Ephemeral Road

Part 1: Listen to the Rain

Chapter 1: Sky Water

~~

On the one end of the city, the rain was just beginning and a teenaged girl and her twin brother were looking out their window to see the water fall from the sky. The girl's dark brown hair hung in her face and she quickly put it behind her ear to she the amazing event. Her brother's bleached shoulder length hair kept trying to distract her but she wasn't going to let it. She had to call her mother because she knew this might be the last time that their sick mother would be able to see it.

"Okaa-san!" the girl called, "Okaa-san, it's raining!"

Their mother came in, slowly because of her illness but she still had a magnificent glow about her. The mother looked ten years older than she actually was. Their mother's green-gray eyes had dulled but still had a hopeful sparkle that maybe she might get better. Her mother finally responded, "It is Isako?"

Isako nodded in happiness, "It is! Look at it!" She moved so her mother could take her place. Her mother began to cry because of the rainfall.

"Isako dear, can you please go outside with the water tub and collect some of the water?" Isako nodded in enthusiasm and quickly went to get ready.

The boy who had silent the whole time looked to his mother, "How many times has it rained in your life time Okaa-san?"

"Twice Kyo, twice" she responded quietly, "Once when I was a girl and now.."

Kyo blinked, "Is that possible?"

"Well it obviously is. It has rained twice in twenty-five years."

~~

Isako stood in the warm rain as the water tub filled up. There were many others outside doing the same thing. The rain pelted her skin and soaked her clothes. She sighed in relief and opened her emerald eyes. A smile was on her face as she turned to pick up the full tub. Any person that didn't live in their town and saw all of the people collecting rainwater would think that there was a shortage of water. There wasn't though. There was enough water to keep the whole city happy for years on end. They collected the water because a legend said that rainwater were the tears of the Fallen and they needed to drink every holiday in remembrance of the Fallen. She came inside soaking wet and grinning like an idiot. Kyo came to greet her and saw her condition. He shook his head, turned to the closet and got a towel out for his sister.

"Why did my sister have to be ?" he mumbled to himself as he tossed the towel to his sister. A loud noise came from the living room and they both turned their heads to the entrance of the living room.

"Okaa-san?" Isako called to her mother, "Are you alright Okaa-san?" No response.

"Mom?!" Kyo went into the living room to see his mother crumpled on the ground, "MOM!" He got down next to her and Isako ran in, "Mom."

" dear. I'm going to die you can't do anything about it I'm afraid.. *cough* Please look after your sister....and find the fish with .. feather." her breathing slowed and then came to a stop. Tears were running down both their faces. Kyo closed his mother's eyes and Isako headed for the door.

"Isako, where are you going?" Kyo demanded.

"Out.I'll be back in a bit," her voice was harsh.

"But it's still-" the door slammed, "raining."

Kyo wanted to run after his sister but couldn't find the will to move. His mother had just died. His gray-green eyes blinked away tear of sadness and hatred. He knew his mother was going to die, he had this feeling that she would, he just never suspected that she would so soon. He screamed out his anger, roaring like a mighty lion in pain. He threw his left fist into a wall and he left a large hole in it. He pulled his fist away, which was now mangled and cut and he pulled it his chest and hugged his arm. The tears were running down his cheek more swiftly than ever, because of the pain of his fist and the sadness of losing his mother. He knelt on the floor, sobbing like a small child that was lost in an enormous city with no one to turn to. He sobbed until he laid on the carpeted floor and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Hours later he awoke to her two girls' giggling. He knew his sister would not be giggling so close to after their mother's death and sat up, putting weight onto his shattered hand. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor immediately. The cold hard floor.. He blinked for a moment as he realized that he was no longer sleeping on the green carpet floor of his apartment. The ground was now felt like linoleum or polished wood floor. He began to panic and then the girls' voices got closer to him and then one of them spoke,

"Ahh...does the poor guy need a Band-aid for his hurt hand?" she asked in a cute, innocent tone. Kyo looked up to see a girl that looked his age peering at him. The yellow, cat-like eyes of the girl scared him and he immediately looked back up to her to she the rest of her face. Two little gray horns were sticking out of her long dark brown hair. Her face was covered in a pale make up and there was purple fire looking tattoo around her left eye. Her left nostril hand a small metal ring in it and it was decorated with small purple beads, each a different shade of purple. A Cheshire cat grin was plastered on her face; her lips a vibrant, almost neon purple. She picked her self and looked at her sister.

