Author's Note: Hey everyone! I got bored so I felt like working on the third chapter of Firefly's Enchantment. My internet connection is being stupid on me and keeps phasing in and out! By the way, I'm still working on other stories of mine. AND I found out that Funimation's streaming dubbed episodes of Nabari no Ou! I saw the first episode and I loved the dub! It's so good! And I KNEW the Shinrabansho was voiced by Monica Rial! I soooo knew it! Alrighty, enough of my rambling. Time to get crackin'! Read and review nicely please! NO FLAMES!!! Happy reading!

CHAPTER 3: Can you handle it?

Thursday, June 22, 2006

There came another bright, slightly warm, sunny day in the little suburb of Minatsu-no-Basho, or "Place of Beautiful Summer" as it reads. The blue sky became brighter and bluer as the sun slowly began to creep up from the other side of the world and illuminate this little town with it's effulgence. Summers in Minatsu-no-Basho are usually the same: neutral temperatures, no humidity, and eternally blue skies. This is likely due to the town's habit of reacting to issues such as littering and pollution very seriously. There are rarely any cars or factories in this little town, and many of the citizens are strict environmentalists, making sure the town is perfectly clean and perfectly safe.

People began scurrying around the little town, trying to arrive at their destinations. Since it was the morning, there weren't a whole lot of people running around at this time, but the number is expected to increase. As a result of the small buildings and houses being overcome by the population of trees and grassy areas, there are a lot of animals. Little squirrels scattered across the trees and the ground, looking for acorns to eat. Birds were gently flying through the skies, flying effortlessly and being carried by the gentle, turbulent wind. Some of them gently sat on telephone cords and on trees, making nests and waiting for their eggs to hatch. The little flowers in the green grass bloomed beautifully, showing their true colors. There were many flowers in different colors such as pink, blue, white, and yellow. The grass was literally overcome with the morning dew.

Of course...humans and animals weren't the only ones inhabiting Minatsu-no-Basho. This fact is especially clear to one certain boy.

The young boy was 15 years old in age, since yesterday was his birthday. He has light, straw-colored hair, short and neatly-cut, though his bangs were a bit choppy. His sharp yet dim, hazel green eyes were like the mixture of the grass's color, and the color of a squirrel's fur. His skin was perfectly light and peach-colored. He was pale, but certainly wasn't albino. He has a slender, slim build, making him not like other boys. His arms and legs were rather thin, and his hands were small, compared to most boys. He is currently wearing a short-sleeved, white shirt under a red top that has a picture of a white cat on the lower left corner. He is also wearing dark, olive green shorts that went to his knees along with white sneakers. He was carrying both a green lunchbox that seemed to match his shorts, and a drag-able black book bag which has wheels. He looked around the area he was walking. He saw some strange things.

As he looked to his left, he saw two very different creatures. One creature was wearing a mauve-colored kimono and it's skin was a bright green. It's eyes were big and dull, and it had a small fang coming out from it's mouth. Another creature had a head that resembled that of a cat. It's fur was dark purple and it's kimono was a dark orange color. The creature's hands were in the form of cat paws and it also had a tail with a black tip sticking out. Both of them wore yellow sandals. The boy also saw a transparent, white snake slithering right next to the two creatures. Then also came a peach-colored mouse with a hook at the end of it's tail and pointed ears. It raced between the two bigger creatures. They didn't seem to notice.

The boy stared at the two for a while, then decided to walk away. He continued to walk forward. He was heading toward a small bridge that was over a river. His dull, hazel eyes stared faintly at the scenery in front of him. He began to think.

'It seems youkai are appearing more during this time. Could it be because of what's going to happen?' the boy thought nonchalantly. He is the only one who knows this, but he is not like most people. Why? It's because he has the ability to see youkai, or demons and spirits running around the town. He has never been able to tell anyone about it because of various circumstances. As he continued to walk and be lost in his mind, the echoing of voices snapped him out of the abyss called his mind.

"Good morning, Hotaruuuu!!"

"Goooood morning!!"

As the boy, Hotaru, perked up, he saw two kids about his age waving at him on the bridge. A girl and a boy. The girl has wavy, curly caramell yellow hair that does down to her lower back and has green eyes, greener than Hotaru's. She is only wearing a plain white shirt with puffy sleeves, printed with many small, red dots on the bodice along with a blue ribbon on the chest part. She is also wearing a long, royal blue skirt that goes below the knees along with white shoes, white socks, and a red ribbon in her hair. The boy is rather short for his age and has bright red hair with three spikes facing forward and has bright, emerald green eyes like a meadow on a spring day. He is wearing a sleeveless, tan-colored shirt with buttons along with a bent collar and bright red shorts that go above the knees. He is also wearing black and green sneakers as a final touch. Hotaru noticed them right away and began running to them.

"Hello Sakura! Hello Daisuke!" Hotaru exclaimed as he ran up to them. Sakura is the girl's name and Daisuke is the boy's name.

The trio of Hotaru, Sakura, and Daisuke left the bridge and began walking to school. They began having a discussion about yesterday. Daisuke was the first to begin speaking.

"Hoooo boy! We sure had wots (lots) of fun yesterday! Hotaru's birthday!" Daisuke proclaimed happily. His speech was slightly off. Sakura smiled in response.

"Yes, it sure was enjoyable" Sakura replied politely.

"Hey Hotaru! Do you have any plans for da weekend?" Daisuke asked while being slightly excited and curious. Hotaru was a bit confused.

"I don't...really have anything planned for the weekend except for therapy in the morning. Why do you ask?" Hotaru replied nonchalantly. But this didn't seem to bother Daisuke at all.

"Well, my dad's gonna have a barbecue dinner on Saturday night! We is having hamburgers and shish-ka-bobs and everyfin (everything)! He kinda wanted to know if you and Sakura-tan wood (would) like to come!" Daisuke explained, though his speech was off and sounded like it was slightly impaired. Sakura became happy when he mentioned the barbecue dinner.

"Oh my goodness! I love your father's hamburgers! They're so good!" Sakura exclaimed with a bright smile. Hotaru smiled a bit as well.

"As do I" Hotaru murmured quietly. Then, Sakura's smile suddenly dissolved.

"But Daisuke, isn't your dad a defense attorney? Isn't he always busy during the day?" Sakura asked.

"Dad hasn't been gettin' any clients or cases lately, so he's been home for the past 2 weeks" Daisuke replied with pride. Then, suddenly...

"Objection!" Hotaru suddenly blurted out. There was a short pause for a while, then Sakura and Daisuke burst out laughing.

"Bwahahahaha! He's been high on Phoenix Wright(1) against, hasn't he?" Sakura proclaimed as she was laughing.

