Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Call of the Heart ❯ Yesterday's Fantasy ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

STUDIO X PRESENTS

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH:
CALL OF THE HEART

A Story by Miyu, Vampire Princess



Episode One - Yesterday's Fantasy




It had been a long day.

First was the park, playing with the other neighborhood children. Then it was to the zoo to see all the strange looking and colorful animals. Lunch was at a small café several blocks from the amusement park.

Then came the roller coaster rides and the merry-go-round, and the little train that looked like a caterpillar. It was a great time playing more games and eating cotton candy.

Dinner was at home -- stuffed peppers and meatloaf, mother's specialty. Then it was time to do chores -- dusting, vacuuming, and taking Hikari for a walk around the block to get his exercise. At last, it was time to settle down to a coloring book and crayons at the kitchen table.

"Emera, dear. Time for bed!"

After a long day of romping, Emera Hououji was ready to go to sleep.

"Okay!"

The five-year-old girl ran into the bathroom, her brown ponytail bobbing up and down. When she was finished brushing her teeth, she smiled into the mirror -- leaving her toothbrush on the sink -- and ran into her bedroom where her mother awaited her. She jumped onto the bed, knocking down several stuffed toys. There was a loud running noise behind her as Hikari also ran into the room. The large dog leapt onto the bed and on top of Emera. The little girl giggled, smiling up at her mother.

Fuu Hououji smiled happily as she approached her daughter's bed. She had raised Emera alone, much to her family's dismay. They had demanded to know who the father was, but Fuu refused to discuss the matter. They would never understand. Even her sister, in whom she had confided everything, wouldn't understand. After a few months of unfruitful prodding, her family gave up. And after Emera was born, the matter was forgotten all together.

She had never discussed Emera's father or his whereabouts with the little girl either. How do you explain to a little girl that her father doesn't really exist...at least not in the world she knew? But she couldn't lie to the little girl, either.

Thankfully Emera had never been very curious about her father, settling for her mother's bedtime stories about mystical mages, magical knights and a certain handsome prince that captured the heart of one of those knights. But sometimes, when she'd tell the stories that had been engraved on her heart for so long, Fuu couldn't help but feel sad.

Sad for herself.

And sad for her daughter.

A time of reckoning was close at hand, and she knew she'd have to leave. Hikaru and Umi had already answered their calls. But Fuu was trying to hold on as long as she could.

Emera frowned up at her mother. Tonight was going to be one of those sad nights. She could tell. Perhaps she was upset at the disappearance of her friends -- Emera's Aunt Hikaru and Aunt Umi. But they had been gone for nearly half a year now. The girl stroked Hikari's gray fur.

"Momma, will you tell me that story again?"

Fuu blinked, staring down at her daughter. She sat on the edge of the bed, a wan smile passing her lips. "Which one, dear?"

Emera's frown turned into a small smile. "The one about the other world." Yeah, that will cheer her mother up!

"But you've heard it every night this week," Fuu said, stroking the girl's hair out of her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to hear another story? Perhaps from one of the books in the study?"

The little girl shook her head wildly. "No, no, no. I wanna hear the one about you and Aunt Umi and Aunt Hikaru."

Fuu sighed, the smile never fading. "I'm afraid mommy doesn't have the time to tell a long story tonight."

Emera looked wide-eyed at her mother. "They've been keeping you busy at work, haven't they momma?"

Fuu nodded, the smile fading slightly. She was one of the youngest researchers at the new fiber optic technology firm just outside of Tokyo. She had made quite a name for herself within the company, but it came with a price...lots and lots of work. Unfortunately, that wasn't what was plaguing her thoughts tonight.

"Yes, dear, they have." She tapped the tip of Emera's nose with her fingertip. "And so have you, sweetheart."

Emera chuckled, wrinkling her nose. "Will you tell me the story tomorrow then, momma?"

Fuu hesitated, the smile starting to disappear. "I don't know...."

"PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSE?"

Fuu's smile returned briefly at Emera's plea. "Okay, tomorrow then." She leaned over, kissing the girl's forehead. "Now to sleep with you."

