Sky2Sky

Chapter 3A Journey in a New Land

When Sora woke up from his slumber he found himself in a deserted land. Everything around him was covered in sand. Yet that wasn't the only thing that he felt different. The thing that felt different the most was his body. He had a feeling of a surge of energy in his body. He kept wondering and talking to himself why? But more important than all he felt a nostalgic feeling somewhere in his heart. Suddenly without realizing he started to cry. He tried to sweep them away but his eyes kept shedding tears. He told himself maybe if he walked they would go away.

As Sora walked the land unknowing of his whereabouts he felt a sudden change in the climate. The area became more windy. The sand started to swirl in the ground, and then in a few minutes it became a sandstorm. Trying to flee from it he started dashing right and left trying to find a shelter somewhere but the sandstorm caught up to him, lifted him up from the ground and swept him away from the deserted land. He was conscious for a few moments when he was in the Storm. Seeing the scene from above he was frightened from the fall. But then a rock came from nowhere and threw him unconscious leaving his wondering in how would he land.

Hours later he woke up. This time he was in a carriage and kids were playing around his body. The man who was driving the carriage told him: "Hi son, How are you feeling?"

Sora: "Much better thanks."

Kid 1&2 cheerfully: "Tell us your name."

Sora: "Will my name is Watanabe Sora. What about you guys?"

Kid 1: "My name is Zach. "

Kid 2: "And my name is Tanya."

Zach and Tanya in unison: "And our father name is Mike."

Sora: "Will then hi Zach, Tanya, and Mike. So where are you going?"

Zach in a sad voice: "We are going away."

Sora puzzled: "Away from where?"

Tanya: "Away from home."

Sora still puzzled: "Why are you going away from home Zach?"

Zach : "War."

The kids then started crying. Their father then stopped the carriage and took his kids into his arms singing to them lullabies of stories that Sora have never heard before until they fell asleep. Mike then continued the journey of nowhere and Sora sat beside him. As the two sad Sora couldn't help but wonder what happened to their mother. It was a sad story. A story where a love of a mother and a wife vanished in the disaster war.

Feeling uneasy about the kids answer Sora tried to understand what is happing here and where he was. So he asked mike a bunch of questions.

Sora: "So Mike where exactly are we?"

Mike: "What do you mean where are we? We have all the time been at the old empire desert."

Sora's confused: "The old Empire!!"

Mike: "Yes the old empire. Where did you think you are boy?"

Sora: "Tokyo or somewhere remotely close to it."

Mike: "There is no such place as Tokyo here son. Are you sure your head is OK?"

Sora: "Yes, it's ok. Wait what year is it today?"

Mike: "3557 January the 9th."

When Sora heard that he thought to himself: "If it was the same date then really where the hell am I".

When the sun came down the kids woke up and started playing in the carriage again. It was truly the sight every family should have. The kids running about chasing each other. While the grown ups watched their children streaming by them waving to them with a smile in all faces. Such feeling brought back memories for Sora. His feeling of joy as he chased his brother Shinji in the park playing cops and thieves. For a moment seeing the kids all cheery made Sora forget all about what has happened in the past few hours. It was even to a point in which Sora himself started playing with the kids. Chasing them around the carriage and all. He played with them games from his childhood. Some that they have never heard of. The three of them were all cheery. Even after Mike stopped the carriage to make dinner. He stayed with them bringing wood for the fire and all. He even went to sleep beside them, as they weren't letting go of his hands. Before they went to sleep Sora asked Mike if they are going to drive by a town or something.

Mike told him that they are going to drive by a town called Lust Buckers two days from now and then they went to sleep.

In the night Sora heard a strange noise roaming near the camp. Upon realizing what was happening. Sora tried to wake mike who was sleeping near the fire that a group of bandits were attacking them. He shouted with all his voice in order to wake up everyone. Zach and Tanya who were near him woke up. However their father who slept near the campfire wasn't able to hear him. Sora tried to shout even louder: "MIKE KNIFE". But before he could understand him. A bandit already took a knife and stabbed Mike's heart. In that instant Sora felt something inside him. For the very first time in his life he felt fear. The fear of losing his life. He thought of calling his father for help. But he couldn't, as he was all alone in this world. " No I am not alone" A thought popped in his mind. "Even if I was. I have those two who are expecting my protection right here right know."

As a second bandit came to Sora with a knife heading for his heart. Sora took a deep breath and strengthened his weak mind. He decided to fight back for his friends, his family, the kids, and more importantly himself. Sora fought back by letting the bandit to come near him face to face. At the last second Sora evaded the attack and went under the bandit's body while rotating his body to oppose him and grabbing the bandits arm that held the knife. Sora then swept the bandit from his feat into the ground and used a jujutsu moved on him named the Arm bar to dislocate his arm. He then took the knife from the hurt bandit and stroke him in his heart with a single thrust. Sora then pulled the knife from the struggling body and threw it like a dart at another bandit on a horse. The third bandit fell from his his horse screaming in pain. While the other bandits were focused on looting the carriage. Sora grabbed the kids and harried them to the lonely horse by the stabbed bandit. He Saddled them in the horse and took off. One of the bandits saw his hurt friend and tried to catch them on his horse. He came so close that Sora was so afraid that he might catch up. But then his horse went down by a flying arrow that came from nowhere. Sora steeled his nerves and took this chance not knowing who their benefactor was and fled away.

A few hours later as the clock marked the 12th hour of the night. Sora and the kids arrived at Lust Buckers the town that Mike told them they would be driving by after two days. To Sora it was sheer luck that they arrived here and in mere hours. If he had took any other route. Any other detour he might have never arrived. But he did. The moment Sora entered the gates of the town he wanted to tell the kids not to worry and everything would be fine. But when he saw their sorrow faces of how sad they were for losing their father. He just didn't know what to do. He didn't even know what to say. It was an experience that he was living at that very moment. An experience that he was still hang over. If he was past it. He might have said something. But he just couldn't.

Sora thought in his mind: "I want to help them but ... I mean I just knew that the parent's that I thought were actually my parents aren't, got swept into a land which I know nothing about, and now this. Not to mention that I myself am a teenager." But he somehow felt that if he hugged them and sung them the lullaby that their father sang they might calm down and fall asleep, and so it did. As Sora was horsing by the town he felt tired himself so he found a corner on the town and went to sleep. But sleep wouldn't arrive. As his mind has finally realized the horror that was done by his hands. The smell of blood that reaped into his soul. A thought went into his mind. "What have I done."