Welcome to Gaia! ::

Entry #26 :: An Unwarranted Invasion
Title :: "Everybody's Looking for Something..."
Song :: "Sweet Dreams" (Cover) by Marilyn Manson

RP :: Chloe's Missing Plot
Featuring :: The Kidnapper!!

Natsuki wearily got out of her car. Another long day at the cafe and her dogs were barking up something fierce. Parties at the Cafe were always a joyous, fun occasion, but utterly exhausting never the less. Sticking her keys into the front door deadbolt, it stopped with the slightest turn. 'Weird. I could have sworn that I locked that before I left the house,' she thought, taking her keys out and inserting them into the lock just above the door knob. Fighting with her heavy bag and dry cleaning, the bag slumped from her shoulder, sliding down her arm. Without the slightest effort, the door sung open.
"I know I locked you before I left the house..." Natsuki scolded the door, wrenching her keys from the lock, she shoved them hastily into her pocket. Stepping into the doorway, she closed the door behind her, locking both locks for good measure. Hanging her dry cleaning on the coat rack and dumping her purse onto the hall table, the head of the household was a bit concerned when the light switch wouldn't turn on.

"Are you kidding me?" Natsuki scowled, flicking the switches on the plate several times to no avail. Perhaps that was why the alarm was off and the front door unlocked... Roux and Parfait certainly wouldn't sit around the house in the dark. Since she hadn't explained the concept of locking and unlocking doors, or given Roux a house key of his own, it was only natural for him to come and go as he pleased without giving it a second thought. Kicking off her work shoes and stuffing her feet into her slippers, she shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen, where a door lead to the basement. Rifling through a kitchen cabinet, she pulled out a large flashlight she kept on hand for hurricane season, which thankfully was winding finally down.

"Ah, that's one way to shed a little light on the subject," Natsuki smiled, as she clicked on the flashlight. However, her sense of security was rather fleeting as the house was deathly quiet. With All Hallow's Eve, and her birthday right around the corner, someone was chosing to play a dangerous prank, especially with Chloe still missing.

The door to the basement creeked eerily, and Natsuki made a note to spray a little WD-40 on the hinges when she had a chance. The only thing worse than a squeaky hinge were nails being dragged on a chalkboard, precisely the reason why only white boards and oil markers are used at the Cafe. Too manu new recruits kepts scratching their clumsy fingers on the board, resulting in Natsuki dropping dishes in the kitchen. Slipping out of her slippers, she put on the wooden clogs she used to tromp around the concrete storage area with. The wooden stairs gave of the refreshing scent of pine. The basement was like any other, aside from the redhead's meticulous labling and organization of all the boxes. Natsuki navigated her way to the power box and security panel using the pale golden light of the ultiliy light.

Crunch. Crunch.

"What the--" she whispered, turning her attention to the crackling at her feet. Tiny shards of plate glass littered the floor, catching the light cast upon them with faint sparkles. Her eyes widened, her gaze bolting upwards to the small window above. The plate glass window was broken in. A chill rattled her body, causing her to grip the security panel and fling herself into the corner, sweeping the light over the room. However, her grip slipped over the place where the pad lock should have been, causing her to lose balance, and lack on her rear in the corner.

The flashlight slipped from her grip and scuttled across the floor, casting dizzying shadows on the walls from the cornucopia of items in the basement. Boxes. Costume Manequins. Sporting Equipment. Power tools. After three quickly flashes, Natsuki begged silently for the flashlight to stop. It acquiesced, slowly rolling to a stop, casting a spooky, half-shadow upon the true reason for the black out in the Yanagitani/Star household. Gray eyes widened in terror as Natsuki saw the battery for the security system removed and patiently awaiting outside of the security panel. Clipped halves of the lock lay on the floor among the shards of glass, and wires limply hung from guts of the electronic hardware. Everything powering the house ran through that one point in the basement: electricity, security, and even the telephone and high speed internet. The perpetrator rendered the house into a communications black hole. Natsuki had been completely cut off, save for the mobile phone in her purse, which was in the entry way and of no use to her at the moment. Darting her eyes left and right, Natsuki desperately tried to scan the room for intruders, though had anyone been there, they'd clearly know she was there. She clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle the blood curdling screams, rattling within her.

