertainty in Rio’s eyes.
“Strange is it not? His hair is white, as expected; however his skin is tan instead of pale. That is, with the exception of that small pale mark under his left eye. There should be very little pigment, other than what I gave him. He also has pale blue eyes. I worked tirelessly on them for a month alone; I do believe they came out rather well, as has everything else.”
She smiled down at the man and back up at Roiyaru.
“Would you like to see some of the devices for his internal functions?”
Roiyaru didn’t really want to, but smiled at her and nodded. She smiled back and directed him to a key pad on a wall in the back of the room. Ookawa raised her hand and placed it over the key pad and closed her eyes. It was like she was scanning her hand, not entering a code.
Suddenly, her hand blazed with various elements coming and going, displaying an arrangement of soft glows and bright flashes. A clear light and wind shot up beneath her, her black hair flaring rapidly in every direction, and then everything slowed. Her hair waved and swirled as it did before only not nearly as fast. Quickly her eyes opened, they were white and lustrous and she began speaking some sort of incantation.
Everything continued moving slowly as she spoke, then burst. Her hand was brought out to her side; the mixture of colors that surrounded her blew out through the room.
Roiyaru instinctively lifted his arms in front of his face. Nothing hit him, so he looked out. There were objects moving unhurried through the air until they started flying about again, hitting walls and other items. A type of barrier was surrounding him and the bed with the man on it. She was protecting them. Roiyaru felt bad for making her waste energy to keep his well being, but it was amazing to watch her.
As she continued reciting, even faster than earlier, markings were weaving there way over her body, dark blue and pulsing. Another spark of light hit her, blowing around her hair and everything dropped back to normal. Anything that had been broken or dented was fixed and replaced in its original location.
The barricade around Roiyaru was now gone, but Ookawa’s eyes had closed once more and she was still moving her lips. Small colored sparks came out from her hands and began forming the door. It almost appeared to be a painting, until it fell to the floor like water.
Ookawa lifted her hand and turned to him with a smile. The intricate designs on her skin were still luminescent and continued to radiate some strange warmth. He could feel her body pulsing lightly; it was as though he were caught in a trance.
She looked very beautiful; her hair sustained a little hovering motion, despite her ritual being over. Gazing upon her was so soothing. He had never really noticed before, how strong and delicate she was.
“Come on.”
Rio shook his head, trying to dislodge any nonsense, so he could answer without her noticing his abnormal thought pattern.
“I can’t believe that took so long.” Rio said as the once holed wall built itself back up with clumps of earth. Thankfully, his voice didn’t reveal his secret.
“It may have taken long, but it is impossible to break into this room. The code alone is complex enough, it also deactivates if the hand is lifted before the entire sequence is entered. So, to put it simply, one must have an incredible memory as well as elemental power to even have a chance to perform the ceremony accurately.
“Plus, every element must be channeled from the same host. The entire system will deactivate and shut down temporarily if the hand is even lifted one millionth of an inch off the key pad. Meaning, no dead or living being can enter this room. Only I can. Plus most would assume, because I used a keypad, that there was a specific numeric order or cryptogram.” She giggled.
“That was simple?”
Ookawa stopped her little laugh and shot him a gentle glare. Roiyaru coughed nervously in a misguided attempt to veer away from his recent response. The further he pursued, the more likely it was for him never to return, at least not alive or mentally sound. This thought gave him a somewhat devious inner humor as he prepared to retort.
“Well, what about your bodyguard?” Roiyaru spoke mockingly as he asked. Her comforting warmth and throbbing body patterns now began dispersing while they stood in the dimly lit room.
Ookawa bypassed his rude and childish gesture, before rolling her eyes and answering.
“Myto cannot channel any element since he is artificial, although he does have abnormal strength and skill.”
“Myto…?”
“Yes. That is his name.”
“It’s weird.”
“I think it is unique.”
“Oh, yeah. Unique…”
Ookawa ignored the sarcasm in his voice and began leading Roiyaru over to a small wooden desk with a lamp set on the corner of the carven structure. The room seemed small and black, only containing the desk, back against what must be a wall. However considering Ookawa was, by nature, a secretive and private person, everything was most likely hidden and only appeared as she wished.