"Myahahahaha! Yep, he suuuuure has been high!" Daisuke admitted as he was laughing. But then they suddenly stopped laughing.

"Oh! We better hurry! School's going to start!" Sakura told them.

The three quickly hurried off to Natsume Academy, which is an elevator school in Minatsu-no-Basho, and the only one. Natsume Academy has three levels: the elementary division (grades K-4), the middle school division (grades 5-8), and the high school division (grades 9-12. The three divisions have a lot of things that are different between them. For one thing, the high school divison doesn't have recess and they have 4 different lunch periods during the day: 4th lunch, 6th lunch, 8th lunch, and 10th lunch. Hotaru, Sakura, and Daisuke have 10th lunch as their lunch period and they are in the high school division.

They entered their homeroom, run by the teacher named Mrs. Hatanaka, aka Han-sensei by some of the students. Hotaru, Sakura, and Daisuke did have some classes together, but they weren't always in the same classes throughout the entire school day, which made Hotaru feel a little lonely during the day. Now, the three are sitting at their desks and talking with each other while other students were being occupied with their own business.

"So, the Natsume Summer Talent Show is next week, huh?" Sakura asked.

"Yeth! I'm gonna practish (practice) my viola until I'm blue in da face!" Daisuke proclaimed loudly. Sakura tried to calm him down.

"Oh! D-Don't get too excited, Daisuke! Remember, your heart can't take much--" Sakura tried to calm him down and was worried about his health. It's true, Daisuke has a rather weak heart because of his chromosomal disability, but he's been taking good care of it.

"I know! I know! But I be fine! I take good care of my heart! I do what mom tells me! So! Are you and Hotaru-kun gonna come? To my house? For yummy hamburgers?" Daisuke replied then asked them if they were going to come to his house on Saturday.

"I'm not really sure. I'll have to ask my parents. And I think I have piano lessons on Saturday at 1:30, so I don't know" Sakura replied with a somewhat unsure look on her face. Hotaru just stared at them with a dull, nonchalant look. Daisuke crossed his arms for a bit, then let them flop to his sides.

"If you can't come, dat's alright. I'm cool with it" Daisuke told them, but then he noticed Hotaru staring down his desk with his usual doll-like stare. Daisuke closed in on Hotaru.

"Heeeeey! What'cha doin'? Anybody hooooome???" Daisuke gently knocked on his head with his hand, but Hotaru responded a little bit until...

"Ack!!"

Someone forcefully yanked on Hotaru's hair and pulled on it. Hotaru was nearly pulled out of his seat.

"Yeah! Anybody home, yo!?"

Another teenager was clinging to Hotaru and looked like he was going to strangle him. This boy looked to be about 15-16 years old. He had slightly long, messy, scruffy black hair that went to his chin and piercing brown eyes. He was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt under a basketball jersey with a number 36 on it along with blue, baggy pants (which were obviously not being worn in the right way and were possibly falling down) and white basketball sneakers. The boy wrapped his arm around Hotaru's neck as his hand was squeezing Hotaru's hair. Sakura and Daisuke tried to take action, but saw that there were two other boys behind him.

"K-Kushida! Let him go!!" Sakura pleaded.

"Shut yer trap, yo! I didn't get to mess with'em yesterday, so I'm gonna mess'em up today, yo! So go home and play with yer dolls, ya girly girl!" The boy known as Kushida told them in a vulgar, gangster-like tone.

"And you're supposed to call him Akinobu!!" One boy behind him exclaimed. This boy, Kushida Akinobu, was trying to suffocate Hotaru, even though he wasn't nearly getting there yet.

"Hey girly man! You want my boys to slug ya in the (Censored A word), do ya want me to do it, yo?" Akinobu asked him atrociously. Hotaru did not respond at all, but someone certainly did.

"Hey! Leave the kid alone!"

It was Mrs. Han who came to Hotaru's rescue. She successfully managed to release Hotaru from Akinobu's clutches and return him safely to his seat. She was now angry at Akinobu and his lackeys.

"I'll see all three of you in the principal's office today!" Mrs. Han scolded them angrily, but Akinobu certainly wasn't going to give in to her.

"You ain't the boss of me, ya big-(Censored A word) hooker!" Akinobu screamed angrily. Akinobu's vulgar comment made Mrs. Han furious. She raised her hand up and...

SLAP!

She violently hit Akinobu in the face!

"Do you want a suspension, Kushida!? Or do you want me to call your parents!?" Mrs. Han yelled furiously when suddenly Akinobu and his two male friends immediately scurried out of the room. Mrs. Han immediately ran to the door.

"That's right! You better run! And you better know what to expect if you antagonize someone again!!" Mrs. Han yelled at the kids who were dashing out of the room. Her angry face then softened as she came back into the classroom. Sakura and Daisuke were trying to help Hotaru calm down, but he clutched himself with both of his arms and was trembling. His face was stricken with fear and he kept staring down at the table he was sitting in front of.

"Are you alright, Hotaru?" Sakura asked gently and softly. Hotaru's face grimaced with fear as he was breathing a little heavier than he should.

"Do you want to go see Koyasu-sensei?" Mrs. Han asked politely. Hotaru immediately shook his head in response.

"I shink (think) he's shurprised (surprised) becuz (because) Kushida came out of nowhere! Maybe he's tryin' to get a good grip of the situation!" Daisuke explained.

"You're probably right" Mrs. Han told him. But then Daisuke tried to put the bad situation behind him and try to come up with something new to talk about. He immediately began talking to Sakura.

"I like yer outfit, Sakura-tan! It makes ya look like a cute girl from the 1940's!" Daisuke exclaimed with a big smile. Sakura immediately blushed and her face became a little red.

"Oh! I-I-It's nothing, really! It was my mother's from when she was young, so she let me have it" Sakura replied. Daisuke giggled brightly as she responded to his compliment. But what they didn't know was that Hotaru happened to notice that the blue ribbon on her shirt was starting to become a little lose. He finally released himself from the clutches of his own arms. His fear-stricken face finally disappeared and his usual, non-chalant face returned. He suddenly stood up and slowly walked toward Sakura. Sakura and Daisuke just happened to notice. But then Hotaru opened his arms out and gently placed his hands on Sakura's blue ribbon. He then began straightening it up.

"Your ribbon is loose. I'll fix it" Hotaru told her quietly. A few seconds later, he manages to fix Sakura's ribbon and he returns back to his seat. Sakura began blushing a little more. Mrs. Han and Daisuke just happened to see this.

"Wow! He sure does take a lot of care in makin' sure that people look nice and fixing what's wrong with their clothes!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"That or I smell a little romance in the air" Mrs. Han proclaimed with a smile.