Even in the dank, cold basement, sweat beaded on her brow, and adrenaline pumped violently within her. Natsuki's last optimistic shreds of security had just been cut with surgical precision. The cafe manager duped herself into believing that she could continue some semblance of a normal life, despite Chloe being kidnapped, right under this very roof. She fought to keep her cool, scanning the room for possible weapons in lieu of the handgun in her night table drawer, two floors up. Out of the corner of her misty eye, she saw her old kendo practice sword. Solid. Wooden. Could be used to break bones if need be. Screwing up her courage, Natsuki sprung up, snatching the flashlight and making a dead set bee line for the sword. Gripping a pipe that ran from the floor to the ceiling, she swung herself ninety degrees, sliding to the box with the sword. Without breaking momentum, she held the sword at her side and kept the flashlight pointed before her. Stalking her way to the stairs, she was ready to use the heavy metal flashlight as an additional weapon if need be.

Now that she was armed, she didn't care if someone attacked her. With over twenty years of kendo training by her crazy old coot of a grandfather, she'd be able to hack and slash her way through the house better than any Kurosawa film. Her clog footfalls were heavy on the stairs as Natsuki tromped her way back up the stairs. Kicking off the clogs at the top of the stairs, Natsuki opted for bare feet over her favorite slippers. In the event, she was disarmed, she could always use her rusty karate skills to clamp the hurt on whoever was in her house. Stopping by the entrance, she rifled through her purse to fish out her cellular phone. Without a second thought, she dialed the police.

"I'd like to report a break in," Natsuki whispered, shoving in the hands-free ear piece into the jack and the headphone into her ear. Walking down the hall, she peered into each room, checking to see if anything was missing or anyone was still inside. Talking with the emergency dispatcher was soothing, and made the thought of running through a pitch black house less frightening. Everything was in tact, every last valuable item in the house remained untouched. Chloe's Room: Nothing. Roux's Room: Perfectly fine. However, a hot sickness pooled in her throat when she arrived at her own door, which she never leaves open. Nudging the door open with her hip, an evil foreboding added to the growing illness within her. A top her silk pillowcase laid a letter with horribly cut magazine letters pasted in a creepy fashion accompanied by a pair of extremely familiar looking spectacles.

"Oh God. P-p-please have them hurry up," Natsuki choked, tears streaming down her cheeks and blurring her vision. The letter slipped from her trembling fingers, before her hands clenched into a vice-tight grip. She staggered back from the bed, leaving Chloe's glasses undisturbed.
"He's been here. Whoever too C-c-chloe S-s-star has been here. In m-m-my house... and in m-my bed room." Natsuki fell back against the wall, pale as the bluish moonlight casting eerie shadows upon the glasses nestled on her pillow.

Petrified, Natsuki simply sat there. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She could barely move, save for clicking the phone to hang up, and scrolling through the menu of the phone book. With three button pushes, her phone rang up the residences of Dr. Kyou and his brother, Dr. Tsu. As the police sirens neared and her house filled with the flashes of blue and red lights, Natsuki merely rasped the words, "He was here, again... the one who took Chloe... I need... help me..." before her voice trailed off again, and the answering machine cut off.

Entry #28 :: [Lab]otomy Halloween Spooktacular

Location :: The Delaran Estate near the Barton Caves

Entry #30
Title :: "I Think I Stained My Jeans"
Song :: “The Grass is Green” by Nelly Furtado

Natsuki schlepped the last heavy box of trash down to the curbside. Unlike most people, she took a particular pleasure in fixing up her home. In the wake of Chloe’s disappearance, the redhead faded into a wisp of the vibrant flower others knew. Natsuki hated the person she had spiraled into: clingy, dependent, and ready to cry at a moment’s notice. The café manager was anything but fragile, and it frustrated her to look in the mirror and see a broken face staring blankly back.

