Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Rain ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1:

The car rounded the corner too fast, the tires squealing as they fought for grip, the back end sliding out slightly, then swinging back in at the last second. The girl looked about, a nice American suburb housing district. Mid range white washed houses lining the streets, with too neat front gardens, the odd one with a child's swing set concreted in the earth, dead centre of the pristine cut lawn. She threw the little red Honda Civic round another corner and at the same time looked down to change the track on the CD player.

The bonnet caved in, the windscreen spider webbed out, and the body landed hard in the road behind the now violently swerving car, which finally fishtailed wildly and wrapped it's self round a tree the horn sounding loudly, the wheels spinning till the engine cut out kicked in, then silence. The door opened slowly, and the girl slid sideways from the drivers seat. Her eyes opened, she felt pain everywhere. She put her hand to her forehead where the pain was worst, she felt a sticky substance on her fingers and traced the flow down her face and neck. She tore a strip of cloth from the ripped car seat next to her and wrapped it round her head to stem the flow of blood. Her vision was blurry, and stained red in her left eye from the blood on her face, but she could see she had no more major wounds. She pulled a small fragment of glass from her arm, wincing in pain as she did. Then she remembered what had happened, her head snapped round to fast, causing her to grit her teeth in pain. Swearing under her breath, she stood and made her way fearfully towards the body in the road.

At 17, Celestine Aidin had already had a couple of minor accidents, but nothing like this. She stared at the inert figure lying in the road. `What if I've killed him?' she thought. She was about five foot seven, wearing torn white khakis trailing over her black Nike trainers, and a black T shirt stopping just below her rib cage leaving her belly exposed. Over the T was what once had been a white shirt, that now only consisted of the collar, sleeves that stopped three inches down, and the rest was fabric arching down either side of her chest ending slightly shorter than the T though from the back looked normal, with stiff wire threaded in the seems to hold its shape. Her dark mahogany hair was spiky and expensively styled to look untidy, going into a thick pony tail at the back, held with a silver ring, though her bangs either side seemed to outline her pretty face. Most curiously, round her waist she wore a mahogany coloured fur belt, held at the back by an oddly shaped silver clip. In her eyes, the same colour as her hair, she had a look of fear of what she'd just done. She knelt by the body in the road, he looked barely older than her. Celestine's mind raced with the horror of what she might of done. She could see he wasn't breathing, her hand reached out for his neck, fingers desperate to find a pulse.

In the same second, the boy let out a long breath, his chest falling fast, his jet black eyes snapped open locking with Celestine's and his arm flashed in movement his hand gripping hers. She let out a scream she'd had pent up since the moment something had hit her car. Winching the boys other hand darted up and covered the now slightly green faced girl.

"You ok?" He asked. Celestine froze, her scream seemed to disappear. She studied his as best she could in her current pose. Tall, about six foot, and very good looking. He was clearly an athlete of some kind giving his physical appearance, muscular yet streamlined for speed. His cloths were an odd mix of Chinese martial arts trousers and body tight top, and a nice casual jacket, with martial arts shoes, all as black as his eyes and hair, which was pulled back into a pony tail and reached just past his shoulders. She examined his face again, a mixture of European and Asian in his features, but noted only a true expression of concern on his face, and a small scar under his right eye. His hand retracted from her face, finally she regained a little composure.

"Fine, I think?" She said, unsure. She touched the spot on her forehead where the strip of blood soaked material was already beginning to dry in the midday sun. Then she noticed he was totally unscathed. She looked round, forgetting the pain it caused as she searched for something else in the read she could have hit. There was nothing, so she turned back to him. "Are you ok, I mean, I hit you with the car, at least, it must have been you."

"I'm fine, I'm pretty tough." He said in his husky voice. He looked around and then flipped onto his feet, carefully avoiding clipping Celestine with his knee. He smiled and offered her his hand, which she accepted, and found herself gently pulled to her feet like she weighed less than a feather. She stared at him, and suddenly realised she was blushing.

"Who are you anyway, and what were you doing in the road?"

My name is Rain. David Rain, and as to what I was doing in the road, I was crossing it. I wasn't expecting the Indy 500 to come flying round the corner and flatten me to the tarmac." He gave a crooked grin. She looked at him quizzically, not quite sure off him. For someone who looked like a mix of athlete, body guard and hired killer, he sure had a strange sense of humour. She found herself blushing again and confused at the hand he had again extend to her, she gripped it cautiously, and he shook it. She couldn't control herself, she burst out laughing.

"I'm so glad your ok." She said in between giggles. "Celestine Aidin. Nice to meet you. Um, you want to get out of here?" This time it was David's turn to look surmised. He looked past at her at the car, steam still hissing from under the bonnet.

