Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Eyes of Sapphire ❯ Silence and the Great Rescue ( Chapter 4 )

Hello!!! I think I'm starting to set this story on it's track…I think I actually know what I'm doing!!! (in other words, I start my great ideas, but have no clue where the idea's going or how it will end…but I'm starting to get an idea!) So here we go!!!

 

(And remember that when Aoi's words are italicized, that just means it is what she's thinking!!!)

 

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“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the LORD forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in prefect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

 

 

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The eerie darkness that filled the cell hung in the air, and froze the very breath that came out of their mouths. The air was so thick it could have been cut with a knife, making Aoi's load much heavier to bear. She was in pain, and finding it harder to breathe with every breath she took. The pain in her arm and face throbbed, but she could do nothing to ease it. She was forced by him and everyone else in this new world to sit in silence, hoping ever harder that somehow she would survive it and end up back in her home with her mother and father. End up back at the school she hated being teased by the people that hated her. That would be better than this. She could deal with the mental and emotional pain, she had God to ease her…but here, the physical pain, it was so much harder. She did not have her parents there, no one, not even a Bible to feel comforted by. The only one she had was Midori… “If that's all who's here for me,” she thought, “I'd be better off alone.”

 

Midori sat in the opposite corner. He sat with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them to keep them in. He looked around the dark room, but since there was nothing there to see but darkness, his eyes kept wandering to where Aoi sat. She was staring at the floor in front of her. Having had nothing worth seeing, Aoi had removed her glasses, and they sat in her lap. Midori couldn't help but notice how different she looked without them. Her sapphire blue eyes seemed to be the only thing lighting up the room. Every once in a while, he would see a small tear run down her cheek. Her tears confused him. He had never until just yesterday seen her cry, and now he didn't know whether to laugh at her for crying over something stupid, feel proud of himself for making her cry, or to feel bad for it. After dwelling on it for a few minutes, he got mad at himself for caring.

 

“Oh seriously, what are you cryin' about, Jajauma???”

 

Aoi raised her eyes and just glared in his direction. The pain he saw in her eyes took him aback. What? It's not like he betrayed her or something! He hadn't done anything different than he had done their whole lives. Had he?

 

**Flashback**

 

It was kindergarten. Primary school had been in session for only a few weeks, and it was painting day. All the children in the class were to pick their favorite color and paint a picture on paper that hung on the mini easels in the art corner. Midori picked green as his favorite color, and decided to paint a dog chasing a cat. Standing next to him was a small girl. She was much younger than most of the children in the class, which made her, in Midori's eyes, dumber than the rest of the children. He leaned over and looked at her easel. She was painting a pink heart.

 

“Hey, girl.”

 

“He…Hewo.”

 

“You talk funny. What's your name?”

 

“I'm Aoi,” she smiled. “Ni to mee you!” (nice to meet you)

 

“Blue, huh? My name's Midori and green's my favorite color. Why aren't you painting blue?”

 

“cuz it not my favowit cuwer.”

 

“It should be.”

 

“It not.”

 

Midori took her hand and stuck it in the blue paint and smeared it over her picture.

 

“There, now your favorite color is blue.”

 

Aoi stared sadly at her spoiled painting, “No…no it not. Yuow not vewy nice.”

 

Midori chuckled like a little kid, “what? Are you gonna go tell the teacher? You're a tattletale!”

 

“I wasn't gowa tell!”

 

“Yeah you were.”

 

“Nu-uh!”

 

“Well you're dumb. You're a little kid. I'm older than you.”

 

“I'm not dumb!”

 

“Yeah you are. And ugly too. I don't like you.”

 

**End Flashback**

 

Midori thought back on that day that he and Aoi had met. She had been so fun to pick on, so easy to make fun of. He thought about the time she fell off the risers in the Christmas choir concert; how much she got laughed at. All the kids were chuckling and pointing, making fun of the girl who talked so funny. But he was laughing the loudest of all. He thought about the time her glasses fell off during recess and he ran over them, shattering the lenses. He thought about the many times he pushed her down the slide. How she'd scream as she fell, and land on her butt in the dirt. Everyone laughed then, too. And when she would have to stand if front of the class and do a presentation, how the kids would make fun of the way she talked; how he would sit next to her and impersonate her speech impairment during class out loud so everyone could hear and laugh. He thought about how many times he got sent to the principal's office because of the mean things he'd do to her.

