Once Upon an Anime: Chapter Two

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Unwarranted Behaviour

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Golden eyes blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the brightness of the room. Slowly, Rae sat up in her bed. Realising that she wasn’t alone, her gaze settled on the tall figure standing beside her. Striking silver hair glinted under the morning sunlight, and unnerving silvery black eyes studied her carefully. An unbuttoned white coat covered a sleeveless white shirt and white pants. A minuscule, transparent jewel shone vividly at his neck.

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Her eyes widened and she sat up in her bed, staring at him. “Yo.” He grinned, winking cheekily.

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“W-who are you?” She asked nervously as she hugged the bedcovers to herself. He was a stranger, a person she didn’t know at all.

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“My name is Shimizu Aikawa, and I am here to serve you.”

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Puzzled, Rae dropped her guard. “… Serve me?” She repeated dumbly. “What do you mean?”

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“I am entirely at your service, Master.” He bowed easily as he spoke.

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Rae was rendered speechless. “W-what did you say?”

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“I am one of your Protectors, and my duty is to protect you.” He sighed theatrically as he sat down in a chair beside her bed. “You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.”

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A sudden memory flashed into her mind. “… Protector…” She whispered the word as she recalled her dream. “The time has come for you to gather your Protectors…”

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Shaking her head, she searched for something to say. “What happened yesterday?” Rae asked the first question that came into her mind as she looked up at them.

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“Well…” Aikawa hesitated slightly before plunging in. “You were involved in an accident.”

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An accident… There was a vague remembrance of blinding headlights, but she couldn’t remember anything after that. “So you saved me?”

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“Hmm… now that you mention it… I did, didn’t I?” Aikawa said brightly as he smiled at her cheerfully.

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“How did you know I was in trouble?” She asked curiously.

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“Ahh…” Aikawa cupped his chin thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes.

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Rae sweat-dropped. “Never mind.”

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“You summoned me.” He answered finally.

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“Me?” Rae stared wide-eyed at the silver-haired man as she pointed at herself. Aikawa nodded affirmatively. “B-but how…”

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“It’s your blood, actually.” He answered truthfully. “You can summon us that way – but only when you’re in danger.”

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“Oh.” Rae said, blinking.

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“By the way, might I suggest you take a bath?” Aikawa suggested cheerfully. “I’ll leave you to get ready.”

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As he left, Rae fell silent, her gaze falling once again onto her clasped hands in her lap. She loosened her grip to see the ring gleaming on the fourth finger of her right hand under the bright sunlight. The words of the stranger from her dream reverberated in her thoughts. It was real… it hadn’t just been a dream…

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Sliding off her bed, she went to the window, looking outside with unseeing eyes. Her emotions and thoughts were in turmoil as she thought. Why did he want her to save that world he called Rasheille? She asked herself silently.

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Rae stared at the ring on her finger. She felt the bluish-green heart within the ring of diamond-like purity as she touched it. What was she supposed to do? Although the stranger in her dreams had told her to gather her Protectors, how was she going to find them?

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All of a sudden consciousness faded away and she had the sensation that she was flying, flying lightly over tall trees and buildings, and didn’t seem as if she was going to stop. Unexpectedly, when she reached a small clearing in the middle of a forest, she found herself drifting downwards until her feet touched the dewy green grass. She looked at the small, dilapidated cottage in front of her, feeling a mixture of anxiety and curiosity as she gazed at it.

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Just as she was about to advance, she froze in her position as a mesmerising, lilting melody wove through the air lucidly, revelling in the silence of the night. She looked around for the source of the beautiful melody. Finally, she saw a person sitting high up on a branch of a tree, leaning against it with one leg drawn to his chest and the other dangling in the air, a flute held to his lips as he played entrancingly, his eyes closed. He was fairly high up, and Rae could only wonder how he got there.

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She looked up at him, sighing as the beautiful, sad tune captured her heart. She didn’t have the heart to disturb him. She smiled sadly as memories of her father flooded her thoughts, her sadness enhanced by the sorrowful strains of the flute. A gentle wind blew, playing with her reddish brown hair; the insubstantial breeze brushing gently against the tears that slid down her cheeks, as if trying to comfort her.

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In her agitation, she didn’t notice that the melody had stopped. She had leant against the tree, weakened by her emotions, her face in her hands. Her head was lowered, tears falling off her cheeks to drop onto the ground below. The flutist was startled when he found her standing there. He was about to approach her when he noticed her tears. His eyes focused on the crystalline teardrop that slid down her cheek. She was still unaware that he was present.

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A dry branch snapped. Startled, Rae turned to look at the direction from which the sound had came, uncertainty clouding her eyes. But it cleared when she saw him. Instinctively, she knew she had nothing to fear. So familiar… he seemed so familiar… He stepped out of the shadows to reveal his face. There was no other way to express it. He… he was beautiful… Rae thought, astounded.

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Golden hair that could rival the sun fell in tumbled disorder around his face and beautiful amethyst eyes stared back into her golden ones. He wore a simple long-sleeved beige shirt and black pants. A ring was hung with a thin leather strip around his neck, and it glinted brilliantly under the gentle glow of the moonlight. That same person she had dreamt meeting only a few days ago… that familiar face.

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He stepped closer to her and for some reason, fresh tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to subdue them, yet still they came. Tears slid down her cheeks, one after another. “Why are you crying?” He asked silently as he held out a hand. A diaphanous teardrop fell onto the middle of his palm. He stared at it unblinkingly, then looked at her emotionlessly. “I don’t understand.” He said impassively.

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The next thing she knew, she was staring down at the ring on her finger like before, like nothing had happened. It had seemed so real to her, almost like reality… like they had really met.

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“Why do you look so worried?” Ai-chan asked curiously. Rae jumped in her seat, jerked out of her reverie. With wide eyes, she turned to look at him. He beamed at her.

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“W-what?”

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“I said you look worried. Is anything wrong?” He asked with concern, his silvery black eyes studying her reaction closely.

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“I-it’s n-nothing…” Rae said slowly. Aikawa stared after her worriedly, but was unable to do anything to help her.

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"Why are you crying?”

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She heard his voice again as she tried to concentrate on the book in front of her. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it, she closed her eyes. Aikawa looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a concerned expression on his face.

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What should he do? Or more importantly, what could he do? He asked himself silently. He couldn’t help her; he didn’t even know what she was worried about. Then a gentle voice spoke in his thoughts. Give her time, it said consolingly. She’ll tell you… when the time is right… She’d tell him when she wanted to, Aikawa decided gravely as he looked at her troubled face. For now, all he could do was to be by her side.