"What about your car? You just gonna leave it there?"

"It's not mine. It belongs to that fucker of a father of mine. It deserves to end up like that. Besides it's brought me this far, I can find another method of transport." She grinned at him, enjoying the surprise growing on his handsome face. She shivered slightly, hoping he didn't notice. David looked her in the eyes and cocked his head.

"You running away or something?"

"Yeah, I just couldn't take it at home anymore, that drunk asshole always raging at me, never being able to be myself around people, I needed to get away, find out if there were more people like me."

"Like you?" Something in David's face brightened, like a shadow had moved away.

"Yeah, maybe I'll show you later, come on, let's go get a drink. She turned and began walking up the centre of the road, almost skipping stopping only to retrieve a black shoulder bag from the car. David shook his head, then turned to look off the other way down the road, his face darkening again for a second, then trotted off after Celestine, he caught up with her and slowed his pace.

"What about your wounds, that cut looks nasty." He indicated the strip of cloth round her head. She reached up and untied it, revealing a short, freshly clotted cut on her temple. She tested it with a finger.

"I've had worse. I can clean up their wash room." She indicated a small convenience store visible between a gap in the houses. "Come on, I need a soda. Huh, quite round here, I can't believe no one came out when they heard the crash."

"One of those Lazy Sundays I guess. No one cares what happens unless it's to them." David shrugged.

*

They sat on the park bench chewing thoughtfully on their sandwiches, occasionally sipping from their cans of Pepsi. A now clean and tidy Celestine looked at David.

"So, you know why I'm here, what are you doing around here?"

"I never new my real parents. They left me at a Shoalin Martial Arts school. I was there until I was ten, when I was selected by a Grand Master to be his student, and learn all the secrets of the Shaolin. We travelled the world, him training me in all the secret arts, known only to the Masters. Then three months ago on my eighteenth birthday, when I was supposed to receive the final test to prove I had ascended to the level of Grand Master. My Sempi, er teacher, was murdered."

"Murdered, but surely if he was a Grand Master…" She interrupted. David held up his hand.

"Part of the job of the Grand Masters, is to defend the people of the earth, from the secrets of the ancients. A highly advanced civilisation that existed in one city long before the human race ever evolved, destroyed by their own technology. Almost everything was vaporised, almost. A few articles survived, and every now and then one surfaces. Most are harmless articles, but occasionally something else is found. Something that could change the course of history, and the balance of power in the universe, so the Shaolin Masters, swore to keep any of them from ever falling into the wrong hands, for it was they that found the terrible power of the first of these objects. They human race almost died that day."

"So your whole training trip, was to find one of these, things?" Celestine was sitting on the edge of her seat, enthralled by the story.

"That was part of it. It was one of these objects that was used to murder my sempi. He tried to take it from the man who'd found it, but he'd already discovered how to work it, some weapon of sorts, my Sempi didn't stand a chance. If only I had been their, it might have been different, but he tried to take on the guy while I was meditating. By the time I found him, it was too late. I can not return to the temple until my sempi is avenged, and the article recovered, it is my mission now." He looked into the horizon, the sun slowly setting over the distant hills, the clouds tinged a gentle pink, a warm breeze blew past them, causing Celestine's hair to ripple. She looked at his face, and instantly knew he was telling the truth. She could see the pain and punishment he'd taken, the mental and physical endurance he's been through, far beyond anything her alcoholic father had ever done to her. A true warrior of the world, ready to lay down his life to defend her and everybody else on the miserable hunk of rock called Earth.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. He turned, and again their eyes locked, and they knew everything about the other, yet still they stared, sharing an intimacy few ever experience. Around them the shadows lengthened and the light began to fade. Something clicked in Celestine's head.

"When I hit you, you were chasing him, weren't you?" His expression saddened.

"Yes. I've been trailing him for months, waiting for my chance to get him on level playing field, by he's always carrying that damn crystal thing, the object from the Ancients city. Some sort of solar light enhancer."

"You mean it focus' the sunlight into a weapon. So just get him at night."

"No good, it stores energy, the only time to get him is when he's used it. It takes a couple of days before it builds up lethal force again, it's only a fragment of the original crystal."

"So, he used the crystal recently."

"He used it to rob one of those security vans, stole God knows how much money. I chased him, but I couldn't keep up, I'm fast, but I'm no match for a car doing ninety. I was trying to work out my next move when…"

"I hit you. Shit. So what do you think he'll do next?"