"'Kay." The little girl moved back under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. Hikari moved to the far end of the bed, curling up for the night as well. Emera watched her mother as she kissed her again on the cheek then stood. After her mother turned her back she asked, "Momma?"

Fuu turned, looking at her daughter with a small smile. "Yes, Emera?"

"Do you...want to go back there?" Emera said, struggling for the right words. "To that other world?"

Fuu, startled slightly, sighed. She thought a moment before responding, "Why do you ask?"

The little girl shrugged under the covers. "I don't know. Something just feels...wrong," she muttered, looking away from her mother. "I don't want you to leave."

"I would never leave you alone, sweetheart," Fuu responded almost immediately. And she meant it.

"But," Emera said, looking back at her mother. "Something feels wrong. Like you're going to go away and leave me here like Aunt Umi and Aunt Hikaru did."

Fuu smiled sadly, leaning back over the bed and kissing her daughter again on the cheek. "You'll never be alone, Emera. Momma will see to that."

Emera gave her mother a small smile and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. She knew her mother would keep her word, but something still felt wrong. She shrugged off the feeling, embracing her mother briefly before being tucked back under the covers.

"Now sleep," her mother said, scratching Hikari behind the ear. "Both of you." She turned her back walking slowly to the door. She stopped in the doorway, watching the little girl roll onto her side and drift off into sleep. Suddenly all the heartache she'd been hiding came forth, bringing tears to her eyes. She closed the door quickly, softly so Emera wouldn't hear.

"You'll never be alone, Emera," she said, clutching her hands to her chest, letting the tears fall freely. "I WILL make certain of that."

Emera smiled in her sleep, turning over onto her other side. Her thoughts were of the prince in her mother's stories, fighting off demons to save a little princess. She was unaware of Hikari's low whining. Unaware of the glowing white light that flashed under her door from the hallway.

Unaware of the tearful sobs of her mother as she faded into nothingness.



ELEVEN YEARS LATER....


"Thanks for bringing Hikari over, Emera. You've taken great care of him in Hikaru's absence."

"Yeah, he looks every bit as happy with you as he did with sis."

Emera Hououji stood in the courtyard of the Shidou dojo and residence. She was dressed in her school uniform -- a green and blue skirt with a matching jacket, the school insignia emblazoned on her left shoulder. Her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail. She looked at Hikari as he romped around the yard.

"Are you sure he won't get hurt?"

Satoru Shidou, Hikaru's eldest brother, smiled innocently at Emera. "Of course he won't," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. A fatherly gesture, Emera knew. Satoru was very protective of Hikaru when she was there. That feeling had passed onto Emera not long after she had disappeared. "Hikari was the closest thing to Hikaru we know of. He should be able to help us find her."

"And you couldn't have thought of this sooner, brother?" Masaru Shidou, the second oldest of the three brothers, said with a frown. He was very protective of Hikaru as well. Come to think of it, Emera thought, all of Hikaru's brothers were protective of her.

"Ah, the joy of being the youngest sibling," Hikaru had once joked.

Emera smiled as Hikaru's brothers argued. This was so typical of them. Did they ever stop?

"Then I'll leave him with you," she told them, breaking up their argument. "I'll check back tomorrow to see how he is."

"Don't forget about the strawberries," Kataru, the youngest Shidou brother, added from the window of the main house. He always bugged her about the strawberries from her tiny garden in her back yard. Hikaru helped her start it a long time ago.

Emera smiled to him, waving. "I won't. See you tomorrow."

"Take care, Emera," Masaru called before the two brothers went back to arguing.

Emera grabbed her book bag, leaving the Shidou residence. She sighed, glancing back at the house and dojo where her Aunt Hikaru used to live. She'd come there every day to visit Hikaru's brothers since her mother disappeared. They had been very kind to her, although they never ceased to be caught up in their search for their sister.

She missed her aunt very much. She missed her Aunt Umi too.

But she missed her mother more.

Emera sighed again, green eyes staring at the sidewalk while she walked. It had been eleven years since her mother's disappearance. She still remembered the night as clearly as if it happened yesterday. But there was a part of her that believed it all a fantasy. Unreal.