"H-Han-sensei! We're not in love! It's an old habit of his! He's done this a whole lot when we were kids!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, scaring Mrs. Han and Daisuke a little. But Hotaru wasn't bothered at all by this. He was just peacefully sitting in his chair and reading his Unico manga that he got last night.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that they are being given the cold stare by a group of girls sitting in the corner of the classroom. One girl has very long, straight, light blond hair, longer then Sakura's, and sharp, piercing, light brown eyes. She is wearing a sleeveless, light pink shirt along with a short, ruffly, white skirt, black high heels, and brown stockings. The girl on her right has slightly shorter, light brown hair that goes slightly above her shoulders and has piercing, chestnut-colored, dark brown eyes. She is wearing a short sleeved, light yellow shirt that actually shows off her shoulders and part of a white tank top she's wearing under the shirt, along with a maroon skirt that goes to her knees. The final girl has the shortest hair. She has very short, dark brown hair with curly ends along with a small ponytail on the back of her head. She also has brown eyes with a slight tint of dark red in them. She is wearing a sleeveless light blue shirt with a picture of a letter P on it decorated with glitter along with a pair of white jeans and brown shoes. They were staring eerily at the kids and Mrs. Han.

"Hmph! Look at them. They think they're so popular, but they're just a bunch of retards" The blond-haired girl remarked.

"Yeah! Like, totally! Hey Ayumi-sama? Do you think that Hirokawa kid is gay?" The curly-haired girl asked, referring to the tall, blond girl as Ayumi.

"Like, yeah! He's just trying to look cute so he can get attention. My boyfriend is like, way hotter than that kid! Don't you agree, Maki?" Ayumi remarked in a calm but devilish woman voice.

"Totally! Plus he's like, hanging out with that (Censored B-I word) Uetake! I am sooooo gonna slug her for what she did to meeee!" The curly haired girl, Maki, commented angrily.

"So how are we going to mess with them today?" The dark brown haired girl asked lazily.

"Ah, Chigusa Chigusa Chigusa...you're always so direct and quick to ask that. Unfortunately, it seems my beautiful self has gotten a bad case of Gossip Block!" Ayumi commented.

"Ewwww! I hate that! I like, totally hate when I can't think of ways to gossip about others!" Maki exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not in the mood for Hirokawa today. I just wanna slug that (Censored B-I word) over there. She's my top priority" Chigusa murmured quietly. But it seems Maki heard what she said.

"She's MY public enemy too, y'know!? I wanna slug her first! She's like, sooooo totally going to get it later!" Maki exclaimed.

"Girls girls...now calm down. We don't need to be all (Censored B-I word)y about who we're going to target today. Let's be calm and take our time to think, now shall we?" Ayumi said. Maki and Chigusa finally decide to calm theirselves a bit.

"Ugh, I have dumb cheerleading practice today. I swear, I am like, soooo going to quit if the coach tells me that my jumps aren't high enough again! Plus that other big skank keeps telling me I should quit!" Chigusa complained.

"I couldn't agree more! I have a history test today! History's like, tooootally not my thing! Not only that, my mom's not going to let me go to Yarai's party this weekend if I don't make up the classes I slept through!" Maki complained back. Ayumi then took a good look at Sakura, Daisuke, and Hotaru, happily chatting away. Ayumi let out a malicious smirk at them.

"That (Censored B-I word) and those retards should just be better off as hookers. But I think I might have a little something that could really make them puke" Ayumi whispered to herself with all kinds of traces of malice in her voice.

About 2-3 hours later...

It was 4/5th period. For Hotaru that is. This period is his English class. The teacher for the class is Mr. Nitori, who was quite well known in the school. He is tall and apparently in his late 30's, and has slightly shaggy black hair, maroon eyes, a small beard and mustache. He is wearing a cream-colored, long-sleeved shirt with a black tie along with matching black pants and shoes. He also wore glasses with the lens shaped like rectangles. Sadly for Hotaru, Sakura or Daisuke were not in his classes. But it's also a relief that Akinobu, Ayumi, or their lackeys weren't in the class either, so at the same time, it was okay. Mr. Nitori is currently giving a lecture to the kids about a story called "Wuthering Heights"(2) because they are going to read it soon.

Hotaru listened carefully and took notes in the process, but he often took a glance at the window he was sitting right next to. He was also a bit well known in various classes for being a good, studious student and is often well-liked by teachers such as Mr, Nitori, who see his potential. Hotaru copied down what Mr. Nitori was writing about the story they are going to read soon. Then, Mr. Nitori continued to talk, but stopped writing. As Hotaru took a quick glance at the window, he saw something very strange. There were a lot of tree branches next to the window he was right next to, but that wasn't what he considered strange. What he considered strange was the thing sitting on one of the branches. It was a grey raccoon with a big, striped, fluffy tail wearing a dark blue kimono, yellow straw zori, white tabi socks, and it was smoking a pipe...well, the pipe was blowing bubbles, so it wasn't exactly smoking. Not only that, the raccoon-like creature was wearing a mysterious mask that consisted of colors such as red, purple, gold, and olive green. It also has brown strings tied around the raccoon-like creature's head so it wouldn't fall off.

The raccoon-like creature didn't seem to notice Hotaru, but also didn't seem to notice the birds flying around either. What Hotaru also noticed was that it's back had two big black spots on it, almost like giant birthmarks. Hotaru tried to write down the things that Mr. Nitori was talking about, but at the same time, he tried to avert his eyes and prevent himself from looking at the raccoon. Hotaru quickly averted his eyes and began writing down some words in a rush. Mr. Nitori happened to notice Hotaru writing rather quickly.

"Hotaru-kun! There's no need to rush" Mr. Nitori told him calmly.

"O-Oh, I'm not rushing, Nitori-sensei" Hotaru replied in response. The kids didn't pay much attention to what Hotaru just said, so they continued to copy down the notes that were on the blackboard. Mr. Nitori smiled and gently placed his hand in Hotaru's hair and rubbed it a little.

"I know you're trying hard, but you already have the highest grade in the class. You don't need to rush. I know you're a good kid" Mr. Nitori told him reassuringly. Hotaru was a little confused, but he went back to writing and copying down the rest of the notes. Mr. Nitori returned to the blackboard and faced the children.

"So! Has anyone here ever read Wuthering Heights before?" Mr. Nitori asked. About a few students raised their hands. But one boy happened to keep his hand up after everyone else put their hands down. Mr. Nitori noticed it quickly.

"Got a question, Yuuki?" Mr. Nitori asked. The boy, Yuuki, put his hand down and began to speak.

"Is it true that Wuthering Heights was written by three different people?" Yuuki asked.

