“He... left.”
It was the bitter remark on everyone’s tongue, their minds, all in unison. But they knew that he wouldn’t stay either. It was inevitable without a doubt. Their worlds were too different. Oh so different. So for them to cross paths that one time was incredibly rare. Feelings of lust occurred between man and woman and as quickly as it came, it died.
And what was left, was a young child in his mother’s arms. They were not loving arms, just ones of regret. The baby was just proof that a man from the depths of the ocean and a woman from deep within nature itself had met.
Deep within nature were huge ruins that to an outsider, they looked old and crumbly, like it could collapse at any given moment. But on the inside, energy surged through it and kept it strong. The trees that surrounded it and were even situated inside the ruins held the foundations. There was only one entrance, at the very top of the ruins. However, there was no normal way to get to this entrance. Climbing was out of the question.
It wasn’t like any outsider went near. These ruins were in the centre of the forest and any outsider who came close saw the ruins, photographed it and left again or was attacked by the tribal people that lived in the ruins. These tribal folk weren’t normal. They could climb to the impossible ruins’ entrance, move when everything becomes completely frozen in time and so much more.
One boy of age ten, an outsider walked through a corridor inside the ruins. He passed trees and the gazing eyes of the tribal folk. A step of his wouldn’t happen without nature all around catching it. He strode through with a carefree smile. He had nothing to worry. While everyone else was expressing distaste for the man leaving, this one had the optimism of a free man.
He always acted so innocent and happy, that Tohru. The warped thoughts of nature never got to him. “Today’s the day, today’s the day,” he sung to himself with an excited sparkle in his eye.
With a turn of the heel, he waded through branches and bushes and found himself standing before her, still clinging onto the baby, more looking for her own reassurance, ignoring the baby’s wails. The woman glanced at him with tired eyes. “He’s not here...”
Tohru simply chuckled. “That he isn’t! Well, Kaito-kun wouldn’t be able to live here for that long anyway... I wonder why he came onto the land in the first place...” He put a finger to his lips and pondered some thoughts. A blush crept upon his cheeks. “Don’t tell me he only came for seduction!”
The woman shot him a death glare before noting something. ‘Something seems... different...’ she noted, before ordering Tohru to take the baby and silence its tears. She despised what she saw in Tohru. It was no good but she couldn’t have done a thing about it, much like the departure.
Kaito... Only Tohru would ever refer to him like that but then again, Tohru wasn’t one for showing respect. But still, beyond her front, her sorrow, her misery, she knew it to be true. Kaito was never going to say. He took such pleasure in using her. Having her was like conquering another world. And yet, she didn’t feel like it worked in reversal. She was the one left with the proof.
“He’s such a cute baby!” Tohru commented after soothing its tears. He rocked the baby as the woman observed him. As the baby drifted off to sleep, Tohru smiled at her. “It’s a baby boy, right? So Shizenko, what are you going to name him?”
“Mother Nature-sama,” the woman corrected, harsh inflections in her voice, even though that was what Tohru always called her. She wished Tohru would acknowledge her status for once. Why didn’t he seem to care? It must be a quirk he inherited from that horrible urban society out there.
She never turned a blind eye to it. There was a world beyond the ruins, even past the forest. Humans in modern suburban cities and towns. They polluted the world, destroying nature for its own development. How she despised them to the core.
This same society abandoned young Tohru here and he was the only human from there to settle into nature’s society. And as he came, the woman sensed that someday, he’d leave. Those eyes she sees now... that is also proof. Such disgustingly human eyes he had. Just one visit into that society had influenced him for sure. And yet that was just three months of him searching for the perfect place for the baby to live.
She didn’t want this baby. She didn’t want him around. Just seeing it was unbearable.
“What are you going to name him? Tohru repeated his question.
With a shrug, some names came up. Words and definitions and deeper meaning and links encircled her mind. “Tsuchi...ko.”
“Sounds girly,” Tohru commented, straight away. She didn’t care, however.
“The Earth is made up of land and water... This baby is the child of legendary figures from such places... Therefore, he is ‘Earth’s Child’. Tsuchiko,” she explained; an indifferent look upon her face.
“Oh~ I get it now! Sounds cute!” he replied, grinning down at the baby. “Tsuchiko-kun is so cute!” Baby Tsuchiko was fast asleep in his arms, calm and serene. The blonde glanced at the baby’s mother and asked, “Do you want me to go, Shizenko? I have made the arrangements too!” The woman, or as Tohru called her – Shizenko shot him a withering look. “Something wrong?”
“You have such far away eyes,” Shizenko commented through gritted teeth. Her fingers ran through her tangled, sandy hair, undoing knots and putting strain on her scalp while her other hand rested on her stomach, still large from her pregnancy.
She considered herself a leader over life itself and since her own parents rotted deep underground, as far as she was considered, she was the true Mother Nature. How desperately she wanted this young, strangely literate yet naive boy to acknowledge it too, albeit it being a fake status... No, this status was true, this status was real. She still has the power and she still rules over it all.
Don’t deny it. Don’t deny it.
“What do you mean, Shizenko?”
She glared at him once more. Somehow, only Tohru seemed to have power over her. He came across as a sweet, innocent boy and even looked like one to boot and yet, he was such a bastard at heart. That unbearable side of him... it must’ve been something he had when he was on that side. The urban society. With those despicable humans.
“Get out of my sight...” she groaned, yawning and turning over in her bed of leaves placed upon a rock. To a normal human, this would seem uncomfortable but she just didn’t care. What was there to care for now? She had so little energy now but hey, when was she ever in high spirits?
Tohru bowed his head before placing Tsuchiko in a woven basket with just enough strength to keep the baby safe inside. “I will keep a watch over Tsuchiko-kun from a distance as promised. There is a chance we may never cross paths again so I bid you farewell, Mother Nature-sama.”
She clenched her fist as he took his leave. ‘How ironic,’ she thought with a bitter smile, ‘the only time she shows some real respect is also the time he leaves the society of Nature for good. How horribly... ironic...’











They always assumed I didn’t care to the point that I’d believe it also.
Chapter One
Do You Care?
He didn’t even need to say it. Just the look he gave her told her enough. Not that she particularly cared for either option. This or that. She had a disdain for both so all she could think was, ‘...whatever.’
“Guess I’m not starting high school this week,” she sighed with a matter of fact tone. It was supposed to be her first day today. But she couldn’t care less if she missed it or not. Regardless of her not being the type of student that would catch up with ease, she still felt that the first week would be easily missed.
