~Megumi’s Backstory~
The truth is, I really did love my parents. But, also, I couldn’t handle being around them. I know, it doesn’t make sense, but if you met them, you would know. They had been that way since as long as I can remember, and chances are, they’ll continue to be that way for a long time yet to come, too. People do change, but change does not come as easily as one might think. I love them despite their faults though, and that’s what made my decision so hard.
I have no qualms about how my parents raised me. You know those enormous mansions that you always see in movies? Well, that was the kind of house I grew up in. Everyday, I could spend hours just exploring and getting myself lost. The garden was my favorite spot though. I spent hours and hours playing around in there. Our gardener was this funny man from China, and he taught me all sorts of tricks. He had been a skilled acrobat in his country, or so he claimed, but he definitely had the skills of ones. When my parents weren’t watching, he taught me many tricks. My parents hated that though, but they never fired him for they were good people.
When I was seven, I met him for the first time. These foreigners, from a place called Japan, had been moved to England because of the father’s business. Just like my family, they lived in a big house, but ours was still bigger. Their family consisted of a daughter, a son, and the two parents. I was envious. I always wanted a sibling, but I was an only child. From time-to-time, too, their grandparents would live with them. Even though they didn’t have all the money we had, I wanted what they had so much more.
The day they came, I was out playing in the garden, all by myself. I was practicing some of the tricks our gardener had taught me, and just as I cart-wheeled, I heard a sharp hiss and an exclamation from behind me, “Delphi! A lady shouldn’t do that!”
My mother always lectured me about it all the time. This was nothing new. I turned around and rolled my eyes at her, only to catch sight of the two foreigners. The girl was much older than myself, tall and already a young woman. Her long black hair flowed like a river down her back. Her dark eyes were set hard upon her face, and she looked like a painting. The boy was closer to my age, only a couple years older. His dark hair had been slicked back, but tendrils curled down his cheeks and framed his face. His eyes burned like fire, and I felt myself shrink under his gaze. They were both dressed in grey clothing, done up like perfect little porcelain dolls. Already, I didn’t like them.
Then, the boy spoke up, “It’s immoral for a young lady to show her panties.” His words were cold and blunt, his eyes continued to stare on like those of a statue. And at that instant, I hated him.
I wanted to shout at him, I wanted to scream, but I knew with my mother right there, all I would get was more trouble. I bit my lip and clenched my hands into fists, glaring at him with all of my might. I wished he would just go away.
This time, the girl spoke up, “So, this is your little Delphi then? She is much more wild than I was expecting, from everything you told us.” Her calm and quiet demeanor sent shivers up my spine. This family was way too weird.
“Y-yes…” my mother found her voice, “she usually isn’t this bad, but lately she has been so much more rambunctious. That’s why we think this will be good for her.” There my mother went, making her excuses. I turned my glare on her until she looked my way. A look of pure innocence crossed my face and I gave her a smile.
She smiled back and held out her hand, “Now, Delphi, dear, come inside so you can meet the <last name>s.”
I took her hand, my hand so small in hers, but all the warmth that surrounded it made me happy. It always did. Why she couldn’t do this normally I never understood. It was only around company that she was ever this gentle.
The four of us crossed the yard from our garden to the tall steps leading up to the entrance of our house. I climbed them as daintily as I could, but compared to the older girl, it was like I was stomping while she was gliding. I really didn’t care, not usually anyways, but around these two, I was suddenly very shy.
We stepped through the threshold and made our way to the main sitting room where my father and their parents were already waiting. One of the maids held the door open for us and we shuffled inside. My mother sat me down between herself and my father, while the other two children sat down on the sides of their parents.
“Oh, so this is little Delphy?” the man across from me flashed me a grin. I shrank back and nearly gasped. He had the biggest teeth I had ever seen and they were all strewn about in every which way. He has a very long face and big eyes, peeking out from a tuft of dark unruly hair. He made me think of a horse.
My mother nudged me in the back and whispered, “Introduce yourself!”
