青い空の初めて (知己美香） - Stage 1.5

As she exited the office, a voice that rang like crystal bells called out to her.
"Mika-chan! Mika-chan!"
Turning her head to the right, Mika spotted a pair of slim shaved legs that wore gladiators headed her way.
The owner of the legs, used to be a beauty champion contestant back during her younger days.
Even now, she didn't look like she has graced the age of 30.
She still retained baby doll features that made her easily mistakened to be 16.
Moeka, as she was fondly called, had rushed out from her cubicle to talk to Mika.

"I'm guessing you heard the news?" said Moeka.

No need to guess what Moeka was hinting at.

Moeka is the No.1 gossip queen in Daily Rambles.
It was perhaps, one of the reasons why she was offered a position in the Entertainment section.
She was good at finding out gossips about the latest celebrities .. or the office staff members.

Nothing escaped her survaillance, Mika coyly thought.
Perhaps my side of this story will be placed on a rooftop for others to hear.

"Yes, I did.
I hadn't realized it was that bad.
I didn't know.
Did you?"

"Nopes.
I hadn't think the boss was in such a state.
In fact, I reckoned it could be .... "
And with that, Moeka started gossipping about rumours which soundly far-fetched to Mika.
Mika tuned out from Moeka's tinkling voice as she let her mind stray.

Mika hated gossipping.
She hated how it was a double-edged sword and worked the way it did; depending on who was listening in to the conversation and how it was recited.
She hated the fact that it involved someone she cared about.
Above all, she hated the fact that the gossips might be true.

".... and Amachika is a fantastic place to be.
The curator is such an amazing hunk.
Do you think the guy might like me, looking like this?
I mean I'm about 10 years older than him.
And a Chikasa to boot.
They say Chikasa hunks have really large penises!
What do you reckon, Mika?" asked the over-enthusiastic Moeka.

Secretly in her head, Mika thanked god that Moeka had switched topics when her mind had wandered.
Mumbling a quick apology and excusing herself, Mika left Moeka to return to her cubicle.
There was no need to worry about Moeka.
Moeka would just leech upon another poor helpless soul whom she could gossip to.

In her seat, she gazed blankly at the blank white screen in front of her.
She was upset about the job loss.
Still, wasn't this apart of life?
In a rat race world, where people turn on others to climb up the cooperate ladder, this was simply apart of life.
There were people who preferred the shortcuts though.
Abusing their parent's money to project a false image.
Or marrying into a well-to-do family.
Mika rather dislike and was disgusted by such actions.
It was pure stupidity, in her opinion.

Refocusing herself, Mika realized she had to clear her cubicle soon.
There wasn't much on her table.
Only a Macintosh laptop, some photos of her colleagues, news articles that interested her, and three files.
These could be easily swipped off the table and kept in her laptop bag, whilst the folders could be hand-carried.
Her laptop bag, which doubled as a backpack, already contained her camera.
There really wasn't much that she owned and wanted to take back.

Mika toyed with the idea of leaving early.
She was not someone who liked to be in the centre of attention.
Nor was she the type that liked to say goodbyes.
She felt that with every minute of her last day spent here, she would be dragged into both situations soon enough.
She didn't like how things would go about.
She didn't like how things might be about.
With that in mind, she quickly packed everything up.
On tippy toes, she quietly exited the room and left without a single utter of "Goodbye".

Mika was right to have escaped and avoided the drama.
When the day was over, no one realized she had left except for the boss.
Moeka put on a drama act with tears included.
Everyone gathered around her and cried with her about their last day.
Everyone, with a sadden heart said goodbye to those present.
Mika was nowhere in sight.
Not many people regarded her existance as important.
She was like a shadow.
Invinsible.
Hardly pretty.
Not important.
Just someone with a tragic life that was uninteresting to them.
To common folks, she could have just endured everything and marry into another wealthy family.
Her feelings were not important to them.

Only her boss noticed.
He showed a gentle smile as he thought of Mika.
Everyone in Daily Rambles was like a child to him.
Even the grownup but childish Moeka.
However, only Mika was true to herself.
He knew that this was her silent way of parting.
He wished her, in his heart, all the best for her future.

