ヒカリ の シイド
Hikari no Shiido
T H E S E E D O F L I G H T
“How do you know about the Elementals?!” gasped Matsudai. “I thought they were supposed to be a secret!”
“It may be because I’m the Water Elemental and the others are the other elementals,” answered Kanji sarcastically. “Though that’s only a guess.”
Matsudai was surprised. “R-really? Does Fujin-kun know?”
“Yes.”
Matsudai fell silent for several seconds, then spoke. “Don’t tell him about me.”
“He has to know,” protested Kanji. “He’s-“ He bit his tongue. “He’s… he’s important. But I can’t tell you why.”
“Don’t you think I know that? Why else would I have had a vision of him? Why is he so important?” demanded Matsudai.
Mizu exited her tent. “You guys are still up? It’s so late! What’s going on?”
Kanji looked at Matsudai, a defiant gleam in his eye. “He’s the Dark Elemental.”
Mizu wasn’t fazed. “For some reason… that doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“He wants to know how Fujin is related to all this,” continued Kanji.
“Oh, that’s easy!” exclaimed Mizu. “He’s the Hikari no Shiido!”
Kanji let out a frustrated sigh and slapped his head.
“Oh… was I not supposed to say that?” asked Mizu. Kanji, glaring at her, pointed to her tent. “I’ll be going now!”
“Wait… the Hikari no Shiido? As in, the Hikari no Shiido?” asked Matsudai. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We can’t trust you.”
“Why not? I’m an Elemental, aren’t I?”
“Darkness corrupts people.”
“But I’m not corrupt!”
“I’ll believe you… for now. But, if you do anything to hurt Fujin,” Kanji warned, “You’ll have me to answer to.”
Matsudai stared into the fire. “Hikari no Shiido, huh? I dunno… I guess I had imagined someone more majestic. More worldly.”
Kanji smirked. “Yeah, not what anyone would’ve expected. Actually… as far as I know, none of the Hikari no Shiido have ever needed their powers after the age of eighteen. Either they finished their duties for their time… or something happened to stop them. All-in-all, I see why. Children are the picture of innocence and light, aren’t they? They’ve had very little time to be corrupted, they have no inhibitions.”
Matsudai stood up. “I understand. I’ll be going. It’s best if I do.”
“I won’t tell Fujin.”
“… Thank you.”
* * *
The next morning, Fujin darted out of the tent. “Oniichan!” he exclaimed. Looking around, his face fell. “He’s gone…”
Kanji looked up from the book he was reading. “What do you mean? I’m right here.”
“Not you!” replied Fujin. “Matsudai-niichan! You chased him off, didn’t you?”
“Fujin, you just met him and now you think of him as a brother?” said Kanji.
“He was more of one than you are!”
There was an uncomfortable silence. Fujin was the first to break it. “I-I-I didn’t mean it! It just came out, and… and…” Fujin began to cry. “I’m so sorry! I’m… I’m horrible… I’m always helpless... and pathetic… I don’t blame you for hating me…”
Kanji’s book dropped to the ground as he tightly embraced Fujin. “It’s alright, Fujin… it’s alright. I could never hate you. Even if I did, we’re stuck together! We’re brothers!”
Fujin let out a melancholy laugh.
“I don’t mind protecting you. I promised I would. And, you’re not horrible. It isn’t your fault that you were thrown into this.” Fujin continues crying, and Kanji embraced him tighter. “Go ahead and cry. I don’t mind.”
Fujin cried for several minutes, then stopped. Kanji smiled. “Are you okay now?”
“I… I can’t breathe!” replied Fujin.
Kanji went slightly red and let go of Fujin. Oops! I shouldn’t have been hugging him that tight…”Sorry!”
“It’s alright… I’m fine…”
“You don’t sound fine.”
“Where’s Yuni-oneechan?” Fujin changed the subject.
“Don’t change the subject. You don’t sound fine.”