She outstretched her arms and flicked the leaf of a luscious green pot plant that shuddered at twitched at the feel of her touch. With a turn, she left the greenhouse, slamming the door behind her. The twenty-seven year old man stood alone with the plants surrounding him, noting his every move. He squeezed his eyes shut at the crashing sound of the door banging back into place.
“That Manami-chan,” he smirked to himself. “She didn’t even need to be told.”
But then again, school had to be delayed when it came to this. She had much more important duties to take care. Without a doubt, her duty was more important than her education.
-
“Death Note or Hikaru no Go... Which shall I read?” A teenage boy with messy black hair was shuffling through his manga books. He hadn’t quite chosen the one he’d go with. As he rejected one, he tossed the book on the floor, which was already covered in DVDs and merchandise that he got recently from some anime convention a week or two ago.
He didn’t really care for the merchandise however. It was more he just bought it for the sake of buying it. He collected like a true fanboy but didn’t behave in the slightest like one. Why didn’t he just save his money on better things? He often wonder that and then shrug. What could possibly be better? He didn’t want anything in particular and he didn’t really like having too much money around.
Today was his first day at high school and normally, he’d be up and dressed now but quite frankly, he knew he wasn’t in any hurry until his mother came in and yelled at him.
“Tsuchiko! Get up and dressed!”
Ah. Convenient timing.
In the rare times that he read through his manga, Tsuchiko found it difficult to choose which one he’d start reading. He bought so many different series without really thinking about his choices carefully.
He treaded carefully, finding the few gaps of carpet that stood out from its surroundings of manga and DVDs and merchandise and clothes that were spreading everywhere. Opening the wardrobe, it was easy to spot his school uniform.
After getting dressed, he walked over to his reflection in the mirror. After spiking his hair up a bit with the help of gel, he took a step back – and almost tripping over a pile of wall scrolls as he did too – and took a good look at himself. Raven black hair slightly gelled and spiky side bangs swept out of his dark eyes and his skin lightly tanned.
‘If I only put half the effort with the hair gel... why do I even bother in the first place?’ Tsuchiko pondered to himself while he adjusted his red tie, which stood out from the rest of his uniform. White short sleeved shirt, grey blazer, black pants, nothing too amazing.
He isn’t attending an amazing school anyway. His parents had some faint hope that maybe; just maybe he’d try for a better school. But when he saw the test papers he had to do to get into the better school and he half-heartedly answered, pretending to act like he actually tried when really, he didn’t want to go to this school.
So Aomizu High School, yay. Average school, average location, average students. A place Tsuchiko felt he could connect with instantly. ‘This school should suit me. Not too hard, too not easy so I don’t look bad and out of place considering my circumstances...’
“Tsuchiko! Hurry up!”
-
He stared ahead of him. A classic city high school indeed. Plants seemed non-existent while tall, white buildings dominated the area. Many students his age were crowding around, waiting for orientation to start.
“Tsuchi-kun!” a girl with bright pink hair and aquamarine eyes rushed over to Tsuchiko with a grin.
Tsuchiko faked a sigh. “Stacey-chan, you promised me that you’d dye your hair back to a more ordinary colour... The teachers are going to kill you!” He didn’t really mind despite what he’d said. Simply because it was her.
Stacey had been his best friend since they were eleven years old. Her mother is a European while her father is Japanese, thus why she was one of the few people around here with a non-Japanese name. Stacey was always someone who stood out and whether it was intended or not was anyone’s guess.
“Ah, I like it this colour and well, you promised to dye your hair a non-regulation colour in time for school and that doesn’t seem to be happening,” she shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.
Tsuchiko grinned. He never intended to dye his hair in the first place. A couple more of his friends from his previous school came and joined him. Unlike Stacey, he didn’t really like this lot. They were just the drop-out kids who had pretty stupid reasons for choosing Tsuchiko and Stacey to hang out with. It was simply because neither Tsuchiko nor Stacey found them annoying enough to stay away from. He was used to things clinging onto him. Yes, he’d developed an ‘I don’t care’ attitude but somehow it meant he was able to tolerate anything really, even drop-outs with low IQs and dodgy reputations. He could put up with that. And Stacey always followed suit.
The group went into the orientation hall, which was filled entirely with new students, all seeming to have about the same IQ as each other. Everywhere Tsuchiko turned, he could hear nothing but meaningless gossip. Someone in the group he was with tried to tell him that a girl was eyeing him up. Tsuchiko shrugged, finding the kids staring at Stacey’s long, flowing pink hair to be a far better source of amusement. An adult was onstage at the front of the hall. He seemed stern and strict as he asked everyone to be quiet and sit down.
‘Oh great,’ Tsuchiko thought flatly, ‘boring, first day speeches. Just tell me my class already.’
-
The speeches and the sorting of the classes were done. Tsuchiko found himself following a group of students and a young, fairly attractive female teacher. She looked like a nice teacher but one that could control a psychotic class. Basically, Tsuchiko found her to be your average teacher. ‘She probably lacks fun quirks and will just make us do nothing but textbook exercises every class...’
“I’m glad I’m in your class, Tsuchi-kun!” Stacey commented with a smile growing side across her face. “But we only got each other and I don’t really recognise anyone else. So we’ll be sticking together...”
“We always hang out with each other and ignore the rest,” he reminded her quickly.
“And that will lead people to assume...”
“...that we’re in a relationship...”
“...when we’re just friends...”
“...it certainly doesn’t help that we can finish each other’s sentences all the time!”
The two laughed as they entered the classroom. No surprise, it was just like any other classroom Tsuchiko had. Rows of wooden desks everywhere with the teacher’s desk at the front with a blackboard taking up most of the wall behind it.
‘How dull,’ Tsuchiko couldn’t help but think. ‘There is no fun atmosphere, just an orderly one...’
Immediately the teacher sussed out a seating arrangement, which left Stacey sitting a desk in front of Tsuchiko. Lucky! Both realised that this was done in alphabetical order and there was no one between Inoue and Kimura, which came as a surprise for the two. The teacher then wanted everyone to introduce themselves one by one in that same order.
“Let’s start with Aiba!”
Tsuchiko proceeded to zone out, not particularly interested in the other students. He decided to wait until someone interesting came along. So far the first five or seven or ten – Tsuchiko lost count quickly – didn’t seem interesting in the slightest. How disappointing.
“Asakura?” No answer. The teacher looked up. “Manami Asakura?” Still no answer.
‘Fun name,’ Tsuchiko thought, a smirk plastered on his face. ‘Asakura is cherry blossoms and if I’m not mistaken, then Mana is ocean and mi is love or affection. It doesn’t quite work.’ He liked the fact that this Manami chick didn’t show up for orientation day. And here he assumed that everyone showed up for the first day. He had no problems with being proved wrong for this realisation only served to amuse him.
