• It's My Story, Summerstream


    "You know Bushido, you are like the brother I never had before… You listen to me and take me for who I am unlike so many other people I have met over the years… It's just really you and the others who take me for who I am… And for that, you need to know something… About me from a long, long time ago. As a child, I grew up fearing stepping out into the daylight, into the town that was once my sanctuary. Yet now, it's like going into Mount Babel. I fear it, I dread it, and more than ever, I wish it never came to me. You've heard my stories before, but this one is what happened, from beginning to when I finally left that god-forsaken place that was once my home… which now holds the graves of my parents Sharon and Shaun… I know you will understand this better than anyone here, as you are the sole person that holds my trust which took you so long to gain. Sartana already knows this story, and soon you shall too…"

    It all began in Tranqulation, the one town of which I fear and dread of what could happen if I were to go back there. It's nothing I want to wish upon someone else, but it always seems to track back to that one point. The first time I took the courage and went outside of the home in which I grew up in foster care into the morning light. Oh, how beautiful the sun's glitter on the lake was, how the clouds moved in the sky and how the cherry blossoms fell from the trees that were planted close to some of the towns. Of course, these blossoms have died now from neglect, but there are a few things that remain the same… There always have been, and always will be.

    I'm very certain that the people who abused me are still there, watching for another unfortunate person to walk into the town… I fear that they use Sophie when she isn't suspecting it… I really do.

    On this day that I walked out, I actually had my feet on the ground from what I remember. When I started to float, like Sylphs usually do, a male walked towards me and eyed me suspiciously. He looked about three, as I was more than likely about two. He approached me and grabbed me. Not knowing what to do, I turned my gaze upon him.

    "Demon!"

    I remember him calling me…

    "Half-breed!"

    Another voice called out. I had no idea what these names even meant. About four other males walked over, the oldest appearing eight. It was him who took me from the young boy's grasp and threw me to the ground. He pinned me there with his foot, as I tried to get up.

    "You even dare to come out again, we will make you pay demon. You're lucky the town even took you in! Shame to know you are that of a half-breed… Your walking and floating proves this. My parents always wondered what happened to the 'poor little girl whose mother and father will killed by some heartless creature'. I can see why that creature did it now. You have the filthiest blood I have ever seen!"

    I remember him kicking me about now… It winded me and I even felt something crack…

    "Know this, if one of us shall see you walking or floating, we will hurt you."

    As he continued to talk to me, he got closer and closer to my face until he was a couple inches away from it. I expected him to do much worse to me, but he just got up off of me and lead his group away…

    The pain in my hip prevented me from getting up. I believe I was in tears from it, I really don't know. I kept on crying out for my mother and father… I was still young and never knew of what actually happened to my parents. A young Shura man came out of his home and noticed me lying there. He walked over to me and lifted me up. I didn't know that this man was the doctor, and tried to get away… Out of his arms. He soothed me with a few words that I knew… gently rocking me as if I were still a baby. The pain seemed to fade away from what he was doing, but when he stopped, he noticed that the skin there was exposed and checked it. It hurt as he brought his fingers over the raw and tender flesh. I think something in my tears caused him to bring me into his home and lay me on a bed. He brought some things to me, asked permission to do something that I've long forgotten of what he did… But I did answer yes… As he worked, he explained who he was. He told me that as long as I was in his home, I'd be safe… It was the first time I truly did feel so safe in any company I've had or been with. When he left my side some time later, I finally drifted off into sleep…

    When I was finally able to get up again, he warned me to remain floating. As my hip wasn't fully healed, not that it ever got the chance to; it would be difficult for me to walk. Taking his advice, I left his home and attempted to float back to where my 'home' was. I barely got ten yards before I was confronted by the males once more. Scared, I tried to go around them. Yet, once again the older one grabbed me.

    "Listen here you little brat. You have no place here. Go home to where you belong and stay there before we teach you what it really is like to receive pain."

    He dropped me to the ground from there, a sharp pain filling my legs. I wasn't that tall when I was this age, most likely only about three feet. Crying slightly, I used my mind to help me get up. As I did so, they threw rocks at me which left small bruises as I went to my foster home. When I entered, someone gently folded me into their arms and picked me up.

    "Mommy!"

    She just smiled sweetly and brought me to my room and laid me on the bed.

    "Listen sweetheart, your hip needs to heal. The doctor came and told us what happened. Please, be more careful next time when you go out so you don't fall."

    "But I never fell! A boy grabbed me!"