The days seemed longer after her mother's disappearance. Everyone had told her that when she was old enough, she'd understand. But how, when they couldn't understand it themselves? Even her Aunt Izamu, who had become her foster mother and raised her these past eleven years, was at a loss. Still at a loss.

It wasn't fair. But she still clung to the small hope that her mother would return. No matter how long it took.

Before she knew it she was in the front yard of her home. She walked to the front door, still staring at the ground. Once she entered the house she dropped her book bag in a corner and took off her shoes.

"Aunt Izamu, I'm home!" she called.

Her aunts voice was as soft as her mother's when she replied, "I'm in the study, dear."

Emera walked down the small hallway, past the living room and kitchen, and into the doorway of the study. The room itself was huge...and still decorated the way Emera's mother had designed it. There was a time when Emera liked the study. It was a place where she and her mother would write letters, color drawings and read books. Several of Emera's early masterpieces still hung on the wall by the bow window.

Izamu Hououji sat at the large oak desk in the center of the study. In front of her were piles of books and papers. Izamu was a brilliant teacher who loved her work. She appeared to be working on another research project for her students.

Must be very important, Emera thought upon seeing the cascade of books. Unlike her sister, Izamu rarely buried herself in her work.

Izamu looked up as Emera entered the room. She sighed, noticing the dark look in the girl's eyes. She'd been thinking about her mother's disappearance again. Her worst nightmare had come true. Izamu wished she could help the young girl through her trouble, but she was troubled herself.

She was busy making dinner when her sister called that night. Fuu tried to explain that she had to leave and wasn't sure if she'd be coming back. Would she look after Emera? Her sister rarely asked her any favors, so Izamu didn't ask questions. She showed up the next morning bright and early, hoping to be there before Emera noticed that her mother was gone.

But the girl was already awake.

Emera was angry and upset. What child wouldn't be? She screamed and yelled throughout the house, calling for her mother and throwing things -- often breaking them. Izamu tried to comfort the girl but it had been of little use. Even Hikari couldn't ease her troubled heart. Izamu worried for days until Emera actually suggested they go out. She seemed to be herself again.

The whole situation still seemed beyond her comprehension -- Fuu had always been a strange one to comprehend -- but she trusted that her sister knew what she was doing. She wanted to believe that she'd return as much as Emera.

But after eleven years, her faith was beginning to waiver.

"How are you, dear?" Izamu asked, motioning for the girl to enter the room. "You're home late."

"I stopped by aunt...the Shidou residence on the way home from practice."

Clare smiled over a pile of papers. "And how is Hikari?"

"He'll be fine," Emera said with a small smile of her own.

"And how was school?"

Emera shrugged, her eyes darting to the floor. "Okay I guess."

Izamu leaned forward on the desk, eyeing her niece curiously. "Weren't you supposed to have a math test today?"

Emera groaned. She was hoping her aunt would forget. "Mm-hmm," she mumbled in response.

"And?"

Emera looked at Izamu oddly. "And what?"

Her aunt frowned. "You studied for two weeks for that test, Emera. There's no reason you should have done poorly."

"I know," the girl replied. Then she smiled. "I'm pretty sure I passed it."

"Good." Izamu smiled. Emera was a bright girl when she decided to apply herself. Unfortunately, that was only a small part of the time. "I knew you could do it."

"Oh," Emera said, remembering something. "They handed out the authorization forms for the class trip this week."

"Great!" Izamu said, removing her glasses from her face. "Where is the class going this year?"

Emera frowned. "Tokyo Tower."

Izamu mirrored her niece's frown. There were many places Emera liked to visit. But Tokyo Tower was not one of them. She'd been there when she was little. It was then that her mother began telling her the fantastic tales of the Magic Knights. The Tower had been a special place for her mother, but Emera couldn't find it in her heart to go there.

"I don't want to go, Aunt Izamu."

"Emera," Izamu began cheerfully. "There are lots of things to do at the Tower. There are shops and a restaurant. And the water fountains just across from the site. It would be perfect for a picnic lunch."

The girl's frown deepened. "I know, but...I...just don't...wanna...go."

Izamu sighed. "It's a class trip, dear. I really don't see a reason why you can't go."

"Couldn't you make up something? Anything?!" Emera's eyes began to tear when her aunt shook her head. "Please?"