"Ah...well, the Bronte sisters were famous novelists, but they wrote different books during their time. Emily Bronte made Wuthering Heights, not all three of them. But she wrote it under the alias Ellis Bell" Mr. Nitori replied. Another student, a girl, raised her hand.

"Yes? Yoshiko-chan?" Mr. Nitori asked as he saw the girl, Yoshiko, raise her hand.

"Is it true that a movie was made for it?" Yoshiko asked with curiosity.

"Yes, there are actually a few movies. One in 1920, another was made in 1939, a Spanish version in 1954, one in 1970, a French version in 1985, a version from 1988, a Filipino version in 1991, an English version in 1992...and I think that's it" Mr. Nitori replied. He knew about all the film adaptions for Wuthering Heights. Another girl raised her hand.

"You have a question Midori-chan?" Mr. Nitori asked the girl whose name is Midori.

"My middle school made a play for it and I got the role as Catherine. Apparently I became popular because of it" Midori replied with a smile and a touch of confidence.

"My, how nice for you! Now, who can tell me the year that Wuthering Heights was published?" Mr. Nitori exclaimed, then went back to asking the children all that they knew about the book. It was Hotaru who raised his hand. Mr. Nitori immediately noticed him and decided to pick him out.

"Hotaru-kun! Can you tell me what year it was published?" Mr. Nitori asked with a touch of enthusiasm. Hotaru kept his usual, nonchalant and doll-like expression.

"It was published in 1847, a year before the author died, sir" Hotaru replied quietly. Mr. Nitori immediately smiled with delight.

"That's correct! And that is true, a year after it was published, Emily Bronte died of tuberculosis. Now, we're going to start reading it tomorrow in class, so I'll hand out the books tomorrow. Now, onto the next part..." Mr. Nitori exclaimed happily, but then decided to get back to the lecture. Hotaru took a quick glance at the window, but to his surprise, the raccoon-like creature that was sitting on the branch earlier is now gone.

'The youkai...it disappeared...' thought Hotaru as he stared at the window, but tried to keep up with the lecture that Mr. Nitori was giving to the students.

About 2 hours later...

For Hotaru, it is now 8/9th period. This is his gym class. But Hotaru is in the Adaptive PE class, which is a special physical education class for those with disabilities. Hotaru was assigned to his particular gym class for various reasons, but he wasn't exactly sure about why. His friend Daisuke was also assigned to this class, which made Hotaru happy because he can have someone he can talk to in this class. Daisuke is in the Adaptive PE class because of his heart defect which is from his disability (Down Syndrome). His mother feared that too much physical exercise would restrain his heart's function. Though Daisuke wasn't exactly "big". He is actually pretty skinny compared to most kids with Down Syndrome. Hotaru and Daisuke are currently sitting on the bleachers together.

"Although you, me, and Sakura-tan have the shame (same) gym period, we're in different classes. But ish okay because we get to shee (see) each ozah (other) a little bit! Right, Hotaru-kun?" Daisuke exclaimed. Hotaru didn't exactly respond and kept the doll-like face he's always had.

"...Daisuke?" Hotaru murmured to himself quietly.

"Hmm?" Daisuke heard what Hotaru just said and turned around.

"...How did we become friends?" Hotaru asked quietly. Daisuke was a little bit confused.

"Whaddo you mean? How we met?" Daisuke asked. Hotaru nodded briefly.

"Ahh, dat was a great day! It started when I came to the shpeshal (special) ed class and when my family and I moved from Sapporo" Daisuke exclaimed when suddenly they were taking a little trip down memory lane.

(flashback)

A young Hotaru, possibly about 7-8 years old in age, was wandering around in a classroom. There were many kids in the classroom. All of them were no younger than the age of 15. Hotaru was looking around the room without saying a word. He looked at the small bookshelves and some pictures of animals that were hanging on the wall. Then, the teacher came into the room. She looked to be in her early 20's and has short, reddish brown hair with the bangs being held up with a silver hair clip and has light brown eyes like caramell. She is wearing a light orange dress with short sleeves along with a light green apron and brown shoes.

"Everyone! We're starting class now! Take your seats please!" The lady exclaimed with a smile. Soon, all the children were scrambling to their seats. Hotaru followed suit and sat in a chair next to an older student, who looked to be about 12 years old. The teacher gave a big smile at most of the kids.

"Good morning, Enokido-sensei!" Most of the kids greeted the teacher, whose name is Mrs. Enokido.

"Thanks everyone! Oh, we have a new student joining us today! Please give him a warm welcome!" Mrs. Enokido told the class, then turned to the door.

"You can come in now!" Mrs. Enokido cried out. Then, someone came into the room.

It was a young boy. He looked to be about the same age as Hotaru. The boy has bright red hair with three spikes pointing in the same direction along with emerald green eyes. He is wearing a short-sleeved, light blue shirt along with dark blue jean shorts and light brown sandals. But this boy looked very strange. His eyes were shaped like almonds and were closer to his nose than usual. His ears were smaller than the other kids, his arms and legs looked very plump and floppy, his big toes seemed to be further away from the smaller ones, and his mouth was quite small. Hotaru noticed all of these features quite well. The boy has a very small amount of freckles on his face, notably next to the sides of his nose.

"Everyone, this is Sahashi Daisuke. He just moved here from Sapporo. I know he looks a little strange, but he has Down Syndrome. Now let's all give him a warm welcome, shall we?" Mrs. Enokido explained.

"Hello Daisuke-san!" Most of the kids welcomed Daisuke brightly, though the boy didn't exactly say anything.

"Now Daisuke-kun, you can sit next to Tadashi over there. The boy with his hands in a bunch" Mrs. Enokido pointed to a chair and desk that was in between a window and a boy who was rocking back and forth with his arms in a strange fashion. Daisuke walked toward the desk and sat in it.

About 10 minutes later, Mrs. Enokido announced that they will be assigned to create an animal out of construction paper, aka origami. It's going to be part of a little project that they are going to do later on. The teacher handed out multi-colored construction paper to every student in the class. Hotaru gently picked up a red piece of construction paper and tried folding it around a little. He wanted to make a flower, but it seems he's not doing quite well. A few minutes passed and he struggled to make the paper fold the way he wanted it to, but it wasn't working. Hotaru whimpered in frustration. This seemed to catch Daisuke's attention. Daisuke turned his head and saw Hotaru desperately trying to fold the paper the way he wanted it to. Daisuke stood up and decided to walk up to Hotaru.

"You...need shum (some) help?" Daisuke asked. His speech was quite off and he sounded like he had saliva building up in his mouth. But Hotaru didn't seem to mind and showed the red-haired boy a card with a flower on it. Most precisely a water lotus.

