Original Stories Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Of Two Worlds ❯ The First Problem (Ashi) ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

 

Hello, my name is Ashi Minemosho and I'm invisible. I go to Tenarai High School, but don't bother asking for me there, no one will know who you're talking about. It's a pretty depressing life really. Not even the teachers know who I am. There is only one group of people who acknowledge my existence at this school: Tarosuke's gang of bullies. Which, in case you're wondering, is why I'm sitting at the bottom of my locker right now.

 

I reach above my head to the small bag hanging on one of the locker hooks. I pull it down and take out a book, a flashlight, and a bottle of water. Yeah, this isn't the first time that this has happened to me. It happens maybe once or twice a week. On average. If Tarosuke is in a good mood. I sigh, shake my head, turn on my flashlight, and begin to read my book.

 

Fener takes his sword from its sheath and draws himself into a battle stance. Fear, a feeling he's never before felt, clings to his mind as he faces the unknown mage. Magic is something that the warrior has never understood and he knows of no way to combat it save through more magic. He grits his teeth and pulls his sword above his head. Racing toward the wizard, he bellows out his battle cry. The wizard leers with contempt as he rises his hands and

 

The locker door clangs open and I jump with a start as light floods into my tiny prison. “Hey dork,” Tarosuke says looming over me. What's going on here? Tarosuke can't be letting me out; he never lets me out this early in the morning. He must be up to something…

 

“Come on,” he continues in a sneering tone of voice. “We've got something fun to do with you today.” He smirks and the two goons behind him guffaw idiotically. Tarosuke moves out of the way and his lackeys grab me on either arm and pull me from the locker. I bite my lower lip, please, please, please, say that they're not going to beat me up and toss me in the dumpster behind the school. Again. They drag me through the empty hallway until we stop at a door. I stare at it uncomprehendingly. That's not the door leading to the back parking lot of the school. Then all in a rush I realize where the door leads; the basement.

 

“Wait, Tarosuke!”

 

“What?” he asks angrily, as if he's upset that his victim is speaking without being spoken to. “Do you wanna say your last words before we throw you to the ghosts?”

 

That's right, the basement of our school is supposed to be haunted. Don't you scoff at me! I'm not exactly a `believer' either, but I still don't want to be thrown down into a dark and dank basement that people say is haunted. Ghosts or no, there has to something behind those rumors and I, for one do not want to find out what is it is!

 

“Please don't do this!” What? I'm not above begging. I know, what kind of hero am I? I'll tell you what kind, the kind that doesn't want to die! It's my life and limbs we're talking about here. Do you know what being tossed down the stairs could do to me? I mean, sheesh, I'm thinking at least one broken bone. I'm dropped in front of the open door. I wonder for a moment how Tarosuke got a copy of basement key, but I quickly turn my thoughts to much more important matter. I look up at Tarosuke and his thugs. There's got to be a way to get past them!

 

“Go,” Tarosuke snarls menacingly, “Or we'll just push you down.”

 

I look frantically from side to side, searching for a way to escape. If I don't find one soon, I'm ghost-food! I see that there's a pretty big gap between Tarosuke and his `friends'. If I can run fast enough, I get between them and run to the office or a classroom. Sanctuary! I bite my lower lip. This should work, there's no reason why this won't work. But as I dash forward I remember the three reasons why this can't work; I'm a slow runner, a klutz, and I have the worst luck that God has ever bestowed on anyone.

 

All three of these factors must have decided that now would be a good time to work against me because the moment that I start to run I trip over my own feet, stumble and fall backwards. I flail my arms wildly, trying to regain my balance. Not backwards, not backwards! Anything but backwards, the stairs are backwards!

 

My back hits the top step and I cry out in pain. I begin tumbling, feet over head, down the staircase. For a moment, I can hear Tarosuke and his accomplices laughing before all sound is blocked out by a rushing in my ears.

 

My head seems to continue its journey but I can tell that I've stopped moving. I can feel hard cement beneath me and something warm and sticky swirling under my head. Is it blood? I can't tell. I try to touch the back of my head to check but my limbs feel so heavy that I can't lift them. I realize that it's getting steadily darker. Is Tarosuke closing the door? I try to call out, to beg him not to leave me here, but my voice comes out so soft that I can't even hear it myself.

 

A wave of fatigue abruptly washes over me and my eyelids grow heavy. I struggle to keep my eyes open and stay awake. I fail and drift into black unconsciousness.

 

~*~*Five Hours Later*~*~

 

My back hurts, my arms and legs hurt, but nothing compares to the pain that I feel in the back of my head. A throbbing feeling starts at the base of my skull and spreads over my entire head as well as my face and shoulders. On top of all that, I'm cold. Not just cold, freezing. A chill clings all over my body and I think I'm shivering. I think. That's pretty bad, huh? I can't really tell one way or another. My whole body is either in excruciating pain, or completely numb. It's like I'm simultaneously frozen and on fire. And it's dark. Really dark. I can't see anything other than blackness. I look, searching for anything that stands out among the darkness. A light. I see a light. It's not the light, is it? You know, `the light at the end of the tunnel'? It can't be. That light is supposed to be white, this one is red. Oh! The furnace! My body cries for the warmth. Can I make it? It's far, like eight yards far, but I have to at least try.

 

I carefully flip onto my stomach. I hiss in pain as the cement hits my abdomen. Damn that hurt. I put it to the back of my mind. It doesn't matter; nothing matters except the thought of heat. I begin to crawl, military style. My left leg hits the floor and tears spring to my eyes. Oh, God. I think it's broken or fractured or something because that hurt like hell. For five eternal seconds I don't move. I just lie there, trying to will away the pain. When it doesn't, I put that to the back of my mind as well. I continue my crawl, dragging my left leg behind me. Each time an elbow or knee hits the ground I wince in pain. By the time I reach my destination, I'm almost crying from my self inflicted torture. I collapse with relief half a foot away from the source of heat. My eyes widen as I realize that something is very wrong. I'm not feeling any heat! I throw about my eyes madly and see the furnace shrouded in yellowish light on the other side on the basement.

 

Oh.

 

My.

 

God.

 

If the furnace is over there, then what in the hell am I lying next to. I slowly turn my head and look at the light beside me. I look closer. I must be missing something because from the way I see it, nothing it causing it. It's just there. I swallow thickly. I'm in trouble. The light is growing wider in circumference, inching its way closer to me. I can't get away; I can't even try. I can only hope and pray that this light isn't dangerous. Of course, with my luck, what are the chances of that?

 

I'm encompassed by the red-orange light. It's so searingly bright; I can't see anything. I think that I preferred the darkness. Suddenly the floor beneath seems to vanish and I'm hanging weightlessly in somewhere in space. I can't even feel the presence of air around me.

 

I guess that this is what dying feel like.