Roiyaru thought he could almost see a gleeful bounce in her step as she walked and stopped before the cherry stained desk.
“Here, this is my best and favorite part of Myto’s repair devices.”
She picked up a little black box sitting a top some papers. Gently, she held the box while opening the lid. There was a small flash before Roiyaru was able to see the contents.
“Are those…contacts?” Rio asked once the cover had been removed, revealing a pair of clear contacts resting on a piece of…something.
“What’re they put on?” He asked somewhat stupidly.
“Oh, it is a special type of metal I created. Basically it helps keep the contacts clean and in check. I am afraid I cannot tell you anymore. This, as well as most everything in this room, is confidential.”
She smiled proudly, then placed a delicate finger against one lens and brought it to her eye.
“You see, these contacts allow me to view Myto’s internal structure, like an X-ray, only I can zoom in and out and the room around is not present at all. This way, I can make repairs using my tools, which are specially made for the technology. I suppose it’s similar to virtual reality, but real.”
Roiyaru nodded. He understood how she described their purpose, but not their function. She’d probably talk circles around him if he asked.
Roiyaru’s smile waned slightly at the thought of her explanations constantly swarming his mind and stabbing every little bit of comprehension ability he had.
Roiyaru twitched.
“Rio, is something wrong?” Ookawa sincerely directed towards him, with her right eye glazed over as if she were blind.
“Nothing. Hey Ookawa, since…Myto is artificial, will he act strangely?”
Ookawa blinked at the rapid change of subject. Sighing, she removed the contact and placed it back on the metal within the box.
“I am not entirely sure. He should be as natural as you or I. The difference between living and artificial, in his case, will be nearly impossible, if not entirely, to detect. Although, since I have obviously not activated him and cannot predict the future, there is no way to say for certain.”
“Hmmm…” Roiyaru looked away from Ookawa, his eyes downcast.
“Rio? Are you sure nothing is bothering you? I am your friend, you can tell me.” She placed her hand on Roiyaru’s shoulder.
“I’m fine. I should leave though.” Roiyaru seemed upset, it was not necessarily anger, but similar to an uncomfortable frustration.
“Oh right, you have classes. I am sorry for keeping you.” Ookawa walked over to the wall and placed her hands apart evenly. She closed her eyes and began mouthing words; the code was different; not nearly as elaborate as the first and much shorter. Her hands shone fiercely again, with flashes of color and even temperature.
Small sparks came away from her hands and hit the wall in various places, creating small slits where ever they landed. The slits soon became a door that dissolved away, behind it, the room appeared. Roiyaru stepped out after Ookawa and headed to leave, waving somewhat with a small fake smile. Ookawa stood by Myto and waved back half-heartedly as the door of the room closed, followed by the one to her apartment.
She sighed. Rio had been acting somewhat ‘off’ lately, especially when she discussed Myto or their friendship.
“Myto…” she said while turning toward the sleeping android and sat down on the bed near his shoulders.
“When you wake up, will you always be my friend?”
A tear slide down her cheek, as she pushed back a strand of his bangs and smiled down at him; giving her a better look at his kind face. The stray tear fell and landed on the young man lips, slipping down his chin.
“Oh, I am sorry. Let me clean that off.”
Ookawa started to stand and grab a tissue, when she felt something warm over her hand. She looked back over to find two pale blue eyes opened and watching her.
“How are you…?” Ookawa couldn’t even finish her sentence. Myto smiled at her with caring eyes and held her hand tighter, pulling her into an embrace.
“Of course I’ll be your friend, as long as you are always mine.” He held her close, stroking her long black hair as she clung even closer in reply.
She pulled back, running her hand through his hair and against the side of his handsome face. He was so warm; she could hardly believe he wasn’t real.
“But how are you awake? I have not even activated your systems nor completed your circulatory programming. Your motor skills are not set up either, so you cannot walk yet. You should not even be able to move or talk at all. This is all so strange.”