“Ah…” I slowly scooted off the couch and bowed my head, holding the edges of my skirt out ever so slightly, “My name is Delphi. I am seven years old. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
The woman across from me smiled, “Nice to meet you, dear. These are our children, Ryouga and Houren.” She motioned to the boy and the girl as she spoke. I was surprised at how good their English was, considering it wasn’t their native language. I said nothing though. I sat back down and bowed my head to each of the children as they were introduced.
“Our Houren here has already gotten accepted into a university, though she’s barely sixteen. I was very surprised, considering that her skills are in sports more than academics. She has surprised us all,” the father chuckled. An empty smile crossed Houren’s face. I shivered and sank down into the cushions of the couch.
“Oh, really! My, what a talented young girl. I also heard that you took the championship in the horse jumping this year. Please, tutor our Delphi sometime. She could use all the help she can get. She’s not very good at her studies,” my mother said in a high-pitched tone. I hated it when she got that way. It was so fake. The others didn’t seem to notice though.
Houren smiled and bowed her head, “Of course. We will be family, after all.” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but I sat up straight, hoping to get a better idea.
“And, our Ryouga here wants to join the army. The silly boy! When he’s not studying, he spends his days training with the sailors and soldiers on the docks!” the father continued on. He rubbed his hands together and pushed back his hair. Seconds later, it popped back up. He was indeed a very strange man. I couldn’t help but stare.
“Delphi…” my mother’s voice caught my attention. I glanced over and stared up at her with big eyes. Her smile wavered slightly and she motioned over to Ryouga.
“From this day on, this is going to be your fiancé. We got along so well, we decided it would be good for you two to meet and in the future get married. What do you think? A very strapping young lad, right?”
I really don’t remember what happened next. But, I know that was the last straw. I didn’t care if they made me study things I hated and yelled at me for doing things they didn’t want me to, but when they decided my future for me, especially something as important as that, they crossed the line. I was angry, and I just remember there being screaming and crying, and I maybe even flipped the table over, spilling tea on that strange horse man.
That was what finally drove me to leave home though. A couple nights later, after that deranged family had gone home, I snuck out into the garden, a small pack on my back full of my important things, like my teddy bear and my favorite book, even my favorite bracelets. On the top I had shoved a piece of bread and some cheese in, just before I had closed it all up. That was all I took with me from my home, not even a single picture.
I had no idea where I was going. I have no idea how I ended up where I did, but I found myself standing in a small city surrounded by the darkness. It was late, so late that the moon was already fading out. Soon, the first rays of light would be caressing the morning sky. My mind was blank and all I could do was think of sleep.
I found a wagon nearby, with no one in it. Positioning myself beneath some of the luggage that was in there, I drifted off to an uneasy sleep. That was my first night out on my own, and I hated it. But, I didn’t hate it enough to want to run back home.
I didn’t sleep for very long. The bright light of the morning sun glared down at me, and I forced my eyes open. The dull murmur of the city life was already starting up, and I decided to get a move on while I could. My stomach rumbled and I opened up my bag, gnawing on the bread and cheese. Before I knew it though, it was all gone, and I was still hungry.
As I was working out my options, a sudden grunt from behind me broke my thoughts. I whipped around to find myself face-to-face with a big man with a fancy mustache. When he saw me, he gasped and reached forward. I yelped and bolted out of the wagon, jumping off of his head and flipping out to the street. Without hesitating to look back, I took off.
“’Ey lil missie, get back ‘ere!” he called after me. I pumped my little legs as hard as I could and ran far away. When I finally stopped, I was near the docks. With no money and no even hungrier and more tired than I had started, I slumped down on a crate and watched the town move about around me.
The day seemed to drag on forever. I was too scared to leave the spot though, so I hung tight to it, occasionally speaking to a passing sailor in hopes of getting some money or food. By the end of the day though, I only had about three coins and that wasn’t even enough to buy a piece of bread. I frowned down at the coins in my hand, wondering just what I should do from now.
