Playing with Fire

Prologue: Thunderstruck (1/3)

The sun waded along the horizon as the clouds streaked and stretched over the pinkish-yellowish hues in the sky. The moon was slowly arising in a fade in the opposite side of the sky, a crescent shape peaking through the sheerness of white. The winds picked up every now and then, causing the leaves and blossoms to shiver and fall onto the broken pavement. The city streets of Kyoto were at a period of grace, only a handful of people roamed the streets after rush hour.

A large, patched up, black guitar case was slung across her back, the old faded charms swaying from the zipper. Small pins were anchored along the rough, protective fabric, and various colors and hand writings decorated the flat ends like vines. It was lighter than what others think – the case was large enough to keep all of her belongings – not that she carried too much in the first place.

The woman was walking back from a university, her black shoes scraping the concrete. When the winds rushed past her, her wild, messy black hair would fan out into the fading sun light, like a black flame. Her long, tattered, dark navy-blue jacket that draped along her shoulders would follow suit, acting like a cape and exposing her loose white top, red skirt, and ripped up socks. Her forearms were bandaged, covering some her sun kissed skin. The lighting defined the lines on her arms and sharpen the visuals of her curved figure. Head hung low, her beige hat covering most of her face. She scored a faded scar on her right cheek. Twenty-six yet living like she was forty, the woman occupied herself with the various tunes from her headphones to drown out the stress.

It could be arguable that she could be placed as a delinquent by what she looked like – otherwise the usual rebel in the classroom. She never strayed away from her direction for anyone, as the other people moved out of the way for her, like an instinct. Sometimes, someone would bump into her, and she would slightly turn her head towards them, her striking hazel eyes shifting focus.

"Excuse me." She would say in her husky, deadpan voice before they would profusely apologize, and she then walk off.

Today was far different, not that she was bothered by it. Her usual route was intercepted by road work, and she had to take a different road back to her apartment. She walked through the alleys and dirt roads, leading to the other side of the city. As she walked, her head was lifted as she scanned her surroundings, taking notice of the historical sites, chain restaurants, and shops she hadn't seen – being used to a specific region of the big city of Kyoto.

What had caught her eye was the Temple of Honno-ji. She had passed her Japanese history course last year since it was required by the university in order to graduate. She strayed away from her route once more to take a closer look, looking at the monument. She read the words from the man-made markers that summarized the civil war centuries ago – the Sengoku period. The historical throwback blanketed her thoughts as she wandered the site, looking at how the temple was made and its significance. One of the great unifiers of the country had died in the temple as it was burning, and she recalled how he had committed suicide after being betrayed.

She chuckled, trying to visualize how it went in her head – a man in Sengoku armor realizing he was played, sighing while saying, "Guess I'll die." while burning up the temple and sitting in it with a disappointed expression. The dark humor had made her laugh after a day of stress. Guilty? Sort of. But she needed that slight mood lifter.

Her mood dropped quickly as the sky turned dark, the sky growling as the winds grew harsher than before. She looked up at the sky, she had thought that the day would stay clear from storms – just her luck. The tip of her hat felt a large raindrop, it was heavy and it baffled her.

She huffed, trying to find a way back to the route she was originally taking, her pace gradually increasing. Without looking, she bumped into someone, and her attention shifted again. She looked up to see a man – he looked like a university student as well, probably in the science or health department by what he looked like: a lab coat and glasses.