Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Tale of A Girl ❯ The Cruelty of the Human Condition ( Chapter 1 )

A.N. Okay, this is my first fic that I'm only putting on mediaminer, mostly because I have no clue where I'd put it lol. This story is based around a character of my own, Melody. She's really the only character that stays in the fic 100% of the time, though there are some chars. that will make multiple appearances. Oh, and this is all told from her perspective, just so you know. Well, enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Cruelty of the Human Condition

I need to get away from everyone soon, I never realized that I was so special, but now I wish that I didn't…I guess I'll never get that chance now. Maybe I should back up…start from when this whole mess began.

I guess you could say that it all started about three years ago…that's when I first noticed that I was developing things that my friends weren't. Not like wings or anything, just…abilities…I hate using the word `powers', it sounds artificial, like this is just some comic book plot or something. Also, they're not that strange, I mean, considering that I've heard of others like me that shoot laser beams or whatever out of their eyes, my abilities seem tame, I think.

I've always been naturally good at fighting, you know, karate, tae-kwon do, that kind of stuff though I'd never used violence as anything but a last resort, mostly using my studies to calm down or meditate. About three years ago though, I noticed that I seemed to be progressing through the ranks at a much quicker rate then before. Also, whenever I fell from a place more than a foot off the ground, I seemed to fall more slowly than most people would.

At first, I shrugged it off as just being my imagination, but one day that changed. It was after school and my younger brother, Gaime, and I were walking home from the bus stop. We were a little ways apart from each other, enjoying the scenery since we lived in the country when a couple of older boys from down the road came out from the nearby trees and started to pick on him. I quickly got over to him and started to defend him, only to become the subject of their ridicule instead. I tried to talk my way out of it, but they wouldn't let us be. They tried to push me out of the way, since I had placed myself in front of my little brother, but I held my ground. Finally they pushed me to the ground and started to verbally attack him even worse then before. I scrambled to my feet, ready to go to his defense again.

That's when I saw it, the fist coming right for me. I knew that there was no possible way that I could dodge it, it was to close. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I could literally feel the fight-or-flight mechanism be switched on in the deep recesses of my mind, along with, something else that I couldn't quite place. I closed my eyes and did the first thing that I thought of, the thing that seemed the most natural for me. I jumped, and was amazed when I felt the wind against my face. I opened my eyes and realized that I was doing a somersault a good ten feet above everyone's heads. I landed in a crouch and turned around. That's when I saw it for the first time. The look of fear in the older boys' eyes. The look of facing something dangerous and strange. I hated it. It was like they didn't even see me as a human anymore. I was something weird, something to be feared and ridiculed. While they were still in shock, I grabbed my brother's hand and ran. I ran as quickly as possible, I didn't care where, just as long as I couldn't see those eyes anymore. Those eyes have haunted my nightmares these last three years, but I think that I'm finally making peace with them. Much of the reason is because of my fiancé, Aaron, but that's a part of my story that comes MUCH later.

Anyways, I ran, dragging Gaime behind me, until we reached our house. We sat on the porch steps, trying to catch our breath and sort out what had just happened at the same time. I swallowed loudly; looking up at the sky between the branches of the tree that shaded our front lawn. Finally, my brother broke the silence with the question I had been asking myself, "Melody, what just happened back that?"

I continued to look at the sky for a while before looking at him, saying as calmly as possible, "Honestly, I couldn't tell you Gaime." Once we'd caught our breath we walked in, having decided that it was best not to tell either of our parents until we understood what was going on better.

After that, the teasing almost entirely stopped. In its place were terrified stares from every eye that passed me, and whispers that I could barely hear going on behind my back. It was enough to drive just about anyone crazy, but I dealt with it by exploring what I could do.

I already knew that I was improving several-fold in my fighting skills, so I focused on my `jumping ability' instead. I tested myself, with some help from Gaime, to see how far and how high I could jump and for how long I could stay in the air. We found that if I concentrated, I could stay up in the air for twice as long as the laws of physics should've allowed me too, like I was developing my own propulsion system that I could mentally command. As one could imagine, we were ecstatic with our findings, and continued to test. We realized that as I practiced and as we kept track for around six weeks, I was steadily staying in the air for longer and long periods of time, and I didn't have to concentrate as hard. Naturally when we discovered this, thoughts of flight came to mind. Our lives weren't all smiles and discovery though, the rumors of my abilities spread and our parents found out.

They reacted as any good parent would have, about fifty shots of over-protectiveness went through them and they forbid us from testing. "To dangerous." They told us. Well, as most kids do around that age, we rebelled and continued testing. We would sneak out at night after they had gone to sleep and get back before either could wake up. The violence got worse. We were tagged several times. Luckily though, Mom and Dad had jobs that usually kept them pretty late, so Gaime and I had time to clean the spray paint off before they got home. As far as I know, they never knew about it. Finally, the night came when I finally got the hang of my ever-growing `jumping ability' and flew for the first time. I remember it clear as day.