The teacher sighed and marked her down as absent. She then continued going through the class. Eventually, it was Stacey’s turn. She stood up with confidence twinkling in her eyes.
“Hiya! I’m Stacey Inoue and I’m fluent in English, Japanese and I know some Spanish too! That’s cuz I have a European mother with Spanish ancestry and a Japanese father. I am in full support of yaoi and yuri pairings! I would...” she looked around the classroom and picked out two boys. “...happily support those two being a couple, for example...”
Tsuchiko started chuckling at this. He loved it whenever Stacey paired people up at random. The fun thing too, is that she’ll probably encourage the two boys to ‘realise their longing feelings towards each other’ for the rest of this year too.
The two boys glared. “We’ve disliked each other since we were ten years old!”
“We’re basically rivals! Rivalry! Hate, not love!”
Tsuchiko loved their raw honesty. He made note to set up as many scenarios for the two to interact as much as possible, especially since it will then encourage Stacey to continue trying to get the two together.
Stacey flicked some pink strands of hair out of her eyes. “To your average yaoi fangirl, the fact you’re rivals and hate each other gives us more reason to believe that you two want each other. Majorly.”
Tsuchiko held himself back laughter. This was one of the many reasons he liked Stacey. She’s so very amusing. Though he knew she wouldn’t believe this way if he wasn’t around. Stacey sat down, receiving stares from everyone in the class. She didn’t care for them however. Tsuchiko stood up before the teacher realised it was his turn.
“My name is Tsuchiko Kimura and my adoptive parents own Kimura Corporation, the company that clears forests and crap like that so there’s more land for the city to extend upon and all that. I collect anime and manga like a crazy fanboy...” he grinned at the reactions, able to pick out all the anime/manga fans. “I have loads of merchandise too, but I don’t even know why I bother because I’m not even a fan. Seriously, I don’t know  stuff like what the hell is sealed inside that Naruto kid  or be able to tell the difference between Yugi and Yami and I constantly forget why Alphonse Elric is in that suit of armour. I guess I just don’t care.”
He loved the changed expressions of the anime/manga fans. It was obvious that they didn’t approve of him anymore.
-
‘Man, I sure acted like a bastard today,’ Tsuchiko thought to himself as he exited the school alongside Stacey. The bell had rung and the two spent the entire day either keeping to themselves or annoying others. He knew that he and Stacey would be so misunderstood. ‘Or maybe I really am that weird jerk people see me as...’ he pondered to himself. After another couple moments, he let it go with a shrug.
“Well I gotta go straight home, Oka-san told me so. I’ll see ya tomorrow!” Stacey told him before darting off to the nearest bus stop. Tsuchiko checked his wallet for some spare money. He frowned. Three hundred yen. He decided to go downtown regardless so he could check out the DVD store.
‘I wonder if they’ll have K-On DVDs there...’ Of course he had no clue what that anime was about, but it apparently has cute girls in it so it might be worth a look. He felt the cellphone in his pocket vibrate. Taking it out, he noticed that a text came through. It read: stay @ school. We r on our way 2 pik u up nd then take u 2 the park 4 aftrnoon tea nd ask about how ur day went! Luv, mom.
Tsuchiko sighed. “Boring..!” he groaned, slumping against one of the walls that surrounded the school. He hated waiting, especially when anticipating nothing that caught his interest. ‘Did I assume things too quickly? Did I miss a fun opportunity? Would I be happier if I did this instead of that?’ Whenever he was stuck waiting, Tsuchiko would think. First he would ask questions then he would try and answer them. ‘Yes. Mostly likely. I don’t know.’
He sighed at how quickly he answered each question. At the least, it annoyed himself.
Looking inside the school, he saw some of the drop-outs head towards the exit. They rushed over at the sight of Tsuchiko. Tsuchiko delved into his memory for their names so he could greet them by name properly. This didn’t work. He felt slightly irritated that he couldn’t remember their names and decided to blame them for not making enough of an impression.
“Hey Kimura! Get a sucky class? Where the hell is Stacey-chan?” the drop-out leader asked, raising an eyebrow. Tsuchiko was glad Stacey wasn’t here. She never seemed to catch on that these guys were ogling her boobs, not her face.
“Stacey-chan had to go home. We annoyed everyone in our class. The teachers all asked her about her hair colour. She said it was permanent dye that was done recently. Now she can’t dye her hair again for a while. Yeah.” Tsuchiko knew to use short sentences with mostly simple words around these guys due to their lack of a ranged vocabulary.
“Good on ya, show those losers who the cool people are!” the scruffy teen showed approval at Tsuchiko’s reply. His followers who were equally as scruffy wearing their uniform all agreed. “We’re going to a party at Ono’s tonight. Wanna join, mate?”
Tsuchiko shook his head. “Can’t. My folks want to do the lame rundown of the first semester or something. Another time, yeah?”
“Better come along next time.”
“Heh. Okay, you got my word.” He saw a red four-wheel drive pull in front of him. “Ah, parents are here. See ya, Takada, guys.”
“It’s Kawada,” the leader of the drop-outs corrected him, feeling stung. How dare Tsuchiko forget his name! But he had enough sense not to let his emotions show.
“Gotcha, Takada,” Tsuchiko replied with a smirk, this time getting the name wrong on purpose. He quickly got into the back seat of the car and shut the door. His mother drove off, explaining that his father is already waiting at the park. She asked why Tsuchiko was hanging out with those scruffy kids. Tsuchiko was aware that his mother disapproved of them and didn’t know that Tsuchiko let them hang around him. “They just keep coming up to me, I don’t know why. I think they’re in love with me.” His mother didn’t question further, not wanting to know now.
The two were silent as Tsuchiko’s mother continued driving. Tsuchiko figured that other families would be chatting contently in situations like these. But he felt different. Even though he was abandoned at birth, right at the Kimura family’s doorstep, he never felt lucky. Nor did he feel any gratitude. He tried for so long to create family relations with his parents but two things seemed to hold him back.
One was the fact that his mother had a miscarriage and lost the baby, so Tsuchiko appearing before them seemed all too convenient. He felt like a replacement. Even though he was fortunate to have company owners as parents, therefore maintaining a stable life, still he grew up oh so distant. Maybe it was some quirk he inherited from his real parents. A quirk that he couldn’t grow out with.