“I’m fine now,” insisted Fujin. “Where are the others?”
Kanji sighed and relented. “In Yuni’s tent. They’re talking.”
“About what?”
“Just something that happened last night.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
The group walked out of Yuni’s tent. “Oh. Fujin, you’re awake,” noticed Yuni. “Something went wrong; there’s no Elemental here. We should go.”
“But-“
“Fujin, Yuni’s right,” interrupted Mizu.
Fujin looked disbelievingly at them and wiped his face, suddenly aware of the tears. “Do we have to go now?”
“It’s probably best if we do,” said Aisu.
Fujin hesitated, then threw a handful of powder into the air. It sparkled to the ground, but nothing happened.
“Fujin… why isn’t it working?” asked Mizu.
“I don’t know,” Fujin answered, puzzled, “It should work…” He dumped the rest of the satchel’s contents onto the ground, but it still didn’t work.
“Any other ideas?” asked Mizu.
“What about that flute?” Kogasu asked. “He does other things with it… can’t it take us to another world?”
Fujin pulled off his necklace. “It’s worth a try…” He played several notes on the flute, and the group disappeared. In the forest, there as a dark-purple flash of light.
* * *
The group appeared in the middle of a ruined city, not unlike what Tokyo or New York City may have looked like after a large disaster.
“Fujin…,” Aisu began timidly. “Are you sure that there’s an Elemental here?”
“There should be,” answered Fujin. He looked around; all he could see were ruined buildings.
“This place looks deserted to me,” commented Kogasu.
“I don’t trust it. Something’s strange here,” said Kanji.
“You don’t trust anything,” reminded Fujin.
“If I trusted everything and everyone, we’d be dead,” replied Kanji.
“Uh, guys? Something’s happening…” interrupted Yuni.
Indeed, something was happening. The buildings around them suddenly melted into nothingness, and the group stood in a green field.
“Wh-what the hell was that?!” demanded Aisu.
“This world… it must be different from most of them. It looks like it’s constantly changing,” warned Kanji. “Be careful.”
The field changed slightly, and was now dotted with rolling hills and the occasional tree. There was a strange clacking noise, almost like bones rattling.
“H-hey, guys… do you hear that?” asked Fujin.
“I hear it, too…” answered Mizu.
“It sounds like bones,” gulped Kogasu. “Only, bones that shouldn’t be moving…”
“I don’t see where it’s coming from,” said Aisu.
The ground began to rumble, and a large pile of dirt rose from the ground.
“K-kanji!” exclaimed Yuni. Kanji was looking in the opposite direction from the pile of dirt; Yuni tapped his arm, still staring at the dirt. “Kanji, Kanji, Kanji, look already, damn it!”
Kanji turned; his eyes widened. “Get down!” he shouted. He shoved Fujin and Yuni to the ground, ducking at the foot of the hill they were on. The others soon followed.
“Ow! Oniisama, that- mmph!” Kanji clamped his hand over Fujin’s mouth.
The dirt-pile solidified into a giant monster, comprised entirely of skulls. It slammed its arm into the ground, sending a shockwave towards the group, causing them to fly backward several feet. Fujin stood up and ran toward the monster. “Hey, you jerk, leave us alone!”
“Fujin, get away from it!” shouted Kanji.
The monster swung its arm again, at Kanji and the others. A shower of skulls rained down upon them, forming a structure somewhat like a cage. “Fujin!” shouted Kanji, banging against the bars of the cage, to no avail.
The skulls forming the monster suddenly melted together, forming a devilish creature. It stomped, causing Fujin to become unbalanced and fall. As the monster raised its claw, Fujin winced and braced himself.
The blow never came. Fujin opened his eyes uncertainly, unsure of what to expect. In front of him stood a man, poised with a black-crystal sword, as if he’d just sliced through the monster. He pushed the silvery hair out of his face; looking at Fujin, he smiled and said, “You alright, Fujin-kun?”