MARS Fan Fiction ❯ When She Cries ❯ The Road I have Traveled on ( Chapter 1 )

Okay guys, I thought I needed a small break from trying to come up with ideas for my other fics. I know, I know. But anyways, I have ventured out and I fallen for the Mars series. I thought that maybe I could write a fic that was closely related to the plot line but changed it to an alternate universe. So I hope you enjoy and review my new fic!

~ShadowStar666

P.S. There is a reason that all of the titles are going to have quotes around. They are phrases from the song that inspired this story. It is by Restless Heart, called “When She Cries” It is one of my favorite songs. Check it out if you want. ~_^

Chapter 1 ‘The Road I have Traveled On’

Kira Aso, a young 17-year-old artist, lay on her bed in her room. She was currently thinking of different ways to mix a light purple with a green to go with the sea picture she had been creating. ‘If I put purple to be the shade and the green to be the main color that might work, Or maybe if I put the purple as a total back ground with green seaweed, that might work too…’ she thought.

It was her senior year in high school and she had a chance to earn one of the highest scholarships at the school. This year the Kashino Company was providing it. They only offered it to certain teens and they never picked all the students out of a particular group. Kira received a letter last year from them. It stated that see needed to proved different areas of art and enter at least five different art shows. She needed to win at least 3 out of them and if by miracle she could win more than that, she would get the companies help at finding a job after high school and college. Her mother had set up classes for Kira to take over the summer and winter break so she had even more ideas that she had been sketching out during those times. Her recent one was of the sea. It showed different shadings of blues and turquoises with plenty going on with it. Her creatures were new and idealist that gave the ‘umphs’ to her work. She was thinking about how to included a purple that she had seen early that day.

“Kira dear, are you going to bed yet? Tomorrow is back to school from your break and you need to have your alarm set.” Mrs. Aso said, peering through the door at her daughter. The woman had seen years of age that was now catching up to her, but she still kept up her long hair and a strait back with no real noticeable wrinkles, making it clear that Kira was indeed her daughter. Kira clearly received her mother’s nice bone structure and her length of hair that was even a bit longer. She had her mothers eyes that curved showing her heritage, but the blondness of her curl-ended hair was from her late Father. He had died by a drunken motorcyclist 11 years before.

“Are you still working on that piece? You need to give yourself a break and allow your mind to rest and get recharged. Your imagination can only take so much. Your dreams might give you an artistic kick for that painting.” She walked into the room and towards the bed giving Kira a hug and kiss on the forehead goodnight. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay, I guess you’re right. See you in the morning.” Her mother left, allowing Kira to get changed into her pjs. They consisted of a long night t-shirt and long black night pants that had smudges of paints for when she woke up with ideas that needed to be put down. She climbed into bed, brushed her hair into a braid and shut off her light before she slept into ‘peaceful’ dreams.

&^%&^%&^%&^%#&%&#%&^% Flash ~Back &^%&^%&^%(*&^(*&%#%$#&^%$&^%$

R 20;Mom, does he really have to stay in my room? I really don’t like peopling in my room, coming on mom. He could have the couch. Please Mommy?” a small girl asked. She liked her space and didn’t allow people to really go into her room. It was just that it was her world and didn’t allow many people in it. It had also been the one place that she could share all of her secrets with her father with. He had died in an accident when a drunken motorcyclist rammed into her father’s car as he was coming home from work. So now the only time anyone really went into her room was her mother to say goodnight or to usher her back into her room if she slept walked into the living room from nightmares.

“Now, it’s only for a while. Plus your step-father needs the living room tonight because he has to go to work early in the morning, remember?”

“But then why does he have to sleep in my room? Why can’t he sleep with his dad?” She just didn’t understand why he had to sleep in her room.

“Come on Kira, he is your step brother. We will be in a larger home soon, sweetheart. You two will have separate rooms then. Our new home wont be ready for a while, so just try okay. Masao is just four years older than you. It’s like having a big brother okay? He can’t hurt you.” But the boy had scared Kira with his unhealthy grasp on ways to demolish buildings, and ways to kill human beings. Of course he hadn’t done anything like that but he was constantly playing video games that were much more mature for his age and watched many movies that blew things up. Kira feared him because he never really flinched when it came to pain. He had told Kira that was what happens we you turn 13. You get to see more gruesome things and cool battles. Kira, being the gentle person she still was, didn’t quite like the thought of blowing something up.