‘I’m totally screwed never to have any real attachment towards anyone or anything..?’ Tsuchiko guessed in his head. Now that just doesn’t sound right. And yet, it was probably the truth. He decided to stop thinking to himself; it was quickly getting on his nerves. Tsuchiko couldn’t help but think he had a strange personality. ‘I mean, I find it hard to get by without something interesting in my life and yet I need others to create the interest for me. I want to feel attachment but I can’t. Like, I can pass off as an ordinary person in society but what’s inside is nothing like your everyday urban teenager. I want things to the world to happen around me and when they do, I don’t relate, I only keep going for the small amusements in life... I mean... what the hell am I?’
Something then occurred to him. He just went off on a mind rant again when he thought he’d stop. Brilliant, just brilliant.
He spent rest of the trip in the car in completely silence. Not a single thought crossed his mind. It was the same for his mother, who was perfectly aware that Tsuchiko never really talked to her about stuff. But she was certain that she’ll make him talk today.
-
Tsuchiko and his mother stepped out of the car and entered the park. It was just a park a couple of blocks away from one of Tsuchiko’s friends’ house. Many evergreen trees were in this park, Tsuchiko remembered. Whenever he came here, never did he remember any leaves falling down. There would be the occasional leaf on the ground from these trees but Tsuchiko just shrugged it off as kids pulling leaves off trees. Wooden benches were spread out across the area for people to sit down on and have picnic lunches on and there were wide patches of luscious green grass. Tsuchiko wasn’t particularly surprised, it being summer. Plants were always in good form in summer and spring.
 It was an ordinary park, really. Not beautiful at sight, just there. Tsuchiko found it dull really and he hoped that the more he observed it, the more fulfilment he’d get out of doing so. It never really worked that way for him, which disappointed him a lot.
His father waved from one of the benches, gesturing him and his mother over. They sat down and the father unravelled some paper to reveal afternoon tea. “I attempted to make onigiri! I’m not sure if it’s good or not but I hope you enjoy!”
Tsuchiko eyed the onigiri carefully. The shaping seemed off somehow but if his father had the courage to share food that he made himself for once, then it can’t be too poisonous. He took one and dug his teeth into it, eating a mouthful. His father watched him hopefully but didn’t get the praise he’d hoped for. In fact, he didn’t get anything but a shrug. Tsuchiko never considered himself good at opinions because he never could expand on them because there was nothing to expand on in the first place.
“So how was your first day, Tsuchiko?” his mother asked, trying to get a conversation going. She struggled to make connections with Tsuchiko, no matter how she tried. Even the father found it hard to get through to him. Both had been puzzled about it for the longest time but had no choice but to shrug it off as an ‘it’s a teenage thing, adults will never understand’ scenario.
“Meh, it was okay. Got some notices for you to sign, I’ll get them out later. Stacey-chan broke school rules with her hair colour. It was amusing. I made no new friends. Didn’t want new friends. I want to meet Manami Asakura cuz she missed school on the first day so I want to see if she wagged and if so, I will possibly make an attempt to be friends with her. Takada – er, Kawada’s in love with me. There.”
It wasn’t quite the answer either parent was wanting. In fact, it was nowhere near. They wanted to hear fascinating tales of the classes, the people, the school and more. Tsuchiko was sure that no kid his age gave detailed explanations of their day at school. He kind of wished that his parents would just give back on that aspect and just realise that there were few people Tsuchiko would communicate well with and quite frankly, his parents weren’t one of them. Only kind of though, because then he’d feel guilty for thinking that.
Every year, Tsuchiko would make goals. He never tried hard enough at them. Success, motivation and more was what he aimed for but each time he tried, he’d just lose interest just like that. It was incredibly hard to find something that kept him going and nobody around him was helpful. Stacey, his best friend couldn’t even do it. It was mostly because she didn’t have goals or dreams either and while she was a lot more human than he was, she never felt the need to push Tsuchiko along. Perhaps she never recognised that he needed that from someone.
Tsuchiko felt this boredom getting to him. Maybe he should ask his parents to help push him towards his goals. They are his parents after all. If he asked it, they would, right? Especially since he never asked anything from them, he never really got to make connections with them. Why hadn’t he thought about it like that before? Or maybe he had but simply forgot. Or he lost the motivation to a while back and didn’t think to bring it all up again until now. Could be both. Could be anything.
“Oka-san, Oto-san... I...” Tsuchiko stood up from his seat, the old park bench, and he placed his onigiri back on the paper he originally took it from. “I’d like to ask a favour. I should’ve brought it up long ago but...”
Both his parents looked surprised. Could he be...? “Sure, Tsuchiko. What’s up?”
“I want you to help...” Before he finished his sentence, he felt a swirling feeling from within. He sniffed the air. A moment ago, it was clear and fresh as the spring but now, it smelled dirty. Something seemed different with the air.
“Tsuchiko? What’s wro-” his mother suddenly halted her talking. She halted altogether. Tsuchiko raised an eyebrow in confusion. He looked to his father, who was also frozen. Some rice that was dropping from the onigiri was also still, not even hitting the ground.
“Oka-san? Oto-san?” That was all Tsuchiko could say. Why were his parents behaving like statues at the moment? Then he observed his surroundings, and saw.
Everything went still. Absolutely still. Only Tsuchiko could see the leafy green creep into space, free, taken, any space; its speed rising as the seconds passed. Why was no one reacting? He wasn’t sure why his surroundings were turning dark, green... and frozen in time.
Could he move? He clenched his fist before letting out a sigh. He can. ‘Am I... on Candid Camera?’ Tsuchiko wondered. He shook his head. No. A drink was in midair, water spilling out also off the ground, in similar fashion to the rice coming off the onigiri. It can’t be some reality show. This can’t be reality.
He took a deep breath. Somehow, even though it all seemed so eerie, the rareness of this situation intrigued him. ‘How could I have been so ignorant? I thought occurrences like these never happen. If only Oka-san and Oto-san weren’t stuck in time or whatever, then they could see all this too. Why am I the only one who can move anyway?’
Taking a couple of steps away from the bench, Tsuchiko decided to observe the area. He decided not to go far because if he’s really frozen in time, he figured that it could go back to normal at any time and it would be unusual for his parents for Tsuchiko to disappear in the blink of an eye.
He smiled. The trees and the grass were still drifting side to side with the wind. Something felt dangerous about this and yet he got this feeling that it wouldn’t necessarily affect him really. Just the way the trees loomed like a predator watching his prey. ‘Perhaps these trees created this... stillness. How amusing if that were true. Why would they do that?’
Tsuchiko observed some more and finally took notice of a child, about six years old who looked like he was going to run but the time freeze prevented it so. How the tree leaned over the boy. Could trees really do that? Is it possible for something that seemed so lifeless to Tsuchiko, to be so alive within this zone? Why did he feel such a murderous intent circling in the air?