It was freezing out, even the ground was frozen solid, but we were determined to continue our research. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. I felt my shoulder-length hair start flying up around my face, the grass slightly flattening itself to an unseen wind. I took a deep breath and slowly visualized myself lifting off of the ground, and slowly I felt the firm surface disappear from under my feet. I smiled and nearly lost my focus, much to the dismay of my brother, who scolded and encouraged me in the same sentence.

I quickly focused again and felt myself lifting higher and higher, until, when I open my eyes again, I was above the trees surrounding the clearing that we used. I looked down at Gaime, who was smiling at me, and smiled back, still focusing on staying aloft. I then turned my attention from him to the sky, soaring off to enjoy the new freedom I'd found. I twirled and whirled and danced with the clouds. I then dove and skimmed the surface of the lake that was not that far from our home, looking at my reflection before blasting off again, every moment it becoming easier to stay aloft and I started to truly enjoy my gift.

After a short while, I returned to the clearing, Gaime waiting for me, smiling a mile a minute. I landed in front of him and smiled, hugging him tightly; "I can fly! Can you believe it? I can FLY!" We both laughed and got caught up in the moment, completely overjoyed.

It was then that I heard it, quiet, but there nonetheless. "What's that sound?" I asked, and we both quieted down, listening for what I'd heard.

"It sounds like the wind rustling the leaves or…fire!" Gaime exclaimed when he noticed a pale orange light that came from the direction of our house.

"Oh no…" I said and then, almost without even thinking, grabbed him by the arm and hauled off, rising into the sky over the trees with my brother in tow. It wasn't long before we saw that our house was indeed in flames, and it only hurried us, or me, whichever you please…towards our vanishing home. I landed in some bushes a little ways away and we both ran to look at the house, horror I'm sure was apparent on both our faces. The fire trucks could be heard in the near distance, but I think we both knew that it was a lost cause, the flames had gotten too big, and we didn't have the money to rebuild. We were homeless. Finally terror loosed its hold on me, but not before planting a wholly horrifying thought in my head.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" we both looked around frantically for them, It was at that moment that our dad bust through the front door, carrying what I could only assume was Mom wrapped up in a blanket. We both called to him, and saw the relief pass over his face that we were both unhurt.

"Thanks goodness you two got out! I was fearing the worst!" he sighs in relief.

I barely heard him. I was too busy looking at the lump he had in his arms anxiously asking, "Is that Mom? Is she alright? She's fine, right? Dad, please tell me she's alright!" He looked down at the huddle of blankets and softly laid it on the ground, after which he carefully pulled back the covers and I was relieved to find a living, breathing mother underneath. She was badly burned, along with having some cuts and bruises, but she was alive. I had to restrain myself from hugging her because I didn't want to hurt her further. I knew what had started the fire, even without the firemen there, and it hurt me to the bones. I slowly I slowly stood up after I was sure Mom was alive and looked into the flames that were towering over our home.

Hatred had started this fire. Ignorance had. Prejudice had. I may have not known the face of the actual culprit, but I did know that I had a choice right then, and it was the hardest decision I ever had had to make. I barely noticed the fire trucks pull in or the ambulance, my brother had to pull me into it as all of us rode in it with Mom to the hospital; all the while I was struggling, trying to make the right choice. Then I looked down at my mom, the woman I loved more than any other in the world, lying there hurt, fighting for her very life, because of what I was, and I had my answer. I resolved myself and rode in silence the rest of the way.

Dad, Gaime and I spent the night in a waiting room while the doctors tended to my mother's burns and cuts. Dad tried to read a magazine and Gaime tried to sleep, but all I did was sit on the edge of my chair and stare into space, every now and then looking at the clock. That night was the longest of my entire life. I thought of everything that my family and I had endured, the memories shared, good and bad, and started to silently cry as I thought about where we were and what Mom had gone through.

I don't remember falling asleep but I woke up the next morning to a door opening. I cracked an eye open and saw it was David, one of the younger doctors that actually understood that just because I had found out that I had abilities, I wasn't an entirely different person. He was the one that saw me whenever I had to go to the hospital. I sat straight up when I saw him, full of questions, "How is my mom? Is she ok? Where is she? Did everything go without problems?" I asked in one breath, not daring to blink or breathe as I looked to him for answers.

He smiled kindly and simply said, "Your mother's fine Melody. She's waiting for all of you in Room 115 of this level. She's asleep at the moment but I'm sure that she'd still appreciate a visit from you, so go on and go to her room. I'll stay here so that if the others wake up they'll know." I gave a grateful nod and hurried towards the designated room. I found it without much trouble, and peeked inside.