No more. If she can handle the unnecessarily formal social acrobatics of her backwards thinking family, she could certainly pull herself together to remedy her pitiful situation. After briefly imposing on the generosity of Dr. Kyou and Dr. Tsu, she returned to the crime scene that was her abandoned house, to get her life back into order. With the green light from the local police, she unceremoniously ripped the hideous black and neon yellow police tape from the doorways and windows. Had the door not been ripped from the hinges by the idiotic local press, she’d have kicked it in herself.

The spring breeze rustled the budding branches of the cherry trees in her poorly neglected garden. Wiping beads of sweat from her brow with a pushed up sleeve, Natsuki turned her face to the east, welcoming the change of the season and the new change in her life. What remained of her long red hair was nothing more than a sassy, shaggy bob that swung just below her chin. Her justification was that it would be one less thing to worry about while she worked on getting the rest of her life back in order. ‘I wonder if people will like this drastic of a change…” she mused, taking a deep breath and toying with a loose strand of fringe by her ear. Opening a bottle of cranberry water, she drank deeply as if her body was drier than the Forbidden Desert itself.

Nearly six months had passed since her world was turned upside down. Where in Gaia had the time gone? How did she manage to let so much time slip past her? Chloe was still no where in sight, but she was optimistic that her missing roommate was still alive. As to where Chloe was, Natsuki’s guess as a good as the next person, all she knew was that it took several weeks before she could sleep through the night without waking in terror and with a cold sweat. She had tidied up Chloe and Roux’s rooms, but she honestly had no idea when or if, they’d ever be filled again.

“I wish I didn’t have to stay in the big house alone,” Natsuki sighed, looking up at the fluffy clouds creeping by, and catching the scent of rain in the air. Leaning back on the low stone wall, she looked at the overgrown clover patches and weeds—her next challenge would definitely be getting her yard in order, so she could properly enjoy “Hanami” with her friends. With the ground’s present condition, she certainly could have company over, let alone her friends! She may be old-fashioned and a little conservative, but Natsuki certainly knew how to throw a proper garden party.

Digging her nails into the soil to check its consistency, she was thoroughly disappointed in how bone dry it had become. “Well, this certainly, won’t do,” Natsuki lamented, picking the dirt out from beneath her nails, which were in desperate need of a manicure. She didn’t care though, the café manager finally started to feel at home again and a long awaited calm had grown in her heart. Mulling over a gardening action plan, Natsuki slowly scanned the garden. The sunlight felt warm on her skin, begging her to linger outside as long as possible.

Across the way, a patch of clover caught her gray eyes, drawing Natsuki to her feet quickly. Dropping down to her knees, a childish smile traced her lips. Nestled among the weeds and dead grass was single clover standing a bit taller than the rest, soaking up the spring time sunlight. Upon closer analysis, the redhead beamed to find a four-leafed clover smiling up at her.

"Looks like my lucky day," Natsuki said, putting her hands on her hips and smiling. The single 4-leaf clover was surrounded by a small cluster of clovers and flowers. Hurrying over to the shed, she pulled out a hand-painted clay pot, a scoop of fresh potting soil, and a trowel. Quickly, she returned to the spot, and began carefully digging around the patch. Replanting the clover in the pot, the cafe manager smiled and walked over to the kitchen window. Setting the pot on the window sill, a sigh slipped past her lips. Finally, she started to feel like she was back home again.

Entry :: #32
Title :: Shiny, Happy Girls!
Featuring :: Tariel (Kalindara)
Song :: "Sakurairo" by Angela Aki



[04.29.09] - UPDATE - Until RP thread can be reopened, PM/E-mail PRP will be posted in my Gaia Journal.
*For Tariel*


.: Sa'ida's Opinion :.
Tariel :: whee heart

Color Flavours ::

.: Natsuki's Notes :.

「サクラ色のあなたを忘れない　ずっとずっとずっと」
"I'll never forget you, sakura (pink) colored one. Forever and Ever and Ever..."

Entry :: #34
Title :: Sparkling Water
Featuring :: Ekundayo & Mouse (Ms. Pachinkorelli)
Song :: "Sora no Screen ~Rainbow in my Soul~" by Tackey &Tsubasa



[04.29.09] - UPDATE - Until RP thread can be reopened, PM/E-mail PRP will be posted in my Gaia Journal.
*For Dayo*

.: Sa'ida's Opinions :.
Ekundayo :: eek
Mouse Greenhead :: surprised

Color Flavours ::

.: Natsuki's Notes :.