“This is the most unusual experience I’ve ever had!” Tsuchiko exclaimed with a grin. This was it, he could sense it. All his life he was bored, had nothing to aim for. But now to know that there were occurrences like these, they could happen... it meant heaps. It was so exciting and yet he could see a thousand things wrong with this situation.
‘Is this a normal thing for a human? Even if they know it’s wrong, they just go with it for the thrill, even if it goes against better judgement...?’ he pondered the thought. He decided that the answer was yes.
A flash of darkness shot out and retreated as quickly as it came. Tsuchiko wondered if something was wrong with his eyesight. ‘Did something just shoot out and take something bigger with it... or is my head screwing around?’ Tsuchiko blinked a couple of times and squinted carefully. A branch from a tree revealed itself a moment later with a lifeless doll hanging off it loosely, drenched in red. ‘Ah...?’
Tsuchiko wondered if it was safe to go closer. He observed the area, wondering if anything apart from this branch was now different. The figure that had the cold, sword like branch skewered through it seemed familiar. So horrifically familiar.
He froze when he understood. A fearful scream filled the area, prolonging as thoughts rushed to his head. He couldn’t run. He couldn’t even bend his fingers. Just scream. Eventually his throat dried up and his voice was lost. His thoughts became simpler, just observing the situation, stating what was obvious to his eyes.
‘The boy... It killed him..!’
The branches all began to move and no longer did it seem so static to him. It took on the stance of a violent, bloodthirsty monster. Its branches were its weapons, striking to kill. The grass silently cheered them on, agreeing fully with its intentions. Some of the taller grass blades coiled around the feet of the statue-like people, binding movement even more.
One of the branches extended itself, lunging towards Tsuchiko. ‘Stop it!’ His mind pleaded; the stench of blood stronger now. He felt his stomach lurch as everything froze once more. The next thing he knew, the branch stopped, millimetres away from penetrating through his skull. Sweat dripped from his face as the branch backed off, obviously holding itself back. Tsuchiko felt confused, wondering why he was spared and spared so blatantly. The trees knew he was there but they weren’t going for him. As he looked around, more people were made victims of the tree’s swords.
‘Why am I not moving?’ Tsuchiko willed himself to move. He had to help the people out. Why was he just standing and watching? He tried to move. He couldn’t. ‘Why can’t I move?’ Tears built up in his eyes. Then he felt his heart stop.
He managed to slightly turn his head. The branches selected their next victims. Tsuchiko pleaded silently for his body to move. It wouldn’t. It just wouldn’t. ‘Why, in such a dangerous situation like this, why can’t I move? I’m the only one who can move! I’m the only one who can...’
The branches targeted the to-be victims and struck.
“Oka-san!! Oto-san!!”
Blood soaked up the earth and the grass stood tall, victorious. But there were still some people who hadn’t been attacked. It was not over. Tsuchiko felt his senses blocking out everything. Everything except his parents. They were lying on the ground, ruby red seeping out of them, painting the grass around them.
‘Stop it... Stop showing me such painful illusions...’ Tsuchiko tried to convince himself it was just an illusion. He felt so foolish. What seemed to be the calling of his life just ended up illustrating death. ‘I want my parents to snap me out of it... for Oka-san to ask what the hell is wrong with me... and for Oto-san to explain the latest joke he heard that I never find funny... I wanted something interesting from life... but I didn’t want this... I never wanted this..!’
A pleasant aroma blew through like a gust of wind, washing away the stench of blood. Petals danced in the air, calm, beautiful, so out of place. A girl leaped into the fray, knocking away branches as she went. The petals circled the branches and forced them back into their original positions. From her hands, leaves shot out and attached themselves to each branch. Tsuchiko could only watch, thinking he was out of his mind. Eventually everything except the girl and Tsuchiko was still again, even the grass felt the sudden defeat.
Tsuchiko stared at the heroine. She saved him. She saved some people from getting attacked, within seconds of her arrival. Like a flash of lightning striking at his fears of being killed, destroying it. But she didn’t save everyone.
The girl looked about fifteen years old and had sandy brown hair and bright emerald eyes that drew attention to her face. Somehow her presence was soothing amidst the looming green and the stains of red. The area lightened up and the scent in the air changed.
Tsuchiko felt so confused. One moment he was talking to his parents. Another moment everything completely froze. Then nature struck. Then this girl comes out of nowhere. Then the attack is over. So many questions, so many questions.
“What’s going on?!” he yelled out as he ran over to her, finally regaining mobility. The girl stared at him, completely bewildered. She shoved him back, taking a jump that got her five metres away from him.
“Bloody hell!” the girl shouted in alarm. She took a few seconds to register what just happened. “You can move in the still circle! Are you a Nature Hunter? Cuz if so, you’re useless! Look at all these dead bodies!”
Her words immediately stung. Nature Hunter? Screw the fact she didn’t make sense, Tsuchiko felt wounded personally. Her comments made him feel useless. “I know I couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t get myself to move! And yet you danced in with no worries! Why didn’t you come sooner?”
The girl sighed. “Okay, you’re not a Nature Hunter then...” she managed to gather up that information quickly.
“Of course not! I don’t even know what’s going on!”
Rolling her eyes, the girl moved onto Tsuchiko’s question. “There’s a shortage of Tree Hunters lately and so when the call for this situation came, I was the only one who was available to take care of it. During Spring and Summer, the trees are flourishing and more powerful if they haven’t had Repel Leaves attached to them. But in Autumn and Winter, they lose their leaves, including the Repel ones and so while they’re not as powerful, they get crankier. Either way, they’re dangerous and strike unexpectantly. Considering I was coming from the other side of town, I came really quickly.”
Tsuchiko glared. Not a single word she said made sense to him. But it didn’t matter. Not now. There were other things to be concerned with. He rushed to his parents’ bodies. “Oka-san, Oto-san! Wake up! Are you breathing?” He leaned his head against each of their chests. It was just as he dreaded. Not a single heartbeat pounded through their bodies. “No... This wasn’t how it was supposed to be... It wasn’t how it was supposed to be...”
The girl shot him a sympathetic look but didn’t know what to say to him. She sighed and went back to her duty. With a wave of her hand, some petals flew off with messenger birds. “Get Aisu-sama over here!” she yelled out her message. The petals understood somehow and took a certain direction to reach their goal. She decided to continue restoring the area. Concentrating hard, every thought made a change. She got rid of the blood stains all over, wooden benches that had been broken and more.
Tsuchiko just watched as things went back to normal. He didn’t even remember half the stuff that was being restored getting damaged in the first place. With a hopeful smile, he asked, “Can you fix up the people just like that?”