    I swear she just smiled again and left me there. It was a long two months, as I couldn't get up on my own. If they had taken down the bars on the sides of the bed, then I would have been fully able to get up on my own. But I couldn't. They brought things up for me to eat and drink, but no one really stayed with me long enough besides just to drop the things off and pick them up. When the doctor came in, he took a good look at me and came over to my side.

    "They tell me that they've kept you to bed rest… This is staying in bed all day…"

    I only nodded in response to this. As he helped me sit up, he took down the bars and sat on the bed with me, shifting so I could lean against his body. He told me stories of the outside world… Eversun City, Darkdale, Collington and Bigbeam City… It is known that the young will only ever learn about these dangers if they are told when they are young, so that's what he did. Educated me on what I needed to know before going out… One was to always have the right equipment and items to keep one alive out in the dangerous place. Although my hip was mostly healed, it still hurt to sit upright. I said nothing about this though, watching the Shura lay me back down onto the bed.

    "P-Please… I want to go with you..!"

    "If you want to, I'd have to ask your guardians."

    I hadn't the clue what he meant by 'guardians' at that time. When he left, I felt tears come to my eyes as if someone just tore away my only friend… When he returned, he must have seen the emotions as he came right over and picked me up.

    "It's alright. I'm here to bring you with me. Maybe then I can keep a closer eye on you."

    He brought me with him into his home and sat me on the bed, leaning my back against the board behind it. When he left the room, I heard the shuffling of jars before he returned with lilac and lavender branches. They smelled really nice to me, and helped me relax.

    "Ah, so you like this scent… Figured you would. It's a relaxing scent to those who are injured, and it's good for meditating. Just let me know if you have any problems getting to sleep. I will bring some incense in and light them for you. You need not worry, for I will do my best to protect you…"

    He said this as he laid me down on the bed after placing the flowers in an empty jar. Tired, I looked up at him and smiled. I'm not sure why he was so nice to me then, but it makes sense now. He understood the reasons why people loathed me so. It was a nuisance really, but it helped me understand who I really was inside. This happened for about six years before most likely the worst beating of my life happened to me…

    I was eight years old. It was a day in the early winter, and it was cool outside. I always had a love for the cooler temperatures, so it didn't bother me much. Going outside on this one day, the same males met me once again. The only thing was, was that this time they had sticks and rocks with them. Looking at them, I began to back away…

    "Hey, Summerstream, come play with us!"

    "N-No... I don't want to…"

    "Come on… We'll play 'Hunter and Prey'! We'll be the hunters, and you'll be the prey."

    "I don't want to pla-"

    "Coward! Half-breed! Demon!"

    I looked at them before continuing to back away. Turning, I began to run away from them, and to try hiding. When they caught up to me, they tore me from my hiding place and began to beat me with each stick…

    "No! Please! Sto-"

    "We shall make you pay for your parent's dirty act…"

    "Never more will bloods like you me allowed here!"

    "We shall show them why!"

    "STOP!"

    Each blow was harder and harder. I could have sworn that they broke nearly every bone in my body until I felt one strike on the back of the neck… It's black from there until I wake in a room, completely bandaged and unable to move. I couldn't speak either. Glancing around, I tried to figure out where I was. Every part of my body ached with pain, increased with each breath I took in. Every time I tried to fall back asleep, to escape from the pain, the pain always brought me back to reality. When the doctor came in I was crying from the stress on my body, how much it hurt to breathe.

    "There there… You're safe now. Those boys won't hurt you anymore…"

    It was something I wanted to respond to, but as I opened my mouth to speak, I found I couldn't utter a single word or sound.

    "Rest now Summerstream… You've been out for two weeks already, but you need to sleep…"

    I had tried again there, but when my eyes opened, he had a liquid in a glass for me. Gently, he raised my body from the bed and cradled my neck. Tipping the glass, the liquid tasted warm, yet sweet. I'm still not sure what it was that he made, but what I do know was that it did make me really tired… Enough to push the pain away from my mind as he laid me back down on the bed…

    "Like I said, I will always protect you as if you were my daughter. You are always welcome here no matter how far you may travel, or where you go."

    He pulled the covers up for me and tucked them around me… As my eyes started to close, he gently laid his hand on my head.

    "Regeneration. Help her become well again."

    For several weeks I laid there, sleeping and awaking… Each awaking seemed less painful than the last, as if the spell were to work when I was asleep. It didn't seem to matter, as I did heal after about three months… Two of which I was unable to move, only the first one being where I couldn't talk. You remember the scar on the back of my neck? That's where it's from. The wound on the back of my neck was caused with something that had been rubbed there over and over again, as if trying to cut it. What it did end up doing was wearing away the skin and eventually sliced it to my spine… It was knowledge I learned of when I was first getting my voice back. As hard as he tried, he couldn't close the wound fully. It left the area raw for a couple years after, but soon it hardened back up… It is usually the reason why I tend to wear things that cover most of the back of my neck- I cannot stand the skin back there to show… It's not as bad as my stomach or now my heart, but it still hurts at times. It's a grim reminder of what happened to me.

