Characters in this chapter:

Mao Inoue, Ryosuke Yamada, Kamenashi Kazuya, Maki Horikita, Masaki Aiba

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“Don’t go!” cried Mao, begging in front of her brother. She was willing to do everything just to stop Ryosuke but it seemed ineffective. Ryosuke’s things were all packed up. If Mao didn’t covered the door he might gone already.

“Move!” said Ryosuke.

“I will if you promise you’ll stay.”

“I can’t” he answered as she pushed her sister then he walked away.

 “Ryosuke!” called Mao expecting him to turn back but he didn’t.

As Mao watched her brother, flood of memories came back.

****

Mao’s father died earlier, her mother was busy because of work. She used to be alone all the time so she wished to have siblings, but that was impossible until she was seven years old when she found a baby boy at their gate. He took it and called Ryosuke. Her mom reported the baby but no one claimed him. She planned to bring him in an orphanage but Mao begged to keep the baby. As her mother granted her wish she vowed to be the best sister, but things didn’t go smooth as she realized her brother wasn’t ordinary.

Ryosuke was six years old when Mao learned his ability. They were walking from school to home when Ryosuke pointed a man. “That guy, he will die in a car accident tomorrow, 7:01 am, rainy day.”

Mao laughed patting her brother’s head. She thought he was only joking but she realized it was real: the next day he saw the accident of that man in the news.

Another incident measured Ryosuke’s ability. “At exactly 11am, there will be a great earthquake” said Ryosuke.

Mao looked at the clock; it was still 7am….but again, his brother proved his special skill: an earthquake shocked their place.

“Who are you, who exactly are you?” Mao questioned. She was frightened by his ability to detect tragedy but her love for him didn’t lessen. The day she decided to keep him was also the day she promised to love and protect him.

Things went wrong when Ryosuke became 16 and learned his real identity.

A guy in black approached him “At last I found you” he started “Master Yamada”

Ryosuke didn’t mind him thinking that he was crazy but the guy followed him. “Believe me, you’re my missing master, you can perceive future, right?”

Ryosuke paused. How this guy could know his hidden ability?

“That’s your power the precognition, I know that because I’m your sentinel” the guy said “My name is Kamenashi Kazuya.” He introduced. “In able for me to be the great sentinel, I should serve my chosen prince but unfortunately you were kidnapped so I travel just to find you.”

Mao happened to hear his words. “Hey you, what are you talking about?”

Ryosuke left.

“Wait, master!” called Kamenashi but Mao blocked him.

“I’m asking you, what are you talking about, who are you by the way?”

“You tell me who are you?” he asked back.

“I’m Mao, Ryosuke’s sister.

“So, you’re the one who took care of him” he bowed his head. “Accept my gratitude!”

Mao got confused. She didn’t understand what this guy was talking about but it was clear he knew Ryosuke, and he came here to get him.

Kame didn’t keep distance from them. He followed Ryosuke to their house.

He was telling about Akaba again and again, that place wasn’t familiar to both Mao and Ryosuke.

“I can’t tell details to you” Kame said to Mao “But of course I’ll explain it to you master” he looked at Ryosuke.

“Akaba is a hidden place of humans who have special abilities. It was headed by a beautiful queen who is immortal and powerful. Every twenty years she granted any wish, it can be money, fame or power-anything but she will only give this to the deserving prince and to his sentinel as well”

“Are you saying that Ryosuke is a prince?” Mao inquired.

“In Akaba we use prince to designate people who have higher abilities; master came from the great family of Yamada so he is surely a prince.”

“If Ryosuke is a prince, what are you?”

“I’m a sentinel” he answered. “It is a designation for prince apprentice. Once a prince born, his parent is required to find sentinel for him.”

“Meaning…you’re in lower status” Mao commented.

“Hey what do you mean lower, I have nice ability. It just happened that I prefer to be a sentinel.”

“You!” called Ryosuke “Do you think you can convince me to believe you? And besides why are you telling this to my sister, I thought you can’t say details to her?”

“It’s okay; I have the ability to erase memory, once you decided to come with me, I’ll definitely erase this girl’s memory”

“No!” Mao complained. “I won’t allow you to do that”

“Don’t worry nee-chan this weird guy can’t get me!” Ryosuke assured.