Perhaps it's not important now.
But later in life, Moeka whom Mika didn't have high regards of and wasn't close to, would later impact her life.
She had already pulled the first fate of thread in front of Mika.
The mere mention of Amachika, whom the latter thought was merely and possibly a gigolo club.

青い空の初めて (知己美香） - Stage 1

Have you ever imagined yourself a captive of the world?

Since birth, all of us have been chained down to the norms dictated by the world.

These norms include family, friends, society, law and religion.

Who started all this?

Did anyone ever questioned why they had to follow a certain set of rules?

Why something that has to be done, must be done in that particular order and nothing else.

Welcome to Nanakasa, the 9th Umbrella.

This is the 50th century where technology has advanced and has devastated the world.

Nuclear technology and pollution has destroyed much of the world's natural beauty, instead making Earth now a very polluted and unsafe environment for upbringing.

The government thus decreed in the year 3450 ad that mankind migrate to the various solar system planets and leave behind the polluted home planet Earth.

Nanakasa, the 9th Umbrella is originally the planet Mars that was dyed crimson red.

Because Mars' environment originally was unstable for mankind to migrate even with enhanced technology, domes were built on the planet to keep humans inside from the harsh weather outside. 

Food, water and electricity were all delivered from the neighboring planets. 

However, with the increase of plantations and factories, Mars is also becoming polluted by the minute.

In an effort to decrease the pollution, gas vents leading to the outside Mars atmosphere were invented to let the smog out. 

In exchange for this effort, however, Nanakasa is force to import air from planets with stable atmospheric surfaces such as Suikasa, the 2nd Umbrella, formally known as Mercury.

However, with the condition of Nanakasa being as it is, people have not ever witnessed the blue skies or oceanic views before. 

That, plants and animals too have been seen in Nanakasa. 

These 'things' were learned through textbooks and images photographed from the home planet, Earth.

One could call Nanakasa, an advanced civilization that thrives only on technology and economy. 

A pure city of it's own.

Tomiko Mika, a resident of Nanakasa, felt life was unsteady here.

This feeling only began after she stumbled upon an old gallery called Amachika, which was owned by curator, Frances Noir.

Mika, fondly called Mi-chan, is a reporter for the modern arts section of the Daily Rambles. 

Daily Rambles was a newspaper that teenagers were fond of because of it's simplicity in conveying messages to the public whilst targeting common interest shared among teens these days.

Her stumble upon Amachika began when she was summoned to her boss's office.

Opening the door, she looked at her boss who's wrinkled face and frown indicated something was amiss.

"Tomiko-san, how long have you been working with us?" asked her boss after a five minute long pause.

"5 years, sir." She replied curtly. 

Even until now, she could remember when she had first entered Daily Rambles.

She was at the prime age of 18.

Her parents wanted to marry her off to a rich bachelor, but she refused.

Her life was her own. 

She wanted her freedom.

She left her house with nothing on her back.

Searching, wondering where to go, she found the boss of Daily Rambles.

A kind-hearted man, indeed, for taking her in and giving her a job.

Knowing that, she was troubled by his question. 

Was something the matter?

Was there anything she could do now?

With a heavy sigh, her boss looked up from his table. 

"We will have to shut down soon..." 

He said this whilst looking at her quietly.

Mika, looking at her boss, and saw how devastated he was.

He looked so fragile right now. 

As though the world's problems were weighted upon his shoulder.

"Why? Is there something we can not do?" 

"None. We have a decree from the government to shut the business down."

"Why?"

"Because they want to build a new factory here."

"Can we not move?"

"Land is scarce.

We haven't the funds. 

The government has generously provided us with money to vacate and shut down the business."

A pause for a moment.

Mika could feel the noise, outside the office.

People were bustling about.

Possible arranging and packing everything up. 

She must have been the last to be informed.

What would she do now?

She was at a loss.

Her job at Daily Rambles was her only income.

People here were good to her.

Where would she go now?

A large packet slide in front of her.

"Take this," said her boss.

"It is what the government has gave equally to all of us.

Where will you go now, Tomiko?"

He didn't know what to say probably and she knew he was too distraught with everything right now. 