`”But mom…” One look from the elder woman changed Kira’s mind and made her give in. “Okay, he can stay in my room.”

~~~~~~Later that night~~~~~~~ (be warned this is rated appropriately so don’t yell at me.)~~~~~~~~~~~

That night Kira had told Masao where he could sleep and he said thanks and set up a sleeping bag. He didn’t sleep to close to her and kept his distance.

“Thanks for letting me sleep in here,” he whispered when she shut off the lights.

“Hey, your like my brother now, right? Lets just go to sleep.” She jumped into bed into her soft pillows and fell asleep. Sometime later, she woke to a weight on her bed and a hand across her mouth. She was totally awake instantly. “Mmmmm…”

“Come on little Kira, let’s play a game.” She whimpered in fear as her blankets were pulled away. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Don’t be scared.”

~~~~That’s as dark I think I am going to get for a while. ~~~~

The whimpers came back and brought along tears for her eyes’ company, were the ones responsible that woke Kira from her nightmares. ‘It was only a forgotten memory. Just a forgotten memory.’ She rocked herself back and forth to calm herself. “I just wish the memories would go away. He is out of my life, I don’t need to think about it any more,” she whispered. Like always though, she resulted in needing to paint her emotions on a canvas rather than on her face. It had gone like this every time. She would wake up crying, calming down, picking up a brush and paint the emotion- the intensity of fear into a painting and then lock it away with other works. No one knew what the paintings meant something deeper. Everyone thought that they were just beautiful paintings done by the quiet and shy girl. ‘I just can’t keep doing this. I just can’t.’ But Kira did keep going the way she did when came to the nightmares. She could have no emotion out on the surface in front of everyone.

She had, had no real support from anyone when she was younger. Her mother found out after a while and moved them, but she never divorced the guy. Kira had learned though she would never again trust anyone with passion or fullness that she once held for the world. Her mother betrayed her because of the money her stepfather was required to still give them and never pressed any charges on anyone. Her father had died and left her alone. Her friends had stopped really talking to her the when she was younger. They had of course tried to speak to her for the first couple of weeks after what had happened, but when she completely stopped talking they gave up in realization their friend just wouldn’t talk. Abandoned from everyone she had once let in, Kira stayed in her shell composed of art and schoolwork. Trust and friendship she thought she could never truly have again. Let alone, being friends with any guy.

~~~~~~~A dungeon and mansion. ~~~~~~~~~

“Rei! Stop that racket right now! The whole house is trying to sleep without that machine of yours for Kami’s sake. It’s 1:30 in the morning and you have school. You had all of winter break in here when your Father and I allowed you to stay her for break. So you have had plenty of time in here. Don’t make me get your Father up.” A very, very angry secretary said to a 17, blond headed teenager with oil on his cheek.

“Oh come on. You still having me go to that high school? They aren’t going to want be back so what’s the problem of not forcing either of us to come into anymore contact?” He gave her a grin to only be met with a cool glare that could still look frightening in a bathrobe.

“Rei Kashino, you will o to school because you know that is the only possible way for you to keep that machine.” He paled slightly, and then scoffed.

“Fine Miss. Shiina, I’ll go to bed.” He walked passed her into the house and out of the garage, then stopped at the front of the stairs. “Hey, when is that last name of yours going to change to Kashino?” He booked it up the steps as lamp found it’s way over to the spot he had been before.

“That boy is going to get himself into serious trouble if he doesn’t learn to control himself better.” a sleepy looking, Mr. Kashino said. Sonoko looked over at the man she had loved for a long time.

“Father like son sir, Father like son.” she laughed and went to bed.

~~~~~The next morning at school~~~~

*Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! *

Kira was already in her seat for her English Language class as the last 4-minute bell rang. Not many kids were in their seats already but that was to be expected. Everyone was talking about what they did for break and it was just the thing to do. No point getting there hanging around a teacher for a few extra minutes. For Kira though, she loved the few silent minutes before she heard the loud sounds made by crazed human teenagers that were made like a mating call from the guys and then the girls who quickly responded. The guys loved to tease and flirt with other girls. For Kira though it was more painful for her to watch them be so free then to be completely irritated.

As two minutes went by the teacher Mrs. Higurashi, came in and gave a small smile to the few students that were in the classroom. Kira had a liking for this teacher even if she didn’t express it. The woman had replaced the last teacher who had been caught with several different female students and selling opium for extra cash. The teacher was quickly fired and reported while Mrs. Higurashi was hired. Kira was glad the teacher was gone because he had been giving her several looks last year that gave her the creeps. Plus this new teacher respected Kira ‘personality’ and did not call on her too often.

*Ding! Ding! Dong! Dong! *

‘Last bell, here they come.’ Sure enough, it was like she was telepathic. The students were in like a pack of wolves. Everyone started to be seated and like usual, no one seated to the desk next to her. She had been labeled the ‘quiet one’ or ‘freak’ because she had not ever really talked to anyone unless it was to help a student with art; even then she talked to the canvas rather then the human. In addition, she never showed emotion that was strange considering she was in fact a talented artist. Even stranger was that her artwork held such depth and detail that expressed so much emotion it was hard to believe that she was it’s creator.