I had never been so confused in my life. I couldn’t return back to my home. There was just no way. I had made up my mind to leave, and I had to stick firm to my decision. But, there had to be a way for me, even as a little girl, to earn money. As I muddled through my thoughts, I jumped off the crate and started walking down the streets again. My best bet, first, was to find a safe place to stow away for the night.
As I entered the central square, it was as if the town all of a sudden came to life. Torches shone brightly against the darkening sky, the sound of applause and cheers with a background of music filled the air, and the scent of sweet foods and barbeque hung all around me. It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. In the center of it all were some performers, flipping gracefully in the air and dancing to the music. I poked my head through the large group that was surrounding them, and thanks to my small size, I was able to get a good look.
When the performance ended, the crowd roared, and some of them even through their hats into the air. Coins scattered across the stone pavement, and the performers hurriedly snatched them up. The other performers took deep bows before disappearing into the crowd. Even as the crowd disbanded, I hung around, wanting to see more, to know more. This was the kind of thing that the old gardener had told me about. To actually be able to see it with my own eyes was a dream come true…!
“Aye, if it ain’t that lil missie again!” a familiar voice spoke up from behind me. I yelped and jumped, trying to make a break for it. The man grabbed my arm though and pulled me back.
“Don’t be scared, lil missie. You got no where to go, aye?” the man grinned down at me. I flinched slightly and gulped. Slowly, ever so slowly, I nodded my head. His grin widened.
“That flip you did earlier was pretty amazing. What would you say to joining my troupe, hm?”
I’m not sure quite what look I gave him, but he burst out in laughter. He ruffled my hair with his big hand, and I scrunched up beneath it. He kept on laughing, “Ah! What a great reaction, lil missie! We’re a circus troupe!”
When he pulled his hand away, I cocked my head to one side and blinked up at him. A circus troupe? Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t know what they were, but my understanding of them was quite different from reality. All I had been taught were stereotypes, and a bit about performances in China. Nothing I knew had prepared me for this troupe.
The man laughed again and warmly put his arm around my shoulder, “Aye, come, come! I’ll show you!”
As the stream of people moved away from the town square, we forced our way against it, making our way to the wagon I had slept in just the night before. Now though, there were other wagons pulled up beside it, and an array of colorful people and animals were gathered around them all. The man pushed me forward and cleared his throat as he approached, “This is the lil missie I was talking bout earlier! The lil acrobat!”
A very tall and thin woman peered down at me from behind a fan of peacock feathers. She smiled slightly after a moment and nodded her head, “Oh, she’s so cute! We could use someone like her in our troupe!”
“Where did ya learn ya stuff, aye, cookie?” a mouse-like man knelt down next to me. He peered at me with slits instead of eyes, while he scratched at the hair on his chin. I shrugged slightly.
“A-a man from China…worked for my parents…” I managed to choke out. The little mouse man snickered.
“Aye, good, good! Fit right in, yes she shall!” he nodded his head before scurrying away.
That night I met so many strange people. Despite the fact that they all looked odd, and some of them even had strange personalities, they were all good people. I quickly grew attached to them, and the next morning, I officially joined the troupe. The man I had first met was the ring leader, and he took me under his wing. He became like a second father for me.
For several years after that, I traveled with the troupe, training so that when I was old enough I could be included in the performances as well. I knew all of the tricks and stunts, but still, acrobatics were my specialty. It was a long and hard process, but I had never had more fun in my entire life.
After a couple years, around my 9th birthday, I decided to finally write home. It felt strange to do so, after so long, but I figured that my parents deserved to know that I was still well. It took me several tries to get a letter that I liked, and then we gave it to the courier to take back to my old home.
I was afraid that when I first brought my home up that the troupe leader would send me home. Instead though, he just smiled at me and nodded his head. He agreed with me, about my writing home, and he even supplied me with the stationary and pen to do so. From that point on, every couple months I would write home. Eventually, responses started coming, too.
And, finally, I was old enough to perform. For my 12th birthday, I got to finally join in with the others. I was trembling as I stood before the crowd, my thoughts suddenly freezing in my head. The only sound I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. It seemed to reverberate in my ears, and it drowned out everything else.