Izamu rubbed her temple and then replaced her glasses back over her eyes. She stood and walked out from behind the desk. "It's time to move on, Em."

"I hate that place," the girl spat. "I hate it! I don't want to go!"

Izamu walked over to her niece, hugging her tightly. She sighed again, placing a small kiss on the top of her head. "I know you hate that place, dear. I know. But you have to move on Em. Do you think your mother would want you keeping yourself all bottled up." She grabbed her niece gently by the shoulders and held her at arms' length.

"I miss her," Emera said, eyes tearing.

"I do too," Izamu answered with a sad smile. "And she's been gone a long time. She may not be coming back, Em. She may not be able to come back."

Emera stared up at her aunt in awe and anger. "How can you say that?! You don't know...."

"It's been eleven years," Izamu said, the smile turning into a frown. How many times had they had this conversation over the years? And it always ended in Emera crying, running up to her room. How could she possibly get through to this girl? "You've kept it inside long enough. It's time to let it go."

Emera backed away from her aunt slowly, the tears falling like rain. "You don't know," she said, her voice squeaky from sobbing. "She'll be back."

Izamu placed a hand over her own mouth to keep herself from crying. She didn't like to see the girl hurt, but it was time she accepted the truth.

"She'll be back," Emera said again, clenching her fists at her sides. Without another word she stalked from the room. Once she reached the hallway she ran as fast as she could upstairs to her bedroom.

"Oh, Em. Emera, I'm sorry."



The girl stalked down the hallway and into her bedroom. She slammed the door with a loud BANG! Then she leaned against it, the tears flowing faster.

'She's never said....How could she even think???'

Emera threw herself onto her bed. Burying her head in her pillow, she let the sadness take over her body. The tears just wouldn't stop falling. How long had it been since she'd been able to cry like this? Months? Years?

"Why now?!" she screamed into the pillow.

"Puu puuuu!"

Emera didn't move when she felt something -- rather someone -- bouncing on the bed beside her. "Not now, Mokona," she grumbled, waving an arm at him.

Mokona continued to bounce on the bed, arms and ears flopping with him. She was late getting home and he was beginning to get worried. He was happy to see that she was all right, even if she was crying.

"How could she?!" Emera mumbled into the pillow.

"Pu pu puu?" Mokona asked. He hopped from one side of the bed to the other. When she didn't respond, he gave up, falling down onto the bed beside her. "Puuu."

Emera turned her head upward to look at Mokona. He was usually not easily dissuaded from cheering her up. Perhaps he was beginning to feel the sadness too. He was, after all, taken from his home and placed into hers. Just as her mother had been taken and placed somewhere else.

He first appeared the night after her mother disappeared. Hikari wouldn't stop barking at something under the bed. Emera looked only to be bunted in the head by something. When she looked up again, he was bouncing around the room like a piece of rubber.

It was white and fluffy, with big floppy ears, short stubby arms and a red jewel of some kind stuck in his forehead. She had no idea what it was or where it came from. She'd never seen anything like it. It made funny noises as it bounced around the room.

She tried in vain to get the creature to stop bouncing. Finally, after nearly half an hour, the creature stopped bouncing in the middle of Emera's bed. The jewel on its forehead began to glow, shooting a beam of light directly at Emera's eyes. The girl squinted as a voice sounded behind her.

"Emera."

She turned to see the light forming into image. It was blurry at first. But when it cleared, Emera immediately recognized it.

Her mother!

"Emera," the hologram of Fuu said with a sad smile. "I'm sorry I had to leave. I'm needed for something very important right now. Perhaps I'll be able to tell you stories about it later. I'm only sorry I couldn't bring you with me.

"I didn't mean to lie to you, but...I just didn't have the heart to tell you that you were right. I cannot ask for you to understand why I have gone. I only hope that, one day, you will find it in your heart to forgive me.

"I also promised I wouldn't leave you alone. Your aunt Izamu should already be at the house. I fear I may have asked too much of her this time. I only hope that she too will be able to forgive me someday. She will watch over you in my place. Please be good to her, as you have been to me."

"Pu puu?" Mokona said.