「明日へと架かる虹　その上に君を誘って　(come on)」
"I'll invite you on onto a rainbow that bridges to tomorrow (Come on!)"

Entry :: #36
Title :: Youre the Sunshine (Autumn)
Featuring :: Luka (Midnight_Medea)
Song :: "Sunshine" Presidents of the United States of America




.: Sa'ida's Opinions :.
Luka ::

Color Flavours ::

.: Natsuki's Notes :.

"Nestled between a worm and rock... Snuggle it down for sleep time..."

Entry :: #38
Title :: [ Adverse Effects ] #1 -- Sand Storms
Song :: "Oil" by Asian Dub Federation (lyrics)


Sand whipped violently, tearing across the dunes, blotting out the midday sun and clear blue sky. Bells clanged loudly, reverberating down the wide, marble halls of the palace. A sirocco loomed on the horizon momentarily before dashing full force upon the palace. Screams of terror, echoed in sync with the warning bells. Satin swished along the empty corridor as Sa’ida flew down the hall. Footprints rang out, but she knew they weren’t hers. Or were they? Was someone following her? Shutters rattled and bowed under the pressure of the impending sand storm. Servants attempted to bar the doors and windows, in weak hopes of saving the royal family from disaster.

Stopping at a floor length mirror, the young raevan gasped. The woman staring at her in the mirror was not herself. Pin straight black hair, rippled past her waist, nearly reaching her knees. Formal court regalia replaced the carefree garments she preferred. Though her facial features were the same, violaceous eyes stared back at her. She had never seen such regal, purple eyes. The girl in the mirror lacked wings, but had feet (unlike any Frei Sa’ida had met). Sa’ida reached out to touch her doppleganger in the mirror, when the giant image began to rattle and shatter.

In the fragments of glass scattered around her, the raevan saw multiple images of the same girl she saw in the mirror. She was writhing and screaming, voicelessly. Her rich cocoa skin transitioned into a fiery, brilliant red. Unknown black script began scrawling its way across the girl’s body. Within her own body, the unlucky Frei felt an intense burning sensation law its way around her. The patterns and script matched that of the mysterious beauty in the glass shards beneath the unfinished ribbon tail.

“Who are you?!” Sa’ida shrieked, crumpling to the floor amongst the scattered pieces of the mirror. Her body lunched and wrenched uncontrollably, as if being jerked by puppeteer strings. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“I am you,” the girl mouthed, muted by Sa’ida’s own shrieks of pain. In a third of the mirror pieces, Sa’i finally saw her own reflection. Beside it, the torturous transformation of the other girl continued. It was only when the rainbow raevan’s own skin turned a blazing red, and her eyes a blinding, diamond white, did the little one truly panic.


Sa’ida awoke screaming. Natsuki flung the door open to find the young raevan huddled in the corner, clawing at her own skin. Flicking on the lights, she gasped in horror at the uncanny sight before her.

“Where are the markings, Natchi,” the young Frei demanded with tears streaming from her emerald eyes. “I saw them. All over my body. I was all red. They burned.”

Natsuki’s eye widened in alarm when she looked at Sa’ida’s arms, shoulders, and face. Light scratches covered the little one, with varying depths and some trickling with blood. Blue and purple wings trembled like leaves struggling in the wind. Her long , chestnut ponytail was disheveled and tangled from where she had wrenched out the beautiful ornaments. In the pale moonlight, golden accessories laid strewn across the floor. An angry, feral gleam illuminated the DJinneyeh raevan’s eyes.

Natsuki gingerly tiptoed her way across the room, scooping up Sa’ida into her arms, pulling the Frei’s hands away. Wrapping her arms around the frightened young one, the redhead stroked her charge’s hair, delicately smoothing out the tangles. She hummed softly an unfamiliar lullaby that had been haunting her own dreams to the young raevan.

