The Sky Chronicles

1 - "Distant Sky."

"S-Stop! Please!"

No matter how much I cried and pleaded...

...It never stopped.

I can still remember the pain of getting kicked in the gut.

Countless voices laughed at me, as tears poured down my face like miniature waterfalls. Every day, almost as if it were a routine, I had been beaten.

I had no significance to anyone in this village. I had no meaning. I was treated like punching bag to the people of the village-- No, I was their punching bag.

Over time, I started to think that I had no worth, no place in this world.

Then on one rainy evening, I had met her.

She had changed my life, given me hope...

9 years ago...

I was sitting against a tree, wiping my tears from my eyes, and the blood off of my chin. I stared up at the sky, almost like I was begging for a God to save me.

"Hey... You okay?" A soft voice whispered. I turned my head to the left, and saw a girl with a cheerful smile. She had white-grey horns, sky blue hair and luminous blue eyes. Upon closer inspection, she had bruises and scars like I had. "Does it look like I'll ever be okay?" I asked her, as she shrugged, and sat down next to me.

"What's your name?" She asked, as I stared at the ground. "Dante..." I mumbled. "How about you? What's your name?" I asked, as she smiled. "Don't have one!" She said, looking up at the gray blanket of clouds covering the sky. "Don't... Have one?" I asked, puzzled, as she nodded. "Hm..." I said, looking at her.

"I'm from the village not too far from this one, just a small stroll west from here." She said, rocking side to side, like a metronome, as she hummed. "Do you get beat up everyday?" I asked, as she looked down. "Sadly. But, I'm excited!" She shot me a grin again. "Why?" I asked, shocked as to how someone like me could ever be excited. "Because I managed to escape. I ran as fast as I could, though I knew no one would notice because they were all asleep." She smirked. "Though, my escape did have a bad side effect." She pointed to her feet. Her feet weren't bleeding, but they were close to it. Covered in what looked like blisters.

"Why are you here if you ran away?" I asked, as I sat up. "Because, I wanted to see if I could find anyone else like me. I wanted to help others escape. Luckily, I found you!" She said, pointing at me. "You can... help me?" I asked, as she nodded. "Yep, I sure can!" She grinned.

The girl stood up, and held out her hand to me. "Well, what are you waiting for, Dante? Let's get out of here!" She said, as I slowly stood up and nodded, grabbing her hand.

The warmth of someone safe... Someone who cared...

There was nothing like it.

We escaped the village almost too easily, with her leading the way. She held my hand tightly, as she ran with her battered feet. "That's it!" I said, as she stopped. "What?" She raised an eyebrow at me. "Haruka. Haruka Sora!" I spoke a name. "Who's that?" She asked. "You." I smiled. "You've traveled a long way, And your hair is the color of the sky. Haruka means Distant, and Sora means Sky!" I said, as she stood there speechless. "I..." Her eyes began to build up tears. "I... I love it!" She smiled, wiping her eyes.