The hologram of Fuu seemed to laugh. "I'm getting to you. Emera, the creature before you is called Mokona." Emera gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "Yes, the same as the one in those stories I told you. He has been sent to watch over you where Izamu cannot be. Treat him kindly and you will find that he is very handy when you need him."

"Pu puuu pu puu," Mokona stated proudly.

"I love you, sweetest Emera. Perhaps the fates will allow us to meet again, someday."

Emera cried as the image of her mother faded into nothingness.

The next day was the beginning of a new part of her life, one she couldn't comprehend yet. She never thought she would.

"Oh, Mokona," Emera said, rolling over in bed and hugging the white creature to her tightly. "I miss her without even trying. I love her so much, yet...I just can't stand it!"

"Pu puu."

Emera sighed, wiping away stray tears with the back of one hand. "Why can't I forget? Why?" She like that for a while and the tears began to form again. "I've spent half my life hating her because she left me, but...." Emera sat up, still holding onto Mokona. "I still love her. I do. I just...."

"Puu pu puu?"

Emera held Mokona at arms length. "I suppose." She tried to smile but failed. "I miss her. I want to see her again, Mokona. Just once more."

"Pu pu pu puu!" Mokona leapt from her grasp, bouncing several times on the bed before coming to a stop. He looked up at her happily.

Emera sighed again. "I don't know if I can cheer up, Mokona. But you're right." She looked at the creature oddly, an idea forming. "How would you like to go on a class trip?"

Mokona nodded vigorously as best he could. He stayed in her room whenever her aunt was home. He was happy to be able to get out and see some of the world.

Emera smiled briefly. "Well, that's good," she said, standing from the bed. "At least one of us will be happy to go."

"Emera!" Izamu's voice called from the bottom of the staircase. "Dinner's ready!"

"Pu puu!"

Emera's smiled brightened. "Yeah, dinner sounds great. I'm starved!"



TWO WEEKS LATER....


"Em! Over here!"

Emera sighed as one of her classmates, Yurika Sheridan, called her over to the balcony. The two had been friends since the third grade. Emera was sure that Yurika sensed the gloominess of her mood. It was so like her to try and cheer her up. She'd been dragging her all over the tower since they arrived.

"What is it?" Emera said, hauling her large backpack behind her.

"It's so beautiful," Yurika said, smiling broadly. "You can see the city. Oh! I think I see my house!"

Emera sighed again, dropping the book bag gently to the floor. She had agreed to bring Mokona on this trip, but had not the opportunity to let him out of the bag. Emera rubbed her shoulder lightly. He was starting to get heavy.

"I've seen the view, thanks," Emera replied to her friend, staring off into the distant sky. Her eyes focused on a large group of clouds forming overhead.

Yurika turned on Emera, hands on her hips. "What is your problem today, Em?" She turned back toward the window and stared outside with a smile. "This place is supposed to be one of the greatest sites in the city, and YOU can't enjoy it."

Emera shrugged. "Guess I'm not in an enjoying mood, Yuri. Gomen."

Yurika sighed, eyeing her friend out of the corner of her eye. This wasn't the Emera she knew. This Emera was too depressed, too shut out. What happened?

"Okay, spill it."

Emera started, turning to look at her friend. "What do you mean?"

Yurika smiled. "You know. Tell me what's bothering you, Em. You've been a drone for weeks since we learned we were coming here. This isn't at all like you."

Emera shrugged again, trying to smile for her friend. "It's nothing really."

Yurika looked skeptical. "It has something to do with Jonah, doesn't it?"

Emera looked shocked. Jonah was her childhood crush. For years they'd been in different classes, but she had seen him on the playground. This year, they were finally in the same class. Yurika had been trying to play matchmaker ever since.

"NO! It has nothing to do with Jonah," Emera replied, her voice nearly a scream.

"Okay, okay." Yurika looked shocked. She had meant it as a joke. You know, lighten the mood. Something definitely wasn't right. "Em, come on. I'm you're friend. If something is bothering you, I want to know about it."

Slowly Emera turned away from her friend, looking instead at the ever-growing mass of clouds above them. Was it her imagination, or were the clouds forming into the shape of a castle. It looked very familiar to her, but couldn't quite figure it out. She watched them for a few seconds before responding, "I know, Yuri and I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about it right now."