 

And now, sitting in the dark, cold cell alone with her, he thought about how, all those times he had hurt her, how she never held it against him. Every time she saw him, she only smiled. Maybe she was smiling because of her fear. Maybe she was too afraid to act afraid. But he knew that wasn't true. He had seen her fear him, seen it in her eyes. Ever since she'd stopped talking to him, he could read her eyes. And every time he saw her blue diamonds shining at him, he didn't see her smiling because she feared him. He didn't see her smiling sarcastically or because she wanted to put on a show. He saw a different emotion in them. He saw something different in her, no matter how mean or cruel he was, he saw it. That indescribable emotion he saw through her sapphire eyes he had learned to hate over the years of torturing her. This girl was so different from everyone else, he didn't know how to interpret it. But it was that expression on her face that drove him to do the things he did, that gentle, kind expression that fueled his hate.

 

After thinking about it for so long, Midori became determined to figure out what it was; what her eyes said.

 

“And after I figure it out…BAM! Out she goes! Then I'll never have to see those blue things again.”

 

He sat a bit longer.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

There was a long silence.

 

“Hey, you.”

 

It took Aoi just a second to figure out that he was trying to talk to her. She moved her eyes in his direction, but did not move her body.

 

“I'm talkin' to you!”

 

“I won't. I won't speak to him!”

 

“Come on, stupid. You forget how to talk already?”

 

“Oh, please.”

 

Aoi shifted to her side against the wall so that her back faced him.

 

“Jajauma!!! Turn back around! I…”

 

Midori stopped and realized that she wasn't going to talk to him. He had told her in more ways than one to never talk to him again. But still…he didn't really want it to be completely silent, and he really wanted to know what it was her eyes kept saying.

 

“Alright, fine, ya stubborn wench, don't talk.”

 

“I won't.”

 

Midori thought that maybe if he made her mad enough that she would talk. So he sat and insulted her for a few minutes, that, however, got him nowhere. She lay perfectly still against the wall. After trying to hard for so long, Midori lifted himself up off the floor and walked over to her and stood in front of her. But when he looked down…

 

“What! She's asleep!!! Idiot!”

 

Midori got angry at the fact that she could possibly be asleep. He fumed for just moment, but stopped and looked at her again. He kneeled in front of her. In noticed her scent, recognizing it after so many years, and, while it usually angered him, he found himself inhaling it a second time. He had never been around her long enough in one sitting to get bored making fun of her, he had never seen her long enough for her to be doing other things besides hiding from him, running from him, or trying to outsmart him. Now, he watched her as she slept. The way her face moved as she breathed, the way her eyes twitched in her dreams, he watched it; things about her he had never seen before. He had unconsciously sat on the ground in front of her, entranced by this stranger he once knew as Aoi. Then Midori noticed the redness in her cheek from where he had hit her so hard. He reached his hand out and put it gently to her face. He could feel the swelling it had caused.

 

Suddenly realizing exactly what he was doing, he jerked his hand back. But before he had time to do anything else, Aoi opened her eyes, staring directly into his. Startled, she flew backwards and hurried away from him, sitting once again on the opposite wall. She watched him, suspicious and fearful for a few moments.

 

Midori shifted to where his back leaned against the wall. He sighed heavily, and started to chuckle.

 

“What are you gettin' all freaked out about? Jeez.”

 

Aoi remained motionless.

 

“You know, you look even dumber when you're asleep than when you're awake. I didn't think that was possible.”

 

“That jerk! How could he…that's not fair! I hope I didn't snore or something…not that it matters. *sigh* I shouldn't let what he says about that bother me.”

 

“Alright, Jajauma, the jig's up. Talk already. It's really boring in here, at least you could relieve me of a little boredom.”

