Sakura

Chapter 1

The sun dipped back behind puffy, grey summer clouds as a pair of sapphire colored eyes fluttered, half-open and looking worn. In a silent breath, a yawn escaped from behind the full pink lips from what appeared to be a young woman crouched inside a cindered, crumbling shell of an abandoned building.

 Raising a delicate, pale hand with a certain, practiced ease few would ever guess Nami had to practice for weeks to get the gesture correct. Yawning, the young woman rubbed at her eyes before tucking a stray dark pink strand of hair behind her ear. Already she could feel her human exhaustion sapping her mind's resilience to sleep as her fourth consecutive day awake neared.

 For a fleeting moment her eyes closed and Nami surrendered to the dark bliss, but only for a second as she violently shook her head to stay awake. The rising pressure of her frustration was beginning to grow tiresome as Nami squeezed her hands into fists. Taking a breath, she rolled back her shoulders and fidgeted, stretching out her hands to press them against the uniform she wore. These ash stains would surely never come out, she idly thought, fingering the black smudges that stained her blue and silver plaid skirt and white button up blouse.

 Fidgeting yet again, Nami nearly grunted out in annoyance. How frustrating it must be to be human and cramp up this much. Quietly she rotated her legs in front of her, giving both a good stretch. Expression souring, Nami turned her frustration to herself. How could she call herself a warrior, the Tidecaller, if she was letting a bit of sleeplessness and aches get to her?

 In a moment of weakness, Nami's mother appeared at the forefront of her mind and she felt her crankiness start to wane. She could see the smile just on the edge of her mother's lips and her words of encouragement always ready at the tip of her tongue. Thinking of this made Nami's expression give way to sadness.

 Oh how the Marai siren yearned for her home- for the sea. But she would not allow her nostalgia to continue any further. There was no use in these memories. It was another lifetime ago and she wasn't who she used to be. Looking at her hands that rested flat against her thighs, she felt a small, sad smile appear. Her mother would be proud. No other Marai had ever been able to perform such magic and change their mermadic form into a human one. But Nami learned, and after a year she had grown excellent at managing it.

 Clearing her mind, Nami took a deep breath and felt the image of her mother begin to ebb away like the flow of the tide. It was difficult as she was maintaining her human form and preparing another massive spell simultaneously but after a few moments of focus her mother was gone and replaced by only one image. The ever fixed, pale and smiling face of the Golden Demon.

 Picking up and lifting the water bottle stowed in her backpack, Nami let the cool, refreshing aqua enter her mouth while she remembered why she was here. Ignoring the anxiety that threatened to gnaw at her stomach, Nami reassured herself that she had been right about this mark. This had to be, she thought as she chewed on her lip while looking at the neat pile of empty water bottles across from her.

 Already she was having to conserve, and without a steady intake of water there wasn't any way that Nami could continue to maintain the human form she was in, as well as use the invisibility spell she was planning on using. She took a risk, trusting Dave the meteorologist from Channel 11 News. It had to rain. It had to-

 A soft, wet sound drew Nami's attention down to her arm. A drop of water beaded there and sluggishly rolled down and onto the ground. Looking up through the broken ceiling, Nami felt the spray of water beginning to fall around her which brought out a smile of childlike glee.

 Surrounded by water, Nami felt the days of hot, sleepless exhaustion wash away and the siren lifted a palm, letting her magic reserves get replenished. The smile she wore was so carefree and happy that for a moment she forgot why she was here. That was until she noticed movement through the rotted hole she had been scouting out of for nearly four days.

 Thunder clapped and rolled over head as Nami began to invoke the invisibility spell she had been silently preparing for the past day and a half. As long as she was touching water she would remain unseen. She still felt nervous though. Would it work against demons? She wasn't sure, but it was a chance she would have to take.

 Peering through the hole that the crumbling wall had given way to, she could see a figure darting to and fro in the rain across the road. Although the black cloak they wore made it hard to determine the actual shape of them, Nami knew better. She knew that underneath that cloth there was a frame that was sleek and agile, with powerful, defined muscles that appeared pale, but she could never be sure if that was it's real complexion. Along with being incredibly clever and elusive, the Golden Demon had a way of disappearing in plain sight that Nami had never encountered before. But this time would be different.

 For months now the siren had tracked and hunted this demon. Each time they had eluded her, and with each miss Nami learned where and how not to strike at her opponent. Stomach tightening, Nami watched, nearly mesmerized by the way the figure moved through the rain. It was almost as if they were dancing by the way they turned and cut through the falling drops, their cloak moving against them like a second dancer.

 Gracefully the Demon spun before coming to rest under the overhang of the dilapidated theater across the road from where Nami sat tensely. The building she occupied had fallen victim to arson long ago, or at the very least a very serious fire. The structural damage was immense, given the fact it had no ceiling and very few walls. In fact most of the buildings in this part of the town were either closed, burned downed or condemned.

 The figure took a few steps and stopped, looking winded. But this wasn't the first time Nami had seen this, she knew it was only a rouse. They were really reading their surroundings, so quick and naturally as if one were just breathing or blinking. Impressed for only a moment, Nami knew she had encountered no warrior like this before, none so acutely aware of their surroundings.

 Chewing on her lip again, Nami wrung her hands together and looked around the street, although her views were limited to the angles the hole in the wall allowed. No one was in sight and she felt her heart nearly seize as the figure moved slowly forward to the edge of the overhang and turned, the hood of the cloak drawn and only revealing darkness beneath. They were looking in the direction of Nami and she stared fiercely back at them.

 "Hello, Golden Demon," she whispered, her blue eyes blazing.

 Nami continued to stare, her eyes unmoving as the figure lingered only a moment longer before turning and continuing into the theater building. It wasn't until the door closed that Nami realized she had been holding her breath for nearly a minute.

 "Let this be over."