Hikariyume - Age 8
“Hikariyume, do you know what today is?” Aubrey grinned widely at her, watching her set Nene on her pillow.
“Um… is it haircut day?” She replied, self-consciously stroking her red-and-brown hair.
“No… good guess, though.” Aubrey sat down on his daughter’s bed. “Lemme give you a hint: March twenty-seventh.”
“Oh! It’s my birthday!” Iyume’s face lit up, and then suddenly faded. “But, I didn’t ask for anything. I forgot about my birthday…”
Aubrey chuckled and lifted his daughter up onto his shoulders. “Aw, don’t worry about that. Hey, wanna lick some of the icing off the cake? I’ll make sure Momma doesn’t catch us.” He winked at her, which made her giggle. He walked out of her room and into the kitchen, pretending he was some secret spy to amuse Iyume.
“And just what are you two up to?” Hoshiyuki was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and smiling slyly. “Out to catch a cake?”
“You can’t catch a cake, Momma. You pull it out of the fridge and eat it,” Iyume said seriously. It was Hoshiyuki’s and Aubrey’s turn to laugh.
Aubrey set Iyume down. “I guess that’s true, and downright logical. You’re turning into a Vulcan, kiddo.”
“What’s a Vulcan?”
“Never mind.” Aubrey smiled at Iyume, then looked up at his wife. “Hey, can we have some cake for breakfast?”
Hoshiyuki gave Aubrey a skeptical look. “You’d rather not have breakfast burritos? I just warmed up the tortillas.”
Aubrey’s smile vanished, and he pouted. “Sorry, Hikariyume. But… the burritos… are calling to me…” He walked mechanically to the stove where Hoshiyuki had just put some bacon in the frying pan.
Iyume laughed. “Okay. Can we have some cake for breakfast dessert?”
Her mother grinned at her. “Maybe… depending on how full you are.” She whacked Aubrey’s hand away from the cooking bacon. “Don’t touch.”
Iyume wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Momma and Daddy always hide my presents for me to find… but maybe Nene wants to help me!” She ran back to her room and grabbed the dirt-covered stuffed animal. Then she ran out the backyard door, wanting to explore outside first.
She ran down the sidewalk in the side yard and opened the gate. “Maybe they’re out in the bushes…” She crossed the driveway and stopped by the fountain. “Hmmm… over here?” She knelt down next to some of the biggest bushes, when, suddenly, someone burst out of them. Iyume fell backward, shrieking.
“Happy birthday, Iyume!!” Alek yelled. He stood up and helped Iyume up. “Oops, sorry. I didn’t want to scare you…”
Iyume scowled at him, but she smiled eventually. “Hey, do you want to help me and Nene find my presents? You helped me last year, and we found them fast!”
Alek grinned. “Sure. Where first?”
“Um… well, I was gonna look in these bushes first, but if you were out here, and you didn’t find them, then I guess they aren’t here… so… the backyard!” Iyume ran back the way she came with Alek close behind.
After hours of searching, the two children found a brightly wrapped present in a corner of the living room, behind a couch. Iyume opened it to find a pair of blades decorated with stars and moons, sheathed inside a special belt.
“Happy birthday, kiddo. Do you like your present?” Hoshiyuki walked out of the kitchen and knelt beside her daughter.
“Uh… what is it?” Iyume hefted the belt out of the box, examining it.
“They’re twin blades. It’s a weapon. I’ll teach you how to use them in time, but for now, let’s just use them as a decoration in your room, okay?” Hoshiyuki hugged Iyume and took the belt from her hands.
“Okay. Can you put them in my room, Momma? I want to play with Alek before dinner.” Iyume ran out of the room and to the backyard with Alek immediately after Hoshiyuki nodded.
“Alek, I want to show you something cool. Come over here!” Iyume ran over to the sandbox and Alek followed. “Ready?” Alek nodded, and Iyume held up her hands over the sandbox. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. Eventually, a small tornado picked up inside the box, and Alek watched in amazement.
“Whoa, how’d you do that?”
Iyume opened her eyes and let her arms relax. “Momma and Daddy say that I have the power to… to… mah-nip-yoo-late ehn-er-gee,” she replied, sounding out the words she didn’t understand. “They say that I can do really cool stuff, like make sounds really loud and blow dirt and leaves around. I can even make shapes with water!”
Alek grinned at her. “You’re like some kinda superhero. You should get a cape and start saving people.”
Iyume laughed. She turned back to the sandbox. “I practiced all last night to do that. I just found out these powers yesterday, and I can already do lots of stuff. But it really makes me tired… I slept in a lot this morning.”
