Mermaid Melody Pitchi Pitchi Pitch Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Last Hope ❯ 3 Friends and a Corpse ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own naruto, magic knight rayearth or xxx.holic, only people more fortunate than I have the luxury of that.

Chap 1 gives some background on the main characters and the first dimensional rip opens up. Enjoy!

 

Chapter 1

 

“Sarah! Heather! I'm back,” called Amber from the front door.

 

It had been another long day at junior-high, and Amber was just happy to be home. Because of the high-school entrance exams coming up, the days had become more and more frenzied, being torn between studying and other jobs that required immediate attention. The young girl was extremely pleased that she could change out of the devilishly designed sailor suit (required at almost all school) and into something more comfortable.

 

Amber was tall and thin, standing at around 5'9”. She had long, dirty-blonde hair that hung down to just below her hips. Her eyes were a sky blue and sparkled like sun on water. She was always kind to everyone around her. However, she was a complete neat freak, and couldn't stand it when someone infringed upon her tidy lifestyle. Amber liked to wear comfy clothes, something she could move around in and not feel all cramped.

 

She was greatly surprised that there was total silence in her parent's house. She had not heard such peace since she had allowed her two childhood friends to move in with her. Unfortunately, the quiet was short-lived.

 

“Nooo! You damned fool! You stupid slow poke! Go for the chair! The chair! Oh… oh… oh… Yaaaa! KnockOut! Woohoo!”

 

Amber dropped her school bag and ran to the living room, only to be stopped by a sea of trash blocking her way. The floor was littered with gum wrappers, empty chip bags, half eaten cookies and candy wrappers. When Amber was finally able to tear her eyes away from the garbage dump that had once been her neat and tidy living room, the next thing she saw made her jaw drop.

 

The coffee table had empty soda cans piled on it, a pizza box and three DVD's entitled “The Best of WWF SMACKDOWN.” To top it all off, her so-called best friend was bouncing up and down on the couch, practicing upper-cuts and high-kicks while watching super buff old farts beat each other to a bloody pulp on TV.

 

Amber was speechless. She pinched herself multiple times in the hopes that she was dreaming, but the all too bitter pain of reality came each time. The only words that she managed to squeeze out of her mouth were; “How… when… who… my room… precious… SARAH!”

 

The young woman stopped celebrating long enough to notice that she was no longer alone in the room. Sarah stopped moving altogether when she realized that it was her neat-freak friend Amber, and that the living room looked like a tornado had run through it.

Sarah was shorter than both of her friends, standing at around 5'6”. She had a cute face with pure amber eyes that flashed red if the sunlight hit it just right. She had short hair that came to her shoulders, except for two strands on either side of her face that hung just below her breasts. Her hair was a dull red that matched her eyes perfectly. Sarah had a short-temper and was a force to be reckoned with when she got pissed, but the rest of the time she was kind and humorous. She had a style of her own, which mostly revolved around funky t-shirts, baggy pants and skater shoes. At the moment, she was wearing a black t-shirt with flaming letter that spelt out “WWF SMACKDOWN,” dark green cargo pants with four pockets in back and front, with two separate belts handing just below her waist.

 

Right now, thousands of excuses were running through Sarah's mind, each one designed to get her out of the imminent trouble that she was undoubtedly in for the giant mess she had made. Finally, she decided that she would just try and get Amber to forget all about the garbage in front of her.

 

“Hi Amber,” Sarah said cheerily from atop the couch. “Did you have a good time at school today?”

 

`Perfect,' she thought to herself. `I never ask about her day. Surely it caught her off guard, enough so that I'll have enough time to high-tail it out of here.'

 

Unfortunately for Sarah, she never got that far.

 

The air in the room immediately grew heavy with tension. Amber's demeanour slowly changed from a surprised look, to a point where she seemed almost emotionless. An evil dark haze seemed to gather around her body, causing a feeling of dread to come over Sarah. Then, Amber lifted her gaze up to meet Sarah's gaze in such an intense glare, Sarah began to get goosebumps, and backed away in fear.