Sa’i turned her bright green eyes up to meet her guardian’s story grays, pleading for some sort of explanation as to what precisely was happening to her.

Natsuki’s own hands trembled as she tried to wipe the salty tears mingling with blood on Sai’da’s cheek. She had never seen anything aside from pure, unadulterated joy on the rainbow raevan, so this deviation from the norm greatly worried Natsuki. “You don’t have to talk about it right now, sweetie,” Natsuki reassured the child.

“Can I sleep in your room tonight?” Sa’ida forced from her trembling lips, pleading her guardian. “I don’t want to see the sand storms again.”

“Of course,” Natsuki agreed, hugging her charge tightly. Before they went to sleep, Natsuki cleaned and patched up Sa'ida's self-inflicted injuries. She gathered up the genie's accessories, laying them on the dresser carefully.

However, the redhead laid awake the entire night, and several subsequent nights there after. Frightened that the truth was trying to wriggle itself free.

.: Saida’s Thoughts :. I want to know who that girl is! Why is she in my dreams? Why does she look like me, but not like me? I don’t like sandstorms, but I like the sand. I will only go to the beach on sunny days.

.: Natsuki's Notes :. I don’t know much about Sa’ida’s past as Noor aside from that one page scroll I found shortly after I harvested Noor’s soul. I remember mention of the markings from the ritual, but what does the sand storm have to do with it? Where do I go from here?

Entry :: #40
Title :: [ Adverse Effects #2 ] -- Kaleidoscopes
Song :: “Shattered Glass” by Britney Spears



Natsuki placed the wrapped box on the table at breakfast and eager awaited Sa’ida’s flying into the kitchen for breakfast. A brightly wrapped gift awaited all too eager hands. Like clockwork, the rainbow hued raevan came tearing down the stairs. Bangles caught the sunlight as they jangled. Cocoa brown arms flung themselves around Natsuki’s neck, pulling her guardian into a tight hug.

“Happy Birthday, Darlin’,” Natsuki smiled, squeezing the rainbow Frei gently, carefully avoiding the prismatic wings, sparkling in the morning sunshine. She squirmed a little when several of the feathers grazed her cheek. “Did you sleep well?”

“Are you kidding?! I was up all night!” Sa’ida giggled, playing with her curly ponytail. The more the rainbow raeven tried, the harder it was for her to contain her excitement. Her first birthday! She didn’t exactly know what that meant, but Natchi had made a big deal about it by baking a cake, cooking a special breakfast, and keeping her locked out of the den for several days now.

“This is for you,” Natsuki smiled, letting go and reaching for the box. The redhead ducked as a chestnut ponytail whipped past her. Sa’i hadn’t gone far, but the sound of torn wrapping paper helped her locate the bouncy raevan. Ribbon, tissue paper, and wrapping paper flew into the air, mingling with the desert raevan’s lofty giggles. Her guardian fought the urge to focus on the renegade pieces of paper (which she would show Sa’i how to tidy up later), and turned her attention to her young charge. She snapped some pictures of the Frei enjoying the other enjoyable part of any gift-giving tradition.

Sa’ida’s slender hands dug through the confetti and stuffings which cradled her present. She bit her bottom lip in thought as she rifled through the papers, prolonging the reveal of gift. A large, gold and silver tube finally emerged with the crux of the packaging pieces spilling out onto the floor. The sun, clouds and other whimsical designs were etched into the sides of it.

”What is it?” the young Frei asked, tracing the scrolling lines of the design with her delicate fingers. Light bounced off the golden sun, and a flash of gold lingered in Sa’ida’s eyes as her fingers lingered on the detailing.

It’s a kaleidoscope, a very old toy which creates pretty colors using science. It’s fun and educational, Natsuki replied, taking a seat beside her charge on the floor. She put her own hand over Sa’ida’s giving a radiant smile to her charge. It was my favorite toy as a child. It’s very important to me, as you are, so I would like you to have it.

”Really?! Neat! I’ll take good care of it, I promise!!” Sa’ida bubbled, looking up at stormy gray eyes with a blissful smile.