Shaking her head, she responded with, “No. We aren’t lifesavers. The only people we can help are the wounded. But this attack was brutal. Each person who got attacked is dead for certain. So yes, your parents are dead. I’m sorry for what happened but we Nature Hunters are not miracle workers. We can’t save every...thing...” Her voice was breaking slightly so she turned her head, refusing to look Tsuchiko in the eye. He could only guess that she’d faced a similar situation.
His mind was a blur. He didn’t understand why it had to be his parents. Things were about to improve between them. Why did it take until today for things to take a potential leap and then this attack just tore the motivation that was building within him all apart?
A moment later, another person emerged from the bushes, a wide grin across his face. How could he be grinning like that, Tsuchiko could not understand. He could only watch now. “Aisu-Aisu is here!” his cheerful voice rang out, alerting everyone’s attention to him.
The girl glared at the person, an older teenager dressed in black skinny jeans, a band t-shirt and a waistcoat. His dark blue hair flopped over the sides of his face, almost covering his left eye. “Aisu-sama, this kid can move around in the still circles but he doesn’t seem to know what’s going on! People are dead and you seem to be living irony, behaving like that!”
“Is that so?” Aisu asked, poking Tsuchiko’s shoulder. “Maybe he’s a Nature person! But considering he doesn’t know what’s going on, he might have crossed over to be part of this society at an incredibly young age!” He seemed to have selective hearing, ignoring the girl’s comment about how ironic he was behaving.
“That’s what I was pondering too, but the deal is, we can’t have him bawling over his parents and...”
“Ya know...” Tsuchiko’s voice cut right into their conversation. “If this was yesterday, or the day before... I wouldn’t feel so horrible. I mean, the attack happened today but if I had the mindset of yesterday, I may not feel as horrible about this attack. I would’ve seen the attack, it would’ve been a thrill and then afterwards, I’d feel a pang of guilt, I’d move along...”
Aisu and the girl stared at him quizzically. Tsuchiko decided to continue.
“But the truth is, that’s what I want to think. I want to think that I’m so heartless that this wouldn’t affect me... I spent my life growing up, an uncaring child. I-I tried to show affection but I never knew how. People always assumed that I didn’t care for anything except for amusements and thrills. I don’t do anything for m-m-myself or for others. Th-Their assumptions of me I believed because it became – it became the truth to me. The more they assumed, the more I could become but look what I became? I made myself uncaring...” His voice was wavering as he spoke; tears were spilling through his eyes.
In front of these two strangers, he felt his emotions pouring out. How ashamed he felt with this. So very ashamed. “And yet... the only time I show I care...” He slumped to his knees, his head facing the ground. His forehead was wet with sweat, his blank bangs sticking to his face. “Is when... is when...” he didn’t want to finish his sentence. “...all this time, I’ve cared! I really do care but something about me feels so detached! But I do care! I love Oka-san and Oto-san! They cared for me when I was abandoned from such unloving arms! I’d been so distant from them but deep down, I appreciated them! Believe me..!” he curled up more, screaming muffled screams.
Aisu turned to the girl, his face darker, serious. “I say we keep this one. His parents were killed, he has nowhere to go, Spencer-kun should be fine with it. But I want to erase his memory partially to unload the emotional burden.” The girl blinked, wondering how he could just decide something like that. She saw the look in Aisu’s eyes and understood, feeling a pang of jealousy surge through her thoughts. With a nod, she told him to go ahead.
He approached the raven haired boy, who looked up at Aisu, backing away, unsure of him. Tsuchiko didn’t trust this guy’s intentions but his thoughts became a blur once more. He felt all over the place and couldn’t quite make it connect together. He couldn’t make out sounds, all he could see now was Aisu reaching his hand towards him.
“Leave me alone!” Tsuchiko yelled, swiping Aisu’s hand away. “Who are you people? What are Nature Hunters? What’s going on?” he began firing questions like a gun out of desperation. He wanted to know so badly.
Then an ironic thought stood dominant in his mind and the rest of the hateful thoughts came circling around it like moths to a flame.
You aren’t bored anymore, are you? This is what you wanted, right? You wanted a thrill, didn’t you? Something unusual happened. Are you happy now?
“No!” he cried out in alarm, shutting the thoughts of his mind, taking the two others by surprise. “That’s not how it is! Shut up! Shut up!!”
Aisu took a few steps back until he was at the girl’s side once more. He smiled warmly, nodding at him. “My name is Hyorin Iwata but you can call me Aisu because it sounds cuter!” Aisu seemed to be able to handle emotional outbursts, just continuing on like nothing major was happening.
The girl shrugged her shoulders and decided to introduce herself too. “As a Nature Hunter, I am Sakura no Mai – dance of the cherry blossoms – it relates to my abilities. But my real name is Manami Asakura.”
Tsuchiko froze.
“Asakura?” No answer. The teacher looked up. “Manami Asakura?” Still no answer.
~
He liked the fact that this Manami chick didn’t show up for orientation day.
~
“I want to meet Manami Asakura cuz she missed school on the first day so I want to see if she wagged and if so, I will possibly make an attempt to be friends with her.”
~
The next thing he knew, Aisu’s hand was brushing against his forehead. “Sorry mate, part of the upcoming contract requires this.” Tsuchiko felt a cool air blow around his forehead and his head went light.
And then his world went plummeting into a dark, empty space.



















Why is it that when I found what I’ve been seeking for all these years, it got snatched away just like that? Maybe it just wasn’t meant for me.
chapter two.
kariudo.
He awoke with such lost eyes. Manami rushed over and sat beside him, asking if he was alright. The raven haired teen’s mind was a muddle. He felt like something was missing. The last piece of the puzzle.
“Give us your name, age, birth date and... school.” Manami decided it would be wise to test his memory for basics.
“Uh..?” he gave her a weird look. She looked familiar somehow. “Do I know you?”
“Don’t answer questions with questions!” she snapped at him, looking like she could bite his head off at any time.
“Tsuchiko Kimura... I’m fifteen and born 14th May 1993 and I go to Aomizu High School...” he recalled perfectly. Manami nodded, satisfied with the answer. “You?”
“Manami Asakura, fifteen, September 23rd, Aomizu High,” she answered with a sigh. Tsuchiko blinked, not expecting to have learned anything other than her name. “What happened before you were knocked out?”