Elsie, another acrobat, gave me a small shove, and we started our routine. The instant we started flipping about, the crowd went wild. My heart jumped and suddenly I found my nerves. I gave it my all. I went through all of the steps of the routine in my head as we performed them, and before I knew it, my first performance was over.
We were sitting around in the back, just talking, when the troupe leader came over and ruffled my hair, as he was so fond of doing. He had a big grin on his face, “Everyone’s talking about tonight’s show! They all want to know who this little acrobat is! So, what should we tell them?”
I’m not sure why I said it, but I had suddenly decided on a name, just then, “Megumi! The goddess of acrobatics, Megumi!” I grinned up at him. And, from that day on, Megumi became my handle and my new name. Of course, I still used the name Delphi, but now it was more of an afterthought than anything.
Performing was a new adventure in its own. Every day, we traveled to a new place and every night, we set up for a performance. Because I was still young, I didn’t perform every night, but I was doing four performances a week and loving it. When I wasn’t performing, I helped out back stage, getting things ready for the acts that were going on that night. We were all a big family, and nothing could tear us apart.
A few weeks after I started performing, the hardest performance of my life came. That night, everyone was in distress. A cruise ship had been attacked by a monster, something called a youkai, and everyone on it was killed save for two children. The boy had managed to scare the monster off, becoming one himself (so the newspaper article read). He had used fire magic to throw it back. The girl wasn’t so lucky though. Both of her legs were mostly destroyed by the monster’s teeth, and chances were, she’d never be able to walk again. The paper’s attributed the boy’s sudden strength to the fact that his sister had been in danger, but I wouldn’t find out the truth until much later. It was a sad story, though, and many people had lost loved ones on that cruise. The sorrow and pain hung in the air, casting an eerie silence about with it.
I had never been so nervous in my life. Even as some of our most impressive acts performed, the crowd’s cheering was minimal, and so many of their faces were crossed with frowns. Finally, it was our turn to go up. We started the routine, and, sure enough, we didn’t get our usual reaction. I was distraught, and I tried to push myself even harder to make them smile. In the end though, my leg got caught in one of my flips, and I came crashing down with a sickening crack. As pain shot through my leg, I fought to keep back the tears.
The audience didn’t seem to notice. I finished the rest of my routine on one leg, which got some applause, and then afterwards, I hobbled off. The pain was excruciating and the instant I collapsed, Elsie and the troupe leader were already by my side. The next day, I was rushed to the doctor. I had broken my leg, and thanks to that, the next several months, I would be unable to perform. I was horrified, but the others tried to comfort me. Many of them had gotten injuries at one time, too. And, though, it was hard to just sit around and do almost nothing, it wasn’t impossible.
So, for the next several months, I had to sit out. I still helped back stage, of course, but what I could do was much more limited with only one stable leg. My crutch, too, took up one of my arms. Still, no one said anything and no one complained. Things kept on like normal, save for the fact that I wasn’t able to do my tricks.
Finally, the grueling torture came to an end. The doctor took my cast off and my leg was all healed. Of course, I didn’t go back to performing right away, but getting to train again, at the very least, was a good start. Slowly and steadily I managed to get back to my old ways and entered back into the ring.
After that, things went very smoothly for a long time. Every week I had several performances, and on my days free I relaxed and took my time getting to really see the world. We went all over Europe, touring in places I had only seen on maps back in my childhood. Every day was an exciting new adventure. I had my new family now, and everything was right in the world. Or, at least so I had thought.
When I was sixteen though, that’s when things really changed. There was this male performer in our troupe by the name of Lex, and he had fallen in love with me. Now, I knew nothing about love, so when he proposed, I had no idea what to do. I talked it over with the troupe leader, but he didn’t have any advice for me.
That night, he looked at me and placed his hand over his heart, “Trust in yourself. Do what your heart tells you to.”
I had no idea what that meant. I spent the next couple days trying to figure it out. Finally, I gave Lex an answer. I told him no. I told him that I was still too naïve, still too childish. There were still too many things I didn’t understand.
Lex had never seemed so upset, “Is there someone else?”