"Ohhh! You want to make a frower (flower)? Ah help you!" Daisuke proclaimed. He gently took the red construction paper and began folding it around. After about a minute or two, Daisuke finished and handed it back to Hotaru. Hotaru was quite surprised, but Daisuke seemed quite happy with how it turned out. Many of the children noticed it and were surprised. Even Mrs. Enokido was surprised.

"Wow, Daisuke! I didn't know you were this good at origami!" Mrs. Enokido proclaimed. Daisuke flashed a bright, but crooked, smile in which his crooked teeth were quite noticeable.

"Meheheheh! I'm good at dis shtuff (stuff)! I helped him out!" Daisuke explained happily. Hotaru gave out a smile and his face became a little red. He grabbed a piece of plain white paper and a pencil and began writing. He showed Daisuke the paper, which read 'THANK YOU!' in big, black latters. Daisuke saw this and smiled.

"Yurr welcome! What your name?" Daisuke asked. Hotaru wrote on the paper again. This time, he wrote 'Hirokawa Hotaru' in smaller letters.

"Hotaru, huh? Dat's a gurl (girl)'s name!...but it shoots (suits) you! I'm Sahashi Daishuke! Nice to meet'cha! Fwiend!" Daisuke told him. Hotaru smiled happily and began playing with Daisuke.

About a few hours later...

It was now time for recess. For both normal classes and the special education class. Since Natsume Public Academy shared the same piece of the blacktop, the middle school division and elementary division let both their kids play on it during reccess. Hotaru was sitting on the silver set of stairs that were part of the middle school divison building. Daisuke is right next to him. Hotaru is clinging to a light orange notebook and a black pen. They were playing until someone arrived.

"Hotaruuuuuuu!!"

This time, it was a girl. This girl has semi-long, dark blonde hair tied in two pigtails with white ribbons along with having hazel green eyes. She is currently wearing a sleeveless, purple-print dress that goes slighly below the knees along with an aqua blue crocheted sweater jacket. She is also wearing white socks and black T-strap shoes. The ends of her pigtails are slightly curled.

"Hotaru! I knew you'd be here!...oh? Who's this?" The girl asked. Hotaru opened up his orange notebook and began writing. After about a few seconds, he finished what he wrote and showed it to the girl.

'Hello Sakura. This is my new friend, Sahashi Daisuke. He's a new kid in special ed class' The notebook writing read, referring to the girl as Sakura. Sakura smiled and turned to Daisuke.

"So you're Daisuke-kun? Hi! I'm Uetake Sakura. Nice to meet you!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Nice to meet'cha Shakura-tan! Yeth, I am Sahashi Daishuke!" Daisuke proclaimed himself, but Sakura immediately became a bit confused.

"Hotaru...is he okay? He talks funny" Sakura asked. Hotaru wrote something down in the orange notebook and showed it to Sakura it read: 'The teacher said that he has Down Syndrome or something.' Sakura understood and smiled a bit.

"I see. Hey! Would you like to play with us, Daisuke-kun?" Sakura asked. Daisuke immediately jumped in happiness and joy.

"Yeeeeeth! I wood (would) luff (love) too!" Daisuke proclaimed happily and decided to follow Sakura and Hotaru and play with them on the blacktop.

(end flashback)

"...and that's how we met!" Daisuke explained. Hotaru did pay attention, but he still kept his doll-like, nonchalant stare as usual. But he did smile a little bit.

"...yes, it is" Hotaru murmured to himself when suddenly two kids arrived in front of them. One was a boy in a wheelchair while the other boy has prosthetic legs.

"Hey! You guys ready for today? Ogino-sensei said we're playing a little volleyball today" The boy in the wheelchair told them. Daisuke immediately became overcome with excitement while Hotaru didn't react at all.

"Yaaaay! Volleyball! I am shooooo ready!" Daisuke exclaimed happily.

"Oh, but Sahashi, won't your heart get tired from all the exercise?" The boy with the prosthetic legs asked.

"I be fine! I took my meds and ate my favorite sheereeul (cereal) today, so no biggie!" Daisuke replied.

"What about you Hirokawa? You aiming for volleyball today?" The boy in the wheelchair asked Hotaru. Hotaru didn't react much.

"...Yes, I'm ready" Hotaru whispered quietly. Then suddenly, the teacher came out with a large, orange, inflated ball in her hand.

"Alright everyone! It's time for volleyball!!"

The teacher is a woman. Her name is Mrs. Ogino. She looks to be in her early 30's and has light brown, curly hair tied into a small, flouncy ponytail and has matching eyes. She is wearing a short-sleeved, red shirt along with light blue shorts and black shoes. All of the kids, including Hotaru and Daisuke, followed her and many other kids to the volleyball net and they began playing. The teacher was the first to serve, and students were hitting the ball over the net and were all over the place. Hotaru hit the ball lightly a few times. But it seems his mind was somewhere else.

'...Nobody knows it, but I see things from the other side. Demons, youkai, ayakashi, mononoke, everything. I see them all the time. Mother, father, Sakura, Daisuke, and everyone else around me doesn't know it. I wonder if I should...tell them? Tell them all that I can see these things? Should I?...No, I probably shouldn't. They probably wouldn't believe me. By the way...I wonder how Kanon-sama is doing? I haven't seen her since last night. I wonder what tasks I'm going to do to help her get elected as God of the village again?...I shouldn't be focusing on that right now' thought Hotaru as he participated in the random game of pseudo-volleyball with all the other kids.

About 2-3 hours later...

riiiiiiiiing

It is now time to go home! Many students exited the school and headed for the yellow school buses that were around. Some other students had decided to walk home from school instead. Hotaru, Daisuke, and Sakura were three of those kids who walked to and from school on a daily basis. As Hotaru, Daisuke, and Sakura headed for the bridge that they would usually meet, Hotaru turned his head a bit and saw a small entrance that led into the woods.

"What's wrong, Hotaru?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing. Um...I'm going to go to the pond today. Do you mind?" Hotaru explained.

"The pond? The pond where that shrine for the God of the village is? I know! That's where you go whenever you're sad or stuff!" Daisuke exclaimed brightly.

"I see. I'll call your parents and tell them about it when I get home, okay? Get home safely now" Sakura told him politely.

"Bye bye. I'll see you tomorrow" Hotaru whispered to them quietly and waved to them. Daisuke and Sakura followed suit and decided to leave. As soon as the two children left, Hotaru immediately left the bridge and dashed quickly into the entrance that led into the woods.