Mao believed his words but Ryosuke changed his mind. She didn’t know his reasons so she tried to stop him but failed.

****

“Ryosuke!” Mao ran to look for her brother but it was Kame she found. “Are you here to erase my memory?”

Kame nodded.

“No, please…”

“I’m sorry…” said Kame raising his hands.

*

Mao found herself in her room. She smiled realizing that everything was just a dream. She immediately ran to check her brother.

“Mama, where’s Ryosuke?” she asked.

“Ryosuke, who’s that?”  Her mom’s eyebrow went up.

“Ryosuke, my brother!” Mao insisted.

“Oh, Mao…” Her mom tapped her. “Is this the result of being alone, do you really want to have brother?”

“Mama?”

Mao realized her mom wasn’t kidding she really didn’t remember anything about Ryosuke.  This proved Kame’s power, But why only her mom. Why did Kame let her still remember? If this was the case, she couldn’t stay doing nothing. She would definitely find and get Ryosuke back.

“But how can I do that?” she asked. “Where should I start?”

Her questions had been answered when she saw a tall guy in the market. The said guy had brown messy hair. He was wearing checkered long sleeves with maong pants and boots, but what Mao noticed to him was his green pendant. It was similar to the pendant she was wearing. She took the pendant and recalled that this was originally belongs to Ryosuke. He had this when she found him but Ryosuke gave it to her as a birthday present.

Mao thought that guy might have connection to Ryosuke and to the place called Akaba, so she decided to follow him. That day, Mao was wearing a navy blue jumper dress with pockets where she kept the pendant. She was also wearing her favorite blue doll shoes.

*

Mao ran to follow the guy, but she needed to be careful not to be caught. Good thing that guy can’t notice her.

From market the guy went in a place where buildings were so high. She wondered what this guy would do in such a place. To surprise her guy crossed in one of the buildings wall.

“Hey, what happened?” Mao bit out wondering how that guy crossed the wall. She knocked on it. “Is he a magician, how did he do that, now I lost him!” cried Mao, but she didn’t want to lose hope. For a moment she thought of trying to enter the wall. “Okay, Mao… concentrate!” she was about to hit the wall “One, two,” On the count of three she would ran. “Three!!

“Stop!” a female voice made her stopped. “Do you really want to die?”

“W-who are you?” asked Mao as she saw a lovely lady standing next to her. Though she had short hair, her white dress with pink ribbon in the waist was really fitted to her, not to mention the studded stilettos. “When did you come I didn’t notice you”

“Call me Maki, a gate keeper here”

“Gate keeper, then you can help me follow that guy?” Mao got excited.

“Of course but non-SA is not allow here”

“Non- SA?”

“SA stands for Special Ability user; I think you aren’t an SA so you can’t enter”

“You’re right, I don’t have any special ability but I want to see my brother! I’m willing to do anything just to make him back”

“I can see your determination…Ok, I’ll help you” said Maki.

“Really?” Mao smiled “thank you!”

“But in one condition!”

“With condition, what is it?”

“Give me your hair!’

“Whaat?!!!”

Mao’s hair was long and shiny. She used to take care of it since she was little. She really loved her hair so how could she give it to a stranger.

“Just take it or leave it…” Maki grinned.

“I’ll give it!” Mao decided.

“Good, you’re a good girl!” said Maki tapping her head.

“It’s for the sake of my brother!”

As Maki removed her hand to Mao, her hair became color white.

“Kyaaa!!” shouted Mao touching her long hair “My hair…my hair!”

“Go ahead, you can enter now!” said Maki, and then she disappeared like smoke.

Mao couldn’t do anything to get her hair back so she decided to focus on the wall. She was ready to enter.

Mao was a little bit nervous but she was determined. “Okay, one, two…Go!!!” she ran bumping herself to the wall. Magically, she made cross. It was like entering inside a water falls. For a few minutes Mao lost her energy. She failed to see anything. When she felt returning her senses, she found herself in a wide garden. “It’s beautiful” she commented. It wasn’t mysterious or something. It was just a normal garden with green grasses, trees and flowers. It was really refreshing with people hanging around, but that wasn’t the time to admire, she needed to continue to see her brother.

***

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." -The King of Hearts

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so this is the first chapter

hope to hear comments for improvement