The Three Snakes #1

I do not exist anymore. My existence is now tied to a never-ending wish. I vanished, thanks to those damn gang kids! They defeated me using clichés from a badly written self-help book!

I knew I could stay for millennia doing exactly the same thing, they died all the same and that idiot little girl would always do the same wish! Again, they’d need to win once to put down my perfect scheme…

That’s it! Enough of time travel! I will be back and kill those kids once for all…when I managed to exit this place. But I can only exist with a wish, I need wishes. Only if there was a way to the fantasy land I heard the youkai talking about, and I wouldn't need a wish to exist…

Oh…

What is this?....

Ohohoohohoho!

There is so much desire coming from that way. No, this can’t be a human, this has to be a monster! Oh, monsters are sooo much easier to manipulate, it’s as if this monster was made of desire!

I can feel myself moving… it is calling me! My insides are feeling fuzzies! Ohoho! I can feel, so much desire! And where there is desire… there is a wish!

*******

The Japanese were always proud of their countryside. Even with the advance of the technology, there was a conscious effort to preserve it, for its cultural value, not to mention that the value of natural environments was getting higher each year as they got rarer. However, the effort to preserve them was also increasing as well.

And in one of these natural reserves there was a girl praying in front of a shrine. She had her eyes closed and had her hands joined, mumbling the desires of her heart. However, her ritual was interrupted by the sound of someone tripping. When she turned her head, she saw a girl, or at least it looked like a girl under that light green and white hoodie; she also wore a blue skirt and white sneakers. She also had a green bag on her back.

“Are you alright, young girl?” Mary said, putting on her hood in order to not attract attention to her very long hair and squatted to see the other hobo girl. Her face was dirty and she smelled like she hadn’t showered for a few days. However, she wasn’t ugly; her eyes were blue and her hair green, though she could see the root of her hair brown.

“I am,” she said, “I just tripped on there…” When the girl’s eyes made contact with Mary, she said, “You aren’t fully human, are you?”

“AH!” Mary chirped, taken back and tripped, while the girl got up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Your eyes indicate you’re a hybrid, though I can't identify which youkai you descends. I think humans shouldn’t have that much hair.” The girl said, putting her hands on her pocket. Both hoods fallen; the sunshine contrasted with the green-haired girl’s gloomy expression.

“Eh, how do you know?” Mary said; it was pointless attempting to lie in such a situation.

“I’m not too different from you,” the girl said, looking at the shrine with a lost look, “Or I used to be not too different from you. However, today I’m just normal; in earlier times we'd be dueling in a danmaku fight.” Mary tilted her head, not understanding what she meant by danmaku fight. She got up and walked up to her.

“You were praying on that shrine, right?” The girl asked.

“Y-yes.” Mary replied, holding the border of her blue dress. “It’s a custom when we visit this place. Do you believe in gods? Or were you offended?”

The girl just blew a raspberry, not in disdain but in nostalgia. “I believe in gods as much as I believe in men. And I know that gods can die.” She lowered her head. “Excuse me, sorry for bothering you.”

Mary looked at her, walking past her. She took a deep breath and said, “Please, tell me your name.”
The girl stopped on her tracks and turned to her. “It’s Sanae. Sanae Kochiya.”

“Sanae, where are you going?” Mary asked, her expression concerned while she held both hands.

“I don’t know…” Sanae looked as if she was almost going to cry. “I don’t have anywhere to go…”

“Come with me!”

“Huh?”

“Look,” Mary said, her eyes gleaming, “I used to be alone for a long time, but then I made some good friends that were in the same situation as I was. I’m sure they’d be your friends as well.”

“I don’t know…” Sanae said, glancing aside again.

“Please, miss Sanae, just for a time! You don’t have anything to lose!”

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt…” Both she and Mary knew that she had few options and generosity wasn’t something to be wasted. Plus, they both knew that a bath wouldn’t hurt as well.