“Hikariyume, time to come in. Dinner’s almost ready,” Aubrey called. Iyume made a face.
“Aw… I wanted to show you some of the other stuff I can do!” Iyume pouted, but Alek laughed.
“You can show me later. See ya!” He ran down the side yard a disappeared into the front yard. Iyume made her way to the back patio and through the back door.
Several days later… very early in the morning…
Hoshiyuki rushed into Iyume’s bedroom. She shook her daughter awake. “Hikariyume, wake up. Don’t turn on the lights, and try to be quiet,” She whispered urgently. She helped Iyume get dressed as she explained what was going on.
“A very bad lady is here. She will try to hurt us, and you. I want you to run away, and don’t come back until either Daddy or I come for you, okay?”
Iyume rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Is it the same lady from yesterday? The one me and Alek saw on the road?”
Hoshiyuki froze at the mention of Alek. She looked at Iyume sadly, afraid of what might happen. Eventually she came to a decision that she would rather not have made. “Listen closely, Hikariyume. I have to block your memories of Alek, to protect him. This means that you will forget him, for a long time. Do you understand?”
Iyume stared somewhat blankly at her mother, but nodded slowly. Hoshiyuki knelt down and put her hands on either side of Iyume’s forehead. “I’m so sorry, Hikariyume. I never wanted to do this.” She focused her power and began to carefully block each and every memory connected with Alek. Several minutes later, Hoshiyuki pulled away, and Iyume became very drowsy.
Iyume remembered vaguely what happened next. Her mother told her to run, but all three were captured by the woman. Iyume was locked in the bathroom, forced to endure her parent’s screaming and threats. Aubrey eventually managed to distract the lady, and he melted into the shadows, grabbing the blades that they had given to Iyume and getting her out of the house while Hoshiyuki fought with the woman. Aubrey gave Iyume the blade belt and told her to run as fast as she could, and to not come back. Iyume did as she was told, reluctantly, scared out of her mind. However, she made the mistake of looking back, and she saw her house explode, with both her parents in it. She saw through blurry eyes the woman with long, platinum-blond hair and piercing green eyes, smiling at the burning rubble from a safe distance. She never saw Iyume’s escape.
Iyume ran for several hours, before collapsing in exhaustion.
“Um… is it haircut day?” She replied, self-consciously stroking her red-and-brown hair.
“No… good guess, though.” Aubrey sat down on his daughter’s bed. “Lemme give you a hint: March twenty-seventh.”
“Oh! It’s my birthday!” Iyume’s face lit up, and then suddenly faded. “But, I didn’t ask for anything. I forgot about my birthday…”
Aubrey chuckled and lifted his daughter up onto his shoulders. “Aw, don’t worry about that. Hey, wanna lick some of the icing off the cake? I’ll make sure Momma doesn’t catch us.” He winked at her, which made her giggle. He walked out of her room and into the kitchen, pretending he was some secret spy to amuse Iyume.
“And just what are you two up to?” Hoshiyuki was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and smiling slyly. “Out to catch a cake?”
“You can’t catch a cake, Momma. You pull it out of the fridge and eat it,” Iyume said seriously. It was Hoshiyuki’s and Aubrey’s turn to laugh.
Aubrey set Iyume down. “I guess that’s true, and downright logical. You’re turning into a Vulcan, kiddo.”
“What’s a Vulcan?”
“Never mind.” Aubrey smiled at Iyume, then looked up at his wife. “Hey, can we have some cake for breakfast?”
Hoshiyuki gave Aubrey a skeptical look. “You’d rather not have breakfast burritos? I just warmed up the tortillas.”
Aubrey’s smile vanished, and he pouted. “Sorry, Hikariyume. But… the burritos… are calling to me…” He walked mechanically to the stove where Hoshiyuki had just put some bacon in the frying pan.
Iyume laughed. “Okay. Can we have some cake for breakfast dessert?”
Her mother grinned at her. “Maybe… depending on how full you are.” She whacked Aubrey’s hand away from the cooking bacon. “Don’t touch.”
Iyume wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Momma and Daddy always hide my presents for me to find… but maybe Nene wants to help me!” She ran back to her room and grabbed the dirt-covered stuffed animal. Then she ran out the backyard door, wanting to explore outside first.
She ran down the sidewalk in the side yard and opened the gate. “Maybe they’re out in the bushes…” She crossed the driveway and stopped by the fountain. “Hmmm… over here?” She knelt down next to some of the biggest bushes, when, suddenly, someone burst out of them. Iyume fell backward, shrieking.