Yet, he was capable of feeling concern for her.

She was touched.

She didn't want him to be too worry over her, however.

He had been too good to her for the past 5 years.

It was more than enough to receive his kindness.

She wished to no longer trouble him.

"I will find something. 

I am sure I can.

Do not worry for me.

I am sure my talents can be used somewhere."

With that, she got up and hugged her boss.

"I am sorry this has happened to you.

Thank you for everything.

And please take care..."

With tears in her eyes, she got up and left the room.

It was time to pack things up and leave the happy memories behind.

あの歌姫。。。

Whilst three strangers decide on their path, another looks on.
Young and frail, she stares through the basin of water placed in front of her.
Freedom is a journey that binds people to each other.
The freedom that the three seek are entwined with hers.
She whispers eagerly to herself, awaiting for them to stumble upon her.
Will her whispers get through to them?
Too long has she waited for those three to be resurrected.
Each time and again, were they seperated by dimensions, time and space.
No longer would that deter them from meeting anymore.
The time has come for things to change.
For the hand of time that has imprisoned her to move forward.
She prays hard to Izanagi to give her strength to do what she must.
To entice and call the three to her.
Her voice is her only pride.
Her voice is her only freedom.

Where to begin and where to end?
The past or the future that will bind all four of them?
A song begins now.
A song of what is present and yet to come.
A song she must sing with hope.
A hope accompanied with a prayer she silently sends to the Gods.

あの虹。。。

「I want to travel to the other side of the rainbow.」
A wish proclaimed during his childhood.
To find out if the rainbow was a snake.
To find out if there truly is a pot of gold over at the other end.
Rainbows were his obsession.
It colored the sky after the rain.
It brought hope and renewal to him.
Such a refreshing display of colors.
People laughed at him for loving the rainbow.
But no one understood how deeply set he was towards his journey.
No one understood what the rainbow symbolically meant to him.
She was his greatest treasure.
She was his companion during his lonely childhood days.
Days of which his parents would abandon him alone, drinking and beating each other up, before they finally turned on him.
His saviour.
His love.
His Goddess.

Where to start and where to end?
How do you find the rainbow's beginning and where it finally leads to?
A journey to discover and rekindle one's soul?
Or to find the greatest snake that had ever lived?
The snake that ferried Izanagi and Izanami over to our world.

あの海。。。

The sea was his lover.
She caressed him warmly and softly, always whispering her secrets to him.
There was never a day that he hadn't the lack of enjoyment being in the sea.
She was always good to him, constantly helping him in his endeavours.
Everybody knew that the Lady of the Sea, Matsu, was always protecting him.
He would always emerge from the harsh sea victoriously and unscathed.
Whilst others around him who were on the same journey were always wounded badly.
He brought back treasures that many attempted to find but failed from the sea.
However to him, the sea was not always his favourite lover.
To endure her love, sacrifices often had to be made.
An escape was what he desired.
An escape from the vast sea.
To a land far far away, where he could stand on his own feet and make his own ground.

Where to start and where to end?
A journey of a man who dares to go against the Lady's love for him.
Supernatural or not, he embarks on his journey to find something new for him.
Something that would bring him a peace of mind and an understanding knowledge that he had accomplished something without the Lady's help.

あの空。。。

The day she saw the sky for the very first time was at an art gallery.
A beautiful photograph was up on display showing the clear vast sky.
It was breath taking.
The photo that was displayed looked as though it might have been painted.
And yet, such colors shown could not have come from merely elements of paint itself.
It was God's creation to mankind.
A beautiful blue ocean sky, unlike any other.
Alast, here where she belonged, such a sky was unseen before.
It was dark grey, dull and cloudy.
Hardly a shread of blue and white could be seen peeking through.
Where did this sky come from?
Who was the photographer?
She was determined to find out, to see the person who took such a beautiful picture and the sky itself in person.

The girl had never seen the sky before in her entire life.
At least not a sky like that.
A sky filled with hope, desires and freedom.
It gave birth to many pleasures in her heart.
To capture that feeling and experienced it for herself, would be a gift from heaven.
Where to start? and where to end?
Where would this journey take her?