    The next time I tried to leave that place was when I was about ten… I managed to get out of the house in the dead of night. For once, it was quiet. Moving silently, I began to make my way to the east exit… I would have been able to find these places after a while. I had tried once to run before, but the boys dragged me back to that gruesome place.

    As I ran, I heard so many creatures shift around me. Afraid, I kept on going. I had heard rumors about a frog that had attacked people who were unsuspecting, so I kept on going through the forest that was as dark as the midnight sky. Some how, I managed to run into the sub-urban area of Eversun South as the dawn broke. Tired, I sank down and leaned against a tree. I didn't know how long it was before I fell asleep.

    When I next awoke, there was a Pupu beside me, nuzzling my hand. I think it had wings; I'm not sure as I just saw the face. It was cute though, that's what I remember thinking. Getting up, I looked around. I was near Pandora's Platform, the central area of Eversun South. My legs were weaker than I thought which caused me to start to float in the air.

    "What way should I go?"

    Starting to the north, as it seemed most likely, I traveled along the dirt path towards where a large city rose from the earth. I wasn't sure as to where it was until I passed a Billboard and took a look at the writing on it. I was thankful that the doctor had taught me how to read and write! Without it, I wouldn't have even known where I was!

    What the board said was that Eversun City was just ahead… It was so much bigger than I pictured it before as I continued up the stone steps to the gates. The merchants who were before the gate took no heed to me as they vended their goods, so I continued forward and into the city. There were so many people in my sights… It made me wonder how many there actually were in this one city, let alone the actual world! Wandering around, I found my way to the Drugstore that was located near the central square. There was a man there, a young man who looked really troubled. I asked what was wrong and he explained to me that his patient, Sonia, was no where to be found. I asked if I could help him, knowing that the doctor would be proud. He told me to take the letter to her in Eversun North… Strange how he knew where she was…

    Leaving the city to the far north, I looked around at the people in my sights. It just amazed me more and more as to what I've been missing. Going forward I soon got off of the bridge over the river, a beautiful crystal clear blue. Still, forward I walked until I saw a figure floating by a board… It was Sonia.

    "Are you Sonia?"

    "Yes..."

    "Dr. Thailbit wanted me to give you this…"

    I handed her the letter that was for her.

    "The fool cannot cure my condition."

    "What? What do you mean?"

    "The only thing that can cure it is another"s blood."

    "So you're a..?"

    My voice faltered.

    "Yes, and I have to ask of you something… To cure this condition, I was wondering if I could drink some of your blood…"

    I swallowed. I had told him that I would help Sonia out, so I couldn't back down from this now…

    "Yes… Take what you need."

    I made a spot of my neck bare as she came closer and bit me. It's not that it hurt, it just surprised me. When she drew away, I was breathing hard, I was tired and I felt weak.

    "Here, take this letter back to him… Thank you."

    She handed me a letter as I wearily left. Little did I know that I was undertaking the Doctor's Qualification, which rung in my head when he handed me a paper stating that I could become a Doctor. He even directed me to the Dojo…

    It went from there downhill. When I entered the Dojo, there were two people standing there. One was a Human, the other a Shura. Each one had a blade. The one to my right had a saber, the other a sword. I went to the one with the saber and asked what she was there for… You can guess what happened from there. A couple years from these dates, I found Hiedekio-kun.

    I lead my life as both a Doctor and a Blademaster for many years following that. I was more adept with the Saber than I was of the Syringe. I even found out what had actually happened to my parents when I was 20, which lead to me meeting Nothgiel and the others a couple weeks later. They were very kind to me, and Nothgiel did help spare me from the Eversun Elder's wrath a couple times. I ended up getting a broken nose from the whole ordeal, which he healed. From there, he did bring me to the Temple of the Hunters, where I was set down on a bed and was resting… This was also when I got my first kiss, from Nothgiel, on the crescent-moon shaped balcony on the sunset.

    "Summerstream, do you really want to become a Hunter?"

    "I'm not really sure…"

    I was standing there in his arms. He was holding me in one of the gentlest positions I was ever held in… I think in those days, we both loved each other. I did up saying 'Yes' eventually to becoming a Hunter, but I had no idea of what was to come. Soon, I was out in the territory of Mount Babel to complete the Trials. I had one instinct driving me forward. That was that the bullies from my past were watching me and mocking me. With this in mind, I fought my hardest during this time. By the end of it all, I was amazed I lived through the ordeal. It was well-rewarded though… It turned out I had the Virtue of Love, opposite to Nothgiel's Virtue of Fury. We became battle partners from this.