 

A few minutes passed, yet Aoi still remained silent.

 

“Come on! I'm serious, say something for God's sake!”

 

“No. I won't!”

 

“Just one word.”

 

“Just one?”

 

“It ain't that hard, stupid!”

 

“It can't hurt…”

 

“You're not that dumb, are ya?”

 

“…and I really miss talking, even after only a little while.”

 

“Seriously, Jajauma.”

 

“I could tell him to stop swearing again…”

 

“Oh my word!!!”

 

“…not that it would do much good.”

 

“Okay, I'll stop. Let's try to just have a conversation.”

 

“Conversation sounds so nice…”

 

“You remember how, don't you?”

 

“He'll just be mean, but at least I could talk to him.”

 

“I really want to talk to SOMEONE!”

 

“Do you really, Midori?”

 

“Hi, Midori how are you?” he asked himself. “I'm fine, and you?”

 

“Do you really want me to talk to you?”

 

“This prison is boring as hell, wouldn't ya say? Yeah, it is. Too bad you hafta sound like an idiot to have a decent conversation. Yeah, that's a shame.”

 

“If I talk…”

 

“Really is.”

 

“…to you…”

 

“Kinda sux.”

 

“…will you listen?”

 

“Sure does.”

 

Aoi sat for a just a moment, contemplating whether or not he was serious…could she really speak and not have him laugh at her, tell her to shut up? Could she trust him? He was the only person she knew anymore; she wanted to trust him.

 

“Come on, you stupid ass bh!!!! You really are stupid, aren't you! You quit talking for a couple hours and you forget how!!!! Jeez!!”

 

“No,” she thought sadly, “You won't listen if I speak. I shouldn't have ever wanted to.”

 

Aoi dropped her head and turned her eyes away from him. Midori saw the change in her expression. “Was she about to talk?” he thought, “Dudn't really matter. I was just gonna shut her up anyway…*sigh* oh well.”

 

But as he watched her for a moment longer, he felt guilty had ever having that thought. He shook his head in argument with himself, and quickly pushed that thought aside.

 

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Nearly an entire hour had past in complete silence. The time was unknown to Aoi or Midori, locked in that dark cell. Aoi had been thinking for what seemed like eternity now about why Midori had been watching her while she slept. What had he been doing? Making fun of her while she was asleep? Unfair, but it wouldn't have surprised her. He hated her, right? So why, if he says it's a waste of time to say her name, or acknowledge her intelligence, would he sit for who knows how long and watch her? She lifted her hand to her cheek and closed her eyes. It had been so long since that day, the day they had met. So many dreadful years had past since then, but Aoi could remember it like it had been yesterday…

 

**Flashback**

 

“Okay, children! It's time to paint!” the teacher announced.

 

The shouts of excitement filled the room as the kids rushed over to the art station.

 

“Now, kids, I want you to paint a pretty picture out of your favorite colors! You can take them home after school when they are dry and give them to your parents. I'm sure they will love them!”

 

**End Flashback**

 

“I was so excited that day. I wanted to paint a big heart for Mommy and take it home to her. I could imagine the smile on her face and the hug she'd give me. I could hear her saying `Thank you, Aoi! It's beautiful! I love it!' I could see her hanging it on the refrigerator door and admiring it every time she went to open it. I loved to see my Mommy smile like that. She would always drop me off at school and tell me, `I love you, Aoi! Have a great day at school!' and when I got dressed in the morning, no matter how much I couldn't do it myself, she always told me how beautiful I looked. Just imagine how I felt then, when the mean boy next to me smudged blue paint all over the heart I had painted just for her. When that mean boy told me I talked funny and that I was ugly. He didn't like me; something I didn't understand. I couldn't see how someone could be so mean as to not like someone else.

 

“For all the years after that, the teasing never stopped. I grew out of my speech impairment, got older, taller, but none of those things mattered to him. He always found something new to laugh at. Why did he do it? I never did anything to him. I had learned to be loving, kind, compassionate, and forgiving. I always had been. I always will be. In silence.”