“Happy birthday, Iyume!!” Alek yelled. He stood up and helped Iyume up. “Oops, sorry. I didn’t want to scare you…”
Iyume scowled at him, but she smiled eventually. “Hey, do you want to help me and Nene find my presents? You helped me last year, and we found them fast!”
Alek grinned. “Sure. Where first?”
“Um… well, I was gonna look in these bushes first, but if you were out here, and you didn’t find them, then I guess they aren’t here… so… the backyard!” Iyume ran back the way she came with Alek close behind.
After hours of searching, the two children found a brightly wrapped present in a corner of the living room, behind a couch. Iyume opened it to find a pair of blades decorated with stars and moons, sheathed inside a special belt.
“Happy birthday, kiddo. Do you like your present?” Hoshiyuki walked out of the kitchen and knelt beside her daughter.
“Uh… what is it?” Iyume hefted the belt out of the box, examining it.
“They’re twin blades. It’s a weapon. I’ll teach you how to use them in time, but for now, let’s just use them as a decoration in your room, okay?” Hoshiyuki hugged Iyume and took the belt from her hands.
“Okay. Can you put them in my room, Momma? I want to play with Alek before dinner.” Iyume ran out of the room and to the backyard with Alek immediately after Hoshiyuki nodded.
“Alek, I want to show you something cool. Come over here!” Iyume ran over to the sandbox and Alek followed. “Ready?” Alek nodded, and Iyume held up her hands over the sandbox. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. Eventually, a small tornado picked up inside the box, and Alek watched in amazement.
“Whoa, how’d you do that?”
Iyume opened her eyes and let her arms relax. “Momma and Daddy say that I have the power to… to… mah-nip-yoo-late ehn-er-gee,” she replied, sounding out the words she didn’t understand. “They say that I can do really cool stuff, like make sounds really loud and blow dirt and leaves around. I can even make shapes with water!”
Alek grinned at her. “You’re like some kinda superhero. You should get a cape and start saving people.”
Iyume laughed. She turned back to the sandbox. “I practiced all last night to do that. I just found out these powers yesterday, and I can already do lots of stuff. But it really makes me tired… I slept in a lot this morning.”
“Hikariyume, time to come in. Dinner’s almost ready,” Aubrey called. Iyume made a face.
“Aw… I wanted to show you some of the other stuff I can do!” Iyume pouted, but Alek laughed.
“You can show me later. See ya!” He ran down the side yard a disappeared into the front yard. Iyume made her way to the back patio and through the back door.
Several days later… very early in the morning…
Hoshiyuki rushed into Iyume’s bedroom. She shook her daughter awake. “Hikariyume, wake up. Don’t turn on the lights, and try to be quiet,” She whispered urgently. She helped Iyume get dressed as she explained what was going on.
“A very bad lady is here. She will try to hurt us, and you. I want you to run away, and don’t come back until either Daddy or I come for you, okay?”
Iyume rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Is it the same lady from yesterday? The one me and Alek saw on the road?”
Hoshiyuki froze at the mention of Alek. She looked at Iyume sadly, afraid of what might happen. Eventually she came to a decision that she would rather not have made. “Listen closely, Hikariyume. I have to block your memories of Alek, to protect him. This means that you will forget him, for a long time. Do you understand?”
Iyume stared somewhat blankly at her mother, but nodded slowly. Hoshiyuki knelt down and put her hands on either side of Iyume’s forehead. “I’m so sorry, Hikariyume. I never wanted to do this.” She focused her power and began to carefully block each and every memory connected with Alek. Several minutes later, Hoshiyuki pulled away, and Iyume became very drowsy.
Iyume remembered vaguely what happened next. Her mother told her to run, but all three were captured by the woman. Iyume was locked in the bathroom, forced to endure her parent’s screaming and threats. Aubrey eventually managed to distract the lady, and he melted into the shadows, grabbing the blades that they had given to Iyume and getting her out of the house while Hoshiyuki fought with the woman. Aubrey gave Iyume the blade belt and told her to run as fast as she could, and to not come back. Iyume did as she was told, reluctantly, scared out of her mind. However, she made the mistake of looking back, and she saw her house explode, with both her parents in it. She saw through blurry eyes the woman with long, platinum-blond hair and piercing green eyes, smiling at the burning rubble from a safe distance. She never saw Iyume’s escape.
Iyume ran for several hours, before collapsing in exhaustion.