You’re not done yet! There’s more Natsuki
Ten other small ones, each individually colored, were pulled from the bottom of the box. At the end of each was a glass bulb with colored beads affixed to the end. A small vertical tray housed them, tipping each one up to the sun light.
Wow! Cool!! How do you use them? Sa’ida raved, unsure which one to pick and start with. Oh how she adored color! In her eyes, her guardian knew all the right things to say and do. How did she get so lucky?!

Well, you hold it like this. You look through this part here, holding the other end up to the light, Natsuki instructed simply. Though science was never one of her strengths, she knew the basics (courtesy of plenty of late night reading). She indicated the toy’s parts as the viewing tube, object box, and the viewer, pointing delicately at each of the parts. On the inside, there are three mirrors which bounce the light around and makes the pattern you see inside multiply. It’s really pretty. No two patters will ever be the same as the objects never stay in the same place. Hold it like this.

Natsuki demonstrated the appropriate way to hold the kaleidoscope, using two hands: one for support of the viewing tube, and the other to adjust and rotate the object casing on the end. The light bounced off the metallic shaft as her guardian turned the bizarre toy in her hands. Sa’ida watched in wonder at the childlike smile that crossed the redhead’s lips. The genie knew her guardian was fun-loving, but often “someone had to be the adult” as Natsuki often lectured. This uncharacteristic softness soothed Sa’ida, causing anticipation to rapidly within the rainbow raevan. Her translucent ribbon swished like silk and satin caught in a light breeze.

May I try? Sa’ida implored politely, remembering the carefully drilled in etiquette by her guardian. ‘Honey attracts more bees than vinegar’ she mused, letting her guardian’s prim voice echo within her thoughts. She placed an excited hand on Natsuki’s should, making sure not to startle her friend. The kaleidoscope looked frightfully expensive, and if it was from Natsuki’s childhood, it was practically an antique. One year felt like forever, so she couldn’t fathom something over twenty years old! It was a relic! Something to be treated delicately, and if Natchi was giving it to her, it must be really, really, REALLY important to her.

”It works best if you point it at the sunlight,” Natsuki instructed, handing the kaleidoscope to Sa’ida and her eager little hands.

Sa’ida sat up in her room without having cake, though Natsuki reluctantly let her enjoy the ceremony of blowing out the candles. Her other presents were locked away in Natsuki’s office. Not that she wanted them anyway. The new moon stared at her vacantly, casting no silvery moonlight into her room. Dried tears lingered on her cheeks. What a miserable birthday. It started out all fantastic and *bam* it exploded. In her limp hands, the busted remnants of Natsuki’s kaleidoscope glared at her, unyielding in their suffering: a smashed lens, cracked object box, shattered mirrors, and dented metal.

She couldn’t help herself. What she did wasn’t accident. It was intentional. All it took was one look into the mystical tube. Sa’ida desperately wanted to know what wondrous things her guardian had seen inside the kaleidoscope.

There wasn’t enough light. Why wasn’t there enough light? All I wanted was more light… the rainbow raevan whimpered, clutching the busted kaleidoscope in her trembling hands. She sighed heavily.
Unlike the stained glass in the church and at the craft store, the colors within the kaleidoscope would not change. Even pointing the toy directly at the sun, didn’t bring enough light into the tube to satisfy her. While she looked inside at the dizzying, moving patterns, the genie thought back to her nightmares: the dark hallway, the swirling sand, and that horrid mirror. Watching the patterns shift brought those terrifying images into the mirrors of the toy. Sa’ida, the princess, and that frightening woman with the red skin.

”Why did it ruin today of all days?” Sa’ida sulked. She wasn’t upset at the destruction of her birthday present, but at what she had done to Natchi. The redhead selected her childhood treasure to give to her, and what did she do— in a fit of rage, she smashed twenty years of precious memories right in front of her guardians’ eyes. And for what? Because she was too scared or emotionally incapable of handing the tempest of emotions growing within her?

She felt an icy white glaze over her eyes, completely draining the emerald from them— like that woman in her nightmare, with those empty white eyes. The moment she recoiled, raised the kaleidoscope above her head, and brought it down hard upon the wood floor, Sa’ida knew she wouldn’t be at peace until it was destroyed. It wasn’t until she heard the shattering of the glass and tinkling of the broken pieces, did she realize what she had done, not so much to the gift, but to her loving guardian. It was if she had smashed Natsuki in the head the precious present.