 

The only thoughts going threw Sarah's head now were, `Oh shit… I'm screwed… I'm screwed… imscrewedimscrewedimscrewed!'

 

Amber could tell that Sarah was just about to piss her pants because of how scared she was, and that was the exact emotion that Amber had been hoping for. She had Sarah wrapped around her little finger, and could manipulate her like a puppet without her usual, annoying backtalk.

 

Amber figured that watching her friend quiver in her boots was payment enough for her wrecked house. And that left only one thing to do.

 

So, in the most menacing voice she could muster, she said, “If you can total a room like this, you can just as easily clean it up. I am going to go get changed, and by the time I get back, I want this room to look like something out of a Mr. Clean commercial. Do I make myself clear, Sarah?”

 

Although Sarah was frozen stiff, she did manage to nod her head in acknowledgement.

 

“Good,” said Amber, and almost immediately the atmosphere in the room returned to normal, and her usual smile crept across her face. “I'll be back soon, so you better be quick.” Then she left, heading toward her room and the promise of comfortable clothes.

 

* * * *

 

“Aaah, that's much better,” Amber said to herself as she walked out of her room. She was now wearing a red T-shirt with loose fitting jeans and white cotton socks with red hearts. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, and was as cheery as ever.

 

She could hear rustling and crunching from the top of the stairs, and knew that Sarah was holding true to her promise. She laughed quietly to herself, remembering the petrified look on her friend's face. She decided to give Sarah some more time to make the downstairs as spotless as she had found it. In the mean time, Amber would see if she could find her quiet friend, Heather.

 

Amber's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hanibishi, were both professional doctors who spent most of their time in 3rd world countries treating their people. As a result, Amber hardly saw them at all. She wrote to them of course, but it didn't help the lonely feeling she experienced all the time. Her parents made good money, so she could buy virtually anything she desired, including the big house that she had once shared with her mom and dad. This only assisted the empty feeling Amber had, so she decided to do something about it. She invited her two best friends to come and stay with her, and they had happily accepted. Now the house was once again filled with laughter in place of the eerie silence of the past, causing the empty feeling in her heart to completely dissolve. Although she still missed her parents from time to time, her friends made it bearable.

 

The downstairs was made up of a kitchen, living room, dining room, game room, and a small bathroom. The upstairs had two bedrooms (one Sarah's and one Amber's), a guestroom, and a large bathroom complete with a shower/bathtub and a Jacuzzi (for relaxation purposes, of course). Every bedroom had a balcony just outside the window that connected to each room. The house also had an attic, which Heather chose to make her domain. It had one big window that opened up to the roof, which gave a great view of the surrounding land. The backyard was one giant forest, all of which now belonged to Amber. All in all, it was a wonderful place to call home.

 

The stairs to the attic could be found at the end of the upstairs hallway behind a mahogany door. At the moment, there was no light coming from the top of the stairs, which either meant that Heather was out, or more than likely she was out on the roof again, enjoying the peace and quiet.

 

Sure enough, when Amber reached the top of the second staircase, the room was empty and the window was unlocked. She walked across the dark room to the window, opened it up, and climbed out. Just as she had expected, there was Heather, sketchbook and pencil in hand, staring out at the forest.

 

Although she was sitting down, you could tell that Heather was tall, just as tall as Amber to be precise. She had long legs that would make any cheerleader jealous, which was a bonus since she couldn't stand all the “popular” people at school. She had lighter skin than most, and it seemed as if no matter how long she stayed in the sun, she never tanned. She had bright red lips that stuck out with her light complexion, with deep brown eyes that seemed like never-ending pools and were quite hypnotic, but reflected her emotions perfectly. She had raven black hair that was layered to give it depth, and hung two inches above her hips at the longest point. If the moon hit it just right, it shined a deep blue, making her look enchanting and mysterious. She had a high IQ (probably from reading so many books) and had had a chance to move up two grades. However, she chose to stay put, mainly so she could stay with her friends, but also so she could go to school when she felt like it. She had a carefree attitude on the outside, but she was always serious underneath, only truly cheery when the occasion arose. Her clothing reflected her personality, which basically meant she wore whatever the hell she felt like, whenever the hell she felt like it. At the moment, she was wearing baggy plaid pajama pants, a black T-shirt that said “Fly Away,” no shoes or socks, and a black baseball cap to block out the bright sunlight.