Tsuchiko searched his memory for that moment before everything went black. He remembered a dark green world with the lingering smell of blood. Crisp grass soaked in red. Lifeless mannequins... No, they were alive... once. Then he remembered dancing pink sakura petals and star-shaped leaves digging into branches, which went back into place, paralyzed. Those branches were shooting out to kill, weren’t they? A hateful atmosphere that ripped into him. And those swords of the trees, that pierced through the statue-like...
“I saw people die... didn’t I?” he mumbled, feeling weirdly calm considering what he was saying. “Yes... I did...”
“Were any of them people you know?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. No. My mind’s too fuzzy. But I remember feeling excitement at this rare series of events and yet I also felt terror. I wanted to help too but I couldn’t. I froze. I felt feelings that I couldn’t understand... I felt like something was complete yet lost...” He glanced at Manami, thinking she was bored. “It’s weird talk, okay?” He tried to think of a new topic, fast. “Yo, what’s the day today?”
Manami sighed. “You became unconscious on Monday afternoon. It’s Wednesday morning now.”
Tsuchiko shot up suddenly. “Whaaaaa? So you’ve been watching me for that long?! Are you in love with me or something?”
He received a punch to his shoulder, an angry look upon Manami’s face. “I don’t like you! There’s only one person I like and it’s definitely not you! I should’ve made that clear from the beginning!”
“You couldn’t have under the circumstances from earlier! What? While trees are raging about killing stuff, you’ll bop up and go, ‘sorry I don’t love you, kay thanks bye’?!” he pointed out, only annoying her further. She was about to hit him again when Aisu entered the room, bounding in with smiles and joy. Manami backed off instantly, nodding at Aisu, acting like nothing was wrong.
“Hey person!” Aisu greeted loudly, the sound going straight to Tsuchiko’s ears. An unpleasant sound, Tsuchiko decided. “I’ll explain everything! Spencer-kun said it would be better that way! Seeing as we’re all familiar with each other and all that.”
Tsuchiko shot him a blank look. “...Who are you?” Manami slapped the back of his head, telling him to apologise and that the guy’s name is Aisu. Aisu remained oblivious, probably on purpose. Maybe forgetting Aisu’s name is a no-no... “Sorry, I remember now. Aisu... Aisu-san. I’m Tsuchiko Kimura, by the way.”
“Tsuchiko sounds feminine, don’tcha think? So you can be Tsuchiko-chan!” Aisu decided with peppy enthusiasm in his voice. Tsuchiko felt his manliness detract. Manami shot him a warning glance. Is it really that bad to go against what Aisu wants? If anything, going against Manami seems a thousand times scarier. So far, she just keeps getting all pissy over anything he does that may upset Aisu... Wait...
“Say, Manami! Is Aisu-san the one you like?” he asked cheekily.
She shook her head, her skin going a dark shade of red. Tsuchiko grinned. He was right on the money. However, Aisu was the one to respond. “Of course I am the one she likes. Manami isn’t the only one either. Everyone loves Aisu-Aisu, including Tsuchiko-chan.”
“I barely know you,” Tsuchiko pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
“Love at first sight, Kimura,” Manami cut in with a mischievous smirk.
“Nami-chan, he’s in denial,” Aisu mumbled sadly.
“It’s a phase he’ll grow out of.”
“I know, but still...”
Tsuchiko preferred the situation when it was just him and Manami. Aisu wasn’t boring, he’d give him that but he was also too forward, too creepy. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable around this guy.
Aisu grabbed Tsuchiko’s shoulder, sending shudders down his spine. “Aisu-Aisu will explain now! So be alert, listen carefully and don’t be distracted by my incredibly amazing sexiness or that handsomeness I ooze.”
“...Wha?” Tsuchiko wondered if Aisu was seriously about thinking that he liked him. He shuddered again at that thought. It wasn’t like he was against the homosexuality that Aisu ‘oozed’, but Tsuchiko didn’t particularly want him hitting on him or anything of the sort.
Manami and Aisu sat down next to each other in front of Tsuchiko. The room was darkly lit except for the rays of sunshine coming through the gaps in the curtains. It was practically empty except for the three teenagers and the low, firm bed Tsuchiko was lying on.
“We shall tell you about us and this world,” Manami stated, making it clear what Tsuchiko was about to learn.
“There’s a legend about Mother Nature, a goddess over the earth. Have you heard of her?” Aisu asked, his face now serious.
Tsuchiko thought about it for just under half a minute. He wasn’t a person naturally attuned to myths and legends and the like. “Is that like Mother Earth?”
“That suggests someone who is a godly figure over the whole world, therefore would care for the entire world,” Manami answered bitterly. “No, Mother Nature is in the deepest part of a forest – but we don’t know which forest nor do we have valid evidence that she exists. In any case, she is said to be peaceful, nature-loving, kind when quite frankly, I don’t believe in that. You saw those trees attack in order to kill people, didn’t you? If she was the Mother Nature that people say she is, she would have the power to stop these trees and yet she doesn’t!”
“Because she doesn’t stop these attacks from happening when considering her status, she could, some think she isn’t because she doesn’t really exist,” Aisu threw a point out for Tsuchiko to consider.
“I think she does exist and that she’s just a whiney bitch,” Manami snapped, glaring slightly at Aisu.
“I don’t care whether she exists or not but if she is the exact opposite of peaceful, kind, etcetera, etcetera, then I’d find that really funny!” Aisu replied, the two started to leave Tsuchiko out of the discussion. He tried to bring it back on topic.
“Okay, let’s ignore whether she actually exists or not!” Tsuchiko cut in, the two averting their eyes back to him. There was a moment of awkward silence. Tsuchiko realised eventually that they were waiting on him. “She sounds interesting though, I guess. Maybe she comes across as serene, gentle and all that on the outside when on the inside, she’s got screwed up issues...”
“Yesssss!” Manami agreed instantly. Tsuchiko smirked at this. He found Manami’s opinion on this Mother Nature to be fun. It would definitely be new if she was the way Manami thought she was. Breaking away from the stereotype of godly beings.
“So get back to what you were telling me,” he prompted the two to continue.
“It is said that Mother Nature rules over nature. The trees, wildlife, even animals of the wild. And you know how animals that are kept as pets are known as domestic animals. That’s what our kind of human is. Domestic. And those who live amongst nature are considered to be wild humans. In a way, it’s going with the idea that we all are creatures, animals, whatever. In thinking that we are the same, Mother Nature can feel better, knowing that her godly status overpowers even the technologically advanced domestic human race. But it isn’t enough,” Aisu explained. “You following so far?” Tsuchiko nodded.