Like the childish smile from earlier, it was the first time Sa’ida had ever seen Natsuki angry. Honestly and truly angry. Sa’ida betrayed her guardian in her failure to control her fear and rage. On TV, she had seen angry parents strike and yell at their children, but Natsuki did none of the sort. Though the redhead’s face twisted in fury and disappointment, she simply commanded Sa’ida to go to her room.

"Go. To. Your. Room." were the only words that slipped past, Natsuki’s lips. Tears flooded her eyes, dousing her thick lashes in salt before streaking down her red cheeks.

She had listened at the kitchen door to Natsuki’s muffled sobs. With every scrape of the glass across the wood and into the dust pan, Sa’ida felt a tug at her heart. The slow clean up, mingled with sniffles and deep breaths, painted a vivid new reality to her: Natsuki loved her, preferring to suffer in private, than to hurt her. She didn’t mean to cause Sa’ida pain because she honestly did not know that such an ‘allergic reaction’ would happen.

Sa’ida looked at the kaleidoscope, before releasing her hand and letting it scuttle across the floor and into the shadow. Looking at the dented sun, busted clouds, and broken rainbows brought sad images of Natsuki to mind. She needed to fix it— not just the kaleidoscope, but more importantly what she did to Natsuki. Her guardian was more important to her. Slinking across the floor, she perched herself at her desk. Taking out a multicolored pen and a pad of paper. She had seen Natsuki do the same on multiple occasions: invitations, thank yous, condolences, congratulatory events. Sa’ida wanted to write an apology letter to Natsuki.

“Dear Natchi… I am sooooooooooo sorry,” she started, figuring the direct approach might be able to set a positive tone. The genie nibbled on the end of the pen in thought momentarily before launching into a long, stream of conscious diatribe. She apologized for breaking the kaleidoscope because it hurt Natsuki, expressing her confusion at the images she saw inside. The raevan transitioned into discussing the nightmare she had about the woman in the mirror, and wondered if it could be linked to how she reacted to the awesomely cool birthday present she unfortunately mangled beyond repair.

The letter overflowed with remorse, confusion, sadness, fear— all emotions the raevan was unfamiliar with. Sa’ida wished she could fix both the kaleidoscope and the situation because Natsuki was important to her. She wanted to make both better than before, rebuild it, making it new and improved, but she didn’t know how to do it. The rainbow one wanted a do-over, to take it all back, and not do the damage she did. She wanted to keep it from happening again. “…Love, Sa’i (^-^)”

As to the preside details Sa’ida wrote in the letter was only for them to see.
She slid the letter under the closed door. The sound of the paper being picked up, reassured her. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Sa’ida dashed to the door, yanking it open. She wanted to throw her arms around Natsuki, but the redheaded guardian was not there. In lieu was a single slice of rainbow birthday cake and a fork. Sa’ida sat in the doorway, scooping pieces of cake to her lips, eating it by draining the color from it. She tasted the sugary sweetness of the love Natsuki poured into the cake, much like that of her thoughtful present.

Her eyes drifted to the floor where she saw familiar script and a single sentence. Let’s talk tomorrow. <3 N

From the shadow at the end of the hall where Natsuki’s room stood, Sa’ida could hear the clinking of a desert fork on a plate.


.: Sa’ida’s Thoughts :. I know I should feel bad about breaking Natchi’s favorite object, but I don’t. I don’t know why though. There wasn’t enough light. The colors were trapped. I felt sick and dizzy. I thought I was setting the rainbow inside free, but nothing happened. There wasn’t enough light, and I couldn’t fix it. The mirrors… why did they do that? Why did I do this?

.: Natsuki's Notes :. Whoa. After the fun we had together making the sun catchers, I thought Sa’i would love playing with the kaleidoscope. I don’t know what she saw inside it, but it made her smash it to bits. How I do I tell her that her own essences is made from fragments of a rainbow?