 

Heather was in the middle of sketching two deer grazing in the backyard, when she looked up to see Amber. She smiled that contagious smile of hers and held a finger to her lips, secret code for “Be Quiet,” then she turned back and started drawing again. Amber sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder. The drawing was almost complete, the only thing missing was a bit of shading. Amber looked down to the lawn so she could compare the drawing to the actual scene. They were almost identical. Almost. Somehow, the drawing seemed to look better than the real life experience, and it wasn't even coloured yet.

 

Heather stopped drawing and took a deep breath, then let it out. This meant that she was finished. She looked at her picture contentedly and whispered a thank you to the deer below. Almost by command, the deer looked up at Heather, nodded their heads, and then bounded off back into the forest.

 

“You should sell some of your work,” Amber commented. “It's really amazing.”

 

Heather looked at Amber and smiled again. She closed her sketchbook and said, “No. I draw for myself. I don't need to use it for anything else than my own pleasure.”

 

Amber smiled at that. Heather was such a unique person. The way she lived each day was so special, it was comforting to know that she could do things as if she was the only one around. `At least I know she's content. That usual solemn face I see everyday makes her seem a little sad. I guess she's only relaxed when she's with people she's comfortable with.' Amber was referring to herself and Sarah, of course. Best friends till the end.

 

“I brought your homework for you,” said Amber. “It's in my backpack.”

 

“Really? Thank you,” replied Heather. “I think I might go to school tomorrow. I've been away for almost a week, I think its about time to go back. Plus, I have to go sign up for Martial Arts Club.”

 

“I guess that means we'll be seeing more of you at school,” said Amber. Usually, the only reason Heather went to school was to spend some time around a crowd. Although, for the past week she had chosen to stay home because she felt that she needed some time to think about things. It was easy for her, because she learned quickly and could catch up in a matter of minutes. Amber and Sarah were smart too, but needed to go everyday to keep up their grades. However, it seemed that Sarah was starting to spend some time at home, too.

 

Almost as if she had read her mind, Heather said, “I noticed that Sarah came home early from school again today. I didn't get a good look at her when she came in, but I swear I saw blood on her shirt. I'll assume that she got into another fight today, right?”

 

“Yeah,” replied Amber, and then began to relay what she had heard. “Apparently , some guy named Glen was being overly flirty with her. He's not in our class, so I don't know him, but anyway, he followed her at lunchtime to McDonalds. He tried to ask her out, but, like our Sarah, she refused. The guy was a little flustered, and grabbed her arm…”

 

Heather squinted at that, and said, “Oh, big mistake. I hope she didn't break too many of his bones.”

 

Amber laughed. “No,” she said. “He got off lucky. All she did was break his nose with one of her wrestling moves. I guess that's how she got the blood on her clothes. Anyway, the guy is okay now. Some of his friends found him in the McDonalds parking lot and took him to a doctor. Because it was off of school grounds, Sarah won't get in trouble, but I think it will be a while before Glen stops screaming when he sees her,” Amber finished.

 

There was a moment of silence between the two friends, and then they started laughing. When they finally stopped, their sides ached. Then both of them just gazed out at the horizon, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.

 

“Well, I'm going downstairs to watch TV or something, and also make sure that Sarah finished cleaning the living room. Do you wanna come to, too?” Amber asked Heather.

 

“Sure,” replied Heather, and they both stood up and headed for the window, Heather following behind Amber.

 

Amber climbed through, and Heather was going to follow when a light breeze encircled around her body. Her expression darkened as she listened to what the wind had to say. By the time it disappeared, it had told the young girl much. She looked out at the woods again, and said, “Something's coming.” Then she climbed through the window after her friend.