“So, it’s done!” Mary said, holding Sanae’s hands, getting the taller girl flushed with the sudden display of amiability. “You’ll love my friends, Sanae!”

“If you say so… What is your name, again?”

“Mary Kozakura.” And thus Mary caught her by her wrist and ran to the meeting point.

*******

“So, why is Mary taking so long?” Kano said, putting his arms behind his head.

“You know Mary,” Kido said, leaning against a lamppost with her arms crossed, “She must be praying for every single person she knows. Let her take the time she wants, it’s not like we’re in a hurry.”

“I think I should check out her.” Seto said.

“Hibiya told us that this is a place has no security problems,” Kido said, “Especially during the day.”

“Oh, there she is.” Momo said, looking at the end of the path of trees, where Mary was coming with another person. “And she’s bringing someone.”

“Guys,” Mary said, stopping in the middle of the plaza where they were, “This is a friend that I just met. Her name is Sanae.”

The Mekakushin that were present looked at the new girl and had mixed reactions: Kido and Shintaro looked at her with inquisitive looks; Seto and Kano smiled and waved at her; while Momo looked at her curious and she looked at her brother; recognizing his inquisitive look, she instinctively took one step back.

Sanae waved at them, trying to crack a welcoming smile – however, she looked like a poor person begging.

“Sanae, huh?” Kano said, walking up to her and bowing to her. “My name is Kano, and these are my friends, Kido, Shintaro and Momo.” The first two remained calm, but Momo shyly waved her hand.

“Well, nice to meet you.” Sanae said, glancing aside.

“Where did you find her, Mary?” Shintaro asked.

“While I was praying at the forest shrine, I found her.” Mary replied. “The reason why I brought her is because she’s special.

“How come?” Shintaro asked again.

“S-she deduced that I was a hybrid with a just glance.” Mary said, looking down, slightly embarrassed, earning surprised looks from the others. “But she isn’t dangerous.”

“We have a special snowflake here,” Kano said, showing both hands in the air, “Just like us. Tell us about you Sanae.”

“Well, I was expelled from my house and now I’m just wandering, depending on people’s goodwill.” Sanae said, looking at the ground. “I do need help, but I don’t want to be a burden for you.”

“Sanae, Sanae, Sanae,” Kano said, lightly tapping her shoulder and walking around her, “Let me tell you one thing about me: I’m a huge liar. I used to be an even huge liar, but I still think I could swindle the entire city if I had the resources.” He then stopped and looked at her. “But one thing this ability made me gain is how to identify lies, as easy as you can tell that Mary is… different. So, care to elaborate us the true reason why you are in the streets, darling?”

Sanae widened her eyes in shock, but then she sighed and said, “I told this lie because you wouldn’t believe the truth.”

“Sanae,” Momo said, calling everyone’s attention, “We’ve been through a lot of situations you wouldn’t believe as well. It can’t be stranger than it is.”

After a few seconds of silence, Sanae decided to talk: “What if tell you there used to be a land that time forgot? That humans coexisted with creatures of legends, gods of folklore? People like Mary were common; where everything humanity gave up for modern world, where magic existed and heroes were real, would you believe that?”

“I guess so…” Kano said, unsure to what reply, although not detecting any hint of deceit in her voice. The others paid attention closely, with skeptical looks.

“This used to be my home. A land where I was a hero, I was a goddess…” she said, running her fingers on her dyed hair. “But then, there was Armageddon Day…” Tears started to form around her eyes and she started to hiccup.

Kido walked to her, bumping on Kano, and hugged her, a rather disgruntled hug (she wasn’t a huggy person), but sincere, “It’s okay. I’ve been there, and I know what you’re feeling and you don’t need to tell anything you don’t want to. You’re safe with us.”

“T-thank you.” Sanae replied, feeling better. Somehow, she knew that girl could understand her.

“Alright, let's go.” Kano said, putting his hands on his pocket. “We need to convince Hibiya's father to allow a hobo girl in his house.”