I don’t know why, but at that moment, that little boy’s face appeared in my mind. That arrogant little brat that I was promised to. I laughed to myself and shook my head. I looked him straight in the eyes, “No, just a memory.”
I know he didn’t understand what I had meant, but even I didn’t really understand it. Now though, it almost seems like destiny. My whole life was pulling me towards the moment that would decide the rest of my future, in a single instance. But, maybe that’s why it’s so special.
After that, Lex didn’t really talk to me anymore. I was a bit upset, since he was a good friend, but in a way, I was also relieved. I wouldn’t have known how to face him after that, not really, anyways. It seemed like things were slowing down though. I was almost grown up and I was starting to learn the cruelty of reality.
It was late at night, and, like usual, we were partying after a hard day of work. I wasn’t feeling so well though, so I went to lie down. Several minutes later, just as I was falling asleep, I heard the door to room opening. I squinted at the crack of light, but the only thing I could make out was the shadow of a figure. The next thing I knew, he crossed the room and roughly shoved a piece of cloth in my mouth. I tried to scream, but he held the gag tight.
“Megumi, Megumi, Megumii! Why couldn’t you just have made this easier for the both of us, hm?” when he spoke, I knew it was Lex. I grunted slightly, trying to question him as to his motives. He cackled and shoved me roughly down on the bed.
“Now, just be a good girl and stay still. This will be over sooner if you do…” the light of the moon caught on his face, revealing a wicked grin. My heart pounded and I thrashed about. He straddled over me though and held me firm.
Time seemed to move so slowly. I’ve never been really sure of what happened next, but suddenly, he let out a loud scream and fell onto the floor, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.
“S-so cold…! You witch!” he snarled. He moved to attack me again, but his voice had alerted the others. In an instant, they were there at my rescue. I never saw Lex again. I did learn, though, the next day that his hands were permanently damaged. He somehow managed to get a severe case of frostbite, even though it was still warm out.
I thought life couldn’t get any worse. I thought that it would just be one big scare and it would all be over. How wrong I was though. How wrong I was!
A couple months later, it finally happened. The night outside of our tent was eerily dark and still, clouds blocking every moon and star in the sky. There was only the dull murmur of the audience as they entered. I peered out from backstage, as usual, judging the crowd’s size. Near the back of the stands, wrapped in shadows, I saw three figures wearing long cloaks and hoods over their faces. A shiver ran down my spine as I saw them. Two of them were much taller than myself. The other one was the size of a child, but the way he held himself was nothing of the sort.
”Megumi…!” Elsie whispered from behind me. I nearly jumped. I turned around and gave her a smile.
“Yeah, right,” I glanced back one more time at those three strange figures before moving into the back to prepare for our routine for the night. No matter what I did though, I could not erase their presence from my mind.
The lamps went dark and the spotlight exploded into a blinding white light, shining down on the troupe leader in the center of the tent. I could hear his muffled voice as he went through with the introductions. The first act was up, and then the next act. I waited impatiently, twirling the ends of my hair.
At last it was my turn. Elsie and I stepped forward. I quickly cast a glance towards the shadows, but those figures that had been there before were gone. I figured it had just been my imagination, so I turned my attention away from it and instead focused on the task at hand.
Our routine was as magnificent as usual. The crowd cheered loudly as we flipped about. For that moment, I forgot completely about those cloaked figures that had once stood in the back of the audience. I was caught up in the thrill of the moment, the applause, and the bright lights as well. In what seemed like far too short a time, it ended. We took our bows and hurried off stage so that the next act could go on. One more to go, and then the finale.
As I washed my face in a small basin back stage, I swore I could hear the dull murmur of voices.
“…so this is really the place? The radar already is going off…”
“…fool!....because of me….goes red….”
“…then…..magick user…….here, too…..”
“…Lillian-sama…couple months ago….”
I quickly moved around in the shadows, looking for any sign of people back there, but I couldn’t find anything. As I was doing so though, the last act ended. Elsie called me back and together, we made our way back for the finale.