 

* * * *

 

The downstairs was quiet, and Amber was starting to think that Sarah had ditched and left the living room as a garbage dump. However, that thought was quickly dismissed when she was almost blinded by a bright light. She squealed in pain, and hid her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them again and let them adjust to the light. What she saw before her nearly made her heart stop.

 

The light was reflecting off of everything in the living room. There was no garbage or dust anywhere, and the coffee table had been scrubbed so you could see your reflection. Everything was so clean, it brought tears to Amber's eyes.

 

Heather walked in behind her and looked around. After taking everything in she said, “Oh my god. Amber, what did you do to Sarah?”

 

Amber couldn't come up with words, because she herself didn't know what she had done, but she was eager to find out so she could do it again. If she knew that, Amber would never have to worry about a dirty house again.

 

Just then, Sarah came out from the kitchen carrying a bowl of popcorn. When she saw Amber and Heather, she froze in her tracks. A nervous smile appeared on her face. “I hope it's clean enough for you, Miss Neat-Freak. It sure as hell took me long enough. It took a valuable chunk out of my life,” she said sarcastically as she put the bowl of popcorn on the table. Then she froze when she saw the look on Amber's face.

 

Amber had tears in her eyes and a goofy smile on her face, and she was looking straight at Sarah. “Oh god,” Sarah said. “What did I do this time?”

 

“It's so perfect,” said Amber. “It's so clean! You did a great job! I love you Sarah!” Then she ran and half tackled, half-embraced Sarah, and they both fell on the couch. Heather just looked on with a blank face, then shook her head and sat down on the couch next to her friends.

 

“Oh my god! Get off of me! Stop the mushy junk, or I swear I'll make you bleed way worse than that dork at school! GET OFF OF ME!” screamed Sarah.

 

Amber laughed and sat up straight. “Ok, ok. I get it,” said Amber. “Now, since Sarah was so good as to make us a snack, who want to watch a movie, say, how about `How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days'.”

 

Heather nodded her head in agreement, while Sarah jumped up in excitement. “There's a movie that shows you how to ditch guys? Awesome! Where's the remote? Where is it? Damn it! I wanna watch the movie now!” exclaimed Sarah.

Heather and Amber looked on in amazement. “Do you think we would tell her it's a chick flick?” whispered Amber.

 

“Hell no,” replied Heather. “This is far too amusing.”

 

Amber nodded, and they both watched Sarah search for the remote in amusement.

 

Just then, the TV turned On on it's own, and went to a blank channel. Each girl turned to look at the TV in surprise.

 

Heather shivered. “I don't like the feeling I'm getting,” she said. “I think it's one of those rips again.”

 

Sarah backed away from the TV and stood in the entryway. Heather and Amber stood up to join her. They all focused on the television, waiting for something to happen.

 

Suddenly, the picture on the TV changed to a scene in a wood with an old well in the middle. The screen kept flickering, like really old movie that has been watched one to many times. Then, a hand reached up out of the well, followed by an arm, then a head, and then a full body climbed out. It looked like a young girl, except she was soaked through, wearing a rag of a dress. Her hair was pulled in front of her and she stumbled forward with great effort. On top of that, she was a living corpse!

 

The girls stared on in horror, watching as the corpse stumbled forward, and then fell out of the television. It stood up, and a feeling of dread filled the room.

 

“Here we go again,” said Heather as she prepared for the worst. But although she was ready, Amber and Sarah seemed to have their minds on other things.

 

“Oh no!” exclaimed Amber. “She's soaking wet! She'll ruin the carpet! Aaaah, it's gonna get stained!”

 

Sarah rolled her eyes and said, “There's no way in hell I'm cleaning it up. Get that through your thick skull!”

 

`Typical,' thought Heather, sweat dripping down the side of her head. `Distracted as always.'

 

NOTE: more to come soon. If you haven't noticed, the girl who crawled out of the tv was Sadako, the girl from the ring. Next chapter deals more with amber's powers, and 2 new characters are introduced from the shadows. Try to figure out which of the 3 characters are which guardian and which power they have (I so hope you found the connection!). chap 2 coming soon. Please review.

EXTRA: this world is before Yuko came to be in xxx.holic, thus the random opening portals.