He continued smiling at her.
“That’s all right, I can wait.”
“I will do it now. It may take me all night, but you shall be finished and able to walk tomorrow. I promise.”
“Alright, then I will keep you company as you work.”
“But I gave you the ability to recognize sensation and emotion…this could be painful in many ways.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Ookawa stroked his face again and smiled.
“Then I will prepare.”
- - - - - - - - - -------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - -
Roiyaru remembered the strange contacts Ookawa had shown him.
“I may remember them, but I left before she said how they worked. Besides, I can’t enter that room.” Roiyaru lifted his head; eyes open to the vivid sky.
“And there’s no way I could access Myto anyway.” Sighing inwardly, Roiyaru stood up, the letter still in his hand and began walking back to Ookawa’s home.
“Maybe Myto can help me with my sanity.”
He had been talking to himself a lot lately, even more after reading Ookawa’s letter.
Roiyaru continued down the path when a white glare caught his eye. Myto was standing by the gate of the courtyard. His black jacket’s aqua lining glimmered as the wind blew the fabric. Roiyaru stopped next to Myto, who was at least a good two or three inches taller and the two caught each others glance.
“Roiyaru, do you have any questions now?”
“Not really. Any I have, you can’t answer.”
Myto looked away from Roiyaru and over at the top of the cherry blossom tree protruding over the hill in the courtyard. It was Ookawa’s favorite place to go. Sometimes he thought he could still hear her sing as her hair flowed with the breeze.
“Don’t worry, she will come back someday.”
Roiyaru drew his gaze away from Myto and over to the tree and smiled.
“Yes, I think she will.”
The two men stared at the tree in the cool wind. Each wore something Ookawa had made them. Myto had a long black coat with aqua lining on the edges of the collar, cuffs, and bottom, and then on the back there was a symbol. It was similar to the main design on Ookawa when she worked with elements. Two curving lines swirled around each other in the center and broke out into weaving patterns; the mark was almost her way of saying Myto was hers. He had worn it ever since she gave it to him, nearly 200 years ago.
Roiyaru also had a jacket, but not exactly the same. It was long, though not as long as Myto’s and had the same lining; there was also a design related to the one on the back of Myto’s coat, but it was a little smaller and on his left shoulder. She purposely had it put over his scar, however she never told him why.
The design was also aqua colored, but the two curving lines that swirled around each other, came back together after coming out into its woven pattern. Both articles reminded them of her, the black was of her silken hair and the aqua, her mesmerizing eyes. The inside of each had a white silk lining; they later assumed it was to remind them of her usual white clothing and ribbons.
Ookawa left so much behind, without even doing so.
Roiyaru folded the note and placed it in his right pocket, and felt something smooth. He pulled out a ribbon; it was one of Ookawa’s. He remembered she had lost it earlier that week and he was going to return it to her when they saw each other.
Roiyaru reached for the end of his long braid and removed the old hair tie, replacing it with her ribbon. Myto watched as he did so from the corner of his eye and smiled.
Everything was working out well, if only she could see just how well. If only she knew how much she would be remembered...if only.
The wind blew the cherry blossom petals about and flew past the black fabric and long hair.
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“AH-CHOO!” Kiyoko covered her mouth for the fifteenth time today.
“Kiyoko, are you sick?” Mikomi asked her friend as they were leaving school.
“No. I feel fine…I don’t even have allergies!” Kiyoko gestured widely, trying to express her frustration.
“Maybe someone’s talking about you?” Kokoro stuck in her opinion after hurriedly catching up to them in time to hear the conversation.
“Yeah right!” Kiyoko rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Well, you never know. Somewhere there could be two guys talking about you.” Kokoro smiled at the thought.
Kiyoko looked up at the clear sky, entertaining the idea, then, briefly shoving it aside, starting a new conversation. The three girls continued on from school, laughing as they walked. Kiyoko, although laughing, still thought. She felt like she had been on the verge of remembering something. Nothing necessarily important, but it felt nice and she couldn’t help but smile as the wind blew her long black hair with her white ribbons dancing along with the shining tresses.