There was my mother, mostly bandaged but sleeping peacefully. I slipped into a chair positioned near her bed and started to speak softly, "Mom? I know you need your beauty rest, but you don't need to wake up. Just…just hear me out; listen to what I'm going to say and then I'll leave you to sleep. Look, I know that you and Dad love me, and want to protect me, but I've realized…after this….you can't. I have to go away, hopefully not forever, but I need to leave at least for now to protect you. As long as I'm here, you're not safe, and that would be selfish of me. You always tries to teach me that personal responsibility is once of the most important things to have. I'm trying to be responsible now, so please, don't worry about me and don't look for me. I'm doing this for your own good."

Tears gathered in my eyes as I told my sleeping mother the reason for what I was doing. I sat there for a few seconds and then leaned in and softly kissed her forehead. I then found a pad of paper and a pen, wrote down approximately what I had told her, then silently got to up and left the room. I passed the waiting room again and had to reassure myself that I was indeed doing the right thing as I watched my brother, tossing side to side in what was obviously a bad dream, probably reliving last night, and Dad, looking so old and worn as he lay stretched out in the other chair. I silently whisper good-bye to them without opening the door, then walked on. I believe even to this day, that that first step beyond the waiting room was the hardest step I've ever had to take. I stared at the ground, going over and over in my head about how I was doing the right and responsible thing. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried walking out of that hospital or down that road. Sometimes I still wake up late at night, to find that I've been crying in my sleep.

Luckily I had a job at a local restaurant, so I had some money in my pocket. I went there first, and asked my manger for my week's pay then, and when asked why, I simply told him about what happened the night before as far as the house and my mom. I got my pay and, right before I left, I turned and smiled at him one last time, and then told him that I'd have to take leave for a while. I went and bought some nonperishable food, then some more clothes, since all of mine had probably burned up. Then I went and left a note of apology on the doors of the few friends that I had left.

After that I went to my house and picked through the remains. I found only a few singed photographs, my old backpack, that wasn't too bad off, and my old stuffed dog that I'd had since before I could remember, who had somehow miraculously survived the fire. I then proceeded to stuff my clothes, the food, the photos and out the side of the bag I stuck my good ol' dog, many times my only companion down this long and lonely road I call my life. It was a tight fit, especially considering that I kept quite a bit of stuff in it already and couldn't bear to part with any of it, but I got everything to fit.

Then, with one final over-the-shoulder glance at the place I'd called home for all of the fifteen years of life, with a heavy heart I took off. That was the last time I ever saw my home. I randomly packed a direction and flew. I flew for all my worth, I tried to leave all of my memories behind me. As you might have guessed, it didn't work all that well, but it kept me going. I distracted myself with looking at the countryside.

The forests and cornfields slowly gave way to large wheat fields, then to desert, and then to mountains. Not all in one day of course, but over a series of weeks. I'd say that every day it got a little easier, but that would be a lie. I occasionally found a small town to crash in for a few days to a few weeks, but only long enough to get a little cash and catch up on my much-needed sleep. I usually stayed anonymous, but sometimes I was found out. One of two things happened then, either everyone acted like there was nothing different (that rarely happened), or, most of the time, I was run out of town. Though I found towns to sleep in a lot of the time, there was many a night when I slept with a rock as my pillow.

One day I reached what until then I had considered the farthest I could go. I reached California, the Pacific Ocean, and another choice. My mom had me take tons of language courses while I was in school. She always told me, "You never know when they'll come in handy." You have no idea how thankful I've been for those courses over the duration of my trip. But because of those courses, I had a serious decision to make. I could either stay with my original plan and live in California to try and figure everything out. Or I could brave the big blue and cross over to the brave new world, the entirely alien country of Japan. I settled for staying a couple days in a small town that I had found and deciding over the next few days.

Unfortunately, I had found the wrong town, one that saw me fly and was ready with their pitchforks when I approached it. With tears in my eyes, I took off and hurriedly started off over the wide blue sea. It took me a couple days of crossing before something in the air seemed strange. All of a sudden I was caught in a violent storm, batted around like a piece of paper. I fainted sometime during the storm and woke up on a strange shore.

A redheaded man was leaning over me, looking concerned. I sat up and held my head, groaning a bit. "Are you alright?" I heard him ask.

I looked him up and down; he was around five foot five and had the most peculiar purplish-blue eyes I had ever seen. The thing I remember the most about his face though, besides the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek, was the look of genuine concern and innocence on his face. He was dressed in the strangest clothes, and I noticed a sword by his side, a sakabato by the looks of it, I thought to myself half-aware. His clothes kept catching me off-guard, and I remember wondering if he was part of a carnival or something. I groaned again and then simply fainted, right into the man's arms. I was exhausted from the storm, and all I cared about at that time was sleep.