The Girl of the Fireflies

The Woods

"Gah, Saito! Wake up already!"

I woke up to see a middle aged woman poking me with a broom. "Oh, hi Mom," I murmured, not wanting to wake up. The woman rolled her eyes. "It's the Festival..." she started.

Well, that changed my mind. The Festival of Fireflies was a tradition of Akira that I always looked forward to. It was the day when all the fireflies gathered in the woods, and you had to catch the fireflies of a dead loved one to give their soul a forever home. This year, I was catching my father's fireflies. He passed away a few months ago. He fought on the front lines... and it didn't go so well.

"Well, Saito," my mother said, snapping me out of my sleepy state. "Are you coming or what?"

About an hour later, I was dressed and had eaten breakfast, and just in the nick of time, too. I heard General Shigeru hollering outside. I knew this was for the group sorting for the festival. My mother and I rushed outside. General Shigeru was a plump man, with salt and pepper hair that was almost completely salt. "Okay, Group 64 is Katia and Saito," he shouted. Just as he said that, I saw a girl with white hair, wearing a black bow in the back of it, with eyes that were as blue as the ocean, yet with tones of steel gray. She was wearing a purple and black dress that reached her knees.

She was beautiful. But when I blinked, she had disappeared into the woods.

"Okay, everyone has their partner? Then start!!" General Shigeru shouted. I ran into the woods, where the beautiful girl had gone.

After a few hours of wandering, it had finally gotten dark. I made one more turn, and then I saw it. Tens of thousands of fireflies floating around. They were tiny lanterns afloat. And in front of them was the girl.

I kneeled down next to her. "You're Katia, right?" I asked softly. She nodded. "And you're Saito..." I smiled. "Yes," I whispered.

For a few seconds, it was silent. Then Katia gasped. Her eyes had begun glowing blue. "What happened?" I asked, worried.

She could barely speak. "M-m-monsters. Thousands of them. Coming to Akira." Then she collapsed.

A few hours later, she regained consciousness. "What happened?" she asked. She looked around. "Where am I?"

She was in the infirmary. She had to be taken there, since no one could wake her up. She turned to me and grabbed my hand, and I blushed. "We have to go. Now. Bring your sword."

How did she know I was a swordsman?