Yurika sighed, admitting defeat. She knew she would not get any more information out of her friend. When Emera didn't want to talk, she didn't. Yurika placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, I guess." She smiled at Emera. "But promise me we WILL talk about it sometime. Okay?"

Emera nodded, her eyes never leaving the clouds. Now they were changing colors. First blue, then green, now red. She blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes before staring at them again. Now the clouds were floating by quickly, getting faster and faster. What was happening?

"Hey, I think the class is breaking for lunch," Yurika said, tugging on Emera's arm. "Come on. I want to go to that little park I saw earlier."

"Go on ahead," Emera replied. She turned away from the window quickly, smiling at her friend. "I want to pick something up at the concession stand before heading down."

Yurika smiled and nodded. "Don't be too long."

Emera nodded, watching her friend as she dashed away, joining up with other classmates in the elevator. When the elevator door closed, Emera sighed. She turned to look outside again.

The sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight.

"That's odd," Emera muttered, stepping closer to the glass. "I could have sworn...."

Her thoughts were interrupted by her book bag. It jumped up and down wildly, eventually thumping against her leg. Emera looked down in surprise, realizing who it was.

"Mokona!" she whispered, kneeling down to retrieve the book bag. "Gomen, gomen. Give me just a minute." The bag continued to jump as Emera tried to get a hold of it. "Stop fidgeting. I'm going to let you out."

Emera dragged the bag over to an abandoned bench. She checked to see who was around before she began unzipping the bag. Meanwhile Mokona continued to bounce wildly. He was known to be wild at times, but this was different. He seemed... anxious...about something.

'Maybe it's because he's at the Tower,' Emera thought, fully unzipping the bag.

Mokona popped out, smiling happily. He bounced across the floor before Emera could stop him. He stopped just in front of the glass where she and Yurika had been standing moments before.

"What's gotten into you?" Emera asked quietly. She looked around again to see who was there, praying that her schoolmates had all gone to lunch. The only person close enough to notice any commotion was a security guard. But he ignored the commotion and walked away.

'Odd,' Emera thought. She kneeled beside Mokona, who had stopped bouncing. He simple sat, staring out the window.

"Pu pu puu pu," Mokona said.

Emera raised an eyebrow. Normally she was good at guessing what he was saying. But this time she had no clue. She looked at the little creature then out the window.

And gasped.

The clouds had returned. Now they were spinning, forming a white, foamy whirlpool. In its center was a bright light. A beam struck out, heading for a group of tourists just beneath the Tower. The young girl pushed herself against the glass to get a better look. She was expecting the worst.

But there was no screaming. No running. No reaction from the people whatsoever.

"By kami," Emera whispered.

The beam of light struck the ground and began to spread upward. It left no mark on the ground, nor did it destroy the tower. It covered the ground beneath the tower in a white light and slowly moved towards the tip, all the while covering everything in its path.

Emera turned, hoping to see the security that had walked away.

But everything around her was bathed in white light. She could see no one, or nothing.

"Someone help!" Emera screamed.

"Pu pu puu pu." Mokona bounced up and down happily. Didn't he know they were in danger?

"Mokona, what --?" Emera tried to get the creature to stop bouncing. "Hey now, stop that. Mokona!"

Mokona suddenly stopped bouncing. The jewel on his forehead began to glow and pulsate. As if in reply, the whirlwind of clouds did the same.

"Don't be afraid, Emera."

Eyes wide, Emera looked around again. That voice. She knew that voice. But she still could not see anything. And the light was getting brighter.

"Momma?" she said tentatively as realization dawned on her. Then she screamed, "Momma!"

"Pu puu pu puu pu pu," Mokona said as he began to fade into the white light.

"Mokona!" Emera called out. It took some effort to reach out to the creature, hoping to keep him from being pulled into the light. But the light continued to grow. Emera's limbs felt heavy. She could barely move, yet, she could feel herself flying. How was this possible?

"Mokona," she called again. "Mokona, wait! Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me."

Then everything went black.




~~TO BE CONTINUED~~