"I don't know. He won't hang around that's for sure. He's defenceless for the next few days, he's no martial arts master or great crime mastermind, yet anyway. Just a guy who's found a dangerous weapon, and unfortunately is smart enough to work out how it works, but not they deadly potential it has for the human race." She looked around, the warm summer evening, the smell of mown lawns and barbeques wafting on the cooling breeze. A peaceful world, one she hadn't know for a long time.

"What are you going to do? Continue your search for him?"

"Yes, though they maybe something else to do first. I've heard of an object from the Ancients city, that can counteract the effects of the solar crystals. They were a form of power for the city you see, and they were contained in cylinders of metal that generated a neutralising effect on the energy, if released at the wrong time. There is supposed to be some medallion made from that material up north, somewhere in Canada I think, it keeps surfacing, and then disappearing again in various remote towns up there, the masters have never been able to track it down. I figure maybe I should try and find it first, it might give me the advantage again. Even if it takes a year to find it, I don't think this guy will do much in that time. From what I see, he likes to keep a low profile, he's not going to blow up anything big, or cause a lot of trouble, but he does have to be stopped, and I must have revenge for my master."

"So your heading north then?" David nodded "Can I come?" His head snapped round to look at her again.

"What? No it's dangerous" He didn't sound angry, only confused at her question."

"Please. I have nothing here. I ran to get away from my old life, and then this happens, an opportunity for a whole new one. Besides, I've got a lot of money here, it's not like you can do all this stuff you talked about of good looks alone." She blushed slightly when she realised what she'd said, but regained her composure.

"Money is not a problem for me, the Shoalin have accounts all over the world for their Masters to use when on such missions, and before you ask, I don't know where it comes from, only the school leaders know that, but the school is not a free utility, so that probably generates most of the income."

"Look, fine money isn't a problem, but you've got to let me join you. I've got nothing to do, and this is the sort of adventure I've always longed for." David laughed.

"Make no mistake, it's not like the stories. Theirs pain, hunger, real danger, intense temperature and incredible discomfort. If your not fully trained, you will die."

"Then train me. You've seen the way I drive, you think I give a shit if I live or die. I've had a shitty life, and unlike yours, mines had no purpose, just pain misery and hatred. Give my life a meaning. Besides, do you really want to do all this alone? Let us be friends, and well do this together, for you, me, your Sempi, for everyone on this planet." She looked at him, defiance and hope mixed on her face. He smiled and a short laugh escaped his lips.

"You'd follow me anyway wouldn't you." David looked at her. She slid of the bench and stood looking out over the sleepy suburb in the half light of the setting sun shining behind it, her back to him. A brief chill wind blew across the hill top her kakis' catching the wind, her hair rippling again.

"No. If you really don't want me along, then I won't interfere. Ultimately, everyone must face their own goal alone, but it's nice to have some company along the way."

David stood beside her and slid his arm round her shoulder, staring out over the Eden before them. He smiled, yes, company along they way is nice, but no one should ever face anything alone. They turned to face each other, only inches away, the distance growing gradually smaller. Celestine found his hands on her check, they felt so soft, yet she'd seen the hardened, rough skin, her eyes closed as she felt the tingle of electricity at the tips of his fingers, she could feel his breath warm on her face, felt his lips brush hers, she felt her mind racing with images, with words, with things she didn't understand, and things she did. They were one mind together, sharing a more passionate moment than anything physical could achieve, when two soles form as one. It was she who broke the kiss, to stare back into those deep, beautiful, perfect eyes. She was content, for the first time in years, she was truly happy to be alive, she leaned forward and whispered to him.

"Together forever."

"Yes." He replied. He paused a moment then asked. "When you said, others like you, what did you mean?"

"This." She said, and with that the brown fur belt uncoiled from round her waist. The tail, joined at the base of her spine, twitched and stretched slightly as she loosened the muscle cramp. David gave his crooked smile.

"An animal spirit incarnate. I never thought I'd meet one."

"I don't know what you mean by animal spirit incarnate, all I know is, when I reached puberty, I sprouted this thing, and found I got very good at certain sports, of course, I kept this thing hidden from everyone, cos I figured they'd think I was freak or something, but you seem different. You've seen enough weirdness to cope with this."

"Sure, it means, when you were in your mothers womb, an animal spirit, like an energy force in nature, but sentient, chose you to bond with. It happens occasionally, because they need a human host to help them preserve nature in your world. I guess we really are meant to be together. Two people selected to help keep the world safe."

"And together, we will. So shall we go, I'm pretty sure theirs a train station near here." She said cheerily, wrapping her tail round her waist again.

"Sure." David took Celestine's hand, and they headed down the hill, towards the distant sound of a trail horn, determined to take the first train north, eager to begin their task together in their strange, fated pairing.

*