The finale started off great. The crowd was roaring as the entire troupe did their performances, dancing and flipping between each other. We all laughed as we moved about each other. The finale was always everyone’s favorite time. We all got to perform together, as one big happy family. That night would be my last though.
Suddenly, there was a large rumble and the ground below exploded open. A giant worm-like monster appeared, sending most of the performers and several people in the audience flying. I landed haphazardly to the side. I quickly straightened myself up just in time to avoid the monster’s tail.
“Wh-what is that!?” I shouted over the terrified screams of the fleeing people. I tried to stand back up, but my legs wouldn’t move. An arm gently pulled me up.
“It’s a youkai,” came the quiet reply for the man who now held me. I glanced over at him and gasped slightly. He reminded me so much of that little boy, but at the same time, he was completely different. Behind him stood a busty woman with bleached hair and two metal legs. Next to her was a boy with cat ears and a tail, the cloak still partially around him.
“Get them out of here, Houren-san! Ryouga-san and I will take care of this…!” the cat boy motioned to fleeing people. The woman pushed up her glasses and chuckled slightly.
“Of course, Kazehiko-sama. Be careful, you two,” she said with a quick bow before dashing off into the crowd. I was surprised at how fast she could move, considering both of her legs were fake. A squeeze on my arm brought me back to reality.
“You get out of here, too,” the man, Ryouga, said quietly. I nodded slightly and he let go of my arm. I took a couple steps back, still watching him, before taking off after Houren.
I could hear Ryouga comment to the cat boy as I left, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her.”
I caught up to Houren, and together with some of the other troupe members, we managed to get the commotion under control. Just as we were getting the final group out though, the tent rumbled again and started to collapse, much of the wood and fabric ablaze.
“What…!?” I turned around to look, only to see Ryouga pull fire from his hands and thrust it at the monster. Kazehiko waved his uchiwa and a small gust of wind smashed into the monster’s head and knocked it back.
“Get out of here, now!” I heard Houren shout from beside me. I waited with Houren to the end, until everyone else was out. She gave me a shove, and I started to move forward, but the entrance to the tent collapsed before us. She grabbed me around the waste and jumped back several feet. The entrance just missed us.
“Kazehiko-sama! It’s no good this way!” Houren shouted as she dragged me back towards the other. The little cat boy shook his head and blew some of the burning tent away with his fan.
“Dammit! Lillian-sama said it would be fine with just the three of us, but I’m really starting to doubt it! Wind and fire have little effect on this monster…!” he shook his head frantically.
Ryouga landed next to him, wiping some sweat from his brow. He narrowed his eyes at the monster, “No good. My attacks aren’t getting through at all…!”
The monster suddenly howled in rage and charged right at us. I screamed as it nearly landed on top of us. Ryouga grabbed me around the waist and pulled us back. The monster managed to scratch up his arm pretty badly in the process though. We fell back and he collapsed on top of me.
“Hey, are you alright?” I helped him sit up. He nodded slightly and sat up. I could feel the wetness on his shoulder as the blood saturated his entire arm. I frowned slightly and helped him to his feet.
“Why are you fighting that monster anyways!?” I growled as I moved him away and back to where Houren and Kazehiko were standing. Houren took Ryouga from me when we arrived, and I slumped back.
“Our job is to fight youkai,” Ryouga stated calmly. Houren rolled her eyes slightly.
“It’s not that simply, honey. We are part of Zos Kias, one of many organizations created to handle things like this. Our specific task within Zos Kias is to gather other magick users and to tame or destroy any youkai that manage to break through the gate into our world,” Houren said with a grin. I blinked up at her, not really understanding what she said, but nodding anyways.
“We don’t have time to talk!” Kazehiko hissed, waving his fan around like madly in a pitiful attempt to put some of the fire out, “We need to get out of here, now, before we all burn up!”
Just several feet away, the monster was thrashing about angrily, having lost sight of all of its possible prey. It slammed into the supporting beam of the tent and the whole tent sagged. For a moment, it held still, but suddenly, the beam broke through the rest of the way and the whole thing came crashing down. We were all buried beneath the burning tent, along with the monster.