“The people of nature are uncaring; they do not seem human... for the wild has taken over. But domestic humans are disgusting. Mother Nature hates every fibre of our existence. She has created life that is peaceful. Trees that hold the earth together. Beautiful flowers, fresh air, clean skies, grassy fields. Nature is said to be the most beautiful. But we domestic humans stepped in and ruined that beauty,” Manami continued the explanation, while Tsuchiko felt he couldn’t quite understand. Her eyes were blinking over and over again and her mouth twisted into a frown. The more she talked, the more anger littered her voice.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked calmly, hoping to bring Manami back to normal.
She stood up, a defiant pose. “I told you! We are disgusting! Humans are disgusting! We are a disgusting species! All of us think we’re the superior race when the whole time we’ve been polluting everything!” she shouted, her eyes wide with fury. “We clear forests and destroy nature for our own gain and leave the animals who lose their homes to fend for themselves – or we stick them in stupid zoos for us humans to stare them down! And trees are what hold the earth together! And skies used to be clean but now they are polluted with gases and smoke! We waste resources of nature! We cause global warming! We are causing destruction just so we can live! That is pathetic! There are ways of living without stinking up the earth! The life I used to have-”
Aisu clapped his hand over Manami’s mouth, making her stop abruptly. Tsuchiko couldn’t do a thing except stare at how poorly Manami spoke of humans, a race she herself was part of. And yet she made valid points. He felt he couldn’t argue.
“I thought often about human behaviour,” Tsuchiko mumbled, just loud enough for the other two to hear. “I always felt I wasn’t part of it at all. I could never relate. I knew global warming was happening and what was causing it but I always thought I had nothing to do with it even if I am human. But I don’t feel like a domestic human in the slightest. Maybe I share more traits with the wild humans...”
“Well, it is possible you’re a wild human. Or you’re a Nature Hunter. That’s why you’re going to be staying with us. Firstly, we’ve already set up a room for you. Secondly, you’ve got nowhere else to go. Thirdly, we want to keep an eye on you. Anyway, back to explanation, yes?” Aisu replied, shooting a glance at Manami. He told her not to get too caught up in her own feelings on the matter and to just lay down the information. She nodded reluctantly.
“Anyway, Mother Nature hated what the domestic humans were doing so her rage eventually led to all of nature feeling the same way she does. She wanted to get rid of the domestic or urban society and that translated into nature making use of its abilities – which are to create still circles and attack anything they think might be the enemy. That means pretty much everyone...”
Tsuchiko stared at Manami even after she spoke but his mind wasn’t fixed on her. He was sure that one of the tree branches was aiming for him. It stopped. It went away. ‘How puzzling,’ he thought for a moment before he brushed it off as a one-off time.
“Ah yes and we Nature Hunters came about because we are survivors of these attacks! When we get scratched or something like that that pierces our skin, some of the DNA of the trees infects our system and we gain these powers. All Nature Hunters can create Repel Leaves that can well, shut down nature’s attacks for a limited time. I don’t know but we are regarded as the balance and also the crossover between humans and nature. We are human but the moment we all become Nature Hunters, we’re never really the same...” Aisu continued to explain; his eyes so distant and faraway. Eyes that Tsuchiko felt an affinity to.
He examined Manami once more and saw similar eyes. Something seemed dead about them yet they were still capable of showing emotion – he wasn’t sure how to explain it – but there was that missing spark that made them come alive. Tsuchiko remembered the glowing green of eyes of before and wondered why Manami’s eyes weren’t like that now.
“Oh yeah, everyday people who aren’t Nature Hunters nor involved with them aren’t allowed to know about this – so don’t go telling all your friends about us or else,” Manami warned, reaching out for Tsuchiko’s shirt collar and yanking him closer. “If humans knew that trees and stuff could attack, there would be a huge uproar and nature would get destroyed by all humans and nature would get even more vicious so as Nature Hunters, we retain the balance so that we can prevent a worse crisis.”
“There are many Nature Hunters all over the world, all stationed around and stuff!” Aisu added with a smile. “We’re kinda like a world organisation because Nature Hunters can save people from death and that can lead to the development of new Nature Hunters all around. It’s kinda like a growing pandemic. In this city alone, we have over 50 Nature Hunters! In Japan, we are developing an urban society at rapid speed but the spread irritates nature so we’re still busy as hell even though nature is decreasing.”
Tsuchiko thought everything through. He tried to summarize everything in his head. Humans destroy nature, nature is pissed off, nature attacks, along comes Nature Hunter, Nature Hunter kicks ass, sticks on a Repel Leaf, tree shuts up for a while, Repel Leaf loses effect, cycle repeats. ‘Gawd, this is messed up...’ he thought, sweating a little bit.
He stretched his arms and asked if he could have some time to think about things. Manami glanced at Aisu, who simply nodded. “We’ll pick ya up later, honey!” he called with a grin and a wave as Manami dragged him out of the room.
Kicking back, he lay back down on the bed. Looking around the room, he began to acknowledge more of the details – and it was easier to concentrate too, without the bad-tempered girl and the creeper boy around explaining weird things that were completely new to him.
Tsuchiko lay down on the bed and yawned. He didn’t recognise this place and yet something told him it was home. ‘I wonder about it... My memory’s completely jumbled up. It’s trying to tell me that I used to live elsewhere but that attack happened and I wound up here. That seems odd to me...’
He felt his mind drift off – this time with indolence. Tsuchiko refused to think any further, just sleep...
-
“Wake up, damn it!”
Tsuchiko felt a kick to his side, his eyelids flying open in an instant. He sat up and glared up at the one who delivered the blow. It was none other than Manami. “Nobody deserves a wake up like that!” he protested before lying back down with a groan, clutching his hip where Manami had kicked him.
Manami glowered. “I thought half an hour was enough time for you humans to think over stuff.”
“After being told all that stuff – stuff I never believed in but I have now seen to be true – do you really think half an hour is enough?” he argued, while Manami blinked in surprise. None of the other Nature Hunters bothered all that much with arguing, she wasn’t used to this.
“But you were sleeping, not thinking,” she pointed out with a disapproving look.
“I think too much, I wanted to sleep it off and then wake up and go back to the thinking, feeling refreshed!”
“You’ve been sleeping for over two days straight, how much more do you need?”
“Let me guess, you Nature Hunters barely sleep and barely think, right?”
Manami went silent and Tsuchiko wondered if he hit a nerve. She shook her head. “We do sleep – but not much, all of us are too on-edge and... I don’t know. Even in sleep, we can and do get woken up by duty calling us. Our duty is our life and our first priority every time,” she spoke with such sadness in her voice. “Most of us don’t really remember our lives before we became Nature Hunters: I figure memory erasing has something to do with it – probably so we have little to look back to.”
Tsuchiko bit his lip. “So do you