Hotaru was on a dirt road that was surrounded by many green trees, some were a bit brown and flaky. Some leaves were scattered on the ground and some fell from the trees. But Hotaru didn't pay attention to those small details. He was heading for a certain destination. He went onward on the dirt path and had no intention of stopping. When he walked a few more feet, he saw a sign that read "Firefly Pond and Shrine Further Into The Woods". Hotaru smiled at this and continued to walk.

He went on, without stopping. He felt like he needed to go to the place that was up ahead. Aside from the long walk, he had no feelings that made him feel like he was lost. His golden hazel eyes looked very courageous and calm, like he knew what he was doing. He looked forward, moved on, and didn't look back at all. He then saw a light and a small entrance at the end of the woods. He slowly walked up to the entrance, until finally...he found his destination.

It was a big pond. This pond seemed like a pond, only it was really big. The big body of water in front of his stretched to about 8 meters wide in length. The purely green grass surrounded the water along with the many little flowers ranging from colors such as white, red, pink, purple, and yellow. Hotaru noticed some small fish swimming happily in the clear waters. The sun shone into the water, giving it a white spot of effulgence, though it was only being reflected like a mirror.

But this pure pond wasn't what Hotaru actually came here for. He came here to see the small shrine which was at the other side of the pond. The shrine resembled a small shed made of brown wood. Hotaru walked toward the shrine and saw that the doors were open. Inside of the little shed-like shrine was a tiny bronze statue in the form of a young woman with very long hair and a long kimono. Hotaru decided to walk a few feet away from the shrine. He held his head up high into the sky and looked like he wanted to call out to someone.

"Kanon-samaaaaaaaa!! Where are youuuuuuu!!"

Hotaru yelled up at the sky, apparently calling for this "Kanon" person.

But it seems his voice was answered.

"You have come. I'm quite surprised"

A womanly voice echoed in response. Then, out of nowhere, someone appeared right before his very eyes! It was a woman. This woman has purely snow white skin and eyes almost lighter and bluer than the evening sky itself. Her long, white hair stretched all the way down to her ankles. Her kimono was also entirely white, with the exception of her straw zori and a light blue obi. Her eyelashes fluttered faintly with her light blue eyes. The woman looked as if she was floating in the sky. Her feet did not touch the ground at all. But she did decide to stand on her two feet and approach the boy.

"I'm surprised you came here. I was at your house earlier, waiting for you until you called out my name just now" The woman told the boy in a calm, soothing, polite voice.

"Kanon-sama..." Hotaru murmured. Yes, this is the woman he called out to just now. This is the woman known as Kanon. But she certainly was not human. She's too white to be a human and she was floating earlier.

"Oh! I remember now! The contest begins today! I know why you're here. You wish to prepare for your job as my partner, correct?" Kanon told him. Hotaru nodded in response.

"The God election contest is today. You have me as your partner, who is supposed to purify the hearts of the demons that have been corrupted into darkness by your rival, the other candidate" Hotaru explained quietly.

Yes, Kanon in actuality is the God of Minatsu-no-Basho...well, WAS. Hotaru was told yesterday that he has been assigned to become her partner who is supposed to help her get the most votes so that she can become a God again. There are two candidates and Kanon is one of them. From what Hotaru was told yesterday, her rival candidate wishes to corrupt the hearts of demons and ayakashi with dark power so that it could get the most votes and become the God of the village. Kanon is desperate to make sure that the other candidate doesn't become a God, so she chose Hotaru as her partner. She wishes to purify the hearts of the demons and make sure that no trace of the candidate's dark power is present.

"You sure know your job. Alright then, I will give you what you need in order to do this with me. Come with me into the shrine" Kanon told him gently. Kanon gently floated on the breeze into the shrine. Hotaru followed suit, but he walked into the shrine.

Hotaru and Kanon are sitting on their knees, facing each other, with the statue resembling Kanon between them (not literally). Kanon is sitting on a brown pillow while Hotaru is sitting on a dark blue one. There are some candles lit with fire next to Kanon, but Hotaru didn't feel like saying anything.

"Alright. To purify a youkai whose heart has been corrupted by the dark powers of my rival candidate, you must have certain items in your possession. Here is the first item" Kanon told him.

Kanon then raises both of her arms into the air, her palms facing the ceiling, and begins whispering something to herself. Hotaru can't hear what she's saying. Then, a light blue circle of light appears under Kanon, with three small circles on various sides. One of the smaller circles begins to glow brightly. Kanon then moves one of her hands from the ceiling and places it on the glowing circle. She gently and slowly removes the circle from the bigger circle of light and keeps it in her hand. She then presents the glowing circle to Hotaru. But right about that time, the circle begins to change it's shape. It glows faintly and begins morphing into a rectangle shape. The glow finally disappears without a trace, and the light then turns into something that appears to be a book.

The book is small, shaped like a rectangle and it's brown with dark green edges. There is a gold piece of paper stuck to it with a strange writing on it, but Hotaru looked like he was not able to read what it says. The book is kept together with magenta-colored strings that make up the spine. Kanon silently shows it to Hotaru for him to take. Hotaru slowly takes the book from Kanon, opens it up, and begins reading it a little.

"That book contains a myriad of spells and incantations that can turn the darkness in a heart into light and purify their hearts forever. But each chant varies with each youkai, and each spell or incantation you recite cannot be said more than once. If that happens, it comes with a terrible price" Kanon explains with a stern look on her face. Hotaru skimmed through the small book with a nonchalant look on his face. He then looked up at Kanon.

"What happens if I recite a spell more than once?" Hotaru asked innocently. Kanon's face became stoic, but her expression is saying that the price to pay for reciting an incantation more than once seems quite grim. Hotaru immediately saw this and understood.

"I see. Sorry I asked" Hotaru told her shyly.

"Alright then, the next item..." Kanon told herself as she raised her hands up toward the ceiling again. The circle of light remained under her body, but another small circle inside of the big one began to glow brightly. Kanon gently removed the glowing circle from the bigger one and kept it in her hand. The glowing circle then became smaller and grew a point on the bottom of itself.

The glowing circle finally disappeared and turned into what appears to be a glistening, magenta-colored rock. The rock's head was round, and the bottom part is pointed. The stone appeared to be the size of three ballpoint pens put together. Hotaru also noticed that there's a light green ring around the stone. The purple stone glistened in the faint light of the candles and the outside of the shrine.

"That jewel is called the Trapezoid Jewel. As it's name states, if a youkai comes into contact with it if it's buried halfway into the ground, the jewel will use it's power to keep the demon at bay and restrain it from attacking anyone. It's like throwing a net at it to capture it, only you have to wait for the demon to step on the jewel for it to work. But it doesn't last for long. It will only restrain the demon for a brief moment, but it should give you enough time to recite a spell on it and purify it" Kanon explains sternly. Hotaru stares down at the glistening jewel in his hand. He gave out a smile as he gazed upon it with a bit of glee. To him, the stone seemed to give off a calm, soothing, and protective aura, as if it was actually promising that it will do it's job well and protect anyone who uses it.