Just before a beam fell on me, Ryouga jumped in the way and took it for me. He stood over me, using his own body to support the beam up. I could hear the tent tearing off to the side, and I knew that Houren and Kazehiko were breaking free. A drop of blood on my face brought my attention back to the boy over me.
“W-why….!?” was all I could say. I couldn’t even find the words to describe what I was feeling. This was the same boy that in the past had been so callous and arrogant, right? How could a person change so much!?
“Delphi’s not a bad person,” he stared down at me. A small smile crossed his lips as the beam atop him cracked slightly, “and, you’re my precious fiancé….”
The beam cracked the rest of the way through and he collapsed, rolling off to the side. I quickly sat up and shook him, screaming, “Ryouga! Ryouga!”
The monster heard my screams and came at us, bursting through the ground just before us. As it lunged to attack, I screamed again, “NOOOO!”
And, suddenly, it happened again. My hands went cold and ice started to creep over the burnt remains of our troupe’s tent. The monster hissed at the ice and slashed at it, but the ice kept coming. In a few more moments, the monster was frozen. It fell over and crashed to the ground, breaking into pieces.
I suddenly felt light headed. I fell back, hitting my head against a sharp edge and blacking out. That was the first time I really became a magick user.
When I awoke, I found myself in a small tent with a young girl wearing thick glasses and a lab coat. When she saw me awake, she flashed me a smile, “Oh, so you’re finally awake? That’s good news! I’m sure Ryouga-san will be excited, as well.”
I blushed slightly and blinked over at her, “Um…”
“Nina. Nina Franklin, training in the medical and research department at Zos Kias. One day, I hope to become the head. Nice to meet you! My power is also water, by the way, but it’s not very strong,” she laughed slightly and rubbed the back of her head. She couldn’t have been more than fifteen.
“Um…Megumi, Delphi. What do you mean by power? That ice, earlier…” I trailed off, unsure if that had all been a dream or not. She just nodded her head, still grinning.
“Yep, yep, that’s your magick. Pretty strong ice magic, too. So, you’re under the water category. If you decide to join us, we can help you make a contract with your Guardian and Deity so that you can control your magick.”
Before I could ask her anymore, I heard some girls screaming. I was instantly on my feet, and a moment later, Elsie popped her head in, trying to fight back her laughter. She shook her head as she laughed, “Megumi…! Come…!”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me out into the sunlight. Three girls in short skirts and tops were running away from a screaming Ryouga. I blushed slightly when I saw him. His robe was open to reveal several bandages across his abdomen and shoulder, as well as his gently muscled chest.
“A woman should be more decent! Don’t go around dressed like a skank!” he hissed as he chased them around. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. When he heard my voice, he quickly dropped his fist and turned my way.
“Delphi…” his voice was suddenly gentle. I stepped away from Elsie and towards him. I could hear her and the other girls retreating as I moved forward. I stopped a couple feet away from him and gave him an awkward smile.
“How are your wounds? You seem to be doing well enough,” I laughed slightly. He got a flustered look on his face and scratched his cheek.
“Ah, well, it’s hard work, so getting injuries like these isn’t unusual. I’m a quick healer,” he tried to explain. I giggled slightly.
I stepped forward and gently touched his arm, “Thank you for saving me. I think I may have been wrong about you.”
He glanced down at me then at my hand on his arm, “Ah…ah. No problem. And, um…about what I said…you can just forget it-“
I shook my head, “Uun. I think I would like to be your fiancé again. You’re just the type I could fall in love with.” I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. I have never seen someone turn that many shades of red before! I was probably pretty red myself though.
After that, I officially joined Zos Kias. I met with Kazehiko and Houren, and we got all of the paper work and other necessary information taken care of. For a moment, it was just me and Houren. She smiled over at me and gently punched my arm, “I’m glad we found you. Ryouga really needed you.”