    It was almost a week later when someone appeared practically right in front of me. I had no idea at the time that it was Sartana. Jumping back in startlement, he looked at me as he stood up. I swore his expression matched mine.

    "Who the hell are YOU?"

    "!!! Where am I? And what are you?"

    "Answer my question first!"

    I watched as he tried to leave the area. Huffing, I started to run after him as he ran. I soon caught him, knowing the streets of Eversun better than this male did. When I found him, I quickly over took him and pinned the male to the ground.

    "NOW will you answer my question?"

    "…I'm just a ninja…!"

    "...A what? There's no such thing."

    He looked up at me with a panicked look in his eyes. Most of my weight was on him, so it would be hard to get me off, even more so as I had both my Crusader and my saber fixed on my back. My white gown at that point was folded delicately around me as we started at each other for a few long minutes. He had black hair and creamy peach skin. He had an average build as well, although mine was a larger one for my race. He looked to me from the same Asian area as I was, noting how his angled eyes looked up at me. He reminded me of an image I saw of my father, which I had in my bag.

    "...What is your name?"

    "Sartana Forestshadow."

    "Summerstream Niimina."

    "I wondered where I was... Never been here before."

    "You're in Eversun City... The capital here..."

    When he looked up at me again, I could tell he was confused at what I meant. I began to explain to him about this world he was in, making sure to answer questions he had about the place. He seemed to be nice enough, but I was still wary of trusting him at this time, so while I was pinning him to the ground, I kept asking him questions to make sure I knew who I was talking to. He told me how he was pulled into this world by the Chasm King, the one king who tampered with the efforts of the people who already lived in the Mirror World. Smiling after some time, I got off of him. I didn't notice why he has a star-shaped scar on his chest. I payed no mind to it, and got up to leave. I wasn't sure as to how he reacted to it, as I headed right to the Inn, where I was staying with Nothgiel.

    The room I had was located right next door to the one he had, but the walls were quite thick as so he could not hear about how I screamed when I had my troubled dreams. Not that I wanted him to hear.. It's too personal for people who don't know much about me to know about. Although it pained me for me to not tell him, I couldn't risk him getting hurt mentally because of what I had to go through. I rarely looked to him for help in understanding my dreams, but I didn't like having them happen as well. I looked for a way out instead of a way in. We always kept the door shut, and thus it has stayed for a while until a time came where I nearly killed him.

    I was under the control of someone else as he came to free me from their grasp. As it turned out, I was used as the weapon against him, and I nearly killed him from how I fought as a berserker. I was still not used to the fact as to how I had to fight differently from when I was hunting compared to when I was just defending myself. All I remember is how I fell to my knees and held him to my chest. His faint breathing brought tears to my eyes, as I gently picked him up and carried him to my home in Darkdale. When he finally woke up, I was crying at his side.

    "I'm so sorry Nothgiel..."

    "...You don't have to be Summerstream..."

    "It's my fault Noth... If I never..."

    We kept at this for a little bit, before he looked at me with a glint in his eyes that made me stop. Shutting my mouth, the tears continued to fall down my cheeks, like an endless river that spanned from sea to sea. Looking down at him, I dipped my head and rested it on the mattress. I continued to cry for go knows how long before I finally stopped. It wasn't until I stopped that I was aware of Nothgiel's hand on the back of my head. It felt so warm to me as I glanced up at his sleeping face. His eyelids covered the sky-blue eyes of his, being clouds covering the sky that concealed the sun. It looked so peaceful to me. Moving his hand from the back of my head, I rose from my seat, for I knew that he wold wake again. Smiling, I left the room.

    As I grew older, I began to realize who I was in the world. I soon found a liking to Sartana after this incident, and we had a small baby boy. We named him after the man who helped me stay alive long enough to be able to do this... Earl. If it wasn't for him, the father of Sophie, I wouldn't even be here. I would have been six feet under many, many years ago. For this I thank him for my life. I know he watches me with my father of whom has passed named Shaun. He was killed with my mother by the Pearly Frog. I hope he rests in peace as my mother watches what goes on with my husband's apprentice. Even now we learn how to continue living in this current time of the Ragnarök. Hopefully, we will all live through this, the gods willing.

    This is Summerstream Forestshadow's (Formerly Summerstream Niimina) story. This is her past, and her future is written in the lines of the one who picks the fate of the world around us.