"Now, the final item" Kanon replied and raised her arms toward the ceiling again. The final small circle of light floated gently into her hand and she presented it to Hotaru. The final orb of light disappeared and changed into what appears to be a long stick.

The long stick seemed to be taller than even Hotaru himself. The stick was small, but long and it was a red orange color. At the end of the stick was a small, silver colored orb at the top that resembled a pearl. But other than that and how long it was, there was nothing more to the stick than all of those features.

"That stick is called the Revival Pearl. If that and the book of spells were to work together and be used at the same time, their powers will be bound together and their magic will be powerful enough to eternally purify a youkai's corrupted heart forever. It may look like a fancy stick that looks fake, but it's power and strength are far beyond everyone's expectations" Kanon explained. The big circle of light below her finally disappeared without a trace. Hotaru then looked at Kanon with a determined look in his eyes.

"With all of these, I can help you purify a demon's corrupted heart if I use them properly?" Hotaru asked.

"Yes. I chose you because you can see all youkai on your own accord. I know you have a lot of potential that is just begging to be unleashed. Now, this job will be very dangerous and if you're not careful, your very life will be in danger. I certainly hope that--" Kanon explained to Hotaru when suddenly...

BOOM!

A loud banging noise echoed in the area. Kanon's head immediately turned outside as the banging became louder and louder. She immediately floated out of the shrine and went to the pond. Hotaru decided to follow suit as he ran out of the shrine with all of the items Kanon gave him in his hands. As the two began looking around frantically, Kanon head something in the bushes. As she quickly turned around to see what it was, she grabbed Hotaru.

"Look out!!" Kanon shouted as she grabbed Hotaru and pushed him away. Apparently something tried to get them. As Kanon and Hotaru looked to their sides, they saw something very strange.

It was a youkai. But to me more precise, it was more like a large, dull green-colored lizard with spots on it's hands and legs. It's eyes were brown and they had dark circles in them. The lizard had a swirled horn on it's head like a unicorn. The large creature also has sharp scales on it's hands, back, and tail. It was also wearing a maroon-colored kimono and it's tail was shaped like a fishing hook. The creature also has very, very, very sharp, pure white teeth which looked like they could shred through literally anything it bit into. Hotaru didn't react much at all, but Kanon was shocked.

"That's...that's Yamakao!!" Kanon shouted abruptly. Apparently she recognized the large lizard creature as Yamakao.

"Ya...Yamakao...?" Hotaru whispered. The large lizard, now known as Yamakao, turned around and stared at Kanon and Hotaru, who were on the other side of the pond.

"Ohoho! I've found Kanon and her humanoid partner! I'm sure "he" will enjoy tonight's dinner with much pleasure!" Yamakao sneered greedily and growled like the beast he is. Kanon helped Hotaru up on his feet and pulled him off of the ground.

"So I'm guessing Yamakao's heart was corrupted?" Hotaru asked, with his usual dull expression. But his dullness also seemed to have a sense of determination in his eyes.

"Yes. It's likely that the other candidate did this. Yamakao...!" Kanon said. Then, Hotaru suddenly dashed away from Kanon and began heading back to the entrance to the pond.

"Hotaru! Wait! It's too dangerous!!" Kanon yelled.

"I have an idea!" Hotaru yelled back at her. Apparently Yamakao has Kanon in his sights and decided to go after her.

As Yamakao leaped across the pond to attack Kanon, apparently she has her own trick up her sleeve...literally. Kanon pulled out a silver colored staff with a bird's wing on the top of it, defending herself from Yamakao's bite. As Hotaru ran to the tip of the pond, which is in front of the entrance he came from, he raised the Trapezoid Jewel up into the air, then forcefully pushed it into the ground. It was halfway in the ground. Kanon fired a beam of white light from her staff, managing to hit Yamakao's neck a little bit. But Yamakao quickly used his tail to try and trip Kanon. But she saw this coming and quickly floated into the air.

"Heeeeey! Yamakao-saaaaaaaan!!"

Hotaru yelled across the pond to get Yamakao's attention. Kanon and Yamakao stopped their fighting and both looked at Hotaru, though with different emotions. Kanon was confused and shocked, while Yamakao was just overcome with greed and desire.

"Yamakao! Come over here and face me!" Hotaru cried out.

"Hotaru! Are you crazy!? You could be killed in a snap!" Kanon cried out.

"Trust me, Kanon-sama!" Hotaru told her.

"Now this is more like it!" Yamakao smirked and immediately left Kanon to go after Hotaru. Kanon gave chase in order to catch Yamakao, but Hotaru didn't seem scared at all even though Yamakao is charging right toward him. But right when Yamakao was about to grab Hotaru and pin him to the ground, Hotaru quickly dashed away and jumped into the water! Hotaru did, however, make sure that the book and the Revival Pearl staff were not wet. Kanon was shocked. Yamakao became very angry.

"Gaaah!! Why you little--wha!?" Yamakao screeched angrily, but then he saw that his hand was directly clinging onto the Trapezoid Jewel. Hotaru leaped out of the water and back onto the surface. All three of them saw a bright green and purple light eminating from the jewel. Then, a series of green and purple lines, glowing faintly, began to surround Yamakao. The lights began to wrap themselves around the large creature and restrain it from doing any movement. The lights swirled around Yamakao, preventing him from moving at all, even though he was desperately struggling to break free. Kanon finally saw a window of opportunity.

"Hotaru! Now!!" Kanon screamed. Hotaru opened the first page of the book and decided to recite the first incantation that he laid eyes on.

"I call upon the descending Gods of the light and the sun to banish the evil infesting the fragile creature's heart! I commandeth thee to rid the innocent heart of the darkness and the evil that is inflicted upon the minor! Drehen Sie die Dunkelheit, anzuz nden(3)!!"

As Hotaru recited the first incantation that he laid eyes on, a gold-colored light began to appear in the book. As he finished reciting the spell, the light exited the book and began heading toward Yamakao. The light hit Yamakao in the forehead and it began to envelop him from both the outside and the inside. As his body began to glow, some of it reached Hotaru and it dissolved into his forehead. Hotaru began seeing something he didn't see before.

(flashback)

A smaller version of Yamakao was just walking around in the forest innocently, looking around back and forth, left to right, as if he were searching for something. He was smiling and humming to himself and minding his own business as if he didn't have a single care in the world. In his hand was a small, white flower.