And, I found my new family. It was hard to leave the troupe, but after everything that happened, they were moving to start anew and rebuild with the remaining members. Several members had left after the incident, and I felt bad for doing the same, but they assured me it was fine. Even now I still write to them. Once or twice, in these three years since I started at Zos Kias, they have even come to visit. Having that many people come at once though poses a bit of a problem though, ha ha.
So much has happened since then. Within two years of me joining, that Nina became Nina-sensei, and the head of medical and research at Zos Kias, just as she had wished. About half a year after I joined, Houren was promoted to head of training and defense. Though it took a lot of work, I share a dorm with my fiancé and his older sister. Ryouga, of course, is still as big of a spaz as ever, but I love him for it.
Yeah, that’s right. I love him. It took me a long time to really understand what that meant, but I’m glad that I finally do. Ryouga and I are partners off and on the battle field. We are nearly inseparable. And, on the times I do leave his side, he goes into one of his fits and tries to attack any scantily clad woman he sees. Unfortunately, he has picked some bad ones to go against…Natasha, Carter….and of course, his own sister!
I learned what exactly happened to Ryouga and Houren from the last time I had seen them. Remember when I mentioned the night I broke my leg? That horrible incident on the boat? Well, they were the two children. A youkai fish attacked their ship and ate most of the crew members. It also got Houren’s legs, but Ryouga wasn’t going to let it get her all. In his anger and sadness, he activated his magick and was able to use fire to blast the youkai away. Shortly after, Zos Kias arrived and came to their rescue, finishing the youkai off.
As far as Houren’s legs go, she was taken directly to the medical center in Zos Kias. A talented young researcher by the name of Joshua Franklin (Nina’s big brother!) created the legs as a prototype only months before the incident. Houren was fortunate that they worked, and she was able to get back a semi-normal life. Nowadays, most of her repairs are handled by Hester and Randy, as well as some of the other researchers I’m not so familiar with (since I’m defense). Of course, Randy’s not in research! He’s just got a knack for metal tinkering, which is probably why his earth power is metal based.
I’ve met a lot of people here at Zos Kias and made lots of friends. Everyone here has such horrible pasts, it’s really sad. But, we all believe in the same tomorrow, and thus we are able to continue forward. I admire everyone in here, even the somewhat lazy people like Umishin.
Ah, right, my parents! Well, after I joined Zos Kias, I sent them a letter and for the first time in a long time, I got to see them again. They came to visit us at Zos Kias about a month after I joined. It was a strange reunion, but now, it’s as if all that tension in the air has been cleared. I see them from time-to-time now, too.
Even though I’m out there risking my life everyday to fight youkai with Zos Kias, I’ve never been happier. To be able to do something as grandeur as protect everyone is amazing! And, of course, I get to do the same thing as my hero♥.
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~Atogaki~
Well, I won’t be writing several backstories into Zos Kias, so I’m going to do a series of them as text like this. I’ll try my best to write each and everyone that people want to hear about. So, please let me know whose you’d like to know next! I’ve been doodling Megumi and Ryouga all over the place, so I just had to write hers first. I incorporated most of Ryouga and Houren’s into this, as well, but if people really really want it, I’ll do one for them, too. Though, I’ll do it from Ryouga’s point-of-view. It will be hard to do it from either of theirs, since they are so strange, but I definitely can’t handle Houren’s personality. Of course, all of these will be short.
So, here’s the list of character’s who WILL/HAD have backstories (ie, don’t ask for theirs):
-Light (starts like chapter 15)
-Ryoma (um, chapter 17 or so, probably)
-Randy (starts at, um, chapter 24?)
-Kazehiko (chapter 13)
-Natasha (haven’t figured out how to work it in yet)
-Umishin (omake sorta thing)
-Nina (partial, will do rest if want; chapter 4?)
-Lily’s (briefly; chapter 12)
Characters, not listed above, that currently have backstories in mind:
-Carter
-Lillian
-Hester
-Nina (the rest)
-Tessa (no dah)
-Ryouga/Houren
(Just because they aren’t listed here doesn’t mean I can’t do their back story!)
So, any of the ones listed above or your favorite character, just let me know! If I get a lot of requests for a character’s backstory, I’ll do theirs next.