“Today class, we are going to get our minds back in shape by reviewing the English alphabet. I hope that many of you studied over the break because there will be a quiz at the end of the class.” There were many groans from the class, but Kira didn’t notice. She had wanted this class because of the history they were learning beside the language. She loved the artwork the English language had when you could write it. She had seen the style of what the called Calligraphy and desperately wanted to learn it. “Now class, come on. You have studied this language from the begging of the year and should at least our ABC’s. Tatsuya would you please-” She was cut off when a student came in late.

All the girls (except Kira of course) started at the hot looking senior as though he was a God. Each girl hoped that he would look her way to see if he wanted her for his Goddess. Kira who took a quick look back just rolled her eyes. Rei Kashino was in her class. He had been transferred here their freshman year and was known as being a ‘ladies man’. He also rode a monster of a motorcycle that he was reckless with and was rumored to have been seen racing on late at night on the streets. Kira had never really ‘talked’ to him or really cared for him. She knew that he was different and had watched him carefully. He had helped her once when she had dropped her house keys into sewage drain. She thought that she would be locked out of her house late that night until her mother got home. He hadn’t tried to hit on her but was more helpful then anything that was ‘til he asked for some yen. She had given him some yen not minding the fact she would never get paid back.

“Mr. Kashino, you are late, as usual. Please take your seat.” Rei looked around at friends who were saying hey. Kira turned away.

‘Please, don’t sit next to me, please don’t sit next to me.’ Her silent prayers were unanswered as she heard the scrape of the chair next to her move and felt the soft air come against her as his body swept passed her to sit down. ‘Just remain calm and normal. No one else sees me, why should he?’ she thought. The teacher began to lecture again and Kira tried to focus on her rather then the boy next to her.

“Hey. Hey, Miss. Tails,” Kami, he was trying to talk to her. She had put her hair into pigtails that day and now she was wishing she hadn’t. “Psst…” She just kept ignoring him, which was until he pulled on her hair. She turned to him with her none motional face. He hesitated at first, looking startled. ‘Just like everyone else’. She thought. “Do you have a pencil a could borrow?” ‘What the…???’

‘~1213 Rei point of view14523523’

‘Man, this girl is quiet.’ Rei thought. ‘She didn’t even squirm when I pulled on her hair.’ The eyes that had turned to him made him wait for a moment before he asked for a pencil. Those eyes held every emotion he thought possible in them, even if she had no emotions to express through her facial expressions. Someone could get lost in those eyes… or be haunted by them.

She gave a silent nod and reached into her pack on the floor. Rei watched in silence as the young girl pulled out a pencil that wasn’t sharpened. “H-here. Just don’t tug on my hair anymore,” she said so quietly, Rei hardly caught her voice. It hadn’t been a question or a demand. To him, with her eyes he was still stunned about, he could see the silent plea. He had seen eyes like hers once in his lifetime before. They had held that same plea as well. Any time he looked in the mirror he was reminded of it. Her voice attracted him though too. It was so soft and alluring. She gave him the pencil, and he put his attention to that for a moment.

“Hey, have a sharpener too? I mean can’t really put this to use till I get to get the lead out of it.” he gave her a small laugh. She reached down into her pack again. He watched her intently, holding his breath until she looked back up at him with the sharpener in her hand. The class was now watching them without the two noticing. Even their teacher looked surprised at the interaction that her quietest and hardworking student was expressing at that moment. “Thanks. What’s your name anyways?” He took the offered pencil sharpener and started to make pencil shavings. She just looked down at her open book, paying him no mind. Rei didn’t like that too much. He tried to take her hand but she quickly moved it. The girl looked at him with fear replacing her pleas.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, I just want to know the name of the person I owe a pencil too.” he gave her a reinsuring smile and her shoulders eased themselves. “Here’s your sharpener back.” He dropped it into her hand, respecting her need of being untouched.

“Aso, Kira Aso.” Rei liked her name. He gave another killer grin that had girls fall for and made jealous of any other who got it. She was receiving so much attention and he knew that many would talk. He hoped she just didn’t get into trouble for it.

“My name is Rei Kashino. It’s nice to meet you Ms. Aso.” In return for his small light he gave her, Kira gave him a very, very rare smile. The class fell from their seats, which made her do something that she didn’t do but not as rare, she blushed.

“If you are done flirting with our young Kira, I would suggest you do it after school, Mr. Kashino. Until then, pull out that unused text book of yours and pay attention if you would please.” Many students laughed while Kira put up her book as a shield. Rei just laughed with them.

! _! Author note! _!

I hoped you liked that chapter. I am all reading getting the 2nd chapter started and hope to get it done before I leave for my vacation. I hope that you guys will give some feed back. Ja mata peeps!

~ShadowStar666