"I wonder where Kajimi-san is today? I hope she likes the flower I got her. I wonder where she is? Kajimi-saaaan!!" Yamakao said to himself, but cried out the name of a youkai named Kajimi he was looking for. But he got no response. But as he snapped out of his mind, he turned to his left and saw some flowers that were right next to him. He became giddy with excitement.

"Oooohhh! How pretty these are! Maybe Kajimi-san would love these! She likes the color orange after all! I better pick them and give them to her!" Yamakao exclaimed to himself as he kneeled down and began picking the flowers. But what he didn't know was that a pair of black silhouettes began creeping up behind him. As Yamakao noticed that the flowers below him suddenly became dark, he became confused.

"Huh? It's night time alre--" Yamakao said to himself, but as he turned around, he saw a pair of black silhouettes standing behind him. One was REALLY big, about the size of a crape myrtle tree, and was really overweight too. The other one looked to be shaped like a human. But its face was hidden and was unable to be seen. But it was very thin and slender. Yamakao became very confused.

"Whaaa? Who...who are you?" Yamakao asked, confused. But the small silhouette began moving its mouth as if it was saying something to it. But the words were entirely inaudible and Yamakao was unable to hear anything it said. But then, Yamakao saw a circle of black light below his feet.

Yamakao was about to panic. He didn't know what to do. But suddenly, the big silhouette grabbed Yamakao's head with his really big hand with great force. It was like the big silhouette was trying to keep Yamakao still. Soon, the black slight began to creep up Yamakao's body and enter his mouth. Yamakao tried to get away, but he was unable to do so. The black energy entering his body prevented him from doing so. The little flowers he picked slipped out of his hand and gently fell to the ground. Yamakao finally lost consciousness. The black energy began to fade and the unconscious Yamakao fell to the ground as if he was a rag doll. Then, he began shaking wildly. The two black silhouettes watched as Yamakao's skin became darker and he became bigger in size. This was how Yamakao became corrupted with darkness.

(end flashback)

"Wha...now what happened here!?" Yamakao woke up confused and a little dazed. Apparently he doesn't know about the mild damage that he caused when he was corruped. But right when he looked up, he saw Kanon staring gently and pristinely into his eyes. Yamakao's skin became light again and he became smaller in size, but he was still the size of a human child.

"Ohhhh! Ka-Kanon-sama! Wha...what a surprise to see you here!" Yamakao exclaimed.

"Are you alright, young one?" Kanon asked politely.

"Y-Yes. I'm quite fine...Oh! Might I add that you look absolutely dashing today? Oh yes! The elections start today, don't they!? You have my vote!" Yamakao told her. Kanon blushed a little bit.

"Oh, well thank you very much" Kanon replied shyly. Then, Yamakao caught a quick glance at Hotaru.

"What's this? Is that a human, Kanon-sama?" Yamakao asked, confused.

"He is my partner. His name is Hotaru" Kanon told him. Yamakao took a good look at Hotaru.

"Wow, he certainly is handsome for a human!...and quite cute too!...Oh my! I have to go look for Kajimi-san! Thank you very much for what you did for me, Kanon-sama! I should take my leave now! Kajimi-saaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!" Yamakao bowed before Kanon and dashed the area in a hurry, but not before complimenting Hotaru. As Yamakao quickly left the pond, Kanon floated toward Hotaru, who looked a little confused.

"You did very well for your first try. But things will be harder and more dangerous from now on. We may have to come up with innovative strategies for dealing with them from...hm? What's wrong Hotaru?" Kanon told him when she noticed Hotaru's confused look on his face.

"I...I spoke German...I...I don't even know German" Hotaru murmured to himself.

"I can understand. These chants can be pretty strange sometimes. Oh! We should probably take you back home. Your parents must be worried" Kanon told him reassuringly. Hotaru quietly nodded in response. Kanon then wrapped herself around Hotaru and they both closed their eyes. And before Hotaru knew it...he was standing in front of his own house!

Kanon had apparently transported him back home with her powers. Hotaru smiled a little and was about to knock on the door...until a young woman suddenly opened it. She looked to be in her mid 30's and has very long, light-colored hair, matching Hotaru's hair color. She also has dark green eyes. One part of her light colored hair was tied into a very long braid while the rest of it was left alone. She is wearing a sleeveless light blue shirt along with darker blue jean shorts and brown sandals.

"Oh! Hotaru! I was just about to go and look for you!" The woman exclaimed.

"I'm home, mother" Hotaru told his mother quietly.

"Welcome back. Oh! Sakura-chan called and told me you were at that pond. How responsible of her! She's such a good girl!" Hotaru's mother exclaimed with a smile.

"Speaking of her...mother, Daisuke told me today that his family is having a barbecue party this weekend and he wants to know if maybe we all can go?" Hotaru asked. The mother began pondering about it a little.

"Well...aside from therapy in the morning, we don't have much plans so...I'd love to come! Dai-chan's dad has the best homemade burgers! I can already smell them! We all can go! You, me, Mitsuru, Sakura-chan, and her family, all of us at a summer barbecue!" The mother replied happily and became giddy with excitement. Hotaru smiled in response. They were about to talk more, but then the mother noticed Hotaru's clothes are wet.

"Hotaru? Why are your clothes wet?" The mother asked.

"When I was playing, I fell into the water by accident. Sorry" Hotaru replied in response.

"I see. Let's get you changed into dry clothes then!" The mother said when all of a sudden, a voice echoed from inside the house.

"Tsukiko! Is Hotaru back yet?" The voice of an adult man rang in the house.

"Coming Mitsuru!" The mother, Tsukiko, yelled in response to her husband, Mitsuru, then turned back to Hotaru.

"Let's come inside, shall we Hotaru-chan?" Tsukiko said. Hotaru and Tsukiko finally decide to go inside the house and plan the rest of their day.

Author's Note: Phew! Finishing this chapter up was a big piece of work! But it's a good thing I got this chapter done, or else it would've been hanging in limbo for quite a long time! There's more to come soon! But now that I've started school, I probably won't update as much as I did over the summer. But I'll do the best that I can! This weekend is a 3-day weekend for me. Plus I have a bit of homework. But I'll update my stories as much as I can! Maybe even start new ones! I've already gathered lots of ideas for other ones! But I won't put them all out in the open just yet. I still have things to do. Anyway, I gotta go. I have homework to do. I'll see you all later! Read and review nicely please! NO FLAMES!!! Bye-bee!

Footnotes:

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is the name of a popular video game for the DS made by Capcom. There are 4 sequels for it.

2. Wuthering Heights is a popular novel written by Emily Bronte just before her death, which was published in 1847.

3. "Drehen Sie die Dunkelheit, anzuz nden" - German for "Turn the darkness, to ignite"