 

Aoi thoughts were interrupted by a loud groan from across the room. Aoi picked up her glasses and slid them on her face. She looked at Midori who was asleep on the floor. He had laid down there where he had been sitting. He moaned like a little puppy, making Aoi smile. He looked so cute and innocent asleep like that. So different from the person he really was.

 

Aoi watched him and thought about his life. Back then, in primary school, his teasing had been so child-like, so typical. He hadn't meant anything by it; he just acted like a little boy. As they entered middle school, however, his “bad boy” life became much more real. He became involved with street kids. He picked up drinking, smoking, and sex. He joined a gang in the inner city and was always in trouble at school. He was the ringleader of all the bad kids at school, but always got away with the most serious stuff, having his “friends” spend the time in ISS and detention for him. Aoi knew that he had took his turn for the worse a long time ago, but that life was gone now. All they had was each other…whether they liked it or not.

 

“I hope…” Aoi prayed, ”I hope that you are not the person you pretend to be. I want you to live life because you want to, not because you have to, or because you're scared. I want to see you smile, I want to hear you laugh when it's not at me. I want to see you grow, I want to be able to help you. Please let me. God, please soften his heart. Change him. Help me to change him.”

 

Suddenly, there was a loud boom and a crash. The boat jolted, sending Aoi flying across to the other wall. Midori quickly sat up.

 

“What's going on!” he yelled.

 

Aoi ducked as the booms continued.

 

“It's cannon fire,” Midori said.

 

Aoi sat up at his words, “Someone's attacking us! We're going to drown!”

 

Midori banged on the door that they had been thrown into. “HEY! IS ANYONE THERE! LET US OUT!”

 

He banged ever harder. Suddenly, water began seeping through the cracks in the door.

 

“Holy sh…”

 

BOOM! A cannon shot through the wall of the cell that held Midori and Aoi. Water poured in, and as it did, two male abadoos dressed like pirates leaped in. The water was up nearly to their waists.

 

“Are you two captives?”

 

“Yeah,” Midori replied.

 

“Hurry, come with us!” one of the abadoos ordered.

 

Aoi and Midori obeyed without question. One of them pulled out a shotgun and blew the doors open. Water rushed in. The two strangers led Midori and Aoi out and up a flight of stairs, onto the poop deck of the ship. The ship was leaning heavily to the port side, and a few stories down there was a small lifeboat.

 

“Hurry and jump down there!” the taller of the two shouted.

 

As Midori and Aoi prepared to jump, the other two abadoos fended off the pirates angrily chasing after them. Aoi reached out and grabbed Midori's arm firmly. He shot a strange look at her and tried to pull away, but she held tight, looking straight ahead. Deciding this was not the time to care, Midori ignored her and counted to three. They leaped off the railing and into the freezing seawater. Aoi never loosened her grip on Midori's arm. They surfaced and climbed into the lifeboat. Not long after, the two abadoos that had helped them escape climbed in. They rowed away from the sinking ship. Aoi looked up and saw a larger, grander ship than the pirate one had been. It flew the Coloterra flag rather than a pirate one. She smiled in security.

 

The voyage to the mother ship had been silent. When they were pulled on board, they were greeted by the captain of the ship. He was large, and dressed like a pirate himself, but failed to have the disposition of one.

 

“Well, we're glad to see you are both safe. Some sailors saw the pirates dock illegally at our harbor and sent out a warning they were in the area. Then word got out they took some young abadoos hostage. We took the rescuing job immediately.”

 

“We're very grateful. I'm Hiroyuki, Midori.”

 

“Greetings, Hiroyuki-san. And you…” he said, turning to Aoi.

 

Aoi turned her head away.

 

Midori sighed and rolled his eyes, “that's Motohashi. She's…um…mute.”

 

Aoi shot an evil glare in Midori's direction, but he was trying too hard to ignore her to notice.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,” the captain said.

 

“Yeah, it's a pity,” Midori replied sarcastically.

 

“Well, we welcome you aboard the Hayo Tachikotsu!”

 

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Jaa!

 

Next chapter: The Unknown Crystal and A Pirate's Life