Her sister scoffed at her, "He's going to need more than a Band-aid, dear sister.." Kyo rolled onto his back to get a look at the other girl that spoke. A yellow flame marking was about her right eye. Her face bore no make up that he could see. A small metal ring, about the same size as her sister's, was in her right ear. Small yellow decorations hung off of the hoop and she fiddled with it some. Her lips were highlighted with a neon yellow and were set in a small frown of frustration. Her purple feline eyes were placed in a defiant stare. Two fox ears came from her snow-white hair. He got a good look at both of them. The girl with the purple flames wore a purple string bikini top with yellow sequence that made flowers and leaves. Her pants were long flares that began purple at her hip and then slowly as it got further down turned to yellow. The annoyed looking sister wore a yellow wrap around shirt that had purple sequins of feathers and wings. Her yellow pants were mush like her sisters flares, in the fact that they started yellow and melted down to purple. She sighed at the silence around them, "Listen, if you want your hand to get better get up."

Kyo did as she said, not wanting to anger her further. He stood as quickly as he could, without leaning on his crippled left fist. The girl clad in purple smiled at him, "Don't worry, it will only hurt for a little more.." She chanted under her breath and closed her eyes. A purple glow incased her and his hand. He winced as bone moved and skin pulled. The pain progressively became worse and just when he thought his hand was about to explode, the pain stopped. As did the glowing and the purple girl's chanting. She stood there, grinning like a child and giggled, "Feel better?"

Kyo flexed his hand, slowly at first and then progressively faster. His hand felt like it was back to normal. He smiled and bowed to the girl, "Thank you so much I don't know how I can repay you."

The yellow one sneered, "You'll find out here in a moment. Anyway, my name is Namaru and this is my sister-"

"Bakyaku! But please call me Kya-chan!"

Kyo smiled at Kya, "I'm Kyo Feila. Its nice to meet both of you."

Namaru rolled her eyes and Kya was still grinning. Namaru spoke to him, "Follow me Kyo-kun." Kyo obeyed immediately following her into the darkness of another room.

~~

The rain had just stopped at the other end of the city where Kyo and Isako lived. The moister was thick in the air and the charcoal clouds still hung overhead. Flowers drooped and people were wrapped up in coats because of the gloomy weather. The buildings glittered with the sparkles of the rainwater. Every thing seemed quite considering that this was rough side of town. The gray clouds still hung over head and thunder could be heard in the distance.

Though one boy and his father were out in the horrible weather in tank tops and plain jeans. The father's face held all the rage someone could hold with out exploding and the boy cowered in fear. The father screamed at his son, "This is the last time you ever use that powers shit on me. I've had it. The only reason I married you mother any way was to get a crack at those black feathers on her back and rip them out with all my might! But then she went and had you and left you here with me," he slapped the boy across the cheek, "You are nothing." The boy had been silent the whole time stifled a sob. His father put rusting shackles around his ankles and left, "I hope you die there boy."

The rain started once again. His black hair became drenched with the sky water and droplets slide down his cheeks as if they were tears. His dark blue tank top stuck to his torso for it was so soaked. The young man's normal sized figure shook in the cold. Every exhale seemed as if he didn't want to give up the air and every single breath seemed more like a gasp for life. His legs couldn't move for they were bound to the hard cold wall with the corroded shackles. He weakly looked and his gray eyes saw no sympathy from the people that passed by him. Unexpectedly, his legs gave out and the young man fell forward, to the wet ground. The two small blue wings were soggy and the left one looked as if it had been broken.

A small meek noise came from his mouth, "H-help.m-me." and an actual tear slid down his scarred face.

He didn't know what to do. The people wouldn't pay any attention to him and his father had left him there to die. His pupils dilated and he coughed some just as a girl passed around the corner.

Isako didn't know how long she had been walking she knew was that she was on the other side of the city. It was the side where all of the crimes were committed. She didn't care though, she wanted to walk and walk she would. She continued to walk until she saw someone on the ground not moving.

She walked over to him and examined him. He had blue wings, which caught her off guard when one of them moved. His right wing was broken and she winced at the position it was in. His clothing was torn and blood stained. She tried to get his attention, "Do you need help?"

He coughed and then rolled onto his back and he screamed when he laid on his wing. His face was scarred, on across his brow, three that made a triangle on his right cheek and two scars that were parallel on his left cheek. Isako panicked for a moment and got down next to him, "Don't hurt yourself. Here stand up."

She tried to get him to stand up but he wouldn't. Perplexed she looked at his feet. She gasped at what she saw. Rusted shackles held him to the wall. She reached out to the chains and touched them. The tears started rolling down her face again. 'Who could do this to someone? Why would they do it? Is it because he has wings?'

She bent down to help the boy and pulled at the chains, which immediately broke. She looked at the boy on the ground and helped him stand up, "Here.I'll take you home.." She began to help him walk the long walk to her house. that would lead to things she would never imagine.